St. P h i l i p N e r i Month ly9050 Cypress Green Drive, #301-302, Jacksonville, FL 32256 (904)565-1075

www.nerichurch.orgMailing Address: 6228 Lake Tahoe Drive, Jacksonville FL 32256

D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 7A family of faith seeking to love and serve Jesus Christ through open minds, joyful hearts, and willing hands.

READINGS FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER December 3, FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT First Is 63: 16b-17. 19b; 64: 2-7 Psalms Ps 80: 2-3. 15-16. 18-19(4) Second 1 Cor 1: 3-9 Gospel Mk 13: 33-37 December 10, SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT First Is 40: 1-5. 9-11 Psalms Ps 85: 9-10. 11-12. 13-14(8) Second 2 Pt 3: 8-14 Gospel Mk 1: 1-8 December 17, THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT First Is 61: 1-2a. 10-11 Psalms Lk 1: 46-48. 49-50. 53-54 Second 1 Thes 5: 16-24 Gospel Jn 1: 6-8. 19-28 December 24, FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT 10:30 am Service First 2 Sm 7: 1-5. 8b-12a. 14a. 16 Psalms Ps 89: 2-3. 4-5. 27. 29(2a) Second Rom 16: 25-27 Gospel Lk 1: 26-38 December 24, THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD 5:00 pm Service First Is 9: 1-6 Psalms Ps 96: 1-2. 2-3. 11-12. 13 Second Ti 2: 11-14 Gospel Lk 2: 1-14 December 31, HOLY FAMILY First Gn 15: 1-6: 21 : 1-3 Psalms Ps 105: 1-2. 3-4. 5-6. 8-9 (7a. 8a) Second Heb 11: 8. 11-12. 17-19 Gospel Lk 2: 22-40 To view the Sunday readings in their entirety for each week’s Liturgy, go to www.nerichurch.org

SCHEDULE FOR SUNDAY LITURGY

Celebrate with us Sundays at 10:30 am"For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with

you." ~ Matthew 18:20 ~

GLUTEN FREE COMMUNION IS AVAILABLE TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS WITH FOOD ALLERGIES SO THEY CAN FULLY PARTICIPATE IN RECEIVING THE BODY OF CHIST.

CHRISTMAS EVE CANDLELIGHT SERVICE THURSDAY,

12/24 5:00PM

Refreshments and light nibbles to follow.

CHRISTMAS EVE COLLECTION

Our Christmas Eve collection goes to helping several inner city single parents and families this year. As

is our tradition, the collection does not go to the church but to

needy people we have the privilege to support.

If you will not be at the Christmas Eve liturgy but want to contribute,

simply mark your check or donation "Christmas Eve" so we can include it in the collection.

Thank you for giving some children a Christmas morning.

St. Ph i l i p Ne r i Month ly - Events a nd Updates

Food Sunday/Welcome Sunday/Charity Item Donation Sunday The last Sunday of every month is food Sunday. There is usually a food theme. Bring your favorite dishes and accompaniments to share with your Church family, or just bring your appetite! Food Sunday is also designated as “Welcome Sunday.” It’s the perfect Sunday to bring a friend to Church as Father John will spend a little more time during the Liturgy to explain the rituals, symbols, and meanings of the Liturgy. As a bonus, everyone is invited to share in a wonderful meal.

Food Sunday is also the day you’re encouraged to bring in Food Bank donations, Shopping Cart Ministry items, as well as your DOG/CAT FOOD donations. Of course, you can always bring in your donation items on any given Sunday.

Coffee and Donuts every Sunday, before and after service. Enjoy a delicious fresh brewed cup of our signature St. Philip Neri Coffee Blend, regular or decaf. Please feel free to pour yourself a cup! Coffee donations are accepted and appreciated. Want to buy a bag or two of our signature St. Philip Neri Coffee Blend? We have 10oz bags available for purchase, whole bean or ground, $12.00 each. Fifty-percent of the profits are contributed to our Church. See Becky Hamilton or order directly from the web www.fazziniblend.com/stphilipneri/.

“Let your eyes and your heart delight in my ways.” “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

HOUR OF HEALING PRAYER IS HELD ON THE FIRST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH FROM 12:00-1:00 PM

St. Philip Neri Ecumenical Church is dedicated to the healing of God’s people in body, mind, and spirit. We have an active healing prayer ministry and offer an hour of healing prayer on the first Sunday of each month following our service. We invite you to receive prayer for yourself or someone else you may be praying for who is not able to be present. We have been blessed with a powerful gift from God. This gift is PRAYER. 1 John 14:12 Jesus said, “Amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father.” Let us accept Jesus’ gift and follow His wish for us to pray in His name for our healing and for those of our brothers and sisters. We look forward to sharing this special and powerful time with you.

Our next healing prayer hour will be on Sunday December 3, immediately following our service If you have a need for Healing Prayer for yourself or someone else and you are not able to come for prayer, please

Email Marge Townsend at squattie@bellsouth.net or Margaret Santapola at 2twinb@bellsouth.net and we will place the name on our Prayer List.

"This is the sign of the believers, they lay hands on the sick and they recover." Mark 16:18

Turning up the Pilot Light!  (Bible Study)St. Philip Neri weekly Bible Study Group named 'The Pilot Light Scripture Study and Prayer Group' because we will focus on prayer and community building, as well as Scripture. The meetings will reflect our Liturgy in that after reading and sharing in God's Word, we will pray together as a community for individuals and the world, as well as share in Communion.

The week can be long from Sunday to Sunday; let's keep our Pilot Light of Love burning for Christ all week long! The Pilot Light group will meet on Wednesdays, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. All are welcome! Invite your friends!

St. Ph i l i p Ne r i Month ly - Events a nd Updates“Pleasant words are like honeycomb, sweet to the mind and healing to the body.”

LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICES FOOD PANTRY is in desperate need of food for homeless folks with pop top cans or easy to eat packaged foods and any other non perishable food suitable for the homeless. Many homeless people cannot use the regular food that is on hand at the pantry because they have no way to cook the food or open the cans. We greatly appreciate your donations for easy to eat packaged foods or cans foods with pop tops.

For more information, please contact Jeff Viau at (904)635-4496 or viauj@comcast.net. Visit LSS on the web http://lssjax.org

DONATE ON LINE THROUGH THE SPN WEB SITE

We now offer the menu choice on the SPN web site, "Donate" and on that page you will find the PayPal Donate button.

http://nerichurch.org/welcome/donate/

Now when you shop at Amazon Smile, you can also support St. Philip Neri Church! 

By shopping Amazon Smile (www.amazonsmile.com) and choosing St. Philip Neri Ecumenical Church as your charity, Amazon will donate.05% of your purchase price to St. Philip Neri.  Thank you for your support!

A re y o u n e w to S t . P h i l i p N e r i E c u m e n i c a l C h u r c h ?

We would like to welcome you to our Ecumenical Community where all are called to God. All belong to him. “God shows no partiality” (Acts 10:34). St. Philip Neri Ecumenical Church celebrates the gift of God's salvation in Jesus Christ. At St. Philip Neri, we truly seek to welcome people of different faiths, denominations, and

backgrounds and to be a place where all may come to know the grace, peace, joy and forgiveness that our Loving God offers us. We see ourselves in the celebration business not the damnation business. All are welcome to celebrate with us and share in His Communion. We wish to thank you for joining us today. In order to serve you better, please fill out a registration card located on the table in the gathering area of the church and leave it with a greeter.

Find us on the web: www.nerichurch.org"The Best Churches are those that are NOT telling people what they can/cannot do... The Best

Churches empower their people. We need to hear from God. Pastors need to teach and then aid people in hearing from God themselves."

St. Ph i l i p Ne r i Month ly - Events a nd Updates“Let your eyes and your heart delight in my ways.” “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

Reminder - Shopping Cart Ministry - The Holidays are almost here!

St. Philip Neri Church collects personal items for donation to the Taylor Care Center Nursing Home Shopping Cart Ministry. Christmas is the perfect time to contribute an item for the adults who live at Taylor Care Nursing Center located on Chester Avenue in Jacksonville. Taylor Care encourages their residents to participate in social activities and games. Instead of money, tickets are awarded and later redeemed by the resident when they get to “go shopping.” This program allows the residents independence and fosters the pleasure of spending the tickets for items that appeal to each individually, whether fulfilling a personal necessity or choosing an item for fun and enjoyment (Jewelry, makeup, combs, brushes, lotions, shaving

cream, scarves, small purses, decks of cards, games, and knick knacks (preferably unbreakable). Our contributions help to put a smile on the faces of these very special men and women.

Donations may be placed in the brown bin marked for Shopping Car Ministry located in the Gathering Room of the church. Contact is Marge Townsend at 904.314.9400 (squattie@bellsouth.net). Contact Marge Townsend at (904)314-9400 or squattie@bellsouth.net 

   Advent Theme 2017    'PREPARING OUR HEART HOMES'

     Advent is a time of waiting and preparation.

This Advent we pray our hearts and our calendars arequieted so we are blessed with moments of peace.We pray to turn our ears from the frantic demands

and open our eyes to the wonder of Advent andthe beauty of time well spent in blessed waiting and

joyful preparation.

This year we will pass our waiting time inanticipation of Christ's coming by preparing

our "Heart Homes" into which we will welcome Him.

There are four rooms in our "Heart Homes" and each weekwe will pray a special prayer for one of the rooms making

that room (that part of us) ready to receive our Lord.  The four rooms are - Our Minds, Our Bodies, Our Spirits,  

and our Souls.

This Advent through our prayers, we will be furnishing thequiet rooms/places of ourselves so our waiting time will be 

well spent and we will be prepared to receive Him completely.

St. Ph i l i p Ne r i Month ly - Events a nd Updates“Let your eyes and your heart delight in my ways.” “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”

C H R I S T M A S P A R T Y D A N E S E C O U R T

December is a special month for the children at Danese Court. They are looking forward to a visit from their special Santa -- Rudi Urban. Rudi is well known by the Philip Neri family, whether baking bread or playing the drum for liturgy. The Danese Court Library Christmas Party will be Thursday, December 21, and Santa will once again make an appearance, bringing the gift of laughter and small presents, many of which are provided by our church family. They may not know all of us, but they have a great representative in "our" Santa. How many children can actually recognize their Santa when he's met a refugee family at the airport and delivers them to their new home in Jacksonville. Now, that's a gift!

We will have a small tree set up on December 3 and December 10, with ornaments describing items we will be purchasing for the children this year. We are choosing to take cash donations this year so that we can be sure we have extra gifts and items based on the number and ages of the children who come -- we always have unexpected guests at Christmas and we want to be prepared. Please leave a small donation on the tree and say a prayer that our kids will do well in school this year. We hope you understand how important this event is to them and please know, that you are invited any Monday or Thursday to come read a book, play a game or color a picture with us. Merry Christmas! contact Joy Viau at 635-4496, Email joviau@comcast.net

L’Arche Jacksonville’s 30th Annual Living Nativity

WHEN: Friday, December 15th at 7:00 pmWHERE: Christ the King Catholic Church

Prelude by Jacksonville Suzuki Strings - Reception to follow in Parish Hall. This simple, moving presentation truly expresses the spirit of Christmas as people with and without intellectual disabilities re-enact the birth of Jesus in story & song.

http://www.larchejacksonville.org/news-events/events/30th-annual-larche-jacksonville-living-nativity/

St. Gerard House Annual Christmas Gift-Giving - Located in St. Augustine, Florida, St. Gerard Campus is an independent, non-political, non-sectarian facility designed to assist pregnant teenagers and unwed mothers. They are prepared to provide assistance and referrals for medical care, educational needs, or job services to all women, regardless of age, marital status, race or religion.

St. Philip Neri Church has been providing Target Gift Cards each Christmas to the students (unwed mothers) on campus so that they can purchase items for themselves/babies. There is a Target store conveniently located across the street from St. Gerard House. This year, there are 15 mothers and 15 babies. Two of these moms are expecting their second baby in the new year.

If you would like to participate, please bring your gift card (no denomination is too small) to St. Philip Neri Church NO LATER THAN SUNDAY, DECEMBER 10TH. We will be delivering the gifts to St. Gerard House on Tuesday, December 12 because they close for the holidays on December 14. There is a basket located in the sanctuary to place your donation.

Thank you for sharing love with those less fortunate!

Questions? Contact Marge Townsend at 904.314.9400 or squattie@bellsouth.net

St. Ph i l i p Ne r i Month ly - Events a nd Updates

Please pray for our Families and Friends who are ill o r have asked for special prayer intentions

RosieBetsyJack KevinAudrinWarrenBrandonJoeMikeTomJesseEllieFredRobbinDavidMichaelJeanetteGailMichellePeteRoyCindyDeniseSean

EricaAdamTravisFranDanLeoTraciKarenMaryDanaSteveEmilyBrentEdKenStefanAnne MarieLaurenMarkLarrySkipCherieJohn S.Bill Smith and Family

Beth WBeth SStephanieTedSupt. of SchoolsMarieSkyeBrian, Kim's brother RalphJeanneCaryann and MattSamanthaChadSamDarrenMeghanBarbaraTonyaSharonLindaKiki’s FriendsLaceyLiamEmmaTeri G.Scott K.Carol

PeterAlbertJermond Delmetcris Mr. BrowningCatherineMadelen, Guido and Giselle IsquierdoChaseCarol and Kenny Harper JaneNicholas LaBelloHartAll those incarcerated

A l t a r S e r v e r s a n d R e a d e r s enhance the quality of liturgical celebrations by personally taking part in assisting the priest and the church members. Anyone interested in participating should contact Kathryn Oliver (altar service) at koliver0823@gmail.com or Marge Townsend (Liturgical Readings) at 314-9400, squattie@bellsouth.net.

C o m m u n i o n is given to all, including children. It is the cause of unity for all who love the Lord so all are welcome and encouraged to share communion. We offer gluten-free for those with food

allergies so they can fully participate in receiving the body of Christ.

B a p t i s m is the first step in a lifelong journey of commitment and discipleship. Whether we are baptized as infants or adults, Baptism is the Church's way of celebrating and enacting the embrace of God. For questions or to schedule a Baptism, contact Marge Townsend at 314-9400.

We d d i n g s Reverend John Oliver is available for weddings throughout the year. Feel free to E-Mail him with questions or to schedule an appointment at johnoliver2000@yahoo.com.