Toys for Tots
To support our community, there is a Toys for Tots donation box in the narthex. Donate a new, unwrapped toy for a deserving child and the toys will be collected, Monday Dec. 15th for distribution
Blessing Box Support
In addition, this year, we are asking for extra Blessing Box donations to support the accelerated need right now. Use the barrel also found in the narthex. Food staples that will not freeze are the best option.
This Advent, the Episcopal Diocese of Missouri is delighted to share a new devotional resource, Lingering Before the Light (Advent 2025), a prayer booklet inviting us to slow down, breathe deeply, and dwell with God in the holy “in-between” of this season. Rooted in the themes of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love, the booklet offers weekly reflections from Bishop Deon, along with simple daily prayers and practices that help us notice God’s light flickering in the midst of a heavy and complicated world.
In a time when global and local crises can make hope feel fragile, these pages gently remind us that Advent is not a race toward Christmas, but a courageous act of waiting with God, trusting that the Light is already on the way. Each day includes a short Scripture verse, a prayer, and a concrete action: listening more deeply, practicing gratitude, tending to those in need, or looking again for the quiet ways Christ is already present among us.
We invite individuals, families, and congregations to use Lingering Before the Light throughout the four weeks of Advent and into Christmas, whether at home, around the dinner table, or in small groups at church. May this booklet help us linger a little longer before the mystery of Emmanuel, God with us, and make room in our hearts and communities for the hope, peace, joy, and love Christ brings. For information on how to receive a copy, please contact your congregation or the diocesan office. https://diocesemo.org/connect/news/2025-advent
Remember or honor a loved one by including them in the Christmas Flower Dedications list that will be published in Christmas bulletins.
Fill out a Christmas Flower Dedication coupon found on the credenza in the narthex, use the nearby envelope addressed to St. Martin’s to drop your coupon & donation into the Offering Plate or mail it to the church office.
Your donation will help defray the cost of poinsettia and other fresh Christmas decorations in the church.
Coupon dedications received by Sunday, December 14 will be found in the Christmas bulletins.