Advent Lessons & Carols - Sunday, Nov 30, 5:30 p.m., Christ & St. Luke's, Norfolk. The Parish Choir will lead a candle-lit service of Lessons and Carols, in the tradition of King's College, Cambridge. Enter the season of Advent with this beautiful and meditative service. This service will be repeated on Friday, December 5 for the Tidewater Lutheran, Anglican, Roman Catholic, and United Methodist (LARCUM) chapter.
Community Caf� WMBG - Dec. 4, 1 to 3 p.m., St. Martin's, Williamsburg. A monthly gathering for folks 60+ and caregivers. Holiday stress can make you feel like you can't keep anything straight in your mind, much less remember a lot of details. The December topic is This Little Light of Mine. Come enjoy some mind strengthening games, and learn about common memory lapses from the Alzheimer's Association and Riverside. Get into the holiday spirit with a good old fashioned carol sing-a-long, featuring the Tidewater Recorder Society. Yummy snacks and prizes. Community Caf� WMBG is supported by 10 area churches and is held the first Thursday of every month from 1:00-3:00 at St. Martin's Episcopal Church 1333 Jamestown Road. All are welcome!
Women's Advent Retreat day: Making Room at the Inn - Dec. 6, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., St. Andrew's, Norfolk The Rev. Andie Wigodsky Rohrs will be the guest speaker. The topic will be "Making Room in the Inn" - how we prepare for the coming of Christ in our hearts and minds and homes and in the world around us. Tickets are $12. Lunch is included. If you wish to make a reservation, email [email protected]. (Since space is limited, tickets will not be sold at the door unless a reservation has been made.)
St. Augustine's Annual Bazaar - Dec. 6, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., St. Augustine's, Newport News. The bazaar will feature homemade baked goods, hand-made crafts, a variety shop, a garden shop, dinners, a silent auction and a raffle. Dinners (eat-in or take-out) of fried fish, fried chicken or baked chicken, turkey barbeque and Brunswick stew will be available beginning at 11:00 am. Side dishes include potato salad, candied yams, fresh green beans, collards, desserts, roll or cornbread, and choice of beverage. Lunch/Dinner tickets will be available at the door for only $9.00. Come, join us. All proceeds will benefit the outreach projects of the Episcopal Church Women. For more information contact Glenda Geer at [email protected] or Valerie Price at [email protected] .
16th Annual Christmas Bazaar - Dec. 6, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Redeemer, Midlothian. This year's event will feature both returning and new holiday vendors. Come to enjoy the excitement and fun, including hourly raffles and snacks. Proceeds help support Redeemer's ECW outreach projects. Redeemer is located at the corner of Winterfield Road and Salisbury Drive in the heart of Midlothian. For more information, contact Jennifer Wester, Publicity Chair, at [email protected].
Virginia Children's Chorus concert: A Ceremony of Carols - Dec. 6, 7:30 p.m., Christ & St. Luke's, Norfolk. the Virginia Children's Chorus, accompanied by harpist Barbara Chapman, will present Britten's "A Ceremony of Carols." The Concert Choir will be directed by Carol Thomas Downing with harp accompaniment by Barbara Chapman, principal harpist for the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. the Virginia Children's Chorus Chamber Singers, directed by Paul Putnam, will open the concert with beautiful holiday music. The Virginia Children's Chorus newest CD will also be released at the concert. "A Ceremony of Carols & Christmas Music for Flute & Harp" features a 2012 concert recording and beautiful selections by Debra Wendells Cross, flute and Barbara Chapman, harp. The concert will also be presented on Sun., Dec. 7 at 3:30 p.m. at St. Matthew Catholic Church in Virginia Beach. Concerts are free and open to the public. Suggested donation of $10 for adults, $5 for children. Call 757-440-9100 or go to www.vachildrenschorus.org for more information.
Advent Lessons & Music - Dec. 7, 4 p.m., Trinity, Portsmouth. The choir will sing the annual candlelight service. A reception will follow.
Advent Service of Lessons and Carols - Dec. 7, 4:30 p.m., St. Michael's, Bon Air. The St. Michael's Choirs will present an Advent Service of Lessons and Carols. The service begins with a brief organ concert by Daniel Stipe, Director of Music at Trinity Lutheran Church and Artistic Director of the Richmond Concert Chorale. The event is free and open to the public. Donations are welcomed. For more information call 757-272-0992.
Women's Retreat Day: Advent Morning with John the Baptist - Dec. 10, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Christ the King, Tabb. The Order of the Daughters of the King of the Diocese of Southern Virginia invite you to come into the quiet and spend an Advent Morning with John the Baptist. The program will feature a scripture study on John the Baptist, individual and group reflection, Eucharist, and lunch. Cost is $10 per person; open to all women of the church. Christ the King is located at 4109 Big Bethel Road, Yorktown. RSVP to Ronda Toll at [email protected] or 757-223-7281 by December 8.
Santa is Coming! - Dec. 13, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., St. John, Chester. For an admission charge of a package of diapers or a donation to the diaper fund (to benefit Chesterfield Pregnancy Center), children can visit with Santa, take pictures and have cookies & milk. For more information, contact Doris Custer, [email protected].
Giggles! - Dec. 13, 12 to 4 p.m., St. Christopher's, Portsmouth. Giggles (Growing in God's Grace Lets Everyone Smile) is a program for children ages 3-12 exploring our relationship with God through music, stories, play and crafts. Lunch and a light snack are provided. The program is free. Call 757-484-5155 to sign up.
Historical Bus Trip: Christmas Candlelight Tour of Historic Homes - Dec. 13, St. Paul's, Norfolk. We will travel to Edenton, NC, to take the Christmas Candlelight Tour of Historic Homes. This year's Candlelight Tour consists of all new homes to visit.. An early dinner is included at the "Nothing Fancy Caf�." The tour will depart from Saint Paul's Church in Norfolk at 12:00 p.m. and return to St. Paul's at approximately 10:00 p.m.. Registration forms are available by calling Warren Chauncey 757-460-3861 or the church office 757-627-4353. The cost for the tour is $75. 00 .
Annual Children's Christmas Shoppe - Dec. 13 & 14, Trinity, Portsmouth. Each year, on the second Saturday of December, children between the ages of 3 and 12 can purchase gifts for $3.00 with the help of an "elf" and have them wrapped for a surprise on Christmas morning. There are gifts for moms, dads, grandparents, siblings, teachers, and even the family pet. Children in all walks of life benefit from your donations. The donations we receive are used to purchase the gifts that we sell at the Christmas Shoppe. The proceeds from the shoppe are used to benefit many local children's charities. The Christmas Shoppe is open on Saturday, December 13 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and on Sunday, December 14 from 12:30 to 4:00 p.m. (There is no gift-wrapping on Sunday.) Please join us!
Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols - Dec. 14, 5:30 p.m., Eastern Shore Chapel, Virginia Beach. Carols and Anthems will highlight the traditional Christmas Story Scripture readings. Sung by the choirs of Eastern Shore Chapel. Music Director: Martin R. Sunderland.
Taiz� Service at St. John's - Dec. 14, 4 p.m., St. John's, Hampton. Our monthly Taiz� service of peace and meditation. Join us for this time away from the frenzy of life to refresh your mind and relax your body. The service is open to everyone. Please tell a friend.
The Bruton Parish Shop is preparing the way with a special event to mark this Advent season. In our homes, many of us celebrate the birth of Christ with a cherished Nativity or Crech� - many treasured for years or collected from around the world.
The Mission Food Pantry is nearly empty, and Mission families depend on food from the Mission to feed their hungry children. Non-perishable items are needed, such as canned soup, meat, vegetables and fruit. We also need pasta, rice, cereal and other healthy dried goods. Please consider a food drive for your EWC, EYC, Outreach or other church group. For more information or to arrange a drop-off time, please contact the Mission at 757-858-0010 on Mondays or Wednesdays. Thank you for helping us to feed His lambs, and God bless you!
St. Aidan's, Virginia Beach invites everyone to join them along with King's Grant Presbyterian and St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church in taking a trip to ancient Bethlehem at the annual Bethlehem Walk at King's Grant Presbyterian Church, 745 Little Neck Road in Virginia Beach. This is far more than a nativity scene, and includes shops from Bethlehem, Roman guards, live animals, wise men, rabbis and much more. 
