Nativity Newsletter

Fr. Rick Roesller will be celebrating the Holy Eucharist with us this Sunday, November 9.

Father Rick Roessler+ lives in Vicksburg, MS with his wife Deacon Tami Jo. He served as a military officer for 33 years and went to seminary immediately following. He was ordained to the Deaconate in February and to the Priesthood in November of 2019. Fr.

Rick+ has served in Ticonderoga, NY and in Vicksburg, MS since ordination. He currently supplies for Church of the Good Shepherd two Sunday’s a month and wherever else he is called.

Fr. Rick+ enjoys taxes (yes, there are people who like to prepare taxes) and is an enrolled agent, he worked for TurboTax during the last tax period and plans to continue working in the financial management/taxation area in 2026. Fr Rick+ also serves as the

chief of the diocesan disaster prevention and response team. He spent most of his Air Force career working in disaster management and is honored to be able to bring this

ministry to the diocese of Mississippi.

When he is not working, you will soon find Fr. Rick+ enjoying his granddaughter, his first is expected in December or January. His oldest daughter—Allyson—lives in Monroe, LA and his youngest daughter lives in Ridgeland, MS.

Those Who Serve

Celebrant: Fr. Rick Roessler

Music: Brenda/Katherine

LEM: Robbie Fisher

Altar Guild: Liz/Karen

Lectors: Dawn/Eddie

MC POD: James

Coffee Hour: Please bring a dish! We'd like to welcome Fr. Rick with some food.

Prayer Requests

Susan - sister of Les Nichols

Steven

Teresa - friend of Susan Still

Abigail

Beryl - mother of Brenda Prager

Don - brother-in-law of Becky Kelly

Steve - father of Katelynn Dillard

Richard - father of Dawn Denham

Jae - fried of Mary Beth Pulsifer

Barbara - sister of James McCormick

David - father of James McCormick

Betty - aunt of Kathy Shoalmire

Lauren

Kristen - friend of Margaret Love

John and Erin

The Mission Committee

All who serve Nativity

Vicar Exploratory Committee

Announcements

PLATE OFFERING ON NOVEMBER 9 - all undesignated offerings collected on November 9th will go toward our Blessing Box. This is a difficult time for those who have food insecurity. Please consider contributing to this special offering this Sunday.

PLEDGE CARDS - DUE DATE DECEMBER 1: Pledge cards have all been mailed and should be arriving soon for those who did not pick up one in the church. There are still some blank ones in the back of the church. Please consider pledging so that the finance committee can help the Mission Committee with the 2026 Budget.

NEXT SUNDAY - NOVEMBER 16 9am at the Salt & Light Building with the Reverend Andy Andrews. Andy will meet with us prior to the service at 9am at Salt and Light to lead a session titled "First things first: Let's Pray!" Andy is the missioner for the Beloved Community and Congregational Vitality for the Diocese. Andy will lead us in constructing a collect (prayer) to help our dreams match up with God's dream for us! You don't want to miss this opportunity.

LENTEN BOOK STUDY - Expecting Emmanuel - Eight Women Who Prepared the Way by Johanna. Harader. If interested, please contact Kathy Shoalmire or Margaret Love Denman. Meeting time TBA.

SURVEYS -  Please complete ASAP. The Congregational Survey will be used by the Vicar Exploratory Committee in their work toward us securing a vicar. The Vicar Exploratory Committee is not a search committee, but will work with the Diocesan Office of the Bishop.

Congregational survey - Copies are in the Salt & Light building and you will turn them in there, too.

Fellowship Survey: Fellowship Survey - link for survey. This is to gauge interest in ways that we can strengthen our connectivity one to the other. It is not a firm commitment survey.

Nativity Newsletter

SUNDAY: DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME ENDS - REMEMBER IT'S FALL BACK. Set your clock back one hour.

This coming Sunday, November 3rd, Don Newlin will be with us to lead Morning Prayer. Don provided us with this short bio to introduce himself to those of you who don't know him.

I was born in southern Illinois of a mother born and reared in Calhoun

Co. and a father born in southern Illinois and reared on the prairies of

east-central Illinois. Both were teachers. I graduated from Northwestern

Univ. School of Business and Ole Miss Law School. In between I was in

the Army as an MP stationed in Belgium. I have lived in Bruce since

1975. My parents, grandparents and great grandparents are all buried at

Shiloh Baptist Church west of Big Creek near the Grenada Co. line.

I am retired from the Dept. of Human Services child support program after 25

years during which I covered different counties at different times

including Yalobusha and Tallahatchie counties. My other employments have

included paperboy, savage in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National

Parks, Chicago Transit Authority bus driver, military policeman, night

watchman, low income apt. and senior citizen apt. manager. I grew up in

the Methodist Church, lapsed for a number of wandering years, and joined

The Episcopal Church in 1974 at St. Peter's.

My experiences at St.Peter's include completing Sewanee's Education for Ministry course and

later being a mentor in the program. I am an active LEM and LEV (lay

eucharistic visitor) and officially a Diocesan Worship Leader, do

monthly services at Haven House, monthly visits to Parchman, weekly

visits to Lafayette Co. Detention Center and a Sat. Bible Study there,

and the annual Christmas at Parchman ( Lessons and Carols). Eons ago in

a prior incarnation I was part of a small group that brought Morning

Prayer to Nativity.

I have one son, W.D., who lives in Calhoun Co. raising cattle and growing hay on his mother's inherited farm, and delivering propane for regular income. He is having major heartburn over importing Argentinian beef.

Sunday, November 2nd Morning Prayer with Don Newlin, Diocesan Lay Worship Leader.

Lessons:

Isaiah 1:10-18

Psalm 32:1-8

2 Thessalonians 1:1-4, 11-12

Luke 19:1-10

Those Who Serve:

LEM: Joe York

Altar Guild: Vivian/Margaret Love

Lectors: Barbara/Alexe

MPOD: Eddie

Prayer Request:

Susan - sister of Les Nichols

Steven

Teresa - friend of Susan Still

Abigail

Beryl - mother of Brenda Prager

Don - brother-in-law of Becky Kelly

Steve - father of Katelynn Dillard

Richard - father of Dawn Denham

Jae - fried of Mary Beth Pulsifer

Barbara - sister of James McCormick

David - father of James McCormick

Betty - aunt of Kathy Shoalmire

Lauren

Kristen - friend of Margaret Love

John and Erin

The Mission Committee

All who serve Nativity

Vicar Exploratory Committee

Coffee Hour - Cake provided, more items needed, bring a dish!

Announcements:

Pledge Cards: this is the last Sunday to pick up pledge cards at the back of the church. After that, they will be mailed. Please turn them in by Sunday, December 7th. FAQ: Who sees my pledge? Only 2 people see your pledge: the treasurer (Eddie Woods) and the chair of the Finance Committee (Robbie Fisher). Why do I need to pledge? Your pledge is helpful in setting a budget for Nativity. Unlike some churches, the budget for Nativity is based on pledges not the other way around.

Save the Date: Sunday, November 16th starting at 9am. Andy Andrews will meet with us prior to the service at 9am at Salt and Light to lead a session titled "First things first: Let's Pray!" Andy is the missioner for the Beloved Community and Congregational Vitality for the Diocese. Andy will lead us in constructing a collect (prayer) to help our dreams match up with God's dream for us! You don't want to miss this opportunity.

ADVENT STUDY: Expecting Emmanuel - Eight Women Who Prepared the Way by Joanna Harader. (available through Amazon for $16.04, with tax). If you are interested in an Advent Study (all are invited) please contact Kathy Shoalmire and let her know of your interest and availability. kathybshoal@gmail.com.

Two surveys:

Congregational Survey - paper form - pick up and turn in at Salt & Light.

Fellowship Survey: Fellowship Survey

Please complete both surveys.

Nativity Newsletter

Nativity Newsletter

Spotlight:

Mike Mitchell began visiting Nativity in 2019 and is grateful to have been called by the Mission Committee in 2025 to help lead our search for the next Vicar.  Mike still technically lives in Oxford but has been making definitive moves towards Water Valley over the past few years.  Mike feels that "Home" is where his family lives and where he feels most comfortable spending time & energy.... By that definition Water Valley is home.

Mike was born in Laguna Beach, California to the former Betty Black of Canton, MS and Lt. Hugh Mitchell of Conehatta, MS.  Growing up an only child of an artist and a USMC aviator helped Mike to be comfortable with strangers, friends and family.  Mike graduated high school from St Andrews in Jackson and thus began his interest and affinity for the Espicopal Church.  After college at Duke, Mike worked in Tampa, Dallas and Simsbury, CT before returning to business school in Philadelphia.  MIke officially joined the church (including a mild slap from the Bishop) at Trinity Church on Rittenhouse Square in 1991.

Mike returned to Mississippi in 1992 to work for the parent company of SkyTel pagers.  Next was two years at a technology startup in Atlanta called Monorail Computer Corporation (doubt you have heard of Monorail PCs... like many tech startups it was a great idea that bloomed and then faded quickly).  Then with some definite divine intervention, Mike returned to Mississiipi in 1997 and helped four professors at Ole Miss grow a software company that served banks and residential property appraisers.  That business was sold in 2016 to a larger company in California and Mike retired from that successor company in 2023.

Today, Mike is the proud dad of Zachary (30 yo), Jeremy (28 yo), Lilli Grace (24 yo), Sylvia (21 yo) and Eliza (14 yo) as well as Buzz the bulldog and Beans the cat. He enjoys working for entrepreneurs and non-profits in and around our community. Mike's maternal grandfather - Floyd Alden Black - was his greatest mentor and taught him that 'to whom much is given... much is expected..."  While Mike may fall short often (as we humans have a tendency to do...) that is his prayer for himself and his family.

Sunday, October 26, 2025

Holy Baptist and Eucharist: Rev. Ann Whitaker

Lessons:

Sirach 35:12-17

or Jeremiah 14:7-10,19-22

Psalm 84:1-6

2 Timothy 4:6-8,16-18

Luke 18:9-14

Those who serve:

LEM: Robbie Fisher

Music: Brenda Prager and Katherine Outz

Altar Guild: Kathy Shoalmire and Karen Simard

Lectors: Liz/Tommy

M POD: Barbara Phillips

Coffee Hour/Lunch: no one is signed up. Please bring food to celebrate the baptism of August Jones. Cake will be served!

Announcements:

Pledge Cards are available in the back of the church. If you don't find one with your name, there are blank ones available. Please return by December 1.

Save the Date: Sunday, November 16th starting at 9am. Andy Andrews will meet with us prior to the service at 9am at Salt and Light to lead a session titled "First things first: Let's Pray!" Andy is the missioner for the Beloved Community and Congregational Vitality for the Diocese. Andy will lead us in constructing a collect (prayer) to help our dreams match up with God's dream for us! You don't want to miss this opportunity.

Congregational Survey in preparation for Vicar search: if you received one last week, please return. There is a box in Salt & Light to put them in. If you didn't get one, please ask Mike Mitchell or the Mission Committee Person on Duty (M POD).

Church Family Survey: It is so exciting to think about other opportunities to spend time together with our church family. Please complete the survey at this link: Fellowship Survey

Note: There were several announcements and more details in last week's email. Please check it out if you didn't get a chance to read it.