St John's Newsletter for 6 March 2022

THIS WEEK AT ST JOHN'S

THE FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT

Dear Friends,

We are in a week of transitions.

We leave the Sundays of the Epiphany for the Season of Lent. The focus in the news has left Ottawa and is steadily on Ukraine. We had our Annual Vestry Meeting this past Sunday. And we have returned to worship in the church building.

On the occasion of the Annual Vestry Meeting, the story of Jesus’ Transfiguration became for me one of how to keep our focus with so much happening. Jesus kept his focus. My sermon, in the form of an Incumbent’s Charge to Vestry, is attached. It includes some pictures of yoga postures as a way of reflecting on focus. I learned in yoga that if you can’t focus you really can fall over!

Welcome to St John’s this Sunday for worship at 8:00 and 10:15 a.m.

Gary+

Safety protocol gets relaxed this Sunday: All readers, intercessors, presiders may remove masks to speak! Hearing and understanding will be so much easier. Also, we don't have to be dismissed from the building after the service - hang out afterwards and visit with your friends!

TO REMEMBER IN PRAYER

Those On Our Hearts

Gaston, Robin, Maura, Pat, Bill, The staff, volunteers and participants in the programs of The Well, The Reverend Gary van der Meer, Major the Reverend Canon Catherine Askew, The Reverend Canon Allen Box, Ministry Intern John Holgate, Gordon, Gregory, Kerry and all who minister at St John's.(Please note Prayers will be posted for two consecutive weeks unless requested to be posted for a longer period of time.)

Our Diocese

The Parish of Huntley and their priest The Reverend Canon Baxter Park.

Holy Trinity Metcalfe and all who minister there.

Our Bishop, The Right Reverend Shane Parker, our Metropolitan, The Most Reverend Anne Germond and our Primate, The Most Reverend Linda Nicholls.

Anglican Church of Canada (ACC)

The Rt. Rev. Sandra Fyfe, Bishop, and the people and clergy of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada (ELCIC)

The dean, council, and congregations of the Northern Area of the Eastern Synod.

The Anglican Communion from Aba to Zululand

The Anglican Church of Korea.

Parish Prayer Group

If you wish to have someone prayed for, please call (613) 232-4500 ext 21 or send an email to prayer-request@stjohnsottawa.ca.

JOIN US

SCRIPTURE READINGS

FIRST SUNDAY IN LENT

Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Psalm 91:1-2, 9-16; Romans 10:8b-13; Luke 4:1-13

WHAT'S HAPPENING

LENT PROGRAM:

REFLECTIONS FOR ST JOHN'S

You are invited to join the following Lifelong Learning gatherings at the following LINK

Debriefing the Diocesan Anniversary Lecture

Michelle Good – “Five Little Indians”

Wednesday March 9, 7:30 p.m.

(75 minutes - on Zoom)

Preparation: Watch the Lecture

HERE

Debriefing the Diocesan Anniversary Lecture

Jason McKinney - “The Church as Commons: A Theological Case for Affordable Housing”

Wednesday March 23, 7:30 p.m. (75 minutes on Zoom)

Preparation: Watch the Lecture

HERE

FIRST ANNUAL SCOTCH TASTING EVENT

Join us on Sunday, March 27 4pm at Deacon Brodies Pub, located at 247 Elgin St., for what we hope will become an annual Event.

Deacon Brodies has Ottawa's finest whiskey collection with over 400 brands. We will be sampling four of these different brands from each of the four categories of scotch.

Please RSVP to the Parish Office at office@stjohnsottawa.ca by Thursday, March 24 at 3:30pm to reserve your seat. Cost will be approximately $45. Limited spots available.

Please note that anytime you visit Deacon Brodies and identify yourself as from St John's, there will be a 10% discount on your bill and a further 10% donation(offering) supporting St John's!

Note that this really is a Lent Discipline! The traditions for Lent include a relax day roughly in the middle of the season. Technically it's called Laetare Sunday. Laetare is Latin for Rejoice. So let's rejoice with a lovely social!

Learning from the Diocese of Ottawa's Communications Planning and Branding Processes

Brian Cameron – Chair, Diocesan Communications Advisory Panel

Wednesday April 6, 7:30 p.m. (75 minutes on Zoom)

HERE

The Lifelong Learning Steering Committee would like its events to be as relevant and helpful as possible to the faith journeys of all St. John's parishioners and visitors. What are the questions, issues, and ideas that you would most like to explore over the year ahead? Please send your suggestions to the Lifelong Learning Steering Committee by emailing Vicki Robinson.

Vicki Robinson

Sally Andrews

Margaret Kasurak

Ian Myles

Gary van der Meer

Lifelong Learning Steering Committee

TAKE NOTE

PWRDF responds to ACT

Alliance appeal for Ukraine

PWRDF is supporting Ukrainians forced to flee their homes due to the Russian invasion. A grant of $20,000 has been issued to an ACT alliance appeal funding the work of ACT member, the Hungarian Interchurch AID (HIA). HIA has been working in Ukraine for more than 25 years in humanitarian and development projects. It had already shipped 28 tons of food to support those fleeing to Hungary, and their staff have been working with refugees at the Ukraine/Hungary border.

To make a donation go to pwrdf.org/give-today and click on Response in Ukraine. You may also donate by phone at 416-822-9083 or leave a voicemail toll-free at 1-866-308-7973 and PWRDF will return your call. You can mail your cheque to PWRDF, 80 Hayden, 3rd floor, Toronto, Ontario, M4Y 3G2 or give through St. John’s. Please mark Ukraine in the memo field. Thank you for your support. St John’s PWRDF Committee.

AFFORDABLE HOUSING

Ottawa City Council declared a housing and homelessness emergency in January 2020. You can help to change this by supporting the Starts With Home campaign. (https://www.startswithhome.ca/)

This is a non-partisan campaign to build strong public support for Ottawa's next City Council to take concrete action to solve the housing affordability crisis.

You can read the platform here: https://www.startswithhome.ca/platform

The goal is to reach 200+ organization endorsements and 20,000 individual endorsements to demonstrate that affordable housing is a key priority for our community.

By endorsing the Starts With Home movement, you will join hundreds of neighbours who care about making sure that Ottawa is a city where everyone can have an affordable, appropriate home.

Change starts with us.

Please consider joining with St John's Affordable Housing Committee and others including: The Well, Centre 454, Cornerstone Housing for Women, The Diocese, and Centretown Churches Social Action Committee, in endorsing the Starts With Home campaign.

(https://www.startswithhome.ca/endorse)

ADO 125th ANNIVERSARY

Lecture Series

The Rev. Dr. Sam Wells on

Re-Imagining Church

Sunday, March 13 at 3:00pm

Sam Wells is one of today's most influential public theologians. He writes, speaks, preaches and broadcasts on a range of pastoral, political and theological issues. Sam has been Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, London, since 2012. He is also Visiting Professor of Christian Ethics at King's College London. He has served as a parish priest for 23 years – 10 of those in urban priority areas; he also spent 7 years in North Carolina, where he was Dean of Duke University Chapel.

He has published 40 books.

This free lecture will be hosted on Zoom for those who wish to register and have the opportunity to ask questions. Please click here to register.

The lecture will also be livestreamed on YouTube for those who just wish to watch. Sam Wells' remarks will continue to be available on the YouTube channel afterwards.

Questions? Please email here.