This week at St John's

THIS WEEK AT ST JOHN'S

Dear Friends:

This coming Sunday, I will look forward to seeing you at St John's for the 9:30 service. Next week, I'm heading out on an extended time away. I have a month of vacation followed by a three-month Sabbath Leave. I will be away from August 1 to November 30.

When I tell people about this, they look at me with questions in their eyes. I try to explain that a Sabbath Leave is a kind of mini-sabbatical. This is followed by more questions: What will you be studying? Are you taking a course?

Bishop Kathryn Otley shared advice she received before going on her Sabbath Leave: You don't have to justify this time away by doing something people will think is "productive." A Sabbath Leave is like the sabbath. On the seventh day in the creation story God rested. God calls us to rest on the seventh day and we are not very good at it. However, when we do it, we come back to all our responsibilities with renewed energy. I look forward to coming back on December 1 - rested and renewed for more St John's adventures. There are two more questions that I hear and maybe you have them as well.

What will happen at St John's?

Life at St John's will continue in its many wonderful ways. Here's what you can expect:

Sabbath Clergy: Beginning in September, worship will be led by sabbath clergy: Paul Millward, Tim Taylor, and Pat Johnston. I am delighted to introduce them to you - see the section below.
Churchwardens: Barb, Monica, Chris and Pat are a strong leadership team and they will keep up with matters of finances, property, outreach and pastoral care.
Staff Team: Nick's leadership as Director of Music is carrying us through the summer and the fall, fully planned from the return of the choir in September through to Christmas Concerts in Advent, with Evensong, guest appearances by the Strings of St John's, and training sessions with the Bytown School of Singing. Aot, our custodian, keeps the church wonderfully spotless. Kerry, our administrator, is recovering from a fall and will be back in September. Over the summer and following Kerry's return, we also count on our wonderful group of office volunteers.
Honorary Clergy: Allen, Christina, and Pat are leading Sunday worship in August as well as assisting the sabbath clergy with services from September to November.
Newsletter: Brian will be leading our communications with a newsletter every two weeks, including worship/sermon recordings, announcements of upcoming events, and pictures that celebrate the life of our community.

What will I be doing during my time away?

My August holidays begin with a charitable bike ride from Toronto to Montreal supporting programs provided by Bruce House for people with HIV/AIDS in Ottawa. Thanks to many of you for donating to my ride, I am $2,000 away from my goal of $15,000. Find out more about the Friends for Life Bike Rally HERE.

For the rest of the month of August, I will be in Tadoussac Quebec where I will be looking after services at a summer chapel and staying in the church cottage. I am looking forward to wonderful days of hiking, cycling and whale-watching.

My Sabbath Leave is not fully booked, but I have planned a trip that includes a yoga retreat and visits to Istanbul and London.

If you're able to join us for worship this coming Sunday, the scriptures include that wonderful reminder that nothing "will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus..." (Romans 8:39).

Gary+

SUNDAY July 26 | Ninth Sunday after Pentecost | 9:30am

1 Kings 3:5-12; Psalm 119:129-136; Romans 8:26-39; Matthew 12:31-33,44-52

SUNDAY August 2 | Tenth Sunday after Pentecost | 9:30am

Isaiah 55:1-5, Psalm 145:8-9,14-21; Matthew 14:13-21

LISTEN TO RECORDED WORSHIP SERVICES

Worship recordings include the following portions of the service: prayers, readings, the sermon, and music.

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost - July 19, 2026

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost - July 12, 2026

Find all St John's Worship Recordings HERE

ST JOHN'S IN PICTURES

Surprise elevated refreshments for last Sunday's hospitality following the worship service. Thanks, Mark Hussey!

ABOVE: St John's worship leaders on Sunday.

BELOW: The Rev Carol Edgar and the Rev Adèle Finlayson. Carol and Adèle sing in St John's Choir and regularly attend the 8:00 service (September to June) where they both occasionally preside at the Eucharist. Carol presided at the 9:30 service this past Sunday.

INTRODUCING ST JOHN'S SABBATH CLERGY

The Rev Paul Millward - Sabbath Clergy from September 1 to October 15

The Rev Tim Taylor - Sabbath Clergy from October 16 to October 31

The Rev Canon Pat Johnston - Sabbath Clergy from November 1 to November 31

UPDATES

ENCAMPMENT

St John's Summer Book Study

Our St John's book for the summer was Encampment: Resistance, Grace, and an Unhoused Community by Anglican priest Maggie Helwig. Encampment is the story of St. Stephen-in-the-Fields, an Anglican church in Toronto's Kensington Market, and how they responded when economic pressures and lack of housing, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, pushed those without shelter to set up tents in their courtyard. It is also the story of those residents, of what brought them to that courtyard and what they found there, and how the church fought to let them stay when the city sought to evict them.

We have had two events to talk about this book. We had a barbecue hosted by Ian and Michelle. The rain kept us inside but did not take away from a very stimulating discussion. We followed this up with a second discussion on Zoom. We were happy to welcome staff and participants from The Well, Belong Ottawa's outreach ministry located in the lower level of St John's Church. We heard about first-hand experiences of homelessness as well as neighbourhood challenges to outreach programs. These stories further enriched our appreciation for Maggie Helwig's stories about St Stephen's in Toronto and brought us into the very real challenges about homelessness in our community.

This opportunity for an update from Belong Ottawa referenced the City of Ottawa's ten- year plan to end homelessness. Read it HERE. We learned this week from our Diocese about changes coming for Belong Ottawa's Centre 454 programs located at St Alban's Church (at the intersection of King Edward and Daly Avenue). Read the update HERE. This letter indicates that Centre 454 will be relocated by January 2027. Belong Ottawa staff expressed concerns that the timing is too tight to move to a new location while continuing to provide uninterrupted services to those in need. We have been asked to support Belong's request for an extension to this deadline. See the request HERE.

In our discussion, we worked from assigned questions created by Erin Biggs - thank you Erin! - especially this question:

In many ways, St Stephen’s history and location lead to their response to the encampment. How does our history and location at St John’s influence where God may be calling us?

Encampment is a powerful and beautifully written book - well worth your time to read it. I am grateful for these words from Maggie Helwig:

"And still...we must hold on to the vision of that kingdom, a kingdom not like any kingdom or any kind of state we know now, but a kingdom which is more like a body - a kingdom, in fat, which is a body, a body in need of food and clothing and gentleness. The body of Christ, as it comes to us in the bodies of those we encounter. The body of Christ as we can see it - sometimes, in glimpses - in gatherings of human bodies, in those moments when people have come together not to fight each other or against some enemy, but to share in common work and common being, as the parts of a body share a common life."

[page 168]

Thanks for reading along,

Gary+

CHRISTMAS MARKET CALL FOR VENDORS

We are looking ahead to the next St. John’s Christmas Market on Saturday, November 21. Please help us to invite more vendors - if you know any artists, artisans or crafters who might be interested in participating in our market, please have them contact me for more information. You can reach me through the church office email HERE.

Jill Moll

Christmas Market Coordinator

INDIGENOUS ENGAGEMENT

DISCERNING OUR CALLING TO INDIGENOUS ENGAGEMENT:

On Sunday, June 21, we formed a circle in the chapel during post-worship hospitality to talk about the future of Indigenous Engagement at St John's. Following 5 years with a dedicated Indigenous Engagement Coordinator, we reflected on many successes and our current practices.

There was a high level of interest with over twenty participants. We recognized that the Coordinator position was a helpful reminder about significant dates in Indigenous cultural practices and Truth & Reconciliation, the feeling in the room was that it is time for our whole community to take ownership of our participation rather than count on one individual leader.

We agreed that we need an Indigenous Engagement Steering Group. Our group would include interested participants, Indigenous members of our community, and warden and clergy representation. We are committed to continuing our current practices of smudging and reading the First Nations Translation Gospel, marking of signficant dates, learning opportunities, connections to other parishes with Indigenous ministry and to the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa's All My Relations Committee.

Smudging and First Nations Gospel readings will be reserved to Indigenous members of our community, who would also be welcomed to wear their nation's regalia especially when they are active in the liturgy.

I invite your expression of interest and your continued participation in Indigenous Engagement at St John's.

Gary+

UPCOMING EVENTS

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR YOUR CALENDAR

WORSHIP EVERY SUNDAY

St John's worship services begin "summer hours" on June 7, with one weekly worship service on Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

Sunday, September 13

Sunday services at 8:00 and 10:15 a.m. Return to regular worship schedule.

TO REMEMBER IN PRAYER

Our Parish

Prayers for those in leadership roles: Gary, Allen, Christina, Pat, Nicholas, Kerry, Aot, Monica, Barb, Chris, Pat and all who minister at St. John's.

Pray for St John's upcoming Sabbath Clergy: Paul Millward, Tim Taylor & Pat Johnston

Prayer Requests: Ron, Dixie, Jene, David, Earl and Alice.

Our Diocese

Kathryn, our Bishop; Anne, our Metropolitan; Shane, our Primate.
Staff at Ascension House, including the Archives
Our Diocesan Partners: Kairos Ottawa, Saint Paul University
Parish of St. Clare’s, North Dundas, The Reverend Jonathan Askwith
For the residents, staff, and chaplains of the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre.

Anglican Church of Canada

The Rt. Rev. Stephen London, Bishop, and the clergy and people of the Diocese of Edmonton

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

The dean, council, and congregations of the East Central Area of the Synod of Alberta and the Territories

Moravian Church in Canada

The Canadian Moravian Historical Society

The Anglican Communion - Pray for Anglicans Worldwide

The Anglican Church of Tanzania

Flowers

The flowers are given tothe glory of God and in memory of cherished loved ones by Pat and John Turner.

Parish Prayer Group

If you wish to have someone prayed for, send an email to:

Prayer Request

DONATE

CANADA HELPS QR CODE

e-transfer accounts@stjohnsottawa.ca

HOW YOU CAN DONATE TO ST JOHN'S

Identified donations to St John’s are charitable donations and are eligible for a charitable tax receipt. Receipts for donations made directly through St John’s are usually generated on an annual basis. Donations to St John’s through Canada Helps are receipted by Canada Helps.

Here are the different ways that you can give:

E-Transfer

accounts@stjohnsottawa.ca

PAR (Pre-Authorized Remittance)

Enrol in the PAR (Pre-Authorized Remittance) program, whereby a designated monthly amount is withdrawn from a parishioner’s bank account or credit card. Peggy Lister, the Envelope Secretary, will provide you with the application form required to enrol in this program.

Weekly Offering Envelopes

Use identified weekly offering envelopes to make your cash or cheque donation to St John’s. A request for such envelopes goes to Peggy Lister, the Envelope Secretary, who will provide the envelopes.

Cash or Cheque Donation on Sunday

Make a cash or cheque contribution during a weekly service. The donation must be identified (i.e. a name & address on the envelope or a cheque with the donor’s information) if the donor wishes to receive a charitable receipt for the donation.

Canada Helps

Make a donation to St John’s through Canada Helps by scanning the QR code on the weekly bulletin, the QR code on the sign at the back of the church or through the ‘donate’ button on the St John’s website. Canada Helps donations can be for a single time or set up as an on-going monthly donation.

With thanks to God for your generous support