This week at St John's

THIS WEEK AT ST JOHN'S

Dear Friends:

In the news, the town of Jasper has been on fire, including their lovely Anglican church. This comes so soon after the fire at St Anne's Anglican Church in Toronto, a community and building I came to know and love over a period of nine years. This coming week, another church where I served in Toronto over a period of ten years, St John's West Toronto, will close its doors permanently with a final service next Tuesday after 176 years of ministry.

I went to Toronto to pay my respects at the ruins of St Anne's the week after the fire. And I will be heading to Toronto to attend the final service at St John's West Toronto. My heart goes out to the parishioners of St Mary & St George Anglican Church in Jasper. Their church building has been completely destroyed.

The Rev. Robyn King, who serves in Alberta and attended St George's College in Jerusalem last year with me, has offered these helpful words:

My heart hurts. For the town, for the people who worshipped here, for the grief and work that is still to come. Do me a favour and pause before you offer anything like: “It was a building, the church is the people.” “Things can be replaced.” Not because they are untrue (they aren’t) but because they aren’t the full truth.

This building was almost 100 years old. The parish is older still. It has been a place generations of faithful people prayed and sacrificed to create and maintain. The pews and timbers were full of echoes of tears of sorrow and joy, voices raised in laughter and (I’m betting) a few tense conversations. Its walls have been a safe harbour from the world and the source of tensions. For some it was a lasting link to family members and personal history. For others it was a landmark for directions and a promise of permanence. Whether all of those things are reasonable isn’t the point—and when are emotions ever reasonable?

It was holy space both by intention and practice.

As solidly as I believe in the promise of resurrection, I know two things about it. First, that it came after Good Friday and Holy Saturday, after time for mourning and feeling lost, after wondering if there could even be a future still. Second, that the resurrected body of Jesus bore the scars of the crucifixion, that it’s also Divine to be changed and marked by what happens in this world.

It was a building, it was home, it was family, it was an outward and visible sign of the church it housed. The story is not over and there is space to grieve and mourn. God mourns with us.

At this same time, at St John's, we build. We are building with hope and faith just as they did in these other places. We pray for them in this time of loss and grief. We do not fully know the path before us. But we still build in faith, trusting that God is with us in all our hopes and plans.

I hope the pictures we share below bring you joy and excitement. May we pray and ache with those facing sorrow. May we hold to the faith that is at the core of what we are building.

Gary+

SCRIPTURES - Sunday, July 28 - Tenth Sunday after Pentecost

2 Kings 4:42-44; Psalm 145:10-18; Ephesians 3:14-21; John 6:1-21

SCRIPTURES - Sunday, Aug 4 - Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost

Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15; Psalm 78:23-29; Ephesians 4:1-16; 6:24-35

LISTEN TO RECORDED WORSHIP SERVICES

Worship recordings include prayers, readings, a sermon, and music.

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost - July 21 2024

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost - July 14, 2024

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost - July 7, 2024

Find all St John's Worship Recordings HERE

TRANSFORMING OUR NAVE

REDEVELOPMENT PROJECTS UPDATE

Work is progressing well on our capital projects. Two of the three heat pumps for the Nave have been installed in the basement. The plan is to complete the drywall and painting by the end of this week, with the hope that The Community Shop can begin their ramp-up activities next week in preparation for reopening shortly thereafter. The third heat pump (that will feed the Chancel area) is on the to-do list for the next two weeks.

The Nave floor installation has begun. The old flooring was not salvageable and thus a new vinyl tile floor, similar to that in the Parish Hall and in the South Transept, will be installed over the old flooring in the next two weeks.

The new chairs have been fabricated and are scheduled for delivery at the end of next week.

Work has also begun in the Chapel. The new dividing wall between the Chapel and Chancel is taking shape.

A lot has been happening and it is coming together nicely take a look!

CHAIRS ARE COMING!

We reached last Sunday's goal of 75 chairs that have been purchased in our Buy-A-Chair Campaign, with over 40 people participating.

If we reach 100 chairs, we will have supported the purchase of half of the chairs that will be arriving to fill our beautiful Nave. Please consider joining in.

Each chair is $200. Buy one or buy more.

How high can we go?

Donations can be made:

By e-transfer to office@stjohnsottawa.ca
Through Canada Helps at https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/108084658RR0007-church-of-st-john-the-evangelist/
By cheque made out to St John’s Anglican Church Ottawa

If you want to know more, please speak to Pat Fisher, Jill Moll or Barb Dransch.

MUSIC DIRECTOR UPDATE

As many of you will know, Barb Hallam-Price has resigned as our Interim Music Director for health reasons. We are so grateful to Barb for having extended her time in this role and we wish her all the best for a complete recovery. A big thank-you as well to Gordon Johnston for agreeing to provide music coverage over the summer.

Barb’s participation in the search for a new Music Director has been invaluable, and we are very pleased that she has agreed to continue as a member of the Music Director Selection Committee. We have been pursuing a number of leads in our search, and we will provide a further update later in the summer.

Brian Cameron

Chair, Music Director Selection Committee.

LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD

TRUE RECONCILIATION BY JODY WILSON-RAYBOULD

What says "summer" better than a lively discussion with friends over delicious food? Mark your calendars now for this year's edition of "Books and BBQ"!

On August 13th, Ian and Michelle will host a BBQ to discuss the book "True Reconciliation" by Jody Wilson-Raybould. The book explores how individuals, communities, organizations, and governments can move forward on the journey of indigenous reconciliation. The discussion will be led by our Indigenous Engagement Coordinator, Kimberly Johnson.

Unfortunately, there appears to be a long waiting list for the book at the Ottawa Public Library, but the book is also available through Amazon and Kindle. The Lifelong Learning Committee hopes to also work with Perfect Books to secure a few copies.

The event will begin at 6pm. A main course (vegetarian and non-vegetarian) and beverages will be provided, but contributions of salads or desserts would be most welcome (but not required). Weather permitting, the gathering will take place on Ian and Michelle's back patio. Feel free to bring your bathing suit for a dip in the pool!

To confirm numbers, please register through the church office. Additional details will be provided to participants in early August.

Tuesday, August 13 - 6 PM.

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR YOUR CALENDAR

Sunday, August 11

Pride Service

Tuesday, August 13

Books & BBQ. Featured book: "True Reconciliation" by Jody Wilson-Raybould.

Saturday, September 21

Memorial Service for Katie Seymour. 2:00 p.m.

Thursday, September 26

Retirement Celebration: Rachel Robinson, Executive Director - Belong Ottawa

Sunday, September 29

Service for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

Saturday, October 26

Church Safety Training - Second Session, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Saturday, November 23

St John's Christmas Market (Back-up date is Saturday, November 30)

TO REMEMBER IN PRAYER

Our Parish

Prayers for those in leadership roles: Gary, Allen, Christina, Pat, Barb, Kimberly, Kerry, Jesse, Monica, Barb, Jeff, Marianne, and all who minister at St John's. Those in need of our prayers: Barb, Diana, Sarah, Marcela, Pat and Wilma.

Our Diocese

Shane, our Bishop; Anne, our Metropolitan; Linda, our Primate.
The Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, The Rt Rev Christopher Harper, National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop; Sacred Circle Events, and the Ministry of Reconciliation.
Ascension House staff; St Stephen's Church & Rev. Canon George Kwari.

Anglican Church of Canada

The Rt. Rev. Lydia Mamakwa, The Rt. Rev. Larry Beardy, and the Rt. Rev. Morris Fidler, Bishops, and the clergy and people of the Spiritual Ministry of Mishamikoweesh.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

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

The Anglican Communion - Pray for Anglicans Worldwide

In July, we pray for: The Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean; The Church of Ireland; The Nippon Sei Ko Kai (Anglican Church in Japan); The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East.

Parish Prayer Group

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

office@stjohnsottawa.ca

A Time of Prayer - Heavenly Creator, thank you that we have been placed into the Body of Christ by faith. May we draw on the example of those faithful disciples who obeyed your Word. We pray that, like them, we may devote ourselves to apostolic teaching, Christian fellowship, the breaking of bread and earnest prayer. May we seek to share the truth of the glorious gospel of the grace of God with everyone we meet, in humility and love. This we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

DONATE

CANADA HELPS QR CODE

e-transfer office@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

office@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