THIS WEEK AT ST JOHN'S
PALM SUNDAY
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Liturgy of the Palms: Mark 11:1-11; Psalms 31:9-16; Philippians 2:5-11
TO REMEMBER IN PRAYER

Those On Our Hearts
Michelle, Liz, The Reverend Tim Taylor and the parish of St Anne's, Toronto, The Reverend Gary van der Meer, The Reverend Dr. Caroline Ducros, Gordon, Gregory and all who minister at St John's.

Our Diocese
Area Parish of the Valley, The Right Reverend Michael Bird, The Reverend Matthew Brown, The Reverend Canon Susan Clifford, The Reverend Gillian Hoyer and all in our diocese living under religious vows. 

Our Companion Diocese in Jerusalem & the Middle East
Saviour Church, Kufr-Yasif, Israel. 
 
Anglican Church of Canada (ACC)
The theological colleges and training programs within the Ecclesiastical Province of Canada: The Atlantic School of Theology, Montreal Diocesan Theological College and Queen’s College.
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada (ELCIC)
The dean, council, and congregations of the Northwestern Ontario Area of the Manitoba-Northwestern Ontario Synod. 

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 ONLINE
SUNDAY SERVICE

Palm Sunday
Sunday, March 28 at 9:30am

Join us here at St John's for online worship this Sunday. We are continuing with our new format this Sunday. Part one of the service will be here on youtube followed by part two on Zoom. Once the service is finished we will have our regular Sunday Coffee Hour.
PARISH COFFEE HOUR

Wednesdays
10am, via Zoom

Join Gary and your fellow parishioners with your favourite mug of coffee/tea to engage in fellowship.

Mark your calendars and on the day "zoom in" at this link at 10 am to catch up with parish friends both new and old.

ps: If you don't have computer access and would like to join this coffee hour call the Church Office and we can provide you with instructions on how to access via telephone.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
HOLY WEEK & EASTER SERVICES
Mark the following dates in your calendar as we move closer to Holy Week and Easter. All services will be online and links will be posted in next week's newsletter and on the website.

Palm Sunday - March 28, 9:30am. You are invited to come to the church and pick up a palm (on Saturday...see notice below). If you are not able to get to the church or to have someone do so on your behalf, please join in other world Palm Sunday traditions by picking a cedar branch or some pussy willows to use as your palm. There will be an additional blessing on Zoom for these extra "palms".

Maundy Thursday - April 1, 7:30pm. While we are not able to celebrate the Eucharist or share the footwashing, the service will include a time of Garden Watch as we join the disciples who waited while Jesus prayed and watched from afar after Jesus was arrested. Please have a candle to light as part of the concluding prayers on the Zoom portion of the Maundy Thursday liturgy.

Good Friday - April 2, 12:00pm. The liturgy will an invitation to place a cross where you can see it. This might be a cross on the wall, an item of jewelry, or a cross that you might choose to draw.

Easter Vigil - April 3, 7:30pm. The Easter Vigil will conclude with the Resurrection Party, a social gathering on Zoom. Plan to join us by getting ready with an Easter bonnet and/or a frilly drink with over-the-top decorations!

Easter Sunday - April 4, 9:30am. Plan to have a flower present where you can see it during the service.

***Links to all services will be available soon on the website and in the newsletter***
PICK UP YOUR PALMS
Saturday, March 27, 2021

After Gary has blessed the palms, you are invited to come and pick yours up on Saturday:

Bell Tower, 11am-1pm
The Shop, 1pm-4pm
HOLY WEEK TENEBRAE:
A HOME BASED DEVOTIONAL

Don't miss out on Holy Week! Download this devotional in either pdf e-reader format or printable format (printing instructions available). A wonderful way for us to be connected in prayer and liturgy during this special time of the church year!
ONLINE WORSHIP CONTINUES
As Ottawa is in the Red Zone, the Bishop's office continues to keep us apprised of safety restrictions. All services including Holy Week and Easter will take place online. However, we hope in-person worship will begin sometime soon. See the link above or visit our YouTube Channel to watch our services online.
TAKE NOTE
MAKE YOUR OWN PALM CROSS

Would you like to make a palm cross or paper cross this year? Perhaps you have made one before and have forgotten what to do, or maybe this is your first time? Click here to download the instructions. Or view a tutorial video by clicking here. You can pick up your own palm at St John's on Saturday, March 27 (see the notice above).
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

The St. John’s PWRDF Committee wishes to thank all those who made a donation to PWRDF during our recent Ash Wednesday PWRDF virtual Soup-Supper. We raised a total of $666.50 for that event. We also want to thank our donors who continue to support PWRDF on a monthly basis. If you missed contributing during Ash Wednesday you will have another opportunity to support PWRDF during the Bishop’s Gala which takes place virtually on Thursday, May 27.  A portion of the funds raised will go to the All Mothers and Children Count program, PWRDF’s maternal, newborn and child health program in four African countries – Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda and Mozambique. Your donations will be matched on a 6:1 basis by the Canadian government until the end of June 2021 – a wonderful opportunity to multiply your contribution!
THE SHOP

The Shop opened again on Tuesday, March 9, following strict Covid-19 protocols. Hours are: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays noon-4pm.

Following careful planning and in compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols, the Shop will be open three days a week, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday from noon to 4:00 pm. There will be a maximum of 5 customers in the Shop at any time. Shop volunteers will monitor access, assist customers and manage the payment and voucher desks. The Shop has been re-configured to provide more space for customers to physically distance. All customers and volunteers will wear masks.

Come and browse the ever changing array of quality goods at great prices, and chat with the volunteers. As a valuable ministry of St John's outreach, vouchers from local service agencies are honoured to help those in need. Come visit this vibrant part of the Centretown community, accessible from Elgin Street, just near the main entrance to St John's. 

Thanks to donations from many people the Shop has a good selection of goods, especially clothing for winter weather. If you have goods to donate please email communityshop@stjohnsottawa.ca  to arrange a drop-off time.
FOLLOW ST JOHN'S ON INSTAGRAM

OTTAWA INNERCITY MINISTRIES
POSITION AVAILABLE

Ottawa Innercity Ministries (OIM) is an interdenominational, non-profit, Christian charitable organization committed to building partnerships, training and mobilizing volunteers to help those who are experiencing poverty and homelessness in downtown Ottawa. The goal of OIM is to meet the spiritual, emotional, social, vocational and physical needs of our street community, and to address the causes of poverty and homelessness with justice and compassion in downtown Ottawa. Our website www.ottawainnercityministries.ca contains more detail about our vision, mission and programs. 

Position: Innercity Veterans Outreach & Support Coordinator
The Innercity Veterans Outreach & Support (IVOS) program was established in 2020 after it was noted that OIM volunteers were encountering a greater number of Veterans on the street and in need. Realizing that the Veteran community is a unique and distinct sub-set of the individuals OIM was supporting and that to be successful Veterans need to be treated in a unique way, it was decided to establish a program that specifically supported Veterans. The IVOS program includes three distinct components: Street Outreach; Door Outreach; and IVOS Fellowship.

Reporting to the Managing Director, the IVOS Coordinator has responsibility to develop, plan, promote, coordinate, and deliver all Veterans-related support and services at OIM, including but not limited to supporting the Street Outreach and Door Outreach programs as it pertains to support for Veterans. The IVOS Coordinator develops contacts, networks and referrals within the Veterans community, churches, the business community, and the social sector, while ensuring communication between Veterans, the Veterans community and OIM.

Qualifications:
The ideal candidate will have served in the Canadian military and will have worked with people who are at-risk of, or who are, experiencing homelessness. He/she will be familiar with Veterans’ concerns and issues and have some understanding of the organizations and agencies in the local community that work with and provide support to this demographic. The candidate will be familiar with the strength-based perspective.  

The IVOS Coordinator will be a committed Christian, with values that reflect the standards of the Word of God in theory and practice, according to the organization’s constitution and statement of faith. 

The position will appeal to those who have:

The ability to relate and engage at-risk, street involved or homeless individuals
The ability to provide pastoral care
Excellent verbal and written communication skills
Experience with administration, conflict resolution, crisis management
Computer literacy (MS Word, PowerPoint, etc.)
Experience with supervising subordinate staff and/or volunteers

Additional assets would include bilingualism and ability to provide pastoral care, including, but not limited to prayer and spiritual counsel in the course of his/her duties.

Timing: 
The position is available immediately. 

Salary: 
The salary range is $36,000-$40,000/year. 

Applying: 
Please submit a covering letter and resume in writing or by email by March 31 to: 

Margo Dewar
Managing Director
Ottawa Innercity Ministries
391 Gladstone Avenue
Ottawa ON K2P 0Y9
PARISH ADMINISTRATION AT ST JOHN'S

In the interim, administrative duties will be as follows:

Our music director Gordon and Cara Gilbertson will manage parish communications (Sunday bulletins, This Week at St John's e-newsletter and the website).

Secondly, a roster of volunteers comprising Vicki Robinson, Emmy Verdun and Bea Robertson will cover most of the day-to-day administration tasks including handling correspondence such as email, regular mail, phone messages, etc., procuring church supplies, coordinating activities of various church groups, and so on.

Finally, Ted Reeve, a member of our newly established Property & Building Committee will look after rentals. Many thanks go to all those who have agreed to help out.

We look forward to completing the search process and welcoming a new parish administrator at St John's soon.
ONLINE RESOURCES
SCRIPTURE READINGS
NEXT SUNDAY - APRIL 4
EASTER SUNDAY

Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalms 118:1-2, 14-24; Hebrews 10:4-10; Luke 1:26-38
ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST
ANGLICAN CHURCH

 154 Somerset Street West, Ottawa, ON K2P 0H8
613-232-4500
office@stjohnsottawa.ca

The Reverend Gary van der Meer, Rector
The Reverend Dr Caroline Ducros, Deacon 
The Reverend Michael Hicks, Honourary Assistant Emeritus
Dr Gordon Johnston, FRCCO, Organist and Choirmaster  
Detlef Dransch, Rector’s Warden 
Stephen Giles, People's Warden
David MacIntyre, Deputy People's Warden