Category: Announcements

THE SECOND SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
January 16, 2022

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!

TODAY AT ST. MARY’S

Public worship in the Diocese of Qu’Appelle is suspended as of Monday, January 10, 2022, until Monday, February 7th 2022. Follow these links to read Mike’s letter from the Diocese, and Paula’s parish letter.

Join us Sunday morning at 10:30 on-line with the live video stream on our weekly order of service page. If you don’t make it for 10:30 AM CST then just play the video when you can to worship with us.

PARISH LIFE NOTES

Condolences. Please pray for Norma and Bill, Eleanor, Randy, Anya, and Zack in the loss of Dona, their sister and Aunt.

Please pray for Bruce for comfort and healing.

Please pray for Beth to feel better soon.

Thanksgiving for the safe arrival of Timothy Evander (called Van) on Dec. 31, 2021. Son of Alex and Kelli.

Thank you to Gwyn for her work particularly over Christmas. Her knowledge and dedication to the Altar Guild is amazing. Bless you Gwyn. 

PASTORAL EMERGENCY CONTACT. Revd. Paula Foster 

THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD
January 9, 2022

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!

TODAY AT ST. MARY’S

10.00 A.M.  MORNING PRAYER.

10.30 A.M. HOLY COMMUNION 

GODLY PLAY in the Worship Centre for children 3-6. Today’s story is ‘The Visit of the Wisemen’ Matthew 2 1-12. 

LIVE AUDIO STREAMING during today’s service is available on the Order of Service page. Recorded audio will be added following worship.

PARISH LIFE NOTES

PASTORAL EMERGENCY CONTACT. Revd. Paula Foster 

WEEKDAY WORSHIP THIS WEEK

Tuesday to Friday:  Morning Prayer at 8.30 a.m. and Evening Prayer at 5.30 p.m.

SECOND SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS

January 2, 2022

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!

TODAY AT ST. MARY’S

10.00 A.M.  MORNING PRAYER.

10.30 A.M. HOLY COMMUNION 

GODLY PLAY in the Worship Centre for children 3-6. 

PARISH LIFE NOTES.

PASTORAL EMERGENCY CONTACT. Revd. Paula Foster 

WEEKDAY WORSHIP THIS WEEK.

Tuesday to Friday:  Morning Prayer at 8.30 a.m. and Evening Prayer at 5.30 p.m.

Please note: Wednesday morning prayer group will not meet again until January 5th.

SUNDAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
December 26, 2021.

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!

TODAY AT ST. MARY’S

LIVE AUDIO STREAMING during today’s service is available on the Order of Service page. Recorded audio will be added following worship.

PARISH LIFE NOTES.

THE MITTEN TREE ON THE LANDING is ready to be dressed with adults and children’s mittens, toques and socks. Please help keep out the cold. All donations go to Soul’s Harbour Mission.

PASTORAL EMERGENCY CONTACT. Revd. Paula Foster 

WEEKDAY WORSHIP THIS WEEK.

Please note: Wednesday morning prayer group will not meet again until January 5th.

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT
December 19, 2021.

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!

TODAY AT ST. MARY’S

LIVE AUDIO STREAMING during today’s service is available on the Order of Service page. Recorded audio will be added following worship.

PARISH LIFE NOTES.

THE MITTEN TREE ON THE LANDING is ready to be dressed with adults and children’s mittens, toques and socks. Please help keep out the cold. All donations go to Soul’s Harbour Mission.

2022 PLEDGES Thank you to everyone who submitted a pledge form for 2022.  An email acknowledging receipt of your pledge was sent out this week from the Wardens.  If you did not get an email from Beth and Mary this week, please be in touch with Yvonne in the office to confirm that your online pledge form was received by the church.  We had some issues early on, particularly if you used a smartphone or tablet to submit your pledge form.

Thank you again for your support of St. Mary’s.  We are so grateful that this is a church of faithful stewards of all God has gifted us with.

GRAPEVINE UPDATE Regrettably we did not receive enough material for the December issue of the Grapevine. The next publication will be during the Lenten season so please consider contributing for that issue.

PASTORAL EMERGENCY CONTACT. Revd. Paula Foster 

WEEKDAY WORSHIP THIS WEEK.

Please note: Wednesday morning prayer group will not meet again until January 5th.

THIRD SUNDAY IN ADVENT
December 12, 2021.

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!

TODAY AT ST. MARY’S

LIVE AUDIO STREAMING during today’s service is available on the Order of Service page. Recorded audio will be added following worship.

PARISH LIFE NOTES

CHRISTMAS TREE DECORATION next Sunday after worship we are looking to set up and decorate the tree in preparation for Christmas. If you are able to help, please be in touch with Gwyn. Please bring your own lunch.

THE MITTEN TREE ON THE LANDING is ready to be dressed with adults and children’s mittens, toques and socks. Please help keep out the cold. All donations go to Soul’s Harbour Mission.

2022 PLEDGES Thank you to everyone who submitted a pledge form for 2022.  An email acknowledging receipt of your pledge was sent out this week from the Wardens.  If you did not get an email from Beth and Mary this week, please be in touch with Yvonne in the office to confirm that your online pledge form was received by the church.  We had some issues early on, particularly if you used a smartphone or tablet to submit your pledge form. Thank you again for your support of St. Mary’s.  We are so grateful that this is a church of faithful stewards of all God has gifted us with.

PASTORAL EMERGENCY CONTACT. Revd. Paula Foster 

ST. NICHOLAS DAY VISITS Thank you very much to St. Nicholas (a.k.a. Len) and his chauffeur Amy for visiting St Mary’s kids and bringing blessings and seasonal treats! St. Nicholas was seen around town on Saturday the 4th, and we managed to capture some photographic evidence!

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WEEKDAY WORSHIP THIS WEEK

SECOND SUNDAY IN ADVENT
December 5, 2021.

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!

TODAY AT ST. MARY’S

LIVE AUDIO STREAMING during today’s service is available on the Order of Service page. Recorded audio will be added following worship.

ADVENT REFLECTION

We are beginning the season of Advent. Advent marks the beginning of the Church year.  It is an exciting time of year with its promises of hope, love, peace and joy.  It is a time of waiting and expectation. Advent gives us time to take a step back from the busy-ness that surrounds our lives and reflect on our journey with God.  During the season of Advent we are invited to pause and reflect on the fulfillment of the long awaited promise of a Messiah, one who will save us from our sins.  We await the advent or coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

Advent is a season within the life of the church, when Christians are intentional about remembering something that happened a long time ago; the birth of a little baby, the Son of God.  Advent is about a memory of someone who entered history as one of us and changed the course of our lives forever. Jesus, through his life, death and resurrection, gave us a future with God.  

During this brief Advent season, we are invited to focus on the coming of Jesus into our world in human form. During its four Sundays we journey with scriptures which reveal vivid images of trust, promise, and obedience.  We hear the prophetic words of Isaiah announcing righteous judgment and restoration for those who follow the way of the Lord. The chaos we have created through our disobedience will be restored to the perfect harmony which God intended for creation. “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)   

During Advent, we also hear the voice of John the Baptist, calling us from the wilderness of our lives, to repentance .  We are invited to examine our lives, repent our sins and return to God.  As the people of God, we are invited into a new way of living life….expectantly waiting, believing, and hoping for what we cannot yet see.  John the Baptist points us towards Jesus, the Christ Child, the Son of the Most High God and invites us to open our hearts and minds and embrace Him as our Saviour.  Jesus, too, awaits our response to his call.  

What does all this mean for us?  On one level, expecting the Christ child means offering ourselves as the place of Christ’s new birth.  We offer ourselves as the place in which He can live.  We can nurture our lives as his followers, confident in his guidance through the Holy Spirit.  As we encounter Him in all we do, we can help bring about His will for not only our lives, but for the world. In so doing, we can shine as light in the midst of the darkness that surrounds us.

Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given…..his name shall be Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us.  May the coming of the Christ Child illuminate your mind, bless your soul and fill your hearts with the love of God.  

Blessings, 

Rev. Paula+

PARISH LIFE NOTES.

Update from Vestry meeting November 23, 2021

• Thank you to all who donated funds for Ayen. $2675 has been received.  $2000 will be sent to help with Ayen’s medical needs and $675 will go into the Rector’s Discretionary Fund.
• The Thanksgiving offering of $225 will be donated to Marion Centre.  The Christmas offering will be donated to Carmichael Outreach.
• Thank you to Norma Trim and Sharon Klemke who will be coordinating the Advent Christmas Mitten Tree project.
• We will be conducting a short survey to gauge potential attendance at the Christmas Eve service and to determine whether to have one or two services.  The current plan is for one Christmas Eve service at 7:30 PM, Christmas morning at 10:30 AM and December 26 at 10:30 AM.
• Our longtime, excellent and hardworking bookkeeper, Mike will be moving to Victoria in mid-December.  Mike has agreed to continue doing the books and managing St. Mary’s website remotely for the short term.
• We will need a new bookkeeper and website manager, so please consider volunteering if your gifts are in these areas.  If you know someone who would be able to do these tasks, please talk to them and let either of the Wardens know.
• Vestry is currently working on the budget for 2022.  At the current time our projected budget shortfall is $30,000.   The pandemic has been difficult in many ways, including Church income for the year. Our income from giving and rentals has decreased and many traditional fundraising efforts have been prevented. The 100 year old Church building continues to need maintenance and operating costs continue to rise.
• Vestry is looking for ways to decrease expenditures including talking to the Diocese to negotiate paying less for the Diocesan Fair Share.
• We are looking to form a Fundraising Committee to lead major fund raising events.  Volunteers for this committee will be needed.  If you have any ideas or are interesting in being involved in a fundraising committee, please talk to  any Vestry members.
• At this time, we are asking individuals and families to prayerfully discern whether they can increase their monthly pledges and by what amount.  What each household can do will make a difference.  We are all in this together and value the uniqueness of our Parish, the Church community and the building. Thank you for your considerations.

Financial update at October 31, 2021:

Year to Date income	$165,971.51
Year to Date expenses	$175,244.69
Net income	– $    9,273.18

2022 PLEDGES. Thank you to everyone who has submitted a pledge form for 2022 so far.  This information will be a great help to Vestry in creating the budget for next year.  The pledge form is still live on the church website.  If you would prefer a paper form, please contact Yvonne in the church office.  The form will be available on the website for one more week, until Sunday December 12

THE MITTEN TREE ON THE LANDING will be ready from December 5th to January 9th to be dressed with adults and children’s mittens, toques and socks. Please help keep out the cold. All donations go to Soul’s Harbour Mission.

THE QU’APPELLE HOUSE AUXILIARY (ladies from the Regina Anglican churches & their friends) has received a request from the Qu’Appelle House staff to help them with a mini Christmas craft sale for the residents. They are looking for “Christmas-y” type donations. This would be similar to the spring craft sale (except smaller), whereby the Auxiliary would arrange to collect small Christmas-type items and take them to Qu’Appelle House for the staff to coordinate the craft sale.

 As with the previous craft sale, homemade food cannot be accepted due to COVID.

All proceeds will go to the Qu’Appelle House Auxiliary to help fund special events for the residents.

Please contact Judy, Brenda or Lynda to have your items picked up.

All donations will be delivered to Qu’Appelle House at one time. 

Contact one of the people above ASAP if you have donations. Thank you in advance

PASTORAL EMERGENCY CONTACT. Revd. Paula Foster 

WEEKDAY WORSHIP THIS WEEK

FIRST SUNDAY IN ADVENT – November 28, 2021.

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!

TODAY AT ST. MARY’S

LIVE AUDIO STREAMING during today’s service is available on the Order of Service page. Recorded audio will be added following worship.

ADVENT REFLECTION

We are beginning the season of Advent. Advent marks the beginning of the Church year.  It is an exciting time of year with its promises of hope, love, peace and joy.  It is a time of waiting and expectation. Advent gives us time to take a step back from the busy-ness that surrounds our lives and reflect on our journey with God.  During the season of Advent we are invited to pause and reflect on the fulfillment of the long awaited promise of a Messiah, one who will save us from our sins.  We await the advent or coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. 

Advent is a season within the life of the church, when Christians are intentional about remembering something that happened a long time ago; the birth of a little baby, the Son of God.  Advent is about a memory of someone who entered history as one of us and changed the course of our lives forever. Jesus, through his life, death and resurrection, gave us a future with God.  

During this brief Advent season, we are invited to focus on the coming of Jesus into our world in human form. During its four Sundays we journey with scriptures which reveal vivid images of trust, promise, and obedience.  We hear the prophetic words of Isaiah announcing righteous judgment and restoration for those who follow the way of the Lord. The chaos we have created through our disobedience will be restored to the perfect harmony which God intended for creation. “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them.” (Isaiah 11:6)   

During Advent, we also hear the voice of John the Baptist, calling us from the wilderness of our lives, to repentance .  We are invited to examine our lives, repent our sins and return to God.  As the people of God, we are invited into a new way of living life….expectantly waiting, believing, and hoping for what we cannot yet see.  John the Baptist points us towards Jesus, the Christ Child, the Son of the Most High God and invites us to open our hearts and minds and embrace Him as our Saviour.  Jesus, too, awaits our response to his call.  

What does all this mean for us?  On one level, expecting the Christ child means offering ourselves as the place of Christ’s new birth.  We offer ourselves as the place in which He can live.  We can nurture our lives as his followers, confident in his guidance through the Holy Spirit.  As we encounter Him in all we do, we can help bring about His will for not only our lives, but for the world. In so doing, we can shine as light in the midst of the darkness that surrounds us.

Unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given…..his name shall be Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us.  May the coming of the Christ Child illuminate your mind, bless your soul and fill your hearts with the love of God.  

Blessings, 
Rev. Paula+

PARISH LIFE NOTES.

Condolences. Please pray for Barb and Glenn as Glenn’s brother died this week.

THE MITTEN TREE ON THE LANDING will be ready from December 5th to January 9th to be dressed with adults and children’s mittens, toques and socks. Please help keep out the cold. All donations go to Soul’s Harbour Mission.

CANDLELIGHT SERVICES AT LUTHER COLLEGE HIGHSCHOOL are in person on Sunday, December 5 at 2:00 p.m and 7:00 p.m in the Merlis Belsher Heritage Center. We are offering 250 seats at each performance to safely and adequately meet the needs of our community. For seat reservation please check the website www.luthercollege.edu/high-school

GRAPE VINE.  Do you have a personal story of experiencing God’s grace? Would you share it  in the Grape Vine? Deadline for The Advent edition is Dec 14. You may send them to Lorna or to stmarysanglican@sasktel.net. For more information you may speak to Lorna.

2022 PLEDGES. To help Vestry make an accurate budget for next year, please fill out your 2022 Pledge Form on the church website before Sunday December 12^th.

Right now, we are looking at a deficit budget of -$30,000 for 2022.  At our Vestry meeting on Nov. 23^rd, we discussed ways and means for addressing this shortfall.  We will need to look at fundraising options.  We are also asking each family to consider: might you be able to increase your giving in 2022 by 5-10%?

We are already so grateful for the generosity of this parish.  You’ve been there for Ayen, so that she can get medical treatment.  You’ve been there for our ministry partners in this city.  And you already generously support St. Mary’s.  Thank you.  It takes all of us working together to keep St. Mary’s alive and thriving.

Anyone on Vestry would be happy to talk to you if you have questions about the budget or ideas about what we can do to help balance next year’s income and expenses.

PASTORAL EMERGENCY CONTACT. Revd. Paula Foster 

WEEKDAY WORSHIP THIS WEEK

SUNDAY NEXT BEFORE ADVENT

November 21, 2021.

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!

TODAY AT ST. MARY’S

LIVE AUDIO STREAMING during today’s service is available on the Order of Service page. Recorded audio will be added following worship.

PARISH LIFE NOTES

PASTORAL EMERGENCY CONTACT. Revd. Paula Foster

A QUICK REMINDER TO EACH OF US. If you use the Montague Street entrance on Sunday mornings, please be observant of anyone who is new and welcome them. If needed, be willing to direct them upstairs to the sanctuary, show them where to hang their coats, where the washrooms are, and how to use the elevator, etc. The greeters are upstairs at the Sanctuary doors inviting people in, welcoming them and handing out brochures beginning at 10 AM Sunday mornings. 

Thank to everyone for making St. Mary’s an inviting welcoming Church community.

Advent Small Groups – The Prodigal Son

In Advent, we look back to the first coming of Jesus into our fallen world, and we look forward to his second coming to establish his Kingdom once and for all.  Advent, then, becomes a time where we contemplate our relationship with God, and our place in the Kingdom.  Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son, found in Luke’s Gospel, addresses these questions of relationship with God and place in God’s Kingdom.

This Advent Season, we welcome you to journey together with us in small groups through the Parable of the Prodigal Son.  What is God saying to us as Christians, and to us as his Church at St. Mary’s, in this Advent Season?

Because of the ongoing pressures of COVID-19 in our city, small groups will be meeting online over Zoom for three weeks beginning after the first Sunday of Advent, November 28th.

Schedule

• 7 PM Monday — Hosts Nat and Mary
• 7 PM Wednesday — Host Katherine
• 7 PM Thursday — Host Henry
• 7 PM Saturday — Host Beth

Please sign up for the day that works best for you here …

Advent Small Groups Sign-up

2022 Pledges Request

Vestry has begun the process of establishing St. Mary’s budget for 2022, and we need your help.  To make an accurate budget, we need you to let us know what your giving plan is for next year.  As in the past, you can submit your pledge online through the church website here:

We are asking that you fill out your pledge form by Sunday, December 12th.

Right now, Vestry is looking at a deficit of around -$25,000.00 in 2022.  

Here’s a link to the …

2022 Pledge Form

WEEKDAY WORSHIP THIS WEEK

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

November 14, 2021.

GLORY BE TO JESUS CHRIST! GLORY BE TO HIM FOREVER!

TODAY AT ST. MARY’S

PARISH LIFE NOTES

FINANCIAL  APPEAL

The Vestry of St. Mary requests the congregation to help with diagnosis and treatment of Ayen, sister to Yar and sister in-law to Nathaniel. Ayen lives in a Ugandan camp with her six young children and husband. Ayen was living a normal life as a loving and caring mother until August 2021 when she experienced some dizziness and suddenly lost her eye sight. Ayen has tried to seek medical treatment through the financial  help of Yar and Nathaniel but things continued to worsen. Ayen is currently guided by a child to walk around because she cannot see. Based on the estimate provided, the medical intervention, diagnosis and treatment will cost $2,000. One St. Mary’s friend has already donated $300, and we appeal to the congregation to help raise the remaining balance of $1,700. Please submit your donation to the parish so that you can receive a tax receipt and make accounting manageable. Once the parish has received the donations, arrangements  be made with Yar and Nathaniel to send the moment to Ayen in a Ugandan refugee camp.  Your prayer and generous support will be greatly appreciated.

Attached is the photo for Ayen (in yellow) and her four children. The two sons appear a separate photo. Ayen has six children.

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WEEKDAY WORSHIP THIS WEEK