"We begin our journey to Easter with the sign of ashes, an ancient sign, speaking of the frailty and uncertainty of human life, and marking the penitence of the community as a whole. I invite you therefore, in the name of the Lord, to observe a holy Lent, by self-examination, penitence, prayer, fasting and almsgiving, and by reading and meditating on the word of God."
Book of Alternative Services (p. 282)- The service for Ash Wednesday
Over the centuries the church has found many images and many meanings for the season of Lent. It began as a time of preparation to celebrate the greatest feast in the Christian calendar (something so wondrous requires preparation) but it became: A time for introspection (why did Jesus offer his life so that I may have life?), a time for self-discipline (like Jesus' 40 days of fasting in the wilderness following his baptism), a time for learning (once upon a time Easter was the only occasion for baptism in the whole year, Lent was baptism preparation) and a time for meditation on the sacrifice of the Cross. In the introduction above, taken from the Book of Alternative Services, we see another description of Lent - a journey to Easter. My dictionary defines 'journey' as "to travel from one place to another." What makes Lent a journey?
As Lent begins we read in scripture how Jesus "turned his face toward Jerusalem."(Luke 9:51)
He finished one portion of his ministry and he intentionally began to move toward the capital. He begins a journey that will bring him to confront the political and religious powers in his land and lead ultimately to the cross and resurrection. This sense of accompanying Jesus on his journey is even stronger during Holy Week. "We follow him this week from the glory of the palms to the glory of the resurrection by way of the dark road of suffering and death." (B.A.S. p.297) Through our reading of scripture and participation in the special worship of the season, we can walk with him through his suffering and also share in the new life he offers.
The call to keep a holy Lent calls us to make a journey in two different aspects: interior and exterior. During Lent we are encouraged to spend time reviewing our life through "self-examination, prayer, fasting, reading and meditation upon God's word". In the busy-ness of most days we rarely find the time for introspection. There is also the call to engage in almsgiving in this season, to reach out to those in various kinds of need. Lenten disciplines are personal and at the same time connected to the community. In Lent, the church focuses on living out its true calling. It is a time when we are fully alive, growing, learning, connected to others and to who we are really meant to be: people created in God's image, redeemed by Jesus' life death and resurrection, baptized by water and the Spirit. The hymn Come and Journey sums it up this way- "Come and journey, journey onward; all our gifts we now shall bring. To the building of a city that is holy, Christ its King.." İHerbert O'Driscol, 1978 Lutheran Book of Worship
Every Wednesday at 7:00pm. During Lent the sermons will focus on the question "Who is Jesus?" the answers found in the "I am" statements of the gospel of St. John.
Each Thursday during Lent there will be a Soup & Sandwich lunch served at the Parish Hall, from 11:30am. to 12:30pm. Everyone is welcome, young or old. On March 17 there will be a special lunch in honour of St. Patrick's Day - Corned Beef and Cabbage! Luncheons will take place from Feb.17 - March 17. Before the lunch each week there will be a video presentation on some aspect of the work of the church. (At 10am.) This year the money raised at the Lenten Lunches will go to the P.W.R.D.F. program "For a Generation Without AIDS"
On Saturday February 26 we will gather at the Parish Hall to watch Mel Gibson's movie, "The Passion of the Christ'. We will begin with a pot-luck supper at 5 pm. Followed by the movie and an opportunity for discussion.
The worship for Holy Week will permit us - to enter with Jesus into the city of Jerusalem - to eat with him in the Upper Room - to pray with him in the garden - to be crucified with him - to rise from the dead with him.
March 20 - Palm Sunday
7:45 am. Holy Eucharist
10:00 am. Holy Eucharist, Blessing of Palms and dramatic Reading of the Passion Gospel.
******** NOTE TIME CHANGE FOR THIS SUNDAY!
March 21 - MONDAY
7:00 pm. Compline
March 22 - TUESDAY
7:00 pm. Service of Healing
March 23 - WEDNESDAY
7:00 pm. Holy Eucharist
March 24 - MAUNDY THURSDAY
5:30 pm. Seder Supper, St. John's Hall
7:30 pm. Holy Eucharist, "footwashing liturgy" and stripping of the altar
March 25 - GOOD FRIDAY
Noon Family Devotion
2:00 pm. Celebration of the Lord's Passion
(There will be a time of fellowship at the Basement Hall in between the services)
March 26 - HOLY SATURDAY
8:00 pm. Easter Vigil Service
- Blessing of the Paschal Candle, Baptism, and Holy Eucharist
Take place on the 4th Monday of each month- 7:00pm. for worship, the meeting starts at 7:30pm. at the church basement. Some upcoming programs:
* February 6, Members of Mother's Union will be working at Beacon House from 9am.-1:30pm.
* February 12, The M.U. Family Event, Sleigh Ride at Hatfield Farms, followed by a Pot Luck at the Parish Hall.
* February 28, The speaker will be from Rev. Gloria who will be speaking about 'retreats'
* March 6 ( The 4th Sunday in Lent) "Mothering Sunday".
* March 28, 'Lady Day' service, Corporate Communion and Bible Study led by Archdeacon Cutler, we will be joined by members of St. Francis by the Lakes M.U.
* April 25, Our branch will meet at St. Francis by the Lakes. Guest speaker from the Pastoral Care Program at the Windsor Elms Nursing Home.
For more information call the branch leader, Geraldine Conners
If you, a member of your family or someone you know is sick. We can't visit or pray for you if we don't know!! Our Pastoral Care contact is Mrs. Bunny McConnell 252-6182. If you would like to receive Holy Communion at home please contact Archdeacon Cutler at 864-3154.
Parish Council will hold its regular monthly meeting on Tuesday February 22, 7pm. at the Church basement. In March the meeting date has been moved to Tuesday March 29 (Because we want to worship during Holy Week instead of meeting!)
will be celebrated on:
October 31, at the 11:00am. service.
Upcoming dates for Holy Baptism:
March 26 (at the Easter vigil service)
May 15 (Pentecost Sunday ).
For information on Baptismal Preparation, please call the parish office.
Our parish has a number of committees that plan and carry out the work of the church. We are always looking for people to help. Over the next few weeks we will be passing around a list of the committees at the weekly worship services. If you would like to sign up or find out more information, put your name on a list or call the Parish Office. Here is a brief description of our committees:
Spiritual Development- Worship, Christian Education for all ages.
Pastoral Ministry & Outreach- Caring for members: of the church, the community & the world.
Property- Taking care of our buildings and property.
Finance & Administration- Keeping track of income & expenses, overseeing all financial aspects of our church life.
Personnel- Hiring staff, creating "function descriptions" for volunteer and paid positions.
Stewardship- Visioning for our future as a congregation and keeping the need for adequate resources to achieve our goals, before our members.
Cemetery- Taking care of the cemeteries
Special Events- Planning and conducting fundraising events.
The Synod of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island will meet for its 138th session, from May 5-7 at the University of Prince Edward Island. This is only the second time in the history of the Diocese that Synod has been held outside of Halifax.
During the Fall, volunteers doing the painting of the interior of the Parish Hall discovered that areas of the back wall of the Hall (the side facing the church) were rotten and moldy. Work parties subsequently removed all of the interior walls along this side of the building to a height of 8 feet. We discovered that there are a number of cracks in the concrete wall and the water seepage over an extended period of time had caused the damage. On January 25, Parish Council authorized repairs of the cracks and requested estimates of the cost of an air-exchange system for the Parish Hall. In the spring we will have some competent person examine the exterior of this wall to see if the membrane is damaged.
Building Fund
We encourage members of the parish to continue to use the monthly 'Building Fund' envelopes as we undertake the significant repairs to the Parish Hall.
"Whether or not I am there my church has on-going commitments every week that need my offering. My church is important to me, and so is my financial commitment to its work. That is why I use the PAG (Pre-Authorized Giving) system to fulfil my commitment."
If you have automatic debits going from your bank account to pay for insurance, cable TV, taxes, fuel or mortgage then you understand the PAG principle. PAG is a program by which your regular donations to St. John's are automatically withdrawn from your account at your financial institution. St. John's now offers this convenience.
To start giving by PAG: Decide on the amount of your monthly offering. Fill in the authorization form (available at the back of the church) and attach a sample cheque marked 'void'. Return to the treasurer in the envelope provided by placing on the offering plate. If you have questions contact Mr. Cliff Heenan, our treasurer
Most members of the parish will be aware of the devastating tsunami which impacted many countries surrounding the Indian Ocean on Dec. 26 2004.
The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund, along with a multitude of other relief agencies around the world has responded to the need for emergency assistance and material to begin rebuilding. A special collection was received at our church services on January 9 and over $2,000.00 was donated. This money has been forwarded to the emergency fund set up by P.W.R.D.F. As of January 26, P.W.R.D.F. had received $728,000.00 for the tsunami relief.
There has been an overwhelming response to the needs created by the tsunami disaster, but the work of development and relief is going on all the time in many places around the world, with very little publicity. For those with internet access, you can see some of the work supported by P.W.R.D.F at www.pwrdf.org/news, or contact Sue Heenan, our parish P.W.R.D.F. co-ordinator. There is a blue monthly envelope in each box of offering envelopes for regular contributions to the work of the Primate's Fund.
We give thanks for all those who regularly bring in food donations for Beacon House. This generosity is very much appreciated by the people in our communities who rely on Beacon House for food. A newsletter, detailing activities at our community food bank, is available at the back of the Church.
Commissioning of the new servers: Lina Murphy, Joshua Reid, Bethany Reid, Catherine Sinclair, Samantha Strickland, took place on February 13. If you are interested in being trained as a server please contact Sarah Simpkin
Parish Officers for 2005 at the Parish Annual Meeting, February 6, the following persons were elected to parish offices:
Wardens: Marsha Park, William Gardner
Warden in Training: Cyril Ruth
Treasurer: Cliff Heenan
Treasurer in Training: Colette Lawrence
Secretary: Sheila King
Envelope Secretary: Doug Banfield
Parish Council Members:
Judy Marsh, Megan Sheen, Brad Simpson
Pat Huntley, Jennifer Dimmof, Susan Morris
Jeff Reid, Karen Strickland, Ann Slauenwhite
Synod Delegates: Peter Townsend, Ruth Townsend, Sue Heenan
Synod Youth Delegate: Sarah Simpkin
Regional Council Delegates: Peter Townsend, Ruth Townsend, Sue Heenan, Megan Sheen, Peter Simpkin
Beacon House Board Rep.: Tom Hill
Diocesan Times Rep.: Ruth Gamble
Hall Bookings: Martin Lewis
Memorial Fund: Mary Judge
P.W.R.D.F. Rep.: Sue Heenan
Special Events Committee Chair: Cliff Heenan
Cemetery Committee: We elected a treasurer (Martin Lewis) and a number of members: Al Horwood, Maureen Fifield, Jeff Reid, Peter Simpkin and Darryl Spidell. However we did not elect a chairperson.
Workshop For Parish Officers will take place on Saturday March 5 from 9am.-noon at St. Peter's Hall, Birch Cove. (Corner of Kearny Lake Rd. and the Bedford Highway). Parish officers and anyone interested in learning more about the work of the diocese are welcome to attend.
The Mission is looking for good used men's warm clothing for distribution to visiting seafarers to the port of Halifax. Donations can be dropped off at the mission on Marginal Rd. (422-7790) or at the church.
On Saturday April 9, there will be a gathering of clergy and lay-people to discuss the report of the Lambeth Commission on Communion commonly known as 'The Windsor Report'. This report was commissioned by the Archbishop of Canterbury and released in October 2004. The commission's members came from all parts of the world-wide Anglican church to grapple with the question of how the Anglican Communion addresses relationships between its component parts in a true spirit of communion. This report was called for because of the ongoing discussion within the church on issues of human sexuality.
Archbishop Robin Eames, chair of the commission, wrote in the forward to the report: "The depth of conviction and feeling on all sides of the current issues has on occasion introduced a degree of harshness and lack of charity which is new to Anglicanism. A process of dissent is not new to the Communion but it has never before been expressed with such force nor in ways which have been so accessible to international scrutiny."
It is hoped that the Rev. Canon Alyson Barnett-Cowan (the Canadian member of the Commission) will be able to attend this gathering. Further details will appear in the weekly bulletin as they are made available.
Regional Council Meeting will take place on Wednesday April 20, 7:00pm. at St. Thomas' Church in Fall River. The guest will be Bishop Sue Moxley. This will also be the pre-synod meeting of the Council.
Sanja Pecelj, the Serbian woman who found sanctuary at St. Mark's Church for over a year as her refugee appeal was being prepared, has been granted permanent resident status.
There will be a meeting on Wednesday February 15, 7:30 pm. at the Church basement to begin plans for the 2005 Vacation Bible Camp. Last year we did not hold a V.B.C., so we want to begin planning early for this year. We will also be looking at the possibility of organising a residential program this year (a real camp?!)
Teans Encounter Christ (TEC) Is an Anglican based weekend for youth ages 16-21 to gather together for fun, learning and fellowship. Through a series of talks, discussions, and through live worship you will learn about and experience Jesus Christ. The gathering takes place May 21-23 at the Anglican Diocesan Centre, Halifax. Fees for the weekend are $60.00 Applications can be downloaded from:http://www.geocities.com/ tecnsandpei/candidateapplication.html or from Archdeacon Cutler. There is only room for 30 participants Application are accepted on a first come, first served basis.
Youth Rally at St. John's Church, Fairview (3415 Dutch Village Rd. on Sunday March 6 beginning at 2:00pm. With 'Servants-in-Faith' band plus worship, food and fun! All youth in grades 7-12 welcome.
One day I found myself at the Town Hall renewing my driver's license. The Clerk was obviously a career woman, poised, efficient and possessed of a high sounding title. What is your occupation?" she probed. What made me say it, I do not know? The words simply popped out. "I'm a research associate in the field of Child Development and Human Relations" The clerk paused, ballpoint pen frozen in midair, and looked as though she had not heard right. I repeated the title slowly emphasizing the most significant words. Then I stared with wonder as my pronouncement was written in bold black ink on the official questionnaire. "Might I ask," said the clerk with new interest, "just what you do in your field?" Coolly, without any trace of fluster in my voice, I heard myself reply, "I have a continuing program of research, (what mother doesn't), in the laboratory and in the field, (normally I would have said indoors and out). I'm working for my Masters, (the whole darned family), and I already have four credits, (all daughters). Of course, the job is one of the most demanding in the humanities, (any mother care to disagree?), and I often work 14 hours a day, (24 is more like it). But the job is more challenging than most run of the mill careers and the rewards are more of a satisfaction rather than just money. There was an increasing note of respect in the clerk's voice as she completed the form, stood up, and personally ushered me to the door. As I drove into our driveway, bouyed up by my glamorous new career, I was greeted by my lab assistants ages 13, 7, and 3. Upstairs I could hear our new experimental model, (a 6 month old baby), in the child-development program, testing out a new vocal pattern. I felt I had scored a beat on the bureaucracy! And I had gone on the records as someone more distinguished and indispensable to humanity than "just another Mom." Motherhood.... what a glorious career! Especially what there is a title on the door. - Via the Internet
Please Remember That 'No Scents Makes Good Sense' Strong perfumes and colognes and other similar products can cause serious health problems for some of our members. Please respect the health concerns of others when you are attending worship at St. John's.
Parish Office: 934 Old Sackville Road. (902) 864-3154
Mailing Address: P.O.Box 567, Lower Sackville,
Nova Scotia, B4C 3J1
Rector: Archdeacon Ron Cutler
Associate Priest: The Rev. Gloria Lee
Wardens: Mrs. Marsha Park, Mr. Bill Gardner, Mr. Cyril Ruth
e-mail: sjecrevs @chebucto.ns.ca
Website: http//www.stjohnevangelist.chebucto.orgHow can we help you?
(Please detach this form and give it to the greeters at a worship service or mail to the Parish address above.)
__ Sickness
__ Would like clergy visit
__ Would like more information about volunteer opportunities, groups or organizations
__ Offering envelopes requested
__ Change of address
__ Newcomer, Please add my/our name(s) to the parish list