Wardens’ Update  

There will be no recorded service this Sunday, but we hope you will tune into the first service at the Cathedral with our new Bishop, Anna.  See below for the information and link.  

As we are preparing for Lent, there will be a recorded Ash Wednesday service to watch on February 17th.  

It was great to have Rev. Alan preside at our last Sunday service and it is a blessing that we will have him at St. Mary’s for the next four months.   We have received some feedback from Sunday’s recorded service, so we would like to address some of those points.  

Too dark: All of the lights were on in the church, no settings were changed on the tablet. All we can think of that was different was the time of day, as it was recorded in the morning rather than in the afternoon as we have been doing. The natural light coming through the altar window makes a difference, which was a problem the previous week with so much light in the afternoon that it washed out the recording at times.   

The sound:  No settings were changed on the tablet. We did a test beforehand and there was echoing in the left speakers by the doors, so we asked Alan to turn down his volume a little. Maybe it doesn't matter about that speaker, so we will ask Alan to turn it up again.  Alan stood in approximately the same place as Selinde does.  If the person (priest) wearing the headset mic gets too close to the other mic on the Lectern, there is terrible feedback.  We will do some sound tests and see if we can get it better. The tablet picks up the sound from under the speaker on the right side, so is important to record close to the speaker.  Due to COVID protocols, we are careful with use of the lectern mic.  Two people had to use it last week so we used different positions to accommodate that need and it worked well.  

Priest and Announcer too far away:  Yet again, nothing was changed on the tablet. We will look at using the zoom feature and see if that helps, but we will lose the full effect of the area with the hanging on the lectern and the windows in the background.    

Bishop Anna is asking/inviting all parishes to forego their usual recorded or livestream services this Sunday (Feb 7th) and to tune into the Sunday morning service at the cathedral instead, where she will be preaching and speaking to the diocese as a whole using THIS LINK. Currently it displays a countdown to the next livestream, but at 10:25am on Sunday the link will stream the service.   Bishop Anna’s Launch letter is attached below.

Also attached is the letter we received from the Diocese about Selinde’s wellness leave that was read during our Jan. 31 Service.    

    The readings for February 7, 2021, the Fifth Sunday after the Epiphany are as follows:   
Isaiah 40:21-31
Psalm 147:1-11, 20c
1 Corinthians 9:16-23
Mark 1:29-39        

Our Annual Vestry Meeting is scheduled for Sunday, February 21, 2021 at 11:30am on ZOOM.    

THIRD REQUEST for a RESPONSE...

  – Many thanks for those who have already replied!
Are you using ZOOM?  Have you installed ZOOM?  Do you need help with ZOOM?  PLEASE LET KAT KNOW!! We are trying to get a sense of what stage you are at with ZOOM to view the AVM.  Can you please let KAT know with email or phone by tomorrow Friday, February 5, 2021.  

The Living Well Through Lent 2021 LISTENING WITH ALL YOUR HEART, SOUL, STRENGTH, AND MIND free booklets (all 24 of them) have just arrived.  This guide will help you move through Lent prayerfully.   Either call or email KAT to reserve your copy.  You can pick up at the office (KAT will leave outside). If you are housebound we can deliver, or KAT can take some home to Parksville to leave outside on your front step!   

                                           

This Lent season, LIVING COMPASS (who prints the booklets) are also happy to be offering their daily email devotionals. You will receive forty-seven daily emails, one for each day of Lent, plus Easter. The emails will begin on Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021. If at any point you no longer want to receive the emails, you can unsubscribe at any time.  Click HERE to register. The daily readings and emails give you ways to reflect and stay grounded through this special season in these strange and unusual times.    

Have you noticed anything NEW and IMPROVED in the St. Mary’s parking lot?
         We received a lovely offer from Tumaini to pay for the regrading and gravel on the road that leads up to the back shed!  A very special thanks to them for making it easier to drop off our recyclables and the easy access for the gardeners to the burning pile! Drop off your recyclables ANYTIME!!  

Today you will find attached the minutes of the January 13, 2021 Parish Council Meeting (PCM).  Normally they are posted in the main hall but due to COVID, no-one has access to the hall.  We think it is important everyone knows what is happening in the parish.  

Next Care Meeting:  Monday February 8, 10:30am on Skype.

        

Birthdays
Jan E                      Feb 3
Sharon V                 Feb 11
Jeremie V                Feb 15
Selinde K                Feb 24
Daniela N                Feb 28

Anniversary
Claude & Roseleagh L  Feb 9

And IF you made it all the way down here, please enjoy the video that Marrianna Westinghouse shared! https://www.youtube.com/embed/SN5c-m45fxs

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