From the Rector's Desk

A number of us gathered on Tuesday morning to flesh out some ideas around what sort of Christmas event we can do for our community. It was clear that we needed something which would require less onsite preparation, be less physical work, and simpler in format, while also being a source of festive fun for all who attend. So after much conversation I am happy to announce that this year we will be having St. Mary’s Christmas Tea with the addition of a bake sale and Christmas crafts on Saturday November 30th from 1-4pm!!

The idea is that we will offer an afternoon 'High Tea', complete with dainties and fancy finger sandwiches, spearheaded by Elaine. Alongside the tea, we will also have St. Mary's famous bake table led by Pat, and a new table for Christmas Crafts to be organized by Marg. The idea is that all items for the craft sale, the baking table, and the tea will be brought in on Friday Nov. 29th and we will have nothing left to cart away at the end of the day! We understand that this sort of event may not bring in as much money as the traditional Christmas Fair of years past, but we are looking at an advent offering to help offset this, and this new high tea should be a whole lot of fun with minimal stress.

Thank you to all those who came today and those who have said they will support us as we move forward with this new event. And if you missed the meeting but still want to help out – don’t worry, our next meeting is September 17th at 11am in the church and we will need lots of bakers, crafters and wreath makers as we get closer to November. So for now, mark your calendars for the end of November, and stay tuned for more information as things unfold!

With blessings and festive thoughts,

Kirsten +

 

Mark your Calendars

St. Mary’s Feast Day will soon be upon us and this year we will be celebrating on Sunday August 18th 

To make the day special we will be having a bunwich lunch by donation after the service, and as Margaret has arranged for the day off, we will have a special guest musician (and no, I don’t mean Cris!). So save the date and be ready to come on out and celebrate on the 18th!

 

This Sunday – July 28th

Come and meet our new Relief Administrator Elizabeth! Elizabeth worships at St. Philip Cedar, but will be joining us on Sunday so that folks will have a chance to meet her in person before she starts in the office on August 6th as KAT prepares for her big adventure across the pond.  So please be sure to give Elizabeth a warm welcome on Sunday and show her the St. Mary’s hospitality that we are famous for!

 

Kitchen Ministry

Do you have the gift of organization? Or first-hand experience of what makes a kitchen run well or enjoy the satisfaction of a cleaning?  Well, we are looking for someone who might be interested in starting up a Kitchen ministry at St. Mary's. The details are still to be sorted out, but the intention is that this person would oversee things such as supplies, ensuring counters and sinks etc. are clean and dishes/supplies sorted and organized. This would also include a deep clean of the kitchen on occasion, and hopefully this person would be willing to get their FOODSAFE/FOOD HANDLER certification (at the church's expense). If this might be something you are interested in, or perhaps you and a friend or two – please speak to the wardens!

 

On Sunday Kirsten mentioned that some important dates would be coming up for workshops that will be held within our combined Oceanside Anglican community – and while there will be more information on each of these events as we get closer, here are the dates to remember:

Friday Sept 13th @ 1pm – 3pm Home Visiting and Home Communion Workshop held at St. Mark’s Qualicum Beach

Wednesday Sept 18th @ 1:30 -3pm Prayers of the People Workshop at St. Mary’s Nanoose Bay

Monday October 21st – 1pm -3pm Living Will Workshop at St. Mark’s Qualicum Beach

Thursdays October 3 – Nov 14th (every week) 1pm -3pm at St. Edmunds Parksville,  Intersections: A Dialogue Series – A seven-week course led by Kirsten on the history of systemic racism in BC and in particular on Vancouver Island

More info will come as the details are worked out but for those who are interested, please mark your calendars and if you have questions, please speak with Kirsten.