From the Rector’s Desk 

Friends, 

First off - thank you all for your warm welcome of our friends at St. Anne and St. Edmunds Parksville on Sunday. I was so sorry to not be able to be with you but knew you were in good hands with Alan and that you would of course show the St. Mary's hospitality that I know you are so very good at! It looks like it was a wonderful event, with much conversation and community building which is so lovely to see. Our next combined service will be at St. Edmunds on December 29th so let’s be sure to mark our calendars for a good turn out! 

Second of all, I want to take this time for a public service announcement. We are heading into cooler weather and illness in our communities is on the rise. All it took was one person at the Provincial Synod to be sick, and folks from that event to come to the Congregational Development School for myself and about 8 others to become ill with Covid. Thankfully it has been a fairly mild case for me, but this is a reminder that we need to be so careful with our health at this time. So please, if you are feeling under the weather at all, please stay home. One of the most faithful and loving things we can do for our community is to take care of ourselves and one another by staying home and masking when needed. We will have masks available in the sanctuary as we always have and encourage you to use them if you are more comfortable doing so. We will ask that you remain isolated at home when ill and reach out via phone or email to myself or others if you need support or assistance in any way. We are a community of faithful people here to support and uphold one another as we live out our call as Christians in this place together, and sometimes that means staying home if we are unwell. 

Missing out on our first combined service, missing our service of Truth and Reconciliation was devastating for me, but it was necessary for the health and safety of the community I love. I hope that as we move through these cooler months we all can recognize what we need to do to keep each other safe and healthy as we journey together. 

With prayers and peace, 

Kirsten + 

 

 Bible Study Cancelled for October 2nd

Due to Rev. Kirsten’s illness, she will be unable to hold bible study this week. The readings for this Sunday are

JOB 1:1, 2:1-10     PSALM 26     HEBREWS 1:1-4, 2:5-12     MARK 10:2-16

You are welcome to read and reflect upon them in your own time. Bible Study will return October 9th at 10am.

 

Intersections: A Dialogue Series – POSTPONED

After chatting with Elizabeth Northcott, we have decided to postpone the start of Intersections by a week - with the first session being Thursday Oct. 10th instead of Oct. 3. This will accommodate Elizabeth Northcott having to be at a meeting at the Cathedral that day, my being sick, and the fact that we still don't have enough numbers to run the program successfully.

Kirsten+

 

There is still time to sign-up for this engaging opportunity.  Check out the overview below and follow the directions to register.

 

Intersections: A Dialogue Series is an opportunity to engage with Challenging Racist ‘British Columbia’: 150 Years and Counting (CRBC). Produced as part of the commemorations of 150 years since BC joined Canada, this open-access, multimedia resource documents how the recent cycle of anti-racist activism in this province is part of a broader history of Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities challenging white supremacy for over 150 years. This seven-week series brings people together in intentional conversations to: 

  • encounter our collective past
  • locate ourselves as participants in the ongoing story of this place
  • explore how to respond faithfully to the truths we find together

... so we can participate with God in restoring creation and affirming the dignity of all people. 

I have been working with the team creating and delivering this program since its beginning in 2019 and am really looking forward to offering this program in person for all the Oceanside Anglicans. Each of the seven sessions are based on the information covered in the CRBC project. Together we will explore topics using video, song, prayer, self-refection exercises, readings and group discussions.  

This program is so much more than a lecture series, and because of this we need YOU to make it happen. This course simply does not work without a minimum number of participants so we do ask that you REGISTER for the series so that we can be sure we have enough people on board and have all the necessary handouts ready to go.  

We will be meeting Thursdays from 1-3pm beginning October 10th through until November 14th in the hall at St. Edmunds.  To register please contact the St. Anne & St. Edmund office at admin@oneopencircle.org or call Holly at 250-248-3114. 

 

Blessing of the Animals Service

Join us this Saturday, October 5th at 1pm for our annual Blessing of the Animals here at St. Mary’s! This is a wonderful opportunity to invite all the friends, neighbours, and pet lovers in your life to come and bring their animals for a special blessing from the priest. This will be an outside event and will happen rain or shine so come prepared for the weather and we will gather to give thanks for our fury, scaly, hairy, feathery companions together. Hope to see you and your beloved animals there!

 

Harvest Thanksgiving

Mark your calendars and please join for our Harvest Thanksgiving Service on October 13th at 10am.

 

Fall Education Opportunities With Oceanside Anglicans

Let’s Sing… Our Favourite Funeral Hymns @ St. Marks - October 21st 1:00-3:00pm

~ Help loved ones by pre-planning details for your funeral