Announcements
Message from the Bishop
The Diocese has released guidelines and timeline for parishes wishing to seek permission to resume in-person worship. Parish leadership will be reviewing it, so stay tuned for more information about how we plan to proceed. The Archbishop’s letter and parish checklist can be read by clicking here.
Stewardship Update: August
Thanks to parishioner donations and the fact that our expenses are reduced during this pandemic and thanks to Federal Government support to the diocese and St. Andrew’s, we continue to be financially sound. We have had sufficient income to meet our expenses to the end of July and expect to be okay at year end. We will have some roof repairs to do in the fall and depending on cost estimates, we will use money from the building fund. If costs exceed that, we will approach the parish for financial help in ensuring the roof work is completed.
The church is here to support parishioners and those in need, so if you need assistance or know someone who does, please contact Christine or the Wardens.
Season of Creation: September – December
The Anglican Church of Canada adopted the global Season of Creation in 2019 as a time of prayer, education and action in caring for God’s creation.
You are invited to join a time of reflection on our relationship with creation, based on the book “Making Peace with the Land” by: Fred Bahnson and Norman Wirzba. Copies are available at the church office for $10. You are welcome to attend with or without reading the book!
On Wed Sept 2 at 5:30pm, we will “gather” on Zoom. Contact Christine for the Zoom link.
Create:Church
During the global Season of Creation , we will create:church in an urban garden with an hour of prayer, discussion, and contemplation in community. Please join us September 9, 16, 23 and 30, beginning at 7pm, at St. Barnabas Community Garden (1407-7th Avenue NW; access off 12 St.).
Please bring your own chair and mask, as our gathering will necessarily include physical distance, in this time of Covid. For questions or comments, and to RSVP, contact Christine.
Create:Church seeks to engage the transforming presence of God in everyday places to encourage an holistic spirituality of authentic relationships with God and one another. We endeavour to bring our physical, emotional and intellectual selves together with room for both questioning and grounding in scripture. As an LGBTQ+ affirming ministry, all are invited to join our beautiful and messy journey of Christian faith.
St. Edmund’s Annual Garage Sale – Covid Edition
Friday, September 11, 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm and Saturday, September 12, 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Masks and social distancing are required and have been accounted for in our new layout for our annual sale. Donations of small household items are gratefully accepted including dishes, pots, pans, toys, art, knick-knacks, collectibles, camping gear and outdoor gear such as lawn ornaments, gardening items and tools. We are not accepting furniture or any large items this year – thank you. Donations may be dropped off during Food Bank hours – Monday and Thursday morning 9:00 to 11:30 (at the overhead door only, to allow for distancing from Food Bank clients) or by appointment – please call Marilyn (403) 288-6330. Thank you for your support! The funds raised during our annual Garage Sale goes to support our Mission Hall which houses our outreach programs.
PWRDF
On Saturday, August 8, 2020 the Government of Canada launched a dedicated Matching Fund for the Lebanon crisis that will double the contributions of Canadians and support the relief work of the members of Canada’s Humanitarian Coalition, including the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Through its membership in the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, PWRDF will be participating in the Humanitarian Coalition appeal to support people of Lebanon through this crisis. Please go to the link below to read the update and to donate.
Society of Saint John the Evangelist
Short reflections are published weekly. The latest is about “enlarging your perspective.” It can be found here.
Wisdom Centre:
Turbulent 2020s: A Theological Field Guide with Anna Greenwood-Lee and Christine Conkin
Wednesday, September 30, 2020 – Wednesday, October 28, 2020 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm
Location
St. Laurence Anglican Church
5940 Lakeview Drive SW
Calgary, Alberta
Speaker/Facilitator: The Rev. Anna Greenwood-Lee, The Rev. Christine Conkin
Nobody quite knows what is coming for the 2020s but most agree that it is going to be turbulent. Join us as we:
– Get real, even if it means getting smaller
– Reimagine Jesus (not as a bigot)
– Don’t just think about it
– Get off our asses, and into the world
– Trust the Spirit… She is still with us!
We will be joined (through short videos) by some of the biggest voices in the theological/religious landscape today. Together with people like Richard Rohr, Christena Cleveland, Brian McLaren, Nadia Bolz Weber, Brene Brown, and Kathryn Tanner, we will struggle and laugh our way towards theology to see us through the spiritual, political, cultural, and ecological challenges the 2020s promise to bring.
Please stay tuned for more details and registration. Depending on what happens with physical distancing protocols etc., this course will be held at St. Laurence or online.
Parish List
We have an updated parish list in PDF format. Contact the office if you would like a copy emailed to you, or we can mail a hard copy.
Bowness Food Network: Free Lunch Program!
Help us continue to connect kids in Calgary with a stable source of food – daily bagged lunches! 100% of funds raised will go directly to students, families and individuals in need.
On March 16, 2020 Alberta schools were forced to close due to COVID-19. Within the community of Bowness, a uniquely socioeconomically diverse area of the city, this closure resulted in the loss of up to two meals a day for many students and their families, many of whom relied on accessing breakfast and lunch at school each day. With this sudden loss in food stability, teachers in Bowness jumped into action to organize food access to impacted families. To learn more about this group and to donate go to https://ca.gofundme.com/f/yyc-lunches-distribution.
Drop In Centre
The Donation/Recycling Centre at 3640 11thA St. N.E. is still open (reduced hours and staff) and is accepting clothing, bottles/cans and furniture (no electronics at this time). It is open Mon.-Fri. , 8:30 to 3:30.
If you have clothing/bottle/can donations but are unable to transport them, Carole and Dave T are able to transport for you.
Covid-19 related Resource information:
Calgary Alliance for the Common Good has created a resource page with information about all the different government announcements. It can be found at: https://www.calgarycommongood.org/resources_to_help_during_covid_19
Donations
Church operations are obviously much different than they were just a few months ago, but we’re not closed! We are most grateful for your continued donations. If you normally donate by cheque, you can send it by mail. Pre-authorized debit continues and you can join or make adjustments by contacting John MacKinnon (johnm9@telus.net). We also have an “account” with CanadaHelps you can access here: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/129209680RR0001-st-andrews-anglican-church/
Praying with PWRDF
This is an excellent opportunity for us to make connections during this time of isolation. We can come together by praying with each other from parishes across the county, with PWRDF staff and most importantly with and for our partners.
All the recordings from the past few weeks of prayers can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoQP475xxXQAyzjoXtC0ykA
To register for upcoming sessions, please click the following link: https://bit.ly/PWRDFPrayers
Did You Know…?
We have copies of the personal devotions “Our Daily Bread” at the church for for September through to November. They can be picked up in the narthex if you’re at the church or we can drop one in the mail for you if you contact us!
