March 28, 2024

Dear St. Aidan’s,

When Jesus knew that he was approaching his final days, he began saying things meant to prepare his followers, especially the disciples, of what it would be like when he would no longer be with them. Jesus wanted them to know that they would not be left alone, with no direction, but rather that another would be sent to guide them. In John’s Gospel, this someone is referred to as the Advocate and as the Spirit of truth. Elsewhere in Scripture, we know this guiding presence as the Holy Spirit.

As I was reflecting on how Jesus is telling his friends about the one who is coming, and how he wanted them to know this Advocate and to welcome this Spirit’s presence in their lives, the lyrics of a song I have not heard or sung in many years came to mind:

There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place,

And I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord.

There are sweet expressions on each face,

And I know you feel the presence of the Lord.

Sweet Holy Spirit, sweet heavenly Dove,

Stay right here with us, filling us with Your love.

And for these blessings, we lift our hearts in praise.

Without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived

When we shall leave this place.

(Akers Music House 1962, renewed by Manna Music 1990.)

The story behind “Sweet, Sweet Spirit” is a story of what happened when, in 1962, Doris Akers and the Sky Pilot Choir were praying together in a practice room before heading in to lead the music in a worship service. As Lindsay Terry learned in an interview with songwriter Doris Akers years later:

she said to her singers, 'You are not ready to go in.' She didn’t believe they had prayed enough! They were accustomed to spending time with her in prayer before the service, asking God to bless their songs. She said, 'I feel that prayer is more important than great voices.' They had already prayed, but this particular morning she asked them to pray again, and they did so with renewed fervor (Stories Behind 50 Gospel Favorites).

Meanwhile, the pastor of the church was growing impatient, as they couldn’t begin the service until the choir arrived. So, reluctant to end this sweet, Spirit-filled time of prayer, Akers told her choir, “We have to go. I hate to leave this room and I know you hate to leave, but you know we do have to go to the service. But there is such a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place.”

We don’t want the joy of being together in Christ to end, we want it to keep going on forever. The good news is that it can—and it does. While the sweet time spent together in worship, prayer, conversation, and service may end for that moment or that day, these Spirit-filled moments reassure us that we are part of something bigger, something ongoing that binds us all together in the love of Christ.

There is a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place.

I hope to see you in church this Easter weekend,

Becky+

Week of March 31 -  NOTICES AT A GLANCE – more details below

  1. Live Streaming at 10:30 a.m., Order of Service
  2. Thank you to members of the Royal Regiment of Canada
  3. Parking on Queen Street on Easter Day
  4. Request for chocolate Easter eggs!
  5. Prayer kneeler cushions are available for you to use
  6. The Growth Committee sincerely appreciates all the Joyful Giving
  7. The East End Refugee Committee will be welcoming a new family
  8. A very short special vestry meeting will be held on Sun., Apr. 7
  9. Beach Interfaith Outreach
  10. West Garden Giving Opportunity
  11. The Beach Cares is sponsoring a Syrian family
  12. Altar flowers dedications
  13. Euchre
  14. Archive of sermon manuscripts
  15. Announcements for the Notices
  16. Offerings

 

 AND NOW THE DETAILS:

 1. Live Streaming at 10:30 a.m., Order of Service - The service will be livestreamed at the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/91628466455

Meeting ID: 916 2846 6455
Passcode: 548507
Phone: 647-374-4685

To access the Order of Service click here: 

https://mcusercontent.com/9602008078ea1b1ac17a38d52/files/028e7834-a7c0-76b4-a4b4-cf5d4667bcce/2024_March_31_Easter_Day_Worship_Booklet.pdf

 2. Thank you to members of the Royal Regiment of Canada for sharing their gifts and enhancing our music this morning: Charles Trimble, Dan Stoyles, Yi Yao, Bill Mighton, and Rick Hippolite.

 3. Parking on Queen Street on Easter Day: Because of the Easter Parade, anyone parking on Queen Street during the 10:30 service on Easter Day will need a card to put on your dashboard allowing you to stay there until 12:30 pm without being towed! Yellow parking cards may be found on the table in the Narthex.

 4. Request for chocolate Easter eggs! We will be hosting our annual Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday, March 31, following the 10:30 service. We are in need of chocolate eggs for the hunt. If you can donate a bag of (wrapped) chocolate eggs, please bring them to church and leave them in the basket in the Narthex. Thanks in advance!

 5. Prayer kneeler cushions are available for you to use during worship services, if you prefer to kneel during times of prayer and confession. You may find the kneelers on the shelves against the back wall of the worship space. Please be sure to return them to the shelf after use.

 6. The Growth Committee sincerely appreciates all the Joyful Giving volunteer and pledge forms that have been submitted. Your pledges of time, talent, and treasure help us budget for the coming year and especially give us confidence that we will have sufficient resources to implement new ministries. If you have not yet returned your forms, there is still time! Forms are available in the Narthex and can be returned in the offering or in the secure mailbox at the front entrance.  Thank you!

 7. The East End Refugee Committee will be welcoming a new family from Myanmar very soon. The family of five needs help to get settled here in Canada. Monetary donations can be made to St. Aidan’s; specify that it is for the EERC. In addition, we are looking for donations including a bunk bed with a double on the bottom and a single on the top, a dresser, linens and a number of kitchen items. Email Fausta for more information.  

 8. A very short special vestry meeting will be held on Sun., Apr. 7 after the 10:30 a.m. service to elect a Deputy Warden, a St. Aidan's Fund Manager, and designate additional parochial organizations to be represented on the Advisory Board.  A list of members eligible to vote at the Special Vestry meeting will be posted in the Narthex.

 9. Beach Interfaith Outreach: Locations and dates are listed in the Beach Metro News. Tues., Mar. 26, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. is the next lunch here. As part of St. Aidan’s involvement in the Beach Interfaith Outreach Committee, we support the Grace Pascoe Care Centre. Your weekly donations (to the basket by the church office) are gratefully received.

10. West Garden Giving Opportunity: Construction for the West Garden is underway. We are excited to welcome the community into a new church space this spring. The garden will be full of pollinators and other native plants, providing a place of respite and quiet contemplation for everyone in the Beach neighbourhood. 

Funding for Phase 1 of construction has been reached; we are now fundraising for Phase 2 of the project which includes additional pathways, seating opportunities, plants and more. Please contact Courtney Ebner at staidans.warden3@gmail.com to learn more about giving and recognition opportunities.

11. The Beach Cares is sponsoring a Syrian family of five, who arrived on January 30. Our fundraising has achieved about two-thirds of the funding we will need for the full year of sponsorship but we need roughly $25,000 more. If you would like to contribute to the support, please go to the St. Aidan's website, (https://staidansinthebeach.com) Go to the "Giving" tab. When you open the page you will see a bar that says "Donation Details Below that bar you will see a tab that says "Fund" Hit the "v" cursor on the tight and it will show "The Beach Cares Refugee Fund (Syria) as the number 2 option. Click on that. Or you may make a donation by cash or cheque to Church of St. Aidan, with a note "The Beach Cares."   

12. Altar flower dedications: Several dates from April to August are open. See the binder in the Narthex for a full list of dates. If you would like to donate for a specific date, please fill in the information on the list and someone will contact you.  You may also contact Joanne McBay.

13. Euchre: Join us on Tuesday nights from 7-9 p.m. for a fun and friendly evening of progressive Euchre downstairs in the main hall. Beginners welcome. $5.00 to play. All proceeds go to our community outreach.

14. An archive of sermon manuscripts by Rev. Becky, along with sermons and weekly reflections by Deacon Michael, can be found on our website: https://staidansinthebeach.com/services/pages/sermons-and-reflections

15. Announcements for the Notices: Please submit announcements for the weekly notices to office@staidansinthebeach.com by Wednesdays at 4 p.m. Notices may be edited for clarity and conciseness.

16. Offerings - Thank you for your support. There are a variety of ways to make your donation: 

  • PAG – set up monthly pre-authorized debits from your bank account directly to St. Aidan’s by completing the authorization form found on the Giving page of our website https://www.staidansinthebeach.com/giving 
  • PAG Changes – to change the amount of an existing donation, send an email with the details to donations@staidansinthebeach.com 
  • E-transfer – send to donations@staidansinthebeach.com 
  • Envelopes to obtain a set of weekly offering envelopes, send a request to donations@staidansinthebeach.com 
  • Cheques should be payable to and can be mailed to: The Church of St. Aidan, 2423 Queen St E, Toronto, ON, M4E 1H6, or dropped in our secure mailbox beside the front door.