Friday, November 10, 2023

Dear St. Aidan’s,

This Sunday, we will take a few moments in our service to remember the 54 people from St. Aidan’s who died in World Wars I and II. As we do this, we do so not in a spirit of glorifying war but rather of recognising the great loss of life that occurred in these two wars (and the many wars before and since).

Considering the great loss of life in Ukraine and Russia and in Israel and Gaza (and elsewhere), it’s timely that we take a moment to remember those who have died in times past, those who have served, those who carry lifelong injuries and trauma, and those who have lost ones dear to them. Not just on Remembrance Day, but throughout the year, we include in our prayers our local, provincial, national, and world leaders, in hopes that they will be guided by compassion, wisdom, and a concern for the common good.

I should note that being in a church that includes memorials to those who have died in war is new to me (as my churches were founded later). Being in a context in which Remembrance Sunday is included in the church calendar is also new to me. So, I have put much time and reflection into how we observe this day in the context of our worship at St. Aidan’s, including talking with several people of different perspectives from our congregation to inform my thinking about what Remembrance Day means here. I hope this will come through as we gather for worship this Sunday.

Grace and peace,

Becky+

Week of November 12 -  NOTICES AT A GLANCE – more details below
 

  1. Live Streaming at 10:30 a.m., Order of Service
  2. Message from Jeff Nowers
  3. Beach Interfaith Outreach
  4. Our next Supper at St. Aidan’s
  5. Youth Art Night
  6. Leaf Raking
  7. Save the date! Celebration of New Ministry
  8. Weekly Christmas Pageant Rehearsals Begin
  9. Server training moved to Sun., Nov. 26, 12 noon.
  10. Annual Holiday Market is less than 3 weeks away!
  11. An archive of sermon manuscripts
  12. Euchre
  13. Deadline for the Notices
  14. 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/312d8ec9-4795-32b1-ef1b-67ab515476ce/2023_Nov_12_Worship_Guide_Streamlined.pdf

2.  Message from Jeff Nowers - Many of you have been wondering about my next parish placement. I’m nowhappy to share that, effective November 1st, Bishop Kevin Robertson has appointed me Priest-in-Charge of the Church of Christ the King, located in central Etobicoke.This is a very meaningful appointment for me because I spent my teenage years in this parish neighborhood. I went to the same high school where several parishioners and their children attended. So it’s something of a homecoming.

I’m very grateful to you all for your kindness and support during my five years at St. Aidan’s. I especially want to thank you for the wonderful September community dinner and for the lovely white stole you gave me. I will wear this stole on November 5th, my first Sunday at Christ the King, at the celebration of All Saints.

You all have been a blessing to me, and I now carry this blessing to Christ the King. I thank God for the light of Christ that shines at St. Aidan’s, and I continue to pray that its radiance will illumine the Beach community and beyond.

Jeff

3.  Beach Interfaith Outreach - Locations and dates are listed in the Beach Metro News. Tues., Nov. 21, 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. is the next lunch here.

4.  Our next Supper at St. Aidan’s will be held Thurs., Nov. 16 starting at 5:45 p.m. Following dinner, at 7 p.m. in the Willow Room, Kim Bradshaw will speak on “We Saved the Greenbelt—Now What?” All are welcome to dinner, and to stay for Kim’s presentation if you can.

5.  Youth Art Night will be on Fri., Nov. 17 from 6:00-8:30 at the church. Pizza dinner will be provided.

6.  Leaf Raking, Sat., Nov. 18, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Help St. Aidan’s keep our ‘no-blow’ commitment!  Join us for coffee, doughnuts, and leaf raking. We have several rakes on hand, but feel free to bring your own. We will leave a few spots of fallen leaves undisturbed for beneficial insects to overwinter. Contact Courtney Ebner, staidans.warden3@gmail.com. 

 7.  Save the date!  Celebration of New Ministry for our new incumbent, the Rev. Dr. Rebecca Bridges, will be on Sun., Nov. 19, at 4 p.m. with a reception to follow. Celebrant will be our archdeacon, the Venerable Cheryl Palmer, and the preacher will be the Rev. Molly Finlay. Please plan to join us for this special moment in the life of our parish.

8.  Weekly Christmas Pageant rehearsals will begin on Sunday November 26 from 10:00-10:30 a m.

9.  Server training for interested young people in grades 4-12 will be Sun., Nov. 26, from 12-12:30 (following the 10:30 service) in the Nave. Servers carry the cross, torches, and Gospel book in our weekly worship services, as well as help the priests and deacons prepare for communion. This brief training is both for returning and new servers. We will begin to schedule children and youth to be servers each Sunday beginning on the First Sunday of Advent (Dec. 3). Parents of children in these grades should look for an email from Rev. Becky with more details.

10. The Annual Holiday Market is less than three weeks away! Mark your calendars and plan to attend. Funds raised will go to support youth programmes.

  • Sat., Dec 2, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
  • We have a wide variety of vendors, some will be upstairs and some will be downstairs. Come and get your Christmas shopping done
  • A Bake Sale and Cafe will operate downstairs. 
  • Fausta will run crafts for kids in the Willow Room, with no cost for kids to take part. 

What we need!

  • As always, we will need your donations of baked goods to be dropped off the morning of the sale.
  • We still need a few young, strong people to help move pews and bring tables up from downstairs on Thurs., Nov. 30 at 6 p.m. 
  • And we need a crew to take down the tables and set the pews back up after the sale on Sat., Dec. 2, at 3:15 p.m. 

Help us make this event a huge success. Contact Rev. Becky or Dayle (daylesnider@gmail.com) if you can help or have any questions. 

11. 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

 12. 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.

13. Announcements for the Notices - Please submit any announcements for the weekly notices on Wednesdays by 4 pm.

14. 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 at the north-east corner of the building.