August 30, 2024

Dear St. Aidan’s,

Next week, school starts for many children and teens (and their teachers and school staff), and with the new school year comes our new program year at church. On September 8, we return to offering two Sunday morning worship services, at 8 and 10:30 a.m.

Our early service will begin a bit earlier at 8 a.m. What do we gain by making this schedule change?

  • Those who attend the early service will be done by 9, so the rest of your day is free that much sooner.
  • We will have a wider window of time between the worship services, which will allow us to begin offering Christian discipleship and spiritual formation activities that people from either service can attend. In the coming weeks, I’ll share a more detailed preview of what kinds of learning opportunities we will offer.

On September 8, we will celebrate the feast day of our parish’s patron saint, St. Aidan. We will not only mark the day in our worship (including blessing backpacks!) and with our traditional parish lunch, but we will also mark the day by offering an opportunity to reflect on how we can gladly share our gifts with our church community.

Between the services on September 8, we will welcome Elizabeth McCaffrey and Deb Whalen-Blaze (both on staff with the Anglican Diocese of Toronto), who will lead us in a short workshop from 9:15-10:15. They call it the Glad Gifts Workshop. The purpose is to get us thinking and praying about how we can share our time and talents with our church in new, meaningful, and mutually uplifting ways.

We’ll gather in the parish hall downstairs beginning at 9, and we’ll have coffee, tea, and breakfast snacks on hand for all who attend. The program itself will begin at 9:15. We will also offer a children’s and youth Glad Gifts activity during this time slot, as we know that people of all ages have God-given gifts to share.

In the meantime, I hope many of you are finding ways to take a break from work this Labour Day weekend, and that amidst your relaxation you find a moment to reflect on and be grateful for people in all trades, professions, and industries—those seen and unseen—whose labour keeps us all going.

Here’s a prayer from the service of Compline (night prayers) that’s relevant at all times, not just on Labour Day:

O God, your unfailing providence sustains the world we live in and the life we live: Watch over those, both night and day, who work while others sleep, and grant that we may never forget that our common life depends upon each other’s toil; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Grace and peace,

Becky+

Notices at a Glance

Scroll down for details on each of these items.

  1. Live Streaming at 9:30 a.m., Order of Service
  2. A weekly Busy Bees Play Group for children ages 0-3
  3. Blessing of the Backpacks, Sun., Sept. 8:
  4. Potluck sign up for the Feast of St. Aidan
  5. Fall worship schedule
  6. Join the Choir
  7. Recruiting new hosts for coffee hour
  8. Nursery now available during Sunday worship
  9. Announcements for the Notices
  10. Offerings

Notices for the Week of August 30, 2024 – September 6, 2024
 
 1. Live Streaming at 9:30 a.m., Order of Service - The service will be livestreamed at the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/87389384610?pwd=sC3NmAZbswA2DnKexnNzd9ABsqEASE.1

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

Click here to view a PDF of the September 1st  order of service

 2. A weekly Busy Bees Play Group for children ages 0-3 and their caregivers will begin this Thursday, September 5, 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. in the basement hall. We will offer stories, music, and activities.

 3. Blessing of the Backpacks, Sun., Sept. 8: Calling all students and teachers—you are invited to bring your backpacks to church, as we will have a time of special back-to-school prayers in both worship services to celebrate beginning a new school year.

 4. Potluck sign up for the Feast of St. Aidan: We look forward to celebrating the start of a new year with everyone at the Feast of St. Aidan on Sun., Sept. 8 after the 10:30 am service! We will grill hamburgers and hotdogs (including vegan options.) Let us know what side dish you will bring by signing up in the e-notices or in the Narthex (church entryway) on Sunday. Contact Courtney (staidans.warden3@gmail.com) for more info. Thank you!

 5. Fall worship schedule: We will return to two Sunday morning services on Sept. 8. The spoken service will begin at 8:00 (new time), while the service with music, children’s and youth programs will begin at 10:30. The Wednesday service continues at 10:30.

 6. Join the Choir: We’re currently recruiting new choristers to all voice parts to join the St. Aidan’s Choir. The choir will be made up entirely of members of our St. Aidan’s community this fall. We’re a friendly group and welcome individuals of all ages to join us—no experience necessary. We are currently scheduling brief meetings to discuss your musical goals and have an informal vocal assessment. We are looking for at least 4 new members this fall and warmly invite you to consider joining us. Rehearsals take place on Sunday mornings and there are opportunities for travelling as a group this fall. For more information, contact Michael at music@staidansinthebeach.com

 7. Recruiting new hosts for coffee hour: Our coffee hour hospitality ministry team is welcoming new hosts. Training is provided. You can sign up as a family or with a couple friends to serve coffee, tea, and treats. You may select a Sunday that works well for you. Depending on your availability, you could choose to serve once a month or once a quarter. Sign-up sheet through the Google signup sheet linked here or email priest@staidansinthebeach.com for more information.

 8. Nursery now available during Sunday worship: We will be offering nursery care for children ages 0-3 during the 10:30 a.m. service (and during the 9:30 service over the summer). The nursery is located in the Beech Room, adjacent to the main basement hall. For more information, please speak with Erika or Elizabeth.

 9. Please submit new announcements for the weekly notices to Mary at office@staidansinthebeach.com by Wednesdays at 4 p.m. All notices are subject to incumbent’s approval, and will be edited for clarity and conciseness.

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