Weekly Notices - December 10
Friday, December 8, 2023
Dear St. Aidan’s,
This weekend, we have two special events to help us observe Advent and anticipate the joy of welcoming Jesus at Christmas. On Sat., Dec. 9, from 1-3 p.m., Elizabeth Achimah and our youth will be welcoming people from our parish and the wider community to join us for an All-Ages Christmas Party. The theme is Keep Calm and Carry On—activities will include calm and peaceful activities such as making bath salts and stress balls, and enjoying puzzles, tea, and colouring. In the rush of the holidays, please drop in to support our youth program as they offer this gift of Advent calm to our wider community.
Then on Sun., Dec. 10 at 4 p.m., Michael Pirri and our choir will offer us the gift of music through our annual Advent Lessons and Carols Service. This year, the service will follow the traditional, much beloved Nine Lessons and Carols format, made well known over the years by the choirs of King’s College, Cambridge. We hope you will consider coming to support our St. Aidan’s singers as well as to allow yourself an hour or so to soak in the peaceful music of this Advent season.
I enjoyed seeing so many of you—and so many from the wider community—at the Holiday Market this past Saturday. Very special thanks go to Dayle for coordinating the many vendors; to Gemma for designing the flyer and ad; to Victoria, Louise, Linda, and Elizabeth for coordinating the bake sale and café; to all the youth who volunteered their time at the bake sale and café, and to Fausta for coordinating the children’s craft room.
We are grateful to everyone from St. Aidan’s who baked goodies; to everyone who volunteered with set-up and clean-up; and to everyone who greeted visitors and helped them feel very welcome. Finally, we thank all the artists, craftspeople, and vendors for sharing their gifts and time with us on Saturday, and especially those who donated their proceeds to us. The Holiday Market earned over $3000 for our church, including over $1000 for our youth program. It’s so encouraging to see what the people of this church can accomplish when so many give so generously of their time, talents, and energy, collaborating to create something that is bigger than any one of us could do on our own. Thanks to all of you on a job well done!
Grace and peace to each one of you,
Becky+
Week of December 10 - NOTICES AT A GLANCE – more details below
- Live Streaming at 10:30 a.m., Order of Service
- Advent Reflection Group
- Weekly Christmas Pageant Rehearsals Continue
- Come Sing with Us!
- All-Ages Christmas Party on Sat., Dec. 9
- Advent Lessons and Carols on Sun., Dec. 10
- Help the Altar Guild prepare for Christmas
- Decorate the Christmas tree on Sun., Dec. 17
- Christmas day lunch
- Christmas decorations for the St. Aidan’s Christmas Lunch
- Home baked desserts for the St. Aidan’s Christmas Lunch
- Beach Interfaith Outreach
- Euchre
- Archive of sermon manuscripts
- Deadline for the Notices
- 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:
2. Advent Reflection Group continues to meet on Zoom for two more Wednesdays (Dec. 13 and 20) from 7-8 p.m. We will follow the free Advent devotional book, Bless the Advent We Actually Have, found online at katebowler.com/advent/ You can connect with the group on Zoom by following this link.
3. Weekly Christmas Pageant rehearsals are continuing each Sunday from 10:00-10:30 a.m. Do you have any white, grey and/or brown adult sweaters that we could borrow for the pageant? Please see Elizabeth.
4. Come Sing With us! The choir of St. Aidan’s is welcoming new voices for our annual Lessons and Carols service. If you’re able to join us on the following dates, please consider singing with us: Sat., Dec. 9, 9-11 a.m. (rehearsal); Sun., Dec. 10, 2:45-5 p.m. (rehearsal and service). Contact Michael for more information at music@staidansinthebeach.com
5. You are invited to an All-Ages Christmas Party on Sat., Dec. 9 from 1-3 p.m. We will share stories, music, crafts and more! Please let Elizabeth know if you are planning on coming.
6. Advent Lessons and Carols Service - All are invited for our Annual Service of Advent Lessons & Carols on Sun., Dec. 10 at 4 p.m. This much beloved tradition is based on the King’s College, Cambridge service of Nine Lessons & Carols. Come be fed by an afternoon of reflective lessons, carol singing, and choral music.
7. To prepare for Christmas, the Altar Guild will be polishing the brass and silver on December 16 at 9:30 a.m. We invite anyone who is interested to join us. Volunteers should meet Altar Guild members at the back of the church—all helpers will be most welcome. For more information, contact Ginnie Wilson.
8. Join us after the 10:30 service on Dec. 17 to decorate the Christmas tree at the front of the church. All ages of decorators are welcome! To learn more, contact Deacon Michael Van Dusen.
9. Christmas Day Community Lunch: If you’re going to be on your own this Christmas, please to come to our Christmas Day Community Lunch, Dec. 25, 1 p.m. (doors open at 12 noon).
10. Seeking Decorations for Christmas Day Lunch : The committee is requesting donations of Christmas decorations. Simple artificial garlands and wreaths would be perfect. Please leave your donations in the marked box in the Narthex. Thank you!
11. Home-baked Desserts for the Community Christmas Lunch: Are you busy with your holiday baking? Would you like to add in another batch of cookies, cupcakes, tarts, squares, or other delectables for our Christmas guests to enjoy? We are expecting 80-100 guests and would be grateful for donations of any home-baked desserts you would like to share. No refrigerated storage space is available, so please keep this in mind as you plan what to make.
You can drop off your baked items to the church at any of these times: Dec. 22, 1:00 to 3:00 p.m.; Dec. 23, 9:30 a.m. to 12 noon; or Dec. 24, 10:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Contact Joanne McBay with any questions, 647-639-4081. Thank you for your generosity.
12. Beach Interfaith Outreach: Locations and dates are listed in the Beach Metro News. Tues., Dec. 19, 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 over the last 25 years, we support the Grace Pascoe Care Centre at Calvary Baptist Church. Our weekly donations to the basket in the Narthex are gratefully received there.
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 any announcements for the weekly notices on Wednesdays by 4 p.m.
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 at the north-east corner of the building.