Weekly Notices - December 17
Friday, December 15, 2023
Dear St. Aidan’s,
What a beautiful gift last Sunday afternoon’s Advent Lessons and Carols concert was to all those who made space in their busy weekends to attend. This year, we had 17 singers and I noticed what a difference it makes to have more voices raised in song together to fill our beautiful sacred space. I am grateful to Michael Pirri for his leadership of our music ministry, and for the gifts shared by all those who lent their voices to the choir as well as those who read the scripture lessons. This special service is another example of how what we can do together, when each one shares their gifts, is so much more beautiful than what any one of us can do on our own.
Another example of this is the group of 16 people who have been working over the past several months to craft handmade prayer kneeler cushions (also known as hassocks) for use in our worship space. With the renovation of our building, our new pews do not have built-in kneelers. However, because of those who committed their time and gifts to this project, we now have a set of 21 prayer cushions, which are kept in a special case in the back of the Nave. If you are someone who prefers to kneel during the Prayers of the People, the Confession, and at other prayerful moments in the worship service, please select a kneeling cushion to use on your way to your pew, and return it on your way out after the dismissal. In the 10:30 service this Sunday, we will take a few moments to bless these hassocks and show our appreciation to those who made them. If you would like to make a donation and dedicate one of the kneelers in memory or honour of someone, contact Amy Ferguson.
Finally, as we look toward the four worship services we will be offering on December 24 and 25, I want to bring before you an urgent need. We are in need of additional people to greet everyone coming to these services—especially for the 9 p.m. Christmas Eve service. Currently we have no one scheduled to greet people arriving for that service (and we would benefit from additional greeters for 4:30 as well).
As you know, Christmas is one of the two times of the year (along with Easter) when many people who do not often come to church arrive on our doorstep. I am grateful for the small and dedicated group of greeters already carrying out this important ministry—and I hope that some of you will consider committing to one Sunday every month to help newcomers and existing parishioners alike to feel warmly welcomed when they join us for worship. If you feel led to join our greeting and welcoming ministry, whether as a one-time commitment for Christmas Eve or as a regular way of serving the church in the new year, please speak with me directly or email me at priest@staidansinthebeach.com.
Grace and peace,
Becky+
Week of December 17 - NOTICES AT A GLANCE – more details below
- Live Streaming at 10:30 a.m., Order of Service
- Christmas flowers deadline
- Advent reflection group
- Last Christmas Pageant rehearsal is this Sunday
- Help the Altar Guild prepare for Christmas
- Decorate the St. Aidan’s Christmas tree
- No coffee hour after Christmas Day service
- Christmas decorations for the Christmas Day Lunch
- Home-baked desserts for the Christmas Day Lunch
- Christmas Day Community 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. Christmas flowers—deadline in this Sun., Dec. 17! If you would like make a donation toward the Christmas flowers, please complete the form found on the table in the Narthex. Flowers can be given in honour or in memory of a loved one, or in remembrance of a special occasion. The suggested donation is $25 (can be paid by cheque, cash, or e-transfer to donations@staidansinthebeach.com).
3. Advent reflection group continues to meet on Zoom for one more Wednesday (Dec. 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.
4. Children’s Christmas Pageant rehearsal is today after the 10:30 service in the Willow Room. If you have a role, or would like one, please join us!
5. To prepare for Christmas, the Altar Guild will be polishing the brass and silver on Sat., Dec. 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.
6. Decorate the St. Aidan’s Christmas tree - Join us after the 10:30 service this Sun., Dec. 17 to decorate the Christmas tree at the front of the church. All ages of decorators are welcome!
7. No coffee hour after the Christmas Day service as we will be getting ready for the Christmas Day Community Lunch downstairs.
8. 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 box in the Narthex. Thank you!
9. 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. Thank you for your generosity.
10. If you’ll be on your own this Christmas, please to come to our Community Christmas Day Lunch, Dec. 25, 1 p.m. If you’re planning to attend, please call the church (416.691.2222) to let us know.
11. 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.
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. Final meeting of 2023 is Dec. 19; we will restart Jan. 16.
13. 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
14. Announcements for the notices – Please submit any announcements for the weekly notices for now through Jan. 7 by this Wed., Dec. 20, at 4 p.m., as church staff are preparing materials in advance due to the office being closed for the week of Dec. 25-Jan. 1.
15. 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.