March 22, 2024

Dear St. Aidan’s,

No doubt you’ve noticed a swirl of activity and bright colours on the west side of the church property these past couple weeks. Workers in fluorescent reflective safety vests and helmets. Bright orange plastic fencing around the trees and along the driveway. Bright yellow John Deere earth movers and bobcats, beeping and moving to and fro as they begin to form the soil into the terraces and surfaces that will become our beautiful new West Garden.

This Sunday, March 24, anyone interested may join me out on west side of the church driveway at 10:15 a.m. to pray a short blessing over the construction site, the nascent form of our soon-to-be West Garden. We are hopeful that the project will be complete later this spring, perhaps in time for Bishop Kevin to bless the completed (or nearly completed) garden on his April 28 visit with us. Dedication opportunities are available; please contact Bruce Mori or Courtney Ebner if you are interested in learning more about honouring someone through our West Garden project.

And it’s Palm Sunday. We will celebrate the Liturgy of the Palms at the beginning of both services, singing Hosannas and waving our palms as we commemorate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem while riding on a humble donkey. This tradition of processing with palms and making palm crosses is how we begin our journey into Holy Week. You will find our Holy Week schedule here in these notices. It’s also posted on the website (staidansinthebeach.com) and on our Facebook page, and you’ll find it in the worship bulletins this Sunday.

I hope to see you in church this Sunday—and throughout this Holy Week,

Becky+

 

Week of March 24 -  NOTICES AT A GLANCE – more details below

  1. Live Streaming at 10:30 a.m., Order of Service
  2. At Easter, our worship services will include special flowers and music
  3. Polishing the brass and making palm crosses
  4. The Growth Committee sincerely appreciates all the Joyful Giving
  5. The East End Refugee Committee will be welcoming a new family
  6. 6. Beach Interfaith Outreach
  7. On Maundy Thursday, Mar. 28, an overnight prayer watch
  8. A very short special vestry meeting will be held on Sun., Apr. 7
  9. Prayer kneeler cushions are available for you to use
  10. Altar flowers Dedications
  11. Euchre
  12. Archive of sermon manuscripts
  13. Announcements 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/1c7c88a9-b4c9-601b-acc4-a9f393370bdf/2024_March_24_Palm_Sunday_Worship_Booklet.pdf

  2. At Easter, our worship services will include special flowers and music to add to the celebration of our Saviour's resurrection. If you would like to make a donation toward our Easter worship service, please fill out the form or send an email tooffice@staidansinthebeach.com.

A suggested donation of $25 (or more) can be made by cash, cheque, etransfer or via Canada Helps: Easter Worship with a memo: "Easter Worship." Please be sure to submit your donation and form TODAY to ensure names are included in the Easter Sunday worship bulletin.

  3. To prepare for Easter, the Altar Guild will be polishing the brass on Sat., March 23 at 9:30 a.m. in the Sacristy followed by making palm crosses at 10 a.m. downstairs. We would like to 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.

  4. 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!

  5. 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.  

  6. 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.

  7. On Maundy Thursday, Mar. 28, an overnight prayer watch will take place in the church beginning after the evening service and continuing through the night until 8 a.m. on Good Friday, Mar. 29, at which time there will be Morning Prayer. The watch commemorates Jesus’ admonition to his disciples who had fallen asleep in the garden of Gethsemane after the Passover supper on Holy Thursday.

A sign-up sheet will be at the back of the church today through Maundy Thursday. The time slots will be for an hour at a time, but people are welcome to spend more time. Suggested prayer resources will be provided. For safety’s sake, the doors will be locked. No one will be left alone in the church. Individuals have pledged to ensure constant accompaniment. For more information speak with or email Michael Van Dusen.

  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. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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.

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 beside the front door.