Weekly Notices - November 26
Friday, November 24, 2023
Dear St. Aidan’s,
Thank you to all who took part in the Service of Induction last Sunday evening. We had a joyous evening with beautiful music, sermon, and prayers to help us mark this new chapter in the life our parish. It was an important moment for us to prayerfully express our intentions and commitments to one another as a worshipping community. Thank you especially to Michael Pirri and the choir, to all who took on roles in the service (especially Grace Rockett and our servers Lily and Hazel James), and to Linda Fawcett and her team for coordinating the reception. I am especially grateful to the time, care, and prayer the Parish Selection Committee put into the year-long discernment process, and to our wardens Sheila Dunn and Courtney Ebner for helping me get up to speed in these first few months as incumbent.
It was very special to have servers carrying the cross and torches in the Service of Induction. I’m looking forward to collaborating with Grace Rockett to offer a brief server training after the 10:30 service this Sunday. We will gather for about half an hour in the Nave with both new and returning servers to go over the roles and learn about how servers help us lead our worship. If you have questions, please contact me (priest@staidansinthebeach.com) or Grace.
This Sunday is when we celebrate the Feast of the Reign of Christ. In the Diocese of Toronto, we also designate this as FaithWorks Sunday, to encourage people to learn more about FaithWorks and to make a gift to support their important work, which allows us to share our blessings with others who are vulnerable and marginalized right here in our community and around the world. You can learn more about FaithWorks here, and can make an online contribution here.
I’m excited that we will begin the Season of Advent on next Sunday, December 3. We will have Advent devotional resources and activities that you can pick up from a special table at coffee hour that day. I encourage everyone to take up a spiritual practice during Advent, which is meant to be a season of waiting and anticipation as we prepare our hearts for Christmas. One way to do this is to engage with an Advent devotional book. You can do this on your own or as part of a group. I recommend the free Advent devotionals available through author Kate Bowler and the Everything Happens Project, which you can download here.
On four Wednesday evenings, I will lead an Advent reflection group on Zoom from 7-8 p.m. following this year’s new devotional, Bless the Advent We Actually Have. You can connect with our Zoom Advent group by following this link. I hope you’ll consider joining in this Advent study, whether on your own or with our Wednesday night group.
Grace and peace,
Becky+
Week of November 26 - NOTICES AT A GLANCE – more details below
- Live Streaming at 10:30 a.m., Order of Service
- Come Sing with Us!
- Advent Reflection Group
- Weekly Christmas Pageant Rehearsals Begin
- Server training for grades 4-12, Sun., Nov. 26, 12 noon
- The Bishop’s Company Cabaret, Wednesday, November 29th at 7pm
- Annual Holiday Market is less than 1 week away!
- Beach Interfaith Outreach
- All-ages Christmas party on Sat., Dec. 9
- Dec 10: Advent Lessons and Carols
- An archive of sermon manuscripts
- Euchre
- 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. 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: Saturday, November 25, 9-11 a.m. (rehearsal); Saturday, December 9, 9-11 a.m. (rehearsal); Sunday, December 10, 2:45-5 p.m. (rehearsal and service). Contact Michael for more information at music@staidansinthebeach.com
3. Advent Reflection Group will meet on Zoom on four Wednesdays (Nov. 29, Dec. 6, Dec. 13, 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/ If you’re planning to take part, email Rev. Becky (priest@staidansinthebeach.com) for a reading schedule. You can connect with the group on Zoom by following this link.
4. Weekly Christmas Pageant rehearsals will begin on Sun., Nov. 26 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.
5. 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 were sent an email from Rev. Becky with more details.
6. The Bishop’s Company Cabaret, Wednesday, November 29th at 7pm - The Bishop's Company invites you to a FREE online evening of music and inspiration with selections from artists across our Diocese. The Bishop’s Company supports programs and initiatives that strengthen the Anglican community in the Diocese of Toronto, including support for the Bishops’ ministries, the provision of emergency care for clergy in need, and bursaries for religious education. Register at https://bishopscompanytoronto.ca/the-bishops-company-dinner/
7. The Annual Holiday Market is less than one week 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 Dayle (daylesnider@gmail.com) if you can help or have any questions.
8. Beach Interfaith Outreach - Locations and dates are listed in the Beach Metro News. Tues., Dec. 5, 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.
9. 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.
10. Dec 10: ADVENT LESSONS AND CAROLS - All are invited for our Annual Service of Advent Lessons & Carols on Sunday, December 10th and 4:00pm. 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.
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.