St. James’ Anglican Church…
Pews News 519-442-4334 E-mail:
[email protected] Website: www.stjamesparis.org Facebook: St. James Community Church Pastor’s Cell Phone: 519-732-3379
Advent and Christmas Newsletter 2011 Believe it or not, I have been thinking almost a week now about what my message would be for you this Advent Season. It would be easy for me to take a classic approach, which sticks close to Scripture and repeat the traditional themes of expectation, anticipation, and hope for the Season but it seems to me, that you might want to know what I really think about Christmas. The Christmas Story tells us about a man and a woman who had to face a shocking reality. Joseph was initially appalled, confused, and felt a helpless anger. How does he continue to love Mary when he does not understand her pregnancy? Joseph experiences God’s presence through the visitation of an angel in his dreams but even more than that, he chooses to accept his new reality and to live his faith with tremendous unpredictability of the future. Christmas can be a time where we are faced with many issues which frighten, confuse, or anger us. These are times when our faith may be tested. When we accept the help of God, we wake up and realize we are not alone: God walks with us even when we do not understand what is happening to us. I remember one of my childhood clergy passively making his way through the Advent season and, although I loved him dearly, I had the sense that he had lost his passion and was not experiencing the potential joy of the season. Over the years, I think I have figured out why: I believe he was trying to live, or maybe survive, by responding to everyone else’s expectations of him, rather than living his own faith values. So today, I would like to invite you to consider refocusing on, and living by, your own values during this Advent and Christmas Season. What is really important to you? Is it family, friends, and faith? Or is it traditions, gift exchange, and social events? Perhaps it is even the thrill of travel, celebrations, and vacation. The real question is, where does God fit into your values at Christmas time? Only you can answer this. Life has always been unpredictable. Vast changes in our personal well-being, in our health, and in our work can happen overnight. Part of being a mature person is learning how to live with uncertainty and unpredictability, meanwhile, adopting a personal faith in a God who loves us and functions in the midst of our uncertainty.
In Matthew 24: 36-44, we are reminded “therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect”. We are invited to adopt an attitude of performance in our present reality with the responsibility to God, family, and a vibrant faith, in a living God. In essence, we are asked to decide what priorities are at the center of our lives. Christmas reminds us that God bursts into our lives when we least expect it. A baby in a manger, was not what people expected from God. And the return of Jesus will certainly not be what we expect. We need to be provoked into awareness of Christ’s constant presence and to invite that presence to transform our priorities in alignment with His. The Christmas Story is a magnificent revelation filled with a message of love and grace. This is a perfect time to find a quiet place and read the Christmas Story afresh, fully embracing this extraordinary message from God written for us by faithful women and men who believed in the divine gift of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. Please join me this Christmas and Advent Season and allow the Christmas message of love, and hope to fill our hearts, and minds. I also invite you to respond to God’s generosity in your life by being generous with others. Every year, I take this moment to express my empathy with those who may be sad or discouraged this Christmas. You may have a very good reason to be confused, discouraged, or depressed as you begin the Christmas Season. I encourage you to not let go of the hope that is found in faith. Please lean on your faith, friends, and family who are a source of strength and hope in the midst of illness, anxiety, and grief. I encourage you to reach out to God in daily prayer; I encourage you to be with friends who will walk with you during the dark times. Seek the support of family who offer words of comfort and strength until you regain your own hope once again. Advent was intended to be a time of deep spiritual reflection. This is a time of anticipation, expectation, and extraordinary blessing. Please be very gentle with yourself. Understand that in the same way that God worked to prepare Mary and Joseph for the arrival of Christ, our Lord wants to do something wonderful in your heart this Christmas to prepare you for the celebration of Christ’s arrival in your home this Christmas. Please try to remember that God’s thoughts are not ours. And His ways are also different from ours. God does extraordinary things through ordinary people and there is a pretty good possibility that He wants to do something extraordinary for your family, your friends, or your community through you this Christmas. Open your heart to the God of new beginnings and look to Him in prayer. Blessings,
Begins Wednesday, November 30th – 7:30 p.m. - 102 Court Drive, Paris Call to register – 519-442-4334
Advent Services November 30
th
(St. Andrew the Apostle)
8:00 a.m. – Eucharist
December 7th (Bishop Ambrose)
8:00 a.m. – Eucharist
December 14
th
Advent Service
8:00 a.m. – Eucharist
December 21st Advent Service
8:00 a.m. – Eucharist Featuring: “The Music of Advent” (Breakfast Provided)
Men’s Ministries After a brief rest period after our `Parish Hall Makeover’ summer, the men’s group met for a breakfast meeting at the Canadian Restaurant on Nov. 12th. We planned for our annual Christmas Tree sale and our entry in the Paris Christmas parade to be held on Dec. 3rd as well the parish breakfast program. After breakfast, we went to the green space behind the parish hall and set-up the tree racks and snow fencing for the sale. The Christmas trees will be arriving sometime between Nov. 28 and Dec. 2. We will start selling trees as soon as they arrive. Our official grand opening day will be Dec. 3rd. Please support the church by purchasing a tree from us. We’ll trim the trunk and put it in (or on) your vehicle. Please exercise caution on Burwell Street! The increase in traffic due to the downtown bridge construction has made parking and crossing an issue. Kevin Awde graciously volunteered to take on the task of constructing a manger scene for our parade float which will be placed on a hay wagon loaned to us from Bob Darby. All church groups/members are invited to help us out with the float and the parade. We plan on doing the finishing touches on it on the afternoon before the parade (Dec. 3rd). Please contact the office if you wish to help us. Our next Parish Breakfast will be held on December 18th. We look forward to preparing a hearty breakfast for the congregation. The next Men’s Breakfast is planned for December 10th at The Canadian. You’ll be seeing the Men’s group a lot in December both inside and outside of the church. Thanks to all our merry gentlemen for their service in Christ. Simon Barnes
St. James Community Church Christmas Tree Sale
Beautiful Balsam Fir trees 5’ to 11’ tall November 30 to December 23, 2011 Mon-Fri 4pm-8pm / Saturday's 10am-5pm / Sundays 1pm-5pm 8 Burwell St., Paris, Ontario Prices from $25 to $65 Please make a visit to us a part of your Christmas tradition.
Youth Retreat Questions of Faith
December 2 & 3 Apps’ Mill Call the office 519-442-4334
Christmas Eve 7:00 – Family Christmas Service 10:00 – Holy Communion (Traditional) Christmas Day 10:30 a.m. (only) Baptism Service
The following is an email received by Rick & Jane Mederak regarding the collection of funds to assist those living in Melaque, Mexico where Rick & Jane spend their winters. Melaque was devastated by a hurricane last month. Please contact the office if you would like to contribute to this fund. Just an update on what is going on in Mexico. First I would like to apologize for not getting back to you till now. I have been in and out of the CHEO hospital with my daughter (asthma). So I had to put some things on the back burner. But for those who know Corali I am happy to say she is much better and was trick-or-treating like crazy yesterday. Anyways back to what’s happening with the donations. The money arrived to Melaque and was joined by other donations that were given to Tony. We raised over 70,000 pesos not including the money from the concerts in Guadalajara. Tony quickly organized friends in Guadalajara to get ready to start a long process of buying the goods and bagging them. As this was happening Tony had to leave to Mexico City for a meeting. He is the representative of Melaque’s Sala de lectura (organization which encourages reading to the community). He opened the library in Melaque a few years ago which had a fairly large collection of books. They were all destroyed in the flood. So he was in Mexico City trying to get more book donations. He is now back and I spoke to him yesterday and he says that the warehouse we have borrowed is getting filled with food and other items that are needed and lots of people are getting involved to help package the items. It was first planned to have the things brought to Melaque a sorted there, but as he tried to recruit people to help. He realized everyone was dealing with their own personal devastations. It was asking too much right now. So our friends in Guadalajara are more than happy to do it. Once everything is packaged and ready to go, they will be taken down to Melaque and other surrounding areas and given to the families.
Small Group Studies The St. James Study Group meet on Sunday evenings at 7:00 p.m. at 19 Burwell Street, Paris, the door is open and there is always room for one more. Contact the church office 519-442-4334 or Dawn McClelland for more information 519-442-2198. Compassionate Living – A study based on “Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life” - held on the last Sunday of each month at St. James’ Church at 7 p.m.
Mitten Tree New and/or gently used mittens, scarves and hats will be gratefully accepted by our Sunday School and appreciated by all the little hands they are destined to warm. Please place your donations on the tree.
Advent Parish Family Breakfast – Sunday, December 18th 9:30am at St. James. Call 442-4334 to reserve – Everyone is Welcome!
Annual Vestry Meeting Sunday, January 29th, 2012 12:00 noon following our Sunday Morning Liturgy. Financial and Written reports are due in to the office by Monday, January 15th.
Living a LEGACY Baptism Services – December 11th - 10:30 a.m. December 25th- 10:30 a.m. Call the office if you’re interested
Seniors’ Ministries Friday, December 9th 10:30 am – Communion 11:30 am – Lunch Noon – Entertainment Conclusion by 1 pm Transportation Provided – RSVP – call 519-442-4334
