Notices for the Week of Feb 23 to March 1
Notices for the Week of February 23rd – March 1st
The Annual Vestry meeting takes place today after the Sunday service. We will start as quickly after the service as possible.
St. Helen’s Family Dinner vs a Film Shoot Due to a film shoot to take place here at St. Helen’s from March 2nd to March 6 or 7th, we have to postpone the dinner that was scheduled for March 7th. This is because we cannot be sure that the hall will be cleared of the remnants of the film production to make room for set up and the event itself. The new date is March 14th. Same time. Same place. Please speak with Lynn Turner if you have any questions. (Also see notice further below for info)
Lunch Bunch – Due to the film shoot, the date of the next Lunch Bunch will have to be determined. (Perhaps Tuesday, March 10th)
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper – February 25th Come and join us as we get ready to launch into Lent by fattening ourselves up with pancakes and sausages. Heather and Wayne Herd and family along with Carol Young will be serving up the platters stacked with the pancakes. The supper begins at 5pm and will wind up by 7pm. This is for fun and fellowship and the cost is simply a donation. Everyone is welcome. The palms from the year before will be burned to use as ash for Ash Wednesday services. Bring your palms no later than 5:45pm but best to bring them on Sunday, Feb 23rd.
Ash Wednesday Services – Lent begins Wednesday Feb 26
As we begin the Lenten Journey, there will be two services on Ash Wednesday, February 26th. 12noon – The Holy Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes 7:00pm – The Holy Eucharist with Imposition of Ashes Everyone is welcome to join us as we take this sacred time for reflection and preparation.
Lenten Programme of Prayer & Study This will take place Wednesday evenings at 7pm in the Rector’s Office or the Upper Hall. The 40 days of Lent is a Journey and a time of Pilgrimage. This Lent we will be looking at our journey through the world in that sense of making a pilgrimage. We will have the opportunity to reflect on what we experience on these journeys. The evening starts at 7pm with gathering prayers.
Tri-Parish Family Breakfast – Twice a year the three parishes get together for breakfast. This time is a Family Breakfast. It will take place on the February 29th at Denny’s on King George and 68th avenue at 9.00 am. There is great fellowship and everyone pays for their own breakfast. Please let our Rector, Steve know if you are going so that numbers can be conveyed to the organizer.
World Day of Prayer Service – Friday, March 6 This year, the writing country is Zimbabwe who have chosen the theme, ‘Rise! Take your mat and walk.’ Members of St. Helen’s ACW will be attending and participating with other churches at St. Bernadette’s Roman Catholic Church, 6543 132 Street. The WDP is an ecumenical movement led by Christian women in 170 countries who join in prayer and action for peace and justice. All are welcome. Refreshments will be served following the service.
St. Helen’s Community Dinner – Saturday, March 14th - A special community dinner is soon upon us. We have had two International Dinners which have perhaps been more about fundraising rather than building our fellowship and community. This year we want to focus much more on our fellowship and our life together. There is no cost to the dinner. Everyone from St. Helen’s is invited to come along. Gathering time is 5pm with dinner following shortly thereafter. The food will be provided, and it will be BYOB. We are working at people getting to know one another better and we hope there will be some entertainment as well.
The Common Cup and The Peace during Cold and Flu Season In this season of colds, flus and other viruses, people ask about the use of the common cup and exchanging the peace. The Common Cup - We want to assure everyone that it is safe to partake of the chalice. The rims are wiped well by the chalice administrators and the alcohol content of the wine is very high. Germs and viruses do not survive and the risks of sharing the chalice are therefore extremely minimal. Please remember that the fullness of communion is receive in the bread alone. Should you not want to take the chalice, or if you yourself have a cold and are contagious, you can simply touch the base of the chalice as the words are said and say ‘Amen’ At The Peace - We do like to share the peace here at St. Helen’s with a great sense of community as we move around the church. If you have a cold and are shaking many hands it is possible to pass on a cold or flu germs. The best practice is to use hand sanitizer before and/or after the peace. If you feel more comfortable to not shake hands, you can clasp your hands together as you nod to the person and say ‘Peace be with you’. The person will understand you do not wish to hand on a cold to them. There are bottles of hand sanitizer on each side of the choir as you move through the rood screen on your way to communion. These are all good practices not just during the cold and flu season but at any time. If you have any concerns, please do speak with either our Rector, Steve or our curate, Jonathan.
Dates for your Calendars
February 25, Tuesday – Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper
February 26, Wed. – Ash Wednesday Services at 12 noon and 7pm
March 6, Friday – World Day of Prayer
March 14, Sat. – St. Helen’s Community Dinner
Modern Slavery – Hidden in Plain Sight - The Diocesan Board of the Anglican Church Women invite you to a presentation by Cathy Peters, A Champion Against Human Trafficking, on Saturday, February 29, at 1:30pm at St. Dunstan’s Anglican Church (3025 264 Street, Aldergrove, BC). Mrs. Peters, a former inner-city high school teacher, is ‘raising awareness’ of the new pandemic of Child Sex Trafficking. The event is open to all: youth, men, women, neighbours and friends and is non-denominational. Help protect human rights.
Readings for Next Sunday, March 1st Lent 1
Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7;
Psalm 32;
Romans 5:12-19;
Matthew 4:1-11
Holy Days and Commemorations this Week
Feb 24 Philip Lindel Tsen, Bishop of Honan, 1954,
& Paul Shinji Sasaki, Bishop of Mid-Japan and Tokyo, 1946 Com
Feb 26 Florence Li Tim-Oi, first woman priested in the Anglican Communion, 1944 Com
Feb 27 George Herbert, Priest and Poet, 1633 Com