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Notices for the Weeks of September November 18-24  

Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 11:30 AM – Here Our Prayer               
     (St. Helen’s Prayer Circle meets for a light lunch then prayer together but everyone is invited to
      come)
Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 7pm – Parish Council meets
Wednesday, Nov. 21 at 7pm – ACW Dorcas Shower (Upper Hall)
Friday, Nov. 23 – Hall set up for the Bazaar Saturday,
Nov. 24 – Annual Bazaar  10am - 2pm

Advance notice of December seniors’ lunch is: Tuesday, December 4th at the Knight and Day restaurant,  9677 King George Blvd. at 11:30 am for Dinner at 12: noon. Cost $20.00 Turkey Dinner with a salad, coffee, tea and your choice of dessert of lemon or apple pie. Please speak with Joan Hnedish to find out more & to sign up.    

The Annual Bazaar – takes place this Saturday, November 24th.  Set up is Friday afternoon and evening, the 23rd.  We will have many of the usual stalls as in past years.  Lunch tickets and rafle tickets are still available.  Donations of Baking, pickles, chutneys, jams and jellies etc. will all be very much appreciated. Please do get the word out so that we are well advertised far and wide. Make a special effort to invite people along.  Make this a wonderful occasion for one and all.  

Readings for Next Sunday, November 25th -The Reign of Christ
2 Samuel 23:1-7;
Psalm 132:1-13;
Revelation 1:4b-8;
John 18:33-37  

Saints Days and Commemorations this Week
Hilda 18 November Abbess of Whitby, 680 — Commemoration
Elizabeth 19 Nov. Princess of Hungary, 1231 — Commemoration
Edmund 20 Nov. King of East Anglia, Martyr, 870 — Comm.
Clement 23 November Bishop of Rome, c. 100 — Comm.

For more about these Holy Days please do visit the website ‘For All the Saints’ at: www.anglican.ca/about/liturgicaltexts/  and click on ‘For All the Saints’.  Here you will find a short biography of the particular person or info about the Holy Day as well as readings and prayers for the day.  

The ACW Annual Dorcas Shower – We are again gathering items for the annual Dorcas shower taking place at the meeting on November 21st. These will be layette items for The Bales (clothing sent to Northern Parishes in BC & the Yukon) and other community organizations.  Suggested items include:  sleepers (6 – 24 months, blue, pink & yellow/green), onesies, hooded towels, receiving blankets, t-shirts and long pants).  It has also come to our attention that visiting Seafarers do not get shore leave so can only shop at The Mission to Seafarers Gift Shop.  Therefore, we are also gathering small children’s, women’s and men’s gifts for them to take or send home.  Your support would be greatly appreciated.  If you are unable to shop, we will gladly accept financial donations.  For further details, please speak to Judy Nicholson or give her a call at 604-594-8562.   

Tri-Parish Outreach for Christmas – Our three parishes (St. Helen, Epiphany, St. Michael) plan to help with a Christmas Luncheon at Len Shepheard Manor (101 Ave. near 152 St.) on December 17th.  We would like to have 2 or 3 people from St. Helen’s go on the 17th to help with set up, serving, and clean up.  The main cooking will be done by the staff.  St. Helen’s will also be helping out with costs towards goody bags.  If you would like to help out in any way or make a cash donation toward the cost, please speak with rector or one of the wardens  

And Now Looking forward to Advent and Christmas…  

A Cultural Christmas Carol – For several years now we have had a wonderful gathering on the evening of the Second Sunday of Advent to listen to the Word of God in the languages of the people who make up St. Helen’s.  We also listen to Carols sung in the rich variety of languages of our membership and we sing Carols as well.  We begin in candlelight and we finish in the fulness of the Light of Christ.  This year the service will take place on Sunday, December 9th beginning at 7pm.  This is a wonderful opportunity to invite friends and family join you for this intimate time of reflection, celebration, and simply being a part of the family.  

Pavilions of Light – Last year was our first year of setting up the pavilions of light to illustrate the Christmas story from the Annunciation to the Birth of Jesus.  We set up the pavilions on the north lawn of the church grounds.  There, people are able to walk the path of light from one pavilion to the next as the story of the coming of Jesus is told.  The path leads to the stable at Bethlehem where people enter to the sounds of the Angels singing.  Here they may sit and quietly reflect, light a candle, drink hot chocolate and be with others who have walked the path of light.

Some help is needed! The pavilions need to be put together again this year but that is a simple matter of reassembling the pieces from last year. Each pavilion though, needs to be decorated and can be done as a special project by you, one or two people, or your group.   If you or your group would like to decorate one of the pavilions, please be in touch with our rector, Steve.  We have most of the materials from last year and each one already has its theme to work with.  

Walking in the Splendour of the Light of Christ – This year the church will be open each evening from Sunday, December 16th to Sunday, December 23rd.  We hope to have various groups plan and host one evening each for this week-long event.  Let’s get our imaginations revved up about what we might do to make each evening an opportunity to share the Christmas story and warm the hearts of everyone who comes.  

A Services for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day – There will be the usual service times for Christmas Eve with candlelight services at 7pm and 11pm. Watch this space for more information.  Christmas Day service will be at 10am.