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Notices for the Week of November 24th – December 2  

Christmas Bazaar – Thank you to all the people who helped to make our Bazaar a successful event this year. Yes, it is a lot of hard work but it is always a lot of fun  

2020 Church Calendars: are now available.  The calendars feature photos of churches from across Canada, large daily spaces to record your many activities, Anglican church festivals and seasonal colours, etc.  The ACW are pleased to offer these at $8.00 each.  Great gifts for family and friends. Please see Pat Clegg for a calendar.  

Parish Multicultural Carol Service – Our Annual service will take place on Sunday, December 8th at 7pm.  Get your voices and groups ready and singing. Individuals, duets, trios and larger groups are welcome to sing in your mother tongue using carols from traditions that have been handed down to you and live in your heart.  This is what you have brought with you to St. Helen’s and we celebrate the gifts you bring to us all.    

A Special Concert – A fundraiser for St. Helen’s will be held on Friday December 6th, at 7pm in the church.  Saskia & Darrel Delaronde will be performing a special concert including the music of Christmas and other folk tunes and music from across the prairies, west coast, and Canada.  Tickets are $20.  Tickets are available after the service today    

Highlights from Parish Council At the meeting of parish council last week, two particular items were approved for action.  One has been in the works since June while the other, although addressed at council, in the last couple of years, is now having action attached to it.  
First - The Sound System – The sound system is ‘on order’. Long and Mcquade are awaiting a few of the components which were not readily available.  In consultation with the person doing the installation, it has been decided that the setup of the sound system will be in the vestry rather than in the closet at the back of the church. This will substantially reduce the cost of wiring and the overall installation. This means that some slight renovations need to take place in the vestry area to accommodate the new equipment.  More information will be in our newsletter.  
Second – A Depreciation Report for the Church Building One only needs to look around and see that there is work to be done on the church both inside and outside the building.  The parish council has decided to move ahead with a depreciation report which is a survey of the building in every aspect looking at all its systems for the building integrity, the ‘envelope’, the electrics, roofing, walls, water supplies, foundations, paint, insulation, etc. etc.  Many of you might know that strata corporations get depreciation reports done to ensure they keep their buildings up to date.  This kind of report lets us know what needs to be done urgently, what can wait a bit and prioritizes the work over a number of years.  The surveyor will also give us estimates on the costs we can expect from reputable companies.  Both St. Philip’s, Dunbar and St. Stephen’s, West Vancouver have had this done within the last 24 months and have found the information gained to be very important to their decisions about their buildings.  For us, it is a plan to ensure St. Helen’s has a long future and enables us to budget for work, seek funding where possible. It is intended that the survey of the building will be done this coming week.  The report takes about a month to prepare before it is delivered to the parish.  This is a lot of work done for a very reasonable cost.  More on these will be found in the next edition of ‘The Bells of St Helen’ our parish newsletter.     
Readings for Next Sunday, December 2nd – Advent 1
Isaiah 2:1–5;
Psalm 122;
Romans 13:11–14;
Matthew 24:36–44  

Holy Days for this week Nov 24 – Dec. 2
Nov 30 - St. Andrew – Apostle and brother of Peter - Holy Day

Pavilions of Light – We are planning to place the pavilions of light up around the building of the church on Saturday, November 30th.  We are looking for people to help put them together as well as to decorate them with the scenes of the story of the nativity.  There are 4 pavilions – The Annunciation, Mary visits Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph make their way to Bethlehem, and the Angels appearing to the shepherd in the fields.    

The Advent Season begins next Sunday December 1st.  We will begin to light the candles for the Sundays of advent.    

A Christmas Pageant will take place on Sunday, December 22nd, the 4th Sunday of Advent.  Everyone is invited to dress up as their favourite character from the Story of the Nativity of Jesus.  So we need shepherds, sheep, Wise Men (and Women!), Angels, You can even dress as a camel or a cow or any other domesticated farm animal (no lobsters, please).  It will all take place during our 10am service   Tri-Parish

Christmas Luncheon at Len Shepherd House – For the last few years our three parishes of St. Helen, St. Michael, and Epiphany have put on a Christmas luncheon at Len Shepherd House.  This year the luncheon will take place on Monday, December 16th.  There are volunteers required from each parish to help serve the food.  We need one or two from each parish.  If anyone might be able to help please speak with the rector.  Arrival time on the day would be about 11am and be finished up by around 2pm or shortly thereafter.  

Using Advent to Prepare for Christmas An Advent Resource The Primate’s Fund (PWRDF) has put out an email resource of reflections on the Advent season.  These can come to you ever day during Advent.  All you have to do is sign up online for it. This Advent, we’ve asked four specially selected writers and theologians to connect themes of Advent to PWRDF areas of work:  Laurel, John, Marion and Mary Jo delve into the scriptural readings for Advent and connect them to the weekly theme of Advent, and the work of PWRDF. Peace, Love, Joy & Hope will be available for download by November 28, 2019, or subscribe to receive a reflection in your inbox every day of Advent until Christmas morning.               The webpage to bring up to sign up is: https://pwrdf.org/get-involved/advent2019/  

Our Diocesan Care + Share Program Care + Share has been helping to fund a wide variety of ministries in our diocese since 2011. The ministries are supported for a two-year period to help them to expand and strengthen their work.  Every two years Synod selects and affirms from one to three recipients of the care + share donations for the next two-year cycle. At our 2019 Synod, a resolution was passed with an overwhelming majority to confirm the Urban Aboriginal Ministry (UAM) as the recipient of the care + share donations for January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2021. You are encouraged to support this Diocesan ministry and outreach.  For more information about UAM and the Rev. Vivian Seegers who runs the UAM, check out this webpage: https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/news/care-share-advent-campaign-for-2019