Notices for the Week of Oct 21 to 27
Notices for the Week of September October 21st – 27th
This Week at St. Helen’s
Tuesday – Oct. 23rd – 11:30 am ‘Here Our Prayer
Light lunch at 11:30 followed by prayer at noon. We will be concluded by 1pm
Saturday – Oct. 27th – Youth Gathering Tri-Parish event with visitors from St. Alban’s, Burnaby
Readings for Next Sunday, October 28th
Job 42:1–6, 10–17;
Psalm 34:1–8 (19–22);
Hebrews 7:23–28;
Mark 10:46–52
Saints Days and Commemorations this Week
James of Jerusalem - 23 October Memorial
Alfred the Great - 26 October King of the West Saxons, 899 — Commemoration
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.
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. Each parish is asked to contribute helping hands, help with costs, aid with set up, serving, and clean up etc. If you would like to help out in any way or make a cash donation toward the cost, please speak with rector, Steve
St. Helen’s Prayer Circle – Did you know that we have a prayer circle here at St. Helen’s. We are intentional about how we pray for one another and hold each other up before God. If you have a prayer request regarding a loved one or for yourself or would like to offer a prayer of thanksgiving, please be in touch with Judy Nicholson at 604-594-8562. She will contact those on the prayer circle so that they may pray for you or your loved one for any kind of circumstance. The prayer requests are kept confidential to the prayer circle so you can be assured that the request will only be shared with those who need to know so they can properly pray for you.
Flowers for the Altar on Sundays Every Sunday the altar is adorned with flowers. The flowers are placed on the altar in memory of loved ones who have died or in thanksgiving to God for reaching milestones in life, as anniversary celebrations, graduation, etc. If you would like to make a donation for the cost of the flowers on any Sunday, please let Heather Herd know. Your name and the reason for the memorial or thanksgiving will be placed in the Sunday service sheet. People do ask how much a donation should be for the flowers. The simple answer is that we spend approx. $35 each week for the flowers and we hope that the flowers pay for themselves overall but please make your donation as you feel appropriate. Your donation may be put in the offering plate on Sunday. You will receive a phone call a week before the notice goes in the service sheet as a reminder to be there on the Sunday you have sponsored the flowers
Forthcoming Events and Activities November 11th – Remembrance Day We are planning a very special service this day as we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. There will be an act of remembrance and a trumpeter. Please let others know that this will be a special occasion not to miss.
The Annual Bazaar – takes place on Saturday, November 24th. Lynn Turner is taking the lead to organize and will be gathering those who would like to help to lay out the plan for this year’s event. Set up will be the afternoon and evening of Friday, the 23rd. We will have many of the usual stalls as in past years. Lunch tickets will be available and there will be a raffle as well. Donations of Baking, pickles, chutneys, jams and jellies etc. will all be very much appreciated. Start to spread the word now 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.
The Next Seniors Lunch Bunch is on Tuesday November 6th at 11:45 am for lunch at 12:00 noon. $6 per person. All men & women are invited.
AND…..
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 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.
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 Christmas Pageant – We are planning to have something of a pageant this year as a part of the liturgy of the Word at our 10am service on December 23rd, the 4th Sunday of Advent. This will be a special service at which children and adults alike will participate to the unfolding of the story of the birth of Jesus, the one for whom we wait to return as we begin to celebrate his birth in time.
Services for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day – There will be the usual service times for Christmas Eve with candlelight services at 7pm and 11pm. There may also be the introduction of a 4pm service for children this year. Watch this space for more information. Christmas Day service will be at 10am.