Notices for the Week of October 2nd
Notices for the Week: Oct 2nd – Oct 8th
Tuesday
11:45am The Lunch Bunch Senior’s Lunch in upper hall
7pm – Executive meets in the Rector’s Office
Saturday
10am Preparation of the Church for Harvest
Thanksgiving Pie Sale is TODAY during the coffee hour. Most all pies will be selling at $10.00 each.
Harvest Thanksgiving – Sunday October 9th– We are looking forward to our annual festival to celebrate the harvest. Invite your friends for this special Sunday of colour and variety as we give thanks to the Lord of the Harvest for the bounty of the earth. Please make sure you have your Harvest Thanksgiving letter before you leave today. If you can take one for someone else, it will save us the postage. Thank you in advance.
Lunch Bunch – The next gathering for seniors to enjoy a delectable meal and fellowship is this Tuesday, October 4th. We gather in the upper hall at 11:45 am and usually sit to eat by 12 noon. All seniors are welcome to attend. Cost is $6 and meets the first Tuesday each month (except during the summer)
Jam time-Don’t forget our Christmas Bazaar will be held on Nov 26th. Preparations begin long before which makes it now time! With all the wonderful fruits and vegetables in season please think of the pantry stall. Jams, jellies, pickles, relishes, chutneys etc. are all needed and welcomed. If you have jars or need jars speak to Jacquie Stinson (604-517-4661).
Yard Sale – We have tentatively set Saturday, October 22nd for an indoor yard sale. This would be a morning event from about 9:30 to 12:30. We need people to help set up and staff the tables. We must decide by today, Oct 2, whether this will go ahead or not.
Proceeds from the Corn Roast – A great time was enjoyed at the corn roast near the end of August. We owe a huge thanks to Dino and Pat Lewis, Sabrina and Nadine for all their work to make our 3rd Corn Roast a success. Thanks as well to Les and Kelly Foulds and a number of others who helped in so many ways. The event raised $1760. In addition to that, the ‘Balloon Pop’ raised $350 toward the grounds keeping. The ‘Garden Bucket’ which was out all summer to collect change also raised $350. Thank you to everyone who participated and gave.
Anti-Racism Workshop – On Saturday, October 29th an anti-Racism workshop is being held for our deanery. St. Helen’s is hosting this workshop which is meant in particular for all leadership in the parish. It runs from 9:00am until 4pm. Please bring a bag lunch with you. Speak with our rector, Father Stephen as soon as possible. There are only 25 spots allowed per workshop and this one is for the deanery.
Hospitality Ministry - We are changing the format of coffee hour. Our coffee teams will continue to set up, serve and clear up but we are asking other parishioners to sign up to bring goodies for each Sunday. A list will be circulated in the hall at coffee hour which will give all an opportunity to participate. If you miss out on this list, there will be another put out every 6 or 7 weeks.
Sunday Ministry Rotas –We would like to strengthen our Sunday Ministry teams. Are you interested in reading a lesson on Sunday, becoming a server, helping with the coffee ministry, helping to greet people at the door, please speak with Marion O’Byrne. Training and support will be offered for each of these ministries.
Confirmation and Receiving into the Anglican Communion Bishop Melissa will be with us on December 18th. We are planning to have a confirmation service if there are people. At this time we can also receive into the Anglican Church those who are baptized and grew up in another church but who would now like to be received into the Anglican Church. Please speak with the rector, Father Steve, if you would like to be confirmed or received into the Anglican Church.
First Thoughts about Christmas – Christmas is not all that far away and we need to begin preparing. Last year we had our first Readings and Carols for Christmas celebrating the diversity of our St. Helen’s family. This year, the date set is the evening of December 18th when Bishop Melissa will be with us. Please consider being a part of this celebration. More information will be coming soon.
Integration of Cultures in our Faith Community Last Christmas we had a wonderful service of words and music with Bible readings and songs using some of the variety of languages people at St. Helen’s bring with them to the community. We want to do more about discovering who we are together at a deeper level of community. There are at least 8 different cultural groups here at St. Helen’s. Over the following weeks we are inviting a variety of people to share for 5 minutes something about the life of the church where they grew up; about its importance to them personally, for the faith community and the wider community. We are also planning a Saturday evening event this fall to gather for stories, songs, music, prayer and food to celebrate our diversity. More about this event next week but do pencil in the evening of Saturday November 5th. More about this next week
Mission, Ministry and Outreach Throughout the month of October our Sunday Worship will have a focus on Vocation, Mission, Ministry and Outreach to our Community. We begin this morning with a focus on call and vocation. Ordination as a priest or deacon is often what is thought when we hear the word vocation associated with the church. Even so, there is an invitation to all of us to share the gifts we have within us for the greater good and the building of God’s Kingdom. The weeks that follow will look at our focus from different aspects:
October 2nd – The Vocation of the earth: Opening our eyes and ministering to the needs of the earth
October 9th – Harvest Thanksgiving will focus on the ministry of working together and sharing.
October 16th – Guest Speaker – A staff member of Surrey Food Bank will be with us to share about the work of our local food bank. Our focus will be on Foundations for Living.
October 23rd – We will celebrate the sacrament of baptism. The focus will be Commissioned to Minister.
October 30th - Guest Speaker: Mike Musgrove, Surrey Urban Mission Executive Director will be with us. Our Focus will be Building Community with those on the edge
Textile Drive – October 23rd. As you may recall Fil Sotana has organized several textile drives over the last year or so. It’s time for another. We are asking everyone who has old clothing, shoes, handbags and similar items they would like to give to the drive to bring these to the church on the morning of October 23rd.
Please Note: We also wish to share good, winter clothing with local shelters in Surrey. With that in mind, please separate these items in a different bag from those that are destined for the textile drive. Please ask your friends if they would like to donate as well. We may be able to accommodate your materials a few days before that date but please, please, please, do not bring them in before the last week. We just do not have the space to store it all. For more information, please speak with our People’s Warden Fil Sotana.
ACW (Anglican Church Women) NEWS:
October 19, the ACW will have their annual ‘Dorcas Shower.’ Donated layette items will be given to the Bales for Northern Parishes and SMH. If you wish to support their project, please consider donating new or very gently used sleepers, two-piece outfits, knitted sweaters, bonnets, booties, onesies, hooded towels, etc. up to size 2. A box and detailed list will be placed at the back of the church. Your support is most appreciated.
ACW SW Fraser Area Meeting: On Tuesday, November 15, our ACW will host and welcome the Diocesan ACW Board, the Rev. Sue Foley-Currie, and ACW members from Surrey, Langley, and Delta. They are pleased to have The Most Rev’d. Archbishop Douglas Hambidge as guest speaker.
Forthcoming Dates for Your Diary
October 11 - Parish Council - at 7pm
October 15 – At Holy Trinity White Rock – 12pm-3pm
End of Life Seminar - please let our rector Steve know if you wish to attend.
October 16 – Surrey Food Bank speaks at our Sunday Eucharist
October 18 – Songs of Praise – 7pm in the church
October 19 – ACW Dorcas Shower
October 22 – Yard Sale – 9:30 – 12:30 – to be confirmed
October 23 – Baptisms at our Sunday Eucharist (Please speak with Father Steve if you are wishing to be baptized or have a child baptized.)
October 30 – We welcome Mike Musgrove to our Sunday Eucharist to speak about Surrey Urban Mission
End of Life Seminar at Holy Trinity, White Rock – will be held on October 15th from 12noon – 3pm. The seminar will deal with wills, power of attorney, advance care planning and funeral planning. Please speak with our rector, Father Steve, if you would like to attend. The number of spots will be limited.
Readings for Sunday, October 9th – Pentecost 21st
Joel 2:21–27;
Psalm 126;
1 Timothy 2:1–7;
Matthew 6:25–33