This week at St John's

THIS WEEK AT ST JOHN'S

Dear Friends:

You may have heard or seen the news that a church burned down in Toronto this past weekend. St Anne’s Anglican Church was an amazing and significant place, a national historic site especially known for its ceiling murals by members of the Group of Seven. I served as rector of St Anne’s for nine years before coming to St John the Evangelist. Over those years, I loved the people and my affection for the building grew. It was at St Anne’s that I learned about reaching out and befriending the neighbours. This was so important that I tell people that I left part of myself at St Anne’s and I brought part of St Anne’s with me.

One of those St Anne’s neighbours called me on Sunday morning. She was standing outside as the black smoke surrounded her house and flames burst from the St Anne’s windows. She reached out to me because she also has a connection to St John’s, having worshiped here with her Ottawa family on Christmas Eve. As we began our Sunday service, my heart was heavy with the pain I knew they would all be feeling. During our service, I found one of the scripture readings to be especially challenging to hear:

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

(2 Corinthians 5:1)

I hope you will agree that church buildings are very special. When you have spent time in a church, time singing or sitting with your thoughts, time praying about your questions or your pain, it’s no longer just a building. Somehow, it’s more. It becomes the holy ground where you are like Moses at the burning bush, the children welcomed by Jesus, or Jacob wrestling with the angel. My heart breaks for the people of St Anne’s and I hope you will join me in praying for them.

Sometimes we are frustrated with our church buildings. As much as St John’s is our home, we also know a church building is always a work in progress. There is always something that needs to be fixed or repaired - and it can be expensive. But there is a transformation that happens to us just by gathering together intentionally in the presence of God.

This past Sunday, we held a congregational meeting about our plan for the St John’s church building. It’s very exciting. We have completed the safety elements of wiring and repairs to the exterior brickwork. This summer, our plan moves to the next phase of renewing the church interior. We are getting air conditioning, a new floor, and comfortable chairs in place of the pews. We will be enclosing the chapel as a meeting space for community gatherings and conferences. This is for us and also for our neighbours. St John’s brings us together and this project will help us to bring our wider community together.

We will move our worship to the parish hall during construction. For the time being, we continue to worship in the church. I hope you will join us for our service this Sunday at 9:30 a.m.

Gary+

SCRIPTURES - Sunday, June 16 - Fourth Sunday after Pentecost

Ezekiel 17:22-24; Psalm 92:1-4, 12-15; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10, (11-13), 14-17; Mark 4:26-34

SCRIPTURES - Sunday, June 23 - Fifth Sunday after Pentecost

Job 38:1-11; Psalm 107:1-3, 23-32; 2 Corinthians 6:1-13; Mark 4:35-41

LISTEN TO RECORDED WORSHIP SERVICES

Worship recordings include prayers, readings, a sermon, and music.

The worship recording below for June 9 includes wonderful music presented by women of St John's Choir and the Women's Choir of Notre Dame Basilica Cathedral. We are so grateful to all of them.

Third Sunday after Pentecost - June 9, 2024

Second Sunday after Pentecost - June 2, 2024

Trinity - May 26, 2024

Find all St John's Worship Recordings HERE

UPDATES

REST IN PEACE

Robin Dorrell

May 31, 1935 – June 11, 2024

We give thanks to God for Robin’s life, especially remembering his wife Barbara Dorrell and their family and friends. Robin and Barbara were married at St John’s by Rev Garth Bulmer on May 30, 1998. Robin had many interests as a creative writer, theatre critic and gardener. He loved to cook and entertain. He was very supportive of Barbara’s many ways of being involved at St John’s. Robin lived with authenticity, simplicity, and generosity.

The memorial service will be held at St John’s, Saturday July 20, 2:00 p.m.

SAFETY TRAINING UPDATE

On Saturday, June 8, St John’s hosted a first training session, “Community Compassion: Strategies to Support Vulnerable Individuals.”

Belong Ottawa facilitator India Bedson gave us a practical and helpful session on best practices and strategies to respond to individuals who may be in distress, to navigate difficult situations, and to deepen our understanding of homelessness, mental health, and substance abuse.

Special thanks to India for an excellent workshop. We had 25 participants and we are grateful for your time. We look forward to holding a second session this fall.

INDIGENOUS ENGAGEMENT UPDATE

Osiyo Nigadv (Hello everyone)!

In preparation for National Indigenous People's Day on June 21, I hope we are all taking this month to continue our learning journey. We have many opportunities to participate and celebrate the deep history, heritage and contributions of the Original Peoples of Turtle Island.

In addition to our upcoming Medicine Walk with Grandmother Louella and our attendance to the Summer Solstice Festival at Mādahòkì Farm, I encourage everyone to seek out events and learning opportunities in your local community. There are many books by Indigenous authors to discover also.

Wado,

Kimberly Johnson

St John's Indigenous Engagement Coordinator

MEDICINE WALK

A Medicine Walk is a slow and reflective walk of noticing, appreciating, and learning. We will walk with Grandmother Louella on June 22, 2024 from 10:00 a.m to 12 p.m.

Sign-up Sheet at the back of the church.

Or let us know you would like to attend HERE.

ST JOHN'S IS GOING TO THE POW WOW

Join us at Mādahòkì Farm on Saturday afternoon following the Medicine Walk.

Directions HERE

CENTRETOWN CHURCHES SOCIAL ACTION COMMITTEE

Uniting Christians of all denominations

through joint participation in social projects and prayer.

Read the monthly CCSAC newsletter HERE

LOOKING FURTHER AHEAD

UPCOMING EVENTS FOR YOUR CALENDAR

Saturday, June 22

Indigenous Medicine Walk. St John's welcomes Grandmother Louella Tobias for a reflective walk with teachings at Mud Lake. This event coincides with the Summer Solstice and National Indigenous People's Day. 10 AM to 12 PM. Sign up sheet at the church.
Pow Wow at Madhoki Farms: We will head over to the Pow Wow immediately following the Medicine Walk. Plan to eat there and enjoy the afternoon. Sign up sheet at the church. More information HERE.

Saturday, July 20

Memorial Service for Robin Dorrell. 2:00 p.m.

Saturday, September 21

Memorial Service for Katie Seymour. 2:00 p.m.

TO REMEMBER IN PRAYER

Our Parish

Prayers for those in leadership roles: Gary, Allen, Christina, Pat, Barb, Kimberly, Kerry, Jesse, Monica, Barb, Jeff, Marianne, and all who minister at St John's. Those in need of our prayers: Barbara and Family, Diana, Sarah, Marcela, and Wilma.

Our Diocese

Shane, our Bishop; Anne, our Metropolitan; Linda, our Primate.
The Anglican Council of Indigenous Peoples, The Rt Rev Christopher Harper, National Indigenous Anglican Archbishop, Sacred Circle Events, and the Ministry of Reconciliation.
St. Thomas the Apostle, Ottawa. The Reverend Tim Kehoe and The Reverend Tom Hubschmid.

Anglican Church of Canada

The Provincial Synod of the Ecclesiastical Province of Rupert’s Land.

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

The National Indigenous Day of Prayer: for healing and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples.

The Anglican Communion - Pray for Anglicans Worldwide

Iglesia Anglicana de Chile.

Parish Prayer Group

If you wish to have someone prayed for send an email to:

office@stjohnsottawa.ca

Flowers

The flowers are given to the glory of God and in loving memory of Peggie and Hugh Andrews by their daughter Sally.

A Time of Prayer - God of opportunity, you want to be in relationship with us, your creatures. You desire justice and peace. You never force yourself upon us, but invite us to join with you in co-creating a more just and peaceful world. Help us to hear your invitations, be they whispered or loud, and encourage us to respond to them with enthusiasm, joy and energy. We pray all this in the name of your Son, our Redeemer Jesus Christ. Amen.

DONATE

CANADA HELPS QR CODE

e-transfer office@stjohnsottawa.ca

HOW YOU CAN DONATE TO ST JOHN'S

Identified donations to St John’s are charitable donations and are eligible for a charitable tax receipt. Receipts for donations made directly through St John’s are usually generated on an annual basis. Donations to St John’s through Canada Helps are receipted by Canada Helps.

Here are the different ways that you can give:

E-Transfer

office@stjohnsottawa.ca

PAR (Pre-Authorized Remittance)

Enrol in the PAR (Pre-Authorized Remittance) program, whereby a designated monthly amount is withdrawn from a parishioner’s bank account or credit card. Peggy Lister, the Envelope Secretary, will provide you with the application form required to enrol in this program.

Weekly Offering Envelopes

Use identified weekly offering envelopes to make your cash or cheque donation to St John’s. A request for such envelopes goes to Peggy Lister, the Envelope Secretary, who will provide the envelopes.

Cash or Cheque Donation on Sunday

Make a cash or cheque contribution during a weekly service. The donation must be identified (i.e. a name & address on the envelope or a cheque with the donor’s information) if the donor wishes to receive a charitable receipt for the donation.

Canada Helps

Make a donation to St John’s through Canada Helps by scanning the QR code on the weekly bulletin, the QR code on the sign at the back of the church or through the ‘donate’ button on the St John’s website. Canada Helps donations can be for a single time or set up as an on-going monthly donation.

With thanks to God for your generous support