A huge thank you to everyone who worked so hard and contributed so much to make our Holy Week and Easter celebrations bright and meaningful, To the Honorary Clergy, Lay Assistants, Staff, Choir, Altar Guild, Readers, Greeters, and all those who helped so much with hospitality - it was a real privilege for me to spend the beginning of Easter with you; I look forward to the season very much!!
And so the Great 50 Days of Easter begin - I look forward to celebrating them with you!
Peter Wall
SERVICES AND GATHERINGS THIS WEEK
WEDNESDAY – COMPLINE - Compline is a short service of night prayer. The heart of Compline is the recitation of several psalms. There is a short reading from scripture, intercession, and time for reflection. It is a beautiful way to close out an active day. Compline is offered by St. James’ through Facebook as a way to bring the community together. If you cannot join live, the service is available afterwards on St. James’ Facebook channel.
THURSDAY - Our coffee hour occurs on Zoom at 10am. Join us to chat and enjoy one another’s company for an hour. Bring your own coffee!
Contact the office before Thursday for the link...... 905-627-1424 or stjamesdundas@outlook.com
ST. JAMES WOMEN’S WEEKEND
Our St James Women’s Weekend has been booked for November 18-20, 2022 at Five Oaks in Paris, ON. Registration/confirmation of payment will be offered on Sunday, April 24th and May 1st after the service, in the Dundas Room. Accommodation in the Main Building is limited, so early registration is recommended.
Unlike Loyola House, payment must be received in advance of October 18th at the latest.
The cost for the weekend is $230, including accommodations and all meals. The Saturday only fee is $50 and includes lunch and dinner.
Registration and requests for financial assistance through the Jeannie Mather Bursary Fund, can also be done by contacting Angela or Marline through the office 905-627-1424 or stjamesdundas@outlook.com
GROUP LUNCH
Back by popular demand. Join us at the Avesta Pizza and Grill at 1059 Upper James Street at Noon on Sunday April 24th at 12:00. Menu which is online includes Middle Eastern food and wonderful pizza. Contact Lynn D. through the office 905-627-1424 or stjamesdundas@outlook.com if you are interested in attending.
TEXTILE DRIVE
St. Andrews Presbyterian Church in Ancaster has a textile drive on 23rd April 9:00-12:00. They gather items no longer appropriate for people to wear and the fabric will be recycled. They collect clothes, towels, curtains, socks, underwear, blankets and old purses (no pillows). If you have items for the event and need them picked up, email Lynn D. through the office 905-627-1424 or stjamesdundas@outlook.com
TICKETS FOR AGATHA CHRISTIE’S “VERDICT”
We still have tickets available for the Agatha Christie Play Verdict. Many church members bought seasons tickets 2 years ago. Our final play was cancelled due to COVID. If you were part of the group who attended two years ago and would like to attend this show, we have a free ticket for you. We will likely have extra free tickets so if you would like to go, let us know. Agatha Christie’s Verdict is scheduled to be performed at 8 p.m. on April 22, 23, 29, 30 and May 5, 6, 7, with 2 p.m. matinees on May 1 and 8. Contact Lynn D. through the office 905-627-1424 or stjamesdundas@outlook.com
SPRING FLOWER SALE
We are happy to announce that you can start ordering your spring plants and arrangements.
This year there are no limits on quantities (except for the Hanging Basket!
We also have a new Planter arrangement available.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Blessings for the Easter Season,
Frank
on behalf of the Flower Sale Committee
DOWNTOWN DUNDAS WALK
Due to unforeseen circumstances the walk has been postponed to May 14th at 1pm.
Missional Church Initiative
When Robert Morrow asked parish members, if they were interested in exploring the Bishop’s Missional Church initiative, I was unsure. I experience St. James as a loving, hard-working church with a missional focus – Can we possibly do more? However, my curiosity overtook me, and I asked to be included on the Missional Church exploratory team.
Our first task was to source reliable information to share. And at the corporation’s suggestion we signed up for courses already available through The Niagara School for Missional Leadership,
The course I felt drawn to was Christian Foundations – a grounding for a life of faith. Judy and Patrick Paulsen and Bishop Susan Bell prepared this course. It is designed to be used by Christian leaders to help others, (especially those with no knowledge of Christian teaching or practice), develop a Christian Faith. It occurred to me that a course on Church history might not be the best vehicle for learning about today’s Missional Church. However, when I read the course introductory material and learned that ‘‘one of the fastest growing segments of the North American population is the group with little to no knowledge of Christianity,” I could see the relevance. And I decided to wade in.
The Christian Foundations course taught me several things. It emphasized the huge role of the Trinity in everyday life. It illuminated God’s unimaginably patient love for us. It showed me the ebbing and flowing of humanity’s relationship with God and God’s relationship with humanity from Eden through to the fledgling Christian Church. It underscored the frequency and terrible cost of humanity’s reoccurring pattern of turning away from God. This pattern arises in Eden and moves on through the ages into the present.
At the end of the course, I found myself with more questions than answers: Why do we turn away from God? What can be done to interrupt this destructive pattern? Can one parish make a difference?
According to the course, one parish, can make a difference. A Christian Foundations Course two is now available to show how. And I would like to take it.
In the meantime – Would I recommend the course? Yes, if you are prepared to do the reading. Am I leaning toward recommending a Missional Church to St James? It is too soon to know.
Stay tuned. Be safe.
Love and Light - Maddie
[Note that there is an introductory course being offered on April 25th at 7.00 p.m. … on ZOOM. There is no cost for this 30-minute introduction followed by 30-minutes for Questions and Answers. You can access registration for this course on the Diocesan Website [www.niagaraanglican.ca] and then going to Resources … then Events … then you will see the event on the left side. READ MORE will take you to the registration for the event]