Arleane Ralph

July 8, 2021

Bazaar 2021

It’s happening! Save the date: November 13, 2021.

All Saints leadership team and Bazaar Coordinators (Arleane and Jeff) are pleased to announce the 2021 Bazaar will be held on Saturday November 13th (hours of opening tbc).

Exact details for this signature parish event will be forthcoming, as our planning is evolving to match provincial and Diocesan reopening parameters.

We can tell you the tea room will be replaced with a takeaway model. At the start of their visit, shoppers can order a lovely soup & biscuit combo to be collected at check-out. We’re also investigating moving the silent auction to an online platform that can run throughout Bazaar week and allow people to peruse and bid on items online.

We’ll also have some All Saints swag for sale/order, as well as the usual excellent inventory as in previous years: baked goods, knitted items, jams & jellies, thrifted jewellery, and more.

We have some needs, too. We’re looking for

volunteer(s) to take the lead on advertising and signage for the event
volunteer(s) to help facilitate the tech end of the online auction
donations of good quality, gently used items (clothing excluded) for the ‘classic treasures’ section
giftcards, one-of-a-kind arts & crafts creations, and new or purchased items for the silent auction

Also, starting now, the St Margaret’s Guild welcomes donations of new or cleaned jam-size mason jars (i.e., decorative/quilted wide-mouth 250ml & 125ml). So, if you’ve finishd up your peper jelly and lemon curd and have been hanging on to the jars, no’s the time to bring them to chruch

Donations can be delivered to the church during the Deacon’s Cupboard Foodbank opening hours.

If you have questions about the Bazaar, contact Arleane or Jeff by email.

Watch this space for further updates!

July 8, 2021

Reconciliation: Thought & Prayer for the Day

Inspired by Bishop Riscylla

Yesterday evening, 30 members of All Saints Church came together to engage in dialogue with Bishop Riscylla about our thoughts, reactions and questions concerning the work of reconciliation in response to the mass graves at Indian Residential schools which have been and continue to be uncovered. Below is a summary of our conversation:

As members shared their feelings of anger, pain, sadness, shame and powerlessness we learned that we are not alone in our emotions. Being able to express ourselves in community is a healthy way of being able to address the trauma we feel from the recent revelations.

As one member shared, true reconciliation involves recognizing harm done, acknowledging how one’s actions contributed to the harm, and then working to repair the damage done.

As the Bishop kindly pointed out, we are still in the recognizing phase. As such, the bishop advised us to take the time to listen. To educate ourselves on what really happened in our country. Although we may wish to jump to find solutions – now is the time to sit in the pain and to recognize that this is long and hard work that does not have an easy answer or straightforward “fix”.

She reminded us that spiritually and physically, we have two ears and one mouth. Deep listening and reflecting is a Christian practice. We read and reread our scriptures finding new insights in them all the time. In the same manner she called on us to read and reread the 94 calls to action from the Truth and Reconciliation report and in particular calls 71-76 about Missing children and burial information as well as the church’s apology for spiritual harm caused (video). As we do this we are to listen to what the Lord is calling us to do in response. Many other educational opportunities were shared as well, as noted at the bottom of this email.

Bishop Shaw encouraged us to embrace our righteous anger from what we learn and to channel it into the ways of love. We are to use our privileges not for harm but to influence others. She advised that we share what we are learning – we refrain from chastising ourselves or others for what has happened, but rather speak and name the truth in kindness, recognizing that we all have growing edges. And as we speak out, the Bishop suggested that we support one another and find ways to build relationships with indigenous peoples, coming alongside – not in pity but as friends and neighbours.

Prayer and journalling our feelings were also suggested as ways to process our feelings and grow deeper in faith. The colonial teachings of the church sought to make God in the image of white settlers and to use religion to help build up the kingdoms and nations of this world. In contrast, the good news of Jesus is that all are welcome and valued in the Kingdom of God. God is the creator who created all, loves all and welcomes all. As the truth is revealed about our nations history, this is an opportunity to grow closer to the Jesus found in the gospels. Learning and speaking out about the truth of our past will only make us better in the future.

This is an ongoing conversation and we encourage you all to join in the learning. As St. Paul wrote “If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (I Corinthians 12:26-27)

Prayer:

Creator God, from you every family in heaven and earth takes its name. You have rooted and grounded us in your covenant love, and empowered us by your Spirit to speak the truth in love, and to walk in your way towards justice and wholeness.
Mercifully grant that your people, journeying together in partnership, may be strengthened and guided to help one another to grow into the full stature of Christ, who is our light and our life. Amen

Educational Resources

Documentaries:

Free Continuing Education opportunities

June 26, 2021

Diocesan Apology to LGBTQ2S+ Community

On Friday, June 25, Bishop Andrew Asbil issued an apology to the Diocese’s LGBTQ2S+ community in a special service livestreamed from St. James Cathedral. This came after months of prayerful reflection, intentional consultation and conversation with various members of our Diocese, and for Bishop Andrew personally, decades of walking alongside this community.