Share in a light meal and learn the significance of the dream catcher and how to make one at a May 9, 6pm workshop led by Kathy Morgan, member of The Metis Nation of Ontario.

Space is limited to 25 households.

Please register by emailing office@nullallsaintswhitby.org

Men’s Group Spring Workshop – May 24, 9:00am-3:00pm 

All are welcome to join the All Saints (ASW) Men’s Group in the parish hall for a Spring Workshop.  We will gather for breakfast from 9 to 10 AM.  Following breakfast, there will be a mid-morning workshop, lunch, an afternoon workshop, and a Eucharist service to close out the afternoon by 3 PM.  There is a $10 fee for the breakfast gathering from 9 to 10 AM.

If you plan to attend the workshops, lunch and closing prayer service, please register in advance by contacting Deacon Gary Gannon before 5 PM, Monday, May 12, 2025.  Emails can be sent to office@nullallsaintswhitby.org.

Thought and Prayer of the Day
by Jacky Bramma

April 24, 2025

The first printed edition of the Bible was published in the mid-1450s. Incredibly, in modern times it continues to hold the number one spot on the best-sellers list, with the works of Shakespeare in second place. I was surprised to discover recently that the mystery novels of Agatha Christie are in third place. I have always loved a good old-fashioned mystery story (as opposed to the nail-biting blood-drenched gritty police shows so prevalent today, with their hordes of foul-mouthed criminals and police officers who have their own demons.)

My favourite Christie character has to be Hercule Poirot (Belgian, and definitely not French!) who appeared in more than thirty-three novels. a fussy, idiosyncratic little private detective who drank herbal tea and always urged his rather hapless assistant Captain Hastings to use his “leetle grey cells, mon ami.” His signature black waxed moustache completed the picture.

The BBC dramatization of thirteen of the Poirot stories, 70 episodes in all, ran from 1989 to 2013, with David Suchet in the title role. He took the role very seriously and told one interviewer that when he was filming and wearing the moustache, he was Poirot… except at lunch time, when he took it off and became David Suchet again.

I have always admired David Suchet’s skill, and his voice that truly soothes the soul. I was delighted to discover recently that his first major project after Poirot was to record the entire NIV version of the Bible. He became a baptized Anglican in 1986, and this work was not just another role, but a true act of devotion…82 hours long. When I purchased this audio book, I was amazed that my phone was able to download it without exploding!

My Lenten practice has been to listen to it on my daily walks as well as quiet times at home. Yes, I started with Genesis, and so far I have journeyed from the Garden of Eden to the Ark, and on to Egypt with Moses. I travelled through the wilderness with the Israelites and witnessed their disobedience and subsequent repentance and forgiveness by God, only to mess up yet again. There were many strange names of people and places, such as the account of the defeat of King Og at Edrei, or the list of the towns of Judah in Joshua 15, beginning Kabzeel, Eder and Jagur. Even the long and very precise instructions God gave for the making of the Ark of the Covenant, or the sewing of priestly robes were far from boring when read so beautifully, (although I confess to some fast-forwarding through the thousands of laws in Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy!). It was certainly a relief to finally cross the River Jordan with Joshua into the Promised Land.

The seemingly endless cycle of the Israelites’ disobedience, their repentance, God’s forgiveness, and their sinning again is frustrating at best. There are so many fierce battles, so much violence and slaughter, that it is difficult to listen to at times: but all this really serves to remind the reader of God’s infinite love for his children. I still have a lot of listening to do before I get to the arrival of Jesus. This is a journey which requires patience, which is hard when you know where the story is heading. And so, my pilgrimage continues. Most importantly, this has served as a reminder that, just as we love to hear stories from our own family’s past, the New Testament can only be fully appreciated against the background of the Old.

PRAYER of St Anselm:

O Lord our God, grant us grace to desire you with our whole heart, that so desiring we may seek and find you, and so finding you may love you, and loving you, may hate those sins for which you have redeemed us. Amen

2025

All Saints Community Garden provides fresh produce to the Deacon’s Cupboard Food Bank, , and this week it’s shaking off winter and embracing the arrival of spring. Saturday, April 26 was the annual “Dirty Saturday” to till the garden beds and prepare them for planting in May. Tools, instruction, and lunch were provided. We are now looking for volunteers for summer watering and harvesting shifts. Students needing volunteer hours are welcome as are neighbours and friends that enjoy gardening.

Committee: Isabelle Beaudet, Janet Finlay, Anoop James

2023

See below for the images of activity in the garden in the 2023 season.
Photo credit: volunteer and photographer, Kyle Mann.

A bounty of tomatoes for the foodbank.

A new crop this year is kohlrabi.

The cucumbers are just getting started.

2nd crop of radishes benefitting from the rain.

Three Sisters garden of corn, beans & squash.

Thank you to our volunteers

Kyle Mann, gardener/photographer

2021

Learn more about the garden and how it grows with the past news and images …

Approaching the Final Harvest Video (September 8, 2021):

Other News:

We were so pleased that the All Saints Community Garden was featured in the Summer, 2021 issue of Dig This, a publication of the Durham Integrated Growers.

Garden Facts:

• Growing Surface Area = 400 Square Feet
• Soil and Compost delivered and transferred = 16 cubic yards
• Volunteer hours to prepare beds and complete planting = 65 hours
• Number of different types of vegetables and herbs planted = 20
• Number of tomato varieties = 6
• Monetary value of raised boxes = $1550
• Surface area of landscape fabric = 300 square feet

Garden Spring Video (updated June 12):

Blessing of the Garden:

Eternal Father, maker of heaven and earth, we bless you and give you glory for all the gifts you have given us. Receive all we offer you this day. Bless these seeds, and make them fruitful. Look upon our work this season, and grant that the seeds we plant will produce plentiful crops, providing food and work for many. In your love, give us favorable weather throughout this growing season. Make us truly grateful for all our gifts, and willing to share our goods and talents with others, especially those without adequate food. All praise and glory are yours, almighty Father, through your Son Jesus Christ, In the unity of the Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.