Vestry Meeting (AGM) – Sunday February 23, 2025

An Anglican Vestry meeting is like an Annual General Meeting, where we reflect on the past year, hear updates on church ministries, discuss important matters, share in fellowship & seek God’s guidance for the year ahead. Members can speak and vote on major issues, including elected lay leaders and budgeting.

Please note there will be one service only on Vestry Sunday at 10 AM.

A light lunch will be provided after the service and before the meeting.

In an effort to save paper, this year’s Vestry Documents are available online only. See links below. If you require a paper copy, please contact the office at office@nullallsaintswhitby.org.

Childcare will be offered, and children and under-16s will have their very own Vestry meeting in the basement after lunch.

The meeting can also be attended by Zoom, using the worship service link.

VESTRY DOCUMENTS (click on the document titles to download):

• Annual Vestry Report
• Draft Financial Statements for Approval
• 2025 Budget
• Social Justice Motion FAQs & Backgrounder

 

Thoughts of the Day this month are part of a special series in Epiphanytide, the time between Epiphany Sunday and Lent, during which we hear gospel stories of the growing faith of the disciples and of the revelation that Jesus is truly the son of God.  

To mark this time, members of our congregation share stories of their own faith journeys and Epiphany moments that have inspired them and drawn them deeper into faith.  

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Thought and Prayer for the Day
by
Josie Newman

My relationship with God began at a very early age. I was raised in this church, All Saints, and by my Christian parents who met at Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, a student Christian fellowship group, at University of Toronto. My father then became an Anglican minister.

I knew from an early age about the love of Jesus, and his desire to have a relationship with us. My favourite song was ‘Yes Jesus Loves Me’. The stories and images of such well known Biblical stories, like Noah’s Ark, Moses leading the Israelites across the Red Sea, and the boy whose five loaves and two fishes were used by Jesus to feed thousands, loomed very large in my mind.

I also attended a Christian camp; Pioneer Camp, in Port Sydney, Ontario, where the campers learned first hand about God’s love on the blue waters of the lake and in the forests of northern Ontario. It was there, as an adolescent girl, I committed my life to Christ.

The entire time I was learning about Jesus, another contradictory story was going on, though. Similar to many families, mine was extremely dysfunctional with many emotional crises and was often not as loving as I needed. So when I became a teenager, anxiety, anger, and depression became more frequent companions than Jesus. Once I finally entered university and was not under the scrutiny of my parents’ control, I went on a tangent of rebellious behavior because of the abuse I had suffered as a child. I also stopped going to church for several years. Sometimes, late at night  while driving home after a party, I would wonder what would happen to me if I got into an accident. Where would I go now? Heaven or Hell? I pushed the thought away but I knew very well that I was not on the right trajectory and was in rebellion against God.

Several more years passed. I fell in love and got engaged, presuming that my fiancee and I would have a long and happy life together. That whole dream was upended when he he threw me against the wall and I called the police. After the wedding was cancelled, I was unable to control my emotions and eventually got so depressed, I signed myself into the psych ward of the hospital. Despite talking to the psychiatrist daily and talking to other people in the ward, I still felt mired in my sea of depression. The only thing that gave me peace was reading the Bible. I devoured the letters of Paul to John. Verses such as 1 John 4:16 : “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him,” and others sustained me and helped me believe in a different reality than the one I was experiencing.

This was not enough for God, though. He wanted me to know beyond a shadow of a doubt of his deep love and the security I could find in Him and no one else. I found peace in visiting the hospital chapel every day — it was quiet and I could reflect on the Lord. While sitting quietly in the chapel one day looking at the stained glass windows, I heard an audible voice speak. “I am come that you might have life, and have it in abundance” (John 10:10). I was so startled because I was alone in the chapel. Then I realized the Lord was speaking directly to me and my broken heart. He was telling me that he wanted me to have the abundant life he desires for all of us.

I fully committed myself to Jesus that day, and have never regretted it. I have since had many problems and disappointments and betrayals by people, but the Lord has always been there for me. I invite everybody to immerse yourselves in the abundant life He intends for us, made possible through His incredible unending love!

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your incredible and true love. You are the perfect Father for all of us. Thank you for the gift of your Son Jesus Christ, our Savior and most understanding of friends. Thank you for the gift of your Holy Spirit, the Comforter, who is always present for us to guide, comfort and instruct us. In Christ’s precious name we pray.   Amen.

Thoughts of the Day this month are part of a special series in Epiphanytide, the time between Epiphany Sunday and Lent, during which we hear gospel stories of the growing faith of the disciples and of the revelation that Jesus is truly the son of God.  

To mark this time, members of our congregation share stories of their own faith journeys and Epiphany moments that have inspired them and drawn them deeper into faith.  

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Thought and Prayer for the Day
by
Sharon Jones, ODT

Growing up on the island of Newfoundland, religion was at the centre of our lives.  I do not have a memory where prayer was not part of my life.  I also have memories of the conflict between the religions, and as a child I thought like a child and struggled with putting God first.

We were a family of mixed religion.  One parent was Roman Catholic and one parent was Anglican.  My sister and I were raised in both faiths and at a very young age, the only difference I could determine when going to church services was the Anglican church had Sunday School and the Roman Catholic church did not.  Communion was also done differently.  Throughout my formative years I witnessed and experienced hatred.  I felt there was an absence of love as I was viewed by some as following the wrong religion.  How could I possibly put God first, when those around me could not?

Skip ahead a few years. I am a mother of two children under two, married to a wonderful husband who travelled with work a great deal and at times I felt like a single mom.  I remember sitting in church listening to the sermon telling me that I had to put God first.  Not realizing all the baggage, hurt and anger that I carried, my thoughts were how could I put God before my children.

A dear woman, Bunny Stewart, invited me to go with her to the Sisterhood of Saint John the Divine (SSJD) for a quiet day.  I was exhausted, and jumped at the opportunity, even though I was going to a convent. My parents took care of my children and off I went.   I loved it.  There was peace and quiet.

During the service, the reading was from Micah and I heard the words “And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8).  I felt such an intense presence and in the silence I made room for God.

I heard, “Beloved child, when you put me at the centre of your life you are the woman, daughter, sister, friend, and mother I call you to be”.

It was a life changing epiphany. I became an adult and I put an end to childish ways.  I became an associate of SSJD.  I strive to always keep God at the centre and be comfortable in the silence so I can hear God.

Prayer:

Great Creator,
Thank you for the day ahead.
I place you at the centre,
always with me.
In the world and my interactions,
give me hands to serve,
feet for action,
eyes to see,
ears to hear,
a voice to speak
a heart to love.
Yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Amen

Thoughts of the Day this month are part of a special series in Epiphanytide, the time between Epiphany Sunday and Lent, during which we hear gospel stories of the growing faith of the disciples and of the revelation that Jesus is truly the son of God.  

To mark this time, members of our congregation share stories of their own faith journeys and Epiphany moments that have inspired them and drawn them deeper into faith.  

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Thought and Prayer of the Day
by
Tom Willis

Music has a unique power to bring out the meaning in words. As a member of All Saints choir, I am fortunate that I can get to do that, through one of my great joys in life. I therefore find it ironic that when I’m singing words, I end up paying less attention to them, not more. Instead, I am focused on all the singing-related aspects—singing the right notes, singing them at the correct time, making sure all the letters are properly articulated, getting the volume right, listening to those around me, and trying to pay attention to Adriaan’s conducting. My brain is focused just on the current word, or maybe the next one. To actually understand the overall meaning of the words, I have to take time to read them when I’m not singing.

Reading a lesson is different for me. None of the Bible was written in modern English—or indeed, with any punctuation. The translations we use in the Anglican Church prioritise accuracy to the original meaning. The price of that is the reader must cope with very long sentences, filled with subordinate clauses and occasional tangents. (In my opinion, St Paul’s letters are particularly tricky in this regard). So, to work out where to take a breath or where the end of an idea is, I have to read the lesson repeatedly. And each time I do, something new always emerges—some idea or concept. That’s hardly unique to me—we get the same readings every year or three years, yet there’s always a brand-new sermon to go with them.

Mother Jennifer asked me to share a story related to Epiphany, about my own faith journey. I am not someone who can point to a specific personal moment or Epiphany in their life. Instead, I think my journey has often been more like my singing—focused only the current moment, or maybe the next. However, the occasions when I have taken time to stop and think, to consider, to look at things again—those are the times that have been most helpful in illuminating my path. Hopefully, I can do it more often.

Prayer 

O Lord, grant us the patience to take time to reflect on all that you have taught us—through the words of the Bible, through the wisdom of those around us, and through the experiences of our own lives. Help to deepen our understanding of what you have taught, and then apply it to all that we say and do. Amen.