Looking at the state of the church, it can sometimes be easy to become discouraged, especially as the days get greyer, the clocks go back and the nights get longer, and yet the excitement of the first snow and Christmas are not yet upon us. So I wanted to take a bit of time to focus on some of the positive things that have been going on in the parish over the last little while.
The Parish's Youth Group has become firmly established with the adoption of a purpose statement to guide this ministry. Youth ministry is not just 'something to get the children involved;' it is no different from the Church's ministry to any other group, except that in this case, geared towards the younger set.
The Parish's Youth Group has become firmly established with the adoption of a purpose statement to guide this ministry. Youth ministry is not just 'something to get the children involved;' it is no different from the Church's ministry to any other group, except that in this case, geared towards the younger set.
Our Youth Group exists to REACH young people and BUILD a community
to PRAISE God, to GROW in the Faith, and to use God's gifts to SERVE others.
to PRAISE God, to GROW in the Faith, and to use God's gifts to SERVE others.
If you or someone you know is interested in joining, our next meeting will be held from 7-9 PM on Friday, 11 November in the Vision Centre.
As my Induction approached, a motion was passed by the Vestry to designate the loose collection from that service to go towards hurricane relief in the Diocese of Louisiana. That was a suggestion I had made to them because, while in seminary, two of my closest friends were students (now priests) from that diocese. I was overwhelmed by the generosity of the congregation that evening. $175 was collected and will be forwarded to St. Matthew's Church, Bogalusa, to help with the cleanup and rebuilding efforts.
The two Memorial Hymn Sings in the parish last month were well-supported. The Hymn Sing at St. Matthew's, Heart's Delight-Islington, raised $2,495 and the Hymn Sing at the Church of the Good Shepherd, Cavendish, raised $1,170. Many thanks to those who contributed to these two projects!
Thank you to everyone who made my induction service such a success. I am constantly amazed to find that I am even more excited to be here now than when I first came to the parish more than a year ago. That's a real testament to how wonderful you all have been to us!
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Jonathan+
Fr. Jonathan+
