Friday February 27, 2009

1) St. Andrew's Annual Meeting - Sunday March 1, 2009

The Annual Meeting for St. Andrew's Church will take place following the worship service on Sunday March 1, 2009.  This is an important meeting in the life and ministry of our congregation, and will be preceded by a light lunch.  Please make a special effort to be here and contribute to this important decision-making process in the life of our community of faith. 

2) An Update on Jack Reynolds

As many of you know, Jack Reynolds was admitted to Sunnybrook Hospital a few weeks ago.  After a series of tests, they have discovered that Jack has a brain stem tumour which they are beginning to treat with steroid injections.

Please keep Jack, Bev, and the members of their family in your prayers -- that they will know God's grace, healing power and strength in this challenging time.

3) "Christianity for the Rest of Us" with Dr. Diana Butler Bass at Rosedale Presbyterian Church and Knox College

On Saturday February 28, 2009, Rosedale Presbyterian Church will be hosting Finding The Way Again -- Practices for the 21st Century Church, a workshop featuring author, speaker, and independent scholar Diana Butler Bass, a specialist in in Religion and Culture.

Diana holds a PhD in religious studies from Duke University and the workshop will focus on the subject matter of her bestselling book, Christianity for the Rest of Us.

Geared toward mainline Protestant church leaders—both lay and ordained, the workshop will explore the changes that have impacted on mainline churches and the ways in which vital congregations are responding to cultural change as a way of renewal. As well, the workshop will be invaluable to a wide variety of audiences—spiritual seekers, churchgoers, and people generally interested in contemporary religious practice

The workshop will examine the need for structural and spiritual change, as well as issues of tradition (the definitions and uses of tradition in congregations), the practices that make for congregational renewal, and the larger setting of cultural, political, and social justice commitments in mainline congregations.

For more information about this event, please visit www.rpcc.ca

On Monday, March 2, there will be a series of workshops with Dr. Butler Bass at Knox College, and in the evening there will be a free public lecture.  For more information about Monday's events, please visit www.utoronto.ca/knox

4) SAGA Meeting Tonight -- 6 - 8:30 pm

With apologies for the late notice due to the delay in distributing this email newsletter, we wanted to remind everyone that there will be a SAGA Meeting at the church tonight from 6 - 8:30 pm.  All are welcome!

5) St. Andrew's 179th Anniversary Weekend -- March 7-8, 2009

The 179th Anniversary Dinner will be held on Saturday March 7 beginning with a reception at 6:00 pm and dinner at 6:30 pm.  Tickets for this event are $30, and will be available Sunday, or be in contact with the church office at info@standrewstoronto.org

Tickets must be purchased (or ordered) by noon on Monday for planning purposes.

Our 179th Anniversary Service will take place on Sunday March 8.

This year's Anniversary Guest is the Rev. Dr. Zander Dunn.  Zander is a remarkable preacher, a longstanding and dedicated servant of the Church, and has served congregations in Guyana, Guelph, North Bay and Amherst Island.   He has served the Presbyterian Church in many different ways, and continues to have a remarkable ministry.  His topic will be 'Universal Salvation'.

Please plan to join us!

6) Pants Needed for Out of the Cold

Please note that the 'Out of the Cold' programme is in need of men's pants.  If you have new or used pants that could be donated, please bring them to the church on Sunday for the use of our guests.

7) Parking Spaces Available

Douglas Pearson would like to inform everyone that there are 2 parking spaces in the condo garage that are available for monthly rent.  For more information, please contact him at dpearson@standrewstoronto.org

8) "The Seven Last Words" - 2009 Lenten Midweek Meditation Series

Please join us on Wednesdays at noon, during the season of Lent, for our annual Lenten meditation series.  The series will involve a series of guest speakers, each of whom will focus on one of the seven last words or phrases uttered by Christ on the cross.  Each week -- from February 25 - April 1 -- the noontime meditations will begin with a short organ recital at 12:00 pm, the speakers will lead us in their reflections from 12:15 - 12:45 pm, and a light sandwich lunch will follow. 

Next week's speaker will be Mary Campbell. who is a good friend to many at St. Andrew's, and will soon be ordained as associate minister at Glenview Presbyterian Church.  Her topic will be "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do" (Luke 23: 34).

9) Nursery Caregivers Urgently Needed!

Our nursery is growing.  St. Andrew's now has between 4 and 7 beautiful babies and wonderful toddlers on any given Sunday and, following "Leading with Care" rules, requires 2 caregivers every week.  If you enjoy the company of babies and toddlers and would be interested in spending an hour or so (on a rotational basis) reading stories, playing games, etc, please contact Barbara Sargent at barbara.a.sargent@ca.ey.com or telephone Barbara at 905.420-3100.

Your help is appreciated!

10) Online Donations

We are pleased to announce that donations to the Church, and to ministries such as the 'Out of the Cold' programme, can be made online.  To learn more, please click on the button below!

11) "Faces of Faith" will return next week