Thursday September 17, 2009

Members of the Burlington Welsh Male Choir who will be performing a special fundraiser for the "Out of the Cold" programme on Saturday October 3.  More details below.

1) Wine, Cheeses & Jesus Fellowship Group -- TONIGHT

The group will meet on Thursday, September 17th at 7:00 p.m. in the upstairs meeting room.  Everyone is welcome to attend.

The topic will be Globalization and Active Faith.  Almost every region of the world is connected in a complex web of trade, transportation, and communication. This globalization affects everyone in different ways. While some are growing wealthy and healthy; many regions in our world are becoming impoverished, dependent, diminished, and unwell.  The Bible calls the people of God to respond with acts of justice and mercy in the world, to be stewards of God’s creation, and to view all people as reflections of the image of God.  How do we live our faith in a global economy? What does it mean to be sent as agents of God’s redemptive love today?  Alternative Globalization Addressing People and the Earth (AGAPE): The World Council of Churches has been engaged in study and discussion of the issues of globalization from a faith perspective for over a decade.  Please view an important a background document online at www.oikoumene.org.

To read the article, please download the PDF file from here (it is a large file, and may take a few moments to download).

2) St. Andrew's Book Club - Thursday September 24, 2009

The next meeting of the St. Andrew's Book Club will be held on Thursday, September 24th at 7 p.m. in the Board Room.  The selection for the September meeting is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.  Library Journal said:  "this is a warm, funny, tender, and thoroughly entertaining celebration of the power of the written word."  There's still time to read it if you haven't started it yet!  Everyone is welcome to attend.

3) Special Concert in support of the 'Out of the Cold' Programme -- Saturday October 3, 2009

Please join us for a special concert with the Burlington Welsh Male Choir and the Boston Saengerfest Men's Chorus on Saturday October 3 at 7: 30 pm at St. Andrew's.  Proceeds from the concert will be donated to St. Andrew's 'Out of the Cold' programme.  Tickets are $20 and are available at the door or by contacting info@standrewstoronto.org

In case of financial difficulty, reductions to the ticket prices can be arranged.

Everyone is welcome.

4) Jazz Vespers at St. Andrew's - Sunday October 18, 2009 - 4:30 pm

Please plan to join us for a special 'Jazz Vespers' service at St. Andrew's on Sunday October 18 at 4:30 in the afternoon.  Jordan Klapman, who is well known to our community, will be leading us in a wonderful musical time of reflection, meditation, prayer and worship.

Bring your friends!

5) The Opening of Her Majesty's Courts - Monday September 14, 2009

Last Monday, Rev. Ingram was invited to preach at the "Opening of Her Majesty's Courts" service, which is an annual opportunity for the clergy and members of the faith communities to join the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, the Chief Justice and many of the members of the judiciary in a time of prayerful reflection at the beginning of the new court season. 

To read the text of Rev. Ingram's sermon about the connection between justice and righteousness / right relations in interfaith contexts, please click here. 

6) Annual Congregational Barbecue - Sunday September 27, 2009

This year's barbecue will be held on Sunday, September 27th after worship service.  It's a great opportunity to enjoy a meal together and to get to know each other better.  Everyone is welcome!

7) Fall Supper Seminars - "Islam and Present Day Considerations" - Wednesday October 14, 21, and 28, 2009

We are very pleased to announce that Michael AbdurRashid Taylor, who is a Muslim imam and a Chaplain at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), will present a series of three seminars about understanding Islam on Wednesday, October 14th, 21st and 28th.
 

Individual seminar topics in this interesting series are:

 
October 14th:  The Urgency of Muslim-Christian Dialogue

October 21st:   The Problem(s) with Islam

October 28th:   Prayer, Fasting and Charity:  How a Muslim's Worship Life engages Personal and Social responsibility.

Brochures are now being distributed; you may register by phone, mail, email or online at:

www.standrewstoronto.org/special_events.htm

Beginning on September 13th you may also register at Bide-a-Wee Coffee Hour after worship services.

8) Group Discount Rates for the ROM Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit

We are pleased to announce that we have arranged for group discounts for tickets to the ROM's Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit.  You may obtain the discount price for 1-10 tickets by purchasing online with your credit card. 

1) Go to: http://www.rom.on.ca/visit/group/index.php

2) Click on the button for "Buy your tickets online"

3) In the "Corporate Clients" box, click "Buy Now"

4) Select "Dead Sea Scrolls + General Admission"

5) Choose your date and time

6) For the "promo code", enter STANDREWS and hit submit

7) At the next screen (which should display the discount prices), select your tickets

7) Submit your credit card information, and print your tickets

Enjoy the show!

If you wish to purchase more than 10 tickets, please call the group sales office at 416-586-5801.

9) Daily Updates from Geneva Switzerland

Rev. Ingram has recently returned from Geneva, Switzerland where he attended meetings of the World Council of Churches.  His daily updates are posted at www.standrewstoronto.org/wcc/geneva_2009
 

He has also posted pictures from a few days after the meetings -- in Padova, in Venice and hiking in the French Alps -- go to the above link and click on September 2, 3 or 4.

An archive of his journal entries from previous WCC meetings and events -- including photos -- can be viewed at www.standrewstoronto.org/wcc/

10)  Name Tags

Those who were able to attend the coffee hour last Sunday will know that the new name tags are providing good opportunities for all of us to remember people's names and get to know one another better. The badges will be stored alphabetically in boxes at several tables at the entrance to the Great Hall. We encourage everyone to wear their name badges--and to return them to the storage boxes before you go home! 

11) Church School and Nursery - Fall Term

St. Andrew's Church School and Nursery began the fall term  last Sunday. 
 

This year, students age 12 to 15 are invited to attend classes in the upstairs assembly room.  The classes will run from 9:30 to 10:20 a.m.  The students will then have an opportunity to attend the worship service or assist in the nursery or church school on a rotational basis.  For further details, please contact Betsy Nieuwland. 

 
All younger students will attend classes during the service (after the children's time).  The nursery will be open at 10:20 (10 minutes before the beginning of the service) until 10 minutes after the service.
 
All children are welcome!

12) Volunteers Needed for Church School and Nursery

We are very short of volunteers for both the church school and the nursery programs, and are seeking help in both areas.  Your assistance on a rotational basis would be most appreciated.

Please contact either Betsy Nieuwland (betsy@lawrye.ca) for more information regarding the Church School, or Barbara Sargent (basarge@rogers.com) if you are interested in the nursery program.

Thanks so much!

13) Bible Study Groups

Our Wednesday morning Bible Study Group meets at 7:30 am and concludes by 8:30 am. every Wednesday.  The group is now studying the Wisdom literature, which includes the books of Job, Ecclesiastes, Proverbs and the Song of Solomon. 

The Sunday Morning Bible Study Group is studying the Old Testament book of Ruth.  The group meets in the Board Room at 9:30 a.m. every Sunday.

Everyone is welcome to attend either or both study groups.

14) Hatha Yoga 

The Fall Hatha Yoga Classes begin soon.  A series of six classes will start on Friday, Sept. 18 from 1 to 2:10p.m. Donations for classes go to the church Out of the Cold program. Consider doing yoga to bring peace to the mind and flexibility to the body. If interested, please contact Victoria Campbell at connectiontovmc@hotmail.com

15) The 2009 Annual Congregational Retreat - Saturday November 7, 2009

This year’s congregational retreat will be held at the Old Mill on Saturday, November 7th.  Our leader will be the Rev. Dr. Clyde Ervine of Central Church in Hamilton, Ontario, who will facilitate a discussion of The Presbyterian Tradition.

More information will soon be available -- but please keep this date free and plan to join us for a great day of conversation, reflection and discernment.  

16) 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!