Friday October 30, 2009

Please remember to turn your clocks back one hour on Saturday night!

1) New Church School Superintendent Appointed - Irene Faiz

Irene Faiz

Mary Maiden, who is presently serving as the convener of the Christian Education ministries at St. Andrew's, writes,

It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Irene Faiz as the new Church School Superintendent at St. Andrew's Church.

As many of you may know, Irene is a relatively new member of St. Andrew's Church. In this short time, Irene has enriched our community with her great talents, passion and faith.  She will bring all these qualities with her to her new role as superintendent.  We look forward to her leadership and wish her well in this new endeavour.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Betsy Nieuwland, Wendy Misener and Louise Goodwin for all their tremendous help and support over the years to make this church school a success. We wish them all the best in their new endeavours.   

As Chair of the Christian Education Ministry, I look forward to all these changes within the church school and also time to pursue some of my “projects” with the school that I never had time to pursue earlier. I would encourage all of you to provide feedback or any ideas for the church school (to myself or Irene) over the coming year as we move forward.

Yours in Christ,

 Mary Maiden

2) Congregational Photo Album - November 19 - 22, 2009

Plans for the 180th Anniversary Congregational Photo Album are underway!  The organizers for our congregational photo directory have made arrangements with a professional photography company to be at the church from November 19 - 21, 2009. 

Please visit www.standrewstoronto.org/photo.htm in order to book your sitting for our 'Congregational Photo Directory'.  

There is absolutely no cost for having your photo taken.  Copies of the photos -- if you choose -- can be ordered at that time and will be ready before Christmas. 

3) Sock Sunday for Out of the Cold - Sunday November 1, 2009

The Out of the Cold program's Eighth Annual Sock Sunday will be held on Sunday, November 1st.   Most of our guests have gone all summer without socks and will really appreciate receiving one or two pairs each.  We invite you to contribute one or more pairs of warm socks.  Please bring them to Coffee Hour after worship.  Thank you for your generosity!

4)  Out of the Cold Dinner - New Season begins Monday November 2, 2009

At 6:00 p.m. on, Monday, November 2nd, our Out of the Cold program will begin its 18th year of service in the heart of the city of Toronto!  Please give prayerful consideration to ways you might participate in this ministry in the coming season.

If you are interested in volunteering to help prepare or serve food, please contact our volunteer coordinator Joan Matheson at jmmatheson@rogers.com 

Financial donations to support the program are always welcome, and can be sent to the church office.  Please make cheques payable to "St. Andrew's Church" and show "Out of the Cold" in the notation line.   St. Andrew’s covers all administration costs and all financial donations go directly toward the purchase of food and supplies for the program.  

For information about corporate participation please speak to the "Out of the Cold" Coordinator Lorraine Irvine.    Please feel free to share information about the Out of the Cold programme in your workplaces if there are requests for suggestions about corporate charity donations.

If you would like to donate new or used warm winter clothing, books (not romance novels, please) or magazines, please bring the items to the church or contact Judy Neal in the church office.

5) Catalyst deadline - November 1st, 2009

The deadline for the Advent issue of Catalyst is this Sunday.  Be sure to let the editors know about special milestones such as special birthdays, anniversaries, birth of children & grandchildren, notable achievements, etc., so we can share this news with the congregation.  Please submit articles and milestones information to both editors:  Kristen Stout (kwmathewson@rogers.com) and Jane Martin (janemartin@pagemartin.com). 

6)  A Special Thanks to the Organizers of the 2009 Fall Supper Seminar Series

A great thanks is extended to George Vais and all of the organizers and participants in this year's Fall Supper Seminars.  For those who were unable to attend, CDs are available for all of the seminars, and can be purchased for $10 by contacting Judy in the church office at info@standrewstoronto.org

7) Congregational Retreat - November 7, 2009

The eleventh Annual Congregational Retreat will be held at The Old Mill Inn on Saturday, November 7, 2009, from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.  Refreshments will be available at 9:00 a.m.

Our leader will be the Rev. Dr. Clyde Ervine from Central Presbyterian Church, Hamilton.  Dr. Ervine will lead us as we explore “The Presbyterian Tradition”.  It will be a day to discover the rich heritage that stretches from Calvin to Canada.

Dr. Ervine is an incredibly engaging, insightful and delightful presenter, and we know that you will be deeply enriched by this opportunity together.  To register, please contact the church office at info@standrewstoronto.org or 416-593-5600.

8) St. Andrew's Book Club - Thursday December 3, 2009 - "Through Black Spruce" by Joseph Boyden

The next meeting of the St. Andrew's Book Club will take place on Thursday December 3, 2009 at 7:00 pm.  The book for discussion will be Joseph Boyden's recent novel "Through Black Spruce", which won the 2008 Giller Prize.  The book is set in Northern Ontario, the streets of Toronto and the streets of Montreal. 

This will be the fifth meeting of the Book Club, which first met in the early part of 2009.  Since then, we have enjoyed a number of thoughtful, engaged and wonderful conversations.  All are welcome!

9) Portland Place

Portland Place is a Presbyterian Church residence for hard to house people with disabilities. A fund raising party is being held at the Edward Day Gallery on Wednesday, November 18. There will be wine, hors d’oeuvres, music and a silent auction – all proceeds to Portland Place.  Speak to David Wishart or Stevie Cameron for more details.

10)  St. Andrew's Church 175th Anniversary Bursary

The St. Andrew’s Church 175^th Anniversary Bursary is available in each year to a student or students enrolled in or embarking on a full-time or part-time course of post-secondary education at a recognized college, community college, university or trade school. The total amount of the bursary is $1,000 which may be allocated to one student or divided equally among two or more. The Bursary may my not be awarded in any year, at the discretion of the committee. Please refer to the Bursary Terms of Reference for a complete list of the criteria that will be considered and a description of the selection procedure.

If you would are interested in applying for the bursary, please contact Judy Neal in the church office for the application and terms of reference.  The deadline for applications is November 23, 2009.

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

Please remember that we have arranged for group discounts for tickets to the ROM's Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit.  This very special exhibit runs until January 3, 2010.  You may obtain the discount price for 1-10 tickets by purchasing online with your credit card.  For details click here, please see the following:

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

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

Enjoy the show!

12) 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!