Dear Friends,
Christ has no body on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours You are the eyes through which God is to look out and see Christ’s compassion to the world; Yours are the feet with which God is to go about doing good; Yours are the hands with which God is to bless all humanity now. St. Teresa of Avila As I come to writing this annual report, I do so with a profound sense of thanksgiving. God has been generous to us with people of faith and devotion, joyful hearts and voices. I thank Jesus for the hard work of so many – on the Boards of Management, Parish Council, our Altar Guild, Choir, and Anglican Church Women, Community Life and Growth. We have been blessed with Wardens who work tirelessly (ok, maybe they do get tired) on our behalf – Margie, Marc, Veronica, Sandra Joel, Dean and especially David Bailey, Tammy Kwiatkowski and Denise St. Pierre who with great courage and trust lead the congregation of St. Alban’s through the arduous process of closing. I am thankful for our worship leaders Maureen, Kristin, Margaret, John, Mark, Tony our deacon Derek Davis and especially Jane Buttery who this year has stepped away from her liturgical duties to launch the ministry of prayer “Alongsiders” in the parish, and so many of you who make our worship a true liturgy. We enter 2012 with many challenges and we are not alone. Many Anglican parishes in our diocese are challenged by low church attendance, budget constraints, and various ministry challenges. But I am certain we will continue to bring light to the world in our community as we have done here for over 200 years. This year we say goodbye and profound thanks to John Brush and Merle Shepley who are stepping off the board of management of St. Andrew’s and to Kathy Badlan who has served there as a Sunday school teacher for so many years. We also miss Lorne and Shirley Brown who have in recent years stepped back from their involvement on the board. At Christ Church we need to acknowledge and give thanks for the work done by Rae Martin as he steps off the board and Kathie Block. The wardens, the Boards of Management, parish council and myself appreciate the work of all the groups and individuals in our parish. 2012 will be a year where we will depend on all people to get involved in some way at the church. The church needs the gifts and skills you have to offer. I am grateful to all the dedicated people who work so hard to keep this community running smoothly. This past year our God has helped us to help others in many ways through our Outreach. Our generosity is a reflection of God‘s own desire and love for Creation. We have continued to give financially to help many in need, through the Primate‘s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF), and particularly through the Good Samaritan program, that helps folks in our own community. This past year has seen the continued growth of a new outreach ministry in the form of our bi-monthly community suppers at New Song Church in Windsor – a new ministry for which so many of you have stepped forward to offer yourselves. God has given us the resources to feed the hungry, unemployed, underemployed, lonely, seniors and youth, young families. In Christ‘s name, we have provided a place to meet friends, old and new, and offered people an opportunity to serve others. We continue to support our local food bank, the Salvation Army, our own food cupboard and the community lunches hosted at the United Church in Harrow. As if this were not enough, our God has given us people of prayer and study. Our prayer chain continues as a true gift of love, as is the card ministry at both churches. We have held a number of study groups over this past year including, most recently, a study of the book Prodigal God. All these ministries I see as a gift from God – a gift of people who choose to make a difference in this world. The word ¯church originally comes from the Greek word ¯ekklesia, which means a gathering of people. God‘s gift to us is not just our money, nor is it just our buildings. God’s gift is you! I give thanks for the gift of each of you – I hope that you too share this sense of thankfulness for those gathered around you each Sunday in worship, and at our many events through the year. I have started out my report emphasising our blessings because I fear it is all too easy for us to forget them. There has of course been great sadness and pain at the closing of St. Alban’s but also joy in the possibility of new and renewed relationships. The attention we give to forging lasting relationships in our parish is the attention God would have us give to making disciples to bringing to the world, new life. We cannot continue putting all our energies into bake sales and labour intensive fundraisers. It is distracting us from our mission – to transform lives. We need Jesus the great physician. We need his death, and we need his resurrection. We need to remind ourselves – constantly – of Jesus’ message of new life. We need to say, as Jesus himself said – do not be afraid. And we need to do this, I believe, in some very radical and concrete ways. We need to take some very real leaps of faith. By understanding stewardship in a new way and we need to re-discover our purpose as a parish. Not as a fundraising agency; not as a bake shop or pie making enterprise or service club. We need to answer the question -Why? -Why are we a church? I believe that our purpose, our focus, is God in Jesus His Son. Our goal is the transforming of lives by knowing Christ. I would like to suggest that we take time to refocus our energies. My hope for this new year is that we spend more time together having fun – socializing, holding events that have nothing to do with raising money. My hope too is that we intentionally study together, meeting Jesus together. My challenge to each of you is to join a study group – join one, form one, lead one. We need to talk about Jesus, not just our financial challenges. Jesus has invited us on a great mission – to serve God and to serve God’s people. To do so, we need to be spiritually healthy as a community, as a parent needs to be healthy to care for her or his children. We need to be good stewards of all that God has given us. My prayer is that we may grow together over the next year. I pray that we will be touched by Jesus in new and wondrous ways, just as he touched the lame and the blind. I pray that we will give thanks to God for offering this community a group of loving people, old and young. As we move into the next year with its many challenges, I would urge all to be gentle with one another, treating each other with love and respect. Let’s be patient and work together.
And please, pray for me.
Reverend Christine+ January, 2012
Southern Trinity: Sanctuary for the Spirit
Autumn 2011
“To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it – but we must sail, and not drift nor lie at anchor.” Oliver Wendel Holmes
THE CHALLENGE OF BEING CHURCH
At our recent Synod, several presentations were made that got my attention. They had to do specifically with the tension and challenges that we face today as a mainline church. The presenters gave a very clear picture of how the cultural revolution and change over the past fifty years has impacted the church as a whole.
Many people here were baptized, confirmed, married and buried by the church. Most were active in some congregation and the church played a significant role in the community. Certainly it did not compete with all the choices and conveniences that are now available to us. Even if you did not attend church regularly, you felt that you should. In those days, marriages and families seemed to be more on the same page than not.
The magnitude of change that has occurred since then, however, puts us in a whole new world today. Canada today is no longer considered to be a “churched” culture, where the lives of families revolve around the church. The culture’s understanding of the church is a very mixed bag at best, and one’s spirituality is not necessarily anchored in the disciplines of Christian tradition.
What I heard articulated seems to me to be at the heart of the tension that I feel here in our own
congregation as we find our community composed of two distinctive cultural groups; those born in this rapidly disappearing “churched” culture and those born in the new emerging “non-churched” world of our present day.
Perhaps the greatest challenge for us as an established church is to have the desire, seek the wisdom, and be empowered with a real passion to reach and disciple people from the “un-churched” culture. This we must do, however, without completely tearing the church apart.
My fervent prayer is that our fears of the future and/or our weariness and confusion of the moment will not lead us to retreat behind the walls of “the way we’ve always done things”. Or, worse yet, to hold on to our own level of comfort at the expense of ignoring the potential opportunities for an exciting, but perhaps somewhat different, church where those of us from either generational group might offer to one another priceless gifts that are of God’s own design.
What would this parish family look like if, by God’s will, we could develop a strategy whereby young and old alike could grow deeper in the formation of our Christian faith and thus bear a bolder witness of Christ-likeness to the wider community that God is calling us to serve? Perhaps a more relevant question toward such a vision was raised by a very perceptive pastor who said, “Where does a person’s need for personal comfort end and a person’s commitment to the costliness of the Gospel begin?”
I urge you all to be attentive to your own personal renewal but also to the on-going work of this Body of Christ that we are. Give prayerful thought as to what needs you may be seeking from this community, as well as, what you might meaningfully offer to advance our Lord’s church and His mission. I welcome conversation with you; your questions, thoughts, ideas, needs, concerns, visions and dreams are important to me and to our leadership. May our Lord’s grace be sufficient to keep you strong and steadfast in faith, confident that all things work for the good when our trust is in God alone. Rev.Christine+
A Prayer for our Children
God the creator of us all,
We give thanks for the lives of all our children
Grant us accepting and understanding hearts,
And the gifts of courage and patience to face the challenge of caring for them.
Let your love be seen in our lives
That we may create for them an atmosphere where they will live as full members of the body of Christ, with dignity and worth. Amen.
Important Dates!
September 28th 1st meeting of the musical participants, 7pm St. Andrew’s Harrow
October 6th Election Day-VOTE for a poverty free Ontario!
October 9th Joint Service of Thanksgiving at St. Alban’s.
October 16th This will be the last regular service at St. Alban’s
October 19th Anglican Church Women Quiet Day
October 30th Community Worship Service
November 6th Deanery confirmation service
November 11th 1:30pm Remembrance Service
November & December: Watch for upcoming details on our Christmas musical the St. Andrew’s House Tour!
The Parish of Southern Trinity offers sincere thanks to Jane Buttery on her “retirement” as Lay Reader. Jane’s many years of devoted ministry has enhanced our common life.
Many Blessings, Jane!
Thank you St. Alban’s
St. Alban’s was bought in 1896 and moved north to it’s present location. In the intervening years the people of St. Alban’s provided care for the surrounding community and built strong relationships. It is with some sadness that we say goodbye to the building that had for many years been the centre of this small close-knit community. This is a sacred place where milestones were marked; marriages, baptisms, confirmations and funerals. The ministry of the church continues though, with a bursary and with the gifts they bring to their new homes; the gifts of clear sight and joy, music and strong bonds of kinship. Your Parish family prays you will find comfort and new joy as you journey forward to a new future.
The wonderful “Good Shepherd” window donated by the –family in – has been purchased for installation in Christ Church, where it will enhance the worship space and serve as an important reminder of the community that gathered in front of it for so many years.
FOUNDATIONS FOR STEWARDSHIP: An Awareness of God
Christian Stewardship begins with the awareness of God. It is that simple. If we are aware of God, we realize that there is a higher priority in life. Higher than life itself. Higher than ourselves. When we are aware of God, we finally realize that everything belongs to God. We live in a materialistic society. And the more we accumulate, the more distant God becomes in our lives. And the more we believe that we are the owners, not God. As we push God to the outside of our lives, we become more possessive about money and things. We take the center stage, acting as though we own the world and that the creation is here to serve us and the things we want.
Think about it. We own nothing. We come into this world with nothing and we leave with nothing. We even leave our bodies behind.
Stewardship is at the very heart of faith, and faith is at the very heart of stewardship. Stewardship is far more than giving to the church although it includes that giving. It all begins with an awareness of God at the center of life. What is our Calling?
CONFIRMATION
There will be a Deanery Confirmation on November 6th at St. Mark’s by the Lake. If you know of anyone who would like to be confirmed adult or child, please call the office by October 1st. Classes will start October 22nd.
THANKSGIVING
There will be ONE Thanksgiving service in our parish on October 9th at St. Alban’s. The service will start at 9:30am with light refreshments to follow. Please plan to come and express your thanks to God for the people of St. Alban’s for over 100 years of ministry.
One story among 150,000
You might see me at church on Sunday, sitting next to you, dressed casually. My kids are in Sunday school with yours. You see that I am a single mother and have heard that I am also a full-time student. What you probably didn’t know is that we are living on various types of government assistance.
After several years of physical and emotional abuse I had to take my 6 children and flee my husband, their father. Homeless and in hiding for 3 months, we left our suburban existence, our safe neighbourhood, comfortable sized home, fenced yard and new vehicles behind.
Now we live in subsidized housing, have had to use the food bank and other community services and rely on child tax benefits and OSAP as income. According to the Low Income Cut Off (LICO) standards, a family of our size, should be earning over $45,000 per year in order to ensure that there is sufficient funds to cover basic needs. The combined income from all sources for my family is just half of that.
I am resourceful and determined. It is essential that I provide my kids with the best opportunities that I can and keep them involved in activities so that they stay out of trouble, feel included in the community and are not ostracized due to their economic condition. We are victims of circumstances beyond our control and are forced to make the best it. Now I work diligently at school to earn my degree so that I can help bring my family out of poverty and contribute to the betterment of all society.
In the next election, please remember that poverty is not someone else’s problem. It is everywhere: in your store, hospital, school and church. It could happen to you too.
Here are some things we all can do to make our voices and our votes count:
Pray for all candidates and voters, that we all may be guided, not by self-interest, but by a genuine care for God’s people, and concerns for the needs of our neighbours.
Learn more about the issues. A great source of information is the non-partisan Interfaith Social Assistance Reform Coalition, which is supported by the Anglican Church of Canada along with many other Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Buddhist organizations and denominations. Go to www.faithtoendpoverty.ca.
Engage in dialogue: Discuss the issues with candidates and canvassers who call on you. Visit or write to local candidates to tell them of your concerns about poverty, and ask them to respond. Attend all-candidates meetings and ask questions about their ideas for ending poverty. Social Justice Committee, Diocese Huron
The Prodigal God - Alternative Lectionary for the Diocese of Huron
Week One - The Parable
October 16th
Haggai 1.2-7Psalm 99
Colossians 3.12-17
Luke 15.11-32
Week Two - The People Around Jesus
Isaiah 55.1-5
Psalm 90.1-6, 13-17
Romans 5.6-11
Luke 15.1-10
Week 3 - The Two Lost Sons
Isaiah 49.1-7
Psalm 107.1-7,33-37
Galatians 4.1-7
Mark 10.35-45
Week Four - The Elder Brother
Isaiah 51.9-16
Psalm 78.1-7
Romans 9. 6-15
Luke 18.18-23
Week Five - The True Elder Brother
Isaiah 58.6-12
Psalm 123
Romans 11.13-20
Luke 14.25-33
Week Six - The Father’s Feast - The Feast of Christ the King
Ezekiel 34.11-16, 20-24
Psalm 100
Ephesians 1.15-23
Matt 25.31-46
Deacon’s Table
I am taking this opportunity to thank everyone who continue to support me and my ministry. I am nearing the end of my first year of ordination and it has proven to be exciting, and enlightening. I continue to work in the community, at the Diocesan level with various organizations and committees, but most of all, each Sunday having the opportunity to assist Christine at our Lord’s Table.
This was our third year in doing the “Acre of Hope” program and was only possible through the offerings and hard work of individuals in our church and community. A special thanks to Karen Fox for loaning us the acre, to Jon Taylor and Lyle Clark who worked so hard to ready the land and planting, to Brian Renaud from Harrow Feed for the seeds and lastly Lorne Brown for the donation of sweet potato plants. This past year has taught me much with regards to what we can and cannot control when it comes to farming. Once the seeds were planted we struggled with weather and pests. Then we were invaded by a broadleaf weed that grew like wildfire throughout the acre. Because of manpower and timing we eventually lost the battle but were able to salvage some harvest that went to local families and to other groups in need of our help. The tail-end of August and the month of September have been busy with distributing food that has been donated by various farmers and individuals in the community. We have also have received calls from various churches that have food banks looking for fresh fruit and vegetables. If you know of any farms or individuals that have fruit and vegetables please call the Church office at 519-738-4198 or the Good Samaritan at 519-738-6495 and we can make arrangements to have the produce picked up.
The Meals-On-Wheels program in our community is going strong and we are always looking for volunteers. It takes 4 ½ hours every 4-5 weeks, working with a partner. The cost of a police clearance is covered by Amherstburg Community Services. If you are interested please contact me at the Good Samaritan.
I am looking forward to the programs and workshops being offered in our parish this fall. They will provide an opportunity for spiritual growth, sharing and formation. There is a lot of unrest and darkness in the world, yet I see the growth of the wonderful and beautiful garden that our Lord has planted here in our community. “The Prodigal God” is being offered as a book study by Rev. Christine Downey and will certainly provide us with the opportunity to grow on our spiritual journey. Peace and blessing, Deacon Derek Davis
