THIS WEEK AT ST JOHN'S

Concert *this* Sunday 2 pm

READINGS FOR THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2, 8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8

TO REMEMBER THIS WEEK IN PRAYER OUR CLERGY Beth+, John+, Caroline+, Gary+ and Michael+ IN OUR DIOCESE St John the Baptist, Richmond; the Canon Theologian, The Reverend Canon Dr. John Gibaut; and for hospital and nursing home ministries IN OUR COMPANION DIOCESE IN JERUSASLEM The Medical Ministry at The Palestine Hospital, Amman, Jordan. THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA Our Primate, Archbishop Fred Hiltz and staff of the Primate’s Office of the Anglican Church of Canada. THE EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH OF CANADA The National Bishop Susan Johnson and national staff of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada.   FLOWERS ON SUNDAY The flowers at the altar are given to the glory of God in celebration of the lives of Marcus and Sylvia Cloete by their children and grandchildren. PARISH PRAYER GROUP If you wish to have someone prayed for please email  prayerrequest@stjohnsottawa.ca   or call (613) 232-4500 ext 21.

Parish Activities - The Week Ahead at a Glance MONDAY Centering Prayer – 4.30 pm, Youth Lounge Thrift Shop Luncheon – noon, The Hall

Construction News: The Elgin Street ramp is now closed, and will remain closed for the duration of demolition and construction in January and February  The garage-type door access to the Parish Hall and washrooms from the Sanctuary will also remain closed for the duration of demolition and construction, and the area will be sealed off by construction hoarding The impact is: Access to the washrooms will be through the music storage room during services, or through the chancel door when the service is not in progress Coffee hour will be held in the chapel, and we will try serving just juice and cookies because of the difficult logistics of making/carrying coffee to the chapel from either kitchen There will be no choir procession/recession at the beginning/end of the service We are thankful for the guidance of the professional Team of Engineers and the Construction Crew that are helping us with this difficult situation and we are especially grateful for the patience and adaptability of all of those people who work, worship, visit and volunteer here at St John's!

Needed: Quilts for Christmas Eve A Christmas Bedtime Story, the service for children and the young at heart on Christmas Eve at 7 pm, features quilts on the floor for the children to sit upon. If you are able to lend a colourful quilt or blanket, please drop them off at Reception.

Women Helping Women You can help! Take an old purse, fill it up with anything a women struggling with homelessness may use (specifically sanitary hygiene products) and donate it to this cause! From December 4th to 11th Drop off locations are: • Ottawa Police Station – 474 Elgin St. • Ottawa Police Station – 3343 St. Joseph Blvd • Ottawa Police Station – 211 Huntmar Drive • Shoppers Drug Mart – 1469 Merivale Road • Shoppers Drug Mart – 181 Greenbank Rd • Shoppers Drug Mart – 499 Terry Fox Dr • Shoppers Drug Mart – 3781 Strandherd Rd • Shoppers Drug Mart – 3310 McCarthy Rd Or you can bring them to Heidi Danson at the Synod office 71 Bronson Ave. After December 11 – all donations can be brought directly to a shelter of your choice.  See the facebook page: www.facebook.com/WHWPP/

Christmas Shopping at St John's THRIFT SHOP!  Sunday, December 10th at noon St John’s Community Thrift Shop will be open at noon on Sunday so that you can do some Christmas shopping before the Concert. Stop by and see the amazing deals available just beyond that red door on Elgin Street.

Music for Advent & Christmas  Sunday, December 10th 2 pm, St John's Nave St John’s choir will be joining with the choir of Woodroffe United Church and the Strings of St John's chamber orchestra to present a concert of music for the festive season. The principal work on the programme will be the Magnificat in D by Johann Sebastian Bach. Tickets at $20 available at the door.

ADVENT & CHRISTMAS SERVICES THE SECOND SUNDAY OF ADVENT – DECEMBER 10TH  8 am and 10.15 am Eucharist Celebrate love! THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT – DECEMBER 17TH   8 am and 10.15 am Eucharist Celebrate joy! NOON EUCHARIST – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 21ST  Once a month we gather for a short, quiet eucharist. CHRISTMAS EVE – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 24TH   A Christmas Bedtime Story – 7 pm For the young and young-at-heart! Bring the kids (pyjamas welcome) and their favourite soft toy. Casual Carols & Hot Drinks – 9.30 pm Enjoy hot apple cider and singing carols around the piano. A Christmas Eve Celebration – 10.30 pm A beautiful candlelit communion service. CHRISTMAS DAY – MONDAY, DECEMBER 25TH Christmas Day Communion – 10.15 am A quiet and relaxed morning celebration of Jesus’ birth. EPIPHANY – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 31ST 8 am and 10.15 am Eucharist Celebrate the arrival of the magi!

Flowers for Christmas You can help the Altar Guild decorate the church for Christmas! Please make a donation to St John's, noting that it is for Christmas Flowers. If you would like to remember loved ones with these flowers, please also include a note with their name(s). You can put your donation in the collection plate on any Sunday or drop it off at the Church Office.

AdventWord 2017! The online advent calendar AdventWord, which draws together peoples’ prayers and meditations around a daily theme, will be available again this year. Images and meditations will be made available via email, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. During the 23 days of Advent, a daily email featuring the AdventWord of the day, will go out at 5 am in the recipients own time-zone. Respondents are encouraged to share their responses to the meditations and images using social media and the hashtag #AdventWord ( www.adventword.org/sign-up/).

SCRIPTURE READINGS  *next* week READINGS FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 ; Psalm 126 ;  1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28

St John the Evangelist Anglican Church  www.stjohnsottawa.ca  154 Somerset St. W., Ottawa, ON K2P 0H8 613-232-4500 office@stjohnsottawa.ca On facebook! here --->   StJfb The Reverend Canon Beth Bretzlaff, Rector BGen (Ret’d) The Venerable John Fletcher, Associate Priest The Reverend Dr Caroline Ducros, Deacon The Reverend Canon Dr Gary Hauch, Honourary Assistant The Reverend Michael Hicks, Honorary Assistant Dr Gordon Johnston, FRCCO, Organist and Choirmaster Laura Macdonald, Church Administrator Brian Cameron, Rector’s Warden Wendy Williamson-Scrim, People's Warden