THE LAST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
TRANSFIGURATION SUNDAY
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SCRIPTURE READINGS
2 Kings 2:1-12; Psalms 50:1-6; 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Mark 9:2-9
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TO REMEMBER IN PRAYER
Those On Our Hearts
Liz, The Reverend Tim Taylor and the parish of St Anne's, Toronto, The Reverend Gary van der Meer, The Reverend Dr. Caroline Ducros, Gordon, Gregory and all who minister at St John's.
Our Diocese
The Director of Community Ministries The Reverend Canon Dr. Peter John Hobbs and members of the Community Ministries Committee. Resurrection Lutheran Church and their pastor Mei Sum Lai. All called to vocations in the priesthood and religious life.
Our Companion Diocese in Jerusalem & the Middle East
Christ Church, Nazareth, Israel.
Anglican Church of Canada (ACC)
The Bishop, the people and clergy of the Diocese of Eastern Newfoundland and Labrador.
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada (ELCIC)
The dean, council, and congregations of the Central Toronto Area and Greater Toronto Areas East and West of the Eastern Synod.
Parish Prayer Group
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THIS WEEK'S MESSAGE FROM
GARY AND GORDON
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SUNDAY SERVICE
The Last Sunday After The Epiphany
Transfiguration Sunday
Sunday, February 14 at 9:30am
Join us here at St John's for online worship this Sunday. There is something magical about being able to greet one another in the chat bar while we worship together virtually from the comfort of our own homes. Enjoy the service live at 9:30am, or watch it later at your convenience.
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SUNDAY COFFEE HOUR
Following the online service, there will be a Zoom "coffee hour", a time
to check in with each other and share thoughts and feelings.
To join the Zoom:
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PARISH COFFEE HOUR
Wednesdays
10am, via Zoom
Join Gary and your fellow parishioners with your favourite mug of coffee/tea to engage in fellowship.
Mark your calendars and on the day "zoom in" at this link at 10 am to catch up with parish friends both new and old.
ps: If you don't have computer access and would like to join this coffee hour call the Church Office and we can provide you with instructions on how to access via telephone.
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ASH WEDNESDAY
ONLINE SERVICE
Wednesday, February 17th at 7:30pm
Please join us for a live online Ash Wednesday Service from St John's over Zoom. The service will follow the PWRDF Ash Wednesday Virtual Supper in the same zoom room.
Gary will be handing out ashes for anyone who would like to receive them at the Bell Tower entrance to the church on Monday, February 15th from 9-11am and on Tuesday, February 16th from 5-7pm.
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MEET OUR NEW RECTOR
Saturday, February 13th from 5-6pm
Meet our new Rector, The Reverend Gary van der Meer at a virtual cocktail party hosted by the wardens of St John’s.
Gary will take up his duties on February 1, 2021 and as we are unable to meet him in person at this time, grab your favourite beverage and snacks and join us via Zoom to meet our new Rector informally.
To join the cocktail party, any of the following options are available to you:
or manually enter:
Zoom Meeting ID: 959 8557 5017
Passcode: 672622
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ASH WEDNESDAY
VIRTUAL SUPPER
Wednesday, February 17th at 7pm
Please join us virtually, with a bowl of soup on Wed. Feb. 17th at 7pm. for our annual PWRDF Ash Wednesday Supper, to be followed by our Ash Wednesday service at 7:30 p.m. We are delighted to welcome Will Postma, Executive-Director of The Primate’s World Relief & Development Fund. Mr. Postma will bring us up-to-date on PWRDF’s pandemic response to our African partners. They are working hard to deliver our maternal and newborn health programs in four African countries. This is our annual fundraiser for PWRDF at St. John’s and we welcome your donations. You can donate directly to PWRDF via their website - https://pwrdf.org/give-today/. When donating online please note the Diocese of Ottawa and St. John’s Parish in the Comments section. Many thanks for your support!
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WALK WITH GARY
Thursday, February 18th at 2pm
Join Gary for a walk around the neighbourhood. Meet at the church, Somerset entrance. First stop is Starbucks or another coffee place as it’s to be a leisurely social walk (not a power walk), of getting to know the neighbourhood, it’s people and it’s needs, as well as a social time of conversation and visiting as we walk.
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ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING
Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 12pm
Please join us for our annual parish decision making and budget setting meeting.
This year, our meeting will be held via Zoom. There will be a pre-registration process which will include the following declaration:
I agree to the following Solemn Declaration as proof of my capacity to participate and vote in this meeting: “I solemnly declare that: I am a member of this congregation of the Anglican Church of Canada; I am of the full age of sixteen years; I am a regular worshipper with this congregation; I do not intend to vote as a member of any other Vestry in any other Anglican Parish in the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa during the ensuing year; and I am a supporter of this congregation by regular contributions to its maintenance.”
Voting will be done using a polling mechanism, a feature within the Zoom platform. Where there is more than one person in a household attending the meeting from a single device, one person will vote using the polling mechanism and the other person(s) may vote using the chat feature. Instructions will be given during the meeting.
Details on how to connect to the Zoom meeting will be provided in the near future.
For those unable to attend via Zoom, an option to attend via telephone will be provided.
Please note: Corporation will host a pre-Vestry financial update, also via Zoom, on Sunday February 21st at 12:00 Noon. Details to follow.
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IN-PERSON WORSHIP SUSPENDED
BEGINNING DECEMBER 27, 2020
Due to a province-wide lockdown, In-Person Worship was suspended beginning December 27, 2020. We have moved to an Online Worship format. See the link above or visit our YouTube Channel to watch our services online.
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St John the Evangelist's New Incumbent Arrives!
Our new Incumbent, The Reverend Gary van der Meer begins his time at St John's this week. Gary has been meeting with the wardens, participating in the Wednesday morning coffee zoom, preparing his first homily for the Sunday service on February 7th at 9:30am, and will be joining the coffee hour afterwards. Welcome, Gary...we are all so glad you have come to be with us!
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ARCHDEACON PAT JOHNSTON WRITES
On Monday of this week I was happily surprised to answer the door and find a lovely gift basket sent by the parish of St. John’s to thank me for my time as interim priest-in-charge. As Jamie and I work our way through the great snacks (chocolate, pistachios, cheese and wine and so much more) we will fondly remember our time with you. Many thanks!
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GEISTMUSIK
WITH
MATTHEW LARKIN
AT ST JOHN'S
Matthew explores Elgin Street and invites us through the beautiful doors, narthex and sanctuary of St John's. The video concludes with Matthew playing Bach's “Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten” (BWV 642).
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CAUTION - FAKE EMAIL REQUESTS
There have been several reports this week of fake emails that appear to come from clergy in the Diocese of Ottawa requesting help of various kinds. Often these ask for the purchase of gift cards to help with pastoral matters. Please do not fall prey to these scams! If you think a request might be legitimate, first call the clergy member and be certain you have the right person. It would be highly unusual for clergy to ask for your help in this way. The diocese has published a helpful document to recognize fake versus legitimate emails.
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THE THOUSAND DOVES PROJECT
Building on 40 years of experience, our diocesan refugee ministry has been able to support hundreds of the world's most vulnerable people to have a new beginning in the Ottawa region. Together, we can do even more to help our global neighbours who are forced to seek a safe place to rebuild their lives.
With your help, the people of the Diocese will celebrate and support this work by creating 1,000 paper doves and, beginning on Pentecost Sunday, spreading their wings of hope above the nave of Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa.
This will be a unique art installation celebrating the contribution of refugees in our communities, raising awareness of the need for refugee sponsorship, and enhancing our capacity to engage in this life-giving ministry.
BE PART OF THE THOUSAND DOVES PROJECT BY FOLLOWING THESE 5 EASY STEPS!
Step #2: Collect pledges from family, friends, and other sponsors for your doves. Visit online donation form.
Step #3: Follow these step-by-step instructions to make your doves Video, how to make a paper dove (you can use any white paper, but larger squares make bigger doves).
Step #4: Bring your doves to one of our church drop-off locations by May (you will receive detailed information on the process for collecting the doves).
Step #5: See your doves as part of the flock of a thousand at Christ Church Cathedral! You will receive information on the May 23 livestream "reveal", and how to view the installation safely in person.
THANK YOU FOR SPREADING WINGS OF HOPE IN SUPPORT OF THE ANGLICAN DIOCESE OF OTTAWA'S REFUGEE MINISTRY. For more information please visit the following link.
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TAXES FOR 2020
Tax receipts for 2020 donations to St. John’s have been prepared and are being mailed to all recipients. A printout of quarterly donations by category is included with the receipt. Please review this to ensure that you have been credited with the full amount of your donation to St. John’s for 2020. Should you have any questions please email Peggy Lister, Envelope Secretary, at peggylister@rogers.com or leave a message for her at the church office.
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PARISH ADMINISTRATION AT ST JOHN'S
In the interim time between Laura's departure and the arrival of our new incumbent the Reverend Gary van der Meer, Corporation has decided not to hire a new Parish Administrator. Instead, we will cover the many activities that Laura Macdonald handled in a number of ways.
Firstly, our music director Gordon and Cara Gilbertson will manage parish communications (Sunday bulletins, This Week at St John's e-newsletter and the website).
Secondly, a roster of volunteers comprising Vicki Robinson, Emmy Verdun and Bea Robertson will cover most of the day-to-day administration tasks including handling correspondence such as email, regular mail, phone messages, etc., procuring church supplies, coordinating activities of various church groups, and so on.
Finally, Ted Reeve, a member of our newly established Property & Building Committee will look after rentals. Many thanks go to all those who have agreed to help out.
Corporation believes that this arrangement will carry us through until such time as Gary is here with us at St John's and we can work together to develop a long-term plan for the various activities related to parish administration at St John's.
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NEXT SUNDAY - FEB 21
THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT
Genesis 9:8-17; Psalms 25:1-9; 1 Peter 3:18-22; Mark 1:9-15
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ST JOHN THE EVANGELIST
ANGLICAN CHURCH
154 Somerset Street West, Ottawa, ON K2P 0H8
613-232-4500
office@stjohnsottawa.ca
The Reverend Gary van der Meer, Rector
The Reverend Dr Caroline Ducros, Deacon
The Reverend Michael Hicks, Honourary Assistant Emeritus
Dr Gordon Johnston, FRCCO, Organist and Choirmaster
Detlef Dransch, Rector’s Warden
Stephen Giles, People's Warden
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