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THIS WEEK AT ST JOHN'S
THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT
SCRIPTURE READINGS
Exodus 20:1-17; Psalms 19; 1 Corinthians 1:18-25; John 2:13-22
TO REMEMBER IN PRAYER

Those On Our Hearts
Michelle, Susan, Catherine, Laura, Andrew, 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 Parish of Huntley and their priest The Reverend Baxter Park. 

Our Companion Diocese in Jerusalem & the Middle East
Christ Church, Nazareth, Israel.

Anglican Church of Canada (ACC)
The Right Reverend Sandra Fyfe, Bishop, and the people and clergy of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Evangelical Lutheran Church of Canada (ELCIC)
The dean, council, and congregations of the Northern Area of the Eastern Synod.

Parish Prayer Group
If you wish to have someone prayed for, please call (613) 232-4500 ext 21 or send an email to prayer-request@stjohnsottawa.ca.
JOIN US ONLINE
SUNDAY SERVICE

The Third Sunday in Lent
Sunday, March 7 at 9:30am

Join us here at St John's for online worship this Sunday. We are continuing with our new format this Sunday. Part one of the service will be here on youtube followed by part two on Zoom. Once the service is finished we will have our regular Sunday Coffee Hour.
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:
PARISH COFFEE HOUR

Wednesdays
10am, via Zoom

Join Gary and your fellow parishioners with your favourite mug of coffee/tea to engage in fellowship.

Special Discussion March 10: Engagement with our Community. Please come with ideas on how to build stronger relationships with local citizens, organizations, and businesses.

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.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
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.
TAKE NOTE
THE SHOP

The Shop is opening again this Tuesday, March 9, following strict Covid-19 protocols. Hours are: Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays noon-4pm.

Following careful planning and in compliance with COVID-19 safety protocols, the Shop will be open three days a week, Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday from noon to 4:00 pm. There will be a maximum of 5 customers in the Shop at any time. Shop volunteers will monitor access, assist customers and manage the payment and voucher desks. The Shop has been re-configured to provide more space for customers to physically distance. All customers and volunteers will wear masks.

Come and browse the ever changing array of quality goods at great prices, and chat with the volunteers. As a valuable ministry of St John's outreach, vouchers from local service agencies are honoured to help those in need. Come visit this vibrant part of the Centretown community, accessible from Elgin Street, just near the main entrance to St John's. 

Thanks to donations from many people the Shop has a good selection of goods, especially clothing for winter weather. If you have goods to donate please email communityshop@stjohnsottawa.ca  to arrange a drop-off time.

WALKS WITH GARY

As our new Rector settles into life here in Ottawa, he has suggested a series of walks to explore the neighbourhood/city and to get to know one another. Several of our parishioners have already contacted him and arranged for walks. Please contact him if you have a group of parishioners and/or friends who would like to explore Ottawa together.

Jane Maxwell shared the following link to the National Capital Commissions “Experience Your Winter Capital” site which has the links to maps/locations/parking areas/trails for all the various outdoor activities you can engage in in the city of Ottawa. It includes activities such as classic cross-country skiing, snow shoeing, walking/hiking etc.. 

Here’s the link: https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/experience-your-winter-capital-ottawa-gatineau. Scroll down and explore all the links to the various activities. You will also find links to our two Greenbelts – Stony Swamp (on the west) and Mer Bleue (on the east of the city)….lovely areas to hike/ski.
 
The new trails Jane spoke about which have been developed by local communities with NCC $ support can be found here: https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/places/groomed-multi-use-winter-trails. Scroll down and you will find a description with location and parking for the six city trails. That means you don’t have to drive to Gatineau Park to ski anymore and all kinds of people have really taken advantage of these new ski/snowshoe trails.
FOLLOW ST JOHN'S ON INSTAGRAM

THE THOUSAND DOVES PROJECT

These doves are ready to fly! Be part of the St John’s team supporting the Thousand Doves project. Make doves and and a donation to the diocesan Refugee Ministry (identify Thousand Doves project on your cheque or online donation to St John’s). The display of 1000 origami doves will be installed above the nave of the Cathedral at Pentecost. It will celebrate the contribution of refugees in our communities, raise awareness of the need for refugee sponsorship and enhance our capacity to engage in this life-giving ministry.
Need help? Want information?
Contact Garth Bulmer (garthbulmer@gmail.com)
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.
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.
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.

ONLINE RESOURCES
SCRIPTURE READINGS
NEXT SUNDAY - MAR 14
THE FOURTH SUNDAY IN LENT

Numbers 21:4-9; Psalms 107:1-3, 17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21
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