Christ Church

18 19
Wednesday February 20, 2013
(Anne Germond)
Readings For The Day
John 3:1?10
Psalm 51:1?13
Luke 11:29?32
Psalm 51:1-2
?Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast
love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my
transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and
cleanse me from my sin.?
Ps. 51: 11-13
?Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take
your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit. Then I will teach
transgressors your ways, and sinners will return to you.?
Almighty God, to you all hearts are open,
all desires known, and from you no secrets are
hidden. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by
the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that we may
perfectly love you, and worthily magnify your
holy name; through Christ our Lord.
(BAS pg. 771)
?Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall
return+?; ?Remember that you are dust?+?;
?Remember+?; ?Remember+?. The words are
repeated over and over again and can be heard throughout
the church on Ash Wednesday as people line up to receive
a smudged ash cross on their forehead. Then it is my turn
to hear the same words spoken to me as a cross is made
on mine. ?Remember that you are dust, and to dust you
shall return+?. What are we to remember as we carry that
smudge with us through the day, and though faded, through
the season of Lent? They are a powerful reminder of our
mortality, but also that we are sinners in need of repentance.
Lent is an opportunity for us to be honest about
the power and the hold that sin can have over our lives
when we refuse to acknowledge them or turn away from
them. We live with the guilt, the shame, and the disgrace
of what we have done, of who we have hurt, or of what
we have neglected to do as followers of Jesus. David?s
sin was so great that he likely wailed when he sang of his
transgressions and pleaded to God for forgiveness. ?Wash
me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from me
sin.?(vs.2)
Yet, even as we confront our failures this Lent our
ashes are also there as reminder that our brokenness is no
match for God?s grace. ?Remember, remember, remember.?
Remember that at Baptism we were made children of God
and with a cross of oil on our foreheads anointed as Christ?s
forever.
It is in the very moment that we acknowledge our
helplessness before God that the way back to God is
opened for us again. David also sings of this ? ?Restore
to me the joy of your salvation.? (vs. 11) Our sin is not
the end. The promise of forgiveness and life in union with
Jesus Christ, a life of meaning, purpose and ministry is.
As you carry the ashes with you throughout Lent,
may they remind you that they are a sign of renewal and
recreation, and that our God will not rest until we are all
transformed to His likeness.

We have been invited to participate in a great day of training for those who are interested in being home or hospital visitors - or who just want to learn how to listen better. You can register directly and just go - but there may be some folks willing to carpool, so if you are interested please talk to Rev. Marie and we will try to facilitate this.

Here is the important information:
The Manitou Conference of The United Church of Canada will be holding the second of three session in Pastoral Visitation on Saturday 27 January 2013. The first session was excellent and attended by many people from different denominations. Speakers include Lianne Tooley, The Ven. Anne Germond, Rev. Catherine Somerville, and Rev. Dawn Vaneyk. If you are interested in attending click on the following links

http://www.manitoulearningcommunity.com/

For more information contact Gillian 705 671 0185 gschell@laurentian.ca

Looking forward to seeing you there!

On the last evening before his crucifixion Jesus prayed for unity among his followers.

For a number of years, there has been an international effort towards that unity that is marked by a Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. You can find lots of information, prayers and devotions at

http://www.oikoumene.org/

Locally, the downtown churches have a tradition of joining together for a service of worship. This year we are delighted to be the host church for this important service.

Please join us at Christ Church on Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 2 pm for a joyous service of unity with our ecumenical brothers and sisters!

NOTE CHANGE OF DATE

Instructed Eucharist
Why do the people at the front wear those unusual clothes? Who figures out which scriptures we read? Why do we pray THAT prayer at that time in the service? Why do we do things in the same order all the time - wouldn't it be more fun and creative to mix this stuff up?

I know that I wondered about lots of these things - but I was too embarrassed to ask someone! I think lots of us would have trouble answering all those questions, whether we are newer Anglicans, exploring the idea of being an Anglican, or we have been in this tradition for years.

On Friday January 18, at 6:30 pm you will have a chance to ask and explore lots of these kinds of questions as we celebrate an "Instructed Eucharist". This is a full Eucharistic service, with explanations of why and when as we go along/

Come along and learn together. You will find that the investment of a couple of hours will enrich your worship from then on!

See you there

Rev. MArie

Hello everyone

Just a reminder that our annual meeting will be at a different day and time this year - Wednesday January 23, 2013 at 7 pm.

Please plan to be there. We have lots of important things to discuss, and well, its just good to get the family together!

If you consider Christ Church your home congregation, you are a voting member ( the only requirements under church law are that you be 16 years old, be a regular attender and contribute to the church).

If you are very new and still "checking us out" to see if this is where you will settle - you are also very welcome. It is a good chance to understand how things work and who does what.

We have a number of committee and positions that will need filling so if you have any interest at all in being more involved, or changing the focus of your involvement please talk to Rev. Marie or the wardens before the meeting. All of us are given gifts to be used for the good of God's kingdom and we want to use all the wonderful gifts with which God has blessed this congregation!

See you there

In the meantime - pray and pray. We need to hear God's voice!
Rev. Marie

We grieve with our dear Muriel dePencier at the sudden passing of her brother, Charles, on Boxing Day. Visitation will be at the funeral home from 2 to 4 on Saturday December 29 with the funeral at Martyn's on Sunday afternoon at 2 pm (Rev. Marie celebrating).

We know Muriel and her family will treasure your expressions of comfort and care.

We pray for Muriel's strength and presence as she lives out the truth of 2 Corinthians 1, comforting her family with the comfort she receives from the God of all comfort!

Yours in the hope of the resurrection
Rev. Marie

Family

On Tuesday evening, at 7, we will be looking at a "snapshot" of our givings and spending patterns as a church. You are all invited to join us and to comment, ask questions (even hard ones!) and to discuss in love our future as stewards of God's good gifts to us.
See you there!
Rev. MArie

The music of Christmas is so wonderful - and we have so few chances to really sing it! SO if you enjoy singing, playing an instrument, just listening or "making a joyful noise" there are three great opportunities to do that and to share the joy of Christmas with others at the same time. In date order here they are:

Sunday December 16 at 7 pm at Christ Church - Our Annual Community Carol Sing!
This just keeps getting better every year! Bring your neighbours, friends and family for a relaxed time of singing, cider and goodies!

Thursday December 20 afternoon at NEMHC
We join our friends at the Northeastern Mental Health Centre for a rollicking time of singing and goodies. This is a time when our gift of a couple of hours ends up being a blessing to all of us! No experience required! For details phone 705-474-3170

Sunday December 30, a Neighbourhood Carol Sing beginning at 241 Victoria St. East at 6:45
We have received this lovely invitation from our sister church, St. John's, who are offering this event in cooperation with Calvin Presbyterian Church.

On December 30th we will be going Christmas carolling! We will meet at Fr. Nussey's house (241 Victoria St. East) at 6:45 and carol through the neighbourhood. We will return to his house for hot chocolate and goodies. We hope many of your parishioners will take part!

Joy To The World - Let's sing it out!!!