Hello all.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! This Sunday is Pentecost, sometimes referred to as the birthday of the Church. It occurs 50 days after Easter and is the end of the Easter season. At Pentecost the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles and it marks the beginning of the Christian Church's mission to the world. The Apostles began to speak in many languages as does the Church today. To remind us all of this great truth this Sunday the lessons will be read in several languages.
The Greatest Hymn Challenge. St. Nicholas Anglican Church Birch Cliff (Toronto) is organizing their second competition. It starts with 64 hymns and works its way down to 1. Nancy and I did it last year. It's good fun and you get to hear some great hymns. For more information go to the following link: 2024 Hymn Bracket Challenge (mailchi.mp)
Upcoming Executive and Parish Council Meetings. Here is the plan:
Executive Meeting - Sunday, May 26th following the 10 am service
Executive Meeting (TBC) - Monday, June 17th, before the Parish Council meeting
Parish Council Meeting - Monday, June 17th at 7:00 pm
Report on the 184th Synod of the Diocese of Huron the 184th Synod of the Diocese of Huron was held online. After the Bishop delivered his address, speaking to the new Diocesan Plan (see item below), the notable agenda item was for Synod to elect clergy and lay delegates to Provincial Synod. Provincial Synod will next meet in Sault Ste. Marie, the Diocese of Algoma, from Sept. 24-26, 2024.
The voting took place by house in a process conducted electronically. Delegates had until last Friday morning to cast their electronic ballots, after which point the names of the elected delegates were announced. And the delegates are:
Clerical Representatives: The Venerable Tanya Phibbs, the Reverend Canon Dr. Grayhame Bowcott, the Reverend Amanda Longmoore, and the Reverend Aidan Armstrong.
1st Alternate: The Very Reverend Dr. Kevin George; 2nd Alternate: The Reverend Dr. Justin Comber
Lay Representatives: Henriette Thompson, Rick McCarty, Dr. Malcolm Wood, and John Sizeland
1st Alternate: James Rigney; 2nd Alternate: Ray Jones
Opportunity to Offer Feedback on Diocesan Plan - TURNING TO GRACE Save the date: there is an upcoming opportunity to offer feedback on Bishop Townshend's Diocesan Plan, titled TURNING TO GRACE. The draft of this plan has recently been made available on the Diocese of Huron website, via this link: https://diohuron.org/our-bishop/bishop-todds-vision-for-the-diocese
The meeting will take place on Monday, June 3, 4:30 pm - 5:00 pm on Zoom.
At this meeting we will be joined by Archdeacon Tanya and provided an opportunity to share our thoughts on this Diocesan Plan. This is an open invitation to anyone in the Deanery (not just those on Deanery Council). Anyone interested in participating can register to receive the Zoom link when it becomes available by emailing stmartinslondon@diohuron.org.
Choral Evensong - Sunday, June 2 at 4:00 pm All are welcome to St. Martin-in-the-Fields for Choral Evensong in the tradition of the Book of Common Prayer. The propers for Corpus Christi will be observed at this service.
Safe Church Training - Sunday, June 9th following the 10:00 am Choral Eucharist Anyone who serves in a volunteer ministry role that is categorized as being 'high risk' or 'medium risk' is required to renew their Safe Church training every three years. There will be an opportunity to renew this training in-person on Sunday, June 9th immediately following the 10:00 am service.
For those who are unable to attend, and for anyone who is unsure of whether they require the training, please speak with Rev. Sarah.
Mid-week BCP Holy Communion The 10:00 am Wednesday service of Holy Communion will continue through to the Pentecost Ember Day on May 22nd, before taking a break for the summer months.
St. Michael and All Angels ABBA Tribute Pub Night
Friday, June 7th, 397 Springbank Dr.
Doors open at 6:00 pm; concert starts at 7:00 pm
Tickets $30
The ABBA Tribute Singers will be performing at St. Michael and All Angels at a Pub Night on June 7th. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased by sending an e-transfer labelled "ABBA" to stmichael397@gmail.com. Beer and wine will be available for purchase; snacks are provided. Feel free to wear your disco duds!
St. Paul's Social Services - Thank you to everyone for your ongoing contributions . I cannot overemphasize the importance of your consistent donation to St. Paul’s, they are so very grateful. I publish this weekly because the need doesn't go away. Also, they can use small articles of clothing such as socks, gloves and hats. They tell me they can use jackets and boots in good condition. It's still cold & sometimes wet . They are not a clothing depot, but they like to keep an eye on their clients.
St. Paul's Social Services is an outreach program, a part of which is the St. Paul's Food Bank. Your generous donations help support it. But where to leave your donations?? Look for the bin in the cloakroom marked "St. Paul's Food Bank". Food of all descriptions should be the first priority. Please give what you can. In addition to food, toiletries, especially in small sizes are always useful. Containers, plastic and reusable bags can be used as well. Monetary donations are also well received as it lets them buy items which are needed but not always donated or they buy in bulk. Like everyone else they are being hit by the rising price of food. Please make cheques payable to St. Paul's Social Services. Tax receipts will be issued directly by St. Paul's Social Services.
Milk Bags. The ladies who are crocheting milk bags into mats for the homeless are still at it. They are pleased to take as many as we can send them. It takes a quantity of bags to make one mat. Unfortunately, the need is great, and it keeps the bags out of the landfill. Please put them in the bin marked "Milk Bags" in the cloakroom.
Email Address Please check that you have our correct email address in your contacts. It is stmartinslondon@diohuron.org . The old email address is no longer supported, and we will be losing access to it soon. Also, if you change your email address, please let us know so we can update our records.
Readings for Pentecost
Ezekiel 37:1-14, Psalm 104:25-35,37b, Acts 2:1-21, John 15:26-27, 16:4b-15
Parish Family Circle of Prayer – As we gather this week we pray for the following members of our congregation and their families.
Andrew & Elizabeth McIntosh Ian & Dianne McIntosh
Anne McLean Ian & Phyliss Mitchell
Have a good week all. See you Sunday.
Ian
Ian Haley
Church Warden