LOGO angelican
May 2015
Vol 22 Issue 31

Labyrinth


Practicing Month to Month
 

Dear friends

 

Blessings as we begin May and look forward to the beauty and renewal that comes with the summer months.  May is an eventful month at St. Laurence. 

 

This Sunday, May 3, we will have a special information session after the worship service regarding same sex blessings.  It has been over a year since the parish voted 92% in favor of blessing same sex unions.  The corporation wants to update you on the lack of response from Bishop Greg on this matter and outline two options going forward.  Please plan on joining us.  We will be finished by noon if not before. 

 

We also continue to discern a social justice issue to take on as a congregation.  As you can read below in Elizabeth McLennan's article it seems that we have narrowed down our search to the very broad subject of food security.  The next phase is to do some learning and research on this topic.  To this end make sure you don't miss the worship on Sunday, May 31th.  Our own Alison Longson will give a sermon on food security she has given elsewhere in the Diocese in her role as Diocesan PWRDF rep.  We'll also have time to talk with Alison further about this subject.

 

I should also mention that the PWRDF is already working on our behalf to bring relief to the people of Nepal.  Any donations made to PWRDF between April 25 and May 25, 2015 for the Nepal earthquake relief efforts will be matched, dollar for dollar, by the Government of Canada into their Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund, which will be used to provide humanitarian relief in the wake of this catastrophe. You can donate online at www.pwrdf.org/donate or you can write a cheque to PWRDF with Nepal on the memo line and put it in the offertory plate. We will forward it along and the PWRDF will issue a tax receipt. 

 

With every blessing

 

The Rev. Anna Greenwood-Lee 

 

Update on Social Justice by Elizabeth McLennan 

 

Social Justice Update

John 21:17 

The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

 

At our annual general meeting on the 1st of March, Anna challenged us to look outward, to find a Social Justice issue in which we could truly make a difference and in which the whole congregation could be engaged.

We began this search at Conversations, the time we spend together after our Sunday Service.  In the first couple of sessions we developed criteria that we felt this issue should meet. (You can find these criteria on our St. Laurence website (www.stlaurence.ca) under Announcements.)

Then we began looking at issues.  Each week we seemed to come back to issues that fell under the broad category of Food Security. Feeding people; feeding Jesus' sheep.

If you Google Food Security, you come up with approximately 316 million results or "hits". Food Security in Canada gives you about 258 million hits, Food Security in Alberta produces slightly over 2 million hits and Food Security in Calgary does even better at 2.23 million hits! Who knew?  Clearly many people have been working on Food Security issues for many years.

So how do we define Food Security? Naturally there are several definitions out there going back to 1974 when the issue was first recognized. The World Food Summit of 1996 defined food security as existing "when all people at all times have access to sufficient, safe, nutritious food to maintain a healthy and active life".

Since then the definition has been expanded and most groups now use this definition:  Food Security exists "when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life."

Our parish has a history of working in this area both in "food aid" (feeding those around us who are hungry right now) and, through PWRDF, working on longer term projects both in Canada and around the world.

Where are we now?  We're moving forward on two fronts: learning more about the complex problem of Food Security and the many issues embedded in it; and looking for that one project or issue that we can tackle together and make a measurable difference.

What are our next steps?  This month we'll hear from Alison Longson about some of PWDF's initiatives, some of us will continue to go to meetings and workshops to learn more and to connect with others who are working on Food Security, and we will continue to look for that one project where we can all pitch in and make a difference. In the fall, we hope to bring in some speakers to Conversations to share what they've learned and what they have been doing.

At the end of this month, in deference to our short summer season, our Conversations sessions will take their own summer break. In the meantime, plan to attend Sharing Bread: A Food Security Learning Exchange sponsored by the PWRDF, Canadian Foodgrains Bank and the Anglican Diocese of Calgary (see the poster in the Narthex), spend some time surfing the internet to learn more (some of my favourite links are below), join our Food Bank volunteers or the sandwich makers, or grow some vegetables in your own garden or a community garden.

Links:


 

1. Did you know that the City of Calgary developed Food System Assessment and Action plan in 2012?  You can find it here

2. This next link is an important one.  Check out their Advocacy and Policy category. They are also looking to hire a full-time organizer to ensure Food Security becomes an issue in fall Federal election.

www.foodsecurecanada.org/

 3. And finally, check out what's happening in Alberta

www.foodsecurityalberta.org/

 

May at St. Laurence

May 1 to 6 Rev. MJ will be away

 

Sunday May 3 

10:00 am  Eucharist. The Rev. Anna Greenwood-Lee. After the service there will be a brief update from the Corporation on same-sex blessings.

 

Monday, May 4

11:30 am Loretta's Lunch at Lemongrass Restaurant

 

7:30 pm Parish Council Meeting

 

Wednesday, May 6

10:00 am Craft Group

 

Thursday, May 7

9:30 am Contemplative Prayer Group with Geri Urch

 

10: 00 am Pastoral Care Meeting

 

Sunday, May 10

10:00 am Eucharist. The Rev. Anna Greenwood-Lee

No "Conversations" because of Mother's Day

 

Wednesday, May 13

11:30 am Larry's Grill Shillelagh Pub

 

Thursday, May 14

9:30 am Prayer Group with Stuart McKay

 

Sunday, May 17

10:00 am Eucharist. The Rev. MJ Leewis-Kirk. 

Anna will be away

This is also Food Bank Sunday. Please remember to bring you donations.

 

Thursday, May 21

9:30 am Contemplative Prayer Service with Geri Urch

 

Sunday, May 24 Pentecost Sunday

10:00 am Eucharist. The Rev. Anna Greenwood-Lee

 

Monday, May 25 to Thursday May 28 - Clergy Conference with Fr. Bill Miller in Banff. Anna and MJ away.

 

Tuesday, May 26

9:30 am Larry's Griddle Grey Eagle Casino

 

Thursday, May 28

9:30 am Prayer Group with Stuart McKay

 

Sunday, May 31

PWRDF Sunday

10:00 am Eucharist. Alison Longson will preach on Food Security.

This is also Fair Trade Coffee & Tea Sales