Dear Friends, 

 

This Sunday, November 1st, All  Souls Day, is of course the 'morning after' Halloween. It is also the Sunday the clocks 'fall back' one hour so enjoy that extra hour before coming to church. As part of our continued work on Food Security we have a multi-generational activity planned for the service and need all of you to bring your leftover and unwanted Halloween candy to church this Sunday. There will be bowls waiting for you in the narthex for you to dump it in when you arrive. 

 

The rest of the schedule for November is in the side column below.  Please note we are planning a soup lunch after church on Sunday, November 15th.  We are looking for 8 volunteers to bring a pot or crock pot of soup.  In making it please pay attention to how far the ingredients travel.  How easy is it to buy and eat local?   Last Sunday there was a picture in the bulletin illustrating how the ingredients for a can of stew might travel 22 500 km before landing in your kitchen.  Surely we can do better than that. We also need volunteers for set up and clean up on the 15th. If you can help please sign up on the sheets on the narthex or send a quick reply to this email. 

 

The other November celebration you won't want to miss is the party on Friday, November 27th at 7:30 pm to celebrate and dedicate our new Grand Piano.   There will be a short recital, hors d'oeuvres and bubbly.  Please invite friends, family and neighbours.   We encourage you to wear your 'grandest' clothes.  Whether that be your grandest jeans or your grandest ball gown is all up to you.

 

As we continue to look at reading the Bible as a spiritual practice please take a moment to read my article below about the daily office as a good way to enter into regular Bible reading.

 


 

With every blessing, 

Anna Greenwood-Lee
St. Laurence Anglican Church
403-249-6184 x. 2
Regular Bible Study
As we continue to look at the spiritual practice of reading the Bible I want to be clear about one thing. Anglicans read more Bible than most any other denomination. But, by and large we do so as a part of worship.   Anglicans have a long and rich tradition of Morning and Evening Prayer and reading and singing Scripture makes up the bulk of those daily services or, as we say, offices.

For all sorts of reasons these fell out of fashion in all but monasteries, seminaries and Cathedrals over the past few decades. The good news is that the 'Daily Office' is making a resurgence in Anglican life. People are seeking genuine ways to live and express their faith, not only on Sundays, but during the week. Anglicans are discovering or re-discovering that the practice of saying and/or singing Morning and Evening prayer is a wonderful addition and companion to regular Sunday Eucharistic Worship.

The Liturgy Task Force of our National Church has recently completed some excellent work revising the daily offices. If you'd like to have a look at their work it can be found at http://www.anglican.ca/about/liturgicaltexts/trialuse/ They have done excellent work but are a ways away from putting this resource in a user-friendly format. 

If you are looking for a user friendly version of the Daily Offices the one I use is .   www.missionstclare.com. This Mission of St. Clare is a virtual community or, really, a website and app, run by lay and clergy from our Anglican neighbors in the U.S.   It was started by a faithful layperson who worked 60 hours a week in Silicon Valley but who wanted to integrate the daily offices into their day. Why St. Clare?   They decided she was as good as anyone to be the patron saint of the Internet!

The St. Clare website and the corresponding app mean that if you can connect to the internet you are one click away from Daily Morning and Evening Prayer with all the Bible readings from the daily lectionary, all the Psalms and Canticles for the day, all worked in. There is even music you can click on and listen to if you like. 

If you're thinking why would I bother with this? Here are a few ideas
  • If you would like to integrate regular readings of Scripture into your life reading Scripture as part of devotions or worship is always a much richer experience than just reading it alone. As Christians we read the Bible and we pray and it's best when those two activities are paired.
  • Using this site means you will be following the daily lectionary that is followed by Christians throughout the world
  • Perhaps you cannot get to church or you would like worship alone at home or with a few people who join you either in person or virtually? This resource allows you to do both. 1500 people use this website daily.
  • If you would like to integrate more prayer into your life but need help, this resource gives you ancient beautiful prayers
  • Music - Simply listening to the hymns and chants included on the website is a devotion unto itself.
  
I cannot tell you how many people I have met who decide they should read the Bible and start at the beginning and get part way through Numbers and give up.   It's not a surprise this happens as the Bible isn't mean to be read this way. It is best read in the context of worship. I encourage you to give it a try and see what God might work in and through you.
  
  
Yours faithfully,

The Rev. Anna Greenwood-Lee  
 
  
November at St. Laurence
 
Sunday, November 1 All Souls Day.  10:00 am Eucharist with multi-generational food exercise during the service. Conversations after the service on Food Sovereignty

Monday, November 2
11:30 am Loretta's Lunch Lemongrass Restaurant

Tuesday, November 3
Animate Bible Study 
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm 
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm 

Thursday, November 5
9:30 am Contemplative Prayer Service with Geri Urch

Sunday, November 8
10:00 am Remembrance Day Service. The Rev. Carolyn Herold preaching.

Thursday, November 10
Animate Bible Study
1:30 pm - 3:00 pm
7:30 pm - 9:00 pm

Wednesday, November 11
11:30 am Larry's Grill and Shillelagh Pub West Market

Thursday, November 12
9:30 am Prayer Group wit Stuart McKay

Sunday, November 15
10:00 am Eucharist. The Rev. Anna Greenwood-Lee preaching. Soup lunch after the service.This is also Food Bank Sunday - please bring donations. 

Monday, November 16 
7:30 pm Parish Council Meeting

Wednesday, November 18
10:00 am - 12 noon Ladies Coffee Time

Thursday, November 19
9:30 am Contemplative Prayer Service with Geri Urch 

Sunday, November 22
10:00 am Baptism of Noah Manning son of Kathleen Gardiner-Manning and Rob Manning.  The Rev. Anna Greenwood-Lee preaching.  We also ask that all stewardship pledge forms be returned by this date.  

Tuesday, November 24
9:30 am Larry's Griddle Grey Eagle Casino

Thursday, November 26
9:30 am Prayer Group with Stuart McKay
 
Friday, November 27  
 7:30 pm Party to celebrate our new Hoffman Grand Piano

Sunday, November 29
10:00 am Eucharist. The Rev. Carolyn Herold preaching.