Dear Friends,

A very happy Easter to you all.  April and the Easter season are upon us and there is much to celebrate and look forward to.   A schedule for the month is in the sidebar. 

Of special interest this month are two performances of a play by Jonathan Brower of Third  Street Theatre, Oblivion.  Oblivion is a semi-autobiographical story that beautifully portrays the complexities surrounding faith and queer identity.  Paralyzed by his past, Tim stands at a crossroad where he must decide the future of this faith before it destroys him. Act One is a 60-minute staged reading where professional actors interpret the play with the script in their hands.  Act Two is a conversation with the audience. In past performances, the conversation has lasted 30-60 minutes but exact timing is up to the presenter. This act allows for reflection, feedback and dialogue and is an opportunity for audience members to tell their own stories, ask questions of the artists, and digest what they have just witnessed together.

St. Laurence and the Wisdom Centre have partnered with Knox Presbyterian and St. Stephens Anglican Church for these performances.   Please join us for one of two  performances

Friday, April 15th at St. Stephens Anglican Church (1121 14 Ave SW)
Doors open at 7:30 and performance at 8:00 pm

Saturday, April 16th at Knox Presbyterian Church (3704 37 St. SW)
Performance at 10:30 am followed by a light lunch and Act 2

Both performances are by donation.  Please join us and invite others who might be interested. 

As April begins I would also like to direct your attention to a number of links (all in blue below).

First of all  as we continue to look at Food Security, you may want to take a moment to read an excellent article about the possible implications of a new trade agreement with the EU on Canadian local food security.  Thank-you to our small but hardworking Food Security Group for finding this article.  They would also encourage you to read the book The Omnivore's Dilemma.  Copies will be available at church for only $10 in preparation for a Wednesday evening 4-week book study beginning May 11.  

In addition our partner church in Ramleh Israel has a 6 minute video of their Palm Sunday procession you may enjoy watching Palm Sunday video.  They have also joined Facebook and encourage St. Laurence to friend them. Last year's Easter special offering went to support the building of the new parish hall in Ramleh and if you watch the video or go on Facebook you can get a look at the lovely new addition.

This year's special Easter offerings will be directed to the PWRDF.  We look forward to having special guests for our PWRDF service on April 17th who will tell us about a project in the Sudan.