The Shamrock. St. Patrick s Anglican Church, November In This Issue:

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1 The Shamrock St. Patrick s Anglican Church, November 2013 In This Issue: Moving on A letter from the Bishop Regarding Kathy s Retirement from the Wardens Around the Parish From the Primate s World Relief Development Fund Choose Life! from David Kinloch Key Parish Contacts Family Time A Celtic Benediction St. Patrick s Mission Statement: Out of our diversity as children of God, we share the love of Jesus Christ and seek our oneness in Christ. And all shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well. Julian of Norwich

2 Moving On This will be my last article for The Shamrock. I am retiring at the end of November, moving into a new phase of Christian life and ministry. St. Patrick s has been my home for over eight years, and I find it very difficult to say good-bye to a people whom I dearly love. But I must. I cannot stay as part of the congregation. St. Patrick s needs the freedom and the opportunity to grow in new ways and under new leadership. That freedom will be impaired if I am around, and so it is time to move on. Moving on has always been part of the Judeo-Christian experience. Abraham and Sarah left their home in Mesopotamia to travel to the unknown land of Canaan on the strength of a promise of God. Generations later Moses led the oppressed people out of Egypt, through the wilderness experience to a new land. Jesus left his home in Nazareth to preach and heal throughout the country. The apostles traveled through the known world to spread the gospel. Each move meant saying good-bye to what was familiar and going on faith and trust that God would continue to guide them through the ups and downs of the journey to the unknown. I am sure that you can see parallels in the moves that you have made in your own life, or in the changes that have happened to you. Moving on is really part of our human experience, but moving on in Christian faith means that we are never alone. God goes with us as we move, and God stays with us as change is imposed. Our relationships may shift, but they are never totally severed. We are always linked through our common faith and united through the love of Christ, who sustains us in all circumstances and continues to walk with us in our life journeys. God be with you, the people of St. Patrick s. I will always be bonded to you through the love of Jesus. Kathy

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4 Regarding Kathy s Retirement As you know by now, the Ven. Kathy Bowman is retiring on November 30. This news was first announced this past June, but it has not been announced every Sunday since then, so it is feared that many of you may not have gotten the word. As wardens we can assure you that actions are being taken to find a new priest to come to St. Patrick s. We have twice met with Bishop Jane. Her primary message has been to enjoy Kathy s last days with us, and then enjoy all that comes with the month of December. In January we are to get down to the serious work of finding Kathy s successor. In the meantime, the Bishop has appointed the Rev. Bob Peel to serve as our interim priest. She advised us right from the start that we should not expect to have our new leader until September. Much is to be done, and all of it takes time if it is to be done well. These are some of the steps that have to be taken: a) A survey of the members of the parish will be taken to determine their thoughts on many topics. This survey will be computer-driven, but those of you without computers will also be able to participate. b) The Rector s Warden will be chair of the Search Committee. This committee will be selected by Vestry, but will not include other members of Vestry. You will be asked to help Vestry in that selection. The Search Committee will receive the data from step a), and will be charged with creating a parish profile. This profile will go to Vestry for approval. c) The profile will go to the Bishop, and she will advertise the vacancy and solicit applications nationwide. The profile will be given to priests who express interest. d) Applications will come to the Bishop and she will forward a list to the Search Committee. e) Now the Search Committee will review the applications, and decide whom to interview. Interviews will be conducted as the Search Committee deems appropriate. At this time, secrecy will be very important to the Search Committee. f) The Search Committee will report their choice to the Bishop, and she will offer the position. g) We will have a new priest but he or she may require time to give notice at his or her current parish. So we are probably at September. Lynda Haug Rector s Warden Kenn Tuckey People s Warden The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in His way Psalm 37:23

5 Around the parish Parish Calendar November 24, 8:30 and 10:00 a.m. Kathy s last Sunday service November 24, 2-4 p.m. -- Farewell tea December 7 The annual Christmas cookie sale December 18 at 7 p.m. A service of hope and healing especially for those who experience stress or sadness at Christmas December 22, 10 a.m. - Christmas pageant, followed by a pot luck lunch and birthday party for Jesus December 24, 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. - Eucharist celebrating the birth of the Christchild. December 25, 10 a.m. - Christmas morning Eucharist. Stewardship Stewardship refers to the obligation to care with thanksgiving for the gifts that God provides. We all have resources, many resources. We have material resources, we have the ability to work and to volunteer, and we have time and we have this planet earth. One aspect of stewardship is the annual financial campaign. Packages with stewardship information have been made available to all people of St. Patrick s. Please return the pledge form by December 1. This will enable us to plan our yearly income, especially important in a year of transition. If you have any questions, please contact the wardens. Christmas Cookie Sale On December 7, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. we will be holding our annual Christmas Cookie sale. Thousands of Christmas cookies will be offered for sale to the parish and to the community. You can help by baking cookies, by publicizing this event and by helping with the actual sale. A sign up sheet will be available soon. Thanks go to Jean Ashmore for convening this. A Service of hope and healing Christmas can be a rather difficult time for some people. Those who experience grief, those who have unhappy memories of Christmases in the past, those who are financially stressed or those who are alone may need to acknowledge sorrow at a season when we are supposed to be happy. The service of hope and healing gives us an opportunity to support one another in the complexities of human life. This will be held on Wednesday, December 18 at 7 p.m. Thank you to Bridget Kinloch and the choir for being available at this time. Christmas gift bags All are invited to participate it contributing Christmas gift bags to the Inner City Pastoral Ministry (ICPM) ICPM provides Sunday services, food and advocacy for residents of the inner city. Plastic zip-lock bags and directions will be available in the entry way. The bags should be at the church by December 15.

6 Thank-you Grateful thanks go to Jeannette Pawliuk who has been our envelope secretary for the last couple of years. Jeannette is stepping down. Welcome to Sheila Keenan to this role beginning in We also give thanks to Jayne Berg, who has worked with Florence Glanfield as co-treasurer. Jayne has moved to the northeast end of the city, and is unable to continue this role. Thanks go to Sharon Troniak, who has taken on the treasurer role with Florence. We are so lucky to have two treasurers. PWRDF Provides Aid After Typhoon Haiyan By Simon Chambers Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines on November 8 th, causing the evacuation of over 700,000 people, the loss of power to an entire province, and unknown levels of damage to homes, schools and businesses in the area. We do know that very few buildings can withstand the 315 km/h winds that are estimated to have swept Haiyan ashore. PWRDF is responding to the storm by sending an initial grant of $20,000 through the ACT Alliance to provide relief to those affected. (ACT Alliance is a coalition of more than 140 churches and affiliated organisations working together in 140 countries to create positive and sustainable change.) ACT will provide food, water, medicine, and hygiene items to affected families in the affected areas. One of the implementing partners of the ACT appeal is the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP), a partner PWRDF has worked with for years on development projects in the area. Thank you for your support of PWRDF (Primate s World Relief and Development Fund). PWRDF works in partnership with organizations in Canada and throughout the world to support peoplecentred development. Please consider providing a donation to PWRDF so that they can continue to improve the quality of daily life for vulnerable populations, promote self-reliance, and address root causes of poverty and injustice. When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. - Jelaluddin Rumi

7 Choose life! I write to say goodbye to St. Patrick s and its people. I will miss you all terribly. Our family has invested its time, talents and treasure in you. You have purchased your building and nearly paid for it. You have overcome your fears and finally paid a full time salary to your rector. You are much larger than many more famous parishes in this diocese, and your age mix is the envy of the diocese. You have young families children! Youth! You have a mix of races and cultures that actually reflects the wider community, and actually hints at the reality of the world-wide Anglican church. You are a friendly and welcoming community. Don t take this for granted, it s a gift! Too many Edmonton parishes consist of small groups of retired and despairing Caucasians. St. Patrick s is the best-kept secret in the diocese a healthy church with a healthy population mix that doesn t depend on niche gimmicks to keep the doors open. I m not supposed to interfere in your future. But let me say this. The opposite of growth is death. You must have faith in God, in yourselves, in your future. Choose life! Hire a full-time priest. Get involved in the parish don t just depend on the people who have always done things! You can curl up and die like most mainline parishes, hiring someone to cover Sunday services, watching the old faithfuls finally get to old to continue doing what they are doing and seeing their programs end with them, and praying vainly for God to send you new members, volunteers and money. But the Spirit in you is not one of timidity and fear, but of love and service and power. Many churches are so far gone that they no longer have a choice. But St. Patrick s still has a choice. Invest in yourselves invest your money, your time, your talents, your love. You are responsible only for going out in Jesus name; God is responsible for the results. If it be God s will that St. Patrick s fail, it will fail; but it may be God s will that St. Patrick s be one of those few parishes that is to buck the trend and survive because it has faith and chooses life! So have faith and choose life! I will pray for you. God bless you all. David Kinloch

8 Key Parish Contacts Address: 334 Knottwood Road North, Edmonton, AB, T6K 2Z7 Telephone: Web Site: Rector: Archdeacon Kathleen Bowman Deacon: The Rev. Mark Vigrass Honorary Assistants: The Rev. Carl Bergstrom The Rev. Joanne Chambers The Rev. Canon Susan Storey People s Warden: Kenn Tuckey Rector s Warden: Lynda Haug Family Time It is sad to say goodbye to a friend, especially a good friend like Kathy. She has taught us so much. We know that she cares what happens to each one of us, and that she asks God to lead and help each one of us. We will miss seeing her very much. When Jesus knew He would soon be going back to live with his Father, and was saying goodbye to his friends, he told them In my Father s house are many rooms. Kathy is on her way to the next part of her travels with Jesus, and it s as though she is going through a door into her next room in God s house. We won t be able to see her any more, but we will know she is there, and safe. We are in our room of St. Patrick s, and she will be close by, in her new room, in the same house. We also know that in her new room Kathy will still be loving us, and praying for us all. Let s be thankful for how good Kathy has been to us. And ask God to bless her in her new room! Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God! John 14

9 A Celtic Benediction As you leave this place may the Living Lord go with you; May he go behind you, to encourage you, beside you, to befriend you, above you, to watch over you, beneath you, to lift you from your sorrows, within you, to give you the gifts of faith, hope, and love, and always before you, to show you the way.