St. George s News 2017 The Rector Writes by The Rev Dr. Neil Mancor Parish Priest: The Rev. Dr. Neil Mancor Parish Administrator: Elizabeth Shama One of my favourite Bible verses, which relates to my job is from 1 Timothy 3:1 Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. This talks about the work of being an overseer in the Church, which I think is a core part of the work that I do. Oversight does not mean doing everything: clergy are not here to act as chaplains to the congregation alone. Our role is to work amongst you, helping make the life and ministry of our congregation happen and interpreting how the Holy Spirit wants us to serve the Mission of God in our time and place. I am blessed with the best job there can be: in many ways, it hardly feels like work at all. To be set aside from the need to work at a job that I might concentrate fully on ministering in the Church is an honour for which I constantly give thanks. That I get to do this amongst the people of St George s is an even greater honour. One of the things I enjoy about my work is the sheer diversity of it all. There is always the upfront work of leading liturgies and preaching sermons. Putting on liturgies involves communication with everyone involved, choosing material to use and then creating a bulletin. Then there is the less upfront work of leading groups and running meetings. Without meetings, church life would grind to a halt. Small group work provides safe places for us to talk about our faith and our lives. After that there is the private work of visiting and meeting with people often one-on-one. I always feel hugely privileged to be with people at particular moments of their lives, sometimes joyous, other times painful, often deeply profound. Lastly, there is the quiet work of preparation that goes on to make everything happen. I have never once reused a sermon because whilst the message of Scripture remains the same, the way the Holy Spirit may wish to apply it to a given congregation changes. So it is important for me to spend time each week with the Bible, working with commentaries and reading the works of other preachers, but also, most importantly, to pray. My prayer is often: Lord, what do you want me to say to your People this week? Then there is the running of things. For clergy, parish administrator and other leaders, there is always more to do than you might realize. But I love it all. I love devoting my life to serving Christ in His Church, and working amongst you in yours. Through this work I have come to two convictions: the church that stays the same, dies. That is why we must always put our energy into keeping the church moving forward. Things like Messy Church, Godly Play and Alpha have brought new energy to our congregation and are helping us interpret the Mission of God in our place and time. They have inspired us to put audio-visual equipment in the Lower Hall and, biggest change of all, to tidy up. None of that could happen without an immense amount of behind-the-scenes work on the part of a large number of people, myself included. My second conviction follows from the first: if we want to hold onto St Georges, we have to let it go. Many of us who have worshipped at this Church have wonderful memories of traditions, services and events from the past. These are precious and worth holding onto. But in order for the Church to be there for us in the future, we must make room for new members to come, we must allow new life to flourish and we must allow the Holy Spirit to renew us. For the essence of St Georges lies in the spirit of our people. Ours is a unique and beautiful fellowship, and as much as everything changes around us, that fellowship remains. So I will continue to enjoy this noble task of working amongst you in ways upfront and behind the scenes. Let s join together and serve this great God who has called us together in the fellowship of St George s. Yours, Neil
behind the scenes Adjective Definition of BEHIND THE SCENES 1: being or working out of public view or in secret / a behind the scenes player 2: revealing or reporting the hidden workings / a behind the scenes account / a behind the scenes glimpse Sunday services 8:00 8:45 AM and 10:00 11:15 AM 2 hours given to God, Is that it? What about those other hours Sunday 11:30AM to Sunday 8:00 am Fun facts Our envelope secretary, who is he and what does he do? 4 places to update a change in the calendar 5 adjustments required to update a Parish List contact 8 places to post/send advertising for an event 10 people are involved in the various rosters for a Sunday service 55 is the minimum number of changes for a bulletin each week The envelope secretary, Richard Howarth, has been volunteering for more years than we (or he) can remember! Richard inherited the job from Doug McConnell, and still uses the same Access database. Richard is required to keep a database of information, with paper trail for 5-7 years (in the case of an audit). With regular Sunday donations, once the counters have prepared the deposit, it takes about 20 minutes each week to update the church database, and once a month the PAR contributions. Difficulties occur when the handwriting on a donation envelope is difficult to read, or there is no address accompanying a cheque. When we are short on counters, we can count on Richard to lend a hand. There are a number of times throughout the year that the services of the envelope secretary is in higher demand, (especially if it means stuffing envelopes!) At the end of the 3 rd quarter when reminders go out to all contributors Stewardship events, preparing statistical analysis Reconciling weekly and monthly deposits with the Treasurer Sending out year-end tax receipts Ordering, organizing and distributing the weekly donation envelopes. Vestry budget meetings reporting to Leadership team on giving trends. Vestry report preparations Richard assures us that all contributions are confidential. Thank you Richard; you look after us well!
Behind the Scenes of AMPLIFIED Youth Group The most exciting thing about being a part of the AMPLIFIED Leadership Team is how much God teaches us. As we prepare our Children s talks and lessons, we deliberate over the meaning of scripture and what we believe God is saying. So often we start our day having no answers and then are amazed by all that God has shown us. Each Friday, Andrea and Kisha discuss the upcoming Sunday readings for our Children s Talk. What is the theme in the passages? What is God revealing to us through it? How can we relate this to the children? How does it relate to us? What is a good analogy for this? And after all that, right before we speak on Sunday, I take a moment to pray, God may it be your words and not ours. In October, each AMPLIFIED youth shared their favourite book, movie, and song. Each Friday, the team has presented one and how God is revealing Himself through it. This has required Kisha to read each book, Michael to watch each movie, and Andrea to listen to each song. We try to discover God s message in each work and find Bible verses that support that truth. To give you an idea of how crazy this journey is, here is list of favourites: Captain Underpants (book) The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (book) Beast Quest (book) On the Other Side (book) Wonder (book) The Greatest (song) Unstoppable (song) Loch Lomond (song) Gasoline (song) Bohemian Rhapsody (song) God Help the Outcasts (song) Secret Life of Pets (movie) Suicide Squad (movie) The Incredibles (movie) Finding Neverland (movie) Bridge on the River Quai (movie) When we first saw this list, we were overwhelmed, but also really thankful that a C. S. Lewis book was there. We had absolutely no idea what half of these works were, let alone how God was revealing Himself through them. But He is there. As an AMPLIFIED Leader, our purpose is to share a small piece of God s heart. This requires that we be really close to His heart. We work really hard to let the youth know that God is alive, real, relevant, powerful, and amazing. And especially that He loves us so very much. We do this not only through our teachings, but also through the community that we are building. Our world can be so cruel to a teenager. Our solemn prayer is that AMPLIFIED Youth Group and the Dino Den can be a space where they feel belonging and acceptance for exactly who they are. UNSTOPPABLE
Pasta Supper and Silent Auction By Ann Hamaker and Colleen Jackson In early October Lori Davison asked us if we would be willing to organize a Pasta Supper and Silent Auction. Our response was Yes, but in our minds what we were agreeing to was organizing and running the Silent Auction. We assumed someone else would organize the supper part, but it didn t quite work out that way. but it didn t quite work out that way First the date was agreed to, Saturday 12 th November. It was six weeks away and we quickly got to work soliciting items for the Silent Auction. The congregation enthusiastically supported our requests and we were able to make 42 baskets. With the help of Wendy Campbell, we made up the baskets over a period of two days, which probably took a total of ten hours. We had some amazing baskets to bid on. Lori was able to secure two very well situated tickets for the Canadian s hockey game; Wendy obtained a night at the Chateau Montebello and parishioners donated gift cards, ski passes, a free weekend car rental with Avis,, jewellery, wine, gift certificates for spas and gourmet dinners and teas, to name a few. We had baskets for all ages and interests. Lori was responsible for the design, printing and selling of the tickets. One hundred tickets were printed, priced at $10 for age 11+, $5 for children 6-10 and children 5 and under were free. Tickets didn t sell as well as we had anticipated and as the day started we had only sold 72 tickets. Tables were set for 72 people and to our amazement, 30 sales were made at the door! to our amazement 30 sales were made at the door that evening. We quickly set more tables and approximately 95 people attended the supper that night. We quickly set more tables While we were busy preparing for the Silent Auction Lori was actively procuring food for the event. She spoke to Marché Richelieu and they donated all the food and drinks except for the pasta sauces, salads and desserts. For the three Sundays preceding the supper we put out sign-up sheets during the coffee hour requesting pasta sauces, salads and desserts which were all donated by parishioners. We also needed manpower so we put out a sign-up sheet during coffee hour. People were slow to sign-up and as the day dawned it appeared that we would be short of manpower. We needed people to put out tables and chairs, set the tables, serve the food, keep the food warm, clear tables, wash dishes and clean up the kitchen and hall after the event. The AMPLIFIED youth group volunteered to clear tables after each course while Dale Stilwell and Gerry Zampini organized the setting up and taking down of the church hall. While few people had signed up to work in the kitchen, on the night of the supper many parishioners helped out and the kitchen operated very smoothly. On the night of the supper many parishoners helped If we plan another supper/silent Auction, we should have a larger team. There should be one person in charge of ticket sales, two to organize the Silent Auction, one to organize kitchen volunteers, one to request external food donations, one to take care of the food sign-up sheet plus someone in charge of the hall set-up and take down. All in all, the evening was a success. We raised $3,750. Parishioners and their friends and family enjoyed the supper, had fun bidding on auction items and went home with some great gifts. Parishioners and their friends and family enjoyed the supper, had fun bidding on auction items and went home with some great gifts.
The true meaning of Crumbfest By Rosalie Shewchuk As Christians, story is inherent in our faith. Stories speak directly to our heart, the place in us from which we love, and in which we know with certainty we are loved. Jesus knew the power of the story, and he used it to help us grasp some of the deepest truths about God's love for us. This is why our pastor Neil always uses a story at Christmas to help us deepen our understanding of The Greatest Story Ever Told, the story of God's deep and abiding love for all creation, the story of how God is with us, the story of the Incarnation. When a parishioner happened to read the story about a little mouse who discovered The True Meaning of Crumbfest, she wondered if it spoke about God giving God's own self to us. The feast of Crumbfest, during which the hungry little mice are lavishly showered with crumbs both sweet and savoury, sounded a lot like Love coming into a world that was hungry for it. And when the little mouse Mavis discovered the Outside coming Inside, that sounded a lot like the Incarnation. She showed the story to Neil, and he agreed. Neil himself approached many parishioners, asking if they would like to help bring this story to the congregation during the 4:30 Christmas Eucharist. After receiving our responses, five practices were scheduled. Gerry Zampini assumed the roles of both elderly grandfather mouse and assistant director and coordinator. Stephanie Zampini attended all practices and was our able coach and helpful critic. Neil directed us all, and gave us a marvelous demonstration of how mice really scamper when they're excited and happy. Kisha, as Mavis, quickly discovered her inner mouse, but sadly, she hurt her back, and had to pass the role on to Serina Itri. We wished Kisha a speedy recovery, and watched in amazement as Serina performed the role so well with so little time to prepare. Aaron played Eckhart, Mavis' unbelieving older brother with panache, and several members of the youth group were the mice. As narrator, Rosalie Shewchuk helped the story unfold. Margaret Conway was memorable as Grandmother Mouse and Sarah Conway set the scene and invited the mice to begin by singing a Christmas carol. The Outside coming Inside was brought to life by Louis Zampini and Monica Ahti and their beautiful children who played the human Family. The story concluded with all singing Neil's favourite Christmas Carol, Hark! the Herald Angels Sing. In spite of our best efforts during practices, nothing during a performance ever goes perfectly and on Christmas Eve, the crumbs were distributed to the mice at the wrong moment. But wait! Was it a performance or a Prayer and is there ever a wrong moment for God to shower us with His love? Gathering so many people together to practice several times at such a busy time of the year is not easy. However, the response from the congregation convinced us it was worthwhile. Like the little children filled with wonder Jesus calls us to be; we're already looking forward to next year's story! By Lori Davison FundScrip is an ongoing fundraiser used now by virtually every non-profit, school and religious organization in Canada. Purchasing and selling gift cards at their face value from FundScrip for over 100 retailers and receiving a percentage of that value for your organization is certainly a painless way to raise funds since customers are getting what they want and not purchasing anything they don t need. Of course, like everything, it takes someone to organize a fundraiser. Three years ago Elizabeth Shama asked me to take over FundScrip after she had been handling it for many years. It seemed like a good way for me to support the church since until that point I had not been very involved. What does it mean to be in charge of FundScrip? It does mean being organized and detail-oriented but it is not a difficult or time-consuming job. Once a week, I order cards online through their website. The order is processed and shipped to a group address. The Stilwells pick up the orders and bring them to church on or before Sunday. I have a spreadsheet where I track the dollar values of my sales and purchases, keep track of inventory and keep track of the cards sold so that I have an idea of the most popular cards to keep in stock. On a quarterly basis, I send my spreadsheets to the Treasurer so that he can balance with his records and at the same time I also request our profit cheque from FundScrip. On Sundays at coffee hour I set up my table and people buy cards. That night I place my new order and the cycle begins again. What do I get back for my efforts? I get a chance to meet and talk with many interesting and friendly parishioners with whom I have never spoken previously. I also get the satisfaction of knowing that in a small way I am helping St. George s to finance their programs, ministries and outreach.
Take a chance, join the choir I was asked to give a behind the scenes look at being in the Choir. Although I haven t been in the Choir for very long, I was willing to take a chance to tell my story of being a new member. I d like to begin by saying that I wasn t even thinking of Choir when, in late November, Elspeth came up to me asking if I would like to join. Given that I love to sing Christmas Carols, I accepted without even thinking of what it might be like. With trepidation, I arrived at Church for 7:15pm on the following Thursday, heart in my throat wondering what I had blindly agreed to. It was there that I met Justina waiting outside as well; she was also trying out the Choir for the first time that night. I could feel the butterflies lift a little as I would not be the only newbie. Once inside, I met Elspeth, Louise, Wilton, and Jean-François. They were all so very welcoming and happy that there were new voices. We began with a warm up and followed by practicing the hymns and carols for the Sunday s service. I was so amazed by the talent that surrounded me they are such wonderful singers with so much talent. You can tell that they love to sing and practice often. But what surprised me most was how they are so humble and so kind. During the following weeks, I met Sarah M., Sarah C. (yes, two Sarah s which was confusing at first), Bill, Mark, Shan, Joenne, and Marian. All of whom are so friendly and loving. Practices are only two hours long and the time just flies! When Jean-Francois tells us we re done, I m disappointed that it must end. Jean-François is a true professional and we are so blessed to have him lead the Choir. Before we even sing, he already knows how he wants the hymns to sound, and he is so very patient and helpful by providing us with different techniques to get that right sound. I have learned so much from him and my fellow members. When we get a hymn right, he has a beaming, sunshiny smile that I m so excited that we got it. I ve noticed that many other members are happy when he smiles as well. I asked if I could stay and continue to sing with the Choir after Christmas and was elated that they said yes. I wanted to continue because since joining, I have found my spirits have risen. I m in a much lighter mood as I sing quite often (very softly of course, as I don t want anyone to hear) or hum whichever hymn we ve practiced. At work, my boss and others noticed something was different because they would see me with headphones on and humming ALL day on Fridays as I practice for Sunday using a YouTube choir video on my cell phone. And even better, I ve newly discovered that there is a shared folder with the hymnal listing for the month; so I can start practicing even before the Thursday! What I ve learned is that sometimes a leap of faith (and a flight of stairs) is a wonderful way to learn a new way to praise God. by Jennifer Kramer I will sing to the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. Psalm 104:33
By Andrea Carter An Altar Servers view I am continually amazed at how enthusiastic the youth of St. George s Church are about serving. It is a rewarding job and requires remembering many steps as well. In order to become an altar server, you first attend a training session. During this training session we run through an entire service from beginning to end going over all the parts where the server is involved. We cover so many different topics; from the correct order for lighting and snuffing the candles to getting things ready for the communion to which direction to turn when processing always clockwise! So of course it is understandable that after the hourlong training session most teenagers have almost no idea what s going on since many will never have sat through enough services to know what they re really like. We then move on to stage two: shadowing. Each new server is paired with a server who has been serving for a reasonably long time. At first, the new server simply observes which allows the knowledge they received from the training session to solidify in their minds. Once they ve gotten a feel for the service, the new server starts taking on more and more responsibilities under the guidance of their serving partner. As time goes on, the new server becomes more and more confident until they are no longer dependent on their serving partner for help. At this point, the server graduates from the training program and begins serving alone. This year, I have had the joy of training five new servers; Aaron, Andrew, Claudia, Jack, and Micaela, all of whom are doing a remarkable job. I m so proud of all the servers; those who are being trained and also those who are doing the training. It makes me so happy to see the youth excited about being involved and I am thankful for each and every one of them.
Family BBQ and games let's celebrate God, good food, good friends and the BBQ Season! The grill is hot and the drinks are cool!! When I heard that there would be no Messy Church in the summer it seemed so obvious that we should have a BBQ a simple, fun and relaxing way to get together and at the same time reach out to the local community. It was discussed at Parish Council and agreed. Surprisingly enough, it was simple and easy to organize. We planned and shopped the menu, prepared some flyers to hand out in the neighbourhood, discussed some possible activities and announced our plans on a couple of Sundays. The focus was to keep it simple and fun. Hamburgers and hot dogs, chips and a drink. Paper plates and paper tablecloths. We made our plans and prayed for good weather. A few people pitched in on setup and we were ready to go within a half hour or so. The weather cooperated, Serina played guitar, Richard flipped burgers and a few people did the limbo. We had over 40 guests and it seems that a good time was had by all. A few more people helped with clean up and it was done in no time at all. No mess, no fuss. Everything went into the recycling or garbage bins outside. No dishes or clean up indoors. We will do it all again in August and definitely hope for the same results. By Lori Davison Now God gives us many kinds of special abilities, but it is the same Holy Spirit who is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service to God, but it is the same Lord we are serving. There are many ways in which God works in our lives, but it is the same God who does the work in and through all of us who are his. The Holy Spirit displays God s power through each of us as a means of helping the entire church. ST. GEORGE S NEWS ST GEORGE S ANGLICAN CHURCH 23 Perrault Avenue Sainte Anne de Bellevue H9X 2C6 514-457-6934 office@stg.church