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From the Rector's Desk

I was chatting online with my brother and sister in England during their heat wave in July, which brought back memories of our ‘heat dome’ in BC last year. My brother posted a picture of a gadget he has on the wall of his home which shows the inside and outside temperatures, humidity, barometric pressure, the forecast for the next day and sundry other weather related information. I asked about it and he told me it’s an indoor weather station which has sensors inside and outside the house all connected wirelessly to provide up to the minute information, including a 24 hour forecast. A new toy I just had to have, which arrived a week later courtesy ($60) of Amazon. Yes, I know, I did preach last week about having too many possessions, but this is definitely an essential!

Our preoccupation with the weather, especially the forecast, does sometimes go over the top doesn’t it. For some anyway. There are those who just live in the moment and accept whatever comes when it comes. But most of us, I think, like to be ahead of the weather and ready for what is coming. Especially these days with phenomena we never saw before - heat domes, atmospheric rivers and catastrophic flooding. Jesus once talked about weather forecasting. He said “When evening comes, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but why can’t you interpret the signs of the times?” He was reacting to those who asked for a sign (proof) that he was who he said he was.

Jesus was of course right about human ability to interpret the appearance of the sky. To which I’d add my mother’s “trick knee” which was always a better predictor of rain than any weather station. Today it’s a little more sophisticated as the computer models of Environment Canada and Weather Network give us forecasts which are (almost) always accurate.

We may be good at predicting the weather, but interpreting the signs of what really matters is something humans are not always so good at. What if there was an indicator of human suffering around us that was as accurate as weather forecasts, for example? What if we were better able to foresee the impact of our words and actions on others?  And what if the world was better able to notice the signs of God’s love and grace all around?  My weather station is working pretty well so far. But I do hope and pray that humankind may learn the skill of better interpreting the “signs of the times.”

With every blessing,
Alan    

    Stay for a 'bunwich', beverage and dessert this Sunday August 14th after the service,  in celebration of the feast day of our namesake, St. Mary the Virgin.        

 

     SAFE CHURCH TRAINING AT ST. MARY's

The Safe Church program provides training to clergy, employees and lay volunteers to ensure our churches are places of safety. Our diocesan policy requires that certain volunteers and leaders receive some training every five years, either in person or through an online video platform, which is used by all the dioceses in BC and the Yukon. Depending on the position, between four and eight topics/videos are required to be covered by each individual.

At St. Mary's, several of us are due for retraining as our five years are up, and others are nearing that point. As an alternative to viewing videos and answering questions online, which is quite time consuming, we have diocesan permission to hold a half-day workshop in which all of the key points of the safe church program will be communicated and we will discuss any questions together. This workshop will be held on Saturday, August 27, 2022 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. in the church hall.  

Our Safe Church Liaison person, Val Davies will be in touch with those who need to renew their training, or are close to it, to invite you to this workshop. It is also open to any others who are interested in learning more about keeping people safe in our church and also in our community.  More information will follow. This is an important priority as we care for each other and demonstrate to our community the church's commitment to being a safe place for all.    

 

  OUR NEW READERS ROSTER is in need of YOUR HELP AGAIN

Please sign up on the NEW roster at the entrance of the church.  Or you can also put your name on the READERS ROSTER WHITEBOARD located by rector’s office in the hall.

 

FOUND!

   

…a very nice pair of sunglasses.  They were found on the white railing just outside the church door last Sunday!  Call KAT to collect at office.  

 

We Together 2022 is our diocesan biennial family reunion at St. Paul’s Anglican Church in Nanaimo. It's an opportunity to reconnect with old friends and a time to make new ones. Together we will learn about, pray about and share what God is up to in our lives, strengthening ourselves, as the diocese of Islands and Inlets, for the journey God is calling us to. The theme of this year’s conference will be “Here in This Place” where we will be exploring questions of what faithfulness looks like in these islands and inlets.

To learn more about this event and register, please visit the diocesan website