From the Rector's Desk

I saw a joke this morning online that went like this: a couple are standing together; the man holds a letter he has just taken out of the envelope and the woman says, “Oh what’s that?” The man replies, “It’s from our church…. We’ve been called up for active duty!” And the caption below is … “A post COVID church.”  While this image does make one chuckle, there is a lot of truth in it too.  Churches across the world, including St. Mary’s, were drastically changed during the course of the pandemic.  And even now, nearly 4 years after COVID began, we are still trying to figure out how to be church once again.

Here at St. Mary’s we are still figuring out how to be church in a post-pandemic world and the work isn’t easy.  We know that some of our people are still unsure about coming back into community, and are needing us to continue to film services to keep folks connected – and yet, finding people to do the filming each week is a challenge.  The community dinner event that was such a wonderful outreach had its time to shine, but the energy and capacity for running such a big monthly dinner is no longer there.  In the world, the cost of living has increased, food prices have sky rocketed and we are seeing a significant reduction in our giving, leading to concerns around finances for the year.  However, we are not alone in the issues we face.  Churches all over the world and across our own Diocese are facing similar challenges as they seek to reinvent who they are as people of God in their communities, post COVID.

In the coming weeks we will be having some conversations together as a whole St. Mary community!  So be ready to join in the conversation, share your ideas and step up to help out as we talk about our future through topics such as: what events or fundraisers we will work towards, what we want to be known for, how we explore the gifts in our community, etc. As Bishop Anna keeps reminding us, the future will not look like the past but the future is bright.  Our future here at St. Mary’s is so very bright, and together we will do the work to get us there!

 Love and Blessings,

Rev. Kirsten +

 

                          

Join us for a new experience at St. Mary’s where we will have the musical talents of Marilyn Rummel on harp and Danel Cove on flute offering a time of classical folk fusion.

Come hear some familiar pieces reimagined through contemplative improvisation.

Admission will be at the door with a suggested donation of $20.   Money raised will be split between the musicians and St. Mary’s community.

Maundy Thursday, March 29 – Help Still Needed!

Lent is in full swing and Holy Week will soon be upon us!  

We are inviting our friends at St. Ann & St. Edmund, Parksville, to join us at our Maundy Thursday service, and a few have already responded.

Rita G has graciously stepped forward to coordinate the catering.   Please see Rita if you can assist in the meal portion of the evening – a few people to make soups, someone to bring buns, folks to help set up, etc.  If you are interested in helping with this, please speak to Rita or Kirsten as soon as possible.

 

Correction to the Treasurer’s Report given at 2023 AVM

At the end of 2023 we had, after liabilities, $78,000 in the bank. At the end of this year, unless there is an increase in offerings and fundraising efforts to decrease the deficit, that balance will be down to $55,000. 

 

 

On Wednesday April 24th, Primate Linda Nicholls will be in attendance at St. Mark’s Qualicum Beach and we are invited to attend a service where Primate Linda will preach, celebrate and share a meal with us all. 

More details will come as we get closer to the date, but this is a big event for the North Island so mark your calendars and be ready to sign up when the time comes, as space will be limited!

 

                                                                        

Lent Devotional Booklet by Living Compass

We could not obtain the Living Well Through Lent 2024 booklets this year and, as it is over 50 pages long, it is unfeasible to print copies, but see below for a .pdf copy, which you can save somewhere easily accessible on your device and refer to daily.

 

         Bible Study

Join us over the next 3 weeks on Wednesdays at 10:30 -12:30, for a focussed study during the season of Lent, Walking With Jesus through Lent. No, it's NOT TOO LATE!

Together we will look at the final days of Jesus through the lens of the four gospel writers and discuss some thoughtful questions together. No preparation is required as we will look at the readings and other materials together each week.  

All are welcome to join in the discussion as we walk through Jesus' final days together.