For those Protestant denominations that follow the Common Lectionary of which the Anglican Church is one, the Feast of Christ the King is observed on the last Sunday before Advent Sunday. It is the end of the liturgical year and in some Lutheran churches it is referred to as Judgement Sunday, but for many Anglicans it is referred to as Stir Up Sunday. A name inspired by the Collect in the Book of Common Prayer for that Feast Day:

Stir up, we beseech thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may of thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

The E-News seasonal break will come a little earlier this year due to Synod staff transitions.

Last edition before the break will be Thursday, November 30, 2023.

The E-News will be back early in 2024.

This fall, both St. Matthew and Holy Spirit parishes saw a surge of interest from all age groups in Confirmation Preparation and commitment to Christ through the Anglican Church.

Following worship on November 19, 2023 I was delighted to have more than 30 parishioners from St. Anne’s Steveston spend time with me exploring what Land Acknowledgements are and what they can be.

This fall, with an eye to reducing the church’s carbon footprint as well as its heating costs, The Parish of St Hilda’s, Sechelt has been preparing for winter cold by increasing its insulation in key spots. 

It was May of 2019, when Regan Gorman began his association with the diocese of New Westminster. He was appointed Building Administrator of the Synod offices at 1410 Nanton Avenue by senior Synod staff and he was hired to be Verger of St. John’s, Shaughnessy (SJS) at 1490 Nanton Avenue by that parish’s lay and clergy leadership in a combined hiring...

On November 16, 2023, the Reverend Joanne Epply-Schmidt began a one-year term as Priest-in-Charge of the Parish of St. Laurence, Coquitlam.

Nature plays a key role in the ancient nectars, evergreen boughs, wreaths and swags, and multi-purpose items hewn from reclaimed wood, offered at St. David’s Christmas Fair, December 2.

IMAGE

Elinor Attalla decants nectar from amazing fireweed plant, known as the ‘Champagne of Honey’ for its distinct qualities. Mary Horton looks on with jars of quince jam sealed for Christmas sale.

Photo by Elizabeth Murray

Thursday, November 16 was the final Clergy Day gathering for 2023. Active Clergy of the diocese are expected to attend these sessions held in the Conference Room at the Synod Office three or four times a year.

Follow this link to find downloadable PDFs of the current Diocesan Cycles of Prayer 2023-2024.

Go to the link, scroll down, click on the Cycles of Prayer 2023-2024 icon and download the PDFs.

E-News subscribers are enthusiastically invited to share the following information to let people know that worshipping in parishes of the Diocese of New Westminster is open to ALL.

Here is a link to the Find-A-Church module the diocesan website where 62 easy to access parish pages grouped in 11 deanery sections with regional location information on the entry page graphics and detailed location information for each parish may be found.

Follow this link for the full interactive map.

One Sunday in the middle of November 2023, the morning Eucharist began with the singing of “O God our help in ages past”.  It was Remembrance Sunday.  Having begun with that traditional prologue, the liturgy ended with the traditional epilogue: a bugler playing The Last Post, a bagpiper playing a Scottish lament, and an Act of Remembrance. Unlike many similar occasions in the past, there was no display of flags, no singing the National Anthem, no listening to John McCrae’s exhortation to “Take up our quarrel with the foe”. 

Whenever I speak to my neighbours we have a good grumble about the weather. She is an excellent gardener and we say it is too hot, or there is not enough rain but still each year her garden is a joy to behold. The other thing we moan about is the Canucks. Year after year we say how bad the team is or the coach or both.

More than anyone else I know, Wordsworth wrote most tellingly and beautifully of the precious years of childhood. In his “Ode on the Intimations of Immortality… in Early Childhood “ he writes  

 “Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting…

for trailing clouds of glory do we come

   from God who is our home.”

Some winter mornings, I wake up to a view of Vancouver Island’s mountains. Their stunning silhouettes, both the Vancouver Island Range and Beaufort Range, are lit up on snowy peaks by light from the east.

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Director of Music - Christ Church Cathedral

Godly Play Ministry Assistant, part time - St. Anne's, Steveston

Coordinator of Children's and Families' Formation, part time - St. Bart's, Gibsons

Outreach Program Liaison, part time, contract position - St. Bart's, Gibsons

Join us for an evening of great works from the Baroque period. Reception to follow.

Tickets: $20 

TICKETS AVAILABLE ON EVENTBRITE

NOVEMBER 25

Poinsettia Bazaar, All Saints, Ladner, 9:30am-1:30pm

Christmas Sale and Silent Auction, All Saints, Burnaby, 10am-2pm

Christmas Fair, St. Agnes, North Vancouver, 10am-1pm

Christmas Fair, St. John's, North Vancouver, 10am-1pm

DECEMBER 2

Annual ACW Bazaar, St. George, Fort Langley, 10am-2pm

Christmas Fair, St. David, Tsawwassen, 10am-2pm

Christmas Bazaar, St. Helen, Surrey, 11am - 3pm

St. Philip's Christmas Fair, 11am-2pm

Christmas Market, St. Alban the Martyr, Burnaby, 11am-4pm

DECEMBER 9

Christmas Tea, St. Matthew, Abbotsford, 11am - 2pm

Celebrating the appointment of the Reverend Jonathan Pinkney as Rector of the Parish of St. Christopher, West Vancouver.

The ILLUMINATE Gala is St. Hildegard's Sanctuary’s main annual fundraising event, and has been highly lauded and greatly enjoyed. We are delighted to host this pre-Advent event.

PURCHASE TICKETS ON EVENTBRITE

Advent is a season of reflection and joyful expectation. In this service of Lessons and Carols, the story of the coming of Christ gradually unfolds and deepens our understanding of God’s message of love and redemption.

Mark the start of Advent with this traditional, candlelight, service. The award-winning Cathedral choir fills the traditional Advent repertoire. Scripture readings tell the story of God’s love for humanity and presence in the world. All are welcome.

2023-2024 schedule

Next gathering is December 3

Email address in poster is not linked, click here to access.

An afternoon of gorgeous women's choir music for Christmastime. Kevin Zakresky, conductor. Angelique Po, organist.

Tickets: $20 

TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE VIA EVENTBRITE

The Parish of St. James is offering this all-ages event for the second year in a row, and look forward to celebrating together with new and existing friends alike.

Email link in poster is not live, please use this link.

This course will introduce clergy and faith leaders to the concepts of Bowen Family Systems Theory, to begin thinking about their own role and function within their family as well as their role within their faith communities.

Follow this link to the Living Systems website with detailed information on this course.

The Parish of St. Thomas, Chilliwack celebrated it's 150th Anniversary over two days, November 18 and 19, 2023. Bishop John Stephens attended the Open House and Celebration dinner, Saturday, November 18 and presided and preached at the Eucharist on November 19. During the liturgy, 5 members of the parish were Confirmed, 1 was Received into the Anglican Church and 1 Reaffirmed her Confirmation.