Announcements – 14 August, 2023
Worship… is at 10:00 am on Sunday morning. We hope you will participate in-person but if you are not feeling well, please access the video recording on Sunday afternoon. Please note that our service this Sunday will be held in the outdoor space next door at Artemis Place. This is a covered, cool spot for us to worship outside. The service will be recorded (hopefully) and posted later in the day.
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- To access the video recording on Sunday afternoon, please go to the Knox YouTube channel or click here
- The printed service will be available before Sunday morning
Joys & Concerns… may we experience the healing presence of Christ as we uphold one another in prayer
- Gord (Steve & Laura’s friend) – having rotator cuff surgery on Wednesday. Please pray for speedy healing.
- Owen (Kittie’s brother) – recovering from a stroke.
- Someone wrote in the book asking for prayers regarding a cancer diagnosis, but I can’t read the name.
- Please continue to pray for the following people whose details have been included in previous announcements: Keith and Jan Elliott, Elizabeth DeArmond, Toa & family, Neil, Amy, Pat & her family, Cora, Laura Lee & Michael, Lynda & Bob Gill.
There is a book where you can write your joys and concerns on the table at the back of the sanctuary. If you don’t have a prayer request or thanksgiving to record, you can check the book and pray for others. Sharing these joys and concerns draws us together as a community of faith. Please let Laura know when your concern is no longer urgent and can be removed from the list.
Summer Celebrations…
Aug 2 – Connie Dunwoody
Aug 4 – Nan Zorn
Aug 5 – Toa Mari Lam
Aug 6 – Richard Fowler
Aug 11 – Emilee MacInnes + Cedric Spry
Aug 12 – Doreen Daviss
Aug 12 – Jorge + Moira Prieto
Aug 13 – Ian Sturgess
Aug 14 – Emilee MacInnes
Aug 22 – Joan Hartemink
Aug 29 – Dennis + Lilian Sutherland
Aug 31 – Esther Mitchell
Aug 31 –Jim + Wendy Jeatt
Readers… Please let Laura know if you can read scripture in worship in the coming months.
Journey for Hope!… On September 30, we’re fundraising in the Journey for Hope in support of PWS&D’s food security projects. With climate issues, conflict and inflation continuing to impact people around the world, food insecurity is at alarmingly high levels, and PWS&D is working to address that. By taking part in the Journey, we’re supporting a charity that is bringing hope to those in need – will you join us? You can walk 5k or cycle about 50k. What fun we will have together! Contact Laura to ride or Ruth to walk. Go here to donate.
Holidays Shannon will be away on summer holidays from August 12 to the 27th. She will not be answering her phone or email during this time – please direct all Knox inquiries to Laura, and St. Andrew’s inquiries to Jerry Verwey, the session clerk. There will be no Knox weekly email during this time. Laura will send out the announcements as she is able to.
Spiritual Spotlight Meal Knox is providing lunch at Our Place on Monday, August 21. Our Place are extremely grateful to the congregation at Knox for their generous support. Thank you to everyone who continues to provide regular givings through the offering plate, PAR, and e-transfers. Because you share your abundance, we are able to help those in need as part of our ministry at Knox.
PULPIT SWAP SWITCHEROO! Join members of Knox, Trinity and St. Andrew’s for a time of worship, eating, and visiting with old and new friends. Sunday, August 27 at 10:30am / Esquimalt Gorge Park near the Kinsmen Pavilion (entrance off Tillicum Road). Like last year you are invited to bring your own lunch and perhaps something to share. Chairs, a blanket, and any other comforts are recommended.
Knox Session has decided to read through and discuss the gospels during upcoming session meetings. We will be specifically reflecting on the various stories that might become the theological motifs for collaboration going forward. What stories inform our work? What stories inspire our work? Perhaps you would like to read along with us and send any comments or questions to your elder. We are reading the Gospel of Matthew for August discussion.
Knox Book Club… The next meeting is at Knox on September 9 at 1pm. We are reading Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Start thinking about suggestions for next year’s reading list!
Inclusive Christians – Around the Table – an ecumenical communion service hosted by Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian and United chaplains on Wednesdays at 5:00 pm during the university term. The simple service focuses on reading and reflecting on the gospel, prayer, song, silence and sharing bread and wine. While this service is centered on students, all are welcome. After worship everyone is invited to enjoy a meal. We usually have 20-30 participants.
I need help providing these meals. If you, or a group from your congregation, would like to help prepare a meal in the coming term, please be in touch with me as soon as possible. The dates I am responsible for this fall are September 20 and November 1. The meal is simple – vegetarian/vegan soup or chili, bread & butter, and salad, fruit or veggies. Thank you to Patti and the group from St. Andrew’s for offering to do the meal on December 6 and to all of you for supporting students and Inclusive Christians on campus in this way. – Laura Kavanagh
PCC 2024 Calendar features wonderful photos of church doors, crossings, thresholds and other places that we think of as liminal spaces. Those in-between places along the boundaries between what is and what is promised—between desperation and hope, doubt and trust, the known and the unknown, and death and new life—are where the church encounters Jesus. The photos, submitted by congregations, ministries and individuals, evoke a powerful sense of the possibilities that beckon if we learn to wait and listen. The calendar also provides unique church year dates for The Presbyterian Church in Canada, as well as the lectionary and church colours. Cost: $5.00 each. Click here to order and to see photos that didn’t make it into the calendar
Truth Healing and Reconciliation Workshop
You are invited to attend a free zoom workshop. ‘Trauma, Intergenerational Trauma and Becoming Trauma Informed for Truth, Healing and Reconciliation’ takes place September 7th, 3:00-4:30pm (Pacific).
To register for the workshop and to receive the zoom link please go to:
https://presbyterian.ca/justice/social-action/human-rights/workshop-registration-trauma-and-intergenerational-trauma-in-the-context-of-truth-healing-and-reconciliation
If you have any questions you can contact the Rev. Jenn Geddes at [email protected]
Early Bird Notice – mark your calendars!
Vancouver Island Presbytery Women’s Retreat – April 26-28, 2024. First Women’s Retreat since COVID. Camp Imadene, Mesachie Lake. Watch for more details in the coming months. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet and fellowship with other women from our sister congregations on Vancouver Island.
Sunday, August 20, 2023 – Mission Moment
On World Humanitarian Day, we honour countless individuals who have dedicated themselves to making a difference in the lives of others. Humanitarian work is often challenging, and those undertaking it face many risks, yet they continue to work tirelessly, motivated to help others and improve the world. From PWS&D partners who deliver food, water, and other essential supplies to those who work without respite to rebuild communities after disasters, humanitarian workers play a crucial role in ensuring the well-being of those in need. We also recognize the need for sustained support and investment in humanitarian efforts to address the root causes of human-made crises and provide lasting solutions for those in need. On World Humanitarian Day, let us recognize humanitarian workers and renew our commitment to supporting their vital work.
Sunday, August 20 We give thanks for all who give their time and talent to the church throughout the year in big and small ways.
Monday, August 21 We thank God for the warmth and beauty and wonder of August.
Tuesday, August 22 We pray for the Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee as they encourage Presbyterians to acknowledge, understand and appreciate other faith traditions, and to live in good relationship with people who belong to other religions.
Wednesday, August 23 We pray for the Rev. Stewart Folster and the people at Mistawasis Memorial Presbyterian Church on Mistawasis Nehiyawak First Nation.
Thursday, August 24 We pray for persons with disabilities at the Garu Centre in Ghana who, with support from PWS&D, have found a supportive community that provides them with vocational training to become self-sufficient.
Friday, August 25 We pray for Samuel House, supported by Presbyterians Sharing, helping those in need in very difficult circumstances in Misca, Romania.
Saturday, August 26 We pray for the Rev. Mary Fontaine as she meets with people in her role as Moderator of the General Assembly.
Social Action Spotlight – Systemic Economic Inequality August 2023
Poverty in Canada and across the globe continues to seriously impact the lives and well-being of many. According to Statistics Canada’s most recent data, 7.4% of Canadians lived in poverty in 2021, which was up from 6.4% in 2020. The causes of poverty are complex, but a major factor is systemic economic inequality. Economic inequality is easy to spot, given the growing gap between people with wealth and people experiencing poverty. Speaking about systemic economic inequality names that there are social and economic structures creating and contributing to that growing gap. Not everyone starts at the same economic baseline. Racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and other social ills erect barriers to economic security. Add in that wealth is more easily created when you already have wealth to draw on—as economic inequality compounds generationally—and it becomes very clear that our economic systems are not set up to foster equality. Too often our narratives about poverty blame those who are struggling, rather than looking at the systems that reinforce inequality, racism and economic vulnerability. Stop-gap measures like charity or temporary programs to help people “get back on their feet” may provide some relief but don’t address the underlying structural problems. To break the cycle, structural change aimed at creating a more level economic baseline is needed.