Announcements – 15 January 2025
Worship…10:00 AM– We hope that you will participate in person. If you are unwell, please join the live streamed service.
To access the live streamed service, please go to the Knox’s YouTube channel or click here
The printed service will be available before Sunday morning
Annual Report … Our treasurer, April Watt, is preparing a budget for 2025 and I am working on the report for 2024. If you have information to include, please contact us. Those who have reports to contribute should email them next week. — Laura
Generous Givers … When session gathers each month, we have a topic for discussion to open our meeting. This month we talked about how the church needs generous givers. Thanks to Lilian for her leadership in this and for sharing the verse below.
Lord, Thou lov’st the cheerful giver,
Who with open heart and hand,
Blesses freely, as a river
That refreshes all the land;
Grant us then the grace of giving,
With a Spirit large and free,
That our life and all our living,
We may consecrate to Thee!
Please consider these questions: What makes a person generous? Are there ways that “strings are attached” to your giving? How do we celebrate generous giving in our congregation / should we be doing more?
New Treasurer . . . We are looking for someone to take on the role of treasurer after the annual meeting in early April as April Watt is resigning from this position. We are immensely grateful for her attentive and thoughtful service as our treasurer for the past five years, especially during the challenging time of the pandemic. Please talk to April, Fiona or Laura if you are willing to consider this urgent need.
Joys & Concerns…may we experience the healing presence of Christ as we uphold one another in prayer – sharing joys and concerns draws us together as a community of faith. Please pray for …
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- Family, friends and colleagues in need … Arlene (Laura & Steve’s sister-in-law), Ina, David, Neil, and Pat & family
- Those within the Knox community of faith who are suffering at this time… Nan and Gordon, Elizabeth, Keith, Arlene, and Toa.
- Congregations / faith groups in Victoria, Vancouver Island Presbytery, The Presbyterian Church in Canada
- Consider those struggling with chronic illness, recovery from surgery, addiction, personal loss, and any within our circle of care unable to attend worship each week.
- Give thanks for the blessings you enjoy – for relationships, comforts and security – for unexpected or long anticipated pleasures – for the amazing beauty of creation.
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- Please let Laura or Shannon know if there are changes to your prayer requests.
January Celebrations
Jan. 04 Jan Elliott
Jan. 16 Cathy Victor
Jan. 29 Harold McNabb
Jan. 30 Jorge Prieto
Jan. 30 Dennis Sutherland
Inclusive Christians … Thank you to everyone who has prepared food for these meals in the past and those who have volunteered for 2025. You are all welcome to attend any Wednesday at 5pm. Please uphold in prayer students exploring and nurturing their faith. Thank you for continuing to support students and Inclusive Christians on campus in this way
Robert Burns Memorial Concert: At St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church’s Kirk Hall on Sunday, January 19 at 2:00 pm.The Victoria Scottish Gaelic Choir and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church present the Robert Burns Memorial Concert. Enjoy an afternoon of music and prose of Robert Burns, dancing, and other Scottish cultural entertainment. Tea and shortbread will follow the concert. For more information and tickets: https://linktr.ee/vicgaelicchoir
Community Dinners … Gather in the Knox Church kitchen to prepare a meal and eat together. Please sign up so we can plan to have plenty of food ([email protected]). Sunday, January 19 – Pasta Bolognese/salad + Fruit Cocktail Cake; Sunday, February 9 – Super Soups + Heart-shaped Biscuits with jam; Sunday, March 16 – Baked Potatoes with toppings + Rainbow Rice Krispie Treats.
Presbytery Retreat in Nanaimo … Anne Krauss and Laura Kavanagh will be attending on January 21 and 22.
Knox Book Club … New attendees are always welcome! Here is a list of books and dates for 2025. The next meeting is Saturday, February 8 at 1pm in the vestry. Please read “Foul Play” by Iona Lam (our very own Dorothy Wong!).
Apple Tree Lunch … We will be meeting at the Apple Tree restaurant at 1501 Admirals Road in Esquimalt on February 16th!
VIP Women’s Retreat … at Camp Imadene on Fri/Sat/Sun, April 25 – 27. Contact [email protected] with questions. More details will be available HERE soon!
Camp VIP … This year’s VIP camp dates are as follows: Little Qualicum Falls June 9 – 13, Goldstream July 3-7, Rathtrevor August 11 – 18. More details will be available HERE soon
Soap for Hope Canada… Donations may be placed in the box in the narthex. I deliver the donations to Soap for Hope at the end of every month. — Shannon
Women’s Book Discussion: Wednesdays from January 15 – February 4 at 3pm – 4:30pm. A book study about ‘An Altar in the World’ by Barbara Brown Taylor. Members of St. Andrew’s, Knox and Trinity are invited. In-person and Zoom meeting options available. Hosted by Linda Coggin. Please sign up with Linda at [email protected] or 250-880-0932.
Guitar Recital: At St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church’s Sanctuary on Sunday, February 9 at 2:00 pm. Featuring guitar students from the class of Simon Fairintosh, Music Performance Instructor at the University of Victoria. Donations are appreciated and support both St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church’s music outreach program and young emerging musicians!
On February 22, 2025, join us for Canada’s National Walk for Homelessness. Our Place serves Greater Victoria’s most vulnerable: working poor, impoverished elderly, mentally and physically challenged, addicted and the homeless. As part of our continuum of care, we provide housing to 450 individuals, provide addiction recovery services and second stage housing to the graduates of our recovery program. This Year’s walk will support Post graduate services at New Roads Therapeutic Recovery Community.
Our Place will be walking Downtown and we are excited to continue our partnership with Pacific Centre Family Services Association for the walk in the Westshore!
Coldest Night of the Year is a family-friendly walk that raises awareness and money for charities serving hungry, homeless, and hurting people in our community. Gather or join a team of friends, family, workmates or congregation together and as a community, lets walk, spread awareness and provide a sense of hope, love and belonging to our neighbours in need.
Credit Card Donations: The Best Option! Simple, secure, automatically tax receipted for gifts of $20+. Visit the Victoria Donate page and follow the directions.
Cheque Donations: The Old Faithful – made out to Coldest Night of the Year with your name on the Memo line. Mail them to CNOY Head Office along with your completed pledge form.
Dear neighbours in Christ,
Please join us at St Philip Oak Bay for a candlelit service of song, silence, prayer and contemplation, in the style of the Taizé Community, on the 4th Thursdays of the month at 7pm: 27 February and 27 March. The event series is on our website.
Sunday, January 19, 2025 – Mission Moment
Last summer, twelve young adults from PCC and UCC partner churches in Canada, the Korean Christian Church in Japan, the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea, and the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan met together to share their lives, cultures, and the present social context of the church in their home countries. Exploring both common and unique challenges, they developed a workshop for the uplift2024: Audacious Faith conference. Through worship, study, and recreation, a deep sense of connection developed across languages and cultures. This global ecumenical learning community gathered for 9 days at Brock University, ending with their participation at uplift2024: Audacious Faith. Gifts to Presbyterians Sharing help strengthen long-standing church partnerships by fostering ecumenical understanding and meaningful connections among a new generation of leaders.
Wednesday, January 15 We pray for residents of St. Andrew’s Hall who gather on Wednesday evenings for soup and discussion on the Christian faith and mental health using the Sanctuary Course materials under the leadership of Chaplain Rev. Sumarme Goble.
Thursday, January 16 We pray for the Rev. Dr. Pat Dutcher-Walls, Moderator of the 2024 General Assembly, as she connects with Presbyterians across the country in her visits and through letters and articles.
Friday, January 17 We pray for Cedar Tree Ministries on Vancouver Island as it works towards healing and reconciliation, serving Indigenous communities through spiritual, social and mental health services. We pray also for its Director, the Rev. Joey Cho.
Saturday, January 18 (World Week of Prayer for Christian Unity) We pray for the members and work of the Ecumenical and Interfaith Relations Committee.
Sunday, January 19 We give thanks for the dedication of the Rev. Dr. Paul McLean and Bible translation teams in Taiwan working to provide copies of the Bible in the many Indigenous languages of Taiwan.
Monday, January 20 We pray as the PCC continues to seek support for a declaration advocating for religious freedom in Canada.
Tuesday, January 21 We pray for courage and clear vision for those discerning calls to embark on new and faithful journeys.
Wednesday, January 22 Today is the 4th anniversary of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons coming into force at the United Nations. We pray for the elimination of nuclear weapons, and the threat they pose to all life on Earth.
Thursday, January 23 We pray for interim moderators and search committees as they work to assist congregations in calling a new minister.
Friday, January 24 We pray for the mental, emotional, physical and spiritual wellbeing of the eight directors of PCC Indigenous ministries, and for the communities they work so hard to take care of.
Saturday, January 25 We pray for those who have yet to know the love of God and for those involved in mission work who are sharing that love.
Social Action Spotlight: Peacemaking
The church has a lengthy history of understanding peacemaking broadly as working for a just and equitable end to the causes of conflict and harm. Peace is not something that happens by chance. Instead, it is an intentional way of being, working, and relating that must be cultivated and nurtured—often in the face of forces heavily invested in conflict that are actively undermining peace possibilities.
Conflict takes many forms, and we are again seeing a distressing increase in armed conflict today in many places around the world. As this spotlight is being written, devasting war is widening in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Sudan, to name only a few places. In addition to advocating that Canada support United Nations Conventions to regulate the trade of conventional weapons and to ban nuclear weapons and land mines, the PCC has engaged in peacemaking advocacy on several conflicts over the years. Most recently, we have joined our ecumenical partners’ calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East and an end to supplying weapons, the resumption of humanitarian aid in Gaza and the return of all hostages.
Armed conflict is not the only obstacle to peace. The roots of conflict that just as surely undermine peace include injustices such as oppression and occupation, systemic inequities such as racism, and gender-based violence. True peace and oppression cannot co-exist: without justice, there can be no peace. This is why the church affirms in Living Faith, “God is at work when people are ashamed of the inhumanity of war and work for peace with justice.” (8.5.3)
Questions for Reflection
- There’s a common phrase that runs, “No justice, no peace; know justice, know peace.” What are some ways you see justice contributing to peace? What are some ways you see injustice contributing to conflict?
- In a recent statement responding to the worsening situation in the Middle East the WHO (World Health Organization) said that for this situation, “The best medicine is peace.” How do you see peace acting like medicine and how might you help build more peace?
What can you do?
- Consider engaging in peacemaking efforts the church is involved with through our partners: see for example presbyterian.ca/a-just-and-lasting-peace
- Give to organizations engaging in peacemaking by working to address the root causes of conflict—whether through relief work supported by PWS&D, Canadian Foodgrains Bank or similar organizations
- Write your elected officials on issues related to peacemaking. See presbyterian.ca/resources/advocacy.