Announcements – 02 April 2025
Worship… Communion/Annual Meeting 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 Congregational Meeting … April 6 during the worship service. The report will be available in print this Sunday and it was emailed last week.
Holy Week Services
Maundy Thursday – A shared service with members from Knox, Trinity, and St. Andrew’s on Thursday, April 17 at Knox Presbyterian Church at 7:00pm
Good Friday – A shared service with members from Knox, Trinity, and St. Andrew’s on Friday, April 18 at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at 10:30am
Easter Sunday – Sunday, April 20 at Knox at 10:00am
Embracing Lent – How are you observing Lent?
How can we pray, fast, and give in meaningful ways this season? Here are some ideas to consider – remember, you don’t need to do everything to make a difference doing something…
- Don’t buy anything that you don’t really need
- Attend the 1pm Monday Study Group at Knox
- Give away 40 things in 40 days – not just your junk!
- Give up gossip or Facebook or excess sugar or whatever is a vice for you
- Exercise daily to take care of the body God gave you
- Say 3 kind things to 3 people daily – be intentional
- Read and reflect on scripture or a devotional text throughout Lent
— Laura
Lent Study … More people gather for worship than for any other ministry of the church. We gather for worship because we are God’s people. We pray – we receive forgiveness – we speak and listen – we give thanks and bring our concerns – baptize – sing – eat and drink – we are blessed and sent into the world. Worship is something we do together. But why? And why do we use the forms we do? Come on Mondays 1:00 – 2:15 pm during Lent (March 10 – April 14) to explore these questions and more. Please sign up to get resources from the Knox office or Laura.
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 …
-
-
-
- Family, friends and colleagues in need … Margaret Borland, Arlene (Laura & Steve’s sister-in-law), Ina, David, and Neil
- 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.
-
-
- Please remember to let Laura or Shannon know if there are changes to your prayer requests.
April Celebrations
03 April April Watt
07 April Kevin Chaval
10 April Doug Guille
14 April Jim Reekie
Thank You … to everyone who participated and contributed to Knox Cafe. Nearly $1800 was raised for Presbyterian World Service & Development. Mark June 5 on your calendars for the next cafe!
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.
Successful Aging … The Successful Aging Podcast, hosted by Dr. Bahareh Kardeh, breaks down the science of aging into clear and actionable insights to help you thrive after 60.
During the month of April, Knox is pleased to be hosting Greater Victoria Performing Arts Festival events! Check out their website to learn more!
You are invited to join us for a dramatic reading of ‘The Way of the Cross’ at St. Barnabas Church Hall on Friday, April 4 at 7pm. Donations are gratefully received.
PCC Webinars … Go HERE to register for these webinars, or check out other upcoming webinars!
🔍Recognizing Disinformation and Misinformation
April 2, 2025 12:00–1:00 p.m. (Eastern)
This free one-hour webinar will explore the concepts of disinformation and misinformation. How are they being used in our society and media? Who is impacted? Why is it important for us to pay attention? What can we do if we encounter it in our faith life and community? The presentation will be hosted by The Presbyterian Church in Canada and facilitated by Sara Speicher, Deputy General Secretary of the World Association for Christian Communication.
🏳️🌈Preparing for Pastoral Listening about LGBTQI2+ Inclusion
April 10, 2025 1:00-2:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Having conversations about gender and sexuality can make people nervous about the possibility of judgment or conflict. As The Presbyterian Church in Canada continues to navigate changes to our understanding of marriage, ordination and the inclusion of LGBTQI2+ people in the church, pastoral listening is an important practice that can help people feel heard and improve the outcomes of congregational discernment. This webinar will focus on equipping ministers, elders and other pastoral care providers to plan and carry out processes for gathering input about LGBTQI2+ inclusion from their congregations. Participants are invited to bring questions for the Q&A that will follow the presentation. This webinar will be hosted by Carragh Erhardt, Program Coordinator, Sexuality and Inclusion, PCC.
🧠Making Space: Neurodiversity in the Church April 30, 2025 1:00-2:00 p.m. (Eastern)
Creating space in the hearts of others for neurodiverse people is the first step in making any physical changes to a building of worship. Join Allie Atchison, the Director of Children and Family Ministries at New Hope Presbyterian Church, Castle Rock, Colorado (PCUSA) as she shares ways we can make space for the neurodivergent people in our faith communities.
World Health Day … celebrated on 7 April 2025, will kick off a year-long campaign on maternal and newborn health. The campaign, titled Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures, will urge governments and the health community to ramp up efforts to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths, and to prioritize women’s longer-term health and well-being.
The World Health Organization and partners will also share useful information to support healthy pregnancies and births, and better postnatal health.
Helping every woman and baby survive and thrive
This task is critical. Tragically, based on currently published estimates, close to 300 000 women lose their life due to pregnancy or childbirth each year, while over 2 million babies die in their first month of life and around 2 million more are stillborn. That’s roughly 1 preventable death every 7 seconds.
Based on current trends, a staggering 4 out of 5 countries are off track to meet targets for improving maternal survival by 2030. 1 in 3 will fail to meet targets for reducing newborn deaths.
Listening to women and supporting families
Women and families everywhere need high quality care that supports them physically and emotionally, before, during and after birth.
Health systems must evolve to manage the many health issues that impact maternal and newborn health. These not only include direct obstetric complications but also mental health conditions, noncommunicable diseases and family planning.
Global Health Conference 2025
The Institute for Global Health at BC Children’s Hospital and BC Women’s Hospital + Health Centre are thrilled to announce the 7th Annual Global Health Conference (GHC25).
This year’s conference will take place on 10 April 2025 from 8:30 am to 1:30 pm PDT at BC Children’s Hospital’s Chan Centre for Family Health Education. GHC25 will be presented in a hybrid format and offer both in-person and virtual access.This year’s theme is Creativity Through Crisis: Lessons from Global Mental Health.
Learn more and register here: https://www.bcchr.ca/global-health-conference
Registration is FREE! Coffee and a catered lunch will be provided to all in-person attendees.
Knox Book Club … New attendees are always welcome! Here is a list of books and dates for 2025. The next meeting is Saturday, April 12 at 1pm at Laura’s home. Please read “Knowing What We Know” by Simon Winchester.
VIP Women’s Retreat … at Camp Imadene on Fri/Sat/Sun, April 25 – 27. Contact [email protected] with questions. More details are available HERE!
ELECTION DAY POLLING STATION: From 7 am to 7pm on Monday, April 28th, is election day polling in Knox’s Hall.
Trinity’s Anniversary Celebration … We will be inviting our neighbours to join us as the Presbyterian Church has been active in the Gorge-Tillicum neighbourhood for 111 years. The anniversary for Gorge Presbyterian Church is May 3, 1914 and the three congregations now known as Trinity amalgamated in 1966 (Gorge, Erskin and St. Paul’s). Everyone is invited to celebrate this anniversary Sunday May 4th with a hymn sing from 10:30-11:00am of about 8 to 10 well known and/or preferred hymns, and an opening/closing prayer. Then to gather in the upper hall from 11:00am-12:30pm for a community offering of hot dogs, juice, cake and conversation. Please come and invite friends, family and neighbours!
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. For more information contact the Camp Registrar at [email protected].
Sunday, April 6, 2025 – Mission Moment
PWS&D works with the Presbyterian Church of Ghana to advocate for the rights and inclusion of individuals with disabilities. The Garu Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Centre offers life and vocational skills training. Tilata Mahama, a 40-year-old, shares her experience: “I could not move due to my disability. The CBR program, supported by PWS&D, came to my aid with a tricycle and trained me in simple trading skills and the capital to start a business. Now, I can go to church to worship God with the aid of the tricycle. I also own and run a shop where I sell confectionaries and other items to support myself and my children. I am so grateful to the CBR and PWS&D for coming to my aid.”
Prayer Partnership
Wednesday, April 2 We pray for The Sharing Ministry, the regional ministry serving congregations in the Presbytery of the Northwest, and for the Rev. Mark Chiang, its minister.
Thursday, April 3 We pray for God’s blessings on projects being carried out by each of the eight Indigenous ministries supported by the PCC. These include an outdoor memorial project at Mistawasis, a garden project at Winnipeg Inner City Missions and a documentary project at Hummingbird Ministries.
Friday, April 4 We give thanks for the Rev. Dr. Paul McLean’s many years of faithful service working with Bible translation teams in Taiwan and pray for God’s continued blessing in his retirement.
We pray for Knox College students as they complete the academic year, for clarity and insight as they write their final papers and prepare for their summer commitments.
Sunday, April 6 (5th Sunday in Lent) We pray for the staff of The Presbyterian College, Montreal who support the running of the school on a day-to-day basis.
Monday, April 7 (World Health Day) On World Health Day, we pray for PWS&D partners who walk alongside those living with tuberculosis, HIV, leprosy and malaria, providing support and hope as they strive toward a healthy future.
Tuesday, April 8 We pray for the people, ministries and mission of the Presbytery of Paris in Ontario.
Wednesday, April 9 We pray for graduates from Vancouver School of Theology, that God may lead them into thoughtful, engaged and generous ministry in the church and the world.
Thursday, April 10 We pray for farmers as they prepare for the upcoming growing season, that they might feel your presence in the land as keenly now as at creation. May they know times of rest and rejuvenation even in the midst of their work.
Friday, April 11 We pray for the members of the Women’s Missionary Society as they meet to review their past year’s work and plan upcoming meetings & events.
Saturday, April 12 We give thanks for the growing diversity within congregations and the denomination that enriches us and helps us reflect the intercultural family of God.
Social Action Spotlight: Taking action for climate justice during Lent, and beyond
At this time of year, many of us are starting to anticipate the return of more daylight, warmer days, getting outside more often and perhaps a break from work or school. At the same time, others are thinking about and preparing for seasonal environmental events that can invoke anxiety, such as storms, flooding, drought, heat warnings, or wildfire events made more severe by climate change.
During the season of Lent, Christians are invited to prepare for Easter by reflecting on the life and teachings of Jesus. Lenten traditions vary, but the practice of “giving something up” during Lent is common for many Christians. Give it up for the Earth! is a campaign organized by the faith-based groups Citizens for Public Justice and For the Love of Creation (of which the PCC is a member). It invites us to make a personal or household pledge to reduce, or “give up,” greenhouse gas emissions and to advocate for greater supports from the federal government to mitigate and cope with the impacts of the climate crisis. During Lent, we can take steps to care for God’s creation.
How can I get involved?
•Participate in the Give it up for the Earth! campaign, found online here: cpj.ca/fortheearth
•Learn more about PWS&D’s response to the climate crisis, and how you can support this work: presbyterian.ca/pwsd/climatejustice
•Learn more about how we can direct climate anxiety toward hope and action by watching the webinar posted on the PCC’s Social Action Hub under “Educational Resources” at presbyterian.ca/justice/social-action/ecological-justice
What can I do after Lent?
Give it up for the Earth! also invites us to support the year-long global ecumenical 2025 Jubilee campaign to cancel unjust development-related debt for low-income countries in the global South. The term Jubilee is from the Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament. It references a year of celebration—a time associated with release from different forms of oppression, including debt.
Why is this needed? For decades, rich countries in the global North have granted loans to low-income countries in the global South for various humanitarian and economic reasons. The terms of these loans have been predatory—favouring the priorities of rich countries with little regard for the interests or priorities of low-income countries, including the ability to address the climate crisis. In 2000, Christians around the world successfully advocated for the cancellation of billions of dollars of unjust debt for low-income countries. However, the systems that created the unjust debt still exist. Your support is needed! More information can be found online at kairoscanada.org/jubilee-2025-canada.