Announcements – 03 April, 2024
Knox is a caring and inclusive community of faith. All are welcome here!
Worship…10:00 AM –COMMUNION Sunday We hope you will participate in-person but if you are unwell, please access the live streamed service. If you celebrate at home, please have your elements prepared prior to the start of service.
To access the live streamed service, please go to the Knox’s YouTube channel or click here
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- 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.
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- Please continue to pray for Diane (friend of Dorothy, Mary and Laura); Earl; David (Connie Dunwoody’s brother), Ena and her sister, Cora; Toa & family; Neil; Amy; Pat & her family; and Lynda & Bob Gill.
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.
April Celebrations
01 April Watt
07 Kevin Chaval
10 Doug Guille
14 Jim Reekie
The nominee for Moderator of the 2024 General Assembly is the Rev. Dr. Patricia Dutcher-Walls. Read more here.
THE EASTER SEASON
In a way, Easter is a “moveable feast” which, unlike Christmas with its set date, falls on the Sunday after the full moon following March 21. It is easy to fall back into “life as normal” after Easter. But, the season of Easter – 40 days – is Christendom’s most meaningful and historic celebration.
Historical Roots of Easter Season
The Easter Season – or Eastertide – is seven weeks after Easter. It seems likely that Eastertide was modelled after the Jewish festival of Shavuot, The Festival of Weeks, which was seven weeks long and ended with the celebration of Shavuot on the 50th day. In Christian tradition, the Easter season leads us to celebrate Pentecost, the gift of God’s Holy Spirit on the 50th day.
Finding Meaning in the Tradition
As with Christmas, there may be an emotional slump after Easter. The Easter season – Eastertide – is, therefore, a good time to engage in something new in mission, something daring and innovative. Gather up your slow cookers and serve soup on the main street of your town. Invite guests to tell you of local mission opportunities in your community, or go to the national church website www.presbyterian.ca to find out about international ministry supported by Presbyterians Sharing . . . .
Questions for Personal Meditation
Read the accounts of the last week of Jesus’ life from the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. (If you own a copy of Gospel Parallels: A Comparison of the Synoptic Gospels, by Burton Throckmorton, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1992, it will help you to see the differences between the various gospel writers.) How does the resurrection story influence your life?
Knox Book Club There are two book for discussion this month: The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick & The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods. Hope you can join the conversation on Saturday, April 13, at 1 pm.
A complete list of books for 2024 is available here
Sunday Night Dinner Sunday, April 14 from 5-7:30pm. We are thinking of making some delicious Indian food! Plan to be part of this community experience in the lovely Knox kitchen and lounge on the second Sunday of each month. Bring a friend.
Sunday, April 7, 2024 – Mission Moment
Katia Bien-Aime, a senior nurse and coordinator for a nutrition program in Haiti, recalls a time when a significant number of children failed to return for follow-up care after initial treatment at the nutrition clinic. She knew something needed to be done. In response, PWS&D’s partner, who also runs the original clinic, decided to begin mobile clinics. Today, these mobile units have proven successful in bridging the gap and allowing healthcare providers to get closer to their patients, easier follow-ups and enabling the delivery of crucial basic medical care directly to villages and homes. “It worked,” Katia says. “We were able to get to the really sick kids faster and earlier.” In addition, the mobile units provide tools to make water safe for drinking and to promote better sanitation and hygiene practices.
Sunday, April 7 We pray for PWS&D partners who are compassionately walking alongside those suffering from tuberculosis, HIV, leprosy and malaria. May their collective journey toward health and prosperity be filled with strength, support and positive outcomes.
Monday, April 8 We pray for the Assembly Council as it meets to prepare reports for the upcoming General Assembly, that it will focus on the hopes and possibilities of Christ’s church as we continue in ministry and mission together.
Tuesday, April 9 We pray for Jill Foster and the ministry of healing and reconciliation she does with Indigenous people, organizations and communities, and her partnership with churches in the Montreal area.
Wednesday, April 10 On this International Day of Pink, we pray for an end to bullying against the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and for greater acceptance of diversity, equality, and inclusivity.
Thursday, April 11 We pray for ministers who are on inter-mission that they will be blessed by a sabbath time where they can be open to the presence of the Holy One in their lives.
Friday, April 12 We pray for Crieff Hills Retreat Centre, Executive Director Kristine O’Brien and staff as they offer warm hospitality in Jesus’ name.
Saturday, April 13 As the Women’s Missionary Society synodicals meet for their annual meetings, we pray for the Rev. Sarah Kim, who has been the Executive Director of the WMS since September 2001.
Social Action Spotlight – April – June 2024
A Call for Climate Justice
It is estimated that in 2023, there was a 30% increase in people who lost their lives due to climate related disasters such as floods, wildfires, cyclones, storms and landslides over the previous year (data from the International Disaster Database).
Almost half of those killed were in countries responsible for less than 0.1% of the world’s global greenhouse gas emissions. Additionally, an estimated 87% of all people living in extreme poverty live in environmentally vulnerable or fragile countries.
The African continent, for example, contributes the least to climate change yet is the most vulnerable to its impacts. African countries, which have contributed so little to the global climate crisis, will have to spend up to five times more on adapting to the crisis than they will on healthcare. In contrast, G20 countries represent around 75% of global emissions and have the financial resources to cope with the impacts of the climate crisis in their own countries, while also assisting countries who need it.
To help address this disproportionate burden, countries agreed at the United Nations Climate Conference to create a loss and damage fund. “Loss and damage” refers to the negative consequences that arise from the unavoidable risks of climate change, like extreme weather events. Wealthier countries are invited to contribute to the fund so that countries most impacted by climate change have access to the resources they need to cope with the emergency.
Questions for Reflection
- Sometimes we think of climate change as something that impacts other people. Have you noticed changes in our climate? What have you noticed?
- What is your vision of the sort of society that offers a more just response to the climate emergency?
- What potential actions could you take to impact the environment positively in your community? In your country? In the world?
What can you do?
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- Engage with For the Love of Creation, a national, faith-based coalition for climate justice, with resources for learning, conversation and advocacy at fortheloveofcreation.ca.
- Every fall, the World Council of Churches encourages people to come together during the Season of Creation. Find resources to engage your church and community at seasonofcreation.org.
- Contact the Minister of Finance and ask that Canada make a significant contribution to the Loss and Damage Fund, in line with the contributions of other G20 countries.
Knox is a caring and inclusive community of faith. All are welcome here!