August 13, 2026 Announcements

Knox Book Club … New attendees are always welcome! Here is a list of books and dates for 2026.  The next meeting is Saturday September 12 at 1:00pm at Laura’s.  We will be discussing “Far Cry” by Alissa York.

Journey for Hope … Team ‘Together in Motion & Song’ is raising money for the Journey for Hope, which supports PWS&D’s food security projects.  For more information please contact our Team Captain, Patti Jackson.  Members of Knox Victoria, Knox Sooke, Saanich Peninsula, Trinity, and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Churches are invited to join us for the following events:

• Sing for Hope: a charity hymn sing at Trinity (2964 Tillicum Rd.) on Thursday, September 17 at 7:00 PM.
• Walk for Hope: a charity walk at Esquimalt Gorge Park (1070 Tillicum Rd.) on Saturday, September 26 at 9:30 AM.

To donate to this event, you can use your weekly offering envelope, labelled under special donations with the amount and ‘Journey for Hope’, or via Interac transfer, include your envelope number and ‘Journey for Hope’ in the message window.

Sunday, August 16, 2026 – Mission Moment

Wednesday, August 12 (Opening day of Collective 2026) Lord, bless all who gather at Collective 2026 with curiosity, joy, and a deep sense of your presence.

Thursday, August 13 For the generous hospitality offered by the staff at Crieff Hills Retreat Centre 365 days a year, we give thanks.

Friday, August 14 We pray for the people, ministries and mission of the Presbytery of Kingston.

Saturday, August 15 We pray for the staff and faculty at Knox College who serve with dedication and care. May God grant them wisdom in their ministries, patience in their guidance, and joy in their calling.

Sunday, August 16 We pray for staff and campers at Camp Keir in Bonshaw, PEI, as they learn and grow together in faith in a Christian camping community.

Monday, August 17 Please pray for the Change Leadership Team as it continues to seek guidance from the Holy Spirit in fulfilling its mandate from the denomination.

Tuesday, August 18 We give thanks for children in our care. May God guide us to bring them up in the faith, with patience, wisdom and grace to know the love of Jesus that calls us to love one another.

Wednesday, August 19 (World Humanitarian Day) We pray for courageous aid workers and give thanks for those who deliver important aid and serve communities affected by crises.

Thursday, August 20 We pray for staff and campers at Gracefield Christian Camp and Retreat in Gracefield, QC, as they learn and grow together in faith in a Christian camping community.

Friday, August 21 We pray for encouragement for families feeling stressed by the cost of back-to-school clothing and supplies.

Saturday, August 22 We pray for the students who are anticipating beginning theological studies at The Presbyterian College, Montreal and ask that God will guide them as they study and prepare for ministry.

Social Action Spotlight:  Nuclear disarmament and peacemaking

In our current global climate, it is more critical than ever to work for a world free of the threat of nuclear weapons and to hold to the principle that Canada remain free of nuclear weapons. Advocating for global nuclear disarmament, while also supporting peacemaking efforts that strengthen bonds within and across community difference, builds communities where all God’s creation can flourish.

Peacemaking is an intentional way of relating (to people and the earth) that centers mutual wellbeing. It works against injustice, oppression and anything that diminishes the integrity of God’s creation. Nuclear weapons undermine that work. Catastrophic and indiscriminate, they are incompatible with any vision of a just peace. Words from a report adopted in 1983 by General Assembly remain apt: “no nation, including our own, has the right before God to resort to nuclear weapons, either offensively or defensively.” (A&P 1983, pp. 373, 44).

Peacemaking advocates have worked for decades towards the negotiation of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (Ban Treaty), which passed in 2017 and came into force in 2021. Unfortunately, no NATO members, including Canada, support the Ban Treaty because NATO’s strategy includes nuclear weapons. The Treaty’s significance, however, lies in the audacious collective hope of people, including the 122 nations that supported the Ban Treaty for a world free of nuclear weapons. Living Faith, a subordinate standard of the church, states “We protest against the world arms race that diminishes our ability to fight hunger, ignorance, poverty and disease. We fear nuclear war and the devastation it would bring. We affirm that God is at work when people are ashamed of the inhumanity of war and work for peace with justice.” (8.5.3) That work for peace with justice is no less important today than when Living Faith was written.

Reflection Questions

• The church has repeatedly spoken out against nuclear weapons and as recently as 2018 has advocated that Canada sign and ratify the Ban Treaty (A&P 2018, pp. 286-288, 22). Why do you think the church has taken this position? What do you think about the quote from Living Faith tying the arms race to the diminished collective ability to fight the kinds of things feeding conflict (like “hunger, ignorance, poverty and disease”)?
• What aspects of peacemaking and justice work are most critical in your community and what can you and your church do to support them? A recent study guide, “Peacemaking: a reflective resource” is available online at presbyterian.ca/justice/social-action/peacemaking, under “Educational Resources.”

What can you do?

• Advocate with elected officials for peacemaking initiatives, including supporting the Ban Treaty. Template letters for the Ban Treaty and other topics are on the church’s Advocacy webpage (presbyterian.ca/resources/advocacy) under “International Affairs.”
• Support the work of faith-based peace organization, and church partner, Project Ploughshares (ploughshares.ca).

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