Announcements – 02 October, 2024
Worship…10:30 AM – World Communion Sunday. Knox and St. Andrew’s are worshipping together this Sunday (October 6) at 10:30 AM at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at 924 Douglas Street. Free parking on Sundays is available at the Broughton Street Parkade. If you are unwell, please access the live streamed service on the St. Andrew’s YouTube channel or via St. Andrew’s website.
The printed service will be available before Sunday morning
Knox Worship – October 2024
October 6 congregations together at St. Andrew’s (924 Douglas St.)
October 13 Thanksgiving with Harold McNabb
October 20 at Saanich Pennisula Presbyterian (9296 E Saanich Rd)
October 27 Reformation with Cathy Victor
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 … Ina (Martha’s friend), David, Neil, Pat & family
- Those within the Knox community of faith who are suffering at this time… Arlene, Earl, Toa
- Congregations / faith groups in Victoria, thevVancouver Island Presbytery, The Presbyterian Church in Canada … especially ongoing collaboration discussions among Victoria congregations and other faith communities in transition – Lutheran Church of the Cross and Trinity Presbyterian in Campbell River
- The PCC asks that people pray for all who are affected and threatened and for an end to violence and a just peace in the land of Christ’s birth: God of truth, mercy and peace, God of life and of reconciliation, we mourn the suffering and murder of your people. We pray for a just peace and reconciliation for the people of Palestine and Israel who have endured the burden of violence and conflict for so long. Console those who grieve, heal the injured, comfort those who are alone and afraid, protect those who are held hostage, and restrain those who would cause more violence or act cynically for political gain and power. Let wisdom settle on your churches and on the governments and leaders of this world so that justice is sought, reconciliation found, peace established, and security provided for all. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen
- 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 know when your concern is no longer urgent and can be removed from the list.
October Celebrations
October 2 Amanda Chaval
October 2 Yvonne Fowler
October 2 Alf + Jan Eamer
October 3 Helen Sanderson
October 4 Terry Foster
October 4 Yin Man Lam
October 8 Nicole Bateman
October 11 Kittie Ure
October 21 Bruce + Kittie Ure
October 23 Lauré Balogh
October 27 Moira Prieto
October 30 Ursula Crockett
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Knox Café presents Songs of Old Men – In honour of Canada’s National Seniors’ Day on Oct 1, the Knox Café features songs written by old men or about old men and presented by old men (well, 2 of us, anyway). Artists like Lyle Lovett, Leonard Cohen, Willie Nelson, Gordon Lightfoot, Johnny Cash, James Taylor, Tom Waits, Jerry Jeff Walker. As a junior member of the old man’s club, many of these songs have a personal connection to share with you.
Everyone is welcome. Beverages and a great dessert are included. Money raised supports the humanitarian work of Presbyterian World Service and Development. Donations at the door or by etransfer to [email protected]. Be sure to mark Knox Cafe October in the message box and include your name and address if you want a tax receipt at year’s end.
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Inclusive Christians … Thank you to all who have volunteered to prepare food for those attending the weekly ecumenical service at UVic Multifaith. You are welcome to attend any Wednesday at 5pm. Please uphold in prayer students exploring and nurturing their faith. Thank you for supporting students and Inclusive Christians on campus in this way.
Community Dinners (formerly Sunday Night Dinners) are back! Please sign up – just so we have a better idea of numbers (contact the office or sign the sheet in the hallway). The time for each date is 5-7pm in the Knox Church kitchen and lounge. Looking forward to cooking and eating together! Sunday, October 6 (Harvest Stew + pumpkin pie); Sunday, November 17 (some kind of curry with rice + apple crisp).
Book Club – The next book for discussion is The Boat People by Sharon Bala. Join the conversation on Saturday, October 12 at 1pm.
Spiritual Spotlight Lunch … Knox Church will be sponsoring a lunch at ‘Our Place’ on Tuesday, October, 15th through our outreach ministry, instead of in previous years preparing a meal bi-monthly in our kitchen. The cost to fund this is $700.
Our Place serves over 1,400 meals a day to the most vulnerable people in our society and on special occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter they expand this to provide a family holiday meal to those who would not otherwise have a home to turn to.
If this is something that you would like to support with a donation, please mark your envelope or e-transfer (at [email protected]) ‘Our Place / Sponsored Meal’.
On October 16, World Food Day, join with Canadian Foodgrains Bank member organizations as we discuss how conflict affects global hunger and ask the question: what does a Christian faith look like in this context?We’ll hear from World Renew’s partner, MERATH in Lebanon, about how conflict and faith intersect in their food security work. And from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Canadian Baptist Ministries’ Polisi Kivava will share insights from his personal experience leading the organization’s African Relief and Development work.
We will close this gathering in a time of prayer together, standing united in our mission to end hunger and bring hope to those affected by conflict.
This event will be happening on October 16 at 7 pm CT (5 pm PT) online. You can sign up for the virtual event here.
Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D) WeRespond.ca
Four Mile Pub Luncheon on Dec 8 at 11:30am.
KAIROS BC/Yukon Fall Gathering
All are invited to a weekend retreat at the beautiful Sorrento Centre on October 4-6. Join us for a coming together of people who are on fire for justice and hold a deep concern for our Earth as climate chaos takes hold and modernity collapses…
How then shall we live? What will rise out of the ashes? And which stories will carry us through? In the beautiful, natural setting that is Sorrento, we will explore, connect and regenerate ourselves through a variety of experiential learning opportunities built around this question:
What are the stories we need to hear now?
We will hear stories from traditional storyteller and theatre artist Kenthen Thomas from the Secwepemc’ulucw, Leah Reesor-Keller, author of the nonfiction book, Tending Tomorrow: Courageous Change for People and Planet, and more, including participants. Together we will go on a journey, using conversation circles, special speakers, Indigenous wisdom, guided walks, meditation, prayer, music, worship, art-making and much more.
Everyone is welcome, from 18 – 108 years old, of any background. No prior connection needed.
Details and registration here.
Sunday, October 6, 2024 – Mission Moment
Chandha Kumari is a 16-year-old girl living in a rural village in India. She’s the eldest of five siblings and the financial strain weighs heavily on her family. Amid these daily struggles is the threat of child marriage, which remains a common practice in her village. Financial and social pressures led Chandha’s parents to consider marrying her off despite her age. This all changed when her mother attended a community awareness session on child marriage hosted by PWS&D’s local partner. Chandha’s mother shared with her husband what she learned during the session. Armed with knowledge about the legal age for marriage and the detrimental effects of child marriage, they decided to prioritize Chandha’s education and seek other financial resources to prevent her early marriage.
Prayer Partnership
Wednesday, October 2 In this harvest season we give thanks for the abundance of produce on the Crieff Hills farm—honey, maple syrup, eggs, vegetables, herbs, fruit and flowers.
Thursday, October 3 We pray for the Church Doctrine Committee as they develop a pastoral response to persons who have chosen Medical Assistance in Dying.
Friday, October 4 (Sisters in Spirit Vigils) We pray for Indigenous girls and women who have faced terrible levels of violence and for the families and friends of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls seeking justice.
We pray for the people, ministries and mission of the Synod of Quebec and Eastern Ontario.
Sunday, October 6 (World Communion Sunday) We give thanks for the global Christian community and all who gather around God’s Holy Table this Sunday.
Monday, October 7 We give thanks for the Pinuyumayan Church District of the Presbyterian Church in Taiwan for 65 years of mission history and the publication of their very first translated New Testament.
Tuesday, October 8 We pray for the Rev. Dr. George Sabra as he retires after serving faithfully for 38 years as a faculty member, Academic Dean, and President of the Near East School of Theology in Lebanon.
Wednesday, October 9 We pray for congregations that are envisioning new forms of mission and ministry. May God’s Spirit bless their conversations and new visions and give them strength and patience as the ministry grows.
Thursday, October 10 We pray for international students studying at Vancouver School of Theology. May God bless them with good friends and a sense of welcome and delight in the work.
Friday, October 11 (International Day of the Girl Child) We give thanks and pray for PWS&D programs in India that help reduce the incidence of child marriages and advocate for girls’ education.
Saturday, October 12 We pray for good health for ministers and directors of the eight Indigenous ministries of the PCC, and for their families and friends who support them.
Reconciliation and the PCC’s 2024 Apology for colonization and residential schools
In 2023, the National Indigenous Ministries Council recommended to the General Assembly that The Presbyterian Church in Canada draft a renewed apology for its role in colonization and the operation of residential schools. A Committee composed of Indigenous and settler Presbyterians prepared the Apology, which was adopted by the 2024 General Assembly.
The Committee recognized the urgent need to respond amid the crises facing Indigenous people today, made significantly worse by the trauma caused by residential schools. It examined elements of apology, including admitting wrongdoing, reparation, commitments going forward and ongoing change. The Committee also heard that many people and communities directly impacted by schools run by the church did not know about or had not heard the 1994 Confession. While the 1994 Confession set the church on a path of reconciliation, in learning to walk that path, the church has learned much about and understands more deeply now the harm it caused. When we understand the harm we caused, we cannot help but be deeply sorry. The 2024 Apology comes out of the church’s learning and is a response to that learning.
Words carry little meaning without action, so follow-up steps are critical. The Committee is working to develop additional guidance for the church toward the life-giving need for reconciliation, including how best to put into action the 2024 Apology. We are all part of shaping the church’s collective journey toward reconciliation.
How can you get involved?
In order to better pursue reconciliation, we must understand what matters to Indigenous people locally and nationally, we must understand the church’s legacy of harm through residential schools and colonialism, and we must respect Indigenous cultures and spiritualities.
You can: