Announcements – 13 September, 2023
Worship…10:00 AM Sunday – We hope you will participate in-person but if you are unwell, please access the live streamed service.
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- To access the live streamed service, please go to the Knox YouTube channel or click here
- 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
- Tommy Wong (Dorothy’s dad)
- Martha Anderson is home recovering from a stroke
- Please continue to pray for the following people whose details have been included in previous announcements: Gary Hall, Toa & family, Neil, Amy, Pat & her family, Cora – not doing well, Laura Lee & Michael, Lynda & Bob Gill, Owen – stroke recovery.
There is a book where you can write your joys and concerns on the table at the back of the sanctuary. If you don’t have a prayer request or thanksgiving to record, you can check the book and pray for others. 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.
September Celebrations…
01 Sept Betty Hall
02 Sept Fiona Gow
03 Sept Nan + Gordon Zorn
06 Sept Ted Veenstra
15 Sept Anne + Philip Krauss
17 Sept Carolyn Johnson
18 Sept Betty + Gary Hall
27 Sept Gavin Spry (MacInnes)
PRESBYTERY meets on Tuesday, September 18 at Trinity, Campbell River. Laura and Anne will attend.
PRESBYTERIAN COFFEE What inspires you?! Gather in the upstairs room at Grindstone Café (504 Herald St) at 1:30pm on Saturday, September 23 to engage in an hour of conversation. The hope is that we will discern a mission or ministry that is compelling to all of us. See you there!
SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER on Sunday, September 24 I am happy that we can welcome Christopher Sanford Beck to Knox. Christopher is a recent graduate from UVic and was a regular participant at Inclusive Christians: Around the Table during his time here. He is now working at Vancouver School of Theology. I asked him to come as our guest speaker to better connect our community of faith with the ministry we are engaged in with Multi Faith at UVic. I know you will be happy to meet him. — Laura
APPLE TREE LUNCHEON everyone is encouraged to gather after worship on Sunday, September 24. Please sign up or contact Marianne Mortimer for more details.
Journey for Hope!… This event is coming up fast. If you plan to be part of the team to walk or ride on September 30, please let Laura know ASAP! We’re fundraising in support of PWS&D’s food security projects. With climate issues, conflict and inflation continuing to impact people around the world, food insecurity is at alarmingly high levels. PLEASE CONSIDER HOW MUCH YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO THIS IMPORTANT WORK. Go here to donate.
ORANGE SHIRT DAY The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is held annually on September 30th. The day honours the children who never returned home and survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities. Public commemoration of the tragic and painful history and ongoing impacts of residential schools is a vital component of the reconciliation process.
This federal statutory holiday was created through legislative amendments made by Parliament. Both the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Orange Shirt Day take place on September 30. Orange Shirt Day is an Indigenous-led grassroots commemorative day intended to raise awareness of the individual, family and community intergenerational impacts of residential schools, and to promote the concept of “Every Child Matters”. The orange shirt is a symbol of the stripping away of culture, freedom and self-esteem experienced by Indigenous children over generations.
SHARED SERVICES
Come and worship with our Sister Churches, St. Andrew’s and Trinity, this October! If you cannot make it, please tune in to the livestreams of the service.
Sunday October 1 10:00am
World Communion Sunday
Knox’s Youtube Channel
2964 Richmond Rd.
Sunday October 8 10:30 am
Thanksgiving Sunday
St. Andrew’s Youtube Channel
924 Douglas St.
Sunday October 15 10:30 am
Trinity’s Youtube Channel
2964 Tillicum Rd.
Inclusive Christians – Around the Table – an ecumenical communion service hosted by Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian and United chaplains on Wednesdays at 5:00 pm during the university term. The simple service focuses on reading and reflecting on the gospel, prayer, song, silence and sharing bread and wine. While this service is centered on students, all are welcome. After worship everyone is invited to enjoy a meal. We usually have 20-30 participants.
Thank you to Harold McNabb and Mary Dimech for helping with the meal for September. Kittie Ure and Kathy Bracken are taking on November and Patti Jackson and a team from St. Andrew’s have December covered. Many hands – light work! It is a blessing to be able to support students and Inclusive Christians on campus in this way. — Laura Kavanagh
Knox Book Club… The next meeting is at Knox on October 7 at 1pm. We are reading A Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn. Start thinking about suggestions for next year’s reading list!
PCC 2024 Calendar features wonderful photos of church doors, crossings, thresholds and other places that we think of as liminal spaces. Those in-between places along the boundaries between what is and what is promised—between desperation and hope, doubt and trust, the known and the unknown, and death and new life—are where the church encounters Jesus. The photos, submitted by congregations, ministries and individuals, evoke a powerful sense of the possibilities that beckon if we learn to wait and listen. The calendar also provides unique church year dates for The Presbyterian Church in Canada, as well as the lectionary and church colours. Cost: $5.00 each. Click here to order and to see photos that didn’t make it into the calendar
Early Bird Notice – mark your calendars!
Vancouver Island Presbytery Women’s Retreat – April 26-28, 2024. First Women’s Retreat since COVID. Camp Imadene, Mesachie Lake. Watch for more details in the coming months. It’s a wonderful opportunity to meet and fellowship with other women from our sister congregations on Vancouver Island.
Sunday, September 17, 2023 – Mission Moment
For the five congregations that comprise the Northern New Brunswick Regional Ministry, ‘church’ goes well beyond someone’s physical presence in the building on Sunday morning. Over the past year, they have asked themselves, “How do we reach out to those in our community and meet them where their needs are greatest?” Each congregation faces a wide diversity of social and economic challenge in their communities, including drug addiction, homelessness, unemployment and food insecurity. A common thread that unites their communities despite distance: people are searching for acceptance and help. The congregations are working to meet these needs through compassion and care.
Sunday, September 17 We give thanks for the Northern New Brunswick Regional Ministry and pray that they continue to find new ways of meeting the physical and spiritual needs within their diverse communities
Monday, September 18 We pray for the Ecumenical & Interfaith Relations Committee and its convenor, Laura Lee Campbell.
Tuesday, September 19 We pray for those who are grieving the loss of loved ones, especially during this time of lingering post-pandemic challenges. May they find comfort and peace in the knowledge of God’s eternal love and presence.
Wednesday, September 20 We pray for international students who are far from home and family. Pray that they will be comforted in times of loneliness and for encouragement as they strive for success in their studies.
Thursday, September 21 (International Day of Prayer for Peace) We pray for peace worldwide, and for world leaders, as well as for PWS&D partners providing life-saving aid and emotional support to families suffering the terrifying consequences of war.
Friday, September 22 We pray for congregations that support refugee families by welcoming them to Canada and helping them to find housing, jobs and community in which to build relationships.
Saturday, September 23 We pray for health, safety and good weather for those participating in the Journey for Hope on September 23 in support of PWS&D’s work to end world hunger.
Social Action Spotlight – Vaccine Equity September 2023
The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the importance of equitable access to vaccines and medicines for all. Unfortunately, COVID-19 vaccine distribution has been unequal, with more than 75% of COVID-19 vaccine doses having been administered in just 10 countries, while underserved low-income countries have been left vulnerable to new COVID-19 variants. The World Health Organization warns that vaccine inequity threatens our ability to end pandemics and poses a risk to global health security. The Presbyterian Church in Canada has supported equitable access to vaccines and essential medicines for years, including the Towards a World Without AIDS campaign and advocating for the reform of patent laws that prevent fair and equitable access to vaccines and essential medicines. It is essential that wealthier countries address the underlying factors contributing to inequitable access to medicines and vaccines, such as systemic racism and economic inequality. To begin, we can support the COVAX initiative, which aims to distribute vaccines fairly to all countries by providing funding to organizations to increase vaccine access for all. We can also advocate that Canada develop vaccine production capacities domestically and set a percentage of all vaccines to go to low-income countries that cannot afford to pay market rates for vaccines and essential medicines.
What can you do?
- Write to your elected representatives to express your support for vaccine equity and urge them to take action. Template letters are online atpresbyterian.ca/justice/advocacy.