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Statement on Anti-Semitic Hatred in Canada
by Fr. Dean As important as it is to repudiate an act of savagery in another land which our elected leaders have done this past week - what the terrorist group Hamas have unleashed in Israel and Gaza - it is equally important to address and repudiate it at home. Cardus (www.cardus.ca) is a Christian and Canadian non-partisan think tank who released this statement on Tuesday: October 10, 2023 - OTTAWA, ON – "It has been shocking and disappointing to see and hear the deeply misguided Canadian expressions of support for the recent terror attacks against the Jewish people and the State of Israel. The support for these expressions that have come from within Canada's labour movement are deeply concerning and militate against the interests of all workers. Such statements must be repudiated. Equally shocking are the expressions of outright hatred against all Jews, voiced at rallies and events in this country. According to a recent Cardus research brief, religious hate crimes annually reported to Canadian police more than doubled between 2009 and 2021. Jewish Canadians are consistently the most common target of these crimes. We stand with the vast majority of Canadians who oppose anti-Semitism and terrorism in all its forms, but most especially hatred that targets people because of their faith or ethnicity." Brian Dijkema, Vice-President of External Affairs at Cardus Dr. Andrew Bennett, Faith Communities Program Director at Cardus Cardus is a non-partisan think tank dedicated to clarifying and strengthening, through research and dialogue, the ways in which society's institutions can work together for the common good. Once again, I recommend this week's reflection by Ray Pennings (Vice-President, Cardus): *Looking ahead: A full and exciting fall lies before us. 1) The St. Paul's Steel Orchestra has resumed. New players warmly welcomed. 2) The Youth String Ensemble has now resumed - Saturdays at 4.30 pm. Registration at practice. 3) October 28 - the parish mission has been confirmed with Fr. Arthur as our speaker and the thrilling news that accompanying him will be the Diana Braithwaite & Chris Whiteley duet, Gemini and Maple Blues Award winning musicians. They are acclaimed artists who perform Blues and Gospel music and are new friends of Fr. Arthur. Ancestors of Diana fled to Canada on the underground railroad, an experience which features in their music. More about them is available here: www.hotblues.ca. More about the mission here: www.stpl.ca/2023-parish-mission.html Here's a note from Fr. Arthur: What could our Mission have in common with Saturday Night Live and CBC's "Vinyl Café"? We too will feature premier Canadian musician and performer, Chris Whiteley. He is coming with his spouse and musical partner, Diana Braithwaite, an incredible singer. She descended from slaves who escaped here via the Underground Railroad, a history which features in their music. Whiteley and Braithwaite won numerous awards for performances and songwriting. They will bring several musicians to celebrate an evening of gospel music. Speaker: our own Fr. Arthur Boers (who probably won't ever be on Saturday Night Live). 4) November 3 - PLEASE NOTE - the annual Tamil evangelistic mission and fundraiser for the Bridge of Hope palliative care program in northern Sri Lanka has been rescheduled for Friday, November 3. 5) Anniversary Sunday on November 19, marking 183 years of service in the community and the 182nd anniversary of the dedication of the parish by Bishop John Strachan. ******** All Saints Food Bank Drive - Every fall we offer our support to the Agincourt Community Services Assocation (ACSA) food bank. We are encouraging everyone to offer a gift from now through the Feast of All Saints which we will celebrate on November 5th. *Walk-a-Thon 2023 - a great day and over $10,000 raised so far. Thanksgiving (October 8) is the deadline for individual walkers, to submit pledge sheets and donations. Thanks again for your constant help and support of our many outreach projects. This is our Main fundraiser. St Paul's Family Network: Children and Youth Basketball Programs - Youth Basketball Clinics have resumed: Youth on Mondays, at 6 pm and Children on Tuesdays at 6.00 p.m. - at L'Amoreaux C.I. Register here: linktr.ee/splcyouth A great start in both programs this year! A New Book from Arthur Boers: Arthur's coming-of-age and coming-to-faith memoir has just been published! Shattered: A Son Picks Up the Pieces of His Father's Rage (Eerdmans), explores being the child of immigrants and learn English as a second language, a vivid Christian faith already as a child, and his father's dangerous PTSD that eventually focused dangerously on Arthur. If you would like to order one, you can email Arthur at info@arthurboers.com. You can specify whether you'd like it signed or personalized in some way. Arthur is selling the book for the Amazon-busting price of $25. Pilgrimage to Israel and Jordan. February 16th to 28th, 2024 Join us for an information meeting at St. Paul's on Saturday, October 14th at 11.00 a.m. to explore joining a group travelling to Israel and Jordan. We will visit Petra, Wadi Rum, Nazareth, Jerusalem, the Sea of Galilee, Masada, Bethlehem, and the Mount of Beatitudes. If you would like to visit Israel as a pilgrim with time to visit, pray and reflect in each holy place, you will enjoy our itinerary. We create many special moments such as a visit to the private garden of Gethsemane, a sail on the Sea of Galilee, Eucharist at the Mount of Beatitudes, a healing and prayer time at the Jordan River and a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Everyone is welcome. The Rev. Canon Kim Beard will be the group leader. Our flights will be direct with Air Canada from Toronto to Tel Aviv. If you would like more information, please contact: Canon Kim Beard at beard3300@rogers.com Church Service Zoom Link The ordinary Church Service Zoom link is now back in use for all English church services which are streamed on Zoom, for the replay of the Sunday recording, for Evening Prayer on Sundays at 6.00 p.m. and for Morning Prayer, Monday through Saturday: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86566347435?pwd=WnhpMDJQRkxjMEV3d2pMU0FCa0JuUT09 By Phone: Meeting ID: 865 6634 7435 Passcode: 501805 647-374-4685 647-558-0588 Pray for One Another On Tuesdays, from 7.30 - 8.30 pm, Rajini Lyman hosts on Zoom a simple service of evening prayer with ample time for participants to pray for each other. In advance, you may wish to send the following to Rajini: Name: Prayer request: Phone Number: Contact Email Address: Those interested are invited to send prayer requests to Rajini Lyman in person or by email: rajinilyman@yahoo.com For this service, the alternate Church Service Zoom Link will be used: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4169851369?pwd=TUhNYm5CenNhTDNrM1FybTMxdWlQUT09 By Phone: Meeting ID: 416 985 1369 Passcode: 222222 647-374-4685 647-558-0588 Wednesday Morning Eucharist and Bible Study - Wednesday mornings. Eucharist at 10.30 a.m. followed by the Bible Study with Don St. Kitts. Young Adult Fellowship - Saturday mornings. A great season of meetings ahead. We'll next meet on Saturday, October 21 at 10.00 a.m.. For more information, contact Fr. Dean. Interested in Volunteering with St. Paul's? Have a passion for teaching the word of God to children? We're looking for Sunday School teachers. Have great hospitality and organizational skills? We're on the hunt for a Kitchen Coordinator. For more information, please email Sarah at stpl@stpl.ca Friday Night Bible Study of the Acts - has resumed - in person and on Zoom. The study is on the Acts of the Apostles, the 2nd half of Luke's Gospel, using the study guide by N. T. Wright. Copies are available from Fr. Dean for $13. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/830877703 Telephone: 647-374 4685, or 647-558 0588; Meeting ID: 830 877 703 This Friday's study on Zoom: Acts 20 and Lesson 20. Regular Sunday Hours 8.00 a.m. - Holy Eucharist 9.15 a.m. - Holy Eucharist & Sunday School 11.15 a.m. - Holy Eucharist 1.00 p.m. - Chinese service 3.00 p.m. - Tamil service 6.00 p.m. - Evening Prayer (in person and online) Regular Office Hours Tuesday to Friday - 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 noon Adult Choir - practices, Saturdays, 4.00 p.m.. African Caribbean Dance & Movement Program - Saturday Mornings 10:30 - 11:45 am. Come and move your bodies in worship to the Lord. All ages welcome. For more information, contact Sarah at splcyouthministry@gmail.com. S.P.Y Network. - Friday Night Gathering for Youths. For more information, contact Sarah at splcyouthministry@gmail.com Adult ESL - Thursdays and Saturdays at 4.30 p.m.. Altar Guild Members who attend the 11:15am service and are interested in joining the Altar Guild, please contact Valerie W. The Next Service of Adult Baptism - Sunday, November 25 - If interested, please contact Fr. Dean. War in Ukraine For those wishing to contribute to refugee relief, The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund is now accepting donations to support those displaced by the war in Ukraine, here: www.toronto.anglican.ca/news/pwrdf-accepts-donations-for-ukrainian-refugees/. Our Outreach Committee donated $2000 to refugee relief program. History of the Steel Pans at St. Paul's Available on Amazon (search for "The Pans of St. Paul's: A Brief and Affectionate History"). All proceeds go to the Community Youth Music Program. Online Calendar The full schedule of in-person and online services and programs can be found on the online church calendar - www.stpl.ca/calendar.html - or here: www.stpl.ca/services.html. Thank you for your Faithful Gifts and Offerings - St. Paul's is a strong parish and has remained so throughout 2023 due to everyone's faithful support at a time when never has it been more important. Gifts can be dropped off at the church or sent by mail. Kindly ensure that your name and envelope number is included. Or, members may wish to sign up for the Pre-Authorized Giving Program (contact the office). Members who use online banking can now make E-transfers (instructions here: www.stpl.ca/give.html). Gifts can also be made at our website through CanadaHelps: www.stpl.ca/give.html NOTE: Of the various means for online giving, we recommend The Pre-Authorized Giving Program. It is regular, matching the regular responsibilities of the parish, and once initiated all it takes is a phone call or quick e-mail note to increase, decrease, or cancel the donation. The monthly amount is withdrawn on the 20th of each month, and the cost to the church is 50 cents per transaction, irrespective of the amount of the gift. This makes the PAG the most economical of all methods of giving. Contact - The clergy of St. Paul's are permitted once again to visit in homes. Don't hesitate to call or write. Website: www.stpl.ca; Church phone: 416-499-1545; Email: stpl@stpl.ca Fr. Dean Mercer: deanmercer@hotmail.com Rectory phone: 416-497-6352. Comments are closed.
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