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Sunday Prayers
The parish of St. Paul’s is called to prayer Sunday morning to mark the 24th Sunday of Pentecost. In the English services, the preacher is Fr. Ajit John. Information about the services at the church and online is available here: www.stpl.ca/services.html November is Stewardship Month - a stewardship letter to the parish is being distributed this Sunday. Both the letter and pledge form will be available on the website here: https://stpl.ca/give.html Thanksgiving Food Drive - ACSA. Donations to the Thanksgiving Food drive via Outreach amounted to $1,275. Thank you to all our generous donors. Outreach has topped this up to $2,500 which we are sending to ACSA this week. The (ACSA) Outreach Committee will be reviewing further donations to all our establishments later this year. Faithworks November 22nd has been designated as Faithworks Sunday, so please consider prayerfully if you can make a special effort to donate. This year, the "Matching Challenge Grant" means that for every increased dollar a parish contributes to FaithWorks over last years amount, the generous donor will match it with another dollar up to $100,000. By the end of September we had raised $3,960 for Faithworks. In the same period last year the total was $5,845. The annual total for 2019 was $8,164. In October 2020 another $565 was donated, leaving a target of $3,640 to match last year! Are we up to this challenge?? Faithworks has requested that we report our to-date amount by December 18th, so that the donor can be informed of approximately how much their contribution will be. Please consider making your donations to Faithworks prior to Dec 18th, if possible. Order for 2021 Church Calendars We are now taking advance orders for 2021 Church calendars at @ $5.00 each. Please email the church office at stpl@stpl.ca or phone 416-499-1545 to reserve your copy, until November 22, 2020. You will be advised when they have arrived. S.P.Y. - St. Paul’s Youth - Friday Nights, 7 p.m. News from S.P.Y. & Sunday School - Friday night’s guest speaker, Pastor Brown, talked with our young people about Decisions that Decide Destiny, with these four points: 1. Consider your choices 2. Compare your attitude and actions with God's 3. Commit your life to God's ways 4. Count on God's protection and provisions. Right now in the Sunday School, a series of lessons begins about the Ten Commandments with crossword puzzles, word scrambles and a cool deciphering activity. Thank you Sarah. Thank you Leila. Mustard Seed Grant Awarded to St. Paul’s For the second year, our community youth outreach at St. Paul’s has received a generous $8500 grant from the Mustard Seed Foundation. Director Brian Bakke, who spoke at St. Pauls in February, was generous in his praise of the program, including how we have abided by safety standards during the Covid-19 pandemic, while adapting as quickly and as well as possible. In a hard time, thank you Mustard Seed for their encouragement and support. Well done Sarah and the whole team. And thanks to our church officers keeping things clear and organized in the background. Outreach Walk-a-thon This year’s annual Outreach Walk-a-thon has finished. Forms and donations are now being received. And if you have a picture of where you walked, send it in (stpl@stpl.ca). We’ll create a collection of all the trails our walkers walked. Most have completed their walks but the pandemic has caused a few interruptions. Late submissions are still welcome and gratefully received. If needed, the sponsorship form is available from the office or online: www.stpl.ca/outreach.html And be on the watch for our "Virtual Maytime Melodies Concert" of St. Paul’s musicians, with proceeds to Outreach. For more information, contact the office or Kathy. The Doors of St. Paul’s Have Re-opened In a series of careful steps, the doors are re-opening and services and programs are being resumed - starting with Sunday Services. We are working toward the resumption of other services and programs. However, because the virus remains active, safety guidelines are in effect and all online services will continue for the foreseeable future. Four services are offered in the church. 50 people are allowed in the church at any one time. The hall, kitchen and rooms downstairs remain closed. Sunday Schedule: 8.00 a.m. (at the church) 10.00 a.m. (at the church) 10.00 a.m. - Sunday School (online - see the church calendar) 10.30 a.m. - English service (online - see the church calendar) 1.00 p.m. (Chinese) 3.45 p.m. (Tamil) - also being streamed. 6.00 p.m. - Evening Prayer (online - see the church calendar) Morning Prayer will continue to be offered on Zoom, Monday through Saturday, as of September 13th. Sunday School and the Sunday recording will continue to be offered. Safety Guidelines St. Paul’s is following the safety guidelines issued by the Diocese of Toronto which can be read on the Diocesan website Other Services, Programs and Meetings - Gradually, we plan to resume other services, programs and meetings, but safely and carefully. Watch for updates and announcements. Summary - Due to broad cooperation across the country, the safety guidelines ensure that it is relatively safe to come back to church in the same way that it is now relatively safe to go to the grocery store, drug store, or hardware store. We are grateful to the Bishops and Diocese for their guidance. Small steps, but all in the right direction. And, as has been true all along, the situation remains dynamic. We’ll do our best to keep everyone updated. Looking for Work - If you’re looking, or know someone who is, here’s the national job site: www.jobbank.ca Friday Night Bible Study - on Zoom - Next Friday, November 6. Revelation 16, Lesson 16. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/830877703 Telephone: 647-374 4685, or 647-558 0588; Meeting ID: 830 877 703 Have you moved? - If you have moved recently, kindly notify the office of your new address, phone number and e-mail address. We appreciate your help. Gifts and Offerings - The emergency measures and suspension of all church services and programs presents a large challenge to churches and charities dependent on regular gatherings and fundraising events. Your faithful support is as important now as it has ever been. Church Envelopes can be sent by mail. Members may wish to sign up for the Pre-Authorized Giving Program (contact the office). Or, gifts can be made online at our website through CanadaHelps here: www.stpl.ca/give.html. Members who use online banking may now also make E-transfers (contact the office). Contact The clergy of St. Paul’s are all in the vicinity and can visit again, while observing the safety guidelines of the Diocese of Toronto. If any one of us can be of service, 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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December 2023
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