Our much anticipated annual Christmas Pageant is this third Sunday of Advent, December 15th at the 10 AM service. The Dress Rehearsal will be the day before on Saturday, December 14th from 11:00 to 12:30.

The Pageant is open to all children and those young at heart. The children will be chosen to take on specific roles at the time of the Dress Rehearsal (we have a lot of costumes available).  

We'd also like to invite adults to participate - if you're interested, please advise Michelle or Barb Gossman, your participation will be greatly appreciated. Our thanks to Lenn Enns, who will be our Narrator again this year.

Nobody should spend Christmas Day alone - no matter who you are: retired with family far away, a member of the military, or a student. 

Last year’s Home Alone Christmas Dinner at Church of the Advent was a great success with a large turnout and lots of happy faces. We will be hosting the lunch at noon again this year, catering for fifty people, with an online RSVP. A simple meal will be served.

If you volunteered to help out on the day, and were with Sr Ingrid, preparing food and serving at the lunch, you will know what a joyous and rewarding experience it was. We would love you to volunteer for this year's lunch!

How can you help?

- Set up and decorate tables or tidy up afterwards
- Prepare vegetables, mashed potato or a vegetarian option
- Serve food on the day.
- Donate a few dollars towards the cost of the meal, and for the takeaway containers so we can share meals with unhoused people
- Bake a dessert

Could you help us to prepare or purchase some of the following?

Cooked:
* Two hams OR 1 ham and 1 medium sized turkey
* Two 10 lb bags of potatoes – mashed
* Gravy
* Desserts and cookies

Purchase:
* 10 standard cans of corn (not creamed)
* 4 bags of frozen baby carrots (500g)
* 5 bags of frozen peas (500 g)
*Christmas Crackers and table ornaments

Sign-up sheets are in the Narthex for duties such as setting up and taking down, serving, and food preparation that can be delivered either on Christmas Eve service or Christmas Day. Please speak to Sr. Ingrid for more information. 

For some, Christmas is not a time of joy and celebration, but a time of loss and grief - whether it be the death of a loved one, broken relationships, loss, or estrangement. This year, we will be offering a Blue Christmas service, a time when we can, with others, acknowledge the "blue" feelings we have at Christmas time. We can lift to God the reasons for our sadness.

Join us in the church on Saturday December 21 at 5 PM for a short service of scripture and prayer in a safe, loving and healing space.

Please consider inviting others who are in need of loving care during the Christmas season.

For Christians, the season of Advent can offer us a peaceful time of reflection, of waiting and watching for Jesus's miraculous birth.

Journey through Advent with our ever-popular creative evenings for the whole family. We have four special clay Christmas tree ornaments for you to colour or paint, as you listen to meditations from "Preparing for Christmas", a much-loved book of Advent meditations by Richard Rohr. Our thanks to Bob and Charlotte Nichols for the clay ornaments. Bring your coloured markers. Paint and paintbrushes will be provided.

Please sign up for each evening on the signup sheet in the Narthex. 

Where: St John’s Room
When: Thursday December 19
                   6.30 - 7.30 PM (or as long as you wish)

We asked for your feedback, and there was almost no response, so the 5 PM Christmas Eve Children’s service will not take place.

The Christmas Caroling that was scheduled for Monday the 16^th will not be taking place.

December 29^th: Lessons & Carols service (10 AM)

January 5^th: Liturgy of the Word service led by Zoe Urquhart (10 AM)

January 12^th: Bishop Anna preaching and presiding, followed by presentation. (10 AM)

Please note there are no 8:30 services scheduled for these dates.

We are sad to announce that Taylor has completed his last week as our custodian. He will be moving toward a full time maintenance position in the hospitality industry.

Taylor will be greatly missed by the parish. We thank Taylor for his year of service at Church of the Advent. We wish him many blessings on his new path! 

The Ladies Guild is offering complimentary luncheon tickets at $10 each. These tickets are perfect for gift giving, have no expiration date, and can be used at any regular luncheon. To purchase them, please contact Jose or the Parish office.

The next Community Lunch is Wednesday, January 22nd, 2025.

You can plan for future community lunch dates by checking our EVENTS page on our website.

Daybooks provide a short daily reflection, so a few minutes’ reading each day means a completed book at the end of the year.

Unlike other books, which have a 6-week loan period, daybooks can be borrowed for the full period covered by the book; a 12-month daybook that begins on January 1 will not be due back until the beginning of 2026.

This week’s top shelf display features a selection of daybooks from our collection:

Sister Stanislaus Kennedy. Gardening the Soul: A Spiritual Daybook through the Seasons.
A short daily reflection, many of which are inspired by Nature, with a wisdom quotation.

Eugene Peterson. God’s Message for Each Day: Wisdom from the Word of God.
A daily verse from the Bible translation The Message, with a short extract from Peterson’s other work.

Max Lucado. Grace for the Moment: Inspiration for Each Day of the Year. Morning & Evening Edition.
A bible verse and reflection for every morning and evening, with a question to ponder.

Terrence G. Kardong. Day by Day with St Benedict.

From Bishop Logan’s recent gift to the parish library.

Reflections for Ragamuffins: Daily Devotions from the Writings of Brennan Manning.
A daily reading from Manning’s joyful message about the Good News, and a verse from scripture.
Note: a few of January’s readings (but only January’s) have ink underlining by the previous owner.

Edmond Lee Browning. A Year of Days with the Book of Common Prayer.
A line from the Episcopal Church’s BCP introduces a short daily reflection from the former Presiding Bishop.

Other daybooks are on the library shelves in the Devotional section, identified by the code DEV DB.

Dec 17 – Parish Council (hybrid), 7 PM

Dec 21 – Blue Christmas Service, Chapel, 5 PM

Dec 24 – Christmas Eve Services:

                 Family Service, 7 PM (Carols begin at 6:30)

                 Service with Choir, 10 PM

Dec 25 – Christmas Day Dinner, Noon

Dec 25-Jan 1 – Parish Office Closed

Dec 26-Jan 14 – Rev Ingrid is on vacation.

Dec 28 - Spanish Service, 6 PM

Dec 29 – Lessons & Carols, Combined Service, 10 AM

Jan 5 – Liturgy of the Word Combined Service, 10 AM

Jan 11 – Environmental Expo, 9 AM

Jan 12 – Bishop Anna visits, Combined Service, 10 AM

Jan 19 – Jazz Vespers, 7 PM

Jan 21 – Parish Council Meeting, 7 PM

Jan 22 – Ladies Guild Lunch, Noon

Jan 25 – Spanish Service, 6 PM

Readings for this Sunday's services:

Baruch 5:1-9

Canticle 19 (Luke 1:68-79)

Philippians 1:3-11

Luke 3:1-6a

Read Sunday's readings online:
1. Go to https://lectionary.anglican.ca/  
2. Select next Sunday's date in the space at the bottom.
3. Click "Link to full text for this day".

All are welcome to join us on Thursdays for our relaxed and interesting Zoom online Bible Study, to look at the readings for the following Sunday. No experience or prior knowledge is needed.

Time: 10 AM - 11 AM.

Zoom Link:  

https://bc-anglican-ca.zoom.us/j/88378461340?pwd=cU9wSUNEZG02M3h3bGVrUmpyMjRNZz09

Meeting ID: 883 7846 1340
Passcode: 4743031 

Thursday 19th is the last Bible Study for the year - Bible Study will resume on January 16th.

Faith Tides is the online, faith-based publications of the Anglican Diocese of Islands and Inlets (BC). Through news stories, reflections and feature articles Faith Tides aims to showcase the work God is doing through our churches. It is a space where people of faith and doubt can walk alongside one another, share their stories and grow together.

Read the December issue here online or download a PDF version.

Christ Church Cathedral will be hosting an Amnesty International Write for Rights event on Saturday, December 7 from 10am to 2pm in the chapter room. This is an opportunity for you to advocate for and support people who are imprisoned or persecuted. Each year Amnesty International chooses 10 persons or situations that can be changed for the better by the power of the pen. The ten cases will be available ahead of time if you would like to get started early. Contact Susan MacRae at macapplecross@gmail.com to register and receive advance information.

Sunday
 8:30 AM - Traditional Eucharist, Book of Common Prayer
(no choir) Chapel

10:00 AM - Contemporary Eucharist, Book of Alternative Services,
with choir Main Church

First Saturday of the Month
5:00 PM - Taize service with singing  Chapel (except August and January)

Last Saturday of the Month
6 PM - Spanish Language Anglican Eucharist Service  

Office hours are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays

from 9 am until noon.