St. Francis-in-the-Wood Fall 2010 Newsletter

Fall Newsletter 2010

St. Francis-in-the-Wood Anglican Church

4773 South Piccadilly Road West Vancouver, V7W 1J8

604 922 3531 [email protected]

http://www.stfrancisinthewood.ca

St Francis-in-the-Wood, Fall Newsletter Page 2

ST. FRANCIS PARISHIONERS HONOURED

It is with great delight that we announce that two of our parishioners, Ellen Westcott and Jack Croll, have been nominated to receive the Order of New Westminster in recognition for their years of faithful service to the Church. The award which was inaugurated last year has been established to honour individuals a m o n g s t o u r congregations who have made exceptional contributions to the life and work of the Church. Last year Babs Ferguson along with Bob and Diana Hutchinson received this honour.

Ellen and Jack will receive their award from Bishop Michael Ingham at a special service at 4pm on

Sunday, November 7th in Christ Church Cathedral downtown at which Archbishop John Privett, Metropolitan and Archbishop of Kootenay will preach. It is hoped that many S t . F r a n c i s parishioners will mark this in their diaries and plan to come and support Jack and Ellen and share in the celebrations. Sincere congratulations to Ellen and Jack – an inspiration to us all!

Angus Stuart

Rector

CALLING ALL ST FRANCIS GARDENERS!!!!

We are starting early this time to prepare for another Plant Sale on

Mother's Day next year in aid of the urban garden at Rev.

Emilie's Peace House in Guatemala. We had good success this first

time around and with some early planning, we could have GREAT

results for next year. Some families got wonderful deals and gifts for

"Mom" as well!

To start :

- collect lots of empty pots.

- at your fall garden clean up, divide your mature plants.

- pot up with rich composted soil to withstand the winter and give

the new plants a strong healthy start.

- keep in a sheltered spot over winter.

And amazingly we will be rewarded with nature's wonderful rebirth

next Spring for our PLANT SALE!

Please call me if you need any help in getting this going in your

garden, I will be pleased to lend a hand or 'thumb' if needed.

Alice Hutchison 604-926-3671 or email at [email protected]

LIVING AS LISTENERS Looking ahead to the new season

W elcome back after the summer! Wherever you have been, and whatever you have been doing,

I hope the summer has been restful and rejuvenating. For my own part, I enjoyed a sun-filled week on Hornby Island in July (seems a long time ago now!) and then, of course, there was Guatemala… a journey and an experience that was transformative for all who went, and you can read about it elsewhere in the Newsletter, though I for one struggle to express what it meant in words. Last Saturday, on the long Labour Day weekend, we held a one-day retreat at St. Francis in association with the Thomas Merton Society of Canada led by the renowned Bible scholar and poet Bonnie Thurston. It was a very timely retreat and seemed to me to be a fitting way both to draw the summer to a close and look ahead to a new season. The theme of the retreat was Living as Listeners with Hearts Attending. Those are words that are worth re-reading and pondering for a moment – Living as Listeners with Hearts Attending. Two short quotes from Thomas Merton that particularly struck me:

“God utters me like a word containing a partial thought of Himself.”

(New Seeds of Contemplation)

“My life is a listening, His is a speaking.” (Thoughts in Solitude)

As we begin again a new season, these words help me maintain perspective on my life. Just as God is depicted in Genesis speaking the universe into existence – “And God said… and it was so” – so also our lives are uttered by God. This gives me a profound sense of being and identity – to be a word uttered by God, expressing a partial thought of God. If the life of God is a continual speaking the universe into existence, then our life is a listening to God.

What is the thought God is trying to express in our lives? Our attitude of listening to God is about finding out “what God wants,” to return to that question that came out of our parish retreat five years ago. What does God want – in our own individual lives, and in our life together as a Church and community?

Deepening our own sense of listening and openness to God is probably a good place to start. So as we are about to plunge into another round of activities and programs to lead us up to Christmas let us seek that still small space of quiet and calm in the centre of our hearts, and from there let our lives flow out in love and service. As you read the Newsletter you will see many events and activities taking place in coming weeks, and I direct your attention to the Calendar of Events page which lists all those that we are aware as we go to press (no doubt other things will emerge!). Take a moment to transfer those you are interested in to your diaries, wall-planners, handheld devices etc. so you don’t miss out.

To register for many of these things you are directed to the Parish Office (604 922 3531 or [email protected]). Here you will find that there have also been changes over the summer. After four years, Lynn Coules has stepped down as Parish Administrator. On behalf of the parish I take this opportunity to thank her for all she has done in this role, often going above and beyond the call of duty, and I wish her well as she explores new avenues and ways of participating in the life of our Church. We welcome Mark Galvani, recently graduated from Rockridge Secondary, who will be providing office support for the next little while as he works out what his own next move will be.

Angus Stuart Rector


Angus sharing with community members in Guatemala

SHARING THE WEB OF LIFE THE YOUTH GUATEMALA MISSION

A s you may have read in the summer issue of the newsletter, this August saw a team form St.

Francis-in-the-Wood travel to Guatemala to share in the mission of Rev. Emilie Smith. Here, the team reflect on the experiences they shared, the people they met and the connections made with the people of Guatemala. It’s difficult to know what to expect when heading out ‘on mission’ to somewhere like Guatemala. My images of the country have been formed from a variety of places. From Emilie Smith’s correspondence over the past year, to cautionary passages in guide books and the variety of news footage which illustrated the natural disasters which ravaged the country in late May 2010. Would Guatemala live up to these chaotic images? And if so, what contribution could one small team from Canada really hope to make? What we encountered, though, beyond our initial thoughts and fears were the people of Guatemala.

Both at the community of the Peace House (the mission of the Anglican Church in Guatemala which Emile has been developing) and in surrounding communities we were given the chance to share with ordinary people. They were open to meeting us, and to telling their stories with us. Many of those stories involved recollections of great pain and suffering; but in almost every case they would end with talking about the future, and expressing the hope they had for it. Canada is a long way from Guatemala, but it seemed to me that in a country where the telling of stories is such a crucial piece of the culture, the act of being able to share some of our experiences was actually of tremendous value. We did, of course, undertake many practical projects while we were at the Peace House. The development of their urban garden and greening of the courtyard space were both exciting to be a part of because they were projects we’d envisioned together many months before during our preparations and fundraising at St. Francis.

(Above) Sharing circle with local women’s network

(Below) Phil, Mark and Giles on pick up transport

Derek, Mark, Emily, Giles and Petronilla working on one of the new plant boxes for the Peace House



The way we worked on the projects was just as important as what was accomplished. We worked alongside community members from the Peace House; creating exactly what they needed rather than building things for our own sake. Our team of Canadians and Guatemalans worked together with surprising efficiency given that often we’d only have one translator with us. Perhaps the most important part of our journey in Guatemala was the fact that we were able to take it alongside Guatemalans as well as Canadians. Our team of seven became eleven when we were joined by Romeo, Edgar, Petronilla and Rudolfo from Guatemala. Each of them had come from a different community and, like us, had been ‘sent’ to be a part of the ten day mission. And despite not sharing the same language, our experience was much richer from their being alongside us. Whether it be visiting one of their communities and seeing it through their eyes, or having them accompany us to the local market and demonstrating how a Guatemalan view of fresh food is significantly different to a Canadian one!

Phil Colvin For me, the highlight of our trip to Guatemala was the day we spent at Edgar’s village. We were in the mountains and dozens of women and children came to see us. The stories the women’s group told us were amazing, and it was great hanging out with Erica [one

of the children] who was showing us how to weave with palm leaves. It was a totally different experience, especially getting there and back over some really difficult roads. Riding in tuk-tuks and pickup trucks was also great – such a difference from getting around town on a bus.

Mark Galvani

I absolutely loved Guatemala. I would definitely visit again. One of the main highlights was doing work and being with the people in the Peace House. I really did feel very welcome and at home there. The food that the community members in the house prepared was delicious. It consisted of mostly beans, corn tamales and tortillas. Going into the markets and the parks of each town was fun; I enjoyed eating ice cream in Quiche! I really got along with the Guatemalan women, especially Petronila. Even though we both spoke different languages, we laughed and hung out just like any other girls. I felt very happy to help paint the chapel in the Peace House as well as the store room. All the work and gardening was totally worth the time and effort. I feel blessed to have been given this amazing opportunity. I come back to Canada feeling very thankful and very happy with all the events that I was a part of.

Emily Galvani

(Left) Padre Angel finds a lime during a visit to the home of Café Justica

(Right) Giles mixing paint for work projects at the Peace

House

Emily looking for bargains at the

market in Chichicastenango


What I really enjoyed most about our trip to Guatemala was bartering in the markets with the locals practicing my Spanish language skills with Edgar, Romeo and Petronila. Taking part in the work projects - building a garden on the roof of the Peace House, painting and scraping the chapel and store room – were also highlights. Probably the main thing which I liked was learning about Mayan culture and understanding what it is like to live in Guatemala… and both discovering tamales and later not having to eat them three times a day!

Giles Klaver

The day before we arrived in Guatemala, Maco (our driver during our visit) had found a cat left abandoned in a sack at his bus depot. He and Emilie rescued it from the rain, named it Lucho and cleaned him up.

Lucho the cat became a part of our visit as well; and I have a lot of good memories of him and of Maco. I also liked Yoni, one of the Peace House community who helped us a lot during our visit! Building the garden boxes on the roof of the Peace House was a great experience. I spent a lot of time on them over our work days and being able to follow them through from gathering the wood to finishing and rainproofing them was really rewarding. Like Mark, I also found Edgar’s village a really amazing experience. Another highlight was going into the markets and learning to bargain and to haggle; it’s difficult to stop trying to do that when you get back to Canada!

Derek Klaver

Derek and Edgar practice traditional bamboo splitting techniques

Emily with (l-r) Romeo, Petronilla, Edgar and Rudolfo (Above) Emilie and Phil in the chapel of martyrs in San Antonio Sinache (Below) Angus with Peace House community members Theresa and Isabel


I count it as an immense privilege to have been part of our “Youth Mission” to Guatemala this summer, though I must admit I went with quite a bit of trepidation, not knowing what to expect. However, the company of such great people – both from here and from there – not only made it bearable but nourished my soul. And Emilie took really good care of us all and was tireless in not only meeting our needs but in providing stimulating and challenging experiences while we were there. As the convener of Emilie’s support team, I was keen to go as an expression of my support for her and to gain a greater understanding of the ministry she is involved in. There were numerous jokes during the time that I had gone down there to inspect what she is doing and report back to head office – completely untrue of course, but I have to say I have come away with an even greater sense of admiration for what she is doing than I already had before just from reading her letters. The heart of Emilie’s work in the “Guatemala Mission” we are supporting is the establishing of the “Peace

House” – also known as “The House of the Web of Life.” This is a sacred space that she is creating, holding and occupying as a means of nurturing new life, hope and healing in a place where the wounds run very deep. Not only physical space but also a community of people that she is gathering around her to embody this work – a community that simply lives together in the light of the gospel, eating together, doing the chores, laughing, talking, weeping – holding the space for Christ – Christ crucified in the people of Guatemala. Emilie’s commitment, determination, patience and resilience are truly awe-inspiring – I know I could not do what she is doing; but she can, and I am thankful for that. Words fail me as I struggle to express the impact this experience has had on my commitment to share in this work – even at such a safe distance – and the deep conviction that I have witnessed a rare and beautiful plant beginning to flower in the most unlikely of places, and my overwhelming desire to protect and nurture it and see it thrive.

Angus Stuart aka Padre Angel

(Above) Team members on our final day at the Peace House (Below) The stunning volcano landscape surrounding Lake Atitlán

(Above) Giving gifts from Canada to one of the local communities (Below) Giles with Maco, our driver during our visit

CALENDAR OF EVENTS What’s on at St. Francis

Dates for your diaries….

September

Wednesday,

September 15 7pm Parish Council

Saturday,

September 25 12noon Sacristan and Florists Lunch

Tuesday,

September 28 7pm Home Study Group starts

Contact: [email protected]

or 604-922-1616 for details

October

Sunday,

October 3 10am St. Francis Day Special Service

Followed by lunch at Church

Sunday,

October 10 10am Harvest Thanksgiving Service

Saturday,

October 16 7pm “Testament of a Naked Man”

A recitation of Mark’s Gospel Tickets: [email protected] or 604-922-3531

Wednesday,

October 20 7pm Parish Council

Saturday,

October 23 8am-4pm First Aid Training Course Register: [email protected] or 604-922-3531

Saturday,

October 23 5pm Community Harvest Dinner at St. Monica’s

Details: [email protected]

or 604-921-9112

Sunday,

October 24 7pm All Souls’ Memorial Evensong

Saturday,

October 30 6pm Auction of Promises and Dinner

Details: [email protected] / 604-922-3531



November

Sunday,

November 7 4pm Order of New Westminster Service at

Christ Church Cathedral downtown

Wednesday,

November 17 7pm Parish Council

Sunday,

November 28 7pm Advent Carols by Candlelight

Mulled Wine & Mince Pies

December

Saturday,

December 4 8am Men’s Breakfast

Sunday,

December 12 10am Children’s Christmas Pageant

Wednesday,

December 15 7pm Parish Council

Sunday,

December 19 7pm Nine Lessons & Carols by Candlelight

Friday,

December 24 4pm Family Communion around the Crib

6:30pm Community Carols at St. Monica’s

9pm Community Carols at St. Francis

11pm Midnight Mass

Saturday,

December 25 10am Family Eucharist at St. Francis

ALL SOULS’ MEMORIAL EVENSONG

7pm Sunday, October 24th 2010

St. FrancisSt. FrancisSt. FrancisSt. Francis----inininin----thethethethe----WoodWoodWoodWood

4773 South Piccadilly Road

West Vancouver

Come to remember and give thanks for those we love but see no longer.

SOCIAL CONCERNS

O ver the past several years, St. Francis-in-the-Wood has

supported the work of charities and individuals both at home and around the world through the work of the Social Concerns Committee. Co-chair Jan Volker, who recently returned from a visit to one of the individuals who the parish supports in Africa, brings us up to date on this and the other work of the group. Mercy Muhanga Our Social Concerns group on behalf of all of you have been supporting Mercy – a Kenyan student through the Harambee Association for the past nine years. She was chosen because of need and because of her promising intellect. She is now in 3rd year of dentistry. When working in a village in Kenya this summer my husband Mike, myself and our son Tyler as well as Marie Moonen (another parishioner) were only 40 kilometers from Mercy’s home village. She was able with considerable di f f icul ty to persuade her university to allow her a day off to travel to meet us. What a thrill for us all! She is a BEAUTIFUL person. Immediately we all felt as if we had known her forever. We had been delayed by a government visitor and she patiently waited by the roadside for 3 hours. We drove her to Kakemega and visited the last rainforest in Kenya to view the monkeys and wildflowers. We stopped to have a wonderful lunch together. Roger Sweeny had organized about forty pounds of dentistry equipment. We brought her $50 from a former youth parishioner – Olivia, and we gave her travel expense money plus some clothes for herself and her family.

She waved goodbye with tears in her eyes as she rode of on the back of a Boda ( a motorcycle taxi) in the pouring rain in her finest clothes with a large purse brimming and the dentistry equipment under her arm. She has been so appreciative over the years and sported the watch that St. Francis sent her on her graduation from high school. She has the Social Concerns group picture on her wall at school. She asked specifically how Roger and Penny Collett were - Roger has been our main correspondent with her over the years.

How wonderful to know that St. Francis has taken her out of poverty and made a huge difference in her life. Her father is awaiting her graduation so that she can remedy his painful tooth problems. Thank you one and all for lighting up Mercy’s life. First Steps In both 2007 and 2008, we highlighted the work of “First Steps” in North Korea. We were visited twice by the project’s founder, Susan Ritchie, who had the vision and oversees the project which was feeding 45,000 children a day with soy milk and ‘sprinkles’ a nutritious food supplement . St. Francis has helped to purchase several “Vita Cows” and “Vita Goats” - the special cookers which help to prepare the soy milk to help feed some of the many malnourished children

there. Several St. Francis parishioners continue to work with First Steps, whose work has now expanded to feed over 80,000 children a day through 23 milk production sites.


Mercy Muhanga

Vita Goat in operation at one of First Step’s milk production sites in North Korea

David and Dallas Closer to home, we were moved by the story of David and Dallas, who were left orphaned after the death of their mother. Since 2006, St. Francis has helped these two young men pay for their education at school and university, as they have been working hard just to support themselves. Members of the social concerns committee have also leant their time and expertise to help the brothers n a v i g a t e t h e i r a f f a i r s successfully. Most recently, we were able to pay the remainder of David’s tuition fees at SFU. Martha Nwaneri Although not strictly supported through the social concerns committee, Martha’s story is one which has touched the hearts of many at St. Francis. Martha, who lives in Nigeria, became ill in 2001 when she was 11. She started losing weight, failed to grow in height and had recurrent swelling in her abdomen. After extensive investigation in South Africa it was found that Martha had veno-occlusive disease with resultant cirrhosis of the liver. The only treatment was to have a liver transplant. The operation was successful. However, the necessary medication she needs to support her costs $20,000 per year. If she continues to get the treatment, her prospects are excellent. If she doesn’t, she will die within a very short time. Angus’ friends in South Africa, Rev. Paul Singleton and his wife Dr. Geraldine Kirby, asked for help for Martha, and since 2008 St. Francis has responded. Many parishioners have attended ’Martha Meals’ - an evening of dinner and good company with others from the St. Francis community, and have then donated what they’d spend for a similar night at a restaurant. Angus also prepared and sold high quality prints from his 2009 sabbatical. Through these means, and from a generous matching donor in the parish, St. Francis-in-the-Wood has been able to raise $10,000 a year towards Martha’s medical expenses. The commitment to Martha continues through Angus’ presentation of the “Testament of a

Naked Man”, a recitation of the Gospel of Mark (see the article on this event on the back of this newsletter), the proceeds of which will go to support Martha. In a recent e-mail Dr. Gerald Kirby writes: “She is keeping very well. Prof. Song, the Hematologist was very pleased with her, and some of her medications could be reduced a little. She has remained a very small person, her growth having been stunted by 8 years of severe ill health. But all her blood tests, and Ultrasounds were absolutely fine, with the exception of one small problem which resolved itself spontaneously over two months, but which necessitated her having to fly back to South

Africa in March, to be checked by another Specialist. “Martha is attending school at an Anglican Church School, where she can get better teaching attention than at a Government school. Her mother Florence says that the teachers at this school are very understanding of the fact that Martha had fallen far behind other scholars, due to not being able to attend school at all for 4 years, due to her severe liver disease. The family really values education highly, and though very poor, are sacrificing to get the best possible education for their children. And their whole town is poor! Though of substantial size, apart from the local doctor and a handful of wealthy people who have generators, no-one has electricity, or running water. They all still have to gather firewood to use for cooking! “Martha turns 21 on 12th December. Perhaps your Parish could send her a Birthday Card - she loved it when she received cards from you before.” Thank you to our committee members: co-char Rosalinda Voth, Roger Sweeny, Pat Ferguson, Christine O’Byrne, Jeanne Butler and Jacqui Wilkinson. And thanks to all who have supported those in need with their time, talent and treasure.

Jan Volker Angus Stuart


Martha Nwaneri

HOME STUDY GROUP FROM SEPTEMBER 28TH Is the Old Testament Worth the Effort? The Old Testament contains most of the Books of the Bible – yet many Christians, find much of it baffling, perhaps disturbing, boring and even offensive and avoid them as much as possible. Writer Philip Yancey admits to being in this category and so has explored how the books should be read. He is refreshingly open about his struggles with them and writes about how his own process of understanding and discovering how they should be read. This journey has given him a new outlook of appreciation of their contents. Discover for yourself more about Deuteronomy, Job, Ecclesiastes, Psalms and the Prophets and then answer the question “Is the Old Testament worth the effort?” Will you agree that they “address the stuff of life”? The Hebrew Scriptures influenced the mind and spirit of the founder of our Christian faith – hence Yancey’s title “The Bible that Jesus Read”. Doesn’t this obligate us to know it better? Join us for a series of DVD studies with Philip Yancey – the first begins on Tuesday 28th September at 5717 Eagle Harbour Road. Come first for supper at 7 p.m. – if you can, let us know you are coming so that we have enough for everyone (604.922.1616).

Marilyn and Ian McBeath

Community Harvest Dinner 5pm Saturday, October 23rd

St Monica’s Church

You are warmly invited to this special Harvest Thanksgiving Dinner at St. Monica’s

Church on Wellington Ave. This is a fun event for the whole community and for all the

family.

Tickets available: $12 adults / $7 children / $30 family

Call: 604.921.9112 or

E-mail: [email protected]


ST. FRANCIS-IN-THE-WOOD PARISH RETREAT

THE CHRIST WITHIN

Thursday, January 27 – Sunday, January 30, 2011

at Rivendell Retreat Centre on Bowen Island (www.rivendellretreat.org)

Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me, Christ beside me, Christ to win me,

Christ to comfort and restore me.

Christ beneath me, Christ above me,

Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,

Christ in the hearts of all who love me,

Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.

(from St. Patrick’s Breastplate)

You are warmly invited and encouraged to join us for a three-night parish retreat in January at the Rivendell Retreat Centre on Bowen Island. The theme is “The Christ Within” and will be an opportunity to discover and explore our identity in Christ and what this means in terms of our true identity and living our “Great Story.” We’ll explore archetypes, including biblical characters, and we will have opportunity to express our inner identity in various creative activities. There will be prayer and meditation, food and sleep, music and worship, conversation and quiet, healing and wholeness.

Places are limited – we have only 15 rooms (whether single or shared) – so you are encouraged to register early.

Cost: $250 (a deposit of $50 on registration and the balance due on December 17, 2010)

Retreat leaders: Linda Leier, Mary Millerd, Angus Stuart


SPIRITUAL DIRECTION AND FORMATION

L ast April, just after Easter, I went to a Spiritual Directors International

Conference in San Francisco along with 600 other participants. One of my favourite speakers was Brother David Steindl-Rast who spoke about gratitude, the theme for the conference. Brother David said, we may not feel grateful for some of the events in our lives yet we can set an intention to live out of the energy, the spaciousness that gratitude gives us. I sat with this and all of what he said for a long time. Upon reflection I wrote the following: Why is it important to live our lives in gratitude? Gratitude is a luscious experience. It wells up within us and our body feels the wonder of its flow. Gratitude creates inner spaciousness that allows us to rest, to rest in the order of life as it is. With gratitude we attune to our own rhythm, body and soul, which helps us to find our place in relationships and in the situations of our life. Gratitude supports us to trust life. In the fullness of our experience of gratitude we do not grasp, cling or force l i fe ’s energy in to our expectations and ideas. Instead room is created to connect with our deep wisdom which roots us in our talents,

our creativity, our possibilities and our limitations. Gratitude creates room for playfulness, ease and a sense of adventure. Gratitude involves listening on many levels. It allows us to hear the meaning behind words, to see it reflected in one’s body, in one’s life and in the silence where our souls commune. Gratitude is not afraid of pain, it remains open and receives it compassionately listening for all the nuances of what needs to be communicated and responded to.

Gratitude allows us to discern our choices. Since gratitude is an energy that accepts what is, we are no longer looking for the ‘right thing’ to do in life. It allows us to feel our lives, to know what the experiences of our life mean to us. We let the life we are living now inform our next step. We learn our yes and our no, what we like and don’t like, what we want and what we don’t want. Gratitude supports us to be co-creators with the rest of life.

Gratitude wakes us up and makes us feel alive. It is about feeling and knowing our connection to the flow of life that is within us all to which we are usually led to care for ourselves, others and the world because we are one. Rooted in gratitude, our responses take into consideration the well-being of all.

Mary Millerd

Mary Millerd


COMING HOME BODY AND SPIRIT: Energy Awareness and Spirituality Retreat At Rivendell Retreat Centre on Bowen Island Nov. 7 - 12, 2010 With Mary Millerd, to register contact her at [email protected] or 604-921-7149 Grow in awareness of your body/spirit relationship and meet the Beloved. Explore the sensuousness of your body and feel your aliveness. Learn the basic anatomy of your spiritual body and how it influences your daily living. Practice energy tools and techniques that support your presence, resilience and creativity.

A SIGH OF RELIEF: A Workshop for Anxiety and Depression At West Vancouver United Church Tuesdays, Oct. 19 - Dec. 7, 7:00 - 9:00pm. With Mary Millerd and Deedee Poyner, to register contact Mary. A Sigh of Relief is an 8 week program to explore our experience of anxiety and or depression in a safe and supportive environment. Mindfulness skills and tools are taught to help us uncover and be with thoughts, emotions and sensations that we often avoid. Being aware of our experience releases its hold on us and allows us to be more creative with our choices. We regain our resiliency and better attune to our own natural rhythm moving us towards our hearts fulfillment.


FIRST AID CERTIFICATION St. Francis-in-the-Wood

Saturday, October 23, 2010 8am – 4pm

Cost: $80 (based on twenty registrations)

Then Elisha got up on the bed and lay upon the child, putting his mouth upon his mouth, his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and while he lay

bent over him, the flesh of the child became warm. (II Kings 4:34)

The First Aid and CPR Course is a go!

We never know when or where an emergency is going to happen (as in the Church some months ago!) Be one of twenty to refresh your skills or learn the

basics from an excellent instructor recommended by Dr. Rodney Glynn Morris.

Come alone or with a friend or spouse in case one of you collapses in the future!

The course is from 8 AM to 4 PM on Saturday October 23 at the church. The cost is approximately $80.00 depending on numbers

. Bring a packed lunch!

Contact the Parish Office to register. 604 922 3531 [email protected]

FROM THE REGISTERS AT ST. FRANCIS

WeddingsWeddingsWeddingsWeddings

Marissa Margaret Freguson Banico & Davud Joel Jonsson Carla Graciela Jaureguizar & Joshua David Siteman

Sarah Michelle Johnson & Robert Shane Ashton McKinney Sarah Michelle Parslow & Charles Lucien Morin Lettina Elizabth Gibb & Mark Jonathan Meakins

Funerals and MemorialsFunerals and MemorialsFunerals and MemorialsFunerals and Memorials

James Morris Marlow Shirley Annette Bradner Dorothea Evelyn Baird Donald Leigh Thomas

TESTAMENT OF A NAKED MAN

Good News According to Mark a recitation by

Angus Stuart

7pm Saturday, October 16, 2010

St. Francis-in-the-Wood

Each year on Palm Sunday, the week before Easter, our Rector Angus Stuart has recited “The Passion Gospel.” This is the story of the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus as related in one or other of the three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark or Luke, depending on which one is allocated that year. After Easter 2009, having recited the Passion Gospel from Mark, he didn’t want to just forget it and even wondered if he could memorize the rest of the Gospel according to Mark as well. After all, he had heard that it had been done before, though in the traditional King James Version rather than the contemporary New Revised Standard Version that we use each week in Church. So he began to learn it, adding a few verses each day. By Easter 2010 he had sufficiently memorized the text such that he was able to offer a recitation of chapters one through thirteen on Maundy Thursday after the evening service, leading in to the all night prayer vigil. This is the gospel story right up to but not including the passion narrative. This was by way of a foretaste, or dress rehearsal, for a presentation of the entire gospel from start to finish.

At last the time is drawing near for the first such presentation. This will take place in St. Francis-in-the-Wood on Saturday, October 16 at 7pm. Other performances may follow elsewhere, but this promises to be a unique occasion, and judging by the impact of previous recitations is likely to be a powerful and moving experience for all concerned. Tickets are available at $10 each from the Parish Office (604-922-3531 or [email protected]).

Proceeds from this event will go to our “Martha Fund” helping to pay medical expenses for Martha Nwaneri in Nigeria who received a liver transplant three years ago, and who we have committed

ourselves to support.

Documents

St. Francis-in-the-Wood Fall 2010 Newsletter