As the weather gets colder and the days become darker we extend a very warm welcome to services and events at St. Matthias.  This Sunday, in honour of All Soul's Day we celebrate with gratitude all of the loving souls and saints who have come before us and shone their light in darkness.  At the start of Sunday's worship you are invited to come forward and light candles in remembrance for those who have died.

You will find in the newsletter below there are lots of upcoming events offering spiritual and community noursishment this November, at our parish and in the wider Anglican community.

Rev. Colleen will be resuming Thursday morning Eucharist next week (Nov 10th) at 10am. All are welcome. Rev. Colleen will be starting into a new Celtic liturgy for this communion, filled with beautiful and simple Celtic prayer.  

The Chapel Gallery at St. Matthias is thrilled to welcome local artist Dale Roberts for his upcoming exhibit at the Chapel Gallery Dames, Divas & Icons opening Thursday November 17th. See below for more details and please do mark this in your calendars! 

Parish Visioning Luncheon is taking place on Sunday Nov 20th after church.

Scroll down for more!

image by Georg Eiermann on Unsplash 

Upcoming Sundays with Readings 

Thursday morning worship with refreshments to follow at 10.am. During this season, we will be using a several Celtic liturgies from the wonderful book 'Celtic Daily Prayer Book Two, Farther Up and Farther In.' 

This is not a ‘Celtic’ service in the sense that it recreates a Communion Service from the Celtic monastic era, but it is a service shaped by a Celtic theology. The potential strength of this service is its simplicity. It aims to get to the ‘essence’ of this meal that all Christians share. In it, also, are echoes of the meal at Emmaus, the Passover Seder meal and the sharing of bread and wine that is part of the ritual binding between brothers, like David and Jonathan.  

All are welcome. 

Thursday communion will continue into the fall on a weekly basis so we invite to come everyweek or whenever you can.

Photo by Dennis Kummer on Unsplash 

In the book of Joel (2:28) "... I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy; your old men [and women] shall dream dreams, and your young men [and women] shall see visions." 

Our parish has the exciting opportunity to dream and see visions together -- and to think about how we translate those visions into reality.  Since January 2022, when some of us participated in a workshop discussion with Bishop Anna and the diocesan vision animator Brendon Neilson, we've talked about some follow-up work.  Now, with Rev. Colleen's arrival, and her invitation to each of us to share our thoughts and ideas about St. Matthias and how we can best practice the presence of God in our communities.  

Mark your calendar; early ideas suggest we might have a working "bring your own lunch" or "easy potluck" lunch for a workshop discussion.  (Still earlier ideas thought we might do this in September, but our busy community needs more notice!) Meanwhile, start stacking up and chatting about your ideas and dreams!

And ... why November 20th?  It's the Sunday of the Reign of Christ, the last Sunday of our church year and a great way to prepare for our new year!  

Faith Tides is the official publication of the Anglican diocese of Islands and Inlets. It is a space where people of faith and doubt can share their stories, challenge their perceptions, and grow together.

In this issue: Empty pews and self-emptying by Bishop Anna; Remembering nature as the place of God; Under the orange roof: of raccoons and reconciliation; Finding hope in liminal times at the fall diocesan women's retreat; Addressing parishioner loneliness through gratitude; and more!

Read it here!

Join St. George's Anglican on 3 Wednesdays in November for discussion based on selected talks from the recent 2022 "Evolving Faith" conference featuring many contemporary voices in the emerging Christian landscape. Coffee and snacks provided!

Every Wednesday at 11:15 am at Multifaith, is Abraham's Table! What is Abraham's Table you ask?  

Abraham’s Table is a weekly program dedicated to providing a space to discuss Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Each week, a different topic will be explored, led by one leader within that religion. Each session begins with an informal presentation and is followed by a period of discussion.  

All are welcome (students & Victoria community members) to participate in this program, whether you identify as religious, spiritual-but-not-religious, or simply curious to learn more about the Abrahamic traditions.  

Salam, Shalom, Peace.  

This encore presentation proudly produced by Vancouver Island Performers Guild

Songs of David

New choral settings of the Psalms by Victoria Compoer Robert Overman

Featuring the Overman family and a choir of special friends.

Tickets $20 can be purchased at: https://www.vipguild.ca/tickets

St Dunstan's Anglican Church - Friday Nov 25th at 7:30pm.

St Mary the Virgin Anglican Church (Oak Bay) Sunday Nov 27th at 2:30pm.

Here comes the Christmas Marketplace! Saturday, November 26 from 11:00 am - 2 pm in our Centre for Ministry at 29 Church St. There will be displays of various items for sale, plus the Silent Auction, and our legendary delicious lunch served by our legendary waiters!

COME AND ENJOY!

Between now and November 30th all donations will be matched up to a total of $50,000!

The Shelbourne Community Kitchen's anonymous guardian angel is back for a second year, offering an incredible fundraising boost just when we need it most.

Inflation and rising food costs mean that our members are facing even greater food insecurity, more people are reaching out for support, and The Kitchen itself is facing increased costs. The Kitchen currently serves 942 adults and 340 children. We are registering at least 10 new people a week right now, including families, newcomers, seniors, students and low income earners.

As you know, The Kitchen offers fresh and dignified food support through our Pantry Program, Food Skills and cooking programs, and manages gardens where we grow our own produce and host workshops and events. People also connect with other community resources at the Kitchen and become resources for one another. It's all about building community through healthy food.

We have an exciting opportunity this fall to match all donations up to $50,000 and we need everyone's support to reach our goal! If you are in a position to donate, know that every dollar we receive will multiply during the campaign and you will be helping to make a direct impact for hundreds of people in our community.

Help spread the news about our campaign by raising awareness about the Shelbourne Community Kitchen and the work we do!

Donations of cash and cheques are gratefully accepted at the Shelbourne Community Kitchen, 101-3787 Cedar Hill Rd.

Or donate securely through Canada Helps:

The South Vancouver Island Mycological Society (SVIMS) will be hosting their annual mushroom show at St Luke's hall on the 6th November. Entrance by donation, for more information please contact via the online form at: https://svims.club/contact