THE WILDERNESS IS A PLACE OF BEGINNINGS

- Poetry Prayers by Sarah Are

“Begin again,” life whispered in my ear;
For some days are beginning days.
Some days are designed to be the day we try again,
And on those days—the sun rises for you.
On those days, the birds sing for you.
On those days, God is cheering for you.
That’s just the way God and beginnings work.
For when your heart is broken and your life is in pieces,
Or when the addiction or the depression have found their way back into your bones,
Or when you lose sight of the person that you were called to be,
The wilderness will sing to you, “Begin again.”
“Begin again” with the person you want to be.
“Begin again” with the person you want to love.
“Begin again” with the knowledge of your faith.
“Begin again.”
The sun is rising for you

It is fall again and with the changing of the season we 'begin again.' Back to church this year will look a little different and yet it is still an opportunity to recommit to our life of faith and discipleship as a community. There is so much happening this fall and I encourage to you to read each of these announcements as we celebrate with wonder the season of creation, celebrate with joy the upcoming Ordination of Matt and celebrate with hope the upcoming Episcopal election. In this season, allow yourself to awaken to the wonder fo creation, let the wilderness sing to you and let your heart return the praise that echos from these wild west coast shorelines, pine-scented forests and Garry Oak meadows.

It is so wonderful to be back with you and I am so grateful to the clergy, wardens and volunteers who have worked so hard this summer. You have never been far from my prayers. 

May God's peace and presence surround and uphold you as we begin this new season together. 

- The Reverend Meagan Crosby-Shearer 

Christians around the world are invited to give particular attention to praying and caring for God’s creation as part of the global Season of Creation, observed from September 1 to October 4 every year. In our diocese, the diocesan Vision Implementation Teams for Engaging God's World and Worship Resources are encouraging parishes and individuals, during these 34 days, to reflect on creation as part of our ongoing season of discipleship, asking ourselves, how does our call to discipleship inform our relationship to the land, earth and sky of God's good creation? And then to take action in some way both personally and corporately.

Check out the Season of Creation daily reflections https://www.anglican.ca/wp-content/uploads/Seasons_of_Creation_Devotional-Final_spread-6.16.2020.pdf

Diocesan council, acting as the nominating committee, has confirmed seven people to stand for episcopal election: The Rev. Canon Kevin Arndt, diocese of British Columbia

The Rev. Dr. Jennifer Cooper, dioceses of Durham and Newcastle

The Ven. Douglas Fenton, diocese of New Westminister

The Rev. Anna Greenwood-Lee, diocese of Calgary

The Ven. Alastair Singh-McCollum, diocese of British Columbia

The Rev. Lon Towstego, diocese of British Columbia

The Ven. Dr. Dawna Wall, diocese of British Columbia

A note from the Diocesan Administrator

Dear friends:
As you know, in barely a month we will exercise the sacred trust of electing the fourteenth bishop of our
diocese. This person will follow in a long tradition of faithful service, and—please God—will help us to chart a
course for the future... Unlike political elections, the church tries to place itself under the guidance of the Holy Spirit when choosing a new leader. This means that we do not caucus, or vote in blocks, or ask our parish priest or parish council whom to elect. Each member of Synod has been provided with extensive information about the role of a bishop, the key issues facing our diocese at this time, the gifts we are seeking in a new bishop, and now, the
material provided by the candidates themselves—in addition to (never underestimate this) the wisdom God
has given to each elector as a leader in the church. Please remember that once the Synod is convened,
delegates from parishes become members of Synod. In other words, each of us has been entrusted to exercise
our own best judgment and to be open to the leading of the Spirit as the Synod unfolds. This simply cannot be
predetermined. Does this mean we shouldn’t talk with each other, or weigh the merits of each candidate in conversation with others? Of course not. One of the ways in which the Spirit speaks to us is through the wisdom and insight of others. But it does mean that none of us comes to Synod with our mind made up, or our hearts and minds closed to the winds of a Spirit “who blows where it will.”
This is an auspicious time in the history of our diocese, and I want to thank you for the time and care you are
giving to a future that “we together” will share.
Yours faithfully,
(The Very Reverend) M. Ansley Tucker

Join the Emmaus Community and start your day with prayer!

Weekday Mornings: 7:45-8:15 am and Saturdays at 9 am 

Prayer is offered via Zoom on Mon, Weds, Fri & Saturday mornings and in person at 600 Richmond on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. (Compline to be announced).

Register for in-person prayer or get the Zoom link by emailing admin@emmauscommunity.ca

Matt Humphrey and Cornelia van Voorst are facilitating a workshop,  co-hosted by Wild Church Victoria, A Rocha Canada and the Emmaus Community (Victoria).  

Click Read More to find the registration information 

We are pleased to announce that, God willing, Bishop Logan McMenamie will take a brief respite from retirement to ordain the Rev. Matthew Humphrey and the Rev. Gail Rodger to the sacred order of priest. While the ceremony will take place at Christ Church Cathedral in Victoria, this email is sadly not an invitation to attend in-person. The ordinations will be a small, socially-distanced celebration involving just those essential to the service and a very few invited guests. However, the service will be live-streamed and we hope that you will set aside this time to watch the ordinations and pray with the ordinands. A link to the Livestream will be provided prior to the service, and it will possible to revisit the service later in the day.   We hope you will book the date and time in your calendars.

In preparation for the Episcopal election on September 26th 2020, we encourage you to enter into a day of prayer and fasting for our diocese and for those who have offered their service on behalf of Christ's body, the church. Our Senior Diocesan Administrator, The Very Rev. Ansley Tucker implores us to pray as she writes: "Dear people of God, please pray. Pray for the Church. Pray for the candidates. And remember that regardless of whom we elect, we have been and continue to be deeply blessed by the ministry of all our candidates".

Read More for the schedule of the day

Sunday's at 10 am, We host a gathering via Zoom to share the Sunday readings and discuss how they may be speaking into our lives today. This will be a simple service of the Word with readings, open discussion and prayers and on certain days a sermon. Please email wardens@stmatthiasvictoria.ca to receive the Zoom meeting login or to sign up to be a reader. 

Did you miss last Sunday's sermon? Check it out on our blog: https://www.stmatthiasvictoria.ca/blog/worship-on-august-30th

Click 'read more' for the upcoming readings

St. Matthias friends are warmly invited to join the Abbey Church for their weekly worship. 3 pm at the following link. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDXr2PBwTRDOyTtoJ-wUX9g

For the season of creation, the Abbeychurch will be worshipping outside. Please feel free to join us. email admin@emmauscommunity.ca for more info.

September (Sundays at 3 pm)

6 - Willows Beach

13 - Beacon Hill Park 

20 - Ordination live stream 4:30pm in the church 

27 - Gonzales Beach

October 4th - St Matthias Courtyard

Join Meagan on Wednesdays at 10 am for virtual coffee time. Bring your beverage and chat with folks from the congregation!

Orange Shirt Day Orange Shirt Day is a legacy of the St. Joseph Mission residential school commemoration event held in Williams Lake in the spring of 2013.  It grew out of Phyllis’s account of losing her shiny new orange shirt on her first day of school at the Mission, and it has become an opportunity to keep the discussion on all aspects of residential schools happening annually.  The date was chosen because children are back in school and teachers have time to plan, and because it is an opportunity to set the stage for anti-racism and anti-bullying policies for the year.  Orange Shirt Day is also an opportunity for First Nations, local governments, schools and community agencies to come together in the spirit of reconciliation and hope for generations of children to come.

The latest issue of the Diocesan Post is up!

Feel free to subscribe to receive it online or by mail on the Diocesan website. 

https://www.bc.anglican.ca/news/september-2020-diocesan-post