Christ Church Calgary | This Week at Christ Church

An experiment with the Sunday Readings – a number of people have noted that the Sunday readings often seem to land “from nowhere,” seemingly devoid of context, and without rhyme or reason. Beginning today, at the 10.30 service, and for the next six weeks, we are going to try three things. (1) The reader will sound the bell bowl after announcing the reading, and will allow its sound to die away before actually beginning to read. The congregation is invited to follow the sound in a deeply receptive silence, so that we may hear not just with our ears, but our hearts, what God might be saying to us in the reading. (2) The reader will provide a very brief introduction to give the reading context. (3) “Visual listeners” are encouraged to mark their pew bibles before the service, so they can read along.

The Anglican Church Women (A.C.W.) Annual General Meeting will be held today, Sunday, February 5, at 12.30 p.m. in the Crump Room. The main topics for discussion and decision making are the disbursement of funds and the future of the A.C.W. All Christ Church women are cordially invited to attend this important meeting.

Nutrition, Parenting and at-risk Infants and Toddlers – Is there interest amongst parishioners of Christ Church in working with CUPS to facilitate on-site gatherings for parents of at risk children – we would provide child care, and share in nutritional cooking and parenting conversations. We have great space. Do we also have hands-on interest? Feel free to bring your coffee and join us in the chapel at 11.50 a.m. for an exploratory conversation.

Lent begins early this year. As is our custom, we will burn last year’s palm crosses and palm fronds the Sunday before Lent, in preparation for the “imposition of ashes” on Ash Wednesday, February 22. Beginning this Sunday, there will be a basket available at the back of the church to receive old palms.

A Communal Lenten Discipline – Bible Reading! In Scripture, it is most often entire communities, and not just individuals, who are called to repentance and renewal. What if Christ Church, as a community, undertook a shared Lenten practice chosen to boost one aspect of our spiritual lives? The Parish Council is proposing that we invite all who are interested to covenant to read one book of the bible during Lent. And to make it fun, next Sunday we will do this by “draw,” passing a basket along with the almsbasins.

A different kind of Almsgiving – over the past couple of years we have collected money and non-perishable foodstuffs. This year, we are turning our attention to another extraordinarily expensive, but necessary commodity, namely toiletries. Once again we will place a table near the font – the symbol of our baptismal promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons – and collect as much as we can from Ash Wednesday until Holy Week. Shampoo, make-up, shaving gear, body wash, bath brushes, baby powder, personal hygiene products, toothpaste, toothbrushes, – just about anything other than drugs will be a welcome and important contribution.

Something new for Lent – Lent is a time when we are asked to prepare ourselves for the celebration of Easter through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial. To facilitate our prayer practice we have invited Sister Cecilia from the FCJ Centre to offer a “Week of Guided Prayer”. From February 26 until March 3 participants will pray for a half an hour a day and meet with a spiritual director for one hour daily, Monday to Friday. A variety of times are available to accommodate your schedule. Please consider embarking on this journey into a deeper prayer life. Sister Cecilia will be joining us on February 12 following the 10.30 service to meet with interested participants and to answer any questions. Please contact Tara Livingston for more information at 403.243.4680 x 32.

This year’s Lenten Study: “The Last Week.” Join Archdeacon Ansley Tucker on Mondays in Lent as we study Marcus Borg’s and Dominic Crossan’s groundbreaking description of the last week of Jesus’ earthly life. The first session is Monday, February 27, from 7.00 - 8.30 p.m. Books are available for sale from the Church Office (or after the Sunday service) for $15. We can take Visa/MC or debit.

The next Christ Church Café will feature Mélanie Léonard, the resident conductor of the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra. She will be discussion classical music and contemporary culture. Ms Léonard came to Calgary in 2009 from Montreal, and is known for her versatility and vibrant conducting style. She holds a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the University of Montreal, and has a key role in the development of outreach and education programs here in Calgary. Sunday, February 12, with continental breakfast available at 9.15 a.m., and the session to run from 9.30 – 10.15 a.m. Child care is available.

Also anyone is welcome to drop in at the Open Door at First Baptist Church for any of their activities. They are located at 4th St and 14th Ave. Their Program for February is posted as well. Contact Elizabeth Brain if you need more information or have any questions.

Prayer Shawl Ministry – The first meeting of the Prayer Shawl Ministry for 2012 will be on Sunday, February 19, at 9.15 a.m. in the Crump Room. This will be a good opportunity to catch up and update ourselves on what has transpired since our last get-together. We are always excited to see the shawls, whether a “work in progress” or finished. And of course to enjoy coffee and goodies together. Hope to see you there! Barb Robinson

Grief Recovery – A course started on January 28 at 2.00 p.m. in the Coop Room and will run for two hours per week until April 21. We will accept new registrants for the next two weeks. The course offers a way to address bereavement and other emotional loss in a safe environment using a structured program and will be led by Lucile Edwards. All are welcome, including friends from outside the parish. There is a charge of $60 for the course and bursaries are available. To register or for further information contact Lucile through the Church Office at 403.243.4680. There are also registration forms in the Narthex.

KAIROS Calgary invites you to spend a morning with Chris Turner author of The Geography of Hope and The Leap: How to Survive in the Sustainable Economy. Varsity Acres Presbyterian Church, 4612 Varsity Drive NW, Calgary, Saturday February 11 from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. (registration begins 8:30am). The cost is $15 and includes refreshments. For more information and to register visit http://www.kairos-calgary.ca or email pwrdfcalgary@telus.net, or phone 403.243.5478.

Confirmation Program offered Fall 2012 – Is your son or daughter in grade 9 or higher and interested in Confirmation? Classes will be offered Sunday mornings and we have the privilege of joining other churches for retreats and field trips. We need parent supporters and mentor volunteers to help make this a special experience for our young people. If you can help or would like to register your son or daughter, please contact Ilona Bevan.

Youth Conference this May 25-27 in Edmonton – Reserve your spot early for this incredible conference for youth from all over Alberta. Over 2,000 young people gather for workshops, worship, and concerts during the weekend. Cost is $75 plus spending money. Due to the need to book transportation in advance, early response is necessary to ensure you will not be disappointed, as space may be limited. Open to students in Junior and Senior high school. Express your interest via email at familyministry@christchurchcalgary.org.

The Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper is just around the corner! February 21 (6.00 p.m. - 7.30 p.m.), the night before Lent begins. Come out and indulge your sweet tooth with crêpes and pancakes. Children will enjoy the various craft stations, the pancake flipping races, and of course the whipped cream! Forget about messing up your home kitchen and take the family out to celebrate this festive tradition. It is a wonderful way to mark the church year with your children. Looking for ways to observe Lent at home? We will have resources on hand that you can take with you.

Please set aside Sunday February 26 for this year’s annual meeting. The feedback we received last year about holding the meeting in the context of the eucharistic liturgy itself was, on the whole, very positive, and so we will do this again. The service will begin at 9.30 a.m., and we expect to have finished both the liturgy and the Annual Meeting by noon. Light refreshments will be available before the meeting, and – again, in response to feedback last year – there will be a coffee hour following the service and meeting.

We would like to thank all of you who have submitted your 2012 pledge. Our 2012 pledge total at January 31st is $687,000 which is 93% of our goal. As we are short of our budget goal, cuts have been made in several areas of the budget. Some program costs were trimmed but fortunately we did not have to eliminate any programs or services. The budget will be reviewed after the 1st quarter of the year to determine if additional cuts may have to be made later in 2012. Although January 31st was our deadline for budget purposes, we are still accepting pledges through February.

This week! The Sultans of String Benefit Concert for CUPS –Wednesday, February 8, at 7.30 p.m. Tickets are $25 / $20, and are available from the Church Office at 403.243.4680. This critically acclaimed and award-winning group received a 2010 Juno nomination, multiple Canadian Folk Artist awards, and have recently been nominated for five International Music Festival and International Song Writing Awards for their third album “Move.” They are making a stop in Calgary on their Western Canada Tour after recently completing a very successful tour of the UK highlighted by performances at the Celtic Connections Festival in Glasgow and live performances on BBC Radio & TV. Three of their shows last fall featured the Sultans in concert with Ontario Symphonies (Windsor, Kitchener-Waterloo and Council Bluffs). Tickets available in the Crump Room after the service, from the Office during the week, or at the door.