Sunday
8:00 AM - Communion (In-person)
10:00 AM - (In-person & Online)
Wednesday
9:00 AM - Communion (In-person)
10:00 AM - Lectionary Study (Online)
The duty of the altar guild is to prepare all the things necessary for the celebration of the Eucharist and other Sacraments and offices of the church. Each week one member is responsible for setting up the altar in preparation of the Sunday 8 and 9:30 am services and subsequent clean-up after the services. The church seasons are acknowledged through changing colors of cloths and markers and appropriate decorating to celebrate the specific holidays of Christmas, Easter and Thanksgiving.
Anyone wishing to donate fresh flowers in memory of a loved one are encouraged to contact any member to assist with this.
Lay Ministers of Word and Sacrament are members of the parish who are given special licenses by the Bishop to conduct services, administer communion, preach, and/or visit on behalf of the parish under the supervision of the parish clergy. They can fill in if clergy are not available to do these tasks. LMWS are recommended to the Bishop by the Parish Annual Vestry Meeting, and undertake personalized training and upgrading activities throughout their time as Lay Ministers.
Parish Council, also known as Church Committee, is the committee that administers the parish between Annual Vestry Meetings. The clergy and wardens are the Parish Executive and other Council members are elected at the Annual Vestry Meeting.
With help from all the members of Grace we have kept our church and grounds in good shape. Thank you to everyone who has helped with the maintenance of the church and grounds this year. Thank you to all the shovelers, cleaners, mowers and gardeners for your work.
Our garden continues to thrive. The garden elves mainly did maintenance last year. Lots of weeding, trimming and watering. We have a wonderful addition to the garden – a Labyrinth. A huge thank you to Catherine Cantin and all her helpers who got this project finished!
We could always use extra garden elves to keep up the garden. We will (hopefully) start meeting on Tuesday mornings near the end of April. Of course, you may come anytime to help out.
The labyrinth is a walking meditation, a path of prayer where psyche can meet Spirit. It has only one path that leads from the outer edge in a circuitous way to the center. There are no tricks to it and no dead ends. Unlike a maze where you lose your way, the labyrinth is a spiritual tool that can help you find your way.
Walking the Labyrinth quiets the mind, opens the heart and grounds the body ... Some find answers to questions long asked, some find healing, creativity, a sense of wholeness ...
Generally there are three stages to the walk: releasing on the way in, receiving in the center and returning when you follow the return path back out of the labyrinth. Symbolically, and sometimes actually, you are taking back out into the world that which you have received.
There is no right way or wrong way to walk a labyrinth. Use the labyrinth in any way that meets what you need while being respectful of others walking. You may go directly to the center to sit quietly -- whatever meets your needs.
To prepare, you may want to sit quietly to reflect before walking the labyrinth. Some people come with questions, others just to slow down and take time out from a busy life. Some come to find strength to take the next step. Many come during times of grief and loss.
There are many ways to describe a labyrinth. It is a path of prayer, a walking meditation, a crucible of change, a watering hole for the spirit and a mirror of the soul.
Adapted from: https://veriditas.org/New-to-the-Labyrinth
Crafters are invited to come for visiting, knitting, a cuppa and conversation. We begin our time with a devotional and prayer. We knit or crochet prayer shawls and scarves of all shapes, sizes, patterns and yarn types. We knit or crochet prayer into our creations. These are given to any one in need in the community or in the wider world. We have had shawls travel across the country and across the world. If you know of someone who would benefit from this gift please let Rev. George or Denise Boulanger know. We are always looking for donations of wool as well. Anyone is invited to join us even if you don’t want to knit or crochet. We meet in each other’s homes and the time varies.
Interested persons meet early in the fall to brainstorm ideas and set dates. We plan for most social events to take place before the end of April and the ensuing pursuit of spring activities. Some events combine socializing with fund raising. These have included a movie night, a potato dinner and re-gifting auction, and “Soupy Sundays” to benefit the soup bus.
Also, in the realm of sociability, the men and women of Grace take turns with St. Michael’s to host a monthly Breakfast, hosted by the men and Brunch, hosted by the women, at our respective churches.
A Social time is held after the 10:00 a.m. Sunday service. Members contribute by bringing goodies or setting up for coffee and tea. There is a sign-up list on the bulletin board at the back of the church.
Rev. George and a team of caring and friendly parishioners stands ready to visit you or pray with you or pray for you whenever needed.
Call Rev. George at (250) 640-2391 to connect with the pastoral care you need.
The third Sunday of the month, Grace Church provides lunch for approximately 80 to 100 guests at St. Vincent de Paul. Our lunch includes soup, sandwiches, bananas and fruit salad. Occasionally hotdogs or chili replace meat sandwiches. At Christmas, treat bags of candy, mandarin oranges and popcorn are also distributed.
Grace Church is very supportive of this outreach by donating soup, sandwiches, fruit and money as well as their time to prepare the lunch and clean up. The time commitment is from 1:30 pm to 3 pm. For those whom we serve this is a social time.
We keep a roster of parishioners who are prepared read the scriptures of the day each Sunday, as well as a roster of those who can lead the Prayers of the People and serve as chalice-bearers. All who come to church with us are welcome to help with any of these worship tasks.
The Church that Welcomes Everyone
Sunday
8:00 AM - Communion (In-person)
10:00 AM - (In-person & Online)
Wednesday
9:00 AM - Communion (In-person)
10:00 AM - Lectionary Study (Online)