Newsletter: Prayer, Fasting & Almsgiving

Welcome to Lent!

This year I would like to challenge all members of St Andrew’s parish to consider how you are participating in the spiritual practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Prayer

Consider attending one of (or one more of) our many spiritual offerings over the season. There is a Lenten retreat this Saturday afternoon (Feb 25th) from 1:30 to 4:30 and there are still spaces available. There will also be a retreat afternoon on March 25th at the same time, and then on Holy Saturday, April 8th, we’ll have a day-long retreat focusing on Jesus and Mary Magdalene. You may also want to check out the Tuesday night Zoom bible study as we explore the life and work of Desmond Tutu with the Rev. David Taylor. More information can be found by clicking the buttons below.

february retreat afternoon

desmond tutu bible study

march retreat afternoon

holy saturday retreat day

Fasting

Fasting is the practice of giving something up or letting something go in order to make room for new thoughts, ideas, experiences, or behaviours. I wonder if there’s a change you want to make in how you live your life. Perhaps you will try giving up a particular hobby or social group in order to spend more time with family. Perhaps now is the time to quit smoking or drinking and imagine what you could do with all that money. Or maybe you want to stop planning social events on Sundays so that you can devote more time to prayer. I’m going to try giving up liquor so that I will have more money and time to spend on my children. Wish me luck!

Almsgiving

Our Annual Vestry Meeting is this coming Sunday, and so our thoughts turn to the budget and the ministries offered by St Andrew’s. We have lots of things going on right now, from refugee ministry to family ministry to homeless outreach, and not quite enough staff to make it all happen. I wonder if you are able to give more in order to support some of these new initiatives. Of course, we will gladly accept an increase in financial generosity, but I wonder if the time has come for you to get more engaged as a volunteer in the life of the church. We will also gladly accept donations of your time and talent as well as your financial gifts.

annual vestry meeting

Remember: Church can only happen when people show up. I wonder if God is calling you to greater participation in the life of St Andrew’s parish.

And your last reminder that in preparation for the Vestry meeting, I am asking you to watch three movie clips and wonder about a series of questions. The questions for each clip are as follows: