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Services this week5 January 2025 - Epiphany 8am Holy Communion 9am Community prayers downstairs in the youth room 9.30am Eucharist, in-person and live streamed via Facebook Live [LINK]
7 Jan, Tuesday 10.30am Contemplative Prayer 9 Jan, Thursday 10am Holy Communion Please join us downstairs in the hall for coffee and fellowship after the 9.30 service. |
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Happy New Year! Looking ahead with hopeDear Friends, Happy New Year to all! May this next year be one of good surprises, hopeful explorations and new challenges. In Christ, I know, all of that is true every year so I guess I’m wishing that all of us might know it afresh and that others might join us on that journey and so enrich all of our lives! Isn’t it amazing that a quarter century has passed since Y2K! The event that was supposed to “wreck the world” turned out to be basically nothing because, unbeknownst to many of the gloom and doom predicters, work had been quietly going on for years to prepare the world, and so when the clock turned over, societies experienced very little disruption. I was thinking about that today in relationship with the work we do as a community, indeed the work that millions of churches do around the world: often it is Christians who are working quietly behind the scenes, together with people of good will from across the faith/non-faith spectrum, who are repairing and reconciling old things, and opening new things, so that when the clock turns over, people wonder in astonishment how “things are still working out.” The Spirit of Christ uses the minds, hearts and hands of people like you and me to make the world go round! Amazing isn’t it? Speaking of events, while we have nothing as momentous as Y2K on the docket, here are a few things going on in the next month at St. Philip: Jan 5 – We welcome the Rev. Rebecca Yeo as a Deacon. This will give Rev. Rebecca, who also works as an Anglican Chaplain at UVic, a place “to practice her ordination in a parish” for a period of 4-5 months before she is ordained a Priest. Jan 11/12 – Paul and Melissa Stabell from Postmeridian Productions will be in town to help Allen and a few others film a Welcome Video for the website. Jan 12 – There will be a “budget update meeting” after our service. Jan 19 – There will be an appreciation party for Shannon Carmichael after the service Jan 28 - Parish Council meeting Jan 30 – Taize service on Thursday evening. Feb 11 – Vestry meeting (Tuesday evening at 7 pm). |
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Welcoming Rev. Rebecca Yeo this Sunday!Bishop Anna has appointed the Rev. Rebecca Yeo (they/them, pronounced "Yo") to serve as a transitional deacon for approximately four to five months starting on Epiphany Sunday January 5th, 2025. This is an internship position and is non-stipendary. Without duplicating Rev. Rebecca's introduction, they will be serving and living into their diaconal ordination by taking certain diaconal roles in our liturgy. These roles include reading the Gospel, serving at the Eucharistic Table, saying the Dismissal, and occasionally preaching. I know that you will join me in saying that we are thrilled that Rev. Rebecca is joining us, and we look forward to what will develop in and through our shared ministry. - Fr. Allen * * * My name is Rebecca Yeo, my pronouns are they/them/theirs, and I am a transitional deacon in the Diocese of Islands and Inlets. Being a transitional deacon is a step towards becoming a priest. I was ordained to the diaconate in September 2024 and have been serving as the Anglican Spiritual Care Provider at the University of Victoria Multifaith Centre. I work primarily with the weekly Pet Café program — bringing therapy dogs to Multifaith to visit with students — and the Inclusive Christians club, the membership of which is predominantly LGBTQIA2S+ students reconstructing Christian faith or encountering it for the first time. The ministry of deacons is a ministry of service “in the world”: translating the needs of the world outside the doors of the institutional Church to those within. My work at UVic feels deeply diaconal; my main hope for my time at St. Philip is to do this work of translation with you — to share what I am learning at UVic and explore ways that we might work together to support students. Overall, I hope that our time together will be a time where all of us can become more “diaconal”: for you to learn what deacons are and what we do, for me to teach you about diaconal ministry and the special role of deacons in our worship, and for all of us to grow in our “ministries of service,” whatever they may be.
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Financial update for December 2024Here is a summary of Parish income and expenses for December 2024: Income: $44,900, of which
Expenses: $18,900, of which
Balance: $26,000 Note that this accounting reflects the date of bank deposits or cheques cashing, rather than when the expenses occurred or donation was made. The ‘Other’ income line was quarterly interest from the Rectory Trust Fund. Salary expenditures were significantly lower than normal; this was in part because of the correction of a payroll error made at the diocese level, and in part due to a transition to a new model for handling vacation pay. It is anticipated that there will be much less month-to-month variation in salaries in 2025 due to the change. - Mark Laidlaw, Treasurer |
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A message from Bob Watts' familySome of you will be aware that Bob Watts, who led Jazz Vespers at St Philip for many years, died on December 26th. Here is a message to the St Philip community from his son Spencer: I just wanted to say thank you for all of the visits and gifts that you all have been sending us over the last little while. We really greatly appreciate all of the reminders that Bob was a really important part of the St Philip community, and we really want to thank you for that. I wanted to let you know that we would like to take some time to grieve in private now. Again, thank you very much, we really do appreciate it. - Spencer Vatrt-Watts Photo: https://www.bobwattstrio.ca/ |
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Want to learn to play Bridge?If you have always wanted to learn to play this wonderful card game, here’s your chance. Bridge is credited with helping to keep your mind sharp in addition to the social aspects and sheer enjoyment of learning something new! You will learn through a standardized and structured approach over a series of 10 classes starting on Saturday, January 11, 2025 from 10-12 AM in the basement of St. Philip Church. Each participant will receive a detailed student manual and will have many hours of focused learning and card play. Cost of the program is $95.00 including the manual, with the remaining funds to be donated to a charity of choice among the participants. Mel Zimmerman will teach the program. Playing Bridge since he was a teenager, Mel is an Accredited Bridge Teacher and is a Silver Life Master Bridge player. The program is limited to 12 people and there is a signup sheet in the narthex of the church.
Image by jacqueline macou from Pixabay |
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Congregational meeting to finalize 2025 BudgetThere will be a congregational meeting after the 9:30 service on Sunday, January 12. The budget for 2025 will be presented, including amendments made based on feedback received at the two October pre-budget meetings. The opportunity to influence the budget is before the AGM. At the Vestry meeting on February 11, there will be a straightforward vote on the budget to accept or reject it, but no last-minute changes. This is your last chance to make changes to the budget, so please attend. |
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Guitar recital - Simon Farintosh & friendsA benefit concert at St Philip for Mike Pichichero, a local guitarist who was recently diagnosed with lung cancer. The concert will feature performances by local guitarists, and all benefits will go to Mike and his family to support his ongoing treatment. Tickets on the door or click below. |
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Taizé Prayer at St Philip Oak BayAll are welcome to St Philip Oak Bay for a candlelit service of song, silence and contemplation, in the style of the Taizé Community, on the last Thursdays of the month at 7pm:
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St Philip Parish VestrySt Philip Oak Bay will hold its AGM (also known as the Annual Vestry Meeting) at the church on Tuesday 11 February 2025 7-9pm. We will receive 2024 reports, vote on a budget for 2025, and elect our Parish Council. We look forward to 2025 as we serve God by meeting the needs in the world. The 2025 agenda, 2024 annual reports, and proposed 2025 budget will be circulated via email ahead of the meeting. Print copies will be available in the narthex. The deadline for sending in annual reports is Monday 20 January (2 weeks away), to allow for compilation and timely circulation ahead of the meeting. Please email reports as plain text in the body of an email. If you would like to include a photo of your parish group/ministry/activity/event for illustration, please attach it as a jpg or png file measuring at least 600 pixels across (vertical dimension can be larger or smaller). Image by claude_star from Pixabay
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Useful links
The Welcome pew leaflet, weekly parish news, current Anglican Journal, & Faith Tides, recent Parish Council minutes and more are all available in print in the narthex. Please let Anna know if more print copies are needed, on Sundays or for sharing with those who don't use email. News items for the bulletin are always welcome - deadline Thursday noon. More parish, diocesan and community notices on the News and Events sections of the parish website.
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Rector: Rev. Allen Doerksen
email incumbent@stphilipvictoria.ca, cell 236-508-2928 Rector's day off: Friday
Wardens: Larry Anthony lanthony@stphilipvictoria.ca and Ceal McLean cmclean@stphilipvictoria.ca
Office Hours: Mon 1-4.30, Wed & Thurs 9-4.30
250-592-6823
admin@stphilipvictoria.ca Subscribe to St. Philip emails Parish website Live stream link Facebook page |
