• Services this week and next
• Bishop's Christmas Message
• Advent and Christmas at St Philip
• In memoriam: Grant Schwartzentruber
• 27 Dec  Church family movie night
• 2024 Offering Envelopes
• Contact details update
• Cookies & Carols photos
• Furniture sought
• Office closed for Christmas week
• New Year's Eve Taizé Prayer with Abbey Church
• New book for Thursday study - January
• Mindful Living: a 6-week Course with Florie Varga
• Pageant photos
• This week in prayer
• Useful links

Sunday December 24th, Fourth Sunday in Advent

• 8am Holy Communion
• 9am Community Prayers in the Youth Room 
• 9.30am Family Eucharist with Lighting of Advent Candles, in-person and live streamed [LINK]
• 5pm Christmas Eve: Family Carol Communion service - live streamed [LINK]

Monday December 25th, Christmas Day

• 10am Holy Communion

Sunday December 31st, New Year's Eve

• NB no 8am service
• 9.30am Eucharist with Lessons and Carols for Christmas, in-person and live streamed [LINK]

Tuesday 10.30am Contemplative Prayer resumes January 9th

Thursday 10am  Holy Communion resumes January 11th

Prayer team is available during Communion at the 9.30 Sunday service, and please join us for fellowship and coffee after.

Wed 27 December 6.30 Family movie night - a holiday short for kids starting at 6.30, followed by a family-friendly main feature. Popcorn and hot chocolate  provided!

In Memoriam: Grant Schwartzentruber (July 9, 1945 - December 11, 2023).

Grant was a member of St Philip for many years, and latterly we continued to hear from him regularly as the prayer coordinator for Precious Jewels Ministry.

Times-Colonist Obituary

2024 offering envelopes are now available to pick up in the Narthex. For more information, please contact our offerings secretary, Betty Davidson: offerings@stphilipvictoria.ca.

If you have changed postal or email address, phone number etc in the past year, please ensure that Anna has your up to date contact details on file in the office: admin@stphilipvictoria.ca. This will help to ensure - among other things - that your 2023 tax receipt goes to the right address!

To change your e-newsletter subscription at any time, click "unsubscribe" at the bottom of any newsletter email, and re-subscribe with your preferred address at the bottom of any page on the parish website: https://www.stphilipvictoria.ca/  Because anyone with email can subscribe to the newsletter, its subscriber list is completely separate from the Parish List. Being on the Parish List gives you a vote at Vestry (parish AGM) in February.

Photos thanks to Barba Evans-Ehricht

Tom Doerksen has moved house again and is in need of some furniture: a bookshelf (or two), a lamp, a stool, a small bed, and a desk. If you have any of this furniture and you would be willing to lend or give them to Tom, please contact him at tomdoerksen@gmail.com.

The parish office will be closed during the week of 25-29 December, opening Wednesday 3 January 2024 - hence this 2-week newsletter. 

All are welcome to a New Year's Eve Service in the style of Taizé , on Sunday December 31st, 4pm - 5.30pm, at The Abbey Church, 932 Quadra and Balmoral (former site of First Metropolitan). End the year well, in the way of the Taizé Community, with candles, contemplative prayer, simple chants, and silence .

Starting on January 11th,  when Thursday 10am Communion services resume, the book study following the service will be looking at James Finley's The Healing Path - A Memoir and an Invitation (Orbis, 2023) All are welcome to the service, the study, or both!

"James Finley brings a whole, wonderful balancing act to theology and spirituality. Jim is a healer. I believe his poetic words will help many people on their healing journey." —Richard Rohr, author of The Universal Christ

More about James Finley

Do you speak a language other than English, German and Spanish? Taizé Prayer at St Philip needs you! Praying together in many languages is one of the hallmarks of Taizé, and we are looking for people who are willing to read or sing in different languages at one or more of the Taizé services at St Philip in the new year, 19 January, 16 February and 15 March. Please speak with Judith Slimmon at the 9.30 service for more information: jslimmon@nucleus.com. 

MINDFUL LIVING: A 6-WEEK CURRICULUM

“Mindfulness is paying attention to what is, in the present moment, on purpose and non-judgmentally.” - Jon Kabat-Zinn

When we live mindfully, we learn to allow our experiences, emotions, and thoughts to be what they are. This means we acknowledge and witness these without trying to fix, react, cope, or medicate what is happening in the moment. We build resilience in actively responding to our environment. Mindful living ultimately increases mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health. This is a 6-week introductory course to the teachings of mindfulness and the practice of mindfulness meditation.

SESSION TOPICS

• Week 1: What is Mindfulness and Mindful Breathing
• Week 2: Mindfulness of the Body
• Week 3: Mindfulness of the Emotions
• Week 4: Being with What’s Difficult
• Week 5: Loving Kindness and Compassion
• Week 6: Resilience and Moving Forward Mindfully

WHEN: THURSDAY, JANUARY 25 – TO – FEBRUARY 29, 2024

TIME: 6:45PM – 8:15PM

WHERE: ST. PHILIP OAK BAY, 2928 Eastdowne

COST: $20.00 for participant workbook

Contact: Florie for more details – 250 709 7063, Florie@Florievarga.com

Photos by Alan Carmichael

Readings and prayers for Sunday 24 Dec and the following week:  click here

Readings and prayers for Sunday 31 Dec and the following week:  click here

• Live Streams: via the parish website or direct from YouTube at  https://www.youtube.com/@st.philipchurchvictoria1351/live
• Service outline: for those viewing the live stream, the coming Sunday's 9.30 service outline is online here
• Service recording & sermon transcript: choose any past Sunday here (listed most recent first)
• More news & events from our church neighbours and wider community: click here
• Previous parish newsletters: click here
• Parish Council minutes: click here , see under Downloads
• Staff contacts: via the parish website
• Liturgy for the Islands and Inlets: click here for full text
• Diocesan Comings & Goings: read latest
• Inclusive Christians at UVic: read latest
• Faith Tides: click here for latest issue
• Contemplative Society: latest news
• L'Abri Canada: read latest
• Sorrento Centre news: click here
• PWRDF updates: read latest
• KAIROS Canada: read latest
• Anglican Church of Canada news: click here
• Anglican Journal: click here for latest articles

The Welcome pew leaflet, weekly parish news, Anglican Journal, Faith Tides, 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.

Translation keyboard: Gino Crescoli from Pixabay
Christmas cards Annie Spratt on Unsplash
Candles: S. Hermann & F. Richter, NoName_13 on Pixabay
Footer painting: Caitlin Ambery, 2007