Parish News

Dear Friends,

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

II Corinthians 1: 2

There are a number of points I want to share with you… This information is also on video and audio recordings, which I expect will be available on the St. Brice’s website and Facebook page.

We had planned to resume in-person Sunday morning worship on 24 January, but due to the present health restrictions, this will be postponed until 31 January, at 9am and 11am. (If there are longer closures, this will be announced.)

We plan to hold the Vestry (Annual Meeting) on Sunday, February 7, 1pm. This will be a mixture of in-person and an on-line format. Information about how to join on-line will be sent around the end of this month; we encourage you to join us. If you are responsible for an Annual Report, reports are due no later than 25 January. The sooner the reports are turned in, the easier it is for the office workers.

Overall, our Financial Status is quite good: We ended the year with $6374.50 more than when we started on 1 January last year. We should note, however, that we received $10 330.09, as a result of the diocese applying for a federal wage grant. As well, the Tuesday Meals fundraiser brought in about $7000 after expenses.

Please consider using the Electronic Offering Program, if you aren’t already. If arranging to transfer money automatically once a month from your account to St. Brice’s puts you in a difficult position, consider using that option on a twice-a-month basis. We will also be circulating 2021 envelope boxes for people who use them.

Nonetheless, given that there were no Sunday services for about five and a half months in 2020, and given that some parishioners have been affected by job losses, we have lots of reasons to be grateful.

Roof: The parish hall roof needs to replaced, once the weather allows. We are still getting price quotations, and hope to have a fuller report for the Vestry. We plan to apply for a grant from the Anglican Foundation, to help substantially with the costs. Our grant is strengthened if we have some money set aside for this purpose. Only three Anglican Foundation grants are granted from each diocese each year, so it’s in our interest to submit our application very soon. If you’re able to contribute to the roof work, along with your regular offerings, please do so.

Office Help: The Advisory Board is bringing a proposal to the Vestry to have some paid help in the office. Please give this thoughtful consideration and prayer.

Parish Photo Directory: Once the pandemic ends, we plan to publish a Parish Photo Directory this year. There will be no cost to the parish for this.

Homelessness: There will be a meeting this coming Tuesday, organized among a group of churches in North Bay, to consider how we might better address the issue of “homelessness” in the city. They are looking for a representative from St. Brice’s. If you are interested in this matter, please contact the parish office.

Tuesday Meals: These have been scaled back for early January and February, partly to give the volunteers a rest, partly because of the pandemic. We are grateful that several new volunteers have offered themselves for this ministry.

On behalf of St. Brice’s, I want to express our

thanks and appreciation to Tara King,

who looks after the St. Brice’s website,

and who has been doing a lot of posting during this pandemic.

Thank you for what you do, Tara!

Lent begins early this year – February 17. Please remember to ask for copies of Our Daily Bread, if you use this devotional. For anyone who wants something more in-depth, consider getting a book about the apostle Paul (appropriately called Paul), by Bishop N. T. (“Tom”) Wright. There is a series called “Anglicans Reading the Bible,” with me speaking, which might be of interest to folks. More information will be posted in the weeks ahead.

God bless, in Christ’s love,

Peter Armstrong

A General Intercession

Remember, Lord, your people bowed before you, and those who are absent through age, sickness, or any other cause. Care for the infants, guide the young, support the aged, inspire the faint-hearted, and bring the wandering to your fold. Journey with the travellers, encourage the oppressed, defend the widows, deliver the captives, heal the sick. Strengthen all who are in tribulation, necessity, or distress. Remember for good those who love us, and those who hate us, and those who have asked us, unworthy as we are, to pray for them. Remember especially, Lord, those whom we have forgotten. For you are the Helper of the helpless, the Saviour of the lost, the Refuge of the wanderer, the Healer of the sick. You know the need of all and have heard each prayer: save us in your merciful loving-kindness and eternal love;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.