May 2, 2021

Dear Friends,

Philip said to [Jesus], “Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied.” John 14: 8

On certain days in the Church year, we’re invited to remember apostles and others whose lives overflowed with their faith in Christ. Today (May 1) happens to be the day we remember Philip, a disciple who – though he sometimes fumbled – wanted everyone to be close to the Lord Jesus.

There are several things I want to share with you today…

LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES

Webinars

Although we are restricted from being able to meet in person during the pandemic, there are a number of on-line courses and teaching opportunities being provided over the internet. Most of them are free, and a lot of them are very worthwhile. Last night (Friday evening), for instance, I watched a presentation about the Anglican Reformation, co-hosted by our former bishop, Stephen Andrews.

You don’t have to have a Ph.D. in ancient Hebrew to be able to enjoy these learning opportunities. They are intended to be open to anyone who is curious and available.

Here are a few opportunities which have passed before my desk in the last week or so:

• The Canadian office of the Alpha program is hosting a seminar about leadership development this coming Tuesday. Here is how to access it: https://www.leadershipconference.org.uk

• Wycliffe College, Toronto, is hosting its annual “preaching day” on-line. The focus this year will be on the parables of Jesus. You don’t have to be a preacher to benefit, though. See: https://mailchi.mp/69c2d41fc8e3/wycliffe-college-upcoming-events?e=9b5b1220c0

• The Anglican Church of Canada has produced a free on-line book, reflections about ministry during a pandemic. Our current archbishop, the Most Rev. Anne Germond, is one of the contributors, along with various authors across the Anglican spectrum – see https://www.anglican.ca/faith/ministry/pandemic-times/

• My colleague Derek Neal has circulated a message about history courses being offered this summer at Nipissing University here in North Bay about indigenous history. (There is a cost for these courses.) For example, this course is about encounters between indigenous and non-indigenous people in this area in the 1700’s: https://events.eply.com/HIST3306CanadasForgottenWar3362107

Reconciliation

Justin Welby, the current Archbishop of Canterbury, has a particular interest in the Christian ministry of “reconciliation.” We know that humankind is reconciled with God through Jesus Christ. We are called to be agents of reconciliation in our local communities.

Justin and his “team” have put together a 5-week course about reconciliation (about 90 minutes for each session). I am quite intrigued by this. I will be meeting with the Spiritual Development Committee this coming Friday, and I expect we will talk about whether or not to offer this course at St. Brice’s, or for the Deanery. I will keep you informed.

IN-PERSON WORSHIP

Sunday Worship

When will we resume worshipping together on Sunday mornings at St. Brice’s?

The short answer is: Right now, I do not know. It really depends on (1) how many people get vaccinated; (2) how well as a community we undertake safe practices like hand-washing, wearing masks, and limiting our travel and mixing with others; (3) the variants and spread of the virus.

I note that Sunday, May 23, is Pentecost Sunday – one of the minimum 3 times/ year when Anglicans are expected to receive communion unless there are exceptional circumstances. Pentecost Sunday is when we remember the gift of the Holy Spirit upon the followers of Jesus Christ. It is sometimes called the “birthday of the Church.” My sincere hope is that we could meet this Sunday – although I stress, we cannot announce an opening date at this point.

Even when we do re-open, that does not mean that we will be hugging and having coffee hour right away. Our numbers will likely be limited. I am not planning to have combined services in the immediate future – if we have more services each Sunday, the greater the likelihood that no one will be turned away because we are too full.

GROUPS

Anglican Church Women

St. Brice’s A.C.W. group met on-line a couple of weeks ago.

The diocesan A.C.W. Annual Conference will be held on-line on May 27, from 9:15-3pm. Information about registration and the Agenda can be found at https://www.dioceseofalgoma.com/ministries/anglican-church-women-acw/

If anyone needs help registering, please contact the parish office.

St. Brice’s A.C.W. is planning to have a Tea and Fellowship among its members on Wednesday, June 16 at noon. There are plans to wear hats, have cake and sweets, and to share favourite recipes. (Please contact the parish office if you would like help joining.)

The St. Brice’s A.C.W. will meet again on Wednesday, September 15, and will be looking at offering a fund-raising event for missions. This could include an on-line auction, a Fall Tea later in the autumn, or other initiatives.

Compassion Committee

Along with several other local churches, St. Brice’s participates in the Compassion Committee, which seeks to address “homelessness” in North Bay. Diane McCaskill is our representative. At their last meeting, it was identified there is a need for socks. These can be dropped off at The Gathering Place, 1181 Cassells St (or, leave them at St. Brice’s, and I will see they are delivered)

FINANCES

Financial Update

Here is an update of our current finances (as of April 30, 2021) for the general fund:

Income:       $43,588

Expenses:   $51,569

Deficit:         $7,981

During the current pandemic, health experts are concerned when there is an upward trend of infections, like an arc bending up on a graph over time. In the same kind of way, our deficit to the end of March 2021 was about the same as it was to the end of March 2020, but the Treasurer and the Advisory Board are a little concerned that the deficit trended up this past month – April 2021.

We aren’t quite sure why this is so. Our expenses are slightly down, but our income from donations is down more. The Envelope Secretary does not see any pattern in the reduced

offerings last month. We wonder if some parishioners contributed to the parish hall re-roofing project, rather than to general income. We also wonder if St. Brice’s is a little less on people’s “radar” when we aren’t gathering in person for worship.

Our ministry and outreach continue. I acknowledge that being in a pandemic “lockdown” in the springtime is no fun, and I really miss seeing so many of you in person. I am proud of how people at St. Brice’s are continuing to do God’s work in somewhat difficult circumstances. Prayer, commitment of time and energy by volunteers, financial resources, and above all, God’s grace, are all ways to move God’s work forward.

The Board and the Finance Committee are taking reasonable steps to be good stewards of what is entrusted to our care. Mid-summer tends historically to be a somewhat lean time for parish income. If you’re in a position to contribute to St. Brice’s, and if you’ve been meaning to contribute, we deeply appreciate whatever people can offer.

E-Transfers

Many of us now do on-line banking, and use e-transfers as a way to transfer money from our bank account, safely and very quickly, to another bank account. It’s a way to pay our hydro bill, or send a gift to family members, or whatever.

We’re pleased to let you know that it’s now possible to contribute to St. Brice’s using on-line banking. It’s set up for auto-deposit — this means no questions or passwords are required. The email address to send these donations is: deposits@stbriceschurch.com

There is no cost to the parish to receive these deposits. Most banks do not charge any fees for e-transfers, but donors ought to check with their own banking institution, as there might be a nominal fee for these electronic transactions.

When someone is making a donation by e-transfer, they need to designate where they want their donation to go in the “Memo” section, if they want to support a particular ministry.  Here is an example: Take Home Meals, $20; General Fund, $50; Food Bank, $30. (If people do not specify where they want their donation to go, it will automatically be directed to the General Fund, which gives the Treasurer the most flexibility in how best to steward the donation.)

If there are e-transfer donors who don’t already donate to the church, they will need to include their name, address, phone number and where their donation is designated in the “Memo” section of the e-transfer.

Greeting Cards

This past week I was writing some “thank you” cards, and ran out of them. It got me thinking that in a previous parish, they made their own greeting cards with a photograph of some the stained-glass windows on the front cover. Perhaps there are some folks who would send cards, who would like a set from St. Brice’s. This could also be a modest fundraiser.

He is not someone who blows his own horn, so I’ll do it for him: Many of us are unaware that parishioner David Lewis is an accomplished professional photographer. He recently took pictures of St. Brice’s windows for our insurer. Please see an example of his work, nearby. There are other accomplished photographers at St. Brice’s: Per Furst (who took photos for our website), Sepideh Ghods-Mirhaidari, and Barb Bonenfant’s nature photographs posted in Facebook come to mind.

We are currently exploring different options to find the most reasonable print option which still provides quality work. We will keep you posted!

ON-GOING MINISTRIES

Behind the Scenes Ministries

I wish to acknowledge with gratitude the “behind-the-scenes” ministries which continue at St. Brice’s, even during the current pandemic:

• Food Bank: This has continued throughout the pandemic, although we are passing out food at the door, rather than hosting people to have fellowship in the parish hall.

• Teen Lunch Program: We cannot provide meals to groups of teenagers in our hall, but Bill Burton has been delivering snacks weekly to the school (staff see they are distributed to the students). As well, a group of volunteers continues to meet regularly for devotions and to pray for this ministry.

• Bible Studies: There are a number of Bible studies which parishioners participate in. The Tuesday evening Bible study continues on-line, starting at 7pm.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81571216977?pwd=TlBFNnpZekZFSEpMbjB5bmpDUDFWZz09

Meeting ID: 815 7121 6977

Passcode: 374532

• Take Home Meals: These have continued throughout the pandemic, although meals are delivered rather than people picking up their meals in the parish hall. As well, to conform to the diocesan requirements since late last year, people who are in a position to do so have been making donations rather than fixed amounts for their orders. While many have continued to respond generously, not all meals have been paid for. As well, orders overall have lessened in the past few months.

The menu for June 1st delivery will include:

Beef Stroganoff

Chicken Dinner Casserole

Carrot Cake Bars

If you’d like to receive a copy of a menu order, please contact: stbricestakehomemeals@gmail.com

• Refugee Sponsorship: Although our legal commitment to support our latest refugee family ended in early December 2020, the family still occasionally needs support. Thank you to Craig Ivany, for instance, for replacing a kitchen faucet. As well, 4 children learning school on-line at home on their own while they are still learning basic English reading and writing skills is not easy. Thank you to Rune Othin for his tutoring.

• Messy Church: Although we cannot gather at St. Brice’s, monthly deliveries to Messy Church participants has continued through most months of the pandemic.

PROPERTY

“Heaven Is Above” Parish Hall Re-roofing Project

The work is scheduled to begin at the end of May. We wait with anticipation, to see if our application to the Anglican Foundation is successful. The Board which awards grants and loans will be meeting on May 20, and we ought to hear a short time after that.

I will be attending (on-line) the Anglican Foundation’s Annual General Meeting on May 19. If anyone else would like to attend, please let me know, and I will see you are included with the invitation.

Mowing

The Property Committee met recently to look at what work needs to be done on the property. On the whole, St. Brice’s property is in good repair. There are several small jobs, which Rob McDonald and Dennis King are looking after (thank you!).

Fay Ivany is planning to circulate a list for volunteers to mow the lawn this summer, as has been done in the past. This job typically takes less than half an hour each time.

New Exterior Sign

In 2016, Vestry decided to undertake 3 projects not included in the budget, but as funding comes in. In order: (1), a commercial dishwasher (done); (2), a new exterior sign, to promote worship services and events; (3), replacement for the LCD projector on a box to display the lyrics and liturgy for some services.

The Advisory Board, with guidance from Brian Summersby and Sheldon Richard, agreed on the design and size of a new exterior sign in late 2016, and agreed which contractor would build and install the sign. We will see what happens after the parish hall is re-roofed, but we might have the resources to install a new exterior sign later this year. Brian Summersby has kindly agreed to contact the contractor about costs, as some time has gone by, and to make inquiries about the costs of an LED option in place of hand-placed vinyl letters.

Recording/ Internet

For those who want to join us, each Sunday morning at 10:30am a small group meets for fellowship and devotions. Here is the link to join us, from May 2-16:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83150840765?

pwd= MDJUYTFERzZIRktRdFlZWGdhSGg2Zz09

Meeting ID: 831 5084 0765

Passcode: 142215

Some of us are aware that St. Brice’s switched internet service providers from Bell to COGECO this past November. More recently, our capacity has been upgraded, both in speed and range. We expect that the internet will be able to be used in the Church building and the parish hall as well. If you use your cell phone or other devices at St. Brice’s and would like a copy of the current password, please contact the parish office.

I understand there are two systems in the same router on this property. For older devices, there is a regular network which is adequate in parts of the building; it is most suitable for things like email which are not downloading a big quantity of data. For newer devices, there is also a 5G network, which is much faster and has a better range. (“5G” shows up in the user name when your device is searching for a network.) Thank you to Colin Campbell and others for shepherding this project.

Camp Temiskaming

The Deanery Camp, Camp Temiskaming, will not be able to offer children’s camps this summer. However, significant on-going costs continue. (St. Brice’s will be making a donation in June.) Carrie Birtch is undertaking an initiative, a “Bake-less Bake Sale,” to benefit Camp T. I’m not able to paste the poster into this letter, but will include it as a separate attachment. Please consider supporting this ministry.

PERSONAL

Vacation

My wife Nancy and I will be on vacation, God willing, from June 29 to July 29. Layreaders will be taking services of Morning Prayer on July 4 and 18. The Ven. Marie Loewen will celebrate on July 11; the Rev. Dr. Derek Neal will celebrate on July 25. In the event of a pastoral emergency during my absence, please contact the Rev. Marie.

God bless you all,

Peter Armstrong