Last Sunday we celebrate dEpiphany. This is the day that our church recalls the story of the Magi following the star to visit the young Jesus.  It has become an annual tradition at the Parish that we distribute Starwords at the Epiphany church service. Starwords are guiding words that are chosen randomly during the service. Each recipient then uses that word to reflect upon during the year. 

Starwords have become an interesting ministry at our Parish. We have many parishioners who take stars for other friends and family and some who take them to their workplaces. I get email requests from people throughout our community for a starword and they travel across Facebook and the internet! If you are not able to come to church on Sunday and would like a starword please email me at huntleypriest@bellnet.ca
 

Services this Week

Wednesday @ 10am at St. James 

Sunday, January 22nd
Christ Church @ 9am, St. James @ 10:30am

Sunday, January 29th
Fifth Sunday of the Month
9am @ Christ Church

Please remember that St. Johns is now closed until Holy Week

Vanderbilt Divinity Library has put together interesting slideshows for each week of readings. Each slide show has a variety of artistic depictions of the weekly readings and highlights some of the key texts. I have enjoyed looking through them and think you might enjoy them as well. You can find the list of weekly readings and corresponding slideshows HERE

Dinner Church
Read this article about a new idea called 'Dinner Church' and than tell me what you think!

The Deep Roots Food Hub presents:
Healthy Eats: Seasonal Cooking on a Budget
Thursday, January 26th, 6-8:30pm - Meal included
Galetta Community Centre, 119 Darwin St. Galetta

Join Judi Varga-toth from Deep Roots Food Hub and WCFHT Dietician Courtney Fowler for a FREE evening of delicious learning. Do you find it difficult to come up with healthy meals that your family enjoys? Are you looking for tips on how to eat locally on a budget?

During this hands on workshop, Judi will teach you how to cook a variety of healthy, simple dishes with locally available foods including, squash, potatoes and beets. While you're eating, Courtney, will take the guess work out of winter meal planning. Learn all about immune boosting foods that will help keep you healthy in the winter. 

Space is limited - register today: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/healthy-eats-seasonal-cooking-on-a-budget-tickets-29752268837
Older children are welcome to join and childcare is available upon request. Email us at info@deeprootsfoodhub.ca for more info.


 Caring for Our Loved Ones, Caring for Ourselves
On Saturday , Feb 4th,St. Luke's Pastoral Care team invites you to  join us for a morning with Dr. Kathrine Arnup. Katherine is a life coach, a hospice volunteer, a retired Carleton University professor, and an author.
The morning will also include the option of a Labyrinth Walk, hosted by Susan Kehoe.

This presentation will be of interest to all who are caregivers to loved ones......whether that person be a family member, a friend, or a member of
your faith community.

If there are any questions, please contact me at
daphnejthomas1@gmail.com   or 613 733 3513.
All are welcome....without exception

Youth Mental Health Workshop
Is it Just me? Conversations about Mental Health
JANUARY 30TH, 2017 
St. James Carleton Place 11 am to 2 pm (PD DAY). 
This event is for youth and their parish leaders or parents.
Transportation support available. Please contact Leslie
A presentation by a Royal Ottawa Hospital facilitator. For youth and their parents or parish volunteers/leaders.

Stewardship Cafe
Come talk with your neighbours at the Stewardship Café, presented by the Stewardship Subcommittee, on February 11, 2017, from 9:30 am to 2 pm, at St. James, Manotick (1138 Bridge St., Manotick). Along with a panel discussion on how to run a regular givings campaign, Cafe conversation topics will include:
Hospitality and Welcoming
Stewardship among Children and Youth
Environmental Stewardship
Legacy Giving
Preventing Volunteer Burnout
Persuading Parishioners to Redirect GIFT Pledges to their Churches
Free of charge, the Café will provide opportunities to learn more about stewardship,to gather new ideas and to have peer-to-peer conversations. Tools and resources for parish stewardship ministries will be available. Lunch is provided.
You may register by email by sending an e-mail to heidi-danson@ottawa.anglican.ca. Online registration will be available soon.

Your Health and Wellbeing Matters
Participate in our “Be Well” Survey
Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre (WOCRC) invites you to join us in exploring a snapshot of the health and wellbeing of people living in our far-west and rural communities.
 
The “Be Well” survey, developed by the Association of Ontario Health Centres, aims to capture overall quality of life indicators derived from the Canadian Index of Wellbeing. With this survey data, WOCRC aims to better understand the wellbeing needs of our far-west and rural communities, while making comparisons with communities across the city, province and country. 
 
Participation in the “Be Well” survey ends on March 8, 2017. We greatly appreciate your participation and look forward to sharing our community wellbeing report at a public forum later this year. Please share this survey far and wide!
 
The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. All information is kept strictly confidential.
ENGLISH SURVEY LINK
 
Questions or concerns? Please contact:
Wendy Banh, Association of Ontario Health Centres
416‑236‑2539, ext. 246, wendy@aohc.org
Maria Friis, Western Ottawa Community Resource Centre 613‑591‑3686, ext. 256, friis@wocrc.ca

 

Jean McCarthy extends a warm thank you to everyone in the community for their incredible support and prayers as the family has grieved the loss of Dylan.

If you provide a Vestry Report to the office for our annual Vestry (March 5th, 2017) there is no time like the present to get it started. We need all reports in to the office by the end of this month!

For individuals and families who are seeking more information on the parish community and how one becomes a committed member of the parish a new document is available online. Click HERE to check it out. 

Twenty-six students and twenty-two mentors got together on Sunday and had a great time! Congrats to the Sharing Wisdom Across the Ages team, under the leadership of Heidi Wieler!

Several months ago it was announced that the front entrance of St. James would be renovated (as a memorial to Harold Munro). The work is currently being done and completion should be prior to this Sunday's service. The new paint and floor has already brightened up the space and I'm excited to see the finished product! 

 

The 2016 Schedule is available HERE. It is also on the website at huntleyparish.com

The 2017 Schedule is available HERE.
 

Throughout the Season of Lent our church services will have a focus on education and formation. We will have instruction and information during each service and we will end each service with a casual opportunity to ask questions and begin to speak with other people in our congregation about why we do some of the things we do on Sundays and how our mission is inspired through worship and participation.

This is an amazing opportunity for us to work together to talk about some of the things we always take for granted or some of the things we have always questioned why we do. It is also an opportunity for newcomers to try out our church and/or find out more about the community that they have recently joined.

On the Easter Vigil people of all ages (throughout the community) who have participated in Church 101 and spoken with me about baptism will be invited to be baptized into the community. Historically the Vigil was the only time that people were baptized (after 2 years of training no less!) and most of the candidates would be adults. We will invite people of all ages (who have not previously been baptized in any other denomination) to participate. 

If you would like to discuss baptism of yourself and/or a family member please email me right away at huntleypriest@bellnet.ca so that we can prepare for a very special community celebration on Saturday, April 15th at 7:30pm.

 

Blessings,
Monique