HALLOWTIDE is nearing!
Soon candles will be burning
lighting up October's dark night...
taking us into early November
with shorter and darker days.
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ALL HALLOW'S EVE (OCTOBER 31)
All Hallow's Eve, it is just around the corner. Many of us know this date more commonly as Hallowe'en, a time when neighbourhood children or our grandchildren stop by, all dressed up, to collect a treat from us.
Hallow simply means holy. As the Lord's prayer suggests in "hallowed by thy name", a "hallow" is a holy person - a saint.
All Hallow's Eve, then... is the eve of All Saints' Day.
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WHAT IS ALL SAINTS' DAY (NOVEMBER 1)
This November 1st festival had its origins in the fourth century, when churches in the East began to celebrate “the feast of the martyrs of the whole world” on the Sunday after Pentecost. Several Western churches adopted this festival and kept it on various dates in April or May, but in the early Middle Ages the church of Rome assigned it the much later date of November first and broadened the feast to include all the saints. Western Christendom has followed this custom ever since.
Saints are Christians who in various ways, often against great odds, showed an extraordinary love for Christ. The Holy Spirit acted in their lives so that they chose to bring aid to the needy, justice to the oppressed, hope to the sorrowful, and the divine word of forgiveness to sinners. For the sake of Christ they were servants to the people of their day; and the service they rendered in the past makes them examples to the rest of the people of God throughout history.
The Church also believes that our life on earth has eternal consequences; and so our remembrance of what the saints were is directed to what they are. It is the Church’s conviction — a conviction often expressed in the Anglican tradition — that the saints continue to be our partners and fellow-servants before the face of God’s glory. We pray for our present needs, and the saints pray with us — not as if their prayers were better than our own, but because they are still bound to us in mutual service as members of the one body of Christ.
For this very reason, we may say of the Church’s saints what the Letter to the Hebrews says about the Old Testament saints — that they and their service shall not be perfect until all of God’s friends have answered the invitation of Christ and arrived at the banquet of glory. For that is the ministry of the saints in heaven as on earth: to help others become partners in the salvation of God.
(excerpt from "For All the Saints", page 328)
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November 2 is All Souls Day, a day on which we pause to remember those whom we have known and loved but see no more.
You are invited to spend some quiet reflection time in the comforts of your own home, to light a candle and reflect on those lost over this past year. Dear ones who have by their example, drawn you to deeper faith, and to a closer union with God.
Spend some time in silence and then whisper "thank you" for the gift of their life and that individual's goodness.
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" The dead are not distant or absent. They are alongside us. When we lose someone to death, we lose their physical image and presence, they slip out of visible form into invisible presence. This alteration of form is the reason we cannot see the dead. But because we cannot see them does not mean that they are not there. Transfigured into eternal form, the dead cannot reverse the journey and even for one second re-enter their old form to linger with us for a while. Though they cannot reappear, they continue to be near us and part of the healing of grief is the refinement of our heart whereby we come to sense their loving nearness."
~ John O'Donohue, from Beauty
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WORSHIP SERVICES
In-person services are held every Sunday at 9:30 am in Dresden and Aughrim, and 11 am in Ridgetown and Florence.
Not comfortable gathering with others yet?
Unable to attend one Sunday because of a cough or other symptom?
Live too far away to drive in, but wish to stay in touch?
Join us online! A live service is broadcast by Zoom every Sunday at 11 am. The link is shown below in this newsletter.
Note: Please let the warden of the church you wish to attend know that you are coming to an in-person service.
Capacity is still limited in this stage (Stage 3) of opening, so they just need to do a little math in order to save you a space!
All are welcome both in-person and by Zoom! We love seeing you!
Oct 31,
23rd after Pentecost |
Place |
Service |
Officiant |
| 9:30 am |
Dresden |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
| 9:30 am |
Aughrim |
Eucharist |
M/H Harvey |
| 11 am |
Florence |
Morning Prayer |
Disciplines (study) |
| 11 am |
Ridgetown |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
Nov 7,
All Saints |
Place |
Service |
Officiant |
| 9:30 am |
Dresden |
Eucharist |
M/H Harvey |
| 9:30 am |
Aughrim |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
| 11 am |
Florence |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
| 11 am |
Ridgetown |
Eucharist |
M/H Harvey |
| Nov 14 💮 |
Place |
Service |
Officiant |
| 9:30 am |
Dresden |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
| 9:30 am |
Aughrim |
Eucharist |
M/H Harvey |
| 11 am |
Florence |
Morning Prayer |
Disciplines (study) |
| 11 am |
Ridgetown |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
Nov 21,
Reign of Christ |
Place |
Service |
Officiant |
| 9:30 am |
Dresden |
Morning Prayer |
L. DeBurger |
| 9:30 am |
Aughrim |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
| 11 am |
Florence |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
| 11 am |
Ridgetown |
Eucharist |
M/H Harvey |
Nov 28,
Advent I |
Place |
Service |
Officiant |
| 11 am |
Florence |
Eucharist |
The Rt Rev'd
Todd Townshend |
On November 28, there will be one service for the parish at St. Matthew's, Florence, for the Bishop's visit. Please consider this your invitation to attend. If you are coming in person, please contact the St. Matthew's wardens to let them know, as seating will be limited due to pandemic spacing rules. The service will be available live by Zoom. The link is provided below.
Dec 5,
Advent II |
Place |
Service |
Officiant |
| 11 am |
Dresden |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
| 9:30 am |
Aughrim |
Eucharist |
M/H Harvey |
| 11 am |
Florence |
Morning Prayer |
Disciplines (study) |
| 11 am |
Ridgetown |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
Dec. 12,
Advent III |
Place |
Service |
Officiant |
| 11 am |
Dresden |
Morning Prayer |
T. DeBurger |
| 9:30 am |
Aughrim |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
| 11 am |
Florence |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
| 11 am |
Ridgetown |
Eucharist |
M/H Harvey |
Dec 19,
Advent IV |
Place |
Service |
Officiant |
| 11 am |
Dresden |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
| 9:30 am |
Aughrim |
Eucharist |
M/H Harvey |
| 11 am |
Florence |
Morning Prayer |
Disciplines (study) |
| 11 am |
Ridgetown |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
Dec 24,
Christmas Eve |
Place |
Service |
Officiant |
| 4:30 pm |
Aughrim |
Eucharist |
M/H Harvey |
| 6:30 pm |
Dresden |
Eucharist |
M/H Harvey |
| 6:30 pm |
Florence |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
| 8:30 pm |
Ridgetown |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
Dec 26,
1st after Christmas |
Place |
Service |
Officiant |
| 9:30 am |
Dresden |
Morning Prayer |
L. DeBurger |
| 9:30 am |
Aughrim |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
| 11 am |
Florence |
Eucharist |
J. Comber |
| 11 am |
Ridgetown |
Eucharist |
M/H Harvey |
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ZOOM Information
Meeting ID: 425 593 9269
Passcode: bleSSings5
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23rd Sunday After Pentecost
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Photo Credit: Lisa Wang
ANNOUNCEMENTS, MEETINGS, STUDY GROUPS & EVENTS:
Good news! The churches involved in the Lambton-Kent cluster of ministry are meeting regularly. Please keep those representing our churches, and the whole process, in your prayers!
****
Death of a Christian...
The present parish study series is titled The Death of a Christian: Death and Dying in the Life of the Church. We are learning about the ministry of the Church at the time of death, as well as hearing from the experts among us about the care provided by funeral homes. We also share our experiences of things like pastoral visits, hospice care, etc. We hear from one another what has helped, what did not help, and what we wished for, and what we hope for. Most of all it is a time when we can speak openly about these important things which can be hard to talk about, how we have experienced God's grace in times of death, and find healing in our shared faith and love.
The series runs Monday nights at 7 pm from until November 15, with a break on November 1 so that we can attend the mapping workshop (see below).
***
Mapping the Ground We Stand On...
Happening soon for those who signed up..."Mapping the Ground We Stand On", a PWRDF interactive workshop with Greg Smith of PWRDF Huron and Cheryl Marek of the Diocese of Toronto on Monday, November 1 from 6:30 to 9 pm via Zoom.
Registration has now closed.
***
Parish council will meet on Thursday, November 18, at 7 pm via Zoom. Parish council members can use the Parish Zoom link found in the weekly newsletter to join.
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SCRIP ORDERS:
DEADLINE DATE ALERT!!
Please have your orders
into Joan Cofell
by 9:00 am on
Friday, October 29, 2021
Etransfer is the preferred method of payment,
and it can be sent to:
jcofell71@gmail.com
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ARE YOU INTERESTED IN A 2022 CALENDAR?
The Parish will be placing a bulk calendar order.
Price is $6.00 per Calendar.
Send a note to your local Church Treasurer OR
you can contact Tracy at the Parish Office by phone or email,
if you are interested in purchasing one.
Parish Office: 519-692-4156 (leave a message)
Email Tracy at: tiffinta@ciaccess.com
DEADLINE DATE FOR ORDERS: Monday November 15th
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The 2022 Canadian Church Calendar is out now.
This year, the theme of the calendar is Connection. As has been the custom, the calendar includes a range of photos featuring our beloved Anglican churches across the country.
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St. Matthew's / Florence Community
Village Stitchers looking for your help...
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After a pandemic of working alone in their sewing rooms, putting together facemasks for the community, hearts for the isolated, and quilts for the shelters, the St Matthew's/Florence community Village Stitchers have started to meet in person again! All very safe, with contact tracing, etc.
They do have a need, if anyone is thinking they would like to help now that things are back to normal-ish. It is for quilt batting, but not just any old quilt batting, as they sew to certain specs. So what they need, really, are the funds to buy the exact sort of batting that works with their projects. There are two ways to donate. One is to contact their treasurer, Linda Peters (we can get you contact info), with cash, and the other is to etransfer to stmatthewsflorence@diohuron.org, putting "Village Stitchers batting donation" in the info line. Either type of donation will go directly to buying the quilt batting they use.
Here is a photo of some of the lovely quilts they recently donated to the Westover Treatment Centre. These were designed and quilted by our beloved Myrna Yakubovich, whom the Stitchers miss like mad with every stitch.
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✨ TODAY'S QUOTES ✨
"The saints are those who, in some partial way, embody - literally incarnate - the challenge of faith in their time and place. In doing so, they open a path that others might follow."
~ Robert Ellsberg
"Whether we know it or not, we transmit the presence of everyone we have ever known, as though by being in each other's presence we exchange our cells, pass on some of our life force, and then we go on carrying that other person in our body, not unlike springtime when certain plants in the fields we walk through attach their seeds in the form of small burrs to our socks, our pants, our caps, as if to say "Go on, take us with you, carry us to root in another place." This is how we survive long after we are dead. This is why it is important who we become, because we pass it on.”
~ Natalie Goldberg
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So as we move into the weekend, I wish you a...
Happy All Hallow's Eve! or Happy Halloween!
Happy All Saints' Day!
&
Happy All Soul's Day!
And may we too, let our light shine
to follow in the footsteps of the saints who went before us.
~ Tracy in the Parish Office
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