Rector's Musings for the Easter Chimes

In this Edition 3 Parishioners: The Callons 6-10 Announcements / Updates 11 News from your Wardens 12 Holy Week Events

I'm writing this on March 8th. As I left home this morning just after 6:30 to go for my morning walk, I was greeted by a blanket of white snow, not deep, just enough to cover the ground. For much of my walk, I was the first person to leave footprints in the unbroken snow. Where concrete turned to grass was easily distinguishable, but it was all white.

It seems to me that this is a perfect metaphor for the way I under-stand Holy Week services. The path is the same, the readings un-changed, the music follows the same direction. However, each year God seems to put a fresh coat on the path and gives us ways anew to understand, to experience, to walk with Jesus, symbolical-ly, the road that leads to the greatest events in human history.

So let me describe for you the ways, new and not so new, in which I would like to share with you the Holy Week experience. First though, a caveat. You can't experience the experience unless you experience the entire experience. Holy Week runs from Sunday to Sunday and every day is an integral part of the whole.

We begin with the renamed Passion Sunday with the Liturgy of the Palms. There are two parts to this service and while they are polar opposite from an emotional perspective, they are the perfect con-fluence to begin this journey. Back to the future, we will begin in the Great Hall with the Liturgy of the Palms. We mark Jesus' trium-phal entry into Jerusalem, the wild cheering, the rock star like wel-come. We will wave palm branches and shout Hosanna! It seems appropriate to take this part of Holy Week out of the church proper, because it is so different from the rest of the journey. As we take our procession out the door and down the sidewalk, we will be filled with joy and praise.

Cont’d on next page

Westminster Chimes

St. James

Westminster Church 115 Askin Street

London, ON N6C 1E7 519-432-1915

office@stjameswest.ca saintjameswestminster.ca

Easter 2018

On the other side of church door, the mood will grow darker. We suddenly will find ourselves in the gloom of the Passion. People oft times say we need to remember the joy that follows, but I think we should linger in pain, journey with the reality of Christ's death. If we are una-ble to experience the rest of the Holy Week ritual, leav-ing that first Sunday service in the sadness of death and the dashing of hope and expectation, we are una-ble to work towards the glimmer of hope a week re-moved.

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday we will gather at 7:00 p.m. each night to contemplate the story of Jesus. This drama will slowly build to the twin climax of death and resurrection. Monday we experience Mary washing Jesus feet. On Tuesday that most engaging of re-quests, “Sir, we would see Jesus?” Jesus reacts with a rich, deep and symbolic understanding of just what is ahead. Wednesday, we come face to face with the be-trayal of Jesus. In the most intimate of settings, reclin-ing with his most trusted friends, Jesus drops a bomb-shell in announcing that one of His beloved will turn away.

Next is Maundy Thursday. Again at 7:00 p.m., we gath-er in an intimate setting for the most intimate of acts. Jesus washes the feet of His disciples. Mere hours from death, a death He freely accepted, Jesus is focused on relationship with those close to Him. But first we hear Paul tell the Christian community at Corinth, the story of the Last Supper. In word and then experience we are joined to Jesus in receiving him in the Eucharist. But the stirring symbolism is far from over. At the close of the liturgy, with the lights down, all element of celebration will be solemnly stripped from the altar area. We know what comes on the morrow. We allow ourselves, our souls and our bodies to begin the descent into the pit of sorrow as we leave the church in silence, following a spoken word version of My Song Is Love Unknown, placing the dichotomy of love and suffering squarely in our focus.

On Good Friday at 11:00 a.m., we mark the darkest day the world has ever known. There is no hint of joy or cel-ebration in the stark reading of the Passion and the Sol-emn Meditation on the Cross. As we have nothing to celebrate, we dare not celebrate the Eucharist. But when would it possibly be more appropriate and mean-ingful to receive Jesus anew than at the moment he pours out his very soul and spirit on our behalf. Racked with pain and cruelly tormented, his thought is still for us and the self giving love he offers. With bread conse-crated Thursday evening, you will be able to come for-ward and renew your relationship with Jesus in a quiet and tender moment.

We will not be offering an Easter Vigil at St. James Westminster. Closer to the time I will provide a list of churches that will have such a service for those who wish to attend. Instead, I would like to introduce the Sun(Son)rise service. And that title is most descriptive. We

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know that when the sun went down, Jesus was dead and when the sun came up, He was alive. As the sun crests the eastern sky, as we trace the wave of allelu-ias rolling around our world, the Son will rise before us. With no apology, the service will be at 6:30 am. I have been doing this service for more than 15 years, in three different parishes, with some ecumenical flavour and every type of music you might imagine. The reaction has always been the same. Those who attend once, make it a yearly tradition to attend and greet the dawn. This is the first of three Easter Sunday services, with a BCP Eucharist at following at 8:30 and the sensory bril-liance of a church filled with praise at 10:30.

For more than a month now, Steve Holowitz and I have been talking about music for the entire 8 day period. We want to cover as many genres, with as many op-portunities for people to be moved by music as we can can possibly create. You know the gifts and skills and wondrous imaginative spirit of our music director, our choir and those that come to compliment the tremen-dous gifts that we always have resident here.

It is my hope and prayer that you will be open to expe-riencing Holy Week in this journey of faith, emotion, love, pain, hope and joy and find your relationship with the Christ, the Son of God, enlivened, refreshed and uplifted by the spiritual pilgrimage we will make togeth-er. Hosanna! Crucify! It is finished! He is risen! Come, see, hear, learn, experience!

Rev. Canon Keith Nethery

St. James Westminster will be hosting a special con-cert on Saturday April 14 at 7:30 p.m. in the church. The concert celebrates the memory and music of Dr. John McIntosh who was music director at St. James from 1973 to 1997.

The choir will present a selection of John’s choral com-positions and a number of his former organ students will be in attendance and perform as part of the pro-gram. This concert will coincide with the dedication of our new second floor rehearsal area in John’ memory. We hope that you will be able to attend this special event and join us in celebrating this important part of St James Westminster’s musical legacy.

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I was surprised to learn that Anne and Terry Callon have been members of St. James for just six years; they are so woven into this community, it seemed to me they’d been here much longer. Anne is a greeter, a reader, an intercessor, and a member of the Outreach Committee.

They remember their first day at St. James. They sought a pew near the front (likely in the spirit of Anne’s Baptist grandfather who always said, “Get up front so you can hear the sermon”). Before sitting down, however, they asked the people in the pew behind them, “Does anyone sit here?” The friendly man who smiled warmly at them said, “Yes, YOU do!” That was Pete Cunningham. They knew right away they’d come to the right place. It’s also no wonder Anne and Terry are so woven into the fabric of St. James; their approach to life has been to jump in with both feet, to get connected, to make themselves quickly at home in new places.

Like so many of the couples featured in The Chimes, Anne and Terry met on a blind date. Both having found themselves single again, it turned out that they had a friend in common, but they themselves had never met. Terry was talking to that friend one day in 1978 in a mall in London and heard all about Anne. He was eager to meet her, so, the connection was made and a date arranged. Anne says she was speaking to her older daughter after the date and said of Terry: “He’s the nicest man I’ve ever met, but I’m not sure he’s Mr. Right.” She and Terry both laugh when she says this. A few more outings and the “nicest man on earth” was indeed “Mr. Right” and on the path to becoming Anne’s husband, friend, and companion in adventures. They’ve now been married 36 years.

Terry was born in Toronto, adopted as a baby, and raised in Orillia. When he was 60, he decided he’d like to find out more about his birth family. He discovered that his mother had died two years earlier, but he did connect with extended family members. When one of his relatives said, “You look like Uncle Joe!” he realized that no one had ever said before that he looked like anyone. That was an especially moving moment for him.

Anne was born in Brantford, but her mother died when she was five. She went to live with extended family for a bit, then later with her father and step-mother. Her twin baby brothers had been raised by her Mom’s cousins in the States. As young adults, the three siblings were reunited and discovered that they had the same sense of humour,

St. James People: Featuring Anne and Terry Callon looked so much alike, were equally competitive, and loved cooking! “Nature vs nurture,” Anne says. Terry and Anne’s own blended family is made up of seven children, “stair-stepped” in age, with just seven years between the oldest and the youngest (three girls and a boy for Terry and two girls and a boy for Anne; and now the grandchildren have come along).

Soon after Anne met Terry, she was transferred from her Imperial Oil job in Stratford to London, where Terry had a surveying company, Callon-Dietz Surveyors. She eventually took a job with this company, doing all the deed and title searches and even going out to the sites to help with the surveys. Some of those searches were really tough, says Terry: when a farm was broken up and sold, the boundaries would be recorded in terms like “from this tree to this rock and on to the stream.” “It was like putting a puzzle together.” A Mensa member (I discovered), Anne was perfect for the job; she is a quick and continuous learner, and a clever, astute critical thinker. She also loves being outdoors. For Terry, this lovely lady also turned out to be a great business partner.

As a young man in Toronto, Terry became a certified professional surveyor back in the days before this work was taught in colleges and Universities and long before GIS technology. He was taught in a one-on-one apprenticeship process by an active surveyor, and passed the certification three years later. His first position was with the Department of Lands and Forest, 1500 miles north of London in a town familiar to St. James, Pikangikum (supported by a children and youth Outreach drive in 2016).

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Terry hired ten men from the town and began the three year task of mapping the baseline meridian or “cutting the line” 400 miles long. The crew gradually camped the whole length of the space, setting up monuments at every mile, determining their directions by the North Star. The monuments served as guidelines for aerial photographers who did the map-making; the on-the-ground surveying was needed to account for the curvature of the earth. With this same department, Terry also surveyed Crown Lands and mapped out parcels to be offered as cottage lots.

After three years, he transferred to the Department of Highways and settled in London. He worked on the surveys for the 401 to Woodstock until 1964, then travelled regularly to Port Arthur (now Lakehead) as Inspector of Surveys. All this travel, Terry found, was certainly hard on family life, so he joined a friend’s company, Farncomb & Fitzpatrick, in London. A few years later, independent and adventurous Terry formed his own company, undertaking the risky work of drumming up business among lawyers, builders, and the City of London.

In 1994, Anne and Terry decided it was time for a change. Terry sold the firm to his partner (who retains the name Callon-Dietz Surveyors) and the couple moved to Glen Lakes, Florida, near a funny little place north of St. Petersburg called “Weeki Watchee” famous then for its “Mermaid Show” (underwater dancing, a show that thrilled Anne’s grand-daughters). Because both Terry and Anne worked in professions that were in short supply in Florida, they were allowed to work.

Even though Ontario was far ahead of Florida in the practices of surveying, Terry studied for six months, took the exams to gain U.S. Certification, and worked on highway surveying. Anne, ever resourceful, worked as an interior designer for a furniture company, helping people who’d just moved to the town to set up their new households – work, she says, that afforded her lots of interesting insights into human nature.

Those were four fun years, Anne says. They made lots of U.S. and Canadian friends there, golfed, played bridge, enjoyed the sun, and were thrilled that, from the front yard of their house, they could see rockets separate in the air when they were launched from Cape Canaveral. But, simultaneously, the couple looked at each other and, rhythms in sync, said, “Time to move.” An adventure awaited.

Off they set, towards Vancouver Island, Terry driving a huge U-Haul Van, with a small trailer behind, and Anne leading the way with their car, towing their boat. Along the coast of the southern states, across the middle of Texas, west towards Los Angeles then due north, they recorded their route on a map they retain to this day – along with a lot of funny (and hair-raising) stories.

With seven children scattered the width of Canada, worried about their trekking parents, Anne called her daughter, Heather, in BC, every night to check in;

Heather then disseminated the news via email to friends and the extended family. One of Terry’s children preserved those emails in a lovely little printed book called “The Incredible Journey”. I recommend it to all readers. The adventures start with the first truck break-down 20 minutes north of Glen Lakes (the first of a number of mechanical malfunctions), and continue through the efforts to arrange (ahead of time) for parking space at each motel along the way. Luckily, they always found owners very gracious about accommodating their vehicles, which took up 12 car spots. Crossing Texas on an empty highway, they watched a lone pop can, accompanied by one tumbleweed, roll for miles down the road in front of them, “In the middle of nowhere.”

The most terrifying part of the drive was navigating through Los Angeles. They decided to leave at 3:00 in the morning “to avoid the traffic.” No such luck. Anne remembers trying to drive slowly enough to keep Terry in her rear-view mirrors, but cars kept passing him and getting between them. At one point, she saw him passing her on the left and thought she wouldn’t see him again until Vancouver. But, she caught his attention and they turned off the road at 5 a.m. for a sunrise breakfast.

However, back on the road, Terry found the U-Haul could not accelerate past 25 mph and they were on “The Grapevine”, a “long steep uphill grade.” It took them 4 hours to get a service call. That was Day 8. On Day 9, a windstorm “blew the license plate from the boat trailer, never to be seen again.” On Day 10, close to the Oregon border, they needed to get the fuel pump replaced. Then, 19 miles into Oregon, the truck broke down completely; they had to be hauled back to Yreka, California, to get a replacement truck. During the repacking, they found some damage to some of their furniture. As Anne’s daughter writes, “Mom has legal fire in her eyes – look out U-Haul!”

On Day 11, Terry and Anne visited with Anne’s brother, Rick, in Washington, and got a good rest to ready them for two more days’ drive until arrival. Anne and Terry spent two lovely years on Vancouver Island. During their time there, they heard glowing reports of Mexico, so decided to check it out. They had a great vacation there that planted a seed in their minds. It bloomed in 2000; wanderlust gripped them again and they decided to move to Mexico. To avoid the U-haul experience, they sold everything except 65 boxes of things, stored them for a bit, and flew to Ireland for the vacation tour of their lives. In a rented car, they covered the whole of the country in 10 weeks, loving the people, the music, and the sights. They treasure today a framed map of Ireland that marks all the places they visited.

The couple then flew from Ireland to Guadalajara, via New York, and spent 6.5 years in Mexico. They got immediately involved there, with charity work, assisting at a charity for disabled children, helping them get

medical care. They got involved, as ever, with their local church’s outreach efforts, made lots of friends, played lots of bridge, and soaked up the culture. Anne learned Spanish to help them interact with communities beyond the “ex-pat” groups.

While in Mexico, they both joined the Anglican Church. Terry was raised Catholic and Anne United. She became Catholic when they married. But she never forgot her time at Huron Church Camp when she was 12. She remembers saying to herself during the Camp Church services: “I’m at home.” She loved the ceremony, the Creed. Disillusioned by two priests at their RC church in Mexico, they decided that it was Terry’s turn to follow Anne’s religious yearning.

At the end of their 6.5 years in Mexico, the couple returned to Vancouver Island for four more years. Anne got a scholarship and pursued University courses at Malaspina in anthropology (she’d already seen so much of diverse human nature) and film. When they moved into Victoria, the couple, ever entrepreneurial, ran a small cleaning business called “Absolutely Clean” and you can bet that’s what they delivered. And one day, when they were there, they heard at their church a speaker who really impressed them. It was Rev. Dr. Gary Nicolosi!

Again, Terry and Anne made wonderful friends in B.C. with whom they stay in touch, but time was moving along so they decided it was time to move back to more affordable (if quite colder) Ontario.

In 2012, they were back in London; indeed, it was “the devil we knew” as Anne quips, but they also knew the medical system here was top notch. Within a day in their current apartment, they had their paintings up, their furniture arranged, and they were ready to jump into this next phase of their life. They talked to a friend about Anglican churches, were urged to look at the St. James website and, attracted by St. James’ Outreach and thrilled to see that Gary was Rector here, they decided to join. The rest is history.

Their hope for St. James? “That we continue to grow in numbers and to grow outward… and to include everyone who wants to be here” says Anne. She also says, “We need to realize how lucky we are: Gary drew us here; Nancy held the place together beautifully; and Keith, with his flexibility and pragmatism, has been the right choice.” And Terry, Anne’s “nicest man in the world”? “I see the children and have hope.”

Peggy Roffey, Parishioner

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It’s been 2 years since we started the CAP money course at St. James. What happens in this free course?

For three Thursday evenings in a row, you will spend 3 hours each evening with three to eight other people who want to get a handle on how to manage their money, as prices rise and incomes shrink.

Each class is led by volunteer instructors from St. James, who took a one day instructor training course and who have reflected seriously on how to manage their money and not let their money manage them.

Together, instructors and participants create a comforta-ble, confidential atmosphere for learning very practical ways to manage expenses, get out of debt, and save for goals. In the process, they make new friends because we’re all in the same boat.

Participants get a workbook that guides them on

Assessing what kind of “spender” they are Recording what their money-management goals are

(e.g. get out of debt, save for something they want, help someone else out, etc.)

Recording what their income is Recording their expenses.

The workbooks are theirs to keep and all the information they record is totally private; the instructors and the oth-er participants never see it.

CAP Money Course

By using the workbook and watching a series of short videos over the 3 weeks of the course, participants learn how to eliminate their debts, increase their in-come, and reduce their expenses. They learn about and consider the “cash only” CAP method and learn helpful tips and resources shared by the instructors and fellow participants. By enrolling in this free course, participants become part of the CAP network and have free continuous access to the CAP website and all the resources to be found there.

Why do our volunteers offer this free course? Be-cause we care, we follow the model of “loving thy neighbour” set by Jesus, and want to do our small part to reduce the burden of financial uncertainty that prevents too many people from finding all that is good in life.

To join a course at St. James, contact Susan Collins at susan.collins@gmail.com. To learn more about the course, contact SJW Outreach Chair, Donna Hefferton at dhefferton@hotmail.com

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Education for Ministry is looking for more participants. We would like to begin an evening group in Septem-ber. Are YOU ready to begin?

Some quotes from present participants about why they attend each week:

“EfM challenges us to look at the Bible and Chris-tianity differently as our preconceptions are chal-lenged.”

“Living my faith is an all-week endeavour. I volun-teer my time for lots of different things, but EfM… I do that for me…”

EfM invites people into small (6-10 people), mentored communities. These groups are designed to help par-ticipants consider how their lives are shaped and guided by their Christian faith.

Central to how EfM works is the role played by Men-tors, those who step forward to take on the task of leading local groups. These are individuals who, work-

ing with the purposes and approaches of EfM, bring their energies to framing questions, facilitating reflec-tion, and planning and managing their time together. They are open to growth and lifelong learning, have respect for human and theological differences, and are comfortable with ambiguity.

EfM is not lectures. Students read and then discuss the Bible, its history and how it still applies. As they feel comfortable, students lead short worship services, prayers and weekly discussions. Textbooks, instruc-tional notes and mentors guide the process. It is a four year program but participants register for only one year at a time.

If you would like more information on becoming a par-ticipant or if you already have some religious study training and would like to become a mentor please contact me.

Libi Clifford, EfM Diocesan Co-ordinator EFM@huron.anglican.ca

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Education for Ministry is spiritual, theological, liturgical, and practical formation for laypeople. EfM is about integrating faith and life, and

communicating our faith to others

WHO IS MY NEIGHBOUR? Welcoming DIVERSITY in race, colour and creed.

You are invited to join us for a morning workshop to explore this topic using historical information, stories of personal experiences and small discussion groups.

April 21, 2018 from 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

St. James Westminster Great Hall

115 Askin St., London (Old South)

AGENDA

08:30 Registration (free)

09:00 Welcome/ Recognition of Native Land/ Invocation/ Introduction

09:10 Presentation by Dr. Anton Allahar followed by questions and answers.

10:15 Personal stories by people from diverse backgrounds.

Nutrition Break

11:30 Workshop participants break out into small discussion groups.

12:15 Wrap Up/ Call to Action

12:30 Lunch provided (free will offering).

Who is My Neighbour?

Ever Wonder What Happens in Sunday School?

The answer: Lots of amazing stuff – crafts, dramas, sto-ries, games, art projects, baking, discussion, question-ing, building relationships, talking to and about God. So far this year (since September) we have done the follow-ing units/themes:

Draw the Circle Wide My Church is Special Stations of the Crèche The 12 Who Changed the World Miracles of Jesus

Our Sunday School has continued to grow and we re-cently realized we had a “Wonderful Problem” – there were too many children to continue to offer the one multi age classroom. So we now have a “Preschool Class” that meets in the Board room. They follow a different program than the older children called “Young Children and Worship Program”. Children will be offered a small snack, a bible story, prayers, and then a choice of cen-tres.

Our older children continue with the rotational story model from “Leader Resources”. Our next two units are:

Pray without Ceasing – 101 ways to Pray Jeremiah – Prophet and Potter

Since September we have had a great core group of teachers & helpers, including Jennifer Meister, Elaine Jones-Chick, Mary DeKay, Natalie Tattersall, Laura Ma-nias, Judy Jones, Lily Ryan and Kylie Cosh. More re-cently we have welcomed Ehku Pah, Rebekah Nethery, Emma Mesman, Juana Dah, Sei Moo, Sydney Jefferies, Malory Smith, and Peggy Roffey.

We are blessed to have such a strong team. It allows us to have 2 or 3 teacher/helpers per class each week as well as allowing for some in church Sundays.

Our team is supported by Rev. Gerry Adam and Canon Keith Nethery as well as the wardens. If you are interest-ed in participating as a teacher/helper, you are welcome. Please contact Judy Jones or Laura Manias or give your name to a warden to pass on.

Ever Wonder What Happens in Sunday School?

Finally I must say what makes this ministry so reward-ing is the children. These kids are welcoming, thoughtful, energetic, creative, caring and honest. They participate and question and have ideas to share. They take care of each other and really seem to like each other and being together. Again we are blessed. Children are always welcome to bring a friend, relative or neighbour to join us. We truly want to “Draw the Circle Wide”!

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“Who are you?” That is the question we have been asking in our newly formed youth group at St. James, Westminster. In discussions with each other, we have engaged in conversations around who we are as young Christians, made in the image of God, and how we live out that calling in the world. Together we are creating a caring and supportive space to explore our faith and enjoy fellowship. Open to any youth aged 11-16, we usually meet on the first Sunday of the month (dates

listed) in the Westminster Lounge; for fun banter, snacks, and a little bit of Bible. If you would like more information, please contact Laura Manias at laurajmanias@gmail.com or Hana Scorrar at hescorrar@gmail.com, and stay tuned for more youth fellowship events! And come out and join ‘The St. James’ Gang’; bring your curiosity, sense of humour, and any burning questions you’d like to ask!

Who Are You?

The preschool Sunday School class explore the story of Abram and Sarai.

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Join us for pie baking: Friday, March 23, in the kitchen. Mark your calendars now for the next Bake Sale: Sunday, March 25, after each morning service. Do you need a dessert for Palm Sunday or Easter dinner? We need your donations too! Come, Buy, and Enjoy the fellowship!

Upcoming ACW Events Anglican Church Women - Diocese of Huron Annual Meeting and Conference at St. Paul's Cathedral, Saturday, April 28, 2018. Guest Speaker: Rev. Ann Veyvara-Divinski; "Prance" Therapeutic Riding Centre. Lunch will be catered by "Nooners" (local restaurant). (lunch includes assorted sandwiches, wraps, vegetable & fruit trays & cookies.)

Registration @ 9am

Morning Prayer - followed by Meeting- 10am.

Cost is $10.00 per person. Payable in advance

Extra information concerning this will be printed and hung in the Parish Hall.

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To commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Vimy Ridge, the Maples for Vimy project saw over 60 Guides, Scouts, Supervisors, young Veterans and project co-ordinators from London and area journey to France. There we met up with our counterparts to create “Living Memorials of Honour” through the planting of 500 Canadian Maple Trees on Vimy Ridge and in surrounding communities that played significant roles in the Battle of Vimy Ridge. This pivotal event of the First World War is the one which many believe solidi-fied who and what we are today as a country.

We were joined by members of these communities at each planting site. To complete the planting process, each Canadi-an youth member was paired with a local French youth, in-cluding members of Guides et Scouts de France.

On our final day in the area, we returned to each planting site, where the Living Memorials of Honour were dedicated as part of impressive community ceremonies. As Canadians, we were honoured to be treated like royalty. Local residents and news reporters gathered in the streets with flags, and clapped and cheered to welcome us. The first location featured a presentation of photos taken during the First World War - General Sir Arthur Currie (a native of Strathroy, Ontario) was featured in nearly every photo. The communities were thank-ful to have us there to remind them of the role Canadians played in their lives 100 years ago.

Our group also visited a number of other significant locations on this trip including Tyne Cot cemetery and Beaumont Ha-mel. We all came away from this trip with a better appreciation for the price that so many Canadians paid in WW1 for free-dom and peace.

The 500 trees we planted in the communities around Vimy will be a legacy for future generations and we were honoured to be a part of this very special project. In the future, a website will be set up pinpointing each planting site on Google Maps. I look forward to watching our trees grow over the internet!

We thank all those who supported this project by sponsoring a tree or making a donation and especially to those at St. James who donated their talents to provide the two wonderful concerts that were held here at the church in March and No-vember.

Barb Robinson, member of Girl Guides of Canada and of St James Westminster Church

http://maplesforvimy.com/

https://www.facebook.com/MaplesForVimy/

Maples for Vimy

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There is a lot happening at St James so we thought we’d take this little corner of The Chimes to update you and make a few requests.

Stewardship

St James offerings as of the end of February 2018 are $48,094. This is 91% of budgeted offerings to Febru-ary. Thank you to everyone who contributes whatever they can to St. James Westminster Ministry and Mis-sion budget. Approved at Vestry in January, the Minis-try and Mission budget includes clergy and staff sala-ries, music, family and youth ministry, outreach, wor-ship supplies, insurance, repairs and maintenance, utility costs, and our contribution to the larger Anglican Church. Although we are able to subsidize our offer-ings with rental income, offerings are critical to the on-going success of St. James.

Volunteers – June 2 and 3

The weekend of June 2 and 3 will be a busy one in Old South and St. James is playing a major role. We need your help to make our participation a success! On June 2, St. James will once again participate in Gathering on the Green. This is an annual event held on the lawn outside the Normal School. We need help planning the event and staffing the space. If you can help, please let one of the Wardens know.

On June 3, St. James will be the final stop in the Gera-nium Heritage House Tour, an annual walking tour hosted by the London Branch of Architectural Con-servancy Ontario to highlight the need to protect the city’s architectural heritage. Rebekah is taking the lead on organizing updates to our communications materi-als, with expert guidance from our resident historian Wayne Macpherson. Sarah Mills and Carolyn Fryer have offered to provide refreshments. We will require many more individuals to greet people as the come in the door, and answer questions about the building. The exact number of people is hard to predict, but there are usually 400 – 500 people who come on the tour. If you are able to assist, please contact one of the wardens or Rebekah in the church office.

Alarm system activation

Over the past year a lot of work has gone into secur-ing the church premises. New external keys were is-sued and a monitoring system was installed with the ability to record goings on. It was this recording which in part led to the capture of the individual who broke into the church last summer.

The final piece in securing the church is to activate the alarm system. We hope to have the system fully acti-vated by May 1. Over the next few months, we will be having meetings during which we will demonstrate how to activate the alarm. If you are a key holder,

please try to attend one of these meetings. If you are unable to attend a meeting, please contact one of the wardens and we will make other arrangements.

Sunday, March 25 9:30 a.m. (following the 8:30 service)

Sunday, April 8 11:30 a.m. (following the 10:30 service)

Sunday, April 15 11:30 a.m. (following the 10:30 service)

More information will follow in weekly emails and the Sunday bulletins. Please do not hesitate to contact us should you have any questions.

Exterior signs

Many of you will have noticed the exterior lawn signs that were installed in late February. The Askin Street sign allows us to put notices of activities at the church that would be of interest to the community, and was placed so as to be visible from Wortley Road. The sign at the back of the church near the parking lot is intend-ed to indicate the accessible entrance and parking. The signs were paid for out of a fund that former war-dens have contributed to over the years. Without this fund, the project would not have been possible. Thank you!

The wardens are responsible for approving and plac-ing the message on the sign.

Wi-Fi

We are in the process of improving Wi-Fi at the church so that internet access will hopefully be available to church groups that need it whether in the Board Room or Great Hall.

Storage Room Clean Up

With the Sunday School growing by leaps and bounds, we want to clean out the storage areas in the basement and organize the books, toys and costumes that we have. We will also be using the space to store some of the Outreach items. Please contact Laura Manias at laurajmanias@gmail.com if you can help.

Jennifer Meister, Rob Vass, Tim Fewster, and Vaughan Minor.

News From Your Wardens

Monday, March 26

7:00 pm Eucharist in the Church

Tuesday, March 27

7:00 pm Eucharist in the Church

Wednesday, March 28

10:00 am Westminster Chapel Eucharist

7:00 pm Eucharist in the Church

Maundy Thursday, March 29

7:00 pm Choral Eucharist with the

Maundy Thursday Liturgy

Good Friday, March 30

10:45 am Solemn Musical Prelude

11:00 am The Good Friday Liturgy

Easter Sunday, April 1

6:30 am Sun(Son)Rise Eucharist

(BAS)

8:30 am Traditional Choral Eucharist

(BCP)

10:30 am Festival Eucharist of Easter

(BAS)

Holy Week and Easter Services at St. James

St. James Westminster Church 115 Askin Street; London, ON; N6C 1E7

519-432-1915 saintjameswestminster.ca

Parish Clergy:

The Rev. Canon Keith Nethery, Rector

The Rev. Brian McKay, Assisting Priest

The Rev. Dr. Keith Fleming, Assisting Priest

The Rev. Canon Gerry Adam, Deacon

Hana Scorrar - Student Intern

Church Wardens:

Jennifer Meister, Rob Vass, Vaughan Minor,

Tim Fewster

Family Ministry:

Sunday School: Judy Jones

Youth: Laura Manias

Music Director / Organist:

Stephen Holowitz

Church Office:

Rebekah Reid 432-1915 office@stjameswest.ca

Sexton: Harold Ford

Lay Assistant: Barbara Robinson

St. James Church Grounds Gardening Crew: If you would like your name included on our email list, contact sheilahort@sympatico.ca

We garden from early May till October 1 and usually on a weekday morning every other week. Sheila Shearing