-- INSIDE THIS ISSUE --

Christmas at St. George's

Decorating the church for Christmas

Sage Yoga Winter!

Morning Prayer for Advent

Breaking Into the Broken World

Holden Evening Prayer for Advent

"Moving with the Winds of God" Parish Retreat

Last call for pie!

Synod 2024

Lunch Date

Poinsettia Memorials

Buildings and Grounds

Monthly Outreach

Shelbourne Community Kitchen Update

Shelbourne Community Kitchen Food Drive

Threshold Housing Society

PWRDF: World of Gifts 2024

A Childs Christmas in Wales @ Holy Trinity North Saanich

Messy Church @ St. Peter Lakehill

St. Dunstan's property to be sold

Image: Umlauf, Charles "John the Baptist" (Austin, Texas)(link)

St George’s Cadboro Bay respectfully acknowledges the land we stand and pray on. The soil here holds the history and footsteps of the lək̓ʷəŋən peoples. On the traditional territory of the Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples, we uphold the hopeful and healing spirit of reconciliation. We promise to walk with truth and love in those footprints that connect and ground us.

8am and 10am services are in person.

Access Zoom Here

Click here to view this week's bulletin

Meeting ID 10am - 939 7445 8594

Monday - Friday, 8AM-5PM ArtsCalibre Academy - Upper & Lower Halls

Saturday 14 December

1-2:30PM - Yoga with Sage - Narthex

Sunday 15 December

8:00AM - Holy Eucharist (BCP)
10:00AM - Holy Eucharist – Church and Zoom

Monday 16 December

4-5PM - Centering Prayer - Lady Chapel

4:30-8PM - Irish Dancers - Upper Hall

Tuesday 17 December

9:30-10AM - Advent Morning Prayer - Lady Chapel

10-11AM - "Breaking into the Broken World" study group - Library

Wednesday 18 December

5-6PM - Holden Evening Prayer for Advent - Church

Thursday 19 December

10AM-12PM - Prayer Shawl - Narthex

7-9PM - Church Choir Practice - Church

Friday 20 December

Join us for Christmas at St. George's!

Tues. Dec 24 (Christmas Eve): 4pm Family-friendly Eucharist with live-action Christmas Story. (No Zoom)

Tues. Dec 24 (Christmas Eve): 7pm Festive Eucharist for all (Zoom available)

Wed. Dec 25 (Christmas Day): 10am Beautifully simple Christmas Eucharist (No Zoom)

Sun. Dec 29 (Christmas 1): 8am and 10am services as usual. (No Zoom)

Wed. Jan 1, 2025 (New Year's Day): 3:00pm - "Celtic Music for Meditation" This is a drop-in event: come and go as you wish until about 4:15pm. Wine and cheese available.

OFFICE HOURS: Please note that the church office will be CLOSED Tuesday, Dec 24 through to Wednesday, Jan 1, re-opening with regular hours on Thursday, January 2.

DONATIONS: To be eligible for 2024 tax receipt, donations must be delivered to the church by Dec. 31, 2024. Please deposit in our secure mailbox, which will be checked during the office closure.

Image: Josue Rosales

As our usual decorating elves are traveling or otherwise unavailable this year, we need your help getting the church ready for the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services. This mainly involves assembling the manger / creche scene under the altar. It should be done after the 10am service on 22 December. We can have all necessary items and instructions in the Vestry Room ahead of time. All that is needed is for a few hands to assemble the scene. If you can help, please contact Darlene Fisher at darbyfish50@gmail.com or 778-977-5748.

Image: Walter Chavez

Come join Sage in the Narthex for three special, 1.5 hour sessions on Dec 14, 21, and Jan 4. We will be diving into ways to expand your yoga practice. The first class on Dec 14th will focus on breath. This is a part instruction, part yoga flow class suitable for beginners and regulars. Please bring a yoga mat and wear comfortable clothes. Pricing is on a sliding scale, either $15, $20, or $25. Cash and etransfer accepted. Hope to see you there!

Image: Prasanth Inturi

In these Advent days of deepening darkness, we pray in and for the hope, peace, joy and love of Christ, the Light of God.

Join us for a short, reflective service of morning prayer for 1 more Tuesday in Advent: Dec 17 at 9:30am in the Lady Chapel.

Whether you’re new to theology or a seasoned reader, this Advent journey promises to deepen your understanding of Christmas—and the God who arrives when the world is most in need.

We will gather for an hour to discuss material created by Dr. Tripp Fuller and a fellow scholar who specializes in that week’s theologian. We'll start by watching a dynamic, engaging introduction to the thinker’s life, theology, and Advent preaching, then discuss. We will gain historical and theological insight, while also being empowered to consider how these thinkers can speak to our present moment.

Please contact Christine for more information, or if you're interested in a zoom option.

To sign up for the full online program yourself, CLICK HERE.

Join us for the contemporary sung service of Holden Evening Prayer at 5pm on the remaining Wednesday in the Advent season: Dec 18. This week we'll reflect on Christ's return at the end of all.

This service will be followed by a "Festive wine and cheese." As you are able, please bring an appetizer plated and ready to share following the Holden service.

All are welcome!

What a great weekend we all had at our Parish Retreat! CLICK HERE to read a summary of the topics we discussed in the Journal of Proceedings.

And if you have not yet checked out the results to the questionnaire, those can be found here.

There are 3 apple pies left for sale, $25 each. The proceeds will go to support St George’s Refugee Sponsorship program. If you would like one of these remaining pies, bring payment (cash or cheque made out to Signi) and an insulated bag, and see Moira Millar after the Sunday service. If you have any questions you can contact Signi at signi@telus.net.

Image: Kavya P K

In early November we attended a very special synod. Its primary purpose which was to approve amendments to the diocesan Constitution, Canons and Regulations. At Synod 2023 the canons committee was directed to revise the canons and regulations: to be in plain language, to be internally consistent, to have a the proper division between canons, regulations and policy and, of utmost importance, to reflect what we actually do in the diocese. Such a comprehensive review had not been undertaken for many decades. 

We met in May to comment on the draft documents. Changes were finalized in July at which time we had the opportunity to review the documents that would be presented to synod.  Thus Synod 2024 was a pro-forma gathering to vote yea – quite different from other synods. It was also very short as we were finished by lunch!

The highlight of the gathering was the keynote address by The Rev. Canon Dr. Scott Sharman titled “Together on the Way.”  It was a fresh and new way to think and feel about Synod and especially about our church communities. He reminded us that we are a synod- shaped church which means, from the Greek, moving together (syn) on the road or path or way (hodos).  We are a church that is collegial (we do things together), dialogical (we talk to each other) and provisional (we are on a journey together).   

It was a well spent spring and summer and a very special synod.

Cedric Trueman, Judy Trueman, John Sager

Plan to participate in St. George's first "Lunch Dates" on Sundays February 2 & 9!

Friendship often start by sharing a meal. Here's an opportunity for you to sign up to be a host or a guest for lunch after church, and we’ll match you up with new friends. Our part is to sort through all the details and your part is to enjoy lunch together. Feel free to join in one day or both. Mark your calendar and watch for more information coming in January. Any questions, call Marilyn Isaak at 604-308-0634.

Image: Jer Chung

**If you would like the name of your loved one to be remembered included in the Bulletin, please have your envelopes in by Thursday December 19th**

Each year, the Chancel Guild and parishioners lovingly decorate St. George’s for Christmas. You may participate by ordering a poinsettia in memory of a loved one. The cost of each poinsettia is $10. Please fill out the special envelope, and insert money. You can drop your envelope at the Church Office; after hours, feel free to drop it through the mail slot. Envelopes will be accepted until Sunday, December 22nd. For more details, please call Sandra Browning Moore (250-721-1920).  Please make cheques payable to St. George’s Chancel Guild. Envelopes will be made available in your bulletins this week.

On your envelope please note:
Your Name
Name(s) of person(s) to be remembered
Number of Poinsettias Ordered
Amount Enclosed

Image: Albin Biju

In March 2024 parish leadership contracted Morrision Hershfield now Stantec to complete a depreciation report for both the Church and the Admin Wing/Hall buildings. The final report is now posted here  for your information and review. The Study recommends a schedule and cost estimates of maintenance/repair actions designed to keep our infrastructure functional into the future. Watch for further parish engagement, including comments and questions about this report, early in 2025.

Image: by Hanne Fair (Coro con Spirito concert Nov 17)

Cool Aid's vision is a simple one... A community where no one is forced to sleep on the street or go hungry and everyone has the dignity that comes with home, health and connection.

Your donations support critical programs like outreach and dental care – programs that are essential to improving overall wellness. Your gift also helps provide life-skills programs like the community kitchen, employment training, and healthy recreation, ensuring people living on low incomes have opportunities for connection and community.

www.coolaid.org

We will also be collecting clothing until Dec 22nd. You will find a large labelled box in the Narthex for your donations of clothing, toiletries and more. Click the button below for a list of their most needed items.

The Social Justice and Outreach Team [SJOT] ask for your support and prayers for this important Victoria agency.

The Shelbourne Community Kitchen invites you to Double Your Impact when you donate this month. For all of December, every dollar donated will be matched up to $15,000.

With inflation and rising food costs, the need for food security has never been greater and we’re committed to providing fresh, dignified food support through our Pantry Program, Food Skills Programs, and Garden Programs. So far we have registered more than 300 new participants, including seniors, families, and newcomers for support this year.

Click the button below for more information about this campaign, an update on the kitchen renovations, and the other programs continuing through December.

The Shelbourne Community Kitchen's Holiday Food Drive is wrapping up soon, on December 20th.

As always the Outreach Team will continue to collect your non-perishable donations after the weekly Sunday Service and deliver them to the Shelbourne Kitchen.

Click here for a larger version of the above poster.

This holiday season, shine a light on ending youth homelessness in Greater Victoria when you order Shine a Light on Youth tea boxes or beeswax candles. They are great gifts for hostess, co-workers or clients, or when someone drops by with a gift and you need something on hand.

A deeply local option, the tea boxes contain 12 different teas from Silk Road tea, while the candles are made in Cobble Hill by Crowfoot Collective. If you order 20 or more items, delivery is free in Greater Victoria.

All proceeds support youth in Threshold Housing’s homes and support programs.

To order, visit thresholdhousing.ca/SAL-2024

PWRDF's annual gift-giving campaign continues, dedicated to alleviating poverty, promoting sustainability, and supporting communities in need across Canada and around the world. Every gift is matched up to $100,000! Check out the World of Gifts page HERE

Please join us at Holy Trinity North Saanich for a special evening of poems, stories and original songs.

Doors open at 6:30, show starts at 7pm. Admission by donation.

Join St. Peter's, Lakehill on the third Friday of every month, from 5-7pm.

Messy Church is a program for people of ALL AGES. We spend our time singing, praying, playing, making crafts, and at the end of the program provide a simple meal to share together.

If you are interested in joining us, please contact Brenda at messychurch@twosaintschurch.ca or leave a message at 250-384-7757.  Our website address is: www.twosaintschurch.ca

For future dates, click the button below.

The St. Dunstan's church property in Gordon Head will be listed for sale in the new year (2025). The St. Dunstan's parish community will continue to worship together at the Two Saints parish church of St Peter's from Epiphany to Easter.

Click below for more information, and a letter from Bishop Anna.

Click this link to access the Anglican lectionary. It will default to the current day. If you want to look for future readings, select a new date by clicking where it will say the current date i.e. "2024-07-21"  and it will pop up with a calendar to click on a new date! 

There are more events and news than we could include in this newsletter. Please check out our events and news page on our website that lists everything going on in our community and beyond!

Click here to be directed to our EVENTS page.

Click here to be directed to our NEWS page.

Office Hours: Tuesday - Friday 10 am-3 pm. 
Closure for lunch between 1-1:30pm.

Incumbent: Rev. Christine Conkin (she/her)
Email: incumbent@stgeorgecadborobay.ca 
Office number: 250-472-2090
Direct Line:(incl. pastoral emergencies): 250-940-7343

Parish Administrator: Amanda Unrau (she/her)
Office number: 250-472-2090
Email: admin@stgeorgecadborobay.ca

Wardens: Jennifer Handley, John Oldale & Sheila Hofmeyr
Email: wardens@stgeorgecadborobay.ca