Ministry at the Parish of Huntley ~ Our Journey into the Future
FAQ’s ~ What happens in January 2015
Dear Parishioners;
As we have discussed our parish has made the decision to worship together on Sundays from January 1st through to March 8th. This includes eight Sundays at St. James with 9am and 10:30 services, one Sunday at St. James (February 8th) that will be a 10am with the Bishop to celebrate the sacrament of Confirmation, and one Sunday at St. James (February 22nd) that will be our annual combined service prior to our Vestry (AGM) meeting.
Outlined below are some general questions that have been asked over the past few weeks that we thought might be helpful to share. If you have additional questions please call your Wardens or call or email me at the office (huntleypriest@bellnet.ca).
I am looking forward to this opportunity for our three church congregations to be together as the Body of Christ as we worship together during our coldest months!
Blessings,
Pastor Monique
P.S. A previous post on this topic is found HERE
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What service should I go to?
A: Whichever one you want on any given Sunday. Remember that 9am will be a traditional Eucharist Service and there will not be Sunday School. The 10:30 service will have Sunday School three times in the month and have a Family Intergenerational Service once a month.
Q: What about readers and lay administrators?
A: We are in the process of gathering together people from all three churches who are interested in being a reader, greeters, or lay administrator. We need all of these roles to be filled at both services. If you are available please contact John Montgomery (613-866-1091) or Lee Cox (613-836-2375). John and Lee are working together to organize the roles during the nine services.
Q: What about Altar Set-Up and Clean-Up?
A: Cathy Yocom in the office is helping coordinate the roles for the Altar. The Altar must be set for the 9am service and then reset for the 10:30 service and then cleaned up afterwards. These roles will be shared between all Altar Guild members of all of the churches. If you are available please contact her at 613-839-3195
Q: Can I be involved in leading Sunday School?
A: Yes! Please call Cathy Yocom at the office at 613-839-3195. Our Sunday School program is VERY easy to lead.
Q: What about keeping the church clean?
A: Kathy Craig, Warden at St. James, coordinates volunteers who come into the church on a weekly basis to vacuum and dust. If you are able to help out please contact her at 613-839-1066.
Q: What about my givings?
A: Please continue to direct your givings to the church that you usually attend. If you are unable to attend church or will be away please consider mailing in your ministry commitment or consider authorized payments from your bank account. Please remember you are providing an offering to your church as part of your financial commitment to that church as well as to the ministry of the Anglican Parish of Huntley in this community.
Our capacity to sustain our presence in this community and to manage our various buildings is 100% dependent on offerings. Your financial commitment is appreciated by the many people who call this Parish their spiritual home.
Q: Can I put my offerings on to the plate at St. James?
A: Yes, please place it in an envelope with your name and information on it. If you have numbered envelopes please use them at any of the three churches at any time of year. If you do not have numbered envelopes please indicate the name of the church that you normally attend on the envelope or cheque.
Q: What about music?
A: The 9am service will continue to be led by Jennifer Ham while the 10:30am will be led by Stephen Machum
Q: What about Coffee Hour?
A: It is our aim to have coffee available between the two services to enable some conversation time. We will also have a coffee & snack hour after the 10:30 service. If you would like to participate please fill out your name on the sign-up sheet in the Parish Hall.
Q: What happens after March 8th?
A: On March 15th we will have a 9am service at Christ Church and an 11am service at St. John’s. There will be no St. James service that day so that we can all worship together in the two buildings that have been on a winter hiatus. After that we will resume a regular schedule that will include three services at three buildings for most of the year (see schedule).
Q: Will this happen next year?
A: We don’t know. What we do know is that the Parish has committed to creating a 5-Year ministry plan that will be open to your participation. We will send out details on this at the beginning of January. There will be several meetings to determine our long term plans. We encourage your involvement.
The Parish has also committed to a Stewardship Plan that will be conducted in 2015 as well. The following commitments were made in this regard:
- In the Spring of 2015 the Parish has committed to embarking on creating a five-year plan for the parish with the assistance of an external person/group from the diocese office. We will be committed to working with our parishioners to determine and consider what our ministry can look like in the Carp area and to think outside the box on how we will minister together.
- The Parish has committed to an in-depth stewardship campaign that will be launched in 2015 that will encourage more financial support towards the ministry of the parish on a regular basis.
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