We invite you to join us at 5 pm this Saturday in the Chapel for a service of deep prayer and worship, sacred darkness, and the singing of Taize chants in candlelight.

For Christians, the season of Advent can offer us a peaceful time of reflection, of waiting and watching for Jesus's miraculous birth.

Journey through Advent with our ever-popular creative evenings for the whole family. We have all-new Advent colouring sheets from Illustrated Ministry (whose work we have used before) that combine to make one wide Advent banner. Enjoy the peace of colouring-in, as you listen to meditations from Advent and Christmas Wisdom, reflections and suggestions to make the most of this season, by much-loved author, Henri Nouwen. Bring your coloured pencils and markers. 

Where: St John’s Room - Dec 9, 23. 
               Hall - Dec 16
When: Tuesdays, December 9,16 and 23
              6 – 7 PM (or as long as you wish)

Advent and Christmas Wisdom: The inspiring words of Henri J. M. Nouwen guide the faithful on a spiritual journey through the Advent and Christmas season in this book of waiting, hope, anticipation, and celebration. Each day of the Advent season (28 in all, to accommodate the varying number of days in the season) and each day of Christmas (12 in all, ending with Jesus baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist) contains a pertinent excerpt from the writings of Father Nouwen, a related quotation from Scripture, a prayer for the day, and a suggested activity that offers a concrete response to mark the season. 

This season the Compassion in Action Ministry would like to support Connection Point. They provide a gift shop for parents to shop for their children and gifts for the unhoused. Please provide however you wish with a gift, gift box, or gift bag/ backpack for a child adult or senior.  The gift box/bag could include toiletries, snacks and treats, cold weather items etc. Items can be placed in the Narthex closet. The deadline for receiving donations is this Sunday, December 7^th.

Thank you from the Compassion in Action Ministry Team.

You’re invited to join the caroling group on Sunday, December 14^th at 2 pm and help spread Christmas cheer among some of our homebound parishioners!

Please let the parish office or Joan Hoffman know if you would like to participate.

Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash

We all look forward to the Christmas Pageant on the third Sunday of Advent! Our Christmas Pageant this year will be held on Sunday, December 14th at the 10 AM service, with the Dress Rehearsal the day before, Saturday, December 13th at 11:30 to 1 PM. (Please note the slightly later time)  The Pageant is open to all children and those young at heart. The children will be chosen to take on specific roles at the time of the Dress Rehearsal (we have a lot of costumes available).  

We need adults to participate!  Please let Rudo know asap if you wish to participate - her email is rudodmgodi@gmail.com

Dec 7 - Hanging of the Greens at 10 am service

Dec 14 - Christmas Pageant Sunday

Dec 20 - Blue Christmas Service at 5 pm

Dec 24 - Christmas Eve:
              Carols at 6.30 pm & Family Eucharist Service at 7 pm
              Eucharist Service with Choir at 10 pm

Dec 25 - Home Alone Christmas Dinner at noon.

Dec 28 - First Sunday after Christmas: Christmas Lessons and Carols. PLEASE NOTE that this is a combined service at 10 AM

Nobody should spend Christmas Day alone - no matter who you are: retired with family far away, a member of the military, or a student. 

If you volunteered to help out on the day, and were with Sr Ingrid last year, preparing food and serving at the lunch, you will know what a joyous and rewarding experience it was. We would love you to volunteer for this year's lunch!

We are catering for 80 people who would otherwise be spending Christmas Day alone.

How can you help?
- Set up and decorate tables or tidy up afterwards (setting the tables will be Monday, Dec. 22nd at 10 am)
- Prepare ham, turkey, vegetables, mashed potato or a vegetarian option
- Purchase something/a few things from the list below.
- Serve food on the day.
- Bake a dessert
- Donate a few dollars towards the cost of the meal

Could you help us to prepare or purchase some of the following?

What we need cooked:
* Two large Costco spiral hams
* Two 20 lb turkeys
* 4 x 10 lb bags of Russet potatoes, cooked and mashed (tell us how many pounds you'd like to prepare)
* Gravy
* Dressing
* Desserts and cookies

What we need to have purchased: (Let us know how many you like to buy)
* 2 giant bags of frozen mixed vegetables
* mandarins for each place setting (80)
* Christmas Crackers (80) (Dollar Store)
* sweets and table ornaments

The load is easier if shared amongst many.
Sign-up sheets are in the Narthex for food preparation and purchase and duties such as serving on the day, setting up and taking down.
Food that is prepared can be delivered either on Christmas Eve before the services or early on Christmas Day. 

For the preparation and purchasing of food, please indicate what you will be contributing by next Sunday, December 14th on the sign-up sheet in the Narthex. This will allow us enough time to purchase more food if needed.
Setting the tables will take place on Monday, Dec. 22nd from 10 am.

Please speak to Sr. Ingrid for more information. 

There will be no Community Coffee Social in December.

Please note that in the New Year, the Coffee Social will take place on the first Wednesday of the month, at the same time, 9:30 to 11 am.
Updates regarding changes of dates to certain months in the year will be shared well in advance.

Hurricane Melissa had a devastating impact on Jamaican residents. Most of us have wanted to help, but are not sure how. Here's a situation directly connected to one of our parishioners.

Bonnie Stuart's daughter, Pam, and her Jamaican husband, Len, have close friends, Clive and his wife Degrie, who have a wonderful ministry to their Jamaican neighbours. Degrie makes meals for some of her neighbours, yet until a year or so ago, she had no stove. She was making soup on a two-burner hot plate outside. As time went by, they were able to build a basic kitchen on the back of their home and Pam and Len bought them a stove and freezer. They have no fridge.

And now, thanks to the hurricane, they have lost the kitchen. They have lost so much more than that.

The money being raised by the fund raiser is to help them to rebuild their kitchen, get the car running again after major flood damage, to replace all the windows in the house and replace what has been ruined The money being raised by the fund raiser is for helping them rebuild their kitchen, get the car running again, replace all the windows in the house (the picture shows the makeshift coverings for their windows) and replace what has been ruined in the house so that they can get their lives on track again. And through all this, Degrie is still helping her neighbours.

How to help? A GoFundMe has been launched where you can donate, or you could give a donation directly to Bonnie, who will pass on to Pam all of the money collected. Pam and Len will be heading to Jamaica on the 24th.

Please contact Bonnie Stuart directly at bonniestuart25@gmail.com for more information. Thank you for your support!

Last week’s selections continue on the shelf for another week. These are:

Thomas Cahill.  Desire of the Everlasting Hills: The World Before and After Jesus.
   The life of Jesus in the context of his times.

Duncan, Ken. Where Jesus Walked: Experience the Presence of God.
   The Holy Land in photographs and word images.

William R. Grimbol. The Grace of Hope: Meditations and Prayers.
   A small book about the importance of hope, and finding a simpler path than the ways of the world.

Rick McKinley et al. Advent Conspiracy: Making Christmas Meaningful (Again).
   Celebrating Christmas with compassion instead of consumerism

The Bethlehem Tree: a Family Advent Resource Book, by Mary Louise Tietjen.
   A project book for creating up to ten homemade Christmas tree ornaments.

THE CHILDREN’S SECTION

On display on the small table in the narthex:

The Nativity. Illustrated by Juan Wijngaard.

The Nativity story in the King James text, with modern illustrations.

To borrow any book, fill out a green loan slip from the small bookcase in the narthex, and put it in the pink box labelled “Library.” If you are returning a book, fill out a yellow return slip, put it in the Library box, and leave your book beside or under the box; please do not reshelve it. The loan period is 6 weeks.

All are welcome to join us on Thursdays for our relaxed, lively and interesting Zoom online Bible Study, to discuss the readings for the upcoming Sunday. The readings are posted in this newsletter.

No experience or prior knowledge is needed.

Time: 6 PM - 7 PM.

Zoom Link:  

https://bc-anglican-ca.zoom.us/j/88378461340?pwd=cU9wSUNEZG02M3h3bGVrUmpyMjRNZz09

Meeting ID: 883 7846 1340
Passcode: 4743031

Readings for this Sunday's services:

ISAIAH 11:1-10

PSALM 72:1-7, 18-19

ROMANS 15:4-13

MATTHEW 3:1-12

Read Sunday's readings online:
1. Go to https://lectionary.anglican.ca/  
2. Select next Sunday's date in the space at the bottom.
3. Click "Link to full text for this day".

Dec 10 Ladies Guild Appreciation Lunch

Dec 14 Christmas Caroling, 2 pm

Dec 16 Parish Council Mtg, 7 pm

Dec 20 Blue Christmas Service

Dec 24 Christmas Eve Services:
              Carols at 6:30 pm
              Family Eucharist Service at 7 pm
              Eucharist Service with Choir at 10 pm

Dec 25 Home Alone Christmas Lunchon. 12 noon

Jan 7 Community Coffee Social, 9 am

Jan 14 Ladies Guild Mtg, 1:30 pm

Jan 18 Jazz Vespers, 7 pm

Jan 20 Parish Council Mtg, 7 pm

Jan 24 Spanish Service & Potluck, 6 pm

Jan 25 8:30 service breakfast

Jan 28 Ladies Guild Community Lunch, Noon

Faith Tides is the online, faith-based publication of the Anglican Diocese of Islands and Inlets (BC). Through news stories, reflections and feature articles Faith Tides aims to showcase the work God is doing through our churches. It is a space where people of faith and doubt can walk alongside one another, share their stories and grow together.

Read the December issue of Faith Tides

In this issue

Bishop's Column: Responding to the rising tide of homelessness in our communities
Bishop Anna also spoke on this topic in her sermon for the first Sunday in Advent...

Nobody wants to sleep out in the cold 

Order of the diocese investiture honours faithful service

Crafty St. Philip’s parishioners make quilts for women in recovery

Lay leadership in worship course to run in spring 2026

Ripples: December 2025

Love must come before believing

Anglican Foundation resource helps parishes get the conversation on legacy giving started

Letter to the editor (December 2025)

As we begin the season of Advent, Bishop Anna calls on us to advocate for more non-market housing to be built, and faster. Bishop Anna reminds us that we live in the household of God and that until every member of this household has somewhere warm and dry to live, we have work to do.

The second annual Bishop's Dinner will take place at the Laurel Point Inn on January 27, 2026 from 5:30-9:30pm. 

Join us for an engaging evening with Bishop Anna. Build relationships across the diocese, delve into her vision for a bright future, and explore the life-giving ministry thriving within the Islands and Inlets.

This 2nd annual dinner "Small Parishes, Big Impact" will highlight and raise funds for the ministry of our lay-led parishes. 

Tickets are $200 for individuals and $1500 for a table of 8. A donation of $200 can also be made and a ticket will be given to a recipient who would otherwise not be able to attend.

Limited tickets are available for purchase on Eventbrite here.

For more infomation visit:

http://bc.anglican.ca/events/bishops-dinner--855/2026-01-27

All are invited to join with St Mary's, Central Saanich, for the December 6 National Day of Remembrance

We will gather to honour the lives of the 14 women murdered at École Polytechnique in 1989, and to stand against all gender-based violence. This National Day of Remembrance calls us to reflect, remember, and renew our commitment to building a safer, more just society. All are welcome—your presence matters.
We will be meeting at St. Mary's at 5 pm for a short service and then a time of Gathering. 

Sunday
 8:30 AM - Traditional Eucharist, Book of Common Prayer
(no choir) Chapel

10:00 AM - Contemporary Eucharist, Book of Alternative Services,
with choir 

First Saturday of the Month
5:00 PM - Taize service with singing  Chapel (except August and January)

Fourth Saturday of the Month
6 PM - Spanish Language Anglican Eucharist Service  

For any issues to report concerning the condition/maintenance of the church building and grounds, please email the parish office directly at admin@colwoodanglican.ca, or record them in the maintenance logbook that is located on the parish office door.

Office hours are Mondays  - Thursdays
from 9 am until noon.