For some, Christmas is not a time of joy and celebration, but a time of loss and grief - whether it be the death of a loved one, broken relationships, loss, or estrangement. 

You are invited to this Saturday's Blue Christmas service, a time when we can, with others, acknowledge the "blue" feelings we have at Christmas time. We can lift to God the reasons for our sadness.  

Join us in the Chapel on Saturday December 10 at 5 PM for a short service of scripture and prayer in a safe, loving and healing space.  

Please consider inviting others who are in need of loving care during the Christmas season. 

Would you like to know more about the Bible?

Join the "Read the Bible in One Year Challenge" with thousands of others in 2023!

Ask Sister Ingrid for your guide booklet.

As you have noticed, our little brown envelopes for flowers are here again. As you may or may not be aware, your Altar Guild receives no money for flowers except from YOU, our wonderful parishioners. We ask for your support in purchasing flowers for Christmas. We also know at this time of year, most of us are short on cash. We are asking only for a small contribution of whatever you have in your pockets! Please help us with this special ministry. Thank you so much. -Your Altar Guild. 

The Church of the Advent is pleased to welcome back and present The Greater Victoria Police Chorus in concert on March 5th, 2023!

Tickets are now available for purchase at $25.00 each through the church office. They make great Christmas stocking stuffers and gifts!

The Ladies Guild continues to offer Tru Earth Laundry detergent strips for purchase at $15 a pack (works out to 32 loads!). For every $15 spent, the Ladies Guild receives $5 back. These make fantastic stocking stuffers for Christmas! See the parish office to purchase them.

Each Tru Earth eco-strip packs ultra-concentrated, hypoallergenic, eco-friendly cleaning power into a tiny, pre-measured strip of detergent that you just toss in the wash.

What makes these strips so amazing:

• New zero-waste compostable packaging
• No measuring & no mess
• Dissolves completely in Hot or Cold Water.
• Works in all washing machines, including HE. Front loads or top loads.
• Helps keep 700,000,000 plastic jugs out of landfills per year

They are also:

Thank you for supporting our Christmas Outreach initiatives for 2022. We have received so many shoeboxes for Street Hope Ministry as well as items for the Rock Bay Project. Your generosity means so much to the many people in need right here in our community.

It's not too late to donate! We will be blessing the shoeboxes this Sunday but you are still welcome to bring in a filled shoebox up until the day of.

As a reminder, we are accepting donations of blankets, towels, adult backpacks, and gently used clothing/shoes for Rock Bay, as well as money for socks (every dollar given for socks will be matched). 

For the Shoebox Ministry, we will be accepting donations of empty shoeboxes for people to take and fill. We are also accepting already filled boxes with small items such as scarves, gloves, socks, toiletries, gift cards, non-perishable snacks (with plastic utensils if needed), etc. We ask that you please not seal the boxes in case the contents need to be checked. If you have any questions about what items can be included, please speak to either Joan Hoffman or Elizabeth Bennett.

All items will be blessed on December 11th before getting delivered to their respective locations.

For your time of quiet reflection and preparation, here are the readings for this Sunday:

ISAIAH 35:1-10

CANTICLE 18a (LUKE 1:46-55)

JAMES 5:7-10

MATTHEW 11:2-11

Dec 13, 14, 15 – Rev. Ingrid away on Retreat 

Dec 18 - Fourth Sunday of Advent & PAGEANT SUNDAY

Dec 24 –  Christmas Carols from 6:30 - 7 pm & 9:30 – 10 pm       

      7 pm Christmas Eve Service & 10 pm Christmas Eve Service 

Dec 25 - Christmas Morning Zoom Service - 8:30 - 9:15 am

Dec 26 - Jan 7 - Rev. Ingrid away

Jan 1 – 9:30 am Nine lessons and Carols (Note: combined service) 

Coming Soon…..

Mar 5 – Police Chorus Concert 2023 

We will have an online Christmas Morning Service for anyone who wishes to join us. Christmas day is a Sunday. The service is from 8:30 to 9:15 am via Zoom. 

Here is the link to join:

https://bc-anglican-ca.zoom.us/j/5333593540?pwd=NHJhbzRYamU3OFpPVFQrM1pzTmRkdz09 

 Meeting ID: 533 359 3540 

 Passcode: 4743031

Advent has begun and, as the Rev. John Thatamanil explains in his recent Faith Tides article, “Making Sense of Advent Expectation,” Advent "cultivates in us a refusal to accept the world as it is." With this in mind, please take a moment this Advent season to watch Bishop Anna’s 2-minute sermon, below, that discusses warming centres and homelessness here in BC. Consider writing to your MLA (click here for more information) and your municipal councilors about the need to adopt a Housing First (homelesshub.ca) appoach.

On December 1, 2022, Bishop Anna distributed the following letter to parishes across the diocese regarding changes to the diocesan Refugee Sponsorship Program:

Dear friends, 
 
I am writing to inform you of a difficult decision that has been made by the Diocesan Council. 

The Anglican Diocese of British Columbia has played a pivotal role in sponsoring thousands of refugees. As a sponsorship agreement holder, the Diocese has established a strong record of raising money to sponsor refugee families and then financially supporting these families during their first year in Canada. We are the largest Sponsorship Agreement Holder (SAH) on Vancouver Island, and we are very proud of the work we have done alongside passionate and dedicated community members.  

This work has been guided by our shared values: a desire to welcome the stranger, protect the persecuted, and act with compassion. In the face of growing conflicts around the world, this is more important than ever. We have undertaken this work despite the steep administrative costs because we know how important it is.  

But due to new administrative requirements by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada that will cost us tens of thousands of dollars per year on top of the already significant costs we bear for this work, we simply will no longer be able afford to continue to act as a Sponsorship Agreement Holder. This is a difficult decision for us, and we recognize that there will be uncertainty in our community. It is not a decision we took lightly. 

I want to ensure you that we will honour our existing commitments and we will focus on the 290 applications still in process. We anticipate that welcoming the applicants already in process will take at least another two years of work.  

We are also providing a Q&A for members of Vancouver Island’s refugee community in multiple languages that will provide refugee families who are pursuing family reunification with guidance. Nevertheless, I recognize that our decision will leave a gap. That is why we are exploring how we can continue to do this work in conjunction with other organizations. We are in conversation with the other Anglican dioceses in the province about possible ways to partner in this work and to find economies of scale that will allow us to continue this work.

I have been so touched by the way so many in our Diocese have given of their time and resources to support refugees. We are indebted to all the staff and volunteers who have made this program such a success. In particular, I want to mention our past and current staff who have played a significant role in making the program what is has become: Bruce Bryant-Scott, Rebecca Seibert, Tony Davis, Alvaro Moreno, and Andrea McCoy. We are grateful to Eulala Mills who chaired the Diocesan Refugee Committee and the countless others who dedicated time and energy to this important work over many years. Finally, we are so pleased that Jibril Mohamed will stay on as staff with the Diocese to assist us in welcoming those refugees whose applications have already been submitted.  

I know that many of you, like me, have been personally involved in welcoming newcomers and that you have found this work to be life-giving. So many lives have been changed for the better because of this care and compassion.  Only a few weeks ago, we welcomed the first Afghan woman refugee to Vancouver Island, a woman who was a non-profit employee and a civic engagement activist. A few months before that we had a young man come first in his age group at the Toronto Marathon within weeks of his arrival. 

We will continue to live by our values: welcoming the stranger, protecting the persecuted, and acting with compassion.   

Peace,
Bishop Anna Greenwood-Lee

Download a pdf. version of this letter below.