THE ANGLICAN PARISH OF ST MARK AND ST PHILIP

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1 THE ANGLICAN PARISH OF ST MARK AND ST PHILIP EPIPHANY NEWSLETTER I asked Mary Smith (who has faithfully produced this newsletter for several years) to delay this issue so that if can report on any outcomes and information from the Special Meeting of Parishioners held January 18 th, so you will find information elsewhere in this newsletter regarding that meeting. Please note that our Annual Meeting of Parishioners will be held on Sunday, February 8 th at 12:15 PM in the Lower Hall. Near the end of December, I asked the wardens if I might reduce my time at St. Mark and St. Philip back to the original contract of 2010/2011, to which they have agreed. You might remember that in March 2013 my time in this position was increased from 0.6 FTE to 0.7 FTE I m now moving back to the 0.6 FTE. This means that generally speaking I will be engaged in the work of the parish on Sunday and Friday mornings and all day Tuesdays and Thursdays. Obviously there are flexibilities with this schedule (as you will sense by other announcements in this newsletter) but this does assist me to have more regular days in particular places. I continue to pursue completion of my thesis for the Masters of Psychotherapy and Spirituality degree and offer counselling through Well Encounters and Insight Counselling and Therapy Centre. Maintaining the balance of these has been a struggle and moving back to 0.6FTE will assist that balancing act and give clearer days I can commit to being about the Parish, finishing my degree and developing my counselling practice. Within that context, please do be in contact with me it is my desire to continue to lead and pastor you and this congregation. When you phone my extension (extension 1) at the church, if I am not available, I endeavour to let you know whether I am about the church, when I will next be in the office, or where I can be reached. I very much appreciate your prayers and support as we minister together in Christ. Rev. Brian Way, Part-time Incumbent Praying the Life of Jesus I noted in the last newsletter the hope that we might have a 12 week program entitled Praying the Life of Jesus. There was not enough response to operate this program so it will not be offered at this time. If you would be interested in a shorter program of six weeks which would likely run through Lent with the primary focus on spending 20 minutes a day in praying the scriptures, please let me know. Rev. Brian Way, Part-time Incumbent

2 Vanishing Grace Pastor Paul Heidebrecht of Calgary Christian Reformed Church and I are working together with the intention of planning a common Lenten program (other congregations may also join us). In this five-session small group Bible study by Philip Yancey you'll examine how to offer grace in a way that is compelling to a jaded society. Vanishing Grace explores how Christians live in the middle of hostility and rejection today. Philip Yancey delves into the reasons for the hostility and gives us models of different, more effective ways to communicate the Good News. (Retrieved from: January 16, 2015). The study will use a DVD presentation each week as a lead in to discussion. This Program will be offered every Wednesday, February 25 March 25, both at 9 AM and 7 PM (you can choose either a morning or evening group). This will likely be held at St. Mark & St. Philip in the Church, watch for details in the Sunday bulletin. Rev. Brian Way, Parttime Incumbent Sunday School We have had a great year this year. The kids are loving the "Shadow Sundays", and learning about the Creation of the World, in the classroom. They have come up with some amazing questions - I think we all have learned a thing or two. I can't wait to see what direction our class goes in the next year. Friends of The Anglican Parish of St. Mark and St Philip. We have all worked hard at outreach for the water filtration systems, and the stables for those in need in other countries. We would like to do some outreach in our community for the month of February We would like to help the Calgary Drop in Centre with donations for their "Frosty Bites" program. Donations they are looking for include: * Gloves or mittens * lip balm * scarves * large freezer bags * toques * long underwear * warm thick socks * warm clothing * pocket warmers If you cannot donate these items, we will accept small change and we will go out and purchase these items to donate. Please give any of your donations to Stephanie Daye, and she will get them to the Drop-In Centre. Thank you in advance for your help in making our community better for all. Many blessings to all, Stephanie Daye - 4 -

3 Ash Wednesday In anticipation of the Vanishing Grace program, Pastor Paul Heidebrecht and members of Calgary Community Reformed Church (and possibly other congregations in the area) will join us for the Ash Wednesday liturgy on February 18 th. There will be services at both 9 AM and 7 PM (you may come to either). Significantly, Ash Wednesday is a day when we proclaim the penitence of the community as a whole so this will be a very special event when the Christian community gathers in a broader context to make this proclamation. Rev. Brian Way, Part-time Incumbent Altar Guild After a busy Christmas season, Altar Guild is already looking forward to Easter. On behalf of our members, I'd like to thank all parishioners who provided help with the decorations before and after Christmas, as well as those who provided funding for our beautiful potted plants. Best wishes for 2015! Neila Russell, Altar Guild Special Parishioners' Meeting on Jan. 18, 2015 The Special Meeting was attended by approx. 37 parishioners. Archdeacon Barry Foster presented an update on the dialogue between SMSP and St Peter the Aleut. The following is courtesy of Andrew Daye's official Minutes of the meeting, slightly edited for reasons of space. Diocesan Proposal that Holy Martyr Peter the Aleut purchase St. Mark and St. Philip. When did the discussion start? - January 2013 with St. Mark and St. Philip - The informal discussion with the Diocese started about a year ago - Some of the features of this proposal This property is to serve the mission of God, with a Christian denomination The property will be sold for 3.1M; Sale will take place between May 2018 and June There will be a lease to St. Peters the Aleut for a period of 3 years. There needs to be a transition team with both parties involved. The most critical point is how the worship space will work. Right now it is not known how this will work. When the lease agreement is reached, St. Mark and St. Philip will be here for at least 3 years. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS (See Page 7 for other questions that have been submitted)

4 Q: What happens to the name of the church? A: Nothing, name would stay the same Q: The relationship between the Anglican and Orthodox Church. What is it like in Canada? A: The relationship the 2 denominations have is friendly; this is why St. Peter has entertained the idea from the start. Q: When would St. Peter move in? A: May or June of this year. Q: Will there be any physical changes to the worship area? A: Yes, I am not sure what they will be. Possibility of some of the pews to be removed. St. Peter will have control of the worship space, with Anglican communion able to take place also. Q: Are we able to dictate what we want to do? How critical are we to selling our church? A: Rather than arriving at a time in the future where we cannot afford to continue, this presented itself as an option. Keep in mind the Diocese is the seller. Harold Hippe noted that we have $80,000 in renovations to do, And our Stewardship is 1/3 less than what it was last year. Q: Could you reverse mortgage the property? This could keep us going for 20 years. Harold Hippe commented that rental income can only generate 30% of our revenue. Otherwise we risk losing our Charitable Organization status. Q: We are only talking about a 3 year plan. What is the plan from the Diocese for the parish to continue past the 3 years? Answer from Rev. Brian Way: From our Annual Meeting last year, a poll suggested that most people wanted to remain a small strong congregation for which this building is too large: another of our choices was to grow through fundamental change. Most of our parishioners (75%) are not from this community; do we have a mission in this community? Q: Will St. Mark and St. Philip be able to see the lease agreement?: A: Yes Meditation in the Baptistry, will continue on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month from 7-8 PM. On January 13, we will focus on Rupp's meditation, the Cup of Wisdom, followed on January 27 by the Cup of Mercy. Plans for additional evenings until June are being finalized. Thanks from Joan Kendrick, Facilitator. A Note from your Social Committee Moveable Feast of Shrovetide after the February 15, 10:30 service we will have pancakes and sausages with various toppings. We will be setting up on the morning of February 15, if you are able to assist, please let us know. Also help will be required preparing the pancakes etc. on the Sunday morning. Thank you. Harold Hippe, Chairperson

5 Annual Meeting The Anglican Parish of St. Mark and St. Philip will be having our Annual Meeting on Sunday, February 8 th, 2015 after the 10:30 service. The annual report booklet will be distributed on Sunday February 1 st. There will be a luncheon between the service and the start of the meeting. Everyone is asked to please bring a half loaf of sandwiches, finger desserts or cut vegetables or fruit. Beverages will be provided.we will be setting up on the morning of February 8, if you are able to assist, please let a council member know. PWRDF Coldest Night of the Year is coming back to Calgary in Walk in solidarity with our homeless brothers and sisters on February 21, Last year, more than $135,000 was raised for Acadia Place and Feed the Hungry. Help us make this event a continued success by registering to walk or volunteer at Coldest Night of the Year. Questions Re: Proposal re; St Peter the Aleut Some of the questions received in writing so far: 1. Which church gets to worship between AM [on Sundays]? 2. Is the "Reverse Mortgage" idea a possibility that the Diocese would consider, and, if so, would we then be able to focus on our mission? 3. How much "give " will we have in deciding the space usage? 4. Can the sale of the building be terminated in 30 to 34 months? 5. Will it be written in the lease we may stay here for as long as we wish to remain a congregation? 6. Will the Diocese give a grant to renovate the worship space in the upper hall to help soften the blow of worship space loss, even it is around $100,000? Re: #'s 1 & 6: Decisions re: who would worship where & at what time would be part of the Transition Team's mandate. No decisions have been made to date. Re: #2: It would be up to the Diocese to pursue the Reverse Mortgage concept, since they, not we, own the building and would have to be willing to entertain the concept of a Reverse Mortgage of the church building. Rev. Way notes " Most churches are not consecrated as churches until any mortgage is paid off e.g. the church owns the building not the bank. So I'm not sure that consecrated churches would be able to be reverse mortgaged".rev. Way notes that questions 4 & 5 would need to be taken to the Diocese for consideration. #6 would have to be explored by the transition team, have a financial plan, and be approved by the Diocese, much as the 2012 renovations were done. The project would be approved/denied on its' merits. All parishioners are encouraged to submit questions to the "Question Box" in the church, so that ideas and concerns can be discussed. Thank you. PARISH OFFICERS Part-time Incumbent: Rev. Brian Way Parish Officers: Incumbent's Warden: Mary Smith People s Warden: Andrew Daye

6 Treasurer: Harold Hippe Envelope Secretary: Andrew Daye Organist: Mary Ross Sunday School Coordinator: Stephanie Daye Prayer Partnership: Joan Kendrick. Parish Council: Sam Bird, Harold Hippe, Sharen Stevenson, Liz Othen, Leslie Miles, Laura White. Lay Delegates to Synod: James Jerrard, Leslie Miles Church Address: Ave. SW, Calgary, AB T2T 1Y9 Phone; (403) Fax: (403) GOING INTO HOSPITAL?? If you are, it is helpful for the parish and clergy to know so that you can be remembered in prayer and visited. If you can t send a message yourself let a family member, friend, or a member of the nursing staff know that your faith family is important to you and get them to phone and leave a message at the church: (403) Don't forget- Automatic Debit is now available for your offerings. Please let Andrew Daye know if you wish to set up this automatic service. The deadline for submissions for the Lenten issue of the newsletter is Feb. 15/15. submission box outside the church office, or you can your submissions to murmor01@telusplanet.net - (subject line: "SMSP Newsletter"). Thank you! There is a