THE VAUDREUIL PARISH PULSE
June 2007

SUMMER DAY CAMP: Monday July 30th to Friday August 3rd

Will take place on the grounds of St. James for children aged 4 to 12. Five fun-filled days (10:00 am to 3:00 pm) of prayers, crafts, games, songs and stories. Register at the parish office, Tuesday to Friday 9am to 1 pm or by calling 458-5897. $20 per child or $40 max per family of three or more.

DOUGLAS KNIGHT'S DEPARTURE.:

It was Douglas' last day on Sunday 27th May and he received a wonderful send-off by way of a party after the morning service at St. James to celebrate his 20 years with the parish. A large contingent from both St. Mary's and St. James' were present to wish him well and to enjoy all the food which had been supplied by so many parishioners and prepared by the St. James Church Women and the St. Mary's Sewing Circle.

The following 'thank you' letter from Douglas says it all:

Dear Corporations and Congregations,

Many thanks for the wonderful farewell reception today. Everything was perfect and I will always remember the truly warm send-off ending an era of great memories and times for me. As speech-making is not my forte, allow me to put some of my feelings of gratitude in print.

My stay as Minister of Music has been a special part of my life. Twenty years in a partnership is filled with many experiences and I can honestly say they were all happy ones. You have been my Hudson family, and we will keep in touch, but life is directing me to move on. As Frank mentioned, together we shared our talents in so many different fundraising events over the years, the Christmas carol services and St. Mary's Shouts; so many enjoyable hours of music-making. I'll miss rehearsing the outstanding St. James' Choir, a fabulous group of voices and personalities, an ensemble to be envied by any choir director. Your creative musical tribute today was great - who could ask for anything more?

I would also like to thank the many people who were involved in planning the reception today; providing the refreshments, the musical entertainment, and the speeches. Thank you to both congregations of St. James' and St. Mary's for the gifts, the beautiful watch, the spectacular picture of St. Mary's that will find its place above our fireplace, and the generous gifts of money, and to the choir for the choir picture that will also find a special place on our wall - all very much appreciated.

Thank you for twenty wonderful years.

Sincerely,
Douglas.

Thank you all for your generous contributions to the gifts for Doug which included a beautiful signed and framed picture of St. Mary's church, a signed photograph of the St. James Choir, an inscribed commemorative wristwatch , and cheque for $500.

Above all, thank you Douglas for your great music. Our blessings to you and your family.

ORGANIST/CHOIR DIRECTOR SEARCH COMMITTEE UPDATE.
I wish to report good progress on the search for a replacement for Douglas. We have about half a dozen excellent candidates, at least on paper, and have interviewed two. Balance of interviews are scheduled for next week and the week after with the expectation of short-listing two for auditions shortly after that.

We ask for your understanding during the interim when we have no permanent organist. It now seems unlikely that we will have a replacement to start before the end of the summer as most applicants are already committed until then.

Graham Campbell. Search Committee Chairman.

PWRDF:

Is an acronym for the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund. It’s a wonderful opportunity for us Anglicans to contribute to third World development in a way which goes directly to the needy, rather than through a government agency.

The former Primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, Michael Peers, was recently in Montreal to talk about some of the projects he was privileged to see first hand.

He spoke of the family in the Philippines he had supper with. It was in a village where PWRDF had been responsible for piping in fresh water. The lady of the house talked to him of the difference it had made in her life to have clean water on tap. “The family could wash their dusty feet when they came in the house. This in turn meant the floors stayed cleaner, and the sheets on the bed too. I had never quite realized all these implications for a housewife before.” He spoke about the fact that Anglicans-on-spot are in a much better position to be more effective with aid, and of how every dollar given is put to the best use.
PWRDF is helping all over the world and we can discover how they are working from the Anglican Journal, from the leaflets at the back of our churches, or from their website pwrdf@montreal.anglican.ca They have a series of DVD’s and videos which make excellent viewing for individuals or groups.

Ann Cruickshank

PARISH FAMILY (Milestones of recent weeks)

DEATHS:
Irene Wormley, died on March 27th and her ashes were buried at St. James on May 14th.

Isabelle Luther, died on February 21st and her Memorial Service was held at St. James on May 20th.

Donald Graham, husband of Jean, died on May 15th and his Memorial Service was held at St. James on May 26th.

Barry Edward Osborne, husband of Joy, died on May 23rd and his Memorial Service was held at St. James on May 30th, 2007.

BAPTISM: Connor Ryan Nielsen, son of Natalie Kisil and Cameron Nielsen was baptized at St. James on May 20th.

Constance Amelia Madelaine Victoire Javita Cassius de Linval, daughter of Marie-Chantal Leger and Robert Cassius de Linval was baptized on May20th at St. Mary’s.

WEDDING: Manon Peloquin and Luc Martin were married on May 19th at St. James.

REPORT ON THE PARISH VISIONING DAY:

On April 28th 25 participants from both churches met together to set a direction for the Parish, by prayerfully seeking out what God is calling us to do. A full report of the day’s proceedings is available at the back of both churches and has been posted on the Parish website, so if you have not had an opportunity to read it we would encourage you to do so.

The goals for the day included reviewing the results of the last View and Vision Day, celebrating our achievements since then, examining our Mission Statement, identifying the key ministries and related activities underway in the Parish, grouping all ministries into a short list of 6-7 categories and characterizing each of the ministries in terms of their critical dimensions and high priority actions. The results of this process would then be communicated to the parish family and a roadmap created for action. Essentially all the goals for the day were achieved and we are now at the stage of creating the roadmap for action.

The results of the last View and Vision Day were presented and it was noted that three of the current joint parish committees were set up following this previous workshop: Youth, Pastoral and Communications. The Wednesday morning Bible Study came into being at this time while there has been a concerted effort to become a parish that welcomes youth.

On examining the Mission Statement it was felt that we need something more concise that everyone can remember. We can then hold all parish activities up against it. It was agreed that the statement needed to be: timeless, forward-looking, relevant, tangible, achievable, memorable (maybe an acronym) and posted publicly/shared. It should influence behaviour, communicate Christian values and inspire spiritual growth both individually and collectively. Bearing these guidelines in mind, a committee was struck to further consider the statement and report back with their suggestions.

The brainstorming session that followed identified many areas of ministry and also attitudes, values and vehicles which we need to bear in mind for the successful carrying out of these ministries. Synthesis groups were formed to group these activities into 6 major ministries and a plenary session came up with definitions for these ministries.

The six major ministries identified were Worship, defined as including all the elements (sacraments, music, tradition, liturgy, thanksgiving, praise) whereby we collectively respond to God’s grace and hear His word; Mission and Outreach, defined as activities that take place beyond the family of the parish and involves sharing our gifts with any and all; Fellowship, which involves us gathering together to celebrate our sense of belonging both within and beyond the parish; Pastoral, defined as caring and nurturing activities taking place within the family of the parish; Christian Education which encompasses learning and growing as a Christian both within and without the parish family along with teaching to meet the needs of others of all ages, experiences and backgrounds and Youth, defined as comprising all programs which intentionally welcome, recruit and include youth in the parish.

In addition to the six areas of ministry identified, we also added two other categories whose purview runs across all the ministries. The first was Communication and the second the “How Tos/Values” that were listed.

Following the plenary session, six small groups were formed to examine the areas of ministry that had been identified. They were asked to assess the activities already being carried out in this particular ministry and identify areas where it was felt we needed to put more effort or change our emphasis. They were also asked to look at new areas of ministry that might be appropriate to explore.

Under Worship four areas were examined – music, baptisms, weddings, family services/youth and liturgy. Ideas included encouraging young people playing musical instruments to participate in church, a parish youth choir, actively involving the Sunday School in baptisms, encouraging “bring a friend” activities, balancing tradition with innovation and generally being a welcoming church.

The Mission and Outreach group felt that the achievements of the various groups performing outreach activities in the parish should be celebrated and communicated and identified three major areas where they felt we were being called to expand the ministry: having a Moms and Tots group at St. James’, developing a “listening” ministry to be aware of needs of those outside the church family and a prison outreach ministry.

The Fellowship group came up with many ideas several of which involved supporting collaboration between the churches and also with other groups, expanding the pool of volunteers to help people feel part of the parish, reaching out to both visitors and regular members at after church coffee, having an afternoon workshop on Christian listening, making people feel welcome at Bible Study by briefly outlining the content of what will be covered each Wednesday in church and encouraging the choir to do one or two concerts a year as a fellowship event.

The Pastoral group saw us focusing our efforts on supporting each other by visiting the bereaved and shut-ins, sending cards to parishioners and caring for the sick, communicating with each other, and exploring ways of disseminating useful health or medical information and sharing resources. Because of the overlap of many activities the Youth and Christian Education groups met together. It was decided to split the ministry of education as addressing four major age groups and then look at what could be offered to each in terms of ministry initiatives. Under “Elders” Bible studies, a Spirituality of Aging course, Lent Programs, peace and reflection workshops/retreats and mentoring opportunities with younger members of the Parish family were identified. For the Mid-life (working age group) mentoring opportunities with any age, evening study groups, Lent programs, peace and reflection workshops/retreats, spiritual direction, Marriage Encounter, Alpha and other courses could be offered. For the youth/teen age group a Youth Alpha, a youth/elder interchange, server training, retreats and training for Day camp roles were some activities identified. Lastly activities for Sunday School age children included Day camp, story telling, “Wonder leads to worship” teaching, peer group mentoring with teens and green gardening for God. Educating everyone as a whole regarding such things as the different colors of the church vestments and publishing Diocesan courses and programs were also considered.

After the small groups had met everyone met back together and the workshop leaders shared their results with the whole assembly. We have now shared them with you. Before the Joint Corporations meet in June to form an action plan for the parish we need feedback, further ideas and constructive suggestions. Please be a part of this process by communicating your thoughts to any of the Wardens, or writing or e-mailing the church. Once the action plan has been formulated we will communicate it to everyone and move forward in God’s will to accomplish His purpose for us in this place.

Alison Bentley, People’s Warden, St. James’ Church on behalf of the Visioning Day Committee

TREES ON THE FRONT LAWN AT ST. JAMES'.

Two pieces of good news here: yes, the trees have been planted, and, Yes! the costs have been covered by six generous members of the St. James' congregation who wished to "sponsor" a tree in memory of a departed member of the family.

The six trees include 3 sugar maples, 2 red oaks, and a white spruce. They were supplied and planted by Brian Grubert's company, Fensedge Farm Ltd., and I am sure you will agree that they really look good and will, God willing, grace our front lawn for many years to come.

The plan is to place a memorial plaque at the base of each tree, and this is in the hands of the St. James Deputy Warden, Alan MacLeod, who has some good ideas but would be pleased to hear from anyone who can offer a solution to this challenge. It then only remains for the old stumps to be removed, and this is being addressed by the Corporation.

SOS FLOWERS NEEDED:

Once again the Floral Committee for the Homes Tour would appreciate any donations of flowers from your garden and/or lilacs. Buckets of water will be available in the church basement to put them in on Tuesday June 5th. It would be a great help if you could remove the leaves from the lilacs before bringing them in.

RECTORY BARBECUE -
Sunday August 5th beginning at 12:30 pm
Karen and Fr John look forward to seeing you at their annual barbecue.
RSVP 640 Main Road, Hudson QC; J0P 1J0, or email jbradley@parishofvaudreuil.com

SMOKERS AT ST. JAMES:
Please try not to put butts in the flower pots!

ANNUAL PARISH CONSIGNMENT SALE:
Saturday September 15th 10 am – 2 pm
Time to start finding things you would like to sell or perhaps something that you need.