from the desk of… The Rev. Dr. Michael J. Thompson - Rector
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.' We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we're liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
Dear Friends at St. Jude's,
The words above, misattributed to Nelson Mandela, are the words of Marianne Williamson in her book, Return to Love. They challenge - even contradict - a great deal of common wisdom. And they are critical words for us as disciples of Jesus, who share with Ms. Williamson a conviction that human beings should "let your light shine."
And over the past three years, I have grown in my appreciation for the shining lives that are so much a part of this parish household. That appreciation sometimes sharpens into something like wonder when I encounter you at work in the world, seeking and serving the common good, investing in the health and vitality of the civic community, tending to those "little ones" so often overlooked and so beloved of God. It can happen when I visit the hospital, and find it animated by so many volunteers, and served by health care professionals who are part of our common life. It can happen when a member comes across a person in need and moves heaven and earth to connect that person with resources and relationships that will address both need and person. It can happen when I realize that the scene I witness - one member driving another to worship - plays itself out week after week, year after year. It can happen in the deliberations of the Council of Ministries, as members work together to identify challenges and opportunities to strengthen our ministry in service to God's world. It can happen in the exchange of a few words during coffee hour or over lunch. It can happen as it slowly dawns on me that a marriage of fifty or sixty or seventy years is a long faithfulness that serves not only a husband and wife, but so many others as well.
There is something about a clear winter night that brings courage and hope. It isn't that it is light out. It is, in fact, dark. But in the darkness shine thousands upon thousands of stars. It is no accident that the season of Advent comes to us as the nights grow longer and those stars more meaningful. The date for Christmas was set long ago in relationship to the winter Solstice - it comes four days after the days begin to lengthen. The sun is returning; minute by minute the days lengthen, and the darkness withdraws.
In this earth of ours, the darkness does not withdraw completely or forever. Our capacity to generate darkness is well-documented, a tragic and inescapable fact of our humanity, and of a compromised and broken earth. But in this same earth, on a clear night in early December, our eyes lift to the starry sky and take hope from light that has taken, sometimes, eleven thousand years and more to reach us from S. Carinae, the most distant star visible to the naked eye. That light has been on a long and patient journey. It has moved at the same patient speed. Over a mile or two, light seems to take no time at all. But eleven thousand years is a long time. And up close, that is one very bright star. We do not know, when we shine, where our light goes.
We do not know what it will touch in one of the hearts of the universe. We are simply asked to shine, to fill the darkness that comes and goes across the face of the earth with a long faithful brightness that may do some traveller some good - for direction, for encouragement, for delight, for hope.
But this we do know, that God, who is a faithful steward of the light that travels so far from S. Carinae to our winter night, will be a faithful steward of our light as well. And we remember that Jesus did not come to shine alone, that "Jesus bids us shine."
May the coming Advent Season be a shining time, and a time to shine.
Yours brightly, Michael Thompson, Rector
St. Jude's Church Christmas Services
DECEMBER 16TH - Combined 10:00 am service with presentation of Sunday School Pageant.
Festival of Lessons and Carols - 7:30 p.m. Led by the choir of St. Jude's Church under the direction of Tom Bell. Seasonal refreshments afterwards in the Victoria Hall. (traditional King's College, Cambridge service)
DECEMBER 23RD - 4TH OF ADVENT
8:00, 9:30 & 11:00 a.m. Eucharist
DECEMBER 24TH - CHRISTMAS EVE
4:00 p.m. Children's Christmas Liturgy A celebration of Jesus' birthday with blessing of the crèche and carols accompanied by brass quintet.
6:30 p.m. Christmas Eucharist A celebration to welcome the holy birth in song and story, with the bread, wine and the people of God. The songs and stories of Christmas, with the Gloria Choir.
8:30 p.m. Christmas Eucharist A celebration using the traditional rite to welcome the new gift of Jesus' birth, with carols, instrumentalists and soprano soloist.
11:00 p.m. Midnight Christmas Eucharist In the darkness: light. In the silence: song. For our hunger: bread, wine and God's people sharing them. Accompanied by the choir with flute and harp.
DECEMBER 25TH - CHRISTMAS DAY
8:00 a.m. Christmas Eucharist Traditional said service for the early morning.
10:00 a.m. Christmas Day Eucharist Contemporary rite liturgy sung by the choir.
DECEMBER 26TH - WEDNESDAY No service
DECEMBER 30TH - SUNDAY
Services at 8:00 and 10:00 a.m.
HEARTFELT THANKS…
…to everyone who supported Home Suite Hope's Empty Bowls 2007 by attending, volunteering, donating and promoting. Through your generosity, the new dining hall at Appleby College was filled with hundreds of people enjoying themselves and the 17 wonderful soups, delicious bread, lovingly crafted bowls and placemats.
On October 21st people waited in lines to enter, select unique pottery bowls and sample soups; and they shared tables with strangers. It was a casual, inclusive afternoon that raised awareness about Halton's homeless and Home Suite Hope's mission to "provide innovative affordable accommodation, offer options to achieve individual potential, create shared community, and inspire hope". In addition, you helped us raise over $46,000 which will go directly to housing and support for Home Suite Hope's residents. It was a great afternoon!
For those of you who would like more information about Home Suite Hope please visit www.homesuitehope.org. For those of you would like be a part of Empty Bowls 2008, please contact Dede Hacking (905-845-4905 or hacking@sympatico.ca).
Advent Day of Reflection
Saturday, December 8th, 2007 12:00pm to 4:00pm
We are opening our doors to the community to come into our church for a time of quiet contemplation. This year we have had many people from the church and from the Oakville community contribute their talents to enrich our experience. This is a chance to see and feel Advent, the season of "Blue", the time of hope, love, joy and peace. Glimpse new dimensions through the voices of poets, and the vision of artists and photographers in Victoria Hall. Those who wish may experience walking the Labyrinth as a metaphor of the journey of our lives.
St. Jude's Church Children's Christmas Pageant 2007
Presentation on December 16th at 10:00 am
Elizabeth, Mary, Pageant Choir, Scottish Dancer, Innkeepers Joseph, Gabriel, Shepherds and Sheep, Magi - 3, and of course, the regular Nativity Livestock.
Join the fun! Rehearsal Dates:
Sunday, November 25th 1:00 -3:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 2nd 1:00 -3:00 p.m.
Sunday, December 9th1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Dress Rehearsal Saturday, December 15th 9:00- Noon
For more information see Wendy Hart.
St. Jude's invites you to bring…
ADVENT Home
Create an Advent Wreath to fill your home with the Season's Light.
Songs, Stories, and Supper together… Winter Soup, Cheese, Rolls, Fruit, Cookies
Sunday, December 2nd, 2007 4:00 - 7:00 pm
ALL AGES $5.00 per person $20.00 per household
Tickets available in the church office
Rev'd Aaron Orear, Assistant Curate
Will you continue in the apostle's teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers?
The above question should be familiar to members of St. Jude's. We hear it at baptisms and answer it ourselves at the Great Easter Vigil. It is the fourth question of the Baptismal Covenant, the first after the three creedal affirmations (belief in Father, Son and Holy Spirit). It's the vow most focused on community, the church as a body gathered, and it asks us to make some commitments to the work of that body.
Here at St. Jude's, we enact this vow in a number of ways. Sunday school, bible study, adult education, catechism, baptism preparation and sermons are all vehicles for the apostle's teaching. Our coffee hour, youth events, special gatherings and various groups (the Garden Guild comes to mind) are venues for fellowship. The breaking of bread happens every Sunday and Wednesday, and we participate in that by taking communion with one another and by taking the sacrament to those who cannot be present with us.
The final call is to prayer. While we certainly pray when we gather for the Eucharist, most notably through the collects and the Prayers of the People, the opportunity and call to engage in prayer is more than a one-day-a-week affair. Whether it be structured time, set aside for prayer, or something of the spontaneous "Help me!" variety, the conversation with God continues beyond Sunday morning.
Every Friday, at 9:30am, a small group gathers in my office to pray. We give thanks for special events in the parish, and for healing and recovery. We pray for anyone whom we know to be ill or in distress (if you've had a bad time of it lately, chances are we prayed for you!), and for our community, nation and the world. The atmosphere is casual and the act itself simple, but the experience can be profound. It is a sacred act, to join with others in conversation with God, and one of my favourite activities in the week.
Every Tuesday through Friday (barring an out-of-town trip), at 8:45am you will find your assistant curate in church, praying Morning Prayer. It's a brief office, using the modern rite found on page 47 of the Book of Alternative Services (BCP on Wednesdays), but 10 or 15 minutes of prayer starts my day off on the right foot. I don't ring the bell (it's stipulated in the Book of Common Prayer, but all those ropes intimidate me!) but the doors are open "in order that the people may come to take part in the service" (BCP rubrics, pg. lvi). If you live nearby, or have the time on a morning, you're most welcome to join in the church's ancient but always relevant practice of prayer.
Of course, 8:45am is an awkward time for many people and getting down to St. Jude's might not be possible. Morning Prayer can, however, be very easily said on one's own. There are a number of resources available for private meditation, in addition to the BCP and BAS rites.
If you're interested in exploring any of these prayer disciplines, I'd be happy to help you find something that works and is engaging for you, so please contact me. After all, whenever someone is baptised and takes that vow to continue in the prayers, the entire congregation also promises to do all in our power to support that person in his or her life in Christ!
Prayerfully Yours,
The Rev. Aaron Orear, Assistant Curate
NEXT NEWSLETTER Deadline will be Friday, January 25th. Submissions should be in the office on or before this date for the Vestry Newsletter. As a result of concern over the amount of paper used in last years Vestry newsletter, any submitted committee annual written and financial reports will be a separate printing and will be available in the Church office for anyone interested in receiving these as they will not be included with the newsletter . Thanks for your input.
Lighten the Darkness
Advent will soon be here and we will begin preparations in our homes and in our church for this glad season. Part of our Anglican tradition is the Advent Wreath. This year become one of our faithful candle minders, to ensure the light shines from the Advent Wreath that we will place in the Garden Chapel in our dark and winter-sleeping garden .
We are asking families or individuals to Lighten the Darkness, by signing up to make sure that the proper candles are lit as the season progresses. Your work will be to commit to one day in Advent, and come to the church garden at dusk to say a simple liturgy and light the candle.
We will provide all you need in an Advent package:
So sign up in the Helen Poole Memorial Hall. Make this a celebration by sharing our traditions with your friends, your families or even your pets on your night… And if you are very quiet - the garden rabbits and the church skunk may join you while we are waiting.
The "Hey Judes" Dragon Boat Team won another silver medal! Our 2007 team from St. Jude's participated in the Oakville Dragon Boat Festival which took place at Kelso Conservation Centre on August 19th. We practiced harder than ever this past summer on 9 consecutive Thursday evenings from June 21st through August 16th. We had the same coach we have had for the past two years and he was wonderful!
This year, thanks to our Pledge Captain Donna Lanning, we participated in the fundraising that raised over $40,000 to benefit Halton Children's Aid. Our team raised $1720 in Pledges, and one half of that ($860) was given to the St. Jude's Crisis Relief Fund. This money was put to use almost immediately to address the needs of a family in crisis.
Our team members were: Bruce Owen-Wahl, Jean Anne Farmilo, Jason MacNeill, Donna and Mike Lanning, Elaine Stroud, Sue Clark, Helen Sami, Norine Burgess, Helgy Sinden, Jenny le Riche, Janice Rock, Julianna Rock, Janice Ilines, Penni Matt, Vera Looby, Stephen Armstrong, Denise Swallow, Appio Fiorillo Sr. and Appio Fiorillo Jr., Wendy Hart, Debra Schreiber, and Judy McCracken.
I would encourage anyone who is interested to join us next year. Watch for an announcement in the bulletin in May and give it a try. Paddles up!
Families in need at Christmas!
Can you help us make Christmas for two local families in need a lot brighter? If so, we ask that donations of toys, candy, grocery or department store gift certificates be dropped off to Julie in the Church office.
Many thanks for your generosity.
Everyday Faith
The small groups that were mentioned in the last newsletter will start up on Thursday nights this February. We will begin with weekly discussions about a theology of work, our understanding of how we partner with God in our jobs and in our daily life, and then launch small groups that will meet monthly to reflect on how we see that partnership in our own experience. Look for more news in coming months, but mark your 2008 calendars now! Contact Aaron for more information. (curate@stjudeschurch.net)
Interested in historical archives?? Our current archivist would love to have one or two other people to help sort and catalogue the archives here at St. Jude's. If you are interested, please call Julie in the Church office at 905-844-3972.
A Paperless Advent calendar? Bible Reading Fellowship is working with Jerusalem Productions to provide an online, paperless Advent calendar, counting down to Christmas with a thought-provoking video each day. It's just as easy to send as a Christmas card and has the added value of being FREE! If you'd like to use the calendar, and share it with your friends, register your interest at www.brf.org.uk/advent and we'll let you know more as Advent approaches…
Caring for our ENVIRONMENT
St. Jude's is contributing to being a good steward for our environment by using a confidential paper destruction company. We started this in the spring of 2007 and so far the company certifies that our share of wood saved amounts to 12 trees.
Disposal of batteries also present an environmental issue as they may produce the following potential problems or hazards:
At St. Jude's we have two office receptacles to put our expired batteries into. Once a year, we take these to the hazardous waste facility in Halton to safely dispose of them.
THE SHARING in CARING TEAM INVITES ALL MEMBERS OF THE ST. JUDE'S FAMILY
TO JOIN IN AN EPIPHANY LUNCH PARTY ON
SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2008 AFTER THE 11.00 AM SERVICE
Our special guests on this occasion will be those among our parish family who were born during the year 1918 or before. They have seen many changes over the years and have lots of stories to share about places nearby and far off and events that would make your hair curl! Come and find out who it was that:
and so much more…. There will be fun for everyone!
Stewardship Message
Working together with the gifts God has given us for the work God is calling us to do.
Thank you for your response to our Stewardship Package which went out on October 15th. Many of you have returned your Commitment Cards, for which we are very grateful. As I am sure you are all aware, having some idea of our income is essential in planning how we will serve God and God's world in the coming year.
Our Stewardship Team will be calling parishioners who have not returned their Commitment Cards towards the end of November to ensure that you have received your Stewardship Packages and to answer any questions you may have.
Several parishioners are participating in the small group sessions in the people's homes to explore and reflect on the four elements of stewardship - of self, of relationships, of the earth, of our resources. These discussions are very thought provoking and encourage us to be better stewards of all of the gifts we have received from God.
On the back of the Commitment Card included with the Stewardship package was the request that each parishioner identify one of the five St. Jude's ministries (see below) he/she would like to learn more about. Over the winter, we hope to put on a workshop to introduce parishioners to the priorities, principles, dreams and activities of each of these five ministry areas:
- Communication and Public Witness
- Christian Formation
- Liturgy and Worship
- Justice and Servant Ministries
- Stewardship Development
Thank you for your continued support of St. Jude's and God's ministry with your time, talents and financial stewardship. Judy McCracken, Ministry Coordinator - Stewardship
St. Jude's Celebration of the Arts Presents
THE GLENN GOULD SCHOOL "A Symphony of Youth"
The Royal Conservatory of Music
Celebration of the Arts is honoured to collaborate with the Glenn Gould School and welcomes gifted young musicians to our beautiful church setting for an evening of concertos and solo performances. This exceptional and dramatic display of energy, passion and skill will grip you from the very opening selection to the grand finale. Indeed, the very composers would have been proud to witness this assembly of over twenty musicians.
8:00 PM - SATURDAY FEBRUARY 9, 2008
ST. JUDE'S ANGLICAN CHURCH
TICKETS JUST $28
Call St. Jude's Church - 905-844-3972 - also available at L'Atelier Grigorian
The Eighth Annual St. Jude's Charity Golf Tournament
Proceeds from the St. Jude's Golf Tournament in the amount of $28,000 were given to the Halton Trauma Centre. This was the fifth year that the Centre has received funding from St. Jude's bringing our total contribution to over $74,000!
A total of 38 sponsors and 66 golfers gathered at Hidden Lake Golf and Country Club for a day of fun and friendship for a worthy cause.
The Halton Trauma Centre is a unique and specialized community-based agency that was established in 1983 to provide assessment and treatment services to children and their families affected by child abuse.
Thank you to the golfers and sponsors for their generous donations to the Halton Trauma Centre.
For more information, please contact: Darryl Hall, Executive Director Halton Trauma Center [905] 825-3242 e-mail: dhall&on.aibn.com www.haltontraumacentre.ca
Seasonal Goodies for after the Lessons & Carols service
We are looking for seasonal goodies to be served with mulled cider after the Lessons & Carols service on December 16 (7:30 pm). If you are able to donate something like gingerbread, shortbread or fruit cake (ready to be served on a plate would be appreciated) - please let Julie know in the Church office. Thanks.
Ordination of Aaron Orear to the Priesthood
God willing, Bishop Ralph Spence will ordain Aaron Orear to the sacred order of priests on Dec. 9th, at 4pm, in Christ's Church Cathedral. All are welcome and invited to share in the celebration. Christ's Church Cathedral is located at 252 James St. North, Hamilton.
St Jude's Rainbows 2008
Rainbows "a support group for children experiencing grieving or loss" is a not-for-profit, international organization, with charitable status in Canada, that offers training and curricula for establishing peer support groups for children grieving death, separation, divorce or other painful loss in their family.
When a change takes place in the family, whether it is death, divorce, separation or abandonment, it has a profound effect on all members in a family. Grieving is a natural process which evolves from an emotional loss. If it isn't facilitated at the appropriate time, it may be repressed or become chronic. When grief does not have an opportunity to be resolved, its impact can be destructive.
The St Jude's Rainbow Team is ready to begin 14 weeks in our third Year of Program, January 8th 2008. Children, (ages 5-14) who seek support for grief or loss can be registered in advance by an adult at the Church office (905) 844-3972 or e-mail to whart@stjudeschurch.net
The national office for RAINBOWS in Canada is located in Barrie. You can find information on their website: www.rainbows.ca/welcome.html
Wendy Hart, Site Co-Ordinator
Parishioner Profile of Cheryl Hudson, People's Warden
Cheryl was born in Castries, St Lucia. For those of you who don't know where St. Lucia is, it is a small island in the Caribbean with a population similar to that of Oakville. Birthplace of two Nobel Laureates, and fought over by the French and the British. The island was alternately French and British for over 150 years, changing hands fourteen times. Cheryl jokes that she is a true child of St. Lucia, her father is a Frenchman and her mother is English.
Her parents immigrated to Canada in 1968. Although her parents were keen on living in Canada, they weren't quite sure where they should settle. So her dad went to Montreal to live with his sister, while her mom, her two sisters and brother came to Toronto to live with an uncle. The idea was to spend some time in each city, understand the culture and then decide on the best place to raise the family. Cheryl remembers after only two weeks in Toronto, getting on a CN train (her first train ride)….. destination…. Montreal. Something about her mother missing her father. Cheryl moved back to Ontario in 1981 when the company she worked for relocated to Mississauga.
Oakville has been home to Cheryl and her husband Mike for almost ten years, with a little hiatus to Carlisle. Something about Mike wanting to live in the country. She has a grown son Dwight and a grandson Tristan; she also has the good fortune of Mike sharing his four children and seven grandchildren with her.
Cheryl and Mike have been attending St. Jude's for 6 years and they love it!
Words from the Wardens
There is a strong social element in being a disciple of Jesus. It's something we do with others, and not simply a private, inward reality. And so, along with the celebrations on Sunday, when the community gathers for worship, we have many other opportunities to gather in many other ways. Some particular events in the past months come to mind.
In particular, many thanks to Jean Anne Farmilo for her marvelous work, and the work of her committee in mounting a truly inspiring "Come to the Feast" weekend. It had all the elements, including some great social time. Ruth Meyers was only a part of what made the weekend special, though certainly an important part. Personally, we hope this becomes an annual St. Jude's event.
The Oktoberfest party was supposed to be nothing more than a time for fun and fellowship, but it did not appeal to enough people to be viable. Did it seem to you like forced jollity? If we are to attempt another such event, what should it be? What would you like to see? Let us or Michael know what you could get enthusiastic about.
Judy McCracken is the Chair of the Nominating Committee this year (as well as a very hard-working chair of the Stewardship Committee) and she will be looking to fill some very important leadership positions for next year. If you have a particular interest in more involvement in one or other of our ministries or organizations (take a look at the back of the Weekly Announcements for a list) give Judy or a warden or the Rector a call or a note. Don't hide your light under a bushel, let it shine before!
On the governance front, some procedural issues will be coming before the vestry in February. We will be presenting a five-year maintenance and capital spending plan for consideration. This will list all of the planned and potential building improvements with priorities, cost estimates and proposed funding sources. We consider it essential that there be some continuity and longer range planning to guide the Corporation and Parish Council from year to year.
We will be proposing a change to the terms of office of the members of Parish Council to better match the program year. Our programs usually begin in September and wind down towards the end of May, but we elect people to serve from February, half-way through the program year, to the following February. It just doesn't work very well!
There are some initiatives brewing not only to boost the capital in our trust funds, but to employ some of the income generated for some new ministries. Keep your eye on Chris Manning, the Ministry Coordinator for Financial Development.
If any of this piques your interest, by all means talk to a member of the Corporation or the parish Council about your interest, better still, come to a meeting - they're all open to parishioners.
Ross Connell, Rector's Warden
Cheryl Hudson, People's Warden
IMPROVED ACCESSIBILITY
We hope that you have noticed the improvements to our church building to make it user friendly to people who have special needs. The improvements include an adjustment to the railings at the front entrance of St. Jude's that will provide additional assurance to people who have difficulty negotiating steps. In addition, the installation of an automatic door opener at the office entrance to the church premises and the smoothing out of the door threshold there will make it much easier for those using wheelchairs or wheeled walkers, those with children in strollers and those who arrive with their arms full of goodies for the Pantry, Fall Fair, Rummage Sale or any other of the good works to which folk contribute. Many thanks to the Property Committee for implementing these improvements.
133rd Synod of the Diocese of Niagara
A Pastoral letter from the Bishops of Niagara
To the Clergy and People of the Diocese of Niagara
We greet you in the name of our Risen Lord Jesus Christ. The Synod of the Diocese
of Niagara meeting in Hamilton Ontario voted today to request the Bishop of
Niagara to allow clergy whose conscience permits to bless duly solemnized and
registered civil marriage between same-sex couples. Assent was given to this
motion and the bishops of the diocese will determine in consultation with the
diocese and the national church as to when and how this motion can be enacted.
This diocese has debated this not only at this synod, but over a number of years.
We restate our commitment to respecting and honouring those clergy within our
diocese who, because of their theological opposition or as a matter of conscience,
cannot agree with the blessing of same sex unions.
The respect, graciousness and honesty that was apparent on the floor of synod
in the course of this debate we believe reflected the spirit of christian love
inherent in this diocese.
Our prayers are for the unity of the church as we work to proclaim the gospel
message of Jesus Chris.
We call on all Anglicans in Niagara to join with your bishops in seeking the
guidance of the Holy Spirit to lead us in the days that lie ahead.
Yours in Christ's Service,
Your bishops
+Ralph,
+Michael
Dear Friends at St. Jude's,
I am sorry that I am not with you this morning. I am attending a meeting of the Council of General Synod, the governing body of the Anglican Church of Canada when the General Synod is not in session. I have also been attending the Synod of the Diocese of Niagara, of which St. Jude's is a member church.
At that meeting, as many of you will know, the question of blessing the civil marriages of same-sex couples came before the Synod in the form of the following motion:
That this Synod request the Bishop to allow clergy, whose conscience permits, to bless the duly solemnized and registered civil marriages between same-sex couples, where at least one party is baptized, and to authorize rites for such blessings.
That motion was carried with a substantial majority, and the Synod's request is now before our Diocesan Bishop, Ralph Spence. The same motion passed in the diocesan Synods of Ottawa and Montreal.
The question of same-sex relationships has been under consideration in the Anglican Church of Canada for well over thirty years. The first formal statement from our House of Bishops came in 1978 and it has been over twelve years since the General Synod of 1995 passed this resolution:
That this General Synod affirms the presence and contributions of gay men and lesbians in the life of the church and condemns bigotry, violence and hatred directed toward any due to their sexual orientation.
The resolution passed yesterday at our diocesan Synod will, should the diocesan bishop respond positively to the request, call us at St. Jude's to consider what changes to our current practice are appropriate. I think it would be a mistake for us to proceed simply on the basis of the conscience of clergy, for two reasons. The first is that the blessing of marriage is an act in community, and the community in question is the people of St. Jude's. The second is that the community's decision is more likely to be a lasting one. Clergy come and go. It will soon be time for us to have a serious, thoughtful and disciplined period of learning, reflection and conversation on this matter, leading to a shared decision taken, in all likelihood, by a meeting of the Vestry.
In the meantime, we will work hard to ensure that resources and information are available as widely as possible in our congregation. To begin with, we will provide links to on-line resources through diocesan and General Synod websites.
This is an important issue. It affects the lives and relationships of persons who are part of our community - gay and lesbian Christians in our midst, as well as those whose conscientious reflection leaves them troubled at the possibility of the change envisioned by the Synod of Niagara. But it is at God's call that we are a community of the baptized, and our baptism is the defining characteristic of our life together. We have been woven into each other's lives by the very Spirit of God, and I believe that, so woven, we can find a way together to respond to the challenge and opportunity posed by our Synod.
Finally, the Synod dealt with a number of issues in the course of its deliberations and a number of them will be important both to us and to the world we serve. As I reported at the end of the General Synod this summer, it would have been easy to believe, based on the media accounts, that the only concern of our church is the accounts, that the only concern of our church is the question of same-sex relationships. As you may have heard on Sunday, from our lay members, this weekend's diocesan synod dealt creatively and faithfully with a range of issue. Among them were:
I thank you all for the privilege of serving as your rector, and for the gift of serving with your fellow-parishioners as members of the Synod of the Diocese of Niagara. It is a privilege that is both weighty and a source of joy.
Yours faithfully,
Michael Thompson, Rector