News from St. John the Divine Anglican Church - Courtenay

St. John the Divine Newsletter for October 30, 2025

Pentecost 21

All Saints Sunday

CONCERT

"Serenades & Lullabies" - THIS SATURDAY at 3pm

Concert with Jennifer Rasor, Saprano and Dagmar Kilian, pianist. Saturday, November 1 at 3pm in the church Admission $20 at the door.

For more infomation visit:

http://sjtdcourtenay.ca/events/concert--666/2025-11-01

Daylight Savings Time

Fall Back - Sunday, November 2, 2025

Fall Back 1 hour.

For more infomation visit:

http://sjtdcourtenay.ca/events/daylight-savings-time--611/2025-11-02

This Sunday's Readings and Order of Service

Sunday, November 2, 2025
All Saint's Sunday

Readings

Dan 7:1-3, 15-18; Ps 149l; Eph 1:11-23; Lk 6:20-31

Image: Pixabay.com

For more infomation visit:

http://sjtdcourtenay.ca/news/this-sundays-readings-and-order-of-service

Top Ten Spiritual Growth Ideas for All Saints

Month of November

1) “The saints are the true lights of God’s heart.” — St. John of Damascene

2) Deep peace of the running wave to you.”
— Celtic blessing

3) “No one is saved alone, we are all companions on the same journey.” — Pope Francis

4) “We walk because our ancestors showed the path.” — Andean traditional saying

5) “Water flows like our life; it receives its strength from what it passes through.”
— Guaraní proverb

6) “Death is the road; life is the traveler.”
— Quechua wisdom

7) “The only solution is love, and love comes with community.”
— Dorothy Day

8)The night is not solitude; the ancestors keep watch.”
— Mayan Proverb

9) “Heaven and earth are only three feet apart, but in the thin places that distance is even smaller.”
— Celtic proverb

*Practice: Create a shared altar with symbols of saints, helpers, and those who have died.

10) “We are not alone. The saints are here.”
— María Sabina, Mazatec healer

*Practice: Before a difficult task, place your hand on your heart and say:
“I walk with all who walked before me.”

These sayings and practices are a mix of wisdom from various faith traditions. They’re meant to stimulate thought and don’t necessarily reflect my personal beliefs.

Alastair+

SJtD Sunday Quote

“I don’t think we need to agree with anyone in order to love the person.”
- Miroslav Volf

MARS Rep at Next Wednesday's 10 am Service

with Ambassador Bird

A rep plus Ambassador bird from MARS Wildlife Rescue will be speaking at next Wednesday's 10am service

St. Andrew's Cemetery Fall Cleanup

Saturday, November 8, 2025

In preparation for Remembrance Day, we invite everyone in the community.....

For more infomation visit:

http://sjtdcourtenay.ca/events/st-andrews-cemetery-fall-cleanup--621/2025-11-08

Christmas Bazaar

Saturday, November 15, 2025

We will be having our Winter Bazaar Fundraiser on November 15 from 10am-4pm.

For more infomation visit:

http://sjtdcourtenay.ca/events/christmas-bazaar/2025-11-15

Holly Tea & Bake Sale

Saturday, December 6, 2025

CALL FOR BAKERS.

For more infomation visit:

http://sjtdcourtenay.ca/events/holly-tea-bake-sale--575/2025-12-06

Bible Study - "The G.I.G."

Please join us 3:30pm on Tuesday's (via Zoom) for our weekly parish bible study "The G.I.G." (The Group Investigating God). We use the Lectio Divina method to prayerfully and thoughtfully engage with scripture.

The link is: https://bc-anglican-ca.zoom.us/j/96137290644?pwd=UFhJY2NyQ0VIcnBtNHAwcTRkSEtRdz09

For more infomation visit:

http://sjtdcourtenay.ca/events/bible-study-the-g-i-g--283/2025-10-07

Outreach Focus for OCTOBER

Kitchen Renovation Pledge Cards

Pledge Cards fordonations to the kitchen renovation can be placed in the offering plate.

COMINGS & GOINGS FROM THE DIOCESE

as of October 30, 2025

We Together 2025 - registration closes soon

Registration deadline: November 3, 2025

We Together is our regular (once every other year) diocesan conference to remind us of the ways we are connected; we are stronger together. We are bound in countless ways, in our structures, in our prayers, and through the stories we tell. We are each other's concern, and we are each other's gift.

This year the theme is God is Not Elsewhere. The conference will take place on November 14-15 at St. Paul, Nanaimo.

The deadline to register is November 3. To register CLICK HERE.

For more information about the speakers and event schedule, as well as financial aid CLICK HERE.

Funeral for the Rev. Canon Dolly Beaumont

Rev. Canon Alice E. (Dolly) Beaumont passed away peacefully on October 22, 2025, at the age of 84. Born on May 16, 1941, in Dalkeith, Scotland, Dolly was predeceased by her beloved husband, Art Beaumont.

Dolly’s lifelong dedication to her faith led her from volunteer service within the church to her ordination as a Deacon and later her recognition as a Canon in the church. Her kindness, compassion, and steadfast spirit inspired all who knew her. She will be remembered fondly and with gratitude for the love and light she shared so generously.

The funeral service will be at St. Mary of the Incarnation, Metchosin on All Saint’s Day, Saturday, November 1 at 2 pm.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to St. Mary’s Metchosin or The Eldercare Foundation (Priory Site) in Dolly’s memory.

Attendees are invited to wear colourful clothing to reflect Dolly’s life. Clergy wishing to vest for this service should email Lynn Mills at lmills@bc.anglican.ca to RSVP.

The Order of the Diocese of BC

Congratulations to the Order recipients!

On Saturday, October 25, the investiture service for the Order of the Diocese of BC was held at Christ Church Cathedral. We would like to congratulate the 40 members of this diocese who received the Order.

To watch the livestream of the service, including a sermon by the primate, Shane Parker CLICK HERE.

Theologies of Church Apologies

Thursday, October 30, 2025

In recent years, several Christian churches have been called to offer formal apologies to individuals and communities harmed by actions carried out wrongly in the name of Jesus. Do such apologies make a difference? What makes an apology genuine? And what theological or practical implications do church-made apologies have for other Christian traditions?

On the evening of October 30, 2025, all are welcome to join members of the Anglican–Roman Catholic Dialogue of Canada and local representatives from the Anglican, Catholic, and Lutheran communities of Greater Victoria for a panel discussion on the soon-to-be-published text Theologies of Church Apologies. Executive Director, Brendon Neilson is one of the panelists for this discussion.

John Albert Hall Lecture

Understanding and Valuing Occasional Religious Practice - Thursday, November 13, 2025

The next John Albert Hall Lecture will take place on November 13, 5:30pm to 6:45pm, in the David Strong Building on the University of Victoria Campus.

Speaker: Sarah Kathleen Johnson

Understanding and Valuing Occasional Religious Practice

The pews overflow on Christmas Eve and Easter Sunday. A mother reaches out to a local church for the first time to request the baptism of her newborn. The death of a public figure is marked with an extravagant funeral at a cathedral. These are all examples of what Sarah Kathleen Johnson (Assistant Professor of Liturgy and Pastoral Theology, Saint Paul University, Ottawa) calls occasional religious practice and explores as a primary way that people continue to relate to Christianity in increasingly nonreligious and religiously diverse contexts.

Donations needed for Blessing Boutique

“Donations of gently used mens and ladies clothing are needed for our Blessings Boutique. Donations can be dropped off at St John the Divine between 9am and noon Monday through Friday.”

Donations Needed for Blessing Box

ITEMS NEEDED:
-CANNED MEAT, CANNED SOUPS, BAKED BEANS
-PEANUT BUTTER, JAM, HONEY, SYRUP
-FRUIT JUICE / CRYSTALS
-GRAINS (RICE, NUTS, CEREAL, GRANOLA, ETC)
-CANNED VEGETABLES & FRUIT
-LUNCHBOX ITEMS: DRINK BOXES, GRANOLA BARS, PUDDING, FRUIT CUPS
-PASTA, KRAFT DINNER, MR. NOODLES
-SNACK ITEMS: POPCORN COOKIES, CRACKERS, CHIPS
-FLOUR, CANNED MILK

PLEASE ONLY NON-PERISABLE FOOD ITEMS.

For more infomation visit:

http://sjtdcourtenay.ca/news/donations-needed-for-blessing-box

St. John Can Now Accept Interac e-transfers!

The church now has the ability to accept Interac e-transfers! E-transfers can be sent to the email address: givings@sjtdcourtenay.ca

For donations, please include your envelope number if you have one.

If you do not have an envelope number, please include your name and full mailing address, if you would like to receive a receipt at the end of the year for your donation.

If your donation is to be designated, please include this information also. If there is no designation, the donation will go into general income.

If you have any questions, please send an email to admin@sjtdcourtenay.ca and someone will get back to you.

St. John the Divine Executive Email Contacts

Rector: Rev. Alastair Hunting; ahunting@bc.anglican.ca
Deacon: Rev. Marion Edmondson; medmondson@bc.anglican.ca
Rector's Warden: Cary Davis; wardens@sjtdcourtenay.ca
People's Warden: Marj Aitken; wardens@sjtdcourtenay.ca
Treasurer: Marcia Haley; treasurer@sjtdcourtenay.ca
Parish Counsil Secretary; Kathy Coulthart-Dewey; pcsecretary@sjtdcourtenay.ca

St. John the Divine is on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/sjtdcourtenay

The link for our facebook page is also found at the bottom of our website page and at the very bottom of our weekly newsletter.

For more infomation visit:

http://sjtdcourtenay.ca/news/st-john-the-divine-is-now-on-facebook

WITH GRATITUDE

We acknowledge with thanksgiving that we have gathered on the Unceded traditional territory of the K’òmoks First Nation. As a part of the Anglican Church of Canada, a church of Settlers and First Nations, we commit ourselves to a journey of truth and reconciliation between the Indigenous peoples of this land and the non-native peoples of Canada.