St James Breakfast Table is looking for volunteers on Wednesday mornings, beginning at 9 am. Please call or email the church office if interested.
St James Breakfast Table is looking for volunteers on Wednesday mornings, beginning at 9 am. Please call or email the church office if interested.
Have you heard of the national movement of generosity The Big Give? On June 4, 2022, many churches across the country are working together to bless their communities through offering a variety of goods and/or services for free. At St. James, we are also getting involved in this movement. From 10 am until 1 pm on June 4, 2022, we are inviting the community to join us at St. James for festivities, including a BBQ, face painting, balloons, church tours and a car boot sale all for free!
If you would like to contribute to this movement of generosity, please let us know. The more involved, the merrier! In particular, we are looking for people who would like to participate in a CAR BOOT SALE. It is a wonderful opportunity to do some spring cleaning and share previously-loved items with others. Please contact Lynn Hyndman at (613) 851-7129 or [email protected] if you would like to register your car. A $20 deposit is needed to reserve your parking spot, which will be refunded on your arrival. Please note, following the principles of The Big Give, all items will be given away. What wonderful items do you have that could be treasures to someone else?
Join us each Wednesday between 8:30 and 10:30 a.m.
Hot breakfast served: eggs, toast, muffins, etc. Hope to see you there!
THE LILAC CAPITAL OF ONTARIO PRESENTS THE FRANKTOWN LILAC FESTIVAL
Saturday, May 28th, 2022
Centennial Hall – Franktown
(BRING YOUR LAWN CHAIR)
8:00 am – 10:30 am Breakfast Hosted by The Beckwith Irish Football Team
10:15 am – 10:30 am Registration for Children’s Bike Parade at St. James Church
10:45 am & 11:45 am Highland Dancing Demo – Victoria Nichols School
11:00 am – 2:00 pm BBQ at Centennial Hall
12:00 pm Beekeeping Demo – Julia Roberts
12:00 pm – 3:30 pm Historical Horse Drawn Wagon Rides Down Lilac Lane
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm Cold Plate Supper Hosted by St. James Centennial Hall
LIVE ENTERTAINMENT
11:00 am – Junkyard Symphony’s Super Street Show
1:00 – 5:00 pm – Jamie McMunn & Friends
ALL DAY
Craft Market, Children’s Games & Activities, Various Garage Sales, Restored Antique Vehicle Display, Silent Auction, 50/50 Draw, Dry Stone Wall Canada Demonstration and more
For More Information Please Contact:
The Township Office 613-257-1539 or Cora Nolan from the Centennial Hall, 613-283-3789
www.twp.beckwith.on.ca
Come enjoy an afternoon concert of vocal duets performed by the students in the vocal studio of Lisa Webber, accompanied by Ian Guenette, piano, and Patrick Kline, cello. The proceeds from this concert will go the Ukraine relief effort. Free will offering. Sunday, May 29th. 2pm
The Sunday of the Resurrection
Presider: The Venerable Brian Kauk
Communion Assistant: Peter Hicks
Readers/Intercessor: Peter Hicks & Debbie Burn
Musician: Ian Guenette
Live Production: Ian Parker
Sunday of the Passion
Presider: The Venerable Brian Kauk
Communion Assistant: Ronette Vines
Readers/Intercessor: Sandra Schappert & Yvonne Kilpatrick
Musician: Ian Guenette
Live Production: Helen Vandermey
Lent 5
Presider: The Venerable Brian Kauk
Communion Assistant: Sylvia Giles
Readers/Intercessor: Lynn Hyndman & Fred Meredith
Musician: Ian Guenette
Live Production: Chris Jones
March 24, 2022
It’s time to cautiously reduce some of the restrictions around in-person worshipping.
All through the pandemic we have had to balance the Provincial and Diocesan regulations about what we are allowed to do.
Now that the Province is lifting requirements about masking, distancing, and capacity limits, and providing proof of vaccination, we need to consider our approach.
As a church, it’s important that we uphold higher standards than many other public spaces, to protect our population, many of whom are older and identify as immunocompromised in some way, and would be at greater risk of severe consequences of Covid. We do not represent the general demographic of Ontario, where the majority may suffer little impact from becoming infected.
Our Diocese remains in “stage yellow”, which means that
To determine this, the Diocese suggested “taking the pulse” of parishioners, and to do this, we asked, in a survey, what you want to do.
The Survey
The survey told us that the church is really divided on these issues, and divided for a number of reasons. The most pressing of these were people’s concerns for their personal and family safety, contrasted with the desire to “move forward”, and the challenges and inconveniences of having to show proof of vaccination, and wear masks. Approximately 50% of respondents wanted to discontinue vaccination checks. The remaining 50% wanted to continue or were not sure.
Covid and vaccination
There are many misconceptions around masking and vaccination that need to be considered when making a decision.
Science tells us that vaccines are the best possible defense against Covid, but as we all know this does not provide 100% protection. (The Queen, who is triple vaccinated, likely caught Covid from Prince Charles, who is also triple vaccinated!).
The Omicron variant and its descendants have presented new challenges. The vaccine passport requirements were developed during the Delta wave, when we knew that vaccination was highly effective against becoming infected, and also believed that vaccinated people who became infected were less likely to transmit Covid to others.
This is no longer the case. People who are vaccinated, especially those triple vaccinated are still protected against becoming infected, but not to the same extent as before. They are also protected to a significant extent against the most severe outcomes of Covid. However, they can and do catch Covid and can and do transmit it to others. There is much ongoing research about whether the risk of transmission of Covid from a vaccinated infected person is reduced, but we simply do not know yet.
Because of these changes, there is less evidence in the community that excluding the unvaccinated from gatherings actually protects those who are there. It is just as possible to catch Covid from a vaccinated person than those few who have not been vaccinated, so it has become much more difficult to find grounds to continue to exclude the unvaccinated.
At the moment, many restrictions have been relaxed and people will mix more. Ontario, especially Lanark county, has a very high number of people who are vaccinated, so we are in a good position. However, it will take a little while to assess the consequences of opening up. If there is a surge in numbers, and the disease becomes more widespread again, it will increase the risk for all, but especially those who are not vaccinated. Although they are few, they may become more significant when we consider the risk of transmission.
The plan
The Pandemic planning Committee met and discussed the survey results and current recommendations at great length.
Over the next few weeks, we intend to gradually lift restrictions on distancing and vaccine checks.
The Diocese still requires us to continue to mask, and we will review this when the Diocese gives us the option to do so.
Specific points from the survey
People assume that the entire church membership is vaccinated. This is not the case. Several members of St James have valid reasons for not vaccinating. Can we justify their continued exclusion?
People are concerned that if they forget their phone or vaccine certification that they will be turned away. This is not the case. If you have shown proof of vaccine in the past and someone has seen this and can vouch for you, you are very welcome.
Proof of vaccination has never been required at the Thursday service
People say the Public Health unit has told us to drop vaccine requirements. Also not the case. The PHU allows us as a church, as well as other businesses, the option to request proof of vaccination, or not.
Despite what some other churches are doing, we are not, by law (PHIPA), allowed to keep a list of people’s vaccine status, or some surrogate for this such as an attendance list, as this is considered medical information. Because we are only human, and the staffing at the door changes week to week, we do not always remember who has shown their vax proof in the past. Some people are returning to church after a long time, and we have some new parishioners. So yes, we do need to ask, at least for a couple more weeks. Sorry.
Lent 4
Presider: The Venerable Brian Kauk
Communion Assistant: Joe Million
Readers/Intercessor: Jim Middleton & Debbie Burn
Musician: Ian Guenette
Live Production: Ayden Swift