The Georgian

Easter 2006 Edition
Table of Contents

Editorial

By Lucinda Landau

What is it like to hear the voice of God? Have you ever heard it?
We often puzzle over this issue. How can we be sure that we, mere humans, actually hear the voice of God? Archdeacon John McMulkin once described the 'voice' we hear upon answered prayer as the second part of hearing - while there is no person present to speak words out loud, the effect registers inwardly in our brain as thought. Our minds understand that we have been spoken to.

There are other ways to perceive the presence of the Divine in our lives. It can come from participation in a moving liturgy, sharing a life story with someone who is in distress, or simply watching a beautiful sunset.Something takes place that is out of the ordinary and we are forever changed by an inner realization. We, as faithful people, can hear the voice of God and feel loved.

In Israel, twenty-three years ago, I wandered the streets of Old Jerusalem as a pilgrim. My husband and I walked the Via Dolorosa behind a tour group who were following the Stations of the Cross. Somewhere near the 12th station, we were instinctively led off the designated path and we took a turn away from the tour group. Another pilgrim, a tall, handsome young man from Sweden split off with us as well. We weren't sure where we were going, but we followed our inner guidance until we unexpectedly arrived at hidden courtyard with a beautiful enclosed garden.

The three of us walked into the garden and stood dumbfounded. We were filled with the Spirit of Christ and could not speak. We stood on sacred ground.

This spot was not marked as one of the Stations of the Cross, but we knew we were in a holy place. All of our inner yearnings to immerse ourselves in Christ's journey of pain and suffering were me

Easter 2006 Message from the Rector

My Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I begin by stating the obvious fact that you are reading these words. Yes, it is true. The question is where are these words that you are reading? Are they in the paper version of The Georgian or the online version? This note from me, like many of the articles in this edition of our newsletter, will be found in both places, and that it is a really good thing for St. George's and our Evangelism efforts.

Our web presence is an important way for St. George's to let people know who we are and what we are about. It can, just like our traditional paper Georgian, tell stories and share our faith by witnessing to the things we do and say here in God name. Yet, one thing that makes our web site different from our traditional newsletter is that it can be accessed by anyone on the internet from anywhere on the planet. This edition of The Georgian will be the third available online and because they are stored there, you can refer to and read previous editions.

Our web site also has the ability to be updated much more frequently allowing current information to be added. On our main web site we have shorter stories and scriptural reflections about current events or our Sunday bible readings. There are links to a short history of the parish as well as links to our Parish's diocesan profile and our service times. As you can tell (or see), our web presence on the internet is helpful to new folks looking to find out more about who we are and what we do, as well as be a place for us to communicate amongst ourselves.

If you are reading this online, I invite you to look around the web pages and also visit the links to our fabulous Diocesan Web Page or the excellent and informative Anglican Church web site. If you are reading this in the paper edition of The Georgian, I invite to check out the web site at www.stgeorgesgeorgetown.com.

As we celebrate the Resurrection of our Lord, I pray that we may grow in the many ways to spread the important message of hope and salvation to others!

A joyful Easter to you all!

The Rev'd Robert W.A. Park

St. George's Evangelism

By Helen Vandermey

A new initiative for our parish will be a hospitality workshop: how to be a good host in the house of God. Being a good host has become an important area of ministry for parishes that successfully attract newcomers.

We can no longer assume that people will automatically be drawn to our church. Our society has become increasingly secularized; sports practice has replaced Sunday church for many busy young families. Belonging to a faith community is now the exception rather than the rule. So, when people do make the effort to integrate into our parish we need to be trained and ready to
greet them and help them adjust to parish life. The Barna research group has uncovered some interesting statistics:

70% of all people who visit a church make up their mind about coming back BEFORE the clergy gets up to speak!

Almost 80% of our visitors and newcomers do not return to our churches after their 4th or 5th visit!

3 out of 4 parents say a church that provides religious training for their children would be of interest to them.

How can we be better hosts?
Sign up for our Hospitality Workshop where you'll learn about:

Improving first impressions: what are the first things guests hear and see

Job descriptions and training for greeters, ushers and sidespeople

The strengths and weaknesses of our biggest asset, our buildings!

Mentoring newcomers over time
St. George's workshop has been booked for Saturday, June 3rd from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Service Booklets
Negotiating your way through the Book of Alternative Services, BAS (green book) can be a little overwhelming for newcomers. We're not going to do away with the green book, but we are going to make it easier, especially for our one-time guests who attend St. George's. We have decided to prepare service booklets to make participation easier for our visitors. One booklet will contain the order of service that begins on page 185 of the BAS and the second will include the baptismal service. Newcomers or visitors will receive the appropriate booklet before the service and will return the booklets after the service for future use. We hope to have booklets available in time for Easter Sunday.

Distribute Parish Leaflet
This fall we are going to prepare a flyer describing our parish which will be delivered - either by parish volunteers or Canada Post - to all the new homes in Georgetown south. We know there are more Anglicans out there and even a few Anglicans-in-waiting! We want to put our parish on the map and welcome them to our worship services.

Community Youth Event
Also in the works for the fall is a youth event that will be open to all town youth, Grade 6 and up. The type of event will be determined by the youth of our parish who will help plan and host the event. Aside from providing a much-needed social venue for this age group, we want to bring
families into direct contact with who we are as a Church.

The Momentum is Building!
We're beginning to establish a core group of parishioners who are excited about Evangelism at St. George's. I invite you to join our group or simply give me your ideas on how you feel we might best meet your faith needs within our parish. Who knows? Your suggestions might just help along the faith journey for others as well. Talk to me during coffee hour or leave a
message on the bulletin board or call me at home.

St. George's is on the move with Evangelism - the momentum is building and we're excited about the possibilities for our Church.

Reflections on a Visit to the Solel Congregation

By Helen Tazzman

Every year, the Solel Congregation in Mississauga invites the various Christian churches in the area to a special Friday evening Shabbat service. The aim is to promote good relations through understanding between Christians and Jews. The action of the Jewish congregation is a reminder of the Sermon on the Mount: Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God.

On February 3, 2006, in company with a friend from St. Thomas À Becket Anglican Church, I participated in a worship tradition that would have been familiar to Jesus. The rabbi welcomed us with the ancient greeting, Shabbat Shalom. Then we were taught a hymn in Hebrew, the language of the Old Testament. Throughout the service, the hearty congregational singing,
led by Rabbi Englander and a young assistant on guitars, may well have been the envy of many of the Christian pastors present.

Other features of the service reminded me of the continuity of worship from ancient Israel to the modern Anglican Church. The kindling of the Shabbat Lights was similar to the lighting of the candles on the altar. The rabbi pointed out that Jesus had recited the Shma, the Creed that appears in the Book of Common Prayer. The word, Shma (Hear), is the beginning of the
declaration of faith: Hear, O Israel, Adonai (the Lord) is our God, Adonai is One. The reading of Psalms was a feature of worship in the temple at Jerusalem, modern synagogues and in our own church. The Roman Catholic and High Anglican genuflect and low Anglican bow to the altar arises out of the Jewish practice of both bending the knee and bending at the waist in succession in acknowledgement of the sovereignty of God. Our remembrance of the dead in our prayers arises from the Mourners Kaddish.

In the Jewish prayer book, Paths of Prayer, Prayers for Shabbat, which I subsequently bought, I discovered this illuminating prayer, Creator of all the worlds, not in reliance upon the righteousness of our deeds do we place our longings before You; we look instead to Your abundant mercy. Doesnt that sound like the words of the Anglican prayer, not trusting in our own righteousness? That prayer should lay to rest any misconception that Jewish people think that they are justified by the works of the Law. Rather, they follow the Law out of love and respect for God. Like us, they rely on Divine grace.

Worshipping among Jesus living relatives in a way that Jesus would have worshipped was a moving and unforgettable experience.