October 15, 2023

THIS WEEK AT ST. JAMES
Tuesday, October 17
10:00 am Hot Meal Program
noon Deadline for Submissions to the next issue of Connections. See more information below.
3:00 pm Meditation Group in Meeting Room. For more information, call Fran @ 902- 863-3546

Thursday, October 19
11:00 am Hot Meal Program
6:00 am Youth Choir!
7:00 pm Senior Choir. New Members welcome!

Greeting at the door this Sunday is Glenna Quinn

Connections newsletter is now inviting submissions for the Winter 2023 edition. Personal reflections, poems, photographs and other expressions of the life and work of St James and its members are welcome, as well as book reviews and celebratory notices. Submissions can be emailed to stjamesconnections@gmail.com or dropped off at the office by noon on Tuesday October 17th.

UPCOMING AT ST. JAMES

The popular St James Info Fair will once again be offered. Stay after the service on October 22nd and see who we are after the long Covid lull and what we’re up to. We will entice you with some nibblies at each table, too. Fun! You might learn more about the new Youth Choir, or the details of the Bible Study Group. Learn about our Prayer Circle as well as the Prayer Shawl Ministry and much more. Save the date and join us!

St. James UCW will be holding their HOLLY TEA and SALE on SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 18. We will need several dozen volunteer workers on the day of the sale as well as a couple of days prior. If you can help in any way, please contact Barbara Gardiner at 863-1641 as soon as possible. We are now accepting your donations for the Christmas Room, the Silent Auction, Jewellery and the New-To-You table (NO BOOKS OR YARD SALE ITEMS. Items must be new or just like new.) Your contributions will be gratefully received Monday to Friday from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. until Friday, Nov. 10. Please use the back door of the church.

The 2024 United Church Calendars are ready to be ordered. Orders are being taken and should be placed by November 1. Please contact Barb in the office if you would like to order one, or Sheryl Chapman 902 863-6409

Tomorrow is World Food Day. The 17th is the International Day for Poverty Eradication. Your Social Justice Committee asks you to prayerfully reflect on the issues of world hunger and poverty, and potential solutions. WFD was established to increase awareness about food insecurity and its contributing factors, as well as to promote action regarding this issue. Here in Antigonish 30 > 60 people attend St James’ Hot Meal Program twice weekly. Hundreds make use of the Community Food Bank and our two Community Pantries. The Antigonish Community Fridge Soup Kitchen initiative launches tomorrow. Why in a world where we produce enough food to feed everyone, is hunger still present? In Canada, 1 in 7 households report experiencing food insecurity, and that number is rising steadily.

COMMUNITY ANNOUNCEMENTS
There will be Free Recreation Transit for Saturdays in October! Dial-a-ride services with Antigonish Community Transit will be free of charge for all Saturdays (7th, 14th, 21st, 28th) in the month of October for specified times to recreation locations around Antigonish. Also please note that any one can request other recreation destinations that may not be listed here. All bookings and specific questions should be directed to Antigonish Community Transit at (902) 867-0411. Please see the poster for further details.

“A conversation between all people—believers and non-believers— who find themselves in conflict. How can we better understand and empathize with each other? Everyone has a unique background, point of view, and experience, and at the same time, many experiences are universal. Focusing on what knits us together, rather than what pulls us apart, is a place to start.” The Knitting Pilgrim is a play presented by Festival Antigonish October 20 and 21st. For more information see the bulletin boards or go to https://www.festivalantigonish.ca/the-knitting-pilgrim/

New date for University of King’s College Chapel Choir Performance
Saturday Oct 21 @ 7:00 pm St. Paul’s Anglican Church

Praying for Peace in the Middle East
The United Church of Canada mourns the deaths and injuries already suffered and calls for an
immediate ceasefire to the recent escalation in violence in Israel and Palestine. The United
Church condemns the attacks launched on communities in southern Israel by Hamas, and the
ongoing daily violence meted out against Palestinians by Israel’s deepening occupation in
Palestinian territories.
Echoing the statement issued by the World Council of Churches, The United Church of Canada is deeply concerned about the risks of spiralling conflict between Palestinian armed groups and Israeli forces,
which impacts civilians on both sides the most and only leads to further violence and suffering.
“We pray for the victims and the families of those killed, injured, and abused,” said Rev. Michael Blair, General Secretary of The United Church of Canada.
The United Church joins with all those praying for a just peace in the Holy Land and urges global leaders to work urgently for an end to the current violence, an end to the ongoing occupation of Palestinian
territories, and a just and lasting peace for Palestinians and Israelis. For more information, see statement of the World Council of Churches

https://www.oikoumene.org/news/wcc-urgently-appeals-for-immediate-ceasefire-in-israel-and-palestine