Our Diocesan Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Shane Parker, has asked that a statement by our Acting Primate, Archbishop Anne Germond, on the recent resignation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, be shared with the clergy and laity of our diocese. You can read the full statment at the link below.

Bishop Shane also asks that we pray for everyone who is affected by this news and continue to conscientiously uphold the safe church practices of our diocese. 

The All Saints Christmas Tea will be held tomorrow, Saturday, November 16th from 11am to 2pm.

Come and shop the Bake Table, Glitz and Glamour, Santa's Shoppe, a Silent Auction, and enjoy the delicious Christmas Tea. The Tea is only $12 per person!

All Saints is located at 1173 Victoria Street, Petawawa. Parking is available in the lot beside the church.

The annual Holly Bazaar and Luncheon at Holy Trinity, Pembroke is next Thursday, November 21 from 11am to 1:30pm.

Doors open at 11am with lunch being served from 11:30am. The luncheon is homemade soups and sandwiches and gingerbread with butter rum sauce for dessert for only $12! For the full menu, please click the blue button below.

The bazaar will include knitted, crocheted and other handicraft items, a re-gifting table of gently used gifts and Christmas decorations, a Silent Auction, Fifth Avenue Collection jewellery, and a bake table.

Elevator available. This is a cash-only event.

Tickets are still available for the Church of the Epiphany, Barry's Bay annual Wine & Cheese Pairing fundraiser on Saturday, November 30th from 2-5pm at the Barry's Bay Legion (250 John Street (Hwy 62) at Stafford).

Join in for a tasting of gourmet cheeses paired with fine wines presented by our Ottawa epicurean extraordinaire. Tickets are $50/person with all proceeds going to Church of the Epiphany.

In addition to new combinations of specialty cheeses to compliment good wines, there will be some Christmas baking and other tasty treats to try. At the end of the evening, there will be a wine & cheese cash auction for those who wish to try some more at home or for gifts.

For more information or for tickets, please contact Shawn & Dave Eagles at 613-756-6353.

The annual synod of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa met last week, November 7-9, in Ottawa. Synod began with worship in our Cathedral on Thursday, and members then spent Friday and Saturday gathered with others from across our diocesan church as we heard stories of what God is doing in and through us as we share in the work of Jesus Christ together.

During opening worship on Thursday evening, Bishop Shane Parker delivered his annual charge to synod. You can read or watch the Bishop's Charge at this link.

Some photos from our parish's members of synod have been shared on the Parish of the Valley Facebook page, which you can view here (you don't need a Facebook account to see them).

Finally, a Synod Highlights document has been prepared and is available at the link below. A few hard copies will also be available in each church in our parish this Sunday.

Thank you for your prayers as synod gathered, and thank you to all of the lay and ordained members of our parish who worshipped, listened, and participated in our synod this year.

Algonquin College's Pembroke Waterfront Campus will be hosting Marie Wilson, one of Canada's three Truth and Reconciliation Commissioners, for a special Speaker Series presentation on Thursday, November 28th at 7pm.

Marie Wilson has recently released the book, North of Nowhere, about her experiences working with Murray Sinclair and Wilson Littlechild as Commissioners on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. While she lives in Yellowknife, she is in Eastern Ontario for a book tour and will be in Pembroke for the Algonquin College Speaker Series.

About her book, a review offers: 
"With the skills of a journalist, the heart of a mother and grandmother, and the insights of a life as the spouse of a residential school survivor, Commissioner Marie Wilson guides readers through her years witnessing survivor testimony across the country, providing her unique perspective on the personal toll and enduring public value of the commission. In this unparalleled account, she honours the voices of survivors who have called Canada to attention, determined to heal, reclaim, and thrive."

You can learn more and register to participate, either online or in person at the Pembroke Waterfront Campus, at the link below. Tickets are $22.60, and are free for those over 60.

This Advent, step out of the hustle and bustle and into a quiet space for a time of reflection and candlelit worship.

Beginning Wednesday, November 27th and continuing for four weeks in Advent, our parish will be offering a weekly quiet service of Advent Vespers. The services will be held on November 27, December 4, 11, and 18 at 4pm in Holy Trinity Pembroke. Each service will also be simultaneously live-streamed for those who would prefer to join in from home, or watch the recording at a later time. You can connect to the live-stream here. 

Each week we will reflect on the theme of the upcoming Advent Sunday: Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. We hope these brief liturgies will offer our parish a quiet centre, whether attended in person or online, and we look forward to sharing in worship with our full-communion partners from St. Timothy's Evangelical Lutheran Church and Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pembroke.

This year, the Parish of the Valley clergy team is pleased to recommend a number of resources for daily devotions throughout the season of Advent. You can learn more about each of them and sign up to receive them through the link below.

Hope and Surprise: Reflections for the season of Advent from the Primate's World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF). 

Advent Word from the Episcopal Church's Forward Movement offers daily email meditations and an inspirational online Advent calendar.

The Texts Behind the Tunes from the Presbyterian Church in Canada offers videos and notes on the Biblical texts at the heart of seven different Advent hymns.

The Weary World Rejoices Advent reflections by author Kate Bowler.

Brother, Give Us A Word from the Brothers of the Society of St. John the Evangelist (SSJE).

The annual Advent Celebration of Light at St. John the Evangelist, Eganville will be held on Sunday, December 1st at 3pm.

Please join in this traditional choral evensong with prayers of remembrance.

All proceeds will support the sponsorship of students through St. John's longstanding partners in Uganda, Wide Smiles For All Through Education, led by Kenneth Kasule.

We also invite you to share those whom you wish to be remembered in prayer during the service, and their names will be entered into the Memorial Book. Please send the names before Sunday November 24th, by contacting Joan Boldt at 613-628-6503, or joan.boldt@live.com. 

Four times per year, the Parish of the Valley holds Food Bank Sunday, a day when we intentionally bring in food donations to church that we can offer to our local food banks. Our next Food Bank Sunday is Sunday, December 1st.

Christmas is a time of year when many food banks are looking for extra donations to be able to support those in our communities who need it. Local food banks may have pariticular wishes during this season and we encourage you to check in with your local food banks about what they may particularly need.

A list, and contact information, for all of our local food banks is available at the link below.

Our next issue of the Parish newpaper, Revelations, will be published mid-December. We would like to recieve short articles or stories about your congregation has done in the past months. From providing space or meals for your local food bank, to special services and events, there are many things that have happened in the life of our parish over the last couple of months that we want to highlight in our newspaper! 

Not sure about what to write but have an idea from your congregation? No problem! Feel free to reply to this email or speak with Rev. Gillian.

The submission deadline is Monday, December 9th to revelations@valleyanglicans.ca.

Please save the dates and plan to join us for these upcoming Christmas Concerts.

Sunday, December 8th at 3pm - Holy Trinity Pembroke's annual Christmas season concert, A Joyous Prelude to Christmas.

Wednesday, December 11th at 2pm - Carolling at the ECHO Centre (30 Bell Street, Eganville).

Sunday, December 15th at 2pm - St. George's South Alice annual St. George's Christmas Sing-A-Long.

Tuesday, December 17th at 7pm - The YoYo Mamas Fiddle Group will again hold a Christmas Concert at Church of the Epiphany, Barry's Bay. Admission will be by (free) ticket with a freewill offering received at the door. Text Pia (613-633-9361) or stop by Epiphany Fashions to reserve your ticket.

Our friends and neighbours in the Parish of St. Barnabas Anglican Church, Deep River, will be holding its Christmas Tea and Bazaar on Saturday, November 30 from 1:30-4pm.

All are invited to attend the tea for $15 per person, as well as shopping the bake and deli tables for goodies and the gift table for Christmas gifts.

St. Barnabas is located at 80 Glendale Road in Deep River.

Worship times and locations for Sunday, November 17th are:

We continue to be grateful for the many ways that members of the Parish of the Valley share gifts of time, talent, and financial resources to further God's mission across the Valley and beyond. To ensure the continued financial health of our ministries, all members of the Parish of the Valley are encouraged to make regular offerings to their home congregations and chapels. There are a many ways that you can give. Please click the blue button below to learn more.

Thank you for your continued support of the Parish of the Valley.

Here you will find our parish prayer list, scripture readings according to the Sunday lectionary, and links to worship by the Parish of the Valley and other Anglican resources and services.

Please download from the link below.