Our first issue for 2025 of our parish newspaper, Revelations, will be published in April.

We would love to share stories from across our parish about things that have already taken place or events that are coming up in the life of our many congregations.

Please send submissions to revelations@valleyanglicans.ca or feel free to reach out to Rev. Gillian if you have a story idea but want to work with someone else to write it - we're pleased to assist in sharing the good news of what the churches and groups of our Parish of the Valley are up to!

“Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all the love you want to give but cannot. All that unspent love gathers up in the corners of your eyes, the lump in your throat, and in that hollow part of your chest. Grief is just love with no place to go.”   - Jamie Anderson

During the season of Lent, we are offering two sessions exploring the many facets of grief and loss. The two sessions will build upon each other, and they will each be held in three different locations across the parish. 

We are all experts at grieving. No one can get through this life without experiencing loss. As we move through the cycles and seasons of life, there are ways to resolve grief; ways that do not diminish our love and memories but help us to move through them so that we transform our experience of it. 

Our faith in Christ gives us strength; as we come to 'remember' Jesus in the Eucharist, he becomes alive to us. As we and all our relations remember our loved ones, so also do they come alive in our hearts. This time we spend together will be a gentle time of sharing insights, deep listening, and walking together on the road.

If you missed the first session in Barry's Bay or Pembroke, you can still join in next week in Eganville!

Upcoming sessions will take place at:

St. John the Evangelist, Eganville: Thursday March 27 (Session 1) and Thursday April 17 (Session 2) : 5:30pm - 6:30pm (Session 2 will lead into the Maundy Thursday Service at 7pm) 

Epiphany, Barry's Bay: Thursday April 3 (Session 2):  12pm-1pm

Holy Trinity, Pembroke: Wednesday April 9 (Session 2): 11am-12pm, following the 10am Mid-week Eucharist

Please join in this intimate service of Choral Evensong happening tomorrow, Saturday, March 22nd at 4pm in St. Patrick's, Lower Stafford (2595 Snake River Line, Cobden). Our Cathedral's Girls Choir has selected a number of beautiful pieces of music and settings for Evensong to share with us - you don't want to miss it!

We are confident that there are still seats available for Evensong, but if you would like to reserve a seat, you can do so at the link below. Otherwise, please join us at the door. A freewill offering will be received, suggested donation is $40 per ticket. All proceeds will be divided equally between the Girls Choir and the St. Patrick's Building Restoration Project.

As you read in last week's email newsletter, the Parish of the Valley is happy to be welcoming back Kenneth Kasule from Wide Smiles for All Through Education in Uganda.

Kenneth will be with us from April 25 through June 20. In addition to a number of speaking visits across our Parish and opportunities to join in fellowship and hear Kenneth speak about his work for children's eduation in Uganda, we are looking for households willing to host Kenneth as a guest in your home.

While he is with you, we hope that you will be able to offer him meals and fellowship, perhaps some sight-seeing in your area, bringing him to church if he is with you over a Sunday, making connection with the next host, and offering the opportunity to do laundry etc. as needed.

If you would like to know more about hosting Kenneth, or to sign up for a period of time as a host, please contact Carol Clark of St. John’s Eganville at 613-625-2755. Thank you for considering this ministry of hospitality as we welcome Kenneth to our parish community.

The Church of the Epiphany Soup & Sandwich is back again this Spring!

Come and enjoy a delicious soup and sandwich lunch - Friday, April 25th from 11:30am - 1:30pm. Featuring homemade soups, sandwiches, and pie - eat in or take out. Cost is only $10!

Our first Food Bank Sunday of 2025 will be on Sunday, March 30th.

Jesus teaches that there are two great commandments: love of God and love of neighbour.

Food banks and community kitchens play an essential role in strengthening food security across our communities. These services help to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our society have sufficient access to food -- a fundamental human right.

Across our parish four times per year we intentionally make contributions to the food banks operating within our local communities. For a list of our local food banks and links to their websites, please click the link below.

Thank you for helping to care for our neighbours and communities on Food Bank Sunday.

The Parish of the Valley is once again partnering with St. Timothy’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Pembroke (503 Alfred St.) to offer Holden Evening Prayer at St. Timothy’s on Wednesday evenings during Lent at 7pm.

Services continue on Wednesday evenings for the duration of Lent, concluding on April 9th. This year's services will include reflections on the final words spoken by Jesus from the cross: "Words that Last Forever."

All are welcome to join in these beautiful and reflective sung evening prayer liturgies. The services last for approximately 30 minutes and are followed by a time of fellowship in the St. Timothy's hall.

In this Lenten Study being offered by Rev. Margie Patterson, a retired United Church of Canada minister, we will explore how the power of music can deepen our connection to God and form us as disciples of Christ. For many, music is a ubiquitous presence in our lives that affects us, sometimes despite us. The music we resonate with speaks to who we are, what we believe, and what we aspire to as people. Because of this, music is a powerful faith formation tool.  What we sing together has the power to change us.

Using the resource, Something Sacred: Reflections on Faith and Music, this study is being offered at St. John's Eganville on Thursdays: Upcoming dates are March 27, April 3 & 10 from 4-5pm. All are welcome and pre-registration is not required.

Please mark your calendars for Spring Rummage Sales in the Parish of the Valley!

Saturday, April 26th from 8:30-11:30am at Holy Trinity, Pembroke

Saturday, May 3rd from 9am-Noon at All Saints, Petawawa

Join the Parish of the Valley as we conclude our Lenten journey with services from Palm Sunday to Easter.

A full listing of our Holy Week services is available at the link below.

These service times will also be shared via the Sunday pew bulletin in the weeks ahead.

Our final Annual Congregational Vestry Meeting will take place at St. John's Eganville this coming Sunday, March 23rd.

Thank you to all who have attended and prayerfully supported our Vestries thus far, and please keep the St. John's community in your prayers as the congregation gathers this Sunday following worship.

Worship times and locations for Sunday, March 23rd 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.