October 24th, 2010
Rectors Weekly Report

The Bishop will be in our parish on March 6th of 2011. Confirmation classes will begin on Sunday, November 7th, to prepare candidates for confirmation at that time. Registration forms are available at the back of the church. Those wishing to be confirmed should be a minimum twelve years of age at the time of confirmation. If you have any questions please speak to the rector.
I am very pleased that the Rev. David Dellapina and his wife Bev have agreed to take leadership of the confirmation program. David's gifts as a priest in our diocese and Bev's gifts as a teacher bode well for a great confirmation class.

The Regional Clericus met at St. Nicholas, Westwood Hills on Tuesday morning.

I have found that keeping regular office hours on Wednesday and Friday mornings (9 a.m. - 12 a.m.) has allowed parishioners to drop by with concerns, suggestions, or just to visit. As I said previously I am available at other times but this does give us posted times when you can be reasonable certain that someone will be in the office.

I was pleased to visit Melville Lodge where a number of people from our congregation are residents. I visited with two of them on Wednesday.

I met with warden, Lloyd Miller, who briefed me about the Property meetings held on Tuesday night. Now that the rector's office is completed a priority is situate the choir in the Fellowship Room. We are hoping to recover this space as a place for fellowship, for meetings and continuing education, as well as making it a comfortable and practical space for our choir.

Regional Council met at St. Andrew’s on Thursday evening. Wendy Wells is the Secretary-Treasurer of Regional Council and Jinny Giza is the Co-chair. As Regional Dean for Fort Sackville I am the chair of Regional Council. Synod delegates, Doug Gillett and Linda Strachan are also members of Regional Council.

While I was in my office Friday morning the Ladies Group were busy downstairs getting ready for their Yard Sale. I’m sure there is a parallel of the Genesis story in what they do in making order out of chaos. The piles of ’stuff’ that is gathered is neatly organized and presented for the bargain hunters that show up. Great job!!

Rev. Mike

Once there was a rabbi who was at the point of death, so the Jewish community proclaimed a day of fasting in the town in order to induce the Heavenly Judge to commute the sentence of death.
On that very day, when the entire congregation was gathered in the synagogue for penance and prayer, the town drunkard went to the village tavern for some schnapps. When another Jew saw him do this he rebuked him, saying, "Don't you know this is a fast-day and you're not allowed to drink? Why, everybody's at the synagogue praying for the rabbi!"
So the drunkard went to the synagogue and prayed, "Dear God! Please restore our rabbi to good health so that I can have my schnapps!"
The rabbi recovered, and it was considered a miracle. He explained it in the following way: "May God preserve our village drunkard until he is a hundred and twenty years! Know that his prayer was heard by God when yours were not. He put his whole heart and soul into his prayer!"