Parish Update
THE COLLECT FOR THE FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT
Gracious Father, whose blessed Son Jesus Christ came down from heaven to be the true bread which gives life to the world: Evermore give us this bread, that he may live in us, and we in him; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
This coming Sunday morning, as the last session in our Engaging the Culture series, we will be discussing sexuality and sexual ethics. Like the previous sessions, this will be at 9 AM in Stiller Hall. For me (Pastor Harman), this is an issue that is near and dear to my heart. I was raised in the Bible Belt of the U.S., right smack dab in the centre of purity culture. I read Joshua Harris’ I Kissed Dating Goodbye, “courted” rather than dated, went to more abstinence talks than I could count, and spent all of my time it seemed in just about every small group session talking about sexual purity and the perennial struggle with lust. What I ended up with was some semblance of purity, yes, but also heaps and heaps of shame around sex and sexuality, and about my body in general. This led me into years of depression.
Eventually I decided that there had to be a way to embrace all that was good and wise in what I was taught about sex and the body, while also correcting what was shaming and fearful with a more fully Biblical approach. Much of my young adult years and my time in seminary were devoted to exploring questions such as:
How do I honour God in my body as a creation of His that He called “very good?”
How, as a single person (at that time) do I cherish and positively cultivate my celibate sexuality as a God-given gift?
How, when I get married, do I honour my spouse with a well-stewarded sexuality without falling into shame on the one hand and lust on the other?
How do I love and join in discipleship with my sisters and brothers who are not opposite-sex attracted, or who feel ill at ease in the body God has given them?
How can the Church cherish, encourage, and empower her single members in ways that don’t get reduced to merely encouraging them to get married (and thus implicitly shaming them for being unmarried)?
As you all know very well, these touch on hot button issues that stretch far beyond my own personal struggles, but I hope to bring to the table some insights that I’ve gleaned from this struggle, and I hope to hear from you what insights you have to offer as well.
I want to explore how, as Western society, we take it as a given that identity is self-constructed, and that any given-ness of identity is a source of oppression to be resisted, and how that shapes the way we approach sexual ethics. I also want to consider how the redemption story, from creation through to consummation, informs our uniquely Christian sexual ethic and worldview. And finally I want to workshop practical spiritual disciplines and habits that will help us steward our bodies in a way that honours the Lord, others, and ourselves. I look forward to exploring these questions with you all, but for now I’ll leave you with this Collect, the Collect for the Second Sunday of Christmas:
O God, who wonderfully created, and yet more wonderfully restored, the dignity of human nature: Grant that we may share the divine life of him who humbled himself to share our humanity, your Son Jesus Christ our Lord; who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
UPCOMING EVENTS – Mark Your Calendars
March 29: Men’s Breakfast with speaker Bishop Charlie Masters in Stiller Hall.
March 29: Packer College Dessert Reception in Stiller Hall at 6:30 PM. Register here.
March 30: Engaging the Culture Adult Education series at 9 AM in Stiller Hall
March 30: Sunday Service with Junior Church and Nursery at 10:30 AM with Hospitality Hour following in Stiller Hall.
April 4-6: Women’s Retreat at Camp IAWAH. Details and registration here by Sunday.
April 26: Feast of Nations beginning at 4 PM in Stiller Hall. Register here.
WEATHER ALERTS
Environment Canada has issued a Special Weather Statement stating that Ottawa is at risk of an ice storm this weekend. If the church cancels one of its weekend events, those registered will receive an email from the church informing them of the cancellation. We will also put something on our Website noting the cancellation.
PACKER COLLEGE DESSERT RECEPTION WITH BISHOP CHARLIE
This Saturday, March 29 at 6:30 PM, Bishop Charlie Masters, the Chancellor of Packer College, will be at St Peter and St Paul’s to share the vision of Packer College, our diocesan seminary in St John’s. Please join us for a dessert reception in Stiller Hall as we hear about what God is doing in and through Packer College, and how we might support the training and equipping of a new generation of Christian leaders in our diocese.
Details and registration: - https://peterpaulottawa.churchcenter.com/people/forms/918096
Junior Church Redevelopment Campaign
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our Junior Church campaign. We are asking that people return their donor form by Sunday, April 8. If you would like to make your donation after April 8, that is fine, just indicate when you expect to make your gift on the donor form.
Free furniture and items available in Stiller Hall
As we prepare to transform much of our basement storage area into Junior Church classrooms, we are getting rid of excess furniture as well as a piano. Please take a look at what is available (file cabinets, bookshelves, coffee tables, sound board, etc.) and help yourself to it after church on Sunday. You may want to bring a trailer, van, or truck if you want to haul large items. There will be more items available in the following weeks. First come, first served.
Women’s Retreat: April 4-6: Register by Sunday
Take a much-needed rest from your daily tasks and spend a weekend focused on Jesus at the spring women’s retreat “More Grace, More Love, More Jesus” led by women in The Anglican Diocese of Canada (our diocese).
Deacon Jane Parent (St Luke's, Pembroke) will be serving our speaker, Pastor Michelle will be our chaplain, and Kathy Doering (Living Waters, Kingston) will be our worship leader.
Registration cost is $295. For full details and to register click here.
More free books available!
The clergy have reviewed the books in our parish library and we have many more to give away on the free books bookshelf in the library. Please check it out and help yourself!
Donate with Easter Blood Drive Ottawa!
The 2025 Ottawa Easter Blood Drive encourages Christians to donate blood or plasma, and by doing so, demonstrate Jesus' love to our city. Book an appointment to donate at Canadian Blood Services donation sites from March 29 – April 5. Further details can be found here.
CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES
Our Nursery Blessings continue in the Winter series - The Life of Jesus. This week we see how Jesus loves the little children and welcomes them.
This week our Chapel Lambs will look at the story of Blind Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus has faith in who Jesus is and cries out to Him for mercy. After Jesus heals Bartimaeus and releases him from the effects of sin, he follows Jesus. Our memory verse this series: My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27.
Our Kingdom Kids lesson this week: Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet. Jesus shows His disciples His love for them and humbly washes their feet. He commands them to imitate Him in loving and serving one another.
Our Lions of Judah completed the catechism unit What is the Gospel? two weeks ago. Our three-week follow-up series invites the children to consider how we respond to the Good News of Jesus. This week we look at what it means to Grow in Faith. We begin our life in Christ by faith (salvation) and continue to grow in Him by faith (sanctification) as the Holy Spirit works within us.
PLAYGROUP ON TUESDAYS
Our Playgroup gathers on Tuesdays from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM in our Nursery space. This has become a wonderful time of connecting with one another. Children ages 0-5 and their caregivers are welcome to join us! Please consider extending an invitation to any parent or caregiver who may benefit from time spent with others caring for small children. Anyone who would like to see the Nursery is welcome to drop by after the Sunday service to take a look to see where we gather. We are blessed to have this bright and beautiful space and want to share it.
Please help us support the Centretown Community Food Centre!
Bring in non-perishable food items on Sunday mornings. For more information, click here.
THE MARRIAGE COURSE: Are you interested in strengthening your marriage?
Starting Thursday, April 24, at 6:30 PM, we are going to run THE MARRIAGE COURSE, which is a 7-week course. For more information, click here.
ONLINE MORNING PRAYER: Online Mondays - Saturdays at 8 AM
Everyone is invited to join us on Zoom daily for Morning Prayer. Morning Prayer is a great way to start your day with prayer, Scripture, and Christian fellowship. Please reach out to the church office at admin@peterpaulottawa.com to get connected.
Thursday Morning Bible Study: Online at 10:45 AM
The Thursday morning Bible study meets at 10:45 AM and ends at noon. We meet on Zoom and all are welcome! Please reach out to the church office at admin@peterpaulottawa.com to get connected.
Volunteer Opportunities for Food Makers, Servers, and Cleaning-uppers
Are you interested in serving others by making food, coffee, and tea, serving food, or cleaning up afterwards? We have some wonderful opportunities for you!
The Hospitality Team is a great way to serve at the church in a low-commitment volunteer position. Even those who can only help out once or twice a year are welcome to join the team. For more information or to sign up, click here.
For those looking for more of a regular commitment, Our church runs a weekly drop-in on Friday evenings from 7 PM to 9 PM called A Place To Go. We have volunteers who make the soup and sandwiches once a month and volunteers who purchase the other groceries needed from the supermarket. We also have volunteers who spend one Friday night a month at the church serving those who gather. If you would like to learn more about A Place To Go or volunteering, please click here or speak with Pastor Michelle or Kate S.
CHURCH RESOURCES
Church Office: The church office is open from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM Tuesdays through Thursdays. You can reach the office by phone at 613-235-1636 or by email at admin@peterpaulottawa.com.
Worship: We gather together for worship at 10:30 AM on Sundays, both in-person at the church and online on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/StPandPOttawa/)
Please use the Worship Guide to follow along with the service. You can join us in person at 152 Metcalfe Street.
Parking: There is a paid lot directly behind the church on Gloucester Street that offers all-day parking at a flat rate on Sundays. For street parking, please check posted signs, pay stations, and keep up to date on winter parking bans here.
Online: Check out our Facebook page for livestreams of our services, audio recordings of our sermons, and other news and posts. You can listen to our Parish podcast and sermons on your favourite podcast app by searching for “peterpaulottawa” and subscribing. And there is also our Website where you can listen to our sermons and podcasts, sign up for events, and read an extended cut of the weekly parish update.