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St George's Newsletter, August 14th, 2026
Published 17 days ago • 3 min read
Weekly Newsletter
Woman of Canaan, Sadao Wantanabe, ca. 1940-1996, Watanabe placed biblical subjects in a Japanese context rendered in the mingei (folk art) approach.
A Note from Rev'd Heather
Dear St. George's,
Many of you have heard me refer to Ordinary time as the Green and Growing Season - a title that comes from a catechetical system called Godly Play. This framing invites us to spend the season after Pentecost (and the shorter season between Christmas and Lent) as a time of slow growth and deep digestion. Often, I visualize this time of year as a plateau, we are neither navigating up to the mountain top moments of Christmas and Easter nor down to the deep valleys of Advent, Lent, and Holy Week - instead we are on even, deceptively easy, ground.
This predictability and ordinariness of this season gives us space to practice what we preach - to digest and through repetition find ourselves shaped by a life that follows after Jesus.
In each Liturgical season we are invited to see God in particular and unique ways and this season stands in contrast to the intensity of our high seasons. Ordinary time is slower - more ordinary. In these ever-shortening days, we put one foot in front of the other and take the time to put into practice the wild convictions that caught our hearts during the high seasons.
This is where we spend most of our lives. It would be easy to think that these times are somehow less important because of their ordinariness but that would be a big mistake. God is with us in the plateaus of life just as much as He is on the mountain top.
Where do you see God at work today?
Yours in Christ,
H+
Table of Contents:
Upcoming Events & Notices:
Notice of Office Absence
Deadline for Fall Digest Submissions
Community Corner
The Big Course: Magnificant Humanity, Pope Leo's AI Encyclical with Montreal Dio
Sing-a-thon All Saints by the Lake
Sunday Service Information
Upcoming Events & Notices
Office Absence
Please note that our parish coordinator will be out of office from now until the 19th of August. All email correspondence will be followed up on upon her return. In case of emergency, please contact the clergy team. The rental and building emails are being monitored as normal during this time.
It should also be noted that all bulletins, readings, and publications (including this newsletter!) have been preset in advance of this leave, which is why they may not reflect recent updates/happenings.
Fall Digest Submissions
Do you head up one of our ministry groups? Do you run a volunteer event? Have important info you want to highlight for the community? Submit to our fall digest by emailing the office! Submissions are due August 23rd! Have questions about what to include? Reach out to the office! office@st-georgeschurch.org
Wednesday, September 9, 16, & 23 from 7:00-8:30pm EST As artificial intelligence rapidly reshapes our world, Christians are increasingly asking what faith has to say about technology, human dignity, work, truth, and the common good. Join us for a free three-week Big Course on Magnificent Humanity, Pope Leo’s landmark 2026 encyclical on AI and the future of the human person. Accessible to people of all backgrounds, the course will introduce the encyclical’s major themes, explore its guidance for Christians living in a technological age, and place it within the broader tradition of Catholic social teaching. No prior knowledge of Catholicism, artificial intelligence, or church teaching is required. This free online course is an opportunity to engage one of the most significant Christian responses yet to the challenges and possibilities of our technological future. Register for free online.
Sing-a-thon Boogaloo, Sept 19th!
Dear singers and friends of All Saints by the Lake,
You don’t want to miss the bigger and better Sing-a-Thon coming September 19th!
Local comedy legend the Rev’d Alex Griffin will return as MC. We'll do some group pieces, maybe a planned solo or two ... and then audience members will be encouraged to bid on increasingly outrageous karaoke numbers. What would it take to persuade you to sing your favourite pop song in front of a crowd? $50? $500? Name your price! All proceeds will go towards All Saints' renovation costs.
The whole event will be streamed on YouTube for FREE (although the streaming audience will also be encouraged to bid!) and for the in-person audience, there will be beer, wine, soft drinks, and snacks. Invite all your friends – to sing or to be in the audience!
It will be a great night, and we won't stop till we drop! Don't miss it!
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