Good morning members and adherents, friends and family of our newly amalgamated church,

As many of you are now aware, the Presbytery of Calgary-Macleod approved the amalgamation plan.  This week, the session of our newly amalgamated church (NAC) met to begin the journey. 

You have 11 elders active on the NAC session.  Blessings and prayers are requested for Joy Augustin, Moira Brownlee, Rob Smith, Jason Gasgarth, Fidelio Choi, Iris Jung, Sandra Cameron Evans (Presbytery Representative), Toby Gaskarth (Clerk of Session), Sungwoo Kim (assessor elder), YongKi Min , (assessor elder) and  Diane Hill (assessor elder).  We began our first gathering of the court with a reflection and a remembrance of Hebrews 10:23-25a, which reads like this:

“Let us hold resolutely to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds.  Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another.”

Everyone in the church will receive notification within the next few weeks of their appointed Elder.  Your Elder is your point of first contact for information, pastoral care, and participation with the plans for amalgamation.  Together, we will encourage one another into meeting, good deeds, and sharing with others the source of our hope.  Together, we will be helping each other be one, intergenerational, intercultural, loving, faithful, and hopeful church.

Worship begins at 10 am on Sunday at our building in the north (formerly ‘St Giles’).  And there are many opportunities to gather in between Sunday worship services:

• On Wednesday there are 2 Bible studies – one at 10:15 am in-person at the northern building, and one at 7 pm online.  
• On Thursday the southern building (formerly ‘Knox’) is filled with yoga, a cafe, sandwich making for at-risk youth, and quilting/knitting/rug hooking from 9:15 am to 3 pm.  
• On Thursday evening the choir gathers to practice at the northern building.  Everyone is invited to join – singing is a learned skill and open to all to participate.  No experience necessary.
• The backyard and labyrinth are open 24 hours at the northern building for meeting your elder, small group gatherings, or quiet reading, prayer, and meditation
• The southern and northern buildings have people working inside during certain hours every week.  They are able to provide access if you wish to visit either building privately for the purpose of praying in the sanctuaries.  Please contact the minister directly if you have any difficulties (587-893-0355)
• Please see the attached bulletin for upcoming events and activities

Beloved Church, Jesus is caring for us all within the house of God, so let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.  Let us be reconciled to the path God has laid before us, and embrace the mercy of God with joy and thanksgiving as we participate in God’s healing and salvation.

And may each of you receive a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know God, so that of your heart, enlightened, you may perceive the hope to which God has called you, the riches of God’s glorious kingdom, and the immeasurable goodness of God.

Blessings,

Rev. Chandra Mannix

Dear members, adherents, and friends of Knox and St Giles,

Fall seems to have arrived, bringing shorter days, cooler weather, and a return to regular rhythms.  The sanctuary is a little fuller on Sunday mornings, and regular Bible studies resume next week at the building of St Giles on Wednesday at 10am with our beloved teacher, Denis Mascardelli.

Also participating with the resumption of regular routine is the Presbytery of Calgary-Macleod.  They will meet this coming Tuesday, where the amalgamation plan between Knox and St Giles will be discussed and there will be a formal vote to accept or reject the plan.  Those in attendance at the Bible Study the next day will be the first to learn the results of the decision of our Presbytery.

Whatever God holds for our next steps, it seems the right moment to give thanks to God for all the goodness that has come this past year between Knox and St Giles.  New friends have been made.  Conversations filled with hope and possibility have unfolded throughout our time together. Seeing each other’s hearts, hearing the myriad of life stories, and praying for each other has helped us all walk closer with God.  We are actively participating in the transformation encouraged throughout scripture to grow the fruits of the Spirit in our own lives and also in our intercultural, intergenerational community.  Thank you, God!

I urge each of you to pray for one another. You are encouraged to pray that Knox and St Giles will continue to follow the path God has laid before us to grow the light of Christ in the world as a community united.  Prayers are invited for the elders of the court of Presbytery that ‘the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give them a spirit of wisdom and revelation in their knowledge of Him, so that the eyes of their hearts may be enlightened, and that they may know the hope of His calling’  (Eph 1:18).  Pray that everyone connected through Knox and St Giles will live into gratitude for the forgiveness, mercy, love, and grace given us by God.  Glory be to God.

‘We know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.’ (Rom 5:5). Thank you, Knox and St Giles, for all the love you have shared with me and with each other this last year.  Thank you, Knox and St Giles, for all of the forgiveness, mercy, love, and grace you share with all.  We are indeed God’s people, enabled by the Holy Spirit, saved by grace, and nourished by scripture.  

Please find attached a copy of the bulletin for the service this weekend on Sunday the 13th. Please note the number and content of the announcements within that bulletin.  

And until we meet again to worship this weekend, may God who gives patience and encouragement help you to live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for the followers of Christ.

Blessings,

Rev. Chandra Mannix

Dear Knox / St Giles,

In Matthew 15, the disciples went to Caesarea Philippi with Jesus – often called ‘the rock in the north’ – to hear Jesus declare the truth of the church: the gates of Hades will not prevail against the church being built by Jesus. This is God’s truth from Holy Scripture, from the Living Word, from the mouth of Jesus.

This week we hear about the journey to the foot of Mount Herman, where Caesarea Philippi was located. It was a place of false idols and lies and pagan shrines, including a grotto to Pan. The rocks all around made Christ’s teaching imagery of ‘the rock’ vivid when he declared that the church will not die.

When we gather ‘for church’ on Sunday, we come together to worship our Lord and Saviour. But it is neither the building nor the worship service that is the church. The people are the church. The disciples of Christ are the church. We gather to be the church. We will not die, Knox / St Giles. We gather on Sundays to continue to be transformed as disciples of Christ, to learn, to speak truth, to sing glory to God, and to truly be alive. Come hear the truth of Jesus preached in this modern ‘rock of the north’.

Everyone is warmly invited to gather to be the church this Sunday at 10:00AM, and welcome to stay afterwards for conversation and fellowship. We will also give gratitude to Wayne Gallant after our service this week. Wayne is our building officer, and we are grateful for the many ways that he continues to care for both this building and for the people of God who gather here.

The regular opportunities for learning continue this week on Tuesday with a book study at 1:30PM and again at 6:30PM, and on Wednesday with a Bible study at 10:15AM. Please pray and ask God if it is now time to accept these invitations to learn and discern in community.

I personally look forward to all of us coming together this week to be the church, because “just as each of us has one body with many members, …so in Christ, we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another.” We are only complete when each of us steps in to belong to one another in Christ.

People of Knox and St Giles, know you are loved. You are welcome. And you are needed. Come make the journey and be the church with your fellow disciples in Christ.

Blessings,
Rev. Chandra Mannix
587-893-0355

PS – The attached bulletin contains the week’s announcements and additional information about the life of our congregation. Please be reminded especially about the upcoming congregational vote for both Knox and St Giles taking place on August 30 immediately following the Sunday service.