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.

Good afternoon friends, members, adherents, friends, and family of Knox and St. Giles,

There is an old saying that the best way to understand where we are going is to know where we have come from. Churches know this especially well – we carry the stories of the people who worshipped before us, the hymns they sang, the ministries they built, and the faith that carried them through. That history is not something we simply preserve, it is something we inherit. And inheritance comes with responsibility.

Both Knox and St. Giles have stories worth remembering. Generations of people have given their time, resources, prayers, and hearts to these congregations. They have cared for their neighbours, welcomed strangers, celebrated marriages and baptisms, gathered around tables, and opened their doors in times of need.

We are now the ones holding that story, and as we continue the process of bringing Knox and St. Giles together, perhaps one of the most important questions we can ask is what do we want to pass on? What kind of congregation do hope those who come after us will inherit?

I hope they will inherit a church where people are known by name; where there is room for questions and doubts; where scripture is taken seriously while remembering that faith is lived by real people with complicated lives. A church that does not measure its success only by numbers, but by the depth of its compassion. A church that looks beyond itself and notices the needs of the community around it. But above all, a church that remembers its job is to follow Christ and share God’s love with the world.

We cannot know exactly what the congregation of Knox and St. Giles will look like years from now. That makes the choices we make now meaningful: we are not only inheriting something from those who came before, but also creating something to one day be inherited from us. Every time we welcome someone, pray, give, teach, listen, or offer help where it’s needed, we shape the church. Every time we choose hope over fear, we bear witness to the gospel.

I encourage us all to think about the congregation we wish to help build, and what kind of community we’re willing to help create for others. Everyone is warmly invited to gather for worship this Sunday at 10:00AM, and welcome to stay afterward for conversation and fellowship. There is always so much we can learn from one another.

Our regular opportunities for learning continue as well, with Tuesday book study at 1:30PM and 6:30PM, and Wednesday Bible study at 10:15AM. Please join in whenever you are able.

As always, the attached bulletin contains this week’s announcements and additional information about the life of our congregation. Please be reminded especially about the upcoming congregational vote taking place on August 30, immediately following the Sunday service. 

Thank you for all you do, both the things that are noticed and the many things that are not. Thank you for carrying forward what has been entrusted to us and for having the courage to help shape what comes next. 

May we be good stewards of the church we have received, faithful builders of the church we are becoming, and generous witnesses to the God who is with us every step of the way.

Wishing you all the best,

Kaiden 

Kaiden Reding

Office Administrator 

St. Giles Presbyterian