Hello Knox and St Giles!

What helps you feel close to God?  Where do you find peace and beauty and joy?

One of my favourite ways to be close with God is to get outside and go into the foothills of Kananaskis country.  It is in the seeing of the beauty of the mountains, the smelling of the wildflowers, the hearing of the screech from eagles, and catching glimpses of wildlife that I feel so very close with God.  Witnessing fields – both wild and cultivated – grow throughout the summer reminds me of the magnificence of God.  All of this and more fills me with awe. 

Romans 8 reminds us that our Creator has adopted us as sons and daughters. We are heirs to God’s beautiful kingdom.  God’s unbound love assures us of peace and security in Christ as children and stewards for eternity.  We are blessed to be receiving all the beauty and goodness around us.

So … why then has God allowed the wheat to grow with the tares in cultivated fields?  Why has God allowed the children of God to grow up around the children of the enemy?  Why is there so much suffering allowed?

Please join us each week for Bible Study at 10:15 on Wednesdays to discuss questions like these and more.  Come be with your brothers and sisters in Christ to hear where others place their hope, and how they traverse experiences of prickly thistles in their lives.  If you feel comfortable, please share with us how you live into the certainty of knowing that the garden of God’s kingdom – your kingdom – will eventually be weeded by angels, or how you receive certain peace, healing, and joy even right now through life’s difficulties.

And until we meet next in Bible study, you are invited on Sunday at 10 am, together with your fellow heirs, to worship your Creator – the one who made the mountains and molehills and you!  Come sing your praises to the holy One who loves you, and has saved both Knox and St Giles for music, mission, and ministry.

Blessings,

Rev. Chandra Mannix

“Search me, oh God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.”   – Psalm 139:23-24

Good morning members and adherents of Knox,

People miss you. It is that simple.

What am I talking about? I am talking about you, the past and current people of Knox.  It is the people that make the church.  The people of Knox that are invited to build the new church of Knox St. Giles.  You are invited to ensure that Knox lives.  

We know that if only one person comes, God will build that church.  But it is not the same without you. The people who have worshipped with you for many years miss you. They are struggling with not only having to sell the building, but having their family in Christ scattered to the wind.  

And this is a hardship that is avoidable.

Today at the building of St Giles, 1102 23rd Ave. NW., we are discussing community. We are discussing ‘God with Us’.  Congregants will gather at 1:30 PM, and again at 6:30 PM for those who cannot come in the afternoon, to share how we are comforted, supported, and challenged by the teachings of Jesus around community. We will think about our own relationships with others, and with Jesus. And as Jesus walks with us as our companion and daily life, we reflect on how we are walking with our brothers and sisters in faith. 

Our new community is not complete without you. We know people are suffering and struggling to discern which road they will choose among the unknown roads that lie before us all.  We know people are tempted to leave to other churches or to take a break from church altogether. We know people are hesitant to come and worship at the new building of Knox.

So for now, with no commitment needed, we ask you to consider joining us today to talk together as one community in Christ.  As Herbert O’Driscoll says in his book, ‘God with us: the companionship of Jesus and the challenges of life’, we “fail to realize the effect we can have on other people.  We can make a difference … when we witness to the faith that is in us, modest though demonstrations of it may be.”

The elders of both sessions will gather this evening while congregants reflect on community this afternoon and this evening.  This email will go to the members and adherents of St Giles as well, as a reminder to come today at 1:30 PM or 6:30 PM or both.If you have received this email, please place yourself before God in a few moments alone to pray and discern, and to remember the people whose lives will be affected by your decisions. A simple prayer of guidance to the Christ we serve is all I ask before making your decision about whether you will attend today or not.
It is my prayer to see everyone today.

Blessings,Chandra

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

We are deeply blessed in every moment of joy, every moment of suffering, and in all circumstances.  We are blessed to be loved by the Lord our God. We are blessed to have light unto our paths, and the word of God to guide us.

The gospel of Matthew, in chapter 19, verses 16 and 17 read:  ‘blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.  For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.’

This past week we began our book study, ‘God With Us’, by Herbert O’Driscoll, to help us see and hear what God is sharing with us through scripture.  We meet on Tuesdays. We have created two groups – one for the afternoon at 1:30 PM, and one for the evening at 6:30 PM –  so that all may join.  This book ‘helps us find the presence of Christ in those places we would rather avoid: The sorrows, the heartbreaks, and the challenges of everyday living. Following the stories of the gospels, we find Jesus in relationship with those around him. In Christ’s joys and sorrows, we can see reflected our own experiences, and take Knowledge that Jesus has walked this way before us, and indeed, is walking with us now.’ (quoted from the book)

As we proceed on our path of amalgamation, our lives are being intertwined. Our joys and our sorrows will be made visible to each other.  And the opportunity and path to walk with each other in Christ lays before us.

Please join your brothers and sisters in Christ on Sunday at 10 AM to worship the Lord our God as one body in Christ.  The bulletin of the service with announcements is attached.  Please also reach out to the office at St. Giles to arrange Pastoral Care if you need extra support.  

And know that ‘the Lord gives God’s people strength; The Lord blesses God’s people with peace.’ (Psalm 29:11).

Blessings,

Rev. Chandra Mannix