Please check the following websites for regular updates on information related to the COVID 19 pandemic:

• ascensionnl.ca/covid19/
• anglicanenl.net (You will find the most recent weekly letter from our Bishop under our Bishop’s Writings)
• anglicanenl.net/home/covid19/
• mountpearl.ca
• who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/

• Public Worship at the Ascension: Church of the Ascension has commenced public worship. Service will be at 11 a.m. each Sunday. You will need to complete a Covid-19 Screening Questionnaire as part of the registration. You can also forward the completed form via email (office email: [email protected])or you may come in to the office to fill one out Monday to Wednesday each week, between 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
  • Preregistration will be required in order to attend services
  • The questionnaires must be returned to the office no later than Wednesday each week.
  • Masks are required upon entering the building.
  • Everyone must enter and exit through the main doors of the church to attend services.
  • Please have your own hand sanitizer in the event you feel the need to sanitize your hands after you have been seated.
  • If you would like to use a cushion in your seat, please bring along your own as we are not able to supply one at this time.
  • Due to Covid 19 guidelines, doors and windows may be open during service so you are reminded to wear warm clothes.

As we progress further into autumn we will be enabling worship to be live-streamed from the parish. Please check the website weekly for updates. If you have any questions, please contact Peggy at [email protected] or 368 – 5693.

• Guidelines For Singing In Church:
  • Singing is not permitted during the full service with an exception for the final hymn;
  • Congregation members may hum during the hymns;
  • Hymns may be sung by one single singer or a small group of singers physically distanced from the congregation;
  • Singers must wear well-fitting masks while singing indoors and face forward;
  • Physical distancing is maintained;
  • Papers are to be removed by each individual participant;
  • If you feel faint or overcome, please refrain from singing.

• Wednesday Prayers:  If you would like to join us each Wednesday morning at 10 a.m. for prayers, you may do so through our YouTube channel at youtu.be/iet_6vtCDwM or call the office for a Zoom link.
• Thursdays in Black:  The act of midday prayer with Reverend Burrows and a guest continues. This week’s guest is The Venerable Julie Brace, Archdeacon of Labrador. Please join us on Facebook live at facebook.com/ParishoftheAscension/live.
• All Souls’ Service, November 2, 2020: Anyone wishing to remember a loved one at the All Souls’ Service on November 2, please e-mail the names to the office at [email protected] or call the office and leave a message. The names will be read out at the service. Pre-registration is required to attend this service. Deadline for registration is Wednesday, October 28.
• Home Communions in the Parish: With the change that has occurred amid Covid-19 pandemic isolation, there are many who do not feel safe enough to return to church for public worship. In this regard, Reverend Burrows and Reverend Courage will be expanding their home communicant list should any wish to receive the sacrament at their home. This will be according to Provincial and Diocesan guidelines, so as to assure parishioners of safety and care. If you would like to have home communion in your home, please contact the office and speak with Peggy to make arrangements.
• Ride for Refuge Update: We have raised $4,645 to-date. If you would like to make a contribution, donations will be gratefully accepted up to October 31. Please make cheques payable to Parish of the Ascension PWRDF – Ride for Refuge.
• Diocesan Update: Please see the parish website for updates on the episcopal election as well as the financial position of the Diocese.
• Daily Devotionals Books/Prayer Books: The following publications are available for pick up at the side entrance of the church: Our Daily Bread, Forward Day by Day, and the weekly edition of the Chimes (Chimes available each Friday afternoon). Should you wish to stop by to pick these up, please use the buzzer at the side entrance. Publications will be left on the bench for your convenience.  Also, the following books are available to be signed out: Book of Alternative Services (BAS), Book of Common Prayer, and Common Praise. If you are interested in signing any of these out, please contact the office by email at [email protected] or call 368-5693 from Monday to Friday between 9 and 12.
• Outreach: This is a time for our faith community to come together to uplift each other. Please don’t forget to regularly check on your family, friends, and neighbors. If you are in need of pastoral contact, or if you know of anyone who is struggling at this stressful time, please let one of the clergy know.
• Clergy Contact During the COVID-19 Pandemic: As you are well aware, the church building has been closed for several months due to COVID-19. We have now opened the office on an as-need basis, for parishioners to drop off or receive items such as prayer books, hymnbooks, chimes or parish envelopes. If you need to come to the parish office, please call ahead. Bring your mask with you, and ring the buzzer at the side entrance. The office will be open between the hours of 9:00 a.m. to noon Monday to Friday. For the past six months the clergy has aimed to make contact with parishioners by way of e-mail or a phone call. Now, if you would like to receive a physically distanced visit from Reverend David or Reverend Lynn, please call the office or contact the clergy via email. Could you please ask them to call the church office to give their contact information as well.
• Office Closure: The office will be closed on Monday, October 12 in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
• Home Again Furniture BankVirtual Housewarming Event:  Get ready for a fun-filled night as Don-E Coady, Dc Design House Inc. and Lynn Hammond, Out of the Fog host our Virtual Housewarming on October 16. We are excited to welcome the amazing musical talents of Brad Jefford Music and Janet Cull Music throughout the evening. Be sure to check out the pre-event reception for a mixology session with Tak Ishiwata, from Basho Restaurant & Lounge, as they show us how to mix up their signature Blueberry Basil cocktail - get out and get your berries if you'll be taking in this session (the full ingredient list will be shared with ticket holders in advance of the event). Also, keep an eye out for our online auction which will be going live early next week! Get your tickets today at: Click here to get your link to our virtual Housewarming event: events.handbid.com/auctions/home-again-housewarming-2020/tickets.
• CLB News:
  • Friday Dinner Take-out/Pick Up: Each Friday, the CLB will be offering dinner take-out (curbside pickup), or delivery on five or more dinners ordered. Curbside pickup from CLB Armoury, 82 Harvey Road available on Friday from 12:00-1:30. To pre-order, you can call 722-1737. Order cutoff is 4:00 p.m. Wednesdays. Gluten-Free option is available. Please advise us of any Allergies or Dietary Restrictions.
  • Halloween Chips: Mount Pearl CLB #4507 will be selling Old Dutch Halloween Chips and Cheesies again this year.  The box contains 24 bags and the cost is $6.50 per box.  Strict COVID-19 protocols will be followed.  If you would like to support our CLB by purchasing a box, please contact Company Commanding Officer Jamie Hill at [email protected] or 699-3388 or Company Adjutant Cindy Onyia at [email protected] or 691-2069.

It is Harvest Thanksgiving for those of us in Canada, and in particular in Christian faith communities, there is a gathering of persons in the family of the Church, in response to the love of the Creator, the Holy One. We gather with the fruits of the harvest to offer thanks, and to reflect upon the growth in creation, in our faith community, and in our own families and lives over the past seasons.

This year, as with all other annual occurrences, things have shifted and changed due to the advent of COVID19 and the subsequent pandemic isolation, changes and challenges to our ways of life. For me this means I have become more attuned to being thankful for things that had become so habitual that I took them for granted. Now as we gather for worship, I am very much mindful of those that choose to come, and those who choose to remain at home to worship and pray. I am reminded that this time last year, global, national, provincial, community and personal health were not the priorities. It seems in many ways; the entire globe is in the process of resetting priorities as we come face to face with our mortality.

For me, this means reminding myself of the basics each and every day. Of Creator, created, life, love, health, and being. For me it takes me back to a book I read long ago, by Robert Fulghum, entitled All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. In it he offers these thoughts of wisdom:

• Share everything;
• Play fair;
• Don’t hit people;
• Put things back where you found them;
• Clean up your own mess;
• Don’t take things that aren’t yours;
• Say you’re sorry when you hurt somebody;
• Wash your hands before you eat; Flush;
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you;
• Live a balanced life—learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some;
• Take a nap every afternoon;
• When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together;
• Wonder;
• Remember the little seed in the Styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that;
• Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup—they all die. So do we;
  And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned—the biggest word of all—LOOK; Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and equality and sane living.

The book is a great read, and a reminder of the basics of life and human dignity. It is a reminder to me that as I take stock of the year that has passed, and I give thanks in my context, I must be mindful of the basics of human life, human dignity and human interaction, such that I offer life and health and safety to all others.

These are the pieces that I hold in thanksgiving at this time. These are the pieces that challenge me day to day, as I witness pain and challenge, suffering and injustice. When I was first ordained a priest, I felt I was being ordained in order to change the church so it would be more reflective of the God and God’s Mission as I perceived it. As I have moved and lived these past twenty years, a shift has occurred as now I feel that I am being called to speak into the world to help reveal the presence of the Holy One in the movement of all life in Creation. It seems as we step further into the uncertainty and anxiety of the unknowns this year, my thanksgiving is attuned to the reality that no matter what the outcomes of the coming time, the Holy One will be immersed in it, and we will be called to unearth the presence of the Holy in the people round about us. I pray I can continue to look, listen, and be with the Holy One, and with the people of God in this God’s blessed creation.

Peace,

• Donations to Ministry: If you are interested in continuing to donate to the parish ministry during the COVID-19 pandemic, there are a variety of ways for you to do so.
  • Church Envelopes: You may still use your envelopes during this time. You may drop them in the mailbox at the main entrance of the church or you can put your givings in the mail.
  • Pre-authorized Givings: You can have your givings automatically deducted on a schedule that works for you. If you are interested in setting up pre-authorized givings, please contact the church office at 368-5693.
  • Canada Helps: You can sign up to make donations to Canada Helps through our parish website.
  • Food Bank Donations: The need for food donations is still great. If you are able to donate to the food bank, we ask that you drop your donation directly to St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank at either St. Peter’s Parish Hall on Ashford Drive or Mary Queen of the World on Topsail Road. All donations are gratefully appreciated.

Let us offer our prayers to God for the life of the world and for all God’s people in their daily life and work. God, the beginning and end of all things, in your providence and care you watch unceasingly over all creation; we offer our prayers that in us and in all your people your will may be done, according to your wise and loving purpose in Christ our Lord.

Lord of all life: hear our prayer.

We pray for all through whom we receive sustenance and life; for farmers and agricultural workers, for packers, distributors and company boards; as you have so ordered our life that we depend upon each other, enable us by your grace to seek the well-being of others before our own. We pray for our spiritual leaders especially Geoffrey our Bishop, for the Episcopal candidates, for the parishes of St. Mark and for those in Canterbury, England.

Lord of all creation: hear our prayer

We pray for all engaged in research to safeguard crops against disease, and to produce abundant life among those who hunger and whose lives are at risk. Prosper the work of their hands and the searching of their minds, that their labour may be for the welfare of all.

Lord of all wisdom: hear our prayer.

We pray for governments and aid agencies, and those areas of the world where there is disaster, drought and starvation. We pray for all those who are on strike in our Province and for a resolution to the Come-by-Chance oil refinery situation. By the grace of your Spirit, touch our hearts and the hearts of all who live in comfortable plenty, and make us wise stewards of your gifts.

Lord of all justice: hear our prayer.

We pray for those who are ill, remembering those on our Ascension Prayer Cycle, those in hospital and nursing homes and all who are known to us. We pray for all who care for them. Give skill and understanding to all who work for their well-being.

Lord of all compassion: hear our prayer.

We remember those who have died, whom we entrust to your eternal love in the hope of resurrection to new life.

Lord of all peace: hear our prayer.

We offer ourselves to your service, asking that by the Spirit at work in us others may receive a rich harvest of love and joy and peace.

Lord of all faithfulness: hear our prayer.

God of grace, as you are ever at work in your creation, so fulfill your wise and loving purpose in us and in all for whom we pray, that with them and in all that you have made, your glory may be revealed and the whole earth give praise to you, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Ascension Prayer Cycle: Andrea, Aubrey, Audrey, Barbara, Baxter, Bill, Brenda, Brian, Brittany, Brandon, Carl, Christina, Cindy, Clarence, David, Debra, Delilah, Dennis, Don, Donna, Doreen, Dot, Dulcie, Edgar, Edith, Elaine, Erin, Ethel, Finnley, Frederick, Fred, Frank, Flo, George, Gerry,  Gilbert, Gordon, Harry, Herb, Ike, Ina, Ingrid, Jack, Jason, Jenny, Jim, John, Josephine, Judy, Junior, Kent, Kevin, Kim, Larry, Laura, Leo, Leonie,  Lindsay, Lori, Madeline, Marie, Marsha, Marina,  Marion,  Maurice, Maxine, Maxwell, Melissa, Melvin, Nancy, Pam, Phyllis, Randell, Rodney, Roland, Ruby, Ruth, Rita, Scott, Sean, Stephen, Susan, Tina, Todd, Tom, Valerie, Vera and Wayne.

ALL THINGS BRIGHT AND BEAUTIFUL

Refrain:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful:
The Lord God made them all.

Each radiant flower that opens,
Each vibrant bird that sings,
God made their glowing colours,
God made their lively wings. R

God gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell
How great is the Creator,
Who has made all things well. R

COME, YE THANKFUL PEOPLE, COME

Come, ye thankful people, come,
Raise the song of harvest home!
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter storms begin;
God our Maker, doth provide
For our wants to be supplied:
Come to God's own temple, come,
Raise the song of harvest home.

Even so, Lord, quickly come
to thy final harvest home;
Gather thou thy people in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin,
There, forever purified,
In thy presence to abide:
Come, with all Thine angels, come,
Raise the glorious harvest home.

FOR THE FRUIT OF ALL CREATION,

For the fruit of all creation,
Thanks be to God;
Gifts bestowed on every nation,
Thanks be to God.
For the ploughing, sowing, reaping,
silent growth while we are sleeping,
future needs in earth's safe-keeping,
Thanks be to God.

For the harvests of the Spirit,
Thanks be to God.
For the good we all inherit,
Thanks be to God.
For the wonders that astound us,
for the truths that still confound us,
most of all that love has found us,
Thanks be to God.

NOW THANK WE ALL OUR GOD

Now thank we all our God,
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things hath done,
in whom this world rejoices;
who from our mother's arms
hath blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.

Oh may this bounteous God
eternal now be given,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us,
and nourish us all with grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
in this world and the next.

All praise and thanks to God
eternal now be given,
to Spirit and to Word,
who reign in highest heaven:
and ever faithful God,
whom heaven and earth adore;
for thus it was, is now
and shall be evermore.