Living in a pandemic for the long haul is challenging. We are still called to pray, care for one another, and be reminded of God's presence.
St. John's Elora is here to help keep you safe, keep you connected to one another, and keep you spiritually grounded in the Christian faith.
The clergy are available to support you and you can reach them by email here.
We trust that you will discover that St. John's Elora is a church known for an outstanding choral tradition, inspiring preaching and liturgy, generous outreach, and a community that cares for one another.
St. John's is a member of the Anglican Church of Canada in the Diocese of Niagara.
FOR SUNDAY AUGUST 1, 2021
Click HERE for the Order of Service.
Click HERE to read the text of the Rector's sermon.
Click HERE for a video of the service.
FROM THE PARISH CHOIR click HERE to see what we have been up to lately.
We are welcoming people back to attend in-person services starting on Sunday August 1st.
No one needs to feel obligated to attend, and we will continue to offer a live-stream of the Sunday service at 11am on our YouTube Channel.
If you would like to attend a Sunday liturgy you will be required to register online each week. This helps us with contact tracing and with some pre-screening to keep us all safe. To register online, please click on the link below. For people who do not have access to the internet, please call the office and leave a message before Friday indicating your intentions to attend a service.
Click Here To Make A Sunday Service Reservation
Our re-opening is slow and measured, so at this point we will only be offering two Sunday liturgies for in-person attendance with limited capacity: 9am outdoors (weather permitting, bring your own lawn chair); 11am inside (with quartet).
According to diocesan guidelines (effective July 16) you are required to wear face masks inside, and keep a 2 meter physical distance from people in other households at all times. There is no congregational singing, and no tea, coffee or food will be shared. The sacrament will be distributed to you at your seat in one kind only. During the administration of communion please wear your face mask until the celebrant has moved beyond your 2m distance. When outdoors face masks are required if you are within a 2m distance from anyone outside of your household.
Thank you for your patience, your continued responsible behaviours, and for extending your gratitude to the members of the Re-opening Team: Jon, Jane, and Thomas.
PARISH CHOIR "UNPLUGGED"
Choral Evensong. (July 8, 2021)
VISIT FROM THE PRIMATE, Archbishop Linda Nicholls, July 11, 2021
Click HERE for a video of the service.
To receive a copy of the weekly Pastoral Letter send an email to the Rector by clicking HERE.
The St John's Poppy Project was inspired by two other similar art installations. In 2018, the Anglican Cathedral Church of the Redeemer in Calgary created a display of over 10,000 knitted and crocheted poppies which were displayed that year on the cathedral grounds to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. In 2021, the Cambridge (Ontario) Poppy Project, in commemoration of 100 years since the adoption of the symbol of the poppy, aims to create a display over three civic buildings with up to 20,000 poppies (at the time of writing this, they were 50% of the way to that goal)
The St John's Elora Knitters and Quilters group learned of these projects and were inspired to create a similar art installation at our church in Elora.
The poppy has different meanings for people - for some, it recalls the sacrifices that were made, for others, a remembrance of the costs of war, for others, a symbol of the importance of striving for peace in the world, and to not repeat the mistakes of the past. Whatever your inspiration, we invite you to participate in this community project if you wish, and contribute poppies to the outdoor art installation in November.
Patterns are available by clicking HERE.
You can deliver your competed poppies in a special container on the back porch of the Parish Centre - the yellow house at the corner of Geddes and Henderson, beside St John's Anglican Church. The container is marked "Completed Poppies" on the outside porch. If you live further away, you can mail the poppies to St John's Church, 36 Henderson St, Elora Ontario N0B 1S0. This project has been approved by the Elora Legion and the National Poppy Campaign Coordinator.
What are we learning in the pandemic and what do we need to engage with as we look towards ministry in the 2030's? After consulting widely across the parish a team prepared a Vision Paper that summarizes the process, and identifies four areas of ministry that St. John's is looking to invest in.
On June 15 a Special Vestry approved the four areas of ministry and a "Statement of Intent and Purpose" to provide a compass direction for us to move in over the coming years.
We have already started to fill this vision, and this fall we look forward to fleshing out some of these areas of ministry with more activity.
As the province begins re-opening, you can help by:
According to diocesan guidelines we continue to offer resources online to support you. You can find services live-streamed at St. John' Elora YouTube Channel.
Here is a typical weekly schedule of things for you to access online:
Contact us for the Zoom links or follow St. John's Elora on YouTube or Facebook or Instagram.
Even during a pandemic our PARISH CHOIR, one of Canada's only fully professional church choirs, continues to seek ways to provide you with the rich choral experience that you have always been inspired by at St. John's. We know it's not the same, but we do our best to create music to the glory of God and the strengthening of our faith.
Subscribe to the St. John's Elora YouTube Channel to hear the Parish Choir participate in live-stream services on Sunday mornings, or special seasonal services of the year
YOUR FINANCIAL SUPPORT of the Parish Choir is a concrete way to express your thanks and to ensure that our singers are supported during this challenging time. You can give through E-TRANSFER to treasurer.stjohnselora@gmail.com. Identify "Parish Choir" and your address in the comment box and we can issue you a donation receipt. Thank you for your generous commitment to this ministry.
For more information on the music program at St. John's CLICK HERE.
To receive the WEEKLY PASTORAL LETTER from the Rector through Email, please contact Linda Coultes (look for "PARISH OFFICE").
Follow ST JOHN'S ELORA on Facebook and Instagram for the most up to date posts, photos, messages and events.
St John’s Elora YouTube Channel - Sunday's live-stream service and a Wednesday mid week liturgy.
Diocese of Niagara YouTube Channel - Sunday service with Bishop Susan Bell
Pray at home - resources from the Anglican Church of Canada.
Daily Home Prayer - resources from the Church of England
Please contact one of the clergy if you have a loved one who is in need of our prayers this week.
(send them an Email by clicking on the name)
Rector: Reverend Canon Paul J. Walker
Assistant Curate: Reverend Judy Steers
Rector Emeritus: Reverend Canon Robert Hulse
Honorary Assistant: Reverend John Lockyer
There are several ways for you to give financially to St. John's:
1. HAND DELIVER - Through the MAIL SLOT of the door on the Geddes Street side (east side) of the Parish Centre.
2. CANADA POST - 36 Henderson Street, Elora, N0B 1S0.
3. E-TRANSFER - to treasurer.stjohnselora@gmail.com.
4 PRE-AUTHORIZED GIVING. Email our Givings Secretary - Steve Hornett, for more information. You can also complete and mail this form to St John's Church, 36 Henderson Street, Elora, ON, NOB 1S0.
5. CREDIT CARD at the following link through the Diocese of Niagara (identify "Elora-St John's" as the parish)
Thank you for your financial support. Your generosity makes a difference in peoples lives.
All of our worship services are offered online through our Facebook Page, and on our YouTube Channel. Our live-streamed services are created within diocesan guidelines and public health guidelines
St John's works with St. James' in Fergus to deliver hot meals to people on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. If you want to access these meals or you want to participate in helping pack or deliver the meals to people, please send an email to cwmealstogo@gmail.com or call 519-843-2141. This ministry is carried out in strict compliance with public health guidelines and protocols.
You are invited to support those most vulnerable in our diocese and around the world with a donation to the Diocesan Pandemic Fund, or PWRDF Covid-19 Fund.