Join us in June…

We will finish up the month of May with our Annual Program Meeting on Sunday, May 26th following the worship service. Come and learn about what we have been doing in the church over the last year as well as hear about the plans and goals of our committees and groups for next year. The main presentation will be made by the Outreach Committee.

We will jump into June on Sunday June 2nd with a special worship with the RCMP Veterans Association. The National RCMP Veterans Association will hold their Annual General Meeting in Saskatoon from Thursday, May 30^th to Sunday, June 2^nd at the Delta Bessborough Hotel. The Veterans Association traditionally includes a Church Parade and Ecumenical Church Service in conjunction with the AGM, and this year we have agreed to host this event at St. Andrew’s.

Beginning at 10 am there will be a short parade from the hotel to the church, a time of coffee and fellowship in the lower hall beginning at 10:15 am, and the veterans and their spouses will join us for worship at 11:00 am. Rev. Amanda will unfortunately be away on study leave, but worship will be led by the Rev. Jim McKay with retired Anglican Bishop Rod Andrews who serves as the Chaplain for the RCMP Veterans Association.

Please join us for worship as we welcome our special guests. Anyone wishing to join the choir for that Sunday to assist in leading the hymn singing would be most welcome to do so.

Mark Sunday, June 16th in your calendar too! Following a family worship service in the morning, we’ll have a Church Picnic in the Park with a potluck picnic lunch, ice cream treats, singing, and games. Bring the whole family!

New Parking Arrangement With The Radisson Hotel

Beginning May 1^st, we will be trying out a new parking arrangement with our neighbour, the Radisson Hotel. As you probably know, the Radisson offers complimentary parking to people attending worship at St. Andrew’s on Sunday mornings and additional parking for weddings/funerals when requested. When the hotel needs extra parking during the week, we allow use of our parking lot when we don’t have events happening. The hotel would now like to use our parking lot more frequently and pay for the parking spots that they use, while still offering us complimentary parking on Sunday mornings and other times when needed.

How will this affect you?

1. Remember to make use of Sunday morning parking underground at the Radisson.
2. When you drop by the church during the week (daytime) be sure to park on the church side of the parking lot, as we may have the other side reserved for paid hotel parking.
3. On days/evenings when we require the use of the entire lot (i.e. Thursday Group, Women’s League meetings, Women’s League tea and bake sales, weddings, funerals, etc.) the hotel will not use our lot, and you will be able to park anywhere.
4. If you want to park at the church while you are downtown for another reason, make sure that you have a St. Andrew’s parking sticker visible in your windshield (get one for $2 from the church office), check with the church office to make sure it’s okay to park that day, and park on the church side of the lot.

Upcoming Events

As we continue to celebrate through the Season of Easter, everyone is invited to attend these upcoming events:

The Spring Tea & Bake Sale – Saturday, April 27th from 2 – 4 p.m. Only $3.50 includes coffee or tea and dessert, as well as a great opportunity to pick up some delicious homemade baked goods, and to enjoy a time of fellowship with new and old friends.

Camp Sunday – Sunday, May 5th we will be sharing about and celebrating the ministry of Christian camping, with a special emphasis on our Church Camp, Camp Christopher. Wear your camp shirt to worship, and come join in singing some camp songs.

Pentecost Sunday and Holy Communion – Sunday, May 19th. We will gather to worship God and celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit empowering the people of God to proclaim the Gospel in word and deed to the ends of the earth. Wear red this Sunday to celebrate the fire of the Holy Spirit in our church and in our lives.

St. Andrew’s Annual Program Meeting – Sunday, May 26th following the worship service. Come and learn about what we have been doing in our church over the last year as well as hear about the plans and goals of our committees and groups for next year.

Holy Week Worship Schedule

Holy Week is a special time of worship, reflection, and celebration in the church. Please join your Presbyterian family for worship this week.

□       On Sunday, March 24^th Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday. We will gather at St. Andrew’s for worship at 11:00 am, remembering Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and joining with the crowds in singing “Hosanna” and hailing him as King. The children of the Church School have prepared some special music to share, and we have some special guest musicians (Horn players!)

□        On Thursday, March 28^th we will gather at Calvin Goforth Church (1602 Sommerfeld Ave.) at 7:00 pm to share a worship experience as we celebrate Maundy Thursday, remembering Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. The service will include the celebration of the Lord’s Supper. Bring a pair of NEW SOCKS to donate to the Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry.

□        On Good Friday March 29^th we will gather at St. Andrew’s to remember the day that our Lord Jesus was crucified, died, and was buried. We worship together at 10:30 am, followed by a time of fellowship.

□        On Easter Sunday, March 31^st we will gather at St. Andrew’s for a celebration of the resurrection at 11:00 am. The service will include the joyful feast of the people of God: Holy Communion.

The Month of March

The Season of Lent continues as we move into the month of March at St. Andrew’s. If you began some Lenten disciplines a couple of weeks ago, remember to keep them up through March. Or if you didn’t make a commitment to a Lenten discipline, here are a few of the things that folks at St. Andrew’s are doing and you may want to consider:

• Set aside some time to read scripture and pray each day during Lent. With the children of our church school consider praying the Lord’s Prayer every day, or ask Rev. Amanda for a copy of the Lenten devotional booklet “A Time to Pray” either by email or in print. Or if you would rather pray with others, come to the Prayer Group gatherings on Friday March 8th and Friday March 22nd at 11 am.

• Pick up a coin jar from the church or use another container to gather your loose change throughout the Season of Lent. Bring in your jar of coins (or write a cheque) to support Presbyterian World Service and Development. Read more about the projects supported through our Lenten appeal in the February newsletter.

• Join us at the church on Wednesday evenings at 7 pm during Lent for a bible study on “Learning Forgiveness.” We meet in the parlour for this experience including scripture study, discussion, and reflection through journalling.

Also take note of these special events and worship opportunities in the month of March:

• Friday, March 1st, 2:00 pm. Everyone is invited to the World Day of Prayer service at Knox United Church. The service this year was prepared by Christian women in France.
• Sunday, March 3rd, following worship. Please plan to stay for lunch served by the Youth Group and the Annual Financial Meeting. Copies of the 2012 Financial Reports are available from the church office.
• Sunday, March 24th is Palm Sunday. Join us for this day of celebration including special music by the children of our church school.
• Thursday, March 28th, 7 pm. We will gather for a Maundy Thursday worship service at Calvin Goforth Presbyterian Church (Sommerfeld Ave. @ 3rd Street).
• Friday, March 29th, 10:30 am. We will host the Good Friday worship service at St. Andrew’s.
• Saturday, March 30th, 8:30 am. All women are invited to the Women’s Breakfast at Mulberry’s on 3rd Avenue.
• Sunday, March 31st, 11 am. We will celebrate the resurrection of Christ on this Easter Sunday and share in the Sacrament of Holy Communion.