Pastoral Epistle-June 1, 2022
Beloved Congregation,
Greetings in Jesus!
“He who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.” John 12:45
Jesus became a man being born of the virgin Mary. He lived among us two thousand years ago. He came, that anyone who sees Jesus Christ actually sees God the Father. Jesus is the image of God himself. We are encouraged to draw close to Jesus. When we are close to Jesus, we will be close to the Godhead. This is the foundation of the Pentecostal experience.
We have entered June. Time goes so fast. May our Lord bless you and your loved ones in this month. God’s blessings be with those who are planning vacations
Praise God for last Sunday of Song and Testimony. We heard wonderful edifying testimonies from our youth and adults. Glory to God.
Many thanks to Sangeetha, James, all parents and our wonderful youth for putting in a lot of effort for the glory of God. We have our next fifth Sunday celebration on July 31st. We can start preparing for it. May our Lord’s blessings continue on our church.
This Sunday we will celebrate Pentecost; the fiftieth day from his resurrection our Lord fulfilled his promise of sending the Holy Spirit to be our comforter. This is a prophetic fulfillment by the prophet Joel 2:28. It is called the feast of harvest Exodus 23: 16 and the feast of first fruits Numbers 28:26 in the Old Testament.
Upcoming Events for Summer :
Youth Retreat: We are planning a Youth Retreat in July. Sangeetha and I will reach out to the parents of our youth on Monday, the 6th to give details and answer questions.
Young Adults : There will be a 13 week Youth Alpha course that our young adult coordinator is planning for the summer. Encourage our young adults to take this course and also bring a friend. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Sunday School : Reminder to register for the Summer camp for Sunday School :https://www.doxatoronto.com/doxa-summer-camp. Please let me know if you would like to prayerfully consider the position of Sunday School Superintendent.
Outreach : We will be planning a fundraising event in August to raise funds for Ukraine and Srilanka. Please remember in prayer.
Church Picnic / Outdoor Sunday worship : We are looking into possibilities for an outdoor service and a Picnic during this Summer. Coffee Hour : We will begin in person Coffee Hour beginning this Sunday onwards. Please contact sister Suganthi if you would like to sponsor Coffee Hour.
Chalice Bearer Ministry: Please let me know if you would like to prayerfully consider serving in the House of the Lord as a Chalice Bearer. We need two for this position.Priest’s Summer Vacation : June 30th to July 14th and July 29th to Aug 12th inclusive. For pastoral emergencies, please contact our wardens. Rector’s Warden: Sam Moses – 416-848-2785People’s Warden: Onnesimus Sam Prabhu – 647-567-3235Please remember all our events in prayer. We need God’s grace and guidance.
Here are the details to send your tithes and offerings. Thank you for your faithful contributions. The Lord loves a faithful giver. May He richly reward your faithfulness.
E-transfer your Contributions to : cw-stbede@toronto.anglican.ca
You can also contribute at: https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/st-bedes-church
Birthdays this week and next :
Sumitha Sathiyanessan Jun 3
Sarah Dharmarajah Jun 8
Neelkumar Lamech Jun 8
Kirubakaran Anderson Jun 8
Rev. Dr. Irwin Sikha Jun 9
Zoom details for Bible Study and Sunday services :
https://zoom.us/j/97753965288?pwd=ZkJFd0JZZTRDSWRPN25YMVNZby9JZz09
Meeting ID: 977 5396 5288
Passcode: 749549
YouTube Stream links: https://youtu.be/lVBgQ122srA or http://stbedesanglican.ca/worship-videos/
Ascension Sunday Sermon points are attached.
Let us continue earnestly to keep a close walk with God as we begin celebrating Pentecost.
Regards and blessings,
Pastor
The Rev’d Dr. Irwin Sikha