Since our Special Vestry meeting, which affirmed the motion committing us to an amalgamation with All Saints' Westboro, we have been busy with our normal parish activities of the Flea Market and Diocesan Synod. With these two events completed we now have to consider next steps in moving forward. With this in mind, Corporation met Wednesday of this past week to begin the look ahead. Taking into account our ongoing concerns about heating and repairs, budget concerns, and mindful of the flow of our liturgical seasons we concluded that the last day for Sunday Worship here at St. Matthias will be the Sunday of the Transfiguration on February 7, 2016. In this scenario, we will begin to worship at All Saints' with the Ash Wednesday service that week, and worship as one body on February 14th for Lent 1. Lent is the season of letting go, and this seems an appropriate theme for the time of adjustment to our new home. We hope this will allow us to share the Easter Celebration with a burgeoning familiarity to our new worshipping environment.
While we hope that the majority of our faithful will share the new ministry we will have together at All Saints', we are aware that this amalgamation will not work for all members of the parish. If you are planning to use this time to change your parish affiliation, please let me (John Wilker-Blakley) know so that I can write a letter of introduction for you to your new priest and parish home. This is one of the ancient courtesies of our tradition when people move parish. In this same vein, if you are uncertain of the other parish choices or traditions in your area please do not hesitate to ask and I can tell you where area parishes are located, or you can look on the diocesan Website for your region (www.ottawa.anglican.ca).
To help us deal with the emotional impact of the amalgamation, we are planning two evenings which will help to equip us for the transition. The first evening will be on managing change in our lives, and will be led, we hope, by one of the diocesan resource people specializing in difficult conversations. The second will be an evening dealing with our grief led by one of the counsellors from the Ottawa Pastoral Counselling Centre (OPC). This is a very difficult time for all of us and we need one another now more than ever. We will announce the dates for these evenings as soon as they are confirmed. These evenings will be open to all parishioners.
In looking at the work which needs to be done we will be creating three committees:
* the Sacred Objects Committee to catalogue and appropriately disperse our familiar liturgical items (like chalices, frontals and vestments);
* the Furnishings Committee to determine what property items will be going to All Saints' (and what will happen to things not going with us); and
* the Liturgy Committee to shape our final worship here on February 7th and the final liturgy for the 'decommissioning/deconsecration of this building which will happen at a later date.
The Sacred Objects Committee will be staffed (we hope) by the altar guild and clergy of both this parish and All Saints', but we are in need of people interested in the other two committees. If you would like to serve on either one please let me know.
Leading up to the amalgamation, the Corporation is planning to meet more often to deal with the details of our final steps. If you have items which you feel should be brought to our attention, please contact me or one of the wardens.
As always we will try to keep you abreast of events as they develop. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to speak with one of us, call, email or write.
Respectfully submitted,
John Wilker-Blakley