Hello Everyone,

Before I get to the news, here is something you need to know:

The North Shore Music Festival is being held at Gloria Dei again this year.  The event runs from February 23 until March 8thwhich is their final concert. Be aware that the Conference room is not available during this time and that there will be a lot of people coming and going which means parking will be at a premium.

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Upcoming events to mark on the calendar: 

March 3 – Transfiguration Sunday: We will be burying the Alleluia!

March 6 – Ash Wednesday Service:  Regional event. No service at Gloria Dei. 

Services are as follows:

7:30 AM St. Clement’s,

12:00 noon St. Clement's,

7:30PM Mt. Olivet March 10 –

First Sunday in Lent.March 14 – Soup dinner and Holden Prayer

March 17 – Annual General Meeting following the church service. More information to come.

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Please keep in prayer all who will gather from the congregations of the Lower Mainland for the Synod Wide Conversation this Saturday, Feb. 23 at First Lutheran Church.  Good and gracious God, all that we are and all that we have comes from you. We ask you to help us understand and clarify where the BC Synod has been and where we are going. In your love, send your Holy Spirit to your people. Open the minds and hearts of your church to hear and heed your word to us at this time. Through this journey of discerning we ask to uncover the Spirit’s way together, so that your church may be strengthened in its witness to the love of Christ,and as instrument of your healing purposes in the communities where we worship, work and play. We ask this through Jesus Christ, Our Saviour, Lord and Friend. Amen. 

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New Regional Event for Lent:

Return to the Garden: Practising Sabbath Rest

A Lenten workshop series for those who wish to explore the practice of Sabbath and create space for "holy rest and renewal" in their lives...on a Sunday or any day of the week!  Time doesn't have to slip through our fingers in an uncontrollable rush. If you would like to explore what "keeping the Sabbath" might look like in your own life, please consider incorporating this workshop series into your Lenten spiritual discipline.There will be readings distributed, but this is not a "book study" - we will be experimenting with Sabbath practices, sharing our stories, and learning what it might mean to create a "cathedral in time." These are not "stand alone" workshops, so we ask that you attend the entire series to the best of your ability.

Workshop series: 7pm Mondays,March11 through April8.St .Clement's Anglican Church,3400 Institute Rd.NV

Facilitator: The Rev. Peggy Trendell-Jensen

Info: www.stclementschurch.ca

Preregistration required: peggy@stclementschurch.ca; $20 fee includes Mar.18 talk  

PLUS: Special guest speaker,open to all! Rabbi Susan Shamash: The Beauty of Shabbat  Monday,March18 at 7pm - $10 donation requested  

Some news from REST: 

Very exciting news from Bukhari: Bukhari has a job!!!! Bukhari will be ironing napkins at Vij's Restaurant. This job came about through a chance meeting of a wonderful lady, who turns out to be the business partner and x-wife of Vij! The person currently doing the ironing job is leaving next month and Bukhari is thrilled to step in. Yeah! She may end up having other work for him down the road as well. We are so happy for him.

We are still searching for a sponsor for Bukhari's brother, who would dearly love to come to Canada and help his brother. It would cost around 20,000$ for the year and they would need to live in Vancouver. If you have any ideas for who might be able to sponsor this young man, please let me know. 

AND: Honada is cooking up a fundraiser: You're invited to a fundraising dinner in Vancouver in support of the Al Salam School:Try a rich sample of authentic Syrian dishes, and learn about how they're made, their significance in the region's cultural heritage, where to find the ingredients, and ask questions from the chef, Honada, who will be on hand to teach you everything you ever wanted to know about the wonderful world of Syrian cuisine.We're also pleased to present a short live performance of the Syrian oud, a traditional musical instrument. Don't miss out! Seats are limited.

 Facts about Al Salam school! -   

·   Up till Nov 2018, we have offered free education to more than 10,000 Syrian displaced children.·  Al Salam school started with nearly 900 Syrian refugee children in 2012 and reached today 2000 students ranging from grade 1 to grade 12.  We have a staff of 103 which are all refugees with more than half being women.·  The school had 4 graduation ceremonies from 2015-2018, out of which  300  refugee students have graduated from high school with degrees accredited by the Turkish Ministry of Education.·  Al Salam school was founded in 2012 and is the first free school for Syrian refugees on the Turkish-Syrian border.·  A free dental clinic resides at Al Salam school providing free dental care to all the students and staff.·  200 orphans attend Al Salam school where they are provided with free education, clothes, psychological support and other necessary items.·  Free transportation is provided to all the students. The Syrian Kids Foundation is run completely by volunteers in both Montreal and abroad and is currently looking for new volunteers to help with bake sales and to tutor English remotely to our Al Salam students via Skype.If you would like to volunteer your time and skills to the Syrian Kids Foundation, please contact us at info@syriankids.ca to learn about the opportunities available. If you would like more information about this, please let me know – I have more!  The booking “tab” is in an email that I can forward to you if you would like to book.  When you book, the location will be revealed to you. It is on the North Shore. 

Peace,

 Lin