Welcome to the first TASTE & SEE: The Rector's Musing!

Being the New Priest On The Block, I have been catching myself constantly in awe of the number of amazing people I got to meet, engaging ministries I got to participate in, and the wellspring of thoughts and musings I wished to share with my new parish family.  So let's start a blog and an occasional newsletter, eh?!

Slow Down, Pastor!  You already had one speeding ticket on your second Sunday in the parish, a sermon at your Induction Service that testified to your history of speeding (not just on the road).  Shouldn't you take the hint?  How are you doing, really?

In truth, life has been a million-miles-a-minute in the last few months as I wound down my work at Community Living, tried selling a home in a slow market and packing it up, tried setting into my parent's guest room, and piled up lots of kilometres commuting between Richmond, Aldergrove, and Sunshine Coast on my EV.   I felt like the Flying Nun sometimes and was having just as much fun as Sr. Bertrille in the original Flying Nun show.  

And getting back on the ground, I am really pleased to see the turnout at the Extreme Weather Response (EWR) Information Meeting last Sunday.  Some 20+ parishioners stayed for the session and asked a lot of clarifying questions on how it would look like if St. Dunstan's offered our Hall space for this program that runs from October to March each year.  Marina took some great notes at the meeting and you will find her notes in the News section of the webpage.  Please review the notes and send any feedback you may have to members of the Parish Council.  The EWR is on the agenda of the Parish Council Meeting next Tuesday (December 17).

And here is an apology to parishioners who came to the First Sunday of Advent worship and was spooked by the changes in the liturgies.  Running a million-miles-a-minute, I neglected to share my plan to experiment All Are Welcome: a trauma-sensitive liturgy approved by the Diocese during Advent.  Some of you told me that you missed saying the more familiar version of the Lord's Prayer.  While all versions of the Lord's Prayer are translations from one time to the next (I have prayed five versions of the Lord's Prayer in two different languages during my short life), I am happy to bring back the Lord's Prayer in modern language as presented in the Book of Alternative Services.  I am learning that while changes have their purposes, too much changes can be upsetting at times.  I will do a better job of supporting you to anticipate changes in the liturgies in the future.

I am also late in confirming the Christmas services this year.  I am pleased to announce that the Longest Night Service is returning this year on Saturday, December 21 (Winter Solstice) at 7 pm.  This will be a service of words and music tailored for people who may find the holiday season challenging due to recent or past bereavement or other reasons.  

Christmas Eve services will be at 6:30 pm and 10 pm.  I am trying to get a Drop-in Pageant going for the 6:30 pm service.  Please help spread the word and invite your friends and family to come to one of these services.

Looking into the New Year, please mark your calendar for a Centre for Spiritual Renewal social event, Twelfth Night Celebration on January 5, 2025 in your calendar.  I will be facilitating the event with helps from others.  

Until the next round of musings.

Notes taken by Marina Vanwoundenberg, Parish Council member at the Extreme Weather Response Information Meeting held on December 8, 2024 at noon regarding the proposed Extreme Weather Shelter at St. Dunstan's.

• parish council is the final vote on this on it December 12 meeting
• Diocese also has to vote yes - make sure we are not overcommitting to anything 

• Offer the main hall space for 15 beds/cots, and storage space for the 15 cots when not in use
• Storage space: slider partitions in main hall space to store cots, or we can used the upstairs storage room. 
• We might need to do some spring cleaning of upper room! But we have the space. 
• Access as well to washrooms and garbage bins
• Would welcome (if we have capacity) to help with food purchases etc.
• The society will provide meals that do not require the kitchen space, but if we supplement this it’s very welcome. 
• Low barrier shelter: alcohol and drug use is allowed; as long as the person is not violent or disrupting other guests. 

• Mobile health unit: environment for safe use, slightly more regulated: Encouraged to use in this environment for safety 
• Staffed shelter during work hour

• Lookout is the security and supervision. Make sure facilities are kept well and deal with behaviour and maintenance.
• Funding through BC housing if damages occur 
• Lookout staff: about 2-3 staff overnight, and more supervisors for set up and takedown staff. Staffing partners with Gateway to help. 
• Lookout staffing is in 12 hr shifts. 
• Overdoses - Naloxone training is available via lookout. All Lookout staff have this training. 

• Police responses: they will know when an Extreme Weather Alert is issued, and will help. Response time is generally faster, and they are part of weekly meetings.  

• Other areas: closet locations is Gateway of hope (Langley) - this would be the only Aldergrove location. 
• Gateway of Hope: 68 bed shelter, but that’s it. Often overcrowded, which results in problems often. Smaller local responses are generally better, as they can be managed better.
• EWR: gateway has 30 beds for cold weather, but crowding is an issue. 
• Peter Mann: RCMP liaison for Aldergrove: many people live in vehicles, and need better shelter. Some also live in camps etc. people from other communities will also come in, probably.

• We rarely have events after 8:00 pm: we’d have to look at bookings until April. We will need to talk to booked things to confirm the plan - who takes precedence?
• We will try to accommodate for all groups - renters and EWR. 
• Our renters: AA, Trinity Western Counselling, ESL courses: We’ve notified them that we are discussing this. We want the existing groups to be in support of this. 
• Hours often do not overlap. Most people leave their meetings more quickly, but of our regular meetings, more space between meetings. 
• AA: 
• Has been in St Dunstan’s for 15 years. 
• Can move into the sanctuary as needed on cold spell days 
• New Directions' ELS Classes: supportive of the idea of an EWR: 
• Students often ask why Canadians are not helping the homeless people they can see. 
• Concern: Students may be slow to leave if there’s a tenting area - afraid of going through the tents. 
• Possible solution: Have a person to speak to students and explain things to them. Help with walking students to the bus stop, if they are afraid. 
• Our Neighbours: possibly won’t like this, but it’s temporary. We will be responsive to concerns, but we will not be giving them the power to veto this decision initially. 

• The maximum capacity for St. Dunstan’s would be 15 cots. 
• First come first serve. Lookout will have an intake process which outlines expectations and what is allowed.
• EWC: If we have overflow; we will work to find space in other shelters/find places in other cities. 

• Season: Oct 15-April 15. Feels below 0, more than 30 mm of rain, over saturated ground - will often be open.
• EWR: Number of expected days the centre will be of open: 87 days in mild years, max 100 days in years with bad weather.
• Opening hours can be set by the church, within certain parameters. 

• Consecutive days: On bad weeks, EWRs will often be open 3-4 days in a row. More people around even without opening. 

• Host sites: during the season, there will be weekly meetings to sort out possible problems for city bylaws, issues, help etc. 
• Cst. Peter Mann: Knows the people in these situations well, and has a good idea of who they are and how to help. Offered to visit on open days early in morning to help with peacekeeping, moving people to other shelters if needed. 

• Building code: we’re not in violation, codes will be waived for this. 
• Damage insurance: who?
• We need to tell our insurer about this. Last resort. 
• Generally: BC housing will give us a reasonable sum for damages as needed. More substantial damage on a case basis.
• Permits: The Township involved, we don’t need a special permit. But, planning is in progress. 
• Liability insurance? Do we need this? we will decide with insurers as needed. 
• Do we need to sign some agreement for a certain time period etc?
• Document of responsibility signed by all parties, reviewed by diocese legal team before signing. 
• Will be reviewed by the Parish Council and Clarence. 

• Leon: Upgrades: damages to churches can be heavy citing an example in Abbotsford.  How do we address that?
• Copper theft from kitchen: a concern. 
• Lookout be will monitoring the building and guests. 
• Kitchen will not be in use for Lookout.
• Bathrooms: will be monitored, in hope of damages being minimized. 
• Disposal units and sharps containers will be provided
• St Andrew’s, Langley: 
• Possibilities of damages: people are often tired, but that does not mean no problems. 
• They dealt with things in the walls, stuff left around. Had a broken table. A door hinge got damaged, Lookout fixed it! 
• Often only cosmetic damages. 

• No theft, damage taken care of quickly. Relational issues with guests or between other renters/leadership of church. Often prejudice-based issues rather than actual bad stuff happening. 
• People hanging out, even without the shelter open. Makes the possibility for people around higher.
• Why isn’t St. Andrew’s not hosting an EWR right now?
• Concerned daycare parents, but not for a dangerous reason. Just worried about running high with main renters, mostly due to stigma. 

• Cst. Peter Mann: flexible facilities are open during the day to support people during bad weather days. People can go to get passes for showers at the rec centre in Aldergrove. 
• St. Andrew’s: Will people just hang out? Yeah, probably. We can work with this, and concerns will be brought up in weekly meetings facilitated by the EWR Coordinator (Cristina). 

• Complex. Neighbours, renters, stigma will shut things down.
• But: now doing weekly meetings to help make this safe and effective. We will try to make this happen and keep going

• St. Andrew’s: We need to do our best to help the people in front of us who need help. Being Christlike involves having stuff to wrestle with. 
• Theresa: if we do this we need to address our own stigma, and work to improve our communication and welcoming skills. 

• Yes! 
• Pets are accommodated by Lookout: crates and spaces are provided for pets. 

Christmas can be rough, sometimes.

There is so much pressure to be “holly, jolly,” and to spend, spend, spend. What do you do, if you’re actually feeling down, or your budget won’t let you join in the shopping frenzy? Perhaps you’re dealing with the death of a loved one, or a serious illness. Perhaps you are no longer with the person you’ve spent Christmases with before. Perhaps you’re finding it harder than ever to make ends meet.

Or perhaps, your ongoing struggle with depression becomes even harder when everyone is telling you that you ought to be happy at Christmas.

If any of this sounds like you, St. Dunstan’s Longest Night Experience offer comfort, healing and a glimmer of hope on the darkest night of the year. Please come and join us for a time of listening, music and reflection.

Come to a light-hearted evening of merrymaking in medieval style to mark the end of the Twelve Days of Christmas and the night before the Epiphany.
Featuring food, mulled drinks, readings, poetry, storytelling and much more.
Come walk the candlelight labyrinth (weather-permitted), dance around the Christmas Tree (a Scandanavian tradition), last-chance carolling like you mean it, and be infused with the joy of the Word Made Flesh among and within us.

An admission by donations event to fundraise the operations for the Centre.  More information to follow.