Next week marks Ash Wednesday, which signifies the start of the Christian season of Lent. We invite everyone wishing to observe this day to join us for one of our three services. This invitation is open to the Saint Laurence communities, Good Shepherd Lutheran, other nearby churches, and those without church affiliation!

Three service times to choose from: 9am, 1pm or 7pm,  all with the  Imposition of Ashes.

The roll-out of our Lenten offerings continues!

In his previous parish, Philip was known for his live-streamed Morning Prayer. He returns to this practice for Lent, but with a different pattern. This offering is for anyone in the Diocese of New Westminster or anyone who would find it helpful. Could you share this with others?

So, this Lent, join Philip for around 30 minutes of prayer and reflection each Monday in Lent and daily through Holy Week at 8 AM (live) on Facebook & YouTube. Each session will use the Sunday Collect and Readings to offer a fresh perspective for the week ahead. Missed it live? Watch it anytime afterward. All are welcome!

Facebook: StLaurenceCoquitlam

Youtube: @StLaurenceCoq

Begins March 10th!

Many of us were inspired by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde's bravery in challenging President Trump to show mercy during a sermon at his Inauguration Prayer Service.

Wherever you are, please join us for a five-week Lenten journey inspired by Bishop Budde's book, How We Learn to Be Brave. Each week, we’ll explore what it means to step forward in faith, even when faced with fear and uncertainty.

March 13: The Call to Courage
March 20: Facing Fear and Uncertainty
March 27: The Power of Community
April 3: Resilience in Suffering
April 10: A Courageous Yes

We meet on Thursdays at 10 AM for our in-person gathering at St Laurence or at 7:30 PM for our Zoom gathering.

Please register with Curt at the office either by email (office@saintlaurence.ca) or telephone.

Let’s journey together as we discover the bravery that comes through faith, community, and trust in God.

All are welcome!

In All Things Give Thanks: Developing the Art of Gratitude

Come spend a wonderful weekend in a beautiful and relaxed. This retreat is an opportunity to reconnect with ourselves, find community in each other, and enjoy great food, with time for reflection, fun and laughter. This year we will be joined by Kathy McDuff. Kathy is an artist, graphic designer and journalist who captures her artistic passions within her signature program, Creative Journaling. We’ll be using Creative Journaling to explore the power of gratitude in our lives. This is a women's event, so feel free to invite a friend, sister, mother - any woman you would like to share a retreat experience with. 

For more info, contact Heather: hesposito@shaw.ca or 604-916-5917

Help the youth of St Laurence and Good Shepherd go to the CLAY conference this summer in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and join us for a fun-filled bingo night with family and friends!

Hope you can join us :)
· Where – St Laurence Anglican Church
· When – March 29, 6-8 pm
· All ages welcome!
· Tickets are $10 per person, $20 for a family
· Tickets will be available next Sunday, March 9
· Baked goods and drinks will be available to purchase!

Once again, small wooden crosses are available, made from wood from St. Catherines, by Bernie Poitras,
Cost - $5.00

Proceeds will go toward the cost of doing the drain tile on the North side of the church building.

A Friendly Recap of Our Annual Vestry Meeting!

To everyone who attended our Annual Vestry Meeting—thank you! Your presence, questions, and engagement made for a meaningful gathering as we reflected on the past year and looked ahead to the future of St Laurence. We thought it would be helpful to give some immediate feedback on the meeting while everything is still fresh in our minds, rather than waiting until next year!

We want to acknowledge that some information, like the list of nominees, wasn’t available in print on the day. This was simply because a few details were still being finalized right up to the last moment. We recognize that this wasn’t ideal and hope to improve how we share these details in the future. Philip committed to providing a summary of appointments and elections next week—and this is it!

A big thank you to Mike Burpee for stepping up at short notice to present the financial report. It was detailed, thorough, and much appreciated by all.

One key topic that came up was the lack of a new nomination for People’s Warden. The reality is that no one was ready to step into the role this year. Thankfully, Lei has graciously agreed to continue for one more year while we take the opportunity to review and reshape our leadership and governance structures. Many of our current roles were created in a different era, and we recognize the need to make them more manageable and team-based moving forward.

Philip also offered a ‘route map’ for the year ahead. In simple terms, this includes:

• Annual Vestry – elects /appoints a new leadership team to work with Philip as the Rector.
• A Leadership Retreat to be organised, which will shape the following stages.
• Easter to Summer: A series of different gatherings and feedback opportunities for all ages, stages, and personality types. We need to discern together what we will focus on and how we will approach it—not just in terms of processes but also in shaping the character and ethos of our work.
• Summer: A time to pause, reflect, and take stock.
• Fall: A season of planning for action, where we will take the insights from our consultations and begin shaping a vision for 2026—including how our budget will reflect our priorities.

Philip also suggested that the agenda of future vestry meetings could be radically simplified, a suggestion that was met with general agreement.

Another key topic discussed was our deficit budget and the challenge it presents. We acknowledged that no single solution will resolve this, but a variety of smaller measures together might help address the issue. This will be a focus for us in the coming year.

Another question raised was about the absence of a PowerPoint presentation. Philip took that on board and committed to a visual presentation next year.
However, since then, he has heard from experienced voices that using PowerPoint in the Parish Hall is tricky—visibility is limited, and it’s yet another piece of technology to set up. With this in mind, we’ll explore other ways of providing presentation materials, whether in printed or electronic form, to ensure accessibility for everyone.

There were also questions about the proceeds of the Quality Fair and whether all or half of this was to go to outreach projects. There was a difference of opinion on that, and Philip suggested we roll this into the Easter-to-Summer consultation as part of our wider parish conversations.

Another question raised was whether a new altar and lectern were going to be sourced as part of the Renovision project. The answer is that this was an aspiration that was not committed to, particularly in light of other capital projects.

Also, on the Renovision project, the question of lighting at the front altar area was raised. It was explained that Gibraltar, the contractors, executed the plan as it was set out. The Parish Leadership know that some alterations will be needed to the lighting, but this must wait until after Gibraltar have completed their contract. It was pointed out that this is no one’s fault—it is just part of the realities of a large project like this, and is typical for sound and lighting adjustments. By waiting we save money.

Once again, thank you to all who participated, asked questions, and shared insights. Your input helps shape the life of our church, and we’re excited about what lies ahead!

Nomination and Appointments for 2025

The 1, 2, 3 indicates years remaining as per parish custom. Nominated indicates a new nomination. C indicates continuing after a 3 year term.

Wardens
Heather Esposito (2)
Lei De Santis (C)
Rick Barr (1) (appointed)

Synod Delegates
Heather Esposito
Rick Barr
Gabriella Stein (2)

Alternate Synod Delegates (Lay)
Sherry Hibbert (1)
Joan Caldow (C)
Dian Bourn (1)

Youth Synod Delegate (Lay) - TBD

Members at Large
Anne Dennis (C), as Trustee; Rhonna Eksyma nominated as Member at Large
Shirley Stockdill (2)
Mary Williams-Marter (2)
Wilson Munoz (2)
Amy Williams (3) (nominated)

Treasurer - TBD

Envelope Secretary -Larry Hoad

Trustees
Detlef Beck (appointed)
Mitch Dodd (appointed)
Anne Dennis (C, nominated)
Susanne Stockdill (nominated)

Lay Administrators of the Sacrament of Holy Communion
Liz Barr
Rick Barr
Detlef Beck
Susan Blows
Ross Bremner
Lei De Santis
David Donnan
Vivian Donnan
Eileen Duncan
Rhonna Eksyma
Sherry Hibbert
Janet Hill
Lorraine Humphries
Lucille Jonas
Connie Keen
Julie Lemon
Chris Longley
Kathy MacCorkindale
Pat Sharpe
Susanne Stockdill
Sylvia Wallis
Susan Williams
Anna Wood
Jason Wood
Flora Zakaria

You are invited to a PWRDF event for Parish Reps and anyone else who is interested!

Date: Saturday, March 8th, 2025 from
Time: 9:30 am – 12:00pm. (registration begins at 9:30)
Location: St. Laurence, 825 St. Laurence St, Coquitlam
(The event is FREE - but please RSVP to pwrdfnewwest@gmail.com)

During our time together you will meet Archbishop John Stephens, our Diocesan Unit Chair, The Rev. Joe Dirbas, members of our unit, and other Parish reps.

We will have presentations from the National Staff with the opportunity to ask questions and a chance to meet in small groups to share news of parish activities.
**Coffee, tea and goodies will be provided.**
All are welcome! Clergy, Parish reps and anyone interested in the work of PWRDF.

Coming Events:

Wed. Mar. 5 igYte @ GSL for Ash Wednesday

Fri. Mar. 7 Steve Bell Concert

Sat. Mar. 29 Bingo Night Clay Fundraiser

 

Dear friends in Christ,

In recent weeks it has come to my attention that the plight of refugees all around the world is getting harsher.  Countries are refusing to receive refugees or are making immigration more difficult or are ordering people to leave...