1. St. George’s A.C.W. Christmas Tea and Bazaar will be held on Saturday, Nov. 26 from 2 -4 PM. Crafts, Bake Table, Silent Auction. Tickets: Adults $4; Children under 12 $2.

2. St. Michael’s Christmas Tea and Bazaar will be held on Saturday, Dec. 3 from 2 – 4 PM, 675 Red River Road (corner of Red River & Rockwood). There will be Crafts, Bake Table & Deli Table. Tickets are $5.00. All are welcome.

3. St. Thomas’ extends an invitation to attend its Saturday evening service at 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 26th, followed by a Pizza-and-Salad Supper. All are welcome, and it is by freewill offering.

4. A message from the Deanery Communications Committee: The tabloid “Spiritual Gatherings” will be published on Sunday, November 27, the First Sunday of Advent, in The Chronicle-Journal. Look for the Editorial written by The Venerable Deborah Kraft and the full-page Anglican ad with telephone contacts. Check out the new website information for Church Services in December throughout Advent and Christmas. This tabloid will be published across the north shore and in the city of Thunder Bay. Be ready! Look for this publication!

5. The Rev. Mary Lucas, Rector of St. John’s Anglican Church, Thunder Bay, was one of the first six women in Canada to be ordained as an Anglican priest on November 30, 1976. She was ordained in the Diocese of Niagara at Grace Church in St. Catharine’s, Ontario. Reverend Lucas has a Master of Divinity Degree and a Masters of Public Administration Degree from Harvard University. Rev. Lucas has worked in inner city parish settings as well as significant Executive management and administrative experience in many social justice organizations. She has been the Rector at St. John’s since May 2009.

A service in celebration of the 35th Anniversary of the Ordination of Women will take place on Saint Andrew’s Day (November 30th) at 7:00 p.m. at the Church of St John the Evangelist, Pearl Street, Thunder Bay. There will be a reception following the service. All are welcome to attend. Clergy, red stole. Choirs, or choir members, who wish to participate are invited to a 6:00 rehearsal to go over the anthem. Choir members, please wear black skirts or pants, and black tops.

6. The Mission to Seafarers is celebrating its 50th anniversary in the Port of Thunder Bay. Come and join us for a service of Evening Prayer followed by a reception at 2:00 p.m. Sunday, December 4 at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church in Thunder Bay, 228 Pearl St., as we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the organization of the Mission to Seafarers. Under the leadership of Rev’d Canon Alvin Thompson, Rector of St. John’s, the Anglican clergy agreed that a Missions to Seamen station should be established at a meeting on December 6, 1961. A station was needed as a result of the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1960 and ocean-going ships arriving in the Port. December 6 is St. Nicholas’ Day, the patron saint of Seafarers.

7. A six-part DVD series “Surprised by Hope” continues at St. Stephen’s at 7:30 pm on Mondays: December 5 and 19 and January 16 and 30. It is based on the book Surprised by Hope written by Bishop Tom Wright, who is a New Testament scholar and Bishop of Durham. The topics are: Hope, Resurrection, Heaven, Second Coming, Salvation, and Church. This study is a fresh look at early church beliefs. We will watch the DVD and discuss it. There is a Study booklet, which you can purchase from www.chapters.ca, or order from St. Stephen’s at $11.00. Everyone is invited to come and participate.