Life In Ministry
St Paul’s Ministries
Learn about our parish life
Getting involved in ministry can be a very satisfying calling. St Paul’s is very active in many ministry areas, as outlined below. See if you feel moved to learn more about ministry at St Paul’s below – we look forward to welcoming your participation!
Church School
Confirmation classes are available during the 10am service for young people in their early teens who are either preparing for or interested in learning more about Christianity. Sunday School is available for younger children as needed.
Outreach
Local Outreach: Outreach works both in fund-raising and advocacy for improving the conditions of life of others. Through St. Paul’s we develop and promote programs through which we can serve the needs of others in the community. We support the Brighton Food Bank, Sunny Days, School Lunch Programs, and Community Care Northumberland, as well as three local Hospices.
- Direct help for less fortunate in the community
- Support for community, diocese, national, international
- Encouragement of all members to get involved in outreach activities
Global Outreach: We support Samaritan’s Purse ‘Turn on the Tap’ which provides water filters for Third World countries. We also support Sleeping Children Around the World and Canada Food Grains. Additionally, through We Believe, we support a foster child in Ghana.
Better English Cafe
St. Paul’s hosts the Better English Café the first Tuesday every month from 6 to 8:30pm. This is an informal evening for those who wish to practice skills includes light refreshments and snacks, conversations with native English speakers who are happy to listen and gently correct if asked. Sometimes we play word games, and sometimes we just hang out. We never know who will be there. Sometimes it is 2 or 3 people joining our hosts and sometimes 10 or more. We have been privileged to see newcomers and visitors from Syria, Ukraine, China, Belgium. It is a great way to build connections and community. Come join us.
Music
Music at St Paul’s connects our parish community through a blend of traditional and contemporary styles, accompanied by both organ and piano. The 10am service includes a full complement of hymns, songs, and service music throughout. Our active choir contributes special music to services at least once a month, and rehearses weekly. Additionally, small vocal groups and soloists are often gathered to contribute to special occasions. With sufficient notice, our organist, pianist, choir, and soloists are all available to be booked for special events, such as weddings and funerals. Please contact the church office to make a request for musical services at (613) 475-2000.
Christian Education
- Support and training for children’s ministry
- Baptism, marriage and confirmation preparation
- Adult education
- Guest speakers
- Spiritual advice and counseling by the minister
Pastoral Care
Pastoral care and hospitality provides for:
- Visits and Holy Communion to the sick, infirm, and bereaved by clergy, St. Paul’s Guild and lay visitors in hospital, retirement homes, or at home;
- Also provides Pastoral counseling, spiritual help and guidance, phone calls, maintenance of an up-to-date parish list, and coordination of Prayers of the People requests.
Please contact the office if you or a loved one is in hospital so that our clergy can visit, or if you wish to be upheld in prayer. While some members of our Parish are also Deanery Hospital Visitors, or PRHC volunteers, they are careful to protect the privacy of the people they visit, and our clergy need to be informed directly in order to be a part of your support team in a time of crisis. Contact the office for further assistance.
Altar Guild
The Altar Guild is a group of people whose ministry is the care of the holy vessels, ornaments, linens, hangings and vestments used in our regular worship. Organized into teams which serve on a monthly rotation, the Altar Guild prepares the altar for our regular Eucharistic worship. This includes setting up the vessels, maintaining the beeswax candles, laundering the linens and changing the frontals and hangings for the various church seasons. This “behind the scenes” ministry is vital to the smooth operation of our regular liturgies.
Servers
Servers assist the priest in the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. This is a ministry for people of all ages: boys, girls, men and women.
Sidespeople
Sidespersons serve as greeters and ushers for those arriving for worship. They ensure that everyone has the books and papers needed for worship, and that everyone is comfortably seated. Sidespersons also collect the weekly offering and bring it to the altar to be blessed at the Offertory.
Serve Others
Get Involved
Build Community
Want To Get Involved?
Use this form or contact the office!
Worship at St Paul's
Scripture
Now the Lord came and stood there, calling as before, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel said, ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’
1 Samuel 3:10 (NRSV-A)