GIFT Programme - St. Matthias Anglican Church

Flashback

2013-01-31T22:01:42-05:00

From left, Don Newman, Catherine Chapman and Bishop John Chapman at the Flashback vintage fashion show held Saturday, January 26, 2013, in celebration of the125th anniversary of St. Matthias Anglican Church. Photo by Caroline Phillips

GIFT Fashion Show

2013-02-16T05:00:00-05:00

In honour of St. Matthias' 125th Anniversary and the diocesan Gift Campaign, come and enjoy the fun of fashion and music highlighting eras from the 1890's to today

January 26, 2013

7:00 p.m.

Fashion show,

reception with wine.

Tickets $60.00

Please call 613-728-3996 now to reserve

download poster (high resolution)

GIFT - CELEBRATION SUNDAY

2012-11-21T22:15:16-05:00

After more than 10 months, St. Matthias is celebrating the completion of the GIFT [ - Growing in Faith Together - ] campaign. Its goal is to enable our parish and our diocese to continue to grow and to flourish.

The GIFT appeal was initially proposed by Bishop John, in recognition that the Anglican Church in Ottawa has many important ministries that simply do not have enough financial support.

The completion of the project comes as we enter our 125th year of existence as a parish. The parish plan was determined by a parish questionnaire which found that we want to strengthen our tradition of outreach and hospitality.

On Sunday, November 25, the parishioners of St. Matthias will celebrate the completion of this project. Join us for cake and refreshments in the Church hall after service !!

GIFT IS NOT ABOUT PAYING BILLS – IT IS ABOUT PUTTING A FOUNDATION IN PLACE THAT CAN HOLD FIRM WELL INTO THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE !!

St Matthias' GIFT Brochure

2012-04-12T00:44:21-04:00

Our Brochure is available here

Diocese GIFT Information

2012-03-07T15:52:35-05:00

GROWING IN FAITH TOGETHER

Vist the Diocese GIFT programme site for general information on the Fundraising Campaign of the Diocese

GIFT Bulletin - October 28

2012-10-24T05:00:00-04:00

GIFT and COMMITMENT

[Put your head underwater and keep it there for a while. You will soon realize that you are 100% committed to breathing. Notice that you do not make excuses not to breathe. Notice that you do not worry about motivating yourself to breathe. Notice that you do not need to justify your desire to breathe! You just breathe! Commitment is action. - Steve Pavlina]

To commit is to pledge yourself to a certain purpose or line of conduct. It also means practicing your beliefs consistently. There are, therefore, two fundamental conditions for commitment. The first is having a sound set of beliefs. There is an old saying that goes, "Stand for something or you'll fall for anything." The second is faithful adherence to those beliefs with your behavior. Possibly the best description of commitment is "persistence with a purpose".

Commitment is what transforms the promise into reality. It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions and the actions which speak louder than the words. It is making the time when there is none. Commitment is the stuff character is made of - the power to change the face of things.

“Unless commitment is made, there are only promises and hopes... but no plans.” Peter F. Drucker (1909-2005); Professor, Writer, Management Consultant

“Commitment unlocks the doors of imagination, allows vision, and gives us the right stuff to turn our dream into reality.” James Womack (born 1941); Biologist, Author, Professor “Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” Henry Ford (1863-1947); Founder Of Ford Motor Company

GIFT bulletin - October 21

2012-10-19T14:48:02-04:00

You do not have to be wealthy to make a significant gift to St Matthias! You can leave money to both your heirs and to organizations that reflect your values? You can make an estate plan does not have to be complicated or expensive. With thoughtful planning, you can use the assets you have right now to create a financial plan for yourself, provide for your loved ones, and make a generous gift to St Matthias.

Although there are many definitions of planned giving, this is a simple one: a planned gift is any gift other than an outright gift of cash, chosen from a menu of specific “vehicles,” with a financial benefit both this church and to you. Examples include a bequest, a trust, an annuity and a beneficiary designation of an insurance policy . In addition, St Matthias is a tax-exempt organization and there are many tax benefits to gifts of this nature.

The Anglican Diocese of Ottawa can provide no-cost information and guidance on any aspect of planned giving by email, telephone or through a personal visit. [Please contact the GIFT office, Ms Jane Scanlon, at 71 Bronson Ave by telephone at 613-232-7124, ext 225; E-Mail to [email protected]">[email protected] ; or via the Website at www.growinginfaithtogether.ca]

We also encourage you to contact your own advisors and others whom you trust about your wishes and your plans.

DATES of INTERST //

28 October Commitment Sunday - official end of the St Matthias GIFT campaign

25 November Celebration Sunday - Celebration of the GIFT goals achieved

Gift Bulletin - Oct 14

2012-10-12T16:07:48-04:00

What do I need to get through? We can ask that question with respect to food or material goods or anything we consume. Indeed, I am not suggesting that people stop spending; however, I do suggest that we consider who we are and what we are doing by undergoing financial self-examination. This calls to mind the scene from "It's a Wonderful Life" when financial distress prompts the Building & Loan investors to try to withdraw all their money at once. After an impassioned speech in which George Bailey explains that such a response would kill the business, the first person in line demands all his money. But the second person in line, an older woman, responds differently. When asked "What'll it take till the bank opens? What do you need?" she thinks and answers: "Well, I - I suppose 20 dollars." As a bonus, George kisses her. Others follow her lead and withdraw only what they must have, and the Building & Loan lives to see another day.

When we figure out what we need, we figure out what we can do without. When we figure out what we can do without, we realize that we might be able to give something to our fellow man and still have something left over for our wants. Put somewhat differently, once we figure out what we need, everything else we have should be counted as a blessing. Oddly enough, self-examination, fasting and self-denial become the vehicles for our real freedom to be the best we can be.

To put it in the words of rapper T.I.: "Stop lookin' at what you ain't got / Start being thankful for what you do got." It may not be the King James Version, but the point is clear.

You might be asking yourself how much you should give and where your gift should be given. Well, I will leave that up to you. God certainly calls us to be wise and make sure that we give our money and time and thoughts to the work of God. We are not supposed to make televangelists rich by being poor stewards. But God wants us to remember that money can be a source of great blessing or a corrosive agent that can destroy our faith and our relationship with God. The choice is yours !!

[Sunday 28 October –“Commitment Sunday” // the date for the official ending of the GIFT campaign.]

GIFT at St Matthias Info Bulletin - Thanksgiving

2012-10-05T14:58:14-04:00

This Thanksgiving Day let us express gratitude for all the blessing we have received and the freedoms we enjoy. We recognize freedom of religion as being the foundation stone for the other freedoms.

We have many reasons to give thanks today: For our families, our country, and our parish - you can make your own list. Many people do not realize that freedom of religion is starting point for other freedoms. You can verify this by reading the Magna Carta, the document that launched the modern democratic experiment. Its first clause states "that the English Church shall be free, and shall have her rights entire, and her liberties inviolate..."

Religion represents the deepest core of the human person - that place where we meet God and where our relationship with him/her touches every aspect of a person's life. We see freedom of religion under attack in many part of the world - countries that allow no Christian Church and punish those who convert to Christ. Although these countries allow "freedom of worship”, they allow people to do what they want in their homes and in their hearts, but when people express a faith different from state norms, they come down hard. In this country we take freedom of religion for granted. It is hard to imagine that our government could start dictating what churches can teach or how they carry out their religious practices.

This Thanksgiving Day let us express gratitude for all the blessing we have received and the freedoms we enjoy. We recognize freedom of religion as being the foundation stone for the other freedoms. And we re-dedicate to preserving that precious gift!