“O come, O Dayspring from on high, and cheer us by your drawing nigh;
disperse the gloomy clouds of night, and death’s dark shadow put to flight.”
“Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.”
As the days grow shorter and the clouds that will soon give us a cold Valley winter gather on the horizon, we as God’s beloved Church begin our year anew with Advent, our annual season of holy waiting. Advent is a time in the life of the Church that is pregnant with anticipation. It is a time when we remember that God in Christ comes to us just as we are and shines the light of God’s love into every shadowy corner of creation. We rejoice in Emmanuel, for God is with us.
The Parish of the Valley’s Advent Appeal is now entering its fourth year. Through all the shadows of COVID, and the many challenges that have followed since, your generosity as God’s people in this parish has never faltered. Amazingly, over the last three years the Advent Appeal has raised more than $54,000 to support the many ministries of our local congregations. Those funds have now been transformed by God into radiant and gracious light: into faithful worship, meaningful pastoral care, and missional outreach at the local, national, and international level.
Your generous and sacrificial support has helped to make God’s light shine even brighter in our Parish of the Valley, and because of your faithfulness, we know that God’s light will continue shining through our beloved local Anglican community for many years to come, from generation to generation.
Please find the entire Parish of the Valley Advent Appeal letter to read here.
There are multiple ways you can support your local Anglican congregation through the Parish of the Valley’s Annual Advent Appeal:
You can give to the Advent Appeal in person at your home congregation. Simply detach and complete the information slip found in your advent appeal letter and place it in the enclosed envelope together with your donation. Envelopes can then be placed on the collection plate at your church. You may also print off an information slip from here.
You can contribute by mail using the envelope enclosed in your Advent Appeal package. Please make your donation payable to your local Valley congregation (please write your cheque to “Holy Trinity Pembroke,” “Epiphany Barry’s Bay,” “All Saints Petawawa,” “St. George’s South Alice,” etc.) Donations can then be mailed c/o 68 Renfrew Street, Pembroke, ON, K8A 5R6. Once received your donation will be forwarded by the main office to your local church
You can give to the Advent Appeal online using your credit card. If you are a member of Holy Trinity Pembroke, St. George's South Alice, or All Saints Petawawa, you can do that through this website! Simply click on your church's name in this paragraph and then scroll down to the big green "Give" button.
To give online using your credit card to any of the other churches or chapels in the Parish of the Valley, you can give online through CanadaHelps. Click on the church name below to go to their page. Your church will receive a cheque in the mail with your donation, less a service fee, in about a month.
Ascension Killaloe/St John's Tramore
St Paul's Cobden
St Augustine's Beachburg
St Patrick's Lower Stafford
St Stephen's Micksburg
St Thomas' Rankin
Church of the Epiphany Barry's Bay
St Anthony's Whitney
Be sure to submit your gift by Sunday, December 31st to qualify for a 2023 tax receipt.
Much of our parish’s international outreach work is proudly led by the congregation of St. John’s Eganville. Once again, this year, St. John’s is pleased to dedicate 100% of the congregation’s Advent Appeal proceeds to the work of Kenneth Kasule’s Wide Smiles for All Through Education in Uganda. Last year $4,500 was raised to support Kenneth’s work through the Celebration of Light Evensong and the Advent Appeal, and this year we hope to meet or exceed this goal. You can learn more about Wide Smiles by visiting their website: https://www.widesmilesug.org.
Please find the entire St. John's Eganville Advent Appeal letter to read here.
You can make your donations to the St. John's Eganville Advent Appeal on or before the Celebration of Light Evensong on Sunday, December 3rd. You can donate in these ways: