Welcome to your Valley Anglican e-newsletter for Friday March 26th, 2021. In this week's e-newsletter you will find a Holy Week message from our Incumbent, a link to an electronic copy of our Revelations newspaper, details about our Holy Week and Easter online services, and other updates from across our area parish and diocese. Holy Week this year will once again be very different because of COVID-19, but the universe-changing message of the cross and empty tomb remain as relevant for us as ever. May you be blessed in the days to come as together, we enter once more into the depths of the paschal mystery. 

As we begin our sacred journey through Holy Week towards the upper room, the garden, the cross and the empty tomb, Bishop Michael has composed a letter to our Parish of the Valley community as a whole. You can read Bishop Michael's Holy Week letter on the front page of Revelations or by clicking on the blue button below.

The Holy Week and Easter issue of our parish newspaper, Revelations, is available for download by clicking on the blue button below. Paper copies of the newspaper are being delivered to all members of our parish who do not have access to an online copy. This quarter's copy has been generously sponsored by Malcolm, Deavitt and Binhammer Funeral Home in Pembroke and Caressant Care in Cobden. We are grateful to our editorial team of Jean Ostrom, Alexis Anderson, Naomi de Repentigny and Marie Zettler for another wonderful edition!

Although we will not be gathering for worship in-person this year, the Parish of the Valley will still be offering multiple opportunities to gather virtually for prayer as we observe Holy Week and Easter. The Valley clergy team will be recording online services for both Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, including a celebration of the Holy Eucharist for Easter. These two services will air on our YouTube Channel and also on YourTV Ottawa Valley. Our parish will also be sharing liturgies from Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa and Canterbury Cathedral, UK, on both Maundy Thursday and Good Friday as we join our prayers with others throughout our Anglican Diocese of Ottawa and the worldwide Anglican Communion. Other Holy Week prayers, resources and reflections will also be shared throughout the week on our parish website and social media accounts. Be sure to check back regularly throughout the week for new updates. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic we know that many of the annual church fundraisers at Holy Trinity Pembroke will once again look very different this year. Recognizing this, the Holy Trinity Pembroke Church Council recently endorsed a new stewardship initiative. Holy Trinity is calling this new effort, "Operation $5 Bill." A letter outlining the program can be found by clicking on the blue button below. 

Rev. Matthew will be beginning twelve weeks of parental leave on Easter Monday, April 5th. Rev. Gillian will return from her maternity leave on Monday, May 3rd, and Rev. Matthew will return from his parental leave on Monday, June 28th. While Rev. Matthew and Rev. Gillian are on leave, other members of our Parish of the Valley clergy team remain available to offer prayerful support and pastoral care throughout our parish community. For the months of April, May and June, parishioners of Holy Trinity Pembroke are asked to please contact Rev. Rick Durrett in the case of any urgent pastoral needs. He can be reached at 613-720-5710 or by email at funsofar02@gmail.com. Parishioners of St. Augustine's Beachburg are similarly asked to contact Canon Susan Clifford at 613-628-2029 or by email at eganvilleparish@gmail.com. We all wish baby Lily the very best of luck in babysitting her Dad!

This week we are pleased to offer a service of Morning Prayer filmed on Zoom. Click on the "Click to Pray" button below beginning Sunday morning to view the service on our website. There you will also find a copy of The Valley Bulletin and an order of service so you can pray with us from home. This week's service includes a surprise at the end of the service...and it might just involve some jumping up and down! 

Our services also air on YourTV Ottawa Valley Sundays at 10am and 1:30pm. A reminder email is sent out on Sunday mornings. We hope you will take a few moments to tune in and join our parish in prayer.

During COVID-19 the vast majority of our church expenses continue. All members of the Parish of the Valley are encouraged to make regular offerings to their home churches by mail, online or through pre-authorized remittances to support our parish's ministries. Members of Holy Trinity Pembroke, St. John's Eganville, and Ascension Killaloe/St. John's Tramore can give to their churches online using credit card or PayPal through the website Canada Helps.

Every donation matters, so please click "Support Your Church" below to find out more about how you can contribute. Thank you for your faithful support!

Don't forget to download and read The Valley Bulletin from the Latest News section of our parish website. Click "Read The Valley Bulletin" below to access this week's issue, including our parish prayer list.