Community Dinner - November 11

On Remembrance Day, as we honour those who have died in the line of duty, during the world wars and those who continue peace-keeping efforts in our world today, let us focus our November 11 dinner on casseroles, pastas and comfort food that warms our hearts and souls. As the days draw darker and the temperatures fall, we continue to give thanks for all that you do to make our Community Dinners a place of belonging and warm hospitality! Please find the link for our sign-up sheet below.

https://www.perfectpotluck.com/meals.php?t=QWGI7248&welcome=1

Christmas Bazaar - November 14

Christmas Bazaar on November 14

Mark your calendars for the St. John’s Anglican Church Christmas Bazaar, Saturday, November 14, from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at 33 Pine Street North, Port Hope.

Come and enjoy a festive day featuring baking and crafts, the best of the Treasure Trove, Christmas urns and decorations, a silent auction, and holiday portraits for Christmas cards.

A traditional Christmas Lunch will be served from 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., featuring tea sandwiches, soup and dessert. Lunch is $15 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under.

The silent auction opens at 9:30 closes at 1:30 p.m and holiday portraits will be available from 10:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m in the lower meeting room of the parish hall.

Come for lunch, do a little Christmas shopping, and enjoy some festive time with friends and neighbours at St. John’s.

Thank You for Your Generosity!

Thank You for Your Generosity!

Thank you to everyone who so generously donated to our Harvest Thanksgiving Fresh Food Drive last week. Thanks to your generosity, we were able to contribute an extraordinary 563 pounds of fresh produce to help bless the Thanksgiving tables of our neighbours in need, besting last year’s record by more than 150 pounds!

What marvellous generosity. Thank you for helping us share the abundance of God’s gifts with our neighbours this Thanksgiving.

Good News

Good News: Hospitality for Nearly 900 Years

While travelling in England this summer, Deacon Shane and his family visited the Hospital of St Cross near Winchester, where they took part in a remarkable tradition of Christian hospitality that has continued for centuries. 

Despite its name, St Cross is not a hospital in the modern medical sense. The word reflects an older meaning of hospital — a place of hospitality, shelter and care. Founded in the 12th century to provide for people in need, St. Cross continues that vocation today and is home to a community of older men, known as the Brothers.

Since medieval times, travellers arriving at the Porter’s Lodge have been able to ask for the Wayfarer’s Dole — a small piece of bread and a measure of ale, freely given to anyone who asks. The tradition reflects the original purpose of St Cross: providing care for those in need and hospitality to travellers.

The custom continues today. Shane and his family stopped at the Porter’s Lodge, made their request, and received their bread and ale from the Porter.

There is something rather wonderful about an act of hospitality surviving generation after generation: a stranger comes to the door, asks, and is given something to eat and drink.

Nearly 900 years later, perhaps that is still good news worth sharing — and practising.