AbbeyChurch and the Emmaus Community humbled to be asked to host an enduring tradition, started by the downtown churches in the space we now use many years ago.

It happens once a month on select Fridays - the next ones is tonight, Feb. 14 and happening again on Friday March 21 at 6pm.

More about the Taizé community: Taize is an ecumenical monastic order with a strong devotion to peace and justice through prayer and meditation.  It takes its name after the small town in France where it is located. The 80-strong community of monks is drawn from 30 countries across the world and numerous protestant and catholic traditions. Taize was founded in 1940 by a Lutheran pastor, 'Brother Roger'.  The early Taize brothers were  known for taking in refugees during World War II.  Today Taizé is one of the world's most important sites of Christian pilgrimage. Each year tens of thousands of (mostly) young pilgrims flock to the small village in central France to share in the community's way of life.  

The chants that we will sing Friday are at the heart of the Taize Community prayer rhythm – and are deliberately simple & repetitive as a way to get to ‘the wellspring of faith’

Join us on Sunday at 4pm! 

Reba invites us to consider the "woes" of Jesus teaching, and how Jesus invitation to become disciples confronts us in our systemic privileges, and bids us deeper in faith, in justice-seeking, and in solidarity...  

Lynn presides at Christ's table of welcome... 

Reba brings an original poem...

Jake leads the youth gather and Tressa is with the younger ones...

The band lead us in joyful song...

There will be bread and wine.  Come...

The order of service leaflet is available here.

Join us in house for 4:00pm or livestream online at this link. 

Image: 

Image: The Beatitudes, by Kelly Latimore.  https://kellylatimoreicons.com/en-ca

We are excited about this AbbeyChurch/Emmaus partnership with QomQem coastal connections and the North Park Neighborhood Association.

We have been receiving donations of food goods which will support their street outreach on Sunday evenings.  The treasure chest is at the back of the church and is empty at the moment.

Here is the list of desired items:

• large bags of soft candies to make up mixed candy bags (thinking dinosours, sour keys, cherry blasters etc)
• Large jars of peanut butter, Nutella or jam
• Tins of Gatorade powder
• Tins of hot chocolate powder (once it starts to cool)
• Sweet treats like pre wrapped Rice Krispie squares, wagon wheels, ding dongs etc 
• Fruit cups
• Flavoured Apple sauce cups 
• Soft chew granola bars (nutragrai  etc) 
• If folks are dropping off food later in the week or on Sundays, small easy peel oranges and bananas are also great!

We'll have a basket at the back of the church for collection.

Thanks for any help you can be in this amazing work!

W̱SÁNEĆ Elder ZȺWIZUT Carl Olsen from Tsartlip will be a guest speaker at the Feb 23^rd service and joining us after at the potluck for questions and discussion. Olsen has been holding a vigil for two years to protest a proposed highway development that threatens the salmon and the entire ecosystem of Goldstream River.  Olsen will speak to us about Goldstream and about the Douglas treaties which affect all of us living in the Greater Victoria Region.  

We are grateful for folk who are willing to add their voices to our common worship and life together! 

If you haven't signed up to read or bring snacks in a while, we invite you to do so (online at the link OR in person at the back of the Church). 

Folks might have noticed some more activity around our space!

We're excited that two Christian faith communities have started to share the sanctuary with us on Sundays - The Place Community Church - an LGBTQ2IA+ affirming Christian community (with a more evangelical style) - and Fairfield United Church - who are a part of the United Church.  These churches worship on Sundays at 11am and 9:30am respectively.

The United Church region is working on re-imagining the space as "The United Commons" and new signage will emerge in the weeks and months to come with ongoing opportunities for Emmaus and AbbeyChurch to use the space for the common good and partnership.

The former First Met United Church was built as First Presbyterian Church in 1914, becoming First United with the formation of the United Church in 1925 and then First Met in 1997 when Metropolitan United (formerly Metropolitan Methodist - on Pandora and Quadra) amalgamated; also incorporating Belmont UC from Fernwood.  In late 2023, First Met UC amalgamated with the former St. Aidans UC, Gordon Head UC and Cadboro Bay UC to become Broad View United located up in Gordon Head. 

Since October 2023, the space has been owned and run by the United Church Region - and we're grateful for their partnership and vision of renewal for diverse UCC and affirming ecumenical Christian communities on site - which includes us as AbbeyChurch and Emmaus and, aside from worship, houses our weekday prayer and youth activities, a space for Emmaus to meet - and our extensive theological/spiritual library!

We're excited for points of collaboration and sharing with these and other faith, justice and neighbourhood groups. 

We're also grateful for our ongoing partnerships with the North Park Neighbourhood Association and Qom Qem - and ongoing conversations with other really cool arts and anti-oppression groups too.  

If you see them around, please offer a warm welcome to our siblings in Christ from The Place and Fairfield UC to the United Commons Space!

The membership of the Emmaus Community joyfully met last weekend for a more extended meeting to pray, check in, dream about the future of our common life, and set our 'customary' for 2025.  

Our customary (a monastic term) is decided each year by consensus and involves setting practices that members of the community (with lots and lots of grace!) share together based on our commitments to both personal and shared prayer, presence (with God, the neighbourhood and each other) and simplicity. 

This year, collective committments involve commitment to certain prayer and worship times and frequencies that we'll attend together, a retreat, fasting as a community for Advent and Lent, coming alongside the AbbeyChurch's growing partnerships in the neighbourhood, supporting worship and prayer - and sharing a regular breakfast / life check-in.

Individual members also make their own committments based on our Rule of Life calling us each into being a supported witness for justice, hospitality, prayer, presence, sabbath-keeping and contemplation.

We also set a date for our spring 2025 retreat and talked about about keeping momentum going on finding or building a space for monastic cooperative housing - possibly in partnership with others and talked about some concrete possibilties - noting that there are a number of members deeply interested in living in embodied intentional / neo-monastic Christian community.  

As the community met, there was a deep sense of God's hope in our midst - noting that 2020-2024 involved a lot of growth, health and relationship challenges, clarification in our polity and change - and that since our retreat last Spring we're more excited than ever to live into the vision of being an intentional, monastic-inspired community of burning hearts along the Emmaus road, together.

If you're interested in learning more about Emmaus, drop us an email - or talk to Marilyn, Matt, Lynn, Phil, Kevin, or Rob. 

+ Mondays at 9am - Morning Prayer with Centering Prayer @ AbbeyChurch office (off the Balmoral parking lot, metal stairs up) - in-person only.  There is not usually AM prayer on holiday Mondays.

+ Tuesdays at 9am -  Morning Prayer @ AbbeyChurch office (off the Balmoral parking lot, metal stairs up) - in-person and zoom.  

+ Thursdays at 8:15am - Morning Prayer - @ AbbeyChurch office (off the Balmoral parking lot, metal stairs up) / hybrid zoom.

+ Fridays at 8:15am - morning prayer - on-line zoom only

Our weekday common prayer is liturgical in nature and based on ancient monastic practices. 

It's open to all who wish to join in-person or online.

We sometimes chant the psalms, listen to a reading or readings assigned for the day, have a short period of silence, sharing and intercessory prayer.

The liturgies and psalter for weekday prayer are posted here.  

Please do email for a zoom link if you are joining online.

We're excited to bring Martyn Joseph to town for a sixth time in 2025.

We're grateful for your contributions to our common life as both Emmaus and the AbbeyChurch.

We are  our own registered CRA charity and have our own bank account!

We  accept e-transfers to treasurer@emmauscommunity.ca for charitable donations.  If you'd like a charitable receipt, please email your contact information to that same address or fill out this form so we can send you a receipt at tax time.

In addition to the many ways to participate, there are a number of ways you can give finanically - including PAR (monthly withdrawl), CanadaHelps (one-time giving) and by cash or debit (via Square) on Sundays at AbbeyChurch. 

You can read more about the options and a bit about our finances here. 

The Emmaus Community, which is a neo-monastic intentional community of ordinary people who commit ourselves to following Jesus in ways akin to the monastic life. The AbbeyChurch is a Sunday worship expression of the Emmaus Community.  Not all AbbeyChurch folks are part of Emmaus - you're welcome to be a part of AbbeyChurch regardless of connection to Emmaus!

As a witness to unity and diversity, we are an ecumenical shared ministry of The United Church of Canada and The Anglican Church of Canada. We intentionally draw on the 'jewels' of these traditions, as well as the wider church.

The Emmaus Community and the AbbeyChurch acknowledge that we worship, take action and pray on the stolen territory of the Songhees and Xwsepsum (Esquimalt) Nations, the Lək̓ʷəŋən  peoples'.

Join the Jubilee Movement: Turn Debt into Hope 

Jubilee 2025 is a global ecumenical initiative that builds on the transformative success of Jubilee 2000, which canceled $100 billion of debt for 36 low-income countries. 

Why Jubilee Matters Today 

The Global South faces a devastating debt crisis, with many countries spending more on debt repayments than on healthcare, education or climate action.  

Debt cancelation is not just an economic solution; it’s a moral imperative rooted in the theological principle of justice for all. By addressing the root causes of debt and advocating for systemic reform, we can create a more equitable world where the welfare of people and the planet are prioritized. 

Be Part of the Change 

In Canada, KAIROS Canada is leading the campaign in collaboration with Citizens for Public Justice, Development and Peace – Caritas Canada, and the Office of Religious Congregations for Integral Ecology. Together, we are mobilizing communities of faith and conscience to demand: 

• Debt cancellation for unjust and unsustainable debts. 

• Global financial reform to prevent future crises. 

• A debt resolution framework within the United Nations that is transparent, binding and fair. 

Join us in signing the Jubilee 2025 Petition! Our goal is to collect 100 thousand signatures in Canada and 10 million worldwide by the end of 2025. Every signature strengthens the call for transformative change! 

Your can sign the petition here.