Join us on Sunday at 4pm as the first Sunday of Lent! 

Matt preaches the journey into the wilderness and the wild love of God amidst our pain and the voice calling us out of our tombs...

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

Reba brings a poem...

The band lead us in joyful song...

There will be bread and wine.  Come...

The order of service leaflet will soon be available here.

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

Image: 

Image: “Christ in the Wilderness” series, Stanley Spencer

Lent: Living towards Liberation  

Lent is a time for honesty.  Sometimes it feels like the world is split between those who have it all together and those who are struggling to make sense of it all. 

To you who are struggling - welcome.  This is a time for you.

To those who have it together - welcome.  May you know ever deeper solidarity with those who are struggling, (and give yourself grace when you discover you don’t have it quite so together).

This Lent we are drawn to the story of Jesus and Lazarus.  

Lazarus is dead and buried, yet his friend Jesus comes and speaks a life-giving word, has the stone rolled away, calls him out, and invites his community to unbind him from his graveclothes. 

Lent is a time for us of introspection, a time of preparation and reflection, a time of shining a light into the tombs of our lives and waiting for God’s voice to speak. 

Lent is where we get honest about all the tombs we find ourselves inside.  All the ways cannot make sense of our lives, of our calling, of the mystery of God.  

Lent is a time of fasting from all the things that we compulsively fill ourselves with, distract ourselves with, or use to drown out the depths of our souls deep longing.

What might it mean for you to hear the stone rolling away and the voice of God bidding you to new life?  What grave clothes might we collectively strip away for one another?   What sort of practices orients us back to the central work of liberation and living the risen life?  

What creative ways might God invite us to share in this work together?   

As we gather each week, we hear the words of the song “Loosen” by Aly Halpert - we invite you to hear this song as an invocation, sung to you and over you from your Divine loving parent + 

Loosen, loosen, baby

You don't have to carry

The weight of the world in your muscles and bones

Let go, let go, let go…

Holy breath, and holy name

Will you ease, will you ease this pain…

(and check out their music here)

We had over 80 people come dine and dance, and the feedback continues to pour in. 

Thanks to all who pitched in to help with this fun annual event! 

Join us whether you've read half of the book or none at all!

For those able, we will look at the first two chapters on March 12.  

6:45 - tea

7:00 - discussion

8:00 - short evening prayer to wrap up! 

It is available locally at Bolen Books, Chapters, by special order, or online.  

Folk are invited to read at their own paces, with specific chapters to discuss each week.

Email admin@emmauscommunity.ca  if you are interested in attending!  

"Empowerment means standing together, lifting each other up, and ensuring equal opportunities for all… Whoever needs to hear this today, we see you, we hear you, and we believe you. Because what you say matters to all women around the world. Happy International Women’s Day."   Yara Hadweh

Our friends at Kairos asked a group of women in the West Bank 'what does women's empowerment look like?' and they received a multitude of answers, which have been assembled at the following link.  

As we celebrate women today we grieve the violent history of patriarchy and its wake, we centre and raise up the voices of women, and we continue to fight and work for equality and liberation of all. 

Click this link to hear a plurality of perspectives on what women's empowerment looks like.

After our time with Carl, many have asked how they can voice their concern for Goldstream. 

Our friends at James Bay United have hosted a letter writing campaign, now available at their website.

Use their sample letter and make it your own and send!

Folks are welcome to join Carl's book club by writing David at janedavidramsay@gmail.com.  It meets every second Sunday on zoom. Attendance optional.

Finally, you can join the vigil at Goldstream which gathers every Tuesday 10 - 12 am at the parking lot closest to the highway.

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!

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). 

+ 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.

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 next 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’

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. 

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.