Our summer has ended and we're back to weekly gathering in the church!  We gather together in the Abbey Church for a time of worship, prayer, and song.

If you're back to school or work or in a transition, bring a backpack (or purse, diaper bag, etc) to be blessed at the end of the worship - see more below.

Lynn preaches on a vision of fruitful fields and speaks of a God who knows us intimately

The band leads us in song with some old hymns, a Taize song and a few newer pieces...

Michelle blesses backpacks. Marilyn leads the prayers.

Rob presides at the sacred table of Jesus ...

Lucy is with the youth and Amaya and Abi with the younger ones ...

We have some international visitors! (see below)...

There will be bread and wine. Come ...

The order of service leaflet is here.

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

Image: Psalm 139 - Makoto Fujimura https://makotofujimura.com/

In commemoration of the new school / work year tomorrow, we'll end our worship tomorrow by blessing backpacks! 

All ages and stages are welcomed to bring something to be blessed.

Thanks to Tressa for making the backpack blessing buttons - come and get one - and be blessed.

The Theme for Season of Creation 2025 is “Peace with Creation.” Peace is more than just the absence of war. In the Hebrew Bible, shalom represents a far deeper concept—one that extends beyond the absence of conflict to the full restoration of broken relationships. This restoration encompasses our relationship with God, ourselves, the human family, and the rest of Creation. Throughout history, many human activities have contributed to the destruction of Creation. Yet today, more than ever, some human activities take the form of a war against Creation. Our impact has expanded from local to global, manifesting in unsustainable lifestyles, excessive consumption, lasting pollution, and a throwaway culture.

The 2025 Symbol (top front of leaflet) is inspired by Isaiah 32:14-18. Titled ”Garden of Peace,” it depicts a white dove flying over a tree. The left side of the tree is barren, with roots digging into dry soil, surrounded by an arid, desolate landscape. In contrast, the right side of the tree is lush and green, standing amidst a flourishing landscape. The dove, carrying an olive branch in its beak, flies toward the right—symbolizing peace as a transition from a war-torn, overexploited land to one that is fertile, thriving, and hospitable. Let us remember that humanity was originally called to tend a garden. Through this year’s Season of Creation, we will reflect on the connection between caring for creation and fostering peace. The white dove with an olive branch is a globally recognized symbol of peace.

Read more about the history of this Season and resources to journey with us this year at this link.  Look for ways we keep Creation present in worship throughout September (and all year!)

As abbeychurch begins to dive into the questions of who we are and how we are in community with each other, it seems like a very good time to launch a formation course for our youth and young adults.

abbeyyouth will gather this coming tuesday to kick off the season. We will be preparing and making burritos, salad, and some extra snacks. There will be a time to gather and catch up, talk about our hopes and dreams for the next season of youth group, and play some games together. If folk have homework to work on we can do that together too!

We will be meeting every second tuesday for the coming year, more details to come soon. We gather at 4pm at the main doors off the parking lot and stay in community until 8pm. Reach out to Lucy at 587-700-6470 for more details!

We're excited to welcome Elaine Barnett and Sandra Lopez to AbbeyChurch tomorrow - they will bring respective greetings from the Methodist Church in Ireland and the Methodist Church in Britain as they travel visiting The United Church of Canada (the recognized expression of Methodism in Canada). They're exploring emerging expressions of church from Victoria to Halifax.  You can read a bit more about their visit here.

Elaine Barnett is the Lay Leader (equivalent of UCC Moderator) of the Methodist Church in Ireland (north and south).  There, the Methodist church elects a President and Lay Leader annually who chair the Conference and other committees throughout the year, as well as visiting Methodist congregations all over the world and representing the Church in the public sphere.   Elaine lives in Belfast and is the designated Lay Leader of the Conference for the Connexional years 2024-2026. Her theme for the two years is: ’Journeying with God.'

Sandra Lopez has served the Methodist Church in Britain’s Global Relationships Team since 2008 and has been the Partnership Coordinator for the Americas since 2013. She is passionate about fostering transformative partnerships with Methodist and ecumenical partners across Latin America and the Caribbean—communities that are growing in faith, making disciples of Jesus Christ, and pursuing justice despite adversity.

Jon us for a free evening of music and conversation with writer Brian Walsh and Winnipeg singer-songwriter Rachel Coleman happening in September.

There will be songs from Leonard, as well as from Rachel's excellent new album. 

This event will serve as the west coast release party of both Brian's new book about Cohen and Rachel's album.

It'll be free - but we will pass a hat around, have books and CDs for sale. 

Tickets at Eventbrite, button below - or just talk to Rob or Mattto get on the guestlist or email admin@abbeychurch.ca. 

You can check out an interview about Brian's book, Rags of Light here.

And Rachel Coleman's website is here and her youtube playlist for the album is here. 

Our series of summer conversations explored 'How We Worship.'  Click to watch the Intro video here (YouTube). 

We gather at United Commons for worship on the following Sundays:

July 6 - We Gather 

July 20 - We Proclaim

August 3 - We Celebrate

August 17 - We are Sent 

Join us for our another North Park Open Mic night. Hosted by @wesconfab and us, @theabbeychurchvicbc. Songs, stories and poems of all genres are welcome, we will have light refreshments and a community craft table. We are looking forward to sharing an intimate evening of art and music!

If you'd like to sign up for a spot in advance please head to the link here.

We've at Emmaus and AbbeyChurch have been a part of helping out on hampers for a while.  If you can help out somewhat regularly, please do drop them a line!

If you would like to give to support the work NPNA does in serving food to our neighbours you can do so at this link.

The Emmaus Community has a library of approximately 3000+ volumes.  

There are large sections on theology, bibles / scripture, commentaries, activism, new monasticism, monasticism, poetry, mystics, saints, prayer books, church history, Indigenous history and theologies, ecology, United and Anglican Churches, liberation theologies, post-colonial theologies, justice, prayer, meditation, spiritual direction, church music, feminism and, yes, even beer-brewing!  We have extensive sections on writers such as Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen or Dorothy Day - or on intentional communities, or the Franciscans or Benedictines - or the Catholic Worker - and a lot of hymnals, too. 

We're in the process of cataloging all these books, many of which have come from the libraries of retired ministers, book boxes - or from the generous gifts from closing churches and monastic orders (such as the SSJD and First Met United).

To date, we've done less than 10% of the library (about 350 books).  You can search the catalog (so far), here at librarycat.

If you'd like to sign out a book, or help catalog or donate some books (limited capacity as we try and catalog what we have!), please do let us know! 

We welcome local folk to come and use the library. 

As a monastic community, we don't have set hours, but folks can come by appointment, and we can often open up the library after morning prayer or before or after eucharist (AbbeyChurch) on Sunday. If you're interested in a book or a browse or to help, email admin@emmauscommunity.ca

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

BACK THIS TUESDAY! + Tuesdays at 9am - Morning Prayer  @ Emmaus/AbbeyChurch Upper Room  (off the Balmoral parking lot, metal stairs up) - in-person and online.

+ Thursdays at 8:15am - Morning Prayer - @ The Upper Room  (off the Balmoral parking lot, metal stairs up) - in-person and online.

+ Fridays at 8:15am - Morning Prayer - online on 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.

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'.

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. 

Community Information Session about United Commons Building Redevelopment

United Commons and Aryze Developments invite you to our second community communications session on:

This gathering will provide information and answer questions about the redevelopment of surrounding lands. The project will deliver:

• A new signature facility for arts, culture, and faith groups
• A mixed-use, purpose-built rental building

Guest Speakers:

• Don Evans – Executive Director, BC Property Development Council, United Church of Canada
• Chris Quigley – Director of Development, Aryze Developments

We welcome your participation and look forward to sharing this important update with you.

You can find more information on the redevelopment here and here (including full archtectural plans).

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 10am-1pm PDT

Dr. Brian Walsh will be with us Sept 20th for a creative workshop in conversation with his new book, Rags of Light: Leonard Cohen and the Landscape of Biblical Imagination.

Workshop: Liturgy, Contemporary Music and Liberating the Imagination. This conversation would specifically discuss the shaping of liturgy that engages contemporary music. It will offer examples of Eucharistic liturgies that featured the music of artists like Bruce Cockburn, Van Morrison, Ani di Franco, Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, U2, Leonard Cohen and Bruce Springsteen.

How does one write liturgy that invites the work of these artists into the rituals of the church which avoids cheap fandom while respecting the art in such a way that resonance with scripture?

And, importantly, how does such liturgy shape the liturgies of our lives?

More information here.

Come and stand in solidarity with this local group on the corner of Blanshard and Saanich Rd - at 12:15 on August 8, 22, Sept 5, 19! 

YouthTREK VERNON is a three-day gathering that will bring youth (12-15yrs) and their leaders together! We’ve been dreaming, planning, and gathering, all to make these events full of joy.

What will we do, you ask?

Play, sing, worship, gather around food, talk about things that matter to us, support the community, meet new friends, and greet old ones, all in a place of radical, inclusive Christian welcome, and so. Much. Joy.  

Friends, we were delighted to have Carl Olsen speak to us last Fall about the work he and other have been doing to resist the BC government's plan to expand the highway through Goldstream.   That 162 million project now appears to be approved, as per the latest provincial budget released. 

Check out our letter here.