Welcome to our new newsletter.  You'll notice a slightly different format going forward, with a new host that connects directly into our website.

We love that you've chosen to receive these updates about our neo-monastic community and weekly worship at the AbbeyChurch. 

If at anytime you wish to change your preferences or unsubscribe, please click the link at the bottom of this email.  

In deep gratitude!

The Emmaus Community & The AbbeyChuch

Join us in house at Quadra and Balmoral (the former First Met building) or online at 4pm on Sunday for worship.

Matt preaches the God who is with us and for us, and the faith that leans in to find healing... 

Our prayer time will include opportunity for healing prayer and anointing with oil...

Rob serving at Jesus' table of welcome...

Reba chooses a poem...

Anna is with Children / Teens...

There will be bread and wine. Come.

The leaflet to follow along is available here.

You can watch live on youtube here (direct link)

Image: “Encounter” by Daniel Cariola, Encounter Chapel in Duc in Altum at Magdala

As an intentional act of Sabbath and regeneration, The AbbeyChurch will move to an 'every other week' worship schedule for July and August.   Here is the schedule:

Summer Worship Schedule 

June 30 - worship tomorrow at 4pm 

July 7 - off week - join us at the Pride Parade 11am

July 14 - worship at 4pm - with POTLUCK

July 21 - off week

July 28 - worship at 4pm 

August 4 - off week

August 11 - worship at 4pm - with POTLUCK

August 18 - off week

August 25 - worship at 4pm 

September 1 - worship at 4pm @ Willows Beach - Season of Creation begins

September 8 - worship at 4pm at Abbey Church - return to weekly

AbbeyChurch is excited to announce a partnership with QomQem Coastal Connections - Indigenous Harm Reduction and Health Services - and the North Park Neighbourhood Association on a Sunday evening food outreach program.

On Sundays, starting on July 14 at 5:30pm and continuing at least through March, QomQem and friends from NPNA and AbbeyChurch will be preparing meals in our kitchen.

AbbeyChurch and Emmaus folk are welcomed to help prep after church is done and QomQem folk will take the food out for distibution in the neighbourhood that evening.

Please let Rob know if you're able to stay and help.

We will also be creating a list of needed food supplies that folks are welcome to donate and bring to church. 

QomQem is a grassroots Indigenous-led outreach program that developed in partnership with Peers Resource Society. 

They offer harm reduction and health care services to Indigenous peoples who are unhoused, precariously housed, and who may be using substances and/or alcohol. 

As a team that celebrates diversity, they welcome our relatives and allies from diverse backgrounds, sexualities, genders, abilities, beliefs, and identities.

We're now welcoming food donations for AbbeyChurch/Emmaus partnership with QomQem coastal connections

We'll be using this food to support their street outreach on Sunday evenings. And our folk are welcomed to assist in sandwich prep after church at 5:30pm most Sundays starting July 14.

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!

A few of our gardening folk will be coming by on the afternoon of July 6th to do some work and watering in our gardens. 

Talk to Jen, or drop us a line if you're available and would love to come by for a while to help out.  Many hands make light work!

Mondays at 9am - NOTE NO WEEKDAY PRAYER FOR HOLIDAY MON. JULY 1. Morning Prayer with Centering Prayer @ AbbeyChurch office (off the Balmoral parking lot, metal stairs up) - in-person only.

Our Place Eucharist monthly on Mondays for the Summer on Pandora - see more details here. 

Tuesdays at 8:15am - Morning Prayer hybrid zoom/in-person at Lynn and Phill's Near Castle Hardware.

Thursdays at 8:15am - morning prayer - chapel / hybrid zoom

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

Sundays at 10am - Spanish Anglican Eucharist at Quadra/Balmoral Chapel. Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe - Misas Todos Los domingos a las 10: 00 de la Mañana con Fr. Dimas Canjura  

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.

Two weeks ago we celebrated 10 years of the Emmaus Community.  Rob preached, the band praised and a great gathering came together for worship and (of course) potluck.

Art: Sarah Fuller art - love never fails - support the artist! (note: Sarah's design will be incorporated into our new hoody habits - coming soon)

Members of the Emmaus Community registered the Burning Heart Housing Cooperative in 2020 with the hope of creating a monastic residental hub for our members to live 'from temple to table daily'.

We're actively looking for a piece of land or a multi-unit complex on Southern Vancouver Island  to build or adapt.  We're also seeking partners who might wish to collaborate on this.

If you have ideas, possiblities - or are interested in this in any way, please email us: admin@emmauscommunity.ca.

image: East Van Cohousing (not us, yet!)

Did you know that we have a spotify playlist that we're constantly updating (now over 700 songs) that reflects the same eclectic music at AbbeyChurch.  Check it out here. 

AbbeyChurch and Emmaus folk are welcomed to march with Inclusive Christians for the second year in a row.  Please note that we don't have worship on July 7 (see July schedule).

Prayer in the style of Taize

6pm - September 20   October 18    November 15

St Michael and All Angels Anglican Church

 (Emmaus / The AbbeyChurch will be hosting this in early 2025)

The Emmaus Community  is a neo-monastic intentional community of ordinary people who commit ourselves to following Jesus in ways akin to the monastic life. We have a "Rule of Life" with commitments to prayer, presence ands simplicity. The AbbeyChurch is a Sunday worship 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!

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

As a witness to unity and diversity, we are an affirming and 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.

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

Since 2014 we have operating under the umbrella of the Anglican Diocese. We're excited to share that we are in the final stages of being approved for our own charitable number (with the blessing of both the United and Anglican churches). Stay tuned for some updates on that.

In the meantime, you can continue to contribute, with donations being eligible for a charitable tax receipt.

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.