Welcome to St.Alban’s, Richmond
The Anglican Church of Canada
Last updated 25th October - 2009.
St. Alban's is a
parish of committed Christians, loving God and our neighbour, welcoming all
people, pursuing spiritual growth through prayer, worship and education, and
actively reaching out to and serving our world community.
Located
at the corner of St. Alban's and Bennett Roads in central Richmond, B.C.
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St. Alban |
The
Anglican Church of St. Alban is an inclusive community of disciples of Jesus
Christ serving God in the heart of Richmond through worship, ministry and
outreach. There has been a parish of St. Alban in Richmond since 1893. Since
1953 people have met on the St. Alban's Road site to worship God and witness
to Christ's love for the world. We are strengthened and enriched by the
diversity of our community. It is a place of caring, service and outreach,
and a place that welcomes all. |
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Meet The Clergy
The Rev. Margaret Cornish, RectorMargaret came to St. Alban's in March, 2004, after serving as Assistant Priest at Christ Church Cathedral for three and a half years. She brings much needed musical and liturgical skills to St. Alban's, and has interests in Volunteers in Mission and is a Naval Reserve chaplain at HMCS Discovery in Vancouver. |
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Notice Board
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Forthcoming Attractions! |
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Education for Ministry is a program designed to help
lay people understand and interpret their faith. We will probably be able to begin this at
St. Alban’s in September. |
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Monday 2nd November |
All Souls’ Day evening walk at the Richmond Peace Labyrinth at
St. Alban’s church. 19.00 – 21.00 |
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Wednesday 4th November |
Faith and Public Issues. 19.00 in the lounge with Neil
Sutherland. |
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Sunday 8th November |
11.45 in the church hall. $5.00 – includes lunch – Sing-Along
Songs and Poetry from the two World Wars. Hosted by Tom and Helen Woods and
featuring Susanne Nordin as Vera Lynn. |
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Saturday 14th November |
Moonlight Serenade. Dance and entertainment evening.19.00,
tickets $20.00 |
The Richmond Peace Labyrinth and Meditation Garden at St. Alban's Anglican
Church
The Official Opening of the Peace Labyrinth on 21st
June 2009.
Phase 1 of our Labyrinth at St. Alban’s has now been completed, and is open.
You are welcome to walk and enjoy it.
We are very pleased to be able to acknowledge funding from New Horizons
programme of the Federal Government as well as many local contributions that
enabled this project to move ahead.
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The
Richmond Peace Labyrinth is located on the north side of St. Alban's Anglican
Church Hall and was built from bricks in a single winding purposeful path
from the edge of the circle to the centre. It is 42 feet in diameter with a
16 inch wide path. It is a replica of an 11-circuit labyrinth of Chartres Cathedral
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The
The St. Alban's Labyrinth Team look forward to:
- providing
- providing an outdoor, accessible
labyrinth that is open and available all day for every season
- providing an easily accessible
activity for both able-bodied and disabled individuals
- providing seniors and the
general public a place and activity that encourages social well-being, physical
movement and spiritual practice
- bringing diverse members of the
community together to enrich their lives by reducing social isolation and
promoting mental and spiritual health regardless of age, gender, physical
capacities, or faith tradition
- providing special events,
programs, and workshops to community groups and interested individuals by
trained facilitators
- providing new opportunities for
senior leadership and community service for all
Fundraising
Goals:
- To raise additional funds to complete the construction of a
labyrinth & meditation garden, for labour, materials and constructions
costs through donations from the generous community
- All donations will be
gratefully received and a tax receipt will be provided
115th Anniversary of the Parish of
St. Alban
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Bishop Michael Ingham visited on Sunday, June 22,
2008 to help the parish celebrate the 115th Birthday of the Church of St.
Alban in Richmond. |
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PWRDF News
Food Crisis
in Ethiopia
Action by Churches Together Ethiopia Forum is actively
engaged in emergency relief, recovery and rehabilitation programs in 15
districts of Ethiopia through an ACT Appeal that aims to reduce loss of life,
minimize human suffering and ensure early recovery of the drought-affected
population. The appeal targets to address the food needs of 120,880 people
affected by the drought/food crisis, improve the nutritional status of the
vulnerable groups and meet the early recovery needs of the drought affected
population through the provision of agricultural inputs, mainly seeds.
PWRDF contribution is $35,000 to this ACT appeal.
Democratic
Republic of Congo
ACT members in the DRC are targeting to assist 11,750 Internally Displaced
Peoples (IDPs), returnees and host family households, approximately 58,750
people, in North and South Kivu. The activities under the appeal include
provision of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities; distribution of
agricultural inputs (seeds and tools); provision of nutritional
supplements; psycho-social support and trauma healing; and distribution
various relief items for immediate material needs. PWRDF contributed $25,000 to
this appeal.
Response to Food
Crisis in Afghanistan
Huge displacement of farmers and the widespread destruction and lack of
maintenance of rural infrastructure over more than two decades of war has
created food crisis in the province of Zabul, Afghanistan. PWRDF and other
members of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank have responded to this crisis in
partnership with the Presbyterian World Service and Development who are taking
a lead role for the project. The project aims at alleviating immediate food
shortages through food-for-work projects, rehabilitating and developing basic
infrastructure to tackle long-term food crisis, and improving livelihoods of
community members through improvement in farming techniques. PWRDF contribution
to this project is $20,000.
Canadians Respond to hunger in Zimbawbe
Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) members have responded to the growing need for
food in Zimbawbe and provided rations to sustain approximately 120,000
beneficiaries for 5 months, until the next harvest.
It is estimated that Zimbabwe faces one of the most significant food crises in
the world in coming months, due to recent drought, poor agricultural policies,
a lack of agricultural inputs, and a rapidly declining economy. Further
compounding the situation is the high prevalence of HIV and AIDS and a recent
cholera outbreak.
However, there is some positive news as the CFGB supports long-term food
security projects in three districts of Zimbabwe. Farmers with small land
holdings are learning the principles of a new farming system called
Conservation Farming. As a result, some farmers have tripled their corn
yields through timely planting, precision fertilizer and manure placement and
covering the soil with mulch to reduce soil erosion and conserve
moisture. In particular, moisture conservation has been key, given the
increasing intensity and frequency of droughts in the region. The mulch
layer for many farmers is the difference between no yield and food for 3 to 6
months to feed their families.
50th Anniversary
Short message from Carolyn Vanderlip, 50th Anniversary Program Facilitator:
"It is my pleasure to greet you as the 50th Anniversary Program
Facilitator for PWRDF. We are working on an exciting program of activities and
events to take place over the next two years as we celebrate our past, and plan
for the next 50 years! Throughout this time there will be initiatives
that focus on celebrating the past, present and future, building awareness,
engaging in educational experiences, and fundraising. For everything that is
undertaken, there will be three values kept front and centre:
- Be environmental stewards and work hard to
minimize the carbon footprint
- Be intentional in building communities with all
ages and regions across Canada
- Be grassroots-oriented - ensure collaboration
with constituents that can provide their insights first-hand in order to
facilitate a successful time together
This is an
exciting time for all of us and we look forward to sharing the 50th anniversary
journey together. 50 years after the Springhill disaster, we are asking
Anglicans across Canada to continue to make a difference by joining us, working
together, and helping to inspire the next 50 years of changing lives, changing
communities and changing the world." To contact Carolyn: cvanderlip@pwrdf.org.
An important element of the program will be sponsoring 50 refugee families for
resettlement to Canada, under Canada's Private Sponsorship of Refugees Program.
As Primate Fred Hiltz commented in his Pastoral Letter to the House of Bishops
on October 30, 2008, “the
50 Refugee Families Sponsorship Project is an exciting component of the PWRDF
50 anniversary program. It provides us with another opportunity to realize our
baptismal covenant to strive for peace and justice and the respect the dignity
of every person.” As part of our 50th anniversary, PWRDF plans to
support and facilitate the sponsorship of 50 refugee families in dioceses and
parishes across Canada. To find out how your parish can be part of a miracle,
like the one that brought Annie and her children to a new life in Canada,
contact your diocesan refugee sponsorship co-ordinator, or Carolyn Vanderlip at
416-924-9199 ext 266, or cvanderlip@pwrdf.org. For the full story about Annie’s
presentation to the House of Bishops, click here. To read the Primate’s pastoral letter
to the House of Bishops on refugee sponsorship, click here.
Contact Us
The Church Office and Hall are located at 7260 St.
Alban's Road, Richmond, B.C. V6Y 2K3 Tel. (604) 278-2770 Fax (604)
278-3384.
Office hours: Tuesday to Friday, 9:00 am to 2:00 pm.
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Rector |
The Rev. Margaret Cornish |
(604) 278-2770 ext. 2 |
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Secretary |
Mrs. Carla
Josephson |
(604)
278-2770 E-mail: stalbansrmd@telus.net |
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Music
Director |
Jonathan
Der |
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Youth
Ministry Coordinator |
Melissa
Rourke |
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Rector's
Warden |
Janis
Hindman |
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People's
Warden |
Nathalie
Stewart |
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Associate
Warden |
Fran Bates |
Bookings
Please note:
Groups or individuals wishing to book the lounge, hall, etc. can do so by contacting
the church secretary. If you wish to make a booking on the weekend, please
leave a note in the binder for Carla. The binder is kept on the shelf just
behind the front counter of the office. All bookings must be made through
the church secretary.
Youth Group
The Youth Group is supporting the Richmond's Extreme
Weather Project by collecting donations of socks, mitts, hats, blankets,
hygiene products (toothpaste, deodorant, soap, face cloths, hand towels, etc).
"Generation" -The National Anglican Youth
website
This is a new kind of website,
designed from the ground up for young Canadian Anglicans. It's got blogs,
coming events in all parts of the country, interactive features, creative
expressions and more. The site is designed for Anglican young people, age
14 and older. Check it out at <generation.anglican.ca>
Service Times
St. Alban's offers people a choice
in worship styles within the Anglican liturgical tradition and both the Book of
Common Prayer (BCP) and Book of Alternative Services (BAS) are used. Our
services are as follows:
Every
Sunday:
8:30 am Holy Communion: A simple celebration using the Book of Common Prayer.
10:00 am Choral Eucharist: Celebrated with
congregational hymns and varied music.
Every
Thursday:
12:10 pm Eucharist in the Chapel followed by lunch in the Lounge.
Services are held once a month in
three separate Seniors' homes.
Baptisms are
scheduled frequently as required.
Special
services are scheduled throughout the year, especially at Christmas and Easter
seasons and throughout Lent.
Christian
Education
Sunday
School
Sunday
School restarted on 7 September 2008, starting at 10:00 am in the Hall. On the
first Sunday of the month, children will generally not be in Church, but on
other Sundays they will join the 10:00 am service for the Peace. An exciting
curriculum is being planned by Charis Nathan and helpers to explore the life of
Moses, from his birth to the entry into the Promised Land, with breaks for
Thanksgiving, Advent and Lent.
Cuddle Room
A child care
service for children under three years of age is provided in the church hall
during the 10:00 a.m. service. The children are brought back to the church
during the Peace.
Library
The Library
is situated in the lounge in the hall. We have over 1,500 books, cassette tapes
and videos for both adults and children, as well as reference books. A special
low book-case is filled with books, tapes and videos for children.
Adult
Studies
We have
started some good adult study programmes which we hope will continue, for
instance: Living the Questions, in-church retreats and study groups for Lent
and Advent, and home study groups.
Parish Groups
Choir and Music
The Choir at St. Alban plays an
active role in the spiritual life of the community. The Choir consists of music
lovers, some who read music and some who say they do not. We have a strong
choral tradition. The choir has about 12 members and musical accompaniment is
provided via organ, piano, guitars and flute. The new blue hymn book is used,
along with other hymns occasionally printed in the pew leaflet. Anthems
are sung about once a month at regular and special services.
New
choir members are wanted and needed to help expand our activity level!
The Choir practices each Thursday evening at 7:30 pm. Please think about
joining for the Advent and Christmas seasons. Please contact the choir
director for details.
Altar Guild
St. Alban's Altar Guild is a group
of ladies, under a coordinator. They prepare the Sanctuary and the Chapel for
services. This involves seeing that the linens are kept clean, the brass
polished, candles replaced and flowers arranged on the altar ready for Sunday
services. They also prepare for daily Communion, setting up the chalice with
linen, veil, and burse of the appropriate liturgical colour and putting out the
wafers and wine.
The
Altar Guild provides memorial flowers, wine, wafers and candles. For weddings,
pew markers and satin cushions are provided. Guild members also help with any
questions families may have about extra flowers. For baptisms, the Guild
ensures there is water for the Font and a supply of Christening towels and
candles.
For
Christmas, Easter, St. Alban's Day, and the Harvest Festival, the Guild
decorates the church with items purchased with donations from the congregation.
After
services, altar flowers are taken by the Guild members to the sick in the
Parish, or to those celebrating birthdays or anniversaries. After the Harvest
Festival Service, the fruit, vegetables and canned food are donated to the
Richmond Food Bank.
Sidespersons.
There are approximately 20
sidespersons divided into teams under captains and a Co-ordinator. Sidesmen and
women greet the congregation as they enter the Church, distribute pew leaflets
and hymn books and assist with seating. During the service, they take up the
collection and bring it up to the Sanctuary.
In
addition, at the 8:30 a.m. service they may read a lesson.
Greeters
Two members of the congregation
greet parishioners and newcomers as they arrive at the 10:00 a.m. service.
Readers - Intercessors - Lay
Administrators to help with Communion
There are about 20 readers organised
by a Co-ordinator. All three readings are used.
There
are three intercessors who have been appointed by the clergy to lead prayers
for the people.
Lay
Administrators have been licensed by the Bishop and two assist at each main
Sunday Communion Service by serving wine to the communicants.
Servers
There are youth servers overseen by
the clergy. During the main Sunday services, one of them carries the cross and
the other receives the collection and assists the Celebrant to prepare the
bread and wine, and to clean the Communion vessels.
Breadmakers
There are breadmakers under a
Co-ordinator who bake bread for the 10:00 a.m. Sunday Service. The members are
joined by the children who carry up bread and wine (the Gifts of the People),
during the service.
Ladies' Afternoon Guild
The Ladies' Afternoon Guild is an
active group of ladies who meet on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. They sponsor
a child through the Save the Children Fund and visit the parish shut-ins. They
also provide and serve the refreshments for several teas throughout the year
and when needed after funerals.
The Ladies' Guild has restarted the recycling of bottles program. Please
place clean bottles/cartons in the named bins in the Church Hall. This
will support a special project of the Guild.
Craft Group
A small group of crafters meets at
1:30 pm on the 4th Tuesday of each month in the Lounge.
Environment Ministry
An Energy Conservation Workshop took
place on Saturday, April 28, with diocesan coordinator David Dranchuk and
special guest Jason Packer of Green Solutions. Much of the day was spent
hands-on, demonstrating low cost retrofits, including caulking of windows and
door frames, installing door sweeps and storm guards, insulating hot water
pipes, and other measures to reduce heat loss. All materials were provided. The
hope is that participants will leave with skills that can be applied to their
own homes.
For buying carbon credits to offset our pollution, Jason recommends an
organization is called the Solar
Electric Light Fund, see their carbon neutral page. By
contributing to SELF’s work of helping villagers install solar PV, instead of
burning kerosene or diesel, you can offset your personal emissions of CO2. It’s
not the full solution to global climate change, but it can be a small
contributing part of the solution.
St. Alban's now has a solar powered hot water heating system.
Contact the Environment Steward via the office for more information...
Outreach
Community
Meal
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Creating a
safe, friendly and welcoming atmosphere in which to share a meal with
children, youth and adults.
St.
Alban's prepares an evening meal for anyone who would like to come on
Tuesdays at 5:30 pm. A dinner is provided every Tuesday from September to
June for anyone who wishes to come. An average of 100 people per week are
warmly welcomed and a wholesome meal with hot vegetables, salad, buns, meat
or chicken and dessert is provided at no charge. Many of the guests are
street people, single parents and their children, immigrants, seniors and
parishioners. The meal has been funded in the past by donations from St.
Alban’s and individual parishioners and also from Stewards in Action (Diocese
of New Westminster). However, the Stewards in Action (S.I.A.) donations have
ceased and the Community Meal committee accepts further donations from the
Richmond community. Volunteers are from both inside and outside the parish. |
Community Groups
St. Alban's
provides a home for many small groups needing support: for instance, our
kitchen is used by two groups who come for cooking.
Social Concerns
Members
of the Parish are active in Primate's World Relief and Development Fund
(P.W.R.D.F.) and the Fair Trade movement. Donations are made annually to Camp
Artaban, the Vancouver School of Theology, and others.
A
committed Social Justice Group of St. Alban's parishioners has joined
together to focus on the issue of poverty and affordable housing in
Richmond. Anyone interested in joining the group, please contact the
office. The group is working in conjunction with the Poverty
Response Committee of Richmond and other interested groups.
The
Richmond Food Bank was started by St. Alban's. Although it is now
autonomous, many St. Alban's parishioners still support the Food Bank both with
their donations and volunteer hours.
Fellowship
St. Alban’s
is a friendly Parish. Active participation and social contact are encouraged at
the coffee hour following the 10:00 service. Volunteers organize and rotate
serving at these occasions.
Seniors Support Team
You are
warmly invited to join the ‘Circle of Prayer’ wherever you are. A group
of us will meet in the Margaret Morgan Lounge at St. Alban’s each
Wednesday from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Every week - same day, same time -
we’ll bow our heads, drink in silence, and become the body of Christ together.
No matter where we are – the Lounge, at work, at home, in hospital, or at
school. We will be calling our ‘Senior Seniors’ a half-hour before beginning
our prayer to remind them of this opportunity to be together in prayer, to
deepen our spiritual lives and support one another and the needs of others
within our parish and our world. For more information, contact the church office.
After much discussion and brain-storming, the Group has discerned a way that
will bring people of all ages together, including our ‘Senior Seniors’ - those
shut-in or in hospital or nursing homes. On a regular basis, we put on a
Seniors' Tea, usually on Friday afternoons, complete with entertainment
provided by church members.
A second group has undertaken to keep in touch with housebound seniors,
providing transportation and making visits on a regular basis.
Extreme Weather Shelter
When the
City of Richmond decides that the weather is too extreme for people to be
outside all night, one or more of the following shelters will be opened:
- Salvation Army’s Richmond House, 3111 Shell Road,
men’s shelter
- St. Alban’s Anglican Church, 7260 St. Alban’s
Road, Richmond
To find out
if a shelter is open, please contact:
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Salvation
Army's Richmond House |
604-276-2490
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Richmond
Hospital Emergency Room - Social Workers |
604-278-9711
or 604-660-4927 (after hours) |
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Chimo
Crisis Services |
604-279-7070 |
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Touchstone
Family Association |
604-279-5599 |
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Vancouver
Airport Chaplaincy |
604-303-3010 |
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RCMP |
604-278-1212 |
Extreme Weather Shelters are available generally between 9:00 pm and 7:00 am.
Parish
Activities
Stewardship
The Stewardship Committee is responsible for the fall
pledge campaign.
Blood Donor
Clinics
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Blood Donor Clinics are held
in Richmond in the church hall every 8th Thursday from 1:30 pm to 8:00 pm (to
be confirmed). Dates for 2009 are 26th-Feb, 23rd-Apr, 18th-Jun, 13th-Aug,
8th-Oct and 3rd-Dec. For more information, contact Canadian Blood Services at
(604) 879-6001, or the Church office at (604) 278-2770. |
External Links
Anglican
Church of Canada
Diocese of
New Westminster
Kairos
News & Information
Anglicans Online
Anglican Communion Homepage
Social Justice
Primate’s
World Relief and Development Fund
International Centres
Anglican Observer
at the United Nations
International
Anglican Women’s Network
World Council of Churches
Faith Formation & Education
Vancouver School of
Theology
Sorrento Centre
Online Anglican Resources
History
St. Alban's,
Richmond was established in Brighouse, Richmond in 1925 as an outstation of the
parish of St. Anne, Steveston. Earlier parochial work had been conducted in the
area, an area including the whole of Lulu Island, from St. Anne, Steveston.
Churches included St. Jerome's, opened in 1902 and closed in 1915, and St.
Alban, Eburne, which opened before 1900 and burned down in 1912. Later, St.
Thomas' Mission was also opened in East Richmond in 1926 as an extension of the
parish. This mission closed during the 1940's. St. Alban's remained associated
with St. Anne, Steveston until it received its own incumbent in 1953.
St.
Alban's has always been an important part of the Richmond community. The Church
was at the centre of community life in the early days. St. Alban's has a strong
social service focus which is manifested in the nature of outreach programmes.
The Parish founded (but no longer operates) the Richmond Child Daycare Centre
and the Richmond Food Bank. We now offer a weekly Community Meal which is
described later in this brochure.
St.
Alban's is one of three Anglican parishes within the City of Richmond. It is
part of the Richmond-Delta Deanery, Diocese of New Westminster.
There
are 200 families on the Parish List.
On
Sundays we presently have an 8:30 a.m. and a 10:00 a.m. service. BAS and BCP
are each used once each Sunday.
