Mid-Week Eucharist Service
Mid-week Eucharist Service will resume on Sep 3 at 12:15 PM.
Join us for our Mid-week Eucharist Services on Wednesday at 12:15 PM. This is a spoken service and is a great way to spend some time in worship in the middle of your busy work week. Some of our major feast days (Saints' Days) are celebrated at these services. Everyone is welcome.
Newcomers Course
Are you relatively new to St Peter & St Paul’s?
Do you want to better understand our Anglican tradition and why we worship the way we do?
Consider joining us for our Newcomers Course that will begin on Sunday, September 14 in Stiller Hall at 9 AM.
This 6-week course will cover our Anglican distinctives, our core values, and our approach to the Bible, worship, baptism, communion, discipleship, evangelism, and membership.
The Alpha Course
Thursdays 6:00pm - 8:00 pm (September 18 - November 27)
ALPHA is designed to be a safe place to learn about the Christian faith in a relaxed, friendly environment. Over the span of 10 weeks, we explore a number of questions like: Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus die? How and why should I pray? Does God heal today? Each evening we share a meal together, watch a video, and then spend time in discussion. ALPHA is also a great way to connect with new friends, build community, and grow in your relationship with God.
The course will run Thursdays 6:00pm - 8:30 pm (September 18 - November 27) at St Peter & St Paul's Anglican Church.
Sunday Service Online
We invite you to join us online as we live-stream our services on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/StPandPOttawa/
Click to access the Worship Guide to follow along with the service.
Parish Update
THE COLLECT FOR THE TWELFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
O Lord, we pray that your grace may always precede and follow after us, that we may continually be given to good works; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
For 140 years, St Peter and St Paul’s has been sharing God’s transforming love from the heart of Ottawa so that more people would come to know and follow Jesus Christ.
In 2020, we developed a strategic mission and we completed a major renovation of our church building, though many projects had to be cut or deferred. Since then, we have come to see and experience the benefits of building renewal as God has blessed us with thriving ministries and a growing congregation. Over the past several months, our church leadership have been discussing how we can live out our strategic mission more fully, and we sense the Lord calling us to consider another capital campaign to help us finish our building renovations and develop new ministries.
I would like to invite you to join me and all those who embody the heartbeat of St Peter & St Paul’s for a time of sharing and visioning together about the future of our church.
We have received a grant to work with a group called Horizons, who will be hosting two First Impressions Gathering sessions: One will be on Saturday, September 13 at 6:30 PM time, the other will be on Monday September 15 at 7:00 PM.
Both First Impression Gathering sessions will be held in Stiller Hall, there will be light refreshments, and childcare will be available. Please register for one of the sessions here.
And please bring an open mind and heart and be prepared to offer your first impressions in response to the vision that is shared.
Your awareness and input are essential in helping us discern the next steps for our life together as a parish. I hope to see you there.
In prayer, in Christ,
Pastor Ben
UPCOMING EVENTS – Mark Your Calendars
August 31: Sunday service at 10:30 AM with Jr Church. (Streamed online)
September 3: Midweek Eucharist Service restarts at 12:15 PM on Wednesdays.
September 10: Playgroup restarts. Register here.
September 13: First Impressions Gathering at 6:30 PM. Register here.
September 14: Newcomers Course begins (Sundays, 9 AM). Register here.
September 15: First Impressions Gathering at 7:00 PM. Register here.
September 18: Online Thursday Bible Study begins (Thursdays, 10:45 AM) September 18: ALPHA course begins (Thursdays, 6 PM - 8:30 PM). Register here.
October 4: Women’s Potluck Breakfast at 9:30 AM. Register here.
VBS Kids Camp
We had an amazing VBS Kids Camp this past week. Thank you to all who prayed. We felt covered in prayer throughout the week. It was amazing to see children, who had never stepped foot in our church before, immediately feel comfortable and safe. Children responded well to our Bible stories and Devotional Time. Many children brought cousins, friends and neighbours.
We had a great team! Thank you to Sheila Friedrich for all her diligent work on important logistics and spending hours preparing craft materials. Thank you to Phyllis Kennedy for baking over 100 muffins. Thank you to Nancy Ross for joining us everyday to prepare snacks and cook lunches for our campers and volunteers. Thank you to Miriam Hastings for preparing a wonderful Art Day program. Thank you to James Bomhof and Jason Hambrey for their engineering talents developing car making kits. Thank you to our volunteer leaders, Emma Malloy, Jessie Benhin and Lori Rees, for engaging and attending to our campers so well. Thank you to our Jr Helpers,Hannah, Noah, Vincent and Gabriel, for helping campers feel safe and participate in every activity. Thank you to my co-leader Pastor Harman+ for amazing energy, positive and engaging interactions with kids of all ages and his Bible preparation and teaching.
And yes, we do plan to do this again next year!
May the Lord be magnified through all our prayers, actions and words this week!
Newcomers Course begins Sunday, September 14
Are you relatively new to St Peter & St Paul’s?
Do you want to better understand our Anglican tradition and why we worship the way we do?
Consider joining us for our Newcomers Course that will begin on Sunday, September 14 in Stiller Hall at 9 AM.
This 6-week course will cover our Anglican distinctives, our core values, and our approach to the Bible, worship, baptism, communion, discipleship, evangelism, and membership.
Please sign up here.
Online Thursday morning Bible Study - Thursdays at 10:45 AM
We're beginning the fall Bible Study of the Book of Judges on Thursday, September 18, 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM. Anyone interested in joining us should contact the church office via email admin@peterpaulottawa.com.
ALPHA Course Thursday evenings beginning September 18
We are excited to announce that we will be running the ALPHA course this fall, starting Thursday, September 18 (6 PM – 8:30 PM). ALPHA is designed to be a safe place to learn about the Christian faith in a relaxed, friendly environment over a meal.
Over the span of 11 weeks, we explore a number of questions like: Who is Jesus? Why did Jesus die? How and why should I pray? Does God heal today?
Each evening we share a meal together, watch a video, and then spend time in discussion. ALPHA is also a great way to connect with new friends, build community, and grow in your relationship with God. To register, click here.
Please pray about how you might take part in ALPHA and who you could invite to come with you. We have postcards at the back of the church you can use to invite friends. If you’ve taken the course before, consider how you can support this outreach ministry through prayer, serving as a table helper, making and serving food, or perhaps taking the course with a friend. If you have any questions, contact the church office at admin@peterpaulottawa.com
Small Group Fall 2025 - Registration is now open
At St Peter & St Paul's, we have a number of small groups that gather in people's homes around the city, or at the church. If you are interested in becoming a part of a small group, please fill out the small group registration form, and a member of our staff will get back to you.
Wednesday Morning Bible Study: Genesis - Part 3
Our Wednesday morning Bible study series in Genesis resumes after Thanksgiving on Oct 15 at 10:30 AM. Led once again by Fr. David Crawley and based on Genesis chapters 28-50, we conclude our journey through this fascinating book of origins which wonderfully anticipates the Gospel of Jesus.
Entitled “Genesis: From dysfunctional family to seeds of heavenly citizenship,” we will by grace complete our journey through this fascinating book. This study will be over 7 weekly sessions leading up to Advent. Come and grow with us in the bigness of the Good News. No prerequisite needed but it might be good to read over Genesis chapters 1-27 if you plan to register.
Walk for the Centretown Food Centre on Sunday, October 5
As part of the Centretown Churches Social Action Committee, our congregation supports the Centretown Food Centre, which served over 15,000 people in 2024. The food we collect at the back of the church on Sunday mornings is delivered to the food centre.
In addition to donating food and funds, you can also help support the Centretown Food Centre by participating in the 10th annual Walk for the Centre, taking place Sunday, October 5.
Festivities begin at 1:30 PM at Canadian Martyrs Church, 100 Main Street, with music, guest speakers, and the Sons of Scotland Piper Band to lead the walk at 2:20 PM along the Western Rideau River Pathway. To register for this event, click here: www.centretownchurches.org/walkathon
Sanctuary Window Repairs Taking Place
You may notice scaffolding outside of our church, both in the Metcalfe laneway and on the church lawn along Gloucester Street. A number of our sanctuary windows are undergoing needed repairs. Please note that the Metcalfe Street laneway is not open to any vehicles at this time.
Volunteer Opportunities
Hospitality Team
Thinking you would like to volunteer somewhere, but are afraid of making a regular commitment? The Hospitality Team may be for you!
The Hospitality Team hosts Hospitality Hours after church, receptions, potlucks, and other parish events in Stiller Hall. You are welcome to join us once a year, once in a blue moon, or every time we host an event. You are welcome even if baking is not your thing. You can set out dishes, plate cookies, put jugs of water in the fridge, bring dirty dishes into the kitchen, help load or unload the dishwasher –there are lots of different things to do. You will receive an email when there is an upcoming event and you can respond or ignore, depending on your availability. Join the team by signing up here.
A Place To Go
For those looking for more of a regular commitment, our church runs a weekly drop-in on Friday evenings from 7 PM to 9 PM called A Place To Go. We have volunteers who make the soup and sandwiches once a month and volunteers who purchase the other groceries needed from the supermarket. We also have volunteers who spend one Friday night a month at the church serving those who gather. If you would like to learn more about A Place To Go or volunteering, please click here or speak with Pastor Michelle.
CHILDREN’S MINISTRIES
We resume Jr Church programming this week. Carolyn and Volita will be with the children and we will gather as one big group in Stiller Hall. We will resume our regular programming on September 7. Each group will begin learning stories and lessons from the Old Testament.
This Sunday our Nurserywill be open, but not staffed for children ages 3 and under. Our staffed nursery will reopen on September 7.
Registration for the 2025/2026 school year is now open. Families are asked to complete this form before joining us at Jr Church on August 31.
Nursery Registration can be found here. Nursery is for children born between 2022-2025.
Junior Church Registration can be found here. Junior Church is for children born between 2014-2021
PLAYGROUP
Playgroup will resume on Wednesday mornings beginning September 10. We will gather in the Nursery from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM. We are looking forward to gathering again after our summer break. Playgroup is for children 0-Pre-K and their caregivers. This has been a very positive time of connecting. Please consider who you may want to invite to join us. If you have any questions please contact the church office at admin@peterpaulottawa.com
Online Morning Prayer Monday - Saturday at 8 AM
Join us every morning (Monday - Saturday) at 8 AM to take part in Morning Prayer over Zoom. We gather virtually for about a half hour to worship the Lord, read Scripture, pray, and enjoy Christian fellowship. It is a wonderful way to begin the day. We use the 2019 Book of Common Prayer as our guide, but you do not need to own a prayer book to participate; all the words are on the screen. If you are interested in joining, please contact the office via email: admin@peterpaulottawa.com.
Please help us support the Centretown Community Food Centre!
Bring in non-perishable food items on Sunday mornings and place them in the large basket at the back of the sanctuary. For more information, click here.
Rickwood Fund Application Update
Our church has been blessed with a memorial funding source, the Nora Green Rickwood Memorial Life Long Learning Fund, that provides funds to the church each year to encourage learning, growth, and leadership among the clergy and laity. The application cutoff dates will be March 1 and September 1. To apply for a grant from the Rickwood Fund, contact the office admin@peterpaulottawa.com or call 613-235-1636.
Short-Term Mission Fund
At St Peter & St Paul’s there is an Outreach Partners Committee that administers funds for various outreach initiatives. Part of the funding available has been designated for short-term missions and special requests. Money is available to help pay the costs for someone engaged in a relevant event or mission activity. If you are interested in finding out more about this, please contact the office via email: admin@peterpaulottawa.com or phone (613-235-1636).
CHURCH RESOURCES
Church Office: The church office is open from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM Tuesdays through Thursdays. You can reach the office by phone at 613-235-1636 or by email at admin@peterpaulottawa.com.
Worship: We gather together for worship at 10:30 AM on Sundays, both in-person at the church and online on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/StPandPOttawa/)
Please use the Worship Guide to follow along with the service. You can join us in person at 152 Metcalfe Street.
Parking: There is a paid lot directly behind the church on Gloucester Street that offers all-day parking at a flat rate on Sundays. For street parking, please check posted signs, pay stations, and keep up to date on winter parking bans here.
Online: Check out our Facebook page for livestreams of our services, audio recordings of our sermons, and other news and posts. You can listen to our Parish podcast and sermons on your favourite podcast app by searching for “peterpaulottawa” and subscribing. And there is also our Website where you can listen to our sermons and podcasts, sign up for events, and read an extended cut of the weekly parish update.