WELCOME TO ST MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS ANGLICAN CHURCH!
8:00 a.m. & 10:30 a.m.
The service at 8:00 in the chapel is Holy Communion using the BCP’s traditional-language service.
Bulletin: Jan 18 Holy Eucharist BAS
Announcements: Week of Jan 18
WHO WE ARE AS A PARISH
On Sunday and Throughout the Week
Welcome to our new Anglican parish, formed through the amalgamation of St Bartholomew’s and All Saints’ on 8 May 2025 and now, as of Sunday 23 November 2025, known as St Michael and All Angels Anglican Church. It is housed in the old, familiar Victorian structure that was known as St George’s throughout much of Sarnia’s history. We are located at the intersection of Vidal Street North and Charlotte Street.
We are truly a work in progress and all are welcome to join us as we strive to build a parish that reflects God’s truth, beauty and goodness. If you are looking for a place with opportunities for great involvement, we can build that church together. If you need a place of peace and refreshment — a place just to be — let it be with us.
Finish, then, Thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let it be.
Let us see Thy great Salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee.
We worship God in reverence and wonder at 8:00 and 10:30 each Sunday. Our 8:00 service is a traditional said-service and our 10:30 service is wonderfully choral. Our worship is directed towards heightening our awareness of God’s love for the world, as revealed through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. We enjoy fellowship during our coffee hour after the second service.
Throughout the rest of the week, our energy is focused on activities that provide opportunities for parishioners and outside friends to increase our fellowship in God’s love through work and play together by partaking in such activities as Bible study, a walking club, a book club, cards and board games, Bible crossword, and workshops on topics of interest to the congregation. An important part of our parish life is to provide outreach and support to the community, most notably through our work with the Inn of the Good Shepherd and our sponsorship of self-help groups.
To read more about us, please visit the various pages in this website, which is always a work in progress, or click here to be taken to the “ABOUT” page. To see a curated selection of photos of our activities this year, click here.
As promised earlier in this very space, the webmaster is happy to report that a new domain name (Internet address) and email addresses for the church are on the horizon. Details will be provided once this lengthy process has been concluded. Stand by to stand by!
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UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
See the announcements page for other events
In addition to those activities that have been included in the announcements page — see the blue link under the date at the top of the page — the following activities, which vary from time to time, or were planned after the publication of the announcements page, will also be taking place.
Please note that text that is in blue is also a hyperlink. Clicking that text will magically transport you to another location, either within this website or elsewhere, that will provide you with further information. By way of example, by clicking the blue text for the location of the Tuesday lunch, a mapping program will open with directions to the restaurant in question. Be brave and give it a try: You have very little to lose!
► Monday 19 January
1:00 pm — My Smartphone Hates Me , Parish Hall
► Tuesday 20 January
11:00 am — Walking Group, Canatara
12:15 pm — Lunch, following the walk, at /// Boston Pizza, Point Edward
► Friday 23 January
5:00 pm — The Slice, venue TBD
6:30 pm — Hymn Sing, Parish House
► Saturday 24 January
5:30 pm — Doors Open / 6:00 pm — Italian Feast, Parish Hall
► Friday 13 February
7:00 pm — Creative Word, venue TBD
► Sunday 22 February
1:00 pm — Annual Vestry Meeting, Parish Hall
Smartphone Workshop
Monday 19 January beginning at 1:00 p.m.
MY SMARTPHONE HATES ME The fifth instalment in this much beloved workshop series, having recently been postponed for far too many reasons, has finally been rescheduled and will take place beginning at one o’clock in the afternoon on Monday 19 January in Parish Hall. By popular request, it will be for those who wish to review old topics with a view to consolidating previous learning and to revisit topics that, well, need revisiting. We will look at the basics, including how to take charge of an unruly smartphone, how to use the messaging app, how to organise emails, and how to use the calendar app. Any and all, whether of this parish or not, are welcome to attend. Watch this space for further updates. Until we meet again!
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NEWS FROM PARISH COUNCIL
PRIEST-IN-CHARGE
On Sunday 25 May, our amalgamated parish elected its first parish council, thus beginning a new chapter in our shared history. With that move, we became self-governing, with the Rev’d Karen Nelles as our priest-in-charge.
Information on what our wardens and the rest of Parish Council have been doing and are currently doing can now be found on the Parish Council subpage. You can find that page by clicking on the link in the dropdown menu at the top of the screen or, if you prefer, by clicking here.
Parish Council had two very pressing matters on its hands: the first, overseeing the choosing of a new name for our parish, has just been accomplished. The second, however, has just begun, namely working with Archdeacon Amanda in finding a new priest for St Michael and All Angels.
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SELECTION COMMITTEE
New Information in Green Text
Members of the Selection Committee are delighted to welcome Sue Pickard to their group. As president and long-time member of the choir, Sue brings a wealth of knowledge that will assist the selection team in writing the church profile and securing a new rector for our parish. This was announced to the congregation on Sunday 14 December.
On 24 November 2025, Parish Council met to vote upon a Selection Committee. Archdeacon Amanda Longmoore attended this meeting and outlined the process involved in choosing a new rector.
Parish Council prayerfully appointed an eight-member Selection Committee. With only eight places available, Council did its best to draw members from across our predecessor congregations. Care was also taken to choose members who have a strong understanding of the parish’s various ministries–some through direct involvement, others through years of working closely alongside those ministries.
We are grateful for the willingness of the following people to serve: Gord Loeven, Heather Norwood, Katharine Hungerford, Carole James-Airey, Beverly Woods, Susan Memedovich, Moe Carson and Heather Prior.
EPIPHANYTIDE
Behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. (Matt.ii.1-2, KJV)
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ITALIAN FEAST
ITALIAN FEAST
Saturday 24 January, 6:00 p.m., Parish Hall
Our Intrepid Kitchen Crew™ and Warden Heather will be hosting yet another wonderful feeding frenzy leisurely supper on Saturday 24 January beginning at six o’clock with the doors opening at 5:30 p.m. The cost per person will be $25. Please contact Heather at 519.658.7245 to reserve a seat. In the alternate, you could speak with Heather or Sandy during coffee hour.
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ANNUAL VESTRY MEETING
Sunday 22 February at Noon
In a break from our usual manner of proceeding, this year’s annual vestry meeting will not take place on Superbowl Sunday but will, instead, take place on the twenty-second after the main service. Those who are responsible for submitting committee reports are asked to do so no later than Monday 9 February. This will provide those in the office sufficient time to produce the annual report.
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BLUE CHRISTMAS SERVICE
Saturday 20 December
On Saturday 20 December beginning at four o’clock in the afternoon, Ginny Schleihauf conducted a Blue Christmas service, which was open to any and all who find Christmas to be a challenging time of year due to loss or other sadness. Our Blue Christmas service offered a sacred space to acknowledge the pain, grief, and quiet sadness that many carry during the Christmas season. It reminded us that not all hearts are light at this time of year, and that sorrow, loss, and longing are held tenderly within our faith community. Heartfelt thanks to Ginny for leading this service with such peace, sensitivity, and care. Her thoughtful presence created a calm and compassionate atmosphere where all were welcomed just as they are.
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MISSION & OUTREACH
Friday 19 December, London Road P. S.
Submitted by D/Warden Katharine Hungerford, Friday 19 December 2025
On behalf of your Mission and Outreach Committee, a heartfelt thanks to everyone who so generously gave their time, energy, and talents to make the turkey dinners for the students at London Road School such a success, and to those who carefully and compassionately assembled Christmas hampers for families in need within the school community.
Through your kindness, students and families felt supported, cared for, and remembered in a very tangible way. We are also deeply grateful to the local companies whose generosity made the turkey dinner outreach possible. Special thanks to Nortera Food Inc. of Strathroy for the donation of carrots, to Hayter’s Turkeys of Dashwood for providing turkey breasts at a wholesale price and to Sarnia Produce for potato donations. Their community spirit made a meaningful difference.
A sincere thank you to all who cooked and prepared the Christmas feast for the children and staff at London Rd. School, and helped in the kitchen: Heather and Todd Norwood, Gord Loeven, Kory Memedovich, Don Hunter, Bob Spence, Heather Pryor, Beverly Woods, Barb Pajuk, and Carol Spence. Your willingness to serve ensured everything came together smoothly and with care.
I am also happy to report that the Christmas Hampers were assembled and packed by Carol and Bob Spence, Sue and Cory Memedovich, Bev Woods, Heather Pryor and Angie McKenny on Friday morning and delivered by Carol, Bob, Susan and Cory to the school principal on December 19th at noon. While we initially planned for eight hampers, after conversation with the school principal we were pleased to be able to include a ninth hamper for a London Rd. School family. St. Michaels and All Angels Mission Committee have adopted these outreach activities that were formerly undertaken by the folks at Canon Davis Memorial Church with love.
Special recognition goes to Carol Spence, Heather Norwood and Susan Memedovich for their extraordinary dedication, organization, and leadership. Their countless hours behind the scenes were instrumental in bringing this outreach to life, and we are deeply appreciative of all they did to make this effort so meaningful on behalf of us all.
We would like to recognize the corporate donors, who contributed generously to our hampers – Randy and Angie McKenny of Goodfellow Construction and Carlo Maola of DMW Electrical Instrumentation and of course our ACW. Please know members of the committee have sent a thank you to everyone on your behalf.
Each hamper included a turkey, a pie, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce,
two litres of juice, two canned vegetables, napkins, boxed chocolates, clementines, bagged potatoes, and a roasting pan. Our ACW paid for eight turkeys.
In addition, Sue handwrote cards for each family, enclosing a $50 ‘No Frills’ gift card and a printed guide on how to prepare a turkey. Each hamper was wrapped with festive paper to add a little extra joy.
The final fund-raising total (thank you, Leigh) was $1,560 — what a great effort from the parishioners at St Michael and All Angels — of which $813.35 was spent to prepare the hampers. The remaining funds will be directed toward an Emergency Fund that can be utilised by the Mission & Outreach Committee for future needs of our parish.
Thank you all for your support, generosity, and compassion. The Holy Spirit is truly alive here at St. Michael and All Angels.
FOOD BANK, EVERY FIRST SUNDAY; INN OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD, EVERY OTHER MONTH ON THE FIRST MONDAY
The first Sunday of each month will be ‘food bank Sunday’. All items collected will be donated to the St Andrew’s Food Bank in Corunna. Much needed items are canned fruit, snack crackers, Manwich, canned chilli, canned pasta with meat, juice boxes, and men’s and women’s deodorant, shampoo and conditioner. At this time, they do not need canned beans or soup. They do not take clothing or empty containers.
In addition to the food bank, please do not forget our long-standing commitment to the Inn of the Good Shepherd. We continue to actively support the Inn by preparing hot meals on a rotating schedule. Our most recent such day was Monday 1 December when a team of volunteers — and this could have included you! — met at 10:30 in the kitchen at the Inn to prepare a tasty lasagna dinner. Carol Arnesen will happily provide details to those who wish to join the team next time. Perhaps the next time the meal will be eagerly devoured grilled cheese sandwiches!This is dummy text. [Return to the top of the page.]