It was a joy to worship with the people of Crows Nest and Goombungee again last weekend. This visit was the first visit we have made it personally to our mission partner parish in the West since they have returned to gathered worship. There are some photos on this page of our time with the people St Mark's and St Georges. It was easy to sense their excitement to be gathering again as a church community.
I am thankful to the Ven Rob Sutherland for leading St David's for our service celebrating All Souls. Rob's excellent sermon is being made available to other churches in our diocese and across Australia as a resource for Defence Sunday on November 8 (just before Remembrance Day). Rob reminded us of the strong connection that St David's has had to the work of Chaplains in the Australian Armed forces. He powerfully reminded us of the vital role the churches can play in welcome and healing to those who return from serving in areas of conflict. The sermon is available from our parish website.
I have recently had some inquiries regarding our current service times at St David's. Since returning to gathered worship, we have chosen to hold only one service on a Sunday at 9.30 am. This choice was taken to enable a cautious return to gathered worship. In this time, we have been working to ensure we comply with the COVID safe plan as well as provide ongoing ministry to those unable to attend. We still hold an 8 am service on the phone each week to which about 10 - 15 people participate. It is clear, though, that more people are returning to gathered worship. I think it is helpful for me to make the following observations.
- We continue to offer a mid-week Holy Communion service at 9.30 am on Wednesday.
- The early more traditional Holy Communion on Sunday is on hold for the moment. I think it is likely this service will again find a place in our regular pattern in the new year. We are still awaiting some equipment that will assist as to sanitise the church between services appropriately.
- We will be taking the opportunity of clearing more furniture from the Western end of the church to increase our capacity before Christmas.
Registering for Worship
It has now become more important to register to attend worship through our parish website or by contacting the office during the week. It is possible to register up to 5 pm on the day before the service. You will receive a confirmation email, but you do not need to bring the ticket on the day. If you have not registered, you may still be able to attend, but we cannot guarantee that space will be available.
It will be particularly important to register for the following dates, including Christmas.
November 15 - 9.30 am Visit from Bp John Roundhill
November 22 - 9.30 am Admission to Communion
December 24 - 6.30 pm and 9 pm (extra service in 2020)
December 25 - 8.00 am
Annual Leave
I will be taking my annual leave from November 23 for three weeks. During this time The Ven Rob Sutherland, The Rev'd Gillian Moses and The Rev'd Owen Strong will assist in leading our Wednesday and Sunday services.
November 8 Free Workshop
Careless generosity: The transformative power of freely-given relationships in mental health.
St David's is supporting this event that is being held in our Memorial Hall. You can find more information at this [link](https://www.stdavidschelmer.com.au/events/free-community-workshop-careless-generosity).