Get Involved
The Church of St Andrew and St Paul is a vibrant hub of caring people living and sharing God’s message of hope while reaching out to those in need in their local community in Montreal, Canada and Worldwide.
Upcoming Community Events
Grow through Study
Bible studies, book discussion groups, and other adult education and spiritual growth opportunities are offered from time to time throughout the year. Recent topics: Henri Nouwen’s final book, Adam: God’s Beloved, for our Lenten Study Group, and “Luther in the Garden,” a consideration of Luther’s Ninety-Five Theses in advance of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Watch for announcements about our next offering!
Look for our fall Bible study on 1st Corinthians and, after Christmas, “Gawain and the Christian Journey.”
Upcoming Bible Studies
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Get Involved
Feeling connected to a vibrant community of people who care about each other and about those in need is a wonderful way to share one’s journey through life. At the Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul you can get involved in a multitude of ways in order to create those personal connections that could last for a lifetime.
- Usher during a worship service or a concert
- Sing in the choir
- Teach Sunday School
- Cook or serve for a reception, luncheon, meeting, etc.
- Host coffee and conversation
- Decorate the church
- Collect content for our website, social media or InsideOut magazine
- Take photographs
- Organize our archives
- Help with the spring and fall cleanups in the Quiet Garden and at the Manse
- Play badminton
- Learn Scottish dancing
- Join a committee or the Guild
We look forward to welcoming you to our community.
Volunteering
As you can imagine volunteer participation is key to sustaining the many events and activities within our congregation. We are always seeking people with expertise in areas such as building management, archiving, teaching, singing, knitting, accounting, law, photography, communication and many other skills. We also need volunteers to be ushers, tour guides, to make sandwiches and squares for receptions, and many other duties.
Committees
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Mission & Outreach Committee
Through the love of God as manifested in Jesus Christ and as guided by the gospels, we strive to support those in need in our community at local, national and international levels by offering our time, skills and resources. Lean more about the activities of this committee at Give Back or email us at outreach@standrewstpaul.com.
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Ministry Committee
The Ministry Committee oversees and develops programs and events and provides Christian educational services to meet the pastoral and spiritual needs of the congregation. Learn more about these programs, events and services at Children and Youth or email us at children@standrewstpaul.com.
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Worship and Music Committee
The Worship and Music Committee focuses on the congregational and public worship of the Church of St. Andrew & St. Paul. It sees that the face, manner and content of worship at the Church reflects the doctrines of the Presbyterian Church in Canada and the traditions, standards of excellence and policies of our church. Learn more about these activities at Worship with Us and Music or email us at info@standrewstpaul.com or music@standrewstpaul.com.
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Leading With Care Committee
Leading with Care is a policy for ensuring a climate of safety in the Presbyterian Church in Canada. The LWC committee is responsible, on behalf of the congregation, for seeing that the policy is put into practice with integrity and consistency. Learn more about this policy at Leading with Care or email us at info@standrewstpaul.com.
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Communications Committee
The Communications Committee manages the church’s website, social media, InsideOut magazine, online broadcasts and recordings, banners, signs, brochures and many other aspects of promoting our worship services, events and activities. To get involved with the work of this committee, email us at communications@standrewstpaul.com.
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Steering Committee
The Steering Committee is composed of our Ministers, the Clerk and representatives of The Board of Trustees, the head of the executive of the Guild and the chairs of the Mission & Outreach, Music and Worship, Ministry, Leading with Care and Communications Committees. This committee reviews committee activities, co-ordinates events and activities as needed, bring matters considered to be for the overall benefit of the congregation forward to Session, acts as a sounding board for concerns presented by committees and members, fosters co-operation and consensus amongst the committees and Church entities and co-ordinates the Annual General Meeting.
Upcoming Meetings
The Guild
Mandate of the Guild
The Guild is an active and essential arm of the church. All members and adherents of the congregation are members of the Guild. The Guild has an executive committee that holds a monthly planning meeting. We always welcome members of the congregation who are interested in our work.
The purpose of the Guild is to unite the congregation by offering programs of fellowship and services to others in the church and beyond.
History of the Guild
The Guild was established in 1934 with the purpose of uniting all the women’s groups in the church. The aim was to create a single organization which could make one joint appeal to the congregation for raising funds for church projects.
The first fundraiser was a Spring Carnival in April 1935 which raised over $5000 in the middle of the Great Depression.
Guild Activities
The Guild organizes meaningful church socials such as:
- Fall Fair
- Welcome Back Reception
- Session & Trustees Dinner
- Advent Lunches
- Christmas Family Reception
- Lenten Lunches
- New Members Reception
- Guild Spring Luncheon and Annual General Meeting
- Presbyterian College Convocation Reception
The Guild also decorates the church for weekly services and special holidays, attends to shut-ins with flowers and cards, manages the Narthex visitor’s book and provides funds for the Church School pageant.
Our many volunteers are our greatest asset. We always welcome new ideas and new members. To volunteer or learn more, email us at theguild@standrewstpaul.com.
Upcoming Guild Events
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Give Back
Reaching Out To The Community
“Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
– St. Francis of Assisi
Mission and Outreach to our city, our country and our world!
The Mission & Outreach Committee is just one channel through which our church tries to live and walk in the way that Jesus taught us. The generosity of our congregation helps support a number of local service organizations, nourishes a deep friendship with the Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry, undertakes the resettlement of refugees, touches the suffering in far-off missions through Presbyterian World Service & Development, and celebrates our growing intercultural community.
We welcome your ideas, and if you’re looking for a way to “give back” for the blessings you receive we know lots of people who can use a lot of help. Just email us at outreach@standrewstpaul.com and we’ll be in touch.
Upcoming Mission and Outreach Events
Our church in as active contributor to PWS&D. Our ongoing fund-raising events include the Christmas Pageant, and the Christmas Eve Family service. We also tie in to nation-wide events organized by PWS&D, such as the Jeff-a-Thon and generate local events in conjunction with other church ministries. Learn more about current PWS&D programs and ongoing needs at this link or contact Brian Merrett at pwsd@standrewstpaul.com.
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Twinning
The Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry was established by The Presbyterian Church in Canada to serve in an urban environment of poverty, broken families and lost connections to native traditions. In 2001, The Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul joined the Saskatoon Ministry in a twinning relationship, a formal partnership between two congregations or groups, working together mutually and equally as members of the Body of Christ. The goal is a relationship in which each learns and enriches the other as we witness the gospel and work together on a specific project or exchanges of information or skills.
Healing and Reconciliation
This springtime event in the Quiet Garden is always a joyous moment, with friends new and old, tastes of bannock, wild rice and Labrador tea, and the rhythms of our native brothers and sisters.
This year, we were privileged to be joined by Nina Segalowitz and Taqralik Partridge, Inuit throat singers, whose music and personalities delighted young and old. Enjoy a moment with Nina and Taqrilak here.
Healing and Reconciliation is a Ministry of the Presbyterian Church in Canada built on the Great Commandment: Love the Neighbour. At the heart of Healing and Reconciliation is the belief that society will be transformed for the better when Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people develop a new understanding of each other and build a new relationship founded on mutual respect and love of neighbour.
“With God’s guidance, our church will seek opportunities to walk with Aboriginal peoples to find healing and wholeness together as God’s people.”
– from the Church’s Confession to Aboriginal Peoples
What is the Native Circle Ministry?
The Native Circle Minister, the Reverend Stewart Folster, a graduate of the Vancouver School of Theology, is one of three active ordained Native Presbyterian ministers in Canada. His store-front mission in Saskatoon, provides ministry, Bible study, visitation, caring and special services for funerals and weddings. His ministry also includes youth and addiction counselling for those who, like the Rev. Folster himself, knew childhoods marred by violence, alcoholism and extreme poverty.
Neechewagon (Nee-Chay-Wa-Gun)
This Cree word means “brothers and sisters,” and “friends” in the Native language. The A&P Neechewagon is a group of members of our church who meet regularly to learn more about Native culture, history and spirituality and to nourish our twinning with the Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry. Through the generosity of many in our congregation and the East Toronto Presbytery, we were blessed to buy a van for the Ministry.
Knitters for Neechewagon
Saskatoon winters are cold, and especially bleak for the homeless and poor. A group of ladies at St. Andrew and St. Paul gather once a month to knit mittens, scarves, sweaters and caps for those cared for by the Saskatoon Native Circle Ministry. These devoted ladies have produced hundreds of items over the past four years, all shipped with love to our friends in Saskatoon.
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Celebration Sunday
Every year on the third Sunday in January, the Mission & Outreach Committee and The Guild celebrate the twenty-plus local service organizations which our church helps support financially, and through members’ time and talent. Each year, representatives of the agencies join us for an inspirational worship service, and a Kildonan Hall reception where we learn more about their dedication and passion for the hungry, the young, the sick, the abused and the forgotten in our city. We are grateful for all they do. The videos below tell their stories of how they impact the lives of many people in our community who would often have nowhere else to go if this support was not available.