Services and Programs – St. Croix Church

SCC is a church community located in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada.

Two services are held on Sunday mornings:
– Celtic (9:15 am, upstairs) &
– Contemporary (10:30am, downstairs).

Sunday services are informal, and everyone is welcome. Various programs, groups or events are held at different times throughout most weeks. For details, visit the Events calendar page.

CELTIC

The “Celtic Service” is a smaller, early service (started in 2007). We refer to it as Celtic mostly because we identify with how this tradition values the informal use of liturgy and values all of life as sacred.

Sunday mornings, upstairs in the café
9:15 am: coffee/tea and muffins
9:30 am: Celtic liturgy (~40 minutes)

(Often Zoom is available if you let us know on our Facebook Group. Join our Facebook group for info on Zoom or just to stay up to date on the Celtic service.)

We alternate between two liturgies that draw on our own creativity as well as Celtic communities like Iona and Northumbria, modeled on a contemplative approach that engages positively with culture. We hope the liturgy can create a beautiful and consistent framework that will allow the meaning of the words to soak into us as we grow more and more familiar with them over time. Within the form created by the liturgy, there are moments for sharing reflections on the weekly readings and shared prayers for others.

After the service, people often linger and chat around the tables in the cafe reflecting on their week or thoughts from the service. Everyone is welcome! You can check out the liturgy we use here.

CONTEMPORARY

The “Contemporary Service” is our larger service in the main hall (downstairs). Our most regular teachers have been Jess Knight, Walter Thiessen, Marilyn Orr, and Rachael Barham, but quite a few women and men share their thoughts from time to time. Some messages can be serious and touching; others are lighthearted and fun. There are usually questions or comments and, at times, banter from the rest of the crowd. At the end of most services there are opportunities to sing, pray, or chat.

CHILDREN & YOUTH

Most Sundays there is a children’s story being read to them downstairs. Following this, parents and other volunteers bring the kids upstairs for stories, art projects and games that center around sharing who we are –what makes each of us uniquely ‘us’, and celebrating this together.

If you’re interested in participating as a parent or animator in any way, please reach out, I’d certainly love the company! Email > tojesswilliams@gmail.com.

Our youth (Grade 6 and up) gather together most Thursday evenings at 7pm – sometimes at church and sometimes in homes with Janell and/or Steph. Email > Janell to find out what’s going on and get invited to the Facebook group!

We hope to foster a fun and safe space for pre-teens and teens to explore who they are individually and together. And take a crack at learning how to navigate this thing called life…in an open minded and approachable manner, with kindness and humility for others and ourselves. Hopefully by getting to know and encourage each other, we can all find a glimpse of self-empowerment and how we can use our voices and “being” to participate in creating a safer and more inclusive community around us. We’ve been serving suppers at Neighbourhood Works and hosted our own >Fundraiser Spaghetti Dinner!

Email > Janell .

PRAYER & HEALING TEAM

Purpose

The purpose of the prayer and healing team is to provide people support, compassion, and a safe place to seek something from God, whether it is healing or otherwise.

What to expect

To be listened to by caring people who will offer prayers
Two team members will be present, at a minimum
What you share is confidential unless there is an indication of danger to self or others
To be asked how you would like to be prayed for

What not to expect

Counselling on personal issues
Pressure to contrive a spiritual experience
Long religious prayers
Guarantees on the result you seek
Advice contrary to medical professionals

How to meet with the Healing & Prayer team?

Email > alexander.r.henderson@gmail.com or call Alex at 506-321-1884 to set up a prayer time.
Interested in helping the (for now) ‘virtual’ prayer room? Contact Alex.

GARDENING IN COMMUNITY

In 2012, we decided to start a community garden. We named it the Victoria Street Community Garden to help ensure it would be a welcoming place for everyone in the community, not just those from SCC. With the help of some grants and lots of hard work from volunteer work parties over the years, we’ve added raised beds, a garden shed, trellises, and a high-tech rain collector from the church roof!

“Garden beds available – come join us!”

The garden has a perennial border to face the street and eight beds dedicated to grow food for the local food bank. If you’d like to adopt one of the food bank beds (care for it through the growing season), please email > vicstreetgarden@gmail.com.

You can also get a better sense of the garden by checking out our Garden Welcome Packet (2022). Or join our > Facebook group .

> Listen to Walter interview Ray Funk about “Gardening in Community.”

Where is the garden?

At the Victoria Street Centre, at home, or somewhere else… 🙂