Groups and Activities
St. Laurence offers a variety of groups and activities for all ages. New members are always welcome. If you have any questions about these programs please contact the Church Office.
Children and Youth
During the 10 am service there is nursery, Sunday School and Youth group in the basement of the church.
St. Laurence participates in a shared youth ministry program – the 'OneBody' youth group - coordinated by Jill Thompson. Jill coordinates combined youth activities on weekends as well as trips etc. Chad Dalley works with her and is our ‘on the ground’ youth leader on Sunday mornings at St. Laurence. The youth often do Bible studies or have discussions about life and faith on Sunday mornings. Weekend activities range from everything from movie and cooking classes to hiking in the mountains. This group is for junior and senior high ‘youthlings.’
There are two Sunday School classes - one for children 3-7 and one for children 7-12. Both of these classes are led by paid teachers who follow interactive and Biblically based curriculums. The children explore Biblical stories and themes using games, songs, drama, crafts, and other activities.
Works of Mercy and Justice
Serving the larger community and the world both by giving of our time and or our resources is a priority for the people of St. Laurence. The 'Works of Mercy and Justice' committee oversees the various outreach efforts of the parish and allocates the yearly budget that the parish as a whole gives to non-profit organizations. However, most of the parish, including the children and youth, are involved in outreach projects of one kind or another.
For instance the first thing you see when you come into St. Laurence is
a water filter into which parishioners drop their loonies and toonies
every week. The money collected goes to the Centre for Affordable Water and Sanitation Technology
http://www.cawst.org/ The parish also gives financial support to a number of
other organisations including the Primates Fund for World Relief and Development
http://www.pwrdf.org/, Calgary Urban Projects http://www.cupshealthcentre.com/
and other local and international charities.
Another important part of the life of St. Laurence is taking part in the “All
Roads Lead Home” project of Neighbour Link by sponsoring a formerly homeless
family.
Every Friday members of St. Laurence volunteer at the local Food Bank and every week members drive for Meals on Wheels. In 2011 we are also pleased to be working in support of an affordable housing project called Acadia Place. http://www.acadiaplace.com/
Adult Spiritual Development
St. Laurence runs a variety of programs for adults. Opportunities are posted on our activities and events page as well as on the Wisdom Centre website. At any given time we are likely to have a book study, DVD program, ‘Sacred Cinema,’ ‘Poetry as Spiritual Practice’ or similar. In addition to these weeknight programs almost every Sunday after church 10- 30 parishioners gather for what is affectionately termed ‘Conversations.’ This is a drop-in program where all who are interested gather downstairs after worship (usually from about 11:30-12:15) and converse about any number of topics. Usually the session is led by the clergy. Past topics include a series on ‘The Joy of Worship’ and another on “Anglican Theologians.’ Other days the time is used to talk about the service or sermon in a relaxed and informal way.
Pastoral Care and Social Groups
There are a variety of ways that the St. Laurence community both shares fellowship and offers care to those in need.
There is both a Women's Group that organizes periodic social events, as well as a Men's Group that meets once a month for breakfast (Larry's Griddle) and once a month for lunch (Larry's Grill).
A group of women in the parish also meet most Wednesday afternoons (September - May) for Craft Group. The proceeds made from their Creations are donated to the St. Laurence Outreach fund.
In addition to the above the parish runs Foyer Groups. These are groups of about 8 parishioners who commit to meeting in one another's homes once a month for approximately 6 months in order to get to know one another better. New groups are organized once or twice a year and new members are always welcome.
Finally, there is a pastoral care group and three lay pastoral visitors who assist the clergy in visiting those who are sick or shut-in.