Rev. Amanda Currie and Allan Ireland are in Ottawa this week participating in the 134th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. The General Assembly is an annual gathering of Presbyterians from across the country, and it is the highest court or decision-making body of our church. Each year in the first week of June, 1/6 of the Presbyterian ministers in Canada and an equal number of elders serve as commissioners to the General Assembly and conduct the business of the church.

Neither Allan or Amanda has attended a General Assembly before, so we are both looking forward to lots of learning through this experience, as well as lots of opportunities to meet and share ideas and experiences with Presbyterians from different parts of the country.

Allan has already started to work, as he is serving on the Nominating Committee, which met throughout the day today (Saturday, May 31st). We both officially registered today, and the Assembly really gets started Sunday evening with the opening worship at Knox Presbyterian Church in downtown Ottawa.

Please keep the Assembly in your prayers this week, and feel free to learn more about what we are doing by going to the General Assembly Page of the Presbyterian Church in Canada website. This page will be updated throughout the week with photos and information about the Assembly. You can also read the reports of the various agencies of our church that will be presented and discussed this week.

The Session of St. Andrew’s has invited the Rev. Gwen Ament to preach for a call to team ministry in our congregation on Sunday, June 15th. All members and adherents are encouraged to meet Gwen during her visit to Saskatoon, to attend church on Sunday, June 15th, and to stay for the congregational meeting following worship on that day.

Remember to pray for Gwen and for our congregation as we discern whether Gwen is the person God is calling to partner with us in ministry in this place.

Opportunities to meet the Rev. Gwen Ament during the call weekend:

• Choir: Meet Gwen at your regular practice, Thurs, June 12th at 7:30 PM.
• Staff: Meet Gwen at coffee time, Friday, June 13th at 10:15 AM.
• Youth & Young Adults: Meet Gwen at a BBQ at Amanda’s house (2712 Preston Ave), Friday June 13th at 5:00 PM.
• Session: Meet Gwen in the lower hall, Sat, June 14th at 10:30 AM.
• Search Committee: Meet Gwen over lunch at the Senator Hotel, Sat, June 14th at 12:00 PM.
• Everyone: Meet Gwen at a “come & go” tea in the lower hall, Sat, June 14th from 2:00-4:00 PM.

This Sunday (May 25th) will be our Annual Program Meeting at St. Andrew's. This is your opportunity to celebrate the ways we have been serving God at St. Andrew's this year, and to hear about plans and goals for next year.

There will be a special presentation by the Worship Committee and, as usual, lunch will be served by the Youth Group. There is no charge for the lunch, but your donations will be appreciated to cover costs and to support the youth group's fund for youth conferences.

Plan to stay for lunch and the meeting after worship this Sunday. See you there!

On April 24, Friends of Station 20 West convened a public meeting to bring people together to talk and work toward ways that people in the community in Saskatoon could work to support Station 20 West. Over 180 people showed up to that meeting in a heartening act of community solidarity.

At that meeting Paul Wilkinson, project manager of Station 20 West, presented information on the state of the project which has been scaled back but not given up on. As some of the previous partners such as the Saskatoon Community Clinic have pulled out because they have seen the $8 Million cut by the provincial government as too great a challenge to fundraise, the people behind the Station 20 are shifting gears and will now make their central focus on bringing the most needed element of the project into being – the community food store. With a significantly reduced building cost ($2.3 million vs. the previous $11.5 million), fundraising with the help of many community members can still make this project a reality.

Saskatoon City Council has approved an extension of the building permit for Station 20 for 1 year with the option of extending longer if necessary. This gives the organizers of Station 20 some breathing room and a chance to get the fundraising machine rolling. There have also been positive overtures made by the Saskatoon Cooperative Association whose membership voted overwhelmingly to explore means of collaboration with the Good Food Junction Coop Grocery Store – the heart of the Station 20 project.

Several working groups have been formed with responsibilities for fundraising, media communications, logistics, and more. If you would like to get regular updates of Station 20 West or learn how to get involved, go to https://lists.riseup.net/www/subscribe/friendsofstation20west and subscribe to the list serve.

The Christian Education Committee is hosting another Movie and Discussion evening.

Join us on Saturday, May 3rd at 7 p.m. to watch and discuss the movie JUNO.

It stars Ellen Page as a whip-smart high-school student named Juno MacGuff who discovers that she is in the family way after a single sexual experience with her best friend and bandmate, a semi-dorky track star named Paulie Bleeker. JUNO is a funny and meaningful film that some have called a “pro-life" movie as it explores a teenager coping with an unplanned pregnancy and choosing not to abort the child. It is rated PG13 – best suited for those in high school and up.

Come and join us. Movie snacks will be provided.