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Archives for September 2021

September 26, 2021

Surprised by the Spirit – Oct 7 & 20

Join Anglicans around the country in reflecting on what has surprised us over the past year and a half. Some of those surprises have been cause for grief and some for celebration – all offer an opportunity to listen deeply to the Spirit.

Learn more about the project at spark.anglican.ca

Rhonda is hosting two Surprised by the Spirit conversations in October. Contact her to join one or to learn how to host your own conversation.

  • Thursday, October 7th, 7:30-9pm
  • Wednesday, October 20th, 11:30-1:00pm

September 21, 2021

Why we’re not live streaming or recording on-site services at Ascension

Over the summer, the Post-Pandemic Planning Committee, Worship Committee, Parish Council and members of the community worked to discern how we might gather as a community as the pandemic eased. We noted our concern for those left behind by Zoom and those who would be left behind without it. While there has been considerable buzz around streamed and recorded services, evidence suggests that such an approach is inconsistent with the needs of our community and our desire to be inclusive. 

Photo by Chris Montgomery on Unsplash
ZOOM
Relational and Participatory
Photo by Kevin Gonzalez on Unsplash
Recorded/Live Streamed
Can Feel Like Watching Others Worship

Thus starting September 12, 2021 some parishioners continue to worship online via Zoom, and others worship at the church building. If you are curious about what contributed to this design, or have more questions, read on! 


  1. Zoom services fulfill a different pastoral need to to live streamed or recorded services. People, including those identified as likely to be potentially left behind by a return to in-person worship, told us they valued the relational and participatory elements of a Zoom-only service, including the opportunity to offer their own gifts and the number of people included in creating the worship experience. 
  2. Members of our community have raised concerns about how recording or live streaming would affect their meaningful participation on-site, including from parents, and targets of harassment. 
  3. Relatively few youth and young adults participated in Zoom services. Research suggests people this age are often looking for less surveilled spaces. [1-3]
  4. Those familiar with the sound and technology systems identified the need for a new rota of at least four volunteers to live stream or record. Some current audio-visual volunteers have indicated their reluctance to volunteer for streaming or video recording tasks. 
  5. Financial costs to enable live streaming or recording ranged from $3,000-5,000.

Isn’t this a lot of extra work for staff? 

Most Anglican parishes offer two services with parishioners typically attending a given service, but adjusting as scheduling or their needs change. So, this two congregation model is quite common.

What will happen to Zoom? 

In the near future, Zoom and in-person services will remain quite similar, both offering a full service of the Word, music, and coffee hour. As the congregation worshiping on Zoom changes, the service might adapt. If you identify as someone for whom Zoom is likely to be your main service post-pandemic, and would like to help shape that future, the worship committee welcomes your input. 

Isn’t this a lot of fuss when everything in my life is online anyway? 

Both academic research and the lived experience of community members suggest that offering a service which is neither recorded nor streamed is desirable for many. Even if your lived experience means you do not have reason to be more cautious, more privacy-awareness in our community can help create safe spaces for everyone to explore and express their faith, be vulnerable, and grow. 

References: 

[1] V. Steeves and J. Bailey, “Submission to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on The Right to Privacy Toward a Better Understanding of Privacy: Children’s Right to Privacy and Autonomy,” 2021. Accessed: Aug. 25, 2021. [Online]. Available: http://www.equalityproject.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Childrens-Right-to-Privacy-UN-Submission.pdf 

[2] J. Bailey, “Online reputation, privacy and young people: Lessons from Canadian research (Invited submission to the Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics),” Ottawa, Ontario, Sep. 2017. Accessed: Aug. 25, 2021. [Online]. Available: http://www.equalityproject.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Online-Reputation-Privacy-and-Young-People-Lessons-from-Canadian-Research.pdf

[3] J. Bailey and V. Steeves, “Online Reputation, Privacy and Young People: Lessons from Canadian Research (Paper submitted to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada in response to its Consultation and Call for Essays on Online Reputation.),” Apr. 2016. Accessed: Aug. 25, 2021. [Online]. Available: http://www.equalityproject.ca/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/01-Bailey-Steeves-Online-Reputation-Submission-FINAL-April-27-2016.pdf 

September 19, 2021

Pentecost 17 – Sept 19, 2021

There is always room in the household of God
a sermon on Mark 9:30-37

The Rev’d Rhonda Waters

September 19, 2021

Oct. 3, Feast of St. Francis – Children’s Church & Blessing of the Animals

10am – Children’s Church under the Crabapple Tree

Children and their grown-ups are invited to meet under the Crabapple Tree at Ascension for an outdoor celebration of story, song, and holy communion. Pets and stuffies welcome for the Blessing of the Animals!

Bring a picnic blanket and wear your masks. Register here: https://forms.gle/dLaHnMbX3qkDPsjJ8

11am – 1pm – Drop-in Blessing of the Animals

Bring your pets to the Ascension church yard to receive a blessing. All are welcome – no registration required.

Pets are also invited to stay for the 1pm outdoor eucharist. Details and registration for the service here.

September 19, 2021

Diocesan Book Study – An Altar in the World

Join folks from across the Diocese of Ottawa (on Zoom) to discuss Barbara Brown Taylor’s book, An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith.

Wednesdays, Sept 22-Oct 27, 7-8:30
2 chapters/week

Contact Rhonda for the Zoom link.

In this beautiful book “Taylor reveals meaningful ways to discover the sacred in the small things we do and see, from simple practices such as walking, working, and prayer. Something as ordinary as hanging clothes on a clothesline becomes an act of meditation if we pay attention to what we’re doing and take time to notice the sights, smells, and sounds around us. Making eye contact with the cashier at the grocery store becomes a moment of true human connection. Allowing yourself to get lost leads to new discoveries. As we incorporate these practices into our daily lives, we begin to discover altars everywhere we go, in nearly everything we do.” 

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Church of the Ascension is a parish of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa
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We stand on the traditional and unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnabe nation.

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