Encourage your parish to sing
Amazing Grace this Sunday
This Sunday, Nov. 23, many Anglicans in parishes across Canada and even some around the world will sing “Amazing Grace” to help define what it means to be “church” in the world today. Congregations or 
groups that sing are also invited to video their performances and send them to the Amazing Grace project to share with the world. It’s not as difficult as you might think — a camcorder is great. A video shot on a cell phone will do in a pinch. Find all the information you need to do all this here.
As our church year comes to an end this Sunday and we begin the journey to Jesus’ arrival into the world on Nov. 30, the first Sunday in Advent, Amazing Grace proclaims “church” as a place where people come together to sing, pray, worship, share, grow and love.
Some ingenious members of our church suggested that singing Amazing Grace would show our unity and celebrate our ministry. To underscore the nature of our love and commitment, each person who sings (as s/he is able) is invited to donate a "twonie" to the Council of the North. It represents the vast areas of Canada where geography and isolation make ministry a difficult and expensive proposition.
You can sing at a time that works for you, either within the regular service or at a separate event that day. Lots of parishes and groups jumped on the Amazing Grace bandwagon when it was first announced last spring and you can see and hear their efforts on the web site linked above.
Taped renditions of Amazing Grace received by the National Church by Dec. 1 will be edited together into one big, amazing “Amazing Grace” video and put up on the web for all to enjoy by Christmas.
The Amazing Grace Project is about lifting our voices together in song, expressing our faith in Christ, and celebrating a common life and witness. It’s simple, but it’s powerful and will be a reminder of the amazing power of God’s love and grace in our lives.
Encourage your parish to get involved.
Diocesan Communications
18 November 2008
