SPPC Today

News for Sunday, October 11, 2026 - Thanksgiving

This Sunday we celebrate Thanksgiving, a festival with long roots in both the life of the church and the history of this country. Giving thanks at harvest time is as old as Scripture itself: Israel’s great feasts, like the Feast of Booths, were joyful celebrations of God’s provision at the gathering of the crops. In Canada, the first recorded thanksgiving came in 1578, when the explorer Martin Frobisher and his crew held a service in the Arctic to give thanks for surviving their perilous voyage. Over the following centuries, churches across the land kept harvest thanksgiving services, and after Confederation, days of national thanksgiving were proclaimed from time to time. In 1957 Parliament fixed the holiday on the second Monday of October, “a day of General Thanksgiving to Almighty God for the bountiful harvest with which Canada has been blessed.”

Thanksgiving is more than a long weekend and a turkey dinner. It calls us to remember that everything we have, the food on our tables, the people around them, and life itself, comes as a gift from God's hand. In a culture that constantly tells us we need more, gratitude is a quiet act of faith: it trusts that God has been good and will be good again. Moses urged Israel, after they had eaten their fill in a good land, to “bless the Lord your God for the good land he has given you” (Deuteronomy 8:10), and not to forget the Giver amid the gifts. We hope you will join us this Sunday as we gather with grateful hearts to give thanks together for God's faithfulness through another year.

Worship this Sunday

Our Sunday worship service begins at 10:00 a.m. You can participate in person or connect with our community online via the live stream. The link is available here.

Our scripture readings are:

• Psalm 100

• Deuteronomy 8:10-18

• 1 Thessalonians 5:12-18

This week our choir is singing the anthem, Many Gifts by Mary Lynn Lightfoot

Announcements

• Dominican Republic Mission Trip: Together with our friends at Saanichton Bible Fellowship (SBF), Saanich Peninsula Presbyterian Church is sending a mission team back to Pedregal and Jarabacoa in the Dominican Republic early next year. The team will build homes, assist in a medical clinic, deliver essential medical supplies, and help to build up and support this amazing ministry. We invite members of our congregation to serve alongside one another in this life-changing missionary experience.

  • Dates: March 5 to 29, 2027

  • Cost: $4,150.00 (fundraising will be organized to help cover costs; a $250 deposit will be required to hold seats for the return flight)

  • Information Meeting: October 18 at noon at Saanichton Bible Fellowship.

• If you are interested in joining, please speak with Joan Adamcsak this Sunday or before the information meeting and review the information package available in the narthex.

• We are pleased to be welcoming the Rev. Mitch Coggin back to the pulpit next Sunday, October 18, while Rev. Irwin Cunningham attends the Synod of British Columbia.

• We continue with Cozy Toes, collecting winter attire for the Mustard Seed Street Church. The need is for mitts, hats, winter jackets, etc. These will be distributed to clients. We will be collecting until Sunday, November 1.

• The Wednesday Study, Drive Thru History: Acts to Revelation, resumes this week at 10:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. This series, led by David Stotts, follows the growth of the New Testament Church beginning in Jerusalem and around the eastern Mediterranean as far as Rome.

• Our next Sunshine Lunch will take place on Monday, October 26. Please sign up by October 19. The lunch will have an Autumn theme.

May the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all!

SUNDAY MORNING

Welcome to Saanich Peninsula Presbyterian Church. 

Our worship takes place at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday morning both in-person and online (via the SPPC YouTube Livestream button above). We invite you to join us each week as we continue to explore and follow the Word of God. Following the service, there is a fellowship time at the back of the sanctuary.

For the safety of your neighbours, when you attend worship: 

• Please, perform a health check prior to attending.

• While masks are not required, feel free to wear one if you prefer.

We look forward to seeing you on Sunday.