This week our journey with Barbara Brown-Taylor’s “Holy Envy” has us exploring the common ground we might find between our Christian tradition and Buddhism. There are indeed significant points of connection — both recognize the existence of human suffering, both emphasize compassion, and both seek lasting peace. Yet these two religious traditions hold two distinct views of what it means to be human. 

Our focus on Buddhism — a tradition steeped in meditation — invites us to engage that meditative spirit ourselves. During the pre-service music (10:15–10:30), we’ll lean deeply into Taizé-style singing, a Christian form of chant designed to quiet the mind and open the heart. These simple, prayerful songs offer a way to enter more fully into reflection as we prepare for worship.

Please note that due to the 2025 Canadian Masters Road Cycling Championships, streets around the BC Legislature — Belleville, Menzies, Government, and Superior — will be closed to vehicles.

A friendly reminder for all our Taiji and Chi Kung participants: there will be no classes next week — specifically on Wednesday the 13th and Friday the 15th.

Enjoy the little pause — and get ready to move again the following week!

The 39th Annual Victoria Fringe Festival is almost here — and James Bay United Church is proud to be one of its featured venues this year!

We’re hosting two brilliant comedies by two Davids:

• Ducks by David Ellis Heyman — a sharp, witty look inside an Alberta government communications office in crisis.
  View Ducks poster

• Useless by David MacPherson — a “wildly inaccurate yet somewhat factual” historical farce about John Wilkes Booth, Abraham Lincoln’s assassin.
  View Useless poster

Each show runs six times: August 22, 23, 24 and August 29, 30, 31. Check each poster for the exact showtimes.

Remember: you’ll need a Fringe Button before buying tickets — and the good news is, you can get yours online or right here at the church, just 15 minutes before showtime!

This August 30th at 2:30pm, our beloved Music Minister, Jennifer Turner, will grace the gardens of Goward House with her stunning soprano voice in Bach in Love — an intimate outdoor concert of music by Bach and Purcell.

Bring a chair or a blanket and come enjoy this soul-soothing celebration of music, love, and summer’s end.

Tickets: $25 (adults) / $5 (children with an accompanying adult)

Let’s come out and cheer for Jennifer!