Our heritage organ was heard for the last time in its unrepaired state on Sunday May 8th after which Orgues Létourneau dismantled it for its first major restoration since 1938. Here is a sample of what the instrument sounded like from the May 8th, 2011, podcast before being taken apart.

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The album below shows how the church looked when the crew from Létourneau was dismantling the organ. To enlarge a picture, simply click on it. It is planned to have the restored original instrument ready for Christmas 2011. Until then a modern, electronic instrument by Rodgers Instruments — a Rodgers Trillium Masterpiece Opus 2017 digital organ — is in the sanctuary temporarily.

Photos by Jean-Louis Marcoux.

The Circuit Rider Volume 43 Number 4 June 2011

St. James United Church
463 St. Catherine St. W., Montreal, Quebec
Minister: Rev. Arlen John Bonnar
Volunteer Associate Ministers: Rev. Dr. Phyllis Smyth, Rev. Doug Stewart
Director of Music: Philip Crozier Choral Director: Jean-Sébastien Allaire
Mail: 1435 City Councillors St., Montreal, QC H3A 2E4
Tel: (514) 288-9245 Fax: (514) 288-5148
E-Mail: james@qc.aibn.com www.stjamesunitedchurchmontreal.com

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This Summer’s series of noon-hour concerts has been announced! From June through August, every Tuesday at 12:30.

These positions have been filled.

General Information:

St James United Church in downtown Montreal is recognized as a National Historic site of Canada and part of Quebec’s religious heritage. As you can see from our website (www.stjamesunitedchurchmontreal.com) it’s a very special place.

Project & Job Objectives:

With our own resources and the cooperation of the Young Canada Works program administered by the Canadian Museums Association, we are adapting our striking 19th century building into a major downtown Montreal tourist attraction midway between the shopping and business district of uptown Montreal and the festival neighbourhood a couple of blocks to the east. Summer student employees can play a key role in this. In one three-hour period in July 2010, for example, our church volunteers greeted nearly 1,500 people in French, English, German and a variety of other languages, particularly Spanish.

Description of Tasks:

Each student will spend at least three days a week with church volunteers greeting visitors, guiding them around the sanctuary, answering questions and working in our small boutique. They will also spend up to two days a week on a self-directed project that may involve research into our history or helping us to develop a virtual tour of the church (a project we have set for ourselves this year) or a document suitable for use by visitors as a self-guided tour. We also need to develop our relationships with other major actors in Montreal tourism.

Workplan:

The first week of employment will involve basic orientation and training on the job given by the program coordinator and senior church volunteers. Also, in this period skills will be assessed in detail to make future assignments more effective.
Students work a seven-hour day, five days a week with statutory holidays off. They will not work alone. They will be given regular feedback and become as big a part of our community as they wish.
But since most our visitors come by on the weekends, they can generally count on being on the door every weekend.

Employability Skills to be gained (Marketable Skills):

Whoever gets through a summer “on the door” at St. James has gained enviable confidence in their so-called people skills.
Their fluency will grow in whatever languages they have mastered or even simply studied.
And they will have a chance to put into daily practice many lessons from their field of study.

Candidate Profile:

The ideal candidate will be fluent in English and French to the extent that they can carry on a detailed conversation in both languages. Knowledge of a third language is a definite asset. We have an increasing number of visitors speaking Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and various Asian languages for example.
The ideal candidate can come from any academic background. What we look for is an inquiring mind and an openness in spirit to the vast range of humanity that comes through our doors. A willingness to be helpful, useful and part of a team is also appreciated.

YCW Web Site Job Poster:

The job begins in late May and continues until the end of the Labour Day weekend. It lasts for 14 five-day weeks. Pay is $10 an hour per seven-hour day.

Orientation and training:

While the first week of employment will involve basic orientation and training on the job given by the program coordinator and senior church volunteers, training and learning will continue throughout the summer until the last day on the job. Students start off learning about the history of the building and the past of the community and expand their knowledge about the daily life of the church and its neighborhood.
They will be given some reading material and visual aids and be expected to improve on them throughout the summer.
There will be regular conversations to this effect with the program coordinator, senior volunteers and other members of the church.

Supervision:

Students will be supervised by the Open Door Program coordinator.

How to apply:

Once a student is registered with the Young Canada Works website they should submit their cv and the names and contacts of two references to the church, to the attention of Mr. Robert Bull, coordinator of the Open Door Program.
For more information contact the church office at james@qc.ainbn.com or phone (514) 288-9245. Job interviews are tentatively scheduled for the week of May 23rd.

These positions have been filled.

General Maintenance Staff Person (GMS)
Job Status : Full Time

Work place

St. James United Church Montreal
1435, City Councillor
Montreal (Québec)
H3A 2E4

Summary

The GMS position provides basic maintenance work on the church building and grounds and assists in providing security on the premises.

Essential Functions

The GMS is responsible for:

• providing daily maintenance ( mainly cleaning) of the church facilities
• providing safety and security of the premises, staff and users of the facilities;
• interacting with courtesy with all users of the facilities;
• taking part in the preparation of events (special events, church events, outside client events), under the supervision of the Maintenance Supervisor (MS);

Specific Responsibilities

• Cleans and does routine repairs and maintenance such as dealing with blocked toilets;
• Assists the MS in more complex maintenance activities ;
• In the absence of the MS, oversees the heating system
• Cooperates with the MS by performing any other duties when assigned or instructed;
• Assists with lawn mowing, trimming, weeding and fertilizing, tree and shrub pruning, repair/re-seeding of damaged areas;
• Assists with spring clean-up around property, flower planting and care, cutting grass, cleaning steps, picking up litter, emptying garbage cans, clean-up outside windows, raking leaves and exterior painting;
• Daily cleaning and maintenance of the exterior of the church and surrounding grounds with particular attention to the stairs;
• Cleaning of the common areas of the Church building and of the church offices removing the garbage as needed;
• Assists with winter maintenance duties: removal of snow, spreading of salt and sand, installation and removal of wooden steps for winter;
• Assists in event organization:  set-up for meetings, concert clean-up, dusting for Open Door Programme, and floor washing and stripping;
• Greets and refers visitors and users of church to the appropriate resource(s);
• Answers the doorbell;
• Secures the building at all times including being watchful about those visiting;
• Runs errands for the Administrative Assistant as required

Working conditions

• Full Time (40 hours/ week)
• Flexible scheduling to cover church events
• Reporting to the Maintenance Supervisor, and to the congregation through the M&P Committee
• Eligible for United Church Benefits
• Vacation: earned at 1 day per month or two (2) weeks after one year of  interrupted service

Professional abilities and competencies

• General familiarity with cleaning techniques, plumbing, electrical code requirements and trade practices as necessary;
• Ability to show initiative and work autonomously;
• Ability to function as a part of a team;
• Ability to complete tasks in a timely manner;
• Communicates effectively in French and in English;
• Respecting the values of the Church Mission statement;

Required Experience

• General maintenance and cleaning
• Security training

At a press conference held today, St. James United Church in Montreal announced that it has received a $410,400 grant under an agreement with the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec.
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St. James United Church
463 St. Catherine St. W.,  Montreal, Quebec
Minister: Rev. Arlen John Bonnar
Volunteer Associate Ministers:  Rev. Dr. Phyllis Smyth, Rev. Doug Stewart
Director of Music: Philip Crozier  Choral Director: Jean-Sébastien Allaire
Mail: 1435 City Councillors St., Montreal, QC  H3A 2E4
Tel: (514) 288-9245 Fax: (514) 288-5148
E-Mail: james@qc.aibn.com www.stjamesunitedchurchmontreal.com

Dear Friend,

The life of Christ has often been referred to as the greatest story ever told. The Biblical witness to Jesus’ life is filled with rich and powerful stories about this amazing man who Christians believe is the Son of God. The human spirit and imagination of many, have been set afire by the life of Jesus.
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March 15, 2011 — Our hearts reach out to brothers and sisters in Japan as they face what Prime Minister Naoto Kan describes as the most severe crisis since World War II. Our immediate response is to wonder what we can do for our brothers and sisters facing this devastation.

Pray

Pray for all those caught in the devastation, those who grieve for families and friends dead or missing, those who struggle to respond in the face of great challenges, those first responders whose expertise and training are so essential.
Pray for those around the world whose personal connections to Japan make this situation particularly poignant and difficult.
Pray for mission partners in Japan. The international ecumenical community is an important place of solidarity and support for the Christian minority in Japan. Pray for United Church of Canada overseas personnel—David and Zenora Rackham, Shinji Kawano, and Rob and Keiko Witmer. All personnel are well and safe and working within their communities to help and sustain others as they are able.

Send Messages

Add messages of support and concern to the United Church’s Facebook page and Wondercafe. Communication systems remain a challenge in Japan at this moment. Land lines are still affected and the rolling blackouts mean Internet and cell phone access are intermittent. At this point in the emergency, partners need to keep their own e-mail inboxes clear to receive communications about the emergency. But we’ll let partners know where they can access these online messages.

Donate

The United Church of Canada will work with partners in Japan to support on-the-ground relief and reconstruction. It is important to remember that while these immediate moments of crisis are the ones that tug at our heart strings the needs in Japan, as in any place of crisis and emergency, will continue long after relief efforts have ended and the memory of the devastation faded on the world stage. The United Church works with partners over the long term. Any donations received at the General Council Office, designated for “Japan Earthquake Relief and Reconstruction” will be gratefully received and used to support United Church partners in this work. Donations can be made online or mailed to:

The United Church of Canada
3250 Bloor St. West, Suite 300
Toronto, ON M8X 2Y4.

As part of The United Church’s Emergency Response Fund, 85 percent of your donation will directly fund an emergency response in Japan. Fifteen percent will be used to support emergencies that do not receive intense media cover and response. No administration fees will be deducted from your donation.

Montreal, February 2, 2011

An $850,000 grant has been awarded to St. James United Church in Montreal under an agreement reached between the Ministry of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women and the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec.

St. James United Church has stood on Sainte-Catherine Street West in Montreal since 1889. In addition to its religious and community functions, the church has responsibilities as a prominent religious heritage building, having been classified an historic monument by the Quebec government in 1980 and a national historic site by the government of Canada in 1996. Moreover, the church is located in a distinguished heritage sector between Phillips Square and Jeanne-Mance Street.

The $850,000 grant will be used to repair the main roof, reinforce the roof structure and install a complete fire alarm system. “We are very proud to support the restoration of this exceptional religious heritage building in Montreal, and we commend the leadership of St. James United Church,” affirms Christine St-Pierre, Minister of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women.

Over the last decade, St. James United Church has carried out nearly $10 million in conservation work, $5 million of this under the recent tripartite infrastructure program and the Religious Heritage Restoration Program administered by the Fondation du patrimoine religieux du Québec. The new grant from the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec will be used to implement the first stage of a new three-year church restoration plan presented by the trustees at an estimated cost of more than $7 million.

Contributions from the Ministry of Culture, Communications and the Status of Women and the Conseil du patrimoine religieux du Québec will be matched by funding from the federal government and other sources, while several private and public partners are supporting the church in its efforts to raise sufficient capital to complete renovation work on the building. Finally, it should be mentioned that restoration work on the church organ will begin in the spring of 2011 thanks to the support of the Conseil du Patrimoine religieux.

Information: Allen R. Fuller, Trustee of St. James United Church responsible for managing conservation and restoration work on the church. (514) 288-9245