Volunteer
Volunteers are the heart and soul of what we do as a parish, in the church and in our community!
Want to join us? See page 43 of our Vestry report for 2025 for our complete list of Staff, Ministries and Committees Coordinators to see what we offer.
Interested in volunteering? Please complete this volunteer application form to get started.
Serving on Sundays
Hospitality
Every Sunday following the 9:30 am service.
This provides a time to catch up on news and to welcome guests and new parishioners to All Saints’. Volunteers are always welcome to help provide coffee, tea and snacks. This group also organizes other social events such as pot lucks on special occasions.
On Break – The Hospitality Team is on summer break from June 29th to September 12th. After this period, we’re looking for a few volunteers to prepare and serve refreshments after Sunday services. The commitment is approximately once a month, including setup and cleanup. Donations of snacks and treats are always appreciated. Contact Susan Garnham.
Altar Guild
The Altar Guild works behind the scenes to care for and change the linens, flowers and clean sacred vessels needed for services throughout the year.
Those interested in donating flowers for Sunday mornings may contact the church office.
Sunday worship is powered by volunteers!
Assistance from volunteers helps to enhance the joy and significance of our services. These volunteers are a vital part of the worship assistant team.
Servers, Sidespeople, Readers, Intercessors and Liturgical Volunteers
Our team of servers are made up of up to twelve youth from within our parish. Starting from ten or eleven years old, we open up spots to train our young parishioners to participate actively in worship.
Sidespeople greet and welcome people at the door; Readers read the lessons; Intercessors lead Prayers for the People (words that express our thanksgivings and concerns) and Eucharistic and Diaconal Ministers assist with the Eucharist (Holy communion) and special sacraments.
Caring for Each Other
Westboro Region Food Bank
All Saints’ is home to the Westboro Region Food Bank. We provide fresh and non-perishable food as well as essential supplies once a month to our Food Bank neighbours.
Book appointment to get food.
Support the Westboro Region Food Bank through food donations, financial donations and volunteering time.
Grocery Bags Needed!
The Westboro Region Food Bank needs grocery bags — fabric or plastic. Sturdy and clean ones, please.
Drop offs:
Monday through Friday from 9 am to 2 pm.
Food Bank hours are Tuesdays 1-4 pm and Thursday 4-7 pm.
GranAid
GranAid was begun by six grandmothers at All Saints’ Westboro to support grandmothers, aunties and even older siblings raising children who were orphaned by HIV/AIDS. We support these children through Fikelela which means ‘reach out’ in XHOSA, and is the outreach branch of the Anglican Diocese of Cape Town, South Africa.
Financial contributions are generated through the sale of food gift cards, our yearly Spring Perennial Plant Sale, and various donations. Gift cards can be used at Loblaws, Independent, Real Canadian Superstore and the Superstore plus several others shown on cards. Our funds are used for food, clothing, schooling as well as emotional support for both children and caregivers.
Multifaith Housing (MHI)
Multifaith Housing is a grassroots coalition of many different faith communities in Ottawa, who work together to help people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. They provide affordable housing and social and cultural support for its tenants.
There are annual fund raising and educational events that involve the extended faith community like the Tulipathon Sponsored Walk each May and National Housing Day on the third Sunday of November. Multifaith Housing has many volunteer positions available in order to lower costs so that they can keep rents affordable. Their web site is multifaithhousing.ca.
Pastoral Care Team
Our parish list includes those who are in Nursing Homes, in Retirement Residences, those who are “shut-in”, and those who are living in the community but benefit from extra contacts from others.
We have a small Pastoral Care Team that follows many of these people, as well as many other parishioners who keep our clergy informed on how other individuals are doing as well.
We’re offering a series called “Aging with Grace,” after consulting the congregation for their input. Watch for updates in the calendar.
Registration for Ottawa Pastoral Care FALL 2026 training is now open: A quick update before summer is in full swing. Registration is now open for the Fall 2026 Basic Training Course with the Ottawa Pastoral Care Training Program. The course begins Monday, September 14, 2026, and is offered in two formats:
• In-person on Monday afternoons
• Online by Zoom on Monday evenings
Early bird registration is available until September 4. You can find full program details, registration, and payment information in the brochure here: https://ottawapastoralcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/F2026-Basic-CourseBrochure.pdf. Spaces are limited, so we encourage early registration. For more information about this and other programs, visit www.ottawapastoralcare.com. Questions can be directed to [email protected] or by phone at (613) 413-0384.
Alongside Hope (formerly PWRDF)
Alongside Hope, formerly known as The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund, is the Anglican Church of Canada’s agency for promoting sustainable development, providing emergency relief, assisting refugees and working for global justice.
Through our financial contributions at ASW, we help make financial and human resources available to partners in Canada and around the world. Locally, the diocesan Alongside Hope committee sponsors education events to keep us informed about needs here in Canada, particularly in First Nations communities, and elsewhere in the world. To learn more, please visit its website.
Cornerstone Housing for Women
We proudly support Cornerstone Housing for Women, a ministry of the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa.
Each February, we come together to volunteer for The Coldest Night of the Year charity walk, which we host. The event this year is on Saturday, February 28th, 2026, beginning at 4:00 pm at All Saints’ Westboro.
Walk with us (2 or 5 km) or donate to support Cornerstone Housing for Women. Parish Wide Event. There are hot drinks and chili afterwards in Steacy Hall. If you would like to join the team or donate, search for All Saints’ Westboro (team). See the All Saints’ Westboro page.
Walking up north and down south – supporting Cornerstone Housing for Women.
New-to-You Shop
We carry clothing for adults as well for infants to tweens; also some toys and books.
An outreach ministry of All Saints’ Westboro since just after World War II, the New-to-You Shop has a threefold ministry: serving the community; saving the environment and taking climate change action, and serving the church.
Donate: We welcome donations of gently used and new items.
We no longer carry toys and books.
We don’t accept electrical items.
Contact: [email protected]
Village Fair and Bazaar
Our annual bazaar in November is a wonderful opportunity for us to unite as a community while raising funds for the ASW general fund. It takes so many people to put on a successful bazaar.
This event not only fosters collaboration among church members but also serves as a warm invitation to our neighbours and the broader community, encouraging them to join us for a day of togetherness and celebration.
Explore a variety of handmade items, including crafts, knitting, jewelry, baked goods, pickles, preserves, linens, silverware, and secondhand books, among other treasures. Stop at the Snowflake Café for a bite of lunch. Our body art station (using henna) was a new feature in our 2025 Bazaar.
Sharing Interests
Interested in reducing ASW’s environmental footprint?
For several years the Environmental Justice Committee has had a mandate to embed the principles and ideas of environmental justice in all aspects of life at First by engaging the congregation, promoting calls to action and supporting concrete steps to reduce our community’s ecological footprint. The Committee knows many at ASW have the same goals.
For the past year, ASW has had a representative on the Waste Management Working Group of this committee, but that individual has had to step away.
We are looking for one or more volunteers to come forward and consider joining either the Waste Management group or, more broadly, the Environmental Justice Committee. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Lamar Mason or Wallace Beaton, Chair of the Environmental Justice Committee.
We are a joint congregation; we need to work together on these important issues.
Corporation and Parish Council
The members serve as the Parish’s executive management and make decisions on financial and other Parish matters. The Parish Council and Corporation meet once a month (except in July and August), either in person or via Zoom. The Parish Council provides leadership and facilitates discussions on spiritual, stewardship, and other important Parish matters. Terms run from February to February and are three years in length.
20th anniversary of partnership between All Saints Westboro and First United
Next year marks the 20th anniversary of partnership between All Saints Westboro and First United. It is time to celebrate, and we want your ideas! There will be two brainstorming sessions to consider how to mark this auspicious milestone:
• An online zoom session on Tuesday, July 21st at 7 PM. Join at this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86025862447?pwd=8fcIwkvPOfrBybO9Rt0TmaJ0TCJb1m.1
• An in-person session on Tuesday, August 25th at 7 PM, in room 5/6. For more information, talk to Steve Sibbald or email him.