Mindfulness and Meditation Change

Mindfulness and Meditation is postponed until Next Monday May 13 at 7:30 via zoom

Weekly Update

Happy Wednesday!

May 1, 2024

Weekly Musing:

I once had a chess teacher. 

He wasn’t always my chess teacher. 

For the longest time, he was the homeless guy by the door. 

And one day he became David, my chess teacher—but only after I opened the door, invited him in, and he came on in. 

Metaphorical and actual doors keep us apart every day.

Sometimes we are the ones who close, slam, or lock the door, and at other times, we are the ones left standing on the other side, yearning to come in from the storm. 

David was one of those standing on the other side of the door, and I kept walking past and closing the door behind me.

I was never dismissive, and he was never pushy.

We simply never took the chance to cross the threshold together—not until he offered to teach me how to play chess.

From that point on, while I was a lost cause when it came to chess, we found a mutual joy in one another’s company. 

And for a brief moment along our individual journeys, we were just two guys sitting at a table, drinking coffee, swapping stories, and sharing grace. 

These are the holy moments in life that we miss out on when we fixate on the doors that protect and exclude.

Yes, there can be risk.

If we are to become the radically diverse household of God, we must open doors and walk right in.

                                                                                                    -Bruce Reyes-Chow

Mindfulness and Meditation:

If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, you might try meditation.

Spending even a few minutes in meditation can help restore your calm and inner peace.  -The Mayo Clinic

Our next half hour retreat for body, mind, and spirit will be held on Monday, May 6 at 7:30 pm via Zoom.

Study and Discussion Group:

Our next session will be held on Wednesday, May 15 at 7:00 pm via Zoom.

Following along in our focus book, The Jesus I Never Knew, we will be exploring themes raised in chapter seven.

Everyone is warmly welcome!

For more information about the group or the book, please reach out to Rev. Erin.

Faith, Fun and Fellowship for Youth!:

Our Grace United Youth Group is going STRONG!

Our next gathering will be on Friday, May 31 from 6:30 to 9:00 pm

All young people 12 and up are invited!

Let’s Get Cookin’!

With our super-successful Spaghetti Fundraiser behind us, it’s time to shine a BIG SPOTLIGHT once again on our Grace United Cookbook!.

Debbie is eagerly waiting to receive your contributions at harleychyk.ds@gmail.com

Alternately, you can hand hardcopies to Debbie, Sarah or Leona, or place them in the envelop on the bulletin board.

At least one recipe from each family would be fantastic.

Let’s get cooking, Grace!

From Our Fundraising and Fellowship Team:

We’re planning some taco fun for Cinco de Mayo lunch in the fellowship hall following worship this Sunday. 

Please see our Grace United Strong Facebook Group page for ways you can help make this a great time to enjoy!

Directly following lunch Sarah and Leona invite anyone interested in helping plan the June 1st Yard Sale-Spring Fair to join us in the boardroom for a short meeting and brainstorming of ideas. 

Many helping hands are needed to get this annual fundraiser organized!

Showing We Care!

The Blue Door Soup Kitchen was founded in 1982 in response to economic hardships resulting from lay offs at the mines.

Their mission is to provide hospitality and a nourishing meal to all those in need, without question or judgement.

The Blue Door currently provides more than 300 meals every week day, and are in desperate need of coffee, whitener and packaged desserts.

As their needs change regularly, our Mission and Outreach Team Leads, Shaye and Janice, will inform us of how we can help throughout the month of May.

Donations can be left in the Care Box in the narthex at Grace 😊

This Week’s Lectionary Lessons:

Acts 10:44–48

The gift of the Holy Spirit comes as Peter preaches.

Psalm 98 (VU p. 818)

Sing to God a new song.

1 John 5:1–6

To love God is to obey God’s commandments.

John 15:9–17

Love one another as I have loved you.

Weekly Update

Happy Wednesday!

April 24, 2024

Weekly Musing:

There are days when I regret reading the paper, skimming my Twitter feed, or listening to the radio.

With every report and in every area of human life, there seems to be more and more violence, environmental disasters, misery, hurt, pain, etc. 

At times, when I hit a critical mass of the world’s struggles, I want to start running down the street with my fingers planted firmly in my ears and singing my favorite 80s’ tune at the top of my lungs.

Yes, blocking everything out might protect me from the bad stuff.

And yes, we all need to take a break, to retreat, and to reenergize our souls.

But whether tuning out or taking a break, we can’t do so at the expense of seeing the beautiful alternatives that are all around us. 

Scandal, murder, and destruction may grab the headlines, but God’s events of beauty fill in the cracks.

Maybe beauty becomes profound and complex only once we actually allow ourselves to encounter and see it.

However, that doesn’t change the fact that God’s beauty is all around us if we will only take the time to observe the world and not let others dictate our vision of the world. 

So yes, we must acknowledge and grapple with human agony, institutional injustice, and environmental destruction; but as we do so, let’s remove our fingers from our ears so that we can better observe the subtle and overwhelming ways that God lines our pathways in the world with acts of healing, beauty, and wholeness.

                                                                                          –Bruce Reyes-Chow

Council Meeting:

Council will gather in person THIS EVENING at 6:30 pm in the downstairs boardroom at Grace.

All members please plan to attend!

Mindfulness and Meditation:

If stress has you anxious, tense and worried, you might try meditation.

Spending even a few minutes in meditation can help restore your calm and inner peace.  -The Mayo Clinic

Our next half hour retreat for body, mind, and spirit will be held on Monday, May 6 at 7:30 pm via Zoom.

Let’s Get Cookin’!

With our super-successful Spaghetti Fundraiser behind us, it’s time to shine a BIG SPOTLIGHT once again on our Grace United Cookbook!.

Debbie is eagerly waiting to receive your contributions at harleychyk.ds@gmail.com

Alternately, you can hand hardcopies to Debbie, Sarah or Leona, or place them in the envelop on the bulletin board.

At least one recipe from each family would be fantastic.

Let’s get cooking, Grace!

Showing We Care!

This is the last week of our April Care Project in support the Sudbury Pregnancy Care Centre and Infant Foodbank, which helps mothers and infants in need throughout the Sudbury Area. 

Suggested items:

*Diapers – try to stick to size 3/4/5/6. Some brand suggestions for value – Rascal and Friends (Walmart) or Kirkland (Costco)

*Clothing – new or gently used up to size 4

*Food – they especially need 6 and 8 month baby meals and arrowroot cookies.

*Infant equipment – mainly baby gates, non expired car seats, and highchairs with straps.

*Batteries – they’ve asked for C and D batteries

Many thanks to everyone who has donated so generously.

Watch for details about our May Care Project in next week’s Happy Wednesday e-letter!

From Our Fundraising and Fellowship Team:

Attention! Attention!!  Sarah and Leona have climbed out of the spaghetti sauce and are looking for a team of volunteers to help plan and launch the annual yard sale/spring fair which will be held on Saturday, June 1st.

This is one of our big fundraisers which in the past has featured good quality used items, books, plant starts, a bake table, children’s area, BBQ’d food, dine in and to-go foods (ie. baked beans, chilli).

Directly following fellowship on May 5th we will meet in the boardroom so please bring your ideas and let’s take this planning from how to wow!

Do you have any empty hanging flower pots that need re-homing? 

Lianne Tooley is again generously offering a large number of potted flowering annuals for us to sell.

Please bring hanging pots to the church by May 12th so we can deliver them over to Lianne to fill. 

If you are thinning your perennial flowerbeds keep in mind that perennial starts are a good seller so pop some into a pot, label the plant type and nurture them until June 1st when we’ll happily receive them to sell.  😊

We are looking for constructive feedback regarding the spaghetti dinner. 

Sarah Brown and Leona Moote can be reached on Facebook Messenger or via email at sarah.rogers.brown@gmail.com and ivangeorge@bell.net or you can write your ideas down and pop them into the ‘recipe envelope’ on the bulletin board in the church entrance.

Spaghetti supper report:   After expenses we cleared $3067.90. 

Thanks to all for your efforts to make this such a great success!

This Week’s Lectionary Lessons:

Acts 8:26–40

Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch.

Psalm 22:25–31

Praise God who has heard our call.

1 John 4:7–21

Everyone who loves is born of God.

John 15:1–8

Jesus is the true vine.

Weekly Update

Weekly Musing:

We are uncomfortable with sadness and grief.

Sure, we can deal for a short while, but as soon as a person’s grief makes us feel uncomfortable or becomes inconvenient, we want the sadness to end and for people to “move on” as quickly as possible so that the rest of us can too.

Most of the time these hopes are well-intentioned.

However, when it comes right down to it, society does not make much room for people to grieve in the various ways as they need.

Because we see grief as a problem to be fixed, we don’t allow people to move at their own pace.

We try to force people through stages.

We project our own process or discomfort onto others.

We forget that we all grieve in different ways.

Sometimes, we simply need to give someone room to do so.

Grieving for as long as one needs can be cathartic in the long run.

We must not allow ourselves to sink into the places that lead us to self-destruction.

Sitting with sadness and loss for as long as we need can make us whole on the other side of grief.

So, sit with your grief and allow others to do the same.

The time to move on will make itself known when and how God intends.

When we do so, our moments of grief, filled with loss and sadness, may be reborn as a life filled with abundance and joy.

-Bruce Reyes-Chow

Mindfulness and Meditation:

Our next gathering for mindfulness and meditation will take place Monday, April 8 at 7:30 pm via Zoom.

Take time to be holy…

Study and Discussion Group:

Our next session will take place on Wednesday, April 17 at 7:00 pm via Zoom.

This month’s discussion will focus on themes raised in chapter 6 of Philip Yancey’s The Jesus I Never Knew.

Everyone is welcome to log on!

Council Meeting:

Council will gather on Wednesday, April 24 at 6:30 pm, in person at Grace.

All members please plan to attend!

Right Around the Corner!

Our annual Spring Spaghetti Fundraiser is just a couple of weeks away:

Saturday, April 20 from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm

Tickets are $15.00 for adults; $8.00 for children 6 to 10.

“Many hands make light work”, so please add your name to the sign up sheet on Sunday and let’s work together to make this the best spaghetti supper EVER!

Fundscrip:

Don’t forget about Fundscrip: an easy way to help support our life and work at Grace!

Specials for April are as follows:

Chalo! FreshCo 5%

Foodland & Co Ops 5%

IGA 5%

Lawtons Drugs 5%

Les Marches Tradition 5%

Needs 5%

Rachelle Bery 5%

Safeway 5%

Sobeys 5%

Thrifty Foods 5%

AnyCard 7%

AnyCard – Birthday 7%

AnyCard – Dine 7%

AnyCard – Eatz 7%

AnyCard – Kidz 7%

AnyCard – Play 7%

Foot Locker 7%

Simons 7%

Showing We Care!

The Sudbury Pregnancy Care Centre and Infant Foodbank helps mothers and infants in need, throughout the Greater Sudbury Area.

We will post the full list of items that they accept, but we had hoped that we might focus on diapers, clothing and basic care items.

While we won’t turn it away, there is still something of a shortage on infant formula and we are concerned that purchasing these items might make it that much harder for those who need to buy them.

If you’d like to help mothers to buy formula – please consider a monetary donation instead.

Suggested items:

*Diapers – try to stick to size 3/4/5/6. Some brand suggestions for value – Rascal and Friends (Walmart) or Kirkland (Costco)

*Clothing – new or gently used up to size 4

*Food – they especially need 6 and 8 month baby meals and arrowroot cookies.

*Infant equipment – mainly baby gates, non expired car seats, and highchairs with straps.

*Batteries – they’ve asked for C and D batteries

Thank You!

From Marilyn Boileau:

I will be travelling to Cuba April 13-20 with a group from Trinity Lively. We will be partnering with The Christian Center for Reflection and Dialogue.

We will be visiting and helping out a senior’s centre, an orphanage, visiting an organic farm and a pregnancy care centre.

Many thanks to everyone who made donations of needed items.

They will be gratefully received!

This Week’s Lectionary Lessons:

Acts 4:32–35

The believers shared everything in common.

Psalm 133 (VU p. 856)

How pleasant it is when God’s people are together.

1 John 1:1—2:2

God is light; journey in the light.

John 20:19–31

Jesus appears to the disciples, but Thomas is not there.

Weekly Update

Happy Wednesday!

March 27, 2024

Lenten Musings

Throughout the Lenten season, I will be sharing excerpts from Tsh Oxenreider’s Lenten devotional guide, Bitter and Sweet.

To read more about Tsh Oxenreider, visit her website: http://www.tshoxenreider.com

We have a warped and one-sided view of power.

It seems that we can only understand power these days by engaging in a contest of physical strength, watching competitors rise to the top, or celebrating the destruction of our enemy.

God’s power lies not in these things but in how we go about changing the world. Sure, brute force as strength are expressed in God’s work, but so is extending healing to the afflicted so that they may find relief, showing love to one’s enemy so that they may know God’s blessings, and speaking words of insight so that structures of injustice may crumble.

I have always felt this skewed view of power has no long-term value.

At some point, organizations and individuals find themselves overcome by weakness.

There are always people on the horizon who are stronger and faster and will exert their will on those who find themselves in a state of weakness.

But graciousness, kindness, and empathy never grow old.

Graciousness can disarm one’s worst enemy.

Kindness can transform the hardest of hearts.

Empathy can build unexpected bonds of understanding.

Faith and the actions generated from them—graciousness, kindness, and empathy—do not weaken over time, no matter our age, physical strength, or weapons stockpile.

At the end of the day, love is the most powerful act of faith that we can wield when we go into the world.

Good Friday Worship

Where you there when they crucified my Lord?

An invitation to gather for a Good Friday service of solemn reflection and prayer THIS Friday, March 29 at 7:00 pm

.

Easter Flowers In Memoriam

We will be placing flowers in the sanctuary to adorn our worship space for Easter Sunday.

If you would like to bring a potted flower and place it in memory of a loved one, please contact Linda Arseneau 705-665-3029 or

linda_arseneau@hotmail.com so she can add your loved one’s name to the memorial list.

Right Around the Corner!

Our hardworking Fundraising and Fellowship Team Leads, Sarah and Leona, and their super-helpful planning team are getting all revved up for our annual Spring Spaghetti Fundraiser on Saturday, April 20.

Tickets are now available… see Marge Van Exan 😊

Mindfulness and Meditation:

Our next gathering for mindfulness and meditation will take place Monday, April 8 at 7:30 pm via Zoom.

Take time to be holy…

Fundscrip

Don’t forget about Fundscrip: an easy way to help support our life and work at Grace!

Specials for April are as follows:

Chalo! FreshCo 5%

Foodland & Co Ops 5%

IGA 5%

Lawtons Drugs 5%

Les Marches Tradition 5%

Needs 5%

Rachelle Bery 5%

Safeway 5%

Sobeys 5%

Thrifty Foods 5%

AnyCard 7%

AnyCard – Birthday 7%

AnyCard – Dine 7%

AnyCard – Eatz 7%

AnyCard – Kidz 7%

AnyCard – Play 7%

Foot Locker 7%

Simons 7%

Showing We Care!

The Sudbury Pregnancy Care Centre and Infant Foodbank helps mothers and infants in need, throughout the Greater Sudbury Area.

We will post the full list of items that they accept, but we had hoped that we might focus on diapers, clothing and basic care items.

While we won’t turn it away, there is still something of a shortage on infant formula and we are concerned that purchasing these items might make it that much harder for those who need to buy them.

If you’d like to help mothers to buy formula – please consider a monetary donation instead.

Suggested items:

*Diapers – try to stick to size 3/4/5/6. Some brand suggestions for value – Rascal and Friends (Walmart) or Kirkland (Costco)

*Clothing – new or gently used up to size 4

*Food – they especially need 6 and 8 month baby meals and arrowroot cookies.

*Infant equipment – mainly baby gates, non expired car seats, and highchairs with straps.

*Batteries – they’ve asked for C and D batteries

Another Way to Care!

I will be travelling to Cuba April 13-20 with a group from Trinity Lively. We will be partnering with The Christian Center for Reflection and Dialogue.

We will be visiting and helping out a senior’s centre, an orphanage, visiting an organic farm and a pregnancy care centre.

We have been asked for donations of Tylenol, Advil, youth sized underwear, razors and reading glasses.

If you would like to make a donation of any of these items, I will gratefully accept them on Sunday. Thanks, Marilyn

This Week’s Lectionary Lessons

Acts 10:34–43

Peter preaches, “God shows no partiality.”

Psalm 118:1–2, 14–24

God is my strength and my song.

1 Corinthians 15:1–11

An account of Jesus’ resurrection appearances.

John 20:1–18

The resurrected Jesus appears to Mary Magdalene.

Annual Spaghetti Dinner

Weekly Update

Happy Wednesday!

March 20, 2024

Lenten Musings

Throughout the Lenten season, I will be sharing excerpts from Tsh Oxenreider’s Lenten devotional guide, Bitter and Sweet.

To read more about Tsh Oxenreider, visit her website: http://www.tshoxenreider.com

Two of my favorite Muppet Show characters are Statler and Waldorf, the two old guys who sit in the balcony and heckle the rest of the Muppets.

Every jab is pointed at how bad the show has been, how bad the show is now, and certainly how bad the show will be in the future.

Statler and Waldorf epitomize what it means to be cynical, jaded, and pessimistic. 

At times, when I am sitting in a meeting listening to someone lament about how awful things are, all I can picture is Statler and Waldorf.

Sure, there are times when unbridled optimism can take over, but for people of the Christian variety, too often we forget that ultimately we are a people of the resurrection and hope for what may be, and not a people who stay in the death assuming what will not. 

Over time, it is easy to fall into a pattern of cynicism.

People let us down, expectations are not fully met, and movements of hope seem not to take hold.

Sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we are left disappointed. 

Truth is, we must not give into or become the Waldorfs and Statlers of the world. Yes, what we expect and hope may not always turn out the way we planned, but that does not mean that our work is without worth.

Sometimes, without even knowing it, what looks like failure from the balcony is a whopping success from backstage.

But if we give into the Waldorfs and Statlers of world, we will never know.

Study and Discussion Group

The next session of our monthly Zoom Study and Discussion Group will be held TONIGHT at 7:00 pm.

We will be delving into chapter five of Philip Yancey’s The Jesus I Never Knew.

Hope you’ll log on for a great conversation!

Membership

Rev. Erin will be offering an Adult Membership Preparation Program, THIS  Sunday after worship for those of our faith family who would like to become full members of Grace United and the United Church of Canada.

It’s not too late to express your interest!

Please speak to Rev. Erin.

Good Friday Worship:

As is our tradition at Grace, we will be gathering for Good Friday worship on Friday, March 29 at 7:00 pm

Please plan to join us for a time of somber reflection and prayer.

Easter Flowers In Memoriam

We will be placing flowers in the sanctuary to adorn our worship space for Easter Sunday.

If you would like to bring a potted flower and place it in memory of a loved one, please contact Linda Arseneau 705-665-3029 or

linda_arseneau@hotmail.com so she can add your loved one’s name to the memorial list.

Right Around the Corner!

Our hardworking Fundraising and Fellowship Team Leads, Sarah and Leona, and their super-helpful planning team are getting all revved up for our annual Spring Spaghetti Fundraiser on Saturday, April 20.

Tickets are now available… see Marge Van Exan 😊

Fundscrip

Specials for March are as follows:

Harry Rosen		7%
Home Hardware		4.5%
Ultimate Dining Card		7%
Bier Market		7%
East Side Marios		7%
Harveys		7%
Kelseys		7%
Montanas		7%
New York Fries		7%
Swiss Chalet		7%
The Pickel Barrel		7%
State and Main		7%
Original Joes		7%

From Our Property and Finance Team

More than ever, your financial support is needed in order for our church and its ministry to survive and thrive.
You are invited to give as you are able by:
*Signing up for Preauthorized Payments – tax deductible receipt
*E-transfers to Laurie Aubertin (our Treasurer) – tax deductible receipt
*Having a box of envelopes with an assigned envelope number to put on the offering plate on Sundays – tax deductible receipt
*Our online payment option through Canada Helps (you can find the link on our Website or Facebook page) – tax deductible receipt
*Putting loose money on the offering plate on Sunday  

If you would like a box of envelopes with an assigned number, please speak with Linda Arseneau, linda_arseneau@hotmail.com, the ushers, or simply drop a note on the offering plate requesting envelopes.

This Week’s Lectionary Lessons

Mark 11:1–11 or John 12:12–16

Jesus’ joyful entry into Jerusalem.

Psalm 118:1–2, 19–29

The stone that the builders rejected.

Philippians 2:5–11

Let the same mind be in you as was in Christ Jesus.

Weekly Update

Happy Wednesday!

March 13, 2024

Lenten Musings

Throughout the Lenten season, I will be sharing excerpts from Tsh Oxenreider’s Lenten devotional guide, Bitter and Sweet.

To read more about Tsh Oxenreider, visit her website: http://www.tshoxenreider.com

Lack of anger can be a sin. 

As part of human nature, anger has an appropriate role in the pursuit of good when it’s moved by a sincere desire for reasonable justice.

To not desire reasonable justice, and therefore not feel anger toward the sin of injustice, is itself a sin…

… God wants us to model our lives after Jesus’s short time on earth.

We know that Jesus was angry when people succumbed to their hardened hearts in the face of injustice, when they looked the other way in the name of righteous passivity.

Indifference toward sin in the world isn’t a lack of anger; it’s a lack of love. 

Saint Thomas Aquinas calls the vice of no anger toward corruption “unreasonable patience.”

Failure to correct those who are guilty allows evil to persist. 

This lack of rebuke also leads to confusion in families and communities about what is truly right and wrong.

Left unchecked, unreasonable patience toward sin, when it becomes a habit, leads even well-meaning people to tolerate corruption when they should instead be righteously angry about it. 

O Lord, open my eyes that I may see the needs of others 

Open my ears that I may hear their cries; 

Open my heart so that they need not be without succor; 

Let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong, 

Nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich.

—Alan Paton

Annual Congregational Meeting

It’s that time again!

Our Annual Congregational Meeting will be held THIS Sunday, March 17 immediately after worship.

It is super important that all members and adherents—(that is, everyone!)—attend to celebrate the year past, and make plans for the year to come, as we attend to the business of being church together!

From Our Fellowship Team Leads

Calling all sandwich makers!! 

For lunch on March 17th we are for looking for some loaves of sandwiches which will allow us to serve up in a timely fashion so we can proceed with the annual meeting. 

If you can help by bringing a loaf of sandwiches, please sign the sheet on the bulletin board and indicate what kind you are going to bring.

Study and Discussion Group

The next session of our monthly Zoom Study and Discussion Group will be held on Wednesday, March 20 at 7:00 pm.

We will be delving into chapter five of Philip Yancey’s The Jesus I Never Knew.

Hope you’ll log on for a great conversation!

Membership

Rev. Erin will be offering an Adult Membership Preparation Program on Sunday, March 24 after worship for those of our faith family who would like to become full members of Grace United and the United Church of Canada.

For more information, and to express your interest, please speak to Rev. Erin.

Easter Flowers In Memoriam

As is our tradition at Grace, we will be placing flowers in the sanctuary to adorn our worship space for Easter Sunday.

If you would like to bring a potted flower and place it in memory of a loved one, please contact Linda Arseneau 705-665-3029 or

linda_arseneau@hotmail.com so she can add your loved one’s name to the memorial list.

Right Around the Corner!

Our hardworking Fundraising and Fellowship Team Leads, Sarah and Leona, are getting all revved up for our annual Spring Spaghetti Fundraiser on Saturday, April 20.

If you could lend some time and energy to that effort, please see Sarah or Leona to volunteer.

Let’s pull together to make this FUN-raiser fantastic!

From Our Fundraising and Fellowship Team

Our FunScrip Program is an on-going fundraising program that runs at Grace.

We all seem to purchase gift cards, and this program lets the church benefit from earning a percentage from each gift card purchased. 

Please feel free to email Laurie at laubertin86@gmail.com or call her cell at 705-618-3256 if you need assistance or would like her to order for you.

Specials for March are as follows:

Harry Rosen		7%
Home Hardware		4.5%
Ultimate Dining Card		7%
Bier Market		7%
East Side Marios		7%
Harveys		7%
Kelseys		7%
Montanas		7%
New York Fries		7%
Swiss Chalet		7%
The Pickel Barrel		7%
State and Main		7%
Original Joes		7%

From Our Property and Finance Team

More than ever, your financial support is needed in order for our church and its ministry to survive and thrive.
You are invited to give as you are able by:
*Signing up for Preauthorized Payments – tax deductible receipt
*E-transfers to Laurie Aubertin (our Treasurer) – tax deductible receipt
*Having a box of envelopes with an assigned envelope number to put on the offering plate on Sundays – tax deductible receipt
*Our online payment option through Canada Helps (you can find the link on our Website or Facebook page) – tax deductible receipt
*Putting loose money on the offering plate on Sunday  

If you would like a box of envelopes with an assigned number, please speak with Linda Arseneau, linda_arseneau@hotmail.com, the ushers, or simply drop a note on the offering plate requesting envelopes.

This Week’s Lectionary Lessons

Jeremiah 31:31–34

“I will write my law on their hearts.”

Psalm 51:1–12

Put a new heart in me, O God.

Hebrews 5:5–10

Christ did not glorify himself; rather he suffered.

John 12:20–33

Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies

Weekly Update

Happy Wednesday!

February 21, 2024

Lenten Musings

Throughout the Lenten season, I will be sharing excerpts from Tsh Oxenreider’s Lenten devotional guide, Bitter and Sweet.

To read more about Tsh Oxenreider, visit her website: http://www.tshoxenreider.com

When Christ walked on earth, he embodied poverty.

Saints Matthew and Luke both record in the New Testament these words of Jesus when he spoke to a scribe, who was likely a wealthy citizen: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20).

Even woodland animals had more creature comforts than the Son of God.

By all accounts, Jesus and his apostles were functionally homeless, dependent on the goodwill of others to provide for their physical needs. 

Because Jesus could have provided whatever he and his followers temporarily needed, it stands to reason that he saw fit for them to do without. Living with less was a baseline price to pay in choosing to follow his dusty footsteps as a disciple. 

That they were not overflowing with wealth was good and purposeful.

If we are asked to model our life after Christ’s life on earth, it follows that it is also good for us to live, either by choice or by circumstances, with less. This doesn’t mean possessions are evil—after all, Jesus had sandals and a robe—but perhaps we miss opportunities to hear God with more clarity when we crowd the corners of our lives with temporary stuff. 

Jesus’s call to the scribe was clear: It is good to follow me, but the rewards for doing so aren’t of this world.

God has indeed promised to provide for our needs, but our needs might very well be fewer than we realize. 

Over these next few weeks of Lent, listen to how God might use your fast to let you experience life with less.

Notice how, in doing so, you walk as Jesus did—poor yet never in need.

Coldest Night of the Year

A message from the Team Grace leads:

Hello church family!

The Coldest Night of the Year event is fast approaching.

We walk THIS SATURDAY, February 24th in support of the Samaritan Center (Elgin Street Mission).

Many thanks to all of you who have joined the team or made a donation.

If you haven’t yet made a pledge, please visit https://cnoy.org/donate.

Lenten Mini Retreat

The season of Lent is upon us: a time to retreat and reflect more deeply on our faith journey.

To that end, an invitation to gather at Grace on February 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm for our Lenten Mini Retreat.

Our time together will afford opportunities for both conversation and contemplation. Please plan to attend!

Right Around the Corner!

Our hardworking Fundraising and Fellowship Team Leads, Sarah and Leona, are getting all revved up for our annual Spring Spaghetti Fundraiser on Saturday, April 20.

A small team is needed to plan the event.

If you could lend some time and energy to that effort, please see Sarah or Leona to volunteer.

Let’s pull together to make this FUN-raiser fantastic!

Membership

Rev. Erin will be offering an Adult Membership Preparation Program in March for those of our faith family who would like to become full members of Grace United and the United Church of Canada.

The program will consist of two hour-long sessions, held on Sunday, March 17 and Sunday, March 24 after worship in the boardroom.

For more information, and to express your interest, please speak to Rev. Erin

Small Things Count!

The donations are flowing in for Small Things Cat Shelter!

Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed to this “MEOW-velous” cause.

Please note that this will be the last week to bring in your donations of:

Food – dry or wet, any kind other than “Meow Mix” 

Litter – any type

Treats – any type, but Temptations are the best. 

Toys – any type

Old Towel

Cat Beds

Monetary Donations 

From Our Fundraising and Fellowship Team

Our FunScrip Program is an on-going fundraising program that runs at Grace.

We all seem to purchase gift cards, and this program lets the church benefit from earning a percentage from each gift card purchased. 

Please feel free to email Laurie at laubertin86@gmail.com or call her cell at 705-618-3256 if you need assistance or would like her to order for you.

This month’s specials are as follows:

Banana Republic: 9%

Fresh Co: 5%

Chocolate Ravoris: 9%

Foodland: 5%

GAP: 9%

IGA: 5%

Old Navy: 9%

Rachelle Bery: 5%

Safeway: 5%

Sobeys: 5%

Thrifty Foods: 5%

From Our Property and Finance Team

More than ever, your financial support is needed in order for our church and its ministry to survive and thrive.
You are invited to give as you are able by:
*Signing up for Preauthorized Payments – tax deductible receipt
*E-transfers to Laurie Aubertin (our Treasurer) – tax deductible receipt
*Having a box of envelopes with an assigned envelope number to put on the offering plate on Sundays – tax deductible receipt
*Our online payment option through Canada Helps (you can find the link on our Website or Facebook page) – tax deductible receipt
*Putting loose money on the offering plate on Sunday  

If you would like a box of envelopes with an assigned number, please speak with Linda Arseneau, linda_arseneau@hotmail.com, the ushers, or simply drop a note on the offering plate requesting envelopes.

This Week’s Lectionary Lessons

Genesis 17:1–7, 15–16

The covenant between Abram, Sarai, and God.

Psalm 22:23–31 (VU p. 746 Part Three and Four)

You have not hidden your face, O God.

Romans 4:13–25

God’s promise rests on grace and faith.

Mark 8:31–38

Those who lose their life for the gospel will save it.

Weekly Update

Happy Wednesday!

February 14, 2024

Lenten Musings

Throughout the Lenten season, I will be sharing excerpts from Tsh Oxenreider’s Lenten devotional guide, Bitter and Sweet.

To read more about Tsh Oxenreider, visit her website: http://www.tshoxenreider.com

“Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

These are the words said as ashes are either sprinkled on your head or smeared on your forehead in the shape of a cross.

The ritual is strange.

It’s uncomfortable.

It’s blunt.

And it’s supposed to be all these things. 

Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a day set aside for many Christians to remember their mortality.

We’re unsure of the day’s origin, yet we can read in the Old Testament when people connected penitence, fasting, and prayer with ashes… 

… Ashes remind us of our own dusty origin and ending. 

To believe that life as we know it ends when our earthly bodies expire is to reckon with the fact that at any moment, the purpose of our existence could extinguish faster than a thumb and forefinger to candlewick. 

To believe that our skin and bones are arks of God’s covenant, however—that our bodies do nothing less than house the very divine-breathed souls that make up our personhood–is to believe life must matter. 

A reason bigger than ourselves must exist for breathing in and out, at this particular moment and in this particular place on earth.

When we choose to believe in a maker who has woven our tendons into legs and cartilage into nostrils, we’re also choosing to believe that we don’t determine our own value.

We’re not required to define our worth, our purpose for being, or even our humanity.

We are, thankfully, allowed to simply trust that God has a reason for our existence…

Ashes remind us also of growth.

A wise gardener collects the heap of ashes in her fireplace for her compost bin, adding nutrients for a more fruitful, nutritious harvest in the summer garden. Blackened cinder will decompose to make grasses greener, berries juicier, peppers spicier.

The ashes smudged on our foreheads speak of our own future harvest, when we choose to abide in Christ like fruit on a well-pruned vine.

God turns our compost heap into fertilizer to yield more than we could possibly imagine. 

Remember you are dust; remember you will one day return to dust; and remember that in between, life’s daily ashes become compost yielding rich fruit when we allow Christ to prune us.

Trust in this hope.  

Coldest Night of the Year

A message from the Team Grace leads:

Hello church family!

The Coldest Night of the Year event is fast approaching.

We walk on February 24th in support of the Samaritan Center (Elgin Street Mission).

Team Grace United Church is growing!

Please consider sponsoring one of our walkers.

They are Marilyn Boileau, Sheryl Hansen, George Young, Michelle Carlyle, Heather Douglas, and Rita OLink.

Every little bit helps a worthy cause.

Please visit https://cnoy.org/donate and find our team and help us out.

Lenten Mini Retreat

The season of Lent is upon us: a time to retreat and reflect more deeply on our faith journey.

To that end, an invitation to gather at Grace on February 29 from 6:30 to 8:30 pm for our Lenten Mini Retreat.

Our time together will afford opportunities for both conversation and contemplation on the theme of the cost of discipleship. Please plan to attend!

Right Around the Corner!

Our hardworking Fundraising and Fellowship Team Leads, Sarah and Leona, are getting all revved up for our annual Spring Spaghetti Fundraiser on Saturday, April 20.

A small team is needed to plan the event.

If you could lend some time and energy to that effort, please see Sarah or Leona to volunteer.

Let’s pull together to make this FUN-raiser fantastic!

Membership

Rev. Erin will be offering an Adult Membership Preparation Program in March for those of our faith family who would like to become full members of Grace United and the United Church of Canada.

For more information, and to express your interest, please speak to Rev. Erin

Small Things Count!

The donations are flowing in for Small Things Cat Shelter!

Thanks so much to everyone who has contributed to this “MEOW-velous” cause.

We will continue collecting throughout the month of February, so keep on bringing in:

Food – dry or wet, any kind other than “Meow Mix” 

Litter – any type

Treats – any type, but Temptations are the best. 

Toys – any type

Old Towel

Cat Beds

Monetary Donations 

What’s Your Favorite? …

… RECIPE, that is!

We all have one:

“Grandma’s Chicken Soup”

“Aunt Mabel’s Meat Loaf”

Those tried and true dishes that delight our taste buds and remind us of our culture and heritage.

Debbie Shuttlesworth would love to get her hands on those cherished recipes for our Grace United Cookbook.

She is really hoping to receive at least ONE submission from each family.

The timeline for publication also has been extended to September, with hopes of an “unveiling” at our Christmas Luncheon 😊

Debbie would be grateful to receive your contributions via email at: harleychyk.ds@gmail.com

From Our Fundraising and Fellowship Team

Our FunScrip Program is an on-going fundraising program that runs at Grace.

We all seem to purchase gift cards, and this program lets the church benefit from earning a percentage from each gift card purchased. 

Please feel free to email Laurie at laubertin86@gmail.com or call her cell at 705-618-3256 if you need assistance or would like her to order for you.

This month’s specials are as follows:

Banana Republic: 9%

Fresh Co: 5%

Chocolate Ravoris: 9%

Foodland: 5%

GAP: 9%

IGA: 5%

Old Navy: 9%

Rachelle Bery: 5%

Safeway: 5%

Sobeys: 5%

Thrifty Foods: 5%

From Our Property and Finance Team

More than ever, your financial support is needed in order for our church and its ministry to survive and thrive.
You are invited to give as you are able by:
*Signing up for Preauthorized Payments – tax deductible receipt
*E-transfers to Laurie Aubertin (our Treasurer) – tax deductible receipt
*Having a box of envelopes with an assigned envelope number to put on the offering plate on Sundays – tax deductible receipt
*Our online payment option through Canada Helps (you can find the link on our Website or Facebook page) – tax deductible receipt
*Putting loose money on the offering plate on Sunday  

If you would like a box of envelopes with an assigned number, please speak with Linda Arseneau, linda_arseneau@hotmail.com, the ushers, or simply drop a note on the offering plate requesting envelopes.

This Week’s Lectionary Lessons

Genesis 9:8–17

The covenant between God and Noah.

Psalm 25:1–10

Lead me in your truth, O God.

1 Peter 3:18–22

Baptism now saves you.

Mark 1:9–15

The baptism, temptation, and mission of Jesus.