Weekly Update

EASTER MUSINGS …

Written by Talitha Arnold

 

“I shall not die, but I shall live, and recount the deeds of the Lord.” – Psalm 118:17 So how was Sunday?

Full of light, Easter lilies, and alleluias? I hope so! And how is today?

Still feel resurrected?

As you go back to work or get your kids ready for school, go to the doctor’s or wait for a diagnosis, can you still hear echoes of “Alleluia”?

If you’re facing the end of a relationship or walking through the valley of shadows, can you still trust the promise of new life? Easter Sunday can be glorious.

Easter Monday can be hard.

Psalm 118 helps.

Titled a “Song of Victory,” the psalm begins, “Give thanks to the Lord for God is good and God’s steadfast love endures forever!”

Throughout its verses we are reminded: “I shall not die, but I shall live.”

A good proclamation for Easter Monday. As importantly, the psalmist tells us how to keep trusting God’s promise: “I will recount the deeds of the Lord.”

The psalmist keeps faith in God’s new life and steadfast love by re-counting the ways God offered life and love in the past and continues to do so. … Fasting and prayer are Lent’s spiritual disciplines.

How about a Resurrection Recount for Eastertide?

Over the 50 days ahead, can we, like the psalmist, take time to recount the “deeds of the Lord” in our lives and in this world?

Perhaps then we can continue to trust Easter’s promise—even on Easter Monday.

WHAT’S ON AT GRACE UNITED!…

 

WHAT:  GRACE COUNCIL MEETING

WHEN:   Wednesday, April 24 at 6:30 pm

WHERE:  Grace

 

WHAT:  EXPLORING OUR FAITH

WHEN:   Friday, April 26 from 10:00 to 11:30 am

WHERE:  518 Morris St.

Please plan to join us for what promises to be a lively and thought-provoking conversation.

 

 

HOLY HUMOUR SUNDAY!

This coming Sunday, April 28, we will be celebrating Holy Humor Sunday at Grace!

What the heck is Holy Humor Sunday, you’re wondering?

In the early church, the Sunday after Easter was observed by the faithful as a day of joy and laughter with parties and shenanigans to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.

The custom of Bright Sunday, as it was called then, came from the idea of some early church theologians that God played the ultimate practical joke on the devil by raising Jesus from the dead.

You are warmly invited—make that STRONGLY ENCOURAGED!—to dress for the occasion: silly hats; mismatched, backwards or just downright crazy clothing; novelty wigs; funny disguises… you get the picture!

Also, if you have a favorite, “CHURCH APPROPRIATE” joke you want to share, that would be welcome too.

Come on, Grace: let’s do what we do best—LAUGH!!!

 

COMING IN MAY … RUNNING WITH THE REV!

Ever wanted to try your hand at a 5 km fun run?

Not sure how to get started, or self-conscious to make the attempt?

The opportunity has come!

I am inviting everyone and ANYONE who’s remotely interested to a four week, casual and fun, clinic-style mini training programme, during which it will be my delight to help friends of all ages, stages and abilities to challenge your bodies and do yourselves proud!

If you are interested, please RSVP to me as soon as possible.

Looking forward to lacing up the sneakers!

 

WORLD LABYRINTH DAY …

You are invited to celebrate World Labyrinth Day at the labyrinth at Lourdes Grotto on Saturday May 4th.

The event will begin at 12:45 and go to approximately 1:30.

Refreshments will be served following the labyrinth walk.

 

LEARNING OPPORTUNITY…

MILC’s next learning event, We Are All Treaty People, will take place on Saturday, May 11th. This is a great opportunity to learn about the history and significance of treaties and, through a variety of presentations and hands on activities, explore why they matter to all Canadians; particularly people of faith,

Leadership will be provided by Maurice Schwitzer, a citizen of the Mississaugas of Alderville First Nation who has served as director of communications for the Assembly of First Nations and the Union of Ontario Indians where he was also editor of the Anishinabek News, and by Rev. Teresa Jones, United Church of Canada minister and member of the North Bay Mission Network.

The event will take place at St. Peter’s United Church, Sudbury, 10:00 to 3:00. Registration $20, $50 for groups of 3, $10 for students gillian.schell@sympatico.ca

 

PHOTO DIRECTORY…

A message from Sam, our dedicated photodirectory coordinator:

The photo directory is at the final proof stage (yeah!).

Everyone who had their photos taken will receive a photo directory free of charge.

For those who did not have their photo taken, but who would still like a directory, they can be purchased for $12.50 plus tax ($14.13).

If this is you, please let Sam know as soon as possible, as extra directories need to be ordered with payment before the final proof goes to print.

Once poof is signed, we will have the photo directories within eight weeks.  Thank you very much!

 

THIS WEEK’S LECTIONARY LESSONS …  Acts 5:27-32 Psalm 150 Revelation 1:4-8 John 20:19-31

Read Full Post »

Spaghetti Supper

Annual Spring spaghetti supper Saturday April 6 4:30 to  6:30.

Grace United church

Adults $12

Children ages 6 – 10 $8

5 and under free

Tickets available at the door

Read Full Post »

Weekly Update

“STUFF THAT NEEDS TO BE SAID” …

John Pavlovitz is a writer, Baptist pastor, and activist from Wake Forest, North Carolina.  He also happens to be one of my all-time favorite Christian columnists 😊

Throughout this Lenten season, I will be sharing some of John Pavlovitz’s hard-hitting and thought-provoking blog posts… food for thought and prayer!

 

You’ve probably seen the ubiquitous meme floating around the internet or expressed the thought contained in it: I CAN’T ADULT TODAY.

It’s the idea that whatever it is that is required of proper responsible grown-up human beings, one is simply not presently capable of it.

I’ve been a Christian for most of my forty-nine years, a pastor in the local church for twenty-two of them.

And on far too many mornings recently, I’ve woken up, checked Facebook or watched the news or walked away from family conversations or church gatherings, and thought to myself, “I can’t Christian today.”

I can no longer be tethered to this thing that is so toxic and so painful to so many.  I can’t wade through any more bad theology from pulpit-pounding pastors, who seem solely burdened to exclude and to wound and to do harm.  I can’t apologize anymore for people who are willfully hurting other human beings in the name of a God they preach is Love. I can’t align myself with the human rights violations and overt racism and rabid nationalism that is defining Christianity in America.

Maybe you’re a Christian who understands this exasperation.

Maybe you’ve had the experience of a thing you once felt at home in, suddenly feel like foreign soil; a religious worldview that was solid bedrock, suddenly begin to shake; stuff you knew that you knew that you knew—that you’re no longer certain of.

I get you.

Being a Christian when and where I am, I find myself in two battles lately.

I am simultaneously fighting both with and for my faith tradition; some days working passionately to convince disillusioned people to stay there, and other days telling them to run, like it’s Godzilla about to squash them, because I know how much destruction it is causing, the way it is preying upon vulnerable people, the corrupt power it wields against the already marginalized.

Given this, I find myself asking a question that I’d like to ask of similarly frustrated followers of Jesus: “Is Christianity helpful anymore?” Not is it true or real or provable or noble—but is it helpful?

Is it leaving a net effect that is redemptive?

As we seek to be agents of compassion in the world, and as we interact with people who more and more don’t know the Jesus story, is claiming this faith now a liability?

Has the name Christian now so inextricably entwined in many circles with misogyny, bigotry, and homophobia that it simply cannot be untangled? Have we lost the battle for the name of Jesus—with the wall builders and the homophobes and the white supremacists?

Honestly I don’t know.

What I do know, is that the compassionate heart of Jesus I find in the stories told about him, is helpful—and urgently needed.

The world can use more empathetic people, doing what they can to live outwardly, sacrificially, gently—and that’s probably the highest spiritual aspiration we can have: leaving people more loved than we found them.

I want to stand with the compassionate human beings, no matter where they come from and what they call themselves and who they declare God to be, because that is the most pressing need I see in the world.

I want to be with the disparate multitude who believe caring for others is the better path.

People don’t need any more heartless, loveless, joyless jerks, claiming they’re Christian while beating the hell out of them.

It needs people who give a damn in a way that emulates Jesus.

When I leave this place, I’m not very interested that anyone declares me religious.

I’d rather have them say, that– to the marginalized and alone and hurting and invisible; that to the weary, wounded, tired people around me in this life—I was helpful.

 

WHAT’S ON AT GRACE UNITED!…

 

WHAT:  ANNUAL SPRING SPAGHETTI SUPPER

WHEN:  THIS Saturday, April 6 from 4:30 to 6:30 pm

WHERE:  Grace

Adults $12; children ages 6 to 10 $8; ages 5 and under are free. Tickets will be available at the door, or contact Monique if you wish to purchase ahead of time.

 

WHAT:  LENTEN MINI-RETREAT

WHEN:   Wednesday, April 10 from 5:30 to 9:00 pm

WHERE:  Grace

PLEASE RSVP as soon as possible 😊

 

WHAT:  EXPLORING OUR FAITH

WHEN:   Friday, April 26 from 10:00 to 11:30 am

WHERE:  518 Morris St.

Please plan to join us for what promises to be a lively and thought-provoking conversation.

 

LEARNING OPPORTUNITY…

Deepening Diversity: Understanding Racism

This day-long workshop, hosted by MILC will explore challenging questions about race and racism, power and privilege, racial justice and inclusion in a series of engaging and interactive workshops.

The event will be held THIS Saturday, April 6th from 10:00 to 3:00 at St. Peter’s United Church.

Registration: including refreshments and lunch $20 or $50 for a group of 3. Please contact the Manitou Intentional Learning Community gillian.schell@sympatico.ca 705 671 0185 to confirm your attendance, no later than April 1st.

 

CARE PROJECT …

The Sudbury Women’s Centre currently is in great need of donations of toiletries; particularly shampoo, conditioner and feminine hygiene products.

Until the end of April, you are invited to bring these items to church where they will be collected on the “Care Table” and taken to the centre, along with our blessings on the fine work of this very worthy organization.

 

NEWSBITE FROM THE NATIONAL CHURCH…

Cyclone Idai swept through Southern Africa in March 2019, leaving terrible disaster in its wake.

Severe flooding and devastation has affected an estimated 2.6 million people in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi.

The current official death toll is 350; that number is expected to rise exponentially, particularly in Mozambique.

United Church Mission & Service partner ACT Alliance, together with local partners, are assessing the impact of the crisis on the ground in order to provide immediate assistance, minimize loss of life, and ensure that the needs of the most vulnerable are met.

The United Church sent an initial contribution of $20,000 to partners and is launching an church-wide appeal to respond to massive emergency needs and support eventual rehabilitation and rebuilding.

Immediate priorities are basic food items, potable water and water purification tablets, blankets, clothing, soap, medical items and mosquito nets.

From Zimbabwe, Mission &Service partner the Zimbabwe Council of Churches writes: “We count ourselves blessed that The United Church of Canada have us in remembrance as we battle to respond to a crisis that keeps getting worse by the day as the extent of destruction to lives, property and livelihoods becomes clear.”

There are a number of ways in which you may give to this appeal, above and beyond your regular Mission and Service givings: Online via our secure donation page.

Phone 416-231-5931 or toll-free 1-800-268-3781 ext. 2738 and use your Visa or MasterCard.

Send a cheque, money order, or Visa or MasterCard information with donation amount to:

The United Church of Canada Philanthropy Unit – Emergency Response 3250 Bloor Street West, Suite 200 Toronto, ON M8X 2Y4

Please be sure to note “Emergency Response—Cyclone Idai” on the face of your cheque.

 

SCRIPTURE LESSONS FOR SUNDAY …  Ezekiel 37:1-14 Psalm 130 Romans 8:6-11 John 2:13-22

 

A HOLY LENT AT HOME …

Lent is a time of prayer, penance and sacrifice; a time to grow in our faith and to strive to put Christ’s teachings into practice.

This week, why not …

Make a commitment to fast from insensitive, thoughtless, or mean spirited comments about others.

So, no gossiping over the phone or going down the social media rabbit hole!

Read Full Post »