October 14, 2018 WELCOME. Windermere United Church (1912-) 356 Windermere Avenue, T.O. M6S 3L3

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1 October 14, 2018 WELCOME Windermere United Church (1912-) 356 Windermere Avenue, T.O. M6S 3L3 Ministers: All of Us Minister, Rev. Alexa Gilmour, Parish Nurse, Anne Marie, Minister of Music, Adrian Marchuk, Sunday School, Susie Henderson, Office Administrator, Michelle Maldonado, Monday Friday, 9am - 3pm Follow us on This building is equipped with an AED and First Aid Kit, both are available in skylight room.

2 Open to Spirit, Open to You! October 14, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. AN ELEMENTAL CELEBRATION: FIRE, WATER, AIR, EARTH, AND SPIRIT We welcome you to our Sunday Worship. Help yourself to a cup of coffee and a name tag, at the back of the sanctuary, prior to the service starting. Following the service, everyone is invited for an informal time of conversation and refreshments in the parlour. Our members will be happy to assist you with any questions or needs you may have. Music to Centre for Worship Gathering *Indicates to stand if able. Our service contains many responses from the congregation. These are written in bold. Processional Hymn: MV 2 Come all you people, come and praise your maker (3x) Come now and worship the Lord

3 One: From north, south, east and west we praise you Maker of this new day All: For we rise to the rising of life itself. The dawn from on high is breaking upon us Streaming with your compassion, new every morning. We are one family born of earth and air, fire, water and spirit. Pour out your Spirit on all you have made. Words of Welcome and Announcements Acknowledgement of Traditional Territory Lighting the Christ Candle SPIRIT The spirit likes to dress up like this by Mary Oliver * Hymn Long Before the Night VU 282 WATER One: And when the waters broke, love gave birth to light and dark, to days and nights All: And it was good. Love gave birth to seas and land,

4 To plant and trees, to fruit and seed. And it was good. Love gave birth to seasons and signs, to sun, moon and stars. And it was good. Love gave birth to creatures that creep on earth. And love gave birth to men, women, and children, to you and to me. And it was good. Love gave birth to rest and replenishment, to Sundays. Love hallowed this time and this space. And it was good. *Hymn: River Running in You and Me MV 163 Young at Heart Time (Children are invited to join Alexa on the chancel steps as we sing) Young At Heart Time One: Oh, let the waters come down, All: and baptize us, once again. Oh, let the waters come up, and make our hearts deserts bloom. Oh, let the waters come out, and soak our faces in tears. Oh, let the waters come in, and fill our thirsty souls. Oh, let the waters come and carry us to you, God of All. Amen

5 Good News Candle FIRE One: In the beginning, when it was very dark, God said, All: Let there be light! And the light was! God said, This is great! In the burning bush, in the column of fire, in the bright of the day, in the sparkle of nightthe fires of creation have pointed us in the direction of God. With the light in our eyes, with the warmth on our faces, with love in our hearts let us worship God! You are the flame that warms us strangely, Creator of All. You are the voice that calls us to love, O Christ. You are the tug and dance that moves us anew, Holy Spirit. Open us to your warmth, your call, and your dance, God. Because we are ready. Ready to go. Amen. *Hymn: It Only Takes a Spark VU 289 GOSPEL Luke 12:49-50, 54-56

6 Sung Response: VU 117, v 2 Jesus Christ is raging Raging in the streets Where injustice spirals And real hope retreats Listen, Lord Jesus, I am angry too In the Kingdom s causes, let me rage with you. EARTH I Slept in the Forest by Mary Oliver A Prayer for the Earth One: We give you thanks and praise, O God of creation, for the grandeur of all that you have made, saying All: We thank you, God. For the healing waters of creation, which bring pleasure and health, purity and life, We thank you, God. For the richness of the good Earth that brings forth fruits and flowers, a pleasure to taste and a joy to behold, We thank you, God. For the soaring birds of the air, the crawling creatures on the Earth, the gliding fishes in the seas, for all creatures great and small with whom we share this precious web of life,

7 We thank you, God. For the invigorating sunlight of day, the deepening mystery of night, the wonder of the stars, and the call of the unknown in the universe, We thank you, God. From heedless misuse and dishonoring of the wonders of your hand, Good Lord deliver us. From squandering resources, abusing our companion species, and polluting the habitat we all share, Good Lord deliver us. From the folly of imagining ourselves free from the fate of your whole creation, Good Lord deliver us. For the courage and wisdom to confess how little we have cared for your gifts, Strengthen us, O Spirit. For the conviction that you have called us to love and restore the Earth, Strengthen us, O Spirit. For repentance and the determination to begin our stewardship anew, Strengthen us, O Spirit. O merciful Creator, your hand is open wide to satisfy the needs of every living creature: Make us always thankful for your loving providence; and grant that we, remembering the account that we must one day give, may be faithful stewards of your good gifts; through Jesus Christ our Lord,

8 who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever, Amen. *Hymn: This Is God s Wondrous World VU 296 The Offering is Given A Gift Of Music Is Shared What A Wonderful Wonderful World Bob Thiele and George David Weiss *Offertory Hymn: MV 135 Called by earth and sky Promise of hope held high This is our sacred living trust Treasure of life sanctified Called by earth and sky AIR *Hymn: I Feel the Winds of God Today VU 625 One: Oxygen, Carbon dioxide, Traces of other gases, All: All around us. The air we breathe. Deep within us.

9 The ancients believed that the air was divine breath. Holy Spirit. And when it moved, we would be in-spirited. Inspired. Given Life! Let us breathe deep into our bodies, filling our lungs with the air that gives life! Let us breathe deep into our souls, filling ourselves with the Spirit that gives life! Alleluia! Alleluia! Amen! Holy Spirit, Breath of Life, move in Creation, blow us about, fill the world with new possibilities. New life! As we share in story and in song, we ask that our words and our breath, might mingle with your Breath, and be healing for the world. Amen. *Hymn: Breathe On Me, Breath of God VU 382 THE PEACE We share the peace The peace of the Lord be always with you And also with you. *Closing Hymn: All Creatures of Our God and King VU 217 *Commissioning and Benediction *Sung Benediction: May God s sheltering wings Her gathering wings protect you May God s nurturing arms,

10 Music sends us out Her cradling arms sustain you And hold you in her love, And hold you in her love ***************** Special thanks to Jacqueline Sadler for sharing her musical gifts with us today. Liturgy sources: August 31, 2016 Middle Cove Beach service by Susan Shepherd An Elemental Eucharist Greenbelt liturgy A prayer for the Earth St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Medina, Washington. UPCOMING SERVICES October 21-22nd after Pentecost. Baptism Sunday. October 28 - Harry Potter service, children leading worship. November 4-24 th after Pentecost. November th after Pentecost, Remembrance Sunday. OFFICE HOURS CHANGE Please note the office hours will be changing to the following from November 1 December : Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri open 9am-4:30pm. Closed on Wednesdays.

11 THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE Let's continue to show thankfulness by feeding those in need! As in past years, we have baskets set up in the skylight room and another in the Sanctuary for anyone wishing to contribute to the annual Food Drive (non-perishable food items). We will be accepting donations throughout the entire month of October. Most in need items: Canned meats/fish, fruits, vegetables, soups/broths, sauce. Peanut and other nut butters. Rice, oats, quinoa, seeds, etc. Pasta. Cereal. Dry Beans. Shelf stable milk and milk substitutes. Oils. Honey. Sugar free dried fruit. UPCOMING EVENTS AT WINDERMERE Book Club Thursdays, starting November 1 st, 7pm in the Parlour Room. We will discuss True Inclusion: Creating Communities of Radical Embrace by Brandan Robertson. We chose this book because it fits with the process that WUC has begun toward becoming an Affirming Congregation. It s a small, recently published book with 7 chapters that we propose to study over the 5 Thursdays in November. All are welcome!

12 Fall Family Dinner and Charity Event - Sunday, November 25th, 5pm. Come join us at 5pm for a potluck dinner that will feed body and soul. The children will be invited to learn the art of soap making. The soaps will be for the Ditty Bag program (gift bags for isolated seniors). Christmas Sing-Along! - Monday, December 24 th, 4:30pm We invite you, your family, your friends, your neighbours, everybody! to our special Christmas Eve celebration! This will be a fun sing-along event featuring the rockin' Windermere Christmas Band. Come sing favourite carols and hymns with us and hear the telling of the Christmas Story. Kids, feel free to come in Nativity costume, or borrow one of ours! To learn more about these events and others happening in the community, sign up for our bi-weekly e-newsletter! To sign up, visit this link: OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE New ways of Stewardship: Many people have asked "How can I help the work of the church?" and the answer is we are very fortunate to live in a time where we have different ways to give electronically. We actually have 2 ways of giving electronically that you may want to consider: 1. Online donations via our CanadaHelps.org page. 2. Monthly electronic donations via the United Church of Canada's PAR program

13 To learn more about these convenient ways of giving, contact Michelle, our Church Office Administrator, at or Fall Lay Readers and Fellowship Time Volunteers We are in need of volunteers for Lay Reading and for Fellowship time on Sundays throughout the Fall. If you will be here on Sundays in October and November, please consider signing up to help out with these very important parts of our Sunday Worship and being church together. Stone Soup Network This is a not-for-profit project of Windermere United that builds stronger communities by making it easier for neighbours to share with each other. There are many ways to get involved; contribute your company s products or service to help a neighbour; volunteer with us and be part of the team; donate funds to help sustain the project. If you have questions about Stone Soup please talk to Doug Tindal or Chris Rotolo (director@stonesoupnetwork.ca). There for You Project When I was hungry, you fed me these are the words of Christ but also the words of some of us who have needed a helping hand and received it from folks in this congregation. In light of the fact that we all need help from time to time when the unexpected happens we have the There for You project. There is a sign-up list in the Parlour that you can add your name to. It means that you d be willing to help-out when someone s life takes a turn and help is needed. If you are preparing dinner, please consider making a little extra to add to our church freezer that is used to store emergency meals. We are pleased to let everyone know that your generous contributions have

14 helped many families over the last six months. See Jane Clendenning or Anne Marie Mohler for more information or sign up in the Parlour if you want to be part of this project. Talk to us about the many other ways you can help!: Some of the other things we re into as a congregation include refugee work, Truth and Reconciliation and right relations, LGBTQ2S affirming work, and interfaith work. If you re interested in these things, let us know. Maybe we can work together! UPCOMING EVENTS WITHIN THE GREATER CHURCH COMMUNITY October 15, 7pm - Heart & Vision at Metropolitan United Church. The Toronto United Church Council s annual Heart & Vision Awards Concert celebrates our Church's commitment to social justice. Through an evening of world-class music, the concert recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to social justice initiatives in Canada and internationally. For more info contact (905) or ali@tucc.ca October 18, 1pm - Demystifying Technology for Seniors at Bloordale United Church. This workshop will be a combination of lecture presentation, discussion and Q & A, and will not be a oneon-one, hands-on training workshop. It will focus generally on computer technology trends such as Google, Windows, social media, online safety and security, etc. Participants will be given some guidance about where to find the specific assistance they may need.

15 October 22, 6pm - Togogo fundraiser for Stephen Lewis Foundation Grandmothers-to-Grandmothers at Bloor Street United Church. For more info, contact togogograns@gmail.com or call , ext. 21 October 28, 12:15pm - National Inquiry into MMIWG Fourth Sunday Speaker Event. For our October Fourth Sunday Speaker, the Social Justice Committee is pleased to have arranged for Beth Symes to speak to us about her experience participating in the inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls. Beth is counsel for five Inuit organizations: Pauktuutit, the Inuit Women of Canada, the Inuit Women of Labrador, Saturviit, the Ottawa Inuit Children s Centre and the Manitoba Inuit Association. This is a unique opportunity for us to hear first hand about the working of the Inquiry which is so much in the news. We will meet at 12:15 in the sanctuary Sunday, October 28. Bloor Street United Church, 300 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M5S 1W November 10, 6:30pm - Heritage Singers - Wondering how you can further enjoy and enrich your Autumn and Winter seasons? Join us at our Concert Series taking place between November 2018 and May 2019 at Lansing United Church. All Concerts take place at 7:00 p.m. with the doors opening at 6:00 p.m. $25.00 per ticket. Tickets can be purchased individually for each Concert or you may purchase the Concert Package at $ for all four events! Contact the church office today at to order your set!

16 FROM YOUR PARISH NURSE Mental Health Awareness Week is October 1-7 and World Mental Health Day is October 10. Facts about Mental Illness-Part 1 Reference: Mental Health Commission of Canada (2013). Making the case for investing in mental health in Canada. Who is affected? Mental illness indirectly affects all Canadians at some time through a family member, friend or colleague. In any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada will personally experience a mental health problem or illness. Mental illness affects people of all ages, education, income levels, and cultures. Approximately 8% of adults will experience major depression at some time in their lives. About 1% of Canadians will experience bipolar disorder (or manic depression ). How common is it? By age 40, about 50% of the population will have or have had a mental illness. Schizophrenia affects 1% of the Canadian population. Anxiety disorders affect 5% of the household population, causing mild to severe impairment. Suicide accounts for 24% of all deaths among year-olds and 16% among yea-olds. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in both men and women from adolescence to middle age. The mortality rate due to suicide among men is four times the rate among women. What causes it? A complex interplay of genetic, biological, personality and environmental factors causes mental illnesses. Almost one half (49%) of those who feel they have suffered from depression or anxiety have never gone to see a doctor about this problem. Stigma or discrimination attached to mental illnesses presents a serious barrier, not only to diagnosis and treatment but also to acceptance in the community. Mental illnesses can be treated effectively. Mental Illness and Families of Faith: How Can Congregations Respond?