December 2, 2018 WELCOME

Transcription

1 December 2, 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, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, 9:00am-4:30pm Wednesday Closed. 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! December 2, 2018 at 10:30 a.m. 1 st of Advent We welcome you to our Sunday Worship. Following the service, everyone is invited to remain for an informal time of conversation and refreshments here in the Parlour. Our members will be happy to assist you with any questions or needs you may have. Gathering *Indicates to rise in body or spirit. Music to Centre for Worship Words of Welcome and Announcements Acknowledgement of Traditional Territory Lighting of the Advent Candle (Children are invited to join Alexa on the chancel steps as we sing) Sung Response: MV 90 Don t be afraid, my love is stronger My love is stronger than your fear Don t be afraid, my love is stronger And I have promised, promised to be always near One: It takes courage to be hopeful. Advent Unwrapped: You are just right!

3 One: Don t be afraid, an angel tells us: All: To dream of new possibilities; To anticipate a better world; To imagine ourselves in Christ s story, just as we are and as we will be. First Candle of Advent is lit One: Don t be afraid to be hopeful, All: As we prepare for Christ s arrival. Sung Response: MV 90 N ayez pas peur, mon amour est plus fort Il est plus fort que votre peur N ayez pas peur, mon amour est plus fort Je vous ai promis, promis d être toujours là. Young at Heart Time Young At Heart Time Good News Candle Our Lord s Prayer (in the language of your choice) *Children s Hymn: VU 6 (Children are invited to go to Sunday School as we sing) A candle is burning, a flame warm and bright A candle of hope if December s dark night While angels sing blessings from heaven s starry sky Our hearts we prepare now for Jesus is nigh

4 Walking With God First Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3:9-13 Second Reading: Luke 21:25-36 Solo: People Get Ready Curtis Mayfield Solo: Jade McLeod Sermon Sermon Hymn: All Earth Is Waiting VU 5 Holding the Light for Others The Offering is Given A Gift Of Music Is Shared *The Offertory Hymn: VU 81 As they offered gifts most rare at the manger crude and bare so may we with holy joy pure and free from sin's alloy all our costliest treasures bring Christ, to you, our heavenly King *Prayer of Dedication Prayers of the People With Sung Response: MV 90 Don t be afraid, my love is stronger My love is stronger than your fear Don t be afraid, my love is stronger And I have promised, promised to be always near

5 *Closing Hymn: Canticle Of The Turning MV 120 *Commissioning and Benediction *Sung Benediction: VU 70 (One ) There s a hope that is coming to all the earth Rise up, people and follow As we search for meaning in a baby s birth Rise up people and follow Music sends us out (All) Follow, follow Rise up, people, and follow Follow the star of Bethlehem Rise up, people, and follow Special thanks to Jade McLeod for sharing her musical gifts with us today All lyrics and music reprinted with permission from One License (Annual License, A ) Advent Candle lighting liturgy from Advent Unwrapped 2018.

6 UPCOMING SERVICES December 9-2nd of Advent, Peace, Human Rights Sunday, and New Chancel Dedication! December 16-3rd of Advent, Joy December 23-4th of Advent, Love December 24-4:30 pm Christmas Story Sing-a-long! Doors open for cider and cookies at 4pm. ANNOUNCEMENTS 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. The office will also be closed for the holidays from December 24 to January , re-opening as normal on January 2 nd. What Is Advent? ADVENT Together, let s get ready for Christ(mas)! Advent means to come or arrive at [venire: arrive/come]. In the church, Advent most often means the coming of the Saviour.

7 In Western Church tradition, it is the four Sundays before Christmas and the start of the liturgical church year. Why get ready? And how to get ready? We often think of Advent as a time of preparation to get ready for Christmas. But it is more accurately a time to look forward to Christ s coming and Christ s reign. It s a time to get ready for (and look forward to) Christ, and the holy ruckus that Christ could create in our lives if we let in Christ s radical message! Chocolate, Santa Claus, and Hallmark Specials have softened and domesticated the counter-cultural message of Advent: that until there is a just peace everywhere, the world is not as it should be nor as it will be. The four weeks of Advent are a special time to prepare for the birth of Jesus. Every Christian prepares for Christ s coming differently; there are so many different traditions out there! Don t be afraid, an angel tells us. In God s story, we all have a part. Preparation might look like avoiding the temptation to celebrate Christmas too early; it might be a time of waiting with anticipation; or perhaps it s learning more about Christ and the Christian story. Some people use Advent to relearn the Christian story with daily Bible readings, starting from Genesis, or make a special effort to set aside time for personal or family prayer The Advent Unwrapped team at the United Church of Canada have some suggested themes for your Advent preparations:

8 1. Be Hopeful: Know what/who you are waiting for. Learn more about Jesus and the people who waited with hope for his arrival. Consider: How do you prepare for a big adventure? How do you remain patient while waiting? Experience the hope of anticipation. 2. Be Brave: You can t be brave if you are never afraid. Learn more about why Jesus and his message might be scary. How might Jesus message change your world? Who else has shared messages that could change the world? Where did they find courage? Where do you find courage? Experience the peace of taking action. 3. Be Welcoming: Make room in your life. How do you show someone that you have been thinking of them? How do you prepare to welcome guests? What do you need to clear away to make room for something new? Experience the joy of hospitality. 4. Be Yourself: Only you can do you! Learn more about the golden commandment to love each other as you love yourself. How do you show and share love with others? What do you love to do and how do you share it? What makes you feel special and loved? Experience the love of self and others. More resources to celebrate Advent and prepare for Christmas can be found at

9 Calling All "Christmas Elves!"... We need your help to make Christmas bright for seniors and kids this year! We are collecting toiletries/hygiene products and warm accessories to fill our Ditty Bags, which we then gift to isolated seniors in need. We also are collecting gift cards that will be given to parents in need of a bit of help to make sure Santa brings their kids just what they wished for on their Christmas wish lists.

10 If you can help with any of these items, please be in touch with Michelle in the office, , or feel free to sign-up to get a gift card via the sign-up sheets in the Parlour Room during Fellowship Time after service (the sign-up sheet helps us keep track of who s getting which kind of gift cards). Thank you!

11 UPCOMING MEETINGS: Affirming Discussions: At the congregation s annual meeting earlier in 2018, we agreed that we would begin the process of becoming an Affirming Ministry. The requirements can be found at All are invited to be part of the conversation. There will be storytelling and discussion. Resources will be made available for study and information. Council will have some work to do, and the congregation will have some decisions to make. The next Affirming Meetings are: Sunday, December 9 RESCHEDULED TO JAN. 27 (see below) Sunday, January 13 9:00 a.m. in the Parlour A discussion about racism and anti-racism within the church. Sunday, January 27 9:00 a.m. in the Parlour A discussion about disability and accessibility. UPCOMING EVENTS AT WINDERMERE Monday, December 24 th, 4:30pm - Christmas Sing-Along! The birth of Jesus gets a rock and roll twist in this upbeat, interactive retelling of the Christmas story. Belt out your favourite hymns and Christmas songs with the help of a rockin' band of professional Toronto musicians! You, your family, your friends, your neighbours, EVERYONE is welcome in our affirming space as we tell one and all about the birth of the Prince Of Peace. Doors open at 4pm for Cider and Cookies, and the sing-along pageant begins at 4:30pm. Bring your own costume or borrow one of ours.

12 And SAVE THE DATE! Saturday February 2nd Chili Dinner! This will be WUC's 10th annual Chili Dinner, and we couldn't be more excited! We'll let you know as soon as tickets go on sale, but for now, be sure to mark your calendars for this not-to-be-missed event!

13 OPPORTUNITIES TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE Support Our Ministries Windermere United is a place where we learn how to demonstrate our faith in very practical ways. Sunday mornings, yes, but think of the church school, the youth events, the book club, the ministry of the Parish Nurse, the Stone Soup Network, the visioning process we are going through right now, renovations to the sanctuary to make it more available for creative worship and for the community, the Affirming Ministry program where we will look again at who we are and how open we are to others. At this time of year, we invite everyone to make a special gift to the church. For some this will be through some new kind of service to the congregation or the community; for others it will be a gift of prayer; for others it will be a gift of money. Whatever your gift is, we offer our thanks. Regular monthly giving provides us with stable funding, but our budget also counts on receiving additional gifts at year s end. In a world of great need, let s keep the momentum of Good News moving! Please make sure that any regular contributions you planned to make this year, including any year-end gifts are received by us or post marked to us by Dec. 31 for a 2018 receipt. (The church office will be closed between Christmas and Jan. 1st.) Thanks for all you do for our congregation. Thanks for your support of the wider church through Mission & Service. Thanks for your commitment to living out the gospel as we know it through Jesus. - David Allen, Church Council Chair.

14 **Local Blind Person Seeks Volunteer Readers** Michael Arnowitt is a blind person who recently moved to the neighbourhood from Vermont. He is looking for people in the community who might be willing to come to his house on Runnymede Rd or meet here at the Church on some periodic basis such as weekly or monthly to read out loud to him mail, articles, info on pieces of paper or the computer. He happens to be a pianist of classical and jazz music so it would be especially ideal if anyone could be found who also reads printed music, but it's not necessary as he has an ongoing need for readers for many things that have nothing to do with music. Michael can be reached at or MA@MAPiano.com Lay Readers and Fellowship Time Volunteers We are in need of volunteers for Lay Reading and for Fellowship time on Sundays throughout the Advent. 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

15 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. 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. CHURCH LIBRARY UPDATE We have Olena Kobzar, Anna McRae (our Church Bookkeeper) and St. Pius Catholic Church to thank for donating a number of books to our church library. Additions include quite a few children's books, books on bible study, spirituality, Christianity and pastoral care. An inventory is almost complete and any duplicate books are in the process of being given away so that we can make room for the new additions. In the new year, another book shelf will be installed as we have run out of space to properly display all the books. Come check out the library. You will be amazed at how many varieties of bibles we have available. It is easy to check out a book. Just record the information on the sign out sheet. Currently we have Advent and a few Christmas books on display. Feel free to bring them home for your use over the Advent and Christmas season. - Jennie Keating, Church Librarian

16 EVENTS IN WIDER CHURCH COMMUNITY Sunday December 2, pm - Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol - This year featuring readings by: Jeff Douglas, Mary Lou Fallis, Barbara Gordon, Nancy Palk, Anwar Knight and William Webster! Please note, we cannot reserve an actual spot in the row. If you prefer an aisle seat, we ask that you come early. Proceeds go to The Stop Community Food Centre. You won't want to miss this exciting yearly event, held at Runnymede United Church. Saturday, December 8, 2018 at 7:30 PM - A Christmas Carol. The timeless tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge, is recreated by celebrated British and Canadian actor/director Jeff Cottam, playing all parts, and is accompanied by the live piano and organ music of Bruce Ley. This event is a fundraiser for Partera Peacebuilders International, which does great work with local people in conflict zones around the world, in support of peace-making efforts, and human rights training for women. More information can be found at Partera.ca. TICKETS $20 adults. Children 12 and under FREE. Purchase at Another Story Bookshop (315 Roncesvalles), or at the door. Roncesvalles United Church 214 Wright Ave., Toronto, M6R 1L3 Wednesday, December 7:00 pm - Blue Christmas - A Reflective Service for Those Who Find Christmas Difficult The Christmas season can be a challenging time for those who are mourning the loss of a love one; for those away from home; for those with illness or poor health; for those with financial problems - whatever your reason. Blue Christmas is a reflective, peaceful service conducted by candle light which offers hope and healing. Join us for this special evening of prayers and meditation. Islington United Church, 25 Burnhamthorpe Road, Etobicoke, M9A 1G9 Phone: