CROSSWORDS SEPTEMBER 2018 THE NEWSLETTER OF ST. PAUL S LUTHERAN CHURCH

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1 CROSSWORDS SEPTEMBER 2018 THE NEWSLETTER OF ST. PAUL S LUTHERAN CHURCH St. Paul s Lutheran Church 63 Grand Avenue North Cambridge, ON N1S 2L1 (519) Worship Sundays 10:00 am Sunday School Sundays 10:45 am Pastor Rev. Stephen Weber pastor@stpaulslutherancambridge.org Secretary secretary@stpaulslutherancambridge.org Newsletter crosswords@stpaulslutherancambridge.org Pastor s Message Dear People of God, Gathered at St. Paul s Cambridge, In late June, Shirley Mitchell-Grumme (St. Paul s lay delegate) and I went to our Eastern Synod Assembly. It was wonderfully-uplifting and informative. This year s theme was To Be Neighbour. The first highlight for me was the presentation on white privilege by our Racial Justice Taskforce. They had us answer a questionnaire that helped us to see the advantages that white, heterosexual people have. It was very moving! The second highlight was also about being a neighbour. Rafi Aaron, from the Toronto Interfaith Coalition to Fight for Homelessness, gave an insightful talk. The highlight came when a woman, who said she taught at a public school in Cambridge, asked a question. I ve vaguely known this woman for years, but hadn t known that she taught in Cambridge. Because of St. Paul s presence in Cambridge, I was able to help answer her question. It felt good to share about the ways that we at St. Pauls are involved in our community. I think people would be surprised to learn about the great breadth of the many ministries undertaken at the Synod level of our church. Here are just a few of the more-interesting motions that we passed: Loving our LGBTQIA+ Neighbour That the Eastern Synod urges congregations to take seriously the commandment to love our neighbour by finding ways to build relationships with and affirm members of the LGBTQIA+ community... Phasing Out of Fossil Fuel Subsidies We urge the Government of Canada to phase out fossil fuel subsidies and to commit to undertaking a fossil fuel subsidy review under the G20 process,... Biennium Reconciliation Advisory Committee We commit ourselves to the ongoing tasks of reconciliation and right relationships and move that the Biennium Reconciliation Initiative Task Force... become an Advisory Committee (to be named) under the portfolio of the Director of Public Policy and Service Ministries... Phasing-Out Loan Travel Repayments for Refugees Confronting and Dismantling Racism We... commit to the vital and urgent work of confronting the sin of racism and to the dismantling of racist and colonial attitudes present in ourselves, our church, and our society... A complete list of the motions can be found at: _web_version.docx Ministry takes place at many levels in our church, and God calls us to partnership. For that, I give God heartfelt thanks! With Love, Pastor Stephen

2 Dear Friends of Fairview, On October 22, 2018, Fairview and Parkwood Seniors Communities will celebrate special anniversaries (75 and 55 years respectively). We will mark this occasion with a Fundraising event, to be held at Bingeman s in Kitchener. This event will include a plated dinner, silent and live auctions and our head line speaker; Spencer West from Me to We. Spencer will speak on Redefining What is Possible. Learn more about Spencer here Our goal for the funds raised through this event is to See Beyond Dementia and redefine what is possible by providing improved programs and care in our dementia home areas. Everyone is invited to participate in or donate to this event. Tickets can be purchased through Fairview at Selections from an received in May Hi Janet, I wanted to provide a brief update on how things are looking around OPS although, at this time, there s unfortunately nothing positive to report.... I am, personally, so grateful for the support you ve provided everyone at the church. We are unsure how everything will continue to unfold and what sits on the horizon, but it has been heartening for our entire team to know that there is positive support and encouragement in the community. It has been a challenging and difficult few months and we ve been looking for the good wherever and whenever we can find it you provided such a bright spot for us. I am also so grateful that you ve been so helpful and supportive of the WINS Project*, the peers working there, and Caleb having a safe, welcoming home base has made things so much easier on everyone. Thank you and please pass our thanks along to everyone else at the church. Violet Umanetz, Manager of Outreach, Sanguen Health Centre *Working for Improved Neighbourhood Safety - WINS

3 nightlight has recently opened an adult drop-in centre at 47 Main Street in Cambridge and we're excited to see many people who live on the margins finding community with us. As we seek to show the love of Christ to those who are often shunned and neglected in our communities, we're asking you to prayerfully consider joining us this fall in the Ride for Refuge. The Ride for Refuge is a family-friendly cycling and walking fundraiser that supports charities who provide refuge and hope for displaced, vulnerable and exploited people everywhere. Since 2004, the RIDE has helped over 500 charities raise more than $14,000,000. The 2018 Ride for Refuge will be held on Saturday, September 29, 2018 and provides each participant the chance to: Ride up to 50km Walk, stroll or skip 5km Fundraise for a participating RIDE charity partner If your church has people who would like to join one of our teams or who would like to be a team captain for nightlight, they can search for a nightlight Cambridge team to join on the registration page or they may set up their own team to support nightlight Cambridge. Note: Participants must join a team for their fundraising to go to their charity. "Join nightlight Canada on Saturday, September 29, as we ride and walk to help the hurting, hungry and homeless in Cambridge. There will be lots of fun, food and prizes for all who participate! Go to to find a nightlight Cambridge team to join or to register yourself as a team captain for nightlight Cambridge. Note: Participants must join a team for their fundraising to go to their charity of choice. For more information, Teresa: churchengagement@nightlightcanada.com" We are so grateful for your support! With your help we will be able to open our doors three nights a week and most holidays to provide a safe place in Cambridge for those on the margins to find community, hope, and love in the name of Jesus. In Christ, Teresa Tsuji

4 ALZHEIMER COFFEE BREAK will be held during coffee hour on September 23. All proceeds will be designated to go to support the work of the Alzheimer Society of Waterloo Region. There will be an envelope in the bulletin that week for donations. All envelopes with name and address on will be receipted by the church. Your support in the past has been appreciated and your continued support is needed.

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6 SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SEPTEMBER Worship 10:00 a.m. Labour Day Public School returns On-call for pastoral emergencies: Pastor Janaki Bandara St. Peter s Cambridge: Breakfast at St. Pauls 9:00 a.m. Gathering Worship and Sunday School 10:00 a.m Women of Faith: Sleeping Mats 10:00 a.m. Gathering Worship Planning 7:00 p.m. Worship and Sunday School 10:00 a.m Council (one week early) 7:00 p.m. 49 ers (Seniors Group) 2:00 p.m. Gathering Worship Rehearsal 7:30 p.m. Doors to the Future Seminary Women s Auxiliary 9:30/10:00 a.m. Martin Luther University College (formerly Waterloo Lutheran Seminary) Breakfast at St. Pauls 9:00 a.m. Gathering Worship and Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Articles due for October CrossWords Alzheimer Coffee Break Women of Faith: Sleeping Mats 10:00 a.m. Possible Talent Night tba Worship and Sunday School 10:00 a.m. 30 OCTOBER Deans and Directors Retreat with Bishop