The Spirit North Kildonan United Church

Transcription

1 The Spirit North Kildonan United Church February 2018 At the beginning of each new year, experts give their predictions about the economy, politics, weather, and a host of other topics. Will there be war or peace? poverty or prosperity? progress or stagnation? People everywhere are hoping that this year will be better than last, but no one knows what will happen. There is, however, something we can be certain about. Someone suggested that when we ask if the world will get better or worse, the answer is Yes, to both! Paul told Timothy, In the last days perilous times will come; evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them (2 Timothy 3:13-14). The Word of God instructs, corrects, and encourages us as we follow God s path. As the spiritual darkness of our world grows deeper, the light of Christ shines more brightly through all those who know and love Him. Jesus is our joy and hope today, tomorrow, and forever! Let us rejoice for all the wonderful events of the past year and continue to pray for tolerance, transformation and peace in the months ahead. Loving God, there is much darkness and temptation in this world. Take our hands and lead us out of the shadows of fear. Change our hearts, bring us truth, and help us to respond to your generous love. Help us to recognize the fullness of your love, and free us from the darkness with your light, your son Jesus Christ who shines in our lives today and always. Amen.

2 Christmas at NKUC was celebrated with twinkling lights on Christmas trees, beautiful banners adorning the walls and the manger scene reminding us of the reason for the season. On December 17, the children and youth of our congregation presented a heartwarming story called Nine Cheers for Christmas. Special thanks to Wilma and Robin and all the children and youth for their enthusiastic participation. After the service, a delightful Christmas party was held complete with Santa and goody bags for all. To highlight the party atmosphere, the congregation was asked to wear their ugly Christmas sweaters. Wow! What an interesting array of colours, shapes and logos. Well done! Throughout the Christmas season we are always blessed with special music from our choir. This year they did not disappoint presenting a lovely cantata called Morning Star. Thank you is extended to Joan and the choir for lifting your voices in songs of praise. Our congregation demonstrated their generous spirit in donations for the Christmas Cheer Board; mittens, hats and scarves for West Broadway Community Ministry and donations to the Puerto Rico disaster fund. Thank you To: North Kildonan United Church Brian Bowman Mayor Congratulations on the unveiling of your Accessibility Project. Expanding the use of your facilities and providing barrier-free access to the church building for your congregation and others in the community who can now use and rent the facilities was a wonderful goal. For everyone in our city, no matter their age or ability, projects like yours illustrate that planning for accessibility is a key part of creating a foundation for active citizenship. And each year, we take another small step towards a barrier-free city for all Winnipeggers. Winnipeg is a growing and thriving city - well on our way to a million people - and proving barrier free access to services is an important part of making our city more welcoming to everyone who wants to settle here and raise their families. Projects like yours, and a continued focus by all of us on greater accessibility, are integral to making Winnipeg a better and more inclusive place for everyone to live in and be proud to call home. Please accept my warmest wishes on your successful fundraising and great project. I would also like to wish your congregation and community a healthy and happy holiday season. Sincerely, Brian Bowman, Mayor The City of Winnipeg

3 Manitoba is renowned for finding worthwhile winter activities to stay busy with when the outside temperature dips below -30C. There are toboggan slides, ice-skating, cross-country skiing and, of course, curling. But members of NKUC came up with their own unique frost-bitten challenge in mid- January. How many crock-pots of chili can be crammed into two sub-compact sized vehicles? The correct answer is 18, along with about 15 dozen buns and hundreds of home-baked cookies. Once this remarkable feat was accomplished, a half-dozen hardy souls ventured out to the West Broadway Ministry where these delectable items were served to over a hundred shivering guests. Just as the chili filled the stomachs and warmed the bodies of these amazing folks who survive each day with so little, serving this muchneeded lunch warmed the hearts of those of us privileged to participate in this wonderful activity. We were truly moved by the respect and gratitude shown by the guests at West Broadway. It is humbling to experience the resilience of these folks who overcome daily struggles with marginal housing, uncertainty about meals and personal crises which would devastate most of us. Yet this West Broadway community is able to come together as a community with bountiful good humour and unfailing support for one another. And how many people did those 18 pots of chili serve? No fewer than 121 individuals feasted on the luncheon of chili, buns and cookies. Then after all those had eaten, we provided the opportunity to come back for seconds. Most took advantage of our offer on this bitterly cold day, resulting in all the buns and cookies and most of the chili being gobbled up (the dregs of chili left over was to be a key ingredient in the soup to be served the next day). We estimate that about 200 bowls of chili were served altogether. What an amazing experience! We are thankful to all those who prepared pots of chili, baked cookies and supplied buns, along with those who served our guests at West Broadway and we are particularly grateful to God for providing us this opportunity to be of service to others whose needs are so great, but who expect so little. Forget the snow and cold, forget the gray sky, forget the coats and boots; we have Sunny Sunday at NKUC. The congregation gathered on Sunday, January 29 th for an old fashioned picnic. Delicious picnic food (no ants), bright coloured outfits, and amazing summer hats (is that a bird on your hat Betty?) completed the morning. And how amazing to come out of the church to a bright and sunny afternoon. Makes one think of lawns, gardens, plants, plant sales!

4 1JustCity Has A New Logo! 1JustCity is an organization founded by four member charities that came together as one to vision a city that was more just and we re so pleased that our new logo, donated by graphic designer Santiago Tovar reflects our work. 1JustCity s work supports over 700 individuals weekly and is focused on four actions; loving the under loved working toward reconciliation growing individual s capacity building inclusive communities Across our four sites we have over 40 programs whether it s literacy, art, or music all oriented towards people creating an identity for themselves that is not rooted in poverty. For too many, poverty is all they see in themselves and, for too many others, their traumas and barriers get in the way of seeing themselves as having worth. 1JustCity is an organization that supports four outreach sites in Winnipeg s core neighborhoods: West Broadway, the North End, the West End and Osborne Village. Our services include meal programs, emergency food, haircuts, showers, laundry, toiletries, and clean undergarments. North Kildonan United supports 1JustCity through our connection with West Broadway Community Ministry. The Conference of Manitoba & Northwestern Ontario invites delegates to attend the Annual General Meeting of Conference on May th at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Delegates from NKUC include Del Sexsmith, Sheron Miller, Marc Whitehead, Doris Quinn and Jack Armstrong. Please see the letter below from Conference cochairs with a special invitation. (content edited for space). Your congregation is invited! It is our pleasure to extend an invitation to everyone in your congregation to join in the final worship service for the Conference of Manitoba & Northwestern Ontario Sunday May 27th, The 92nd Annual Meeting for the Conference of Manitoba & Northwestern Ontario May 24th 27th, 2018, at the University of Manitoba will be the final full gathering of our Conference. As of January 2019, our Presbyteries and Conferences will dissolve and Regions will come into being (assuming the remits are ratified by GC 43). This final Sunday morning service will be a celebration of ministry, as well as a time of remembrance and final farewell as a conference. It will indeed be a special celebration of the Conference s past as well as the shift into a new structure for the future. There is seating for over 800, so yes there is room. Watch for more information on the Conference website as the time gets closer. Please plan to join the wider church to make worship on May 27th truly a service of celebration and remembrance for the whole Conference. Yours in faith, Betty Kelly, President, Sherri McConnell & Beth Rutherford, Co-chairs

5 News from the pews... - Feeling better and out of hospital are Angela Munro, Kay Church, Janet Nicholson, Margaret Charles, Whitney Welling, Greg Miller (Teresa Richardson s father) - Our sympathies go to Noreen Scott on the loss of her sister-in-law and Patti Bews mourning the loss of her mother. - There have been many visits to our shut-ins, several of whom are struggling with colds or the flu. Get well wishes to Ellen Miles and Ruth Robertson who are in hospital. You are in our thoughts and prayers and we wish you all the best. Recently Peggy & Peter delivered approximately 100 items (bonnets, blankets, etc.) to St. Boniface Hospital to be used for the nursery, children, etc. Peggy says they are now focusing their energy on knitting bonnets for the preemies and mitts for the mitten tree. Thank you knitters! Congratulations to Sylvia Banfield on the birth of a great granddaughter, Ellen Miles on the birth of a great grandson and Richard and Heather Boroski on the birth of a great grandson born to Russ and Brandi (Schenk) Martin. Our name tag boxes are now located at the back of the sanctuary. Please remember to wear your name tags. This is a great way for newcomers to ask questions about our church. It s also a way for the congregation to get to know each other better. Proceeds from Toonie Sundays go to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Please see thank you letter below. Thanks for donating to the Rohingya Crisis Appeal Your gift will enable us to help people like Safiri. She arrived at a refugee camp in Bangladesh after walking for four days with her children. Fearful and despondent, she said that all 3,000 houses in the village had been burned to the ground and her husband had been shot. Safiri is safe now, and she and her family have received food. But the trauma she and others have experienced is enormous. And every day more refugees arrive at the camp, which is already overcrowded and lacking in water and basic sanitation. The Rohingya have experienced incredible trauma says Foodgrains Bank board chair Ken Kim. They are exhausted, hungry and in desperate need of basic support. Thanks to all who donated to provide them with food at this terrible time. The Foodgrains Bank is sending assistance to people like Safiri through two food relief projects worth $1 million. Thanks for your gift to make this possible! John Longhurst, Director, Resources & Public Engagement

6 Dates to Remember Please watch the weekly Church News for details February 11 February 12 February 13 February 18 March 2 March 3 March 4 March 10 March 11 March 18 March 25 March 29 March 30 April 1 April 15 April 21 April 22 May 6 May 13 May May 27 June 3 June 10 June 17 Annual General Meeting of North Kildonan United Church UCW Meeting 1:30 p.m. guest speaker from Munroe Pharmacy Pancake Supper at Atlantic Garden City UC 5 p.m. Pancake Brunch at NKUC video presentation featuring Bear Clan founder James Favel World Day of Prayer 7 p.m. McIvor Mennonite Church Dinner and concert at NKUC with music by B Side Apostles Third Sunday of Lent Curling bonspiel with Atlantic Garden City United at West St. Paul Curling Club Fourth Sunday of Lent Fifth Sunday of Lent Irish Stew Luncheon (tentative) Palm Sunday Maundy Thursday Good Friday worship service at 10 a.m. Easter Sunday Communion service 10 a.m. Joyful Singers Concert (tentative) Breakfast at Applebee s tickets available soon Earth Day Outreach & Mission worship service Toonie Sunday Mother s Day Christian Family Sunday Annual General Meeting of the Conference of Manitoba & Northwestern Ontario at the University of Manitoba Worship service at the University of Manitoba all are welcome Toonie Sunday Celebration Sunday Father s Day Editor s Note: We are looking for articles or pictures about our church or church family. If you would like to share a story about a trip or activity you or your family were involved in, please consider our newsletter. We would love to hear about recent accomplishments or happenings in our church family. Contact Sheron at miller01@mymts.net or call the church office at Thank you to the following who contributed to this newsletter: Peter Latimer Sheron Miller Marvelle McPherson