Highlights November 29, 2015

Transcription

1 Highlights November 29, 2015 North Shore Global Climate March Ann Echols, Simone and Jon Carrodus, Sandi Goldie, JoAn Maurer and Karl Ireland, members of the Highlands United Church Climate and Environment Action Group, work on posters they will be carrying over the Lions Gate Bridge on Sunday to raise support for action among global leaders at the Paris climate summit which starts on Monday. photo by Mike Wakefield, courtesy of the North Shore News 3255 Edgemont Blvd. North Vancouver, BC V7R 2P

2 Highlands Upcoming Events and Programs This list does not include rooms booked for outside rentals (Guides, AA, Alanon etc). Highlands Event Calendar can be viewed on our web site at: To book a room, contact the church office at: churchoffice@highlandsunited.org Sunday, November 29 9:30 am Welcome Café in the Welcoming Space 10:00 am Sunday Worship Service with John Pentland 11:15 am Newcomers Orientation, meet Colleen Blair in the Narthex 11:15 am Advent Chinese Lunch, Gym 11:15 am Bell Ringers, Room :15 am Q+A with John Pentland, Fireside Room 4:00 pm Advent Communion Service, Sanctuary or Chapel Monday, November 30 9:00 am Highlands Quilters, Choir Room 1:00 pm Prayer Shawl Ministry, Choir Room 7:00 pm Fiddler Rehearsal, Sanctuary & Room 201 7:00 pm Guitar for Fun, Faith Room 7:30 pm Badminton, Gym 7:30 pm Healing Hands, Chapel/Choir Room Tuesday, December 1 9:30 am Staff meeting 9:30 am ESL/ELL Beginner Class, Room 202 9:30 am ESL/ELL Class, Room 201 Wednesday, December 2 7:30 am Men s Breakfast, Eighties Restaurant 10:30 am Seniors Connection, Lower Hall 4:00 pm Tai Chi, Gym 6:30 pm Be You! Art Journaling Course, Room 202 7:00 pm Fiddler Music Rehearsal, Sanctuary/Room 201 Thursday, December 3 9:30 am ESL/ELL Class, Room 201 9:30 am ESL/ELL Beginners Class, Room :30 pm ESL/ELL Speakers Group, Room 201 5:30 pm Thursday Community meal, Gym 6:00 pm Genesis Too Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary 6:30 pm God s Free Spirits Choir Rehearsal, Choir Room 8:00 pm Spirit Singers Choir Rehearsal, Sanctuary Friday, December 4 7:00 pm F.L.Y. Youth Group, Courtyard/Youth Lounge 7:00 pm YAYA Fundraising Event, Welcoming Space Saturday, December 5 8:45 am Tai Chi, Gym 11:00 am Family Bank Rehearsal, Choir Room 1:00 pm Saturday Lunch, North Shore Neighbourhood House 3:00 pm BC Girls Choir Concert, Sanctuary Sunday, December 6 9:30 am Welcome Café in the Welcoming Space 10:00 am Sunday Worship Service with Sally McShane 11:15 am Newcomers Orientation, meet Colleen Blair in the Narthex 11:15 am Birthday Celebrations, Fireside Room 11:15 am Bell Ringers, Room 201 2

3 If we don't limit global warming to two degrees or less we are doomed to a period of unprecedented instability, insecurity and loss of species.... Our religious communi es must speak out on the issue. -- Bishop Desmond Tutu,

4 Fiddler on the Roof Gift Certificates Will be sold in the Welcoming Space after church this Sunday until noon, they make great Christmas Stocking stuffers! Gift Certificates will also be sold on the following dates: Nov 29, Dec 6, 13 and 20 Get your gift certificates NOW for Christmas. They will not be sold after December 20 th! 4

5 Family Band Time Again! Play a musical instrument? Coming to the Family Christmas event on Dec 13? Please consider playing in the Family Band, which is open to any and all comers who play above the beginner level (if you are a beginner, you will probably find this is more challenging than it is fun). If you would like to see the music ahead of time, it will be available by e- mail starting Dec 1, transposed into whichever key your instrument needs. If you would like to have a rehearsal, join me in the Choir Room on Saturday Dec 5 from 11 am to noon or so. Some new songs this year so if you think you've seen it all before, surprise! Questions? ask Geordie (geordie.roberts@highlandsunited.org) Christmas Hamper Ministry Coordinated by our kind and efficient Lora Gardner will again respond to requests for help in this Christmas season. People in the congregation and community can contact Lora, Sandi Parker or Colleen Blair directly on their own behalf or on behalf of someone they know needs assistance. This ministry is supported by the Spirit Singers, the Local Connections Committee and through individual donations. 5

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7 Church Calendars are on Sale NOW! Pick up a copy for only $5. Calendars available at the Action Table on Sundays or from the Church Office during the week.

8 Alex Wood has been the go to person for the last 2 years as the volunteer chair of the property committee and expert on the church boiler system. Alex himself said I can t sit still, so he channelled his retirement energy into the property committee at Highlands and for that we are very grateful. He describes himself as someone who can manage a little electrical, a little plumbing, a little boat building (in preparation for the next flood!) and a whole lot of tricks of the trade that he said he learned from his father who taught him everything! One of his legacies on the property committee has been a cost estimate and replacement spreadsheet that projects major infrastructure repairs and replacements until While Alex has now stepped down as Chair of Property, he will continue to provide support and information on the maintenance and operation of the boiler, so we stay warm and toasty on cool winter days. Always ready for fun, you may also catch a glimpse of Alex setting up his giant inflatables at the All Hallow s Eve party, or looking jolly, stout, and bearded at the preschool Christmas party! Thanks Alex for all you do for the Highlands community. Property Committee Volunteer Needs Are you a self proclaimed handy person? Can you fix squeaky hinges, install paper towel dispensers or capably weald a paint brush? Do you have a couple of hours a week free? Are you a recently retired trades person or someone newly trained seeking experience? If you can answer yes to these questions, then contact Dave Wilson, (dwilson4165@shaw.ca) Chair of the Property Committee or let Carol (churchoffice@highlandsunited.org) in the office know. We would love you to join the team of people who help keep this busy building in shape. 8

9 A Message from Highlands Ministry Profile and Search Committee: The MPS Committee has finished its consultative process, and the MPSC report is complete. This report was approved at the Leadership Board meeting on Thursday November 12, and now requires approval by the congregation as a whole. To that end, notice of a congregational meeting is hereby given for Sunday December 6 immediately following worship. Following congregational approval of this report, it will be forwarded to BC Conference for final approval and an immediate vacancy for a Lead Minister at Highlands United Church will be declared. A copy of the report will be available to the congregation in the week prior to the meeting. 9

10 Hasna Graduates from VCC Moving Ahead Program for new Canadians On Thursday some of us attended Hasna s graduation from VCC MAP Moving Ahead Program sponsored by SUCCESS for new immigrants a life skills and language program. She received a certificate of completion and gave a speech about her dream to learn to speak and write English and to get a job so she can bring her family to Canada. Congratulations Hasna! Highlands Contributions Report for Oct 2015 October actual - $38,400 October goal - $40,000 Year to date actual - $329,300 Year to date goal - $340,000 Can you help meet our offering goal? 10

11 Syrian Refugee Family Needs Help In response to the Syrian refugee crisis, all of the North Shore United Churches are working together to sponsor a family of seven. As a private sponsor group we will financially support this family for 12 months, and help with their English language learning skills and adapting to life in Canada. This is in effect a family reunification sponsorship since the father of the Syrian family has a brother who is a long-term Canadian resident living in the Lower Mainland, whose children are Canadian citizens. Here is a bit about the family from the point of view of the mother. Our life prior to the conflict was well settled. We had good jobs, a happy life and a nice home. My husband and I have four beautiful girls and a little boy. The children enjoyed school and our eldest was learning English. The civil war in Syria is complex, there are several conflicting factions fighting one another, this means it was dangerous for ordinary citizens like us. We felt compelled to abandon our home in northeastern Syria after several violent attempts by one faction to coerce my husband into fighting with them. In March 2015, we packed up what we could carry and found smugglers, whom we paid, to assist us to escape from Syria into Iraq. We travelled mostly at night, occasionally in unlit cars on unpaved roads, often on foot, through fields and along a trench to get through the border. We descended a treacherous mountainside and were ferried in small boats across a wide river. It was often terrifying; it was always risky. We have been living in a UN refugee camp since early spring; it is a very dirty and rough way of life. We are greatly encouraged and grateful that caring people are helping us to be reunited with my brother-in-law and his family in Canada. *In order to respect the family s privacy and security we are unable to publish names, ages and specific locations. Please consider making a donation. This Sunday, we will have special envelopes for donations (make cheques payable to Highlands United Church with a note indicating Syrian Refugee appeal). 11

12 Christmas Food Hampers for Saturday Lunch Guests Every Christmas, for the past 4 years, the Saturday Lunch team, with the help of others in the community, has given each of our guests a substantial hamper of food, toiletries, a hat, gloves and socks. We plan to do the same this year on December 19th. The items we include are listed below. We like all the gift bags to be the same, so if you are able to donate, please consider giving multiple items of the same thing. For example, last year, one donor gave all the chocolate bars, another, gave 20 cans of fruit. Some donors gave money so that we can purchase missing items, during the week before we give the hampers out. If you can be a donor please call Ruth Kershaw at or her at ruthkershaw@telus.net and tell her what you'll buy. She will keep a tally so we don't end up with 100 of one thing and none of another item. If you wish to donate money, please make the cheque payable to Highlands United Church noting Saturday Lunch Food Hampers. You can bring your donation to the church, clearly marked Saturday Lunch Hampers. We need all donations in by Sunday, December 13, but would be grateful to have them sooner. Blessings to you and your family for a wonderful Christmas. Wendy Grant, Dave and Judy Thomas, and Ruth Kershaw Items needed for each of the 65 gift bags: Cans of Salmon and Tuna, Cans of Chunky soup, Cans of Baked beans, Dry soup packages (Knorr, Lipton), Cans of fruit, Small Bottles of Jam, Kraft Dinner, Crackers, Boxes Cereal, Small Bottles Peanut Butter, Small chocolate bars, Small bottle instant coffee, Tea bags. 30 pairs dark Men s socks, 35 pair Women s socks, Touques, 30 Men s Black or navy Thinsulate, 35 Women s variety of colours; Gloves and mitts 30 dark, 35 variety of colours Shampoo-Conditioner (all in 1)350ml Home baking: Small Christmas cookies like shortbread or gingerbread. Please call Judy Thomas at

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14 Community Events Socks for First United Thank You! The recipients of the socks, the First United staff and the Highlands Local Connections Committee say a big THANK YOU to everyone who responded so generously to our Socks for First appeal pairs have been delivered to First United and we have more than that number to take over in the weeks ahead, so needed on the cold, wet days of winter. Your response has been amazing and truly appreciated. Other Needs: coffee mugs; men s small & medium tee-shirts, casual pants & casual shoes (in great condition!); Bars of soap; Towels, blankets & sheets! Also long underwear and leggings, sleeved casual shirts & sweatpants, mitts, gloves, scarves & winter hats, & heavy coats. Also winter boots and rain boots. Call or Jerri for more information: jerri.morrick@firstunited.ca Higher Ground Women s Ensemble Christmas Concert 14

15 Community Events Celtic Service Sunday, December 6 at 4 pm St. Andrew s United Church, 1044 St. George s Ave. North Vancouver. BC Girls Choir Benefit Concert Wintersong Saturday, December 5 th at 3:00pm at Highlands United Church. Proceeds to benefit Highlands Shelter to Home program. Handel s Messiah - A joy to perform, a joy to hear! The 120-voice choir of Capilano University is joined by a professional Baroque orchestra (Carolyn Cole concertmaster), and soloists soprano Heather Pawsey, countertenor Mark Donnelly, tenor Mark De Silva, and bass George Roberts. Lars Kaario conducts. Two performances at the BlueShore at Cap University: Sat Dec. 5 th, 8pm; and Sun Dec 6, 3pm. Tickets or To Light Higher Ground Women s Choir Concert Tuesday, Dec 8 th at 7:30 pm at Highlands United Church GLOW Seycove Secondary Concert Wednesday, Dec. 9 th at 7:00pm at Highlands United Church BC Girls Choir Concert - Lift the Wings Saturday, Dec. 12 th at 7:30pm at Highlands United Church Carson Graham Secondary Choir Concert Tuesday Dec. 15 th at 7:00pm at Highlands United Church Marcus Mosely Chorale Concert - Joy in my Soul Sunday Dec 20 th at 3:00pm at Highlands United Church Tickets available at 15

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