WYMAN MEMORIAL & COTE ST. CHARLES UNITED CHURCHES HUDSON PASTORAL CHARGE NEWSLETTER FALL 2018 Johnson Oatman Jr. (1856 1922) wrote a hymn for which the chorus is: Count your blessings; Name them one by one. Count your blessings; See what God hath done. This is a time when we should pause and do so. We sometimes just nod our heads and agree: God, you have blessed us with plenty, and then get on with whatever we re busy with our e-mail, our cleaning, cooking the turkey, raking the leaves... But the writer of this hymn had a point: Count your blessings; Name them one by one. That means that we have to stop. Take a few minutes to consider our blessings. But. But sometimes there s stuff that s not so good in our lives. And sometimes there are writings seem shallow - that look like the writer expects our lives to be just perfect and wonderful with no troubles at all. Only sunshine. But Johnson Oatman Jr. did not think that way - I copied the chorus above, but here, for example, is just the first verse: 1. When upon life s billows you are tempest-tossed, When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done. https://www.lds.org/music/library/hymns/count-your-blessings?lang=eng&_r=1 He does not deny or minimize the realities of life. And when we look to the Bible, we find that is true as well. Whether we look to Paul s writings - he who was shipwrecked and imprisoned - or even to Jesus, we find people who speak to us out of real-life experiences. In the case of Jesus - do you remember him giving thanks? Look at this verse: Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." (Luke 22:19) In that moment, as he gave thanks, he was about to speak of his torturous death upon the cross. Giving thanks does not deny the reality of suffering in life. Giving thanks affirms that in all things God is with us, and, even in the difficult times, we know that we have been blessed. Count your blessings! Kent Chown, minister
Our Seasonal Calendar SUNDAY SERVICES Sunday Services are held at 10.30 a.m. in Wyman Church, with a special Children s Area welcoming children of all ages. Sunday October 7 Sunday October 14 Sunday October 21 Sunday October 28 Sunday November 4 Thanksgiving Sunday. Sacrament of Holy Communion. Worship Service World Food Sunday. Peace Sunday. Stewardship Luncheon All Saints Sunday. Sacrament of Holy Communion. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Committee Meetings: Wednesday October 10 Worship & Fellowship Meeting 7.30 p.m. Tuesday October 16 Property Committee Meeting 4.00 p.m. Thursday October 25 Stewardship & Finance Meeting 2.00 p.m. Tuesday October 30 Communications Meeting 11.00 a.m. Wednesday Nov. 7 Council Meeting 7.30 p.m. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 11 - Remembrance Day. The Cenotaph service at the Hudson Legion will be, exceptionally, in the morning this year, the 100th anniversary of the Armistice. It has been decided that we will therefore change our service time: we will have our service immediately following a luncheon. Exact times will be set by October 11. Welcome to children! We, as a congregation, love to see children on Sunday mornings in the church. Wyman Church has a special concern for children in faith which starts with welcoming them into the congregation, so with this in mind, we have a special Children s Corner at the back of the Sanctuary. NEW STUDY GROUP Beginning in October, we would like to gather for study together. YOU are invited to be a part of this group. Have you ever been involved in a study group at church before? If not... come along! When will it be? Well, that depends on people's availability. If you can, go on-line at www.wyman-hudson.ca/study. If that is not convenient, call the office with your preference(s) - 450-458-4912. Possible times are Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon, or Friday morning or afternoon. Please remember FUNDSCRIP is an easy way to fundraise by using gift cards for your everyday purchases (groceries, gas etc.) and Wyman receives 3-5% on these purchases. Special promotions are published each month in the United News.
STEWARDSHIP CAMPAIGN You will soon receive a stewardship letter and pledge form by mail. Please consider giving by PAR (Pre-Authorized Remittance) - it is an easy way for you to give to your church on a regular basis. We would appreciate the return of these Pledge Forms by the end of the month to facilitate the presentation of the budget for 2019. On Sunday October 28, you are all invited to a luncheon, sponsored by the Stewardship & Finance Committee and at the luncheon... EPICURE FUNDRAISER The United Church - worship and food are two of our hallmarks! th So... on October 28 we will gather for worship, then share our Stewardship Luncheon... and have the opportunity to order some more food items which are a fundraiser for the Congregation. In fact, the congregation retains 40% of all sales. Epicure is a company that sells high-quality ingredients (and other items) to help us create wonderful meals. What is for sale? Three awesome collections: (Prices include shipping & handling.) EXTRAORDINARY TRIO* PRICE: $25** Lemon Dilly Dip Mix 3 Onion Dip Mix CCB Dip Mix Extraordinary Cheese Dip Recipe Card WEEKNIGHT DINNERS PRICE: $20** Taco Mac & Cheese One Pot Pasta Pulled Chicken Cha Cha Chili HEALTHIER DESSERTS PRICE: $20** Chocolate Velvet Cheesecake Mix Chocolate Pudding Mix Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie Mix th On October 28 we will, during the Luncheon, share samples from the Extraordinary Trio and the Healthier Deserts. We ll take your orders. AND we will give to you order forms to be returned Sunday, November 11, or before. That way you can get orders from your friends and neighbours anyone who likes to eat! Payment is by cheque or cash (or tap for orders made at the church, up to your tap limit (usually 100$)). Delivery is expected no later than Sunday, November 25. Which means that these sets can make an excellent Christmas Gift - one that you don t need to worry about adding clutter or collecting dust on a giftee s shelf because they will get used and enjoyed! EPICURE S PRODUCTS ARE: 100% gluten free produced in a nut-free facility sugar and sodium conscious mostly Non-GMO Project verified Kosher Check certified made with whole foods For more info: epicure.com
Fall Book Sale - October 26 and 27 Friday 6 to 9 p.m. & Saturday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. A large selection of fiction, non-fiction, reference, children s, special books and magazines (eg. National Geographic, Smithsonian, etc.) available at lowest prices. This is a great chance to stock up on your fall and winter reading Don t miss this popular event! Should anyone wish to donate books and/or jigsaw puzzles to the Wyman Outreach Mega Book Sale either put in the bin provided outside or make arrangements with the office at 450-458-4912 between 9am and noon, Tuesday to Friday. Should anyone wish to volunteer time to make this Book Sale another success, please see the sign up sheets at the back of the church or call Inga at 450-242- 2893. Set-up starts at 9 a.m. on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 at 9 a.m. We also require help at the end of the sale on Saturday starting at 2:00 p.m. to box the unsold materials and put them away until the spring sale. Any help would be graciously accepted. All proceeds to go to local and overseas outreach projects. Thank you for your undying support. We couldn't do it without you! Proceeds from events such as the Book Sale enable the Outreach Committee to disperse funds twice a year. In July, the following charities, foundations etc. received donations: Le Pont Bridging V-D Palliative Care Residence Grannies Aid for Africa Hébergement La Passerelle St. Columba House Concordia Chaplaincy, Girl Guides of Canada Scouts Canada ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Calendars for 2019 Celebrate faith, hope, and love with United Churches across Canada! Along with colourful photos, this handy calendar notes special days and church seasons, liturgical seasons and colours, significant United Church days, and lectionary dates. It's also bilingual. Call the Church office or sign up if you would like to purchase a calendar for 2019. Price $6.00 each.
All Saints Day will be celebrated on Sunday November 4. On this Sunday you are invited to light a candle in memory of a loved one. Please advise the church office if you wish to participate. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ We all look forward to our choir s Christmas Candlelight Concert on Sunday evening, December 16. We thank all those who support our church by hosting coffee hours, ushering and reading on Sundays, singing in the choir, placing flowers in the sanctuary, collecting used stamps, plastic bread ties and canned drinks openers, baking for receptions, washing dishes and all the things that make the church a lively, friendly place to be! We give special thanks to Rachel Cobden who beautifies the narthex with her seasonal displays. Check out the website www.wyman-hudson.ca and Face Book to keep in touch with what is going on at Hudson Pastoral Charge. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~