Dec 6, 2019
Hi folks:
It looks like the sun is making an effort to peal over the clouds and make an appearance. It won't take the chill away, but at least it will brighten up things a little. I don't know about you, but I sure could use a little sunshine in my life these days.
On Monday night we had another Faith Formation Session on Christmas Gifts That Won't Break. We looked at joy, something that is not always around, and sometimes very difficult to know, but our culture is focused on such big celebrations that we miss those precious moments of joy that God always tries to break into our lives, especially when we need it the most. I have several of those special moments hanging on my bulletin board behind the table I work at in the hall, and I put them there to remind me of the joy that does exist in my life. What are those special moments of joy for you? Recall them and hold them close.
On Tuesday afternoon our Bridge club met. We had two tables, and at the table I was playing at, our unfortunate friends on the opposite side were getting poor cards after the first two hands. It makes for a longer afternoon when that happens, but they will attempt to change their luck by switching up partners next time. In case you are interested in joining us, the next Bridge game will be Tuesday Dec. 17th at 2:00 pm.
On Tuesday night our Council met . We spent most of the evening preparing for a special educational event we will be presenting to the congregation in the New Year. I believe we are ready to proceed, so stay tuned, there will be more to come.
We also looked at our Financial situation. Our Treasurer reported that we are behind on our designated givings at this point of the year. You may be receiving in the near future some information about givings, and we would pray this information will help you with your own stewardship decisions towards our congregation and its ministry.
We also appointed a Nominating Committee to start the process of assuring we have the people we need next year to serve on Council and on our Committees. If you are interested in serving on our Council or on a committee of the church, please contact Paul Elford or Jean Mowat, our co-chairs, and they will pass your name on to the Nominating Committee. Please prayfully consider how you may wish to serve.
On Thursday morning I had a service at the Osgoode Care Centre. The facility always makes sure that these services are well attended, and since it is December, we sang Christmas carols. It really is a joy to see faces transform when they recognize the carol being played and start singing. It's like the person is whole once again, if only for the duration of the singing.
Today we have another Messy Church - our Christmas Version from 4 to 6 pm. Through story, crafts, and songs, we will explore the Christmas Story once more. It's not too late to come, so if you wish for your Family to have a wonderful time with the story of Jesus' birth today, come on out, we'd love to see you.
This Sunday we are focusing on Isaiah 11:1-12, the Peaceful Kingdom that the prophet describes. The prophet talks about a new spirit for the days to come, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and strength. It's a spirit that many in our congregation who are broken and hurting could use right now, so we will explore how we can bring this futuristic vision into our here and now.
This is also White Gift Sunday, so just a gentle reminder to bring in your Toques, mitts, gloves, scarves, woolly socks, etc for the In From The Cold Program to support the many people who could really benefit from your very warm and generous gifts. Thank you for all that you do to support our Outreach ministry. I look forward too seeing many of you tomorrow in church.
That's it for me folks.
Take care and God Bless.