EMUC   
  Friday Message & 
                       Upcoming Events
 January 8, 2016
IN THIS ISSUE
  About EMUC

Vision:
EMUC is a thriving Spirit-filled congregation: Diverse, inclusive,and engaged with the community and creation

Mission:
The mission of Erin Mills United Church is to offer opportunities for all persons to experience the love of God through Jesus Christ.


QUICK LINKS


Welcome to EMUC's weekly message along with information about oingoing events in the life of the congregation.  During this Epiphany Season, green is the designated colour signifying the the ever widening and growing circle of those who are touched by the compassion and teaching of Jesus.  
 

Inspiration for a New Year

During my first week back at EMUC following the Christmas holidays, I officiated at a funeral.  More often than not, I find that the New Year begins with a funeral service.  A quick check into the church's funeral register showed that between 2009 and 2016, I've officiated at a January funeral during five of those years. Although this may be a sobering way to begin a new year, I also find that it helps to put things in perspective. Often, I find that New Year's resolutions are fed by a culture of narcissism.  We're overwhelmed with advertising promoting the best diet or fitness regime that will give us a better looking body.  We're challenged to achieve a variety of personal goals that will make us smarter, richer and more successful.   There is so much focus on 'me'!
 
When I meet with family members to prepare for the funeral of a loved one and when I listen to their stories and eulogies of their mother, father, brother, sister, wife, husband, or child, I am reminded that we are nothing without each other; that the bonds of love and the strength of our relationships with people are what matter most.  For it is our loving relationships that ground us and root us in life and give our lives meaning and purpose.  At the time of death, we are reminded of how important it is to cherish and value these relationships each and every day.  As we come face to face with human mortality and the fragility of life, we are reminded of how misguided and foolish it is to withhold love, postpone reconciliation and harbour a grudge. 
 
Each year, the New York Times invites readers "to contribute a photograph and a story of someone close to them who died this year." This is posted on line in a feature called "The Lives They Loved." If you go to this link, http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/storywall/the-lives-they-loved-2015
you can click on any photograph and read a short story about the person pictured, written by someone who loved them.  

In the course of reading a number of the stories, I laughed out loud and was moved to tears.  I've been inspired by the way in which 'ordinary' lives have been extraordinary in their impact on others.  I've been reminded that even in this troubled world of pain and suffering, war and oppression, that human beings, at our core, are made to love one another...and in loving one another, we love the God who created us and loved us into being.
 
I offer a few excerpts from the stories posted on the New York Times, 'The Lives They Loved.'  May they inspire us as we journey through 2016.
 
Will treated everyday as a gift, and it is this attitude, and way of life, that keeps us going. This is his true gift to us all.
 
Michael taught me how to love living and live loving. He did both so beautifully.
 
Although I was more than 1,000 miles away from her, my mom always made sure to call me every morning, wishing me a great and blessed day. My heart misses her every second of the day. She was my best friend, my confidant, my healer, my protector, my everything. As I miss her I think of all the strength she had. She truly conquered the disease never letting it stop her from her dreams and endeavors. I simply hope the story of my mom helps someone else do the same.
 
My mother was the only person I have ever met who did not judge others: no one, ever. At the informal memorial we held for her last week, it was something most people mentioned, together with her ability to make everyone she spoke with feel valued. Despite having grown up in small towns in the Midwest, the daughter of a minister, she had an extraordinarily open mind when it came to taking on the world.
 
His stroke also awakened a tender side. Tears of joy and gratitude were common, especially around the grandkids. Watching him play with them reminded us that the little things matter, and to be more accepting, more giving, more kind.
 
You were 43, and yet you seemed timeless in your ability to love us all.
 
Peace, Kathy Toivanen
 
This Week at EMUC

Sunday at 10 am:  Worship with Communion
Sunday at 12:30 pm:  Meeting of Joint Needs Assessment Committee

Wednesday at 2 pm:  Circle of Friends Women's Group

Wednesday at 6:45 pm:  Communion and Prayers Worship Service

Thursday at 6 pm:  EMUC hosts drop-in dinner at Open Door, Square One

Upcoming Events

Sunday Striders Hiking Group
On Sunday January 17, come and  explore the trails leading to the Adamson Estate, which is a 14 acre waterfront park located east of Port Credit. The grounds and gardens are open to the public while the main house is occupied by the Cawthra-Adamson Division of the Royal Conservatory of Music. 
Dress according to the weather.
Plan to eat your own bag lunch prior to carpooling from EMUC at 12:15PM. Plan to return by 2:30PM.   Drivers will head for Lakeview Promenade and park in the first lot after the maintenance yard. 

End of Life Planning Workshop
A panel discussion focusing on end-of-life care, facing death and planning for funerals and memorial services will take place at EMUC on Saturday, January 30, from 9:30 a.m. until noon.  Cathy Kiteley, Advance Practice Nurse: Clinical Nurse Specialist at Trillium Health Partners will speak about palliative care and caring for people at the end of life.  Kathy Toivanen will reflect on the Christian perspective on death and dying and the key elements of a Christian funeral. John Wittingstall, Director, Turner & Porter, Neweduk- Erin Mills Chapel, will address issues of planning for a funeral or memorial service. Time will be allotted for questions following the panel presentation.  Materials for end-of-life planning will also be available.  Please register by signing up on bulletin board or by emailing kathy@emuc.ca.  This event is open to the wider community.

Book Discussion group:  'Open Heart, Open Mind'
You are invited to participate in a discussion group based on Canadian Olympian, Clara Hughes' recently released book focusing on her personal experiences of living with depression. Participants may choose between two evening or morning sessions: Wednesday evenings, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., on February 3 and 10 or Friday mornings, 10 am - noon on February 5 and 12. Registration fee: $25 which includes a hardcover copy of the book. Please register with Kathy Toivanen via email (Kathy@emuc.ca) by January 17th to enable adequate time for ordering books. If you wish to purchase your own book or borrow from the library, the registration is $5

'Bunch for Lunch'
You are invited to join interested EMUC folk for lunch after worship on Sunday January 31, at Symposium, located at 3055 Dundas Street West, in the Starsky Plaza. Each person pays for their lunch. We will have an area reserved for us and plan on meeting there for 11:45. To facilitate reserving seats, please sign-up on the bulletin board at EMUC and indicate if you require transportation. These lunches, at different venues near the church, will take place every four to six or so weeks. Questions?? Contact Sandy Hayes @ 905 820 4437.

Refugee Sponsorship
Erin Mills United Church is in the process of partnering with Erindale United and Streetsville United to sponsor a refugee family under the guidance and direction of the United Church of Canada. While the three Churches have committed to raising a total of $40,000, the portion committed to by Erin Mills United is $15,000. An appeal will be officially launched soon to raise this amount. If you would like to contribute to this initiative, please make the cheque payable to Erin Mills United Church and clearly indicate that it is for refugee sponsorship.
Contacts: Hermine Bingham, Muriel Hamdani, Debby Sturgeon, Dianne Hope, Catharine Watts or Lorraine Brignall.

 
Contact Us:

Peter Kiteley, Office Administrator
office@emuc.ca
Erin Mills United Church