Friday Message and what's coming

Friday Message

What's Coming!

September 20, 2019

Creation Time

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Rev. Kathi's Message

Although our days have been quite warm the past few weeks, fall arrives on Monday and the nights are cooling off. I have been turning on the fireplace in the evening, and even if it is not a “real” fire, it does warm up the room and I enjoy the extra light it casts.

In Scotland and Ireland, peat (a bit like turf) is still harvested from the bogs, dried and burned for fuel. When we travelled around Ireland six years ago, we were fascinated by the stacks of freshly harvested peat waiting beside the country roads. It keeps their homes warm and the food cooked. To save resources fires are not extinguished, rather they are “put to bed.” Peat fires are covered and smothered to keep the home warm overnight and to make it easy to stoke in the morning.

Like you, I have a lot of metaphorical fires that need to be tended. They aren’t the sort of fires I want to put out, rather things in life that need care and attention. When there are too many fires in life, I find myself feeling as if I am scrambling to keep them all tended. There are always some fires, I can let go cold. However, most of them honestly need constant care.

With a limited amount of energy, money, time, each fire we tend not only spends resources, it also takes up head space as we mentally track which ones may need an extra log. Instead of keeping ALL the fires burning, there may be some that could be “put to bed” for a time. Putting a fire to bed means assessing priorities, asking: Is this what I really want to do at this time in my life? Could they be moved to another week, month, year?

Realizing which commitments can be put to bed does not mean that we will never do the action again, rather it means we are lowering it on our priority list for now. Putting some of our fires to bed is not getting rid of them or ignoring them. It is creating margins in our lives. It is a shift of temporary priorities. It is deciding how many fires we can tend well, and which ones are the most important in this moment. It is creating healthy boundaries around all the things we are called to do.

Putting of few of our fires to bed frees us up to participate in our other commitments more fully, with more ease and with greater presence. We can be creative and spontaneous with the rest of our life. Everything can flow with movement and grace.

Some fires can be put to bed for a day, others for a week, a month or a year. Choose a fire or two, nestle it down, keep it warm, leaving it to be tended at another time. This practice will open space to be more present in the now.

Kathi

Orange Shirt Day:

Orange Shirt Day takes place on Monday 30 September. It is a time to recognize and remember all those who attended residential schools. Please consider wearing orange as a sign of your commitment to reconciliation, to take time to share with people why you are wearing orange, and to continue to advocate for the changes we need to make to achieve reconciliation.

Please feel free to wear an orange shirt to church on September 29, if you wish.

This Week at EMUC

Sunday September 22nd:

10:00 am: Worship led by Rev. Kathi

Time for all ages question:

"What does living a "peaceful life" mean to you? Is it something you desire?"

Epistle Lesson: 1 Timothy 2: 1-7

Gospel Lesson: Luke 1: 1-13

Message: "Being Faithful in Much"

Following service: EMUC Striders

Monday September 23rd:

Tuesday September 24th:

Wednesday September 25th:

2:00 pm: Circle of Friends

4:30 pm: Membership and Pastoral Care Committee

6:45 pm: Prayers and Communion

7:45 pm: Murder Mystery Planning Meeting

8:00 pm: Paul Marot (Rental Assist Team)

Thursday September 26th:

7:00 pm: Chancel Choir

Friday September 27th:

Saturday September 28th:

Next Sunday September 29th: Café Sunday-Table Talks

Service at 10 am. Rev. Kathi leads worship.

CLIMATE CHANGE

My Caribbean region is suffering the dire consequences of climate change! Unlike the large economies of the world, who are responsible for most of climate change, our small islands do not have the vast resources needed for rebuilding. My heart is breaking for my Caribbean sisters and brothers and the grandmothers, grandfathers and children of the Bahamas. Not only have people lost homes and businesses, many are enduring the agony of not being able to locate loved ones.

None of us living in the region or of the diaspora is at ease during the hurricane season because we do not know if/when our island will be hit with a storm such as Dorian or Irma (which in 2017 devastated Barbuda, the sister island of Antigua, and Tortola where many of my relatives reside).

Climate Change is real! World, we gotta do better! We have to take better care of the planet that has been entrusted to us.

Submitted by Dianne Hope

(Please note that if you would like to help with the United Church's relief and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, the cheques should be made out to the United Church of Canada.)

What's Coming!

CAFÉ SUNDAY – TABLE TALKS

When: September 29 ^th following the service for 1 hour

As a follow-up to our Asset Mapping exercise, this is an opportunity for you to share your thoughts on two questions about our faith. We hope you can join us for 1 hour. Your thoughts matter!

Coffee and sweets will be available.

EMUC BRIDGE CLUB - Season Kick-off

Come see what the group is all about, new members are most certainly welcome. On September 20 ^th players will meet in the lower hall, commencing 7:00 pm. Light refreshment will be on hand. Registration ($55/couple will be collected) and playing schedule will be circulated.

EMUC STRIDERS ( Leisure Hikes)

On September 22 ^nd the EMUC Striders will be exploring the Forks of the Credit, starting at the Belfountain Conservation Area, and hiking to the Willoughby Property with views of the Stonecutters Dam – Quarried stone used for Ontario Legislature and Toronto Old City Hall. Visit the following link for more information:

https://hikingthegta.com/2015/07/19/forks-of-the-credit-the-stonecutters-dam/

Car pooling will be arranged, however, note the following fees plus HST apply for general admission. CVCA members are exempt.

Adults: $5.75; Children (6-14): $2.65; Senior (60 and over): $4.43

Maximum charge per vehicle of up to 6 people: $23.90

Parking per vehicle on weekends and holidays: $10.00

Be sure to bring a water bottle and wear sturdy shoes!!

THE DEACON’S CUPBOARD IS RUNNING ONCE AGAIN

The Deacon’s Cupboard will be collecting winter coats this fall. They will be given to their clients that are in need of warm outer wear next winter. There is a special need for children's outerwear. I am sharing this information hoping over the summer you might ask neighbours and family if they have coats to donate. We will be collecting them in October. Please check all donations to be sure they are clean and in good repair. This notice gives you time to wash or dry clean them. Thanks, in advance for sharing the warmth and caring we have at Erin Mills United Church with those in our area that need warmth this coming winter.

MY YEAR OF LIVING SPIRITUALLY

An award-winning writer for Broadview magazine (formerly the United Church Observer ) has a new memoir out this fall that explores her experimental year of sampling more than 20 spiritual practices and also documents her journey away from fundamentalism to becoming "spiritual-but-not-religious."

My Year of Living Spiritually—From Woo-Woo to Wonderful: One Woman's Secular Quest for a More Soulful Life, will be published in October by Douglas & McIntyre. Anne Bokma, a longtime Broadview feature writer, wrote the magazine's "Spiritual But Secular" column for four years, which led to a yearlong blog called "My Year of Living Spiritually," now turned into a book.

'FUNDSCRIP' PROGRAM

FUNDSCRIP is an innovative fundraising program that asks you to purchase gift cards in order to pay for regular items you buy every month. A percentage of the cards purchased through FUNDSCRIP is donated back to our church.

Order forms for gift cards are available the last Sunday of every month. The next order date is September 29. Speak to Joanne Hines if you have any questions about the program.