Ralph Connor Memorial
United Church
Weekly
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Friday, September 25, 2020
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FOR THIS WEEK'S WORSHIP Sunday September 27
@ 11:00 AM
LIVE AND IN PERSON!
at the Millennium Park Ball Diamond, 5 Ave at 1 St
In honour of Orange Shirt Day (see below) you are invited to wear orange!
The scripture for this Sunday is Psalm 118 click here~ .
In preparation for this week's service: think of an outdoor place that is special to you: a favourite place in nature, or perhaps a place with strong emotional connection (family homestead, etc.) and bring those thoughts with you on Sunday.
Thank you in advance to the planners and day-volunteers who will make this service happen, safely. We also thank our music team this week: Chantalle Maundy, keyboard; Tanya Sullivan and Dave Somerville, vocals.
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Please Note
- Bring your own chair
- Apply 2 metre physical distancing between households
- Bring your own face mask and hand sanitizer (though we will have supplies available)
- Prepare to be "signed in", as we are expected to keep an attendance list
- Bring plenty of sunshine and cheer with you!... and... be prepared for the elements (sun screen and sun hat, and/or an umbrella and many layers of fleece!!)
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If you are feeling unwell, particularly with cold symptoms, or if you've been in recent direct contact with someone with COVID-19, or have been travelling out of the country in the past 14 days - please stay home & we'll see you next time
- Congregational singing is not allowed. However, the service will have music you can clap to, sway, move and hum along!!
- There will be the opportunity to drop off offering envelopes on-site
- We do have access to the public washrooms by the diamond, if needed
One final note: There is no pressure on anyone to attend, if you do not yet feel ready for in-person gatherings… each of us will make these decisions based on our comfort level!!
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Your opinion matters...
A survey to help us plan future "in-person"
Worship services, please complete
no later than September 30th. Thank you!!!
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PLANS FOR OUTDOOR WORSHIP IN OCTOBER
We look forward to seeing you at the Ball Diamond this Sunday, September 27. Plans are in the works for one more outdoor service, on Thanksgiving Sunday, October 11… so long as we can get enough volunteers on a holiday weekend. Stay tuned!
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CHILDREN'S CHURCH
SPECIAL NOTICE
"Faith at Home" packages have been developed by the United Church of Canada's Pacific Mountain Region (in BC), to help families share, engage, and create with the stories of the Bible. Our intention is to mail these, upon request, to households-with-children who did not pick them up at the Ball Diamond. We hope that you will enjoy this resource - it is so nice to have a resource produced in Western Canada by the United Church!!
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I f you have a prayer concern to be shared in our Tuesday "Morning Prayer" or our Mon-Fri Healing Pathway Prayer Circle, please email Val Goodrow at v.goodrow@me.com and Rev. Greg Wooley at minister@ralphconnor.ca.
We request that the person gives consent to have their name mentioned in prayer as privacy/confidentiality is of utmost importance. We also would appreciate knowing when the situation changes and we can release them from our prayers or update the prayer to a changing need.
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FUNDING OUR MISSION
a Message from your Stewardship Committee
Ralph Connor Memorial United Church's Mission as a Church Community is:
• to nurture the spiritual exploration and growth of all our members and adherents;
• to be an intentionally inviting Christian community that seeks, welcomes and embraces new members;
• to reach out and become an agent for social justice in our neighborhood and in the global community.
A heartfelt thank you to RCMUC friends for your generosity during these challenging times. We continue to receive an outpouring of kindnesses and generosity for our local needs and Mission & Service, which helps us to pay our ongoing expenses, and to reach out to others in our community and around the world.
As always, donations may be made by letter mail, by eTransfer to office@ralphconnor.ca, or by the “donate now” button on the RCMUC website, or by Pre-Authorized Remittance (links for “Donate Now” and PAR are found at the bottom of this Newsletter).
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The Three Sisters will be reaching out to you again — from a safe distance — for Pledgefest in October.
Watch the newsletter.
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Ongoing Ministries
& Community Programs
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Canmore Young Adult Network - CYAN
Yoga at the Opera House is back!
We invite you back to the Spring Creek Opera House for our weekly community yoga class!
We will be offering a community class for everyone to enjoy from 7-8pm every Wednesday starting Sept 23rd. Class is by donation to help cover the costs of the rental space & our insurance.
Things will be slightly different as we adapt to new circumstances.
- Everyone is asked to wear a mask inside the facility while signing in & can remove once at your mat. You do not need to practice with your mask on.
- Everyone is required to sign in upon entry & sanitize their hands.
- We cannot use our community mats at this time. Please bring your own mat/towel/blanket to use for practice.
- Class size will be limited to maintain the proper distance between each participant
- Doors will open at 6:45 pm
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Community Food & Friends
Until significant gatherings are allowed again, Food & Friends is operating a FREE dinner delivery service on Mondays, with meals prepared by The Iron Goat restaurant. Register for meals by email at foodandfriends2020@gmail.com. The final Thursday meal was on August 27th, thank you to everyone who helped expand this ministry in those weeks of greater need.
Climate Action in the Park
Officially launched Sunday, August 8th, and will continue each week until the end of September, weather permitting. Bow Valley Climate Action will be present Sundays from 5:00-7:00 PM at Riverside Park to discuss specific issues related to climate change with anyone who wishes to engage in the subject. All perspectives are welcome to the discussion, with a different focus each week.
ONGOING ADAPTATIONS
COVID-19 GUIDELINES at RCMUC
Our understanding of COVID, and regulations regarding safe practices, continue to evolve. RCMUC Council, in consultation with our Emergency Planning Team, has developed a set of guidelines to help us safely use the Church building - for renters, user groups, meetings, and, eventually, in-person Worship gatherings. They also cover outdoor gatherings.
These guidelines take into account the Town of Canmore bylaw click here~.
The United Church of Canada guidelines click here~, the many "Alberta BizConnect" sector guidelines click here~, as well as our understanding of how our building "works."
The current version of our RCMUC guidelines are posted at click here~. This is a "living document" which will be revised on an ongoing basis. Each time it is updated, the date will be noted in the document footer, and the changes from the prior version will be clearly indicated.
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Evolving Faith
Maybe you’ve been searching for answers at the intersections of faith, justice, belonging, scripture, church, and life. Your certainties have been disappearing and now you find yourself curious about God in a way that feels equal parts exciting and terrifying. You’re ready to reimagine, to rebuild, and even resurrect a faith that works not only for you but for the whole messy and good world.
"Evolving Faith" is an online event featuring presenters such as Neichelle Guidry, Nadia Bolz-Weber and Barbara Brown Taylor. October 2 and 3, register at https://evolvingfaith.com/register
Expansive Spirituality
"Expressing Wonder" is a Zoom event of Expansive Spirituality, hosted by Southminster-Steinhauer UC in Edmonton from Oct 2 to Oct 4. Presenters include Ali Abukar and Ernie Louttit of Saskatoon, and Greta Vosper of Toronto is one of the leaders of the Sunday morning Spiritual Gathering. Registration is $75, more info at https://ssucedmonton.com/expressing-wonder-2020
+ there are many more Learning & Celebration events listed in "Robin's Web", below.
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St. Andrew's College, Saskatoon is holding a "No Gala Gala" online fundraising event: Tannis Schmidt, St. Andrew’s College musician, and Principal Richard Manley-Tannis as they engage in a conversation with Tannis’ music, September 29 at 4:00 MDT. Tickets are $100 at ·
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"Because of the uncertainty of the Covid-19, your golf committee has decided to cancel this year’s Nine and Dine golf tournament usually held in September.”
a Message from your Nine & Dine Host Joyce Chilcott
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Many thanks to Robin Slater for offering "Robin's Web" as a feature in our Newsletter, as part of our efforts to be a more broadly inclusive Community of Faith.
ROBIN'S WEB
CONNECTING DIVERSITY
We are living in the "Days of Awe", the time in Jewish tradition between Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Rosh Hashanah literally means "head of the year” but the biblical name for this holiday is Yom Teruah which means "day of shouting or blasting". And with new protocol’s, new school years, newly released energy and new visions, all the new offerings are blasting my head apart in anticipation. Fall may be short but it is exciting……
New Wine: Western Intercultural Ministry Network Online Gathering. Join on Fridays, September 25, October 2 and October 9, 2020, for a cross-Canada gathering of people living out the United Church’s intercultural vision. Rev. Dr. Eric Law and Tony Snow will be the lead resource people. click here~
This week is International Basic Income Week! click here~ Moderator Richard Bott has written to elected officials encouraging them to seize the moment to roll out a guaranteed livable income click here~. Bott has produced a video: Now is the time to call for a Guaranteed Livable Income click here~.
The Rev. Susan Eagle (Chair of Shining Waters Social and Ecological Justice Commission), has also written a prayer lifting up the call for a Guaranteed Livable Income. Click here for more.
All of October is End Poverty Month 2020
BLACK LIVES MATTER. INDIGENOUS LIVES MATTER It’s time to talk. We are here to speak on the movement and why it is necessary in Alberta. Sunday, September 27th, from 3-5 PM register here~
Mark Orange Shirt Day Sep 27 “in” church and Sep 30, when people all across Canada will wear orange shirts to remember and honour Indigenous children who were sent to residential schools right around this time of year. Indigenous Ministries and Justice at The United Church of Canada asks you to participate in Orange Shirt Day! Learn how you can mark Orange Shirt Day in your community of faith, home, school, or place of work. click here~
The St. Paul’s Circle of Indigenous Friends and Advocates in Bowmanville, Ontario has organized a concert and an online speaker’s series in honour of Orange Shirt Day. The series begins Friday, September 25 and will be followed the next day by a conversation between Senator Murray Sinclair, Chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and Dr. Lee Maracle, an award-winning author, Indigenous knowledge keeper, and historian. The series will continue on Wednesdays through October with a series of diverse Indigenous speakers, and wraps up with Jesse Thistle, Métis-Cree author of the award-winning bestseller From the Ashes. All events will be recorded and made available to registrants for two weeks following each webinar. register here~
National Seniors Day is October 1. Canadians can join in celebrating older adults across Canada - whether a parent, a co-worker, a neighbour or a friend. click here~
Banff Pride Week Oct 4-11 There's a great calendar: click here~. One of the first events of the week: Rundle Memorial United Church will hold a virtual Affirming Celebration on October 4th at 10 AM, as they become the 34th United Church Congregation (Community of Faith) designated as an Affirming Ministry in this province. You can view the celebration here.
The hell that is remote learning, explained in a comic, for the new-learning-school-year. Here’s what one week of online school is like for comic Aubrey Hirsch’s 7- and 5-year-old kids. click here~
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OFFICE CONTACTS
The Church building remains closed, other than periodic office use. Emails and phone messages will be retrieved Tuesday-Thursday; if you have any questions about accessing the Church building, please contact Trish (see below).
If you would like to have a safe-distance get-together with Greg, please send him an email at minister@ralphconnor.ca and he’ll set up a time and place.
Note: You may still use letter mail via Canada Post, or drop mail off at the church side entrance. Mail is picked up and distributed regularly.
Administration: Trish Campney
Minister: Rev. Greg Wooley
Music Director: Tanya Sullivan
To print a
Preauthorized Remittance Form
To make a donation to RCMUC through the
"Canada Helps" organization
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Ralph Connor Memorial United Church
617 Main Street, Canmore, Alberta, T1W 2B1
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