Friday Message

What's Coming!

October 30, 2020

Ordinary Time

Social media has been reminding me all month that this weekend could be a perfect storm: Hallowe’en, a full moon, and the turning back of the clocks all happen tomorrow night. In a year that has already brought us a record-breaking list of natural disasters and a global pandemic, we might be justified in being a little anxious.

This weekend also includes All Saints Day, an observance which invites us to remember those who have died, and in many communities, to comfort those who mourn. Last year, we were in our sanctuary and we dedicated a memorial banner. Different traditions, different communities mark these days in different ways, but whether we ring bells or light candles or recite names we acknowledge the impact of the lives of our predecessors in faith and in family, and the impact of their deaths. It is a church season that is shaped both by our hope and by our loss.

It has been said that the grieving process is a process of relearning the world. We relearn our relationship to our geography and physical spaces, relearn our relationship with the one who has died and relearn our relationships with God and with ourselves.

COVID-19 has sparked an enormous grief process, not just because of the many deaths it has caused around the globe, but because so much of what is familiar has been lost to us. We have had to relearn our relationship to public spaces and to sacred places. We have had to relearn our relationships with the members of our communities, with the members of our families, with friends and others outside of our household “bubbles” or “pods”. Acknowledging this work of grieving invites us to be gentle with ourselves and with one another – grief is exhausting, and relearning the world is a process that needs time and space.

There is hope. Together, we will get through this. So, indulge in a Hallowe’en treat, watch for the moonrise, and remember to change your clock.

Blessings, Kathi

This Week at EMUC

UPDATE on WORSHIP SERVICES

At its October 20th meeting, the Leadership Circle decided that EMUC will continue to conduct Sunday services on the Zoom platform until the end of November. There are still many unknowns regarding the return to school, a second wave of the virus, and the flu season. We have seen an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases recently. The safety of the congregation is the priority. The possibility of returning to the building for worship will be reassessed again at the November 17th Leadership Circle meeting.

Sunday November 1:

10:00 a.m.: Online Worship and Communion led by Rev. Kathi

Please note that our clocks move back one hour.

Monday November 2:

7:00 p.m.: Bible Study via Zoom

Wednesday November 4:

6:45 p.m.: Prayer Service via Zoom

What's Coming!

Office Hours:

For the month of November, Tina will be taking vacation days on Mondays. Her office hours will be Tuesday 12:30-4:00pm; Thursday and Friday 9:30am-1:30pm. If you need access to the church outside of these hours, please contact the office for an appointment. Tina continues to divide her time between working from home, and from the church.

Moving Forward on Becoming Affirming

As some of you may remember, EMUC was beginning a journey to look at the process of becoming an Affirming congregation within the United Church of Canada (UCC). Announcements and invitations were made to join an information night back in March… and then the world shut down. An announcement in the Friday message in May and the Communiqué then went out and the information evening moved to an online format. A few folks joined in on May 26 to hear about the process. From there, a small working group was formed, and we have continued to meet virtually to look at the requirements for the Affirming process.

Although so much of the work will need to be continued with face to face discussions and in person workshops in the future, we are excited to share some of our work with you. We hope to hear feedback from as many people as possible.

The Open Hearts UCC resource we are using is available for anyone to check out online. It defines Affirming ministries as “congregations within the United Church that publicly declare their commitment to inclusion and justice for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Affirming Ministries seek to go beyond issues of gender diversity and sexual orientation to work for justice and inclusion for all people.”

In the coming weeks, you will be asked to think about a few questions around the idea of EMUC becoming affirming.

Please watch for these upcoming announcements and help us gather your feedback.

We look forward to taking this journey together,

Joanne Hines

Karen Colwell

Sandy Hayes

Rebecca Hines

Deb Sturgeon

Deacon’s Cupboard Christmas Project 2020 - The Fundscrip Way!

How can we help our Deacon’s Cupboard this Christmas in the midst of COVID-19?

During this exceptional time, the Deacon’s Cupboard has been unable to provide food directly to its guests. Instead, they are distributing grocery store gift cards to those in need. If you would like to help them continue with that mission, please consider purchasing a Fundscrip card at the end of November (orders will be placed on Sunday November 29) and have it donated to the Deacon’s cupboard. Your donation tax receipt will be issued by St. Peters Erindale Anglican Church.

Simply email Joanne Hines at twokids@rogers.com by Thursday, November 26 and make an order. Any Fundscrip cards ordered and directed to be a special donation to the Christmas Project will be distributed with a greeting card, letting folks coming in for food support know that we at EMUC are thinking of them during this holiday season. Cards for this Christmas Project can be grocery, coffee or any other Fundscrip cards you wish to donate. Preferred denominations for the Deacon’s cupboard would be $25 or $50 cards. For the Christmas project, smaller denominations will also be gratefully received. Take your cheque for the order to Tina at the church or to Mike Ogilvie. When the cards arrive, your designated donated cards will be given directly to the volunteers at the Deacons cupboard.

If you have any questions about this program, please contact Sandra Witterick (sandra.witterick@gmail.com)

Thank you for your consideration in helping with this important mission.

**Please note that we only have the order for November left for this year. Think ahead for Christmas, birthday shopping etc., as we will not be ordering Fundscrip in December**

Thank you for your support of this fundraising project and please contact Joanne Hines if you have any further questions.

Donations to EMUC

Some of you have asked how you can make donations to operations, mission and service, the benevolent fund, and the Deacon’s Cupboard. You can donate through Canada Helps by going to www.emuc.ca or by mailing a cheque to EMUC at 3010 The Collegeway, Mississauga, ON., L5L 4X9. Please mark the envelope "Attention Envelope Secretary".

Please note that Deacon's Cupboard would prefer to receive financial donations rather than actual food donations because the church remains closed so that managing food is difficult. The Cupboard is giving only vouchers to its guests. They are open only on Wednesdays and not on Monday evenings for the duration of the pandemic.

Thank you to everyone for your ongoing support.

EMUC Finance Committee

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