Friday Message

What's Coming!

August 21, 2020

Ordinary Time

I believe that children start out naturally as dreamers. We encourage them to have a dream and teach them that if they work hard the dream might come true. Influenced by magical stories, children dream big, wonderful dreams.

Some of us do see our dreams become reality. Some dreams fade and are forgotten. Some dreams evolve and become even bigger, better dreams. And there are times when we let go of our dream so that another can follow theirs.

I don’t often talk about my family in this space - they don’t really like it and I do usually respect their privacy, but I am going to make an exception because this week two of my adult children took big, risky steps toward seeing their dreams come true.

My eldest son and his family left on Tuesday to drive to British Columbia where they have a new house and new jobs waiting for them. It has been a leap of faith for them to sell their place here, quit their steady positions and pack up three children during a pandemic, but they have been dreaming of living on the West coast for quite a while. My son told me he didn’t want to reach retirement and look back with regret on not giving this move a try. It has been hard watching them go, but I am happy for them.

Last fall my daughter started to take lessons working toward her pilot’s license. She has always been what her Dad called an “adrenaline junkie,” but I was caught off guard when she took up flying. She soloed for the first time just before the training flights stopped in the early spring when the pandemic caused everything to shut down. On Wednesday morning Jess completed the next major step by flying her solo cross-country, going from Brantford to Tillsonburg to Stratford and home by herself. My heart was up there with her all the way.

I have heard it said that we are never too old to have a dream come true. What if we looked at this time of pandemic – of slowing down and rethinking things – as an opportunity to press a reset button and make a fresh start. What would it take for you to realize your dreams? What would you need to let go of or take on in order to reach your them?

Our children know how to dream big – why shouldn’t we?

Kathi

This Week at EMUC

Although churches may now open at 30% total capacity, the Leadership Circle, at its last meeting on June 16th, made the decision that until we can be confident that it is safe to reopen the doors to our congregation, EMUC will continue with the Zoom worship services through August. This will be revisited at the Leadership Circle meeting in August.

Sunday August 23:

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

Monday August 24:

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

Tuesday August 25:

6:45 p.m.: Leadership Circle Meeting via Zoom

Wednesday August 26:

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

What's Coming!

Summer Office Hours:

Tina will be in the office on Tuesdays and Fridays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

She can be at the church on an “as needed” basis on other days, but this needs to be arranged in advance with an email or with a message left with the office. Please note that Tina will be away next week, August 24 to 28.

Reopening Committee

The EMUC COVID-19 Reopening Committee has been meeting regularly throughout the summer. The number of active COVID-19 cases in Peel has dropped, allowing the region to reopen more. The numbers are better, but COVID-19 continues to be found in the Peel community. We are watching to see if the regional and provincial reopenings and the upcoming start of school have an impact on the spread of COVID-19.

Zoom worship services will continue through August, offering us worship with our church community in the safest way. We can see each other on Zoom without masks, without hand sanitizer...without the risks that meeting in person would present. Remember that however we meet for worship, we are together as a church and faith community.

Visitors are now welcome in the sanctuary! By appointment only! Please call Tina Driscoll to make an appointment and get the details on protocols for visiting. Tina is at the office Tuesdays and Fridays, 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Please note that Tina will be away August 24 through August 28, 2020.)

EMUC is also making progress on opening to renters, with limited numbers allowed in, protocols for entry/exit, mask-wearing, and physical distancing. Measures will be implemented to ensure that the space is properly cleaned.

The Leadership Circle will be meeting the last week of August and will discuss the COVID-19 reopening situation. We will update you again as things evolve. Please enjoy the rest of the summer. Stay healthy and stay safe!

Contact Information Request Coming Soon!

During recent work on updating the Historic Roll it became glaringly apparent that the church records are out-of-date and updated contact information for everyone is needed. Therefore, the Membership and Pastoral Care committee, working jointly with the Communications committee, will soon be emailing a short form to people on the congregational list who receive the Friday Message. We will be calling individuals where we have no email address. Kindly provide all information requested, even if it has not changed for a long time. This information is for church use only, and will be kept secure.

In addition, the Communications committee would like to create a current Congregational Directory. This would be an internal document for the congregation’s use only. There will be an option to be included (or excluded) in this directory.

We have set a deadline of Friday, September 25th for the return of all contact information. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with updating the church records.

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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