Ralph Connor Memorial
United Church
Weekly
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Friday, February 5, 2021
by Thursday at 11:00 AM
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Welcome to the Rundle Memorial United Church congregation! We look forward to inviting you to engage in our RCMUC "church life" and to bring your perspectives and ideas. Think about where your interests and talents lie, and we'd sure love for you to join committees and outreach that fits for you. There is lots of work to be done about how we might 'unite' our common formal structures, but our first priority is meeting you and making a spiritual connection. Blessings!!
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FOR THIS WEEK'S WORSHIP Sunday, February 7, 2021
As usual, there will be online worship on YouTube at 10:00 AM Sunday, posted at the Ralph Connor Canmore YouTube channel,
We continue thinking about the earliest days of Jesus~ ministry. This week’s gospel reading is Mark 2: 1-22 click here~
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“Tuesday at Two”, an online Coffee and Conversation time, resumes this Tuesday afternoon, February 9th at 2:00 PM. Zoom link will be sent out Feb 5th.
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FUNDING OUR MISSION
a Message from your Stewardship Committee
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The mission of Ralph Connor Memorial United Church 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.
We are grateful for the generous donations to support our local church, and for donations to Mission & Service to reach out to others in our community and around the world.
You can donate by:
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This week we applaud the Alpine Voices Threshold Choir, Prayer Shawl Ministry and the High Strung Ukulele Group. These three ministries are truly community oriented. Each group uses our building ….when it is open!
Alpine Voices are a harmonious blend of Ralph Connor members and singers from the wider community. They have sung in private homes, hospitals, seniors centers, churches and in parks too!
Frequently citizens of Canmore outnumber members of Ralph Connor strumming their ukuleles. Since Covid ukulele players from places in Canada such as Winnipeg, Victoria and Montreal have joined in the shift to online practises.
Many community members have received Prayer Shawls (woollen hugs) during times of illness or grief. Prayer Shawls were offered at Truth and Reconciliation meetings and to those affected by the mass shooting in Nova Scotia.
Special thanks for leadership goes to Jan Tissandier, Donna and Marshall Kennedy, Jeanette Aishford and
Mona McIntyre.
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Alpine Voices Threshold Choir |
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High Strung Ukulele Group |
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Evensong continues its 20th year, with a virtual gathering each Wednesday night at 7:15 PM. The weekly Evensong email invitation will include the Zoom link for this week's Evensong. If you are not on the Evensong email list, and would like to be, please email request to jan.tissandier@gmail.com. |
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To share a prayer concern with our Tuesday "Morning Prayer" and 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.
If you would like to join our Tuesday Morning Prayer group, which gathers on Zoom each Tuesday at 9 AM, please email Rev. Greg.
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Bow Valley Refugee Project
BVRP - Big News
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Big News! Sevan Gower (nee Kahkejian), her husband, Leon Gower, and daughter Sophia, along with Sevan’s parents, Eklas and Sarkis Kahkejian are moving to Drumheller! Sevan and Leon have purchased a home in Drumheller and will be moving by the end of February.
They are very excited about buying their new home and Leon is busily doing some renovations in preparation for the move. Sevan looks forward to playing in the yard with Sophia, Eklas is looking forward to gardening, and Sarkis is looking forward to tinkering in the garage.
The Kahkejian family were sponsored by Bow Valley Syrian Refugee Project and arrived in Canmore in the fall of 2016. Sevan’s brother, Anto, and his wife Rema, and daughters Tia and Lilly will remain in Canmore.
Should you wish to contact Sevan or Sarkis, their contact information is in the Instant Church Directory. If you wish to send a card or other good wishes, they can be dropped off to the RCMUC office or left in the lockbox at the side door.
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The Green Exodus: The Canmore Series
starts today, Feb 5th
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· Are you astonished by the beauty of the world – especially the Bow Valley corridor? Perhaps you have a Spiritual/Religious connection with nature?
· Are you wanting to join with others in restoring this planet to health?
The Green Exodus: The Canmore Series - will use contemplation, creativity, community and a fresh look at the Cosmos to refresh and realign our relationship with the Earth.
Twenty-two people attended the “Soft Launch” a past Friday, learning more about this new venture and building connections with others. Roughly half of the participants were from the Bow Valley – Canmore, Morley, Banff, Lac des Arcs - while the rest were from further afield.
Green Exodus online gatherings will be from 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM on the Fridays of February: February 5, 12, 19 and 26. On the 5th and 19th, we anticipate more time spent in silence, and in words of contemplative prayer, song, readings, reflections… acknowledging the sacredness of this wonderful home (Bow Valley, wilderness places, planet earth). On the 12th and 26th, more time will be spent sharing the ways that we are actively engaged in restoring health to this beloved home, planet earth, particularly here in the Bow Valley.
Please feel free to join us for one or two or all four of these sessions! The registration link is at https://greenexodus.ca/.
If you have friends & neighbours you’d like to invite, please pass the word along to them as well – this is not an “in-house” group at all, it is a place to build connections within the Bow Valley community and beyond!
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FEBRUARY IS BLACK HISTORY MONTH |
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There will likely be online gatherings/educational events provided by the United Church during this month - watch this space for listings as they come available.
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Moose Hide Campaign Day is Thursday, February 11, everyone is invited to come together online for a day of action, inspiration, ceremony and fasting. For more information, and to register, please click here~.
"Moosehide pins" to wear on Feb 11, have been ordered free and pins will be available from RCMUC as soon as they arrive, stayed tuned. To order T-shirts, masks or pins check link here~. Wearing the moose hide pin signifies your commitment to honour, respect, and protect the women and children in your life and to speak out against gender-based and domestic violence.
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This musical fundraiser redirected to RCMUC
Mass Hysterical, A Comedic Cantata as a fundraiser.
Project initiated by Tim Dawson Toronto Symphony Orchestra with video produced by the Kingston Road United Church, Toronto and 2 other Toronto churches with UCC Edge Loan funds that instantly paid back loan.
Register after watching trailer ~ enter in comments Canmore RCMUC ($10 sent to RCMUC at end of month for each viewing)
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Ongoing Ministries
& Community Programs
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Canmore Young Adult Network - CYAN
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Three Communities...One Valley
Friends and neighbours in the Bow Valley are still needing support during these times of COVID-related restrictions. If you would like to help others as a volunteer, or if you need support, please email bowvalleyisolations@gmail.com or text 403-679-3340 and we will get you signed up to help, or will do what we can to get you what you need.
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Community Food & Friends
Every Monday from 5 PM to 7 PM, Food & Friends operates from St. Michael's Hall (709-7th Street) for TAKE-OUT only. If you are symptom free, bring your mask and takeout container and come get dinner to take with you.
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Canmore Food Recovery Barn
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Our gratitude to Robin Slater for offering the following feature in our weekly Newsletter, as part of our efforts to be a more broadly inclusive, and affirming, Community of Faith.
ROBIN'S WEB
CONNECTING DIVERSITY
Lent has always been a time of personal reflection for me, contemplating personal losses, marking anniversaries of deaths, and grieving changes while simultaneously rejoicing in the approaching spring and welcoming a new beginning. When the pandemic was announced we were in the beginning of Lent 2020, now it seems like the whole world is mourning this past year. There have been so many casualties, people we love as well as lifestyles, dreams, belief systems, privileges, and hopes. The need for a communal sense of preparation to combat this sadness and ready ourselves for new growth is evidenced by the abundance and variety of Lenten Studies.
Queer Virtue Lenten Study Based on the book, Queer Virtue by the Rev. Elizabeth Edman, this series is designed to help us think about Jesus' demand that we challenge thinking that pits us against one another. The ultimate question is: how can we live our faith and be the church more effectively? The LGBTQ2S+ community persistently looks to the margins to see who isn’t yet included and decides what we’re going to do about it. This is remarkably similar to the path that Christians are called to walk. Live Author Talk & Series Opening Event: An Intro to Queer Virtue, with Rev Liz Erdman, February 10, 7:30-9pm MT; beginning February 22, 5-Monday nights 7:30pm-9pm MST; Live Author Talk & Series Closing Event: Where Do We Go From Here? April 14, 7:30pm-9pm MST To register: click here~. [and... there will be a "Bow Valley" sub-group doing this study! If interested in this, including ordering a book, email Shannon Mang, mangshannon@gmail.com]
St Michael’s Rev. Howard Thornton will be hosting a book study online through Lent: Meeting God in Mark explores the essential meaning and purpose of Mark's Gospel for beginners who are curious as well as for those who've read the Gospel many times before and want to see it in a fresh light. This beautifully written book by beloved Anglican Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury, is packed with illuminating spiritual insights, and the focus on the Passion narrative makes this ideal as a Lenten devotional or study resource. Choose one, only, of two days: Wednesday afternoons at 1 pm starting February 17 or Thursday evenings at 7 pm starting February 18. Please register to email here~. The book is available to order online or you can also choose to download the Kindle edition.
Join us online for an Indigenous Lenten Study on Christ's journey as we examine the Seven Sacred Teachings and the Vision Quest of the Assiniboine people. Everyone is welcome to partake in the wisdoms, perspectives and lessons of traditional spiritual formation and the Church. February 17-March 31, 7-Wednesdays at 7:30 PM, online via Zoom. Hosted by Tony Snow, Indigenous Lead. Sponsored by the Urban Indigenous Circle and Chinook Winds Region. To register: email here~.
Mill Woods United Church is discussing Learning to Walk in the Dark, by Barbara Brown Taylor on 5-Thursday evenings in Lent, beginning on February 18 at 7 pm (MT). The book addresses the need to maintain a healthy spiritual life in those times when we don’t have all the answers, arguing that we need to move away from “solar spirituality” and ease our way into appreciating “lunar spirituality” since, like the moon, our experience of the light waxes and wanes. It is available as an e-book, and if you are interested in participating or would like more information, please email Ian Kellogg, Ministry Personnel email here~.
Faith on the Move, an online journey through Lent, focuses on themes of movement and change, physical and spiritual journeys. This year's United Church Lenten book is full of reflections on hope and change to help us cherish the complex stories of the Bible. Our spiritual practices carry us through times of transition in our lives, when we wander in a metaphorical desert. For migrants, refugees, and others, the journey is more than a metaphor. The daily devotions, written by a variety of contributors, invite us to reflect on and respond to people who are on the move for a variety of reasons. 6-Tuesdays at 11-12 am MT, starting Feb 23, To learn more click here~.
The Wisdom Centre, Human Beings-Being Human, asks what does being human mean especially now as we live through a time of uncertainty and upheaval, a phase of waiting and not knowing, a liminal experience in the wilderness. This series explores how Wisdom speaks to us in this transitional season. The word liminal comes from the Latin word 'limen', meaning threshold-any point or place of entering or beginning. A liminal space is the time between the 'what was' and the 'what might be.' This will be an unorthodox and experimental journey through Lent, 5-Wednesday evenings at 7-8:30 pm MT, starting February 24. Register for free at: email here~ to receive the Zoom information.
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OFFICE CONTACTS
Note: The church offices are closed in compliance with Alberta Covid mandatory office workers Work At Home restriction. The mail, email and phone messages will be picked up regularly between Tuesday to Thursdays.
Administration: Trish Campney
Minister: Rev. Greg Wooley
Music Director: Tanya Sullivan
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Ralph Connor Memorial United Church
617 Main Street, Canmore, Alberta, T1W 2B1
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