COVID has Changed Us
I can’t begin to tell you how many times over the last three years or so I’ve said something along the lines of, “What is going on with people?”
Now we know.
In a recent US study, psychologists found population-wide personality shifts in the wake of the pandemic. They used a widely accepted model for studying personality known as the Big Five Inventory. They measured five different dimensions of personality: neuroticism (stress), extroversion (connecting with others), openness (creative thinking), agreeableness (being trusting), and conscientiousness (being organized, disciplined, and responsible).
Typically, major personality traits remain relatively stable throughout life, apart from the changes associated with young adulthood or when uniquely stressful personal life events take place. Researchers were curious to see if they would find personality changes in the second and third year of the pandemic.
The researchers found that over the last 30 months there have been:
“Significant declines in the traits that help us navigate social situations, trust others, think creatively, and act responsibly. These changes were especially pronounced among young adults.
Personality traits may have changed as public sentiment about the pandemic shifted. It was noted that during the first year of the pandemic there was a sense that everyone was coming together. But in the second year, with all of that support falling away and then the open hostility and social upheaval around restrictions... all the collective goodwill that we had, we lost, and that might have been very significant for personality.”
What is normal and healthy in development is for stress to decrease, and for dynamics such as connecting with others, creative thinking, being trusting, and being organized, disciplined, and responsible to increase.
The opposite happened on all five fronts. Stress increased, and extroversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness all declined across the entire population.
While the COVID crisis could have been the driving force for this personality change, there are many other factors that also may have contributed, including the shift to virtual school and work, economic challenges, political divides, and issues related to race.
It’s unclear at this time whether this is a true long-term personality change or “short-term shock.” Let’s hope and pray for the “short-term shock.” But at the very least we know one thing for sure:
Something really has happened to people.
Blessings, Kathi
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From the Chair of the Leadership Circle
November is Stewardship Month! What is stewardship? It is what we do to maintain and use wisely the gifts that God has bestowed upon us. This encompasses many things for our lives, but also for our church.
In June I gave a challenge to the Leadership Circle. If we continue doing what we have been doing, our church will last about 12 more years. I said that the LC could choose to continue the way we have, and that would be fine. Or we could choose to do everything we can to enable EMUC to live well beyond 12 years. All of the LC chose and committed to doing the extra work and making whatever changes we think necessary so that the life and community spirit of EMUC continues.
Now I am issuing the same challenge to you. What can you do for EMUC to use the gifts that God has bestowed upon you? Certainly there is the financial component. The Finance Committee has written an article below that shows that we are struggling to cover our basic costs of salaries and building maintenance. Your financial support is essential. But that is not the only area where we need your help. Many committees are looking for members. There are short term projects that need people. And there is Inspire, where you can get help starting a one time or many time activity that you are passionate about.
EMUC is a major part of our lives. I believe it deserves our care and attention. I invite you to consider your role.
Kathy Andres
Chair, Leadership Circle
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Thanks to:
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All the readers and assistants for October services
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Cathy Scattergood and Nancy Blackport for organizing the Improv Night
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Joanne Hines and the Affirming Group for teaching us about Affirming Ministry and leading us to the successful vote
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Sandra Witterick for leading the Blessing of the Animals service
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Tim Hayes for organizing the walks for the Striders
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Karen Colwell for building the Little Lending Library
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Karen Colwell for her support of the Communications Committee by taking pictures of services and events.
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Larry van Goozen for getting the Bunch for Lunch group going again
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The Worship Committee and those who helped decorate the church for Thanksgiving
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On Saturday, November 5 at 1 p.m. a Celebration of Life is being held for Olive Barbara Lee Young Dos Santos. The congregation is invited to the service and the reception which follows. Condolences and prayers are sent to Susan Lee Young and the entire family.
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Stewardship Program 2022
November has traditionally been stewardship month at EMUC. Each of us is asked to reflect on our contribution to our church, both in terms of financial donations and volunteer time. To assist in this reflection, each Friday Message in November will cover a different aspect of our church life. Commitment forms will not be distributed, but you are asked to contact the Envelope Secretary (donations@emuc.ca) if you wish to change your donation amount. In this period of higher inflation, all of us are facing challenges as we strive to meet the challenge of rising costs. As you can see from the charts below, our 2022 budget had a deficit of $23,664. Nearly 90% of our budget is concentrated on fixed salary and building expenses, and we know already that these will increase in 2023. In order to avoid a greater deficit, we will need to increase revenues.
On a positive note, financial support from the congregation over the last few years has been fairly constant, and, in fact, over budget the last two years. Your support has been tremendous both for the operating budget and for outreach initiatives through the benevolent fund, donations to the Deacon’s Cupboard and to Mission and Service of the UCC.
As individuals our own budgets are facing pressures due to inflation, and as a result, it is a challenge to give more to the church. It is obvious that the solution is to increase the number of givers through congregational growth. In this regard the Leadership Circle, as well as Inspire, is focusing on developing ideas to increase our presence and visibility in the community. This will not happen overnight, and we are relying on your support so that EMUC can continue now and in the future.
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Affirming News
As you may be aware, the congregation voted on October 2 to have EMUC become a fully Affirming ministry. Folks turned out to the meeting through Zoom and in person, and the vote was unanimous. It was a joyful day for all in attendance.
Other documents were presented during the meeting, including a revised marriage policy that contained a more inclusive application form.
The revised mission statement was also presented and voted on. Again, the result was unanimously positive, and the new mission statement now reads:
The MISSION of Erin Mills United Church is
“to offer opportunities for people of all backgrounds, social situations, sexual orientations, and gender identities to experience the love of God through Jesus Christ”
We believe God welcomes all people of whatever age, race, religious background, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic condition, and mental or physical ability.
To celebrate our Affirming status, a celebration will be planned in the near future. Our intention will now be to become Public, Intentional, and Explicit (PIE) about our commitment to embrace our new Affirming designation. We look forward to this journey as we continue to find ways to open our hearts to those in the LGBTQ2S+ and all those who are living in the margins of our society.
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Affirming Team celebrates the positive results
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Joanne Hines & Rev. Kathi
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Your Inspire committee has been working diligently over the past few months. We presented to the Leadership Circle at their October meeting and will be doing a follow-up at the November meeting. It is important that both the Leadership of the church and the congregation be part of this initiative and support Inspire as we go forward.
We are currently waiting for the post hole to be dug so that we can install the Little Lending Library that has been lovingly designed and created by Karen Colwell. If anyone knows of someone who could hand or machine dig this hole for us, please contact Tina at the church.
A couple of other ideas have been presented to Inspire and we thank the congregants who have come forward with their projects. We are considering movie nights to draw in and involve our surrounding community. Also an electronic collection day sometime in the spring. If you are interested in helping with either of these projects, please contact Cathy Kiteley or Patti King for more details.
We continue to encourage you to donate blood to Blood Services. Mention Erin Mills United when you make your appointment, and our church gets credit for the donation.
We are still looking for energetic people to join Cathy and Patti on the Inspire team. Inspiring ideas on how to engage with our community are always welcome.
Patti King. Email pattica50@gmail.com
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Special Services in October
Finally, after two years, EMUC was able to celebrate Thanksgiving in the church. We are truly grateful!
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On October 23, EMUC held a service to Bless the Animals. Although no animals arrived at church, congregants brought pictures or symbols of their pets, for a special blessing. The service was led by Sandra Witterick. Thank you, Sandra, for a job well done!
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Women for Women Improv Night
Women for Women Improv Night was a big success!! On Friday, Oct. 14, we welcomed 24 people (including four men) to an in-person get together at EMUC. The evening was facilitated by Hannah May, a close friend of Kirby Hayes and an experienced improv performer. We started with some warm-up activities as a whole group and in smaller groups. Then we tried some actual improv skits along the lines of "Whose Line Is It Anyway?" With the support of audience members, participants chose to take part as they felt comfortable in a caring and safe atmosphere. There was incredible energy in the space and lots of laughs. We ended the evening with some light refreshments and feeling happy to be able to socialize together again.
Cathy Scattergood
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Striders Hike Dundas Valley Conservation Area
On Oct. 16, the EMUC Striders explored the Dundas Valley Conservation Area. It was a lovely afternoon and the fall colours were at their peak. Enjoy the photos!
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Too Good To Go
You probably know that food waste is a huge global problem. It’s very disheartening to know that people are going hungry while so much food ends up in landfill. There have been a few organizations trying to reduce this wastage, and one I recently learned about is called “Too Good to Go.” This is a way for food stores and restaurants to sell surplus food at a reduced price. Here is how they describe themselves:
“More than 50% of food produced in Canada is wasted every year, or the equivalent of the weight of 736,000 Toronto streetcars. This contributes to 8% of all global greenhouse gas emissions and $1.2 trillion worth of food. In other words, if food waste were a country, it would be the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases.
Too Good To Go helps everyday people fight food waste in their local communities by connecting them to restaurants and grocery stores with surplus meals and ingredients through an app. Once registered, users can choose from their favorite local spots to pick up meals like sushi, or ingredients like apples and avocados for a third of the normal price. This presents a win-win-win solution in which consumers get great food, store owners no longer throw away delicious surplus, and we, together, help the planet by reducing waste.
Founded in 2016 in Copenhagen, and now in 17 countries, Too Good To Go saves more than 100,000 meals every day.”
It is pretty easy to set up on your phone. You download the “Too Good To Go” app on your phone and create an account. You can then review a list of local offerings by selecting a city or using your location. You might see something like this:
Longo’s – Hurontario Street
3 left
Baked Goods
Pick up today 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
$5.99
This means for $5.99 you would get a few left-over baked goods, but you won’t know exactly what. There were three available at the time I checked. If you want to buy that, you select it. You would see a few more details. In this case it said “Your Surprise Bag will contain an assortment of surplus baked goods. You may receive surplus bread, pastries, muffins, cookies and other items from the bakery! Items may be close to, or on the “best before” date, however everything will still be good to eat. Plus, of course, it gives the address to go to.
You then click on “Reserve,” and it’s ordered. You go to the store or restaurant during the time period indicated. At the counter, you bring up the app on your phone. Click on the order, and it brings up a line to swipe. Once you’ve done that, show it to the cashier and they will give you your surprise bag.
I actually bought this very item yesterday, and I got a bag of dinner rolls, two types of bread, and six bagels. Most of those are now in my freezer, and I’m happy.
Submitted by Janet Morrison
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The Striders' Next Outing
More outdoor adventures are beckoning as the EMUC Striders will be visiting one of the Ontario Heritage Trust sites, the Scottsdale Farm and the Silver Creek Trails after Church on November 20. For further information, take a look at this link: Scottsdale Farm | Hiking the GTA.
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Office Hours:
Tina’s office hours are as follows:
- Mondays-Tina works from home
- Tuesdays-Fridays, 9:00am - 4:00pm; Lunch 12:30-1:30pm
- Please call the office in advance when possible.
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ABOUT ERIN MILLS UNITED CHURCH
EMUC's Vision is to be a thriving Spirit-filled congregation;
diverse, inclusive, and engaged with the community
and creation.
The Mission of EMUC is to offer opportunities for people of all backgrounds, social situations, sexual orientations, and gender identities to experience the love of God through Jesus Christ.
We believe God welcomes all people of whatever age, race, religious background, sexual orientation, gender identity, economic condition, and mental or physical ability.
Newsletter Editor: Janet Morrison Layout: Barbara Jennings
Proof-reader: Cindy Young
3010 The Collegeway
Mississauga, L5L4X9
905-820-9466
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