March 12, 2024
Calvary Compass – March 12, 2024 - Calvary United Church, www.calvaryuc.ca
Dear Friends of Calvary,
Next Sunday will be the 5th Sunday in Lent. Hopefully some of you are following your Lenten spiritual practices calendar and making an attempt to do what it asks on certain days. Lent is a time for reflection and meditation. Later in the month, we will be joining with our friends from White Oaks United Church and other neighbourhood churches for Lenten worship services (Maundy Thursday, March 28, 7:00 pm, at White Oaks UC and Good Friday – March 29, 10:30 am, at Wesley-Knox UC).
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Worship Services are all live-streamed:
March 17 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8ToVrHRyIk
March 24 – (Palm Sunday, Communion and Affirming Vote)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUxg5jI2sDc
Recorded service for March 10- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7GpEdIWGXw
DREAMS COME TRUE MUSIC STUDIO
On Sunday, we welcomed the Dreams Come True Music Studio - an inclusive music program for people of all ages and abilities. What a wonderful uplifting service! If you missed it, be sure to check out the recording on our YouTube site. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7GpEdIWGXw
LENTEN PROJECT
The Lenten Project for this year is to support the purchase of a commercial washing machine for the Men's Mission. As you can imagine, this machine is used regularly for a variety of items including men's clothing. If you are able to donate, please make your cheque out to Calvary United Church and put Lenten Project in the memo line. There are envelopes at the back of the sanctuary to put your cheque in.
Thank you for your donation.
CHAMPION
This Wednesday afternoon at 1:00 pm in the parlour, Bonnie and Brian McNichol are presenting a PowerPoint travelogue on their trip to Ireland, Devon, England and Edinburgh, Scotland. All are welcome to come and see this presentation. You do not have to be members to attend.
AFFIRMING
This week, we will be emailing a short document to all members and adherents for whom we have email addresses. For those without email, we have already mailed the documents which should arrive this week. Please read the document carefully. The Affirming discussion, question period and vote will be happening after our worship service on Sunday, March 24 in the sanctuary and on Zoom. The actual vote will be done by secret ballot or by using the polling function on Zoom.
If we do decide on becoming an Affirming Church, someone asked about the cost of changing the letterhead, signage, web site and other documentation to reflect being an Affirming Church. If we vote yes, this will be a slow process and only when the stationary needs re-ordering will that be changed and the other items will also be changed when we are able. Affirm United will help us with various signage if we need it. Any other changes that we make will be up to Calvary's Church Council and not Affirm United.
Affirming means inclusive of all people that includes not only those with different sexual orientation and gender identity or race, but those with different socio-economic status, visual issues, hearing issues, mobility issues (many in our congregation use canes or walkers or scooters or wheelchairs or have had hip or knee replacements or other joint replacements.) The service on Sunday demonstrated that we all are important and have different talents, skills and abilities that are valuable to everyone.
A Calvary Connection in the Theatre
Bill Butt, Calvary Chair of Council and choir member, has written a play that is being performed at the Thistle Theatre (located in Embro) during the month of March. For more information go to: www.thistle-theatre.com/productions/
Meetings this Week:
• Outreach - Tuesday- 1:30 pm via Zoom
• CHAMPION - Wednesday - 1:00 - 3:30 pm - (travelogue by Bonnie and Brian McNichol)
• Bible Study - Thursday - 11:00 - 12 Noon - via Zoom
Bible Study:
Scripture Readings: Jeremiah 31: 31 - 34; John 12: 20 - 33;
Psalm for the Week:
Psalm 51 verses 1 - 3 from the Common English Bible translation
Have mercy on me, God, according to your faithful love!
Wipe away my wrongdoings according to your great compassion!
Wash me completely clean of my guilt;
purify me from my sin!
Because I know my wrongdoings,
my sin is always right in front of me.
Return the joy of your salvation to me
and sustain me with a willing spirit.
Prayer for the Week:
God, you are the source of wisdom, you bring us to places of truth
and understanding. Guide us to live in ways that have balance
and wholeness in all that we do. We look to you to send
whatever it is that will truly sustain us on our journey to do your work
in the world. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.