September 6, 2023
Calvary Compass – September 6, 2023 - Calvary United Church, www.calvaryuc.ca
Dear Friends of Calvary,
The children are back to school today and the various activities, groups and meetings will be starting up again. Hopefully everyone had a good summer and were able to get out and enjoy themselves.
The Membership and Pastoral Care Committee have decided to start hosting a Coffee Hour after church services every 4th Sunday of the month. A Friendship Lunch and World Communion with a Benevolent offering will take place on October 1st.
Sunday School will begin this Sunday.
Regular church office hours are back: Tuesdays - Thursdays - 9:00am - 12 Noon and 1:00 - 4:30 pm and Fridays - 9:00 am - 12 Noon.
Worship Services are all live-streamed:
September 10 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zztgLDNZ7v0
September 17 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=em4joljEysk
Recorded service for September 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgRRUV0QUCo
Sad news to share with the Calvary Community
Betty MacMillan died on Saturday, September 3rd. Her family is well-known in Old South as they own the Quarter Master in Wortley Village. Visitation will take place at the Harris Funeral Home on Richmond on Wednesday from 5 - 8 pm. The funeral is on Thursday at 1:30 pm
https://harrisfuneralhome.ca/obituaries/betty-macmillan/
Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5: 4
CATALYST
If you have poems, articles, letters to the editor or photos, the deadline for submitting to the Catalyst is Friday, September 8th. Please send all items to Bruce Jones - scouterbruce@rogers.com
Please remember that if you are sending photos which include people, please make sure that they have signed a permission slip. These can be obtained from Kim Knowles.
CHAMPION will be starting their weekly meetings today from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm. There will be no pickleball this week due to repairs to the floor being done at the entrance of the Lower Hall from plumbing issues.
Pickleball starts on September 13th, starting at 11:00 am in the lower hall. If you wish to play, please contact Kristen Goodman at krisgoodman@live.ca By doing this, you can be given a time to play in case there are more than 4 that want to play at the same time.
Bring your lunch and stay for the CHAMPION meeting afterwards at 1:00 pm.
Kiwanis Headliners Speaker’s Series
- Stories of Canadian Resilience. This event takes place at the Highland Country Club. See poster below for details.
To All Social Bridge Players
Calvary Bridge is starting with tea/coffee, dessert and cards in the Church Parlour on Thursday, Sept 28th at 1:00 pm. New players are welcome. Please call Julie Downes at 519- 433-5155 if you plan to attend. Hope to see you on the 28th!
Calvary T-Shirts
If you are interested in having a Calvary T Shirt, please contact Kim Knowles in the office so that she can put your name on the order list. The cost is $15.
GENTLY USED LAPTOPS
A friend of Bonnie and Brian McNichol is going to Uganda, Africa in September to visit a school to which he and his father contributed funds through the charity, Reach One, Touch One. He is looking for gently used laptops to take with him for the school to use.
If you have a laptop you no longer need, please contact Bonnie and Brian McNichol at 519-681-6677 or bbmcnichol@gmail.com by Wednesday, September 6th and they will see that he receives it before he leaves September 16th.
AFFIRMING
During the next few months, the Affirming Committee hopes to present opportunities to talk about what it means for Calvary to become an affirming church and to give people a chance to ask questions. One of the presentations will be clips from a YouTube talk that The Very Rev. Dr. Gary Paterson gave. The Rev. Dr. Gary Paterson was our 41st Moderator from 2012 - 2015 and the first openly gay person to take the post. He also was the first in the world of a major Christian denomination. When he came to Calvary, he presented our first Jazz Vesper Service and we have continued with this worship service. Our plan is to hopefully be able to have a congregational vote on becoming an Affirming Church in the Spring. Several of our churches in London have already become Affirming Churches such as Wesley-Knox, Riverside, and Siloam. Members of the Affirming Committee will be at our Coffee Hours and willing to chat about Affirming. We also plan to have other viewing of clips or presentations in order for everyone to have a better understanding of what it involves. Also, two copies of Open Hearts - Resource for Affirming Ministries in the United Church of Canada will be available at the back of the sanctuary with Affirming books from Calvary's library.
Book Review
UNCOMFORTABLE CONVERSATIONS WITH A BLACK MAN was written by Emmanuel Acho and is available in the church's library. Emmanuel Acho is the son of Nigerian immigrant parents and grew up in Dallas, Texas with three siblings. In 2012, he was drafted into the NFL by the Cleveland Browns and he later played with Philadelphia Eagles while earning a master's degree in Sports Psychology at the University of Texas in the off-season. He also is the creator of the ongoing online video series "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man".
In his book, he delves into what it is like to live in a "White Man's World", the systemic racialism, the misunderstandings and ways to stand strong for each other. He relates various stories to illustrate his points and tries to dispel misinformation. The reader is given a better understanding of the struggles, the various cultural aspects and also tips on how to be an ally for your friends and colleagues.
This book is well worth reading and considering.
Meetings this Week:
* Billiard Buddies - Tuesday - 12:30 - 2:30 pm
* CHAMPION - Wednesday - 1:00 - 1:30 pm
* Bible Study - Thursday - 11:00 am - 12 Noon via Zoom
For Zoom Gatherings this week (using our usual Zoom link)
Our Zoom ID: 476 939 0293 Password 5526
Bible Study:
Thursday - 11:00 am - 12 Noon
Scripture Reading: Matthew 18: 15 -20; Psalm 149
Psalm for the Week:
Psalm 18: 1-3 (from the New Living Translation)
I Love you, Lord;
you are my strength.
The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my Saviour;
my God is my rock, in whom I find protection.
He is my shield, the power that saves me,
and my place of safety.
I called on the Lord, who is worthy of praise,
and he saved me from my enemies.
Prayer for the Week:
O God,
With all the faithful followers of every age, we praise you,
the Rock of our life. Be our strong foundation and form us
into the body of your Son, that we may gladly minister
to the world, through Him, the most Blessed,
our Saviour and Teacher. Amen.
