Greetings and salutations,
There is quite a bit to read this time, but it’s all good!
Worship
this Week Blessing
of the Animals
This is a very special Sunday. In keeping with our congregation’s tradition, the Sunday Service will include the blessing of the animals. This service is probably more common in Roman or Anglican Churches as the date is set by the proximity to the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi which is October 4. St. Francis (after whom the current Pope has taken his name) was an early Christian environmentalist. He lived from 1181 to 1226, and seems to have reduced, reused and recycled long before it became a popular phrase. There are also many stories about Francis’ interaction with animals whom he viewed as his brothers and sisters. In fact, Francis viewed all of creation as his brothers and sisters. There is a very lovely movie of St. Francis’ life made in 1972 called “Brother Sun, Sister Moon”. The title is taken from a hymn that Francis wrote in 1225.
This is a very special Sunday. In keeping with our congregation’s tradition, the Sunday Service will include the blessing of the animals. This service is probably more common in Roman or Anglican Churches as the date is set by the proximity to the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi which is October 4. St. Francis (after whom the current Pope has taken his name) was an early Christian environmentalist. He lived from 1181 to 1226, and seems to have reduced, reused and recycled long before it became a popular phrase. There are also many stories about Francis’ interaction with animals whom he viewed as his brothers and sisters. In fact, Francis viewed all of creation as his brothers and sisters. There is a very lovely movie of St. Francis’ life made in 1972 called “Brother Sun, Sister Moon”. The title is taken from a hymn that Francis wrote in 1225.
So, bring
your pets to church (under positive control) and celebrate the gifts of God’s
creation. If your pet is not good in crowds, might be prone to eat other
pets, or is perhaps hard to transport (a cow or llama for example), bring a
photo with you.
Messy
Church
Oct 19 The Loaves and Fishes
We are
gearing up for another Messy Church to be held on Oct 19 starting at 4:00
pm. If you are not familiar with Messy Church, this is an opportunity for
the whole family to engage in some spiritual exploration in a
setting that is different than Sunday Morning. There is a story time.
On Oct 19 we will be sharing the story of the loaves and fishes, where a
child helps Jesus teach the grown-ups a lesson. We then have some craft
and play time. I am not going to tell you what the crafts are, but some
of them are MESSY. And then we all sit down and share a yummy dinner together.
This is not something that adults just bring children to, this is for adults
and children to play, learn and grow together. Come on out, it’s FUN!
Riverbend Gardens – Harvesters Needed
Now that summer is drawing to a
close, it’s harvest time at Riverbend Gardens! The food harvested supports a
host of local agencies to meet the nutrition needs of those who struggle with
food security. For Bissell Centre, the harvested vegetables will help ensure we
can provide healthy meals to the kids in our daycare, nutritious food for the
mom’s who participate in our Collective Kitchen, and bag lunches to those
working through our Casual Labour Program.
We need 20 volunteers to help this
Saturday, September 28th. You get to spend the day outside with a team of
fantastic Bissell Centre volunteers at the beautiful Riverbend Gardens while
helping people move from poverty to prosperity.
You can volunteer for one shift or
multiple shifts.
Shifts: 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM or 1:00
PM to 5:00 PM. Transportation will be provided if needed.
Please contact Rylan Kafara at
780-860-6154 or rkafara@boylestreet.org
to help out!
Bissell Centre
It was said in the past that the
Bissell Centre would help the poor of Edmonton come hell or high water.
This year the Bissell Centre has experienced both, though not in that
order. During the summer, the basement of their main centre was flooded
destroying a childcare centre. This is still under reconstruction.
And you will also have heard that the Bissell Thrift Shop was badly damaged by
fire recently. At the meeting of Edmonton Presbytery on Tuesday night, a
motion was passed to donate $10,000 to the Bissell Centre to meet some of
the expenses not covered by insurance. If you would like to learn more
about the Bissell Centre, or would like to make a donation go to http://bissellcentre.org/
Dates
to Remember (Y)
Youth of Edmonton
United Event
F
Saturday,
Sep 28 – 11:00 am, Celebration of Life of Lawrence (Larry) Almdal F Saturday, Sep 28 – 8:00 am – 1:00 pm and/or 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm, Riverbend Gardens Harvest
F Sunday, Sep 29 – 10:30 am, Blessing of the Animals
F Sunday, Oct 6 – 10:30 am, World Communion Sunday
F Sunday, Oct 13 – 10:30 am, Thanksgiving Sunday
F Saturday, Oct 19 – MESSY CHURCH (Loaves and Fishes) watch for details
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Blessings,
Larry
(Rev.)
Larry K. Wright, CD, BA, MDiv
MinisterSpirit West United Church
780-481-1406
Spiritwest.minister@telus.net
Spiritwest.org
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