Greetings,
Before
I get down to the usual details of this eMessage, I want to say a big thanks to
you who organized and you who attended the Fall Supper and Silent Auction last
Sunday night. The food was great, the silent auction items were top notch
and the company was delightful. The event was also a financial
success. Though the final numbers are not in, it appears that our Fall
Supper and Silent Auction raised over $ 5000.
Sunday Worship
This Sunday is Rodeo Sunday, (do you say “roe-dee- o” or “roe-day-o.” For those of you who cannot find Rodeo Sunday in your Church calendar, this is a Spirit West specific festival. It was started some years ago to mark the presence in town of the Canadian Finals Rodeo, which comes to Edmonton during the first week of November. This year the Rodeo runs from 5-9 November. This Sunday allows us to acknowledge our western/prairie heritage with a bit of fun. Jeans, cowboy boots, string ties, bandanas and cowboy hats are not uncommon fashion accessories on Rodeo Sunday (though I would ask the gentlemen to remove their hats inside the church.) For our scripture focus, I am using readings associated with Saturday, All Saints Day. You may be more familiar with Hallowe’en or to say it in its fullest form, All Hallows Eve, which is the evening before All Hallows Day (All Saints Day). Now the language lesson, the old English verb “hallow” meant bless or make holy. Something that is “hallowed” is holy. In the tradition form of the Prayer of Jesus, or Lord’s Prayer, the second line is “hallowed be thy name.” In modern English this would read “may your name be holy.” Someone who is “hallowed’ is holy or blessed or to a word of Latin origin is sanctified. From the original Latin root of sanctify we also get Saint. In the early Church, the “cult of saints” was developed. People who displayed unusual holiness during their lives, were remembered and celebrated as “saints” after their deaths. The date of the persons death was often times set aside for special commemoration. As the Church grew the lives of certain individuals stood out and began to be honoured throughout the church well beyond the community that first knew them. Well there are not enough days in the calendar to celebrate every “saint,” and there may be “saints” of a particular holiness that were not noticed. To cover this the church established the Feast of All Saints. Now, rather than making this into a 1000 word essay (quite possible with this topic) come out on Sunday as we continue to look at what it means to be a “saint,” to be “blessed.” I am taking the sermon title from the second line of the Cowboy’s Prayer, “mindful of the many blessings.”
The
readings this Sunday are, 1 John 3: 1-3 (not the Gospel of John, but
the first of John’s three letters located near the end of the New Testament)
and Matthew 5: 1-12. The Time for All Ages Story is “Are you a
Saint” and the Sermon title is “Mindful of Blessings”.
Communion
will be celebrated on November 9th.
COMING
EVENTS
LADIES’
GROUP ANNUAL CROISSANT AND CINNAMON BUN SALE
The
order form for the Women's Group Croissant and Cinnamon Bun Sale is available
on the back table today. Orders need to be to Diane
Ludlow (444-0284) or Carol Callas by Monday, Nov 16.
Orders will be packaged at the church and available for pick up on Wed, Nov 26th after 3
pm. If you are unable to pick them up on that date,
please advise us when placing your order. Please make cheques payable to Spirit West United Church Ladies
Group.
Friday
Movie Night – cancelled for October
With Friday
being Halloween, Marian T. Has announce the cancellation of the Movie Night
which was to have taken place this Friday.
CONGREGATIONAL
MEETING – NOV 16
The
Spirit West Official Board and Committees
At the Congregational
Meeting after the Service on Sunday, Nov. 16, we will be electing
and confirming those who will serve on the Official Board of Spirit West United
Church.
For the
Elective positions, (Chair, Secretary, Treasurer and Presbytery Representative)
we have had people come forward to let their names stand. We also try to
elect a Vice-chair, who serves as chair of the Operations Committee and is
willing to subsequently offer their name as chair. But the majority of
our Church Board is composed of those who represent as chairs/coordinators the
various committees that do the work of our church day to day. While we
have had little trouble in getting people to do the work in committee, finding
those who will serve as chairs/coordinators has been very difficult. Below is a
list of the offices and committees, with the names of the people who are
willing to be (or continue as) chair/coordinator for 2015. You will note
that there are significant vacancies, though
one person did come forward to offer their name for Outreach Coordinator.
Chair of
the Board – Gerry Maciejko
Vice
Chair/Operations - no nominee for 2015Secretary – Norma Balcombe
Treasurer – Marjorie Hewitt
Presbytery Representative – Edina Tillotson
The
committees of our Board are:
Community
Care - no nominee for 2015Operations/Board Vice-Chair - no nominee for 2015
Stewardship - no nominee for 2015
Outreach – Doreen Olynyk
Communications – Bonnie Skaalid
Faith Formation and Education – Anne Dingwell and Edina Tillotson
Membership and Hospitality – Bill Callas
Ministry and Personnel – John Punko
Worship – Margaret Benson.
People are
needed for these committees. If you are currently not on the Board or a
committee, please give your prayerful consideration to how you can share your
gifts and talents in the congregation.
Spirit West Prayer Chain
Spirit West has a Prayer Chain, a group of people who have committed to continue our prayers of concern from Sunday through the week. To be part of this ministry, email your request to spiritwest.prayerchain@gmail.com . You may also email a request for prayer to the same email address. If you would prefer to talk to someone, you can call Marian T. at 780-487-2851 or Bonnie C. at 780-444-2230.
Office Hours
- Monday to Friday 9:30 – 2:30
- Norma => 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, Monday to Thursday
- Larry => 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, Tuesday to Friday
Spirit West has a Prayer Chain, a group of people who have committed to continue our prayers of concern from Sunday through the week. To be part of this ministry, email your request to spiritwest.prayerchain@gmail.com . You may also email a request for prayer to the same email address. If you would prefer to talk to someone, you can call Marian T. at 780-487-2851 or Bonnie C. at 780-444-2230.
Office Hours
- Monday to Friday 9:30 – 2:30
- Norma => 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, Monday to Thursday
- Larry => 9:30 am to 2:30 pm, Tuesday to Friday
See you on Sunday!
Larry
(Rev.)
Larry K. Wright, CD, BA, MDiv
Minister
Spirit
West United Church
780-481-1406
Spiritwest.org
