Greetings
Sunday Worship
This Sunday
we continue to look at Jesus’ ministry. The Gospel, which if you have
been paying close attention, continues from last Sunday’s reading. In this
passage we find that Jesus has moved away from the Synagogue and over to the
house of Simon Peter. Apparently Simon Peter’s mother-in-law is very ill.
(side note, it Simon Peter has a mother-in-law then Simon Peter is married). Jesus heals the mother-in-law. This
healing causes a bit of a stir and soon all sorts of people (“the whole city”)
are coming or being brought to Simon Peter’s door to be healed. The
following morning, Jesus takes a time out. When he is finally found by
the disciples, he indicates that they must be going, because the healing
message of the Lord requires wide distribution. There is a lot of
movement in this passage. Even as Jesus is praying, his followers are out
looking for him. For me, this is a reminder that the church is not
static. We gather for an hour a week to pray together, but then the work,
the mission of the church begins. As some have put it, “when the worship
is ended, the service begins.” Spirit West is a community that “gets”
this, and I think that this needs to be upheld and celebrated.
The
Congregational General Meeting will follow the Service on Sunday
February 22, 2015. At this meeting we will review the Annual Report
and take any actions necessary to guide the work of our congregation for the
coming year.
Furniture Request from the Capital Region Interfaith
Housing Initiative
(of which the United Church is a part)
As
we all strive to end homelessness in Edmonton, Homeward Trust Edmonton, through the FIND social enterprise, has taken on
the responsibilities of housing the homeless 'free of charge' and
are currently providing furniture for over 20 housing units per week. While the
demand keeps increasing, the supply of donated furniture is now at a low point.
As
a result they are in urgent need of couches, love-seats, kitchen
table/chairs and dressers to set up these units for
those individuals transitioning out of homelessness back into the
surrounding communities. Therefore, I am writing to faith communities
asking for support for this worthy cause.
Any assistance that can be
rendered at this time would be greatly appreciated. Information about
FIND and their request for donations of used furniture is available at www.findedmonton.com
Thank
you for your continued support.
Regards,
Bob
McKeonFor the Capital Region Interfaith Housing Initiative
Computer
Needed
We are making
an appeal for a donation of a computer to replace one of the office computers
which is old and slow. Ideally we would like to have a laptop. If you
know of or have a computer (3 years old or less) to donate to the church,
please talk to Norma or Fraser.
Presbytery Representative
Edina
Tillotson, our current representative, has been forced to resign because of ill
health. We are now seeking a person to fulfill this position. If
you are interested, please talk to Larry.
MESSY CHURCH
We hope to hold a Messy
Church based on the story of Jonah within the next month or so. Watch
this space for more details. If you are interested in helping make this happen, please let me
know as soon as possible.
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
See you on Sunday!
(Rev.)
Larry K. Wright, CD, BA, MDiv
MinisterSpirit West United Church
780-481-1406
Spiritwest.minister@telus.net
Spiritwest.org
