General Secretary's Weekly Letter

June 27, 2013


Dear Friends, 
Calgary, High River, Canmore: these are names that I associate with mountain views and beautiful Alberta landscape. My other strong association is with my family of Calgary cousins. It’s been a shock these past few days to hear the lead item on the news each morning focused on the devastating floodwaters that have encroached on roads, businesses, and homes in cities, villages and First Nations in southern Alberta.

One of the congregations most directly affected is High River United Church, which has a beautiful new building that is less than five years old. The pictures of the sanctuary with the water half way up the pews, and the outdoor sign sitting in the middle of a lake, are dramatic. The Rev. Susan Lukey reports that after working with a crew from the church to place sandbags and move precious items, she stayed to do one more thing and got caught: the waters rose so quickly that she couldn’t get out. Just imagine the night she spent alone in the church, up on the ledge by the cross, as the water flowed into the church.

Another church that has been severely impacted is the Chinese United Church, along with the Oi Kwan Place seniors’ residence in Calgary. Being located on the banks of the Bow River has been an attractive feature of Oi Kwan Place: no one would have predicted the river overflowing its banks as it has this week.

Many people – including my aunt, and many from our churches – were forced to leave their homes, often on very short notice. Probably everyone in southern Alberta has been affected in some way. Many people have experienced flooding in their homes and communities, or have had their electricity cut off, their  offices closed, or road access diverted. Others have offered help or accommodation to those more directly affected, or worried about friends or family in the flood zone.

This is what we might call “a disaster of biblical proportions.” That phrase tends to call to mind the floods and famines and mass disasters that we hear about in the Hebrew scriptures. I wonder if we could coin a new phrase: “Love of biblical proportions”! We could use it to reach out to those affected by the Alberta floods, and other disasters anywhere in the world, as Jesus would want us to do. Whether we offer cash, services, messages of support, or prayers, there are so many ways to live out this love.

I know there were prayers of support offered in United Churches across the country on Sunday. Staff of this office worked on the weekend to get a message of concern, and suggestions of how to help , up on the website.

My thoughts and prayers are with all of those affected by the floods in Alberta, and those downstream worrying about what is next for them.

Nora

Sharing a message from Shaune & Gordie MacLeod's Son Kirk

Dear All,

This is a note to update you all on what has been going on in my life and to ask of you, a favor.

The short version is that I have been fighting Stage IV Metastatic Colon Cancer for the last two-and-a-half years...almost three.

In August 2010, just days after coming home on leave from Honduras where I was working as UN Country Security Advisor, I suffered a ruptured colon. I almost died. It turned out the rupture was caused by colon cancer. They thought they had it all after an emergency resection. They discovered they were wrong in December 2010 when I went in for a reversal on my colostomy. The cancer had spread and developed throughout my abdomen. I did 3 months of chemotherapy Spring 2011 followed by major nine-hour surgery/internal chemo called the Sugarbaker Procedure in June 2011 followed shortly after by three more months of chemo and then another reversal surgery.

In that Sugarbaker they stripped the internal lining from the abdominal walls and off most of my internal organs, they removed the whole of my large intestine, part of the small intestine, my gall bladder and the nerves and blood supply to my left testicle (yeah, I thought I needed some of those things as well...). Amazingly, I have been fully functional since...

In January 2012, after another surgery to reverse the ileostomy that resulted from the Sugarbaker - and according to all the tests available - I was declared cancer free, or more aptly: tumour free. I returned to work in February 2012 as the UN Country Security Advisor for the Dominican Republic.

Unfortunately, it was not to be and my first blood test came back with high colon cancer marker levels. A CT scan detected a tumour. A PET scan revealed activity in the tumour shown by the CT, another tumour in the abdomen and at least one "nodule of concern" in the lungs. September 2012, I began three more months of chemo. February 2013 I had another bowel resection removing the two tumours as well as another piece of small intestine (no ostomy this time - small miracles). This was followed in March with a resection of part of the upper left lobe of the lung. They believe another nodule on the right side to be benign...we shall see.

So, once again, as of just a couple weeks ago they have - based upon available tests - declared me cancer free (or perhaps, free of tumours)... at least for now. I remain at high risk for recurrence and have my first CT scan in August...

That brings me to today.

Just living life after cancer is not enough. I have had a very vocal attitude through all of this and continue to do so.

So, I have decided to do something serious. On 4 August, 2013 I will take part in The Big Swim. I will swim from the province of New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island. An open water swim of at least 14km (about nine miles) to raise money for Brigadoon, a camp for chronically ill children.

This kind of thing is beyond the scope of most fit people and I know this. I am doing it after recovering from massive, major surgeries and harsh medical treatments and without some of my internal organs...Those of you who know me well, know that I will get it done.

I am training now and have the coaching, training and nutrition advice of some of the best trainers and experts available.
What I ask of you is this: Support me in this swim by donating to Brigadoon. Here is the link:

http://www.canadahelps.org/GivingPages/GivingPage.aspx?gpID=24308

Pass my information as far and wide as possible so that Brigadoon can get as much money as we can raise. I always think to myself how fortunate I am that this happened to me and not to one of my kids. I can only imagine how hard that would have been. The least I can do is help kids who have to fight the fight I had as an adult.

The picture above is a comic a friend of mine just drew about me and the swim. I am using it as part of my fundraising push:

I hope you are all well and thriving wherever you are and whatever you are doing.

Take care,
Kirk

This Week in Queens County

                                          

Friday June 21, 5:30 am Summer Solstice Sunrise Ceremony Foot Bridge of Nature Trail, White Point. Welcome the summer solstice by joining us on the edge of the ocean for a traditional sunrise ceremony with Elder Todd Labrador. The Sunrise Ceremony is a deeply spiritual event, performed by First Nations as the sun is rising. It welcomes a new day and gives thanks to our creator, to all directions and all of creation, including the plants, animals, mother earth, medicines, elders, youth, etc.  

Sun., June 23:  Privateer Days’ Worship Service is being held at 10:30 am at the Entertainment Tent at Privateer Park in Liverpool.  Worship service at Zion United Church will be cancelled as all the town churches are participating in the Privateer Service.  

Secretary's Weekly News Letter

June 14, 2013

Dear Friends,

Anyone who preaches sermons knows that after you put together all the ideas and words to capture your message, you can tell from the comments people make afterwards that they hear what they need to hear – whether or not it was what you intended to convey.

This is not a bad thing. I like to think of it as one of the ways God works through us. We are used to plant ideas and offer hope in ways beyond what we could actually plan.

This came up at lunch this week with my colleague Dan Benson. Dan has been taking theology courses “on the side” (meaning in addition to his workload as Executive Minister for Communications), and is getting to be in demand as a preacher and theological reflector. He mentioned an experience during his internship placement when he felt that a particular sermon had simply not worked out, and then someone came to him afterwards and told him how powerfully it had spoken to that person in the midst of particular life circumstances.

So, you never know what things you say and do will make a difference.

I experienced a different version of this myself recently. Someone lifted up something I had said in a way that I hadn’t particularly highlighted, but with a focus that was helpful to me.

At the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, I spoke about how important it is for all churches to share the rich resources of faith and scripture with new generations. I gave, as an example of the wonderful, timeless advice we find in the Bible, the following passage from Romans 12:9-16:

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;
Love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.
Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly.

Someone who spoke to me afterward thanked me for reminding the Assembly of that direction to love one another. I hadn’t emphasized that part, and my point was more about what wonderful advice this passage offers through the ages, but that was the part that spoke to him on that particular day. He mentioned the way that people can get so caught up in the debates or issues that the call to love one another can be overlooked. His comment was that the thing that allows us, ultimately, to work things out and go on, is the ongoing love. I think his words were something like, “It’s about the love, that’s what lets us get through those difficult times and go on.”

He had picked up on that part of the passage, and when he spoke those words, they resonated for me beyond the context of the meeting, and straight into the up and down moods that mark daily life with a beloved teenager. “Yes,” I thought, “it is love that lets us work it out!”

I love how scripture speaks to us, and how when we share our thoughts about scripture with one another, the meaning deepens.

Peace be with you.

Nora

This week at Zion United

This past Sunday at Zion saw Lauren Mckiel finally being able to deliver his word. "The Parable. Why?". as you know with storms cancelling church this past winter and Lauren not being well and away on vacation, he was not able to attend his turn at the pulpit. 

Welcome to Zion United from Sally, Jean and Lauren. The weather was nice enough to open the front door. I always love to see the front door open. 

John Pitblado, unofficial executive greeter. Great job John. I think he is trying to get a hug out of Phyllis!!

The Zion United Choir is swelling these days as the summer weather nears and our southern friends join us. 

So nice to have Georgia and Karl Nolph back with us for the summer and I hope they will be sharing their musical talents with us this summer.

Services for Bessie “Bet” M, FRELLICK

FRELLICK ; Bessie, “Bet” M

FRELLICK -- Bessie, “Bet” M. of  Liverpool, NS passed away peacefully at home on May 07, 2013.

Bessie was born March 4, 1917 in Mt. Denson, Hants Co., the daughter of Lee and Rosa (Nichols) Schurman.

She graduated from Victoria General Hospital, Halifax in 1940 and worked several years at Queens General Hospital in Liverpool. She was a member of Zion United Church and Zion UCW since 1946. She was a leader and assistant leader of Brownies in her early years. Bessie enjoyed all needlework, games, reading and baking, but most of all family and friends. Travelling with husband Lloyd was a real pleasure, visiting Newfoundland, England, Scotland as well as Canada and the USA from coast to coast.

Surviving are son John (Gail) Riverview, NB and daughter Joan (Richard) Fralic, MacLeod Hill, NB. Grandchildren, Peter Frellick (Tracy Wallace), Vancouver, BC; Susan (Gordon) Frellick-Perry, Summerside, PEI; Lynn Frellick (Ron Haslam), Summerside, PEI; Greg (Theresa) Fralic, Heidlberg, Ont.; Michael Fralic (Julie Hong), Ottawa. Great-grandchildren Jacob and Ella Rose Fralic and Leigha Haslam. Her nieces and nephews were very special to “Aunt Bessie”.

She was predeceased by husband Lloyd and infant son Ronald Lloyd.

Service of remembrance will take place Saturday, June 22nd, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. in Chandlers’ Funeral Chapel, Liverpool. Reverend Sheila Redden Smith officiating. Burial will be in Camphill Cemetery, Halifax on Monday, June 24th, 2013 at 10:30 a.m. No flowers by  request, donations may be made to  Queens General Hospital Foundation, Zion United Church, Liverpool or any charity. Online condolences may be made to www.chandlersfuneral.com

Jeannie Cans are out!

Please make sure you have your Jeannie Can. This is an annual fundraiser for the UCW of Zion United Church. Just save up your change for the summer. It is as easy as that. 

If you would like a Jeannie Can please contact any of the UCW members or call Dorothy Shankel at 354-3572.

General Secretary Weekly Letter

June 7, 2013

Dear friends,Next Monday will be the 88th anniversary of the inaugural worship service of The United Church of Canada. In chapel this week, the Rev. Bronwyn Corlett led us in an inspiring service using hymns and prayers from that special day in 1925.

I have a photocopy of the inaugural service that I keep on my desk right under the Bible that I was presented with at the General Council where my appointment was approved. I keep it there, but I hadn’t looked at it for a while, so this was a good reminder to get it out again.

It was a significant occasion, I know, but even still it’s hard to picture a worship service this long in any gathering of the United Church today. They wanted to lift up the best of the traditions of the founding denominations, and they were making commitments for the church of the future. This service reflected their dreams for future generations of the church: for us.

Reading the Order of Service with 2013 eyes, we find a mix of the familiar and the quaintly archaic.

The hymns:

"The Church’s One Foundation"
        "All People that on Earth do Dwell"
             "O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing"
                 "O God of Bethel, by Whose Hand"
                     "When I survey the Wondrous Cross"
                         "O Spirit of the Living God"

are mostly ones we still sing today, although with updated language.

Bronwyn also updated the language of the Commemoration of the Faithful prayer that she led us through, although without losing any of the original meaning. It’s just that some of the original wording would get in the way of our understanding today.

After chapel I had a meeting with the Rev. Michael Blair and we talked about the service before moving on to other topics. He pointed out to me that several of the lines from the Commemoration of the Faithful are echoed in the words of A New Creed. Of course some of the phrases have their origins in the much older words of the scriptures. The same ideas have been repeated in the words contemporary to different times, so that their full meaning can be experienced by successive generations.

This may be something like the work that the Comprehensive Review Task Group is doing – identifying the ways to structure church, and to speak of church – for our generation and those to come.

Somehow it seemed very appropriate that this lovely chapel service, drawing on the words of a worship service in 1925, was led by a young minister who as a woman would not have been qualified for ordination at the time of church union.

We maintain the best of our traditions, and draw on the strengths of each generation.

Nora Sanders

Queens County Girls Choir at Zion United

The Queens County Girls Choir under the direction of Christopher Snarby and accommpanied on the piano by Alison Williams, joined us for our service at Zion this past Sunday. Unfortunately, I was unable to take any pictures or video. If anyone did take a picture or video they could share, please contact the office on 354-5851. Can't wait to have them back again fr anyone that missed this. It was simply fantastic. Voices of angels!!! I enjoyed this immensely. The picture above was taken from the Advance article from Oct 8, 2011 by Nick Moase for the QC Girls Choir 10th Anniversary. 

Portraits at Zion United - Sign up now open

Brochures are available at the Church as well as a display in Gorham Hall. 

This Sunday at Zion United

So will you be joining us? 

General Secretary's Weekly Letter

   

May 31, 2013

On this “about to be June” evening, I’m sitting out in the backyard with my laptop, enjoying the bird calls and the damp earth scents. It’s the first time I’ve written the weekly letter outside this year.

The temperature is a far cry from a week ago. I wasn’t expecting to drive through snow on May 24 on the way to the Hamilton Conference meeting in Port Elgin. I’d like to claim that I foresaw that when I delayed getting my snow tires taken off, but of course the fact is that I just haven’t managed to get it done yet.

The temperatures stayed a little chilly for much of the weekend, but the sun shone and the atmosphere of the meeting was welcoming and warm. This was the second year the meeting has been held at the Canadian Auto Workers Family Education Centre, a great facility located close enough to the shore of Lake Huron to allow early morning walks on the beach.

Certain things about annual general meetings are always the same and yet never quite the same. I’m talking about the celebration of new ministries, and the honouring of those retiring and reaching significant anniversaries in their service in ministry. It always feels like such a great honour for me to be part of these occasions.

It was heartening for me to see the engagement of those at the meeting with the discussions around the Comprehensive Review. I know that there is a lot of work ahead before we as a church come to what changes are needed, but I felt there was a healthy mix of realistic acceptance that change is upon us, and hopeful regard for the possibilities the future holds. It seemed that people came to the meeting with open attitudes, and the presentation by the Rev. Lauren Hodgson of the Comprehensive Review Task Group managed to be both frank and positive.

There were many good words spoken over the weekend. I found the address by Dr. Kofi Hope about the church that young people want to be challenging and inspiring in ways that has left me with food for thought that I’ve been chewing on all week.

Another highlight of this busy week for me was a visit on Tuesday to 40 Oaks, the home of the Christian Resource Centre, which is part of the redeveloped Regent Park in downtown Toronto. Talk about a hope-filled place. Talk about a place where people are committing their resources of time and money to make a positive difference in the lives of others. This is the kind of United Church work that we should all be proud of. This is work that exemplifies church at its best.

The official reason for my visit there was to see where the United Church archives will be located after they move out of 3250 Bloor Street West this summer. This space is still under construction, but it will be excellent accommodation for the archival material, staff who work there, and users of the archives. It is good to think of the archives sharing space with an active community ministry, with the rent going to that ministry instead of to a commercial landlord. I’m impressed with the aplomb with which General Council Archivist Nichole Vonk is managing the planning and pending upheaval that goes along with a big move.

With the sun now down, I’ve been joined in the yard by some mosquitoes, my signal that it is time to end this letter and go inside.

Nora

Nova Scotia Provincial Festival comes to Liverpool & Zion United

Competitions taking place at Liverpool Baptist Church and the Zion United Church on May 31 & June 1st, leading up to the Gala Concert. 

               Nova Scotia Provincial Music Festival

Gala Concert

7:00 p.m. Saturday, June 1, 2013

Astor Theatre, Liverpool, NS

Admission: Adults $10 Students: $5

This concert features as performers the winners of all Junior and Senioir classes, an announcement of the Choral Awards, and the adjudicators' selection of Nova Scotia's Team to the National Music Festival 2013, at Sir Wilfred Laurier  

Click HERE for the schedule of events for the festival to when you can watch at Zion United. 

General Secretary's Weekly Letter

May 16, 2013 Dear Friends, Last week was a difficult one at the General Council Office. In follow up to the decisions made at the meeting of the Executive of the General Council the previous weekend, we laid off staff and announced cuts to grants to meet a more frugal budget in 2014. The decisions were necessary but hard. These aren’t the moments one has in mind when asked to offer leadership in the church, but I’m grateful for the Executive members and staff colleagues who made the decisions carefully and carried them out. We had a staff meeting this week, one of the big ones for everyone in the office (and those from Conferences who chose to join in by videoconference). It was a quiet group, as people are still settling into the changes, but the thing that prevented it from being overly grim was the thoughtful opening by the Moderator. He acknowledged the uncertainty that everyone was feeling and offered it back to us as a time of possibility. When I say that here, it sounds trite. When he speaks, it touches the listeners in a way real, poetic, and hopeful. Sitting in a meeting with the Moderator’s Advisory Committee this week, I couldn’t help but reflect on the rare privilege I have had to work closely with the past three Moderators, each one different, each one a powerful leader of our church. I was appointed at the meeting where David Giuliano was elected Moderator. I met him at the 39th General Council for the first time, and then occasionally that first autumn, but I didn’t actually work with him until I had finished up my previous work in Saskatchewan and moved to Toronto over Christmas. It was a good thing for him that Jim Sinclair was still here to introduce him to his role, because I was green as grass about the General Council Office, too. We did a lot of learning together, but I have no doubt that I learned much more from him than the other way around. His life was turned upside down by cancer in the midst of his term, yet throughout he offered deeply spiritual leadership with a rare mix of humility and strong will. We left the 40th General Council with a new Moderator, Mardi Tindal, a lay person like me but with a long history of work in the United Church, everything from camps and youth work to Vision TV to Five Oaks. Mardi brought her wonderful gifts for working with groups of people to draw ideas and purpose from them. God’s love for this beautiful and fragile earth was at the heart of her theology and this resonated strongly with so many in the church, and beyond. And now Gary Paterson, not far into his term, but already engaged in conversations across the church through his blog, his visits, and his preaching. He is actively involved in the process of listening and engaging with new ideas, which is the work of the Comprehensive Review Task Group. His positive nature carries a sense of possibility in all that he does. One of the strange and beautiful things about my role is getting to work with a series of Moderators and supporting them to lift up the visions they bring to their roles. With each one, it is hard to think of them leaving in three years and being replaced by anyone new, and yet, as is so often said in the United Church, “we always get the right Moderator for the time.” One of the things that I remember most clearly from the Arnprior Conference in 2005, before I ever thought of working in this office, was the night that most of the former Moderators sat down together and talked to us about their experiences as Moderator and their vision for the United Church. What I remember more than what any of them said was the sense of this amazing group of individuals, each so different and each so gifted, and all part of the leadership of our wonderful church. After a week of facing up to challenging budget constraints, I invite you to reflect with gratitude on all those who offer leadership in all parts of the United Church. Nora

Pentecost Celebrations at Zion

Thanks to Rev Sheila for decorating Gorham Hall at Zion United Church for Pentecost and bringing alive this festive time for everyone, including cake!!!

What is Pentecost?

For Christians, Pentecost is a holiday on which we commemorate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the early followers of Jesus. Before the events of the first Pentecost, which came a few weeks after Jesus’ death and resurrection, there were followers of Jesus, but no movement that could be meaningfully called “the church.” Thus, from an historical point of view, Pentecost is the day on which the church was started. This is also true from a spiritual perspective, since the Spirit brings the church into existence and enlivens it. Thus Pentecost is the church’s birthday.

From Patheos.com

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. -Acts 2:1-4

From United Church of Canada Facebook Page

Pentecost Sunday

Come and join us for Pentecost Sunday. Rev. Sheila is very excited and is decorating Gorham Hall for the ocassion. Communion will also be offered this Sunday.

This Week at Zion

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's. Have a great day!!!

This was the last Sunday for Robbie the Dragon. Robbie will be back in September to spread the Gospel according to Robbie. 

Bye ROBBIE!!!

Spring has Sprung at Zion

Here are a few pics of the gardens at Zion. Our flowers are coming up. 

We are starting to see a bit of color in the front gardens.

Our neighbor has some great looking daffodils. The Zion congregation gets to see these every Sunday when they come to church.

General Secretary's Weekly Letter

May 3, 2013

I remember that when I lived in the North, this was a very strange time of year to come to southern Canada.  In Yellowknife or Iqaluit, the glorious thing this time of year is the sunshine stretching further and further into the evening hours.  With all that sunlight, the snow is receding rapidly and the winter is clearly over. That feels like spring until you travel south and find the tulips in full bloom and joggers out in their shorts.

Now, I’m living in a place where the first week in May the lawns are green velvet, tiny leaves are unfurling on every twig, the birds are singing crazily, and the forsythia are in full bloom.  After lots of warm spring rain in recent weeks, the earth has sprung back to life.

This weekend is predicted to be warm and sunny throughout.  I guess I shouldn’t begrudge that fact that, along with those wonderfully dedicated members of the Executive of the General  Council and supporting staff and volunteers, I’ll be inside the whole time!  In fact, whether we get out and enjoy the sunshine or not, the gift of springtime bursting forth will be uplifting to all who toil over difficult budget decisions this weekend. 

In preparation for work heavy with responsibility and emotion, I was blessed last week to take part in the Week of Guided Prayer at Islington United Church.  This program originates with Hamilton Conference, but has been well used at Islington and various other churches for years.   Many of those at the opening worship described themselves as returning participants, a testament to the value found in this week of intentional practice of prayer.  The theme of hope resonated well with me.  I confess to being less regular than I aspire to be in my practice of praying with scripture, so it made so much sense to have this week set aside to share with others in dedicated practice. The private reading and prayer, the journaling, and the conversations with my companion offered a balance to many of the other things going on in my life.  I liked it so well that I am hoping that we can do something  similar at the General Council Office in coming months.

Meanwhile, I turn to this week’s work with scriptural images and reflections to offer guidance – and hope.

May peace be with you.

Nora

This Week at The United Church of Canada

I did not make it to Church today, so I was wondering what I could post when I saw the post on the United Church of Canada facebook page. You can follow their page too by clicking here.

**********

Historic signing this morning as part of the worship experience of the General Council Executive. Moderator Gary Paterson and General Secretary, General Council Nora Sanders, sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Presiding Bishop Rt. Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Asante and North American Supervising Bishop Rev. Benjamin Asare of the Methodist Church of Ghana to establish a formal relationship of Associate Membership for the Ghana Calvary Methodist United Church of Toronto. The MOU lives into the decision of the 41st General Council to establish Associate Relationships with Migrant Church communities. (Photos by Michael Blair.)

This Week at Zion

Thanks to Dan MacLaren for leading the worship service today in Rev Sheila's absence. This weekend across Canada the United Church recognizes the Church Camp and the wonderful role that it plays in the life's of our youth and families. The service today was dedicated to camping, camp fires, welcoming each other and telling stories to each other. 

It was all very cozy with the chairs in a circle and the tent and make shift camp fire. We recognize the United Church Camp in our area, Sherbrooke Lake Camp as they prepare for the coming season of fun, learning and making new friends. 

John Pitblado brought in a lighthouse to share with us. A friend sent him this after he told them the story abut our Zion Lighthouse. 

Dan a camp fire story to Brooke and Micheal. The Turtle and the Broken Truth.

The kids played in the tent and we wore our camping hats. 

If you would like further information on the Sherbrooke Lake Camp, please go to www.sherbrooklakecamp.org

Hope you can all join us next week as Rev Sheila leads us in worship at Zion United. 

General Secretary's Weekly Letter

Dear Friends,

It was a full week last week. Either in spite of that or because of that, on Thursday night I found myself running out of time and without inspiration for a weekly letter. I concluded that I would have to skip the week.
Then the events of Friday unfolded, and on a subway ride downtown for a meeting, I found myself writing. Here is what I wrote:

I ate breakfast to the news that the whole city of Boston was under lockdown as police searched for one of the men believed to have set the devastating bombs at the Boston Marathon on Monday.
Going about my regular activities at home and at work, I have tried to imagine what it is like for a whole city full of people to be told to stay in their homes and keep their doors locked. Our door at home is seldom locked when we are home. I try to think what it would be like to lock it and tell my son that he couldn't go to school or out to see his friends, couldn’t leave the house at all. Would we be afraid to even let the dogs out?
This kind of thing may be familiar in various parts of the world, but it is beyond the usual experience of North Americans. We don’t expect it in a place like Boston. We don’t expect it could ever be where we live. But it did happen in Boston, and it makes me wonder about where people find faith in the midst of such fear.
What do people think about when they are ordered to lock themselves in their homes? Do they pray? Will they ever feel the same again about their homes, and their city? About their world?

I got about that far by the time I finished the subway ride back, but then I checked my BlackBerry and found a message from my son, and another from his high school, saying there had been a bomb threat and the school had been evacuated. By the time I got home, things had settled down, but by the time everything had sorted out and I had reconnected with Johny the afternoon was done and the weekly letter wasn’t!
Maybe there isn’t much more to say, except that sometimes the stories end up a little too close to home.
The psalm for Sunday’s lectionary was the 23rd Psalm. It isn’t that evil won’t exist, but that in the comfort of our good shepherd, we need not fear it. Isn’t that enough.

Peace be with you.
Nora Sanders

This week at Zion United

There was a great crowd in church today. We had Rev. Sheila's son, Troy, and his wife Crystal and their 3 young girls, Eva, Abigail & Evelyn with us. I am sure that made for a lively Sunday school with Randi Dickie.

It is nice to see so many children in church. Robbie enjoys this and Rev Sheila can spread the Gospel according to Robbie with the children. 

Next week, Rev. Sheila will be away on conference and Dan MacLaren will be conduting the service. We will be having a special camping Sunday service. 

Please come in casual dress t celebrate camping. Dress for camping and wear your camp fire hat. 

As you know the United Church has a summer camp for all ages and dynamics, and registration is possible as of now at their website, www.sherbrookelakecamp.org. They are getting ready for 2013 camping season and invite you to come out and help us get camp ready for the summer.  Camp cleanup is April 27th 
                                    starting at 8:30am rain or shine.

Sherbrooke Lake United Church Camp

For more information on this year's camp program, go to www.sherbrookelakecamp.org

The General Secretary's Weekly Letter

Dear Friends,

Mimico Creek, which I cross each day on the way to work, has different characters in different seasons.

There are times in the cold of winter when you can walk across its solid surface. You have to be careful, though, not to venture out on it on the days when the surface looks solid but is actually very thin under a blanket of snow.

On a hot summer day, you can relax, standing on smooth, worn rocks, and feel the coolness of the gently flowing waters.

Today it is a torrent, swollen by melting snow banks and heaving spring rains draining from the hillsides, so that it is almost overflowing its banks. The smooth rocks lie well below the surface now, and you couldn’t stand in the water without being swept off your feet in the currents.

The great variety of God’s creation fills me with wonder.

There are many seasons in the life of the church, too.

Today, seeing the creek frothing and racing with the waters flowing from every part of the larger watershed, I thought of the engagement process of conversations with every congregation and local ministry that has just been launched by the Comprehensive Review Task Group. 

Facilitators have been trained and an invitation has gone out across the church. I’m told the response is considerable already: people from many, many pastoral charges, community ministries, congregations, and faith communities will take part in conversations that will feed into – or perhaps flow into – the conversation that began nationally with General Council’s decision to establish the Comprehensive Review Task Group.

I hope that the task group will be flooded with stories of hopes and fears, and with ideas and dreams for our denomination. 

May God stir the currents of our souls into powerful rivers of faith.

Nora

God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Acts 2:17

The General Secretary's letter is distributed to staff at the General Council Office and colleagues across the United Church. If you are receiving this you may also want to see Moderator Gary Paterson's blog. Visit www.garypaterson.ca and select "Follow" in the lower right to get an e-mail notice whenever he has a new post.

The United Church of Canada 3250 Bloor Street West, Suite 300 Toronto Ontario M8X 2Y4 Canada www.united-church.ca

  

This Week at Zion United

It was an exciting Service at Zion this Sunday. Rev Sheila Redden-Smith led her first service at Zion and we were joined by the Edmonton Children's Choir. 

Our snow birds are slowly returning and we welcomed back lots of familiar faces. It was a very full house today. 

The Edmonton Children's Choir consisted of a girl's choir and a boy's choir and we were treated to 3 fabulous performances.

Robbie was in the Castle and he delighted Rev Sheila with the gospel according to Robbie. 

General Secretary's Weekly Letter

Dear Friends,

I'm sitting in the back seat of a car riding back from a meeting with the United Church of Christ in Cleveland.  The landscape we are passing looks familiar:  it's very similar here to southern Ontario, and the arrival of spring is at about the same stage. 
Similarly, when we meet with United Church of Christ colleagues, there is much that is familiar in our conversations.  We face common challenges of being an inclusive church sharing the good news of Jesus Christ in an increasingly secular society.  There is lots to learn from each other, and perhaps to work on together.  Many things feel the same, and some things are quite different, and there are things to learn from both.   
Sometimes, there are reminders that although we have a lot in common, we are in quite different countries.  At lunch time, I looked at some buttons with slogans about various justice campaigns the United Church of Christ is involved in. One that caught my eye said, "Don't Kill for Me."  I looked at it trying to understand what it was about.  My first thought was that it was an anti-war message of some kind, but then I read the subtext: "I oppose the death penalty."  Oh yeah, how could I forget that.  I recall that in my days working in the justice system, when we met with counterparts from the United States, I used to reflect that I wouldn't have wanted to – in conscience wouldn't have been able to – serve in a senior Justice Department position in the United States.  It's strange to have a neighbouring country, so similar in so many ways, yet with startling reminders of difference.
On a different note, it was interesting that when President Obama was inaugurated, the day began with a church service that was attended by the President and his family, and many of the dignitaries who were involved in the official proceedings. Their arrival at the church was covered on national television, although the actual church service wasn't.  Even though our Prime Minister is a person of faith, this official kind of church connection with a state event would be most unlikely in Canada.  A few days after the inauguration in the United States, Ontario's new premier-designate gave her first media statement after the leadership convention at 11 o'clock on a Sunday morning.  She is a United Church person, a regular church attender, so this wasn't about her lack of faith connection.  It spoke to a different set of public assumptions on this side of the border.
As we drive through Ohio, past beautiful woodlands similar to many parts of southern Canada, and yet part of a different country, I am grateful both to be Canadian, and to have opportunities to get to know our near neighbours.  I celebrate the things we have in common, and the things that keep us different.
May all blessings be with you.

Nora

	The General Secretary's letter is distributed to staff at the General Council Office and colleagues across the United Church. If you are receiving this you may also want to see Moderator Gary Paterson's blog. Visit www.garypaterson.ca and select "Follow" in the lower right to get an e-mail notice whenever he has a new post.

The United Church of Canada 3250 Bloor Street West, Suite 300 Toronto Ontario M8X 2Y4 Canada www.united-church.ca