April 22nd is not only Earth Day, but also the beginning of Passover for our Jewish sisters and brothers. As they gather around a table to celebrate Seder, we pray for God’s blessings upon them and for peace on this earth.
Hymn All Creatures of our God and King #217VU
Scripture Lessons: I John 4:7-21
Psalm 22:25-31 p. 740 VU
John 15:1-8
Message
Prayer: Creating God, you have called us to be in loving relations with all the Earth, living with respect in creation, choosing love and seeking Justice at all times.
Instead, humankind has acted in hateful ways, exploiting natural resources, choosing power and seeking wealth in the present over future abundance.
We need your help to fight for a better future!
Help to reawaken our love for Creation, that is so magnificent that we, with all our creativity and knowledge, could never articulate it, and so passionate that we, with the personal price and communal cost, would still fight for it.
Help to deepen our relationships and love for each other: affirming the wisdom of youth strikers, so that we are not discouraged by empty platitudes and naysayers; and growing our community of allies, so that we can create a sustainable and faithful response to the imminent climate crisis.
For the sake of your majestic creation and for the love of all our relations. Help us to fight for a better future. Amen. ( a prayer written by Alydia Smith and adapted and shared by the United Church for Earth Week 2024.)
Hymn For the Beauty of the Earth #226VU
This Sunday’s services will be in Franklin at 9:30 and in Howick at 11:00. Next Sunday we will be gathering in Ormstown at 9:30 and in Howick at 11:00.
Many thanks to all those who stepped up and in to help out while I was away on educational leave last week. It is greatly appreciated.
We hold in our thoughts and prayers the family and friends of Madeline Cavanaugh, who died this past week. A celebration of her life will be held Saturday, April 27th at St Malachi Church, beginning with the visitation at 10:00 and the service at 11:00.
We also continue to hold in our thoughts and prayers the family and friends of Willard Orr, whose death took place a few weeks ago.
Congratulations to Robert Patton and the Kahnawake United Church, who will be celebrating Robert’s ordination together with the Nakonhaka Regional Council on Saturday morning at 11:00 in the Kahnawake United Church.
St Paul’s United Church will be planning another Craft and Activity Day for Sunday, May 12th at our 11:00 service. All young people and families are invited to come and share in the fun.
The Executive Secretary of the United Church’s General Council, Michael Blair, will be in Montreal and making a presentation on the State of the Church: Leaning into God’s Future, on Monday, May 5th from 3:30-5:00 in St George’s Anglican Church of Stanley Street in Montreal. The presentation is free but registration is requested and can be done through the QR code on the poster on the bulletin board in the churches, or through montrealdio.ca/state-of-the-church. The Convocation celebrations for both the United Theological College and for Montreal Diocesan College will follow at 7pm in the church.
Applications for the Hugh Duncan and IFE bursaries made available through the regional council are now available. The deadline for applying is June 2nd. Copies of the applications may be found in the churches, on the regional council’s website, nakonhaka.ucc.ca or by contacting Barbara.
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