Sunday, September 1, 2024 Labour Day Sunday

 This Sunday is also be known as Creation Sunday, beginning the Season of Creation that finishes on Thanksgiving Sunday. Let us give thanks for God’s wonderful world!

Hymn.      All Creatures of our God and King #217VU

Scripture Lessons:       Song of Songs 2:8-13

                                     Psalm 45:1,2, 6-9 p.769VU

                                     James 1:17-27

Message

Prayer:  Praise and thanks to you, O God, for all you have done for us. 

   We thank you for the splendour of the whole creation, for the wonder of life, and for the mystery of love. 

   We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for loving care which surrounds us on every side. 

   We thank you for the delight we find in finishing well our daily tasks, and for helping us find comfort in you, even in failure or distress. 

    Above all, we thank you for your Son, Jesus Christ; for the truth of his word and the example of his life;  for his faithfulness, his dying, his rising to life again, by which we, too, are raised to life anew. 

   Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ, and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, May give thanks to you in all things. Amen. (from Voices United, additional prayers, p.930VU)

Hymn      For the Beauty of the Earth 226VU

This Sunday’s services will be 9:30 in Ormstown and 11:00 in Howick. 

St Paul’s Session will meet Wednesday, September 4th in the hall at 7:30pm. 

Good news! The work on the heating systems in Ormstown in both the church and the hall will be done this month. This is made possible in part through the United Church’s Faithful Footprints program. If you wish to donate to support this work to lower the church’s carbon footprint and make the church more sustainable, contributions may be made by cheque or cash to the Treasurer. We are also hoping to organize an e-transfer option as well. 

The memorial service for Bob Buttars will be held Friday, September 13th at 2pm in Howick United Church. The service will be preceded by a visitation at 1:00 in the church and it will be followed by a reception at the Town Hall. We continue to hold Norma and his family and friends in our thoughts and prayers. 

Please keep in mind the OHO Quilt Show that will take place Friday, September 20th and Saturday, September 21st at the Ormstown Curling Club from 10-4:00. Cost to enter will be $5.00. 

Also Alyson Champ’s art show Etalements to be held at the LBA Fairgrounds’ Dining Hall September 20-22. 

The Moderator’s Flourishing Event will be held in our region on Saturday, September 21st, from 9:30-4:30 at Cedar Park United Church in Pointe Claire. Please contact Barbara if you are interested in attending, and she will send you the link or help you to register. 

The Riverfield Curling Club will be kicking off their 200th anniversary season on Saturday, October 12th with a Scottish lunch, cost $10, afternoon activities, and an evening BBQ, also $10. Tickets can be purchased on the RCC website, from members, or at 450-825-2577.

Worship Schedule: September 1        9:30    Ormstown      11:00    Howick

                               September 8.       9:30.   Howick.          11:00.   Ormstown

                               September 15.     9:30.    Howick.         11:00.   Ormstown

                               September 22.     9:30.    Ormstown.     11:00.   Howick

                               September 29.     Combined service in Ormstown 11:00, fellowship time beginning at 10:30 in the church. 

Sunday, August 25, 2024 The Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost

 Best wishes to teachers and to students who are preparing to go back to school shortly. 

Hymn      Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah #651VU

Scripture Lessons:      I Kings 8:22-30

                                    Psalm 84 p.800VU

                                    John 6:60-69

Message 

Prayer:  Each day, O God, we receive so much that is good:  a rainbow of colours, a symphony of sounds, a banquet of flavours, a bouquet of aromas. 

   As the seasons turn, we receive again: the crunch of amber leaves underfoot, the fragrance of cut grass in the sun, the warmth of soup when snow is falling, the first crocus to appear from the cold ground. 

   As moments come, as moments go, we receive even more: the song of a sparrow to lift our hearts, the smile of a friend to set things right, the grace of a deer to fill us with wonder, the laughter and love shared around a table. 

   For all we have received, O God, we say with you, “It is very good,” and we give you grateful hearts in return. Amen. ( a prayer written by Keri Wehlander’s and published in Circles of Grace)

Hymn      Blest be the Tie that Binds #602VU

This Sunday there will be a 9:30 service in Ormstown and an 11:00 service in Howick. The service in Howick will be a special music service with guest musician Bruce Barr accompanied by Emily, followed by a lunch that will be provided. Some desserts to finish the lunch would be appreciated. A free will offering will be taken to cover costs. 

We hold Norma Buttars in our thoughts and prayers, following the death of her husband Bob on Friday. 

St Paul’s Stewards will meet Wednesday, August 28th at 7:30 at the hall. 

For those who wish to know, Donald Sutherland’s visitation and memorial service will be held in London, through the Logan Funeral Home, next Friday, August 30th (visitation) and Saturday, August 31st. We continue to hold his family and friends in our thoughts and prayers. 

There will be a Flourishing event held in our Regional Council with the Moderator on Saturday, September 21st, from 9:30-4:30 in Cedar Park United Church in Pointe Claire. If you wish to attend, please let Barbara know and she will provide the registration link or info. 

Worship Schedule for September:     

September 1       9:30     Ormstown          11:00.      Howick

September 8.      9:30.     Howick.            11:00.      Ormstown

September 15.    9:30.     Howick.            11:00      Ormstown

September 22     9:30     Ormstown.         11:00.      Howick

September 29.    9:30.    Combined service in Ormstown, 11:00 fellowship time 10:30

Sunday, August 18, 2024 The Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost

 

Hymn     Immortal, Invisible #264VU

Scripture Lessons:       I Kings 3:3-15

                                     Psalm 111 p.833VU

                                     John 6:51-58

Message

Prayer:  O God of a thousand names and faces, Mother and Father of all life on earth, you who live in the cells of all life, 

Teach us to know and love you. 

Lady of peace, of love, of wisdom, Lord of all the stars and planets, best consoled, inward guest. 

Teach us to know and love you. 

Giver of gifts and light of our hearts, fill the inmost depths of our hearts. 

Teach us to know and love you. 

Wash what is soiled, heal what is wounded, bend what is rigid, warm what is frigid.

And teach us to know and love you. 

Restore to us our humanness, 

And teach us to know and love you. (a prayer by Sharon Owens, printed in No Longer Strangers)

Hymn      God of Grace and God of Glory #686VU

This Sunday’s services will be 9:30 Howick and 11:00 in Ormstown, where we will celebrating the sacrament of baptism. 

We hold in our thoughts and prayers, Jean Niles, who lost her brother last week. 

I have also heard (through the family grapevine) of the death of Donald Sutherland this week. We hold his family in our thoughts and prayers as well. 

We also hold the congregation of Kamloops United Church, whose building was damaged by fire. P

Next Sunday August 25th, in Howick (11:00) we are planning a  music Sunday with a singalong and extra music. Please join us if you can. 

Riverfield Curling Club is planning a Homecoming Event to kickoff their 200th anniversary celebrations on Saturday,October 12th, which includes a Scottish luncheon, an afternoon of exhibits, games for children, and an evening BBQ. Tickets for the meals cost $10 and are available from the RCC website, from members, or at 450-825-2577.

There will be  “Flourishing” event held in our regional council this fall. This is an event with our Moderator, the Rt Rev. Carmen Lansdowne, on Saturday September 21st from 9-4:30pm at Cedar Park United Church in Pointe Claire. This event will invite us to consider bold choices and daring connections and will also offer workshops for congregations. Please let Barbara know if you might be interested in attending and she will provide the link for registering. 

Sunday, August 11, 2024 The Twelth Sunday of Pentecost

 

Hymn      When Morning Gilds the Skies #339

Scripture Lessons:      Ephesians 4:25-5:2

                                    Psalm 130 p.853VU

                                    John 6:35, 41-51

Message 

Prayer:  God of the darkness, we are afraid. There are dangers and memories that hurt us and harm us. We are scared of the dark. 

   God of the night, we are restless. There are snares and distractions that lure us and trap us. We are wary of the night. 

   God of the shadows, we are uncertain. There are questions and risks in believing your promise. We are uneasy in the shadows. 

   Come, God of the night, come in the sun that is rising, shine in the darkness and scatter the shadows. Come warm us with love and with light. 

Hymn        New Every Morning #405

This Sunday’s services will be 9:30 Howick and 11:00 Ormstown. Next Sunday’s worship times will be the same. 

This Sunday (August 11th) the annual music service will be held at Beechridge at 1:30. All welcome to share in this service. 

An event is planned with the United Church’s current Moderator, the Rt. Rev. Carmen Lansdowne, at Cedar Park United Church for our Regional Council. It is known as “Flourishing.” It will be held Saturday, September 21st, 9:00-4:30. The event is free, but registration is requested. Please let Barbara know if you would be interested in attending. 

Sunday, August 4, 2024

 Not only was August 1st Lammas Day, it was also Emancipation Day, when enslavement of people of African Descent was no longer allowed in Upper and Lower Canada and across the British Empire, since 1834. Something to celebrate and remember! 

Hymn      Come Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love #574VU

Scripture Lessons: II Samuel 11:26-12:13a

                               Psalm 51:1-12 p.776VU

                               John 6:24-35

Hymn      Break Thou the Bread of Life #502VU

Message

Prayer:  Gracious God, from whom comes all that is good, we praise you for your mercies:  for your goodness that creates us, your grace that sustains us, your power that strengthens us, your patience that bears with us, and your love that has redeemed us. 

      Help us to love you, and to be thankful for all your gifts by serving you and delighting to do your will and walking in your way; through Christ, our guide and companion. Amen. (a prayer from VU services for trial use 1996-7 from the United Church) 

Hymn       All the Way My Saviour Leads Me #635VU

This Sunday’s services will be 9:30 in Ormstown and 11:00 in Howick. (Please note that following the closing of the Franklin congregation, both of our congregations will have 4 services a month, 2 at 9:30 and 2 at 11:00.) 

We hold our family, friends, and neighbours who have lost loved ones in our thoughts and prayers over the past month, including Patsy and Destiny Chisholm, along with the family and friends of Brenda Steele and Shirley Stark. We also pray for the United Church congregation of Jasper AB, whose building was lost in the wildfires last month.