Sunday, April 13, 2025 Palm Sunday

 This Saturday Jewish families will be preparing to celebrate Passover. May this truly be a time of celebration and joy.🙏🏽

Hymn.       All Glory, Laud, and Honour #122

Scripture Lessons:      Philippians 2:5-11

                                    Psalm 118:19-29

                                    Luke 19:28-40

Hymn.       Hosanna Loud Hosanna #123VU

Message

Prayer:  Living God, Jesus suffered with all humanity because he became “like human beings” (Philippians 2:7). He died on the cross because someone like Jesus who confronts injustice, heals the sick, breaks the chains of oppression, feeds the hungry, and loves his sisters and brothers so fully always makes enemies of tyrants and bigots, people filled with hate. The forces of evil cannot tolerate such good ness. Cleanse my soul and will of all that is destructive, so that I can love as Jesus did, even if it means that I too will suffer for it. I know from Christ that death will not have the last word. Bring me to the glorious Resurrection, the true victory of the cross. Amen. (from “The Cross” in taste and See by Jacqueline Syrup Bergan and S. Marie Schwan.)

Hymn        Ride On, Ride On, in Majesty #127VU

This Sunday is Palm (or Passion) Sunday, which marks the beginning of Holy Week. Services will be held in both Howick at 9:30 and Ormstown at 11:00. In Ormstown there will also be craft activities for families. 

There will be an extra blog this coming week, for Good Friday, as well as Easter Sunday. 

Next Sunday we will be celebrating Easter Sunday with Communion. The services will be the same times: 9:30 in Howick and 11:00 in Ormstown. 

We hold the family and friends of Brian Smith in our thoughts and prayers following his death last week. 

We hold the family and friends of Jean Templeton in our thoughts and prayers, following her death last Sunday. A service to remember and celebrate her life will be held on Friday, April 18th at 2:00 in Howick United Church. Visitation will also be held at the church, from 1:00. A reception will follow the service.

We hold the family and friends of Mary Greer in our thoughts and prayers following her death on Thursday. Plans are underway for a service in St Paul’s shortly. 

The Confirmation classes will begin on this Monday and will be held on Monday afternoons 4-5:15pm at the hall in Ormstown. 

Nakonhaka Regional Council is inviting applications for bursaries for post-secondary education from confirmed members of the United Church. The applications are available on the website, nakonhaka.ca, or from Barbara. The deadline for applying is June 2nd. 

Sunday, April 6, 2025 The Fifth Sunday of Lent

 

This Friday, April 4th was World Refugee Day. We can take some time to reflect on whether these times of uncertainty make us more or less inclined to be welcoming to others. 

Hymn      Beneath the Cross of Jesus #135

Scripture Lessons:       Isaiah 43:16-21

                                     Psalm 126 p.850VU

                                     John 12:1-8

Message

Prayer:  O God, sometimes life’s events call for extravagance and sometimes for restraint. Sometimes they call for thrift and other times they call for abandon. Help us in our discernment so that we can respond to life’s events in the way that are both faithful and life-giving, ways that show others and ourselves that you are present in all events even if we cannot feel you there. Show us your way to share your love. Amen. ( a prayer written by Catherine Tovell of Kilworth UC in London ON and printed in Gathering L/E 2025, slightly adapted.) 

Hymn        Take My Life and Let it Be #506

This Sunday’s services will be Ormstown at 9:30 and Howick at 11:00. Howick will also offer craft activities for families. Ormstown’s worship services will return to the church this week. 

Howick UCW will meet next Wednesday, April 9th at 7pm. The subject for discussion will be technology. You are invited to bring your devices, if possible, so we can try out the solutions we find for each other. 

St Paul’s Session will meet Wednesday, April 9th at 1pm in the hall, to plan and prepare for Holy Week and Easter. 

Next Sunday, April 13th will be Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. There will be services in Howick at 9:30 and Ormstown at 11:00. There will be craft activities for families in St Paul’s as well. 

There will be an extra blog for Good Friday, April 18th, as well. 

Easter Sunday, April 20th there will be Easter Sunday services with Communion, in Howick at 9:30 and in Ormstown at 11:00. 

Nakonhaka Regional Council is inviting applications for the IFE and Hugh Duncan bursaries for postsecondary students. Applications are available from the website, Nakonhaka.ca, and the deadline for applying is June 2nd. 

Sunday, March 30, 2025 The Fourth Sunday of Lent

 

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

Scripture Lessons:        I Corinthians 5:16-21

                                      Psalm 32 p.759VU

                                      Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Message

Prayer:  Blessed are you who don’t have all the right answers. 

You who say “I don’t know” because i’s the best response for now. 

You who lean in, unafraid to learn, change, be wrong along the way. 

Blessed are you, stretched and pressed and pulled

By the uncertainty, deciding to not to stay the same, 

We are not who we were. 

We have been pulled into the unknown without our permission. 

But the challenge is the same: reveal Truth with love amid chaos. 

Blessed are you who realize that community can help see truth more fully. 

Being fragile amid a world of hammers takes courage

To be wrong, to learn something new, to choose humility and kindness 

Over being right. 

May we be people who don’t have it all together

(And who are done posturing). 

Curious, hopeful, courageous. (Written by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie printed in The Lives We Actually Have:  100 Blessings for Imperfect Days.)

Hymn        Amazing Grace #266 VU

This Sunday’s service will be a combined service in Howick. The service will begin at 11:00, with coffee and more beginning at 10:30. 

Congratulations to Dustin and Liz who have welcomed a new daughter, Eloise, this past week. 

Next Sunday Howick United Church will be offering craft activities for families on Sunday, April 6th at the 11:00 service. 

In Ormstown, there will be craft activities offered at the Palm Sunday service, Sunday, April 13th at 11am. 

On Easter Sunday, there will be Easter Sunday services with Communion in both congregations, 9:30 in Howick and 11:00 in Ormstown. 

Nakonhaka Regional Council is inviting applications for bursaries for postsecondary education (IFE bursaries for college level and Hugh Duncan bursaries for university level) for confirmed members of the United Church of Canada. Applications are available on the RC website, nakonhaka.ca and the deadline for applying is June 2, 2025. 

There will be an online Cross Canada Check-in with the Rev. Michael Blair and members of the General Council Executive on Wednesday, April 2nd at 6pm. Registration is available through CHURCHx (churchx.ca). 

Sunday, March 23, 2025 The Third Sunday of Lent

 

This is also the first Sunday in spring for this year! As we watch and wait for signs of new life around us, let us also hear the call to repentance and renewal we find in our faith. 

Hymn       Let Us with a Gladsome Mind #234VU

Scripture Lessons:       Isaiah 55:1-9

                                     Psalm 63:1-8 p. 781 VU

                                     Luke 13:1-9

Hymn       I Heard the Voice of Jesus Say

Message

Prayers God, with Lent we approach the springtime of the year when the face of the earth is renewed and life emerges out of death. 

   We pray that this season of Lent may be a true springtime for our souls, so that our lives, quickened by the breadth of the Spirit and warmed by the sunshine of your love, may bear abundant fruit and be made radiant with the beauty of holiness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. ( a prayer written by Frank Colquhoun and printed in Contemporary Parish Prayers.)

Hymn         Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life #681VU

This Sunday’s services will be 9:30 in Ormstown and 11:00 in Howick. Next Sunday we will hold a combined service in Howick at 11:00, with coffee and goodies starting at about 10:30. 

Copies of both the newsletter and the annual report are now available. Let us know if you would like to receive a copy. 

Howick Stewards will meet on Tuesday, March 25th at 7pm in the church hall. 

Nakonhaka Regional Council is inviting applications from post-secondary students for the Hugh Duncan and IFE bursaries. Students must be confirmed members of the United Church of Canada. The application deadline is June 2, 2025 and applications are available from the Nakonhaka Regional Council website, nakonhaka.ca. Or you can request a copy from Barbara, she will be happy to provide a copy. 

There will be an online cross-Canada check-in to be held with the GeneralSecretary of the General Council Executive, The Rev. Michael Blair and other members of the General Council Executive, on April 2nd at 6pm. Registration is available through CHURCHx (churchx.ca).

Sunday, March 16, 2025 The Second Sunday of Lent

 This weekend there will be many St Patrick’s Day celebrations (even though St Patrick’s Day is Monday). We can remember that this day is also a day to celebrate our faith, as well as Irish heritage. 

Hymn.       Great is Thy Faithfulness #288

Scripture Lessons:        Genesis 15:1-12, 17, 18

                                      Psalm 27 p.754 VU

                                      Luke 13:31-35

Message

Prayer:  Mothering God, you watch your children grow AND YOU LET US GROW. 

Mothering God, you teach us what is true AND YOU LET US GO. 

Mothering God, you show us what is just AND YOU LET US GO. 

Mothering God you give us what we need AND YOU LET US GO.

Mothering God, you shelter us under your wings AND YOU LET US GO. 

Mothering God, be our light and salvation, this day and always. AMEN. (adapted from a prayer written by Ruth Burgess and printed in the Iona Community’s Lenten Resource, Eggs and Ashes)

Hymn.       My Faith Looks Up to Thee #663

This Sunday’s services will be 9:30 in Howick and 11:00 in Ormstown. March 30th there will be a combined service in Howick at 11:00, with a fellowship time beginning at 10:30. 

We express our sympathy to the family if Jim Chisholm, following his death this past week. 

St Paul’s Stewards will meet Wednesday, March 19th at 7:30pm in the hall. 

Howick United Church’s Stewards will meet on Tuesday, March 25th at 7pm in the church hall. 

The new Gifts with Vision has now been launched. It can be found at giftswithvision.ca and includes projects such as supporting a girls’s school, a kindergarten in a refugee camp, food for the north, or a centennial gift celebrating the centennial of the United Church of Canada. Gifts can be given through the website or by calling 1-844-715-7969. 

Nakonhaka Regional Council is now inviting applications for the IFE and Hugh Duncan bursaries for post-secondary studies from confirmed members of the United Church. Applications are available on the Regional Council website (nakonhaka.uc.ca) or Barbara may provide a copy. The deadline for applying is June 2nd. Please let Barbara know if you have questions. 

The United Church of Canada will be holding an online Cross-Canada Check-in with the General Secretary Michael Blair and other members of the GCE on Wednesday, April 2nd at 6pm. Registration can be done through CHURCHx (churchx.ca). 

Sunday, March 9, 2025 The First Sunday of Lent

 Ramadan Mubarak! A blessed Ramadan to our Muslim sisters and brothers. We may be giving something up for Lent, but our brothers and sisters fast (food and water) from sunrise to sunset for the month of Ramadan.🙏🏽

Happy International Women’s Day to all the women of our congregations and our communities! 💐

Hymn       Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah #651VU

Scripture Lessons:       Deuteronomy 26:1-11

                                     Psalm 91:1,2,9-16 p.807VU

                                     Luke 4:1-13

Message

Prayer:  Jesus the Christ, you refused to turn stones into bread. 

Save us from using our power, however little, to satisfy the demands of selfishness in the face of the greater needs of others. 

Jesus the Christ, you refused to leap from the temple top. 

Save us from displaying our skills, however modest, to win popularity in the face of nobler calls on our abilities. 

Jesus the Christ, you refused to bend a knee to a false god. 

Save us from offering our devotion, however weak, to cheap or easy religion in the face of a harder path on which you bid us to follow you. 

Jesus the Christ, 

Give us wisdom to discern evil; and in the face of all that is deceptively attractive, help us to choose the will of God. Amen. 

Hymn       O Jesus I Have Promised #120VU

This Sunday’s services will be 9:30 in Howick and 11:00 in Ormstown. This will be Ormstown’s annual meeting service where the worship service will be combined with the annual meeting. It will take place in the hall. (Please note: it is spring forward Sunday, so it will feel like 10:00!) 

Many thanks for all who supported and volunteered at the Shrove Tuesday Waffle Dinner. It was greatly appreciated! 

St Paul’s Session will meet Wednesday, March 12th at 1:00 in the hall. 

Howick UCW will meet Wednesday, March 12th at 7pm in the church. We will be discussing the situation of migrant workers in our area. (I said in the email that it was technology questions, but that is next month, sorry! )

There will be a Cross-Canada check-in with the General Secretary and members of the General Council of the United Church held online on April 2nd at 6pm online. This is an opportunity to ask questions and express opinions that may shape conversations and decisions going forward to the General Council meeting this summer and into our second century. If you wish to register to take part in this event, it can be done through Churchx. More information is available on the General Council website, generalcouncil.ca.

Sunday, March 2, 2025 Transfiguration Sunday

 Remember: the season of Lent begins on Wednesday, March 5th. Have you chosen something to give up? To add? Something else you have chosen for this season of Lent? 

Hymn.      When Morning Gilds the Skies #339

Scripture Lessons:       Exodus 34:29-35

                                     Psalm 99 p.819VU

                                     Luke 9:28-36

Hymn.       Open My Eyes #371

Message

Prayer:  God of the Mountaintops, from up here you can see forever— down onto fluffy white clouds, down further to the patchwork fields below. The air is so crisp and clean, a little thin…..

Is that part of my giddiness? 

I love you Jesus! 

When I am up here with you, everything is perfect. 

When I am up here, with a new friend, or a longtime love, everything else is so far away it doesn’t matter. But you are not just up here—

You are God of the Plains and God of the Valleys, God of the Every Day. 

You are still God when friends betray, careers collapse, when temptations’ snares have me struggling and I feel that I am below the bottom. Help me realize you were there and you carry me through, bringing me back to the here and now. 

God, you called Moses to lead your people out of slavery, and a bush. 

You gave Moses the law, and his face glowed. 

Spirit, you called Elijah home, and the chariot glowed. 

Jesus, you brought Peter, James, and John up the mountain, and you glowed. 

Glow through us, as we go through our valleys that others may see you and find the way. Amen. (prayers written by Kenneth C. Wells, in Maren C. Tirabassi and Maria L. Tirabassi’s Before the Amen.)

Hymn      I Love to Tell the Story #343

This Sunday’s services are Ormstown 9:30 and 11:00 Howick. In Howick the Sunday worship service will be combined with the annual meeting. Annual reports are now available. 

Next Sunday St Paul’s in Ormstown will be holding its annual meeting (once again in combination with the worship service). This will begin at 11:00. (Howick’s service will be at 9:30)

On Tuesday March 4th, Howick United Church will be holding a Shrove Tuesday Waffle Dinner from 4:30-6:30, either eat-in or takeout. Prices will be $15 for adults (2 waffles, 2 sausages, hashbrowns and applesauce) and $8 for children 6-10 ( 1 waffle, 1 sausage, hash browns and applesauce) and 5 and under free. This is planned as a fundraiser for the congregation. Hope to see you there! 

We have been hearing of a number of deaths in our communities recently, including Rachel Jacob, Yvon Tremblay and Roberta Todd. We hold their families, friends, and others in our thoughts and prayers. We also hold the family of Gerry McAdam in our thoughts following his death this past week. 

The new community of faith support person from the Regional Council’s, Esther Guillén, is inviting members and adherents to reply to a survey to try to help inform her of the needs in our communities of faith. Please let Barbara know if you would like to receive the link, and Barbara will send it to you. It can also be found in the Regional Council’s recent newsletter. 

Sunday, February 23, 2025 The Seventh Sunday after Epiphany

 

Hymn.         Praise My Soul the God of Heaven #240VU

Scripture Lessons:       Genesis 45:3-11, 15

                                     Psalm 37:1-11 p.763VU

                                     I Corinthians 15:50-58

                                     Luke 6:27-38

Message

Prayer:  Sometimes, O God, your word is too much for us. You ask us to love our enemies, when we can scarcely love our friends as we should. You ask us to give when we want to take, and to forgive when we want to nurse bitterness. We thank you that you accept us as we are, and that you show us what we can be. Help us to believe that we can be loving, just, and holy like you; through the grace revealed in Jesus the Christ. Amen ( a prayer by Ruth C. Duck and printed in Flames of the Spirit.) 

Hymn.      Blessed Assurance #337VU

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

We have been saddened this week to hear of the death of Rachel Jacob, a longtime resident of Ormstown and a member of St Paul’s, who died this week. A service will be held this spring or summer in Ormstown to celebrate her life. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family. 

The annual reports have now been printed and are now available for review. You can pick one up Sunday or request for one to be sent or delivered to you. 

Next Sunday, March 2nd will be Howick’s annual meeting, at 11:00 in combination with the worship service. 

Ormstown's annual meeting will take place on Sunday, March 9th in the hall at 11:00 in combination with the worship services. 

Howick United Church is planning a Shrove Tuesday Waffle Supper  March 4th from 4:30-6:30. Eat-in or take-out. Prices will be $15 for adults (2 waffles, 2 sausages, hash browns, applesauce and syrup) children 6-10 (1 waffle, 1 sausage, hash browns, apple sauce and syrup) $8, and 5 and under free. Tickets are available from Wilene. Volunteers always welcome! 

Please keep in mind the people and churches of the Democratic Republic of Congo, facing civil unrest and hundreds and thousands of displaced people. we hold them in our prayers and invite donations to the Global Emergency Response Fund to support the Église du Christ au Congo with their ongoing efforts to help those displaced. 

Sunday, February 16, 2025 The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany

 Hope that your Valentine’s was a good day! Now we continue to celebrate God’s love revealed to us each and every day! 

Hymn.       Unto the Hills         842VU

Scripture Lessons:        Jeremiah 17: 5-10

                                      Psalm 1 p.724VU

                                      Luke 6:17-26

Message

Prayer:  Rock and Refuge, Stronghold of Souls, Unshakeable One,

 infuse your strength into the places where I feel the greatest weakness. 

Permeate the parts of my life that continually challenge my patience. 

Increase an ability to accept those who seem to be most unacceptable. 

Lessen any tendency in my spirit that gives way to a loss of hope. 

Reinforce an awareness of the daily manifestations of your presence. 

Boost my spirit when I think I can not manage what is mine to be and do. 

Provider of Purpose, Firm Foundation, Enduring Love, 

Support my determination to give the best of my self to others. 

Fortify the forgiveness you have placed and nurtured in my heart. 

Sustain a solid belief that I can get through what appears to be insurmountable. 

Bolster my efforts to be a person who reaches out to those who suffer. 

Foster greater trust in you when worries and anxieties attempt to prevail. 

Impart the courage I need to change what appears to be unchangeable. 

In you I find sufficient strength, abounding love, and secure security. Amen. 

(A prayer for Strength from Joyce Rupp’s Prayer Seeds) 

Hymn.       Blest be the Tie that Binds.      602VU

This Sunday’s services are planned for 9:30 in Howick and 11:00 in Ormstown. (Considering the weather forecast for Sunday, please keep in touch. We will see what God has in mind for us!)

Good news! The annual reports have been printed and are available for review. 

An official Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 19th at 1pm in the hall in Ormstown. 

St Paul’s Stewards will meet on Wednesday, February 19th at 7:30pm in the hall in Ormstown. 

Howick United Church’s annual meeting will be held on Sunday, March 2nd at 11:00, in combination with the worship service. 

St Paul’s United Church’s annual meeting will be held on Sunday, March 9th at 11:00 in combination with the worship service. 

If there are those who would be interested in receiving a printed copy of the United Church’s Lenten Study, Something Sacred, please let Barbara know soon so she can order them from UCRD. If you wish to have the study in ebook form, please check out ucrd.ca. 

The United Church has issued an urgent appeal for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Donations may be made to the Global Emergency Response Fund, supporting the Eglise du Christ au Congo support the 400,000 people displaced by this crisis. 

Sunday, February 9, 2025 The Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

 We continue to observe Black History Month, remembering and celebrating the contributions of people of colour to our society and communities.

Hymn          Jesus Stand Among Us #396

Scripture Lessons:        Isaiah 6:1-8

                                      Psalm 138 p.860VU

                                      I Corinthians 15:1-11

Message 

Prayer:  O God, as we reflect on the meaning of hope and resurrection in the midst of winter, we give thanks for the message of our faith and the witnesses who share that hope with us. 

   We pray in hope for peace in the midst of fear; for healing in times of pain; for comfort in times of sorrow and grief. We pray for renewal and transformation for ourselves and our world. We watch and wait and hope for signs of new life, now and always. Amen. 

Hymn.       Christ the Lord is Risen Today #157VU

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

The Session of St Paul’s United Church will meet Wednesday, February 12th at 1:00 in the hall. 

The Official Board for the Ormstown-Franklin Pastoral Charge will meet on Wednesday, February 19th in the hall at 1:00. 

The annual meeting for the Howick United Church will be held on Sunday, March 2nd beginning at 11:00, in combination with the worship service. 

The annual meeting for St Paul’s United Church, Ormstown will be held Sunday, March 9th at 11:00 in the hall, in combination with the worship service. 

The season of Lent is approaching. There are a number of Lenten studies available both in print and online. The United Church prepares a Lenten study each year, both in print and as an ebook. This year the study is a reflection on faith and music. If people are interested, an order could be placed for print copies, or individuals could order their own ebook. The study is titled Something Sacred. The cost for the print book is 16.95 and for the ebook is 7.95. 

Sunday, February 2, 2024 The Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

 This Sunday begins Black History Month, a time to reflect and remember how people of colour have been part of the history of our church, our communities, and our country and to address questions of racism that have been part of that history and continue to arise today. ( I did manage to overlook Muslim Awareness Week this past week as well as the anniversary of the attack on the Mosque in Quebec City in 2017.) 

Hymn       Come Let Us Sing of a Wonderful Love #574

Scripture Lessons:        Jeremiah 1:4-10

                                      Psalm 71:1-6

                                      I Corinthians 13:1-13

Hymn      Jesus Loves Me #365

Message

Prayer:  O Christ, had we enough faith to move mountains, without love what would we be?

But you love us. 

Without your Spirit who lives in our hearts, what would we be? 

But you love us. 

Taking everything upon yourself, you open for us a way towards the peace of God, who wants neither suffering nor human distress. 

Spirit of the Risen Christ, Spirit of compassion, Spirit of praise, your love for each one of us will never fail. Amen. (a prayer from the Taize Community)

Hymn      Love Divine #333

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

Thank you to all who have submitted reports for the annual report. The annual reports should be available shortly. 

The annual meeting for Howick United Church will be held on Sunday, March 2nd at 11:00 in combination with the worship service. 

The Official Board meeting for the Ormstown-Franklin Pastoral Charge will be held on Wednesday, February 19th at 1:00 in the hall in Ormstown. 

The annual meeting for St Paul’s United Church in Ormstown will be held on Sunday, March 9th at 11:00, in combination with the worship service. 

Sunday, January 26, 2024 The Third Sunday after Epiphany

 This Sunday is the closing Sunday of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, when we pray for our brothers and sisters in faith in churches and communities of faith all over the world. 

Hymn      O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing #326VU

Scripture Lessons:       I Corinthians 12:12-31

                                     Psalm 19 p.740VU

                                     Luke 4:14-21

Message

Prayer:  We give thanks, O God, for the unity which is already ours as Christians. We thank you that there is one Body and one Spirit, one hope which belongs to our calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Maker of us all. We resolve by your grace that walking with all lowliness and meekness, and forbearing one another in love, we may maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (from Frank Colquhoun’s Contemporary Parish Prayers, slightly adapted)

Hymn      Take My Life and Let it Be #506VU

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

We are now approaching the end of the month. Thank you to all who have been able to submit their reports to the annual report. For those who have not yet sent it in, please get them in as soon as possible. The reports for Howick United Church go to Wilene. The reports for Ormstown or Franklin go to Barbara.

Many thanks to Alan Cullen and Glen Tannahill (and possibly others, too) who completed the flooring project in the basement of Howick, by laying the flooring in the nursery. Another job done! We sincerely appreciate the individuals in both churches who are helping us to make the transition with the heating and other projects to ensure the functioning of the church and its buildings. 

We are discussing when to hold, start, and finish our Confirmation Classes this winter. Please let me (Barbara) know what would be best for those planning to attend. 

For the young people who took part in the Craft activities in in St Paul’s in December, the decorations that were placed on the trees are now in the hall and available to be taken home, if you wish. 

Sunday, January 19, 2024 The Second Sunday after Epiphany

 This week we begin the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which spans from January 18th to January 25th, the feast days of St Paul and St Peter. 

Hymn      Joyful, Joyful We Adore You #232VU

Scripture Lessons:       Isaiah 62:1-5

                                     Psalm 36:5-10 p.762VU

                                     I Corinthians 12:1-11

Message

Prayer:  O God, we thank you for the wholeness of the whole human family: for people of other faiths and of none, especially those who are friends and neighbours; for the rich variety of human experience and the gifts we bring to one another when we meet in a spirit of acceptance and love; for dialogue in community, and for mutual enrichment and growing understanding; for movements to establish and sustain the legitimate rights of persons of every religious conviction. 

And we pray to you that people of all faiths may enjoy the freedom to set forth their conviction with integrity and listen to one another in humility; that the Church may perform a reconciling ministry in a world divided by suspicion and misunderstanding, and bring healing to those places where religious intolerance fractures human community; that the Church may bear a true and loving witness to the One it calls Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen. ( a prayer from the World Council of Churches’ Worship Book, 1984)

Hymn       Songs of Thankfulness and Praise #101

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

This is the time for annual meetings and annual reports. If you have reports for Howick, they should be sent to Wilene, and if for Ormstown or Franklin, to Barbara, by the end of the month. 

We continue to hold the family and friends of Burton Lang in our thoughts and prayers. A memorial gathering, or celebration of his life where stories and memories of Burton can be shared will be held Saturday, February 8th from 1-3:00 at the Tres St Sacrement Town Hall. 

St Paul’s Stewards will meet on Wednesday, January 22nd at 7:30pm in the hall. 

The confirmation classes planned for this winter will be getting started. Please speak to Barbara if you know of someone interested in taking part, or joining the church. 

Sunday, January 12, 2025 The Baptism of our Lord

 This Sunday is also the second Sunday of the Epiphany, when we are invited to reflect on how we see, hear, and know God’s presence with us and love for us, as revealed in Jesus the Christ. 

Hymn       Praise to the Lord the Almighty #220VU

Scripture Lessons:     Isaiah 43:1-7

                                   Psalm 29 p.756VU

                                   Luke 3:15-17, 21,22

Message

Prayer:  O Christ, you humbled yourself and received baptism at your servant’s hands, showing us the way of humility:  help us to serve humbly all the days of our life. 

O Christ, by your baptism you washed away every impurity, making us children of God:  grant the grace of adoption to all who are searching for you. 

O Christ, by your baptism you sanctified creation and opened the way of repentance to all your believers: make us instruments of your gospel in the world. 

O Christ, by your baptism you revealed the holy Trinity, God who calls you his beloved Son, through the Holy Spirit descending on you: renew our hearts and minds and prepare us to follow you, the light of all the world. Amen. ( a prayer based on the Chaldean Rite, printed in the World Council of Churches’ With All God’s People, adapted.) 

Hymn      All Beautiful the March of Days #530VU

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

I have heard recently of the death of Burton Lang this past week. We hold the Lang family and Burton’s friends and neighbours in our thoughts and prayers. 

We are now collecting reports for our annual report for 2024. Reports for Howick should go to Wilene and the reports for Franklin and Ormstown can go to Barbara. Please try to have them in by the end of the month. 

St Paul’s Session will meet on Wednesday, January 15th at 1:00 in the hall. 

St Paul’s Stewards will meet on Wednesday, January 22nd at 7:30 at the hall. 

We have heard from the Philanthropy Department of the United Church of Canada, that the current catalogue of Gifts with Vision will continue until the end of January. A new catalogue for the church’s centennial is being prepared. We have also received thanks from the church for the gifts that were given, despite the post office strike, which helped to feed the hungry, to shelter the homeless, to comfort refugees, and to make a difference in our communities and the world. 

The Moderator of the United Church will be offering a New Year’s address on Monday, January 13th from 6-8:00 EST. This will be online and interactive. It will be a kickoff for our centennial celebrations and its theme will be Visions and Dreams and will be focussed on hope and growth for the church as we prepare for our second century as the United Church. Registration for this event is available on the united church website, united-church.ca under webinars and events or through church’s.ca. 

Sunday, January 5, 2025 Second Sunday of Christmas and Epiphany Sunday

We have now begun a new year, 2025, so happy new year, everyone! This year we are preparing to celebrate the United Church’s 100th anniversary. We are celebrating  deep spirituality, bold discipleship, and daring justice over the past 100 years. 

Hymn        Angels from the Realms of Glory #36VU

Prayer:  Eternal God, the same yesterday, today, and forever:  as we begin this new year, we ask for your help in learning from the mistakes of the past, in facing the problems and challenges of the present, and in renewing our sense of hope for the future, as we go forward in the name of Jesus the Christ our Lord. Amen. ( a prayer printed in Frank Colquhoun’s Contemporary Parish Prayers)

Scripture Lessons:        Isaiah 60:1-6

                                      Psalm 72 p. 791VU

                                      Matthew 2:1-12

Hymn         As with Gladness #81VU

Message

Prayer:  Holy child of Bethlehem, whose parents found no room in the inn, we pray for all who are homeless.

Holy Child of Bethlehem, born in a stable, we pray for all who live in poverty. 

Holy Child of Bethlehem, rejected stranger, we pray for all who are lost, alone, all who cry for loved ones. 

Holy Child of Bethlehem, whom Herod sought to kill, we pray for all who live with danger, all who are persecuted. 

Holy Child of Bethlehem, a refugee in Egypt, we pray for all who are far from their homes. 

Holy Child of Bethlehem, in you God was pleased to dwell, help us, we pray, to see your divine image in people everywhere. Amen. (a prayer by David Blanchflower, printed in Bread of Tomorrow, Prayers for the Church Year, edited by Jan Morley.) 

Hymn       The First Nowell #91VU

This Sunday there will be services in both Ormstown (9:30) and Howick (11:00). 

We will be collecting reports for this year’s annual reports for our congregations. Please have them in by the end of the month. Howick reports can go to Wilene and Ormstown ones should go to Barbara. 

 Howick’s Stewards will meet on Wednesday, January 8th at 7pm in the church hall.