Sunday, November 30, 2025 The First Sunday of Advent

 

Hymn        O Come O Come Emmanuel #1VU

Advent Candle-Lighting      1. Today we begin the season of Advent.

2. Today we celebrate God’s gift of hope. 

1. We listen to the prophets and apostles of long ago,

2. And we hear good news. 

1. Even when we are tempted to despair, 

2. We are called to be people of hope. (Light one candle)

1. Today we light a candle of hope

2. And we give thanks for God’s gift of hope. 

Scripture Lessons:         Isaiah 2:1-5 

                                       Psalm 122 p. 845VU

                                       Matthew 24:36-44

Message

Prayer:  An Advent Candle Prayer

       Encouraging God, we pray to be a spark of hope  For those who need it most this Christmas. 

Gentle God, we pray to be a bringer of peace,  A creator of calm in a hectic season. 

Celebrating God, we pray to be a reminder of joy,  For this is a time of celebration. 

Caring God, we pray to be an embodiment of love,  To follow your teachings to care for each other. 

Newly arriving God,  Help us live in the spirit of Christmas all the rest of the year. Amen. (from the Mission and Service Unit of the United Church of Canada)

Hymn         O Lord How Shall I Meet you #31VU

This Sunday’s service will be a combined service held in Howick at 11:00. We will begin at 10:30 for coffee and the service will be followed by a soup luncheon. (Please note that Esther Guillien who was going to be our guest speaker, is not able to join us. We are hoping to welcome her in the new year.) This will close our annual campaign for the Canadian Food Grains Bank. There are envelopes in our churches or donations may be made online at food grains bank.ca.

We hold in our thoughts and prayers the family and friends of Garth Cavers and Peter Eddie, who have died recently. The memorial service for Garth Cavers will be held in St Paul’s in Ormstown on Saturday, November 29th at 2pm with visitation beginning at 1:00 in the church. 

Please keep in mind the Rudolph Run which will be held Saturday, November 29th from 9-11:00, from the Ormstown Rec Centre. This event raises money for the Christmas baskets in the area and the minimum donation requested is $5.  Much appreciation to Elen Cameron and the 4-H members who have taken on the organization of this event this year. 

Tomorrow, December 1st is the deadline for applying for the Holden-Templeton bursaries. They are available to CEGEP, university, or vocational school students who are members or adherents of Howick United Church. Applications should be given to Marlene, Stuckey, Debbi Templeton or Scott Templeton. 

St Paul’s Stewards will meet on Wednesday, December 3rd at the home of Wendy Denison at 7:30pm. 

Friday December 5th is the deadline for reserving a meal at Ormstown UCW’s Christmas Turkey Dinner to be held on Friday, December 12th at noon in the hall in Ormstown. The cost is $25. We will also be collecting items for residents of Residence-Elle ( these are not gifts and so do not need to be wrapped.) 

On Saturday, December 6th Howick United Church will hold a Book, Puzzle, and Bake Sale from 11-1:30 in the church. Books and puzzles can be dropped off anytime, and the baking can be dropped off Saturday morning. 

Sunday, December 7th will be White Gift Sunday in Howick United Church. We will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Howick Christmas Baskets. 

Howick UCW will hold its Christmas Potluck Supper will be held on Wednesday, December 10th in the church at 6:00. 

Sunday, December 14th will be White Gift Sunday in Ormstown. We will be collecting non-perishable food items for La Bouffe Additionelle, the local food bank. This will also be the last Sunday we will be collecting hats, mittens, etc., so they can be distributed. 

Sunday, November 23, 2025 Reign of Christ Sunday

 

Hymn             Come Now Almighty King #314

Scripture Lessons:       Colossians 1:11-20

                                     Luke 1:68-79 p.900VU

                                     Luke 23:32-43

Message

Prayer:  O God, open my eyes that I may see the needs of others;

        Open my ears that I may hear their cries; 

        Open my heart so that they need not be without succor;

Let me not be afraid to defend the weak because of the anger of the strong. 

       Nor afraid to defend the poor because of the anger of the rich. 

Show me where love and hope and faith are needed, and use me to bring them to those places. 

And so open my eyes and ears that I may this coming day be able to do some work of peace for thee. Amen. (a prayer by Alan Paton printed in Richard Foster’s Prayers from the Heart). 

Hymn.         Rejoice the Lord is King #213

This Sunday’s services will be 9:30 in Ormstown and 11:00 in Howick. There will be crafts for children and families in Ormstown, in the church during the service. Also, there will be an organ concert at 2pm in St Paul’s in Ormstown. 

We hold in our thoughts and prayers the family and friends of Garth Cavers, who died last week. The memorial service for Garth will be held on Saturday, November 29th at 2pm in St Paul’s in Ormstown, with visitation beginning at 1:00. 

Next Sunday November 30th there will be a combined service in Howick United Church. Coffee will be available at 10:30 before the services, the service will begin at 11:00 and will be followed by a Soup Luncheon, to bring our campaign for the Canadian Food Grains Bank to an end for this year. (Unfortunately, our guest speaker Esther Guillien has had to cancel, so she will not be joining us on that day, hopefully early next year.)

The deadline for applying for the Holden-Templeton bursaries is fast approaching. The deadline is December 1st and bursaries are available to CEGEP, university, and vocational school students who are members or adherents of Howick United Church. Applications are available in the church or on the website. Please get your application to Marlene Stuckey, Debbi Templeton, or Scott Templeton by the deadline. We hope to present the bursaries at our Candlelight Christmas service, December 21st. 

On Saturday, December 6th Howick United Church will be holding a Book, Puzzle, and Bake Sale in the church from 11:00-1:30, leading up to the Santa Claus parade in Howick. Donations of books and puzzles can be brought in now, and the baking can be brought in earlier Saturday morning. 

Sunday, December 7th will be the White Gift service for Howick United Church. We will collect non-perishable food items for the Christmas basket program. 

The White Gift service for Ormstown will be held on Sunday, December 14th at 11:00. We are collecting non-perishable food items, for La Bouffe Additionelle along with hats, scarves, mittens etc for the Mitten Tree. 

Ormstown UCW will be holding a Christmas Turkey Dinner on Friday, December 12th at noon in the hall in Ormstown. The cost for the meal is $25, and if possible, it is requested that that would be prepaid. Meals must be reserved by Friday, December 5th by contacting Lynn Bryson, Anne Carpentier, Wendy Dennison or Shirley Vandor. We will also be collecting personal items for the residents of Residence-Elle. These are not gifts, so they do not need to be gift-wrapped. 

Sunday, November 16, 2025 Children’s Sabbath

 

Hymn.       O Day of God Draw Nigh #688

Scripture Lessons:        Isaiah 65:17-25

                                      Isaiah 12 p.880VU

                                      Luke 21:5-19

Message

Prayer:  Today we celebrate the gifts of children, gifts of love, trust and joy. And we ask for God’s blessing upon them. 

Today we remember the needs of children, for food, clean water, safe homes, education, and medical care. And we ask for God’s blessing upon them. 

Today we acknowledge the vulnerability of children to war, violence, abuse, and neglect. And we ask for God’s blessing upon them. 

Today we recognize the openness of children, to faith and belief, to surprise and discovery, and to joy and delight. And we ask for God’s blessing upon them. 

Today we consider the ambition of children, to grow and to become, to learn and to experience And we ask for God’s blessing upon them. 

Today we recall that Jesus offered a child as an example of both humility and greatness. Today we remember Jesus’ words that it is to children that the kingdom of God belongs And we ask for God’s blessing upon them. 

Today we hear God’s promise that we are all children of God And we ask for God’s blessing upon us all. Amen. ( prayer from the United Church’s resource, Seeds and Sowers, adapting resources prepared by the Children’s Defense Fund) 

Hymn.       How Firm a Foundation #660VU

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

We are saddened to hear of the death of Garth Cavers of St Paul’s United Church. We hold Ruth and all of the family in our thoughts and prayers. 

The newsletter for the Advent-Christmas- New Year’s season has been printed. If you cannot pick one up, one will be delivered to you, on request. 

The time has come to apply for theHolden- Templeton bursaries. They are available to students of CEGEP, university, or vocational school who are connected (members or adherents) of Howick United Church. The deadline for applying is December 1st. The applications are available at the church or on the church website. Please get your application to Marlene Stuckey, Debbi Templeton, or Scott Templeton by the deadline. We hope to present the bursaries at the December 21st Christmas Candlelight service. 

St Paul’s Stewards will meet on Wednesday, November 19th at 7:30 pm. We will be reviewing the results of the MRC inspection of the church and the hall. 

Next Sunday November 23rd at the 9:30 service St Paul’s will hold a Craft Day for children and families, in the church, at the same time as the service. All welcome.

Sunday, November 23rd we have asked Emily MacDonald to offer us an organ concert, at 2pm in St Paul’s. Come and hear what our pipe organ can do! 

Keep in mind the Rudolph Run this year, which is being organized by 4-H. It will be held on Saturday November 29th from 9-11:00, departing from the Ormstown Rec Centre at 9:00, and followed by goodies once you have finished your course. You can choose your distance to run or walk. A minimum donation of $5 is requested  (more would be accepted!) to help raise funds for La Bouffe Additionelle for the Christmas baskets and continuing to provide food for families into the new year. If you have questions, please contact Elen Cameron. 

On Sunday, November 30th, there will be a combined service held in Howick United Church at 11:00. We will be welcoming Esther Guillien as a guest speaker from the Regional Council. We will follow the service with a Soup Luncheon to bring our campaign for the CFGB to an end. 

The Mitten Trees are now up in both churches. We are collecting hats, mittens, scarves and socks as part of our Adventure preparations. 

The UCW in Ormstown is once again planning a Christmas Turkey Dinner for Friday December 12th at noon. The cost is $25 and if possible, it is requested that it be prepaid. If you wish to reserve a place, please contact Wendy Dennison, Lynn Bryson, Shirley Vandor, or Anne Carpentier. We will be collecting items for Residence-Elle: toiletries and other personal items for the use of the residents. These are not gifts, so they do not need to be gift-wrapped. 

On Saturday, December 6th, the day of the Santa Claus parade in Howick, Howick United Church and its UCW will be holding a Book, Puzzle, and Bake Sale from 11-1:30 in the church. Donations of books and puzzles would be appreciated earlier, and the baking can be dropped off that morning. Thank you for your support. 

Sunday, November 9, 2025 Remembrance Sunday

 

Hymn        O God our Help in Ages Past #806VU

Scripture Lessons:       Haggai 2:1-9

                                     Psalm 

                                      Luke 20:27-38

Message

Prayer:  God, we know you take no joy in death. We know you take no joy in our wars, in our battles, in our conflicts. We know that your tears are for all your children, of every land and race, in every time and place. 

We know that what you want for all creation is life — abundant. 

And so we ask for your wisdom. 

We ask for your guidance. 

We ask for your peace. Your shalom. Your salaam. 

We ask for your hands to guide your creation, for your love to sustain your creation, for your grace to surround your creation— now. Forever. Amen. ( a prayer by Richard Bott, then of Maple Ridge BC, later Moderator of the UCC, printed in Gathering Pentecost 2 2016.)

Hymn       Thou Shalt Arise 

This Sunday’s service will be held at 10:30 at Georgetown Presbyterian Church (no services in Howick or Ormstown). We will be holding a combined Remembrance Sunday service for the community, including the Community choir as well. 

Ormstown will also be hosting a Remembrance Sunday Parade and service with the Legion at the Cenotaph that afternoon, on Church Street. 

We are deeply saddened to hear of the death of Father Gabriel Clement. We hold his family and friends as well as the parish of the Church of Saint Joseph in Huntingdon in our thoughts and prayers. He will be missed and we give thanks for his ministry in our community which was both a gift and a blessing. 

St Paul’s Session will meet this Wednesday at 1:00 in the hall. 

Howick UCW will meet in the church on Wednesday evening at 7pm. 

The time has come for students in CEGEP, university, or vocational training programs who are members or connected with the Howick United Church to apply for the Howden-Templeton bursaries. The deadline to apply is December 1st. The applications are available on the website or in the church. Please submit your applications to Marlene Stuckey, Debbi Templeton, or Scott Templeton. We hope to present the bursaries at Howick’s Christmas Evening service December 21st. 

Please do keep in mind our campaign for the Canadian Food Grains Bank. As we hear distressing news about wars, storms, earthquakes, and more, our gifts to the CFGB help make a difference in the lives of people and in the world. Donations may be made with the envelopes in the churches or online to foodgrainsbank.ca. 

The Mitten Tree baskets are now in the sanctuary in St Paul’s to collect both hand-made and bought mittens, hats, scarves and socks for families in need. They will be in the church until White Gift Sunday. 

Barbara is hoping to print a newsletter next week. If you have items to be included, please let her know, by phone or by email. 

The Craft Sale season has arrived! The Hospital Bazaar is/was Saturday November 8th at CVR.

Howick Elementary School will be holding its Craft Sale next Saturday, November 15th, from 9:00-3:00.

These sales support the work of local organizations, please support them if you can. 

St Paul’s In Ormstown will be holding a Craft Day for families Sunday, November 23rd at 9:30, alongside the Sunday service. 

Also on Sunday, November 23rd at 2pm in the church, Emily MacDonald will be offering an organ concert to continue our Centennial celebrations of the United Church of Canada. We look forward to hearing what our Casavant pipe organ can really do. 

Plans are being made for the UCW Christmas Turkey Dinner in Ormstown. It will be held Friday, December 12th at noon. The cost for the dinner is $25. The deadline for registering is December 5th. We will be collecting items and cash for Resience-Elle at that time. All welcome. 

Sunday, November 30th will be a combined service held in Howick United Church for the Ormstown and Howick congregations. We will be welcoming Esther Guillien, a staff person of the Regional Council, to the service and the service will be followed by a Soup Luncheon, to bring to an end to our campaign for the Canadian Food Grains Bank.