FNL 2014 Page 1 - East Plains United Church

Fall Newsletter 2014
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The Good Word with Rev. Alison Nicholson
Each month many of us are accustomed to
receiving the magazine at our home or office. We
hardly think about it, because the church members
plan, subscriptions are generously funded by the
church and the Support Group at East Plains. You
might imagine with declining membership, the
number of folks receiving the publication is also on
the decline. Well for the most part this is true. How
did it all get started? The Observer is the oldest
continuously published magazine in North America,
founded in 1829 as a means of connecting the
members of the Methodist faith in Upper Canada.
Egerton Ryerson was the first; second; third and
fourth Editor. Why four times? Because he was
such a hothead that he kept getting fired by the
Board: he was also so brilliant, they kept re-hiring
him. We are the inheritors of those hardy
Methodists along with the Congregationalist and
Presbyterians. The Christian Guardian as it was
known grew to 3,000 subscribers in three years.
The United Church of Canada was formed 100
years later and the three denominations fused their
newspapers into a new publication called The New
Outlook.
The United Church Observer came into being in
1952, and the General Council introduced the Every
Family Plan, subsidizing subscriptions for every
active United Church family. As we all remember
these were boom years for the church, Sunday
Schools were overflowing and the Moderators of
the United Church spent most of their time ribbon
cutting for a new church or Christian Education
building.
In 1986, the tides were turning and the plan was
cancelled and a group plan adopted in which
subscribing members of a pastoral charge
received a discounted rate.
In recent days the Observer is experiencing
modest growth, as a result of award-winning
journalism and in depth and thought provoking
articles. In this digital age, the Observer does
have an online website, www.ucobserver.org, but
the print publication remains the bread and butter
of the publication and funds on-line reading.
There are links to video and United Church blogs
like Rev. Lee Simpson’s latest “My Year of Buying
Nothing.” As United Church people know, the
articles and stories from around the world are
written to make you think and then agree or
disagree as you choose. The Letters to the Editor
are a tribute to the fact that we, United Church
goers, are just as fractious as old Egerton
Ryerson. That is how reasonable people of faith
should be: debaters, thinkers, engaging others in
a cross-country conversation since 1829. As
ambassadors for Christ, we see faith enacted and
our concerns addressed in those pages. Whether
we choose to agree with what is printed on the
pages, we are surer of our role, less concerned
and more committed after reading. If you receive
the United Church Observer, Thank you, and if
you do not, why not give it a try? Call the office
and arrange to be part of the church plan. Go
on-line and purchase a copy for a friend, or
purchase a copy for one of the Burlington
Retirement Homes, or Nursing Care Homes, to
keep our United Church family connected.
Celebrate 185 years of sharing our story through
the best of Canadian church journalism.
Shalom,
Rev. Alison
Advocacy
Wider Work
Bottled Water – at a recent church service, we
viewed a short documentary outlining the strong
reasons to ban the use of non-biodegradable,
plastic, single-use containers. A letter was sent to
Ontario government by the Wider Work Committee.
Sunday dinner and service at Wesley Urban
Ministries – Sunday, Sept. 21, afternoon, 195
Ferguson St. North, Hamilton. We prepare food for
200-250 people.
There is a prepared letter at the back of the church
for the Ontario Grassy Narrows Reserve, north of
Kenora, to stop the unwarranted logging in the area
and act on mercury poisoning health effects.
No-charge Christmas store run by Wesley UM will
run most of Dec. – We will be collecting gifts, gift
cards and unperishable food for White Gift at the
end of Nov. EPUC asks for volunteers to participate
for one day in Dec. to help give out the gifts. Approx.
6,000 people are helped. A rewarding experience!
Much of the above is accomplished by EPUC
people who are not on this Committee. We
appreciate their help.
The Food Drive for Partnership West Food Bank in
Burlington will run on Sun., Oct 12th and Oct 19th.
The service on Oct 19th will include a guest
speaker from Canada Food Grain. The speaker is a
farmer interested in food production and climate
change, with a passion for food justice.
Refreshments and chat after service.
Gail Lorimer, Chair
Out 4 Lunch
The Climate Change Reading Group, led by Harold
Wells, meets on Sat., Sept. 27th from 7-9 pm in the
Campbell Room. The book to be discussed is Al
Gore’s “The Future: Six drivers of Global Change”,
chapter 6 in particular. Feel free to come even if you
have not had the chance to do the reading.
In early 2012, East Plains volunteers joined with
other Aldershot church volunteers (from St.
Matthew's, West Plains and Holy Rosary) to provide
a lunch for seniors in our community who are looking
for companionship and nourishment. In May 2014,
the four Burlington Rotary Groups chose Out 4
Lunch for their Corporate/Group Rotary Community
Service Award. They were very impressed with the
program and the many volunteers involved. We are
very proud of this accomplishment in two, short
years! Our program was also awarded a Halton
Region Grant for $19,163 this spring. Much of this
award has been used for a commercial sized frig,
freezer, more tables, chairs, dishes, etc.
The
lunches are free though some guests make a
donation.
Monthly speakers are quite popular.
Much of the food is donated by Partnership West
Food Bank and Food for Life. Volunteers from the
four churches have benefited from new friendships
and camaraderie as they prepare, serve or clean-up
each Monday at St. Matthew's Anglican Church, 126
Plains Road E. New volunteers are encouraged to
sign-up or come as a guest first. Lunch begins at 12
noon each Monday, February to December.
For more program or volunteer information, contact
Gayle Burnison, (905) 632-3525 or
[email protected].
The winter Garage Sale earned $751, and the
Perennial Plant Sale (lead by Callie Archer) raised
$5,530. Sixteen groups were helped including EPUC
and Mission and Service Fund.
The Granny’s Bargain Basement, which is part of
the Arts & Crafts Sale, Sat Nov 1st, needs your
donations. Also we hope to run a giant garage sale
in Feb or Mar, which will need your donations. No
large furniture please.
Ms Bountiful is the name of the cute, striped,
ceramic Pig who sits on the alter on the 1st Sun of
each month. Her collections go to Mission & Service
and Tekera Mission. You are especially encouraged
to drop in coins or paper if you are celebrating a
birthday or anniversary that month. Kudos to Rev.
Alison for this idea.
We are also grateful to Rev. Alison for meeting
needful people on the first Thursday morning of each
month. Small gift cards are given for encouragement
and compassion. She collects donations of personal
items and toiletries if you would like to help.
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Support Group
Men's Breakfast Club
The Support Group, although dwindling in numbers,
continues to play an important role in the life of the
church. Decoration of the sanctuary with fresh
flowers and seasonal banners, catering for
receptions, social activities-golf and bridge are all
activities under the umbrella of the Support Group.
This year Lois Kirkpatrick is organizing the
Marathon Bridge activity which begins in Oct. New
members are needed and welcomed. Please call
Lois if you would like to join
the group at (905) 634-5482.
Summer Golf - the 2014 season
started in mid-April with a casual
lunch where dues were paid and
kick-off dates were communicated.
Our group, generally 12 to 14 strong, has been
playing Tuesday mornings at Pineland Green since
May and will wrap up officially for the year in
October with lunch at a local restaurant. Gwen
Wilby has retired this year from the helm of the
group and passed the leadership baton on to Jan
Barretto. Many thanks to Gwen for her many years
of organizing and for her help in making the
transition so smooth. This is a fun-loving group and
would welcome newcomers, not only from our own
church community but elsewhere.
All men of the congregation and their male
friends are invited to attend our breakfast
meetings that are held on the 2nd Saturday of
each month (unless otherwise noted). For the low
cost of $5 you will receive a delicious breakfast
followed by a presentation from an entertaining
and informative speaker. Breakfast is served at
8:30 a.m. and the event is over by 10:30 a.m.
Please join us on:
Oct. 18 - Fred Dryden will speak on
“Liberty for Youth” Fred is the Executive
Director of Liberty for Youth
Nov. 8 - Tys Theysmeyer, Head of Natural Lands,
Royal Botanical Gardens: "Stories from the
Cootes Paradise Nature Reserve"
For Men's Breakfast,
Warren McCrea
FYI
41st Arts & Crafts Show & Sale
Ladies' Workshop
he
a
I' d R
th
ti n g
!
Saturday, November 1st is the date of
our Annual Fundraiser. This year’s
theme is ”Santa’s Workshop”. Many
Artisans have already signed up, but
there are still a few spaces left. Of
course there are lots of spaces for
helpers, so don’t hesitate to call
Patti or Carol to offer your assistance
(905) 637-0250.
c
er B
e Cro
Wednesday mornings, 9:30a.m. until after noon, a
group of "crafty" ladies meet in the basement,
Rooms 6 & 7. While hands are busy with
crocheting, knitting, quilting, etc, the ladies enjoy
the fellowship of the group. The coffeepot is
always on and at noon a brown bag lunch is had
by all.
Unfortunately, at this time, there are not enough
quilters to do custom quilting.
New members are always welcome.
For more information call the church office.
For the Ladies' Workshop,
Inse Panabaker
Items for Silent Auction, Granny’s Basement and
Christmas Room, antique jewellery, books, baking,
jams, jellies, pickles are always needed to ensure
the success of the sale.
Year-round financial support for the church is also
generated through FundScrip. If you haven’t
purchased gift cards yet, Gayle Burnison would be
happy to hear from you at (905) 632-3525. Gayle is
also very involved in our pie-making group so watch
for further information on the availability of these
tasty treats!
Carol Martin, A/Chair
3
Building & Property
Finance
There is an active Monday morning coffee group
that welcomes all. If you wish, you can get involved
in small tasks after coffee that help keep ahead of
our Church repairs. Larger repairs are done on work
bees scheduled on Saturday mornings. Watch the
Bulletin for dates.
Thanks to John Quinn's and Alyson Atkinson’s
grant writing skills, the sidewalk and entrance at the
Dovercourt side of the building has been repaired.
If you are having a problem hearing parts of the
service, there are hearing assist headsets available.
They are set out at the Gathering Place. Pick one up
and give it a test drive.
Bill Lorimer, Chair
The Church’s financial statements continue to show
an increasing shortfall as expenses surpass
revenues. Summer has traditionally been a difficult
time for church finances but for the first time in many
years we have been forced to use our bank
line-of-credit and to dip into our reserves to pay the
bills and meet payroll.
Participation in PAR,
PreAuthorized Remittance, is at a 10 year low and
weekly offerings are down, due primarily to an aging
congregation and declining attendance. The 2014
operating budget projected a $45,000 deficit but your
Finance Committee now expects that shortfall will be
even greater.
But there is also a bright side to the financial
situation. There is increasing interest by other faith
and user groups in the use of our mortgage-free
facility; the City of Burlington is seriously considering
taking over the operation and maintenance of our
cemetery; the Federal Government provided a 75%
grant for the repair and upgrade to our Dovercourt
entrance; and our investments, primarily memorial
funds, have increased by $16,000 so far this year in
spite of very low interest rates and conservative
investing.
Church finances rely on the generosity, ingenuity
and vitality of its membership. Let’s all do our part
to ensure the future of East Plains is as brilliant
as its past.
John Quinn, Chair
With Autumn now approaching, it’s time to look back
at the success of our Lawn Care 2014 program.
Thanks to the time and energy of about a dozen
church volunteers, we were able to keep the church
property looking great, not an easy task considering
its size. Some planted annuals, some mowed,
trimmed and weeded the gardens/grass and some
serviced the tractor. Without sounding too
braggadocious, I think we have the most beautiful
grounds on the strip.
Our attempt last Spring to sell annuals as a
fundraiser fell through and will not be renewed.
Instead we shall encourage church members to
participate in the points program run at Holland Park
Gallery and Terra Greenhouses. This year we were
able to purchase some lawnsoil and plants at Holland
free of charge thanks to points we had previously
accumulated. To participate in the Daisy Club
program at Terra, simply quote the church account
number 603907 or you can go to their customer
service counter and ask them to look it up. At Holland,
tell the cashier you want to donate the points to East
Plains UC and give them the church phone #
905-634-5562. In the Gathering Place you will find
slips with this info that you can insert in your
purse/wallet.
Our volunteer program runs monthly and openings
for the 2015 season are now available. You can even
sign up for two months, if you wish. Take a look at the
schedule
on
the
church
website
under
Building/Property. Openings will be granted on a first
come first serve basis (lol).
Thanks/merci. Jim McMaster
4
Christian Education
Minister & Personnel
Our new custodian Kenneth Pelletier is doing a great
job keeping our building neat and tidy. Have you
seen the floors? They really do shine!
We all thank Pat Vollick for her
long and devoted service as
Chair (and Co-Chair) of the
Christian Education Ministry.
Kid Konnections provide interesting and fun
programs for children ages 3 to Grade 8. Nursery
Care is provided for children under 3.
At the Congregational Picnic in June a Baptism
took place during the service (Asher Michael
Hunter, son of Adam & Valerie Hunter). There
were games and plenty of good food and
fellowship.
Advent Craft and Lunch TBD
Breakfast with Santa TBD
Ken joined East Plains in February 2014. He is a
retired industrial mechanic who worked at Stelco
for 33 years. He and his wife live in Stoney Creek
and they have one son and twin daughters.
Communications
Many thanks to our music director, Sam Vacca,
and to our church administrator, Alyson Atkinson,
for their dedication to the church.
In order to promote the use of our church website
(www.eastplainsunitedchurch.com) and make
members more aware of its potential here is a short
list of some of the points of interest found on the site.
1. The weekly bulletin is posted.
2. FundScrip order dates are given.
3. Access to the Events calendar.
4. A “Donate Now” button which allows members to
make contributions over the internet using a PayPal
account. This procedure is a very useful tool for
making donations to the Memorial Fund.
5. Links to online resources like the Observer and
other United Church of Canada websites.
6. A Flickr photostream with lots of pics of church
members participating in various church activities.
Our thoughts and prayers go out to Morgan
Nicholsen for a speedy recovery and to Reverend
Alison and her family during this time of need
It is important to keep our website up to date and
meaningful for church members; it also helps to
promote interest among people outside the church.
You can help by sending the webmaster
(Jim McMaster, email: [email protected])
photos, dates of events, minutes, etc. If you use
social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest,
WhatsApp, etc.) would you be willing to share church
events and some personal info using this media with
your friends?
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Fellowship & Pastoral Care
PRAYER SHAWL MINISTRY
This bi-weekly activity commences again on
Wednesday, September 24 at 2 p.m. in the
Library. Everyone is welcome !
Fellowship
AGAPE
For several months, Rev. Alison Nicholson has
opened the doors of East Plains United Church on
the first Thursday of each month to our neighbours
in need of support and counselling. Food vouchers
and bus tickets, provided by our Benevolent Fund
are also distributed at this time. During a Lay
Supervisory Team meeting with our Intern, Anita
Walker, it was decided that we could enhance this
program by providing light refreshments and
conversation enabling us to better understand the
visitors and to meet some of their needs. Two of
that Lay Supervision Team offered to initiate this
project. Other interested persons have volunteered
to help. In the 4 months since it has operated, we
have received donations of basic items such as
toiletries, clothing and other needs provided in
“goody bags”. Persons inside our church and the
outside community donate money and specific
basic items and/or their time.
We suggested that our Thursday Morning Group
needed a name. Member, Gary immediately
suggested the name AGAPE. It was widely
accepted. It simply means UNCONDITIONAL
LOVE.
To encourage the visiting friends to
become more involved in this group, we have
printed the first AGAPE Newsletter inviting
thoughts, ideas , poetry, needs, etc. The following
is the first contribution, made by a group member:
"God bless you for the help with food & bus
vouchers, gift cards, clothes, anything helps; good
job; be nice and God bless all." (anonymous)
We bless the name, AGAPE, given to our
gathering which is rooted in Christian LOVE &
Charity. May we feel God’s presence that
continues to bless and provide for this ministry.
Contact persons: Mary Willard & Warren McCrea
Mary Willard, Co-Chair
Pastoral Care
The every-member fall visitation takes place
throughout the month of September. Church visitors
will deliver the fall Newsletter to member’s homes
and invite the families to attend upcoming worship
services.
(Especially World Wide Communion
Sunday on October 5th and our 171st Anniversary
Sunday on October 19th.)
Rev. Nicholson is available for pastoral visits, but
she needs to be informed of where the need is most
urgent, because she is responsible for the total
membership.
Morgan Perigo, Co-Chair
In Memoriam
Name
Marion Chemerys
Helen Wickens
Thora Guest
Rod Saunders
Orvil (Lesley) Young
Gerald (Joe) Atyeo
Brian Bowman
William Monds
Frank deVlas
Constance “Betty” Barclay
Fred Whiskin
Maurice 'Doc' Pascoe
Marjorie Goodall
Patricia Snyder
Beezer Armstrong
Date of Death
Jan. 1, 2014
Feb. 14, 2014
Feb. 25, 2014
Mar. 1, 2014
Mar. 7, 2014
Apr. 10, 2014
Apr. 20, 2014
May 10, 2014
May 28, 2014
June 8, 2014
June 27, 2014
July 18, 2014
Aug. 20, 2014
Aug. 27, 2014
Sept. 3, 2014
Those we love remain with us for love itself
lives on, and cherished memories never
fade because a loved one’s gone. Those
we love can never be more that a thought
apart. For as long there is a memory, they’ll
live on in our hearts. - Author Unknown
WELCOMING TEAMS
The Welcoming Teams have been updated and
provided for your use (attached). A leader is
needed for the month of May. Some new members
are to be added to the monthly teams needing
more support. We strive to have all members and
friends able to attend church services to share in
the welcoming.
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"M
i
Seminar
Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.
"
lth
ur Emotional
O
g
He
n
i
a
nd
“My Doctor Says I Have a Mood Disorder”
The Story of The Pencil
In Canada, in 2013, over 2 million people aged 12
and over reported that they have been diagnosed by
a health professional as having a mood disorder,
such as depression, bipolar disorder, mania or
dysthymia. Likely, many more people suffer and/or
are undiagnosed.
The first course of intervention offered by a doctor
is usually medication. Regarding this approach,
many people are concerned about side effects; some
studies have also shown that anti-depressant
medications, over time, can make the problems
worse.
In Saving Normal, author Alan Frances says, “loose
diagnosis is causing a national drug overdose of
medication. Six percent of our people are addicted to
prescription drugs, and there are now more
emergency room visits and deaths due to legal
prescription drugs than to illegal street drugs.”
Barbara Burrows, a Psychoanalyst in private
practice in Burlington, is concerned about the many
problems that are associated with the use of
psychotropic medications, particularly the effects on
children and teens. She stresses that there are
many other options to consider when addressing
these difficulties that may allow those who suffer to
gain relief.
Barbara will present her ideas in a seminar at East
Plains United Church entitled “Minding Our
Emotional Health” on Friday November 14 at 7
p.m., discussing ways of addressing depression,
anxiety and what we call mental illness, as well as
establishing and maintaining emotional stability. This
seminar is suitable for both adults and adolescents.
A boy was watching his grandmother write a letter.
At one point, he asked: “Are you writing a story
about what we’ve done? Is it a story about me?”
His grandmother stopped writing her letter and said
to her grandson: “I am writing about you, actually,
but more important than the words is the pencil I’m
using. I hope you will be like this pencil when you
grow up.” Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It
didn’t seem very special. “But it’s just like any other
pencil I’ve ever seen!”
“That depends on how you look at things. It has five
qualities which, if you manage to hang on to them,
will make you a person who is always at peace with
the world.
"First quality: you are capable of great things, but
you must never forget that there is a hand guiding
your steps. We call that hand God, and He always
guides us according to His will.
“Second quality: now and then, I have to stop writing
and use a sharpener. That makes the pencil suffer a
little, but afterwards, he’s much sharper. So you,
too, must learn to bear certain pains and sorrows,
because they will make you a better person.
“Third quality: the pencil always allows us to use an
eraser to rub out any mistakes. This means that
correcting something we did is not necessarily a bad
thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice.
“Fourth quality: what really matters in a pencil is not
its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So
always pay attention to what is happening inside
you.
"Finally, the pencil’s fifth quality: It always leaves a
mark. In just the same way, you should know that
everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to
be conscious of that in your every action.”
- Paulo Coelho
For further information, see
www.barbaraburrows.com. or Barbara Burrows can
be reached at (905) 335-8803.
7
Need a ride to church?
If you are not coming to Sunday worship services
because you need a ride, we will try to arrange one
for you.
Just call the church office at (905)
634-5562. If you could help out as a volunteer
driver (a commitment of about 8 or 9 times per year)
please call Ron Reed at (905) 637-3017.
Badminton: Want some exercise along with good
fun and fellowship? Come to badminton in Peart
Hall and find it. Games are held on Monday,
Tuesday and Thursday morning from 9 to 10 a.m.
as well as Thursday evening from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.
For more information call the church office at (905)
634-5562.
Important Dates to Remember:
Upcoming Special Events: (See weekly bulletin for
any changes/missing dates and times.)
Sept. 24 - Prayer Shawl Meeting 2 p.m. in Library
Campbell Soup Labels: The collection of Campbell
Soup labels is being organized by Inse Panabaker.
There will be a container in the Gathering Place
where you can deposit your label collection.
Sept. 27 - Climate Change Reading Group 7 p.m.
in the Campbell Room
Used Stamps: Vera Clow is organizing this
program for the Canadian Bible Society in Hamilton
to help in their work. Please trim the stamps to
leave a 0.25-inch border, and please remember that
they cannot use ‘Flag’ or‘Queen’ stamps. There will
be a container in the Gathering Place where you
can deposit your used stamps.
Oct. 18 - Fall Clean-up and BBQ 8:30 a.m.
Rain day is Oct. 25
Oct. 5 - World Wide Communion 10 a.m.
Nov. 1 - 41st Arts & Crafts Show & Sale
9:00 a.m. - 3 p.m. Note: New Times
Nov. 14 - Barbara Burrows Seminar: "Minding Our
Emotional Health" 7 p.m.
If you haven't seen our newly formatted
church website, please take a look.
www.eastplainsunitedchurch.com
Feedback is always appreciated.
Nov. 30 - Advent Communion 10 a.m.
Advent Craft & Lunch - TBD
Breakfast with Santa - TBD
Personal Copy For:
Dec. 24 - Christmas Eve Communion 10 p.m.
NAME: ________________________________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS: _____________________________________________________________________________________
VISITOR: ______________________________________________________________________________________
EAST PLAINS UNITED CHURCH
375 Plains Rd. East
Burlington, Ontario
L7T 2C7
Phone: (905) 634-5562
Fax: (905) 634-5563 (call first)
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.eastplainsunitedchurch.com
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