South Stormont Pastoral Charge

In Korea, during the summer, I always found myself in places where Bible schools or camps were held. When I was young, I had very enjoyable and transformative experiences there as a participant. After entering seminary, I organized and facilitated one-week youth camps as a youth pastor. Also, I volunteered for several years as the director of camps organized by a Christian environmental organization. Therefore, summers in Korea were always busy but also very exciting. Through those events, I was able to deepen fellowship and understand how significant those moments were in the lives of children and youth. My experience with the United Church of Canada’s camping ministry was two years ago when I participated as an assistant chaplain at Camp McDougall to learn about their camp program. Although the youth camps here are not exactly the same as those in Korea, experiencing that camp made me realize how important it is. For this Camp Sunday, I am going to reflect on the ministry of the Unit...

  *Gathering Hymn God Who Gives to Life Its Goodness (#260 VU) Welcome& Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: We are summoned here by our holy God,   All: who calls us each by name, and gathers us together in the unity of Jesus Christ. One: From home and community, from camps and classrooms,   All: we are called into God’s presence. One: Young and old and middle-aged, individuals and families, soft-spoken and outspoken,   All: we hear our names being called to join in worship. One: This house of worship is a place to pursue God’s vision for all people:   All: unity and joy and faith expressed through different gifts. Let us worship together! *The United Church of Canada, Back to the Future of Camping: Camping Sunday Service 2016 . Opening Prayer (Unison) Creator God, We thank you for bringing us together in this place, to celebrate the recreation, the re-creation, of enjoying the fun and community of...

I begin the sermon today with one of the inspiring stories from Greek mythology. Once upon a time, Erysichthon was a king of Thessaly. In his city, there was a big tree behind the temple of Demeter, the goddess of farming and abundance. People loved and respected this tree a lot. The king was jealous of how much people cared about the tree. Without any respect or regret, he ordered to cut it down. And this made Demeter angry, so she decided to punish Erysichthon. Demeter went to Limos, the goddess of hunger and famine, and asked her to punish the king who did not respect nature or the gods. Even though Limos was the opposite goddess of Demeter, she agreed to help. When Limos gave Erysichthon her curse, his never-ending hunger started. No matter how much he ate, he was still hungry. His hunger got so bad that he ate everything he could, using all his money and resources to fill his stomach. His hunger kept getting worse. He even sold his daughter for food. But it did not help his endles...

*Gathering Hymn God Who Gives to Life Its Goodness (#260 VU) Welcome& Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Whether we live near mountains or in the prairies—   All: We are one in Christ. One: Whether our winters are balmy or our summers are cool—   All: We are one in Christ. One: Whether we live near the Atlantic, Pacific, or Arctic Ocean or somewhere in the middle—   All: We are one in Christ. One: Whether we live in urban dwellings, nestled in the suburbs, or surrounded by a rural landscape—   All: We are one in Christ. One: In a spirit of unity, caring for each other and the whole of creation—   All: We are one in Christ. *United Church of Canada, Earth Sunday Service 2024 . Opening Prayer (Unison) As we gather, we are thankful for your Creation: for light and darkness; for air, wind, and sky; for earth and sea; for seeds, harvests, and plant life; for sunlight, moonlight, and starlight; for ...

Hellenism, the ancient Greek culture, was the most influential culture in the ancient Near East during the early church times. For example, all the books in the New Testament were written in Greek. One famous aspect of Hellenism was Greek tragedy. In this theatrical genre, noble characters face miserable situations due to fate, leading to tragic ends. Many great writers in the history, such as Shakespeare, Goethe, and Hemingway were inspired by Greek tragedies which portrayed deep human issues in dramatic ways. Ancient Greeks enjoyed tragedies because they helped people feel better by letting out their negative emotions. In the theatre, people would grieve and cry together while watching the tragic stories. This helped them release their painful feelings, which they called "catharsis." In his Poetics, the Greek philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BCE) says, "Tragedy is an imitation of an action that is serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude; in language embellished wit...

  *Gathering Hymn Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Give Thanks (#179 VU | vs. 3&4) Welcome& Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: We gather in this place finding the peace that God offers.   All: We are more at home within ourselves when we find our rest in Christ. One: We are witnesses to God’s glory, steadfast love, and faithfulness.   All: We see the beauty of creation and sing praises of joy! One: We abide in God’s love and keep God’s commandments.   All: Today, we awaken to the call, and show up fully to love one another. One: Come, let us worship. * Seasons of Spirit L/E 2021 , page 132. Opening Prayer (Unison) All that our senses experience in a life-giving season awakens our frozen hearts, O God. With hearts so warmed, we gather to sing praises and glorify your holy name. With songs of thankfulness and prayers of longing, we meet you here, our Christ. Let our joyful, thankful expressions be heard in heav...

It was the evening of the day Jesus Christ was risen. His followers heard about the risen Christ from Mary Magdalene, but they could not believe her. Instead, they were overwhelmed with painful emotions. They were mourning because Jesus, their teacher and friend, had been crucified. They felt guilty because they had left Jesus alone when he needed them the most. They felt disappointed because they had thought Jesus would free their people from Roman rule, but he died on Golgotha. They felt helpless because they could do nothing as Jesus was whipped, mocked, and nailed to the cross. They were afraid because the religious and political leaders who had ordered Jesus' crucifixion might come after them too, to arrest or even kill them. Today’s Gospel reading describes the disciples' state like this: "The doors were locked" (v. 19). When we experience painful emotions, such as grief, guilt, disappointment, helplessness, and fear, we tend to close our doors. We avoid communi...