South Stormont Pastoral Charge

Today is Union Sunday, when we celebrate the birth of the United Church of Canada. We're especially excited because it's the 99th anniversary of the United Church, and we're getting ready to mark its 100th.  The United Church was founded on June 10, 1925, when the Methodist Church, the Congregational Union, and 70 percent of The Presbyterian Church joined together. The small General Council of Union Churches, mainly in Western Canada, also became part of the union. Each of these founding churches had a long history in Canada before 1925. It was the first time in the world that churches from different historical backgrounds came together.  Of course, the process of uniting was not easy. Nearly twenty years after the idea of a union of denominations was proposed, many discussions and negotiations took place. After facing many challenges, doctrinal and policy agreements were finally reached through The Basis of Union, which resulted in the establishment of the largest Protesta...

*Gathering Hymn Morning Has Broken (#409 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: It has been 99 years of mission, of witness, of worship, of study, of service. A blessed anniversary to all of us in this United Church family of faith.   All: It has been 99 years of being welcomed in baptism, sharing at table, laughing, singing, praying, and weeping together. One: We come to worship so that we can go – go to make a difference, go to comfort strangers, go to tell of the good news, go to heal hurts, go to be with the wounded, go to live the Way of Jesus.   All: We come to breathe deeply of the Spirit’s breath, to find our identity as disciples because we are sent out into the world. *Gord Dunbar. Gathering Pentecost 1 2024 . Page 40. Opening Prayer (Unison) Again and again, God, we come to this time and place with a song! Each day you give us a chance to begin anew: to drink deeply of your Spirit, to boldly follow ...

Paul was one of the most passionate missionaries in the early church. Initially, he was a religious leader who eagerly arrested Christians. However, his life was completely changed when he encountered Jesus Christ. After he experienced the presence of Christ, he went from persecuting Christians to being persecuted for his faith in Christ. The Acts of the Apostles describes his transformative moment as "like scales falling from his eyes." Experiencing the grace of Jesus Christ gave him a new perspective. The world hadn't changed at all, but he began to see it differently. He started to understand the hope to which God called him. He saw the riches of God's glorious inheritance. He recognized the immeasurable greatness of God's power for those who believed. (Ephesians 1:18-20) After seeing new hope, Paul became a passionate missionary, spreading the gospel of Christ throughout the world. He and his companions travelled from city to city to proclaim the gospel, help ...

*Gathering Hymn Morning Has Broken (#409 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: Praise God this new day.   All: In worship, let the hearts of those who seek God rejoice. One: In worship, seek the grace and strength of God.   All: Beyond worship, seek God’s presence continually, One: Remember God’s wonderful works.    All: Praise God this new day. *Elaine Bidgood Sveet. Gathering Pentecost 1 2024. Page 42. Opening Prayer (Unison) Holy One, we thank you for the gifts you have given. For life, both new and old. For Love of friend and stranger. For Christ alive in our hearts. We ask that you bless our gathering, that our words, our actions, and our love – our lives themselves – might be living reflections of your love. In Christ’s name, we ask these things. Amen. *Richard Bott. Gathering Pentecost 1 2024. Page 43.  *Opening Hymn Spirit of the Living God (#376 VU) Prayer of Confessional and Renewal (Unison) Forgiving Go...

Today is Trinity Sunday, a day we celebrate a core belief of Christianity called the Trinity. Christians believe that there is one God in three Persons: God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. This concept is difficult to understand, and no one can fully explain the triune nature of God. If so, how can we grasp the mystery of the Trinity? In today's Gospel reading, Nicodemus, a Jewish leader, visits Jesus at night. He has seen the signs Jesus performed and knows that Jesus is a teacher sent by God. To Nicodemus, who wants to learn the truth, Jesus says, "No one can see the Kingdom of God without being born from above." Nicodemus doesn’t understand this because it doesn’t make sense for someone to be born again. Jesus continues to emphasize the idea of "new birth" and talks about being born from above and being born of water and the Holy Spirit, which reminds us of Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River. When Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, the Holy Spiri...

  *Gathering Hymn Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty (vs. 1&4 |#315 VU) Welcome & Land Acknowledgement Lighting the Christ Candle Call to Worship One: As sunlight dazzles on lakes and sunsets blaze through the sky,   All: let the brilliance of our Creator God’s love guide us to see God’s way for us. One: With the cry of a loon rising up into the dusk, or the shouts of children playing in a field,   All: let the melody of God’s love sung through Jesus help us to receive God’s word for us. One: Like granite running jagged through the hills, or creeks flowing from source to sea,   All: let the presence of God’s Sprit ground us so we may know God’s strength within us. *Gill Le Fevre. Gathering Pentecost 1 2024 . Page 38. Opening Prayer (Unison) On this Trinity Sunday, we come before you, Holy God, to offer our praise and adoration. You are God, the Creator, giving us richly all things to enjoy. You are Christ, the Saviour of the world, Wo...

In 2021, Michelle Zauner, who is Korean-American with a white father and a Korean mother, wrote a memoir about her mother called "Crying in H Mart." It became famous and even made it to the New York Times bestseller list. The book starts with her saying, "Ever since my mom died, I cry in H Mart." H Mart is a big supermarket chain in North America that sells Korean and Asian food. In the book, Zauner shows how she feels emotional when she sees Korean mothers and grandmothers in the H Mart food court feeding their children because it reminds her of her mom. As a matter of fact, when Zauner was a kid, she was rebellious toward her mother because her mom raised her differently from the white moms she knew. Her mom wasn't like a "Mommy-Mom" like her friends' moms. She describes a Mommy-Mom as someone gentle with their kids, showing love when they mess up or get hurt. But her mom raised her tough and strong. She says, "But every time I got hurt, my ...