Thank you so much to everyone that supported me in completing my assignment for my preaching course last Sunday. It was a great experience! Heads up, I will be doing another Biblical exegesis in April and then I am finished my assignments for this course.
Things are starting to work out post pandemic. The board has taken away the masking requirement for singing and that means there is no impediment to having the choir come back once it is all organized. You are more than welcome to mask and masks will continue to be available at the back of the sanctuary. We ask respectfully that you zoom if you are feeling unwell, so we do not expose people who are vulnerable to anything Covid related or other.
My courses continue to go well, despite family challenges. Both sisters went to hospital last week. The middle sister returned home on Friday and seems to be on the mend. On Sunday night my eldest sister called at 10 pm and only said “there is blood everywhere”. We rushed over, called an ambulance and I spent the next 12 hours in the emergency ward. The good news is she is ok. I have been staying with her for the last few days, and she is black and blue. She fainted and hit her head on the corner of her kitchen table – hence the blood.
We have surged in membership, having about 13 people sign the membership book over the last few weeks. Welcome to all. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.If anyone else has interest please let us know. Things continue to look hopeful on the rental front, and we had a wonderful celebration post Stewardship campaign last Sunday. Thanks so much to Jen Sadler for all her work on getting our internet back. Looking forward to that this Sunday.
I want to reiterate that I truly meant what I said last week, that I am humbled to be in the midst of a group of people who genuinely work at being the best that they can be and live out the Unitarian Universalist principles.
Respectfully
Lori Otte
Director of Congregational Life
Getting phone and internet for the fellowship has been a wild ride.
Way back in September 2023 we realized that our internet didn’t have enough juice to present our services over zoom, let alone do anything on the wifi. We contacted our provider and they told us that the Bell phone lines that we were using had disintegrated. With our provider execulink charging an arm and a leg for this terrible service, we decided to go with another provider.
After trying to get Fibre Internet (Potentially thousands to install), Wireless (We were too close to the cell tower) and cable by teksavvy (Our cable line was ancient) we finally got rogers in to install new cable internet with two access points to facilitate better signal. This journey took us an unfortunate amount of time, and I’m grateful to Raghul, who used his cell phone data to stream the services during ths time where we were scrambling to get internet service.
This week we got the ip phones and wireless printing hooked up as well, so you can make a call in the RE Room and print with any computer connected to the wifi network. Come ask me for the wifi password any time.
Gratefully,
-Jen Sadler
Your Board Secretary
Worship Leader: Alison Konrad
Awakening is a Springtime dynamic, which is why we selected it as our theme for the month of April. This reflection will discuss natural, intellectual and societal themes around the dynamics of awakening. How do we avoid the temptation to close our eyes to the new and sometimes painful societal realities facing us?
Worship Leaders: Bill and Karen Butt
Description: The UFL welcomes Bill and Karen Butt who have been United Church Missionaries to Mozambique for many years. The have collaborated with a UU church in the U.S during this time and will talk about their experiences
Worship Leader: Lori Turner Otte
Description: Lori Turner Otte will provide another sermon which is recorded for her preaching class at seminary. (Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.)
Worship Leader: Laura-Beth Falter
This service will feature a recording of Rev. Samaya Oakley's sermon from the CUC's "Meaning Making in Liminal Times" series, with additional interpretation by the Service Leader and other live UFL elements.
Join other UU 18 to 35 year-olds on Zoom for sharing of joys and sorrows, deeper check-ins, prayerful reflections, and an opportunity to process the events of our lives with a spiritually grounded community. Each month we are joined by a member of the Young Adult Pastoral Care Team.
These monthly gatherings have become highly valued touchstones in the lives of many young adults. While so much in our lives is unknown and unknowable, we can find comfort in familiar rituals and faces. By sharing our joys, our concerns, our sorrows and our gratitudes, we know ourselves to be held in a loving community. Exploring themes and spiritual practices helps us each remember our own creativity and resilience. We are all in this together, a part of a larger story.
These are drop-in gatherings, so you don’t need to sign up in advance and there is no fee. See event details for zoom link.
We meet on the third Monday of the month.A reservation is made each month so please email Tom Orchard tomjoyorchard@gmail.com if you plan to attend. Contact Tom or Bill Ratcliffe wratcliffe@sympatico.ca, if you have any questions.Hope to see you at the next lunch.
