Local Church News
Compiled by Mike Milne
Celebrating anniversary with art and medicine
Tradition holds that Gospel author St. Luke may have been an artist or physician. St. Luke’s United, Tantallon, N.S., covered all the bases in its recent anniversary celebrations with a dialogue sermon featuring a physician and artist from the congregation. Dr. John Gray served the formerly Methodist Grenfell Mission in Newfoundland and Labrador for 25 years and J'anna-jacqulyn is a visual artist who leads two of the four painting groups that make their home at the Halifax-area congregation. The anniversary weekend, which coincided with St. Luke’s Day, also included displays of art created by the painting groups.
A century of education, a year of celebrations
St. Stephen’s College in Edmonton, founded by Methodists in 1908 and now part of the University of Alberta, wraps up a year of centennial celebrations with a Christmas Open House. Homecoming events — including the annual convocation and worship at McDougall United — took place in November. The year also included: a student production telling the college’s story in words, song and dance; a fund-raising gala at a downtown hotel, complete with a video on the college; and publication of a history book, Ever Widening Circles, by Gayle Simonson. The college is distinguished by having two principals, Very Rev. Aubrey Tuttle and Very Rev. George Tuttle, who also served terms as United Church moderators.
Renovations and events mark anniversary
St. Stephen’s-on-the-Hill United, Mississauga, Ont., now has a new patio and prayer labyrinth to help the congregation recall activities that took place during its 50th anniversary. Celebrations included a spring concert of past and present choir directors and members who created a massed reunion choir, a summer anniversary Sunday worship featuring founding minister Very Rev. Bruce McLeod, and a fall wrap-up celebration including a formal dinner.
Habitat home part of P.E.I. church celebration
Park Royal United, Charlottetown, P.E.I., celebrated its 50th anniversary last summer with a project that continued a tradition of outreach and social action. The congregation became the first on Prince Edward Island to sponsor a Habitat for Humanity project, building a home for the MacAusland family. Past Park Royal outreach projects have included an ecumenical non-profit child-care program and sponsorship of refugee families from Viet Nam and Kosovo. As Rev. Kevin Mackenzie, minister of Park Royal says, building the Habitat home “is a concrete way to put our faith into action . . . going beyond our own walls and making a difference.” Habitat builds homes using donated materials, with volunteers who work alongside homeowners. Families receiving the homes take on a no-interest mortgage that covers costs, and the money repaid is used to finance future projects.
Celebrating congregations’ health and grace
Winnipeg’s Windsor Park United celebrated its 50th anniversary in November by holding a congregational development conference — billed as the Western answer to a national event called More Franchises than Tim Hortons, held earlier in the year. Called Goodness and Grace, a celebration of all that is healthy and thriving in United Churches, the Winnipeg conference featured Observer contributor Rev. Orville James, minister at Wellington Square United in Burlington, Ont. As well, 16 workshops looked at topics such as welcoming newcomers, congregational spirituality, small groups, the emerging church and social justice in youth groups.
Dime donations help boost M&S
When it comes to the Mission & Service Fund, Smithfield (Ont.) United is getting in its 10-cents worth. After hearing recently that Bay of Quinte Conference could meet its M&S goal if current donors contributed an extra dime, the congregation added small ice-cream-cup containers to its collection plates and encouraged church-goers to dig deeper. “People are laughing and enjoy adding their 10 cents to the little cup each week, and the children are also contributing,” Rev. Brenda Nesbitt reports. “Everyone is having a bit of fun with this, at the same time we have raised an extra $65.” That’s an average increase of $7.23 per week over usual M&S givings.
Wall-hangings in Westbank, B.C.
A set of three new fabric-art wall-hangings add colour and inspiration to the walls of the fellowship hall at Westbank (B.C.) United. The floor-to-ceiling hangings were created by quilt artist Aileen Michelson, over a period of three years, with help from her husban Oliver and several friends. The first panel shows a forest and movement from darkness to light, while the second shows a door leading to an image of the church. The third panel shows people crossing a body of water. The hangings were created using a variety of techniques, including quilting and appliqué. While images portrayed in the large hangings are symbolic, many of the backgrounds are recognizable as scenes from B.C.’s Okanagan Valley, where the church is located.
Church grant helps seniors make music
Grace United, Macklin. Alta., took part in a ceremony at the local St. Joseph’s Health Centre recently, dedicating musical equipment purchased through a $5,300 United Church grant. The Watkins Fund for Senior Adults helped the hospital purchase instruments, including a digital piano, for its sensory stimulation unit. The unit also includes a television, videos and karaoke CDs. Dedication celebrations included a live musical presentation from the Macklin Community Singers and prayers from Rev. Jung Hyun-Shin.
If you have a project, program or just a piece of news that you’d like to share with the rest of The United Church of Canada, write to: Congregations, The United Church Observer, 478 Huron St., Toronto, Ont. M5R 2R3 Fax: (416) 960-8477 OR send us an email through the Contact Form.
