Message of the Week from Reverend Mary White
Good Day and Blessings,
As children, we were taught that during Lent, we must give up something that we particularly favour or may be obsessed with. This would mean sacrificing dessert, or watching a favourite show on television or listening to a favourite music genre. As an adult, and being open to more choices during Lent, it has been a practice of mine to take up something positive such as exercising or eating healthier.
Having just gone through a pandemic year with all its negative and positive experiences, I have decided this Lent is a good time to focus on personal mental health. So, I have given up watching American news broadcasts which has been very sad inducing given all the injustices they are suffering beyond the pandemic.
Lent will be spent focusing on and appreciating the good things that sprout from the little things around me.
Little Things poem is an inspirational poem about the value of living in the moment and about the power of small acts of kindness. Written in the 19th century by Julia Carney, the poem tells how little things change the world, and how each little effort matters.
Little Things by Julia Carney, 1845
Little drops of water, Little grains of sand, Make the mighty ocean, And the pleasant land.
So the little moments, Humble though they be, Make the mighty ages, Of eternity.
So our little errors, Lead the soul away, From the path of virtue, Far in injustice to stray.
Little deeds of kindness, Little words of love, Make our earth happy, Like Love from above.
With Love,
Rev. Mary White
A Family Fun Message from Brenda Pielle
Dear Friends:
We have begun a new month and some of you may know that in health calendars, March is nutrition month! This is a great time to think about the food we eat and the choices we make to nourish our bodies. This week I have mentioned on the video recordings a number combination that helps us to have a recipe of sorts to help with our daily wellness. It is 5-2-1-0 and it stands for five fruits and vegetables, only two hours of screen time, one hour of exercise, and zero sugary drinks. Increasing our fruit and vegetable intake and drinking more water rather than other fluids containing sugar, can be a great start to improving our nutrition awareness in our homes. On each video this week you will find a short song about this number combination – the one on the parent tot video is sung to the tune of “twinkle, twinkle, little star”.
On the parent tot video I have started it with a song that goes like this: “Higgledie, piggledie, bumblebee, can you say your name for me?” I am pretending to listen for children to call out their names, and I am saying some names of children who had attended the parent tot play group at our church when it was active before Covid. I will use different names next week when I do this song again. It might be fun for your child to hear her or his name said aloud on the video. This week I have mentioned Hazel, Ben, Hattie Mae, Gigi, and Sophie. Other songs include “Where is Thumbkin”, “B-L-E-S-S” some poems read aloud, and closing with “Jesus Loves Me.”
The Family Fun video starts with the 5-2-1-0 tune, and then there are two hymns from the book, More Voices: one is called “Over My Head” and one is called, “River”. A fifties tune is on this week called “Last Kiss – Where oh Where Can My Baby Be”, there is a reading from the book, Unlikely Friendships, and the video closes with Kum By Ya.
I hope these songs and stories provide you with some time to spend as a family singing along, listening, and capturing some quality time together.
To view this week’s videos, please CLICK HERE
Sincerely,
Brenda Pielle
Reaching Out to Families
Powell River United Church
The Position of Secretary of the Navigation Team (NT) needs to be filled at this year's AGM.
The Duties of this Position are to:
record minutes of NT meetings (every 3-6 weeks for approx. 2 hours)
email draft minutes to NT members for approval
send approved minutes & addendum reports to communications and church secretary for posting and filing
Track and record in the minutes NT votes taken via email
receive, report & record NT correspondence received
in consultation with the chair, write NT correspondence
record minutes of the AGM (once a year) and congregational meetings as necessary
record and file approved Policy Manual changes/updates
This position requires access to email; a church laptop is available to record minutes during meetings.
To volunteer for this position please contact Grant Vaughan, chair of the Navigation Team by email at: grntvaughan@gmail.com
HAPPY BIRTHDAY THIS WEEK TO:
Makaela Gallagher and Wendy Nouwens
Reading: Good Things From Small Things
Excerpt from: Sally Foster-Fulton “Dancing in the Desert”
A little yeast makes the dough rise, and it becomes something yummy to eat. Tiny seeds are planted, and they become trees that give us shade.
Just one kind word makes the lonely times better, a little cuddle makes the sad times easier, a helping hand makes the work less of a burden.
A wee idea can become a plan, and a plan can grow into a reality that makes life better for people. A chance meeting can grow into friendship and friendship into a love that lasts a lifetime.
All the little kindnesses, all the new ideas, all the meetings and moments and wee bits of magic can grow and grow. You never know until you begin.
Good things come from small things, and God is in it all.
Go out of your way today to do one small thing to change your small corner of this big, wide world.
Please remember to Email Us your Photos and Captions to include in our Weekly Email Newsletter. prunitedchurch@gmail.com
If you are interested in joining Rev Mary and Grant for Sunday afternoon tea and conversations on Zoom, please contact Mary by email
revmjwhite@hotmail.ca
PRAYER
Embracing Spirit
We observe you in every breath, in every smile, in every act of grace and in every look of love from a child. These are signs of hope that break open our hearts with joy.
We observe you in the small shoots that each year pushes up through concrete and blossoms into hope that comes from unexpected places.
May we recognize Love in the gentleness of a smile and the kindness we receive from others.
May we observe all our setbacks and feelings of brokenness as concerns that with help can be overcome.
We pray this in the name of the One who brings Light and Hope to all who are treated less than.
Amen