Message from Our Minister Reverend Mary White
Good Day and Blessings!
What have been the blessings you have received in the past fifteen months? For me, it was a blessing to have had an opportunity for soul-searching and changing some of my mindsets. For some, it could have been a time to examine long held onto judgmental attitudes. Changing one’s mindset is not simply done, especially having been raised in a Christian church whose expectations were to live a “squeaky clean” existence. This attitude forces Christians to live an unauthentic life and leaves us all open to criticism, and to be called hypocrites. Although we are all made perfect in the image of the Creator, we are not meant to be perfect. We are to learn from mistakes we make but sometimes, it takes more than a few lessons before we learn. I believe it is more important to live an authentic life than to strive for perfection which is unattainable.
With Love,
Rev. Mary White
PLEASE REGISTER TO ATTEND IN PERSON GATHERINGS
Please Register before June 25th at 2pm
Dear Parents, Families and Friends,
The first day of summer, June 21st, is also National Indigenous People's Day. This week both videos have some songs using words from the language of people of the Tla'amin Nation.
The Parent Tot video has "The More We Sing Together", "By the Waterside", "Head and Shoulders" in the First Nations language, "I'm a Happy Kid", "The Wheels on the Bus" as the songs, as well as a reading called "A Circle of Thanks" and a discussion about snails.
The Family Fun video has "This is the Day", "Windsong", "This Land Needs Care From You and Me", and "Jesus Loves Me". The songs in the First Nations language include "Kwagahosht" and a paddling song. There is a reading about the Cedar tree and a reading about the wind.
Please enjoy these songs and readings. Best wishes for a wonderful start to the summer season.
Brenda Pielle
Reaching Out to Families
Powell River United Church
Poem Excerpt from ‘A Song of Faith’ • United Church Of Canada
The fullness of life includes moments of unexpected inspiration and courage lived out, experiences of beauty, truth, and goodness, blessings of seeds and harvest, friendship and family, intellect, and sexuality, the reconciliation of persons through justice and communities living in righteousness, and the articulation of meaning.
And so, we sing of God the Spirit, who from the beginning has swept over the face of creation, animating all energy and matter and moving in the human heart.
We sing of God the Spirit, faithful and untamable, who is creatively and redemptively active in the world.
The Spirit challenges us to celebrate the holy not only in what is familiar, but, also in that which seems foreign.
Reading Squeaky Clean Christians
Excerpt from Ralph Milton “God for Beginners”
In the last few years, Christian churches have been far less hung up on form, and much more concerned with substance. I can remember when women were not allowed to go into church without something on their heads, so they clipped a bit of Kleenex to their hair with bobby pins. Now we realize it doesn’t matter a whole lot how you dress for church. People arrive in everything from old jeans to fancy furs.
The days of the “squeaky clean Christian” who never did anything wrong and never said a nasty word are, thankfully, gone.
Not that there ever was such a thing. Christians have always been just as human as everyone else. But in too many instances, Christians equated Christianity with keeping up appearances, trying to pretend you were morally and spiritually superior.
Now I think those inside and outside the churches have recognized that God doesn’t pay much attention to appearances. God is concerned about what we think and feel and about how we act. Discipleship.
PRUC Online Worship Service
Please join us online this Sunday, June 27th
For July 4th Indoor Service, Please register before July 2nd at 2pm
PRAYER
Living Spirit
Meet us in the place beyond our obsessions and discriminations.
There bless us with wisdom, insight and vision to distinguish and hold on to what is valuable and true, to glimpse, hope and strive for opportunities of change and fulfillment, to commit ourselves to the new future in which you are calling us to share.
Living One, clothe us with your grace and determination, help us to embody the vision and values of your Love and be ready to face whatever may come as we seek to do your will.
We pray this in the name of the One whom we call brother.
Amen