Message from Our Minister • Reverend Mary White
Good Day and Blessings!
Whether in person or now online, we attend church services for individual reasons, and that’s because we have our own individual relationship with a Higher Power. Some come for a better understanding of that which is Mystery, others come for the sacraments, others enjoy the soothing hymns, and for most, the knowledge that there is support when needed. But we all come together mainly for community, and the common understanding that there is a greater power than us at work in the universe which leads to deeper spiritual connection.
“All are welcome” is a statement that we take very seriously. It means that we accept all unconditionally and without prejudice. It also requires that we are responsible to ensure that we fulfill the spiritual needs of all who reach out. To accomplish this, it is necessary to offer a variety of ways to worship. It has been my experience that no matter what is offered in the name of Christ, I leave worship with a phrase or statement that brings deeper understanding and an expanded spirit. Like one candle lighting others, our spirit light grows the more we are open to serve with Love.
With Love,
Rev. Mary White
Dear Parents, Families and Friends,
Love and Blessings to you. Please enjoy this week’s Family Fun videos.
Brenda Pielle
Reaching Out to Families
Powell River United Church
Love is patient, Love is kind, and Love never fails.
Happy Anniversary to my sweetheart Tom. I am grateful for our last 55 years together and look forward to many more.
~ Love Elsie Parsons
Reading: Hebrews 10:32-39 (ERV)
Keep the Courage and Patience You Had
Remember the days when you first learned the truth. You had a hard struggle with much suffering, but you continued strong. Sometimes people said hateful things to you and mistreated you in public. And sometimes you helped others who were being treated that same way. Yes, you helped them in their personal prison and shared in their suffering. And you were still happy when everything you owned was taken away from you. You continued to be happy, because you knew that you had something much better—something that would continue forever.
So don’t lose the courage that you had in the past. Your courage will be rewarded richly. You must be patient. After you have done what God wants, you will get what has been promised you, saying,
“Very soon now, the one who is coming
will come and will not be late.
The person who is right with me
will live by trusting in me.
But I will not be pleased with the
one who turns back in fear.”
But we are not those who turn back and are lost.
No, we are the people who have faith and are saved.
Poem: Epiphany by Joyce Rupp
They listen deeply inside,
far into the darkness
where even a tiny bit of light
seemed like a Sunburst in the heart.
They pondered the silent music
they echoed in their prayer:
“Go, Search. Look. Follow. Find”
a journey without precedent,
adventure wrought with risk,
a time of travel filled with faith.
They went lovingly, eagerly,
into the night of their lives,
trusting they would find the way.
They paused to inquire, to study,
they went on in faith, patiently,
following with the hearts' eye, and
“The sight of the star
filled them with delight.”
A journey not in vain,
a patient search rewarded,
their steady courage in the unknown
led them to their heart's delight.
They found the long-sought One,
waiting to be found,
longing to be discovered,
as they traveled the far stretches
of their long and hidden night.
In-Person Worship Services are Cancelled Due to COVID Safety Concerns
PRUC Online Worship Service
Please join us this Sunday, January 16th
Experience the uplifting, healing and transformative power of Prayer
P R A Y E R
Spirit of Life and Change
Spirit journey with us as we move forward into new beginnings, and new adventures.
May our hearts and minds be patient, and vulnerable to trying new ways of being a Community of Faith.
May we see a tiny bit of light that will illuminate us toward bursts of light and better understanding of where we are to be as church.
Help us to appreciate that as community we are strong and in each one the glimmer of light expands when we journey together.
We pray this in the name of the One we follow.
Amen
Powell River United Church, 6932 Crofton Street, Powell River, BC, V8A 5H4, Canada