We often think about “spring cleaning” as a time to get things organized and in line, but the reality at least in my house it is Fall when things get organized. The start of the program year, dominated by the school calendar is my prompt to make sure I am organized and ready to go for the next 10 months (or at least the next 2). So as I sent Reid off to grade 1 this year, I have been busy getting ready for the start of school and what our fall activities will look like. It is always an exciting day when I get to open my new giant mom calendar that lives on our fridge.
This getting organized isn’t just happening at home but in the church office with the introduction of Melissa many organizational tasks that have just been sitting there have been taken addressed or plans made to deal with them. This wave of “getting our ducks in a row” has dovetailed nicely with the work of some of our committees that is putting us on stronger ground moving forward.
Over the late spring and summer the trustees have been hard at work looking at and gaining a better understanding of our trust funds and developing an investment policy for the church. The work they have been doing will help guide our management of these important resources.
The property committee in their continued work to address security concerns around the church. The next step is to identify who has access to the church. As part of this they need to know who has physical keys, digital codes and alarm codes for the church. If you are in possession of keys or codes please call the office and let Melissa know. The property committees’ ultimate goal is to do a reset on our building access changing re-keying doors and re-issuing codes. The first step in this process is happening this Friday, with the office doors, please note that if you currently have access to the office your key will not work and you will need to contact Melissa with a request for access.
This week marks the beginning of the next lectionary (prescribed reading) cycle as we dive back into the book of Genesis. Having heard feedback about the length of some of the readings presented – especially from the Hebrew scriptures- we will be trying something new this Fall to help us hear the story more fully. Scriptures will be presented more in a dramatic reading way with different voices sharing in the reading. The hope is that this will help the readings to come to life for you. It also means that there are opportunities for people to participate who may not have before. On behalf of the worship committee, Roger Miller will be creating a reader list. We are excited about who might be willing to join in this exciting adventure. This along with Wednesday morning bible study (see below) are great ways to engage scripture!
Even with the uncertainty that Covid is leaving in it’s wake, it is good to see people’s energy peaking up and activities of the church awakening for the fall. One of the next steps is setting a compelling vision for our congregation to get behind as we look towards the future. I am excited about what the fall will being and the places the Holy Spirit will take us.
As we prepare to look at the first creation story on Sunday let reflect and pray on these words from John Soos found in the book Earth Prayers.
To be of the Earth is to know
The restlessness of being a seed
The darkness of being planted
The struggle toward the light
The pain of growth into the light
The joy of bursting and bearing fruit
The love of being food for someone
The scattering of your seeds
The decay of the seasons
The mystery of death
And the miracle of birth.
1) Worship announcements
2) Congregational Meeting
3) Church office hours
4) Brown Bag Lunches
5) Sunday School Protocols
6) FundScrip is back!
7) Bible Study
1 – Worship starts at 10:30am and will we be following the same covid-19 protocols as detailed in last weeks E-News. You can also find them on our website under “Covid-19 Updates”.
If you are not ready to join us in person we hope to see you on Zoom https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86854718551 Passcode: 165090
2 – A Congregational Meeting will be held after worship on September 26th in the Sanctuary to allow for social distancing and participation over Zoom. This meeting will deal with an update on where the congregation is and a vote on the addition of a new trustee. The candidate for trustee is Bill Paterson.
3 – Church Office Hours: Office hours moving forward will be Monday – Friday 8am – 1pm and 2pm – 4pm.
4 – We are still in need of donations for the brown lunch bag program. The shelves need drink boxes, canned meats (with a flip top), desserts (puddings, fruit cups), plastic utensils, and brown lunch bags. You can drop off your donations M-F during office hours or on Sunday before/after worship. Also, it doesn’t have to be a big donation – a few cans of protein, a package of juice boxes, a couple bags of brown lunch bags… Every little bit helps!
5- Sunday School will begin NEXT Sunday September 19, 2021! Here are the guidelines for Sunday School (they can also be found on our website under “Covid-19 Updates”):
• Children will be with their families in the sanctuary until after children’s time in worship service (Children will not be coming forward for the time for all ages)
• Wearing of masks, hand sanitizing, and social distancing is required at this time
• Weekly attendance and contact information will be kept in case of outbreak
• At 11:30am, children will proceed to Fraser Memorial Hall to be picked up.
Pre-registration for Sunday School is appreciated but not necessary. As always, if you have any questions or would like to register your child/children, please contact Cathy Davis at 455-1129 or by email at johntdavis@hotmail.com
Teachers are looking forward to seeing everyone on September 19th!
6- FundScrip is back! We’ve returned to church, the kids are back in school and our FundScrip team is ready to take your gift card orders!
How does it work? You purchase gift cards to cover all your shopping needs and when you purchase a card the retailer donates a percentage to St. Paul’s – it’s that simple! No cost to you for this donation. You receive the full-face value of every card you purchase.
How to participate? Order forms are available through the church office or you can download the form via the website under the “FundScrip” tab. For September orders, please take your completed order form and payment (cheque, cash or ETransfer) to Melissa in the church office by Sunday, September 19th or to Carole Peacock in the Narthex on September 19th. The cards arrive in just a few days and will be available the following Sunday.
Need more information? If you need help filling out forms or have general questions about FundScrip, please don’t hesitate to call Melissa in the office at 458-1183 or visit our website for more information.
7- Lectionary Bible Study: We will be looking at the upcoming scripture reading, exploring its context and where the passage touches your life. No experience necessary just an open heart and mind. Study will start this Wednesday in the Ladies Parlor at 11:11am. Come and have your questions and insights inform Sunday worship.