Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”                           -Genesis 32:28

Kindred in Christ,

 

The encounters that we have in our day to day life, no matter how small or large, change us entirely. Imagine what an encounter with God changes in us? Try and imagine who you might be in the wake of that kind of experience.

 

In the midst of the pandemic, we still encounter the Holy, we still encounter one another in limited, and yet life changing ways. Who we are because of the experiences we have had over these last 5 months, is different from who we were when we started this unusual journey. 

 

As we make our way into the rest of the summer, preparing for the fall, let us reflect on who we might be as we strive to be builders of God’s kingdom of love, peace, and justice.

 

Below is some information about this coming Sunday, as well as the weeks ahead.

 

Downtown United 2020: This week our joint worship is being led by St. Paul’s United Church. You can find the pre-recorded service on the Youtube page at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG2wvjhQzgAm-2Co5WvRkmA by 10 am on Sunday, August 2nd. Don’t forget that Rev. Richard will be hosting a Zoom gathering on Sunday morning at 10:30 am for a viewing of the worship service, after which all are invited to join in conversation. The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/422755131. The schedule for this and the rest of our worship services for the summer can be found: http://www.stpaulsunited.ca/summer-worship-schedule/

 

Vacation Week: This upcoming week (August 3-9) Rev. Richard and Church Manager Eric will be on vacation. Someone will be in the office in a limited capacity to help as needed. On Tuesday August 4th  Debbie Allison will be in and Thursday August 6th Cathy Davis. In both cases, they will be in the office from 10-2. If you would like to drop anything off or pick anything up, please call 458-1183 during those hours.

 

Emergency Pastoral Care: Because Rev.Richard will be away until Sunday August 9th, he will not be able to answer your pastoral care needs. Ellen Bearisto is available for emergency pastoral care concerns, and can be reached at (506) 206-1943

 

Planning a Return to In-person Worship: As you may have seen in our most recent COVID-19 update we are preparing for in-person worship to start up again in the fall, specifically with a “soft open” on September 6th and a full “Welcome Back Sunday” on September 13th, with Sunday School. In case you missed it, the update with some of the restrictions are available for viewing here: http://www.stpaulsunited.ca/covid-19-updates/

 

Music in the midst of Return: As we prepare to open on September 6th, one of the things that will be different is how we include music in our worship. Though we won’t be having congregational singing, we are looking for soloists (or bubbled groups of singers) who would be willing to share their gifts. Please reach out to Rev. Richard either by email or phone: rev.bowley@outlook.com, (506)262-2150

 

Summer Prayer Services: Every week through the summer months, Rev. Richard has been and will be recording a prayer service. These will be available each week on Wednesday by noon on Youtube. 

Jacob, when face to face with God, also came face to face with his own brokenness and sin. The night of wrestling resulted in Jacob no longer existing as he had the day before. The man who walked away was called Israel, no longer running in fear but facing his future.

 

As we turn to face our future together, let us pray.

 

Help us, O God, to face who we are; to move from the shadows into the light. 

Encourage us as we wrestle with our brokenness. See within us your reflection, and draw out the goodness that lives in all of us.

 

We ask this in the name of Christ, whose presence in the world changed the path of many, whose presence in our lives changes us still. AMEN

 

Yours in Christ

Rev. Richard