But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. No longer shall they teach one another, or say to each other, ‘Know the Lord’, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and remember their sin no more.

                                                                                                                                  Jeremiah 31:33-34

Kindred in Christ,

We come now to the end of something. No, it is not the end of 2020, though I am sure many of us would like to put the roller coaster of this year behind us. This coming Sunday marks the last Sunday of the Christian Liturgical year, with a new one starting on the first Sunday of Advent. Because it is the last, it is also a special one that we call Reign of Christ Sunday (remember that, I will ask about it on Sunday). 

Reign of Christ Sunday is a day when we acknowledge Christ as our centre, as the focus of our lives, the ruler in our heart, and the light on our way. While this may sound like any other Sunday, we mark this one as special because we truly want you to take to heart that message as we prepare to start anew in Advent. So come this Sunday and open your heart to Christ that he might find his home there.

Along with worship there are a few other things going on. I encourage you to have a read below

Rev. Alan Reynolds 1930-2020: We heard some sad news this week. The Rev. Alan Reynolds, who served in this congregation from 1960-1968 passed away on Saturday, November 14th at the age of 90. His obituary can be found here: https://vancouversunandprovince.remembering.ca/obituary/alan-reynolds-1080852911. There is a celebration of his life taking place on Saturday, November 21st at 11 AM at University Hill Congregation in Vancouver, and while it is not possible to travel to take part in this time of rememberings, the service will be streamed over Zoom. The information for the Zoom service is available below:

Sunday School is coming back…again!: In September we did a lot of hard work to make our spaces safe for those attending worship, and for the younger ones who are eager to explore our holy stories. On the recommendation of the Region, we had to put our Sunday School on hold just 2 Sundays after we started it. Well, after a little more than 2 months, we plan to re-open our Sunday school on November 29th, the first Sunday of Advent (generally themed as Hope Sunday, so we are rolling with that idea). Like before we are going to ask parents/guardians to register their little ones each week so that we know who is coming and how many for which to prepare. To register your kids for next week’s Sunday  School, please contact Cathy Davis by phone at 455 – 1129 or by email at johntdavis@hotmail.com. The process for drop-off will be posted in next week’s eNews.

Christmas Angel Tree – A note from Santa: “Thank you everybody for helping me deliver my toys this year to all the children who had angel tags on the Christmas tree last Sunday and whose wishes are being looked after by Greener Village. If you didn’t get a tag, I think there may still be a couple available at the church office. The children are getting very excited about Christmas and I really appreciate your help in making their wishes come true. Please remember to take your gift to the church by Sunday November 29. Please do not wrap your gift; my elves will want to see what you bought. Thank you again for your support and for sharing the joy of Christmas with a child.”

Worship In-Person or by Zoom: We continue to live into a hybrid worship where we have seats available for those who would like to worship in-person, but will continue to offer streamed worship through Zoom. However you join us, we are glad to have you!.

  • The Zoom link is: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85811548808
  • The password for this meeting room is: 200188
  • For those who would prefer to call in the number is: 1 647 558 0588 then use the Meeting ID: 858 1154 8808, and then enter the passcode 200188 when prompted

Message From Our Fundscrip Team

The gift cards ordered last week have arrived and everyone has been advised. Cards will be available for you to pick up on Sunday morning in the Narthex. If you want to order more cards for Christmas, or are new to this fundraising program, order forms will also be available in the Narthex on Sunday. The next deadline for placing your order is Sunday, December 6. We want to be sure the cards arrive and are distributed in time for Christmas giving. Looking forward to welcoming new supporters. Remember: shopping is fundraising!

Rental Opportunity

Downtown Office Space for rent   – $500.00 per month (first month’s rent is free!!!)

  • 224 York Street – 270 square feet
  • Heat, lights,
  • Elevator
  • Security alarm system
  • Washrooms
  • Parking for one vehicle
  • Walking distance to restaurants, banks, government offices.

Telephone 458-1183

As we strive to make Christ the center of our being, we do so with the words from the prophet Jeremiah in our ears, “this is the covenant that I will make…I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts”. 

As we pray, may we be reminded that God yearns for us as much as we for God, that Christ is always there to support us, that the Holy Spirit is as close as our next breath. God is a part of us, and we are a part of God.

You, O God, guide our very heartbeats,
guide us, we pray through this day.
Inspire us to be people who live your word rather than just hear it,
who share your love rather than horde it.
May Christ rule our hearts, not by strength but by grace.
May we live grace filled lives. AMEN

Your brother in Christ,

Rev. Richard