Last week, in worship we heard the story of Noah and his family. I briefly talked about how the world that they stepped out into when they left the arc was nothing like the world pre-flood. That they had to learn anew how to live in the land as connections and resources previously available were no longer there. The church I said was in post-flood place, we look around our community, our world, even within our walls and it doesn’t look the same as it once did. There have been tangible and in many cases permanent change from what things were like 50, 25, 15 or even 3 years ago. These changes has been slow, so slow we almost didn’t see them, but with COVID these changes not only sped up but became visible. It is easy with the level of socially, environmentally, and economically change to feeling at least a little out of balance and longing for what was. In some ways, Noah had it easy, he could miss the past but he couldn’t hang on to it, because it had literally been washed away.
As we survey the reality of today, it is normal to grieve what has changed. Greif can point us to what we value and what we hold as important. If it didn’t matter, we wouldn’t feel it’s loss. It is however, imperative to probe what we are really grieving about. Take for example, when I came home years ago to find my locked door wide open. I grieved, yet that grief was not about the things stolen. Instead, it was rooted in the memories evoked of my grandmother by a particular DVD – a gift from her and that the sense of security and sanctuary that home provides being disturbed.
Being clear about what we are grieving allows us to address the grief appropriately. You see I could have gone and purchased another copy of the movie, but it wouldn’t have been the same, and what I thought was more honoring of the connection we shared was to put together a scrapbook of photos from her life and record some of my stories of her.
As we make our way forward as a church, we too must figure out what is most important to us, which may be illuminated by our grief. Once we know these values, passions and practices the joy comes in discovering what shape they will take in the new world we find ourselves. So what do you grieve for? What do you care about most? Can’t wait to hear from you.
Together let us pray,
Holy God,
as the world and our country mourn the death of Queen Elizabeth II,
use this time to help us learn that grief is healthy and healing
that in acknowledging what we have lost, we prepare for what is to come.
In our own grief, show us what really matters
That we may move forward, ensuring that we build back on the right foundation.
This we pray in the name of the one who is called the cornerstone, and sure foundation. Amen.
Yours in Christ Rev. Michelle
Featured In This September 15th Edition of St. Paul’s eNews
Worship This Sunday September 18th
Downtown United Youth Group
Bible Study
Brown Bag Lunch Program
Toonies For St. Paul’s!
Pantry Program
FundScrip Returns!
Upcoming Dates To Remember
Rev. Michelle’s Walk-In Office Hours
Worship This Sunday September 18th
Please join us in person to worship at St. Paul’s Sunday at 10:30am. Covid protocols still in place are: masking, hand sanitizing, sitting in marked pews, and social distancing.
As always, if you are not ready to join us in person we hope to see you on Zoom – link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86854718551 Passcode: 165090
You can also join by phone only, if you don’t have a long distance plan charges would apply. All you need to do is call 1 647 558 0588 and follow the prompts to enter Meeting ID: 868 5471 8551 and Passcode: 165090
Downtown United Youth Group
Downtown United Youth Group welcomes all youth, grades 4+ to join in on September 18th from 6:30 to 8pm at Wilmot United Church. For more information, contact Erin at Hayes.erin11@gmail.com.
Bible Study
Join Rev. Michelle on Wednesdays at 11:15am for bible study. We are back in person, meeting in the board room. Generally, sessions run 45min-1hour. This coming week’s scripture is: Genesis 39:1-23. Due to interest, you can also join online. Log in using this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88619319967 and Passcode: 259190.
Brown Bag Lunch Program
The Brown Bag Lunch program is in need of flip top cans of proteins. Thank you for your generosity!
Toonies for St. Paul’s!
Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed the summer. When you were thinking about St. Paul’s United Church while sitting on the beach or camping, did you happen to throw a TOONIE into your little vial? Well, now is the time to return those vials, hopefully before the end of September. Please write your name and the dollar amount on your vial. Drop it in the Offering Box on Sunday. This was an Anniversary project and all proceeds are tax deductible. Thank you for your participation. Enjoy the Fall season and hope to see you back to Worship at St. Paul’s. Donna Chauvin 458-5885
Pantry Program
The pantry needs the following items: fruit cups, canned corn niblets, flakes of ham, flakes of turkey, ketchup, liquid hand soap, white sugar, Mr. Clean, laundry detergent, Comet, Cheez Whiz, peanut butter, tea, cookies, cereal, molasses, honey, jam, miracle Whip, soup, tuna, salmon, apple juice, tinfoil, saran wrap, beans with molasses, and canned mushrooms. Thank you for your continued support!
FundScrip Returns!
Welcome back to our loyal shoppers who support this fundraising program by purchasing gift cards every month. We’d like to see this number grow. If you are not familiar with the program, details are available on the church website, www.stpaulsunited.ca under “Fundraising”. Deadline for our first fall order is Sunday, October 2nd. Order forms are available at the church office, in the Narthex or here . Please use a current order form as participating retailers and card values sometimes change. Remember: Shopping is fundraising for St. Paul’s!
Upcoming Dates To Remember
September 18th – Fellowship Hour ~ Hosted by the UCW
September 25th – Soup and Buns ~ Hosted by Worship. Congregational Workshop to follow – Our Values
October 2nd – Fellowship Hour ~ Hosted by Property
October 23rd – Soup and Buns ~ Hosted by the Choir. Congregational Workshop to follow – Finding Focus
November 6th – 190th Anniversary Celebration
Rev. Michelle’s Walk-In Office Hours
Looking to connect with Rev. Michelle? The best way to do this is to connect via email to michellenarmstrong@hotmail.com or call 259-7602 to set up an appointment. Walk-in office hours are Mondays from 10am to 1pm and Wednesdays from 1-2:30pm.
St. Paul’s United Church
190 Years of Glorifying God through Worship, Proclaiming the Gospel of Christ and Serving Others in Christ’s name
Contact Information
224 York St., Fredericton, NB E3B 3P1
Web: www.stpaulsunited.ca | Tel: 506-458-1183 | Email: stpaulsoffice224@gmail.com
Minister: Rev. Michelle Armstrong | Organist: Dr. Sharon Pond
Church Administrator: Meghan Roebuck | Custodian: Rusty Blakely