A few reminders for this week Mar. 6 to Mar. 12, 2023

FROM THE MINISTER’S DESK

The Gospels are filled with examples of God’s presence in the word. One sabbath Jesus was in his hometown synagogue in Nazareth where he read from the prophet Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, for he has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives, sight to the blind, to let the oppressed, go free, to proclaim a year of favor from the Lord. (Luke 4:18-19) After having read these words, Jesus said, “This text is being fulfilled today even while you are listening.” According to Jesus, the afflicted, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed are not people somewhere outside of the synagogue who, someday, will be liberated; they are the people who are listening.  And it is in the listening that God becomes present and heals.  The Word of God is not a word to apply in our daily lives at some later date; it is a word to heal us through, and in, our listening here and now.

 

SUNDAY WORSHIP

Central United Church welcomes you to our Worship Service Sunday morning at 10:00 am and we would love to have you join us. We rejoice that we can worship together and give thanks, offering prayer and lifting our voices in song.

Sunday services are livestreamed at 10:00 am through the Church website. To watch live or view a recording later, go to the Church website, scroll down and click on Central United’s Live Stream Page or click here. A copy of the bulletin for this Sunday’s Service is attached here.

This Sunday’s Scripture readings are Exodus 17:1-7; Romans 5:1-11 and John 4:5-42. You can also find a daily scripture message at the top of our website.

“ALIVE AND WELL” DIMENTIA TALK

Tuesday, March 14 at 1:00 pm

On Tuesday, March 14 at 1:00 pm, the UCW are fortunate to have Carole Beam (of our congregation) give a presentation on “Alive and Well” Dementia Talk. The presentation talks about the different types of Dementia, Signs and Research, Being a Dementia Friendly Church, Being held in the memory of God and one another, Resource Links and Family Support. Anyone interested in this discussion are welcome to attend.

UCW BAKE SALE

Sunday, March 19 – Friendship Room

On Sunday, March 19, after the Sunday service, the UCW will be having a bake sale in the Friendship Room. This is a chance to pick up some Easter baking. The members of the UCW have volunteered to make cookies, squares, loaves etc. There will even be a very limited number of The FAMOUS FRUIT PIES. We thank the congregation in advance for their support.

 LENTEN BIBLE STUDY 2023

Talking with God: A Lenten Study on Prayer

Our five week study continues this coming Tuesday at 7:00 pm.

If you are attending at the church, please join us at 6:30 pm for some social time.

If you are attending online, please sign in at 6:45 pm by going to the church website’s homepage and clicking on the big lavender button. Click here for the website homepage.

We look forward to joining together in study and fellowship!

LENTEN OUTREACH PROJECT 2023

The Outreach Committee have chosen “Ontario Christian Gleaners” as the 2023 Lenten Project. ’Ontario Christian Gleaners is an interdenominational Christian organization that seeks to visibly demonstrate God’s love by working with volunteers to collect, process and make available surplus agricultural produce for the relief of the hungry in overseas nations.’

Financial donations will be accepted throughout the season of Lent up to and including Easter Sunday. If you wish to donate, you can either drop off your donations at the Church or mail them to the church. Cheques should be payable to the Central United Church. Coin is also accepted – just drop it down the “pipe” set up in the narthex.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

WEEKLY PRAYER MEETING & TIME OF FELLOWSHIP

Please come and join the Thursday prayer meeting tonight at 7:00 pm. After the prayer time we have some time for fellowship to allow us to catch up with each other a little. The meeting is held using the Zoom technology. Please join 10 minutes before the 7:00 PM start time.

Here are the details for those that wish to participate:

Access to Join Zoom Meeting from your PC, Tablet or Smartphone

  1. Copy this address into your web browser https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8925458525 or click here
  2. If you are joining with the Zoom App the Meeting ID is: 892 545 8525 (Note that you can also download the Zoom Application and use the Meeting ID to join)

 

Quick access by phone:

  1. Call: 647 374-4685
  2. When prompted press: 892 545 8525 #
  3. Then when prompted again press: # to enter the call

ONLINE DONATIONS

Donations for the work of Central United Church can be made online.

  • You can donate to Central United by clicking here:
  • You can continue to specify how you want your donation to be allocated by either selecting the appropriate category on the website or by typing in your choice in the MESSAGE box.
  • Donation receipts will be issued directly by Canada Helps, so there is no need to include your envelope number.
  • If you have any questions, email finance@centralunitedchurch.com.

In addition to the online donation option, your church offerings can also be mailed to the church.

PASTORAL CARE

Should you become aware of any illness, bereavement, hospitalization, etc., among people of our church, please notify the church office as soon as possible.

If you would like a pastoral visit, please contact Rev. Clubine at the church office 905.474.0183 or mobile office 416.358.4924 or by email jclubine@centralunitedchurch.com.

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SCRIPTURE READINGS

If you are interested in reading ahead a little, below are the readings for next week.



March 19th, 2023

1 Samuel 16:1-13

Psalm 23

Ephesians 5:8-14

John 9:1-41