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FROM THE MINISTER’S DESK
How long, O Lord? (Psalm 13:1) We will be marking Remembrance at our worship service this coming Sunday. The Biblical question is ‘How long, O Lord?’ How long before the day when “God shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Micah 4:3) Sunday is also the day the church is asked to pray for the persecuted church; you can learn more at The Voice of the Martyrs website. ‘How Long, O Lord?’ Pray that God may speed the day.
SUNDAY WORSHIP 10:00 A.M.
Central United Church welcomes you to join our Worship Service Sunday mornings at 10:00 am. In worship we proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour; God’s word is read and preached, sacraments celebrated, faith sung and prayers offered.
Sunday services are also livestreamed (and recorded) through the Church website or you can join here. A copy of the bulletin for this Sunday’s Service is attached here.
This Sunday’s Scripture readings are Micah 3:5-12, and Matthew 23:1-12. You can also find a daily scripture message at the top of our website.
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS
Don’t forget to turn your clocks back this weekend. We’ll get an extra hour of sleep, but that means less daylight as we head into the colder months. Daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday in November. So on Nov. 5th at 2 a.m., remember to turn your clocks back.
OCTOBER FOOD DRIVE
Thank you to everyone that donated to this year’s Food Drive, over 350 items were collected. All items have been donated to our local food bank and will be greatly appreciated by some very needy families. Thank you all for your support and for giving to those in need!
YARD CLEANUP AT CENTRAL UNITED
Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023
The leaves are starting to fall and snow will soon follow. So get out your rakes this Saturday, Nov. 4th to help with raking the leaves at Central starting at 8:30 am. Hope to see you there!!
COFFEE & CONVERSATION
Wednesday, Nov. 8th at 11:00 am
Come and join us for a chat in the Boardroom on Wed. Nov. 8th from 11:00 – 12:00. Our purpose is to provide a place to connect with others and an opportunity for friendship and fellowship.
If you’d like more information or have any questions, please feel free to contact John Frotten at jfrotten@rogers.com.
SAMARITAN’S PURSE – Christmas Shoebox
Our Samaritan’s Purse initiative is in full swing but there’s only a couple of Sunday’s remaining to return your shoeboxes. The initiative will be ending on Sunday, November 12th. You can participate by packaging a shoebox yourself or if you’d prefer Samaritan’s Purse to pack a box for you, you can do so with a $40.00 donation, just visit their website here.
Shoeboxes, brochures and shopping lists are available for pick up on Sundays after church service or during the week. The church office is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday mornings.
Let’s support this great initiative again this year to bring joy to a needy child. What a wonderful way to share Jesus’ love.
CENTRAL UNITED FINANCIAL UPDATE
As of 9/30/23
As of YTD September 30th, we currently have an operating deficit of $15,241, compared to a budgeted operating deficit of $14,728. An explanation follows:
Offerings are $165,119, compared to a YTD Budget of $156,300, so we are still ahead by approximately $8,800. A good trend. Thank you for your support!
Rental income continues to trend ahead of budget. We extended the lease arrangement with the Unionville Home Society to the end of 2023 and also entered into a small rental arrangement with the Unionville Bridge Club for the use of the Main Hall on Monday evenings. As a result, Rental Income exceeds YTD Budget by $7,746. Thanks to the Rental Committee for doing a great job!
During the month of September, the Church received $22,227 distribution from an Estate bequest. This was allocated to the Capital Fund, as directed by Council. As a result, the Capital Fund has increased to $33,861, which will allow us to complete planned 2023 Capital projects without a special fund raiser. Good news!
On the Expense front, we are about $14,000 over YTD Budget, based on some unplanned but necessary expenditures, including additional church maintenance, music conference attendance, a new insurance appraisal, some payroll catch-up and higher utility bills.
As the end of 2023 fast approaches, it’s a time of reflection and gratitude. Historically, 1/3 of annual donations are received in the fourth quarter. We encourage you to look at your year-to-date donations and continue to support the Church in our mission and operations. We’d like to finish the year with a balanced budget!
Please contact Lindsay Duffield or Scott Wetmore with any questions.
Sally Sandiford, our Envelope Steward, can provide you with YTD donation information.
STRATEGIC PLAN IMPLEMENTATION UPDATE
A special Congregational meeting was held on Sept. 10, 2023 to review and approve the 5 Year Strategic Plan submitted to Council by the Strategic Planning Committee in June. The Congregation unanimously approved the Strategic Plan. At the Council meeting held Sept. 11, 2023, a Nominating Committee was Struck to find a congregational champion to lead the implementation of the Strategic Plan. Rev. Jim, Trevlyn Ganes and Mark Ono took away the task to find a congregational champion.
It became apparent that we needed a team of people to champion the plan implementation due to the scope of the strategic plan projects identified. We thought it best to let the team organize themselves. Trevlyn and Mark, Scott Wetmore, and Christina Ng have agreed to serve on this team. Doug Stirling has also agreed to serve on the Implementation team in an advisory capacity. As well, Rev. Jim is an ex-officio member of this team.
Further, Trevlyn Ganes has taken on the role as the chair of the implementation team.
We are developing an implementation plan for all the key items identified in the strategic plan. Some of the initiatives we are currently focused on are:
1. Upgrade of our website and adding some digital marketing tools to attract new members to Central.
2. Begin the search for a new Lead minister.
3.Incremental changes to our worship service to make it more contemporary.
4. The search for a Children’s program leader, an initiative which is well underway, and two candidates have been interviewed.
5. A process to profile our congregational members who are active in our community, with a view to support and connect community service to the Christian faith at Central.
Also, some great ideas have come forward from many of you over the past few weeks. We are setting up a process where you can come and discuss your ideas with the implementation team so we can prioritize and hopefully facilitate the implementation of your idea.
THE UPPER ROOM
Copies of the Upper Room November/December 2023 edition are now available. If you would like to receive a copy please let Sharlene Wilson-Bennett (admin@centralunitedchurch.com) know via email and she will be happy to get a copy to you. Please specify if you would like the small or large print copy and be sure to include your address. Alternatively, use the link below to get your copy online. https://upperroombooks.com/home-2/?cn-reloaded=1 (A donation of $2.00 – $4.00 would be greatly appreciated to help cover costs.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
WEEKLY PRAYER MEETING & TIME OF FELLOWSHIP
You are welcome to join the Thursday prayer meeting tonight at 7:00 PM for a time of prayer and fellowship. The meeting is held using Zoom technology.
Here are the details for those who wish to participate:
Access to Join from your PC, Tablet or Smartphone:
Copy this address into your web browser https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8925458525 or click here
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
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.
STAY CONNECTED…..
We want to help you stay connected so if you happen to be wondering “who’s doing what” in terms of duties, the list for this week is below….
November 5th 2023
LAY WORSHIP LEADER: Lindsay Duffield
MUSIC: Sarah Wyse
POWER POINT: Alan Heighway
GREETER: Barb Davies
WORSHIP HOST: Cynthia Yee
COFFEE HOUR: Council
SUNDAY SCHOOL: Sharon Gayman Laird
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