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FROM THE MINISTER’S DESK
It’s hard not to feel the Christmas spirit as you walk or drive through the village of Unionville! Having just moved here from midtown Toronto, I’m taking in all of the decorations, festivities and traditions with wonder and admiration. Of course, having grown up in a small town, I know that there are many things that small communities do so much better than the big city, and Christmas spirit is one of them (although if you’ve never been to London, England at Christmastime you really should go once in your life).
I hope I’ll see many of you here at the church on Christmas Eve. I’m looking forward to celebrating the birth of Jesus with all of you who have welcomed me so warmly into your family of faith. I’m looking forward to meeting members of your family who may be in town visiting for the holidays. There are two Christmas Eve worship services this year, and hopefully one (or both!) of them will be part of your family’s plans for the evening.
At 4PM we’ll have a more casual, upbeat service with music and stories that will be fun for all, especially the excited young wiggle-bottoms!
At 8PM we’ll have a more traditional, contemplative service with special music, beloved Christmas carols, and a time of meditation.
Both services will revolve around the story of that very first Christmas, bringing back to the forefront of our hearts and minds what this is really all about: the goodness of our Heavenly Father, who humbled himself and came to earth in the form of His own Son, to live and walk amongst us, and who now lives with and in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to all humankind!
SUNDAY MORNING 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 reading is Isaiah 12:2-6. You can also find a daily scripture message at the top of our website.
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/81293996881 or click here.
Quick access by phone:
1. Call: 647 374-4685
2. When prompted press: 812 9399 6881 #
3. Then when prompted again press: # to enter the call
DONATING APPRECIATED SECURITIES
TO CENTRAL UNITED IN 2024
With the significant run up in the stock market this year, many investors have significant unrealized capital gains. Donating securities to a Central United Church in 2024 can provide tax benefits, including:
- Capital gains tax exemption
- Donating eligible securities to a registered charity is exempt from capital gains tax. This means you don’t pay tax on any gain realized in the securities. CUC receives the total value of the securities at the time of sale.
You can claim a donation tax credit for the value of the securities on
the date the charity receives them.
- Here are some things to consider when donating securities to charity. Please contact your investment advisor to discuss your unique situation:
To ensure your gift qualifies for a 2024 tax receipt, you should
complete your donation before the following deadlines:
- Securities: December 13, 2024
- Mutual funds: December 6, 2024
If you are interested in donating securities, please contact Lindsay Duffield (lindsay.duffield@rogers.com) or Scott Wetmore (swetmore@rogers.com).
CHARITABLE DONATION YEAR-END
TAX DEADLINE FOR 2024
As you review your year-end charitable donations, please keep in mind that any donations to Central United need to be received by Tuesday, December 31st in order for you to receive a 2024 tax receipt. If you would like to get a status on your YTD givings to CUC, please contact Sally Sandiford (sally_sandiford@hotmail.com).
Thanks for supporting Central United Church with your time, talent and financial generosity as we journey together and inspire each other to lead lives that honour God.
CENTRAL’S NEW WEBSITE IS NOW LIVE!
Central’s new website is designed to be modern and user-friendly, aiming to attract, invite, and connect people to Central, encouraging them to come, grow, and journey with us. Over the past few months, an external web designer has collaborated closely with an ad hoc committee to create a vibrant and dynamic platform for Central: centralunitedchurch.com.
We extend our gratitude to everyone who has taken pictures for the website. While we have given serious consideration to each request brought to our team’s attention, we regret that we cannot accommodate them all due to design and practicality considerations. We value your input. If you notice any errors, do not want your photo to be posted, or have comments, please leave us a note here.
REFUGEE OUTREACH
This Christmas it gives us pleasure to buy Christmas gifts for a number of refugee families who are struggling. Please watch the church bulletin board for more specific information.
Many thanks to those of you who have donated suitcases & good used winter coats to the refugee homes run by ‘The People’s Church’. This outreach will continue until the end of January. Please contact Éilis Wu at #416-889-6742, eilisannwu@gmail.com and she will arrange for pick up.
OFFERING ENVELOPES
For those of you who use offering envelopes, your boxed set for 2025 is available for pick up in the narthex. If we have missed your name and you would like a set for your weekly offering, please speak to Sharlene or Sally Sandiford. Please ensure that at the end of 2024 you destroy your old envelopes and begin using the new set that has been assigned to you.
CHRISTMAS GIFT BAGS
Christmas Gift Bags benefitting the Markham Food Bank – there are still a few Christmas Gift Bags available, each contains a tree ornament made by an artisan is a developing country and a message that the ornament symbolizes a donation was made to the Markham Food Bank. Gifting suggestions include: hostess gift, something for the person who has everything, a caregiver or a teacher. Suggested donation is $25 minimum (cash or cheque made payable to the Markham Food Bank), 100% of the proceeds go to the Markham Food Bank and a tax receipt will follow. if you need one or a few please contact Ruth Duffield at regduffield@gmail.com for pick up at Church on Sunday morning.
CHRISTMAS CAROLING & HOT CHOCOLATE
Saturday, Dec. 14th at 6:00 pm
Central will be part of this year’s Unionville Main Street Olde Time Christmas Parade this Saturday, December 14th at 6:00 pm. Members of the choir and anyone interested can join in walking down Main Street in the Parade, singing carols.
After the Parade at around 7:30 pm , Central will open its doors and invite the community in to join us for a Christmas Carols Sing-a-long & sip some Hot Chocolate. Last year, 300+ people joined us!
It takes many people to help and we invite you to contribute and be a part of this festive evening! Please save the date, and sign up to serve the community here.
MITTEN TREE
With the Christmas season soon upon us, the Mitten Tree is once again up in the Friendship Room. Should you wish to donate, please drop off hats, toques, scarves and gloves by this Sunday, Dec. 15th so that we can deliver them to the Salvation Army before Christmas. They can be dropped off at the church on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm or if you’re attending in person worship on Sunday morning and prefer to drop them off then, that would be fine as well.
COFFEE & CONVERSATION
Wednesday, Dec. 18th at 10:00 am
Come and join us for a chat in the Friendship Room on Wed. Dec. 18th at 10:00 am. 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.
BOOK CLUB
Calling all book lovers – people of all ages! Everyone is invited to join Central United Church’s Book Club every 4th Wednesday of the month from 10-11:30am. We meet both in person & virtually. Good company, great books, compelling conversation & yummy treats!
Upcoming: Wednesday, Jan. 22nd – The Women by Kristin Hannah!
Kindly message Helen at gratsos2002@yahoo.ca for details!
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. Diaz at the church office 905-474-0183 or by email ldiaz@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….
December 15th 2024
LAY WORSHIP LEADER: Joan Hubbert
MUSIC: Sarah Wyse
POWER POINT: Alan Heighway
GREETER: Wilma Inkpen
WORSHIP HOST: Cynthia Yee
COFFEE HOUR: Strategic Planning Committee (Doug Stirling)
SUNDAY SCHOOL: Sharon Gayman Laird
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