Announcements
Annual reports were due in the office by January 20th. Treasurers’ reports are due by January 27th.
The 2025 Annual Congregational Meetings are scheduled for March 1st.
PUC: following worship service
EUC: following worship service
EPPC: following EUCs ACM
Thank you so much to Liz for helping to spearhead the fundraiser at Portland United for Luz Mariela, and the Colegia Bautista school in San Salvador, and to the congregation for your support of this mission project. We were able to send approximately $400 US dollars to support Luz Mariela with her schooling and her medical expenses related to her vision. We also received a new letter from Luz Mariela, and it’s posted on the bulletin board in the Friendship Room.
Bible Discussions Groups
Two meetings each week – Monday evenings at Portland UC (6:30-7:45PM) and Tuesday mornings in Elgin at the Guthrie House 10 Perth St.; (10:00AM-11:30AM). All are welcome to join in the friendly discussions and fellowship. For more information contact Jim Barton @ ccjimbarton@gmail.com or 613-328-4089.
Self‑Care Sunday and Blue Monday: Finding God in the Ups and Downs
A opinion piece by Clinton Halladay
Last Sunday, January 18th, and Monday January 19th, were self-care Sunday and blue Monday respectively. Neither of these days get much attention, they are not declared as national holidays and if fact they generally come and go without notice or fanfare. Now most of you know that I sometimes wonder off, and often find the weird in the normal, so here goes.
Self‑care Sunday and Blue Monday are perfectly juxtaposed in what I’ll call an emotional arc: one rooted in rest and, renewal, and the other in honest acknowledgment that some days feel just downright blah. Human emotions aside, the bible shines a different light on these ideas, they gain a deeper significance, offering not just comfort but a perspective for navigating the week.
For support, I looked at a range of bible quotes and selected some that aligned with my argument. If that introduces a bit of bias into the article, so be it.
Self‑care Sunday aligns with our understanding of Sabbath. In Exodus 20:8, God instructs His people to “remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy,” a reminder that rest is not optional but sacred. This rest is not merely physical; it is emotional and spiritual renewal. Jesus reinforces this in Mark 2:27, saying, “The Sabbath was made for man,” highlighting that rest is a gift meant to replenish us. A self‑care Sunday becomes a modern expression of this ancient wisdom, setting aside time for prayer, reflection, nourishment, and quiet. It is a way of honoring God by honoring the needs of the body and soul He created.
Then comes Blue Monday, often associated with fatigue, pressure, or a dip in motivation. Perhaps accentuated by the receipt of the seasons overspending, uncertainty about a new year, or a myriad of other things. Scripture does not dismiss these feelings. Instead, it meets them with empathy and honesty. Psalm 34:18 reminds us that “the Lord is near to the broken-hearted,” offering presence rather than platitudes. Isaiah 40:29 adds that God “gives strength to the weary,” a promise that speaks directly to the Monday slump. And Lamentations 3:22–23 reframes the start of the week entirely: “His mercies… are new every morning.” Even on Mondays.
When you put Self‑care Sunday and Blue Monday together, it just helps you move through the week. Sunday becomes preparation, an intentional pause that fills the well. Monday becomes an invitation to lean on God’s fresh mercy rather than dread the week ahead. Together, they help you live in a way that makes space for rest, admits when life is tough, and leans on God through it all.
And the one simple takeaway: “Rest like Sunday is a gift, rise like Monday is a promise.”
Devotional Reflection January 24, 2026
Another somewhat dreary week of weather, eh! Soon to be behind us and the warmth of spring will set in! And in the midst of the drabness, there is the beauty. Today, as the snow fell ever so lightly, the white mist from the cold lakes showed itself. Reaching all around, the ethereal haze drew me in, as my friend and I pulled over and watched the fingers of white beauty reaching outward and upward.
All around me the day was filled with wonder. A flock of winter white birds joined in the beauty as they soared and dipped into the 
white fields of snow. And as we drove you could see the beauty through the barren trees, of the snow covering that laid its protection over the sleeping earth, providing a shield to safeguard the young flowers that would soon be appearing.
And should you take a few minutes, you too would see the wonder in the world around us – the joy of children ice skating, the snowmen as they appear on winter-white lawns in your neigbourhood, the tiny pawprints of rabbits, or deer, birds, and cats – all around us; reminding us there is an abundance of life happening all around.
And just maybe, as you read this reflection today, you will be uplifted in your spirit.
BUT – Perhaps, you have not been able to escape your apartment, or your house, for a few weeks now. And your moments of joy are sparce. Maybe you suffer from lack of sunshine; maybe you are going through health issues; perhaps loneliness has you feeling disheartened.
I am not able to know all about you. So please take a few moments and pause from your reading. Focus for a few moments on those events that are happening in your life – right now, at this very moment. And once those thoughts are before you, close your eyes and picture what you are going to do with these thoughts – who will you share them with to lighten your load? Can you perhaps picture for those few moments some of the magnificence and splendour that is there for you to enjoy.
In your moment of aloneness feel the embrace of a loved one, a friend; the precious memories of walks in the snow; the cold turning your cheeks to a bright pink; treasured moments.
Continue to recall these times of sheer joy. And I believe you will feel your heart begin to soar. Thankfulness and praise will tumble from you as you begin that new journey into the knowing relationship you have with Christ. These precious memories will carry you. Let them carry you through each day until you are once again refreshed and renewed.
You are loved.
Liz Church, Director of Pastoral Care
Elgin/Portland Pastoral Charge
