Announcements
A Prelude to Remembrance Day
Beginning October 24th until end of day November 11th we wear a red poppy, small and fragile, yet for me it carries the weight of names I never knew and stories I will never hear or fully understand. It reminds me that freedom is not an inheritance we simply receive; it is something others paid for with their lives, both lost and broken.
I think of young people who left ordinary mornings behind, homes, laughter, unfinished plans, loved ones and stepped into uncertainty. Some returned changed; others did not return at all. Their absence lives on in families, photographs, and the silences between generations. I imagine the letters never answered, the chairs left empty, and the dreams that ended too soon.
On November 11th, at a local cenotaph or the National Capital or wherever you are when the world falls silent, try to hold that silence with care. Cherish it, hold it with gratitude; not forgetting but remembering with humility. Remembrance, for me, is not only looking backward. It is a quiet promise to live gratefully, to choose peace wherever possible, to treat others with kindness, and never to take for granted the calm of an ordinary day. LEST WE FORGET
Happy Birthday to Murray Osborne. May Your day be super enjoyable.
The Royal Canadian Legion, Branch #231, is not holding public Remembrance Day Ceremonies at the Cenotaphs in Elgin and Portland this year. The churches of the Elgin-Portland Pastoral Charge, Elgin United Church and Portland United Church, will be observing Remembrance Day with a special worship service on Sunday November 8th at 9:15 AM, Portland and 11:00 AM, Elgin. All are welcome and invited to join together as we honour, respect, reflect and remember. Lest We Forget.
Tipped Tunes (The Tipped Ship) Presents Rob Lutes in Concert on Saturday, November 21st, 2026. Doors open at 7 pm. Music starts at 7:30 pm. There will be an intermission with cash-only, by-donation, refreshments provided by the Church. Tickets are $30 each and available at thetippedship.ca or pick-up at The Tipped Ship store. It’s going to be a great concert!
Join us for Paint Night Fundraiser at Elgin United Church on Friday, November 27th, 2026, hosted by BETTY SIGNS. This is a fun night to get together with friends and be creative! Sign choices are posted on our Facebook page. The cost is $62.15 ($55 + HST) and can be paid that night in cash, or by etransfer. Please contact Maureen Bee (613-532-0474 or maureen.bee@rideau.net) to reserve your spot and view the sign choices if you don’t have Facebook. Painting starts at 7:00 and snacks will be served!
Devotional Reflection October 30, 2026
Just when I thought I was finished…
This week was the real closing of the restaurant – when you are reminded of the difference between a nightly close and the end-of the-season deep clean.
Anyone who has worked in a restaurant knows what I’m talking about.
Every night, during our open hours, we wiped down the counters, swept the floors, kept all areas clean.
But when the season ends, the real work begins. We pull the heavy equipment away from the walls. We drain the fryers for the last time this season, scraping away the burnt, baked-on grease that has built up over months of rush hours. We empty the fridges and freezers, wiping down the hidden coils and corners. We degrease the exhaust fans, cutting through layers of dust and grime.
At first glance, I walk into the kitchen and think: ‘This is not so bad’. But as I begin the process, there are more nooks and crannies that need scraping; more shelves that need some elbow grease; there are places you didn’t even remember existed until the day we started the ‘deep-clean’ process.
It is exhausting, greasy – and completely invisible to the public. But an absolute necessity for the function and safety of our establishment.
As I continue in the cleaning process, my mind is allowed to be distracted. And a verse of Scripture comes to me from Psalm 51: ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.’
Now maybe it is only me, but I quickly inventory my life. Before long, I can see the times when I settled for that ‘nightly wipe down’ – showing up for church, saying grace before meals, putting on the appearance of ‘everything is in order’.
Many a day was lived in the ‘nightly close’ mode. Taking stock of any more than that was put aside, until it could not be left any longer. God was reminding me that the busy season of life might become the accumulation of missed opportunities, compromises, resentment. Resentment bakes onto our hearts like old fryer grease. Anxieties clog our minds like dust in an exhaust fan. Compromises freeze over our convictions.
The more I cleaned in the kitchen this week, the more aware I became of what can happen in a spiritual life. God doesn’t just want us to look presentable from the outside; He is interested in a deep clean.
Everyone appreciates the deep clean but not necessarily the process. When we allow the Holy Spirit to pull back the heavy equipment of our lives, it can feel uncomfortable. Confronting hidden pride, unconfessed sin, or lingering bitterness is hard, messy work. But just like a pristine kitchen ready for a new season, a heart that has been deeply cleansed by God operates with fresh power, safety, and efficiency.
Don’t fear the deep clean. The neglected, hidden corners are waiting for this cleansing. You will feel the difference as you let God into the hidden corners today. He is right there with draining the bitterness, scraping away the pride, and clearing out the anxieties that are clogging your spirit.
So, pick up your cleaning tools – prayer, Bible reading – and ‘deep clean’ until you are shining bright for the Lord.
You are loved. You are blessed.
Liz Church, Director of Pastoral Care
Elgin/Portland Pastoral Charge