Elgin Portland Pastoral Charge
We offer a huge “thank you” to the Portland Pealers for their wonderful contribution to last Sunday’s service. What a blessing they are! We look forward to their next appearance.
We are looking for at least one volunteer to review the content and structure of the EPPC website. If you are able to help review this important tool, please let Duncan know.
Over the years Peggy Bond collected bits and pieces of the history of Portland United Church. We have her information, which includes photos of parishioners, and would like to organize it into albums and scrapbooks that could be available for everyone to see. If you could spare some time here and there to look at these treasures, please contact Connie and we’ll try to get some heads together. It’s fascinating information.
Don’t forget to mark Tuesday, April 26th at noon on your calendar for the Community Luncheon to raise money for the Flex Fund at Country Roads Community Health Center. The menu is lasagna, salad, home-made rolls, dessert and beverage. Come and bring your friends and neighbours!
Although masks remain optional during Church for this Sunday we would like to remind everyone of 2 points :
- Masks and distance are our first lines of defense against contracting and spreading Covid-19
- A number of members of PUC and EUC are isolating due to Covid–19 and the local case count appears to be on the rise
If you are planning on attending Sunday Service please take extra care.
Join us on Sunday morning when Liz Church treats us to another wonderful sermon.
Portland United Church Council
Jesse Tree Update
Thanks to your generosity over Lent, EUC raised $809 for our World Vision foster child, which will ensure support for Zyra Joy for the next 17 months! Your donations have planted seeds of hope and provided new opportunities for her whole community in the Philippines. Well done, you good and faithful servants!
Pat
Elgin: It’s that time of year again to renew our subscriptions to the Broadview magazine. The price has remained the same as last year, $25.00, group rate. I will be taking orders for new and renewing subscriptions until the end of April but would appreciate hearing from you ASAP. Thanks for your cooperation. Sandra Smith
Helen Smith Celebration
A celebration of Helen Smiths life will be held at Portland United Church at 11 AM on Saturday May 28, 2022. A luncheon and time of fellowship will follow.
Devotional Thought – April 23, 2022
How quickly time passes. Is it because I am getting older? Is it because I notice that it takes me longer to accomplish those simple tasks that were at one time done without thinking? I’m not sure of the answer – yet! But it will come to me. And if it doesn’t, oh well! Some other thought will come to me and I will follow that!
This line of thinking leads me to those early disciples. Can you imagine the first few days after the resurrection, knowing Jesus was around but not sure where He was going to show up? Not sure of the plans for continuing the mission? All the teaching of the previous three years had to be leading somewhere, but no clear vision was yet in place!
I can only speculate on what the minds of those early followers were going through. It would have been very difficult for each of the writers of Scripture to capture all these ideas and put them in one book. For instance, as pointed out to me this week, did Thomas really deserve that title ‘doubting Thomas’? Maybe, he only wanted to experience what the other disciples had, to see for himself the Master, the living Lord! He was trying to come to grips with this. What did it all mean? And then there is Mary, who after she left the Garden, probably lived with regret, that she didn’t just reach out and touch Him. She may never see Him again! Did she wish for the opportunity to tell Jesus again how much she loved Him?
The list is lengthy, and this page cannot contain all my thoughts either. But I wanted to whet your appetite to delve into God’s Word and take the time to see each individual. And while you are only speculating about what transpired those first days after the resurrection, I believe it gives us insight into our lives, as we live now. The questions that plague us – Am I following the will of God for my life? Am I doing all that I can for the growing of His Kingdom? Can I offer more service to the church? Who in the community could use my help? Am I sharing the love of God with those around me? Is my devotional life up to snuff? Am I wasting too much time? Am I too grumpy? What is God’s plan for my life? Am I feeling bereft? Am I sad? Am I relying more on others and less on God? Am I talking to God enough? Can I clearly hear Him speaking to me? Will I recognize the signs when God is leading me?
The questions are endless. That is who we are. We want to do our best. We want to be faithful, and trustworthy and serving the Lord, and be there we for our family. We want to share the truth ‘Jesus is alive!’ And I want to tell you, Jesus knows your thoughts and He will carry you and walk with you and push you if you need a nudge. Trust His leading. And all that is required of you is to BELIEVE!
Peace and love to each of you,
Liz Church
Pastoral Care Director
Elgin/Portland Pastoral Charge