Elgin United Church
Joanne McLean celebrates her birthday on Saturday January 14th. HAPPY BIRTHDAY Joanne.
Elgin Council
Portland United Church
January 28th, 2023, Community Breakfast PUC 8 – 11 am
$12.00 per person
Bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, sausage, pancakes, and syrup. Coffee or Tea
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We are pleased with the news that Rhonda Elliott and Bill Baxter are recovering. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
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Emily French left this week for Mukono, Uganda to study for a semester at Uganda Christian University through the Uganda Studies Program. She will be continuing her current studies in Health Sciences, and will have the opportunity to complete an internship as a part of a Global Health emphasis while she is there. Please keep Emily and the other students participating in this program in your prayers, as they adjust to their new environment for the next four months, and seek ways to grow academically, socially and spiritually.
Will, Pauline and Family
Portland Council
Devotional Thought – January 7, 2023
A New Year. But allow me to indulge in a thought from our last newsletter. It is found in the picture above and in the Scripture quote from:
Lamentations 3:22-24.
“The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. ‘The Lord is my portion,’ says my soul, ‘therefore I will hope in Him.
Thus, the question arises: What are our highest heights? How will we achieve a day, a week, a month, a year, a lifetime, in this euphoria?
If we marry together the Scripture and the picture, the answer is there. The Lord is my portion and He is there to help us ascend to our highest heights!
My daughter, Cheryl, recently returned from Peru, fulfilling one of her bucket-list dreams – to climb Machu Picchu – a 15th-century Inca citadel located in the Eastern Cordillera of southern Peru on a 2,430-meter (7,970 ft) mountain range. She sent me a picture of her gazing out over the magnificence of the terrain – mountains, valleys, sunrise, as she reached the summit. And I could feel my soul being lifted to a spiritual height as I shared her experience.
As I write this devotional, I am again drawn to this feeling. And I want to bring you along with me on my journey. Close your eyes, and picture for yourself – you and the Lord, standing there together, gazing over His handiwork, breathing in new life as you converse; as you share with your Saviour, and glean from Him new ways to share His message to the world. After a time spent with Christ, you return from the mountain and walk into your daily routine. The glow from the encounter is still on your face. People see in you a fresh determination, a new purpose in your step. And you are anxious to keep the momentum going.
I am about to share with you a big secret, but not a surprise – You can take this experience and live it every day. All you need to do is center yourself, close your mind to the world around you and seek God’s face. His Promised Presence is with you. Holy Spirit dwells in you and everything you need is before you. I believe with all my heart that we are God’s people for this time. You and I together will build God’s church because His guidance is given to us and we are willing.
As you walk each day, even in dark times, rejoice in the Lord, let Him speak to you and you will find yourself walking, running, leaping and dancing for joy. May it be so for you.
Blessing and peace to each of you.
Liz Church -Pastoral Care Director
Elgin/Portland Pastoral Charge