2023-03-25 Weekly E-News

EPPC Official Board is seeking a volunteer secretary.

Jan Haskin stepped down in December following numerous years as alternate for Margaret Martin and subsequently secretary for the year 2022. OB members and EPPC members thank Jan for her effective and timely recording and publishing of our OB minutes for those alternate years and the three OB meeting in 2022. Requirements for this position are to attend the three to four meetings per year, usually on a weekday evening from 7:00 to 8:00, at alternating churches, called by the Chair as requested. Draft Minutes are submitted to OB members for errors and amendments. Final Minutes are published to the webpage and distributed to OB members. EPPC is in a period of discernment regarding how we vision our future and what role an OB has to offer. For further information please contact me by email earljk@sympatico.ca.

Jim Earl

EPPC OB Chair 613-359-5164

Elgin Portland Pastoral Charge

Reverend Harry & Marion Seeley

We have received word from John Miller, Executor of Reverend Harry & Marion Seeley’s Estate, that 2 scholarship funds have been set up at Rideau High in Elgin. The fund is being administered by the Masons and anyone donating can get a tax receipt. Donations can be sent to:

Paul Thompson, 56 Stoneridge Lane, Godfrey, ON, K0H 1T0.

Cheques to be made out to “Simpson Masonic Lodge Scholarship Committee”

Reverend Harry Seeley Memorial Award ($500.)

Awarded to a deserving graduate who will be continuing his/her education at the post-secondary level in Theological Studies and/or in recognition of his/her involvement in Rideau athletics.

Marion Seeley Music Award ($500.)

Awarded to a deserving graduate who will be continuing his/her education at the post-secondary level in the Arts, with a preference of music education and/or in recognition of his/her involvement in Rideau’s music program and who shares Marion Seeley’s love for music.

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Fish Fry Fellowship – All Elgin and Portland United Church members are invited to enjoy a fish fry meal on Saturday April 1, starting at 4:00 pm.  Meal cost is set for $12/meal including drink and desert.

This joint fellowship event to take place at the curling rink clubhouse at 13 Maplecroft Lane in Chaffey’s Lock location courtesy of Roberta McKinney. The curling rink will be available to those who may wish to try their luck at throwing a few curling rocks. Curling will be supervised by Dave Alderdice and Ted Brett.

If you would like to attend, please notify; Will French at william.french@ucdsb.on.ca or Adrian Overdulve at aoverdulve@gmail.com

 

Elgin United Church

We welcome Barb DeJeet who leads us in worship this Sunday.

Our prayers are with Elgin Bock and his three children, Kerry, Jennifer and Dean of the death wife and mother Anne.  Elgin was the manager of the bank for a few years and Anne was an active member of our church and sang in the choir.

A reminder of the Elgin United Annual Congregational Meeting following church this Sunday, March 26^th. The report is posted on the EPPC website and there will be a few copies available at church. Your attendance and participation is important.

Happy Birthday to Jessica Gordanier, March 30^th and Dylan Carbino, April 1^st. (No this is not an April Fools’ joke.) May you enjoy your special day.

Jesse Tree: There is an Asian proverb that says; “Always keep a bare branch in you heart, so a singing bird may come”.  Jesus put it another way when he said: “Love your neighbour as yourself”. For several years now, we have been working with World Vision to love our neighbour, Zyra Joy, who lives in an area of the Philippines where many live in poverty, children are often malnourished, drop out of school early, and there is little hope for the future. Our support has helped make Zyra Joy a lovely, confident Grade 9 student, who enjoys reading and writing and playing badminton and chess, and who is determined to finish school. And of course, she is a representative of what World Vision is doing in her community.  In her last letter, Zyra Joy expressed her thanks for all that she has received, but what she is most thankful for is the happiness and hope that her family now has. We have the chance to keep that hope alive with our donations to the Jesse Tree to support the ongoing work of world Vision for Zyra Joy and children like her.  As we move through Lent to Easter and the season of spring, our Jesse Tree represents our journey from sorrow to rejoicing, and from the bare branches of winter to the new life of spring. Each donation of $47 will provide a month’s support for Zyra Joy and her family and community, and we will mark that donation by placing a songbird and flower on our Jesse Tree. Let us create something beautiful for God this Lent as we fill our Jesse Tree with new life  and create hope in the lives of others.  Simply mark your envelope “Jesse Tree”  Thank you for your compassion and support.

Elgin Council

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Portland United Church

Portland United Annual Congregation Meeting is after church on March 26th @10:20 A.M.  Please plan to attend.  A light snack (cheese, fruit, assorted muffins, tea, coffee and juice) will be served downstairs directly after the service with the meeting beginning at 10:20.  Keeping in mind that our pastoral supervisor Joanne Fletcher needs to attend both ACMs.

Be sure to drop in downstairs at Portland United Church for the weekly Chit Chat on Thursday mornings between 10:30 and 12:00 and visit with your neighbours.

We are set for July 8 with County Road44,  July 22 with MarkOne  and August 19 with Mary’s Merry Minstrels concerts.

Join Multi-Instrumentalist Mark Mulrenin as he presents a performance of musical entertainment for the whole family. Listen to hits from the 50’s to the present and enjoy Mark’s stories and sense of  humor while playing guitar, ukulele, saxophones, flute and keyboard

Portland Council

Devotional Thought, March 25, 2023

Recently, it has come to my attention that whenever I close my eyes there are spots that I can see. Sometimes I feel like I could reach out and touch them. Other times, they just seem to dance in front of me. And, when my eyes are closed and I pass my hand in front of them, the shadows seem more pronounced than before.

Of course, Doctor Google helped me to understand this. The term for these spots is phosphenes. They are described as sparks, twinkling lights or pin-prick light shapes that can be brightly colored. Sometimes, you can envision that you are seeing another place, or mountains, or forests. All different phenomena happen. They subside quickly when you open your eyes.

And then I remember the Scripture verse 1 Corinthians 13: 12 – ‘seeing through a glass darkly’ – explained sometimes as having an obscured vision, not seeing the whole picture. Understanding of all things has not yet come to us.

Occasionally, as Christians, we are like those spots. We can be vibrant, full of colour, life. But in the blink of an eye, it disappears. It can happen. We take little time to cultivate what we have seen, what we have experienced, and our enthusiasm dwindles, our witness for the Lord becomes clouded and then finally disappears altogether.

Here in the Portland/Elgin Pastoral Charge we are striving to build God’s church and those ‘spots’ dance before us. Opportunities are flowing in. And we want to take advantage of them, before they disappear. You are all twinkling lights and I want you to know that you are needed. There is a place for each of us.

We will have our Annual Congregational Meeting this Sunday. And you are all invited to come and share in the excitement of God’s Spirit working in our communities through you and your witness to the world of God’s love.

I pray God’s blessing on each of you,

 

Liz Church

Pastoral Care Director

Elgin/Portland Pastoral Charge