Elgin Portland United Church Council
Happy 95th birthday wishes to Anna Greenhorn. We invite you to join in the celebration at the Delta Old Town Hall on Sunday, December 8th from 1-3 p.m. *(Please note the change of date and time) Best wishes only, please.
Keep Pat Brophy in your prayers. He had a fall this past week.
The Official Board is called to meet via Zoom at 7 pm Tuesday, December 10th. The agenda and Zoom link will be sent on Dec 8th.
The UCW Christmas Lunch will be held at The Cove at 1:00 pm Tuesday, December 10. All are welcome. Please confirm your attendance to Connie at 613-220-7914 or portlandparadise55@gmail.com before December 6th. Carpools will leave the church at 12:30.
GOODY BAGS
The season of Advent marks a time of preparation for Christmas and involves many special traditions. One of our traditions at Elgin United Church is preparing the Goody Bags for the Christmas Hampers that the Elgin Foodbank distributes to those in need.
The hampers contain the staples for Christmas meals, while these bags hold special treats that are not essential but bring much joy to the recipients. We will deliver the Goody Bags to Bethel Tabernacle on Sunday, December 15th. If you have a few minutes to stay after church and help with delivery it would be appreciated! The number of people relying on assistance through the Foodbank and these hampers this year has increased greatly, and we will be supporting 33 families this year!
We rely on our congregation to help us cover the cost of these treats.
You can place a donation on the offering plate at church, or send an e-transfer to treasurer-euc@eppc-ucc.ca (*Please note on your cheque or e-transfer ‘Goody Bags’) Thank you for your generosity and support, and for helping us put smiles on the faces of those in need this Christmas!
The Young @Heart Breakfast Club meets in December on Thursday the 19th at 9 am at the Junction Restaurant. We looked at the 26th, but that is Boxing Day Many regulars are busy that day with family, so we have gone with the 19th. All are welcome but let Ted or Clint know by noon Wednesday the 18th if you are coming so we can reserve our spot. See you there………Ted
Bible Discussion Groups
Read, discuss, and learn the Bible. All are welcome to come and join a Bible Discussion Group in Elgin or Portland. For info contact Jim at ccjimbarton@gmail.com or 613-328-4089.
Advance notice JAN 25, 2025 our Canadian Women in Song troupe plays the Joshua Bates Centre, Athens. Get your tickets early. joshuabatescentre.com
Elgin United Church & Portland United Church
Devotional Reflection
December 7, 2024
The first real snowfall for this season has occurred. If you were an early riser and you stepped outside your dwelling, the exquisite beauty would have taken your breath away.
The snow lay in pristine whiteness, covering all the harshness and drab remainder of the late Autumn colours. The lake shore is dotted with swans, geese and seagulls, as they forage for food.
Thoughts of shovelling, snowplows, scraping of car windows is put aside, just for a few moments as you centre your thoughts on the cleanness and purity surrounding you.
The night darkness ebbs away as the sun comes over the horizon, adding to the splendour of the moment as the sparkling drops of ice begin to melt into tiny rivulets, cascading down to the end of icicles that have formed overnight.
Soon, this winter wonderland will be changed with sand, salt and tire tracks. But for this moment my thoughts have turned to God. I gaze in wonderment as He speaks to me. It is like He has come and covered me with His holiness. His blanket of purity and love comforts me. He has come and shows me His divine plan. I want to bathe in this moment for a little while more. The sense of His presence sends a warmth through me.
And then I remember, His creation was just like this – pure, perfect. And He brought us into it. We defiled it. Our sin caused destruction, greed, pain.
But still, He never gave up on us. He sent another pure blanket of purity and love to us. Emmanuel, God with us, Jesus the Saviour. Pristine, pure, unblemished.
Still, we did not learn. And we put Him to death. Sullied by our sins, we threw away the purest of Creation, refusing to be covered by the sheltering wings of the Most High God.
And so, we are here today, once again at a time of decision. The Psalmist in Psalm 51 gives us a reminder of what we have to do. ‘Wash me, in the blood of the Lamb, and I shall be whiter than snow.’
I plead with you, my dear friends, make this season one to remember. As the snow falls, and brings coverage to the earth, so God’s love comes to you and covers you with His love – His pure love.
And perhaps as you lay down in the snow and form that snow angel, you will see yourself as falling into the embrace of the One who made you, who loves you, who died for you. And is returning to take you home with Him.
You are loved. You are blessed.
Liz Church,
Director of Pastoral Care Elgin/Portland Pastoral Charge