Elgin Portland United Church Council

Annual General Meetings (PUC/EUC/OB) are scheduled for Sunday after the service.  OB will be in Elgin.  If you have taken one of the reports home, please bring it on Sunday.

Elgin Music Hall Presents Minor Gold On Tour from Australia at Elgin United Church. Saturday, March 15^th 7:30 pm. Tickets are $28.00 at thetippedship.ca or at the door.

The Young @ Heart Breakfast Club will meet again on Thursday the 20th of March at the Junction Restaurant at 9 am. Let Clint or Ted know so we can reserve space for us before noon Wednesday the 19th. All are welcome………….Ted

Mark Friday, March 21st on your calendar for a delicious turkey dinner with all the trimmings put on by the PUC, UCW.  5:00 – 7:00 pm.  Turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, veggies, coleslaw, cranberries, home-made buns and pies.  $20.00 for adults, $10.00 for children under 12 years.  Proceeds will go to varied community needs.  Invite your friends and neighbours.

Elgin United Church Council has a vacancy for a Community Partnership Coordinator. Cindy Carbino is stepping down; however, she is retaining the online auction. Please consider volunteering or if not in your comfort zone, consider nominating someone. Contact Cindy or Clint for more information.

The Bible Discussion Groups meet on Monday at 6:30 pm at Portland UC & Tuesday at 10:00 am in Elgin at the Guthrie House. All are welcome. Info: ccjimbarton@gmail.com or 613-328-4089

Elgin United Broadview subscriptions are due for renewal.  The annual subscription rate is $30. EUC subscribers can pay by e-transfer $30 to Mark Bee  mark.bee@rideau.net or by cash. If you would like to start a new subscription for yourself or as a gift, see Mark.

 

The June issue of Broadview will be a historic keepsake edition celebrating the United Church’s 100th anniversary. Subscribers will automatically receive a copy. You can pre-order additional copies and when you make a memoriam donation before March 15, the name of the person you are honouring will be published in the keepsake issue. Go to the link below for details: https://broadview.org/donate/100th-anniversary-keepsake/.  At PUC there are two copies of the Broadview in the Friendship Room

 

Mark Bee                           Connie Cochran

EUC Broadview Rep         PUC Broadview Rep

The UCW and the Council at Portland United Church would like to help send our area children to Camp Iawah this summer! Camp Iawah is a non-denominational, faith-based Christian camp approximately 20 minutes past Westport on Wolfe Lake. They offer a variety of camp experiences for children, including overnight, week-long camps, and a Day Camp experience. If you know of children who would enjoy attending, please reach out to office@eppc-ucc.com and we will be in touch! Spaces are filling up quickly, so reach out today! For more information on Camp Iawah, please click the following link: https://iawah.com/about/

Maple View Landings, Athen, Ontario  is the largest construction project in the history of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville at a cost of $85 million dollars.  Total number of residents beds is 192 (includes 60 residents currently at Maple View Lodge).   WHY DONATE?  Fundraising dollars will cover quality-of-life amenities that enhance residents’ lives.  Donations can be mailed to Lesley Todd – Long-Term Care Fundraising Committee Coordinator, United Counties of Leeds & Grenville, 25 Central Avenue, Suite 100, Brockville, ON K6V 4N6 or contact Lesley,todd@uclg.on.ca phone number 613-340-6038 or e-transfer payments@uclg.on.ca.  Cheque payable to United Counties of Leeds & Grenville.

Happy Birthday to Mary Lynne Alderdice and Jim Earl.  May they both enjoy well-deserved celebrations. Happy Birthday.

 

Devotional Reflection

March 8, 2025

This week as I was travelling, I ventured down a road I had not taken before. I could just as easily have followed the same route I had come from but wanted to see where this road led. And indeed, I came out where I needed to be, and in a shorter period of time. Saved me mileage and time.

But this is not always the case. A spiritual lesson I learned over and over again, is that short-cuts are not always the answer. In fact, in reality there are probably no such things as ‘short-cuts’ on our spiritual journey. So, what then are we to do to move along this pathway with the best possible outcomes.

Let me tell you a few things that have worked for me. I have written to you, my friends, and told you about experiences I have had, just sitting and observing nature. This approach cannot be rushed. It may take hours to truly appreciate the beauty around us. A winter day, with ice-covered trees teaches us a lesson. But within hours, the branches of a tree change. The ice melts and the snow is heavy. There is a drooping to the boughs. Another lesson. And then we see the animals foraging beneath the snow, another lesson. In all these things the main lesson we learn is that it takes time – to see, to hear, to listen. The voice of God speaks to each of us in so many ways. It is your desire to learn and grow that adds to your daily contentment with the Lord.

Another lesson I have learned is that I need friends – ones that hear me when I am sad, or angry, or questioning. These are the friends who God has given me. Friends who care, who don’t pry, just listen, and pray. Friends who can show me a deeper depth in Scripture, who help me mature, who deepen my desire to know Christ more fully -genuine friends. I am blest.

But always, there is more to learn to help me on this path. I am learning the value of journaling. Since I sometimes have ‘Senior’s Brain-fog’, I am forever grateful when I jot down a date I want to remember, a person I promised to pray for, someone who needs a visit. With gratitude I thank God for these times when I reach out to others and I am blessed. My spiritual journey is enhanced by my service to others.

And I would be remiss not to mention how the daily reading of God’s Word is there for our edification. It is like a tingle in the pit of my stomach when Gd’s brings to remembrance just the right Scripture for my situation. And I recall such words as ‘Thy Word have I hid in my heart’. It makes me giddy, in fact.

I would conclude this reflection with reminding you that this is a lifelong journey. No need to hurry, just keep making progress.

The newest letter from your Regional Council has a calendar in it for the Lenten season. For those who are at church, you will receive a copy of this. For those who receive our E-News, you too will see it. Take some time and you will see that even the smallest kindness can make a difference and for sure, will encourage you in your faith journey.

 Always remember you are loved.

 

Everyone’s journey will be different.

But each will lead to the same Jesus.

 

 

Liz Church, Director of Pastoral Care     

Elgin/Portland Pastoral Charge