Elgin Portland United Church Council
Announcements
Sunday, November 2, 2025, 2:00:00 am clocks are turned backward 1 hour to Sunday, November 2, 2025, 1:00:00 am local standard time instead.
Sunrise and sunset will be about 1 hour earlier on Nov 2, 2025 than the day before. There will be more light in the morning and less light in the evening.
Free Art Classes in the Portland Village – 6-12 yrs. Monday 4:30-6:15 at the Portland Restaurant & Pizzeria.
Visual Art Teacher – Darlene, call to book your spot 905-801-5060.
LAST CHANCE to get your tickets for the Country Kitchen Jamboree hitting the Elgin United stage at 7 pm November 1st. This jam(boree) packed evening features the talent of 11 local vocalists/musicians and 34 hits, from toe tappers to tear jerkers, of the country music genre. Don’t miss out! Tickets at eventbtite.ca or 613-359-5607 and leave a message.
Elgin United is hosting Henry Reinders, the Ontario Regional Director of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, as a speaker at Elgin United Church service on November 23rd. We invite you to join us to hear about the important issue of food security and hunger in our world, and what we can do to help. Please share this invitation with others that you feel might be interested. See the Foodgrains notice as well.
Get a head start on your Christmas shopping or just pamper yourself (you’re worth it!). The Elgin United Church 6th annual on-line auction is gearing up. The auction runs on the Elgin United Church Facebook channel from November 26th to December 3rd, and pickup will be Saturday December 6th. Details of pick up will be given to the successful bidders. Proceeds are being shared with the Elgin Food Bank. Donations of NEW items will be received until Sunday November 22nd.
Elgin is doing its special Remembrance Day Service on Sunday, November 9th. I have the service, bulletin and ppt done, so you just have Portland to do that week.
Bible Discussion Groups- Monday evening at Portland UC at 6:30 – 7:45 and Tuesday mornings at Guthrie House in Elgin (10 Perth St.) at 10:00-11:30. All are welcome to join in the friendly discussions and fellowship. For more information, contact Jim Barton at ccjimbarton@gmail.com or 613-329-4089.
Devotional Reflection
November 1, 2025
At this very moment I am gazing out my living room window. The lake is now very shallow. Most boating activities have ceased for the season.
A strip of land has appeared from beneath the water and the birds are fluttering across it, pecking at the food source supplied for them.
Other birds are still turning themselves upright and foraging for even more delectable morsels of grasses in the cool waters of the bay.
As autumn turns colder, this scene changes daily. And soon, the cold, frigid waters will become ice. Only the creatures with unwavering stamina will remain to scavenge what remains of the food source.
But before this happens, I begin to wonder what is happening under the waters. Where do all those millions of fish go? How do they survive? Or do they die?
And if the grasses dissolve into putrid pools of green slime, what supports the fish life, or the bugs, or the frogs, or the……?
The lesson becomes clearer as I listen and read through environmental sources, reminding us to keep our waterways pure; protect the habitat of other species.
Nature, God’s gift to us. Remarkable travels happening across the continents, as birds continue their migratory journeys, to parts unknown!
And then somewhere, far away from us, those same species bring joy and wonder to others – hummingbirds, no longer at our feeders, bring remarkable joy to people who live in Mexico and Central America; our pesky Canada Geese leave us for warmer climates in Mexico and Southern USA; our vibrant-coloured orioles leave us for Central America, the Caribbean, and as far south as South America.
But then you see it! The flash of red, rushing through the trees; the blue wings; the black and white striped feathers.
And you feel uplifted. Our cardinals stayed; our blue jays are still here; the wood-pecker is still heard through the forest.
Before long, winter will be here and gone; the maple trees will be bringing us their sweet nectar; and life continues!
In some fashion, this explains my life, and perhaps yours.
Spiritual moments, more miraculous than we know, inspire us. We are aware of Holy Spirit sweeping through us, lifting us along with joy, giving no thought to anything but what it good. And for a brief time, we coast along in this euphoria.
But then a cold snap encroaches on our unfettered bliss. And we are no longer sailing, but foraging for peace and contentment, for survival.
The journey is fraught with difficulties, and we succumb to those moments of doubt and fear. We lose ourselves.
And then it happens – that flash of remembrance that we are not alone. God is here with us – those bright flickers of light float through us and we are renewed. The sheer exultation of walking with the Lord increases our well-being and we are transformed into exquisite beings, ready once again to soar.
Life is worth living. God is GOOD!
You are blessed and loved.
Liz Church, Director of Pastoral Care
Elgin/Portland Pastoral Charge
This is my Father’s World