Elgin and Portland Announcements
Captain (Retired) John George Cucheran
Funeral Service
Sunday, April 12, 2026
Beechwood Cemetery
280 Beechwood Avenue, Vanier, ON K1L 7P4
Following the service, a reception will be held at
Beechwood in the Borden and Fleming Suites
from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
In memoriam donations to the
Heart and Stroke Foundation would be appreciated.
—————–
HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Ted Brett. May your special day be totally awesome Ted.
Diane Haskins is home from hospital. She is slowly improving. Please continue to pray for Keith, Diane and their family.
—————–
Bible Discussions Groups
Two meetings each week – Monday evenings at Portland UC (6:30-7:45PM) and Tuesday mornings in Elgin at the Guthrie House 10 Perth St.; (10:00AM-11:30AM). All are welcome to join in the friendly discussions and fellowship. For more information contact Jim Barton @ ccjimbarton@gmail.com or 613-328-4089.
—————-
UCW meeting Tuesday, April 14 at 1:30. All are welcome.
UCW AGM Thursday April 16 at 9:30 at Lyn United Church.
—————-
The Young @ Heart Breakfast Club meets on Thursday the 16th of April at 9 am at the Junction Restaurant.
All are welcome. If you are coming let Clint or Ted know by noon Wednesday, the 15th by whatever means you are comfortable with. See you there………..Ted
————
——-
Blended harmonies akin to Simon and Garfunkel and the Everly Brothers will resonate within Elgin United on Friday April 24th. Summersets, the duo featuring Kalle Mattson and Andrew Sowska, deliver an evening of story songs and melodies not to be missed.
The final performance in the Tipped Ship’s “Tipped Tunes Winter Music Series” takes place at 7:30 pm, Friday evening, April 24th, at Elgin United, Elgin United Church, 77 Main St, Elgin, On. Admission is $25, doors open at 7:00 pm. Light refreshments available at intermission.
Tickets can be purchased at summersets.ca, thetippedship.ca, at the Tipped Ship store, or at the door. Elgin United Church 77 Main St., Elgin, ON March 28
Doors at 7 pm. Music starts at 7:30 pm.
Tickets are $25 plus tax, available online or at The Tipped Ship, 3 Main St., Elgin
——-
Devotional Reflection April 10, 2026
I have written a devotional about the cardinal at another time. But today, sitting once again at my daughter’s place, I will take the time to write what I believe is a fresh take on this remarkable feathered friend.
Easter has just passed. As Christians, we have focused much on the shed blood of Jesus Christ – the reality and the miracle of the Cross.
The red plumage of the cardinal is always a reminder of the rescue from sin that we received. And this gives us a powerful symbol of vitality, hope and an incredible feeling of the presence of the Lord being with us.
Many will know the cardinal is not a bird who migrates. Throughout the cold winter months, we have often seen a flash of red through the trees. You may have even heard the loud, clear, and melodious, repetitive whistles ‘Cheer, cheer, cheer’, followed by ‘what-cheer, what-cheer, what-cheer’ and then a final echo erupts into a Sci-Fi movie, where the ‘pew-pew-pew’ sounds like a laser beam.
They also have a very staccato sound, like two small stone being clicked together. This is the sound they use to signal danger, or to keep in touch with their mate.
I am intrigued with the Cardinal, as it is one of the few birds where both male and female sing back and forth to each other, strengthening their bond and protecting their territory.
I wanted to share with you a few parallel associations we can make about our lives and our bond with God.
In our darkest moments, we have experienced that ‘flash of life’, passing through our minds, reminding us of God’s Grace, his provision, his protection.
So many of us have taken the appearance of a cardinal as a direct communication with God, reminding us that we are never alone.
I find this thought irresistible and do the same thing. That gentle nudge, that flurry of colour dancing before me, and I am immediately transported to a better place, an improved state of mind – God is with me. It is as if God is delivering a simple, heavenly ‘hello’ to me, at just the right moment!
In this rather long winter season that we have just come through, and in the midst of the coming of spring, this magnificent, striking bird flies through the new-budding branches, as if reminding us: “You have made it through the hard times, you are rooted in the Lord, God has provided and will continue to provide.
Lamentations 3:22-23 (ESV): “The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness”.
No scripture passage emphasizes more clearly that God’s love is constant, renewing, and dependable.
And so, as we sit, meditate and thank God for such a vivid reminder for us – from a spiritual messenger!
You are blessed, you are loved.
Liz Church, Director of Pastoral Care
Elgin/Portland Pastoral Charge
