Weekly Announcements
Happy Birthday Mark Bee. May you enjoy an absolutely wonderful day. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Happy Birthday Bert Petro. Wishing you all the best. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
——–
The Young @ Heart Breakfast Club meets again on Thursday the 22nd of October at 9 am at the Junction Restaurant.
If you are coming, and all are welcome, let Clint or Ted know by noon on Wed. the 23 rd. …………Ted
——–
Bible Discussion Groups
Meetings have resumed on Monday evenings in Portland and Tuesday mornings in Elgin.
Everyone is welcome. Contact Jim Barton for info. Jim Barton @ ccjimbarton@gmail.com or 613-328-4089.
——–
The Bells of St. Paul’s In Concert at Portland United Church on October 18th, 2026 @ 2 P.M.
Devotional Reflection October 16, 2026
This week I have had opportunity to spend a few hours binge-watching ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ – a TV show that has been on for quite a few years. It is more than a little dramatic, for sure. Every episode is filled with some sort of conflict which inevitably turns to the lives of the interns who are training to become doctors. Predictably, we discover some hidden secret in their lives, which unavoidably has an influence on their day-to-day progress in the hospital setting.
A further discovery as I watch this TV Show is that every episode contains a segment where x-rays, CT scans, any other scan you can think of, is performed. The patient is shown the results and the medical decision to move forward or not, comes into play.
Giving way to further thought, I think about how people allow their lives to be exposed. So many live their lives on social media. Of course, there they filter everything to make a good impression. It’s like always wearing a mask to conceal your true identity – a bit like believing “If people really knew me, would they still love me?”
Have you ever considered what it would be like to have x-ray vision? I think a bit scary is what comes to mind. What are the words to that song? ‘If you could read my mind, dear, what a tale my thoughts would tell.”
This week in church we will talk about Psalm 139. How wonderfully we have been fashioned – The Miracle of You! We will share how a group of women come together to make a difference in our communities and we will talk about World Hunger.
Such topics as these begin to give us an insight into others’ lives. But living beyond who we are to others fades into obscurity when compared to our lives in Christ.
If you take that step of having x-ray vision just a bit further into your life, you will remember that God has flawless ‘x-ray vision’.
Imagine, looking through the lens of God, and still being loved! Hidden flaws, dark thoughts, secret fears – no matter – His Scripture reminds us He wants to gather us close and love us.
Visualize for just a moment, if you can. My God, your God, surrounds you. He takes your past, so it does not destroy you. He looks beyond the now and reminds you that you do not walk alone. The future is in His hands. And if your daily living is weighed down with cares and trouble, unravelling right before your eyes? Reach out and allow Him to walk with you.
Think for a moment of that precious knitted blanket you have made or received. It was crafted, stitch by stich, with attention to details.
That’s who you are to God. Unique: one-of-a-kind creation, made in the image of God.
So, the next time you take out your x-ray vision to look at yourself, or another – remember that God’s x-ray vision sees past all this into your own soul and tells you – You Are Loved.
Liz Church, Director of Pastoral Care
Elgin/Portland Pastoral Charge
God saw us and knew what to do!