Welcoming 2021
The New Year of 2021 stands before us full of possibility and all manner of adventures. Yes, there is uncertainty, within our own church community and within the larger world. But what year and what church did not live with uncertainty? Uncertainty is the ground upon which all living things must stand. And stand you will, together, in faith, looking forward with a clear vision and a sure gaze.
The faith we gather around has a sureness and steadiness within it, even as we examine it and consider how it may shift and change throughout our lives, and within our culture. All that is ahead of you, you are all well able to embrace with love.
So, wishing to you all a wonderful New Year, with the many blessings it will offer you. Continue to think on your neighbours and care for all those in your immediate reach. Be grateful for each and every gift that arrives on your doorstep throughout the day, and be joyful.
Candice
“A grateful heart is a beginning of greatness. It is an expression of humility. It is a foundation for the development of such virtues as prayer, faith, courage, contentment, happiness, love, and well-being.”
Thank you, thank you, thank you
Thank you to everyone for the many Christmas, New Years and Retirement Cards that have arrived at my home and the church the last few weeks. I am so very touched by your personal notes and gifts. A special thank you to Primrose for the beautiful baskets of goodies and gifts that arrived for Christmas and for the elegant charcuterie board you made and signed for my dining table. And thank you to Trinity for the generous Mrs. Mitchell’s gift certificates - Bruce and I did a big take out order just before they closed for the season and dined in style at Christmas. And thank you too, for the beautiful wool shawl and generous financial gift - so, so, so thoughtful in every way. And the parade was really overwhelming - to amazing to see all of you in your trucks and cars waving goodbye. Bruce and I sat together last Wednesday evening reading through the cards and opening the many gifts, we were so moved by your many kindnesses. It is said that the giver is more graced than the receiver, so I will know that you are all now well-covered in grace.
To Give Us All A Little Perspective - thank you, Beverley
And Some Reading from our Friends at Broadview
How a 5 a.m. Christmas service deepened my resolve to fight for justice
Learning why a church in my family's native St. Kitts offered worship so early helped change my mindset By Adele Halliday, Broadview Magazine
My family’s roots are in St. Kitts, the larger of two islands in the Caribbean country of St. Kitts and Nevis. In recent years, this nation, with its population of just over 50,000, is often teeming with tourists who pour off cruise ships and planes, eager to experience the islands’ warmth and hospitality. When I was growing up, however, the country was a tiny dot on the world map, unknown to many outside the Caribbean.
A Persian miniature depicts Mary and Jesus. In Islam, they are known as Maryam and Isa. (Photo: Historic Images/Alamy Stock Photo)
Muslims celebrate Mary, too. And I couldn’t be prouder to carry her name.
Jesus' mother's story has an important place in the Qu'ran, by Marie Iqbal, Broadview Magazine
For a long time, I was ashamed to tell people how to pronounce my name: Maa-ria, with the first “a” drawn out and a soft “r” in the middle. Nobody normally asked. My name’s familiar spelling and prevalence in English meant people were often surprised to discover that a brown girl in a hijab has such a white-sounding name.
