Watch this week’s service on YouTube by clicking:
Join us for Worship Sunday at 10:00 AM followed by fellowship and refreshments in the He/SheBrews Café and our end of Church School BBQ. Hamburgers, Hot Dogs, and Ice Cream. Bouncers and Games for the children. Come one, come all and picnic with us after church this Sunday
- John Longhurst’s new book “Can Robots Love God and Be Saved?”, a collection of Free Press Faith columns over the last twenty years, is being released at a book launch on Wednesday, June 12 at McNally-Robinson Booksellers Grant Park at 7:00 PM. The launch will be a panel discussion with John, Free Press editor Paul Samyn, Christine Baronins of the Manitoba Multifaith Council, and moderated by Michael Wilson. You are invited to join Michael for this enjoyable evening and far-ranging discussion.
- The Urban Retreats Garden Tour is going to be held on Saturday, June 22. This is the largest fundraiser of the year for 1JustCIty and the United Church of Canada Community Ministries. Each year gardens in a particular neighbourhood are opened to receive visitors while a tea, craft & plant sale is held in a central location. This year the Garden Tour is in Charleswood and the tea, craft & plant sale will be right here at Charleswood United Church! Tickets are now on sale for $20/person through the church office.
- With sorrow we have learned of the death of Donna Odgers, member of CUC and widow of the late Trevor Odgers. A private family service is being planned for later this month. Please remember the life of Donna with thanksgiving in your prayers.
- For news and events please have a look at Life & Work on our website: Life and Work
Dear Friends
Welcome to worship for Sunday, June 9, 2024.
There is probably no part of the life of the church that has had to adapt to changing times more than Sunday School. Well, I still call it Sunday School sometimes but it is known as Church School or Children’s Ministry. Whatever name it goes by, it has faced great challenges.
Perhaps I was just fortunate but the churches I was a part of as I grew up all had large and active Sunday Schools. By ‘large’ I mean classes for every grade, in some years even two per grade. By ‘active’ I mean every week from the September long weekend until the end of June. In earlier generations this meant the coordination of dozens of volunteers. Sunday Schools of the past were challenging but they were also very rewarding. I believe my faith was deeply influenced by the Sunday Schools of which I was a part.
When my children began going to Sunday School there was a lot of change in the air. No longer were there numbers to warrant classes for every age. Now children were grouped in age categories. Furthermore, there was no doubt that fewer of their friends were going to church. And of those who did go, fewer were there every week. Times were changing, of that there could be no doubt.
Fast forward to parents of young children in our church today. There are all kinds of activities and classes and programs that used to hold off on Sunday morning but are now competing for children’s attention. Life for parents has become so rushed and full that Sunday morning may be the only time of the whole week that a family can be at home together and who can blame them. And paradoxically, going to church and Sunday School has become a counter-cultural activity even though it offers the kind of guidance, lessons, and community so many people say they are missing.
As we come to the end of the Church School year I would like to offer two expressions of gratitude. The first is to Rosalie Finch, our Children’s Ministry Convenor. Rosalie (with her outstanding team of volunteers) exercises a ministry that welcomes regular and visiting children every week. She provides a warm welcome, safe space, and faithful witness. She is cheery, positive, and creative all in a context which, as I said, is extremely challenging. So thank you Rosalie for another year of leadership and discipleship with the youngest members of our community.
And secondly I want to thank the parents, grandparents, and guardians of our Charleswood children. We recognize that it is difficult to nurture children in faith in the times we are living. We are here to support you in those efforts and we are grateful that you find our children’s ministry worthy of your time and effort.
I have quoted Dr. Tom Long of Emory University in Atlanta before, who said in a presentation at the University of Winnipeg a few years ago, “The primary responsibility of a church to its children is to lead them to become worshippers”. Church School is the gateway to a life of worship that we all value and cherish. Parents, staff, and congregation, it is our collective responsibility.
Thank you for cherishing the children in our midst.
Grace and peace,
Michael
- Did you know you can support this ministry by e-transfer, automatic withdrawal (PAR), and gifted securities, in addition to weekly or monthly cheques? For Offering Information please visit: https://charleswoodunited.org/support/ We have begun to receive donations for this summer’s Roofing Project which will be held separate from Operations and Mission & Service. Thank you for your generous support.
- Through the United Church of Canada’s membership in the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, an appeal for donations has been issued for the Humanitarian Crisis in the Middle East. For more information and to donate please visit: Humanitarian Crisis in the Middle East Appeal
- Share the service with friends by forwarding this email or using this link: https://youtu.be/R-NsFRL6a6M
- Read this week’s scripture lesson here: 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
