By Michael Wilson Pastoral Letters September 20, 2024

 

 

 

                                 

Watch this week’s service on YouTube by clicking:

September 22 Worship Service Video

 

 

Join us for Worship Sunday at 10:00 AM followed by fellowship and refreshments in the He/SheBrews Café

 

  • Still Waters is a grief support ministry offered on the fourth Wednesday afternoon of each month. Anyone who is coping with sorrow for any reason is welcome to join us as many or as few times as you deem fit. It is an opportunity to share  quietly in a safe space the things that weigh heavily on our hearts. Still Waters begins for the new program year this Wednesday, September 25 at 1:30 PM at the church.

 

  • Our apologies to those who tried to watch the live stream of the funeral for Bob Galston this week. Despite three test runs that broadcasted correctly, Thursday’s stream did not have any sound for reasons we do not currently understand. We will seek to find out what happened though we do not believe the audio of the service was saved in any fashion. For that we are sorry.

 

  • We were saddened by news of the death of our dear friend Ken Arbuckle last Sunday. A funeral for Ken is being planned for Friday, October 11 at 2:00 in the sanctuary of Charleswood United Church. Please remember his wife Pat and the whole of their family in your prayers this week.

 

  • For news and events, please have a look at Life & Work on our website: Life and Work

 

 

Dear Friends

Welcome to worship for Sunday, September 22, 2024.

By the time many of you read this, our Friday night fundraiser Coffee House will be over. So this isn’t (another) announcement to join us. But like everything else that goes on in our ministry at CUC there are lessons to be learned and to carry forward. This is a reflection on that dynamic.

I don’t know exactly when the idea of a coffee house first arose but I do know exactly when and where I was when I heard about it. Several people from our church attended a book launch event at McNally Robinson on June 12. Afterwards we were standing together in the aisles talking and laughing when Aileen Garrett said they (the people who were there) thought they would like to put on a fundraiser for the roofing project. Great idea! What’s next?

What followed was meetings and permission and planning but what excites me about this is the way it models one of our mottos at Charleswood which is “create a culture of permission giving”. That’s a way of understanding that the mission of the church does not need to be solely driven by the directives of Council, committees, and staff. All of these groups have specific responsibilities which they are called to carry out. Essential responsibilities for the running of a vital and life-giving church.

But sometimes members of our community may want to do more. Maybe they feel that God is calling them/us to be more. We want Charleswood to be a culture where permission is given to allow people to do the things they feel called to do.

There are other examples of permission giving initiatives in our church. It is the way our Christmas Hamper program works. Same with our refugee sponsorship. As was the Yazidi Farming Project Partnership. Permission giving initiatives can be about fellowship (look at coffeetime on Sundays). It can be about well-being (i.e. badminton). It can be about pastoral care (think of Senior’s Fellowship). It can be about fundraising (bridge luncheons and trivia nights). It can be about outreach or music or children. Anything where rather than asking a committee to do something, volunteers to take the initiative and drive the idea forward. We believe this is a characteristic of an ‘incarnational church’, one in which the Spirit moves us to follow our passions and interests. And to ask others to come along for the ride.

Interesting things happen when someone around here dreams a dream. One of the ideas our Coffee House planning team had was going into the community and seeing who would support Charleswood United Church with a donation for our silent auction. It is one of many things I am glad we don’t ask the minister to do. I must admit I was a little bit sceptical given that we are clearly a religious organization asking for an in-house project. But I have been overwhelmed by the generosity of individuals and businesses who are aware of our church and willing to support us. It is an accidental revelation that what we do matters to people and makes a difference in our community.  

Maybe you have an idea for a ministry you would like to see us offer. If it is something consistent with our overall mission then our lay leaders and ministry staff are here to help you realize it.

When God calls, we seek to answer.

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Wilson / About Author
Michael’s involvement in the wider church has included ministry with children and youth, membership on the National Division of World Outreach, supervision of campus ministry, and the Ten Days for Global Justice National Committee. He has been blessed by the opportunity to represent the United Church of Canada in the Bahamas, Cuba, and Africa on different occasions. Michael has taught at the University of Winnipeg – Faculty of Theology and is past President of the Conference of Manitoba and North Western Ontario.
More posts by Michael Wilson