Watch this week’s service on YouTube by clicking:
Join us following worship in the Van Roon Community Hall for the He/SheBrews Café.
- We are delighted to welcome members of the Charleswood Masonic Lodge as our guests in worship this week.
- This Sunday is our second and last week for Girl Guide Cookies. They will be available for sale in the Entrance Hall following the service.
- Join us next Sunday, November 2 as we welcome the Rev. Dr. Mac Watts, former Dean of Theology at the University of Winnipeg, as our guest preacher on the occasion of the 1700th Anniversary of the Council of Nicaea.
- A Place At The Table – The 2026 Stewardship Campaign Hopefully you have received an email announcing this year’s Stewardship Campaign. Printed copies are available at the church with third quarter statements. Please read it carefully and respond in the way that is best for you. We are thankful that we can turn to our community and ask for financial support. Together we make a difference in hundreds of lives as we have done for over a century. Feel free to contact us with any questions. Thank you for your prayerful consideration.
- Affirming Ministry Task Group Education Event – Join us Tuesday, November 4 at 7:00 for an evening of listening and conversation on our journey towards becoming an Affirming Ministry. Our special guest that night will be Kai Solomon, a trans man who has aided other communities in exploring this process. Kai will be in dialogue with Michael Wilson as he shares his personal story and we discuss why a public expression of acceptance is of such value for a church that aspires to welcome all into their midst.
- A new printing of Michael Wilson’s 2014 book “A Guided Tour of the Bible in 25 Stops” is available following requests from its use in this summer’s online series. Copies are available in the church office Sundays and during office hours for $20.
Dear Friends
Welcome to worship for Sunday, October 26, 2025.
We have heat!!
As you have (hopefully) previously heard, we had an urgent situation arise in the Spring when our 60 year old boiler failed inspection. The prospect of repairs did not offer the promise of redemption. There was no guarantee that whatever we did would bring our boiler up to code. So Council made a careful and prayerful decision to proceed with a boiler replacement.
In part because this was happening in June, and partly because we had gone to the congregation the year before to raise funds for a major roof project costing ~$400,000, we decided to absorb the cost of the boiler into the loans we had arranged last year. Having said that nearly 30% of the cost of the boiler has been donated these last four months. Together with the nearly $100,000 raised last year for the roof, our budgeted loan payments have not been altered significantly (even if they are extended an extra year). And we are still waiting on news from grant applications.
Like the new insulation beneath the roof, the new boiler makes our church much more energy efficient and reduces our operating costs. It is actually two boilers used as needed so it will only use the energy required according to the temperature outside. And I have to tell you, it looks sooooo cool!!!! Drop by during the week and I will take you to the boiler room and you can admire it yourself.
This week, the installation is done. We have heat and just in time.
Maybe it is a coincidence. Maybe not. But the heat is on the same week that we have launched our 2026 Stewardship Campaign. Titled “A Place At The Table”. It is intended to remind us that all of the things we love most about this ministry, the hospitality, the greeting, the welcome, the acceptance embodied in an “open table”, all require our financial gifts. These gifts provide the place, the people, and the resources necessary to live out our high calling as God’s loving and reconciling people.
Please read the invitation posted on our website: 2026 Stewardship Campaign Letter and Information. And please look for the pledge card which can be returned by mail or electronically 2026 Pledge Card.
If you have donated to Charleswood United Church in the past we are very grateful for your generous support. It is only due to what has been given before that we are able to be the spirited and vital church we are today. If you have not given to Charleswood before, I invite you to consider making a donation and/or pledge. Your support can add to this community of nearly 500 donors who together accomplish many things we cannot do on our own.
With your support in 2026 we can turn on the heat in more ways than one.
Grace and peace,
Michael
- For news and events please have a look at Life & Work on our website: Life and Work
- Share the service with friends by forwarding this email or using this link: https://youtu.be/10lC9YLY5tE
- Read this week’s scripture lesson here: Luke 18:9-14
- 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/ Thank you for your generous support.
