Watch this week’s service on YouTube by clicking:
Join us for Sunday morning worship at CUC at 10:00 AM
with the He/SheBrews Café following in the Van Roon Community Hall
At the request of folks who couldn’t make last week’s Affirming Celebration we have recorded it.
It is simply from an iPhone in the sanctuary but it provides a full measure of that joyful occasion.
The service is available on our YouTube channel: CUC Affirming Celebration Service – June 14, 2026
Dear Friends
Welcome to worship for Sunday, June 21, 2026.
In his bestselling book “The Road Less Travelled” Dr. M. Scott Peck talks about the idea of serendipity as grace. By that he means that if something good and unexpected happens, be thankful for it. Receive it as a gift and if one is so inclined, take it as a sign from a loving God.
Something serendipitous happened at the church on Thursday. We had a funeral for our friend Bob Van Den Berg and his family of four adult children had decided that his two sons would offer the remembrance on behalf of the family. That was a choice. The serendipitous part, the unexpected coincidence which added to the experience, was that this service was just a few days before Father’s Day. The gift of grace that those of us who were there heard was the testimony of two sons for their father.
I have seldom heard such a loving tribute. Bob was a wonderful father. As an adult immigrant to Canada over 50 years ago it wasn’t that he had much materially to give away. But he modelled hard work and generosity, love of family and dedication to church and community. There were stories of courage and determination and stories of tremendous humour and compassion. I’ve never heard such a Father’s Day sermon as I heard on Thursday from two grown men who grew up “knowing they were loved”. It seemed to me serendipity. It was a gift of grace.
There’s not a real reason to talk about male spirituality on Father’s Day. Those who suggest there is special meaning in Father’s Day events like the Manitoba Marathon or the U.S. Open golf tournament are missing the point. If someone wins a World Cup game this Sunday and dedicates it to their father, that will be nice but I don’t think that adds to our understanding of the blessing of fatherhood. For me Father’s Day is but one opportunity to have the conversation we should be having more often about what a makes a good man or a good father.
Richard Rohr would say it is the willingness to move gracefully into the second half of life. To acquire wisdom and give it away, to learn life’s lessons and share them in return, to be compassionate, empathetic, and understanding. Meaning for men comes not from dominating but from relating, not from strength but from the acceptance and utilization of our weakness.
Or, if you were fortunate enough to be at the church Thursday morning, to be a bit more like Bob.
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/FL4qM5X7wig
- 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.
