A Message from Rev Sheila

General Secretary's Weekly Letter

February 12, 2014

 

Dear Friends,

I always get excited when the Olympics are on. It’s really the only time when I am an avid sports fan. Like many Canadians, I particularly enjoy the winter Olympics. These mornings when I’m out for a quick cross-country ski before work, I think of those incredible skiers I saw on TV, powering uphill at the end of their 30-kilometre race—even though I’ll never be competitive in skiing or any other sport!

In the media coverage, you hear some wonderful stories about the journeys the athletes have taken to get to the point of competing in the Olympics. They have trained day after day when they felt like it and when they didn’t, setting aside other parts of their young lives, pushing themselves to extreme physical limits. There are stories of family support and sacrifice, of injuries overcome, of rivalries and friendships.

We watch these athletes with fascination as they push beyond their limits, risking doing their best, in a very public way.

Like most people with jobs and busy lives, I have been watching the Olympics this week at night or very early in the morning. In between, I spent a couple of days with the Comprehensive Review Task Group. Talk about people who set aside their own lives and work hard for a greater good.

Members have the sense of having risked in a most public way, too, with the release last week of Fishing on the Other Side , a discussion paper that contains some preliminary structural concepts for the church that is going to presbyteries and others for comment and advice. Members of the task group have toiled over the ideas in the discussion paper, and now they are offering it to the church to work with.

The facilitated conversations with communities of faith that the task group initiated between April 2013 and January 2014 showed there is a lot of openness to change in the United Church. Just what those changes should be, though, is a discussion that is far from over!

Those Olympic athletes have cheering sections back home that support their efforts. I heard from Yellowknife friends about a gathering at 4 a.m. at the field house where local speed skaters train, so supporters could watch together the preliminary heat of their local Olympian, Michael Gilday. I’m sure this week there have been hometown gatherings like that in many arenas and village halls and basement rec rooms across Canada.

Towards the end of this week’s meeting of the Comprehensive Review Task Group, one of the members shared a note of encouragement he had received from a friend. It wasn’t a message of support for all the ideas offered – it wasn’t about that. Rather, it was a recognition of the effort, dedication, and vision the task group and people across our church are offering as we look together to the future.

Excellence, exceptional effort, commitment, and risk… may God bless all who offer these gifts.

Nora

General Council News Release

For Immediate Release
Friday, February 7, 2014

Canada Must Continue to Oppose Russia's Anti-LGBTQ Laws

Toronto: The United Church of Canada sent a letter today congratulating Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird on the stance he has taken in support of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Russia.

"Your leadership in advocating for the protection of the human rights of all people, especially those who are most marginalized, such as gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, and queer people in Russia, underscores Canada's commitment to protecting and promoting human rights globally," says the letter.

The letter notes that the United Church, Canada's largest Protestant denomination, has long supported acceptance and inclusion of all human beings as persons made in the image of God regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

"As Christians, we reject the assertion that homosexuality is an offence against God and threatens the 'spiritual values' of a culture," says the letter.

The letter continues, "Cultures that last and are life-giving build in correctives to myths and rumours not based in fact. Much of the work in the struggle against the HIV/AIDS pandemic has focused on dispelling myths and ending marginalization on the basis of sexual orientation."

The complete text of the letter to John Baird is available on The United Church of Canada's website ( www.united-church.ca ).

For more information
Mary-Frances Denis
The United Church of Canada
416-231-7680 ext. 2016 (office)
1-800-268-3781 ext. 2016 (toll free)
mdenis@united-church.ca

A Message from Rev Sheila

The Zion Family sends Condolences to Alene Seaman

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The Zion United Church would like to express our sympathies and send our condolences to the families of Alene Seaman. 

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SEAMAN -- Alene Shupe,  92, of Liverpool, Queens County, passed away peacefully in Queens General Hospital, Liverpool on January 30, 2014.

Born in Charleston, Queens County, she was a daughter of the late Boardman and Frances (Anthony) Shupe.

Known for her cooking and knitting, Alene continued to volunteer with functions in Charleston as long as she was able and produced many pairs of mittens for the Queens General Hospital Hustle. She operated a small restaurant in Sandy Cove in her younger days and was an employee of Queens Manor for a number of years.

She is survived by her daughters Sandy (David) Bessonette of Dartmouth, Paula (Dr. Al.) Doucet of Liverpool, grandchildren Dr. Paul Bessonette and Jack Bessonette, Nikki Doucet and Andre Doucet, several nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her sister Phyllis Anthony and brothers Earl and Eugene.

The full obituary for Alene Seaman can be found at the address below:

http://www.chandlersfuneral.com/seaman-alene-shupe/

The Zion Family sends Condolences to Betty Minard

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The Zion United Church would like to express our sympathies and send our condolences to the families of Betty Minard. 

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Minard, Cora Elizabeth “Betty”, 89, of Liverpool, passed away peacefully on Saturday, January 25th, 2014, in Queens Manor, Liverpool.

Born in Liverpool, she was a daughter of the late Andrew and Margaret (Ryer) Norman.

Betty was a member of the Business and Professional Women’s Club, a life member of the I.O.D.E. and the UCW. She enjoyed bridge and travelling with her late husband Alan.

She is survived by her sister Myra (A.V. “Bert”) Wiles of Liverpool, stepdaughter Patricia of Caledonia and stepson Richard of Ottawa, sister-in-law Sue Norman of Liverpool and brother-in-law William Mulhall of Hantsport.

She was predeceased by her husband Alan, sisters Myrtle Mouzar, Aileen Huskins, Phyllis Swim, Barbara Mulhall, Daisy English, Margaret Sagloski; brothers Maurice and Douglas and stepdaughter Janice.

The full obituary for Betty Minard can be found at the address below:

http://www.chandlersfuneral.com/minard-cora-elizabeth-betty/