Farewell to Rev. David

Rev. David Lefneski’s final Sunday service at SouthWest is on June 2nd at 10AM. All are invited to join the congregation in sending him off with the pot luck to end all pot lucks!

Rev. David has been in Verdun since 1998 when he took over as Minister of both Verdun United and Crawford Park United. He oversaw the amalgamation of those two congregations in 2007 and the transformation into SouthWest United. It was his vision that created and sustained SouthWest Mission for twelve years.

Rev. David has been a minister not just for his congregation but for the whole community. His vision for SouthWest was of a radical hospitality. When it came to baptisms, marriages, and celebrations of life, all were welcome. There was no judgment based on past religious affiliations or lack thereof. He actively sought ties with our Muslim and Sikh neighbours.

Rev. David will be missed by a broad range of people, some of whom never attended a service at Southwest United, but knew him as a partner in community organizing, as Padre to the Legion, or as a comforting presence in their time of grief . We hope as many of them as possible will come by the church on Sunday, June 2nd, to share our table and say goodbye and good luck to David.

Where?: Southwest United Church, 1445 Clemenceau, Verdun

When?: Sunday June 2nd, starting at 11:30AM

What should I bring?: your best dishes and your best wishes!

Offre d'emploi marché mobile

Bonjour à toutes et tous,

 Le Repaire jeunesse Dawson est à la recherche d’unE agentE de développement pour le projet Marché Mobile Verdun/ Mobile Market. Sous la responsabilité de la direction du Repaire jeunesse Dawson et du comité de suivi, l’agentE assumera la mise en place du projet de marché mobile à Verdun, notamment dans les HLM du quartier. Le projet aura pour but d’améliorer l’accessibilité à des fruits et légumes frais pour les populations les plus vulnérables de Verdun.

 Merci de faire circuler dans vos réseaux!

 Bonne journée,

Eve St-Laurent
Agente de concertation
Concertation en développement social de Verdun - CDSV
3972 rue de Verdun, Montréal
514-769-2228, poste 110
eve.st.laurent@cdsv.org

Palm/ Passion Sunday April 14

Worship this Sunday, led by Beryl Barraclough, will take us through the Passion story, from the Last Supper to the crucifixion and burial. Versions of the Passion can be found in all four Gospels, but this year we will be hearing readings from Luke.

 Volunteers are preparing a bake sale to take place directly after the service. There will also be sandwiches available to buy and raffle tickets for various prizes.

Beryl will also lead a Women’s Circle in the sanctuary at about 11:30.

Easter celebrations at SouthWest

SouthWest invites you:
2019 Easter Celebrations

SouthWest Mission, 631 Melrose St., Verdun

GOOD FRIDAY Worship
April 19, 11am service
followed by a light lunch

SouthWest United Church, 1445 Clémenceau St., Verdun

Good Friday GOSPEL CONCERT
Stewart Burrows with invited guests
April 19, Dinner at 6PM, Concert at 7PM,
$20 suggested donation for both

EASTER SUNDAY April 21

8:30AM: New Fire (front lawn)

9:00AM: Resurrection Breakfast

10AM HALLELUJAH Easter service

Easter Egg Hunt! (following service)

United Church Condemns Mosque Attacks in New Zealand

The United Church of Canada strongly condemns the horrific attacks by a suspected White nationalist on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand on March 15, 2019. At least 49 people were killed and another 48 injured in this act of terrorism while Muslim worshippers were at Friday prayers.

The people of the United Church are deeply saddened and many are weeping alongside the families and friends of the people who were killed and injured. In his letter to the Romans, the apostle Paul writes: “rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another” (Romans 12:15–16a). People in the United Church are joining with people around the world in mourning the lives of the innocent victims lost in this abhorrent attack.

The United Church recognizes Islam as a religion of peace, mercy, justice, and compassion and has affirmed that the church wants to journey towards reconciliation, understanding, and cooperation with our Muslim neighbours. The church is deeply committed to working with Muslims and others for peace and justice for all humanity and to seeking ways to build right relationships among us.

SouthWest Mission to Close/ La Mission fermera ses portes

FRANÇAIS CI-DESSOUS

SouthWest Mission, with support from SouthWest United Church, has served the Verdun community since 2007 with a vision of hospitality and inclusion. In a space rented from Lester B. Pearson School Board located in Verdun Elementary School, SouthWest was able to form many community partnerships which enabled us over the years to support:

-the Breakfast Club for Verdun Elementary students
-clothing room for children
-community meals, children’s community Christmas, Boxing Day turkey meal
-Mini Market, Verdun Mobile Market and other food programs 
-use of space for our community (AA groups, CLSC breastfeeding clinics, etc.)

Facing financial and personnel constraints, the SouthWest United congregation voted in January to “withdraw its administration and support of the Mission by the end of this school year, 2019.”
We thank SouthWest congregation and the United church for 12 years of financing and leadership, and our community for being part of our vision, of “providing a table where all are welcome, with food for body, mind and spirit.”

We sincerely hope to see what is currently SouthWest Mission continue being used as a community  space. Discussions are underway with partners to hopefully find a way to continue certain programs such as community meals and Mini-market.

We celebrate endings and believe in new beginnings as a community of faith. 
We celebrate life, always!

Rev. David Lefneski and
SouthWest Council

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La Mission du Sud-Ouest, avec le soutien de l’Église unie du Sud-Ouest, sert la communauté de Verdun depuis 2007 dans une vision d’hospitalité et d’inclusion. À partir d’un espace loué à la commission scolaire Lester-B-Pearson dans l’école primaire de Verdun (VES), SouthWest a formé de nombreux partenariats communautaires qui lui ont permis, au fil des années, de soutenir :

- le Club des petits déjeuners pour les élèves de VES
-un vestiaire de secours pour enfants
- des repas communautaires, une fête de Noël annuelle pour enfants, un repas de dinde le lendemain de Noël
- un mini-marché, le marché mobile de Verdun et d’autres programmes alimentaires
Par ailleurs, d’autres membres de la communauté se servent de l’espace (AA, halte allaitement du CLSC, etc.).

Confrontée à des contraintes financières et de personnel, la congrégation SouthWest United/ Église unie du Sud-Ouest a voté en janvier de «retirer son administration et son soutien à la Mission d’ici la fin de l’année scolaire 2019».

Nous remercions la congrégation pour ses 12 ans de financement et de leadership, ainsi que notre communauté d’avoir fait partie de notre vision : «procurer une table où chacun trouve de la nourriture pour le corps, l’âme et l’esprit; une table où tous sont les bienvenus».

Nous espérons sincèrement que l’actuel local de la Mission continuera à servir d’espace communautaire. Des discussions se poursuivent avec nos partenaires pour trouver un moyen de préserver certains programmes tels que les repas communautaires et les mini-marchés.

Nous célébrons les fins et croyons en un nouveau départ en tant que communauté de foi.

Nous fêtons la vie, toujours!

 Pasteur David Lefneski, et
Le Conseil de l’Église Unie SouthWest

Church Notes

Sunday Feb 10, Beryl Barraclough will preach, as well as lead the monthly Women's Circle following worship. There will be soup after the service and we're having a “treat drive” for Manna. Looking for donations of pre-packaged dessert items (no home baking this time), with Valentine’s Day in mind. 

---

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday.

 He wrote: "I've gone for 30 years now, and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons, but for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time, and the preachers and ministers are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all".

 This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column.

 Much to the delight of the editor, it went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher: "I've been married for 30 years now.  In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals.  But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals.

But I do know this:  They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today.

 Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!"

 Thank God for our physical and our spiritual nourishment!

 (The origin of this story is unknown. We found it on www.inspirationalarchive.com)

Méli-Mélo February 17 février

What is Méli-Mélo?

A community celebration for the whole family. Food, Fun, Friendship! The third Sunday of every month at 12:30.

Une célébration communautaire pour toute la famille. On mange, on s’amuse ! Le troisième dimanche de chaque mois à 12h30.

Una celebración comunitaria para toda la familia.  Comemos y nos divertimos! El tercer domingo de cada mes a las 12.30 del día.

Where? Où? Dónde?
SouthWest Mission du Sud-ouest,
631 rue Melrose, coin av. Verdun

Job Offer: Un plant de tomate à la fois - offre d'emploi

Un plant de tomate à la fois est à la recherche de deux personnes de qualités qui ont des connaissance et expérience dans le domaine  de l'animation , le jardinage et l'environnement.

TechnicienE en éducation à l’environnement et en jardinage

Un plant de tomate (Urban gardening and education program in Verdun) is seeking two people with experience in group workshops/ animation, as well as in gardening.

Environment Education end Gardening Technicians

Church Notes

Is it me, or did anyone else find January loooooong?

Well, we’re into February now, and it’s a short month, so it should fly by, right? Don’t forget to go to Bingo tomorrow in the church basement. There’s some snow in the morning forecast but temperature-wise, things are going to be a little better over the weekend.

As you know, Saturday, February 2nd is Groundhog Day. This little fella’s praying for sunny skies and cleared streets by Sunday!

There’s a special guest and worship leader for this Sunday’s service: musician and lay minister Stewart Burrows.

Next Week:

The Board of Stewards are finally meeting on Wednesday, Feb. 6th at the church, 1:30PM. Welcome back to Vernon Turner who has just about shaken the pneumonia.

Sunday Feb 10 will be a Soup Sunday and “treat drive” for Manna. Looking for donations of pre-packaged dessert items, especially for Valentine’s Day. 

Looking ahead: Rev. David is back in action Sunday, February 17.
SouthWest Council meets Tuesday February 19, 6:30 at the church. 

The following comes to us from our friend Liz Colford:

Recherche d'emploi de rêve / looking for a dream job
français suivra

Greetings friends and colleagues,

I'm writing to ask for your help in my search for new opportunities. As many of you know, a few years ago I made a big career shift and went to cabinetmaking school. Then I went and got a job in a doors and windows company. But I always knew that I wanted to bring those skills back into an educational context. I'm looking for opportunities to lead woodworking workshops, or to be a technician in a school or museum wood shop.  

So if you hear of anything bringing together woodworking and education, please think of me and let me know. This isn't an urgent request so even if you see something in 6 months, I'd still like to know about it. Thank you so much for thinking of me!

Salut ami.e.s et collègues,

Je vous approche en demandant un coup de main dans ma recherche de nouvelles opportunité de carrière. Comme en sachent beaucoup parmi vous, il y a quelques années que j'ai fait une grande transition en allant à l'école de l'ébénisterie. Et par la suite je suis allé travailler dans un atelier de portes et fenêtres. Mais je savait dès le début de cette transition que j'allais retourner en éducation avec ces nouvelles habiletés à partager. Je cherche maintenant des postes d'animer les ateliers en bois ou des postes de technicien dans un atelier de bois d'une école ou un musée. 

Je vous demande si jamais vous entendez des postes en lien avec le bois et l'éducation de s'il vous plait me partager ces infos. Ceci n'est pas une recherche urgente alors même si vous voyez de quoi en 6 mois, j'aimerai savoir. Merci de penser à moi et je vous souhaite une magnifique 2019 plein de rêves qui se réalisent!

Liz 
438-824-5499