Order of Service: Sept. 4, 2022

This Sunday’s service includes communion. You may download the bulletin and the communion insert below.

The Season of Creation: September 2, 2022

Many Churches celebrate September as the Season of Creation.

Over the past three years, SouthWest United has participated in this event, with each Sunday being the focus of a particular part of creation.  The first Sunday is celebrated as Ocean Sunday.  The second Sunday is Fauna and Flora Sunday, followed by Storm Sunday and Cosmos Sunday.

This year, September 1st will be celebrated as The World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation.  As Pope Francis was so prominent in Canadian news in response to a request for an apology to First Nation People, I thought we might share in his prayer for this year.

A Prayer for Our Earth

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures.
You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.
Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty.
Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor,
Help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.
Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.
Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth.
Teach us to discover the whole of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day. 

Encourage us, we pray, in our struggles for justice, love and peace.

-      From Pope Francis, Laudato Si

As we give thanks for the beauty of the summer and the hope of the harvest to come, I hope you will take a little time to give thought to the great gift of creation which has sustained us over the centuries and which, with the care and love of all, will continue to be a blessed home for all of creation.

In peace, Pastor Beryl, DLM

Coolest Street in the World?

Time Out readers ranked our very own Wellington Street in Verdun as “the coolest street in the world” earlier this month, beating out Deptford High Street in London, Hayes Street in San Francisco and 30 others. Admittedly, the online magazine’s polling method is not entirely random. Readers of Time Out chose to answer their survey question, posed in a dozen languages, and more than 20 000 of them did. Time Out is a global empire, but is probably best known in Europe and North America, so it’s probably no surprise that the majority of cities that made the list are in those parts of the world. Even so, it’s fun to peruse the list and imagine yourself exploring the streets of Melbourne, Mumbai, or Mexico City.

Here’s a link to the Time Out story.

Voice of Wesley Radio in Newfoundland: The Continuing Saga

A few years back I wrote a blog post about Rev. J.G. Joyce who, before coming to Verdun, founded a radio station in Saint John’s in order to broadcast his services to members of the congregation who could not, for one reason or another, get out to worship. That radio station, VOWR, still exists and is approaching its centenary. I stumbled upon this CBC story from 2018 about a young musician’s experience working on air and as a general factotum at the station, and thought I’d share it.

How I found my groove at a century-old church radio station

by Kenney Purchase with Sarah Smellie

Letting a record play while heading to the bathroom at VOWR is a dangerous game.

I can't even count the number of times I've sprinted at full speed from one end of the station to the other, rushing back to the studio from the washroom as a song is coming to an end.

One night, I let a Beach Boys record play for a little too long while hosting a popular easy listening show. Smiley Smile is a weird one in the Beach Boys discography, and when Good Vibrations ended, a bizarre interlude began.

I managed to get into the studio just as the phone started ringing.

"Stop playing that Jesus Halloween music, it's August!"

VOWR first crackled onto the airwaves on July 24, 1924.

The station was started by Rev. Dr. J.G. Joyce, then the pastor of the Wesley Methodist Church — now the Wesley United Church — as a way to bring services to congregation members who, for whatever reason, couldn't make it in to the church on Patrick Street.

He was a real pioneer. According to the station's history books, he rigged up a way to broadcast his sermons straight from the pulpit to people's telephones. In solving that technical problem, he created a social one: lots of folks seemed to think the transmissions were the work of the devil.

But he managed to convince them otherwise.

VOWR now broadcasts across the province 24 hours a day. Sixty-odd volunteers breathe daily life into the station, most of them 30 or 40 years older than me, and you never know what you'll hear when you tune in.

The usual mix is old-school easy listening, from folk to classical music to church hymns. But there are some real oddballs in the library that give VOWR its undeniable charm.

Like classical pieces with the orchestra swapped out for a band of dinky synthesizers, or an out-of-place new-wave version of The Phantom of the Opera, which sounds closer to Depeche Mode than it does to an Andrew Lloyd Webber piece. 

Soul Bossa Nova by Quincy Jones, redefined by my generation as the theme music for the Austin Powers movies, is a frequent hit. So is the The Benny Hill Show theme song, where I can't help but picture a cartoonish chase sequence the moment that saxophone comes in.

I've found some real gems in that library, some which I can't find any record of online.

The darkness of April's Angel Food Cake, an album by New Brunswick country singer Norma Gale, made me stop the tape mid-song and rewind it.

The Sanderlings were a Newfoundland band of siblings in the 1960s, way ahead of their time. While many other bands here were recording traditional music, these guys were playing catchy pop songs.

Go to the original CBC story to read more and see pictures.

The Oldest Methodist (United) Church in Canada

The following is shared from the United Church of Canada website.

Small Church With Big History Attracts Pilgrims

Since Jesus first walked on this earth, Christians have been spiritually drawn to make pilgrimages to places connected to his birth, life, crucifixion, resurrection, and legacy. Today, pilgrimage hot spots include Oberammergau in Germany, Lourdes and Taizé in France, and of course the Holy Land.

Here in Canada, thousands of Christian pilgrims make their way to the small town of Napanee, ON, to visit Old Hay Bay Church each year. The last Sunday in August is the highlight of the season, when the church hosts its annual pilgrimage service.

What’s the attraction? It’s a mix of the history, scenery, spiritual connection, and community.

An unassuming building clad with greyed wood siding and wide doors that open to a plain but sturdy sanctuary, Old Hay Bay Church was originally built on the shoreline of Hay Bay, which connects to the Bay of Quinte, in 1792. It is the oldest Methodist building―and one of the oldest churches―in Canada. Now, it belongs to The United Church of Canada, and your generosity through Mission & Service helps ensure that it will continue to be a place of pilgrimage for years to come.

Elaine Farley, chair of the Board of Trustees and one of the church’s custodians, explains that the building, originally referred to as the “meeting house,” was the centre of the rapid growth of Methodism and hosted the first camp meeting in 1805. “Methodism grew into the largest Protestant group in Canada and was the largest communion that became the United Church in 1925,” she says. “The Founders reflect any United Church congregation today. They came from various countries of origin and had a wide variety of skills and knowledge, but together they made a strong voice, speaking of God, their community, and their future.”

Farley warns that she could enthusiastically “go on and on” about why the small church in rural Ontario is so important, but she sums it up with three short sentences: “Old Hay Bay Church has earned its place in the history of Methodism and The United Church of Canada. It is not just a building but also a sacred place of our ancestors, as well as a pilgrimage place for us and our descendants. It has a special place in peoples’ hearts.”

Thank you for helping to preserve important historical, theological, and pilgrimage sites through your Mission & Service gifts.

In Memoriam: Eleanor Sauro

April 22, 1943 - August 2, 2022

We are sad to announce the passing of Eleanor. A Celebration of her life will be held at SouthWest next Wednesday, August 10th at 11am, with visitation beginning at 10am.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Thériault Funeral Home in Verdun. Here is the obituary:

Sauro, Eleanor (Chorlton)

She peacefully passed at her daughter's home with her daughters by her side on August 2, 2022, at the age of seventy-nine years old.

Cherished and loving mother of Andrea (Sven), Vanessa (Richie) and Melissa (Darren).

Very special Nana to Erika (Graham), Cassandra, Connor, Morgan, Justin and Ben and great grandson Logan.

Also survived by brother Ronald and sister Barbara (pre-deceased Bruce).

She will be missed by all who loved her.

Visitation to be held at Southwest United Church on Wednesday, August 10 at 10:00 AM, with service to follow at 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.

A special thank to Dr. Terret-Hans and the CLSC Vaudreuil palliative care team.

This picture of Eleanor was taken at the SouthWest Holly Tea in November 2019.