Regional Council 13 becomes Nakonha:ka

So many changes have occurred in the structure of the United Church of Canada in recent years, it can be hard to keep track! The churches in the Montreal area used to be part of Montreal Presbytery, until that merged with Quebec-Sherbrooke Presbytery to become Consistoire du Quebec Presbytery. QP merged (more or less) with Consistoire Laurentien to become Regional Council 13, which included the majority of Quebec communities of faith, the exceptions being Gatineau, which went with Regional Council 12 (Eastern Ontario Outaouais ), and Gaspe, which stayed with parts of the Maritimes in Region 14. Regional Council 13 also gained many First Nations communities which were formally a part of All Native Circle.
The new Regional Councils replaced all of the Presbyteries and Conferences that we used to be part of. Now the church regions are geographical, with no cultural or linguistic exceptions. The number 13 was only ever a temporary designation until the members could vote on a new name for the regional council. This happened in November 2018, when representatives of the constituent communities chose the name Conseil régional Nakonha:ka Regional Council. The name is Mohawk and translates as “in the Eastern” or “People of the East”.
Rosemary Lambie is Executive Minister for Regions 11, 12 and 13.
Regional Council Pastoral Relations Minister for Nakonha:ka is Sabrina Di Stefano.
Communications and Administration Assistant for Nakonha:ka is Judy Coffin. 
Archives Manager for Nakonha:ka ise Beverly Anderson-Levine.
Brian Ruse is in charge of Financial Administration for the region.
Our Regional Council also has a full-time Minister supporting Youth and Young Adults (YAYA):  Shanna Bernier 

For more on the structure of the United Church of Canada, visit the UCC website by clicking below:

Minister's Message: Light in Difficult Places

Jan. 18, 2019

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.
They lived in a land of shadows, but now the light is shining on them. 
(Isaiah 9:2)

What a hope and light-filled message.

We hear it’s resonance as of the lighting of the Christ candle Christmas Eve and carry forward that light for our lives, relationships and into the world all year round.

In a specific context, the Assyrian Empire carved out of swaths of Israel’s territory and assimilated whole tribes around 733 BCE. To a fear-filled and conquered people the prophet Isaiah shouts: Light, Liberation, Joy.

In verse 6 of the same chapter he promises: A child is born to us!

The presence of God in the vulnerability of a baby is the bedrock of Christian faith. God shines through this One who is dependent on the love of a first time young mother and the protection and care of an adopted or foster dad. This story occurs within a specific historic context: that of the murderous tyrant King Herod, the oppression of the Roman Empire and the escape to Egypt by the holy family.

Some were unwell over the holidays or in hospitals and rehab, sick and vulnerable. Isaiah says that is when the light can be at it’s most powerful, in the down times, the darkness, the places of disconnect and of weakness. I am looking for signs of light in these difficult places.

We, as communities of faith, are facing questions about our future in 2019. We will dare talk about these challenges at both Emmanuel and SouthWest this year. We live in contant change: that of our realities of ministry, stretched resources and in our specific context of decline in Quebec as ‘organized religion’. We are vulnerable, yet believe that light shines in and through us. We are determined to trust God in uncertainty, one day at a time, and be light to our neighbours and communities.

This Epiphany hymn sustains me and invites me to hope and light:

When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and the shepherds have found their way home, the work of Christmas has begun.

‘I am the light of the world’
You people come and follow me!
If you follow and love you’ll learn the mystery
of what you were meant to do and be. (Jim Strathdee, VU 87)

Let’s trust God, protect the vulnerable in our midst, and be light to all with a generous and protective love in 2019.

Rev. David

Invitation from Ste. Genevieve United

We are alive! In the spirit of innovation and change, Ste. Genevieve United Church encourages friends, neighbours, members of fellow congregations and community partners to tour our facilities on January 27th from 1 pm to 4 pm, and to explore how the Spirit is moving in our community right now. 

·  Wander through the sanctuary to a backdrop of uplifting music, where members of the congregation will be on hand to answer questions about our community of faith.

·  Drop in to the choir room, where representatives of our ORA Loss & Living Program will share resources about workshops and events developed to create space for conversations about grief, loss and hope.

·  Take a moment to engage with the "Before I Die/Avant de Mourir" art wall and have a look at our growing resource library of books and DVDs on loss, grief and hope.

·  Travel down the beautifully renovated hallway to learn more about Voluntas Commemoration and their services, and to walk through the lovingly transformed space.

Hope to see you there.

Ste Geneviève United Church

4697 Boul. St. Jean

Dollard-des-Ormeaux, QC  H9H 2A7

514-626-4795

Mini-Market January 16, 2019

Here are the items that will be available from next week’s market at the Mission. Call ahead if you want to be sure to get your items. The market is from 10:30 to 3:30 on Wednesday. Consider joining us for community lunch at 12:30 the same day. Suggested donation of $5.

Voici les produits qui seront disponibles à notre marché la semaine prochaine. Pour être sur d’avoir les items que vous voulez, appelez à l’avance. Vous pouvez passer entre 10H30 et 15H30 pour faire vos achats. On vous invite également à partager notre repas communautaire à 12H30. Don suggéré de 5$.

Minister's Message: New Year's 2019

Dear Emmanuel and SouthWest,

As this year draws to a close we remember 2018 in which there have been joys, sorrows, growth, learnings and many challenges. There are memories we would rather forget and others we will treasure. We have lived a myriad of emotions, both tender and pain-filled, and journeyed through changes as brothers and sisters of Jesus.

In my youth there was a church tradition of a New Year’s Watchnight service organized so that at midnight we were gathered around the communion table. Prayer, hymns, testimonies and quiet time were always part of this service; I found it a precious experience.

It is my hope that you will find a quiet reflective moment at the beginning of 2019. One of your resolutions may be about the reading of the Bible. Personally I have grown in faith through the regular reading and meditation of the scriptures. Apart from our public worship there is a more personal worship experience that includes two essential daily disciplines:  prayer and Bible reading.

Some helpful scriptures for a New Year’s reflection are:

Psalm 23, 90, 126, Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8, Matthew 5: 3-12 (and the verses following that are the Sermon on the Mount.)

The Bible Society offers us a gift: readings from the Bible for everyday, based on the Sunday Lectionary Readings. They are available online in English and French
(https://biblesociety.ca/resources/for-you/daily-bible-reading/) or in paper version at the (Mission) Church.

I am on vacation from January 14 to February 14 and travelling in Peru. I will hold you everyday in my heart and prayers as you hold me in yours.

A blessed New Year,

Rev. David

Go into this New Year: dance, laugh, sing, and create,
risk, explore, discover, and love.
believe, hope, struggle, and remember:
We go with the assurance of your love, O God.
Thanks be to God!

New Year Prayers:

 Holy God, as we enter this new year,
we thank you for your presence with us
in all the years of our lives.
We have known joy, and also sorrow,
success and failure,
and through it all, you have been with us—
the companion of all our journeys.
Much of life is fleeting
and so we thank you for things that endure:
the love of faithful friends,
wisdom gained from experience,
the reliability of nature,
and your steadfast love.
We thank you for this new year which awaits us;
take us by the hand, and lead us on.

Amen.

 O God,
presider over the affairs of persons and nations,
move us to thanksgiving,
not because of what we have, but because of whose we are;
not because of present blessing,
but because of your continuing providence;
not because of the moment,
but because of the eternity of salvation.
Let our thanksgiving be expressed
not only in feasting, but in sharing;
not only in passive enjoyment, but in active service;
not only in annual observance, but in daily attitude.
And because your concern for wholesome living
embraces every person upon the earth,
we pray for ourselves and for others  (our personal and world requests). . .

In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

-          Taken from Celebrate God’s Presence, United Church of Canada

From our Kitchen/ de notre cuisine

Our Kitchen Coordinator and a team of volunteers have been busy in the kitchen this week transforming turkey leftovers into delight! As of now you can purchase delicious turkey pies from our community dépanneur at the modest price of $10. There are also (generous) individual frozen turkey dinners available at an unbelievable $3! Come by soon before they all disappear.

Notre coordonnatrice de cuisine et son équipe de bénévoles se sont occupés dans la cuisine cette semaine afin de préparer des délices pour vous. Dès maintenant vous pouvez acheter des pâtés de dinde appétissants de notre dépanneur communautaire au prix modique de 10$. Vous y trouverez aussi des repas congelés individuels au prix incroyable de 3$! Passez vite avant qu’ils ne disparaissent.

Women's Circle January 13th 2019

The first SouthWest Women’s Circle of 2019 takes place after the service this Sunday. it is DLM Beryl Barraclough’s usual 2nd Sunday of the month in the pulpit, and she generously offers her time to lead this monthly meeting of women interested in exploring their spirituality. The Women’s Ccircle gathers in the sanctuary at around 11:20 am. Bring a friend!

Mini-Market, Wednesday, January 9, 2019

We’re back! Here is the list of what will be on sale at our fresh fruit and veg market tomorrow at the Mission, with prices:

Nous sommes de retour. Veuillez trouver la liste de fruits et légumes frais qui seront disponibles a la Mission demain, avec prix:

A Word from Darlene

Churches don’t run by themselves, and SouthWest is no exception! From our elders, chairs, team members, and mission volunteers and our congregation, we try to work together along with our part-time staff, including our minister, to plan, organize and execute every event and activity from within SouthWest for ourselves and our wider community. We live out and encompass our vision, ”providing a table where all are welcome, with food for body, mind and spirit.

Not easy. There’s so much more than is visible in the life of our church and mission: garden care, building repair, dishwashers, bill payments, snow removal, food pick up, preparation, lights on and lights off, buzzers and alarms going off—all the “behind the scenes” work that can so easily be taken for granted. I’m grateful to each and every one of you for all that you do and we do.

After our Boxing Day community turkey meal on December 26 where we are topping the 300 mark for meals prepared with donations, served and delivered by volunteers (no small feat), we then take the opportunity to personally recharge, restore, renew and reflect.

We work hard, we worship joyfully, and we support one another, in both good and hard times. Our worship is rich, varied, and contains elements that both honor tradition and challenge us to open our hearts and minds to a wider view of Christ and the world. I have hope and faith that we shall persevere and continue.

 Thank You with much Hope, Peace, Joy and Love!

Darlene
Chair of Council

Minister's Message: The Journey to Bethlehem

One of Isaiah’s prophecies is reframed in Luke’s gospel and relates to the ministry of John the Baptist, the messenger of Messiah:

Get the road ready for the Lord, make a straight way for him to travel!
Every valley must be lifted up, every hill and mountain levelled off.
The winding roads must be made straight
and the rough roads must be made smooth. (Luke 3: 4-5, Isaiah 40: 3-5).

This text makes me think of the incredible travels that people in Israel must have experienced as everyone had to return to their hometown for the population census demanded by Rome. Taxes would be based on its recorded numbers. Winding roads made straight would greatly alleviate travel times. So many more travelers than just Mary and Joseph were flooding the roads. No wonder there was no room for them in the small village of Bethlehem.

The journey from Mary’s hometown of Nazareth to Joseph’s birthplace in Bethlehem is some 157 km and could have taken 8-10 long days of walking. And although the Christian church celebrates the birth in December it is more likely that this journey occurred in the oppressive heat of July or August for a birth in September. A scary journey for a young pregnant woman and her betrothed.

They say you can never really go back home once you leave. I experience this when visiting my Mother and siblings in Ontario. The neighbourhood of my youth has changed so much. In fact life reminds us that change is like a river flowing and constantly moving.

The journey to Bethlehem, that of the shepherds, the magi, traveling to the Temple in Jerusalem, to Egypt as refugees and later to Nazareth: there is much movement behind the stories of Christmas.

My home of 23 years has sold. Despite my impatience it has happened at a good time.

There is much to do before I leave on vacation January 14. And much reorganization, packing as well as confirming a purchase and an eventual move. I enter into this Christmas differently as it will be my last in this house. Many have moved before me and many will in this new year 2019. Change is the constant and resistance is not helpful. When it is time, it is the time.

It was the time for Jesus’ birth, and everything aligned for this Miracle Child, even the stars.

Thank you for your prayers and support these last weeks. The sale of my house opens up new possibilities: a different kind of journey and different future, a new garden and home. I live this change with gratitude and trust that everything works together for the best.

May the God who watched over Mary and Joseph on their journey and who aligned the time and season perfectly, lead each of us to Bethlehem and new birth.

And this blessing:

May the eagerness of the shepherds
the joy of the angels,
the perseverance of the Magi,
the faithfulness of Joseph and Mary,
and the peace of the Christ child,
be yours this Christmas! (Celebrate God’s Presence)

Que ce Noël soit pour chacun de nous, 
un occasion d’aller
au-delà de la simple raison et de nous émerveiller;
de laisser notre äme accepter le miracle, même sans le comprendre,
et de nous abandonner totalement au pouvoir 
du Bébé de Bethléem!

A blessed Christmas, Un Noël béni.

Rev. David