The candidate must be eligible for the wage subsidy program of Emploi Québec
Job Description: To provide oversight of building security; to ensure building cleanliness and organization; to supervise building maintenance and services.
Responsibilities:
-To ensure that the building is free of hazards and to report and delegate any repairs or corrections to the appropriate person.
-To provide thorough and consistent janitorial services following a routine list of tasks as well as occasional and seasonal tasks.
- To work in conjunction with and supervise field-work interns providing janitorial assistance to St. Columba House
Concerning the burning of churches
The following is copied from the E-ssentials newsletter from the United Church of Canada.
Editor's note: The Rev. Murray Pruden shares a statement in response to the news that two Indigenous United Church buildings were damaged by fire in the last several days.
I am devastated by the news from South Indian Lake, Manitoba of the fire at Angus Bonner Memorial United Church. And of similar news at Samson United Church in Maskwacis First Nation, Alberta. My prayers go to our membership and the many others these circumstances affect.
We are currently looking into the fires of these two Communities of Faith. Our office will continue to support them and the larger communities, to share information with the United Church as we receive updates.
Let Creator guide us to live in a good way.
[Photo credit: Murray Pruden]
In Memoriam: Catherine Cater
1936-2020
It has recently come to our attention that Catherine passed away in 2020. Unfortunately we have no details about how she died.
Catherine’s roots in the church go all the way back to Chalmers United’s Sunday School. Vernon Turner knew her from those days, and from when Catherine and her husband Ross lived on Egan Avenue and went to Verdun United. Vernon recalls that Catherine’s father worked at the Verdun greenhouses when they were located next to the fire station on Lasalle Boulevard around Willibrord.
After Verdun United amalgamated with Crawford Park, Catherine still liked to attend events and services at SouthWest Mission, where she always had a smile for everyone. In later years she lived in Ville Emard.
Ross Cater passed away in 2008 and Rev. David celebrated his life at Wilson’s Funeral Home. Catherine has been buried with him in Mount Royal Cemetery. We extend condolences to all who knew her. May she rest in peace.
An obituary can be found here.
Almost Like Old Times
Sunday, June 27th, our last service before taking a break for the month of July, Pastor Beryl brought cake and iced tea and lemonade to share after worship. There was talk of rain but in the end we were able to gather out in the sunshine and socialize a little bit. It was reminiscent of many St-Jean Baptiste barbecues of years past.
We don’t know what the public health situation will be when we return to worship on Sunday, August 1st. We just have to hope and pray that it keeps improving. Most of the people attending services are already fully vaccinated. We know that some others would like to come but are not quite ready for this level of contact.
Rest assured we will continue to follow guidelines from the government and our Regional Council to ensure the safety of our congregation. We look forward to seeing more of you as you feel ready.
Thanks to Sarah Fraser for organizing our Music Sunday on June 27th. Special thanks to soloist Howard Welburn. Congratulations to Douglas Hastie and Francine Couture who recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary. Sarah arranged a little serenade for them during the service.
Order of Service for June 27, 2021
Here in is the link to today's service: Listening for and Experiencing God's Voice in Song, Prayer and Scripture. You will find hereunder the words for the prayers, Psalms etc.
Lighting of the Candle
We light this candle as a symbol of the light of Christ, which cannot be held back by distance, which shines in each one of us, no matter where we are. Amen
Call to Worship
Praise God’s Glory and God’s rich wisdom. We life our hearts in song and prayer, seeking God’s voice amidst the splendor of creation. In the thunder of ocean surf, in the delicate gurgling of steams, in the patter of raindrops, we experience God’s majestic, life-giving voice. In the rustle of leaves, in the persistent push of a summer storm, in overwhelming gale of a hurricane, we experience God’s powerful, surprising voice. In the upheaval of earthquakes, in the fireworks of volcanic eruptions, in the melting of glaciers, we experience God’s transforming voice. We come to experience God’s voice in song and prayer.
Opening Prayer
Loving God, speak to us in worship today. Speak to us with a voice of loving kindness. Speak to us in the nudging’s of the Spirit. Speak to us in the joy of music. Speak to us in ways we may not have imagined possible. May we experience you voice and respond. Amen
Psalm 33:1-3
Sing for joy in the Lord, O you righteous ones; Praise is becoming to the upright. Give thanks to the Lord with the lyre; Sing praises to Him with a harp of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song; Play skillfully with a shout of joy
1 Sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. 2 The LORD has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. 3 He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. 4 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music; 5 make music to the LORD with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, 6 with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn— shout for joy before the LORD, the King. 7 Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.
1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4 praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, 5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
2 Chronicles 5: 13
13 The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang:
Prayers of the People/Lord’s Prayer
(Adapted from the words of Jani Francis, St. Andrews UC, Indian Head, Sask.)
Indwelling Holy Spirit of song, prayer and scripture
Let us feel the gentle breeze of your presence, let our hearts open to your light. Breathe deeply into us now – pause
In our dreams, may we see your signs, or work out our problems through the visions we receive. Through trusted friends may we receive your truth.
In art and music, may we feel your presence. Through intense colors, words and tones – call to us. Breathe deeply into us now.
In ways we cannot mistake of misunderstand, breathe into us and teach us how to be merciful, how to forgive, how to nurture one another and how to connect to the holy in other people and in creation. Breathe deeply into us now.
Sometimes we are on fire with concern and passion. Sometimes we sit quietly and hold the space. Sometimes we have tears or fears, pain or doubt. Through this, all the comfort and assurance of your love is there when we listen for your direction. Breathe deeply into us now.
Give us the language, the songs, the images, the voice, the expressions to relate the good news offered to those who wait for you.
In all manner of troubles and woe, alone, in illness and hardships, in joys and sorrows, may we and all we pray for - Vi L'Esperance, Roberta Roberts; Barbara Smith; Denis Pantridge, Elanor Sauro, May Cook and those we hold on our hearts, experience your presence. Breathe deeply into us now.
Help us to know when our inner voice is your voice, filling us, awakening us, inspiring us, teaching us in our language of understanding – our intuition.
Indwelling holy spirit, breath deeply into us now as we say together the words which Jesus taught
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.
Benediction/Commissioning
Is from Psalm 96:1-2
Sing to the Lord a new song;
Sing to the Lord, all the earth.
Sing to the Lord, bless His name;
Proclaim good tidings of His salvation from day to day.
Summer Launch: June 27, 2021
Come join us for this last service before the July break with more than the usual amount of music…Hallelujah!
Amy Barratt and Howard Welburn will be behind the mics to sing a few solos and to invigorate our hymn singing (since we’re all still relegated to hymn mumbling in our masks…)
Big thanks to both of them.
Have a great summer, and I look forward to seeing you all in August full of energy, good will, and enthusiasm. And yes, ready to sing, sing, sing!
Greetings,
Sarah
For those who wish to watch the service from home and follow along, here is the downloadable order of service:
Super Informal Bible Study for July
As you have already heard, there will be no church services for the month of July at SouthWest. Pastor Beryl is taking a well-deserved, and long-deferred vacation.
That said, the office will not be completely closed. I will be working reduced hours, checking phone and email messages and tidying up some loose ends. The Friday newsletter will be bi-weekly for the month, with issues coming out July 2nd, 16th and 30th.
I am also proposing, to anyone who wishes to participate, a very informal bible study for the month. Inspired by a couple of bible challenges I have participated in with members of my gospel choir, the idea is simple: we will read through one book of the bible with assigned readings each day, and share our thoughts and reactions with one another.
When I did this with the choir, it was all done over Facebook. I think the SouthWest Facebook page will be an important part of this challenge, but I don’t want to leave out anyone who doesn’t have FB. Therefore, I encourage you to send emails to southwestunited@gmail.com, or even to send your comments through the mail. I’m not going to suggest you call the office, for two reasons: I won’t be there much, and also I think writing our thoughts down is an important part of the exercise. If you grant me permission, some of the comments will be repeated in the Friday newsletter.
I want to make it perfectly clear that I am coordinating, not leading this bible study. I am a lay person with an interest in theology, but no training. This exercise will be about asking questions and starting conversations. There are certainly no “right” answers, at least none that I have access to!
I have taken the liberty of choosing – almost randomly - the Gospel of Mark as the focus of our study. Several of the lectionary readings for July are from Mark so if we had been in church we might have heard Pastor Beryl reflecting on them. Instead, we will be doing our own “reflecting”.
The idea is to read and write every day, but if you miss a day, there is no penalty. You may “catch up” with several days of comments at once, or skip a few days and jump back in. Anyone can also join at any point in the month.
At SouthWest, we generally use the Good News Bible, but you may read the scriptures in whatever version you choose, or have on hand. If you do not have a bible at home, the website biblegateway.com has got you covered. There you can search any chapter or verse of the bible and find multiple translations, from King James to The Message. If a passage has you stumped, it can be illuminating to read it in a few different versions.
Those who wish to participate on our Facebook page should make sure they have “liked” it, and then just watch for posts starting July 1st. This is not limited to members of SouthWest United, so feel free to invite anyone you know who might be interested to “like” our page as well.
I have taken the liberty of dividing the 16 chapters of Mark into daily morsels. They will be posted on FB as we go along, but here is an overview. I look forward to reading your comments!
-Amy
Beryl's Blog: The Blessings of Summer
This week marks our last worship gathering before our July vacation.
July is a time to rejoice and give thanks for the arrival of summer. It is a time to celebrate God’s glorious creation.
Someone once said “if you are not barefoot in the summer, then you are overdressed”. While these words may be more relevant for those who are able to spend time idling on beaches and lakeshores, it is also a great image for those of us who need to refresh and renew our spiritual connection with our Creator and with creation.
Summer is a time to take off some of the heaviness which has weighed us down and comforted or protected us during the life’s colder days in the past year. Summer is a time to open ourselves up to all the beauty around us; the birds singing praise to Creator, the chirping of crickets, the smell of fresh cut grass, the warm sun on our faces and our shoulders, the laughter of children free to play and make summer memories. Even earth sings in flowers!
As this will be my last blog before we return in August, I would like to share with you a summer blessing.
Summer Blessing for Families
May we make our homes places of relaxation,
joy, love, peace and safety.
May we be generous and considerate,
not thinking only about ourselves,
but helping others enjoy the blessings of the summertime.
God, Creator of all things,
guide our steps and strengthen our hearts
during these months of summer and vacation days.
Grant us refreshment of mind and body.
May we constantly strive to make a meaningful difference
in the lives of our loved ones and in the world around us
as we enjoy the warm days of summertime.
- The Catholic Review
May God’s blessings be upon us in the summer days to come. Stay vigilant and be safe. Share the love with all you meet. Be a light in the darkness and we look forward to seeing you on our first Sunday of worship, August 1st.
Pastor Beryl DLM
Order of service: June 20, 2021
It is Father’s Day and Indigenous Sunday. Here is the bulletin for those who want to follow along from home.
On the Waterfront
Spotted near the Old Stone House (Lasalle Blvd. near Lloyd-George)
A series of photographs has appeared down by the waterfront in Crawford Park next to the old Legion (now known as Maison Nivard-de-Saint-Dizier). They show a cityscape, with prominent church spires, progressively being engulfed by water. Is it a comment on climate change? A warning to churches?? To me it was a reminder that what is now the Verdun waterfront was once swampland, unsuitable for building. What do you think?
Amy
