Upcoming Services

It’s the time of year when things start to get busy. Here is an outline of the next few weeks at SouthWest.

October 10: Thanksgiving (led by Pastor Beryl)
October 17: 21st after Pentecost (Pastor Beryl)
October 24: 22nd after Pentecost, Music Sunday (Lay leadership)
October 31: All Saints (Pastor Beryl)
- Sheila Morrison will give a short presentation about Breakfast Club
November 7: Communion (Pastor Beryl)
- We set the clocks back one hour this weekend
November 14: Remembrance Day (Pastor Beryl/ Sarah Fraser)
November 21: Music Sunday (Lay led)
November 28: First of Advent (Pastor Beryl)

Order of service, October 10, 2021

Download the bulletin for the Thanksgiving service here.

Familiar Faces

Last week we shared pictures of some people who attended church on Orange Shirt Day. We thought those who have not been able to return to church would enjoy seeing them.
This week we have photos of a couple of the people who have not yet returned to church. They remain in our hearts and prayers as, we think, we remain in theirs.

Phyllis Luther was finally able to reunite with her daughters, Cathy (left) from Vancouver, and Janice, from Mississauga, in September, once all were fully vaccinated.

May Cook was pleased to have an in-person visit with her friend Lorna recently.

VES: An Enduring Partnership

Crayons! Pencils! Notebooks! Glue sticks! And so much more!
What a pleasure it was to meet the new principal of Verdun Elementary School, Christine Dane, and to deliver all the school supplies the congregation had donated in September. Many thanks to Sheila Morrison, Breakfast Club Coordinator, who helped make the connection. And to Mary Lamey for helping with pickup and delivery. Natalie Lalonde would have been there too but she was with her class.
We hold all Students, teachers and staff in our hearts as they navigate a third school year disrupted by the pandemic.

Amy

Left to right: Amy, Principal Dane, Sheila (photo: Mary Lamey)

Verdun Elementary School was established in 2003 through the merger of St. Thomas Moore and Woodland schools.

There has been an elementary school in this building since its construction and dedication in 1922 as Woodland School.

Beryl's Blog: It's Time to Give Thanks!

Thanksgiving is more than a day. It’s a lifestyle. So, in honor of this week of turning our attention toward gratitude (and in hopes of it lasting much longer than a week) I researched the internet and found some encouraging, inspiring and interesting thoughts.

• It’s often said that whatever you focus on grows larger. That’s true for fears, hopes, dreams, offenses—and blessings. Gratitude focuses so closely on the good that the bad can become almost unnoticeable.

• Gratitude shifts your perspective. It makes you realize the glass isn’t half-empty. In most cases, it’s actually more than 90 percent full. If you don't think it is, you might need to focus more on what you're thankful for.

• Thankfulness is healthy. People who are continually grateful are generally in better health than those who aren’t. Conversely, complaining (the opposite of thankfulness) is at least as unhealthy as having a poor diet. The difference in physical symptoms between thankful people and bitter people is startling.

• Thankfulness is a strong anti-depressant. Sometimes simply stating your gratitude out loud—even just two or things you’re grateful for, no matter how small—can change your mood for the rest of the day.

• Gratitude is a powerful prayer. You get more from thanking God than begging God. And thanking God in advance for something promised but not yet given is a profound statement of faith.

• Thankfulness is an act of humility. You’re acknowledging that you’re dependent, not self-sufficient. And God is drawn to humble hearts.

Source(se) various websites and authors, some unknown

Hereunder is a prayer of Thanksgiving from our own United Church of Canada, as found in Celebrate God's Presence: A Book of Services for The United Church of Canada (UCPH, 2000)

God, giver of all good,
you continually pour your benefits upon us.
Age after age the living wait upon you and find
that your faithfulness has no end,
that your care is unfailing.
We praise you that the mystery of life
is a mystery of infinite goodness.
We praise you
for the order and constancy of nature;
for the beauty and bounty of the earth;
for day and night, summer and winter,
seedtime and harvest;
for the varied gifts of loveliness which every season brings.
We give you thanks
for all the comfort and joy of life,
for our homes, for our friends,
and for all the love, sympathy, and goodwill of all people.
Amen.

Happy Thanksgiving to all

Pastor Beryl, DLM

Order of service for October 3, 2021

Download the bulletin as well as a special Communion insert for World Communion Sunday.

Pastor Beryl's Blog: World Communion Sunday, October 3, 2021

We come to be immersed in the Holy Mystery that is Wholly Love.

This Sunday is something to be excited about. Tens of thousands of Christian brothers and sisters around the world will be coming to the Lord’s Table to celebrate Holy Communion.

It doesn't matter what part of the world you come from because, from God’s perspective, there are no political, ethnic, cultural or national boundaries. From God's perspective we are One people, the People of God! 

The first century church believed that Christ’s church stood for radical inclusion of all of God’s children. They believed that the barriers we as humans worked so hard to build, God, in Jesus Christ, broke through.

For those who cannot join us this coming Sunday, I offer hereunder a prayer which you may use as you break bread, in whatever way you choose, at your own table:

Prayer for World Communion Sunday

 Lord as we gather around this wonderful meal
everywhere and in every place;
bless us all your children.

 As we eat this bread and drink this cup
linking arms around the world,
pour your grace into us all.

 Grace us with your presence
as we quietly and loudly pray to you.

 May we see in each other
your light, your love and you.
May it not matter our differences,
our names, our languages,
our looks, and our way of doing things.
May what matter today and everyday be that we are one in you.

 And as we pray may we call to mind those who are unable to be with us today,
whether in body or spirit.
May you bring comfort to those who are grieving, lonely,
heartbroken, ill or broken of spirit.

May you strengthen those whose lives feel shattered,
don’t make sense, in crisis, and experiencing loss.
May you say the healing word to those who need it.
May you bring the human touch of love
to those who have not been touched.
May you love the unloved through us.

May you shine your light
into those whose world is covered in darkness.
May you use us to feed the hungry,
clothe the ones who need clothes,
give a cup of water to those who are thirsty,
shelter the homeless, visit the sick and those in prison.

 May lives be awakened to you, Lord,
to your love and to your kingdom
whose door is always open to all.

~ written by Rev Abi and posted on A Place for Prayer 2013.

We are one and, in our oneness lies our strength; in our oneness will the world see the difference in us and, through our love with the world, see the love and grace of Jesus Christ.  Happy World Communion Sunday!

Shalom to all

Pastor Beryl, DLM

In Memoriam: Norman Butt

January 30, 1924 - September 21, 2021

We are sorry to announce that Norman Butt passed away last week at the age of 97. Norman officially joined the SouthWest congregation in 2010 following the closing of First Presbyterian. Predeceased by his wife Lily (Franks) who passed away in 2009. Rev. David led a celebration of her life at SouthWest. In recent years, Norman lived at the Ste. Anne’s Veterans’ hospital. Douglas Hastie would get news of him occasionally through Norman’s niece Susan Franks. According to Susan, a funeral is being planned for later in October on the West Island. There has not been a death notice in the paper yet, but when and if one appears, we will share it here. According to Doug, “Norman was a passionate Montreal Canadiens fan and was a very good friend of Scotty Bowman.”
A candle was lit in Norman’s memory at SouthWest on September 26th. We hold his loved ones in prayer.

Read the obituary in the Gazette here.

Norman chatting with Doug Hastie in 2009.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: September 30, 2021

On Sunday, September 26th, we invited everyone to wear an orange shirt to church or to take a picture of themselves at home and send it in. Sunday was Pastor Beryl’s week off from leading worship, but she provided a good part of the material for Dennis Brown to lead a service dedicated to the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.
For the musical portion of the service, Sarah Fraser had invited bagpiper Jenna Dennison to play. An odd juxtaposition perhaps, but fitting somehow, and not just because the pipes can have such a mournful sound.

Many in our congregation can trace Scottish roots. The Scots share at least one thing with First Nations: nearly losing their languages to English domination. If we can imagine what it would be like for traditional instruments like bagpipes to be outlawed, for the wearing of kilts to be banned, then maybe we can start to understand what it was like to be First Nations in Canada under the Indian Act of 1876, parts of which survive to this day.

Happily, today, Scots Gaelic is experiencing a resurgence, and the First Peoples of North America are re-learning and reclaiming their native languages. Just as a young person like Jenna can help keep tradition alive while sometimes putting a new spin on it (you haven’t lived until you’ve heard the Tetris theme played on the pipes), young Indigenous people are looking to their traditional teachings and helping point all of society in a new direction for the 21st century.

We are committed to learning the unvarnished history of our country and to finding ways to move forward hand-in-hand with First Nations, Inuit and Metis. There are many resources online. The Orange Shirt Society is a good place to start.

We think you’ll recognize some of these aghaidhean (“faces” in Gaelic).

SouthWest Service for September 26, 2021