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A Message from Rev. Karen Lumley
Breathe
It’s okay. You’re going to be okay. Just breathe.
Breathe, and remind yourself of all of the times in the past you felt this scared.
All of the times you felt this anxious and this overwhelmed.
All of the times you felt this level of pain.
And remind yourself how each time, you made it through.
Life has thrown so much at you, and despite how difficult things have been, you’ve survived.
Breathe and trust that you can survive this too.
Trust that this struggle is part of the process. And trust that as long as you don’t give up and keep pushing forward, no matter how hopeless things seem, you will make it.
written by: Daniell Koepke
We are glad to hear of the upcoming changes since Covid numbers are done and vaccination numbers are up.This is Great News! As we continue to wait and anxiously await the new “normal” to emerge be patient with those who may choose to continue to wear masks and those who do not. We are all on this journey together.
In the past year and a half we have journeyed together on the Covid Rollercoaster ride and now things seems more hopeful. Hopefully, soon we will back in church, those who are comfortable will go to restaurants and those who are not will continue to cook at home, order take out and shop curbside pick up. Whatever you choose to do know that together we walk this journey.
Our faith journey is no different, we continue to worship online until September . We are a people of hope and we hope for re-openings to happen soon but not too soon. Rest assured we are anxious to be together as a community of faith! Continue to do your part to be safe for yourself and the community. We will keep you posted as to when we will re-open. Do take care of yourself.
Our Prayer for the Week:
Out of the depths we cry to you, O God, with eyes streaked with tears.
We grieve the loss of loved ones gone before us.
We grieve the loss of gatherings we could not have because of Covid.
We grieve the loss of time we could not spend with family and friends because of Covid restrictions.
We grieve our losses and now we see the light of hope with vaccines and we rejoice.
We rejoice at gatherings we can now host and even attend.
We rejoice at restaurants opening and shopping resuming as it once was.
In all of the new changes and liberties let us not forget that some may still struggle with the changes and not be ready yet.
Help us o God, to be patient and kind to ourselves and others.
Be with us as we walk with you God in this journey of life . Amen.
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Choir Director Announcement
We announce that Katy Harmer has accepted the position of Music Director for St Andrew's River Heights United Church.
Katy has a Masters in Choral Conducting from the University of Manitoba. She is currently the founder and Director of Upper Voices in Winnipeg. She has been involved with a number of choral groups both as participant and as conductor. These include Prairie Voices, Winnipeg Beer Choir, Cantata Singers (U of M) and St Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral.
In addition to her Masters she also holds an Honours Bachelor of Music (Voice) from the University of Western Ontario.
Katy is community oriented and believes in the power of music to build community at all ages and stages of life.
It is my job as a choral conductor to help ... singers be the best musicians they can, by supporting them as whole people: ... exploring vulnerability during performance by deeply connecting to the music they sing, and encouraging the choristers to take an active role in creating a supportive atmosphere. I strive to be inclusive and welcoming of all people, and I am passionate about fostering community through choir.
Katy has held a number of administrative positions which speak to other organizational abilities.
The Search Committee believes that with Katy's varied experiences she can continue to bring energy and enthusiasm to the position as Music Director and to the Church community.
We welcome Katy to our Faith Community effective August 1, 2021.
On behalf of the Council, M&P and the Congregation, I would like to extend a special thanks to our search committee for their dedication to this process.
Healthy regards,
Michael Duncan
Chair Ministry & Personell Committee
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Tentative Plans for Re-Opening for In-Person Services
It is very positive to see that covid restrictions relating to gatherings in general are lessening due mainly to the broadening coverage of vaccination rates. Many of us are anxious to resume the fellowship of in-person church services. Your Council has continued to track these developments.
Our general consensus is to target the start of in-person services on Sunday, September 12, the first Sunday following Labour Day. Of course, that assumes that Provincial Health restrictions allow that to happen at that time. We will keep you posted through the weekly E-Blasts.
Glenn Neufeld
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From the Ministry and Personnel group
As recently announced, Derek Morphy will be retiring as Director of Music at St. Andrew's effective July 31, 2021. Ordinarily we would host a reception for Derek and present him with a gift from the congregation. While we hope to be able to have such a gathering in future, when public health guidelines allow, a reception at this time is not possible. However, we plan to present Derek with a card and monetary gift with our thanks for his outstanding ministry of music among us. If you would like to participate, please submit your contribution to the church office by cheque on or before Aug 31, 2021. Names of all those contributing will be included in our card.
Sincerely,
Michael Duncan, on behalf of the Ministry and Personnel group
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You can continue to support St. Andrew’s River Heights United Church through pre-authorized on par or sending cheques to the office(mail is picked up daily). Thank you for your continued support of the life, work and ministry of our church.
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The council meeting minutes for June are now available to view HERE
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A special thank you to our soloist this weekend: Nolan Kehler. A thank you also to Diane Bewell who will be reading the scripture.
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Remember in prayer Bonnie Cross in the loss of her son-in-law Jerry who passed away in China. Remember Omar Fraguela in his loss of his brother Peppy in Cuba.
Remember Marlon Goolcharan in your prayers. His father passed away in Trinidad a few weeks ago.
Remember Rev. Ken Delisle in our prayers as Ken recuperates from surgery.
Remember Ken & Alison Koots and their family in your prayers. Ken’s father Michael Koots passed away peacefully on June 17 th. A private family service was held at Glen Lawn Funeral Home in July.
Remember in prayer Kay Jolly’s friend Irene who is undergoing chemo for cancer treatment.
Remember Nicki LeGrande’s dad who continues to have health issues as a result of Covid.
Remember Eleanor Siddall in your prayers. She is in Riverview Palliative Care.
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Prayer Requests : Anyone who has prayer requests for our Church family to remember in their own prayers and in our Community Prayers for church, please send them to Rev. Karen Lumley.
All prayer requests shared are with permission only.
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There has been a debate over continuing to record services when we return to in person service. If we are to continue recording the service once in person, the recording would not be viewable until the following day at the earliest. We want to ensure the continued quality we have been maintaining, which live broadcasts can't guarantee.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the matter.
Should we continue recording once in person and if so why? :)
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Scripture Readings for next week:
1 Kings 2:10-12, 3:3-14
Psalm 111
Ephesians 5:15-20
John 6:51-58
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If you or anyone you know has a special birthday, anniversary or celebration coming up let us know so that we can announce it.
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Thanks to all who make the Church services possible,
Charlotte Lindsay and Michael Cuthbert for recording and editing the services, Tyler Craddock on the Soundboard, organist Wes Elias, Derek Morphy our Music Director who ensure singers or soloists are available for each service, Colleen Watters who arranges readers every week, Ruth McKenzie who ensures everyone is signed in and protocols for Covid are followed and David Wreford who opens the church on every rental occasion sometimes multiple times a day, thank you so much for going out of your way to ensure rentals have access.
A special thanks to our soloists and singers: Sarah Cory, Fred Cross, Chris Donlevy, Paul Forget, Nolan Kehler Heather Kozak, Nicki LeGrand, Judith Oatway, Diane Wreford. Thank you sharing your gift and ministry of music with us.
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The United Church is making funds available to support the work of Indigenous communities for the identification of unmarked graves.
Orange shirts are placed outside the legislature in Victoria, B.C. in honour of 215 children buried in an unmarked grave at the Kamloops Residential School.
Credit: ©THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito
Published On: July 22, 2021
The United Church of Canada is making funds available to support the work of Indigenous communities for the identification of unmarked graves, knowledge gathering, and ceremony to honour the children who did not return home from its 15 residential schools. This is an act of reparation and responds to Calls to Action 73–76(opens in a new tab) of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
“The United Church of Canada was an active participant in a system that ripped Indigenous families apart by forcibly removing the children from their homes,” says the church’s Moderator, Richard Bott. “We have written to Indigenous leaders of the communities where 13 United Church-run residential schools were located, and in the case of the other two, communities whose children were taken there. We have let them know that we have made funds available so that the work of bringing home the children does not solely rest on their shoulders. We played a critical role in this and we as a church need to be more action focused in our commitment to reconciliation.” The Moderator also released a wider statement(opens in a new tab) to the residential school survivors, their families, and communities.
A special meeting of the General Council Executive on July 20th, 2021 approved three million dollars to fund this work, which also includes archival research and providing communities access to documents. The United Church turned over all its existing records to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation Commission(opens in a new tab) and continues to send records that come to light. The General Secretary, Rev. Michael Blair, notes, “Our history as settlers is a ‘we can fix this’ attitude. Clearly, we have been very wrong. We need to listen before we act, and support communities as they define their needs.”
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Mid-Summer Updates
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We want to update you on all the things that are happening at Oak Table these days. We are excited about the services we are offering, the good news stories we are witnessing, and the hope you offer our guests through your support.
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In Germanic Mythology Thor is a hammer-wielding god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred groves and trees, strength, the protection of mankind and also hallowing and fertility. Thor is associated with oak trees. At Oak Table, Thor is the affable, quiet, tail wagging companion of Robert.
Thanks to a group of donors that responded to our last newsletter, Thor recently got the medical attention he needed! Dr. Bowen at the Humane Society helped us walk through the process and ensured Thor was well looked after. In addition to his dental work, Thor was neutered and had all his vaccinations, and got some wet food to eat while he recovers. The day seemed more stressful for Robert than it seemed to be for Thor, who was the one getting poked and prodded!
Robert was stressed at the thought of his little friend not “making it.” He said when Thor left the clinic he was worried because Thor “didn’t look too good”. The next day Thor was already back to wagging his tail, perking up his ears, and proudly walking up the street to Oak Table.
Robert is very relieved that Thor is happy and healthy, and is grateful. When asked what he would like to say to the donors who made this possible for Thor he said, “I just want to thank everyone who helped Thor. I can’t imagine life without him. I can’t believe people helped me like this. I never dreamed it was possible.”
Thanks to all of you who donated directly to us in order to help Robert, as well as through the GoFundMe page, and 1JustCity. Together, you made it possible for Thor and Robert to continue life’s journey together!
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Vaccination Update
We had another vaccine clinic in July put on by the Aboriginal Health & Wellness Centre. Since March we’ve hosted 5 vaccination clinics with Shared Health Manitoba, the Medicine Shoppe Osborne, Access Fort Garry, and the Aboriginal Health and Wellness Centre. These clinics resulted in 216 community members being vaccinated, which is essential for us to begin indoor and group programming.
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Our summer staff have also been working hard to help our guests obtain their vaccination records. If you’d like to read more about why it’s necessary for us to provide this support, go check out one of our latest blog posts:
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Angels of Hope
Pre-Orders Now Available
As of Today, we will be offering pre-orders for our Angels of Hope. These ornaments are all handcrafted, by a stained glass artist, and Oak Table Board member, Leo Boiteau. Leo and his wife Lynn are donating 100 Angels of Hope to Oak Table, so we might continue to offer hope to those we serve. Hope is something all of us can use coming out of a pandemic - each Angel has Hope engraved on one side, and Oak Table 2021 on the other, making them a perfect Christmas gift, hostess gift, I missed you gift or a treat for yourself. In future years Leo will make an Angel for Love, Joy, and Peace. Collect them all!
Each Angel comes in a gift box ready for wrapping.
Pass on a little Hope to someone today, and that will help us pass it on to our guests. Angels are $50.00 and you will receive a $35 donation receipt, making it even easier to spread a little hope to the underserved and underloved in our community. These angels will go fast, get yours today.
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Meet our summer students & intern
One of the big plusses in having summer students is that we can do things that just aren’t possible without them. We are so pleased with our summer team, Steph (who we move from grant to grant to help manage the food), Tyson (a former Intern), Kelsey (a current Intern), Lexi (a former volunteer), Emma, (a former volunteer), Bavia (a returning summer staff), Rory (a former Intern), and Kia (a returning summer staff and former volunteer).
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Tyson is starting law school this fall, Kelsey will return to university for her final year, Lexi will be returning to university, Emma will be returning to university, Bavia is off to Montreal to go to university, Rory will be going back to high-school, and Kia starts her first year of university this fall.
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Meet John
We are happy to introduce John, our new Indigenous Cultural Safety Leader made possible by 1JustCity. John is a wonderful addition to our team. We welcome his role of education and facilitation with our staff, guests, and volunteers in the spirit of reconciliation. We also welcome him bringing culturally appropriate ceremonies and activities to our Indigenous guests.
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