Blog Archives

November 26, 2020 - First Sunday in Advent and the 37th Sunday in Covid-19 Isolation

11/26/2020

Happy New Year!

This Sunday –ADVENT 1

This Sunday is the first Sunday of the new Christian Year. We start the cycle of worship and witness again. We go back to the beginning of our story as we wait again for the coming of the Saviour. Now, this past year has been quite different than the one we expected when we began Advent in 2019. But as we look to the readings for this Sunday, we are reminded that the whole of our Christian story is centred on an event and a life that was foretold, but not really expected. We can almost hear the voices saying, “Well, God never did it that way before!” And yet, if we look closely at the stories of the Bible, we see that God often acted in unexpected ways. So as we look towards the celebration of an unwed mother giving birth to a son in a stable, because a government edict forced her to leave family and friends to be registered in her fiancé’s hometown, a town not prepared for that many people all at once, we can see God at work doing amazing things in the most difficult circumstances. And we can rejoice.

The Scripture Readings are Isaiah 64: 1-9 and Mark 13: 24-27. In the Time for All Ages, I will look at the ways we need to “Get Ready!” My sermon is titled, “It’ll be different this year”

ADVENT AT SPIRIT WEST

ZOOM Coffee Hour – Sundays in Advent
One thing that people have said about church online, is that they miss the opportunity to chat with people over coffee after the service. Well, for the Sundays in Advent we are going to try a virtual coffee hour on ZOOM. At 11:30 am on each Sunday in Advent starting this Sunday, you can ZOOM in with others from the congregation for a visit over a cup of coffee (or tea, or whatever…). This is a trial, and if it is successful, we will continue it. You do not need to register in advance, just click on the link.So, starting on Sunday, November 29 at 11:30 am ZOOM to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85252850387?pwd=NmhhV0VvbjhEVERQajFDNm90cXpqdz09 for our coffee hour.

Advent Small Group Study – Now is the time
We will be having a virtual small group study on ZOOM on the four Wednesdays in December from 1:30 to 3:00 pm. The Study is called “Now is the Time.” The series begins by re-imagining the Advent and Christmas stories in the time of COVID-19 :

When Mary Couldn’t Hug Elizabeth.
When all Joseph Could Do was Dream.
When Angels Couldn’t Sing.
When Shepherds Were Sheltering in Place
When Borders Where Closed.

Registration is required for the study, so that I can send out the resource material each week. Just email me, swm@telus.net or call the church.

CHRISTMAS EVE AND CHRISTMAS EVE OFFERING
Our Worship Team at Spirit West will be creating a special Worship Video for Christmas Eve this year. It will be available on December 24. Part of the service will be by candlelight, so we would encourage you to have small candles available for each person in your household (maybe battery operated for young children).
In “normal” years when we gather at the church for Christmas Eve, we take up a special offering. For a number of years now this offering has been divided between the needs of Spirit West United Church and the No Room in the Inn program of the Edmonton and District Council of Churches. This year No Room in the Inn has chosen Catholic Social Services - La Salle Shelter and St Katharine Drexel Place for their 2020 campaign.This campaign focus is domestic violence and the need for women’s shelters. We are appealing for support of two of our women’s shelters, LaSalle Shelter and St. Katharine Drexel Place, which are in need of backyard upgrades so that the children in care can safely play outside on the properties:

La Salle Shelter, a second-stage shelter, annually helps more than 30 women and their children escape domestic violence, and transition into stable housing. La Salle shelters those who are fleeing abusive relationships, where they can stay for six months to one year.
St. Katharine Drexel Place supports dozens of women each year to stabilize their lives by helping them pursue career and educational goals, focus on family, and find permanent residence in the community. This is subsidized, transitional housing for women in crisis and their children. Clients are homeless, vulnerably-housed, or at risk of homelessness.

Please consider, if you are able, making a special “Christmas Offering” to Spirit West. These “Christmas Offerings” will again this year be divided equally between Spirit West and No Room in the Inn 2020. Your offering can be made by mailing a cheque to the church, dropping it at the church during office hours, of by etransfer to spiritw@telus.net. Please make sure to specify that this is your “Christmas Offering.” Christmas offerings will be accepted between December 1, 2020 and January 15, 2021.

SPIRIT WEST WORSHIP VIDEOS

Scripture Readers
Using the list of those who have volunteered to be Scripture readers, Norma has drawn up and sent out a schedule of readers for the next couple of months. If you have read scripture for one of the worship videos, you will be on the schedule and will have received a copy. Please confirm with Norma as soon as possible that you are available to do your reading. Readings can be recorded well in advance of the date required.

Sharing our Celebrations (note the submission deadline)
In this time when it is important for us to look for signs of hope and joy, opportunity is being given for you to share your celebrations (birthdays, anniversaries, new grandchildren etc) with the wider community. If you have a celebration you want to share please email swm@telus.net or phone the church. (must be sent in before noon on Thursday for inclusion on the Sunday) During the opening section or our Worship Video, I will announce celebrations that have been shared with me.

Prayer Requests If you have a prayer request that you would like included in the Prayers of the People that are part of our worship videos, your request needs to be into the church by Thursday at noon for inclusion on Sunday. The best way to send in your request is to email spiritwest.prayerchain@gmail.com. During the Prayers of the People, only the first name of individuals will be mentioned, and the specifics of request The prayer request are also forwarded to the Prayer Chain.

Greeters
We are continuing to invite members of the congregations to share virtual greetings as part of our Sunday Worship Video. It is a way for us to see each other. Bonnie C. is spearheading this program, and has been doing the recording. You may get a call from her asking if you want to be a “Greeter.” If you have not heard from Bonnie and want to be a greeter, you can call the church and your name will be given to Bonnie, or you can record you own greeting. Record a 10-30 second greeting on your phone (record in “landscape,” hold your phone horizontally, this way ‘---,’ not this way ‘I’) and email your video to swm@telus.net .

Feedback
I appreciate all the positive feedback that we have received about the Worship Videos. We (Margaret, Bonnie, Glenn, Paul W. and I) are trying our best to provide you with something that will assist you in your faith journey during this “crazy” time. We would also like to hear from you if you have suggestions on how we could make the videos better or more helpful (like Scripture readers, Greeters, music with the hymns …). Email your comments to me swm@telus.net or post them on our Facebook page.

YOUR BOTTLES FOR THE CHURCH
You may have bottles piling up for recycling. You can bring them to the church (or you can call for pick up). If you want to bring your bottles (and any other recyclable beverage containers) in during our office hours and put them directly in the Bottle Shed (by the garage), give us a call, and we can have the shed open for you. All money raised from the return of bottles goes towards paying down the principal on our mortgage.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We can now accept donations by eTransfer. The contact name for the eTransfer is Spirit West United Church, and the email address is spiritw@telus.net . If you include a security question with your eTransfer, please notify Norma at the church office by phone or email. And remember that if you are not on PAR(Pre-Authorized Remittance), you can also mail in cheques to the church office (Spirit West United Church, 7003 – 199 St. Edmonton, AB T5T 3A8, include your envelope number if you have one.) The church office is open and you can drop off your offering/donation in the offering plate just inside the front doors. You can also donate online, see ANOTHER WAY TO CONTRIBUTE… below.

Spirit West Prayer Chain
Prayer is important. We know that people still face challenges and difficulties not related to Covid-19, and we cannot forget them. Our Prayer Chain will continue to be active. If you have a prayer request, please send it to spiritwest.prayerchain@gmail.com. These requests will be shared regularly with the prayer chain and will form part of the Prayers of the People in our Sunday Worship.

ANOTHER WAY TO CONTRIBUTE FINANCIALLY TO SPIRIT WEST DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC
You are stuck home, Spirit West is not holding services, you are not on PAR, but you want to make a financial contribution to the work of Spirit West, because the church has bills to pay even when we are not gathering on Sunday.   Check out the online donation option on our website spiritwest.org and click on the Donate tab in the navigation bar.

SPIRIT WEST ONLINE!
Website: www.spiritwest.org
Facebook: Spirit West United Church and Friends of Spirit West Outreach
Instagram: spiritwestyeg
YouTube: Spirt West United Church, Edmonton

CHURCH OFFICE
The Spirit West Church office remains open.
Office hours
- Norma => Noon to 5:00 pm, Monday to Thursday
- Larry => 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesday to Friday
Larry
(Rev.) Larry K. Wright, CD, BA, MDiv
Minister
Spirit West United Church
780-481-1406
Spiritwest.minister@telus.net
Spiritwest.org

0 Comments

November 19, 2020 - the 36th Sunday in COVID-19 Isolation - Reign of Christ Sunday

11/19/2020

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Greetings,

This Sunday is the last in the Christian Year. We begin a New Year with the First Sunday of Advent on November 29. See the announcements below about things that are happening in Advent.

This Sunday – Reign of Christ
The Scripture Readings are Ezekiel 34: 11-16, 20-24 and Matthew 25: 31-46. In the Time for All Ages, I will talking asking “Can we do it?” My sermon is titled, “It’s Judgement Time!”

This Sunday, the last of the Christian Year, is a very special Sunday at Spirit West. As part of this Sunday’s worship video, you will be part of the first virtual Confirmation and Welcoming of New members to the Congregation. In this unique time we are constantly discovering new ways to continue to be the church and to grow individually and collectively.
So, Sunday, with its theme of Reign of Christ, or as it was once called Christ the King, is the culmination of the church year. What have we learned and experienced through the past year about God, about Jesus, about our faith, and about our world? And, what difference does it make? The scripture readings for this Sunday speak of judgement, a final judgement, and depending on who you are, can be good news or not. In the Gospel reading of Matthew, we see the “Son of Man” in glory pronouncing judgement on some confused people of all the nations. One group, called the sheep, are told to “inherit the kingdom prepared for you.” “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me” The other group, the goats, are told to depart “into the eternal fire.” “for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Both groups are confused, no one can remember doing or not doing these things to the “Son of Man,” to Jesus the Christ. The explanation is straightforward, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it (or did not do it) to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it (or did not do it) to me.” As we come to the end of one year, we reflect on whether our knowledge and love of God has made a difference not only to us but to the world.

ADVENT AT SPIRIT WEST (it starts next Sunday)

ZOOM Coffee Hour – Sundays in Advent
One thing that people have said about church online, is that they miss the opportunity to chat with people over coffee after the service. Well, for the Sundays in Advent we are going to try a virtual coffee hour on ZOOM. At 11:30 am on each Sunday in Advent, you can ZOOM in with others from the congregation for a visit over a cup of coffee (or tea, or whatever…). This is a trial, and if it is successful, we will continue it. You do not need to register in advance, just click on the link.So, starting on Sunday, November 29 at 11:30 am ZOOM to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85252850387?pwd=NmhhV0VvbjhEVERQajFDNm90cXpqdz09 for our coffee hour.

Advent Small Group Study – Now is the time
We will be having a virtual small group study on ZOOM on the four Wednesdays in December from 1:30 to 3:00 pm. The Study is called “Now is the Time.” The series begins by re-imagining the Advent and Christmas stories in the time of COVID-19 :

When Mary Couldn’t Hug Elizabeth.
When all Joseph Could Do was Dream.
When Angels Couldn’t Sing.
When Shepherds Were Sheltering in Place
When Borders Where Closed.

Registration is required for the study, so that I can send out the resource material each week. Just email me, swm@telus.net or call the church.

SPIRIT WEST WORSHIP VIDEOS
Scripture Readers
Using the list of those who have volunteered to be Scripture readers, Norma has drawn up and sent out a schedule of readers for the next couple of months. If you have read scripture for one of the worship videos, you will be on the schedule and will have received a copy. Please confirm with Norma as soon as possible that you are available to do your reading. Readings can be recorded well in advance of the date required.

Sharing our Celebrations (note the submission deadline)
In this time when it is important for us to look for signs of hope and joy, opportunity is being given for you to share your celebrations (birthdays, anniversaries, new grandchildren etc) with the wider community. If you have a celebration you want to share please email swm@telus.net or phone the church. (must be sent in before noon on Thursday for inclusion on the Sunday) During the opening section or our Worship Video, I will announce celebrations that have been shared with me.

Prayer Requests If you have a prayer request that you would like included in the Prayers of the People that are part of our worship videos, your request needs to be into the church by Thursday at noon for inclusion on Sunday. The best way to send in your request is to email spiritwest.prayerchain@gmail.com. During the Prayers of the People, only the first name of individuals will be mentioned, and the specifics of request The prayer request are also forwarded to the Prayer Chain.

Greeters
We are continuing to invite members of the congregations to share virtual greetings as part of our Sunday Worship Video. It is a way for us to see each other. Bonnie C. is spearheading this program, and has been doing the recording. You may get a call from her asking if you want to be a “Greeter.” If you have not heard from Bonnie and want to be a greeter, you can call the church and your name will be given to Bonnie, or you can record you own greeting. Record a 10-30 second greeting on your phone (record in “landscape,” hold your phone horizontally, this way ‘---,’ not this way ‘I’) and email your video to swm@telus.net .

Feedback
I appreciate all the positive feedback that we have received about the Worship Videos. We (Margaret, Bonnie, Glenn, Paul W. and I) are trying our best to provide you with something that will assist you in your faith journey during this “crazy” time. We would also like to hear from you if you have suggestions on how we could make the videos better or more helpful (like Scripture readers, Greeters, music with the hymns …). Email your comments to me swm@telus.net or post them on our Facebook page.

YOUR BOTTLES FOR THE CHURCH
You may have bottles piling up for recycling. You can bring them to the church (or you can call for pick up). If you want to bring your bottles (and any other recyclable beverage containers) in during our office hours and put them directly in the Bottle Shed (by the garage), give us a call, and we can have the shed open for you. All money raised from the return of bottles goes towards paying down the principal on our mortgage.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We can now accept donations by eTransfer. The contact name for the eTransfer is Spirit West United Church, and the email address is spiritw@telus.net . If you include a security question with your eTransfer, please notify Norma at the church office by phone or email. And remember that if you are not on PAR(Pre-Authorized Remittance), you can also mail in cheques to the church office (Spirit West United Church, 7003 – 199 St. Edmonton, AB T5T 3A8, include your envelope number if you have one.) The church office is open and you can drop off your offering/donation in the offering plate just inside the front doors. You can also donate online, see ANOTHER WAY TO CONTRIBUTE… below.

Spirit West Prayer Chain
Prayer is important. We know that people still face challenges and difficulties not related to Covid-19, and we cannot forget them. Our Prayer Chain will continue to be active. If you have a prayer request, please send it to spiritwest.prayerchain@gmail.com. These requests will be shared regularly with the prayer chain and will form part of the Prayers of the People in our Sunday Worship.

ANOTHER WAY TO CONTRIBUTE FINANCIALLY TO SPIRIT WEST DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC
You are stuck home, Spirit West is not holding services, you are not on PAR, but you want to make a financial contribution to the work of Spirit West, because the church has bills to pay even when we are not gathering on Sunday. Check out the online donation option on our website spiritwest.org and click on the Donate tab in the navigation bar.

SPIRIT WEST ONLINE!
Website: www.spiritwest.org
Facebook: Spirit West United Church and Friends of Spirit West Outreach
Instagram: spiritwestyeg
YouTube: Spirt West United Church, Edmonton

CHURCH OFFICE
The Spirit West Church office remains open.
Office hours
- Norma => Noon to 5:00 pm, Monday to Thursday
- Larry => 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesday to Friday
Larry
(Rev.) Larry K. Wright, CD, BA, MDiv
Minister
Spirit West United Church
780-481-1406
Spiritwest.minister@telus.net
Spiritwest.org

0 Comments

November 12, 2020 - the 24th Sunday after Pentecost and the 35th Sunday in COVID-1 Isolationy

11/19/2020

0 Comments

Greetings,
Just to let you know, Norma is on a bit of a break with her family, so this Thursday eMessage has been sent out by me unsupervised.
Don’t miss the announcements below about the Spirit West Women’s Group, and about our Bottle returns..

This Sunday – the 24th Sunday after Pentecost
The Scripture Readings are 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11 and Matthew 5: 14-30. In the Time for All Ages, I will talking asking “Can we do it?” My sermon is titled, “Have you got the talent?”

Believe it or not, this Sunday is the second last Sunday in the Christian Year. Our New Year begins with the First Sunday of Advent which is November 29 this year. The story in the Gospel reading for this Sunday is the parable of the talents. Now in Jesus day, talent had a very different meaning to what it is today. For Jesus and his contemporaries, a talent was a coin, money. So at the heart of the parable is a story about fiscal responsibility and return on investment. But throughout the history of the church, this parable has been understood to be about more that finances. It is part of the reason why for us, talent now means an innate or God given ability in a particular area. The message of the parable is clear, use your talents wisely. The concept of “Use it or lose it,” is apparently Biblical.

Zoom into the Spirit West Women’s Group
The Spirt West Women’s Group will be meeting Monday, November 16, 2020 at 7:00 pm by ZOOM. Please contact Cathy Sutherland cathy.sutherland.work@gmail.com or Margery Wright at margery.j.wright@gmail.com, so we have an idea of numbers and availability to Zoom.
If you have questions about how to set up Zoom, we will find someone to help, just let Margery or Cathy know.
If numbers are good we will consider having a second craft night on the first Monday in December.

YOUR BOTTLES FOR THE CHURCH – Update for Nov. 12
You may have bottles piling up for recycling. You can bring them to the church (or you can call for pick up). If you want to bring your bottles (and any other recyclable beverage containers) in during our office hours and put them directly in the Bottle Shed (by the garage), give us a call, and we can have the shed open for you. All money raised from the return of bottles goes towards paying down the principal on our mortgage. Don D. reports that the last Bottle run turned in $177.50 worth of bottles, bring the total for the year to $648.35

SPIRIT WEST WORSHIP VIDEOS

Scripture Readers
Using the list of those who have volunteered to be Scripture readers, Norma has drawn up and sent out a schedule of readers for the next couple of months. If you have read scripture for one of the worship videos, you will be on the schedule and will have received a copy. Please confirm with Norma as soon as possible that you are available to do your reading. Readings can be recorded well in advance of the date required.

Sharing our Celebrations (note the submission deadline)
In this time when it is important for us to look for signs of hope and joy, opportunity is being given for you to share your celebrations (birthdays, anniversaries, new grandchildren etc) with the wider community. If you have a celebration you want to share please email swm@telus.net or phone the church. (must be sent in before noon on Thursday for inclusion on the Sunday) During the opening section or our Worship Video, I will announce celebrations that have been shared with me.

Prayer Requests If you have a prayer request that you would like included in the Prayers of the People that are part of our worship videos, your request needs to be into the church by Thursday at noon for inclusion on Sunday. The best way to send in your request is to email spiritwest.prayerchain@gmail.com. During the Prayers of the People, only the first name of individuals will be mentioned, and the specifics of request The prayer request are also forwarded to the Prayer Chain.

Greeters
We are continuing to invite members of the congregations to share virtual greetings as part of our Sunday Worship Video. It is a way for us to see each other. Bonnie C. is spearheading this program, and has been doing the recording. You may get a call from her asking if you want to be a “Greeter.” If you have not heard from Bonnie and want to be a greeter, you can call the church and your name will be given to Bonnie, or you can record you own greeting. Record a 10-30 second greeting on your phone (record in “landscape,” hold your phone horizontally, this way ‘---,’ not this way ‘I’) and email your video to swm@telus.net .

Feedback
I appreciate all the positive feedback that we have received about the Worship Videos. We (Margaret, Bonnie, Glenn, Paul W. and I) are trying our best to provide you with something that will assist you in your faith journey during this “crazy” time. We would also like to hear from you if you have suggestions on how we could make the videos better or more helpful (like Scripture readers, Greeters, music with the hymns …). Email your comments to me swm@telus.net or post them on our Facebook page.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We can now accept donations by eTransfer. The contact name for the eTransfer is Spirit West United Church, and the email address is spiritw@telus.net . If you include a security question with your eTransfer, please notify Norma at the church office by phone or email. And remember that if you are not on PAR(Pre-Authorized Remittance), you can also mail in cheques to the church office (Spirit West United Church, 7003 – 199 St. Edmonton, AB T5T 3A8, include your envelope number if you have one.) The church office is open and you can drop off your offering/donation in the offering plate just inside the front doors. You can also donate online, see ANOTHER WAY TO CONTRIBUTE… below.

Spirit West Prayer Chain
Prayer is important. We know that people still face challenges and difficulties not related to Covid-19, and we cannot forget them. Our Prayer Chain will continue to be active. If you have a prayer request, please send it to spiritwest.prayerchain@gmail.com. These requests will be shared regularly with the prayer chain and will form part of the Prayers of the People in our Sunday Worship.

ANOTHER WAY TO CONTRIBUTE FINANCIALLY TO SPIRIT WEST DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC
You are stuck home, Spirit West is not holding services, you are not on PAR, but you want to make a financial contribution to the work of Spirit West, because the church has bills to pay even when we are not gathering on Sunday.   Check out the online donation option on our website spiritwest.org and click on the Donate tab in the navigation bar.

SPIRIT WEST ONLINE!
Website: www.spiritwest.org
Facebook: Spirit West United Church and Friends of Spirit West Outreach
Instagram: spiritwestyeg
YouTube: Spirt West United Church, Edmonton

CHURCH OFFICE
The Spirit West Church office remains open.
Office hours
- Norma => Noon to 5:00 pm, Monday to Thursday
- Larry => 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesday to Friday
Larry
(Rev.) Larry K. Wright, CD, BA, MDiv
Minister
Spirit West United Church
780-481-1406
Spiritwest.minister@telus.net
Spiritwest.org

0 Comments

November 5, 2020 - Remembrance Sunday and the 34th Sunday in Covid-19 Isolation

11/5/2020

0 Comments

Greetings,

The first item in today’s Thursday eMessage concerns our response to the alarming rise of cases of Covid-19 in our area, and to a letter that the Church received from Dr. Deena Hinshaw, Chief Medical Officer of Health, requesting the assistance of faith communities in contact tracing and Covid-19 spread reduction.

And don’t miss the announcement further down about the Spirit West Ladies Group.

SPIRIT WEST AND COVID-19 PRECAUTIONS
As you are no doubt aware the number of Covid-19 cases in Alberta has been rising dramatically since Thanksgiving. You may have also heard that many of the recent cases have origins that are “unknown,” The ability of our Health Services to follow-up on where an infection may have originated or to trace where someone with Covid-19 may have been while infectious is being stretched.
In an effort to do our part, our Church instituted a sign-in sheet for those coming into the building. This has been partially successful. It has been far too easy to just walk past the register if there is no one there to remind you to sign in. However, starting today:

The doors of the church will be locked. If you want to come into the building ring the doorbell, and you will be let in.
You will be directed to the sign-in register and the hand sanitizer
If you have a key, let yourself in, sign the register, sanitize your hands, and let the office know that you are in the building.
You are expected to be masked, it you don’t have a mask one will be provided.

In order to be as effective as possible, these procedures will apply to everyone, no matter the reason for your visit or how long you expect to be in the building.
These may seem somewhat drastic measures, but we have to do the best we can to protect ourselves and those in our community.
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

This Sunday – Remembrance Sunday

The Scripture Readings are Deuteronomy 4: 9-14, Psalm 78: 1-7 and John 15: 9-13. In the Time for All Ages, I will talking about “Stories” My sermon is titled, “Called to remember.”

This Sunday is, in Canada and much of the Commonwealth, the Sunday before Remembrance Day. As time has passed, fewer and fewer Canadians who were born in Canada have experienced the horror of war. Remembrance Day has in many parts of our society, become less significant. While Canadian soldiers were in Afghanistan, and we saw on television the Ramp Ceremonies and processions of hearses along the Highway of Heroes, some interest was rekindled. But the war was still something far from our day to day experience. But for many of our new Canadians, war is not distant or abstract, it has been a real part of their lives. It is probably why they moved or fled to Canada. I think one of the most important aspects of a day like Remembrance Day is the opportunity to tell the stories of why this day is set apart. In some ways it is like the commemoration of Passover in the Jewish community, when at the Seder meal a child asks, “Why is this night different from all other nights?” And then the story of Passover is told again. We need our stories, good, bad and ugly to remind us of who we are and where we have come from, and to help us move into the future with greater understanding. We are also starting to learn, that we have not heard all the stories of the people of our nation. We have not heard the stories of the First Nations, and we are beginning to understand that the stories of the experiences of our “minorities” have also not been heard. Have you ever had the experience of reading a book (a real book, no a kindle, kobo, or e-reader) and two pages are stuck together and at first you don’t notice. But somehow, after you turned the page, the story makes less sense, you can’t figure out why John is in the picture and Mary seems to have disappeared. And then you notice the stuck pages, peel them carefully apart, all becomes clear. We can’t let the pages of our stories get stuck together. This Remembrance Day, find a story to read and share about why “this day” is different from all others.

Zoom into the Spirit West Women’s Group
The Executive have had an initial Zoom meeting to discuss moving forward with some General Meetings over Zoom. This would include a meeting portion (business/education) and then a craft; kits for the craft would be prepared in advance and available for pick up at the church or delivery.
The tentative date chosen is Monday, November 16, 2020 at 7:00 pm. Please contact Cathy Sutherland cathy.sutherland.work@gmail.com or Margery Wright at margery.j.wright@gmail.com, so we have an idea of numbers and availability to Zoom.
If you have questions about how to set up Zoom, we will find someone to help, just let Margery or Cathy know.
If numbers are good we will consider having a second craft night on the first Monday in December.

SPIRIT WEST WORSHIP VIDEOS

Scripture Readers
Using the list of those who have volunteered to be Scripture readers, Norma has drawn up and sent out a schedule of readers for the next couple of months. If you have read scripture for one of the worship videos, you will be on the schedule and will have received a copy. Please confirm with Norma as soon as possible that you are available to do your reading. Readings can be recorded well in advance of the date required.

Sharing our Celebrations (note the submission deadline)
In this time when it is important for us to look for signs of hope and joy, opportunity is being given for you to share your celebrations (birthdays, anniversaries, new grandchildren etc) with the wider community. If you have a celebration you want to share please email swm@telus.net or phone the church. (must be sent in before noon on Thursday for inclusion on the Sunday) During the opening section or our Worship Video, I will announce celebrations that have been shared with me.

Prayer Requests If you have a prayer request that you would like included in the Prayers of the People that are part of our worship videos, your request needs to be into the church by Thursday at noon for inclusion on Sunday. The best way to send in your request is to email spiritwest.prayerchain@gmail.com. During the Prayers of the People, only the first name of individuals will be mentioned, and the specifics of request The prayer request are also forwarded to the Prayer Chain.

Greeters
We are continuing to invite members of the congregations to share virtual greetings as part of our Sunday Worship Video. It is a way for us to see each other. Bonnie C. is spearheading this program, and has been doing the recording. You may get a call from her asking if you want to be a “Greeter.” If you have not heard from Bonnie and want to be a greeter, you can call the church and your name will be given to Bonnie, or you can record you own greeting. Record a 10-30 second greeting on your phone (record in “landscape,” hold your phone horizontally, this way ‘---,’ not this way ‘I’) and email your video to swm@telus.net .

Feedback
I appreciate all the positive feedback that we have received about the Worship Videos. We (Margaret, Bonnie, Glenn, Paul W. and I) are trying our best to provide you with something that will assist you in your faith journey during this “crazy” time. We would also like to hear from you if you have suggestions on how we could make the videos better or more helpful (like Scripture readers, Greeters, music with the hymns …). Email your comments to me swm@telus.net or post them on our Facebook page.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We can now accept donations by eTransfer. The contact name for the eTransfer is Spirit West United Church, and the email address is spiritw@telus.net . If you include a security question with your eTransfer, please notify Norma at the church office by phone or email. And remember that if you are not on PAR(Pre-Authorized Remittance), you can also mail in cheques to the church office (Spirit West United Church, 7003 – 199 St. Edmonton, AB T5T 3A8, include your envelope number if you have one.) The church office is open and you can drop off your offering/donation in the offering plate just inside the front doors. You can also donate online, see ANOTHER WAY TO CONTRIBUTE… below.

YOUR BOTTLES FOR THE CHURCH
You may have bottles piling up for recycling. You can bring them to the church (or you can call for pick up). If you want to bring your bottles (and any other recyclable beverage containers) in during our office hours and put them directly in the Bottle Shed (by the garage), give us a call, and we can have the shed open for you. All money raised from the return of bottles goes towards paying down the principal on our mortgage.

Spirit West Prayer Chain
Prayer is important. We know that people still face challenges and difficulties not related to Covid-19, and we cannot forget them. Our Prayer Chain will continue to be active. If you have a prayer request, please send it to spiritwest.prayerchain@gmail.com. These requests will be shared regularly with the prayer chain and will form part of the Prayers of the People in our Sunday Worship.

ANOTHER WAY TO CONTRIBUTE FINANCIALLY TO SPIRIT WEST DURING A GLOBAL PANDEMIC
You are stuck home, Spirit West is not holding services, you are not on PAR, but you want to make a financial contribution to the work of Spirit West, because the church has bills to pay even when we are not gathering on Sunday.   Check out the online donation option on our website spiritwest.org and click on the Donate tab in the navigation bar.

SPIRIT WEST ONLINE!
Website: www.spiritwest.org
Facebook: Spirit West United Church and Friends of Spirit West Outreach
Instagram: spiritwestyeg
YouTube: Spirt West United Church, Edmonton

CHURCH OFFICE
The Spirit West Church office remains open.
Office hours
- Norma => Noon to 5:00 pm, Monday to Thursday
- Larry => 10:00 am to 5:00 pm, Tuesday to Friday

Larry
(Rev.) Larry K. Wright, CD, BA, MDiv
Minister
Spirit West United Church
780-481-1406
Spiritwest.minister@telus.net
Spiritwest.org

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