Greetings
YouTube Videos Worship Services – August 21 – in person worship service
To watch online, you will need to go to YouTube and google “Spirit West United Church”.
This action will bring you to the Spirit West United Church YouTube page.
Sunday, August 21, 2022 – the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Grace and peace be with you
Some of the first news stories I remember as a teen were the Berlin Wall coming down and the end of apartheid. To put a musical spin on it, the first song I ever danced to at a high school dance was ‘November Rain’ by Guns and Roses with the chorus lyrics – Nothing lasts forever, even cold November Rain. You can see a video with just lyrics above, or the official music video here – with a content warning for drug use mixed with Christian religious symbols – may be powerful, but not everyone’s cup of tea.
We have all lived through times of great change, especially in the past two and a half years. Many things we love have been put on hold, and we haven’t been able to grieve in the usual ways as we face all these changes. Many of us have found a mix of healthy and less than healthy ways to cope with these challenges.
This week’s scriptures also address facing times of great change – when the very rock we as people of faith often cling to – religious practice crumbled.
(Jeremiah 1: 4-10) Jeremiah predicted and then watched the fall of his civilization including its rich temple worship as an enemy army flattened the capitol and exiled the leadership and landholding classes far away, hoping they would blend into their empire. Jeremiah began as a prophet of doom, telling nobody what they wanted to hear, but his voice has also been a source of strength as his people rebuilt generations later. They rebuilt their religion on the written word, which included rich practices that continue to this day of laying aside one day of the week when they refuse to work and insist on celebrating the blessings of God in their lives. I follow a few rabbis on twitter, (Rabbi Danya is my favourite) and their weekly reminders on Friday afternoon to remember our blessings and take time to honour the sacred are a gift to all of us.
Jesus taught in the time just before the temple was again destroyed, and Luke wrote his gospel after that great upheaval. Our story from Luke this week(13:10-17) is the last time Jesus teaches in a synagogue in Luke because he challenges the cornerstone of his own religion- the Sabbath. Luke remembers this story for his people as the conflict between those Jews who followed Jesus and those who did not was driving them from the synagogues. They are trying to understand how Jesus can bring healing to their lives- help them stand up straight – even when their normal religious practice just isn’t working the same as it always has.
The world has changed before, and it will change again. The Christianity that many of us grew up with has been changing for a long time, and the pandemic sped up that change. We are in the time of new birth and new growth, and we don’t know what it looks like, but we do know that God is constant in love and will continue to support us as we embrace new realities.
With the kids this week, we are looking at the importance of building our faith on a firm foundation, so we will read the story of the three little pigs.
Minister on the Porch
I’m going to be sitting on the porch
Friday from 1-4 PM
Saturday from 10-2.
I hope to see you there.
Visits
I can visit in hospitals, care facilities and other institutions by invitation only, so if you or a friend or loved one would like a visit, please invite me. I’m also glad to visit you in your home or on your porch or balcony or meet you at your favourite coffee shop, on the phone, or on your video conferencing platform. I have time set aside to see you Wednesday-Sunday, 9-9, and am always on call for emergencies.
(Rev) Eli Carter-Morgan (they/them)
Spirit West United Church
Proud to share the land through Treaty 6
GARAGE SALE – September 24 – We need volunteers and donations!
We will be holding our first garage sale, since the pandemic, on September 24! Start saving your items now and bring them to the church during the week before the sale. Items to donate include:
DRIVERS NEEDED
We have several people in our congregation who would love to come back to in-person worship but can no longer drive so are unable to get here easily. If you need a ride or if you can offer a ride to someone, please email the church or, if you prefer, call the office (noon to 5pm, Monday to Thursday).
SPIRIT WEST PRAYER CHAIN
Prayer is important. We know that people face challenges and difficulties and we cannot forget them. Our Prayer Chain continues 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 may form part of the Prayers of the People in our Sunday Worship.
Please remember to have people removed from the prayer chain if the prayers are no longer needed.
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 and interest on our mortgage.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We can 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 of the answer.
- 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. NW 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 or place it in the mailbox.
- You can also donate online by checking 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 is open.
- Norma => Noon to 5:00pm, Monday to Thursday
Thank you,
Norma Balcombe
Office Administrator
Spirit West United Church
7003 - 199st.NW Edmonton, AB T5T 3A8
phone: (780) 481-1406
email: spiritw@telus.net
website: www.spiritwest.org
YouTube Videos Worship Services – August 21 – in person worship service
To watch online, you will need to go to YouTube and google “Spirit West United Church”.
This action will bring you to the Spirit West United Church YouTube page.
Sunday, August 21, 2022 – the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
Grace and peace be with you
Some of the first news stories I remember as a teen were the Berlin Wall coming down and the end of apartheid. To put a musical spin on it, the first song I ever danced to at a high school dance was ‘November Rain’ by Guns and Roses with the chorus lyrics – Nothing lasts forever, even cold November Rain. You can see a video with just lyrics above, or the official music video here – with a content warning for drug use mixed with Christian religious symbols – may be powerful, but not everyone’s cup of tea.
We have all lived through times of great change, especially in the past two and a half years. Many things we love have been put on hold, and we haven’t been able to grieve in the usual ways as we face all these changes. Many of us have found a mix of healthy and less than healthy ways to cope with these challenges.
This week’s scriptures also address facing times of great change – when the very rock we as people of faith often cling to – religious practice crumbled.
(Jeremiah 1: 4-10) Jeremiah predicted and then watched the fall of his civilization including its rich temple worship as an enemy army flattened the capitol and exiled the leadership and landholding classes far away, hoping they would blend into their empire. Jeremiah began as a prophet of doom, telling nobody what they wanted to hear, but his voice has also been a source of strength as his people rebuilt generations later. They rebuilt their religion on the written word, which included rich practices that continue to this day of laying aside one day of the week when they refuse to work and insist on celebrating the blessings of God in their lives. I follow a few rabbis on twitter, (Rabbi Danya is my favourite) and their weekly reminders on Friday afternoon to remember our blessings and take time to honour the sacred are a gift to all of us.
Jesus taught in the time just before the temple was again destroyed, and Luke wrote his gospel after that great upheaval. Our story from Luke this week(13:10-17) is the last time Jesus teaches in a synagogue in Luke because he challenges the cornerstone of his own religion- the Sabbath. Luke remembers this story for his people as the conflict between those Jews who followed Jesus and those who did not was driving them from the synagogues. They are trying to understand how Jesus can bring healing to their lives- help them stand up straight – even when their normal religious practice just isn’t working the same as it always has.
The world has changed before, and it will change again. The Christianity that many of us grew up with has been changing for a long time, and the pandemic sped up that change. We are in the time of new birth and new growth, and we don’t know what it looks like, but we do know that God is constant in love and will continue to support us as we embrace new realities.
With the kids this week, we are looking at the importance of building our faith on a firm foundation, so we will read the story of the three little pigs.
Minister on the Porch
I’m going to be sitting on the porch
Friday from 1-4 PM
Saturday from 10-2.
I hope to see you there.
Visits
I can visit in hospitals, care facilities and other institutions by invitation only, so if you or a friend or loved one would like a visit, please invite me. I’m also glad to visit you in your home or on your porch or balcony or meet you at your favourite coffee shop, on the phone, or on your video conferencing platform. I have time set aside to see you Wednesday-Sunday, 9-9, and am always on call for emergencies.
(Rev) Eli Carter-Morgan (they/them)
Spirit West United Church
Proud to share the land through Treaty 6
GARAGE SALE – September 24 – We need volunteers and donations!
We will be holding our first garage sale, since the pandemic, on September 24! Start saving your items now and bring them to the church during the week before the sale. Items to donate include:
- Household items such as Dishes, glasses, pots & pans, small appliances
- Furniture
- Memorabilia
- Books, games, CDs
- Linens
- Jewellery
- Tools
- Toys
- Set up
- Price items
- Floor salespeople
- Cashiers
- takedown
DRIVERS NEEDED
We have several people in our congregation who would love to come back to in-person worship but can no longer drive so are unable to get here easily. If you need a ride or if you can offer a ride to someone, please email the church or, if you prefer, call the office (noon to 5pm, Monday to Thursday).
SPIRIT WEST PRAYER CHAIN
Prayer is important. We know that people face challenges and difficulties and we cannot forget them. Our Prayer Chain continues 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 may form part of the Prayers of the People in our Sunday Worship.
Please remember to have people removed from the prayer chain if the prayers are no longer needed.
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 and interest on our mortgage.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
We can 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 of the answer.
- 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. NW 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 or place it in the mailbox.
- You can also donate online by checking 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 is open.
- Norma => Noon to 5:00pm, Monday to Thursday
Thank you,
Norma Balcombe
Office Administrator
Spirit West United Church
7003 - 199st.NW Edmonton, AB T5T 3A8
phone: (780) 481-1406
email: spiritw@telus.net
website: www.spiritwest.org
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