YouTube Videos Worship Services – February 13 (no in-person service)
To watch online, you will need to:
- click on this link https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrJQ5ljHCSPBV3F8TmIhvVA OR
- go to YouTube and google Spirit West United Church.
The service for this Sunday will be available early Sunday morning.
Sunday, February 13, 2022 – The Sixth Sunday after Epiphany
How might God’s blessings bring God’s reign into the world now? How do we bear the fruit of God’s blessings?
These are the readings we will hear in this week’s worship service, for the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany. The word “epiphany” means “revelation” or “manifestation.” The scripture readings for this Season after Epiphany focus on how God is being revealed in the world.
• From the Prophets: Jeremiah 17:5-10 (Blessed are those who trust in God)
Jeremiah brought his message from God to the people of the southern kingdom of Judah, around the time of the fall of Jerusalem in 587 BC. After the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, most of the able-bodied people were taken away into exile in Babylon. It was a time of turmoil and upheaval on all levels,– social, political, economic, and theological.
• From the Gospels: Luke 6:17-26 (Blessings and woes)
This week’s reading from Luke’s Gospel will remind us of the Beatitudes, from the Sermon on the Mount, in chapters 5 to 7 of Matthew’s Gospel. However, in Luke, the setting is a “level place” (Lk. 6:17). Luke’s version includes a list of woes, in contrast to the blessings.
Desert people can really hear the metaphor in verses Jeremiah 17:7-8. The tree planted by the water bearing good fruit is a repeated image in the Bible (see Psalm 1), with good reason. Water is a scarce commodity in the Middle East. Desert dwellers,– animals, people and plants,– need to know where the water is, and how to hold onto that water to survive until the next rain or the next trip to the well. Humans can live without food for weeks, but only two or three days without water. How does this image inform our faith today?
General Council
This year, the 44th meeting of the General Council of The United Church of Canada (GC44) will take place fully online, commencing on February 13 and ending in August (with breaks!). The meeting will elect the next Moderator on July 22. To follow what’s happening with the 44th General Council, check out https://generalcouncil44.ca/ or #mod43prayer #gc44 #uccan.
Looking Ahead
The Season of Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, which falls on March 2 this year. A calendar of daily readings, along with suggestions for spiritual exercises and devotions, will be sent out by email on February 24. If you would rather pick up a printed version, or have one mailed out, please contact Norma in the Church Office before that date.
Stuart
FROM THE PASTORAL SEARCH COMMITTEE *** We Have Found A Minister ***
We have a found a new minister. We will have a congregational meeting on February 15, 2022 at 7:00 pm. The meeting will be on Zoom. We will have an information and question period and then vote on the potential candidate. The ZOOM invitation will be sent to you on February 14 and again on February 15, (in case you misplace the first one)! We hope to see you all there.
2022 OFFERING ENVELOPES
For those of you who use the offering envelopes, they are now available at the church. You can come pick them up during office hours. Or, if you prefer, we can have yours delivered or mailed to you. Just let me know!
2021 TAX RECEIPTS
The 2021 tax receipts were mailed on February 7th so you should receive yours soon.
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 continues to be active. If you have a prayer request, please send it to [email protected]. 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 now accept donations by eTransfer. The contact name for the eTransfer is Spirit West United Church, and the email address is [email protected] . 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. 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.
- 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 remains open.
- Stuart => 9:30am to 2:30pm, Tuesday and Thursday
- 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: [email protected]
website: www.spiritwest.org