Westworth United Church

Congregational Email

Nov. 19, 2020

Dear Congregants,

These are difficult times as we move into yet further restrictions. I must admit some relief, as this is what the doctors have been asking for some time. There is now more clarity as well as compassionate exceptions for essential support. I also recognize that it is easier for me with a partner than for those who live alone. I’m grateful that the government has recognized this and allowed a small bubble of one person who lives alone to be with one other person.

As we retreat further into our cocoons, we need to give ourselves extra breaks, take naps, allow more time to accomplish things and recognize that the stress affects our bodies, minds, emotions and spirits. This is not the time to push ourselves or others.

Here are some things that are helping me these days:

• 20 minute meditation at the beginning and at the end of each day (if you’re interested in knowing more about how to do this, please let me know)
• Walking at least ½ hour each day
• Having Zoom dinners with friends and family
• Taking 3 deep breaths whenever I feel the anxiety start to mount

What is helping you? I invite you to email me what you have found helpful and I will add them to next week’s email. I would love for us to learn from each other and be inspired to move into better physical, mental, emotional and spiritual health.

If you are finding yourself reaching a breaking point, please call me or someone else sooner than later. I work largely from home these days and can be reached by email westworthminister@gmail.com or phone (204) 775-8817. There is help available. You don’t have to tough it out on your own.

This coming Sunday’s service will include a new member liturgy where we will welcome two new members to Westworth—great to have good news in the midst of discouragement. They introduce themselves further down in this email. To celebrate Karla’s and Jan’s memberships, please send me email me messages of welcome that I can forward to them.

I pray that we will continue to make the best of the situation, not try to push the limits, and give these new restrictions time to effect a decrease in infections and deaths. It is essential that we all pull together. I believe that we can do it.

Remember—God is with us. We are not alone. God will bring us through. As sure as trees endure a winter and burst forth with new spring life, there will be an end to this pandemic and we will emerge wiser and kinder. This is my prayer.

Loraine

 

Sunday School News

This week’s Sunday school lesson on The Battle of Jericho has been sent by e-mail, it includes all the age groups from N/K to G5/6, with the activity sheets.

If you need a printed copy of the curriculum, please let me know at churchschool@westworth.ca.

The Sunday school teachers will be on Zoom this Sunday from 10.15am-10.40am to chat with you. Then join Loraine for the online service following Zoom Sunday school.

This week’s bible story read by Julia and The Lord’s Prayer read by Danielle, your Sunday school teachers are on the Westworth Face Book page for you to view, there is also a link in the CE drop down menu on our web site.

Advent is coming!  Christian Education Outreach will be delivering special packages to Sunday school children’s homes to celebrate Advent with a craft and activity sheets.

There will also be a Xmas designed package for you to join us for Community Connections Zoom Advent Cafe on December 4^th at 7pm-8pm.

Drink hot chocolate, eat a festive Rice Krispie square and join in as Julia shows us how to make an Advent bird ornament. All supplies provided by C.E.

Listen to ‘Hope is a Star’- a Sunday school favourite on our Westworth Face book page sung by Emily C., and a second version  played by instrumentalist Kelsey N.

Maggie

 

New Members

At the upcoming worship service on Nov. 22, we will be welcoming two new members via Zoom: Karla F. and Jan M.. They have each written the following introductions for you to begin to know them. A warm welcome to Karla & Jan!

Karla F.

My name is Karla Farstad and I was born and raised in Winnipeg.  I grew up in Windsor Park until I moved to River Heights where I have found my “happy place”.  I am a Registered Nurse who has a Masters of Nursing Degree.  I now say I am retired from full time work as I still work casual.  During this pandemic I have worked much more than casual as “once a nurse always a nurse “ as the saying goes.
I love to travel and enjoy garage sales, antiques,  knitting, and spending time with family and friends. I want to say that my first year at Westworth has been a very positive experience and have felt very welcome and I hope to enjoy many more years together in this congregation.

 

Jan M.

I am a mother, grandmother, soon to be great-grandmother, and retired teacher. I moved to our home on Lindsay Street in 1993, and attended Westworth for a few years back then. When I met my husband, Jim, in 1999, we kept the house on Lindsay Street but officially moved to his home on Lake Winnipeg, 10 miles north of Gimli. When we sold our lake home two years ago we moved back to Lindsay Street full time.

Our move back to the city enabled me to begin to attend services at Westworth again. And true to form, Westworth has made me feel so welcome. I have met many of you and hope to meet many more when we can finally be together again. I know you will help me to become a contributing member of the congregation. Thank you for making me feel so welcome.

Christmas Baking Fund Raiser

Thanks to everyone who supported our Christmas Baking Fund Raiser.  We sold 75 dozen dainties and with a very generous donation, we raised $621.00.  We appreciate all your support.

Linda P. and Cathy M.

 

Update

I thought I would send an update to those who have been following the exciting adventures of my broken foot (Aug 23rd start to the tale).  I was in a cast for 8 – 9 weeks and a “boot” for just over two weeks.  (Fortunately, two people loaned me boots, so I didn’t need to add to the plastic consumption on the planet.)  I am now walking short, careful distances at about 1/3 my usual speed.  I am also able to drive, which makes appointments much easier.  MANY THANKS to the grapevine and resulting phone calls, cards, and offers of transportation, help with groceries, delivered (and “gift card”) meals, yard work and concern.  Andrea F.

 

Christmas Cheer Board knitting is now due. Please call to arrange drop off of your knitting by Nov. 25. New wool will be available shortly.

Westworth: Anti-Racist as part of our Affirming Identity?

The Affirming Committee is offering a follow-up discussion to the Interfaith Responses to Racism series. Please mark your calendars for Monday, November 30 at 7:00pm. This discussion via Zoom is intended for all members of the congregation. Bring your ideas about how to become a more welcoming congregation to all people, including Black people, Indigenous people and people of colour, inclusive of all gender identities and sexual orientations. If you’ve attended the interfaith sessions, we hope you’ll come and share what you’ve learned. A Zoom link will be sent to everyone who registered for our Interfaith Anti-Racism series. However, if were not able to attend the series, please still consider attending this one evening and let the office know so that we can send you the Zoom link.

Email Scams

Please beware of any emails requesting money or gift cards purchases supposedly sent by staff. If you receive a suspicious email, please look carefully at the email address. If you don’t recognize it, please delete the email without clicking on links.

Search is on for new Office Administrator
As some members of the congregation are aware, Heather L. has made the decision to retire at the end of January 2021. Heather has served as Westworth’s Office Administrator for 14 years and we know we are going to miss her. While we will be challenged to appropriately recognize Heather’s contribution amid pandemic restrictions, creative ideas are already being generated. Stay tuned.

The Ministry and Personnel Committee is also starting the work to find a replacement for Heather. Advertising for the position will be going out in the coming weeks. The committee is also aware that recommendations from congregants can often be helpful in finding staff who are well aligned to Westworth’s values. Therefore, we are asking that if any members of the congregation have recommendations of people who might be interested in filling this important role, please reach out to one of the members of the Ministry and Personnel Committee. We will then be able to share the position description and other details about the role with anyone who might be interested.

The current members of the Ministry and Personnel Committee are Paul C., Arlene H., Brett L. and Janice N.

OPPORTUNITIES!

What part are you called to play in the life of the Westworth congregation?  What gifts, skills and time do you have to share?  The Westworth Leadership Team has several places for you to share those gifts and skills to support and enrich the life of our congregation.  For general information about each position, please see the Westworth Manual http://westworth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Manual-copy-January-2019-Final-version-2.pdf

Please take time to consider if now is the time for you to make a difference and let us know – it is really hard, in this strange time, to know what you might be available for…  If you know of someone who might consider a leadership position, please contact Pat Stephenson, Council Chair, (431)374-8383

• Vice-Chair of Council to start after the 2020 Annual General Meeting. This position leads into becoming Chair of Council in 2021. Questions? Please call Pat S., Council Chair, (431)374-8383.
• Secretary for Council to start after the 2020 Annual General Meeting. Questions?  Please call Pat S., Council Chair, (431)374-8383 or Barb M., Council Secretary, (204)488-0853.
• Leader/Leaders for the Christian Education Ministry Team. This Team creates faith-building adventures and opportunities for our children and youth and is supported by Maggie Barnett.  We would like to fill this position as soon as   Questions?  Please call Dianne S., (204)771-5860
• Leader/Leaders for the Property Ministry Team. This Team sets priorities for the care and maintenance of the spaces and property where we love to gather and carries out that care with the support of the Office Administrator, maintenance assistance and volunteers.  We would like to fill this position as soon as possible.  Questions?  Please call Eunice P., (204)488-8835
• Leader/Leaders for the Community Care Ministry Team. This Team cares about building and sustaining our relationships within the congregation.  They encourage and support us all as we reach out to each other and have some fun along the way. This position starts in 2021. Questions?  Please call Jennifer S., (204)489-3365.

What else can we do, as congregation members?  Consider what you love to do.  Perhaps it is walking, running, bike riding, reading books, connecting with someone for supper (maybe on Zoom!), creating stories for children, examining justice issues, helping with computer communications or social media how-tos…  If others are interested, would you be interested in joining with them to form a small group for a short time or long time.  What are you interested in that you would like to share with someone else?  Let us know and let’s see what we can arrange.  Get in touch with a Council member or Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd.  Thanks for thinking about this!

Dr. Douglas M.  Since July, he has been taking a daily walk around his Tuxedo neighbourhood with the goal of travelling 96 kilometres and raising $100,000 for the Manitoba Opera, the Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra — all organizations of which MacEwan is a longtime patron.

On Remembrance Day — his 96th birthday — he crossed the finish line and surpassed both his goals by walking 109 km and raising more than $123,000. “I am very happy to have reached my goal and to have inspired others to donate to the campaign,” Douglas said in a media release. “And to have been joined on my daily walks by so many artists and other hard-working members of our artistic community was such a treat.”

“Dr. M.’s initiative was really about the value he sees that the arts have played in the community and in his life,” said Larry Desrochers, Manitoba Opera’s general director and chief executive officer. “And to know that there are other people out there who really value the work that these organizations do in the community, (even if) it’s a difficult time right now.”

 OUTREACH

2. West Broadway Community Ministry:
3. Lunches: All guests at West Broadway continue to be served a nourishing lunch Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays through the window on Broadway. Your Outreach Team asks that the congregation continue generous support for the lunch program that Westworth will continue to offer on a monthly basis. The cost of each month’s lunch is approximately $250. and so your donation to assist with the lunch program is gratefully received! Cheques may be sent to the Westworth office with the memo line indicating “WBCM lunches”.
4. West Broadway Community Ministry (WBCM) Emergency Pantry: As the building remains closed, weekly donations of food, toiletries and feminine hygiene products cannot be placed in the WB Buckets, please consider making a donation to the purchasing of food and supplies for the pantry. Cheques to Westworth with “WBCM Pantry” on the memo line are gratefully received!
5. Turkeys for Rossbrook House: Wow! Thirteen turkeys offered — only TWO spots left! Will you be one of the two?? It’s that time of year again when good folks from Westworth prepare turkeys for use at Rossbrook House. Hot turkey sandwiches are provided at the drop-in during the Christmas break. Clearly things are a little different this year. At their request we will reduce the number of turkeys to fifteen. What is required?
6. Cook, slice and freeze your turkey in a well-sealed foil pan suitable for re-heating. 2. Prepare and freeze gravy in a container which you do not expect to get back. 3. Allan and Dan will arrange pick-up on Monday December 21 afternoon and evening. They will call you on Sunday to confirm pick-up. To take advantage of this wonderful opportunity call Allan M. at 204-269-5292 or e-mail at admckay@shaw.ca
7. Place mat Fund-Raiser for 1JustCity: The Trinity Sew and Sew Quilters are selling beautiful placemats on – line via the Trinity United Church website from November 7, to November 28. All  proceeds of this sale will go to 1Just City.  All place mats have been photographed and numbered and the pictures are on the Trinity United Church web site.
8. Go to Trinity United Church website  https://trinityunitedwinnipeg.com/
9. Under the “Adult Activities” tab, scroll down to “Quilting Group”

3. View the wonderful array of place mats that have been made this year, and make your choices.

4. Phone (204) 269-0631and either:
5. a) talk to the person answering to give your nameand phone number, and the numbers of your selections; or
6.           b) leave the information in a clear message on the machine—remember to speak clearly and slowly when you leave your message (your name, phone number and the numbers of your selections).
7. Come to the church (933 Summerside Ave, Winnipeg) on Tuesday November 10, 17, 24, December 1, or Thursday November 12, 19, 26 from 10:00 am to noon.  (If you need alternate arrangements for delivery, please phone the church.)

6.Pay for your selections — by cheque payable to Trinity Sew and Sews, and collect the place mats.

7.Enjoy your place mats, or wrap them up as a gift for someone your care about so they can enjoy them and think of you each time they use them!  J

Thank you for supporting our Christmas fund-raiser!

 

4. New Gifts with Vision Catalogue Has Launched! Have you ordered you gifts yet?

A new year of giving through Gifts with Vision has begun! There are lots of great new gifts for our partners in Canada and across the world, along with some of your favourite projects from previous catalogues. The world has changed so much since this time last year, and some of the new gifts reflect that, showing how our partners are responding to the pandemic. Your gifts bring help to those who need it most. Shop the Gifts with Vision catalogue and help save and transform lives!