Dear First Friends,

I couldn't help but share this quote by Jessica Harrelson:

"Spring adds new life and beauty to all that is."

and this one by Rachel Carson,

"There is something infinitely healing in the repeated refrains of nature- the assurance that dawn comes after night and spring after winter."

They speak to my soul. What speaks to yours in the springtime?

Lynne

Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday Services are both in-person and online. For detailed information please click on the button below

Here are the the highlights from the Minister of Worship and Pastoral Care. Click the button below for all the details along with links

Saturday Night, April 16 ~ Easter Vigil at 8 PM 

Sunday Morning, April 17 at 10:30 ~ Easter Worship &Communion at 10:30

Tuesday, April 19 at 2 PM on Zoom ~ Caring Community ~ 

Tuesday, April 19 from 10:00 to 12:00 ~ Stringing the Cranes 

Saturday, April 23 at 10:00 ~ Hanging the Cranes 

Sunday, April 24 Worship at 10:30 AM ~ Earth Day Sunday

Sign the Petitions !

A Request from the Pastoral Care Committee 

A Good Goodbye 

Pastoral Care

Please click on the button below to see all the details!

The Transition Team is working in conjunction with Church Board and a few other lay volunteers to compose The Living Faith Story for First United and fill out other portions of the Congregational Profile (such as demographic and financial information) which are required by Western Ontario Waterways Region in order to approve a vacancy for a new ministry position.  We are also beginning to work with a few others on drafting a job description for a new minister.  We hope to have this work completed in early May for Board approval so it can then be shared with the congregation for approval and then passed onto the Region.  That will enable us to hold to the timeline of appointing and selecting a Search Team for a new minister by June of this year.

We thank you for your ongoing prayers and support for us as we carry out this work.

Cathie Stewart Savage, Shirley Irish, Mary Joan Brooker, Debora Smith, Greg Case, Harry Disher, Carol Stephenson (Regional Representative)

Please watch for announcements in the coming weeks for these events:

May 8-June 19 Marillac Baby Bottle Campaign

All Sundays in May Food Drive

Community Garden will be starting up soon

A fresh look at the orange ribbons

COMPASS REFUGEE CENTRE AND UKRAINE

FREE CLOTHING at 16 William St. W. Waterloo

Spring cleaning, by chance?

Any books that you'd like to pass on?

Our Little Libraries would be happy to house your books to share with the community!

We accept all books(in good shape) except religious ones and textbooks. We are especially in need of books for children and youth!  (Hint: Maybe your neighbours have some if you don't.) Books should be taken to the church and dropped off upstairs in the Youth Room (at the top of the stairs).

Many thanks from all the readers who stop by to all who share!

Any questions? Give Lynne Blake-Dickson a call.

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, Translated by Henning Koch

A grumpy yet loveable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

On Thursday May 12,

Please bring your donations of clothing, linens, shoes, boots, purses, jewelry, books, bikes, records, DVDs, CDs, small appliances and electronics, kitchenware, toys, games, puzzles, baby items, and decorative items for the house to Hillard Hall.

Larger household items to The Chapel.

Vintage items and Art Work to The Parlour

Plants to The Narthex.

We are hoping to hang the banner from FaithClimateJustice WR very soon. On April 24^th our speaker will be Henriette Thompson, from FCJ. In the meantime, there is much more information available on the folly of continuing the use of fossil fuels. An interview on CBC The Current with Bill McKibben, founder of 350.org, is worth listening to. 

https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-march-18-2022-1.6388332 It is at the beginning of the program, so no need to listen to the whole thing.

More information is in an op-ed McKibben wrote with Svetlana Romanko, a climate activist in Ukraine, about calling on banks to stop funding fossil fuels. 

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2022-03-09/ukraine-war-russia-oil-gas-banks-climatechange

A final quote from that op-ed:

Ukraine is in the crosshairs now, but we all share a planet that we must protect. These hideous days represent a decision point for the world, perhaps the last one we’re going to get. The most powerful forces on the globe may be its giant banks — they’re the “capital” in capitalism. As they go, so goes our Earth, the countries that it comprises, and the world’s people that increasingly live in fear.

I get this information from Grant Birks, of Knox Presbyterian Church, who issues a Climate Bulletin, full of information on the fight against climate disaster, and ‘what-can-I-do’ suggestions. Join in local rallies, write letters, become informed. Imagine a better world, where the “Just Transition” our government talks about becomes real. We owe it to our children/grandchildren.

ACT NOW, as our new banner will declare.

Sunday April 24^th , 2022 – Rev. Rose Ann Vita

At 10:30 am  - Theme ‘This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it’

Sunday May 1^st, 2022 –  Rev. Harry Disher  

At 10:30 am – Theme ‘Praise Be To God’

You can always view the weekly service by going to the webpage each Sunday morning, or you can see previous live streams at firstunitedchurch.ca/live.

For Pastoral Care - Please contact Rev. Rose Ann Vita (647-763-0101) or the office (519745-8487 ext. 201) or the Rev. Harry Disher (519-860-9198) for Pastoral Care Emergencies.

Rev. Disher will be on STUDY LEAVE from April 18 through April 24.  If you have a pastoral care need or emergency during that time please contact Rev. Rose Ann Vita.

Interested in Membership? Or in knowing more about the United Church of Canada? Just contact Rev. Harry Disher (revharryd@gmail.com) or Rev. Rose Ann Vita (rose.ann.vita2@gmail.com). They will be happy to find a time to have a conversation with you.

WAYS TO DONATE TO FIRST UNITED

You can get your offering to the church office in several ways:

  You can use PAR, or

  E transfer to firstunitedchurch@rogers.com, or

  Website donation to www.firstunitedchurch.ca, or

  Send a cheque to First United Church, 16 William St. West, Waterloo ON N2L1J3, or

  Drop a cheque into the mailbox located at the Entrance on William St. side.

**Just a reminder- credit card companies have a fee of around 3-5%. If you wish the church to get the full amount, then please add that % to your contribution. **

Stewardship/Finance

The Special Envelopes for Easter this year are designated for:

Supportive Housing Of Waterloo – who provides housing and support to those who have experienced homelessness and encounter barriers to achieving their fundamental right to safe and affordable housing.

Community Justice Initiatives – who provide conflict resolution services, support for people impacted by sexual trauma, assistance for families involved with child protection, reintegration support for adults returning to the community from prison or custody, and integration support for new Canadian youth.

These organizations in our community do great work on our behalf and we hope that you can show your support if you are able.

Thank you!!

Nancy Lennox 

FRIDAY LETTER

The Friday Letter will continue but will not be produced every Friday. It will be produced every two weeks. In the table below are the dates for the Friday Letter. We are also including the dates when we would like to receive articles for these letters.

NOTE:  Please send Word documents only for contributions to the Friday Letter.  Please no posters just the information from the poster.  Thank you.

OUR FAREWELL TO THE REV. ROSE ANN VITA

As many of you know Rose Ann is leaving us to move back to the United States. This is a joyful and sorrowful time for Rose Ann and for us as well. Her last Sunday with us is May 15^th, 2022. We would like to celebrate her time with us on that day.

We would also like to collect some money for a farewell gift for Rose Ann. If you would like to contribute you can make your donation one of three ways:    

Cheque payable to First On Stage indicating on the cheque that it is a gift for Rose Ann – so there is no confusion with the Easter dinner. The cheque can be mailed to the office or dropped in the outside mailbox or dropped off at the office. 

E-Transfer to giftingatfirst@gmail.com. 

Cash donation you can drop off at the office in an envelope marked ‘Gift for Rose Ann’.

COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Reconciliation between settlers and Indigenous peoples.

This video is the 2nd one in a series 8th Fire. For learning about Indigenous issues. I think it is important for us to watch and see how other communities are making reconciliation efforts. It is a hopeful picture.

https://www.coursera.org/lecture/aboriginal-education/8th-fire-episode-2-its-time-dY3WR?utm_source=link&utm_medium=page_share&utm_content=vlp&utm_campaign=top_button