“The Spirit” North Kildonan United Church

February 2020

Happy New Year Is welcoming the New Year a good thing for you? Do you feel renewed and full of anticipation

for the future? Has this past year been a blessing for you and those around you?

Deuteronomy 30:19 says “today I have given you the choice between life and death, between

blessing and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that

you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” Amen.

Choosing life, choosing to make a conscious decision to honour God, to obey His

commandments will unlock many blessings in your life. Let this New Year truly be a new year;

loving your neighbour, living with faith, praising God and praying for peace.

At North Kildonan United, Christmas celebrations were special

this year with lovely decorations adorning the sanctuary,

beautiful music and the beloved story of Jesus’ birth told in

Scripture and messages from Rev. Don.

Our children provided a very interesting and inspiring story

complete with a storyboard and Christmas carols to sing along

with. A delicious lunch was served and a visit from Santa and

Mrs. Claus completed a wonderful family service.

Thank you to all who made this event so enjoyable.

Thanks to all those willing hearts and hands at NKUC who contributed in so many ways to the wonderful worship experiences over the Christmas season. Among those are folks who decorated (and undecorated) the Christmas trees, those who provided readings, those who created and played parts in the Sunday School Christmas pageant, those who planned and organized worship services, those who prepared and served seasonal snacks and mulled cider...and so much more. Special thanks goes to Reverend Don, who planned and led us in so many memorable worship services over the Christmas season (not to mention creating the mulled cider for our enjoyment).

The Unified Board has been busy these last few months compiling

and preparing the necessary documents to proceed with our search

for a permanent minister. On November 24, 2019 the congregation

accepted the Faith Profile document which will initiate our search.

The motion reads, in part: That on the recommendation of the Board of North Kildonan United

Church and Ministry Profile Group, the North Kildonan United Church Community of Faith

accepts the Community of Faith Profile and Financial Viability Report and requests that the

Pastoral Relations Commission of Prairie to Pine Region declare a vacancy for a full-time

ministry position and approve the commencement of the search process and the posting of the

ministry profile for a full-time ministry position for an Ordained or Diaconal Minister at North

Kildonan United Church effective July 1, 2020.

Here is a brief summary of the process to hire a new minister:

1. Create a Community of Faith Profile. Congregation approves the Faith Profile.

2. Pastoral Relations Commission approves the Faith Profile.

3. Search and select new minister, and recommend to the board.

4. Board approves selection.

5. Community of Faith approves selection.

6. Pastoral Relations Commission approves selection.

The following individuals have been approved at the congregational meeting to serve on the

search committee: Carol Barrett, Clayton Gording, Heidi McIlwain, Grant McMillan, Valorie

Mikolajek, with Peter Latimer and John Harper as corresponding members.

Our prayers are with you as you discern and decide ministry personnel for NKUC. May God

bless you with wisdom, insight and an open heart as you embark on this journey.

***************

Speaking of transition …………….. Cutting the cake Sheron presenting gift to Barb

Barb Wiebe has retired from her

position as Office Administrator

at NKUC in December and we

welcome Wilma Fehr to the office.

Barb was honoured at the

December 1st worship

service and congratulated

afterwards with cake and coffee.

Best wishes to you Barb!

The Annual General Meeting has come and gone, and a new year has begun for the NKUC Unified Board and its Standing Committees. Thank you, board and committee members, for your hard work, dedication, and commitment to our church and this congregation. Thank you also to Wilma Fehr, our capable new office administrator, who took over from Barb Wiebe last December. Wilma had some big shoes to fill when Barb retired, and she’s doing an excellent job. This past year NKUC suffered a significant loss when our long-time pastor, Rev Marc Whitehead, left at the end of June for another posting. We were all very sorry to see him go. However, as the saying goes, when God closes a door, He opens a window. And what a wonderful view out that window we’ve been given! For the past several months, we’ve had the honour and privilege of Rev. Don Johnson’s leadership and guidance at North Kildonan as he supported us first as a temporary pulpit supply, and then as Gap Minister until mid-February. Thank you, Don, for ‘being there’ for us and for sharing your deep understanding of the faith with us. You have been a true Godsend! You’ve left us strong and grounded, able to move forward in our faith journey as we continue our search for a permanent minister. We’ll miss your heartfelt, thought-provoking sermons and your dry sense of humour. We wish you all the best as you resume your interrupted retirement. And now, we’re looking forward to our next Gap Minister, Rev. Brenda Gibson, to lead us on our journey until the end of June. At that time, we hope to have a permanent minister in place. Brenda is bright and energetic, giving us the opportunity to enjoy yet another ministry style before settling in with someone for the long haul. Welcome, Brenda! My sincere thanks to the congregation for the opportunity to be your board chair this year.

-Heidi McIlwain Chair, Unified Board

Our yOuth in ………..ActiOn

On November 17 the children in Sunday school painted

and decorated kindness rocks. Children were asked to

put words of kindness on the rocks and recipients were

encouraged to leave the rocks in different locations to be

enjoyed by the person who found them; a pay it forward

exercise. The children had fun painting the rocks and were really interested in the

meaning of this activity. Thanks to Teresa Richardson for preparing the rocks and

obtaining the supplies needed.

Nicholas Lewicki attends John Henderson Junior High School where they collect the tabs from drink cans in an effort to purchase wheelchairs. Nicholas has been diligent in that effort and with the support of many folks from North Kildonan United; he recently took in 42 pounds of drink tabs or 80,000 tabs. Great effort Nicholas! He is still collecting, so feel free to save your drink tabs and give them to Nicholas, Sydney or Dorothy Franklin.

The Winnipeg Free Press sports section on Saturday, February 1,

featured an article entitled “Born with skates on ..almost.” Featured

was a story on our own Kylie Lesuk. Kylie (17 years old) is currently

the captain of the Eastman Selects and leads the Manitoba female

under 18 AAA hockey league with 20 goals in 26 games. Congratulations

Kylie. We wish you continued success in your hockey career with the

University of Manitoba Bisons.

Fun Fact: A typical $6,000 wheelchair

requires 14 million tabs or 9500 pounds of tabs.

SUNNY SUNDAY EXCURSION

To counteract the January cold and the ravages of cabin fever, the members of the NKUC faith community boarded the paddlewheel riverboat, the Mississippi Belle, on January 26 for a leisurely cruise down the lower Mississippi River. In deference to the

heat and humidity of that region, the passengers came decked out in their finest summer wear, with sunhats and colourful Island shirts in abundance. Among the passengers were such notable celebrities as Delilah, Bathsheba, Salome and Mary Magdalene from Biblical fame. These alluring ladies were seen gambling away fortunes in a high-stakes poker game, in which impressive amounts of Turkish delights and Prozac were up for grabs. In between dealing hands of cards, these ladies shared the traumatic experiences through which they gained their notoriety before ultimately being assured of God’s forgiveness. What type of cruise would it be without the opportunity to savour local delicacies? The Mississippi Belle was no exception. Thanks to the efforts of Dorothy, the Maitre d’, and her cadre of renowned Executive Chefs and Dining Room Stewards, a delicious lunch of pulled ‘gator on a bun was served up, followed by Mississippi mud cake for those with a sweet tooth and washed down with the ever-popular mint juleps. A superb feast that left all feeling pampered indeed. When the passengers disembarked at the Big Easy, all agreed that it was the adventure of a lifetime, and beat shovelling through snowdrifts any day of the year.

Chili Lunch at West Broadway

When the outside temperatures plunge into the minus 20s, it is helpful to be reminded of the plight of those living on the margins of our society. This reminder took the form of an opportunity in late January to reach out to folks in need by offering them a hot chili lunch at the West Broadway outreach program. No fewer than 15 pots of chili were gobbled up by grateful guests, relieved to have this reprieve from the bitter cold

Peter, Nancy, Betty, Barb, Peggy, Clayton, Frank outside. What was particularly gratifying were the expressions of genuine appreciation from those enjoying this meal, and the realization that we at NKUC had the opportunity to truly make a difference in the lives of so many this one day. Whether you assisted by preparing chili, baking cookies, purchasing buns or other supplies or preparing and serving the meal, your efforts were truly appreciated and the reward of the expressions of joy on the faces of those we served makes whatever effort was involved more than worthwhile. What an amazing experience to make such a difference in the lives of those who have so little! Particular thanks to Nancy Cosway for organizing this event and providing us with this wonderful opportunity to be of service to others.

News from the pews…..

to ...Samantha Lyons and family as they relocate to British Columbia. Samantha made significant contributions to our Sunday school and worship committee. We will also miss the

antics of Rykus and Odin who made our Sunday school so much fun. Good luck to you all!

Congratulations to Shirley Davie on welcoming a great granddaughter.

Sincere sympathy to: Annie bender on the passing of her sister Nora

Richard and Heather Boroski mourning the loss of Richard’s brother Robert

John and Judy Rempel on the passing of John’s mother Anny Bergen

Jan Lipp whose husband Rome passed away January 6th

Heather Schaub on the passing of her brother James

Bill and Carin Crowe on the passing of Bill’s cousin, Wilma Rady

Phyllis Dyck mourning the passing of her husband Francis

The family of Jane Kinsman as they mourn her passing

Justin Gauthier and family: We pray that God’s love will surround you as you

mourn the loss of friends Aidan Kirby and Brittany Brook. “Blessed are those that mourn, for they will be comforted”

Get well wishes to: Marion Molter,

Shirley Barrett, Mary Hiebert, Len Rosaasen,

Barbara Mackay and Richard Miller.

From chocolates to honey to delicious homemade cookies, members and friends of NKUC enjoyed great shopping at the Christmas market and cookie walk held in December. Lots of work went into planning these events, so thanks to all who worked to put together these wonderful activities.

Several members of our congregation generously donated goods to the St. Matthews

Maryland Community Ministry Christmas Store. We are pleased to report that 280 children

from 75 families were able to obtain affordable gifts and enjoy a great Christmas morning.

Thank you!

Our Daily Bread, a quarterly devotional booklet and Sacredise Daily Worship, a weekly

worship resource are publications available at North Kildonan United. They are located at

the sanctuary entrance. Please help yourself.

Did you know ………………..

*The first Sunday of each month is Toonie Sunday. A Toonie bowl is located at the entrance to

the sanctuary and all donations are sent to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Some members of our

congregation choose to make a onetime donation and in so doing, get a tax receipt. Any

donations are most welcome.

*West Broadway Community Ministry is one of the community ministries we support under the

umbrella of 1JustCity. We are thankful for the many items donated and the monetary donations

from the UCW. We encourage financial support to WBCM as the spending power is doubled

through cash donations. If you have any questions, please contact Tom, our treasurer.

*Gay Todd conducted a worship service at Concordia Place on December 29th

. With the help of

Rosella Sawatsky doing music, the seniors enjoyed a lovely service during the Christmas season.

Thanks Gay!

*Janet and Denny Cheng (daughter and son-in-law of Barb Wiebe) recently travelled to a

Burundi orphanage as part of a mission trip with their church. They took with them a financial

donation from the UCW. In response, the children drew pictures showing their thanks. Between

Janet, Denny and Barb, they have 7 foster children from this orphanage.

*North Kildonan United is hosting the 2020 World Day of Prayer on March 6 at 7 p.m.

Community churches will be participating and guest speaker Gertrude Hambira from Zimbabwe

will give a message. Please plan to attend to support this event. Refreshments and displays will

be available.

*North Kildonan United will be hosting Sisters of the Holy Rock concert on Sunday, April 26th

.

The concert will be held at John Black Memorial United Church as they have a larger facility to

accommodate the group. Tickets will be on sale soon.

*Barrie and Marvelle McPherson participated in a community “Dancing with the Mini Stars” on

January 17th

. Community churches participated in this event held at Immanuel U.C. Thanks

Barrie and Marvelle for participating. You are our very own “dancing stars.”

to our Senior youth group who provided much needed help at the

annual Christmas Bazaar and collecting and delivering Christmas

Cheer Board hampers. They quietly go about their work but we want

them to know they are much appreciated!

A Reflection -by Betty Clark

I had meant to ask the powers to be not to announce that I was taking the service this morning (Dec. 29th) because I feared only the old ladies in the third row would show up, but true to this wonderful community of faith you are all here and I thank you for your support. At the start of every New Year, we look forward to the future and always look back at the past, so let’s go back to the start of 2019. We were sitting in our comfortable pews praying as usual for peace, good health and happiness and as usual not knowing what lay ahead for us all. We were proud of the fact [and rightly so] that we had finished our major project. Our renovations were done and the greatest blessing of all was our lift. For fear of leaving out someone I won’t mention any names but thanks be to God for all the wonderful leadership, committees and yes all of our church family who worked so hard to make this happen. Is there another church of our size that could pull off a project of this magnitude with such success, be able to raise the funds to pay off the debt and still have a surplus? I think not. We are the little church that could. And so 2019 came to be with the question; what will be our next challenge? Maybe our pews will be really comfortable and we will have a nice quiet year, or so we thought. On that fateful day in March when our chair of the board came up to make an announcement, our quiet year went out the window. Who thought Heidi would be telling us that Marc was asking for a change in pastoral relations? Who saw that coming? True to form, the old ladies in the third row accosted Marc after the service and demanded to know who was going to do our funerals. He smiled and said, your new minister. Some of us thought we had until the end of June but obviously we are still here; and so our next minister it will be. After the tears had dried and the funny feeling left the pits of our stomachs, our next challenge began, and God bless Marc who made it clear that he would no longer be our minister. I was astounded as to how my church family learned that lesson. You have all accepted this change with grace, open minds and ready to support what lay ahead. There have been other churches who have not done well after their long standing minister has left. But not this church family.

We rallied, we prayed and with God’s help we carried on. We stepped up to the plate and our wonderful lay folk made sure that July was well looked after. Rev. Don McIntyre answered our call for help and Rev. Don Johnson has been with us as gap minister helping when necessary and stepping up when we were in need. For that we are indeed grateful.

So here we stand as strong as ever at the cusp of 2020. What a testimony for a community of faith that is not large in numbers but huge in faith, dedication and hearts full of love.

Well, what will 2020 bring? Unlike past years we do know what lies ahead for a few months. We will say goodbye to Don and welcome Rev. Brenda Gibson. After our search committees’ hard work we will welcome our new minister. I have no doubt that you fine people of God will welcome our new minister with love, grace and support as you have proved that we are a church of Gods people. And what faithful people we have at NKUC. A credit to any community of faith. So with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, we will go forward, we will succeed and we will continue to be faithful; worship and support one another and be faithful servants of God as we journey on.

I close with the words of Minnie Louise Haskins:

THE GATE OF THE YEAR

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: "Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown”

And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

And so we pray that God will take our hands and guide us into the New Year. We pray that our journey will be filled with joy, grace and praise. Thanks be to God for the people of God.

NOTE: This wonderful message was given by Betty at the December 29th service. Thank you Betty for sharing it with us.

Please watch the weekly Church News for details February 16 Rev. Brenda Gibson joins in ministry; No Sunday school February 23 Pancake Brunch at NKUC – guest speaker Zoe Matties

on climate and creation February 25 Board and committee orientation NKUC – 7 p.m. February 26 Ash Wednesday service – 7 p.m. March 1 First Sunday of Lent; Toonie Sunday March 6 World Day of Prayer at NKUC – 7 p.m. All are invited March 8 Installation of Board Members; International Women’s

Day; Second Sunday of Lent March 15 Irish Stew Luncheon; Third Sunday of Lent March 16 UCW Meeting – 1:30 p.m. March 22 Fourth Sunday of Lent March 29 Fifth Sunday of Lent April 5 Palm Sunday; Toonie Sunday April 9 Maundy Thursday April 10 Good Friday – worship service 10 a.m. April 12 Easter Sunday – Communion service 10 a.m. April 26 Sisters of the Holy Rock concert – John Black U.C. May 3 Toonie Sunday May 10 Mother’s Day Christian Family Sunday May 11 UCW Meeting – 1:30 p.m. May 28-30 Prairie to Pine Regional Gathering, Steinbach MB May 31 Pentecost Sunday June 7 Toonie Sunday June 14 Celebration Sunday (pending) June 15 UCW Dinner – all ladies invited June 21 Father’s Day Editor’s Note: We are always looking for pictures, poems and stories about our church family. Please feel free to submit articles to Sheron at miller01@mymts.net or call the church office 204-667-7408. Deadline for the next newsletter is August 12. Thank you to the following for their contributions: Peter Latimer Sheron Miller Betty Clark Heidi McIlwain Marvelle McPherson Dorothy Franklin

Dates to Remember