The Harcourt Herald
The life and work of the Harcourt Memorial United Church community, Guelph, Ontario
October, 2015
Mindfullness:
Being a Christian
In the Moment
United Church
Moderator’s Urgent Call
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Harcourt Memorial United Church 87 Dean Avenue, Guelph, Ontario N1G 1L3
Office Hours:
Monday to Friday, 9am-noon; 1pm-4pm
Phone: 519-824-4177
Fax: 519-824-9448
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.harcourtuc.ca
Ministers: The People with
Reverend Wendy Brown (ext. 222)
Reverend Jim Ball (ext. 223)
Director of Music Ministry: Alison MacNeil (ext. 225)
Church Administrator:
Anne Purkis
E-Comm Coordinator: Nick Swan
Custodian: Darko Cikovic
Harcourt Herald Published 10 times each year
by the
Communications Committee
Your contributions are welcome!
Deadline: 20th
of each month
Sept-June
Editor: Gillian Joseph
Printer: Anne Purkis
Harcourt Memorial United Church An Affirming Congregaton of the United Church of Canada
We are a people of God called together and sent forth by Christ to
Rejoice... Renew... Reach Out Our Mission:
Inspired by the Spirit, we participate in Christian practices that strengthen us in the building
of just, compassionate, and non-violent relationships
Our Vision Statement:
To be an authentic community of spiritual growth and service
Our Core Values:
Risk...Respect...Responsibility...Vulnerability...Trust
Our Purpose:
To welcome and strengthen in community all who wish to serve God and
follow the way of Jesus
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Fall Worship Schedule – 2015
SEASON of REMEMBRANCE
Oct. 4 – Creation 5 – “MOUNTAINS” Worldwide Communion Sunday 9:00 in the Chapel 10:30 in the Sanctuary 10:30 “Manna” in the Friendship Room/Gym – an All-ages Worship Experience Nursery care available.
Oct. 11 – Creation 6 – “HARVEST” Thanksgiving Sunday!! 9:00 in the Chapel 10:30 in the Sanctuary 10:30 “Manna” in the Friendship Room/Gym – an All-ages Worship Experience Nursery care available. Oct. 19 – Creation 7 – “SABBATH” 9:00 in the Chapel 10:30 in the Sanctuary 10:30 “Manna” in the Friendship Room/Gym – an All-ages Worship Experience Nursery care available.
Oct. 25 – Remembrance 1 – “Remembering Limits and Restoration”
9:00 in the Chapel 10:30 in the Sanctuary 10:30 “Manna” in the Friendship Room/Gym – an All-ages Worship Experience Nursery care available.
Nov. 1 – Remembrance 2 – “Remembering Loves/ Book of Remembrance”
9:00 in the Chapel 10:30 in the Sanctuary 10:30 “Manna” in the Friendship Room/Gym – an All-ages Worship Experience Nursery care available.
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Nov. 8 – Remembrance 3 – “Remembering Peace” 9:00 in the Chapel 10:30 in the Sanctuary 10:30 “Manna” in the Friendship Room/Gym – an All-ages Worship Experience Nursery care available.
Nov. 15 – The 3rd annual Guelph United Ministries Joint Worship Celebration, with a special program for children and nursery care. 10:30 a.m. at John F. Ross CVI
No worship service at Harcourt that day. Come celebrate with our GUM partners, guest music and worship leader Kyle Matthews, and some very special guests from the United Church of Canada.
Nov. 22 – Remembrance 5 – “Remembering Stewardship” 9:00 in the Chapel 10:30 in the Sanctuary 10:30 “Manna” in the Friendship Room/Gym – an All-ages Worship Experience Nursery care available.
An Excerpt from Wendy Brown’s Sermon
September 6, 2015
“Earth”
One of the books that I read while at the cottage this summer
was “A Dark Place in the Jungle – Science, Orangutans and Human
Nature.” Written by Toronto-based author Linda Spalding (2003),
the book is rich and skillful blend of scientific study, travel memoir
and personal reflection. The author’s quest was to get to know
Birute Galdikas and to spend time in the rainforests of Borneo
among the apes that have been at the centre of Galdikas’ life and
work since the early 1970’s.
From the Ministers’ Desks
Worship Schedule
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Birute Galdikas, as you may know, had studied under and been sent to Borneo by the
paleoanthropologist Louis Leaky. She was one of what he dubbed his “three angels,” the
other two being Jane Goodall, famous for her work with and on behalf of chimpanzees
and Dian Fossey, who studied and lived among the great apes, the gorillas of Rwanda,
and who was murdered there in 1985, most likely by poachers.
I was both fascinated and deeply moved by Spalding’s book. It exposes the complex
and sometimes counter-productive attempts we make in our efforts to protect
endangered species. It paints a picture of a vastly diverse eco-system, a place of wonder
and beauty and yet also a place where jungles are razed, rivers polluted and the lives of
plants, animals and human communities endangered by uncontrolled mining and
deforestation that benefit only the wealthy, most especially those in the western world.
It is a clarion call to the reality of the interdependence of the earth, its resilience in its
efforts to regenerate and its certain fragility as well.
“Indonesia’s rain forests are so rich in species,” Spalding reflects as she hikes through
them, “that only a small percentage of the plants and animals have even been named,
and their interactions and interdependencies are still, for the most part, beyond our
comprehensions. The forest animals are utterly dependent on this habitat…Now our
bodies, too, began to adjust in small ways – though adjusting is a long way from
adaptation. Different walking, different concentration. Different focusing. We took in
minutiae instead of whole. We gave our attention to place instead of time.” (Spalding,
2003, p. 54)
Being in that place, the rain forests of Borneo, being among the apes who are like kin
to us, led Linda Spalding to wonder at the way in which many of the orangutans she
encountered, both those who had been raised in captivity and those fully wild, seemed
to travel between two cultures. Their own and that of humankind, who has done its best
to encroach on the orangs' habitat. She writes of how, by necessity, orangutans are
increasingly becoming bi-cultural.
I was left wondering about us as human beings, about our willingness, our ability to
be bi-cultural creatures, too. Can we learn, can we re-learn, what it means to offer the
best of ourselves and our living into both our immediate contexts and the context of the
whole planet? This living, breathing eco-system where all parts, animate and inanimate
are related and where, in the light of God’s grace and goodness, together we live and
move and have our being.
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Surely our willingness to do that, our commitment to do that is both an expression of
our sacred wisdom in this generation and our gift and sacred trust for the generations,
human and otherwise, yet to come.
Then surely all creation will hear God whisper once again, “Isn’t that good.”
Amen.
Council Meeting September 16, 2015 by Kathy Magee (Former Chair of Council)
As Lorraine Holding has not been formally
affirmed as Chair of Council, it was my pleasure to
once again act as Chair for the Council meeting. Our
first meeting after the summer break was filled with
energy, commitment, connection, and planning.
Council is off to a good start in this Season of
Creation!
We devoted time to addressing the strengths and challenges of our committees and
their efforts to bring Harcourt's vision and mission to life. Finding new ways to address
needs and priorities, building on achievements, and supporting each other as we move
forward will continue to be guiding principles. Please consider what makes Harcourt
special to you and how you can enhance that aspect of Harcourt life.
Guelph United Ministries continues to facilitate cooperation and connection among
us. Joint meetings between committees, combined efforts to develop digital marketing
strategies, and increased awareness of each member congregation's unique gifts and
strengths are resulting from our cooperation and collaboration. November 15th is the
Joint Worship Service. It will again be held at J.F.Ross school at 10:30 a.m. The service
integrates Letters to The Churches of Guelph, from various voices in the wider church,
with the music ministry of Kyle Matthews. Those of us who experienced Kyle's
Council News
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wonderful music and storytelling last Spring know what an inspiring artist Kyle is. Once
again, this will be a worship service not to be missed.
There will be a Congregational Meeting Sunday October 4th, 2015
immediately following the 10:30 services. We will meet in the sanctuary for about 15
minutes to attend to two items. We will formally (and with delight) ask you to affirm
Lorraine Holding as Chair of Council. There will also be an update from the Accessible
Washroom Planning Team. Your attendance is an important part of the life and work of
Harcourt.
As the weather and our routines change, as the trees become tinged with colour, and
as our gardens demand a different kind of attention, we find our way into the Season of
Creation at Harcourt. May we be aware of God's presence in the beauty of nature and in
the grace and company of each other.
Yours in God's grace
United Church Moderator Calls for an Urgent Response to the Syrian
Refugee Crisis
With a renewed sense of purpose, The United Church of Canada joins others in stating that we must respond urgently, compassionately, and comprehensively (see post below). http://united-church.ca/communications/news/moderator/150911
United Church of Canada 2015 Federal Election Kit – The
Intersection of Faith and Politics
The United Church of Canada’s non-partisan strategy aims to raise awareness about these issues and to build relationships for justice with politicians in communities across Canada. This kit provides information based on United Church policies and the church’s ongoing work with Canadian and global partners. http://www.united-church.ca/files/getinvolved/takeaction/2015-election-kit.pdf
People are Talking About...
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Cuddles for Cancer Young Advocate Wins Prestigious Award
Twelve year old Faith Dickinson, of Peterborough’s Cuddles For Cancer project has won the Canadian Living Me To We Youth In Action award for 12 years and under for her beautiful quilts and charity work. http://www.thepeterboroughexaminer.com/2015/09/05/cuddles-for-cancer-creator-faith-dickinson-wins-canadian-living-me-to-we-youth-in-action-award
New to
Harcourt? Come and join the patchwork
of our diverse and welcoming
community
Telephone: 519.824.4177
E-Mail: [email protected]
Facebook:
Harcourt Memorial United Church
Twitter: Harcourtuc
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Thanksgiving At Harcourt
First Estimate on Accessible Washrooms Gets . Update on
Washrooms for the Sanctuary Level by Dave Hume, Chair of the Accessible Washroom Building Committee
The proposed design for new washrooms on the Sanctuary
Level was sent by the architect to a local contractor to get a
ballpark estimate of cost. The estimate received was
considered too expensive by the Building Committee and the
Committee and Group News
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architect was asked to develop and present a less expensive alternative at a future
Building Committee meeting. More information will be presented at the Congregational
Meeting of Sunday October 4th.
Some Brain-Changing Reading from the Harcourt Library by Janet Webster
A recent addition to the Harcourt Library has an intriguing title: "How God Changes
Your Brain, Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist" by Andrew
Newberg, M.D. and Mark Robert Waldman.
The authors write that they have investigated neural mechanisms of spirituality and
claim that spiritual practices (of many kinds) enhance the neural functions of the brain
in ways that improve physical and emotional health, with an extensive list of end notes
The first two sections of the book present neural correlates of spiritual experiences as
shown by their research. The third section offers practical exercises to enhance physical,
cognitive and communication processes of the brain. They include a variety of
techniques such as contemplation, meditation, relaxation. Several readers noted that the
exercises described seem simple to follow.
Come into your Library, you may be amazed at what you find!
Fresh Herbs for Thanksgiving? Support Your Community Garden.
by Lisa Mactaggart On Sunday October 4th, the Harcourt Community
Garden group will have fresh parsley, sage, rosemary
and thyme… and bay leaves, dill and oregano available
for a free will offering. The money collected is used to
buy seeds for the garden next year.
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Time to Serve Up a Saturday Night Supper!
by Jill Gill
Many, many thanks to all those who served dinner, prepared food or donated money
for food purchases for the Saturday Night Supper on September 19th. We served 144 folks
who enjoyed both the delicious food and good fellowship in a friendly atmosphere. Your
generosity is much appreciated.
Please mark November 21, 2015 on your calendar for Harcourt’s next opportunity
to provide and serve Saturday Night Supper at Royal City Church, 50 Quebec Street. We
will require twelve volunteers to serve the meal, as well as many folks to provide the food
for those in need in downtown Guelph. The menu will include pasta casserole (recipe
provided – go to Harcourt’s website for electronic copy or pick one up from the table in
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the Greeting Place), Caesar salad, rolls, pickles, cheese, assorted fruit pies, vanilla ice
cream, milk, juice and coffee. Cash donations for food purchases will also be gratefully
received. Volunteers and food should be at the church (backdoor entrance off Baker
Street) by 5 p.m. Servers will be needed until 8 p.m.
You can currently sign up to volunteer to serve or bring food electronically at Sign Up
Genius. To access this, go to Harcourt’s website and click on ‘Sign ups for Stewardship
Opportunities’ at the top left hand side of the homepage. Then just follow the
instructions to get to the Saturday Night Supper sign-up sheet and make it easy to
volunteer without leaving the comfort of your home! The site is ‘live’ already so you can
access it immediately.
There will also be a sign-up sheet on the table in the Greeting Place (in early October)
where you can indicate where you’d like to help, if you prefer not to do this digitally.
Whichever method suits you best will work. It will take a couple of days for me to
transfer this information to the electronic site, so please be patient. Please include your
email address and phone number to the sign-up sheet to enable me to transfer info to
Sign Up Genius.
Harcourt is a very valued contributor to this worthwhile outreach project. Many
thanks for your continued faithful support.
$ummer’s Over – How Did We Do Financially?
by Kent Hoeg, Chair of Finance
The financial results to the end of August are in! Last year, at the end of August 2014
we had raised $316,224.71 in income; had $311,442.92 in expenses – leaving us with a
surplus of $4,781.79
This year, at the end of August 2015 we had raised $309,396.06 in income; had
$318,780.39 in expenses – leaving us with a deficit of $9,384.33
Not the best news to start of our fall season. But don’t despair! Let’s work together
and celebrate the joy of Harcourt! Together we will reach our targets.
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From the Harcourt Office
Publicising your Harcourt event or sharing information relevant to the Harcourt
congregation.
Do you have information that you would like to share?
Please find a list of Harcourt's forms of communication as follows.
Please be very clear about where you would like the info posted. Not sure? Ask Anne for assistance.
Be concise or be edited. We reserve the right to edit as needed.
Form of
Communication
Who to Contact Due Dates
Facebook Marion Auger - [email protected] ASAP
GUM Calendar* Anne Purkis - [email protected] ASAP
Harcourt E-Weekly* Anne Purkis - [email protected] Thursdays, 10am
Harcourt Herald Gill Joseph - [email protected] 20th of each
month
Harcourt Website* Anne Purkis - [email protected] ASAP
Life & Work Anne Purkis - [email protected] Wednesdays, 4pm
SignUpGenius:
www.signupgenius.co
m
Follow the instructions on the Harcourt
website:
http://www.harcourtuc.ca/news/65/15/Sig
n-Ups-for-Stewardship-
Opportunities.html
Use to sign-up to
assist with
upcoming
events/stewardshi
p opportunities.
Twitter Gill Joseph - #harcourtuc
ASAP
*Harcourt related events and information only please. In some instances, these items could be shared
with GUM and the wider United Church. If you are co-ordinating a Harcourt event or group that is open to
the wider community: Contact Anne for the Revised Marketing Opportunities List, updated August 2015. A
great to tool to guide you in spreading the word beyond Harcourt.
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'Jesus Fatwah - Love your (Muslim) Neighbour as Yourself’:
Interesting DVD Focus of next Caroline Harcourt Women’s Fellowship
Meeting by Mary Peleschak
The September meeting program was led by Arlene Davies-Fuhr and Merrill Pierce on
'Manna Moments'. It was a wonderful description and explanation of this program which
takes place every Sunday at 10:30 am in the Fellowship Room.
The October meeting will be on Monday, October 19 at noon in the Fellowship
Room. The program will be a DVD entitled 'Jesus Fatwah - Love your (Muslim)
Neighbour as Yourself.' This is an introduction to Islam featuring seventeen Islamic and
Christian scholars.
All women are invited. Bring your bag lunch. Tea and dessert will be provided.
Please note that this meeting is one week later than usually scheduled because of
Thanksgiving.
Food, Fun and Fellowship at Harcourt – Feedback Needed
by Marilyn Sears, Umbrella Councilor for Congregational Life
Are you noticing anything missing
at Harcourt lately…like greeters to
welcome you when you arrive before
the service in the sanctuary on Sunday
morning or time to socialize with
lemonade/ coffee after the service? Are
you looking forward to the annual
turkey dinner in November? Are you a
newcomer who would like to meet
other members in the congregation in a
social situation? Would you like to
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have a nametag ordered? Do you appreciate occasional potluck/games nights
throughout the year? Are there other types of events you would like to see happen at
Harcourt?
We have been fortunate to have an ambitious and hard working Fellowship
Committee for a number of years, chaired by John Phelps. Many of the social events and
responsibilities that occur at Harcourt have been organized by the Fellowship
Committee. As of this past June, John Phelps resigned as chair and is taking a well
deserved break.
As Umbrella Councilor for Congregational Life, which includes the Fellowship
Committee, I am in the process of gathering ideas and suggestions for reorganizing the
committee. Rather than having the Fellowship Committee be the main organizers,
perhaps small groups could be responsible for specific events. It would be wonderful to
hear from folks who would like to participate in the committee’s activities in some
specific way. For example, there is a faithful group of people who take turns preparing
lemonade or coffee after the Sunday services. However, because John Phelps has been
scheduling the hosts, there is now a need for someone to do the scheduling and buying
of supplies.
Please let me know if you have thoughts, ideas or would like to participate in the
work of the Fellowship Committee in one way or another:
Marilyn Sears at [email protected] or through the church office.
Men’s Group
Men’s Group will meet next on Wednesday, October 14, 2015. Dave Mowat will be
leading this meeting. He will be discussing "What is your hobby?” All men are welcome
to attend and we invite you to bring a friend or a neighbour who would enjoy this
meeting. Coffee will be ready at 7:45 a.m.; the meeting will begin at 8:00 a.m.
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Moderator’s Message: Syrian Refugee Crisis
by The Right Rev. Jordan Cantwell
11 September 2015
Sisters and brothers in Christ,
I bring you greetings in the name of Jesus, Comfort and Guide—and also once a refugee.
We are called at this particular moment in time to witness in a concrete way to our
Christian faith in response to the needs of millions of desperate people seeking refuge
and compassion. The plight of Syrian refugee children washing up on Mediterranean
shores has struck at the core of Canadian self-perception as generous and welcoming
people. As we have done in the past, we are responding once again with an outpouring of
concern and compassion.
For decades, churches have been sounding the alarm about a deepening global crisis for
forcibly uprooted people. We know that these are not the first tragic deaths among
refugees fleeing danger, nor will they be the last. We must act immediately to turn the
tide on this horrific reality. Right now, thousands of people from all over the world are
risking their lives every day in search of safety. Some have been offered sanctuary;
millions more have died en route at the hands of human traffickers or are held in
detention camps, where they are treated primarily as dangerous security threats, or are
ignored as if they do not exist.
Since the crisis in Syria began, the United Church has been actively contributing to
humanitarian relief and sponsoring refugees. We are once again amplifying our appeal
because the church wants to do all that it possibly can to help those in need of assistance
and seeking refuge.
With a renewed sense of purpose, The United Church of Canada joins others in stating
that we must respond urgently, compassionately, and comprehensively. United Church
congregations have a long history of supporting refugees. Many of our communities of
Our Community
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faith are already in the process of sponsoring refugee families to come to Canada.
However, the need is great and it demands an even greater response from all of us.
As Moderator, I urge communities of faith to:
Donate to the church’s updated and ongoing Syria Appeal to provide urgently
needed food, shelter, medical care, clothing, and other necessities for millions of
displaced Syrians within their country and in neighbouring Jordan and Lebanon.
Support United Church faith communities undertaking sponsorship of Syrian
refugees through the United Church’s Refugee Program. For information about
which faith communities are sponsoring Syrian refugees in your area and how you
can help, write to Refugees.
Urge the Canadian government and federal election candidates in your riding to 1)
announce a program to immediately resettle significantly more than the proposed
10,000 Syrians, 2) provide support for generous levels of private sponsorship of
Syrian refugees, and 3) lift obstacles to speedy family reunification and allow
Syrian refugee cases to be processed in Canada.
Together, we have the capacity to make a profound difference in the lives of thousands
of refugees. The time to act is now. Please consider how you and your faith community
can best support the ongoing efforts to address this desperate refugee crisis, and please
continue to hold the people of Syria and the surrounding region in your prayers.
In faith and hope,
The Right Rev. Jordan Cantwell
Moderator
The United Church of Canada
Small Groups at Harcourt This Fall by Andre Auger
In its commitment to lifelong learning, Harcourt, through its Adult Faith
Formation group, offers two Small Groups this Fall, all starting right after Thanksgiving.
All groups are free; you can register with Marion Auger at [email protected],
or just come as you can.
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Saving Your Life - One Story at a Time
This beginner’s memoir writing group will help
you get started on saving those family stories that
are too good to lose. Some tips and examples of
how to proceed to stir that memory pot will be
offered as well as opportunity to share what we
have written. You will find it is a life-affirming,
energizing activity. (Ann Estill, who has written
her memoirs, has been facilitating this kind of
group for four years.) The Group will meet on 6
Thursdays, starting October 22, 2015 from 9:30 am
to 11:00 am in the Friendship Room
Living the Questions 2.0 An Introduction to
Progressive Christianity.
Continuing with his Saturday morning sessions,
Andre Auger will facilitate a Small Group study of
this 21-part DVD series, presenting all the great
names in contemporary theology and biblical
scholarship. The first 7 sessions will be offered
this Fall, with 7 more sessions in the Winter and 7
in the Spring. Come to as many as you can. The
Group will meet Saturdays, beginning October 17,
2015 from 10:30 to noon in the Friendship Room.
A heads-up for Winter: Dr. Gerald Neufeld, well-
known choirmaster, will facilitate a Small Group
on “Music and Spirituality.” Stay tuned for details!
Small Groups Coming Up
at a Glance
Saving Your Life - One Story at a Time – With Ann Estill
Living the Questions 2.0 – An Introduction to Progressive Christianity – with Andre Auger
Music and Spirituality – with Gerald Neufeld
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Think Wreaths, Think Baking, Think Decorations and More..... by Janet Webster
Mark November 28 on your calendar now! Harcourt's "All Things Christmas
Sale" returns for another fun, creative
fundraising event. Planning is underway now
and if you have time, talent, energy to
contribute, we want to hear from YOU!
We need people to create decorations,
arrange greens, build birch reindeer, bake,
make soup, serve lunch, sell, etc. and have a
wonderful time.
Please set aside any items suitable for a
"Treasures" table at the Christmas Sale.
Popular things might be crystal, china, nearly new or new serving pieces etc. and
costume jewelry. No garage sale items please.
Do you have a container you would like filled with a seasonal arrangement? Our
creative team is offering custom arrangements in your container(s). Please watch for
more details. Please contact Janet Webster at 519 821-0953 or email at
[email protected] (that's a zero not an o) for more information, we need and want
to hear from YOU!
Minutes for Mission
In 1884, a young woman missionary appointed by the
Woman’s Missionary Society of the Methodist Church,
Canada, travelled from Hamilton, Ontario, to Japan. In
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Tokyo, Martha Cartmell founded a school for young girls called Toyo Eiwa (TOH-yo EH-
wah).
That school has now grown to consist of an elementary school, a high school, a
university, and a graduate school, all continuing to provide a Christian education for
Japanese students. Toyo Eiwa continues to treasure its link to Martha Cartmell; to
Martha’s home church, Centenary United in Hamilton, Ontario; and to The United
Church of Canada.
For many years the Mothers Association of the Toyo Eiwa Kindergarten sent an
annual donation to The United Church of Canada so that our church could continue to
help others as Toyo Eiwa had been helped. The donation began as a portion of proceeds
from the gingko tree harvest. Money to plant those trees had been contributed by The
United Church of Canada to Toyo Eiwa to help provide an ongoing and sustainable
source of funding. Many United Church missionaries have served at Toyo Eiwa as
teachers. Their names continue to be honoured and revered as living models of Christian
faith. Many students came to Christianity because of Toyo Eiwa School and the
missionaries sent by The United Church of Canada.
In 2014, to honour the great contribution made by Martha Cartmell, the Toyo Eiwa
school donated cherry trees to be planted in Hamilton, Ontario, and Thorold, Ontario
(Martha’s birthplace). From small beginnings come great things. Today The United
Church of Canada continues to plant seeds of faith that will bear rich fruit in the future.
Our generous gifts make this possible. Thanks be to God.
Don’t Be Shocked....It's Time for a New Photo Directory! by Heather Hoeg
It's time for a new photo directory!
It's been five years! It's time to have our pictures taken for a
new photo directory for Harcourt!
It’s such an important tool for all of us to have in our homes to
put faces and name together of people we see most weeks at
church!
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With trembling knees and
heart I went to the Dean and
stated my case.
The dates for the photo sessions are: Tuesday October 13th to Saturday October 17th.
And we have just added to additional days! Tuesday October 27th and Wednesday
October 28th.
You can book your appointment through our church website, or after church in the
greeting space or by calling Heather Hoeg at 519-265-5956. All church members who
have their picture taken will receive a free Harcourt photo directory, and a free 8 x 10
photo. If you have any questions, please contact Heather Hoeg at 519-265-5956 or at
Memoir of a Summer
by Ann Estill
In the summer of 1951 I was accepted into the Methodist Youth Caravan programme.
We had a Caravan team in our little village church one summer when I was in high
school and I was enthralled with their presence and their fun-loving ways. it was a major
decision for me as I was on a tight budget and tuition earned at waitressing in the
summer would have to be forfeited. With trembling knees and heart I went to the Dean
and stated my case. Although this was way before the times
of internship or experiential education, knowing that my
goal was to work in Religious Education, somehow she
was able to extend my scholarship aid to cover the
shortfall.
Our adventure began with ten days of training at
a small Methodist college in Pennsylvania. Top
leaders from the national office of Methodism taught
the courses. (This was well before it became United
Methodism as it is called now.) I remember especially
Clarice Bowman whose topic was leading worship. She was
quietly informative and inspiring with a twinkle in her eye. Her
motto was "Only the green things can grow!'" which aptly described us as Caravaners-in-
training. She had written a small book called Worship but, even though it only cost five
dollars I could not afford a copy. Another outstanding leader was Larry Eisenberg who,
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with his wife, was well known for their book on recreational leadership which were in
every public library.
At the end of those ten days we young people, almost all University students, were
placed in teams and given a territory. My team consisted of Jim, a seminary bound chap
from Tennessee, Delane, a primary teacher from Texas, and Agnes, a student of Religion
from North Carolina. Our counsellor was Mom Danforth, from West Virginia , a
woman who had spent many a summer doing this kind of volunteer work. She was a
rather serious, strait-laced person and never seemed to enjoy our time so I wondered
why she was so dedicated to the task. Our territory was 7 towns in West Virginia, mostly
small coal-mining towns. We would spend a week in each town, usually being
transported to the next by the minister or a resident. We were billeted in homes, an
experience in itself, and ate at parishioners homes for the main meal of the day. The
ideal expectation was to have supper at the church with the local youth we were
teaching but only one church cold muster that kind of service for us. I never ate so
many green beans in my life, boiled to death with a piece of side pork or bacon. Always
the best and gooiest dessert that our hostess could prepare ended these daily feasts.
Agnes and I were assigned to the Intermediate group, Junior High age. We often had
them act out the story of Abraham's big move across the desert. In hindsight I feel it was
totally irrelevant to children whose grandparents and parents had never been out of the
county, let alone moved to another country. (I was not yet into the metaphor implied.)
Jim and Delane worked with High School and older youth. Since so many had summer
jobs we often had very slim attendance during the day. That gave us time to do our
laundry, at our billets and of course, in those days we girls all wore dresses every day
which involved ironing. We took turns ironing Jim's shirts.. Jim and Agnes were very
musical so singing fun songs was a big part of our evenings. We often were asked to be
interviewed or to do a devotional on the local radio station and always lead the Sunday
morning worship service. Usually a counsellor would see that we took in any of the
local sights when we had down time. By osmosis, I learned a lot about group dynamics
and diverse spiritualities. As well, I loved those West Virginia hills. Our team, with
spouses, had a marvelous reunion a few years ago at Delane's home in Arizona. No
longer green, but still growing! Our Caravaner's prayer is still relevant to youth work
today:
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I was young, loving God, forgive my impetuousness
That prayed for great, high-sounding things:
Brotherhood- binding up earth's wounds -
The long-oft repeated thought that brings
Only a vague longing to do and be a giant in our human work.
And then, dear God, I went on my Caravan
With no idea of how these potent words
Prayed in sincere, but ignorant faith
Could be used in helping lives;
Weary - half-blinded by the hurry of our days.
Confused - worried in a hundred ways.
But now, wise God, I see your plan
Was not for me to bring your Kingdom down
Whole - complete - to earth in one summer's span,
But only for me to share - to smile your love,
To play clean games with the young
And bring them to the old in closer sympathy.
And I remember with warming soul
A young boys's face in candlelight.
Young voices singing hymns in the warm night.
Puzzled faces - reflecting the search for truth
And I, with longing deep to find and give to them a Christian mind.
The power to smile when days are long,
The wisdom to live, an answer to their questioning,
The depth to love - enough to fill the void of empty lives.
The power of doing small tasks well,
Bestow, Oh God, though long delayed
These things for which I should have prayed.
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Reaching Out: Marketing Your Church in Challenging Times
A ‘Hands-on’ Marketing Workshop for all denominations!
Date: Friday, October 23, 2015, 9a.m. – 3 p.m.
Location: Harcourt Memorial United Church, Guelph, Ontario
Cost: Participant: $25 per person (or) 5 for $100 (lunch included)
Vendor: $75 per table
FEATURING:
David Tonen, from Ministry Story, Halifax David has a wealth of experience and a passion to help churches
communicate with greater effectiveness, impact, and excellence.
Quoted by the United Church of Canada's magazine The Observer
as “a church marketing expert” David personally believes that
churches have the greatest story on the planet to tell.
Lots of discussion, free take home material, activities and fun!
For more information contact [email protected] or [email protected]
Prepaid registrations only please. Payment must be received by October 15, 2015. By cheque mailed to:
Harcourt United Church c/o Church Marketing Workshop 87 Dean Ave. Guelph, ON, N1G 1L3 Or pay by credit card securely online by Paypal at: http://formsmarts.com/form/1n8y
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We are in the midst of a
spiritual revival.
God and Mindfulness excerpts by Mark Vernon
Used With Permission
Church Times, May, 2014
We are in the midst of a spiritual revival. It has touched the lives possibly of millions.
It keeps books in the Amazon top 20 for years. It's bigger than the Alpha Course. And
yet, the church seems hardly to have noticed it, or at least responds with nervousness. It
is the practice of mindfulness - a technique and a state of being that
the Oxford psychologist and Anglican priest, Mark
Williams, has defined as "the awareness that emerges
through paying attention on purpose, in the present
moment, with compassion, and open-hearted
curiosity."
It is, therefore, truer to say that mindfulness is
just one of a family of practices, now often
forgotten, that have long been part of the Christian
tradition too, practices that might include reciting
the Jesus Prayer, sitting still, and contemplative
communion with God. "The skill required is inner silence,"
Martin Laird explains in his excellent introduction, Into the Silent Land, because "It is the
noisy, chaotic mind that keeps us ignorant of the deeper reality of God as the ground of
our being."
I suspect that soon individuals will turn to the philosophical and theological
questions mindfulness naturally raises, and about which the Christian tradition holds
rich and compelling possibilities. Christians now might want to develop mindfulness
groups, discuss it, above all practice it. Because if mindfulness is symptomatic of a
spiritual revival then it is also a mission issue, in the sense of missio dei: God's work in
the world with which the church is invited to join. To put it another way, in a secular
age, mindfulness may prove to be a much needed experiential way back to belief in God.
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Ecumenical Campus Ministry at the University of Guelph has many activities going
on for students of all - or no -faiths. Check out their Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/ECMguelph
Recently noted social activist and author Naomi Klein spoke to an audience at the
University of Guelph on capitalism and the environment. The event, which was
sold out, was held on Sept. 12th in War Memorial Hall and was part of the 2015
Eden Mills Writers’ Festival “In Conversation with Naomi Klein” which is
sponsored by the College of Arts and the College of Biological Science. Klein spoke
about her new book, This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate. Klein’s
book argues that slashing greenhouse emissions is the best way to reduce
inequalities among people. Calling the volume “compelling, comprehensive and
controversial,” organizer Dr. Barry Smit said, “I hope that people with quite
different views about environment, society, capitalism and the future well-being of
the Earth and its inhabitants would be open to well-researched, clearly articulated
ideas on these matters.” For more information check out the review of her talk in
the University of Guelph Ontarion newspaper at:
http://www.theontarion.com/2015/09/n
aomi-klein-speaks-at-the-u-of-g/
Don’t forget about Youth Group
meeting at Harcourt on Friday evenings
at 7:00 p.m. Lots of fun and laughter!
Youth
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Weddings:
Christine Labelle and Sean Faulknor on September 12, 2015
Other Announcements:
We need you for a short one time activity!
We need an auditor (or 2 can work together!) for our 2015 Financial Statements. In the late January, early February timeframe we will need to have someone audit our Financial Statements. This does not require a lot of time, nor do you need to be an accountant. Our Treasurer will walk you through it. There are some who would like to assist at Harcourt but don’t know how or cannot commit to a lot of hours. Here’s an opportunity where you can help Harcourt without major time commitments. We need you. Contact Kent Hoeg, Chair Finance, [email protected] ; 519-265-5956
Check out the website for Five Oaks upcoming fall programs at www.fiveoaks.on.ca. Five Oaks is a learning and retreat centre that nurtures renewal and transformation in a sacred, natural setting.
Behind the Scenes
What Can Happen in a Summer Lived Differently by Andre Auger
You remember those essays you had to write at the beginning of the school year:
“What I did during my vacation.”? Well, I took a “Sabbath rest” from all my church-
related activities from June 1 to Sept 1 at Rev Jim's suggestion. Both Marion and I felt we
needed some kind of “toxic purge.” Both of us were getting burned out, resentful,
impatient, and forgetful. Our respective responsibilities at Harcourt and elsewhere were
feeling like burdens rather than joyful gifts. We needed to live differently for a while.
Announcements
28
While I can't pack up and go
to a monastery, there is
nothing stopping us from
trying to create something of
the monastic environment
right here at home.
And the more I read about the biblical injunction to Sabbath rest, the more I knew the
wisdom of it. Here's how my summer went.
One of my heroes is Thomas Merton, a Trappist monk who died in the late sixties.
I had been re-reading some of his journals, in which he documents his search for silence
and for solitude, and how this brought him closer to God. I wondered. While I can't pack
up and go to a monastery, there is nothing stopping us from trying to create something
of the monastic environment right here at home.
One of the foundational themes of this “Sabbath time” was that our home would
be my virtual monastery. The heart of monastic life is “ora et labora” - pray and work.
Monks work their fields, plant gardens, do dishes, keep their grounds clean. Their work
is a form of prayer. And they pray more formally as well. They keep
silence, avoid distractions, don't travel, and pay
attention. We had already turned off the TV in May
and haven't turned it on since. I disconnected my
regular email which bombarded me with
solicitations from great social causes such as
Avaaz, SumofUs, LeadNow, Sojourners, and
more recently the Liberal, the NDP and the
Green parties. If I wanted to keep up with the
news, I would read it on my tablet. That freed
evenings for quiet conversation on our deck, and
a natural transition to sleep by sundown.
Suddenly, chores around the house became
pleasurable. We who had neglected the gardens for two summers began rehabilitating
the beds, landscaping, and tending to the flowers. We worked as we felt inspired to,
never out of a sense of duty. I rediscovered the joy of watching spiderwort bloom afresh
each morning for weeks. I could follow the habits of birds feeding at our feeders.
I would meditate half an hour each morning by our newly built water feature,
spend time during the day reading Merton's Journal or some other spiritual book. Other
than short half-day trips we forsook travel for the summer, simply to experience what it
would feel like to stay put. I came to understand that we escape to different places in
order to avoid dealing with the passage of time in one place. Time has much harder
lessons to offer us than place...
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My spiritual director had suggested a theme for my spiritual journey during this
sabbatical time: “falling in love with God.” I could understand loving God, but falling in
love? That was something different. I spent time reflecting on falling in love... who/what
is the God I would fall in love with? Could I call God my “beloved”? Could I accept that
God calls me God's “beloved”? What would living in such a love feel like, anyway? Day by
day I would let these questions guide my meditation. I would find myself suddenly
stopping what I was doing to process an insight. If God is in all things, then the “Divine
Milieu,” as the great Jesuit paleontologist and mystic Teilhard de Chardin wrote, is right
here in this garden. Gradually, there arose a sense of deep gratitude for the bounty
around me. I needed nothing more. I began reflecting on the notion of “enoughness,” a
concept dear to Marion's heart. We have enough. We have more than enough. We found
we shopped much less; we had less interest in shopping as entertainment. We spent
much more time in quiet thanksgiving for this life, these surroundings. I also decided
that, as a spiritual practice, I needed to improve my physical well-being, based on the
notion that I was a “temple of the Spirit”. I began to lose weight, slowly and
intentionally. This does a lot to my appreciation of food! Things slowed down to the
speed of time. (Someone complained to me half-way through July how fast summer was
flying by. I thought to myself: No, time is going by at the speed of time. Not too fast, not
too slow.)
I recalled the 16th century mystic Brother Lawrence and his “Practice of the
Presence of God.” His simple rule was “do every daily task as if God was asking you
personally.” I developed a sense of obedience to the needs around me. I jokingly said
that, if I was living in a virtual monastery, then Marion was my virtual abbess, and, as a
monk, I owed her obedience. In many ways that was true.
Living in love and gratitude becomes a wonderful habit. In a way, it's a re-
enchantment of everyday life. What I fell in love with was my daily life, were my
surroundings, was my wife and our mutually supporting relationship, were events as
they unfolded daily. Above all, I fell in love with the divine within me – my very
foundation in daily life was grounding me in the Cosmic Christ; my openness to passions
and inspiration within me was opening me to the Spirit, and my desire to see the world
as God sees it was a recognition that my very self-awareness, my very “I,” was rooted in
the Ineffable's infinite “I”.
30
That I live in this moment,
not in the next. That all
that is real and true, all
that matters, is what
occurs right now.
When all is said and done, perhaps I am just experiencing a new stage of life, when
we pull back from active engagement, and enjoy the simpler things. I don't think that
captures it well, though. I am certainly experiencing a shifting of priorities, no doubt
about it. I have come to realize that I would re-write the first line of our
New Creed: “We are not in charge; we live in God's World.”
This is God's world, not mine; Harcourt is God's church,
not mine. I don't own them; I am not responsible for
them. I am still called to do my bit – the bit I am
good at, gifted for. No more, but also no less. I need
to put my energy into new expressions at Harcourt,
and, as Jesus' Parable goes, I am to sow the seed,
and not worry about how it is harvested, or by
whom.
I need to remain grounded in what I have learned:
that my strength, and my peace, come from a form of
mindfulness of place and time. That I live in this moment, not in
the next. That all that is real and true, all that matters, is what occurs right now. That my
home must remain my virtual monastery, offering me a place to stay connected with my
“Beloved.” That this virtual monastery is the proper place where I can assess what I need
to be touched by of the world's horrific pain. That I am called to obedience to the needs
immediately around me – this is humbling for my ego, which still often sees me as the
one called to “save.” And that my foundational practice is Brother Lawrence's “Practice of
the Presence of God.” Thanks be to God for these gifts.
In the Moment...
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Harcourt Calendar – October 2015
Updated September 15, 2015–www.harcourtuc.ca for most up-to-date information
Thursday October 1 8:45am Mindstretch [C] 9:30am Stroke Recovery Executive [F] 5:30pm Minga [K] 6:30pm Zumba [G] 7:30pm Choir Practice [M]
Friday October 2 7:00pm Youth Group
Sunday October 4 9:00am Worship [C] 10:30am Worship [S] 10:30am “Manna” Service [G/F] 12:00pm Congregational Meeting [S] 1:30pm Little Kickers [G]
Monday October 5 1:30pm Prayer Shawl Group [202] 7:00pm Scouts [G]
Tuesday October 6 11:30am Staff & Admin Meetings 6:45 Cubs [G] 7:00pm Handbell Choir [M]
Wednesday October 7 9:30am Lightshine Singers [F] 1:30pm Tai Chi [F] 6:30pm Guides (F) 6:45pm Beavers [G] 7:30pm Rainbow Chorus Rehearsal [S]
Thursday October 8 8:45am Mindstretch [C] 6:30pm Zumba [G] 7:00pm Finance Committee [O] 7:30pm Choir Practice [M]
Friday October 9 10:00am Communications Committee [L]
Saturday October 10 10:00am Sacred Circle Dance [G]
Sunday October 11 9:00am Worship [C] 10:30am Worship [S] 10:30am “Manna” Service [G/F] 1:30pm Little Kickers [G]
Monday October 12 Thanksgiving Day Church Closed
Tuesday October 13 11:30am Staff & Admin Meetings 2:00pm Photo Directory [G] 6:45pm Cubs [G] 7:00pm Handbell Choir [M]
Wednesday October 14 9:30am Lightshine Singers [F] 1:30pm Tai Chi [F] 2:00pm Photo Directory [G] 6:30pm Guides [F] 7:00pm Ministry & Personnel Committee [L] 7:00pm Property Committee [C] 7:30pm Rainbow Chorus Rehearsal [S]
Thursday October 15 8:45am Mindstretch [C] 2:00pm Photo Directory [G] 7:30pm Choir Practice [M]
Friday October 16 2:00pm Photo Directory [G] 7:00pm Youth Group [off-site] 8:00pm KW Symphony [S]
Saturday October 17 2:00pm Photo Directory [G] 7:30pm The Songs of World War II [S]
Sunday October 18 9:00am Worship [C] 10:30am Worship [S] 10:30am “Manna” Service [G/F] 1:30pm Little Kickers [G]
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Monday October 19 8:00am Federal Election Polling Stations [G] [F] 11:45am Carolyn Harcourt Women’s
Fellowship [F] 1:30pm Prayer Shawl Group [202] 7:00pm Women’s Spirituality [C]
Tuesday October 20 11:30am Staff & Admin Meetings 11:30am Stroke Recovery Lunch [F] 6:45pm Cubs [G] 7:00pm Handbell Choir [M]
Wednesday October 21 9:30am Lightshine Singers [F] 1:30pm Tai Chi [F] 5:30pm Pride and Prejudice [202] 6:30pm Guides [F] 6:45pm Beavers [G] 7:00pm Council Meeting [C] 7:30pm Rainbow Chorus Rehearsal [S]
Thursday October 22 8:45am Mindstretch [C] 6:30pm Zumba [G] 7:30pm Choir Practice [M]
Friday October 23 9:00am Reaching Out: Marketing Your Church in
Challenging Times 7:00pm Youth Group
Saturday October 24 9:15am Brian Henry Writing Workshop [F] 1:00pm Rainbow Chorus Rehearsal [S] 7:30pm Shantala Concert [S]
Sunday October 25 9:00am Worship [C] 10:30am Worship [S] 10:30am “Manna” Service [G/F] 1:30pm Little Kickers [G]
Monday October 26 1:30pm Prayer Shawl Group [202] 6:00pm ARCH Men’s Group [202] 7:00pm Scouts [G]
Tuesday October 27 11:30am Staff & Admin Meetings 6:45pm Cubs [G] 7:00pm Handbell Choir [M]
Wednesday October 28 9:30am Lightshine Singers [F] 1:30pm Tai Chi [F] 6:30pm Guides [F] 6:45pm Beavers [G] 7:30pm Rainbow Chorus Rehearsal [S]
Thursday October 29 8:45am Mindstretch [C] 6:30pm Zumba [G] 7:30pm Choir Practice [M]
Be sure to check www.harcourtuc.ca for updates
as many activities were not confirmed by September 15, 2015.
