Announcements September 25, 2022
THE 16TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
PRESBYTERIANS SHARING SUNDAY
25 September 2022
Welcome! We extend a warm welcome to our guests, and invite you to sign the guest book at the back of the sanctuary. Everyone is invited to remain for make-your-own sundaes, downstairs in the Church Hall following the service!
This Week in First Church:
– Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. – Bible study – by Zoom
– Wednesday, 28 Sept., 5:00 p.m. – Meal-in-a-Bowl Supper – See separate announcement
Coming Up:
– Sunday, 2 October – Communion Sunday
– Sunday, 9 October – Harvest (Thanksgiving) Sunday
– Sunday, 16 October – Stewardship Sunday
Announcements Sept. 18, 2022
Welcome! We extend a warm welcome to our guests, and invite you to sign the guest book at the back of the sanctuary. Everyone is invited to remain for a cup of coffee downstairs in the Church Hall following the service.
This Week in First Church:
Today – Deadline for submissions for the September Newsletter
Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. – Bible study
Wednesday, 10:00 a.m. – Presbytery meeting – Winnipegosis
Thursday, 7:00 p.m. – Session meeting
Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – Men’s Breakfasts begin
Coming Up:
Sunday, 25 Sept. – “Sundae Sunday” – See full announcements
Wednesday, 28 Sept., 5:00 p.m. – Meal-in-a-Bowl Supper – See separate announcement
Sunday, 2 October – Communion Sunday
Newsletter – If you have a news item, report, photo, story, or joke to contribute to the September issue of the Newsletter, please get it to Lisa Sneesby (bsneesby@mymts.net) today. We are aiming to have the Newsletter ready for distribution next Sunday, the 25th, a week before our Communion Sunday on the 2nd of October.
Announcements Sept. 11, 2022
THE 14TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
11 September 2022
Welcome! We extend a warm welcome to our guests, and invite you to sign the guest book at the back of the sanctuary. Everyone is invited to remain for a cup of coffee downstairs in the Church Hall following the service.
This Week in First Church:
– Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. – Bible study begins
– Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. – Finance & Maintenance Committee meeting
Coming Up:
– Sunday, 18 Sept. – Deadline for submissions for the September Newsletter
– Saturday, 24 Sept., 9:00 a.m. – Men’s Breakfasts begin
– Sunday, 25 Sept. – “Sundae Sunday” – See separate announcement
– Wednesday, 28 Sept., 5:00 p.m. – Meal-in-a-Bowl Supper
Newsletter – If you have a news item, report, photo, story, or joke to contribute to the September issue of the Newsletter, please get it to Lisa Sneesby (bsneesby@mymts.net) by next Sunday, the 18th. We are aiming to have the Newsletter ready for distribution the following Sunday, the 25th, a week before our Communion Sunday on the 2nd of October.
Protocols Dropped – The Session has decided to discontinue the remaining pandemic protocols for our Sunday services. Among other things, this means that we will go back to using hymnbooks and pew Bibles, and gathering the Offering the way we used to do. Those who wish to continue wearing a mask and/or using hand sanitizer should feel free to do so, however. Similarly, those who feel uncomfortable shaking hands with others should feel free not to do so.
Announcements – Sept. 4
Our summer schedule is over and we are back to regular services
This Week in First Church:
– Wednesday, 7:00 p.m. – Presbytery meeting, by Zoom
Coming Up:
– Tuesday, 13 Sept., 7:00 p.m. – Bible study begins
– Wednesday, 14 Sept., 6:30 p.m. – Finance & Maintenance Committee meeting
– Sunday, 18 Sept. – Deadline for submissions for the September Newsletter
– Saturday, 24 Sept., 9:00 a.m. – Men’s Breakfasts begin
Protocols Dropped – At its meeting on the 25th of August, the Session decided to discontinue the remaining pandemic protocols for our Sunday services. Among other things, this means that we will go back to using hymnbooks and pew Bibles, and gathering the Offering the way we used to do. Those who wish to continue wearing a mask and/or using hand sanitizer should feel free to do so, however.
Retirement – As John announced by e-mail last Sunday, he is applying to retire from the Ministry of Word and Sacrament as of 1 January 2023. Glenn Ball (St. Andrew’s, Brandon) is applying to retire at the same time, as well. The Presbytery will meet by Zoom this Wednesday evening (the 7th) at 7:00, to deal with both applications to retire. The Zoom link will be sent out by e-mail ahead of time, and anyone in the congregation who would like to observe the proceedings is welcome to do so.
Full announcements here
Announcements June 26
THE 3RD SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
26 June 2022
Welcome! We extend a warm welcome to our guests, and invite you to sign the guest book at the back of the sanctuary. Everyone is invited to remain for a cup of coffee in the Church Hall following the service. Enjoy a piece of cake as well, in celebration of Rob McPherson’s 65th birthday!
Summer Services – This year, we’re returning to our tradition of participating in joint summer services with the two United Church congregations in town, as announced in the Newsletter. This summer, we will be exploring various miracle stories in the Bible, and the schedule will be as follows:
July 3 McKenzie Jesus feeds the five thousand
10 McKenzie Jesus heals a man blind from birth
17 McKenzie Jesus raises Lazarus from death
24 First God provides manna in the wilderness
31 First The healing of Naaman
August 7 First Jesus heals a centurion’s slave
14 Trinity Jesus calms a storm
21 Trinity Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
28 Trinity Jesus turns water into wine.
(continued)
Summer Services – (continued)
This year, all services will be led by the minister of the host congregation. Since McKenzie doesn’t yet have a minister, services there will be led by Norman Collier (3, 17 July) and Julie Hutton (10 July). Pandemic protocols at both McKenzie and Trinity are pretty much the same as those here at First. For details, see the separate announcement, below.
Announcements June 19th
THE 2ND SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
19 June 2022
This Week in First Church:
– Wednesday, 5:00 p.m. – Meal-in-a-Bowl Supper
– Thursday, 1:30 p.m. – Soup Kitchen Committee meeting, Church Hall
– Thursday, 7:00 p.m. – Session meeting, by Zoom
Announcements June 12
Pleas note that today’s outdoor service has been moved indoors because of the rainy weather, the rest of the announcements are here. A few highlights:
Keith Kelly is our preacher today, and John Zondag will lead the rest of the service. We thank Keith for taking part in leading today’s service.
This Week in First Church:
Thursday, 7:00 p.m. – Joint Session and Finance & Maintenance Committee meeting
Coming up:
Wednesday, 22 June, 5:00 p.m. – Meal-in-a-Bowl Supper
Announcements June 5
PENTECOST
THE 8TH SUNDAY OF EASTER
COMMUNION SUNDAY
5 June 2022
Welcome! We extend a warm welcome to our guests, and invite you to sign the guest book at the back of the sanctuary. We extend a special welcome to Coralie MacLaren, who is filling in for Margaret McNutt-Reichelt today as our pianist! Everyone is invited to remain for a cup of coffee in the Church Hall following the service.
Communion – Today’s service is a Communion service. Due to pandemic-related precautions, we are continuing to do things a bit differently than usual, as follows:
– The texts that we normally read from the hymnbook (the Apostles’ Creed, etc.) will be shown on the screen.
– The Communion table will remain in the chancel, for the sake of physical distancing.
– Rather than passing the bread and juice through the sanctuary, you will be invited to come forward to receive the bread and juice, which are set out on another table at the front.
– Please come forward by the center aisle, and return to your seat by the side aisles. Please come forward separately (or along with those in your own household), in order to maintain physical distancing. Please take the bread and juice set out at either end of the table (left or right), working your way toward the center.
– The bread and juice may be either consumed at the front, or taken back to your seat. We will not wait for everyone to consume the bread and juice simultaneously, as we would normally do. As usual, the bread is gluten-free.
– Anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable receiving Communion today should feel free not to partake.
This Week in First Church:
– Sunday – Wednesday – John is “at” General Assembly
– Wednesday, 6:30 p.m. – Finance & Maintenance Committee meeting
Coming up:
– Sunday, 12 June – Outdoor Service and Barbecue
The Christian Year – Today is Pentecost, the fiftieth and final day of the Easter season, and the last of the four major festivals of the Christian Year (the others being Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter). Pentecost celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit to the disciples and followers of Jesus, seven weeks after his resurrection (and ten days after his ascension), as narrated in Acts 2.1-41. The Holy Spirit was given to the community of Jesus’ followers to take his place as their teacher and leader, and to empower them to continue his ministry. The Holy Spirit continues to be given today to everyone who believes in Jesus.
Pentecost was originally a Jewish festival (called the “Festival of Weeks” in the Old Testament), which took place seven weeks after the Passover festival. On that day, offerings of the “first fruits” of the wheat harvest were presented to God in gratitude for the harvest. By the First Century, it had also come to commemorate God’s giving the Law to Israel at Mount Sinai. Thousands of Jews from all over the Roman Empire and beyond traveled to Jerusalem for Pentecost each year. When the disciples started speaking in all kinds of languages, these “Jews from every nation under heaven” were all able to understand what the disciples were telling them about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection (Acts 2.5-11).
The symbolic color for Pentecost is red, recalling the “tongues of fire” that appeared to Jesus’ disciples when the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 2.3). The name “Pentecost” comes from the Greek word pentēkostós (“fiftieth”), since the Jewish Pentecost festival was the fiftieth day after Passover.