THE 19TH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY
16 October 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 free spaghetti lunch, downstairs in the Church Hall, following the service
This Week in First Church:
– Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. – Bible study – by Zoom
– Wednesday, 5:00 p.m. – Meal-in-a-Bowl Supper
– Saturday, 9:00 a.m. – Men’s Breakfast
Coming Up:
– Sunday, 6 November, 5:00 p.m. – Fall Supper
Today – The Session has designated today Stewardship Sunday. For today’s service, John is making use of a Stewardship resource entitled “From Bread and Cup to Faith and Giving”, made available to congregations across the country by the national church. It includes suggestions for preaching (rather than a complete sermon), as well as a couple of suggested prayers. The resource actually provides materials for eight such services, based on various New Testament texts having to do with meals and eating. Today’s scripture reading is Matthew’s account of the so-called “Last Supper”. We will not be doing a Stewardship Visitation in connection with today’s service, however, due to lingering concerns regarding COVID-19.
Treasurer – Mardine Garnham has given notice of her intention to step down as treasurer of our congregation. We are therefore looking for someone to take over the position from her. Financial records are kept on the church’s computer, so the new treasurer would need computer skills as well as knowledge about creating financial statements, etc. If you’re interested, or have questions, please speak to either Mardine herself (239-0497) or Keith Kelly (857-5712), the convener of the Finance and Maintenance Committee.
Carberry – The Presbytery will be holding a special service this afternoon (the 16th) at 2:00, to “dissolve” the congregation of Knox-Zion Church in Carberry (meaning that it will no longer exist). This is being done in response to a request from the Carberry Session, following a decision made by the congregation at its Annual Meeting, back in the spring. The congregation will hold its own final Sunday morning service today, as well.
Exit Visits – The Presbytery is conducting Exit Visits to both our congregation and St. Andrew’s Church in Brandon this fall, since the ministers of both congregations will be retiring at the end of December. It is customary to conduct an exit visit when a minister leaves a congregation. The visit is done with the minister and members of the Session. The purpose is for the Presbytery to determine how things have been going in the congregation in question, and to ascertain what the congregation’s needs are going forward. Because we are “short-handed” in our Presbytery, John, Raymond, Laura Hargrove, and an elder from First, Brandon, will be conducting the visit at St. Andrew’s, Brandon (this Tuesday, 18 October); and Glenn Ball, Laura Hargrove, and an elder from each of the two Brandon congregations will conduct the exit visit here (on Tuesday, 8 November).
Synod – John will be attending a Retreat organized by our Synod next week, from Tuesday evening, the 25th to Thursday morning, the 27th, in Gimli. The speaker will be Jen de Combe, our national church’s Associate Secretary for Canadian Ministries. Later that week, John, along with Raymond, will also be taking part in the Synod’s annual business meeting, which will be held by Zoom on Friday, 28 October. Our Synod is called the Synod of Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario. It consists of three Presbyteries, the Presbyteries of Superior, Winnipeg, and Brandon, comprising all Presbyterian congregations in Manitoba, and as far east as Geraldton in northern Ontario.
Full announcements here
