After 19 months of wearing masks, this Sunday evening is the traditional annual evening for mask-wearing
Happy Hallowe’en!
If you will be celebrating Hallowe’en in whatever fashion, the Government of Manitoba website contains advice for having a safe Hallowe’en. The link is: https://www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/halloween.html
If one of your Hallowe’en morning activities is attending TMUC’s in-person worship service, you will NOT be given either tricks or treats when arriving.
You WILL be given a medical-grade mask to wear while you are in the building. Those leading in worship can remove their masks when speaking/singing from behind a non-permeable barrier.
Everyone attending (unless under 12 years of age) must show proof of full vaccination or proof from the Government of Manitoba that there is a medical reason for the person not to receive a vaccine for COVID-19.
Everyone will be entering the church building via the glass doors of the ‘Community Extension’ entrance.
While we have returned to in-person worship, we are continuing with our weekly email of worship resources.
Returning to in-person worship means that greeters are needed for Sunday morning. If you would like more info or to volunteer as a Sunday morning greeter, please contact Shelley Schau, Chair of TMUC’s Worship and Welcome Team. Shelley’s phone is 431-275-9169. Thank you.
The Moderator of The United Church of Canada is offering a special All Saints Memorial Service for those who have died from COVID in our congregations – It will be broadcast on the UCC YouTube Channel at 11:00 (Winnipeg Time) on Monday, November 1. The names of John Cochrane and Blaine Grapentine who died of Covid at Park Manor were submitted from TMUC. Here is the link for Monday: https://www.youtube.com/unitedchurchofcanada
The Prayer List is distributed separately and allows us to remember specific people with our prayers. If you want to receive the Prayer List, or add a name (with their permission), please be in touch.
Thanks again to everyone for engaging with us on this COVID-19 journey. We are grateful to share ministry with you and really appreciate your efforts to stay in touch and to continue to care about TMUC with your prayers and your financial support. Donations on PAR (note: the PAR program now accepts monthly credit card donations as well as automatic monthly bank withdrawals), CanadaHelps through www.canadahelps.org, e-transfers to the church’s email address: tmuc@shaw.ca, and cheques mailed to the church are making a difference. Thank you.
Even though we cannot be together in one place, let’s continue to be a community at prayer together. If you are not in the Sanctuary with us on Sunday at 10, please think about the gifts we have in our lives, and needs of our world, and then pray the Lord’s prayer (you can pray silently, or out loud).
And, sometime, when you want to have a longer worship time, we are including some words and videos for your use.
As we share this week’s TMUC worship service, we are called again to listen to our faith community’s words of reconciliation:
We are gathered for worship and work in Treaty One territory, which is the traditional land of the Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dené peoples and the homeland of the Metis Nation. For thousands of years Indigenous Peoples walked this land and knew it to be the centre of their lives and their spirituality. We respect the Treaties that were made on these territories, we acknowledge the harms and mistakes of the past, and we dedicate ourselves to move forward in partnership with Indigenous communities in a spirit of reconciliation and collaboration.
Worship for Sunday, October 31, 2021
Cheryl and Crystal sing the Introit: “Lord, Prepare Me to be a Sanctuary”
Come, Holy Spirit!
Come to awaken our faith,
to inspire our hope
to embolden our love
and to let Christ live in us!
Come, Holy Spirit!
Today’s opening hymn is “The Greatest of These”:
Esther and Emmett talk about “Commandments and Ice Cream?”:
Printable Version
Esther and Emmett – Oct 31
Scripture readings:
Ruth 1 selected verses
Naomi set out from the place where she had been living, she and her two daughters-in-law, and they went on their way to go back to the land of Judah.
But Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go back each of you to your mother’s house. May the LORD deal kindly with you, as you have dealt with the dead and with me.
Then they wept aloud again. Orpah kissed her mother-in-law, but Ruth clung to her.
So she said, “See, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die, I will die– there will I be buried. May the LORD do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!”
When Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more to her.
Today’s anthem is based on the scripture from Ruth with: “Wherever You May Go”
Mark 12:28-34
One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?”
Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’ –this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question.
Jeff offers a reflection:
Printable Version:
Jeff reflection – Oct 31
Let us pray:
God, we open our lives in love
Open our lives in love to You and to our neighbour
To our neighbours
To all people who are Your children
We open our lives in love to the whole of Your creation.
God, bless us with faith to Hear that Your are One, that we exist within Your Oneness, that we are live in relation to all people, all creatures, all water, soil, mineral and air, that we have been created out of Your love to be in love with Your creation to share Your love in this world.
We pray for this world…Your world…God!
We pray as we confess that the actions of human beings have accelerated climate change that may threaten life throughout this world…
God, let us hear the suffering of Your creation – of creatures, of seas, of air, of soil, of forests!
Let us hear creation calling us to partnership, to care for creation, to change the progress of climate change by changing our behaviours and life practices.
God, we pray for an end to the violence of wars, of conflicts, of physical, emotional and mental attacks upon others. We pray that nations disarm and dismantle nuclear weapons.
We pray for peace in places of conflict. We pray especially for the people of Sudan, Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.
We pray that everyone have a safe place to sleep, have a community what welcomes and affirms them, have food to eat and clean water to drink. We pray that we love our neighbour as ourselves, that we love all of Your children as our brothers and sisters.
We pray for everyone experiencing a sense of loneliness. We pray for friends who assure us that we are loved. We pray for everyone to experience Your peace and grace.
We pray for all who deal with the challenges of physical, emotional and mental illnesses. We pray for healing. We pray for courage and hope. We pray for trust in Your love that is with us during all the times and seasons of our lives.
We pray for relationships of compassion, of mutual trust and affirmation, of kindness and support and encouragement.
We pray for faith to accompany Jesus the Christ in offering healing and hope in this world. In Christ’s name we pray. AMEN
Our closing hymn is “Draw the Circle Wide”:
May God bless you and keep you.
May God’s face shine upon you.
May God grant you peace and joy.
Be in the peace of Christ, this day and always. Amen
We keep you in our prayers,
Jeff and Carol