Keeping in Touch - November 19, 2016
Good morning James Bay United Church,
I want to pass along details of 3 significant events over the next 3 days, and a great story of a mystery solved.
Beginning with tonight: The monthly church potluck is on this evening -- supper together followed by the movie "The Bear," a documentary that follows an orphaned grizzly-cub. It highlights the great beauty of B.C. Everyone is invited to bring a dish of something to share. It all happens in the hall downstairs --enter by way of the doors off the patio around the back of the building. Doors will open at 5:20, and the dinner will begin about 5:45.
Sunday afternoon: A special gathering in Bastion Square to observe Trans Day of Remembrance. This annual event, and others like it around the world, makes a place to honour the memory of those who lost their lives to acts of anti- transgender violence. (The homicide rate among transgender people hit an historic high in the US in 2015.) As in many communities, candles will be lit, the list of names of those who died in the past 12 months will be read -- a reminder that each name is a person with a story. People will gather by the spirit canoe in Bastion Square for the event to begin at 3:00 pm. This civic memorial is supported by Victoria Pride Society Rainbow Health Cooperative. [FYI - the United Church of Canada website has posted a note about the Trans Day of Remembrance.]
On Monday: In anticipation of the Federal Government's decision very soon on the Kinder Morgan Pipeline, the call is out to be part of a vigil on Monday afternoon. Simultaneous vigils are being held across Canada. The invitation is to gather at 4:30pm, Douglas St at City Hall; bring candles or lights, musical instruments and voices.
As for solving of mystery behind the recently surfaced picture of the church building that now hangs in the east stairway ... Dorothie Lindquist gets the prize! Not only that, she knows the artist personally, and even commissioned the work. The artist is Delza (Lakie) Longman who Dorothie met in 1945 at United College. Delza's specialty was teaching Latin. But equally special was her gift for hooking scenes-- as in something along the line of rug hooking, using nylon stockings. Dorothie recalls she never dyed the nylons herself ... she would search out the right colour of stockings til she found them! About 10 years ago, Dorothie gave her a picture of our church building and asked her to create one of her wonders. Delza, now 98 years old, lives in a retirement home in Winnipeg. Many of her creations are hanging around the world ... one of which is in the Parliament buildings in Ottawa. A greeting card is on its way to Delza ... perhaps we'll enclose a photo of her work surrounded by the congregation. Why don't we do that tomorrow? Get out your best smile!
One last thing. Advent is coming. Soon. Beginning next Sunday. It's that season leading up to Christmas that serves to help us make room in our beings and in our world for God to come ... to come close ... with world-healing, life-giving love. Our Sunday morning services will be shaped with this in mind. This year also there will be a mid-week Evensong service -- a half hour contemplative service with singing, prayer, silent meditation on scripture, in our candle-lit sanctuary. This year we're adding a simple soup supper ahead of the service ... 5:30 supper; 6:45 Evensong. I encourage you to make this part of your rhythm this Advent.
Enough for now ... see you tomorrow ... remember: bring your smile!
Grace and Peace, Karen
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