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First United Church

 

Please click on the links below to download a PDF version of the the bulletin. The bulletin text  for this week also appears as usual below.

   

          Sunday Aug 14, 2022 ----->

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         Sunday  Apr 24, 2022------------->

 

         Good Friday--------->

 

         Maundy Thursday------->

        

        Sunday  Apr 17, 2022 ------>  

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First United Church

May 08, 2022

 

Prelude                                                                                                               

Welcome and Announcements

Silent Prayer

Call to Worship:                                         (adapted from Psalm 30)

L:    I exalt you, Lord, because you pulled me up.            

P:   My God, I cried out to you for help, and you healed me.                   

L:    You lifted me up!

P:   You changed my mourning into dancing.  You took off my

       funeral clothes and dressed me up in joy so that my  

       whole being sings praises to you.

L:    You who are faithful to the LORD, sing praises to him; give

       thanks to his holy name!

Hymn:  Eternal Light, Shine in My Heart                                VU 629  

Prayer of Thanksgiving for God’s Presence

Reading:  Acts 9: 1-20a

Message:   Blinded by the facts

Hymn:   Be Thou My Vision                                                     VU 642

Offertory:  We Give You But Your Own                       VU 542        

Community Prayer/Lord’s Prayer

Hymn:     Arise, Your Light Is Come                                        VU   79

Blessing

Postlude

 

 

Announcements

 

First United’s Annual Meeting is set for the Lower Hall on Sunday, May 15 after the morning service. We hope to share in tea and coffee before the meeting starts.

 

More Annual Reports are at the back.  They’ve been updated with 3 changes. Short term investments on p.22 should read 152,112 not 116,814. The Total Disbursements on p.18 should read 238,807.61 not 207,503.93. This means that the bottom line should read (18,635.60) not 12,668.08.

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Ukraine: The crisis in Ukraine continues, as more are killed and displaced by Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked attack on a neighbouring state.  While our response is neither political nor military, we can provide tangible help. First United alone has already raised $ 1160. This might not seem like much, but the United Church is part of a humanitarian consortium called the ACT Alliance. By pooling millions of donations we can actually be part of a difference-making effort.  We will be closing this appeal soon, but if you want to help please be sure to identify your cheques or PAR byline to United Church Emergency Response – Ukraine.

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The religious milieu at the time of Luke (c 85 CE)

It’s important to remember that while the gospels are set in the 30’s, the actual writing of the gospels took place decades later. A lot had changed between the time of Jesus and Luke.   

In Jesus’ day there were several Jewish factions. Pharisees defended the Torah (The Law). Sadducees believed in the primacy of Temple worship. Essenes (John the Baptist?) were apocalyptic ascetics. Zealots were waiting for a Messiah to lead them militarily against the Romans.

Further, a group of Jesus followers emerged in the mid 30’s, led by Jesus’ brother James. They still considered themselves Jews, but they also believed Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, which led to tension between the Jesus movement and some of the other established factions.

Today’s reading from Acts 9 is Luke’s telling of the conversion of Saul/Paul the Pharisee, sometime around the year 33. Soon Paul began welcoming gentile converts into the Jesus movement, and by the late 40’s it had effectively split into two communities: Jewish Jesus followers, and gentile Christian converts who didn’t follow Jewish Law.

By the time Luke wrote his double narrative Luke-Acts in c 85, the Jewish-Roman War of 67-73 had effectively thinned out the number of Jewish groups. Zealots had been wiped out in the conflict; Sadducees had lost their purpose with the Roman destruction of the Temple in 70; Essenes and Jewish Christians had lost most of their leadership and following and were already beginning to fade away. There were only two main factions left. Modern Judaism began to take shape based on the teachings of the Pharisees. And because it had become a primarily gentile-based faith, Christianity came to be seen as an entirely new religion.

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Memorials

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Local:   In loving memory of Bride Pretty by Calvin,

             Sandra & family

Local:   In loving memory of Janie Ball & Elva Durfy

             by Don & Eugenie

Local:   In loving memory of mother & grandmother

             Elizabeth Laite by Jeanette, Robert & Joseph

Local:   In loving memory of mother & grandmother

             Eva Rowsell by Robert, Jeanette & Joseph

Local:   In loving memory of mother & grandmother

             Mary Follett by son Jeff, Emeline, Jason,

             Matthew & families

Local:   In loving memory of mother & grandmother

             Rosemary Crewe by daughter Emeline, Jeff,

             Jason, Matthew & families

Local:   In loving memory of Eileen Hiscock & Doris

             Gullage by Terry & Fred Gullage

Local:   In loving memory of Elaine Bailey by Irene,

             Phyllis, Ted, Joan & families

 Local:   In loving memory of mom, Lillian Noftall by

                        daughter Ruth Andrews & family

 Local:   In loving memory of mother & grandmother

                        Violet Smith by daughter Marjorie,

                        grandchildren Donna, David, Don & families

 Local:   In loving memory sisters & aunts Clara, Mary

                        & Shirley by Marjorie & families    

 Local:   In loving memory of mother Myrtle Yates &

                        Jessie Stratton by Kitty & Edgar Stratton                     

 

Local:   In loving memory of daughter Katherine

             Tavenor by: Kitty & Edgar Stratton

Local:    In loving memory of mother, grandmother &

              great-grandmother Mary Gardner by Brad &

              Daphne Gardner & family

Local:    In loving memory of grandmothers & great-

              grandmothers Myrtle Yates & Jessie Stratton

              by Daphne & Brad Gardner & family

Local:    In loving memory of sister & aunt Katherine

              Tavenor by Daphne & Brad Gardner & family

Local:    In loving memory of a dear friend Jeanette

              Preston by Daphne & Brad Gardner & family

Local:    In loving memory of Shirley Warren by

              daughter Gail, sons Sean & Ryan & husband Roy 

Organ:  In loving memory of wife Mae Penney by

               husband Gerald

Organ:   In loving memory of mother Mae Penney by

               son Jerry, Linda & family

Organ:   In loving memory of mother Mae Penney by

               son Bruce, Sharon & family

Organ:   In loving memory of mother Mae Penney by

               son Brian, Janice & family

Organ:   In loving memory of mother Mae Penney by

               daughter Aune & Fred Colbourne & family

Local:     In loving memory of mother Margie Taylor by

               Bert, Sandra & Brad

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Local:     In loving memory of mother Mary Follett by Janet, Ruth & families

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Thank you for coming!

 

We hope you felt blessed by gathering together

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