Dear Friends,
In mid-September our “sign guys” put up the sign “Restart, Reset, Refocus, Refresh the Routine Come to Church. For many of us, Fall marks the time of transition as we put away the things of summer, whether clothes, cottages, or a slower pace of life, to resume the “regular” routine of life whether it be school, work, or church.
This year, we have been resetting at Grace as we come to terms with the reality of the death of our long-time Office Administrator, Thelma Balikie. I want to thank the many members of the congregation for coming to her funeral in Dean. I know that it meant a great deal to her family. We are pleased to have Julie Wilson fill in at the Office for several weeks to help us in the transition to a new permanent person, hopefully by late November. I want to thank the members of the Ministry and Personnel Committee and others who put in many hours through this transition.
I also want to introduce you to our new student Hannah Shepherd. Hannah has begun her first year of studies at the Atlantic School of Theology and she will be joining us for the next two years. She comes to us from St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Our regular activities are in full swing now at Grace with Worship Services and Sunday School back at 11am followed by a time of fellowship afterwards. Our children, like us, are getting older and this year Brian and Karen Foster are exploring youth group/Sunday School for the older students. Please reach out to them at brifos@gmail.com if you have an interested child.
Our Choir continues to delight us with their musicality. If you wish to join them, they practice Wednesdays at 7:00pm and again on Sunday mornings at 10:15am. It is worth coming to church early to hear them twice! If you prefer a more informal choir, Inclusive Choir is on Sundays at 2pm.
If singing is not your thing, maybe walking and making new friends is. Walk with Grace around Lake Banook happens, weather permitting, on Sundays at 1:30pm. Meet at the parking area at the end of Nowlan St. Or perhaps you might want to make new friends while enjoying board games. Board Games Night is every third Friday from 7pm-10am at Grace. Or maybe you want to make new friends while learning how to play pickleball or practicing yoga. Ward Cosman has restarted his very popular Picklelball Skills and Drills Workshop for Beginners. October’s session begins on Oct.2 – e-mail him at cosmanwa@icloud.com to register ($20 for 3 sessions). Yoga with Jacqueline, a drop-in gentle yoga class, restarts on Oct. 24 in the Upper Hall ($10).
Perhaps making new friends while eating is what you would prefer. Early Morning Risers (Women’s) and Men’s Breakfasts have begun again. Both meet in the Lower Hall; the men meet the 3rd Sunday of the month at 8am, the women, the last Sunday of the month at 8:30am. Or you could do it weekly at Coffee and Conversation/Fellowship after church.
play.pray@church is an informal way for all-ages to explore their faith. This special project of United Churches for Dartmouth happens the first Saturday of every month from 4pm-6pm. It’s at Grace in October and November and then will shift to Cole Harbour Woodside United Church. This time of creativity and interactive worship end with a shared provided meal.
We have lots of activities in the church building but we also live out our faith in other ways. Our people bring in articles for and volunteer at the NDORC Food Bank, provide a monthly meal and volunteer at Margaret’s House and take part in special projects such as October’s bring personal care products for Alice House. If you would like to volunteer for any of these missions or help support the worship service at the church by greeting, reading, being an ambassador, helping with AV or hosting Coffee and Conversation, please let me know.
As a church, we are called to work for justice, particularly for people on the margins. We are encouraging people to “Make Your Values Known for the provincial budget consultation, particularly in the area of homelessness and the inadequacy of incomes for people on income assistance. See https://www.gracedartmouth.ca/social-justice for more information.
And to answer the most asked question on our answering machine, the next $10/bag book sale and new-to-you sale is Friday , October 16 (4pm-7pm) and Saturday, October 17 (9am-1pm).
And in this “Restart, Reset, Refocus, Refresh the Routine Come to Church” vein, we will reflecting on the many things we have to be thankful for during our service on Thanksgiving Sunday. Too often we obsess over the news and what is wrong with people and the world. It is good to take time to reflect on the goodness of God’s Creation, people included.
Yours in Christ’s Service,
Rev. Stephen Fram