Community

Children’s Sunday – November 21st, 2021

November 22, 2021

This Sunday there are two services – an outdoors In the Wild gathering at 9am, and our weekly service at 10:30am for those attending in-person, or about 10:40am for those attending online.

Our weekly service will be shared as a livestream on YouTube and Zoom as well as in-person. Registration is no longer required for in-person worship, but proof of vaccination must be shown each time, masks must be worn at all times, and we encourage you to distance from anyone you do not consider part of your bubble.

Different international multicultural children standing together and holding hands around the world

This Sunday we mark Children’s Sunday with a service that will include a Junior Virtual Choir Project.

Worship will begin with a baptism live in the sanctuary.

The livestream will begin immediately following the baptism, at approximately 10:40am. On Zoom, there will be an additional opportunity for conversation. If you are attending on YouTube, you are welcome to linger over brunch a little longer. If you are attending in-person, you are invited to arrive a couple of minutes earlier to be sure you are seated by the service start.

NOTE: Unfortunately, we had technology challenges this morning and not able to connect sound to our livestream. There is no livestream recorded service today. Many apologies!

Watch the Stories and Makers Nest at 9:55am on Zoom, or any time on YouTube.

Next Sunday:

On November 28 we begin the season of Advent. Please mark the following dates in your calendar as we prepare for special Advent and Christmas services.

The Song of Hannah – Sunday November 14th, 2021

November 14, 2021

Today’s service will be shared as a livestream on YouTube and Zoom as well as in-person, beginning with a prelude leading up to 10:30am. Registration is no longer required for in-person worship, but proof of vaccination must be shown each time.

Lectio Divina (“divine reading”) is a way of reading and reflecting on scripture slowly to pay attention to how it is speaking to our lives. Today we will practice Lectio Divina together, focusing on the story of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, and particularly of the song she sings when she learns she is expecting (parts of which are later echoed by Mary’s song, the Magnificat). Our lectio divina will be accompanied by short piano mediations and an anthem “Holy is the True Light” by Harris. Our final hymn will be “Great Is Thy Faithfulness.”

Stories and Makers Nest

Today we continue with part 3 of the story of Moses – the Exodus. For the craft today you will need construction paper, scissors, tape, and markers.

Watch the Stories and Makers Nest at 9:55am on Zoom, or any time on YouTube.

Next Sunday
November 21st we mark Children’s Sunday with a service that will include a Junior Virtual Choir Project.

Worship will begin with a baptism live in the sanctuary. Since the parents have decided not to have their child online, the baptism will not be livestreamed.
The livestream will begin immediately following the baptism, at approximately 10:40am. On Zoom, there will be an additional opportunity for conversation. If you are attending on YouTube, you are welcome to linger over brunch a little longer. If you are attending in-person, you are invited to arrive a couple of minutes earlier to be sure you are seated by the service start.

Then, on November 28 we begin the season of Advent. We will be sharing more about Advent and Christmas soon, as we look forward to ways to worship together inside, outside, and online!

Spirit Alive – Quiet City

November 8, 2021

Next Spirit Alive Group
Saturday, November 13 at 10:30 am on Zoom

“Quiet City”

The city – our city – is a noisy, hectic and chaotic place. To drive anywhere in the city at almost any time of the day is to confront traffic jams, constructions delays, and reckless vehicles in too much of a hurry. The sidewalks in many areas are crowded with people rushing from one place to the next, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings and to other people. Even in a pandemic, we are often overwhelmed by the constant cacophony of our urban environment.

So – where do we go to find peace and quiet in the city? Not everyone can escape to a cottage or other place in the country, away from the city. In fact, most people in the city are confined to the city. So – it is important for a city to have quiet places – places that offer the possibility of spiritual refreshment and renewal. These places are sometimes difficult to discover – but they exist. One just needs to know where to find them.

Spirit Alive on Saturday morning, November 13, at 10:30 am. will discuss the quiet city – or more particularly, a quiet Toronto. Where do we go to find the Quiet City. Participants are requested to bring to the discussion two or three suggestions of places in the city where, in your view, it is possible to enjoy solace and experience a retreat from urban frenzy. David Phillips will lead this discussion on Zoom.