Presteign-Woodbine – Page 16 – Leaside United Church

Celebrating Three Years as an Affirming Congregation at Leaside

April 26, 2019 April 29, 2019

This Sunday, we’re celebrating 3 years as an Affirming Congregation. As we say in our congregation’s Mission Statement: As an affirming ministry, we celebrate the diversity of God’s creation. We celebrate the richness of our community when we have diversity in age, gender identity, racial/cultural backgrounds, sexual orientation, ability and family configurations. We seek to create a safe place with an open invitation to bring every aspect of one’s whole self into one’s participation within this ministry.

We are living into our affirming identity in many ways, but there is always so much more that we can do intentionally as a community to live into our affirming commitment. It is important not to become complacent with how welcoming we are and miss the ways that we can continue to transform ourselves and allow our congregation to be transformed. This Sunday the sermon title is “What’s love got to do with it?” Both in the sanctuary, and in the children’s program we’ll have the opportunity to reflect on Paul’s words about love. We talk about “welcome” but how do we push ourselves further? Other highlights this Sunday include:

sharing the Peace of Christ with one another
lighting candles for joys and sorrows during our prayers
a choir anthem that combines a Latin chant “ubi caritas” with an African chant in an upbeat Easter anthem
poetry by people in the LGTBQ+ community
and coffee and tea served before the service (come any timeafter 10am) as well as afterward

I look forward to seeing many of you on Sunday.

Blessings, Emily

Rev. Emily Gordon Phone: 647-303-6709 (work cell)

Email: emily@leasideunited.org

Like to read the scripture readings ahead? Our scripture readings for this week: Luke 24:36-42; 1 Corinthians 13

Did you know that April is poetry month? We’ll be hearing a couple of poems by LGTBQ+ poets on Sunday, but before then you might be interested in watching a couple of short poems: Maybe I Need You by Andrea Gibson and Lee Mokobe sharing a TED talk A powerful poem about what it feels like to be transgender.

If you like TED talks, you might also be interested in watching A queer vision of love and marriage by Tiq Milan and Kim Katrin Milan.

Easter Celebration 2019 at Leaside

April 25, 2019 March 2, 2021

We traveled through the story of Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday and the triumphal palm parade gave way to increasing opposition by religious authorities who feared Roman reprisals and disillusionment by crowds who longed for a sword-wielding Messiah that would fight for their freedom, and instead found… Jesus. Jesus who talked about peace, honesty, generosity, and non-violent resistance to oppression.

On Good Friday, our service was one of “Loss and Love”, as we brought our own experiences of loss to this story, and were moved by a love that was so strong that it endured being betrayed, abandoned, and killed by those in power.

We enjoyed a string quartet accompanying Schutz’s Seven Last Words of Christ, along with hearing scripture, sharing hymns and refrains, and ending with a beautiful solo “Were you there?” As we listened to the music and story, and sang and prayed together, we remembered that in all of our suffering God is there, suffering with us, loving with us.

Then on Easter Sunday we celebrated that even this moving truth of God’s presence is not the end of the story. Through times of loss and times of death, God brings transformation. Having journeyed together through Good Friday, our celebration on Easter Sunday is richer, deeper, and more joyful.

This year we had lots of memorial flowers, trumpet music, the Junior Choir, special anthems, and a chance for everyone to join in the Hallelujah chorus. Easter is a time when generations gather, when there is the buzz of energy, and the rush of preparing meals to share with family and friends. Easter is a time when we are called to be Easter People, who celebrate life and love at every opportunity, always recognizing the new possibilities for ourselves, our church, and our communities.

Thank you to everyone for sharing these holy days.

Blessings, Rev. Emily

Photographs by our Volunteer Photographer, Murray Fenner.

Leaside United Variety Show 2019 Videos

April 5, 2019 April 10, 2019

Seniors & Technology

Markus & Ashley – Vocal and Guitar Duo

Chris Norman & Matthew Boutda

Brenda & Doug – Song and Guitar Duo

Drummer Girls

What a Show!

April 2, 2019 April 8, 2019

Friday, March 29th brought the Variety Show 2019 to the Leaside United Church sanctuary!

Who would have believed that animals, drums, geography lessons, Bach, Gilbert and Sullivan, Rippling Watercolours (even projected on the church walls too), ukuleles, banjos, guitars, hip hop, bagpipes and the passage of time could all be combined with humour and words of wisdom from its participants! A show like this certainly brings out another side of our character and makes “You Don’t Know Me”(fully) applicable!

A donation of $1,200 will be given to TNO the Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office, to allow 20 youth to attend Thorncliffe Day Camp, for three weeks, this summer.

A big Thank You to the full team that made it all happen! What a show!

Thank you to Murray Fenner for taking these great photographs of the event: