Trinity Weekly Update for February 1st

Hello Trinity Friends!

 
This Sunday we celebrate Candlemas. Candlemas is celebrated 40 days after Christmas to commemorate Jesus’ presentation at the Temple 40 days after he was born.  Join us for this special candle lighting service – Sunday February 1st at 10:30 am.
 
Next Friday February 6th is Trinity’s Annual Coffee House evening.  Great talent, fantastic company and decadent desserts and coffee – in one evening of fun!  We are still looking for some decadent desserts – if you are able to bake some, or have some gourmet coffees you can share – please sign-up in the Sunday School Hall.  Thanks!
 
A reminder for those of you who are preparing Annual Reports or submissions for the Lenten newsletter – these MUST be in by Sunday February 8th.  Rob has to have both of these done by the following weekend and will not be able to wait for last minute submissions (my own included).
 
Trinity’s Coldest Night Team – The Subzero Superheroes are collecting pledges for the gathering place as well as accepting more superheroes to join our team.  If you would like to donate or join the team, please look for Superhero Ryan after church this Sunday.
 
If you would like to order gift cards from the AOTS – this Sunday February 1st – please see Ed Rose after church.  The next date to order cards is the 15th of February.  

 

If Music be the Food of Love: Valentine’s Fundraiser

“If Music Be the Food Of Love”:

Shakespeare in Love

Trinity United Church presents an evening of love, beauty and romance with “If Music Be the Food Of Love”, a Valentines Night fund-raiser for April’s professional quality production of William Shakespeare’s KING LEAR. 

Celebrate the spirit of love with the world’s finest poet, featuring an evening of Shakespearean music and sonnets including ten local artists: Tracey Berti, Rod Carley, Ted Harrison, Jim Harney, Maureen Cassidy, Josh Bainbridge, Anthony Leclair, Tim Nicholson, Rob McCubbin, Jennifer Ritchie, Kelsey Ruhl, Ethan Chapman and more. 

A decadent chocolate dessert reception will follow.

Saturday, February 14th, 7pm at Trinity United Church, North Bay. (Ferguson at McIntyre) Tickets $20.00 (available at the door).

For more information call (705)474-3310

 “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite.”

 

Manitou Conference’s Minute for Right Relations

MINUTE FOR RIGHT RELATIONS (M4RR) – January 2015

Below you will find the January edition of our Minute for Right Relations.  The intention of the M4RR is to offer a brief, monthly reflection that we hope will find a forum somewhere in your congregational life.

Similar to the M&S Minute for Mission, this might be used in a variety of ways in your context – and could include reading during Sunday worship or as a bulletin insert, at a Board meeting, or with study groups.

 

This Right Relations piece is a direct excerpt from Richard Wagamese`s compelling novel “Indian Horse“  This book, a Canada Reads finalist is a graceful and brutal depiction of a young boy’s journey through life, including the horrors of residential school, and how he triumphs beyond his past.  The excerpt captures a moment in time at residential school and portrays the huge emotional impact and loss of being taken from one`s true home.

 

Indian Horse, (Chapter 13) by Richard Wagamese

 

“One afternoon, during some rare unsupervised time, a dozen of us escaped to the bottom of the ridge the school sat on.  A small creek ran along the base of the ridge, curving up out of an inkpot lake and into a larger one.  The creek was narrow, maybe three feet across and shallow.  It was a sucker creek.  The fish swam up it to spawn in the bigger water and we went down there with burlap bangs wed taken from the barns.  We could see the fish pushing up that water.  It was thrilling. So much life, so much desperation, so much energy. We stood for a long time and just watched. Then some of us cut saplings and bent them around the inside lip of those sacks. We lowered the sacks into the water and pulled them up dripping and filled with fish.  We watched the silvery, brown flash as they flopped out onto the bank, their puckered mouths flapping like wet kisses from fat aunties, their tails flipping and slapping against the ground.  We pushed them back into the water and pulled up another sack.  We did that four times.  The fourth time we stood quietly, each of us lost in our thoughts, as the fish struggled for air, for life, for freedom.  When we bent finally and took the fish in our hands to set them back into the water, most of us were crying. We turned as a group and began the long, sloping walk back up the ridge to the school.  We walked with our hands cupped around our noses, breathing in the smell of those fish, pushing the slime of them around on our faces.  We had no knives to clean them, flay them.  We had no fire to smoke them over.  We had no place to store them, no way to keep them. When they lay gasping on the grass, it was ourselves we saw fighting for air. We were Indian kids and all we had was the smell of those fish on our hands.  We fell asleep that night with our noses pressed to our hands and as the days went by and the smell of those suckers faded, there wasn`t a one of us that didn`t cry for the loss of the life we`d known before. When the dozens of us cried in the chapel, the nuns smiled, believing it was the promise of their god that touched us. But we all walked out of there with our hands to our faces, Breathing in. Breathing in.“

 

Submitted by Martha Cunningham Closs.  Excerpt used with permission of the Author.

 

Trinity Weekly Report

Hello Trinity Friends,

 
The soup, bread and dessert chefs have been busy and it sure smells good around here!  We are looking forward to our soup tasting evening tonight. 
 
This Sunday January 25th we will celebrate Robbie Burns day through worship, music and poetry.  You are welcome and encouraged to wear your Scottish attire and brush up on your best Scottish brogue.
 
This year’s Christian Unity Service will be taking place at St. Andrew’s United Church at 2pm.  All are welcome to attend!
 
Next month there will be a number of special events at the church where we would like to serve decadent desserts: specifically the CoffeeHouse on February 6th and the Valentine’s Night Fundraiser.  If you are able to contribute a dessert to either or both of these events please sign up on the sheet in the Sunday School room or reply to this email and I will add your name to the list.  Thanks in advance!
 
A reminder that next Friday January 30th is the Cafeteria Style Luncheon.  All are welcome!  Sandwiches, Soup, Chili and more are available from 11 – 1.  There is a bake table as well. 
 
Trinity’s breakfast program at the gathering place is up and running!  We are still in need of volunteers to serve breakfast from 9 – 10 am on Monday mornings.  If you are able to help out one Monday a month (or more) please contact Roxanne.  You can call the church to get her contact information.  Thanks for supporting this ministry!

 

Blessings on your week!