Faith in Action – July 29, 2025
We’re back in August!
August Services:
August 3 – Communion Sunday with Rev. Teresa Moysey
August 10 – Worship led by Minister Candidate Diane Meredith
August 17 – Worship led by Minister Candidate Diane Meredith
August 24 – Worship led by Rev. Teresa Moysey
August 31 – Worship led by Minister Candidate Diane Meredith
The office will be closed until August 18, but the answering machine and e-mails will be monitored – please don’t hesitate to reach out as needed.
Last Call for Garden Photos! Reminder that the deadline to send in your garden photos is THIS Thursday, July 31! Thank you to everyone who has already sent in photos! Send your photos to: laura.wpuc@gmail.com. Watch for the 2025 Virtual Garden Tour video in early August!
School supplies for local schools
School Supply Donations – During the month of August we will again be collecting new school supplies for local schools. Watch the e-blast for a list of supplies needed and your local stores for the best deals!
Pastoral Care Group – As we go through the summer, if you are aware of anyone from our church community who might benefit from Pastoral Care support, please email or leave a general message (office@windsorparkunitedchurch.com or 204-256-8792) to share discreetly – someone will get back to you. *Again, please note that the answering machine and email will be monitored regularly during July and August.
The Holy Grounds Café continues to be open every Wednesday from 1-2:30 p.m. throughout the summer months. Come out for a coffee and a visit – all welcome!
Emergency Food Cupboard – Our Emergency Food Pantry will be open during the summer months on Wednesdays only (10 a.m.-2 p.m.) Thank you to everyone who volunteered to work a shift! The food cupboard is running low on canned vegetables and canned fruit. Items can be dropped off between 10-2 p.m. on Wednesday. Thank you for your support of this community outreach.
Little Free Library – If you are at the church and notice the Little Free Library needs a tidy, please feel free to go ahead! Also, please check to see that the doors are closed and latched (at the bottom) so that rain and wind don’t damage the books. This community outreach gets many visitors, so your help is much appreciated!
Garden Caretakers – Thank you to everyone who is doing their part (weeding/watering) to keep our gardens looking beautiful over the summer!
Tech help needed! – If you would like to learn how to run the livestream or use the “clicker” during the worship service to change the worship slides, please call the church office. A few helpers are needed to keep this ministry going!
Beyond Our Walls:
Wildfires in Manitoba and Ontario:
Many communities in the Prairie to Pine region continue to suffer the impacts of the ongoing wildfire season. This is a very hard time for so many. All of these communities are facing significant trauma and immediate needs. We are asked to continue daily prayer for all of God’s creation affected by the wildfires. One way to help is to donate to The Red Cross through their Manitoba wildfire appeal at this link.
Another way to support people at this time:
Support for Garden Hill through the United Church Foundation
On July 10, Garden Hill First Nation, one of the communities that Indigenous Ministries and Justice serves, came under a mandatory evacuation order due to wildfires. The province of Manitoba has again declared a provincial emergency. Pastoral staff at Garden Hill, in consultation with community leadership, have said that in addition to prayers, donations to the community’s relief efforts would be appreciated. The United Church of Canada Foundation will accept these donations, provide you with a tax receipt, and forward the funds to Garden Hill First Nation.
How to donate
1. Visit the United Church of Canada Foundation website:
https://unitedchurchfoundation.ca/
2. Click the ‘donate now’ button on top right corner
3. Under ‘fund’, choose the ‘Ann Baker Estate Trust for Emergency Relief’
4. Write a message indicating to direct the funds to Garden Hill First Nation for wildfire relief
(Source: Prairie to Pine email)
Prayers:
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those who are impacted by the extreme heat/weather changes/hazardous air quality due to smoke that we have been experiencing in Manitoba, particularly those without indoor shelter and those attempting to care for their health and safety needs;
Please pray for all God’s creation; for the safety and spiritual and mental health of those evacuating or awaiting such orders and of all first responders and leaders. We also pray for those returning home to devastation and loss. Through our prayers, may we be moved to offer whatever help we can in this moment and over the longer term, as the reality of trauma and destruction make themselves felt.
The Power of Prayer: Call for daily prayer for wildfire impacts.
Keewatin Circle, the Indigenous United Church in Manitoba, invites you to pray with them for all communities in Canada regarding the forest fire emergencies.
You are invited to observe a time of prayer each evening beginning at 7:00 p.m.
Please pray for the following:
Rain
Safety of all communities
Safety of evacuees
Safety for all those responding to the needs of evacuees.
Safety for those who are in communities fighting fires.
As well as the animals both domestic and wild
“We are asking that all communities pray with us, as prayer is stronger when we come together in times of need.”
Our thoughts and prayers also continue to be with those in places across the world where war, aggression, and human-induced famine continue.
Learn more at: Support Just Peace in Palestine and Israel | The United Church of Canada
As the second day of the 45th General Council opens on Friday, August 8, The United Church of Canada will offer an apology to 2S and LGBTQIA+ communities in a special livestreamed and in-person worship service.
The service will be held at Knox United Church, 506 4 St. SW, Calgary, Alberta at 9 am MT, on Friday, August 8. The service is open to anyone who would like to attend in person; it will also be available on Zoom, with live interpretation in English and French. Register here.
“The call of Jesus is that we love one other,” says Rev. Aaron Miechkota, Iridesce Project Coordinator and Apology Task Group member. “The apology project was simply one opportunity for us to live this call and promise… this time in a dialogue between the 2S and LGBTQIA+ community and the United Church. It is my sincere hope that the sacred call to love and know each other will continue, with the apology being a touchstone and marker along the way.”
The United Church of Canada affirms that gender and sexuality are gifts of God, and the church welcomes people of all sexual orientations and gender identities as full members. In 1988, the 32nd General Council declared that “all persons, regardless of sexual orientation, who profess their faith in Jesus Christ are welcome to be or become members of The United Church of Canada” and that “all members of the United Church are eligible to be considered for ordered ministry.” In 2012, “gender identity” was affirmed to not limit participation in membership or ministry.
The United Church of Canada was the first denomination in Canada to affirm the full inclusion of LGBTQIA+ persons into the life of the church. While the 1988 decision was significant, there are still many painful stories of exclusion from before 1988, and that continue into the present.
By formally apologizing, the United Church reaffirms its commitment to radical hospitality and full inclusion of 2S and LGBTQIA+ people in all aspects of church life, including leadership, worship, and governance, strengthening the church’s witness to justice and love in action.
Tangible commitments, such as revising policies, providing reparative support, and ensuring 2S and LGBTQIA+ voices are centered in decision-making would help dismantle systemic barriers and foster a church culture where equity is actively pursued.
The road has not been smooth, and the church has not always accepted 2S and LGBTQIA+ people. The living apology is one way to acknowledge the many shortcomings and the harm the church has caused, while also continuing to build toward a world of radical love and affirming people of all identities.
“I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.” (Psalm 139:14)
The full worship liturgy will be posted for people who will be online, particularly so that online participants can follow along with the hymns. The worship bulletin is bilingual, English-French. The liturgy will be posted online the morning of the Apology worship service, in the following ways: online on General Council website; online in the Zoom chat; online on the apology webpage; online on YouTube; and shared on the United Church social media.
Local gatherings to participate live in the online worship and Apology:
Transcona Memorial United Church and Westworth United Church, both in Winnipeg will be gathering on August 8. More details will be posted as they become available.
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