October Newsletter

NEWS FROM COUNCIL

We would like to thank everyone who participated in the Kick Off Sunday Pie Event. We had so many pies this year! All the money that was collected from that event has gone into the Special Projects account. We made over $300!

New Member Sunday was well attended to welcome our new members. We had a lovely social after with cake and some leftover pie that was discovered in the freezer. Please welcome Ivy Clark, Mike Cantley, Jim Evenson, George Boelcke and Wayne Neudorf.

The hearing assistants and new amplifiers have been approved to be purchased. It was brought to our attention the hearing assist system isn’t working properly, so it’s time to upgrade. The money for that will come from the projector fund and special projects.

Council also approved the purchase a table dolly for the new tables. The funds for that will come from special projects.

Finally, new mats for the front doors will be purchased and the funds for that will come out of the custodial maintenance fund.

It has been decided that fellowship will follow the service on the first and third Sundays of the months between November and March. A sign-up sheet will be posted on the bulletin board if anyone is interested in helping out on these Sunday’s.

NEWS FROM YOUTH GROUP

This year’s youth retreat held on September 30th was a huge success! With 10 youth in attendance, almost all the youth were able to participate. They enjoyed the waterslides and wave pool at WEM waterpark, followed by pizza dinner and devotional. It was a fun day for everyone!

NEW MEMBER SUNDAY OCTOBER 5th

We had a great turn out to welcome the new members of the church. Thank you to all who helped with the cake, pies and refreshments.

NOTE FROM THE OFFICE

I have decided to put the newsletter out after council meetings so I can add as much information as possible here as the bulletins are jammed with information each week.

The newsletter is for everyone, so if you have anything you’d like to add, you can reach me by phone or email. Please keep it pertinent to the church and members.

I have added a Kids Corner section. I ran a day home for 29 years so I have a special place in my heart for all kids, so I wanted to include them in the newsletter. We have the Kids Corner table set up in the Narthex where the kids can grab a sticker, a puzzle or display their work from Sunday School.

 -          Dreanne

LETTER FROM THE BISHOP

October 2025

“If another member of the church sins against you…” Matthew 18

Matthew 18 feels like Jesus is sitting us down and saying, “Let’s talk about what it really means to live together.” This whole chapter is about community, and at the center of it is reconciliation—how we deal with hurt, conflict, and forgiveness when things go wrong. And let’s be honest: in any community, things do go wrong.

Right in the middle of the chapter is the parable of the lost sheep. This is one of those stories we never get tired of hearing: a shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to search for the one that wandered off. Why? Because every single person matters. God doesn’t write people off, and that’s the same spirit we’re supposed to carry into reconciliation.

Jesus then gets super practical: “If someone sins against you, go talk to them directly.” (He probably shouldn’t have said “if” but “when!”) No gossip. No threats. No social media. No letters. Just you and them, face to face. If that doesn’t work, bring a couple of others. If that still doesn’t work, bring it before the community. It takes a lot of trust when we feel vulnerable or hurt. It’s a slow, thoughtful process, and the goal is both accountability and restoration—not shaming, not punishing, not winning an argument.

Reconciliation, according to Matthew 18, isn’t optional. It’s the heartbeat of Christian community. It means starting with humility, pursuing one another like God pursues the lost, having honest conversations, and practicing forgiveness over and over again.

When Peter asked the question everyone was thinking, “Okay, but how many times do I have to forgive? Seven times?” (He probably thought that was generous.) Jesus replies, “Not seven—seventy times seven.” In other words, stop counting. Forgiveness isn’t a math problem; it’s a way of life.

Our world is quick to cancel, quick to divide, quick to walk away. Jesus calls us to be different. He calls us to do the hard work of mending, forgiving, and restoring. That’s what reconciliation looks like, and it’s the way God’s kingdom comes alive right here among us.

Thanksgiving blessings to you all,

Bishop Trish

SEPTEMBER FINANCIALS

Funds needed to run the church (per Budget) $15,840.00

Receipts for September $15,546.59

Disbursements for September ($14,732.64)

Transferred to T-Bill Savings ($20,000.00)

Receipts vs. Disbursements for September $813.95

Chequing Account Balance as at September 30, 2025 $10,944.69