Summer Worship Services Online

Summer Worship Services Online

From Region 5:

Here are the four worship services to use as you wish.

Thank you to the musicians, the staff, and the presidents of our three regions for agreeing to provide this ministry, especially to Audrey Lounder who also did the technical work.

See the following URLs for the full script of the service with the links to the corresponding virtual services.

Service 1 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EKPI70qykreDbgi6zGjFOTUjfZOntPm0/view?usp=sharing

Service 2   - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1T0e3sWxlwkE7q3YL0nmSSzz5cx69AlfT/view?usp=sharing

Service 3 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/16wcQtBggWwwQyeTwkKCIyK7dbjYUq3pO/view?usp=sharing

Service 4 - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UE-fe4X6xdyWyKi5wSYrLUbimtoaCL0f/view?usp=sharing

May there be rest and renewal for all this summer!

Be Safe and God Bless!

Webinar today, May 7, 2020

Two Opportunities to Join 

"Faithful Footprints Atlantic Webinar" online 

Thursday, May 7, 2020

3:00 PM to 5:00 PM 

OR

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

6:30 PM to 8:00 PM

RSVP by emailing bengrieder@ecologyaction.ca

Does your green team or building committee need some advice about how to improve your faith community’s building in the future?  

Join Ben Grieder from the Ecology Action Centre and local climate champions for an interactive online webinar where you can learn about how you can make your faith-based institution buildings more energy efficient and environmentally friendly! 

Open to all faith-based institutions. 

Please RSVP by emailing bengrieder@ecologyaction.ca

Visit the Faithful Footprints Website: https://www.faithfulfootprints.org/events

QUEST FOR THE QUEEN THUR MAY 7

QUEST FOR THE QUEEN

THUR MAY 7

Read 2 Corinthians 5:6-9 2020 Heaven is declaring God’s glory; the sky is
proclaiming his handiwork.

— Psalm 19:1 (CEB)
A queen bee nestled in her hive can be quite elusive. I’m pretty good at finding hidden objects in a picture game on
a page; but as a new beekeeper, I worried about finding our queen. My husband, Joe, and I spent several months studying about the care of bees before purchasing a hive from a local beekeeper. Our “starter pack” of bees derived from a larger colony came with five frames containing comb and larvae to put in our hive along with the worker bees and a queen. “What if we don’t see the queen?” I asked Joe as we left with our boxed bees. “Don’t worry,” he said. “You don’t have to see the
queen. If you see her eggs and developing larvae, you know she’s there.” About a week later, curiosity moved me to look in our hive. I saw newly laid eggs and growing larvae in different stages of development. Joe was right. I never saw the queen, but I saw her handiwork.

Our search for God can be much like my quest for the queen bee. We long to see God; but because God is invisible, we get discouraged. Yet, if we take time to look, we see signs of God’s presence around us. Just as I haven’t seen my queen bee, I haven’t seen God face-to-face. But I have seen God’s handiwork, so I know God is near.

Prayer: Dear Lord, give us eyes to see you and faith to believe. Amen.

Suzanne Montgomery (Indiana, USA) Prayer Focus: BEEKEEPERS 1

Sunday, May 3, 2020

RESTING ON A ROCK

SUN MAY 3

Read Mark 1:35-39 2020
Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
— Luke 5:16 (NIV)
Once or twice a year, my husband’s uncle would drive from his Indiana home to a northwestern desert. He said he needed to get away from everything and spend some time just sitting on a rock. He usually combined his trips with mission work, meeting various needs in the area. First, however, he withdrew to his rock to clear his mind and calm his spirit from the stresses of life.

Whether he intentionally followed Jesus’ example or simply recognized his personal need for solitude, he never said. Either way, his actions demonstrated the pattern Jesus set during his time on earth. Jesus’ life was certainly full. He ministered to hurting crowds through healing, feeding, and teaching. He offered unconditional love. He touched lepers. He ate with outcasts. He challenged the status quo. But even with all that interaction, Jesus regularly withdrew from everyone and everything for time alone with his Father.

Don’t we need the same renewal? If we go nonstop, we deplete all our energy and become no good to ourselves
or anyone else. Personal time with God, who is our Rock, restores our energy and prepares us for another day of loving obedience to our Father.

Prayer: Thank you, Father, for meeting us in solitude and giving us strength when we turn to you. Amen.
Diana C. Derringer (Kentucky, USA) Prayer Focus: THOSE BURDENED BY STRESS 9

Saturday, May 2, 2020

SAT MAY 2
2020

NEVER TOO LATE
Read Luke 15:11-32

You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
— 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NIV)

As part of my pastoral responsibilities at a local hospital, I was called to the bedside of an elderly woman. I found her shouting out in anguish to Jesus and then to me. She had been diagnosed with a brain hemorrhage and was afraid she would die and not go to heaven. When I asked the reason for her fear, she explained that her sins were just too great. I reminded her of the parable of the prodigal son and how our Father in heaven will welcome us back with open arms. She told me she was afraid it was too late. I assured her that if Jesus could forgive the thief on the cross next to him, the same is true of all of us. We then prayed together, and a great peace seemed to come over her. When I saw her again the next morning, she took my hand and said that she knew she was forgiven and welcomed back by God.

No matter what sins we may have committed, whether we are coming to Christ for the first time or returning to God like the prodigal son, we don’t have to be afraid that our sins are too great. Instead, we can reach out to our Father and remember that God forgives and welcomes us with open arms.

Prayer: Dear Father, remind us that it is never too late to turn to you. Help us to be open to receive your love and forgive- ness. Amen.
Scott Martin (New Jersey, USA) — See p. 21. 8 Prayer Focus: THOSE WHO FEEL UNWORTHY

Friday May 1 2020 Upper Room

MORE THAN WE ASKED

FRI MAY 1

Read Romans 8:12-17* 2020
You didn’t receive a spirit of slavery to lead you back again into fear, but you received a Spirit that shows you are adopted as [God’s] children.
— Romans 8:15 (CEB)

Prostate cancer had metastasized to the bones throughout my husband’s body. The next morning, my first thought was, Earle is dying, and nothing is ever going to be all right again. Decades of dealing with my own diagnosis of bipolar disorder had left me helpless in the world of computers, banking, invest- ments, home and car maintenance, and lawn care. Earle had dealt with all of these as well as doing most of the driving. Since I had concentrated all my efforts on fighting my way out of the pit of mental illness, I had no self-confidence. I fell to my knees and asked for the help that only God can give.
God gave me strength as I started to learn all the responsibil- ities that I might soon have to deal with on my own — banking, making appointments, driving Earle and myself, downsizing as we moved into a smaller home. Then, after God  Earle began to respond well to the cancer treatments. Though not in remission, Earl’s cancer is controlled.

Now able to do many things that had seemed beyond my capabilities before, I am sharing with Earle the abundant life Jesus promised to us if we would trust in him.

Prayer: Faithful God, we rejoice in your goodness. Thank you for physical healing and for the spiritual healing only you can provide. Amen.

Thought for the Day
Jesus offers me abundant life.

Darlene Forgues (Alberta, Canada)

Prayer Focus: SOMEONE LEARNING TO LIVE ON THEIR OWN
* The Bible readings are selected with great care, and we urge you to include the suggested reading in your devotional time.

THE UPPER ROOM

COVER ART INTERPRETATION

Ruth and Naomi
Artist: Nalini Marcia Jayasuriya (Indonesia) Interpreter: Kathryn A. Kimball, Curator, The Upper Room Chapel/ Christian Art Museum
Nalini Jayasuriya was a Christian artist born in Sri Lanka. Believing that people “need protection from fear and a hope for blessing,”* she painted
biblical life stories in ways that focus on the wonderful moments within each story that create hope.
In the book of Ruth, we read the story of the death of Naomi’s husband and sons. With no male heirs, the future looked bleak for Naomi and her daughters-in-law, so Naomi encouraged the young women to return to their homeland where they could remarry. Jayasuriya’s painting focuses on Ruth 4:13-17, where Ruth gives her son to Naomi — a gift of hope for their future and for ours.
In the center, Naomi and Ruth gently cradle a white dove. Swirls of red and blue surround the dove in a protective womb- like shield. Golden reddish-browns spread out from the dove, breaking through the edges of the painting. Feet extending from her dress, Naomi looks up and beyond Ruth’s face, perhaps envisioning the promise of her new future. Ruth kneels before Naomi, gazing at the beautiful white dove cradled in their hands. In art a bird often symbolizes hope. In this story, it rep- resents the gift of Obed — an ancestor of Jesus.
Ruth and Naomi each offer a gift to the other with their open hands. Naomi offers Ruth freedom. Ruth cradles the dove and presents it to Naomi as a gift of hope. The dove sits freely within their embrace. This act of love and promise between Ruth and Naomi secures their future and the gift of hope for all Christians through the birth of Jesus.
*A Time for My Singing: Witness of a Life, OMSC Publications, 2004
Cover image courtesy of OMSC. © Nalini Marcia Jayasuriya and OMSC,

Dear Upper Room Family,

Greetings in the name of our risen Savior! The resurrection is the centerpiece of our hope, and if we ever needed hope, now is the time. We pray for health – physical, emotional, and spiritual health – for our Upper Room family and the world. We hope you will pray for us, too, as we all work remotely to keep the ministry of The Upper Room present and vital.

It is our understanding that there are postal disruptions to various countries around the world. To circumvent that, we are sending you  PDFs of the May-June issue in English and Spanish. If you are a church and have access to emails of your readers, please share these PDFs with them. PDFs are also free to download from https://www.upperroom.org/covid-19 The downloads are available in both English and Spanish.

Suggestions for how to get the most out of your copies of The Upper Room daily devotional guide

during this unique time.

1. Through June 30, 2020, you have permission to post the daily meditation on your website. You can also simply put a link on your site.https://www.upperroom.org/devotionals for English or https://es.upperroom.org/devotionals for Spanish.
2. Through June 30, 2020, you have permission to record the reading of the daily meditation to be presented as a story on Facebook, or on a private YouTube channel. Please note – do not record the meditation and make it available as a post or using Facebook Live. Make it available only as a story. Stories are up for a limited time and then disappear. This is an important copyright consideration. We appreciate your cooperation.
3. Consider doing a study group via Zoom, WebEx or other video-conferencing tool using the study questions included in every issue of The Upper Room.

 Resources The Upper Room is making available temporarily to individuals and churches while COVID-19 is front and center in our world.

The following list can be viewed at upperroom.org/covid-19

1. Go to https://www.upperroom.org/covid-19 for a list of all of our resources specific to the pandemic along with the following articles:

• Seven Suggestions for Healing and Renewal in the Midst of Stress and Anxiety by Flora S. Wuellner
• A Blessing for Those Who Wait by Beth A. Richardson
• The Work of Hope by Luther E. Smith, Jr.
• Getting Started with Your Private Online Classroom

2. Morning Prayer on Facebook Live – Each day at 11AM CT.  Please join here - https://www.facebook.com/UpperRoomCenter/ Each session of this brief daily communal prayer time is led by an Upper Room staff member or friend.
3. “New Every Morning” with daily video. This e-newsletter offers a daily reflection featuring an excerpt from an Upper Room Books title, a reflection question, space to comment and/or to add a prayer request. A video clip featuring a staff member or author responding to the question: “What does creating a life with God look like for you today?”  View the videos at https://www.youtube.com/user/UpperRoomMin/featured Sign up here: https://upperroombooks.com/neweverymorning-subscribe/
4. Our Freedom From Worry eCourse, will be offered free to all for a limited time. This eCourse featuring Upper Room Books author Patricia Wilson is designed to help participants reduce their anxiety level and develop practices of prayer and trust. To register, go to UReLearning.upperroom.org/courses  and use the promo code FREEDOM when registering.
5. Other individual eCourses are being offered for half price. To view available eCourses, go here UReLearning.upperroom.org/courses and use promo code URHALF when registering.
6. The Upper Room Prayer Wall is available for posting prayers and praying in response to the prayers of others. http://prayer-center.upperroom.org/prayer-wall
7. Beth Richardson has created a helpful video for all those who want submit requests or pray for others. A link can be found here: https://www.upperroom.org/covid-19
8. The Upper Room Editions team has created a new space on the daily devotional blog for the purpose of sharing personal and theological reflections on the current global pandemic. A link to this section can be found at https://www.upperroom.org/covid-19
9. Our “Prayers for…” series is available for free download at  https://www.upperroom.org/special-editions “Prayers For Hope, Prayers for Courage, Prayers for Illness and Prayers for Comfort”.

We may be a community in crisis, but we are also a community in Christ, and that makes all the difference. Please know that we are in this together.

Yours in faith,

The Upper Room Editorial Team

Upper Room Editions

A letter from the Trustees and Finance Committee

Hello Everyone,

I hope that you are all well and staying safe.

This is just a friendly reminder to those of us who are not on PAR that 
we do have ongoing expenses at the church and manse, such as heating oil, 
electricity, water, taxes on the manse and insurance on both Church and 
manse, to mention the main ones.

Some members have been mailing in their offering envelopes, which is 
much appreciated.  The Trustees and Finance Committee encourages anyone 
who is able to do so to please drop your offering envelope in the mail 
to St. Marks Church, 504 Bernard St., Port Hawkesbury, B9A 2V1. It is 
suggested that offerings be made by cheque rather than cash.

Church deposits are being made weekly and the record of envelope givings 
is immediately forwarded to Ruth MacRae.


Thank You and Take Good Care,

Clark Brander, 
Chairman, Trustees and Finance Committee

Easter service from Rev. Heather Manuel

Hi Folks! 

Happy Easter!! 

 

Please find my Easter service link here:

https://youtu.be/PuRz-fbvsnc

 

He is Risen!

Rev. Heather Manuel

Chimes for Easter Sunday at St. Mark's

The chimes at St. Mark's United Church will be rung at 10 a.m. on Easter Morning. Many thanks to Clark Brander and Wayne Simpson for making this possible.

We may not be there on Easter Sunday, but we can announce to the world that we are still The Church!

Happy Easter everyone!!

Good Friday Service from Guysborough United Church

Please click on the following link to follow a Good Friday service with Rev. Heather Manuel at Guysborough United Church.

https://youtu.be/KgNjD0jnP2s

March 29th, Moderator Richard Bott, shares an online worship service and a reflection on the raising of Lazarus.

Moderator Richard Bott shares an online worship service and a reflection on the raising of Lazarus..

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Moderator is offering online worship for churches to share and use on Sunday mornings. We invite you join in and share this service with your communities of faith to use on Sunday, March 29, 2020. May you be blessed by the gathering of God's people during this challenging time.

This service is recorded live on Zoom. If you would like to participate in the live version of this worship as it is being recorded, please join us online on Tuesdays at 4:00 p.m. PDT, 7:00 p.m. EDT, 8:30 p.m. in Newfoundland.

(These online services are planned to run at least through Holy Week 2020.)

Downloads

• Full Video of the service (MP4)
• Audio-only version (MP3)
• Order of Worship (PDF)
• Sermon (PDF)

THINK! INVITE! INSPIRE!

Think!  Invite! Inspire!
CanadaHelps1 - canadahelps.org
What every United Church needs to know

1. You are already listed on the CanadaHelps site.
   ALL Canadian registered charities can be found on a search on the CanadaHelps site.
   https://www.canadahelps.org
   Anyone can make a donation to your church. CanadaHelps is a charity, online donations are their purpose. However, for your church to receive the donation immediately the account needs to be activated. (Otherwise you won’t know about the donation until CanadaHelps sends you a cheque in the mail which is done monthly. Cash deposits are done weekly.)
2. There are two account types. Both are free.
   HOWEVER the FULL Fundraising Account is more cost effective than the basic Profile Account! Processing fees for the Full Account are 3.5%; fees for the Profile account at 4%.
   Fees include any credit card, bank and brokerage costs.
   Basic info:

	Profile Account	Full Fundraising Account
Credit Card, PayPal or Interac donations	4% fee	3.5%* fee
Peer-to-Peer Social Fundraising	N/A	5.5% fee
Events Solution	N/A	5% fee
Securities Donations	2.0 – 3.0%** fee	2.0 – 3.0%** fee

That’s it. There are no hidden fees and CanadaHelps does not charge charities to open or maintain a CanadaHelps account.
2More detail on the features of the two account types.
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/for-charities/compare-solutions/
1 CanadaHelps is itself a registered charity and as such has received accreditation from Imagine Canada. This is a peer-reviewed Standards Program to ensure the organization demonstrates excellence in five key areas of operations: Board Governance; Financial Accountability and Transparency; Fundraising; Staff Management; and Volunteer Involvement.
2 *The regular transaction charge of 4% will apply until CanadaHelps receives and validates your void cheque and banking form. Please allow 5 business days for this process to be completed.
** 3% fee applies to donations less than $10,000; 2.5% fee applies to donations between $10,000-$49,999; 2.25% fee applies to donations between $50,000-$99,999; 2% fee applies to donations $100,000+.

3. Get a donate button on your website -
   NOW
   You have to set up your banking information with CanadaHelps to get the funds.
   (Account Number, Transit and Inst. Code)
   Then you set up a page - https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charity- life/fundraising-2/new-embed-your-donation- form-in-your-website/
   Then you embed the code on your website. You have a donation page!
4. Activate your page – Things to know
   This is a simple task that lets donors know they have arrived in the right location.
   Make the page yours with custom background colours, images or a logo.
   You can customize your donation form to suit the needs of your organization and your donors. Set custom donation amounts, add funds – like Mission & Service, and explain how donations make a difference and contribute to God’s mission.
   The donation form is fully optimized for mobile use, which will allow donors to complete a secure donation through their smartphone or tablet.
   Once a donation is complete, you can direct the donor to any page - your homepage, an information page, or a custom landing page you’ve created with a thank you message once the donation is complete. And, you can track donation statistics using your Google Analytics account.

5. OTHER SIGNIFICANT SERVICES
(with no additional cost beyond the processing fees noted above) including a fundraising program review.
Ministry or project funding
Do you have fundraising projects outside regular offering program? You can create campaign and stand-alone pages that allow you to accept donations online and in-person at events. No swipe or processing machines needed. Thousands of Churches use CanadaHelps for refugee sponsorship and community fundraising projects.
Crowd source funding
It is the fastest growing source of charitable donations in North America. Don’t use another service that might be based in the US or not able to offer charitable receipts.
CanadaHelps reports that the Peer-to-Peer Social Fundraiser tool was used by 600 United Church congregations to raise funds for their refugee sponsorship and other programs.
Learn more here.
https://www.canadahelps.org/en/for-charities/peer- to-peer-social-fundraising/
Event Management
This service can be very helpful whether or not it is for a fundraising event. It includes the following: Free and Paid Ticketed Events
High Impact Event Pages
Integrated Social Sharing
Fully Mobile Ready
Extensive Branding Options Automated Charitable Receipting Real-time Ticket Sales Reporting Simple Attendee Check-in

United Churches in Region 15 will continue to be closed until the end of April

                  The United Church of Canada 

                   L’Eglise Unie du Canada

                   _____________________________________________

                            First Dawn Eastern Edge Regional Council
                            Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional Council 
                            Regional Council 15

MEMO

To:       Communities of Faith, Ministry Personnel, Board/Council Chairs and Regional Members

From:  Rev. Faith March-MacCuish, Regional Executive Minister, 
             First Dawn Eastern Edge Regional Council, 
             Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Regional 
             Council and Regional Council 15

Date:     March 27, 2020

Re:        COVID-19 Regional Update (March 27, 2020)

It seems like such a long time ago that I wrote the letter acknowledging that it was time to shut down our buildings and have our staff work from home, and yet that was only ten days ago.

Since that time many things have shifted. The messages from our health and government authorities have gotten stronger and we have all been asked to do our part to help plank the curve, to keep each other safe and to model good citizenship for our communities, our provinces, our country and our world.

I have such a deep sense of gratitude for our Ministry Personnel, our Communities of Faith’s governing bodies and our many staff both in local congregations and at the regional level. We have been and continue to be affected by this Pandemic.

Thank you to all the Ministry Personnel. I know how hard you are working to be present to your Communities of Faith in this very difficult time. I am aware of your tenacity, your resolve to find new ways of providing worship and connection, through social media and through a simple phone call, which means so much. I know that you are struggling when you have to say to a beloved family that the funeral of their loved one needs to be postponed, that you are sorry you are not permitted to visit them at home or in the hospital, or when you speak with a couple who are planning their marriage and ask them to consider changing the date. The feeling of helplessness in these situations is causing you so much extra stress and anxiety. I know your call to ministry is to be present for and with all God’s children and that has not waivered. I believe it has only been made stronger as you work hard to be the presence of Christ in ways you never knew possible.

Thank you to our Communities of Faith, your governing bodies, and volunteers for providing for your staff by allowing them to work from the safety of their home. You are also doing your part to be an example for the wider community. I have been hearing stories of Board members setting up phone trees and prayer chains. Communities of Faith checking in with the vulnerable and making sure they know they are not alone. I believe your call to support your staff and your congregants has also become your strength. Congregational members are also very concerned about the financial well-being of the Pastoral Charge and have found new ways to give. Thank you to everyone for doing your part in these most difficult times.

 

Thank you to our Regional Staff who are now working many overtime hours from their homes to make sure our congregations, committees, ministries and clergy have the information and the tools they need in these difficult times. Thank you as well to our General Council Staff, Moderator and General Secretary who, at the helm of our church, strive to keep us connected and informed.

We are truly blessed and upheld by each other and by a good, loving and ever-present God.

As we are fast approaching the first two weeks of closure and our March 30 date, we know we are not in a place to be able to open our churches or our offices. As this continues to go on, I know it is becoming more difficult. At this point, we will continue to be closed until the end of April and we will reassess at that time.
Thank you all for supporting this tough decision, adhering to the health and government authorities and keeping congregations and your staff safe.

Some things to keep in mind:

•   Please avoid going into the church buildings at this time.
•   Please have one person designated to go in on a weekly basis and check on the building, the pipes and boilers, etc.
•   When you do so, make sure you sanitize the door handles and the things you touch.
•   If you need to check the mailboxes at the church, please make sure you are safe in doing so.
•   If clergy wish to go into the building to record or livestream worship, it is permissible as long as it is a small group of 1-3 people. Again, make sure you sanitize anything you touch and make sure you are keeping the required distance apart.
•   If you are able to record your services from the safety of your home, all the better.
  If your Community of Faith is having financial difficulty, please call your Regional or Executive Minister to discuss the options available for you. If you are considering temporary layoffs of any staff, it is important that you follow employment law as well as United Church policies and therefore it is imperative that you are in touch with your Regional Minister. Our General Council staff are working with employment specialists to guide us at this time and our Regional Ministers are being equipped with this information and hope to have it by early next week. It is our hope that it will not have to come to this. As we are hoping that, with government aids as well as help from Regional Councils and General Council, temporary layoffs will not be needed.
• 
  This has been a very different Lenten journey and it will be a very different Holy Week, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. I know you will all do your best to honour our Easter traditions in new, creative and safe ways. Despite everything that is happening in our world, we know God is our strength, and we live with the promise of resurrection hope.
• 
  Yours in Christ,
  Rev. Faith March-MacCuish

Letter to St. Mark's Congregation

March 12, 2020

Dear Members and Adherents of St. Mark’s United Church,

January 1^st, 2019 St. Mark’s and St. David’s began a new search for a Minister. Over that year we faced many challenges with St. David’s over cost sharing, worship sharing and building issues. All of which came to an impasse with no chance of resolution in the New Year 2020. On February 16, during our Annual meeting at St. Mark’s, it was decided to end our cost sharing agreement with St. David’s. This was done after much discussion and negotiation with the Board, Regional Council 15 and the congregation, but was deemed the best path for St. Mark’s with a unanimous vote. The motion was sent to St. David’s where it was read and voted on at their Annual Meeting the 23^rd of February, 2020. They voted to accept the motion and would make their last payment to St. Mark’s on February 28, 2020 ending the cost sharing agreement.

So begins a new chapter for St, Mark’s; with direction from Regional Council on how to proceed to start the process to call a Minister, the Joint Needs Assessment Committee up-dated the Community of Faith Profile. The Committee recommended hiring a full time Minister recently ordained with up to 5 years’ experience. We need to bring life back into St. Mark’s as this has been a very hard year for our congregation. We need someone to come and bring enthusiasm and the ideas to help us build our Faith Community. We lost our minister, our beloved Al and now it is time for us to move forward and try to bring folks back to the pews. We have been blessed with Adam Cooke at the piano each Sunday, now we need to fill the pulpit!

So why this letter?  We need your help …. not just financially - but we need your prayers, your help and your presence. We do expect a shortfall in funding, but we can do it if we all pull together. We have done it before and we can do it again. But to do this we will have to raise money through fundraising and we will need help. St. Mark’s can meet this financial challenge with your financial help. No gift will be too small. St. Mark’s has a PAR system for giving that is based on 12 months, so if you would like to make a monthly contribution this can be set up to take your donation direct from your bank account. 

In Closing We say Thank You for your support and we will keep you all up-to-date on how we are proceeding through our blog:     

ourcontactonline.blogspot.com 

Yours in faith,

Barb MacIntyre, Chair
St. Mark’s Congregational Board

“Faith is a choice to trust God even when the road ahead seems uncertain.” Dave Willis

Par Authorization Form

PAR AUTHORIZATION FORM

FOR USE BY PAR ADMINISTRATOR

For registration of new PAR donors
orFor banking changes for existing donors

_______________________________________________________________________
PAR congregational number: ____________________________________ 
Church PAR administrator:______________________________________ 
Phone number: _______________________________________________
E-mail: _____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________
Donortname__________________________________________________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________________________________________________
City: ___________________________Province: ________Postal code: _______________
E-mail___________________

Envelope# _____________________ Gift amount $ ______________ 
Name of local church: _________________________________________________________________
Address: ______________________________________________________________________ 

This gift to the above church is to benefit

Local church: $____________________Mission & Service: $ ___________________
Other: $ _______________________

_________________________________________________________________
Option 1: Pre-authorized debit

Please attach a VOID cheque.

I/We request/authorize The United Church of Canada to debit my/our account on the 20th of every month, 
starting the 20th _____________________ of, 20______. I/we also recognize and agree to the following:

I/we may change the amount of my contribution at any time by contacting our church PAR contact.

I/we have certain recourse rights if any debit does not comply with this agreement. For example, I have the right to receive reimbursement for any debit that is not authorized or is not consistent with this PAR agreement. To obtain more information on my recourse rights, I may contact my financial institution or visit www.cdnpay.ca.

I/we waive my right to receive pre-notification of the amount of pre-authorized remittance (PAR) and agree that I do not require advance notice of the amount of PAR before the debit is processed.

Signed: ____________________________________________________________ Dated:________________________________

_________________________________________________________________
Option 2: Visa/MasterCard/American Express

Please note that a 2–3% service charge reduces the total of your donation to your congregation.

Card number: _________________________________________________________Expiry: ______ ______ MM YY

Name on card: __________________________________________________________________________________ Signed: ____________________________________________________________Dated: ______________________

Thank you for your generosity.

The use, retention, and disclosure of personal information collected from this form is done in compliance with privacy legislation 

and adheres to the principles of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (S.C. 2000, c.5).

The United Church of Canada Attn: PAR • 3250 Bloor St. West, Suite 200, Toronto, ON M8X 2Y4 

1-800-268-3781, ext. 3152/3050 • fax: 416-231-3103 • par@united-church.ca