Bedford United Church
1200 Bedford Highway B4A 1C3 Bedford, NS, Canada

This is an IMPORTANT message concerning our FB page. "For everyone who joined our Facebook Live broadcast on Sunday, thank you! We received some very positive and supportive comments, so will be continuing to use this technology to offer a live worship experience so we can come together as a congregation, while respecting the current need for social distancing in response to COVID-19. In order to offer these broadcasts, we needed to set up a NEW Facebook page, giving the staf...f team the necessary functionality and admin access to manage and publish content. Our new page is titled Bedford United Church - All are Welcome, All the Time https://www.facebook.com/bedfordunitedbuc/ Please can you follow this page and share the link with others you know would like to follow BUC. Our goal is to migrate as many of our existing followers to the new page before our next worship broadcast on Sunday - and reach some new friends too! We will also be continuing to share new content and notifications over the coming days, so come and check these out so you don't miss anything that is happening at BUC. A huge thanks must be made to Terry Choyce for her tireless efforts in keeping our previous Facebook page full of vibrant content, and we look forward to more contributions from her and other members of our community on our new page. Many thanks, and we look forward to continuing to build and share the story of BUC with you all. Namaste, Your BUC Staff Team

Our Sunday service will be creative and uplifting tomorrow. To see it go to the new BUC FB page below, and "like" the page. We can all be together and worship online, in the comfort of our homes and in our pajamas!

What a wonderful message Rev. Matt has shared with us. And it is on our new FB page too! Bedford United Church - All are Welcome, All the Time https://www.facebook.com/bedfordunitedbuc/ "Only a few weeks ago while COVID was still masquerading as Corona and only in China, I found myself in ICU, at the bedside of my mother in law while she tried to crawl out of the grave and back into life after a liver transplant....Continue reading

Our isolation can be viewed as an opportunity for inner growth, family connection, and a new defining of what is truly important to us. We want everyone to be healthy and we are willing to make sacrifices to keep everyone safe. Can we also find ways to keep the Earth safe and healthy too? Can we deepen our faith in this time of transition and deep reflection? Peace and perfect health to you all.

Friends, we have so much to be thankful for. Our staff and our amazing volunteers worked incredibly hard this morning to bring us a virtual service. t They will be doing this every Sunday we cannot physically meet. Many of us were able to watch this as it happened on FB. I must say that was exciting, as it was our first time. Here is a message from Paul Read who made much of this possible. "... the video quality here might look slightly different, but the audio quality ...should be greatly improved. If folks want more information on supporting the project to upgrade our camera system for online streaming they are more than welcome to. Please give me a call. (902) 430 -4070 Thanks https://youtu.be/uz8UEoAtD_4

A miracle is in progress!!!! The BUC staff and volunteers ARE doing a service for us NOW which we are to watch LIVE from Nic's FB page! Just click below and you will see the whole service. Plus Paul is videoing it and will have it posted on you tube later today. Thanks to everyone who has been working frantically this morning to make this happen! https://www.facebook.com/nic.fieldsend?fref=search&__tn__=%2Cd%2CP-R&eid=ARAbWbEH44unxC0eXVQxM49fFAU5Ms7Arrbrmz4s4falX-5Rkq3Ay02obXFU6Eo2m26Bz_b6EpQt5dHM

Since we have NO live service tomorrow morning, here is last week's service which you can watch any time. Isn't technology wonderful!!! https://youtu.be/Q61O31M0_n4

There is NO CHURCH on Sunday. Here is a letter from Rev. Matt which explains it all. Remain safe, healthy, and peaceful. God bless you. SATURDAY, March 14, 2020 2PM Dear BUC friends and family,... We began this week with the intention of holding in-person worship on Sunday. As we have consulted widely in our church, it appears it could be very likely that we will have over 150 people at BUC this Sunday. My spiritual struggle is that at some point tomorrow, I could have to tell someone who comes to our door for hope and comfort in the midst of great fear and uncertainty, No. You can’t come into this house where we say all are welcome, all the time. I think doing so goes against our core values and mission as a faith community. As of this moment, I am canceling in-person worship at BUC for this Sunday. We have been advised the situation may change at any moment, and it has. Thanks for your patience and understanding. Please check our website and YouTube page tomorrow evening as we will post the service as soon as possible. We are also experimenting with live streaming tomorrow to work out any bugs so we can be prepared for the coming weeks. We will still be a radically compassionate, caring, and open community during this pandemic. We just have to do so in new and innovative ways. I would like to express my deepest thanks to so many of you who have sent thoughtful emails, texts, and posts supporting our church and staff prayerfully as we all struggle to do the best that we can and plan ahead in this rapidly evolving situation. I have burned the midnight oil all week. Like many of our staff and volunteers, I have worked on my days off to meet our rapidly increasing pastoral care needs and contingency planning. Both our incoming and current chair of council are overseas. Our Minister of Congregational Care, Rev. Katie Aven, is trying to get home after traveling abroad as well. It has been a difficult week. Please pray for them and for everyone who is trying to get home as well of those of us who are doing the best we can to care for the community we love so much in a hopeful and faithful way. I have a beloved family member with a compromised immune system as many of you know, and I have a partner who works in the health care system with high risk for any infection COVID or no. Thank you for reaching out in care. Your kindness has sustained me throughout this week in more ways than you know. Be safe everyone and see you in the online universe soon. The Spirit in me honours the Spirit in you, Rev. Matthew Fillier (Lead Minister)

Going Deeper this Thursday at 7 will be a unique exploration of various forms of meditation. Please join us. Sign up here, but you do not need a ticket. We are in the parlour, so use the side door.

Come to church at 10 (not 9) to celebrate Woman's Day with a lot of fabulous females - and males!!!!!

March 8th is the day we move our clocks FORWARD! Deep Centering meets at 9:25 in the parlour. Then at 10 we continue our journey through the wilderness. Matt will share what it means and what it takes to start over. Question for refection: Is anyone ‘born again’? Why? Why not? It's Red Wagon Sunday! We missed it last week folks, so let's put on a big push for Lent to fill the wagon for those in need. Here is the top 10 list provided by Beacon House: boxed cereal or oatmeal;... Kraft dinner; chicken noodle soup; pudding cups; canned fruit; peanut free granola bars; juice; canned milk; baking kits; pasta sauce. Soup and Chili orders will be taken Sunday by our Outreach team in support of our Emergency Relief Fund. This team makes AMAZING soup and chili so you can help someone in need while taking advantage of this delicious opportunity! Food pick-up will take place on March 29th. https://www.wbtw.com//get-ready-to-spring-forward-on-mar/

Skiing with Al Rasoul Our friends and neighbours at Al Rasoul have invited us to join them for their annual Ski trip at Ski Martock, March 14th from 9:00am to 5:00pm. All ages are invited for skiing fun and to build community with our neighbours. Please contact Paige by March 7th, [email protected] for price and package information. https://www.facebook.com/AlRasoulSociety/posts/1209593595912755

Reach out with kindness. You never know how you will touch another's heart.