Cayuga United Church
27 Munsee St. S. N0A1E0 Cayuga, ON, Canada

This is the first Sunday of Lent and we find ourselves listening to Luke's Jesus tell a parable in which one of the characters is a Samaritan. Music is offered by The Members of Arise and is covered by CCLI Church Licenses #1598821 & #20398339. Please be advised that the sermon touches on the statement from the Board of the Cayuga Pastoral Charge which was emailed on Saturday, February 20. Please check your email and read it before you begin to watch the service. ***The bu...lletin has a typo - the church will be re-opening March 7, 2021; not March 17th. *** Next week, Rev. Debbie will be on study leave taking an online course. Glenn Rowell will be offering pulpit supply. https://youtu.be/h-YOCYABSjw-- Peace and Blessings, The Rev. Debbie McMillan

Friends in Christ, Happy Family Day Weekend. Happy Valentine’s Day. February is Black History Month. As you know, you community already has a place in Black Historya history connected to the underground railroad and black settlement in Canfield. I remember celebrating on a Sunday afternoon some of that history at the community centre. The pride of the communityespecially in the descendants who returned was tangible. That history is one of MANY Black Histories in our count...ry. You may or may not know this but the United Church of Canada has committed to the work of becoming anti-racist. One of the ways our denomination can do this is by listening to the stories of marginalized voices. This is one of the reasons why Black History month is so important. It was a privilege to be asked to lend my voice to our denomination’s collection of liturgical resources in the late fall of 2020. As a racialized Black woman in our denomination, I am aware of how much work needs to be done. What do I mean? This week, I learned something that shocked me and saddened me. The first Black woman was only ordained by the United Church of Canada in 1986---45 years after the first black man Wilbur Howard--was ordained. The woman was Maria Chikueka and she was ordained on behalf of another denomination---meaning---she did not go through United Church process from beginning to end. That’s not the sad bit. She did incredible work in Angola. But what about the first woman who was ordained having gone through the United Church process? The denomination is double checking so I don’t have an official name for you yet. But I can give you a year: 1996. Ten years after Maria. Only 25 years ago. Fifty-five years after the first man. And only 6 years before I started my own process for ordination. Sadly, our denomination does not have deep history of ordaining black women. This means our churches are not yet used to hearing black women’s voices in pulpit on paper or on screen. But that is changing. So, this service is dedicated to the Glory of God as proclaimed by all Black woman-preachers in our denomination---small handful that we are. May God work through the Holy Spirit through all of us, in all our diversity. Here is today’s worship service: https://youtu.be/plMrX0HZWts I wish to thank Hazel and Denise for sharing their gifts. May you be experience a blessing in some small way through this time of worship. Peace and blessings, The Rev. Debbie McMillan

Friends in Christ, As we continue in lockdown, we are free in Christ. He strengthens us, He sustains us. He is always present to us, always available to us. As we await word of what the next phase of living in Southern Ontario will look like, we can turn to God in prayer, seeking patience. We will need it. This week, we are in our second week of a close look at Luke’s gospel. Luke draws our attention to John’s ministry which is a ministry of repentance and baptism. In this un...derstanding, the baptism Jesus receives fairly little attention. That said, it is a sign of a new direction his life is taking. We don’t know much about what Jesus was up to in the years between when Jesus left the temple as an obedient boy with his parents and this moment. We can assume that he probably worked alongside Joseph in the carpentry shop if Jesus followed social custom. Like the fishermen Jesus would eventually call, Jesus himself left his life behind. While he didn’t need to repent as he was sinless, the world was reconciled through his life, death and resurrection. In a way, his baptism brings us a means of reconciliation with God. Here is your youtube link for the worship service today. May it be a blessing to you in some small way. https://youtu.be/CrAeTkrcoSk Peace and blessings, The Rev. Debbie McMillan

A message from our Moderator Richard Bott https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=3926944790682839&id=2113309052046431