Charleswood United Church
4820 Roblin Blvd R3R 0G6 Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Thank you for your support of the winter gear drive for 1 Just City - Just a Warm Sleep. We collected 140 toques, 35 mitts, 63 gloves, 99 scarves, 5 hats, 17 neck warmers, 4 ear muffs, 5 balaclavas, 10 headbands, 53 pairs of socks, 1 parka, 1 blanket & 2 baby capes. Special thanks to KT & LM for trucking it all down for us.

Dear Friends Welcome to worship for Sunday, February 28, 2021. The double rule of love is my rather simple way of interpreting and making reference to a famous quote by early church theologian St. Augustine of Hippo (397 CE). In its fullness Augustine said, So anyone who thinks that they have understood the divine scriptures or any part of them, but cannot by their understanding build up this double (or twofold) love of God and neighbor, has not yet succeeded in understandin...Continue reading

www.pinkshirtday.cawww.pinkshirtday.ca

Attn: lenten study participants who are also Instagram users: the United Church Bookstore account has someone posting daily reflections about the Faith on the Move book. https://www.instagram.com/p/CLl89bMBvVE/?igshid=dhy9mfqr7cxs

Watch this week’s service on YouTube by clicking: February 21 Worship Service Video Dear Friends Welcome to worship for Sunday, February 21, 2021.... And so we have entered Lent. The truth is that we don’t come to Lent with a lot of fanfare and ceremony. Certainly nothing like the way we approach Advent, the other penitential and preparatory season in the church calendar. When that season comes we are very eager to put out decorations, share the baking, and sing the songs we reserve for that time of the year. I suspect it has a little to do with geography. Because Advent comes to us when the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting colder and winter is settling in, it is only natural to rejoice at the arrival of a distraction that lifts the spirits and anticipates new life. Lent on the other hand is a little counter-intuitive. Lent calls for quiet reflection just when we are ready to shout for joy at the lengthening of sunlight (lent and length have the same word origin) and the warming of our days with the first hints of spring. And besides, other than hot crossed buns, there are not a lot of awesome Lenten recipes. But the real reason that we enter Lent gently and with a degree of solemnity is theological. Advent leads us to birth while Lent invariably leads us to death. And who wants to celebrate a path we would ordinarily not choose to walk. Lent is an invitation to reflect on a terrible and disturbing truth, namely that the consequence of loving without fault, accepting without exception, and healing without fail is meeting a resistance so threatened by grace and mercy that it puts the loving, accepting, and healing One to death. For this is the tragedy of the story of Jesus. The principalities and powers of this world are not in fact dissuaded to give up their death dealing ways even by an example of perfect love. It is right that we should enter Lent without fanfare and celebration. The time of rejoicing will come. For now it is time to heed the wisdom of the psalmist, Be still and know, that I am God. (Ps 46:10). I hope you will journey with us. For if we walk through Lent prayerfully and purposefully we will discover the verdict rendered on the resisting principalities and powers on the far side of the cross. And my oh my, will the trumpets fanfare sound. Grace and peace, Michael

Dear Friends As with many of you I went to sleep last night disturbed for all the images we had seen from Washington yesterday. Scenes of chaos, anger, vandalism, rioting, hatred, fear, and violence. All this and much more. It was a restless night. But when I awoke this morning and was walking outside before the dawn I realized that one thought, one memory, had separated itself from all the other thoughts that were competing for my attention. It was this:...Continue reading

We have 6 copies of Faith On the Move available for purchase, $16/copy. This book will be used for the upcoming Lenten study led by Laura via Zoom. Please contact the office if interested. PS You do not require the book to take part in the study.

The 2020 income tax receipts have been mailed. You should receive them sometime this week. Thank you for your generous and continued support of the ministry of Charleswood United Church.

Happy February! Admission to Manitoba's provincial parks is free this month. What a great opportunity to explore the beauty of creation! What is your favourite provincial park? https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/manitoba-parks-free-in-february

Happy New Year! Did you make any resolutions this year? Our student minister, Laura, has a school assignment to try a new spiritual practice each month for January, February and March. ... Is there something you do every day or plan to start doing every day that helps you grow in love and feel closer to God? Here are a couple of recommended articles if you are interested in further reading. https://renovare.org/about/ideas/spiritual-disciplines https://www.spiritualityandpractice.com//spiritual-practic

The folks at Hebrews eCafé love to go out walking, but many of us also want to spread the message people need to be careful when walking on the ice. River ice conditions are NOT monitored by the City of Winnipeg. The only river trail monitored for ice safety is the Centennial trail near the Forks.

Complete this sentence: "Hope is..." As we prepare for the first Sunday of Advent this week(!) Laura is collecting words and images to go with our candle lighting imagery that reflect the theme for each week of Advent. If you have a picture that represents "Hope" to you that you would like included in the worship video, please email it to [email protected] by midnight on Wednesday.

UPDATE: POLL CLOSED, thanks everyone! This Sunday at 10am will be our first congregational Zoom/Phone-in coffee hour: a time to visit with one another safely thanks to the wonders of technology. Details will be sent out via congregational email on Wednesday. ... Important question: what should we call it? A: Charleswood United Coffee Hour B: Charleswood United Fellowship Hour C: Hebrews Cafe 2.0 D: Hebrews eCafe E: Other Suggestions? Comment below!

Dear Friends Welcome to worship for Sunday, November 22, 2020. Happy New Year!!!...Continue reading

Watch this week’s service on YouTube by clicking: Sunday Worship Service Video Dear Friends Welcome to worship for Sunday, November 15, 2020....Continue reading

Please enjoy our online worship and feel free to share with others. The link for sharing is: https://youtu.be/R048CS5bqyA Dear Friends Welcome to worship for Sunday, November 8, 2020....Continue reading

Dear Friends As Thanksgiving approached I found myself thinking about two things that have become part of our annual Thanksgiving celebrations at the church. Neither were planned to be customary but both have simply evolved into part of what we do. They are the gathering of our thankful prayers and the sacrament of baptism. I’m not sure what year I started pausing in the middle of the Thanksgiving service and walking up the aisle into the midst of the congregation with my not...Continue reading

Dear Friends It seems that the question I get asked more than any other, from people in the church but also from friends and neighbours I meet who have nothing to do with the church is, have you returned to worship. I want to say strongly that we have never stopping worshipping (as the link above demonstrates), but I know what they mean. For the record, my position, and that of our Church Council, has been that so long as the current pandemic restrictions are in place we will...Continue reading

Today is the final day to drop off items for the food drive to support the Yazidi community & water bottles for Westgrove School. We are here until 4pm so stop by anytime. Thank you for your support.

A Prayer for Orange Shirt Day* Today we wear orange to remember and honour all the Indigenous children who went to Residential Schools.... Today we wear orange and we pray for the Residential School and intergenerational survivors who are still struggling. Today we wear orange and we are thankful for those who speak the truth, and who work to shine a light on injustice. Today we wear orange in the name of compassion and the spirit of truth and reconciliation. Help us, God, to remember and act on this every day. Amen. *This prayer was inspired by Honarine Scott’s Orange Shirt Day blog. https://www.united-church.ca//september-30-orange-shirt-day

Watch this week’s service on YouTube by clicking: September 13/20 Worship Service Video Dear Friends Welcome to worship for Sunday, September 13....Continue reading

Westgrove School has made a request. Can you help by providing a new, reusable water bottle? Thank you.

Please help us provide support to the Yazidi community. Thank you.

Don’t forget, the Yazidi Farmers Market is happening this Sunday morning in the church parking lot. See you there!

We are back to regular office hours of 9am-4pm, Monday to Friday.