Sharon United Church
15 Church Street B0K1V0 Tatamagouche, NS, Canada

There's still time to join our Lenten book study! Starting Feb 19th at 1pm, Rev. Penny Nelson is hosting a 6-week Zoom discussion group on the book "Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Issues in Canada" by Chelsea Vowel. Books can be purchased online, or borrowed through the Tatamagouche Library. To sign up, please PM our page, or call Rev. Penny at 902 657-2849.

Starting on Feb.17th, Sharon United, Brule and Bayhead Union churches will be offering a 6-week Lenten study on the book "Indigenous Writes: A Guide to First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Issues in Canada" by Chelsea Vowel. If you would like to join the study or have questions, please PM our Facebook page, or call Rev. Penny Nelson at 902 657-2849. Group size will be capped at 12 participants. Books are available to be purchased through most bookstores, and we are working with the Tatamagouche library to secure some copies to borrow for the duration of the study.

Come out and support the Tatamagouche-Guatemala School Project this winter!

In-person worship at Sharon United is cancelled, but Zoom worship is *STILL* on for 11am!In-person worship at Sharon United is cancelled, but Zoom worship is *STILL* on for 11am!

Dancing for joy on the Thanksgiving long weekend at Creamery Square! In particular, thanks to Anne, Sandra, and Nicole from Sharon United for coming out and dancing!

[Image: Night sky with stars. Text: What am I thankful for? That you are part of God's creation and, in some wonderful way, we are connected! Alleluia, Amen!]

A poem to reflect on giving thanks: "Praise the Rain" by Joy Harjo. Praise the rain, the seagull dive The curl of plant, the raven talk Praise the hurt, the house slack... The stand of trees, the dignity Praise the dark, the moon cradle The sky fall, the bear sleep Praise the mist, the warrior name The earth eclipse, the fired leap Praise the backwards, upward sky The baby cry, the spirit food Praise canoe, the fish rush The hole for frog, the upside-down Praise the day, the cloud cup The mind flat, forget it all Praise crazy. Praise sad. Praise the path on which we’re led. Praise the roads on earth and water. Praise the eater and the eaten. Praise beginnings; praise the end. Praise the song and praise the singer. Praise the rain; it brings more rain. Praise the rain; it brings more rain. (Praise the Rain, from "Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings: Poems" by Joy Harjo.)

Thanksgiving is about expressing our gratitude and joy--and what better way than to dance? Come out tonight (Friday) to the Grace Jollymore Joyce Centre at 6pm to be a part of the Jerusalema flash mob!

This Thanksgiving, let's give thanks. From now until next Monday, get all your senses involved and be on the search for people who don't often get thanked for t...heir presence in your life. When you find them, thank them! (That might be a verbal thank you, or a note, or a phone call / text message / PM / DM / singing telegram or some other way...) If you want to try something in addition, after you've offered them thanks, take a moment to chat with God about that person... and maybe give thanks there, too! (Image: rb)

This is not a sprint. This is not a marathon. Both of those suggest that there is a destination,... an endpoint, a goal. This is life. Life that has been. Life that will be. Life that is - now. There are signposts on our travel, but each of them point in a myriad of directions, a multiplicity of possibilities. There are waystations. Places of rest and recouperation, places to share a meal and conversation, places for a breath, or a moment to stop. But, pilgrim, this journey is one where the paths move under your body, and life, itself, moves you along. Breathe deeply. Be inspired. And know that, on this journey, you are never, ever, alone. (Image: rb)

Don't forget! In-person worship begins tomorrow at Sharon United Church at 11am--we can't wait to see you!

When the elections are happening in the US, news can get skewed, even in Canada, where there is little that we have to do with it, except hear the results and l...earn to live with them. This is especially true this year, during a campaign that thrives on the kinds of twists that come from a paperback politico thriller, and when people turn to social media feeds to find out what's happening. Stories that are important are getting lost. In the past week there have been things happen here that should have rocked us to the core. Joyce Echaquan. A 37-year old woman went to hospital, complaining of severe stomach pains. She died there. As she was dying, she livestreamed the abuse she received from the medical staff who were supposed to be there to help her. "You're as stupid as hell," she was told. She was told that she made bad life choices, and was shamed with questions about what her children would think of her behaviour. Why did this happen? Because she was an Atikamekw woman, and the people who were supposed to be taking care of her were white, in an institution in which systemic racism runs deep. Before we think that this was just one issue, in one hospital, in Quebec, this past spring, BC Health Minister Adrian Dix reported that there were investigations of staff some hospitals playing a racist game, betting on the blood alcohol levels of mostly Indigenous patients. Before we think that this kind of racism is only in the medical field, there are story after story after story, in social work, in policing, in justice, in finance, in education, and, yes, in the church, of racist attitudes and actions and of systems that covertly condone them. No one, especially someone who was ill and dying, should be treated the way that Joyce Echaquan was treated. No one, seeking help, should be treated with this kind of disdain and dehumanization. Racism - overt, covert, or systemic - kills. We must keep working to root it out. In our institutions. In ourselves.

On Saturday, October 10th, we're teaming up with The Grace and Creamery Square for a flash mob dance for the international #JerusalemaDanceChallenge to bring some hope and dance into a wild time in the world! Come out and join us!

On October 3rd, Nicole Uzans is riding from Waugh's River to Pictou to raise awareness and funds for Pictou County Safe Harbour, a refugee sponsorship group in our area. If you'd like to donate to the cause, follow the link!

Hey Tatamagouche, great news: Sharon United Church is open for in-person worship starting Sunday, October 4th! We can't wait to see you!

Bayhead Union Church is going back to in-person worship on September 27th at 9:30am! And to celebrate, we thought we'd spiff the church up with a new coat of paint! Thank you to everyone who came out today to help scrape and paint, and everyone who baked and brought food! Also, a big shout out to Dexter's Butcher Block for supporting the lunch, and Tatamagouche Home Hardware for support with the supplies! They say "it takes a village...", and we are so grateful for all the love and support of folks from Bayhead, West Tatamagouche, and Tatamagouche!