Council Highlights-March 19, 2025

Hello, friends!

Welcome to the first of many quick updates from your Church Council! I’m happy to share some exciting news and developments from our recent meeting on March 19th. These highlights are meant to keep you in the loop without getting into too much detail—just enough to know what’s happening in our church family!

Opening Up Our Worship Space

We had a thoughtful discussion under the Property Team’s report and made a few key decisions to make our sanctuary more welcoming and adaptable. The front pews will be removed to create a more accessible area for larger groups and events at the front of the church. We also agreed to remove the raised pulpit and stairs to further open the space—how wonderful to see our sanctuary evolving to meet the needs of our congregation and community!

Also, keep an eye out for the date of our Spring Cleanup Day, coming up near the end of April. Let’s all come together to spruce up our beautiful space, inside and out.

Outreach & Mission – Indigenous Fair News!

The Outreach and Mission Team gave us a great update on the 2025 Indigenous Culture Fair, which is in the works for early May. Planning is coming along nicely, and we’re so excited about what this event will bring to our church and wider community.

Looking Ahead – New Possibilities & Celebrations

In new business, we heard about a very early conversation with the Lanark County Food Bank. They’re beginning to explore future options for their location, and one idea being floated is the possible use of our rear lawn. It’s all very preliminary, but it’s encouraging to think about how we might be part of supporting food security in our region.

We’ve also got some important dates to save:

• June 15, 2025: A special United Church of Canada 100th Anniversary Service will be held at the EY Centre in Ottawa. Our church building will be closed that day, and we’re working on transportation and carpooling plans to help everyone who wants to attend.

• June 29, 2025: After Worship Service, we’ll be celebrating Rev. David’s retirement with a party at the church. More details to come, but it’s sure to be a memorable and heartfelt send-off!

  
  

Ministerial Search Begins

A Search Committee has been formed as we begin the important task of finding our next minister. Please keep them in your prayers as they take on this meaningful work. Members of the committee include: Carole Deschamps Peters (Chair), Jan Hopkins, Bruce Patterson, Ruth Richardson, Craig Baltzer, Joanna Bowes, and Lisa Mearbry. Thank you all for saying yes to this journey!

That’s all for now—thank you for being an active and caring part of our church family. If you ever have questions or ideas for future updates, don’t hesitate to reach out. See you soon!

With joy and gratitude,

Theresa Morin

Chair, Communications, Marketing & Events Team