- LIFE AND WORK OF OUC
LIFE AND WORK OF OUC – AUGUST 2019
MISSING KEY The Office key to the Youth Lounge has grown legs and walked away. If anyone has seen it in its wanderings, please return it as soon as possible. Thank you!
TOWER TAKEDOWN FUNDRAISER Have you ever wanted to plan a séance themed party or a murder mystery? We are looking for a creative planning group to make this fund-raising event one of a kind! Planning begins in September. For more information contact Dianne (dianne.davis@bell.net).
OUR 40TH ANNIVERSARY QUILT can be seen in Room 12, any time the church is open. Please come and take a look!
MEN’S RETREAT 14-16 SEPTEMBER 2018 An OUC tradition since 2003, the Men’s Retreat will be returning to Rideau Hill Camp from Friday September 13 to Sunday September 15. Come out and join our lively discussions, BBQ “aromatherapy”, sports events (like competitive horseshoe playing!) and of course, listen to & sing some great music. The theme is to be announced, but you can be sure it will be exciting! Registration is still only $60 for the whole weekend; please sign up at the table in the Hall.
BAZAAR 2019 UPDATE – Jams, Jellies, Preserves and Mason Jars As folks prepare their preserves this Summer and Fall, the OUC Bazaar Committee would like to ask that you consider making a few extra bottles for us to sell at OUC’s Bazaar on November 16. Jams, jellies and preserves are among our most asked-for items at the Bazaar each year. To assist us in this effort, we ask:
- that if you have any extra mason jars, (especially the 250 ml size), you bring them into the OUC Office for others to use in canning their preserves.
- that you use only NEW seals on your jars, as public health regulations require us to do so if we offer these products for sale. We have a supply of new seals, free to anyone who wants them. Please see Shirley Holt (613.841.5143) or pick up new seals at the Office.
SUMMER OFFICE HOURS are Tuesday to Thursday, 9 am – noon. Phone messages will be checked every day, but only emergencies will be responded to outside of office hours.
THE INTERCHURCH REFUGEE GROUP (IRG) will be welcoming a new family of four, with two boys ages one and three, in September. We are looking for donations to furnish their new home for example: living room furniture, kitchen necessities. Please contact rick.lynne@outlook.com if you have items to donate.
MILK BAGS Thank you all for your enthusiastic response to our request for milk bags. Unfortunately, we are now inundated with bags, and are unable to take any more at this time. They can be placed in the blue box, and we encourage you to do so until such time as our supply dwindles. Thank you!
CALLING ALL GARDENERS, or wanna-be gardeners: there are some lonely garden beds at OUC that would like to be adopted for the season! A couple of hours once a month is normally enough to keep a flower bed free of weeds, or twice a month for a large one. Hands-on help is available for those who would like to learn about perennial flower gardening. Please contact Shirley Holt (shirleyjholt@outlook.com, 613.841.5143).
NEED SOMEONE TO DO CHORES? Daly Trust is a new social enterprise organized by St Paul’s Eastern United Church in Sandy Hill to help the homeless and marginalized share their gift of time and labour to help you with odd jobs around your home, church, synagogue, mosque or place of business. Please contact the foreman Eddy Peters (343.996.7696) or Grant Gilliland (gruntg@hotmail.com) for fees and appointment. They are really excited about getting involved in some work projects. This could have a significant impact in giving these folks some hope for the future.
PLEASE REMEMBER OUR FOOD BANK CLIENTS OVER THE SUMMER! Protein foods: peanut butter. Condiments- ketchup, mustard, relish, mayo. Coffee, tea, juice boxes. Baby food & diapers. Canned meat. fish, veggies, fruit.
BACK TO SCHOOL PROGRAM – 2019 Both of the Resource Centres that this congregation supports are preparing for their Back to School Programs, the annual campaign to collect school supplies for the children of families in need. Some families use these teaching moments about generosity with their own children & grandchildren. If you wish to support the Resource Centres efforts, please drop off your new or surplus items in the box between the entry doors, by Sunday Aug 18th, at the latest. Of course, the Resource Centres can always use cash to purchase the items they require from merchants who give them deep discounts. Just mark your donations as “Back to School” and Winston & Alex will do the rest.
INTERCHURCH REFUGEE GROUP Update on the Rezaei Family from Iran – Kate happily started a full-time accounting job at the end of July. Farhad is doing part-time freelance work while he continues to search for full-time employment. He will be offering a single lecture, as well as a 6-week lecture series through Carleton University’s Learning in Retirement series this fall. If you would like to learn more about Iran’s foreign-policy decision-making process (single lecture) or Iran’s global relationships (lecture series), you can support him by registering for one of these course offerings. More information is available on the Outreach Bulletin Board in the hall or at https://carleton.ca/linr/classes/. Registration begins August 8.
RIDEAU PERLEY VETERAN’S CENTRE Every Tuesday from 2-2:30PM the Rideau-Perley residents are invited to share worship (normally led by a United Church minister) in the Rideau Perley chapel. Unfortunately, many of the residents cannot participate in these services because there aren’t enough volunteers to bring them from their rooms to the service and back again afterwards. If you’re interested in helping the Rideau Perley residents, please contact Paul Whynacht or go to https://www.perleyrideau.ca/volunteerapplication to apply to be a volunteer.
CENTRE 507 is a drop-in program for women and men in downtown Ottawa. Donations of white socks and underwear, as well as jam, regular ground coffee, soap, razors, toothbrushes and other personal supplies for the Centre are always needed and may be put in the marked container in main OUC entrance.
OTTAWA PRIDE PARADE AUGUST 25 Every congregation in EOORC is invited to participate with the United Church group. Meet up near the intersection of Elgin and Catherine (Centretown United Church) around 1 p.m. More information in the next EOORC News This Week. If interested, contact EOORPride@gmail.com.
VIDEOS OF OUC SERMONS In an attempt to further share God’s goodness and reach some of our congregation who are not able to be present in worship, we are posting sermon videos on our OUC YouTube channel. Go to http://orleansunitedchurch.com/sermons-2/video-sermons/. Please note that the videos do not contain images of anyone in the pews attending the services.
HEALING PATHWAY Are you experiencing anxiety, pain, weariness, or just need a little pick-me-up? A session of Healing Touch could prove very beneficial. The schedule for August is Wednesdays, August 14 & 28 in room 12 from 7 to 8pm. Each session is approximately ¾ hour in length. If you’d like to book a session, please send an email to: orleanshealingpathway@gmail.com with your name, preferred date and time. Please submit any questions you might have to this email, as well. The practitioners look forward to providing you with peace, calmness, and tranquility. God’s blessings to you.
JOYFUL YARN meets every second Wednesday, 7 pm in the Lounge. Open to all. The next meeting will be on August 21.
BOOK CLUB This year the book club will be reading Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese, Matrons and Madams by Sharon Johnston, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, The Cater Street Hangman by Anne Perry, Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson and Forgiveness A Gift From My Grandparents by Mark Sakamoto. We meet the last Tuesday of the month at 1 pm in the church library. Join us for one or more discussions, starting in the fall. For more information, contact Annemarie Humenuk (ahumenuk@magma.ca).
HELP OUR BEES Several Ottawa city councillors want to increase pollinator habitat in our city by planting wildflowers on medians, boulevards, parks, other open spaces. They need to gauge support for this and have created the following petition. Please let them know you care by signing and passing the link along to your friends as well. Help pollinators and beautify our city! http://chng.it/sbKrfHVVDY
ASSISTED LISTENING A portable FM radio with headphones allows you to listen on 101.1 Mhz.
PRAYER MINISTRY Confidential prayer requests can be sent to ouc.prayersforall @rogers.com.
PARKING is allowed on Orleans Blvd. (in front of the Church) on Sunday mornings.
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
- Welcome Team: We are looking for people to join our Welcome Team, making OUC a friendlier place through serving as a greeter or usher, or at our welcome table or coffee hour on Sunday morning. If you are interested in helping out with any of these vital ministries, please contact the Office.
- Drivers: C.S.T. is looking for individuals who are willing to pick up congregants on Sunday morning for church on an occasional basis. Contact the Office if you can help.
- Ushers: We are looking for people to join our ushering team. If you are interested in this important welcoming ministry, please email Mark (mpogue@orleans-optometry.com).
- Audio-visual Presentations: looking for persons who would like to learn how to operate the audio, video and PowerPoint systems used every Sunday morning and on special events such as weddings. Training will be provided. Come and make use of your creative skills. Contact David Patterson (david.patterson@consultant.com ).
- Attention Photographers: We are looking for scenic pictures around Orleans that we can project on Sunday morning as part of the service PowerPoint presentation. Please email large picture files directly to David (david.patterson@consultant.com).
SUPPORT OUC FINANCIALLY:
- August 11 is our next Second Sunday Social at Boston Pizza, following the service. All are welcome to attend. 15% of your total will be given back to OUC. Please ensure you write OUC on the receipt and leave it at the hostess counter.
- Connor’s Irish Pub on St. Joseph Blvd. has made the following arrangement with OUC: when you dine there, write “Orleans United Church” on your bill and give back to your server (there is no box to put them in). OUC will receive 10% refund on these. On the last Sunday of the month the same applies, but we will receive a 15% refund.
- Gift Cards Shopper’s Drug Mart; Tim Hortons; Superstore/Independent/No Frills/ Loblaws; Metro/Food Basics; Farm Boy and Sobeys gift cards are available each Sunday in the Hall or during Office hours. There is no cost to you. OUC receives a percentage for each card we sell. Empty Farm Boy cards can be returned to the church to earn an additional 1%.
- Pre-Authorized Remittance (PAR) Your weekly givings can be offered through an automatic withdrawal by contacting Winston Babin (babin.a.w@bell.net).
- Envelopes If you wish to use church envelopes to record your offerings and ensure that you receive tax credit, please call the Office at 613.837.4321
OUC is very active. Come out and get involved in one or more of our many events, whether it be joining the book club, participating in a social, volunteering, attending a retreat, the men’s weekly breakfast, one of our many scrumptious dinners, soup lunches, knitting, sewing, crafting, bible studies, joining the youth group, and yes, the list goes on!