Announcements

Upcoming Worship Services

December 4th – Advent 2, dedication of new stained glass window

December 11th – Advent 3, Children’s Pageant

December 11th – at 11:30am – Blue Christmas Service (will be in-person and also live streamed)

December 18th – Advent 4

December 24th – 6:00pm (Family Service)

December 24th – 8:00pm

December 24th – 11:00pm (Holy Communion)

December 25th – no service at Glen Cairn United

January 1st – no service at Glen Cairn United

January 1st – combined service to be held at Kanata United Church, with Glen Cairn United and Bells Corners United

(the time of the service will be confirmed at a later date)

In Memoriam Poinsettias

The flowers in the sanctuary are donated in loving memory of:

Trevor Small by Marlin Small

Dr. John Adam by Susan Swiggum

Stewart Carr and Vickey Lynn Carr by Brenda Carr

Gordon Pringle by Judy Pringle

Parents, by Patricia Taylor

Jim and Marion Butler by Delma Murray

Scott and Margaret Chalmers, Lindsay Bradley by Anne, James and Jameson McEwen

Parents by Cathy Turner

Shirley and Bill Patterson, Nora and Gene Latour by Noël LaTour and Carol Patterson

Doris and Doug Acton by Joy Judd

Madeline and Doug Hough, Annie and Fred Maunder, and Clarence Maunder by Bob and Dianne Hough

Rhoda and Bob Robertson, Ester and Dan Will, Cliff Symons, and Dennis Will by Patricia and Emmett Will

Friends and Family who have passed away over the past few years by Sherry Sharpe and Rose Sharpe-Schmid

Ron Webb by Josephine Webb

Shirley Price by Harry Price

John T Beattie by Elaine Beattie

Malcolm Sumner and Glen Emery by Sylvia Sumner

Parents by Faye and Hal Adams

Charles and Gwendolyn Thompson by Hazel Pompey

Margaret Wood by David and Judy Rothwell

Helen and Len Curtis and Tom Shultz by Kathy Shultz

Eleanor Ford by Geoff Ford

Edouard Lee-Yow, Alojz Magajna, Al Johnston and Dragica Doliska by The Johnston and Lee-Yow families

Rod and Michael by Valerie Haufe

Rev. Dr. Ken Micklethwaite by Margaret Micklethwaite

Nativity Pageant – December 11th

What is Christmas without the sweet voices of children singing carols? We are inviting the children of GCUC to celebrate our first in person Nativity pageant (Dec.11) by singing and practicing with the Children's choir on Thursdays at 6:15 to 7:15 for the next three weeks: that is, Nov.24, Dec.1 and Dec.8. We may have some after Church practices at 11:30 as well if needed. All children from K to Grade 6 and Youth, if they wish, are welcome. We also enjoy story time and a related craft. Let's make this a special Christmas celebration once again!

If your child would like to join the fun, please call Dianne Hough.

In Search of our Next Church Treasurer

Are you comfortable with numbers or know someone who is?

We are looking for a volunteer to step into the Treasurer position beginning in February 2023 when our next church Council is formed.

The primary role of the Treasurer is to provide financial leadership and direction by reviewing and discussing monthly financial results with Church Council. The Treasurer works closely with the Bookkeeper, who is a member of the church’s staff. The Bookkeeper handles the day-to-day accounting and prepares the monthly financial statements. The Treasurer is also involved in guiding the annual budget process, monitoring cash flow and completing various annual financial reports.

If you are interested in learning more about the Treasurer position, please contact our current Treasurer Heather MacDonald.

CHRISTMAS COOKIE WALK – December 3rd from 9:00am until Noon

The 2022 Pandemic version of the Christmas Cookie Walk is happening on Saturday, December 3rd from 9:00 am until noon. The boxes of Christmas cookies will be picked up curb side near the main doors off the back parking lot. This is our congregation's largest fund-raiser of this year and we need everyone – men, women and children – to bake Christmas cookies. This year we are asking everyone to fill out an online form at gcuc.ca to order cookies. Martha needs to know how many Christmas cookies you will be baking in order to match cookies baked to cookies ordered. Please pack your cookies in a disposable container or label your container and the lid. No need to package cookies in a special way. Our volunteers will be packaging the cookies in take-away so that each customer will receive a variety in their $20 boxes of festive homemade cookies. Your baked donations may be dropped off at the church (main doors off the back parking lot) on Thursday, December 1st between 9:00am and 11:00am and/or between 6:00pm and 8:00pm; and then again on Friday, December 2nd at 9:00am (for those baking one more last minute dozen!). Remember to tell your friends and neighbours that this is the easiest way for them to purchase a variety of cookies for their holiday entertaining, albeit Covid and Flu-friendly! Through UCW, the money raised from the Cookie Walk will be used mainly to support our church's operating expenses.

We need volunteers on Saturday, December 3rd (men, women, and teenagers perhaps who are collecting volunteer hours for school) to direct traffic; accept money; deliver the boxed cookies to the customers’ cars, and then to clean up. The more volunteers we have, the more that we can take turns coming inside to warm up. If you can help or need any more information please contact Martha Townshend Colford

Christmas Pudding – Yum Yum!

Delma Murray is selling Christmas Pudding – packages of 4 slices for $15. All proceeds go towards the U.C.W. Please place your order by calling Delma. The pudding will be ready for your enjoyment in December.

Thanks to the Angel Dusters Team!

We would like to send a very special shout out to our very own GCUC Angel Dusters team that gathered on November 18th. So much laughter filled the halls as we got it together, together! All wrapped up with some well placed snacks and libations! If you missed out on the fun, you are invited to sign up in the front entrance for our next event, coming up in the new year!

November/December Outreach

Glen Cairn United Church will once again be supporting Christmas Smiles for Seniors.

The Smiles for Seniors program works with senior residences and communities in the Ottawa area serving all those who are receiving assistance from the City of Ottawa. The City of Ottawa senior residences also house adults with disabilities, who are included in the program. This year we are happy to continue to support Carleton Lodge.

As an elf in this program, you will purchase, wrap, and label a ‘wish’ gift of approximately $25 to $35 in value. You will be provided with a list of possible gifts.

To sign up please contact Holly Egan or see Holly in church. You will be provided with the list of requested gift items by resident, and you can choose on a first-come-first-served basis. Please notify Holly of your choice to “claim” that resident. Please include the Room# and Resident name on the tag and you can sign the tag or card with your first name or “Santa’s Elf”.

Wrapped and labelled gifts must be dropped off in the Outreach Bin by Sunday December 18th.

If you have any questions, please contact Holly Egan or Cathy Turner.

Fundraising Opportunity!! Order your Gift Cards by December 9th!!

As Christmas approaches, here's an opportunity for you to support our Church and tick a few names off your gift purchasing list. For the last seven years, our congregation, in partnership with a company called FundScrip, has been raising funds to support our church. How does it work? Our congregation purchases gift cards from FundScrip, and then FundScrip in turn donates a percentage of the face value of the cards back to our church. Quite a few of the cards generate a return of 3% (and some even higher!), which is so important to our bottom line. We will be submitting a bulk order on December 9th, for cards to be available for an expected distribution date of December 16th. Available cards are grocery, gas, coffee, restaurants and big box stores to name just a few. Please email Sharron Ladouceur at: giftcards@gcuc.ca and she will send the list of available cards for you to peruse.

Pastoral Care Team

Reach out and connect in Christ’s name

Members of the Pastoral Care Team continue to offer their care and spiritual compassion to those who request them on a confidential basis. We can now have visits within the protocols for COVID 19 and can also connect by phone, email, cards, and through prayers.

Our contact person for November is Brenda Carr

Our contact person for December is Bev Armbruster

Or, you can call our confidential number (613-435-4500) and leave a message which will be returned promptly.

Healing Pathways in-person Sessions

The Healing Pathway Team will be offering regular in-person sessions at church on Mondays. As well, appointments can be made for distance healing and in-home visits at other times. Masks are required for all in-person sessions. These sessions are offered for anyone in the community free of charge.

To book a session, email healingpathwaygcuc@gmail.com, contact our Coordinator,

Nancy Kerr, or leave a confidential message at 613-435-4500

Earthub

Thank you so much for your continued support of Earthub. Our bins have seen a lot of use, we have diverted a lot of items from going to the landfill. Just a quick reminder that for safety, please ensure your labels are removed from the prescription bottles before you put them in the bins. One suggestion is to fill the bottles with hot water and the labels should peel off without much effort. Thanks again for all your donations, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Anne McEwan or visit the Earthub Ottawa Chapter Facebook page.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Blue Christmas Service – Sunday, December 11th, 11:30am

Christmas is a time of celebration and joy for most. We embrace baking, singing carols, invitations, family and friends. However, for some, loss of employment, a change in their housing situation, loneliness, addiction or mental illness, or the passing of a friend or family member fills the season with pain. Come join the Glen Cairn United Church

Pastoral Care team as we gather to acknowledge our pain in the presence of God, and worship in hope, peace, joy and love. This service, which will be held on December 11 th, 2022 at 11:30 am in the sanctuary at Glen Cairn United Church, will also be live streamed. Light refreshments to follow. All are welcome.

Thursday Craft Group DEC 1 Zoom Only

The craft session for Dec 1, will take place via Zoom ONLY. In-person will continue on Dec 8. Please contact Vida Johnston if you have any questions and require the Zoom link. Looking forward to ‘seeing’ you this Thursday!

Bible Study (THURSDAY AM)

Thursday morning Bible Study (Genesis) continues in-person at one of our member’s home. To join, please contact Patricia Taylor.

Book Club – Next meeting: Tuesday December 6, at 7:00pm (by Zoom)

The meeting on December 6th, we will discuss the book ‘Permanent Astonishment: Growing up Cree in the Land of Snow and Sky’ by Tomson Highway.

‘Tomson Highway was born in a snowbank on an island in the sub-Arctic, the eleventh of twelve children in a nomadic, caribou-hunting Cree family. Growing up in a land of ten thousand lakes and islands, Tomson relished being pulled by dogsled beneath a night sky alive with stars, sucking the juices from roasted muskrat tails, and singing country music songs with his impossibly beautiful older sister and her teenaged friends. Surrounded by the love of his family and the vast, mesmerizing landscape they called home, his was in many ways an idyllic far-north childhood. But five of Tomson's siblings died in childhood, and Balazee and Joe Highway, who loved their surviving children profoundly, wanted their two youngest sons, Tomson and Rene, to enjoy opportunities as big as the world. And so, when Tomson was six, he was flown south by float plane to attend a residential school. A year later Rene joined him to begin the rest of their education. In 1990 Rene Highway, a world-renowned dancer, died of an AIDS-related illness. Permanent Astonishment: Growing Up in the Land of Snow and Sky is Tomson's extravagant embrace of his younger brother's final words: "Don't mourn me, be joyful." His memoir offers insights, both hilarious and profound, into the Cree experience of culture, conquest, and survival.’

Looking ahead to January 10, 2023, the Book Club selection will be ‘The Best Laid Plans’, by Terry Fallis.

AROUND THE COMMUNITY

2022-12-02 - St. Paul's Anglican Church, 20 Young Road Kanata

West Ottawa Ladies Chorus. Friday at 7pm. Tickets $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Children under 12 free. Order tickets at www.westottawaladieschorus.ca

2022-12-03 - St. Paul's Anglican Church, 20 Young Road Kanata

West Ottawa Ladies Chorus. Saturday at 3pm. Tickets $15 in advance and $20 at the door. Children under 12 free. Order tickets at www.westottawaladieschorus.ca

2022-12-03 - Glen Cairn United Church

Cookie walk order online by November 25th, pick up on Saturday, December 3rd 9am-12pm.

2022-12-03 - Emmanuel United Church - 691 Smythe Road

Just Gifts Christmas Market. Saturday, December 3rd pick-up and in-person shopping. Make on-line orders from November 11 to 26. Visit https://euconlinemarket.ca for more details.

2022-12-17 - St. Thomas Virtual Bake Sale

Place orders for cookies and such at https://forms.gle/wD4m46opxaozqHPg8. Orders are accepted until Thursday, November 24th.

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