Sawyerville UCW Pizza Day
June 19, 2019, president Bonnie Fowler welcomed us all to our last meeting until the fall. She said “Have a good summer. Take time off. Enjoy yourself.” Definitely good advice!
We repeated our purpose: To unite women of the congregation for the total mission of the church and to provide a medium through which they may express their loyalty and devotion to Jesus Christ in Christian witness, study, fellowship and service.
The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him. This is Psalm 28:7 and the beginning of our Devotions. We sang We Praise You, Oh God. Doreen Cairns read a couple of humorous stories from some Friendship Books. Here is one of them: At school, a little five-year-old boy was taught to say grace before meals. One tea-time, he began, “Thank you for the food we eat. His father had no patience for this sort of thing and told the little boy that it was he who had provided the food so it was he who should be thanked. The next tea-time, the little boy bowed his head. “Thank you, Daddy, for my food,” then added “And thank you, God, for my Daddy ... “
Doreen also read a poem and said a prayer. We said the Lord’s Prayer. I read a couple of stories from Chicken Soup for the Christian Soul. One of them was called The Commandment. Here it is in full: A Sunday school teacher was discussing the Ten Commandments with her five and six year olds. After explaining the commandment to “honour thy father and thy mother,” she asked, “Is there a commandment that teaches us how to treat our brothers and sisters?” Without missing a beat, one little boy, the oldest in his family, answered, “Thou shall not kill.” This was from Richard Lederer. We sang “God Be With You (Till we meet again). Isaiah 30:21 says: Whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying ‘’this is the way, walk in it.”
Doreen Cairns, secretary, read the minutes of the last meeting. They were declared as read. Wendy Mackay gave the treasurer’s report. Theda Lowry reported that Sunday School was finished for the summer on June 2, with a potluck lunch after the service here in Sawyerville. The first Sunday in July will begin our summer schedule with one service at 10:30 a.m. in a different church each Sunday. The first is in Bishopton and on July 14 in East Clifton. The Rue d’eglise tour, organized by the Bury Historical Society, is also happening on July 14. Many of the churches in the surrounding area will be open for visitors. A special service is planned for July 21. We are dedicating a plaque at the site of the Island Brook church which no longer stands. It will be an outdoor service unless the weather doesn’t cooperate. In that case, we’ll be under a roof someplace, perhaps the Community Center.
Rev. Tami Spires, for Church In Society, told us that the United Church of Quebec has sent a letter to the premier expressing our disappointment in the passing of Bill 21. The new Regional Council had their inaugural meeting on May 25 at the United Church in St. Lambert. Well over 100 people attended and some joined by an online meeting platform. “In the Beginning” was the theme of the very first meeting- how fitting, don’t you think? The new chairperson for a 2 year term is the Reverend Linda Buchannon from Lennoxville. The plan is to have at least two meetings per year; one in the spring and one in the fall.
For Correspondence, we received a survey from the new regional UCW. No time like the present - we filled it out right away.
New business: planned for a funeral lunch we were asked to serve and we’ll also be doing food for a birthday party in mid July. Wendy Mackay will be going to Peterborough to walk with her family for the Kidney Foundation. We voted to make a donation. We also voted to buy a bed-in-a-bag to help out a couple who lost a lot of their belongings in a fire.
We closed with the Mispah Benediction: May the Lord watch between me and thee while we are absent, one from the other. Amen.
Who doesn’t like pizza? Granted, there must be some people who don’t, but we didn’t see them at our supper! Bonnie made Caesar salad, and for dessert there was angel food cake, strawberries and ice cream. Theda made a lovely, light cake that tasted very good with the strawberries, too. The guests this day included some of the people who have helped us throughout the year. We wanted to let them know that they are valued. Not all were able to attend but we still want them to know how much we appreciate them. Next meeting is in September. Until then ...
Submitted by Marlene Lowry