South West Norfolk Pastoral Charge

South West Norfolk Pastoral Charge...We Are Linked In LOVE!!

CULTUS UNITED CHURCH: Located at  748-6th Concession Road ENR, Cultus, Ontario            WORSHIPS on Sundays at  9:00am        ALL SERVICES CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE

COURTLAND UNITED CHURCH: Located at 133 Talbot Street, Courtland, Ontario                        WORSHIPS on SUNDAYS AT 10:30am     ALL SERVICES CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE      

Our Mission Statement:   The South West Norfolk Pastoral Charge is called to be a Christian community empowered and inspired by the Holy Spirit and to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ.

CONTACT US:   EMAIL: swnpc@yahoo.ca                  Office Phone: 519-688-4050

OUR MAILING ADDRESS:       South West Norfolk Pastoral Charge, P.O.Box 129, 119 Talbot Road, Courtland, On., N0J1E0

                                               CHECK US OUT ON Facebook                                                                                                                                                               https://www.facebook.com/pages/South-West-Norfolk-Pastoral-Charge/1607350796216192?sk=timeline 

                                                                    CHECK US OUT ON Twitter    https://twitter.com/SWNPC                 

Back to School, Back to Schedules, Back to the New Reality!

Wow! Where did the summer go? It seems as life goes on time moves along more quickly, reminding me of just how precious time is. We find ourselves now in September, students of all ages and teachers are back to school in the new Covid-19 world. The familiar site of the school busses on our country roads is back but now everybody on board now has a mask on and I’m wondering about anxious drivers and passengers.  The mornings are cooler. The days are shorter the corn and beans are ripening, the tobacco harvest is half over and the sweet smell of curing tobacco is in the wind. I find the change of seasons wonderful and mysterious and predictable.

The formerly predictable part for us as church is that we would normally come back to our routine of Sunday morning worships, Sunday School, Choir Practice, Committee Meetings, Board Meetings, Fall Fundraising Events, Faith Formation Programs. This will not be the case this fall as the uncertain road of Covid-19 continues to unfold before us.  The new predictable part for me will be the rhythm of preparing and delivering Sunday Zoom worships, facilitating Wednesday morning Zoom Coffee and Conversation group, Zoom Board meetings, telephone visits, outside distanced visits and so on. I lament that the new normal will prevent me from organizing and delivering the Roots of Empathy Programs at Houghton and Courtland Schools, shifting back to the regular routines of worship delivery at Norfolk General Hospital Long Term Care and Nursing home as well as Caressant Care and Delrose.

The unpredictable part for us will be where do we experience the wonder and the mystery of the Spirit in all these things we do as part of our day to day, week to week, and month to month routines. Whom shall we meet along the way as we rediscover who we are and whose we are. It is a bittersweet experience as we shift from the lazy hazy days of summer back to the busyness of our Covid -19 fall routines, I find myself drawn to these words of wisdom revealed in sacred text, and find myself both strengthened and comforted….  

In the book of Ecclesiastes we are told to everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven; a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant, and a time to pull the plant, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to scatter stones, and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to let go,  a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to love, and a time to hate, a time for war, and a time for peace. God has made everything beautiful in its time. God has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. I know there is nothing better for people to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing will be added to it and nothing taken from it. (Ecclesiastes 3: 1-15)  A promise from God.

We are not alone, even in the midst of pandemic and uncertainty.   As the coming days and months unfold, may we be blessed abundantly in all our experiences and expressions of faith.

May we be reminded of the common thread that brings us together and always brings new life and strengthens us, our Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer. Thanks be to God!                                                             Yours in Peace .................... PT