Please check the Worship Service page for our virtual worship services during COVID-19. A video sermon and other service information will be posted to the page around 10 am on Sunday morning.
We Hear and Respond to God's Word Welcome & Announcements Call to Worship God's Greeting Gathering Song: "Open The Eyes Of My Heart" Sermon Text: 1 Kings 19:1-18 Sermon Title: The Journey Is Too Much Song of Response: "Yet Not I But Through Christ In Me" Prayer Closing Song: "O Praise The Name" Parting Blessing
OUR CHURCH FAMILY Prayer Requests: - For Teresa W, and Adrianna B. - For Brian, John H., Alida , Paul R. and Chris R. as they serve as our elders; for Jake, Rob, Robert, and Greg as they serve as our deacons. - for Pastor Paul as he returns from vacation time and preaches at Trinity CRC this Sunday. - When COVID-19 hit, Resonate missionaries, church planters, and campus ministers stepped up to provide support to people who were in need. Give thanks for the many ways believers have shown Christ's love in this season. - Give thanks for people stepping us as leaders in their churches! Resonate missionaries in the Philippines recently trained men and women to lead small group Bible studies. Pray for these leaders as they teach and guide other believers. - In Isaiah 58, God calls his people to loose the chains of injustice, free the oppressed, share food with the hungry, shelter the stranger, and reconcile with estranged family members. These acts not only draw us closer to each other but also deepen our relationship with God. In this time of hunger awareness, pray that all who are hungry may experience a fuller relationship with the Lord who brings healing, righteousness, and hope. - This Saturday, October 31, we commemorate the beginning of the Reformation and the changes it brought to Christian thought and the worldwide church. Pray today for the Holy Spirit to bring light, truth, and love into our discussions and interactions with each other and all people. - Guatemala Monthly Prayer: Pray for our work in Guatemala as we adapt to the "new normal" and support our partners to persist in our development programs. Upcoming Special Collections: Although we are unable to meet together for regular Sunday worship gatherings, there is still opportunity to share of our gifts, talents and resources. First, be creative in thinking of the ways that you can be a blessing to those nearby to you (offering to buy or pick up groceries, offering child care for those who need to work, offering to cook a meal, etc.) Second, for our church members (we do not expect our guests to contribute financially) there are ways to continue to support our church and the other ministries/agencies that we would normally support on Sunday mornings. Our church is set up to receive e-transfers; they may be sent to vanastracrcdonations@gmail.com. Please add in your note where the donations are to be directed (i.e. Church Budget, World Renew, etc.) If you are not set up for e-transfer or do not feel comfortable with it, then cheques may be mailed to the church at 50 Fifth Ave. Vanastra, ON N0M 1L0. Please consider giving as if we were gathering together regularly on those Sundays. Upcoming Collections Oct 25: Church Ministries / Raise the Roof Nov 1: Church Ministries / Ministry Shares Counselling: During COVID19 restrictions the CAP counselling ministry through Shalem Mental Health Network continues to make anonymous professional counselling support available to congregants of our church at no charge. All services are provided through a secured video or telephone connection. To book a CAP appt, call Shalem directly at 1-866-347-0041. And for more resource information check their website at https://shalemnetwork.org/. Pastor Paul Away: Pastor Paul & Juliana will be on vacation from Oct. 19-23. If you are in need of pastoral care during that time, please contact an elder. Coat Drive: Through the Food Bank Truck delivery there has been requests for warm winter coats. The Food Bank committee is holding a coat drive. All clean coats can be brought to the church. There were requests for 2X and 3X coats for women and two XL Men sizes. In total there were more than 22 coats requested. There will also be opportunity to donate cash in order to purchase coats that may not come in. The coat rack will be in the hall and on Sunday November 8th there will be a second collection for coats. Thank you for your help to give a gift the warm coats to those in need. The Food Bank Committee. Catechism is Back!! Starting on Sunday November 1, 2020 at 7:00PM. We are going to begin having catechism again at the church. Catechism is for children in grades 5-12 (ages 10 -18). Parents are asked to RSVP on behalf of their children to Pastor Paul at pddeweerd@gmail.com. Children are asked to wear masks into the church building, and throughout the church building. When they are seated, masks may be removed. Catechism Teacher/Helper: As Catechism is beginning up again, Pastor Paul is looking for someone to help lead and teach. The curriculum has been prepared. We are simply looking for someone to be an extra set of eyes, ears and hands to help in the room. If you are willing or interested please contact Pastor Paul. Facility Rental Update: Council has decided that due to covid restrictions on gatherings, private rentals (ex. family Christmas gatherings) will NOT be available at this time. Our facilities will continue to be available for religious ceremonies such as worship services, weddings and funerals. If you have any questions about this, please contact a member of our council. Council Clippings October: We are hiring John Vanderhaar to replace the roof. We would like to thank everyone with how quickly the money has come in. Ministry budgets are due to Kelly by October 26th. We discussed our future in ministries shares as the CRC is moving from a requested-funds system to a pledge system. Budget Requests 2021: All ministry and committee leaders have been emailed a request for their 2021 budget amounts. If any leaders did not receive the request, please contact the church office. If any ministry, committee or new program (that previously did not have any budget line) would like to make a budget request, please contact the office; all requests are due October 26. Wish List Requests: Any member may submit any "wish list" items to the church office (due October 26). These may be any item or project idea that you would like to share with the congregation. It could be a "dream" item or a future plan. If you are submitting a wish list item, please include a brief description and expected price point. Wish List Q & A: Why do we have a wish list? We have a wish list so that our ministries/committees are encouraged to share their future dreams, ideas, and plans with the congregation. Is the wish list just a list of big things to buy? No. While some items may be higher-priced items to purchase, they can also be projects or ideas for which the "price" might be non-monetary, requiring a time commitment or certain number of volunteers. What do we do with wish list items? First, we celebrate the future dreams and ideas of our church through encouragement and prayer. Second, we consider each item carefully and may respond in various ways such as: We do nothing at this time - we keep the item in mind for a future year, but continue to offer encouragement and prayer for the ministry. We do nothing as a church, but individual members may decide to earmark donations or offer to volunteer their time toward an item at any point during the year. We decide as a church to add the item to the 2021 budget before approving it at the November congregational meeting.
OUR CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY Support Youth Unlimited/YFC Mid-Huron: You are invited to a Community Dinner & Prayer Tour on Saturday November 7th, 2020. This event will feature a delicious take-out meal (fish & chips or fried chicken with fries - Moore's Catering), a route and list of places we can specifically be praying about for our community, and an opportunity to make a donation towards the ministry of Youth Unlimited/YFC Mid-Huron. Meals can be picked up between 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Vanastra Community CRC along with prayer routes and information. To order your meal and/or make a donation please visit www.yfcmidhuron.com (food orders must be received by November 1st). Quilting Sisters Fall 2020 Quilt Retreat At Campfire Bible Camp: Hello to all quilters! Please join this group of Christian women who plan to meet at Campfire Bible Camp in Markdale for our fall quilting retreat being held November 2-5, 2020 DV. We enjoy a great time of sharing ideas, devotions, Christian fellowship and forging many bonds while enjoying the love of quilting. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have on costs, lodging. There will be covid regulations in place and amount of guests will be restricted. I will begin taking registrations on Monday, September 14. Registration must be made through me by email to thequiltingsisters@hotmail.com or text or phone (905-563-6262). Looking forward to hearing from you! Benita Boerema. Huron Christian School (HCS) invites applications for full time grade 2 maternity leave position, effective January 25, 2021. If you are an OCT qualified, Christian educator who is passionate about sharing your love for God and discovering the wonder of His creation with children, we would like to hear from you. If you would like to become part of a school community that is growing, and has just moved into a newly renovated building, please submit your cover letter, resume, statement of faith, philosophy of Christian education, along with three references (professional, personal and pastoral) electronically to the attention of the principal, Mr. Nick Geleynse at principal@huronchristianschool.ca by November 27, 2020. Receipt of all applications will be acknowledged, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Job Posting: Do you have experience with investor relations in the non-profit/charitable sector? Would you like to work in a faith-driven environment championed by a dedicated support community? Consider joining the Redeemer team as the new Director of Donor Relations! Applications must be submitted by November 8, 2020: redeemer.ca/director-donor-relations. Chocolate Letters: This year the students at Huron Christian School are selling chocolate letters as a fundraiser for the Student Fund. These fund are used to purchase items that benefit our students such as: Chrome books, playground equipment and field trips. We have milk and dark chocolate letters available. Order sheets can be found on our website (https://www.huronchristianschool.ca/christmas-food-fundraisers.php). Please fill out and return with your payment to the school by Monday, November 2nd. If you can’t get your orders to the school, please feel free to give it to a student and they will be delighted to hand it in to the office. Thanks for your support!
