We hope that you are well. If you are in need - physically, spiritually, or otherwise - don't hesitate to reach out to us by phone (506-940-1151) or email (suc@nb.aibn.com). We are here for you and for each other!
What's New
Pancake Supper February 13 - volunteers needed!
Ash Wednesday February 14 noontime service and meal
Committee Positions looking to be filled at the annual meeting
Coming Up This Week
Seekers Group Book Study begins this Sunday, February 4
Preacher's Help Group/Scripture Study Tuesday 10:30am on zoom
Coffee and Conversation with Open Sky Wednesday 10am
Choir Practice Thursday 5-6pm
Friday Night "Coffee House" at 5pm, St. Paul's Anglican with Jennie as part of a baroque chamber trio featuring MTA voice students
AA 12-1pm Saturdays in the sanctuary
Annual Reports DUE this Saturday, February 3
Food Bank Collection Sunday morning on the hallway pew
Guest Musician Harris McSheffery for Sunday 11am service
3pm Drew Service (heatlh regulations permitting) with Jennie & Rev. Lloyd
Watch recordings of previous services
January 28 Service - A New Teaching
Sunday Worship: Our Regular Sunday Worship is held at 11am both in-person at Sackville United and online via our SUC Facebook Page. Mask-wearing and distancing are encouraged but not mandatory. For those not on FB but wishing to watch online, a link to the video of the service will be posted on the church website in the days immediately following the service.
This week we welcome guest musician (and familiar face) Harris McSheffery, who will be leading our music worship this week, as Jennie is participating in a baroque music festival as the harpsichordist happening this week at MTA. There is a Baroque "Coffee House" Concert at 5pm at St. Paul's Anglican Church this Friday, February 2 that all are welcome to attend!
2023-4 Annual Report - Your Reports are Welcome: In preparation for this year's Annual Meeting (to be held after our Sunday Gathering on March 4), we would invite anyone wishing to submit something to the annual report to do so by THIS SUNDAY February 4. This will give Jennie plenty of time to prepare and distribute the report in advance of the annual meeting.
Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper: Grab your spatulas and your appetite! On Tuesday, February 13 (time TBA) SUC will host a pancake supper! As Jennie (usually Rev. Lloyd's partner in pancaking) is away, Rev. Lloyd is seeking extra volunteers to help with the event. Please speak to him if you are able to offer equipment or assistance. All are welcome to come and enjoy food and fellowship together!
Upcoming Change in Office Hours: Jennie will be away from February 10-18 to visit her parents. As such, the office will be closed on February 13 and 15.
Seekers Group New Book Study: Do I Stay Christian?: A Guide for the Doubters, the Disappointed, and the Disillusioned (by Brian McLaren*) Do I Stay Christian? (2022) helps Christians address the questions of whether and how to stay Christian when the term can mean irreconcilable things. Do I Stay Christian? addresses in public the powerful question that surprising numbers of people―including pastors, priests, and other religious leaders―are asking in private. Picking up where Faith After Doubt leaves off, Do I Stay Christian? is not McLaren's attempt to persuade Christians to dig in their heels or run for the exit. Instead, he combines his own experience with that of thousands of people who have confided in him over the years to help readers make a responsible, honest, ethical decision about their religious identity. There is a way to say both yes and no to the question of staying Christian, McLaren says, by shifting the focus from whether we stay Christian to how we stay human. If Do I Stay Christian? is the question you're asking―or if it's a question that someone you love is asking―this is the book you've been waiting for.
Beginning THIS SUNDAY February 4 through March 10, 2024 at 9:00am via ZOOM
Who: contact Catherine Gaw at chgaw@eastlink.ca to register
Worship at the Drew: You are invited to join Rev. Lloyd and Jennie on the first Sunday of each month at 3pm to share in worship and fellowship together at the Drew Nursing Home. Coming up THIS Sunday, February 4 - health conditions permitting. All are welcome - masks are encouraged.
Committee Positions Seeking to be Filled: We have a number of positions within our executive and other committees that we are seeking to fill at this year's annual meeting. If you are called to volunteer, or have a suggestion of someone who might wish to be nominated, please contact the church office or reach out to Rev. Lloyd.
Books Wanted for Dorchester LGBTQ+ Group: Rev. Lloyd is looking for resources that might be shared with a Queer Library at the Dorchester Penitentiary. Please speak to him if you have anything you would be interested in sharing.
Care and support for one another in Community: Meeting in the new year on January 11 & 25 - please note the new morning time of 9am for the fourth Thursday. People of all ages and walks of life are invited to gather for a time of silent prayer in the sanctuary two evenings a month on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at 7pm (2nd Thursday) and 9am (Fourth Thursday) for approximately 15-20 minutes. This offers an intentional way to hold in prayer all those persons in our lives for whom we have care and concern. And an understanding that we all carry some heaviness in our lives. All are welcome.
“Community is first of all a quality of the heart. It grows from the spiritual knowledge that we are alive not for ourselves but for one another” * *Henri Nouwen
Senior's Lunch Group: A message from Brenda Allen, coordinator of the group: "Thank you to those who came to Patterson's on Tuesday, There were 11 of us and it was an enjoyable lunch and so good to see so many of you. Merry Christmas and all the best of good health for 2024." The Senior's Lunch Group will meet in the first part of 2024 on the THIRD Tuesday of the month on the following dates: February 20, March 19, April 16, May 21 and June 18 Please note that there will not be a get-together in January.
Coffee and Conversation with Open Sky: Coffee and conversation is held every Wednesday morning at 10am at Sackville United. Bring your appetite for delicious baked goods and conversation - all are welcome! An important reminder that if public schools are closed, there will be no coffee and conversation that week.
Volunteer Opportunity at Salem Elementary: From the community schools coordinator: "I am reaching out today as Salem Elementary is looking to gather volunteers to read to the students. They are looking for adults of any age to go to Salem one morning a week between 10 and 10:30am to spend some time with one student, one-on-one, to share a snack and read a book or play a simple, quick game together. This would happen in the new year for at least 8 weeks." For more information, or if you are interested in volunteering, please contact Jessie Brown at 506-229-1872 or email Jessie.brown@nbed.nb.ca
Sackville United Church Choir: The choir is pleased to announce its regular rehearsal time of 5-6pm on Thursday evenings. All are welcome - no audition or experience is necessary, nor is mandatory attendance. The choir also meets starting at 10:15am or 10:20am on Sundays. Come make a joyful noise with us!
Support Group for Caregivers: Meeting on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays of the month at 1:30pm - next on February 6. An informal get-together with light refreshments for current and former caregivers of those with dementia or physical issues to share experiences of their journey and to know that you are not alone and can depend on support and understanding from each other. Please feel free to pass this information on to anyone you think would be interested. Contact the church office or speak to Diane Fullerton or Sheina Grant for more details. All are welcome!
Scripture/Announcement Readers: We are grateful that we have volunteers signed up until the end of the year! Would you be interested in reading on Sunday Morning? You may sign up on the list on the Circles of Service Board or by calling the Church office. On Thursday afternoon the Church Office will communicate with you and provide you with the specific text(s) you will be asked to read, including the possibility of a selection of modern wisdom in the form of a quote from a current text. A sign-up list for Scripture from January - March 2024 is posted on the circles of service board, and we are still seeking readers for February 25, and all of March up until Easter.
Exciting New Resource from the Prayer Bench: The Prayer Bench is now moving away from annual group subscriptions. Janice MacLean’s newly designed website provides details about Prayer Bench subscriptions which include a “Personal” subscription or a “Personal and More“ subscription as well as many rich resources and varied studies which are contemplative in nature and nourish the soul. One such study is a recent collaboration between the Prayer Bench host, Janice MacLean, and SUC Elder Janet Hammock. Called “Musicians of Holy Mystery”, the 6-part study, available to anyone for only $20, explores the mystery of music in relationship to our spiritual journeys. Details of this study, and the many other ways you can enjoy The Prayer Bench, can be found online at prayerbench.ca.
Broadview SubscriptionS
Please contact the church Office To Renew or begin your broadview subscription
$30/year
New subscribers welcome at anytime!
What's New at Broadview: The United Church magazine has a variety of topical articles on subjects that reflect many of the interests and initiatives of our congregation. Please contact the church office to renew your subscription if you have not already and/or to sign up through our discounted group subscription rate of only $30/year. New subscriptions can be added at anytime of year!
Winter Church Office Hours: The church office hours are Tuesdays/Thursdays from 12-4:30pm. Any changes to this schedule, including illness or snow days (during which Jennie can sometimes be found working remotely) will be posted on the church FB page, and, if possible, on the church doors as well.
Affirming Fund and Benevolent Fund: These two funds, one of them newly created, allow Sackville United to respond to individual needs of those in our local community. The newly-created Affirming Fund is intended for local LGBTQ2+ persons needing assistance - this includes support for gender affirming care (legal changes of name and/or gender, LGBTQ2+ related medical expenses not covered by health insurance, etc.) and other areas in which LGBTQ2+ persons might be of need. Both of these funds exist by virtue of your generous donations. Contributions can be made regularly through PAR (contact the church office to update), by e-transfer, or by indicating the name of the fund to which you wish to contribute on your offering envelope.
Parents and Tots: Parents and Tots meets Thursday Mornings from 9:30am to 11:00am at St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. There is no charge, and volunteers are present to assist with childcare. Bring your young ones for a time of community, play and fellowship (and a chance to chat with other grownups!).
Preacher's "Help Group" (Scripture Study): meeting on Tuesdays at 10:30am via zoom. Speak to Rev. Lloyd for more details.
Family Games Night at SUC: Meeting next on Thursday, February 15. Christy Watts shares: "I hope everyone is having a good week so far, this is a friendly reminder that Family Games Night meets on the third Thursday of each month from 6-8pm. This games night will be for anyone that is interested in attending. Remember you can bring a friend along and snacks for yourself or to share, all ages are welcome. You can contact Christy with any questions or concerns at 506-612-0608 or by emailing the church office.
Family Friendly Games Night will be held on the third Thursday of every month at the Sackville United Church (110 Main St) from 6-8 pm.
Meals on Wheels: The Meals for Seniors program is coordinated by the Drew Nursing Home for the Sackville, New Brunswick, area. If you, or someone in your family, would benefit from receiving a hot meal each weekday, please call us at 506-364-4900, or or call Donna Lowerison directly at 506-364-4909, for more information. If you wish to volunteer to deliver meals, please call the same number. At this time, drivers are needed for Tuesdays or if you are available on an occasional basis, that works too!
Food Bank In Need: As the cost of living continues to steeply rise, here are a list of items needed this week by the Sackville Food Bank. Items dropped off at the church will be collected weekly, and monetary donations collected through SUC will be given directly to the food bank. Please see information about food insecurity and food insecurity resources in Sackville here.
For school lunches:
granola bars, fruit cups, small yogurts, tuna, peanut butter, Cheez Whiz, jams, etc.
Also needed for families and single adults:
cereal
crackers, cookies
pancake mix and maple syrup
baking needs: flour, sugar, shortening, baking powder, salt, etc.
canned and fresh fruit
canned and fresh vegetables
canned tuna and meats
cans of baked beans
pasta meals (KD, Side Kicks, etc.)
pasta sauce, canned tomatoes
rice and rice meals
instant coffee, regular coffee, tea bags
children's diapers (all sizes from newborn to pull ups)
baby wet wipes
toilet paper and tissues
sanitary products (pads and Tampex)
dish detergent
toothpaste and toothbrushes
deodorant
shampoo