In Memoriam

On December 12, 2017 our friend Betty (Clark) Watson passed away peacefully at the Montreal General Hospital, while her son Iain held her hand at her bedside. 

Betty was predeceased by her husband David Cockburn Watson (2009). Besides her son Iain, Betty is survived by son David "Sandy" and a grandson Nicholas, her close American cousin Lillian and of course her SouthWest United family.

A celebration of her life will be held at a later date.

December news from SouthWest Kitchens

Nowelle, dear kitchen friends, Nowelle !

So busy preparing Christmas, I forgot to send out news from SouthWest Kitchens. Never too late, so they say…

SUPER EXTRAORDINARY RAFFLE! PRIZES FROM THE KITCHEN !

For those of you who want to REST and not cook during the holiday season, this is for you. To win, an amazing prize of home baked goods that will allow you (well, the lucky winner) to do less over Christmas. Let yourselves be tempted by : 

-       a competition moussaka for 15 guests
-       two beautiful pies, one chicken and another vegetarian
-       soup : beet, leek, celery, chicken and veg… We like soup at SouthWest Kitchens and we know how to make a good one !
-       lime marmalade and caramelized onions
-       homemade granola
-       and probably other delicacies, depending on my inspiration in the coming days.

Be ready to buy/reserve your tickets ! 1 for $1, 6 for $5. The raffle will take place during the next community meal, Wednesday Dec. 20th. The profits will go towards a new and much needed kitchen counter.

HOLIDAY COMMUNITY MEALS

Wednesday Dec. 20th: Welcome Wednesday Christmas special as we will be bringing you a festive buffet. Volunteer cooks, this is the time to be creative. Thanks to many generous donations, our pantry is now full again – I had a dream of canned tomatoes : the cans appeared ! We have more than enough wonderful ingredients to work with, so let’s make the most of it. The service will start at 12 :30, all are welcome. Reminder : during the meal, we will be raffling a special food basket from the kitchen.

Tuesday, Dec. 26th: it’s the Mission’s Turkey Dinner, that attracts approximately 200 people every year. The menu couldn’t be more traditional : turkey with stuffing, gravy, and all the usual trimmings. The meal is coordinated and prepared by Dorothy Brown and her army of volunteers. If you want to join the team of helpers, or reserve your spot for the meal, please contact Amy at southwestunited@gmail.com or 514 768-6231.

THURSDAY EVENING COOKING WORKSHOPS

We are still working on an appropriate formula for this cooking workshop. Grand Potager organized a few once Un plant de tomate’s season was over ; the evening schedule however doesn’t work so well in the cold season, and the participants seem to be short on time and energy. The workshops I had announced for December have been cancelled – but that doesn’t mean they won’t come back in the New Year : we will be back with new ideas and a renewed post-vacation energy !

YOUNGSTERS YO!

Registration is currently in process for the Winter session (8 workshops as of Jan. 9th, $40) :

10-12-yr-olds : Easy Peasy Recipes, every Tuesday, 5-6:15 pm
Be quick, the workshop is filling up very very quickly!

13+: TeenCuisine, every Wednesday, 5-7 pm
Parents who have a teenager, this is for you : try and convince yours to come ! Go, parents, go ! It is amazingly difficult to recruit a teenager, I need all the help I can get !

Have a great holiday season !

And if you want to be immersed in the spirit of Christmas, join us this Sunday, Dec. 17th at 4:00 pm at SouthWest United Church (1445, Clémenceau) for a Christmas concert.

Léonore Pion
Community cook
Kitchen coordinator, SouthWest Mission
leonore.pion@gmail.com 
Facebook: SouthWest Kitchens

Advent 2

ADVENT 2 – THE CANDLE OF PEACE 

Today we are lighting the candle of PEACE. We remember that Jesus brings the promise of peace: peace in our hearts, peace between family and friends, peace between nations and human beings, and all of creation. Let us quiet our hearts and minds. Notice your  breathing... As you breathe in, say to yourself, “Jesus.”
As you breathe out, say, “Send your peace.”

2e DIMANCHE DE L’AVENT – LA BOUGIE DE LA PAIX

Aujourd’hui, nous allumons la bougie de la PAIX. Nous nous rappelons que Jésus apporte la promesse de la paix : dans nos cœurs, dans nos familles, parmi nos amis, entre les nations et tous les humains, et dans toute la création. Apaisons nos cœurs et nos esprits. Prêtons attention à notre respiration….En inspirant dites : “Jésus”.
En expirant, dites : “Donne-nous ta paix.”

Angels  --  Angels, what gift do you bring to us this Advent season? 
We bring the gift of a message, a message of peace and joy, a message of a child born to change the world.

The second candle is lit.

Prayer: “Jesus, help your light to shine in us as peace”

Les anges  --  Vous, les anges, quel cadeau nous offrez vous en ce temps de l’Avent ? Nous vous apportons un message, un message de paix et de joie, le message qu’un enfant est né pour changer le monde.

La deuxième bougie est allumée.

Prière : « Jésus, que ta lumière fasse briller la paix en nous.»

Scriptures Advent 2
Isaiah 40 : 1-11 (p. 700)
Psalm 85 (VU 802)
Mark 1 :1-8 (p. 45)                   Page numbers indicated are from the Good News Bible

Écritures, 2e dimanche de l'Avent
Ésaïe 40.1-11 (p. 903)
Psaume 85 (VU 802)
Marc 1.1-8 (p. 49)        Les pages indiqués viennent de la bible Bonne nouvelle pour toi!

The Candlelight Service at SouthWest

Once a year, the choir rallies around the preparation of what is our highlight of the season: The Candlelight Service, held one or two weeks before Christmas. Extra rehearsals are called, work schedules altered, and the weather predictions are examined very carefully. Twice, since I have been at SouthWest, the Candlelight Service has been cancelled because of snow storms – once moved to a modified Christmas Eve Service, and the other time postponed to Epiphany Sunday, a week after Christmas.
The choir has been large, it has been small. We’ve had children playing instruments for the Christmas carols, and we’ve had the kids from the Alleluia choir singing their Christmas songs.
Who will ever forget the Candlelight with bagpipes? With Donald in full Scottish dress, drum strapped to his middle, beating the entrance.
Or the year we had Stephany, Lexy and Georgia leading the service.
Three girls then, three young women now.
I was going through old photos this summer, and found a picture taken in the basement before the first Candlelight I was part of. In the centre: Linda Dixon standing beside Roman… and Roman was shorter! A slight ten-year-old then, he’s now six feet four and twenty-two years old, and he’s played his violin at every Candlelight since. Linda moved to Toronto last spring, but she’s coming in on the train today – for a visit with friends to be sure, but most of all to sing with the choir for the Candlelight.
Octavio will be back this year, and I don’t think anyone can really remember when he came for the first time. Arielle will return for her second Candlelight, though everyone was reminded of her beautiful voice on November 5, just a month ago. Justin, our resident tuba player will be back to sing, and Katherine – who usually has Percy strapped to her middle! –  will sing with us as well.
There are so many memories attached to this service, and so many more waiting to be added.
Come and join us for this year’s edition: December 17 at 4 pm.
Enjoy the music, feel the warmth of our welcome, and enter into the gentle spirit of Christmas.

Sarah

Thank You AAA PeeWee Lions!

Mr. David Meloche, from the Lester B. Pearson School Board (Director of Schools, Region 3), arrived at the Mission on Tuesday with a large donation of non-perishable items for our food pantry. His son Lucas’ hockey team, the AAA PeeWee Lions (Lac St-Louis region) do a collection each November for a community organization and this year they decided to bless SouthWest. The kids left a simple letter in neighbours’ mailboxes asking them to put donations out on their front porches one Saturday morning and the players would collect them. 
Mr. Meloche is pictured with our faithful volunteer Frank who came in to help sort through the food, and Mary Anne Fyckes, spiritual life and community animator, who helped make the connection. Not pictured: Principal Luther and Miss Sarah Davey who helped unload everything from the car in the rain. Merci a tous!

Minister's Christmas Letter

“Mary gave birth to her first son, wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger--there was no room for them to stay in the inn.” Luke 2: 7

The simplicity of the Christmas story still fills with awe. For Christians, Mary’s first born is the Son of God, a child born in humble circumstances and a gift of generous love, God clothed in our humanness. The “no room” continues to resonate: will there be room in our celebrations and gatherings for this gift?

One of my favourite carols is a gentle one by an unknown writer: “Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head. The stars in the bright sky look down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.” May our Christmas season be filled with the essence of this message: God’s face is in the wonder of new birth. God among us puts a new perspective on my celebrating Christmas. Relationships are what it is about, the gift of self, incarnated in my words and deeds in the simplicity of the first Christmas.

May we make room for the birth of Life in our hearts, families and community.

In hope, joy, peace and love,

Rev. David Lefneski

Lettre de Noël du Pasteur

« Marie mit au monde un fils, son premier-né. Elle l’enveloppa de langes et le coucha dans une crèche, parce qu’il n’y avait pas de place pour eux dans l’abri destiné aux voyageurs. » Luc 2 : 7

La simplicité de cette histoire nous émerveille encore. Le premier-né de Marie est aussi le fils de Dieu. Né humblement, Il est un cadeau d’amour vêtu de notre humanité. Le « pas de place » continue de résonner à l’intérieur de ceux qui entendent l’histoire; y aura-t-il de la place pour ce cadeau dans nos célébrations et festivités?

Que votre temps des Fêtes soit rempli de l’essence de ce message d'amour. Dieu est venu dans notre monde par la naissance d’un bébé. Le visage de Dieu est dans le miracle d’une nouvelle naissance. Dieu incarné donne une tout autre perspective sur mon don de soi. Les relations avec les autres sont au cœur de nos célébrations. L’important n’est pas le prix du cadeau, mais la qualité de la relation, un cadeau qui vient vraiment du cœur.

  Bénédictions sur vous en ce temps de l’avent/Noël et sur vos familles et amis. Puissions-nous faire de la place dans nos coeurs pour la naissance de la Vie et prendre acte de la venue du Don d’Amour de Dieu, Jésus notre Seigneur.

Dans l’espérance, la joie, la paix et l’amour,

Pasteur David Lefneski

The Spirit of Giving and Receiving

Over 80 children participated in this year’s Christmas Party at SouthWest Mission on Saturday Dec. 2nd. In the spirit of Christmas giving and receiving, children participated in cookie decorating and caroling, made tree decorations, and helped prepare Christmas cards for seniors in our community residences. Each child received a stocking to stuff with a selection of stocking stuffers donated by many sources including Allion Elementary School and Children’s World Academy (Mrs. Civico’s class) and of course Santa Claus himself. Thank you to Head Elf Dorothy and her team: You did an outstanding job in organizing this free community event. Thank- you to Mike LaCroix of LaCroix Music Studio leading caroling with Rev. David and teaching simple piano skills to the children, face painter April-Anna and many others who donated their time, energy and monies to make this annual event a success.
 

Mini-market December 6th

Our mini-markets continue into the winter, albeit with shortened hours. Fresh fruits and vegetables are for sale at the Mission at low suggested costs from 10:30 AM to 3:30PM every second Wednesday. If you can't make it during those hours, consider sending a friend to pick up your order. Also orders placed with Sheila and Maurice ahead of time can be set aside and delivered to church on the following Sunday. Use the handy order form here.

Christmas by Candlelight/ Chantons Noël

Come join us for our beautiful celebration of Christmas: the candles will be lit, the choir will lift their voices, and we will be wrapped in the magic once more.

Venez nous rejoindre pour notre célébration annuelle à la lumière des bougies et dans une véritable bain de musique : chœur, solistes, et nos voix unies. Noël !

December 17 at 4 o’clock
† le 17 décembre à 16 heures

SouthWest United Church/ Église Unie du Sud-Ouest
1445 rue Clémenceau, Verdun