Everything old is new again

Lying somewhat forlornly on a shelf in the church kitchen is this dog-eared, food-splattered volume. Centennial Cooking Specialties was put out by the “Adult Club” of Crawford Park United in 1967. There are recipes in it from men and women for everything from appetizers, to main courses, to desserts to jams and pickles. There are names I recognize among the cooks, like Bennett and O’Reilly, and many others I don’t, Johnny-come-lately that I am.

With my sweet tooth, I turned immediately to the desserts section. As I’ve recently been diagnosed with Celiac disease, I was curious if there would be anything gluten free in there. Was “gluten-free” even a thing in the 60s? Probably not in so many words. Yet lo and behold, the very first dessert in the section, attributed to an “L. Smith” (Louise?) is a sort of custard called Kiss Pudding and guess what, ma? No flour, no gluten! I’m going to try it out this weekend. - Amy

Kiss Pudding

2 c. scalded milk
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of salt
yolks of 3 eggs
3 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 to 1 tsp. vanilla

Scald milk over hot water. Add sugar and cornstarch mixed with a little of the cold milk. Continue cooking over hot water, stir until thickened and cook for 5 minutes more. Then add yolks gradually, cook for about 2 more minutes. Add vanilla. pour into serving dishes.

Topping

Beat whites of 2 eggs til stiff. Gradually add 1/4 cup sugar. fold in 1/2 to 1 square of melted chocolate. Spoon onto top of custard. Chill till serving time. Yield: 5 servings.

Beryl's Blog: The Wonders of Creation

This coming Sunday, September 8th, we will begin the Seasons of Creation in our worship cycle and, over the next four Sundays, we will celebrate Creator’s wondrous gifts to us.

Our first Sunday in Creation is Ocean Sunday and hereunder I share with you a quote from Seasons of the Spirit, a United Church worship resource.

“The vastness of the ocean is the stuff of poets and paint­ers; it is a reality, too. The five oceans of our planet cover over 70% of the surface. Waves pound relent­lessly on shores of every continent as if the land were a mere interruption of the ebb and flow of the water. The oceans are a source of life for all things; the smallest (plankton) and lar­gest (whales) creatures in the world live there. The fascina­tion that humans have with the ocean perhaps mirrors the fascination with the Creator: a sense of familiarity with a few aspects, a brief encounter here and there; enough to know that there is far more we may never grasp or understand”.

As we become more consciously aware of the damage humanity is causing to this wonderful world and as we see more and more images of the plastic and waste which is being dumped into our oceans, jeopardizing its very existence and harming and killing God’s creatures, I am reminded of these words from Psalm 95:5-6 

The sea that he made belongs to him, along with the dry land that his hands formed. Come! Let us worship and bow down; let us kneel in the presence of the Lord, who made us.

 Please join us for worship this Sunday.  Creation needs you!

-Beryl

Bingo September 7th

As promised, SouthWest Bingo returns this Saturday after the summer break, and the usual suspects will be back and as competitive as ever! Cost at the door is $5, which gets you your first bingo card and a ticket for the (cash) door prize. Additional bingo cards can be bought for 50 cents. Doors open at 12:00, play begins at 1PM and refreshments are available (donations gratefully accepted).

SouthWest Bingo takes place the first Saturday of each month. Here are upcoming dates:

September 7
October 5
November 2
December 7

A Call for Prayers: Hurricane Dorian

The following is from the United Action for Justice newsletter

In the wake of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, the United Church calls for your prayers and solidarity for the people affected by the catastrophic damage and flooding caused by the storm. We ask that you also pray for those in the path of the storm as it moves toward the United States.

The United Church will continue to monitor events to determine how we can best offer support to those impacted.

Read more: Bishop Rolle: for Bahamas, Hurricane Dorian “an unimaginable living nightmare”

School supplies: Thank you for your generosity

Once again, the SouthWest congregation has shown it may be small but its heart is big. A call to donate school supplies was answered enthusiastically over the last few weeks. On Thursday I met up with Natalie Lalonde (“Miss Natalie”) at Verdun Elementary and turned over three boxes of notebooks, duo tangs, pencils, crayons, markers, glue sticks and much more. We may no longer have the Mission in the school, but the relationship with the children and teachers of VES continues. Blessings on everyone who made this happen.

Amy

Beryl's Blog: Gratitude

Gratitude begins deep within the heart.

It flows outward and it touches all aspects of our days and our living.

As Christians, we are encouraged to cultivate an attitude of gratitude and thankfulness, regardless of life circumstances.

It is not unreasonable to believe that thankfulness and gratitude are good for the human soul and our ability to get along with others; in fact, I would go so far as to suggest that gratitude promotes good manners, makes it easier to sustain old relationships while building new ones, improves our physical and psychological health and, perhaps, might even help you sleep better.

Gratitude should permeate every aspect of our lives.  In fact, many people keep gratitude journals and, at the end of each day, write one thing they are thankful for.  At the end of 365 days, they are amazed to see how many awesome times they were filled with gratitude.

If you are out of the habit of living with gratitude, perhaps it is time to get back into spiritual shape. Every morning, as soon as the alarm goes off, make a habit of thanking Creator God for a new day and asking for guidance as you face the challenges in the hours ahead.

Diana Butler Bass (an American historian of Christianity and a leading voice in progressive Christianity) states “Gratitude is the capacity to stare doubt, loss, chaos and despair right in the eye and say “I am still here”.

Creator wants each of us to reach the potential we were designed for, to live full, happy and productive lives. Gratitude can be a stepping stone to walking that journey.

As the writer of Psalm 118: 24 said “This is the day that the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it!

I say, Amen.

Beryl

Book Sale at St. John Brebeuf

 St. John Brébeuf Church will be holding their annual used Book Sale Sept. 6-7-8

When:    Fri. Sept. 6, 5 – 7 p.m. / Sat. Sept. 7, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. / Sun. Sept. 8, 10 a.m.-12 noon

Where:   855 Bishop Power, LaSalle 

There will be a Tea Room with homemade sweets on Saturday.

Donations of used books, CDs, DVDs: call 514-366-0131 ext. 223 to arrange drop off.

Youth-Led Activism: Climate Strikes

Support youth in your community of faith by helping them plan a climate strike during the Global Climate Strike week, September 20-27. Join the millions of adults who will walk out of workplaces and homes in solidarity with young climate strikers and demand an end to reliance on fossil fuels.

Aidan Legault, young activist and member of St. Peter’s United Church in Sudbury, Ontario, shares his experience of participating in past climate strikes and provides information on ways you can get involved, too.

Young people across the globe have been inspired by the Climate Strike movement started by 15 year old Greta Thunberg in Sweden. The United Church of Canada invites you to join the movement. You can register their strike event this fall on Fridays for Future Canada.

Read more in the United Action for Justice newsletter:

Brainstorming and Traditions

A “brainstorming” meeting, held after service last Sunday, was productive, if a little chaotic.

We are all still getting our bearings after the many changes of the last year. The challenge for us as a congregation is to acknowledge our limited resources, but to move ahead where we can, and dream of the future.

Our church building is being used more than it has in years, thanks in part to the efforts of our Music director, Sarah. Music schools like to rent our sanctuary for recitals because it has such beautiful acoustics. Sarah also brought in the young theatre group that was rehearsing in the hall on Tuesday nights. Their show went on in August so they are gone for now. Verdun-Lasalle Baptist church uses our building on Sunday afternoons and Wednesday evenings, and we have a number of upcoming bookings for private events. There are still blocks of time available throughout the week though, for social groups, classes etc. Call the office for information.

The meeting last Sunday was also to plan events from now to Christmas. Dorothy Brown, our Kitchen coordinator, made it clear that we do not have the volunteer power to do everything we used to, but stressed the importance of continuing some traditions. What came out of the meeting was a decision to hold a Harvest Supper on November 16th, and a Holly Tea on November 30th. The latter is to include a Silent Auction.

In terms of services, it was determined that they would be held every Sunday for the rest of the year, including the one between Christmas and New Year’s, which will be lay-led. There will be a service Christmas Eve, and the annual Candlelight Carol service will be on Sunday, December 15th at 4PM.

The possibility of once again starting a Sunday school was discussed. The upside of that is the possibility of bringing in and holding on to young families; the downside is you have to have someone willing to lead the Sunday school program, preferably on a volunteer basis. More discussions are needed to determine if this is something we will go ahead with.

Many people signed up to help with the November events. We would ask all of you to think about how specifically you would be able to contribute, and then get in touch with Dorothy Brown. If you don’t know how to reach Dorothy, call the office and we will put you in touch.

Thanks again to everyone who attended the meeting, and brought ideas. If we can’t do your idea this month, or even this year, please don’t despair. Hopefully we are laying foundations now that can be built on in the coming years.

Amy

Passages: Linda Kotovich

We are sad to announce the passing of Linda Kotovich on August 27, 2019 at the Verdun General. Linda had been living at le Sommet, a senior’s residence on Gaetan Laberge near the hospital until she took a fall a few weeks ago. We do not have a lot of details about what happened but we had been told she was in palliative care. Those who visited Linda in recent weeks found her to be resting comfortably and seemingly at peace. She did not always recognize visitors but was happy to talk about her faith. At times her bright blue eyes seemed already to be glimpsing the next life.

Attending a Wednesday morning service at SouthWest Mission a few years ago.

Linda was a member of Verdun United Church for years and of SouthWest United since amalgamation. She had one child, her daughter Angela who passed away in 2011.

A celebration of Linda’s life will be led by pastor Beryl on Friday, September 6th at SouthWest United Church, at 10:30AM. A reception will follow in the church hall. Donations in loving memory gratefully accepted.