Beryl's Blog: Walking the Walk

How often have you sat in your favourite pew on Sunday and heard your Minister go on about living in faith; blind faith, illusive, unseen and unproven.  That rock you are to cling to when the waves get high, the night darkens and the stars do not shine.  Belief that Creator God will always be with you, in light and in darkness, in those times of the absolute unknown.

Have you ever asked yourself if your Minister actually walks the walk, as they continue to talk the talk?  Well, truth time. 

As I faced a cardiac procedure this week, I seesawed from fear to outright panic, from faith and a feeling of peace to “I don’t want to talk about it”.  A whole spectrum of emotions.

Moments of prayer became more frequent during the day; memories of childhood events popped up uninvited and unannounced.  Thoughts of loved ones who had passed seeped into my favourite television programs.  In bed, in the dark of night, came the worries and the “what ifs” for my husband and my family and, of course my animals. Wow, I do not even have funeral plans other than asking a dear friend to do me the honors.

I think of myself as a “reader” of cosmic signs, looking for the Holy in all I do. But this journey has had some “rethink” moments.

But then I remembered Jesus, he too must have known fear - when he was taken from the garden, as he heard his friend betray him, when he was interrogated by Pilate, as he was beaten and forced to carry his own cross to the hill.  He too must have wanted to “rethink” it all, especially as he hung from that place of no return, asking his father “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 

Yes, I am talking the talk, but stumbling as I walk the walk.  However, I realize I am in the best of company!  I am walking with a man who has doubted in his time.

So, as I write, I am thinking about what I need to pack for a small overnight bag.  I choose to believe that Creator has had a hand in this journey, that the time is now right.  Faith, blind and persistent, even if a little shaky. The train is in the station, the whistle is blowing, the doors are closing and I am on my way.

This coming Sunday, November 3rd is our All Saints celebration of life.  We will honor those who have gone before us (perhaps even a little shaky themselves) but persistent in their faith.

Doubt is a part of our journey but I am choosing light and life.  I will see you all then!

NOTE: Pastor Beryl had surgery on Tuesday and is recovering nicely.

The Church is the People in it

This is a story about memory, and connection, and coming full circle.

When we moved to Verdun from the Plateau Mont Royal in 2007, I didn’t really have any prior connection to this place. I remembered being in Verdun exactly twice before we started house-hunting: once in my twenties when I took the metro to de l’Eglise to visit a friend, and once around 2001, to a dinner party. We came by car and I didn’t really have any idea where I was. Honestly, that was it!

Or so I thought.

As you may have heard, I have been spending a lot of time with old photos and documents these past weeks, putting together an exhibit to commemorate 120 years of the United Church in Verdun.

One of the things that strikes you as you go through this material is just how many people have passed through the doors of the various church buildings over the years. How many, in 120 years? Thousands, certainly. Maybe tens of thousands.  

“Passed through the doors” makes it sound like they came once and that was it. Well, sure, there have been some of those. But for others the church became the centre of their life. This may be particularly true of the early decades when virtually every social activity in the community was connected to a church of one denomination or another. But it’s also true of some people who are still part of our congregation. Faith, and the United Church, certainly loomed large in the lives of Linda Kotovich, Bill Buchanan, Roy Sargent and Iris Allen, all of whom we lost this year.

As I go through old photographs I see lots of people I know, some who have unfortunately passed away since I first came to Southwest in 2010. But of course there are many, many more that I never met. It’s a strange experience to see and start to recognize the same faces over a span of years, smiling at Wednesday lunches and Epiphany potlucks, rummage sales and penny fairs, anniversary dinners and Holly Teas, barbecues and musical revues!

I wish I had known them all. I wish they could all come back for one night to swap stories.

In a way, that’s what we’re trying to make happen with this exhibit. Hopefully, people will come, and look, and delight to see old friends in pictures, and reminisce about times past. As the invitation to our All Saints Memorial service this Sunday says, quoting Terry Pratchett, “Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?”

I have learned a great deal about my church’s history, and Verdun’s history  in these past weeks, and there is so much more to learn. There has been some detective work trying to identify people and places, and a number of people have been helping me fill in blanks. I hope this will continue through the holiday season as the pictures are on display. I hope people will come to me and say, “I know who that is” or even “You got that wrong”!

As I said, I didn’t think I had any personal connection to Verdun or this church going back much more than a decade. Then I made a two-part discovery.

First, on reading through the “little red book” – the commemorative booklet Crawford Park United Church 1947-1997: 50 Years of Memories, I discovered that my grandfather the Rev. Ernest Barratt, had been supply minister at Crawford in 1979-1980, in between Rev. Corbett and Rev. Nerny.

My grandfather was retired by that time, but he and my grandmother, Winnie, were living on Bishop-Power in LaSalle, so it makes sense. I was a teenager myself and typically not so interested in what my parents or grandparents were up to. I have been wracking my brain ever since, though, wondering if I might have attended a service at 1445 Clemenceau forty years ago!

The second part of my discovery? A picture of my grandparents showed up, dated 1980. At first I thought it was taken in their apartment, but as I looked at other photos taken in the church at around that time, I realized they are in fact standing on the stage in the hall, exactly where our office is now, exactly where I am sitting, putting together this exhibit.

It’s a little eerie, maybe, but it also makes me happy. My personal connection to Verdun, and to the United Church, is new, despite this family history. The church has grown and changed in ways my grandparents couldn’t have imagined and probably wouldn’t have approved of! Still, finding this picture makes me feel closer to these two people who have been gone over 30 years now. It also makes me feel like I’m right where I’m meant to be.

-Amy

We hope you’ll join us this Sunday, Nov. 3rd at 10am for our All Saints Memorial service

The exhibit, 120 Years, will be up as of Friday, Nov. 15th. You are invited to come by for wine and cheese from 4 to 6PM. It will remain in place through the holiday season.

1899-2019: 120 Years of the United Church in Verdun

Please join us for the official opening of an exhibit of historical photos and artefacts relating to the history of our church and our community.

Friday, November 15th, 4 to 6 pm. Wine and cheese will be served.

At SouthWest United Church, 1445 rue Clemenceau, Verdun.
There is no charge for the exhibit, although donations are always welcome.

120 Years: LOOKING BACK AND LOOKING FORWARD

SouthWest United Church is one of only two remaining United Church congregations in Verdun (the other being the Montreal Korean United Church), but it carries the legacy of several churches and congregations stretching back to 1899.

How can that be, since the United Church of Canada was only founded in 1925?

Glad you asked. One of our founding congregations, Verdun United Church, began life as Verdun Methodist, in 1899. It was one of many Methodist congregations that joined with Presbyterians and Congregationalists in 1925 to form the United Church.

Verdun had only been called Verdun for a quarter century when the first meetings about founding a Methodist church were held in the home of Mr. John Way on Church /de l’Eglise avenue.  Frequent flooding had plagued the area, but with the construction of a dyke in the last years of the 19th century, much more land became suitable for settlement. By the beginning of the 20th century, Verdun was teeming with young families, and the Verdun Methodist Sunday School could barely keep up with the demand!

The original Verdun Methodist Church was built on Gordon avenue in 1902-1903. Due to a growing congregation and Sunday School, a larger building was put up on an adjoining site in 1908. Verdun Methodist and then Verdun United used both buildings until 1931, when they built a new church at 650 Woodland avenue. The Gordon avenue buildings no longer exist. The Woodland building, although sold in 2007 when Verdun amalgamated with Crawford Park, still stands and is in use by a Buddhist group and a daycare. Many Verdun United artefacts, including a triptych of stained glass windows, were preserved and incorporated into the new SouthWest United Church.

Our other founding congregation, Crawford Park United, came into being during another population boom, in the 1940s. Crawford Park was one of several Montreal neighbourhoods designated during World War II for the construction of “veteran’s cottages”  - the distinctive pointed-roofed brick homes still very much in evidence in the neighbourhood.  SouthWest United occupies the building the Crawford Park United congregation erected in 1947 after several years of meeting in homes and the local schoolhouse.

Both of these founding congregations came to life thanks to the can-do spirit of Verduners of the last century.

Over the years, Verdun was also home to Chalmers United, built in 1922 at 177 de l’Eglise. That congregation closed in the 1980s but the building was transferred to the Korean United Church which still holds services there today.

Verdun was even home to a French-language United Church, Église Bethanie, from 1922 to 1978. Its building, located at 3099 Wellington, was home for a time to L’Église des montrealais, and is currently used as a private residence.

Verdun United and Crawford Park United began sharing ministry in the 1970s, with the same minister performing two services every Sunday. Rev. Maurice Nerny led both congregations from 1980 to 1998. He was succeeded in 1998 by Rev. David Lefneski who oversaw amalgamation in 2007 and the opening of SouthWest Mission in 2008. He stayed on as Minister of SouthWest United until earlier this year.

SouthWest recently began a new chapter with Pastor Beryl Barraclough at the helm. There are many female worship leaders in the United Church of Canada, both ordained and lay ministers, and we have had several of them as visiting ministers at SouthWest. Perhaps that’s why we almost didn’t register the historic importance of calling Pastor Beryl. A long line of ministers stretches back over 120 years, every one of them a white man… until now.

On November 15th, and throughout the pre-Christmas season, we invite the whole community - Old Verdun and New; English and French; Christian or not – to join our little church community in looking back with pride at 120 years of achievements, and ahead with excitement to the next chapters.

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Please note, except for the Nov. 15 opening, the exhibit does not have opening hours of its own, but can be enjoyed during any of the (mostly free) events and services scheduled from mid-November to the end of December. See list of upcoming events and services below

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Friday, November 15: Opening of Exhibit: 120 Years in Verdun, 4pm to 6pm

Saturday November 16: Harvest Supper, 5pm. Tickets $15

Sunday November 17: Worship service 10 am

Sunday November 24: Worship service 10am

Saturday November 30: Holly Tea with Silent Auction. Lunch $5, tickets at the door

Sunday December 1: Worship service, 1st of Advent, 10am

Sunday December 8: Worship service, 2nd of Advent

Sunday December 15: Worship service, 3rd of Advent

Sunday December 15: Chantons Noel Candlelight Carol service, 4pm

Sunday December 22: Worship service, 4th of Advent, 10am

Tuesday, December 24: Worship service, Christmas Eve, 7:30pm

News from out west

Note: Frank De Montigny was our most faithful volunteer at the Mission for the last few years. He was the first to arrive on wintry mornings to clear snow at the entrance so the children could get in for Breakfast Club. The children - “munchkins”, to Frank - all loved him. He took care of the plants, indoors and outdoors, and countless other tasks. He recently moved back to Saskatchewan. The following is from Sheila, one of our Breakfast Club coordinators:

For all of you that are interested, I spoke to Frank last Tuesday. He is very happy and said that he should have done this years ago.

His address is
339 Parker Crescent
Samora, SK
SOA OLO

If anyone would like to call him, just let me know.

He’s living in a half duplex, 5 1/2 rooms at a Senior’s Residence. There are 12 units in the little complex.
Rent, he says, is very reasonable, as well as his electricity bill and his phone. He says that he has a large bedroom, pantry, living room and kitchen. He still has his van which is brother gave him and says that the price of gas fluctuates between 1.09 - 1.12. Bread and milk about the same as here.
A person from there helped him by getting a great discount on a bed, quilts, and end tables. His house had been repainted, and
a washer and dryer was also installed for him. He also does a lot of walking, and was going to go to his local church and schools to see if he could volunteer there.

He has a big front and back yard and next year he’ll start a big garden to keep him busy. He doesn’t have to shovel snow or cut grass. WOW, what a lucky man he is.

He misses everyone and asked me to pass this info around.

-Sheila Morrison

Beryl's Blog: Looking for the Light

The night is almost gone, and the day is near therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.                                        Romans 12: 13

On Monday morning, election day in Canada, I took the above picture.  It is in my own back yard and depicts the sun rising on a new day, over Mount Pleasant, through the autumn trees and the morning haze. 

I find myself thinking a lot about light these days.  The world seems to be a darker place than it was even a few weeks ago.  Too many images of war- torn countries, fleeing men, women and children, changing weather patterns, looming economic and ecological disasters. Don’t we all need a break from all the darkness around us?

There are two types of light in our world.  We can perceive one, or both, or neither.  I want both…..the physical and the spiritual.

A contemplative week lies ahead. I am looking for the light!  And, as I so often do, I turn to the scriptures for comfort and encouragement.

I think of Genesis, and read “on the first day of creation, God said ‘Let there be light’, and light appeared as a thing separate from darkness”.

And then, from John; “When Jesus spoke again to the people, He said, ‘I am the Light of the World. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but have the light of life.’”

In Matthew, we are encouraged to let our light so shine before others that we may be an example for others.

We all face patches of darkness at various times.  As I face my own darkness in the coming week, I wish each and every one of you light, love and peace.

Beryl

United Church Youth Forum Nov. 1-3

Youth Forum is a weekend sleepover event organized by Youth from across Nakonha:ka Regional Council. We build community and explore a theme. This November we will learn about and celebrate the LGBTQ+ Community and what it means to be an affirming church.

The age range is 12 to 17, with adult facilitators and observers. Youth Forum: LGBTQ+ Colours of the Rainbow takes place at Union Church-Merging Waters Pastoral Charge, 24 Rue Maple, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec.

I can personally vouch for the quality of youth events run by our Regional Council. They make every teen feel welcome and accepted. If you want more information, get in touch with me at the SouthWest office.

- Amy

Registration link

Facebook Event

Beryl's Blog: We are not alone

Sometimes thoughts are triggered by the most mundane of events.  November 3rd is the day we “turn back” the clocks.  We know it is coming.  It happens every year - that time when we experience shorter, colder days and longer, darker nights.  It is a ploy created by man for the sake of agricultural and economic efficiency many years ago.  But it got me to thinking about geese.

We hear them, long before we see them.  We know they are coming.  They do it every year. Sometimes it is in the early morning, sometimes mid-day.  But my favourite time is on a moon-lit night.  That unseen V moving steadily across the sky. And then, there they are – silver winged and bathed in light.

Geese, unlike so many of us, are disciplined.  They fly in a V formation because they somehow know that a V increases flight efficiency.  The leader heads the pattern, parting the wind and showing the way.  Those flying behind the leader have an easier journey because they fly in the slipstream of the bird in front of them. 

But, even the leader tires and, when exhausted, rotates to the end and another goose flies forward.

They honk, not because they are in a hurry to pass, but as a means of encouraging one another.  How like prayer this is…..words lifted to an unseen presence; persistent and demanding, like the widow in our reading from Luke this coming Sunday. (Luke 18:1-8)

However, when a goose leaves the formation, it becomes aware of the resistance of the air and the difficulties of flying alone.  Quickly, it returns to the V to take advantage of the flock’s power and songs of encouragement.

Going it alone is the trend these days.  “I’m not religious, but I am spiritual”, they say.  “I don’t need the church or organized religion – I can do it on my own”. They may or may not be right – only time will tell.

Most of us know that even Jesus did not do it alone.  He gathered family and a close group of friends around him.  Jesus knew the value of flying in the slipstream, of alternating leadership when needed. He knew the group provided support, strength and yes, even more fun.

Our “New Creed” opens with a solid reminder that “We are not alone, we live in God’s world.” We need to read these words on a regular basis.  They reinforce our belief that God is with us always.  In fact, the Creed ends with the words “In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us.  We are not alone.”

May God bless us, and the geese, as we move through the seasons of our lives.

Do you know the answer?

Bill and Lina Ludlow celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with family and friends in the church hall in 1998.

UPDATE: Who is our oldest living member? It’s still open to any challengers that want to come forward, but my nomination is Bill Ludlow. A member since 1950 (!) Bill celebrated his 99th birthday in September. According to his daughter Liz, who supplied the video clip below, he is in “remarkable shape for his age” and “still singing Scottish songs!”

I will leave the second question, about people from our congregation called to ministry over the years, for another day.

A Joint Pastoral Relations Committee, with members from both VUC and CPU, with Rev. Nerny in 1980. Bill Ludlow is in the second row, second from the right.

ORIGINAL POST:

I have two skill-testing questions for you today. It’s really more information-gathering than a quiz, since I am not sure I have the right answers myself!First: who is SouthWest’s oldest living member? I know some people don’t like to admit their age so that makes it challenging. But send me your guesses/ nominees!

Second: who are the members of our congregation over the years who have gone on to enter ministry?

See Amy at church this Sunday, or call the office weekday mornings: 514-768-6231, or e-mail southwestunited@gmail.com.

Federal Election October 21st

For those who didn’t take advantage of advance voting last weekend, Monday is the big day!

If you received a voting card in the mail, it will tell you where to go to vote. If you received more than one card, make sure to go by the information on the second one, as there may have been a change to your polling place.

If you didn’t receive a card, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’re not on the list, and even if you are not, you can register to vote at your polling place on Monday. To find out where you should vote (if you didn’t receive a card), you can go on the Elections Canada website: elections.ca , choose English or French and then on the welcome page, enter your postal code, then click “where do i vote?” and it will tell you exactly which polling station is yours.

If you do not have access to the internet, you can still call your local Elections Canada office through the weekend. They are no longer able to register you or revise the list (deadline for that was earlier this week) but they can run your postal code for you and tell you where to go on election day. For the Lasalle-Emard-Verdun riding, the phone number is 1 866 216-5113.

All polling stations meet more than a dozen criteria for accessibility. There should not be any stairs to climb! Staff at the polls are there to facilitate your vote. If you need any kind of help, ask them!

Amy

Child-friendly service October 20th

At SouthWest, we are always happy to have children in the pews, but without a formal Sunday school, we realize parents sometimes have reservations about bringing the small ones.

We are issuing a special invitation to families with children to join us on Sunday October 20th. Pastor Beryl will have a special child-friendly message: the story of Peter Pumpkin.

The 10AM service usually runs less than an hour and there’s fellowship and snacks afterwards!