A Message from Rev. Linda Hunter Opening Doors ~ Opening Hearts Summer was starting to fade and fall was on the horizon, the staffing team and a group of lay leaders from Central gathered at the FCJ Retreat Centre in August to begin planning for the 2019 2020 church year. The question before us was this: WHY do we gather as a community every Sunday? What compells us to trek downtown, in the swirling winds and icy temperatures of winter, to cross the threshold of the church? And when people make the trek, what can we offer to them in the way of message, music and miracle that may transform their lives? Here are some of the things we came up with in trying to answer those questions: COMMUNITY: A sense of belonging, without judgement, to a group of people who love us unconditionally, in spite of our failings and our foibles. We are seen as beloved children of God. MUSIC: The gift of voice and instr ument that expresses faith beyond the spoken word. MESSAGE: Even though the Bible cover s a span of time that tells stories from thousands of years ago, it still speaks to us today, in new and fresh ways. We want to experience those new and fresh ways for our 21st Century living. HOPE: In a wor ld that often feels hopeless and overwhelmed by violence, war, human tragedy and injustice, we seek to be uplifted by stories of courage and inspiration, so that we might continue to walk in our world with hope for the blessing of peace that God intends for us.
Our planning team came up with an overarching theme for our programming and mission in the coming church year: OPENING DOORS – OPENING HEARTS. For us this means opening our doors wide to ALL who cross our threshold, offering a radical welcome. Opening our doors and ultimately opening our hearts to new learning, to new ways of interacting, to new ways of being God’s people in the world. OpenING doors and openING hearts says to us that we are actively walking a path of reconciliation and hope; that we are seeking recovery; that we are on a journey that is always unfolding, never static, revealing new vistas and visions of God’s plan for our ministry at Central. So, with that before us, the planning team has committed itself to opening doors to new possibilities as a community of faith. This will include deep conversations on a variety of topics and, of course, grappling with what the Bible is offering us as we enter into these conversations. We hope you will “open the door and open your heart” to all that awaits!
Central United Church 131 7th Avenue SW, Calgary AB T2P 0W5
403-269-3701 info@centralchurch.ca
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SUNDAY WORSHIP TIMES Spirited Traditional Gathering
10:30 AM Celebrate Life Recovery Gathering
6:00 PM