Church Life and Work
Thorndale UCW Thanks you for your generous donations to our ELUCO family!
Today is the First Sunday of Advent.Thank you for your generosity of White Gifts. These will be delivered to ELUCO. (East London United Church Outreach)
Reading Challenge Update: Parents and Grandparents, the Christmas story books are now available to borrow in our children’s library, found in the Zion Room. These are a great way to share the Christmas spirit with your little ones.Please fill out a quick response form when you return the books. Also, there are two new Christmas Veggie Tale DVD’s to borrow. They are found on the highlighted DVD’s table beside the main library.Lastly, please note the “Featured Books” table beside the front door. If you see something you like, you can sign it out right there!! Keep on Reading!!
Wed. Dec. 6 – Thorndale United Church Council meeting beginning at 7:30 p.m.
Sat. Dec. 9 – THORNDALE COMMUNITY CARES
Community Care Connection will be accepting donations at the Thorndale Community Christmas Open House from 10am to 2pm (hosted by Thorndale Farm Supplies – 197 King Street, Thorndale). We will be collecting women’s personal needs and baby needs for ANOVA, a women’s shelter in London. Also collecting new or gently used winter hats and waterproof gloves (no knitted or fabric gloves) for Mission Services London. We are glad to be a part of this community event and look forward to coming together as a community helping others.
Sun. Dec. 10 – Donations for St. Marys Food Bank graciously accepted. Suggestions include: Peanut Butter, Crackers, Rice, Canned Fruit, Canned Pasta, Toilet Paper, Shampoo/Conditioner.
Tues. Dec. 12 – UCW meeting beginning at 10 am. Christian Development is in charge. Rollcall: One of your favourite Christmas traditions. Please bring a gift for Rotholme (Men, Women & children) Gifts to our sick & shut ins will be delivered, prepared by Church in Society. LUG A MUG! Today is our Christmas lunch catered by Village Catering. If you haven’t ordered yours yet, please contact someone on the committee!
If you have anything you would like on the Thorndale Church sign for the month of Dec. please contact Elaine or Geoff Clays. Thanks to Chris Tipping for taking care of in Nov.
Magazines! Magazines! Get your gently read Magazines! 2 for $1!! Better selection than the supermarket! You can find them on the table and shelf in the fellowship hall. Self serve!”
Are you interested in the Good Work the United Church does? Would you enjoy sharing that knowledge with others in our congregation? Then you would enjoy being the Mission and Service Fund representative of Thorndale United Church. You would be given access to many resources of the M&S Fund that could be submitted to the bulletin or church chat, you would fill out and submit the church’s pledge sheet under the direction of the board once a year. From time to time, you may take a moment in the service to promote M&S giving. If this sounds like something you would be interested in doing, please contact Pam or John Hopkins about becoming the Thorndale UC Mission & Service representative.
Wider Church Family
United Church Resource Centre – We wanted to remind folks that we only have one website page. It is wowresourcecentre.ca Any other websites you find on the internet were set up by someone else and we cannot delete them. I am so sorry that this can be confusing. Our hours will be Tues., Wed., Thurs. and Fri. from 10 am to 4 pm. Open Mon. by chance.Monday – closed
*Our satellite Resource Centre in London at the Centre for Practical Theology – Fairmont site at 29 Tweedsmuir Ave., London, is open Wednesday’s from 10 am – 2 pm. Please phone Pastor Mary Dillon with any requests/orders 519-878-7134
Sun. Dec. 3 – Annual Christmas Carol Service beginning at 7:30 pm, Metropolitan United Church, 468 Wellington St. London. Mass Choir from local churches and Salvation Army London Citadel Band. Free will offering.
Sat. Dec. 16 – Riverside United Church presents The Music Makers Seasonal Concert @ 2 pm. Tickets: $25.00 from the Church Office 519-472-6071, Mon. – Fri.
Sun. Dec. 17 – St. George’s Anglican Church in Thorndale are having a Service of Lessons and Carols at 7pm with coffee/tea/goodies to follow. Everyone is welcome.
Gifts for Mission
It’s the time of year when almost everyone has a gift list, and many of us wonder how to give meaningfully without buying things that aren’t needed or won’t be used. Instead of giving “stuff,” Gifts with Vision provides the opportunity to make a real difference in someone’s life—from the comfort of home, with no wrapping or packaging needed—now or anytime.
And you can make your holiday giving twice as meaningful by giving early! After a brief shutdown at the end of September for updating, our revamped Gifts with Vision website will be up and running on October 2—and starting that day, the first 50 online donations we receive will be matched up to $100 each. (And you can schedule e-cards to notify your gift recipients up to a year in advance!) Our deep gratitude goes out to the generous supporters who made this possible.
We can’t link to them yet—but this year’s new gifts include solar power for the United Theological College in Zimbabwe, backpacks full of school supplies for children who live under the poverty line, a biofuel pilot project run by women in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and making the United Church camp experience possible for children in underserved communities in the Maritimes—along with many others. There are also lots of returning gifts, like Operation Backpack, Return of the Buffalo, and A Kindergarten in a Refugee Camp.
And there are also great stories on our website—like the one at the end of this message—about how Gifts with Vision are transforming lives in Canada and around the world, along with a short video telling our story.
Every Gift with Vision provides support for a specific Mission and Service partner and for a unique project. Without Mission and Service, Gifts with Vision projects would not be possible. Celebrate special occasions and make a difference in the world by selecting gifts online now or anytime at giftswithvision.ca.
Support the People Impacted by the Conflict in Palestine and Israel
You can support the people impacted by the conflict in Palestine and Israel through your donations and advocacy.
Mission and Service partners are currently responding to those who are impacted by the conflict in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Partners are prepared to expand their activity into Gaza when a humanitarian corridor is opened, allowing for safe access to provide relief. Currently, there is an urgent need for food as well as non-food items such as medicines, psychosocial support, and shelter.
We are working with Mission and Service partners ACT Alliance, Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees (DSPR), and the Humanitarian Coalition (as a member of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank) to provide tangible support for the people of the Middle East.
Your help is urgently needed.
You can also write a letter calling for a ceasefire, the opening of a humanitarian aid corridor, and protection of civilians and email it directly to Foreign Affairs Minister The Hon. Mélanie Joly and your local MP using our letter-writing template.
The United Church of Canada has signed on to a number of statements from our partners and other organizations calling for a ceasefire to the conflict.
Find out more about how you can act today, and pray for peace with justice for the people of Palestine and Israel.