Talbotville United Church Fall/Winter Newsletter 2019

Nov 27 & 28

Refuel Bible Study

Dec 1

Poinsettia Sunday

Dec 2

Prayer Shawl Ministry

Dec 15

Christmas Concert

Dec 24

Christmas Eve

4:30 Family Service

7:00 Candlelight Service

Dec 29

Worship

Talbotville United Church

10734 Sunset Rd, Talbotville N0L 2K0

Office 519-633-7325

talbotvilleucoffice@gmail.com

From our Pastor

Grace and Peace to you my dear friends,

What an eventful year we have had, and there’s still more

to come with the wonderful season of Advent and our celebration

of the birth of Christ. Our 175th year began with a team from our

congregation going to Nicaragua to build a church through PAN

Missions. How wonderful that we also celebrated our anniversary

with financial gifts ($175 from coffee Sundays) to so many local

mission ministries. I marvel at how our church has become so

mission-minded, and I am so honoured to be the pastor of such a

generous people.

Generosity comes from hearts that love the Lord and want

to share the love of Christ with those in need in our communities

and the world. That is what I am so excited about as your minister.

God loves a cheerful giver. Thank you for joyfully giving out of your

love because God gave out of His love, when He sent his Son to us

and became our Saviour and our Lord.

I’m reminded of a quote from mother Teresa who said,

“Not all of us can do great things, but we can all do small things

with great love.” The size of the gift is not what warms God’s

heart. It’s our selfless love that God rejoices in. The reason this

way of giving is so powerful is that God takes what we give out of

our love and for His glory and does something great with it.

That is what He did when he entered this world as a tiny

baby born in a humble stable. He so loved us that He gave His only

begotten Son that by believing in Him we will not perish but have

everlasting life. (John 3:16). And for over 2000 years, those like us

have found such profound peace, joy, love, and hope through His

generosity of amazing grace.

Looking forward to spending the new year with you and

praying that we continue to be found doing what God is blessing.

Diane and I are forever grateful for every one of you, our church

family. From our family to you and yours, have a God-blessed

Advent and joyful Christmas. ~ Pastor Don 1

Mark Your Calendar

Celebrating 175 Years !

Throughout 2019 the congregation has been recognizing its 175th church anniversary with good

deeds and donations. Following Colossians 3:17 “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed,

do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through

him” people have been encouraged to do a good deed and record it in the binder

in the Sunday School room. These good deeds could be small acts of kindness

such as ‘gave hot chocolate to car wash worker’ or something more such as ‘knit

finger puppets for the Children's Hospital’ or ‘cut neighbour’s lawn.’ Take a few

moments next time you’re at the church to read through the binder, or view the

good deeds that the Sunday School has been posting on the bulletin board, to see

what else people have been doing and to add your own good deed.

Another celebration activity that has had a great impact is people dropping

change into a donations basket when there is a coffee or fellowship time. Once the

total reaches $175 it is donated to a worthwhile cause and then the collection is

started over again. We have a very generous church family! To date $175 has

been donated to each of the following organizations: Inn Out Of The Cold, The

Grace Café, Fresh Start Support Services, Pearce Williams Christian Centre, St.

Thomas Elgin Food Bank, PAN Missions Sewing Team, Violence Against Women

Services Elgin County, and CMHA Elgin, with more to come. Thank you.

Historical sketches celebrating the 175th anniversary

have been published each month on Talbotville United

Church's Facebook page, with paper copies posted on the

Outreach bulletin board. You don’t need a Facebook

account to view these posts online, just go to

f a c e b o o k . c o m / T a l b o t v i l l e - U n i t e d - C h u r c h -

299750580052304/ to see the articles.

A full house gathered on Sunday, October 6 for the

175th Anniversary Service led by Pastor Don Macpherson

with Rev. Diane Macpherson as guest speaker. The choir

performed Here We Stand Lord Yours Forever, and the

congregation joined in the singing of our anniversary song,

1844, with lyrics by Debbie Logghe. The Sunday School

presentation, Then And

Now, offered the interesting viewpoints of the children. Afterward,

everyone enjoyed a Wayside catered lunch and Dollie Milos’s

special anniversary cakes. It was a wonderful day of reflection on

the past, celebration of the present, and looking ahead to the

future.

What do you think the church looked like 175

years ago?

“There was not any heat or couches (pews).”

“They had old fashioned Bibles.”

“No TV’s.”

Today our church has?

“A play kitchen.”

What did the people look like 175 years ago?

“They weren’t as colourful, they lived in

black and white.”

“Ladies wore bonnets and men wore tall hats.”

“Boys wore short top hats.”

Today in our church?

“People look like people, and they’re taller.”

What was Sunday School like 175 years ago?

“The babies wore bonnets.”

“They had to be in church for 2 hours!”

“Moms had to carry babies on their backs

because there were not any strollers.”

Today in Sunday School we have?

“New books, and crafts.”

What did people eat after church 175 years

ago?

“Pies and cakes.”

“Nothing from a box.”

“Dinosaurs.”

Today after church we eat?

“Noodle casseroles.”

What did people do outside of church 175

years ago?

“They hid from cowboys and robbers.”

“They used doves to send messages.”

“They had to write letters on paper.”

Today after church we?

“Text.”

What is the biggest difference between then

and now?

“There was no Us, but there was God.”

Talbotville United Church Then and Now

An interview with the Sunday School children for the 175th Anniversary

“Your savior is born today in David’s city.

He is Christ the Lord.”

– Luke 2:11

3

A Talbotville Soccer Team in Nicaragua?

That’s right. In a soccer league

sponsored by PAN Missions, all

the teams have been named for

Canadian churches that have sent

mission teams to Nicaragua to

work with PAN. The Talbotville

United Church team is made of

young men from Los Altos de

Nindiri, the barrio where our 2019

mission team built a church. They

play in a league for males ages 15 and up. Pastor Noel,

who leads the church in Los Altos, is an accomplished

sewer and he produced all of the uniforms for the soccer

leagues. Each game begins with a devotion and prayer

with the team members. What an honour. Go team

Talbotville!

PAN is accepting donations to continue the

league; word has spread quickly and many children and

adults are waiting to play. $10-$15 will sponsor a player

and $100 will sponsor a team. Speak to Pastor Don if

you are interested.

Things you will never regret:

Praying

Putting your phone down

Listening over talking

Visiting grandma

Reading the Bible

Kindness on social media

Investing in memories over things

Not gossiping

Thankfulness over comparison

Buying lemonade at the stand

Taking the higher road

Catching fireflies with your kids

Forgiving others

Forgiving yourself

Doing that scary thing

Giving a compliment

Drinking more water

Saying “I love you”

Trusting God.

Filled With Love

Christmas starts early when filling a shoebox for the

charity Operation Christmas Child. 33 boxes are on their

way from our church

family, sharing the love of

Jesus with children in

deve lop ing na t ions

around the world.

4

Getting to Know You

This issue we feature Nancy Taylor and as we have for others we asked

her to answer same questions.

Born: September 10, 1953, in St. Thomas to parents Ray and Dorothy

VanPatter. Grew up on an Edgeware Rd dairy farm.

Education/School: Arthur Voaden Secondary School, Chatham Public

General Hospital for Nursing-Thames Campus-Windsor, then several

courses in Nursing Unit Administration, Perioperative Nursing course, rewrote my exams in 2008 to

receive my Canadian Perioperative Nursing Certificate. President of L&DORNA (London and

District Operating Room Nursing Association) for many years and organized our provincial

conference held in London.

Family/Home: Married Bill Taylor and built our log home on Ron McNeil Line (and we are still

building!). We have 4 children. Will and his wife Jenn, live in Pt. Elgin and have blessed us with 2

grandsons. Sindy who lives in London is now office manager of STEGH hospital foundation, Hilary

and her husband Fraser, who live in Hamilton, is now family liaison at Ronald McDonald House in

that city. Lucan lives in St. Thomas, has become a welder and fabricator of all things metal, while

working for a landscaping company.

Jobs: I have worked at St. Joseph’s Hospital in London in the operating room as well as currently

working in the OR at St Thomas Elgin General Hospital.

Community Involvement/Volunteering: I haven’t had much spare time for volunteering, although I

have thoroughly enjoyed two mission trips to Nicaragua this year. One for the building of a church

and the other for teaching the women how to sew and create.

Hobbies/leisure time/sports: Quilting, gardening - propagating geraniums, some are from plants I

had 20 years ago, reading, riding our ATVs with friends from our Talbot trail club.

Pets: 2 dogs -14 year old black lab, 3 year old Rottweiler - a rescue dog from Paws United. Also a

tiny black cat that was rescued from a bad start in life. All of us walk each morning for exercise.

Favourites: Colour - teal. Food - all sweets! Flower - geraniums. Book - many criminal adventures.

Music - el Divo, Josh Groban. Hymn/praise song - Let there be Peace on Earth. TV Show -

Outlander Series. Bible verse or Christian passage - ”This too shall pass”, God helps those who

help themselves.

Where do you see God in Action: Every day in the people I meet

Areas you have been involved in the church: Choir, UCW, board member

Favourite church memories: Christmas concerts and plays

3

Hear ye, Hear ye! In addition to the sound system the church is now equipped with listening devices that individuals can wear on Sunday mornings. There are eight sets located on a table in the sanctuary that anyone can pick up before the service and leave there afterwards. If you need assistance with using the devices please speak to Pastor Don.

You Are Welcome To ensure the security of people and property, the entry doors on the north, east and south sides of the building will now be locked at the beginning of the Sunday morning worship services. The front door of the church on Sunset Road will remain open during the service for anyone needing entry. All exit doors are equipped with push bar openers, so exiting is always possible.

Poinsettias Would you like to honour a family member or friend this Christmas season? You may bring a poinsettia or another Christmas flower to church on December 1, the first Sunday of Advent, and the flowers will be used to decorate the sanctuary for the season. Thank you.

A Cup Of Tea Sit and sip a cup with friends while enjoying an evening organized by the Women’s Ministry Team on Friday, November 29 at 7:00. Guest speaker will be Michelle Pierce Hamilton of The Tea Lounge. Have a favourite Christmas treat? Feel free to bring something to share!

“I bring good news

to you - wonderful,

joyous news for all

people.” Luke 2:10