Woodroffe United Church
Hello Friends,
This week I have a few notes from others in the church that have asked me to pass them on to you.
Council has established a Re-opening Committee. Its members are Carol Cochrane, Ralph Curtis, Mary Frances Laughton and Gerry Maffre. They will be using we staff as resource people as needed. Their first meeting will be next Monday and they will be keeping in touch with you either on their own or through my weekly notes.
The Right Relations Committee has asked that we particularly remember our Indigenous sisters and brothers this month. June is a month when many pow wows and other cultural/spiritual gatherings for Indigenous people in Canada take place. June 21 was the Indigenous Day of Prayer, but the practice of reconciliation cannot be confined to one day.
You are invited to join an online conversation offered by the Eastern Ontario Outaouais Region on Jun 30, 2020 at 2:30 PM. See https://eoorc.ca/ministries/clusters/
June is also Pride Month and the following link offers a prayer for those who suffer discrimination and violence due to their sexual orientation.
https://www.united-church.ca/prayers/pride-prayer
Please take some time to consider the individual and systemic issues that many of us hold that do not allow us to see others as God’s beloved.
Some people have had difficulty viewing the church services online. If this has been your experience, please click on the link below to go directly to the church’s YouTube page, where all of the services are available. The most recent service will show up first, followed by the previous few Sundays.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsC4r18eYh4ftOYVMTRt4VQ
Once you go to this page, please bookmark it so it is easy to find. If you want to read a transcript of the sermons, you must go to the church’s web site.
Something to ponder: Little Lily’s father drove the family home from church. After washing their hands, Lily and her father sat at the table. Lily’s mom brought heaping plates of dinner and set them in front of her husband and daughter. As he always did, Lily’s father grumbled about the meal and then asked the blessing. Looking confused, Lily asked, “Daddy, does God hear us when we pray?” “Why of course,” he replied. “God hears us every time we pray.”
“And does God hear everything we say the rest of the time?” Lily asked. “Yes, every word,” said her father, encouraged that he had inspired his daughter to be curious about spiritual matters.
Innocently she burst his bubble with the next question. “Then which does God believe?”
Blessings to all,
Kathryn
I am aware that worship services are very important to many and we would like to resume them as soon as we feel we can do so safely. In the meantime, we will still provide online services on our website at woodroffeunited.org. 
For many years you have bought school supplies for the high school students in the Pathways to Education Program in this area. This year, we are organizing this collection differently. We request that you do not buy these items but that you donate the money you would have spent on school supplies to the church and some committee members will buy them. Donations (identified as being for school supplies) can be sent by mail or dropped in the secure mailbox at the front entrance to the Church. Outreach will buy backpacks and supplies out of the money you donate.