Westminster Loving God & Neighbour

Our 2019 ASC continues with our second fall dinner meeting on Friday November 1st. at 6:30pm. Our October gathering resulted in 23 attendees, some members who have been around for a while, some new and a couple of people from outside Westminster. Our dinner location is: PIE Barrie South End 34 Commerce Park Dr, 705 725 9663. Everyone is most welcome to join us and to bring their friends. The reservation is in the name of 'Westminster'.  Please contact Gayle Atkinson 705 627 9790 (vmail or text) or David and Linda Holloway 705-722-4032 no later than Wednesday Oct. 30th  at noon, if you would like to participate. Please call the restaurant after this deadline to make any changes.  Thanks!

November 3rd we will gather together as a church family to worship our incredible God! On Sunday, Pastor Ruttan brings the Crop series to a head. In it we look at Mark 4 and Galatians 5 about how to be "good soil" for God that produces a divinely-ordained "crop" in our lives. This is a source of hope and nourishment, not only for the people around us now, but in the years to come. The crop of our lives is a part of the legacy God wants to work through each and every one of us! There will be nursery care and the full Sunday School will be in operation.  Hope to see you there!

November 10th is a very special day: Remembrance Sunday.  It is always the Sunday before November 11. We gather in gratitude, and give thanks to God for the peace he offers in Christ, and to honor the memory of those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice and who have served and died in the horrors of war. Our service begins with the Act of Remembrance. This includes singing God Save The Queen, the laying of the wreath by Ralph MacGibbon (a World War Two veteran), The Last Post, Reveille, and O Canada. Jayden Jackson will bless us by reading In Flanders Fields. There will be our full nursery and Sunday School program. And as a part of our service, we light the “candles of remembrance of hope.” This has become a meaningful part of our service. People are invited to the front (if they wish) to light a candle at the front in memory of someone who has died in war, or as a prayer for peace. Pastor Ruttan will also welcome Captain the Reverend Andrew Cameron, Chaplain, CFB Borden, who will help lead some of the prayers. Together, let’s praise and glorify the Prince of Peace.  

We are once again participating in the Barrie Santa Claus Parade.  It is on Saturday November 16th and the parade begins at 5pm.  Please see the sign-up form at the Welcome Centre to help with assembling/disassembling the float, riding on the float or helping provide some supervision and hospitality for the kids following the event. 10am - 12pm - Set-up float 1 - 2pm - participants collect costumes for those riding on float at church (need to be at float for 4:30) 5 - 7pm - parade and downtown Tree Lighting 7pm - 8pm - dis-assemble float & provide hospitality for participants back at church It's a great way to celebrate Christmas and offer a joyful reminder about what the season is all about! The route will be the same as last year: departing from Tiffin and Lakeshore, heading straight up Tiffin to Bradford Street. We will then head North on Bradford to Dunlop, then through Downtown Barrie, where we will be part of the Downtown Barrie Tree Lighting festivities! Be sure to join in!  Any questions or want to volunteer - connect with Guy Gagnon at guy@hockinghomes.com

Sunday November 17th, we will gather together as a church family to praise our incredible God.  We will sing, pray and worship together. This week, Pastor Ruttan starts a new series called "Armageddon: What we know about the end of the world (and the difference it makes)." During the sermon time he will interview Associate Professor of Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures at Knox College in Toronto, Dr. Brian Irwin, also a friend of Pastor Ruttan. It will be a great Sunday to kick-off a topic of much speculation, confusion... and importance. There will be nursery care and the full Sunday School will be in operation.  The Sunday School continues their preparation for our annual Christmas Pageant.  Hope to see you there!

This Sunday we will gather as God's people to worship and honour him! We will do this with singing, prayer, learning and mutual encouragement -- upstairs and down. There is nursery care, and the Sunday School will have a pageant practice (everyone can be included). Pastor Ruttan will continue with the Armageddon series, address preliminary questions, and answer 'Why will the world end, and how?' After worship we will have the first monthly 'Q and A Forum' in the sanctuary.

Please join us for our new and revamped Westminster Christmas Bazaar, Bake Sale & Tea! It will offer tables of interesting and unique gifts, baked goods as well as a lovely tea to enjoy while browsing.  You won’t want to miss getting some of your Christmas shopping done early and support our church at the same time. We hope to see you there!

December 1st will be a very full Sunday! We will gather to worship, praise and pray to our awesome God! Here's what is happening; We have Communion; It is the start of Advent (we light the candle of hope); there will be a financial appeal for Deacon’s Fund to help those who may be struggling financially; Pageant practice in the Sunday School. Pastor Ruttan will offer Part 3 in the Armageddon series with a message titled 'Are there 'signs' that the end is coming?' Quite often people think that escalating environmental disasters and moral collapse in society are signs that the world as we currently know it is coming to an end sooner than later. But how does this fit with what Jesus says in Matthew 24? One thing is for sure: he offers us the metaphor of giving birth. At the of labour, there is a wonderful new thing (a new life!), but the process leading up to that new life is increasingly difficult. And additionally, gifts are due for our family sponsorship project through Simcoe Muskoka Family Connections. & of course, there will be nursery care. Let's learn and grow together on this first Sunday in Advent.

Please consider joining Pastor Ruttan on Sat. Dec. 7 from 9:30 to 11:30am as he welcomes the Rev. Dr. Jeff Loach, who will lead a spiritual gifts workshop for us in the Fellowship Hall. All the details, an introduction to Rev. Dr. Jeff Loach and pre-work requirements for attending can be found here.   Sign up in the foyer and direct questions to Pastor Ruttan.

Sunday December 8th is the second week of Advent when we light the candle of Peace. We will worship, pray and sing the songs of Advent.  And for those who missed the opportunity last week to contribute to the financial appeal for the Deacon's Fund, we will be collecting this week as well. There will be full nursery care, and Sunday school from preschool to high school as our young people have one last practice before the pageant next week. During the message, Pastor Ruttan will offer Part 4 in the Armageddon series: 'The difference any of it makes.' When thinking through big topics like the end of the world, it can get cerebral; but it should actually compel us to think through how we might live in hope on a daily basis. That's what we'll explore on Sunday. Let's honour the Prince of Peace together!