My journey as the minister of Mill Woods United Church came as a surprise to me.  When Ian Kellogg retired back in May of 2022, the pastoral search committee had been unsuccessful in finding a suitable candidate.  So I was asked to accept a year appointment as minister while the search continued.  In the spring of 2023 the church called Eli Carter-Morgan as its new minster to begin in August.  Eli ended up going on long-term leave the following October, and again I was asked

Coming back from a two week holiday in Mexico with a nasty cough and cold is no fun.  And change is afoot.  The Pastoral Search Committee is calling a meeting for February 1 st  to present for congregational vote the name of the new minister for Mill Woods United Church.  I have to confess, this news comes with much relief for me.  I look forward to my remaining months as your minister, but I also look forward to moving on in the summer as Mill Woods also embraces and steps i

It is a week before Christmas and there is music in the air.  Tomorrow afternoon we will celebrate the Sounds of Christmas with music, storytelling and Christmas goodies from 2:30 to 4:30 here in the sanctuary.  Our Sunday worship service the Fourth Sunday of Advent will be an explosion of music.  In addition to hymns and Christmas Carols, we will have a choir anthem, two selections presented by the Bells of Mill Woods United Church, two hand bell duets, and two piano solos f

Mary’s words from the Magnificat, Luke 1:51-53: You have shown strength with your arm; you have scattered the proud in their conceit; you have deposed the mighty from their thrones and raised the lowly to high places. You have filled the hungry with good things, while you have sent the rich away empty. There is a fascinating scene unfolding on the front lawns of some churches in the US where ICE is currently active.  The traditional nativity scenes are being modified.  In som

This week in our Advent Faith Exploration discussion group we looked at the two more recent statements of faith of the United Church of Canada: A New Creed (1968) and A Song of Faith (2006).  Both have descriptive statements about what it means to be the church. In A New Creed are these words: We are called to be the Church: to celebrate God’s presence, to live with respect in Creation, to love and serve others, to seek justice and resist evil, to proclaim Jesus, crucified an

Sunday is the first Sunday in the liturgical season of Advent, the four Sundays before Christmas.  Advent is a season of waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus.  This year during Advent I am presenting a sermon series called the Waiting Season.  The first Sunday we will Wait in Hope as we light the first Advent Candle. The second Sunday we will Wait in Peace as we light the second Advent Candle.  The third Sunday we will Wait in Joy as we light the

The Lenten Season begin Ash Wednesday, February 18 th  and carries through to Easter Sunday, April 5 th .  Sermon Series During Lent Dale will present a sermon series entitled “ Stories that Form and Shape Our Faith ”.   The series will start with a focus on the creation story in Genesis on the first Sunday of Lent and finish on Easter Sunday with the story of the resurrection found in the Gospel of John February 22 - Story of Creation  Genesis 1:1-28 March 1 -       Story of