Gordon United Church - On Goldstream

09/02/2026

https://youtu.be/HMDPSyJqyl0?si=Mz67nxqvLu9POtSw
Starting off our month's theme with a bit of music

09/01/2026

Wendell Berry, a poet of soil and spirit, has passed away at 92. He blessed us and challenged us with his words.

A Poem on Hope
It is hard to have hope. It is harder as you grow old,
for hope must not depend on feeling good
and there’s the dream of loneliness at absolute midnight.
You also have withdrawn belief in the present reality
of the future, which surely will surprise us,
and hope is harder when it cannot come by prediction
anymore than by wishing. But stop dithering.
The young ask the old to hope. What will you tell them?
Tell them at least what you say to yourself.
Because we have not made our lives to fit
our places, the forests are ruined, the fields, eroded,
the streams polluted, the mountains, overturned. Hope
then to belong to your place by your own knowledge
of what it is that no other place is, and by
your caring for it, as you care for no other place, this
knowledge cannot be taken from you by power or by wealth.
It will stop your ears to the powerful when they ask
for your faith, and to the wealthy when they ask for your land
and your work. Be still and listen to the voices that belong
to the stream banks and the trees and the open fields.
Find your hope, then, on the ground under your feet.
Your hope of Heaven, let it rest on the ground underfoot.
The world is no better than its places. Its places at last
are no better than their people while their people
continue in them. When the people make
dark the light within them, the world darkens.
- Wendell Berry,

09/01/2026

This Sunday beings the Time of Creation in the Season of Pentecost, a month of the church year in which we're invited to focus on delighting in nature, protecting the environment, and being creative about how to care for the earth. Why not start off with a CRD event?

Fall 2026 nature programs are here! 🍂🥾🌲

Experience the colours, sounds, and stories of the season with naturalists and cultural programmer. Join us through September, October and November for guided walks, invigorating hikes, and drop-in events that will connect you with nature's autumn transformation.

💸 All of our nature outings and events are free or low-cost.
👨‍👨‍👧‍👦 We offer engaging nature outings for many ages and abilities.
💻 Some programs require pre-registration, as space is limited.

View our online events calendar and register for nature outings at https://ow.ly/zfPV50ZB8qi, find the PDF of the brochure here: https://ow.ly/7QYL50ZB8qh, or keep an eye out around the region for printed copies! 🗺️

09/01/2026

Keep it simple: If you have food to share, share it. If you have kindness to offer, be kind. If you have stuff you don't need, give it to someone who does. If you have a gift and someone wants to nurture a similar gift, offer to teach them. If you have time and you see a task that needs doing, do it. If you have a skill someone else wants to learn, show them how it's done. "Making a difference" doesn't have to be complicated! You have more to offer than you believe, and you can make more of a difference than you think. Just ask Dolly.

09/01/2026

A prayer from the United Church of Canada

Loving God,
parent and companion to us all,
hold the precious children and young people
in your loving care as they begin a new school year.

Nurture in them a sense of wonder.
Keep their curiosity alive,
their imaginations wide,
and their hearts open to the joy of discovering something new.

May the spark of creativity, possibility, and adventure
continue to burn brightly within them.
Give them courage to ask questions,
freedom to dream,
and confidence to become who they are meant to be.

Surround them with people who see their worth
and meet them with kindness, patience, and respect.

Protect them from harm,
from cruelty and fear,
and from words and ideas that diminish the dignity of others.

And may they be a source of kindness, courage,
and welcome to those around them.

Bless them as they learn and grow,
as they make friends, face challenges,
discover their gifts, and find their own light.

May they shine in the ways that are uniquely theirs—and
may every child be surrounded by the love, care, and hope they need to flourish.

Amen

On Sunday September 13th we will offer a blessing on schoolbags/backpacks and celebrate the season with ice cream sundaes after church. Please join in!

08/31/2026

Welcome to our new worship series, starting September 6th.

08/27/2026

Have just seen some news reports about the floods in Nepal. They need our prayers and our help.

We invite you join us in praying for those impacted by the devastating flooding and mudslides in Nepal. MCC’s local partners are responding and helping with rescue efforts. We welcome your donations for emergency food and water and trauma support to those in need. https://mcc.org/get-involved/giving/designations/nepal-flooding-response

08/26/2026

So many amazing, talented, courageous people have passed away in the last few days. With regret we share that a member of our own congregation, Vera Blazenko, passed away on Monday. Please pray for her family and all who love her. She was a generous, hard-working woman who gave a great deal of her time to church and community. If she was involved, she was involved to the max. Many of you who are visitors from time to time at GUC will remember her as the woman who was one of the main organizers fir the Poinsettia Tea for years. With her passing a light has gone out of the world - so it's up to us to shine our light just that little bit more.

08/25/2026

Coming up this Sunday, August 30th - the second edition of our summer hymn sing. Folk had so many requests we had to split them into two services! Come prepared to sing through the seasons of the church year. (Yes, we'll even sing a Christmas carol.)

08/25/2026

A prayer from Sunday's sermon. When overwhelmed by the world around you or life in general, you might pray: "God, I can't do everything, but I can do something. Show me the way."