Here is what our members had to share with us this month. To learn more about this please go here.

To share something with us, please send an email to: prayers@mcdunited.com

April News

2024 - First Quarter McDougall United/Christ Moravian Church Refugee Support Group Update: Special Request for Mustafa’s Palestinian family in Gaza tent camp – Mustafa and his brother Mahmoud are grateful and overwhelmed by the generosity of our churches and community who donated more than $10,000 to help pay the fee required by the Egyptian organization for their safe passage from the Rafah camp to Egypt. Continue reading on the website.
Good Friday Service: Thank you to Red Deer Lake for the hospitality at the joint Good Friday service at Red Deer Lake on March 29, 2024.

Reflections by Rev. Grant Dawson: Some thoughts on hanging in there Some of the most difficult decisions we find ourselves making are those involved in whether to stick with something or to give up on it. Continue reading on website.
Congregational Survey Follow Up: The input received from the recent Congregational Survey provided the Leadership Council with plenty to discuss at our meeting last week. Not surprisingly, no easy answers emerged for reducing our budget deficit this year. Continue reading on website.
Acadia Pantry Fundraiser: On behalf of Outreach and Social Justice: Acadia Food Pantry (AFP) is a community organization funded by donations and grants. It is operated by volunteers from local churches, community groups and service organizations. Continue reading on website.
Update on Mustafa’s Family: Good news, I got a call from Mustafa to say that his father and step mother were able to leave Gaza today (April 4) and are now safely in Egypt. He has spoken to his father. There are still 12 family members (sisters, brother, nieces and nephews) remaining in Gaza but the fact that his father and step mother were able to leave gives him hope that the other 12 will be able to leave in the next 4-5 days. Continue reading on the website.
Heritage Time Out: New Photos: Our Spring session started last Wednesday and goes until June 19th, until summer break. Quilting, card making, knitting and crochet and do as you wish continues. Registration is ongoing and drop ins are welcome.

McDougall Library: New Library Books: We send our thanks to all for our latest donations. We have added a new shelf for graphic novels after some interesting donations from Patrick. “Pride”, which is pictured, is the story of the animals who were let loose from a zoo in Iraq after it was bombed during the war. Continue reading on the website.
Good job McDougall, we had some excellent feedback come in from one of our renters. You can see her notes below:
I thought you'd be pleased to hear how well your church worked out for our concert. It went really well, and the conductor was very happy with the venue! She said that the people at the church that she was communicating with, were extremely helpful. And the stage was big enough, even with the additional wind players for one of our tunes. The accessibility and parking is so much better than at our previous venue, and we also like the fact that it is LGBTQ friendly. This is important, because there are about a half a dozen members that are non-binary or transitioning. It was also great to have that room that we use for our ukulele group, to be able to sit down and eat the snacks that we brought. They had set up tables and chairs for us, apparently at no extra charge!
An update to McDougall United Church on Remit 1: Establishing an Autonomous National Indigenous Organization: Back in the fall your Leadership Council spent two council meetings in discussion as well had an opportunity to participate in a Chinook Winds Region Town Hall meeting regarding the details of this remit. Continue reading on the website.
Mama Mia Wrap Up: Thank you to everyone who came out on Saturday, April 6th for Mama Mia 2. We sold 80 tickets and plan on holding another movie sing-a-long in the fall. Continue reading and see some photos from the event on our website.

Acadia Pantry Fundraiser - Week 2: Acadia Food Pantry (AFP) is a community organization funded by donations and grants. It is operated by volunteers from local churches, community groups and service organizations. Continue reading on website.
Rev. Grant Dawson Retirement Announcement: I have enjoyed the past thirteen months working with the Red Deer Lake community. And this has been enhanced this year with the addition of new work colleagues and friends at McDougall and Ogden. However, as I am sure most of you know, I have decided to step down from my position at the end of June. Continue reading on website.
McDougall is hosting the Chinook Region Annual Meeting: Can You Help? McDougall United is excited to announce that they are hosting the Chinook Region Annual Meeting on May 2 - 5, 2024. More details will be posted as they become available. In the meantime, we could use your help. Continue reading and sign up to volunteer on our website.
Update on Mustafa’s Family: "For 192 days, members of our immediate family lived without electricity, without clean drinking water, without proper shelter, enduring harsh weather conditions, malnutrition, and infectious diseases. Your generous contributions played a crucial role in saving their lives. Without your donations and the outpouring of love and empathy, we would not have been able to evacuate them from Gaza." Continue reading on website.
Reflections by Rev. Grant Dawson: Some thoughts on humour Let’s think for a couple minutes about humour. But not in a particularly humorous way. Because at its roots, comedy arises from the mind’s desire to see and imagine ourselves and our world differently. Continue reading on the website.
A Conversation after Eid: On Sunday, April 14th we learned about Eid. During the reflection, Rev. Joanne was joined by Nesreen & Kholoud for a short Q & A. Following the service, congregation members were invited for some treats in Hospitality Hall.

Acadia Pantry Fundraiser - Week 3: If you have been following our email blast from the last 2 weeks you know we are holding a fundraiser to support the Acadia Food Pantry (AFP) on April 21. The work of the Group is critical to support community members in need. Continue reading on website.
Mother’s Day - Order a meal for Pick Up: The Soup’s on Sunday group is excited to add to their repertoire by offering some meals that you can heat up at home and enjoy. What better day to try this out than Mother’s Day. You can pre-order your meal options up until Thursday, May 9th at 8 am and then pick them up following the service on Mother’s Day, Sunday, May 12th. Continue reading on website.
2024 - Leadership Council First Quadrimestre Report (January – April 2024): The first part of 2024 has been a busy one for your Leadership Council. We held two regularly scheduled meetings, hosted a Town Hall Meeting, held our Annual General Meeting, and conducted a congregational survey. Continue reading on website.
Thank You Rudy! A big thank you goes out to Rudy R for doing such a fantastic job cleaning up the West doors (by the Reconciliation Mural). They look amazing. Below are some before and after pictures.

Reflections by Rev. Grant Dawson: Some thoughts on About 36 years ago my computer word processor received a major upgrade—a dictionary. What a world changing event, especially for someone like myself who can’t spell anething anyting anything! Continue reading on the website.
Reconciliation Mural Books - Now Available: The wait is over, our beautiful Reconciliation Mural Keepsake Book is now available! The finished books are 52 full colour pages and show the mural in a way that up until now it hasn't been seen before. Continue reading on website.
Acadia Pantry: Thank You!: The Outreach and Social Justice Group would like to thank you for your support of the Acadia Food Pantry annual fundraiser. Along with your contributions, many volunteer hours were given to make the event a success raising around $2,200. Continue reading and see more pictures on our website.