Life of the Church: Joy’s and Concerns (June 2024)
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
June News
It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Tonny Petersen early this morning (May 31, 2024), surrounded by family, at South Health Campus after years of illness and recent pneumonia. See Tonny’s Candle Memorial here.
Healing Pathways: On May 30th, we met with some ladies from the RDLUC Healing Pathways group to do a healing session and talk about our programs. Our last HP session will be on June 13.
Cruise Update from Marilyn B: Late last year my daughter Ashleigh texted me to ask if I wanted to go on a cruise in May. Without hesitation I said yes. Neither one of us had been on a cruise. We booked a 7-day inner passage cruise to Alaska. We are so blessed we were able to have this experience. On May 5th we flew to Vancouver and boarded the Noordam with Holland America. My first thoughts upon boarding were this is a lot to take in. The boat was huge with beautiful fixtures and much to explore. People have asked me what were some of the highlights. Of course, spending time with my daughter was the best. Next, I would have to say the food. It was amazing. For anyone who knows me well knows I love to eat. There was so much to do with entertainment such as quartets, bands and comedians. From time to time, they showed movies or documentaries. You could do as little or as much as you wanted. The scenery was awesome. Everything seems magnificent and so untouched. Maybe my view was based on living in a large city. We were fortunate to see the northern lights which was a first for us. We went on two excursions, whale watching at Juneau and riding the White Pass train with gold panning around Skagway. Upon arrival in Ketchikan we spent the day walking around and shopping for gifts. I could share many more pictures. Here is a sampling of our time away.
Reflections by Rev. Grant Dawson, Some thoughts on PLU. We all need and appreciate PLU. (That’s “People like Us” by the way.) We surround ourselves with others who see the world through the same lens that we use. have the same fundamental beliefs that we hold, and enjoy many of the same things that we appreciate. Continue reading on website.
Camp Kasota Wrap Up - With Pictures: This past weekend, June 7 - 9, 2024 was our annual Family Camp weekend at Camp Kastota West on Sylvan Lake. The weather may have been colder than we liked but campers had a great time eating delicious food, staying warm by the campfire, sharing talents at the Talent Show, nature walk and more. Continue reading and see pictures on website.
Reflections by Rev. Grant Dawson, Some thoughts on making a fuss: All of us carry from our earliest childhood those principles and precepts that guide us through the complexities of daily behaviour. Some are trivial like, “Tuck in your shirt.” and “Wash your hands before dinner.” And some are rather more important like “Tell the truth.” and “Show respect to other people.” Continue reading on website.
SoCal Affirming Series - June 12 Panel Discussion: Thank you to everyone who has been supporting SoCal's Affirming Series that is happening Wednesday's throughout the month of June. Here are some pictures from the June 12th panel talk at Red Deer Lake. We hope that you will join us for the remaining two events at McDougall; a viewing party of "Nimona" and a community BBQ.
2024 McDougall Scholarship Winners - Part 1: We are very excited to announce that this year, we have seven recipients of the McDougall Scholarship. Continue reading on website.
Email Blast - Summer Schedule: As in past years, we will be changing the email blast so that it goes out every other week over the summer. You will still receive a weekly Sunday email with service information. Continue reading on website.
Summer Singers is Back! Starting this June 23, all are welcome. If you would like to help lead hymns please come at 9:45AM on Sunday to go over the hymns with Tanya or Joy (June 23, June 30, July 7).
Reflections by Rev. Grant Dawson - Some thoughts on thunder storms: As a child, I was terrified of lightning storms. I dreaded hearing one approaching. And when I did, I would go and hide out upstairs in my room until it passed. Continue reading on website.
Kid’s Table - Summer Schedule and Can You Help? Over the summer there will be no children’s programming on Sunday morning. The children’s room will be open (unsupervised), and an activity station will be set up in the Sanctuary that children are encouraged to participate with. We look forward to resuming Kid’s Table in the fall and have some exciting changes in the works that we could use your help with. Continue reading on website.
Affirming Series: “Nimona” Wrap Up: Thank you to everyone who has been supporting SoCal's Affirming Series that is happening Wednesday's throughout the month of June. This past Wednesday, we held a viewing party for “Nimona”. Dinner was provided (delicious pizza and snacks) and the movie was followed by some interesting discussions. Continue reading and see pictures on our website.
Notice of Passing: It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Barbara Bennet on June 18 at the age of 94 in British Columbia. Visit her Candle Memorial here.
2024 McDougall Scholarship Winners - Part 2: We are very excited to announce that this year, we have seven recipients of the McDougall Scholarship. Each of our winners will receive a $1,000 to be put towards their education. During the service on June 30th, we will be recognizing each of these recipients, we hope that you will come to meet them. Continue reading on website.
Draft McDougall Leadership Council Meeting Minutes: May 21, 2024: The draft minutes from the Leadership Council May 21st meeting are now available. Continue reading on website.
Notice of Passing: Pat Fair, It is with sadness that we announce the peaceful passing of Pat Fair on June 19th in hospital at the age of 82 after complications from numerous health issues. Visit her Candle Memorial here.
Summer Office Hours: Starting next week, July 2, 2024 McDougall’s office will move over to it’s summer hours. The office will be open 10 am - 1 pm, rather than the 10 - 2 pm it has been. Jen will be on holidays for this week with Mari covering for her. Have a great summer!
Reflections by Rev. Grant Dawson, Some thoughts on the next big thing: Several years ago, I heard an interview with Paul McCartney discussing the early years of the Beatles. They had achieved some small success as a English “skiffle” band, drawing inspiration from American folk, blues, country and jazz classics. But they felt lost; they were waiting for the next big trend which they could copy to put their careers on a firmer track. Continue reading on website.
Affirming Series: Community BBQ, We wrapped up our Pride Month celebrations with an outdoor BBQ on June 26 in McDougall’s parking lot. This event was part of the SoCal Pride month with events happening each Wednesday at different south Calgary churches throughout the month. Continue reading and see pictures on our website.
Refugee Update: Looking for Items: We are gathering items for a refugee family of 9, related to our first Afghan family. There are many items that they need with more items likely to be added to the list as we settle them in. Continue reading and see items on our website.
Thank you for taking time to read about our little adventure. Please visit the Life of the Church for more news like this.
This list will continue to be updated as they are provided. Make sure you send in your news!
See what happened in May here.
