We will not meet for morning worship this Sunday morning.  You are invited to rest with God.  Give thanks for The Gathering Church and the many ways we join in serving together to be the hands and feet of Jesus to one another and the community.  Pray for the Gathering Church and the Chandler Mowat community.

You may want to use a Psalm as a reflection on Sunday morning such as Psalm 19. 

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Next Sunday, August 13^th, we will listen together to “Bless the Lord, O My Soul”, a personal, moving sermon by Dan Epp-Thiessen, who weaves together his personal journey with cancer and deep hardship with the praise of Psalm 103.

This summer our children will enjoy time playing in the park for a portion of our Sunday morning worship.  We are inviting adults to sign up to supervise the children.  Please let Ruth know if you are able to serve (office@gatheringchurch.ca) 

August 13^th

Pastor Catherine is on vacation from August 4^th through to August 14^th. 
Please contact Ruth (office@gatheringchurch.ca) CLICK HERE with any urgent pastoral care issues. 

Hello Gathering Church,

On Tuesday evening at Popsicles in the Park, I handed a woman, whose children have participated in many of our programs and whose family enjoys our Community suppers, a registration page for the Back-to-School Clothing Distribution.  She literally jumped into my arms.  Tears came to her quickly.  As she gave me a warm embrace, she said through her tears, “God bless you and God bless your church.  I didn’t know how I would manage new clothing for my children this year.  Thank you.  You have no idea the burden that your church lifts for me and others in this community.  God bless each of you.” 

Thank you Gathering Church for your ongoing generosity and acts of compassion.  You are bringing hope and relief to many in the community. 

I hope that you will join us at the Back-to-School Clothing Distribution on Sunday August 20^th at 10:30.  Our morning will be an act of worship—packing bags of clothing and delivering to the families in the community.

After delivering the clothing, we’ll join together for a pizza lunch.

To help us plan, please RSVP to Ruth at office@gatheringchurch.ca.  CLICK HERE.  Please let us know the numbers who will be attending and if there are any food allergies. 

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.  (Hebrews 13:16)

I look forward to serving with you on August 20^th!

God’s Peace

Catherine

There is no Popsicles in the Park this week.  You are invited to join us on Tuesday August 15^th from 6:00 to 7:00.

Tuesday August 15

Tuesday August 22

As a way of supporting Melissa and her family during her cancer treatments, you are invited to provide a meal or snacks for the family.  This is a way of expressing God’s love in this challenging time.

Meal Train for Melissa

All who attend The Gathering Church may receive a subscription to Canadian Mennonite. The biweekly magazine is delivered by mail and email. Subscriptions are paid for collectively through The Gathering Church. To start a new subscription or to change your delivery preferences (to receive print, digital or both) please contact Ruth (office@gatheringchurch.ca) by August 10th, 2023.

Please include:

- First and last name. Please give two names where applicable (i.e. husband and wife).
- Physical address.
- Email (two email adresses per household allowed).
- Format (print or digital). Digital only subscriptions still require a physical address.

Thank you.

Greetings to The Gathering Church in this summer season! Please join us in praising God for providing for our congregation. We can't wait to share an exciting financial update with you!

A bit of context for those who are new to TGC: Our congregation and giving patterns had changed significantly following the pandemic, and for a few years we used savings to cover budgeted expenses that were greater than our donations.

Our budget for 2023, as approved at the AGM, is $188,405. At the end of Q2, we have received 46% of our budget through donations. For the first time since pre-pandemic, our donations are greater than our expenses! We are so thankful!

How to give:

The easiest way to give is via e-transfer to donations@gatheringchurch.ca. Please contact Meredith if you would like to arrange an alternate way of giving. 

You may also give cheques or cash in the donation box during in-person services at CMCC. Please fill out your information on the donation envelopes if you would like to receive a tax receipt.

We are grateful for your gifts of presence, talents, time, and tithes to The Gathering Church! We pray for wisdom for our congregation to use these resources effectively within Chandler Mowat. May we be a blessing to this neighbourhood.

With thankful hearts,

Debbie Wagler (Treasurer) and Meredith Bigham (Finance and Accounting Liaison)

As the school year comes to a close, you are invited to pray for the children, youth and families in the Chandler Mowat community.  The City will be offering programs for the children and youth.  Pray for positive role models and peace-filled interactions.  Pray for families whose homes will be busier.  Pray for the partners who seek to offer resources to the community. 

August 20^th—Clothing Distribution Sunday

August 25-27^th—Gathering Church Camp at Hidden Acres

If you have not yet registered for our Gathering Church Camp please do so as soon as you are able so we can continue planning.

If you are joining in but not staying overnight, please let Ruth know (office@gatheringchurch.ca). 

We are looking forward to spending a weekend together as a faith community at Hidden Acres Camp.  This will be a weekend of play, enjoying nature, building relationships and worship. 

You are welcome to:

• Camp for the weekend (tents and trailers welcomed)
• Individual or Family Cabin
• Shared Cabin
• Come for the day
• Sunday morning worship and lunch

Please RSVP to Ruth at office@gatheringchurch.ca by June 23^rd to allow for us to plan for the weekend.

When you RSVP, please let Ruth know what accommodations you would like to reserve and how many people will be joining.

More details of the weekend will follow.

We are so grateful for our many volunteers that serve on Sunday mornings.  Many hands are needed to create our Sunday morning worship services.  We want to bless our volunteers this summer with some time of rest and refreshment.  With this in mind, the Board has decided that The Gathering will not meet for Sunday worship on long weekends this summer.  This allows for our many volunteers to enjoy the fullness of a long weekend.  We will not be joining for Sunday worship on Sunday July 2^nd or August 6^th.  We will also not meet on our Jubilee Sunday—September 3^rd.

We are currently accepting applications for Cabin Leaders, Lifeguards, Cooks and more. Apply to be part of our enthusiastic team of young people seeking to make an impact this summer!

For more information or to apply go to www.hiddenacres.ca or contact Emily Taylor at emily@hiddenacres.ca

• E-transfer to donations@gatheringchurch.ca.
• Cheque or cash in the white donation box at CMCC.
• Online through the donation button on our church website. (Part of your donation will cover processing and admin fees.)
• Please contact Meredith Bigham if you would like to arrange an alternate way of giving (click here).

Check out our virtual bulletin board! You'll find various community events, activities and opportunities.

Click  here for the regular MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) Newsletter.

Please submit any bulletin announcements for next week to Ruth at office@gatheringchurch.ca by Thursday at noon.