Newsletter

CASTLETON & GRAFTON UNITED CHURCHES
-an affirming ministry with a vision of worship, justice, and community outreach, putting people before dogma
-a sponsor of a Syrian refugee family, the 100 mile Diet Event, & with others Haldimand Court housing, and Heavenly helpings.
St. Andrew's at 137 Old Danforth Rd. Grafton ON K0K 2G0 and Castleton at 1815 Percy St. Castleton

Phone: 905 349 2736
  email: casgra@eagle.ca   Web: www.castletongraftonuc.com
(Rev) David Lander
david@lander.ca 905 342 9214

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Join the journey

 

Warm June 2016 Greetings!

 

Note the dozen or so bicycles the youth group has painted up, fitted with flowers and placed around Castleton

Sunday there is the auction of one, https://www.facebook.com/Castleton-UC-Youth-Group-1582509922048218/  Thanks to Marshall Gummer,

and a news article about it at http://www.northumberlandnews.com/news-story/6735310-castleton-youth-group-creates-colourful-bike-planter-project/

There are pictures at  https://www.facebook.com/erich.bojarzin/posts/10207472476705095 

The youth are also selling chocolate to finish funding the paint and flowers.

 Following their letter to a few politicians and stake holders for Attawapiskat, they have received a letter back from Lou Rinaldi.

 

David will be on summer break during July; Sunday services continue as below.  For pastoral emergencies call Rev Darlene Keddy of Baltimore United Church at 416-876-3637

Mitchell Jackson’s tribute to Doug Deviney which he wrote and sang at the Celebration of life is found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFLvSibj96Y&feature=youtu.be  along with a  photo journey

 

Coming events for Castleton Grafton United Church

 

Service time:   Grafton 9:15       Castleton 11:00        

Sunday June 26,   Canada Day services          See the100 Mile Diet Booth in the Memorial Hall after the parade                         

Sunday June 26,   10 am   One bicycle hand-painted by the Castleton United Church Youth Group is to be auctioned off at the Gummer auction in  the Castleton Town Hall, Thanks to Marshall. It is presently profiled in front of the Castleton church and in above links

Sunday July 10, 11:00   Vernonville Anniversary Service   -no service in Castleton or Grafton 

Sunday July 3, 17, &24,  9:15     Joint services in Grafton; no service in Castleton

Sunday July 31  11:00 Joint service in Castleton; no service in Grafton

With the new sitting area at the back of St. Andrew’s, there is a significant selection of books and tapes at the back for any wanting them.

 

Sponsorship    We have applied for our second sponsorship family, this time in co-operation with Trinity Cobourg. There are envelopes at the back for contributions.  -payment to Trinity United Church, noting that it is for Flight to Hope 2. The Syrian family presently in Lebanon is: Malik 35 -mother, Seham (Susue) 6 -girl, Mahair 14 -boy, Shahair 12 -boy, Samir 10 -boy.   

 

The latest Column is in this weeks print version of Northumberland News but at send time is not yet online though may be here in future.

 

A few quotes and snippets: 

Don’t worry what people think; they don’t do it that often.   ~  Unknown

The secret to living well and longer is: eat half, walk double, laugh triple, and love without measure.  ~  Tibetan proverb

Those who make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. – Voltaire

Look into your own heart; discover what it is that gives you pain. And then refuse, under any circumstance whatever, to inflict that pain on anybody else. – Karen Armstrong

LGBTQ folks commit suicide 14 times that of the rest of the population.   Jamie Watt

Baptism is one's ordination into ministry. If you won't ordain women, why do you baptize them?  ~   Leonard Sweet

The sense of commonwealth, of shared sacrifice, of trust, so much part of American life, is eroding fast, spurred on and amplified by an amoral internet that permits a lie to circle the globe three times before the truth can get started.   Ken Burns in his 2016 Stanford Commencement address.

"Human kindness has never weakened the stamina or softened the fibre of a free people. A nation does not have to be cruel to be tough."  -Franklin D. Roosevelt

Re Canadian Billionaire of Panama papers fame getting honorary degree at York U  -"We hang the petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office." Aesop 

Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.  – Socrates

"Constant kindness can accomplish much. As the sun makes ice melt, kindness causes misunderstanding, mistrust, and hostility to evaporate." -Albert Schweitzer

“God's first language is Silence. Everything else is a translation.”   -Thomas Keating

I never told you to hate anybody. I don't care where they're from, what they look like, who dare in love with, or the worship, why is this so difficult? – Jesusish

To those who perpetrate violence against the LGBTQ+ community with their violent discourse and their violent policies, We don't want your prayers. To those who refuse to say that black lives matter, We don't want your prayers. To those who blame our prevalent gun violence on the Islamic community, We don't want your prayers. Instead of empty prayers, give us compassion; give us equal rights. – Brittany Caine – Conley

If one kid on a playground was hitting the others with a stick… Would you take the stick away, Or give every other one a stick? – Gun management now

The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places. But still there is much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps, the greater. – JRR Tolkien    

Exercise is celebration of what your body can do, not punishment for what you ate.

Timothy McVeigh, killed 168 American women, men, and children. He injured 600 more. He perpetrated the worst case of domestic terrorism in US history. He wasn't black or brown. He wasn't a Hindu or a Muslim. He was a White American Christian. – Worth considering when you hear anti-Islamic and anti-people stuff.

I respect culture, tradition and religion, but they can never justify the denial of basic rights. – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

Sometimes you find yourself in the middle of nowhere, and sometimes, in the middle of nowhere, you find yourself.

Hate. It has caused a lot of problems in this world, but it has not solved one yet. – Maya Angelou

It's time to remember who you really are, not who others have told you to be. You are a powerful human being, stand in your power confidently. ~ Chantelle Renee

Once a year, go someplace you've never been before. – Dalai Lama

When Jesus comes back, I sure hope he doesn't land in America. Being a progressive rabbi from the Middle East, teaching a message that’s antiwar and anti-rich, while claiming the poor are oppressed, and that those who don't welcome immigrants will be excluded from his kingdom, Christian leaders would most likely have him deported. – Benjamin L Corey 

It is the possibility that keeps me going, and though you may call me a dreamer or fool or any other thing, I believe that anything is possible. – Nicholas Sparks

Truth is a force of transformation, which is why people fear the truth. Truth always causes change. There is no such thing as absorbing the power of the truth and having your life remain the same. You have to build up the stamina to manage the power of truth. – Carolyn Myss

Always pray to have eyes that see the best, a heart that forgives the worst, a mind that forgets the bad, and the soul that never loses faith. – Zig Ziglar

It is surely an exercise of faith for us to see Christ in each other. – Dorothy Day

"When toxic rhetoric and behaviour ... becomes normalized, it allows extremists to de-humanize women who don't agree with them on political matters, helps them justify their deranged actions,'' "In short, violent speech begets violent acts.''    ~  The Alberta Federation of Labour following death threats on Premier Notley

What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. – Ralph Waldo Emerson

When something doesn’t work, it’s not a failure. It’s an experiment that gave you some data. The only way it becomes a failure is if you don’t learn what you can from it.  ~  Charles Duhigg 

Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even when it might create conflict and tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe.

At that very moment when things are difficult -at that very moment of panic or fear, that moment of loneliness or anger – that is actually the key moment for a person who is wishing to open their hearts and their mind, because these are moments where life can soften us. The difficulties of our lives can soften us, make us kinder to each other and make us more compassionate.  ~  Pema Chodron 

Courage does not  always roar. Sometimes it’s the quiet voice at the end of the day saying: I will try again tomorrow.

I’ve never heard anyone complain that Christians act too much like Jesus. Even the hardest, angriest, most anti-God athiest will complain that the problem with Christians is that we don’t act enough like Jesus. ~   Karl Vaters

Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory. – Dr. Seuss

"There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein

Far too many people have no idea what they can do, because all they been told is what they can do. – Zig Ziglar

Jesus did not come to suffer and die. Rather Jesus conceived of his mission as one of good news to the poor, the liberation of the captive, that is, experiences of liberation and abundance of life shared between those who had been on the underside of dominant systems of religion and state of his time… He did not seek to be killed by the powers that be, but rather to convert them into solidarity with those they had formerly despised and victimised. – Rosemary Radford Reuther

If a man says I love God, and hates his brother, he is a liar: for he that loves not his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from him, that he who loves God love his brother also. – 1 John 4: 20

Put your sword away, for those who take the sword will perish by the sword. – Jesus in Matthew 26:52

In solitude you will find that even silence is too noisy when you're not at peace with yourself. ~Caitlin Poster

Cataract is the third biggest cause of blindness. Religion and politics remain the first two.

Three things in life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be kind. And the third is to be kind. – Henry James

Stop creating a life that you need a vacation from. Instead move to where you want to live, do what you want to do, start what you want to start, and create the life you want today. This isn't rehearsal people. This is your life. – Dale Partridge

Most  accomplishments were achieved by people who at first but no idea what they were doing. Brendan Burchard

“My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world.”   Jack Layton

What is Radical Islam? Look at Malala Yousafzai.  She is radical Islam. She was shot in the face and how did she respond? “I do not even hate the Talib who shot me. Even if there is a gun in my hand and he stands in front of me, I would not shoot him. This is the compassion that I’ve learned from Muhammad the Prophet of Mercy, Jesus Christ, and Lord Buddha.” That’s radical. That’s Islam. let-me-introduce-you-to-radical-islam/-Malala

https://cannasos.com/blog/hot-news/jimmy-carter-medical-marijuana-cured-my-cancer

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/fathers-day/dad-becomes-me-how-globe-writers-see-the-man-who-raised-them-inthemselves/article30486717/?click=sf_globefb

https://www.buzzfeed.com/emeynardie/13-childrens-books-that-encourage-kindness-toward-26paw?utm_term=.jnvkJQxN8

http://qpolitical.com/1-bono-shares-heartbreaking-story-led-faith-jesus-christ/

http://news.stanford.edu/2016/06/12/prepared-text-2016-stanford-commencement-address-ken-burns/

 

For those who like poetry:

https://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/133.html   The Summer Day   by Mary Oliver

 

poem: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/26/1520269/-Black-woman-responds-to-Megyn-Kelly-s-claim-that-Jesus-is-white-and-it-s-stunning

 

The sun shines not on us but in us.
The rivers flow not past, but through us. 
Thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber 
and cell of the substance of our bodies, 
making them glide and sing. 
The trees wave and the flowers bloom 
in our bodies as well as our souls, 
and every bird song, wind song, 
and tremendous storm song of the rocks 
in the heart of the mountains is our song,
our very own, and sings our love.                               ~ John Muir


Sometimes you are unsatisfied with your life, while many people in this world are dreaming of living your life..
A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead & dreams of flying.
But, a pilot on the plane sees the farmhouse & dreams of returning home.
That's life!! Enjoy yours...
If wealth is the secret to happiness, then the rich should be dancing on the streets.
But only poor kids do that.
If power ensures security, then officials should walk unguarded.
But those who live simply, sleep soundly.
If beauty and fame bring ideal relationships, then celebrities should have the best marriages.
Live simply. Walk humbly. and love genuinely..!  All good will come back to you...!!!

 

 

Tired
And lonely,
So tired.
The heat aches,
Meltwater trickles 

Down the rocks,
The fingers are numb,
the knees tremble.
It is now,
Now that you must not give in.

On the path of the others
Are resting places,
Places in the sun
Where they can meet.
But this 
Is your path
And it is now 
Now that you must not fail.

Weep 
If you can.
Weep.
But do not complain
The way chose you---
And you must be thankful.                          -Dag Hammarskjold

 

Morning words from Mary Oliver -- Songs of the Builder

On a summer morning
I sat down
on a hillside

to think about God—

a worthy pastime.
Near me, I saw
a single cricket;
it was moving the grains of the hillside

this way and that way.
How great was its energy,
how humble its effort.
Let us hope

it will always be like this,
each of us going on
in our inexplicable ways
building the universe.

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