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Proper 18
Worship: James Wong
Scripture reader: Vanessa Mo
Message: Jeremy Ng
The land that our church building stands on is the traditional territory of many nations, including the Anishinaabe, the Huron-Wendat, and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Metis people. This land is also under Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands. The negotiation of Treaties, while seemingly honourable and legal, was often marked by fraud and coercion.
As God’s people, let us take care to learn the truth of Canada’s history with Indigenous people. Let us also prayerfully respond to the calls to action for churches, such as: “teach…the need to respect Indigenous spirituality in its own right, the history and legacy of residential schools and the roles of the church parties in that system, the history and legacy of religious conflict in Aboriginal families and communities, and the responsibility that churches have to mitigate such conflicts and prevent spiritual violence.”
Read the full Calls to Action or see the child or youth-friendly guide to the TRC’s 94 Calls to Action.
James 2:1-10, 14-17, NRSV
My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you?
You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes, in human beings, who cannot save.
When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing.
Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.
— Psalm 146:2-5, NIV
To help EMC better plan, we want to get a more accurate picture of how many people are participating in our online service.
If you are watching either live or post-service, please check-in.
Two months have passed by quickly, and all six of our Canada Summer Job interns recently completed their work placement. Big thanks to Angela, Guru, Isabel, Mattan, Nancy and Samuel for their tremendous help and a job well done! Check out their latest blog posts.
As part of the church incorporation process, the Deacon Board is proposing a change to the church name. You are invited to read this post which discusses the importance of names – how a name can reflect who we hope to be, as well as how a name can honour our roots and where we come from. The DB continues to welcome your feedback on the name change proposal and on potential names.
Our church entered Step Three reopening on August 1. We are excited to have in-person & livestreaming worship service after 17 months of virtual gatherings! Big thanks to our volunteers for their hard work behind the scene to set up (very) early in the morning!
Volunteers are needed for setup, audio/video and ushers. Training will be provided. Please email [email protected] or talk to any leaders if you’d like to help!
Stay tuned for weekly broadcast announcements on how you may sign up for in-person services. Find all the essentials of our public health measures in this poster.
Tithing is a privilege and responsibility of our regular attendees to participate in and support our ministries, but it is also part of our discipleship. This is part of who we are. This is a way that we say “thank you” to God for who He is, as well as an act of faith and trust – we are trusting God for what He has given us, trusting Him to provide for us and to be God in our lives.
Covid-19 has been hard for everybody – please give what you can – at the same time, we also trust God to continue to give us what we need as His people.
During church closure, members can provide their offering through the following ways:
We encourage members to still maintain their normal tithing, and we thank those who have continued to give.
| Last week’s Offering | 2021 Total Offering | Funds needed to date | (Shortfall) / Excess | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General Fund | $ 3,804 | $ 254,589 | $ 415,087 | $ (160,497) |
| Missions Fund | $ 200 | $ 18,416 | $ 40,385 | $ (21,968) |
| Nehemiah Project | $ 290 | $ 13,954 | $ 35,471 | $ (21,517) |
| Total | $ 4,293 | $ 286,960 | $ 490,942 | $ (203,983) |