Join us for our Virtual Campfire every Friday night from 6:30 to 7:30 PM PT (8:30 PM CT, 10:30 PM AT) until Spring 2025! This weekly drop-in conversation welcomes everyone to share their joys and sorrows while connecting with friends and community members. We’ll discuss what we’re watching, reading, and listening to, creating a warm and supportive space for all. Simply click the link to join the Zoom meeting, or use the Meeting ID and Passcode provided. For more information, reach out to Kam at karenmckim2@gmail.com. We look forward to seeing you by the campfire!

This Sunday we wrap up our Thanksgiving Appeal, recognizing that our financial support enables so many life-giving ministries that enrich the lives of many — ourselves included!  This week in our monthly Lay-led service, we will uphold another of these: our Music Ministry. We will have opportunities to attend to how music resonates in our own bodies, touching our souls and connecting us with the Holy One.  We will experience how music in community moves us, brings us together and lifts us up. Let us come with our hearts open to experience our worship as a “song of praise to the Maker”.

Presiding: D’Arcy McPherson
Reflection: Sarah Hovey
Music Lead: Jennifer Turner
Tech Team: Nathan McDormand, Jamie Waters, Alan Thurston
Christ Candle: Mahima Sylvester
Scripture: Carol Yanisch
Scripture Reading: Psalm 105
Bulletin

Healing Pathway practitioners will be offering “Soaking Prayer” following the service on the last Sunday of each month. If you are feeling the need for care – perhaps because of stress or concerns that you are carrying, or pain or grief -- we invite you to come and receive. Practitioner(s) will place their hands gently on your shoulders as you are seated. Come and sit in a chair at the back section of the sanctuary or in the balcony for a few minutes to receive healing energy through the Soaking Prayer technique.

Just two more days to reach our Thanksgiving Appeal goal of $10,000 and we are oh-so-close! We are so grateful for the generosity we’ve seen, especially at last week’s pledge auction. We intend to celebrate on Sunday so please make your contribution by then if you haven’t already now. Every donation helps us continue serving our community for the next 133 years!"

God, bless this trembling offering of myself.
Make me your instrument,
your lute,
carved out, made ready,
silent,
my body the beam,
my desires the strings,
held close to you,
in tune with your heart of love.
God, play your songs through me.

Angela Ashwin, from A Book of Blessings

Throughout the last year, many of us have been writing letters to Provincial Government officials and standing alongside W̱SÁNEĆ elder Carl Olsen at Goldstream Park, raising awareness about the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure’s proposal, which threatens the entire Goldstream habitat and violates the Douglas Treaty.

Now, we invite you to join us for what promises to be a lively and informative 90 minutes with Rob YELḰÁTŦE Clifford, who will speak from the perspective of W̱SÁNEĆ Legal Theory regarding the B.C. government’s proposal to expand the Malahat highway by SELE₭TEȽ (known as the Goldstream River). Drawing on W̱SÁNEĆ stories, he will provide a W̱SÁNEĆ framework to understand the harm this proposal may cause to the trees, water, salmon, birds, animals, and the W̱SÁNEĆ people, as well as the broader implications of shifting this framework.

Join us to learn more about Indigenous legal traditions as a path to decolonization and reconciliation.

This event is brought to you by Reconciling with Indigenous Peoples and the Land (RIPL), an interfaith steering group formed to facilitate further steps in the work of reconciliation.

The Board is excited about the Thanksgiving Appeal and deeply grateful for the dedication of Karen Halliday, Greg Powell, and Deborah Davis. We have discussed plans for the upcoming Sunday Soup and Pledge lunch, along with ideas for future fundraising efforts, which will be presented to the congregation for discussion and approval soon. Additionally, we’re pleased to share that a group of congregation members is planning to sponsor a refugee family, with JBUC serving as the Sponsorship Committee. Volunteers are still needed to fill key roles, including Co-Chair for the Board, an additional member for the Ministry and Personnel Committee, and a Treasurer for the Interim Finance Committee. On a safety note, a grant has enabled the purchase of an Automated External Defibrillator, and training sessions will be held shortly, along with fire and earthquake drills. More updates will be shared in November.

Join us for the Singing in Harmony Workshop Series at James Bay United Church, a new initiative aimed at enriching our Music Ministry and the broader community! Led by our Music Director, Jennifer Turner, these workshops will focus on basic singing techniques and harmonizing through familiar songs from folk traditions, More Voices, and Voices United. Open to all levels, this supportive environment is perfect for anyone looking to boost their confidence in singing. The first workshop is on November 10th, from 12:30 PM to 2:00 PM in the JBUC Sanctuary. If you're attending the morning service, feel free to bring a bagged lunch to enjoy beforehand. For questions, please reach out to music@jamesbayunited.com. We look forward to singing with you!

Moving with Grace is back! Starting January 6, this 8-week program offers a gentle and empowering movement experience, perfect for beginning your week with calm and connection. Classes are on Mondays from 10:00 to 11:15 AM. The cost is $10 per class or $65 for the term. Space is limited, so join the January waitlist by emailing movingwithgrace.vic@gmail.com.