Sunday Wonderings
2025__01_19_sunday_wonderings.pdf
2025_01_12_sunday_wonderings.pdf
sunday_wonderings_advent_4_dec._22nd.docx
sunday_wonderings_advent_3_dec._15.pdf
sunday_wonderings_advent_2_dec._8th.pdf
sunday_wonderings_advent_1_dec._1st_.pdf
sunday_wonderings_nov._22nd.pdf
sunday_wonderings_-_2024_11_-10.pdf
sunday_wonderings_-_2024_09_25.pdf
sunday_wonderings_-_2024_09_14.pdf
sunday_wonderings_and_other_things_-_september_6th.pdf
sunday_wonderings_and_other_things_-_august_30th.pdf
sunday_wonderings_august_18th_2024.pdf
2025__01_19_sunday_wonderings.pdf
2025_01_12_sunday_wonderings.pdf
sunday_wonderings_advent_4_dec._22nd.docx
sunday_wonderings_advent_3_dec._15.pdf
sunday_wonderings_advent_2_dec._8th.pdf
sunday_wonderings_advent_1_dec._1st_.pdf
sunday_wonderings_nov._22nd.pdf
sunday_wonderings_-_2024_11_-10.pdf
sunday_wonderings_-_2024_09_25.pdf
sunday_wonderings_-_2024_09_14.pdf
sunday_wonderings_and_other_things_-_september_6th.pdf
sunday_wonderings_and_other_things_-_august_30th.pdf
sunday_wonderings_august_18th_2024.pdf
Reflections of the Heart
thank_you_jasper_lights.docx
different_lanes_same_pool.pdf
2024-07-26_-_pastoral_letter_to_jasper_united_church_in_alberta.pdf
grief_groceries_-_posting_aug._15th_web.docx
reflections_of_a_heart_-_day_after_bus_tour.docx
thank_you_jasper_lights.docx
different_lanes_same_pool.pdf
2024-07-26_-_pastoral_letter_to_jasper_united_church_in_alberta.pdf
grief_groceries_-_posting_aug._15th_web.docx
reflections_of_a_heart_-_day_after_bus_tour.docx
August 1st posting to Facebook after receiving confirmation of images seen on July 24th.
It is heartbreaking to think of the loss of our sanctuary where we opened our doors for worship on a Sunday morning, and gathered for music concerts, special worship services, book studies, and Advent and Lent studies. It was the sacred space of remembering and celebrating the lives of those who had gone before us. It was for us at JUC a place of heaven on earth.
The loss of the church is also the loss of the thrift store where there was always a special treasure waiting for all who entered, a community hub of volunteers and a place of hope for those in great need. The McCready Center, the first build of the new church, offered space for so much in the community – Embers and Girl Guides, shelter for so many school trips, family celebrations, teas and gatherings on Sunday morning following church. Jasper United Church was a place of welcome and community for all.
The manse, that once stood beside the church, was also destroyed in the fire. It served to house those who were called to serve the church. It was a beautiful home with ample space and beautifully cared for by members of the church. The first year I was there, when the beautiful elk and deer wanted to feast on my small garden, in no time at all Wayne, Bob and Don (and a few others who came to lend a hand) had erected an extension on the fence to keep my garden safe. Then last summer Ann spent several days staining the deck and the fence, in her happy place of serving with a paintbrush in hand. I could tell so many stories and this would be just in the last three years. If the ashes could speak they would tell stories of a manse well cared for through the years because it mattered to the folks of Jasper United Church that their minister was well cared for. That's just who they are.
Our hearts ache, not yet able to fully take it all in. As a people of faith, we turn to the God of our hope for strength and courage in the days, weeks and months to come. By this hope, we will find our way to being a place of community for all once again. But first, we take time to lament, we sit in the unknown of Holy Saturday trusting in the promise that is the Easter of our faith. From death, new life is given.
It is heartbreaking to think of the loss of our sanctuary where we opened our doors for worship on a Sunday morning, and gathered for music concerts, special worship services, book studies, and Advent and Lent studies. It was the sacred space of remembering and celebrating the lives of those who had gone before us. It was for us at JUC a place of heaven on earth.
The loss of the church is also the loss of the thrift store where there was always a special treasure waiting for all who entered, a community hub of volunteers and a place of hope for those in great need. The McCready Center, the first build of the new church, offered space for so much in the community – Embers and Girl Guides, shelter for so many school trips, family celebrations, teas and gatherings on Sunday morning following church. Jasper United Church was a place of welcome and community for all.
The manse, that once stood beside the church, was also destroyed in the fire. It served to house those who were called to serve the church. It was a beautiful home with ample space and beautifully cared for by members of the church. The first year I was there, when the beautiful elk and deer wanted to feast on my small garden, in no time at all Wayne, Bob and Don (and a few others who came to lend a hand) had erected an extension on the fence to keep my garden safe. Then last summer Ann spent several days staining the deck and the fence, in her happy place of serving with a paintbrush in hand. I could tell so many stories and this would be just in the last three years. If the ashes could speak they would tell stories of a manse well cared for through the years because it mattered to the folks of Jasper United Church that their minister was well cared for. That's just who they are.
Our hearts ache, not yet able to fully take it all in. As a people of faith, we turn to the God of our hope for strength and courage in the days, weeks and months to come. By this hope, we will find our way to being a place of community for all once again. But first, we take time to lament, we sit in the unknown of Holy Saturday trusting in the promise that is the Easter of our faith. From death, new life is given.