Storrington Pastoral Charge                                        Battersea Worship: 9:30 am

(Inverary and Battersea United Churches)           Inverary Worship: 11:00 am          

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Welcome to storrington.net, the website for the Storrington Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada!

"Take time to be aware that in the very midst of our busy preparations for the celebration of Christ’s birth in ancient Bethlehem, Christ is reborn in the Bethlehems of our homes and daily lives. Take time, slow down, be still, be awake to the Divine Mystery that looks so common and so ordinary yet is wondrously present.” (Take Time to be Aware . . .Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac, p. 196)

It is the beautiful task of Advent to awaken in all of us memories of goodness and thus to open doors of hope.

December brings with it a sense of opposites for many. There is the joy of the season often combined with senses of losses, changes and memories both good and bad can seem to grab hold. It is often such a busy, stressful time that people can feel like they are working out of obligations and energy is running from the reserve.

We need to wait for the holiday but the waiting and preparing can sometimes be so challenging that one is drained when we are expected to celebrate.

We need to take hold of the hope, peace, joy and love that is our Advent season. If we can tap into enthusiasm and get into it, tiredness can have a way of vanishing. Depletedness is replaced by energy and hope. Stress and frustration is replaced by a sensing of God’s grace and peace. Pain and exhaustion give way to joy. Hurts and wounds are healed by love. Enthusiasm comes from the Greek, “in God”. May our doing and being, be God centred.

As you find yourself in those moments of overwhelm, stress overload and the clock seeming to tick at double speed, pause. Be still. Breathe. Reclaim your attitude of gratitude. In a moment of prayerful thanks, reach for the abundance of God’s love to hold you close, as we all make our journey to Bethlehem.

During this time of waiting you may like to be involved with some of our outreach projects to help those in their time of waiting. We have three valuable resources called the “Benevolent Fund”, “The Snow Suit Fund”, and the “Christmas Tag Project” which have become important services to those in need in our communities. Confidentiality is assured in administering all of these funds.

The Benevolent Fund helps people in financial need in our communities, often helping with such costs as food, hydro or prescriptions. The Snow Suit Fund and Christmas Tag project assists in buying warm clothes and gifts for families in our areas. If you wish to give to any of these outreach projects, or have any questions please call me.

The Storrington Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada (serving the Battersea and Inverary communities) would like to invite you to any or all of our Advent and Christmas celebrations found on the back of this page. All are welcome! If you would like any more information, please call me at 613-353-2727. May God’s blessings rest upon each of you throughout this time of waiting and preparation.

Peace,

Rev. Heather McLurg-Murphy

 updated: Jan 6/10