May 20, 2026
They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Acts 2:3-4
Pentecost Sunday marks the “birthday of the Church,” celebrating the Holy Spirit’s descent upon the apostles to empower their mission. It highlights unity in diversity, enabling believers to speak a universal language of love and peace. Key themes include receiving spiritual gifts for service, overcoming fear, and receiving the Spirit’s power for forgiveness.
Empowerment and Mission: Pentecost acts as a “jumping-off point” for the early church, where the Spirit gives believers the courage to move past fear and become active witnesses of God’s love and justice.
- The Church’s Birthday: It marks the shift from a gathering of fearful disciples to a courageous community equipped for service.
- Unity in Diversity: The Spirit allows people of different backgrounds, languages, and cultures to understand one another, symbolizing the reversal of the Babel tower division.
- Spiritual Gifts & Transformation: Christians are encouraged to embrace the seven special gifts—Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord—to build up the Church.
- A Living Gospel: The feast calls on believers to move beyond just celebrating to actively living out the gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit, such as love, joy, and peace.
- Breath of Reconciliation: Jesus breathes the Spirit onto the disciples, linking the gift of the Spirit with the authority to forgive sins and act as a reconciling presence in a broken world.
- Pentecost Sunday Reflection suggests that in a frequently divided world, we are called to be agents of harmony, letting the Spirit guide our words and actions.
Worship Calendar
May 24 / The Wild Wonder of Pentecost / Matthew 28:18-20 & Acts 2:1-21 / Rev. Eric Lee
May 31 /. More than an Observer / John 3:1-17 / Rev. Eric Lee
June 7 / Communion: The Great Exchange / Romans 1: 18-32 & 2:1-4. / Rev. Eric Lee
NEWS AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Common Scents
Please be advised that our church has a scent-free protocol. It seems that some of our dear parishioners feel unwell due to heavy floral smells. Please be considerate of those in our congregation who are affected by strong smells and odors and refrain from perfumes or colognes when coming to worship on Sunday mornings. Thank you one and all.
Coffee Sign-Up
May 24 – Margaret & Robyn
May 31 – Earl & Jackie
June 7 – Susan & Kathy
Please note: Effective June 14 we will be serving lemonade at the Fellowship time after worship. If you are so inclined to donate a box or 2 of cookies to help cover the summer months, it would be very much appreciated. Please give your donations to Kathy or Susan so that we can store them safely during the summer months.
September Bible Study
Jacob Birch from the Canadian Bible Society will be leading an 8 week bible study beginning on Tuesday, September 22 at 12:15. He will be offering an overview of the bible from Genesis all the way to Revelations. Mark this in your calendars as it should prove to be a fascinating journey through the Bible.
A Spring Devotional Update (May 20):
A new edition of Our Daily Bread (June/July/August), as well as the current edition of These Days (April/May/June) are available on the table in the church vestibule and in the devotional box on the church porch.
Elaine’s Craft Club Luncheon
Elaine’s Craft Club is inviting the congregation to join them for lunch On Tuesday June 9, 2026, at Prince’s Japanese Steakhouse, 5555 Eglinton Ave., E. Mississauga. If you plan to attend, please sign up on the sheet posted on the bulletin board in the front hallway.
Getting Through the Day with Grace by Julia Attaway
It is in the present that God wants you alive, focused, faithful.
I was thinking the other day, after a good stretch of days filled with drama and trauma and stress, that we’re actually only ever given one problem: how to get through today well, with grace and patience and faith and love and wisdom. Then the day comes to an end.
For some reason that idea was immensely comforting to me. We don’t have to do it all; my job on any given day isn’t to resolve every issue, see the end of the tunnel, or make others happy. My job is not to be happy, to get what I want, enlighten the whole world, or convince others so they understand what I am going through. My job today is deal with today in a Christian manner. Lord knows that can be plenty!
Tomorrow I can worry entirely about tomorrow. But today–oh yes, today! –is what I can do something about now. The moment I am in is the moment God wants me alive, focused, faithful.
As the sun goes down, my job is to find the good that was mixed in with the bad, the satisfaction mixed in with the frustration, the grace mixed in with the temptations. My job is to confess my faults, make amends where I can, forgive what I can, accept my limitations, and rest.
There was evening and there was morning–the first day. Life is easier when we live it the way God ordained it: one day at a time.
* Tuesdays @ 11:00 AM – Walking Group – All are welcome to walk and enjoy Centennial Park
* Thursdays @ 2:00 PM – Worship service at Centennial Park Place
* Monday, May 25 @ 6:30 PM – Mission Team meeting
* Monday, June 1 @ 6:00 PM – Outreach Team’s potluck dinner
* Tuesday, June 9 – Elaine’s Craft Club luncheon at Prince’s Japanese Steakhouse
*Friday, Sept. 11 @ 2:00 PM – Music & Worship meeting