Newsletter Archive

What is prayer? For some of us prayer is what the minister does in worship on a Sunday morning. For others, prayer is something incorporated into the week between Sunday services. Brother Lawrence, a 17 th century monk, suggested that prayer can... More

When in our music God is glorified and adoration leaves no room for pride it is as though the whole creation cried Hallelujah! So starts hymn 533 in Voices United . Music is an important part of all our worship and has been part of our long... More

What is the heart of the gospel? You may have any number of thoughts about this but my personal preference is when Jesus responds to the question: “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus’ response? “Love God with all your... More

Since January 2007, Beach UC has engaged in faithful and purposeful ministry. Before that, two legacy congregations, Bellefair UC and Kew Beach UC created their own heart of God’s ministry in two separate locations, a stone’s throw apart. Given all... More

What is Confirmation? Is it something that young people feel they have to do, like a rite of passage or a means to graduate from Sunday School? The hope is to make the confirmation experience an exploration of faith and time of learning about the... More

“As a deer pants for water, so my soul longs for you, O God” Thirst is a powerful image to describe longing. During hot days, after a long run, or eating salty peanuts, nothing quenches thirst like a long drink of cool water. The writer of psalm 42... More

We can only hope to achieve as humans, what comes so freely from our pets . . . unconditional love, loyalty and true companionship. Darcy Bomford, 1987 founder, president and CEO of Pet Food/Treat Manufactory On Sunday, we will celebrate and bless... More

Worship is . . . How shall we complete the sentence? Derived from the Old English worthscipe meaning worthiness or worth-ship , in worship we give worth to something or someone. In a spiritual context, we give worth to God, to one another, and all... More

It is so easy to say that it is important that we care for each other. Caring is an integral component of living out our faith. It does not require academic qualifications or years of experience and it can be done by people at any age or stage of... More

Spirit of Pentecost – blow torch or gentle breeze? This Sunday we will be celebrating, what has come to be known as the birthday of the church. This beginning was marked by strange and unexpected occurrences that rocked those present to their very... More

Our guest speaker, Greig Clark, has an interesting story, some of which he will share with us on Sunday. But to fill out his story a little more, let me tell you that Greig and his wife, Carolyn, are members of Fairlawn United Church. Beginning with... More

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell just as sweet.” We are familiar with the ill-fated words from Juliet to Romeo as she names the sweetness of her lover Romeo despite his family name of Montague. The... More

“Food, glorious food!” shout all the London street urchins in the musical “Oliver.” Food is a universal need and delight. Food is a central part of our sacrament of communion, a symbol of hope, justice, and hospitality. Other great minds reflect on... More

This Sunday, David MacDonald will be sharing with us his experience at the Conference on Climate Change in Copenhagen. He accompanied our moderator Mardi Tindal and they were part of a World Council of Churches delegation. Mardi was the only North... More

“Wisdom cries aloud in the streets: in the market she raises her voice” Proverbs 1:20 What is Wisdom saying to us today, as we live and work, play and go to school in the city of Toronto? Our city lies at the edge of a great lake, where beavers swim... More

George Burns' advice to a new minister: The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending; and to have the two as close together as possible . Laughter is great medicine for the spirit, so we will celebrate Easter good cheer... More

As we travel through holy week, creation is bursting to sing Easter hallelujahs along with us. Bird song, snowdrops, crocuses, blue skies, and restaurant patio furniture call us outside into God’s world. After our Lent reflections on Jesus’ Table... More

Beginning with palm/passion Sunday, we enter holy week, a central focus of our Christian faith. Throughout Lent we have followed Jesus’ life and teaching by reflecting on his table ministry—all the ways that he ate with people: · turning water into... More

Are you a morning person? Do you connect with the psalmist who says: "O God, in the morning you hear my voice: In the morning I plead my case to you and watch" Psalm 5:3 If you want to connect with God in a very practical way this Saturday morning,... More

Do you take notice of those large, bill-board type signs that you can see from the Gardiner? Are you drawn to the flashing lights and bright pictures or are you oblivious to the “over the top” messages and focus on your driving?! You might not have... More

lenten spiritual practices The word lent comes from an old Anglo-Saxon word meaning “spring” or taken literally meaning this is the time of year when days lengthen. Lent can be springtime for our spirits as we nurture growth in faith. The 40 days of... More

lenten spiritual practices Lent began on February 17 and will continue for 40 days right up to Easter. The number 40 is significant in the bible: • Noah’s flood lasted for 40 days • Moses stayed on Mount Sinai for 40 days • Israelites wandered in... More

lenten spiritual practices Lent has a long tradition in the wider church with practices spanning from depriving ourselves of significant things in our lives to completely ignoring this season. Culturally, we tend to think of lent as a time of... More

Heart Labyrinth The labyrinth symbolizes a spiritual journey and these pathways are found in ancient cultures all over the world, including on the floors of many gothic cathedrals in Europe. Walking the labyrinth helps us to centre ourselves and... More

Our life is a journey. We are always “on the road” but there are certain experiences that are opportunities to pause and reflect. This coming Sunday is one of those opportunities, when we say goodbye to the Bellefair building. This huge change in... More

Taking Time to Celebrate The Gala is sold out! That was the news shared by a member of the Gala Planning Team last week in worship. Food has been arriving all week. Rehearsals for the entertainment have been happening. Prizes have been wrapped.... More

Look on my right hand and see – there is no one who takes notice of me, No refuge remains for me: no one cares for me. I stretch out my hand to you, O God. My soul thirsts for you, like a parched land. [excerpts from Psalms 142 & 143] To feel that... More

Hundreds, maybe thousands, of people were buried alive when a major earthquake struck Port-au-Prince, the capital of impoverished Haiti on Tuesday. The magnitude 7.0 quake sent panic-stricken people into the streets. Prime Minister Jean-Max... More

Lots of initiatives are emerging at Beach United as you will see below. Our new year season of epiphany—meaning to make manifest the spirit of God—is clearly evident. Symbols of epiphany are evident in concrete activities at Beach: Magi: Like three... More

Happy New Year! Without even realizing, we have gently slipped into the season of Epiphany. What is Epiphany I hear you wondering? The ancient festival of Epiphany predates Christmas but gets a poor showing following all the celebrations of Advent,... More

About Christmas Poet Ann Weems writes:God has loved us without fail and out of ultimate grace gave us a gift beyond compare a Christmas present never to be forgotten: God’s very self, a child, love incarnate. Revered theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer... More

A Spirituality of Place George MacLeod, of the Iona Community, coined the expression “thin places” to describe those places where God’s presence is felt strongly, where the connection between humans and God is “tissue thin.” Those places may be... More

I wanted to share with you what our moderator, Mardi Tindal, is doing to support the Copenhagen Climate Change Talks. We at Beach are also doing our part on December 13th, but it’s good hear how our national church is acting at a global level. As... More