1011 – 4 Avenue South, Lethbridge, AB T1J 0P7 Phone: 403 327-3404 * Fax: 403 320-9863

Email: smunited@shaw.ca Webpage: southminsterunited.org

also on Facebook

Southminster News

Sunday Worship Services

10:30 a.m. Sunday School & Nursery

available ~Coffee Hour to follow service~

Open Hearts

Open Minds

Open Doors

February 2019

Something will be happening at SUCh

every Saturday at 10:30

1st Saturday will be family activities

(games, dances, laser tag?)

2nd Saturday will be crafts

3rd Saturday will be Tad Talk

4th Saturday will be discussions of a different sort (TBA)

Any 5th Saturdays will be a movie with discussion.

(BYOpopcorn)

beginning February 16th! The first event will be a craft. Amy will have a paint-in

muslin banner ready. It will be 10' high. We will paint in the design, and it will be quilted when complete. Anyone

over the age of 6 can do this project! We'll do the craft it in the basement where it can stay

for the weeks it will take to complete it.

Faith Formation’s 12th Annual Book

Sale will be held on Saturday, Feb 2,

2019 from 11 am to 3pm in SM Hall. Please recycle your gently used books

through this church fundraiser.

All books $2 or $1 if you donate another

book. Books can be brought in during the

sale as well!

Saturday February 2

At 9 a.m.

$5

Southminster’s 2018 Annual General

meeting is scheduled for

Sunday, March 17.

It has been pushed back to ensure we have the

financial audit completed

and ready for the meeting.

Please plan to attend, meeting to start right

after the service in SM hall.

Next guided Labyrinth walk

On Monday, February 11th at 6:30 pm with Nancy Fabro, a Veriditas certified

Labyrinth Facilitator ~ by donation ~

Southminster News – FEBRUARY 2019 page 2

Page 2

A Deaconess is a woman appointed or chosen as a lay church worker or assistant to the minister. The Deaconess Order of Canada trained young women who desired to minister to the welfare of others and to assist a minister in the work of the church. According to our church records, we have had several deaconesses between the 1930s-1950s and one was Mrs. Gwen (Davis) McMurty who served for a year 1943-1944. She was born in Balgonie, Saskatchewan in 1920. Gwen attended the United Church Training School and was designated a deaconess in 1944.She took a position with the Women’s Missionary Society and was assigned to Southminster Church. Gwen had married in 1944 and resigned her position to assist her husband as he continued his studies in the United States. Gwen spent the rest of her life in church work with her husband and passed away in 1992

Six o’clock in the Chapel

This half-an-hour long vesper-style service is held on

the Second Saturday of each month in the Buchanan Chapel.

The inspiring message & beautiful music will be sure to lift your spirits.

February vesper service will take place on

Saturday, Feb 9, 2019 at 6 o’clock!

Lenten Lunches in 2019 – served at noon hour

March 7 St. Andrew’s

March 14 Salvation Army

March 21 St. Augustine’s

March 28 Southminster

April 4 Christ Trinity Lutheran

and Lethbridge Mennonite

at Lethbridge Mennonite

April 11 All Saints at St. Basil’s

Ten days that will change lives,

including yours.

We are very excited to let you know that some

Southminster families have committed to joining a

house building trip to the Dominican Republic next

Christmas break (Dec 27/19 – Jan 5/20), and we want

you to come too!! We would love to create a whole

team from Southminster to finish a project together,

this takes 15 people. With our financial support and

hard work, in 10 days a family will have a clean and safe

home that will not only improve their lives but will help

bring change and hope to a struggling community. The

organization we are going with is called “Live Different”

please have a look at their website and consider joining

us! https://livedifferent.com/builds/

We will meet on February 17th after church in the

lounge to talk more about the specifics of the program.

Any age and ability level is welcome!! If you’re

interested or ready to jump in and get your hands dirty

please meet with us, or just come and talk with me,

Corinne Steele.

If you are interested in joining our Handbell

Choir this spring, please talk to Kade at coffee

hour or email him at kade.hogg@gmail.com .

We will begin in March and practice two

Wednesdays per month from 6 – 7 p.m. We

look forward to ringing with you soon!

Mrs. McMurty

Southminster News – FEBRUARY 2019 Page 3

Do you believe in church

VOLUNTEERS?

From Janice Ross, chair of Church Council

Do you ever wonder how many volunteers it takes on

a regular Sunday to make our service and after

church coffee work?

**Music and worship need to call and find ushers/

Greeter and they also collect offering. 3 people

**James needs to find a Reader for call to worship

and testament. 1 person

**Deb needs 3 people on the first Sunday of the

month as required for communion.

**Wanda needs to find 2 to 3 people for coffee set up

and clean up.

After a group of us went to the Flourishing Churches

seminar in November we met and have come up with

an idea to try over this year.

We are seeking 11 individuals (we have some already

keen on this idea) to head up a team to cover the 11

months of service we have at Southminster. (in

August we are not active in our building)

Each team leader will put together a team of

individuals - some for jobs as described above - but

also those who need contact with their church family.

When we are done every person in our congregation

should be affiliated with a group.

In theory when you join a group or two you would

not be called at any other time of the year to help

with these tasks. You would know well in advance

what month or months you are responsible for with

your team lead co-ordinating. With enough people

sharing these tasks we are hoping to lessen the

burden of those always seeking volunteers; also you

can choose your schedule.

We will always have spares to help should you fall ill

or take an unexpected holiday etc.

More information to follow… and announcements

on Sundays.

The annual Cade Community Lectures sponsored by Ecumenical Campus Ministry, the Public Library and Office of the President of the U of L begin January 14th (Jan. 14th, 21st, Feb. 4th and 11th) at the downtown library (beginning at 7:30 pm). This year’s theme is “Yea, Thought I Walk Through the Valley of Death: Explorations of the Human Experience of Death and Dying”. (See our bulletin board for other topics in the series.)

Tad’s Bible Study Group meets Saturdays

Saturday, Feb. 16th at 10:30 P.M.

The Parable of MUSTARD SEED

MATTHEW 13:31-32, MARK 4:30-32, LUKE 13:18-19 "Small is beautiful" Jesus advocated the importance of what is small, often overlooked and thought to be insignificant and undervalued.

Southminster is hosting the Lenten Lunch on

Thursday, March 28 at noon. We would appreciate

donations of homemade soups and cookies and

volunteers to help. Please call Joan 403.328.4771 if

you can assist in any way.

Steve and Vera Denecky wish to Thank the South-

minster Pastoral Care Committee and Sunday School

Group for the gift and cards delivered to our house by

Amy Dodic. Also thanks to LUCAS for creating a lovely

handmade Christmas card also delivered by Amy.

Both of us had disastrous issues in 2017 and 2018. Vera

suffered with Guillain Bari syndrome in October 2017

and early in January 2018 Steve slipped on an icy

sidewalk and fractured his left hip.

Also thanks to the church members for their hospital

visits. These visits were greatly appreciated.

Steve and Vera Denecky

2018 12

Southminster United ChurchDecember

YTD

Last Yr

YTD

Annual

Budget

Average

Month

Budget per

Month

Off Budget

per month

Congregational Collections 151,559 146,835 147,000 12,630 12,250 380

Designated Recoveries 26,783 6,361 6,260 2,232 522 1,710

Rentals & Other Income 126,561 119,830 115,500 10,547 9,625 922

Total Funds In 304,903 273,026 268,760 25,409 22,397 3,012

Staffing Costs 211,925 205,430 210,933 17,660 17,578 83

Operating Costs (Office,

Insurance, Conference) ***33,202 30,079 40,687 2,767 3,391 -624

Facility Upgrades 13,646 1,137 1,137

Building Upkeep 24,040 15,392 17,500 2,003 1,458 545

Utilities 28,550 24,514 27,500 2,379 2,292 87

Committees 10,652 4,611 8,600 888 717 171

Total Expenses 322,015 280,025 305,220 26,835 25,435 1,400

Current Net -17,112 -6,999 -36,460 -1,426 -3,038 1,612

*** Remember - we budgeted $ 10 K for the Financial Audit which won't be spent until 2019

Southminster News – FEBRUARY 2019 Page 4

Southminster, We have Much

to Celebrate !!

Have a look at the attached Financial Report for

2018. Yes, we have a deficit – but less than half

of what we had budgeted. Mind you, we didn’t

have to pay for the Audit – which is currently

underway - until 2019 when the 2 years will be

done all at once.

Just so you know – we are delaying the AGM until

March 17 to give the accountants enough time to

complete their analysis. Everything seems to be

going well so far and I would certainly like to

express my appreciation to Val, especially, and

Taina as well, for all the extra work and checking

on back-up documentation. The Revised report

will be presented as well as a Budget for 2019.

Speaking of the Budget - - - We had a fantastic

December for Offerings. Thank you to those who

contributed more than usual. Please consider

increasing your financial support on a more

regular basis during the coming year.

We also had a larger than normal number of

events taking place in our facility. F.Y.I. our

Rental Revenue was in excess of $ 124 thousand

in 2018 – WOW !!! ( Howard & Shona often considered bringing in cots - and, no doubt, are quite tired of Mc-Burgers. & fries) Please remember to say your thanks to them as you pass them by. They work hard and sometimes very long hours.

👍😊 T'is Wonderful, T'is Marvelous

. . . Southminster Forwarded funds

on Your behalf in 2018:

Canyon Camp $ 365.25 Lethbridge Soup Kitchen $ 3,447.22 Foodbank $ 100 Foodgrains Bank $ 580.30 Mission & Service $ 16,393.50 and collected $ 2,743.30 for the

Benevolent Fund. 👍

Holy Ship !!! A boatload of Fun ! For more information, please contact Lori O'Leary. At Coffee, Online -

bandloleary@gmail.com or call/text 403-393-1153

Marion and Jim Doyle would like to thank the Sunday school

leaders and children for the Christmas Card and Candy which

the choir delivered when they came caroling. It was so kind of

you to think of us and we appreciate your thoughtfulness!