Wesley-Knox Bulletin

The United Church of Canada E-ssentials

Minister's Musings

Dear Friends,

Madonna released a new album recently, and while I am not big into an entire album of dance music, it is a good collection. There was one song, with lyrics that spoke to me: 

The dance floor is not just a place, it's a threshold;

A ritualistic space where movement replaces language

Those words spoke to me, especially right now. A threshold. A ritualistic space where movement replaces language. I could have used that quote when I was teaching liturgics (worship theology) in the seminary!

That's exactly what worship is…or should be. Worship isn't a business meeting, though some weeks we have important business to share with you. Worship isn’t social hour, although we pass the peace and certainly do enjoy being in community together. 

Worship is a threshold. It helps us bridge the gap between this world and the realm of God. It is a threshold to the past, in that worship should help us recall the mighty acts of God, and, in so doing, we gain strength for the spiritual struggles we face today. Worship is a threshold in the way it helps us see that the veil between this world and the next is particularly thin. The world we are in and the world that holds our loved ones are “only a breath away” from each other (to quote a Josh Groban song). Worship is a threshold into the community of God where we are (hopefully) nurtured, challenged, and equipped to live our faith in ways that make God’s Kingdom a reality in the world. 



Worship is ritual. Rituals are actions that convey meaning. But here’s the key: rituals are only as important as their shared meaning. My rituals surrounding my family holidays, for example, have immense shared meaning for our kids, but probably wouldn't be that important to you all. And your rituals, while important to you, wouldn't likely carry the same meaning for me. Ritual must have shared meaning, or it's just superstition. And rituals can speak in ways that replace spoken language. The white robe (alb) I wear reminds us of the white garments of Baptism. The candles, cross, and other chancel appointments remind us of Christ's presence and the theme of the season we are in. Reading the Gospel from the floor and not the pulpit reminds us of Christ, the incarnate one who came down to live among us. We come forward for communion to remind ourselves that we are choosing to follow Jesus. It is, in effect, our version of an altar call! We reverence the altar table (with a slight pause or bow) as a way of affirming that God alone deserves our allegiance.  

All of these things we do are sacred drama; acts and rituals that remind us of the purpose of worship. We are not at a service club (as great as they are). We are not in a business meeting (as important as church business is); we are in Divine Worship, and in that space, we come expecting to meet the risen Lord. And in that meeting, we expect our lives to be changed. 

See you Sunday!

Rev Rob + 

Capital Campaign for our Flooring Project

Can you imagine how many people have walked on the carpet of our sanctuary over the generations, celebrated milestones, and have found comfort here.



Clearly our historic sanctuary flooring has served us beautifully for over 60+ years, but it has reached the end of its lifespan – the floor needs updating and the carpet needs a complete replacement to ensure safety and preserve our church’s beauty.

David Pauls and EJ Lamb: have taken on the role of co-chairs in the Capital Campaign and are both honored to help lead this vital project.

The cost of the project is: $130,000 and this sets our campaign goal

• We have established a 2-year pledge program.
• We are officially launched the pledge phase on July 5th. Physical pledge forms are available right now to help families map out their contributions over the next two years. One-time pledges are welcome as are pledges over time.

We have had a wave of early momentum! This week we would like to share one of those waves – Ann Stokes shared that The Wesley-Knox United Church Women (UCW) have generously stepped forward to kickstart the project with a substantial, inspiring opening pledge of $20,000 – Thank you very much.

We have a Fundraising Thermometer in the social hall to track the progress!

Transparency is key. Every week, we will update the pledge total and reveal donor updates so our community can watch our progress rise together.

Beyond Pledges: Reaching this goal will be a community-wide effort. Mention that initial planning is already underway for fun fellowship fundraisers.

Call for Ideas & Volunteers: We invite the congregation into the process. We need your creative ideas and your hands. If you have an event idea or want to help organize one of these activities, we want to hear from you.

We will have a display table in the Social Hall every week and invite everyone to stop directly after the service concludes.

"Thank you for your continued love, dedication, and investment in the foundation of Wesley-Knox. Together, we will keep our sanctuary standing strong for the next generation."

Palestine Land Exercise (PLE) Update

The PLE is an interactive presentation that walks participants through key historical events in the region since the late 19th century. This immersive experience is followed by time for reflection and discussion.

For the last year, a “team” from Wesley-Knox and Siloam have been leading this Exercise. The Team members are Sandy Bell-Cameron; Mary Bee, Mo and Tony Haworth; John McFall; Diane and David Knoppert, from Wesley-Knox, and Mary and David Dillon, from Siloam.

Thanks to a “Seeds of Hope Grant” from the United Church of Canada Foundation, we were able to purchase the props needed for the Exercise and help pay for refreshments for the first 5 PLEs we led.

We have led 7 PLEs so far - in London, Brantford, Toronto and Windsor.  Included in these PLEs, we lead one directed at youth, another for the Coldstream Quakers and two for Palestinian groups.

The audience response has always been very positive and thankful for what we are doing. The exercise can be quite emotional for the audience, and for us as leaders, evenafter doing the Exercise many times. 

This experience has also been a learning experience for the audience and for us as we meet various people, often Palestinians, who have their own personal stories to tell. Our knowledge and awareness of the situation in Palestine/Israel has greatly increased.

We have 2 more PLEs booked – one in July at the Unitarian Fellowship and the second in November at First-St. Andrew’s United Church. 

If you would like to attend one of these PLEs, please let me know. And – if you know of a group that would be interested in having us come to lead the Exercise with them, let me know as well. We can likely find a date that will work.

Stewardship Thought for the Week

Our Sanctuary Restoration capital campaign is fundamentally a spiritual exercise. The restoration of the sanctuary is intimately linked to our mission “to build a relationship with God”, by providing an inspiring focal point for worship and a place of sanctuary in a world of disorder. 

1 Chronicles 29:14: "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.”

"Knit Happens" is going "live" for 2 weeks on July 7th and 14th in the east parking lot at Rowntree at 7:00 pm. We will be concentrating on making the hearts and cards for the Pride Parade on July 19th. Directions and yarn readily available. Some crochet hooks provided. Other crafting also welcome. Bring a lawn chair and a beverage to keep hydrated. There will be access to washrooms. In case of rain we will be indoors. For those who can't come in person - try Zooming! (link attached and will work for both dates) Everyone welcome!

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84805976801?pwd=jpaxokaHUzoRAbQZPgi0qscp3uRaso.1

Meeting ID: 848 0597 6801

Passcode: 171778



London's Climate Action Newsletter

Reducing contamination in the Green Bins (tips from City of London):

• plastic bags, packaging: stuff all plastic into one bag and place in “paper” blue bin
• Includes bags from: dry cleaning, bread, newspapers and flyers. Overwrap (paper towel & toilet paper, beverage containers). Coffee bags or deli pouches, chip bags, bubble wrap, snack wrappers, cereal liner bags, plastic gift bags.
• hot beverage cups: go in “containers” blue bin
• cigarettes: go in landfill
• cutlery (compostable or plastic): go in landfill
• leaf and yard waste: please wait for yard waste pick up (only houseplants and flower arrangements are accepted in the green bin)
• When in doubt, use the Recycle Coach App

At Monday’s London Transit Commission meeting, Ward 6 Coun. Sam Trosow proposed programs aimed at boosting ridership while helping ease traffic and parking pressures. (this motion was approved)

• explore special pass or group-buying opportunities for public employers such as St. Joseph’s Hospital, London Health Sciences Centre, London airport staff, and faculty at Fanshawe College and Western University, as well as large private employers including Canada Life and 3M.
• It also wants staff to examine the possibility of running special shuttles from city-owned parking lots or major shopping centres for high-attendance events such as London Knights games, Sunfest and Rock the Park.

Workshop: A Greener Home Starts Here. Sat July 11, 11am-12:30pm Hosted by the London Environmental Network at the London Food Co-op, 621 Princess St. This workshop will provide expert advice and actionable recommendations on:

• Energy efficiency
• Water conservation
• Green infrastructure
• Home retrofits
• Available funding and incentive programs

Register for the Event and Apply for FREE Energy Retrofits Worth Up to $7,000

Wed July 15, 8:30-10pm 𝗢𝘄𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗹 𝗮𝘁 𝗙𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘄𝗲 𝗖𝗔, first come, first served (capacity:40). Park entrance fees apply.

Sat July 18, 9:30 - 11:30am Antler River Rally clean up event. Location TBD

Wed Aug 12, 4-5pm Monthly Dose of Climate Hope with Bill McKibben. In conversation with Sam Matey-Coste, of Climate Action Now, Bill will share what decades of climate activism have taught him about hope, power, and progress — and why the movement is both stronger and more urgent than ever before.

July 12th - July 25th, 2026



Wesley-Knox Upcoming Events



July 18 - BBQ Bingo 5:30 pm

July 19 - Pride Parade 12:00 pm

July 29 - UCW Shared Ministries Potluck 12:00 pm



The Shire to Stratford: A Youth Overnight Quest



Attend a unique overnight experience in Stratford inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, featuring a live theatre performance at the renowned Avon Theatre alongside a variety of engaging and memorable activities. Registration is open for youth (grade 7 and up) and their youth leaders. Dig deeper into our event details and share with youth. Limited tickets are available, so don't wait!



The theatre ticket is generously covered by a grant from the Western Ontario Waterways Region of the United Church of Canada.

Pastoral Care



Prayers for our church families enduring grief, loss, or loneliness.

If you or a loved one is dealing with a difficult time, such as illness,hospitalization, loneliness, or any of life’s challenges, our Pastoral Care team is available for support.

Please call the Church office and you will be contacted

by a member of our team: Rev Dr. Rob, Margo Bettger-Hahn, Linda Olson, Sandra Fox, Helen Humphreys, Liz Dunlop, and Paul Stewart

On evenings and weekends, you may reach us through Facebook Messenger (you do not need a Facebook account to message.)

You are not alone!

Resources:



We are part of the United Church of Canada

Our Region falls within the

Antler-River Watershed, Region #7

Link located at the bottom of this email

Access daily devotionals here, provided by “The Upper Room”

https://www.upperroom.org/devotionals

Liturgical Calendar Resources

for worship planning:

Link located at the bottom of this email

Handbooks and Guidelines for Staff, Council, Committees, and Volunteers:

https://united-church.ca/handbooks-and-guidelines

Anyone wishing to place flowers in the sanctuary

for a special occasion or in memory of a loved one, is encouraged to do so.

It brightens our worship, and, by adding a message in the bulletin,

it connects us as a congregation.

If you wish to place flowers, please call or email Liz Dunlop.

She will give you the information you need and confirm the date, and make sure the office has the information for the bulletin. Thank you!

Liz Dunlop, Sanctuary Flower Coordinator

(519) 668-2507

E-mail:

ldunlop@rogers.com