Wesley-Knox Bulletin

The United Church of Canada E-ssentials

Minister's Musings

Dear Friends,



Last night, Rob and I attended a strawberry Ice Cream Social at Riverside. When we walked in, we were happy to see the crowd, but also surprised and pleased to see several faces from Wesley-Knox. It's been a year since we formally entered into a shared ministry agreement and 2 years since we started talking about it. 

I just want to say how happy I am to see the effort made by people at WK to share in events from the other shared ministry churches, and how they have included us as well! Traditionally, churches “silo” themselves within their own communities. “If it's not at my church, it's not for me” seems to be the attitude. I really do understand how natural it is. Last year, I went to Riverside for a UCW covered dish lunch and saw a bunch of women from the UCW here.  “Some of your ladies are here too!” one person said. I just replied, “You are ALL my ladies now!” We even have some folks from the other churches joining us for Church Camp this weekend. 

I know not everyone can attend everything and not everyone wants to come to the same things, but I did want to say thanks to you all for the way you are embracing this crazy experiment in how to be church together. The three ministers are bonding with all four of our churches, and it feels good.  We really are becoming one big church family with 4 parts. Each individual, each with their own strengths, gifts, and worship styles. But together we can be so much stronger as we witness to the radical love of God for us all.  

Once again, let me tell you how proud I am to be in ministry with you all. 



Have a great week!

Rev Rob +

STEWARDSHIP THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK

Stewardship is about living – how we use all the resources God has given us in ways that honour God.



"Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received." — 1 Peter 4:10 NRSV

Worship Thoughts



“To Sing is to Pray Twice” So goes a famous saying attributed to St Augustine. While prayer is a wonderful way to connect with the divine, its always been known that there is something about music that touches the soul and connects us to God.

Of course the problem is that different people are moved by different kinds of music. I find that a capella music and traditional music moves me the most although some contemporary faith music is quite meaningful. Others my find that contemporary music feeds their soul and the older “camp meeting” hymns just don’t do it for them. And herein lies the dilemma. 

At church, we have whats referred to as a blended service. It isn’t all traditional or all contemporary, but (hopefully) a blended style, with varied music to reach a varied group of people. If there are three hymns in a service, ideally there might be one contemporary, one classic and one camp meeting hymn. Or minimally one from one style and one from another. So yeah, its entirely possible (and does happen) that in the same service one person will say “Ugh…those draggy oldie-mouldie hymns are soooo boring!” and invariably someone in the same service will say “All we ever sing are the new hymns. Why cant we sing the old classics we used to?” I just laugh when that happens. 

But that is the point. In a blended worship service I may like all the hymns or I may like one and hate the other. But here’s the strange thing about that: I’m not the only person at worship! Its not about me. And frankly I’m not the intended recipient of the worship…God is!! Hopefully there will be something in the service that means something to everyone. It just might not be the same thing and that’s ok. Again….it not about me. 

So hopefully when you find a hymn just doesn’t “float your boat”, one of the other ones will leave you humming it on the way home. 

To sing is to pray twice. Augustine was right. Music feeds the soul and makes the heart soar. Hopefully we all find something in the service that helps our spirits feel the presence of God. 

And here’s a hint. Next time the hymn isnt your style, really try to let go and find something in it that speaks to you. You might find a real unexpected blessing!

Sing Praise!!

Rev Rob +

Exciting News!!

We are so excited to let you know about changes coming this Summer to Wesley-Knox. We are removing the carpet in the sanctuary and replacing it with hardwood! A committee has been working diligently, and we are so excited for the beautiful change it will make. So this summer is going to involve some changes. 

We are moving downstairs to the Fellowship Hall for worship. So yes... the worship and fellowship hour will be in the same space. We will start downstairs starting in July and continue until the project is done. We are anticipating being in the newly renovated sanctuary in August. 

This also means we are heading into a capital campaign to pay for the new floor. A committee will be formed by the council to oversee a 2-3-year (yet to be determined) campaign to raise the funds we are borrowing from the trustees. The whole cost is expected to be about $110,000.

The campaign will have fundraisers and pledge opportunities over a multi-year period to raise the funds. 

Also, we did research and got bids on 2 other projects as well, namely air conditioning and an upgrade for an AV system for worship, concerts, movie nights, etc .. Council decided (wisely) to make that a phase 2 project after the floor is completed and paid. We need to do more research and explore other companies and funding sources, such as grants, which may help offset costs. (Solar power AC is also now available for churches, but we don't know enough yet to make a good choice. We felt it was best to do the floor first and use this time to really get educated about what we want and if we find some money for it. 

At present, we believe that after we finish the first capital campaign, we might be able to move into phase 2 with the AC and AV projects. Time will tell if that's the direction we should go. 

Anyway, we will certainly keep you informed as we know more. For now, know that we will be moving downstairs and closing the sanctuary starting July 1. They are scheduled to start the job on July 13th. 

Thanks so much! And a HUGE thanks to the Committee who did so much work to make this happen.

Rev Rob +

London's Climate Action Newsletter

Three of the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s (CPPIB) twelve directors – one quarter of the board – now have connections to the fossil fuel industry. Read more in Shift’s statement.

Climate Action: Ask for a fossil-free board for the Canada Pension Plan

Webinar: Unlocking Plug-in Solar in Canada (aka Balcony Solar) June 24, 8pm hosted by the Climate Reality Project

• the global push to make it more widely available,
• what’s blocking it in Canada, why outdated rules need to change, and
• what we can learn from U.S. states that are already moving ahead.

If you’re interested in clean energy, climate organizing, and practical ways to take action, we’d love for you to join us! ____________________________________________

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

Support National Indigenous People’s Day

Fri June 19 at Victoria Park (dancing, music, vendors until 11am-3pm)

Sat June 20 at the Cavendish Food Hub, Join us on as we gather in community to welcome the rising sun and reflect on its gifts of light, warmth, growth, and renewal.

• Elder Mary Lou Smoke will lead us in a traditional Sunrise Ceremony, including offerings, song, prayer, and reflection.
• This is an opportunity to come together in a spirit of gratitude, connection, and respect as we greet a new day and the beginning of summer. All are welcome.
• Please arrive by 5:30 AM to participate fully in the ceremony.
• Sun June 21 at N’Amerind Friendship Centre. Sunrise Ceremony at 5:30am following by a community breakfast. All are Welcome. 260 Colborne Street (at the back)

Sat June 20, 9:30am-11:30 Antler River Rally cleanup

Wed June 24, 10am-11am Garden Club, featuring a talk by Dr. Brendon Samuels. Hosted by Salvation Army, London Community Services, 310 Vesta Road served by LTC#10, 15, 27. Free. Open to everyone.



June is Indigenous History Month

Reconnection and reconciliation

Xavier Watso reconnected with the Abenaki culture from Odanak as an adult. He now uses his social media platforms to share it with the world, building bridges between Indigenous and non-Indigenous audiences.

Xavier's story

June 21st - July 4 th, 2026



Wesley-Knox Upcoming Events



Jun 19 - Camp Bimini Shared Ministries Camp 5:00 pm

Jun 20 - London Spiritualist Church Summer Solstice Psychic Tea 10:00 am

Jun 27 - Trivia & Sundaes 5:30 pm

Jun 28 - Coffee Hour - UCW Strawberries and Ice Cream 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