Author: beachunited

Plant Sale & Garden Tour  Sunday, June 16, 9.30 am.

Native plants will be for sale, as well as gently used garden tools, pots, and planters.  The young people will be selling delicious lemonade.  There will be folk from the gardening group to talk about the plants in the garden.   So why not celebrate Fathers Day by coming out and enjoying the wonderful diversity of our garden!

Celebrate PRIDE  Sunday, June 23, 10.30 am.

The book of Revelation is not perhaps your “go to” place in the bible to explore inclusion.  Intrigued?  This is your opportunity to learn more about this misunderstood text – It’s a revelation!

The United Church’s official Pride Sunday took place on the first Sunday in June and celebrates the lives and ministry of LGBTQIA+ and Two-Spirit people.  At BUC, we are celebrating on June 23 as part of Pride Toronto, which supports the queer communities of our city and beyond and works to ensure equal rights and representation for every person of diverse sexual and gender identities.

Pastoral Care Update

Over the years people at Beach United Church have cared for each other, by offering a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on or by celebrating special milestones.  Under the leadership of Marian Hilton, with strong support from Pat Plue, the way we care has evolved from official “pastoral visitors” to an ever-growing circle of friends.

Over the past six months, 14 people have listened, driven, shopped, phoned and sent cards.  They have also visited at home, in hospital and retirement homes at least once a month and in some cases every week. The circle of caring friends widened at Easter when 15 flowers were delivered to folk who can no longer make it to church.

It is important to note that this circle of friends includes not only members of the congregation but ripples out into the Inter-faith lunch community, the knitting circle, participants in Jazz and Reflection and occasionally the wider community.

As part of my ministry with BUC, I am finding that the need for pastoral counselling is growing as other support services dwindle or are out of reach financially.  I am not a professional counsellor but I am trained to provide short-term or occasional pastoral counselling and then to refer people.  This part of my work is indeed “holy ground”.

Thank you for the way in which you care for each other; you all make a difference in people’s lives.

Blessings, Karen Dale  in ministry with Beach United Church 

The wrap around the garden at Beach United Church attracts a lot of attention as people walk by.  We recently purchased two accessible garden planters to extend our garden and make it possible for people of differing abilities to participate in the joy of getting close to the earth.  This has been made possible by a United Church Innovation Grant and the support of the gardening group at BUC.

The addition of these planters will offer opportunities to build community connections with organizations like Pegasus Community Project and get to know our neighbors, spending more time outdoors, learning or sharing your knowledge about gardening veggies and herbs or supporting this initiative in your own unique way. 

We could really use a hand in getting the project off the ground, and there are many ways to support the initiative even if you aren’t an avid gardener. The planters will be assembled on Wednesday, June 12 in the late morning and if anyone would like to come out to help that would be appreciated  Please connect with Nicole Tanti, Community Engagement Coordinator at community@beachuc.com.

Pegasus has a location, a 5-minute walk from our church and would love to participate in some gardening over the summer, especially with other members of the community!