Sunday, July 1, 2018 – Amid the Noise and Haste

Sunday, July 1, at 11:00 a.m. – Amid the Noise and Haste – “Go placidly amid the noise and haste,” advised Max Ehrmann in his poem, Desiderata, “and remember what peace there may be in silence.” Although I’ve struggled against the temptation to rant and rave over the past year or so, despairing over the sorry state of public affairs, now more than ever it is important to remain calm and focused. Rev. Stefan Jonasson

Services are in the Gimli Unitarian Church's landmark building at 76 Second Avenue, near Centre Street. Dress is casual — after all, it's summer!

Does the daily news make it hard to decide whether to cover your ears or your eyes?
(Photo – Gerd Altmann / Pixabay CC0)

July services at Gimli Unitarian Church

Gimli Unitarian Church will open for the summer season on Sunday, July 1, 2018, and continue with services on the "odd Sundays" of the month (that is, 1st, 3rd, and 5th Sundays) until September 2. Services are at 11:00 a.m. in the congregation’s landmark building at 76 Second Avenue. Dress is casual — after all, it’s cottage season! 

Please note – The service originally scheduled for July 29, “Reclaiming the Moral High Ground,” has been cancelled due to a scheduling conflict. For those who will be in town, check out What Walaa Wants, Indigenous Shorts, and Sweet Country, which will be screened at the church that day as part of the Gimli Film Festival.

July 1 – Amid the Noise and Haste – “Go placidly amid the noise and haste,” advised Max Ehrmann in his poem, Desiderata, “and remember what peace there may be in silence.” Although I’ve struggled against the temptation to rant and rave over the past year or so, despairing over the sorry state of public affairs, now more than ever it is important to remain calm and focused.

July 15 – Loafing on the Porch – “Night after summer night the supper dishes went unwashed while we loafed together on the porch watching fireflies seed-stitch the dark with gold,” wrote Clementine Paddleford. As people become more divided and distracted and overwhelmed, I am reminded that I once quipped that one of the purposes of the liberal church is “to bring front porch values to backyard neighbourhoods.”

July 29 – Cancelled – Reclaiming the Moral High Ground – “The best laws cannot make a constitution work in spite of morals,” wrote Alexis de Tocqueville, while “morals can turn the worst laws to advantage.” In this time of rampant legalism and dubious morality, is it possible to turn the tables so that democracy is built on a moral foundation?

Rev. Stefan Jonasson will preach at all three services in July.

Summer services begin July 1

Gimli Unitarian Church will open for the summer season on Sunday, July 1, 2018, and continue with services on the odd Sundays of the month – July 15, July 29, August 5, August 19, and September 2. Services are at 11:00 a.m. in the congregation’s landmark building at 76 Second Avenue. Dress is casual — after all, it’s cottage season!