Welcome to New Members - January 31st
A couple of times a year we open our arms and welcome people into our extraordinary shared space (on line this year) and the inspirational community that enlivens it. In fact, we do that every Sunday.
On January 31st, we will celebrate once again with a special service that will offer a pledge to be present to everyone who, on that special day, chooses to become a member of our congregation and, through it, of The United Church of Canada.
While we, as a community, make that pledge to the individuals choosing to make West Hill their church home, they, too, make a pledge to us. In so doing, they are making it known that the principles by which West Hill guides itself are those they wish to use to guide their own lives. And they commit to helping us do that as a community.
In his groundbreaking book, The Exceptional 7 Percent: Nine Secrets of the World’s Happiest Couples, Gary Popcak presents his analysis of the most successful marriages. Noting that when each partner can identify what they want to be when they die, in other words, the most important ideals or goals in that person’s life, Popcak argues that the best marriages are those in which the partners commit to helping one another meet those goals. And that’s what we’re doing when we embrace new members; we’re committing to help them as they become the people they want to be and they are committing to help us become the church we want to be. It is a beautiful moment in time and one to celebrate.
If you would like to join West Hill on Communion Sunday, January 31st, please let us know by emailing or phoning the office.
On this Membership Sunday, the congregation is invited to share their “Reflections on the Journey” Share with us your experience(s) of learning and growth in the dimension of your life that could be called meaning, values, spirituality, relationships, transformation, taking leave of an old perspective, embracing anew perspective. You may wish to include what and who has inspired and challenged you, what has helped, what has been difficult, or how West Hill has figured in your journey. You may wish to share an illustration or photograph or piece of poetry or a song that has meaning and significance for you. You can dig into your distant or recent past for comparison, or share what is particularly meaningful for you in the present.