Rev. Moon’s message for April 3, 2022

Dear Friends,

Two weeks ago, Carol shared a beautiful poem with us — Happiness Cake Recipe.

First, the ingredients: 1 cup good thoughts, 1 cup kind deeds, 1 cup consideration for others, 2 cups sacrifice, 2 cups well beaten faults, 3 cups forgiveness.  

Mix thoroughly. Add Tears, Joy, Sorrow, and Sympathy. Flavour with Love and Kind Service. Fold in 4 cups of Prayer and Faith. After pouring all this into your daily life, bake well with the Heat of Human Kindness. Serve with a Smile any time, and it will satisfy the hunger of starved souls.

I have been working on my happiness cake for the last two weeks. Our life offers so many lessons and ingredients. I am good at collecting ingredients but not always good at putting them together and allowing them to become a part of who I am and what I believe today. I needed time to pause and spend more time in prayers and reflections (studying books and preparing future services). I needed time to allow what I have experienced to become a part of what I believe and who I am. 

Thank you for allowing me to rest and renew my spirit.

The Session met on March 29 to continue discussing and studying the COVID restrictions and policy regarding our church activities. Our elders take their responsibility very seriously. Our elders pay full attention to what is happening around us and recommendations from the various governments, health units, the denomination, and our own congregation’s needs. However, we are also overwhelmed by this pandemic experience. We ask for your forgiveness and understanding if we take a more conservative approach during this pandemic. We desire to create a safe environment for everyone. Singing is considered a high-risk activity, so we humbly ask congregation singing to be avoided at this time (We are reviewing it frequently). The decision is hard on everyone since we value the power of singing in our spirituality so highly. We aim to bring singing back slowly and gradually. We would also like to thank Rachelle for all her efforts with the choirs and music during these past two years. 

While we cannot sing as a congregation, we hope to use this time to deepen our listening, our appreciation for silence, and prayer in our spirituality. We acknowledge everyone’s struggles and questions regarding the COVID restrictions on church activities. We desire to hear and understand your thoughts and questions, and we have set aside April 3 and April 10 after Sunday worship to hear from you.

Rev. Chuck Moon

A version of this message first appeared in the Saturday, April 2, 2022, edition of Tidbits.