Hello Leaders of First Third Ministry!

I bring you greetings from the First Third Ministry Team! I - and we all – are in absolute wonder of how you made so many sacrifices, learning and adapting to be Church in new ways at breakneck speed these past 18 months. The team’s aim over this COVID time was to support and empower you in your ministry and relationships with the families, youth and young adults in your settings. Moving into re-entry and summer months, the hope is that First Third Ministry can continue to assist you in worship and program planning, give you opportunities to connect with fellow ministry leaders, and create a space for ministry innovation and leadership develop.

You are warmly encouraged to be part of the series of Ministry Leadership Circles the First Third Ministry offers

• Re-Entry with First Third Ministry (full now, but make add your name to the fall sessions
• Leaders Online Gathering all summer (no maximum, register for the Zoom link here)

and to bring your young people to the wider Regional Council events opportunities for FUN and United Church identity building

• Camp Spirit
• Family Retreats
• Youth Retreat YOUTH TREK 
• Young Adult Retreat HOLY LISTENING

All are noted on the printable overview document too (note that as a PDF, all the links are live links to our different websites and events!):

• First Third Ministry Summer and Early Fall 2021 Overview PDF

You may also be interested in the summer Tech Tools and Testimony sessions being offered by LeaderShift, as a way in to what the hybrid/ in-person/ online/ integrated way of leading groups and worship might look like for you.

I have to admit that I’m approaching the summer months with mixed emotions. On the one hand, I am relieved and excited that restrictions are beginning to ease as more people get vaccines and our case numbers continue to trend in the right direction. On the other hand, I am feeling a combination of fatigue and caution, as so much of our shared COVID-19 experience has been filled with the anxieties of only being able to plan from one health update to the next. After leading and attending Zoom meetings that must be now stretching in to the triple digits, and seeing so many ministry leaders from coast to coast with such Zoom fatigue, my one true wish is that I could treat you all to a day at a spa! You deserve it.

Peace,
Chris Mah Poy
Coordinator

Regional General Meeting 2021: seeking one nomination to Regional Council Executive who is under 30
Please prayerfully consider who (under 30) you might tap on the shoulder to consider this opportunity to be a member of PMRC Executive. Click here to open the Regional Executive Council Nomination Information (PDF). The live link to the Online Nomination Form is in the PDF.
Deadline for Nomination is June 4, 2021. 

Summer School Courses at Vancouver School of Theology:

• Crossing the Generation Gap: Understanding Young Adult Faith in Complicated Times. July 12, 2021 - July 16, 2021 CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION
• Pilgrims Together: Forging an Inter-generational Ecclesiology. July 12, 2021 - July 16, 2021 CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION

Tuesday Leaders Online Gathering

• Gatherings resume June 1st, 2021
• Tuesdays, 10:30-11:45am PT / 11:30am-12:45pm MT

Grab your tea and notebook and let meet online to connect -- to share ideas, resources and questions around worship and faith formation with children, youth and their families. All are welcome! You find more details on our website HERE.

• REGISTER NOW!

Dear Friends,

I recently re-discovered a favourite book Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day by Macrina Wiederkehr.  As I write to you, it is the mid-morning hour with themes of the coming of the Spirit, wind and flame, breath, and blessing. I share with you a portion of a contemporary Psalm by Macrina:

            O Spirit of the Circling Hours,
            Bless me that I may be a blessing,
            Work through me, that I may be
            Your love poured out upon the earth.
 
            Creator of all that is, be blessed.
            Lover of all that is, be blessed.
            Sanctifier of all that is, be blessed.
            As you encircle our lives this day,
            Be blessed!
 
Blessings,
Rev. Mary Nichol
Regional Minister, First Third Ministry