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PLEASE NOTE: ALL IN PERSON/ON SITE WORSHIP IS SUSPENDED FROM DECEMBER 26, 2020 to JANUARY 23, 2021 IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVINCIAL LOCKDOWN
The congregation of Westdale United Church lives into its 3rd decade with a continued vibrancy that was obviously evident when it all began with such devoted members!
The Mission Statement of Westdale United Church states, ‘ As a Christian community, we seek to honour God and to care for one another daily. We are called to live our faith and to grow spiritually by learning and applying the teachings of the scriptures.’
Members have come to believe in their church and in their faith providing them with an anchor which guides their lives and calls them in the Way of Jesus Christ to work toward hope, justice and peace for all of creation. Come in and join the journey of faith and spiritual growth.
*** Follow our Sunday morning worships on YouTube by searching Westdale United Church
Click on the following link to enjoy worship on
Sunday, January 10, 2021
REV. BEV WILL BE RETIRING AT THE END OF THIS YEAR AND A TEAM HAS BEEN FORMED TO FIND A REPLACEMENT.
Westdale’s Profile Approved
The United Church Regional Council has approved Westdale’s Community of Faith Profile which now becomes our advertisement for seeking a replacement for retiring Rev. Bev.
Please see the News Page for details that will be appearing in the United Church monthly publication, Broadview, and the United Church of Canada’s ChurchHub.
To the Westdale Community of Faith,
I hope this letter finds each and every one of you having the best summer possible given the uncertainty and complications caused by Covid-19. I trust that you have in some way remained connected to your Westdale family, either through the weekly services delivered by mail or paper copy or by viewing the online videos posted through the efforts of our dedicated YouTube “expert” Tom Keeton, featuring Bev, John, Brenda, and others.
I am pleased to announce that we will be returning to in-person services on September 13th. You may have heard this via some of the above communications but your Unified Board felt it important to contact you individually to invite you to return if you feel comfortable, or to wait a bit, if you prefer, but overall to know that Westdale still welcomes you and wants to be available to you as we begin to emerge from the strict response to the virus that forced our physical building to close.
I thank those of you who responded to our questionnaire regarding whether you would consider returning at this time. The result of this “poll” is that we won’t have to ask people to attend on alternate weeks, but rather we feel we will have sufficient space for those who wish to attend, with adequate provisions for physical distancing.
You may have seen or heard of the requirements placed on the return but I cannot overemphasize that the measures and protocols in place are for the safety of everyone. Therefore some details bear repeating. We will have lots of hand sanitization opportunities, and request your name and phone number upon entry (required by regulations to facilitate potential contact tracing).
We are requiring masks and physical distancing in the sanctuary. We are utilizing ushers to seat people (some of you will recall, as do I, that many churches had ushers every week in past years). Many facilities (kitchen, coat racks, name tags, etc.) are closed for the moment, and washrooms are for emergencies, serving only one user at a time. Foot traffic is directionally controlled and the services themselves will be different from what we are used to, especially with no live singing. There will be a waiting area for those who need to wait for transportation after the service.
Unfortunately, Kid’s Club’s return is postponed to assess the impact of school re-openings and we hope to offer our young people their weekly program in the near future. In the meantime, there will be space in the sanctuary where families may sit together to attend regular service.
That’s the tough stuff, but it is good news that there will be the opportunity to worship in our sanctuary again and hear the message live, with Brenda’s music and a few new experiences along the way.
So whatever your preference, your Unified Board and I want to invite you to continue to attend, be it in person or virtually on your screen at home and rest assured that Westdale United Church is still “A Warm Place to Find Yourself”.
If you have any questions at all, please contact the church by whatever method is convenient for you and we will address your inquiry.
Most Sincerely,
Ashley LeBel
Chair, Unified Board
Please click on any of links below to explore Westdale United Church Unified Board Of Dirctors & working committees.
The M & P Committee is a confidential, consultative committee that is responsible for the clergy and lay staff of the church. The committee supports the Church Board, the church community, church staff and volunteers on personnel matters. The committee also serves as a confidential forum for the church community to provide input from the congregation on staff related issues.
Plan and direct the total programming of faith study of children/youth.
Plan and direct intergenerational programming for congregation and community at large under the headings of: Social, Spiritual, Learning, Leisure & Wellness, Outreach (in partnership with Mission & Outreach committee).
Manage all matters pertaining to finance, prepare and present the annual budget, prepare Narrative budget for Annual Congregational Report as well initiate, organize and promote regular special appeals for financial stewardship.
Co-ordinate special social gatherings for our Congregation. The Pastoral Care Team offer care and support to members of the congregation and the community at large during times of need and crisis.
Promote the United Church of Canada Mission & Service Fund within congregation membership. The Committee encourages and offers Mission education, both globally and locally, in the various areas of congregational life. As well the Committee develops liaison with agencies, groups, and congregations serving community needs and problem areas and supplements these efforts when the need arises.
The committee co-ordinates the maintenance, minor renovations, cleaning and improvements of the land, buildings and contents of the Church. Also, the committee oversees the establishment of rental fees and the control of the distribution of keys through the role of the Administrative Assistant.
The committee reviews any major changes in the order of worship as planned by the minister and music director. It is also the responsibility of the committee to review the list of special worship for the coming year and approve or suggest changes if necessary.
The worship committee assists the Administrative Assistant with a schedule of lay readers for each worship as well as a list of elders for each communion and ensures that all the roles within communion worship are fulfilled by elders. It is the responsibility of the committee to arrange for pulpit supply in the minister’s absence. The committee confers with the music director should there be any concerns or special arrangements with regard to the supply of music.
Coming soon!
Ad Hoc Committee
An Ad Hoc Committee, as approved on May 6, 2018 by the congregation, is investigating the possible sale of a portion of the church property and is interested in speaking with any Westdale member(s) who may have professional experience in the area of design and build projects. If anyone has such past experience and would be available to consult with the Ad Hoc Committee please speak to Mary-Lynn Koekkoek, Chair of the Unified Board or Ross Fitchett, Co-Chair of Committee.
One Roof Dinner Service
Thank you to all those who donated their time and energy to prepare, serve and clean up a dinner service at
One Roof on May 31st. Your generosity and commitment makes a difference and is greatly appreciated!