For the next few Sundays we will have the opportunity to receive our Sunday message from guest ministers. 

Our new minister Rev. Hoeun Lee will join us in July but will be taking the first three Sundays as vacation as the family moves from Saskatchewan and settles in this new community.  It is a very common practice for ministers to take vacation at the start of a new call, particularly when they are moving a distance to their new church home.

First United is facing challenges with both financial and human resources to carry out the ministries that matter to us as a congregation. Although we are in a very good location, our building requires considerable attention for both short and long term maintenance.

Our Board has had two meetings with Kindred Works to explore possibilities for our property. Click below to read more.

Hoeun, Yoonjoo and Jaye have arrived and are at their new house in Kitchener! 

Hoeun is looking forward to his first Sunday with us and to begin meeting the congregation on July 23.

Join us at 6:00 PM on Saturday, July 8, in the parlour.

Contact Matthew Savage for more information

Summer 2023 Silver Lake Camp

Silver Lake Camp is located in Kinloss within Bruce County.

The camp offers an overnight camp experience for campers aged 6-18, giving opportunities for children and youth to make memories and friendships that last a lifetime. Campers enjoy swimming, canoeing, crafts archery, singing songs around the fire, session with silly skits, adventure-themed camp games, etc. while sharing and learning about the joy of Jesus. 

Before there was Kate Beaton, New York Times bestselling cartoonist of Hark! A Vagrant, there was Katie Beaton of the Cape Breton Beaton, specifically Mabou, a tight-knit seaside community where the lobster is as abundant as beaches, fiddles, and Gaelic folk songs. With the singular goal of paying off her student loans, Katie heads out west to take advantage of Alberta’s oil rush ... 

Click below for more information and meeting details.

Artisans at First 2023 the market of handcrafted items will be Saturday, December 2 this year. We look forward to having a table of items crafted by members of First.

Find out more about this and the bake sale by clicking the button below.

Online Auction? Joan will not be organizing an online auction this year but is willing to provide organizational details to whoever is willing to take on this fundraiser this year. Perhaps a team? someone with basic computer skills, another who likes to take photos, another who likes sourcing and arranging items? Then the fun begins!

Please contact Joan Westcott westcottj@rogers.com

At the Western Ontario Waterways Meeting on May 26 in Port Elgin, First United Church was presented with this Rainbow Flag.

The Pride Flag is a living expression that changes over time in attempts to become more inclusive.

This flag is based on a 2018 design by artist Daniel Quasar. The triangles represents marginalized people of color, trans individuals, and those living with HIV/AIDS (and those who have been lost). You can also see the extra touches by Western Ontario Waterways Region.

Click on the click on the link below to download some additional history about the Pride Flag 

Report on Spring Meeting from WOW Representatives by Cathie Savage

Attended by Cathie Savage, Jeff Learmonth and Greg Case

This was a hybrid meeting with some of us there in person and some on zoom, the in person portion was held at the Unifor Family Education Centre, in Port Elgin. 

Click below to find out some of what happened at the meeting!

During 2022 General Council deliberations, the General Council approved an amendment to the Basis of Union in The Manual of The United Church of Canada to establish an autonomous National Indigenous Organization. It also authorized a Category 3 Remit to test the will of the church with respect to this change.

Over the next several months Communities of Faith  across Canada will be looking at this remit. It will need to be voted on by our board but it is important that we understand what this is about.

Click below to see a collection of information that we have up to this point ... 

You can get your offering to the church office in several ways:

  You can use PAR, or

  E transfer to firstunitedchurch@rogers.com, or

  Website donation to www.firstunitedchurch.ca, or

  Send a cheque to First United Church, 16 William St. West, Waterloo ON N2L1J3, or

  Drop a cheque into the mailbox located at the Entrance on William St. side.

**Just a reminder- credit card companies have a fee of around 3-5%. If you wish the church to get the full amount, then please add that % to your contribution. **