North Leamington United Mennonite Church
625 Road 6 N8H 3V8 Leamington, ON, Canada

Colossians 3:12-17. During this time of uncertainty, some of us may feel like we are drowning, covered in fear, anxiety, stress and worry. As God's people, how can we clothe ourselves with kindness, humility, compassion, patience, gentleness, and ultimately love?

Our church sanctuary remains closed due to the Covid 19 virus - while we practice social distancing. Please visit our church website www.nlumc.com to listen to Sermons - or to make contact with the church.

HE IS RISEN! Proclaim Jesus' victory over death. We are accustomed to Easter being a joy filled gathering with celebratory music. But the first Easter broke into a world filled with darkness and met Jesus followers isolating themselves from the world around them in their fear and grief. This year we look for resurrection hope in the middle of a covid 19 crisis where we also isolate ourselves in anxiety, fear and grief. The resurrected Jesus appears to Mary and calls her by name, meets the disciples behind locked doors, and comes to us where we are as well. HE IS RISEN INDEED!

Daily Devotion - from the desk of Pastor Kendall; In my own anxiety during these days I have found daily morning prayer to be really important. Not that it wasn’t before, but I have been far more consistent the last week or two than previously. I have needed that centering. I use a devotional book by Philip Newell called Celtic Prayers from Iona, that includes prayers on a weekly cycle, scripture readings, and moments of silence and centering prayer. Saturday’s theme is w...elcome and hospitality and I was struck today by the direction to pray for refugees and those without a place of welcome. As Covid 19 continues to be central on my heart and mind, I was moved to think again of the impact of this disease on the vulnerable in our own society and in the world. Certainly those who are immuno-compromised in some way. But also the homeless here in Essex County and in Ontario who don’t have a place to go to isolate. Refugees who can’t cross borders or find a place of safety within their own country who now are also so vulnerable to this disease. I think of our international workers, far from home and in even less control of their lives. So today I want to share with you a prayer from my devotional book: May those without shelter be under your guarding this day, O Christ. May the wandering find places of welcome. O son of the tears, of the wounds, of the piercings, May your cross this day be shielding them. AMEN. See more

Online Worship, Sunday March 29, 2020 We will not have in-church worship. We will be worshipping remotely. However, we invite you to view our website www.nlumc.com to listen to audio sermons. We wish you God's peace in this time of social distancing, and we urge you to remember that as we keep our distance from one another, it is not out of fear but out of love for our neighbours, particularly the most vulnerable in our midst. Please send any prayer requests to Pastor Kendall...Continue reading

Online Worship, Sunday March 22, 2020 We will not have in church worship this Sunday. However, a link to the recording should be available on our webpage www.nlumc.com by noon. We wish you God's peace in this time of social distancing, and we urge you to remember that as we keep our distance from one another, it is not out of fear but out of love for our neighbours, particularly the most vulnerable in our midst. Please send any prayer requests to Pastor Kendall : [email protected] or Pastor Charleen: [email protected] or Pastor Ken: [email protected] NLUMC has cancelled in house worship for Sunday, March 29th as well. Church Photo Directory - photographs are cancelled! All March and May dates for photography are cancelled. We hope to pick this item up again in the future. No Youth or Junior Youth activities at this time until further notice.

Third Sunday of Lent, March 15 In consultation, we have decided to cancel "in person" worship this Sunday at NLUMC in response to the Covid 19 Coronovirus outbreak. We will be working at some sort of online option, with details yet to be determined. Although the risk at this time in Essex County seems to remain low, we want to be proactive in reducing risk and "flattening the curve." One of our considerations in making the tough call to cancel in-person worship has been to th...ink in terms of the collective and not just in terms of individuals. One of the hallmarks of Jesus life and ministry was the way he placed the well-being of the most marginalized and vulnerable people at the center of the community. The decision to cancel worship altogether removes the burden from individuals within our congregation to have to choose to exclude themselves from the embodied community that carries on without them, and instead spreads the burden, loss, and grief to all of us. Indeed, we will all share the sorrow of missing the embodied community experience, instead of that sorrow being unduly borne by only our at-risk-ier members. Coronavirus. As the pandemic spreads around the globe, NLUMC is aware of our responsibilities to protect the most vulnerable in our community. We urge everyone to practice good health hygiene: wash your hands, refrain from close personal contact such as handshaking and hugging and try not to touch your face. If you have any symptoms or feel personally at risk, please stay home. Consider these efforts to be part of loving our neighbour well. We do not encourage anyone to panic or hoard materials but place our trust in God (Matthew 6:25) while acting with wisdom and maturity.