Orchard Valley United Church

Christmas Hamper Program: Reaching Out to those Less Fortunate – Orchard Valley United Church, as part of our Outreach mission, will be providing 40 less fortunate families from the Kentville / New Minas communities with Christmas Hampers, s well as financially contributing to hampers distributed in Wolfville and Canning.  Please support this much-needed outreach program with monetary donations. Our goal is to raise $4,000 by December 6th. We can do it with your help. Donations can be put in the specially marked envelopes at the back of the church or by using an envelope that you clearly indicate for the Hampers, mailed to the church, or placed in the offering plate. Cheques should be made payable to Orchard Valley United Church, and must note “Christmas Hamper Program”. If you have questions, please speak to Helen Seymour or Sheila Fisher. Thank you for your generosity.

Live Stream Help Needed –To run a smooth live stream of our worship services, we will need 2 to 4 people each Sunday. If you are at all comfortable with a video camera and/or a computer, please consider helping with this new and exciting endeavour. At some point, we expect to have a training session with a professional. For more information or to volunteer, please contact Rev Don, Jane McDonald, Andy Pitter, or Sylvia Jacquard.

Guys’ Cans Fundraiser –The OVUC Men’s Group were unable to conduct their Guys’ Cans project in 2020 due to COVID-19. It was decided to conduct the project via email and church bulletin announcements, asking for your continued support. Thanks to your generosity, this project has consistently raised in excess of $2,000 per year, enabling the Men’s Group to assist with the church’s general operating expenses and we have made a commitment to financially support the proposed church expansion. We are asking for your continued support by making your donation to OVUC Men’s Group. The deadline for making your donation is November 30, 2020. Also if some members already have a can from prior years, cans should be returned to the church by that date as well. You can make your donation via the weekly offering plate, or drop them off to the church office, or mail them to: Orchard Valley United Church Men’s Group, 130 Cornwallis Ave, New Minas, NS, B4N 3M7. Kindly ensure your donation is earmarked for OVUC Men’s Group Guys’ Cans project and provide your name and address for receipt purposes. Thank you for your continued support.

Request for Bulletin Cover Pictures –There are a number of “special” Sundays throughout the Church calendar year. OVUC would like to highlight the talent of our congregation by asking for electronic submissions of photos to be used on these bulletin covers. Photographers of the chosen pictures will be acknowledged each time one of their photos is used. Some of the special bulletin covers include: Communion Sunday; Anniversary Sunday; Advents 1–5; New Year’s; Lent 1–5; Palm Sunday; Good Friday; Easter Monday; and Thanksgiving. If you have a photo(s) that you believe would suit a Special Sunday bulletin cover, please send it to the OVUC office in jpg format at your earliest convenience. Please note that submissions are made on a volunteer basis only and remain the property of the photographer. Photos must be at least 1100 x 1700 pixels (more than 1MB in size) if they are to print clearly (in other words, set your quality/size setting at maximum), and in portrait (vertical) format. If you have previously submitted a photo, you do not need to submit it again, as we still have these on file.

Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 1.

Please remember to turn your clocks back one hour Saturday night, October 31.

Donating to OVUC – For those in the congregation who would like to continue supporting the church financially while we are experiencing our temporary closure, we have several ways you can donate:

• Mail your post-dated cheque(s) to the office (OVUC, 130 Cornwallis Ave, New Minas, NS B4N 3M7);
• Drop your offerings into our mail slot. It’s located on the outside of the OVUC building, on the left corner. This is a secure, internal mailbox;
• Click the DONATE button on our website;
• Transfer funds to us via bank e-transfer. Please contact the office for details; or
• Sign-up for PAR. Please contact the office for details.

Regardless of the method you choose, you will receive a tax receipt in 2021 for your donation(s). For more information or assistance, please contact the office (902-681-0366, ext 1, or AdminOVU@bellaliant.com).

For those who wish to participate in the Annual Congregational Meeting, we have a few reference items you can consult in advance:

1) Quick Start Guide for New Zoom Users – Zoom Help Site

2) Zoom for Participants – pdf file

3) Zoom Full Tutorial and Overview – YouTube channel

If you prefer more personal training, we will be holding some small group tutorial sessions during the coming week. Please contact the office to register. (902-681-0366 ext 1, or AdminOVU@bellaliant.com)