Car Rally, Saturday, May 5
Car Rally, Saturday, May 5! – Get your team together: 4 sets of eyes are better. You will need a car, a full gas tank and a cell phone. Bring something for the potluck lunch. Registration 9:00 am at Orchard Valley. Teams are sent out at regulated intervals with instructions and questions to fill in. Rally takes about 1½–2 hours. We return to the church for lunch. Your score is based on correct answers, mileage and maybe time. Spelling counts! Will your group take home the trophy? Contact the office to register (902-681-0366, ext 1)
UCW Spring Rally
OVUC to Host UCW Spring Rally – The Valley Presbyterial Spring Rally will be hosted at Orchard Valley United on May 9, by the Orchard Valley and Wolfville Units. Theme: Who We Are. Registration is 9:30 am with refreshments. The Program begins at 10:00 am. We are pleased to have as our special speaker, Judy Norton. We are also pleased to have Betty Rockwell at the piano. Please note that it will be a “bag lunch”. Your lunch can be placed in the fridge for the morning. During lunch time, you will have an opportunity to mingle with old friends and visit the Book Display with Anne Cameron. The afternoon will include a sing-a-long and the Memorial Service for ladies who have passed during 2017. All women of the congregation are invited. Please see Jean Millett if you are able to join us on May 9th.
Food Bank Sunday
Food Bank Sunday – Sunday, May 6, is Food Bank Sunday. The Fundy Food Bank is looking for some basic food items this month such as juice, peanut butter, jam, canned fruit, canned meat/tuna, and cereal. Last month OVU donated 41 kg of food/baby items. Please remember to bring your non-perishable donation to put into the shopping cart.
Stewardship Soup Luncheon – May
May Soup & Dessert Luncheon – Our May Soup & Dessert Luncheon will be held on Tuesday, May 1, from 11:45 am to 1:00 pm. The menu consists of a choice of either Cheeseburger Soup or Creamy Cabbage Soup, homemade rolls and biscuits, cake with fruit sauce, and tea/coffee. The price is $8.00 per person. Take-out / delivery is available – please call (902-681-0366 ext 1) or email the office (officeovu@bellaliant.com) no later than 12:00 noon on Monday, April 30, to place your order.
Y’All Come to Supper – April
Y’All Come to Supper – The next Y’All Come to Supper will be on Tuesday, April 24. The meal will be from 5:00 to 6:30 pm. The main course will be lasagna; dessert will be cherry cheesecake. Everyone is welcome. There will be a free will offering. Please register at the office by calling (902-681-0366 ext 1) or email the office (officeOVC@bellaliant.com).
Note from the Chair
Note from the Chair – Last Sunday we held a congregational meeting to discuss the suggestion from the Joint Search Committee that we seek a part-time minister to assist our newly called minister, Don Sellsted who will start July 1, 2018. As you may be aware, engaging a minister is a joint process with the congregation and presbytery both being active participants in the process. We had a lengthy, and I believe helpful, discussion and seemed to be in agreement that while we have concerns about the financial aspects of this and about the timing, we believe that there is a need for a second, part-time person.
The motion: “That the Council and the Search Committee will seek direction from Presbytery about how to move forward the suggestion to add a part-time minister at Orchard Valley” was passed and we are now looking at how to move the process forward. While, we do not wish to delay this any longer than necessary, the process will require a congregational meeting to appoint a Joint Needs Assessment Committee. Once the congregation has accepted their report, a Joint Search Committee will have to be appointed and once they complete their search, the congregation will have to vote on their recommendation. If you have any questions about this process, please get in contact with me as I would love to discuss it with you.
Gary Dunfield, Chair,
Orchard Valley United Church Council
Worship Services
Worship Services – Orchard Valley offers two worship services:
- During the fall/winter/spring session, we offer an informal 9:00 am service, and an 11:00 am service that is more structured.
- During the summer session, we offer a 9:30 am worship service at Orchard Valley United Church and an 11:00 am worship service at the Covenanter Church, in Grand Pre.
All God’s children are welcome at each service.
Our New Minister
Orchard Valley United Church is very pleased to announce that its new Minister, Don Sellsted, will be joining us on July 1, 2018. A unanimous choice by the Search Committee and the congregation, Don comes to us from the Oak Lake Pastoral Charge in Manitoba, where he has served for five years. Don recently completed his MDiv from the Atlantic School of Theology. His hobbies are fishing, nature hikes, reading & writing, and woodworking. He loves hockey and his wife, Cheryl, loves curling, gardening and knitting. Don’s education and career was in engineering technology and corporate management, specifically conflict resolution.
UC Men’s Spring Rally
Maritime Conference United Church Men’s Spring Rally – Amherst, Saturday, April 21. All Men of OVUC are invited to attend this event. We will car pool from our Church. Registration forms are available in the foyer. Cost is $45, or $40 if you register before April 15. Registration includes Turkey Dinner for lunch plus materials when you arrive. Guest Speaker: Dr. Ross Lockhart, UC Minister, who will discuss “Work and Witness in Post-Christian Canada.” Contact: Maritime Conference UCM Coordinator Bob Lindsay (902-434-3438 or rhlindsay@acceswave.ca) or Chris Seymour (902-678-8865, seymourchris2@gmail.com). Maritime Conference would like to have registrations returned by April 15 for planning purposes.
Easter Newsletter
Easter Newsletter — OVUC’s 2018 Easter Newsletter is now ready for download. Find out about our new Minister, hear the congregation’s decision about our facility, learn about new programs in the community AND in OVUC.
Click on one of the following links to access the 2018 Easter Newsletter. (A small number of paper copies are also available in the church.)
Office Hours
OVUC’s office hours are:
9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday-Friday
Closed for lunch from 11:30-12:30.