Dear Friends,

The Winds of Pentecost, the celebration of the arrival of the Holy Spirit, are blowing. Don’t forget to wear red on Sunday, and post a picture of yourself or your family on the Islington United Facebook page.

Also this Sunday we return to The Story, journeying together for the final four weeks. This Sunday we explore Chapter 28: New Beginnings – the birthday of the church.

I can’t wait to engage these final chapters with you, and I hope you are ready to pick up your copy of The Story and read together again.

In my reflection last Sunday, I spoke about following Jesus in a new way. I invited you to take some time to think about building new spiritual practices to help you build a closer relationship with God. Some of those practices might include fellowship, journaling, and self-examination.

For me one of those practices is reading, that’s why I’m so happy to announce a new church book club!

Islington Reads is a project of Islington United offered in partnership with A Novel Spot Bookshop. The book club is open to all ages, genders and identities and to both members and non-members of Islington United Church. I hope it will give you the opportunity to both read some great books and connect with other readers in a meaningful way.

Meetings will be led by Sarah Pietroski, owner of A Novel Spot Bookshop and friend of the Islington community.

Tuesday, July 7 from 3:00 to 4:30 pm on Zoom

At our first meeting we will discuss Let Me Be Like Water by S.K. Perry.

Synopsis: Meet Frank, an older man who has the knack of finding people when they need him most. Meet Holly, a young lady trying to figure out her life without her boyfriend. Told from Holly’s perspective, this powerful novel explores new friendships and moving forward while paying tribute to a wonderful past.

Tuesday, August 18 from 7:30 to 9:00 pm on Zoom

At our second meeting we will discuss Have You Seen Luis Velez? by Catherine Ryan Hyde.

Synopsis: A chance encounter between Raymond, a young man who feels he doesn’t belong, and Mildred, a 92-year-old blind woman, blossoms into a deep and rewarding friendship. Simple acts of kindness and learning the true meaning of living are explored in this poignant novel.

A Reader’s Prayer

Leave me not, O gracious God, in such hours as I may today devote to the reading of books, magazines, websites, newsletters, academic papers, blogs or newspapers. Guide my mind to choose the right books and written works and, having chosen them, to read them in the right way. Help me and strengthen me to overcome with wisdom and faith the discouragement of so many books to read with insufficient time remaining to read them, and give me the confidence and peace that I will choose what to read according to your will and for your purposes, and to use my time wisely, both for profit and for recreation. When I read for profit, grant that all I read may lead me nearer to you. When I read for recreation, grant that what I read may not lead me away from you. Let all my reading so refresh my mind that I may the more eagerly seek after whatsoever things are good and fair and true. Amen.

As we prepare for Pentecost, the season of the flames of the Holy Spirit, we must pay attention to the flames burning in our world: the fires and protests of Minneapolis and the stories of racism, fear, hate and injustice; stories that have real faces and real names.

Today the victim’s name is George, and his life mattered. I will offer a video in our Sunday morning email to ground our pre-recorded worship in a timely and prayerful way.

Rev. Maya