On July 25, 2012, in The Toronto Star, columnist Joe Fiorito wrote about his “exit interview” with Rev. Allan Baker. What was his, “call”; passion?

You can read the whole column at: http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1231040–fiorito-the-reverend-of-newtonbrook-united-hangs-up-his-collar

Grapes in Prince Edward County

One of the blogs that I follow is called, Theology In The Vineyard. Its author is Ted Schmidt, a devoted Roman Catholic.

Today, Ted has written a post about our need for “resouling.” How deeply are we connected with life?

You can locate Ted’s blog for today at: at:http://theologyinthevineyard.wordpress.com/2012/07/23/tinker-creek/

Beauty in God’s creation

At Newtonbrook United Church we have a Drop Inn program every Wednesday. Before our noontime meal, grace is always offered.

I have discovered that our guests like to have a “grace” that was first offered by J.S. Woodsworth. Woodsworth was ordained as a Methodist minister in 1896 and was the first leader of the Cooperative Commonwealth Federation ( CCF ) in Canada.

That “grace”, formally labelled as, “Grace Before Meat”,  is as follows:

“We are thankful for these and all the good things of life. We recognize that they are a part of our common heritage and come to us through the efforts of our brothers and sisters the world over. What we desire for ourselves, we wish for all. To this end, may we take our share in the world’s work and the world’s struggles.”

For more information on the Drop Inn program at Newtonbrook United Church, go to: http://www.newtonbrookunitedchurch.ca/nuc-ministry/outreach/drop-inn/