100 Mile House United Church 100 Mile House BC

The Community

Although our church is located in 100 Mile House, it serves the community of the South Cariboo. For our purposes we define the South Cariboo and our area of service as stretching from Green Lake (Mile 70) in the south to Kokanee Bay (Mile 122) in the north and from Bridge Lake (50 km east of 100 Mile) to somewhere west toward the Fraser River. Very roughly this amounts to 10,000 sq. kilometers with a year round population of 20,000 and a summer population of 25,000.

The population centers include 100 mile House, 108 Mile Ranch, Lac la Hache, Forest Grove, Bridge Lake and 70 Mile House.

Congregants come from anywhere within this area but regular church attendees tend to be concentrated in the green Lake, 108 Mile Ranch and 100 Mile House areas.

There are many people in the area who identify themselves with the United Church but seldom take part in worship or other church activities. Nevertheless, they do expect this church will be able to provide pastoral care or service when needed.

The economy of the area is based on forestry, agriculture and tourism. At this time, the economy is on shaky ground as the forest industry has been hit hard by the pine beetle kill as well as poor export markets. Agriculture is being hit equally hard by the lowest cattle prices in decades. The jury is still out on what will happen with tourism with escalating prices for gasoline and diesel. In total our economic picture is less than rosy. On the upside, real estate has been selling well which means people are still moving to the area, bringing with them some means of support.

On the positive side, we live in a beautiful area with wonderful people who make the South Cariboo a very desirable place to live.

Human Resources of the 100 Mile House United Church

Our congregation is a vibrant community of faith, comprised of approximately 80 persons. While the majority of members are senior citizens, we have six families with children who attend worship with a parent or grandparent.

As a congregation we recently completed a “Spiritual Gifts Inventory”, and out of 20 respondents, we identified seventy-two spiritual gifts. Many of these identified gifts are already being used in the work of the various congregational teams, and people are feeling more empowered to engage the ministry to which God has called them.

Several years ago the 100 Mile House United Church switched to a Team approach to engage in the ministry and work of the congregation. This allows congregation members to be empowered to do the work that they are most passionate about. For the most part this has worked well, although it has become clear in recent years that some “fine tuning” of the governance structure is needed. The congregation is currently involved in a process whereby identified “governance gaps” will be rectified.

Physical Plant

The church building contains a sanctuary that holds approximately 80 people comfortably, a small quiet room with viewing and sound connection to the sanctuary, two washrooms, offices for a minister and secretary, a kitchen, a multi-purpose room with a full basement under it (for storage). The main floor of the building is wheel chair accessible.

The parking lot is paved, with a painted labyrinth. There are three designated handicapped parking spaces.

During the last 15 years, major remodeling and upgrading has been done to the building, so that the present building is in good repair.

There is no mortgage on this property.

Future maintenance needs:

· Resealing of parking lot

· Painting inside of church building

· Flooring repair

· Upgrading of computers

The members of 100 Mile House United Church are proud of the building and highly value the fact that it is highly used by the wider community.

Congregational Values and Needs

The following is a compilation of congregational needs ands values as garnered by the JNAC through personal contact and telephone conversations over the first few months of 2008. The information collected appears in random order.

As a congregation we value:

· Ministry through music · Pastoral care ministry · Fellowship opportunities · Inclusiveness · Mission focus · Able and willing members who work hard toward meeting the needs of family · Community and the congregation · Worship · Christian education opportunities · Relevant preaching · Effective spiritual and temporal leadership · Sharing our church building with the wider community

As a congregation we need:

· Christian education opportunities · Effective music ministry · Effective governance structures · Spiritual leader(s) · Inspired leadership · Dynamic and relevant preaching · A clear sense of mission · Opportunities to participate in life of the church · Fellowship opportunities · A sense of community

Our Sanctuary

The Seasons and Liturgical color Banners are now complete the way you see them across the front, making a visual record of the changing church seasonal colors.

Here in brief are the Seasons, Lengths, and colors:

Advent – color - blue for contemplation and preparation. The Season begins the fourth Sunday before Christmas and continues until Christmas Eve.

The symbol on the banner is a scroll, proclaiming “prepare the way of the Lord”.

Christmas – color gold. Always begins on Christmas Eve, is celebrated December the 25th and extends for the twelve days until January 5th.

The design on the banner is a rose, which is a symbol of Jesus.

Epiphany Sunday’s symbol is a star. When Jesus was born a very bright star shone in the sky over Bethlehem.

Baptism of our Lord Sunday, Shells remind us of Jesus’ baptism, and of Epiphany

Epiphany – color green. Because Epiphany is calculated always to begin January 6th and Easter is a moveable celebration, Epiphany can be as short as 30 days or as long as 58 -60 days. The symbols for the season are the cross with twelve parts signifying the twelve disciples and the shepherds crook, symbolizing Christian leadership.

Transfiguration Sunday – the symbol on this banner is rays of light for Christ’s appearance in radiant glory.

Lent – color purple for Confession, Contemplation and Preparation. Lent is the forty weekdays before Easter beginning and ending Maundy Thursday. Sundays are not counted in the calculations. Symbol; for Lent is Praying Hands.

Holy week - Palm Sunday symbolized with a palm branch -

Maundy Thursday symbolized with a Thistle representing the sorrow and suffering of Jesus

Good Friday symbolized with a scroll that says “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews” this was the sign placed on the cross

Holy Saturday

Easter – Color gold and white - representing New birth in resurrection and gold the triumph of life over death - symbolized with Cross in Glory, the glorious rays streaming outward from this cross form the shape of a sunburst, showing that “the light of the world” has returned. Easter lasts for fifty days ending in Pentecost

Pentecost – color red representing the Fire of the Spirit. Pentecost is a Sunday celebrating the birth of the community called church. The symbol is fire.

Trinity Sunday, symbolized with the tree parts of the triquetra, meaning three in one.

Season of Pentecost – color green representing the growth of the church. This is the longest season of the year, beginning after Pentecost Sunday and extending until the Sunday before Advent. It is a season where we think of the spirit working in the day to day life of the church and its people.

All Saint’s Day Sunday – symbolized with the Alpha and Omega, the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet. Our lives begin and end with God.

The antependium’s hanging from the lectern or the pulpit will correspond to the seasonal color and symbol or at times there will be different symbols that go with the season or special Sunday.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

The banners have been a year long project. A huge thank you goes to Nancy Minato, for stitching all the symbols on the banners. So, when you see Nancy, say thank you again because it was quite a job and it was done beautifully.

 

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The United Church of Canada  

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Handicap Parking:

The three parking spaces beside the front entrance are reserved for those in need. Please be considerate and leave them open when parking in the lot. Thank you.  

 

 

Wheelchair Accessible