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On June 10th, 1925, the inaugural service of the United Church of Canada was held. On Sunday June 8, we join with others across the church to give thanks, mark and witness to the church that we are and the church that we are becoming by the grace of the Spirit. The “Northern Lights Centennial Worship Service” has been created by Rev. Penny Nelson and Rev. Michelle Armstrong, for use across the wider church. 

At RHUC we will be incorporating many elements of this service, including celebrating communion.  We are very fortunate to also be celebrating two baptisms - Everly Grace Crupi, Sarah Elisa De la Garza.

The imagery of the Northern Lights is used as a representation of the Holy Spirit. This imagery connects us to the local context where we live and work and have our being, and it also moves away from images of fire at Pentecost, an image that is becoming increasingly triggering and traumatic for people as we live in the midst of climate crises and destructive fires.

Rev. Penny Nelson and Rev. Michelle Armstrong have been friends for over 20 years since they first met at a youth ministry event in Alberta Northwest Conference! They both studied at the Atlantic School of Theology and became ordained ministers in The United Church of Canada in 2013. They have created retreats and worship services together many times over the past 12 years.

Rev. Penny is currently serving Avon United Church in Hantsport, NS in an experimental growth ministry. As a Metis woman originally from a farm near Camrose, Alberta and was nurtured in her faith by her home congregation of Camrose United. She now lives in Wolfville, NS with her wife and their beloved calico cat.

Rev. Michelle is currently serving in the ecumenical shared ministry of St. Paul’s United Church and St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Fredericton, NB. Michelle’s roots with the United Church began in her twenties through campus ministries at the University of Calgary, and her love of God has taken her across the country to minister in Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, and New Brunswick. She lives with her husband and two children in Fredericton.

To find out more information on the Centennial CLICK HERE