Joy That Sneaks Up on You

If I’m being honest, joy in this season often sneaks up on me.
It’s not always in the big, obvious moments.

Sometimes it’s in the first time you hear kids laughing outside again after a long winter.
Sometimes it’s in the sight of neighbors lingering a little longer in conversation on the sidewalk.
Sometimes it’s in the simple realization that you made it through another winter—physically, emotionally, spiritually.

And sometimes, it’s in the slightly chaotic, always-hopeful planning of something like… a spring BBQ.

Because a BBQ is more than just food.
It is a declaration.

It says: we believe warmer days are coming.
It says: we are ready to gather again.
It says: we trust that life is opening up, even if it hasn’t fully arrived yet.

In many ways, planning that BBQ is its own kind of Easter act.
It is choosing hope ahead of evidence.
It is preparing for joy before everything is perfect.
It is saying, “We are going to celebrate—because we believe there is something worth celebrating.”

And as we lean into these small moments of joy together, there is much to look forward to in the life of our community.

What’s happening at St. Paul’s

Faith and Feast was a hit, and we look forward to the next one on May 21, 2026—everyone loves lunch, and who doesn’t love a little trivia to go with it!

Make sure you have your clown noses and wigs ready to join us on May 17, 2026 for Holy Humor Sunday.

Don’t forget about the Mother’s Day Supper on May 10, 2026—the turkey, and especially the desserts, will be fantastic.

And if BBQ is what you’re waiting for, join us on May 15, 2026 as we kick off spring.

Click here for our Event Calendar

Take good care,
Pastor Tanis

Office Buzz 🐝

Celebrating Life and the Planet

Birthday and Earth Day!

For anyone who has been on Facebook already this morning you will know that today is my birthday, and I share the day with Earth Day! Since my parents have passed away, I am always a little sad around my birthday. There’s something beautifully symbolic about celebrating a birthday in April—especially when it falls close to Earth Day. Both occasions, though different in scale, share a common theme: appreciation.

One celebrates individual life, growth, and memories, while the other honors the planet that makes all life possible. Birthdays are deeply personal milestones. They mark another year of experiences, lessons, and connections. Whether celebrated with a quiet moment of reflection or a lively gathering of friends and family, birthdays remind us to pause and recognize our journey. They’re an opportunity to express gratitude—for the past, the present, and the possibilities ahead.

Earth Day, celebrated on April 22, expands that sense of gratitude to a global level. It’s a day dedicated to environmental awareness and action. People around the world come together to plant trees, clean up communities, and reflect on how their choices impact the Earth. It’s a reminder that just like our own lives, the planet needs care, attention, and renewal.

Blending these celebrations also invites a deeper reflection: just as we grow older each year, the Earth continues to evolve and respond to how we treat it. It encourages us to think not only about our personal goals but also about the legacy we leave behind.

In the end, both birthdays and Earth Day are about connection—one to ourselves and the people in our lives, and the other to the world we all share. Celebrating them together can be a powerful reminder that every year of life is not just a gift, but also a responsibility to care for the planet that sustains us.

St. Paul’s Weekly Update

  • Tuesday, April 21st – S.A.I.L. Sing Along at 1:30pm
  • Sunday, April 26th – Zoom Worship 11:00am at St. Paul’s
  • Thursday, April 23rd – Faith & Feast – at noon to have lunch and talk about Mary Magdalene. All are welcome to attend – bring a bag lunch!
  • Sunday, May 10th – Mother’s Day Turkey Supper- tickets available at the office. Cost is $25 each.
  • Friday, May 15th – Coming soon St Paul’s Spring BBQ.

Click here for our Event Calendar

The Slow Miracle of Spring

Where we live, spring doesn’t arrive all at once. It negotiates its way in.
One day the wind still bites, and the next you find yourself standing outside without a jacket, wondering when that happened. The snow retreats in stubborn patches, the ground softens, and there is that unmistakable smell of earth coming back to life.

It is not dramatic. It is not flashy.
But it is resurrection.

Not the kind with trumpets and bright lights—but the kind that happens quietly, persistently, faithfully. The kind that reminds us that life has been at work all along, even when everything looked frozen and still.

And isn’t that the Easter message?
That life continues even when we think it has stopped.
That hope is never as far away as it feels.
That God is always doing something new—even in places we had given up on.And as we continue to notice these quiet signs of new life around us, there is much happening in the life of our community.

What’s happening at St. Paul’s

The walls were filled with the voices of the festival this past week. It is always so great to see folks of all ages and stages of life living out their experiences through the performing arts.

The S.A.I.L. sing-along will be held on April 21, 2026 at 1:30 p.m.—this is always a great time of song and fellowship.

The first Faith and Feast will take place on April 23, 2026—bring your own bag lunch and join us as we talk about Mary Magdalene.

On May 3, 2026 we will be celebrating the sacrament of baptism.

Tickets are still available for the Mother’s Day supper on May 10, 2026—rumor has it they are going to have the best homemade desserts in town that night.

On May 17, we will celebrate Holy Humor Sunday—I invite you to get your best jokes ready and maybe even a silly costume or hat if you’re up for it.

As we patiently wait on the miracle of spring, I pray you find warmth in the wind, sunshine on your face, and signs of new life all around you.

Click here for our Event Calendar

Take good care,
Pastor Tanis

Office Buzz 🐝

Holy Work (and Paper Jams)

The church office might look like a place for emails, bulletins, and calendar juggling—but it’s really frontline ministry (just with more coffee and occasional printer battles).

Every phone call matters. Every schedule helps something meaningful happen. And yes, even fixing that mysterious copier issue for the third time today is part of the mission.

It’s a place where small tasks make a big difference—welcoming people, solving problems, and keeping things running so ministry can thrive. It’s not always glamorous, and some days feel like organized chaos… but it’s good work.

So whether you’re answering calls or un-jamming paper (again), remember: it all counts.

Serving faithfully—one email, one bulletin, and one deep breath at a time.

We are in the Season of Easter

And just like that, we are in the season of Easter. Although the Easter egg hunts are over, the season of Easter in the church continues—celebrated all the way until May 24, when we reach Pentecost Sunday.

There is something about Easter that refuses to stay inside the walls of the church. It spills out. It spills into muddy yards and melting snowbanks. It spills into longer evenings and the sound of geese overhead. It spills into conversations over coffee and into the quiet moments when you notice—almost for the first time—that the world is waking up again.

Easter is not just a day. It is a way of living. This year, as we gathered on Easter Sunday, we celebrated baptism—a moment that feels especially powerful in this season of new life. We were blessed to welcome and celebrate Ella and Alivia McCormick through the sacrament of baptism.

There is something beautifully fitting about water in the spring. Water that runs where it hasn’t run for months. Water that softens the ground and makes growth possible. Water that signals change is not only coming—it is already here.

In baptism, we remember that we are claimed by that same life-giving promise. We are reminded that we belong—to God, to one another, and to a story that is bigger than we can fully understand.

And perhaps most importantly, we are reminded that new life is not something we have to earn. It is something we are given. Freely. Generously. Repeatedly.

Baptism doesn’t mean life will always be easy. But it does mean we are never alone in it. It means that even when we feel like we are standing in the middle of winter, God is already planting the seeds of spring.

And as we continue living into this Easter season together, there is much happening in the life of our community.

Thank you to all who participated in the six-week Lenten study that we hosted at lunchtime. There was so much great conversation and fellowship that we are thinking of hosting a monthly gathering—stay tuned for more details on “Faith and Feast.”

As we wait on the slow melt of snow, we look forward to many upcoming things at St. Paul’s. The walls will be alive with festival performances during the next week, and on April 21, S.A.I.L. is hosting a sing-along at 1:30 p.m.

The fundraising crew is hosting a Mother’s Day supper on May 10, 2026—we are looking forward to a great turkey meal and, of course, good company.

And before you know it, it will be time to haul out the BBQ as we prepare to kick spring off with a community BBQ on May 15, 2026.

As the season of Easter continues to unfold, may we keep noticing the signs of new life around us—and within us.

Take good care, Pastor Tanis

Mother’s Day

Roast Turkey Supper
Don’t wait—tickets are limited! 💐🦃 Please join us as we celebrate all the incredible moms and mother figures who make such a difference in our lives. Bring your family and friends and enjoy a wonderful evening of food, fellowship, and appreciation. Tickets are available at the office for our Roast Turkey Supper with all the trimmings, featuring a delicious meal and a variety of homemade desserts!

Fall 2025 Newsletter

…a brief message from our Minister– Pastor Tanis Podobni

‘There is room for all” …. The United Church of Canada has been in a year of celebration, for 100 years (June 10, 2025) folks have been gathering as the United Church of Canada to worship; sharing in celebration and challenges, walking together in times of hardship and sorrow, celebrating the fun times and honoring those who have gone before us. The community of faith of St. Paul’s is no different. This year we have had a busy year, and it would appear as I look at my calendar that there is no break in the activities right up till the end of the year.

We have celebrated community and outreach- hosting a Spring BBQ, we have shared in a cup tea and a goodie with the Valentines tea, and how great it was to be together to celebrate around a table of food with the 100th anniversary supper in June- 100 people for 100 years.

The community of faith continues to offer a safe space where folks are encouraged to dig into their own faith story, a place where there is room for questions, a space for play and of course a place to dance with the spirit in music ministry.

How blessed are we to be navigating this time together, and as we sit and reflect on what the next 100 years might look like, let us be open to all things that God has called us to be.

Peace and Blessings
Pastor Tanis

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Fall 2024 Newsletter

… a brief message from our Minister – Tanis Podobni

“Behold, behold, I make all things new, beginning with you, …” These words are part of one of my favorite hymns. I often find myself humming the tune or singing while I am travelling to and from work, and as I sat down to gather my thoughts for my newsletter submission, those words popped into my head again.

How have we been made new in the past year? Sometimes, our day-to-day lives leave us trying to catch up, zipping from one thing to another; time flies by; some days, it has felt like a whirlwind. I was blessed to be welcomed into the family of St. Paul’s in October of 2023, and the winds of change haven’t stopped blowing yet.

We have journeyed together through the season of Advent; we celebrated Christmas Eve by preparing the manger as we joined with family and each other to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Lent greeted us and offered a time of reflection as we walked the path of the resurrection story.

We have worshiped together in person and using Zoom, and we have challenged ourselves by introducing intergenerational Sundays and Messy Church. We have wept together as we surround each other with our support and encouragement during loss, and we have celebrated together, participating in the sacraments of baptism and communion.

For some, the activities of the past year will feel like the year before, and for others, this is all a new experience. Wherever you are on your faith journey, I invite you to open yourself up to being made new. Each day, each new experience is a gift from our creator, God.

Peace and Blessings, Pastor Tanis

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Fall 2023 Newsletter

…a brief message from our Minister – Pastor Tanis Podobni

“As we gather at your table”… this is the first line in a familiar communion hymn that is often sung. The hymn continues and talks about listening to God’s word, knowing God’s presence and opening our hearts to let them be stirred.

The words of this hymn are playing in my mind as I think about my short time as your minister at St. Paul’s. Gathered at the St. Paul’s table, I am blessed to join the new collaborative ministry with neighbouring Griswold and Oak Lake churches. Although we are travelling together on a new journey, I’m sure it will be challenging but exciting.

When we gather and listen to God’s word. even when technology hands us challenges, our hearts and minds are open to the challenges we hear. We look for and find God’s presence in each other and the ministries of St. Paul’s. I am always amazed at the beehive of activity that takes place at St. Paul’s, and I commend your committees for the community connections and work that you do.

I look forward to going through Advent together as we begin the journey towards the new Christian Year.

Peace and Blessings

Pastor Tanis

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