Grace United Church celebrated the formation of the United Church Women on Sunday, June 10 with a special service prepared and presented by members of the Weyburn UCW and led by president Blanche McRae.
The nationally chosen theme "Celebrating Our Tapestry of Love" was evident throughout the service and was central to the reflection given by Gladys Paulhus. At this time she outlined the history of the UCW in Weyburn, recalling numerous fundraisers and social times, paying tribute to the contributions, both past and present, made by women of the church.
Five candles were lit during a candle lighting ceremony led by Yvonne Von Hagen. The first candle celebrated the founding of the UCW fifty years ago. A second candle honoured the nine units that once made up Weyburn UCW membership which at that time was more than two hundred women. The third candle was lit in recognition of the many rural churches that have joined with Weyburn to form our current UCW. Those communities include Oungre, Tribune, Colgate, Goodwater, Lewvan, Griffin, McTaggart, Halbrite, Talmage and Tyvan. The fourth candle was lit in loving memory of the many UCW members who have now passed away and the fifth candle was lit in celebration of our present UCW, now consisting of twenty-nine members, nine of whom are Charter Members.
Special music chosen for the service included, "Standing Before Us", "I'm Going to Live so That God Can Use Me", "We Celebrate Our History" and "Tapestry of Love".
Following the service the congregation was invited to join with the UCW members for cake and coffee. During this time of fellowship there was also an opportunity to view a collection of UCW memorabilia as well as visit with former UCW members who had traveled to Weyburn to be part of this special day.
In recognition of the 50th Anniversary, a donation of $200 will be sent in support of the Morogoro Women's Centre in Tanzania, a project chosen to be the National UCW Anniversary project.
