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MINISTRIES AT DUNDAS CENTRE: Senior Choir: An adult ensemble choir of 6 to 10 members under the leadership of Mr. Norman D. Abbott provides a ministry of diverse sacred music at regular Sunday Worship and special services such as Good Friday and Christmas Sunday. The choir also collaborates with choirs of other churches in the area in presenting musical events. Regular rehearsals are on Thursdays from 7:30 until 9:30 pm. Unified Board: Church activities are managed through the regular meetings of six committees of the Unified Board: Spirituality (includes Christian Growth & Development as well as Membership & Visitation), Stewardship, Property, Ministry & Personnel, Trustees, and Outreach & Social Justice). There are several subcommittees, such as Rental, Accessibility. Ad hoc committees are formed as required. The Board meets by Zoom seven times a year: February, April, June, September, October, November and December; the committees meet at their convenience. The Executive of the Board (Chairs of Committees) meets as needed at the call of the Chair. Scholarships: With the financial assistance of generous benefactors, the congregation of Dundas St. Centre and its community can access educational opportunities in music through the Dundas St. Centre Choral Scholarship Fund (proceeds of the Lottie Brown Choral Fund and the Alan and Jean Coote Choral Fund are administered by the London Community Foundation). See description below under 'Choir and Choral Scholarships'). Social Justice and Environmental Awareness. The Outreach & Social Justice Committee is involved in or oversees many of the community outreach programs of our church. Examples of such programs include the Good Samaritan Cupboard, the Out-of-the-Cold Meals Program, promotion of the United Church of Canada's Mission and Services Programs, membership on the London Innercity Faith Team, and contributions to the Caring Cupboard, a group of community-minded seniors from the community housing building at 30 Baseline Rd that help other residents struggling to make ends meet. We organize Sunday breakfast and lunch talks for the congregation, focusing on topics of social justice or environmental concern. On occasion we will host a potluck meal followed by a talk and discussion of issues of special interest to our church community. Church Library: The Taylor Library is open Sundays with a wide variety of religious books, magazines, audio-cassette and videotapes for children and adults. Good Samaritan Cupboard: This is a social outreach program established in the 1950s. Clients are referred to us by social service and health care agencies in London and surrounding communities. Faithful and diligent volunteers provide clothing and household supplies to adults and children in need. Volunteers meet every Tuesday morning all year round (except for statutory holidays) to sort and refurbish donations of clothing, bedding and kitchen supplies and to fill orders for needy referrals coming from agencies such as The Men's Mission, The Cross Cultural Learner Centre and My Sister's Place. Out-of-the-Cold Hospitality Meals Program: In collaboration with volunteers from the community, we provide nutritious, well-balanced bag lunches for the homeless and others in need thru the London Coffee House on Hamilton Road (a program of the Canadian Mental Health Association). We have five teams of volunteers. Every Saturday morning, all year round, one of these teams, each with its own cook, prepares and delivers 50 lunches (consisting of a sandwich, fresh vegetables and fruit, juice, chips, and a sweet treat). The funds needed to keep this program going come entirely from private donations. Given the current cost of groceries, we need approximately $10,000 per year. United Church of Canada Mission and Services Programs: Our congregation provides financial support to national and international relief through the London Conference of Middlesex Presbytery. For example, we have contributed aid to the Bluefields Project in Nicaragua, water projects throughout the world, hurricane relief, tsunami relief support in southeast Asia, and earthquake assistance in Pakistan. Lay Visitors: An ad hoc committee of lay persons coordinated by the Minister visit our sick and shut-ins bringing holiday greetings, newsletters, and flowers at Christmas and Easter time. Quintin Warner House (477 Queen's Avenue; 519-434-8041): Our church through personal contact and staff support, addresses the spiritual needs of the residents and graduates of this substance-abuse treatment centre sponsored by Mission and Services of London. Residents meet regularly Tuesday thru Fridays at our church. We make every effort to welcome them into an extended church family. London Innercity Faith Team (LIFT): Our church is one of nine downtown churches on this ecumenical team that oversees the operation of three affordable housing apartment buildings with 75 apartments. Prospective tenants apply through the City of London's Housing Access Centre for two of the buildings - LIFT House, 446 Queens Avenue, and Elaine Lucas Place, 749 Little Simcoe Street. Tenants for Victory Place 446 King Street, come to LIFT from CMHA (Canadian Mental Health Association-Middlesex). The original ideals of LIFT Council, now dissolved, of responding, in faith, to the social needs of the community we serve will be addressed by our LIFT Housing Committee. We also provide space for the Westover Treatment Centre on Wednesdays at 12 noon and again at 6:30 pm.
The Dundas
St. Centre United Church Choral Scholarship Program
The Lottie Brown
Choral Scholarship originated in 1996 as a community outreach initiative
by church member Mrs. Lottie Brown and as a project celebrating the 150th anniversary
of Dundas Street Centre United Church. In the year 2000, an second
endowment, also in support of the choral scholarship programme at the
church, was created with funds generously donated by Dr. Alan Coote
and his wife Jean. Both endowments are administered by the London
Community Foundation. Interest from the endowments and contributions to
the local Choral Fund from private individuals and from the Choir have
been used to grant scholarships to 25 voice students since 1997, with
six being awarded in the 2006-2007 year.
- How to
apply for a scholarship.
Applicants
must have sight-singing skills and be registered for voice lessons.
Scholarships are open to all voice students but priority will be given
to university, college and high school students. More
information can be found at: ChoralScholarAd2023.pdf
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