A Note from Our Minister, Kevin Derry
Welcome to the website of Northminster United Church, Peterborough, Ontario, Canada. We thank you for taking the time to look at our site and learn a bit more about our faith community. My name is Kevin, and I have been the minister at Northminster since 2019.
Our accessible building is located at 300 Sunset Boulevard between Chemong Road & Barnardo Avenue. We currently meet every Sunday at 10:00 a.m. for worship. For Sunday services you may enter through the doors facing Sunset Boulevard or the red doors facing the back parking lot. There is an accessible lift entrance also facing the back parking lot that is clearly marked. During the week, please use the red doors facing the parking lot to enter the building, proceed up the stairs and turn left at the tope as you enter the hallway. The office is down the hall, 3rd door on your right. We have office hours from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm Monday thru Thursday, Fridays are by appointment. The office is closed for all statutory holidays.
In the ever-changing COVID-19, RSV and influenza environment that we find ourselves, we have taken measures to ensure, to the best of our ability, everyone's safety. We strongly recommend being fully vaccinated and offer a mask friendly environment. We practice social distancing as folks are comfortable. There is hand sanitizer conveniently located at the entrances and throughout the building. We also ask that if you are feeling unwell, please take time at home until your symptoms have subsided. It is so important to work together to protect the health of those most vulnerable to illness to our communities. These protocols could change based on recommendations from our local Health Unit. Please check this website regularly for any changes in our health and safely protocols.
In the ever-changing COVID-19, RSV and influenza environment that we find ourselves, we have taken measures to ensure, to the best of our ability, everyone's safety. We strongly recommend being fully vaccinated and offer a mask friendly environment. We practice social distancing as folks are comfortable. There is hand sanitizer conveniently located at the entrances and throughout the building. We also ask that if you are feeling unwell, please take time at home until your symptoms have subsided. It is so important to work together to protect the health of those most vulnerable to illness to our communities. These protocols could change based on recommendations from our local Health Unit. Please check this website regularly for any changes in our health and safely protocols.
For our younger or young at heart worshippers, as always, there are colouring materials and puzzles available in the narthex (back of the sanctuary). There is Nursery space available for infants and toddlers beside the offices. We also gather for refreshments and fellowship time in Upper Wright Hall following worship services.
We have a dedicated group of choristers that offer special music in worship most weeks. They meet Thursday evenings for rehearsal from September through June.
We are a welcoming, theologically progressive community of faith trying to live and love faithfully in complex and trying times. We are an Affirming congregation in the United Church of Canada striving to offer a safe place to be in community. We share our faith stories from the New and Old Testaments of the Bible, as well as other faith writings and stories that help us navigate the presence of the Holy in the context of this time and place. We meet throughout the year for studies on various topics, as well as grief support groups, in the Spring and Fall, so please stay tuned for more information.
We are pleased to share our building and property with Trent Childcare (TCC). They use most of the lower level exclusively and we share a couple of other rooms. The children, families and the staff of TCC add an amazing dimension of joy-filling energy to our community. Please take care entering the laneway during the week to keep the little ones, TCC families and staff safe.
You may check out some of our recent services through the video link at the top of the website. Barring technical issues, each Sunday service from September thru June is available to view through the website on YouTube by Monday at noon most weeks from September through June.
As the summer season finally seems to be upon us, we begin to look forward to what tends to be a quieter, less structured time at Northminster. This summer, I will be away from the office for the second half of my sabbatical beginning June 30th. Faith life will continue as normal with excellent guest worship leadership from within our own faith family coordinating services each Sunday as well as emergency pastoral care again covered from within the community. I will return to Northminster on September 2nd.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or, better yet, come and join us for a service on a Sunday morning. We would love to meet you!
Once again, my thanks for sharing your time with us and I hope you can join us for worship soon. If you have any further questions, please use the contact information provided and reach out to me or our Administrator, Michele
Take care,
Kevin
Tel # 705-748-4881 (Kevin)
Tel #705-748-4881 (Michele)
edited May 27, 2025