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How do I know if Fairview is the right place for me?
By checking us out on Sunday morning! Visitors are always welcome at Fairview United. Pews are never assigned, so feel free to sit where ever you'd like. Visiting children are welcome to either participate in our Sunday School program or stay upstairs with their parents. After service, we have a coffee, juice, and cookie time in the church hall, which is a perfect time to mingle and get to know us better.
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What time are your services?
Our service times, along with directions, can be found here.
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What time is the church office open?
Our church office is open between 9.30 and 12.30 Mondays through Fridays. For information about contacting the church office, please click
here.
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How can I contact the minister?
- By telephone: (902) 443.7123
- By e-mail: fairviewuc[at]ns[dot]sympatico[dot]ca
The minister checks both telephone messages and e-mail frequently during the day. Should you wish your message to the minister remain confidential, there is an option in the telephone menu to leave a confidential message for the minister. As well, the above e-mail is a confidential e-mail checked only by the minister.
Appointments to speak with the minister in person can also be arranged.
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How can I contact the church?
- By regular mail:
Fairview United Church
3524 Dutch Village Road
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3N 2S1
- By telephone: (902) 443.7123
- By e-mail:
- Minister's e-mail: fairviewuc[at]ns[dot]sympatico[dot]ca
- Office e-mail: fairview[dot]office[at]gmail[dot]com
Appointments to speak with the minister in person can also be arranged.
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Yes. We have a fully stocked nursery where your child can be minded during the service. Childcare is provided free of charge. Of course, you are also welcome to have your child stay with you throughout the service.
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What activities do you have for children?
During the school year, children are welcome to participate in our Sunday School, which takes place during the Sunday morning service. We currently have four classes:
- Primary - Grade One
- Grade Two - Three
- Grade Four - Five - Six
- Grade Seven - Eight - Nine
We have a large group of dedicated Sunday School teachers who are eager and excited to teach every Sunday. We try to combine some traditional and non-traditional ideas of what a Sunday School should be, including modern crafts, stories, videos, and games.
Fairview is also home to our excellent child and youth choir, United Sound, which practises each Sunday before church, and often sings during our Sunday worship service. New members are always encouraged to join.
Children are also welcome to, if they so wish, to read scripture or Prayers of the People during the service.
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What activities do you have for teenagers?
At Fairview, we like to view our teenagers as an integral and vital part of our congregation. In the past, youth in our church have:
- read scripture,
- written and read Prayers of the People,
- participated in plays both during and outside of the Sunday service,
- done lighting and sound for special events in the service,
- given their gifts of music, either vocal or instrumental, during the service,
- volunteered in our Sunday School,
- helped with communion and offering,
- participated in various committees around the church.
We encourage teenagers to step forward with any ideas in what they would like to participate.
Teenagers are welcome to join our child and youth choir, United Sound, which practises each Sunday before church, and often sings during our Sunday worship service. New members are always encouraged to join.
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What activities do you have for adults?
Pretty much everything you can think of!
Fairview is proud of the many fellowship activities in which to participate:
- Fairview is proud to have a four active United Church Women's Groups, which provide fellowship, activities, and support for women in our church and in our community. For more info on Fairview's UCW groups, please click here.
- For seniors, Fairview has it's Wednesday Senior's Luncheon in the church hall. For $4.00, a hot and nutritious lunch is available. For more info on our Senior's Luncheon program, please click here.
- For over twenty years, Fairview has been involved with the Parent 'N Tot Meeting Place, which is run during the day in the church hall. The Parent 'N Tot Meeting Place runs a wide variety of events for parents with young children, including yoga, swimming, bowling, classes, and a resource library. Please visit their website for more information.
- After each Sunday, there is an informal coffee, juice, and cookie time in the church hall, or, if the weather is nice, lemonade on the front lawn. This is a perfect time to chat to friends and catch up on the news.
We are always looking for new fellowship activities and groups, so if you have an activity you would like to run or a group you would like to start, feel free to make the suggestion!
On Sunday mornings, we also have plenty of ways to participate in our community:
At our Sunday morning service, there are plenty of things to do, such as:
- finding a comfy pew with a good view and singing loudly and joyfully along to all the hymns;
- if you enjoy singing, then consider singing with our adult choir, which sings an assortment of traditional and contemporary pieces each Sunday. Choir practise is 7.30 Thursday evenings and 10.30 Sunday mornings in the choir room. We often have vocal soloists perform as well;
- If you can't be a permanent member of the choir but enjoy signing, consider joining our few-times-a-year women's or men's choir. Once or twice during the year, a call is put forward to all the women or all the men for a special service in which the music will be provided by our few-times-a-year women's or men's choir.
- If you have a musical talent that isn't singing, we would love to have you play your musical instrument during the service. In the past, we've had pianists, flautists, cellists, and guitarists offer their musical talents to Fairview.
- Before the service, act as our designated Greeter. As people enter the church, you're there to great them with a friendly smile and a big hello.
- Distribute bulletins, receive offering, or distribute communion.
- Reading scripture.
- Writing and reading Prayers of the People
- If you're a bit of an actor, participating in one of our plays might be for you. Don't worry - no memorisation of lines required. A few times a year, members of our congregation perform short, informal skits relevant to the readings or the holiday at the front of the church.
- If you enjoy children and teaching, why not consider volunteering with our Sunday School? Classes are run by teams of teachers, meaning that some weeks you would be teaching, while others you would be able to remain in the sanctuary for the entire service.
- The Ralph Webber Memorial Library is another great way to get involved at Fairview. Our library is open every Sunday after church on the stage in the church hall. Looking for something to read? Try borrowing one of our large selection of books for both children and adults. We have a large assortment of books - spiritual, self-help, fiction, and non-fiction.
As well, our church could not be run without a large group of volunteers that does much of the behind the scenes work. There are a variety of working groups to sit on in which any one of your talents would be most definitely appreciated. Our current working groups include:
- Church council
- Administration
- Communications
- Ministry & Personnel
- Nominations
- Spiritual Oversight
- Outreach
- Worship/Music
Another way to get involved at Fairview is through our refugee program. In June 2006, we began sponsoring a refugee family from Liberia. Since their arrival, we have been helping them become accustomed to life in Canada. There are a variety of volunteer opportunities, such as visiting, escorting the family on outings, and tutoring, which are available.
No matter what your interest, there is a fellowship group, event, or working group which will suit you perfectly.
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How can I join the choir?
It's easy to participate in the music ministry at Fairview. To join the adult choir, just talk to Donald, our organist, and then attend the choir practices, which are held:
- Thursdays at 7.30 in the choir room
- Sundays at 10.30 in the choir room
If you are a child or a teenager and would like to join United Sound, attend one of their practises, which are Sundays at 10 in the choir room.
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Can I partake in communion?
If so moved, we encourage you to partake in communion. All those baptised and unbaptised, of any denomination or no denomination at all are welcome at the table.
We have communion the first Sunday of each month, as well as on special liturgical days throughout the year. Communion rotates between coming to the front to be served and being served in the pews.
Since we are a United Church of Canada congregation, we use grape juice rather than wine for communion.
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Does your church have parking?
We have a free parking lot behind the church. There are two entrances from Dutch Village Road, one on either side of the church, as well as an entrance off Rosedale avenue.
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I want to listen to a service I missed. Is that possible?
We have a tape ministry in which previous services are recorded on audio cassette and are available for rental. Please click here for more information.
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What outreach programs do you support?
At Fairview, we believe that a church community is more than what is happens within the walls each Sunday morning. Community outreach and involvement is one of Fairview's most important callings. We support a variety of programs, including:
- Our food donation box in which we collect food for our community and for the Halifax West Ecumenical Food Bank.
- Our annual Mitten Tree, in which handmade or store-bought hats, mittens, and gloves can be donated for those who are unable to afford them themselves.
- The Parent 'N Tot Meeting Place, which was spearheaded by Fairview in the 1980s and is currently run out of our church hall during the week.
- Our Wednesday Senior's Luncheon, which provides an affordable, hot, nutritious meal as well as fellowship for seniors in the Fairview community and beyond.
- One of the most important mission projects Fairview has dedicated itself to is sponsoring refugee families. Since the 1970s, we have sponsored four refugee families. We are currently sponsoring a refugee family from Liberia.
- Our United Church Women's groups often raise money and participate in a variety of charity events and outreach events.
- Three times a year, we conduct worship at Maplestone Enhanced Care Facility in Fairview. Singers and readers are always welcome to attend.
To learn more about our outreach programs, or to become a member of our Outreach Working Group. please contact the church office.
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I want to know more about getting married at Fairview.
Our marriage guidelines can be found here.
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I want to know more about baptism at Fairview.
Our baptism guidelines can be found here.
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I want to know more about funeral procedures at Fairview.
Our funeral guidelines can be found here.
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I want to know more about confirmation/renewal of faith classes.
Our confirmation/renewal of faith guidelines can be found here.
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I want to know about renting the hall at Fairview.
For information about renting our church hall, please click here.
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Fairview United Church
