GOOD
NEWS
LETTER
KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, GEORGETOWN, ONTARIO
SPRING 2017
A Sesqui-Centennial of our Own
Knox Presbyterian Church For 150 years an anchor on our Main Street Knox Presbyterian Church 116 Main Street South, Georgetown, On. L7G 3E6 905-877-7585 www.knoxgeorgetown.ca https://www.facebook.com/knoxgeorgetown Church service dial in – 905-702-1629 Inviting all to love God, nurture faith, and serve His people.
Contact Information Knox Presbyterian Church 116 Main Street South, Georgetown, Ontario, L7G 3E6 Telephone 905-877-7585 Website: www.knoxgeorgetown.ca Email: knoxpc@cogeco.net Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/knoxgeorgetown
Minister: The Rev. Steven Boose Phone: 905-877-7585 Email: revboose@gmail.com Church Secretary and Hall Rental: Mary O’Brien Office Open 9-12 am Tuesday – Friday Phone: 905-877-7585 Email: knoxpc@cogeco.net Music Director and Organist: Haydn Evans, L.W.C.M.D. Phone: 416- 884-1737 Email: haydnce@gmail.com Clerk of Session: Craig Hutchison Phone: 519-853-1379 Email: craig.hutchison@rbc.com Chairman, Board of Trustees: Al Cook Phone: 905-877-5753 Email: acook4@cogeco.ca Chairman, Finance and Maintenance: Dennis McLay Phone: 905-877-2948 Email: dennismclay@sympatico.ca Pastoral Visitor: Eric Walton Phone: 905-878-1588 Email: ericwalton@sympatico.ca Pastoral Visitor: Ann Allen Phone: 905-877-4211 Webmaster: Linda Gallus Email: webmaster@knoxgeorgetown.ca Newsletter Editor: Dawn Livingstone Residence phone: 905-877-6506
Vestry Visions Spring, 2017 A colleague and I were talking recently about missions and mission projects. The discussion ranged back and forth on “good” and “bad” projects that we’d participated in or had heard about, and many others were brought to mind as we went. The ones that make us shake our heads are the ones that were launched with good intentions but crashed due to their faulty assumptions. Some examples: •
The entire cargo plane full of bread that was sent to Indonesia immediately after the Boxing Day tsunami in 2004. With no way to distribute it due to shattered infrastructure and cargoes of medical supplies and water taking priority, the bread was unloaded to the side of the tarmac, where it sat and, in the humid air, rotted within a couple of days.
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The clones of “Operation Christmas Child” where shoeboxes were filled with whatever junk and stuff folks could find at-hand that “them poor people” might possibly want. War toys and plastic guns ended up being sent to children in war zones, mittens to Central America, and many toys needed batteries that were simply not available at the destination. (By the way, OCC itself vets every box that comes their way.)
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During the Cold War, the Soviet Union donated hundreds of tractors to farmers in African nations when their leaders declared themselves communist, without first setting up the infrastructure for things like fuel or maintenance. For years afterwards, the rusting hulks of these tractors were found all over the countryside, where the farmers who had been given them ran out of gas, then walked back to their farms, picked up their hoes, and got back to work.
Now, true, a lot of mission projects today involve sending money to places around the world – no real “action” on our part, just the sending of money. The PCC, through Presbyterian World Service & Development, has what are called “partner agencies” around the world, and the members of these agencies know the situations, know the needs, and know how to provide assistance using local resources; the money we send gets these local resources flowing and stimulates the local economy much better than if we had just tried to send the needed items in the first place! But sometimes, you have to have a little “skin in the game” for a project to really mean something. For instance, many of us gave money to help the refugee family; a few of us are actually on-call if they have any problems that we can help them resolve! For years, we’ve given money to the Ontario Christian Gleaners; now, however, we’re starting to actually send work teams down there to help do the work! Dropping off items for Evangel Hall is great; going down and serving a lunch on a Saturday is downright eye-opening! The world is always in need of help – Jesus Himself said that “the poor will be with you always” and we need to address their needs as best we can. Sometimes, all we can do is send a little bit of our money along the way. And sometimes we can do a bit more, and actually get “skin in the game”. Give some money and you might forget you gave; give your time and your talents and you may just find it has an impact on your faith journey for a long, long time!
Knox Kirk Session Report Spring 2017 It’s spring….I look out the window one day and I see grass and the next day it is snow. As been our custom over the past few years spring also brings our mission projects. Session will shortly be bringing out the mission projects that have been submitted for your vote. As for our St. Patrick’s Day luncheon we raised $750 for CAShh and Knox will top that up so we will be sending them a $1000 cheque. A big thanks to those who helped by working at it and those who showed up to enjoy it. We can happily report that the phone line for listening to the service is back up and running. Also note that if you want to listen again to the almost any sermon you can find them on YOUTUBE at Knox Presbyterian Church Georgetown. The worship team will be working to get a new computer for Sunday morning worship. We all remember sitting for those pictures for the photo directory. I do not have a confirmed date at the time I wrote this but I have been assured that they are indeed coming soon. Yours in Christ, …..Craig Hutchison, Clerk of Session
I’ve never done a shout out before but what the heck….I was asked …… Here’s a shout out to…. Our Monday Night Bible Study Group They meet every Monday Night at the church at 7:15 pm. You are more than welcome to come along and join in.
The Healing Tree Over the course of the season of Lent this year, we are going to be hanging “Moments of Healing” on the tree standing beside the pulpit at the front of the sanctuary. Green leaves are available under the tree, for those who want to write down something that they did this week that had an element of “healing” to it – called an old friend, re-established a broken relationship, forgiving an old hurt – something like that. The tree is “dead” – the green leaves will bring it to new “life” one bud at a time. These are our prayers for healing in our world as a whole. Please leave your ‘written’ leaves in the tray below the tree for Rev. Steve to carefully tie onto our fragile tree.
Finance and Maintenance Committee Report Our financial performance for the year-to-date period ending March 19, 2017 is almost exactly the same results as for the same period in 2016 with a varied distribution difference.Congregational givings, including the Limehouse Allocation and rental incomes are 3% higher than 2016, Building Fund givings are 1% higher, and Mission and Outreach givings are 55% higher. Considering the fact that we were closed one week due to a furnace and heating problem, God has maintained our revenue stream to meet our financial commitments. Unfortunately, our CIF fund did not perform to the expected level that we had anticipated and only yielded a return of 6.2%. At the annual congregational meeting, we pointed out this investment fund needed to return 10% or $65,000.00 to avoid a withdrawal of principle funds to maintain the 2017 operational and capital budget. Therefore, in all likelihood, we will need to withdraw $20,000.00 of principle funds to balance the budget. However, it is important to remember that this investment fund is a longer term mutual fund, we have had very impressive results in prior years and this yield is still much higher than GIC market alternatives. Our operating expenses for the same yearto-date period are 20% higher than last year and our budget. The majority of this variance is strictly due to the $4,900.00 furnace repair in late December and our heating costs are 15% higher in 2017 compared to 2016. We are a little behind in our Presbyterian Sharing and National Assessment but that is common for the first quarter when other expenses such as insurance, heating, etc take priority.
We currently have several minor repair items to address within the next 30 days and three major upcoming expenditures. Our major expenditures include a complete review of our boiler and whether an internal rebuild will remedy our problem or do we need to look at replacing the boiler (April 30th), repairing the heating radiator in the Church Street vestibule and fixing a leak on the south bell tower. Minor expenditures are needed to repair the vacuum cleaner, clean the sanctuary carpets, purchase a secretarial chair, install a blind on the rear south sanctuary window and install a fireman’s key box on the outside of the large hall entrance. As spring approaches, immediate re-seeding attention will have to be given to the south lawn. Unfortunately, due to the drought of last year, we had poor lawn seed germination and healthy weed growth. The Memorial Committee is currently in the process of purchasing upholstery chairs for the choir members and the current wooden pews will become redundant. F & M would like to see these pews go to a good and useful home and we will be putting them up for sale at a selling price of $150.00 each. If you should know of someone who would be interested in purchasing one or all of these pews, please speak to one of the F & M committee members. (Purchaser responsible for their own removal costs,) Our committee is grateful for the results of the first 80 days of 2017 and appreciates the financial support, prayers and suggestions, by all, to fulfill the day to day and longer term management of Knox. With this progress, extrapolated for the full year, we will all make Knox a stronger lighthouse in our community and to our internal congregation. Respectfully submitted by: Victoria Colby, Dee Cope, Tom Bentley, Jim Colter, Jim Hepburn and Dennis McLay, Chairman.
Treasurer's Report For Year-To-Date March 19, 2017 Revenues:
Expenditures:
Operations Revenue Memorial Fund Building Fund Mission & Outreach Fund Raisers Benevolent & Pastoral Care Cong.2017 Mission Projects Mortgage Principle Repayment HST Rebate CIF Interest Income CIF Equity Income Transfer from Investment Account
$29,862.56 0.00 2,588.00 2,909.80 860.00 620.00 200.00 600.00 4,186.11 4,824.47 20,069.81
Total Revenue
$69,720.75
Current Expenditures Mission & Outreach- Assessmt Congregational Life - Assessmt Benevolent & Outreach Exp Mission & Outreach- Projects Donations Presbyterian of Cda Assessmts The Presbytery of Brampton Mortgage Payments Capital Expenditures
$47,210.47 500.00 450.00 484.48 250.00 1300.00 2,000.00 1,630.00 1,328.46 0.00
Total Expenditures
$55,153.41
3,000.00
A Sesqui-Centennial of our own While the actual formation of our congregation began in 1860, it was not until 1867 that they had an actual church of their own in which to worship and congregate. The property, formerly the home of a blacksmith shop, was purchased for the sum of $500. In March of 1867, the actual contract for construction of a small brick church was given to a local company, and building began. Knox was the first church in Halton County to be built of brick. In mid May of that year, the cornerstone of that first church was laid and “not withstanding the heavy rain which fell at the time, a large number assembled to witness the ceremony.� The full cost of the building and finishing of that church was $3,000. It served the congregation well, but only for 21 years. In those years, the little town of Georgetown was growing, and there was just not room enough to serve the congregation in their little church, so after two years of looking at many alternatives, in 1885 it was decided that a new and larger church would replace the brick one. As many of you know, the bricks from the original church were used to build the large home on the corner of Charles and Park Streets in town. This beautiful church in which we worship today was opened in 1888. The contents from the original corner stone of the brick church had been removed and laid along with new congregational and local information in a the cornerstone of this new church. So this year, as along with Canada, we celebrate our own mini Sesqui-centennial. Let us remember those who have gone before and who worked so hard to leave us this legacy.
A Busy Winter Season at Knox What a busy Christmas season we had at Knox. Why is it that we know all year that it is coming, and yet when December does come there seems to be such a rush of events ☺ •
The Friendship Circle held a very successful “Treasure’s at Knox” sale in November. It had very good attendance, a very enjoyable lunch, and very good sales. We thank all the congregational members who helped by contributing or by attending this annual “bazaar” day.
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The Friendship Circle held a turkey dinner, for the women of the congregation. Again, it was another very successful and enjoyable event, and the thanks of the ladies go out to the gals who arranged this event. It was catered in, and it was so nice for ALL the women to be able to sit down and enjoy a meal, without all the before and after hard work that usually accompanies these kind of gatherings.
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Once again, thanks to Victoria Colby, along with Jane and Evan, for the three enjoyable Christmas sing-along evenings held in December. Our own Hayden Evans and choir started the season off for the first evening. Michael Kelly Cavan returned to give the second sing-along, and at this evening, we were treated to a presentation by Evan Colby singing, accompanied by his sister Jane on the guitar, and they did a wonderful job. Congratulations and our thanks to you both. The music for the last evening was led by the Halton Hills Concert Band. As in the past, these were community events, hosted by Knox and as in the past, they were all extremely successful and much enjoyed by all who attended.
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During December, the congregation collected ‘White Gifts.’ Food collected went to our local Georgetown Bread Basket, while small ‘gift bags’ of individual personal items and warm winter clothes were delivered to Evangel Hall by Rev. Steve. As always they were gratefully received. He will be making another trip to Evangel Hall in May or June, so if you have items for that trip, please bring them to his office no later than May 21st. And as we have done for a great many years at Knox, in mid December we remembered our sick and shut-in members and adherents by delivering Christmas poinsettias. Our thanks to Greta who organized this venture, and to all those who volunteered to deliver them and visited with the recipient. They are a small way to remember that we have many members who are no longer physically able to join with us, but are still members of our congregation.
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On the last Sunday before Christmas Day, we were treated to the Christmas Cantata “Make His Praise Glorious” presented by our exceptional choir. Our thanks to them for their dedication and for the moving story/music presented. We really do appreciate all the hard work that you put into all your musical offerings each and every week.
And a busy start into the New Year In early February the local gathering of retired men held their monthly meeting at Knox, where they were served a very enjoyable lunch, under the guidance of Dennis McLay and Marlene Preston, along with lots of help. They enjoyed it so much that they are coming back in early April. Thanks to all the volunteer help – needed and much appreciated. March 11th, the congregation held a “St. Patrick’s Day Lunch” which was once again well attended, and much enjoyed. Following the lunch, part of the entertainment were dancers from the Butler Fear on O’Connor School of Irish Dance in Brampton, who preformed for the appreciative audience. It was an enjoyable afternoon, and fundraiser for our local CAShh organization, raising $1,000 which has been turned over to them. Our thanks to all the volunteers who organized and assisted with this ‘outreach’ event. Unfortunately, too often, members of our own congregation have need to call upon CAShh, and we are indeed very lucky to have this dedicated group of workers and volunteers. We were also lucky that a fellow from The Independent came and took pictures, and as well as including it in the newspaper, for several days a picture of the event popped up bright and cheery if you opened the home page of the Independent on the internet. It was good publicity for Knox as well☺ Presenting the donation to CAShh representatives, Lori Pollock, Treasurer, and Susan Tupling, President, are Dennis McLay, Marlene Preston and Dawn Livingstone.
Upcoming Lenten and Easter Events at Knox Thur. April 13th: Maundy Thursday Pot-Luck with communion 6:30 pm at Limehouse Church. Please bring a food item to be shared. Fri. April 14th: Good Friday Worship, with performance of the cantata “Colours of Grace” Let us come to the cross where we lay down our sins and take up salvation. Sun. April 16th: Easter Sunday! Christ is Risen indeed! Worship is at our normal time (11:00 am) and will conclude with the serving of Holy Communion. In Christ’s cross, in Christ’s tomb, we are made one people of faith! “Easter is a celebration of new life, for out of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ on Good Friday there emerges the victory and hope of the Resurrection of Easter Sunday. There is new life in Christ.”
The Power of a Smile A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with a bag of potato chips and a six-pack of root beer, and started his journey. When he had gone about three blocks, he met an old man. He was sitting in the park, just staring at some pigeons. The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the old man looked hungry, so he offered him some chips. The old man gratefully accepted them and smiled at him. His smile was so pretty that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer. Again, he smiled at him. The boy was delighted! They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word. As twilight approached, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps he turned around, ran back to the old man, and gave him a hug. He gave him his biggest smile ever. When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on the child’s face. She asked him, “What did you do today that made you so happy?” The little boy replied “I had lunch with God.” But before his mother could respond, he added, “You know what? He’s got the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen!” Meanwhile, the old man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face, and he asked, “Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?” The old man replied “I ate potato chips in the park with God.” However, before his son responded, he added, “You know, he’s much younger than I expected.” Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime!
A smile is such a simple thing, it doesn’t cost a dime. It doesn’t take much effort and it doesn’t take much time. It can bring a lot of happiness to anyone it touches, So take the time, give a smile, a little means to much.
Let’s make Knox ‘user friendly” “I got a hug from a stranger in a church. It was great☺ I spent a weekend in Huntsville, and on Sunday morning went to worship at St. Andrew’s. I was greeted by two men just as I entered the church; one handed me the bulletin. They were jovial; we made small talk – more than just a “thank you for coming, please have a seat.” At least a dozen people took my hand during the passing of the peace. And a man hugged me, offering me the peace of Christ. Another gave me a firm handshake and said; “God bless you brother.” That was a nice sensation, I must say. I always get nervous when I go to a church I’ve never been to before. I know I shouldn’t – I’m a confident church-goer in many ways. I know my way around a sanctuary and liturgy. I know how to read a hymnbook and where to find biblical passages, New or Old, before or after the Psalms. I know when to stand or sit, and I know most of the common responses. Still, going to a new church is a source of small anxiety. I know I’ll feel frustrated, maybe even angry, or at lease hurt – burned, I’ll fee burned – if the congregation is anything less than lukewarm. And many are. I once walked into a church where no one greeted me. I sat in the pew for a few minutes. An older woman turned around, gave me a steely look. That could have been her ‘resting face” but I was already feeling anxious. I left. I picked up the morning papers and went to a coffee shop. It was great. Ninety minutes of Ella Fitzgerald on the jukebox, some fine pastry, good substantive reviews and articles and a tasty, fancy cup of joe. Time well spent – free of self-loathing because many start by feeling unworthy of being in church. Every time I share this anxiety with others, they always assure me their church is different. I’m guessing the congregation is really a club-house, with little time or room for the stranger. That is more the norm than not. It’s not about hospitality alone, of course. Hospitality is only the exterior face of an inner condition. In our Reformed theology we build outward from Christ inside. Or at least that’s how I understand it. We call it “reformed and always reforming,.” Which means there’s no down time. We’re always in the process of keeping Christ in all we do. And that ain’t easy! But it was never meant to be easy. Not if you do it right. I am a lost soul looking for a home. Anyone who walks into a church is a lost soul looking for a home. And for one Sunday morning I found a home at St. Andrew’s, Huntsville. There, a whole congregation welcomed me. They were Christ to me. I left there elated. A little less lost than when I had walked in. …..Andrew Fiaz, senior editor of The Presbyterian Record. Nov. 2016
The Ontario Christian Gleaners Glean – “to gather from a field what is left” “Gleaning is a biblical concept in which God instructed farmers to leave a portion of their crops for the poor to gather. Christ’s heart is clearly loving and compassionate towards the poor. Today we can feed the hungry by gleaning surplus and off grade produce from food distributors, importers, growers and packing plants.” …Gleaners Website Started in 2008, the ‘Gleaners’ is a volunteer driven organization with over 1100 donated hours each week. Each day the volunteers can trim 5000+ pounds of vegetables, providing the ingredients for 30,000 servings of soup. The trimmed vegetables are diced and then dried in a dehydration oven – later to be combined with other ingredients to constitute the soup mix. The soup is donated to partner organizations who have the necessary infrastructure for effective distribution, who are committed to sustainability and development, and who combine the gospel message with humanitarian aid. …Gleaners Website Check out their extremely informative website for an understanding of what this outstanding Canadian Group has accomplished in their few short years. http://ontariogleaners.org/1275 They have accomplished miracles during their nine years of operation - they deserve and appreciate our support. Knox Visits the Ontario Christian Gleaners Facility On Thursday, March 22nd, Knox made their first ‘work trip’ to the Cambridge facility, leaving Georgetown at 7:00 pm, for an 8:30 am start. Rev. Steve, Cathy Hunt, Jan Raymond and guest Shelley Benoit joined with more than 60 other folks in chopping up over 1000 lbs of sweet potatoes! The sweet potatoes will be dried and included in a dry soup mix that will be sent to mission points around the world. Plans are to go again on June 28th, Sept. 27th and Nov. 22nd generally the fourth Wednesday of a given month.
Thank you to Rev. Steve for initiating this work trip, and to Cathy, Jan and Shelly for getting up so early to help with this wonderful project.
Knox Family Korner Happy 90th Birthday Greetings: Coffee Hour on Sunday 29 January was a birthday celebration for Knox member, Gord Hunt, who had just turned 90. A wonderful surprise for he and Cathy was the unannounced visit from their children: Ann from New Brunswick, Edward from Alberta and Mary who lives close by. What a wonderful birthday gift. Happy 85th Birthday Greetings: Happy Birthday as well to Ethel McClure, who celebrated a special birthday on March 11th. Ethel joined Knox in June of 1952 making her a nearly 65 year member, and for many years she sang in the choir. Anniversary Greetings: Our congratulations to Harry and Helen Hope who celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary in March and our best wishes for the coming year. Cancer Care Donation: How nice it was to see the picture of a smiling Helen Davis and her grand-daughter, Cynthia, as they made a donation to the local CAShh association. Cynthia is a local hair stylist, and she contributed $2,236.10, which was three weeks of tips and financial contributions she received during the month of December. Pictured with her, along with the CAShh representative, was her grandmother, Helen Davis, member of Knox, who is now living at Mountainview Residence. We miss seeing Helen in church. Cynthia made the contribution in memory of her grandfather, Don Davis, Helen’s husband, who was also a member of Knox until his passing. Baptisms: On January 29th of this year, Knox was pleased to host the baptisms of Leo Frederick Robert Cormier and Cameron John William Richards. Leo is the son of Caitlyn (Brown) and Michael, and Cameron is the son of Elizabeth (Shaw) and Bryan. Blessings all around as we celebrate God’s love for all His children. Both Caitlyn and Elizabeth had attended Sunday School here at Knox. Some Good News: It is just so good to get periodic updates on the progress of the Skanes family, who are finally getting ‘back on their feet’ and able to be a family together, after so many months of challenges. The boys are getting to once again know their mother, and the youngest, Wyatt, is doing very well and learning to crawl. Charlotte’s recovery really and truly was a miracle, and they have been so appreciative of the thoughts and prayers of their Knox family. Knox Family Korner
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To our Sick and Shut In members: Winter is often a ‘prime’ time for illness, and this winter has been no exception. Please know that our thoughts have been with so many of our members who have been or are still suffering from illness of one sort or another… broken bones, cancer and stroke, just to mention a couple of challenges. We have many senior members no longer physically able to join us at worship, but please know that while we can’t name you all, you are all in our thoughts and prayers. Passings: 2 January 2017: Andrew Hope, the beloved grandson of Helen and Harry Hope, son of Christine and Michael, passed away at the age of 30. Andrew and his family had a challenged life, but he was a special guy, and all were blessed by the strength he showed during his short lifetime. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families as they adjust to a life without Andrew. Pastoral Care: Come early summer Eric and Anne will be looking for some "Buddies" - and by buddies we mean some folks who would be willing to visit with some members of our congregation who can no longer attend regularly, or who can not attend at all, and some who are almost completely shut in. These would be regular visits, say every two weeks under the direction of Pastoral care. If this is a Ministry that you may be interested in please contact Eric at 905 878-588, or Anne at 905 877-4211.
Three Cheers for our Wonderful Choir
We are so very fortunate to have such a wonderful choir who offer us such inspirational music each and every week. Our sincere thank you to each and every one of you for your dedication. Thought you might enjoy this earliest photo of Knox Sanctuary and Choir, taken around 1900. Perhaps we should bring back the custom of wearing hats in church ☺ Knox Family Korner
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