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The Citizen, 2016-06-30, Page 13THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2016. PAGE 13. From the Minister's Study Be comfortable in own skin says Clark your Y It's summer time and since most churches aren't air conditioned, those who attend worship know how hot it is. The heat loosens us up, the choir gowns stay on the hook, many folks show up in shorts and short sleeves and I get `more' casual than usual. This is not a bad thing in my opinion. Formality gives way to practicality and ultimately comfort wins the day. Being comfortable in what you wear and in your own skin is important. I was listening to an interview with our Minister of Defence, the Honourable Harjit Sajjan who spoke of the importance of being comfortable in your own skin. He basically said there will always be people who want to make you into their biased opinions of who they think you should be. The only way to truly counter the prejudices of others is to choose who you are going to be and then be that person regardless of what others say or think about you. He admits that this awareness comes to him from being on both sides of the prejudice coin. He tells the story of a visit back to India when he was about 10. A young girl entered a bus the family was riding on and begged for anything. Sajjan offered her a piece of an orange he was eating. She immediately ate it and asked for a second piece. He remembers looking down his nose at that poor beggar girl as he reluctantly handed her a second piece but as he did he looked into her eyes and saw that she knew who she was and that even though he was from a family with money, he was no better. Then, Sajjan says, as an 18 - year -old recruit in the Canadian army, he himself faced prejudice and the eyes of that girl came back to him. It called him to remember who he was and not let others determine who he would be. This is solid wisdom for our children but how does that self- awareness come about? Our children are bombarded with ads. One study states that children aged two to 11 see an average of 25,600 ads a year and more than 40 per cent of them come from non -children shows. A whopping 85 per cent of companies that market food to kids have websites with content for children, like viral marketing, online TV ads and branded items for download. Every ad tells our children who they should be and how they should dress, act, believe, and behave. This is the world in which our children live. Unless we as parents and grandparents are actively involved in their lives and personal development we abdicate the right to help our children formulate their identity to ad companies. IfiVater Cfiriatialti d1�z hitt Sunday, July 3 Guest Speaker - Elder Chris Palmer: "Prayer" "CAVE QUEST" Community VBS July 11-14 at CRC! Register - tinyurl.com/blythvbs2016 Evangelical Missionary Church 10:30 a.m. - Worship & Sunday School at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God) Pastor: Ernest Dow - 519-523-4848 getlivingwater.org} Blyth and Brussels United churches had Mary Ross and Clayton Peters, the new Directors for Camp Menesetung, as guest speakers this past week. They said their goal was to create a camp experience which specifically helps children ask the big questions about who they want to be and how they want to act in the world. Mary and Clayton are Christian but accept that the children who come to camp may be of other faiths or no faith at all. They want to help them decide about what life characteristics they value and how to live those characteristics out in their own lives. They are not shy about saying that God plays a large part in helping them decide what they believe to be the best characteristics but that others must decide for themselves. Living what you believe is the best way to communicate those beliefs and feel comfortable in your own skin. This leads me to reflect on how we BRUSSELS as parents and grandparents can best guide our children. Send them to camp! Well yes, but just as importantly, be aware of how our actions influence the lives of our children. They will learn respect, compassion, generosity, forgive- ness, patience and every positive characteristic through how we act and they can pick up the worst of who we are as well. I am very aware that when I am around children my every action communicates who I am and what I really believe. No action is insignificant or goes unnoticed! Once again referring to Mr. Sajjan he said in the interview that his choice to wear a turban was not taken lightly. Not only is it a very public statement of what he believes BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED United Church WORSHIP SERVICE AND SUNDAY SCHOOL 11:00 am All Welcome Minister: Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M.Div. Bulletin notices: 519-523-4224 blythunited@tcc.on.ca Church bookings: 519-887-6377 Other concerns: 226-963-1175 6 H ou re c9nvited a join Ws Jn Worship SUNDAYS Morning Service Evening Service 10:00 am 7:30 pm BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH z4\6, Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743 Efueddeb, eastatactv gate eAlftee You're Invited to come worsh p with us(( Sunday, July 3 Brussels Business & Cultural Centre at 10:30 a.m. and at various homes at 6:30 p.m from July 3 to Sept. 4 Sunday School for children 4 to 12 years of age at 9:30 a.m. Childcare provided for infants and preschoolers during the sermon. Coffee & cookies after the morning service. • For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621 Steve Klumpenhower 519.292.0965 Rick Packer 519.527.0173 Blyth United Church Est. 1875 Worship Service & Sunday School at 11:00 a.m. Photo: Terry Manzo Sunday, July 3rd Our Home Grown Soul Food:... based on the play "The Birds and the Bees" All Welcome MINISTER: Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div. OFFICE: 519-523-4224 but it also challenges him daily to live up to the best ideals of his faith. People will immediately associate his actions with how he dresses and so he had better be at his best. I wonder if we Christians are as conscious about our behaviour? Whether we wear a cross or not, others are watching and our behaviour should be at its best to communicate the best of our faith. Then again the same can be said of Legion Members, Lions, International Plowing Match Leaders or Masons. If we wear an emblem of an organization, than we are called to be at our best lest we communicate something about that group that is less than flattering. Being comfortable in our own skin really means believing the precepts or morals of our faith or organizations so deeply that there is no dissonance between our public face and our private one. Then we are free to be and act consistently with what we hold dear and who we want to be in the world. ANGLICAN PARISH OF NEW BEGINNINGS BLYTH Trinity 9:15 am Church Office 519-357-4883 BRUSSELS St. John's 11:15 am Church Office 519-887-6862 Everyone Welcome! COME WORSHIP WITH US! MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS Rev. Elwin Garland SUNDAY, JULY 3 We invite you to join our church family in: Worship & Sunday School - 10 am Coffee & Snacks - 11 am Fridays 11:30 am - 1:00 pm - Soup & More 2 - a free community meal held in Melville's basement, and made possible by the Brussels churches working together. Nursery care available 519-887-9017 At The Huron Chapel V.B.S. beginning July 4th @ 9:30am And Every Sunday @ 10:30am in Auburn THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS. OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS: Brussels: St. Ambrose Saturday 6:00 p.m. 17 Flora Street Wingham: Sacred Heart Sunday 9:00 a.m. 220 Carling Terrace Listowel: St. Joseph's Sunday 11:00 a.m. 1025 Wallace Avenue N.