HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2015-01-29, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 2015.
By Rev. Gary Clark
Blyth and Brussels United
Churches
Next week is the beginning of the
month of love. Valentine’s Day is
right smack in the middle of this, the
shortest, and yet most romantic
month of the year. Valentine’s Day
celebrates several saints named
Valentinus. Each had their own
martyrology or story of why they
would be considered a saint. A
common theme of these stories is
love and what the saint did to further
love and relationships. Somewhere
along the way flowers, then cards,
then chocolates and finally a fancy
supper out became gifts given to the
one you adore. Today we have a
new way to celebrate. It is a gift to
the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
As gifts go this one might sound
cold or impersonal, but it isn’t!
Every nine minutes in Canada a
person suffers a stroke. It is possible
that your loved one or mine will be
one in that number. The Heart and
Stroke Foundation seeks to educate
about the symptoms, assist in
research to reduce the effects, help
in the recovery of strokes and
increasingly to inform people about
some of the causes of Heart disease.
For example they have developed
the easy to remember the FAST
system to recognize if you are
having a stroke: F for face is
drooping; A for can you raise your
arms above your shoulders; S for is
your speech slurred or jumbled and
T for time to call 911 right now!
These are simple steps and yet the
key to recovery is quick
identification and getting help. You
would be surprised at how many
lives are saved because a loved one
recognized the symptoms of a heart
attack or stroke and acted quickly.
Now that is a Valentine’s present!
Recently the foundation has been
getting political to help stop the
spread of the disease at a young age.
They have stated, “Marketing junk
food and sugary drinks to kids with
slick ads isn’t just sneaky – it’s
making children sick. The Heart and
Stroke Foundation is asking the
government to restrict the
commercial marketing of all foods
and beverages to children.”
The best way to survive is to help
your body become less susceptible
to heart disease. Watching the
weight, doing a little exercise like a
daily walk and trying to keep the
stress down.
In the month of February there
will be volunteers coming to your
door asking for a donation and we
invite you to help by giving what
you can to support the foundation. I
am one of those volunteers and at a
recent training event I heard that
Blyth has enough volunteers to
cover the whole town. If you live in
Blyth someone will be coming to
your door. Please think about if this
is an important health issue for you
and if you want to contribute to the
foundation. Regardless of whether
you donate you will still receive a
door hanger that has a quick
reference card that has the signs of
cardiac arrest and a message from
Adrienne Clarkson, the 26th
Governor General of Canada and
honorary Chair of the Foundation.
Our faith lives have a lot in
common with this kind of work.
Most of us don’t want to think about
the state of our heart or soul. We try
to think that heart attack or the
collapse of faith happens to someone
else and that we have nothing to fear.
If we don’t talk about it maybe it
will not be real and maybe it will
pass us by. Unfortunately that
simply isn’t the case. We go to
church or read articles like this to be
reminded about the health of our
faith and what steps we can take to
improve the health of our souls and
hearts. It is often others in our lives
that notice we not as happy or
engaged in life as we once were.
Others might see the symptoms of a
disease in our lives while we just try
to shrug it off. Nobody likes to hear
they are having a heart attack or for
that matter we don’t like hearing that
we seem sad or heavy burdened but
if our loved ones refuse to see the
symptoms or having seen the
symptoms refuse to tell us, how can
our lives be saved?
In this case salvation isn’t just
about ‘life after death’. It is about
having a life while we are still alive.
Church isn’t the only way to have a
life or to feel connected to the Holy,
but the big advantage of being part
of a church family over taking a
walk in a park is that others are there
to support you in the tough times.
Others are there to see the symptoms
of discontent, heart ache and
disappointment and they are there to
walk with you toward a recovery of
the life you want to live.
Yes, Valentine’s Day is a
wonderful time because it
encourages us to think about how we
will show love to those we care
about. Consider this carefully, it
might mean the difference between
life and death, and having a life or
not. I wonder if by your actions you
will become a saint in the lives of
those you love. What are you willing
to do to further love and
relationships in your life and in their
lives? Happy Valentine’s Day you
saints!
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.
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 1
Nursery care available
519-887-9017
Worship & Sunday School - 10 am
Coffee & Snacks - 11 am
We invite you to join our church family in:
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.
BRUSSELS
WORSHIP SERVICE
AND SUNDAY SCHOOL 10:00 am
All Welcome
United Church
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
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
Sunday, February 1 ~Groundhog says,
“Get Your Own Shadow”
Sunday, February 8 ~Bring Life to Love
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.
Children
Welcome
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, February 1
Brussels Business & Cultural Centre
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
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 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743
Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen
You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
getlivingwater.org
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
at 308 Blyth Rd. (former Church of God)
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Feb. 1: John 4:5ff
Evangelical Missionary Church
Small Groups Weekly in Blyth & Wingham
“Thirst for the Water that Satisfies”
Communion, Potluck, Annual Meeting
FREE MOVIE: Fri., Feb. 20 ~ 7:30 p.m.
We have seen lots of new people
coming to Huron Chapel this
winter and we still have room for
you. Sundays @ 10:30am
huronchapel.com
From the Minister’s Study
For Valentine’s Day celebrate with a gift
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