Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2012-03-15, Page 13THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, MARCH 15, 2012. PAGE 13. Continued from page 3 he named them, he laid a penny on the altar for each one. Then he showed them just how many United churches were across Canada. He had a box with 3,000 pennies and a bundle of 200 pennies and if you add these together they will represent most of the churches across Canada. The majority of these churches are in small places like Blyth. Rev. Clark told the children and the congregation that he was putting his name into general council to be considered for moderator of the United Church of Canada for three years and then he would be back to Blyth. He would also be back to Blyth to preach in the area for one Sunday out of four if he was accepted. The children said a prayer along with the congregation. The offering was received followed by the offertory hymn, “What can I do?” and the offertory prayer and the children went down to Sunday School for their time of fellowship. The first hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy” was sung. The scripture reading was from John 2: 13-22. The choir sang the anthem, “Teach Me Your Ways Oh Lord” in harmony. Rev. Clark’s message to the adults was, “Trust is like Oxygen – without it we cannot live”. We can live without food and water for a few days but without oxygen we will only last a few minutes. Without faith, like oxygen the congregation and the community will die. In the scriptures, Jesus was angry with the money changers and sellers that were taking advantage of the people coming to make sacrifices at the Temple. Jesus was asked what miracle He could do. He told them if they tore down the temple, He would build it back in three days. Sacrifices and trust are the core of our faith. Congregations are sometimes reluctant to accept the help of the Presbytery when they are only there to try and help. The next hymn was, “Oh Jesus I Have Promised” followed by prayers for the people, silent prayer and the singing of The Lord’s Prayer. The last hymn, “Just As I Am” was followed by the commissioning and benediction. The takeaway message for the day was imagine the trust Jesus must have had in God to put His life literally in God’s hands. Can the image of Jesus trusting God to mid- wife his earthly body into a new kind of body gives us the courage to trust God in the midst of our transformation as a congregation and as a denomination. Everyone was invited for coffee and treats and a time of fellowship after the service. Clark announces intention to run for UC moderator By Phaedra ScottMrs. Cheryl Cronin was involvedwith the Avon Maitland DistrictSchool board for 33 years. She playsa big part in the community and is very respected within the school environment. Cheryl first started her career as a teacher at Hullett Central Public School until she moved to Brussels Public School. After six years she transferred to Blyth. She taught in Blyth from 1986 until her retirement in 2008. You may remember her as the excellent piano player for our school Christmas concerts and as far as that goes, she has always been very involved with the music and organization of the play every year. One of her favourite memories of her involvement with the Christmas concerts is the dedication of the students and the general atmosphere. When she first started teaching at Blyth Public School, all the Christmas concerts were held in the gym and organized by Shirley Vincent. Cronin recalls a time when the concert was almost two hours long, as there were quite a few students at the time. Every parent, guardian and sibling of those children were crammed into the small gymnasium. Add the lights and that same gymnasium could feel like a sauna. Kids from the choir started to faint; whether from the heat or stage fright, no one knows. Finally, in 1993, Al Harrison came up with a plan to hold the Christmasconcert at the Blyth Memorial Hall and this is the way it has beensince.I asked Cheryl to describe a concert that stuck out the most in her mind and she spoke of a time when the staff organized the junior and senior grade choirs to perform at the Christmas concert. The choir usually sang when the production required time for stage set-ups and costume changes. She enjoyed training the senior choirs in learning Christmas tunes that involved two and three-part harmony. For years, each group of Grade 8 girls learned the parts for “Silent Night” and “The First Noel” and other harmonies such as the alto in “Silver Bells” and “Mary’s Boy Child”. When there was a “willing and able” group of boys in the senior choir, concert songs with a third harmony were chosen. She remembers one year in particular when several church choirs in Blyth worked with famous pianist Frank Mills for a concert at the Memorial Hall in early December. Mills wrote and included a beautiful Christmas song, “Somewhere a Child is Sleeping”. The next year, the senior choir sang that song in three-part harmony at the school concert on the same stage. Cheryl would like to give a special mention to staff and volunteers from the Blyth Memorial Hall and Festival Theatre for the role theyplayed in each Christmas concert.Janice Henry was always availableto open the hall on practice day andconcert night and knew exactly where to find what they needed. Peter Cook helped the Grade 8 boys set up the bleachers for the choirs each year and then came back to help the boys take them all apart the next day. Fran Cook and Karen Stewart were invaluable by helping with lighting and sound in the early years of the concerts at the hall. The community support, the parents, the children and the dedication of the staff of Blyth Public School have consistently made the concerts memorable and enjoyable year after year. It was such a pleasure to have the opportunity to talk to Mrs. Cronin and again, I learned so much that I would not have known otherwise. Mrs. Cronin can take great pride in knowing that she has played such an integral part in so many students’ lives at Blyth Public School. We can only hope that we see her behind the keyboard at the first Christmas concert at the new Maitland River Elementary School. The school committee is still looking for old photos, school memorabilia, and great stories from your experiences at Blyth Public School. Please contact Nancy Roe at the Blyth School if you have things to share. Cronin looks back on 33 years with local schools Done her time Cheryl Cronin has been an important figure in the world of Blyth Public School over the years. This week Grade 8 student Phaedra Scott sat down with Cheryl to talk about her years in Blyth and her love for playing the piano at the annual Christmas concert. (Shawn Loughlin photo) M-T receives petition for road improvements A group of residents living along Stone School Road delivered a petition to Morris-Turnberry Council, March 8, asking for improvements to the road. “I’ve seen the road deteriorate really badly in the last few years,” said Barry Golley who presented the petition. Golley said that in the past there had been mud on the road that the roads department spread gravel on top of, but the mud worked its way back to the surface. Noting that the road is due for an application of gravel ths year, he wondered if something could be done to remove the mud before the gravel is spread. Golley said the road has sometimes been so bad that customers of his business, Barry’s Auto Body, refused to drive on the road and he had to pick up and deliver cars on his float truck. Mayor Paul Gowng sympathized with the petitioners, noting there’s a very intensive farming operation located on that road which puts extra stress on the road. “We ask so much more of our roads nowadays,” he said. But, he said, council has to set priorities with its limited resources. “This is on our radar. We’ll see what we can do in the future.” All Trades Welcome Low Finance Rates Huge Selection of Quality Pre-Owned Vehicles 268 Bayfield Rd Goderich, Ontario N7A 3G6 Call Today 519 524 7195 2007 GMC Sierra 4x4 Z71 Ext Cab – 5.3L V8 New Tires, 122,000km $16,995.00 2007 Chevrolet Silverado LT 4x4 - 4.8L V8 – 8 foot box 83,000km $14,995.00 2010 Ram1500 R/T Buckets & Console 4.10 Axle Only 33,000kms $24,995.00 1998 Honda Prelude S Auto, Sunroof, New Tires, Certified Great Looking Car $5,995.00 2011 Ram1500 4x4 Crew Cab, Laramie, Leather, Nav. Buckets REDUCED $34,995.00 2008 Buick Enclave CXL AWD, Leather, Sunroof, Rear DVD, 7 Pass. $25,995.00 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe V6- 5Pass. Frt Wheel Drive Only 43,000kms $20,995.00 2010 Camero 2SS 6.2L V8, 6Spd, Sunroof, Leather, Charcoal with 2 Blk Strips $31,995.00 2003 Ford F350 Diesel King Ranch- Dually Loaded, Sunroof $16,995.00 1990 Corvette ZR-1 RARE 32 Valve LT-5 6-Spd, Two Tops and Fully Documented $19,995.00 2011 Chrysler 300C AWD 5.7L Hemi, Fully Equipped Luxury sedan, Only 22,000kms $39,995.00 2007 Corvette 3LT – Z51, 6-Spd Paddle Shift, Navigation, 2 Tops, Loaded A Must See!! $32,995.00 www.LAKEHURONCHRYSLER.com All Vehicles Certified & Detailed, HST Extra, & License Fees Apply Another Lake Huron Chrysler No Gimmick AD! Everyday Great Deals and That’s a Promise..                                   By Keith Roulston The Citizen BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED