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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2011-01-20, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2011. getlivingwater.org Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848 Living Water Christian Fellowship 10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School at Blyth Public School, corner of King & Mill Tuesdays 7:30 pm - Wingham Small Group 1st & 3rd Wednesdays 7:30 pm - Women’s Ministry Fridays 7:00 pm - Youth Group Jan. 23: 1 Cor.1:18ff “God’s Delight in Choosing Losers” Evangelical Missionary Church Wed. Feb. 2 PA Day FREE SKATE 1-3 p.m. Youre Invited to come worship with us Sunday, January 23 Brussels Public School at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. 6:30 pm - DVD series on the Book of Revelation by James MacDonald Sunday School for children 4 to 11 years of age (mornings only) Childcare provided for infants and toddlers Coffee & cookies after the morning service For additional details please contact: Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173 Chris McMichael 519.482.1644 119 John’s Ave., Auburn 519-526-1131 www.huronchapel.org 9:30 a.m. Sunday School 10:30 a.m. Morning Worship Service Guest Speaker: Rev. Eugene Neudorf 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 January 23rd “Believing The Unbelievable” Luncheon after church From the Minister’s StudyTry to extract pure joy out of adversityBy Pastor Brent KipferBrussels Mennonite Fellowship It can feel good to quit. One day, when I was 11 years old, I surprised my parents by telling them that I wanted to play hockey. I was not exactly a sports fanatic. Sure, I collected hockey cards. I dreamed that the Toronto Maple Leafs might miraculously win the Stanley Cup in my lifetime – but when there was a game on television, I got distracted as soon as the puck was dropped. On the few occasions every year when I laced up my skates, I was pretty shaky on them. Why did I now want to head over to the arena with hockey equipment? Two of my younger brothers were starting hockey that year. None of us had ever played before. Not wanting to be outdone, I thought I should probably give it a try. At my first practice, I was miserable. My teammates skatedcircles around me. My glasses kept fogging up under my helmet. I was constantly out of breath. Halfway through the practice, I took a break. My dad must have seen the agony on my face because he leaned in and said, “You don’t have to do this, Brent. It’s okay if you don’t play hockey.” It felt so good to go home. My decision closed the door to some opportunities. Not surprisingly, my hockey skills have not improved much since that day. I doubt that I will ever be invited to be an inspirational speaker at a sports banquet. This is not a great tragedy. As an overall life strategy, however, quitting is a dangerous habit. Friedrich Nietzsche once made a profound statement about the meaning of life. He said, “the essential thing ‘in heaven and earth’ is... that there should be a longobedience in the same direction; thereby results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living.” We live in an instant society – and at a time when many struggle to find purpose in life. What does it look like to commit to something and to stick with it – to pursue a “long obedience in the same direction”? With almost any goal you set – whether it is to get in shape or learn new job skills or to become a better hockey player – there can be tremendous satisfaction in pursuing it wholeheartedly, following it through to the end, finishing well. In the Book of James, an early Christian leader calls us to pursue a long obedience in a particular direction, moving with Jesus Christ toward the ultimate goal. Having seen followers of Jesus begin their journey of faith with excitementonly to crash and burn when things get tough, he says, “consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.” What kind of trials do you face? Sickness? A challenging co-worker? Poverty? Unemployment? Disappointment? Trials can involve large-scale, life-altering events or ordinary, daily stresses. Consider these things pure joy, James says. How is that possible? If he had written these words in a comfortable house with every convenience at his fingertips, it would be easy to dismiss them, but James knows what it is like to suffer. How can we respond with joy to trials? James looks at the big picture. He is interested in the long haul. Faith without trials is like a musclethat never gets flexed. It soon withers and becomes weak. When our faith is tested, though, we have an opportunity to grow – but it matters very much how we respond. Do we throw in the towel? Do we get bitter? Or do we lean into Jesus? James says, “let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” In the original Greek, the word perseverance carries the idea of “remaining under” a load, picturing a person carrying a heavy load for a long time – muscles being exercised so that they grow strong and full. When we stick with Jesus over the long haul, God works within our perseverance to shape us into a certain type of person: one who is mature and complete. What kind of people are we becoming? Huron East Council has initiated the process to designate the current home of Cinnamon Jim’s Café as a building of cultural heritage value. Jim Lee approached the Heritage Committee in August about the idea and on Dec. 20, the committee decided to recommend the designation to Huron East Council. The process has already begun. The bylaw to make the designation official will be proposed at the Feb. 15 meeting of Huron East Council. The building is on the corner of a block that was originally known as “The Grant Block”. The block had been purchased by William Grant, who was the first postmaster for the Village of Ainleyville (serving from 1856 to 1870). Grant built a store block, which then housed the post office, which was then known as the Dingle Post Office. In 1870, John Grant took over as postmaster and shortly thereafter, Ainleyville was incorporated and the name was then changed to Brussels. The original building burnt to the ground in 1878 and the current building was then built from 1879 to 1880. The project’s architect was Wingham’s J.G. Proctor. After the block was sold to Samuel McCaughey in 1884, the post office continued to operate from the block until August of 1891. The business most commonly associated with the block, however, was The Brussels Post, which located in the block in 1905. The move came when the block was purchased by the publisher of The Brussels Post, William Henry Kerr. The Brussels Post remained at that location until 1971 when the newspaper was purchased by McLean Brothers Publishing Limited of Seaforth. The Brussels Post was eventually absorbed by The Huron Expositor in 1982. Huron East Council voted to proceed with the designation process at the Jan. 4 meeting of council. A smaller number of euchre players than usual ventured out to the card party at the Londesborough Community Hall on Friday, Jan. 14. There were just 12 tables of card players hosted by the Londesborough Happy Gang Seniors. Charlie Shaw and John Pollard took home first-place money with a final score of 88 points. Helen Nolan and Betty Hulley won second place with 78 points. Close behind with 76 points were Delores Howatt and Lillian Appleby for third place. Seven lone hands won that prize for Len and Betty Archambault. The seniors will hold their next card party on Feb. 11. The Happy Gang Seniors’ first regular meeting of 2011 will be on Wednesday, Jan. 26. Former ‘Brussels Post’ building to receive heritage designation MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS Rev. Elwin Garland SUNDAY, JANUARY 23 Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available 519-887-2664 10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship - Sunday School THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA Welcomes you to come and worship with us Trinity, Blyth 9:15 a.m. Church Office: 519-317-4883 St. John's, Brussels 11:15 a.m. 519-887-6862 Sunday, January 23 Rev. Perry Chuipka www.nabcom.ca/church Please join us for worship Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743 www.blythcrc.ca SUNDAYS Morning Service 10:00 am Evening Service 7:30 pm BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH Pastor Gary Klumpenhower 519-523-9233 Happy Gang BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA Sandra Cable, Worship Leader Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - beunitedchurch@gmail.com Sunday, January 23 Ethel United Church Worship Service and Sunday School - 9:30 a.m. Brussels United Church Worship Service and Sunday School - 11:00 a.m. Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship