HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-06-30, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 30, 2011. By Rev. Dr. Peter Kugba-
Nyande
Duff’s United Church
The 87th annual meeting of
London Conference of the United
Church of Canada took place on
May 27-29 in Sault Ste. Marie,
Ontario. I was the ministry personal
delegate from Walton-Bluevale
Pastoral Charge. I joined other
delegates at Kirkton Community
Centre on Thursday, May 26 and
drove in a bus through the United
States to The Soo.
It was a long trip but I enjoyed a
wonderful time of sharing along the
way. Delegates included children,
youth, young adults lay and ministry
personal.
As we drove to conference, like
many others, the challenges facing
the church in the 21st century were
in our mind. Eddie Hammett: author,
coach and consultant; The Colombia
Partnership: states that among other
changes adversely affecting today’s
church are:
• Increasing impact of a growing
multi-cultural and multi-religious
population in metropolitan, urban
and suburban areas.
• The realities of the consistent
decline of church attendance, in
most congregations baptisms and
communion.
• Decline of funding at all levels of
denominational life and local church
ministries.
• Generational differences and
preferences in worship and church
programming.
• Discovering ways to engage the
local community through mission
experiences and creation of multiple
entry points for those outside the
church membership.
• Maximizing the use of church
facilities to forward the church and
community mission.
• Growing security needs for the
church – leadership, facilities,
programs etc.
• Learning to attract and disciple
busy adults and youths.
• Staffing of the church to increase
in multi-career staff persons and
growing number home grown staff.
However, with great enthusiasm
and in good spirit, we assembled on
Friday morning in a joyous mood
but wondering about the fate of the
church. Throughout the conference
two biblical reflections touched my
heart and the hearts of many as well:
The faith journey of Abraham with
Sarah and Jonah moved me more
than anything else. With
Conference’s theme on “Wonder and
Joy” the conference President Maya
Landell, narrated in a symbolic way
the journey of Abraham and Sarah.
All along, way in the vast desert,
they did not know where they were
going or how God’s promise of
becoming father of many nations
was going to be fulfilled. Abraham
was human; his passions and
attachments were like ours; but he
did not stop to question how the
promise could be fulfilled. Those
who are familiar with this story
know that Abraham demonstrated a
great act of faith. He stands like a
pillar of light, illuminating the
pathway of God’s servants in all
succeeding ages. Abraham did not
seek to excuse himself from doing
the will of God.
In the case of the story of Jonah,
God gave to a reluctant Prophet a
commandment to deliver a message
to the wicked people of Ninevah but
instead, he boarded a ship headed in
the exact opposite direction, toward
the town of Tarshish. When this boat
went to sea, the Lord sent a big
storm with high winds, which was
threatening to break the boat up into
a thousand tiny pieces and kill
everyone on board, even those
sailors who didn’t even know why
the Lord had sent the storm.
Eventually, they figured out that the
storm was happening because of
Jonah and his disobedience to a
commandment of the Lord.
Many people believe the story tells
us we have to go out and preach
about the Lord and the life he led,
which should be a model for us all.
We should tell people who are living
sinful lives to turn from their evil
ways as soon as possible, which is
usually as soon as someone tells
them they are living a life that would
not make God very happy. We don’t
always want to do what God asks us,
either because we are busy with
other activities, tired, afraid, selfish,
or for any number of possible
reasons.
According to one of the retirees,
God’s word is neither fixed nor
frozen but requires human
interpretation that addresses the day
to day activities of everyday world.
In other words, God’s word is not
dead but alive and interpretation
should not be reduced but used as a
launching pad. What we bring to the
Bible is imagination in new ways to
show how relevance of the scriptures
the 21st century world. As Leslie
Newbigin has written, it is time now
to “think like a missionary” to
formulate ways of communicating
the gospel that both confront and
engage our increasingly non-
Christian western culture.
We learn from Biblical narratives
that God is merciful, which means
he will call on us again and again to
serve him, until we do what he asks
us to do. God comes to each of us in
a unique way — sometimes through
prayer, sometimes through reading
scripture, sometimes through the
gentle guidance of someone who
loves us, like our parents. He will
never give up on us, because he
created us to love and serve him. He
would never abandon us, for we are
exactly what he wanted us to be.
“Transformation” means a
complete change. The apostle Paul
says it happens “through the
renewing of your minds”.
The mind is a spiritual battlefield,
where the forces of light and
darkness each struggles for control.
Renewing of our minds occurs both
passively and actively. It occurs
passively as we yield to the Holy
Spirit, letting go of our own
cherished opinions, preferences,
ideas, and attitudes, letting Him
replace them with a new way of
thinking.
As we fill our minds more and
more with His revealed Word, His
revelation supplants the worldly
ideas and oppression that had lodged
there before. As our minds change,
our behavior necessarily changes as
a result – and this change is visible
to those around us. We make
different choices, focus on different
(godly) things, and spend our time
on different pursuits (things with
eternal value).
May God guide the church and
His people to live up to the task
assigned to each of us and I pray
each one of you enjoys the summer.
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
July 3rd ~ Come To The Garden (Outside Service)
July 10 ~ What Does Family Mean?
Please join us for worship
Summer Intern Pastor Kevin Boss
Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743
www.blythcrc.ca
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, July 3
Brussels Public School
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
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
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - beunitedchurch@gmail.com
Brussels and Ethel churches are closed for July
while Pastor Cable is on holidays.
As other years we are invited to worship at
Melville Presbyterian Church for July.
Please note: Worship is at 10 am at Melville.
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, JULY 3
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-2664
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
July 3: Gen. 25:19ff
“Jacob the
Opportunist,
Esau the
Hedonist”
Evangelical Missionary Church
Community Vacation Bible School
July 25-29 at CRC
www.vacationbibleschool.com/blyth
Meeting July 3 & 10 at
211 North St., home of E&Y Dow
10:30 a.m.
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Welcomes you to come and worship with us
Trinity, Blyth
9:15 a.m.
Church Office: 519-357-4883
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
519-887-6862
Sunday, July 3
Rev. Perry Chuipka
www.nabcom.ca/church
St. Michael’s Cemetery Mass
at the cemetery
Saturday, July 9
at noon
with Father Morrison officiating.
All welcome.
Please bring lawn chairs.
119 John’s Ave., Auburn
519-526-1131
www.huronchapel.org
9:30 a.m.
Sunday School
10:30 a.m.
Worship Service
Special Speaker:
Tim Whately
Vacation Bible School
“Voyage of the Dawn Treader”
Visit www.huronchapel.org
to register!
For all children
in grades JK-6
July 4-8
9:30 a.m. -
12:00 noon
From the Minister’s StudyChurches change like everything else
ON $6.00 THURSDAYS
Drop into either of our offices any
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