The Citizen, 2010-06-24, Page 12PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JUNE 24, 2010. From the Minister’s StudyRemembering ancestors all year longBy Perry Chuipka, Pastor forthe Parish of New BeginningsOne Sunday morning, the pastornoticed little Alex was staring up at
the large plaque that hung in the
foyer of the church. The seven-year-
old boy had been staring at the
plaque for some time, so the pastor
walked up, stood beside the boy, and
said quietly, “Good morning Alex.”
“Good morning pastor,” replied
the young man, focused on the
plaque. “Pastor McGhee, what is
this?” Alex asked.
“Well son, these are all the people
who have died in the service,”
replied the pastor.
Soberly, they stood together,
staring at the large plaque.
Little Alex’s voice barely broke
the silence when he asked quietly,
“Which one, the nine or the 10:30
service?”
It is interesting that the minister
first thought the boy was looking at
the plaques to remember those
soldiers who had died in service to
their country. We often remember
those who fought in the world wars
and the other wars during November
because Remembrance Day is
coming. But how about
remembering our ancestors during
the rest of the year. Do we take a
moment at various times in our lives
to remember our grandparents and
great grandparents and other
relatives that were important to our
development?
If I am honest, I don’t find the time
to do that because like the old saying
goes, “out of sight, out of mind”. But
I was reminded this week how
important it is to remember our
ancestors of the past, because they
are really part of who we are today.
Last week my wife and I went to
the Huron Historical Society
meeting held at Trinity Anglican
Church in Blyth. We attended this
function because as the minister, I
think it is important to support the
events going on at our church. We
began the evening by being greeted
and welcomed by George Ives who
gave us a typed history of some of
the important dates of the church.
We were encouraged to look at
artifacts, documents and pictures of
the stories of Trinity that were
organized on tables at the back of the
church by Janis and Brock Vodden.
Then, 15 minutes later, the
society’s president David Armstrong
gave us a warm welcome and
introduced Ella Ives who gave us a
short, but interesting, history of thechurch. I found it refreshing becauseshe pointed out the things that hadchanged right in the worship area
that we were sitting in. Then we
were served a delicious meal by the
Trinity Anglican Church Catering
Group.
After supper, the Historical
Society held a brief meeting. Not
being a member of their group my
mind wandered a little during the
meeting. At one point they were
talking about historical buildings
and the people who worked in them.
I was reminded of my
grandmother Ruth Dempsey who
was a nurse who literally watched
me come into the world as she was
in the maternity ward when I was
born. Then, I thought, that hospital is
no longer there and yet they kept the
building as a seniors’ home.
How wonderful that they did not
destroy that old building, but
renovated the inside so that someone
else could use it. Maybe some day
someone will look back at the
history of that building and relive the
lives of all those people who worked
so hard in that hospital. They might
have pictures and written materials
that will remind us of what thosepeople did for others. As I thought about this I alsothought how influential my
grandmother was in my life and in
my decision to become a minister in
the church. I still remember her
reading me stories from her old
leather bound jet black Bible. And
the times she told me sayings like,
“how important it was to treat others
like we want ourselves to be
treated.”
It made me think that my
grandmother, even though she is
long gone to her maker, still is a part
of me. But I don’t often take the time
to stop and reflect how important she
has been and continues to be in my
life. And yet, when I do, I feel a
inner strength and more energy to
keep going in this sometimes chaotic
life that we live in.
And then, today, I met a woman,
Bev Elliott at the Blyth Memorial
Garden. She welcomed me with a
warm smile and then showed me
around the wonderful garden filled
with beautiful flowers and lovely
greenery. As we walked, she told me
bits of history about the memorial
stones that were in memory of loved
ones. We spoke and made plans fortheir eighth Annual RemembranceService that will be held onSeptember 19 at 2 p.m.
After leaving the garden, as I
drove home, I couldn’t help but
think of my grandmother Vicki
Chuipka who had a wonderful
flower garden all around her house.
I still remember playing around
her flowers one day and breaking
one of her favourite tiger lilies. Not
wanting to get my grandmother
upset I took a string and tied it back
onto the stem. I thought, “my
grandmother will never notice it”.
The next day I watched from my
parents’ house next door as my
grandmother looked at this flower,
untied the string and laughed out
loud. Even though I think she knew
who did it, my grandmother never
said a word about it to me or anyone
else.
I never did tell her. But as I
thought of my grandmother’s love
for flowers, the greenery and thetrees around her home, I thought
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
Christ-centred, Bible-believing,
Fellowship-friendly, Growth-geared
June 27: Acts 16:16ff
“Prisoners Set a
Jailer Free”
Outdoor Baptism
Service,
POTLUCK
10:30 a.m. at H&B Shannon’s,
east end of Hamilton St.
Please bring lawn chairs.
July 4: Shared summer services
begin at Blyth Community
Church of God.
Please join us for worship
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00am
Evening Service 7:30pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
Pastor John Kuperus
Hwy. 4, Blyth
Combined Service:on Sunday, June 27th
the evening service will be at the Clinton CRC at 7:00 pm.
Upcoming Events:
Vacation Bible School
will be at the Blyth CRC on July 26-30th
Outdoor Service and Potluck Picnic
will be on Sunday, August 1 at the Blyth Lions Park.
Welcome to
Brussels Mennonite Fellowship
Sunday, June 27
June 27 - September 5
Summer Worship Services
at 10 am
Pastor Brent Kipfer 519-887-6388
10:00 a.m.
Teacher Appreciation Sunday
with our children leading
the worship service
119 John’s Ave.,Auburn
519-526-1131
www.huronchapel.org
9:30 a.m.
Sunday School & Small Groups
10:30 a.m.
Morning Worship Service
“Graduation Sunday”
Guest Speaker: Rob Campbell
PLAN AHEAD FOR SUMMER
Huron Chapel is offering two
summer experiences
for your children.
VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL
July 5th-9th
ATHLETES IN ACTION
SOCCER CAMP
August 16th - 20th
Contact Melodi at
melodi@huronchapel.org
for all the details
YOU ARE WELCOME
9:45 a.m. Sunday School for all ages
10:30 a.m. - Sunday Morning Worship
Mid-week Bible Study
C H U R C H O F G O D ,ANDERS
O
N
,
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N
D
I
A
N
A
Timeless Truths
For Today
308 Blyth Rd. E., Blyth
Pastor Les Cook ~ 519-523-4590
Blyth Community Church of God
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca
Sunday, June 27
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
Brussels and Ethel United churches are closed for the month of July.
Everyone is invited to worship at Melville Presbyterian.
Service time 10:00 a.m.
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
SUNDAY, JUNE 27
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-2664
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, June 27
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
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Welcomes you to come
and worship with us
Trinity, Blyth
9:15 a.m.
519-523-9595
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
519-887-6862
Sunday, June 27
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Blyth United Church
Office: 519-523-4224 Rev. Gary Clark
All Welcome
Sunday, June 27
Worship Service at 11 a.m.
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