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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-02-19, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2009. PAGE 19. Digging in While breakfast was well- attended over the weekend in Belgrave as part of North Huron’s Luge-a-thon, hot dogs, soup and chili were big sellers as well throughout the afternoon, with two-year-old Keaten Robinson partaking in some hot dogs while public skating happened on the ice. (Shawn Loughlin photo) Tom Murray from Beamsville andnew minister at Knox United Church in Belgrave says God’s call brought him to Huron County. Murray has high hopes for Belgrave, but adds he doesn’t have all the answers. Murray says it’s a combination of not wanting to bring a cookie-cutter answer to Belgrave and his admiration for newly-elected U.S. President Barack Obama that has given him confidence in this approach. He says that each area has its own particular challenges and a that a game plan can’t be assembled until those challenges are understood. He cites one of Obama’s books, titled The Audacity Of Hope as an example. “Obama doesn’t have all the answers, he doesn’t know what to do, but he has the audacity of hope,” Murray says. Obama is confident enough, Murray says, to take office, assess the world’s problems and then take appropriate action, which is what Murray has done in his whole life with the United Church and plans to do at Knox. “I don’t necessarily have a plan,but I have ideas for understanding.Different areas all have differentneeds,” Murray says.Murray uses an example of achurch in Sheffield, England, where the decline of the steel industry devastated the town when a large amount of its utensil industry was shipped to Asia. There, the church used some out- of-the-box thinking that served the industry’s former workers well. Now, Murray says, the church in Sheffield is one of the biggest in England. It didn’t stop at church services though. Murray says the church bought up old industrial land and built community centres and other areas where the community could come together. He is still new to the area, but Murray is familiar enough with Huron County to know the area is hurting with the closure of Goderich’s Volvo plant and the restructuring of Wescast in Wingham. Murray’s ideas aren’t limited to the United Church. He cites the success of the Parish Of New Beginnings, a four-church alliance comprising the Anglican churches in Blyth, Brussels, Wingham and Lucknow. Murray says he likes the ideabehind the Parish Of NewBeginnings, but that he hopesdenominational barriers wouldn’t bea problem and that between differentreligious disciplines, events could be organized to bring the area together to serve its communities rather than serving its specific church-goers. This is something Murray has always worked at. After working for nearly a decade at a church in Beamsville, he began to see the change he felt the community needed. There, it took the community just under four years to turn it around. Murray says four years isn’t a guideline, that it could be different for each community, but he feels Belgrave is a strong community that has the will to succeed, despite facing greater challenges. With the economic hardship, it is time to work harder at community, Murray says. “As Obama says, we have to be brave enough to hope, and with hope, we can pull through all of this. Because if we don’t have the hope to work through it, we’re bereft and we’re lost,” he says. “We have to have the sense that we can do it. We have to help community understanding and then engage the possibilities that this community is capable of.” Murray thinks Belgrave is a good fit for him and his wife Brenda, although they have not taken up permanent residence in the community yet. They are currently in the process of finding a new place. The Murrays have three daughters, who are all married, and have six grandchildren. Murray is excited about the challenge that lies ahead and feels the people of Belgrave are the right people to join him on the journey. “I think God led us together. This community had a long search,” he says. “Really though, with this job, I’m just as excited as when I first started out.” Minister hears God’s call to Huron County Cutting corners The kids skills competition was a big draw over the weekend in Belgrave as part of the North Huron Luge-a- thon with dozens of children participating in puck-handling drills and shooting for accuracy. (Shawn Loughlin photo) Welcome Tom Murray, Knox United Church’s new minister, heard God’s call that brought him to Belgrave. He says he and the community have a lot of work to do together, but that it isn’t going to happen overnight. Murray is in the process of moving to Belgrave with his wife Brenda from Beamsville. (Shawn Loughlin photo) Buck & Doe for Shayne MacKenzie and Stacey Bowles Saturday, February 21 9 pm - 1 am Listowel Ag Hall Tickets $10. 519-887-9769 or 519-807-8660 Age of majority required Lunch provided By Shawn LoughlinThe Citizen BUY? SELL? TRY CLASSIFIED