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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2009-07-30, Page 11It’s been a long road, but Rev. Peter Kugba-Nyande is in Walton preaching the word of God at Duff’s United Church. Kugba-Nyande is originally from Sierra Leone, in western Africa, a country that has been plagued with war for much of the last 20 years. Since his time in Sierra Leone, Kugba-Nyande has been all around North America, spending time in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Louisville, Kentucky before arriving in Ontario. Duff’s is the third United Church he has worked for and this is his eighth year with the United Church. Kugba-Nyande has a very diverse religious background, with significant experience to draw from with several religions, saying that it’s the similarities with religions, not the differences that people should be focusing on in this day and age. “I’m here primarily to preach the word of God,” he says. “I also derive strength from the community. I want to show [the congregation] that all religions can be working together for the greater good of the world.” Kugba-Nyande has experienced many different religions, and through earning a doctrine in religious studies, he has a vast wealth of religious knowledge to draw upon for his work in Walton. He says that he wants to educate the community on the common goal of many religions in the world today and that he wants to continue to assist people overseas who are struggling in these times. He says this will not be difficult as Canadians are a very generous people, but he wants to address the root cause of some of these problems, instead of just throwing money at them. “While I’m here, I want us to help people, but in a much more appropriate way. For example, the mission and support fund and other charitable organizations definitely help the cause, but are the funds being used appropriately? We don’t know,” he says. “In many cases, they don’t address the cause of the problem. I want to educate the people here on the root causes, so we can address them.” Kugba-Nyande named several areas including Africa, Asia, Haiti and Jamaica when discussing areasthat are currently being affected bywar. He says that Canada’simmigrants are another point that hehopes to focus on in the comingmonths. “I want to open the door for people to learn about themselves, but to also learn about other regions and other parts of the world,” he says. “Canada has depended on immigrants. That is one thing that has made this nation great, but unfortunately that is not reflected in many of the churches.” One point that Kugba-Nyande has focused on throughout his time inthe church is poor and under-privileged families. He is alsohoping to plan some outreach intothe community to help HuronCounty’s less-fortunate families in the near future. Kugba-Nyande is here with his wife Jinah. They have four children: Musu, 27, Battu, 26, Peter Jr., 21 and Hannah, 18. The older daughter is currently a nurse working at Hillcrest Nursing Home in Midland, while their other three children are all in some stage of completing their post-secondary education. Battu is studying businessand accounting at George BrownCollege, while Peter Jr. studieseconomics at the University ofToronto and Hannah studies healthsciences at the University of Toronto. Peter and Jinah also have a grandson and granddaughter. “There are so many faiths working towards the same goal, they just have a different emphasis on a different area,” he says. “We all have common goals, so hopefully we can come to one global solution. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 30, 2009. PAGE 11. 5 locals LDSS Scholars Welcome Rev. Peter Kugba-Nyande and his wife Jinah just moved to Walton, where Peter will take over the services at Duff’s United Church. Originally from Sierra Leone, in western Africa, Peter is hoping to increase the world outreach in the community and work towards a global solution with all religions, rather than turmoil between different religions. (Shawn Loughlin photo) Duff’s United welcomes new minister NOTICE Office Hours Beginning August 3rd, 2009 Our hours of operation will be: Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Kriss Snell. CAO/Clerk Township of North Huron 274 Josephine Street, Box 90 Wingham, ON N0G 2W0 519-357-3550 Township of North Huron Council & Committee Meeting Schedule August 4 Regular Council Meeting 7:30 p.m. - Council Chambers August 10 Committee of the Whole 7:00 p.m. - Council Chambers August 11 Belgrave Community Centre Board 7:00 p.m. - Belgrave Community Centre August 12 Wingham Area Fire Board 7:00 p.m. - Wingham Fire Hall August 17 Regular Council Meeting 7:30 p.m. - Council Chambers August 19 Blyth Arena Advisory Committee 7:00 p.m. - Blyth Arena By Shawn Loughlin The Citizen ANNA GLEN An Ontario Scholar from Listowel District Secondary School, Anna is the daughter of David and Judie Glen of RR2 Listowel. In the fall Anna will attend the University of Waterloo. No other details were available. TAYLOR RUNSTEDLER The daughter of Herb and Jane Shilling of RR3 Brussels is an Ontario Scholar from Listowel District Secondary School. She is heading to the University of Toronto in the fall for its kinesiology program. JUSTINE SUBJECT Justine is the daughter of Wendy Sifert and stepdaughter of Bob Sifert of RR1 Listowel. This fall, the Listowel District Secondary School Ontario Scholar is attending Conestoga College for the Registered Nurse program. RYAN VAN VEEN This fall, Dan and Dianne Van Veen’s son Ryan of RR2 Brussels and a Listowel District Secondary School Ontario Scholar is attending Conestoga College for Advanced Manufactoring and Technology: Robotics and Automation. MARTIN BOETTCHER No photo available Martin is the son of Gabrielle and Chris Boettcher from RR2 Brussels. An Ontario Scholar from Listowel District Secondary School, Martin is currently working on a harvest crew in Saskatchewan and plans to continue his education upon his return. The Citizen’s Classified advertisements are now available on our website at www.northhuron.on.ca Slip! on clothing Slop! on sunscreen SPF 15 or higher Slap! on a hat For more information call the Canadian Cancer Society at 1 888 939-3333 or take our SunSense quiz at www.cancer.ca.