The Brussels Post, 1976-10-20, Page 2Flowers for United Church 100th anniversary
Amen
by Karl Schuessler
Brother Bob is coming
CANADIAN FORESTRY .ASSOCIATION
AND'YOUA'1),ROVINCIALPORESTRYASSOCIATION,
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1976
BRUSSELS
ONTARIO
Serving Brussels and the surrounding community.
Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario
by McLean Bros. Publishers, Limited.
Evelyn Kennedy - Editor Dave Robb :Advertising
Member Canadian Community Newspaper Association and
Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association
411, CNA
Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $6.00 a year. Others
$8.00 a year, Single Copies 15 cents each..
Brussels Post
Too much government
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:The unseemly bickering that goes on between the
various levels of government in Canada for greater
slices of the taxpayers' pie has reached a point where
few of us know how much we pay to whom for what
purposes.
Three and sometimes four levels of government
compete for the taxpayers' allegiance; control and
regulate his life and tax his personal wealth. Yet the
overlapping bureaucracies of federal, provincial and
municipal administrations have so blurred the
responsibilities of each that the taxpayer -- who is
also the voter -- has little idea for what each level is
responsible.
Worse, the citizen-taxpayer no longer has any .
standard by which -to judge priorities, or measure the
effective use of his money. We are over-governed to
coin a cliche.
Granted that most of our money goes to provide
services which the politicians would argue we have
voted for, it would be refreshing if the various levels
of government would-try to tackle their problems on
a basis of need and efficiency. Instead we too often
are treated to the tiresome display of each trying to
grab the biggest share of the communal pot.
For instance we have federal and provincial
ministries of labor, natural resources, health, social
security, environment, consumer 'protection and
business regulation.Add to this municipal
involvement in health, social security, environmental
protection, transportation and education and yoU
find how the taxpayer supports enormous
bureaucracies which overlap in dreadfully wasteful
manner.
How does the beleagured taxpayer-citizen chooie
within three jurisdictions? Surely the time has come
for governments to co-operate rather than compete
for the privilege of spending tax dollars and free the
financial resources needed for one level to do things
well.
(The United Church)
FORESTS..
PART OF ALL
OUR LIVES!
NOW...AND IN THE FUTURE
if you haven't heard of Brother Bob
Harrington, you will. Bob's coming to town
-- to, Toronto's sin strip on Yonge Street.
With his bushy black hair a-flying and his
red socks and red tie a-blazing and with his
red Bible a-waving, Bob's got a mind to
convert every sinner on Yonge.
Watch out. Bob's a steam roller. You can
get squashed. Run. Get out of the way.
Better yet. Run for your suit of armour
that'S' hanging in the closet. Bob's 'a hard
man to resist. He's really got a hard twist.
He'Vai hig man--with a big head. Says he
always had a big head as a kid. And finally
his body caught up to him--all 6 feet four of
him.
"Boy, was I dumb", he says , "Three
days of ter I was converted, I started to
preach. I didn't know anything about the
Bible. I called the book of Job job. That's
how we say j-o-b in Alabama. You never
went out looking for a Job, did you?
"I thought the Book of Psalms was
Palms. I couldn't pronounce Deuteronomy.
I thought. John 3:16 was a man's washroom
on the third floor of a department store.
Why, my first sermon I preached out of the
book of Concordance. But I learned fast."
And he's been learning fast--and talking
even faster ever since. Bob's come a long
way since that night at 8:45 in Sweetwater
Alabama on April 15, 1958 when he
surrendered to God.
I'.m warning you, Yonge St. W a ke up.
You're never going to be the same once
Bob Harrington sets foot on your
sidewalks.
"I get so excited," he says, "I can
hardly stand it. I just love the Lord. I like to
walk on my tip toes--just waiting for his
coming.So when the rapture comes and I
heard his shout, I'll be part way on the way
up.
"Sometimes I get to flying so high, I
meet the flying nun on my- way down."
He chuckles and roars and gets everyone
laughing with him. That way he slips a few
hard ones past them.
"I bet a few of you downtoWn
Presbyterians think I'm strange," he says
to a Sunday night audience; "But I'm glad
you're here. Maybe if your pastot was a
little strange, you'd open up your church
on Sunday night, too."
Or he may say, "Do you realize there are
some grown human beings who don't like
me? Can you imagine? But you can't
expect everyone to have good taste, can
you? That's their problem, not mine."
He holds out his huge hands and
declares, "Thead hands aren't supposed to
tun around being free loaders: These
hands ate meant to work. W-0-it-k. Did
you hear that? Now, you all say it With Me.
Work is getting to be a ditty four letter
word. Nett time you're in a men's
bathroom, write that on the wall."
He takes a punch at the drunks. "When
someone falls off a padded bar stool in a
swanky lounge, people say that man has a
disease. But if he'd drop into a gutter on
skidrow, they'd call him a drunk."
I'm tell you, Yonge St. Clean up your
streets. Because if you don't, Bob's going
to give you a big. sweep.
Bob's number of conversion stories
reads like the book of Acts. He preached all
over the South:in tents 'and churches and
from his old furniture van.A huge sign
hung on the side:, "Gospel Wagon.
Remember the wages of sin is death."
He counted--for the record--more than
5,000 souls after his firSt two years.
Bob's come a long way from those days.
Now he's into T.V. and pitching to the
stars. He has drawn up his Ten Most.
Wanted Men List--men he's trying to reach
for Christ . Men like Elvis Presley, Dean
Martin,' 'Hugh Hefner and Johnnie
Carson. Right now he's working--and
succeeding with Sammy Davis, Jr. And
that's an open sesame to the big stars, he
says.
I tell you, Yonge St., prepare. Get
Ready. Bob has a whole new life waiting
for you. You're not going to escape.
"Your
good
dy icsaryzo f it
."
your temple. Take care of it.Take
Bob does. He's a perfect specimen. For
to five hundred dollar suits. A $30,000
diamond ring on his finger. Mark IV's and
aLlircoovlenr Continentalshtewodd . in the garage. Jetting
"There's nothing wrong with money.
It's the love of it that's wrong. When you
have more money, you can pray better.
You can shout better. You can sing better,
Build better and bigger churches with it.
"'I'm a successful man," he declares,
"100% successful. God doesn't want you
to be a flop, a dud.
"It's fun Say, that with me,
`
And
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Remember, Yonge Street; I told you;
TorOntd. I told you hist that fob
Harrington's goal is to have every ear and
eye on hint this next year in Canada.
You're never going to be the sanie.
NotewBOOderiebaohns:St. in the French ciliate of
Dixieland is mov ing. North. This chaplain
ma"d15,eosapicke oarlWgalyads iriej andte tsci ym: three ways.
YOu'Ve got three ways to go, Canada.'
Which way will it be/