The Citizen, 1987-12-16, Page 21From the Minister's Study THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 16, 1987. PAGE 21.
God's gift to us was no ordinary gift
BY REV. LORENZO G.
RAMIREZ, JR.
BLYTH UNITED CHURCH
About this time every year here
in Canada and the United States
people who love and care for their
parents, children, husband, wife
or special friends gets into routine
of asking what to give to them for
Christmas. And we all rack our
minds as to what gift to get for
them, something that is extra
special but not too extravagant nor
too cheap.
It has to be at least no ordinary
gift to express our love and
appreciation to them. This is a
routine that I myself go through
every year. Since we are new in the
community, 1 want to share to you
about Christmas in the Philip
pines.
Looking back as a young boy. in
the Philippines, Christmas is a
very special time of the year when
the whole family goes to church
every night or early morning from
December 15 on to Christmas Eve,
when children have their Christ
mas concert and poems, songs,
pageant and Christmas Pantomine
performed in front of an over-flow
ing and over-crowded church, with
people sitting even on the church
window ledge or if the windows are
low enough, peeping through it to
see their children perform and give
their moral support.
At the end of the Christmas
programme, every child receives a
£mall bag of goodies containing a
comb, a small bar of soap, a candy
and if lucky and if the Ladies Aid
got enough collection through the
year, an “apple" that makes every
child’seyes pop out. Apple is a
very, very special treat and is very
expensiveeven up to this very day,
so apple is no ordinary gift, as
oranges were in the 30’s.
Christmas is also the time when
children get something new to
wear for Christmas (not even one’s
birthday comes up to this mea
sure). A new shirt or a new pair of
pants and if Mom and Dad had a
good year’s earnings, a new pair of
shoes. Most children walk barefoot
or if lucky have a pair of flip flop (an
oriental rubber or plastic sandals).
On Christmas day at around 4:30
- 5:00 in the morning parents and
children alike rise up (even before
the sun does) and dress up for a
5:30or6 o’clock Sunrise Christmas
Service at church. The Service
always starts with carols, the
familiar Silent Night, Hark the
Herald Angel Sing and Joy to the
World are always sung. At the end
of the Service after the Benediction
and Threefold Amen, children pay
respect to their elderly by kissing
their hands, both a sign of love and
greetings. Friends shake hands or
exchange hugs especially those
that are very close to each other.
Gift exchange set up is very
much a foreign idea, so commer
cialism hasn’t reached an epidemic
proportion as it is here in Canada
and the United States.
The height and central focus of
Christmas for both Catholic and
Protestants in the Philippines is
the gathering of family for a meal
and worshipping God’s son to
gether in the church. The feeling
and the spirit you get from it is one
thatlastsa lifetime. Jesus said, “If
you then who are eveil, know how
to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father
who is in heaven give good things
to those who ask him:’’ (Matt.
7:11). “For God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not
perishbuthaveeternal life. For
God sent not his son into the world
to condemn the world but that the
world might be saved through
Him:’’ (John 3:16, 17).
Wecould have racked our minds
to buy that special gift for our loved
ones, but that special gift we
bought doesn’t even come close to
what God gave us at Christmas and
He is not just an ordinary gift.
Jesus is God’s son sent to us in
human form to be our Savior and
Lord.
May we know God’s gift to us
this Christmas and may the
warmth of Christ's love be always
in our hearts.
Blyth native Stewart
Toll honoured
on retirement
F. STEWART TOLL
F. Stewart Toll, a former
Blyth-area resident and well-
known educator was honoured last
month by the Middlesex Board of
Education on the occasion of his
retirementas the county’s Director
of Education. More than 400 family
members, friends and colleagues
attended the gala dance and
midnight luncheon at the Komoka
Community Centre on November
7, including Aubrey and Marie Toll
ofRR3, Blyth, theformerteacher’s
brother and sister-in-law.
Bob Allen of Clinton, Huron
County’s Director of Education
and aclosefriend of Mr. Toll’s, was
also in attendance to pay tribute to
his colleague; while letters were
read from Bernice Anderson of
Auburn, Mr. Toll’s Grade One
teacher; and from Ila W or sell of
Goderich, his Grade 5 teacher.
Marie Toll taught her future
brother-in-law in Grade 7/8 at the
old East Wawanosh S. S. # 16 school
on Concession 2
Stewart Toll himself began his
teaching career in 1949, teaching
school at East Wawanosh S.S. #2,
while he was still only 16 years old.
He then went into sales, represent
ing a school supply company
throughout southwestern Ontario,
where his contacts with educators
convinced him that his real voca
tion lay in teaching.
He taught for a year at Whitby
Public School before the supply
company offered him a more
lucrative position as their District
Sales Manager in the Hamilton-
Niagara Region. However, by 1956
he was back teaching in Went
worth County. But his proximity to
McMaster University encouraged
him to continue his own education,
and by 1961 he had graduated on
the Dean’s Honour List with the
Director’s prize for the highest
standing.
He became the first principal of
OneidaCentralSchoolin Haldi-
mand County, where he continued
to work toward the centralization of
rural elementary schools in the
county, then went on to teach
music, English and Geography at
Caledonia High School, where he
also conducted a 200-voice choir
and school band.
He was appointed a Master at
WindsorTeachers’ College, where
he taught psychology and English
until 1966, when he was offered a
position as a member of the
Canadian In-Service Team asso
ciated with the Kenya Institute of
Education in Nairobi, where he
organized and developed in-ser
vice courses for the headmasters
and teachers of Kenya. Upon his
return to Canada in 1968, he
completed his Master’s Degree in
Education at the University of
Toronto.
In 1969, Mr. Toll was appointed
an Area Superintendent with the
Middlesex Board of Education,
rising through the ranks to the
position of Assistant Director in
1977, and to Chief Executive
Officer in 1981.
Mr. Toll has served on the
executive of a number of profes
sional associations, and has been a
talented musician, writer and
public speaker. He was responsi
ble for the integration of mentally
handicapped children into the
regular school system in Middle
sex County, and developed an
extensive music program in county
schools.
In the spring of 1986, he was
asked to lead a combined band
from three Middlesex secondary
schools, a position he accepted
with gusto although he had not
taught music for nearly 25 years at
that point.
Mr. Toll officially retires Decem
ber 31 , but his last day of work was
in mid-December.
Brussels Mennonite
Fellowship
PASTORDOUGZEHR
December20-9:30a.m.
Christmas Worship Service
10:30 a.m. “Listen to the Voices”
A musical presented by the
Sunday School Children
December24-7:00p.m.
Christmas Eve Service
Melville
Presbyterian
William Street
December20-11:00a.m.
Christmas Sunday Service of
Christmas Music
December24-7:30p.m.
Christmas Eve Service
St. Ambrose
Roman Catholic
Mary Street
Father Stan Soltysik
December24, ChristmasEve-9p.m.
Christmas Mass
January 1, New Year’s Day-9:30a.m.
The
Churches
of
Brussels
invite you and your
neighbours to worship
with them this
Christmas season
“Yes it’s Christmas
and we greet Him -
bom a shepherd king -
Lord of all creation.
Venite adoramus. ”
Brussels United
Church
REV. CHARLESCARPENTIER
December20-11:00a.m.
Christmas Sunday Family Service
December24-7:30p.m.
Christmas Eve Service
Melville Presbyterian Church
St. John’s Anglican
REV PATT NUNN
4th Sunday of Advent
December20-11:30a.m.
HolyCommunion
8p.m.
Candlelight Lessons & Carols Service
December24,ChristmasEve-8p.m.
Candlelight Christmas
Communion Service
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