HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1989-11-22, Page 25PAGE 26. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1989.
From the Minister's Study
God can turn worthless life into good
BY REV. D. TUCKER
KNOX UNITED, BELGRAVE AND
CALVIN BRICK UNITED
Practically every newspaper we
read urges us to think about our
environment. Not all of us are
anxious to do so! We still see
people burning leaves every fall;
we still use styrofoam cups at
parties or the arena; still vast
quantities of plastic of every type
end up at the dump every weekend.
It is so much easier to live for today
than it is to live for tomorrow, isn’t
it? For so many years we have just
thrown things away without a
further thought; we have develop
ed a disposable society, with never
a concern for those who must follow
in our footsteps when we are gone.
Well, some time this week my
conscience began again to make me
uncomfortable about all this waste,
so 1 decided to do something about
it. But where should I start? How
could I as one solitary individual
possibly make a difference in this
consumer society? Indeed, was it
even worth me making a start? My
changed attitude was not going to
change the world: the few glass
jars and tins which I wash and put
in the bins will not make any
appreciable difference, will they?
And the newspapers I so carefully
tie up are only an embarrassment
to those who are collecting them, so
perhaps I should forget all about
my resolutions and carry on as
usual.
At just the right time I was
confronted with the need to dispose
of bag after bag of carefully
collected leaves. My mind was
made up! A compost heap was
what I needed. So out come saw,
lumber, paper and pencil and a
start was made. Nothing elaborate,
you understand. Just a simple
outdoor box to contain a mixture of
earth and leaves, tea bags, coffee
High school land purchase,
grounds, potato peelings and mis
cellaneous waste matter.
What a mess! Surely nothing
good will ever come from all this
rottenness? Is it possible that
something which will enrich the
earth can come from such unpromi
sing beginnings? I have no person
al or previous experience of such a
transformation, but certain friends
who are much more knowledgeable
in things scientific than I am tell me.
that this is definitely so. Something
good can come from such unpromi
sing beginnings. Creative forces
are at work here; in a quiet and
spectacular way changes are taking
place. Rottenness is being trans
formed into friable soil which will
enrich next year’s garden. Waste
has become fertilizer: useless
material has become useful at
the touch of the Creator’s hand.
It set me to thinking. Is it
possible that given such unprofit
able material as my life and
thought, God could bring about
such a radical transformation? Can'
He take the waste places and make
them places of beauty and fruitful
ness? Of course He can! But He
does not do it overnight and He will
not do it without our willing
co-operation.
Set to work by offering God what
you are willing to give at this
particular time. Offer Him a place
in which you will allow Him to
make a transformation. He will
accept it. It may well be some time
before signs of your surrender are
seen. But a start will have been
made, and without a start, either
yours or mine, the ugliness of our
lives will never be transformed,
neither will we experience what
God means when He says, “Be
hold, I make all things new.’’
• TESTIMONIESDRAMA
DYNAMIC FILM
FOR ALL AGES
SEE THEM AT:
Brussels Mennonite
Fellowship
Sun., Dec. 3,1989
7:00p.m.
EVERYONEWELCOME
Teen Challenge Ontario Inc. 1-800-668-9494
expansion stop RC bd’s wish list
The purchase of land for a
Roman Catholic high school in
Stratford and plans for expansion
of a Goderich school topped the
priority list for the Huron Perth
Roman Catholic Separate School
Board’s capital grant request to the
Ministry of Edcuation for 1990.
A request for $115,000 to buy
9.289 acres of land on Matilda
Street in Stratford from the Mini
stry of Government Services to
accommodate St. Michael secon
dary school is one of the Huron-
Perth County separate school
board’s top priorities in its capital
grant requests of the Ministry of
Education for 1990.
The separate school board re
cently approved the final buy-sell
agreement with the Ministry of
Government Services for the parcel
of land on Matilda Street in
Stratford for a price of $115,000.
The transfer of property is schedul
ed for March, but director Bill
Ecker says several conditions have
yet to be fulfilled before the
Huron-Perth board owns the land.
The land would accommodate St.
Michael High School.
Mr. Ecker says the separate
Long-time Hullett
school board is the only partner
involved in the Stratford Education
and Recreation Centre (SERC) that
doesn’t own land on the 60-acre
site proposed for SERC, and there
fore needs to buy land from the
province. He says the nine-acre
parcel will be filled by St. Michael
and the school parking lot.
The board’s five-year capital
forecast, which is sent each year to
the Ministry of Education listing
capital projects which need provin
cial funding, also includes a re
quest for $2,165,205 in 1991 for
technology labs at the new St.
Michael secondary school, which is
scheduled to open in 1992.
Because the Ministry of Educa
tion is trying to revitalize technolo
gy studies across the province, Mr.
Ecker says he’s optimistic that
grants to build the technology labs
will be approved. They will include
facilities to teach communications,
food services, tourism, horticulture
and cosmetology courses not offer
ed at Northwestern secondary
school.
“We’re prepared to go to the
ministry and talk about how our
technology facilities will go togeth
er with Northwestern’s,’’ he says.
A $1,705,800 grant is also being
requested for 1992 to fund an
addition to St. Mary’s separate
school in Goderich, part of which
will build a design and technology
lab (for updated shop and home
economics courses) to provide facil
ities for Grade 7 and 8 students in
Huron County. Grade 7 and 8
students in Perth County will
receive similar technology courses
at St. Michael secondary school.
The St. Mary’s addition also
includes six classrooms, including
a science lab and a library. Mr.
Ecker says because St. Mary’s will
house Kindergarten to Grade 8 in
both English and French immer
sion by 1991, 66 per cent of the
school population will be located in- -
portables if the addition is not
approved. Built for 205 pupils, St.
Mary’s enrolment is projected at
335 for 1991.
“Our overall enrolment through
out the system is up about 30 per
cent from six years ago. I think that
might justify allocations beyond the
norm from the ministry. We’re
currently in a situation where just
under 40 per cent of all classrooms
are portables, so proportionally, we
probably have as many or more
classes in portables as they do in
high growth areas like Toronto,’’
he says.
farmer dies at 60
A long-time Hullett township
resident and well known farm
leader William Percy John Gibb-
ings died Nov. 15, 1989 at Clinton
Public Hospital. He was 60 years of
age.
Mr. Gibbings farmed on the
Baseline Road in Hullett. He was a
member of Holstein Canada and a
past president of the Huron County
Holstein Association. He had been
a resident of Clinton more recently.
He was a member of Ontario St.
United Church, Clinton, where he
was a past steward and a member
of the Presbytery and Personnel
Committee as well as an usher.
He had also been an avid bowler.
He was born in Clinton on
August 31, 1929, the son of the late
Percy Gibbings and the former
Vera Shobbrook who survives him.
Also surviving is his wife, the
former Verna Taylor and two
daughters and two sons: Connie
and her husband Vite Chomicki of
Lucan; Catherine Gibbings and her
fiancee Doug Maclean of London,
John and his wife Bonnie of Clinton
and Paul and his wife Missy of RR
1, Clinton. One sister, Doris An
drews of London and one brother,
Robert and his wife Donna of
Clinton also survive.
The funeral was held Saturday,
Nov. 18 from the Ball Chapel of the
Beattie-Falconer Funeral Homes
with a large crowd of relatives and
friends in attendance. Rev. David
Woodall officiated. Serving as pall
bearers were Robert Batty, Clayton
Ellis, Henry Hummel, George
Muehlenthaler, Robert Vodden and
Tielman Westerhout. Flowerbear
ers were George Colclough, Frank
Potter and Roy Wheeler.
Interment was in Clinton Ceme
tery.
Mabel and Reinhardt Bauer of
Brussels wish to extend an
invitation to all to join us in
celebration of our 50th Wedd
ing Anniversary on Sat., Dec.
2, 1989, 8:30 p.m. in the
Brussels Community Centre.
Open House will be held on
Sunday, Dec. 3, 1989 from 2
p.m. to 4 p.m. at our home in
Brussels. Best Wishes Only.
Melville
Presbyterian Church
BRUSSELS
Rev. Carolyn McAvoy
11:00 - Morning Service
Sunday School
9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service
We welcome you to come and worship with us!
ANGLICAN CHURCH
OF CANADA
Nov. 26/89 Reign of Christ
HOLY EUCHARIST
REV. DAVID FULLER B.A.M. DIV.
9:30a.m. 11:15a.m.
Trinity, Blyth St. John’s, Brussels
BRUSSELS UNITED CHURCH
King Street 887-9313
Rev. Cameron McMillan
Sunday, Morning Worship
November 26 Church School
Facilities for babies
and pre-schoolers
Christ is the power that bonds us one to another.
HURON CHAPEL MISSIONARY
CHURCH
AUBURN
PASTOR JAMES H. CARNE 526-7515
10 a.m. Family Bible School
11 a.m. Morning Worship
8 p.m. - Evening Service
Wed., 8 p.m. - Prayer and Bible Study
Fri. 7:30 p.m. - Youth
Sat. 10:30 a.m. - Kids Klub
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
HIGHWAY 4 BLYTH
Hev. W. H. Lammers
Sunday at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m.
Sunday School 11:00a.m.
The Church of the ‘‘Back to God Hour” and ‘ ‘Faith 20’ ’
BacktoGodHour 10:30a.m. CKNX,Sunday
Faith20 5:00a.m. weekdays, Global T.V.
ALL VISITORS WELCOME___________
HURON
SUPERIOR MEMORIALS
“Established over 60 years”
Serving Blyth, Brussels
and all of Huron County
Neil Elliott
153 High Street, Clinton
Bus. 482-9441 Res. 482-1748
“Evening appointments available