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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-01-06, Page 12BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH HIGHWAY 4, BLYTH GUEST MINISTER: Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The Church of the "Back to God Hour" and "Faith 20" Back to God Hour 10:30 a.m. CKNX Sunday Faith 20 5:00 a.m. Weekdays, Global T.V. Aft Visitors 'Welcome Wheelchair accessible You are WeCcome at the BLYTH CHURCH OF GOD 9:45 a.m. - Sunday School for Children and Adults 11 - 12:15 - Morning Worship Bible Studies - Wednesday 10 a.m. & 7:30 p.m. Phone 523-4590 McConnell St., Blyth MELVILLE at PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH k i 04.0 BRUSSELS Rev. Carolyn McAvoy I I:00 a.m. - Morning Service - Sunday School 9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service We welcome you to come and worship with us. HURON CHAPEL MISSIONARY CHURCH PASTOR JAMES H. CARNE AUBURN 526-7515 Sunday -10 a.m. = Family Bible Hour 11 a.m. - Morning Service 8 p.m. - Evening Service Wednesday - 8 p.m. - Prayer & Bible Study Friday - 7:30 p.m. - Youth BRUSSELS UNITED CHURCH Rev. Cameron McMillan Church Office 887-6259 January 10, 1993 11 a.m. Morning Worship Guest Speaker Brian Ireland Church School Nursery 9:30 a.m. Ethel Morning Worship Church School "Tell Oh My Soul - The Greatness Of My Soul" Manse 887-9313 The celebration of Christ's birth is over for another year. Join us in our search for a personal relationship with the living Christ. BRUSSELS MENNONITE FELLOWSHIP "Come To The Welcome Table" 9:25 a.m. WORSHIP SERVICE Pastor Tom Warner Elder Sharon Freeman 887-6388 887-6564 GUESTS EXPECTED PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 6, 1993. From the Minister's Study Minister says, this man not a failure By Peter D. Tucker Belgrave Pastoral Charge of the United Church of Canada By almost any standard that people of his day used, this man was a failure. Brought up in an obscure village, he never succeeded in graduating even from grade school. By the time he was 11 years old, he was working underground in a coal mine. For a long time during the winter months, he never saw the light of day at all, due to the fact that before dawn he was one mile underground, lying on his side in four inches of water. There he swung a pickaxe sideways, with no more than six or eight inches of headroom above his outstretched body. (Such narrow seams of coal could only be worked by children, for there was insufficient room for the body of a grown man.) By the time the whistle blew again, freeing him from his toil, it was again dark. And so, covered with the filth of the mine, he plodded home in the company of his father through night-black streets. A quick bath in a tin tub, then to bed after a meal, to be wakened before dawn for the weary Greeters at the Blyth United Church on Sunday, Dec. 27 were Les and Shirley Rutledge. Ushers were Cathy Campbell, Steve Howson, Candice and Ashley Howson. Cheryl Cronin led in a sing-song accompanied by John Ramirez. The response reading was Psalm 148 with scripture reading from Matthew 2: 13-23. Rev. Ramirez and John sang a duet, "This Was No Ordinary Child." Lloyd Sippel read the Minute for Mission. The sermon was entitled "God's faithfulness to fulfill his promise." By believing in God, Salvation will come, said Rev. Ramirez. In Jesus all God's work, all His words, and His promise and purpose came to life. Officers were installed for the new term. They are: Elders, Vera Hesselwood, Lois van Vliet and Herb Shannon; Stewards, Property Committee and Memorial Committee, Brenda McDonald, round to begin again. Sunday was the only respite from his days of toil. Sunday school and church became his delight, and the verses of the Bible became his constant companions. He commit- ted large passages of scriptures to memory, mainly to occupy his mind during the numbing boredom of his daily work. Then came the first world war. All around him others were being called to military duty, but for this young man the situation was different. He was by this time committed to following the One, who scripture informed him was the Prince of Peace. And so he refused the call, standing on his convictions as a Conscientious Objector to military service. The community in which he lived greeted this announcement with scorn and loathing. He was called coward. White feathers, symbols of cowardice were sent to him in the mail. The State sent him to prison for his civil disobedience, where he was abused by other prisoners and at one point kicked down a set of stairs. Recognizing that before long permanent injury might occur, the authorities released him from Steve Webster, Faye Bolger, Mary Ann Howson, Debbie Stryker and Gary Caldwell. Rev. Ramirez opened with Call to Worship, Prayer of Approach, Prayer of Confession, Silent Confession, Assurance of Pardon, Hymn Love Divine. The Responsive reading was Psalm 147 Praise the Lord for he is good. The scripture was taken from John 1: 1- 18 followed by the hymn "0 World of God Incarnate." During conversation with the children, Rev. Ramirez spoke about the calendar now 1,993-years-old. He then asked the children how old they were. He then held out a candle and compared it to a year. This year is only three-days-old and if you were to burn off a little amount that would be each day. A candle is to be burned to light our way. Just as Jesus lights all the darkness. Some people even light a candle to welcome the New Year so it doesn't come in darkness. prison in order to do manual labour building a reservoir, by way of punishment. While there, the work and the treatment of the surrounding labourers broke his health, but were utterly unable to break his spirit. In his enforced idleness, his knowledge and his love of the Bible increased in leaps and bounds. He soon was in demand as a preacher. His days were full of selfless service to others. But he was unemployed, and was judged by many to be a failure. This young man, as young men will do, fell in love and married, working as hard as he was able to establish a bakery business. During the night he kneaded and baked; during the day he delivered the bread with a horse and cart, returning home exhausted to his wife and small family. Through all these things his love for his God and for his fellow human beings flourished and grew. It was only a small business and by many it was laughed at and considered a failure. Within a few short years, years of happiness and contentment, this young man fell ill with cancer, his body too weakened by toil to fight effectively against the illness. And The children went to class with Karen Coultes. Flowers were placed in memory of Orval Tunney and Frank Bainton by family and friends. Garth Walden and Dan Snell sang a duet, "Let Me Stand Where No One Stands Alone." The sermon was entitled, "Refuelling our faith." Rev. Ramirez said, "Today is the 12th day of Christmas and some people feel let down after all the love andjoy and forgiving at Christmas. But Christmas is everyday, not just a season". Just like a fireplace, the fire dies down and we refuel it. Now is the time to refuel our faith. It's going to be a long winter he said so let Jesus in and light our life. God made the world but we did not recognize him. Now, he said we must refuel and recognize Jesus lives within us not just in the Bible. The final hymn, "Spirit of God's descent" was sung. so in his thirties he died, leaving four young children and a heartbroken wife who was to know poverty and hardship herself as she struggled to feed her little family. This is the story of a failure, at least by the standards of his contemporaries. He never travelled. He never achieved fame. He was never a great leader of men, nor was he ever respected for his intellect. He never heard the cries of his fellow man calling him hero. Yes, you may call him a failure if you wish, but I never can. You see, he was my father! Blyth United installs officers Families visit in Belgrave THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA You are welcome this Sunday Trinity, Blyth St. John's, Brussels 9:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m. The Rev'd E. Paul Acton, 887-9273 Continued from page 9 celebrated their Christmas on Dec. 20 in the Belgrave W.I. Hall. Those attending were from: Sarnia, Kitchener, Londesboro, London, Cambridge, Goderich and the Belgrave area. Mrs. Dorothy Logan spent a few days at Christmas time with her daughter and son-in-law Mr. and Mrs. Americo Arruda of Fergus. Maria and Michelle Arruda of Toronto also spent a few days with their parents and grandmother Mrs. Logan. Mrs. Agnes Bieman and her brother George Inglis spent Christmas Day with Douglas Bieman and Shirley Dodds of Kincardine. Brent and Joanna Campbell and Glenn and Lisa Schmid and Connor of London visited with Olive Campbell and Ivy Cloakey on Saturday, Dec. 26. Christmas Day guests with Harold and Nancy Jardin, Michael and Darryl were Miss Lilla Taylor of Braemar Retirement Centre, Wingham, Tracy Leishman, RR 2, Lucknow; Kevin Van Camp, London; Keith and Joyce Van Camp, Chanda, Katie and Tim and Clare and Gladys Van Camp. Ray and Mrs. Nicholson and Alicia Makas of London spent Victoria of Elmira and Mr. and Christmas holidays with her Mrs. Rob Nicholson of Listowel. grandmother, Mrs. Mabel Wheeler. Mrs. Ruby Hanna spent Barbara Coultes of Toronto spent Christmas with her mother, Mrs. Janisa Coultes. Mr. and Mrs. George Johnston, Tara and Erin of Ilderton, spent New Year's with his mother, Mrs. Laura Johnston. New Year's visitors with Mr. and Mrs. Glyn Wide, Kimberly, Jennifer and Trevor of Hamilton, were her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Mr. and Mrs. Ross Anderson Garner Nicholson of RR 5, hosted the Anderson family Brussels; Mr. and Mrs. Ron Christmas celebration on Sunday, Nicholson and Sherri of Barrie; Dr. Dec. 27. Woman chairs HPRCSS Board For the first time in 23 years, the chard and St. Marys who served as Huron-Perth Roman Catholic Sepa- chair for two years. rate School Board has a female chairperson. Louise Martin, trustee for East Wawanosh, West Wawanosh, Hul- lett, Clinton, Ashfield and Col- borne Townships was elected as chairperson Dec. 7 by secret ballot. Ms Martin lives at RR 3, Vice-chair Donald Rivera was Goderich and replaces Bernard acclaimed vice-chairperson of the Murray, trustee for Downie, Blan- board. Christmas holidays with Mr. and Mrs. Brian Storer, Crystal and Adam of Kitchener. Members of Knox Presbyterian Church, Belgrave, held a pot luck dinner with family and friends at the W.I. Hall. Following the dinner, slides of East Wawanosh Township events were shown. In her acceptance speech, Ms Martin thanked her nominator and stated there would a lot of chal- lenges ahead and she hoped she would be able to follow in the foot- steps of the previous chairperson.