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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-03-17, Page 12Ground breaking Members of St. Ambrose Roman Catholic Church in Brussels got ready to turn the sod using this old plough from Peter Albers to commemorate the fact that the • congregation is building a new church. This past Sunday the last Mass was held in the old church. An end, a beginning BRUSSELS UNITED CHURCH Rev. Cameron McMillan Church Office 887-6259 Manse 887-9313 11 a.m. Morning Worship Service "Giving Sight to the Blind" Church School/Nursery 9:30 a.m. Ethel Worship Service Church School 'We Find Thee Lord in Others' Needs" p2r3adraromprsaropcp EP claWr_P E.PrPLP r..I Just say yEj!, to being our guest at BRUSSELS MENNONITE FELLOWSHIP El i1 9:25 a.m. Worship Service 10:30 a.m. Sunday School for All Ages Pastor: Tom Warner Elder: Alice Knorr 5.887-6388 0,P r..Pc.Pc.P 887-9203 ALL WELCOME El El MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 0,44 ,N4 • AA, ,,70114=F, 04.5 BRUSSELS Rev. Carolyn McAvoy 1 1:00 a.m. - Morning Service - Sunday School 9:30 a.m. - Beigrave Service We welcome you to come and worship with us. You are Welcome 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 THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA You are welcome this Sunday March 21 - Lent 4 Holy Eucharist Every Sunday night in Lent a service of Evensong at 7:30 p.m., Brussels Trinity, Blyth St. John's, Brussels 9:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m. Rector, The Rev. E. Paul Acton, 887-9273 BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH HIGHWAY 4, BLYTH--523-9233 GUEST MINISTER: Rev. Gerrit Heersink 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. Aff Visitors Welcome Wheelchair accessible 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 PAGE 12. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 1993. From the Minister's Study `Lord I believe help my unbelief' By Rev. Paul Acton St. John's Trinity Anglican Churches Why do bad things happen to good people? I was in the K- W/Cambridge area last night and this question came up during two separate conversations. One was during a discussion with a man whose wife had just miscarried their first child, the other with a man who just found out that his wife's brother had sexually abused his seven-year-old daughter. How could God let such things happen? The question is different Sunday, March 14 celebrated the end of an era and the beginning of another in the life of St. Ambrose Catholic Church, Brussels. The end was the last Mass to be celebrated in the present St. Ambrose Church. The beginning was that of Emily Reina Kerkhof as a new member of the St. Ambrose Parish. Emily Reina, daughter of John and Pauleen Kerkhof was baptized by Father Joe Nevett during the last Mass to be celebrated in the present church. The present structure was built in 1877 on one-and-a half acres of land donated to the church by Hugh and Charles R. Cooper of the village of Brussels. The first child to be baptized in the then — new church was James Ryan born on August 17, 1879. The same James Ryan grew up in Walton and was ordained in Kansas City in 1908. The Rev. James Ryan returned to Brussels to celebrate Mass in St. Ambrose Church. Taking part in the sod-turning was a descendant of Rev. Ryan, Lawrence Ryan aged 84. Another descendant, Mr. Joseph Cooper, aged 98, due to illness was unable to participate. Two other pioneer families of the church did participate as well; Mrs. Josephine Deitner and Mr. George Blake in these two cases. The problem with the sexual abuse of innocent children is one where there is an obvious guilty party — and it is not God. Humans make choices, and some perverted individuals choose to violate the sacred trust children place in adults. This sick and corrupted decision to lure a child into a den of pornography and abuse has its source in that which is evil, not from Him who is good. The same might be said of wars and famine and other ways in which governments and individuals hurt and destroy one another through what God originally representing their respective families. Father Joe Nevett celebrated Mass for a packed church. He introduced the reeve of Brussels, Mr. Gordon Workman and the project manager for the building of the new church, Mr. Ken Mathers of Holstein. After Mass the congregation moved outside to participate in the sod turning. An old gang plow brought from Holland by Peter Albers was used. Most of the congregation took hold of two 50- foot lengths of rope to pull the plow breaking a furrow for a foundation to the new church. Following the sod turning people sat down to a pot luck meal. Mass for the Brussels congregation will be celebrated once a month in St. Johns Anglican Church, thanks to that congregation's kind offer. An extra Mass is scheduled in Wingham, Sacred Heart Church to accommodate the Brussels parishoners on the other three Sundays of each month. The 8,000 square foot new St. Ambrose Church is schedule to begin construction as soon as weather permits. Hopefully the parishoners of the church• can move back into their new structure sometime in early fall of this year. created to be good. Alright, God did not do this thing, nor did He inspire such abominable behaviour, but could God not have prevented this from happening? If He is all powerful, surely a good person would act to stop such a thing if it were in his power? If I were standing there and had the ability to stop this child from being molested I would have done it. Why would not God do the same, if He is able? Why doesn't He stop all this insanity that goes on every day in the name of human selfishness and greed in every city and village? And why must you suffer the way you do, or the way you have throughout the course of your life? I don't want Him just to heal the hurt, I want Him to stop it before it happens. What my friend did not want to hear is that standard Christian response, `God works all things together for good ...'. He had no desire to try looking on the bright side of this horrible tragedy. I had no silver lining to show him last night — if there ever will be one in this life, it wasn't to be seen through his understandable anger and deep grief. What he wanted is that it never happened in the first place. What I wanted was divine intervention to prevent such twisted sins against the innocent, his sweet little seven year old. Could you stand back and say, 'The freedom of human choice is more important than saving this child from the molester?' That person's freedom to choose evil would not be very important to me at that moment. I don't want a philosophical discussion on the liberty of the human will and divine predestination. I want God to intervene, I want Him to stop every crime that sick men and women do to wide-eyed, trusting school children. He is not just God. He is a Father. How could He stand back from his own son while humanity scourged, beat and killed him? For the salvation of the world ... okay, but at least His son made the conscious choice to go to the cross for the greater good. What seven- year-old girl makes that conscious choice to suffer for the greater good (supposing you could find it)? I know from experience that God the Father, does not miraculously intervene to stop human carnage as we bite and devour one another — even our own offspring. I know He has the power to do, so He must choose not to. I wish I knew why. You say, rightly, that this world was not meant to be heaven. You say, rightly, that this world is a place of salvation through suffering, of being exalted through humility and finding our strength through our weakness. You say, rightly, that the principle of the incarnation assures us that God is a COFFEE HOUSE Saturday, March 27 7:30 -10:30 p.m. otts‘c tme aPes MYF Youth Music Group Refreshments Fellowship ALL YOUTH WELCOME Brussels Mennonite Fellowship N. Turnberry, Brussels at railroad tracks suffering servant and a sympathetic sojourner. I have been asking for displays of power and might in order to prevent evil but consistently He has chosen to let evil happen (to Himself and 'others), suffer it and overcome it in the process. You will remind me, rightly, that He beat death by dying. This is the mystery of faith. Lord, I believe — help my unbelief.