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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1993-10-20, Page 24BRUSSELS UNITED CHURCH Rev. Cameron McMillan Church Office 887-6259 Manse 887-9313 11:00 a.m. - Morning Worship Service "Christian Attitude to an Election" Church School - Nursery 920 a.m. - Ethel Morning Worship Service Church School MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS Rev. Carolyn McAvoy 11:00 a.m. - Morning Service - Sunday School 9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service We welcome you to come and worship with us. BRUSSELS MENNONITE .10/N GOI FELLOWSHIP Saturday, Oct. 23 "Community Praise" 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24 Worship Service 9:25 a.m. Sunday School Hour 10:30 a.m. Pastor Tom Warner Elder Alice Knorr 887-6388 887-9203 GUESTS EXPECTED at THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA You are welcome this Sunday October 24 - Pentecost 21 Morning Prayer trinity, Blyth St. John's, Brussels 9:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m. Rector, The Rev. E. Paul Acton, 887-9273 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 HURON CHAPEL MISSIONARY CHURCH PASTOR JAMES H. CARNE AUBURN 526-7515 Sunday - 10 a.m. — Family Bible Hour 11 a.m. — L. Wark 8 p.m. — Evening Service Wednesday - 8 p.m. — Prayer & Bible Study Friday - 7:30 p.m. — Youth - Pastor Bob Lewis, 526-7441 BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH HIGHWAY 4, BLYTH--523-9233 Guest Pastor Rev. G. Heersink Sunday 10 a.m. and 7:30 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 5:30 a.m. Weekdays, Global T.V. All Visitors Welcome Wheelchair accessible PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20, 1993. From the Minister's Study Approach church with wonder, says pastor By Steven Webb Pastor Knox, Cranbrook Does anyone like chestnuts? If so, I have two huge trees in my front yard that produce more chestnuts than can possibly be gathered by the neighbourhood children. Even when I supply the bags for them to use in their ever diligent search for those little brown missiles they never get them all. They do have fun with them though, using them for everything from games to weapons, collecting them for crafts and no reason at all. Yet when they are done there are still thousands of those things to rake up and get rid of. The trees themselves are beautiful big trees. They stand at the front of the yard like great sentinels. In the spring they blossom with radiance and aroma, in summer they provide shade beneath their mammoth leaves and in the fall they are a royal pain. Chestnut leaves are usually the last to bare their branches and they never do it all at once. The chestnuts fall first with the hulls and their little brown nuts ending With the call to worship, silent prayer and confession of trust, Rev. Gerrit Heersink gave God's greeting and the congregation responded by singing, "How Lovely is Your Dwelling". Rev. Heersink read Matthew 5. Starting with a prayer for illumination, Rev. Heersink read from Genesis 1, 2 and 3 for his sermon entitled, "Tired of Work". After years of doing the same work, it's time to take a break and return refreshed, said the minister. Encouragement and praise are also important but all of this is only temporary. A person can go to a psychologist but it's best to go back to the Bible, he said, adding that Greeters at Blyth United Church on Sunday, Oct. 17 were Linda and Tyler Stewart. Ushers were Joan Clark and Marion and Bill Young. Rev. Tolmay welcomed Rev, Bill Stedman who aided in the service. The hymn of praise "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" was sung. Call to worship was led by Rev. Tolmay followed by Prayer of Approach, Confession and Forgiveness. The responsive Psalm was Psalm 37: 1-11. For the children's time Rev. Stedman talked about auction sales. He had recently purchased salt and pepper shakers, he said. One was fancy and nice, the second was very plain. He asked the children which was salt and which pepper. With the fancy set, they couldn't tell, however with the plain set the difference was clear right away. He said sometimes we can be like the salt and pepper and dress up fancy and people will say we look nice. But unfortunately we are empty in our heart and don't share, he said. Then someone who is plain will share and spread Jesus' love. The children went to class with Candice Howson. The congregation sang "Christ for the World We Sing". Rev. Tolmay read the scriptures Ex. 33: 1-23, I Thess. 1: 1-10 and Matt. 22: 15-22. Rev. Stedman's sermon was "Looking back on God". He told a story of a miller and his son who were taking their donkey to market. The miller was riding while his son up everywhere — on the truck, on the sidewalk and even on the unwary walker. Then the leaves fall, not the whole thing of course, just the leaf part. The stems fall last. The really annoying thing, of course, is that the leaves are too big to blow very far in the wind. When they fall, they fall on my yard, not the neighbours. I have discovered that one of those fancy push leaf rakes does not like chestnut leaves. It hates chestnuts and refuses to pick them up, the stems get all wound up in the sweeper and the leaves...well, they just live up to their reputation. It seems that the only way to gather them all up is the old fashioned way, with a little sweep rake. It does a great job on the leaves and the stems but doesn't quite get all the chestnuts. You have to go back over the yard later and pick them up or if you are really lucky and the ground is soft you can step on them and push them down out of sight. This way you can legitimately ignore them, at least until next year. In all honesty, I don't mind the many people have the idea that Paradise was an easy-going life with no worries which to their way of thinking equalled no work. Work is thought of as a result of sin which is not so, said Rev. Heersink. Using Genesis 2, he illustrated how Adam worked before sin came into the picture. Adam had to name the animals and care for the Garden of Eden. In Genesis three when sin entered, Adam wasn't fired. He still had the same work but now it became a burden with thorns and thistles and done by the sweat of his brow, explained Rev. Heersink. The motivation and view of work was lost and only focused on daily living instead of praising God through the work. Rev. Heersink led the donkey down the road. They came upon a group of people who commented that the miller was lazy and cruel by making his son walk, so the miller got off and placed his son on the donkey. They travelled a little further when they came across another group who teased them saying the boy should let his father ride. So, the miller got on the donkey and rode. They travelled a little farther and came upon yet another group of people who thought the miller and his son too heavy to ride such a small donkey. The miller and his son found a log to which they tied the donkey and carried the beast down the road. When they came to a river they began to have trouble the donkey slid off the log and drowned. The miller and his son were then unable to take the donkey to market. Sometimes we are like this and listen to others. We try to please everyone. Then we lose. We should listen to our hearts and do God's will rather than try to satisfy everyone, Rev. Stedman said. He then relayed stories of successful business people who believed in their product even when others said it wasn't a good idea. We in the church should always put our priorities first, not be so easily discouraged and make our own choices. Communities should gather and support what they believe in. Church is part of a community. We must look beyond the walls, Rev. Stedman said and leaves and the mess on the yard in the fall. I have as much fun with them as the kids. Seldom will I be found in the fall without a chestnut in my pocket. By the way, did you know that if you carry a chestnut in your pocket it is supposed to help relieve the pain of arthritis; at least that's what I've been told. We also have a great deal of fun raking leaves then scattering them all over again, jumping in them, burying each other, throwing them and watching the youngest get lost in them. I guess it's what you make of them, just like church. Many people see the church as the sentinels of something great and imposing, as something that has a benefit and a beauty but also as something that means a struggle and something that requires too much effort. It serves its purpose when in the spring of time its beauty and strength appeal to our needs and senses; in our summers when we need to relax and find comfort in its shade and shelter. But when the time comes for us to care for it, it becomes a burden. went on to say that Christ came to save us from sin and therefore you have a renewed vision and meaning of your daily work. Our renewed vision comes from being freed of the power of sin; we're no longer slaves to sin, drudgery, monotony and pain. The thorns and thistles are still there in spite of modern chemicals but we can joyfully bear our burden "as unto the Lord". - Rev. Heersink concluded by saying that if our life in the Lord is sound, healthy and strong, we'll view our work in a while different light. The congregation joyfully sang, "0 Master, Let Me Walk With Thee", as a response and then was dismissed. use the church as a mission to welcome others to share in God's love. Flowers were placed in the church from the wedding of Tim and Maria Walden. Special congratulations then went to Ralph and Gladys Caldwell on their 50th wedding anniversary. The choir sang "His name is Wonderful" and "There is Something about His Name." The final hymn was "Life could be Good and Rich". Mennonite news On Thanksgiving Sunday the chapel at Brussels Mennonite had been decorated in keeping with the Thanksgiving theme. Pastor Tom Warner preached from Psalms 102 and Two Peter, Chapter 3. He stressed the idea of hope and anticipation for Christians, in conjunction with their praise of Thanksgiving. Thys de Jong led the congrega- tional singing which was accompanied on the piano by Nancy Elliot-Greenwood. Christy Pardys accompanied a solo sung by Christine Knorr. A fellowship meal was held in the gymnasium following the Christian Education Hour. The Junior Youth met at the church on Friday evening for their monthly activity night. The Senior Youth had a scavenger hunt, mystery supper, and Bible Trivia on Saturday evening, Oct. 16. wonder, excitement and a sense of well, I don't know, maybe Joy. `Tired of Work', CRC sermon Mother, son greet at United Maybe we approach this aspect of children and approach it with the life of our Church in the wrong way. Maybe we should become like