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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1995-01-11, Page 13BRUSSELS UNITED CHURCH Rev. Cameron McMillan Church Office 887-6259 Manse 887-9313 11:00 a.m. - Morning Worship "The Wedding Feast In Cana" Church School - Nursery 9:30 a.m. - Ethel Morning Worship "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" Welcome To All THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA You are welcome this Sunday January 15 - Epiphany 2 Holy Communion Ms Nancy Northgrave, Lay Pastor Trinity, Blyth St. John's, Brussels 9:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m. MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS Rev. Tim Purvis, Interim Moderator 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 FELLOWSHIP Sunday, January 15 - 9:15 a.m. Singing Tune Up Time 9:30 a.m. WORSHIP SERVICE Guest Speaker: Rob Collier from Kincardine 10:30 a.m. Sunday School For All Ages Sunday, Jan. 22 - 15th Anniversary Celebration Pastor Tom Warner Elder Elwin Garland 887-6388 887-9017 "Guests Tliefcome" THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11, 1995. PAGE 13. From the Minister's Study Pastor says church always in danger of drift By James H. Came, Pastor The Missionary Church, Auburn. How is it possible to be "wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked" and not know it? This is the way Christ describes in the book of Revelation, Chapter 3, the church at Laodicea. This condition is surprising, especially, when that church thought that it had acquired wealth and was rich. What delusion! It is possible, I suppose, to become acclimatized to wretched- ness and poverty to the extent that one settles down in that condition and is satisfied, but it is hard to imagine that such a state could ever be thought to be one of wealth and riches. And to be blind and not know it? One would have to be born blind, or to go blind so gradually that the realization had not dawned as yet. Blindness from birth could not have been the problem. While it is true that we all come into this world spiritually blind, these words • of Christ are directed to a church, and the church is supposed to have been "delivered...from the domain of darkness and transferred...to the kingdom of His beloved Son." (Colossians 1:13). Yet, it appears possible for the enlightened to become unenlighten- ed again. Jesus described the Pharisees as being "blind leaders of the blind." (Matthew 15:14). I read recently a newspaper account in which representatives from a major denomination offered The congregations of St. John's Anglican in Brussels and Trinity Anglican in Blyth welcomed a new pastor this past week. Lay pastor Nancy Northgrave, who will be ordained this spring said the interview to come to the Blyth/Brussels pastoral charge "felt like a good fit." Noting that she had to find a charge before she could be ordained Ms Northgrave explained suggestions as to how to stanch the hemorrhage of departing people from that church. Opinions were offered that the church must become more contemporary, that it must update its music, for instance. (These are attitudes that arc being promulgated in evangelical churches, as well. There seems to be a sense that the church will have more appeal to pagans the less it looks like the church, so do away with hymns and preaching and resort to choruses and drama.) For the most part, the suggestions seemed to me to offer a rather superficial solution: medication, when major surgery is needed. I think that the church has a blind spot, so that diagnosis is difficult, to say nothing of remedy. At the risk of sounding pompous and arrogant, let me offer an opinion. I think that the church is always in danger of drift. Jesus said to the Laodicean church that it was "neither cold nor hot" and that He preferred it to be either one or the other. I presume that He preferred, really, that it be hot, which it must have been, originally. In the same context of Revela- tion, Chapter 2, He diagnosed the problems of the church of Ephesus as resulting from the fact that it had "forsaken (its) first love." These churches had drifted. They had many admirable qualities but they were not what they were originally. This suggests to me that part of the church's problem today is that it has become too contemporary; it has adapted too much to the current that as a lay pastor she can't bless bread and wine. A guest pastor must come in to do this, but enough can be done so that it can be reserved for other weeks. Also, as she is unable to bless people, she must make a request from a higher authority and ask God's blessing for them instead. Before her ordination, however, Ms Northgrave will be part of another ceremony in Februrary, culture! God warned the Israelites to stay away from the Canaanites lest they inter-marry, lose their distinctive- ness and become indistinguishable from the heathen. That is always the danger of contemporaneity, and history tells us that the church has fallen into that trap many times and has "forsaken" (not "lost") its first love and become apostate. Here is the solution for dying churches and dying Christians! Get back to basics! Forsake humanistic and universalistic doctrine that believes that God will love us in spite of our sin and, without the need for personal repentance and the "new birth" that occurs when one forsakes his sin and takes Christ as his personal Saviour, He will take us, somehow, to heaven, to dwell eternally with Him, even though we couldn't tolerate His presence enough to spend an hour in His company on a Sunday morning! Believe that which the Bible teaches, that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23), and that "the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23), and get back to evangelism and "soul- winning," which is the essence of the "great commission" (Matthew 28:18-20), forsaken, now, by diminishing churches. Even though the truth hurts, empty-hearted people want to know what is wrong with them and what God can do about their need. They don't find any solace in listening to some anemic discourse on world when she and her fiancé Bradley Beale, who is presently finishing his final year of seminary, will be married. Ms Northgrave studied at Huron College, London and at King's Col- lege at the University of Western Ontario. For a summer she was active at the intern workshop in Howdenvale in the Bruce Peninsula and was a student minister in St. Thomas. After moving here, Ms North- grave felt it important to familiarize herself with the community and the people. She introduced herself around the town and has done a walking tour of the village. "I feel it will be easier for people to come to the house to see me, if they have met me a few times," she said. Ms Northgrave says she is look- ing forward to the time she will spend serving the Blyth and Brus- sels parishes and hopes for spiritual growth for everyone. Though both parishes have many activities in which they are involved there are no specific groups, something she doesn't see changing immediately. "Right now I just want to serve them. I will do a lot of listening, to their feelings and to God's calling." One of the biggest differences she has encountered since moving here has been the snow, which she says is "a healthy reminder that God is in charge." Missionary news Doran Rolston sang a solo, Love went deeper at the Auburn Missionary Church on Sunday, Jan. 8. For the last verse of the song she played the saxophone. Pastor Carne's message was taken from Genesis 35: 1-7. Back to the future is a contradictory statement, he said, or does it mean back to basics. There are some basics you cannot do without. Back Continued on page 17 hunger, even though it is only ten minutes long! The solution seems simplistic, but the churches, and the Christians, that are doing these things are flourishing! Now, will someone help me with my blind spot? New face behind the pulpit Pastor Nancy Northgrave moved to Brussels at the end of December to take over the ministry of St. John's Anglican Church, Brussels and Trinity Anglican Church, Blyth. Anglican parishes get pastor 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 - Pastor Bob Lewis, 526-7441 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 BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH HIGHWAY 4, BLYTH--523-9233 Sunday 10:00 a.m. & 7:30 p.m. Rev. Adrian A. Van Geest 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. Aff 'Visitors Welcome Wheelchair accessible