The Citizen, 1998-11-25, Page 15BLYTH UNITED CHURCH
Come Worship The Lord With Us
Sundays - 11:00 a.m.
Worship Service & Sunday School
Bring your 'Mitten Tree" gifts to
the White Gift Service on December ti
Minister — Rev. Cecil Wittich
ALL ARE WELCOME
523-4224
You are Welcome at the
BLYTH COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GOD
9:45 a.m. - Sunday School for Children and Adults
11:00 a.m. - Morning Worship
Bible Studies - Wednesday 10 a.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Phone 523-4590 McConnell St., Blyth
Cornerstone
Bible
Fellowship
Ethel
Communion - 9:45 - 10:30
Family Bible Hour and Sunday School
11:00 - 12:00
Prayer & Bible Study
Tuesday 8 p.m.
John 14:6 - Jesus said, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, no
one comes to the Father, but through Me."
Everyone Welcome
For more information call 887-6665
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
11:00 a.m. - Morning Service
- Sunday School
9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service
Wheelchair accessible
Nursery care available
7:30 p.m. Tuesday Bible Study
2 p.m. Wednesday - Bible Study
9:30 a.m. Thursday - Optimum Wellness Programme
We welcome you to come and worship with us.
Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831
HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL
MISSIONARY CHURCH
526-7555
ASSOCIATE PASTOR - YOUTH - JEREMY SHUART 523-9788
Sunday 8:45 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
11 a.m.
8 p.m.
Wednesday 7:30 p.m.
Friday 7:30 p.m.
- Morning Worship Service
- Family Bible Hour
- Morning Worship Service
- Evening Service
- Prayer & Bible Study
- Youth
Revival Services
led by Evangelist Mark Chester
Sun., Nov. 29 - Wed., Dec. 2
Evening Services at 7:30
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Rev. Christine Johnson - Minister
Church Office 887-6259 Home 887-6540
First Sunday of Advent
November 29. 1998
9:30 a.m. - Worship, Ethel United Church
Communion
11:00 a.m. - Worship, Brussels United Church
Baptism & Communion
Saturday, Nov. 28 - 6:30 p.m. - Youth Group Bowling - Meet at
church
Tuesday, Dec. 1 - 1 p.m. - UCW Afternoon Unit - Maple Villa
Wednesday, Dec. 2 - 6:30 p.m. - UCW Evening Unit -
Christmas Potluck
Thursday, Dec. 3 - 7 p.m. - Stewards
Sunday, Dec. 6 - 11 a.m. - While Gift Services in both Ethel
and Brussels
COME AND JOIN US AS WE ANTICIPATE
THE COMING OF CHRISTI
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 1998. PAGE 15.
From the Minister's Study
Move beyond 'Bah, Humbug'
By Rev. Cathrine Campbell
Melville, Brussels,
Knox, Belgrave
Presbyterian Churches
Last year I wrote about the lady
who wanted to know whether she
needed to wear a dress to a
Christmas Eve service.
I was thinking about her again
this year as Christmas approaches
for she is very fond of sending
Christmas cards that say "Bah
Humbug". She does this to express
a certain distaste for the Christmas
excesses rather than to show her
literary pretensions.
One of the classics of literature is
by Charles Dickens, who, in the
Christmas Carol, penned two
particularly memorable lines —
"Bah, Humbug" and ''God bless us
every one". The story begins with
the "Bah, Humbug" and ends with
the blessing. Scrooge went on to be
There was a happy congregation
on hand at Brussels United Church,
Sunday afternoon, Nov. 22 for the
dedication service in celebration of
the newly installed Concord Lift
and the renovations to the entrance.
It began with Piper Jim McLean
playing on the front lawn, while the
children blew bubbles to begin the
festivities.
The service opened with Warren
Wray singing Make a Joyful Noise.
Rev. Chris Johnson's meditation
was entitled "A Real Lift". The
choir anthem was Love Lifted Me.
The children's story caused a lot
of interest and input as Rev. James
Murray (acting as the guinea pig)
was finally lifted up by a group of
children working together.
Greetings were brought by Rev.
Kathi Vrbaski-Hindley chair,
Huron-Perth Presbytery; Donna
Cooks greet
at Knox
Belgrave
Mary, Ryan and Cassidy Cook
welcomed worshippers at Knox
United Church on Sunday, Nov.
15.
The senior choir sang There is a
Beautiful Story of Jesus
accompanied by Elizabeth Procter.
The Old Testament reading was
taken from Isaiah 65: 17-25 with
Isaiah 12 being read responsively
by the congregation.
Karen Hallahan and Kendra
Moffatt were in charge of nursery.
For children's time, Rev. Mary
Jane Hobden showed them a night
light and asked its use. She told
them that Jesus was like a night
light.
The Epistle reading was from 2
Thessalonians 3: 6-13 with the
gospel reading from Luke 21: 5-19.
„ Joyce Vincent and Mike Cottrill
took up the offering.
Canada has one of the
highest rates of multiple
sclerosis in the world.
Multiple Sclerosis
Society of Canada
1-800-268-7582
a spokesman for a major Canadian
retailer, I understand.
For some there is not to be a
move beyond the "Bah Humbug"
stage for Christmas is a time of
heightened expectations and
heightened disappointments.
The gifts and the givers are too
small to be impressive or too big to
be reciprocated and so you are
thrown into a tizzy of
disappointment and resentment.
Anyone who suggests watching It's
a Wonderful Life becomes very
high on your endangered species
list.
Christmas has become
commercialized, and there is no
doubt about that. Once, when I was
a school board trustee, we were
debating about what kind of
celebrations should be held in late
December in the schools.
Someone said "Why don't we just
White, clerk, village of Brussels;
Henry Exel, contractor; James
Rutledge, architect; and Ralph
Watson, chair, Project Uplift
Committee.
Jane DeVries, Jim Smith, Ralph
and Pat Watson and Corey
Quesenberry participated in the
Dedication Ceremony.
The service concluded with a
group ribbon cutting ceremony
which was followed by a reception
in the lower hall.
abolish Christmas?" (This has been
done, once, during the time of
Oliver Cromwell — it was not a
popular move on Oliver's part).
I replied "The Trinity would not
allow it". Everyone became very
respectful and prepared for a deep
theological insight — "Eaton's,
Simpson's and the Bay would never
allow Christmas to be abolished. If
that happened there would go their
profits and we all know profits are
holy."
It got a laugh but there was a
serious undertone to my comment
for if we measure our Christmas on
how well we enriched the coffers of
major merchants then we probably
should give it up and look for other
ways to spend our time and money.
Or, we can spend our time
celebrating Christmas, the birth of
Christ, and all that means — peace,
joy, harmony, forgiveness, love and
reconciliation. If each of us took
just one of those things and gave it
to another human being think how
rich this world would be and how
much better we would all feel.
There is no richer person than the
one who remembers the true
meaning of that gift of grace by
God, and so can say with Tiny Tim
"God bless us, every one."
And God has blessed us,
everyone of us in the past, in the
present and for the future, not in
any one time of year but for all
times and in all seasons. His gift
was beyond measure and we give
thanks each in our own way for that
Christmas long ago and the
promise it contained.
From my house to yours may the
blessing of this season be rich and
lasting.
Dedication service
at United Church
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
You are welcome this Sunday
NOVEMBER 29 - ADVENT 1
HOLY EUCHARIST
Trinity, Blyth St. John's,
9:30 a.m. Brussels
Wheelchair accessible 11:15 a.m.
Rev. Nancy Beale 887-9273
itteaae jean uts fait wataliip di& Sundav
Morning Worship Service - 10 a.m.
Evening Worship Service - 7:30 p.m.
The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us.
We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only
son who came from the Father; fill of grace and truth.
John 1:14
BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
Rev. Adrian A. Van Geest
Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233
Wheelchair accessible
Brussels Mennonite
Fellowship
9:30 a.m. Worship Service
10:45 a.m. Christian Education
Pastor Ben Wiebe
887-6388
Everyone Welcome
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.. ...... amft. vir