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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-09-26, Page 161 r r f b S 1 i. r I 7 C y e 5 11 d C a 8 8 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. Adventure Club: Thursdays for 10 consecutive weeks September 27 to Nov. 29, 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Children ages 4 to 12 welcome. Ladies' Time Out: the last Wednesday of each month 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. beginning Oct. 31. 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 THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA WeicasneA you ti come and welt/ship, with UA Trinity, Blyth St. John's, Brussels 9:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m. Holy Eucharist with Baptism Holy Eucharist Nastteat Sewiceo, Seaaanal Ylecematiams. Deacon in charge, The Rev. Tom Wilson, B.A., MDiv. You are Welcome at the BLYTH COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GOD 9:45 a.m. - Sunday School - for ages 3 to adult 11:00 a.m. - Morning Worship 7:45 p.m. - Evening Worship Kids' Club - Tuesday - - 5 p.m. Ages 6-11 welcome. Bible Studies - Wednesday morning 10 a.m. Wednesday evening 7:30 p.m. Phone 523-4590 308 Blyth Rd., Blyth Meade gain tits, fat 0046Aill Oils Sunday Morning Worship Service - 10 a.m. Evening Worship Service 7:30 p.m. "Find rest, 0 my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress: I will not be shaken — Psalm 62:5 & 6 BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH Rev. Adrian A. Van Geest ZI\ Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233 Wheelchair accessible HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL MISSIONARY CHURCH Auburn - 526-7555 PASTOR DAVE WOOD - 523-9017 Sunday Wednesday Friday 9:30 a.m. 10:30 a.m. - 7:30 p.m. 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m. Family Bible Hour Morning Worship Service Evening Worship Crusaders & Youth Adult Prayer Meeting Youth BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA Joan Golden - Diaconal Student Minister Church Office 887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wcl.on.ca Ethel United Church 9:30 a.m.- Worship Service & Sunday School Brussels United Church 11:00 a.m. - Worship and Sunday School October 5th. 2001 at 8:00 p.m. there will be an informal time of prayer. All are invited for a time of reflection and prayer. Come and worship with us! BLYTH UNITED CHURCH Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street Sunday Services at 11:00 a.m. Guest Speaker: David Williams Office: 523-4224 MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS 11:00 a.m. - Morning Service - Sunday School 9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service Wheelchair accessible Nursery care available Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831 PAGE 16. THE c171igN,Vi3iiisWikRICAtigigTiddl: From the Minister's Study Questions have hold on us By Brent Kipfer Brussels Mennonite Fellowship The terrorist attacks on New, York and Washington raise questions of the heart that grab hold of us and will not let go. Questions of the head are easy to satisfy. They are like tourists who sail through town, pick up some information, and leave again. Questions that arise out of our hearts are different. They cannot be answered by a well-researched news report or a carefully reasoned essay. They come from deep within us - from our disorientation, insecurity, anger, sadness and fear. People in sixth century Jerusalem could have identified with these gut- wrenching questions. Their beloved city was destroyed. Parents had lost children and children had lost par- ents. The temple was burned to the ground. Like the World Trade Centre or the Pentagon, the Jerusalem temple was a symbol much larger than bricks and mortar. The temple was a sym- bol of God's presence with the peo- ple. Now it was gone. Like many suffering people, Israel felt godforsaken. They had a sharp sense that God was absent. I am sure they could identify with this cry from Psalm 22 - a cry of deep aban- donment: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from -helping me, from the words of my groaning?" It is an agonizing prayer, a heart- piercing question. How many people in New York have uttered a similar prayer? How many in the Middle East? How many in Huron County? Maybe you can identify with this prayer - when God seems remote, far away - unaffected by your problems. As I think about the suffering of the past weeks, I think about the way that God has responded to the prayer of the psalmist. In answer to why, God did not dic- tate a lecture about the meaning of suffering. God did not argue about mind over matter. God did not stay silent. Instead, God took on Roman flesh, a carpenter from Nazareth. And one day on the hill of Golgotha, outside the gates of Jerusalem, he was nailed to a cross. The Gospel of Mark describes the way that Jesus identified with the sin and the pain of the world. God him- self entered into our suffering - and understood what it is like to feel god- forsaken. - At noon, Mark says that "...dark- ness came over the landtintil three in the afternoon. At three o'clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eloi, Eloi, lem sabachthani?' which means, 'My Amm..2.q...m.mmm. 1 3 8 ( 8 3 1 3 1 'A 1 Living, Water 1 Chrics-ticm, I 1 Teikauskio 8 Christ-centred, Bible-believing, m q \ Fellowship-friendlht g Growth-geared I 9:30 a.m. - Sunday School a for all ages, la 8 10:30 a.m. - Worship I at Blyth Public School, corner of King & Mill 18 523-4848 8 www.tcc.on.ca/-ctowfam lsownownew.....m. God, my God, why have you forsak- en me'?' " Jesus Christ entered into the full agony of human suffering. And he took the agonizing prayer of the psalmist on his own lips. Jesus expresses the cry of a person who is completely devastated. God does not answer why by dictating a memo; God comes in person. We can be sure that Jesus has been present and has been weeping over victims of violence these past weeks. Detroit sportswriter Mitch Albom once had a memorable conversation with his favourite college professor, Morrie Schwartz, who was dying of Lou Gehrig's disease. I -i his book Tuesdays with Morrie, Albom tells how he asked Morrie why he bothered following the news since he wouldn't be around to see how things would turn out any- way. In response, Morrie said this: "It's hard to explain, Mitch. Now that I'm suffering I feel closer to people who suffer than I ever did before. The The September meeting of the Melville Women's Guild was held in the church parlor on Monday evening, Sept. 17 with 10 members present. Helen Elliott opened the meeting with a poem, Have You Ever Met God in Summer? Psalm 104 was read in unison. The topic, Psalm for Summer Savouring, was read by Mrs. Elliott. Rev. Cathrine Campbell led in prayer, then read a poem, Leisure. President Leona Armstrong presided over the business. She read a poem, Eat Lots of Chocolate. other night on TV I saw people in Bosnia running across the street, get- ting fired on, killed, innocent victims ... and I just started to cry. I feel their anguish as if it were my own. I don't know any of these people. But - how can I put this'? - I'm almost drawn to them." Jesus understands suffering because he himself has suffered. And he continues to draw near when peo- ple are in trouble, when they mourn, when they are afraid. Jesus draws near and Jesus weeps. Still, that's not the end of the story. Violence and death do not have the last word with Jesus. When a group of women went to visit his tomb on the third day, they were surprised to find it empty... Theologian Jiirgen Moltmann lived through the destruction of the Second World War. Commenting on the cross of Jesus, he wrote, "God weeps with us so that we may one day laugh with him." God indeed hears our questions and our prayers. The minutes of the June meeting were read and approved and the trea- surer's report was read. Decorating the church for the Thanksgiving service and the anniversary service was discussed. The correspondence was read. The Guild has been asked to do the Presbytery dinner after their meeting on Nov. 28. Kathleen Semple volun- teered to convene. The Guild Will join the WMS for the meeting to be held on Oct. 15 at 2 p.m. in the church parlour. Lunch was' served by Mrs. Elliott and Re.v. Campbell. Special guest Noted author Liberty Savard, left, led a three-day seminar in Blyth this past weekend hosted by the Church of God .and The Treasure Chest. With her are Treasure Chest owner Eleanor Kuyvenhoven and church pastor Les Cook. (Vicky Bremner photo) Pastor: Ernest Dow Melville Women's Guild to decorate for Thanksgiving