HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2002-06-26, Page 15By Pastor Ernest Dow
Living Water Christian
Fellowship, Blyth
Hurray! The holiday this weekend
marks Canada Day, 135 years of
Confederation.
God has blessed this nation
abundantly with natural resources
and (for the most part) a very livable
climate. Yet as we celebrate our
country's birthday July 1 it would
benefit us to consider whether our
attitudes and vision are as noble and
virtuous as those of our founders.
On Jacques Cartier's first
exploratory voyage in 1534, before
venturing southWard to the more
fertile lands of Prince Edward Island
and New Brunswick, he sailed along
the north shore of the Gulf of St.
Lawrence westward from the Strait
of Belle Isle. Finding it empty and
desolate, he journalled, "I believe
that this was the land that God
allotted to Cain."
If our society continues in an
increasingly secular direction, we
will court God's disfavour, resulting
in greater emptiness and desolation.
"'And if they learn well the ways of
my people and swear by my name,
saying, 'As surely as the LORD
lives'...then they will be established
among my people.
But if any nation does not listen, I
will completely uproot and destroy
it,' declares the LORD." (Jeremiah
12:16,17) To adapt Cartier's
terminology, do rove want to be
"Canada" — or "Cain-ada"?
Canadians have not abandoned the
Christian teachings many of their
founders adhered to, but there are
disturbing trends. University of
Lethbridge sociologist Reginald
Bibby has been researching our
religious beliefs since 1975.
The 2002 edition of his latest
survey (Restless Gods) reports that
only 21 per cent of people attend
church regularly today, versus 31 per
cent in 1975. The picture is
particularly bleak in Quebec.
Overall weekly attendance among
the province's Roman Catholics has
dropped from 88 per cent of the
population in 1945 to 26 per cent in
1990, then 14 per cent today — and
only seven per cent of Catholic teens
now attend worship services.
Granted, there are signs of a
spiritual "renaissance":. the decline
in attendance at mainline churches
appears to have stabilized. Bibby
found a greater incidence of prayer
among the general population: 75
per cent of Canadians reported they
pray, and 50 per cent said they
"experience" God. Amongst
teenagers, the number claiming to be
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"that we may live peaceful and
quiet lives in all godliness and
holiness" — I Timothy 2:2
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Joan Golden - Diaconal Student Minister
Church Office 887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wcl.on.ca
We welcome our Guest Minister Rev. Camillia LaRouche
Sunday, June 30
Ethel United Church
9:30 a.m.
Worship Service and Sunday School
Brussels United Church
11:00 a.m.
Worship Service
Remembering -- Celebrating -- Living Our Faith!
BLYTH UNITED CHURCH
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Sunday, June 30
Worship Service 11 a.m.
Guest Speaker: Rev. Cecil Wittich ,u Vetcasce
Minister: Rev. Dr. Eugen Bannerman
Office: 523-4224
You are Welcome at the
BLYTH COMMUNITY CHURCH OF GOD
Summer Schedule
10:00 a.m. - Adult Sunday School
11:00 a.m. - Morning Worship (Junior Church during service)
7:30 p.m. - Evening Worship
Kids' Club - Every second Tuesday beginning July 9, 2 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
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.
Vacation Bible School - July 8 - 12
9:30 - 11:30 am, Ages 4-12
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
Call Pastor Andrew Thursdays or Fridays at 887-6123
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
11:00 a.m. - Morning Service
- Sunday School
9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service
Wheelchair accessible
Nursery care available
June 30th - 11:00 a.m. Service will be held at the Armstrong Aerodrome.
Picnic potluck lunch to follow. Please bring lawn choirs as well.
Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
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Sunday, June 30
HOLY EUCHARIST
Trinity, Blyth
9:30 a.m.
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
The Rev. Tom Wilson, B.A., MDiv. 887-9273
HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL
MISSIONARY CHURCH
Auburn - 526-7555
PASTOR DAVE WOOD - 523-9W 7
Sunday 9:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m. -
7:30 p.m.
Wednesday 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. -
7:30 p.m. -
Friday 7:30 p.m.
Family Bible Hour
Morning Worship Service
Evening Worship
Crusaders & Youth
Adult Prayer Meeting
Youth
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Weecantea, Vim to `tlla~cal~ip
Sunday, June 30
Summer Worship Time is 10:00 a.m. ,
West African Meal
Saturday, June 29 6:30 p.m.
Pastor Brent Kipfer 887-6388
Pee-au 7:aeot ce4 /rept atelato
Sunday, June 30
Morning Worship Service - 10 a.m.
Evening Worship Service - 7:30 p.m.
"Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue
can break a bone." — Proverbs 25:15
BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233
Wheelchair accessible
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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2002. PAGE 15.
From the Minister's Study
`Thank God for Canada,' says mininster
"committed to Christianity or
another faith," more than doubled,
from 22 per cent in 1992 to almost
50 per cent last year.
Yet teens show a disturbing
mixture of orthodox and New Age
beliefs: 65 per cent affirm that Jesus
is the divine Son of God, but 57 per
cent said they also believed in
astrology.
Sixty-five per cent of teens agreed
with the statement, "What's right or
wrong is a matter of personal
opinion." Eighty-two per cent said
that premarital heterosexual sex was
permissible for two people who
"loved" each other, and 58 per cent
said it was permissible if they simply
"liked" each other.
In the area of morals, our
backbone is turning to jelly!
God told Jeremiah to warn a
nation that was ignoring His
absolutes, "Therefore say to them,
'This is the nation that has not
obeyed the LORD its God or
responded to correction. Truth has
perished; it has vanished from their
lips... take up a lament on the barren
heights, for the LORD has rejected
and abandoned this generation that is
under his wrath." (Jererniah7:280
Cain chose to disregard God's
The Bayfield Town Hall Heritage
Society and the Village Bookstore
have joined together to sponsor the
Bayfield Writers Festival on June
29. The event will feature readings
and book signings by six noted
Canadian authors.
The authors include humorists
Will and Ian Ferguson, How to be a
Canadian and Nicholas Pashley,
Notes on a Beermat. Joan Barfoot
will read from Critical Injuries and
Robert Bell will read from his work
Of Water and Wine.
Dennis Bock who has been
nominated for the Libris Award will
read from his work The Ash Garden.
instruction to "do what is right", and
murdered his brother. (Genesis 4:6-
8) He would have agreed instead
with the pollster's option, "What's
right or wrong is a matter of personal
opinion."
But our Canadian history has fine
examples of heroes with moral
convictions who risked much to
bring God's truth to this new land.
Stephen Leacock writes, "For
Cartier himself the conversion of the
savages to the Christian faith . was
throughout a leading motive."
Cartier raised a 30-foot high wooden
cross on the Gaspe Peninsula. One
of his first actions upon being
welcomed by the natives at
Elochelaga (Montreal) was to read to
them from the Gospel of John.
Samuel de Champlain, the "Father
of New France", was dedicated to
serving Jesus Christ. He wrote, "I
should be committing a great sin if I
did not make it my business to
devise some means of bringing the
Indian tribes to the knowledge of
God."
Founding Quebec City in 1608,
Champlain acted as spiritual leader
to his men. A priest based there
described Champlain's influence:
"In the evening an examination of
Of special note is Bonnie Burnard
a winner of the prestigious Giller
Prize who will read excerpts from
her novel A Good House.
The event is free and will begin at
1 p.m. at the Heritage Town Hall.
Before and after the event visitors
will be able to explore beautiful
Bayfield.
For more information visitors can
call 519-565-5600 or visit
www.thevillagebookshop.com .
Information about other town hall
events can be obtained by calling
519-565-5788 or by e-mail at the
townhall @tcc.on.ca.
conscience is held in Champlain's
room, then prayers are held,
kneeling... In a word, we have good
reason for consolation, seeing our
chief so zealous for the glory of Our
Lord and for the welfare of the
gentlemen."
Families would do well to imitate
Champlain's pattern in our homes
these days!
Use some of the holiday time this
weekend to thank God for our
wonderful country, our Christian
heritage, and to pray for our nation's
leaders today.
May we not repeat Cain's mistake,
but become a true "community of
communities" that seek God's glory
and our neighbour's betterment...as
our founders did.
h. 10:30 a.m. - Contemporary Worship 4
g at Blyth Public School,
corner of King & Mill
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Pastor: Ernest Dow FA
a 523-4848
www.tcc.on.ca/-dowfam
Nranagegoomarerar
Writers Festival, Sat.