HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2000-11-22, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2000.
From the Minister’s Study
Provoke one
another to love
and good deeds
By Joan Tuchlinsky
Duff’s and Bluevale United
Churches
One of the benefits of my bi-annu
al meeting with the Committee on
Diaconal Ministry of the United
Church of Canada, is the sharing of
people’s stories from across Canada.
At our- meeting last week in
Winnipeg, Laura Balas, our staff per
son living on a farm in
Saskatchewan, told us about a group
of farmers who are joining together
to purchase the local grain elevator.
The grain co-op that owns it, is now
run by a multi-national corporation
and they want to close it, and many
others, which would force farmers to
drive 80 miles one way to deliver
their crops to a central grain elevator.
One of the farmers who has experi
ence in running a grain elevator, has
offered to run the local one for the
group.
It is ironic that the original co-op
was started in the Depression to sup
port the work of farmers and to give
them a just way to sell their crops
and now the farmers are in need of
coming together again, to challenge
the organization’s practices which
are detrimental to the farmers’ liveli
hood.
This story spoke even more to me
when the members of our committee
reflected on last week’s lectionary
scripture passage from Hebrews,
especially the phrase, “And let us
consider how to provoke one another
to love and good deeds”. Sometimes
we need to remind those organiza
tions, agencies, governments, or any
other systems in place, that they are
there to serve the needs of the peo
ple.
To “provoke one another to love
and good deeds” is to say that we are
called to challenge each other to live
lives that seek abundance of life for
all people. This may mean communi
cating our needs through dialogue
with others and sometimes, when we.
believe we are not being heard, it
means taking action to remind peo
ple about what is important.
An example of this in our own
area, is the purchase of the Walton
school by a group of people from the
community itself. Although it would
have been preferable to find a buyer
or work out a plan for the building in
collaboration with the school board,
when the school went up for auction
a couple of weeks ago, local con
cerned citizens banded together to
buy the school and invest in the com
munity. This serves as a reminder to
the school board and all of us, that
we need to look out for one another,
consider what is best for the whole
community, and try to bring it about.
Often, “to provoke one another to
love and good deeds” is to take a
risk, but our motivation is to reach
You are invited
to Worship
at
Brussels Mennonite
Fellowship
9:30 a.m. Worship Service
10:45 a.m. Christian Education
Everyone Welcome
Elder: Don Procter 357-3557
out to others and seek wholeness for
all. To provoke one another to love is
also to provoke one another in love.
Of course, this can also be done on
a personal level and those of us
attending the book study at Duff’s
United Church in Walton have
recently explored this. The book
Soul Stories by Gary Zukav presents
the challenging message that we
need to create harmony by saying or
doing what is authentic to who we
are, even when this is uncomfortable
for ourselves and others. The moti
vation is to become closer to others
and create deep and lasting harmony.
Most of us grew up being told, “If
you can’t say anything nice, don’t
say anything at all” and I would
agree that we are not being encour
aged to go around being hurtful. But,
to provoke one another to love, in a
loving way, is to say we want to be
close to you and want you to be the
best that you can be. z
In the gospels, we read how Jesus
provoked others to love, because he
knew the vision God had for cre
ation. Like Jesus, we are also called
to provoke one another to love, and
in love.
In our personal relationships and
within the systems we live in, let us
be strengthened to risk provoking
one another to love and good deeds,
and bringing about the kingdom of
God.
fain ua (m, uimhip tfcib Sunday
Morning Worship Service ~ 10 a.m.
Evening Worship Service ~ 7:30 p.m.
Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mightly hand, that he may lift
you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
1 Peter 5:6 & 7
BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
Rev. Adrian A. Van GeestA Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233
I * Wheelchair accessible
HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL
MISSIONARY CHURCH
Auburn - 526-7555
PASTOR DAVE WOOD - 523-9017
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
11:00 a.m. - Morning Service
- Sunday School
9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service
Sunday 9:30 a.m.- Family Bible Hour
10:30 a.m.• Morning Worship Service
7:30 p.m.- Evening Worship Service
Wednesday 7:30 p.m.- Family Night
Friday 7:30 p.m.- Youth
Wheelchair accessible
Nursery care available
We welcome you to come and worship with us.
Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831
Blyth United Church
Comer of Dinsley & Mill Street
Come Worship The Lord With Us
Sundays -11:00 a.m.
Worship Service & Sunday School
Sermon ~ "What does it mean to be a
COVENANTING CONGREGATION?"
Minister ~ Rev. Ernest Dow
ALL ARE WELCOME
523-4224
Thanks
Pat Nolan of North Huron Community Food Share, right, accepts a cheque of $500 from St.
Ambrose Catholic Women’s League President Marlene Glanville, centre, and Treasurer Teresa
Rice. (Vicky Bremner photo)
Join in for stone soup event
Rural Response for Healthy
Children and Citizens for Public
Justice are asking people to join
them in finding the right recipe for
the well-being of Canada’s children.
A Stone Soup Event is being
planned for Friday, Nov. 24 at noon.
It will be held in the park beside the
Clinton Town Hall on the comer of
Rattenbury and Albert Streets.
The story of stone soup begins as a
weary traveller arrives in a poor vil
lage looking for food. The traveller
goes from door to door only to be
told that the people have no food to
spare. Finally, the traveller calls
together all the villagers for a meal
of stone soup. People bring him a
large pot of water and build a fire. In
goes a stone, some salt and pepper.
The villagers are curious. The trav
eller takes a taste, pronounces it
good, but said it would be better with
a little onion. Someone volunteers an
onion. And so it goes until the whole
fou 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
Bible Studies - Wednesday morning 10 a.m.
Wednesday evening 7:30 p.m.
Phone 523-4590 308 Blyth Rd., Blyth
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
clfou am ufeLcatne tfiiy Sunday
NOVEMBER 26 - REIGN OF CHRIST
HOLY EUCHARIST
Trinity, Blyth St. John's,
9:30 a.m. Brussels
Wheelchair accessible 11:15 a.m.
Rev. Nancy Beale - Rector - 887-9273
Cornerstone
Bible
Fellowship
Ethel
Prayer & Bible Study
Tuesday 8 p.m.
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Joan Golden - Diaconal Student Minister
Church Office 887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wcl.on.ca
e November 26
Ethel United Church
9:30 am •
Worship Service and Sunday School
November 26th, Special Music by the Cunningham Family
November 25th Book Browse 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Brussels United Church
11:00 am
Special Music by the Cunningham Family
Worship Service and Sunday School
November 22nd - Hot Luncheon and Bake Sale 11:30 - 1:00 p.m.
November 26th after the service - luncheon and presentation of
the Citizen of the Year Award to Lyle and Alice Brothers
All are welcome to come and. worship with us
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
village has contributed.
With one in five children in
Canada living in poverty, RRHC
asks people to gather together with
the right ingredients in Clinton Nov.
24 to stir up the pot for the country’s
children.
Communion - 9:45 - 10:30
Family Bible Hour and Sunday School
11:00 - 12:00