The Citizen, 2003-10-22, Page 23THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2003. PAGE 23.
From the Minister's Study
Remember to be thankful for blessings
Rev. Theresa McDonald-Lee
Knox Presbyterian Church,
Cranbrook
Thanksgiving holiday has now
been over for a couple of weeks. But
like so many holidays, this is one
that I wish would last just a little bit
longer. There is so much to be
thankful for, too much that we take
for granted. Health, family, freedom
to vote, freedom to worship, clean
air. good water - these are all at the
top of the list of things I forget to be
thankful for on a regular basis.
There is a lot we take for granted
and sometimes we need to travel
somewhere else to be reminded of
our plenty and abundance.
As some may know from previous
columns, I spent a couple of weeks
in Ghana, Africa this past spring.
Ghana is a country that is well off by
African standards. They are a
working democracy and have been
since 1957. Everyplace I stayed had
running water and electricity;
although this is certainly not true of
everywhere.
However, AIDS and HIV are
serious problems. Poverty, lack of
employment, lack of educational
facilities, and food shortages are
realities in parts of the country,
especially the North.
I saw hungry children, primitive
housing, drought-ridden soil, and
men and women with diseases that
are non-existent in Canada. For
many, life is a daily and difficult
challenge.
In spite of poverty and lack of
resources, 1 discovered a
thanksgiving spirit. At every
worship service I attended, the
pastor and congregation would thank
God for all of their blessings.
They would thank God for Jesus
who offered them new life. They
would thank God for the Holy Spirit
who encouraged and inspired them
to acts of service. They would thank
God for a church in which to
worship. They would thank God for
the Bible and a chance to hear the
scripture. They would thank God for
the food on their tables and the
family that supports them.
Thankfulness would continue in
this fashion for quite some time.
Then the most remarkable thing
happened to my Western eyes. The
preacher would say, “We thank you
God for everything you have given
to us, let us give something back to
you.” Drumming would begin,
everyone rose to their feet, and the
congregation burst into song.
Then starting from the back, the
members of the church would come
forward dancing with joy. They
danced slowly up the aisles, singing
their praise, clutching their offering.
When they arrived at the front of the
church they deposited their money
with gratefulness and a “Thank you
Jesus!” They danced their way to the
back, waving their arms in praise,
making way for the hundreds that
followed them.
From so little wealth, the people in
the churches I visited, recognized
the gifts they had been given. They
responded with thanksgiving and
generosity, with a joy I have rarely
seen before.
Most Canadians would look
around and say, “What is there to be
thankful about here?”
But maybe we have it wrong, and
those Christians in Ghana have it
right. There is much to be thankful
for, and we have the means to give
something back. While we
sometimes grumble about offering
time, in Ghana it was the absolute
centre of their worship. It was their
chance to give something back to the
God who had given them so much.
Let us remember to offer for
thanks for our abundance and maybe
dance a little when we see an
opportunity to respond to our
gracious God.
HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL
SINGASONtjOF
MISSIONARY CHURCH
Auburn - 526-1131
PASTOR DAVE WOOD - 523-4941
Sunday
St. Michael's
Roman Catholic Church
254 Drummond St. E., Blyth
Saturday Night Mass
at 7:00 pm
Father John Johnson, Pastor
357-2435
Wednesday
9:30 a.m. - Family Bible Hour
10:30 a.m. - Morning Worship Service
7:30 p.m. - Evening Worship Service
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.- Youth
7:15 p.m. - Adult Bible Study
Sunday, October 26
Morning Worship Service - 10 a.m.
Evening Worship Service - 7:30 p.m.
£ “
£
£
£
£
£9
Oct. 26: Mark 3:201 f
"Stymying Satan's Strateyies"
Friday, Oct. 24
7:30 pm
at CRC:
“ Counter-Occult
Prayer Event
Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada t/1£
£ .
| comer of King & Mill
1 co-Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 523-4848 k
ft www.tcc.on.ca/~dowfam k
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Medic Alert
Speaks For You.
www.medicalert.ca
1-800-668-1507
J- V7|LL (2ulT
AnP T
TALKjr-lc, ANT'LL-F
Talk to us
instead.
^smokers'HELPUNE
CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY
TOLL-FREE
1-877-5 I 3-5333
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Joan Golden - Diaconal Student Minister
BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
Church Office 887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wcl.on.ca
October 26
Ethel United Church
9:30 a.m.
Worship Service and Sunday School
Brussels United Church
11:00 a.m.
Worship Service and Sunday School
Both churches are collecting for North Huron Food Share for the month of October
Remembering and Celebrating and living our Faith
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
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
'Wetewted, cf&cc to- euuf, c&itA, cm
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 26
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
Cornerstone
Bible
Fellowship
Ethel
Sunday:9:45-10:30 ~ Communion
11:00-12:00 - Family Bible Hour and Sunday School
7:00 pm ~ Evening Worship Service
Tuesday:7:30 pm - Prayer & Bible Study
Wednesday:7:00 - 9:00 pm ~ Youth (ages 12 & up)
Thursday,6:30 - 8:00 pm - Adventure Club (Oct. 16 - Nov. 20) i
All children ages 4-12 welcome
John 14:6 -Jesus said, “1 am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE. no?
one comes to the Father, but through Me."
Call Pastor Andrew at 887-6123
Pastor John Kuperus
Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233
Wheelchair accessible
Blyth United Church
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Sunday, October 26
Worship Service & Sunday School
11:00 a.m. ~ 149th Anniversary
7:00 p.m. - Rev. Ramirez and Men of Note
Minister: Rev. Dr. Eugen Bannerman
Office: 523-4224
Blyth United Church is a welcoming community of faith.
We celebrate God's presence through worship and study, and through
responding to the needs and gifts of each other
^^mmityCbu,c,">rGoil
/ A ------~VA t is People Touching
5 XT > People"
"The Church is not a
Building,
Sunday 11:00 am Worship Service
(Junior Church during service)
Sunday School 9:45 am
Phone 523-4875 308 Blyth Rd. E. ~ Pastor Les Cook 523-4590
You are invited to
Brussels Mennonite
Fellowship
Sunday, October 26 9:30 a.m.
Sharing their experience in Nepal
Terry & Doreen Lachance
serving with
Sunday School 1T.00 a.m.
Pastor Brent Kipfer 887-6388
"...let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and
action." 1 John 3:18