The Citizen, 2012-02-02, Page 13THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2012. PAGE 13.
The loss of 54.3 student spaces
will cost the Huron-Perth Catholic
District School Board about
$350,000 in grant monies.
Superintendent of business Gerry
Thuss presented the HPCDSB 2011-
2012 interim financial report to
trustees at the board’s Jan. 23
meeting. Although Thuss said that
the board’s budget and actuals are
“pretty tight”, he also highlighted
the cost of declining enrolment.
The board is forecasted to have
54.3 less Average Daily Enrolments
(ADE) at the end of the school year
than what was originally estimated.
The new forecast is based on future
projections and a student count done
on Oct. 31, 2011.
The board’s elementary schools
gained 7.5 enrolments in Grades JK
to 3, but lost 36 students in Grades 4
to 8, for a net loss of 28.5. In the
board’s secondary schools, 25.8
enrolments were lost.
Asked by Vice-Chair Amy Cronin
where the losses were coming from
and why, Thuss said there wasn’t
“any significant pattern” to the
student departures, with many
elementary schools only losing a
student or two.
“Unfortunately, that adds up,” he
said.
Thuss added that some students
about to enter secondary school
enroll in both HPCDSB and Avon
Maitland District School Board
(AMDSB) high schools. Those
enrolments must be counted, but if
students choose the other school
board in the fall, their absences show
up in the October count.
Thuss also speculated that the
By Andrew Versteeg
Brussels Community Bible
Chapel
Recently I was speaking with a
man who is a regular reader of The
Citizen, and also of this column. He
was encouraging me by stating that
he had enjoyed reading one of the
articles that I had written.
My heart was warmed and I came
away from that conversation feeling
like I was becoming a little bit more
a part of the community. I want to
pause and thank The Citizen for
giving us ministry leaders an
opportunity to speak to
our community through this
newspaper.
Since September, at church, we
have been working our way through
the book of Mark for our morning
services. Our aim is to finish the
book of Mark sometime this
summer.
You may think this is a long time
to spend in one book of the Bible
and it is. It would take us 66 years to
get through the entire Bible if we did
one book each year. So why do we
do it like this?
We do it like this because we want
to take time to understand what is
written in the Bible. The Bible is
God’s word to us and in it He tells us
about Himself; Who He is, what He
has done, what He is doing and what
He is going to do.
If I were to meet you on the street
and asked you what you know about
God, if you are honest with me, you
would be able to give me some
accurate answers. You would tell me
that God is great and powerful, that
He is wise and intelligent, that He
loves diversity and that He is steady
and consistent.
How do you know this? Simply by
looking at the creation all around
you.
If you look up in the sky or look
around you here on Earth you will
see God’s work, that is, what He has
made.
Things that are made always tell
us something about the one who
made them. Ps. 19:1 says it this way,
“The heavens (sky/universe) are
telling of the glory of God; and their
expanse is declaring the work of His
hands.”
We all know a fair bit about God
just from observing creation,
whether we want to admit it or not.
It also says in Romans 1:20, “that
since the creation of the world His
invisible attributes, His eternal
power and divine nature have been
clearly seen, being understood
through what has been seen, so that
they (we) are without excuse.”
Recently at church we watched a
video about some missionaries who
were bringing God’s word to a tribe
of people that had little or no contact
with people outside of their culture.
They had never heard of the Bible
before, but they had some ideas
about God that were quite accurate
based on their observation of
creation.
So then why do we study the Bible
and spend a year going through the
book of Mark? It is because we want
to know the personal side of God.
God is alive and He speaks, and
He has spoken to us through His
word. That is really quite amazing.
Our Creator God has spoken to us so
that we can know Him and it is
important that we know Him so that
we know how to please Him.
I mentioned earlier that I had been
encouraged by someone who had
been reading this column. But I was
also somewhat troubled because as
our conversation went on it became
clear that he also had some ideas
about God that were not accurate.
He had some ideas in his mind that
did not line up with the Scriptures
because He was not familiar with the
Bible.
You do not need to be a scholar to
read or understand the Bible. All you
need to be able to do is to read or
have someone read it to you, and
God will enable you to understand.
My challenge to all of us is to
know what God has spoken about
Himself to us. Our eternal destiny
depends on knowing and therefore
we cannot afford to be wrong.
God has given to us this promise:
“seek the Lord your God, and you
will find Him if you search for Him
with all your heart and all your soul”
(Deuteronomy 4:29).
THE CATHOLIC PARISHES OF NORTH HURON AND NORTH PERTH
CORDIALLY INVITE YOU TO ATTEND HOLY MASS.
OUR SUNDAY LITURGIES ARE AS FOLLOWS:
Brussels:
St. Ambrose
Saturday
6:00 p.m.
17 Flora Street
Wingham:
Sacred Heart
Sunday
9:00 a.m.
220 Carling Terrace
Listowel:
St. Joseph
Sunday
11:00 a.m.
1025 Wallace Avenue N.
Youre Invited
to come worship
with us
Sunday, February 5
Brussels Public School
at 10:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Sunday School for children
4 to 11 years of age at 9:30 a.m.
Childcare provided for infants and
preschoolers during the sermon.
Coffee & cookies after the morning service
For additional details please contact Pastor Andrew Versteeg 519.887.8621
Steve Klumpenhower 519.887.8651 Rick Packer 519.527.0173
Chris McMichael 519.482.1644
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca
Sunday, February 5
Ethel United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 9:30 a.m.
Brussels United Church
Worship Service and Sunday School - 11:00 a.m.
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 5
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-2664
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
February 5: Mk. 1:29-45
“Jesus’
Accommodation
Challenge”
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
at Blyth Public School,
corner of King & Mill
Tuesdays 7:30 pm - Wingham Bible Study
1st & 3rd Wednesdays 7:30 pm - Women At The Well
Evangelical Missionary Church
POTLUCK - Annual
Congregational Meeting
Coming to Memorial Hall
March 2: COURAGEOUS!
Worship Service & Sunday School at 11 a.m.
CORNER OF DINSLEY & MILL STREETS
MINISTER
Rev. Gary Clark, BA, M. Div.
All Welcome
MUSIC DIRECTOR
Floyd Herman, BA, M. Ed.OFFICE: 519-523-4224
FEBRUARY 5 ~ Looking For Snow
in All the Wrong Places
FEBRUARY 12 ~ Valentines, Can’t Buy Me Love
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADAWelcomes you to come and worship with us
Trinity, Blyth
9:15 a.m.
Church Office: 519-357-4883
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
519-887-6862
Sunday, February 5
Rev. Perry Chuipka
www.nabcom.ca/church
You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship
Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743
www.blythcrc.ca
SUNDAYS
Morning Service 10:00 am
Evening Service 7:30 pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
119 John’s Ave., Auburn
519-526-1131
www.huronchapel.org
Rev. Mark Royall, Sr. Pastor
9:25 a.m.
Sunday School for all ages
10:30 a.m
Morning Worship Service
What To
Do When
Life Hurts
Sermon Series
continues with...
“Housecleaning”
From the Minister’s StudyTo know God, get to know the Bible
Loss of students impacts board
By Rita Marshall
Special to The Citizen
Continued on page 19