The Citizen, 2012-10-25, Page 24PAGE 24. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2012.
By Rev. Gary Clark
Blyth United Church
As most folks in the community
are aware Blyth United Church and
the Blyth Christian Reformed
Church were broken into this past
month. In both cases equipment
used in worship services were the
primary targets. Granted these items
were electronic and therefore easier
to pawn off or fence but it hurt us in
the very centre of our joy, which is
worship.
Our churches were not the first to
be robbed and we will not be the
last. People who are desperate for
money or those who make their
living stealing will no doubt
continue to rob those who are easy
marks like churches. To me that is a
sad reality of the society that we
have created. We who are part of
society want to claim that we didn’t
create the way things are today. But
if not us than who ‘is’ responsible
and who will take responsibility to
change it? I suggest that how we
respond to crime, is in some small
measure the way we can take
responsibly in creating a new
society where crime is less
prevalent.
To start with, the first temptation
is to live out of fear that once we
have been targeted we will be
robbed again and again. So we need
more security, locks, alarms and a
guard dog or two. Yes that would
make our church more like a fortress
and less likely to be robbed again
but would it help us as Christians to
be more loving, more caring and
more open to the spiritual journey? I
don’t think so!
In my experience those who rely
on physical walls to keep
themselves feeling safe create even
higher emotional walls as well.
Safety in walls is no safety at all
because none of us can live totally
behind walls. And in the end we
only create a prison for ourselves.
So responding out of fear isn’t a
faithful response.
Next we can respond out of anger
and seek retribution from the
villains involved. An eye for an eye
and a tooth for a tooth as the Old
Testament says. But once again is
that a faithful response for the
followers of Jesus? Jesus advised his
followers to be weary of those who
do evil and to not fall under their
influence but he never sought to
punish them. On the cross he even
went so far as to forgive those who
had hung him there to die. There
was no anger even in his last words.
So if fear and anger don’t offer the
right path what will? In this I can
only speak for myself. First I am
sad. I am sad that we had to start
again to find second hand computer
parts, and purchase those things
which cannot be found in the gently
used stores. Sad that there are those
in our community, (yes our
community) who have been raised
to have little or no respect for others.
Sad that addiction or some other
desire is so strong in the lives of the
thieves that they would risk jail for a
small pile of used technology.
Secondly I acknowledge desire to
have those responsible caught and
brought to justice. By justice I mean
that they be part of a process which
allows them to understand and feel
the ripple effects of their actions on
their victims. And that they be
offered some avenue to repay the
victims of their robberies knowing
that repayment has less to do with
replacing what was stolen and more
to do with reconciliation within the
community. Putting people in jail
may offer us a window of time
where we can be sure that “those”
people will not be robbing us but it
cannot take away the fear or the
anger that is naturally part of our
culture. Reconciliation is the faithful
path that Jesus sets before us. In it is
the hope that we can be free from
anger and fear and instead live in
renewed hope for our society.
I believe restorative justice is
actually a harder path to walk for
both the victims and the perpetrators
than simply seeking to incarcerate
them. I believe that we have to
acknowledge that simple jail time
has not been successful in making
our society safer. We have to try
something different if we want a
different kind of society. I would
rather put time and money into this
than into more security measures.
For the more we spend on locks the
less secure we feel but the more we
spend on people then the fewer
locks we will need. And that is a
future worth working and living for
today.
By Rachel Robinson
We had another awesome week at
St. Anne’s Catholic Secondary
School. On Monday we welcomed
two Maasai Warriors from Kenya.
They came to speak to 700 students
about their culture and lives in
Kenya. They shared their struggles
in going to school and their exciting
lives as warriors. Following their
presentation our school celebrated
the Walk for Wellness success of
raising over $18,000 and Mr.
Thompson and Jeff Gordon had their
heads shaved while Mr. Geiger had
his eyebrows shaved.
On Tuesday, Mathletes
participated in the first math
competition of the year.
Congratulations to Maddison
Vanneste for achieving the highest
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, October 28
Brussels Business & Cultural Centre
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
You’re Invited To Join Us In Worship
Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-4743
www.blythcrc.ca
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28
Morning Service 10:00 am
Combined Evening Service
in the Clinton CRC 7:00 pm
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Sandra Cable, Pastor
Church Office 519-887-6259
E-mail - beunitedchurch@gmail.com
SUNDAY SERVICE 11:00 am
Sunday School
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
United Church
getlivingwater.org
Pastor: Ernest Dow ~ 519-523-4848
Living Water
Christian Fellowship
Evangelical Missionary Church
10:30 a.m. ~ Worship & Sunday School
Wingham Bible Study - Tuesdays 7:30 pm
Youth Group - Tuesdays 7:30 pm (at CRC)
Women At The Well - 1st & 3rd Wednesdays 7:30 pm
“Grabby -- or Great?”
at 308 Blyth Rd.
(NEW LOCATION!former Church of God Building)
October 28: Mk. 10:35-45
Sat., Oct 27 ~ 8:30-10:30 am
at Memorial Hall: FREE Breakfast!
Sat., Oct 27 ~ 7-9 pm at North St.
United Church, Goderich - PraiseFest
250 Princess St., Brussels
519-887-6388
www.bmfchurch.com
Guests Welcome
Jesus Is Lord!
Brussels
Mennonite
Fellowship
Worship Service 10:00 am
Sunday School 11:15 am
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
OCTOBER 27 ~ Beef Supper 4:30-7:00 pm
OCTOBER 28 ~ A Pocket Full of Masks
NOVEMBER 4th ~ Have you Heard The One About...
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Elwin Garland
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 28
Wheelchair accessible ~ Nursery care available
519-887-9017
10:00 am - Sunday Morning Worship
- Sunday School
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
Olympians Harvest Fest
for Kids
Wednesday, October 31st
at 6:30 pm
Come out for an ooey, gooey good
time! Lots of games and candy to
be had. Please dress in appropriate
costume. Grades JK-6
From the Minister’s StudyRobberies force reflection at churches
Kenyan
warriors
speak to
students
Continued on page 30