The Citizen, 1995-05-31, Page 16Oooh...it's s000 good
Young Carl Procter of Belgrave certainly was enjoying his
food at the Calvin-Brick United Church supper in Belgrave
on May 27. The meal drew a full house at the WI Hall.
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
You are welcome this Sunday
JUNE 4 - DAY OF PENTECOST
HOLY EUCHARIST
Rev. Nancy Beale
Trinity, Blyth St. John's, Brussels
9:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m.
HURON CHAPEL MISSIONARY
CHURCH
PASTOR JAMES H. CARNE AUBURN 526-7515
Sunday 10 a.m. - Family Bible Hour
11 a.m. - Morning Service
8 p.m. - Evening Service
Wednesday 8 p.m. - Prayer & Bible Study
Friday 7:30 p.m. - Youth - Pastor Bob Lewis, 526-7441
You are Welcome at
the
BLYTH CHURCH OF GOD
9:45 a.m. - Sunday School for Children and Adults
11 - 12:15 - Morning Worship
Bible Studies - Wednesday 10 a.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Phone 523-4590 McConnell St., Blyth
BLYTH CHRISTIAN
REFORMED CHURCH
HIGHWAY 4, BLYTH--523-9233
Sunday 10:00 a.m. & 7:30 p.m.
Rev. Adrian A. Van Geest
The Church of the "Back to God Hour" and "Faith 20"
Back to God Hour 10:30 a.m. CKNX Sunday
Faith 20 5:30 a.m. Weekdays, Global T.V.
All Visitors Welcome Wheelchair accessible
- Morning Service
- Sunday School
- Belgrave Service
11:00 a.m.
9:30 a.m.
9:30 a.m. Ethel Morning Worship
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
Church School - Nursery
Let us break bread together
Welcome to our Church
BRUSSELS UNITED CHURCH
Rev. Cameron McMillan
Church Office 887-6259
11:00 a.m.
Manse 887-9313
Morning Worship
Sacrament of the Lord's Supper
Church School - Nursery
BLYTH UNITED
CHURCH
Church Services are changing to
Summer Hours on June 4.
Church will be at 10 a.m. for all of
June, July & August.
Minister: Rev. Stephen Huntley
..mannior
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
Rev. Tim Purvis, Interim Moderator
We welcome you to come and worship with us.
PAGE 16. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 31, 1995.
From the Minister's Study
Escapes not permanent solution to life's trials
By James H. Carne, Pastor
The Missionary Church, Auburn
Have you ever wished that you
could trade places with someone
else so as to escape the hopeless
circumstances of your life?
Millions do it every day as they
relate in fantasy to the soap opera
stars who parade daily across the
TV screen. Millions more find an
escape as alcohol and drugs
transfonn them into someone else
for a few hours.
The problem with these
recourses, of course, is that they do
not result in a permanent solution.
There is a permanent solution! I
was talking with a woman
yesterday whose marriage break-up
and the subsequent loss of her
children drove her to drink and
drugs. From the depths of the dark
hole of alcoholism and drug
addiction she cried out in
desperation one day, "God, if You
really exist, reveal Yourself."
In that moment she found
strength to dump her liquor and her
tranquilizers down the toilet, to
return to them no more. She didn't
know that one should wean oneself
gradually from valium, but she
suffered no ill effects.
Today, she continues to live
alone but she is a useful member of
society and a valued part of our
church.
I happened to re-read yesterday,
as well, a letter from another
woman whose life today is a
radiant testimony of a permanent
change. Her discouragements came
as a result of childhood abuse that
left her confused and angry and
fearful of the future. Her mood
swings made her anti-social, at
times, and her husband and
children found it necessary to
screen her phone calls and to
protect and humour her as best they
could.
Her life was a living hell. Then,
one day, she came into contact with
a couple that radiated a happiness
and serenity that she had never
encountered before. She discovered
that they were "born-again"
Christians and that they would be
pleased to pray about her and her
It was "A Celebration of
Hymnody" at Blyth United Church,
May 28. Greeters were Hary and
Ferne McDowell, assisted by
Sunday School members, Mary
Thomas, Stephanie Sanderson, Lisa
Root and Kendall Whitfield.
Ushers were all Sunday School
members, Nathan Shannon, Ashley
Howson, and Leanne Haggitt.
Phyllis Boak, director of music was
organist and pianists were Erica
Clark and Shirley Vincent.
Susan Howson opened the
service with Words of Welcome
and an inspiring message to every-
one. She was filling in for Rev.
Stephen Huntley who is away to
conference Sunday in Sault Ste.
Marie accompanied by Les
Rutledge of Blyth.
There were 10 hymns chosen for
At Auburn Missionary Church on
Sunday, May 28, Hank and Janet
Sonnenberg of Kitchener were
guest musicians. Their singing of I
Stand Amazed, Does Jesus Care?
and Through it All were
inspirational.
problems.
The time came when, all by
herself, she found it easy to
surrender herself to God and to
trust Him with both her future and
her past. The effects in her life
were so discernible, immediately,
that her husband and her children
applauded the step that she had
taken. It wasn't long before the
miraculous transformation in her
life resulted in the rest of the family
following her in this commitment
to Christ.
In her letter she describes the
changes in her and her family:
"...now I have hope and I've
climbed out of that dark tunnel, and
all around me is sunshine. I can
now get on with my life as Jesus
sees fit. I sleep much better, worry
less and feel more peace than I've
ever known. So many wonderful
things have been happening to me
and my family. God has answered
so many prayers lately that it is
the unique service of 'good old
hymns.' Mrs. Howson introduced
the opening hymn I've Got the Joy.
The Hymnody committee Phyllis
Boak, Bonnie Shannon, Bev Snell,
Lorna Fraser, Brenda Edgar and
Susan Howson introduced the 10
favourite hymns, namely Amazing
Grace, This is My Father's World,
How Great Thou Art, Will Your
Anchor Hold? What a Friend We
Have in Jesus, Old Rugged Cross,
Blest Be the Tie that Binds and
Abide With Me.
Scripture readers were Rachel de
Boer and Devin Shannon. The
readings were from Matthew 25,
verses 1 - 13.
The Sunday School sang two
favourites, Kum-Ba-Yah and Jesus
Loves Me accompanied by Erica
Bob Lewis had the message from
Matthew 16. "What do we believe?
he asked. "Do you have some
absolutes?"
The cause of Christ drives us to
distant lands; it drives us into
action. We are missionaries where
overwhelming."
Later in the letter she describes
her first experience of participation
in the Lord's Supper since
becoming a Christian: "For the first
time in my life I felt worthy of
receiving Communion. I have
never ever felt so close to God.
Everything seemed to fall into
place for me that day. I felt, finally,
that I was 'born again,' and, on top
of that, my husband and I were able
to take Communion together and I
still shed tears of joy over that
memory. Not only has God given
us a wonderful family and friends
but we now pray together from our
hearts, read the Bible and other
spiritual books together and share
the same faith and beliefs. I feel
that God has totally united us."
That letter was dated almost two
years ago. As the pastor of that
family, I can tell you that the
changes are permanent and that
things have only gotten better.
Clark on piano and Heather Elliott
on guitar.
The choir rendered a hymn
medley, accompanied by Phyllis
Boak on organ and Shirley Vincent
on piano.
Mrs. Howson closed the service
with prayer and thanked everyone
on behalf of the Hymnody commit-
tee who participated in the unique
service by nominating their favour-
ite hymns. There were 101 hymns
nominated during the past several
weeks. Even though the committee
could use only the top 10 choices,
they appreciated what the
congregation's favourite hymns are.
Preceding Benediction this
inspirational service concluded
with the choir leading and the
congregation joining in singing, Go
Now In Peace.
we are. The church is a gathering of
people and Christ is the only way
to heaven.
Pastor and Mrs. Carne are
spending a few days in Atlanta,
Georgia, attending the graduation
of their granddaughter.
Do these two women seem to
represent such a transformation that
they have escaped permanently the
former prison of desperate
circumstances? It's not surprising;
the Bible says that it can happen to
anybody. "Therefore, if anyone is
in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come!
All this is from God, who
reconciled us to Himself through
Christ..." 2 Corinthians 5:17.
Blyth United Church hosts
`Celebration of Hymnody'
Missionaries hear musicians