The Citizen, 2003-10-29, Page 19THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 2003. PAGE 19.
From the Minister’s Study
Minister reminds of our many gifts
By Rev. Joan Golden
Brussels United Church
This past week was our bi-annual
silent and live auction at Brussels
United. There were members of our
church and wider community who
participated to make this such a
success. This event is important not
only in terms of fundraising but also
in the “fun” raising of laughter,
conversation and support that
happens when the community comes
together for such an event.
There were a variety of gifts
offered in this endeavour - no one gift
more important than another but all
very much needed.
Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 12:4
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but
the same Spirit; and there are varieties
of services, but the same Lord; and
there are varieties of activities, but it
is the same God who activates all of
them in everyone.”
This passage reminds us of the
importance of all gifts in the
community. Paul was writing to the
community in Corinth, in response of
questions they had about spiritual
gifts. This scripture passage is part of
Paul’s reply to them.
The word gift that is mentioned first
in the passage in Greek is
"charismata" and it does not refer to
one’s talents and abilities but a rather
that it is a good thing with which one
has been graced. Paul also mentions
services for which the Greek work is
“diakoniai". Also the root word for
the diaconal ministry of service that is
an order of ministry within the United
Church of Canada. The word activity
in greek is “energemata” - and
translates as the activities of the Spirit
- all being from the same source.
Paul’s response is not about rating
specific gifts, services or activities
offered by assuring them —that it is
the same Spirit, the same Christ, and
the same God at work among them.
The plethora of gifts, services and
activities that were present in the
community are a sign of God’s
abundance in the community. It’s in
the interweaving of these gifts that
one sees the richness of the whole.
comfort - that felt wonderful as your
feet would be on that in the morning
rather than a very cold floor.
I see the image of ministry of the
whole community as a work of
weaving. Gifts, services and activities
in ministry that each of you have been
graced with by God, working together
to produce the fabric of ministry.
There are times in weaving that
everything moves smoothly - the
shuttle carries the weft material and is
woven into the warp.
Then there are times, when the
shuttle may not move so quickly,
perhaps there needs to be extra care in
some untangling, or a time of seeing
how a pattern develops, but the
weaving still continues. All strands
are vital because a weaving cannot
continue without both the warp and
weft being woven together.
Gifts, services, and activities of
each individual make up the strands
of ministry in the community around
you. It would be impossible to name
all the gifts of a community but
within each of us are gifts that make
our churches and community so
varied. Be it in the time that you
share, or service you offer, or the
enthusiasm in your willingness to
participate in a community.
Within the fabric of ministry there
are many gifts, services and activities
offered: some through music in
various voices or in the playing of
musical instruments, or providing
nourishment be it potlucks, dinners or
luncheons that we can taste and be
nurtured with. Then there are gifts of
organizing and assisting in events;
financial knowledge, being able to
vision ideas and share them, gifts of
understanding, gifts of courage, gifts
of teaching that help us see with eyes
of faith, gifts of outreach to others in
our community and into the world we
share.
Gifts of seeing what needs to be
done - be it as close as within this
community or half a world from us.
Gifts of forgiveness, gifts of laughter,
gifts of caring that provide healing
and growth.
No individual gift, no individual
service, no individual activity is more
important than another - each strand
in this ministry is as unique and
individual as each of us are, each
strand is needed in this fabric of
ministry for the true wonder and
beauty that is produced. Each one of
us has individually been graced by
our own unique gifts by the One
Spirit who knows every thread in the
fabric of our lives. Each thread and
strand is a treasure because each one
of us are loved by God and activated
by the same Spirit.
t St. Michael's
Roman Catholic Church
254 Drummond St. E., Blyth
Saturday Night Mass
at 7:00 pm
Father John Johnson, Pastor
357-2435
HURON CHAPEL EVANGELICAL
MISSIONARY CHURCH
SINGASONCpOF Auburn -526-1131
PASTOR DAVE WOOD - 523-4941
Sunday 9:30 a.m. - Family Bible Hour
10:30 a.m. - Morning Worship Service
7:30 p.m. - Evening Worship Service
Wednesday 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.- Youth
7:15 p.m. - Adult Bible Study
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
"TUetecMted, cpw, to ctMte cuul cwiaAcfi cuitA.
NOVEMBER 2
FEAST OF ALL SAINTS
HOLY EUCHARIST WITH SPECIAL
REMEMBRANCE CANDLE LIGHTING
X Trinity, Blyth St. John's, Brussels^1 9:30 a.m. 11:15 a.m.
The Rev. Tom Wilson, B.A., MDiv. 887-9273
foot awa/d/i
Sunday, November 2
Morning Worship Service - 10 a.m.
Evening Worship Service - 7:30 p.m.
BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
Pastor John Kuperus
Hwy. 4, Blyth 523-9233
Wheelchair accessible
Blyth Community Church of God
I always am drawn to watching
when a weaver is working at the
loom. The warp and weft materials
sometimes being so very different,
different textures, different colours
but blended together produce
beautiful effects.
I remember our family taking bags
of different materials - scraps cut
from wom blankets, coats, scraps of
materials from clothes making...etc.
to a weaver Later we would go back
and pick up the mats that had been
woven from those scraps.
The scraps woven together looked
wonderful with the different hues of
colours and different textures. But if
you looked carefully you could find
some of the more familiar scraps of
materials that were woven into a very
functional item that also could give
£imty Waler £
Mdian
Evangelical Missionary Church of Canada r?
10:30 a.m.£
£
{ Pastor: Ernest Dow - 523-4848 k
Kt www.tcc.on.ca/~dowfam fl
at Blyth Public School,
corner of King & Mill
11:00 a.m. - Morning Service
- Sunday School
9:30 a.m. - Belgrave Service
Wheelchair accessible
Nursery care available
Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 887-9831
Blyth United Church
I Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Sunday, November 2
Worship Service & Sunday School - 11:00 am
Bad Boys of the Bible (2) Zacchaeus
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.
Cornerstone
Bible
Fellowship
Ethel
All children ages 4-12 welcome
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)
John 14:6 - Jesus said, “I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE no
one comes to the Father, but through Me."
Call Pastor Andrew at 887-6123
Coffee House
"The Church is not a
3* k Building^
\ It is People Touching
5 w > People"
Sunday 9:15 a.m. - Prayer Meeting
9:45 a.m. - Sunday School
11:00 a.m. - Worship Service
Several mid-week events
Phone 523-4875 308 Blyth Rd. E. ~ Pastor Les Cook 523-4590
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Joan Golden - Diaconal Student Minister
Church Office 887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wcl.on.ca
November 2
Ethel United Church
9:30 a.m.
Worship Service and Sunday School
Brussels United Church
11:00 a m.
127th Anniversary Worship Service and Sunday School
Celebrating our 127th Anniversary
Guest Speaker: Rev. John Brown
All are invited to join us for lunch following the service.
Remembering, Celebrating and Living our Faith