The Citizen, 2006-07-13, Page 23,July 16 - Hosea 1
"Hosea & Gomer:
A Picture of God's Love
and Grace"
July 24-28 - Vacation Bible School
at Blyth CRC
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Felltmship-triendl. Growth-geared
Living 1Votter.
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10:30 a.m. - Joint Worship
at Church of God for July & August
308 Blyth Rd., E.
Wheelchair Accessible
Tuesdays 7:30 pm Wingham Small Group
Wednesdays 7:30 pm Discussing the Da Vinci Code
Pastor: Ernest Dow - 519-523-4848
getlivingwater.org
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grow Worship with us at
,„ZZu: Brussels Mennonite
together Fellowship
Sunday, July 16 10:00 a.m.
Guest Speaker:
Pastor Andrew Versteeg,
Ethel
11:15 a.m. Fellowship Time
Brussels Mennonite Fellowship
MELVILLE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
BRUSSELS
We are worshiping with our friends at
Brussels United Church for the month of July.
Services at Melville resume on August 6th.
Rev. Cathrine Campbell - 519-887-9831
Blyth United Church
Corner of Dinsley & Mill Street
Sunday, July 16
Worship Service, Sunday School & Nursery
11:00 a.m.
Minister: Rev. Robin McGauley
fill 7'elea.te
Office: 519-523-4224
Sanctuary
BRUSSELS - ETHEL PASTORAL CHARGE
UNITED CHURCH OF CANADA
Sandra Cable, Worship Leader
Church Office 519-887-6259 E-mail - bepc@wightman.ca
Sunday, July 16
Ethel United Church
9:30 a.m.
Brussels United Church
11:00 a.m.
Celebrating our Christian Faith together in worship
Trinity, Blyth
9:30 a.m.
St. John's, Brussels
11:15 a.m.
THE ANGLICAN CHURCH OF CANADA
Velcouted you 1d come
and cool do (via uo
SUNDAY, JULY 16
The Rev. Tom Wilson, B.A., MDiv. 519-887-9273
Peeacte ud i watdeft
Sunday, July 16
Morning Worship Service - 10 a.m.
Evening Worship Service - 7:30 p.m.
BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH
Pastor John Kuperus
46\ Hwy. 4, Blyth 519-523-9233
Wheelchair accessible
EVANGELICAL MISSIONARY CHURCH
SI\JG A SONVX Auburn - 519-526-1131
gratSe PASTOR DAVE WOOD
40•80.-9 & PASTOR DON PLANT JR.
Sunday 10:30 a.m.
7:30 p.m.
Wednesday 7:00 p.m.
Friday 7:30 - 9:30 p.m.
August 6 7:30 p.m.
Morning Worship Service
Baptism following morning service
Evening Worship Service
Adult Bible Study
- Drop-in Youth Centre
Outdoor evening service at
Riverside Retreat
CO unity Church of
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"The Church is not a _ gyp, ANDA:
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Summer Worship
10:30 am - Sunday Service
Shared with Living Water Christian Fellowship
Phone 519-440-8379 308 Blyth Rd. E. — Pastor Les Cook 519-523-4590
People"
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 13, 2006. PAGE 23.
From the Minister's Study
Bible schools teach your children well
By Pastor Ernest Dow, Living
Water Christian Fellowship
(EMC), Blyth
After a Sunday school lesson one
week, a little girl was heard quoting
Psalm 23:1, a familiar Bible verse to
many. Although the child did not
quote it quite correctly, she had the
right idea when she said, "The Lord
is my Shepherd; I've got all I want."
Somehow she picked -up on the
passage's assurance that God does
provide our needs, and we're to be
content with His provision.
Incidents such as the shameful
treatment of the National War
Memorial in Ottawa on Canada Day
by three young men reminds us that
'basic' values such as respect and
self-control are not automatically
absorbed by osmosis from one's
environment when growing up;
values and beliefs need to be taught,
intentionally.
Unfortunately today too many
parents leave intentional teaching up
to the school system for a very few
hours five days a week, 10 months a
year. This limited exposure may be
far outweighed or undercut by the
child's free time in which they are
abandoned to the indoctrination of
the commercial-ridden television
set, violent computer games, etc.
The Bible seeks to impress upon
parents that instruction in godly
principles is a 24-hour-a-day
obligation — and not one that can be
left to others, especially those from a
secular background. "These
commandments that I give you today
are to be upon your hearts. Impress
them on your children. Talk about
them when you sit at home and when
you walk along the road, when you
lie down and when you get up."
(Deuteronomy 6:60
This can be a daunting prospect to
parents, but thankfully there are
agencies which can supplement
prayer and teaching of Scripture
(such as from reading an illustrated
Bible story book) that goes on inside
the home. Sunday school and
midweek 'kids' clubs' are valuable
ministries offered by many churches
on a weekly basis.
But summer offers unique
opportunities for extending
Christian instruction of the young. A
week at camp can be a life-changing
encounter in a round-the-clock
context of a lived Biblical
worldview, Coupled with admiration
of the Creator's handiwork in forest
flora and magnificent night-time
stellar displays.
Even if you can't manage a week
at camp, many churches offer a
Vacation Bible School (VBS)
experience at no cost. Some of my
earliest memories of Christian
teaching occurred at a community
VBS held at the Presbyterian Church
in Cromarty back around 1960. Day
after day, for several hours each
morning, dedicated adults took pains
to teach us basic Bible truths and
make them more than words by
teaching us songs and crafts dealing
with the topic of the day.
I seem to have a strong association
of the memory with white glue and
popsticle sticks! The week's efforts
culminated in a Friday night concert
at which each class performed a
short song, showed off our crafts,
and presented the theme to our
gathered parents.
Decades later, VBS is now often
more high-tech with manufactured
teaching aids and songs / videos on
CD and DVD, but the main goal
remains the same — acquainting
youngsters with positive, life-
changing Biblical truth that will help
them develop a relationship with
God and equip them with a
constructive frame of reference for
life's tough decisions.
The organizers are usually
'amateur' parent-volunteers whose
zeal and concern for the kids
overcome their reservation and
trepidation at not having
professional training. Their
creativity can be astonishing and
may draw in resources from the
wider church.
For instance, this week (July 10-
14) the EMC church in Auburn is
holding a VBS called Bethlehem
Village Vacation and the list of
required materials published in their
church bulletin included 'bamboo
lengths' and 'free standing open
tents'. Often it's the extra effort in
preparation' that makes a VBS
particularly memorable.
In Blyth, the churches are co-
operating to put on a Son Treasure
Island VBS at the Christian
Reformed Church the week of July
24-28. At an organizational meeting,
I was impressed by the effort that's
already gone into preparing crafts,
and learning actions that go with
songs. In previous years when I've
attended, I've been amazed at the
sheer energy of the morning open
sessions with dozens of children
singing enthusiastically and
watching the theme skit for the day
with rapt attention. Older youngsters
who've 'graduated' often return to
help with the organization as junior
leaders, introducing them to roles of
responsibility in turn.
This year's theme is Discovering
God's Love, based on the famous
'love chapter' in the Bible, 1
Corinthians 13. The first day,
children will learn that God gives us
Jesus, as expressed through the
nativity stories. "This is how God
showed His love among us: He sent
His one and only Son into the world
that we might live through Him."
(lJohn 4:9)
The second day, the stories of
Jesus helping a young girl and a sick
woman will underline the concept
that God's love is kind and patient
(Mk.5:21ff; 1Cor.13:4). The third
day, Jesus' care for a Samaritan
woman emphasizes that love isn't
rude or self-seeking, but
caring.(Jn.4; 1Cor.13:5)
The fourth day, the memorable
story of vertically-challenged tax
collector Zaccheus illustrates that
love is forgiving, not easily angered
(Lk.19; 1Cor.13:5).
And the final day, children will
discover an extraordinary, hope-
instilling fact: Jesus lives forever. In
a world increasingly prone to
bullying, gangs, and family break-
ups, it must provide great security to
vulnerable, tender young lives to
know that God's love never
fails.(Mk.14-16; ICOr.13:7).
Such basic simple values may
seem elementary, but they are so
important to weave into the mind-set
of youngsters while they are still
forming attitudes about life.
With the stresses and strains of
media-ridden, relationally-taxed
modern life, it's even more
important for kids to/ latch onto a
toolbox of eternal principles in a
way they can understand now than it
was in 1960.
Elisabeth Elliot told the story of a
toddler who was very ill but had
learned to recite the 23rd Psalm on
her fingers. Starting with her pinkie,
she would grab a finger as she said
each word of "The Lord is my
shepherd". As she said the word
shepherd, she would clasp her thumb
in recognition of the care God has
for her. One morning, after a long
hard fight against her disease, the
little girl was found dead — with one
hand clasped around the other
thumb. To the end, she was focusing
on the fact that the Lord is her
shepherd, and that she will dwell in
His house forever.
There will be no Sunday School for July and August