Guildwood Gazette February 2005

For many of us, the events surrounding the tsunami and the resultant devastation in South-East Asia were not only troubling, but faith-shaking.

I would like to take this opportunity to briefly outline the “five biblical principles when facing a devastating crisis,” which we reviewed in a sermon on January 16. These principles are not only for dealing with tragedies such as the tsunami event, but for the times in our life when personal crises shake us to the core.

The first thing we need to do in the face of a devastating crisis is to be honest with our emotions, and release our grief.

The idea that we need greet every crisis with a stoic detachment, or a false hilarity, has nothing to do with any Biblical presentation of how life is to be lived. And the outstanding, shining examples of this are the Psalms.

The Psalms are honest, faithful, patient, confessional, confident, anxious, brief, reflective, hopeful, thankful, angry, still, meditative, thoughtful, joyful—sometimes all within a single Psalm. And in their honesty, they wear their hearts on their sleeves. When bad things happen, people hurt.

When things go wrong, people complain.
When disaster strikes, people wonder where God is.
When prayers go unanswered, is God even listening?
When the body breaks down, people mourn.
When enemies triumph, people get angry—and so do the Psalms.
The Psalms demonstrate, unmistakably, that honesty is the best policy when it comes to dealing with our emotions and grief before God.

God doesn’t want you to pretend nothing is wrong when everything is; God wants you to open your heart and express your grief, frustration, anger, and fears.
When we open our hearts to God, we open the door for God to move within us in a profound way.
The Psalms themselves put it like this (Psalms 62:8 NRSV): Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us.

Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4, NKJV).

That means it’s OK to be honest about our grief. God wants to comfort us in tragedy. He is close to the broken-hearted, and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

Second, we need to learn how to receive help from others.
It’s a huge mistake to isolate yourself when you’re going through a crisis.
We all need the support, encouragement, and presence of other people, particularly in the aftermath of tragedy.
For some of us, this goes against the grain.
Many have been taught to keep their situations private, to suffer in isolation, to “go it on their own.”
While self-reliance is a wonderful thing, there are some situations in which it can be carried too far, robbing us of some vital support.

First of all, keeping our situations to ourselves robs us of the prayer support of the church.

And prayer works.
Just talk to people who were receiving prayer support in our own congregation—they’ll tell you it made all the difference in the world. Having the congregation pray for you draws us closer to one another as well, and makes us the family that God would have us be.

Secondly, by failing to accept help from others, we lose other forms of tangible support as well.
One of the great things our congregation does is provide meals for bereaved families.
Allowing these meals to happen enables the bereaved family not only to receive much-needed nourishment, but also to have tangible evidence that they’re not alone, but that they are cared for in a way that makes a difference.
People always report to me how very uplifted they have felt as a result of receiving meals.

Thirdly, failing to accept help, to suffer in isolation, can lead to depression and withdrawal.
Depression is a very powerful force and can overwhelm the most stalwart of individuals.
Depression and self-isolation can all too easily spiral into clinical depression, which can seriously damage our mental health.
When that’s how we feel, we need others to lift us up.
Even Jesus needed support; on the night he was betrayed, he said to his disciples, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” (Matthew 26:38 NIV).
Nowhere does the Bible advise us to go off into the corner to lick our wounds alone or to pretend there’s nothing wrong.

The third thing we need to do in the face of a devastating crisis is to choose not to be bitter.

We all have the power to decide how tragedy affects us.
If we choose bitterness, then we’ll only end up hurting ourselves.
I firmly believe that while depression can often come upon us whether or not we choose, and while grief in the face of tragedy is unavoidable, being bitter and resentful is a choice.

With the help of God, we can choose to not waste our lives away in bitterness and resentment. All of us know people who have come through tragedy and who have found joy in life despite their loss.

That doesn’t mean that the loss was unimportant or that they don’t feel it every day, but it does mean that they have chosen not to allow bitterness and resentment to rule their lives. With the help of God, they have found their way through.

Sometimes this might mean forgiving an enemy.

Sometimes it might mean realizing that there isn’t always an answer to be had.
Sometimes it might mean resting assured that no matter what our loss, we are still in the care of a loving God who will make things right in the end.

This I know: I would rather dedicate my life to the God of love than cling to the poison of bitterness. Jesus came to bring us this message.
In your time of crisis, come to him; pray that God will deliver you from bitterness and that he will give you beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair.

The fourth biblical principle when facing a devastating crisis is to recognize what in our lives is of real value.

A crisis helps us clarify our values by showing us what really matters and what really doesn’t matter. Jesus said, “Life is not measured by how much one owns....” (Luke 12:15, NCV)

What he’s saying is this: don’t confuse your net worth with your self-worth. Don’t confuse your possessions with your purpose in life.

A person’s life does not consist of what they possess.
A tragedy teaches you that the greatest things in the world aren’t things; what matters is relationships.
What matters most is the health and safety of your family and the quality of relationships we have with those we love.
When calamity overtakes you, take a moment to step back and gain perspective. What have I lost of true eternal significance? What do I still have of true eternal significance?

How can I change the way I live my life to fully cherish those things that are truly important?

Again, a part of this process involves choice; some people, after a crisis, choose to isolate themselves from their friends and family, afraid that other loving relationships will also bring loss and pain.

Other people dedicate themselves to improving the relationships they have with family and friends. Reordering our lives to put time and energy into what is truly important can be transformational in the face of loss.

Finally, the fifth thing we need to do in the face of a devastating crisis is to rely on God.

The Apostle Paul said (Philippians 4:1113 CEV): “I am not complaining about having too little. I have learned to be satisfied with whatever I have. I know what it is to be poor or to have plenty, and I have lived under all kinds of conditions. I know what it means to be full or to be hungry, to have too much or too little. Christ gives me the strength to face anything.”

If you want to have inner peace no matter what happens, do the following:

Lean on God for stability. “Such a person will not be overthrown by evil circumstances. God’s constant care of him will make a deep impression on all who see it. He does not fear bad news, nor live in dread of what may happen. For he is settled in his mind that God will take care of him.” (Psalm 112:67, LB)

Listen to God for direction. “‘I know what I am planning for you,’ says the Lord. ‘I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11, NCV)

Look to God for salvation. “God is our protection and our strength. He always helps in times of trouble. So we will not be afraid even if the earth shakes, or the mountains fall into the sea.” (Psalm 46:2, NCV)

A crisis creates a moment in your life when you can shift your dependence to something that can never be taken from you.

Through it, God can teach us that we may lose our homes, our careers, our marriages, or our health, but we will never, ever lose our relationship with God.

He promised to never leave us or forsake us—and that’s an eternal promise upon which we can build our lives.

Good Friday
“The Stations of the Cross”
Friday, March 25 at 10:00 a.m.
Hot cross buns will be served in the church hall following the service

Easter Sunday Services
Sunrise Service at 7:30 a.m. at the Guild Inn
with breakfast served in the hall. (details to follow on March 20th.)

Calling members of the congregation: would you please help collect used stamps for the Canadian Bible Society?
Many people have been doing this from their family and business mail and leaving the accumulations in the Stamp Box in the church lobby for years.
Ruby Crane has been trimming them and passing the stamps along to the CBS, where they are sold in bulk to dealers.
The money raised is for Bibles and other Canadian Bible Society projects.

NOTE:

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I know there are stamp collectors in the congregation and they may wish to call Ruby [(416) 266-2028] to arrange a collectors’ gathering to trade stamps or pass along some of the surplus they have accumulated to the CBS. New collectors, young and old, are welcome to call Ruby for help getting started with their collection.

The Art Group (for all those interested in drawing or painting) continues to meet on Monday afternoons from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. as planned for the winter season. There was some time off for the Christmas season but the group is back and all are welcome to join.

Betty Matthews is the leader of this group and is pleased to work with group members to answer questions and to guide new artists getting started.

Following the success of last fall’s trip to visit the Art Gallery of Ontario, the group is now planning to visit St. Anna’s Anglican Church.

This Toronto church was completed in 1924 and contains art done by members of the Group of Seven and others of that period. Such buildings are real treasures in our midst.

If anyone would like to join the group for this special activity you are asked to contact Betty Matthews while plans are being made.

A trip to Kleinburg and the McMichael Gallery is also being discussed for some time later in the spring when the weather is much warmer. Betty Matthews (416) 266-8590

Donations of food and clothing are doing well.
Clothing that West Hill Community Services doesn’t use goes to the Salvation Army. We need 50 to 75 plastic grocery bags each week. Please continue to bring donations as we aim to collect 125 pounds of food each week.

Thank you for your support!

Have you tucked your Advent Booklet away in a safe place for next year?

Although the Worship and Nurture Committee will be publishing an addendum to the booklet next fall, we won’t be publishing another booklet for Advent 2005.

We know you will enjoy reading this year’s again next Advent.

(Rick will perform Mark Hayes’ music, which he has performed previously at Communion services.)

All concerts will take place from 12:45 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Bring a bag lunch and join us for the concerts!
Proceeds from a freewill offering will help members of the Bells of Guildwood as they attend the Ottawa Provincial Conference from May 26 to 28, 2005.

On Sunday, November 21, 2004, the congregation celebrated the 40th anniversary of worship in Guildwood Community Presbyterian Church.

Several aspects of the first dedication service back in 1964 were repeated in our service on November 21.

For example, the original prayer of adoration and confession, the pardon, and most significantly, the covenant and dedication reminded us of the continuing history of our church.
As well as re-dedicating “this house” of God, the congregation declared in unison, “We rededicate ourselves to the worship of Almighty God who creates us, who redeems us, and who sustains us in the name of Jesus Christ.”

We were further impressed by the significance that there were people present for that re-dedication who were present for the original dedication of the building in 1964.

We welcomed back many former members for a joyful reunion.

Rev. Gordon Beaton, who was our minister from 1975 to 1980, was the guest preacher. His sermon entitled “Jesusland” reminded us that during our own problematic times, we need to return to our focus on the kingship of Jesus.

The text, Colossians 1:1120, urged us to be faithful to that sovereignty. The church provides for us a place where our relationship with God can be kindled, nurtured, and enhanced, allowing us to bring His royal touch to the brokenness of the world, as needed now as it was when our church first began.

One of the former organists who was present at the anniversary was Nathan Nesdoly. He sang “Find Us Faithful”, a song he introduced to us while our music director from 1988 to 1994.

The song speaks of those who went before us, strengthened by God’s grace, mercy, and truth, and urges us to follow in their footsteps, leaving a legacy of faith for future generations. Here is a sample of the words:

May all who come behind us find us faithful;
May the fire of devotion light their way.
May the footsteps that we leave help them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey....

The celebration continued in the church hall, which the Fellowship Committee had transformed into a room fit for a birthday party, complete with decorations, lunch, even a birthday cake.

What a joyous celebration of God’s continued blessing of our congregation!

The grace for this edition of The Guildwood Gazette comes from Ralph Waldo Emerson, the 19th century American writer and philosopher.

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

Harry and I both took early retirement in 1998, Harry from Aon Insurance and I from Labatt Breweries.

We love to travel and camp.

Our favourite camping sites are in Killarney Provincial Park and Algonquin Park. We have been out to the Maritimes, travelled across Northern Ontario, and been out to B.C.

Many of our trips have included fishing trips to Great Bear, Northwest Territories for trout, to Nunavut for Arctic char, and to the Queen Charlottes for salmon.

Two years ago we decided to cross the “pond” and did a tour of England. That trip just whet our appetite for more travel, so last year we went on safari to Kenya and Tanzania: a trip of a lifetime.

Harry is taking a course on fly-tying and I’m taking one on digital photography.
We both curl about three or four times a week and we love it. Harry’s on the Senior Men’s Curling Committee and I am on the Day Ladies Curling Committee.

We are also involved in volunteer activities. Harry volunteers for Habitat for Humanity and I take my therapy dog, CJ, to Guildwood Extendicare for weekly visits. The residents really enjoy the opportunity to see and pet CJ and I love to see the positive reactions.

So far, our retirement years are very fulfilling.

We are what you would call a “blended” family.

This seems to be more common today in our age group.
Harry has three children: Judy, Andrew, and Adam. I have two: Cindy and Robert.

All our children are in their 30s except for Adam, who turned 40 last year. He was very fortunate to have found a lovely woman, Susan, who comes from a Korean background. Susan’s grandmother, who is called “Harmony” (Korean for grandmother), was the caregiver to Adam’s sons, Ethan, 4, and Alex, 7.

Harmony is in her late 80s.
She is barely five feet tall and weighs less than 90 lbs.
She is an amazing woman. She used to teach the primary classes when she was in Korea.
Harmony lives with Adam and Susan, and besides looking after the boys, she likes to garden in the summer and she reads from her Bible every day.
Susan’s family members are Seventh Day Adventists. Harmony is the backbone to this family and we are privileged to have her as a role model for Harry’s grandchildren. She has given both Harry and I a wonderful understanding of a different culture and strong family values.

My daughter Cindy was also fortunate to marry a wonderful man, Scott, who comes from a very religious background. Scott has a brother and two sisters. His oldest sister is expecting her ninth child next month.
Scott’s mom, Arlene, has just retired from the nursing profession.
She is a very devoted Anglican. She likes to play and sing hymns to her grandchildren and I’m sure my new granddaughter, Ruby, will benefit from her “grandmother” experience.

There are so many role models in our congregation.
We’re lucky to have Harmony and Arlene in our extended family to reinforce religion and family values for our children and grandchildren.

Have you noticed that the church seems to be filled with the old and young families?
The members of the middle group—the single and “yuppie” group—are too busy trying to make a living and haven’t realized the benefits of attending.
That’s why it’s so nice to see a newly married couple like Jonathan and Stacey Roth sitting a few pews ahead of us in the sanctuary. It gives us hope that maybe one day we could have all our children attend church.

Harry and I were married at Guildwood Presbyterian Church by Rev. Doug Rollwage in May 1993.

Little did we know that we would be so fortunate to be blessed with another family: the family of our church.
Our elder, Grace Wuthrich, is our best role model.
Her compassion and dedication to the Presbytery is our best teaching example.

Harry and I completed our first year as elders at the end of January 2005, and we look forward to using the wisdom and experience we obtain from the Presbytery, our love in God, and the Church in serving the wonderful people in our district.

“Women love to gather.”
These words were overheard at the end of the first Women’s Breakfast, Saturday, January 15.

For generations women have gathered: at the river’s edge in a native village to wash clothes; quilting bees in pioneer times; serving in soup kitchens during the Depression; bridal and baby showers.

And today, more than ever, women need to gather.
Our lives have become so fragmented, our roles so challenging and draining.

We long for time —to just be— to connect—to recharge our batteries—to laugh—to cry, both alone, and in the presence of other women who understand, because this is their struggle too.

And so the Women’s Ministry Committee was born, and its purpose defined: “To provide spiritual encouragement, fellowship, connectedness and mutual support to the women of our congregation and community.”

Our first event was an Advent Potluck Supper on December 3 attended by 35 women.

The hall looked wonderfully inviting: candlelit tables for six with Christmas napkins and little boxes containing questions designed to invite the sharing of Christmas memories.

The food was fabulous: family favourites, traditional dishes from different countries, wonderful desserts! We closed with a simple devotional by candlelight, and the singing of two favourite Christmas carols.

What a perfect way to start the Advent Season.

An unexpected event deeply affected many of the women in attendance, as the news of Jim Egan’s sudden death earlier that day began to slowly circulate throughout the room.
Dana’s warm words of welcome were followed with a simple “We lost a good friend today. Our prayers are with the whole Egan family.”
At the close of the evening plans were already in place to provide meals.

What better time to be gathered together in fellowship and love and deep caring for each other?

Our first event of 2005 was a tremendously successful Saturday breakfast attended by 47 women.

Harry McMillan and Cyril Nightingale outdid themselves with their hot buffet of scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon, toast, Dana’s cheese-potato casserole, and hot coffee and tea.

Jeanne McKay had been asked to speak about the 10 years she and Len spent with the Aviation Ministry in Africa. She covered each table with beautiful brightly covered cloths, and each of the centrepieces she had prepared represented something of the different countries they had visited.

With the help of her slides, she told a story of her personal journey of faith, from her early teen years, through to her marriage to Len, and God’s call to each that led them to this ministry.

No words could do justice to her quiet but powerful message...we were indeed richly blessed!

Our next gathering is planned for February 26, between 2 and 4 p.m.

It will be a cross-generational event for women of all ages, from the youngest (toddlers) to seniors.

This will be a celebration of all ages, for all ages. Don’t miss out!
Beyond that, the sky’s the limit. Share your ideas with us—we will work together to make them happen. Women love to gather…

In 2003, the Mission and Outreach Committee chose to sponsor a child through World Vision.

We asked for a young boy in Africa.
He was a beautiful five-year-old with a bright smile and we looked forward to starting a correspondence with him.
But we never did hear from him or anything about him.
Eventually we found out that he and his family had moved out of the sponsorship area.

Last month, World Vision sent us another child, a 13-year-old who lives in Indonesia:

ENEF, EFRAIM YUNUS lives in Indonesia in Yanamaa.

He was born on January 12, 1992 and is in Grade 3 at school.
His favourite subject is mathematics and his family chore is to do the shopping.
Enef lives with his parents in a rural area.
His father is employed but at such a low wage, it is not enough to provide for his family. His mother stays at home caring for her family.
Through their participation in the Community Development Programme they will learn new ways to cope.

My name is Enef, I live in Yanamaa, Arso Village.
If I grow up I want to be a doctor.
I am so happy to become your sponsored child.
Thank you very much for helping me and family.
May God bless you and family.

We will post Enef’s picture on the M & O board in the foyer and ask the children in our church school to write to him. We hope our church has a lively correspondence with Enef and that our children learn something about Indonesia.
We will post the letters as we receive them.

I’d like to introduce you to a composer whose music you know.

I’ll bet as you read the title of each hymn I’m about to describe, you’ll burst into spontaneous song, so familiar and popular are they. She is represented in our hymnbook by no less than five upbeat and contemporary hymns, and the choir has performed many of her choral compositions.

Meet Natalie Sleeth!

Natalie Wakeley Sleeth was born in 1930 in Illinois.
At age four, she began her lifelong career in music with piano lessons.
After graduating with a degree in music, she married a professor of homiletics, and for his inauguration in 1977 as President of West Virginia Wesleyan College, she wrote her first published anthem, “Joy in the Morning”.
Although it doesn’t appear in our hymnbook, it does in several others; over a million copies of it are still in print.
Let’s have a look at some of her hymns that are in our hymnbook.

Hymn #622, “Go now in peace”, is a very effective three-line benediction, often sung in a round.

Another is #755, “Go ye, go ye into the world” with its promise that “I will be with you there.” (Humming yet?)

Another we have sung as a hymn is #466, “Praise the Lord with the sound of trumpet”. It is a simple but catchy little tune, the words of which exhort us to “Praise the Lord, never let your voice be still.”

One you may not be familiar with is #761, “Who’s goin’ to tell the story?”, a hymn in the spiritual tradition.

But no doubt you know her most popular song, “Hymn of Promise” or “In the bulb there is a flower”, #674. (I think I can hear you singing!!)
This hymn published in 1986 reminds us that God’s promise never fails; just as the flower is hidden in the bulb, and the spring under snow, so our “end is our beginning…in our death a resurrection, at the last a victory.”

If I had to characterize her music it would be to praise it for its simplicity.

She wrote of her God as you and I might have written and the tunes she composed to accompany her words are easy and memorable.

She died in 1992 of cancer at the age of 62, but the 180 compositions she left speak of her faith in God, pure and simple.