A-Spire

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Kitchener, Ontario

Vol. 15 No. 4
Friday, April 13, 2007

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The chief end of man?

By JAN ASHTON

"What is the chief end of man?"

Remember that question from your early catechism instruction in the church? It seemed like heavy going at the time, partly because the questions and answers were couched in stilted language and included words we didn't understand.

Well, that's all changed, and the approach to today's catechism is much more accessible and understandable for young people (and older people, too!) than it was all those years ago.

That's what the Sunday morning youth class found out when they tackled the catechism recently. The class is led by ,Jacqui and Matt Foxall, who, for this special unit on the catechism, enlisted the help of two St. Andrew's elders, Garry and Yola Grant, to help teach the young people the material.

Many of the young people themselves had asked to have a unit on the catechism, and there is a wonderful booklet available called "can we talk - Conversations on Faith" published by Geneva Press, which focuses on reformed tradition publications. Each student received a copy of the workbook, which includes the catechism questions and answers couched in words that are readily understood. In addition there are questions that apply directly to young people's lives, including relationships with families and with school mates and friends, and what sort of behaviour accords best with a passionate belief in a loving God.

The questions are thought-provoking and sometimes difficult, prompting the young

people to seriously examine their approach to God and to life generally.

Although 94 questions are included in the book, obviously time didn't permit every question to be explored thoroughly. The book helpfully highlights those questions of greatest significance and they were discussed during the class. The young people were encouraged to complete the workbook, supplying their own answers to very engaging questions such as "What does it mean that Jesus reigns?" and "Do you ever feel as though something else reigns in your world?" or "What is a lonely place in your life right now?" Although "can we talk" is a book prepared for youth, the questions are ones we all could, and perhaps should, take the time to answer on a regular basis.

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Camp gearing up for exciting summer

By JAN ASHTON

Camp Kummoniwannago's summer planning is well in hand, with camper weeks posted on the camp website, and brochures ready for distribution.

Camp K's new Director, Amanda Harrington, has been working hard to get everything in place, devoting time to camp planning as well as continuing her University studies. She will be working full time after her last exam in mid-April and Assistant Directors Courtney Gooding and Mark Brien will be working full time for the camp by the end of April.

Amanda has devoted a lot of time to updating the Kummoniwannago website and the effort is paying off with a lively, colourful, rapid response site that's a great advertisement for the camp. Be sure to check it out!

Several trips are booked for the summer, including the very popular one to Canada's Wonderland. That camper week is always full to overflowing and the excitement about the trip permeates the whole week. This year only the older children will go, and some parents will be recruited to accompany them along with the counselors.

Counselors have been named and they include Lauren Blair (Gloss), Emily Kirsch (Ginger). Josh Kirk (Skipper), Chris Holmes (Peanut), Alex Daminato (Bubbles), Katherine Karpiak (Halo), Alex Arlein (Sweet). Halley Arlein (Syxx), and David Sturtevant, with one more place to be filled. Arts and Discovery Coordinator is Krista

Eberhard, Inclusion Coordinator is Angela Stathopulos, and Inclusion Facilitator is Dayna Sexsmith.

Camp Kummoniwannago is overseen by a committee of the church which includes Stephen Eadie, Chair, Jackie; Arlein-Roth, Doug Blair, Lauren Blair, Arden McIntrye, Jane Kirkpatrick Lana Jones. Pam Meirowski, Ann Smith. June Spidell, and Emily Kirsch.

Be sure to come out for the May 5th fundraising concert featuring acclaimed guitarist Kevin Ramessar. Proceeds from the concert will go towards sponsoring campers who need some financial assistance in order to attend camp.

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Brechbill Committee applauds successes

By ALLEN Stouffer

Each year about the same time that the robins and grackles return to Grand River Valley the Brechbill Committee swings into action. Its task is to implement the goals of the Brechbill Memorial Bursary Fund. This was established in 1995 by a generous bequest from Edna Brechbill. Her purpose in creating the fund was to assist needy students wishing to further their postsecondary education in accredited programs at Ontario institutions. Awards are made annually in the spring from income the fund generates.

Working in cooperation with high school guidance councilors, the committee invites applications from graduating have been distributed to Waterloo Region District Secondary Schools Guidance Offices and other appropriate learning institutions in the region, and are also available at the church office. Shortlisted applicants are interviewed. Awards are made primarily on the basis of need and personal circumstances rather than academic performance. However, the committee must be convinced that successfulapplicants have strong promise of success in their chosen programs.

In 2006-2007 two one thousand dollar awards were made. The committee has been pleased to receive letters updating the recipients' achievements during the year. Jamye Troy, currently in the Honours BA program at Carleton University, hopes to be a geography teacher or to work with NGO programs in developing countries. A Bluevale Collegiate Institute graduate, Jamye sang in school choirs, participated in a variety of extracurricular activities and sports teams, and worked part time while at BCI.

Katherine Currie, a Grand River Collegiate Institute graduate, is finishing the first year of the Business Administration-Accounting Program at Conestoga College. Katherine credits the accounting and economics courses she at GRCI with triggering her interest in pursuing a business career.

The Brechbill Committee extends its best wishes to Jamye and Katherine as they continue their studies.

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Serving their country

Ben Gould, eldest son of Wil and John Gould, is serving at present with the Canadian Armed Forces in Afghanistan.

Marek Brella, married to Melanie Kran, daughter of Rhonda and Bill Kran, has recently returned from a six month tour of duty in Afghanistan, and after a short break will be returning there.

Todd Scharlach, son-in-law of Marion and Bryon Culter, married to Christine, returned in February from his second tour in Afghanistan and is now serving in Shiloh, Manitoba.

Tom Bell, oldest son of Judy and Lee Bell has enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces. He is presently studying at Carleton University, but he, too, will eventually be joining other soldiers in Afghanistan.

Their families are proud of them, of course, but it is also an anxious time for them. Please keep these young men in your thoughts and prayers.

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New members warmly welcomed into the fellowship of St. Andrew's

On February 25th 11 people were received into the membership of St. Andrew's Church. Be sure to extend a welcome to these newcomers when you have an opportunity to do so. They are all warmly welcomed.

Marius and Margaret Popa. Marius is from Transylvania and emigrated to Canada in 1999. For a while he attended Hungarian Presbyterian Church that meets at St. Andrew's on Sunday afternoon once a month, but eventually he decided to come to morning service with us instead. He is a truck driver with Challenger Freight. Margaret came to Canada in 2006 and is taking ESL classes, learning the language and she will seek employment when she becomes more fluent in English.

Margaret Sheedy lives near the church and has been attending for some time. She knows several people in the congregation and feels very comfortable here. Margaret has attended the United Church in St. Catherines where he served Church in the past. Now retired, she enjoys being able to walk to St. Andrew's.

Marty Cote is no stranger here as he has worshipped at St. Andrew's for 17 years. His wife, Suzanne, is a member and children Stephanie, Jennifer and Michael are active in the church school. Marty is a locksmith and likes to play baseball.

Angus and Linda Todd moved here from Montreal 26 years ago and have decided it's time to get back to church. Angus owns his own company which involves a lot of travel and Linda is a full time nurse. They report that they have met some very nice people and feel comfortable at St. Andrew's

Norman Upper has transferred his membership from Knox Presbyterian as an elder for many years. He is well connected in the congregation, being the father of Board of Managers Chair Don Upper and long time Sanctuary Choir member Connie Wills.

Richard and Elizabeth Simpson. Elizabeth belonged to St. Andrew's many years ago, but she moved back to Ireland and eventually remarried. She and Richard are semi-retired and they came back to Canada three years ago and moved back into the home Elizabeth had left many years ago. Her children had lived in and looked after the house in the interval.

James Nish is not a stranger either, since his wife, Margaret, and daughters, Elaine and Emma are members already. Jim emigrated from Scotland in 1979 and worked in Sault St. Marie and Calgary before settling in Kitchener 19 years ago. He is a machinist in Cambridge and loves to spend time riding his motorcycle in his spare time.

Max Bilstein has come to us from the Kitchener Gospel Temple of the Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada. He has been attending St. Andrew's on a regular basis for some time.

Sharon Spahr was originally a Lutheran, but while living in Cambridge the family attended St. Andrew's in Hespeler. Since returning to Kitchener she and her daughter. Nairn, have been attending St. Andrew's regularly. Sharon owns a janitorial company and Nairn is finishing Grade 12 at Woodland Christian High School. Nairn's grandparents, now deceased, are Jean and Nick Carter, long time members of St. Andrew's whom many in the congregation will remember.

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Spring card sales benefit Mary's Place

Sharon Irving is part of the Faith Committee of Mary's Place, the YWCA'S emergency shelter for homeless women and their children.

She's also a long time member of St. Andrew's, and last year she sought approval from the Kirk Session to offer for sale several greeting cards in the weeks prior to Mother's Day. The cards were designed for Mary's Place by local artist Susan Seitz who intended them to be used as a fundraising vehicle for the shelter.

The cards are lovely and sell for $5.00 each. Of that amount $3.50 goes to Mary's Place.

In 2006 Mary s Place provided 19,935 nights of emergency shelter and served 69,772 meals and snacks. The cost of providing one day of shelter, food and crisis support is $59.

Sharon will continue to be in Iona Hall each Sunday until Mother's day. Why not take time to have a look at these lovely cards`? One of them might be just the thing for sending a special message to a friend or family member, and at the same time you will be helping someone who needs your love and care.

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Book reviews

Perhaps you have noticed the brief book reviews that have been appearing in the Sunday bulletin. Members of the Library Committee have written some, but others have been written by people in the congregation who have borrowed a book and enjoyed it.

These folks have willingly written a few lines about the book they read and the reviews are having an effect, reports Library Committee member Jan Blackburn. "We've had people come and ask to borrow a book that has had a positive review", she says, "and we're very pleased about that."

If you borrow a book from the church library and would like to share your impressions with others, please offer to write a brief review. The Library Committee will welcome your assistance.

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V.I.P.’s Special, caring people, reaching out to others

By JAN ASHTON

We like to think that all of our St. Andrew's family are caring people, and perhaps that is so. But there is one special group of people who signed up (some of them years ago) to be V.I.P.s (Visitors in the Parish), and who take "caring" to the next level.

Each V.I.P reaches out to someone in our congregation who usually is no longer able to come to church. These older members are sometimes homebound, or living in a retirement or nursing home now, and they all look forward to a weekly contact from their V.I.P. Although the V.I.P.s visit in person if they can, sometimes, especially in the winter when the driving is poor, they keep in touch by telephone.

One V.I.P., who is 95 herself, no longer drives, but she calls her care receiver every week and both look forward to the visit

Sometimes the relationship develops over a number of years and the two parties become very good friends. Sometimes, inevitably, a V.I.P. reports the death of the receiver at one of the V.I.P. meetings.

Although many of the V.I.P.s are retirees and usually have the time to take on the responsibility of a weekly visit, some are not, and those people make the time to keep in touch. Four men volunteer in the program, and Coordinator Ian McGee wishes there were a few more. "Sometimes a man relates a bit better or has more in common with another man;" he says. '`and we'd like to be able to make those matches."

St. Andrew's has a substantial number of aging members and although there are 26 V.I.P.s, it isn't enough to meet the needs. Some of the volunteers have more than one person to visit. When someone dies, his/her volunteer may offer to visit someone else right away, or perhaps have a short break. Sometimes deep friendships have been formed and the volunteer needs time to accept the loss and to grieve. Either is quite acceptable.

The V.I.P.s meet on an irregular basis two or three times a year and report briefly about their care receiver. NO NAMES ARE EVER USED. If anyone is having a problem the problem is aired and members of the group may be able to offer suggestions for a resolution.

Often there is a guest speaker, usually someone from a community agency whose presentation will relate in some way to the work of the V.I.P.s.

Last month Mary Stevens, a long time volunteer with Region of Waterloo Hospice told the V.I.P.s about the work that organization does.

Hospice volunteers are matched one on one with people in the community who are dying, usually of cancer although it may be from some other ailment. There are 145 volunteers and usually about 85 matches at any given time. The volunteers are well trained and are carefully matched with their clients.

Mary also mentioned the Hospice Bereavement Walking Group, which began two years ago and which reaches out to people who have lost a loved one, usually a spouse, very recently. It is a sad and very emotional time and somehow the combination of fresh air, physical activity and the fact that the walkers are all experiencing some of the same feelings promotes quiet conversation and reliance on one another that ultimately leads to healing and hope for the future.

The walkers are joined by three Hospice volunteers each week, who provide quiet support. Despite the sadness there is lots of laughter and sharing as well. The group finishes with coffee and more time for talk.

Mary's presentation tied in very well with the work that our St. Andrew's V.I.P.s are doing. There are, of course, many similarities in the support and encouragement they are able to give to the people with whom they are matched.

V.I.P.s include Marion Armstrong, Wincky Brandt, Bob Courtney, Helen Cleghorn, Gertie Craig, Evelyn Crawford, Helen Dahms, Elise Devitt, Emily Finney, Marg Lewis, Frank Martin, Merle MacEachern, Lois MacQueen, Edna Jean Manary, Anne McConnell, Ian McGee, Dawna McGee, Victor Morton, Maureen Rankine, Julie Shalanko, Burnley Smith, Leona Smith, Gwen Willms, Barbara Yantha, Isobel Yeats, and Ingrid Wiedermann.

If you know of someone in our congregation who may need or would benefit from a V.I.P visitor please let Ian or Dawna McGee know.

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Awarded scholarship

Jenny Wills, daughter of Bob and Connie Wills, has been awarded a scholarship to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York for six weeks this summer. She is studying at Wilfrid Laurier University to complete her Ph.D. in Asian-Canadian Literature. The Cornell scholarship, worth $1800 U.S., will allow her to concentrate on film this summer as well as taking one or two other courses while she is in the

States. Jenny is recently engaged to an architecture student. Her ultimate goal is to teach.

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Cariboo House Awareness Night

The National-International Outreach Committee is hosting an awareness night for the Cariboo House Church Mission on Wednesday, May 16th at 7:30 p.m.

David and Linda Webber and their daughter, Chelsea will be on hand to tell us, through narrative, story and song about this expanding mission in the West. David and Linda have ministered in rural parishes since 1983. During that time they began to develop the vision for reaching out in a non-traditional way to isolated people in rural and remote areas. In 1989 they moved to Lac La Hache. British Columbia and began building the Cariboo Presbyterian Church as a congregation of house churches.

Located in the Caribou-Chilcotin region of British Columbia, the area it covers is 87,000 square kilometres. Initially they began a vacation Bible school and later a house church was started. House churches are the only practical way to go, since there aren't enough people in any one area to warrant a church building. At a typical house church the congregation usually sits in a circle, uses a personalized songbook, and follows a more experiential format than in typical worship. It's all pretty laid

back and questions are encouraged.

David is a contributing editor to the Presbyterian Record. His engaging monthly columns reflect his deep commitment to God and his appreciation and delight in the natural world.

You'll enjoy hearing about the ministry of the Cariboo House Church Mission. A free will offering will be received and a reception will follow the presentation.

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Stewart Awards will be presented May 1st

The Stewart Awards for Teacher Excellence will be presented at the annual dinner on Tuesday. May 1 st.

The awards recognize outstanding secondary school teachers from Waterloo region. The original award, named for the Rev. Dr. Finlay G. Stewart, was first presented in 1975. Since then two more awards have been added, enabling the committee to recognize three exemplary teachers.

Jackie Van Trigt will see to it that he dinner is a tasty one, and Donna Hodgkinson will coordinate the servers, as many as possible young people from our own congregation.

You are welcome to attend and enjoy the evening. Tickets are $20, on sale in the church office.

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Fish Fry fun!!

St. Andrew's annual Fish Fry will take place on Monday, May 28th and again, Howell's of Wiarton will be on hand to cook their famous white fish.

The event is a fundraiser for Camp Kummoniwannago and the camp staff will be serving the meal and cleaning up afterwards.

Our congregation looks forward to the popular dinner which not only provides a tasty and satisfying meal, but allows for lots of fellowship and fun as well. All are welcome!

In order to facilitate planning please get your tickets in advance.

Comments or suggestions are most welcome.