A-Spire

St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Kitchener, Ontario

Vol. 15 No. 5
Friday, May 25, 2007

In this Issue:

Dr. Tom Long shares a laugh with Helen Cleghorn and Mike Cassidy. Dr. Long was our very welcome guest for the Agnes Stock Ennrichment Weekend in April..

Lorraine Rowan, David and Catharine Smith and Marie Young attended the wrap-up dinner for the St. Andrew's Mixed Bridge League held earlier this month. The group include 32 regular players and a number of spares who meet monthly in one another's homes.

 

General Assembly meets in Waterloo

The 133rd General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada will meet at the University of Waterloo from June 3rd until June 8th.

Catherine Hertel will be attending as a Commissioner from St. Andrew's this year. Lauren Blair of our congregation has been selected to be a Young Adult Representative (YAR) this year, and Jacqui Foxall is attending as a Knox College student representative.

The official opening worship service will be held in the evening at 7:30 p.m. at Knox's Galt in Cambridge, followed by the opening Sederunt of the Assembly.

On Sunday, June 3rd St. Andrew's will welcome several out-of-town Commissioners.

A certain number of Commissioners will be in town earlier, either attending the Elder's Institute sessions being held in own church on the Saturday, or perhaps coming in early to visit with friends of family or to do a bit of sightseeing.

Four local churches are being asked to host Commissioners at their morning worship services. Several volunteers will up the Commissioners at the University accompany them to our service, take them to lunch and then return them to the university in the afternoon.

Return to top.
 

Warm welcome for Shoreline Chorus

The Shoreline Chorus, directed by Ann Marie MacDairmid, will be our guests on Sunday, July 1st for a special worship celebration of Canada Day. All of the music is by Canadian composers, making the service in part a recognition of the wealth of talent within our own country.

St. Andrew's Director of Music Douglas Haas is happy to welcome the visitors once again. They have been part our services in the past. Members of our Sanctuary Choir who are available that day will join the Shoreline Chorus in leading the service of praise.

The service will be aired live on CKCO-TV at 10:30 a.m.

Return to top
 

It goes smoothly if we all take a turn

On Mothers day four men of the congregation gave the ladies a break and looked after the Sunday morning coffee hour duties. Ab Martin, Ron Shane, Frank Martin and Bruce Hymmen were happy to take on the responsibility.

Many of us look forward to that cup of coffee or tea after the worship service on Sunday mornings. So it's fortunate that there are usually four people in the congregation each week who are willing to take a turn in making the brews, setting out the cups and cleaning up.

Lori Kustoruk and Jan Blackburn share the responsibility of scheduling each Sunday's coffee crew, and Lori reports that, for the most part, people are pretty willing to help. They try to spread the responsibility as much as possible, so no one is asked to do the job too often.

It means arriving at the church early, in order to have time to fill the urns and kettles and set out the necessary dishes and spoons, fill the creamers and so on. After coffee hour, the day's crew runs all the dishes through the dishwasher and puts everything away.

If you haven't helped recently and would be willing to, please let Lori or Jan know, or leave your name at the church office.

Many thanks to all those people who have taken a turn over the last several months. That intermingling at the coffee hour is an important part of our church connection.

Return to top.
 

Exciting move for son of St. Andrew's

Evan Mitchell recently has accepted a position as Assistant Conductor of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra.

A great many people applied for the post, and Evan successfully stayed the course as the competition narrowed to first ten, and finally three candidates. From those three Evan was chosen.

He is the eldest son of Dave Mitchell and Heather Ferguson, the grandson of Thomas and Theda Mitchell. He grew up attending St. Andrew's.

He is active both as I percussionist and as a conductor. He is also an experienced and recorded chamber musician, and is half of the "Tataki Duo" with flutist Emily Nagelbach.

He is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University, earning a Bachelor of Music in Percussion performance. Now, having finished his Master degree in Orchestra Conducting- with Maestro Raffi Armenian, he currently is the assistant conductor of the Kitchener Youth Symphony and the director of the WLU Flute Ensemble.

Recently, Evan completed a se season in the National Academy Orchestra with Boris Brott, as both a percussionist and apprentice conductor.

Return to top
 

Noon hours going green!

Women's Association members who prepare most of the Noon Hour Recital lunches decided this spring that using disposable cups for the tea and coffee was not a good thing, so they have gone green, now providing the drinks in our regular kitchen china instead.

It's a great idea!

Return to top.
 

A thankless task or a golden opportunity?

Long time usher Bob Forde greets Hilda Nichols with a warm smile and an order of service.

Maybe you have never given this much thought, but ushers are critical for the smooth progress of the worship service.

A complement of 16 people is needed each Sunday to adequately staff the ushering roster. Ten teams, one for each month from September to June, have faithful carried out the ushering duties at St. Andrew's. Each team has a captain who is responsible for assigning posts and generally making sure that people are being seated and the offering being collected, always alert for someone needing assistance. Following the service the usher counts the offering and tidy up the sanctuary.

Ushers are asked to serve every Sunday for a month. Over the years a great many long-time faithful ushers, for one reason or another, have given up the task, sometimes because of failing health.

Increasingly, it seems to be difficult to recruit new ushers. From time to time notices are put in the bulletin asking for people to come forward.

But those who have served in the and those who are continuing to serve deserve a great deal of credit.

Sometimes those tasks that go unrecognized for the most part can give the people doing them a quiet sense of satisfaction, a feeling that worship was better for them having been there to play a part.

For three years Elaine Brunk has been the Chair of Ushering, taking over that job from Paul Neeb, who had served for many years. The Chair checks with each monthly Coordinator to see if he/she has enough people, and she also tries to recruit new helpers. She meets with the Coordinators when issues arise that need to be discussed and they are generally able to work out any problems.

"We're very thankful for those people who have continued to serve," says Elaine. "But we're always looking for new people. It's a good way to meet people in the church and at the same time perform a very necessary and useful function."

There is a sign up list in the church office if you are interested. Just leave your name and number and Elaine will be in touch.

Return to top.
 

God does not burn bridges or close doors

Every once in a while when I am out and about in K-W someone will say to me "Oh, you're Mark Lewis, the new Minister at St. Andrew's. I am a member of your church." I then respond with great embarrassment, "I am so sorry I didn't recognize you." and they reply with a gracious smile saying, "That's OK, I haven't been to church for ten years." This little article contains a message for those people.

We miss you at St. Andrew's. We would love to have you back with us. Perhaps you slowly drifted away and have now fallen out of the routine of church attendance. We wish that you would get back into the routine. We try to make our services stirring and inspirational, and we think that attendance at St. Andrew's on a Sunday will prepare you to face each new week with energy, faith and enthusiasm.

We care about you and we want you back as a part of our family. Perhaps you left during our time of hurt and disruption. We are sad if your relationship to the church ended with pain or upset. But we are the people who believe in healing, restoration and renewal. We pray that will come back to us. St. Andrew's is a place filled with joy and positive energy.

Please come back and be reconciled to your church.

We love you and we uphold you in our prayers. We are working hard to keep the church strong and when the time comes that you need us we will be here for you and we will serve you with love and genuine care. Of course we would be happier if you were here working with us and keeping the church strong for the whole community. Lots of people work hard at St. Andrew's but you have a gift and contribution that only you can give.

Our door will always be open to you. God does not burn bridges or close doors, and neither do we. We are waiting for your return, and if' you choose to come back we will greet you with love and joy. St. Andrew's is engaged in countless mission projects locally, nationally and internationally. We are doing great with our mission work, but we would love to have your help in all that we do.

We miss you. We care about you. We love you. We need your help. Please come home.

Yours sincerely,

Mark Lewis

Return to top.
 

Presbytery alternate

Helen Cleghorn has been named Alternate Representative from St. Andrew's to the Presbytery of Waterloo Wellington. John DeSchiffart is the Presbytery Representative.

Return to top.
 

Master of Music celebrates 40 wonderful years at St. Andrew's

By JAN ASHTON

This spring our Director of Music, Douglas Haas, marks his 40th anniversary at St. Andrew's. It has been a wonderful journey.

"There are so many good memories " he muses. "I feel very good about the 40 years I've spent at St. Andrew's. There are no regrets, no `what ifs';' Doug says.

He has enjoyed working with an immense variety of clergy over the years. "The interchange with all of the different clergy has been a very stimulating part of the job," he says.

Although there have been serious changes at St. Andrew's in recent years, Doug has remained a constant and stable influence, concentrating on carrying out his role to the very best of his ability despite the chaos all around.

The congregation has cited repeatedly the importance of our music program and Doug's extraordinary role over the years.

In most recent times his quiet leadership has helped immeasurably in bringing, together our beleaguered ranks. We can't say enough good things about this remarkable, committed man.

In fact, in 2004, Doug presided over the 150th Anniversary Celebrations, acting as emcee for the gala concert that had been planned to commemorate the date. The concert fell on the first day of the Rev. Dr. Vern Tozer's ministry at St. Andrew's.

St. Andrew's recognized his 35th year at the church in 2002. The committee which was formed to plan events for the ongoing celebration decided that a stained glass window would mark the occasion appropriately. Accordingly, the firm of Goodwin Ziskoff Stained Glass Studios of Picton was retained to design a window to be placed in the entryway to the church on the Covenant Chapel side.

The congregation raised the money for the window being planned to honour Doug, while Doug and his family decided to Contribute the funds for a second window, one honouring his mother, Marjorie Gosselin, since there were two unused spaces at the site.

The windows, with their vibrant colours and imaginative design, have been a source of joy to Doug and to our congregation.

In October of that year a wonderful concert was performed in Doug's honour, which included many local musicians anxious to be a part of this tribute, and featuring our own Sanctuary Choir and hosted by the Rev. Dr. Grant MacDonald.

An A-Spire article written by John Panabaker in September, 2002, states: "It seems incredible that 35 years have by since a jubilant Fin Stewart announced that St. Andrew's new organist and choir master would be a young musician from Kitchener who had been studying in Europe.

Little did we realize at the time what an important announcement that would he for the life and ministry of the congregation. In many churches organists come and go as the years pass. Not here. Douglas' title became "Master of the Music". In his case, this designation is totally appropriate.

Under Doug's guidance, we have been treated week by week to magnificent or music, thoughtfully chosen hymns and anthems, and a Sanctuary Choir that is finer today than at any time I can remember in my 48 years in the congregation.

It is easy for us to accept the Anniversary concerts, the festive music of the Christmas and Easter seasons, and the Good Friday services, as normal parts of the Christian year at St. Andrew's, without considering how exceptional it is for a congregation like ours to have the musical resources capable of presenting, works like Faure's "Requiem" or extended portions of "Messiah". That we have such resources is the result of the leadership given by Doug over the years."

Doug grew up in Bridgeport, and was a boy soprano, performing on many local radio stations. After graduating from Kitchener Collegiate Institute, he worked at Heintzman's in Toronto. He also studied at the Toronto Conservatory for two or three years, and then was accepted on an exchange scholarship at the Academy of St. Cecilia in Rome, one of the finest music academies in the world.

Although he intended to stay for only one year, he ended up being there for four years and graduating. In his third year Doug was appointed organist of All Saints Anglican Cathedral in Rome. He was invited to play a series of concerts in Stuttgart, Germany and ended up staying on there as an assistant to Helmut Rilling, one of the world's foremost specialists on J.S. Bach. He studied part time and obtained a Master's degree in music with a minor in theology. After coming to St. Andrew's he was accepted into the Ph.D. Program at the University of Toronto, but teaching duties at Wilfrid Laurier University and the responsibilities of two small children kept him from ever completing his thesis.

In a tribute to Doug, at the time of his 35th anniversary at St. Andrew's. Dr. MacDonald said, "More than anything else my tribute is to the man who made every service a moment of serendipity. His choice and interpretation of anthems, hymns, preludes, offertories and postludes that embraced the service with a beauty. power and inspiration always resulted in an epiphany, a flash of spirit, a moment of peace, joy or exhilaration.

To be able to walk into the pulpit every Sunday knowing full well that no matter how strong or meagre my offerings might be Doug would be there, fully supportive, and committed to worship being an occasion of grace and meaning for the people who had come. For me this was a reward of immense proportions. His exquisite sense of timing, his reading closely the nuances of the liturgy and the sermon, his response in the music was in a class by itself. I have never met his equal."

Doug's accomplishments are remarkable and lie never lets the grass grow under his feet, always looking forward to the next challenge. Most recently, his sabbatical year. which began in the spring of 2005, saw him not only playing in Malta but very much enjoying singing in the choir there as well.

He cites our congregation's generosity in being willing over the years to allow him to pursue opportunities for concert engagements and playing for services in venues in Canada, the US. and in Europe. He is known internationally and has always been encouraged by both the clergy and the congregation to accept those invitations to play elsewhere. Most recently. following his sabbatical, lie was invited back to play again in Malta at St. Paul's in Mdina and St. John's in Valletta. The co- cathedrals asked him to play the two churches' annual pre-Christmas Mass concerts and to play for their masses as well. With the encouragement of St. Andrew's staff and congregation, Doug was delighted to accept.

Doug's concern about the deterioration of St. Andrew's organ, a much-loved four manual Casavant installed in the early 1950s, was addressed in the last couple of years when the Board of Trustees agreed to fund major renovations to the organ itself and to the organ pipe room where falling plaster was causing havoc. The repairs have restored the organ to its original grandeur and Doug is altogether pleased at the result. Another event of great significance for Doug occurred last year when a generous donor gave the church a magnificent Yamaha concert grand piano to replace the aging Heintzman that church had relied on for so many years. Every year has brought its own milestones for Doug.

Last spring, Doug helped to welcome the Rev. J. Mark Lewis, our new minister at St. Andrew's. Mark paid tribute to Doug also in these words, "it has been my great joy and privilege to work with Douglas Haas. Doug is that rare and wonderful combination of a vastly gifted musician who is able to lead a congregation with stirring traditional music but has also been encouraging with the Worship Band and others who offer innovative contemporary music. Doug has been a great support, guide and encouragement to me and I hope to have the pleasure of working with him for many years to come."

Return to top.
 

Our Milestones

Deaths
We mourn
Ruby Day, Kitchener, April 8, 2007

Comments or suggestions are most welcome.