March Celebrating 25 years of God s Blessings!

Transcription

1 March 2014 Celebrating 25 years of God s Blessings!

2 From the Pastor s Desk At this time, Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. The moment he came out of the water, he saw the sky split open and God s Spirit, looking like a dove, come down on him. Along with the Spirit, a voice: You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life. At once, this same Spirit pushed Jesus out into the wild. For forty wilderness days and nights he was tested by Satan. Wild animals were his companions, and angels took care of him. Mark 1:9-13 (The Message) March always awakens within us a longing for Spring new life, warmth, rebirth. It also marks the approach of Easter, that powerful season in the life of the Church. Perhaps of less interest, but no less power, is the preceding season of Lent. Most of us have heard people talk of giving things up for Lent, usually chocolate or coffee or something else not particularly good for us. We could look on it as God s Diet Plan. But Lent has another powerful message that we would do well to consider. Lent recalls the time when, after his baptism, Jesus was led out into the wilderness where he would experience temptations for 40 days. Read Mark 1 again. This same Spirit (the Holy Spirit) pushed Jesus out into the wild. (Emphasis mine.) God pushed Jesus out into the wilderness. That seems to jar the senses a bit. We talk about God as our Shepherd our gentle shepherd. And we all know that shepherds lead their flocks, not drive them! But is this true? Is God limited to gently leading His flock? The Old Testament paints numerous vignettes of God driving the Israelites out of the promised land and into captivity. Israel spends most of its existence moving from one place to another, mostly because they will not listen to God s voice. That is not true with Jesus, obviously. So why is Jesus being driven into exile?

3 Perhaps it tells us we are not alone in our own experiences? Hebrews tells us that we do not have a high priest who is unable to share in our experiences, who is untouched by our infirmities. Or perhaps it is a statement of our own misperceptions, that what we see as being swept away is truly being carried by God s hand? Or maybe it is all of the above. Perhaps it is a visual lesson that when we feel driven out into the wilds that we are not beyond God s capacity (or desire) to care for us. and angels took care of him. We all have our wilderness periods. Sometimes they are our own making, sometimes they are dropped on us seemingly from above. And often it can feel like we have been exiled from our promised land, abandoned by God. In fact, this is often how it gets interpreted by outsiders! When bad things happen, others look on and call it God s divine judgement. (Read Job if you want another example.) But throughout the Bible, this does not faithfully describe what happens nor do I see it faithfully describing what happens to us today! As we enter into these wilderness journeys, even though we may be tested and challenged, God is there with us! As we approach our season of Lent, let us take to heart the message that in ALL seasons, good and bad, we are looked after by our God who will never abandon us, never forsake us, and who will use ALL things to his good purposes. And when the road gets tough to bear, let us look up and call upon Christ, for he truly does know our experiences. And perhaps you will be able to see God s angels coming to minister to you. Grace and Peace, Jeremy In this world, God stands behind us; silently loving us; reaching out a hand when we ve fallen; encouraging us when we re tested and in fear; understanding us when no one else does; pointing us to the light when we are in the dark. ~ author unknown

4 Men s Breakfast In honour of Valentine s Day, both men and ladies gathered for the men s breakfast on Saturday, February 8 th. Thanks, Men! The next Men s Breakfast will be Saturday, March 1 st at 8:00 a.m. in the fellowship hall men only! Men, why not invite your friends to join us for some good food and great fellowship? Bible Study The purpose of Bible Study is not to learn more about the Bible. The purpose is to learn more about the author of the Bible God! Join us in the Worship Area each Tuesday at 6:30 for our weekly Bible Study. We are currently studying the book of Ezekiel. If you would have questions about the Bible Study or would like more information, speak to Bruce Bish, who is leading the study. Sewing Group Our sewing group has met twice already and will meet again on Friday, March 7 th from 9:30 to 4:30. Bring your sewing machine and whatever materials you need for the project you are currently working on. If you are not a sewer, you are welcome to bring your knitting, crocheting or needlework project and join us for the day. Please bring your own lunch. Daylight Savings Time It s been a long winter, but now it s time to spring ahead. Don t forget to turn your clocks ahead an hour before you go to bed on Saturday, March 8 th.

5 Soup Sunday and Movie Sunday, March 9 th is Soup Sunday. Soup will be provided please bring bread, buns or a dessert. Following lunch, we will be showing the movie The Letter Writer in the Worship Area. Keenagers Liz Oleary of Nottawa will be the special guest at our Keenagers meeting on Wednesday, March 12 th. Liz is a retired high school teacher who will be sharing her experiences Clowning in Guatemala. We will begin with a potluck dinner in the fellowship hall at 6:00 p.m. Liz will be speaking following the dinner. All ages are welcome for this meeting! Annual Meeting Our annual meeting will be held Sunday, March 30 th. There will be a potluck sandwich lunch following the service that day. The annual meeting will begin at 1:00 p.m. in the worship area. Unity Service One God His Church. The churches of the Georgian Triangle will be gathering Sunday, March 30 th at 7:00 p.m. for a joint worship service at New Life Church, 28 Tracey Lane, Collingwood. 25 th Anniversary Celebrations The countdown is on for our 25 th Anniversary celebrations! Make sure you mark the weekend of July on your calendar now, so you won t miss any of the great activities we have planned to commemorate 25 years in our present building. Details of the program for the weekend and invitations wil be available soon!

6 Rescue Junction Concert Our concert with the Rescue Junction Band was such a hit last year that the Board of Managers has invited them back again! Rescue Junction will be performing an afternoon concert at Emmanuel on Sunday, April 6 th at 1:30 p.m. Rescue Junction shares the gospel of Christ through joyful bluegrass music. They were voted the most promising group at the 2013 Central Canada Bluegrass Music Awards. Plan now to attend and to bring a friend with you! Georgian Good Food Boxes The Georgian Good Food Boxes purchased through Emmanuel must be ordered and paid for ten days prior to pick-up/delivery. Pickup or delivery will be available on the third Wednesday of the month. March Orders must be placed by Sunday, March 9 th. Pick-up will be Wednesday, March 19 th. April Orders must be placed by Sunday, April 6 th. Pick-up will be Wednesday, April 16 th.

7 Birthdays & Anniversaries Brenda Kenwell Tuesday, March 4 th Carol Currie Friday, March 7 th William Moreland Monday, March 10 th Nathan Service Tuesday, March 11 th Carolyn Roth Wednesday, March 12 th Steve Szelestowski Thursday, March 13 th Lynne Arnill Sunday, March 16 th Diane Collins Sunday, March 16 th Isobel McKee Thursday, March 20 th Andy & Ann McKean Thursday, March 20 th Sandy Marritt Friday, March 21 st Peter Milne Saturday, March 22 nd Rob Aspin Sunday, March 23 rd Jordan Noseworthy Wednesday, March 26 th Lynne Dodd Thursday, March 27 th Burst Forth National Presbyterian Women s Gathering Imagine joining with hundreds of other Presbyterian women from across Canada to pray, learn, play and celebrate together. Learn from one of Canada s most powerful advocates for justice and peace, Dr. Samantha Nutt, as she inspires each of us to Burst Forth and improve the world. Explore scripture during daily worship times. Make new friends over meals and during workshops. The conference will be held May 16-19, 2014 at the Sheraton Parkway Hotel in Richmond Hill. If you are not able to attend the entire weekend, there are accepting a limited number of one-day registrations for Saturday, May 17 th. The deadline for registrations is March 31 st. Brochures and registration forms are available from the church office or visit

8 The Keenagers will be holding their annual Talent Night Wednesday, April 9 th To be included in the program, speak to Bob McNicol. Words That Create Words, words, words. Our society is full of words: on billboards, on television screens, in newspapers and books. Words whispered, shouted, and sung. Words that move, dance, and change in size and color. Words that say, "Taste me, smell me, eat me, drink me, sleep with me," but most of all, "buy me." With so many words around us, we quickly say: "Well, they're just words." Thus, words have lost much of their power. Still, the word has the power to create. When God speaks, God creates. When God says, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3), light is. God speaks light. For God, speaking and creating are the same. It is this creative power of the word we need to reclaim. What we say is very important. When we say, "I love you," and say it from the heart, we can give another person new life, new hope, new courage. When we say, "I hate you," we can destroy another person. Let's watch our words. ~Henri Nouwen

9 Mark Your Calendars now for the Keenagers Fall Trip The Keenagers are planning a Theatre Trip for Saturday, October 18 th. A survey was conducted to determine which shows were of greatest interest. The majority opted for A Closer Walk with Patsy Cline at the St. Jacobs Schoolhouse Theatre. Take a closer walk with a legendary performer as her tumultuous life and career are celebrated in this smashhit musical. Journey through Patsy s triumphs and tragedies, from dusty roadhouse gigs to her meteoric rise in the Grand Ole Opry. This toe tappin, foot stompin, hand clappin musical contains 21 of her greatest hits classics like Crazy, Sweet Dreams, Walkin After Midnight, I Fall to Pieces, and many more. Patsy Cline s untimely death in a plane crash in 1963 cut short an aspiring career and created an instant legend. At the Schoolhouse Theatre, she lives again More details about the trip will be available soon! Help us share one million Gospels of John. Together we can impact the nation of Brazil for Christ one person at a time. Saturday, March 22 7:00 p.m. Faith Evangelical Missionary Church 1355 River Road W., Wasaga Beach, ON Entertainment by: Black Light Theatre Underwater Praise For more information, contact Paul & Lillian Raymer at

10 Bible Reading Plans Many people like the idea of reading through their Bible each year, but don t know where to start. For your convenience, we re printing two simple Bible reading plans. One will take you through the entire Bible in a year, the second will take you through the New Testament in a year. Date Entire Bible New Testament March 1 Deuteronomy 5-7 Mark 10:46 11:11 March 2 Deuteronomy 8-10 Mark 11:12-33 March 3 Deuteronomy Mark 12:1-27 March 4 Deuteronomy Mark 12:28-44 March 5 Deuteronomy Mark 13:1-31 March 6 Deuteronomy Mark 13:32 14:21 March 7 Deuteronomy Mark 14:22-42 March 8 Deuteronomy Mark 14:43-65 March 9 Deuteronomy Mark 14:66 15:21 March 10 Deuteronomy Mark 15:22-46 March 11 Joshua 1-4 Mark 16 March 12 Joshua 5-8 Luke 1:1-25 March 13 Joshua 9-11 Luke 1:26-56 March 14 Joshua Luke 1:57-80 March 15 Joshua Luke 2:39 3:9 March 16 Joshua Luke 3:10-38 March 17 Joshua Luke 4:1-21 March 18 Judges 1-2 Luke 4:22-44 March 19 Judges 3-5 Luke 5:1-16 March 20 Judges 6-7 Luke 5:17-39 March 21 Judges 8-9 Luke 6:1-19 March 22 Judges Luke 6:20-42 March 23 Judges Luke 6:43 7:17 March 24 Judges Luke 7:18-43 March 25 Judges Luke 7:44 8:18 March 26 Ruth Luke 8:19-39 March 27 1 Samuel 1-3 Luke 8:40 9:9 March 28 1 Samuel 4-8 Luke 9:10-27 March 29 1 Samuel 9-12 Luke 9:28-48 March 30 1 Samuel Luke 9:49 10:12 March 31 1 Samuel Luke 10:13-37