march 2013

I S S U E 3 M A R C H 2 0 1 3

A Cross The Pews

Knox Waterloo

C e l e b r at i n g 1 2 5 Y e a rs !

Save the Date!

Sunday Bake Sale!

March 24th after church Page 8

A Morning Apart

March 23rd 8:15am – 12:15pm Page 9

Knox has an official Facebook Page! “Like” us at www.facebook.com/knoxwaterloo

Wednesdays at Knox (W@K) is an adult ministry that’s enjoying its second very successful year. We meet every Wednesday in the Church Hall from 11:30‐1:00.

If you are available over the lunch hour, please join us and bring friends!

You may bring your own bag lunch, and we will provide tea, coffee, and desserts for free. For $5.00, we are now serving soup, homemade tea biscuits, cheese, desserts, teas, and coffee.

Wednesday Schedule: 11:30 Tea, coffee and fellowship

11:45 Welcome, announcements and devotion 12 – 1pm Lunch and presentation

See details of Upcoming Presentations on page 14

Outreach – Mission – Money

How do these tie together?

Dr. Kennon Callahan “Giving and Stewardship in an

Effective Church”

9am - 4:30pm, May 6th, 2013 Knox Waterloo

We are delighted that the Presbytery of Waterloo‐Wellington is sponsoring a day here at Knox Church with Dr. Kennon Callahan. Pastor, researcher, professor – today’s most sought‐after church consultant and speaker. Thousands of congregations and tens of thousands of church leaders and pastors around the world have been helped through his writings and workshops. His seminars are filled with wisdom, encouragement, and practical possibilities. He travels extensively, meeting with and speaking to groups of pastors and church leaders from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and many other parts of the…

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Sunday Service at 10:00am Radio Broadcast: Sunday 10:00am CKWR FM 98.5 50 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON N2L 1T1 519 . 886 . 4150 [email protected] knoxwaterloo.ca

Have you heard about W@K?

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MARCH 2013 A CROSS THE PEWS

Minister’s Message

a Middle Eastern bazaar where goods are traded with loud voices raised, and there we find God. We find God also in the sanctuary on top of the mount of Zion. When I think of this 121st psalm I see again an elderly couple from Jamaica who asked me to read this for them. They were deeply moved, not by my voice, but by the memories evoked by the words of this psalm. They were remembering the Blue Mountains of Jamaica where they worshipped in a small church in a village where they raised their children. They were remembering that God was their help then, and God is their help here in Canada. For some these evoke the hills of the Carolinas, or the Highlands of Scotland, or perhaps the Rocky Mountains of North America. We instinctively look up when we seek help. To the Psalmist, God is everywhere. In pain, in poverty, in prosperity, in grief, in the face of a child and in the pangs of illness, everywhere we look, we can find the Holy One. I invite you to read the Psalms this Lent. It may take a while to get into the rhythm, but if you are like me, then you will enjoy the journey. May you discover again, or for the first time, the beauty, the humanity and the humility of the psalms.

Rev. Brooke Ashfield

Psalm 121 asks:

“I lift up my eyes to the hills ‐‐ from where will my help come?”

We live in a world where we all need help. There are many promises of help. The ads scream out proclaiming products that will transform us into the kind of people that we might secretly desire to be. But the promises are like fog in the morning, they fade away. People we like and people we trust, will sometimes let us down. Disappointments come to every life. It is always better if we are not alone. When the psalmist wrote these words if was about taking the trip up the hill to the mount of Zion where the Temple in Jerusalem was. It is a bit like singing in the car on the way to church, getting in the mood to worship. We could do a lot worse than asking ourselves where we honestly expect our help to come from. I have been enjoying reading the psalms again. Our Lenten series on the psalms has brought again to me the sense, that these were deeply felt prayers offered with great sincerity. The richness of the texts has caused me to slow down when reading them. I have even been caught reading the psalms aloud in my office. There is something about saying words out loud, even if softly. The words sink in with deeper clarity when I read aloud. I will often read a verse several times before continuing to read on. I perceive again what I learned long ago about how carefully structured the psalms are. They often repeat a concept in different words in order to emphasize a point. Then sometimes there is a little argument with God, with both a pleading aspect, along with a respectful tone. Then you are brought in to the market place, of

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While Christmas is always celebrated in the Western Church on December 25th, Easter is a moveable feast. The First Council of Nicaea (325) established the date of Easter as the first Sunday after the full moon following the northern hemisphere's vernal equinox. Easter is linked to the Jewish Passover by much of its symbolism, and its position in the calendar. The date varies

between March 22nd and April 25th. With its themes of Resurrection and new life it is wonderful for Canadians to have a late Easter when the buds are on the trees and flowers are in bloom. Somehow standing out in the snow at our Early Morning Easter doesn’t have the same “feel” as green grass on a sunny warm morning. That is the miracle of Christ’s Resurrection –in the midst of darkness, cold and sorrow – new life and a new promise has come. This year Easter Sunday is March 31st and may seem to some of us to come on the heels of Christmas. I have at times felt much like Ann Weems who in her poem “Looking Toward Jerusalem” writes:

The journey to Bethlehem was much more to my liking. I am content kneeling here, where there’s an aura of angels and the ever‐present procession of shepherds and kings

who’ve come to kneel to the Newborn in whom we are newborn.

I want to linger here in Bethlehem in joy and celebration, knowing once I set my feet toward Jerusalem, the Child will grow and I will be asked to follow.

The time of Light and Angels is drawing to a close.

Just when I’ve settled contentedly into the quiet wonder of Star and Child, He bids me leave and follow.

How can I be expected to go back into darkness after sitting manger‐side bathed in such Light?

It’s hard to get away this time of year; I don’t know how I’ll manage. It’s not just the time….the conversation along the way turns from Birth to Death. I’m not sure I can stand the stress and pain; I have enough of those already.

Besides, I’ve found the lighting on the road to Jerusalem is very poor. This time around, there is no Star…

The Shepherds have left; they’ve returned to hillside and to sheep.

The Magi, too have gone, having been warned in a dream, as was Joseph, who packed up his family and fled. If I stay in Bethlehem, I stay alone.

God has gone on toward Jerusalem. We are in the midst of the Lenten Season; we have begun the journey towards Jerusalem. As we focus on “Praying the Psalms” may their poetic beauty and prayerful approach guide us on our way, giving voice to our joy and to our pain and opening our hearts to the truth of God’s love.

Minister’s Message

Rev. Linda Ashfield

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Photo taken by Hannah Carter in the Garden of Gethsemane Passages

Passing:

Thinking of you & hoping you feel better soon:

Loreen Palmer, Peggy Bain, Wendy Morrison, Lisa Jackson, John Thorsen.

Our thoughts are with Douglas, Linda and Brianna Stewart on the loss of a beloved "grandma". We are also thinking of Betty Berner whose mother passed away.

125th Anniversary

Knox Church Photo Directory

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Group photos for Directory The first pages of the directory will be dedicated to telling the story of Knox through photographs of our many groups, committees, and ministries. Hannah Carter has offered to provide photography for this portion of the directory and would love to photograph your group, committee, or ministry during your next meeting. Please let Hannah know when your group meets so she can make plans to be there to snap some photographs. You can speak to her at church, or email Hannah[at]redumbrellaphotography.ca.

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2013 marks 125 years of continuous Presbyterian worship in the city of Waterloo. What better year to publish a new Photo Directory. (Our last directory was made in 2006.) There will be pages dedicated to telling our story as well as photos of our members and adherents. Ideally, we would like everyone’s photo

in our new directory. Please note that the photograph dates will be March 18‐23, 2013 which is the week after March Break. You can book your photo session on Knox’s website, at the church on Sunday mornings, at Wednesdays at Knox (W@K), or by calling the church during office hours at 519‐886‐4150.

Each photographed person/household/family will receive a free 125th Anniversary directory and a free 8x10 picture. There are no sitting fees.

We need you.

We need everyone to make our 125th Anniversary photo directory a success.

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Complete details of the formal rules of the Presbyterian Church in Canada regarding Eldership can be found on the National Church Web Site at: www.presbyterian.ca/files/webfm/ourresources/generalassembly/2010BoF.pdf

The Session is the highest body of leadership in congregations in the Presbyterian Church. The Session is responsible for all aspects of ministry and meets with the ministers (who moderate the Session meetings) once a month to provide oversight and leadership to the

congregation. The session is a policy making group who do not oversee the small details of church functioning. The church committees, Council, and staff are responsible for implementing the policies of the Session of Knox Church. At Congregational meetings every member and adherent (a regular attendee of the church who is not a formal member) exercises the strong accountability that is built into the Presbyterian system of church government. It is an honour to serve as an Elder, but is also an intensely personal call to spiritual service under our Lord Jesus Christ. Candidates called to serve may wish to speak with the ministers before accepting the call to be ordained as an Elder. We are all asked to pray for our Lord to continue to bless us with wise and compassionate leaders.

Five new Elders will be elected to serve on the Knox Session this spring. This happens in every “odd” numbered year under our term‐service for Elders. The elders will replace those stepping down after serving their term of service. Those stepping down are also eligible to be re‐elected to serve on the session. Under Presbyterian regulation only members of Knox can vote or serve as Elders. On April 7th, 2013 (The Sunday after Easter) a letter containing the ballot and a list of church members will be handed out before and after worship. The remaining letters will be mailed on April 8th. Election is by secret ballot. You will be asked to write in the names of those you wish to nominate to serve and seal this in an envelope provided and to then sign the outside of the envelope. The ballots will be returned to the church by Sunday May 12, 2013. The Session executive will meet that week and all of the ballots will be opened and only after all have been removed from the envelopes will each ballot be counted. In this way each ballot is completely secret. No one will know who you voted for. You are asked to prayerfully consider who you would feel would have the wisdom and leadership gifts to serve as an elder. There are no age restrictions. The leading candidates will be reviewed and five will be approached and asked to prayerfully consider their response to the call to serve Knox Church as an Elder.

The Election of New Elders at knox Church Waterloo 2013

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From the Bridge: 2012 – A Good Year

You will notice that our little Knox person is approaching the end of the second bridge span. Although the second year of our Sustainable Stewardship Initiative (SSI) ends in June 2013, we thought that it would be good to reflect on 2012 to see how we did with our Vision and our Finances. Let’s start with the Vision:

• Together we can and will make a difference because “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.”

• We will be an inspiring destination where all people in our congregation and our community can grow in their faith.

• We will welcome our neighbours from all walks of life – students, singles, families and seniors. • We will build on our already vital programs and create new ministries. • As we continue on our Knox journey, let us listen and follow God’s plan for all of us.

Ten years ago, when Knox was looking at what the future would hold and asking ourselves, “What is God calling us to do as a congregation?” this Vision was created. We believe that this is God’s vision for us and this is our calling. In the first Vision bullet we proclaim that “We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” This promise from scripture is found in Philippians 4:13 and continues to be our foundation. We have had some pretty big mountains to climb and we will continue to have challenges, especially with our mortgage; however, believing and trusting that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, makes the vision possible and has given us the strength to move forward in 2012. Secondly, we strive to be an inspiring destination for both our congregation and the broader community. It is wonderful to see a growing congregation of members and adherents who choose our sanctuary as the place they want to be on Sunday morning for the inspiration of worship and the warmth of fellowship. It is also wonderful when those from our broader community join us in worship. This happened most recently with our January Taizé service and in 2012 many joined us for the special Advent and Christmas services including the Longest Night service on December 21st.

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Grant Birks & Barb Prysnuk

SSI Bridge Team

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Continued from page 6: From the Bridge: 2012 – A Good Year

We are thankful for the 40 + community groups which rented space in our facility. Included in their number were: The Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery Reach for the Top Kidproof Babysitter Training Alcoholics Anonymous Black History Month Concert Region of Waterloo City of Waterloo Local Food Group Wellington Winds DaCapo Chamber Choir Wilfrid Laurier University University of Waterloo House of Friendship Kitchener Musical Society Band Girls Rock Camp

Kitchener‐Waterloo Community String School KW Kiwanis Music Festival Member of Parliament Peter Braid Events Member of Provincial Parliament Catherine Fife Friends of the CBC Rainbow Chorus of Waterloo‐Wellington Boy Scouts of Canada Youth Awards KW Chamber Music Society Bamboo Bunch BMO Words Worth Books Schneider Male Chorus NoteWorthy Singers Leadership Waterloo Region

While these rentals helped us reach our financial goals for renting space, they were also a ministry opportunity. Literally thousands of people passed through our doors and while many just came and went, there were those who stopped to pick up our brochures, or spoke with Knox staff about our building and our congregation and, perhaps, those who decided to make Knox their Sunday destination as well. Welcoming our neighbours from all walks of life is our third Vision point and during the past year, we have really worked on becoming a welcoming faith community. Visitors have mentioned the hospitality shown them when they came to worship. Many in the congregation make a point of saying hello to people who they don’t know, making strides from “greeting newcomers and visiting with friends, to greeting friends and visiting with newcomers.” We are thankful for the 28 new members last year that now call Knox their church home. This was up from 14 new members the previous year. Welcome cards were designed to give out in the community when the opportunity presented itself, and new programs have been created and are in the works to match up with the demographics of this area. Vision bullet four concerns building on our vital programs and creating new ministries. Our vital programs include our youth programs, Sunday School and Logos, both of which are strong and have been joined by a new youth program, Upward Sports. Our new mid‐week adult ministry, Wednesdays @ Knox, seems well on its way to becoming a vital ministry. Some 50 or more people regularly come together on Wednesday’s and have formed a true community that shares a meal and enjoys hearing from diverse speakers and also celebrates birthdays and cares for each other.

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A Note from Christian Education…

Confirmation classes for youth are scheduled for Sundays after church in April, and a May 4th brunch; Confirmation service will be on Sunday, May 5th. Please see Laura V. or Linda A. if you would like to participate.

Vacation Bible Camp is July 22‐26 from 8:50am to noon each day for kids finished JK‐Gr 8, PLUS an all day option with Upward Sports & paper crafts in the afternoon (for kids finished JK‐Gr 5). Cost for half day is $20. and all day is $120.00. Watch for more details to follow in the coming months. If you’d like to volunteer at VBC this summer, please let Laura V know.

July 27th – August 3rd, Knox is sending 18 youth and 7 adults to Winnipeg to provide outreach to First Nations families. We will

be supporting the Winnipeg Inner City Mission and will spend 2 nights on a First Nations Reserve. Each youth is responsible for fundraising to help with the costs of the trip. In March, Rheo Thompson Mint Smoothie Chocolates are being sold by the youth for $2.00 each. If you would like to purchase some Mint Smoothies (great Easter treats!), most of the youth will have a supply and will be happy to sell them to you. In February, the Pancake Supper Fundraiser raised nearly $1300.00! A big Thank You to the congregation for your support. Overhead costs were kept down by generous donations from the following local businesses: ‐ Conestoga Meat Packers (sausages) ‐The Charcoal Steak House (pancake batter) ‐Canadian Linens (linens) ‐Grocery cards from other local businesses Thank you to all who contributed to make the Pancake Dinner such a great success!

Winnipeg Trip Update!

Upward Sports Tuesdays until March 26th, from 6‐8pm in the gym for kids in Grades 1‐6. Join us on Tuesday March 19 (March Break) for ball hockey drills and scrimmage game. Let us know you are coming by calling the church office, and bring your own helmet and gloves. Contact Vaughn Sauve for more information.

Bake Sale! The grade 5/6 Sunday School class is hosting a bake sale on Sunday March 24th. All proceeds will support the Joint Advocacy Initiative of the East Jerusalem YMCA and their Olive Tree Campaign KEEP HOPE ALIVE. This campaign aims at planting olive trees where they have been uprooted and destroyed for the expansion of Israeli settlements, bypass roads, and the building of the "Apartheid Wall". We would welcome all nut‐free baking donations, which can be brought to the church the morning of March 24th. Contact Glenda Ribey‐Rozomiak at [email protected] for more info.

Youth service project opportunities ‐Out of the Cold at First United Church Sat. March 9th and/or 23rd from 6:45am‐9am (12 people each day) ‐Food Bank “Decanstruction” at Conestoga Mall Sun. March 17th 4:30‐7:30pm (20 people) ‐Food Bank DIG IN Freshco on Bridge St. Sat. May 4th, 10am‐3pm Please see Dave Ogram or Laura VanderVleuten if you are interested in participating.

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APCE is the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators and I was privileged to be able to attend their annual conference Feb. 6‐8th in Orlando, Florida. The theme of this year’s conference was Let Us Play! There were 800 church educators registered at the conference and 40 of us were Canadians. We had worship each day plus a keynote speaker who gave wonderful insight into the importance of play in our all too complex world today. I attended workshops that I hoped would be helpful to our ministry initiatives here at Knox: Recreation for Mission Trips at Home and Abroad, Play for Adult Leaders, Girls Just Wanna have Fun! (outreach initiatives) and Serious Fun (learning and teaching styles in today’s Sunday school classrooms). I learned games to play with beach balls, elastic ropes, koosh balls and puppets; games to introduce one another to each other and games to challenge us as leaders. I heard about outreach initiatives at a church in California where 200 girls gather for a “girls day apart” and hear about God’s love for them. And I found out that those electronic gadgets that our children and youth are “glued to 24/7” can actually be helpful resources in a Bible Study class.

APCE has a wonderful book room at the conference and I brought back some great books and teaching aids that I think will be helpful in Sunday school, LOGOS, retreats and maybe even Session meetings. Once I get them unpacked, I’ll put them out in the Resource Room for you to have a look at. I’m excited to start using some of what I learned at the conference; let me know if you want to chat about it too!

Laura VanderVleuten

Christian Education Continued

A Morning Apart Something different before we begin our Holy

Week Journey

Join us on Saturday, March 23rd, 8:15 am ‐ 12:15 pm

Knox Presbyterian Church, Waterloo $5 per person

Breakfast . Small group bible study . Workshop on Blessings . Workshop on Prayer

Sponsored by the Knox Reads Group - Part of our “Practicing our Faith” series.

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Lenten Prayer Room at Knox Submitted by Linda Ashfield

This past summer our sermon series based on Barbara Brown Taylor's book "An Altar in the World" included a chapter "Prayer ‐ the practice of being present to God". In this chapter, Barbara writes, "I am aware that prayer is more than something I do. The longer I practice prayer, the more I think it is something that is always happening, like a radio wave that carries music through the air whether I tune in to it or not." The practice of prayer and praying for each other is something we want to encourage during this Lenten Season at Knox. Each Sunday we pray ‐ a prayer of adoration, of confession, of thanksgiving and intercession. Our sermon series for Lent is "Praying the Psalms" and we hope as we sing them, read them, learn more about them that ultimately we will also pray them. I have been wanting to create a prayer room here at Knox for some time now and when I saw the original plans for the new church ‐ and noted the words "small lounge" on room 200 my mind immediately thought... ah our prayer room. However, happily we need it for our children's programs on Sunday and Thursday. But this Lent our children have accommodated us and a prayer room has been set up in this lovely space. It is open Monday to Friday 9:15‐3:15 and Sunday before and after worship for anyone who wants a quiet place. Each Sunday after worship two members of Knox will be there to greet you, and pray with you if you wish. Even if you only have a couple of minutes ‐ I hope you will take the time to peek in, walk in, sit down and enjoy Being Still in a place set aside for prayer. I am very grateful to the members of our Prayer Team who all said YES and are covering the prayer times on Sunday. You will also notice that a prayer bowl has been set up in the Atrium. During the week people share their prayer requests and place them in the sand. Then on Sunday, the prayer team bring them up to the prayer room to pray using the requests as the basis of their prayers. The first Sunday in Lent there were about 25 prayer requests written and prayed for ‐ and only a few days later someone emailed me to ask me to share her joy with those who had been praying ‐ that an answer to their concerns and prayers had come ‐ sooner than expected. What fun it was for me to forward her email to those who had prayed ‐ and their response of thanksgiving that came back. What a privilege it is for us to pray for one another; to week with those who are weeping, to laugh with those who are laughing! In the joys and the sorrows of life ‐ we have the community of faith there with us. On a personal note, I have been enjoying my own few minutes in the prayer room each day. I have found in calming and relaxing as I strive to "Be Still". I have resonated with Barbara's closing words on her chapter on prayer. "All I did was light the candles. Did God find me or did I find God? Hush. The time for words is past."

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The Annual Congregational Meeting is being held on Sunday, March 3rd at 3 p.m. in the Knox Room. Please pick up your Annual Report. We will go through the reports and have an opportunity to look at the budget for 2013 as well as planning for our 125th Anniversary. There will be a short worship service where we remember those from the congregation who passed away last year. Our Clerk of Session, Deb Schlichter will present some information about the Natural Church Development Results – regarding the overall health of our congregation and Linda Ashfield will lead us in a brief conversation about "Blessings" You are all most welcome to attend.

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We want to say a big THANK YOU for the welcome you gave us when we first visited Knox a year and a half ago. The hospitality and friendship of the people at Knox made us feel that this is the place that the Lord would have us come to worship and receive our spiritual food. We thank God for His leading us. Blessings and prayers for all who worship at Knox, Helen and Marvin Reed. Photos by Grant Birks

Marvin & Helen Reed

Maundy Thursday March 28th 8 p.m.

Quiet worship with communion in the Knox Room.

Good Friday March 29th 10 a.m.

Church school program provided.

Easter Sunday March 31st

7:30 a.m. Outdoor service at Waterloo Park 8:30 a.m. Pot luck Breakfast in the Church Hall

(Potluck Breakfast sign up sheet on bulletin board beside lounge.) 10:00 a.m. Worship and Sunday School

Sunday Lenten Worship Theme

“Praying the Psalms" February 17 – Lent One – The Prayer Book for God’s People (an introduction to the Psalms) February 24 – Lent Two – Prayers of Praise and Thanksgiving (praying our joy) March 3 – Lent Three – Prayers of Sacred History (praying our salvation) March 10 – Lent Four – Prayers of Trust (psalms for personal meditation) March 17 – Lent Five – Prayers of Lament (praying our fears, our tears, and our doubts) March 24 ‐ Palm Sunday and Celebration of the Sacrament of Baptism

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Moderator of the Presbytery of Waterloo-Wellington

Rev. Linda Ashfield

As most of you know by now, I was inducted as Moderator of the Presbytery of Waterloo‐Wellington this past September for a one year appointment. To say it has been a busy fall and winter in this position is an understatement. Everyone in Presbytery has been amazed at the amount of work this year has brought. One of the perks of course is being able to conduct the Inductions and Ordinations and it is with great pleasure that I have been able to do that here in my own church on Sunday, February 24th at the Ordination of Reuben St. Louis. Another “perk” that I was completely unaware of came recently through the Mission and Outreach Committee of the Presbytery. Three members of Presbytery were invited to travel to Taiwan to visit the Bunun Presbytery there and recently, the Presbytery of Waterloo‐Wellington voted to provide funds (for travel costs only) for three representatives of the Presbytery to visit the Bunun Presbytery in 2013. These would include the Moderator, the Clerk, and a Convener of the Mission & Outreach Committee. After some consideration I have agreed to participate in this trip. Wilma Welsh (Clerk) and Rev. Alex McLeod (Convenor of the Mission and Outreach Committee) and I will leave Canada on Easter Monday arriving in Taiwan the next day. Our tentative schedule includes a visit to the General Assembly Offices, and Alethia University in Taipei before travelling to visit with the Bunun Presbytery for three days. Back in Taipei we will visit Tam Kang Middle School and Canadian Presbyterian Missionary Historical sites. On April 9th we will visit the General Assembly, which will be in Session and participate in the International Visitors Activity there. Before heading back to Canada (on the 12th or 13th of April) we will visit the Taiwan Theological College/ Mackay Memorial Hospital and School of Nursing & Medical College. I look forward to visiting Taiwan where Jack and Betty Geddes served as missionaries for so many years and where their children still have such strong connections and of course where our new Administrator Ruth Song is originally from. I have never been to this part of our world, and I look forward to sharing with you the stories of our sisters and brothers from Taiwan.

Pastoral Care Workshop On Sat. May 11th 9:00 a.m. ‐ Noon St. Andrew’s Kitchener will host a workshop entitled “The Loving Presence of Christ in our Pastoral Visits” led by the Rev. Dr. Roberta Clare, Director of the Elders Institute of the PCC. Ministers, Elders and all church members who want to be effective and helpful visitors in times of need will find this workshop to be of great value. $15.00 for day. Register by Fri April 26th. Contact Pam at [email protected] or 519‐578‐4430.

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without running water. While there, our team will be coordinated by Habitat for Humanity Romania.

We will be leaving Toronto the end of May to volunteer in a short‐term house‐building trip. After our orientation on June 2nd we will participate in the build from June 3‐7thspending the five days there to help build houses in partnership with families in need of a simple, decent place to live. Saturday and Sunday will be set aside to visit Cluj. Some will return on the 9th, but others will stay till the 12th. Brian is excited about taking us around the area for those days, so that we may see more of the countryside in Transylvania.

The Knox Team members are: Linda Ashfield, Eric Beard, Kari Feldmann, Stuart and Susan McTavish, Cheryl Meyer, Dave Ogram, Barb Prysnuk, Deb Schlichter, Agnes and Dick Steffy and Bill and Edi Stevens.

This is a mission trip. Habitat for Humanity is an ecumenical Christian ministry that invites us to put our faith into action, to serve together in ministry and to practice what they call “the theology of the hammer”. Knox members have agreed to be prayer partners, but we will be looking for prayer support from the whole congregation as well. Please begin praying for the team now as we prepare to serve God by serving others.

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A couple of years ago Christy Sennema spoke at one of our First Sundays, representing Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village. After she spoke, someone asked her, “Where do you have difficulty getting teams?” Christy said that Eastern Europe was a place that had a great need, but that North Americans don’t think of Europe as a place that needs this kind of help. Romania was mentioned – which made many eye brows rise. Why? ‐ Because our former Music Director, Brian Johnston lives in Cluj Romania (one of the Habitat sites) where he serves as a missionary with the Presbyterian Church in Canada. That day a seed was planted in our hearts, minds and imaginations.

As part of our 125th Anniversary, Knox is running a youth mission trip (Winnipeg) and an adult mission trip (Romania). We are pleased that 13 Knox members have signed up to join the Habitat for Humanity’s Global Village Knox Team to Cluj, Romania.

As we know, Romania is still a country in transition – from decades of repression to fitting into the European Union. Over the years, Brian has shared his photographs with us that tell of the beauty of the land and the people. But we don’t have to look far to see the significant need for decent basic housing in some of these pictures as well. Many people live in some form of sub‐standard housing

Habitat Team Cluj, Romania

Coffee Brewers - Stock Up Now Fairtrade is a simple yet incredibly powerful idea – it’s all about giving the people who produce the things you buy a fair price for their work. This may seem obvious, but there are many farmers in poorer countries who have to sell their goods at prices so low that they can’t make a decent living. The Global Partners Committee is committed to continuing to provide access to high quality fairtrade coffee and chocolate at low prices. We order our coffee from Fire Roasted Coffee in London, Ontario. Their mandate is to ensure everyone benefits from the coffee experience, from the grower to roaster to consumer. And as they say on their website, they strongly believe in Fair Trade and Organic coffees. However, their costs have gone up and thus our coffee prices will be going up too. In order to not lose money we're going to have to raise our price to $12 per pound‐‐still well below retail! Until March 17th, we will sell our existing inventory at $10 per pound. After that, we'll have to raise our prices to $12. You'll find us in the hall during coffee hour.

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Upcoming Presentations

March 6 – Marie Milne: Faith Scrapbooking Are you interested in preserving the past, enriching the present and inspiring hope for the future? Come join us to learn about scrapbooking and faithbooking and see how easy it is to either get started or get inspired to complete an already started project.

March 13 – Jayne Hammond, Songs of the Heart Jayne is a Music Scholar here at Knox. She studies opera and voice at Laurier and is playing Countess Almaviva in the upcoming “Marriage of Figaro”. Jayne has a wide range of styles of music that she enjoys singing. Songs of the Heart repertoire will include traditional spirituals, hymns and some of her favourite folk tunes.

March 20 – Nancy Matthews & Shelley Holmes: In Search of Jane Austen

Come along on a pilgrimage to Lyme Regis, Chawton, and Winchester. Join Nancy and Shelley as they share photos and anecdotes from their 2011 “pilgrimage” to sties associated with Jane Austen in southern England.

March 27th – Linda Ashfield: Holy Week

The death and resurrection of Jesus is the fundamental and most basic datum of our Christian faith. There is no doubt that the key part of all the Gospels is the passion narratives and in fact the greatest similarity between them is the passion story. Come and learn more about Holy Week and how the church remembers this pivotal moment.

Coming up next month: April 3rd - “A Tornado, Paper Beads and Educating Children”

Pat and Harold Ball share about three families who joined hands to make the miracle of education happen for three Ugandan children.

PLEASE NOTE: During the winter months, if the schools are closed due to inclement weather, our program will also be cancelled. If in doubt, listen to local radio in the morning, or call the church at 519‐886‐4150. If you would like to come to W@K and need a ride, please call Ellen McIntosh at 519‐497‐9534, or email [email protected]. We’d love to see you!

Ellen McIntosh

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From the Bridge: 2012 – A Good Year Continued from page 7

What new ministries might be in the offing? Well, we know that our uptown area has many singles living and working in it so this is one direction that we’d like to go. But, when you consider our growing congregation and the wealth of gifts we have as a group, then, with the Spirit moving in our midst, who knows what might be possible? The last statement in our Vision is a commitment to keep re‐evaluating what we are doing and to continually ask ourselves, “What is God calling us to do at Knox?” A good example of this in 2012 is the shift from the emphasis on the building to programming and ministry. Initially, when we moved into our new building, getting settled took up much of our energy and time. In the past year, it was possible to put more time and energy into programming and ministry. You will hear more about this; however, another example relates to the results of the Natural Church Survey that we did in 2012. The results showed that there were areas where we were low such as our spirituality and talking about our faith to others. Consequently, the Session, Brooke and Linda are looking at ways to grow these areas. One example is Lent. Brooke and Linda have chosen the theme of Lent to be Praying the Psalms. In this way, we will be encouraged to personally study the Psalms and grow in our faith. A Prayer Room will also be set up so we can have the opportunity to put our faith into action through praying. So, as we have journeyed through 2012, Knox has and will continue to listen and to adjust to what God is calling us to do. Vision statements don’t just become reality with the wave of a wand, they become reality thanks to the time, energy, creativity, and, yes, the finances provided by our congregation. And, as it turns out, 2012 was also a good year financially. Our full mortgage came into effect in September and we met that

challenge, ending the year with a small $30,000 surplus. Now, as we move into 2013, we know what we have do – keep our givings strong so that we can sustain the coverage of our expenses month over month. But before we get too far into 2013, we need to take time to celebrate a successful 2012 and to give God thanks for the good year that was. THANKS BE TO GOD and to ALL of us at Knox for making it so!

Dr. Kennon Callahan “Giving and Stewardship in an Effective Church” Continued from page 1

…world. He will be here at Knox Presbyterian Church on Monday, May 6th giving a workshop on “Giving and Stewardship in an Effective Church”. This is a full day session from 9‐4:30 and with the financial support of Presbytery we are able to offer this for only $20 which includes lunch. Some people are already arranging a day off work so they can take advantage of this rare opportunity. Everyone is invited to participate. To register please contact our Clerk of Presbytery Dr. Wilma Welsh at [email protected] or 519‐822‐9496. Thanks to Knox members who will be helping us host this great day.

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Held on February 9th Knox members helped to collect spuds for the House of Friendship at Valu‐Mart & Fresh Co. In total from all 26 stores we collected 31,000 pounds of actual potatoes and just over $14,300.00 to buy potatoes for the rest of the year at $0.20/lb. That’s a record in both actual potatoes and in money collected. Converting it all to potatoes; 102,600 pounds of potatoes in one day!!!! Knox’s results were 4,850 lbs and $1,338.99! For a total of 24,250 pounds of potatoes so close to a quarter of the

potatoes collected came from Knox volunteers! This came about because of all your hard work and the whole congregation pitching in to help. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished and many, many thanks to you!!!! ‐Submitted by Shelley Holmes

The Bowling Green State University A Cappella Choir

Knox Church is delighted to be hosting The Bowling Green State University A Cappella Choir. Bowling Green State University Arts is comprised of the College of Musical Arts, the School of Art, and the Departments of Theatre & Film, Creative Writing and Dance. The College of Musical Arts at Bowling Green State University prepares music professionals for state and national leadership roles in teaching, research, and creativity in all of the musical arts. The Choir is a select mixed ensemble consisting primarily of music majors and minors. Members study and perform the finest of sacred choral literature and secular vocal chamber music. The choir of 30 will be here in concert at Knox on Wednesday, May 8th. As hosts to this young choir we are looking for people to help with the event in the following ways: ‐1 to help advertise and promote the concert ‐Billets in the congregation and community If you can help, please contact Terry English our Music Director at [email protected]. We look forward to the congregation's involvement. You can check out the choir on the University website as well as hear them sing on YouTube.

march 2013

Documents

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s s u e

outreach mission money

likeusa schedule

kennon callahan

effective church