Pulpit Exchange

 

The link for this week's live-streamed service is here.

On Sunday we welcomed The Rev. Joan Scandrett to our pulpit. She is an Anglican priest, ordained in 1996 and retired since 2014. During her active ministry she worked in rural settings, usually multi-point charges and often shared with the United Church of Canada. Since retired she has worked as an interim chaplain at Luther Court, done pulpit supply at Lutheran Church of the Cross, and was chaplain/manager of the James Bay United Thrift Shop. She is married to Daniel Fournier, the priest of St. Luke's Cedar Hill. Currently she is the Stated Supply Minister at Trinity Presbyterian in Victoria. Obviously she has an ecumenical bent.

On Sunday, the Rev. Scandrett did pulpit exchange with Rev. Irwin, who is the interim moderator for Trinity.

Lots of titles and terms here to confuse us. What is the difference between an interim moderator and an interim minister? What is a "stated supply?" Why does it matter?

I searched out a few answers.

An interim moderator is the link between a congregation and the presbytery. He moderates session meetings for the congregation and facilitates the process for calling a new minister. The interim moderator is accountable to presbytery.

An interim minister is responsible for weekly worship, but also enters into a covenant with the congregation for specified goals and an agreed upon timeline with the presbytery and session for accomplishing those goals. The interim minister operates under the supervision of the interim moderator.

A stated supply is an ordained person, appointed for a specific period of time, who provides worship leadership. The stated supply may perform other pastoral duties as determined by the session and the presbytery. The stated supply also works under the supervision of the interim moderator.

If this all sounds very legalistic, it's because the Presbyterian Church in Canada is a national denomination. As such, the whole denomination cares for all its congregations. Churches like Trinity or SPPC are not individual entities left to flourish or flounder on their own.  We are one big family with relatives spread out from coast to coast. When needed, we can call on that family for support, prayer, consolation and encouragement. 

We often laugh about how many committees are necessary to operate a Presbyterian church, but it's nice to know that all those committees are linking arms to provide a framework where congregations and individuals can live out their calling to love the Lord and serve our neighbours. 

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Reminders:

• Vintage Fashion Show and Tea this Thursday, Feb. 29, 1:00 pm at SPPC. (The fashions are vintage. The tea is fresh. )

• World Day of Prayer service on Friday, March 1 at 1:00 p.m. at St. Elizabeth’s in Sidney, 10030 Third Street.

As we think about our congregations and the Christian church worldwide, listen to this hymn. It is not one we've sung in our congregation, but maybe we should. 

 Filled with the Spirit's Power

Heads Up

The link for this week's live-streamed service is here.

After all the excitement of the Christmas season, mid-week activities at SPPC slowed down in January. However, a glance at the church calendar shows activities are ramping up.

• Bible Study: (or Book Study) continues on Wed. with our third session on Larry Crabb's The Safest Place on Earth. This is not your mother's Bible Study! The topics addressed are not easily slotted into topics and the discussion can go anywhere -- and often does. One of the aims of Crabb's discourse is to encourage spiritual community. Although we aren't following a prescribed route to get there, our small group discussions are examples of how that community might develop. There are still copies of the book available if you'd like to join in the process.
  
  
  
• On Thursday of this week, at 10:00 am SPPC hosts Friendship Coffee. This is another not-so-small group where folks from within the congregation and those from without join together to share conversation, laughter, and sympathy over a cup of coffee or a pot of tea. There is no cost, no dress-code, and no age barriers. All are welcome to come -- meet a friend, bring a friend, and make a friend.

• World Day of Prayer is at the beginning of March, but on Thursday, Feb. 22, at 1:00 pm, Anyone wishing to sing is invited to a choir rehearsal St. Elizabeth's, 10030 3rd Street, in Sidney. If you sing in a church choir, or wish you sang in a church choir, this is an opportunity to join with others and lift your voice in praise of our Maker.

On Thursday, February 29 at 1:00 p.m. SPPC will host a Vintage Fashion Showcase and Tea: Spring Fashions from 1860 to 1980. A limited number of tickets are available at $20 a piece. The tea will be prepared in house. The fashions and life music are supplied and modelled by Vintage Fashion Showcase.

• As mentioned above, the World Day of Prayer will be celebrated on Friday, March 1 at St. Elizabeth's in Sidney.

• Finally, for those who are looking further ahead in their calendar, The Vancouver Island Presbyterian Women’s Retreat takes place April 26-28 at Camp Imadene on Mesachie Lake. Contact the church office 250 656-2241 for more information.

Busy days ahead. I didn't even mention that Easter is early this year. Let us enjoy the opportunities for fun and fellowship at SPPC, but let us never forget that Christ is at the centre of our life together.

 

Is our Worship Holy?

 The link for this week's live-streamed service is here.

On Wednesday, we resume our study of the book, The Safest Place on Earth, by Larry Crabb. I've been doing my homework.

One of the topics that Crabb returns to again and again is worship. He believes that humans have a natural yearning to worship, but that yearning is often unfulfilled. So, I got to thinking about my own worship experiences. I've had decades of attending Sunday morning church services, so my list of special moments is long. I've whittled it down to a few and looked for common threads.

• In my youth, I was fortunate to attend church camp in the summer. We had a natural amphitheatre formed by rock ledges a few minutes' walk from the main lodge. That became our "chapel." Someone tacked a cross-member onto a tree and we had a living cross. Chapel was held every day and rule was, that as we rounded the corner of the lodge, we fell silent. By the time we arrived in the designated place we'd had several minutes of quiet to contemplate, and prepare ourselves to come into the presence of God.

A Heart for Heroes

 The link for this week's live streamed service is here.

We first put up a lighted heart on the outside of our church building in 2021. It was our way of saying thank you to the health care workers and others who carried on while the rest of the world shut down for COVID. Now that society is back up and running more or less as normal, we've put put the heart back up.

The symbol can be interrpetted in more than one way. Some will see it as a nod to Valentine's Day. After all, February is full of hearts and flowers for that reason. 

Still, COVID is rampant in the community, - both our church secretary and our minister had it after Christmas and there are currently 196 people in Victoria hospitals with COVID-19, 7 of them in ICU. On top of that, our health care workers are at a breaking point. Every day we hear new stories about the failures in our health system. Emergency wards are overflowing. Walk-in clinics have closed. Anywhere from 17% to 20% of Capital Region residents do not have a family doctor, and those who do, have difficulty getting an appointment.

Clearly our health care workers -- doctors, nurses, EMTs, cooks, cleaners, homecare workers, -- are all eunning as fast as they can just to stay in one place. Many are leaving the profession due to burn out. So, even though the Times-Colonist is no longer printing a red heart for us to hang in the window, at SPPC our lights say thank you to all medical staff.

The other half of our February light display is the word 'Peace.' Again, there is more than one way to consider the sentiment. With war top of the news, we can consider the word a plea for the end of fighting -- in Ukraine, in the Middle East, in Africa. 

For those of us with memories of the '60's, we can see the word as a greeting and a wish for harmony among us all. Remember flower power? So, we could consider that SPPC is saying hello to our neighbours in a gentle way.

Peace is also at the heart of our faith. From the beginning, even before His birth, the Messiah promised peace.

Isaiah 9:6
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Jesus Himself, when speaking to the disciples about His coming death, promised them peace, not as the world thinks of peace, but the peace of God. 

John 14:27 

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

 The letters of Paul to the early churches, churches which faced persecution, promised peace.

Philippians 4: 6-7

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

A greeting and a blessing from SPPC.