School's Out!

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

School's out! 

• The last Sunshine lunch of the season was held on Monday. 
• On Wednesday the study group held their last session before the summer break and 
• on Thursday the choir had it's final rehearsal before summer vacation. We went out to dinner to celebrate.  
• On Sunday we even had a substitute teacher(preacher) on Sunday. It was our pleasure to welcome Rev. Arnie Alksne to the pulpit again. 

The theme for the sunshine lunch was Hawaiian, and the kitchen crew dressed the part. Sadly there is no video of them doing a hula dance.

 Elizabeth is a faithful attendee. 

The choir went to Prairie Inn for their dinner. Thursday at 7:00 pm is the busiest time for the restaurant, but we were eventually seated (they don't take reservations) and all at one table which was a bonus. Great fun to have time for a good chat and not be constantly interrupted be the demand to rehearse the music. 

 We were glad Diane and Irwin could join us, as well as Elizabeth, Larry's wife and Rainer, our volunteer winds player. 

The choir is happy to welcome new members. Over the summer, think about lending your voice to the music of worship. And you, too, could come to a choir dinner next June.

Finally, on Sunday morning we wrapped up the current drive for the food bank. The draw for a hanging basket was won by Karla Rae, a friend of Barb's.

 Miller did the honours of choosing the winning ticket.

So, now that we're officially in summer holiday mode, what will you do with your vacation? 

The concept of "rest" is embedded in Scripture, starting in Genesis, where God rested on the seventh day. Christ, also, took time away from the crowds, so that He and the disciples could refresh themselves. “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” (Mark 6:31).

However, taking a vacation does not mean taking time away from God. In fact, the relaxed pace of summer provides an excellent opportunity to draw closer to God.

•  Why not spend time in creation -- we have so many parks and beautiful spots right here on the Peninsula-- and thank God for the wonders of this earth.
•  Perhaps find quiet time to read that study book, or watch that video, the one you have been putting off until the time is right.
•  Maybe this is a good time to talk to family and friends about your faith and your church. 

However you spend the long, sunny days of summer, may you find rest and renewal, and may your faith be refreshed.

Summer Suns are Glowing.

Touchstones

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

Last week, my neighbour asked if I knew when her roof had been installed. Both of our houses are 45 years old, but I've lived in mine the whole time and hers has changed hands four times. So, she turned to me for neighbourhood knowledge. 

I try not to be a nosy neighbour, but I do recall seeing workmen on her roof at one time and figured out who was the owner at that time. That owner was part of my book club, so I was able to look up the years she was with us, and thus, give my current neighbour an approximation on the age of her roof. Whew!

The incident got me thinking about touchstones in our lives. My grandmother always dated current affairs by which one of the family was a baby at the time. 

We've just celebrated 35 years in our church building, and we recall our history by asking which minister brought in the change, or who was the organist at the time, or who was on session. In other words, we use touchstones to mark events.

Our church calendar uses touchstones like Advent, Easter, and Thanksgiving to mark the seasons of the Christian year. 

In his sermon on June 15, Rev. Irwin reminded us that God's Word, is like an anchor in our lives. Certain passages of Scripture are touchstones, too. The 23rd Psalm, John 3:16, the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes . . . to name only a few. 

In our Wednesday study, we've watched the movie Bonhoeffer, about Dietrich Bonhoeffer,  a Christian clergyman martyred by the Nazis. When he was in captivity and knew that his execution was scheduled for the next morning, according to the movie, Bonhoeffer reached for the touchstones of his faith. He celebrated the Lord's Supper with his fellow prisoners--and a Nazi guard--on the last night of his life. As he walked to the gallows, he recited The Beatitudes.

We won't likely face death because of our Christian beliefs, but every day the secular world we live in will present us with challenges. Touchstones whether in words, or heroes, or personal experience help keep us true to our faith. 

You wouldn't know it by Sunday's weather, but we are heading into summer -- those lazy, hazy days. In the early morning, or at the sunset, why not take time to polish up those touchstones in your own life.

Will Your Anchor Hold?

Red for Pentecost

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

Last Sunday at SPPC was a jam-packed occasion. We celebrated the anniversary of our building, but we also wore red to celebrate Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit, in the form of tongues of fire, touched each of the believers gathered together in one place in Jerusalem. Filled with the Holy Spirit, the people began speaking in tongues, i.e the languages of many different nations. 

Many observers were amazed, others scoffed saying the disciples must be drunk. But Peter stood up and delivered a sermon which reassured his hearers that they were not inebriated, but had been touched by the Holy Spirit, sent from Christ, as He had promised.

About three thousand people responded to Peter's call and were baptized and became followers of Jesus on that day. Pentecost is now looked on as the beginning of the church. Certainly a day to celebrate.

With the day behind us, we are now in the season of Pentecost. The party is over. Now it is time to get to work. As we read through Acts we see that the small band of Jesus' followers, came out of hiding. They lost their fear and became bold in the Lord. Peter, who had denied Jesus at His trial, now proclaimed Him loudly on the streets and in the marketplace. The other disciples also spread the Gospel. They travelled far afield to proclaim the truth of the risen Christ. They suffered for their faith, but they would not stop proclaiming what they had witnessed and what they knew to be true.

The coming of the Holy Spirit, transformed the followers of Christ from a "me-centred" (who is the greatest) group of individuals to a Christ-centred movement, united in their mission to baptize and make believers of all nations. They changed the world, and that mission continues to this day.

We at SPPC will not experience a Pentecost like the one in first century Jerusalem but we can receive the Holy Spirit into our own lives. We can love one another as Jesus commanded. 

Acts 2 states that after the day of Pentecost, the believers "continued together in close fellowship and shared their belongings with one another. They would sell their property and possessions and distribute the money among all, according to what each one needed." GNT 

On the first Sunday after Pentecost, our congregation ate cake -- what else is new? On this occasion it was to celebrate Father's Day, but mostly it was because we really enjoy the fellowship time on Sunday after worship service. 

During the month of June, SPPC is putting extra effort into our food bank offerings. Like that first church that grew out of Pentecost, we are sharing our love and our goods with the community around us. May the Holy Spirit work in us. Let's fill those bins to overflowing. Let us love one another as Christ first loved us. 1John 4:19

Happy Pentecost!

35th Anniversary Party

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

What a party! Saturday, lunchtime, 60 people sat down to a catered lunch in celebration of our building's 35th anniversary. 

There were lots of pictures, posters and memory displays placed around the narthex and hall. 

Original banner used to identify the place of worship, -- funeral home, school, warehouse -- before we had a building of our own.

Lunch included salad, main course and pudding as well as "share" plates on each table.

Our clerk of session gave an overview of the church's beginnings -- in a funeral home with 9 members -- through to the construction and dedication of our present building. Apparently there was an old shed on the property that would have been expensive to tear down. Instead, the church invited the N. Saanich volunteer fire department to come and burn it down for practice. They did, and the neighbours came running to see what was on fire. As Janet said, they didn't find the fires of hell, but were offered a lawn chair and a cup of hot chocolate. That was the beginning of our "friendly" church.

Rev. Irwin spoke of the church that was begun at Pentecost (See Acts 2.) The early church emphasised sharing -- possessions, worship and meals. SPPC has certainly lived up to the "eating together," model.

We had a letter from Rev. Peter Coutts, the first minister of SPPC. He is in Alberta and unable to attend but he shared some wonderful memories of the building of the church, including the fact that, once on the roof, he discovered he was afraid of heights!

Rev. Noel, our minister emeritus spoke of the many memorable moments of his ministry at SPPC, including some unanswerable questions posed by the children during the children's story time. He even brought some of the decorated paper bags they Sunday School gave him upon his retirement. On his last Sunday as minister here, he was carried into the parking lot on a makeshift sedan chair. Once deposited on the asphalt, his carriers abandoned him, leaving him alone and unsupported in the parking lot. No wonder he was glad to receive an invitation from our next minister, Rev. Barbara Young, to return to the congregation. 😄

 The "kids" have outgrown the kids' table.

We had a wonderful afternoon, and, of course, on Sunday morning, we had cake.

What's Your Legacy?

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

In keeping with the theme of the month, SPPC finished out May with more food, specifically coffee and goodies with Friendship Coffee on Thursday morning.


As usual, the coffee was hot, the goodies delicious and the time all too short. Thanks to Janet for sharing her pictures.

Kudos to those who maintain this valuable ministry.

********

On Friday, there was a memorial service for a long-time member of SPPC and a Sister-in-Christ. There is always sadness associated with these farewells, but also an element of joy and connection. Our friend had lived a long and full life, and her final gift to those left behind, was the order of her service. As we fulfilled her wishes, we shared a sense of completeness. Her life within the congregation had come full circle and we were blessed to be part of it.

We sang the hymns she had chosen, listened to the Scriptural passages she had designated, and heard a solo, "Beautiful Isle of Somewhere" that she had requested. It made for a very comforting time together.

We also heard a little about her life from friends and neighbours. Amidst all the individual stories, kindness was a recurring theme.  What a legacy! So much of life concerns material things -- to make a good living, to own nice things, to visit exotic places -- but at the end of 90+ years, our friend was remembered for her kindness. 

Hardly surprising that she chose Philippians 4 as one of her readings, especially the bit that says "whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely . . .think on these things." There is nothing wrong with material things, they make life comfortable and enjoyable, but they must not take the place of spiritual things. When we come to the end of our earthly journey isn't it better to be remembered for  kindness and hospitality and generosity than for the for the "stuff" we accumulated along the way?

Having been a church-goer all my life, I've attended many, many memorials. All emphasise the people who have been touched by the loved one throughout life's journey. They remind me that "a life well-lived" really means the relationships developed along the way, and the memories left behind. I'm inspired to emulate those saints who have gone before.

Farewell, dear friend. It's been good to know you. See you later.