Concert with a Cause

 

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

There has been much excitement around our mission trip to the Dominican Republic over the past few weeks. We can report that our folks arrived safe and sound -- with their luggage, and are now hard at work.

Of course, the need for volunteers and money and prayers and compassion and good will is felt all over the world. 

Two members of our congregation are very involved in an education program in Africa. Education is one of the keys to ending poverty.

Brian Dowse and Elizabeth Dow have a deep connection to supporting Eagle HeightsAfrica. Their shared passion arises independently from their life experiences and is joined in this worthy cause. Brain worked in several parts of Africa as a civil engineer. Elizabeth understands the role that education plays in improving individuals' lives through her career in social work.

 

EagleHeights Africa in BC was founded in 2010 and arose from the dream of Njoki Nganga, a Kenyan woman with a doctorate in Advanced Social Work. It was established to assist disadvantaged children in obtaining an education. Njoki came to Vancouver Island in 2008 to visit her friends Bill and Joan German. The three worked together to create a framework for Canadians to sponsor children in Africa. By 2014, eleven children were sponsored to go to school. Today, students formulate plans that include careers as doctors, pilots, and lawyers.

 

The Canadian co-founders of the Eagle Heights Africa in BC society died in 2020, but the society continues their legacy of enriching lives through education. A volunteer board now runs it, ensuring that all the children’s sponsorships are paid for, and any extra expenses that arise for their education are covered.

 

TheArbutus Singers have long worked with non-profit organizations to raise funds. The choir notes that they have raised over $500,000 in their 25 years. They started as a group of 15 singers but now are up to 80, with a diverse repertoire and singing in four to six parts. 

 

The Arbutus Singers Concert will be held at the Mary Winspear Centre on Sunday, April 23, 2023 at 2:00 pm. Tickets are reasonable at $25 each.

 

Ed. Note:   Thanks to Diane Cunningham for preparing this post.

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

And . . .they're Off!

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

Sunday morning, we commissioned a new mission team to travel to the Dominican Republic. I can't help but remember we did the same thing in March of 2020 only to have everything cancelled by COVID-19.  I guess it is a sign that the pandemic no longer holds us in its grip, that, this time, there is no cancellation. 

For the past several months we've been collecting and storing supplies at SPPC. On Saturday, they were all hauled out and organized in preparation for packing into suitcases on Sunday after service.

The pictures at right show the wealth of school supplies donated by the congregation and the community. 

The pictures below show some of the medical supplies the team are taking to restock the medical clinic in Pedregal. In a lovely bit of synchronicity, many of those items came from the Compassionate Resource Warehouse, an organization that is supported by our congregation. The goal of the CRW is to get supplies to places in the world where they are needed. Often that means paying freight. In this case, our mission team will 

carry the goods in their bags, saving the cost of freight. It's a win-win-win. 

Note the lovingly assembled maternity kits. There is a package for the new baby including diapers, receiving blankets and a knitted cap and toy. A second package contains supplies for the mother, including some of those cotton dish clothes knitted so assiduously by members of our congregation.

I had to include this set of photos. Note the package of Tim Horton's coffee. How Canadian is that?

Volunteers can be few or many, but no one works well on an empty stomach.

There are six people going from SPPC are joining with volunteers from other congregations to form a large team of helpers. 

Packing -- Packed

Like the volunteers before them, our team expects to work to build brick houses, so much more durable than wooden ones, and to assist in the medical clinic. 

We wish them God speed, safe travels and the experience of a lifetime.

To cheer your spirit;

• Last week I dropped my Smile card outside of Thrifty's. When I realized it was missing, I called the store, but without much hope. As it turned out, some honest soul had found the card and turned it in, with the balance intact. How's that for an antidote to the endless bad news on our television sets?
• On Thursday this week, Friendship Coffee will be held at the church at 10:00 am. Come meet old friends, discover new ones, and enjoy a time of fellowship.
• Bible Study resumes at 10:00 am and 7:00 pm on Wednesday

Our mission team is ministering with the House Upon the Rock. To learn more about them follow this link. http://houseupontherock.net/  

The news

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

Are you adjusting to the time change yet? There were a few sleepy people in the pews on Sunday morning. Fortunately for us, Rev. Arnie Alskne was filling in at the pulpit and he was wide awake. 
Rev. Arnie has graced us with his leadership often enough now that he feels like an old friend to the congregation. His sermon on "living water" was refreshing, even if punctuated by several sips from the water glass. If you missed it, the link at the top of the page lets you listen to the whole service.

Spring has been very slow to arrive this year but sometime over the weekend, my crocus popped up. They are a pretty reminder of the glory of creation, and the generosity of our God.

A few slices of pie showed up in coffee hour this morning to remind us of the success of the pie auction last week. As the date for the mission team's departure draws closer, two more donations resulted in the purchase of 20 brand new backpacks for distribution in the Dominican Republic. 

Two social events are scheduled. 

• Sunshine lunch on Monday will feature a St. Patrick's theme. 

• Friendship Coffee on Thursday, March 23 at 10:00 am will feature goodies and good conversation. All welcome. This is a great opportunity to get to know members of the congregation.

Bible Study continues on Wednesday morning at 10:00 am. This will be the last session on the R.C. Sproul series, "The Holiness of God." 

Here is some food for thought from lecture three and four:

• What does the Bible say about sin in Leviticus 16:21, 2 Samuel 12:9-10 and 1 Kings 12:21?
• What does God promise in 1 John 1:9?
• How does Romans 3:19 show the universal application of God's law to all people, before and after the Resurrection? 
• Three key words in Romans 3: 24-25 are justified, redemption, propitiation. What does this teach us about salvation?

Next week, Rev. Irwin will be back and we will pick up the study on James starting on the fifth lesson in the study guide. Please join us. Previous attendance is not required. Come and explore God's word together with your fellow believers.

DR Connections

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

On Sunday morning we welcomed Pastor Byron Knight to the pulpit. Byron is known to many in our congregation through his work with the House Upon the Rock. He has been leading mission trips to the Dominican Republic since 2009. He has been a youth minister on the peninsula for over thirty years but, in April, he takes up a new position as food manager at  Camp Imadene. Before that, however, he will be leading another mission team to the Dominican Republic, including six members from SPPC.

Speaking of the mission trip, on Saturday afternoon there was a pie auction at Saanichton Bible Fellowship. Proceeds went to support this year's mission team in their travel and work. They leave in just a couple of weeks.

The pies were fresh and delicious looking and commanded prices to make a baker drool. $70 for a gluten free lemon meringue pie, $70 for a carrot cake, and $400 for Peter's pecan pie. Two other pecan pies commanded high prices as well. I guess the bidders were big on nuts. 

In total, the event raised about $5000.00, all of which will go toward supporting our mission to the Dominican Republic.

 

Our team was well-represented with Will, Peter, Joan, and Diane. 

Keeley and Quinn came in later and took a turn as auctioneers.

Notice Diane is modelling her 2020 t-shirt. We had another team ready to depart just when COVID hit. They were commissioned on a Sunday, and on the following Monday in March 2020, travel was shut down. So, the 2023 team is carrying the spirit of the 2020 team as well

I was talking to Peter last week about all the packing required before the group gets on the bus. Everyone is allowed two suitcases. One they fill with stuff they will need for themselves, the other is packed with donated supplies -- mostly medical and school needs. Packing a full suitcase is one thing, but, since getting through DR Customs can be tricky, each item must be listed. All of the supplies the team takes with them are donations and, as such, are duty free. However, it pays to know exactly what is in each suitcase in case any get "lost."

Modern travellers tend to stuff a few t-shirts into a back-pack and off they go. Preparing to travel to Pedregal and House Upon the Rock, is a whole other kettle of fish.

Byron's message on Sunday morning was about the importance of prayer. As members of our congregation ready themselves physically for their mission, let us hold them close in our prayers.