Easter 2025

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

Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed, Hallelujah!

We began our early morning service at Cy Hampson park with that rousing declaration. There was a forecast of rain and the day began in cloud, then the sun broke through. 

The little bird came to sing to us again, although from a different tree this time. 

There is something special about that outdoor service at the beginning of Easter Sunday -- an uplift of the spirit as we stand beside the ocean, surrounded by the beauty and wonder of God's creation; a sense of rejoicing as we imagine the followers of Jesus running with the news that the tomb was empty and Christ had risen from the dead. 

Before heading back to the church and breakfast, I took our usual Easter photograph. There are two posted here. Try if you can spot the difference. 

On thing you may notice is that some of the "usuals" are missing, Jim among them. As explanation, he sent along this post with his greetings.

🕂🕂🕂🕂🕂

Easter is a special time for me. Not only is it the anniversary of Christ dying on the cross but Easter eggs. Growing up in England prior to coming to Canada at 10 years old in November 1958, there was always an Easter egg hunt at home. Then it was off to church at St. Jude's. In September 2023, I returned to St. Jude's church for a service and had the opportunity to tell the congregation how my Grandfather had helped save the church after it was firebombed in January 1941 by the Germans.

My own children, Robert and Kirsten, growing up in Brampton also enjoyed the Easter egg hunt. Some Easters we took a road trip. One particular Easter when they were small, we stayed in Baltimore and my wife Lorna hid Easter goodies all around the hotel room.

On another trip in Virginia, tragedy was averted on Good Friday. We were on our way to Washington, DC from a picnic in the mountains of Virginia, when the brakes failed on our brand new Pontiac SUV. I was able to bring the car to a stop. We were in Charlottesville, Virgina and, on Good Friday, all businesses are closed from noon until 3 PM. Just around 3 PM we got the car to a Chev dealer who got us to the Pontiac dealer by putting brake fluid into a broken part. Here they gave us the bad news. They had to get a new part from the GM plant in Baltimore - next week. Then kindness stepped in. The owner of the dealership had a mechanic take the part off a new car and use it to replace the faulty one on ours. They closed at 6 PM but stayed a little longer and we were off to Washington, DC for another Easter egg hunt there.

My wife Lorna and myself spent our first Easter at Saanich Presbyterian Church on April 9, 2023. We came to Sidney from Halton Hills where we attended Boston Presbyterian which is over 200 years old.

Of course we went to the sunrise service at Cy Hampson park. It was a treat to sing the hyms accompanied by our minister, Irwin Cunningham, on his guitar. Great talent. We returned to the church for breakfast and the 10 am service. We repeated this last Easter but this year we are away, off on another adventure taking the train to San Francisco and Seattle. We'll meet up with my old friend Nick and his wife from Portsmouth, England. He and I went to St. Jude's School and church together 70 years ago.

We wish you all a HAPPY EASTER. Jim and Lorna

Adventures with Jim

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

Dear Alice and friends my blog is overdue but I want to tell you about my visit to the Canadian naval Museum at the Naval Dockyard in Esquimalt,

The museum is located inside the Naval Base off Admirals Road in Esquimalt. It tells the story of Canada's navy.
     On Tuesday February 27,2024 I was taken to the museum by Paul Seguna, CD, Lieutenant Commander RCN (Ret'd) who is a guide at the museum.  The museum is housed in a building built by the British in the 19th century as a hospital.

Canada's navy was formed in 1910, before which we depended on Britain for naval defence.

Pictured below is our first ship which was obtained from England:

     His Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Rainbow was an Apollo-class cruiser that was commissioned into Britain's Royal Navy in 1893. In 1910, Britain sold the vessel to Canada, where it became one of the first two warships of the newly formed Naval Service of Canada.
     During World War One ( Aug,1914 - Nov. 1918). The navy was active but relied on England to take part in big sea battles such as the Battle of Jutland in 1916,
     When war broke out on September 10,1939 against Germany Canada's navy was small. The RCN expanded substantially during the Second World War, with the larger vessels transferred or purchased from the US and British navies (many through the Destroyers for Bases Agreement), and the smaller vessels such as corvettes and frigates constructed in Canada. 

     By the end of the conflict Canada had the fourth-largest navy in the world, behind the United States, the United Kingdom and the USSR, but had only two ships larger than destroyers, the light cruisers, HMCS Uganda and HMCS Ontario.^[25] Although it showed its inexperience at times during the early part of the war, a navy made up of men from all across the country, including many who had never before seen a large body of water, proved capable of exceeding the expectations of its allies. By the end of the Battle of the Atlantic, the RCN was the primary navy in the northwest sector of the Atlantic Ocean and, under the command of Rear-Admiral Murray, was responsible for the safe escort of innumerable convoys and the destruction of many U-boats—an anti-submarine capability that the RCN would build upon in post-war years. The Northwest Atlantic Theatre was the only theatre not under command of either a Briton or American during the entire war.

     At the end of the Battle of the Atlantic, Canadian ships (either alone or in conjunction with other ships and planes) sank a total of 27 U-boats, and either sank or captured 42 Axis surface ships.^[26] But the real victory was not so much in the statistics of battle, as in the successful completion of 25,343 merchant ship crossings, carrying 181,643,180 tons of cargo and a significant proportion of the Canadian and US forces for the eventual victory in Europe.^[26] 

     Canada lost 24 ships in five different theatres: first was Fraser, sunk in a collision while evacuating refugees from France in 1940; Athabaskan, Regina, Alberni and Trentonian were lost in 1944 during Operation Neptune and cross-Channel escort duty; Louisburg and Weyburn sank in the Mediterranean Sea during the North African invasions of Operation Torch; eight ships were sunk protecting Canadian coastal waters Bras d'Or, Chedabucto, Clayoquot and Esquimalt (minesweepers), Otter and Raccoon (armed yachts), and Charlottetown and Shawinigan (corvettes); and nine ships were lost on Atlantic escort duty Margaree, Levis, Windflower, Spikenard, Ottawa, St. Croix, Valleyfield, Skeena and Guysborough (on loan to the RCN from the Royal Navy). Altogether the RCN lost 1,797 seamen, and 95 became prisoners of war.^[27]

     As the end of the war against Germany approached, attention focused on Japan. At the end of 1944, some RCN ships were deployed with the British Pacific Fleet, joining the many Canadian personnel already serving with the Royal Navy in the Pacific War. Ottawa was also laying plans to expand the RCN's capabilities beyond its anti-submarine orientation. The war in the Pacific was expected to culminate with a massive invasion of Japan itself, and this would need a different navy than that required in the Atlantic.

     The museum tells the story of the battle of the Atlantic. Here are a few pictures from the museum.

Women play an important part in Canada's navy. During WWII, my Mother was a signals officer serving in the British and American Air Forces.

The depth charge was an important weapon against German submarines known as U Boats.

Esquimalt Naval Base

It was a great day out, learning about Canada's Naval history. Paul and I would like to take a group from the church so speak to me if you are interested.

Don't forget we rely on our Navy to keep us safe.

I leave you today with words from the naval hymn -

Eternal Father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidst the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep:
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.

Jim Dallimore

 

Ed. Note:  Thank you Jim for this educational blog and for sharing your love of all things naval.

Concerts

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

Thanks to Jim for this report.

Today I want to tell you about two fabulous choirs, one that I saw in Cuxhaven, Germany and the other coming right here in Sidney, B.C. on Saturday, December 16, 2023

On Friday, August 11, 2023 I flew from Vancouver, B.C. to Hamburg, Germany, arriving in Hamburg on Saturday evening, German time.

At the airport to meet me was my special German family, (Mark, his wife Riikka and their two children, Eva (11) and Johan (9). Marc's father spent a year living with us as an exchange student from August 1995 to July 1996. I stayed with them in their house in the town of Stadde (near Hamburg) for six days.

On Sunday, August 13 we all went to Cuxhaven to hear a choir concert on a dock there. Cuxhaven is located at the mouth of the Elbe River and the North Sea. What a treat. The choir sang in German and English. As you can see by the pictures, the concert took place on a dock. 

The choir with Johan and Eva, who call me CGD (Canadian Granddad.)

The choir at Cuxhaven pictured below.

Fishing boat arriving on the dock opposite, with the day's catch

Although you weren't with me in Germany, here is a chance to hear another great choir, "The Victoria Police Choir." On Saturday December 16,2023, they will be performing at St. Paul's United Church, 2410 Malaview Ave, Sidney, BC on the corner of 5th. street and Malaview Ave. north of Beacon St., a short drive from the church.

Doors open at 1:30 PM with the concert from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. Noel, a member of our congregation, will be singing.
Tickets are $20.00 seniors and $25.00 adults - worth every penny. They can be purchased for cash at Tanners Bookstore, Beacon Ave., Sidney. You can also contact me
@ 416-303-2224. and I will get them for you. I hope to see you there.
Jim Dallimore

**********

 Last week we interrupted our study of Proverbs to discuss the background to the war between Israel and Hamas. Rev. Irwin gave a fascinating talk on the history of the area from Abraham through to 1948. During those thousands of years, the area saw immigration and conquest from many, many empires that invaded the land. Some set up vassal kingdoms, some left the people alone, some expelled the leadership to other areas of whatever empire was in power. Over five thousand years of history, the land of present day Israel was claimed by Egypt, Assyria, the Philistines, Babylon, Greece (Macedonian under Alexander the Great), Rome, the Ottoman Empire, France and Britain. The history of the Holy Land is a story of conquest, subjugation and rebellion, over thousands of years.

The session ran past our usual time, but no one left. In fact, people stayed behind with more questions. There was no easy answer suggested in the discussion, but a more complete understanding of the geography and history of the region can help to clarify current events. 

Thank you to Rev. Irwin for a thorough and understandable lesson in history.

This week, we revert to the study of Proverbs--Living Wisely.