Mission and Service

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

Lots of excitement at SPPC on Sunday morning. Our mission team was commissioned for work in the Dominican Republic. They leave on Wednesday, taking with them suitcases filled with medical supplies, children's vitamins, OTC pain relievers and the prayers of the congregation. 

This is the fourth time a team from SPPC has joined with others on the Saanich Peninsula to deliver labour and supplies to the House Upon the Rock Ministry in the Dominican Republic. It would have been our fifth, but for COVID. In 2020 we had a team just days away from travelling with the pandemic hit and international travel was halted. 

For a small and elderly congregation to be able to send so many into a foreign mission field is surely a sign of the Holy Spirit at work. This year's team includes Rev. Irwin, a first for him, and Jerusha, also going for the first time. Joan and Diane are old hands at this, Diane having been on all three previous trips and Joan on two of them.

maternity kits

We can't think about the DR without commending Joan for her bottle recycling committment. Every week she hauls away bags and bags of bottles and cans and cartons to sort, organize and deliver to the recycling centre. The money from this effort has gone a long way to paying for airfare and supplies for our travellers. 

Joan's back yard on collection day

Vitamins, pain relievers

The team is the pointy end of our mission work. The congregation that supports them with cash, gifts in kind, and prayers is the bow that sends them on their way.

The commissioning service on Sunday morning underlined the community aspect of missionary work. Knowing they carry the good wishes and prayers of the congregation strengthens and encourages our team as they head off into a time of hard, physical labour, new connections, shared goals, and an openness to following God's will.

The choir anthem, Consecration, by John Ness Beck, used the words of the old hymn, "Take my life and let it be consecrated, Lord to Thee." The poet, Frances Ridley Havergal, offered her all -- her time, her hands, her feet, her voice, her lips, her silver and gold, her intellect, her will, her heart, and her love.  A good summary of what it means to serve the Lord. 

We crave your prayers for our missionaries as they spread the Good News and pitch in as a helping neighbour.

MISSION FIELD?

by Edna Kirk


     When you think of missions what springs to mind? Often we think of missionaries leaving their homeland to go other countries. But recently I was made to stop and think more about this, and to revise my ideas, when I saw the page entitled :
 “Together, we are making mission and ministry happen” This was in the January copy of the Presbyterian Record and there was a chart showing that our churches across Canada worship in 20 languages! There are services in Arabic, Korean, Spanish, Hungarian, Mandarin just to name a few. But Efik,Ga,Twi,Urdu?
(If you don’t recognize the names of some of these languages then you would learn a lot more about our immigrants by looking them up) 
    There are also services using some of our First Nations languages – Cree and Ojibwe being two.
    We often hear in the news about people who come from other countries and commit crimes but how often do we  hear about those who come and make homes, work hard, become good citizens and are Presbyterians? 
    We talk of declining membership in English-speaking churches but many of our ethnic churches put us to shame with their increasing memberships and their enthusiastic services.
    God does work in wonderful ways
 “ to reach out to others and share the good news, in the name of Christ”