Ah! Summer

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

We hit the summer solstice last week and have arrived at the lazy days of summer. At least, we hope they will be lazy. Gardeners, farmers, travel agents, camp counsellors, life guards and park rangers will be extra busy over the next two months, but for most of us, the rhythm of life slows once school is out.

At SPPC we held our last study session on Wednesday, finishing off the Book of Ephesians as presented by Tim Mackie on the Bible Project. This was a very intensive study, spanning 35 episodes to cover just six pages of scripture. We delved deep! Class dismissed until the fall.

You may have noticed that the choir has dispensed with our heavy gowns during the month of June. That was a signal. We have now sung our last anthem until September. Over the summer this small group of dedicated servants gets a rest -- sort of. Our organist will still lead the music every

Sunday and individual members of the choir will offer their gifts. But, for two months, no choir practice on Thursday nights.

To celebrate, the choir and guests treated themselves to dinner out at the Waddling Dog following our last practice on Thursday night. 

Our special drive for the Sidney Food Bank continues until July 12. We collect for the Food Bank all year long but twice a year we make it the focus of our mission work. As well as food and cash, the Food Bank has made a special request for personal hygiene products and school snacks, including peanut butter. 😀 Donations can be dropped off at the church. There are collection bins in the narthex.

Hanging basket prize in food bank draw

The sermon on Sunday reflected on Psalm 122, which contains these lines: 

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls and prosperity within thy palaces. 

 

There is a very grand setting to these words by Hubert Parry and sung at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. You can listen to it here. It was also used at the thanksgiving services for her Golden and Platinum jubilees, and again at the coronation of King Charles III. For a simpler version with guitar try this one. It riffs on the play on words of "Shalom" (peace) and Jerusalem (Hebrew includes word shalom in the name of the city.)

However you sing it or say it, a prayer for peace is a fitting kick-off to summer. 

now that's lazy!

The Year that Was

 Link for our live-streamed service is here.

On the world stage, 2025 was a tumultuous year--wars, tariffs, natural disasters, an election, a new pope . . . Is it any wonder that at SPPC we turned to the comforts of food and fellowship?

We ended the year with a sunshine lunch, the fifth such gathering of the year. Joan kindly sent along a few pictures.

Friendship coffee met eight times in the church building. Congregants and community members enjoyed a cuppa and goodies, but mostly they enjoyed each other's company, setting the world to rights around a table and sharing a laugh.

We also broke bread together to raise funds for the new heat pump. It had a hiccup in the beginning, but all seems to be in order now. We were cool on the hottest days of summer and warm now that winter has arrived.

Our church building turned 35 this year. So, we celebrated that anniversary with lunch. The mission team to the DR reported back over lunch, and in September we had a potluck lunch to celebrate the return to "school" and to hear about Diane and Rev. Irwin's trip to S. Africa.

In December we had a carol-singalong, but boosted the occasion with the first ever Great Peninsula Shortbread Bakeoff -- with hot chocolate and cookies.

All this in addition to our usual fellowship time following service on Sunday morning! I didn't count the number of Sundays where we had a cake to celebrate a special occasion, but on the last Sunday of 2025 we had a 90th birthday cake for Syd. 

Mission

I mentioned that we celebrated the return of our mission team with lunch (peanut butter sandwiches) but we also give thanks for the work they did in the Dominican Republic. Joan, Diane and Jerusha are old hands at this but it was the first year that Rev. Irwin made the journey. They all came back glowing with joy, and nursing callouses -- hard, physical labour in Christ's name bears its own rewards.

Certificate for Missional Leadership- several people from both session and the congregation have signed on to a church renewal project sponsored by Vancouver School of Theology. We expect to hear an update from them in January. Of course, lunch will be served.

We support the Peninsula Food Bank all through the year, but in 2025 we ran two "drives" to bring extra goods and cash. 

Our cozy toes project supported the Mustard Seed Street Church with warm socks and other articles of clothing for the unhoused.

Study

Our Wednesday Study tackled several topics in 2025. We did "Drive Thru' History," a video series with Dave Stotts in the lead up to Easter. Doing a virtual walk with him through the Holy land and Jesus' journey to the cross brought many insights. 

While Rev. Irwin was mixing cement in the DR we watched a couple of movies, "God is not Dead," "Luther" and "Bonhoeffer."  All of these told the story of people who had stood firm on the Gospel in the face of ridicule, persecution and death. A reminder that the church has survived turmoil for centuries. 

Currently, the group is taking a crash course in Biblical understanding through semantics via video with Tim Mackie of the Bible Project.

Pulpit Supply

This was also a year of guest preachers. Rev. Irwin took leave to do mission work in the Dominican Republic, to wash dishes at Camp Imodene, and for medical issues. He also had study leave and his own vacation time. In his absence we enjoyed a parade of substitute teachers on Sunday mornings. George Hodgson, Rick Wismer (Blue Bus), Harold McNabb, and Arnie Alksne are old friends of the congregation. We were also blessed with visits from Byron Knight, Grant Wilson, Ray Sanford, Wes Dyer, and Mitch Coggin. We are grateful for these fresh voices from the pulpit. Praise God for His many servants.

Worship

The items listed above stand out because they are out of the ordinary. Worship, on the other hand, is what we do, week in and week out. It is at the heart of our reality. The mission work, the fellowship, the fun stuff, they are all grounded in our faith, nurtured by worship and preaching. Sunday morning binds us together with "saints above and saints below."

There are also special times of worship at Easter-- a Good Friday service, a Maundy Thursday communion, and Sunrise service in the park. 

Our Christmas Eve, with candles and carols is always a highlight of the season. 2025 was no different. 

2026?

At this time of year the pundits are invited to make predictions for the coming months. I wouldn't dare. After all, we sing "my life is in your hands, O Lord." But, I expect that SPPC will continue to worship, eat cake, make music, and enjoy our fellowship, rejoicing in Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

Book Review -- Linda Cliff

If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat

By John Ortberg

This book was the winner of the 2002 Christianity Today Book award! - And is well worth the read.   The author invites the reader to consider the potential that awaits outside your comfort zone.  Ortberg takes the reader step by step through Peter’s walking on water experience helping the reader to develop the necessary skills to do the same. 
 

In the preface of the book Ortberg states that he believes there is some aspect of our lives in which God is calling us to walk with and to him, and that when we say yes to his calling it sets in motion a dynamic that is beyond mere human power.  Fortunately there are some essential skills we can learn before we try “water walking”, this is a book that will help you get out of the boat. 

The book begins with a discussion of water walking, the people who risk getting out of the boat and the boat potatoes, the people who stay in the boat.  Ortberg tells the reader there are consequences with each decision but God’s promises about water walking are worth the first step.  
He uses scripture from Matthew to look at each part of the water walking skill.  After having the courage to take the risk the walker needs the wisdom to discern the call. Each chapter focuses on learning a part of this new skill.   Once we have discerned the call, there is the actual walking on the water.  This is when we, like Peter, may see the wind and cry out in fear.  Then there is the sinking which is stopped by focusing on Jesus.  We also have to learn how to manage failure and decide “How big is our God?” How big is Christ in our lives? 

Ortberg leads us through this new skill by focusing on each part of the water walking. He uses Bible references to illustrates how others have taken the risk of getting out of the boat.  He is like any good coach; he explains what is needed and then gives us things to practice so we build both the skill and our confidence.  The book is filled with humorous antidotes that make you want to read more and help to keep the reader engaged when you are doing the hard work of learning a new skill.

I highly recommend this book.  The chapter on fear was one of my favorites and one I reread.  Also the chapter on focusing on Jesus has practical ideas on how to make Jesus the focus in each day. 

If you would like to be part of a group who will do a short study on this book, copies are available at the Saanich Peninsula Presbyterian church.  The group will meet in January 2020 and we would like to welcome you.  Watch this Blog for updates.

Linda Cliff

A Bible and a Hockey Stick

I had a chuckle last week when Tore said he wanted to stop by the church to pick up a Bible and a hockey stick.  the pairing seemed incongruous, but on further consideration, I thought "a Bible and a hockey stick" was a great metaphor for life at SPPC.
 The Bible is our foundation, our model for life.  We study it in class on Wednesdays, read from it in worship on Sundays, and use its precepts and examples in the choices we make every day.  

   The hockey stick represents our work outside of Sunday mornings.  We seek to serve our community, whether with a hockey stick or a service at Saanich Peninsula Hospital, or sponsorship of a baseball team, or a collection of warm clothing for the needy.

   Jesus' ministry included study and interpretation of The Law, debate with the pharisees and discussion with his disciples on God's plan for man's salvation.  It also included turning water into wine so that wedding guests could celebrate, feeding the five thousand who were hungry, healing the lame man and making breakfast for Peter, James and John and other disciples.
   
   A hockey stick and a Bible.  Good example of Christian living 

News from Session

by Anne MacKinnon




 For a long time Rev. Irwin and session members have tried to select a suitable time and place for a session retreat. However, this has not happened as we all seemed to have different agendas. How do International Conferences ever manage to get hundreds of delegates together when eight people have such trouble? Our solution was to study a course Experiencing God for two hours every Wednesday afternoon for twelve weeks. The primary author of this course is Henry Blackaby. He writes, "Experiencing God was my life message . . . This is how I had pastored and guided God's people." There are twelve short videos accompanying the course in which Henry Blackaby and his son Richard preach the message of each week and share a great many personal experiences. Blackaby has a systematic approach in this course. Basically, he gives seven steps which must be followed in order for us to reach our goal of experiencing God in a very real and personal way. The course was not meant to bring a person to Christ, but to deepen the relationship with Him. Hence the title -- it is not learning about God but experiencing His power in our lives. There is a fair amount of home study involved -- approximately one hour each day. Some weeks it also involves showing a DVD. Although it has a strong Baptist flavour, I think many churches might find the course interesting and worthwhile. Since its publication in 1990, it has gone worldwide, has been published in 47 languages, and has been used by almost every denomination. I think the course can be regarded as a starting point for a whole new adventure in walking with God each day.

Anne, a long-time elder at SPPC, is active in the pastoral care committee and the grief and loss support group. She is also the friendly face at the front door every Sunday.