Easter Sunrise Service

   Cold and damp on Easter morning in Cy Hampson Park.  No sunrise, but the Son has risen.  He is risen, indeed.

What a glorious morning!

Easter Week

We began Easter Week yesterday with the celebration of Palm Sunday, that strange day in the Christian calendar, which begins with the shouting of Hosanna, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, and ends with Holy Communion, a remembrance of the Last Supper Jesus shared with His disciples.  From here on, we move through Holy Week, descending to the pain of betrayal, entering into the fear of the upper room, sharing the darkness of Gethsemane and huddling in despair at the foot of the Cross.
    But for us, an Easter people, the Cross is not the end of our journey.  Out of the darkness, we move forward into light, celebrating the joy of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ our Lord and the proclamation that "He is Risen.  He is risen indeed!  Hallelujah."

   Listed below are opportunities at SPPC to share the moments leading up to that joyful Easter morning.  All are welcome.

Mon., April 19, 9:00 am      -- Devotional time in the sanctuary
Tues., April 20, 9:00 am      -- Devotional time in the sanctuary
Wed., April 21, 9:00 am      -- Devotional time in the sanctuary
Thur., April 22, 6:00 pm     --  Maundy meal, Molloy Hall
Fri.,   April 23, 10:00 am     --Good Friday church service with
                                                community churches held at
                                                Fellowship community church,
                                                7820Central Saanich Rd.

Sunday, April 24, 7:00 am    -- Easter Sunday sunrise service in
                                                  Hampson Park.
                           9:00 am     -- Breakfast Molloy Hall
                          10:00 am     -- Easter Sunday Worship

Bible Study continues on Wed. April 20, 9:30 am . in Ross Lounge and 7:00 pm at the home of Edna Kirk

Why SPPC?

 I think I have been at SPPC about 14 years, give or take a few. ( I came just after Rev. Barb became pastor.) .My background is long and varied,(including time in the mission field) however, I moved to the Island from Abbotsford when I retired from my job as office clerk in my daughters business. I came to SPPC because my son, Hugh, really liked the people and the service. He was living with me and he felt accepted and loved by the people of the church.  Also, my background is Presbyterian  so I also felt “at home”.
   My favourite part of SPPC is the Wednesday morning Bible Study.  The in-depth study of God’s Word under the insightful explanations of  Rev. Irwin are so meaningful.  The small group discussions are most helpful and a wonderful opportunity to learn from each other and offer personal experiences we can apply to everyday living. 

All the Bible Studies are excellent, but this current study of Romans is special as it is a difficult book to understand.  It is spelling out our need for salvation and how to obtain it in a very clear and understandable way.  Rev.Irwin takes the hard parts and makes them clear. It is the best day of the week. 

Warm Toes Month

   by  Norma Scott

Twice a year, in April and October, the Mission and Outreach Committee of SPPC promote the "Warm Toes" project.  Warm Toes consists of a pair of warm socks (Capitol Iron or Mark's Workwear World are good places to shop). 

 Lay one sock out flat, roll up the other and stuff it into the toe of the first sock. 

 Fill the rest of the sock with small size personal care items like soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and the like.   Shopper's Drug Mart has lots of sample sizes for sale, or travellers may have picked up soaps and shampoos at hotels. 

Knot the top of the sock and, behold, one completed "warm toes" offering.  Bring your socks to the church anytime during April.  By the end of the month SPPC expects to have several large bags of socks.  Once they are dedicated by Rev. Irwin, they will be delivered to Our Place in Victoria.

   The Our Place centre includes a health and hygiene area where those living on the street can come for a shower --as many as 50-70 a day. Each person is offered a change of clean clothing and warm socks.  That's where our "warm toes" offerings end up.
   There is also a Foot Care Program offered for those with foot problems.  Twelve health care students from the University of Victoria give foot care four mornings a week.  Clean, dry socks are supplied following treatments.  So the need for socks is great.  Used clothing and towels, are also welcome.
   To learn more about Our Place, visit ourplacesociety.com.

Norma Scott is an elder, a Sunday School Teacher, and a passionate believer in the church's mission to serve the world.

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.

Mark, Read and Inwardly Digest

by Alice Valdal
  

  How often have we heard teachers say those words then diligently circle, underline and star sections of our study materials?  When I was in high school, we bought our textbooks and I always tried to buy a used copy from a good student a year or so ahead of me.  That person had usually marked the important passages, and if I was lucky, had even made a few notes in the margin -- saving me the trouble of doing some of my own homework.

    I'm a great fan of used music.  Not only do I get the notes on the page, I often come across markings from a previous singer, alerting me to troublesome spots or giving me a hint as to how to handle a difficult phrase.
     I once heard a preacher say he enjoyed browsing in used book stores and sometimes bought a volume because of the marginalia.  As he described the experience, not only did he get to have a conversation with the author of the book, he also had a conversation with the previous owner.  
      It seems we're happy enough to mark up our school book (some pedants even like to "correct" the text in library books) or to make notes on a score or scribble all over a manuscript, but when it comes to our Bibles, we put our pens away, not wishing to mar the holy text.  And yet, aren't our Bibles textbooks too?  Instead of teaching us physics or English, they provide instruction for living.  Surely the study of such a text warrants the odd asterisk or question mark, not to mention the underlining of a favourite passage.  And yet, we strive to keep the pages of this most important Book pristine.  In Bible Study on Wednesday mornings, Irwin has resorted to handing out the relevant text on a sheet of paper to encourage us to make notes and draw connecting lines and even add a few exclamation points.  Somehow, it seems acceptable to mark up a  photocopy, but not the real Book. 
    In a way, that  attitude is too bad.  I have inherited my mother's Bible as well as a New Testament that belonged to my dad.  In times of grief, I have searched the pages of these two texts for hints of what my parents valued, what words touched their hearts, what psalms brought comfort.  In vain have I sought an underlined passage or a note in the margin.  I know both of these books were well-read and whole sections committed to memory, but not a hint of the previous owner is visible on the pages. 
     I don't advocate defacing the Bible, or any other book for that matter, but I think perhaps a mark, in pencil, to denote a favourite psalm or to highlight a pivotal passage might be in order, a record of my conversation with the author.  After all, my Bible is not a museum piece, it's an instruction manual.  Anyone can tell my favourite recipes by the splatters in my cook book.  Shouldn't my Bible bear some trace of use?
     What about you?  Will your inheritors find a record of your personal faith in the pages of the family Bible?

Alice is a member of the choir at SPPC, a faithful participant in the Bible Study and a luddite who still prefers paper books to electronic ones.

The Home Team

Appreciating our Home Church

         by Dorothy Napier

When we travel we usually take the opportunity to attend church and, naturally, compare it with our home church, SPPC.
On a most recent trip, we visited a large presbyterian church in southern California. The church building of contemporary design was striking and the overall campus impressive. The extensive parking lot was well filled for the regular Sunday service. The congregation was welcoming and, while the congregation was mostly of the older generation, there was a good sized sunday school. The church was clearly well funded and had a senior pastor and two or three associates. The choir, strong in number, was led by a director, assisted by the organist and a pianist. There was also a hand bell choir.
Our visit was at the time of the shooting tragedy in Tucson, Arizona, where there were several victims killed and injured, including a U.S. congresswoman who was seriously wounded. The nation was deeply shocked by this tragedy and it was rightly the focus of the service. The sermon was thoughtful and well prepared and we appreciated the service. Indeed, we attended the same church the following Sunday.
On an earlier trip to Ontario, on three occasions we visited a large suburban church which had two ministers, a large choir and, as at SPPC, a relatively older congregation. The services were pleasant, but hardly memorable beyond the singing of the final hymn.
We are always glad to be back at our home church, SPPC. and, increasingly, appreciate the "home team". We are enormously blessed with sermons that are contemporary, based on scripture, challenging, thought provoking and thoroughly prepared. The choir, though smaller in number than the choirs we visited, is outstanding and led by a dynamic and creative organist/choir director. The after church "coffee time" enables us to meet friends and get to know other members of the congregation.
As we think about all this, isn’t it rather just too easy to take your home church for granted and fail to recognize its strengths. At SPPC, we are richly blessed to be spiritually challenged, to enjoy excellent music and have a most welcoming congregation. We are always glad to be home at SPPC, and enjoy our excellent "home team".

Dorothy was born in Belfast, N. Ireland. She emigrated to Canada with her husband, Roy, and has lived in different communities in Canada, including Ottawa (14 years). She has also lived in Bermuda (7 years). Dorothy has attended SPPC for 3 1/2 years, since moving to Victoria in 2007.Her interests include, reading, theatre and travel. Dorothy and Roy have a son and 2 daughters, 5 grand-children, 3 of whom live in Cobble Hill and 2 in Oakville, Ontario.