MORE OF THE FAMILY

 

Last week I posted about the youth in our congregation and their various doings.  This week I thought it would be interesting to look at the other end of the spectrum.  
    At 90 +, Beulah is a faithful member of the Bible Study group, the prayer group, and the prayer chain and was also an active member of the Canadian Bible Society.  Although the local chapter of the Society has dissolved, Beulah is still a passionate believer in the power of the Bible and the need to translate and distribute scriptures into every language and every corner of the world.

    Jean, also in the 90+ club, helps out with the Chaplaincy at Saanich Peninsula Hospital, attends Bible Study, is a member of the prayer chain and regularly spends time in the schools helping children learn to read.  She also attends the sing-songs at Sidney Intermediate Care.  
     Until arthritis took away her mobility, Beryl volunteered at the airport and at the hospital.  She still manages to do some visiting and checks in on shut-ins by telephone.
     Of course, we have a whole army of people in the 80-90 age range who volunteer at the hospital, bake cookies for the Blue Bus, serve in the kitchen, serve on committees and visit the "elderly."  

Some of our hard workers enjoying the sunshine lunch

    I knew a woman many years ago who had been very active in church and other service organizations.  She developed severe arthritis and had to give up all of her usual activities.  Even attending worship service became impossible.  So, she looked around her and said "what can I do?"  The answer lay in the telephone.  She could call people and visit with them that way.  Even confined to a chair, she found a way to help others.
    The Bible Study we are doing right now is "A dare to live fully right where you are."  Isn't it wonderful that God can use us, right where we are, regardless of age, skill, power or wealth? How blessed we are at SPPC to have people of all ages, willing to share whatever they can and help to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth.

     




    

MOTHER'S DAY

   

On Sunday, we celebrated Mother's Day, or Family Sunday, as it's known in the church.  Some cynics claim that Mother's Day was invented by the greeting card companies as a way to sell more cards but there have been festivals celebrating mothers as far back as 250 B.C.  Whatever its origins, the second Sunday of May is a time to say thank you to all the mothers amongst us and to celebrate the love of family, in all its shapes and forms.
     At SPPC we are a particular kind of family and I thought you might like to know what "our kids" have been up to.

      Rebekah and Megan have been to a band festival in Whistler.  This was a big adventure for them, travelling with a school group of about 40 musicians, playing before an adjudicator and then taking part in a master class.  

They report the weather was great, the trip was fun, the master class was super and we'll all forget about the adjudicator.

Apparently the food was good too!

       

This is a bear, not the adjudicator

      Peter has taken up baseball this term.  He had a big hit at a recent game, knocked in run, and his team went on to win the game.  Great for Peter and even better that his brother was so excited for him.  That's what families do.  We cheer each other on, sharing our joy and lightening our disappointments.
        Max has been in several rowing regattas but the big one was at Mill Bay a few weeks go.

 His four-man squad won the junior varsity event with 22 seconds to spare (That's huge in rowing terms).  Not only that, given their time, they would have placed second if they'd been competing in the varsity race.  Way to go, Max!
     

     Elizabeth, our resident guest pianist, won the piano concerto contest at U Vic.  The prize gives her bragging rights but no cash.  On the other hand, she does get to play a concerto with the U Vic symphony next year.  I love Elizabeth's playing and really look forward to attending that concert.

   

Felicity spent a lot of time in the kitchen and produced this beautiful cake in honour of all the mothers in our

congregation.  Not only did the cake look wonderful, it tasted great too.  (I heard a rumour that the youth class might be holding a bake sale -- if that is true, I'll buy one of Felicity's cakes!)
   

      But while we are celebrating with cards and flowers and special dinners, let us remember the mothers and daughters around the world who suffer, especially those in Nigeria, where violent men seek to enslave girls in ignorance and poverty, just because they are girls.  Evil abounds in this world in many guises but the kidnapping of school girls is particularly egregious.

   For the joy of human love,
  Brother, sister, parent, child,
  Friends on earth, and friends above,
  For all gentle thoughts and mild,
  Lord of all, to Thee we raise




  This our sacrifice of praise.

LOVE IN ACTION

  The question of faith vs works came up in conversation this week.  It's a knotty question, oft debated among theologians and laity alike.   Those on the works side often quote from James 20. while those who argue for justification by faith alone like Galations 2.  At SPPC this week we saw faith AND good works in the same events.

     On Tuesday the Pastoral Care committee hosted a talk by Linda Cliff on "Life before Death."

It sounds a bit grim but the emphasis was on the "life" part of the equation.  There was a video showing people at various stages of their life journey.  One interview was with a fairly young woman who had suffered so much pain, her life held no hope, no joy and no ease.  Through the marvels of palliative care, she was given a drug that took away her pain. Now she felt truly alive, her face filled with joy, her mind teaming with plans for the future.  She talked about the blessing of doing the dishes, taking a walk or working in the garden.  She could live her life.

  Other interviews showed people in the latter stages of terminal illness.  With good palliative care, they were able to remain relatively pain-free and it made all the difference.  They could talk with loved ones, build up special memories, treasure the moments they still had.  A sad contrast to those in some countries which lack palliative care, where nurses can only offer a drink of water and a hand to hold.  We are very lucky here in Victoria to have access to the very best in hospice care.

    Linda is a dedicated member of the Hospice community and a champion for palliative care.  That passion, combined with her faith, showed through in her compassion for those who suffer and in the work she and others do to relieve suffering.

   On Sunday, the Living Flame Choir put their faith into action by presenting a concert at the Shoal Centre.  Our youth is very busy and rehearsal time is hard to come by so we squeezed in some extra practice after church.  Then had a social time and shared some pizza.

Then we packed up our music and our noise-makers and headed off to the Shoal Centre.
   We presented a half-hour concert that included "Dem Bones", hence the noise-makers, as well as "When I Turn My Heart to Heaven."  The latter was necessary since it refers to God's promise in the rainbow.  Since we have a lovely backdrop of a rainbow, we're happy to have the opportunity to put it on display.

Our audience was made up of Shoal Centre residents, a few of our own congregation and some visitors.  It was wonderful to see the joy on the faces in the audience as the music reminded them of happy times in their own lives.  Faith -- music -- sharing -- love in action.

    I can't leave this week's blog without mentioning that our Bible Study sessions begin this week.  We will be using a study based on a book by Ann Voskamp called One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are.  I just finished reading the book and found it spoke to my soul. The author shares her own journey of faith and thankfulness in our ordinary and marvellous daily work.   I can't wait to see what we do with it in Bible Study.  We meet Wednesday at 9:30 am and at 7:00 pm.  Everyone is welcome at either or both of these session.

    

   So there you have it, a sample of our week filled with works, based in faith and given with joy.  Pretty good week, I'd say.

Pilgrim's Progress -- Book Review

The Pilgrim's Progress by 
John Bunyan first published in 1678 and translated into more than 200 languages,  has never been out of print. 
  Bunyan began his work while in the Bedfordshire county gaol for violations of the Conventicle Act, which prohibited the holding of religious services outside the auspices of the established Church of England.

Many of us will have studied this allegory somewhere in our schooling, but it is always interesting to re-read a classic from a new perspective.
  Briefly, the plot follows the progress of a young man named Christian who was tormented by spiritual anguish.  He meets a guide named Evangelist who urges Christian to leave the City of Destruction and go to the Celestial City of Mount Zion, where he can find salvation.  
   Having failed to persuade his family to come with him, Christian sets off alone.  On his way he falls into the Slough of Despond,  meets Worldly Wiseman, shelters in Goodwill's house and stops at the Interpreter's home, where he leans many lessons of faith.
    At other stages of his journey Christian sees the tomb of Christ, meets the Three Shining Ones, the four mistresses of the Palace Beautiful and the monster Apollyon, who seeks to kill Christian.  
    He also passes through the Valley of Humiliation and the Valley of the Shadow of Death.  He meets other travellers, Faithful, Talkative, Hopeful and By-ends and Ignorance and Flatterer. They take shelter on the grounds of the Doubting Castle and meet Giant Despair.  As they approach the Celestial City they must cross the  mountains, Error and Caution.
    Eventually after many trials and adventures Christian and Hopeful arrive in the Celestial City.
    The second part of the book details the journey of Christian's wife as she too, sets off for the Celestial City.

    Written over three centuries ago, this Christian allegory can still resonate with a modern reader.  As I read, there were many word pictures that were so vivid, it made me weak in the knees and made me look at myself and question where I was at on the pilgrim path.  Was I at the Slough of Despond,  doubting, fearful -- or was I trusting,  willing.  There are so many decisions to be made, with care as we journey on our own path through life.
     This terrific little book points you to God's word, The Bible.  It's a beautiful companion and reminder to look to our Heavenly Father for everything in this pilgrim's progress, through prayer.
     If you want to identify some of  the struggles, you may be going through, in a way that's easy to understand, this is the book for you.  If you've already read it, perhaps you should have another look.

--Reviewed by J. Browning and available in our church library.

Easter Sunday 2014

   "Sunrise" service -- well, 8:00 am if you want to be picky.

The forecast was for rain, so we had a canopy

Wearing our best clothes

And here is our traditional after-service picture at Cy Hampson Park on Easter Sunday Morning.

     Then we repaired to the church for a delicious breakfast, of quiche, sausage, fruit, orange juice, hot cross buns.  Quite a feast.  I think the cooks and servers were up even earlier than the sunrise service worshippers.

     Our morning service was filled with joy, from the first "Christ is Risen!  He is Risen indeed!" to the last "Hallelujah," praise and prayer and especially music filled our senses and our souls.

     The Living Flame, all turned out in their Sunday best, sang "Glory, to the Risen Lord!" with handbell accompaniment.

   Our hard-working organist invited guest musicians to help out so we had  William and Frances Perriam 

on violin and piano.  Elizabeth Clarke added a second pair of hands to the piano and then switched to the organ.  Larry hopped back and forth between the organ and cello.

    The service ended with Handel's magnificent "Hallelujah Chorus"

       

Here's Larry dressed for action after the service!

    Happy Easter, everyone. 

 Christ is Risen!  He is Risen Indeed!  Hallelujah!

Surprise, it's Easter

For some reason Easter has snuck up and caught me unaware this year.  Maybe I was distracted by the string of rainy Saturdays, or the multitude of items on my to-do list.  Both choirs have been working on Easter music, but in my mind that was for some far off Sunday. I haven't even noticed the sales pitches for Easter bonnets and chocolate rabbits. So, a glance at the calendar showing Easter Week has already begun gave me quite a jolt. 
     Surprised by joy as Wordsworth's famous sonnet begins.  From the grey busyness of distractions, I look up and see -- the awful passion of Christ, the unbearable grief of Good Friday, and then the stunning, surprise of joy on Easter morning.  The stone is rolled away, the tomb is empty,  Christ is risen!  
     I still have a few days to prepare and you are invited to join me at SPPC.

Wed. April 16, 9:30 am  

Bible Study on the last chapter of  Revelation,     

 "Behold, I come quickly." Rev.22:7

Thurs. April 17, 6:00pm  

Tenebrae service in the sanctuary

Good Friday, April 18, 10:00 am  

joint service at Friendship  Community Church, 7820 C. Saanich Rd.

Easter Sunday, April 20, 8:00 am  

Sunrise service at Cy Hampson Park.  Easy parking.  I've been to every one of these services since Rev. Irwin started them.  It usually rains, but we still see the Son rise.

Easter Sunday, April 20,  9:00 am 

 Easter Breakfast in Molloy Hall at SPPC, and a welcome cup of coffee for the early risers from Hampson Park.

Easter Sunday, April 20, 10:00 am, 

Easter Sunday Worship in the sanctuary of SPPC.   I mentioned musical preparations at the top of this post.  Our Easter worship will be filled with joyful music.

End of Life Care

    On Tuesday, April 29, SPPC will be hosting another workshop in our on-going series on health care for the elderly and for patients with a terminal diagnosis, with Linda Cliff as our presenter.
     Linda has extensive experience in nursing, hospice and community health, and a true passion for her profession.  Her last workshop, in November, was titled,  
Let’s Talk About End of Life Care

  Here is a summary from her notes

                                           

    Hospice Care began to be formally organized in the late ‘70s in Canada. In those early days the care was described as “skilled and compassionate care primarily directed to dying and the bereaved to meet physical, emotional and spiritual needs”. By 2002 there were subtle changes to this definition “an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and families facing problems associated with life threatening illness and the prevention and relief of suffering.

     The emphasis has switched from the dying to the quality of living. Today we are using the term End of Life Care, as our population ages we are interested in the quality of living until we die.

     How can we accomplish this goal without ignoring the dying part of the equation? The answer lies in the application of the principals of Hospice/Palliative care. As our population ages, the demand for service will increase. Currently seniors represent about 14 percent of the Canadian population this group is expected to grow to 25 percent of the population by 2036. It is estimated that by 2025, two-thirds of Canadians who die will have two or more chronic illnesses and will have lived for months or years in a frail state of health. There is a way through this challenging situation and it involves an integrated approach to care that has been named the Palliative Approach. The care is patent centered, includes open communication between caregivers and patients and their families about the illness trajectory and advanced care planning, and psychosocial and spiritual support for both patients and family members. It focuses on providing care and enhancing quality of life throughout the illness using knowledge of pain and symptom management.

     This care requires patients and families to be involved with their care team, for them to be informed and seen as partners in health care. It requires that patients be given accurate information about what can and cannot be done for treatment of their disease. When we focus on this type of inclusive and informed care we are able to improve our quality of life even when we are dying. A caring approach such as this will help us all to find the dignity we long for as we face end of life challenges.
                                      ***

     The above is just a brief overview.  Linda provided much more information at the meeting and was available to take questions.  So, if you missed that one, here's your chance to mark your calendar for the next one, April 29, at 10:00 am in the Molloy Hall.  
     We will all face these end of life decisions one day, so it doesn't hurt to be prepared, and where better to face difficult matters than in the loving community of our congregation.