FUN EVENING

The Variety Show and dinner came off with flying colours on Saturday night.  Special thanks to organizers, Diane and Darlene, to the kitchen staff and the serving staff, and all the other helpers.  You did us proud.  Comments on the food were all positive, even somewhat surprised. :-)  Visitors hadn't expected such high quality.

     This was a new venture for our congregation, inviting community based acts to come and share their talent with us.  We are most grateful to Tricky Magic, the Craig Henderson Trio, Tristan Thompson and the Canadian College of the Performing Arts as well as surprise guest, Art Pruce for donating their time and talent.  Michael Denton was emcee extraordinaire!  Of course, it was all in a good cause and raised $2000.00 for the mission trip to the Dominican Republic.  Well done everyone, and thanks to our friends and neighbours for their support.



    If you missed the Variety Show, here is a list of other fund-raising events you might like to attend.  

Silent Auction

    On Nov. 22, at Friendship Community Church 7820 C. Saanich Rd.
    There is still time to donate something.  Use your imagination.  I know our own Bill Richer has donated a framed, original drawing.  There are golf lessons on offer and lots of "treasure" baskets.  If you've nothing to put in the auction, you can always be a buyer!  Come and enjoy what promises to be a fun evening, and you just might find that perfect gift.

Bake Sale

   On December 14, after service, the Sunday School is running a bake sale.  Proceeds go to the mission fund and goodies go into your larder.

Bottle Drive

  We will continue to have our bin in the Narthex for refundables to be dropped off. Thanks!
We will hold another community bottle drive on the first Saturday after the Christmas and New Year’s celebrations! We are thinking that people will be happy to unload their refundables after lots of company and celebrating!. We can use helpers for this in the areas of sorting, driving to collect, making coffee and hot chocolate for those working, and light lunch to keep us going.  Truly committed bottle drivers are out scouring the ditches too.

Bridge Luncheon

   In February we'll host a Bridge Luncheon.  This popular card game never goes out of favour so buy your tickets early to ensure your place at the table.  Or get together some friends and make up a foursome.

   Lots of opportunity to support youth initiative and to have fun at the same time. 

CONTEXT

        Every time I walk into SPPC these days, I'm surprised by bags of pop cans and a few cases of empty wine bottles.

 Of course, I know the empties are part of our fund-raising efforts for the mission to Dominican Republic, but what would a stranger think?  SPPC knows how to party?  SPPC needs better janitorial services?
   I've also chuckled this week at my middle-class friend scouring the ditches for empty bottles.  Again, I know what she's up to but would her other acquaintances think she'd fallen on desperate times?  Should someone buy her a bag of groceries?

       For the past several weeks I've listened as the men of the Victoria Choral Society practiced a piece of music, out of context.
     "The Piper," composed by Tobin Stokes of Victoria,commemorates a tragic story from World War I.   A young piper, Jimmy Richardson, of the Canadian Scottish Regiment, played his pipes in full view of the enemy when his battalion's advance was stalled by a dense, barbed wire entanglement at the Battle of Ancre Heights in France. Encouraged by his example, the Battalion forced its way through the wire and made it to the their objective. 

Piper James Cleland Richardson

       Richardson also acted as a stretcher bearer.  After saving a wounded comrade, he returned to the field to recover his pipes. It was the last anyone saw of him.  Jimmy Richardson  disappeared into the mists of battle.  He was awarded the Victoria Cross, posthumously for "conspicuous bravery."
     It was believed his bagpipes had been lost in the mud but in 2002 they were found in Scotland. A British Army chaplain had found them and brought them home where they remained on display in a school where he taught.  The pipes were then returned to the Canadian Scottish Regiment (Princess Mary's).

     When I heard the men's chorus practice their part of Stokes' composition, the music was pleasant enough, but it had no meaning.  Now, I've been to the concert, and realized their part is wonderful, beautiful and  critical to the entire composition.  The men's chorus, the bagpiper, the timpanist -- they all played their individual parts but only the composer knew the whole.  Each musician had to play his part and trust the one who wrote it.

    Last week our nation witnessed tragic and senseless deaths in Ottawa and Quebec.  The news from Syria and N. Iraq tells of terrible persecution of Christians and others.  Ebola ravishes populations in West Africa.  We cry out our anguish and our sorrow.  We ask why?
     We can only trust  the Great Composer.  He alone knows the whole, he alone can weave our disparate parts into something beautiful and worthy and holy.

1 Cor. 13-12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

  

It is the dream of some of the young people in our church to go on a mission trip before they finish high school. The teens have selected to go to the Dominican Republic to help build housing and to meet and spend some time with the children in the community. We will also have a nurse travelling with us who will be practicing her gift of nursing in the mission hospital.

As an organizing committee for this event, we see "The Variety Show" as an opportunity for members of our community to support these young people. Equally important to us, we see it as a great opportunity for people to come into our building, enjoy some fresh local talent and have a great time.

Details:

Saturday, November 1, Dinner at 5pm, Show at 7pm

Saanich Peninsula Presbyterian Church
9296 East Saanich Road • North Saanich BC • V8L 1H8

(On the road to the Victoria International Airport, South-East of the traffic circle)

Dinner: Beef dip/pulled pork sandwiches with salads and an ice cream sundae bar.

Tickets: $25.00 for dinner and show. $15.00 for show only

 

    We have some exciting acts lined up for the Variety Show, including Tristan Thompson, a 16 year old Victoria boy who is already making a name for himself.  Even as a toddler, he admired Michael Jackson and ended up becoming a Michael Jackson impersonator, busking in downtown Victoria.  He drew such a crowd, the police had to move them along for blocking the street.  

   After a live performance at a family friend’s wedding and a few performances at various local charity events such as "The Autism Walk" and the "Lac-Megantic" fundraiser, Tristan was featured on the local “Go Island” TV show.

   Soon after, Tristan released a YouTube video for his Swedish House Mafia cover “Don’tYou Worry Child” and thousands of views started pouring in. Chatter Records released Tristan’s debut L.P. album “Here For You” in 2014. His first single “Tidal Wave” has taken radio by storm, with over 100 radio stations playing it in Canada, New Zealand and the Philippines. Tristan is currently on tour with TeenFest Canada in British Columbia.

The Craig Henderson Trio is a Victoria, BC, based band that has been playing together for the past 5 years at various locations, including the popular Sidney Summer Market. The band consists of 20 year-old Craig Henderson on the piano and vocals, along with his Tony father Gordon Henderson on guitar and Bill Kent on the bass.

Heavily inspired by the likes of Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and many other vocalists of this genre. They are best described as a throwback to the popular music of the 1940′s and 50′s interpreted in their unique style, which is suitable for both listening and dancing.

Other entertainers on the bill include:
Tricky Magic,

Canadian College of Performing Arts

Michael Denton, former organist at SPPC will be the emcee for the evening.  

  

     The Variety Show is something new for SPPC and organizers hope it's a sell-out.  After all, it's for a worthy cause and features great talent.  What's to stop us?

     For more information on the mission trip, fund-raising opportunities, or to buy tickets, contact Darlene, 250 516-0563, or Diane, 250 886-0989.

    

The Case for Christ

  For the last two weeks, the Wednesday morning Bible Study group has done inductive studies of The Sheep and the Goats, Matt.25:31-46, and The Gift of Love, 1 Cor. 13.  Both are very familiar passages and it's easy to think they've nothing new to tell us, yet by applying the inductive method, we discovered surprising insights, especially the echoes of Revelation, which we studied last term.
Coming up we will follow a study based on the book by Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ.  This is an interactive study using video clips followed by small group discussion and large group discussion sessions.
 
    Lee Strobel is an unlikely Biblical scholar, considering that he was an atheist who set out to disprove the "myth" of Jesus Christ.  Along the way, he became convinced that Jesus was no myth.  His book documents his own journey from disbelief to belief, from doubt to conviction.
    Strobel approached his subject like the newspaper man that he is, asking hard-nosed questions are insisting on verifiable answers.  He found them, both in Biblical references and from other ancient writings and artifacts.  If you've every been challenged to defend Jesus as a real person and the miracle of His resurrection as a real event, this course is for you.
    There are six sessions covering, "Looking for Evidence, "Eyewitness Evidence," "Corroborative Evidence," "Fingerprint Evidence," Evidence for the Resurrection," "Reaching your Verdict."  The study is open to all, and takes place at SPPC, Wednesdays at 9:30 am.
    Mr. Strobel's book, The Case for Christ, will be available for sale, but it is not necessary to the course.

Purpose

 

by Alice Valdal



 For the past several weeks I've devoted all my energies to hosting a family reunion.  I prepared breakfasts and dinners ahead of time, loading my refrigerator and my freezer.   I filled the cookie jars.  I vacuumed in forgotten corners.  Made up beds that hadn't been used in a long time.  Laid in extra supplies. Planned outings.  Made reservations.  Arranged airport pick-ups and drop-offs.  There were lists on every flat surface, and then lists of the lists.  There were hours of lying awake at night, reviewing my plans.
    Once everyone had arrived, I fussed about the weather -- as though my fussing would change anything :-) -- confirmed arrangements, added another leaf to the table, laid out all my dishes and cutlery, even borrowed a few, all to ensure my family had four days of good times in each other's company.
     Now, everyone has gone home and I'm wandering about wondering what to do with myself.  I've lost my purpose.  I pick up a book and set it back on the shelf.  I stare at the garden and don't know whether to weed it or pull it out.  I look at my desk and turn away from the work awaiting me there.  For the moment, I have no focus, no direction. Although the visit was a mountain top experience, I live my life on the plains of day-to-day.
    
    Thankfully, I have touchstones for my days, a calendar with events and deadlines and projects written down, a path to lead me back to the routine of life, a compass to put me back on course. Choir practice beckons.  Bible study begins.  My gratitude journal lies open, reminding me to give thanks in all things.  Did you see the lovely pink clouds in Friday's sunrise?  

    At church, too, we can get so caught up in our projects, our passions, our busyness -- all good things -- that we are distracted from the purpose behind it all, the heart of our faith.  
   On Sunday, SPPC celebrated world-wide communion, our touchstone, a reminder of why we devote time, talent and treasure to the church, the bride of Christ.        
   Because Christ loved us first, because He gave His life for us, because our chief end is to "glorify God and enjoy Him forever," we spend time at His table, we share communion with each other and with the great company of saints who have gone before.         Grounded in faith, in the love of Christ and fellowship with each other, we are strengthened and renewed, ready once more to pick up the everyday tasks of Christian living.

  

    

The Bible Jesus Read

Book Review

by Linda Cliff

The Bible Jesus Read  

                By Philip Yancey

When I discovered this book in our library and decided to read it, I though it would be a book about what Jesus had actually said about the Old Testament.  Instead I embarked on an exploration of parts of the Old Testament. Yancey takes the reader through a careful look at the books of Job, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, and the Prophets and relates these ancient writings to life today.

The book begins with a discussion of why so many of us avoid the Old Testament. However, he presents the argument that we cannot understand the New Testament (the New Covenant) apart from the Old.  “Without exception, every New Testament author wrote about the new work of God on earth while looking through the prism of the earlier or “old” work.”

We begin with Job; in this chapter man’s relationship with God is stripped to its bare essentials.  In Deuteronomy Moses takes the time to reflect on the hard lessons the Israelites had learned and the harder ones they would soon face.  The Psalms are looked at as a source of both spiritual medicine and aggravation.  Ecclesiastes is labeled the cynical view point of a worldly author and the Prophets as confusing, weird and sounding alike.

I am sure you are wondering why you should read this book.   Yancey is very honest in his writing about his own feelings and doubts as he explored these parts of the Old Testament.  There seems to be no holds barred about his own doubts and confusion.  This helped me as a reader to continue on in the book.  I was curious about what I was going to learn.  There are three questions that Yancey helps the reader to explore.

• Do I Matter?
• Does God Care?
• Why doesn’t God act?

These are universal questions that Christians and Non-Christians alike are asking.  A read through “The Bible Jesus Read” will give you new insights into the heart of God the Father and His Son Jesus.  I feel that the lessons I learned while reading this book will continue to echo in my mind as I continue my studies of God’s word. 

My Hope Is Built

by Martha MacCracken

My hope is built on nothing less, Than Jesus' blood and righteousness;
 I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus' name.  
                                                                                                    Edward Mote 1797-1874

 Some days, time just slips away for me, especially if I have chosen to spend time on the internet, searching out versions of favourite hymns and gospel songs.  It started innocuously enough - I wanted to hear some more songs by the Gaither Gospel groups.  I credit both my parents - my Baptist mother and my male quartet loving Dad - for instilling this love of southern gospel music in me.

 Anyway, the internet is an insidious thing - it learns what you like and then cleverly suggests other songs that you might like.  Before you know it, you are clicking on a suggested link and then another one, and then another one, and way more than an hour has passed.  By then, I am immersed in gospel songs by older groups like The Cathedrals singing "Oh, What a Saviour" or university choirs or Alison Krauss performing "As I went down in the river to pray" or David Phelps singing the powerful and spine-tingling "He's Alive" by Don Francisco.  (And may I suggest that you also listen to Dolly Parton's stunning version of "He's Alive"?)

 Recently, I clicked on a link to a video by the Australian evangelical group Hillsong United and heard them perform "Our God is an awesome God" in concert - very moving.  And then another song was suggested: "Cornerstone".  So I clicked on it, and discovered that it was the group's reworking of one of my favourite hymns - "My Hope is Built on Nothing Less".  The verses were the same as the original but the refrain

 "On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
 All other ground is sinking sand,
 All other ground is sinking sand."

 had been changed  - lyrically and musically to

 Christ alone; Cornerstone
 Weak made strong, in the Saviour's love
 Through the storm, He is Lord
 Lord of all." 

Initially, I was not sure that I was happy about this tampering with a beloved old hymn, but I gave it a few plays and found that I liked it.  But I also still loved the original.

Now, I must confess:  one of the first things that I do when I sit down in the pews on Sunday is check the hymns listed in the bulletin.  I search eagerly for the names of my favourite hymns - some dating back to my childhood, others learned and loved later.  And yes, there are still some which I simply do not like.

 On a recent Sunday, I was so pleased to see that hymn 404 - My Hope is Built on Nothing Less - was to be the third hymn that morning.  As noted above, I had been listening to the hymn online, and now, here it was, waiting for our congregation to sing it.  How fortuitous.

 And then Larry began to play the opening bars, and something did not sound right.  I did not recognize the music and it quickly became apparent that using the smaller "words-only" hymn book as I often do, has its drawbacks.  The tune (Eisenach) being played was not the one that I knew and loved. 

        (I later learned that I was not alone in my surprise.  As Larry said to me, if the choir had not still been on its summer break, someone might have mentioned the alternative tune to the one in our old Book of Praise.  And Larry kindly played the William B. Bradbury version, as it is shown in my mother's 1933 Songs of Faith (Baptist), the following Sunday both before and after the service. Thank you, Larry!)

As so often happens in life, what we want and what we expect are not always what we get.  In this case, while I had anticipated the loved words and the tune that I knew so well, I did not get both.  But the decades-old words still maintain the heart of the hymn, the message is still true, and my soul is restored.