Seen Around

From time to time members of the congregation send me pictures of events they've attended either at the church or elsewhere.  Today, this blog features some of those photos.  My thanks to Russell Kierstead, Janet Smith and Tore Valdal,

These are photos from the farewell party for Joan.

Bin Sie held a coffee party!

Yolanda had a birthday

More scenes from the Easter Sunrise Service at Cy Hampson Park.

Thank you to all who submitted photographs and a word of encouragement to those who might.  It is wonderful when this blog can offer a perspective from many members of the congregation.  If you have photos you'd like to share in this space, send them to me at avaldal@shaw.ca or see me at church. 

Easter 2017 - Sunrise Service

For only the second time in 10 years, the sun shone at our "sunrise" service.

The usual bird came to visit.

Early risers proclaimed, "Christ is risen, He is risen indeed, alleluia"

Can you spot the difference?

Good Friday - Seven Last Words

Easter is the major festival of the Christian Church, but in our modern culture it is given short shrift.  In December, and before, we begin preparations for the birth of Christ -- baking, decorating, shopping, wrapping, visiting, concerts, pageants -- the list is endless.  It is a season of good will, smiling faces and open hands.

Easter, on the other hand, is squashed into one long weekend in spring.  It doesn't even have a fixed date. While lots of children look for the Easter bunny and a basket full of chocolate, and Easter lilies appear for sale in the flower shops, that's about the extent of the secular world's celebration of this most important religious event.  Good Friday is largely ignored, except as a day off.

Small wonder.  Good Friday is hard.  There is no way to make it pretty.  On this day we commemorate the death of Jesus upon the cross.  An act of cruelty beyond our imagining, crucifixion was reserved by the Romans for the worst criminals.  It was barbarous, cruel and degrading.  Yet that is how Jesus died, given up to mob violence by those who feared His power and authority.  Pilate said, "I find no fault in him." John 19:4, but the crowd shouted "Crucify him!"  In the face of such ugliness, it's small wonder that our world wishes to turn away.  But we do so to our detriment. 

Without Good Friday, there is no Resurrection Sunday.  We must bear witness to Christ's death in order to celebrate His victory over death.  We must see and acknowledge His sacrifice in order to reap His gift of eternal life.  Good Friday is not pretty, but it is necessary.

At SPPC we will mark Good Friday with a meditative service that invites the worshipper to ponder in his heart the profound meaning of the day. The DieMahler String quartet will perform Haydn's Seven Last Words of Christ, interspersed with readings from scripture.  

The seven last words from the cross are:

 I. Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34)
II.  Today you will be with me in Paradise (Luke 23:43)
III. Mother, behold thy son (John 19:26)
IV. My God, My God, why have you forsaken me? (Mark 15:34)
V.  I thirst (John 19:28)
VI. It is finished (John 19:30)
VII. Father, into your hands I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46)

All are welcome.  Service begins at 10:00 am.

Holy Week services at Saanich Peninsula Presbyterian Church

Maundy Thursday:            --  6:00 pm meal in the Upper Room 

Good Friday:                        --  10:00 am  The Seven Last Words of Christ

Easter Sunday Services:   -- 8:00 am Sunrise service, Cy Hampson Park

                                                   -- 9:00 am Breakfast in Molloy Hall at the church
                                                   -- 10:00 am Worship in the Sanctuary                                                                                                               with choir and string quartet

PLC Round Up

by Felicity Smith

On Friday March 10^th the Parking Lot Club (PLC) hosted a Pasta dinner and move night, featuring ‘Despicable Me’. The families that attend the PLC were invited as well as members of the congregation to join us, hoping to join the two together. SPPC has greatly supported the growth of the PLC for the last six months since we began but not many members of the congregation had yet had a chance to meet many of the kids Al and I see and interact with every week. The invite for the dinner was well received by both parties and we had a total attendance of just over 50 people. About a dozen of the boys that attend PLC joined us for the evening. They all gathered at the back table for dinner and to my surprise, they were the quietest group there, sitting and chatting amongst each other until it was time for the movie.

The last couple of weeks the weather has allowed us to bring our activities outside, and even get the BBQ out! We have lots of new plans for the PLC this summer; new sports, new activities, special outings and hopefully another dinner for the families and congregation. We are very excited to see what the next couple of months have in store for the PLC as we enter the summer season.

Thanks to everyone for the continuous thoughts and prayers, they are greatly appreciated. 

The Apostles' Creed

After a brief holiday for spring break, Bible Study resumes this week.  The evening group is still working on Galatians, but the morning group is starting a new, six week study of the Apostles' Creed.  Many of us know it by heart, others will recognize it when they hear it.  It's that bit in the communion service that begins "I believe . . ."  In Latin it begins Credo in Deum.  The root of the English word "creed" comes from the Latin Credo.  Anyone who has sung in choirs will recognize the phrase from the many settings of the Mass that form the heart of classical choral repertoire. 

The Apostles' Creed is an attempt to summarize what Christians believe.  i.e. we believe in God the Father, in Jesus Christ . . . our Lord. This is one of the earliest statements of the church, dating from the fourth century.  Through the ages some slight adjustments were made, but the words we know today were fixed in the seventh century.  Imagine that -- fourteen centuries of Christians proclaiming the same words of faith.  Talk about the "communion of saints."

A creed does not take the place of scripture, but it provides a convenient summation of our faith.  It can be a handy reference to test suspect statements about Christianity.  Any confession that leaves out or contradicts the essential elements stated in the Apostles' Creed must be found wanting.

Finally, the creed reminds us that we belong to a community of faith.  We "belong!"  There is such longing in the hearts of humans to belong and the church answers that need.  The Apostles' Creed affirms that we are members of the church, tracing our roots all the way back to the upper room.  Such a mighty company, open to all who can say with conviction, "I believe in God . . . and in Jesus Christ . . . our Lord."

Morning study is Wednesdays at 9:30 am in the Ross Lounge.  Evening study is at 7:00 pm.  All are welcome.  Don't worry if you can't attend all sessions.  Each lesson can stand independently.

Talent/Craft Show

On Sunday, after service, the Fellowship Committee sponsored a talent/craft show.  Congregants brought their best handiwork to display during the coffee hour.  And what wonderful handiwork we saw.  I've taken pictures, maybe too many but it was all so noteworthy.

 There was needlework, glasswork, and woodwork.

There were tolle pictures, photographs and painted pictures.

There were big works and small works.

Some talents were edible!

And to top it all off, we had a birthday.

There were no prizes, no competition, but what a great way to get to know each other better.  As one person remarked, "I'd rather know this now than find out at a funeral!"

Kudos to the fellowship committee for sponsoring the event and well done to all the participants.

MAiD

On Tuesday, the Grief and Loss group sponsored a talk by Linda Cliff on Medical Assistance in Dying. It is a difficult topic, but one that affects us all whatever our personal beliefs.
In the six months since the law was enacted, B.C. has reported the highest number of medically assisted deaths in Canada, 188.  Of those deaths the highest per capita rate is on Vancouver Island, 77 deaths. 
It is natural to think that a person's death, natural or medically assisted, affects only that person, but there are ramifications for health care professionals as well as for society at large. 

•  Doctors and nurses must decide it they are willing to administer lethal doses of drugs.  Healthcare professionals are not required to participate in medical assisted dying procedures, but they must provide the information if asked.   It is still illegal to counsel a person to commit suicide.
• The coroner records MAiD deaths.  They are not considered natural deaths.
• Pharmacists must consider the legal and moral implications of filling prescriptions so that patients can commit suidice.  
• Insurance companies are re-examining their policies with regard to payouts for suicide deaths.  
• The Pension Act, and similar laws had to be adjusted for the new reality of medically assisted death.
• For patients and their families, MAiD is now part of the conversation when death approaches.

While Bill C-14 concerns the use of medicine and medical professionals to assist a person to die, the bill is actually about the law rather than medicine.  It speaks of "exemption from criminal prosecution" for health care providers, and lays out very strict guidelines as to when MAiD is legal.  The criteria are:

• patients must be eligible for provincial health services. i.e. non-Canadians cannot come here and ask for MAiD
• patients must be 18 years of age and capable of making decisions about their health. i.e. mentally competent
• have a grievous and irremediable medical condition
• have made a voluntary request for MAiD
• give informed consent to receive MAiD after receiving all information needed to make a decision, including:
• medical diagnosis
• available forms of treatment
• available options to relieve suffering, including palliative care
• have a serious illness, disease or disability
• an advanced state of decline that cannot be reversed
• suffering unbearably from illness, disease, disability or state of decline
• be at a point where natural death has become reasonably foreseeable.

The bill includes safeguards.  The patient must meet all conditions and make the request in writing, give informed consent and make the request of their own free will.  There is a 10 day waiting period between the day the request is signed and the day chosen to carry out the request.  The patient can withdraw consent at any time, including immediately before MAiD is delivered.

Other safeguards:

• There must be two independent witnesses present.  
• Witnesses may not be a beneficiary of the will of the patient.
• owners or operators of a health care facility, or any person directly providing personal care to the person making the request, may not be witnesses.
• the order for MAiD must be signed by two authorized health professionals.
• MAiD is not available to children or mature minors
• MAiD cannot be requested in an advance directive.

To read bill C-14 for yourself click here.

Alberta Health Services has created a values assessment tool that some might find interesting.  It is available here.
The website www.westcoastad.ca may be useful for further exploration of this subject.
For a summary of the Presbyterian Church in Canada's position on euthanasia click here

To see an on-line discussion of MAiD in the Presbyterian Church go here.