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The St. David’s Connec ion

Christmas. www.stdavids.nf.ca. Quarterly Newsletter – Christmas, 2009. “Life in the Fast Lane” By Dr. Jonathan Dent

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The St. David’s Connec ion

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  1. Christmas www.stdavids.nf.ca Quarterly Newsletter – Christmas, 2009 “Life in the Fast Lane” By Dr. Jonathan Dent The speed of time increases. Technology produces machines and computers that process information at increasing rates. We are molded by the machines we use, as we are trained to think more and more in light of our digital peripherals. Science fiction movies tell us of a future that will come when we will use machines to serve us (Robots), replace us (Surrogates) or our creation will rebel against us and use our military devices against us (the Terminator series or Matrix series). These movies beg the question: “Are we becoming more like the machines that serve us?” Today, in a more practical way, many of us still are looking for the simple on and off switch. That can be the hardest thing to find on a computer or a cell phone. And it is that decision to turn off or turn on the new speedy device that is the turning point. It is the same decision inside of us when we sense the rush of a schedule we cannot stop. When our activities get to the point that we appear to have little choice, whether we have any fancy technological devices or not, we can in fact stop. The Advent and Christmas season is supposed to be about waiting, not just in check out lines. Traditionally, it is a time for contemplation and meditation of Jesus’ first and second comings. But most of us are so caught up in what we do every year more and more, that we have little time for meditation. May I suggest it’s time to stop, even if it is just now for 30 seconds. We can choose to do so. Everyday we are confronted with the practical reality of today, and only so many hours with which to work. It is today that we hear from the Carols (whether in the Mall or the Church), “Oh hush the noise, oh still the strife and hear the angels sing.” Do you remember the name of that Carol? And what are the angels singing these days? They are probably not performing the top forty, although they do have a nice beat. If we are still enough to listen, they are singing about good will and peace, according to the carol. They are drawing us to Jesus Christ, the center of our hope, peace, joy and love. They are drawing us to work on our challenges in relationships, addictions, distractions and grief. The St. David’s Connec ion In this season and every season, God is drawing us back to loving Himself and loving others. To do so, we need to acknowledge the truth and reality of our lives, our day to day living. For that, we need others to help us see the bigger picture of who we are, where we are going, and how to get there. I hope you will decide in this new year of 2010 to make a least one small group a priority in your weekly schedule. Whether that be a Bible Study, or prayer group, mission group, support group or recovery group, whatever you choose. I hope you choose to be known in this New Year. Thank you for taking the time to read this and the articles found inside the newsletter. We trust that through this God blesses you. May you know the peace that passes understanding, and give thanks, Jonathan CONTENTS Pews News 2 Announcements 3 Reports 4 John and Viola Duff 6 Luke 2:13-14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” St. David's Presbyterian Church, 98 Elizabeth Ave, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 1R8, (709) 722-2382, stdavids@nfld.com

  2. The St. David’s Connection Christmas Quarterly Newsletter – Christmas, 2009 Page 2 NEWS FROM THE PEWS …….. Fred and Heather Morrissey will be coming home from Calgary to spend Christmas in St.John's with their parents, Valda Morrissey and Frances and Jim Steele. The Carmichaels (Patsy and Dave) will be travelling to St. Anthony to spend Christmas and New Year’s with their eldest daughter Jill and her family.  Bill Crosby is returning from Kabul, Afghanistan to spend Christmas with his family in St. John's. Bill is the Canadian Ambassador in Afghanistan appointed in August 2009.  Bill arrives on December 22 and is staying until December 30 2009.Tom Crosbie, son of David Crosbie and Suzanne Brake is returning from New Haven Connecticut on December 24 and will be staying until January 7 Elena Hannah and daughter Arianne, who resides in St. John's, will be enjoying the visit of son/brother Adriel Eric, who will be coming home from Houston to spend the holidays. Adriel Eric is one of many successful MUN Engineering graduates who have made their mark in the oil industry in Houston. A beautiful new fabric banner has been donated to the congregation and is now hanging in the sanctuary. It was created by the senior church school members Kirsten Mckay, Jean Patey, Katie Bower, Marijke Den Otter, Bradley Greeley and Abbey Vanderkloet; under the guidance of Lori-Kim Den Otter and Melody Morton Ninomiya. It is a pictorial representation of the seasons of the church year. Below the banner is dedicated by Rev Dent during the Dec 6th service. Editors note: During a conversation at coffee time a month ago a newsletter employee asked aloud in casual conversation what the story was behind the new banner hanging there in the hall. . .. 10 minutes later, an observant young Ms Craig, quietly told her mother that she had looked carefully but could not see any story there at all.

  3. Christmas The St. David’s Connection The St. David’s Connection Quarterly Newsletter – Christmas, 2009 Page 3 ANNOUNCEMENTS Births Born to David Noseworthy and Jennifer Allen, a baby girl, Katherine Olivia, on November 28 in Toronto. Katherine is the third great-granddaughter for David and Elizabeth Thistle of this congregation. Congratulations all! MANY THANKS to all who donated cash and/or food items to our Christmas Food Hampers project. This is a very worthwhile project and the generous support received each year is sincerely appreciated. Women’s Auxiliary St David’s Presbyterian Church Tuesday, January 26, 2010 Luncheon – 12:30 P.M. followed by Bridge or Auction Cost - $10.00/person Bridge – Table of 4 Auction – Table of 6 Having received the permission of the Session, the Population Therapeutics Research Group has begun the digitisation of the baptismal records (begun in 1781) , the marriage records (begun in 1802) and the interment records (begun in 1837) with the intention of assisting genetic research in Newfoundland. The information will be strictly private and confidential within the MUN Faculty of Medicine. The photographing technique involved turning the pages of the volumes involved beneath a fixed camera. Baptismal, marriage and interment records of the Congregational churches in Random Island and Twillingate have also been photographed. Copies of the DVD, including photographs of the complete Journal, the stained glass windows, the communion vessels from the Twillingate church, the communion set presented to the congregation by Rev Ward Siddall after the Stone Chapel was burnt down in 1892 and the 1704 silver cup will be presented to the congregation. Pam Bruce John Jones, n.d.The Congregational Church in St. John's was founded in 1775 by Jones. In 1779, he became its first minister. RETURNABLE RECYCLABLES Please place returnable recyclable items into the blue plastic crates in the "new" kitchen. These items can be Juice, water and soft drink bottles (glass or plastic), Juice boxes, pop tins etc. DO NOT CRUSH any of these items as the sharp edges are potentially hazardous to the recycling workers. Also I would be happy to "make house-calls" to collect these items and any other returnable glass bottles that may accumulate from time to time. Just phone 722-6436 and we will arrange a convenient time for a pick-up. Please note that all the money collected from returnables goes to the AMS and the WA at St. David's. Thank You. Jean Bruneau • In addition to your regular church offerings, there are several other ways you can support outreach projects at St. David’s: • Recycling – St. David’s has an account at Evergreen Recycling if you’d like to donate your recyclable beverage containers! There are boxes in the church entrance for: • Grocery Tapes – Dominion cash register tapes (for fruit baskets and hampers at Christmas)! • Canadian Tire Money – Used to purchase small maintenance items, such as light bulbs, batteries, etc.

  4. The St. David’s Connection Christmas Quarterly Newsletter – Christmas, 2009 Page 4 Choir Notes From the keyboard of Gordon Stockwell The past few months have been very busy for the choir. There were 32 voices in the choir on Sunday Dec. 6th to sing the Messiah choruses. When word got around that we were singing music from the Messiah, many people wanted to join. It was wonderful to have the extra voices for this beautiful music. Some were from the church community and others were friends of people in the choir. It was a lot of fun to have a large choir at the church and even more fun to sing with the TSO. Thanks to everyone in the choir and the orchestra for all their hard work. Two university students from Stephenville, Ryan Froude and Mitchell Spencer, joined the choir this fall. Previously, they had never sung in a choir but were eager to learn. Unfortunately, Ryan is leaving to go back home to do a teaching internship next semester. There is always room for more voices in St. David’s choir, so let these two young men be encouragement for others who wish to try a new experience. And thanks to Gordon and “Da Bys” for their jazzy tunes adding further to the success of the EPIC service of Dec.6th 2009!

  5. Christmas The St. David’s Connection Quarterly Newsletter - Christmasl, 2009 Page 5 “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas” and yes, Monica was singing that song as the snow drifted softly down on Thursday the 10th as we were hanging the wreath over the church’s front door. We continue to have beautiful music in the church, the December 6th service included the TSO, an expanded choir and a jazz combo. A big “Thank You” to all those involved! The Christmas season continued with the Sunday School Christmas Pagent. The kids were wired and will be more excited as Christmas grows closer. This time of year sees more people visiting family and friends. This often means that we see some new and returning faces in the congregation – Welcome, it’s good to see you! What has your Board been up to? Andy Versteeg and John McLean are busier than beavers cleaning the heaters, painting the t-bars and replacing the ceiling in the crèche and hanging banners. Steve Andrews has fixed one bookcase in the Armour Room and will be working on the second. We’ve ordered new windows to be installed in the vestry and the office. We’ve purchased a fire alarm system that should be installed early in 2010. We’re working on extending the sound system to the hall, the crèche and the Armour Room. We’re looking at the electrical system and we'll soon have a new digital recorder for taping the services. The face-lift for the Armour Room will continue with new flooring, painted walls to match the furniture and a general spiffiness all round. This year we’re trying something different – coming up with a draft budget in December. Steve and his committee of Janette Brown and Jonathan have been working on this and will present it at the Board’s December meeting. The Annual General Meeting in February will also be a bit different this year in that all the materials will be available well ahead of time for your perusal (that includes the 2009 financial report and the 2010 budget). The Board would like to thank all those who contribute to decorating the church at Christmas time. Each year the MacKenzies ensure that there is a beautiful wreath for the front door and a swag over the door leading to the hall. There were lots of eager hands that helped with getting the tree up and decorated and placing the bows and banners in place. Special mention goes to the Sunday School and to Angus Bruneau. The Sunday School presented the congregation with a beautiful banner (December 6th) that now hangs proudly on the wall. Angus Bruneau has continued to show his woodworking talent by designing a plaque to go along with the oak banner placed in the sanctuary in memory of Fred Chancey. To all those who contribute in so many ways –“Thank You!”. On behalf of the Board, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year. See you in church this Christmas! Anne Calver for the Board From The Board of Managers • The Presbytery of Newfoundland met at St. David’s on Saturday, 14 November 2009. Most of the business before it was relatively routine but several items are worthy of note. • Rev. John Duff resigned as convenor of the Ministry Committee because he and Viola will soon be moving to Ancaster, Ontario. Presbytery elected Rev. Dawn Griffith as the next convenor of the committee. • It also gave permission to Memorial University’s Population Therapeutics Research Group to digitally photograph birth, marriage, and death records from former congregations within its jurisdiction. The research group will used this data to construct genealogies useful for genetic research within the province. • The Congregational Life Committee reported on the successful visitation to the congregation of St. Andrew’s. A sub-committee will conduct visitations at other congregations in the near future. • Presbytery also instructed the moderator to name a committee and give it the task of studying the feasibility and process of founding a new congregation in a high growth area on the Avalon Peninsula. The committee will work on this project with Canada Ministries of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. Anyone interested in participating in the planning process should contact the moderator of Presbytery, Andy den Otter, 753-1856, denotter.andy@gmail.com; Rev. Dr. Jonathan Dent, 722-2382, jd123444@gmail.com; or Rev. David Sutherland 726-5385, dsutherland@nf.sympatico.ca. • Andy den Otter • Reporting from • Presbytery

  6. The St. David’s Connection Christmas Quarterly Newsletter - Christmas, 2009 Page 6 John & Viola Duff heartily thank the Session and congregation for the celebration after church on Sunday, December 6th, a day when we were also celebrating the privilege of John singing and Viola playing her cello for choruses from Handel's Messiah in the service.  Our association with St. David's has been, and is, a blessing and all joy to us.  We are looking forward to the visit here of our youngest daughter Sharon, with her husband Dave and granddaughters Robin and Fiona, in days ahead of Christmas.  Our middle daughter Christine will be with us here for a few days  over Christmas.  And then we travel to Dubuque Iowa to be with our oldest daughter Dawna, her husband Gary, and grandson Isaac over New Year's.  On our return we will be in the final stages of getting ready for a first phase move, with some of our furniture and effects, to our recently purchased home in Ancaster, Ontario.  We take possession on January 15th and expect to be there until sometime in May.   Then we'll be back to our home on the St. Thomas Line for the summer, to enjoy the vista and our many friends here for just a little while longer, before our house is sold, perhaps in August or early September, and we complete the second phase of our move.  Katherine Burgess, Diploma of the College, St. Andrew’s, St. John’s, Nfld. There's a story in the Presbyterian College newsletter about John's participation in the ordination of Katherine Burgess, the first student for the ministry in many years from the Presbytery of  Newfoundland, in Quebec City, October 25th.  There's a colour picture also showing John as the guest preacher with Katherine and other participants in the ordination service. 

  7. Christmas The St. David’s Connection Quarterly Newsletter - Christmas, 2009 Page 7 From the pen of David Artiss. .. . Just when Martin Smith thought he knew exactly where he was heading, a U-turn in the road lead him straight back into the welcoming lap of Newfoundland.  Not that he minded, to the contrary, this lucky turn of events had him just about dancing for joy on one leg.  You might remember that in the previous newsletter Martin’s upcoming departure to Calgary was mentioned, but, to quote a well-know source, “the best laid schemes o’mice an’ men gang aft a-gley…” once again proved to be true, and so Martin had to put away his suitcases again, buy back the household-appliances he started to sell off and start to plan for his wife’s arrival in 2010.  As it happened, the law of cause and effect set in (as it always does!) and when plans changed in Calgary, it rapidly caused plans to change in South Africa and as the dominos kept falling, Martin’s plans to leave Newfoundland also changed.  So after everything nearly changed, everything once again stays the same! What did change, however, is Martin’s Canadian status.  On Monday, November 16, he officially became a proud Canadian citizen.  On this day, at the Citizenship Ceremony, Martin took the oath to be a loyal subject of Her Majesty the Queen (and that when he thought he left Her Majesty behind on May 31, 1961 when south Africa became a Republic!).  From now on he will be a South African Canadian, an awful long term to be burdened with, but we all want to be politically correct, or do we…? Ya never know . . A big, burly man visited the pastor's home and asked to see the minister's wife, a woman well known for her charitable impulses. "Madam," he said in a broken voice, "I wish to draw your attention to the terrible plight of a poor family in this district. The father is dead, the mother is too ill to work, and the nine children are starving. They are about to be turned into the cold, empty streets unless someone pays their rent, which amounts to $400." "How terrible!" exclaimed the preacher's wife. "May I ask who you are?" The sympathetic visitor applied his handkerchief to his eyes. "I'm the landlord," he sobbed From the Prayer Shawl Ministry ……… The Prayer Shawl Ministry had a successful year.  Many shawls were knitted and as a result many were given away. One request came in from Ontario, but the bulk stayed in Newfoundland. From all the shawls we gave away one stands out in particular.  One of the knitters asked if we could give a shawl to a lady who emigrated to Canada from Asia and who did a lot of good things for other people. But now, she herself went through a difficult time in her life.  She had a heart attack.  We agreed and one of our members went to give her a shawl.  The lady was a bit surprised.  She was the one to do for other people and here was somebody giving her something.  However she accepted the shawl gracefully.  That was the last we heard from her for a while.  That is, till a neighbor told us what happened afterwards.  The neighbor had undergone a small operation herself and the lady offered her a loan of the prayer shawl she said, that it had really helped her over a rough spot in her life.  The neighbor refused the loan.  Her problem was minor.  But she told us that this lady prays every day facing Mecca.  It painted such a poignant picture in my mind.  To know that she is praying to Him who we call God and she calls Allah with a prayer shawl around her shoulders and it helped her. BouwinaFogwill

  8. Christmas The St. David’s Connection Quarterly Newsletter - Christmas, 2009 Page 8 NEW PLAQUE INSTALLED IN CHURCH SANCTUARY READS AS FOLLOWS: “The oak banner above the cross was designed and made by Dr. Angus A. Bruneau and donated to St. David’s Church as an act of remembrance for Fred Chancy, a humble friend and beloved, tireless member and elder of this congregation. It was inspired by a display of the same scripture from Psalm 29:2 that once adorned an arch in the Queen’s Road Church, the former home of this congregation. In this year, the fiftieth anniversary of the move to St. David’s from Queen’s Road, the congregation may again be inspired by the prominent display of this scripture that has long been a part of our tradition. The congregation accepted this gift with great thanks and dedicated it to the glory of God on the fifth day of April in the year 2009.” Bridges to HopeAdapted from a note from Glen Barnes, Elder, Rotarian and Bridges Supporter “. . . They are always in need of money and volunteers. Bridges to Hope is a tangible and direct way for us to positively influence our community and to 'lend a hand to man in God's name'. Personally, I take great joy in what I am able to do there because of the directness of the help it provides. . . . (the congregation) may or may not know that (AE Consultants Ltd – Glen’s firm) donated all of the design for the Bridges to Hope building renovations through (Glen’s) St. John’s Rotary Club. The St. John’s Rotary Club has also donated $25,000 cash this year and for the second year in a row will donate cash and food at Christmas. . . . (Glen’s Rotary club in particular ) . . . is involved in a big way with Bridges to Hope also because Rev. David Sutherland, Rev. Ian Wishart, Elders Griff Roberts and Roy Maybee and Derek Winsor of the Kirk are all Club members. Derek was given a 'True Rotarian Award' this year for his work with BTH and last week David Sutherland was made a Paul Harris Fellow also for his BTH work. Paul Harris was the founder of Rotary International. The Fellowship is, of course, in his name given to persons for their work for humanity. Our Club confers 2 Paul Harris fellows each year, one to a Club member (David this year) and one to someone external (Joyce Churchill of Autism this year). The conferring Club donates $1000 US to Rotary International for each PHF.” Glenn Barnes Our Glen Barnes is also a Paul Harris Fellow! Want to know more and help out? Look it up here: http://www.bridgestohope.ca/

  9. Christmas The St. David’s Connection Quarterly Newsletter - Christmas, 2009 Page 9 Tree decorating committee: Bertha, Benjamin, Aidan and Maya (almost) All Smiles Jackson McLean speaking about his environmental work in "together time", Sunday School Christmas Update Hi everyone: Sunday School is pretty busy right now with Advent activities, especially with the Christmas pageant preparations. Thank you so much to Cynthia MacKenzie for all of her hard work at being the ‘pageant lady’. She comes through for us every year. This year promises to be the BEST PAGEANT YET…but, of course, you may be reading this after the pageant was held so we should probably reserve judgment on its success. However, whenever you put beautiful angels, earnest shepherds, enthusiastic sheep, assorted wise men and kings, a beatific Mary, a solemn Joseph and a baby Jesus, along with the greatest story ever told all together, how can you help but be successful? You will note that our pageant has a bit of an intergenerational twist as well. This has been an ongoing theme in our Sunday School this year and it has added a richness to the Sunday School program that is heartwarming and very meaningful. Every week we’ve had parents, grandparents, friends and even ‘grown-up’ Sunday school alumnae present their stories to the Sunday School children of how they are spreading God’s love and working for peace. The children’s questions and comments have shown us that they are learning of another whole dimension to some of the people they see in church every Sunday. By volunteering to share their stories, members of the congregation have exemplified the vow that each of us take whenever a baby is baptized in our church – promising to help raise the child knowing God’s love. We thank the volunteers for participating in out intergenerational activities and we remind the rest of the congregation that we will be looking for more volunteers to participate in the upcoming months. If you think you might be interested or if you are wondering what kinds of stories you might have to share, just talk with us, Scott or Christine, and we’ll give you an idea of what is involved. That’s it for now….on behalf of the Sunday School teachers and children, we wish all of you a joyous Christmas and a Happy New Year! Christine and Scott

  10. The St. David’s Connection Quarterly Newsletter - Christmas, 2009 98 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Phone: 709 722 2382 Email: stdavids@nfld.com www.stdavids.nf.ca CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE – ST. DAVID’S Saturday, Dec. 5, 7:00 pm Contemporary Service Sunday Dec. 6, 11:00 am Worship Service White gift, invite a friend Tuesday Dec. 8, 7:30 pm AMS Christmas Service Saturday Dec. 12, 7:00 pm Contemporary Service Sunday Dec. 13, 11:00 am Service (Christmas Pageant) Saturday Dec.19, 9:00 am Packing and delivery of hampers 7:00 pm Contemporary Service Sunday Dec. 20, 9:00 am Worship Service (Communion) 11:00 Worship Service Communion Thursday Dec. 24 , 6:30 Family Worship Service (Christmas eve) 11:30 Worship Service (Candlelight service) Saturday Dec. 26 7:00 Service cancelled Sunday Dec. 27 11:00 am Worship Service Regular WORSHIP HOURS are SUNDAY at 11:00 AM w/ Contemporary Service SATURDAY at 7:00 PM Newsletter Committee: Jean Bruneau 722-6436 Lillian Crawford 754-2362 John McLean 754-2616 Steve Bruneau 722-6542 The editorial committee wishes to thank all those who contributed items to this edition of our St. David’s Connection newsletter. Please feel free to drop items or notes off any time to members of the newsletter committee listed, or, leave them in the church mailbox. We encourage you to view the Newsletter in colour on the St. David’s website. www.stdavids.nf.ca In addition, sermons and bulletins are posted regularly

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