Finding a way

Yes, I know that I said there would not be a Knox blog this week as I am dealing with dial-up internet service up here in the north country. While I sometimes question the speed of my in-office internet service, it’s a real joy when compared to what I am facing this week - 20 minutes plus to retrieve one email message, for instance.

So, that being said, what’s up with this update on the blog?

Actually, it’s quite simple in reality.

It’s raining up here, has been, will be, and yet, here I sit in my car parked outside of a late 1800s railway station that has been converted into an art gallery, which just happens to have WiFi service, a service that extends to the parking lot.

Hence, a way around that dial-up service.

Memorial window

One of the nice things about a blog is that it provides a way to report little things around the church which otherwise would not be reported; they’re perhaps not items for the Sunday bulletin, but indeed they are part of the life in and around Knox.

Such is the case of the scaffolding at the front of the church in recent days. It seems that the framework around the window has been showing decay, such decay that the priceless stain glass window it supports was in so much danger that the still had to be replaced…immediately.

I don’t have my notes with me, but I do know that the window, in addition to being a beautiful piece of art, has a fascinating history, albeit but one that has been clouded with misinformation over the years.

It is known that the money for the window came from Colin Campbell, who lived in Burlington in the late 1800s, although it appears that the money was not originally intended for that purpose, in fact was designated for general welfare within the church.

There are no records available as to how the money - all $600 of it – went to a different cause, but it is understood that the gift of the window resulted in the building of the narthex.

The money was donated in memory of Colin Campbell’s mother, a member of the Knox congregation in the late 1800s, and in fact her name shows up in early church records.

Stories over the years have indicated that Colin Campbell was the lieutenant governor of Manitoba at the time of the donation, but in fact he was attorney general and if memory serves me right, he held the dual role of minister of public works for the Manitoba government around the turn of the century.

Colin Campbell died at a relatively early age, but his wife, the daughter of one of the pioneer doctors from Halton, lived on for several decades and after she died, two truck loads of documents relating to the Campbell and Buck families were donated to the museum in Milton.

The former Pearl Buck was a strong advocate for children’s rights, and her action was instrumental in leading to legislation toward the protection of children, thus making the donation such a treasure trove of historical documentation.

There had been discussion last year about observing the 100th anniversary of the window, but missing documentation means that we are still searching for further detail, perhaps to be found in the records transferred to Milton.

Grief recovery seminar

The second of the grief recovery seminars is scheduled for Monday, and while the original concept called for it to be a Knox-only event, low registration has resulted in this event being open to others within the Presbytery of Hamilton.

Rev. Linda Corry, who will conduct the seminar, made a presentation at Tuesday’s presbytery meeting, and an invitation to participate will be made at churches tomorrow, with the hope that far more people will register.

Thanksgiving

Once again, Knox church was beautifully decorated for the Thanksgiving Sunday service, thanks to the efforts of Lynda Gowing and Marge Moore. And, as part of the Thanksgiving service, many members of the congregation donated fruit and vegetables which were added to the display with the donations late going over to Wesley Urban Ministries in Hamilton.