Summer time hours

It’s not only the calendar that tells us that it is summer time, but also the weather, and as a result Knox Church is making a few changes in the timing for summer services and for the church office.

Starting July 1st, the church service will start 30 minutes earlier, that is at 10 a.m. with the hope that the air and the humidity in the sanctuary will be somewhat better. The change in time is for July and August only, so that for Sept. 2, the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, Knox will revert back to 10:30 a.m.

And with so many people being away, and with far less activities around the church, the office hours are being changed so that Trish, our church administrator, has more opportunity to enjoy the days of summer. Once again, for July and August only, the church office will be open from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, with no afternoon hours.

Pulpit supply

This week we welcome Marilyn Repchuck back into the Knox pulpit as the church has reverted to pulpit supply from interim ministry as part of the process as we advance through the stages of calling a new minister.

Strawberry social

And then, after the service, everyone is invited to participate in the Strawberry Social in Fellowship Hall. There will be a freewill offering, and all monies collected, according to the Congregational LIfe committee, will go toward the operating fund.

Defibrillator

In recent weeks, an anonymous donor provided the church with the funds to secure an Automatic External Defibrillator, which will be located in a highly visible location just outside of the sanctuary.

While the new models are highly automated, and in fact will talk one through the steps once the case is opened, there will be a training session following the church service on July 15, and all are urged to attend as this session will provide some practical information, and as well, will provide an opportunity to ask questions of Gary Macdonald from the Burlington Fire Department.

Repaving

The tree is down and now the parking areas will be paved so that might make for some alterations if you are visiting the church at the end of next week. The tree at the end of the driveway was in extremely poor condition, with the core rotting away at an alarming rate, and while it was hoped that it might be on city property – and removed at the city’s expense – it was just over the line and so the board of mangers had it removed.

That was the first step to renovating the parking areas, with the next step to be done Wednesday, June 27 and Thursday, June 28, when the old pavement will be removed, the grade sloped to take rain water away from the foundation and then both lots will be repaved.

But for those two days, visitors will need to park on the street and enter the church by the James Street door. Trish suggests that if you just need to drop something off, phone ahead and she will meet you so that you can avoid parking.

Search committee

And finally, although it is the summertime, the search committee will not be taking a break.  Now that they have completed the church profile, it can be sent out to those ministers who have expressed an interest in Knox, and in fact, some ministers have already responded with their own profiles.

Moving forward

The first week of June has been a busy time in the life of Knox Church with various meetings taking place to address the vacancy, as well as Knox opening its doors for the Doors Open program.

The fact that the vacancy is being addressed is indicated in that the search committee met again during the week, this time to discuss the church profile, a document that will be sent to ministers who have an interest in applying for the vacancy here at Knox.

A great deal of time goes into preparing this document, as it not only offers candidates an overview of the congregation and the community, but also provides somewhat of a vision, so that the ministerial candidate and the church have the same vision as Knox moves forward.

There is still work to be done on the profile, but Rev. Bob hopes that it can be completed in the next few days, ready for Presbytery’s ministry committee, and ready to be sent out on request to candidates.

As indicated in previous blogs, there is an advertisement in this month’s Presbyterian Record, and the vacancy is also listed on the PCC website. Rev. Bob has contacted all those who have already indicated an interest, explaining that the church is moving along on the process, but was not in a position to send out the profile…just yet.

As much as everyone would like to move the process along as swiftly as possible, the search is a step-by-step process, following procedures as established by the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

One of the next steps to be taken does not affect the search committee directly, but in fact is one of the more important aspects of any call. One year ago, the Knox session had started on the process of purging the roll – a normal occurrence since there are many people who move away, or who have not had any connection with the church for a long, long time.

That action was put on hold during the first stages of the interim ministry, but needs to be addressed now because Presbytery will be looking at the level of support in connection with any minister to be called.

It is a time consuming, difficult responsibility, but an ad hoc committee will be meeting to address this aspect within the next few days, just one more step in filling the vacancy.


Doors Open
It may have been a rainy morning, but when the weather cleared in the afternoon, a large number of people came out to tour Knox as part of the Doors Open program.

Volunteers were stationed in the sanctuary and in the Bell Tower Room to welcome visitors and tell them a bit about the history of the church. There is a new set of brochures prepared for this year’s event, providing a list of church timelines, a history of our stained glass windows, a story about the housling cloths, plus a story on the church history.

Knox is just one of many buildings involved in this year’s Doors Open program which will continue until 4 p.m. on Sunday.

One of the added features this year is the presence of Al Clarkson from the Presbyterian Church Museum who has set up a display in the Bell Tower Room. Al knows his church history, and is eager to talk to members of the congregation about the museum, and church history across the denomination.

Pulpit supply
This Sunday Knox welcomes Marilyn Repchuck to the pulpit as Rev. Bob reverts to his new responsibility of interim moderator. Marilyn will be preaching on a number of occasions during the weeks ahead, although Rev. Bob will be back in the pulpit on Father’s Day. That date is important since it is also the date for the church picnic with a large number of the congregation planning to travel out to Crieff to join with the other three Presbyterian congregations for a joint picnic.

Despite the picnic, sessions decided several months ago to still hold a church service at Knox on the same day as many people are unable to travel to Crieff for the occasion, plus, it’s also important that the church doors be open for any visitors.

Anniversary Sunday

This Sunday marks anniversary Sunday for Knox Church, with a special speaker preaching that day to mark the occasion.

Knox is celebrating its 167th anniversary this year, and as part of Sunday’s worship, the congregation will be singing Hymn of Celebration penned by Patty Kirby to mark the 150th anniversary in 1995, and sung each year to commemorate this special occasion.

There wasn’t even a community known as Burlington back in 1845 when parishioners got together for that first church service; in fact, the community would be known as Wellington Square until 1873 when it merged with Port Nelson to become the village of Burlington.

Those early services were held in what is now known as the Bell Tower Room, and while it was only used as a sanctuary for about 30 years, that building is now seen as one of the oldest structures in Burlington.

Rev. Dr. Nancy Calvert-Koyzis of Hamilton, who will be our guest anniversary preacher for the occasion, has the distinction of being an honorary associate minister at Central Presbyterian Church in Hamilton.

 Dr. Calvert-Koyzis has taught for 20 years at colleges, universities and theological schools. She is an ordained Presbyterian Church in Canada minister and academic who has published three books, including Strangely Familiar: Protofeminist Interpretations of Patriarchal Biblical Texts (2009). She lives in Hamilton with her husband and daughter.
There will be a lunch served after the worship service providing for a time of fellowship and the opportunity to meet with our special guest.

Summer hours
 While it would be nice if the sanctuary was air conditioned, such is not the case, and with the hot weather starting much earlier this year, session recently approved a change, which many other churches are doing for the summer months.

Starting July 1 the church service will start 30 minutes earlier, that is at 10 a.m. with the hope that the air and the humidity in the sanctuary will be somewhat better. The change in time is for July and August only, so that for Sept. 2, the Sunday of Labor Day weekend, Knox will revert back to 10:30 a.m.

Picnic and worship
While numerous members of the Knox congregation will be going out to Crieff Hills for the Presbyterian Church picnic on Father’s Day, there still will be a worship service at Knox that day.

When the organizers were planning for the picnic, it was suggested that only St. Paul’s Church would be open to offer worship to those not attending the picnic, but the session of Knox made the decision to remain open and offer worship that day for the convenience of those not able to journey out to Crieff.
The Rev. Bob Docherty, our interim moderator, will be preaching that day, the only time he will be in the pulpit in June as Marilyn Repchuck, a familiar figure to the Knox congregation, will be preaching on June 10 and 24th.

Doors Open
Knox Church will be once again participating in the Doors Open program this year, offering the general public the opportunity to tour parts of the church and ask questions about the history and the architecture of the building.

The main sanctuary and the Bell Tower Room will be available to visit with church members situated in both areas to greet visitors and provide them with information sheets about Knox.

The Doors Open program will be held June 9th and 10th, running both days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Additional volunteers are required for both the Saturday and the Sunday with no one available at the moment for the Bell Tower Room on either of those days.  The sign-up sheet will once again be available in Reception Room B following Sunday’s service.