Annual meetings - Now and Then

I have recently been involved in a great deal of research for a new book project, going through old microfilm during the period after the Second World War. Aside from my primary research, it’s interesting to note some of the other news stories of that era, and one thing that really stands out was the level of coverage churches received in the pages of the Burlington Gazette.

Most churches were able to receive a certain level of coverage, but of course I was most interested in the stories involving Knox church, noting that the various women’s groups received extensive coverage concerning their regular meetings, with names, names and more names of those who were involved in the meetings.

This Sunday is an important one in the life and witness of the Knox congregation, as we not only celebrate the Lord’s Supper, but after the service, we will adjourn to Fellowship Hall for a light lunch followed by our annual meeting.

Annual church meetings were major news back in the 1940s, as there was not only extensive coverage, but often it was front page news. With that in mind, what follows is the front page news story from the Gazette, wherein there is a detailed story concerning the annual meeting covering the year 1946.

The annual meeting of Knox Presbyterian Church was held on Thursday evening in the Sunday school room. The minister, Rev. Dr. James G. Berry, presided and conducted a short devotional service.

John Blair was then chosen chairman. In the course of his remarks, he said that the congregation had had a good year. The reports would testify to the work done and the finances well maintained.

Dr. Berry gave the report of the session: The past year saw release from war strain and the return to peace conditions. These were, however, disturbed and difficult. Yet in our church life there is much ground for thankfulness. It is a good thing to say, “first of all we give thanks to God’.

The work of the church was faithfully performed. Besides our ordinary services, the customary special ones of Communion, Easter, Anniversary, Thanksgiving and Christmas were seasons of refreshing and grateful giving.

For the Advance for Christ and Peace Thank Offering a substantial contribution had been made. There were also some contributions to be given over the three-year period. A united effort during 1947 and 1948 would bring us to the desired goal. Let us resolve to have a good try together.

Our missionary giving was well maintained. The offering of the Sunday school from the monthly missionary Sundays was most encouraging.

The reports of the organizations show that much good work has been done both for congregational needs, and for the needs of the church at large.

To all members and friends of the church for their support, and to the officers and members of the boards and societies, the session expresses its sincere appreciation. This includes the teachers of the Sunday school, the organist and choirmaster, and those who give their services in the choirs. Our caretaker and his wife deserve a special word of thanks here. Let us renew our devotion to the worship and work of the church, and in unity and fellowship seek its welfare.

The reports of the other boards and societies were then given by the treasurers as follows:
Board of Management, Board of Trustees, Session Fund, Missions. Ladies Aid, WMS, Mission Band, Choir Fund, Sunday school, Young People, Young Women’s Auxiliary, Junior Choir and Auditors.

Especially notable were the varied services rendered by the Ladies’ Aid and the large amount raised by the three groups. The ladies were warmly thanked for their untiring work.

The board of managers were re-relected as follows: John N. Blair (chairman), R. S. Merton. R. McFarlane, John Troughton, J. D. Gibbins, E. W. Smith, W. G. Henderson. A. M. Bryce, C. A. Peace (secretary), Stanley Craze (treasurer), also the auditors. G. F. Buzza and R. McFarlane.

A committee of ladies, with Mrs. Fraser Buzza, convener, served refreshments.

Moderator to preach

This Sunday, Knox is delighted to welcome as our guest preacher, Rev. Dr. Rick Horst, moderator of the 137th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.

Born in Hamilton, Dr. Horst was raised in St. Enoch Presbyterian Church, and studied broadcast journalism before he answered the call to pastoral ministry.  Ordained in 1984, Rick was appointed to three inner-city congregations in Toronto, and later answered a call to St. Marys Presbyterian Church, where he served for 17 years.

 Witnessing significant congregational growth in St. Marys, he also guided and oversaw two major building expansion programs during his ministry there.  But in the spring of 2004, Rick felt the call of God to St. Andrew's Church in Barrie, commencing his duties in August of that year.  In 2007, Rick was appointed to the Board of Barrie's Royal Victoria Hospital, where he currently offers his governance expertise in the role of vice-chairman.  His earlier concern for those in our nation's armed forces takes expression today through his volunteer work as Padre to the Veteran's Club of Barrie.

 Married to Karen who ministers to St. Andrew's, Orillia, Rick says that he continues to nurse his imperfections through the unconditional support of his beloved Hamilton Tiger-Cats. He is also very much a baseball fan as during his time in St. Marys he served as a governor of the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.

Throughout his ministry, Rick has brought emphasis to the local congregation's sense of mission in the wider community.  His work with Dr. Kennon Callahan, author of the influential “Twelve Keys to Effective Churches” materials, has seen Rick working with many congregations and presbyteries to strengthen and enhance their efforts in concrete missional ministries.  He has served our denomination in many capacities, including the chairmanship of two Synod Camp Boards, a member of the Special Committee on Restructuring, the Assembly Council, convenor of the Canada Ministries Advisory Committee and his Synod's Missions Committee.

Rick's profound love of people and for the life and witness of the local congregation is a theme that underlies and informs his daily work as a pastoral minister.  His passion for helping congregations build upon their God-given gifts and strengths in order to be more effective agents in addressing human hurts and hopes in the larger community influences what he is sharing with our churches this year.

There will be a reception in Fellowship Hall following Sunday’s service which will be hosted by the Knox session, and everyone is urged to attend, providing an opportunity to meet with Rick at that time.

Knox North

It has been called Knox North, and for good reason as over the years a number of people from the Knox congregation have called it home.

Knox North is Heritage Place, a retirement home just off Walker’s Line in north Burlington, and for a number of years, the church has offered a monthly worship service to the residents living there.

That tradition has continued through the vacancy thanks to the efforts of a number of people. During the summer months, at a time when we had a different minister in the pulpit most Sundays, a group from Knox made sure that the services continued without a minister being present, this with the service taking the form of singing favorite hymns.

Once the Rev. John Duff was contracted as interim minister, he led the worship service, with residents, both from Knox or others associated with other denominations, in attendance.

Now, the Rev. Bob Docherty, who will serve as interim minister for the next three months, will be leading worship at Heritage Place, with the next service scheduled for Thursday morning (Feb. 9) at 11 a.m.

Although the service is intended for residents of Heritage Place, others are welcome – indeed encouraged – to attend and give support to this important outreach ministry.

And some bits and pieces

• Anyone who would like to meet with the Rev. Bob Docherty is encouraged to phone the church office and make an appoint as he plans to be in the church office on Wednesday mornings from 9:30 to 12 noon. He can also be reached at 1-905-309-3603 or through RevBob.Docherty@gmail.com as necessary.

• With the annual meeting scheduled for the last Sunday in February, everyone is urged to pick up copies of the annual report which will be available this Sunday, Feb. 12. There is a bit of a switch in scheduling for this year’s annual meeting as there will be a lunch in fellowship hall before – rather than after - the meeting.

Stepping stones

There are a lot of challenges facing the Knox congregation as we move into yet another stage of transitional ministry, challenges as we move into yet another stage of what may seem to many as a long, detailed process to fill the vacancy left by the passing of Rev. Mark.

Session will be taking another of those steps this month as the elders with the assistance of our interim moderator, Rev. Thomas Kay, lay out the process for creating a search committee.

Knox has been fortunate during the past few months to have the ministry services of the Rev. John Duff as well as the grief counselling support of the Rev. Linda Corry, who has put together an extensive program which continued through the Christmas season.

In most cases, when a church has a vacancy, it is the result of a minister retiring or moving to another pastorate, and yet, there is still a process that must be followed before getting to the search phase.

In the case where a presiding minister passes away, there is also an extensive grief recovery phase. The program put in place at Knox was so extensive, in fact, that another minister mentioned to me that it should be written up as a guide for other churches to follow under similar circumstances.

So now, as we move into the next phase, there is a lot of work to be done. The search process is a complicated program, full of minute details, so detailed that the Presbyterian Church in Canada has issued a 96-page guidebook covering everything Knox will have to consider in the weeks and months ahead.

While it is necessary that some of the details about the search process be kept in strict confidence, every effort will be make to communicate the ongoing process as much as possible as we seek out a new minister for Knox, Burlington.  

Final service
We will experience yet another phase of the ever-changing process as the Rev. John Duff will be conducting his final service this Sunday, as he prepares to once again to enjoy his time in retirement, all the while preparing for an exciting trip to Peru in the days ahead.

Knox will miss John’s presence among us, but thank him for helping us in this most difficult time.

As Rev. John leaves, another retired minister, the Rev. Bob Docherty, takes on additional duties providing pulpit supply as well as pastoral support, for the next few months. Rev. Bob, who retired from St. John’s, Grimsby, is well known to the Knox congregation having preached here during the summer months.

Saying thank you
The Knox congregation is encouraged to stay for coffee after the Sunday service, as this will afford everyone an opportunity to thank John and Viola for their service to Knox during these past few months. There will be a special cake to mark the occasion, and everyone is urged to sign the card, thanking the Duffs for their assistance through this difficult time.

And thank you
A number of people have been asking about your year-end financial results as it was necessary for the stewardship team to put on a real push in the later part of 2011, this when it appeared that we would be facing a major deficit.

That being said, it is with a grateful heart that I announce that not only did the congregation meet the operating budget, but also there were sufficient funds available to pay for the deficit in the approved allocation for Presbyterians Sharing.

Knox is fortunate that we have so many generous contributors who heed the call when funds are needed, so that instead of starting the year in a precarious financial situation, we started 2012 with a small bank balance.

Thank you for your support of Knox and its mission…its mission here in Burlington and around the world.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow

As we face a New Year, there are a number of new challenges facing the Knox congregation, but one of those challenges will not involve having to start the year in a deficit situation.

While the situation did not look overly promising in November as a significant deficit was looming, once the people of Knox realized the situation, givings in December not only resulted in a balanced budget, but one with a slight surplus – how big will not be known for a few days until the various year-end bills have been paid.

But no matter the size of the surplus, we not only offer our thanks, but also point out that Knox is in a most desirable situation. A great many churches are struggling with their finances in this day and age, and so to finish yet another year in a positive position is most encouraging.

We will let everyone know as to the final figures, both for the operating budget, and for Presbyterians Sharing, when we have those results.

A time to celebrate
The coffee hour on Sunday will be moved down to Fellowship Hall as Congregational Life is using the occasion to celebrate a special occasion (somewhat of a secret) and also to thank the Coffee Crew for this special ministry that they provide week after week, preparing the coffee for the many people who enjoy this fellowship after church.

More time to celebrate
The congregation is invited to Gery Puley’s 90th birthday party on Jan. 15 from 12 noon to 3 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.  Gery invites everyone to come and celebrate with her on this special occasion. Best wishes only but items for the Knox Church food cupboard would be appreciated.

Food Pantry
And speaking about the food pantry, a reminder that the Food Cupboard is always in need of food items.  Tuna and salmon, juice boxes, granola bars, shampoo, puddings, crackers, canned fruit and vegetables and Kraft dinner are things that are needed.  Cans that can be opened without a can opener are very helpful.

Presbyterian Men’s Breakfast 
Now that we are into the New Year, a reminder goes out to the men of the congregation that you are invited to join with other men from the Presbytery for the annual Presbyterian Men’s Breakfast to be held at Knox, Dundas, on Jan. 28th. Tickets for the event, which cost $8, are available from Art Barnwell.

Yes, it’s still Christmas…but Happy New Year

As I go for my walks each day, it is becoming more and more apparent that the Christmas season, at least for many people, is over…. over just as soon as the presents are opened and the last of the dishes from the Christmas feast are stacked in the dishwasher.

At least that’s the conclusion one gets from seeing the number of Christmas trees placed out on the curb for a collection that is far off in the future.

But according to the Christian church year, we are still in the midst of the Christmas season, a season which started on Dec. 25th and extends to Jan. 5, the twelve days of Christmas.

And so, as a New Year dawns, we are reminded that the church year starts in September, and despite some of the mangled interpretations of a popular song, we indeed are still celebrating Christmas, and will do so for several more days.

Pulpit supply
There have been several pieces of communication recently concerning interim ministry, the search process and the desire of Rev. John Duff to ease back from his responsibilities at Knox. When John was first approached about taking on the interim ministry role at Knox, his contract was for the period from Sept. 1 to Jan. 31, but for the month of January, he will be sharing some of his responsibilities with the Rev. Bob Docherty, retired from St. John’s, Grimsby who will assume pastoral care responsibilities in January while John continues to preach on Sundays.

But saying that, John will not be in the pulpit to start the New Year as he is on vacation, and so for this date we will have as our guest minister, the Rev. Willard Pottinger, who served at Val d'Or, Montreal, Ottawa, and St. Paul's, Hamilton, before retiring from full-time ministry work. In an online bio, he notes that he alternated between teaching and ministry several times to preserve his sanity, teaching English and French at several schools in Ontario, as well as at Zhenjiang, China. Now an avid curler, you can also spot him on a bicycle as he rides around Hamilton Bay twice each week.

Twas the night before Christmas

…and all through Knox Church, all was in preparation for wondrous Christmas services.

Once again this year, Knox will have two Christmas Eve worship services as well as the traditional Sunday morning service on Christmas Day.

Knox Church will have a family service at 7 p.m. with musical presentations by Iori Lewis, Tegwen Lewis and the Rockin’ Angels, a delightful group of young choristers.

The family service will be followed by a special candlelight service which includes the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, starting at 9 p.m.

Then on Sunday, the regular worship service will be held at 10 a.m.

A warm invitation is extended to each and all to worship at Knox, especially during this Christmas season.