News Letters (Page 10)
From the Guatemalan Mission Team
The Guatemala mission team will be serving around 1000 children across 4 schools and an orphanage in mid March. We’re looking for donations of the following items: 1. Summer clothing for orphan babies/toddlers (0-3 years), young children (3-12 years) and young moms (11-15 years) 2. Baby shoes, regular shoes, tennis shoes, socks and towels for children (1-10 years) 3. Diapers, blankets, bottles for newborns 4. Medicine and first aid items, such as Tylenol, Advil, Polysporin, bandages, alcohol swabs 5. Soft…
Hymn Stories: This is My Father’s World
Hymn Stories: This is My Father’s World Adapted from 101 Hymn Stories – Kenneth W. Osbeck Author: Maltbie D. Babcock 1858-1901 Composer: Franklin L. Sheppard 1852-1930 This is my Father’s world, And to my list’ning ears All nature sings, and round me rings The music of the spheres. Maltbie D. Babcock was born in Syracuse, New York, on August 3, 1858, of a socially prominent family. Later he became recognized as one of the outstanding Presbyterian ministers of his generation. He…
Susan B. Anthony Paves the Way
Susan B. Anthony Paves the Way Adapted from an essay by Joanna Strong and Tom B. Leonard Kathy Twynam It has been rumoured that sometime within the next year, Ontarians will be facing an election – perhaps provincial, perhaps federal, perhaps both, if our politicians can ever get over themselves and decide what to do. And many of us followed the recent compelling US election with great interest, knowing that the repercussions were bound to spill over into Canada no matter who won. …
Choir Notes
The year was 1970, and Grace Church was struggling. Its minister, Rev. Bill Mitchell, retired on December 31 that year, leaving the pulpit vacant until the arrival in September 1971 of Rev. R. Campbell “Cam” Taylor. Cam served as Grace’s beloved minister for almost five years, until May 1976, and after retirement in 2001 returned with his wife Sandy to the newly amalgamated Graceview as Minister in Association and later Minister Emeritus. We tend to think of churches as thriving in those days fifty years ago,…
The Past Life of Maureen Screen
The Past Life of Maureen Screen by Parkland Resident Don Kerr Maureen Screen awoke on a morning in 1954 to find that Hurricane Hazel flooding had washed away fourteen homes on her street and killed thirty-two residents, including the five-year-old neighbour she walked to school every day. The first thing she heard that day was a voice on a loudspeaker from a helicopter whirring overhead. It was warning residents who had sought refuge on the roofs of their houses to remain there to be rescued…
The Mysterious St. ValentineJanuary 2025
In mid-February we will celebrate the Feast of St. Valentine, a day on which, traditionally, people express their love for each other, sending Valentine’s cards or giving gifts, often of candy or flowers. In schools, children send greetings to their classmates, and often an entire week is devoted to Valentine activities such as the decorating of special bags to hold one’s messages of friendship. Sometimes, there is a classroom party, with special treats such as cinnamon hearts or pink iced cupcakes. Oddly enough, although in many public…
Traditional Christmas Pudding – butter recipe
Christmas pudding (à la Dickens) is a tradition in our house, a legacy from Bob’s family tradition when he was growing up. For years, I had been buying it ready-made, first from Hot Oven Bakery at Cloverdale, and for the past couple of years at A Bit Of Home on Dundas street. It isn’t cheap – about $60 for two puddings, which is what I needed. I still have my mother-in-law’s pudding bowls, and her recipe, so last year I decided…
My Journey to Canada – Iraida Cherniak
It was September 1947, almost two years after the end of the war. The days were still warm but one could smell autumn in the air. During one of these warm days our small family, my husband and two-year-old daughter Natalia, woke up early in the morning to get ready to leave our transition camp in Bremenhaven, Germany to sail to Canada. Awaiting us at the pier was a ship by the name of ‘General Stuart Hainzelman’. It was an old vessel but…
Guest Preacher Tim Connor – Sunday, October 29
Tim was born in Caledonia, Ontario, where he attended the local Anglican Church with his family. From a young age, his passion for music blossomed, leading him to pursue his musical interests at McMaster University, culminating in the attainment of his bachelor degree. Tim’s life took a transformative turn when he felt a profound calling to dedicate himself to ministry. After deep introspection and soul-searching, he embarked on this path by enrolling at Knox College, where he is currently on the journey toward ordination within the Presbyterian Church in Canada. In 2023,…
Reflections on Christmas
As many of you know, I am fond of Victorian children’s literature, owning in hard cover such volumes as Little Women (1868 – Louisa May Alcott), the entire Little House series (1932 – Laura Ingalls Wilder) and the entire Anne of Green Gables series (1905 – Lucy Maud Montgomery). I first read all of these as a pre-teen, and have re-read every one many times since. They have places of honour on my bookshelf. Little Women and Anne of Green Gables are fictional; The …
Hymn Stories: Angels from the Realms of Glory
Hymn Stories: Angels from the Realms of Glory Adapted from 101 Hymn Stories – Kenneth W. Osbeck Author: James Montgomery 1771-1854 Composer: Henry Smart 1813-1879 Angels from the realms of glory Wing your flight o’er all the earth; Ye who sang creation’s story Now proclaim Messiah’s birth: Come and worship, come and worship, Worship Christ, the newborn king. James Montgomery’s parents were Moravian missionaries to the West Indies. While attending a Moravian seminary in England, young James received word of…
Nabucco and The Bible
Are there any opera fans out there? I was very interested to see that the Canadian Opera Company was staging Giuseppe Verdi’s Nabucco this year, which has never been performed by the COC. Reading the article in the Star, I was intrigued enough to look up the Biblical passages on which parts of this opera are based. One thing led to another, and I found myself researching Nebuchadnezzar in sources other than the bible. Nebuchadnezzar is the 6th century BCE King of Babylon who was responsible for…