News Letters (Page 7)
November 1, 2025 – Minister’s Message
By coincidence, I ran into the worship service of our renting congregation, the United Church of God (UCG), right here in our sanctuary. It was Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, and I noticed the many cars parked outside. Out of curiosity, I stepped in and was able to witness their service firsthand. Now, here’s a fun fact: I actually happened to be born on Yom Kippur according to the Jewish calendar! Perhaps that means I should have an extra…
Good King Wenceslas – Who Was He?
Good King Wenceslas looked out on the Feast of Stephen,When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even.Brightly shone the moon that night, though the frost was cruel,When a poor man came in sight gath’ring winter fuel. “Hither, page, and stand by me if thou know’st it, tellingYonder peasant, who is he? Where and what his dwelling?”“Sire, he lives a good league hence, underneath the mountain,Right against the forest fence by Saint Agnes’ fountain.” “Bring me bread and…
October 5, 2025 – Minister’s Message
Hallelujah! What a joyful day at Graceview! We celebrated the baptism of our new members, witnessing God’s amazing grace and the transforming power of faith in Jesus Christ. It was truly moving to see lives renewed and hearts opened to eternal salvation. Afterward, our potluck fellowship lunch brought everyone together with an abundance of dishes from many cultures — a delicious reminder of the love and unity we share as one family in Christ. I thank God for orchestrating such a beautiful day of…
September / October 2025 – Graceview
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Grand Slam Ham
LooneyspoonsJanet and Gretel Podleski If I am serving ham at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, or any other occasion, this is the way I do it. If a holiday meal features both turkey and ham, the ham is always most popular and disappears before the turkey does. Preheat oven to 350°. Slice ham into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange in a 9 x 13” baking dish. Combine jam, vinegar, mustard, orange zest, and allspice in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat…
Halloween,Then and Now
Facebook, that ultimate time-waster, is known for all kinds of crazy stories, memes, political rants, recipes (which often feature a perfectly good chicken breast or pork chop smothered in brown sugar, cheese, or other calorie-laden ingredients), etc. etc. etc. The other day on Facebook I ran across the following statement: “Thanksgiving, Halloween, or Christmas – one of these holidays must go. Which one?” Clickbait that I couldn’t resist. For me, it was a no-brainer – I could definitely do without…
Charles Wesley – more prodigious than Wordsworth!
One of my favourite hymns in our Book of Praise, which unfortunately we very rarely sing, is And Can it Be That I Should Gain, by Charles Wesley. We sing many of Wesley’s hymns, and I have often wondered just who he was, that he seemed to be able to provide a hymn for every occasion. Our Book of Praise contains 19 of them. The Methodist hymn book Hymns and Psalms contains 150. I had a vague idea that he…
Prayer for Home and Family
This is one of my favourite prayers. As I read it, I picture a family, father, mother, several children, and perhaps grandparents, sitting around a table in reverent attitude as one of their members thanks and beseeches God in this perfect prayer of thanksgiving and intercession. It would be equally suitable for our church family as we assemble each Sunday for worship. Lord, behold our family here assembled. We thank thee for this place in which we dwell; for the…
Bits and Bytes at Graceview
Have you ever thought about how dependent we have become on computer technology that we once shunned as totally unnecessary? About how the Presbyterian church managed to get along just fine for five hundred years, without screens or microphones or live streamed services? Or, for that matter, about how most of us now walk around with a computer in our pockets that is a million times more powerful than the room-sized computer proudly owned by York University in the sixties…
Memoirs of a Christian Education
I am the product of a thoroughly Christian education – Catholic elementary schools through Grade 8, and Saint Joseph’s High School, a private, all-girls convent school, through Grade 12. Public funding was not fully extended to Catholic high schools until 1984, under Premier Bill Davis. Whether this should be the case in our modern diverse society is an argument for another day, but the first British North America Act of 1867 guaranteed public education support (up to Grade 8) to…
September 1, 2025 – Minister’s Message
This past August, I was given the privilege of being one of the selected scholars to participate in the annual Guder Scholars gathering at St. Andrew’s Hall, University of British Columbia. This year’s event, which centred around missional leadership and discernment, brought together pastors from across Canada, along with some from the United States and other traditions beyond the Presbyterian Church. It was a four-day immersion of prayer, learning, and conversation that became one of the highlights of my summer.…
August 21, 2025 – Weekly News
Download the PDF August 20, 2025Having spent last week in Prince Edward County on the shores of West Lake, I am stunned, every year that I am there, how close to God I feel. The sheer beauty of nature, of the sunsets (as seen above), of the quiet, one cannot avoid the feeling that God is all around and that he has produced these wonders so that all who see them cannot help but feel his presence. Hymns kept popping…