Kathy Twynam

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed individuals can change the world. In fact, it’s the only thing that ever has.”                                                     Margaret Mead With help from an essay by Joanna Strong and Tom B. Leonard, from The Book of Virtues, edited by William J. Bennett.  The year was 1862. The Civil War was raging in America. In the battlefields of the country, men were dying, left maimed and bleeding on the field until the battle was…

Since you-know-who took office you-know-where, Canadian patriotism has been soaring. In honour of Canada Day 2025,  and in honour of Simcoe Day, celebrated in Ontario on the first Monday of August every year, let’s find out just who Simcoe was. John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (Ontario) from 1791 to 1796. He founded York, now Toronto, and was instrumental  in introducing courts of law, trial by jury,…

Kathy Twynam  Morning has broken, like the first morning;Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird.Praise for the singing, praise for the morning,Praise for them springing fresh from the Word. (Interesting note: I looked up the lyrics on the internet in two different places, and in both cases the last word of the first verse was “world”.  Our hymnbook uses “Word”, which I believe is the correct version, but requires some knowledge of Christianity to understand.) At our May Outreach meeting,…

On May 21, Bob and I went to Niagara-on-the-Lake to see the Shaw production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first book in C. S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia series. I went with trepidation, because the Narnia series is very dear to my heart and I was afraid the stage production would ruin it for me, just as the Mirvish production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child managed to ruin Harry Potter.  (My opinion only –…

 few months ago, I was tidying up a bookcase in my home that is dedicated to all the beloved and much-read books of my childhood and youth, books that should have long ago been passed down to my nieces or my grandnieces but that I have never been able to part with. One shelf holds the eight novels that make up the Anne of Green Gables series, authored by Prince Edward Island’s most famous Presbyterian, Lucy Maud Montgomery. A ragged,…

The Story of a Successful Amalgamation of Two  Amalgamation is not palliative care.  In a time when many churches are struggling to stay alive and when options to close or amalgamate often lead to the inevitable demise of the congregation, it is nice to know that it does not have to be that way. Amalgamation can be highly successful and can breathe new life into a church community that thought there was no hope for its survival.  In the Year…

I look around my house these days, and it’s easy to get discouraged at so much clutter! It’s not a big house, as houses go. It’s a fairly basic three-bedroom bungalow of about 1800 square feet, built in 1955, and it’s pretty dated. In 1994 we moved in, and in 1998 gutted and replaced the original kitchen. In 2002 we did the same to the main floor bathroom. The updated version of both is now outdated. The kitchen is large,…

So far in my life, which has included service not only to our church but to other organizations in which I have served as an executive member, such as the now defunct Home and School Association, my long-ago bowling league, and Let There be Music Choir, I have always managed to steer very clear of anything to do with looking after other people’s money. Taking care of money and making financial decisions just wasn’t happening, no matter in what other…

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. …

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,…

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…