July 1, 2026
Happy Canada Day to you all!! I don’t know about you, but I am so grateful that I am a citizen of this great country. I am the child of immigrants to this fair land. My mother came here from Romania when she was a teenager, and my dad came here from Yugoslavia (when it was one big country) when he was 4 years old. I often marvel at how their lives converged on one fateful day as the bus my mom was on stopped to pick up a hitch hiker (my dad). The bus was enroute to a Serbo-Croatian picnic. The rest is history. I often wonder what made my grandparents choose Canada. I am just thankful that they did.
The fabric of Canada is made up of immigrants, and they have brought so much to our land. Here is a list of some of the more renowned immigrants to this fair land.
Technology & Science
- Alexander Graham Bell: The Scottish-born inventor changed global communications by inventing the telephone in Brantford, Ontario.
- Mike Lazaridis: Born in Türkiye and raised in Canada, he co-founded Research In Motion (RIM) and created the BlackBerry smartphone.
- Tobias Lütke: Immigrated from Germany to Ottawa and founded the e-commerce giant Shopify.
Business & Retail
- John Molson: Arriving from England, he established the Molson Brewery in 1786, making it one of the oldest companies in North America.
- Aldo Bensadoun: Born in Morocco, he built the global footwear brand ALDO Group based in Montreal.
- Robert Wang: Immigrated from China and invented the wildly popular Instant Pot smart cooker in Canada.
Arts & Entertainment
- Deepa Mehta: An Oscar-nominated, award-winning director known for her profound Elements Trilogy (Fire, Earth, Water) who relocated from India.
- Ins Choi: Born in South Korea, he is the actor and playwright behind the hit stage and television comedy Kim’s Convenience.
No matter the reason why they landed here, I am just grateful that they did. I am proud of their accomplishments and so happy to say that a Canadian invented or started this, here, in Canada.
So, to you all, I wish you a very happy Canada Day. Wear the red and white and wave those flags proudly. I know that I will.
Worship Calendar
July 5 Wretched Man, Glorious Saviour -Romans 7:14-25- Rev. Eric Lee
July 12 Cultivating the Soil of Our Hearts – Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23 -Rev. Eric Lee
July 19 We are Created in the Image of God – Genesis 1:26-31, / Matthew 5:43-48 / 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 – Pastor Won Hwang
July 26 What Shapes your Thought, Action, Goal and Life – Genesis 3:1-13 / Romans 5:15-17 / Matthew 5:17-20 – Pastor Won Hwang
Outreach plans to host a dinner on Friday, October 23rd in the downstairs hall. It will feature an Italian themed dinner and will be prepared for us by the new culinary teacher at Thistletown Collegiate and his students. Chef Keith Hoare will be involved too. Ticket prices are $30 and all proceeds from the dinner will go to the Thistletown Euro Trip to Italy which will take place during the 2027 March Break. The proposed date of Oct 23rd will be confirmed the first week of school in September. Please save this date on your calendar! A Taste of Italy Dinner