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Catalyst
Catalyst
ST ANDREW’S CHURCH 75 Simcoe Street, Toronto, Ontario M5J 1W9 (416) 593-5600
“The people of St Andrew’s are called by God to serve in faith, hope and love in the core of Toronto.”
Autumn 2007
From the desk of
George C. Vais
BEGINNINGS
I always loved beginnings. You
see, it’s one thing to end something, it’s something else to be
in between; but there’s nothing
like starting out. As we stand on
the threshold of a new venture,
a new undertaking, a new chapter, there’s plenty of excitement,
and lots of anticipation. At the
same time, there’s also fear, apprehension and a question behind it all—will it work out, and
will the unfolding of this new
thing be beneficial to all concerned? That’s natural.
According to Dr. William
Bridges, before we can experience a new beginning, we need
to have an ending; which is usually followed by a period of what
he calls “a neutral zone”, and
then, and only then are we ready
to celebrate the new beginning.
“Only after going through each
of these first two phases of transition can people deal successfully with the third phase; beginning over again, with new energy, a new sense of purpose, a
new outlook, and a new image
of themselves.” [“Getting them
through the wilderness: A
leader’s guide to transition” p.
2]. By the way, this process applies to individuals, to institutions as well as to organizations.
In April of 2006, St. Andrew’s
completed a chapter with the
retirement of Dr. Cameron Brett
as senior minister. As the saying goes, “all good things come
to an end”. For the past 17
months we found ourselves in
that “neutral zone”. Thanks to
your many prayers, your faithful
presence and your enthusiastic
participation we came through
this period with our heads high.
On September 16th we began a
new chapter in the life of this
great congregation with the Rev.
Will Ingram as our senior minister. What an opportunity we
have TO BE THE CHURCH on
the corner of King and Simcoe
Streets and beyond. Let us not
be afraid to make the adjustments or even those changes in
the way we do things. The
message we have is the same,
as it has always been, it’s the
way we deliver it, the way we
package it that needs to be adjusted or changed from time to
time in order that it may cause
“chords that are broken to vibrate once more”, as an old
hymn puts it. Let us be willing
to look for more ways, and provide the ambience for St. Andrew’s to continue “...to serve
in faith, hope and love in the
core of Toronto”.
George C. Vais,
Associate Minister
for Adult Ministries
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THANK YOU, GEORGE!
At our annual meeting this spring we were
shocked to realize that within a short period of
time we had lost Cameron Brett, our Sr. Minister of 16 years, Douglas Bodle, our Director of
Music of 40 years, as well as Wendy Pearson,
Church Administrator, and Alan House, Church
Officer—all of whom seemed irreplaceable.
Fortunately, though, George Vais, along with
Faith, agreed to stay on as our leader through
this time of transition. George has educated us
that a period of transition is a time of reflection—
and a time of opportunity.
Rather than stagnate while looking for replacements, St. Andrew’s has thrived.
Through
George’s wise counsel, organizational skills,
good humour, and compelling sermons, St. An-
drew’s is bursting with service and Christian activity as we have celebrated and shared our joys
and sorrows. Through God’s will, Dan Bickle,
our Interim Director of Music, July Neal, Administrative Assistant, and Jim Callan, Church Custodian, as seamlessly as possible, and with skill
and charm, have replaced the irreplaceable.
George has not only shepherded us through this
time but much of the coming year is planned and
organized.
It is difficult to express how truly grateful we
are, George, to you and Faith. From all of us at
St. Andrews: “Thank you!”
By Grant Farrow
CATALYST
Catalyst is published four times annually for members and friends of St. Andrew’s Church. The next issue is the Advent /Christmas issue and the deadline for submitting articles is Sunday, November 4,2007. If possible, articles should
be emailed or submitted on disc in Microsoft Word format. All discs will be returned.
Catalyst Editor: Pat Reynolds — [email protected]
Design and Production: Judy Neal — [email protected]
Comments, Questions, Suggestions or Articles: Please contact the Editor or any minister:
Reverend Will Ingram, Senior Minister
Reverend Dr. George C. Vais, Associate Minister for Adult Ministries
Reverend Rodger Hunter, Minister in Association
Reverend Dr. Iain Nicol, Minister in Association
Website: www.standrewstoronto.org
Email: [email protected]
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Boarding Homes Ministry
By David Olenic
for Phyllis Matheson, Patricia Garnett-Smith,
Joan Charlton and Elisabeth Paradis
"Weak and fragile is a kingdom with one language and custom"
- Stephen I of Hungary (977 - 1038)
Each member of the St. Andrew's team take turns leading the devotion when we make our
visit to our boarding home. We have an older copy of the Lectionary to help us plan how we
can proceed. Additionally, we might use the message that was given on the Sunday just past
by the minister, if it happened to inspire the leader for that week. Sometimes however, both
the Lectionary and the past service do not inspire, or perhaps some event and or thought has
directed the choice of lesson to go off in a different direction.
Today I want to briefly tell about one such event. One of the other members of our team decided to lead using passages from the Book of Job. This would not have been a choice that I
would have made. Job, in a nutshell, presents the problem of why bad things happen to good
people. Not a topic I would choose for a boarding home visit. It is also one that I personally feel
is difficult to do. The residents of these homes have had such difficult times themselves and I
can't see where I would want to take the discussion after the reading was completed.
The other team member did the topic surprisingly well. She talked about what it's like from
God's perspective, and gave me a different look on the passages we all discussed, and she did
it while engaging the residents in a good discussion! It's a wonder how each member of the
team brings a different perspective, and obviously different strengths and weaknesses, and we
all learn from one another, residents, students and team members, and in the process we are
traveling together with our Lord, making our journey blessed.
St. Andrew's team makes a biweekly visit on a Wednesday evening. A few weeks ago, I had
to work late, and could not take part in the regular visit. I contacted some of the other team
members, and they did fine, but I missed not being there. Yes we extend ourselves outside the
walls of St. Andrew's, but we also get so much back in return.
If you want to contact Boarding Homes Ministry you can telephone Rev. Roger Hunter at 416992-4987, or send an e-mail to [email protected].
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Clockwise, from top left: The Rev. Dr. Rick Fee delivers the sermon; Presbytery of East Toronto Moderator The Rev. Ferne Reeve
delivers the Preamble; Dr. Grant Farrow presents the congregation’s gift to the Ingram family; The Rev. Ferne Reeve and The
Rev. Rick Fee congratulate our newly inducted Senior Minister.
Photos by Tom Kovats.
It was with great enthusiasm and anticipation that we approached the Service of Induction of
the Rev. William G. Ingram as Senior Minister to St. Andrew's Church on Sunday, September
16, 2007 at 7:30 p.m.
We warmly welcome Will, his wife Karen and their three children Kate, Madeline and
Spencer, to the St. Andrew’s family and celebrate their presence with us.
Our diverse downtown congregation of all ages and backgrounds has a wonderful tradition of
hospitality and encouragement to our clergy. I am therefore confident that Will and his family
will quickly be encompassed by your love and support as together we begin this new stage of
spiritual growth and service to Christ in this caring Christian community.
By Grant Farrow
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Cornerstones of
Parish Nursing Ministry
In the previous edition of the
Catalyst, we looked at confidentiality as one of the cornerstones of parish nursing
ministry.
What about the
other three cornerstones? Of
what significance are they to
this avenue of service at St.
Andrew’s? In this article, let
us look at the second cornerstone, caring.
When discussing care in the
context of parish nursing, it is
important to understand that
the heart of parish nursing
ministry is the provision of
spiritual care for the individual.
In fact, spiritual care is what
sets parish nursing apart from
other aspects of professional
nursing care. All nursing paradigms place the individual at
the center of their structure.
Parish nursing, however, puts
God at the center. There is respect for the uniqueness of
the person being cared for.
There is appreciation for the
sacredness of life, and recognition of the deep need in
every person to be in relationship with the Living God. To
demonstrate care as a parish
nurse is to practice parish
nursing. What more can be
done? Can we all contribute
to a caring Christian community?
How is care demonstrated in
a faith community? Very simply, in order for people who
are part of the community to
feel cared for, there needs to
be a sense of belonging.
Members of this faith community can show care for each
other in diverse ways. There
is no one way to demonstrate
care, just as individuals display
unique characteristics and personality traits.
The parish
nurse may demonstrate care
by sending an email, a personal note, a card, or by a
telephone call.
Prayer with
and for those in her care is
also part of care. Visitation
has been, to date, a regular
part of this ministry. To the
homebound, acutely ill patient
in hospital, or the resident in a
long term care facility, the visit
is a means of demonstrating
care, and reminding the person
that she or he is not alone and
forgotten.
It is not the parish nurse exclusively who can demonstrate
care. Care is something everyone can demonstrate in some
measure.
Frequently people
think: “I don’t need to call:
they have a family who are
involved”, or, “I am too busy,
or tired or stressed to call,
what could I offer them?” Before making these or similar
pronouncements, stop to think
how the early Christian church
demonstrated care for its
members. Ask for wisdom,
grace, and insight as to how
you can demonstrate care in
this community. Ponder Romans 12:6 “Having then gifts
that differ according to the
grace that is given to us, let us
use them.” Direction will come
to you as you do so.
By Maureen McNeish
Advance Notice
Parish Nursing will be the
theme of a Sunday Forum on
November 25, 2007 in the
boardroom in St. Andrew’s
Centre following the morning
service.
The speaker is Ruth Ann Fraser, Parish Nurse at Bayview
Glen Church, and the title of
her presentation is:
Parish
Nursing: Promoting Congregational Health, Healing, and
Wholeness at the Grass Roots
Level.
In addition to working as a
Parish Nurse, Ruth Ann is a
member of the board of the
InterChurch Health Ministries.
We look forward to a very interesting and informative session.
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Church School News
Teen painters Katie Goodwin, Alice
Treen and Oliver Treen redecorate
after painting the Church School
rooms.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! To everyone who painted, cleaned and redecorated our
school this summer: Peter and Darlene Treen, Stewart, Betsy, Mary, George Vais, Ken
Maiden, Wendy Misener, Tom Kovats, Louise Goodwin, Brian Birdsell Bev Graham, Erica
Cooke Youth: Katie Goodwin, Michelle Goodwin, Stuart and Leslie Maiden, Andrew Birdsell, Alice and Harold Treen, Arthur Cooke. It looks great and the kids and teachers
started this fall with a big smile on their faces.
The children, youth and adults are invited to participate in an Art Exhibition in the church
school. Submissions are to have a biblical theme and will be accepted anytime and mounted on
the walls throughout the school.
A new curriculum was started this fall. The primary and junior classes will use Walk with Me
while the senior class will follow the lectionary based Seasons of the Spirit.
Our teen group will meet at 10:30am in the boardroom most Sundays with Brian Birdsell and
Justice Agyemang sharing the leadership.
Our youth group meets Sunday, September 23 at the Goodwins’ home for a “meet the minister” and pool party. Kate Agnew will be coordinating their activities this year.
We look forward to a vibrant and educational year. Anyone wishing to assist in the school
should contact Mary Maiden at 416-425-0861.
Notice Re Bursary Applications:
The St. Andrew’s Church 175th Anniversary Bursary is available to a student or students enrolled in or
embarking on a full-time or part-time course of post-secondary education at a recognized college, community college, university or trade school. Christian Education Committee is ready to receive applications for bursaries and the deadline is November 1, 2007. Anyone who is interested should contact
Judy Neal in St. Andrew’s office for a copy of the guidelines for applications. Call 416-593-5600 or
email [email protected].
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Election of Elders
During the service on Sunday, June 10, 2007, Justice Agyemang, Cynthia Humphries and
Nora Lever were ordained and admitted to the Session. In addition to these new elders, four
elders who were previously ordained, Sandy Aird, Susan Goodwin, David Olenic and Peter
Price, were also admitted to the Session for a six year term of service.
Elders continuing on the Session for a further six year term are Heather Dalzell, Grant
Farrow, Lenore Goodwin, Lorraine Irvine, Thomas Kovats and Hugh Lloyd.
Justice
Agyemang
The past five years have been
happy and eventful for Justice
Agyemang and his wife Lorraine.
After their wedding in 2002 at St.
Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on
Main Street, Markham, Justice
and Lorraine moved to Toronto
and became members of our St.
Andrew’s Presbyterian Church
here in downtown Toronto. Justice immediately became active,
teaching in the Church School. In
2006, their daughter Liberty was
born.
Justice and Lorraine are both
lawyers. Lorraine is presently on
maternity leave from the Department of Justice.
Justice, formerly at the law firm of McCarthy
Tetrault, has recently accepted a
position of Senior Counsel at
Wells Fargo Financial. In spite of
a busy family life and a new job,
Justice makes time to play his
favourite sport of basketball.
Justice is humbled and honoured to be elected to the Session
where he hopes to learn and
grow, and to be of help where he
is needed. He looks forward to
working with our new senior minister, Will Ingram, who he met at
Camp Iona some years ago.
By Eric Reynolds
Sandy Aird
A number of years
ago, the Airds moved back to Toronto after having spent 14 years
living on a farm in Caledon.
Sandy is welcomed back as an
active elder to the Session on
which he had previously served
for several years.
Sandy was part of the group
that organized the St. Andrew’s
Heritage Trust and he served on
its Board of Directors for several
years. He has also been a member of the Board of Managers of
St. Andrew’s Church and served
on two search committees which
resulted in calls to Dr. James Evans and Dr. Cameron Brett.
Sandy is a retired management
consultant and a past chairman of
the Board of Trustees of the Hospital for Sick Children.
By Carol Wishart
Susan
Goodwin
Susan joined St. Andrew's
Church in 1990 and is active on
our Worship Committee and our
Health Cabinet.
Susan studied Anthropology
at the University of Toronto and
now works as a Health and
Safety Inspector for the Ontario
Government. She even gets to
wear a hard hat and boots when
she visits a construction site to
investigate an injury or accident!
As a lifetime Torontonian, she
loves the city and spending time
with her Westie named Lizzy. In
addition to her involvement with
St. Andrew's she has been a volunteer at the ROM for many
years. Susan is a past Assistant
Treasurer/Treasurer of St. Andrew's and first became an Elder
in 1997. St. Andrew's is an important part of her life and she
finds our Church to be a very
warm and friendly place.
By Philip Holloway
Cynthia
Humphries
Cynthia Humphries was born in
New York City. She became a
teacher and taught elementary
and ESL classes until her retirement a few years ago. She continues to substitute in elementary
classes. She was married to Dr.
Raymond Humphries and came to
Toronto with him when he began
teaching at Knox College in 1979.
Cynthia joined St. Andrew’s in
1986 and has been involved in
many activities of the church.
(Continued on page 9)
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She has taught Sunday School
and serves on the Pastoral Care
Committee. She especially appreciates the Sunday morning Bible
study class and feels a special
closeness to the members of the
group.
Cynthia’s family includes a son
Robin and a daughter Natalie and
four grandchildren who keep her
busy with babysitting and visiting.
Cynthia brings a lot of energy,
insight and great sense of humour
with her. She will be a real asset
to the session.
By Nancy Mathewson
Nora
Lever
Nora Lever brings considerable
achievements and life experience
to the St. Andrew’s Session and
as such to the congregation.
Nora and her husband, Allan,
came to St Andrew’s about 10
years ago after spending considerable time abroad, lastly in Chicago where Allan headed up the
World Trade Center and where he
is still actively involved. They settled in downtown Toronto and
became involved in St. Andrew’s
congregation. Last year they
transferred their membership from
Fourth Presbyterian Church of
Chicago and have come fully
home to us.
While in Ottawa Nora was Principal Clerk at the Table in the
House of Commons, giving procedural advice to the Speaker of the
House and Members of Parliament
from all political parties.
Allan and Nora spent four years
in Saudi Arabia where Allan
served an Ambassador for our
country. In Toronto, Nora became actively involved with the
Toronto Symphony and served as
President of the volunteer committee. Nora served our congregation on the Board of Managers
and was a member of the recent
search committee for a Senior
Minister. Nora and Allan have
three sons and a daughter and
nine lively grandchildren, who
give them much joy and pleasure.
Besides walking their dog every
day, Nora enjoys sailing with the
family on their boat.
We are indeed privileged to welcome Nora to the session and
wish her the Lord’s blessings in
her eldership.
By Marc Buist
for Boarding Homes Ministry,
where he is a member of the
Staff Relations Committee, and
has just added the duties of Secretary.
David’s hobbies include gardening. He's converted one of the
rooms in his apartment into a
plant room which includes over a
hundred orchids along with many
other plants.
He also plays
bridge, getting together regularly
with his three brothers on the
internet.
By Eric Reynolds
Peter
Price
David
Olenic
David came to St. Andrew's from
Montreal seven years ago, where
he was an elder at the church of
St. Andrew and St. Paul. There,
David was involved with the student lunch program, served on
the Ushering Committee, and was
vice-chair on the Outreach Committee.
Additionally, he was
treasurer for Refugee Action
Montreal, a non-profit organization set up by the Anglican and
Presbyterian churches, and received an appointment by the
Montreal Presbytery to be their
church representative on the
board of directors for this group.
David continues to be active in
church life with his involvement
with the Tuesday morning community breakfast program and as
a team member for our Boarding
Homes Ministry which he has
written about in Catalyst. He attends the Sunday morning bible
study when he's not greeting at
the front door, and serves on the
Budget Committee.
David has
also made use of his past board
experience to become a director
Peter Price comes to St. Andrew’s Church from VictoriaRoyce Presbyterian Church where
he was Clerk of Session as well
as being involved with many activities of church life. Unfortunately, Victoria-Royce closed its
doors last year.
Peter is an electrical specialist
who came to Canada from Glasgow in 1971. When looking for a
new church home, more than one
factor led to his choosing St. Andrew’s. A close friend of his now
deceased wife is a member of St.
Andrew’s. He learned that Cameron Brett’s reputation for preaching had not been exaggerated.
And when Will Ingram was called
to St. Andrew’s, Peter already
knew Will through Evangel Hall
and as the minister who presided
at the closing service of VictoriaRoyce.
Peter was a founding member
of the Sunday morning Bible
Study group and is now poised to
serve on Session. Welcome Peter!
By Eric Reynolds
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The View
from
the Office….
I’ve been the administrative assistant at St. Andrew's Church for about nine months now, and
what an incredible nine months they’ve been! I
feel so blessed to be working here, where I see
God’s love in action all the time, every day brings
something different, and where my labour is rewarded with so much more than a salary.
I meet and work with so many wonderful people.
People like the Rev. Dr. George Vais, who
has been so patient with me while I scrambled up
the steep learning curve.
I love watching
George’s face light up when he’s in “minister
mode”! He is such a wise, gentle and loving pastor, and I’ve learned so much from him. And the
inimitable Rev. Rodger Hunter, with whom I enjoy
having such fascinating discussions about social
and theological issues.
Then there’s our new
organist, Dan Bickle, with his fine sense of humour and attention to detail. I marvel at how he
selects music to clothe the liturgy so well every
week. I also appreciate so much the guidance
our Church Manager Doug Pearson gives me, as
well as the help extended by Jim Callan and Arnaldo dos Santos.
Also included in this group, too, are the amazing volunteers who contribute so much to the life
and work of this congregation. I’m truly amazed
at the tremendous dedication and hard work of
our Out of the Cold and Church School volunteers. My job would be so much harder without
Eric & Pat Reynolds and Hugh Lloyd, who usually
have the answers to my questions about how
things work; or without Lenore Goodwin, who
helps so much with the Christian Education seminars. And I can always turn to Board members
John Matheson & Gordon Taylor, Retiring Clerk of
Session, Dr. Grant Farrow, and new Clerk, Lori
Ransom, for wise counsel and support when
needed.
There are several parts of my work that touch
me in a special way. One task I truly enjoy is
typing the hymns in large print every week for
members of the congregation who have difficulty
reading our hymn books. I get to immerse myself
in every word of those beautiful musical tributes!
I also enjoy working with brides and grooms to
help each couple create the wedding day of their
dreams.
I feel especially honoured to be able, in a small
way, to help bereaved families navigate the process of planning and organizing funeral and memorial services. It’s so heart-warming to see how
members of the congregation lovingly rally to support one of their own during these difficult
times—whether by answering the phones, assembling programs, making sandwiches or serving
tea—and to see pastoral support extended to
families of those whose connections to St. Andrew’s stretch across many miles or far back
through time.
As we go to press with this issue of the Catalyst I’m looking forward to becoming a member of
the congregation. My connection to St. Andrew’s began in August, 2004 when my son,
David Washburn, married Suzanne Dicerni, daughter of Ruth Dicerni, a former Out of the Cold coordinator. At the time, I marveled at what a beautiful church this is. It was Ruth who told me about
the vacancy in the church office (over a bottle of
good wine and some delicious maki balls).
The intervening months have provided the opportunity for me to get to know the wonderful
people of St. Andrew’s and to see your loving
care in action. I delight at how warmly you welcome all newcomers.
It is this warmth and caring that helped me to
really understand that a church is not just a lovely
building and nice worship services—it’s a big, loving family in Christ. That warmth and caring is
what convinced me to join the St. Andrew’s family. Special thanks to George and Session for
making it possible for me to join you on September 16th.
I’m looking forward to working with our newly
inducted Senior Minister, The Rev. Will Ingram.
If the many e-mails we have traded back and
forth are any indication, he has a great sense of
humour and a good dose of compassion—not to
mention a lot of energy! It looks like the view
from the office will be interesting, indeed, over
the next year!
- Judy Neal,
Administrative Assistant
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St. Andrew’s Welcomes
Dan Bickle, Director of Music
by Jack Reynolds
Dan Bickle, left, and Hugh Lloyd, convener of the
Worship Committee.
Dan’s mentor, our former Director of Music, Douglas
Bodle, plays while Dan waits to play the next piece.
We are very pleased to extend an official welcome to Dan Bickle, who succeeds Douglas
Bodle as Director of Music. Dan hardly needs an introduction as he has played during summer
services at St. Andrew’s for several years and has been our interim organist over the past
eight months.
Among many degrees, Dan has a Mus. Bac. from the University of Toronto in Music Education and an M. Mus. from the University of Illinois in Choral Conducting. He has been organist
and choir director for many churches and schools in Toronto and pianist for the University of
Illinois where he had a teaching assistantship in piano accompanying.
Dan is a member of several professional associations including the Royal Canadian College of
Organists and the American Choral Directors Association. He enjoys conducting choirs of professional singers, such as St. Andrew’s choir, as well as teaching and conducting young peoples’ choirs. Dan is presently Principal of Manhattan Park Jr. Public School.
Dan’s family is rather heavily into music. His wife, Barbara, is a nurse by profession but
plays the violin and likes to sing. Daughter Leslie, a soprano, is in her first year at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Music, studying voice. Son Scott is in the last year of high school
and plays the trumpet.
Welcome Dan!
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St. Andrew’s Church Library
By Elisabeth Paradis
The library has moved! It is now located in
the main floor Board Room and it is hoped
that this move will make it more accessible.
September has arrived and after the summer
hiatus the adult study groups and children’s
church school are once again meeting regularly. As you prepare for your study groups,
remember to take advantage of the resources available in the library.
A series of 10 books from the Layman’s
Theological Library (legacy of Robert
Mathewson), cover a wide range of topics.
These include the following:
Believing in God
by Daniel Jenkins,
- “a candid discussion with all persons for
whom believing in God is difficult”
Prayer and Personal Religion
by John B. Coburn
- to help us to move from academic knowl
edge to a personal relationship with God
The Protestant and Politics
by William Lee Miller
- how Christian faith can affect political
activity.
Making Ethical Decisions
by Howard Clark Kee
- how to first see issues clearly and then
relate the Christian faith to them.
To sign out a library book, simply take the
card out of the pocket in the back cover,
write the date and your name on the card
and leave it in the box on the top shelf.
There is no ‘due date’ – you may keep the
book for as long as you need it.
Please take a moment to visit the Boardroom and browse through the books while
enjoying a cup of coffee, tea or juice after
the Sunday morning church service.
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Congregational Meeting
Re Residence for the Ingrams
At a special congregational
meeting held on Sunday, September 9, 2007, the congregation
was given details of the purchase
and financing of a home for our
new Senior Minister, the Rev. Will
Ingram and his wife Karen.
The home, at 404 Quebec Avenue near High Park, is co-owned
by Will and Karen (55%), and by
the trustees of St. Andrew’s
Church (45%).
The congregation approved the
acquisition of this 45% interest
financed by loans from the St.
Andrew’s Heritage Trust. They
also approved the actions of the
directors and officers of St. An-
From the Treasurer…
Pool Party in June:
About a year ago the Board of
Managers set up the Pre-Authorized
Remittance Plan, also known as
PAR, for the convenience of those
members who want to ensure regular payments of church contributions through pre-authorized withdrawals from their bank accounts.
This plan so far has worked well for
those involved, and participation is
growing. If you think you want to
make use of this convenient way to
contribute, please contact me or our
Church Manager, Doug Pearson, to
get started.
By Marc Buist
drew’s Heritage Trust in making a
loan to the trustees and granting
a mortgage to Will and Karen.
Copies of the background and
Resolution which passed are
available through the church office.
The Church School again enjoyed the annual pool party at
the home of Bev and Jack Reynolds.
Michael Barnes, former student at St. Andrew’s Church, is Minister of Knox Presbyterian Church, Bracebridge.
Janice and Michael Barnes participated in a
local art show in Bracebridge.
Photos by Lori Ransom
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Transitions…
Grant Farrow, our faithful Clerk of Session
for several years, is retiring and Lori Ransom
will be assuming that position as we begin a
new era with the induction of Rev. Will Ingram. Lori needs no introduction to St. Andrew’s congregation having participated in
numerous programmes and activities over
many years. Currently, Lori is working for
the Presbyterian Church in Canada as Healing and Reconciliation Animator, which position she described in the Summer issue of
Catalyst.
Congratulations to Faith and George Vais who
celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on August 17, 2007 in Bracebridge. The Vais’ children
organized an ‘at home’ event with a guest list of
200 family and friends. Congratulations Faith
and George and may you celebrate many more!
Stevie Cameron, elder of St. Andrew’s
Church, has published a book on the Robert
Pickton case, The Pickton File. Stevie continues to audit the trial of Robert Pickton.
Erin Maureen Nolte and Roger Wardell were
married in St. Andrew’s Church on May 26,
2007.
Isabella Mary Rankin Durno, daughter of Don
and Jane Durno was baptized in St. Andrew’s Church on Sunday, May 13, 2007.
Also baptized was Jaime Dorothy Ionson
Taylor, daughter of John and Kimberley Taylor. Both babies are the grandchildren of delighted grandparents Ginger and Gordon
Taylor.
Erin Marie Birdsell was born August 3,
2007 to proud parents Brian and Sarah-Anne
Birdsell. Erin is a sister for Matthew.
Congratulations to Matthew Ruttan, a member of
St. Andrew’s Church and a theological student at
Knox College, who won the following prizes at
his Convocation:
Bonar-Burns Prize, Dr. Donald Corbett Memorial
Prize (Reformed Theology/Theologian), Mar Presbyterian Church Prize (Music and Spirituality),
R.J. Stanley Glen Memorial Prize (Pastoral Care),
Brydon Prize (Church History, Reformation)
Matthew also recently won the Armour Heights
Rev. Dr. DeCourcey H. Rayner Bursury. The essay that won this latter prize is printed in the
September, 2007 issue of the Presbyterian Record.
Catalyst
Catalyst
15
Mileposts...
Georgina Berry, a long time member of St. Andrew’s Church, died on June 21, 2007. The
funeral service was held at Turner & Porter Memorial Chapel, North York.
Conrad Dutchin, a long time member and elder
of St. Andrew’s Church died on September 10,
2007, in Toronto. Conrad’s funeral was conducted by the Rev. Will Ingram at Glendale Memorial Gardens in Etobicoke.
A Heartfelt “Thank You” from Grant Farrow
Dear Family of St. Andrew’s:
The following excerpt is from a thank you letter written after Jill’s service. This statement of thanksgiving truly
applies to the entire St. Andrew’s family and is submitted to the Catalyst with great respect and gratitude:
Although we had a long and at times difficult journey, Jill—with unwavering trust and confidence in the
support of her loved ones and her abiding faith—
traveled this journey with the grace and dignity characteristic of her during our long and wonderful life
together.
There were innumerable and very moving emotional
experiences, of both sadness and beauty, bringing
tears to our eyes. These tears were never of anguish
or anger, but rather of gratitude and wonder at just
how thoughtful and supportive so many people could
be. As Susan noted in her expression of thanksgiving
at Jill’s service, “We have been surrounded by your
love in its many forms: your comforting thoughts and
prayers; your visits and calls; your cooking and flowers”; and by the generous and compassionate medical
and spiritual care that Jill received. It was also a re-
markable time as our own relationships rapidly matured—developing a mutual, almost spiritual bond that
allowed Susan and Trevor, as well as Jill and me, to
have a heightened awareness of this generosity of
spirit. For all of this we will be forever thankful to
you.
Hopefully time’s inexorable erosion will smooth the
harsher edges, leaving beautiful memories, numerous
as the stars that when, like Wordsworth:
“…In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills….”
With appreciation & love,
Grant
16
Catalyst
Catalyst
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Morning Worship
Douglas Bodle Recognition
Youth Group Annual Pool Party
Sunday, Sept. 23 at 10:30 a.m.
12 noon, following worship
Following Bide-A-Wee
Church Sanctuary
Great Hall
Home of Katie Goodwin (Louise & Bob)
Board of Managers
Wednesday, Sept. 26 at 6:00 p.m.
Boardroom
SAGA
Friday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m.
Great Hall (pot luck dinner at 6 p.m.)
Morning Worship
Sunday, Sept. 30 at 10:30 a.m.
Church Sanctuary
Morning Worship, Thanksgiving,
World Wide Communion Sunday
Sunday, Oct. 7 at 10:30 a.m.
Church Sanctuary
Fall Supper Seminars
Wed. Oct. 10, 17 and 24; Supper at
5 p.m., Seminar 6 to 7:15 p.m.
Great Hall (see enclosed brochure)
Morning Worship
Sunday, Oct. 14 at 10:30 a.m.
Church Sanctuary
Chris Vais Memorial Event
Presenter: Dr. Cameron Brett
Saturday, October 20 at 10 a.m.
Knox College
Morning Worship, Chancel
Communion
Sunday, October 21 at 10:30 a.m.
Church Sanctuary
SAGA
Friday, Oct. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Great Hall (pot luck dinner at 6 p.m.)
Morning Worship, Reformation
Sunday
Sunday Forum: Matthew Ruttan
Sunday, Oct. 28 at 10:30 a.m.
12 noon following worship
Church Sanctuary
Boardroom – “Opening Strange Doors”
Board of Managers
Wednesday, Oct. 31 at 6:00 p.m.
Boardroom
Annual Congregational Retreat
Saturday, November 3
10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
The Old Mill Inn, Leader:
Rev. Will Ingram
Morning Worship,
Holy Communion
Sunday, November 4 at 10:30 a.m.
Church Sanctuary
Catalyst Advent/Christmas Issue
Deadline for articles
Sunday, November 4
Church office or Pat Reynolds
Out of the Cold commences
Monday, November 5
Great Hall
Morning Worship, Remembrance Day
Service
Sunday, Nov. 11 at 10:30 a.m.
Church Sanctuary
Morning Worship, Holy Communion,
St. Andrew’s Day Society
Sunday, Nov. 18 at 10:30 a.m.
Church Sanctuary
Session Meeting
Tuesday, Nov. 20 at 7:00 p.m.
Boardroom-refreshments 6:30 p.m.
SAGA
Friday, Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m.
Great Hall (pot luck dinner at 6 p.m.)
Advance Notice: Sunday Forum, November 25, 2007. See page 6 for details.