June 16, 2023 Newsletter
A FOND FAREWELL
Dear St. Andrew’s,
How do you say goodbye to a group of people whom you have called your family for the last twenty years? Not easily. As my time to leave gets closer, I am filled with so many emotions. I am sad that I will be leaving. I am thankful for the many years I was privileged to serve you. I am excited to see what the future holds for both the church and me.
Many have asked what my plans are, and if I am going to stay in ministry. For the immediate future, I will not be seeking a call at a church and will look for work in the “real” world. A colleague asked how I was going to process not being a pastor anymore. I thought that was an interesting question. But she was retired, and I knew she was asking from experience.
In a book I read recently, (Mary C. Lindberg, The Graceful Exit), it said that being a pastor is one of the last Renaissance jobs in this world. “Being a pastor is a unique role in this world; so, when we face the grief of saying good-bye to a congregation, the grief will also be a particular form of grief shaped by our role”.
In the next little while, I will miss our community very much and struggle with finding a new purpose and calling. However, I am confident that God will direct all of us every step of the way as we continue to honour Him in all that we do and say, and remember who we are in Him - sons and daughters of Almighty, Loving God.
“As we leaf through the Bible, we rediscover that God called people to move on again and again. God repeatedly expected people to get going - away from old sins, onto water, across barriers, out of exile, behind a Saviour, into a Spirit-filled unknown. And when God’s people do get going, they learn new lessons. Departures and revelations are intimately tied together in the Bible”. (Mary Lindberg).
Friends, thank you! I have enjoyed being your pastor through the ups and downs of life. I loved being part of your families, watching your children grow, walking with you in grief as you said goodbye to your loved ones, and as you grew in faith in the good times and the challenging times. I loved being your pastor. But I am also excited for your new pastor and the new relationships you will form with him or her.
Thanks, St. Andrew’s, for a great ride!
In Christ, Linda Park
In 2022, Christmas music returned to St. Andrew’s after a 2-year absence. Two successful Christmas concerts took place in early December 2022, presenting some of the music from two previously performed Living Christmas Tree cantatas, along with several traditional Christmas carols, sung with the audience.
The Living Christmas Tree is a huge commitment of time and resources. Thousands of hours of planning, organizing, practising, preparing and performing are needed to make it all happen.
One of the first jobs that would need to be done is to assess the tree structure to determine what would be required to bring it up to the standard needed to make it safe and functional. After that assessment we can decide what needs to be done if we are to move forward.
The decision to proceed with the Living Christmas Tree or a Christmas Choir in 2023 lies with you, the congregation of St. Andrew’s. If you want the Tree or choir to happen, we need an overwhelmingly positive response!!
We would like you to respond to 3 questions:
1. Would you like to be a part of the organizing committee for the Christmas Choir/Tree?
2. Are you willing and capable of volunteering your time and talents to make the Living Christmas Tree a reality in 2023?
3. If the answer is yes, what role(s) are you willing to take on to make it happen?
Please send your response to standrewschristmaschoir@gmail.com
Please respond by June 23rd.
Sincerely and with thanks, the Christmas Choir Committee: Sally Rogers, Keatha Bartlett, John Carr & Ton van Nieuwkerk.
We Remember John Brown (May 16, 2023) and Bill Campbell (May 19, 2023).
AN EVENING OF SACRED MUSIC
Many thanks to all who attended the "Evening of Sacred Music" on Saturday, May 27. Through your generosity, $645.75 was raised in support of A Place Called Home!
Pictured here are Sally Rogers (vocalist), Alex Ripley (organist) and lan McKechnie (event organiser). A recording of the concert has been posted on our website at https://www.standrewslindsay.com/sermons/evening-of-sacred-music
A Place Called Home sincerely appreciates this wonderful and generous donation of $645.75 from St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. Our organization needs to raise over $150,000.00 per year to ensure that our Shelter and Outreach services we are providing are effective at supporting the homeless in the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County. Thank you to St. Andrew’sPresbyterian Church and everyone who attended this blessed event for supporting A Place Called Home!
Save the Date: June 25. Farewell Sunday. In the interest of planning, please let Mary know if you’re hoping to join us for a light lunch after church.
Mary Lou Ross Memorial Golf Tournament: Sunday, July 16. Shotgun start 3 pm, Dinner 6 pm. Golf only $37 (cart included). Dinner only 33. Both for $70. Signup during coffee social or contact June, Marnie or Jim for more information.
SUMMER BROWN BAG LUNCH OUTREACH: Contact Dianne Dalton or the office to volunteer.
NEWS from the DAUGHTERS of ST. ANDREW’S
At their May 29, 2023 meeting, the Daughters of St. Andrew’s dedicated their roll call to newborn baby donations for Nishu Bala, an international student from India, who reached out to Rev. Linda Park for help in her situation. The generosity of the Daughters in providing clothing and other essentials was overwhelming. Nishu received everything from homemade quilts, blankets, onesies, diapers and equipment. Thank you to Lynn Lindsay for informing the Recycled Kids store manager, who donated, and continues to donate, numerous items.
Lynn announced that the baby will be a boy!
It’s been over a month since Nataliia, Vladyslav and Yaroslav left Canada and headed to Poland. It was there that Nataliia hoped to reunite with her husband and to investigate whether there was a path that could result in her safely returning home to be with her parents. She and the boys are now living with her parents in a small rural community some distance from their former home in Kharkiv. I do correspond with her fairly regularly and they are happy to be back with family and living in their home country. Here is an excerpt from one of her messages to me: “Yes, everything is fine. People live, walk, go to work and even play cards in the gazebo near the house. They are all used to worries. It’s hard to explain but people live on. We are grateful for the help we received from the church.”
I do connect with Nataliia regularly via Messenger.
Some folks have asked, ”Don’t you feel disappointed that you brought this family here and then they went back?” Our response as an Outreach committee is a resounding, “Not in the least! We were led by the Holy Spirit to reach out to help a Ukrainian family find a safe refuge from the war and we were able to do that if only for a year. We are called to be servants of the Lord and felt blessed to be able to help.”
Dianne Dalton, On behalf of the Outreach Ministry Team.
