November 25, 2022 Newsletter

Minister’s Message

(excerpt from the Nov. 20 sermon)

We’ve all heard people say: ‘I don’t need the church to be a Christian’. And that’s true. Everyone does not need to come to church, but to come to Christ; not to look to the church but to look at Christ – who he is, what his claims are, what his character is. It starts with Jesus. But if you’re serious about Jesus, if you’re serious about being a Christian, you have to look to the church. If you want to commit to Jesus you have to know that Jesus calls you to the church.

When Jesus calls you, and you commit yourself to Him, he isn’t just calling you into an individual relationship with Him. He’s calling you into a community, the church. Therefore, you cannot know what it means to be a follower of Jesus without the church. In the beginning, the church was a fellowship of men and women centred on the Living Christ…a group of people who experienced God’s grace through the Risen Christ. Their lives were changed, not by rules and regulations but by the radical experience of the person of Jesus Christ. Could it be that we have somehow moved away from that?

On Sunday, Dec. 11, after worship, we will gather in St. Andrew’s Hall for conversations about church renewal. In 2019, we began a similar process called New Beginnings. Then, starting in 2020, in-person worship did not happen for 18 months! Those 18 months changed St. Andrew’s significantly. As we tried to come to grips with who we are in this postpandemic era with even lower numbers, we asked again, who are we, and what is God calling us to?

In the last couple of decades, St. Andrew’s has been a vibrant church – Living Christmas Tree, Alpha, Alpha retreats and Bible studies, outreach with meals and a $2 million building addition. As God brought us together in unity, sharing our gifts, learning, praying, and worshipping together, God accomplished much through this congregation! These events and experiences were transformative. Hundreds of people were touched and blessed by your work and service.

Looking to the future, I believe we need to remind ourselves of the ultimate historical event that transforms and shapes our lives. That formative event is the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Let’s join together on December 11 to refocus on what God has called us to be as a church.

Blessings, Rev. Linda

For safety reasons during the winter months, the west entrances off William Street will be closed. Please use the main entrance off the parking lot.

We Remember

We Remember Gerrit Van Halteren, Alma Brown & Dale Corneil.

Calling All Bakers!

Donations of baked goods are requested for the bake table on December 3. Please let Marnie Nelles (705.328.1661) or Judy Allan (705.878.4675) know what you can contribute and bring it to the Church by Friday morning December 2 at the latest so that everything can be packaged and priced. Let's get into the Christmas spirit by baking and buying delicious Christmas goodies. Thank you in advance for making this a success!