Moderator

As I get older, I find that one of the most important aspects of the Advent and Christmas seasons is the place of music. Unfortunately, I find fewer and fewer radio stations that actually play the carols telling the true Christmas story. More and more, all I hear on the radio are songs like “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” or “Rock around the Christmas Tree” or “White Christmas.” Seldom do I hear the carols that speak to the real meaning of Christmas: “O Little Town of Bethlehem” or “It Came upon a Midnight Clear” or my wife, Shirley’s, favourite, “O Holy Night.” Now don’t get me wrong, I like singing “Jingle Bells” and many of the other secular songs as much as anyone, and I still laugh out loud when listening to “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” (I even downloaded it to my smart phone). But what my soul aches for and soars with are the great carols (both ancient and modern) of the season, for in their harmonies and lyrics I discover true “tidings of comfort and joy” – a comfort and joy that abide even when my heart is breaking or my spirit is numb from having too much “stuff” in my life.
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Beth McIntosh and Laura Kavanagh enjoy being "Mr. and Mrs. Paper Sunday"

I received an email today from the Rev. Laura Kavanagh, minister of Knox Presbyterian Church in Victoria, BC.  She shared with me this wonderful story from a mission trip she took to Malawi in 2009. During the trip, she experienced what the church in Malawi calls “Paper Sunday.”  As I read her story, I am reminded of Paul’s words to the church in Corinth:  “God loves a cheerful giver” (2^nd Corinthians 9:7).  The Greek word translated as “cheerful” is hilaron, from which we get the word, “hilarious.”  Hmm… Could Paul be suggesting that giving becomes more fun – more hilarious – the more generously we give?  Think about that question as you read Laura’s account of her participation in a Paper Sunday worship service…
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Readers will recall that I previously shared the story of Peter McLean’s bicycle trip across Canada to raise money for the Hakka Bible Translation Project and as a kind of personal rite of passage.   Well, I just received word from Peter’s mother, Mary Beth, that Peter has now completed his epic journey.  I thought you might like to read Mary Beth’s All Staff email that she sent out to folks here at the National Church Offices.  Read the rest of this entry →

The Rev. Kathy Fraser welcomes me to North Caradoc-St. Andrew's Church. Their new glass doors clearly say, "Welcome!"

I just learned from Colin Carmichael, Associate Secretary for Communications, that September 13^th is “National Celiac Awareness Day.” In an email I received from him earlier today, he wished me a Happy National Celiac Awareness Day and provided me the following link to information about the day’s focus: http://www.celiaccentral.org/News/News-Feeds/Celiac-in-the-News/Celiac-in-the-News/161/vobId__3693/.

I must say that I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that there is now a day set aside for celiacs. I think most of the readers of this blog know that I am celiac, which means that I have an intolerance to gluten which is found in wheat, barley and rye. In the September issue of the Record, you will find a letter to the editor from Ramona Brown Monsour, which she entitled “Food-Friendly Churches.” Thanks, Ramona, for alerting Record readers to the ways that churches can make themselves more welcoming to people with gluten sensitivities.

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l-r: Shirley Gale, Herb Gale, Ruth, Andrew, and Elizabeth Song at Knox, Elora

The psalmist encourages us to “sing a new song” (Psalm 149:1).  Well, the good folks in the two-point charge at St. Andrew’s Church in Alma, Ontario, and Knox Church in nearby Elora have decided to take the psalmist’s advice quite literally.  They have called the Rev. Andrew Song to be their new minister and will be inducting him on Sunday, September 12^th.  By the way, Rev. Song truly lives up to his last name.  He loves music and is an excellent singer. He and I sang together in the Knox College Choir back in 1983, and he and his wife Ruth met in a church choir he later directed.  They’ve been singing new songs together ever since and have produced two new Songs of their own, one male and one female! Read the rest of this entry →

Peter McLean is Biking for Bibles

I hope readers will recall that I have chosen the theme of generosity for my moderatorial year. In my June 18th blog post, I shared excerpts from my address to the 136th General Assembly in which I invited the commissioners and the church as a whole to sail with me into the future on a ship I christened, “Generosity.” I would like to share with you again the closing paragraph from that address: Read the rest of this entry →

It is the custom of GA moderators to choose a theme they wish to highlight for The Presbyterian Church in Canada during their moderatorial year. I introduced my chosen theme to the Assembly during the Tuesday morning sederunt. The following are exerpts from my address to the Assembly…

Some people argue that The Presbyterian Church in Canada is dying. They point to the statistics of declining membership and an aging demographic. There are various diagnoses of what’s ailing us and various suggestions for a cure. Now, I don’t pretend to have any magical elixirs or cures, but I do have a hunch that we will find a way forward only when we start worrying less about holding on to the life we have and start doing more to share the life we have been given. Read the rest of this entry →