Page 39 - PC Issue 14 Summer 2020

presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2020
Connection
REFLECTIONS
PRESBYTERIAN
39
Ministering
to Three Congregations
By the Rev. Bruce W. Kemp, WMC Pastoral Charge
I am the minister of a newly arranged 3-point pastoral charge. All three congregations have a long history within their communities. Financial constraints brought them together, but it is their willingness to be active participants in each other’s minis- tries and outreach that keeps them together. They are not large congre- gations and they do not have a wide variety of programs, but they seek to do what they can, and do it well.
I will have been with these con- gregations for more than seven years when I will retire at the end of 2020. I have seen them grow in their commitment to be more involved in the life of their villages, and I have been delighted with the addition of new members, including several families with children in one of the
congregations.
My role has been to guide them,
help them envision their future, and support them on the path that con- nects their faith journey with the needs from within and outside the church community.
I recognize that three churches can seem daunting to many, but while Sunday mornings are quite full, there are still oppor tunities at each service for me to connect with those who need to have more extensive conversations. Leadership within all three congregations is such that lay people have demonstrated that they are more than capable of starting or finishing services—as they often do—and are even capable of lead- ing entire services.
I have been blessed with such leaders and the commitment of all three Sessions to make the schedule work, which has been wonderful.
Three congregations gather for a Mission Sunday at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Chesterville, Ont.
I will miss working with the people at these churches, but I know that God has a plan and a purpose for them. And I know that they will find the person who will be able to walk with them on the next stage of their faith journey.
If you would be interested to know more about the joys and challenges of this ministry, I would welcome the opportunity to share more about how I have managed to not only serve all three congregations, but also about how I have had a most satisfying ministry experience doing so.
I encourage you to prayerfully con- sider such a ministry experience.
PULPIT VACANCIES
To see all pulpit vacancies, visit presbyterian.ca/vacancies
JUST WONDERING...
Duncan, St. Andrew’s (full-time minister) – British Columbia
Bramalea, North Bramalea
(full-time minister) – Central, Northeastern Ontario & Bermuda
Kitchener, Doon (full-time minister) – CNEOB
Lakefield, St. Andrew’s and Lakehurst, Knox (60%-time minister) – CNEOB
Port Perry, St. John’s (40%-time minister) – CNEOB
Scarborough, Guildwood Community (full-time minister) – CNEOB
Toronto, Faith & Westview Pastoral Charge (full-time minister) – CNEOB
Thunder Bay, Lakeview (contract Summer Student Ministry) – Manitoba & Northwestern Ontario
Montreal, The Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul (full-time Associate Minister for Community Connections and Care) – Quebec & Eastern Ontario
Fonthill, Kirk on the Hill (full-time minister) – Southwestern Ontario
Woodstock, Knox (full-time minister) – Southwestern Ontario
Submit your questions to connection@presbyterian.ca
Answered by the Rev. Ian Ross- McDonald, General Secretary of the Life and Mission Agency
How can our congregation get help setting up “online giving” on our website?
Online giving and Pre-Authorized Re- mittance (PAR) are increasingly popu- lar as the means by which people can financially support the ministry of the church. Staff working in the Stewardship & Planned Giving depart- ment provide one-on-one suppor t to congregations to install and maintain online giving programs for their con- gregants. To learn more, contact Jim MacDonald at 1-800-619-7301 or jmacdonald@presbyterian.ca.
Who decides what time worship at churches begins and when church is cancelled? Why didn’t the national office instruct all churches to stop gathering even before our Premier ordered that public gatherings stop? The Session (consisting of each congregation’s minister[s], active members of the Order of Diaconal Ministries and elders) decides the time when worship begins in each congregation and whether in-person worship should be cancelled for any reason, such as weather conditions, health, safety, seasonal cycles, etc. Sessions discern when gatherings should be cancelled in light of local conditions and the direction they receive from local authorities. The national office staff of the denomina- tion do not have the authority to make decisions about the cancellation of
worship, as that right and responsi- bility belongs to each Session.
Since General Assembly was can- celled this year, what happens to the reports that were prepared for General Assembly, and can people in the church see the reports and recommendations?
The reports written by agencies, col- leges and committees for the General Assembly have been made available for the information of the church on the PCC website at presbyterian.ca since early May. The reports have been redacted to remove recommen- dations, since they have not yet been adopted for the attention or action of the church. These reports will be expanded upon and submitted with recommendations to the General As- sembly to consider in 2021.
Elizabeth Laity
Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. Deceased April 17, 2020
The Rev. Ivan Sankey Gamble
Kelowna, B.C. Deceased April 4, 2020
Audrey Marguerite Thompson
Pembroke, Ont. Deceased April 1, 2020
Helen Mae Sand
Richmond Hill, Ont. Deceased March 29, 2020
The Rev. Robert James Elford
Pembroke, Ont.
Deceased March 20, 2020
Diana Lynn Wright
Dunnville, Ont.
Deceased March 17, 2020
The Rev. Robert Little
Woodstock, Ont. Deceased March 4, 2020
The Rev. Dr. John Simms
Montreal West, Que. Deceased February 28, 2020
Grace Phyllis MacKenzie
Atholville, N.B.
Deceased February 24, 2020
The Rev. Dr. Theodore Olson
Richmond Hill, Ont. Deceased February 21, 2020
The Rev. Ronald Douglas Sharpe
Windsor, Ont.
Deceased February 19, 2020
Dr. Margaret Jean Taylor
Guelph, Ont.
Deceased February 4, 2020
The Rev. Ian (Larry) Jackson
Richmond, B.C.
Deceased January 30, 2020
The Rev. Dr. Samuel Livingstone
Kars, Ont.
Deceased January 29, 2020
Agnes Gollan
Toronto, Ont.
Deceased January 13, 2020
The Rev. Joyce Davis
Cape Breton, N.S. Deceased October 4, 2019
OBITUARIES
Read all full obituaries online at presbyterian.ca
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