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FEATURE
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The Rev. Elmarie Parker, a min- ister of the Presbyterian Church USA, based in Lebanon since 2013, shared her witness:
“There are no words to fully ex- press the pain, frustration, sense of abandonment, injustice, and despair that envelops the communities of people living here. It is knowing they are not alone in this time of chaos and [the] unknown, that fuels their resilience—even as they live with daily questions over what the future may hold for them and their country.”
It may seem futile to financially
“Coming Home” in Newfoundland
4 WINTER 2021
PRESBYTERIAN
presbyterian.ca
      By Lynne Allan, elder, St. Matthew’s Presbyterian Church in Grand Falls- Windsor, N.L.
“It’s like coming home.”
That’s how one congregation
member described the first service held at St. Matthew’s Presbyte- rian Church in Grand Falls-Windsor, N.L., since fire, smoke and water destroyed the sanctuary and badly damaged the rest of the building in 2019.
While we are often reminded that a church is not a building, for some- one who has been a member of one church building for as long as they’ve lived, the church is a second home and the congregation is family. As another member put it: “To me, the church reopening is like seeing fami- ly after a long absence. I missed see- ing everyone and it was good to be back.” In the case of St. Matthew’s, likening members to family is more
than a figure of speech. Almost half the congregation is related by blood or marriage.
When we gathered in St. Mat- thew’s on October 17, it was one day short of two years since many members stood on the sidewalk and watched firefighters work to save the structure. In the following days, a small group of volunteers began tear- ing the interior back to the studs in preparation for restoration. Support has come from people near and far. Some have a connection to St. Mat- thew’s, while others simply have an affection for the little white church on the hill. It has stood there since 1910. “It seemed no matter their faith, there was a genuine admiration for the rebuilding and always the question, when will it open,” noted one of our elders.
As the restoration got underway, we had no idea that when the day finally came that we could gather in
our sanctuary, we would have to be masked and socially distanced as per COVID-19 public health guide- lines. As different as that was from our church services of the past, we were more than willing to follow the rules, if it meant we could hold that first in-person service.
Covid limitations aside, the reopen- ing of St. Matthew’s has meant much to the congregation, which includes a member who was welcomed into our little church 40-plus years ago and later married into a St. Matthew’s family: “Seeing our church restored was a wonderful, heartwarming sight. Our church family, and we are a family, will be able to get together to worship God once again. There has always been a warm feeling in our church. That feeling has been missed and it is good to get it back.”
To others, the church reopening means a return to normalcy, giving life balance and the good feeling of belonging once again to a close community. “It’s like a family reun- ion,” said one long-time member.
As with any reunion, memories were at the forefront of the minds of members after the Oct. 17 service.
“I married, had my children bap- tized and said goodbye to many family members and friends there. It was also a place where many silent prayers were said,” offered one con- gregant.
Said another: “I remember the day I walked into the church for our wed- ding, which will be 50 years ago this February. I remember all the friends and family who attended and who are mostly now deceased. The church stands out beautifully between the two bigger churches on Church Road. It definitely has a place of its own.”
suppor t our colleagues in Lebanon inthecurrentfinancialchaos.Butis this not our calling as Christians— to show care and concern and carry the burden together, as the apostle Paul in Galatians 6 encourages us to do?
The Moderator, the Rev. Dr. Daniel D. Scott, will be visiting the Near East School of Theology in Lebanon this winter.
Special thanks to the Revs. Elmarie and Scott Parker, PCUSA mission staff in Beirut for their contributions to this article.
The congregation, masked and socially distanced, waits for the reopening service to
   When your dad is the minister and makes you laugh during children’s time... The Rev. David Sturtevant was accompanied to Grand Falls-Windsor from St. John’s by his wife, Michelle, and sons Orson and Oliver.
begin. It’s a seating plan we’re not used guidelines meant we could hold our first
The Rev. David Sturtevant demonstrates during his sermon how he had the birds eating out of his hand when on a family outing in St. John’s.
One of the senior members used the word overjoyed to describe her feeling, adding: “The church was and always will be a big part of our lives.”
Most everyone describes the reno- vated building as being the same, only better—there having been many improvements made along the way to completion.
To say we are thankful for the in- dividuals, churches, organizations and companies that helped us reach this point is an understatement. As our interim moderator, the Rev. Da- vid Sturtevant, reminded us through prayer and his sermon, it is impor- tant to also give thanks to God. It’s safe to say many prayers of thanks have been said as we have been guided for two years along the path to the reopening service, God lighting the way.
The Rev. Sturtevant wrote about his visit to St. Matthew’s in the bul-
to, but if following COVID-19 public health service, we were happy to do so.
Because our organ had been damaged in the fire, Aimee Doiron now accompanies the congregation on a keyboard that has organ, piano and other capacities.
letin of his church, St. David’s in St. John’s. He said: “God is a restorer. The story of St. Matthew’s is a par- able for the work that God can do in and through each of us. Standing in the wreckage of two years ago, it seemed impossible to think that things could be even better than be- fore. The people were sad; they had stood on the sidewalk and watched the flames through the windows of their church. Yet even after all that, they have been restored.”
In his sermon to the St. Matthew’s congregation, the Rev. Sturtevant spoke about an outing his family took to a lake in St. John’s where they fed the many birds, only to have them fly off as soon as they were full and when all the seed was gone. Unlike the birds in the sermon, our flock is determined to remain, to say thank- you in word and action after being filled with God’s goodness.
Gifts to Presbyterians Sharing provide support for the Near East School of Theology.



























































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