Page 15 - Presbyterian Connection

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WINTER 2022
Knox Stratford Creates Bold Opportunity
supporting the Stratford Connec- tion Centre with lunches, and es- pecially our Cancer Care mission that provides wigs and head ac- cessories to patients from South- western Ontario.
Our congregation is now for- mally beginning the search for a dynamic leader who is keen to minister to the people and visi- tors of a small city known to the world for its prowess in dramatic communication. This is an inspi- rational opening for a candidate with vision and purpose to rebuild a congregation for today’s chal- lenges and opportunities—well- backed by a solid financial foun- dation.
Our focus will include ministeri- al outreach to the unique cohorts in the local population. There are growing numbers of theatre-lov- ers who have retired to Stratford and are looking for more than theatre to enrich their lives year- round. Increasing ranks of pro- fessional artists are making their home base in Stratford, and they are also interested in a deeper form of community involvement, especially the performers and theatre craft workers who have young children.
As Knox becomes a thriving centre of artistic interaction and performance, it will be an ideal setting to share the Good News of the greatest story of all time.
Written by Bob Verdun, Member of Knox Presbyterian Church in Stratford, Ont., and submitted by the Session of Knox Stratford
A church is the congregation, not the building in which we gather. That article of faith is being fully put to the test by the members of Knox Presbyterian Church in Stratford, Ont., who voted over- whelmingly to sell our entire property and use the funds to rebuild our ministry to the com- munity without either the aura or the burden of owning our heritage building.
All Christians understand that we are practicing our faith wher- ever we meet, which makes own- ership of a meeting house non- essential. Fortunately, for the next decade at least, the congregation of Knox Stratford will continue to worship in what had exclusively been our sanctuary. However, it is now owned by a visionary
developer who has boldly recon- ceptualized the worship space as a multi-purpose facility, currently shared with Knox Stratford and more than a dozen local arts or- ganizations. Our congregation is the leading tenant, blessed with very favourable terms for this next decade of rebuilding.
Major changes will be made to the sanctuary, but it will con- tinue to host one of the finest pipe organs in Canada. Pews will make way for more comfor table seating, and substantial improve- ments will be made to accessibil- ity, washrooms, sound equipment and lighting. Signage will change, but this fortress of faith will con- tinue to be a dominant landmark that boldly proclaims the historic character of Stratford’s main street.
All of this is a greater bless- ing than was anticipated when our congregation faced the hard reality that we were quickly ex-
hausting our reserve funds and no longer able to pay a full-time minister or maintain our build- ing. At least two other heritage churches in the heart of Stratford have already fallen to the wreck- er’s ball, so we were determined to preserve our prominent physi- cal embodiment of more than 175 years of Presbyterian witness in Stratford.
Four years of serious study, consultation and negotiation by our appointed Task Group pro- duced a generous offer from a local developer who is active in the community and has deep Christian roots. His commitment to preserve the prominent archi- tectural features will assist in his negotiations with the City of Strat- ford for a new development on the rear portion of the congregation’s
property.
The developer also has the
strong support of the communi- ty’s arts organizations. A key part of the redevelopment plan arose from the Task Group nurturing a meaningful relationship with the Stratford Arts and Culture Collec- tive, an umbrella organization for the groups who need a suitable location for their myriad types of performance. (The Stratford Fes- tival’s world-class theatres have very limited availability as well as very high rental costs.)
The developer has paid the Knox congregation the full-ap- praised value of our property. The congregation is investing the funds to ensure we can properly support a full-time minister while we also revitalize and expand our community programs, such as
Connection
MISSION AND OUTREACH
PRESBYTERIAN
15
Pumpkin Festival in Bolsover
By Elaine Anderson, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Bolsover, Ont.
St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Bolsover, Ont., was a happen- ing place on Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022.
It was a beautiful fall day; a perfect day to bring the family out to a Pumpkin Festival, complete with barbecued hot dogs (Brian A. was the official cook), drinks for the children and free freshly
brewed coffee for the adults (thank you, Lynne H.). While eve- ryone noshed on their lunch, the painting area was busy with chil- dren choosing their favourite free pumpkin from over 200 pumpkins in the grove. (Thank you, Janet M. and Sharron W. for organizing and supervising this event.) Many new artists were discovered that day and all the children went home with their treasure in hand. It was wonderful to see so many families out and about enjoying
family time together.
St. Andrew’s Bolsover is fa-
mous for its bake sales, and this year was no different. The pump- kin pies were a huge hit—espe- cially since Thanksgiving was only a week away—but other big bake sale hits were the cook- ies, squares, loaves and cake. We were all sold out by 3 p.m. Thank you to everyone who do- nated their favourite baked goods, and thank you to Rosemary W., Eileen M. and Lynne H. for your time spent selling all the delicious goodies!
A preserving demonstration was held inside the church at 1 p.m. Elaine A. showed how to make red pepper jelly to about 10 interested ladies. There were jars of jelly available for sale at the bake sale table as well.
Our goal for the day was to raise funds for a Ukrainian fam- ily that lives in the area. With the proceeds from our food sales, we were able to write the family
a $1,000 cheque. Thank you to all who donated to our mission of the day.
We are grateful to everyone who helped organize and plan this special day. It was our first Pumpkin Festival endeavour, but probably not our last.