Page 18 - Presbyterian Connection

Connection
RECOGNITIONS
The Retirement of the Rev. Dr. Douglas Rollwage
18
PRESBYTERIAN
WINTER 2022
presbyterian.ca
The Rev. Dr. Doug Rollwage, Assistant Minister the Rev. William Henbest, Minister Emeritus the Rev. Dr. Gordon Matheson, and Dana Rollwage.
former Principal Clerk the Rev. Stephen Kendall. Those in attend- ance also heard from a number of the congregation’s members as well as staff.
Letters of gratitude and respect were read that came from the Rev. Dr. Robert Faris, Moderator of The Presbyterian Church in Canada; Charles Greaves, Moder- ator of the Atlantic Provinces Syn- od; and the Rev. Bradford Blaikie, Moderator of the PEI Presbytery. Quoting from Dr. Faris’s letter: “Respect for and attention to scripture has always been of pri- mary importance to you and has informed your engagement. It is in these dialogues that the work of the Spirit is done, and I am grateful that you have pushed me, and others, to think more deeply and to listen more carefully in order that we all have a broader perspective and an openness to the thoughts and experiences of all God’s children.”
Music Director Faye Barrett se- lected three of Doug’s favourite hymns, including “Praise My Soul the King of Heaven,” “Now Thank
We All Our God” and “For All the Saints.” The evening began with a full organ rendition of “A Mighty Fortress is Our God” and was followed by the Zion Sanctuary Choir singing “United in Christ.”
The evening’s message was delivered by Zion’s Assistant Min- ister, the Rev. William Henbest. Following the service, a recep- tion was held in Coles Hall, where members were able to share their “Doug” experiences and give thanks to him and Dana for their dedication to Zion Church.
As a form of gratitude, the con- gregation commissioned a paint- ing of Dr. Rollwage’s favourite stained-glass window within Zion Church from church member and highly accomplished artist, Ken Spearing.
A tremendous crowd was on hand for the service and the congregation was delighted to host over 200 families watch- ing online. The service can be viewed anytime through Zion’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/ watch?v=2xZaV_oVz9Q.
Charles Greaves, in his writ-
By John Barrett, Clerk of Session Zion Presbyterian Church, Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Following a lengthy ministry ca- reer, the former moderator of The Presbyterian Church in Canada and Lead Minster of Zion Pres- byterian Church in Charlottetown, P.E.I., the Rev. Dr. Douglas Roll- wage led World Communion Sun- day worship for the final time on
Sunday, Oct. 2, 2022.
On that same evening, the
congregation of Zion Church held a special service of Recogni- tion, Reflection & Thanks for Dr. Rollwage and his wife, Dana. With numerous recorded greet- ings from friends and colleagues across Canada, including the Rev. Dr. Stephen and Patty Farris, the Rev. Geoff Ross, the Rev. Karla Wubbenhorst, James Seidler and
The Rev. Dr. Doug Rollwage.
ten greetings, expressed what all in attendance were feeling when he stated, “We are thankful that you have so effectively answered the Call to be God’s Servant over the many years of your ministry, sharing your abilities with many as you presented God’s Word to His people. Thank you. May your new path continue to show God’s Love as you minister on.”
Celebrating 200 Years in Toney River
We Want to Hear from You!
Share your thoughts on the Presbyterian Connection newspaper at:
presbyterian.ca /connection-feedback
Survey closes December 31
Mona MacDonald and Joyce Brown, life-long members of St. David’s Presbyterian Church in Toney River.
By Mona MacDonald and Joyce Brown, St. David’s Presbyterian Church in Toney River, Pictou County, N.S.
On Oct. 23, 2022, St. David’s Presbyterian Church in Toney Riv- er, Pictou County, N.S., celebrated its 200th year. The history of St. David’s dates all the way back to the early 1800s when the Church of Scotland sent a minister to the
Sample pages from the 200th Anniversary commemorative document.
area in 1817, and in 1822, St. Da- vid’s became the first congrega- tion organized in the community.
To commemorate the occasion, we have published a 70-page document, containing 170 pho- tos, that paints a brief picture of where our church has been and, perhaps, where we are headed. Initially, our intention in creating a commemorative document was to simply share photographs of numerous artefacts in the church,
but we soon discovered that there was a bigger story to tell behind these important artefacts, so we had to dig deeper. Many parts of St. David’s interior, including doors, stained-glass windows, baptismal fonts, the communion table, Bibles, hymn books and even cabinets, were dedicated in memory of loved ones who once played an important part in the life of the church. Our wish is for future generations to recognize
and remember the significance of each artefact, each object, and each piece of furniture that so lov- ingly fills the space in which we worship each Sunday.
Excerpts from old logbooks dating back to 1850 were also included in the commemorative document to help tie the past to the present. Multiple copies were printed and made available to church members. It was definitely a “labour of love!”