Page 21 - Presbyterian Connection, Spring 2024

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SPRING 2024
First Presbyterian Church in Brockville, Ont., held a surprise party to celebrate the Rev. Marianne Emig Carr’s 10 years of ministry. The congregation hosted a luncheon after worship on November 19, and presented the Rev. Marianne with flowers, cards and donations to various charities in her honour. She was very surprised, indeed!
For the first time, Crieff Hills Retreat Centre in Puslinch, Ont., hosted a men’s retreat in November. Led by the Rev. Dr. Blair Bertrand, lecturer at Zomba Theological College in Malawi and at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto, the laid-back weekend offered the opportunity to explore “Creating Relationships of Resonance in Mid-Life.” Randell Neudorf, known as the “punk monk,” offered music, and participants had plenty of time for hiking, exploring the farm, enjoying hearty local food and sharing laughs. The men found it such a great experience that it will now become an annual event.
During the evening service on December 24 at St. Giles Presbyterian Church in Ottawa, Ont., children from the Sunday school, along with teachers and friends, concluded the service with a traditional Nativity tableau. The word tableau originates from the French tableaux vivant or “living pictures,” but the concept may go back much further to the early Christian period some 2,000 years ago. A Christmas tableau is different from a Christmas pageant, because there is no acting or movement. Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, kings, angels and animals simply take their places quietly before the scene is illuminated, as if it were a painting or carving. In that moment, we are able to travel back in time to witness the Birth of Christ.
An amalgamation service was held on Oct. 29, 2023, with South Gate Pres- byterian Church and Trinity Presbyterian Church in Hamilton, Ont. Pictured here (left to right) are South Gate’s former minister, the Rev. Charmain Sebestyen, most recent Clerk of Session Mary Pomfret, Minister Emeritus the Rev. Bob Geddes, and former Clerk of Session Brenda Podio. The South Gate and Trinity congregations are excited about working together to continue God’s work in the Hamilton community.
Arlene, Byron and Heather James stand beside the Celtic Cross, which had hung in the South Gate Church sanctuary ever since its dedication in 1972. It had been donated by Florence James in memory of her husband, Ernie, an elder from 1953 until his death in 1971. Since the South Gate and Trin- ity congregations in Hamilton, Ont., have merged, the cross is now being proudly displayed in Trinity Presbyterian Church’s sanctuary.
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The Cameron Christmas Concert at St. Giles Presbyterian Church in Ottawa, Ont., was held on Dec. 1, 2023. As the regimental church of the Cameron Highlanders, St. Giles has hosted this annual event since early 2000s. It is also a benefit concert where the funds raised go toward supporting the Centretown Community Food Bank. This most recent event featured the Pipes and Drums of the Cameron Highlanders of Ottawa, the Vocestra Chorus, and the Band of the Governor General’s Foot Guards.