Drummond Hill Newsletter, September 28, 2022
Wednesday Meditation (Luke 2:4)
‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!’
What is peace?
On a global level, peace is people living without conflict. No wars and no violent disruptions from everyday living. Nationally, it is a calm and prosperous existence for each person. For each person, peace means no external or internal anxieties, fears, and worries to share love with family and neighbours, living harmoniously. Enjoying peace, therefore, is more than mere existence without conflict. It is a way of life in which we find fulfilment and joy.
The coming of Christ, as we see in the Gospels, was the moment when peace would be shared and enjoyed among people of God. Yet, something strange has been happening. Christians, like everyone else, (especially those who claim to be Christians out loud) are angry and do not exhibit any sense of peace. Today, proclaiming one is Christian in public is to make a statement to defy, oppose and declare the intent to fight against the powers of this world or at least the dominant ideologies of this world.
A politician or an academic declaring her Christian heritage is to fight against many social and political trends like inclusion of same-sex or trans-sex and abortion stands. In other words, the public profession of Christian faith is more often a declaration of war than a proposal for peace with others in the world. It is one thing to stand up for the truth in the world, but it is another thing to be seen as those who are picking fights instead of peaceful coexistence.
Internally, nationally, and in person, peace has been pushed aside and everyone is suffering because we are without it. Right now, we need peace in all areas of living. It is more than urgent that Christians take the message of the angels on the night of Jesus’ birth seriously and become the people of peace on earth.
To be the people of peace we need to come to grips with our reality as those who live as Easter people. Peace for us is more than the absence of political, economic, individual, and spiritual conflicts. It is living in God’s presence with all God’s blessings. Peace in this sense means that we thankfully love as Christ has loved us and always hope in Christ so that God delivers us from all troubles. It is our complete surrender to God in all aspects of our lives.
All aboard!
After the June meeting where the motion (That the congregation of Drummond Hill approve the decision to downsize in order to ensure the future of the congregation) passed, the session agreed to set up a group to look at ways to downsize and report to the congregation by the end of February, 2023.
The group consists of Alison MacTvish, Brian McKeown, Chuck McCrea, John Bourhner, and Prince Ramoutar. The group will meet as often as necessary to get the work to move forward. As we have indicated before, this group will have resources available to them to accomplish the work.
Please pray for everyone in the group that they will be able to discern the direction that God will lead us.
Communion
Our upcoming communion worship on this coming Sunday is part of the Worldwide Communion. We will be part of Christians around the world as we partake in the communion. With so much that has happened in this past week, especially the devastation Storm Fiona left in the Eastern provinces, we will be worshipping, remembering all our brothers and sisters in these provinces. We continue to pray for those who suffered so much in places like Cape Breton, NS, and Port Aux Basques, NF. Cape Brenton is home to many Presbyterian churches.
Helping Neighbours
As we have mentioned before, we have been thinking about how to help people meaningfully in a dignified way for those who are being helped. We are looking at various models to be most effective. One of the major guiding principles is to create ways of helping that will not create dependence. For example, giving out food items would be considered a program that encourages dependence because those who are being helped become dependent on the food we provide.
One way to help is by establishing co-op internship programs where people can be trained for work. Another way is to provide meaningful employment ourselves and also participate in creating employment opportunities in our area. We are exploring all these options and are doing our best to find a way of assisting that will be beneficial to all involved.
Forward 'n Onward!
How will our Fall and Winter seasons be? What will we be doing?
October Schedule:
Sunday, October 2: Worldwide Communion Sunday (Lunch will be served.)
Sunday, October 9: Thanksgiving Sunday
Sunday, October 16: Something Old, Something New Sunday
Sunday, October 23: Past, Present, Future Sunday
Sunday, October 30: Reformation Sunday
October Activities:
Cinnamon Bun Tuesdays (10 am Tuesdays)
Thursday Devotion and Fellowship (Thursdays, October 20, 27, November 4,)
We will also start our monthly fundraising events in October and November.
Tropical Storm/Hurricane Fiona
Again, we ask you to keep our Maritime brothers and sisters in prayer as they try to recover from the storm that devastated the East Coast. Cape Breton and Newfoundland and Labrador require our prayers. The Presbytery of Cape Breton is a very small presbytery with two active ministers looking after many congregations. We also have a few churches in Newfoundland. Our brothers and sisters there can certainly use all the prayers we can offer as they begin rebuilding their lives after the devastation they experienced.
and what is heard comes through the word of Christ.
