Wednesday, March 17, 2010                 

Theo Caldwell, a member of the congregation, wrote an article about St. Patrick, which is included in today's edition of the National Post.  To read more about the fascinating life and witness of St. Patrick (and, yes, he is famous for something other than green beer, visit the following link):

http://network.nationalpost.com/NP/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2010/03/17/theo-caldwell-the-selfless-life-of-a-saint.aspx

1) Lenten Noon Meditations - Wednesdays During Lent

Please make a special effort to join us today at noon for the fourth of this year's noon Lenten Meditations.  During this Lenten Season we will reflect on the last 24 hours of Jesus' life, based on "24 Hours That Changed the World"  by Adam Hamilton. 

Our guest speaker will be the Rev. Reid Chudley from St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church in Hillsburgh,  who will discuss "The Trial before Pontius Pilate".

The service will begin at 12:00 with a short organ prelude; the worship will begin at 12:15; and a light luncheon will be offered following the service in the Board Room.  All are welcome. 

2)  A Sincere "Thank You!"

As you know, Dan Bickle's mother passed away just over a week ago.  He sent the following note that he wanted to share with the congregation.

We would like to thank the St. Andrew's Church family for the prayers, the love, and the care that have surrounded us during our recent bereavement. Your support is deeply appreciated.

 

Dan and Barb Bickle and family

3) Wine, Cheeses and Jesus - Thursday, March 18th

The next meeting of the Wine, Cheeses & Jesus fellowship group will be on Thursday, March 18th at 7:00p.m. in the second floor meeting room.  This month's speaker is Charles Diltz, who will present a slide show and will discuss "The importance of the Dead Sea Scrolls".  Everyone is welcome!

4) "Christian Militancy in an Age of Decline" -- Friday March 19 and 26 at Metropolitan United

A special Lenten lecture series will be held at Metropolitan United Church to ponder the question, "Is there something so vital in Christianity that its loss would diminish all people?  Is it time to fight for it?"

The lecturers will be:

March 19 - The Rev. William Ingram, St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church

March 26 - The Very Rev. Dr. Douglas Stoute, St. James' Cathedral (Anglican)

For more information, please visit www.metunited.org

The evening lectures will begin at 7:30 in the sanctuary of Metropolitan United Church, which is located at 56 Queen St. East. A question period and refreshments will follow.

All are welcome!

5) SAGA Meeting - Friday, March 26th

"Best Buy/Worst Buy" will be the topic of discussion at the March meeting.  Like a child in a candy store, we want to buy everything in sight.  Some purchases we use and enjoy for many years and some never get used, not even once.  Please bring two items from home:  one that you consider your best buy and the other your worst buy.  If the item is too big to bring, take a picture of it.

Pot luck dinner starts at 6:30 p.m., and the program starts at 7:30 in the Great Hall.  Everyone is welcome.  Bring a friend!

6) News from Out of the Cold: 

From our trusty 'Out of the Cold' reporters:

                 281…

That is how may guests were fed on Monday night!  This included 3 take out meals that were served to people, two of whom arrived VERY late.

We people at the door receive all the praise as people who leave say things like, good dinner, great meal, thanks a lot for what you do, you guys have the best food, etc.  But it is not us that deserve it, it is Robin, who does the planning and guiding, and her crews, the Sunday group,  the Monday morning and afternoon crews, who do the prep, completion and serving, all of whom ensure that we have sufficient food to serve these large numbers of people that we are welcoming.   Also, add to that the 281 people the 30 or so volunteers that we also feed on a Monday night.   So thanks to you all, the kudos that we hear, belong to you all.

We served:  Assorted Sandwiches, Cream of Tomato Soup, Meat Pies with Gravy, scalloped potatoes, green beans and salad.  The Vegetarian meal was Macaroni & Cheese, Salad with Tomatoes & Feta cheese.  Dessert was Ice Cream with banana and chocolate sauce and home made cookies.

Liz came in last night, and I remarked that she was later than usual.  She said that she had gone somewhere else, but that it was a waste of time as the food was horrible.  So she had turned around and come here to get a decent meal.  So you see, she is no longer changing tables at St. Andrew’s, she is now changing venues as well.

Last night must have been "joke" night.  Leah tells me that a gentleman at her table commented that the food was so good and he was so full he needed to be carried out.  Lindsay, before taking a plate away, asked a guest if he was finished, he responded, no he was Yugoslavian!  And Ron, who came in around 7:30 pm gave me his name, saying, "I'm Ron and if there is another Ron here it's a case of two Ron's don't make a right".

And last but not least, in the boutique, Darlene saw a lady filling bags with hats, and told her she could not take so many.  The lady responded saying, "for me and my son", "for me and my son", over and over.  Darlene finally asked her how many heads her son had.  There was no response to that, and Darlene, I think you were a little naughty....right, but naughty.

So there you go...4 more weeks.  April 5th is Easter Monday, so I suggest to you volunteers that you let Joan know if you are going to be away, or not able to attend that night, so she can be prepared. 

Thanks again to you all. 

7)  Congregational Photo Directory - for pickup

Many people picked up their copy of the wonderful new Congregational Photo Directory on Sunday.  For those who were not able to pick it up last Sunday, please make sure to do so this week.   In order to minimize postage costs we will hold the rest of the directories and will make them available at Bide-a-Wee until Sunday March 28, after which we will mail them.

8)  Presbyterians Sharing... - CANADA: Presbytery of Montreal

Our gifts to Presbyterians Sharing support Tyndale St-Georges Community Centre in Montreal.  These gifts help to empower the thousands of residents who walk through the centre’s red doors every year: exuberant children who come for academic help, promising youth who participate in leadership programs, newly-arrived immigrants who take part in the retail sales training program and new parents who bring their little ones for early childhood activities. Let us pray for Tyndale St-Georges as it reaches out into the community, making a difference in the many lives it touches.

9)  Online donations

We are pleased to announce that donations to the Church, and to ministries such as the 'Out of the Cold' programme, can be made online.  To learn more, please click on the button below!