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KNOX NEWS
Knox News
June
2015
Diverse in Culture ╬ United in Faith
不 同 文 化
╬
Inside This Edition
共 同 信 念
2 Pastoral Care
Summer Lunches
Men’s Group
3 Rev Rob’s Ramblings
Christian Education
by Bob Spencer
Several men gather together Thursday
mornings at 9 am in the Church
Heritage room for coffee and cookies. Thanks to Jack Au for preparing the
coffee and to whoever brings the
cookies. Our conversations range from
our first car, first house, what sports we
played and the state of the Leafs. Reg
McArthur and Dave Wright are avid fans
of the Leafs and of course Rob is a Habs
fan.
From time to time, we have a
travelogue depending on where Garry
Bowers or Bob Spencer have been
travelling. On a recent Thursday morning we
gathered at the Agincourt Lawn Bowling
Club. Women of the church were
invited to join us. Garry Bowers was our
host and demonstrated how the game
was played. The bowl is not round,
so it’s not as easy as you might think. Thanks to Carole-Anne Bowers for the
coffee, cookies and lemonade. 4 A Note from Leigh
Financial Update
5 Agincourt Collegiate Anniversary
6 Worship Corner
Looking Ahead
7 Ross & Friends Photos
8 Scene Around Knox
All men in the congregation are invited
to join us whenever they can. Watch
the church bulletin announcements
to see when we start up again in
September.
Every five or six weeks we go to the
Rosemary and Thyme restaurant at
11:30 am. At the restaurant we are
called “ROMEOs” – Retired Old Men
Eating Out.
Tel: 416-293-4424
Knox United Church
2569 Midland Ave. Agincourt ON M1S 1R3
Fax: 416-293-6128
email: knoxunited@bellnet.ca
website: www.myknox.ca
Page 1
June 2014
Pastoral Care
by Joanne Rogde
What is a Visiting Elder? In 1 Peter Chapter 5, the author Peter
wrote “I exhort the Elders among you
to tend the flock of God that is in your
charge.” Tending the flock is not a new
idea.
Visiting Elders at Knox share the
task of Pastoral Care by facilitating
communications between members
of Knox, the ministers and the other
Visiting Elders.
Each Visiting Elder contacts families in
an assigned district four times a year,
most often when the Knox News is
published. They ensure that the News
arrives at every household, even if it is
by email! They ascertain and report any
needs to the Pastoral Care Committee
and/or the ministers.
Summer Lunches
by Van Hori
Many of our members who worked
tirelessly for Knox are now unable to
go to Church. Other folks for health or
other reasons may depend on a Visiting
Elder to maintain their link to Knox. It
is extremely important to have a strong
network of Elders. Our concern is not
just for aging members, but for all
members, sharing joyous occasions as
well as sorrow.
Elders meet twice a year to share their
experiences.
Thank you to all the Visiting Elders and
everyone who makes a phone call, pays
a visit or sends a note or email. These
kindnesses mean a lot.
Each Tuesday during July and August, ACSA (Agincourt Community Services
Association) provides a lunch in the CE building for those in need in our
community. The lunches are prepared by ACSA volunteers who also clean up
afterwards. However, we need volunteers from Knox to welcome the visitors and
help serve. If you are available between 11 am and approximately 1 pm for one or
more Tuesdays during the summer, please call Van Hori, 416-609-0722.
Bridge
Knox Bridge - mixed and
ladies - have openings
for new players this
coming fall. If you would
be interested, please call
the church office, 416293-4424 ex 0.
Page 2
This edition
Thanks to everyone who has contributed articles to this
edition of the Knox News. Editors: Marg Walker & Cheryl
Amos. Design: Tricia Cook. Photos: Manley James, Katharine
Datt & Jim Shantora. Please send any suggestions, articles
and pictures to the Communication Committee c/o the church
office, knoxunited@bellnet.ca
KNOX NEWS
Rev Rob’s Ramblings
A wonderful service of worship and
praise in the morning. A pizza lunch with six of our youth
celebrating the one year anniversary of
their confirmation. Rob an
ire!
ph Spitf
Trium
d his ‘68
In writing this article, in the days after
Pentecost, I can’t help but reflect on the
joy, enthusiasm and wonder of Spirit
moving in our midst at the celebration
of the Feast of Pentecost! I recently
listened to an excellent sermon on-line
from Duke University Chapel, by The
Rev. Dr. Anna Carter Florence entitled
Wind and Fire and Galileans in which
she remarks that Pentecost is a funny
kind of holiday. As Christians, we
don’t consider Pentecost a holiday and
we don’t gather in our homes for big
celebrations. She suggests that this
reticence seems very strange. You’d
think the church would go all out in
celebrating its birthday on Pentecost
Sunday!
Well Anna, we did celebrate the
birthday here at Knox and what a
celebration it was! The day culminated with the best ever
“Ross & Friends!” concert!
What a day! What a celebration!
God moves in mysterious ways. One would almost think the
joyous celebration of Pentecost
was intentionally scheduled to fall
immediately prior to our winding down
for the summer. So now it’s time to kick off our shoes,
put our feet up and have a summer
afternoon nap in the hammock. Or sit
by the lake and listen to the cry of the
loon. Or, as we heard the choir sing at
the concert, to be ‘Out on the Mira one
warm afternoon’ where ‘Old men go
fishing with black line and spoon,’
My prayer is that both you and I, over
the next 2 or 3 months, will have the
opportunity to do some of these things
and more. Father Ron Rolheiser’s wrote
in an article, God’s Quiet Presence in
Our Lives,
Jesus’ teaching about God’s
presence in our lives also makes
clear that this presence is mostly
quiet and hidden, a plant growing
silently as we sleep, yeast leavening
dough in a manner hidden from
our eyes, summer slowly turning a
barren tree green, an insignificant
mustard plant eventually surprising
us with its growth, a man or woman
forgiving an enemy. God, it seems,
works in ways that are quiet and
hidden from our eyes.
Where will this summer take you? Where will it take me? What barren
tree will turn green in your life over the
summer months? We will discover that
over the next weeks and months. But
regardless of where we go, where we
stay, what we do, or where we serve,
may it all be a time of experiencing and,
as the good people at Kellogg’s used
to say, ‘tasting again for the first time’
God’s quiet presence in our lives!
In our celebrations and our peaceful
meditations over the summer months
ahead, ‘Can you imagine a piece of
the universe, more fit for princes and
kings?’ from Song for the Mira by John
McDermott.
God is with us in celebration and quiet.
Have a great summer! And don’t forget,
Knox is here all summer long!
Rob
Christian Education News
There will be no formal Sunday School
during July and August, but there will be
a program each Sunday, coordinated by
Elyse Hori.
The date has not been set for the
September Kickoff & Annual Picnic
Celebration. Jayne will be in touch with
parents when the date is set.
If you are looking for some summer
camp ideas, these are United Church
Camps
Camp Big Canoe: Bracebridge
http://www.campbigcanoe.ca
Camp Simpresca: Georgian Bay, near
Midland
http://www.simpresca.net
Sparrow Lake: just north of Orillia
http://www.sparrowlakecamp.com
Camp Scugog: Port Perry
http://lakescugogcamp.org
Ryde Lake CGIT Camp: 12 miles from
Gravenhurst. Has a family camp.
http://www.rydelakecamp.com
Page 3
June 2014
A Note from Leigh
by Rev. Leigh Olson
Every once in a while I find an article or
a writing I feel I must share. As I was
looking through my new Gathering
Resources for Worship Planners, I read
the Editor’s Postlude by Susan Lukey. It shared a feeling I have had about
Church for years.
Did you know that a honeybee can’t
live for a day if it is alone? It requires
community in order to live out its
lifespan. That’s what we learned from
a beekeeper who spoke this morning
during our worship service about “the
spiritual wisdom of bees.” I was close to my family growing up
and found it difficult when I went away
to school. After ordination, I couldn’t
go home for Christmas because I had
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
services to conduct. My family had to
come to me if they wanted to celebrate
with me on Christmas and Easter. So
I began to celebrate with family a day
before or a few days after. A bee’s lifespan can be up to six
weeks long, but if its flights for nectar
take it distances that are farther from
the hive, then its lifespan will be
reduced to two or three weeks. Yet
it willingly makes this sacrifice for
the good of the hive, the good of the
community.
I started to look at the church and
realized that it was my family, my
church family, and though I was a single
woman, I was like a mother at church.
The Church has for years offered
something that is unique in the world:
community that is based on God’s love
and acceptance. It is a place where we
are marked as lovable, special, and holy. In this day and age of mobility, many
people move far from their childhood
homes and families to work. However,
there is a place to call home, the
Church.
Community! I believe that we
human beings are as much in need
of community as bees. But who
does real community anymore? Where in our society do you find
groups of people who understand
their interdependence with one
another, who care for the needs
of one another, who are willing to
sacrifice so that everyone receives
the necessities of life, emotionally,
physically, and spiritually? Where do
you find a community where every
age and stage of life is represented
and valued, where people are loved
unconditionally and not because of
their skills or monetary worth? Church! That’s one of the few, dare I
say only, places in our society where
we strive to form real community. While what we are as congregations
may not be highly valued right now, I
believe that it is as necessary as ever. As I watch and listen around me, I see
people trying to create the very things
that are intrinsic to who we are as a
community of faith. Churches have rich gifts to offer, gifts
of community rooted and grounded in
our faith in God. We understand that
we can’t do it alone, that we need
each other, that we need God, and
that we need the depth of tradition
that goes back thousands of years to
do what we do well. We have something sweet to offer the
world. It just might take some longer
study of bees to figure out how to
offer our sweet nectar of faith in this
changing world. Written by Susan Lukey,
Gathering, Pentecost 2015. page 88
used with permission
Please enjoy the excerpt following from
Susan’s note, Our Sweet Nectar of Faith.
Financial Update
from The Finance Committee
Page 4
As the summer months approach,
you are reminded that our operating
expenses do not take a summer holiday. To ensure there is sufficient cash flow
throughout the summer, we ask that
you consider using post-dated cheques
when you are on vacation. Another
alternative is to use PAR which is a
convenient way to support the church
on an ongoing basis.
We begin the summer with a small
deficit. With ongoing support, we hope to have another successful year, so that
we can continue all our programs. Many thanks for your generous support.
KNOX NEWS
Agincourt Collegiate 100th Anniversary
by Kathie Shantora
Agincourt Collegiate 100th Anniversary
celebrations were held the weekend of
May 1 to 3, 2015. Alumni, neighbours
and families shared in the celebrations. Rob’s vintage car and other cars from
various decades were admired on
Saturday. How many members of Knox attended
ACI?
Two members of Knox did teach at ACI.
Elaine Conner
Elaine Conner came to Agincourt in
1952 to teach at the newly opened
Winston Churchill Collegiate. In 1956,
she began teaching English and Music
at Agincourt C.I. The school had no
orchestra at the time, so one was
started, the first for ACI.
Presently her health is good although
walking is difficult. People come to her
home on the former Wheler farm for
music and English lessons and for Book
Club.
Recently the UCW had a fashion show in
the Christian Centre and Elaine played
the background music, at 85 years!
Keep up the good work, Elaine. May
you bring pleasure to people for many
more years. Reg Nighswander taught at ACI from
1959 to 1964. His areas of expertise
were history and drama. After school,
he coached cross country running. Reg
and Helen have lived in their home in
Agincourt for 56 years. Their children
all attended ACI. Ruth is a nurse,
Lynn is a pharmacist and David is an
accountant.
At the recent 100th anniversary music
night, the orchestra played spectacular
music under the direction of David Lum. Reg must have great stamina because
Humble beginnings have paid off!
he attended all four events at the ACI
When Sir John A. MacDonald Collegiate
100th Anniversary.
opened in 1964, Elaine moved to this
Kathie is an archivist at ACI and Knox.
new school and became a guidance
specialist. She continued there until her
retirement.
Reg Nighswander
Elaine received her education at the
University of Western Ontario in
London, Ont. She has no home town
because her father was a United Church
minister, so the family moved a lot.
Rob Selby’s ‘68 Triumph Spitfire on display at Agincourt
Collegiate’s heritage car display. Photo by Jim Shantora
Page 5
June 2014
Worship Corner
by Lynella Reid-James
Upcoming Services
July 19 Communion
Sept 13 Sunday School Start-up
Oct 4
World Communion Sunday,
Membership
Summer is here! The vacations are
planned! The cottages are opened and
so is Knox Agincourt United Church. Yes, there will be a worship service each
Sunday during the summer.
Each week, there is an opportunity
to light the Memorial Candles or to
be a scripture reader. There are signup sheets on the notice board in the
Heritage Room.
There will be simplified bulletins during
July and August. Announcements will
be on a separate sheet to take home. Committees, groups or individuals who
have summer activities to share should
have the information into the church
office for the July bulletin by June 17
and for August by July 22.
Another way to participate in worship is
to be a server at a Communion service. If you would like to share in this way,
please speak to the Chair of Worship or
leave your name with the church office
Participation in Worship
The Worship Committee welcomes all
who wish to participate and hopes that
members of the congregation will give
some consideration to the following
opportunities.
Baptism and Membership
Baptism and membership will be
celebrated in September. If you, your
child or grandchild are considering
baptism or membership at Knox, please
speak with Rob or call the church office
as soon as possible. Looking Ahead
June 24
10:30 am Shepherd Village service, Rev. Leigh Olson
July 7
Noon
ACSA Summer Lunch Program continues each
Tuesday through the summer
July 22
10:30 am Shepherd Village Service
September 8
7:30 pm Book Study Group @ E Conner’s
September 4
7-10 pm Chinese Fellowship Bible Study, Heritage Room
September 9
1:15 pm Pastoral Care Committee, Heritage Room
7:30 pm Worship Committee meets, Heritage Room
September 13
10 am
Worship & Church School Start-up
12:30 pm Mandarin Christian Fellowship
September 14
8 pm Agincourt Garden Club meeting, CE Auditorium
September 15
9:30 am Morning Glory Bible Study resumes, Heritage Rm
Page 6
September 16
7 pm Church Council meets, Heritage Room
September 21
10:30 am Property Committee meets, CE Parlour
September 23
6:30 pm UCW Pot Luck Supper, Heritage Room
September 26
Mid-Autumn Festival (Moon Festival), CE Aud
September 27
10 am
Worship & Church School
12:15 pm Lunch Bunch
October 4
10 am
Worship & Church School
World Communion
October 5
8 pm
Agincourt Garden Club, CE Auditorium
October 12
Thanksgiving Monday
October 17
FALL FAIR
October 21
7 pm
Church Council, Heritage Room
KNOX NEWS
Ross & Friends
photos by Manley James
20 Concerts - 5 Seasons . . . and counting
A huge thanks to all the members of Knox who volunteer in
so many ways to support the concerts.
A special thanks to:
• the ticket sellers and ticket takers, Helen & Ken Spracklin,
and Gerry & Reg McArthur
• the refreshments hosts, Jeannette Mercer and Liz Lundy,
who ensure we are a welcoming community Yeah to ice cream bars!
• subscribers and all who attend.
Page 7
June 2014
Knox United Church
2569 Midland Ave. Agincourt ON M1S 1R3
Tel: 416-293-4424 Fax: 416-293-6128
Email: knoxunited@bellnet.ca
Website: www.myknox.ca
Rev. Rob Selby
Rev. Leigh Olson
Ross Inglis
Jayne Bossert
Richard Wang
Jack Au
Tricia Cook
Lead Minister
Minister of Visitation
Director of Music
Christian Education Coordinator
Chinese Ministry Coordinator
Church Custodian
Church Office Administrator
ext 12
ext 13
ext 16
ext 11
ext 15
ext 0
Sunday Worship & Church School at 10 am
The Knox scene
Top to bottom: Alpha group
Alpha helpers
Note of thanks to Tina & Robin
Mother’s Day
Top & bottom left: Baptism
Above: Handbell Choir
Right: Carole-Anne & Paula
Page 8