Week of June 28, 2009

Announcements for the week of June 28th:

Grocery run – Tuesday night this week 7:30 p.m. meet at Mikey’s. Hoping to catch some deals.
Canada Day – July 1. Celebrate Canada Day at Columbia Lake. There will be fireworks (weather permitting). If you want to watch it together, please contact Pastor Tim for arrangements.
Sunday Rides – we have one pick up spot at 9:45 a.m. HMV.
Worship teams – if you are interested in helping out for worship, please contact pastortim@gmail.com as soon as possible.
Are you web-savvy? We are looking for talented people who would be interested in helping design the simplychurch.ca website and bulletin.
Please continue to pray that God will guide us in finding an appropriate rental location.

A Fixture

"Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" (Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr).

Someone called me a "fixture" today as I witnessed my 18th UW convocation ... 18th I think... well I should clarify that and say that I took pictures with UW grads for the 18th year. To be honest, I've lost count... but I do know that I've only witnessed one convocation and after that one, I had come to the conclusion that there are just some things in life in which your time is much better spent elsewhere than to sit for several hours for a 12 second glimpse of someone significant to you walk across a stage, shake a hand, and grab a piece of paper. Now, if the student who was giving the valedictorian speech is someone of significance to me, then I might be able to convince my gluteus maximus that it would be a worthwhile investment of time.

Some of us were talking the other night about setting some survey up on FB or some website for some feedback on the question, "Name three events/activity/things that you wish you could get your time back". It was amazing how quickly that list grew as we spurred each other with events in our lives that just made us angry and we want to reclaim our lost time - sitting through a convocation was on the list, along with joint baptismal services with translation, university lectures, bad movies, music recitals, grade 1 and grade 2, BGR's, customer service calls, cable TV or phone installation and I am sure that by now certain personal events have come into your mind.

Photos on convocation day is like that. Is it time well spent for an outsider like myself? Sure it is but a tiny few hours expended in one's treasury of hours here on earth; and probably miniscule in comparison to the hours one has procrastinated and squandered away. How much impact is made during that one photo? that one captured moment in time? To be honest, not a whole lot. But what that one photo represents is the completion of time, sweat, blood and tears invested - to them, achieving their degree, to myself... well....
The privilege of the pastor is that there is a title and a position by which you impose upon and impact a person's life. But isn't that the privilege of all who have been called by God? A privilege that does not require a title nor sanctioned by an organization? The title "Christian" and our adoptive position as "children of God" becomes our privilege of being impact players for God. Christ called it "salt and light".

Young people come and after 3,4, 5 or more years, they leave this place - close a chapter of their lives and open a whole new one. Being a pastor to these group of young people has always been a privilege. The names and faces all change but the ministry has, is and always will be the same. Same old same old? To me, it might seem the same but it never gets old.

Congratulation graduates.

Speaking of same old ... next Sunday SimplyChurch will have a slight change of time for worship service. Instead of the usual 10 a.m. we are moving it to 2:00 p.m. due to some hockey conflicts. As well, Pastor Lew Worrad will be preaching and teaching. You certainly don't want to miss that golden opportunity to hear him speak.

And now for the rest of the announcements...

1. Sunday Rides – we have one pick up spot at 9:45 a.m. HMV.

2. Grocery run – Wednesday night 7:30 p.m. meet at Mikey’s.

3. Worship teams – if you are interested in helping out for worship, please contact pastortim@gmail.com as soon as possible.

4. Are you web-savvy? We are looking for talented people who would be interested in helping design the simplychurch.ca website and bulletin.

5. Please continue to pray that God will guide us in finding an appropriate rental location.