Prizes! Giveaways! Freebies!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner! Now that I got your attention. I have some important information to share with you. Due to the construction delays at MacKirdy Hall, Simply Church will move (from our current temporary location at the Aboriginal Centre) to the new Lecture Hall on the ground floor of St. Paul's University College. We will continue to use the Aboriginal Centre as well on a Sunday morning. Directions will be posted once you enter St. Paul's. There are two main entrances to the Lecture Hall. You can enter by the traditional method through the main doors on Westmount Rd. North and make your way downstairs, past the cafeteria, past the chapel and into the new foyer that faces Ring Road. If you are coming from Village or the main campus, you can enter through the back entrance of St. Paul's which faces Ring Road. A couple more updates as well. 1. SCO has one bookcase filled with books to borrow in the church library now. We are looking forward to receiving more books soon. Come visit the church office for a refreshing drink and snack and come see what renovations have taken place. 2. Sunday school returns this week with a chance to win prizes. (Yes I wasn't kidding about the prizes, giveaways and freebies). Come and find out what Sunday School is all about and challenge yourself spiritual and academically. Humbly yours, PT

Summer days, drifting away, To, uh oh, those school days!

September is just around the corner. Sigh. I cannot remember where the summer days have gone to or how the last 4 months has so quickly and silently passed by. Nevertheless, we are days away from receiving a new batch of froshies and, in their wake, the many returning students as well. So many things have yet to be done. So many things that I wanted to do. So many that I have failed to do. In a way I lament over the passage of time this summer. I cannot believe how the years have just flown by. I was in a retail store just the other day when I was confronted by a man who asked me "Are you a pastor?" I couldn't deny it so I said, "Yes I am." "You married my daughter.", he replied. "Most certainly not!", I thought to myself. My wife's father died when she was a young - at least that is what I have been told - and I don't recognize you from my wedding day. And certainly polygamy is out of bounds morally and beyond my comprehension. I have one wife and that's enough thank you very much. "Peter and Julie Chang." he said with a twinkle in his eye as if he had caught me in a senior moment. "It has been 13 years since you married them." he reminded me. I am not so convinced it was so much as a senior moment as it is just one of the many people and faces I have met in 20 years of full time ministry. We probably spent only a few minutes during the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner and perhaps a few minutes during the wedding day. I'm sure the wedding day of his daughter some 13 years ago was a very significant life event for him and I am thankful to be privileged to be part of that memorable event. Certainly being tributed as being a major part of someone's life has been a significant motivator for me in ministry. The joy of being a part of people's lives is beyond any earthly rewards. This summer Chris and I had a chance to reunite with some old old friends and with some newer friends. Some were celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary of which Chris was a bridesmaid. Others were just celebrating their 3rd wedding anniversary while others are 10 years from graduating from University. Those bonds of friendship established during their university years continue to be strong unto this day. I attribute that to the fact that the one bond which binds us so closely together is our common love and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. As the new term is about to begin, I look forward to a whole new batch of young people to bond with, to grow with, and to spiritually grow and serve with. The returning students are always a joy to see once again. A little older and a little wiser. A little more experienced in the faith and a little stronger as well. If you are coming to Simply Church for the very first time, I invite you to consider making us your spiritual home. We welcome you to be part of this wonderful family whose bonds are deep, wide, and long.

Moving on, moving forward, moving rooms!

MOVING ON - Alas, another semester has passed and we bid adieu to many students who have graced our church scene these last few years. They are moving on with their lives. Another chapter of their lives has closed and a new and exciting chapter is about to be written. Many hope to join the ranks of the tax-paying demographic portion of society while some prefer to stay within the familiar confines of academia. "Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while, leave footprints on our hearts, and we are never, ever the same." ~Flavia Weedn. May I say it has been a privilege to be a small part of your life and a pleasure to have you worship, serve, and grow together in Christ. I am certainly not the same because of you.
MOVING FORWARD - We reached another milestone as a church with our first baptismal service. I am certain that it will not be the one and only baptismal services here at Simply Church and look forward to many more to come. But I must say that it was the most memorable baptismal service I have ever witnessed or have been a part of. I think it was rather appropriate that the vessel used for the baptism was a water trough, since it follows in our Lord Jesus Christ as he was born and laid in a manger. There are many postings on FB and perhaps we hope to release a video of the blessed event on youtube in the very near future.
MOVING ROOMS - Very important!!! For the spring term (May - August) we will be worshiping in the Aboriginal Center at St. Paul's rather than our usual MacKirdy Hall. This is due to the renovations that will be done through the spring term. The Aboriginal Center is located in the new wing of St. Paul's just down the corridor from MacKirdy Hall. There will be signs posted to help people find their way.

 *** UPDATE *** Sunday May 6 - due to a conflict in room booking, we will be meeting in the Chapel of St. Paul's instead. Please pass on the message to everyone.

New Year New Hope New Start

The new year always brings with it a perceived sense of being able to turn over a new leaf and start afresh. Of course the truth of the matter is that those burdens, fears, and problems don't magically disappear with the turn of a page. But we just take on a fresh perspective, a new hope, and a certain enthusiasm to tackle all that the new year throws in our way.

As we have been learning through our study in Galatians, true change and freedom only comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Perhaps this is where we should start off the new year. A good foundation and everything else will fall in place. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; And all these things will be added unto you." Mt.6:33

At SC this week...

We are very excited to have Elena Wang back with us after her STM with EMI. She will be sharing of her experiences this coming Sunday (Jan. 15).

A reminder that there is a new pick up location for Sunday Service. CLV Community Center at 9:55 a.m.

Keep posted for more news and announcements.

A blessed new year to one and all.

PT

Updates.

We have a NEW PICKUP location besides our existing 2 locations. 1) the PetroCan at Philip and Columbia at 9:40 a.m. and 2) the Burger King at Philip and University at 9:45 a.m.NEW: CLV Community Center @9:55a.m. If you require a pick up outside of those two locations, please contact us and we will make sure you get a ride. If you drive, parking is free at the Gold Lot.

Weekly grocery runs are also being offered. Please contact us for more info.

Sunday School classes are finished until Jan. 8, 2012.

Upcoming Events:

Dec. 18th - 2nd Anniversary Celebration & Luncheon

Christmas Hiatus - We will be taking a brief holiday from Dec. 23rd, 2011 - Jan. 2nd, 2012. We will return to our normal schedule Jan. 8, 2012.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Plugged In

Yes I know an update to my blog is long overdue. My apologies to all. Not that I lack a plethora of ideas/topics to write about (probably some that should be censored) but rather, unfortunately (as someone pointed out to me), I tend to craft my blog with more care than I would a Sunday sermon.

Ironically, as I looked down at my power bar, I was reminded that although I have all these communication tools yet I am very poor at communication. I have a charger for my Win7 phone, Android phone/tablet, landline cordless phone, Blackberry playbook, HP Touchpad, and laptop all plugged into my charging station. All these devices are useless without their daily dose of power to replenish them after their productivity has been exhausted. It's a reminder to me that I need to be plugged in daily as well. Yes, sleep and good nutrition are necessary, but more importantly the need to be plugged into God daily to restore and renew me in order to face the challenges of each day. So just as you plug in your BB, iPhone, Android remember to plug yourself into God as well.

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, the will walk and not be faint." (Isa. 40:28ff)

Progressive ... ?

Someone said to me that people don't change. That change is bad. That we should stick to the tried and true. Don't change horses in mid-stream. Well perhaps when it comes to the selection or choice of some things we are creatures of habit. Consider the following. What we have here in the above photograph is the progression of my glasses over the last 3 decades. Can you see a common theme? Apparently my style of glasses is making a styling comeback. I am actually leading the eye-wear fashion parade. Can you guess the style of my next pair of glasses? If you said, "Exactly the same" then you are correct... kinda. The hidden change is that I have made the transition into progressive lenses. "Progressive" - not bi-focal, not old-fogies glasses, not tri-focal.... they are "progressive". Perhaps it is just a marketing terminology to make the transition into old age more palatable. But after getting a refresher course in the physics of lens making, progressive is a very appropriate terminology for the complex shape of the lens.

That being said, though I may not have changed my style of glasses over,... well let's be honest here and say my lifetime, I do believe that people can and do change. Actually I am in the business of people-change. God is in the business of people-change. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" (2Co.5:17) I can understand the skeptics who have tried to implement self-change and have failed. The reality is that true change can only come about through faith in Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit.

As Christians, we are in the business of change - personally, corporately, socially, and globally. If we cannot see change happening within ourselves from our past life before Christ, to our current life in Christ, then something is wrong. Unlike getting progressive lenses to correct our vision, our lives require a more radical measure to make a change. It isn't just a matter of a change in perspective but a matter of change in personhood.

As we have been investigating the life of Abram and his journey of faith, we have seen quite a bit of change in the person of Abram. From his initial calling to learning obedience to having faith in nothing else but God, Abram slowly and progressively is changed into the man that God was able to credited to him righteousness and honored in the Bible as a man of great faith. His journey of faith has been... well... progressive. In our instantaneous society, sometimes it is hard to understand and accept progressive. As the old saying goes, "Slow and steady wins the race". How is your race going? Have you left the gate? Are you out of steam? Or has it been ... progressive?