THE ANCHOR
EDITH RANKIN MEMORIAL UNITED CHURCH
4080 BATH ROAD, KINGSTON, ONTARIO, K7M 4Y7
Phone: (613) 389-2530; | Fax: (613) 389-1854
Web Page: www.ermuc.ca
Volume 18, Issue 1 – April 2011
To print “The Anchor”, open the Adobe Reader version (.pdf file)
FROM OUR MINISTERS
WAYNE’S WORLD
Important if True!
In days leading up to the American Revolution, colonial printers ran a line above dispatches from England which, understandably, they had reason to be skeptical about. The line simply read: Important if true!
We understand, it’s hard not to be skeptical about many things these days. Politicians on the campaign trail are about as credible as the next 20-second sound bite. Expert opinions contradict each other until our heads spin. Sated with data and information that no one has the time or inclination to sift through and ponder about with much confidence, we skedaddle back to our own opinions hoping they will see us through.
And then we bump into Easter. Our penchant for skepticism begs a thousand questions. And yet, our yearning for a Love that will not let us go hopes against all odds that God has indeed raised Jesus from the dead and us together with him. It’s important if true!
The facts of Easter are probably beyond our capacity to establish or comprehend. Maybe, in the end, it doesn’t matter what actually took place at Joseph of Arimathea’s tomb that awesome Sunday morning. The Truth of Easter is far bigger than the mere facts. And what is true is that something stronger than death and despair, retreat and cynicism, emerged to turn the world upside-down. As one poet put it, something was loosed to change the shaking world and with it we are changed. Bunnies and butterflies and pretty colored eggs can’t begin to compare to that!
Christ is risen! That’s important if true. Vitally important! The church in our time urgently needs a new experience of Easter to save us from our trivial pursuits and irrelevance. The shaking world desperately needs a new experience of Easter to keep us from blowing ourselves to smithereens. You and I need a new experience of Easter – the blessed assurance that Love is stronger than death, that Jesus’ vision for the Kingdom of God still has the power to rescue and redeem, that in life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us and we are not alone.
So let the skeptics argue the facts all they wish. The Truth still stands. So let the hallelujahs ring, too, until the heavens declare the glory of God and the earth at long last shows God’s handiwork. Christ is risen, indeed! That’s important, if true. And truly important! Everything else is merely background noise.
You better believe it!
A LENTEN/EASTER MESSAGE
Rev. Micheline
The weather network says that we are in the Season of Spring, or to put it in more modern terms, spring has sprung once again. As I gaze out my office window on this cloudy, gray day, I do notice that the ice in Collins Bay is disappearing very quickly. I also noticed that I can drive home most days while it is still light. Even though we got more snow yesterday – and I was actually snowed in at home – today the grass is peeking out once again. Yes, I think spring is in the air for sure. Thanks be to God!
In the church cycle of seasons, we are in the Season of Lent which will soon give way to the great festival of Easter. Lent and Easter invite us on a spiritual journey to discover once again God’s steadfast love which surrounds us intimately in all of our times, and even beyond time. Beyond that, these seasons encourage us to be witnesses to God being alive in the world today. We are called to be a community that embodies Christ’s love in all that we say and do. As we continue to listen to the stories found in our scripture lessons for this year’s Season of Lent and Easter, we will be enriched as we allow ourselves the gift of becoming acquainted with the community for whom and from whom these stories were written.
Someone once said that creeds are better sung than said. We could easily substitute Lent and Easter for creeds. Continue to listen carefully to the music selected during these seasons. Words of promise and invocation, praise and benediction are joined with music chords that may at times tingle your spine. Bright colors do not always mean bright times, and shadows and dark can hold great promise. Silver may not be a color often used in art work. Yet silver shelters Mary Magdalene outside the tomb, even as it reflects a light that is opposite the direction of the rising sun.
The Season of Easter ends with words of farewell and commission. Jesus, who reveals God to the world, reminds us that we have a home in God, and God has a home in us. As we are called to continue Jesus’ ministry and be living witnesses to God’s presence in the world, we know that we are not alone. God gives us the gift of the Spirit. God’s presence and grace can be trusted to make the journey with us wherever we go, wherever God leads. The possibilities are endless as we follow God’s call and allow God to lead us. May we continue then to sail on the winds of the Spirit, sharing the Good News of Christ with each other and the world.
YOUTH LEADER
Justin Huyck
As Karly Mitchell and Meaghan Schell note in an article that follows, I am very excited to be at ERMUC this winter and spring as the Youth Leader. (I hope it will not still be winter when you read these words.)
Before coming to Kingston, I lived in the Chicago area where I served church communities. As well, I served in Albany NY which is my hometown. My wife, Julia and I are the parents of two young children, Adrian and Sophia. We recently moved to Kingston so Julia could take a post-doctoral fellowship in Queen’s Psychology Department.
My ministry experience includes worship leadership, retreat ministry, and faith formation with adults, teens and children. I am particularly passionate about youth ministry and the opportunity to support teens as learners and faith leaders, people of service and justice, and active members of the young church and the larger community. Karly and Meaghan give an excellent account in their article (and in their Christian living) of what that looks like.
As you may know, my previous service has been in Catholic communities, most recently as Director of Liturgy and Faith Formation at Our Lady of the Brook Church in Northbrook, Illinois. My Master’s Degree in Theology is from Chicago’s Catholic Theological Union. I am enjoying this opportunity to serve in a new context, learning and putting faith into action alongside our teens and community.
Outside of churchy walls, Julia and I enjoy singing, hiking and exploring new mountains, lakes and trails. We are glad to be back in the environment of eastern North America and happy to have found a warm welcome here at Edith Rankin. Since beginning at ERMUC, our family has already needed to move again, and we are grateful for the outpouring of support from this community during our latest unexpected move. In fact, it has been a testament to what church is all about – a community supporting one another on a journey, moving together towards the future that God dreams for us and for our world. Sounds like an Easter people to me!
CONCERNING ERMUC YOUTH
Karly Mitchell and Meaghan Schell
At the beginning of February, the youth at ERMUC were proud to announce that they had a new leader. After careful and deliberate discussions, interviews and meetings, an energetic, humorous and lively young man was hired to lead the Youth.
Justin Huyck was first introduced to the Youth at a rock climbing evening where it was clear that he would fit into their lives very well. Then Justin was formally introduced to the congregation the following Sunday and has been in the classroom ever since where he brings fresh new ideas and fun to our Sunday morning sessions. He is always ready to greet us with a smile and is willing to learn and to improve our habits, rituals and traditions. It was also proven that he fit in well when we held a pancake dinner on Shrove Tuesday. We had a few games planned for our time at the church, but due to heating issues at the church and room concerns at Kate and Al’s home, we were left to just eating pancakes! We all sat around their huge table and had a lively discussion.
There are a few exciting events coming up on the Youths’ calendar. They are planning a bowling night, a movie night and a retreat. The group also recently presented Our Prayer Stations. There was an opportunity Friday evening April 8 and a morning session Saturday April 9 to visit and view, meditate and contemplate. This proved to be an enriching, relaxing and rewarding experience that we were excited to share with the entire ERMUC congregation.
In this season of Easter, we encourage all the youth to come to our Sunday morning sessions. Bring your friends and continue our journey with each other and Justin.
YOUR MINISTRY AND PERSONNEL COMMITTEE
Following is a list of the major responsibilities of the Ministry and Personnel Committee:
- Provide a consultative and supportive agency for the staff of the Pastoral Charge and for members and adherents of the congregation(s)
- Review working conditions and remuneration for the staff of the Pastoral Charge and make appropriate recommendations to the Church Council
- Oversee the relationship of the staff of the Pastoral Charge to members of the Congregation(s) and others
- And other additional duties.
If you are happy about the work the staff is doing, let them know, or tell us and we will pass it on to them. If you have concerns, please let us know.
EVER THINK OF OUR WEB PAGE?
Paul Van Nest
I’m having a painful week. Once a day, I’m tearing the covers off one of our encyclopedias, all 20 volumes, and dumping them into the recycling. You see, our encyclopedias are out of date – 1968. They are stored down in the basement now, and haven’t been used in years. (And I never did read them in bed!) So how do I learn anything? I Google on the web.
Step this metaphor back a little to our church level. Whenever I have a question about the church, I go to www.ermuc.ca and look for the answer. If I don’t find what I’m looking for or if I find it too difficult to find, I click on the webmaster link at the bottom of most pages and I ask him where to find it. Or I ask him to fix up the site some.
I always start at the Home Page. While I watch the message scrolling across the page, I’m hearing our choir sing and I adjust the volume in case I call up any other sound tracks.
If I want to know whether an event is on, and at what time, I either click on the Coming Events icon across the bottom of the Home Page, or I click Coming Events in the left hand panel. (There are often two ways of doing things on web pages.) And there are the details.
If I want to hear last week’s service, I simply click on the Sunday Service icon. This might take a while to start playing as sound files (podcasts) are rather big. This one is 50+ megabytes in case you wanted to know. If I just want to hear the sermon or any sermons past, I click on the Sermon icon. Likewise, if I just want to hear an anthem from last week or several weeks earlier, I click on the Anthems icon to select it.
Forgot the name of a Sunday school teacher? Click on the Sunday-School icon. Or, the latest ministers’ message? There’s an icon for that too at the bottom of the Home Page.
How about one of our church’s ongoing activities? The third tab in the left-hand panel is Groups and Activities. Clicking here will pull down a number of choices. Just click on the one for which you are looking. Surprised at the number of them? We are a busy congregation!
Have a look at our Photo Album. The Annual Report is for 2009; it was an experiment in a member-only page. If you want the password, e-mail webmaster@ermuc.ca
And there are lots more. Go for a tour – have fun clicking, and remember if you see anything wrong or needing improvement, your webmaster is just a click away: webmaster@ermuc.ca
Join the 16,952 others who have visited our site (viewed more than one page) between March 2010 and February 2011.
Oh, and by the way, new things are coming: a calendar maybe, a Facebook link, maybe a blog, maybe even a way that some of you can update your own pages. Who knows? We’re learning!
CLASSICS 2010
Ruth Pettis
The Annual Classics’ Birthday Party will be held on Sunday, May 1st, 2011, from 4:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Lower Hall. Everyone is welcome. This congregational event is sponsored jointly by the UCW and the Catering Team and will include photos, punch, a roast beef dinner and entertainment.
The concept of honoring our Classics began in 1972 with the Senior Friends’ Program developed by UCW Unit 7. Thanks to this year’s Planning Committee of Sheila Billings, Rhonda Kerr, Joan Martin and Ruth Pettis.
The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old. I was taken aback for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, she was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and that I would ponder it and let her know. — Anonymous
SPIRIT SISTERS: WHO WE ARE?
Agnes Chambers Glenn
To me, it seems that to date I have travelled in concentric circles. Life started in Stirling and has taken me across Canada and back more than once. Then I did my journeys around the world. Now I find myself in Kingston and on Sundays in fellowship at ERMUC at Collins Bay.
In Canada, living and working for me was in Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, Labrador, BC and Manitoba. Internationally, I lived and worked in Afghanistan, Nicaragua, USA (North Dakota at the university and in Washington on a contract for Saudi Arabia), Zimbabwe, United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Japan, Mexico and China. Retirement has brought me back to Ontario.
I could never complain that my life has been dull. It continues to be filled with challenges and extremely rich as also included in it is 31 years of marriage, 2 daughters, 5 grandchildren, an adopted Zimbabwe family, many loving and supportive family members and wonderful friends here and worldwide.
Now why would I have mentioned Sunday’s at Collins Bay? Well, I realize that my life could not have been any more challenging than the life of my great-grandmother, Ellen Victoria Collins. When about two, Ellen had sailed with her parents, a brother and a sister from Ireland to join their grandfather John Collins in Upper Canada. As Ellen Victoria Collins Quaker Assemblies were few in the new world, the presence of a Wesleyan Methodist church was good reason for the family settling about seven miles west of Kingston with earlier Collins arrivals. The Collins family while in Ireland had converted from Roman Catholicism to Quakerism.
Later Ellen married Robert Henry Chambers of Kingston and Stirling and later became my great-grandparents. Ellen became our family matriarch. It is through her that I have my connection to Collins Bay. This community of 1,250 brave settlers was given my ancestor’s family name! This was one of the surprises that I found while searching family history notes for my family genealogy book.
Loving challenges meant that I could never say NO to an offer for an opportunity to travel and work at home or internationally. These work experiences, the people I met and events I encountered have defined WHO I AM.
I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand as in what direction we are going. — Oliver Wendell Holmes
CLUSTER UPDATE
Glenn Owen
As detailed in the last issue of this newsletter, our congregation has been divided into 44 groups, or clusters (sometimes referred to as neighborhood clusters) based on home location. An effort has been made to keep the groupings small (on the average about twelve households) to foster close communities within each. In areas more remote from the church, where there are fewer members, neighborhoods are large, examples being downtown Kingston and the rural area to the north. On the other hand, in Collins Bay and Bayridge clusters are truly geographical neighborhoods consisting of just a few blocks each.
The last issue also outlined the many reasons for this kind of organization. It is to come to know each other, to care for and to share with one another and hopefully to ensure that we all are connected in some way. The plan is for clusters to come together in various settings a few times each year with the help of one household acting as an enabler.
As of last fall there were about 18 clusters having designated enablers. Many have met over the winter in homes for evening dessert or morning coffee while others have gathered in the church. Others are planning get-togethers starting this spring, and the back yard barbeque setting should be popular this summer. Some have been well attended by one or more members of most households while others have seen just a few attend the first gathering. In time, enablers should be acting in every cluster (Perhaps, these duties will be shared.) and all of us will come to be more familiar with our Edith Rankin neighbors.
If you haven’t yet participated in such a gathering, it could be that your cluster is in need of its first enabler. Perhaps your household would be willing to take that on. If so, please call Glenn Owen, 613-389-4973, for more information and a list of the members in your cluster.
VISIT TO HAITI
Heather Ryan
In January 2009, I was privileged to be included in a trip to northern Haiti. Our mission was to deliver school supplies to the village of Grison Garde, to build bookshelves and shelves, and to work with the teachers and students at the school to introduce the new material. Our team spent a week there and made incredible progress. Making bookcases, shelves, a puppet theatre, painting the class rooms, sorting the school supplies (Where are the rulers? Either box 24, 81, or 67.), teaching the teachers how to use items like scissors, fixing stairs and probably a hundred other things that went on that I wasn’t a part of.
Once we returned to Kingston, we didn’t stop working. We also made plans to go back in January 2011. And then the earthquake hit. The devastation was incredible! We were terrified that our village would have been demolished and that all our work would have been undone. But about a week later we found out that our village was in decent condition, that not much had changed. We heaved a huge sigh of relief. Then we had to contend with the cholera outbreak. And in the midst of all of this, the government started talking about elections.
I am writing this article in December 2010 and Edith Rankin is in full swing. The M&O Committee decided to help fundraise for a project called Chairs for Children. This project works to equip every classroom in �cole Grison Garde with chairs and desks. The M&O Committee sold chairs for $8 which is the cost of a chair built in Haiti. All the money raised would go to making these chairs in Haiti to stimulate the local economy. The goal of the church was to raise enough money so that every child in that school would have a chair to sit on. There were 300 students in the school, so that was the goal. In the end, we raised enough money so that over 300 students would be able to have a seat in their classroom. This was due to the hard work and support of the congregation. Unfortunately, there will be no trip to Haiti this year due to election troubles, but we are looking forward to going back in 2012 to continue all our work in Grison Garde.
HUGS for Every Child
Cathy Flynn
ERMUC Unit 1 members sponsor a sewing bee each year – usually in early April – in support of the HUGS Program for the Kingston General Hospital. HUGS stands for Help Us Grow Strong. With the support of volunteers, this program ensures that premature babies and babies-in-need are provided with necessary clothing items to give them a good start in life. With the support of our UCW Unit 1, Retired Teachers of Ontario and generous donations, the sewing bee is provided with funds to purchase flannelette for receiving blankets, quilted eyelet for memory envelopes, and thread, fabric and knitting supplies. Some talented members of our congregation also complete beautiful baby quilts and wonderful knitting or crocheting items. At our sewing bee on April 6 this year, all members worked together to complete simple yet necessary projects to make the HUGS program successful. All of the completed projects will be sent to KGH and then distributed to families as required. Keep this project in mind for next April if it is of interest to you. Speak with Cathy Flynn or contact her at 613-389-7008 or cathy.52@hotmail.com.
UCW March 2011
Carolyn E. Green, President
Winter is gradually being replaced by spring allowing everyone to think of budding plants, gardens, etc. In the UCW world there are also things happening. The first is an invitation to all UCW members as well as ladies of the congregation to attend the upcoming General Meeting on Tuesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. The guest speaker will address the subject of Preparing for Our Future. The speaker will be from St. Mary’s and the message promises to be both informative and interesting.
In addition, the Kingston Presbyterial 49th Annual Meeting will be held at Christ United Church, Lynn, on April 13. It is hoped that several ladies will attend. Another meeting, The Bay of Quinte Conference will be held on April 27th at the Port Hope United Church hosted by Cobourg Presbyterial. For more information if you would like to attend, contact Carolyn Green at 613-389-1845. Both above meetings are expected to be very interesting.
Our Easter donations this year will go to the Food Bank. It can certainly use any funds we can contribute to it. If you have not yet made a donation (on Sundays April 10 and 17) but would like to, put your donation in an envelope, designate to whom you are making the donation in memory of, and drop it off at the Church Office marked UCW for the Food Bank.
Every one is invited to The Classics Birthday Dinner to be held on Sunday, May 1, from 4:30 to 7 pm in the Lower Hall. This dinner, to honor our Over Eighties, will be hosted by the UCW.
Another event to look forward to and to mark your calendars for is the fall event of Applefest. Our ladies plan to get together on Thursday and Friday, September 29 and 30, to make soup and prepare apple products to sell on Friday evening, September 30 and the morning of Saturday, October 1. The purpose of this event is to take the pressures of a bazaar off the shoulders of the ladies and to allow us to get together and enjoy the fellowship of working (not too hard) together and with luck make it a financial success. However, fellowship is the goal, not money.
You may have noticed that we no longer place flowers in the church on Sundays as we are adhering to a scent free environment.
In conclusion, if you would like to attend any UCW Unit meeting, we encourage you to check the website for a date and time that suits you best. Then drop into your chosen meeting and introduce yourself. It is our hope that you will join us for a good time of faith and fellowship.
Kindness is the language the deaf can hear and the blind can see. — Mark Twain
YOU COULD SAVE 3 LIVES
Sharon Van Nest
Easter and spring-time bring thoughts of new life. What better way of helping others celebrate than by saving lives of loved ones? Edith Rankin Memorial United Church is in a Partnership with Canadian Blood Services. It is called PARTNERS FOR LIFE. Each donation of blood made by a member, adherent, or even a friend of ERM will be credited to our account.
Every minute of every day, someone in Canada needs blood. It may be a cancer or heart patient, an accident victim or a premature baby such as the grandson of Colton with grandparents ERM members, Tom and Judie Bryant.
In January, 2010, Colton Griffin was born 15 weeks premature. He weighed less than 1 � pounds. During his 17 weeks in the NICU of KGH, Colton required 7 blood transfusions. Kate and Brandon Griffin now have a thriving 22-pound bundle of smiles, thanks partly to those whose blood was used.
Please seriously consider becoming a member of ERM’s important life-giving team. It takes only a few minutes to discover if your blood can help save up to three lives. If it can, it takes less than one hour of your time to donate that precious blood.
Come on, ERM, let’s see how many lives we can save this spring! Speak with me, Sharon Van Nest, or Linda Lain who will provide you with the necessary information and form.
HOW ARE WE DOING?
This is our second effort at producing a new look Anchor newsletter. We are trying to include subject matter that hopefully reflects who we are and what we do here at Edith Rankin that goes beyond just the facts that may be found on our website, in Tidings or in annual reports. For each edition, topics are selected and articles are requested from various individuals. The intent is to dig a little deeper into our life and work, to present ideas about our past and our future, tell personal stories, and share a little about what enriches our lives and strengthens our faith.
Do you have any ideas to share about your newsletter? Are there any topics that you would like to see covered or that you might wish to write about specifically for a future issue? We would like to have your comments and suggestions. Please talk to one of us, phone or send an e-mail.
Herb Goold at 613-634-9680 or hgoold@cogeco.ca
Glenn Owen at 613-389-4973 or glennowen945@gmail.com
Agnes Glenn at 613-531-3063 or docglenn23@yahoo.ca
