TSA Trumpet With trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the King. Psalm 98, v6
Supper's Ready Stewardship Pipe Organ Repairs
February 2017
February 2017
TSA Trumpet Contents 4... From the Pulpit Letter from our Minister 5... PointofView Letter from the Publisher 6... Council updated 7... Stewardship 8... Supper's Ready 10... Invitation from Fundraising 10... Notes of Hope 11... Pipe Organ Reparis 12... Advice for Everyone 12... 20,000 Homes 13... We Share Your Grief 14... Volunteering is Life Affirming 14... Happy Quilters 15... Calendar of Events
Cover Photo courtesy of Mike Labrum Unsplash.com TSA Trumpet February 2017 3
FROM THE PULPIT A couple of weeks ago I was talking to a man I had just met who found out I was raised in Sydney. “Well”, he said, “you must have known or heard of ……” He mentioned a number of names and I told him that I knew all of them. I didn’t know them well as they were my parents’ ages but I still knew them. The names were from my childhood and as I began to think of them I realized that they were bringing back happy memories. I hadn’t thought of some of them in years. The earliest memory was from 195960 and it involved a big car with big fins and a kid (me) behind the wheel having the time of his life pretending to drive the car around the showroom. So for the last two weeks I have been taking trips down memory lane thinking of people and places I had long ago tucked away in the back of my mind. And then it hit me. I was remembering happy times, nice people and exciting events. All these thoughts were coming from a safe place because when I was a child my life had many more good times than not. I was loved, cared for, included, encouraged and wanted. I had a great time when I was a kid and for a while I thought everyone enjoyed the same. Not true of course, but for a time everybody in my world was just as content and happy as I was. There are all kinds of reasons why things go wrong for children and adults. I could start a list, but I’m afraid it would become too long. What I do know is that I was a fortunate child, no more special than any other, but still fortunate. I am indebted to so many people. Our family never did have a big car with big fins, but we had a lot other things and they were good. I am thankful and feel blessed. This is a great way to start the month of February. Shalom,
Rev. Ken 4 TSA Trumpet February 2017
Welcome to TrinitySt. Andrew's United Church in Brighton, Ontario. Our active congregation offers meaningful worship with a varied music program, Sunday School, opportunities for faith exploration and discussion, as well as fellowship, more traditional Bible study and educational opportunities for all ages, in a liberal Christian context. With the excellent leadership of Rev. Ken Lewis we are very blessed. Our mission includes elder care, such as friendly visiting, and outreach activities like Friends of Migrant Workers and the Clothing Depot. Come join us in our bright, centrally located and historic space. TrinitySt. Andrew's is an Affirming Congregation and has a policy of full accessibility for those with disabilities.
TSA Trumpet
POINT-OF-VIEW
February 2017 TSA Trumpet is the newsletter of TrinitySt Andrew's United Church. Our goal is to inform members and adherents of the activities and upcoming events in our fatih community MANAGING EDITOR Brian Ostrander COPY EDITOR Tammy Ostrander PUBLISHER TSA Public Relations & Publicity Committee TrinitySt Andrew's United Church 58 Prince Edward Street Brighton, Ontario K0K 1H0 6134751311 www.trinitystandrews.ca ADVERTISING Internal advertising for TSA functions is free of charge External advertising inquire tsatrumpet@gmail.com Advertising in this newsletter does not constitute endorsement by TrinitySt Andrew's United Church, nor guarantee quality, value or effectiveness of any products, services or methods advertised.
Your Trumpet is blessed with abundance. This month I had to tell two submitters that I will be holding their articles for next month as we had too many items to include in this month's newsletter. What a wonderful problem to have. Usually by about Wednesday (just before I think about sending out a second email requesting submissions) I become concerned that I'll be filling the newsletter with filler.. and then find that we get a few more articles and information requests in to complete the magazine. This month, articles started coming in, even before I sent out my first request. After my first request went out I became concerned that I'd have to increase the number of pages, or do that dreaded thing that editors have to do.. start cutting. On Thursday I was contemplating whether to send a second and final request for articles but did so anyway and did receive some important and timely information that needed to appear. To those who have been asked to wait or find their article trimmed to fit, thank you for your patience and understanding. And to everyone, keep those articles coming, it was a nice problem to have this month!
Brian Ostrander PS Please note the dates for the March edition have been moved one week AND have a longer production period to accommodate both my personal schedule and production scheduling in March (a busy time of year at the printer).
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council update by Iain Henderson The TSA Council finally managed to meet on January 23rd after two delays because of bad weather. In addition to Committee Chairs and Members, we had a member of the Congregation in attendance at this meeting. This was most welcome and gives us the opportunity to remind everyone that these meetings are open to all members and adherents. Our Clothing Depot continues to do well and we are investigating what operating economies may be achieved by converting the furnace and water heater to natural gas. The Treasurer advised that our mortgage has now been reduced to about $95,000.00, so that our monthly payments are now only $700.00! Everyone (especially our Fundraising Committee) should be proud of this achievement and be inspired to new efforts. There is more good news. The UCC has reduced the interest rate on the balance of our mortgage to 2.5% down from 4.0%! In the matter of the Proposed UCC Remits arising from the last General Council, your Council confirmed the report of the Executive Committee and will recommend to the Congregation that we accept Remits nos. 1. 2 and 4 but reject Remit no.3. Council was delighted to receive a letter from Kaitlyn Ostrander expressing her interest in becoming an inquirer for discernment the first stage in the long process of becoming a Minister in the United Church of Canada. There was a heartfelt and unanimous vote of support and Council will now refer this matter to Presbytery and work with them in moving this application forward. A cheque was received from Brighton Clothing Depot in the amount of $2000.00 to support the 6 TSA Trumpet February 2017
‘Suppers Ready’ programme. This was gratefully received and will be formally acknowledged by ‘Suppers Ready’ with thanks. Your Worship, Music and Sacraments Committee has been holding joint meetings with the Membership and Pastoral Care Committee for the past several months, because their aims and activities are so closely aligned. Consequently they have now asked that Council recommend to the Congregation at the AGM that they be combined as the Membership, Worship, Music and Pastoral Care Committee. There was considerable discussion over the comprehensive report from Jack Reed of the Property Management and Maintenance Committee concerning our pipe organ. This instrument will soon need extensive and expensive work, estimated to cost about $35,000.00. Reports, recommendations and motions will be brought to the AGM. Decisions and prioritization will be sought from the Congregation regarding the priorities of these two major projects, namely the Pipe Organ and/or the Church Bell. Brian Ostrander made two presentations using our digital projector. One covered our Strategic Plan, which will be updated for the AGM. The other was a proposal from our Public Relations and Publicity Committee for a campaign during July and August, to make Brighton residents more aware of what Trinity Saint Andrews United Church has to offer and thus bring in more members when our regular services resume in September. Both presentations were warmly received by Council. Rev. Ken Lewis commented on the difficulty of maintaining a spiritual atmosphere, when we offer worship services in some seniors’ residences. The available accommodations and high traffic volume make it difficult at times. We received a framed letter of thanks from the Covell family, which can be seen in the Quiet Room.
Stewardship by Gord Cawsey The Stewardship Committee began meeting in earnest at the end of 2016 and has some ambitious goals for 2017. Currently we are just two members, myself (Gord Cawsey) and Colin Wright. Scripture tells that whenever two or three are gathered in His name, that He is there also. With that being said it would still be nice to have four or even five. Following is the direction we have laid out in the form of a Mission Statement. Colin and I would welcome anyone willing to contribute a few hours each month to help us in achieving these goals in the coming year. TSA Stewardship Committee 2017 Mission Statement: The Stewardship Committee will encourage all members to take an active role in supporting the work of the church. We will set goals and work at achieving them with a focus on three main objectives for 2017. Increasing membership and attendance at Sunday worship services. Encouraging membership to contribute not just financially, but with time, talents and energy to the work of the church.
Finance Chair, Karen Martin delivers the TSA donation to Cornerstone Family Violence Prevention Centre the funds are proceeds from the Clothing Depot
Strengthening the existing bond between TrinitySt. Andrew's and the broader community
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Supper's Ready by Christine Hammond Supper’s Ready planning began five winters ago. The Outreach Committee asked Judy Murtha, who was then the Brighton Community Care Coordinator, if she thought there was a need for a community meal program and she said, “yes, definitely ”. We knew we could not do it alone so decided to invite representatives from the other area churches to discuss creating a joint program. All churches were on board right away and the rest is history. At our first meeting we agreed that we wanted to be an ecumenical group. Anyone who wished to help would be welcomed and the volunteers would be placed according to their choice of the Wednesday that would be most convenient for them. We would serve a weekly meal each Wednesday from 5 to 6:30 p.m. We now serve from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. The first year, we had two cooks who alternated weeks. The second year, there was a different cook each week. By the third year, Donna Barr became our regular weekly cook and she has continued this year as well. Amazingly, 90% of our original volunteers are still with us.
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Donations do not completely cover our expenses. We are extremely fortunate to access Food For All in Cobourg which helps with dry goods and some fresh food. For the last year a generous grant from Operation Manna, (part of Diaconal Ministries of Canada) has been helping to pay for some of our costs. We are in the process of applying for a charitable status number which should enable us to solicit funds from other sources and to be able to issue a tax receipt .
... Supper's Ready Our first meal attracted sixteen people. Now, our average attendance is 100+ per week. Two stories: One senior gentleman told us, the first time he came to Supper’s Ready, that it was the first time he’d shared a meal with another person since his wife had died 6 months earlier. More than one spouse of an Alzheimer patient has told us how much they look forward to bringing their spouse to Supper’s Ready where they feel safe, comfortable and part of a caring community. On the fourth Wednesday of the month, information sessions are provided by the Family Health Centre on topics such as diabetes, dementia, sleep issues, nutrition, blood pressure, etc. Supper’s Ready meets a need in our community. It could not function without the amazing support of our volunteers, our guests and the excellent facility of Trinity St. Andrews Community Hall. A sincere thanks to all. If you would like to help with Supper’s Ready once a month, please contact Helmut Enns 613 475 5472.
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Invitation from the fundraising committee by Sharon McMullen This years Fundraising Events will be much the same as last year. Following is a list of the functions we plan to host. Jan. – Dec. Cheese Orders. We will be placing orders the last Sunday of each month. Feb. 10th is our Valentine Ham Supper. Tickets are $15.00. We will be serving from 5:00 to 6:30. Mar. 5th we will be having a Soup Lunch after church. The cost will be $8.00. May is our Silent Auction. We will have items on display each Sunday after church through the month. If you have a skill or gift to enter please contact Sharon McMullen at 4752928. May 4,5,6th is our Yard Sale. Please start collecting items for this event. May 7th Fashion Show. June Band Concert and Pie Social. Time to be announced. June – Golf Tournament. Time to be announced. June We will be handing out our Loonie/Twonie Bins. Aug. – Corn Roast. To be announced. Sept. Collect Loonie/Twonie Bins. Oct. – Octoberfest Party. To be Announced. Nov. Lasagna Supper. To be Announced. We need your help. If you could spare us some of your time to help with the different functions please let me know. 10 TSA Trumpet February 2017
notes of hope by Janet Enns On January 31 at Notes of Hope, we sent a letter to the Islamic Centre in Quebec City that had been so brutally attacked. We expressed our sympathy and dismay at such a senseless act of violence, and sent them light and love in this difficult time. Naya and Dima translated our letter into Arabic and French, so that we were able to express our sympathy in three languages. Our prayers go out to all the victims and their families, as we continue to fight injustice with our pens. Notes of Hope meets the last Tuesday morning of the month.
Pipe organ repairs by Jack Reed History; The church pipe organ was originally installed in 1905 which replaced an older reed organ. The pipe organ console was a 2 manual tracker located beneath the pipes at the back of the chancel. Since electricity was not available at that time, manpower was the only means to pump air into the bellows, which meant a person was required to be positioned in the pipe pit to provide air to the organ during the entire service. To play the tracker console, mechanical linkage consisting of wooden rods and levers connected the keyboard to the organ pipes. Once the church was provided with electricity in the 1920s, the organ was converted from a mechanical action to a electrically activated wired system. In 1948 the front of the church was remodelled and the organ console was moved from under the pipes to its present location in the choir loft. For the church’s centennial year chimes were added to the organ. In 1967 a new console was installed. In 1987, after a fundraising campaign, a major upgrade was completed to the pipes and organ operating system. Today, 30 years later, the pipe organ and console have remained untouched except for periodical tuning and maintenance. The air supply fan blower was relocated under the hall cloak room during the new construction. The pipe now travels under the hall concrete floor to the back of the organ pit and connects to the organ bellows. At this point, the pipe organ is in need of repairs and some overdue maintenance. The church council will be asking the congregation at this upcoming AGM, to decide by vote, which option
as outlined below might be preferred. Option #1 Provide a semiannual Spring/Fall organ tuning and maintenance which is an established $1,000.00 budgeted item. This maintenance would only incorporate repairs as required in addition to tuning. Further, a non budgeted fund of $5,000.00 be raised annually and set aside for a period of seven years at which time the funds for any major organ restoration will be available. Option #2 Perform a major restoration now of the current pipe organ console to become fully operational to it’s original condition. An estimate of $12,000.00 was quoted. This option is not favoured by the organ specialists as it is considered not cost effective and a new digital console could be purchased for the same price. Our current nondigital pipe organ, given regular maintenance and care, can last for an exceptionally long lifetime, as some of the church organs in Europe can attest. This quote does not address or include any repairs to the leaky air/blower supply pipe problem. A solution might be to install a compact high efficiency fan blower to be located in the organ pipe pit directly feeding air into the bellows, eliminating the leaky supply pipe. This would be an additional expense to the $12,000.00 quote. Option #3 Estimates were also received from Schmidt Piano & Organ Service for the installation of a new digital console and a multi channel Schmidt Classique Custom Organ sound system. They suggested three different consoles that would marry to our existing pipe chests and incorporate a new digitally activated pipe system. The estimates range from $10,000.00 to $17,000.00 depending on the model grade of the digital console selected. An additional estimate for the installation of the Schmidt Classique digitally activated pipe system was quoted at $15,000.00 TSA Trumpet February 2017 11
advice for everyone
20,000 homes
by Colin Wright
by Elizabeth Scriven
Feeling overwhelmed? Looking to take a break from the busyness of your life? Even if it’s just for a few minutes before rushing off to your next appointment? Saint Augustine, in his famous autobiography, CONFESSIONS, said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.” Spending a little time, even just ten minutes, resting in quiet contemplation can change your whole day, maybe even your entire outlook. Why not consider stopping by for a few minutes of quiet in the midst of your hectic day or spent some time reflecting on a passage from scripture. You'll be amazed at what can happen.
On February 22nd at 7pm, we are pleased to be able to offer a follow up on the impressive 20000 Homes Campaign Northumberland from November 2016. This is an initiative between the County of Northumberland and the 20000 Homes Campaign Northumberland that worked to identify those people in our community that were “homeless” some living in shelters, couch surfing or ‘living rough’. They have the final results from this survey now and are pleased to be invited to share these results and the next steps in supporting the affected people. We are opening our doors to the community in order to share this information and identify our role in improving the lives of our neighbours. We are working with Quinte Access to have transportation available to ensure that all are able to attend.
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We share your grief To all of our Muslim brothers and sisters, Our hearts overflow with sorrow for the victims of the shooting at the Centre Culturel Islamique de Québec last night. Shock and outrage mingle with our tears at this horrific act of terror perpetrated against innocent, faithful people. We are holding you all in our prayers at this most terrible time. This heinous violent act and other recent attacks targeting Muslims in Quebec and elsewhere are designed to instill fear and division within and between our communities. We will not let this happen. The United Church of Canada stands with our Muslim neighbours. We share your grief, as we share your determination to stop the forces of hate that seek to divide and destroy us. Trusting in a compassionate and just God, we will resist fear and prejudice with love.
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In love we reach out to you, our sisters and brothers, our fellow Canadians, to offer support and comfort. We open our hearts to you as we extend the hand of solidarity. We commit to redoubling our efforts to seek peace and justice for all peoples within and beyond Canada. We will work side by side with our neighbours of every faith and of no faith to heal the brokenness that fractures our communities and forge bonds of friendship and cooperation. You are not alone. As people of faith across this country hold prayer vigils for the victims of the shooting and their families, know that you are embraced by the arms of love. May the Creator, Allah, God, who gives us our common humanity, give us the strength of spirit and will to walk in unity and love in these troubled times. In peace and solidarity, The Right Reverend Jordan Cantwell
Volunteering is Life Affirming by Colin Wright Statistics Canada does survey the number of Canadians who volunteer their time. According to the 2013 census 44% of Canadians have volunteered. Without volunteers, organizations such as church organizations, the libraries, Lions, Rotary, sports leagues, Scouts, Guides, and Municipality committees would not be able to function. The main reason given for not volunteering is lack of time, though after 55 years of age the reasons given deal more with health issues and a preference to donate money to a cause. Other reasons included an absence of interest, a lack of awareness, or no one had asked them. But, even during hard economic times, when money is tight, people still give their time gratis. What do Volunteers get in return? Most say they volunteer to make a contribution to their community Others say that they want to make use of their experience and skills. Some volunteer because they are personally affected by the cause the organization supports. In declining order, the census showed that people volunteered for a sense of well being, exploring one’s strengths, to meet people, because friends volunteer, to support a political, social or environmental causes, because other family members volunteer, to improve job opportunities and to fulfill religious obligations or beliefs. Whatever the reasons, there seems that much can be gained from giving of oneself. As a member of church Council. I encourage everyone who reads the Trumpet to sign up to assist on church committees.
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The Happy Quilters by Isabelle Grieves The Happy Quilters of Brighton made and donated 3,000 quilts to many charitable organizations throughout southern Ontario, and even as far as Labrador and northern Ontario and Quebec. They originally supported the Friendship Basket program in Brighton for cancer patients and donated quilts to over 150 people suffering through chemo and radiation. These baskets contained items such as juice, soups, hats, socks, creams, books, etc. The Happy Quilters want to begin again with that program but on a smaller scale of items put into the basket, along with a quilt. They will cover the costs involved. We are letting the churches know that this program exists again, but only by word of mouth. If any of your members know someone who is going through difficult times fighting cancer, we would be more than pleased to make up a basket. The basket can be delivered by the Happy Quilters or by a friend of the person receiving it. As an aside, we recently saw your Trumpet newsletter featuring the Cornerstone Women’s Shelter in Cobourg and we contacted them and will be supplying quilts to them on a regular basis. For more information or to suggest a name, please call Isabelle Grieves at 6134753626
church Calendar Sunday, February 12th
Service at 10:30 a.m. Trumpet December Issue released
Monday, February 13th
Executive Committee 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, February 18th
Clothing Depot Open House 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 19th
Service at 10:30 a.m.
Monday, February 20th
Take Time Out 10:00 a.m.
Tuesday, February 21st
UCW Unit 6 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 22nd
2000 Homes Campaign update 7:00 p.m.
Friday, February 24th
Men's Coffee Hour 2:00 p.m.
Sunday, February 26th
Service at 10:30 a.m.
Tuesday, February 28th
Notes of Hope 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, March 5th
Service at 10:30 a.m. Soup Lunch (Fundraiser) Noon
Friday, March 10th
Trumpet articles due Noon
Sunday, March 12th
Service at 10:30 a.m.
Sunday March 19th
Service at 10:30 a.m.
Friday, March 24th
Men's Coffee Hour 2:00 p.m.
next issue Next Trumpet, March 26th, 2017 Deadline for submissions: March 10th Church pickup will be Sunday March 26th Articles may be submitted to the church office or via via email to: TSAtrumpet@gmail.com