Fall 2010

Enrol In The School Of Christ

I have had many good intentions over the years; plans
to spruce up my walk with God; intentions to get up a
little earlier each morning to make quality time for
devotions; attempts to be more disciplined in praying,
reading, and meditating; efforts to be more involved in
the lives of others; intentions to join a group for
spiritual formation …
At the start of the new school year, while many exciting
things are happening in the congregation, I have a deep
desire – that the life of Christ will be formed in us as we
worship and serve together; that we shall be
discipline tool box, but the purpose of faith is not
transformed to become more Christ-like; that our
to figure God out, or to gain intellectual
hearts will be enlarged so that we will run with
knowledge of the scriptures, or to be able to
excitement in the way of the Lord. (Psalm 119:32)
discuss the strengths and weaknesses of different
But good intentions are not enough for cultivating a theologies. I have greatly benefitted from the
vigorous life of faith. They only go so far. Like the early study of theology and the scriptures, but have
morning fog our intentions dissipate quickly as the day also found at times that it can get in the way.
progresses. Like our best new year’s resolutions they You can know a lot about the Bible and theology,
are forgotten the moment that our schedules fill up but don’t necessarily know God more intimately
with appointments and important things to do. Don’t because of it. We do not always live better
get me wrong. I am not against good intentions or because of our knowledge.
resolutions. They serve an important purpose and can
indeed ignite exciting new things. But for cultivating We fool ourselves if we think we can improve
obedience, holiness, righteousness, awe, and love, we ourselves and grow spiritually simply by having
need more than good intentions. good intentions, solid disciplines, and sound
methods of study. We seriously underestimate
Would it help then to lead a more disciplined life? the pervasiveness of sin. Calvin reminds us that
Spiritual disciplines are tools for forming the life of “our reason is exposed to so many forms of
Christ in us, but in themselves they do not guarantee a delusion, is liable to so many errors, stumbles on
healthy faith. We cannot work up faith simply by being so many obstacles, is entangled by so many
disciplined. Our hearts and minds are fickle. We are snares, that it is ever wandering from the right
easily distracted. We stray. We make idols out of direction.”
perfectly good stuff. We start to rely more on our
efforts and disciplines than on the guidance of the Holy So where do we turn?
Spirit. Jesus invited people. “Take my yoke upon you,”
Even the Bible can become an object in its own right he said, and learn from me, for I am gentle and
and take the place of God. I have always been an humble in heart.” We need to enroll in the school
advocate for Bible knowledge and study, and have of Christ so that the enlightening work of the Holy
experienced the powerful ways in which God used it to Spirit can take place in our lives.
bring about transformation. But sound methods of And there we discover that being humble and
Bible study are not enough for the formation of teachable is at the root of a true relationship with
Christian character. Study is a tool in our spiritual
God. In his book the Believer’s Daily Renewal, Andrew Murray writes that a humble, teachable
spirit is the key to the school of Christ, and to true knowledge of Scripture, and that a lack of
teachableness is causing a large part of the weakness and unfruitfulness that we experience. A
willingness to be taught is the first quality of a student. “This implies a consciousness of our own
ignorance, a readiness to give up our own way of thinking and doing, and to examine things from
the teacher’s standpoint, a quiet confidence that the Master ‘knows’ and will teach us to ‘know’
also.”
Andrew Murray makes another good point. “Ironically, unlearning is an important part of learning;
wrong impressions, prejudices, and presumptions are insurmountable obstacles to learning. Until
these have been removed, the teacher labours in vain … Learning of Christ requires a willingness to
subject every truth we hold to His inspection for criticism and correction.”
The question therefore is: How teachable are we? Are we open to be taught? Are we receptive to
the word? Are we prepared to let our ideas, preconceptions and prejudices take a back seat to the
Lord’s word? Are we willing to be corrected? Are we prepared to change? Do we pay attention?
Are we ready to obey?
Our efforts to grow and persevere will be inadequate unless God teaches us daily. So this year, as
we plan our various ministries, as we worship together, work together, and reach out with the
good news of Jesus, may we first of all be teachable. And may our prayer always be, “Teach me
your way, O Lord, and I will keep it to the end” (Psalm 119:33).
Gerard

DOUBT AND FAITH

Doubt sees the obstacles –

Faith sees the way.
Doubt sees the darkest night –
Faith sees the day!
Doubt dreads to take a step –
Faith soars on high!
Doubt questions, “Who believes?”
Faith answers, “I”.
 Sacrificial Giving
“He looked up and saw rich people putting their gifts into the treasury; he also saw a poor widow put in
two small copper coins. He said “truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; for all
of them have contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in all she had to
live on.” (Luke 21:1-4)
There’s that Jesus again, cutting right to the heart of the matter! I don’t know about
you, but I get rather uncomfortable when I ponder some of the “hard sayings” of
Jesus. And I wonder as I read these words in Luke’s gospel account if we really
understand what sacrificial giving means. I rather think we have much more in
common with the “rich people” Jesus refers to, who contribute “out of their
abundance,” than we do with the poor widow who gave all she had “out of her
poverty.”
Actually Jesus had quite a bit to say about money. In Matthew’s account he says:
“No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love
the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve
God and wealth.” (7:24) Sir Francis Bacon interprets this verse thus: “If money be
not thy servant, it will be thy master. The covetous man cannot so properly be said to possess wealth, as
that may be said to possess him.” John McCarthur says bluntly: “The true gospel is a call to self-denial. It
is not a call to self-fulfillment.”
I don’t presume to speak for anyone else but I have to confess my uneasiness when I read these words.
At this point in my life, fixed income and all, I find myself in a position to give more than I ever have
before. And I am very thankful to God for the way in which I have been blessed with enough income to
live very comfortably. And I am quick to acknowledge that this has much more to do with his providence
than it does with anything I have done to earn or “deserve” it. And I struggle with how my thankfulness
translates (or not) into actions that give evidence of my thankfulness.
The problem, of course, is that I do like the comfort my wealth allows me to enjoy. And it is striking how
I always have the money to do the things I want to do. “Let’s eat out tonight” - no problem; “another
pair of shoes?” - sure, go ahead, not that I need them but they are better than what I am wearing now;
“ a new electronic toy?” - might as well, it seems most everyone else has one; “ new clothes?” - I can
always give some of the things I’ve tired of to the Sally Ann to make room in my closet; “ a donation to
aid the thousands of homeless and starving people in Pakistan?” - I guess I won’t miss a few dollars; “
behind in our church budget?” - I will have to think about it.
Jesus doesn’t let us off the hook too easily. That’s the trouble with Jesus, he demands a lot from those
who would be his disciples and no matter how I try to justify it the bottom line is that whatever I give it
is out of my abundance, not out of my poverty. It doesn’t even come close to being a sacrifice. I wonder
if that is a symptom of what is wrong with the Church? As one commentator bluntly stated:
“Christianity is flourishing wonderfully among the poor and persecuted while it atrophies among the rich
and secure.”
On second thought I rather suspect Jesus is not so concerned with how much (or little) I give but I do
think he would like to ask me to justify the far greater amount I keep for myself. That is a question for
which I have a very difficult time coming up with an answer that rings true. How about you?

Dorne Cornish
 Persistence in Prayer
What a great subject is prayer! Elton Trueblood, the famous Quaker philosopher, says that
prayer is the essence of the Christian life. Yet, important as prayer is, Jesus told only two
stories to illustrate its significance. Of course, as you study the scriptures, you realize that
prayer was the very fibre of His own spiritual life.
Jesus would no doubt have agreed with the statement that prayer is the mightiest force in the
world. It is a moral necessity and is what makes life good. If there is a God in this universe,
not to pray is like living in a house with Him, but acting as if you were there all alone. Prayer
indicates that it is possible to communicate with Him. My main concern in this message is to
stress the importance of persistent prayer.
In one of Jesus’ stories (Luke 11: 5-8) He told of a man who was awakened at midnight by a
friend. Because he had nothing in the house to eat, he needed to borrow three loaves of
bread to feed an unexpected, hungry guest. Even though they were friends, the man did not
want to be bothered to get up and have his family disturbed. However, because of his friend’s
persistent knocking, the man finally got up and not only met his request, but gave as many
loaves as his friend needed – more than he had asked for! Verse 9 continues with Jesus’
encouragement for us to “..ask and it will be given to you…knock and the door will be opened
to you.” The Greek word used here for “knock” means “knock until your knuckles are bloody.”
The next story is from Luke 18: 1-8 and Jesus told it to demonstrate that we should always
pray and not give up. This parable is about a widow who was being abused by someone and
she went to a judge (who claimed he did not fear God nor care about people) to be avenged of
her adversary. For a while he ignored her, but he finally helped her, only because he was
weary of her persistent pleas, and not because he cared about her. Jesus assures us that how
much more will God be willing to help us, His own elect, as we cry out to Him for help “night
and day.”
These two stories illustrate the need for persistent prayer. In both cases the reason for the
persistence of each person was because their needs were not being met. Often when our
prayers are not answered immediately, we feel like giving up. These stories encourage us to
keep on with our prayers, and in God’s timing they will be answered. These parables illustrate
people asking for personal needs to be met. However, our prayers frequently can be
intercessory prayers, and we need to apply the same principles to these requests that we
make to God.
Cal Chambers
 Soup & Sandwich
YML Search Committee This great luncheon deal is
starting up again on the last
What is a YML? YML is our shorthand for Youth Wednesday of September.
Ministry Leader! Where else can you get a
bowl of home made soup, a
Taking our direction our Committee set out in mid-May choice of sandwiches and a
to start the search, not for a Youth Leader but for the dessert for a few dollars? If
person we all pray God will send us to be the Leader of you have never given it a try,
Children, Youth and Young Adult Ministries at Haney invite a friend and come on
Sept. 29th.
Presbyterian.
Who might this person be? They may be a person with
theological training and a real heart for young people or
they might be someone with youth leadership training
and a real heart for God. They might be a dynamic
younger person with energy to spare or they might be a
more mature personality with wisdom and a calm
confidence. For our Committee this is a very exciting
time.
In the next couple of weeks we will be going through Mexican Train
the applications and calling people for interviews. (dominoes)
Actually it’s not only exciting but it is an anxious time
for us. Will we overlook the person God has chosen for We will start up Monday,
HPC? Will we recognize them at their interview? Will September 27th at 7pm.
they hear the call God has for them? Will they feel Please note the change in
integrated and settled amongst us? Will we as a time!
congregation be willing and able to respond to Please come out and enjoy a
whatever calls God makes of us through them?
fun night of fellowship and
This is a great venture for HPC. Right now, we on the refreshments.
Committee are stewards of this call but, God willing, For more information contact
before too long we will be handing this stewardship Bea Baird @ (604) 467-8134
over to the wider congregation.
or Morag Baxter @ (604))
Through all of our work it gives us great heart to know 463-5489.
that we are uplifted by so much prayer. On behalf of
the Committee thank you all, and thank you for your
questions (keep them coming) and the interest you
show in our progress. Sorry if it seems slow!
Nigel Taylor, Convenor,
YML Search Committee
PS: If you have not already had a chance to do so, please check
out the applicant package on the Church website.
 BEADS,
BAUBLES &
BLESSINGS Need a ride to Church?
A WOMEN’S BREAKFAST
Fall is fast approaching
If you attended the breakfast in the fall, you and with it uncertain
know what a lot of fun we had and how, at weather conditions.
the end of the morning our spirits were so If you or someone you
lifted that we all left humming the tunes that know feel uncomfortable
entertained us. about driving or do not
If you didn’t attend the breakfast—you have a ride, please let us
probably heard over and over again what you know. The Church has a
missed. Don’t miss out this fall. number of volunteers who
would be pleased to pick
On Saturday, September 25 doors will again you up and drive you home
open at 9:00 a.m. in the Sloan Hall to invite after the service.
you to our second women’s breakfast. Janet It only takes a phone call to
Comer, artist and creator of original glass the church (604) 467- 1715
bead jewelry will speak to us using power or to Bev. Way (604) 463-
point slides about making beads and creating 8911 to arrange a ride.
jewelry and the blessings that this has
brought to her life.
You will again be entertained by music and
have lots of time to visit around a sumptuous
table of assorted muffins, cheeses, juice,
coffee, tea and water.
We also invite you to help. It is easy to host a
table—especially if you bring a few friends as
we have ―reserved‖ cards to ensure that they
don’t feel isolated. Just let Susan in the office
know that you will be happy to host. We will
also need muffins—a sign up sheet will be
posted on September 12--and some hands on
helpers to set up on Friday at 3:00 p.m.
See you on the 25th!
 H.P.C.F.B.
Yes, it is still summer. Yes we know that Salvation Army Dinners
Saturday, November 20, is still a way
Thanks to all those who volunteered
down the road. But now that we’ve got your
attention, why not circle that day on your and supported the dinner fund
calendar and give the Bazaar some financially. During the last term
thought? (Sept.’09 – June’10) we put on a
We need everyone to help with this major dinner every third Sunday of the
outreach to our community and fundraiser month. The number of meals varied
for our church. Here are some suggestions from 120 – 170 dinners. The patrons
for things that you might do over the next and the Salvation Army staff gratefully
two and half months: appreciated Haney Presbyterian’s
1. Pray for the people that we want to outreach to those in need. The
reach in our community; for those economy and personal needs of these
who are planning the bazaar and for people suggests that the demand will
all those who volunteer their time continue and possibly increase this
and resources to make this a year. Thanks again for your support.
wonderful event. Mike Hickey
2. We have a ladies’ craft group that
meets every Monday from 9:30 –
11:00 in the church library. Join us
any time you have a Monday morning
free. All hands are gratefully put to
work. “Beware of harking back to
3. Make some things at home—we have
what you were once, when God
knitting and sewing table; preserves
and jams; woodwork; crafts of all wants you to be something you
kinds. have never been.”
4. Clean out your garage, attic, storage
locker or whatever and earmark some Oswald Chambers
of the items for the silent auction, the
Boutique or Treasures Galore Table.
5. And oh yes, circle that date on your
calendar and ask your friends to
circle their calendars too: Saturday,
November 20, from 10:00 a.m. to
2:00 p.m.
“UNTO EVERY MAN ACCORDING AS HE HAD NEED.” (Acts. 4:35)
“To every thing there is a season….a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which
was planted…” Eccl. 3:12
Obvious enough. No argument there. Both operations, the planting and the plucking, have been
proceeding at a furious pace all season long all over Pitt Meadows and western Maple Ridge.
The blueberry harvest, reportedly a bit less bountiful than hoped for, is virtually finished. Soon,
in a few weeks, the arduous task of harvesting the expected bumper crop of cranberries begins.
Meanwhile, soil preparation and planting of hundreds more acres of blueberries and
cranberries are progressing.

As the season tapers off it’s a good time to take another look at those who are doing the actual
planting and plucking. Touring Pitt Meadows on any summer day you will see many of the
hundreds of workers: several hundred South Asian migrant day labourers and more than 200
transient migrant workers, mostly from southern Mexico but this year also 30 Jamaicans on the
largest farm.

Each migrant worker, of course, has his own individual story of which I’ve heard many. All
have this in common, the driving motivation that brings them here: a pervasive and oppressive
poverty often verging on despair. All are fathers of young families seeking any opportunity to
better feed, clothe and educate their children. A few months here, separated from their
families, laboring long hours for their basic wage have helped many to achieve that aim, at least
in the short term.

By now a good number have already returned home to happy reunions while dozens more
anxiously await assignment to various flights south.

But a substantial force, perhaps 50, stay on through November for the cranberry harvest.
Understandably, it’s a pretty cold job wading all day in cold muddy water in the rain. Thus,
each year at this time the demand for warm jackets, heavy work shirts and jeans takes priority.
Our congregation responded splendidly last season. Once again, any spare heavy work clothing
languishing in our closets could be put to good use almost immediately. Again too, as people
prepare to return to Jamaica and Mexico requests for BIG suitcases are soaring.

They will be immensely grateful and, needless to say, so will I.

Roger Page

A minister waited in line to have his car filled with gas

just before a long holiday weekend.
The attendant worked quickly, but there were many cars ahead of him.
Finally, the attendant motioned him toward a vacant pump.
"Reverend," said the young man,
"I'm so sorry about the delay. It seems as if everyone waits until
the last minute to get ready for a long trip."
The minister chuckled, "I know what you mean. It's the same in my
business."
 Church Year Dates Sept 2010 – June 2011
World Communion Sunday Oct 3
Thanksgiving Sunday Oct 10
Christ the King Sunday Nov 21
Advent 1 Nov 28
Advent 2 Dec 5
Advent 3 Dec 12
Advent 4 Dec 19
Christmas Eve Friday Dec 24
Christmas Day Saturday Dec 25
Epiphany Thursday Jan 6
Lent 1 Mar 13
Palm Sunday Apr 17
Maundy Thursday Apr 21
Good Friday Apr 22
Easter Sunday Apr 24
Ascension Day Thursday Jun 2
Pentecost June 12
Other Dates
Evening Services
Sept. 26 Contemporary Praise and Worship
Oct. 31 Contemporary Service/Youth
Nov. 28 Service of Prayers for Healing
Jan. 30 Contemporary Praise and Worship
Feb. 27 Contemporary Praise and Worship
Mar. 27 Service of Prayers and Chants
Apr. 17 Holy Week Contemplative Service
May 29 Contemporary Praise and Worship
Holy Week Services: Sunday Apr 17 – Thursday Apr 21 (7:30)
Good Friday: Apr 22 @ 10 am
Christmas Eve Services: December 24 @ 7:00 pm and 11:15 pm
Communion Dates:
Oct 2, Dec 5, Feb 6, Apr 2, Apr 21 (Maundy Thursday), Jun 4


A big welcome to our new music director,
Rachelle Kostelyk.
 What Presbyterians Believe
 Presbyterians believe it is wrong to vote for a political candidate
on purely religious grounds unless he/she is a Presbyterian.
 Presbyterians make better coffee than almost anyone.
 Presbyterians believe in the importance of confession and
frequently confess their sins, particularly when confronted with
the evidence.
 Presbyterians generally are suspicious of pastors who have
spotlights trained on their pulpits.
 Presbyterians believe in ecumenism because they want everyone
else to become just like Presbyterians.
 Presbyterians listen to sermons with great interest, except when
they’re thinking about something else.
 Presbyterians wouldn’t trade jobs with their pastors, but would
like to trade vacations with them.
 Presbyterians believe in miracles and sometimes expect them,
particularly during stewardship drives.
 Presbyterians who have never been on the session claim they
don’t know what goes on at meetings. Presbyterians who have
been, claim they don’t either.
 Presbyterians enjoy church suppers and will pay as much as a
dollar for the privilege of bringing the family to one.

…….people enjoying our new bench!!

 HPC Guys
HPC Guys will run every Friday night from 5-7 pm
starting September 17th. The group is open to guys
age 9-16 and will be subdivided into two smaller
groups for bible study. Study for the younger guys
(age 9-12) will be lead by Rev. Gerard Booy and
Johnathan Booy, while Andrew Newberry and
Regard Booy will take the 13-16 age group.
The evening will follow the following structure:
1) game
2) bible study
3) game
Games can be anything from board games to
knuckleball, but generally do involve some sort of
physical activity. Bible studies will focus on a single
old testament book per month, highlighting the
important stories, and will be reinforced with a
short and simple bible quiz the last week of each
month. The quiz will be worked into a fun activity
and will involve prizes.
Regard Booy

Trivia Time:
What can run but will not walk,
It didn’t rain in the Garden of Eden. Water
Has a mouth but will not speak,
came up from the ground to make things
Has a bed but will not sleep.
grow. (Genesis 2: 5-6)
A river