The Mirror

The Newsletter of

Murray Street Baptist Church, Peterborough

www.murraystreetlive.ca

December, 2016

Interim Senior Minister: Dr. Charles Jackson

Director of Music: Anne Smith

Minister to Seniors: Rev. Evelyn Moore

Church Administrator: Elizabeth Mead

Outreach Worker: Daniel Freestone

Making Him Known

By Rev. Dr. Charles Jackson, Pastor

John wrote in his gospel about Jesus, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling

among us…and the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known.” (John

1: 14 & 18)

Don Miller in “Searching for God Knows What,” points out in a humorous comparison be-

tween belief in Santa and Jesus:

Belief in Santa requires no intimate relationship. He is in and out of the house quietly, quick-

ly and secretly. You are not supposed to know exactly who left the presents. (I maintain a

disclaimer for those who still believe differently!)

Everything is black and white, good or bad, but no one is to blame for anything.

Gifts given are based on behavior, but naughty and nice people still get toys. I don’t remember anyone getting coal

in their stocking!

I knew the Santa I saw at the Mall wasn’t real, because he didn’t wash his hands after he went to the bathroom. I

watched, just to check it out!

On the other hand, God wanted people to know what and who the gift was from that they were getting.

He sent someone ahead to heighten the expectation of the people. His name was John the Baptist. He also sent

angels, shepherds, and wise men with gifts to celebrate the birth of the Saviour, Jesus.

God knew everything was black or white and that someone was to blame. So he took the white and made it black

to make it white. (So to speak) Or, “God made him (Jesus) who had no sin, to be sin for us, so that in him we

might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5: 21)

Not all involved were good people, like Caesar Augustus who called for a taxation of the people. This was to get

Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem so Jesus could be born there according to prophecy.

King Herod was also not a nice man when in his jealousy over the birth of a supposed king of the Jews, he had

children killed who were around the same age as Jesus according to the account of the wise men. But God

2

used the good and the bad to serve his purposes.

So how are we to make Jesus known at Christmas time?

If in fact God has given us nothing less than himself in Jesus the Christ, we should be unwilling to settle for any-

thing else. As Brennan Manning has expressed it,

“Don’t order just a piece of toast when Eggs Benedict is on the menu. Don’t come with a thimble when

God has nothing less to give you than the ocean of himself. Don’t be contented with a “nice” Christmas

when Jesus says, “It has pleased my Father to give you the Kingdom.”

We get to know about Jesus by spending time with him. In our busy schedules of preparing and participating in

our Christmas celebrations let’s try something simple like reading the Christmas story again in the first two chap-

ters of the gospels of Matthew and Luke. Let’s think and pray about how our belief of this story relates to the cul-

ture and practices of those around us. Just listening to another’s story and sharing our own, can be a source of

blessing for us. “I don’t know how the Bethlehem babe could in the Godhead be, I only know the manger child,

has brought God’s love to me.” Do we need to know anything else? Dorothy and I wish you all a joyous and

peaceful Christmas.

The Mirror Staff: Shirley Burhoe, Editor

Barrie Burhoe, Layout.

Deadline for the next issue will be Thursday, February 23rd , 2017

Distribution will on Sunday, March 5, 2017

Please submit articles in “Word attachment” form if possible to bburhoe@cogeco.ca . This makes things much easier for the layout person.

The Mirror welcomes pictures of church life.

Thank you, Charles and Dorothy for your ministry among us. ...a whole year now...and still you give

unstintingly in many ways. We look forward to journeying with you into 2017. You have blessed us

and we are grateful.

Note that the Bible Study with Pastor Jackson will continue in the new year on alternate Thursdays,

beginning Thursday, January 12th

3

Thanks to Kelly Jupp

We are deeply grateful to Kelly Jupp for

being so willing to help us out for

several months, by filling in on the

piano as we searched for a new Director

of Music. Kelly sometimes traveled by

bus, train and taxi with her two little

sweet girls leaving at 7:00am from

Markham to be here on time because

their car decided to act up. She really has gone beyond the call of duty! Thank You,

Kelly.

MEET ANNE SMITH

OUR NEW DIRECTOR OF MUSIC

Our new Director of Music, Anne Smith, is a very friendly and talented lady.

She has been deeply involved in music for quite some time – she was actually

taught by our own John Oosterbroek when Thomas A. Stewart Secondary School

opened! Anne has her A.R.C.T. in piano and has studied pipe organ for quite a

few years. She has been organist and choir director for St. Stephen’s Presbyterian

Church, and Lakefield United Church and has directed and played in hand bell

choirs and has a real soft spot for them. Anne has actually joined our hand bell

choir under the leadership of Margo Tant. She is very interested in using all the

musical talent she can find in our church family and is interested in a wide variety

of musical styles. Anne is married to Ken and has a daughter Meaghan. Anne

feels that is important to become part of the church family one is working with

and is looking forward to being part of us.

MILESTONES

Born to Holly and Shawn Wilson,

a son, Cole David, on October 26, 2016

A grandson for Gary and Debbie Wombwell.

IN MEMORIAM

In November two faithful women went to be with the Lord:

BETH MILLER, on November 4th

and EVELYN CONNOR on November 24th

Our condolences are extended to their families.

4

Scouting Report Myrna Greer

Registration is possible at any time during the year, and we would gladly welcome more youth.

Beaver Scouts are age 5-7 (co-ed) and meet Tuesdays 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Dining Room, currently with 6 youth, 3 Scouters (no longer “Leaders”) and 1 Venturer. Program is based on “Friends of the Forest” and Scouters names from that story are Rusty (Carol Nuttall), Malak the owl (Allan Pyche), Rainbow (Valerie Nippard), and Venturer Tricia Pyche (Bubbles).

Activities from October to Christmas: Baking with apples; Investiture and Tail Night (each age has a different tail colour—brown, blue and white); Hallowe’en Party with Cubs; Visit to the Cenotaph; Campfire with the Cubs; movie night; Christmas Crafts; White Gifts for Christmas hampers; The Reluctant Dragon at the Peterborough Theatre Guild; and a Christmas Craft night with the Cubs.

Cub Scouts are age 8-10 (co-ed) and meet Tuesdays 6:30-8:00 p.m. in the “Sun” Room, with 9 youth divided into 2 “Lairs” (Bears & Panthers), 3 Scouters and 1 Scout. Program is based on “The Jungle Book” by Rudyard Kipling and Scouters names are Raksha, mother wolf (Myrna Greer), Baloo the bear (Jim Hatton), Chil the Kite (George Chambers), and Scout Christian Klatt as Kim (another story of a boy in India, by Rudyard Kipling).

Under the new “Canadian Path” program the age groups are named Runners, Trackers, and Howlers. We allow the Howlers to choose a Jungle name, and we currently have Ahdeek (the Reindeer) and Oonai (the wolf). Activities from October to Christmas: Hallowe’en Party with Beavers; Investiture of Tenderpads at Promise Rock (at the site of the former Cub Camp, Camp Nassau, across from Lock 22 on River Rd.); “Flintstone” Fall camp, Saturday at Warsaw Caves returning to the church to make pet rocks, sleepover and attend church and Sunday School; visit to the Cenotaph re Remembrance Day; day hike at Robert Johnston EcoTrails; campfire with Beavers; making gifts for Shut-ins; shopping for Santa’s Sleigh; White Gifts for Christmas hampers; The Reluctant Dragon at Theatre Guild; Christmas craft with the Beavers.

Ryan, Nolan and Brody cooking Nolan coming out of a cave .

Cubs all sitting in one of the kettles

On the way to the

caves.

5

CHILDREN AND YOUTH OF MURRAY STREET CHURCH

At the present time, children and youth from our congregation do not find it possible, for the most part, to be

present for worship on a regular basis. Current information about them is included so that you may follow them

with your prayers.

THOMAS is in Grade 12 at Adam Scott Secondary School. He is an honour student and wants to continue into

University to study Psychology and Human Studies.

* * * * *

HOPE graduated this year from Thomas A Stewart Secondary School in the Dance

program. She is currently a student at Fleming College in the Health and Fitness Pro-

motion program. Congratulations Hope!

* * * * *

RAINE is 11 years old now and in the gifted program at Westmount Public School

Her younger brother JERSEY turned 3 years old this summer.

* * * * *

JUSTINE is working at Michael’s and hoping to enrol at Fleming College for January to start taking courses

toward a diploma.

KAZIA is in Grade 12 at Adam Scott Secondary School, and is applying to universities for next year.

* * * * *

SIERA is now age 6 in Grade 1 at Edmison Heights Elementary School. She will be moving to Kingston in the

new year.

* * * * *

TRISTAN is in his final Year at Adam Scott Secondary School.

CALUM is not currently in school.

GRIFFYN is in his second year at Algonquin College, studying Video Game Development.

(Last names have not been included because The Mirror goes online on our website.)

According to Wilberforce, the great English preacher,

Christianity can be condensed into four words—

admit, submit, commit, transmit.

6

Pastoral Search Committee

Your Pastoral Search Committee has been at work since our election at the Annual Meeting in June. The elected

members of the committee are Gaynette Friesen, Carolyn Cisco, Ici Clarke, Carey Gibson, Sharron Hatton, Bill

Beadman and myself, Barrie Burhoe.

We began meeting in July and September to create a job description. In

September we had the congregation fill out a survey about the desirable

attributes of our pastor and also what you saw as some of the needs we

have as a congregation.

In October at the business meeting, the congregation approved the job

description for a new pastor. If you want to review the job description,

there are some paper copies around the church and it is on the website

at www.murraystreetlive.ca .

The job description was posted on our website as well as on the

websites of CBOQ, Tyndale College and Seminary, Regent College and

the Atlantic Baptists. We have given a deadline of December 5th for the

submissions of applications. After that happens, the Committee will

review all the applications and begin the process of selecting those who

we think best fits our congregation, and further narrowing down

candidates until we have one that we want to interview.

The Committee members have signed a covenant on the process of

selecting candidates; one item in the covenant is confidentially. The

Committee will be giving updates but will not release any names of

candidates to be interviewed or those who do not make the list. Only the name of the person recommended to

the congregation by the Committee will be known.

We ask for your continued prayers as we begin this important task of selecting a candidate to lead us in enlarging

the Kingdom of God.

Respectfully submitted,

Barrie Burhoe, Chair.

Pastoral Search Committee

Steps

Election of Committee

Developing Job Description

Survey from Congregation

Compiling Survey Results

Job Description Approved by Con-gregation

Job Description is posted until De-cember 5

PSC Reviews Applications

PSC Interviews Candidate/s

Candidate ‘Preaches for a Call”

PSC Recommends Candidate to Congregation

Date Set for New Pastor’s Arrival

Induction of New Pastor

The CBM Project and Partners-in-Mission Campaign

We have been somewhat tardy in reporting your generosity toward She Matters, the CBM Project this year and

our Partners-in-Mission Campaign. We raised a total of $3,881 with the campaign. Half of this will go to the She

Matters project and the other half, divided among our three partners-in-mission: Mount of Olives Baptist Church

in Cuba, the Kwoks and Murray Missions. Thanks you for your generosity!

The Mission and Outreach Committee.

7

Baptist Women In November Baptist Women met twice to sew and cut out material for Days for Girls Kits that Brenda Mann and Sandra Robinson from Gilmour Baptist Church, will take to Kenya and Rwanda in January 2017. I would

really like to thank Catherine Allen, Helen Blaskievich, Vicky Homewood, Dorothy Jackson, Joan Powers, Charlene Watkins, Marty Watkins, Fay Allain, and Laura White for assisting by preparing for coffee and lunch, cleanup, tracing, cutting, sewing, arranging and packing up the materials to send back to Brenda on November 10th and 24th. There may be more sessions in the spring of 2017. December 20th, at 1:30p.m. we will gather to celebrate Christmas with Janice Copeland a long time member of Murray Street Baptist

Church. Following her retirement from the Peterborough Regional Hospital as an Occupational Therapist Assistant in 2009 she received a Diploma in Lay Ministry from Wycliffe College, and in 2017 she will graduate from the Master's Program at Regis College, the University of Toronto, with a Master of Arts in the Ministry of Spirituality - spiritual direction. Following our gathering we will participate in the "Toonie Sale" to raise money for educating women in Rwanda. All are welcome to attend. January 17th, 2017 we will meet at 1:30p.m to learn about Safe ways to prevent Fire and February 21st we will participate in the Great Canadian Bible Study about Tamar, who is listed in the genealogies of Christ. Sincerely, Prue Watts, President of Murray Street Baptist Women

Applications are being received for those wishing to change the lamps in the sanctuary

It’s the set-up of the ladder for changing the spot lights in the sanctuary. We had to use various pieces of wood

and Canadian Baptist magazines to

get the ladder level in order to

reach the spotlights way up on the

back of the cross beam. We tried

several different places and on and

off the steps but this was the best

configuration for to reach the lights

that had burnt out. Mike Parnell

and William Hatton used the huge extension ladder and it’s very hard to control

when fully extended. To do this job we had to stretch the ladder until it only

overlapped by 4 rungs (there are about 30 rungs on it, I’m guessing). That’s pretty

well the most extended you’d want it to be, and it’s critical that it be placed solidly

on the floor and held securely while the ‘lucky’ person goes all the way to the top to

change the bulbs.

Elizabeth Mead

8

Odds and Sods

By Barrie Burhoe

Five Things I Pray I will Not Do as a Senior Adult in the Church

I am a subscriber to Thom S. Rainer’s email blogging. Rainer is one of those gurus on Church Growth. His items

are on many topics including worship, welcoming guests, church leadership, pastoring and social media. The

following is an article I thought could perhaps fit some of us, and for the rest of us that it doesn’t apply,

everybody already knows that we are the epitome of perfection.

Here are Thom Rainer’s Five Things

I pray I will not feel entitled because I am a key financial supporter in the church. This attitude means I

consider the money my money rather than God’s money. That means I am giving with a begrudging heart.

I pray I will not say “I’ve done my time” in the church. Ministry through the local church is not doing your

time, like serving a prison sentence. It is an outpouring of joy and thanksgiving to God. I love those

churches where senior adults are the most represented among the nursery workers. I need to be among

them.

I pray I will not be more enthused about recreational trips than ministry and service. There is nothing wrong

about getting on a bus and going to Branson, Missouri, or Gatlinburg, Tennessee. But there is something

wrong when that is my dominant involvement in ministry in the church.

I pray that I will not be more concerned about my preferences than serving others. I’ve already blown it on

this one. I did not like the volume of the music in the service at my church a few weeks ago. I complained

about it to my wife. And I was reminded of all the young people in the church that Sunday worshipping

and praising God during the music. I was more concerned about my preferences than seeing others

worship God.

I pray I will not have a critical spirit. I attended a business meeting of a large church some time ago. The total

attendance at the meeting represented fewer than five percent of the worship attendance. One of the men

who recognized me approached me before the meeting, “We come together at these business meetings to

keep the pastor straight,” he told me. In reality, they came together to criticize the pastor and staff. I pray

I will not become a perpetual critic. I don’t want to grow old and cranky; I want to grow old and more

sanctified.

The Quiet Zone

The Quiet Zone is back, hopefully with real energy. Over the summer the Quiet Zone took a bit

of a break and in fact The Mission and Outreach Committee in the fall said that it would be

discontinued until further notice. However there is new hope that connections are being made to

bring people in to pray for the City. The Bridge, Youth Unlimited and Church in the City

connections will help spur an effort for prayer. The Murray Street sanctuary is open for the Quiet

Zone on Wednesdays from 12 noon until 1:00 p.m. Everyone is welcome to join us for prayer,

silence or to eat your lunch.

9

Odds and Sods continues:

Chris Howden trigged the Council on an interesting article in the Globe and Mail. The title of the article is Attendance Increasing at Theologically Conservative Churches. In many ways this is not new to some of us. It has been a fact for many years that churches with a conservative theology seem to be those who have a passion for reaching others for Christ. The article begins with a story about St Paul’s Leaskdale. (Leaskdale is 10km north of Uxbridge) Pastor Andrew Allison arrived at St. Paul’s 20 years ago. The shrinking congregation began to plan for the parish’s demise. In five years, they would be selling the land and in 10 years the church would close. Rev. Allison asked if they would be open to trying some new things and today the church attracts between 400 and 500 people. What St. Paul’s has in common with many other growing churches is that it takes what scholars describe as a more conservative approach to the Bible. “When one’s doctrine reinforces a fairly literal interpretation of the Bible – and you take scripture like ‘Go into all the world and make disciples’ fairly literally -- you’re going to be more inclined and motivated to use any number of innovative strategies to make the faith accessible,” Prof. Haskell said. Read the full article from the website below. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/churches-that-grow-tend-to-adhere-to-conservative-theology- researchers-say/article32945463/ An Interesting Comment on Prayer

I (B.B.) shared the next several paragraphs at our Tuesday Morning Prayer Group. They come from a book:

Ministry at the Margins by Cheryl J. Sanders.

“Prayer and Ethics

“In light of the commandment to pray, the Golden Rule guides us toward a grateful response to the goodness of

God. When we ask, God answers. When we seek, God reveals. When we knock, God opens. ‘For everyone who

asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.’ (Mt. 7:8)

The theological basis of prayer is faith in the goodness of God. Certainly there would be no point in praying if we

didn’t believe that God is good. Why ask, unless we believe a good God will answer? Why seek, unless we believe

a good God will enable us to find what we are looking for? Why knock, unless we believe a good God is going to

open the door and invite us to enter?

“Prayer is God doing good things for us at our request, and the only appropriate ethical response we can make to

God’s goodness to us is to do good to others. When we follow the Golden Rule, we are saying thanks to God for

answering our requests, for revealing the answers we seek, for opening opportunities that are closed to us.

“Matthew’s juxtaposition of the Golden Rule and the teaching on prayer suggests God is holding us accountable

for the all the prayers that have been answered on our behalf and for the good things that have happened to us.

Sooner or later we will have the opportunity to give a kind answer to someone who is asking us for something, to

show the way to someone who is seeking, to open a door for someone who is locked out. In other words, when

we practice the Golden Rule in response to the goodness of God, we become instruments for God to use

answering the prayers of others.”

10

MORE MEMORIES OF MURRAY STREET BAPTIST CHURCH’S

150th Anniversary

Catherine Allen

The weekend of May 5-6, 1996 was set aside as the Celebration weekend. Invitations were sent to former

members and staff. Saturday afternoon we welcomed those guests back to Murray Street. Former staff were

given a small corsage which they wore both Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday evening over 230 were served a delicious hot roast beef dinner at St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church.

Many attending wore old-fashioned clothing reminiscent of the 1840’s. Iris and Bob Frise had decorated the

tables beautifully with garnet and gold accents. At each place setting was a ‘Booklet of Memories’. Ray

Johnson had solicited memories from many of our older members and from former members. Their replies

were all compiled in this Booklet. At the centrefold was our menu and program for the evening, and also the

Order of Service for morning and evening worship services the next day. On the back cover were the words

to the new ‘Anniversary Hymn’ written by Rev. Clare Lohnes. Syd Burrell, our organist, wrote the music. We

sang it for the first time at this dinner, then sang it usually once a month throughout 1996.

The highlight of the program Saturday evening was former Pastor Clare Lohnes’ impersonation of Rev. John

Gilmour. He told of donating the land on which the first small Church was built. It was located on the east

side of Aylmer Street between Hunter and Simcoe Streets, and was called “The Baptist Church.” On May

16th, 1846 fourteen members signed the original document inaugurating this Baptist Church. Our Church was

a ‘daughter church’ of the Line Baptist Church on Chemong Road which later was renamed Gilmour

Memorial Baptist Church.

Sunday morning the choir processed to the choir loft, using the new entry behind the chairs on the platform.

They were followed by former Pastors who were wearing their gowns and hoods. They made a very colourful

procession. Present were: Rv. Dr. Ivan Morgan, Rev. Dr. Bud Coe, Rev. Don Stratton, Rev. Jim McGee, Rev.

John Wilton and our pastor Rev. Phil Brown. Rev. Wilton, General Secretary of the Baptist Convention of

Ontario and Quebec, gave the sermon.

In the evening we were joined by members of the Salvation Army. Their choristers joined our choir and

together they sang two anthems. Their Major Birt brought the message.

Two unsolicited gifts were donated to MSBC in honour of our 150th Anniversary: the beautiful stained glass

window at the parking lot entrance; secondly, the composite drawing of interior views of our Church by artist

George Elliott, commissioned by the three children of Dr. and Mrs. G. Raymore Scott and donated in their

memory. This drawing now hangs on the wall of the Webb hallway next to the door into the Mary Nicolls

Room.