WHAT’S HAPPENING! · We are a growing church and you are welcome here regardless of what your...
4
WHAT’S HAPPENING! By the power and grace of Jesus Christ, we seek to be a transformative community for the city If you are new to St. Paul’s in the last little while, or this is your first time here, please stay after the 11 a.m. service today and meet Jenny Andison near the large stone font at the back of the church at 12:30 p.m. We will take a tour of our beautiful facility and have some delicious lunch. You will have the opportunity to find out more about St. Paul’s and ask any questions you might have. September 25, 2011 (Continued on page 2) Welcome – we are so glad that you came today! If you are new or visiting us today, maybe returning to church after time away, we are really glad to have you with us. If prayer is simply talking to God, why do so many of us struggle with it? If you want to begin building a prayer life, or deepen your existing one there are three great books for you to choose from next to the Concierge Desk in the Atrium. Purchase one today and start building the most important relationship you will ever have. We are a growing church and you are welcome here regardless of what your church experience has been in the past. Stay after the 11 a.m. service for our Welcome Lunch, think about taking Christianity 101, or fill in a Connection Card. Grab a coffee or tea and make your way to the Concierge Desk in the Atrium and they can answer any other questions you might have. If you would like to meet with a member of our Ministry Team, contact Jenny Andison at ext 232 or [email protected]. Purchase a Book on Prayer It’s busy at the top of the stairs where we welcome families into Children’s Ministry. We need volunteers to staff the Welcome Table between 9:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. every Sunday to welcome new families, help them register and provide a personal presence throughout the morning. The job could divide into shifts. Could you come early or stay after church occasionally to help? Serving just once a month would support the growth of our wonderful Children’s Ministry. Contact Janet Earle at ext 241 or [email protected] for more information. Welcome Lunch Today Children’s Ministry Welcome Desk Needs Help On January 31st, 2008 Joshua Haughton was born five weeks premature. His mother Laurie had experienced a difficult pregnancy, and she and her husband Tim, Minister of Discipleship, were told to prepare for the worst. Josh was born with pulmonary atresia. Instead of a valve between his heart and lungs he had an impenetrable membrane. The heart malformed around this blockage, leading to a damaged tricuspid valve and a hole between his two atria causing oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to mingle. “They had to go in with a catheter and blow a hole through where the pulmonary valve should have been,” said Laurie. “He was six days old.” The procedure was attempted twice before Josh underwent the first of three open heart surgeries in July of 2008. “The week post surgery was a nightmare,” said Laurie. “His oxygen levels were very low and he was as blue as blue can be. You would have thought he was dead. “On the Friday they said they were going to have to go in and do it again,” said Laurie. “Our doctor actually had tears in her eyes – everybody knew that if he went in again he wouldn’t tolerate it. We would lose him.” Josh’s Story Josh on his first day of school earlier this month.
Transcript of WHAT’S HAPPENING! · We are a growing church and you are welcome here regardless of what your...
WHAT’S HAPPENING!By the power and grace of Jesus Christ, we seek to be a transformative community for the city
If you are new to St. Paul’s in the last little while, or this is your first time here, please stay after the 11 a.m. service
today and meet Jenny Andison near the large stone font at the back of the church at 12:30 p.m. We will take a tour of our beautiful facility and have some delicious lunch. You will have the opportunity to find out more about St. Paul’s and ask any questions you might have.
September 25, 2011
(Continued on page 2)
Welcome – we are so glad that you came today! If you are new or visiting us today, maybe returning to church after time away, we are really glad to have you with us.
If prayer is simply talking to God, why do so many of us struggle with it? If you want to begin building a prayer life, or deepen your existing one there are three
great books for you to choose from next to the Concierge Desk in the Atrium. Purchase one today and start building the most important relationship you will ever have.
We are a growing church and you are welcome here regardless of what your church experience has been in the past. Stay after the 11 a.m. service for our Welcome Lunch, think about taking Christianity 101, or fill in a Connection Card. Grab a coffee or tea and make your way to the Concierge Desk in the Atrium and they can answer any other questions you might have. If you would like to meet with a member of our Ministry Team, contact Jenny Andison at ext 232 or [email protected].
Purchase a Book on Prayer
It’s busy at the top of the stairs where we welcome families into Children’s Ministry. We need volunteers to staff the Welcome Table between 9:15 a.m. and 12:15 p.m. every Sunday to welcome new families, help them register and provide a personal presence throughout the morning. The job could divide into shifts. Could you come early or stay after church occasionally to help? Serving just once
a month would support the growth of our wonderful Children’s Ministry. Contact Janet Earle at ext 241 or [email protected] for more information.
Welcome Lunch Today
Children’s Ministry Welcome Desk Needs Help
On January 31st, 2008 Joshua Haughton was born five weeks premature. His mother Laurie had experienced a difficult pregnancy, and she and her husband Tim, Minister of Discipleship, were told to prepare for the worst.
Josh was born with pulmonary atresia. Instead of a valve between his heart and lungs he had an impenetrable membrane. The heart malformed around this blockage, leading to a damaged tricuspid valve and a hole between his two atria causing oxygenated and deoxygenated blood to mingle.
“They had to go in with a catheter and blow a hole through where the pulmonary valve should have been,” said Laurie. “He was six days old.”
The procedure was attempted twice before Josh underwent the first of three open heart surgeries in July of 2008.
“The week post surgery was a nightmare,” said Laurie. “His oxygen levels were very low and he was as blue as blue can be. You would have thought he was dead.
“On the Friday they said they were going to have to go in and do it again,” said Laurie. “Our doctor actually had tears in her eyes – everybody knew that if he went in again he wouldn’t tolerate it. We would lose him.”
Josh’s Story
Josh on his first day of school earlier this month.
(Continued from page 1)
The Marriage Course is very practical, giving any married couple the tools to build a strong and healthy marriage that lasts a lifetime. Topics covered include: recognizing each other’s needs, learning to communicate effectively, resolving conflict, healing past hurt, knowing how to make each other feel loved, relating to parents and in-laws, good sex, making time for each other and having fun together.
Wednesday nights from Oct 12th – Nov 23rd6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
$195 per couple Dinner and course guide included
To register contact Tara Farquharson at ext 221 or [email protected].
A confidential small group ministry for individualsexperiencing the pain of separation or divorce.
Tuesday evenings from Sept 27th to Dec 6th7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Library.
To register contact Nancy Truscott at ext 228 or [email protected]
Thinking about taking a step of faith?
Doctors at Sick Kids Hospital ultimately decided to use a catheter to carry out a test procedure, whereby a piece of mesh was placed over the hole in Josh’s heart to promote tissue growth.
“An hour later we were allowed to go in and see him and it was the first time we’d ever seen him pink,” said Laurie.
A second surgery, in December of 2010, attempted to fix the leaking tricuspid valve and insert a pulmonary valve. And then in May of 2011
an ECHO revealed both the tricuspid and pulmonary valves were leaking. By the end of August it was clear surgery would again be required.
“The last surgery was basically the same as the first, except we had the best surgeon ever,” said Laurie.
According to Tim, Josh’s recovery from this last surgery has been going well. “They say with adults the recovery is about getting them up and moving. With Josh it’s been keeping him contained and not harming his chest. He’s doing so well – jumping off things, trying to play with his brother and his parents. He’s bounced back incredibly well.”
The effectiveness of the surgery won’t be known for a few more weeks. “But the prognosis, in the end, is that we could be back here in six months,” said Laurie. “We could buy ourselves up to seven years, but no more than that. He’ll have to have valve replacements – that’s just his life. But it’s a question of when.” According to Tim, his family couldn’t have gone through this without faith in God. “Faith has been central for us. It has deepened our prayer life, and deepened our understanding of the place of suffering, as well as how to walk through it together.”
“There have been moments where I’ve doubted,” said Laurie. “There have been moments where I’ve questioned why, I think anybody would. I don’t necessarily understand what God’s doing all the time, but it’s given me a new perspective – not just in how God loves but in his plans for us.”
In many ways, Laurie feels like they’ve always been given
the worst case scenario. “And yet Josh is here with us,” she said. “I tuck him into bed every night and I give him a kiss every morning and I can hear his giggles and get his hugs.
“The other day he told me for the first time that he loves me. None of that would have been possible if God hadn’t been with us.”
The Haughton’s have also experienced an outpouring of love and prayer from the St. Paul’s community. “I don’t think words can express the thankfulness we feel,” said Tim. “To know that not only people at St. Paul’s are praying but people around the world are praying for him.”
“How do you say thank you for that? I don’t know,” said Laurie. “But I want everyone to know that their prayers were felt, that we felt loved through the whole experience, that we feel blessed by them.”
“The other day he told me for the first time that he loves me. None of that would have been possible if God hadn’t been with us.” - Laurie Haughton
Below are discussion questions that will help you dig a little deeper into the sermon. Watch for them every week in the What’s Happening! If you want to hear the sermon again, go to stpaulsbloor.org and click Weekly Sermons.
Small Group Questions
Join Wednesdays with God this Week
Join Wednesdays with God for its fall season on Wednesdays from 12:10 p.m. – 1 p.m. Participants will join Shelley Tidy and Pat King Doctrove in studying Tim Keller’s DVD series,
“Gospel in Life – Grace Changes Everything”. Contact Shelley to order lunch ($5) at ext 225 or [email protected].
All are welcome.
Thanksgiving Food Drive During September and October we are doing a Thanksgiving food drive. Please bring your nonperishable food items and place them in the binin the Atrium.
LifeKeys returns for four weeks this fall on Thursday evenings, November 3, 10, 17 & 24 from 6:30 p.m. – 9 p.m.
LifeKeys Coming This Fall
LifeKeys is a workshop designed to help you discover and affirm
who you are, why you’re here and what you do best. Fun exercises
help you look at yourself through five lenses – life gifts, spiritual gifts, personality, values and
passions – to see how God has uniquely designed you for relationships, vocations and ministries. LifeKeys is a great stand-alone course or as a
follow-up to C101 or Following Jesus. More information is available at the Concierge Desk in the
Atrium or by contacting Joyce Badley at [email protected] or ext 229.
1) Have you ever wondered if prayer actually works? When have you been most disappointed with prayer?
2) Why is it important to get our relationship with God (vertical) right first? How does our vertical relationship with God affect our horizontal relationships with others (friends, neighbours, work colleagues)?
3) Read Matthew 6:5-8. What kind of prayer is Jesus condemning here? Much of our daily activities are driven by the desire for external rewards. What rewards might prayer bring us? If prayer is meant to be relational, and not a showcase, then who is prayer relating us to? How do you feel about thinking of God as your Father?
4) Read verse 9. We have all had different experiences with our own fathers. In what way is God as our Father better than even the best earthly Father? How will experiencing God as our Father help us in the way we pray?
5) The Lord’s Prayer not only shows us who we are praying to (God as our Father), but also demonstrates what we are praying for. Read verses 10-15. If prayer is about aligning our hearts to God’s will, what do we see in these verses that is God’s will? List all the good gifts our Father wants to give us in these verses.
6) Take time now to pray – to God as your Father (who) and to ask him to give you the good gifts (what) that you just listed.
We are thrilled and humbled by how many people of all
ages took a step of faith here at St. Paul’s in the month of
June at our service of baptism and confirmation. For those thinking about having their
child baptized, recommitting their own baptismal promises,
or becoming a member of St. Paul’s, the next opportunity
to do so will be on Sunday, October 30.
For more information, contact Jenny Andison at ext 232 or at
Thinking about taking a step of faith?
Finished with your copy of the What’s Happening?
Don’t forget to recycle! St. Paul’s recycles all of its printed material.
227 Bloor Street East, Toronto, ON, M4W 1C8416-961-8116 | www.stpaulsbloor.org | [email protected]
Weekly EventsSundays Worship Services 8:15 a.m. | Chapel of the Good Shepherd 9:30 a.m. the bridge | Great Hall 11:00 a.m. | Main Church 7:00 p.m. reconnect Community | Great Hall Nursery - beginning at 9:15 a.m. | 2nd Floor Children’s Ministry - 9:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. | 2nd Floor Youth Chapel - 9:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. | Youth Room Prayer Group - 10:45 a.m. | Room 7 Community Lunch - 12:15 p.m. | Great Hall Small Group - 12:30 p.m. | St. Paul’s Chapel
@stpaulsbloor stpaulsbloor
Mondays ESL Café - 7:00 p.m. | Great Hall
October 12thThe Marriage Course starts
October 30thService of Baptism
November 2ndParenting Courses start
November 3rdLifeKeys starts
Coming This Fall! Wednesdays Parent and Tots Group - 10:00 a.m. | Nursery Wednesdays with God - 12:10 p.m. | Room 106 Small Group with Helen and Kay - 7:00 p.m. | Library
Thursdays CBS (women’s bible study) - 9:35 a.m. | Room 4 Choir Practice - 6:30 p.m. | Music Room
Fridays Service of Healing & Anointing - 12:30 p.m. | St. Paul’s Chapel Christian Meditation - 1:00 p.m. | Room 204
Tuesdays Winchester Group - 10:00 a.m. | Library Holy Communion - 12:10 p.m. | Chapel of the Good Shepherd Small Group with Teri and Wendy - 1 p.m. | Library DivorceCare - 7:00 p.m. | Library
If you would like to join a small group meeting at St. Paul’s or in other locations, contact Tim Haughton at ext 226 or [email protected].
Special Events & CoursesSunday, September 25th - Back to Church Sunday Christianity 101 - 10:45 a.m. | Cody Hall Family Following Jesus- 10:45 a.m. | St. Paul’s Chapel Welcome Lunch- 12:30 p.m. | Dalton Room Chancel Guild Fall Meeting- 12:30 p.m. | Room 4
Singing is a great delight and integral to our worship at St. Paul's. The choir is a wonderful community to explore what it means to sing in a Christian context and to enjoy the company of others. If you enjoy singing and would like to consider joining the choir, contact Tom Bell, our Music Director, at ext 233 or [email protected]. We'd love to meet you.
Join the St. Paul’s Choir
Thursday, September 29th Christianity 101 - 6:30 p.m. | Great Hall
Sunday, October 2nd Christianity 101 - 10:45 a.m. | Cody Hall Family Following Jesus- 10:45 a.m. | St. Paul’s Chapel
Lunch Today$5 - Chicken pot pie served with a split pea & ham soup.
Join us in the Great Hall after the 11 a.m. service.
