Church News:  November 2002

Our Church Services in November 2002:

03. November
23rd Sunday after Trinity
English 9:45 a.m.
German 11:00 a.m.

10. November
Third Last Sunday of the Church Year
English 9:45 a.m.
German 11:00 a.m.

With the Celebration of Holy Communion

17. November
Second Last Sunday of the Church Year
English 9:45 a.m.
German 11:00 a.m.

Choir for Children and Parents starts

20. November
Prayer and Repentance Day WEDNESDAY!
German 7:00 p.m.

With the Celebration of Holy Communion  

24. November
Eternity Sunday (Remembering the Dead)
English 9:45 a.m.
German 11:00 a.m.
With the Church Choir

Choir for Children and Parents

01. December
1st Advent
Joint Service in English and German at 3:00 p.m.
With the Church Choir

With coffee hour and Advent Program following the Service

We express our thanks for all donations and for the active attendance of our Church Services, and cordially invite you to stay for a while after the  Services for a cup of coffee!

Meditation on the Verse for the Month of November

Dear Congregation,
A boy cries. Why? I don’t know. Perhaps he lived through something bad, a funeral, perhaps the death of a relative. Perhaps he has been teased and did not know how to defend himself. Perhaps someone has beaten him. Perhaps he is disappointed or unhappy, perhaps he does not know what will happen, perhaps he is alone or he is very afraid. There are many reasons why people cry. It is simply a part of our life, also for boys and men. The times have passed, thank God, when a boy was not allowed to cry. And the suggestion as well, to pull oneself together, is basically not good advice. Tears are a signal, a sign also for others:” I am not all right, I am sad.” And what did Paul say: “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (Romans 12, 15) Therefore, let us not be ashamed of our tears. Often it is a relief to be able to cry at least. Every one of us has already shed countless tears, and sometimes they come back in the dark season which is about to begin. Some people’s feelings are affected by autumn and winter. Furthermore, at the end of the month we again remember all those who have died, and that, too, touches some wounds. Therefore, I find it is nice that exactly this verse is there for us during November: “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.”  - The context of this verse relates that the kingdom of Christ , at some time, will replace everything that we know, everything sad, evil and bad as well. There will be a time when everything is good, that is what the verse for November tells us. It is a word of comfort, and the way it is formulated reminds us perhaps of what we have said to our children or grandchildren: “Everything is all right.” And we have taken our handkerchief out of our pocket and wiped away the tears. I find it reassuring and comforting, that God will also do the same. – “...and death shall be no more” – death which is there at every turn, and which is indeed a reality in our life on earth. Death, also, will stop to torture us and make us sad. – That, which is put before us here in this single little verse of Revelations, is a short-form of God’s great covenant, the promise of a life after death, without grief, crying or pain, as it is actually said also in this verse. Someone has said once that because of this the Christians are able to see beyond the horizon. Christians can see farther. In our sadness, we often lack the ability to see far. Therefore, this Bible verse reminds us to count on God, also and perhaps especially when grieving. In this context, I want to tell you the following story:

“You have a nice profession”, said the child to the bridge-builder, “it must be very difficult to build bridges.” – “It is easy when you have learned it,” said the old bridge-builder, “it is easy, to build bridges out of concrete and steel. The other bridges are much more difficult”, he said, “those I build in my dreams.” – “Which other bridges?” asked the child. The old bridge-builder looked thoughtfully at the child. He did not know whether the child would understand. Then he said: “I want to build a bridge – from the present into the future. I want to build a bridge from one person to the other, from darkness into light, from sadness into joy. I want to build a bridge from time into eternity, high above all that is temporary.” The child had listened attentively. He had not understood everything, but had felt that the old bridge-builder was sad. Because he wanted to make him happy again, the child said: “ I give you my bridge.” And the child drew a coloured rainbow for the bridge-builder. We do not have to build any more bridges, they exist already, even those from sadness to joy.

With kind regards and best wishes for November

your Pastor  

This year, we have celebrated Thanksgiving in our festively adorned and beautifully decorated Church. The entire congregation was invited. Many came and stayed also afterwards for the joint lunch. It is always something special to celebrate these festivities with the whole congregation. During the Service and also after lunch we heard reports from our guest, Dr. Peter Vanderzaag, of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, how this relief organization helps the hungry in the whole world. For years now, our congregation supports this work. During our Church Service,we have collected $550.00 for the Foodgrains Bank. We thank all donors here, and particularly those who have contributed to make this celebration possible. To all helpers a BIG THANK YOU!

As we did last year on the First of Advent, we like to invite again to a joint Service at 3:00 p.m. at the Church with coffee time afterwards. During coffee time, we will present a short pre-Christmas program, sing songs and will, hopefully, enjoy celebrating together. Please take note already now, that there will not be a Church Service in the morning on that day!

Behind the name “Etobicoke Ministerial” there hidden a group of Pastors, who work together and meet regularly in Etobicoke, in the neighbourhood of our Church. This group brings together Churches of very different orientations: Anglicans, Presbyterians, United Church , Catholic Church, Baptists, Salvation Army and also us as Lutherans. I find these meetings very helpful, because in this way we hear more about what others do. It also helps to better harmonize the Church work us. It does not make sense if all congregations would do the same social work. It is, however, much more meaningful to know, what the focus of the Churches in our neighbourhood is. The Salvation Army takes care of the Foodbank and provides food and clothing to poor people. St. Margret’s Anglican Church takes care of homeless people. These are only two examples, but perhaps you realize that it is good to be represented in a group like that. Since summer, I take part in monthly meetings. A change has taken place in this co-ordinated work in our area since four new colleagues have begun work in surrounding congregations during last year. So much for general information about this group.

The next meeting will deal with the changes in Etobicoke. As you will have noticed, things are happening in our district. The streetcar tracks have been replaced, new housing projects are being planned. To find out more, the “Etobicoke Ministerial” will make inquiries regarding the plans and for this purpose invite political representatives who can give us more detailed information. Therefore, I want to invite interested congregational members on November 14, from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m. , to take part in this meeting. It takes place for the first time at our Church.

At the moment, the Design Studio “Red Dala Glass Works” from Alliston, is working on a final design for the Church windows. After many conversations and discussions a small group conveyed the wishes of our congregational members to the artists in a meeting in August. The basic tendency is to brighten the colours somewhat, integrate and simplify the motifs. Biblical stories will be seen from the Old and the New Testament. Furthermore, all windows will be connected through colours and ornamental designs. I have been there myself and have looked at the work of the artists, which is very impressive. It became clear during this visit that not all colours have the same effect on paper as in the windows. Blue does not just simply appear as blue, but is very transparent. Also, the windows have a fore- and background effect, which means: only the motif will be “visible”, colours and mosaics around the motif remain in the background.

I hope that we can soon see the new designs. Even though it is impossible to satisfy the tastes of all, I think that we will enjoy the illustrated Bible stories and that our windows will make a statement to our visitors.

We want to take the opportunity once more to advertise the Trip to Germany in May and June of next year. The costs of the trip, including airfare, accommodation, breakfast and entrance fees, is app. $ 2,500.00!

The plan is: that we, after sights-seeing in Berlin and participating in the Ecumenical Church Festival there (sponsored by the Evangelical and Catholic Church in Germany) take a bus roundtrip through East Germany with the destinations: Dresden, Leipzig, Erfurt, the Wartburg, The Thurengian Forest, Wernigerode, Harz Mountains, Wittenberg with a Service in the Palace Church.

We arrive/meet on May 26 in Berlin . On Monday, June 9, the planned return trip.

IMPORTANT: It is possible to fly to Germany earlier and to return to Canada later than June 9. We can, however, reduce the costs by booking all flights at the same time.

We want to book all flights through one travel agent. Of course, you can decide whether you wish to be in Germany before or after the joint roundtrip. The trip to and from Germany will be arranged to everyone’s wishes. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary that you inform us of your desired dates for both flights. Flights there and back can be booked to and from all larger airports in Germany , as we want to fly with Lufthansa. A total of 35 persons can come along, so please, make your decision quickly!

We have to know in November whether you participate, in order to go ahead with the bookings. Please contact Pastor Wolf (416-567-2487) or the Church office (416-251-8293).

Our Groups and Circles

The Church Council
The next meeting takes place on November 20, after the Day of Prayer and Repentance Service, app. 8:00 p.m. at the Church.

The Ladies’ Group
Meets on November 13 at 7:00 p.m. at the Church.

Meeting of the Choir for Children and Parents
We continue to practice on November 17. The children will start singing right after the English Service, the adults will join them after the German Service.

Nursery Board of Directors
Meeting on Tuesday, November 12, 6:00 p.m. at the Church.

Games Night
Takes place on Thursday, November 28, 7:30 p.m. at the Church.

The Senior Care /Senior Residence-Committee
Meets on November 25 at 7:00 p.m. at the Church

The Congregational Concept-Committee
Continues to work on November 26, 7:00 p.m. at the Church.

Literary Circle
Next Meeting: on Tuesday, November 5, 4:00 p.m. at the parsonage, 3203 Gatliff Ave. , Mississauga , (East of Dixie Rd., south of Bloor). Guest: Daryl Clarke, who will introduce her book “I am a Snowflake” – an advisor for children and parents.

Meeting of the Choir for Children and Adults

On October 20^th, there will be a meeting of the Choir for Children and Parents, to which we invite cordially all who are interested. We want to practice songs which we want sing during Services. Further details will be discussed during practice at 12:00 o’clock, right after the German Service. If you like to sing and make music with others, you are very welcome.

Preparations are beginning for our Children’s Christmas play on December 22.  The play will offer an excellent opportunity for the children to learn about the miracle of Christ’s birth and the true meaning of Christmas.  You may recall the time, when you yourself were playing a role in a Christmas Play.  The play is called a Christmas Journey and will include the nativity story, songs and fun.  All children are welcome to participate.

We will start at Sunday School on November 17^th, 9.45 am . Please come to Church on this Sunday, as we will be assigning parts then, in order to allow the children sufficient time to learn their lines.  If you can’t come to Church on the 17^th, please call Peggy and we will make sure your child has a part.  

It is important for your child to feel comfortable.  For that reason we ask you to bring your little actors to Church as often as possible to allow time for us to practice.  We will also be practising Christmas songs for the play.  Music provides an inspiring way for children to experience the story.  There will also be non-speaking roles for children who are not able to come to Sunday School for the majority of practices. 

Practices are as follows:

Practices                                     Nov. 17, 24, Dec. 8, 15

Dress rehearsal                            Dec. 21

Play:                                           Dec. 22

For more information contact Peggy Seifert-Rabey (416) 253-1374.