Summerside Presbyterian Church

The Service of Dedication for our new church building was held on December 6, 2011. The Dedication was conducted by Rev. Beth Mattinson, Moderator of the Presbytery of Prince Edward Island. Worship leader was Rev. Andrew Hutchinson and the sermon was delivered by Rev. Mark Buell. Rev. Andrew and Rev. Mark are our Co-Interim Moderators. Music for the service was provided by Music Director, Pamela Campbell, the choir, and Debbie Richard’s multi-media presentation. We were pleased to have Mr. Howard Coles, architect, Mr. Seymour DesRoches, contractor, and representatives from the Summerside and Area Christian Council and the City of Summerside in attendance. The Synod of the Atlantic Provinces was represented by the regional staff members, Rev. Ruth Houtby, Mission & Education Consultant, and Audrey Cameron, Camping & Youth Consultant. Dr. Glenn Sinclair was MC for the time of fellowship and greetings that followed the service.

During the service the keys to our church were literally “passed around”—from the architect to the builder, to the Session Clerk, to the Moderator of Presbytery and finally to the Finance & Property Chairman and the Trustees of our congregation!

The beautiful service was a wonderful culmination to the celebrations that have been happening since we moved into our new Church Home on Thanksgiving Sunday!

Following are two greetings from Friends of the congregation who were unable to attend the Dedication Service but wanted to share a message with our Church Family.

What a joy it must be for the congregation of Summerside Presbyterian Church to finally be in your new church home. I pray that within the walls of this new church structure young and old alike will continue to find the warmth of community, the peace of God’s presence, and the promised new life of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the season of Advent, the time of watching and waiting, may all your dreams and hopes and prayers be answered by our gracious God.

I had hoped to be present but will find opportunity to visit my home congregation in the New Year.

Many blessings on one and all.

Yours in Christ, Rev. Kenneth Stright

Presbyterian Church of St. David, Halifax

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

On behalf of the Session and Congregation of St. Mark’s, we wish to extend our heartfelt congratulations to the Session and Congregation of Summerside Presbyterian Church on the opening of your new church building!

As you celebrate this evening with your official opening service, we pray that each one gathered will feel the Lord’s presence among you.

We pray that the new facility will be a blessing to all those who use it and serve as a beacon for Christ in Summerside for decades to come.

Many blessings to you all, Tom & Paula

Reverends Tom and Paula Hamilton

“BE” May Youth Weekend May 19-21,2012 $25

Plans are coming into place for the Annual Synod Youth Weekend to be held this year in Zion Presbyterian Church, Charlottetown, May 19-21,2012. Our theme exploration and small group time will look at practical ways that we can open ourselves to experience God. There will be lots of music and recreation too! Theme speaker will be Rev. Dr. Rick Horst, Moderator of The Presbyterian Church in Canada. Rick has a great passion for youth and will have lots to offer! We are thrilled that David Pandy-Szekeres will be with us too. David is serving with the Reformed Church of Sub-Carpathian Ukraine (RCCU), a church of ethnic Hungarians in Ukraine. He will have lots of stories and challenges for us.

Registration Forms will be available in February. Registration Deadline is May 1st.

Canada Youth 2012 “On Fire” July 3-7, 2012

Information for Canada Youth is now available online at www.canadayouth.ca. This is an incredible opportunity for both youth and those who are called to serve them. The three tracks have something for everyone! Please encourage the youth ( and those who love spending time with them) to attend!

Some important information:

· Registration forms are expected to be online the first week of January.

· Cost $500 plus transportation

· I am arranging bussing for our synod participants. Cost is dependent on numbers but you can budget approximately $350

· To be assured of a spot on the bus, names and a $100/person non-refundable deposit must be received by January 15th. Make cheques payable to “The Synod of Atlantic Provinces.” (My address is below) Please indicate youth and adults.

· All youth must be accompanied by an adults ( 1:9 ratio).

· By the end of January, exact bussing prices will be determined and final payment will be needed by April 30, 2012. Schedules and travel permission forms will be sent.

· CY will be offering travel rebate after the event for those who make application. More information will be sent when available.

Some Great News stories of the last month…..

It is great to see and hear about the wonderful youth ministry that is happening around the synod! I would love to hear….and share…. Your stories!

· Calvin Church, Halifax has 15 plus youth meeting weekly for Bible Study! On their request, they will be studying Acts in the winter.

· Youth participated in the service of Dedication for Summerside Presbyterian Church. The church continues to offer KD lunches to the neighbouring school and had record numbers out this month!

· Barney’s River Presbyterian Church has a newly formed eager and talented children’s choir! They will be helping to lead the Christmas Eve service.

· King’s Church, New Minas, has again delivered cookies to students at Acadia University. This is a wonderful tangible outreach!

· Adults and youth, together, provided a wonderful turkey dinner as an outreach for some in the community of Truro.

Share your stories. It may just be the idea or encouragement another congregation needs.

A Online Resource for Children, Youth and Family Ministry

Check out www.formingfaith.com. Here you will find a wealth of resources for faith formation, Family Take home pages, personal development and more. From the Lutheran tradition, this site teaches four key components to Family Ministry: Caring conversations; Rituals and traditions; Devotional Practices; Service. For a yearly subscription fee, bulletin inserts are available for families. A sample bulletin is available at http://www.vibrantfaith.org/images/TakingFaithHome_01082012.JPG.

Summerside Presbyterian Search Committee

Nancy Harvey — Co-Convenor

Laura Paynter — Co-Convenor

Linda Celliers
Rodney Dekker
Sally Bernard
Roxanne Campbell
Eileen Targett
Steven Hurst
Jamie MacKenzie (Alt. Cheri MacKenzie)

Profile Committee
Don Ross
Mary Wilcox
Sue Perry

Jan. 1, 2012 Nancy Harvey

Jan. 8, 2012 Dr. Glenn Sinclair

Jan. 15, 2012 Rev. Mark Buell

Jan. 22, 2012 Rev. Linda Berdan

Jan. 29, 2012 Rev. Mark Buell

Feb. 5, 2012 Rev. Mark Buell

Feb. 12, 2012 Rev. Linda Berdan

Feb. 19, 2012 Rev. Mark Buell

Off to Brazil!

Lauren McBeath is leaving on January 3, 2012, to do her Grade 11 year in Brazil. She will be living in Rio Claro with the family of Eloiza Marchiori, the exchange student whom the Hursts and McBeaths hosted in 2007-2008. So, if you don’t see Lauren around for the next year, now you’ll know why! Have a wonderful year, Lauren! We’ll see you next Christmas, speaking Portuguese!

Congratulations

Congratulations are extended to Mark and Sally Bernard, of Barnyard Organics in Freetown, who recently received the Young Alumni Award from the NS Agricultural College in Truro.

This award was presented at the Blue and Gold Awards Gala on the Truro Campus.

UPDATE: DECEMBER 2010

Due to the deteriorating church building, many steps were taken in 2006 to discover whether it was more cost efficient to renovate or build a new church. Finance and Property, lead by Al MacIntyre dedicated many months of investigation and meetings and weighed all the pros and cons. When the cost figures were submitted, a congregational meeting was called and it was then voted to build a new church rather than renovating. It was then decided that two teams should be formed to continue this exciting journey.

In January of 2007 the teams were introduced:

The Design Team: Chair-Katherine Schaefer, Shelley MacLeod, Bruce Montgomery, Greg Walker and Nita Ellis

In the summer of 2008, Finance and Property contracted a company called “Campaign for Coaches”. This group met with Finance and Property, Session members and some congregational members. With their help and several volunteers from the congregation the “Faith in our Future” campaign moved forward and with this a new revised fundraising team:

Faith in our Future Team – Chair-Susan Cameron, Rev Vicki Homes, Al MacIntyre, Roxanne Campbell, Don Craig, Nancy Harvey, DR Morrison and Mary Wilcox

All congregational members were contacted and visited if possible to discuss this new and exciting time in our church. With the visits calculated it was arrived at the feasibility and budget of our new church. Moving through “Our Faith in our Future” campaign was a exciting time as well as a time for questioning and reflection and a test of Faith.

Rev Vicki said it best “ In many ways this campaign has caused us to stop and reflect on who we are, what we hope to be and how we will achieve that goal ”.

Pam Campbell, the church’s Music Director wrote a beautiful song for our campaign “Faith in our Future” with Nancy Beck. The music composed by Pam and Nancy wrote the words. This was also a fundraiser for the new church by selling the autographed CD.

When the fund raising efforts were concluded, Session presented a budget to the congregation and the Design Team so more revisions were necessary on the new church plans. By 2009, Session directed the Design Team to continue working on the Coles Associates church plan and to try to identify ways to lower the projected building cost.

When the church design is put to tender, building contractors will be able to give a more accurate figure. The Design Team believes that the “Adapted church design” has a very good but modest functional design. The church must move forward and have Faith in our Future!!!