HPC NEWSLETTER

CAMP.BEACH.SUN.FAITH.LOVE.
SUMMER 2011

And yet, there is a certain kind of narrowness to the Christian life. Listen to this.

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
This is Jesus speaking. After a sermon that highlighted the wideness of Gods mercy and instructed his disciples to an equally generous mercy, Jesus narrows things down. He presents us with two roads and two gates and brings us to a crossroads.

Enter through the narrow gate. What does

that mean? Oh thats easy, you might say. It has to do with morals. The broad road is the road of sin, of worldly pleasure, immorality, corruption, injustice, war, and conflict; and the narrow road is the road of upright living, of moral purity, of being good neighbours, of fairness, and justice and peace. Thats the way that it is most commonly understood. For many years Ive had a poster in my office of the Dutch painting De brede en de smalle weg (The broad and the narrow way) which portray the two roads in exactly that way. Along the broad road youll find all the places of worldly pleasure - the saloon, the dance hall, and

Most of us would rather die than to be called narrow in our thinking and life-style. If I gave you a list of pronouns and ask you to tick off the ones that describe who you want to be, which ones would you mark? Would you choose narrow, blinkered, narrow-minded, parochial, insular, closed-minded, rigid, inflexible, constrained, or dogmatic? Or would you prefer pronouns such as open-minded, progressive, flexible, tolerant, impartial, unprejudiced, and liberal?

the lotto centre - while the narrow road takes you to Sunday School, the church, the missionary society, the hospital, etc. It is enticing to think about it that way. But it aint that easy. Jesus is talking to his disciples, remember, and this is not a moralistic lesson. His focus is on the gate. Which gate do you enter through and what road does that take you on? When you understand Jesus teaching, youd be surprised how much religion youll find along the broad road. When Jesus talks about the narrow gate, he talks about himself. I am the gate for the sheep, he says elsewhere (John 10:7-10). And, I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). Jesus is the narrow gate. We enter through him alone. That is why the gate is small. Our good intentions are not the gate through which we enter into the life of the Kingdom. Our efforts to live well and right are not the gate. Our moral restraint and purity is not the gate. The church is not the gate. Our prayers are not the gate. Our missionary work is not the gate. Jesus is the gate. We enter only through the person of Jesus and his accomplishments. We enter only by his grace. Many people try to enter through religious gates (wide gates) that are vaguely related to Christ. But these gates, how good and well-intentioned they are, are not Christ. Many of the religious gates through which we try to

enter into the life of the Kingdom have more to do with ourselves than with Christ; with relying on ourselves rather than on Christ; with following the popular teachers and viewpoints of the day rather than with following Christ. Jesus is the gate. The road we travel is also defined by him and his work. It is a narrow road, but He leads us. It is a road of repentance, of simple prayer, of trusting in the mercies of God, of forgiveness, of prayer for enemies, of honest speech, of reconciliation with our brothers and spouses and children, of discernment, of hearing the word and putting it into practice, of being salt and light in the world. And it leads to life.

Gerard

For we walk by faith, not by sight. -- Corinthians 5:7

HARD SAYINGS OF JESUS

I would suggest that our approach to Scripture is very often a rather practical, self-serving exercise. We like those passages that speak of Gods blessings, His grace and the love He has for His creation and His sin-filled creatures. Perhaps, as we get older, we fear death more and want assurance that we are really ok with God. But it is those hard sayings of Jesus that causes us problems. He has a way of coming at us, sometimes when we least expect it, and calling us to account. On the one hand Jesus is a pretty attractive character. He certainly seems to have had a lot of attention as He wandered around the Galilee region and later on in Judea and the city of Jerusalem. The miracles He performed certainly helped make Him popular and His criticism of the ruling religious party resonated with those who flocked to hear Him. But, on the other hand, His purpose for coming into the world was singular, it was to call out people to follow Him and become disciples who, in turn, would carry out the redemptive mission God had entrusted Him with. There were many would-be followers of Jesus, but He certainly didnt make it easy for them. On one occasion, as they were walking along, someone with, I expect, a burst of enthusiasm said: I will follow You wherever You go. To which Jesus replied: Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have

father. But Jesus wouldnt let him off the hook that easily, Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God. Another quickly stepped up, I will follow You, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home whereupon Jesus replied, no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
As I read this series of exchanges (Luke 9:57-62) I realized that not much has changed and the same kind of excuses are still being made. I would like to, but I dont have the time; Oh no, I could never do that! Im not qualified; I would be there but thats the night of my favorite TV show; No, thats the day I play golf; I would like to do that, but I dont know what I will be doing two weeks from now; Sign up for a Bible study or a prayer group? Well, I would like to but I wouldnt want to commit myself to anything like that, something important might come up and I wouldnt want to tie myself up. Makes one wonder if Jesus ever gets any new problems. But one thing for sure, Jesus is unrelenting and doesnt let us off too easily. He still says to all He meets, Come, follow Me and waits for our response. I guess it comes down to a matter of priorities.

nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head. I imagine there were some who overheard

this exchange and smiled knowingly. So Jesus turned to another and said (you) follow me. In todays parlance He would be said to have gotten in his face. Certainly He was pretty direct. The man responded, Lord, first let me go and bury my

R. Dorne Cornish

Touched up the paint on the retreat centre railings Defrosted the chest freezer Power washed the moss of the main building Weeded the gardens and planted some dahlias Mowed the lawn and weed-whacked the edges Hemmed and washed the cookhouse drapes Washed the cookhouse and cabin windows The interior of HPCs cabin still needs a bit of work. In September we plan to go back up to touch up the bunks, paint the walls and maybe even the floor.

HPC YOUTH/YOUNG ADULTS GROUP

HPCs Youth/Young Adults Group spent the last weekend of May at Camp Douglas, joining with the youth from Calvin Abbotsford for a combined work party and mini-retreat. All told we were 18 young people, four sponsoring adults, with another 12 adults from the Presbytery (including several from HPC), joining us for a regular Camp Douglas work party on the Saturday. Half of the Haney group were able to get to the camp early on Friday in order to prepare the interior of Haney Presbyterians adopted cabin, Cedar, for painting. They washed and painted the ceiling, then sanded, washed and primed the bunkbeds. The next day we got to work right after breakfast and I have to tell you: our youth are extremely disciplined workers. Heres what we did: Painted ceiling and bunk beds of Cedar cabin (unintentionally I think we chose Canucks colours!) Re-roofed the First Aid Cabin Moved the bush from field by the bridge Stripped ivy from trees Cleared the bush from the ocean campfire area

Of course, it wasnt all work. On Saturday night we sang around the campfire, ending the day with snacks and board/card games. On Sunday, after worship in Camp Douglas outdoor chapel, we cleaned up the camp and then spent the afternoon enjoying the sunshine, playing outside. We caught the 6.50 ferry home. This summer our youth will be spending most, if not all, of their time up at the Camp, either as volunteers, staff or Leaders-in-Training. For the past month, they have been very busy preparing for their ministry. Please keep them and the children and youth they serve in your prayers. If you would like to see some photos of our May weekend, check out our website at www.haneypreschurch.org.

Paddy Eastwood

HPC MISSIONS
Cariboo Presbyterian Church
This church is not like most that we are used to. People meet in homes, halls, outdoors, wherever it's convenient. Recently they've started "cowboy church". (If you haven't heard of it, check cowboychurch.ca.) There are three ministers, two of them a wife and husband, and, together, they serve some 17 points, most of them once a week. There is a significant native outreach. Check the website: cariboopresbyterianchurch.bc.ca. The breadth and vision of this ministry is well laid out. If you click on "map" you will see the broad geographical area that this ministry serves: from the coast to the mountains, from Lillooet north to a point between Quesnel and Prince George. This ministry is one of five that are designated by the Mission Committee for special support by our congregation.

CHRISTIAN YOUTH ASSOCIATION OF NICARAGUA

For six years now we at HPC have had the privilege of enabling an increasing number of Nicaraguan students to pursue their courses of study: high school, technical colleges, university. Last year we were able to send $5,000, permitting twenty young people to continue post-secondary programs. Several have graduated recently. All the students volunteer at the Associations youth centre in Acahualina, a sprawling, crowded, rather fetid and extremely poor ghetto at the margins of the capital, Managua. The many testimonials and photos weve seen over the years confirm a continuing need for our assistance. Cesar Moncado, just graduated with a law degree, writes a moving letter concluding, On a personal level I would like to thank you for all the good youve done and hope you will always carry on realizing this type of contribution so much needed by the youth.

Allen Aicken

Roger Page

"Let my heart be broken with the things that break God's heart" Bob Pierce, World Vision founder

Congregational Family Retreat

One Thousand Gifts

Evening Devotion

A new book entitled One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp has just been read by our Book Club members and will be available in our church library this summer. Ann encourages a perspective in each of us to see God in all things; to see all things through Gods eyes. Thus we will view the events in our livesboth the positive and the negativeas the outworking of His grace. She poses the question, In a world of certain loss, what is grace? Ann then links the word origins of Thanksgiving, Joy and Grace; arriving at the connection between gratitude (eucharisteo) and grace. If we live with a constant attitude of gratefulness, thanksgiving will always precede the miracle. Ann writes in a poetic prose style. She is introspective but shares deeply spiritual truths that she dares each of us to apply to our own lives.

Scavenger Hunt

Narthex and Bulletin Board Project

The kitchen area had been dressed, and a mirror installed to capture more light and enlarge the space. The Interactive Communication Wall is complete. I hope you will all agree that is not only an inviting space, visually organized and inviting. It encourages people to see whats happening with events and news. In the Mail Room, I have installed a mail box by Paddys office door. I had noticed people leaving items in front of the door/floor. I thought the box would help, and it gives the youth an area to leave Paddy messages. Its a challenging corner, so I have also added some wall tattoos to make the area more noticeable for the youth, encouraging and inviting. The large wall tattoo on the staircase is for the Name Tags......Church Family Tree. I have more work here with the gluing of magnets for the name tags. I hope to include a verse on the wall reflecting family and or roots. I have also been looking at a leaf pattern for the name tags....injecting some green colour for the children to identify their tags. The Pew Restoration Project, I have glued, filled, sanded and sanded some more, stripped the old stain and glue from this tattered old pew. I have treated it a few times with a wood conditioner in order to open the grain preparing for the new stain colour to take. I have chosen a dark tone, it will not only make the wood look rich, but give it that look of an old pew. It will be dressed with a few coordinating cushions too. A great place for a Sunday chat! The panel boards, a.k.a. the main notice boards, one has been installed in blue by the stairway tree wall. The other panel board will be installed shortly on the opposite wall, same pattern in Red. This will highlight the Fire

Zone wall, and bring attention to what is posted on the board in a corner area. The Fire Wall has just the Evacuation Plan and Floor plan to be framed and hung. Furniture for the narthex, regarding storage and display will be installed last, flanking both sides of the Memorial Table. The furniture will feature labeled drawers for items (magazines, misc. items). They will be dressed accordingly. Lower Hall will feature the interactive photo wall. To be completed when the wallpaper arrives. I hope you are all happy with the changes to the space and find it more pleasing on the eye. My goal was to keep the main narthex clean and inviting, with the majority of the communication items to the Communication Wall in the kitchen area. It has been a big process to date, I ask for patience as more transpires in Watch this Space! Please forward any questions or concerns to me I am more than happy to receive any comments....good or bad, I have big shoulders!

Jacqueline Curtis

MEXICAN TRAIN
With summer approaching ( we hope), we will take a break. We do not meet in July and August but resume again in September (Sept. 26th). We encourage you to join us in September for a night of fellowship and, of course, refreshments. Have a great summer and hope to see you all in September. Morag Baxter

MONDAY CRAFTERS
Some of us were able to take the day off on Monday, June 13, and headed for the West Coast Express into Vancouver playing tourists in our own back yard. We had a great day; great fellowship; great food! And yes, we came back with a few new crafts for September. Hope youll join us beginning Monday, September 12, 9:30-11:30 in the church library. We wish you all a wonderful summer.

THINK SUMMER! THINK BAZAAR

So the last thing on your mind as you anticipate the long hot days of summer is Christmas. Let us assure youwere talking Haney Presbyterian Family Bazaar in November.Thats six weeks before Christmas. Sounds a lot better, right? So when youre putzing in the garden consider doing some pickling or canning or making a batch of jam as the fruit and vegetables begin to ripen. Summer is a lazy time for many of us; a time to sit and maybe stitch up an apron or knit a pair of socks. For others it is a good time to clean out the garage or the crawl spacewow, there are some real treasures there. Whatever your plans, enjoy! But every so oftenthink Bazaar!

An Unspoken Bible
His name is Bill. He has wild hair, wears a T-shirt with holes in it, jeans and no shoes. This was literally is wardrobe for his entire four years of college. He is brilliant. Kind of esoteric and very, very bright. He became a Christian recently while attending college. Across the street from the campus is a welldressed, very conservative church. One day Bill decides to go there. He walks in with no shoes, jeans, his T-shirt, and wild hair. The service has already started and So Bill starts down the aisle looking for a seat. The church is completely packed and he can't find a seat. By now people are really looking a bit uncomfortable, but no one says anything. Bill gets closer and closer and closer to the pulpit and, when he realizes there are no seats, he just squats down right on the carpet. (Although perfectly acceptable behavior at a college fellowship, trust me, this had never happened in this church before! By now the people are really uptight, and the tension in the air is thick. About this time, the minister realizes that from way at the back of the church, an Elder is slowly making his way toward Bill. Now the Elder is in his eighties, has silvergray hair, and a three-piece suit. A godly man, very elegant, very dignified, very courtly. He walks with a cane and, as he starts walking toward this boy, everyone is saying to themselves that you can't blame him for what he's going to do.

How can you expect a man of his age and of his background to understand some college kid on the floor? It takes a long time for the man to reach the boy. The church is utterly silent except for the clicking of the man's cane. All eyes are focused on him. You can't even hear anyone breathing. The minister can't even preach the sermon until the Elder does what he has to do. And now they see this elderly man drop his cane on the floor. With great difficulty he lowers himself and sits down next to Bill and worships with him so he won't be alone. Everyone chokes up with emotion. When the minister gains control, he says, "What I'm about to preach, you will never remember. What you have just seen, you will never forget. Be careful how you live. You may be the only Bible some people will ever read." Author Unknown

The people here are very warm and kind. They have given us everything we need for our stay and it is very comfortable. This manse is so small there is very little house work and I can spend days doing whatever I want plus waiting on the Lord. It is pretty fabulous. It isn't exciting looking from the outside, but the quiet times and the times of ministry are very rewarding. The weather here has not been terrific. It will be nice and warm one day and then down right nasty windy and cold the next. The very real threat of constant flooding is really hurting people here. Their ranches are so flooded that they must move up to 300 head of cattle out of the muck. One man and wife who come to church named Gail and Ben, are one of those ranchers. They were telling us how they were pulling calves late into the night. ( Calves were born or were backwards and one of them died) they said they had about 30 of them to take care of and they have a herd of about 200. Calving season is later here than in warmer climates. They don't want the calving to take place in the colder months. But, Gail and Ben are cheerful always smiling, and they take all these things in stride after years of experience working on the land. As they speak about the land and the water you can hear the partnership they have with nature. They are close and upfront with the reality of the weather and the changing seasons. It is hard for me to describe how they have a symbiosis with the earth. The people are clear, direct and straight forward, there seems to be no guile in them and they take it as it is dished out to them from God and the Earth. I remember some of these feelings from growing up with farm kids. They always had the best attitudes. They

grew by working hard with their parents. So, this flooding in Manitoba this year is without precedence and we are expecting another big rain storm this coming week. Last week the wind came up strong from the north east. It blew across these huge lakes and ( Lake Winnipegosis is just a kilometre or two away. It is perhaps 100miles long and more than 50 miles wide) When the wind blows huge waves are created and they lash against the shores pushing water onto the land and drowning docks, cabins, homes and 100's of acres of farmland. When this happened last week the community here was out in full force sand bagging and dyking through out the night. The next day Dennis went out to help in the pouring rain and he came home after a few hours totally soaked and exhausted. The community set up a hall and began to supply everyone with food and hot drinks. The people worked together to save, just one example, Foxy's Gas Station just down the road from here. Grain fields in this area and throughout the province are filled with water in places. Everyone is talking about the planting of fields and gardens. Will it dry enough or not? Huge tracks of beautiful flat land are just muck. Yesterday as we drove the 58km to Dauphin (a larger centre where we can shop) the land looked drier. Farmers were out seeding like mad men. They will work way into the night to get it done. By the way, it stays light here until 10:30 or 10:45 and dawn is around 4:30am. I am glad that we have thick curtains in our bedroom.....hahaha. Our ministry at this point is partly to do a lot of listening. The people need to talk and tell their stories and they are gratified to have someone pay this kind of respect to them. Through this God does many things for them. .......so we continue on praying for the best outcome for this country place, it is a big part of the bread basket of our country. Dennis is really digging in with ministering the Word in church and he gets some pretty good ideas for his Bible Studies and his sermons, at least I think so, but then I am his wife and I love being in full support of his comings and goings. We are having a really good time here, it is quiet and we feel the presence of God daily to help us. A big hello!! to all of you at Haney Presbyterian and many thanks for all your prayers for us we can feel your support. Please pray for this church too. Knox Presbyterian Winnipegosis.

the Love of the Lord to you all from us.........Gayle

TOUR OF THE HOLY LAND April 15 - 30, 2012

Yes, we are going to Israel again. This will be our eighth visit to the Holy Land. Why do we go? We have been asked that many times and it is difficult to put into words. When we step off the plane in Ben Gurion airport we have the feeling of coming home. It is a special place, the land of Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. So much of our history as Christians and the Church comes to life here. No one making this pilgrimage will ever read the bible as before. This is where Jesus spent his time on earth and what an experience it is to walk where he walked. But is it safe? Another question we are frequently asked. My answer is simple: it is probably one of the safest places for tourists to go. Both the Israelis and the Palestinians depend so much on the tourist industry they go out of their way to ensure the safety of those who come for a visit. This May of 2011 saw 268,000 tourists visit Israel, up 5% over May of 2010, setting a new record. In all our time in Israel we have never felt threatened or uneasy about our safety. We will begin our pilgrimage in Jordan, visiting the ancient hidden Nabatean city of Petra; travel the Kings highway, the route followed by the Israelites on their journey from Egypt to the land of Canaan; stand on Mt. Nebo and gaze with Moses out over the Dead Sea and the city of Jericho; visit Amman (N.T. city of Philadelphia) and Jerash, the best preserved ruins of a Roman city in the Middle east. Then on to Israel, to the Galilee, Capernaum, Dan, Bethsaida, Nazareth, Bet Shean, Megiddo - the list seems endless!- Caesarea, Bethelehem, Masada, the Dead Sea, Jerusalem. These are just some of the highlights. If you are interested, please pick up a colored brochure which will lay out the whole itinerary. The cost of the tour covers all costs: included is the fuel surcharge, airport improvement tax and all tips. There are no hidden costs. Lorraine and I are thrilled that Gerard Booy will be co-hosting the tour with us.We are committed to making this, not just a tour for tourists, but a pilgrimage, a spiritual journey that will have a significant impact on those who travel this journey with us. Yours in Christs service,

Dorne

Kids Korner
This fall we will be expanding the Girls and Boys Group programme. Gods Girls, led by Laura and Ricky Newberry for girls aged 9-13, will continue to meet on Friday nights but will now meet 5-7pm. A new girls group for girls aged 6-8 will start this September. Watch for more details. The Boys Group will split into two groups: HPC Guys for boys aged 13-17, led by Andrew Newberry and Regard Booy; and HPC Boys, for boys aged 8-12 led by Johnathan Booy. The programme will be similar to whats been done in the past: bible study, games and sports. The younger group will focus on biblical knowledge during their study period; the older group will focus on spiritual development. The two groups will meet together periodically for special events. Circle this date: Mark Friday September 16th on your calendar. The Corn Maze Kick-off is back! This event is for all ages bring your flashlight and lets kickoff our fall programme together.

*space is filling up fast so register early!

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

Vacation Bible School Aug. 22-26, 2011

Calvin@500
Theology, History, and Practice*
EDITED BY RICHARD R. TOPPING AND JOHN A. VISSERS Calvin@500 is an exercise in appreciative criticism and appropriation of the Reformers work for church and society. The collection serves as an introduction to the life and thought of this sixteenth-century Reformer in his context. The book also traces Calvins continuing legacy for political, economic, theological, spiritual, and inter-religious practices of our own time. The essays reflect the depth and breadth of Calvin scholarship from the sixteenth century to the present. They also reflect Calvins own wide-ranging ministry: the authors are pastors, teachers, social justice workers, and theologians. Calvin@500 arose from two Canadian conferences on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Calvins birth.
RICHARD R. TOPPING holds the St. Andrews Hall Chair of Studies in the Reformed Tradition in Vancouver, Canada, where he teaches at the Vancouver School of Theology and lectures at Regent College. He is the author of Revelation, Scripture, and Church (Ashgate, 2007). JOHN A. VISSERS is the Principal of Presbyterian College in Montreal, Quebec, and Adjunct Professor of Christian Theology, McGill Faculty of Religious Studies.

ISBN 13: 9781- 61097-131-7 / $23 / 198 PP. / PAPER

H e i s w i d e l y p u b l i s h e d i

Order via phone (541) 344-1528, fax (541) 344-1506 or e-mail us at orders@wipfandstock.com. *as a matter of interest - our very own minister has an article in this book