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SASS Weekly Newsletter - September 13 2020
by Pastor Martin

SASS Weekly Newsletter

September 13 2020

 

2020 Summer Sermon Series … and beyond …

During the summer we journeyed through a series entitled “Questions Jesus asked.”

  1. Which is lawful on a Sabbath, to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it? Luke 6:1-11
  2. Can the blind lead the blind? Luke 6:37-42
  3. Who do you say I am? Matthew 16:13-20
  4. Who is your neighbour? Luke 10:25-37
  5. What do you want me to do for you? Mark 10:35-52
  6. Why do you call me good? Pastor Ken Bell, Mark 10:17-27
  7. Why did you doubt? Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart, Matthew 14:22-36
  8. How many loaves do you have? Pastor Daniel, Mark 6:30-44
  9. Who touched me? Pastor Daniel, Mark 5:21-43
  10. Do you love me? Pastor Todd Wiebe, John 21:15-19

Catch up on any of the above Sunday Worship services you missed on our YouTube channel, which you can access through our homepage, www.sasspc.bc.ca, or by simple searching for “SASS Presbyterian” on YouTube.

 

As I sat and listened to Todd last Sunday I could feel the depth of his experience of love as he opened up his arms to Jesus and spoke briefly about the sudden death of his father. I know our prayers are with Todd and his family at this time. 

As Todd painted a picture of that glorious morning on the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee I am sure we all heard Jesus ask that grace filled question to us - “do you love me?” For me, what leapt off the pages of Scripture that morning were two things. First, I got this real sense that in asking the question Jesus is also prompting us to think about just how much he loves us. Look at what He did for you and me by re-reading the whole of John, paying particular attention to the events of Holy Week. Second, in the story in John 21 Jesus asks the disciples to bring some of the fish they had caught to Him but I was struck by Todd emphasising they hadn’t caught them at all. Jesus caught them. By the time the disciples reach the shoreline there is a breakfast already cooked and laid before them, because Jesus wants to feed them. Then we get the second part of the story that morning when Jesus tells Peter, correction all His disciples, to feed his sheep, take care of his lambs, feed my lambs. The disciples are called to become disciples at the beginning of John, they then develop into mature disciples, and at the end of the gospel they are sent to feed other newly caught disciples. I wonder does the church think its role is to do the catching of the fish by any means possible and once caught we don’t really feed them. What if we focused more on who Jesus is catching and do whatever we can to take care of those lambs?

 

This Fall we are going to spend a few short weeks … “singing – songs of praises”

 

Obviously NOT singing together the way we all want to but hopefully we might learn how to sing better by reflecting better on what it is we all want to sing.

 

This morning we started our series looking at Hillsongs United’s song “Who You say I am” along with Ephesians 1:1-14.

 

Here are the lyrics for you to pray through and give joyous thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Who am I that the highest King
Would welcome me?
I was lost but He brought me in
Oh His love for me
Oh His love for me

Who the Son sets free
Oh is free indeed
I'm a child of God, Yes I am

 

Free at last, He has ransomed me
His grace runs deep
While I was a slave to sin
Jesus died for me
Yes He died for me

Who the Son sets free
Oh is free indeed
I'm a child of God, Yes I am

In my Father's house
There's a place for me
I'm a child of God, Yes I am

 

I am chosen, Not forsaken
I am who You say I am

You are for me, Not against me
I am who You say I am

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daniel and some of the staff walked from Langdale ferry terminal to Camp Douglas on Saturday September 12th, to raise some much needed funds for the camp. Given that they did NOT have any campers in 2020 they are hoping to raise money to offset that loss. Rev. Dr. Ross Lockhart accompanied them on this “mini-campino.” If you would like to sponsor Daniel then … go to this link 

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/dn/4495

 

You will see a box that says “Message to Camp Douglas”. So, after entering the amount you will donate, put in a message like “sponsoring Chico’s walk.”

 

Or you can donate through the church, see later in this newsletter, and make sure you add a note that it is to be directed through our Missions Fund to Camp Douglas.

 

 

 

The Olive Press

 

The Olive Press team are planning an “Advent / Christmas 2020” edition of The Olive Press.

 

The theme will be “Hope and Acceptance” and they are accepting submissions up to October 13th. They are looking for articles that are current and family friendly, personal stories of faith, a book or blog review or favourite recipe. It’s Christmas, after all, they would love to have your favourite family secret recipe. It is the season for sharing and giving so let’s give every effort to participate in this edition and make it the BEST OLIVE PRESS EVER!

 

Email your submissions to … olivepress@sasspc.bc.ca

 

 

 

Thursday Morning Bible Study

 

Pastor Daniel is starting up the weekly Thursday Morning Bible Study, using ZOOM, September 17th, 10-11:30am.

 

 

 

Competition Time

 

Last newsletter’s quiz …

 

Places in the Bible

 

Were you able to unscramble the letters to solve the place names?

 

 

 

THANRAZE  Nazareth

RAISEBIT  Tiberias

PIPHILIP  Philippi

AREACASE  Caesarea

BEERZEEN  Ebenezer

HOTATHAN  Anathoth

CHAPSHAH  Achshath

SCUMSADA  Damascus

 

HAZICORN  Chorazin

 

HIMMAANA  Mahanaim

 

More quizzes to come soon

 

 

 

 

Prayer

 

What a blessing it has been to have so many participate in our ZOOM worship services, particularly leading us in prayer. Bethany Walton-Knight led us recently (Aug 16th) and this is a transcript of her prayer, for your continued blessing.

 

Dear Heavenly Father,

 

We thank you for this opportunity to come together as a community, as a family, to worship you. For this chance to bring our worries and prayers before you and to be surrounded by your incredible love.

 

We bring before you all the members of our church family and community who are continuing to struggle because of any unforeseen circumstances due to COVID-19. For those who are trying to find their new normal and for those whose lives will never be the same. We pray your blessing on those who are questioning why this had to happen to them, why now. We ask for your comforting arms to surround and support them as they discern what your purpose is for them. And whatever the future holds, we pray you be with each and every one of us as we navigate the uncertain times ahead. 

 

We continue to hold the people of Lebanon in our prayers. For the families and friends of the over 200 people who lost their lives. For the hundreds of thousands of people who in one instant, were made homeless. And for the millions who are now facing poverty and the prospect of not being able to provide adequate food for their families. We hold every person affected in any way up to you, oh Lord, and we pray your healing hand reach down and help them.

 

We remember that 75 years ago yesterday, the deadliest conflict in history ended. Although the official surrender wasn’t signed for another few weeks, Victory over Japan Day marked the end of the conflict that took the lives of more than 70 million people. We remember the bravery and courage of all who stood up in the face of insurmountable evil to fight for what was right. We pray for blessing and healing over those who still live with the horrors of the war and for all the families that are still living with its consequences. 

 

Although we are not living through a world war, we are reminded every day that we live in a broken, fallen world. Whether it is an oil spill off the coast of Mauritius that will destroy their precious coral reefs and marine ecosystems, a volcanic eruption from Mt Sinabung in northern Indonesia that is killing farmers’ crops, or peaceful protesters in Belarus being brutally harmed, we live in a world full of hate and sin. We pray, oh Lord, for love, peace, respect and kindness to be in the hearts of all people. For selflessness and compassion to replace greed, cruelty and pride. We also pray for all world leaders and those in power to have wisdom, and the strength to do what is right. 

 

At this time, we also hold all teachers, administrators and students in our prayers. We pray for guidance for all those with the difficult job of having to plan for the upcoming school year. We pray for patience for all those waiting for the plans and understanding if there aren’t answers right away. We pray for love and compassion to fuel everyone’s actions come September, so that everyone follows the guidelines and rules, not for them, but for all the people at high risk or with sick family members at home. And we ask for you to be with all our university students, or those in the process of planning their futures, who are unsure how their education will be affected. Please, show them the way. 

 

We bring all our concerns and worries before you today, those spoken aloud and those only known to you. We ask for your guiding hand to be with us all. 

 

In your powerful name we pray, Amen.

 

St. Andrew’s & St. Stephen’s is a “community of faith”, a fellowship of brothers and sisters in Christ. Let’s continue to uphold our family members who are struggling with their health during these days.

 

Those with long term difficulties - Jean & Alan Bone, Margaret Williams, David Ballentine, Liz Lilley, Lorne Dennis, Joanne Graham, Jim Hall, Dean Scott, Don Campbell, Kel Kejser, Penny McDonald, and David Forrest.

 

Keep praying for the missions we support on an ongoing basis – Mo & Wes Blackmon, Servants’ Anonymous, Inner Hope, YUGO Ministries, OMF, Camp Douglas, Cariboo Presbyterian Church, and our World Vision children.

 

During these strange times we want to pray for you. So we have created a new prayer email account. Send your prayer request to prayer@sasspc.bc.ca

 

 

 

SASS Worship Service information

 

We continue to hold our Sunday worship services online, via ZOOM. The link to all SASS meetings and worship services is easily accessible. Just go to our homepage – sasspc.bc.ca and scroll down and click on the following graphic. The password to access our ZOOM meetings will be “sass” – lowercase, no quotes.

 

The ZOOM Meeting ID for our SASS worship services is – 795 930 7120

 

If you DO NOT have access to a computer / internet then you can phone in and listen to any SASS meeting / service using the above meeting ID.

  1. Dial 778 907 2071
  2. When prompted enter the Meeting ID: 795 930 7120, followed by #.
  3. You will be asked for a participant ID - just hit the # key.
  4. When prompted enter the password: 676824

 

PLEASE REMEMBER on Sundays to check that your MIC is muted and that your video is disabled / turned off, to limit bandwidth usage and potential on-screen distractions.

If you dial in using your phone please MUTE your phone, if that option is available.

 

 

 

 

SASS’ Missions and Evangelism Ministry Team

 

Over the summer, MEMT has continued to support Missions around the world. On the Church families behalf we have sent the following donations;

 

$500 via World Vision to support the rebuilding after the Beirut blast

$300 to Canadian Bible Society for their Bike for bibles fundraiser. Money raised will go to supplying bibles to the Canadian military

$300 to Young Life. Ian Rokeby is cycling to raise money to support Young Life, which is an organization that many of our young people have valued.

 

 

 

SASS Church Finances

 

On behalf of the Session & Board – “thank you” to everyone for making the effort to keep your donations going to maintain the life and ministry at SASS, during these changing times.

 

There are a number of ways to continue supporting SASS during this pandemic.

 

Send a cheque to the church office, or you can drop your offering in to the secure letterbox attached to the Chesterfield Ave entrance door. This letterbox is checked and emptied every week day.

 

If you have a PAYPAL account - Go to our church homepage and scroll down and click on “DONATE NOW”. 

 

Using a credit card, or paypal you can donate to SASS through CanadaHelps.  Click on the following link to our donation form.

 

Sandi Romain can setup up for PAR (Pre-Authorised Remittance). This is a monthly direct debit from your bank account. Go to sasspc.bc.ca for more details. You need to download & complete the PAR authorisation and mail it directly to Sandi with a VOID CHEQUE. Sandi’s contact details are as follows :-

SANDI ROMAIN, 2208 Sorrento Drive, Coquitlam, BC V3K 6H5

604-931-6695, romainsandi@hotmail.com

 

Thank you for continuing to support the life and ministry at SASS.

 

 

Let’s SHARE

 

Are you meeting in a small group, cell group, Bible Study during this pandemic? PLEASE send me a photo that I can share with everyone to encourage each other that there are ways of being together.

 

Are you reading, or have you read something lately you would love to encourage others to read? PLEASE send me a short reflection that I can share with others about the book.

 

Have you watched something, or listened to a new piece of music that has just made you praise God? PLEASE send me your reason why I should watch it, or listen to it, that we can share with others.

 

Let’s share with each other. Let’s encourage each other. Let’s help one another.

 

 

 

Pastor Martin’s Musings

“Swimming”

 

At the beginning of the summer I, like many of you, did not think we were going to be vacating anywhere this summer. But the girls and I have been very fortunate to go away a couple of times for a few days. The girls were open to going anywhere but there was one condition – there needed to be a swimming pool.

 

One of the things they have so missed during the ongoing pandemic is the fact that the local recreation centres are closed. The girls love swimming. If the pool was warm enough they could swim morning, noon and night, every day. They basically did recently.

 

As I sat at the poolside watching, and reading my first novel in well over a year, I kept thinking they are having so much fun but they are not made for this.

 

Time and time again they would dive down under legs, collect toy rings from the bottom of the pool, and they would do handstands, and go under water to see how long they could hold their breathe, and despite having so much fun I would continue to think - we are not made for this.

 

Yes, we can swim. Yes, we have learnt how to swim better under water using flippers and goggles, but despite our best efforts we are not made for this. We are not mermaids.

 

We can. Thank God we can. There is nothing wrong with being able to swim, but we are not made for this.

 

It made me think what are we able to do but we were not created to do?

 

All of us could come up with our own list of things people do that they shouldn’t, and I’m guessing our lists would be full of things others do but we don’t so we could feel good about ourselves. What if instead we turned the question around and asked …

 

what were we created to do but we don’t do?

 

I recently had the privilege of officiating at two marriage services; a very small wedding and a service for a couple, married for 25 years, who were renewing their wedding vows. At both services I emphasised, I hope, the fact that marriage is not a contract, it is a covenant. The fundamental difference is that marriage is NOT about what you get out of it, but what you put in to it, what you give to the other, rather than take for yourself.

 

The mystery of being made in the likeness of God is this – we were created to GIVE LIFE to others. In the giving of ourselves we are filled. That’s how God created us. That’s what we were created to do.

 

So, brothers & sisters in Christ – get in to the habit of asking yourself “Am I created to do this?”

 

I wonder how our lives might change if we really opened ourselves up to how the Spirit of God might respond to this question.

 

God bless,

Pastor Martin

 


pastormbaxter@gmail.com


Direct Line in Church Office – 604 770 1025

 

www.sasspc.bc.ca