St. Andrew’s Hespeler Presbyterian Church
73 Queen St. E., Cambridge, ON
N3C 2A9 (519) 658-2652
www.standrewshespeler.ca
Advent Edition, 2015
Christmas Armistice
By Scott McAndless
It is the end of November and we all know what that means: it is time for War.
Yes, every year at this time of year we are reminded that we are supposed to be at war. It is called the
War on Christmas and we are apparently all conscripted as foot soldiers.
The first shots of this year’s battle have already been fired. The skirmish was fought over the holiday
season cups at Starbucks. A few Christians took offence because the plain red and green cups being
filled by the iconic café this year don’t have any explicit Christmasy words or symbols on them. But we
all recognize that that is only the beginning and there will be many more fights to come. What will be
next? Will we have to take offence at someone who says Happy Holidays? Will we need to be appalled
by a lack of mangers in public squares? Where will it end?
I’ve got to say that in this particular war, I am pretty much ready to declare myself a conscientious
objector. I’m not sure I want to fight it anymore – at least, not if it is a battle between the Christian
idea of Christmas and our secular society’s idea of Christmas.
The fact of the matter is that I love both Christmases. I love the church’s Christmas with our focus of
the story of the birth of the messiah, the candles, the sacred carols and prayers for peace on earth and
good will to all. But I also love the secular Christmas that surrounds us with its
lights and colourful decorations, the Christmas songs and the hustle and bustle
of the malls. I will admit that I do get very tired of the materialism
that seems evident everywhere you look, but I am not entirely
certain whether the extreme consumerism belongs
to the sacred or secular side of Christmas. After all,
so many of the battles seem to be fought over
what greetings are given to shoppers in stores.
I also happen to love the fact that I live in a
multicultural society where people celebrate both
Christmas and other religious and cultural festivals at
this time of the year. There is a wonderful richness amid
such diversity.
And so I really don’t want to think about what happens at
this time of year as a war. I’d like to call for an armistice from our point of view at least.
And so this is what I’m going to do. Rather than going to the Bible first, this year I’m going to start my
Advent sermons with the sacred texts of the secular Christmas. When I was growing up, there were
four canonical Christmas stories that we had to hear every year. They were: Rudolph the
Red Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, A Charlie Brown Christmas and
How the Grinch stole Christmas. When I was growing up at least, Christmas
just wasn’t Christmas unless you gathered together with your family and
tuned your television to the CBC for every single one of these classic
stories. So I am going to explore the meaning behind these classic stories.
This is not something that I would normally do. I have not been trained
to seek inspiration in the secular stories of society but exclusively in the
scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. I have long found that they
are all I need. But somehow I am not too worried. Yes, there are perhaps
some stories that are told by the world around us that we need to be wary
of – that might lead us down a wrong path. But my sense is that we may just discover that, even if the
people who wrote these great Christmas stories set out to be completely secular and to avoid all
mention of the gospel Christmas story, there is something that would not allow them to stray too far
from the ultimate Christmas message. My expectation is that there is a lot of truth—gospel truth—in
these stories and I am going to find that they lead me back to Bible before I’m done.
And, perhaps by finding the gospel truth in these secular Christmas stories, we might find a way to
bring peace between warring factions at this most blessed time of the year.
Wishing you:
Special… from the Library
The library has a mascot who needs a name!!
He/she sits on the table waiting for a name. Put your idea in the ballot
box.
Check the shelves for new additions in all categories: True Stories, Bible
Study, Prayer and Devotion, Self-help, Novels. In the coming weeks there
will be a special section devoted to Advent and Christmas.
If a small group (2, 3, 4 or more) would like to spend an
evening or an afternoon together doing a study or devotion,
there are many resources available.
The newest addition to the library isn’t a book or a DVD – it’s a small
step that will enable everyone to reach new heights.
Hope and Light on the Longest Night of the Year
By Corey Cotter Linforth
The longest night service is a very important ministry at St. Andrew’s. I love Christmas. The joy of it,
the celebration, seeing friends and family, eggnog (homemade), trees, presents, everything. I realize I
am listing primarily “non-religious” aspects of Christmas there, but it is that side of Christmas that I am
speaking about. I love Christmas, but I also understand that for many people Christmas is a reminder
of the things and people that are missing from their lives. This could result in an tinge of sadness to the
holidays or a very difficult time.
As a church, we need to be mindful of the different things and feelings people might be experiencing
in their lives. Beyond that, we need to create space for joy and sadness. Life is not perfect, life can be
awful sometimes. If we can’t talk about the darker side of life while we’re at church, then where else?
Lent and Longest Night are the two most obvious examples of this side of spirituality.
The music for such services, services designed for those who need something other than shiny joy, is
approached differently. This year, I am delighted to welcome Miriam Stewart-Kroeker, a cellist. (See
below for her biography.) The violin has often been called the closest instrument to the human voice
because of its ability to be incredibly expressive in a way that is similar to the voice. The cello is in the
same family of instruments (basically the same, but bigger) and to me it is more expressive. The deep,
rich sound creates a little something extra.
I was delighted that Miriam suggested some of Bach’s solo cello repertoire (pieces). J.S. Bach’s cello
music is some of the most beautiful music ever written and we have the perfect sanctuary to house it.
I know that the acoustics in the sanctuary will make the cello sing and Miriam’s playing will be
beautiful, expressive, and perfect for the longest night service.
Why Bach is My Favourite
For our longest night service, the music of J.S. Bach is going to be featured. This makes me giddy and I
feel compelled to ramble on about why Bach is my favourite composer. (I am being absolutely serious,
Bach is my favourite composer) First of all, nobody writes like Bach. His contemporaries’ work, while
certainly related to his, does not sound the same. The harmony is so complex. It’s often very dissonant
(discordant, jarring), but flows into consonance (harmonic, resolved, pretty) so naturally, that it is often
only apparent if you are trying to master his pieces. He writes for voice like it is an instrument. The
lines are very long and follow patterns that are unique to him. Bach’s music is often difficult to learn at
the get-go, but once the notes (melody) is internalized, it sings itself. I believe this is why a lot of
musicians are fond of Bach. It’s challenging at first and then it’s as natural as breathing. Not to mention
beautiful! He also wrote a whole cantata (kind of like an opera,
but shorter and often sacred) about coffee. That’s where I’m
ending. He has a coffee cantata. Enough said.
Miriam Stewart-Kroeker
Miriam Stewart-Kroeker is a young, emerging cellist based in
Kitchener-Waterloo, and recent graduate of McGill University
with a Master’s degree in cello performance under the
direction of Matt Haimovitz. Highlights of this season include
performances with the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, the
Georgian Bay Symphony and the Stratford Symphony
Orchestra.
Miriam has collaborated with a number of orchestras and
choirs, both as a soloist and orchestral musician, but her
passion remains rooted in chamber music. Miriam performs
regularly for several chamber music series, including the
Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society, Guelph
Connections Chamber Music Series, Conrad Grebel Noon Hour
series, and more. In 2013 Miriam completed a winter residency
at the Banff Centre for the Arts in solo and chamber music.
Miriam’s chamber ensembles were the recipients of the
Penderecki String Quartet Chamber Music Prize for two consecutive years (2009-10), and won the
Canadian Music Competition in 2011 with the Zwickau Piano Quartet. She has participated in summer
chamber music and orchestral programs, including QuartetFest, the Tuckamore Chamber Music
Festival in Newfoundland, and the National Academy Orchestra with conductor Boris Brott.
A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Miriam has had the opportunity to study with a number of renowned
cellists, namely Paul Pulford and Matt Haimovitz. Miriam is a graduate of Wilfrid Laurier University,
receiving an Honours Bachelor of Music in Cello Performance as well as a Diploma in Chamber Music
Performance. She currently holds the principal positions in both Stratford and Georgian Bay
symphonies.
When not playing the cello, Miriam enjoys baking, learning new languages, canoe tripping and other
outdoor activities. Her most recent adventure included bicycling from Seattle to San Francisco,
camping along the way.
Congratulations Luca!
Luca has attended services frequently at St.
Luca with his sister Laya
Andrew’s Hespeler over the last year. He is
now coming to the completion of his
training and will soon be taking up his career
as a service dog for the blind. His “nana,”
Theresa Miller, who has been working
intensively with him over the last year,
couldn’t be more proud of everything that
he has accomplished. We wish Luca well in
his new work!
Need a little gift idea or another stocking stuffer?
The Athalie Read Group is hosting a
What have your pop can
donations been doing this
year?
At Applebee’s Restaurant On Saturday, February 27, 2016
from 8-10 am
Pancakes, bacon, juice, tea and coffee for $10 per person.
For tickets call Carol Jones (519) 658-4394
OR Betty Clarke (519) 658-957
Tickets will also be on sale at coffee hour in the New Year.
Your donations of empty pop cans
have enabled the children of Sunday
School to make donations to the
Cambridge Family who lost all of their
belongings in a house fire; to
Winnipeg Inner City Missions and to
“A Classroom for
Every Child”
project with
Presbyterian
World Service &
Development.
Thank you to
everyone who has
brought their pop
cans in for us.
St. Andrews Welcomes you Home…
For our December 20th Music Service this year, we will build on our
Anniversary year slogan: “St. Andrew’s welcomes you home.” The
music will centre around coming home for Christmas and spending
time as a family.
A couple of the anthems for that service are what would technically
be classified as secular, but fit perfectly with the above mentioned
Celebrating 160 Years in Hespeler
theme. Whether or not your family has sing-a-longs, hopefully you
are able to gather as a family at Christmas time. Gathering together is
one of the great gifts of Christmas, and thus the music from these gatherings has a clear place in our
worship service. I hope for many of you it is a treat to celebrate with songs we wouldn’t normally do,
like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” and “The Christmas Song.”
Of course much of the excitement and fun of this day will come from our guest artists. Shane Guse,
fiddle, and Richard L’Abbe, guitar, will be joining us to create the vibe of a family sing-a-long. Shane will
even be doing some improvisation with our hymns that day.
It is going to be lots of fun. The service is going to be filled with upbeat music and it is our hope that
there is a little something for everyone.
Three time CCMA Fiddle Player of the Year, Shane
Guse is a top call musician on stage, radio, television,
studio and beyond. Most recently Shane can be seen
performing with several Canadian Country artists
including multiple JUNO and CCMA award winners
Dean Brody, George Canyon, Jason McCoy and Jason
Blaine, and has performed with pop superstars
Richard Marx and Colin James. His Recording credits
include these names and many others and Shane
can be heard on numerous award winning albums
and singles. Shane is the Canadian Country Music
Association Fiddle Player of the Year for 2010, 2011
and 2014 and has several other nominations to his
credit for fiddle and mandolin. He is also the
founding member and leader of the multi award
winning Canadian
roots super
group The
Western
Swing
Authority.
Richard L’Abbe owns and operates Queen Street
Music School in Cambridge, Ontario. He has
performed and instructed music for many years
as well as worked in sales and marketing
positions. Richard studied violin, guitar, piano
with the Royal Conservatory of Music and
worked as a professional musician across
Canada in rock, heavy metal, blues bands as
both hired musician and band member. While
instructing at Walters Music in Mississauga,
Richard learned about
the success of the
Yamaha Music Education
System and its primary
benefit being group
classes and participation
in music with others.
Richard is currently
growing the Queen Street Music School as well
as writing music in preparation for a self titled
music collection. Richard as well as other
instructors at Queen Street Music School
regularly upgrade training at Yamaha Music
Education Canada.
Children & Youth Ministries News Bites:
h

In Sunday School we have learned many new stories and
we made Christmas decorations for the Senior’s Tea. We
have also made cards to be given to members when they
need to know that people care about them.

CLUB 10 has started. This club rewards Sunday School
students every time they reach 10 weeks of attendance
here.

The Children’s Choir has practiced every Sunday morning
at 9:00 am and has sung in church. Thank you for helping
us to worship.

The St. Andrew’s STARS have recorded a few episodes to
introduce the scripture lesson in worship. It’s always
great to see such happy faces on the big screen.

The Youth Band has begun to practice every Sunday
following worship, and they have played and
accompanied the hymns during worship. It is so nice to
hear different instruments on Sunday mornings.

The Youth Group has begun to meet following Youth
Band practice to enjoy a time of lunch, fun, and study
together.
Sunday, December 13 is our annual Family Advent service. It is
a special service that will include the St. Andrew’s STARS
Christmas special which will certainly be a little different this
year. After the service we will enjoy lunch together and maybe
even have a special guest. The Youth Group would like to ask
everyone to bring an item of food (finger foods, please and
peanut & nut free
items) to share with
everyone for lunch.
We will also
celebrate Cake
Sunday on this
day.
Santa Claus Parade
By
Coreycome
Cotterout
Linforth
Please
to cheer for our float at the
Hespeler Santa Claus parade on December 5th.
The Family Night group is getting ready for the
“Big Build”. We will be building and preparing
the float in a top-secret, undisclosed place! We
will need children to ride on the float and young
people (Grade 7+) to walk with the float and
hand out candy canes. If you would like to do
either of these things please speak with Joni
Smith.
An easy way to support the work of St. Andrew’s
By Corey Cotter Linforth
Recently, we announced an exciting new way to financially contribute to St. Andrew’s Hespeler at no
additional cost to you! We have partnered with an organization called FundScrip which procures gift
cards on our behalf for our everyday purchases from the grocery stores, gas stations and restaurants
we use and in turn, these merchants provide a rebate on our purchase
of the gift cards back to St. Andrews Hespeler. Rebates back to St.
Andrews Hespeler will range anywhere from 2 – 10% of the gift card
face value, depending on the merchant. While we are launching this
now to take advantage of any gift cards you may purchase as Christmas
gifts, the real benefit of this to St. Andrew’s Hespeler will be to convert
as many of your everyday purchases for essentials such as groceries,
gasoline and clothing to gift cards purchased through FundScrip.
Our next date to order is December 6th. Yes, this will be in time for Christmas. If you intend to give gift
cards this Christmas, please think of St. Andrew’s and order through FundScrip. We will have the cards
available at church the following Sunday, December 13th.
The process is very simple. Once a month, we will place an order with FundScrip for the purchase of
gift cards based on your submitted order form and accompanying cheque made payable to St.
Andrew’s Hespeler Presbyterian Church for the total amount of your order. Within a few days of
FundScrip receiving our order, they will ship the gift cards to St.
Andrews for distribution. Order forms (including notices of any
monthly specials) are available at the back of the sanctuary or
from the church office, Patrice Wappler and Carol Jones.
If you have any questions, please contact Patrice Wappler
(519) 621-4981 or Carol Jones (519) 658-4394.
Making Christmas Merry for everyone
By Corey Cotter Linforth
Thursday Night Supper & Social is looking for some help in unloading
your never used, regiftable items or new items for our Christmas baskets
for our guests. Think of the space you will free up in your home. Each
year we give approximately 50 baskets, and everything is greatly
appreciated. We would welcome gifts of giftware, candy, small bottles of
lotion, cleaning supplies, pop, tea, coffee, socks (especially men’s). There
will be a drop off basket at the back of the sanctuary or you can drop off
your items in the office by December 7th. We will be making up the
baskets in the foyer on Wednesday, December 2nd, if you are able to
come out to help. Thank you for your support.
We founded Hespeler’s Place of New Hope because a little rain may fall into anyone’s
life and we want to do what we can to respond when that happens. Although we
have built this new outreach on the foundation of what existed beforehand, the
new ministry of Hope Clothing and the umbrella agency, Hespeler’s Place of
New Hope, have only existed since the start of September.
The last few months have been a time of much growth and learning. We have
definitely seen our visibility grow in the community as more people see Hope Clothing as
their favourite place to bring their used clothing and other items. We have also seen how
the needs are growing in our community and thinking creatively about how we can
respond.
There is still lots of work to do and we would ask for your continued support. Pray for our coordinator,
Karen Kincaid, and her volunteers. Pray for the advisory committee.
We greatly appreciate the grants from the Cambridge and North Dumfries Community Fund and from
St. Andrew’s Mission Fund that allowed us to get started for these first few months. We continue to
work on securing funding as we go forward and are very grateful to some individuals who have also
stepped forward to offer their support.
Body, Mind and Soul – Study Guide on Human Sexuality
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Canada has asked the people of
our congregation to engage in a discussion on emerging issues in Human Sexuality
and on the place of LGBT people in the church. To help us to do that, the
Committee on Doctrine and the Life and Mission Agency (Justice ministries) have
prepared a study document called “Body, Mind and Soul.” We will be setting a
time early in the new year to allow people to come together and discuss this
study. If you would like to look at these materials, they may be downloaded at
http://presbyterian.ca/sexuality. The purpose of engaging in this study will be to respond
back to the General Assembly as they make important and difficult decisions.
Gifts of Change
By Corey Cotter Linforth
It is the perpetual Christmas question, “What do you give to the person who
already has everything?” Of course we want to be generous to the people
that we love and care for, but we can’t really see what they might actually
need. The Gifts of Change catalogue has been created to respond to this very
problem! Put out by Presbyterians Sharing… and Presbyterian World Service
& Development, this catalogue allows you to give your loved ones the gift
of a better world.
Just choose a project from the catalogue: Pigs to support an HIV and AIDs
group in Africa, a deep water well, training for midwives—just to name a
few possibilities. Send in your support in the name of your friend and the Gifts of
Change people will take care of the rest and notify your loved one of the gift in their name.
There are plenty of catalogues available at the back of the sanctuary and at the information centre
outside the offices. Why not pick one up today?
Response to the Syrian Crisis
By Corey Cotter Linforth
The photo of a three-year-old boy washed up on a beach awakened the world to plight of Syrian
refugees that has been building for the past four years. With no end in sight, there are now more than
four million registered Syrian refugees—over half of these refugees are children and most of them
remain in the Middle East.
The Presbyterian Church in Canada continues to respond to the crisis by sending relief, equipping
Christian partners in the Middle East, supporting congregations sponsoring refugees to come to
Canada, and advocating for government action.
The Presbyterian Church in Canada sponsorship agreement with Citizenship and Immigration Canada
enables Presbyterian congregations to welcome refugees to Canada. Sponsorship applications are
currently being processed and PWS&D is working with interested congregations who desire to be part
of that.
On September 12, 2015, the Government of Canada announced the establishment of the Syria
Emergency Relief Fund. For all eligible
donations made until December 31, the
Government of Canada will contribute a
matching amount towards Canada’s
“Syria Emergency Relief Fund.” Gifts may
be sent directly to Presbyterian World
Service and Development via cheque
and online giving. Gifts may also be sent
through St. Andrew’s Hespeler.
Important Upcoming Dates
Date
Place
Time
Event
Fri. Nov 27
Sanctuary
7-8 pm
Concert of Children’s bands and choirs as part of Music
and Lights
Sun. Nov 29
Sanctuary
10 am
First Sunday of Advent.
Wed. Dec 2
Foyer
6 pm
Preparing baskets for Thursday Night Supper & Social
Sat. Dec 5
Queen St.
Noon
Hespeler Santa Claus Parade!
Sun. Dec 6
Sanctuary
10 am
Second Sunday in
Advent
Thurs. Dec 10
Gymnasium
5 pm
Basket night at Thursday Night Supper & Social
Sun. Dec 13
Sanctuary
10 am
Third Sunday in Advent.
Making Christmas Specials:
Family Advent Service
A Charlie Brown Christmas
followed by lunch and
(rumour has it) a special visitor
Thurs. Dec 17
Fellowship
Hall
11 am—1 Last Food Bank before Christmas. You are welcome to
pm
drop in and join us for lunch and to see what this vital
ministry is all about
Thurs. Dec 17
Gymnasium
5 pm
Christmas feast for Thursday Night Supper & Social
Sun. Dec 20
Sanctuary
10 am
Welcome Home: Songs
Making Christmas Specials:
from Family Sing-a-longs How the Grinch Stole Christmas
with special guests Shane
Guse and Richard L’Abbe.
Mon. Dec 21
Sanctuary
7:30 pm
Longest Night Service with Miriam Stewart-Kroeker
Thurs. Dec 24
Sanctuary
6 pm
Family Christmas Eve Service
Thurs. Dec 24
Sanctuary
8 pm
Christmas Eve Communion Service
Fri. Dec. 25
Sanctuary
11 am
Informal Christmas Day Come-as-you-are and bring your
favourite present service.
Sun. Dec 27
Sanctuary
10 am
Regular Worship Service. Sermon: #RefuJesus
Making Christmas Specials:
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Making Christmas Specials:
Frosty the Snowman
The Back Page
Well, you have now read through this entire newsletter. Now let’s see how much of it you remember.
Can you fill out this whole crossword puzzle without looking back?
ACROSS
1
Snowman
5
First name of a cello player
6
Where to go for flapjacks in February
7
Someone in the library looking for a name
8
Has a red nose
9
Young Mr. Brown
DOWN
1
A way to support the work of the church at no cost to you
2
Who attempted to steal Christmas
3
On Queen Street one day soon
4
Fill in the blank: "St. Andrews _______ you Home."