God's love is expressed in our ministry to anyone who needs love and support.
At Knox we strive to be a caring community for our members, friends, and neighbours. Please call the church office when you are aware of a family member or friend that has been admitted or will be admitted to hospital. Rev Shirley Gale visits Guelph General Hospital twice a week even when we have nobody known to be admitted, just to be certain we haven’t missed anyone.
Any pastoral concerns or crisis please contact Rev Johan Olivier at the church office 519-821-0141 or by email at: Johan@knoxguelph.ca.
PASTOR’S AID VISITORS
A MINISTRY OF KNOX PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
For over 106 years The PASTOR’S AID VISITORS ministry has been serving the members of this church family by providing friendly, caring visits to those who are unable to attend church services and fellowship events.
Most of those visited are seniors and these visits not only remind them that they are important and valued sisters and brothers in Christ Jesus, but helps to keep these members meaningfully included as part of the Knox family. These visits provide opportunities to hear from these members and to share with them the news regarding the life and ministries of Knox Church.
The Pastors’ Aid Visitors remember these members by sending greeting cards at Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and birthdays. In addition, monthly letters are sent to members who live in nursing homes or seniors’ residences in other communities. Each Christmas the Pastors’ Aid Visitors deliver Poinsettias to our members who are unable to leave their homes.
It is the experience of the Pastors’ Aid Visitors that this a ministry they find both enriching and most enjoyable, as one of the Pastors’ Aid Visitors, said, “these visits are some of the most meaningful experiences I have as a member of the church family and as a way to express my faith.”
YOU ARE INVITED!
For more information regarding this ministry, you are welcome to contact Dr. Shirley Gale at:
519-821-0141 (Knox Church) or by email at: shirley@knoxguelph.ca.
Facing Tough Times??
Need an ‘after’ caregiver??
Stephen Ministers are there...
- After the doctors have said there is nothing more they can do
- After the relationship ends but the wound is still raw
- After you’ve received a pink slip with your final pay cheque
- After you have been an accident victim
- After family and friends have heard your story one too many times but you still need to talk
- After it seems everyone has gone and you are all alone
- After a spiritual crisis and you feel hopeless
- After any loss that is important to you
Now is the time to email/telephone Arnold Bethune:
Email: a.bethune@knoxguelph.ca
Church Office: 519-821-0141
Stephen Ministers Training:
Stephen Ministers have 50 hours of training in active listening, responding to feelings, maintaining confidentiality, dealing with crises and many other topics important to care giving. They meet for supervision and take advantage of continuing education when available. Stephen Ministers have police checks. This service is free to members of the community of Guelph as well as members of the congregation.
If you feel you would like to serve as a Stephen Minister, please contact as indicated above.
For more information on this Internationally recognized care giving service, go to
Letters by Rev. John McGurrin
November 4, 2018
Mark 12:28-34
28One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" 29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." 32"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." 34When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, "You are not far from the kingdom of God." And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
Loving God and loving Jesus his one and only Son, there is no greater or more important love in the universe. These are the two key commandments declares Jesus. This kind of loving places you very close to the eternal kingdom of God. Loving God and loving neighbor as yourself.
Caring for others, doing whatever you can to assist others including praying for them to receive God’s blessings, these are what God asks us to do. Have you walked by a homeless person lately? Have you considered that maybe they have not had anything to eat recently? What about buying them a burger, some fries and a drink. Winter is coming. We are collecting coats to help those unprepared for cold and snow. Have you checked your closet for useable clothes you might donate? Put your Love for others into action. Think about it. Is there some other way you could help? At the same time offer praise and thanks to God for the opportunities he has sent your way.
Father in heaven, your teachings truly bring us blessings. Continue to show the ways we can help others to come to know you that your family may grow. AMEN.
October 7, 2018
Matthew 7 The Voice (VOICE)
7 Jesus: If you judge other people, then you will find that you, too, are being judged. 2 Indeed, you will be judged by the very standards to which you hold other people.
C So when someone is tempted to criticize his neighbor because her house isn’t clean enough, she seems ill-tempered, or she is a bit flighty—he should remember those same standards and judgments will come back to him. No one should criticize his neighbor for being short-tempered one morning, when he is snippish and snappish and waspish all the time.
Jesus: 3 Why is it that you see the dust in your brother’s or sister’s eye, but you can’t see what is in your own eye? 4 Don’t ignore the wooden plank in your eye, while you criticize the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eyelashes. 5 That type of criticism and judgment is a sham! Remove the plank from your own eye, and then perhaps you will be able to see clearly how to help your brother flush out his sawdust.
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
If you haven’t seen this translation before I too only came across it recently. One of the unique new features of this translation is that whenever there is a possible lack of understanding the authors have inserted their own additional comment to assist us. For example the second paragraph that is marked at the beginning with the letter C (for comment). I find this quite informative.
This puts the meaning into a sharp modern context. Good advice. Examine our own attitudes and action first by the same sharp standards that we are tempted to apply to others and then stop. Don’t be so sharp and nasty with others. Treat them with kindness, love, and respect as we ourselves would want to be treated.
Loving Father God, teach us to love and be kind to one another even as you are loving and kind towards us. AMEN
September 30, 2018
Mark 9:38-50
“Teacher,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. Truly I tell you, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to the Messiah will certainly not lose their reward
If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘the worms that eat them do not die and the fire is not quenched. Everyone will be salted with fire. “Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt among yourselves and be at peace with each other.”
Dear Friends in Christ Jesus,
Put your good words and thoughts into action. Make them visible by your works. It is through your works, not your words that you will be rewarded. But so too if your works are based on evil then your rewards will likewise not be rewards but punishment.
The results will correspond to your behavior. And your behavior is guided by the fundamental starting point, your belief in the first place. Let the teaching and wisdom of Jesus be the guiding point of all your behaviors and works.
Actions speak louder than words!!! Let your actions give witness to your belief so that those around you might see what really fills your heart and mind and soul. These will be a much more powerful witness than all the words you might ever use.
Father God, teach me how to prove my faith and love by the way I act towards those I live and work with. May I thus be a true witness to your presence every day and in every place. AMEN.
September 23, 2018
Mark 9:30-37
30They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, 31because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." 32But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it. 33They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, "What were you arguing about on the road?" 34But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest. 35Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all." 36He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, 37"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."
Dear friends in Christ Jesus,
Being a child or living with the simplicity of a child is not an easy matter. We want to be in control. A child has no control over anything. Trusting that God who we cannot see or hear is always fully in control is a most difficult challenge for us. What if he is too busy with other things? What if the matter at hand is too trivial for the attention of the almighty? What if?
Trust is not an easy matter for us. We as humans think too highly of ourselves. We must think, act and behave with the simple trust of a child. The trust and love of a child are pure, simple, and a perfect example of what our relationship to God and to Jesus are to be like. The disciples on the other hand, just like you and I wanted to sit in the seat of control. Instead the message of Jesus for all of us was and is much simpler. Trust and obey.
| When we walk with the Lord In the light of His Word, What a glory He sheds on our way; While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey. |
|
Trust and obey,
For there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus,
But to trust and obey.
Twiddlemuffs Ministry
The Twiddlemuffs Ministry began in April, 2017. "Twiddlemuffs" -- therapeutic hand muffs are knitted for those with dementia to provide them with warmth and tactile stimulation for their often restless hands. Caregivers report that Twiddlemuffs help reduce agitation and the amount of medication needed.
Since April, 2017, Knox Church has distributed over 200 Twiddlemuffs to seniors homes and hospitals in Guelph.
In late 2017 a number of Twiddlemuffs were delivered to the staff at Guelph General Hospital as part of the hospital's "Seniors Friendly" initiative.
Pneumonia Prevention Vests
Pneumonia prevention vests and also hats are knit to reduce pneumonia deaths of children in India. These are sent in cooperation with those knit at St. Andrew's Women's Missionary Society.
Patterns for Muffs, Vests, Hats
Patterns are available from the Church Office (519-821-0141) (office@knoxguelph.ca) or from Dr. Shirley Gale (shirley@knoxguelph.ca) either by email or printed copy.