Ha ne y P r e s b yt e r ia n C h ur c h Ad ve n t 2 0 0 8

HPC Newsletter
Watch Out! Be Alert! Keep Watch!
At a recent ministerial meeting one of the pastors told us with great excitement that their church is doing
something new this year. They’ve decided to have advent!

I was caught by his enthusiasm. Advent for us is not an exciting new thing. It is pretty much standard tradi-
tion. We are used to having advent; almost to the point where we have to ask, so why are we doing it
again?

Why are we having advent? Advent is a time of remembering and celebrating the birth of
Christ. We remember the events that led up to the birth of Jesus, who is Emmanuel. And
we are reminded of the reasons why God sent his Son to earth – the sins of people and
the love of the Father who would not give up on this world. We celebrate advent and pre-
pare ourselves for Christmas.

It becomes increasingly clear to me though that advent is not just a time of remembering
the historical events that surrounded the birth of Jesus. We are also reminded of the gos-
pel promise – Christ will come again. Advent then becomes a time of waiting, anticipating, and preparing for
his coming in glory. During advent we are keenly aware that we live in in-between times; of the already-but-
not-yet nature of our lives in Christ.

We wait, we anticipate, and we prepare ourselves. Jesus uses imperatives when he talks to his disciples
about his second coming (Mark 13): Watch out! Be alert! Keep watch! These are good words for our ad-
vent celebrations especially since it is so easy to get caught up in the sentiment attached to the season. The
niceties of the season can easily dull our sense of purpose and destiny; we busy ourselves with preparations
for our festivities and forget what it is all about; we forget that we are living in end times.

Jesus has three words for us: Watch out! Be alert! Keep watch! Pay attention to what God is doing in and
around you. Take time to pray. Use the opportunities you have around this time of the year to give witness
to Christ, the Lord. And remember that the time of his coming is near.
The Lord be with you.
CONTACT US:

Christmas Eve Services 11858 - 216th St.

Maple Ridge, BC
V2X 5H8
This year there will be a
Phone: 604-467-1715
7 pm Christmas Eve Family Service Fax: 604-463 -1730
And an E-mail:
11:15 pm Candle Light Service haney.pc@telus.net
You are invited to attend this evening of worship as we Website:
share together the wonder of the Christmas story! www.haneypreschurch.org
P age 2
Website Update
Prompted by an article discussing
how congregational websites com-
municate, our Internet presence has
undergone an evaluation process
during the past six months. Feed-
back was requested from all groups
within the church and sincere
thanks is extended to those who
responded -- the Board of Manag-
ers, Men's Breakfast Group, Ladies
Evening Fellowship, Monday Craf-
ters, Thursday Evening Bible Study
Group, Manna Cell and the
Women's Group.
We were sorry to lose the very ca-
pable assistance of Margot Gowans
Barry when she and Doug and their
Music Notes
After a search that
lasted almost ten months, we wel-
come Ellen Lewis as our new choir
director. Ellen has been singing in
the choir for many years and has
often acted as director when
Carol or Brian could not be there
on a given Sunday. She has had to
make all kind of arrangements to
fit this in and we are truly grateful
for her willingness to serve God
and us in this manner. We look
forward to many years of wonder-
ful music, Ellen!
At the same time we want to say
thank you to Brian Beattie who
took on the role of interim choir
director after Carol resigned ear-
lier this year. This was no easy
task, but Brian did it with his typi-
cal enthusiasm and joy. Thank you
very much Brian.
May God bless both of you.
Ad ve nt 2008
family moved to Fort St. John
during the summer. Margot
helped update the site and posted
the weekly sermon for several
years. Thanks, Margot! And
thanks, too, to Dave Newberry
who has stepped forward to pick A very special thank you
up where Margot left off. to Margo Barry, who not only
Dave and Carol will work together kept the website updated by
over the next couple months to posting the weekly sermons,
revamp the website in an effort to but also spent countless hours
ensure it is an accurate reflection as HPC’s Librarian.
of the current vision of our con-
gregation.
Carol Garvin
Dave Newberry
Unusual Church Transfer
After the service a couple
talked to the minister about
joining the church. The pastor
hadn't met the husband be-
fore, and asked what church
he was transferring
from. After a short hesita-
tion, he replied, "I am trans-
ferring from the Municipal
Golf Course."
CAROLLING
Each December we take the music of Christmas to four care
facilities and we invite you to join us!
On Thursday the 11th we will meet at the church at 6:45 pm and then go
to Willow Manor after which we will return to the church for fellowship and
refreshments.
Then on Friday the 12th we will meet at the church at 1:00 pm and then
go to Beckman House, Rosewood Cottage and Royal Crescent Gardens.
Please join us for either or both of these ministries of our congregation.
Bob Garvin
P ag e 3
CONFIRMATION CLASSES
St. Paul’s prayer for the Philippi-
ans strikes me as relevant: “This is
my prayer: that your love may abound
more and more in knowledge and
depth of insight, so that you may be
able to discern what is best and may
be pure and blameless until the day of
Christ, filled with the fruit of right-
eousness that comes through Jesus
Christ--to the glory and praise of
God.”
One of the best ways we have of
growing our love and preparing
for daily Christian living is to have
“holy conversations”. By this I
mean conversations that allow us
to focus on God and God’s work
in our lives. Ideas and opinions
about God abound, and there is
a great deal of bad theology out
there. How can we discern what
is best?
Young people and adults are
invited to a series of conversa-
tions starting Wednesday Janu-
ary 14th at 7:00 pm. This will pre-
pare you to make a public pro-
fession of faith and become a
member of the church.
For more information
call Gerard at 604-467-1715
or e-mail: revhaney.pc@telus.net
A sign-up sheet is posted on the
church bulletin board.
Memorial Fund
Did you know that our congrega-
tion has a Memorial Fund? This spe-
cial fund was established several
years ago to receive monetary gifts
given in memory of family members
and friends.
Often in obituary notices we read,
“in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts
may be given to....” Our Memorial
Fund receives such gifts.
HP C News let t er
Mexican Migrant Workers
Endless acres of blueberry bushes in the
are bare, cranberry bogs are silent, next hur-
lights are off in the seasonal hous- ricane;
ing units... Two hundred plus local some
migrant workers are being happily more bricks and a few more
reunited with their wives and chil- sacks of cement each year.
dren back in Mexico after many
HPC has been able to help in
months of separation in a cold,
some measure to smooth the
wet and rather alien land. Each
rough edges of these young fa-
travels home with his own unique
thers’ sometimes trying experi-
collection of bitter-sweet impres-
ences in these unaccustomed
sions: Interaction with cultures and
surroundings. And they have
a language he doesn’t comprehend,
uniformly been immensely
unanticipated adventures, periods
grateful for our tangible help
of happy conviviality, encounters
and also for our recognition of
with deer and black bears. Also
them as God’s children and
often drudgery, dawn to dusk and
worthy contributors as tempo-
beyond, hunched over blueberry
rary residents of Maple Ridge /
bushes or waist-deep in muddy
Pitt Meadows. A personal thank
cold water in cranberry bogs, all
you to all of those in our con-
for a very basic wage.
gregation who have contributed
Are they happy? Well, most say so generously of goods, time
they hope to be back next year. and effort in this endeavour.
The truth is, all share a common
Almost all have now gone. But
driving force: economic despera-
it’s not over. The first wave is
tion, as they strive to better the
due back January 8 “si Dios
live s of their children. One father
quiere” (if Good wills it). So
with a third grade education will
please don’t discard your suit-
be able to buy a laptop for his two
cases, men’s and children’s
teenagers in high school. Another
clothes, bicycles etc. Because
hopes to start a small business in
once again the fields will be
his village so he won’t have to be
“white unto harvest”.
away from his family for most of
each year. Some are building
houses that won’t be blown away --- Roger Page
The donors receive a note of thanks book to re-
and receipt. The family in due course cord be-
receives a letter sharing with them quests given
the names of people who gave me- to our con-
morial gifts. gregation.
There is a Memorial Book in the dis-
The accumu-
play case in the Narthex. This re-
lated funds are used for specific memo-
cords the people remembered and
rial projects such as the Memorial Book
the projects made possible by the
Display case.
fund. There is also a section in the
P age 4
Contemplative Retreat
I invite you to join me for a
weekend contemplative retreat
on the theme A Servant Way of
Life.
Spiritual growth takes time. It
requires unhurried listening,
and close attention to God’s
Word in the company of others
who also seek God’s will. The
retreat will offer you time to
quiet your soul, to give focused
attention to the prompting of
the Holy Spirit in your life, to
connect with other Christians on
a deeper level, to receive spiri-
tual guidance, and to consider
what it means to be a servant of
God in today’s world.
One of the unique words used in
Scripture for the people of God
is “servant”. Jesus himself lived
and died as a servant. “I am
Healing...
The topic of our Thurs-
day evening Bible
studies the past few
months were “Healing”.
Amidst wonderful stories of healing
it can be challenging to keep faith
when our prayers for healing are not
being answered.
We often view healing as only physi-
cal and neglect to consider and pray
for emotional, relational and spiritual
healing. In some instances God may
even use physical illness to bring
about emotional or spiritual healing,
forcing us to review our priorities
and motives.
A wonderful book on the subject is
among you as one who serve,”
he said to his disciples (Luke
22:27) And to us he says,
“Whoever wants to be first must
be the last, and the servant of
all.” (Mark 9:35)
Come and explore with me
what Christ means when he
calls us to a servant way of life.
When: Friday January 30, 2009
(starting at 7:30 pm) to Sunday
February 1, 2009, (finishing at
1:30 pm)
Where: Rosemary Heights Re-
treat Centre, 3690 152nd Street,
Surrey, V3S 0L3
Fees: The fee of $170 per per-
son (single occupancy) or $150
per person (sharing) includes
accommodation for two nights,
as well as five meals and all re-
freshments.
Marva Dawn’s Being Well When
We’re Ill: Wholeness and Hope in
Spite of Infirmity. She explores the
struggles and challenges when living
with chronic illness or disabilities,
such as the worry and guilt, the loss
of meaning, as well as the loss of
confidence and trust that God is
present and personally loving.
Here is an excerpt from her book:
"Merciful and healing Lord,
for some reason which I do not
understand the usual pattern of
my daily life has been dis-
rupted…
Lord, sit beside me now and help
me to learn the purpose which
Ad ve nt 2008
Commuters are welcome. The
daily commuter fees are: $20 p/
person (no meals), $35 p/person
(1 meal), or $50 p/person (two
meals).
Retreat Leader: Gerard Booy
There is room for 30 people
only, so please register early.
Registrations are due on Decem-
ber 31, 2008 and full payment is
due by January 15, 2009. For
more information, contact
Gerard 604-467-1715
(revhaney.pc@telus.net)
this illness is to accomplish.
Help me to see how much and
how often I have relied on my
own strength, my own clever-
ness, my own ability.
Forgive my pride that will not let
me depend on you.
In my illness help me to see that I
am truly well when I remember
that I belong to You….
Fill me with the life of the Spirit,
that in Christ I may be blessed
and be a blessing to others.
Hear my prayer in Jesus' name.
Amen.”
 HP C News let t er
Women’s Group
Due to busy lives, trying to
balance the many work and
family demands, the
Women’s Group is commit-
ted to find easy, yet mean-
ingful ways of connecting
and serving. We feel it is
important for Christian
women to have a chance to
meet and share and we just
had our second annual
Christmas Potluck Dinner
last week to do just that.
Thanks to the hard work of
Tina Bucholz, our recipe
book was ready in time for
the bazaar and quite a few
were sold already. Thank you
Tina!
We are also in the process
of collecting food items and
Christmas gifts for two
Christmas Wish Lists
Gift Certificates for
 Food
 Jeans / Sweatpants
 Sport Clothing / Acces-
sories
 Football Cleats
 Snowboarding coat and
pants
 T-shirts / Sweatshirts
 Shoes
 West 49 / Stitches
 Music
 Mom & daughter activi-
ties
 Microwave (received)
 Perfume (received)
 Bookcase
 Shelving
 Baby Wipes
 Diapers (size 3 and up)
needy
families in our community.
The first family is a young
mother with a 3-month old
son and the second a big
family of 6 (mom,
dad,teenage daughter of 15
and three sons of 14, 11 and
9). We welcome all contri-
butions, please see the
“wish lists” below.
Please join us every 4th
Tuesday of the month at
7pm in the Church Library.
Contacts:
Kayla Gaudiuso
(kgaudiuso@hotmail.com)
Tina Bucholz
(cbucholz@telus.net)
 Baby For-
mula -
Enfalic
Birth
Plus
 Teething toys
 Baby Toys
 Hair Dryer
 Hair Straightener
 Alarm Clock / Radio
 Last 3 books of the
Twilight Series
 Sports stuff
 Piggy Bank
 Sports Theme “Bed-in-
a-Bag”
Other Ideas...
 Picture Frames / Al-
bums
 Disposable Camera /
Film Developing
 Chocolate
P ag e 5
Lines By A Soldier
Karin Breuer passed on this poem that she re-
ceived from her sister, who lives in Quesnel,
indicating that she found the outpouring of
the soul of a man who suddenly finds that
God is real very moving. Apparently a
local veteran kept it in his Bible - his
family found it there after he died, and it
was published in the local paper. The
identity of the soldier who wrote it isn't known, but
apparently it was found on his body in Italy by a sol-
dier from New York.
Look, God, I have never spoken to you,
But now I wsant to say "How do you do?"
You see, God, they told me you didn't exist,
And, like a fool, I believed all this.
Last night from a shell hole I saw your sky -
I figured right then they had told me a lie.
Had I taken the time to see things you made,
I'd have known they weren't calling a spade
A spade.
I wonder, God, if you'd shake my hand;
Somehow I feel that you will understand.
Funny I had come to this hellish place
Before I had time to see your face.
Well, I guess there isn't much more to say,
But I'm sure glad, God, I met you today.
I guess the "zero" hour will soon be here,
But I'm not afraid since I know you're near.
The signal! Well, God, I'll have to go;
I like you lots, this I want you to know.
Look, now, this will be a horrible fight -
Who knows, I may come to your house to-
night.
Though I wasn't friendly to you before,
I wonder, God, if you'd wait at your door.
Look, I'm crying! Me! Shedding tears -
I wish I had known you these many years.
Well, I have to go now,
God. Goodbye!
Strange, since I met you, I'm
not afraid to die.
Have you kids colour the picture of
Mary and Joseph with baby Jesus
and discuss as a family:
 What is the real gift we are cele-
brating at Christmas?
 What gifts can we bring this
Christmas and every day of the
year (especially things that do not
cost money)?
 How to create family traditions
that avoid secularism and focus on
the real meaning of Christmas.
(Consider for example getting a
Nativity Set and using an Advent
Calendar to discover the Bible
story and truths.

Senior Youth:
Book
20 December

A progressive
dinner (in South
Africa called a
“Safari Dinner”) is
Junior Youth Group (Grades 6 - 8)
planned for the senior youth on the
We invite all youth younger youth to mas
evening of December 20th. Please
grades 6 through 8 get together and story.
mark you calendars and sign up in
to join us every sec- socialize. Worked We will be
the narthex. The initial plan is for a
dressed up occasion, but more de- ond Friday 6:00 pm into our Friday night having meetings
tails will be provided. Please sign to 7:30 pm, the schedules is a bible two Fridays in a row
up now so we know how many more the merrier. study, snacks and starting on the 5th of
people to plan for. games. December.
The junior youth
group has been Presently we are
If you have input to share or PLEASE JOIN US!
running since the working on a music
any questions please contact Ricky
Spring of 2008. video for the Christ-
Newberry at 604 465 7065. Johnathan Booy &
It is a time for the mas Service, re-
Andrew Newberry
enacting the Christ-