Involvement … Greeters

by Karl | Dec 15, 2015 | Get Involved, Life Between Sundays, Weekly Bulletin

In recent “Round Table” we talked about different things we do around the church, things that are now done by a few, where others, if they knew about it, might be interested in helping and enjoy being involved. Last week we had an insert describing “ushers”, this week we talk about “greeters”

Each Sunday, people coming into church are welcomed warmly and given a copy of our “newsletter”, often with a hug. Our greeters work in pairs, to keep each other company and make it easier to greet if several people are coming in at once. Our greeters start at about 10:15 and greet people until worship starts at 10:30. Sometimes one or both will stay right there by the door into the service in case some arrive a little later.

Right now we have three pairs of greeters: Carolyn & Carolyn, Bonnie & Perley and Jeanne and Carole, so these pairs of greeters take their turns once every three weeks.

Our greeters help people to feel welcome when they come into the church, to feel encouraged. And it’s a funny thing: when you focus on making other people feel welcome and feel special, it makes you feel good too. Blessing others also blesses the blesser.

If you enjoy talking with people and think you might like to try being a greeter, talk to any of those who now take their turn greeting, and they can tell you what they do and what they like about being a blessing to others in this way.

This might work better if you and a friend decided to do this together. A husband and wife team works well; ask Bonnie and Perley, as they enjoy ministering to others together this way. Or perhaps a mother and daughter team might work, or father/son; or a couple of friends who enjoy doing things together.

If you feel shy, or are afraid you might not get it right, why not join with the greeters on a Sunday morning and see how it feels.

You might be pleasantly surprised at how blessing others with a warm greeting will also pour an extra dose of joy into your own morning!

So give it some thought, and give it a try!

— Eric Allaby

Taxes & Tithes

by Karl | Dec 15, 2015 | Life Between Sundays, Weekly Bulletin

At this time of year, when we are thinking about wrapping up our year and getting receipts to lower the income tax we must pay, we are reminded that it is our Christian duty to pay taxes just as it is to return our tenth back to God. In Matthew 22:21, Jesus says: “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.” Just as our tax is figured to “come off the top”, so is giving to God to be our priority.

In Caesar’s time, there was no government recognition of what believers gave to God, but now government appreciates the good work of churches and charities and returns back to you in the form of a tax credit a significant portion of what you donate to the church.

Based on the official receipts you turn in with your tax return, you can receive a credit that will reduce the tax you must pay.

While each person’s situation is different, some examples are listed below to give you an idea of what this might mean. In recent years, for an annual donation of $200 or less, the tax credit is 15% for federal tax and 9.68% for provincial tax. The portion of annual donations in excess of $200, give tax credits at rate of 29% federal and 17.95% provincial tax. If we look at tax tables, it is clear that for donation amounts over $200, the total credit percentages are actually much higher than the rate at which you pay tax!

For example, for 2014, for annual donation of $1,000, your total tax credit would be $424.96. For a donation of $2,000, your tax credit is $894.46. For an annual donation of $3,000, your tax credit is $1,363.96. An annual donation of $5,000 reduces the tax you pay by a total of $2,302.96. It will probably be quite similar for the current tax returns.

People often wonder how they can reduce the tax they must pay; one of the best ways to reduce your tax is to give to the Lord what is the Lord’s anyway. Although each person’s situation is different, this is probably the most effective way for average working people to reduce their income tax.

People love to growl about the taxes they pay; well, you do have a choice: you can choose to send your money to Ottawa, or you can help support the good work of your church on Grand Manan and get some of it back!

Not only will you be blessed by blessing others and our church through your personal worship of giving, but you will also have your income tax you must pay significantly lowered.

— Eric Allaby

The Love Transfusion

by Karl | Dec 14, 2015 | Sermons

Monday ReCap

by Karl | Dec 14, 2015 | Life Between Sundays, Uncategorized

On Further Reflection

I normally work at home on Monday morning and it is a beautiful one to do just that. The ladies are gathering at the church about now for their Life Group Christmas party. This Monday morning group is a lively one. It encourages me so much to see them gather and enjoy themselves as they do.

I took my son to the wharf this morning at 5:15am and he is on the high seas today, doing what so many Grand Manan-ers are at this time of year. I am grateful that he is having this experience and that he has someone who allows him the work. Elaine is filling in at the school today. She loves her work there.

It is natural on Monday mornings for me to review the service in my mind and heart. My heart still feels the weight of Jon’s concern yesterday and I am praying for him even now. Melissa Badger was unable to be out yesterday for physical battles that she faces. I am praying for Melissa. Eric & Berneta are on the move as per usual and my prayers are with them as they walk together through sickness … in sickness and in health … I remember those words almost 40 years ago now. Praying for Vick & Sheila, Carl, Rob, Claude, Bonnie, and the list just keeps on going. These are physical cares and concerns represented in my prayers.

I am also praying for the spiritual needs of loved ones today in my family and the others. It is no less a concern and perhaps even more. In recent years especially as I pray, I can quite literally feel the weight. Often it movers me to tears.

If we could just fix things …

God can fix things but rarely in the way that we might … and I am grateful for that.

If Christmas is to bring us Hope, Love, Peace and Joy, it will be in the Person of Christ. So that’s where I am looking. The holiday changed for me once I made that change. Like so many others, it was more depressing than joyous as I looked in all the wrong places. Not wrong in terms of evil but wrong as in “not right“. The biggest challenge for me was to extract myself from the centre of the universe. I would never have said that the world revolved around me but I acted and thought as though this were the case. And when the world didn’t cooperate, I was down in the dumps. God wasn’t quite so real. People didn’t care as much as they should have. You know how it goes.

The more I think of me, the less I think of God and the more I think of God, the less I think of me. – KI

It is such an unhealthy place to be self-absorbed. Again I speak of the tragedy of this perspective not right or wrong. It is so natural for all of us to see the world as it relates to us. But there are other people in our world and many of them are having an experience that is different from our own.

So I am not giving up on a Merry Christmas. I’m on a roll actually. For the past few years, it has happened for me. It has to do with thinking more of others and thinking more of God. (both quantitatively and qualitatively)

This week, I get to go to the Nursing Home with Jean, to distribute some gifts to the residents. I can just about guarantee that I won’t be thinking of Karl during that time. I get to practice with Vera who is playing in church next Sunday. That is a privilege and I’ll be so busy trying to follow her that I’ll forget about me. I’ll give Alice a guitar lesson. That will be fun because I know that I can teach her and I remember how good it felt when I was learning to play the guitar. That makes me happy to think about sharing a skill. I get to serve a wonderful local church this week. Really … one that I love because it is so unusual and I needed that more than you can ever appreciate. You wondered if you were too different. My heart sang as I discovered each nuance of the working of God in the lives of our fellowship. I know it was difficult but I am glad that you stepped away from the status quo. That took courage.

I do feel bad about the message yesterday. I always enjoy hearing you talk more about your own experience with God. And I wanted to finish the message … but God knows and I am trusting Him with the results.

Lord jesus … be with our folks this week in whatever experience of life they know. I ask that you would make yourself more real than their circumstance. Be bigger than their problems and strong in their weakness and failing. Pick them up when they stumble. Love them in their most critical moments as an ever-loving Father only could. Let the scriptures bring light to their path. Make them hope for those who have lost hope. Build your Kingdom here and now, I pray. Amen.