Read The Cornerstone - St. Andrew's newsletter

The Reverend Mark MacLean is our minister. He is a caring, involving, and innovative minister of The United Church of Canada. He brings a notable repertoire of work to our community, involving work in Eastern and Western Canada, and Papua-New Guinea. He has worked in the General Council Office of The United Church of Canada supporting existing, and developing new, resources for worship and leadership training for ministers, musicians and lay leaders. His call into ministry is based on his joy of liturgical creativity, understanding of the Word, and leading in spiritual worship. He has been a a pastor in demanding situations, and is known for his compatibility and creativity. He has created many programs for youth, developed marketing campaigns, increased congregational membership and participation. He has worked as a university chaplain. He has managed large projects and believes in team building. He is urban, extremely energetic, very direct and highly creative.

Monday: 9-5
Tuesday: 9-12
Wednesday: 9-5
Thursday: 9-12 (afternoon hospital visits)
Friday: off

Message from the Minister
October 5, 2008 sermon

Hallelujah for this Sanctuary in the City based on the Cornerstone of Jesus the Christ – Praise to the Lord – we’re here for another century! We’ve heard three words today that I’ll draw your attention to – Hallelujah, Cornerstone and Sanctuary. We’ve heard them all before and I’m sure we have a sense of what they mean but how do they impact us here today in this celebration. Christianity is sometimes accused of being far too jargon based, far too inaccessible to the uninitiated. I beg to differ. I don’t believe that we are limiting language or meaning but simply using to its fullest capacity, exploring meaning and implication for simple things like words. I don’t know a poet or a lawyer who would say words are simple things. To seek simple answers, to demand black and white was not the call of Jesus in his life or ministry. To wrestle with life faithfully, to engage the community honestly and to live together lovingly was his call.

            As Christians we’ve understood Hallelujah to be the cry of joy the for proclamation for the Gospel, the celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ – yet its roots precede this. Hallelujah is the Hebrew term for the call of the whole community to offer a loud song of praise to God in a wild and raucous, God forbid, boisterous manner – not very Presbyterian! In essence Hallelujah is our communal song to God – a song of thankfulness and praise. When we cry Hallelujah we call the whole of creation into a passionate plea to our Creator.

            We’ve heard a lot about Cornerstones today; the Ten Commandments – cornerstones of our civil system of justice and moral guideposts; Bill Pr 3 – St. Andrew’s United Church Act 2008 our new private members bill – cornerstone of the future of this congregation; the parable of the Vineyard from Matthew – Jesus Christ the Cornerstone of our faith – Hallelujah for them all! The image of the cornerstone comes to us from the same rich Hebrew tradition that Hallelujah came from, The Psalms. The age old songs of praise and lament singing of God’s loving action in the world journeying with the chosen nation of the Israelites. The cornerstone was essential to construction in Matthew’s day for in it knit the walls together – it was the core strength of a structure.

            Those who had the responsibility for selection of a cornerstone took their work very seriously. In our gospel reading today the landowner creates a beautiful and fruitful vineyard to which he commits all his energy, love and resources and entrusts it to his staff and even his own son. He then invites tenants to the land and the midst of their frivolous folly they reject and so lose what was given freely. The key to understanding this parable today is that the image of the cornerstone Jesus uses signifies rejection. The cornerstone, the ministry and Word of Jesus was picked over, analyzed, tested and found wanting by the religious authorities of his day – a broken Hallelujah.

Each of us walks our own journey of spirituality and faith. We attempt to accept and uphold the ideals offered in the Ten Commandments and ministry of Jesus. Basically we try to be good people – yet we stumble and fall again and again. We must accept that we cannot go it alone and will never do it perfectly but we have a promise a new covenant – there is a new song.  The new song is a vision of faith revealed in the life, living and new life in Christ – it is a song of love, a rhythm of acceptance that destroys boundaries of class, race, culture and creed – the song of this Sanctuary in the City.

            Sanctuary a place of safety – not a place to hide from the world – not fortress to cower from all that challenges and disturbs us but a retreat; a refuge to be in which to be renewed, rejuvenated and walk in the Spirit so we might offer praise to God. Here we revel in and with a community committed to proclaiming Hallelujah.  Here we support the cornerstone of faith, spirituality and justice for people who are seeking so much more for their lives. From here we return to our lives and community with vision, faith and encouragement for our own journeys.

            This Sanctuary in the City is itself a cornerstone, a symbol of God’s just and loving action in the world. We, the next generation of faith, stumbling and imperfect as we are, have been are entrusted with its care. We must raise a boisterous song of Praise to our God.

HIGHLIGHTS OF SEPTEMBER 23, 2008, COUNCIL MEETING

• Congratulations and many thanks to Katherine Corlett, who has been re-appointed to the Mission through Finance Advisory Committee of the General Council.

• The 3-Year Capital Expenditures Plan has been refined by Mark Stoddart, Property Chair, and a sub-committee. This plan will be presented to the congregation at the congregational meeting to be held on Sunday, December 7, following the service. At that time, the budget for 2009 will also be presented to the congregation for approval.

• Dan Ferguson started as St. Andrew’s Property Coordinator on June 30, 2008, and has made great contributions in the short time he has been with us.

• Rev. Don Matheson was welcomed to St. Andrew’s as the Pastoral Care Minister on September 1, 2008. We look forward to working with him.

• Dexter Roberts, Director of Music, is on Short-Term Disability leave as of September 1, 2008. Steve Hunter has agreed to be our musical leader in the interim.

• The Worship Committee will now be organizing the Sacramental Visitation for the shut-ins, which will be four times a year. Rev. Matheson, Dianne Yaneff and Betsy Baldwin will be organizing a separate visitation chart to monitor the need for regular visits to the shut-ins and anyone else that requires visitation.

• Jean Iverson will be resigning as coordinator of the Narthex table as of January 2009. We thank her for her able service.

• The St. Andrew’s Night Potluck supper will be held on Friday, November 28.

• Funding was approved for the purchase of a new screen and projector for the Sanctuary, in memory of Margaret Deacon, and the relocation of the sound system to the gallery, through a generous donation from the Hunter-Page Unit and a contribution from the Memorial Fund.

• The first edition of the new Cornerstone newsletter has been distributed, thanks to the efforts of Janet MacPherson and the Communications Committee. The plan is to publish every six weeks.

• The new website launch is running a little behind, but should happen in the very near future.

• The St. James Town program is off to a successful start. Liz Mowat and Marlene Parker have volunteered to help with the after-school program. Julia Sunay and Karen Anderson will be working with the Youth Choir.

• The plans for worship services through to the Sunday before Advent were presented and approved by Council.

• A Discernment Committee was struck for Diane Meredith and approved by Council. The committee will be comprised of Miriam Skey, Courtland Thomson and Coreen Howard, along with two Presbytery representatives.

NEXT MEETING: The next Council meeting will be held on Tuesday, October 21, 2008.