Celebrating Successful Ministry Past, Present and Future at the Induction Service for Rev. Michael J. Marsden
OAKVILLE, Ontario – February 19, 2007 – It was a full house as hundreds filled the pews at Knox Presbyterian Church in Oakville, Ontario to witness the induction service for the Reverend Michael J. Marsden.
The induction service had both a local and an international flavour. Reverend Kristine O’Brien of Trafalgar Presbyterian Church in Oakville conducted the service. Reverend O’Brien is the Moderator for the Presbytery of Brampton. Reverend Howard Sullivan of Knox Presbyterian Church in Milton delivered the charge to the Minister and Congregation. While Reverends O’Brien and Sullivan didn’t need to travel far to attend the induction, the guest preacher, Reverend David Cartledge, Moderator Designate of the United Free Church of Scotland, flew in from the United Kingdom for the special event.
Reverend Cartledge’s sermon was “A God-Given Prayer for a God-Given Ministry” and focused on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, Chapter Three, verses 16 to 21:
I pray that, according to the riches of His glory, He may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through His Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
Reverend Cartledge stressed that Paul’s heartfelt and timeless prayer for the early Christians in Ephesus is just as applicable today to Reverend Marsden, Knox Oakville and every member of the Knox congregation engaged in ministry for Christ.
The induction service was truly an all ages affair. Longstanding members of the congregation took part in several key elements of the service, while 7-year-old Amiens Fowler gave a confident and cheerful reading from Psalm 119.
The service featured inspirational hymns sung by both the Senior Choir and the Knox Praise Team. A talented group of musicians provided stunning accompaniment to the Senior Choir on the flute, trumpet, violin and saxophone.
Throughout the service, the congregation was belting out such popular hymns as “And Can It Be” with great joy and fervour. By the time the induction service closed to the strains of “I The Lord of Sea and Sky,” the singing was so loud and jubilant, that it was surely heard throughout the downtown core!
In a unique twist to the typical induction service for Presbyterian churches, Reverend Marsden is well known to the congregation at Knox. Reverend Marsden served the congregation as Associate Minister for nearly six years. The Knox Session took the unusual step of asking the Presbytery whether they could initially restrict the call process to the Associate Minister before opening it up to other candidates. After a thorough process by the Interim Moderator and the Search Team, the decision was made to offer the position to Reverend Marsden. When the congregation had the opportunity to determine whether or not to endorse this decision and extend the call to Reverend Marsden, nearly 95% of the church members voted in favour of inviting him to serve as the Minister. This is one of the highest approval ratings in the church’s 174-year history.
The extremely high approval rating is a tremendous validation of the work Reverend Marsden has done at Knox during the past six years. He has worked at developing the church’s early service with its blend of both traditional and contemporary worship elements, and he introduced a two-year Discipleship Course (The 2:7 Series). Reverend Marsden also re-introduced the ALPHA program as a means of outreach to the wider community of Oakville.
“At Knox we value our Presbyterian roots and rich traditions,” said Reverend Marsden. “At the same time, we value the direction in which the Holy Spirit has yet to lead us. This is especially true of worship at Knox, where we celebrate our strong heritage while embracing new, innovative and contemporary styles of worship. Worship is all about an encounter with God, and with others. God is not limited to, or constrained by, one style of worship.”
Before arriving in Oakville in 2001, Reverend Marsden spent 23 years in service to God in the United Kingdom. In 1978, Reverend Marsden and his wife Yvonne committed their life to Christ while he was employed by a Christian mission for fishermen and their families. Since then, he has witnessed for Christ as a Student Pastor and as a Minister. Reverend Marsden also served as the Training Development Officer for the United Free Church of Scotland. In this capacity, he was responsible for equipping ministers and congregations with the resources they needed for Mission and Evangelism work.
Reverend Marsden graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Glasgow University in 1991. He and Yvonne have been married for almost 30 years. They have two children and four grandchildren living in the United Kingdom.
The induction service for Reverend Marsden took place at 7:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 11 at Knox Presbyterian Church. A reception followed the induction service for Reverend Marsden. Yvonne Marsden and Interim Moderator Sean Foster were presented with gifts from the Knox Oakville Session and the congregation.
Reverend Michael J. Marsden is the 18th Minister to serve at Knox Presbyterian Church. Founded in 1833, the church is 174 years old, and predates the founding of the Town of Oakville by 23 years. Knox Oakville is one of the largest Presbyterian congregations in Canada. Located at the corner of Lakeshore Road and Dunn Street in Downtown Oakville, the congregation has a vibrant and longstanding mandate of developing empowered and loving Disciples of Christ. Knox Presbyterian Church offers two Sunday services, at 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Loving childcare for infants and preschoolers and stimulating programs for school age children are provided during both services. Church activities, announcements and upcoming events can be found at www.knoxoakville.com.
