For a long time, there was a person searching for the perfect church. One day, that seeker came across an old saying: “If you find the perfect church, do not join it, because you’ll ruin it!”
As we reflect on the sacred text we have just read together, I, as the minister of the amalgamated congregation of Knox Glenarm and St. Andrew’s Fenelon Falls, have asked myself two important questions, despite our imperfections as a church: “What are some things I am proud of regarding our church today?” and “What are the goals that God has given our church to fulfill in the future?”
To address the first question, I am grateful to witness the wonderful ministries God has been accomplishing through our church over the past years. Among many blessings, I would like to highlight three divine characteristics of our congregation in this sermon.
Firstly, God has been pleased with the unity of our church members and friends, particularly the mutual relationship between the two former congregations. Even before the amalgamation project began in early 2022, both churches had faithfully worked together on God’s mission with a harmonious spirit since 1938. After the merger plans were approved by our Presbytery in the spring of 2022, the Joint Leadership Team – comprising each church’s session, board members, and other representatives – continued to handle congregational matters in a godly manner. Under the leadership of the late Bill Hoyle, I observed that all discussions about the amalgamation were conducted respectfully, and decisions were thoughtfully made with unanimous consent during the Leadership Team meetings. Members from both congregations listened to one another and cared for the needs of each church.
One thoughtful initiative from these joint meetings was the creation of a small but significant museum dedicated to Glenarm Church. Many memorial artifacts and meaningful items from Glenarm Church were relocated to the sanctuary of St. Andrew’s Fenelon Falls. This is a profound example of the deep respect and honor for Glenarm Church’s legacy. Another testament to the togetherness between the two former churches is related a recent maintenance project on the church roof. For your information, the south side of St. Andrew’s church roof were installed in 2015 under the leadership of Mark Mitchell, who was the chair of the Board at the time. Reflecting on this project, Mark, now the Clerk of St. Andrew’s Session, wrote in the 2023 Session Report: “Fast forward to 2023 and our newly amalgamated church of St. Andrew’s in Fenelon Falls has completed its first full year of operation. With the north side of the church roof now also protected by steel, I am struck by the symbolic comparison. Both sides, and both congregations, now united under one roof, together as one, and protected by God’s shielding presence…” This statement offers a wonderful insight into the completion of the church roof. In the Bible, the frequent phrase “one another” reveals the oneness of our spiritual journey. God has blessed our united spirit of serving Him with one another, caring for each other, and working for God’s Kingdom together as a heavenly team.
Secondly, God has been delighted with the devoted hearts of our church members and friends. In my humble opinion, as royal people of God, you have remained loyal to His church and His people. Sometimes we may see ourselves as a small, rural congregation compared to other churches. However, in God’s eyes, we may be tiny, but we are mighty. Consider what God has done through the former churches in the past, what He is doing in our amalgamated church today, and what He will continue to do in the future. While watching the video presentations today, we have been recalled of those previous graceful times in God. Before the Covid-19 era, I was amazed to see so many of you coming together, helping, and enjoying our churches’ various events, all driven by your hardworking spirit.
When the pandemic began, we launched virtual worship services via Zoom. We were grateful to God for His provision during that challenging period, enabling us to reach more people than ever before through live streaming. At one point, the number of Zoom participants reached around 55. For your reference, some people from the Woodville and Bolsover churches joined us, and worshippers came not only from the City of Kawartha Lakes but also from different regions, even overseas. Since then, many attendees have stepped forward to serve in our hybrid services as scripture readers, prayer leaders, storytellers, presenters, musicians, announcers, PowerPoint creators, and more. On behalf of the congregation, I cannot adequately express our gratitude to those who take on multiple duties. God sees all the hearts and strength you have dedicated to His church and will reward each of you abundantly in Heaven.
Thirdly, God has been pleased with the loving environment our church members and friends have created. In my homeland, there is a saying: “Challenges get smaller when shared with one another, and joyful news get bigger when shared with one another.” This wisdom applies to our amalgamated congregation and to the times of our two former churches. For example, sharing pastoral concerns through prayer requests has been particularly powerful in our church. One unique spiritual task we have been doing since 2012 is the Prayer Shawl Ministry, coordinated by Donna Schley. Ove the past 13 years, more than seventy prayer shawls have been distributed to members and friends of our church and the wider community. On behalf of the congregation, I want to take this opportunity to thank those who have knitted these shawls with heartfelt prayers for their future recipients. Imagine the countless stitches they have cast into these shawls! Beyond presenting these sacred gifts, our church also supports those in need through our congregational prayer chains. Our dedicated communicators, Barb Silver and Donna Schley, have faithfully sent prayer appeals to our church members and friends.
In addition to the prayer shawls and chains, numerous pastoral cards have been sent to those in need under the St. Andrew’s Women of the Church, organized by Sharon Dawson. One recipient recently asked me to convey his gratitude for this ministry, expressing his thankfulness for being remembered not only by God but also our church members. God has blessed us as a caring church, using our loving spiritual hearts to support the people in our community.
I could share even more about our church’s wonderful godly attributes and mention many more names, but God knows all the works you, as His people, have been doing for His Glory.
Now, let us revisit the second question raised at the beginning of this message: What are the purposes God wants us, as His church, to press toward in the coming days? One of the main goals, as expressed by the Apostle Paul in his epistle, is to know Christ more deeply and to become more like Him. Although Paul had accomplished many things in service to the Lord, he did not rest on his past achievements. Instead, he pressed forward, pursuing God’s current direction and seeking to fulfill the visions God had given him.
In the same way, God has provided us with His plans through our church’s “Mission Statement” and “Inclusive Declaration.” I believe these guiding documents clearly describe the goals that God wants us to pursue in the days ahead. From these, we can draw three foundational ministerial objectives, alongside building our church on the Word of God and prayer. These sacred principles are not new to us; they are the same guidelines we have upheld since our church’s foundation.
Firstly, God calls us to be continuously united and to accomplish our church’s mission together. As Christ’s church, we are called “to communicate faith, hope, and love by supporting and serving our congregation and the local community.” God wants us to embrace and share these three Christian virtues: “Faith, Hope, and Love” (1 Corinthians 13:13). We believe that we are saved and forgiven in Christ alone – this is our faith. We desire eternal life and long to enter the Kingdom of Heaven – this is our hope. We want to worship God with all our hearts and love others as we love ourselves – this is our love. All these godly cornerstones are meant for everyone: “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). This is the Good News that God calls us to continually spread within our community.
Though our merged congregation may still be small in terms of numbers, in God’s eyes, again, we are significant because of our spirit of unity and togetherness. Remember the origin of our church’s name, St. Andrew’s. Do you know what “two plus five” is in God’s calculation? It’s not just seven – it’s 5,000 or even more! When Jesus asked His disciple Andrew to bring Him what he had, Andrew offered not just what was visible but also what was possible, presenting five loaves and two fish. We are all called to be like Andrew.
I appreciate the familiar saying: “I cannot do everything, but I can do something.” Imagine what can happen when we, as a small group of Christ followers, undertake God’s mission together. If each of us dedicates our hearts to Christ and brings our “two fish and five loaves” – our God-given gifts, no matter how small or great – and asks for His blessing upon them in unison, we can serve the Lord in ways beyond our imagination. We can reach out not only to those in Glenarm and Fenelon Falls but also to people beyond these physical boundaries.
Secondly, God calls us to diligently commit our God-blessed resources for the Kingdom of God. When we do this, God will continue to supply His resources for our church. I have previously mentioned some of the challenging situations that churches at both local and presbytery levels have faced before, during, and after Covid-19. Stan Wray, our representative to the presbytery, can share more about this situation. Currently, our presbytery consists of 25 or 26 congregations, but almost two-thirds of these churches do not have ministers. Like many other churches, we at St. Andrew’s Fenelon Falls may face challenges in the future. However, we have repeatedly experienced God’s provision in our ministry.
For instance, some time ago, Knox Glenarm faced financial difficulties in maintaining the church. The congregation prayed about this for more than a year. One day, the Glenarm treasurer, Bill Hoyle, shared from the pulpit that God had answered our prayers through a generous bequest from the late Alex Landall. Alex and his sister had attended several church activities, especially the July 1st Picnic, and had found joy and value in the ministry of Glenarm. That God-given gift, along with many other thoughtful contributions, not only boosted Glenarm’s financial reserves but also served as a powerful sign that God had heard our prayers and blessed our dedication to His ministry. Our church treasurer, Dan Schley, often states and stresses the famous saying, “Money follows mission.” As God’s church, we do not simply plan His ministry based on what we have; rather, we prayerfully set our hearts on what God wants us to do. Your presence, prayers, and partnership with this assembly have strengthened God’s ministries in Fenelon Falls and its surrounding areas. Like you, I firmly believe that God will continue to provide what we need, in His timing and in His way, as long as we keep doing what is right before the Lord.
Thirdly, God calls us to be a more loving and caring fellowship for all people, whether they are inside or outside the church. Our church’s inclusive statement echoes this invitation: “At St. Andrew’s, we believe that we are all one in Christ, regardless of age, ethnicity, culture, gender, sexual orientation, and physical or mental ability. We welcome into our church everyone who seeks to love God and participate in an open and supportive congregation that is grounded in the teachings of Jesus Christ. The journey of Christian faith is ongoing, and we continuously pray for God’s guidance as we listen to and learn from one another.” As this statement indicates, God wants us to respect one another in our God-given diversity and uniqueness. Alongside this openness, God also calls us to be compassionate toward those who are vulnerable and isolated in our society. We believe that God’s love, expressed in words and deeds, is for all people. Together, we can make our church a more welcoming place.
I recently read a story about a divine assembly that beautifully illustrates this theme: “There was once an old monastery that had fallen on hard times… The hermit welcomed them but could only offer a simple message: “One of you is a special apostle of God.” … Over time, the monastery flourished again, becoming a vibrant center of faith and spiritual growth.” In the church, we are gathered with many who are different from us. Yet, our common goal is to know Christ and become like Him. We can overcome all differences when we build our fellowship on the love of God.
Our church is far from perfect, and we have many weaknesses. But our church is also full of people who desire to follow Christ’s New Command: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this, everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13-34-35). This is what God wants St. Andrew’s to be known for. It is not our building, history, or tradition that shows the world we are Christ’s followers – it is our love and care for each other.
To conclude this anniversary sermon, I urge all of us, as Christ’s church and Christ’s followers, to reflect on the Apostle Paul’s goal and his attitude toward it during his faith journey. Like Paul, God wants us to fix our eyes on Jesus, the Alpha and the Omega – the Beginning of our spiritual journey and the End. Let us renew our passion to fully follow Christ, who has completed His Goal. What incredible experiences await us when we dedicate ourselves to God, who has done great things in the past and continues to work today and in the days to come? What a wonderful new season we will enter if we press on toward our God-given purposes together, wholeheartedly offering ourselves as loving and caring disciples of Christ in our daily lives! Amen!
*This sermon reflects portions of my minister’s 2024 message and is inspired by Philippians 3:7-14.