News - St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church Markham

Just a Thought
Who are the problem people in your life? What family member irks you? Which of your neighbours is the most difficult? What co-worker bothers you? We aren’t called to like everyone. But we are called to love everyone. That is, to offer God’s grace, mercy, compassion and forgiveness. We aren’t called to be a mouse. But we are called to be meek. That is, to be confident that God will defend us even as we exercise humility. We don’t have to let people walk all over us like a doormat. But we are called to be peacemakers, to be gentle, and to be filled with God’s Spirit. When we seek God’s best for others (and us) in every relationship, our problems begin to fade in importance.James 3:17-18
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

Join us for worship online this Sunday, by our
Youtube Channel (at anytime).This Sunday, Peter will be speaking on “The Jesus Centred Life and Living Water” based on John 7:37-39. This is the Bible Builders Church School theme for this week. We hope you can join us.

On Aug 1 and Sept 5, we will worship both online (YouTube) and in-person (Outdoor service). Starting September 12, we plan to be in the sanctuary for worship every Sunday, following public health guidelines. We will adjust our plan as necessary going forward. See our re-opening plan here! We plan to keep our online YouTube worship running as well.

You may access our service by telephone. See near the bottom of this email for information.
___________________________________

Upcoming Sermons

July 18 [Youtube] – Covenant with the Lord – Hosea 11:1-11
July 25 [Youtube] – All For One Sunday – The Jesus Centred Life and Living Water – John 7:37-39
Aug 1 [Outdoor Service] – Communion – Spiritual Worship – Romans 11:33-12:3
Aug 8 [Youtube] Clyde Ervine
Aug 15 [Youtube] Ian Clark
Aug 22 [Youtube] Catherine Clark
Aug 29 [Youtube] Clyde Ervine
Sept 5 [Outdoor service] Worship Together – Colossians 3:12-17
___________________________________
Youth & Family News

The (online) Bible Builders Summer Storytime and Church School have begun! Stay up to date on our stories and discussions each week with this link. http://standrews-markham.ca/bible-builders-church-school-2/

Giving Hope to Others

___________________________________

Evangel Hall

Thank you to Cate Bokhout for making the delivery of sandwiches and clothing in June.
Evangel Hall is now accepting adult clothing… they are most in need of: new underwear, long johns, rain/spring jackets, t-shirts, sweatshirts, jeans, pants, shorts, running shoes, tents, sleeping bags, large sturdy backpacks.

Our next Sandwich delivery will be on the fourth Wednesday of the month: July 28. Bring them on that day from 8:30 am to 9:30 am to the back (east) door of the church. Thank you to the many who contribute to this ministry!

___________________________________

Markham Food Bank

Most needed food items:
cookies, hot cereal, jam, canned salmon, instant oatmeal, evaporated milk, vegetarian soup
canned kidney beans, sidekick pasta or rice pouches, can mixed vegetables

Feel free to drop off your non-perishable donation at grocery stores or fire halls. Or consider an online donation through Canada Helps – Markham Food Bank

Church Family News

Katrine Howe turned 100 years old in April. She lives at Amica Unionville.Aileen Gibbins passed away on July 15, 2021. Aileen was part of the Lunch & Mingle team at church. We will miss her.

Marlene (and John) Buie’s mother, Velma Reeves passed away on July 18, 2021, in Thunder Bay, Ontario. She was 95 years old.

Do you have any news or prayer requests to share with the St. Andrew’s church family? Please let Peter know about it. (You can reply to this email)

Church Events

____________________________

Bazaar News

THE PLANNING IS COMING ALONG!

It is quite exciting to be planning for the Virtual Thanksgiving Market to be held in October, plus a real in-person Christmas Bazaar-like celebration to be held on Saturday, November 6th, followed by a Virtual Christmas Market and Silent Auction in December!

Most of our efforts right now are going into the in-church event. Having New-to-You, Collectibles, and Jewellery together in Fellowship Hall is something that, to the best of my knowledge, has not been done before. These popular Venues do not lend themselves very well to a Virtual format, so this is an opportunity for you to enjoy this shopping experience once again, in a more
spacious way. A special Thank You to Don Williams and the Board of Managers for ensuring we have enough tables, and for working out a layout with us! There will be lots of space for social distancing, and we have even added a Christmas Corner, well, because it is a Christmas Bazaar-like celebration, right?

Santa respectfully reminds us that this is only one step in returning to our traditional full-scale live Christmas Bazaar, hopefully next year. But for this year, if we all remain mindful of the recommendations from the government, including getting our vaccinations, we should be fine in gathering together on November 6 th , in the numbers which will be allowed at that time. This will be an
exciting opportunity to meet and greet each other once again!

It is our plan to include the Crafts Catalogue, of course, in both of our Virtual events, and we now believe we can host a Crafts Table in the Nursery Room on November 6th as well. Convenor Jean Port would like to ask for donations of new Christmas fabric and baby flannelette, as well as crafted articles of any kind. She would also appreciate receiving these items early, to prepare. Please call Jean at 905-294-7966 to arrange pick-up.

As always, your participation is critical to the success of this annual Outreach opportunity.
Thank you, and please stay tuned for more details.
Roseanne Dumitru, Convener

_________________________________

Switched on Senior

Always Thursday at 11 a.m.
All Seniors are always welcome and it’s always FREE!

UPCOMING SESSIONS
July 22nd – Lorne Smith, Local Historian
July 29th – Terrence Pochmurski, Wills and POAs

SUMMER BREAK!
Switched on Seniors will take their Summer break in August and restart Zoom programmes on September 9th!

ADVANCE NOTICE!
Be prepared for in-person meetings-we are planning to start in October-more news to follow.

To join the meeting all you have to do is Click Here.
Get all of the Switched On news at www.switchedonseniors.com

____________________________
Masks

There are plenty of masks available at the church. They are $5.00 each and can be found outside Peter’s office. If you need assistance, please call your elder or call Jean Port at 905 294 7966. Currently, the funds raised are being credited to the Iona Quilters Holding Account.

Thank you for your ongoing support.
Jean
____________________________
Flowers in the Sanctuary
In Joy and Sadness, Flowers are our Constant Friends

The presence of a Floral Arrangement, at the front of the Church during the taping of each Sunday service, is a warm reminder of the friendship and fellowship we experience when we worship together.

Some have chosen to place a commemorative donation of flowers on the Communion Table. The images recorded will be preserved so people can delight in seeing your gift repeatedly, over an extended period of time. After the taping, your flowers can be returned to you to enjoy in your home.

On behalf of the Decorating Committee, anyone who wishes to continue this time-honoured tradition can call me at 905-294-2386 and we can discuss your request.

Sincerely, Roseanne Dumitru

____________________________

The National Presbyterian Women’s Gathering is Coming: May 2022
www.wmspcc.ca
____________________________

Join us for an online prayer meeting.
We welcome you… if you love to pray or if you simply want to observe. It will be good to meet and pray together.

Peter Ma is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: Prayer Group
Time: Aug 3, 2021 1:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting here or call in:
1. Call one of these local phone numbers for Zoom: 647-374-4685 or 647-558-0588
2. When asked, type in the meeting ID: 835 6150 2210 #
3. Skip participant ID by pressing #
4. Enter password: 4736 #

_________________________________

Giving to St. Andrews

Send an e-transfer to givetostandrews@gmail.com with your contact information in the optional message so we can issue a tax receipt to you. (More info: http://standrews-markham.ca/give/)

2. Cheque
Mail to St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 143 Main Street North, Markham ON, L3P 1Y2
For your convenience, post-dated cheques are also accepted.

Another possibility is Pre-Authorized Remittance, which allows for a monthly withdrawal from your bank account. Ask Velma or Peter for more information.

________________________________

The Church Building is Closed – but we have not gone away

Even though our building is closed, we are here for you. Join our online service. telephone worship, prayer meeting or Zoom Bible study. We have active Choir and Fitness groups. If you need help in anyway, please let us know. Peter (416) 459-2207.

_________________________________

Small Group Bible Studies

We have a Small Group Bible Study meeting on Wednesday evenings by Zoom video. If you are interested in studying the Bible in a friendly and welcoming environment, let Peter know.

_________________________________
Church NewsletterOur Communicator Newsletter for Spring 2021 is available: Click here to download
Thanks to Cyntra Seebaransingh.
________________________________________
Access our worship service by telephone
(for those who don’t have Internet access)

Connect by telephone on Sunday at 10:30 am (a little earlier is better).
It’s a local phone call to Zoom conferencing, along with a meeting id and password.

1. Call one of these local phone numbers for Zoom: 647-374-4685 or 647-558-0588
2. When asked, type in the meeting ID: 786 2061 5001 #
3. Skip participant ID by pressing #
4. Enter password: 4736 #

This will be the same information each Sunday at 10:30 am.
Please consider passing this information on to anyone who might benefit.