10 May

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Reflecting as we enter our 175th year

by Laurie Watt in St. Andrew's

Too often, we measure in years – and as St. Andrew’s celebrated its 174th anniversary this week, there were lots of reasons to celebrate.

Just imagine downtown Barrie in 1849. The town was located in Upper Canada. Confederation was still 18 years away. Yet there were faithful Scots Christians who would gather for worship, and they established the Presbyterian faith community that would become St. Andrew’s.

A church is a community. Worshipping, making music and serving the community were important right from the start – that first day Sept. 17, 1843. We mark our anniversary as 1849, when the Barrie Presbyterian Church was established, and it’s now known as St. Andrew’s Barrie within the larger Presbyterian community in Canada.

Through the years, our people have embraced outreach and service projects including the first community sing-song in Queen’s Park on Aug. 17, 1923, the opening of Barrie Out of the Cold in January 1998, and support for refugees from Vietnam (1970s/1980s) and Syria (2016/17).

This year, we introduced the Little Winter Warmers Tree, to provide warmth for anyone who needed mitts, hat, a scarf or gloves. Ultimately it’s about people and caring for people, just as our Lord taught us.

The years are actually days, days filled with opportunities to share God’s love.

Sometimes those days are dark, grey and discouraging. Our fire in February was a dark event, but we know that God uses events such as this to refine our faith and get us thinking about what is important. We were reminded that what we own can be stolen or destroyed, through no fault or negligence of our own. It doesn’t feel fair or doesn’t seem right, but we know that these dark valleys are something we pass through – and we will come out the other side.

We know that Jesus comforted His disciples in the midst of the storm on the boat and He promised that as He left them, He would still care for them. John 14 :1 is a simple verse, a promise and an assurance. The image from the Presbyterian Church of the USA features tulips, one of the earliest spring flowers – blooms that emerge from bulbs put in the ground and left to God’s care before the harsh winter weather.

We continue to walk together and serve in Barrie as we begin our 175th anniversary year. We don’t know what is in store, but we do know that God’s unfailing love and grace will guide us as we continue to worship and serve.

It’s a day-by-day challenge. And perhaps we are back to sharing the light as we witness.

Be the reason someone feels seen, heard and loved. Simple. Just as Jesus loved us, we endeavour each day to share that same love. Day by day.

02 May

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Using tech to hear our Shepherd’s voice

by Laurie Watt in St. Andrew's, Worship

Money, some say, is the root of all evil. Actually, it’s the love of money that’s a cause for concern, because as Jesus notes, we can’t serve two masters. Another more modern take on the two masters could be our smart phones, aka our handy technology. It is too easy to allow our smartphone to be our master.

I began thinking about this as Rev. Joanne discussed John 10:1-10 and Psalm 23 – passages which describe Jesus as our Good Shepherd. She talked about the sheep enclosure, the gatekeeper and the shepherd.

Today, we are bombarded with information. How many notifications do you get on your phone each day?

Too many! There are notifications from apps, magazines, deal sites, messages from friends, and voicemails from missed phone calls. Open Facebook or any other social media app, and undoubtedly there are more notifications there alerting you to something a friend has posted on their timeline or a new post in a group.

So how do we prevent technology from being our master, but instead use it so we can hear the calm, comforting voice of the Good Shepherd?

Rev. Joanne noted her husband has a Bible app, which whenever he opens his phone, an encouraging verse pops up – and he has to read it before he can go tend to reading emails, messages or making a call. Perhaps, I thought, this would be worth a try – but then I imagined how frustrating dealing with the pop-up verse that would inevitably slow me down and frustrate me. Perhaps it would work for some, but not someone like me who uses her phone for work and family communications.

Facebook – some say – can be dangerous. Indeed, the Facebook algorithm gives you more of what you “like” and interact with. It can be dangerous in that it can limit exposure to ideas, news or opinions that challenge your perspective. But, the algorithm can also recognize your faith journey and make suggestions based on who you already follow.

There are also Facebook groups in which like-minded Christians gather and share. St. Andrew’s private Facebook group is one such resource. In it, you will find an array of daily prayers and short contemplations, music, news from the Presbyterian Church in Canada and local social justice initiatives. There are several sources for daily prayers posted in this group, as well as on the public St. Andrew’s page on Facebook: as well as the Presbyterian Church in Scotland, sources include the Church of Scotland, the Presbyterian Church of the USA, Following Jesus, The Celtic Christian Tradition, Journeying and the Center for Action and Contemplation.

Facebook Pages can be quite helpful. Even friends’ pages can provide encouragement, particularly if you have a few friends who are ministers – and who take writing prayers as a mission. Former St. Andrew’s interim moderator Neal Mathers has had prayers published and lately he has not only been providing daily prayers, but musical pieces that he finds encouraging.

Some people I know are determined and somewhat proud that they’re not on Facebook. Facebook isn’t the answer to everything, but it can be a helpful platform for socializing and finding encouragement. It can be a place that introduces you to organizations and people who align with your values and which could be helpful on your faith journey.

Steven Charleston is a Native American elder, author and retired Episcopal bishop from Alaska. He blends indigenous spirituality with Christianity to deepen understanding of Divine love.

We are all different and we use technology differently. The fact is it can be a tool to help us grow closer to our Lord and enjoy fellowship with others when we are alone and receive encouragement when we are down. God can use technology!

Give Him the opportunity to use it to encourage you.

24 Apr

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Gardening – a practice of hope

by Laurie Watt in St. Andrew's

Certainly we are getting April showers… and we know there will be May flowers.

Perhaps this sounds trite or superficial, but each day brings new life and growth. The cycle that emerges in each of our gardens every spring, is most certainly a gift, an ongoing miracle that reminds us that the seeds and bulbs we planted or the birds scattered last fall will emerge in their time.

The crocus was the first to poke its head through the cold ground that was still covered in leaves to insulate my garden from winter. This week, the tulips are preparing to bud, but in the meantime, the mini grape hyacinths are sharing their beauty.

Caring for my garden is also an act of faith and of stewardship. We just wrapped up Earth Week, with Earth Day last Saturday. Each one of us endeavours to do our little part to contribute to caring for our earth, and together, we can make an impact.

Whether we live in a house or an apartment, many of us have gardens, whether in our backyard or perhaps on a balcony. The plants freshen our air and add a sense of life to what could be a sterile place. Their diversity shows how incredibly creative our God is.

Watch as the trees begin to bud and bloom. Some have blooms or flowers that are already bursting, while others are waiting for their time. The Barrie Arboretum in Sunnidale Park is home to an incredible diversity of trees, yet Wellington Street East will be beautiful in a week or two as trees buds burst open.

And so it is with St. Andrew’s, too, after our cold dark days after the fire in February. We know that God is at work, and life will bloom again on our downtown site. We are linking this hope with gardening – and encouraging those who shop at Bradford Greenhouses Garden Gallery to remember us before the cashier rings in their order.

In the bulb, there is a flower. Indeed, those bulbs planted in the cold days of fall are now budding.

Anticipation.

Promise. That’s what it is, a promise of beauty in due time.

Enjoy this musical piece, which rings through my head, heart and soul when the cold and dark seem all too dreary and discouraging. Promise – that’s the title of the music score.

13 Apr

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Sign up to serve food and hope

by Laurie Watt in Community, St. Andrew's

Let’s live the Easter message of love and hope.

Jesus – fully divine, fully human, and risen – makes all things new. We are new. We are heirs to an incredible hope, power and creativity.

How can we share these incredible gifts? We bring hope into the world, just as Jesus did.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus walked and talked with those on the margins of society: the Samarian woman at the well is a good example. She came from the socially-unacceptable side of the border – or in more-modern parlance, the wrong side of the tracks. She didn’t have a husband; she had five, and was with No. 6.

Jesus, however, broke down the barriers of nationality, religion and culture. He chose to share His gift with her and with us.

Today, in Barrie and in Canada more generally, we still have these unwritten rules. Perhaps in our post-pandemic world, we are starting to break down those barriers, since after all, we were all in survivor mode together as cases rose and peaked, made people sick and even took the lives of young and old.

Today, we face rising home-heating prices and grocery prices. Life feels like a struggle. More and more working families – families with working parents and children in school – are turning to food banks for help, according to Food Banks Canada.

The Barrie Food Bank reports use is up 60 per cent. More families than ever are needing help with the basics.

The food bank also stocks Little Food Pantries that offer sustenance for those on the margins. In the downtown core, there are pantries at Collier United and Trinity Anglican. We help to keep those who depend on these essential ministries fed.

On April 1, the Salvation Army ended its lunch and dinner program for those not in its shelter program. This creates an opportunity to serve and to help.

During the pandemic, the Salvation Army served more than 12,000 meals each month. Demand has dropped to serving 90 to 100 people per day, the Salvation Army reports, so the organization has handed that responsibility over to organizations like the Busby Centre, who work directly with those outside its shelter program. Instead, the Salvation Army says it will focus on transitional housing – another need.

Helping people get sheltered – and stay sheltered – opens up opportunities for self-sufficiency. It reinforces inclusion and ensures a basic need is met, so an individual can access other supports. The need for housing is indeed a critical one.

A similar meal program has been done before and it can be done again. When St. Andrew’s started Out of the Cold by opening our doors to those who had nowhere to sleep 25 or so years ago, we served meals. As the Out of the Cold grew, teams of volunteers prepared meals served in the churches that shared the sheltering. That program is now part of the Busby Centre’s mandate. We had also operated a soup kitchen on Sundays; the Salvation Army took over that task. Now serving meals is, once again, back in the hands of those who provide shelter for those who struggle with housing insecurity.

The Busby Centre needs volunteers to help make and serve lunch and dinner. Busby’s resource development coordinator Candace Gordon writes: “We have developed an on-line sign-up form for those who are interested in supporting the Community Meals through Busby Centre. This sign-up sheet can allow a group, or person, to register for a day of their choice to be able to bring a meal, and potentially help serve, if possible. If a group or individual would like to choose a recurring time spot, we can help to make that happen.

“The sign-up form can be found at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4DAFA623A6FBC61-busby2.

“There is no need to register to sign-up, simply find your date, time slot, select it, click sign up and presto, add email and group name and you’re done!”

photo credit: Unsplash.com @Mayur Gala

So as we reflect on how Jesus showed His love for His friends, we can consider whether we like to cook or bake or want to be part of a team that helps with a meal for those facing housing and food insecurity – or more bluntly, those with nowhere to sleep, no place to cook anything, and no idea of what their next meal will be.

Let’s – that’s me and you – be the reason someone feels seen, heard or supported. That’s giving and that’s living how Jesus calls us to live.

02 Apr

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We greet the King in the midst of our uncertainties

by Laurie Watt in Community, St. Andrew's

Lent 2023 is like no other that we’ve experienced at St. Andrew’s.

The words of our Presbyterian World Service and Development Lent call to worship ring incredibly true. (Bold lines are the lines spoken by all of us.)

” Just as the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness, the Spirit sends us into places of uncertainty where we confront our weakness and insecurities.

“Sometimes the wilderness is the city. In the city, life can be a struggle where the vulnerable are victimized by unfamiliar structures.

“Jesus rode into Jerusalem to reclaim the city for God. By entering on a donkey, Jesus showed that he would rule with humility and compassion.

“As the Church, we too bring care to those whom the city too often forgets. We remember that many are lost and alone: refugees, the unhoused, sex workers, those far from home.

“We cannot put the burden on the destitute to find their way through the urban maze. We come in humility to serve those whose resources are few and whose needs are many.”

For most of our history, St. Andrew’s has opened its doors to the vulnerable, those struggling with addictions and those struggling with housing and food security. We have focused our professional energies and passions to helping refugees fleeing war. Being the hands of Christ has been a calling.

But this year, we have found out that one program we started many years ago, a soup lunch on Sundays, is no more. The Salvation Army took over that program and expanded it to serve meals to those facing food insecurity not just at Sunday noon, but at lunch and dinner throughout the week. That program, however, ended March 31.

And St. Andrew’s has no kitchen to help cook in, no building to open and provide encouragement and nourishment. It is truly a strange place for us – the people who started the overnight shelter program a quarter century ago – to be.

Journey with us as we seek to follow our Lord this week, and beyond.

We need our friends, those we’ve been working alongside. We will worship with those at Collier United Good Friday at 10:30 a.m. It is an opportunity to see how God uses His people to care for His people.

25 Mar

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After the fire and into the unknown: the clean up continues

by Laurie Watt in fire, St. Andrew's

Our journey of faith continues as we come to terms with the fire that occurred more than a month ago. Insurance and emergency clean-up specialists continue their work, and so far, the estimate of our loss exceeds $2 million.

We have lost a lot – of things, perhaps some items that mattered to us. What we have not lost is hope nor have we lost the will to discern what God has in store for us.

Part of the emergency clean-up work that must be done is work in our sanctuary, which opened in February 1883.

Here’s an exterior shot of the scaffolding before most of it went up. There’s a lot – because there’s a lot of space with very high ceilings!

Cleaning the sanctuary walls and ceiling is important. Soot is corrosive and it has to be removed to prevent further damage and degradation. A couple of weeks ago, the pews were cleaned and wrapped.

Part of the emergency clean-up, sanctuary cleaning will take place March 27 to April 7.

Here is a shot of the scaffolding in the balcony:

And a shot from the main floor of the sanctuary:

And another that looks across the choir loft:

The structural engineer has submitted his report to the City of Barrie for review; we await their response.

In the Christian Education wing, the emergency work continues.

This coming week, March 27 to March 31, debris removal and asbestos abatement are scheduled to occur, as required under the city’s Order to Remedy and emergency clean-up work.

The structural engineer’s report to the city also requires the addition’s exterior walls to be shored up, even if the congregation decides to remove or replace the addition that dates back about 100 years. Interior walls and floors will be demolished, due to the Order to Remedy and the asbestos abatement work.

16 Mar

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Latest on the fire investigation and clean up

by Laurie Watt in Community, fire, St. Andrew's

Surveillance video of the evening of Feb. 19, 2023 shows a community group let the man Barrie Police later charged with arson in to the building and did not ensure he left.

The video, put into context by Mike Arsalides of CTV news Barrie can be watched at https://barrie.ctvnews.ca/video-released-of-the-moments-a-barrie-church-fire-erupted-causing-over-2-million-damage-1.6315584

Board of Managers chairman Mark Hoffman initially turned the church’s video security system over to Barrie Police. The footage has been examined by police as well as the Ontario Fire Marshal.

The fire was started in the library, in the southeast corner of the church’s Christian Education wing, which was added just after the First World War. The sanctuary, located on the corner of Owen and Worsley streets in downtown Barrie was opened in February 1883.

Damage is estimated at more than $2 million, but specialists continue to examine the structural integrity of the building and assess the damage. Although contained to the Christian education wing, the fire has caused a lot of smoke and water damage and soot covered almost the entire building.

“Absolutely everything had soot on it,” said Simcoe County Archivist Ellen Millar, a life-long member of St. Andrew’s, and who has a graduate degree in archival studies.

“Some of (the soot) is toxic. Some of it was very thick.”

The intense heat caused by the fire has also caused anything with plastic to become unsafe, as well as any dishes and glasses to be too risky to use, as their structural integrity could also be compromised by the heat and therefore possibly shatter when in use.

The commercial kitchen, which the church opened to user groups renting the gathering hall, will have to be gutted and restored.

Anything that would risk health and safety of anyone is having to be thrown out – and this includes mementos such as a hand-made nativity scene. Millar and her mother will create a new one to replace the one children have enjoyed for years.

Millar has attempted to rescue mementos such as communion silverware and some seasonal, handmade banners, but she added soot is very damaging to material that is white, so not everything may be salvageable.

“It broke my heart saying ‘no, no, no’,” she told a special joint meeting of the church’s elders and board of managers.

09 Mar

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Long-time friends welcome us Sunday

by Laurie Watt in Community, fire, St. Andrew's

Starting March 12, we have our own temporary space to worship as a family again. It’s a place where many in the community have worshipped and thanked God for the life of a loved one or an inspiring neighbour or colleague.

We will gather in the chapel at a neighbour’s, affectionately known as Steckley’s, but formally known the Steckley-Gooderham Funeral Home.

We have a long, strong relationship with this neighbouring business, and not just because we’ve been neighbours for so long and each play a role in comforting the grieving.

We have long-time close ties with the Steckley family, particularly Mr. and Mrs. Steckley. Walter Steckley (1907-1994) and his wife Alma (1910-2011) were both quite involved at St. Andrew’s. Witty, gracious and blessed with a good sense of humour, Mr. Steckley served as an elder, while Mrs. Steckley was very active in the Women’s Missionary Society and the Women’s Auxiliary. Their son, Howard (1935-2009) sang in the choir.

The respected funeral home located just a block west along Worsley Street is now owned by Jeffrey Scott and Susanne Pretty; Bud Gooderham bought it from the Steckley’s and then sold it to its new owners in 2009. The Steckley-Gooderham Funeral Home has deep roots in the community and been a significant business in the city core since 1944 – that’s 79 for anyone counting.

We are grateful Scott and Pretty are among an incredible group of caring people and organizations who have reached out to us since Feb. 19, when a deliberately set fire made our building off-limits. Specialists continue to assess and clean up our building. It’s early days and we expect it will be months before we can return home. a block west from home, with space to gather inside and out.

Scott, Pretty and their staff have been incredibly accommodating and are training our tech team to livestream from their chapel; our service will be livestreamed on their YouTube channel, https://www.youtube.com/@steckley-gooderhamfuneralhome/streams, then posted later to our website.

We can see our long-time sanctuary from the front doors of Steckley-Gooderham Funeral Home, and from an east-facing window.

We will have space to gather, worship and, yes, grieve. There’s no denying that we have lost some things that we’ve collected on our journey of faith in Barrie: our original entrance doors, restored a few years ago and repurposed as closet doors in our library, were severely charred. Our original pulpit is very burnt.

We are journeying through Lent on an unfamiliar path, yet we remember that Jesus experienced grief, loss and a feeling of being temporarily homeless as He spent 40 days in the desert. We take incredible comfort from knowing He understands.

We recognized this as we worshipped as welcomed guests with our friends at Collier United, a church community with which we work and serve in the heart of Barrie. Collier is providing office and meeting space for our staff and our programs, including the upcoming Life-Long Learning series on how our lifestyle choices affect the environment.

We are so incredibly blessed to have neighbours who are truly friends.

05 Mar

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Cleaning up after the fire

by Laurie Watt in fire, St. Andrew's

Life can change in an instant. Two weeks ago, our building was hit by fire.

A lot has happened since then – physically and spiritually as we look to our future and discern what God plans for us.

It’s a day-by-day journey, as we discern what goodness God has in store for us after the fire that occurred late evening Sunday, Feb. 19. Police have laid arson charges in relation to this event, which was part of a series of fires in Barrie’s downtown.

The fire ravaged our Christian education wing, which was built after the First World War. Our sanctuary, which opened on Feb. 25, 1883, was not drastically hit. The closer you get to the corner of Owen and Worsley streets, the less damage, including smoke damage, there appears to be. That is the good news, along with our Casavant organ and our Yamaha grand piano needing only deep cleaning and maintenance work.

Our library – the hub of where many mission and outreach projects were envisioned, discussed and cared for by our teams – was the site of the fire. Our original church doors, restored a few years ago, are charred, and the original pulpit also severely charred.

We have hired a structural engineer to assess the condition of the building, as the City of Barrie requires. An I-beam, which can be seen in one of the library photos, was quite affected by the intense heat.

Our Sunday school room, located on the other side of the library wall downstairs, and our choir room and nursery were also quite affected.

Our friends at Collier United have opened their doors to our office staff and offered us space for programs such as our spring Life-Long Learning series on the environment, which begins this month. Our neighbours at Steckley-Gooderham have offered us their chapel on Sunday mornings, so we can worship at our usual 10 a.m. time; St. Andrew’s and the Steckley family have a long and close relationship.

On our property, the massive clean up is underway. Long-time member Ellen Millar – who happens to be an archivist for Simcoe County – is leading the efforts to sort through the items from our Christian education wing, and determine what we can salvage and what we cannot. Our knitted nativity scene is not safe for children – or anyone – to touch and Ellen and her mother will create a new one for us.

She began work this week, and joins electrical and gas specialists on site. These professionals are segregating utilities, wires and connections that were compromised by the fire. Air quality in the building is not good and soot covers almost everything.

Our grand piano will be removed from the sanctuary this week, and taken for cleaning and repair. Once the work is complete, it will find a climate-controlled space at Steckley-Gooderham’s.

We look forward to gathering together as a church family as we remember the good times and incredible work God did on our site. We may be physically burned out of our building, but we are not consumed. We are on a journey this season, this Lent and beyond, as we rely on God’s love and leading, day by day.

20 Feb

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Fire guts library, investigation closes building

by Laurie Watt in Community, fire, St. Andrew's

Barrie, Monday, February 20, 2023 – Just after 10:30 p.m. yesterday, Barrie Fire responded to a fire at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on Owen St. in downtown Barrie.

The fire in the Christian education wing was quickly contained and there were no injuries.

The Ontario Fire Marshal is investigating the fire. Our building is therefore closed for church and community meetings until further notice.

We expect our office will be closed on Tuesday, February 21^st.

“This is devastating to our church family – but we will work through this with faith and hope,” said Rev. Joanne Lee. “We know the God who has been sufficient until now should be trusted to the end.”

St. Andrew’s Barrie opened its sanctuary on the corner of Owen and Worsley streets on Feb. 25, 1883, and added a Christian education wing after the First World War. It is in that addition where the library is located. The library was where many church artifacts were housed, including the original wooden doors from the church’s Owen Street entrance.

“This could have been much, much worse” said Board of Managers chairman Mark Hoffman. “This is our life at this moment, but better days are ahead and we trust God to get us through it.”

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