December 19, 2025 Newsletter

FROM THE MINISTER’S STUDY

Not all the Gospels start with the story of Jesus’ Birth

Prepare the way for the Lord. Make straight paths for him.

~ Mark 1:3

Mark’s Gospel makes no fanfare about the birth of Jesus, but begins with the prophecy regarding John the Baptist. Luke’s Gospel also begins with the birth of John the Baptist, followed by the foretelling of Jesus’ birth. John’s Gospel does mention the Word that became flesh who was with God in the beginning, but like Mark and Luke’s Gospels, describes the ministry of John the Baptist first. I certainly do not want to distract from the wonderful traditions we have accumulated surrounding the birth of the baby Jesus, but then again, perhaps without the message of John the Baptist, they of themselves are the distraction. You see, the true message of Christmas, rather than being focused on the easy to package, “peace on earth, goodwill towards men”, which is, in fact, what God has done for our sakes, perhaps the true message of Christmas is what we are expected to do to usher the birth of Christ into the lives of those who have not experienced God’s love. Christmas is indeed a time to be a little more kind, and more considerate to those who lack and are living in misery, but is it not also a time to question why people are poor, and why are they miserable? Is Christmas not the time to reflect and consider our part in bringing the message of the reason Jesus was born in the first place, and prepare and make straight the paths for him? We are the John the Baptists of the world, and it is especially at this time of year, that we should be preparing for the coming and birth of Christ in the hearts of all people.

Blessings, Rev. Glenn

The Daughters of St. Andrew’s and the Mary Marthas would like to thank everyone who helped make our Tea & Bake Sale a success. We appreciate so much your time spent setting up, baking special treats and your attendance. Special thanks to the Kawartha Male Chorus, whose talent and help added so much to our event.

Wishing everyone a Very Merry Christmas!

TURKEY DINNER A GREAT SUCCESS!

On Saturday Nov. 22, 2025, about 100 members of the St. Andrew’s congregation and friends joined together to enjoy the return of a long running St. Andrew’s tradition, the Turkey Dinner.

Those that attended got to enjoy a great turkey meal with all the trimmings and delicious pie. Rev. Glenn graciously provided the dinner music. Before the dinner, all of the guests gathered in the sanctuary for a welcome, Grace, and an acknowledgement of the work that had been done in the past to make the Turkey dinner a success, including the leadership of Peter Shannon and Jodi Green.

Thanks for all of the donations and to all of the volunteers that helped with baking of pies, set up, preparing of food, cooking dinner, serving and clean up. Special thanks to Mike Snider for cooking and coordinating the kitchen.

The 2025 Turkey Dinner was a great success. We hope that it is a tradition that will carry on for many years to come.

Thanks,

Janice and John Carr

ARTISTS AT WORK

Thanks to Snizhanna, our Ukrainian Mom, for offering a workshop where participants could learn how to make a Christmas table centrepiece.

Ten eager but apprehensive participants, led by a knowledgeable and experienced floral arranger, left at the end of the day with a beautiful centrepiece. Sponsored by your Outreach Ministry team, the workshop was well received and the added bonus was an opportunity to socialize together and to learn a new skill.

If you were unable to attend, you missed a fun, festive affair.

Next year!

Dianne Dalton,

On behalf of the Outreach Team

UPDATE ON OUR UKRAINIAN FAMILY

It is three years since Snizhanna and Ivona arrived in Canada. We are grateful that we were able to partner with Fairview Baptist Church, the lead sponsor to support this young mother and her daughter.

Their journey has been difficult, but with her husband joining her a year ago and immediately securing employment, life has become somewhat easier.

Mom’s unfortunate accident in February of this year has greatly impeded her ability to find employment. She continues, however, to take courses and look for ways to improve her chances of finding employment.

She has made excellent progress toward recovery from the fall but still requires a cane to assist with walking. We ask that you continue to pray for healing.

Recently, they were able to find a duplex to rent and will be moving in February. Thank you for all who were praying they would find a place. It’s a lovely little place in town with a good sized backyard in which they plan to plant a vegetable garden.

Most recently, Mom took part in a Pop Up Market at Burn’s Bulk Food, where she was selling Ukrainian baked goods.

Their young daughter is doing very well in school and recently was moved into the French Immersion program.

They continue to be distraught and angry at the persistent bombing by Russia. They are consistently on edge about the news coming from their families who live in one of the most frequently targeted areas of Ukraine. As many will have seen on our St. Andrew’s Facebook page, the family was notified on Monday that a grandmother’s home was recently destroyed. We pray that peace be restored in Ukraine.

The family’s goal remains to gain permanent residency in Canada.

Thank you to everyone in the St. Andrew’s family who continue to support and pray for this little family.