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WHAT’S UP

KNOX?

November and December

2012 Knox Presbyterian Church

142 Ontario Street, Stratford, Ontario

519-271-0373 knoxs@wightman.ca

www.knoxstratford.com Check us out on Facebook.

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Dear people of Knox Church,

I would like to share my thanks for the welcome and support I have received. As we get

ready for Christmas, I know that I already have received a great gift. I get to share in

worship and events of our congregation with you. I look forward to the ways we will

grow in our friendship and support of one another.

Luke's Gospel tells the story of the night of Jesus' birth. An angel shares the news of our

Saviour, and the sign: "you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a

manger." (Luke 2:12) Following this, a host of angels sings praises: "Glory to God in the

highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors." (2:14)

As we get ready for Christmas this year, let's be a congregation of Jesus Christ that sings

our thanksgiving with all our hearts.

Let us be inspired to share our talents and financial support to help people in our

community and our world.

God's peace be with you!

Mark

Come join in some FUN with the

Knox Sunday School this year!

Sign up for the two week time-slots that fit YOUR schedule.

We need just 3 volunteers for each time slot. Please contact

Janice Berg.

iknox The newest group at Knox! Grade 6, 7 and 8s are checking out the latest

Christian apps for the ipad, ipod or playbook etc... Please contact Nancy Rothwell if you

would like to lead this class and share your technology knowledge.

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UPCOMING WORSHIP SERVICES:

Every Sunday is an opportunity for us to celebrate the love of our God that we share

in Jesus Christ. We also look forward to some important events in November and

December.

November 11th was Remembrance Day Sunday. We began worship at 10:45 AM. Our

worship led us towards a minute of silence at 11 AM. We remembered those who died in

war, and prayed for peace.

On November 18th, we will learn about what has been happening in Sunday School this

fall. We look forward to a great puppet play during the Children's Time. After worship,

there will be a pizza party for children and youth. It will be an opportunity for Rev. Mark

to connect with our young people!

On November 25th, we will have our Presbyterians Sharing Sunday.

"Presbyterians Sharing" represents our church's contribution towards the

ministry of the Presbyterian Church in Canada. It will be a time to learn

more and celebrate the many ministries of which we are part. Praise

Explosion and the Choir will lead us to lift up our voices in thanksgiving!

December 2nd will be a Sunday for sharing in communion. We will welcome

dear ones of all ages to come to the table!

On December 16th, the children and youth will be taking leadership in our

worship with their Christmas Pageant. A Potluck Luncheon and Birthday Party

for Jesus will follow to celebrate the season!

December 24th

- Christmas Eve

Children's Service is at 6 PM

Community Service is at 7:30 PM.

We look forward to special Christmas music and carol singing!

Please take note of these services, and share them with those in your care.

It is wonderful to worship with the congregation of Knox Presbyterian!

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Other Dates to note in the Life of Knox……..

Church Christmas Decorating November 20th

at 6 pm

Community Meal on November 23rd

at 5:15 pm

Annual Stratford Santa Claus Parade on November 25th

at 5 pm – Knox is serving

Hot chocolate.

County of Perth Choir "Sing for the Joy of It" Concert November 27th

at 7:00 pm

Kids' Christmas is December 8th

from 10 am to 12 noon.

One Care Christmas Party December 19th.

The Weibes in Concert December 23rd at 7:30 pm.

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KNOX CLASSIFIEDS

Festival City Big Band Big Band --- Big Dance Saturday, November 24th, 2012.

8:00pm – 11:00pm Stratford Golf and Country Club

Tickets: $20.00 each Late night snack and cash bar

Come out and hear our own Cathy Whelan performing with this group.

Wanted: People of all ages

Qualifications: Must love to work with children

Job Description: Able to help 1 or 2 Sundays a

month in the nursery

All interested persons please contact:

Bev. Hider 271-4909 or at

jimbevstratford@sympatico.ca

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STUDENTS STUDYING AWAY FROM HOME If we have omitted someone by mistake,

please let the Church Office or Margaret Lupton know.

Andrew Barton – University of Western Ontario, 2nd

year

Business Management and Org Studies. Andrew is the son of Paul and Deborah;

grandson of Earl and Elizabeth Barton.

Justine Shiell - University of Guelph, Veterinary Medicine. Justine is the daughter

of Brad and Yvonne Shiell and granddaughter of Elizabeth Shiell.

Emma deWever – University of Western Ontario, 3rd

year Health Sciences Degree

Programme. Emma is the daughter of Rob and Marian de Wever and

granddaughter of Noel de Wever.

Alex Hislop - Sault College, Aviation Pilot Programme. Alex is the son of Tom

and Heather Hislop and grandson of Keith and Pat Hislop.

Andrea Bedford - University of Guelph, PHD Animal Nutrition and

Biotechnology. She is the daughter of David and Connie Bedford.

Sarah Rothwell - Trent University, 2nd

year Nursing. She is the daughter of Allan

and Nancy Rothwell and granddaughter of Ed and Grace Rothwell.

Nick Bachner - University of Waterloo, 4th year Engineering. Nick is on a work

term in Peterborough and is the son of Michael and Cathy Bachner and the

grandson of Ed and Grace Rothwell.

Darien Murray - Queen’s University, 2nd

year Major History Minor Mathematics.

Darian is the daughter of Brian and Lisa Murray and granddaughter of Ruby

Murray.

Chad Fink - University of Western Ontario - 4th

year Kinesiology.

Lauren Fink - McMaster University – Nursing.

Chad and Lauren are children of Randy and Barbara Fink and grandchildren of

Keith and Pat Hislop.

Kyle Brunskill - University of Waterloo, Mathematics and Wilfred Laurier,

Business. Kyle is the son of Ralph and Susan Brunskill.

Katie Lawry - University of Waterloo, Accounting and Financial Management.

Katie is the daughter of Janet and Clive Lawry and granddaughter of John and

Marg Sinclair.

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We are busy at The Alley with Christmas merchandise, unpacking, pricing and trying to find places for as much as possible in the store.

We are also focussing on winter clothes as the temperatures drop and we know snow comes next. We would ask that you check your closets to see if you have any of the following that you are no longer wearing and could donate. Remember we like things clean and in good repair and current styles.

Winter coats for the whole family Adult and kids’ mitts and gloves Winter boots

Pass this request onto family and friends as well. Did you know that The Alley is on Facebook? Become a friend.

SAVE THE DATE . . . . . .

11th ANNUAL Body and Soul Spa Night Friday, April 26th, 2013.

Planning will begin soon - new ideas and volunteers welcome. This is a wonderful and FUN fundraiser supporting the Cancer Care Mission – Wigs and Accessories room at

Knox.

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THE OUTREACH TEAM

Knox will be serving the Community Meal on

Friday,November 23rd at 5:15 pm. While the Outreach Team is doing the organizing we need the help and support

of the whole congregation. We will be circulating signup sheets for donations of rolls

and cupcakes. We are also asking for monetary donations to

cover the cost of the food that we need to purchase. This can be put on the offering plate and marked Community Meal or dropped off at the office during

office hours. We will be putting together two teams of workers, one for preparation and set up

and one for serving and cleanup. If you are interested in helping let us know.

We want to continue the tradition of

serving hot chocolate in front of the

church at the Stratford Santa Claus

parade which takes place on Sunday,

November 25th at 5:00 pm. We will also be handing out cards

with candy canes that provide information about our Christmas

services. Volunteers are needed to help with this event. Mark the

day on your calendar and come and join in the fun!

The Kids’ Christmas Shopping event has become another tradition at Knox. This event will be held on December 8th

from 10:00 to 12:00 in the banquet hall. We need lots and lots of help on that day. We will be circulating clipboards for

you to sign up or you can let the office know that you would like to help.

We need you to help out with providing items that we can sell. These do not have to be brand new. We all have items in

our cupboards that we don’t use. This is a golden

opportunity to re-gift those items you got last year. In particular, we are always short on gifts for men. Here are some suggestions.

Socks, gloves, hats, small tools, gadgets, toiletries. A wander around the Dollar Store will spark ideas.

Your donations can be left in the bin in the Narthex. We also need a very large supply of small and medium gift bags. These can also

be left in the bin or dropped at The Alley or office. There are items that we need to buy for this event so we also welcome

monetary donations. Please mark these clearly Kids’ Christmas.

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To all Change Her World Supporters! Here is the

LATEST NEWS!

We are pleased to inform you about the Christmas High

Tea which will be taking place at the Royal Palisade in

Stratford, Ontario on Saturday November 17 from 2 PM

to 4 PM. Come and enjoy this High Tea with all the

trimmings as we begin the Christmas Season. Live music,

a Change Her World slide show and display along with a

few words from Linda Willis – Chair of the Board of

Directors and Co-founder of Change Her World – will

complement the enjoyment of this festive afternoon. Tickets are $50.00 as this is a

fundraising event for Change Her World. An income tax receipt will be provided upon

request. Invite your family and friends to indulge in this elegant afternoon event will all

proceeds going directly to the projects supported by Change Her World! Christmas Gift

Cards are also available from Change Her World for those of you who would like to

make a donation to Change Her World in lieu of gifts to family and friends. We are

happy to send a card(s) on your behalf for any donations received or we can send you the

cards for you to provide personally at Christmas. Give a gift that will make a difference

in the life of a girl in the developing world! Please visit www.changeherworld.ca for

additional information about upcoming events. Also – please check out our Facebook –

facebook.com/ChangeHerWorld and Twitter - sites and connect with us to hear the latest

news! Thank you for all you are doing to support this life changing work!

Good Afternoon! I am contacting all of the Perth County churches to see if any of your members would

be interested in purchasing the Raising the Roof toques to help support a local non-profit organization. Stratford/Perth Shelterlink sells the National incentive toques as part of their fundraising to support programming for at-risk and homeless youth in Stratford and Perth County. We are always trying to find new ideas for the sale as it is a very profitable fundraiser with a large portion of all sales staying with our organization.

I know many churches give to children at Christmas time and thought perhaps some people may like to include a $10 toque as part of their giving. Some congregations do a giving tree – perhaps a tree covered with toques that could be given to children in need. They also make great Secret Santa or stocking stuffer items.

If you would like any further information, please contact me. I’ve set the order deadline as Nov. 30 in case anyone might like to use for family Christmas’s in December. Many thanks and blessings, Tracy Aylward Community Resource Developer Stratford Perth Shelterlink 519-272-2294 www.shelterlink.org

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Celebrating Anniversaries

In December

Any and Karen Gibb - December 10th Dale and Lynn Bast - December 17th Ken and Ethel Innes - December 20th

Ken and Sharon Malvern - December 23rd

Celebrating Birthdays

........November

Peter Dougall - November 2

Lynsie McTavish - November 2

Kirk Speiran - November 3

Betty Byatt - November 4

Heather Hislop - November 5

Ron MacPherson - November 5

Virginia Sherlock - November 5

Quinn Appell - November 7

Marlene Archer - November 7

Cathy Bachner - November 8

Georgina Cameron - November 8

Paul Tanner - November 8

Niamh Appel - November 9

Joan Douglas - November 10

Keith Pehlke - November 11

Ray Stock - November 11

Myra Farquhar - November 12

Jennifer Lawry - November 14

Gloria Waring - November 15

Lauren Gibb - November 17

John Douglas - November 18

Audrey Wickie - November 19

Jim Dougall - November 25

John Jr. Douglas - November 27

Lisa Murray - November 27

Ruth Brookes - November 29

Robert Corrie - November 29

William Nichol - November 29

Jonathan Perry - November 29

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Celebrat ing Birthdays

………December

Joan Holmes - December 1

Susan Forbes - December 2

Doug Puddy - December 3

Chad Fink - December 4

Ezra Bender - December 13

Kristin Frank - December 13

Darien Murray - December 14

James Drake - December 17

Ron Gray - December 17

Steve Wells - December 20

Noel de Wever - December 25

Phil Anwender - December 26

Alexander Lynn - December 27

Adam Parker - December 28

Shawn McCormick - December 29

Emily Harris - December 30

Adam Wilhelm - December 31

Jesus and Satan were having an ongoing argument about who was better on his computer. They had been going at it for days and God was tired of hearing all of the bickering. Finally God said, “Cool it! I am going to set up a test that will run two hours and I will judge who does the better job.” So down Satan and Jesus sat at the keyboards and typed away. They moused. They did spreadsheets. They wrote reports. They sent faxes. They opened e-mails. They sent out e-mails......with attachments. They downloaded. They did some genealogy reports. They made cards. They did every known job.

About ten minutes before their time was up, lightning flashed across the sky, thunder rolled, the rain poured and, of course, the electricity went off. Satan stared at his blank screen and screamed every curse word known in the underworld. Jesus just sighed. The electricity finally flickered back on and each of them rebooted their computers. Satan started searching frantically, screaming “It’s gone!!!!” Meanwhile, Jesus quietly started printing out all of his files from the past two hours. Satan observed this and became very irate. “Wait! He must have cheated! How did he do that?” God shrugged and said, “Jesus saves!” Submitted by Kathy Baker

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The Gifford-Miller Chair

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Girls lend a helping hand locally and abroad Jeff Heuchert, Stratford Gazette July 31, 2012. A fundraiser over the weekend brought two socially conscious teens a bit closer to their South American destination. Ashley Wheeler, 15, and Megan Speiran, 14, are hoping to travel to Ecuador next July to help build a school. The trip is being planned through the Me to We group at Stratford Central

secondary school, where the Stratford girls will be entering Grade 10 in the fall. Hoping to knock a couple hundred dollars off the cost of their trip, the girls organized a car wash Saturday morning in the Stratford Motor Products parking lot. They were joined by family and friends and members of Kids R MAD (Making a Difference), the humanitarian group started by Wheeler last year to give other like-minded youth in the city a chance to raise money and awareness for issues affecting people in Third World countries. The group typically meets once a month to discuss what causes they would like to support and how. Some of the group’s charitable activities to date have included holding a garage sale for CARE Canada, selling fudge and mint smoothies for World Vision, Free the Children and War Child Canada, and collecting milk bags to be converted into bed mats. “We just really wanted to help people,” says Wheeler, who had help getting the group started from her younger sister, Aliyah, 12. Kids R MAD currently has about 10 members, the majority of whom are between the ages of 10-12. Speiran says they would like to see more high school-aged youth participate, noting the group is a great opportunity to be active in the community and develop the leadership skills they are being taught in school. “It gets teens and youth out in the community helping, putting out awareness about causes,” she adds. “I think it’s a great idea.” Saturday’s fundraiser – like each of the Kids R MAD initiatives – was organized solely by its members, in this case, Wheeler and Speiran. Speiran’s mom, Lori, says she couldn’t be prouder of the two girls. “It’s pretty amazing to think (travelling to Ecuador) is something they really want to do,” she says, noting her daughter has wanted to take a missionary trip since she was in Grade 6 and first became involved with Me to We. “Whether we can afford it or not we’re going to make it happen,” she adds. “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime for these kids.”

Wishing everyone the very best of the Holiday Season in celebrating Christ’s birth.

Nancy Rothwell, Newsletter Administrator