Join us on Palm Sunday

Palm Sunday is a very important day in the Christian year. On this day we remember the entry of Jesus into the city of Jerusalem and how he was greeted by the people. We also look forward to the suffering and death that awaits him within the week. We will mark this Sunday in several special ways at St. Andrew's Hespeler this year:

• We will begin our celebration of the day with a very special procession led by the children in our congregation. Anyone is invited to come, shake a palm and celebrate the day.

• Our very talented Youth Band have been working very hard to lead the congregation in worship and to offer their praise to God through music. They will do this in various ways and will even play (at least) two versions of Hosanna.

• Our minister, the Reverend Scott McAndless will turn our thoughts to the arrest of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane and what the events that transpired there teach us about an idea that we often take for granted but that might just destroy us. The following video offers an introduction to this idea:

Holy Week & Easter Services

Here is some important information to keep handy for all of the upcoming Holy Week and Easter services.

A gesture of support for our neighbours no matter where they may have come from.

In recent times it has become all too common, it seems, for people who have recently arrived in Canada as immigrants or as refugees -- especially from certain parts of this world -- to be targeted with behaviour that is less than welcoming and loving.

At St Andrew's we wanted to do something to counteract this disturbing trend. We read this passage of scripture on Sunday:

When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (Leviticus 19:33,34)

This passage reminds us that God cares how we treat people who are outsiders or marginalized for any reason. When we go through a time when there is a large number of immigrants or refugees, it will inevitably create some stresses and strains but that should never make us forget the need to treat our neighbours with love and respect, no matter where they come from.

To affirm this important and Biblical truth, the Session of St. Andrews decided to erect a sign that proclaims it in three languages: French, English and Arabic. The third language is Arabic because speakers of that language make up a group that is often targeted in subtle and not-so-subtle ways these days. Before we put up the sign we took a picture to demonstrate our solidarity with our neighbours.

And here is the sign later this morning installed in front of the church building:

If you would like to find out more about these signs and their history in nearby communities, follow this link:

CBC News article about the signs.

Second Sunday in Lent

On the second Sunday of Lent (March 12), we will be celebrating the presence of our God together at St. Andrew's Hespeler. Join us and you will be part of some things that matter:

• A few weeks ago, we did a bit of an excercise on selecting worship music according to a blended worship approach. As a result of this, one congregational member "won" the opportunity to choose a hymn to sing at a future service. We will sing that hymn this week and you have to come if you want to find out what it is.

• It is a blessing to have Heather Robertson share her musical gifts with us this week. She will sing "Wade in the Water" and also help us to learn our "Hymn of the Month." Here is an online version of "Wade in the Water" to give you an idea of what to look forward to.

• We will be doing something together to stand in solidarity with our neighbours who have come from other nations and places. Won't give you any more details right now, but you are going to want to be part of it! 

• Rev. Scott McAndless continues to teach us about the sins we struggle with and the victory Christ offers. This week: Fear.

The community comes together to celebrate around the Lord's Table

This Sunday, the congregation of St. Andrew's Hespeler Presbyterian will come together to celebrate communion, our most important sacrament and a sign of the living presence of the risen Christ among us and within us. Join us for this and for other special parts of our community life:

• Rev. Scott McAndless will continue his series of sermons by focusing on the story of Zacchaeus and what it teaches us about the lure of greed and the work of transformation that Jesus would seek to perform in us.
  
• David, Randy and Corey will be celebrating the grace of God as they sing "All Because of God’s Amazing Grace" by Stephen R. Adams
• Our adult choir will sing "Prayer of St. Francis" by Peter A. Togni
• Please help us give a warm welcome Paul Tavares. Paul is in the middle of his “90 Nights in the Cold” campaign. The purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness to and eliminate homelessness. Paul has generously donated some of the items donated to him to our site of the Cambridge Self-Help Food Bank and Hope Clothing. Paul will be available to talk with at coffee. This is a great time to offer him encouragement and find out how you can help out, too!

• The "Holy Sherlocks" will share with us the results of their fund raising and bake sale for mission
• This is also the first Sunday in Lent, the season when we begin our thoughtful and reflective journey towards the cross and all that it represents. The Sunday School will begin their special Lenten focus on the gardens of the Bible and will share some of what they are doing with us.

Special Announcement from Session

A meeting of the Clerks

The Session would like to announce that Rob Hodgson (the cheerful looking person on the right) will be stepping down as Clerk of Session following this month’s meeting. Rob has served as our Clerk of Session for over seven years. We especially appreciate how he has carried out his duties with an enormous amount of grace, kindness and love. He has always been responsive, respectful and eager to understand people’s concerns. We are very thankful for all he has done to lift us all up as a session and as a congregation.

Rob will continue to serve as an elder on the session and has not ruled out returning to the position again in the future!

Bill Pettit (the equally cheerful gentleman on the left) will step into the role of Clerk and we certainly thank him for sharing his wisdom in this way and for his willingness to serve.

Pancake Supper

Last evening the Youth and friends hosted a great Pancake Supper!  

We served over 200 pancakes and had a lot of fun in the process.

Thank you, to EVERYONE, who helped.  Without you we could not have done so well.

One of our chefs!

The best servers!

Our kitchen staff!

Some of our youth and leaders.

Our great hostesses!

Some of our guests ...

and more guests!