St. Paul's Presbyterian, Church, Simcoe, Ontario,

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Report from Session 2008

2008 was another significant year in the life of St. Paul ’s. It was a year in which we had reason to celebrate!

Early in the year a Building Celebration Committee was established. On May 10 the congregation gathered for a “Burning of the Mortgage” dinner as we celebrated the retirement of the debt for the new building addition. That evening at dinner there was a slide show that reminded everyone of the building progress. At the end of the evening the “Mortgage” documents were piped into the hall by our own Bruce. The documents were carried into the hall on a silver platter by Lauren and Mime. Rev. Cruickshank and I had the honour of burning the documents. This marked the end of a very significant contribution that this congregation made to the life of God’s church here at St. Paul ’s. It is a contribution that will benefit future congregations for many years.

Later that month there was another celebration. On May 24, Evelyn and Albert celebrated their 65^th wedding anniversary with an open house drop-in at the church. It was nice to have the opportunity to meet with Evelyn and Albert in the lower hall and offer our congratulations on the achievement of this significant milestone in their life.

This was also the year that we celebrated the life of Dr. Arthur Langford by establishing the Dr. Arthur Langford Study Series. Arthur was a Professor of Biology and had a deep love and concern for the natural environment. As Dr. Bailey pointed out in a letter to Session “his faith informed his science and his science informed his faith”. He had a desire for more teaching in the churches that would help Christians grow in their understanding and faithful living in a scientific age”. Session has agreed to establish a standing committee of the church to support the planning and delivery of an annual study series on this theme. A special fund has also been established to support the funding of this study series. The first study series was offered in the fall of 2008 on one evening each week for four weeks. The series was led by Dr. Cox and was well received.

The Search Committee continued to meet regularly with visitation teams assessing candidates. Meetings were arranged and interviews conducted. This work resulted in the committee recommending to Session that the Rev. Ian Shaw be asked to preach to a call. Session approved the recommendation and arrangements were made to have Rev. Shaw conduct the worship service on September 21. A Pot Luck Supper was held on the Saturday evening before the service. This was an opportunity for everyone to meet Ian and Linda in a relaxed, informal setting. A concerted effort was made during the evening to convert Ian and Linda into Tiger Cat fans, and to have them give up on their Winnipeg Blue Bomber loyalties. It was a fun evening!

A congregational meeting was held immediately after the worship service on September 21^st where the congregation agreed to call Rev. Shaw to fill the pulpit vacancy at St. Paul ’s. The formal call process was then initiated which resulted in Rev. Shaw accepting the call and assuming the pulpit duties effective January 1, 2009.

Looking back on the year, it is clear that 2008 was an important year in the life of this church. It was a year in which the transition phase of our pulpit vacancy was completed. We were led through this phase by our Interim Moderator, Dr. Cox. Stan and Sharon were with us for 2 ½ years. This was a much longer commitment on their part than originally anticipated. During that time they were always there for the church. They had to change plans, rework schedules and make sacrifices. They did it without hesitation and always with the best interest of the church in mind. During this time they also carefully and thoughtfully prepared this congregation for new leadership. We thank God for having them with us during this time of transition, and acknowledge with gratitude the significant contribution that they have made to St. Paul ’s.

During this 2 ½ year vacancy, much of the day to day administration of the church has fallen on the shoulders of our Church Administrator, Nellie. Nellie is a compassionate, caring person and a very able administrator. This combination has served the church well. Whether it is monitoring pastoral care needs or resolving schedule conflicts as various groups book meetings, she is always there to manage whatever situation arises with care and concern for everyone involved.

2009 marks the beginning of a new phase in the life of the church. Rev. Shaw is now in the pulpit. The congregation looks forward to Linda being able to join him early in the year when she has completed her deputation commitments. As I look back on the transition, I have a strong sense of the hand of God at work leading us through this process. Early in the process, as we prepared for the beginning of the transition, we had concerns with respect to who would be assigned as Interim Moderator. Later in the process, we had concerns identifying suitable candidates. When we did find candidates, situations arose that precluded them from being called. At the end of the process, I have come to realize that in all things, if we put our concerns before God and have the patience to wait upon Him, our concerns will be resolved. I believe that it is truly God’s plan that Ian and Linda should be with us at this time. Session is committed to working with them to ensure a successful transition to this exciting new phase in the life of St. Paul ’s.