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

We are a congregation in transition.
On this page, you will find a few words from our Interim Moderator,
as well as the latest updates from our transition team,

Spring has arrived in all its glory once again. There’s nothing like an old fashioned Canadian winter to make one appreciate the longer days and warmer temperatures that come with the season of renewal. We too are renewing our efforts here at St. Paul ’s in our search for a minister. We have new applicants and prospects and continue to welcome comments and suggestions from the congregation regarding the search process. This month we will be interviewing four candidates and small groups continue to attend services to evaluate the common ground that would indicate whether a good fit with our congregation is apparent. St. Paul ’s is a caring committed group with a blessed past and bright future. We are graced with an abundance of leadership, both Clergy and lay, that never flag in their energy, wisdom and perseverance in guiding our Church family. This Church has much to offer and being mindful of that, the search committee will move with care and diligence alongside faith and hope to bring about a suitable candidate. So like the blossoms now appearing all around us in nature, we too will continue to blossom in Christ’s work with a ministry that will bear fruit in the day’s to come.

St. Paul’s Vision Statement

During the time when we have had no resident minister, many of you submitted your answers to a "Congregational Questionnaire", circulated by the Search Committee. Mr. Bob Ellis, Clerk of Session and Chairman of the Search Committee, compiled your answers and from them distilled this Vision Statement. It is a description of what St. Paul’s congregation will look like two years after a successful transition to a new minister.

(Vision Statement)

Two years after the transition to a new minister, St. Paul’s is in the midst of a slow transition from the very traditional services of the past to a more spirited presentation in the style of service, with more uplifting contemporary music, combined with the traditional hymns. The service is still, however, firmly rooted in the scriptures and on Jesus Christ as our Saviour. Special services celebrating our relationship with God, our history and our country are important to the congregation.

The demographics of the congregation are changing. More families with young children are attending the church. There is a greater emphasis on Youth ministry, both in the involvement of the congregation and in the types of programs that are offered. At the same time, the church continues to be sensitive to the needs of our more mature members.

St. Paul’s continues to be a caring congregation that supports members of the church in times of need and reaches out to the community to help others in need of support

Interim Moderator

For the Annual report of 2007

These numbers and words can produce yawns.

But they are more than numbers, words, or scratches on paper. They represent the pulse of a living body - the people of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church. Throughout 2007, you who are St. Paul’s cared for each other, reached out to the community and faced the future with expectancy. That caring, outreach and hope are reflected in these reports. You don’t “go to church.” You are the church.

The heart beat at the centre of it all has been your gathering for worship, drawing life from the Scriptures, as we hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ, remembering who God is and who we are, where we come from and where we are going. With that pulse of life, we’re glad to welcome our Youth Coordinator, Julie Mc Knight and look forward to ways in which we can draw our youth into the life and ministry of our church family. Do you think that we could expand her ministry to two days a week during 2008?

We’re all facing forward to a new season of ministry, as we anticipate the longed-for arrival of a new minister. As you and I are faithful to God's Word in our personal and public lives and regular in our attendance at worship, St. Paul’s, Simcoe will keep on becoming "The Church You've Always Longed For."

Special thanks go to so many of you who were faithful in your giving to the Building Fund, enabling us to enter this new year debt free. The fact that during this period of vacancy, our beautiful new addition was fully paid for, is a testimony to riches of God’s grace that flows through you in Christ’s name.

And, though they are both quiet and low-key in their work, there are two very special people who are crucial to the ongoing ministry of St. Paul’s. I hope that all of you take a moment now and then to acknowledge their gracious spirit and the excellence of their work. Clerk of Session, Bob Ellis has spent many hours of his time and a lot of energy, especially during the vacancy period to provide leadership to the congregation as Clerk, Chair of the Search Committee and Chair of Worship and Education. Thank you Bob. In Bob’s comments elsewhere in this report, you’ll see a well-deserved thank you to Nellie Kinnear, our extremely capable and gracious administrator of the ongoing details that are necessary to keep St. Paul’s effective.

Sharon and I thank all of you for giving us the privilege of serving among you. Your welcome and support have made this a rewarding period of our life. We enjoy the sense of the presence of God's Spirit among you and the attitude of hope and caring for each other that prevails.

Sincerely,

Stanley Cox