Sun. Aug. 26 (Henry Neufeld)

Henry Neufeld spoke on Letter Writing and Confrontation. Letter writing (like emailing) is truly a skill when done properly, and once sent, it cannot be retrieved. When it is appropriate to confront someone in writing? Paul's second surviving letter to his friends in Corinth seems to be a first draft-very long, laboriously composed (likely at the pace of a word a minute), possibly not properly edited and most likely was very personal and not intended to be read by anyone else. 2 Cor. 7:8 refers to a now-lost "letter of sorrows" which was apparently a letter of confrontation. Initially Paul regretted having sent it, but once he learned that the letter produced repentance, he was relieved and glad it worked. But what if the letter had not worked? After all, confrontation is very difficult and does not always work as hoped. We therefore have examples in scripture illustrating people seeking to find peaceful solutions by avoiding confrontation. Abraham, for instance, let Lot decide which land to use for his herds, David cut off part of Saul's robe, to make the point that he could have killed him but did not do so. Jesus frequently tried to explain himself more clearly rather than retaliating. Paul seems to have been a weak speaker but strong writer, so he preferred to confront by letter (Corinthians, Galatians). When tempted to confront someone, we might first ask ourselves whether this will hurt our relationship. How will we know? [JEK] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday August 26th using your browser's preferred media player.

Sun. Aug. 12 (Chris and Louise Friesen)

Chris and Louise Friesen and four of their five young children led us in a worship service as the family sang and played various instruments (piano, guitar, violin, various percussion instruments, recorder, trumpet, xylophone, etc.) Some of the memorized songs composed by Chris included settings of Psalms 148, 139 and 103. About 15 years ago, Chris and Louise met as residents in our Centre and as attendees at PGIMF. After marrying and moving to East Vancouver, they attended the Grandview Baptist Church which is exceptionally active in community work. They eventually moved "up North" in Alberta where Chris taught school to Cree-speaking children in a remote and economically-challenged community. Louise spoke of learning that "life is more than comfort; life is people." The Friesens became increasingly involved in community life and in helping individuals trying to cope with 'the system', government, life and financial issues. About four years later they moved to Fresno, California for further theological study, and Chris eventually served for four years as Pastor of Lay Ministry at the Lendrum MB Church in Edmonton. Chris is now writing both fiction and music and the family spent time last year learning music and producing their first CD. Chris challenged us to think about what our congregation's special vocation might now be and how we might best respond to God. Chris recalled that PGIMF is an excellent place in which young people can safely ask questions, but he pointed out that providing answers is also sometimes helpful. The Friesens repeatedly expressed their abiding appreciation for the training they received during their years with us and for the opportunities to learn to contribute to various parts of the worship service. The morning served as an encouragement to us and as an affirmation for the importance of the continuing existence of PGIMF and its role in the lives of young believers. [JEK] Listen to the sermon audio MP3 recording from Sunday August 12th using your browser's preferred media player.