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.