Wednesday, February 5, 2025

It’s Cold Outside!

Ian Gray
Co Interim Moderator

We are now well into the winter season. As a newcomer to the area I have been told that this is a particularly cold season and that snowfall is much higher than usual. It seems that I have been constantly shoveling my driveway over the past few months. Some church meetings have been held in the zoom format rather than in person because of the weather. For many this is a time to hunker down and stay warm. It is a time to just be patient and wait for warmer days.

Not so at St. Andrew’s! It may be the middle of winter but we are not hunkered down waiting for better days. This congregation is a hive of activity. We are focused on doing the work that God is calling us to do during this season. Through our many wonderful teams and individuals we are active in a number of different areas praising God and doing His work.

We are busy planning and preparing for meaningful worship services both in person and online every Sunday morning and during the upcoming Holy Week before Easter. Many people are involved in this endeavour: our Director of Music, the choir members and musicians, the tech team, the office staff, the custodial staff, the worship leaders, the coffee hour team, the interim moderators, and many others.

We are focused on God’s call to serve those around us and to meet their needs with the resources that we have been given. Here are just a few of the ministries that we are involved with: Presbyterian World Service and Development, Presbyterians Sharing, Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Ray of Hope, House of Friendship, The Working Centre, Thrift Shop, Coldest Night of the Year Walk, Food 4 Kids Waterloo Region, Food Bank of Waterloo Region, Mite Cans, Camino Wellbeing and Mental Health, Faith Climate Justice Waterloo Region, and Box for Socks. St. Andrew’s is also looking to the future through the Roy Street Project, a wonderful vision of using our resources in reaching out to adults with different needs by providing a stable home and opportunities for independence. (I’m sure there are many more ways in which this congregation is reaching out. These are the ones that I am presently aware of).

We are reaching out to our children, young people and families under the guidance of our Family Ministry Co Ordinator and volunteers providing regular classes and events for gathering and growing together in the Christian Faith.

We are looking to the future as we busily prepare for the arrival of a new minister. We don’t know who that will be as yet, but many are working hard on our search team to facilitate the search and call processes. As you read this, the congregational survey is being distributed. Please give this survey your serious attention and respond to it as soon as you are able, giving your thoughts and ideas about the qualities you would like to see in a new minister to the Search Team. When this is completed we will begin to distribute a congregational profile, approved by the Session, to potential candidates.

The weather outside may be cold, but the climate inside St. Andrew’s is warm. It is fueled by the passion and commitment of the St. Andrew’s Team as they hear God’s Call to worship Him, to serve those around them, and to prepare for the arrival of someone special who will lead them into a warm and exciting future.

St. Andrew’s is a place where we experience the warmth of God’s love sharing it with each other and the world around us. It is a pleasure for me to be part of the St. Andrew’s Team and to walk with you on this stage of your journey.

Ian Gray
Co Interim Moderator