Happy New year Knox!
News from Knox – A January 2021 Update from our church
A Report from the Board & Session
With the provincial decision to go into lockdown, the church building is, again, closed. Our office administrator, Kathy Kestle, is checking messages several times a day Monday – Thursday from 9-3pm. She is working from home, and responding to emails regularly. The mail from the church is being retrieved on a daily basis.
If you need to get in touch with Rev. Mavis Currie, please email her at m.currie@knoxstthomas.ca or call her on her cell phone at 519-860-1380.
If you wish to reach Meghan Brockington or Martin Anderle, you are invited to email them, or leave a message on the church phone and they will return your call promptly.
Our online services are again being led from home – hopefully, without too many photobombs from the Currie’s dog or family members! 
The board is in the process of reviewing the finances of the church for 2020, and will be sharing this information soon. We are grateful for the many individuals who have made donations to our ministry in this most unusual year.
Please Pray for….
- Jeannie Shearer, as she grieves the loss of her mother Ve Shearer
- Karen Martin and Deb Cooper as they mourn the death of Karen’s dad.
- Mark Tinlin, Wanda Kapogines, Hugh Orchard and Art McCandless – who are living with cancer diagnoses or other health concerns.
- Bob Holt, who is recovering from a bad fall.
Two Advent “in person” services
In December, there were two quiet in person, midweek services in our sanctuary, following all of the guidelines from the health unit. 24 people attended the evening service, and 7 people attended the afternoon service. Everyone wore masks and participants were seated more than 10 feet apart. It was an opportunity to worship together, to hear Martin on the piano and Stella on the harp, and to hold our world up in prayer. Thank you to Martin and Stella for their leadership!
The Spirit of Giving Marketplace
This online marketplace was a big success! Many Knox folk donated craft and sewing items for the sale. Photos of all of these items were taken and displayed on the church website. “Shoppers” purchased items on the website and then paid when they picked them up from the church. $2430 has been raised so far! We are hoping to bring back the online marketplace when the Covid 19 restrictions loosen. It is a great way to support our church and safely purchase a birthday gift for a friend (or yourself!).
January Zoom Bible Studies – Wednesday January 13th and Wednesday January 27th 10:30am -11:30am. Join one or both! Register by email or calling Mavis. You will be sent the scripture passage and a short devotional on the passage being studied.
News from the wider church – The presbytery of London continues to meet monthly over zoom. Rev. Currie is co-moderator of the presbytery this year, alongside Rev. Shelly Butterfield-Kocis from Caradoc Presbyterian Church. Surprisingly, there has been a great deal of transition in the presbytery during Covid. The minister at Westmount Presbyterian has resigned, as his wife has taken a clergy position in Waterloo. The minister at Oakridge Presbyterian is moving to a Presbyterian church in Owen Sound, and the minister at St. Lawrence Presbyterian has moved to a church in the GTA. A few congregations returned to public worship in September, with limited numbers, no singing, and masks. All churches are currently not meeting in person due to the lockdown. The national gathering of our denomination, General Assembly, was cancelled last year. After consulting presbyteries, it has been decided that General Assembly will occur via zoom this year.
Notes of Thanks…
Thank you so much to our church friends for all of the cards, phone calls, Christmas poinsettia, and prayers after my time in hospital. — Jeanette Heil.
Thank you to our Knox Church family for your wedding gifts to us at Christmas. We are so grateful. – Martin and Stella Anderle.
Thank you to Knox Church for the records, and for the new computer. I am very grateful. – From one of our neighbours who lost his home in the fire.
And … a Big thank you to….
- Tony Stacpoole and our Pastoral Care Team – despite Covid 19, they delivered 35 live poinsettias, 38 artificial arrangements, and over 100 cards to Knox members.
- Lynne Jones for her work on the artificial arrangements that were given by Pastoral Care.
- Pam O’Sullivan and Wendy Liebregts who manned the “Spirit of Giving online Marketplace” in December
- Jaimie Thom, Ian Currie, Hannah Currie, and Tom Currie for tech support in creating the Marketplace.
- the many people who contributed crafts and sewing projects to our online marketplace!
- Val Kelley and Christa Mobberley who were our December “shoppers” – providing gift cards, groceries, and other treats for those in need in December (Every year, the Session uses some of the Session welfare funds to ensure everyone has a merry Christmas in our congregation. This fund is also used to supply emergency relief to those in need.) We also made donations to the St. Thomas Elgin Food Bank and the Salvation Army this December.
- Randy and Sue Mills, who put up our sanctuary Christmas tree and Jean Stafford Green who put up the Christmas tartan this year.
- John Lyle who is checking our building regularly while it is not in use.
Upcoming Book Study on Zoom
12 people participated in the book study on last month’s book “The Dearly Beloved.” This month, we are reading “The Gown” by Jennifer Robson. We will take a few weeks to read on our own, and then gather over zoom for a discussion. “The Gown” takes us inside the workrooms where one of the most famous wedding gowns in history was created, the wedding gown of Princess Elizabeth. The book introduces the reader to three unforgettable heroines, their points of view, and their lives woven together by the pain of survival after World War 2, the bonds of friendship and the redemptive power of love. Would you like to join in this book study? Contact Rev. Currie for more information. If you would appreciate the book being ordered for you, please let Rev. Currie know. The cost of each book is $22.00.
February is Pay It Forward (P. I. F) Month at Knox – Would you like to be an anonymous PIF’er to someone in the congregation? Drop Mavis a line and you will be given a congregational member to anonymously surprise, and a few creative Pay It Forward ideas for them!
Zoom Art with Stella for school aged kids – Sunday January 24th 2pm. Call Meghan for more information. This will be a Sunday afternoon zoom class for kids to get creative. No charge, but registration required. You will be given a list of supplies that are easy to find in your own home. Stella taught art to children in France before coming to Canada.
Knox Prayer Chain – Did you know that our congregation has a prayer chain? Are you interested in being a pray-er? Do you have a prayer request? Please contact Jan Barrett. Her email is: janetbarrett48@gmail.com.
52 Frames of Faith – While we are not worshipping in our building, we are invited to take part in a new year’s project, called “52 Frames of Faith”. Every week, take a picture of where you see God. You are invited to email any of these photos to Rev. Mavis Currie, for inclusion in online worship services. While we are not in the church building, God still reveals himself to us in nature, art, friendship, and other surprising places. Share these epiphany moments with others!
“We may ignore, but we can nowhere evade, the presence of God. The world is crowded with God. God walks everywhere incognito.” C.S. Lewis.