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- Well, good morning, Barrie family.
It's again, another virtual service.
It's been a long time I
know, but continue to greet
each other the way that you're doing
to stay in contact with each other,
the way that you have.
Phone calls, letters, cards.
I was actually this week
at the celebration of life
for June Armstrong and interesting
to be in a church again,
socially distanced with a
100 people with a mask on,
but a great celebration.
Our continued prayers for
Greg and Nancy and the family
as they go through this.
But continue to reach out
to each other, won't you?
Corps family news this week,
congratulations to Valma Volz.
Valma has a sold her house
and is moving in November to Burlington,
so our love and prayers go with you Valma,
as you continue in this
new chapter of your life.
The other corps family
news is that this week
the ministry board will be meeting.
And I sent a letter out on
behalf of the ministry board
back in July, and we had made a decision
that we would discuss
what was gonna be
happening moving forward.
So this week, continue to pray
for your ministry board, will you?
As we make some very difficult
decisions moving forward.
If you're looking forward to
give your tithe and offering,
there is four ways that you can give
your tithe and offering.
The first way is to go to our website at
www.barriesalvationarmy.org,
click on the Tithe/Donate button,
and you can use your
credit card to do that.
If you would like a PAP form,
you can reach out to Jim Willis
at Jim_Willis@can.salvationarmy.org.
If you'd like to mail in your tithe,
you can mail it to the court here
at The Salvation Army Barrie Citadel,
151, Lillian Crescent,
Barrie, Ontario L4N 5X%.
And the fourth way is contactless
on Tuesdays and Fridays
from 8:30 to 11:30, you
can come to the front door,
nearest the street of the
core and we will accept
your offering in the
basket that's provided.
Thank you for continuing to be faithful
in your tithes and offering.
This is the day the Lord has made,
we will rejoice and be glad in it.
You know, as things change
around the army world,
we get new leaders and we
are so happy this morning
to introduce to you to
our new Area Commander
Major Lori.
Mitchell Lori is preparing a short
little introduction video, please watch.
- Hello everyone.
I'm happy to be part of
your worship this morning.
I Major Lori Mitchell and
I'm the new Area Commander
for this part of the province.
Captain Andrew asked me to
do a bit of an introduction,
so here it goes.
I'm a Toronto girl, I'm
the quasi middle child
of an extremely blended family of 13.
I attended Scarborough Citadel
from the time I was 11 years old,
I was taken there by
a friend in grade six.
So don't ever underestimate the power
of friendship evangelism.
I was called to be a Salvation
Army officer when I was 16
and I entered the training
college with my then husband
at the ripe old age of 20.
I was commissioned in 1984,
as part of The Servants of God session.
From 1984 to 1993, we
held appointments in corps
and mostly correctional services.
I was chaplain of a halfway house,
I taught adult literacy
in prison in Quebec,
and I actually did a stint as
a hospital chaplain as well.
And Oh, I also had four
children in five years.
In 1993, we resigned our commissions
and I went to work for
territorial headquarters.
I spent eight years in
the finance department
and then another three
years as executive assistant
to the secretary for
business administration.
During that time, life
happened and I got divorced
and a few years later,
married my wonderful,
amazing husband, Don and his two sons.
In 2004, I left THQ and I went to work
as executive assistant
to the president and CEO
of Woodgreen Community Services,
which is the largest community based
social agency in Canada.
And they serve about
40,000 people every year.
I loved my job, but I really felt
that something was missing.
Through a course of events,
too numerous to recount here,
I was re-accepted as a
single spouse officer in 2010
and I was appointed to
Lakeshore Community Church
as Corps Officer, and that's in Toronto.
And then after five years,
was appointed as executive
director at Thunder Bay
at the community and
residential services here.
For five years, we lived in Thunder Bay
and Don flew back and forth
every two weeks to his job
at World Vision Canada in Mississauga.
And again, through a course of events
that I'll tell you about someday
when I see you in person,
God used me to lead the
construction of a $15.5 million,
30,000 square foot new home
for the Salvation Army in Thunder Bay,
The Journey To Life Centre.
And now we find ourselves
here, back in Toronto,
closer to most of our children
and all of our grandchildren.
Excited about the opportunity
that lies before me.
I have much to learn,
but I'm looking forward
to getting to know you better,
to learn what the Salvation
Army is doing in Barrie
and to help discover what God has in store
for the coming days.
You will come to know that
I'm very black and white
in my faith.
God said it, I believe
it, that settles it.
And I know from my own life
that when we put our hand in His
and allow Him to lead, there's
no telling what He can do
in and through us.
It's my prayer that you will
walk boldly into the future,
trusting that He is leading the way.
God bless you.
- Our call to worship this morning
is taken from Lamentations.
Lamentations 3:22-26.
"Because of the Lord's great love,
"we are not consumed, for
his compassions never fail.
" They are new every morning:
great is your faithfulness.
"I say to myself, the Lord is my portion;
"Therefore, I will wait for him.
"The Lord is good to those
whose hope is in him,
"to the one who seeks him,
"it is good to wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord."
Amen.
In the past we've used a couple of videos
from the Skit Guys and here's
one today on back to school.
So please pray.
(gentle music begins)
Our opening song this morning,
"Eternal God Unchanging Through
All The Changing Years."
Let's sing it together.
(music)
♪ Eternal God, unchanging ♪
♪ Through all the changing years ♪
♪ Whose hands all things created ♪
♪ Who holds the countless stars ♪
♪ Enthroned in heavenly glory ♪
♪ Yet not a God afar ♪
♪ Thou deignest to have dwelling ♪
♪ Here where thy people are ♪
♪ Forbid that man's achievements ♪
♪ Should cause our faith to wane ♪
♪ Or seek in human wisdom ♪
♪ Our spirit to sustain ♪
♪ Lord, surely thou art shaping ♪
♪ All things to thy design ♪
♪ And born of this conviction ♪
♪ Is faith to match our time ♪
♪ And in a world divided ♪
♪ By selfishness and guile ♪
♪ When truth is on the scaffold ♪
♪ And faith is standing trial ♪
♪ Grant us, by inward knowledge ♪
♪ No learning can bestow ♪
♪ A faith that answers firmly ♪
♪ These things, these things I know ♪
♪ Though men have wrought confusion ♪
♪ Thy hand still holds the plan ♪
♪ And thou, at length, decideth ♪
♪ The destiny of man ♪
♪ Dominions rise and perish ♪
♪ The mighty have their day ♪
♪ But still thy word abideth ♪
♪ It shall not pass away. ♪
- We've just sung about
an unchanging, God,
we've listened about a faithful God.
Over all the earth, you reign on high,
every mountain stream, every sunset sky.
Lord, my only aim is that you
reign, not just over them,
but reign in me again.
Let's sing it together.
(gentle music)
♪ Over all the earth ♪
♪ You reign on high ♪
♪ Every mountain stream ♪
♪ Every sunset sky ♪
♪ But my one request ♪
♪ Lord, my only aim ♪
♪ Is that you reign in me again ♪
♪ Lord, reign in me ♪
♪ Reign in your power ♪
♪ Over all my dreams ♪
♪ In my darkest hour ♪
♪ You are the Lord of all I am ♪
♪ So won't You reign in me again ♪
♪ Over every thought ♪
♪ Over every word ♪
♪ May my life reflect ♪
♪ The beauty of my Lord ♪
♪ 'Cause you mean more to me ♪
♪ Than any earthly thing ♪
♪ So won't you reign in me again ♪
♪ Lord, reign in me ♪
♪ Reign in your power ♪
♪ Over all my dreams ♪
♪ In my darkest hour ♪
♪ You are the Lord of all I am ♪
♪ So won't you reign in me again ♪
♪ Lord, reign in me ♪
♪ Reign in your power ♪
♪ Over all my dreams ♪
♪ In my darkest hour ♪
♪ You are the Lord of all I am ♪
♪ So won't you reign in me again ♪
♪ Lord, reign in me ♪
♪ Reign in your power ♪
♪ Over all my dreams ♪
♪ In my darkest hour ♪
♪ You are the Lord of all I am ♪
♪ So won't you reign in me again ♪
- Well, it's Bramwel
time, kids come on down
and let's hear his message for us today.
- Hi kids, nice to see
you again this morning,
or at least nice to
know that you're there.
Remember last week Bramwel said
that he was going to tell us
a story about a creature
at the farm that was scary?
I wonder what he was talking about.
He's here now.
Bramwel, stay very still,
there is a very big spider on your head.
Look more closely.
Oh, now I see.
It's not real.
You made it to remember your friend Simon.
Simon is a spider
and he gave you a gift.
Oh well.
I'd like you to tell us about the gift,
but would you mind if I
just move Simon for awhile?
I'll just put him down over here.
Okay?
Yes, I know that.
And so did the kids,
spiders make webs and Simon,
where did he live on the farm?
He lived in the barn
on the door of the barn, okay.
That's a good place for a spider, I think.
And every day he spun a
web on the door, right.
That must have been discouraging.
Bramwel says, every time the
farmer opened the barn door,
the web fell apart, but
Simon would spin it again.
Oh, good for him.
He stuck to it, didn't he?
Yeah.
And he gave you a beautiful gift.
Well, what did he give you?
One day, he spun a web
on the door of the barn
and it rained.
And then the sun came out.
Oh, I know what you're talking about.
The spider web was covered in diamonds.
It was beautiful.
Yes?
And it made you feel really happy.
It was a beautiful gift.
Kids, have you ever seen
water on a spiderweb?
When the sun shines on it,
it looks just like diamonds
and is a beautiful, beautiful gift.
Oh, Simon persevered.
That's a very big word.
Yeah, it means that he stuck to it.
Well, the Bible says perseverance,
sticking to something,
that's hard when we know we should do it,
produces character.
Yeah.
Simon's character was
made clear by the fact
that he kept going.
Yeah, you could count on Simon
to do his job, couldn't you?
Right.
And the Bible says that
perseverance develops character
and character brings hope.
Right.
For Christians, we want to be like Jesus.
And when we stick at doing
what we know is right,
it develops our character,
we become more reliable,
more trustworthy and that gives us hope
that someday God will
finish His work in us
and we will be like Jesus.
Yeah.
Well, I know, I'm not gonna
to get close to spiders,
but thank you for reminding us that Simon
gave you a beautiful gift
because he kept doing
what he knew he should do.
Like washing our hands,
and not touching your face.
Well, I suppose so,
and for people wearing a mask, right.
And then we can be reliable
people, can't wait?
Yeah.
Oh, you want me to put
Simon back up on your head?
Okay.
And then is Simon gonna
help you blow a kiss?
Okay.
So goodbye kids, we'll see you next week.
(blowing a kiss)
(music begins)
- The band selection this
morning, it's a beautiful chorus.
"I'd Rather Have Jesus,"
let's listen to him.
(band music begins)
Scripture reading this morning
is taken from Mark's gospel,
Mark 2, starting at verse one,
well-known Scripture texts.
One of my favourites, I
have lots of favourites
if you've been listening to me,
this was one of the
ones that I really like
and it starts this way;
"A few days later, when Jesus,
again, entered Capernaum,
"the people heard that he had come home.
"So many gathered that
there was no room left,
"not even outside the door,
"and he preached the word to them.
" Some men came bringing
to him a paralytic
"carried by four of them.
"Since they could not get him
to Jesus because of the crowd,
"they made an opening
in the roof above Jesus
"and after digging through
it, lowered the mat
"the paralysed man was laying on.
"When Jesus saw their faith
he said to the paralytic.
"son, your sins are forgiven.
"Now some teachers of the
law were sitting there
"thinking to themselves,
why does this fellow
"talk like that?
"He's blasphemy.
"Who can forgive sins but God alone?
"Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit
"that this was what they
were thinking in their hearts
"and he said to them, why are
you thinking of these things?
"Which is easier to say to the paralytic,
"your sins are forgiven or get
up, take your mat and walk?
"But that you may know the
son of man and has authority
"on earth to forgive sins.
"He said to the paralytic,
I tell you, get up,
"take your mat and go home.
"He got up, took his mat and walked out
"in full view of them
all, this amazed everyone
"and they praised God saying,
"we have never seen anything like this."
The word of the Lord.
This morning, as we
enter into this sermon,
let's pray together.
Father God, we come before you.
We're grateful that you
are a God who does heal
and make whole those who are paralysed
maybe in physically or
maybe in their own fears.
We thank you that you
are a God that loves us.
Father, for those that have ears,
let them hear your message this morning.
We ask this in Jesus name.
Amen.
Well, it's that time of the year again,
here in Canada, for you that are watching
from around the world,
there's quite a few of you
that watch from other parts of the world,
there is a commercial that comes out
right this time of year and it starts,
"It's the most wonderful
time of the year."
Now, it's a Christmas song,
but they're not talking about Christmas,
they're talking about back to school.
For us parents, back to
school is the sweet release
of 24 hours a day with our kids
from the summer vacation.
But this summer is a little different.
This vacation period has
been going on for a while
and going back to school
is different this year.
Some are going to school, here in Barrie,
some are going to school in class,
some are doing online study.
There's about a 70/30 split
as to what we're doing here.
I remember school for me,
and I remember kindergarten actually
and I remember my mother
walking me to school
and me crying my eyes out when she left.
At the window, to the point where my mum
couldn't walk me to school anymore.
It's a long time ago.
I won't tell you how many
years, but it's a long time,
it's over 50 years ago, but
that's a very vivid memory.
The other memory I have
and my sermon is entitled,
"Lessons From The Mat."
And I remember, and maybe
some of you do too, nap time.
Do you remember in kindergarten
when we had nap time?
It was great.
I had no trouble with nap time,
everything else was a bit of a blur
but nap time, laying on a mat.
And pointing off the shelf,
putting yourself down on
it and laying on the mat.
While our kids are
beginning a new school year,
I don't think you kindergarteners
get nap time anymore, I'm sorry,
but I'm sure you're busy
getting your backpacks
back together, checking your supplies
and thinking, this is a new year.
No matter where you're going to school,
at home or at school,
it doesn't matter what
grade you're going into,
you know that you can't make it alone.
You need people to hold up
those corners of the mat
that we heard about this morning
for the paralysed man
where his four friends
each took a corner and lowered him
to the feet of Jesus.
We need four people or four
sets of people like that.
And the first one I wanna
look at is the teachers.
We really need to give
grace to teachers this year.
This is such an unprecedented
time and a scary time
for all of us in the midst
of the COVID pandemic,
to going back, to meeting in person
after not meeting together
for many, many, many months
and working in cohorts
and working in situations
where we don't really
know what's gonna happen.
So you kids, you students,
you need to know this,
the teachers only want the best for you.
They want you to succeed.
There is no play in it for
them if you don't succeed.
Sometimes you might
wonder when you ask you
to do an assignment, to do
it this way or that way,
is it really what's best?
But they only want what's
best, there's a reason
for why they do it.
You might think that the
work is too difficult
and it's true, sometimes it is.
But don't be afraid to ask for help.
That's what they're there for.
They wanna help you,
they want you to grow,
they want you to learn,
they want you to move.
Some of you might not like
the rules of the classroom.
Sorry, those are the rules.
Even the rules for online learning.
I understand that you have
to be in Google Classroom,
sitting in class from your home.
Maybe you don't like that.
Those are the rules.
When I was in school, we had rules
and if you didn't like the rules,
then you got to go visit the principal.
Only once for me.
We have a great opportunity this year
to learn many things in school.
The Bible says this in Proverbs,
"Happy are those who find wisdom
"and those who get
understanding," Proverbs 3:13.
God wants us to learn about
the world that He made.
He wants you and has
provided you with teachers
so that they can help you.
They wanna help you, they'll be there
holding up one corner of that mat.
Now, if they're the only one
then they're dragging you by one corner,
so let's find some other
people to help with the mat.
The second group I want to talk about
is your parents and your grandparents.
Sometimes you know, we
forget how important parents
and grandparents are.
You know, they provide us
with food and the clothes
and a place to live.
They help us to make good decisions.
They encourage us in our schoolwork.
You know, it's funny
because when you're younger,
you say, I'll never want
to be like my mum or dad.
And you know what?
As you get older, you become more and more
like your mom and dad.
The decisions and the wisdom
that they have given you
help to form who you are.
Now, to you parents and your grandparents,
you have a very, very
important role to play.
I want you to think
back about your parents
and how they helped you.
Maybe they took you to school
like I told you the story about my mom
and I still remember it now.
Maybe they sat down with you
during those difficult math
or geography or history or
helped you with your projects.
Maybe they cheered you on.
And that's what we have
to do for our kids.
The Bible places, great
importance on the role of parents.
They're gonna help their
children obey the commandments.
They are to teach them about God.
They are to love and
care for their children.
Their corner, their support
corner, is important to the,
not just this part of their lives,
but the ongoing growth of your children.
The third corner, because now
if we only have two people,
we need a third corner, is your friends.
This is for your kids, your
friends, it's important.
I bet none of you can think now of a time
where you didn't get
together with your friends.
Can you imagine that, you know,
back to school and that
you're back with your friends,
socially distanced,
wearing your masks I know,
but still you still enjoy
their company, don't you?
You love being around
your friends, their jokes.
Some of them aren't smart, that's okay,
but you like even the
pranks of good friends.
Sometimes we say things that hurt,
but they're still our friends.
The Bible says that a
friend loves at all times.
So even though you've been
socially away from them,
they're your friends,
have still loved you.
It doesn't matter to them
if you get an A or an F in a class.
It doesn't matter to
them what you look like,
what you dress like, they're
always there for you.
They care about you.
But the one thing you need to do
is to choose your friends wisely.
Friends have a lot of influence.
Maybe this is what you need to look at
when you're choosing your friends,
find friends that are kind,
understanding, respectful.
You need to have friends who are honest
and who make good choices.
You need friends that you can depend on
when the times get tough.
One of my youngest or my
oldest, I guess friends,
I have known for over 50 years
and I talked to him last week.
And we've been friends for
a long time, over 55 years.
And his father recently passed
and it was an opportunity
to support each other
during difficult times,
as he did many, many years
ago, when my mom passed.
So we have that relationship
with each other.
Friendship goes both ways.
If you want good friends,
be a good friend.
The fourth corner, and I don't think,
maybe you don't think about
this as one of the corners,
but it's your church family.
We love you.
We care about you.
We want what's best for you.
We wanna help you face life's problems.
We wanna help strengthen
you in your faith.
We want to teach you about Jesus
and how important it is to follow Him.
We want you to find ways to serve God.
We want all these things for you.
We want what's best for you.
We are your second family.
We love you and we care about you.
I'm sure if we asked people
in the congregation today
to talk about their own experiences
with their church growing up,
when they were holding
that corner of the mat,
when they were one of
the four important people
that took them to the feet of Jesus,
you would see how important
the church is in all of this.
See, without it, for me,
there's no direction in my life.
I wouldn't know where to
turn when I'm discouraged
or when I bump up against a problem,
and that's what we're here for.
We're are your family.
Yeah, I know you don't always
get along with your family,
but that's okay.
We only want what's best for you.
We want to see you
through the lens of Jesus.
So remember kids, when you go
to school, you're not alone.
You've got your teachers on your side,
you've got your parents and
your grandparents to love you.
You've got your friends
that care about you,
and you've got the church
that stands behind you.
Well, remember that Jesus will guide you
and make your life worth living?
Oh, and one more thing,
the last thing that Jesus said to the man
was get up and get moving
and I'm sure that's what your mom
is saying to you this morning.
Father God, as we reflect
on those words this morning,
especially for our kids,
as they start school again,
and with all the fear,
with all the trepidation
that comes in a usual school year,
but father even more so
now with what's going on
in this world with the pandemic.
Father, we ask that you
would bless these children,
that you would keep them close to you.
And like the shepherd with the 99,
when one of them gets lost,
Father God, that you would go
find them, seek them,
bring them back home to us.
Father, as the church family,
we ask that you would give us wisdom
and power to guide these young lives.
Father for the parents, love on them.
To the the friends, support them,
care about them and to our teachers
and our education workers,
Father God, bless them,
protect them, give them
strength and give them wisdom.
Father, let them be reminded
that all though these days
are confusing, that you control them
and that these are in your hands.
Father, we just ask that you
would bless us and keep us.
We ask this in Jesus name.
Amen.
Well, this morning we read
from our call to worship
was from Lamentations
and there's a great song
in our song book,
"Great is Thy Faithfulness,
Oh God thy Father."
I think we need to be reminded, don't we?
Sometimes daily that
God is a faithful God.
And although times are
trying and they're scary,
that God will make a way for us
in these most difficult times.
Some of you that are listening
to this might not know Jesus.
This morning again, we have
put a contact information.
If you don't know Jesus, and
you wanna talk about Jesus,
or if you're scared about this
pandemic and you wanna talk
to somebody, there's a
phone number there for you.
There's an email there for you.
Let's start a conversation today.
Great is life faithfulness, Oh God.
Let's sing this together.
(gentle piano music begins)
Our closing song this morning,
another song about trust,
simply trusting everyday,
trusting through a stormy way,
even when your faith is small,
trusting Jesus, that is all.
Let's sing this together, friends.
(music)
♪ Simply trusting every day ♪
♪ Trusting through a stormy way ♪
♪ Even when my faith is small ♪
♪ Trusting Jesus, that is all ♪
♪ Trusting as the moments fly ♪
♪ Trusting as the days go by ♪
♪ Trusting him whate'er befall ♪
♪ Trusting Jesus, that is all ♪
♪ Brightly doth His Spirit shine ♪
♪ Into this poor heart of mine ♪
♪ While He leads I cannot fall ♪
♪ Trusting Jesus, that is all ♪
♪ Trusting as the moments fly ♪
♪ Trusting as the days go by ♪
♪ Trusting him whate'er befall ♪
♪ Trusting Jesus, that is all. ♪
♪ Singing, if my way be clear ♪
♪ Praying, if the path be drear ♪
♪ If in danger for Him call ♪
♪ Trusting Jesus, that is all ♪
♪ Trusting as the moments fly ♪
♪ Trusting as the days go by ♪
♪ Trusting him whate'er befall ♪
♪ Trusting Jesus, that is all ♪
♪ Trusting Him while life shall last ♪
♪ Trusting Him till earth be past ♪
♪ Till within the jasper wall ♪
♪ Trusting Jesus, that is all ♪
♪ Trusting as the moments fly ♪
♪ Trusting as the days go by ♪
♪ Trusting him whate'er befall ♪
♪ Trusting Jesus, that is all ♪
- Our benediction this morning.
Lord, if your presence
will not stay with us.
Friends, as you go through this week,
remember that God is with you,
that there is hope in Christ.
Have a good week.
(gentle music)
♪ Lord, if your presence
does not go with us ♪
♪ Please do not send us up from here ♪
♪ How will anyone hear
of truth and goodness ♪
♪ Unless your Word speaks through us ♪
♪ Lord, if your presence
is not love in us ♪
♪ How can we minister your grace ♪
♪ How will anyone feel your tender mercy ♪
♪ Unless your heart is in us ♪
♪ So we stand within your presence ♪
♪ And humbly seek your grace ♪
♪ Father Almighty, Jehovah, Saviour ♪
♪ We long to meet you face to face ♪
♪ Let your glory fall upon us ♪
♪ Convict, inspire, provide ♪
♪ Father Almighty, Jehovah, Saviour ♪
♪ Your holy presence is our guide ♪
♪ Father Almighty, Jehovah, Saviour ♪
♪ Your holy presence is our guide ♪
(gentle music continues)
(subscription bell ringing)
