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Be Strong and Courageous
Easter 2009
HPC
NEWSLETTER 
 
( 
Please take a moment to read Joshua 1:1-9 before you read further)
A fair amount of anxiety has been noticeable in conversa-tions and meetings lately, and along with that, difference of opinion, and tension. People are anxious about the times;about the impact that the current economic climate willhave on church finances; about what is happening to the
church; about a lack of unity in the congregation… We feelas if we’ve been thrown overboard and we are swimmingfor dear life, but we don’t know for sure where the shore is.
 
Things have been going well; we’ve experienced growth;we’ve put all kinds of groups and programs in place; the way
we have been doing things served us well for a long time;everyone knew where they fit in and what was expected of 
them; we’ve been comfortable and enjoyed a great sense of 
security and belonging. But things are changing. Anyoneobserving the life of the congregation would notice thatthere is less unity and much more diversity of opinionsabout what to do and where to go from here; would noticesome uncertainty about the future; would feel the underly-ing tension between different interest groups. Why arethings changing like this?We are undeniably in a transition period where things are
delicately balanced. We’ve been thrown into it partly be-
cause of outside events, but it is also a sign that the seasonsare changing. Just as we experience different seasons in ourindividual lives (some of which require significant adjust-ment), there are also seasons in the life of a congregation.The good news is
this is a sign that we are alive; that we arealive with Christ.
The question is how do we navigate thesechanging times?
This made me think of the story of Joshua. If you’ve ever
seen a time of transition, this is it. After forty years of wil-derness wandering, the people of Israel have been broughtto the edge of the Promised Land. They are camping in theplains of Moab where Moses gives his final sermon. Acrossthe river lies the Promised Land. Ahead of them are some of the biggest challenges they would ever face. Everythingabout them, their whole way of living is about to change.And then their trusted leader Moses dies. They are thrownin the deep end. What now?God speaks and Joshua is called to lead them through thistime, and through the River Jordan to inherit the land thatGod is about to give them. We can learn much from thisstory about navigating times of transition. So let me pointout two refrains in this story that give direction.The first is this:
Be strong and courageous.
It is said no
less than three times. I don’t know about you, but my
church vocabulary did not always include these words. Iam realizing more and more however that these wordsreally belong in the life of someone who follows Christ.We need strength and courage in obeying God, as thestory points out. Obedience takes guts as it involves thewillingness to be different, to make tough choices, andthe faith to step into the raging waters of the River Jor-
dan in following God’s call. So is there anything that can
help us be obedient? Two sentences describe what obe-
dience to God is all about (verse 8): “Do not let this bookof the Law depart from your mouth” and “Meditate on itday and night”. In times of transition we need to be
strong and courageous in paying attention to the Wordof God. Speaking the Word and meditating on it prepareus to walk straight, to act faithfully and to live lives of calling with integrity in the presence of God. These arecore activities that pull us back on track when we stray tothe left or right. Paying attention to the Word of Goddefines who we are as the people of God.To be strong and courageous in paying attention to God
is our basic calling. Richard Foster therefore writes, “If we
hope to move beyond the superficialities of our culture,including our religious culture, we must be willing to godown in the recreating silence, into the inner world of 
contemplation.” And Henri Nouwen writes about ourlistening to God: “It keeps us pilgrims and prevents us
from becoming entangled in the cares of this age. Itguards the fire of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Itallows us to speak a word that participates in the creative
and recreative power of God’s own Word.”
 There are few securities in times of transition. We live byfaith. But let me point out the other refrain in the Joshua
text (verses 5 & 9): “As I was with Moses, so
I will bewith you; I will never leave you nor forsake you
,” the
Lord says. Sayings about the presence of God frame the
imperatives “to be strong and courageous”. God is larger
than our fears. His presence brackets our circumstances.
He keeps us in his hands. God’s presence opens the fu-
ture. Nothing on earth can make more of a difference.
God’s presence gives courage and strength.
 
Gerard  
 
Stewardship, what is it? During this time of economic downturn I have been giving some thought to the matter
of stewardship. Usually, the first thing we think about when we hear that word is “money”. Of course we knowit is really comprised of the three “T’s”, Time, Talents and Tithes. But today I want to address only one “T”,that being the Tithe. Knowing the aversion to talking about such a mundane thing as “money” it can be a some-what delicate subject, something we don’t like to talk about, sort of in the same category as politics and relig-
ion (my faith is personal and private!).But whether we like it or not Jesus, as well as the bible, had no compunction about talking about money. He
warned against putting too much stock in amassing wealth in earthly treasures for “
where your treasure is, there
will your heart be also.” 
Matt.6:21 And then there is that dire warning:
“No one can serve two masters; for a slave
will eihter hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money 
.” Matt. 6:24 One of the charges against the Pharisees was that they were
“lovers of money” 
Luke 16:14aAnd then there is that rather disturbing passage in the first letter to Timothy:
“…the love of money is a root of all 
kinds of evil, and in their eagerness to be rich some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with
many pains.” 
6:10
Way back when I was a student (actually I’ve never outgrown that student designation), I
was engaged one summer to do a survey for the church in Campbell River. One of myquestions was whether or not it was important for there to be a church in the commu-nity. I well remember one lady saying how important it was for her to be able to look out
her window and see the church building only a block and half away. Although she wasn’t amember and didn’t attend, it nevertheless was a comfort to her for if the time ever camewhen she needed the church she certainly knew where to go. “Well”, I replied, “ I cer-tainly hope, if and when that time comes, the church is still there.” To which she replied,“O, it will be there, the church is always there!”Of course she had no concept that the “church” might need her if it was to survive and
carry out its mission in her community and the world. It was that need, along with theeconomic downturn of the day, that prompted my thoughts on the matter of stewardship.The simple fact of the matter is the church cannot survive and carry out its mission to bethe hands and feet of our Risen Lord in a world desperately in need of reconciliation and healing without
money. (There, I’ve said it!)
Our budget has modestly increased this year. We have also had some unexpected and unavoidable expenses to
start the year off. Add to that the financial pinch some folk are feeling and….well, you get the picture.
While some have felt the crunch, have perhaps been laid off or seen their retirement investment returns dimin-ish and have had to scale back on their tithe, others have not been affected at all and are in a position to pick up some of the slack. Of course it may require some sacrifice (then again maybe not), but at least it will be vol-untary, as opposed to those who have been caught in the financial crunch and have little or no choice in thematter.That is the reality we find ourselves in. You might call it a time of testing, a challenge to our faith. You see, inthe final analysis it is not about money at all, but rather how we respond to the call of God on our lives to bethe church, the living breathing body of Jesus the Christ in this place and in this time.
Yours in Christ’s service,
 
Dorne
 
Stewardship
Page 2 
HPC NEWSLETTER 
 
“ No one can 
serve two masters...You cannot serve God and  
money.” 
Matthew 6:24 
 
From Your Treasurer
NOTEAdditional donations for designate pro- jects not included in above.Cariboo Church, WomanCare, Salva-tion Army Dinners, Nicaragua, Swazi-land & Memorial Fund - $520.23As you can see from the above state-ment, we have had a few financialproblems in the first two months of this year. Despite having cashed in aTerm Deposit from the contingencyfund, our expenses were still $4,467.78more than our income. Part of this wasdue to unexpected problems such asclearing snow from the parking lot at$330 each time and various repairs tothe building. Also the death of severalof our church family has had an effecton our congregational givings. I realizethat the economic situation is not goodat this time, but we, the congregation,did agree at the Annual CongregationalMeeting to uphold the budget for 2009.I thank you for your support.
 Jean Grundmann 
Financial Report January 1, 2009
 – 
February 28, 2009
 
INCOME
 Congregational Givings & Enve-lopes19,995.85 (Budget $32,023.00)Term Deposit Cashed 5,390.00Use of Church 2,532.00Christian Education Etc 444.63Miscellaneous 190.55Donation re Church Loan 10,000.00Bank Interest & GST Rebate 16.7638,569.79
EXPENSES
 Salaries 15,257.14Maintenance of Church 15,667.11Christian Education 713.83Outreach 880.00Loan Repayment (Donation) 10,000.00Miscellaneous (Coffee, WCB, etc) 519.4943,037.57Balance (decifit)(4,467.08)
Page 3
EASTER 2009
Everything comes to us as a gift from God. Sunshine and Rain. Fruitfulness and fertility. Strength and  health. They are all from God. Our offering is an acknowledgement of that.
It’s a way of honouring 
Him and giving thanks to Him.
Eugene Peterson’s 
Commentary on 2 Corinthians 8 
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