As a Christian church, we exist to honour God by

helping local people worship God, grow spiritually,

serve others, and reach their communities and the

world with the message and love of Jesus Christ.

November 2017 FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

Opportunities for Everyone 12

Godly Play Program 4

“Thank you” from Wendy 8

Away but Not Forgotten 4

Proposed Budget 2018 10

First Serving Photos 3

Operation Eyesight Banquet 5

The Back Page : by Wendy 13

Family Announcements 6, 7

From the Pastor’s Desk 2

Photo Gallery 9

The Care Closet at NPC 11

Inside this issue:

Upcoming Dates

November 12

Remembrance Day Sunday

November 26

12:15 Potluck lunch

1:15 pm Nominations and Budget mtg

December 3

Advent begins !

More dates are on the November Calendar—see pg 14

First News

An Evening of Worship and Prayer for the Community

CONCERT of PRAYER

Church Out Serving (COS) will host their first “Concert of Prayer” on Friday November 10th at 7 pm.

The Concert of Prayer is a prayer gathering on an evening that is set aside to praise God and pray to Him, for and about our commu-

nity! It will be held at their new property in downtown Simcoe “Riversyde 83”. The address is 83 Sydenham St. This time of worship and prayer will be an hour in length. There will be some chairs available, but if you would like to guarantee yourself a seat, please BYO lawn chair. And please share this event with those in your circles. This event is part of the H2O (Hearts to the One) Prayer Project.

The leadership team will be hosting a Concert of Prayer once

every 3 months on a Fri-

day evening, about 4x per

year, to give thanks for the

good things God is doing

now and here, and to pray

for our community and its

concerns.

P A G E 2 from Darrell’s Desk...

Rev. Darrell Maguire became our full time pastor in November 2016. Darrell is originally from Brantford and has served at churches in Quebec, Tyrell and most recently at Donway Baptist in Toronto. Darrell enjoys fishing , socializing, and spending time with his family.

Ok, I’ll admit it. November, as far as months of the year goes, is at the bottom

of the heap. With exception to those among us who celebrate a birthday, or anni-

versary in November, there is little to charm us in this month. In fact, I know of

no one who claims to love this month, except my son whose birthday falls in No-

vember. We are in a time of year when the only day of “celebration”, as impor-

tant as it is, is a day of remembrance for those who died in the wars our nation

was a participant in. The month of December with Christmas and New Year’s, is

still a few weeks away, (although retailers would have you believe it is tomorrow)

and Halloween has past.

Even the weather seems to mimic our mood. The days grow shorter, the

clock resets, the trees become bare, the sky grows grayer, and we busy our-

selves: winterizing our houses, our cars, and our wardrobes. Even many species

of birds, including snowbirds, have the good sense to head south. Those of us

with a touch of seasonal effectiveness disorder, really struggle to pull out of our

funk in November. The most famous song I can recall about November, is

about the ship wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot. And we

all know that the weather network is just chomping at the bit to flash up their

“Storm Watch” screen and tell us the most recent “Snow-apocalypse” is on the

way. It all seems so cruel, given the incredible run of warm weather we just had in September and October.

No wonder we want to rush into December.

Yet, perhaps in our hast to divest ourselves of these rough, and often transitional feeling 30 days, we

miss an opportunity. An opportunity divested of seasonal obligations, when we can explore, and experience

some richness in our relationships with each other, and with God. Without worrying about planning big fam-

ily events, corporate parties, and church pageants, we have ample time to just be in the moment with other

people, and with God. November grants us a time when we can truly listen to each other without any pre-

conceived agendas, or obligations. This is the time of year when questions like “How are you?” can be ex-

plored with some depth rather than an trite answer of “I’m okay”. It is a season

when coffee and conversation can be nursed without the pressure of accomplish-

ing anything. In November it is okay to simply be with each other.

November is also a wonderful month for churches, where we get up to

four Sundays (depending on when Advent hits) when its okay to have “regular

services”. You know the ones I mean? When people ask, “is there anything spe-

cial happening at church this week?” and we say, “No not really”. And I want to

scream that every week is special when the community of faith gathers! Remem-

bering that it is the people who make the services special, not the programs. Yet,

these services offer us opportunity to focus on those around us, and on the One who has brought us together

in His house. To consider the work of the Holy Spirit in the pews and not necessarily from the platform.

Maybe I can come up with a new celebration for November to capture its essence, but soon enough

Hallmark or Dollarama will want to create cards and stuffed animals to commemorate it, thus defeating its

charm. I guess for now, it is enough to suggest that we embrace this month, but we embrace it together.

That we dwell in the presence of God and each other. Happy November everyone!

Rev. Darrell Maguire

P A G E 3 P A G E 3

The Godelie family farm donated produce for First

Serving in return for face painting by Rick and Caro-

lyn Bridge at the farm’s appreciation fun day . They

donated two 50lb bags of potatoes, and enough corn

on the cob to serve one entire First Serving plus many

pumpkins and gourds.

The pumpkins and gourds were given to the people

that come to First Serving as a fall gift for the kids.

The remainder was divided among the regular volun-

teers as a thank you for their continued commitment

and work.

First Serving ! A community meal

Marianne Irvin Stephen Squires, Zavier Ackland,

Callum Reid

Wendy Squires and

Rev. Darrell Maguire

Cindy Rapley

Carolyn Bridge

pretends to feed

Braeden Hill Ready to serve ! (L-R) Cindy Rapley,

Zavier Ackland, Wendy Squires,

Callum Reid, Marianne Irvin.

The youth group prepared Hal-

loween cakes for First Serving.

(L-R) Stephen Squires, Rick

Bridge, Callum Reid, Zavier

Ackland, Braeden Hill

Shirley Hampson and

Martin Williams

Tiffany and

Julie Forde

P A G E 4

Ben Auld in Guelph

Julia Dickson in Ottawa

Katie Dickson in Hamilton

Kristina Feere in London

Kody Forde in Hamilton

Catherine Freeman in Waterloo

Hillary Freeman in Guelph

Emily Freeman in Hamilton

Kennedy Harvey in Texas

Berkeley Harvey in Ottawa

Lauren McKay in London

Ellie McKay in Kitchener

Emma Reed (Carroll) in Waterloo

Madison Reid in Guelph

FBC Youth Group

All youth grade 7 to 12+ are

invited to attend the youth group.

We meet every other Monday

night from 6:30 to 8 pm.

There is a different activity

every week… and sometimes

a different location to explore.

Contact Rick or Carolyn Bridge

for more information.

519 426 5804

In Hospital

Mary Lou Kellett in Oshawa

Shirley Moyer at Norview Lodge

Anne Burnett at NH nursing Home

Jessie Kitchen in Owen Sound

Gloria Sidney in Lindsay

Away but not forgotten Thinking

of y

ou… P

raying

for

you

… M

issing

you

...

Godly Play

During the worship service, children up to and including

grade 6 are invited to go downstairs for Godly Play.

Each week they hear and experience a bible story with

props, pictures and storytelling.

After the story there is a craft,

game or activity that relates to

the story.

Thank you to all the Godly Play

leaders !

P A G E 5

Photos by Mike Freeman

Submitted by John Wallace

A heartfelt thanks to the more than 50 people

in First Baptist who helped make the dinner a

great success! To all who assisted in prepar-

ing in the kitchen, in setting up, in serving, or

attended, or helped clean up you have partici-

pated in creating a series of miracles. The

funds raised are used to help Operation Eye-

sight continue its amazing work in the world.

As particular thank you to Julie Forde and her

team of special angels who plan, execute, and

complete the numerous tasks.

The dinner produced slightly more than

two thousand dollars, and the donations were

more than six thousand. So more than eight

thousand dollars was available to be matched

through the coordination through the Rotary

Clubs locally and globally. Shortly after the

dinner, another donation of US $10,000.00

came from the Rotary Club of Brantford to add

to the success.

In total, this specific amazing project

with the total goal of US $71,000.00 will now

go forward. There will be more than two hun-

dred thousand people who will receive eye ex-

ams, health checks, eye surgery where

needed, and for thousands, their lives will be

changed for the better. The restoration of sight

is a miracle.

Thank you to all who helped make this

global demonstration of love become real.

OPERATION EYESIGHT DINNER :

Thank you !

Wray and Marie Knox, enjoy dinner

with Marianne and Grant Irvin

Banquet guests Randy, Stephen

and Wendy Squires.

Martin Williams tackles

the dishes !

Patrick Forde laughs

in the kitchen Mark Rapley and

Kelsi Uy

Wendy and Mike

Freeman

Lucine McKay with

her granddaughter

Erica McKay

Chief of the

kitchen: Julie

Forde !

Randy Squires tries

the cataract simulator

family announcements P A G E 6

Isabella

Dambrauskas

Keith Rumble

Marie Knox

Lana Wallace

Bart Crabb

Carolyn Bridge

Fran McConnell

Alan Duthie

Liz Harvey

Rob Gracie

November Birthdays Congratulations !

November Anniversaries

Wray & Marie Knox

Let the church office know if we have

missed your birthday or anniversary

Madison Reid graduated from SCS

with her Ontario Scholar, Honour

Society, Carrie Alexander McCall

Chapter I.O.D.E. Award, and Beta

Sigma Phi Bursary. Madison is study-

ing Science at University of Guelph.

Wesley Freeman

graduated from SCS

with his Ontario

Scholar, Honour Stu-

dent and Graduating

All-Star. Wesley is

working for a year

before attending

University of Water-

loo for Kinesiology.

Naomi Auld graduated from SCS with

her OSSD. Naomi

is returning to

SCS for more

classes and hopes

to study wildlife

biology at Flem-

ing College in the

future.

Congratulations !

Nathan Carroll is playing the lead in the

Children's Musical “HONK” at Drayton En-

tertainment (St Jacob's Playhouse). Nathan

plays the character “Ugly” in this musical.

He played the same char-

acter at SCS when he was

a teenager.

Contact Nancy Carroll for more

information : 519 426 0856

Ellie MacKay graduated

from SCS in 2016. She

received her Ontario

Scholar, Honour Student,

and Health & Nutrition

Award. Ellie is currently

at Conestoga College,

Kitchener studying

nursing.

Nathan Carroll

Mike Freeman, Erin Poirier,

Wesley and Wendy Freeman

Lauren, Ellie and Erica McKay

P A G E 7

Face painting at the fair this year consisted of three days . A big thank you

to Rick Bridge and Eva Dixon on supporting this fundraiser once again full heart-

edly. Also a special thank you to Abby( Eva's granddaughter) and Kaitlin Fergu-

son for helping. The big hits this year where " Paw patrol And " Super heros!!

We raised $900 which will be going toward airfare to bring Rhoyer and his father

Theiry Belade here from Haiti. We are planning for Rhoyer to start school here soon.

submitted by Carolyn Bridge

George Willis

George passed away on Friday, October 20, 2017. He will be sadly missed by many friends at First Baptist Simcoe. George was a gentleman, a good friend, and a good traveler. He traveled with Keith Ellis to many parts of the world including Russia, Europe, North Africa, the Caribbean, Cuba many times, and lots and lots of cruise ships. George was a retired French teacher, world traveler and a live theatre enthusi-ast. Remember him by reading a good book and enjoying a glass of wine.

More family announcements

Baby Dedication !

On October 15th, Alan and Christine

Duthie, the parents of Maisie Duthie, along

with the congregation, promised to raise

Maisie in Christian love and teachings.

Congratulations to Delores Duke and

her sister Elizabeth Duckworth on

participating in the recent Great Race.

(L-R) Sophie, Maisie, Christine,

Fiona and Alan Duthie Maisie Duthie listens

intently to Rev. Maguire

Delores came in third !

Elizabeth

Elizabeth Duckworth

and Delores Duke

George Willis

P A G E 8

Budget & Nominations Meeting Sun. November 26th at 1:15 p.m.

The election of members to the Board of Managers,

Board of Deacons, and committees such as music,

Christian education, and more.

The discussion and approval of the proposed budget for 2018.

This discussion includes salaries, maintenance, and program expenses.

Potluck

at

12:15

Meeting

at 1:15

Coats for Kids ! The 2017 Rotary Coats for Kids event was held on October 28th at

the First Baptist Church in Simcoe and was another great success!

The Rotary Club distributed the following: 282 coats & items of warm clothing that Burtol Cleaners

collected & cleaned; plus 226 knitted hats & mitts, 7 knitted hats & 16 knitted blankets. All were dis-

tributed to needy families in Norfolk. The Rotary also provided some items to the Salvation Army in

Simcoe, Norfolk Pregnancy Centre, Mt Pleasant Elementary School's coats program, Cedarwood

Nursing Home's collection site, St James United Church's coats program and the First Baptist

Church for their Monday evening meals program.

Together we have helped a lot of families have a warmer winter - THANK YOU!

Dear Church Family,

I just wanted to say a big “Thank You” to my wonderful church family for

supporting me on my journey to beat cancer. I could not have made it

through the last months without your kind words, cards, texts, emails,

letters and prayers. It always seemed that when I was feeling scared,

anxious, or low, I received a message that totally brightened my day.

Thank you to everyone who cooked us meals. There are some very

good cooks out there and we enjoyed them all!

Thank you to John Dickson, Martin Williams, John Wallace and Gerald

Freeman for faithfully driving me to Kitchener for my radiation treat-

ments. I truly enjoyed the drives and the chance to get to know you

better

Thank you also for your thoughts and prayers. I cannot express how

blessed and supported my family and I have felt. We have been

strengthened and encouraged by your love and care.

THANK YOU SO MUCH! Wendy, Mike, Emily & Wesley Freeman

Wendy Freeman celebrates

a milestone in her cancer

treatment.

P A G E 9

Photo Gallery

P A G E 9

Jude and Milo Guthrie

enjoy some cake after

church

Sue Ferguson and Cyn

Cronkwright volunteer at the

10000 Villages Sale

Barbara Shepherd and

Liz Gracie

Grant Irvin with his

grand-daughter Lyla

Jim Cookson, Jay Hoover and

Gerald Freeman

Carolyn and Wendy

Freeman

Matching shirts !

Janet Dickson and

Deb Hillner

Todd Guthrie and Keith

Ellis

John Dickson reads to Alana

and Lyla Mckinley

Floyd Feere Jr

Randy Squires talks with Floyd Feere

2018 Proposed Budget

This proposed budget will be presented and voted on at the Nominations and Budget Meeting

November 26, at 1:15 pm.

Contact Patrick Forde, Chair of the Board of Managers, with any questions.

519 426 2105

An Anonymous donor provided money

for a baby changing table to be installed

in the women’s washroom. The change

table was installed in September.

An Update on the Narthex

Mailboxes ! Occasionally there is mail from the church office

placed in the mailboxes in the Narthex (church en-

trance).

This saves the church postage expenses. Please

check your Narthex mailbox regularly for anything

new !

These Mailboxes cab also be used to

communicate with each other.

New Mailboxes have been set up

for the following people:

Wendy & Randy Squires #1500

Elizabeth Duckworth # 1501

Delores Duke # 1502

Korri & Jamie Coats #3205

Wish List for “The Care Closet” at Norfolk

Pregnancy Centre Miscellaneous/ Household Needs

• Monetary donations • Gift cards (for Superstore, Sobeys, Food Basics,

Staples, Pharmacy, Walmart) • Postage Stamps • Toilet Paper / Paper

Towels • Kleenex • Cleaning Supplies (All Purpose cleaner, bleach, toi-

let cleaner…) • Dish Soap / Dish Cloths and Towels • Laundry Soap /

Dryer Sheets / Fabric Softener

Baby Needs • Baby formula / food / cereal • Wipes • Nail grooming kits—baby and

adult • thermometers / medicine dispensers • Diaper cream • Blankets, sheets and fitted

crib sheets • Vitamin D drops • Pacifiers • Baby soap / body wash • Baby lotion • Vase-

line • Baby Wash Cloths • Toys (ages baby to age 12) • Clothing • Diapers (sizes 3 and

up)

Mom & Dad Needs • Soaps and body washes (Men & Women) • Deodorant (Men and

Women) • Breast pads and nipple cream • Shampoo/ hair spray/ mousse/gel • Maternity Clothes • Cloth-

ing---For the Whole Family • Regular Wash Cloths • Hair brushes • Aftershave • Men’s Razors •

Women’s Shaving Cream • Tooth paste • Sanitary pads/ tampons • Toys

Thank you for your KIND & GENEROUS support!

Donations can be dropped off at most churches and at the NPC location Monday to Thursday 9am - 4pm

37 Robinson St. Simcoe ON

P A G E 1 1

Thank You !

P A G E 1 2 P A G E 1 2

Contributing Writers: as listed

Layout Design: Janet Dickson

Production and Distribution: Eva Dixon

First News is a monthly publication

intended to communicate events and

news of our church family. If you have

something to add or a suggestion for

the newsletter, please email the church

>>> firstbaptist@kwic.com

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH

129 Young St. at Talbot St.

Simcoe, Ontario

N3Y 1Y8

Phone: 519 426-3273

Email: firstbaptist@kwic.com

www.simcoefirstbaptist.ca

Opportunities for everyone

Yard Sale

Saturday Nov 25th

From 8 am to noon

at the church

Contact Eva Dixon to donate items

519 429 0550

Supporting the Simcoe Youth Centre

Saturday December 2nd 10 - 5

Sunday December 3rd 10 - 4

At the Aud in Simcoe

Automatic Debit

The automatic debit has made a big difference

for the church’s cash flow.

Once a month, on the 20th, your automatic offering would go into the church’s

bank account.

This has given the church a constant cash

flow of over $5,100 each month.

At present we have 22 individuals/ families

signed up.

Please see Jay Hoover to arrange automatic debit. There is no charge to you.

CHRISTMAS FOOD BASKETS

“Let’s get started ! “

Food items and canned goods

are now being collected for the

Christmas baskets we will be giving

to Women’s Services in Simcoe.

Bring your

items to the

church…

sooner is

better !

Another way to stay in touch ! “Like” the First Baptist Simcoe facebook page

NEW… our own FACEBOOK PAGE !

P A G E 1 3

The Back Page by Wendy Squires

Wendy Squires is originally from Copetown and now lives in Bloomsburg with her

husband Randy, son Stephen and their dog Holly.

She enjoys camping, gardening and spending time with family and friends when she

is not working at Norfolk General Hospital as a physiotherapist.

The month of November always feels a bit somber to me. On Remembrance Day, we celebrate the

freedom we have. This freedom came at a cost. It was at the expense of so many young lives. And while the

living veterans of the Great Wars, are becoming fewer and fewer it is still important that we pause and re-

flect on the sacrifice they were willing give. I have had the honor of working with several over the course of

my career and I have felt privileged to sit with them and listen to their stories.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of working with Ike Hewitt. He was 96 at the time but his mind

was very clear. He had an amazing tale to tell. If you would like to know the details of his time in the Air

Force and then as a POW, you can read the book “Flying Officer Ike Hewitt”, by Harry Barrett, or look for

an interview with him on You Tube that took place at the Old Town Hall in Waterford. I regret that Ike gave

me permission for me to bring Stephen to visit him, but time ran out before we had a chance to do that.

So how do the youth of today get a glimpse of what life was like for those men? A few years ago

Stephen and I were in Ottawa visiting a friend. We spent some time at the Canadian War Museum. There

was a special display about World War I and trench warfare. There were sound bites playing, stories of the

conditions that the soldiers faced. The squalor that they lived through day and night was horrible. Some sol-

diers died from being swallowed up by the mud in holes left by mortar

fire. You could try on gas masks and experience the scents of the vari-

ous poisonous gases (mustard, chlorine etc). It was quite the experience.

And amongst that emotionally charged setting there was a model of an

actual trench. Stephen climbed inside and squatted down in one of the

dugout “safe zones”. There was something about seeing him perched

there that really struck this mother’s heart. I couldn’t help but think

about all those young men, many just a few years older than what

Stephen is now, and how far they were from their mother’s embrace. I

thought of the fear they must of experienced and the desperate helpless-

ness all their mother’s must have felt back home.

I am sure for those soldiers and mother’s of faith they drew strength

from the Bible. Perhaps they read Joshua 1:9 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be dis-

couraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

This verse could be a word of encouragement that many of us could grab hold of and use to

strengthen us today when we are far away from, or at a loss for how to be of assistance to those we love. Al-

though, it is a ways away in our future, I know faster than I want, Stephen will be heading off to school, pos-

sibly in a distant city. While care packages might ease the loneliness he will feel, I know it is the reassurance

that God will be with him that will allow me to sleep at night.

There are times when we can not be physically present, or there may not be anything physically we

can do to change a loved ones situation. Knowing that God is present and in control can give all concerned a

sense of peace. I continue to pray for those involved in conflict throughout our world today. I am thankful

for those that would put themselves in harms way to uphold the freedoms and liberties we are so fortunate to

have. I would pray that they would know and feel God’s presence. And closer to home, I pray that God

would give me the courage and wisdom to help where and when I can. And for those times when distance or

circumstance tie my physical hands from being of direct assistance to those I love, may I

learn to rest in the knowledge that God is with them and God loves them.

Stephen Squires in the trenches at

the Canadian War Museum