I have to say, I've been finding the summer of '16 to be a bit unnerving. A series of scary and tragic current events punctuated by some of our neighbour's election year bombast has made me reluctant to even check the news these days. What is the world coming to?  Where can we see ourselves in such an atmosphere?

Sunday's service, in which we welcomed back Reverend Bill MacLellan, seemed to speak directly to my concerns.

The words of the hymns and psalm chosen - to be guided by courage and wisdom and to avoid placing all our faith in human leaders - set the tone.  We were reminded through a reading of the Parable of the Rich Fool that the Christian ideal is to view abundance as an opportunity for increased service and not to line coffers. And in her time with the kids Christine echoed this idea as they reflected on that absorbing question - how much candy is enough?

In his sermon, entitled "Again, What Makes the Church Great?", Reverend Bill pointed out that contemporary values are not necessarily God's values, that they may, in fact, be complete opposites. By referring to current events such as campaign trails and Mohammed Ali's funeral, he reminded us of the Christian touchstones of service and generosity and the importance, especially these days, of opening our hearts and truly living our faith.

Joan R.