A glimpse of MINISTRY SEEDS, ROOTS, BRANCHES, FRUIT
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1975-'82 West Philly! Pennsylvania, U.S.A.... also known as Filthadelphia, or the city of brotherly shove ... but we really did know it as the city of brotherly LOVE, which is in fact the meaning of the name. Ron's Spiritual birthplace! 1975. That year he married in Ontario Canada in October then immediately took and taught music composition classes at U. of Penn. (Teaching Fellowship) These were years of discovery & excitement beyond our imaginations. Ron dutifully took wife Linda (me: unchurched but new Christian through London Ontario Youth For Christ worker.) ... to church, and surprise surprise ... got converted there himself! God led us on into FABULOUS fellowship, Sunday School teaching of Americans and newly arrived Laotion "boat people", D.V.B.S., music ministry with my harps, guitars, trumpet, Ron's piano and harpsichord, and both our "joyful" voices ... all shared in church, at other churches, Union League, nursing homes etc. So voracious was Ron's appetite for the scriptures that only getting him into a canoe out in the middle of a lake would ensure a break from his self-imposed study of the book of Romans! Soon he was attending Westminster Seminary and counselling others had spontaneously begun. Then ...
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... street evangelism 2 summers, student assistant position for Ron to Rev. Richard Kirk at our beloved West Philly church, ministries back in Canada 2 summers,... and our contribution to Woodland Church's baby boom began! Angela was born in '80 & Dawna in '81, making our one bedroom row house apartment a place of "joyful noise". Somehow in all that Ron found time to complete his Master's in Music Composition, which had been our only reason for Ron coming to Philly in the first place, but apparently God had other plans. Tons more love & learning were given and received...but you get the idea. God got us.
God is good & blessed many
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
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Summers 1979 & '80: Bayfield, Ontario, Canada
On the beautiful shores of Lake Huron.
Farm families & city escapee cottagers!
Knox Presbyterian Church (PCC: sort of our denomination) is where we did our first and second summer ministries. God could have put us anywhere in Canada, yet amazingly we ended up a 15 minute drive from my fine, fun, but concerned unchurched relatives (Many visited & decided we were quite sane, & sometimes even fun.) In case you are interested ... my Grandmother prayed for me for 19 years, (another of her lost wild grandchildren) & was able to play her violin at "our" church those summers at 93 & 94 years of age. She died that last summer, after beaming exceeding happiness to see her great grandchild Angela in the arms of two who sought to serve The same Lord she had come to dearly love.
God is good and blessed many
all along the shores of Lake Huron, Ontario, Canada.
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Summer 1981: Cape Breton Island, Canada Ron Pastored a two point charge (that's 2 churches) We lived in the manse by the Cape North church on the beautiful Cabot Trail, and drove the rolling, winding road to Neil's Harbour (photo) for their services. Though we left our large intruments in Philly I was able to bring and get lots of use out of my little Irish harp, trumpet, and 12 string guitar. I hope the locals do not mind that I say about their church buildings and them as well..."plain on the outside but oh so beautiful inside!" Such great people. "Down East" can keep their black flies, jellyfish, and cold wet nasty winds, but the seafish, fiddlers, hot-out-of-the-oven homemade bread, rugged beautiful Cabot Trail country, and kind, GENEROUS hearts ...
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... are treasures to remember. Some lived in such simplicity and near poverty yet their prayers poured forth deep faith rich in trust and love for the triune God. As usual, ministry was a mutual blessing.
God is good & blessed many in
Canada's maritime provinces.
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1982-'87 PCA work in Timmins, Ontario, Canada
I thought minus 56 windchill was another form of funny Frenchman Michel's humour. It wasn't! though minus 20 was a far more regular winter temperature. (minus 40 F = minus 40 C) However! the truly wonderful Good Shepherd Pres. Church people, shared warmth and joy that easily made those outside challenges bearable and pastoring & counslling in Northern Ontario really nice. Lots of new experiences & growth for us and them from worship, fellowship, outreach & personal faith, to sparkling air,ice fishing, plug-in cars, and the Aurora Borealis .
MUSICAL WORSHIP Worship services were becoming increasingly interesting since by then we
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had accumulated various styles of music. A little traditional with organ (new to me) , black gospel, folk, Messianic Jewish including dance, down east maritime fiddlin', classical, mediaeval flavoured, French Canadian and some other stuff which I'm too chicken to try to define and share on the internet! (I do know I did have to watch for electric guitar cords and at other times played some recorder and bongos!) The most extraordinary-to-us discoveries in music were yet to be made. That happened through Coral Ridge and Kiev. Anyway ...
Timmins was where Ron finished his doctoral thesis, working around a busy schedule and readying it for mailing just as our son was about to be born. (He arrived Christmas Day.)
God is good & blessed many,
warming hearts in Ontario's North
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