First
Presbyterian Church
April – June, 2011
Newsletter
Cari ng ° Chri st- centr ed ° Mi ssion -Focused
Editors: Joyce & Jasmine
335 Seventh St., New Westminster, BC V3M 3K9
Ph:6045222801
604-522-2801Fx Fx:
604-522-2802
Ph
6045222802
email: firstchurch@shawbiz.ca
Email: firstchurch@shawbiz.ca
Website: www.firstchurchnw.ca
First
Upcoming Events…
Every Tuesday, Bible Study meets at 10:30 am meet to
study the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to St.
Matthew.
Presbyterian Church
Minister’s Minute
Cari ng ° Chri st-centred °
Mi ssion -Focused
“The third time
he said to him, “Simon
Ph 6045222801 Fx 6045222802
son
of John, do you love
me?” Peter was hurt
email: firstchurch@shawbiz.ca
because
Jesus asked
him a third time, “Do you
love me?” He said,
“Lord, you know all
things; you know that I
love you.” Jesus said,
“Feed my sheep.” John 21:17
335 Seventh St., New Westminster, BC V3M 3K9
Naomi Circle meets at 12:00 pm every 2nd Wednesday
of the month.
email: firstchurch@shawbiz.ca
How did Peter feel as the Lord asked him to
proclaim his love for him three times? Surely Peter
must have recalled what had happened just a few
days prior when he had denied, three times, that he
knew anything about Jesus at all. We do well to read
this passage as a cutting rebuke from our Lord, yet
we must also find the deep grace evident in our
Lord’s words. Jesus challenged people harshly, but
always with a view toward their spiritual healing.
Jesus loved Peter deeply, and felt pain when Peter
denied Him openly, yet Jesus pursued him and
offered him another opportunity to show his
commitment and faith. When Jesus accepted Peter’s
profession of love, he then charged him to ‘feed his
sheep’. Jesus was saying that he believed Peter still
had what it took to be an excellent leader. Jesus still
saw in him a rock on which the church would be built,
to be a leader among the early followers of Christ!
The Easter celebration brings with it the promise of
forgiveness and life springing forth from what
appeared to be death. Praise God for the rebukes we
receive and the turmoil we experience as we
Scripture seriously, for we find that through the
death of self comes true life in Christ.
Youth Group & Small Group Bible Study will continue to
meet every Saturday at 7:00 pm.
Lent Season leads to Easter!
The season of Lent is a time to focus on our
relationship with God in Christ. We remember his
suffering & consider how we might more fully give
ourselves to him. The last week of Lent, Holy Week,
begins with Palm Sunday – April 17th. This year we
will be having a special Tenabrae service on April 21st
that week with is Maundy Thursday. We will meet at
8:30pm in the Sanctuary & celebrate the Last Supper,
for that is indeed the night that our Lord had the last
meal with his disciples. There will be several readings
with a few solemn songs in candlelight. In the
morning, Good Friday, we will gather in the sanctuary
again at 10:30am to remember our Lord’s suffering &
crucifixion. A service of solemen remembrance
through readings & hymns. Of course the week ends
with the ressurrection theme. Sunday morning we
gather at 10:30am to celebrate Easter! We will have
a joyful service, including Holy Communion & a light
meal following the service in the lower hall.
A Few Reminders ……
PAR {PRE-AUTHORIZED REMITTANCE}: This is a
convenient way to make regular contributions
throughout the year. It allows you to support the
Church through an automatic withdrawal from your
bank account. For those interested, PAR Plan
information is located in the main entrance or you
can contact the office.
HAVE YOU MET ?
Kelly Bruneau
Kelly was
born in
Grimsby,
Ontario,
a town of
20,000 in
the
Niagara
Peninsula.
She
went
to
Queen’s
University
in
Kingston,
Ontario
and started in the Engineering Physics program. She
discovered that Physics is only “fun” at the introductory
level so switched to Mechanical Engineering, which felt
like a much better fit.
One of her favourite memories growing up was
spending time with her family at their family cottage in
the summer and skiing every year during March Break.
She has three older sisters so family events had lots of
“friends” already built in.
She met her future husband, Tim Bruneau (our very
own pastor!) when she was in the 6th grade – they lived
in the same town and she was friends with his sister.
They re-met again in their twenties, when she was in
Ottawa and he in Montreal for seminary school. They
were married in 2004, which was a whirlwind year
including a move across the country to New
Westminster to a new community, new church and new
job.
Tim and Kelly have two lovely girls, Evelyn (4) and Kya
(20 months) and another little Bruneau on the way.
Before moving to BC, she worked as an engineer in
Ontario – first in research and then in manufacturing
with Nortel. She currently works as a part-time
instructor at BCIT. Working at BCIT has been a good
experience while juggling full-time motherhood but she
also looks forward to different challenges and
opportunities in the future.
Kelly’s fondest memories of FPC are of the special
events like Christmas parties and retreats where there is
more time to relax, laugh, have longer conversations
and to see more of who people really are.
In her spare time, she loves to play sports like volleyball
or squash, though she doesn’t get to play much at this
stage of life; however, she hopes to get back into it
when the children are older. For now, her time is spent
washing diapers  and watching the occasional reality
TV show like Survivor or Amazing Race.
She and Tim have done some great trips together but
she remains fond of the two months she spent
backpacking around Europe with a friend from school in
her early twenties. It was a wonderful combination to
experience culture and history while doing some hiking
and adventure activities. She’s especially glad to have
taken the opportunity at that point of life when she had
the freedom and time. We’re so glad to have Kelly and
her family here and look forward to meeting the newest
Bruneau this year!
CONGREGATIONAL
RETREAT
CAMP DOUGLAS
June 17th – 19th, 2011
Come & Join!
ALL
Missions Update
Our Partnerships
ARE
WELCO
ME!
PWS&D is working with the
Africa Inland Church of
Tanzania (ACIT) to better
equip communities to deal
with drought, stave off critical food shortages, reduce
the incidence of water-borne diseases and support
people living with HIV and AIDS. Through these
programs, small-scale farmers access sorghum and
vegetable seeds to diversify their crops and reduce their
susceptibility to drought and food insecurity.
Agriculture
Through PWS&D’s agriculture and livestock programs,
farmers are receiving seeds, tools and training in
improved farming practices to increase and diversify
their crop yields, as well as adapt to climate change. As
water becomes increasingly scarce for many
communities, farmers are learning how to protect and
improve their soil quality, conserve water and use
organic fertilizers that make the most of local resources.
Livestock
Farmers are also receiving livestock and training in
proper care, or access to small loans in order to
purchase animals. Acquiring pigs, rabbits, chickens,
goats and cattle helps increase household incomes as
farmers are able to sell extra meat, milk and eggs at the
market.