On Monday April 2, 2012 the Rev. Stephen Kendall, Principal Clerk of General Assembly, on behalf of the Committee to Advise the Moderator, announced that the name of The Rev. Dr. John Vissers, Principal of Presbyterian College, Montreal will be placed as the sole nominee to be Moderator of the 138th General Assembly this June in Oshawa, Ontario. For more information, including John's background, see the announcement on the PCC website. Dr. Vissers was also recently named as the new Director of Academic Programs and Professor of Historical Theology at Knox College, Toronto, effective January 1, 2013 - see that announcement here,

Building Fund... Results to April 30, 2012 for the Building Fund have been released and are available here. The congregation has raised almost $553,000 towards the goal of either $675,000 or $785,000 depending on which option is ultimately chosen. (Note: information presented in the 2011 Annual Report indicate that costs might be closer to $1,000,000 for the proposed design.)

Highlights from the May 2012 Pulse: (link in graphic to left) Pastor's message: "My Rock"   ·   PPC Noteboard   ·   Ladies' breakfast re-scheduled (to Sat. May 5, 8:30 AM)   ·   April Report of the Facility Planning Team   ·   Mens'/Womens' breakfast (Sat. May 26, 8:00 AM)   ·   I Y Christians   ·   Parkwood Book Group (Mon. May 14, 7:30 PM)   ·   Parkwood's International Potluck Supper (Sat. May 12, 5:30 PM)   ·   Beware of dog... (humour)   ·   Word search on I Thess. chapter 5   ·   The last word   ·   one year Pulse archive

Upcoming concerts... (see www.chri.ca for more info and links)

• Newworldson, Ian Warner, Joshua Faris and Breaking Mines - Friday, May 18th, 2012 @ 7:00pm (doors open @ 6), Auditorium de la Cité étudiante de la Haute-Gatineau (211, rue Henri-Bourassa Maniwaki, QC), tickets $20 in advance, $25 at the door. Available at Salem Storehouse or by phone: (800) 353-0598 / (819) 449-6249 (surcharges may apply)
• RBC Ottawa Bluesfest featuring 2012 Juno Award Winner DOWNHERE (with Marc Martel), The City Harmonic, Building 429, Newworldson, and more - Sat. July 7, 2012 starting at 2:30 PM, Black Sheep Stage, LeBreton Flats Park; check out CHRI's website for ticket info - special discount day passes will be available some time in May.

Rock the River Christian Life & Witness Course (May 22 to June 9): This three-session training will equip your congregation to apply God’s Word to everyday life, develop a devotional quiet time, pursue spiritual maturity, share their faith with others and serve as Rock the River counselors. The course is free and no registration is required. For locations and times, see the poster in the narthex.

You’re invited to attend our combined Men’s/Women’s Breakfast on Saturday, May 26, 2012, 8:00 a.m., in the Fellowship Hall at the church. Our speaker, Mary Cook, has carved a niche as one of Eastern Ontario’s most prolific writers. A broadcaster/journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for 48 years, she continues to write for many newspapers and magazines. Her stories of growing up in the Depression on a farm in Renfrew County are captivating. This breakfast will be catered. An "All Canadian Breakfast" consisting of scrambled eggs, bacon, ham and sausages, home-fried potatoes, croissants with butter and jam, glutenfree food, coffee and tea will be available at the cost of $7/person, payable by cash or cheque (payable to Tim Visser). It is imperative that we know how many people are attending. RSVP to Tim Visser or Linda Robinson at 613-224-3287 and let them know if you’re attending and if you have any special dietary restrictions.

Please check the weekly bulletin (link at bottom of page), monthly calendar and our events page for other upcoming events.

We express congratulations to Katherine Bretzlaff who was certified for ordination by the Presbytery of Brandon last month and who is due to receive the degree Master of Divinity and the Diploma of the College at the Annual Convocation of the Presbyterian College, Montreal, to be held at The Church of St. Andrew and St. Paul, 3415 Redpath Street, Montreal, Thursday, May 10, 2012, at 7:30 p.m.

The Barrhaven Bible study at the home of John and Martha Fair (99 Stoneway Drive) has been suspended until June. They will resume meeting again for June 3, 10 and 24, at which time they plan to view a DVD giving an overview of the Book of Acts on June 3.

Parkwood Pulse... After 3 years on the job, the editor of The Pulse of Parkwood has decided it is time to step down and find a new challenge and a new way to serve the Lord. If one or two people are interested in assuming the position as editor or co-editors, please contact Pastor James Hurd.

Website changes... We have a new page on our website that combines the previous "Staff" and "Feedback" pages in a new "Staff / Contact Us" page. The old password-protected "Email Contact List" with e-mail addresses of Parkwood folk is now linked off this page as well. A second new page is a "Site Map" outlining the various pages on our site. These new pages can be found in the menubar on the left side of our site.

Seeking a Church Historian... Parkwood will celebrate its 50th Anniversary in 2014. Evelyn Warburton, a founding member of the congregation, has kept an excellent historical record of important events in our church from its founding in 1964 until recently. Unfortunately, Evelyn is no longer able to continue this work. Session is seeking someone who would be willing to take up this important work to ensure that the history of our first fifty years is complete. Please give this request prayerful consideration. If you would be willing to serve as the new Parkwood Historian, please speak to Roger MacPherson, 613-254-9794 or to any elder.

People associated with Parkwood who have passed away within the past year include Marilyn Atkinson (30-May-11) · Bob MacIntosh (04-Jun-2011) · Dale Atkinson (05-Aug-2011) · Clare Haynes (24-Aug-2011) · Allan Lancaster (13-Sep-2011) · Philip Snider (08-Jan-2012) · Brian Holmes (11-Jan-2012) · Margaret Kavanagh (27-Feb-2012) · Pauline Porter (06-Mar-2012) · Agnes Larkin (07-Apr-2012)

The ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2011 is now available on our site in pdf format; it includes a list of team members minus e-mail addresses; a version including e-mail addresses is available here (password protected). See notes from the annual meeting for a list of errors in the printed report and a summary of major decisions.

recordings of services are made each week and are available at reasonable cost. Normally the scripture passage(s), special music and sermon are recorded. If you missed a particular week and you'd like to "catch up" please talk to Carl Martin or contact your elder or the church office (office@parkwoodchurch.ca). Currently we are offering recordings in digital format, but arrangements can be made to provide them on a CD.

view the bulletin: May 20, 2012 (in colour, in pdf format)