The Castlegar Sun Wednesday, April 26, 1995 Choir members from Saskatchewan to B.C pertormed at the Voices for Peace concert at the Brilliant Cultural Centre Thursday evening. The concert is part of a tour to help mark the centenary of the burning of the arms. ~ “LEVEL GROUND” . Submitted by: Murray L. Garvin, Grace Presbyterian Church Last week was a hard one. Among many other things, I had to conduct two funerals. Both were for people for whom | had come to care a great deal One was a woman from New Denver, just a few weeks short of ber 95th birthday. I had buried her husband, at 104, four and one half years ago, shortly after coming to the Kootenays. She had come here as an infant in 1900, and had lived all her life in New Denver. She and her husband were faithful members of Knox Presbyterian Church in New Denver, until it was closed some 25 years ago. She was particularly known for her dedication in teaching the Christian gospel to generations of children in the Knox Sunday School. During my time here we developed a rich friendship, and she was, for me, an important link with an historic ministry of the church in an exciting ime and place. I am going to miss Edith. In contrast, I had known the other person for less than a year. I first met him and his wife last Easter Sunday, when they joined us for worship in our little Slocan Valley congregation. They had recently retired hd had found and bought a lovely new house in the valley. They quickly settle in, and were very happy in their new community and church family. Tragically, however. he was soon after diagnosed with cancer, and commenced a valiant battle, during which he was maintained by a buoyant faith. 1 am going to miss Jim too. During the week a number of people asked me, “Isn't it very hard to have to conduct the funeral service of a friend?” I had to answer, “Yes, and no.” On the one hand, it can be very emotional conducting a funeral for a person you have come € know well and love. Sometimes.I choke up. Feelings of sadness and loss are great. But atthe same time, in both situations last week, these two people had one important thing in common; they were both people of real and deep faith. And in both cases, they shared their faith with the surviving family members. In such circumstances a funeral service can be a very positive and uplifting experience How wonderful it is to be able to share with family and friends in the knowledge that a loved one has passed from sickness Or pain, through death, to eternal life! There is dous comfort and in the Christina gospel. In one of these service the family had chosen to use as a scnpture reading the 26th Psalm. In it David tells how he had trusted and followed the Lord God, and served Him faithfully, and ends with the words; “My feet stand on level ground; in the great assembly I will praise the a is What a marvelous and my feet stand on level ground”. sai the old King James Version translated the first verse of that Psalm; “therefore I shall not slide.” For people who know and trust our loving God, this assurance is based on the fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and His promise that “because I live, you shall live also”. Yes, it is hard to lose those we love, painfully hard. But when lives are lived in the context of God's all-embracing love, and Christ's eternal victory, we are far ftom devastated, and can, like the psalmist David, “stand on level ground” and “Praise the Lord”. Lighting She Way 614 Christina Place 8:00 Holy Communion 10:00 Family Service The Rev. Canon Dorothy Barker Phone: 365-2271 ALL WELCOME a ST DARB'S RNGLICAN CHRIRCH &” CHURCH OF GOD Pastor John Wiutf (B.th., M.Div.) & BC, V1N 2X5 * Church 365-5300 SERVICES: SUNDAY: 9:45 - 10:45 a.m. Sunday Schoo! 11:00 a.m. Worship WEDNESDAY: Family Night Pioneer Club - Adult Fellowship - Care Groups stiegar for over 30 years. VE-ACCEPTANCE-FORG/VENESS: ST. PETER LUTHERAN WORSHIP TIME 9:00 am SUNDAY SCHOOL 10:15 am 713 - 4th St., Castlegar Rev. V. Tech * 604-354-1527 ALL WELCOME! A Bible Based, Spirit Filled, Family Church Men's Fellowship scxcomemmmmnenman WATCH FAITH ALIVE o' SHAW CABLE 1) siswemeninnmnonrss Affiliated with Canadian Fellowship of Churches & Ministers 2605 Columbia Ave. SUNDAY WORSHIP - 11:30 am Need a ride te church? Call 365-2438 Rev. Murray Garvin 1-226-7540 * 365-2438 eS