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Maranatha and St. Columba: Local, congregations come together to celebrate 'the fast ofthefuture' t will be a few years yet Ir':;,',!:: Violet knows she's a 'saint." or why so many people were praying and singing in her familiar St, Columba Anglican Church on Nov. 4, 200]. But the wide-eyed tod- dler may remember there was a new little boy to play with in the back pews on this particular All Saints Sunday, and that his warm brown skin and soft curly hair look a lot like hers. She may also remember that grandpa, whose light skin and hair look a lot like mine, tenderly picked her up when she bumped her head dur- ing the sermon and let her cry the hurt out on his shoulder. Violet is too young to know yet what it meant for the congregations of Maranatha Evangelical Lutheran Church (a young Kitchener, based mission group) and the well-estab- lished St. Columba (Anglican Church of Canada) to join in worship for the first time - and what this precious exchange of faith traditions might mean by the time she's old enough to go to Sunday School. Buoyed by last luly's memory of thousands of Anglicans and Lutherans singing, praying and danc- ing in celebration of the his- toric Waterloo Declaration iin which both denomina- tions agreed to freely share their sacraments), Rev. Joseph Habibullah of Mamnatha and Rev. Diane Jamieson, rector of the two- Ev PAULINE FHCM km the f "htrsttichr Rev. Joseph Habibullah, pastor of Maranatha Lutheran Church in Kitchener (left) and Rev. Diane Jamieson, rector of St. Columba Anglican Church in Waterloo (right). after the historic joint worship service on All Saints Sunday, Nov. 4. point St. Columba-St. Aidan (Elmira) Anglican parish, began talking of a possible future association. A few months later, the result was LIFESTYLE a packed house and the em» beram beginnings of a new friendship. Ever since its founding by several families of by Caribbean and Guyanar1 heritage in I996. Maranatha has searched for more con- genial and affordable sur- roundings than a rented school gymnasium. store from, or former strip-mall office suite (its present home). And St. Columba parish- ioners have longed for an infusion of committed Christians to share their inti- mate suburban building on Lincoln Road. adorned throughout by the vibrant creations of local artist Nancy Lou Patterson. "People are already ask- ingme. 'when can wedo this again?” a delighted Rev. Jamieson said after Sunday's festive service and recep- tion, But while the two groups are already talking about worship times and other logistics of how two congre- gations could interact in one church. no permanent moves are anticipated until well into next year. Maranatha is still tied to a lease agreement and, as Rev. Habibullah pointed out, "right now, we are greatly enjoying learning about one another; we don't need to As he observed in his ser- mon about the inter-genera- tional "saints" of both churches, Nov. 4, 2001 was not only a day of present joy. but also one of hope, "when we celebrate the feast of the (Kitchener writer Pauline Finch is a member of Maranutha congregation and a student at Waterloo Lutheran Seminary.) The 12th annual Festival of Trees, a community fundraiser put on by the St. Mary's General Hospital volunteers, is set for Nov. 22. last year more than 6,000 people attended the event. and the festival netted close to $i00,000 for the St. Mary's Regional Cardiac Care Centre. A The Salvation Army Community and Family Services program, which provides support to families in need in the community. is looking for a friendly. patient volunteer to take and direct phone calls, make appointments for clients and record statistics. This is a flexible position; volunteers can help mornings or afternoons Monday or Tuesday A volunteer with some experience working with people, good telephone skills and knowledge of oftice procedures would be ideal. And finally, Big Sisters is looking for friendly people with a professional manner to greet clients, answer the phones and provide general office assistance. Computer experience inWmdows 95 and Oftice 97 are helpful, but not necessary. For more informatiodon these positions, call 742- 8610. As part of the tree decorating event, volunteers have added an exciting and hm-filled event to the pro- gram this year, featuring a number of local partici- pants at the media kick-off Nov. 23, 11:30 am. at kitchener's City Hall Rotunda. There will be approximately nine teams participat- ing in a tree decorating competition consisting of local politicians and media personalities. The decorated trees will be on display in the Rotunda for the duration of the festival. The public will be able to buy a ballot for a 'loonie" and vote for the favourite tree. For more information, e-mail festival of treeestmaryshospam.ca or visit wwwsunaryshosp.- (Inca. With the holiday season approaching, the Volunteer Action Centre is looking lo ftll a number of positions The Mardi Gras Masquerade Ball is a unique and successful event held every year to support the Heart and Stroke Foundation. lt is full at mystery. music, laughter. food and lots of fun. The planning commit, tee is interested in some fresh ideas. and is Inviting those who love to plan a party to poi n them. You might enjoy getting involved In production, media promotion, the silent auction or with sponsor- ship and ticket sales. Whatever your interest or exper- tise, this is your chance to work with other talented volunteers and bring a New Orleans Mardi Gras to Kitchener-Waterloo. Festival of Trees to raise funds for cardiac centre Volunteers needed “magnum "t",11ttJttfpm"' IIPZVZI‘: ('A [3111mm Ask for details 746-1666