British Home Child Event in Chesterville

News Release
Ontario Election On June 12, 2014

May 2, 2014

Today, Premier Kathleen Wynne met with the Honourable David C. Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario who accepted her recommendation that Parliament be dissolved for a general election.

The official documents will be presented to his Honour later this afternoon, at which time the House will be officially dissolved.

The writs for the general election will be signed on Wednesday, May 7.

Under the Elections Act, the election would ordinarily take place on Thursday, June 5.

However, the Chief Electoral Officer has identified June 5 as a day of religious significance, and has recommended Thursday, June 12 as the alternate election day.

The recommendation has been accepted and the election for Ontario's 41st Parliament will take place on Thursday, June 12.
 

[…]

It seems only fitting that with the Iroquois Festival Committee celebrating “A Call to Arms…Dundas Militia…War of 1812”, all day in Iroquois on Saturday, September 15, that one of those key area battles be recalled.

The Battle of Matilda was fought on September 16, 1812.

When it was over, Canadian forces has suffered one killed and several wounded. The Americans, who had begun the fight by attacking military bateaux, just past the Iroquois Point, experienced considerable losses. How many American troops, of the original 500, fell that day, has never been fully determined. 

The Dundas region often bore the brunt of fighting once war was declared by United States president, James Madison, on June 18, 1812. 

The narrowness of the St. Lawrence River in several places from Upper Canada to Quebec City, as well as a series of small islands scattered along the waterway in this region, made it an ideal setting for either side for staging surprize attacks. The river was also the main source of transportation for armies, supplies and commerce for both nations. 

Strategically, any military planner understood that the army which ultimately controlled the St. Lawrence, essentially controlled the war. 

On September 16, under the protection of Captain Ault and his Dundas Regiment’s No. 1 Flank Company, accompanied also by a detachment of The Royal Newfoundland Regiment, led by Major Heathcote, a convoy of military boats was moving military stores from Montreal to Kingston when American invaders opened up on them.

As the American militia continued to fire on the Canadian convoy, two ships full of US troops made their way toward Presqu’isle Island. They planned a toe hold landing. Captain Ault, figuring out the plan, ordered Ensign Clark and part of the Dundas regiment to stop them.

In the race to the island, the Canadians won. 

Ensign Clark’s men hastily dug in, using bushes and trees on the Island as camouflage. They opened murderous fire just as the American troops began their landing.

The unexpected fire from the forest threw off the American invasion plan, and US troops finally withdrew to Toussaint’s Island, taking shelter in the woods. To the Americans’ dismay, one of their small boats went adrift and was picked up by the Canadian militia.

As the word of the attack spread, large numbers of area men, some well past fighting age, rushed to join the Dundas Regiment. Captain Shaver, Captain Ault, Colonel Allen McDonnell (names well known in this region), took over command. 

From Prescott, Lieutenant Fraser brought in a nine pounder gun whose fire was directed at Americans in King Peter’s Bay. Two companies of the Grenville Militia, commanded by Captains Monroe and Dulmage, rushed to the battle.

In the following hours the American attack was stopped dead.

For the first time, the 1st Dundas Regiment had been called upon to defend this area in the war. Men and officers proved their mettle in what came to be called the Battle of Matilda.

But the war was far from over. The Americans would be back.

To commemorate the Battle of Matilda, a group of SD&G Highlanders will be visiting its location (County Road 2 and Galop Lane) at 11 a.m. on Sunday, September 16, enroute to ceremonies in Mountain for the Hill 70 Memorial.

The 15-20 uniformed young troops (during this professional development training exercise), accompanied by their piper, will make a stop at the local battle site. Their visit, September 16, coincides with the 200th anniversary of the fight. 

Area residents are welcome to join them at 11 a.m. 

[…]

So what does “church” mean to most people?

For many, probably an hour or two on Sunday morning, sitting in one’s best clothes in a wooden pew, listening to a formal service, often conducted in formal language. 

That is, if one goes to church at all.

In these days of harried and busy households, parents working, kids signed up to sports and lessons, too few hours in the week as it is, most churches are facing a grim reality: seriously declining numbers. Only seniors in the pews. Few, if any, young families coming out.

That is why a new concept, The Messy Church, has taken many parishes by storm, and why Lakeshore Drive United Church in Morrisburg has embarked on what they hope will become a new, and vigorous approach to faith for people in South Dundas. 

On a Saturday evening, between 5 and 6:30 p.m., passersby might hear the sounds of hammers from the church hall. Children are building bird houses. In the back yard, young parents and their children, some grandparents too, are racing around playing games, or ducking under a bright, billowing parachute cloth. Others are using magnifying glasses to examine spring plants or occasional passing bugs. 

Inside the church a white-haired man is patiently demonstrating how to plant seeds in egg shells for home gardens and small hands are getting happily dirty. Some seniors are tearing up newsprint for papier maché. No one minds the boys and girls racing around, asking questions, lending a hand.

In the kitchen, men and women, some young, some much older are putting together a home-made spaghetti dinner, that everyone will sit down to share. Before the meal, adults and children join hands in a great circle to say grace. Later, exuberant hymns are sung, with lots of freedom to move, even dance in the aisles, as part of the short worship service.

This isn’t traditional church: rather messy church is a complement to, a companion to, traditional forms of worship.

“The ‘messy church’ offers a lot of flexibility,” said the Reverend Arlyce Schiebout, of Lakeshore Drive United Church. “When a church decides to adopt this program, you look around at the gifts the members of the congregation have, the facilities available in the church.

Then we approached area families with children, and asked them what they wanted. 

And it turned out that what they wanted was a ‘service’ on Saturday night (which surprised me) because they said that that was the one evening of the week, at supper time, that the family was all together. Our Saturday night messy church program is the result.”

The concept of the Messy Church began 10 years ago with Lucy Moore, who created the first Messy Church program with her husband’s  Anglican congregation in Portsmouth, England.

She felt that the church had lost one, perhaps two generations, and there was a real need to bring people back to their faith. Her scheme involved an all age event, with activities like “making things, blowing things up and exploring a Bible theme through all those activities.”

A session is brought together in celebration with story, song and prayer and a meal together. Activities are always child friendly and the feedback from parents exceptional.

Moore once said, “There are lovely stories of people rediscovering what Christianity is all about, or finding it for the first time.”

The Messy Church program is spreading in Canada.

“The core values stressed in the program are creativity (lots of activities), celebration, and eating together,” explained Rev. Schiebout. “And it must be intergenerational.” At Lakeshore, 30 members of the congregation have become involved.

At the Easter event, Morrisburg’s messy church helped the children create newspaper palm branches, and foam crosses with magnets and flowers they could take home. 

No one has to worry about dressing up for messy church.

“I find that I can talk to individuals and families in a more intimate manner than at Sunday worship,” Schiebout said. “We have a values and virtues thumb ball, that lists words like dignified and kind and wise. Where a kid’s thumb lands, that’s what we talk about. For some children, this is a special time to think, discuss and reflect.”

She feels that Messy Church is a good idea, although it takes a lot of energy and commitment from a faith community to make it work.

“Messy church is a way to share the gospel message in a more relaxed format.

 A church needs to be instantly responsive to young families and people. We must leap in and accept the challenge.”

Messy Church will meet again on June 2, at Lakeshore United Church at 5 p.m.

There is always room.

[…]