Ladies Aid Craft and Bake Sale (Nov 22)

The Ladies Aid Craft and Bake Sale will be held November 22.  Your generous donations can be delivered to the Church on Tuesdays or Thursday Mornings or on Sundays.

OBITUARY for Norma E. Proudfoot (Sept 19, 1926 - Oct 17, 2015)

Norma Evelyn PROUDFOOT
September 19, 1926 – October 17, 2015

Beloved by her family, Norma passed away on October 17, 2015 at 89 years.

Norma was raised on the family farm near Wanham, Alberta. There were many fond memories of life on the farm that she later documented in her book Roses On Our Trap Door. Norma earned her Education degree from the University of Alberta, in Edmonton where she worked as a teacher. While at the U of A she met her husband Robert and settled in Edmonton, where they raised seven children. The family later moved on assignment to Zambia, Africa, where she managed the household and activities, as well as volunteered with the YMCA. They returned back to normal life in Edmonton where she enjoyed many years with family and friends.

Norma and Robert were long-time members of Edmonton's First Presbyterian Church. Norma contributed greatly as a Sunday school teacher as well as a volunteer with The Women's Missionary Society, and the History and Archives Committee.

Norma is survived by her seven children, Gordon (Laura), Robert (Valerie), Maryanne, David (Patricia), Donald (Katherine), Marilyn, and Duncan (Sharon). She also is blessed with 14 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. Norma was predeceased by her husband Robert; parents, George and Olive MacDonald; siblings, Margaret, Gordon, and Ethel.

A celebration of Norma's life was held on Saturday, October 24 at 10:00 a.m. at Glenwood Funeral Home in Sherwood Park.  In lieu of flowers, donations were made to the Alberta Cross Cancer Foundation.

To send condolences or to share a memory, tribute or photo, please visit www.legacy.com/obituaries/edmontonjournal/obituary.aspx?pid=176165827#sthash.Yv2NkB1M.dpuf

Meet our new Youth Coordinator

First Church is very pleased to announce Heinrich Botha as the new Youth Coordinator.  Heinrich is a graduate of University of Pretoria with a Master of Divinity (MDiv), Theology.  

His thesis was “Transfer of Faith within the Family unit: Creating parental awareness with regards to the transfer of faith and the formation of the image(s) of God in children under the age of six, based on Fowler’s theory.”

Traffic Jam Concerts (Oct 16 - Nov 27)

Why drive home in traffic?

Join us for the Traffic Jam Concerts offered seven Fridays in a row between Oct. 16 to Nov. 27 from 5:00 to 6:00 pm.

On Fridays at Five (at First!) take in a concert instead of driving home in the rush hour traffic. Or drive into the city for an hour of music at 5 on any or all of seven Fridays. From Bach to operetta, brass and jazz a variety of concerts will delight you.

Admission $10.00 at the door. Proceeds to the Window Fund to restore our great west stained glass.


A great way to start your weekend!

MUSIC CONCERTS - Sept to Dec 2015

FPC is happy to announce the following music concerts:

• Friday, Sept. 25, 7:30 pm  (Duo Majoya, piano and organ
• Fridays Oct. 16 to Nov. 27, 5 to 6 pm: Traffic Jam Concerts (watch for details)
• Saturday, Dec. 5, 4:00 pm: Annual Christmas Concert with FPC Choir and U of A Handbell Ringers

Bible Study restarts on Sept. 16

Our examination of the last few chapters Acts of the Apostles continues!

Starting on September 16, join us on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8.00 pm.

Contact Nick Knoppers (jo.k@shaw.ca) for more information.

EVENT ALERT - Annual Craft Sale

In late fall, the Ladies Aid will hold its annual craft sale. Now is a good time to work on your favourite crafts, from needlework to woodwork.

Watch for further updates on our event preparations.

OBITUARY for Johannes Hendrik Schellevis (Jan. 25, 1950 - July 24, 2015)

A celebration of Johannes' life was held at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, August 12, 2015 at the Blueberry Community Hall, 1/2 mile north of Beach Corner, Highway 16A Stony Plain.

Johannes Hendrik (Jopy) Schellevis (born January 25, 1950; died July 24, 2015) will be missed by his beloved wife Susan; sons Joe (Randie), Don and Dan; his grandsons Hugh and Karson; brothers Peter (Linda) and Bill (Marg); numerous nieces, nephews, friends, co- workers and family in Holland.

FPC thoughts are especially with Susan Schellevis who touched many lives as church secretary (1983-2004). She witnessed remarkable changes in church office and programs, although she worked with Rev. Lloyd Fourney for all but her last two years. But then she was hired as a part-time worker and found within a year that she was fully employed, typing Sunday Bulletins, newsletters, supporting the many tasks of the roll clerk, as well as helping as the FPC Food Bank began. At first she learned to use a Gestetner and addressograph but as the office changed she learn photocopier, fax, computer, and an automated phone system with intercom. She and Johannes will be remembered.

The obituary for her husband, Johannes Schellevis, was published in The Edmonton Journal on Aug. 8, 2015 at www.legacy.com/obituaries/edmontonjournal/obituary.aspx?n=Johannes-SCHELLEVIS&pid=175461399

UPDATES on Great West Window Renovation

July 29   We’ve made great progress this month on the restoration of the West window of First Presbyterian Church, Edmonton. All of the panels have been carefully dismantled, each piece of glass cleaned, catalogued and stored. New structural drawings (cutlines) are being produced to include lap-leads in the European style to spread the weight and stress on the windows more evenly. Once the glass had been cleaned we could see the non uniform movement that took place during the original... glass production. The original lime green glass is a semi-antique, this means that it has been hand made and then machine rolled which produced its surface texture. We sent samples to the largest distributors on the East and West coasts of N. America, who between them cover most of the manufacturers in Europe as well as those closer to home. Once a close match had been identified we traveled into the US to see the glass and compare directly to the original. The colour match and refraction of light for both the lime green and amber border is very close to the original. Uroboros art glass is a beautiful hand cast and machine rolled glass that is made in small runs at the Portland facility in Oregon. Here is an interesting link to a YouTube video showing the process of making the glass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKmx3qwJJ6k

June 24  We’ve had the West Window from First Presbyterian Church in our studio for a few weeks now. We’ve been going through the messy first restoration stage which is comprised of several steps: The windows are examined for condition of glass, lead came, solder joints and tie placement for saddle bars. Rubbings are then taken of each individual panel to record shape, width of lead came and the individual position of each piece of glass. After concluding the windows suitability, they are then placed into a ‘bath’ of water and Ph neutral cleaner to loosen dirt, and soften the ‘cement’ to aid removal of the lead came from the glass. The windows are carefully dismantled, and each individual piece of glass cleaned and placed on the rubbing to the exact location in the panel it was removed from. A record of placement is made, and the glass removed to storage. In some sections of the window there is evidence of damage and replacement of whole areas, necessitating sourcing a glass that will match the original as closely as possible. Samples have been sent to the largest suppliers on the East and West Coast of N. America who stock glass from the largest makers of mouth blown in Germany and France, as well as all of the American manufacturers. The next stage will be creating new structural drawings - watch this space!

May 26  The Great West Window at First Presbyterian Church, Edmonton, has been successfully removed! Here are a few photos from John's two and a half week adventure getting them out. This week back in our studio we'll be starting to dismantle the windows completely and begin the process of rebuilding them.

May 6 Rod Kurtz' story about the First Presbyterian Church Windows, featuring John, will be broadcast this afternoon at 510PM (4:10 for us in Vancouver) on CBC Radio One Edmonton. The broadcast may be heard at 93.9FM, or online at www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton

May 2 John set off this morning on his exciting adventure to Edmonton to remove and then return with the Great West Window at First Presbyterian Church. It’s about a 13 - 14 hour drive, but he’ll be stopping in Valemount this evening, which is very near to Mount Robson the tallest mountain in the Canadian Rockies - should be some good views. It will take about two weeks to remove the window and replace it with acrylic as temporary glazing during the restoration period. He’s also, according to the media liaison for the church, going to be filmed and interviewed at various point by Global television, CBC Radio, The Edmonton Journal and Heritage Canada - all that should keep him pretty busy!