10/20/2025
St. Mark's United Church
Templeman
Service of De-consecration
Message - Desmond Parsons
Psalm 23 KJV
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
John 14:1-4, 27-31 KJV
14 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
28 Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
29 And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
31 But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do. Arise, let us go hence.
Many mansions might be a better description of Templeman in 2025 than it was in 1962. In my lifetime this community and the shore has changed rapidly in it’s housing. People build houses now which have more square feet than double houses did two generations ago. And people have half and way less than half the number of children. And of course these changes in the economics which led to bigger houses, and somehow to fewer children, though many of us are somewhat puzzled I suppose why it is that people have less children when they have more money to provide for them with, my theory is that they also have cable TV and the internet and one time the sources of recreation were more limited, but I digress. Anyway, with the changes in economics also came a critical change – the change to the infrasture and particularly the roads. Like all of you, I can remember when we were connected on this shore to dirt roads. How good the pavement seemed when we got to Gambo. I remember when the pavement went through one of the big things with it people said was women wouldn’t get as much dust and gravel on their clothes any more. Fine job to find a woman putting out her clothes now. Near drop of blowing dust, but hardly one puts out her clothes, and I’d say the ones who do mostly also hung the clothes out when there were gravel roads. Things change.
When this little church replaced worshipping in the little school, there were United and Anglican and Salvation Army schools on the shore. I’m not sure in 1962 which places you could have started kindergarten if there was kindergarten, or where you could have started school I should say. Was there still a school in Templeman then? Was there one in Pound Cove? One or Two? There were how many in Newtown then? Two schools? And in Wesleyville, I assume there were two. And Bishop Meaden was in full rage in Badger’s Quay. Was there a school on Pool’s Island. There was at least one in Greenspond, perhaps two then? That was before the integrated schools came along.
And now, for the little children who are either 4 or 5 this fall, between Newtown and Greenspond, there is one kindergarten, and perhaps that one won’t even be full. Times change.
The promises that were echoed in this very pulpit, were promises from a different age…..
The Lord is my shepherd.
God knows me through and through
In my father’s house are many mansions.
The mansion was never here. I’m not one for you’ll get your mansion in the sky kind of preaching. The Jesus I meet in the scriptures is very interested in the here and now. In Synagogues in Capernaum and in Temples in Jerusalem, in sheep that fall into a well on the sabbath, and women who are accused of adultery. He is a kind of earthy baymen Jesus in my head, because we recreate the Christ for who we need to see, I know that. But even just reading it, he’s not a preacher who is only interested in rewards after you die. The mansion he built, when Jabez Tuff pounded on this pulpit, or when Pearce Howell gave a fortune to the Mission and Service Fund of the United church of Canada was in the discipleship and witness of this congregation. And you have always pulled your weight. You have always pulled your weight. You have always pulled your weight. I was on session and the official board in 1984 and back then, Templeman would have the year’s money in, in January, when the other congregations were broke, to make sure the minister got paid, and you had your years allotment ready a year ahead. And you were the best givers to the Mission and Service Fund. THAT IS THE MANSION. THAT IS THE GIFT THAT GOD WAS BUILDING AND IT IS A GIFT THAT LASTS.
And so there is one more mission for this little church before she goes. Tell your children. Tell your grandchildren. Tell your neighbours. Tell them before you die, what you got from this assembly. Tell them of the wisdom and the good you got with meeting with people up and down the shore. Brag about Ernestine, the organist who ended up being the one the Lord loved the most and who was the one who played when all the other tunes had stopped.
God has not left Templeman or you. God has given you such a great mansion. I am proud of you. Very proud of you. God is prouder still. Keep your faith, and amongst the other charges I must give you is go to church, while the lord lets you have legs to get in and out the door. Go to the Anglican church in newtown, or down to Lumsden, or up to wesleyville or valleyfied. Go to church. Let those saints there see you and be encouraged. You know what it is to go through the fire of losing your church building, and I will promise you that this won’t be the last church on this shore to close. Go and encourage them. Go and show them that your faith is alive still and it was never in a building, it was always in the one who was your shepherd. God is not done with you yet.
And you are not alone. St. Marks joins a great chorus on this shore, along with the church in the niche up the cape, and the new church in the cape and then the newer one, and the church in Lumsden North, and the deadman’s bay, and pinchard’s island and it’s sister in Newtown today, and the lovely little church in Pound Cove. You are not alone. And you are not lone in the faith. You have us who love you and who want you. Come.
Stand with me now and make the declaration amidst your pain that you know you are not alone.
