The "new" church at Toronto is twenty years old this year, and it was built under Don's leadership as Minister there, so it forms a major achievement of his ministry.

When ministers say they "built" a church, it sort of brings to mind the minister up a ladder hammering in the nails, or else laying the bricks somewhere.  What they do is, however, almost as involved as that!  It took endless planning and meetings and decision-making, and problem-solving when things didn't go according to plan.  It wasn't just a simple matter of getting a building designed and then contracting builders.  Think about it!  A small group were assigned to planning electronic needs and the sound system, another to design landscaping, a kitchen committee because the old building was used to prepare Meals on Wheels, a finance sub-committee because how would we pay for it all, plus constant liaising with the architect when builders decided something was impossible or else more expensive than budgeted for.  And other planning groups I can't recall.

And of course, the crucial decisions regarding: what was worship going to be like in the new building.  Don was adamant that in worship, nobody should be more than eight rows from the front - because all his reading indicated that this was the range up to where worshippers would feel at home, rather than strangers and onlookers.  So that meant a wraparound style, but he also said no really long rows because people don't want to climb over dozens of legs to find a seat.

Well, the "new" church is still looking good, still worshipful but comfortable and welcoming, and is used for a diverse range of activities.

Another thing about ministers building a church, however, is that it is one of the most stressful projects a minister can undertake, and sure enough, in the October of 1989, Don lost the sight of one eye due to a retinal vein thrombosis that was undoubtedly stress-related.

The twenty years are being celebrated in a week's time, with special services, memorabilia, invitations to past members and previous ministers, and an invitation to say a few words.

I, of course, will be in Western Australia when all this takes place!  Predictably, you pluck a date out of the air when whole months on end look free, and then when everything is set in stone you find out that it was the worst possible date to pick. 

Don is going, though.  At first I thought I would have to try to re-arrange all my Perth bookings, because it would be un-thinkable for Don not to be there on that day.  But now it is all organised:  son David will come from Sydney for the weekend and go with Don; the wheelchair taxi is long since booked, to get him there; I'll arrange with nursing home staff the clothes he would like to wear (best suit, and Scottish tartan tie); we are working out together what he would like to say, and I'll type it out, so that if he is not having a good day David can read it on his behalf; the RSVP has been sent.

All that is needed now is for David to remember his camera so that I get to see it all later.  Meantime, I will also take plenty of shots on the Indian-Pacific and in Perth, to reciprocate!