Hillside RP Church
273 Almonte St, K0A 1A0 Almonte, ON, Canada

Looks like a great resource for our university students or anyone wanting to work through the tough questions. If you have some extra 'covid-time' why not take a weekly class at RTS. https://rts.edu/surviving-religion-101/

HILLSIDE COLOURS One of the many things I am thankful for about living in Almonte is being in this place on Sunday mornings. Hillside RP Church has a lengthy a...nd interesting history having been founded here almost 175 years ago. The landmark building where we worship on the side of Bayhill was built in 1891. Hillside is a Christ Centred, People Focussed, gospel preaching church known for its devoted service to its congregants and to the Almonte community at large. GOD BLESS YOU and HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE! :)

Yesterday, Chengdu authorities took Elder Li Yingqiang to the police station for questioning. He and his family were once again threatened and pressured to leav...e Chengdu. They were told, As long as you are here, we will make sure you can't do anything or see anyone. Police have set up a guard post at his home. Below is a translation of an update he sent detailing his experience yesterday as well as his courageous, faith-filled response. In order to shepherd this flock, I must be with them. Wherever the sheep are, there the shepherd must beWhen the sheep are facing wolves and tigers and leopards, it is the duty of the shepherd to protect them. My duty is to take care of this flock according to the will of God, ‘not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being an example to the flock.’ (1 Pet. 5:2-3) *********************************** October 11, 2020 (Lord’s Day): There was a knock on the door at about 8:40 a.m. I asked who it was, and the person at the door said it was the police. I said, Please tell me your name, police number, and the police station where you work, and state what you want to see me about. The person outside the door did not answer but just shouted loudly at me to open the door. I said to them, I told you clearly last Sunday to please not disturb me on Sunday and that if you had to come take me away to please fill out a warrant. Who are you and do you have a warrant? The people outside the door didn't answer and started pounding on the door vigorously. I think they were kicking it hard with their feet. The door to our apartment is wooden, and when they kicked it hard, it became slightly deformed. It felt at the time as though they were trying to break down the door and force their way in. [] Later, an officer from the Chengdu Public Security Bureau whose voice I recognized (Officer Xu) arrived, and I spoke to him through the door. He said he brought a document this time. I asked him what it was, and he said it was a summons. I asked what the reason for the summons was, and he said it was for picking quarrels and provoking trouble. I said, I believe you. Please don’t lie. I will open the door. When I opened the door, Officer Wang of the Qingyang District Public Security Bureau flashed a piece of paper before my eyes and then put it away. I only saw my namenothing else. I asked to see the summons clearly, but he wouldn't give it, and then he reached out his hand to take me away. I was wearing flip flops, and I asked to change into leather shoes or sneakers, but he strictly refused my request. [] I shouted goodbye to my wife and said to her, Don’t get into any arguments or conflicts with them. But what I didn’t expect was that after I was taken away, Officer Wang went into my home and acted like he was going to hit my wife. He threatened my wife and yelled at my 5-year-old son. I found this out after I came home from the police station. I was taken to the Caotang Road Police Station, where I was questioned in the dispute resolution room by four police officers (Officer Xu from the Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau, Officers Wang and Zhang from the Qingyang sub-bureau, and Officer Song from the police station). The officer in charge of the questioning was mainly Officer Wang from the police station. The questioning mainly focused on two things: 1) a message I had tweeted about praying for Pastor Wang Yi; 2) the church’s Sunday worship service and other church-related things. He repeatedly asked me, What special reason did you have for retweeting this message? (I said I had no special reason) What do you mean by ‘may the resisters and persecutors repent soon’? Who are the ‘resisters’ and the ‘persecutors’? Why did you retweet this? Was it because you endorse it? And so on. I answered these questions once, but after he repeated them again I didn’t answer. It was clear to me that their main task today was to restrict me from attending the church's Sunday worship service. The questions were an excuse to kill time. So I didn't want to say anything more to him. [] He asked, If we didn’t bring you in today, what would you have done? (I said I would have attended Sunday worship) Who do you worship with? Where do you worship? Who decides when you meet? How are tithes collected? and so on. I replied, None of this has anything to do with the reason you brought me here today, so I will not answer. Later, Officer Xu from the Urban Administrative and Law Enforcement Bureau stated two things very clearly to me: 1) Early Rain Covenant Church is banned by Chengdu authorities, and we will thoroughly enforce this ban and will not give your church any room to survive; 2) You are not welcome in Chengdu, and as long as you are here, we will make sure you can't do anything or see anyone. [] They repeatedly emphasized that Early Rain Covenant Church has been banned and that no activities can be conducted in its name. I replied, The church is heavenly and no earthly power can restrict its existence. We are simply believing in God and preaching the gospel in this city. Why can’t you tolerate our existence? Now that there is no more pressure from the central government, why can't you ‘raise the muzzle of your gun one centimeter higher’? They answered, Stop dreaming! We will never give your church any space. We will only continually squeeze you. We will not ‘raise the muzzle one centimeter.’ We will only aim and shoot. [] I have to be honest, during my conversation with them today, I was asking myself the question: Why do I want to continue living in Chengdu? In fact, God has been asking me this question for over a month now through everything that has happened. Here's what came to mind this morning at the police station and this afternoon when I got home. I didn’t tell this to the police, but I think they know. We returned to Chengdu to pastor the church. God has put many of his people in this church, and our pastor has been sent to prison seminary to study. As an elder and pastoral assistant in this church, it is only right that I return to Chengdu to shepherd this flock. In order to shepherd this flock, I must be with them. Wherever the sheep are, there the shepherd must be. If the sheep are in the wilderness, then the shepherd must also be in the wilderness. If the sheep are in a storm, then the shepherd cannot lie down. When the sheep are facing wolves and tigers and leopards, it is the duty of the shepherd to protect them. My duty is to take care of this flock according to the will of God, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being an example to the flock. (1 Pet. 5:2-3) Unless God removes this burden, I cannot act contrary to his will and forsake my responsibilities for the sake of bettering my own personal circumstances. As for me and my family, all the hardships we have to face are tied to this duty God has entrusted to me. These difficulties that God, in his sovereignty, has measured out to us are necessary for our growth. To be a preacher and a laborer for the Lord in today’s age is to face the danger of being summoned at any time, of being surveilled at any time, of being forced to move at any time, of being arrested at any time, and even of being killed at any time. Life and death are in the hands of the Lord. I believe that no one can harm God's children apart from his permission. If the Lord hands us the bitter cup, should we not drink it? What does it mean to serve the Lord? It is to act according to his will and not our own. Suffering for the name of the Lord, suffering for the church of Christ, is a blessing that Christians all long for. What we must be on guard against is our flesh and our pride, which may flare up at any time. If I thought myself worthy because of my sufferings, or if I thought I had merit because of my endurance, then I would be in sin. Therefore, today I have given up hope of trying to persuade the Chengdu police to relax their persecution against our church through dialogue and through helping them to understand our church. In good conscience I will accept whatever treatment members of Early Rain and our presbytery receive. Pray that the Lord would give me faith and grace to enjoy heavenly freedom in the midst of this lack of freedom, heavenly peace in the midst of this turmoil, and heavenly joy in the midst of these frequent tears and pain. Ask that I would not only love our dear brothers and sisters in this cityour family membersbut also the millions of lost souls here and those who guard us, stalk us, summon us, detain us, and even threaten our wives and persecute our children in order to make our stay here uncomfortable. At noon on October 10, 2020, when I went downstairs to take out the trash, I saw that they had built a temporary housing unit below us. It looked as though they were making preparations to guard us for a long time. When I saw it, I went home and told my wife and two kids. Our family happily went to visit our new neighbor's tiny house. On the evening of October 11, 2020, during our family worship, each of us shared our thoughts about the day. We thanked the Lord for comforting the frightened hearts of my wife and children and for turning our hearts from carnal anger to dependence on the Lord. Then we sang together: The Lord is my strength and my song; My enemy pushed me hard, so that I was falling, but the Lord helped me. His hand exalts and saves. He sets me in broad places, praise the Lord! (Photo 1: Me after returning from the police station; Photo 2: Our new neighbor’s house) Original: 20201011840 110110 12345 5 12 12 12018129 2 3 20201010 20201011 20201012 12

Very helpful ! https://www.thegospelcoalition.org//school-anxiety-this-f/

Hillside in the fall (Photo cred- Peter de Gannes)

No need for an intervention