Devotion for July 26, 2026
By Joan Ferguson-Sones
Born and Raised a Church Going Girl

My life has been very simple, many would say boring. It was quite ordinary in many ways, yet a bit strange in others. Throughout my life, I heard many sayings and expressions that stuck with me, and were helpful guidelines. In examining them, most came from the Bible, and were the words of the Lord,

or referred to Him.

I am the youngest in the family, and have three older sisters, whom I love dearly. Our parents were a bit older when they married, Mom being 30, and Dad 41. Dad was the second youngest of nine siblings and only he and his oldest sister had children. Most of them were in the area, and thus, our aunts and uncles were seniors when we arrived. We were a big hit with all of them, and we were very much loved.

At a young age we learned to be very respectful of seniors, and the elderly, and enjoyed their company. The reality of this was that we also had to learn to deal with death and loss at a young age, and repeatedly, or so it seemed for a few years. Since our Dad had taken over the family farm, there were two of his siblings that were still actually living there, Aunt Maggie and Uncle Dave. The brother-sister team vacated, and moved to James Street in Brockville, but remained  very active in our daily lives.

I was born in 1957, and by 1959 I was on the Cradle Role at first Presbyterian Church in Brockville. Our mother had belonged to the United Church, but switched at the time of her marriage. She did not have a driver’s licence, and also had a recurring ulcer on one ankle that kept her a bit incapacitated. She did not attend church with us, but with her quiet demeanor, you would often find her reading her bible. She would listen to the church services on the radio. CFJR would broadcast the services from different churches on a rotating basis on Sunday mornings. Once I asked her how she could be so calm in the midst of a thunder storm, because I was terrified. She looked at me and said quietly

" I just say a little prayer Dear”.

Her strong faith brought her strength to deal with the difficulties in life, losing their first born child, interfering in-laws, a lack of disposable income, a bad ankle, and many other issues.

She never complained, we learned of these as adults.

Dad was the one that took four little girls to church faithfully. We sat on the extreme left side of the sanctuary, second pew from the back. We had little pink divided envelopes to put our offerings in.

Above the imposing pipes of the organ were the words of Psalm 100: Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and unto His courts with praise. After the children’s message we would go downstairs to Sunday school. Some of my favourite songs were Jesus Loves Me, This Little Light of Mine, Tell Me the Stories of Jesus. We were encouraged to memorize and recite items from the Catechism to one of the leaders, such as, Lord’s Prayer, Psalm 23, the Ten Commandments, The Apostles Creed, and books of the Bible. Attendance was taken weekly, and we were rewarded with various books for regular attendance.

At the last Sunday before summer, there was always the Sunday school picnic. It was usually held at St. Lawrence Park, or Brown’s Bay.

Our Aunt Maggie attended faithfully as well, but she sat over in the middle section. She would never be caught without a hat on, and most certainly never wear pants! We trekked over to the house on James St. for cookies and tea with her and Uncle Dave after church, before heading home.

Every night I would kneel at the side of my bed and pray;
Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
If I should die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take.
I would then continue to ask for blessings for Mom, Dad, sisters, family, whatever else came to mind.

Our family did not say grace at meals, except at family gatherings. I remember Uncle Bill with his usual grace: Bless this food to our use, and us to Thy service, in Jesus’ name. Amen

There was no profanity at our house, and we totally respected the commandment; Thou shalt not take the Lord’s name in vain. Dad also did not do any haying or field work on Sundays. He tended to the livestock, cows, horses, pigs, and chickens. Again, we adhered to the commandment; Remember the Sabbath Day, to keep it holy. Aunt Maggie further enforced this rule with her own version. She would tell us “ every  stitch you sew on Sunday, you will take out with your nose on Monday”.

By age nine, I had found a friend who would become a constant in my life. She attended Highway temple Pentecostal church. I would go to youth group with her, and even a retreat in Delta once.

The only church camp I ever attended was with her. Her grandparents took us to Lima New York for the week at camp. It was an eye opener for me. I was unprepared for the intensity of the services, and the associated hype. I had never witnessed people collapsing in the aisle, or receiving the blessing of the tongues. The retreat had left me with a chipped knuckle from a volleyball game, and the camp experience had left me traumatized for a week. Both are seared in my memory.

That being said, I did learn a lot about being saved, and born again Christians. My friend and her mother were living examples of honouring Christ, and keeping Him in their daily lives.

The strange parts of my life were that we did not have a television or telephone in our house until I was in sixth grade. Also, we four girls lived In the same little one and a half story house for all of our schooling years, yet each one had a different experience in where we were sent to school. I was at TISS for kindergarten, Windsor for grades one to three, Toniata for grades four to eight, and back to TISS for grades nine to thirteen. The one thing we did have in common was that we rode the school bus all the time. I was terribly shy and introverted which often seemed like an invitation to be teased or picked on.

I was lucky to have my sister Joyce to defend me up until grade eight. For me that was another unforgettable time. There were two girls in particular who made my life miserable. They were both repeaters, and were advanced in age and life experiences. They particularly enjoyed the bus ride where I could not get away. Despite the bullying, the thought of self-harm never occurred to me. I knew home was my safe space where I could find sympathetic, reassuring words. I was also aware of what the Bible tells us  in 1st Corinthians 6:19 : Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God.

The teen years flew by, and my friend and I enjoyed many Christian bands, and were thrilled by the movie The Cross and the Switchblade. I always loved animals, and living on the farm encouraged me to enrol at the University of Guelph in agriculture. At my mother’s urging I joined the church before I left for school. I was 17 when I headed off full of excitement. I was very homesick and struggled with some of the courses. I was a non-drinker, and it was there that I followed the saying from Desiderata :Avoid loud and aggressive persons, they are vexatious to the spirit. I really thought it should be another commandment.

In February of my second year, our Dad died of a massive heart attack at home, with no warning. My oldest sister was a Queen’s grad living at home, and engaged to be married. The other three of us were in Kingston, Guelph, and London. I was just starting my midterms, but the shock was crippling. I managed to complete my year but I never went back. I could not understand how or why God would let this happen, and at nineteen  I was angry. I spent much of the next two years trying to live a much wilder life, trying out alcohol in the hopes that it would dull the pain. Nothing really worked, and I was back home trying to help Mom on the farm. She was a widow by 60, but managed to eventually get her driver’s licence. She drove herself to church regularly, often taking my Aunt Maggie with her.

I took a job at a fabric store and within two years married one of the owner’s sons. He is still with me after forty six years. I was always a quiet person, and I say I never had a temper until I was married.

Between my mother-in-law, my husband, and then three children, I was often challenged to keep my cool. I had to remind myself often of Ephesians 4:26 : Be ye angry, and sin not, let not the sun go down upon your wrath. I do TRY to adhere to that.

As for my children, I was constantly reinforcing a couple of rules. Matthew 5:39: But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek.  I always added, someone has to stop the wars! Our son seemed to forget this rule once in elementary school, but I reminded him in the principal’s office!

 Secondly, I would remind them of this commandment that states:
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. It is also commonly known as the Golden Rule. 

 My husband had been raised Catholic, but was not attending. He agreed that I should take our children to church with me, so I took them to First Presbyterian where I was comfortable. Growing up we had a wonderful minister for 15 years Les Renault. He left just before Dad died. We then had another fine minister for 17 years Allan Duncan. He left just when our mother died, but he was able to do her funeral.

A new minister arrived, and I was active in the Sunday school. Our three children attended, sang in the junior choir, read scriptures, attended Gracefield summer camps, and participated in various activities.

I eventually became chair of the Christian Education Committee, and was asked to join session. It was a busy time, and we seemed to be accomplishing many things. At some point things began to change, and there was a lot of discontent. I felt like there was a lack of respect for principles I had been raised with, but more disturbing, there seemed to be less and less tolerance and love for the children. I did approach both the clerk of session, and our minister separately, bringing concerns from parents and grandparents.

I quoted Matthew 19:14: But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. There was no attempt to compromise or work at rectifying the situation. It was a difficult decision to leave, and many others did as well. I shed many tears over it.
I was checking out churches in the area when someone said they had attended Christ United in Lyn, why didn’t I consider it? I decided to try it out. I came, I saw, I was hugged and welcomed, and I have stayed. I do love our church family, they are an amazing group.

I still like sayings and expressions that I stumble upon. Recently driving up 401 west I had the Christian radio station on. The chorus of the song said “ I am safe, I am loved, and I am enough “. A little further along, I saw a transport in the collector lanes. It had big letters on the side saying “ Love for all, hatred for none”. I also stumbled upon a decorative sign at a thrift store that said ‘ The person whose Bible is falling apart usually isn’t’. How cool is that? And so true!

I do love nature, being outside with the birds, trees, and other creatures. I enjoy gardening and often when the breezes are blowing, I think of the verse in the hymn that says, in the rustling grass his footsteps pass,

God speaks to me eveywhere.

As simple as my life has been, I am very grateful for the secure and loving childhood that I had, and that my parents and others nurtured my faith. If I ever feel insignificant at times, I just think of another song I learned as a child.

God sees the little sparrow fall, it meets his tender view
If God so loves the little ones, I know he loves me too.

And in closing, I encourage you to pray, just talk to God and know that he is listening.

Joan Ferguson-Sones

 

         "A Village Church With A Heart For The World"

Christ United Church

12 Perth St., Lyn, ON, K0E 1M0
(613)498-0281 (Phone)   (613)498-2589 (Fax)

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