Welcome: A Message from the Rector

Welcome to the Web site of the Church of St. Augustine!  Let me give you
some information as to who we are, what we do, and the things we
believe to be of utmost importance.  The Church of St. Augustine is an
Anglican Church, in the city of Pointe Claire in the West Island, part of the island of Montreal.

As a church we uphold the authority of the Bible as our standard for what we
believe, and consequently what we do as a parish.  Our worship services
are from the Book of Common Prayer, but at the same time we do have
people who lead in prayer without having the form of prayer written
down.  We use a variety of different types of music, ranging from the
great traditional hymns of the church to some contemporary praise music,
and also some old-time Gospel songs.  It is a privilege for us to have
two choirs--one a choral group of upwards of 15 men and women and also a
handbell choir whose sounds greatly enhance our worship!

Central to the activity of our church is the preaching and teaching of
the Bible, which we believe to be the inspired word of God.  The subject
of the Bible is God, and His relationship to His creation, and the universe
in general, but specifically to mankind, the pivotal point of His
creation.  Many today claim that the subject of the Bible is man and his
search after God, but as we see it, the opposite is the truth.

The Bible opens with the declaration "In the beginning God"..Genesis
1:1.  There is no argument as to why He exists but rather just the fact
that He is!  From there the Scripture goes on the explain how mankind
was created in the image and likeness of God, thus without sin or evil
in his heart.  Through temptation mankind, represented in Adam, fell
from that original righteousness and thus mankind became sinful, and
alienated from God. Had God's plan and purpose failed?  In no way!  In
fact, the rest of the Bible shows us the plan and purpose of God,
restoring His fallen creation, showing and magnifying the amazing grace
of God, so that the final picture given at the end of the Bible in the
Book of Revelation is that of a new heaven and a new earth in which
justice, peace and righteousness will reign supreme.

From Genesis at the beginning of the Bible to Revelation at the end of
the Bible we have the unfolding of the plan and purpose of God.

From the call of Abraham and the establishment of Israel in the Old
Testament up to the birth of the Lord Jesus, everything moved forward
and pointed to Him, the Son of God, the promised Messiah of the Old
Testament.  From the birth of Christ to the end of the Book of
Revelation everything points back to Jesus Christ and what He
accomplished by His death and resurrection--and also what He will
accomplish at the end times when the drama of the world's history comes
to a close.

We see that Jesus Christ is the focus of both the Old and New Testaments
in the Bible.  It is evident that He is the promised Messiah, the
Anointed One, who was to be the one mediator between God and man. 1
Tim. 1:5.  To be in a right  relationship with God, one must do two
things:

1. Repent:  That means to turn from one's old life of sin and unbelief.
It involves a definite break with the past.  Matthew 4:17

2. Believe in and trust that Jesus Christ paid the penalty for sin on
the cross and that He was raised the third day to conquer death. 1 Cor.
15:3&4.

When these two things take place in a person's life, the following
results:

1. Their sins are forgiven and they begin their Christian life with a
clean slate. 1 John 1:9

2. They are given the gift of eternal life which means that though their
body may die, they will go to be with the Lord Jesus Christ forever. 1
John 5:13

3. They begin a new life of fellowship and service with the true and
living God. 1 John 1:7, Hebrews 9:14

My prayer is that these words may be helpful and instructive to those
who read them, and that the Lord, Himself, will use them to His glory!

Rev. Alan L. Cameron
Rector, Church of St. Augustine
Pointe Claire