Wednesday, September 6, 2006 · Page 4 The Essex Free Press is an independent weekly newspaper, locally owned and operated by The Essex Free Press Limited The Essex Free Press is published every Wednesday from 16 Centre Street, Essex, ON N8M 1N9 Tel.: (519) 776-4268 Fax: (519) 776-4014 Email: essexfreepress@on.aibn.com Website: http://essexfreepress.reinvented.net Publisher: Laurie A. Brett The opinions expressed on this page are those of their original authors and do not necessarily represent the opinion of The Essex Free Press, its Editor or Publisher. Starting over t's not just students who are heading into the fall with thoughts of new beginnings. Some interesting political hopefuls made their intentions known this past week while other seasoned politicians announced their withdrawal from the limelight. The Essex municipal election received the spark of life when licensed mechanic Bill Arps threw in his name for Ward 1 councillor. Known for his vocal opposition to the Essex Business Improvement Area, Arps is only the second person to file his nomination papers in the ward, the first being Councillor Morley Bowman. With just over three weeks left until the Sept. 29 deadline, Ward 1 will need at least one more candidate to declare his or her intentions to ensure a contest. In Ward 3, Councillor Bill Caixeiro withdrew his name last week about the same time as Dan Inverarity was filing his papers. Caixeiro's withdrawal leaves two candidates for Colchester South's two seats Inverarity and Paul Innes, a former Ward 3 councillor. In Lakeshore, Mayor Bob Croft announced his retirement from politics after almost 20 years, while David Tremblay, a member of the Save Our Sanctuaries group that has worked to prevent the destruction of a St. Joachim church, injected some life into that town's contest by announcing his intention to run for mayor. You might remember Tremblay as the NDP candidate in the 2004 federal election who managed to seize over 12,500 voters from Conservative candidate Jeff Watson and Liberal Susan Whelan. And, in Kingsville, where a spirited contest is expected between Mayor Nelson Santos and Pat O'Neil, a former mayor of the town, financial planner Jim Augerman has filed for council. Augerman's group of Clarica advisors are the folks responsible for planting the little flags on area front lawns in celebration of Canada Day. So where are the rest? With three weeks to go and the pace of life for many of us on the verge of speeding up, it's time for a few more horses to enter the race. I free press editorial laurie brett My First Car You've heard the saying, `Every picture tells a story.' Well, Bill Sherk can prove that every car tells a story. We are very pleased to introduce a new column to the pages of the Free Press this week. Bill Sherk's weekly column, "CarStory", debuts on page 9 of this edition with a story about Don Brown's new Mustang. If you want to know the story behind a 1982, 2-door, slate grey Ford Lynx that ended its days in Newfoundland, you'll have to contact me directly. he news media has been full of doomsday assessments of Canada's mainline churches recently. Church leaders, in particular clergy, are open game for every type of innuendo. Some writers seem to bask in bad news like church closures and alleged clergy misconduct, while neglecting the good that occurs every day. Are Canada's mainline churches creatures from the past awaiting their final end? Are the new big box churches springing up across the land the answer to everything? The truth, if one cares to look, is found in the huge changes in Canadian society since the so-called heyday of the 1950s and `60s. In the good old days, everyone attended church services on Sunday. The stores were closed except for a few pharmacies and restaurants. The first general manager of Devonshire Mall, John Topping, told me in 1971, "If I opened this place on Sunday, I'd be run out of town." The distractions towards Sunday church services T don't end with shopping. More people than ever who work in a service industry are finding themselves scheduled for Sunday shifts. opinion bill gay Often, both parents work outside the home. Travel sports means driving kids long distances. In the `50s and `60s quiet ruled on Sunday. But to deal with the mainline churches themselves ... Have they changed from the good old days? Unquestionably. Like the schools, churches now deal with family problems that were non-existent or hidden in years gone by. A wider demographic of individuals seeks the assistance of the church. Most mainline churches understand that spiritual and secular needs are both important. Discipleship is different from membership. Does one select a church based on the number of benefits, like when choosing a health club? If your minister or priest fails to provide you with the answers to all of life's trials, do you drop them from your radar screen? This happens generally when the real problem is within oneself. It's like blaming the math teacher when you fail math. Here in Essex, the town has long been blessed by active and caring churches, some of which have served through many generations. But their age does not mean that they have not changed with the times. Just in the past few decades, significant changes have taken place. Your church merits your support. The most important gift you can give is that of your time, the most precious commodity. It is always more exciting to criticize, but honest analysis says that while big challenges await our churches, they will be around for a long, long time. Laurie Brett, Publisher Sarah Fisher, Editor Karen Callies Advertising Sales Cathy Campbell Accounts & Circulation Pam Sovran, Sarah Krauter Office Crystal Kotow, Daniel Schwab Contributing Writers Tom Warwick, Lana Garant Graphic Design Gary Ramsay, Wilber Brett, Judy Brett, Randy Chedour Doug Boylan Production Subscriptions Canada: $37.10 U.S.: $80.00 (Prices include GST) Payable in advance to The Essex Free Press Limited. Advertising Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of an error, the portion of the ad occupied by the error, will not be charged for, but the balance will be paid at the usual rate. It is the responsibility of the advertiser to check their ads on first publication, and the publisher accepts no responsibility for errors in multiple insertions. The Essex Free Press reserves the right to reject or edit any advertisement likely to offend community standards and/or the laws of the land. Display Advertising Deadline: Friday at 4:30 pm Copyright All layout composition, artwork, news copy, editorial copy and photographs produced or owned by the Essex Free Press are the exclusive property of the Free Press and are protected by copyright law. These materials may not be reproduced without the written consent of the publisher. Share your LETTERS POLICY The Essex Free Press welcomes letters to the editor that are of interest to our community. Letters should be typed or neatly written and present the issues as clearly as possible in 300 words or less. All letters much contain the name, address, and daytime phone number of the writer. Anonymous letters will not be published. We reserve the right to edit for length, clarity or reject letters over matters of libel, legality, taste or style. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada, through the Publications Assistance Program (PAP), towards our mailing costs. Second Class Mail Registration No. 1495.