BITS and PIECES
278th Edition – January 18, 2026
A random collection of news and views compiled by Frank McClelland for the Toronto Free Presbyterian Church.
FIFTY YEARS AGO
It was in January 1976 that I made my way from Tandragee in Northern Ireland to Toronto. The purpose for the visit was to meet the small number of people who had expressed interest in me becoming their minister. As none of us had ever met they needed to see what sort of minister they were considering.
I got a very cold reception, for on landing it was so cold that the cargo doors on the plane were frozen shut and it took some time to get them opened. Fortunately, the welcome from the people was much warmer. We did a week of special services. They were good meetings, and reasonably well attended despite the bitterly cold weather.
I had told the congregation that I was interested in coming to Toronto, but only under the auspices of my parent Free Presbyterian Church. After I returned, the church would have to make its decision whether this would be acceptable.
They met on February 24 and, on a motion by a very young George Robinson, agreed to issue a formal call to me. It is interesting to note that George is the only original member still with us. The other sixteen are now happily meeting in heaven.
TONIA OWEN
Last week I asked for prayer for Tonia, the wife of Rev. Phil Owen, the minister of the Free Presbyterian church in Boston N.Y. (near Buffalo). Sadly, she passed away last Saturday. Now we ask for special prayer for Phil and his family that the Lord will uphold and sustain them at this sad time.
Fortunately, several members of the Toronto church were able to show their love and support at the funeral in the Boston church yesterday.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
One of the features that separates human beings from the other living creatures we share this planet with is the ability to use tools. That ability is both a blessing and also a curse. A simple illustration will explain that. A knife is a useful tool and can spread butter on our bread. But the same knife can be used to stab someone. All tools can be used for good or evil purposes. A computer can be a very useful tool, but in the wrong hands, it can be used for wicked purposes.
The latest tool in society now is Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). No doubt it can be used to achieve breakthroughs in manufacturing processes, which are good. But people should be warned that this is one of the most dangerous tools that sinful man has ever devised. There is real intelligence, and the potential is for artificial intelligence to displace the real thing.
Already, we have heard of verbal messages being sent that sound just like a real person, but it is fake. Photographs of real people are denuded of their clothing and placed on the internet.
A recent news report speculated AI is going to take over humanity within ten years. That report may also be fake AI news. The scamsters are already onto it and our phones and computers are now polluted by scam calls. It has got to the stage that it is hard to tell the real from the fake.
The Bible is real, and its word is Truth. “Thy Word is Truth” [John 17:17]. The whole Bible is called “The Scriptures of Truth” [Daniel 10::21]. The devil’s initial attack upon our first parents was to cause them to doubt the Word of God. His tack is still the same and artificial intelligence is the latest weapon in his arsenal of wicked weapons.
I believe we are headed for a monumental clash between the truth of God’s Word and the devil’s lie. [2 Thessalonians 2:9ff]. The Word that the devil so despises has this to say about his end.
“The devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. . . and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” [Revelation 20:10]. Lord, speed the day!
BERT McCOMB
Was one of the original church members who died in 1996 at 95. Bert was a quiet, humble and good man, who made the Lord’s occupation, carpentry, his life’s work. It was through his generosity that we were able to buy the old school (the McComb Building) in 1989. He married Audrey when he was 91, a day he said was one of the happiest of his life. The Lord, in His will, brought Bert to us.
