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Volume #4 Issue #2
St. Andrew’s
United Church
1000 Huckvale Place
Williams Lake, BC V2G 4L2
e-mail:
[email protected]
website:
http://members.shaw.ca/wlunitedchurch
Lent 2015
Making Connections
Minister’s Message:
Sunday Worship 10 am
Special Services & Events
during Lent & Easter:
Tues. Feb. 17 – Shrove Tuesday
Pancake Supper 5 – 7 pm in
MacKinnon Hall
Sun. Mar. 1 – Annual General meeting
after worship. Pick up an annual
report to read ahead of time.
Sat. Mar. 7 –Worship service of quiet
reflection & meditation at 1:00 pm
Fri. Apr. 3 – Good Friday Service at
10:00 am
Sun. Apr. 5 – Easter Sunday Worship at
10:00 am
See the last page for more events.
Lent is the Time
by Rev. Jenny Carter
“Lent is the time to let the power of our faith story take hold of
us! a time to intensify our living unto Christ!
a time to ponder and a time to wonder.”
Ann Weems, Kneeling in Jerusalem
Lent is a season of reflection and action. The
Scriptures will take us on a journey with Jesus – a journey
that shows us who Jesus is, what he taught, and how he was
received. We travel from the “highs” of his successful ministry
among the common people as he preached the Kingdom of
God – through to the lows of betrayal and death on a cross.
All along we are extended the invitation to follow in faith, even
if the journey is difficult. Make no mistake, the journey is a
difficult one – yet life is often difficult. No one is immune from
struggle and hurt. To be alive is, at times, to be hurt by the
struggles life presents us with. Yet this faith story of ours –
the one that leads from a manger to a cross – is redemptive.
It is not the struggle or pain that is redemptive – God does not
want any to suffer – but it is the following in faith that will
Continued on p. 2
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Making Connections
Lent 2015
(Continued from p. 1)
redeem all that has been broken along the way.
Jesus’ story shows us that if we persevere
through the difficult things life sometimes
presents us with, all the while trusting in God’s
presence with us, and holding close to our
hearts the promise of Christ to light our way
with hope of better days, then we will come out
of our own trials and tribulations with a renewed
sense of possibilities and purpose.
During the season of Lent we take the
time to reflect on how Jesus’ journey to
Jerusalem, and his betrayal and death was not
the end of the story – and think about how our
own struggles are not the end of our story
either. God is not finished with any one of us –
our story goes on, and it is a story of hope and
life renewed. That is the reflection part of Lent.
The action part of Lent involves blessing.
During Lent we intentionally follow Jesus
through the tough stuff of living – his and ours.
We follow Jesus Christ so that we can be a
blessing to others. We follow so that desolation
will leave our hearts, freeing up heart space for
hope to enter and find a home. Lent is all about
hope. The season before us is a time to let go
of all the things that keep us from the real and
certain hope that comes from following the One
who brings new life out of even the darkest of
circumstances.
The action part of Lent is realizing that
blessing is not about material things, or even
happy feelings – blessing is first and foremost
an expression of hope. As we follow the story
of Jesus’ ministry and journey to Jerusalem we
will see that no matter the resistance to his
gospel of love, no matter the obstacles that the
powerful may have put in his way, no matter
how often he was chastised or threatened
because he sought to bring healing and comfort
and equality to those with whom he ministered,
he continued to serve and to minister. He was
a sign of hope – and as such, he was offering a
blessing to all. Every time we are a sign of
hope to another human – we are being a
blessing to them. Every time we let hope fill our
hearts, we are in turn, blessed.
That is the Lenten journey.
Ministry Highlight:
Days for Girls
Days for Girls is a charity that produces reusable cloth sanitary supplies for managing
menstrual periods suited to developing nations. Local volunteers produce these feminine hygiene
kits that are distributed by missionaries to help these girls and women.
What if not having feminine sanitary supplies meant DAYS without school, DAYS without income, DAYS
without leaving the house? Girls use leaves, mattress stuffing, newspaper, corn husks, rocks, anything they can
find...but still miss up to 2 months of school every year. It turns out this issue is a surprising, but instrumental key
to social change for women all over the world. The poverty cycle can be broken when girls stay in school.
One in every three girls in developing nations is born into soul crushing poverty. By the time a girl hits
puberty, if she’s not in school she’ll be eligible for marriage. Seventy-five percent of girls have dropped out of
school by the time they’re 12 due to the start of their periods. The ones that try to stay on face ridicule and
derision for the blood stains on their skirts, or risk crippling disabilities or infections due to some of the materials
they use to try and control their periods, anything from cow dung to cornhusks, dirt or rocks. They’re also at risk
of exploitation in exchange for supplies. Only a small percentage of girls have managed to stay in school to the
age of 16.
Days for Girls Feminine Hygiene kits are cut and sewn right here in Williams Lake! Thanks to the kind
donations of time and fabric, a small DFG group has started here at the St. Andrews United Church. Anyone
interested in joining or learning more, can contact Zephyira.
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Making Connections
Lent 2015
Church Auction
& Dessert Night
by Barry S.
Every second year, we put on a major church
fund raiser for our congregation. This year is the
year. The date has been set for Saturday, March 7th,
starting with a viewing and desserts at 6:30 pm.
There will also be some pre-auction musical entertainment
for your listening pleasure. Then at 7:00 pm, the main auction will
begin, with local auctioneer Ab Newman wielding the gavel.
In 2013, the auction generated just over $9500 for our church
coffers. Given the ailing state of our finances this year, it would be
nice if we could meet that amount again, but a realistic target is
around the $7500 mark. Everyone in our congregation can help out
with this event, and it’s almost painless to do so. Here is what you
can do:
! Donate a good, lightly used or new item or two which can be
auctioned off during the evening. Items such as meals,
getaways, service, labour, home cooking, crafts, and preserves
also sell well. The possibilities are endless!
! Tell all your friends and acquaintances about this event, and
invite them to come. Even better, bring three or four friends so
that we have a captive audience!
! Bring a dessert on the night of the auction so that we can have
a nice selection to share around.
! Come prepared to bid on a few (or on several) items. As we
like to say, bid often and bid high!
Usually, the evening’s activities are finished between 9:00 and 9:30
pm, so it’s an enjoyable event which is not too tiring.
The sign-up sheet in the church entrance foyer has been
posted. Please indicate which items you would like to donate, and if
you have any ideas of items you would like to see offered for bid,
talk to Barry. Some noteworthy items which have been donated for
this year’s auction include:
! a hand-made quilt
! a large freshly frozen turkey
! matching men’s and lady’s Seiko wrist watches
! a Cariboo historical tour
! a deep-fried turkey dinner for six with all the trimmings
! lots of pies
! two stained glass decorative tables
! homemade wooden children’s toys
! Japanese dinner for four
! lead crystal decanter and glasses
! and lots more!!
Let’s all do our parts to make sure that this event becomes
the great success, both financially and socially, that it has the
potential to be!
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Pancake Supper
Shrove Tuesday comes
early this year, on Tuesday
February 17th. For the last 20
years or so, we have
observed the arrival of Lent,
along with our Anglican
brethren and sisteren, by
having a Shrove Tuesday
Pancake Supper.
This year, this event
will be held in Mackinnon
Hall, starting at about 5 pm.
It’s an informal, drop in kind
of event, with admission by
donation, and it’s a chance to
share some food, fellowship,
and conversation with other
members of our congregation
and with our Anglican
friends.
The menu is simple –
pancakes, sausages, fruit
salad, coffee and/or tea, but
it’s a tradition now, and it’s
also a bit of a fundraiser for
our church. All are welcome
to attend, so we hope to see
you there!
Making Connections
Ministry Highlight:
Lent 2015
Memorial Book
by Midori
A Memorial Book occupies a space on the shelf under the bulletin board in the front
entry. It contains names of donors to St. Andrew’s United Church in memory of persons who
have passed away. A memorial donation is a way of helping the church financially by adding
to the General Fund, Mission and Service Fund or any special church projects such as the Roof
Fund, Elevator fund, etc. It can also help the donor with an income tax deduction. Memorial
books that have been filled in the past are kept in the office where they are available for your
perusal.
Help Wanted –
Offering Counters
Income Tax Receipts
Income tax receipts for donations made
through offering envelopes in 2014 have been placed
in your file folder in the drawers under the office
window. If you don’t know you have a file, please ask
someone who “has been around awhile” to help you
locate it. If you do not have a set of offering envelopes
for 2015 and would like one, please talk to Maureen in
the church office.
Offering Counters are needed
to count and record the Sunday
offering, do a recap sheet and make
up a bank deposit. It’s not a very
difficult job, but it is an important one.
It takes about 30 minutes after church,
usually for a month to six weeks at a
time. On the job training is provided.
Salary and benefits are nonnegotiable. Apply to Barry Sale in
writing or in person. A resume is not
required.
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Did you know? – If you make more than $200
in donations to any charitable organization (including
the church) in a year, you get 40% of your donated
amount returned as part of your income tax refund.
That means that for every $1000 you donate, your
income tax refund is $400 larger than it would be
otherwise (or you are paying $400 less in taxes than
otherwise). When you receive your income tax refund
this year, consider donating that 40% back to the
church, since you thought you had already given it
away anyway!
Making Connections
Lent 2015
St. Andrew’s Elevator Project
by Barry S.
Congratulations, everyone! The fundraising is now complete for
our elevator project. Thanks to a timely Christmas present from the
Government of Canada’s Community Accessibility Grant program, we
have not only met, but exceeded our target amount of $75,000. Here is how the funding was
generated:
1.
Donations from the congregation -------------------------------------------------------- $37,400
2.
Grants received (We applied for 19 grants, and 4 were successful.)
Central Cariboo (CRD/City of Williams Lake) Grant ---------------------$10,000
B.C. Rehabilitation Foundation ----------------------------------------------- 5,000
Williams Lake Truck Loggers Association -------------------------------500
Government of Canada Accessibility Grant ------------------------------ 20,000
Total of Grants
$35,500
3. Community Donations ------------------------------------------------------------------(These came from outside the congregation)
$5,400
4. Fund Raising projects --------------------------------------------------------------------- $3,900
Total funds raised
$82,200
What an incredible accomplishment! We began the fundraising project in September of
2013, so in just 16 months, we have fully met our goal. It is especially noteworthy how well the
congregation supported this project.
Thank you to everyone for a job well done. Let the construction begin!!
Elevator Construction Update
The following are activities on-going with the elevator project:
•
November 2014 – Signed contract for the supply and installation of the elevator
equipment.
•
December 2014 – Signed contract with the engineering firm for the design of the
elevator to be located in the corner of the Library and former Sunday School room.
•
January 2015 – In the process of securing the required documents for the
approval of the Building Permit application.
•
Since early December, some mobilization and preparatory work has been done
in preparation for actual construction.
•
The construction phase will be conducted with Denis in charge.
•
The offers of volunteers is much appreciated. Denis will do the co-ordination.
5
by Ed
Denis & Pete prepare the
basement for the
installation of an elevator.
Making Connections
Lent 2015
From the Board:
Board News
by Ross, Board Chair
The Giving Tree
Christmas 2014
by Rosalyn
Some called it the Charlie
Brown tree -- the one that appeared
in the entry area in early
December. It did look like a tree
that needed some attention, and
that’s just what it got in the weeks
leading up to Dec. 21. It was
turned into a sight more
appropriate to the sign on it – “The
Giving Tree”.
To all who contributed the
gifts that were placed on and under
it, from those who received the gifts
– THANK YOU!
Three separate groups
received the items. Much of the
lovely knitted things went to
Chiwid House, the shelter for
abused women and their children.
This is where the children’s toys
went as well. Warm mitts, socks,
scarves and toques found their way
to Jubilee Care House (in the
former Heritage House, connected
to Cariboo Lodge), to be shared
among their clients. The Salvation
Army received the donations of
groceries, to be added to their
Food Shelf.
The gifts were all delivered
in time to be distributed for
Christmas, and the caregivers in
each place were very appreciative
of what you provided. Thanks to
Ross for finding such an
appropriate tree, and to Janet who
organized the distribution.
We’ve seen a lot of activity at St. Andrew’s lately with the many
programs and concerts during the Christmas season, our fiscal year
end, as well as the fundraising and construction start of the elevator
project. Our travelogue evenings have drawn large attendances and
the catering groups have outdone themselves with reputation building
on their selections of fine desserts. It is encouraging to see so many
people from the greater community joining us as we use the church
for such a wide range of activities.
The Church Board is keen to consider and try new ways of using
our faith and our facilities to reach out to members of the Williams
Lake community. Jenny has already started holding an Alternative
Worship Service once a month on Saturday afternoons and your
further ideas are both encouraged and welcomed.
Please join everyone for a potluck lunch and Annual
Congregational Meeting on March 1st in MacKinnon Hall after
worship. After Feb. 15 the annual report will be available for you to
read before the meeting.
Coming Event:
Spring Meeting of Cariboo
Presbytery to be held here!
by Janet, Presbytery Rep
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Making Connections
Lent 2015
Special Events:
Slide & Dessert Nights
Three successful slide and dessert nights have
been held this winter and one more is still to come.
Be sure not to miss Allison’s trip to the Arctic and Antarctic on Wed. March 11.
The doors open and desserts are available at 6:30, with the slide show starting at
7:00 PM. Admission is by donation. Now that the elevator fundraising goal has
been met, all proceeds will go to the general fund.
Gaye spoke about her trips to
Guatemala as part of a medical team. On
each of her eight trips she visited a
different part of the country so she was
able to tell us about the culture, different
towns, cities, and regions as well as her
experiences serving in the medical
community.
Catching up with
congregation members
and those from the
wider community has
been an important part
of the evenings, as has
feasting on scrumptious
desserts.
Many thanks to
those who provided
desserts for these events,
helped with set up, and
did dishes afterward!!
Beginning in Italy, flying to Moscow for a tour of Russia,
followed by a week living in a yurt in Mongolia, with visits to
Turkey, Poland, & Austria thrown in for good measure, Allison
told us about her three month tour of eastern Europe.
John, Rocco, Pam, & Janet in
Kouchibouguac National Park,
New Brunswick
Allison riding a camel
in the Gobi Desert
Provincial flags in Mirimichi, NB
Janet & Rocco drove almost 18,000 km through every
province across Canada and back again with friends from
Australia.
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Making Connections
Lent 2015
Focus on the Wider Church:
What are….
Healing Touch & Healing Pathway?
by Brenda
Healing Touch, now a worldwide program for the medical
community, has a medical model curriculum that defines energy-based
healing in scientific terms. Originally, it was an energy healing program
being taught by Janet Mentgen in Colorado in the 1980s. By 1990, her
work had been sanctioned by the American Holistic Nurses Association
to become the Healing Touch Certification Program.
In 1992, Rochelle Graham felt called by God to teach the healing
courses within the United Church as a means to “reclaim the Christian
roots that were the foundation of the church”. After receiving Janet
Mentgen’s blessing to develop the Healing Pathway program, Naramata
Centre partnered with BC conference and Alberta & Northwest
A sign has recently been
purchased by the Healing
Touch Group.
Conference to support Rochelle’s work and, in 1998, the Healing
Pathway curriculum was adopted. The program was formally named the
Naramata Centre Healing Pathway.
Now, as of January 21, 2015, the United Church Centre at Naramata has closed, but
the Healing Pathways program is alive and well under the leadership of a group of five Healing
Pathways Instructors called the Coordinating Circle. This group is leading the program into a
new phase of its life. It has worked for the past 6 months to establish the Pathway as a
registered, incorporated society. The Coordinating Circle recently announced that the
Healing Pathway Society will be a reality by early February, 2015. It will be a registered
society under the umbrella of the United Church’s BC Conference. With grateful appreciation
to Naramata for giving Healing Pathways a home for almost 25 years, those in the program are
also grateful to BC Conference for welcoming us in this way. The Coordinating Circle affirms
that “the bright lights of Healing Pathways practitioners and groups continue to shine brightly
across Canada and in Guatemala” and all courses will continue to be offered.
LABYRINTHS
Labyrinth
Labyrinths are found in m
having a single path leadi
This Labyrinth is a scale
Chartres Cathedral, Franc
Medieval Christians visite
taking a hazardous pilgrim
Modern “pilgrims“ walk
meditation, and/or person
WALKING A LABY
The labyrinth in our parking lot will soon be available
to walk again. In the meantime you may be able to use a
finger labyrinth for prayer and meditation. Check out this
animated labyrinth as well:
http://www.labyrinthonline.com/flash/Chartres%20Final.swf
There is not a 'required
approach the experienc
into three stages.
Entering: (also referre
the center, and should '
Illumination: The time
experience, learn or rec
determine when to leav
Union: The journey ou
This is a time to consid
Sometimes a fourth sta
experience or illuminat
FINGER-WALKING
Begin by setting the en
jewelry, watches, brace
yourself with the labyr
edge; examine the deta
Adapt your breathing, a
following the groove/p
Complete your experie
PAXWORKS has utili
with-details' to create a
constructed of quality h
materials make this lab
wall as a fine piece of a
PAX
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Making Connections
Lent 2015
Book Report:
The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad
Reviewed by Hal
I found this easy-to-read book by
Lesley Hazleton not only a factual account of
the life of Muhammad, but a detailed account
of the life and times in Arabia around 600 A.D.
Five or six generations before
Muhammad, there had been a giant Marib dam,
in Yemen at the south end of the Arabian
Peninsula. It provided irrigation water for
250,000 acres of fields. This area produced the
plant that resulted in myrrh, a very valuable
aromatic resin, used by the rich as a perfume
and deodorant. With the riches gained from
growing the crop, greed led to fighting, and the
maintenance of the dam was ignored. Moles
were allowed to go unchecked, and their
burrowing destroyed the dam and the whole
area.
Muhammad’s ancestors moved north
to Mecca, which was to become a bustling capitalist hub on the
north-south trade route along the east side of the Red Sea. The
leader of the tribe ‘rediscovered’ the Zamzam well, close to an
existing religious sanctuary. The well was supposed to have
been discovered by Hagar, after giving birth to Ishmael, and
had been tapped by Abraham, but was filled in or lost over the
centuries. The new discoverers ‘owned’ the well, and charged
money for its water, getting money from the pilgrims who
came to the Kaaba, the sanctuary. That wasn’t much of a
structure at the time, only person-height walls, with a roof of
palm fronds and cloth, much like the sheep pens used for
shelter of flocks.
There was a tradition already for people to come to
this place as pilgrims, to worship what was becoming
understood as the one God, although there were lesser gods
involved in the courtyard of the facility. Then, as now,
theology was big business. Pilgrims had to pay for the water,
for the special clothing that had to be worn, for animals for
sacrifice, etc. The city was run by an elite group who had
power over everything. It was into this society that
Muhammad was born in 578.
Merchants organized caravans carrying goods, some
with camel trains of over 2,000 animals. Some of them were
like modern investors, owning villas and farms in other
countries where they travelled with trade caravans.
Muhammad’s father died during one of these caravan trips, so
that Muhammad was born an orphan, with absolutely no status
in the community.
It was common for the elite women of that society to
give their babies over to Beduin wet-nurses so they could
quickly get pregnant again. Sons were very valued and the
more, the better. Muhammad was thus sent with a Beduin
woman, and was raised by her family for five years, rather than
the customary two. When he returned to Mecca, he made
himself useful looking after camels, eventually becoming a
trusted trader in an uncle’s caravan.
Muhammad missed the solitude of
the Beduin life and began spending times in
vigil on a mountain near Mecca. It was on
such a retreat in 610 that he had the first of
his many revelations -- a visit by the angel
Gabriel, who told him he was to be a
messenger of God. That started the
leadership part of his life, which now became
similar to that of Moses and of Jesus. He was
fighting the status quo, the rich society that
was sucking all the life from the poor people.
He gathered a group of followers,
as Jesus did, who were advocating a new way
of life, worshiping only one God, and treating
all as equals. This did not go over well with
the ruling powers of Mecca. Then, as now,
one of the main problems was that people
wanted to continue doing things the way their
forefathers had done them.
During the early part of his rise to importance, I saw
Muhammad as being quite similar to Jesus in many ways. Later,
though, he became more political, needing to curry favour with local
tribal leaders to get their support. Then, as now, wars were fought in
the name of religion, but were really based on commercial advantage:
defeat the community who had the trade, then take it over.
Muhammad had to flee for his life, setting up headquarters
in Medina, 200 miles north of Mecca. There in Medina, his group
moved in, and eventually took over. Anyone who didn’t join them got
little consideration. He was particularly disappointed that the three
Jewish communities in that valley area, already worshipping one God,
would not join his followers, who by this time considered Muhammad
to be God’s final prophet. They may have expected that they would
have become even lower in influence in their community.
Muhammad was becoming a political power, as well as a religious
one.
Things came to a head when someone was killed, and one of
the Jewish communities was blamed. Mohammed sentenced all the
men to death, with wives and children to become slaves, but after their
leader acknowledged his power to make the decision, it ended with all
2,000 of them being expelled, taking only what they could carry. A
year later, in the case of the second Jewish community, he ordered the
cutting down of their grove of date palms, removing their reason for
living there. They were allowed to leave with only one camel-load of
possessions for every three people. Eventually, to show his strength
to his core followers, he dealt with the last of the Jewish tribes by
having all the men (400 or 900, depending on reports) beheaded and
all their property seized.
Hazleton has interwoven this history with what was going
on elsewhere, telling of events of which Christians might be more
aware. During the same period, in an area 700 miles to the north, the
Byzantine emperor Heraclius recovered Jerusalem from the Persians,
after being forced into exile from Constantinople, the Byzantine
centre of Christianity. He too rebuilt an army while in exile, and was
eventually the winner.
9
The book will be available in the church library
after it has been passed hand-to-hand among people who have
already heard about it.
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Making Connections
Lent 2015
Church Leadership Matters
by Rev. Jenny Carter
“How did we get here? Where are we living?
Will the church survive?” Over the last number of
years I have heard, and perhaps at times even given
voice to, these very questions. Christian churches
throughout the western world are in decline and we
worry that the place that has given us life and helped
our spirits grow as we follow the way of Jesus (that
place we retreat to on Sunday
morning) will eventually fade
away. Does it have to? No. It
doesn’t. Yet churches that have
reversed the trend toward decline
have taken some very clear steps
in order to turn things around as
they moved from certain death to
new life.
National Park or Jungle?
How might we turn things
around? Well, let’s begin with two
metaphors: the National Park and the Jungle. Everyone
born before 1980 was born in the National Park world.
Everyone born after that was born into the Jungle. Here are
the differences:
The National Park: Is neatly laid out; predictable;
warns you about dangerous animals; provides adequate
shelter. National parks change very slowly; you are entitled
to the experience; they can be travelled alone; no compass
is necessary, and you can see the horizon.
The Jungle: nothing is neatly laid out; nothing is
predictable; changes happen very fast; predators lurk
everywhere; you are on your own for shelter; the landscape
changes from day to day; you are not entitled to be there; no
one goes into the jungle alone; you need a compass; and
you cannot see the horizon.
As the two metaphors show, our world has
changed. We who were born in the “National Park” years of
the church have certain expectations of what church should
look like and how it should be run. In that neat and
predictable world every congregation had a professional
pastor – an ordained person – who shouldered the task of
leadership. This is not to say that lay people were not
involved in church life – on the contrary – but when it came
right down to who was supposed to be “in charge”, it was
the clergy person.
The ordered minister was in the centre of
congregational life. Sometimes the clergy person was really
good at their job and the church was happy and life giving to
those who attended – and sometimes the clergy person
wasn’t very good at leadership and the congregation was
10
perhaps less happy, but still was viable. Such was the
nature of the world in which we were born.
Yet now we all live in the Jungle. We live in a
world where nothing is predictable and where change
happens so fast we can barely keep up with it. In
addition, those born in the Jungle (after 1980) are less
willing to sit on the sidelines – they want to be
engaged and actively involved in finding their way
through the times in which they
live. There is a beauty to life in the
jungle that we are missing if we
don’t take a minute to just stop and
think about how the changing
landscape of our world affects the
running of our churches. We (who
are churched) can no longer see
the horizon and plan our journey
accordingly. We live in the jungle
– and it is going to take all of us
working side by side if we are
going to make our way through it.
Lay Leadership
The importance of the role of lay leadership in
a congregation cannot be overstated. Lay leadership
is critical to the overall health and survival of a
congregation. It always has been, even if the church
has lost sight of that fact for a century or two!or ten.
Until the third century there was no such thing as an
“ordained” person. All ministry was attended to by the
people who called that congregation home, yet
somehow, as time went on, ministry was turned over
to the “professionals”. A clergy person with
denominational and academic credentials was the
order of the day for churches of the “National Park”
era. Yet life in the era of the Jungle (the era in which
we find ourselves) needs a team approach. Our time
needs clergy and lay people working together
according to the skills and gifts of each one.
From the beginning of the Christian church
and especially in the Reformed Tradition (of which we
are a part), the concept of the “Priesthood of All
Believers” has been the key to growth in our Christian
faith and congregational life. Throughout history,
times of church renewal have begun with a
rediscovery of the laity – a group who are gifted in so
many ways and who are called to share those gifts
with the congregation that they call home. The
ordered person is differently gifted and differently
equipped, yet, when ordered clergy and gifted and
equipped laity work together for the common good of
Continued on p. 11
4
3
Making Connections
Lent 2015
(Church Leadership Matters……continued from p. 10)
the congregation – great things happen. It is true that
no one gets through the jungle if they go by themselves
– we need to go together.
Is there a justice issue you want to explore?
Then perhaps offer your gifts and skills to the
congregation by helping us raise our awareness about it.
Do you enjoy sharing hospitality with people? Then
perhaps consider hosting a dinner, and invite members
of the congregation. Do you love to create art – either
spoken word, or fabric, or music, or painting? Maybe
consider how your art might help you and others grow in
faith and then offer it somehow. Are you good with
numbers? Are you a critical thinker who can think
“outside the box”? Are you passionate about helping our
congregation grow into the kind of place where those
born in the “National Park” era can come together with
those born after 1980 and the “Jungle” era, so that all
might find their faith deepening right along with our
relationships? Then perhaps consider serving a term on
the Board and offering your wisdom and insight. Do you
have a passion for teaching? Perhaps consider leading
a study session on a topic of your choice. The
possibilities are endless!
To find our way through the Jungle we need to
go together and we need to be engaged and passionate
about the journey. If we want our congregation to
experience new life – we need our hearts to come alive
with a sense of the adventure that awaits us. We need to
be willing to risk being vulnerable with one another –
share our hopes and dreams for our lives, our
congregation, and especially our world. As the ordered
clergy person, I am passionate about the spiritual growth
and wellbeing of each person in this congregation – and I
know that growth and wellbeing come with being fully
engaged in the life of the congregation. I know that
together we can grow in our discipleship, our faith, and
even our numbers, if we but dare to take a risk and offer
our gifts and skills for the building up of our common life.
Take a moment and think about what you care deeply
about – and how might you share that with the rest of us.
If you want to talk about it, my door is always open.
What now?
A number of years ago we re-organized our
governance system and, for the most part, ended the
Council and Committee structure. This was done in
recognition that just filling positions on a committee was
not bringing life to the congregation. We had some
great meetings, but meetings are not the same thing as
ministry (and in all sincerity, a committee of one is not a
committee). In addition, it was made clear by many
members of the congregation that they simply did not
want to attend any more meetings – meetings were not
experienced as life giving and faith deepening. It was
hoped at the time that going to a “task/job” model of
governance might free up people to actually engage a
ministry, or pursue a passion project in the church on
their own. As I reflect back on this change, I realize that
while the premise is a good one, it has not been very
well articulated over the years, and perhaps we have
begun to lose sight of that vision.
So, given that we live in the “Jungle” and that
we have a model of church governance that relies
heavily on the sharing of gifts and skills by the laity – I
would like to invite each and every person in the
congregation to consider what they would like to offer of
themselves for the common good of the congregation.
The church is a community – not a Sunday event.
Certainly we come together for worship, but that is not
the reason the church was called into existence. We
are called to minister to one another and to the wider
world – so that healing and meaning and love might
replace brokenness and meaninglessness and hatred.
The Observer
by Ross
The Observer is a magazine, run independently of the United
Church, which consistently wins publishing awards for a wide range of
articles. An extra copy purchased by the church is usually found on a
table in the narthex. You are welcome to borrow it for some excellent
reading. A group subscription will be ordered in mid-February and
you can get your own copy by placing $20 in an envelope with your
name and mailing address and putting it in the offering basket or
dropping it off with Maureen in the office. It is the longest published
magazine in Canada and a steal at $2 a copy!
11
Lenten Schedule of Events
St. Andrew’s United Church
Church Services:
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Sunday Worship Services
March 1st
Worship & Communion
March 7th
Alternative Worship
th
March 29
Palm Sunday Worship
rd
April 3
Good Friday Service
April 5th
Easter Sunday Worship
10:00 am
10:00 am
1:00 pm
10:00 pm
10:00 am
10:00 am
Rev Jenny Carter
Rev Jenny Carter
Rev Jenny Carter
Rev Jenny Carter
Rev Jenny Carter
Rev Jenny Carter
Worship services are followed by fellowship and refreshments in the Library.
Regular Events:
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•
•
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Bag Lunch Bible Study
Choir Practice
Library Committee
Healing Ministry
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•
•
•
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Ministry & Personnel Meeting
Board Meeting
Men’s Breakfast Group
Pastoral Care Meeting
Fellowship lunch
Wednesday - noon in the Library
Sunday – 9:00 am in the Library
Thursday – 10:00 to 11:30 in the Library
Tuesday Feb. 17th, Thursday Feb. 19th,
Tuesday Mar.17th, & Thursday Mar. 19th in the Quiet Room
Tuesday Mar. 10th, 10:00 am in the Library
Tuesday Feb. 17th, 2:00 pm in the Library
Saturday Feb. 28th and Mar. 28th at 7:30 am in the Library
Sunday Mar. 8th after Service, in the Pastoral Care Room
March 1st & March 29th in MacKinnon Hall after Worship
Special Notices:
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The Alternative Worship Service is a time of Quiet Reflection and Meditation
Tuesday, Feb. 17th – Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper in Mac Hall starting at 5pm.
Annual Congregational Meeting: Sunday, March 1st, following service & potluck lunch.
Bi-Annual Auction and Dessert Night : Saturday, March 7th, 7pm in MacKinnon Hall.
Travel Presentation: Wed, March 11th at 7pm with Allison on her travels to the Arctics.
To make an appointment for a Healing Session, phone Maureen.
Office hours: Tuesday to Friday – 9:00 to 12:00 noon
Rev. Jenny is in 100 Mile on Thursdays
Phone/ Fax: 250-398-6745
Email: [email protected]
website: http://members.shaw.ca/wlunitedchurch
Address: 1000 Huckvale Place, Williams Lake V2G 4L2