A little girl with a big job ...

Rebekkah laying flowers at the grave of her Grandfather, Samuel Ankenmann, who died while on duty with the Ontario Provincial Police on June 29th 1968.

A Hero in Life Not Death

Heroes in Life, Not Death

A Hero in Life, Not Death ...

38 years ago in the early morning hours of June 29th 1968, my dad Constable Samuel E. Ankenmann failed to return from his shift with the Sebringville Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police. At the age of 40, his life ended in a tragic car crash while on duty ...

Today Dad's memory is honoured in several places in Canada.

In Ottawa, over looking the Rideau River stands a memorial the hundreds of Peace Officers who have died on duty in the service of Canada. (http://www.cacp.ca/english/memoriam/english/default.htm)

In Toronto, just across the street from the Ontario Legislature stands a memorial that honours those officers who have fallen in the service of the Province of Ontario. The Ontario Provincial Police Association maintains a memorial at their Headquarters in Orillia Ontario and the names inscribed there are listed online as well. (http://www.oppa.on.ca/honour_roll/officers/index.html)

My dad's name is found on the OPPA site at: http://www.oppa.on.ca/honour_roll/officers/l0001.html

Above are the photos that I took last spring when Rebekkah and I visited the Memorial Site in Toronto on May 1st. The Annual Memorial service had ended a few hours earlier, the wreaths remained in place, and the flags still flew at half mast.

Photos and images of the 2005 Memorial Service are found at:http://www.pbase.com/clarkwil/memorial

That day in downtown Toronto, with tears in my eyes, I showed Rebekkah where her Grandfather's name was inscribed on the vast granite panels ... later that week we stood in the Cemetery across from Lingelbach United Church on 7&8 Highway outside of Shakespeare Ontario, where 38 years ago this week an Honour Guard of over 100 Uniformed Officers bid farewell to a fellow officer, a husband, a father, a brother and a friend ... we laid flowers on Dad's grave.

Today my dad like other fallen officers remains A HERO IN LIFE NOT DEATH !!

And the headlines continue ...

(PLEASE visit a more recent posting to understand the perspective of the people of Minnedosa United Church when it comes to our fire: January 21st 2007 entry -God Doesn't Hate Goths. Please be assured and clear - we do NOT share the views of the website that has linked to this item, or others on our site - they do not speak for us, we will speak for ourselves. - thanks. - Rev. Shawn (Jan 21 2007))

The Winnipeg Sun has an article today on the fire:

Jail for arsonists
Church blaze inspired by black metal, hatred

By DEAN PRITCHARD, COURT REPORTER

MINNEDOSA -- A fire that razed the 105-year-old Minnedosa United Church last winter was a hate crime sparked by a hatred of Christianity and a love of black metal music, a court heard yesterday.

Kelsey Ray Taylor, Deanna Lynn Mathews and Mark Wishart shared an "ideology of desecration" that destroyed a community landmark and rocked the faith of local church members, Crown attorney Jim Ross said at the trio's sentencing hearing.

"They share an ideology that people of faith are the enemy," Ross said. "They targeted a church for destruction because it's a symbol."

All three pleaded guilty to arson earlier this year.

Judge Krystyna Tarwid called the arson a hate crime and sentenced Taylor, its driving force, to three years in prison. Mathews was sentenced to two years in prison, while Wishart received a sentence of two years less a day in jail. All three sentences were in addition to time already served in custody. Taylor and Mathews have been in custody since their arrest a short time after the Feb. 12 blaze. Wishart was released on bail after spending eight days in jail.

The judge also ordered the three to pay $1.2 million in restitution.

The Minnedosa fire had clear links to a worldwide arson movement inspired by a Norwegian black metal musician, Ross told court.

The church was set ablaze on the birthday of Varg Vikernes, a black metal musician now serving time in prison in Norway for murdering a bandmate and burning several churches.
Vikernes has inspired dozens of copycat church burnings around the world, a list that now includes the Minnedosa United Church, Ross said.

The night of the fire, Taylor, 21, and Mathews, 19, a California native and Taylor's girlfriend of two weeks, visited Wishart, 20, in Minnedosa. After drinking awhile in a cemetery, Wishart suggested they burn down the church, Ross said. Taylor, reluctant to lose face, agreed, and the trio drove to Wishart's grandmother's home where they picked up a can of gasoline.
Taylor and Mathews climbed to the roof of the church where Mathews doused it with gasoline and Taylor ignited it with a lighter.

Police arrested Taylor and Mathews a short time later driving out of Minnedosa. In the car, police found a homemade CD entitled Introduction to Blasphemy. The CD included several songs by Vikernes and his bands.

"It's no coincidence that Mr. Taylor is a black metal fan," Ross said.

In a police statement written in the voice of his "demon" named Razorback, Taylor, who is aboriginal, said the arson was payback for thousands of years of Christian wrongs, including residential schools.

"If this is the only way I can seek justice for what you Christian mother------s have done to me and my people and the world, then I'm going to throw the truth in your faces," he wrote.
No words of remorse

Given a chance to speak before sentencing, Taylor had no words of remorse for several church members seated in the court gallery.

Mathews offered a tearful apology, calling her participation in the arson "the worst decision of my life."

"It hurt so many people. I'm so sorry. Believe what you want from the news, but I am a good person," she said.

The fire destroyed a century's worth of history and the community lost an important spiritual centre and meeting place, Tarwid said.

"The church building used to symbolize sanctuary ... but a church building is vulnerable to acts of wanton destruction," Tarwid said. "There's not a scrap of paper left. All that remains are memories."

Church board member Lorraine McKay said she was upset Taylor felt no apparent regret for his actions.

"It makes me very upset a young adult could do that and have no feelings for what he has done to the community," McKay said outside court.

The church was insured for $1.2 million but will cost more than $2 million to replace, McKay said. The church board has raised $54,000 to rebuild at the same site and hopes to open next year.

"It's hard to think about the future but the community has really rallied together," she said. "I think having this behind us now, that part of the book will be closed and we can look forward to better things."

Taylor will be back in Brandon court in August. He is charged with arson for an April 2004 fire that levelled the Brandon Hills United Church and with vandalism to more than 100 tombstones in the Brandon Hills and Roseland cemeteries.

He has also been charged with cemetery vandalism in Lethbridge, Alta.

On the web: http://www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Metal

And now a word from the press ...

I found this on the website for Brandon's CKX TV station:

Church Arsonists Get Jail Time
Last Updated Tue, 27 June 2006 06:23:23 PM

3 people guilty of burning down the Minnedosa United Church are walking out of the courthouse after each receiving jail time of no less than 2 years.

“I can’t say I’m satisfied with the jail time it is what I expected they would get. I think that in terms of what they did it should’ve been longer,” says Church Member Lorraine McKay.

The fire was reported early on the morning of February 12th. Fire crews did all they could to save the 105-year-old building. But it was completely destroyed.

The court heard that night, Kelsey Taylor, Deanna Matthews, and Mark Wishart were all drinking in a cemetery. Wishart took gas from his grandma’s house. At the church, Matthews broke a window and poured gas into the building, Taylor attempted to ignite it with a lighter. After failing on their first try the group returned a second time and the church went up in flames.

“It has just broken my heart to see that brand new organ and brand new piano burnt to crisp,” says Church Organist Eleanor Taylor.

For his involvement, Mark Wishart was sentenced 2 years in a provincial jail.

Deanna Mathews will serve two years in federal jail.

And Kelsey Taylor who’s described as the ring leader of the arson will spend three years also in a federal penitentiary.

The crown says both Taylor and Matthews are people part of a scene denouncing religion, glorifying the genre of black metal anti-Christian music.

The court decided Wishart wasn’t as extreme. Judge Krystyna Tarwid says the arson was motivated by a hate of religion.

“Nothing will replace the building,” says Minister Shawn Ankenmann. “Vindictiveness doesn’t have a place here. It was a sentence they will see time in jail and they’ll get the help they need that’s the important part for me.”

The congregation says it lost a building pointing out its people that make up the church. This sentencing was another step forward in their journey to rebuild.

Church members expect to turn sod in the spring of 2007.

Hiking in the rain ...

Mag's Uncle and Aunt popped by from Powell River BC yesterday ... not sure how you pop by from Powell, but they did ...

Their visit coincided with that of another group of Port Hardy folks who were visiting family in the area ... for a while yesterday our living room became a beehive of Port Hardy conversation and reminicing ...

Today Les and Cindy and Mag and I went up to Riding Mountain for a hike ... we started off in the warmth and sunshine - but an hour into the hike the clouds gathered and blackened ... twenty minutes later, just as we decided to turn around, the sky opened and it poured ... We has descended the Bald Hill trail on the eastern side of the park ... so we ascended it in the pouring rain ... and I mean pouring ...

By the time we got to the van all four of us were soaked and laughing ... By the time we drove to Wasagaming, it wasn't raining ... in fact it didn't look like it had rained at all ...

Uncle Les said later - "It was you and Mag deciding to provoke the rain gods by wearing only shorts and tee-shirts ..." what else do you wear hiking??

Oh well, sometimes life's like that ... and all you can do is enjoy the ride ... but it's important to stop and enjoy the scenery, even through the rain drops pouring off your hat !!!

Set Free upon the world ...

Today the Minnedosa Heritage Inc group launched the book Trails to Rails: The Railroading history of Minnedosa ...

About twenty five or so people gathered in the Library, and over coffee and story telling had a chance to preview the book and see the collection of stories, anecdotes and photos that Bob Mummery had gathered to document, celebrate and most importantly remember the importance that the Railroad has had on the town of Minnedosa.

The book is available in Minnedosa, or through mail order from the Minnedosa Tribune ... if your journey has taken you through or from Minnedosa, and somewhere in the background there lurks a connection to the Railroad that has been so much a part of Minnedosa's history, I invite you to get a copy and enjoy the stories ...

The best thing about this book is the way in which it preserves a portion of history that has been slowly ebbing away from the town of Minnedosa ... The roundhouse is gone, the various buildings have vanished, the tracks have been pulled up and the elevators have fallen ... now there remains only the red brick Station that has stood vigil along the tracks ... a station from which countless passengers set off, or arrived from their journeys, ... a station where countless crews traded off as they began or ended their shifts ... a station where a million memories were lived, shared and preserved as the memories of the railroaders of the Minnedosa and Braedenbury subdivisions ...

This year the station was saved thanks to the effort of a small dedicated group of volunteers who saw immeasurable value in its old brick walls ... and as the prairie summer that small dedicated group celebrated the hard work that went into a fine book that chronicles a small porton of the many years of service that the Railroaders of Minnedosa have logged ...

Good Job Bob. Good job Minnedosa Heritage Inc. Good job and thanks to all the men and women who over the years have been employees of the Railroad in Minnedosa ... as Bob Hope used to say: "Thanks for the memories ..."

A new book hits the rails...

In case you didn't know, or had forgotten - Minnedosa is a train town!!

For well over a century trains and the men and women who run them have moved, people, freight and almost everything imaginable back and forth across the tracks that intersect the townsite ... Over the last few years the vestiges of a proud railroader history have fallen by the way side ...

Gone are the elevators, the round house, the coal and water towers, the cafes, the Tremont, and almost everything else associated with the Railroad in Minnedosa ... all except for the historic Minnedosa CPR Train Station that was saved by a small dedicated group of people who range across the spectrum of Minnedosa.

Tomorrow the Save Our Station Committee are gathering in the Minnedosa Regional Library to launch a book of Railroad history ...

Called Trails to Rails, and written by Minnedosa's own Bob Mummery (the editor of the Minnedosa Tribune), the book is a wonderful account of the history of Minnedosa that is intertwined with the twin metal rails that have been the life line of this town for well over a Century.

Filled with personal stories, photos, mementoes and reminders of a proud and storied history, Bob has done justice to the many generations of railroaders who kept the Minnedosa and Braedenbury Subdivisions running smoothly. I commented to one of my fellow committee members that the book has everything - it has train wrecks, adventures on the high seas, war stories, humour ... the only thing it is lacking is sex ... He smiled and thought for a moment and said - "well, I'm sure that was happening in town, but Bob just didn't write about it ..." The third member of the committee said, "I'm pretty sure that was happening, otherwise there wouldn't have been second or third generations of railroaders ..."

So, tomorrow at 4pm we launch the book that chronicles the history of railroads in Minnedosa - Trails to Rails is a wonderful read, and informative book and a marvelous accomplishment by a gentleman and a fine, fine writer. Thanks Bob for doing this, and sharing what you have learned and gathered with the rest of us ...

(oh, just in case you're wondering - the train at the top of this has absolutely nothing to do with the CPR of Minnedosa - it was the only train picture I had ... I took it last spring in Ontario visiting a train museum in St Thomas ... and I thought it made a nice lead in to announcing the book launch !!!)

Hope to see you tomorrow !!!

A place where everyone is welcome ...

Some years ago a book of stories told by the late Clayton Mack of Bella Coola was published. It had stories of hunting trips, encounters with bear, fishing expeditions and sightings of Sasquatch on the Central Coast. Clayton was a story teller - his stories remain entertaining and enlightening ...

A cousin of my father in law, George Robson, also of Bella Coola, commented that everyone of the stories in that book had a kernal of truth ... they may not have happened just like Clayton says, and they may not have happened to him ... but they are true ...

George was an extraordinary story teller. He knew of what he spoke.

And so today I invite you to a place of stories ... stories of small town life ... stories that celebrate the nuances of rural living ... stories that arise in a small town like Minnedosa ... The place of story is based on a REAL place: Chipperfield Coffee Company on Main St in Minnedosa, but the Chipperfield location on the web will be a place where stories are told, yarns are spun and over coffee life is laughed and wept over ... Life the real place, this Chipperfield's will be open to welcome in anyone who happens to join us on the way ...

The stories here, shared over fresh coffee will be "true" ... names will be changed to protect the innocent (or guilty), details may be embellished, and truths may be stretched a bit ... Like any good coffee shop - it's the conversation that is important - details ... well ... a good story teller isn't concerned with those - and this will be a place of story ...

So, I invite you to check it out: It's called The Chipperfield Chronicles, and it is located at:
http://chipperfieldcoffee.blogspot.com

There's not much there yet - but that WILL change ...

Thanks to Bonnie and her staff for the real Chipperfield's that has inspired me ... and for the loan of the name for this place where our journey will begin ...

And the losses mount ...

I got an email this morning that brought tears to my eyes ... not only that, but the email reminded me of how much loss has been experienced in the last few months here in Minnedosa and elsewhere ...

Today I was told by The Rev. Nancy Wetselaar that on June 18th the Congregation of Centennial United Church in Stratford voted to disband itself ... Above is a picture of Centennial's glorious sanctuary, that I took last year when I was out in Ontario ...

Today though I realize that the losses are continuing to mount ...

First I watched a place I had come to love over the last six years disappear to an arsonist's fire ... and now I hear that my year end my home congregation, the place I learned to celebrate my faith, the place I could always go home to and be welcomed in, the place I grew to adulthood, the place filled with memories ... MY touchstone, my tether, the anchor on which my history and heritage are tied ... that special place on Strachan St will be no more ...

The building may remain (I hope it does) ... it will find other uses ... but the people who are the Church of Centennial United will disperse and take with them a vast repetoire of memories and moments lived in that glorious old building ...

Today I grieve again the loss of our building here in Minnedosa ... In amongst the enormous upswell of pain and sorrow at the loss, my grief pales in comparison to that of people who have called this place home for years ... but today I weep for the loss of two sacred spaces that I have loved and delighted in presiding at worship in ...

Both sanctuaries were comfortable and warm ... both had marvelous acoustics ... both were semi-circles with wide wooden pews ... both were places that held many marvelous memories of over 100 years of life and worship ... One is gone ... and one is going ...

I can close my eyes tonight and walk through the building that stood on Main St here in Minnedosa ... I can again open the cupboards down stairs, and climb the various stair cases, and stand and marvel at the beauty of the sanctuary ...

I can close my eyes tonight and see the Saints of my Childhood moving and living again in the various spaces that are part of the building Centennial United calls home ... in my mind I can see the patient grey haired men and women who could laugh at our antics, while shaking thier heads with caring understanding when we'd gone too far ... they were our mentors, our friends, and our inspiration ... they chided us once in awhile, but more then that they welcomed us into the whole people of God with care and understanding and openness ...

In 2000, when I walked into the sanctuary of Minnedosa United, I felt like I had stepped back into the beautiful sanctuary of Centennial ... with the high arched ceiling ... the semi circle format ... the sun pouring in through the stained glass windows ... there was much that carried me back to that place that has always been home ... In my time since, I've come to love every nook and cranny of the old building on Main St ... I became a 12 year old boy again - exploring, finding endlessly fascinating places and mementoes and treasures in the cupboards and closets and storage rooms ... When I moved through the building I felt like a little kids again ... and once again I was in a safe place, a place filled with memories and moments and a Holy Presence ...

When the building burned down on February 12th I lost the place I played at being minister ... but more then that I lost my sanctuary ... both that up stairs and that which I had over five years crafted for myself amid the clutter ...

My fear that cold bitter morning as I watched the flames consume the building wasn't so much for my stuff that sat in my office ... but it was for the sanctuary that space represented ... In my cluttered office were the mementoes and treasures of a life time ... the inventory of moments is vast ... I have books I borrowed from Centennial and somehow forgot to give back ... I have my treasures from my time in Bella Coola ... I have gifts and tokens given to me by friends and people who's lives I've touched ... I have books and photos and letters and cards that mark my journey from my childhood at Centennial through to my adulthood in the 21st Century ...

My professional life is crammed in a 10 by 10 space ... everything I've ever written, or spoken ... every treasure given to me as minister ... every scrap of paper given to me by sunday school kids ... my collection of books and articles ... my treasures and mementoes ... things that may not be important to someone else, but that are important to me are crammed into my office space ... my sanctuary.

And on that cold February morning I watched with horror as I watched not only what the Congregation and Community was about to lose, but what I was in danger of losing too ... My life is in my office ... and my office is the repository of my life ... and for a very long time that morning it didn't seem likely that it would be spared ... many things could be replaced and reacquired, but so much more - the little things would have been gone forever ... The pain in that moment was immense for me as a person, as a minister and as a member of this community ... This was not something that could be just shaken off ... the hurt cut deep ...

I know I was lucky... I feel very blessed that I was able to salvage my office in its entirety, and that the Congregation had it's many records and registries spared ... We lost so much - but there was much that was spared ...

But, today all that grief came back to me ... On February 12th, like many here in Minnedosa, I lost my touchstone ... then this morning I hear that my remaining touchstone is going to go ... it savagely reopened the hurt and the sorrow I felt when Minnedosa United burned ... we have lost so much ... and today I learned that the losses keep mounting ...

Tonight my only thought is the lament - "by the waters of Babylon, we wept ..."

Tonight I grieve the loss of two friends ... one is nothing more then a memory, and the other is a place filled with memories - but has no future ...

When you're wearing milk-bone underwear ???

Tonight one of my cousins called from Ontario and somehow we ended up talking about Cheers and I noted how much I've appreciated the presence of the Coffee Shop here in town that has become for me like Cheers was on tv. Paul asked - "do they call out 'SHAWN' when you walk in?" I said sometimes ... then he said you need some smart one liners to throw back ... and one of our favourite lines ever uttered by Norm on Cheers came up:

It's a dog eat dog world out there and I'm wearing milk bone underwear !!!

I couldn't have said it any better ... somedays it is a dog eat dog world and my underwear is milkbones ... and when those days hit, it is good to have a place to go where you can just relax and fit in. For me it is a delightful coffee shop on Main St here in Minnedosa called:

Chipperfield Coffee Company

For those of you who know Minnedosa, but haven't been to Chipperfield's - it is located in what was once the Chipperfield store on Main St kitty corner from the Arena ... it was named after the Chipperfield family who once called Minnedosa home, and who were delighted to lend the new business their name in honour of their father Jim and his legacy to Minnedosa.

I have nothing but praise for Bonnie and her staff. They are good people, and they provide exceptional service and nothing but good coffee, refreshments and snacks. Chipperfields has become a refuge of sorts for me, and it is a place where people from all over the community gather to enjoy a break in their day ...

Everyone needs a Cheers in their life, and for the folks in Minnedosa, Chipperfield Coffee Company fits the bill nicely ... Because like it was sung for over 10 years on tv:

Making your way in the world today
Takes everything you've got;
Taking a break from all your worries
Sure would help a lot.

Wouldn't you like to get away?
Sometimes you want to go
Where everybody knows your name,
And they're always glad you came;

You want to be where you can see,
Our troubles are all the same;
You want to be where everybody knows your name.
You want to go where people know,
People are all the same;
You want to go where everybody knows your name.

dayenu ...

Happy Dad's Day ...

As I write this, the kids are in bed ... and the day is coming to and end, but I have had a fabulous Father's Day to reflect back upon ...

To the left, is a picture of my dad - Constable Samuel Ankenmann, who died on duty in the early morning hours of June 29th 1968, in a vehicle accident while on duty with the Ontario Provincial Police.

I never had the honour of knowing my dad ... he died when I was an infant. But on a day like today, I hope I can be the kind of dad I know he was ... My brother and I were important to him ... and we missed alot losing him so early in our lives.

I think of dad alot this time of year. I wonder what he would have been like today ... I wonder what he would have been like as a dad ... I wonder if he would enjoy his three grandchildren as much as I do as their dad ... I also wonder what Father's Days would have been like with him ...

I know he would have earned a Father's Day like the one I enjoyed today ...

The day started a tad early with the middle child coming into our room and dropping her present on my chest ... I was still sleeping at the time ... "Happy Father's Day, Dad." She announced ... I opened one eye and asked in reply - "what part of Father's Day don't you understand??"

Dad wanted to sleep in ... But instead he opened a lovely card (handmade) and a terrific present ... a homemade (or school made) pencil holder and a Corner Gas travel mug !!!

Hannah then set off and brought her sister and brother into the room to present their respective gifts ... She stood on the steps and called her siblings by saying: "Attention Ankenmann children. It is Father's Day and the father may be presented with his gifts" (I didn't think we were THAT big on formality in our home ... clearly I am delusional). By the end of the presentations I had a new cap, and two new shirts (I have been rewarded with three - count 'em: three wonderful one of a kind tee-shirts created by each of our children in turn, under the extraordinary tutelage of Grade One Teacher Joan McKenzie - each year Joan has her class make tee-shirts for Father's Day - and so I have three beautiful creations to wear and be proud of - Thanks Joan !!) and two more delightful and beautiful cards ... One of them said - "to the world's best dad ..."

Now, I know that countless dad's have been presented with similar cards today, and in each case it is a true statement ... so I don't want to sound cliche'que but it is easy to be the world's best dad when you have the world's best kids ...

My three kids are simply terrific. There are moments I don't like what they've done. I probably yell at them too much. I probably don't tell them "I love you" nearly enough ... but through it all, they have been terrific kids.

I love my children, and I love to see them smile and laugh and simply enjoy life ... and today we did that ... After going to Church we had lunch then drove up to Riding Mountain National Park for a bike excursion along the Lake ... we spent the day pedaling throughout Wasagaming's town site and along Clear Lake. We hiked, stopped for dinner and had a play in the playground ... then headed home for ice cream cones at Chipperfield's Coffee Shop ... all in all it was a fabulous day spent with the four most important people in my life: Mag, Sam, Hannah and Rebekkah ...

What more could a father want??

I hope all of you had a Happy Father's Day too, and just enjoyed the day reflecting on the gift of love that comes from one generation to another ...

I never knew my dad, but I've had many fatherly figures in my life and today I'm thankful for them ... MY Grandpa Elliot, my uncles: Drake, Ame, Walt, Cam, Brian, John, and Bruce, my surrogate Grandfathers like Grandpa Petersen, the ministers in my life like Wes, Ross and Bob, and the fathers of my friends and the men in our neighbourhood who were simply there: Laverne, Bill (my Big Brother), Ed, and in more recent years fine gentleman like Grandpa Norm, Jack, Charlie, Jim, Bud, Elgin and gruff Bob (there are others I'll think of later - mea culpa) - all of them have provided me with fatherly advice and support and care - and for that I am, and will be for many years: very, very grateful.

Happy Father's Day to all those lives that have been fatherly influences on me, and on my relationship with my children ... thanks to the many Father's in my life, I can claim the title - "world's best dad" today and wear it proudly ... wanna see the tee-shirts I have to prove it????

shalom,

Viva la difference ...

Come with me on a bit of historical journey ... Imagine walking through the Judean wilderness - up ahead is the "mighty" River Jordan ... along its banks stands the wild and wooly prophet John, calling to the people to come and be baptised ...

"Baptism??" they wonder, "we know about the Miqvah, but what is this Baptism that crazed man keeps hollering about??"

John for his part is dressed the part of the desert ascetitic ... he beard is wild and unkempt, his hair is long, his clothing is rough and somewhat aromatic ... He is yelling about the need for the people to repent and to accept the act of Baptism to wash away thier sins and make them acceptable before God ...

People are lining up three deep along the river banks waiting their turn ... there is a festive air to the whole scene ... there is a sense of expectancy, like something BIG is about to happen ...

NOW, as John stands in the river he is talking about one coming after him who is greater then he is, one that John is not even worthy to his sandals ...

And suddenly, there he is - a man in his early thirties, his robes are dirty from wandering the highways and byways of Judea ... his hair is long, his beard is unkempt (though neater then John's) and his appearance is not dissimilar to John's ... He is surrounded by a motley crew of men and women ... he stands on the river bank and smiles at his cousin - then he begins to speak ...

Now, if you want the scriptural version of what Jesus said in that moment - turn to the New Testment Gospel accounts ... but imagine for a minute if Jesus instead said - "John, can't you tone it down a bit?? All this talk of repentance and the sword is a real downer, it's turning people off ... it makes them uncomfortable. You need to reign yourself in a bit John. Stick to stuff the crowds want, stop making people uncomfortable will ya???"

Sound far fetched??

Not in the modern church ... I have in my journey repeatedly had colleagues rebuke and rebuff me (sometimes publically, sometimes privately) for things that are theological and practical ... My style is mine - not theirs and vice versa ... My way of approaching things is to some blunt and gruff ... I can be intimidating (usually without trying) ... and I can scare the begeepers out of people ... But that is not me - I have bad days, and I have moments when my back is up ... (so do we all)

Yet, for each person that I've intimidated or offended there are numerous others who are encouraged, enlivened and uplifted by me ... and that is true of all ministers. You don't have to search long or hard in a church to find opposition to the leadership ... sometimes the concerns are legitimate, but often it is a matter of style and personality (and sometimes it is an age thing). In every church there are those who think the current minister is great, and there are those who think he/she is a total jerk, and there are dozens in between ... The challenge to be addressed and overcome is one of not attacking the style of the person, but commenting on the content of thier message ...

How many of us know of a fabulous minister who was a lousy speaker, but was a great person who exuded love and care? The message was openly recieved ... the style, or lack thereof was overlooked ...

The challenge in the Church is to allow ministry personnell to be themselves ... I would hope I never criticise a colleague for their style (the content of their sermon's are fair game), and I would trust that they extend the same basic courtesy ...

Perhaps the bigger challenge is the loss of civility in this United Church of ours ... and if we are civil and respectful we won't have a scene like John and Jesus exchanging barbs at the Jordan River - instead they will minister alongside one another and together help herald the Kingdom of God that is meant to be ...

The work of the Kingdom can never happen if we are living and dying by popularity contests ... this isn't Survivor, American Idol or The Apprentice - this is the Church, the incarnate Body of Christ, where a diverse multitude of people are called to ministry - some have ways that appeal to us, some have ways that offend us (sometimes the same person represents the same thing to a community) - our challenge is to check our bias at the door and let the Gospel sweep over us ... The Kingdom will never come if we determine success or failure by voting and popularity ... let's leave that to the entertainment industry ...

The Spirit is busy - may we be open to it's work ...

may it be so,

Seeking Sanctuary amongst the pixels ...

I've been reflecting on the notion of whether or not we need a clergy union in this United Church of Canada ... I can't say I'm in favour of it, but I can't say I am as strongly opposed to it as I once was ... In many ways it would offer those of us who have run amuck of the status quo some protection and some advocacy that we are currently lacking ... but in many other ways it would just add to the already overwhelming bureacracy that impedes the work of the Kingdom to begin with ...

For me right now, what is vital and foremost is finding a place of sanctuary in the midst of a Church that is fast losing its way of faith ... My thinking today is simply this: where do we find Sanctuary ?? How do we live in Sacred space??

The image that has come to my mind today is that of Martin Luther King Jr sitting in a jail cell awaiting trial, or release or whatever ... in one of those moments he penned what is a watermark letter in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's. His Letter from the Birmingham Jail, has always touched me deeply.

I can still remember the first time I read it in High School over 25 years ago and said to myself - "wow, this is GOOD stuff ..."

What has hung in with me over the years is the poigniant and powerful image of King saying to his detractors and critics - "how can you ask us to wait ???" He notes of the Civil Rights movement that it was inevitable because the blacks (and other minorities) of the US, we growing weary of waiting for justice, waiting for equality, waiting for fairness - they had grown weary of waiting ... And so the time to act had come.

The Church of the time was caught off guard. They wanted King and his fellow protestors to be patient and wait ... and King would have none of it ... He knew the time had come for decisive, co-ordinated and faithful action. The people of faith who said earnestly - "wait Mr King, just wait ..." couldn't grasp what they were asking - they couldn't see beyond their horizon. But thankfully King could see beyond the horizon, and to use a cliche: he had the courage to dream of what was to be ...

Similarly, Gandhi, the one from whom King drew his inspiration, also had the courage to ignore the voices that said - "Gandhiji, wait ... England will give India her independence, just wait ..." But Gandhi knew waiting wasn't an option ... He marched across the sub-continent, and in taking a defiant pinch of salt he altered the course of human history ...

I think the lesson we can draw from the examples of these men, and others like them, is two fold. One is - don't call on the prophets to wait - because when it is time, God's call to action will NOT be thwarted ... and the second lesson is the importance of sanctuary in the struggle for liberation and wholeness ... it is the importance of sacred space wherein we can find the call of God and gain the strength and courage to live it that we have overlooked in our spiritual journeys.

On February 12th, I lost my physical sanctuary ... the fire deprived me personally (as well as others) of a Church space wherein we could find safety, peace and refuge ... though, my personal loss had begun some weeks earlier as the sanctuary that was my office was taken from me ... the loss of the fire and the subsequent move to new quarters just deepened the loss ...

I generally don't work in my office ... my office space is where I pray, reflect and meditate ... surrounded by my books, mementoes and artifacts I find my centre for the work I do outside in the community. My office is the refuge from the storms of life and the struggles of faith ... In the film Romero, I remember the line spoken by Romero when he was elected Bishop - he noted "I am a man of books, I surround myself with them and their words and ideas ..." he noted he was now being called to action among the people; he was called to unfamiliar territory ...

That image has hung in with me because I too have found my sanctuary amongst my books ... in their words and ideas, and even their physical presence I find my peace (my shalom) to go back out into the unfamiliar territory of people, and to do what I am called to do ...

On February 12th the last sanctuary space I had - the place of comfort and refuge was lost ... even when my library was moved and unpacked - the space it sat in was not a sanctuary ... there was no peace or shalom ... I was left untethered and unanchored ...

Sanctuary is vital to spiritual health and vitality ... imagine the world if King and Gandhi, or Tutu or Mandela, or Mother Theresa could find no sanctuary from which to arise and head back into the world to fight the good fight ... Today I am charged with the task of discerning my call, and finding peace ... the challenge I face is doing those tasks with no place to serve as Sanctuary ...

Admittedly I am a person who sees life in the broad brush strokes - the bold splashes of colour that on a BIG screen tv make up the images that enlighten, educate and even entertain us ... I've come to appreciate lately that we live in a world where the tendancy is to see the tiny little pixels that comprise those broad brush strokes ...

For example - I remember thinking many years ago, how sad it was when a church made a decision that would cost them close to 60 000 dollars. The motion passed without a whisper of discontent, or dissension ... Then the next motion came forward in regards to paying an outstanding invoice of less then 30 dollars (a bill for an ad the minister they had just fired, had taken out in conjunction with the other United Churches in the area - but without consulting the "appropriate" people). Debate over whether or not to pay went on and on and on ... then finally one of the Board members stood up and put 20 dollars on the table in front of the chair ... "there he said - this should cover it ..." But then there ensued a 20 minute discussion on whether or not to accept the money ...

Such is the Church ... we will waste huge amounts of time on trivial things, while we leave the big picture issues untouched ... we focus on niceties rather then things like fairness, justice and equality ...

King and Gandhi and others from their place of sanctuary cried out to the people of God to stop focusing on the trivial, to stop avoiding the issues, to stop being complacent ... They called us to action ... Their cry still rings out - sadly though we've become more comfortable with those who say - "wait ..." and "not yet ..." and "maybe someday ..." rather then acting on our faith ...

We can not expect things to happen without God and we can not find God without a sanctuary ... it's a conundrum ... God is not in the details and the pixels - our God can not be contained in such small places ... Our God will be where our God will be ... the challenge is to find the sanctuary wherein we can rest in God's presence ...

... and today that is my prayer ...

Why we need a Clergy Union !!!!!

The title of this entry got your attention didn't it??
I am one who has gone on record as being opposed to the push to Unionize United Church Clergy - if you go digging in the back pages of United Online (www.united-online.ca) you will find some of my musings opposing the push to unionize us ... But lately I've begun to wonder if Unionizing isn't such a bad idea afterall ...

Yesterday I raised a question with the new Pastoral Relations Convenor about how we set our housing allowance in our Presbytery. It was viewed as a defiant challenge ...

Lately I've been reading with some interest a running debate on United Online about trusting the processes we have within the bureacracy that is the United Church of Canada. Over and over we hear horror stories of processes jumping off the rails, and over and over I've watched as colleagues have cried out for help only to be shut down, ignored or shuffled off into oblivion ...

The irony for me is the urgent need we have for ministry personnell, and the seeming disconnect wherein we treat those of us in ministry more poorly year by year. Our wages are NOT keeping up with the inflation rate. Our benefits packages are not a benefit. And the demands on our time, and on that of our family continue to spiral out of control ...

How can I in good conscience say to a young person (or a middle age person) feeling called to ministry to go and enter the discernment process ??

Don't get me wrong. I love the United Church of Canada. I have enjoyed serving it as a clergy person. I have loved the work I have been called to do. But I have grown weary of the abuse, the neglect and the lack of appreciation goes with the job.

It's one thing to have someone scream at you in rage because they don't like what you represent - it's quite another to get taken out by "friendly" fire because you won't play the game by the "rules" someone else sets ...

I won't repeat the things I've said over at United-Online in the forum section - but I would invite you, if you want to read more on this, to turn there. I started a thread today entitled "Trust and Unions ... musings on our dysfunction...", and posted another piece at my Prairie Preacher Blog page there too. Check it out here: (http://www.united-online.ca/index.php?ind=blog&op=home&idu=14) ...

I've said it before and I'll say it here - today from where I sit, the one thing the United Church has gotten really, really good at is simply this:
shooting the wounded !

I know it's not all hopeless - yet - I still have hope that just when WE give up, the Spirit will come ... so my prayer today remains: "Come Holy Spirit Come !!"

In the mean time I think I might rethink my opposition to a union ...
dayenu,

Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to Presbytery we go ...

Today in Virden (on the very western part of Manitoba, along the Trans Canada Hwy) our Presbytery meets for its last meeting until fall ... today we will be saying our farewells to colleagues who are moving on to new calls and retiring. We will be anticipating the arrival of new people who have accepted calls and appointments, and we will be remembering in our thoughts and prayers those who are in times of transition (like me !!).

I've struggled with whether I should go or not ... I'm going ... I will be late because of a dentist's appointment in Brandon (I have to get a tooth I cracked when tussling with Sam on Saturday - I go today or in late June, early July ... today it is !!)

So, I go ... I can't honestly say I've ever enjoyed a Presbytery meeting ... I go ... I listen, I speak, I reflect on what's happening - but what appeals to me is connecting with people who have become friends ... those who are in the far flung corners of this presbytery with whom I can visit, laugh and share some time ...

I'm not going with many expectations ... I'm again in a place where I feel very much like the kid with his nose pressed against the window looking in, but not feeling part of the party inside ... I'm again an outsider ...

But that experience makes me wonder if I will ever truly feel at home within this United Church of ours??

Maybe one day I will fit in ... that day when we are turning off the lights and boarding up the doors because the Church has finally died ... maybe when the Spirit blows over the remnants of what was once the Church and begins to resurrect it into something new - maybe then I will finally feel at home ... because it won't be about the politics, it won't be about playing nice, it won't be about anything that but living out our faith in the world ...

And that after all is what it is all about isn't it ???

Called ... leaving the baggage behind ...

On Sunday we worshipped together as a family at Minnedosa United Church ... it is good to be able to sit together, all five of us and worship as a family ... That doesn't happen much - usually I'm at the front, and often Mag is at work ...

But on Sunday it just felt good (more or less) ... Elgin Hall (the interim, and my predecessor) preached on being called by the Spirit. Taking his lead from Ordinary time, which has just begun in the Church calendar, he reflected on the teachings of Isaiah, and the call God offered to the reluctant prophet and how our calls are seldom grand showy affairs, instead are often quiet subdued moments when God says - "psst, come here ..."

As Elgin spoke I suddenly found myself transported back to a service over twenty five years ago around the same time of year when Ross Cumming, our then minister at Centennial United Church in Stratford was preaching ... I'm pretty sure the sermon was on the same text ... something deep within me has put the pieces together ... But I remembered watching the fans in the high ceiling of the church go round and round, as I listened to Ross' words on call, and on being open to what God wants us to do with you lives ...

As I watched the white blades spin that early spring morning, I thought to myself - "what should I do with MY life ??"

And suddenly the answer came to me: "Go into ministry ...become a minister like Ross ..."

Now well over 25 years later ... I hope I have been able to be half the minister Ross was ... but here I am ...

I know that call came and my response was - "yeah right ... find somebody else ..." and in time God made it clear that call was to me, and only me and even though I fought it, even though I ran the other way, even though I tried everything I could to NOT go into ministry - 13 years ago some promises were made, some words were spoken and a Covenant that I take very seriously was entered into, and I became a minister of Word, Sacrament and Pastoral Care in the United Church of Canada.

My problem today is not that I doubt that call, but that I feel betrayed, misused and taken for granted by people I have called friends ... It's not the Board or Congregation of the Church here in Minnedosa who have caused this crisis - it's not them at all ... they're good people, who have suffered an immeasurable loss ... I have felt the depth of thier pain and despair since the fire ... they're just trying to move forward ...

My feelings of betrayal and hurt come from others who are unhealthy and who are unwilling to own the problems that are theirs ...

Today my call is not in doubt ... today I am deeply wounded.

But today came a reminder of hope and resurrection: For some reason today I remembered a terrible afternoon when one of our cats was mauled by a dog :

Chloe, the old matriarch cat in our home who is now heading up on 13 - has never hissed in her life at one of us, never intentionally scratched us, never shown any anger - she is a great cat. She is a wonderfully tolerate presence in our home and family ... in her 13 years she has been carried around by all three kids, she has been sat on, cuddled and mauled in a way no cat should ever have to endure - yet, she remains a placid, patient cat ... But that day long ago in Bella Coola when a dog got into our yard and laid a serious beating on her, stands out as the only day I was ever bitten or scratched by her ... and bitten and scratched I WAS !!!

I chased the dog off and reached into the wood pile to pick her up ... in the trauma of the moment she exploded into a furry fury of rage - she bit me repeatedly and scratched the day lights out of my arms ... I got her in the house and was left scratched and bleeding myself - so much for wanting to help ...

It had never happened before, and it has never happened since - but I know it happened because Chloe was traumatized, hurt, angry and her life was in that moment desperately out of control ... so she saw my hand as a threat and attacked ...

In time, my wounds and her's healed, and in I forgave her and even nursed her back to health ... I had even forgotten the whole incident until earlier today when I was thinking about the reaction wounded, dying animals have when cornered - then suddenly the nasty encounter with Chloe came back to me ... (One day I'll share the story of being bitten by a mouse, and all the fun the Hospital staff had at my expense with that ... all because I tried to save it from the jaws of one of our cats (not Chloe) - such are the dangers of helping a wounded, frightened creature.)

My wounds have come from just such a setting ... wounded, traumatized, unhealthy ... we will strike out and not care who else we might hurt ... instead of getting the help we need and that is being offered, we lash out and seek to drawn blood to make fair the blood we ourselves have shed ...

So tonight, my prayer is that those who are wounded and hurt will realize the need for healing and in time they will find wholeness ... I know I will heal. Over the last couple of weeks I have begun to feel whole again, and I have begun to heal ... MY journey is just begun, there are others for whom the journey has yet to begin:

... My prayer today is to find the grace to let go of the anger I feel at being betrayed and attacked by those I once called friends ...

... my prayer today is that they find a place of healing and wholeness and they get the help they need and deserve ...

... my prayer today is to put it all in the hands of my higher power where it belongs ...

I have no control over any one else - they have to live their lives and confront their own problems ... I have my own baggage to deal with ...

The path to healing is wonderful place ... my woundedness is lessening ... I can hear the call to ministry again clearly ... Like that day back in the beautiful sanctuary of Centennial United Church, I can still hear the voice saying - "Go into ministry ..." only this time, I'm not trying to run away ... I trying to find my way back from the wilderness ...

... and it's a good journey ...

... one day at a time ... everything else is up to God ...

L'chaim and dayenu,

The Gift of Deep and Abiding love ...

Today I presided at a wedding that was to be held in Minnedosa in the Church ... then came the fire of February 12th, and the wedding had to move ... eventually we settled on a place ... and a time and we began to move towards the day ...

Family was invited and last week began to gather ... then in the last few days the excitement and anticipation was pushed to the side by worry brought on by a mishap, hospitalization and medical treatment ... Stress and tension levels were high ... BUT ... in the midst of this came the breath of holiness ... the assurance by many that it would be alright ... and today we can look back and say that things turned out okay ...

The wedding went off without a hitch ... everyone who needed to be there was there ... the weather was beautiful and the bride and groom were enveloped in the love of their family and friends gathered to celebrate the love of two friends had found in one another ... It was a great day ...

Later, we gathered in the back yard of a home and with fine food and drink, we celebrated as a community of care and love, the new covenant which only hours before was proclaimed.

As I enjoyed the conversations with people I have come to know and respect over the last few years my mind drifted back to another wedding celebrated in a very similar way some years ago ... a wedding where the bride and groom became friends to our family ... I found myself uttering a silent prayer for them, for as we gathered to celebrate the covenant of love between two people, the other bride and groom were standing with their family and friends in a gathering half a country away to bid farewell to an infant son ...

Today in my reflection during the wedding ceremony, I mused on the deep love that flows between two people in a marriage, the deep love that will be there to carry them through life's trials and challenges, the deep love that will see them through the dark moments and carry them into the glorious dawn that always ends the night, the deep love that Paul spoke of to the Corinthians, and that we proclaim through our faith ...

But today as I celebrated the deep and abiding love of two new friends ... I also prayed for the deep and abiding love of two old friends (and their family) who needed that deep and abiding love to carry them in recent days ...

I counselled the newly married couple that marriage is sometimes hard work ... I was very mindful that in my heart and in my prayers were a couple who have been marking one of life's hardest journeys - the loss of a child ...

I ended my meditation with the words of poet Ann Weems who wrote:

If I could, I'd write for you a rainbow,
and splash it with all the colours of God
and hang it in the window of your being
So that each new God's morning
your eyes would open first
to Hope and Promise

If I could, I'd wipe away your tears
and hold you close forever in shalom.
But God never promised
I could write a rainbow,
Never promised I could suffer for you,
Only promised I could love you.
That I do.

For the couples who have honoured me by asking me to preside at their ceremonies, and who have become cherished friends along this journey of life ... to them I offer the wish that I would, if I could write for you a rainbow ...

... but as the poem says - I can't ... so instead I hold you all in my thoughts and my prayers ... and when life's road takes a challenging turn, I hold you in my thoughts and prayers and offer you my love and care ...

Today we rejoice in the gift of a deep and abiding love that is celebrated when two lives come together as one ... and we give thanks for strength and courage that comes from that deep and abiding love and from the very presence of our God ...

Today has been a day of joy and a day of tears ... dayenu ... dayenu ...

Under God's Protective Wings ...

Yesterday I began the morning unable to access the internet ... by the end of the day I had a replacement modem, a new connector wire and a reinstalled driver ... it took the better part of the day and it threw some plans into a tail spin. The up side was - a very cooperative techie from MTS, delightful visits with the staff of the local library as I used the public computers there, and a wonderful pause in the day at the local computer store, along with a visit with Dany and Sandi ...

Along the way, one of my friends said - "Maybe it's a sign to stop and not be online for a while ..."

Then last night I read a passage by Thich Nhat Hanh that suggests a good lesson in our modern world would be: "Don't just do something, sit there ..."

He goes on to reflect on the importance of stopping once in a while and allowing ourselves the time to see things more clearly ...

Maybe my computer problems were a reminder to stop ... stop and rest ... stop and smell the roses ... stop and just savour the fullness of creation ...

The photo here is offered as a dual reminder ... now is the season of cygnets, goslings and ducklings ... here in Minnedosa our buffalo have had a number of babies who are playing in the fields of their pen ... around us are new lives beginning their journey. New lives that bring out the "ahhh" and "wows" that lie within our souls. Now is a good season to reflect on new life, creation and the turning of the seasons ... but you can't do that adequately flying by a slough at 100km/hr. To fully appreciate the new life around a slough you have to stop, step out of the car and leave the rest up to nature ...

The wind ... the sound ... the smells ... the sights:

In the water are goslings, musk rats, ducklings and perhaps pelicans or swans ... in the reeds are red winged and yellow headed black birds ... over under the brush you might spy a deer, or a coyote ...

You might glimpse these things hurtling by in the car at 100 km/hr, but to truly appreciate them you have to stop ... stop and savour them on their terms ...

So, like the little cygnet sitting in the shade of mom's wing - may we have the courage, the faith and the boldness to find the time today, and tomorrow and in the coming days to stop and simply enjoy the moment ... It could be out beside a prairie slough, it could be in an urban park, it could be on the sea shore ... where ever it is - take the time to just enjoy the moment ...

We live in a world that has gotten really good at saying - "Don't just sit there !! Do something!!" It's a good time to turn that around and make our mantra: "Don't just do something !! Sit There!!"
Savour the moment - savour the day - savour the gift of life !!!

(If you're still NOT entirely convinced, I invite you to check out my contribution to the Front Page at United Online ... After the hassles of yesterday I penned a piece called "The Gift of Time." Head over there and check it out ... it's not a bad piece of work:

http://www.united-online.ca

I also have a piece on living in a thankless society that I was tempted to cross post here from my United Online Blog - but it's easier to send YOU there ... so when you're at United Online, check out the Blog link and peruse my latest offering there ...)

dayenu,

What Shall We Do to Today ???

One of the programmes my kids watch has a little ditty wherein one of the characters sings the song: "What shall we do today? What shall we do today??"

Today, that has become my mantra ... "what shall I do today?"

Time has become something that has not "hurry up and go" tone about it ... The only constraints on my time right now are ensuring my kids are ready for school and sports activities and that they get out the door when they need to ... Otherwise, I have before me a day will with nothing but limitless potential ... No pressing appointment, no commitments, no deadlines ...

The workaholic in me is having a hard time with this boundless possibility thing ... but the rest of me is actually enjoying it ...

If I want to have a nap - I can.
If I want to read for an hour - I can.
If I want to go and have coffee at Chipperfields - I can.
If I want to mow the lawn - I can.
If I want to sleep in the hammock in the front yard - I can.
If I want to ride my bike out around the dam - I can.

Time is a space to be filled with ... well, whatever ... No pressures, no constraints, no limitations.

I'm mindful of a Hindi poem I encountered in high school (I have to recall it from memory because the original is in my office and I'm not) ... it goes something like:

to walk with God,
no strength is lost,
walk on

to talk with God,
no breath is lost,
talk on,

to wait on God,
no time is lost,
wait on ...

Like Elijah in the cave - God is that still, small, quiet whisper that we can hear only when we slow down enough to wait ... slow down enough to quieten our souls ... slow down enough to enter a place of Holiness where we find God on God's terms not ours ...

My time of Sabboth is less then a week old but already I'm finding the gift of time a positive thing ...

... meanwhile I'll just sit here and enjoy the prarie sunshine and let the wind blow where it needs to ... and all the rest is up to God ...

dayenu

Anniversaries and superstitions ...

I feel like this post should start with a dishevelled nude organist playing whilst looking over his shoulder ... with the voice over: "And Now for Something Completely Different ..."

Tomorrow 06/06/06 at 06:06.06 I think my cosmos will implode upon itself and I will suddenly find myself in some strange time/space vortex ...

I'm flirting with a wide variety of superstitions here ... not only do the time and date create the infamous number of the beast - I'm marking the 13th Anniversary of my Ordination ...

Now, on one hand I have to say it is a very appropriate day for such an anniversary given the nature of my ministry and the tumultuous journey I have marked in the last 13 years ... But the other part of me is screaming (loudly): "Dude !! You're screwed !!!"

So, for now I will say - Adieu as I like the various apocalyptic visionaries before me prepare for the end of time as we know it ... I won't urge my followers to sell all their possessions and join me as I climb to the top of a mountain to await the second coming ...

I won't suggest that the scroll of time is about to be rerolled by some great cosmis force ...

I won't even strap on a sign and march up and down the Main St of Minnedosa proclaiming - "the end is near ..."

Instead I'll give thanks for the last 13 years of ministry, and trust that tomorrow morning is nothing more then a numeric fluke ... Although, after all the hype over Y2K, I have to wonder if sooner or later the doomsayers might finally get it right ...

To paraphrase Woody Allen - "the end of time doesn't scare me ... I just don't want to be there when it happens ..."

peace,

Dry Bones, Hear the Word of God ...

This morning at worship, Elgin Hall (the interim filling in at Minnedosa United, while I'm on leave) noted quite rightly that at Pentecost the words and the story are familiar ... there is nothing new to be said - what needs to be new is how we live and share and experience the Holy Presence of God ...

Today is Pentecost - how will we encounter the Holy in our world ... Where will we look?? How will we find it??

For some the Holy is in the world around them ... a sunrise, a sunset, a flower garden, a prairie thunderstorm, waves crashing on a beach, the hush of the wind across a grain field ... the list goes on and on ...

For some the Holy is in worship services ... an inspiring anthem, a prayer that reaches the depth of the soul, a time of quiet reflection, a community hymn ...

For some the Holy is in activity and busy-ness ... feeding the hungry, clothing the cold, praying with the lonely, comforting those in grief ...

For some the Holy is in relationship ... coffee with a friend, a hike with children, playing lego with the grandkids, snuggling a sleeping newborn to our chest during a quiet afternoon ...

The list of the Holy varies from person to person ... the experience of the Holy is different for each person ... the Holy is found wherever we have the courage, the boldness and the faith to find it ...

The reading from Ezekiel challenges us to let the winds of God blow over and through us ... the words of the Prophet say it all: "Dry Bones Hear the Word of God ..."

This Pentecost, the winds of the Spirit are blowing all around us ... the question we each must ask is simply this: Do we have the faith to feel them and to let them blow over us ???

Paying it forward ... Stewardship issues ...

I'm borrowing from myself here ... at the Blog I have over at United Online, I mused the other day about the Budget diliberations at our recent Conference AGM.

It seems that Conference Executive has come to the realization that we are in a need of an increase to our various assessments of about 17% ... the howls of protest began on the floor, with people standing up and noting that their various pastoral charges are simply struggling to survive.

I hear that concern, and I for one would not dismiss it. But, I also would recall something my Grandfather used to say to me when I would utter a comment that said - "so and so is a ..." Grandpa would cut me off and say - "Shawn when you point fingers at someone, there are always three fingers pointing back at you ..."

The Budget process is a good place to recall that ... We howl in protest and fight an increase because "our Pastoral Charge is just struggling to survive ..."

Wait a second ... the Pastoral Charge is us ... the givers to the budget are you and I ... the reason we are struggling to survive is because we're NOT taking seriously our commitment to the Church, or our stewardship of the rich and bountiful blessings that God has bestowed upon us ...

In short - and to be blunt - in the United Church of Canada we are doing a poor job at Stewardship. Our givings can and should be higher ... our donations to charity have ample room for improvement ...

I seldom hear any conversation in the UCC about titheing ... yet if we tithed, imagine how much we would have to work with:

If a family of four has a combined income of about 55 000 dollars per year (it's a low number for most of our urban families - but high for most of our rural families) ... a tithe would be a number between 4000 and 5500 dollars a year ... (even taking taxes into consideration). We can balk at that number and say it is too high - but then pick up today's newpaper and peruse the ads for the various electronics shops ... How much is that new flat screen 48" tv ??? How much is that new SUV in the driveway, even on a lease?? How much have you spent on hockey equipment this year alone??

It's all a matter of priorities ...

Admittedly, one of the issues is relevancy too. The Church is increasingly irrelevant to most of the people in today's society. It's time to let go of our preconcieved notions and let the Spirit flow over and through us as a Church ... We are the Body of Christ, not a social club. Our calling is to care for others, not to justify our new cars, our trips, our affluent lifestyles ...

When Jesus said the poor will always be with us, it wasn't a call to complacency - it was a call to action.

When we say - "someone should do something about that ..." there are three fingers pointing back at us ...

When we say - "this increase is outrageous, it's too much ..." there are three fingers pointing back at us ...

When we say - "the church needs to practise better stewardship ..." there are three fingers poitning back at us ...

I say we pay it forward. We are members of the wealthiest, most affluent society in the history of humanity - we have soooooo much, yet we are becoming more and more self-ish and more and more protective of our stuff ... When will we hear the whisper from our childhood that told us that good children learned to SHARE !!!!?????

We can turn this "crisis" around by starting to talk more about stewardship and worrying less about protecting what we have ...

Imagine if every man, woman and child in the United Church (there are apparently about 300 000 of us, give or take a few hundred) gave ONE dollar a day ... that's 300 000 dollars a day ... then you multiply that by 365 days in a year ...

It sounds complicated, it sounds hard, it sounds unattainable, until you step into a corner store or a coffee shop ... chocolate bars are a buck and a quarter ... bags of chips are 99 cents ... coffee is anywhere from a dollar to four dollars for a fancy latte ...

We can spend five bucks in a blink of an eye on stuff that's not good for us anyway ... but we will howl with rage when our Conference folks say we need to come up with a whooping $2 a year more (per identifiable giver) for the work of Conference ...

What's up with that???

Two dollars a year ???!!! Come on - I spend more then two dollars in a single visit to the coffee shop here in town ...

Stewardship demands we look at HOW we spend our money and what we use it for ... Faith demands good Stewardship ... Therefore, in finest high school logic process I can muster - faith therefore demands we look at how we spend our money. We've worked hard for it - why should we simply fritter it away on frivilous things???

Ah, perhaps that's the key ... we think that trips, new cars, gadgets and gizmos are non-frivilous things ... our fridges bulge with food, our deep freezers over flow ... our bellies roll over our belts ... perhaps a good look in the mirror and the simple question: "what's really important ??" Is a good place to start ...

Today - tomorrow and in the days that come - let's work at being good stewards, then next year our Conference will have more money and time to focus on what's really important - like caring for the people around us ...

Titheing is not a four letter word ... nor is stewardship ...

(from prairie preacher at United Online:)
If we spent as much money on the work and ministry of the Church as we so easily spend on ourselves, we could actually begin to do many of the things we talk about doing and we could truly make the world a better place ...

For the record - at Conference we were told that the annual cost of operating Conference is $12.60 per resident member and $17.84 per identifiable giver (I will leave the rant about the disconnect between the givings of members and givers for another day.). For that we get the staffing skills and resource pool that Conferences offer us as lay and clergy ... It's a tiny expense, particularly when you break it down to a weekly or daily donation ... Imagine what we could be doing if we doubled or tripled our donations??

I think this year I will send Conference Office a cheque for 100 dollars - it will be a donation of $20 per person in our home ... it will be sent to put towards the current deficit, and in the hopes that others have the courage to follow my lead and do the same ... imagine if next week every Conference Office in Canada opened the mail bag to find a donation of $20 dollars for EACH member of this United Church of Ours ... they'd be rolling in cash and we could actually fund many of the ministries that are struggling just to survive ...

Wow for $20 we CAN change the world ...

I say we try it and see what happens ...

Who's with me ????

May it be so ...

UNICEF - the third at bat ... it's a hit !!!

Well, a couple of things have happened over the last 48 hours ... one is - I noticed on my sitemeter that we've been visited by a couple of folks from the UNICEF offices in New York (I noted the New York reference and looked ...) and the other is, I went searching on the web and found a reference on the Canadian UNICEF web site that has been posted in response to the hew and cry folks have raised (this blog included) to the plan to cut the orange box ...

I'll add the link below ... But for now, I'm still not happy that they are axing the little orange boxes. Using the rolling of coins as an excuse doesn't wash with me ... I recall a penny drive I helped with when I was in BC. The youth group collected hundreds of dollars in pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters ... we spent a night in the hall of the church rolling the coins.

We hit the local Zellers and Dollar Store and bought a bunch of the gizmos that assist in rolling pennies and went to work ... it took a couple of hours but we got it done ... It was a time of fun, laughter and utter silliness - but we managed to do something wonderful. We rolled close to 1000 dollars in coins ... AND we had a blast and it didn't even seem like work ...

Why couldn't schools do the same??

Our local elementary school is involved in a programme called Lions' Quest, and one of the components in it is the involvement of the youth in community and outreach activities. Wouldn't getting the grade five class, or the grade 8 class to roll pennies be a community outreach activity??

"Oh," say the cynics, "they might pocket a few dollars in coins ..."

Well, that is a risk. But overall the majority of the pennies will make their way into the UNICEF coffers - and in time your loss will be minimized because it will become a school effort, and peer pressure can sometimes become a good thing. But if a kid wants to pocket a handful of illicit change - maybe he feels he needs it more then the kids in Somalia or India or wherever ... Isn't that a risk we all take when we give to charities of any kind???

I do hear the concerns about kids chugging around on Halloween with money in their boxes hanging around their necks ... I hear it and wonder why there are so many kids out by themselves?? Our three go out with a parent each Halloween (which bums me out, because Oct 31st is my B-day, and I'd rather be home ... but parenting duties trump all else sometimes ...). It's just the way we do it ... I know not every parent can, or will - but I will only say it is kind of fun to watch the excitement of the kids as they trick or treat, and to watch our neighbours respond to the costumes ... (It's worth the inconvenience - trust me).

I suppose the bottom line for me here is - helping, supporting and being part of the important work that UNICEF does. If there are no orange boxes this Halloween, so be it - I hope the education campaign works. I for one will do my part.

If you want to read the press release it is at:

http://www.unicef.ca/news/displayNewsItem.php?id=161&PHPSESSID=486756148bf75d9f77d8254da9443af1


SPEAKING OF STEWARDSHIP ...

On the issue of fundraising, I posted an entry at my United Online Blog yesterday that highlights the need for better stewardship within the Church ... I've gotten some positive feedback on it, and I think it is an area I want to spend some time during this sabbatical reflecting on ...

Are we good stewards of our time, our money and our talents?
Are we good stewards of the profound and abundant wealth we take for granted?

I think if we were/are honest the answer would be NO, we are NOT good stewards ... we have much work to do.

For now, I wonder why it is that we never speak of Titheing in the United Church of ours ... I say this knowing that as for me and my household we have some ground to gain before we can say that we honestly tithe. We give to a variety of charities over the year, and we donate generously of our time in a variety of ways - but we (like many) could do much, much better ...

Imagine a Congregation of 100 families. Let's suppose the had an income of about 40000/year, and they tithes 10% of their income (4000 per household per year) ... that is close to 400 000 dollars!!! Now, even if the Church only got half of that it's still $200 000. I bet each of those households spend more then 4000 a year on things like entertainment (cable, movies, video/DVD rentals and so forth) or holidays ...

It's all a matter of priorities ... It's all a matter of better stewardship.

We are the wealthiest, most affluent society in the history of the planet, and instead of closing the gap between the haves and the have nots it seems to be widening ... We are becoming more and more selfish - and yet we have more and more and more that we could share ...

Perhaps we need to go back and revisit that story about the Widow's mite and think about where our stewardship comes from ... If we were more generous as a society, and as individuals, organizations like UNICEF would suddenly be out of business ... hmmm ... do we dare dream of such a world ????

May it be so ...

UNICEF Boxes revisited ...

I got the following response from an old and cherished friend - I think his words say it all:

Yeah! Whenever we give out candy at halloween, it's always "Some for you, somefor you -- Oh, you have a unicef box, here's some money and here's extracandy for you."

Our kids don't fare quite so well on the collection side though -sometimes people snarl at them as they go to collect for Unicef.

It'll be sad indeed that we plow all kinds of money into increasingly packaged & fancy candy at halloween while simultaneously losing one of the few redeeming features to that candy festival.

It's a sad statement on the affairs of our world isn't it?

It would be nice to see the little orange boxes continue, and for those of us who care to work harder at informing people as to their value. I remember having a rant from the pulpit a couple of years ago when our sister churches gave out little anti-UNICEF tags to put into the boxes inlieu of pennies. The tags were from a pro-life organization that said UNICEF supported agencies and organizations were advocating the use of condoms in Africa ... hmm, let's see - Africa has a spiralling HIV/AIDS rate, and condoms are a proven and effective means of addressing that ... it isn't rocket science that to save lives we have to check our personal opinions at the door and be about saving lives BEFORE we preach our view of morality !!

I've witnessed first hand the good that the UN and UNICEF can do. It came back in 1989 when I was privileged to join a study tour to Israel, Jordan and Egypt from the University of Toronto. During our time there we spent a day in the Gaza Strip (this was during the first Intifada). Now, with all politics aside - the existence for many in the Gaza is simply abysmmal, but with Intifada raging, it went from bad to worse ... and many people were suffering. We were at an UNRWA compound when big white trucks were being loaded with food, water and supplies for the refugee camps that were under curfew. Those trucks meant life for the people ... the supplies came from a wide variety of sources, but first and foremost was the UN and UNICEF. In those days a jug of water and a bag of flour could mean life itself for a Palestinian family.

Such happenings occur all over the world ...

Such is the power of UNICEF. We can argue its efficacy later - today we need to commit to doing something that makes a positive difference in the world ... immunizations, food, medicine and a wide variety of other gifts are given to children all over the world on our behalf because of UNICEF and those ubiquitous orange boxes ... on that basis alone, don't we owe it to the children of the world to work diligently to save them ???

If your community is like ours, in the spring and fall our children are busy doing sales and fund raising for a wide variety of community and school projects. Money is needed for teams, for band trips, for school projects and so on - the list is very long, but all of the money is used to benefit children in the community. That's not a bad thing - but when and where do our children learn about helping those who are truly less fortunate then they??? The UNICEF boxes are one of the ways in which our loval school has a conversation about helping others ...

Hey UNICEF people: Keep the boxes and work harder at educating our communities about WHY they are important ??? I'll be one of the first to help ... and I'll follow my friends lead and tell kids that on Halloween there will be more candy for them if they show up at my door with a UNICEF box ... it's been said by wiser people then I, that if you want to change the future - start with the children. What kind of lesson are we teaching our children by neglecting a way in which they can help others rather then just raising money for the latest team, school or community project ... the Orange box is the one thing that moves beyond our immediate world: all the more reason to keep it !!!!!!!

Maybe a petition is in order ...
... hmmm, it's worth a thought ...