Reunion

Community of Christ has a and wonderful tradition of summer reunions at our various campgrounds.  The idea of coming together to camp in a safe and happy, family-friendly environment to relax, play, swim and worship is a proven blessing to countless people and our community.  Generation after generation of people have participated, often first as children, then as young adults, parents and grandparents.  It is a wonderful time that draws us back again and again. 

In recent years, while those with camping equipment still look forward to using it as a cost-effective way to draw close to nature and participate in the reunion, many campgrounds have also developed facilities for people who cannot or do not wish to sleep in a tent or trailer.  Dormitory facilities are often available and indoor cooking conveniences have also been provided.  Most reunions also provide full-meals in the dining hall once, twice or three times a day.

While sharing in a family camp environment is fun and relaxing, it is not just about camping or a reasonably priced summer holiday.  What draws people back again and again is the opportunity for spiritual renewal.  Inside each of us is a perpetual longing for God, and reunion has proven to be a wonderful place to address that longing.  At reunion we have the chance to meet and get to know guest ministers, many of whom have wide experience accumulated around the world.  It is often sharing with these ministers that speaks to us, renewing and refreshing our souls.  

Canada East Mission is blessed with an abundance of reunions or “family camps” you can attend.    The following is a list of dates and locations.

 

Date	Reunion Name	Location
June 29 – July 5	Loaves and Fishes Reunion	Ziontario Campground
July 6 - 12	McGowan’s Lake Family Camp	McGowan’s Lake Campground
July 13-20	Contemporary Christian Ministries (CCM) Family Camp	Erie Beach Campground
July 27 - Aug. 2	Healing and Freeing the Spirit Family Camp	Ziontario Campgrounds
July 27 – Aug. 4	Erie Beach Family Camp	Erie Beach Campground
Aug. 10 - 17	Noronto Family Camp	Noronto Reunion Grounds

For more information on any or all of these reunion opportunities, please contact the Canada East Mission office.  The office can be reached via email at cheryl@communityofchrist.ca or by phone at 519-822-4150.

So here’s to fun and relaxation in a safe, family-friendly environment.  Why not join new or old friends there?

 Have a great summer.

Posted by Carman

Awe Inspiring

I personally have reconnected with Community of Christ after 15 yrs of looking from the outside in so to speak. I was fully familiar with the church identity, theology, beliefs, programs, education directions and leadership in that past era. Upon re-engaging with the Community of Christ last year and absorbing myself in our church of today, I was and am continually awed by the journey and transitions, some of which parallel the forward thinking of other denominations and some which are completely unique and portray a distinctive character of identity, vision, community and mission. When I paused my participation in our church for a time, our beliefs were predominantly theologically “works based.”  I returned to a church that is “grace filled”.

The development of church changing, life changing themes not even present 15 yrs ago, such as the church name, sacred community, generosity, disciple formation, enduring principles, capacity, unity in diversity, faithful disagreement, mission initiatives, a relatable mission statement, dwelling in the word, shalom and transparency, reflect a listening leadership with a vast capacity for envisioning. We are a church that is “becoming;” that is answering the call to be a prophetic people.  The journey ahead is informed by our heritage but we are freed to dwell upon and prayerfully interpret prophetic counsel as a sacred community, to envision together and participate in Christ’s mission.

We each have at the click of a mouse access to the incredible wealth of resources available on the church website www.cofchrist.org which is a vast search engine of anything and everything to inform you about our church and faith. As with Google, in the upper right of every page on our website are the words, “SEARCH THIS SITE” where you can enter any subject and numerous pages will emerge. One I would invite you begin with, is our inspirational church information booklet, “We Share.” This resource outlines our identity, mission, beliefs, message and vision to the world. I have linked it for you below. Please, please, (did I say please enough?) I request of you, read this through and “dwell” or as the Book of Mormon would say, “ponder” upon the words that describe who you are, what your identity is, as a member or friend of Community of Christ.

If you have not been in a church school class since your youth, if you have not attended a reunion recently, if you have not read the Herald even though it comes to your door each month, then you do not know the church you are attending and it is undoubtedly confusing for you. There is power in the words and principles of this “We Share” booklet to change your life. Is the subject of the church the “elephant in the room” with your family?  Are there family or friends who do not attend simply because you do not know what our enduring principles are and any discussion about church would intimidate you?

I found my that my kids, my grandchildren, my spouse, my friends are most worthy for me/you to know and share what I have found to be an “awe-inspiring” renewed church. Our openness, our transparency, our mission realignment with what matters most to compassionate people in today’s world are themes that are relevant to today’s questioning generations. I am asking you to respond to the call, to be part of the answer, by reading and pondering upon “who you are” in Community of Christ!

http://www.cofchrist.org/ourfaith/SharingCofChrist -3ed.pdf Our “We Share” booklet.

Kerry Richards

Risen

Depiction of the resurrection of Jesus
by Bernhard Plockhorst, 19th century

When we reach this week in the Christian calendar, somehow it always feels as we should have an Easter post in What’s the Good Word. It is not that our readers have ever indicated that expectation, yet how could we not comment on the most ____________ (fill in your own adjective: important, sacred, holy…) day of the Christian year? The preparation of such a post always takes some contemplation.

It is that spirit of contemplation that has me thinking about the words of the traditional Paschal greeting, “Christ is Risen!” Within various expressions of Christian tradition, there are a variety of appropriate responses to this salutation including, “Christ is Risen!” or “He is risen indeed!”

Christ is Risen! Think what a variety of emotions those words must have produced over the past 2,000 years! On that first Easter morning, the disciples must have reacted with skeptical doubt and perhaps even terror. What could this mean? Two or three generations later, the words would have been spoken quietly with reverence, and probably produced a sense of wonder and awe among Christ-followers. Following the conversion of Constantine, the same words must have accompanied by wonderful pageantry and joyous celebration.

What response does that phrase evoke in 2012? How do we react? It seems to me there is something incredibly important about the message of those words for our day. We spend our days running from here to there, busily multitasking as we try to get done all the things we have come to expect of ourselves. In the process, what really matters is often in danger of being buried under a mountain of busyness.

Buried. Christ is Buried! Family, friends, nature, our relationship with God, our sense of community...all buried under a pile of cultural and personal expectations. We need an Easter.

As this sacred and holy season progresses, may you take some time for personal reflection on the meaning of Easter in your own life. If you find that your life in Christ has somehow gotten buried, may your contemplation bring about a sense of resurrection within you.

And should you happen to attend church on Easter Sunday morning somewhere where the traditional Easter greeting, “Christ is Risen!” is spoken, may you respond with heart-felt, personal conviction and renewal, “Christ is Risen Indeed!”

Posted by Carman

Invited!

The following quote is from Lovett H. Weems Jr., a United Methodist Church Minister and director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership. If his name sounds familiar, it may be because Weems has occasionally been a guest speaker at the Temple and is a good friend of Community of Christ. In a recent article entitled Time to Invite, Weems made the following observation.

In the last year, several friends who live in different parts of the country have returned to church after a number of years of inactivity. This is encouraging and counter to the national trend since 2002 of fewer people attending church. There are two striking characteristics among these church returners.

• None returned to a church of their former denomination.
• All returned because they were invited by a friend.

Lovett's story reminds us of the importance of always inviting people to Christ. It also reminded me of the following.

A number of years ago, I was sharing with Brydges Street Community of Christ in London, ON. This congregation was, and still is, being intentional about reaching out to their surrounding community. As Easter approached, a group of leaders met to plan the annual Good Friday breakfast and program, as well as the Easter worship. A great deal of creative effort went into the planning, and it was clear that the ministry offered would be outstanding. The question was asked, How can we convince people to invite their family and friends to this important service?

Consequently, we designed a little pocket or purse-sized folder that was imprinted with the words, “Inside this folder are the means to bring your family and friends to church.” Inside the folder we placed six colourful tickets, resembling the tickets you might get at the movie theatre or the hockey arena. On one side of each ticket was information about the Good Friday breakfast, and on the other side was an invitation to the Easter Sunday service.

About a month before Easter, one folder was given to each person at church. Some were skeptical when they received their folder, but I remember how excited I was when one sister said with indignation, “Is that all I get; six tickets?” You can be sure we quickly gave her some more!

The good news was that people used the tickets and invited their friends. The Good Friday breakfast was full for two sittings, and people stayed for the Good Friday program following. Several people came for the Easter service on Sunday morning, which was their first time attending that church. For some, it was their first time attending any church in many years. Congregation members followed up with them, extending the invitation to come again, and many did. Several came back regularly and at least five eventually asked for baptism. Why did they do that? Because they were invited!

Easter, 2012 is just four weeks away. Is there someone you could invite to come to church and experience resurrection and renewal? What a Happy Easter that would be for them and for you.

Posted by Carman

Quiet

Things have been on the quiet side around here lately. It is summer after all, and several of us have been off to reunions and camps. Some have even had some vacation time! The phone rings less frequently and when it does there is often some surprise on the other end of the line as callers expect to be greeted by the message system. While they are usually (but not always) pleased to have a “real” person, one gets the impression that they really wouldn’t mind if they have to wait a bit to get the response they’re after. It is summer after all.

I’ve noticed a couple of the messages I did receive ended with the disclaimer: “we’re leaving for two weeks, so I don’t need that information until we get back” and “there’s no hurry on this one; whenever you get a chance. I’ll be on holiday until…”

Of course there are many things that are not so quiet. There are riots in England; there are economic crises everywhere. Births and deaths and personal catastrophes go on as usual. Even the summer season brings concern as droughts and famines and floods and earthquakes don’t take holidays.

But I noted with interest, one of the “experts” called by the radio news person to give comment about the London riots explained that “she’d been on vacation and not following events too closely” and was thus not entirely prepared to give an opinion on that specific event.

There does seem to be a seasonal rhythm that just happens. Is it a built-in need that human beings and human systems need? It really appears to be impossible to operate on full-speed all the time. Sometimes we just need to slow down, take some quiet time, observe a sabbath. It’s one of the principles we try to recognize here on our team. We’ve had it brought urgently to our attention that if you keep running too fast, too far and too long, your own body will shut your down whether you like it or not. It’s a lesson we work hard at helping each other to remember.

So here’s my point; or at least one possible point. It’s likely much better to plan for these quiet times than to have them thrust upon you. And the planning may incorporate a way to ensure that someone is at least “on call” for those times when urgent life also happens. Otherwise we find ourselves all lost and at sea when the call just can’t wait.

Congregations that regularly shut down for the summer may find it very difficult to get back into an “all systems GO” stage come autumn. By all means take your vacations, but make sure you’ve got your bases covered and are ready to move back into (what Carman has called) making your Mission Real status when the time is right.

Now please excuse me; I want to go put my feet up.

Posted by Marion

Drip

Do you hear that drip?

Drip…drip… drip.

All that snow that had so many of us holed up at home, or carefully finding our way through the ruts and slush of yesterday is today dripping off my roofline. The row of icicles that was there this morning has slid off into the rapidly melting snow below this afternoon. The sun is glistening on the snow piles; yes, there are still piles of snow, but they’re fading fast.

The powerful force that is the warming spring sunshine is causing it all to drip into oblivion.

Well, not exactly oblivion. It’s forming up in puddles, making mud for us to track onto the clean floors later. There will be mud. Mud follows drip. We’re sitting at the turn of the season. What a special time, here in this northland.

I’ve done enough travelling in those places nearer the equator where one day is pretty much like the next to know this is special. I recall my visit to Tahiti where #1 Son commented that he did indeed miss the changing seasons but he thought he could bear all this perfect summer weather, green leaves and year-round flowers for several seasons yet. I’m not sure I could.

I find myself just so very appreciative of this changing time that I’m even enjoying the mud. Of course I have no small children or boots or splash pants or sodden mittens to deal with. But I did live through that; I realize how quickly it passes. And here I am at the other end of it all thinking fondly of all this dripping!

Of course there are seasons in those tropical countries too. There are seasons everywhere! Remember that very famous sermon you can read here to remind you that “to everything there is a season.” It is the way the universe works.

I received an email from one of our Mission Advocates today reporting that a pastoral team is taking some discernment time, needing a bit of refreshment and renewal, but feeling some sense of guilt about stepping back. Everyone addressed by that message had the same response; not to worry, nor feel disheartened. After a long period of struggle, even of ill health, this team needs to rest and heal each other. They’ll be finding a quiet place to just listen to the drips until the snow melts, the mud is washed away and a new season is ready to begin. It will come.

I sit here at a very special spot where I can watch these transitions. I spoke with another pastor today excited about the calls he’s perceiving for two young leaders in his congregation. Young people stepping up to pick up leadership roles and planning for an exciting season of youth activities in their newly renovated space.

“For everything there is a season…a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted… a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones together… a time to keep silence and a time to speak …”
Ecclesiastes 3

Posted by Marion

Emergent

It has become somewhat commonplace these days to hear or read references to emergent or emerging churches. One may also hear the term, the emergent church movement from time to time. I have read articles that refer to this phenomenon with great enthusiasm, and I have also heard speakers dismiss it as “nonsense” or “wishful thinking.” For me, the problem was, I really didn’t understand what people were talking about! Oh, emergent clearly means something that is emerging, but what?

It was time to do a little research. Consequently, I borrowed a book from Marion’s bulging bookshelf. The book is The Great Emergence by Phyllis Tickle, one of the leading writers on this subject along with Brian McLaren. I must hasten to say that reading one book does not make me an expert on this or any other subject. Truth be told, it probably doesn’t even qualify me to write this blog post, however I am happy to share with you what I have learned.

It turns out that the emergent church movement or ‘conversation’ is related to the changes affecting our entire society, especially the transition from modern to post-modern life. It is connected to the sometimes unsettling adjustments each of us feel but sometimes have a hard time identifying or explaining. In a sense it reminds me of the mistrust of consumer ‘brands’ we have seen over the past number of years, with many people opting to buy generic products. In the case of churches, the mistrust may not be so much for the brand, but for how those brands have traditionally behaved or what they have believed. There is a blurring of theological boundaries, with various churches endorsing views that typically characterize other faith groups. In a sense, there appears to be a kind of ‘meeting in the middle’ of a variety of faith experiences.

A number of rapidly growing church movements have been identified with the term emergent, such as Calvary Chapels and the Vineyard network; however emergent churches are appearing across the faith spectrum. Emerging churches may be nominally Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Anabaptist or any variety of others.

How important is this? I confess, I really don’t know, but Tickle thinks it is big, comparing it to a new Reformation, or the medieval emergence of Protestantism and the resulting re-imagining of the Roman Catholic Church. That is big! Is she right or is it merely wishful thinking? I suspect it will take a few more decades to find out.

In the meantime, if you would like to know more about the Emergent Church movement, Tickle’s book is a great place to start.

Posted by Carman

Pace

Summer is definitely upon us. Carman wrote yesterday about our need for consistent rest. I have mentioned how our summers seem to have changed, to be somehow more full and hectic than I remember. It always seems we need to squeeze just so much into a limited number of warm summer days, weekends, weeks.

In many ways church activities do tend to slow down a bit as congregations shift to a different schedule, some even taking some time off to allow folks to vacation, go to reunions and camps or just step away from congregational responsibilities for a bit. Maybe some will even take a real vacation. But even there, somebody must do the laundry, the packing, the route planning, ticket buying, newspaper stopping, dog boarding, plant watering, lawn mowing...all the things that need looking after before and during an absense from home. Who hasn't said "I need to take another vacation to rest up from my holiday!"?

I'm off to Ziontario next week for Loaves and Fishes. It will be great to spend some time with family--while Art is quite present on facebook, I only get to give Eric and Tiona real hugs in person--so it will be special. I look forward to spending time with people I may not have seen in months with a little bit of slower time for chats under the trees or around a fire. But sometime between now and then I have a couple of sermons to complete and a few other items of business that just won't quit.

So this post is really just reminding us all to Pace Ourselves as we enter the summer season. Make sure to take that necessary rest time, to enjoy the people we don't see so often, to slow down and relax standards where we can, to ensure we set our priorities well. None of us, I venture, will do ALL we want to in the coming summer weeks. But we'll also likely do wonderful things we hadn't even thought to plan for. I think those latter wonderful things are most likely if we are careful with our pace of life and living.

Have a good summer everyone!

Posted by Marion

Rest

Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. - Matt 11:28

The past few weeks have seen a number of excellent developments in Canada East Mission. Most of the highlights have been mentioned in What’s the Good Word? already. These include a gathering of ministers who now serve as mentors for several of our CPI pastors. They came together to study and learn about how they could best help those front-line leaders. Then we had MEGA; an event which brought together many young adult leaders with several of the Seventy for a weekend of fellowship and worship. This past weekend saw our nine newest High Priests, Evangelists and Bishop come together to study and learn how they can be more effective in their ministry within the mission centre.

I confess that this has also been a busy time with no days off and little chance for rest. I expected to feel tired, but I do not. Perhaps it is because of being somewhat strategic in planning for each day, deliberately sacrificing some activities in order to ensure sufficient sleep. Perhaps the joy of accomplishment overcomes the weariness of the effort. What ever the reason, I know myself to be blessed.

I was sharply reminded of the need for rest on Sunday evening during a family gathering when several people showed up dog-tired. Some had been working for weeks to get a house ready to sell. Others had been putting in long hours at work, and some I never did find out the reason for their obvious weariness. Interesting that here we were, on the evening of the Christian Sabbath, at the end of the weekend, and everyone was exhausted! It all serves as a reminder that each of us need time to rest. We need rest physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

My grandfather used to say, “A change is as good as a rest.” Later, I worked for a man who would often say (when he would think of some smaller task that needed doing), “We can do that sometime while we’re resting.” While there is truth in all these sayings, the fact remains that sometimes you just need to stop.

Consequently, with the Canada Day weekend approaching, we have decided to close the office and give our staff one extra day off. The staff will have a have four day weekend. (Okay three; none of really gets Sunday off!) Of course we will each need to decide what we will do with it; whether we rest or work hard doing something else. Hopefully we will come back rested and refreshed, and not exhausted.

May you also take time for your rest, and for communion with God. And may you also know yourself to be blessed in the process.

Posted by Carman

Adjourned!

The conference is adjourned “sine die.” It has come to a close, reached its conclusion, terminated, and will not resume in this session. The intensely busy schedule has come to an end and the agenda has been completed. Sounds like it is over, right? Sounds like there is nothing more to do and we could take some time off now, but the work has only just begun.

In conversation with our new Apostle on Friday afternoon, I learned that, following the end of Conference on Saturday, the Council of Twelve has scheduled a meeting on Sunday. On Monday, all Field Officers, including Mike Hewitt and me, begin three days of field meetings. For the first time, we will meet with the international and not the domestic fields.

We have not yet seen the agenda for those three days, but we can be sure that it will include determining what actions we need to take in response to the decisions made during the world conference. By the end of the day on Wednesday, no doubt we will have learned what new priorities will need to be addressed. Then we get to go home and get to work!

Isn’t it interesting that what appears to be an end is, in reality, another beginning? I wonder if, in Luke 10 when Jesus sent out the Seventy, it wasn’t preceded by a conference or a training workshop. “After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.” (Luke 10:1) Probably that meeting adjourned, and then the work began. The Seventy went out, and later returned with stories and testimonies of what happened. (Luke 10:17). Perhaps they, once again, thought the job was over, only to discover that the work was just beginning all over again! Perhaps it is ever thus in the service of God.

It all makes me wonder: do you suppose that when we get to the end of this life and cross through the veil, we will discover that our work is really just beginning?

Posted by Carman

Easter

The Easter season has begun. The Lenten season, with its time of fasting, prayer and penance, is finished, and now we move into Easter. In contrast to Lent, Easter is a time of wonder, celebration, and feasting as we contemplate new life. It is, or should be, the most joyous time of the year.

Sometimes we mistakenly think of Easter as “Easter Sunday,” or perhaps “Easter Week,” running from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday; then it is over! According to the Liturgical calendar, that is not correct. The Easter season does not conclude until Pentecost, which in 2010 falls on May 30. Following that, the Christian liturgical calendar moves back into what is commonly referred to as “ordinary time.”

Ordinary time; it sounds so…ordinary! How wonderful that the Easter season continues. How sad if this season of rebirth, renewal, and resurrection were to be over so soon! How lovely to be able to enjoy the warming of the earth, the return of the summer birds, the emerging of spring flowers, and the budding of trees, and consider all of that as part of this wonderful, sacred season.

May your life be graced with the Spirit of Easter today, and tomorrow, and the day after. May you, like Mary Magdalene, experience the joy and wonder of resurrection, and the amazement and sure knowledge that the Holy knows you personally and calls you by your name. If we experienced that kind of wonder every day, I doubt that time would ever be ordinary again!

Happy Easter everyone.

Posted by Carman

Renewal

This past weekend, the weekend that included Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, was a wonderful time for me. I got to spend the weekend with members of my team and the twelve CEM pastors who are joined together in the first cohort of our Co-missioned Pastor Initiative (CPI).

This was the third of six retreats planned for this group; each one focused on a particular aspect of congregational leadership and ministry. This weekend was spent exploring and developing the spiritual disciplines. Together we sang, prayed, meditated, dwelt in the Word with Apostle Mary, laughed, listened to each other and listened for the voice of God. It was a wonderful, peaceful time.

I went to the retreat tired; I know I was not the only one. Life has been very busy for weeks now. The opportunity to sit in that circle under the direction of Evangelist Marvin Rice and be blessed by the overflow of Spirit that is a direct result of his own practice couldn’t have come at a better time. I came away refreshed, restored and renewed.

We have entered Holy Week; the climax of the Lenten season. It began yesterday with Palm Sunday. It will lead us through remembrance of incredible highs and unspeakable lows in the life of the first disciples, and of Jesus himself. It calls us to remembrance, reflection, and a renewal of our spiritual journey. As we walk through this most remarkable week, may you also take the time to reflect, recharge, and renew. In the midst of your own highs and lows and the busyness of your journey, may you find yourself refreshed in the peace of God’s Spirit this Easter season.

A prayer for you posted by Carman