Church at the Zoo

Why do so many people think that church has to be held within four walls of a church building? Or that inviting someone to church can be a scary thing? Why not think of something you like doing and take church there?? That's exactly what we recently did in the Canada East Mission, we held "Church at the Zoo" and it was an event enjoyed by all who came! 

What a fun event to invite people to experience Christ and the sacredness of creation together! Some who came, attend their local congregations on a regular basis, others had only set foot in a church one or two times in their lives, so what a perfect time it was to introduce our Enduring Principles to them and share examples of using them in everyday life, outside the walls of the church. 

Matt Swain created an exciting scavenger hunt that touched on each enduring principle and made people think about how they can truly live Christ's mission. By the end of the day many new friends where made, many strangers lives had been touched by simple things like thanking them for holding a door, and plenty of pictures were taken! You can even watch the video by clicking on this link.

This will most definitely become an annual event! Hopefully we will see you there next year!

Emily Whitworth

Canada East Mission

Young Adult Leader

This weekend is Skills and Leadership weekend at Ziontario.  Skills and Leadership is, above all else, a training retreat for everyone who will be on staff for the various reunions and camps planned for this summer at our four campgrounds in Canada East Mission. Directors, Business Managers, counselors, leaders in training, cooks, nurses, camp pastors and others will gather to learn what the Camping Commission has been working on for the past several months, and to improve our level of readiness.

And they have been working.  I do not know all the things the Camping Commission has in store for us, but I know some of it.  How do we keep our campers safe in the event of a natural disaster?  Do our camp ground boards have plans in place?  Do the directors and staff know what those plans are?  Do we know what to do if an intruder (human or animal) comes on the grounds?  Where do we go if there is a tornado?  What should be the camp policy on the use of cameras and smart phones or other electronic devices?  Given both the risks and blessings of social media so instantly accessed from a smart phone these days, how do we keep campers safe without dampening their fun?  And that is just scratching the surface!

But the weekend is intended to be for more than just camp staff.  Perhaps the name says it best, Skills and Leadership.  The weekend is intended to impart skills to anyone who wants to improve their leadership, whether at camp, in a congregation, or wherever you work and serve.  It offers skills training and leadership tools to anyone who comes, for free!  It is the best deal going, and one that is not nearly enough appreciated.

As I sit down to pen these words, long awaited and much needed rain is pelting against my study window.  Oh-oh!  How many people will see the rain and decide not to go?  I check the forecast.  100% chance of rain today (Friday), but only a 40% chance of showers tomorrow (Saturday).  Whew!  Of course the rain is really not a big deal, is it?  After all, Skills and Leadership classes are held inside nice, warm, dry buildings.  Picture yourself hanging out with friends around a nice warm fire burning cheerfully in that lovely, stone fireplace!  Still, humans are humans and some will be tempted to take the easy way out.  If they do, they will miss a great opportunity to learn skills and strengthen their leadership.

How about you; will you be there?  Even if you don't receive this post until Saturday, you can still come.  Rain or shine, I guarantee you will learn something.  What is more, you get to hang out with some great people, eat great food, and have a good time.  Skills and Leadership; what a deal!

Posted by Carman

Volleyball

Every second Friday Night, from congregations around the Mission Centre (well at least those within a reasonable drive of London) parents pack up their Junior and Senior High aged youth and travel to our Woodfield Congregation .

I mean, there is no getting out of going to Woodfield on those Friday evenings! The facebook group has been chatting, the text messages have been flying from smart phone to smart phone, emails have been sent and every, absolutely every Jr and Sr High aged youth knows that this event is happening. These youth are also inviting their “non Community of Christ” friends and relatives to come along! These are exciting times for our youth (and for parents who sneak off to Costco too!)!

Brian Jackson, Michelle and Dariq, who make up this small, yet vital, group of enthusiastic volunteers, shepherd this rag tag group and make sure that everyone has an opportunity to participate as they would like. Top off the evening with a nice lunch and fellowship time and the youth head back home with their parents.

The Woodfield Congregation, and this group of stalwart volunteers, are providing a way to inject real “Community” into “Community of Christ”. They are also providing opportunity for meeting the Mission Initiatives, “Invite People to Christ” and “Develop Disciples to Serve!

These Friday nights have not only been beneficial to our current Jr and Sr High camping community but has drawn in the, er, well, “more seasoned” camping community as well. Remember those parents I just mentioned who are “doing dinner” or “sneaking off to Costco? Well most, if not all of these folks are graduates of the “Camping Community of Yore”! This evening of volleyball has become a time when generations of people, not only the youth, but also many adults, are connecting, reconnecting and working on those friendships and fraternal relationships that our camping community seems to so readily create.

I have also known of an administration or two to take place in the Costco parking lot! Real, life changing, tires hitting the pavement, ministry is happening, but don’t tell the youth!

The young participants are there and having a blast! Some of the young adults help out in the kitchen, getting the snacks together and working to make sure that things keep running along. Everyone, and that means everyone from every extended generation, is building community IN Christ while doing things they enjoy. So next time you see the youth buzzing over their phones at church, get ready to head on over to London!

Hey! Send me a text! While Brian and his team are working to establish and build on those vitally important relationships, maybe we can “do dinner”!

(Here's the facebook page with all the details you need.)

Poster is John Nichols

Camp

I have been hearing a lot of talk about numbers lately, all of it related to the rapidly approaching camp and reunion season. Here are a two selected samples of conversations I have heard.

1. (A conversation from only about a week ago.)
Question: Why are you budgeting for reduced income? Are you expecting fewer people this year?
Answer: Yes, as of now, we have significantly less people registered for the reunion.

2. (A Conversation from today.)
Question: How are registrations for the reunion looking?
Answer: Good. As of today we have 197 people committed. People are requesting space in a certain dorm, and those rooms were all filled some time ago. We will have at least as many as last year if not more.

An interesting contrast, isn’t it? But the really fascinating thing is that both of these conversations were about the same reunion, and the two discussions only occurred about a week apart! Everywhere I am hearing stories of things coming together, and registrations filling up. I think it is going to be a great summer for the camping season.

What is it about camps and reunions that makes people so interested? Why is it that people look forward to it and really want to be there? Is it the guest ministry? Is it the meals in the dining hall? The fellowship? The friendship? Is it because you get away from work, or computers, or phones? Is it because we can’t afford to fly to P.E.I. this year, but we can afford to go to camp? Is it the change of pace? Or is it because our lives were blessed there before, and we know they will be again?

There are probably as many reasons as people, or perhaps as many ways of expressing the real reasons as there are people who will come. Whatever the reasons, I can tell that the level of anticipation is building. People are staking claim to their room or campsite, getting their kids registered for classes, and making sure they have the time booked off work. The level of excitement is growing. We can feel it.

What about you; are you going to reunion this year? Are your kids or grandkids going to camp? Are you looking forward to the experience with anticipation? Are you excited?

And speaking of kids, we are aware of a large number of children who want to go to camp this year, whose parents simply cannot afford to send them. Is it important that they get to go? Probably. What do we do? We find people who can send them. Are you interested in helping send a kid to camp? If so, you can contact us at the CEM office and we will assist you. Or to paraphrase a famous line from the movie Jerry Maguire; we will “help-you-help-them!”

So, see you at the camp?

Posted by Carman

Self-respecting

As I write these words, it is Wednesday morning, March 23, 2011, although you will not read it until Thursday or Friday.

There is a certain commercial airing on Canadian television at the moment; I have no idea what it is selling, but it uses winter to try to convince us that we are a hearty race of people that loves to be outdoors in the winter. The key line I remember goes something like, “No self-respecting Canadian ever says lets wait for a warmer day.” Oh really?

Yesterday morning the snow was all gone in my yard, and I remember watching the robins hoping around looking for unsuspecting earthworms for their breakfast. This morning we awoke to 15 cm of fresh, blowing snow, East winds, and slippery roads. I think the earthworms are safe today, if they haven't frozen to death. Welcome to what is hopefully winter’s last grasp!

According to the premise being foisted on us by the sponsor of the above named commercial, if I am self-respecting I should ignore all the dire warnings to the contrary, jump in my car and head out on the highway. After all, I have a 9:00 a.m. appointment to get my snow tires off, and a 10:00 o’clock staff meeting! As a self-respecting Canadian, nothing should prevent me, right?

Now, I love the old Steppenwolf song, Born to be Wild, at least as much as the next person. The pounding rhythm and soaring guitar and keyboard can still get my blood pumping all these years later.

Get your motor running
Head out on the highway
Looking for adventure
In whatever comes our way

Sounds good, right? But wait, I recall another line in the bridge of that song. It says

We have climbed so high
I never want to die.

Hmmm… Maybe heading out on the highway is not such a good idea today. In fact, maybe loving being outdoors on a cold, stormy, March day with a raw East wind whipping the snow across the highway and reducing visibility to nil at times is not the kind of adventure I want to come my way at all. Maybe that commercial is trying to sell me a bill of goods!

Being a self-respecting Canadian, I think I will work at home today. In fact, being self-respecting, I will cancel the car appointment,keep my snow tires on, and join my meeting via Skype. Being a self-respecting Canadian, I think I will wait for a warmer day.

Enjoy a smile today.

Posted by Carman

Scarborough

On Monday evening, I met with the pastors of the Scarborough congregation, or as I like to call it, Toronto East. We discussed their current organizational structure, and the efforts they are making to communicate clearly, effectively, and in a modern way. The pastors discussed their six focus areas for ministry. They showed me their audio-video capacity and explained how they are using it to bring ministry. They shared about starting the year off with a baptismal service in which a mother and daughter made a covenant with Christ, and then were confirmed in a separate service. In many ways, they are off to a good start for the year.

The thing that impressed me, however, was not the plans, the graphics, or the org-chart. It was not their proficiency at creating activities or learning opportunities for their members. The thing that impressed me was the energy and enthusiasm with which they spoke about their congregation. It was clear that they are enjoying their church community and their leadership roles within it. It was obvious that their congregation actually is a community of joy for them. Said another way, their congregation is fun! Wouldn't it be great if that were always the case?

There was a second element that I found encouraging in our conversation. As I invariably asked about how the programs could bless the surrounding community, I found that there was a very “can-do” attitude present. No idea was met with a frown that said, “Oh, we couldn’t (or wouldn’t) do that,” in fact quite the opposite was the case. Every suggestion was met with a smile, an enthusiastic nod, and a comment like, “That’s a really interesting idea!” To me, leaders who are open to new ideas are always a cause for celebration.

So here’s to the leadership team in Scarborough. They lift each other up, celebrate the giftedness of their people, encourage each other, and are open to new suggestions. What more could a congregation ask?

Posted by Carman

Party

This past Sunday evening, I attended a very lovely little party. It was somewhat low-key as parties go; no blaring music or flowing cocktails, but a very enjoyable event none the less. It is a little hard to characterize this party since it combined a number of different elements. First of all, the party celebrated Christmas which is January 7 on the Russian calendar, just two days earlier. Second, the party recognized Epiphany on January 6, the date on the Christian calendar that marks the arrival of the Magi from the East to visit Jesus. Third, there were also elements of a New Year’s party, complete with party favors such as giant crackers, paper hats, jokes, riddles and little surprise toys for the children.

But this party was a fun celebration of the first gathering of 2011 for a group of people that didn’t even know each other six months ago. This was a meeting of a small group that we hope will eventually lead to a new congregation in the city of Barrie; one of Ontario’s fastest growing communities. The theme of this party was “New Beginnings,” a phrase pastor Matthew Swain upheld to the group and promised to continue to talk about for a long time to come.

There is something refreshing about a group that gathers together to celebrate a future that cannot yet be seen and must merely be dreamed. Oh, it is quite true that contacts are being made and possibilities are being discussed, but no one can say with any certainty what the future of this new baby seedling church plant might be. Despite all of that, there is reason to celebrate: possibilities exist, new friendships are being formed, opportunities are being explored, and dreams are being shared. In fact, there was a fair amount of all of those things being talked about at the party.

New beginnings; the first gathering of 2011, the first Christmas/Epiphany/New Year’s party of this new community, and further more, the first time two young guitar players demonstrated their brand new skills in public! That is all cause for a celebration.

Hey…we should have a party!

Posted by Carman

Gobble

Definition:

1. The gurgling sound made by a male turkey.
2. To devour in greedy gulps.

Canadian Thanksgiving is over. The hours of stuffing and cooking the turkey, making the cranberry sauce, peeling the potatoes and turnip, baking the pumpkin pies and whipping the cream are done. The meal has been eaten and the family has left for home. The house that bulged with the sounds of eighteen people talking and playing is now strangely quiet. The only sounds are the keys on my computer and the quiet splash of the dishwasher doing the last load of dishes for the evening. Ah bliss!

Despite good intentions about not overeating, my waistband feels a little snug at the moment. It must have been the fact that there were four different desserts on offer, and I knew I would be asked my opinion on at least three of them! I am happy to report that regular pumpkin pie with a healthy dose of spice and a dollop of whipped cream is still far superior to cream-cheese pumpkin pie. I can further opine that apple crisp made without wheat flour should only be eaten by people who are wheat intolerant. They will be very thankful for a dessert they can safely eat. The rest of us should stick to regular apple crisp!

All in all, today was a good day at our house. We have greeted each other, talked, laughed, eaten, enjoyed the children, and even celebrated three October birthdays while we were at it. Now we have sent everyone safely on their way home to bed. No better day than that!

Now, so that we don’t forget how and what we gobbled too soon, click on the following link for a very cute You Tube video called The Gobble Song.

Posted by Carman

Fluff

A couple of days ago I made the comment to Carman that our conversations in here were getting pretty heavy and serious. He agreed that we’ve got some pretty heavy and serious concerns. Even if folks aren’t sending in comments we’ve both had some indication that our faithful readers are indeed thinking about these heavy and serious topics we’ve been thinking about: mission and worship and preaching and church attendance.

But I still think that occasionally it’s nice to just think about a bit of fluff and give my brain a rest. Because I’ve also noted that we quite often also write about other important stuff like Sabbath and rest and renewal and pacing.

If you follow us faithfully, you’ve also probably read another of the blogs we follow: Beauty Tips for Ministers It really is not totally frivolous, although it is fun and light-hearted. But Victoria who blogs as PeaceBang has a wonderful attitude about appearance and body image. She holds up the importance of valuing one’s physical self as God’s creature, worthy to be well-groomed and appropriately fashionable and certainly fit and healthy. This week, however, I think she’s been feeling a bit tired and has been reminding herself to take better care of herself, her eating and exercise plans. I believe she’s struggling a bit. She’s been feeling heavy and serious. It happens to the best of us.

So here’s today’s good word: fluff.

I want to tell you about a little sheep that hangs on the refrigerator door at Weston and Gail Leeson’s house. I love this little fridge magnet. It always makes me smile. I love that it doesn’t accuse or judge or yell out dire warnings at all. It’s just a sweet little sheep with a sweet little reminder. I’ve thought PeaceBang might appreciate its gentle message. I know I appreciate it every time I read it on the Leeson fridge, or even as I’m recalling it now:

“Ewe is not fat, ewe is just fluffy.”

Have a good weekend everyone and do come back next week for some more conversation about “The mission of Jesus Christ: what matters most for the journey ahead. [D&C: 9f]

Banjo

It occurs to me that we've been much too serious around here lately.
Gotta lighten up a bit, OK?


I heard this on the radio this morning:

What's the difference between a banjo and a trampoline?

You take your shoes off to jump on a trampoline.


Now everyone go play and I'll see you next week.



Posted by Marion

Hot

Some blogs are for fun, and some are serious. This one is mostly for fun.

Hot is a word with an interesting list of contextual meanings. Just for a minute, let’s examine a few of those.

Let’s imagine you are in a downtown location in a city of your choice. Someone approaches you in a parking lot and offers to sell you an expensive Rolex watch at a very cheap price. You might suspect that the watch was actually hot; in this case meaning stolen.

Now let’s say you react with anger at being offered stolen goods, and tell the would-be vendor to get lost. You might be said to be a little hot under the collar.

If our parking lot salesman gets angry in return and begins to insult you, we might say he is something of a hot-head.

Now let’s imagine that the watch salesman climbs into a red Lamborghini and roars out of the parking lot, reaching high speeds very quickly. You wonder how such a sleazy character could afford such a hot car.

But just then you notice a police car speeding after the Lamborghini in hot pursuit.

As the sound of the siren fades into the distance, a teenage girl walks past the parking lot talking to her girl friend on a cell phone. It is an intense conversation on an apparently hot topic, and you hear her describing the new boy in school by saying that he is really hot! (Are you confused yet?)

As you start your car, the radio comes on and tells you something you already know; that today is a very hot day. As you pay for your parking, the parking lot attendant takes your money while telling you to “be cool,” and you think to yourself, “that’s the most sensible thing I’ve heard all day!”

That brings me to the point of this posting, which is that it is, indeed hot in Eastern Canada these days, so do your best to relax and stay cool. And while you are at it, enjoy a smile today.

;~)

This modest smile posted by Carman

Curling

This week the Canadian Olympic curling trials are on in Edmonton. My grandson, star soccer player and typical teenager just rolls his eyes when I begin to talk about curling. How can I find such fascination in such a boring game? I don’t even try to explain it to him. But maybe you’ll understand. There are just so many reasons to love curling!

It’s slow. There’s no need for video replay (except to appreciate some genius shot). Men and women can and do play equally well, even quite equitably together. The same is true for old and young. A fun fact of these trials is that one of the male skips wasn’t even born when his competitor skipped his first match.

I like that Randy Ferbey chooses not to play the sexy last position because his third is just better at it. And that veteran skip Russ Howard took third place on Brad Gushue’s very young Newfoundland team who went on to win gold in 2006. I like that we get to know the curling families. Russ’ brother Glenn is a fixture in the finals. The Middaughs, husband and wife, are both active in the sport. I don’t think the Jones girls are related, except by curling. Colleen is a Maritimer and Jennifer is from Winnipeg.
I much prefer curling as a life metaphor to the usual sports analogies, baseball or golf, and certainly hockey! In curling, like life, you just have to keep sweeping! There are always rocks in your way and it generally seems that everyone else has a better view of what you need to do. They keep yelling until something crashes. But nobody ever appears to hold your mistakes or misses against you. Your team just goes on from where you landed.

There are no secrets in curling. Teams discuss strategies right out loud for everyone to listen in. And win or lose they all stay friends, ending a match with hugs and handshakes all around. Word has it everyone meets for drinks afterwards, no matter how tense the actual game. Now there’s a lesson we could all learn. No bones get broken; no mean body-checks get thrown; no grudges are held. Friends and foes are likely to turn up on each other’s team next season.

Curling is a nice accessible Canadian sport with real ice and history and tradition, but not so much risk as to send anyone to hospital or to force a retirement if you really want to keep playing. Trades are pretty much voluntary.

Most of the time we don’t know how the match will turn out until the last rock is thrown. Unless you’re a real fanatic you can still enjoy the journey whoever tops the scoreboard at the end of the day.

So there you have some of the reasons I’ll be following the curling. Why not join me?

Seed

Thanks to the great folks in St. Thomas last evening. It really was fun!

I'll let them share the stories as they emerge from our plans to sprout some new community relationships. They're off to plant and cultivate the seeds of an idea that's starting to swell there.

A couple of people at the meeting really latched onto this quotation:

Jesus said "Feed my sheep" not "Count my sheep."

Now, it's off to see which particular neighbourhood sheep and lambs need feeding. Stay tuned for more St. Thomas stories. The stories will be part of the harvest.

Laughter

I just want to remind us all that a big part of being a community is the fun we have together.

Don't forget to plan in some play time.

It was great being with the Hamilton congregation Saturday afternoon and evening for a goal-setting workshop. One of the things they appreciate most about each other is the ability to enjoy each other's company.

They'd started up earlier in the day with a community car wash and barbeque. Despite periods of torrential rain (it's been that kind of weekend here in Southern Ontario!) they spent lots of time laughing and connecting with the neighbours. No signs of discouragement here. They'll do it again.

There was a great sense of optimism and anticipation of the future that lies ahead of them -- as well as appreciation for those who went before. There's lots of laughter there to sweeten the mix.