Colloquy

This weekend I followed the activities going on in Independence at our (Community of Christ's) Peace Colloquy.

Friday night there was a webcast of the opening service that included an address by Terry Tempest Williams who received our award for 2011. You can still watch it on-line if you go to the web site. And you can explore her biography and all the reasons she was selected for this year's award. She's in wonderful company as the church has been handing out these awards since 2005 and the recipients represent an awesome group of folks who've done much to bring peace and justice into what sometimes appears to be an irredeemably broken world.

My experience this year was somewhat different as my Independence family was in full attendance and my very "plugged in" son was posting pictures and commentary throughout the experience. In fact, if you happen to be a facebook friend of Art Smith, you could have had a similar experience.

A colloquy is a somewhat high-fallutin' word for an informal conference, an expanded conversation really, about some topic. As a church dedicated to peace, reconciliation and healing the spirit, with a recently expressed mission to promote peace on earth, it does make sense that we'd choose the topic of peace to have such a conversation about. We're great at conversations! We're even great at honouring folks who've done something to promote peace. Why, right here in Canada East, we've got several congregations who've given peace awards to students in their community who appear to understand what making peace is all about.

I had a note from a friend the other day who shared with me how she works with the Victim/Witness Assistance Program in her town. She was responding to my identity post. I am truly grateful for her encouragement to seek out such a purpose in my own future.

I hope to be someone who does more than just carry out conversations about peace and justice. Noble and important as those are, the real purpose is to encourage us to find ways to be the peacemakers on the ground, in the place where we live, given the gifts that we possess. Really, every single recipient of the Community of Christ Peace Award has done exactly that. They were just ordinary folk who decided to go ahead and do something concrete to pursue peace on earth.

Pursue! that 's a pretty active word, don't you think?

Posted by Marion

Dust

I’m thinking about dust this morning. My neighbours at Encounter World Religions are expecting visitors and spent yesterday dusting their office. It took a very long time and a whole lot of spray product to bring that space into pristine condition. The pictures in this photo gallery will give you an idea of just what a challenge it was!

I realize, as I’ve been pondering, that attitudes and perspectives on dust can vary. There are people who live with a mental white glove with which they test every surface for traces of the stuff. Manners preclude actually drawing a finger through the dust on the shelf or the coffee table, but you know they really want to. My mother was one of those people and she certainly taught me well. As a child with a duster I learned the exact routine and was regularly assigned that task of ridding our living space of any speck of the dastardly stuff.

For some unknown reason, while the routines were well learned, the attitude never really stuck. Here’s a poem I wrote as a class assignment once. You’ll see I don’t get nearly as irritated over dust as did my mother.

This is the place ...
where all the dust is my own.
It mingles in swirls with the hair
from my very own cat,
and rolls through the sun beam
in lovely lazy waves across the floor.
Every book in every pile on every chair is mine
and waits with ultimate patience
for my attention.
The pleasant fragrance of the most expensive incense
blends charmingly with essence of kitty.
The tea steeps in the hand painted little treasured pot
and the dishes soak in silence—
there is time.
Time to catch the elusive thought
that might have escaped in some other space.
Not mine.

Yet again I realize I’m thinking about differences. We really are not the same, are we? Just as there are cat people and dog people, tea people and coffee people, there are those who’d rather sit and think for a bit, while others can’t abide looking at all this dust! I look very like my mother. In some ways we are very, very alike. And yet, regarding dust we are worlds apart.

Encounter explores the world’s religions. They think about how human beings are the same and how they are different. They help create peace in the world by bringing understanding and surprise as we open ourselves to our similarities and our differences. You might want to check them out here: Encounter's wonderful website

Posted by Marion

Peace Prayer

There are so many places in the world experiencing turmoil today--natural disasters, political unrest, hunger, persecution, war, and on and on. It seemed appropriate to reprise this post from last year. The Peace Prayer is a tradition, but it is also a plea to remember the many needs around the globe. Praying is not the only thing we can do, but it is one thing. And it unites us as we send our thoughts beyond our own need, for a time. From February 2010, as we were looking ahead to World Conference:

Peace Prayer

Many congregations have established a "peace candle" tradition. Most have been lighting their candle and offering a prayer for peace every Sunday for years and years. It's one of the ways they stay connected to the Temple and the Daily Prayer for Peace that happens there every day at one o'clock, central time.

Corinth and Windsor come to mind. I've often been there and appreciated the prayers they offer as they turn attention to Lesotho or Qatar or Lebanon or India. (There are others I know. Send me a note if you're part of this group.)

If you haven't looked at this lately, check out the link to the World Church website here for resources you can incorporate into your worship experience. It might be a tradition you'd like to revive as we approach 2010 World Conference, or as we're thinking of our global brothers and sisters in community.

If you want an even greater connection, why not consider writing a prayer for peace. Daily prayers are created by people from around the church and used in the Temple service. If you or someone you know has this gift, send them to that same link for information about how to submit your prayer.

Be part of this global phenomenon, our church praying daily for peace in the world! And be sure to let us know when your prayer is accepted so we can put it into What's the Good Word.

Posted by Marion

Advantages!

Last Sunday, I had the privilege of speaking at the peace awards ceremony sponsored by the Corinth congregation of Community of Christ. I read the essays of the three students who received the awards, and listened to their thank you speeches. All three of the young women were confident and spoke well as they discussed their hopes and dreams for the future: university, career, diplomatic service, possibilities. Their poise and confidence showed through. In that context, I couldn’t help but wonder where life will take them.

I also thought about the advantages they have. I do not mean to suggest that life has always been easy for them; I do not know that, but some of their blessings are obvious. Each of them has a supportive family, good nutrition, excellent health care, and opportunities for education.

Exactly 100 years ago in 1910, my grandmother was a similarly bright eyed and capable young woman. (Some readers might remember her as Jennie Vance.) In 1910, she did not have the advantages of higher education. In fact, I do not actually know how far she got in school, because whenever I would ask her, she would get a rather quizzical look and say something about the “4th book” in reading. While I do not know what grade that would have been, she did learn to read, which she loved to do.

As one of the older children in a family of ten, when times were hard and food was not plentiful as was often the case, she would be pulled out of school to go keep house for some neighbour or relative that was having a baby or perhaps had a health crisis. There, for months at a time she would wash the clothes, clean the house, and cook the meals, just like an adult. While this was clearly child labor, these neighbours appeared to think they were doing her and her family a favour. While I cannot be certain, I do not know that she was ever paid for her work.

Finally, somewhere around the age of 15 or 16 (she would not tell me for sure), she married a boy she went to school with, and they began a life of their own on a farm not far from where they were raised. Life was not easy. They worked hard and endured many challenges, but they made the most of whatever blessings came their way.

As I reflect on the shining faces and bright prospects of the three award recipients in Corinth, I am reminded of the wonderful Dr. Seuss story, Oh, The Places You'll Go! At the same time, I cannot but wonder where similar advantages might have taken my grandmother, and thousands of bright young women and men of her generation.

The point of this reminiscing is this. Let's never take our advantages for granted. They are a remarkable blessing that countless others in our world still do not enjoy. Let's make the most of them, and seek to use them to make this world a better place, both for us and for others. May God bless our sincerest efforts.

Posted by Carman

Dandelions

Living my kids' growing-up years in Gatineau/Hull we could always expect the dandelion explosion to happen right about the first week in May. And on Sunday morning, second Sunday in May, Mother's Day, there they would be covering the lawns and roadsides and boulevards. Bouquets of dandelions offered from small stained and sticky hands into mothers' welcoming grasps were the signal that Mother's Day was indeed offical.

I recall saying that dandelions were the guarantee that every mother could have a bouquet for her day. Of course, she also had those sticky stains to remove somehow, from her own and her child's hands. But that was such a small thing.

There would also be the flying fluffy seeds to follow and the complaints about the persistent weeds in the lawns to be managed with deadly herbicides. On this Sunday morning, the dandelions' cheery yellow faces smiled at everyone.

This is the first Mother's Day I don't have my mother. In the congregation of my childhood I would be out looking for a white bloom to pin over my heart to indicate my mother is gone. That was our tradition; a coloured flower for a living mum, a white one if she were no longer with us. There were other traditions over the years that mark Mother's Day in church and out. You may remember some of them.

Mother's Day in America was actually established as a pacifist reaction to the terrible loss of life in the Civil War. Julia Ward Howe led a campaign of mothers to stop the killing of their sons in war. That hasn't worked out very well, has it? And Mother's Day has been co-opted by the card, flower and candy companies.

I'll think of my mother this weekend, especially as I see all these beautiful blossoms. My mother loved plants and flowers! She wasn't too keen on dandelions, however, but to my mind you just can't beat a dandelion bouquet delivered from a little sticky hand on Mother's Day morning.

Happy Mother's Day to us all.

Posted by Marion

Tulips

Today marks the 65th Anniversary of the liberation of Holland by Canadian troops. That campaign has forged a bond of friendship between Canadians and the Dutch that endures to this day. As celebrations of remembrance happen across the Netherlands today, Canadian flags will be flown and aging Canadian veterans of the 1945 campaign will be honoured, and thanked. For most of them, it will be for the last time.

It may seem peculiar that this friendship runs so deep. After all, Canadian troops have served in peacekeeping roles in dozens of countries since WWII, yet no other such bond exists. It may be worth asking why.

Perhaps the answer lies in what is probably a footnote to the history of the war. Canadian troops fought their way into the Netherlands with the intent of driving out the Nazi troops. What quickly became apparent, however was that the people of the Netherlands were starving. They had no food. The focus of the campaign quickly changed from pushing out the Germans to feeding the Dutch, and food drops were organized for the benefit of the civilians.

After the war, the Dutch Royal Family thanked Canada by sending 100,000 tulip bulbs to Ottawa. To this day every year the Dutch still send 20,000 bulbs, and our nation’s capital is resplendent in colour. This year the annual tulip festival in Ottawa is renamed as The 2010 Special 65th anniversary Liberation edition of the Canadian Tulip Festival.

Today, you will probably see Tulips blooming somewhere; it is that time of year. May we each pause to remember the legacy of this welcome flower of spring. Its colourful and beautiful bloom, however brief, represents a gift of gratitude from one country to another.

May grace and peace prevail in you today.

Posted by Carman

Reasonable

Goal 5: Effective Peace Ministries

Is it reasonable to think that our little church with our 50 +/- small congregations and members scattered here and there across Eastern Canada can make a difference in the lives of people and communities? Is Effective Peace Ministries really a reasonable goal for us?

A few years ago when “the troubles” in Northern Ireland were at their peak, and bombings or shootings were in the news every single day, I could not see how that conflict would ever end. The hatred and mistrust was so strong that I could not see any end in sight. I often wondered, how will the country ever get past this? To believe peace was possible did not seem reasonable. And yet, the day came when a ceasefire was arranged and actually held! The country may still not yet have a totally reliable peace, but they are much closer than they were. The children can now go to school in peace, and there is hope.

The same could be said of numerous conflicts, either physical or ideological, around the world. Believing in peace between warring factions was not reasonable, but peace was possible. In my lifetime, many conflicts have ended, the Berlin wall has fallen, the Iron Curtain has come down, and numerous other victories for peace have occurred. In each case, to make this happen, someone had to believe in it and work towards that end.

In Canada East Mission, we have many people who believe in peace and work toward it on a variety of fronts. There are many examples, but here are a very few. I have watched our YPC (Young Peacemakers Club) leaders as they taught peace and conflict resolution to class after class of primary school children. Congregations give scholarships and peace awards to High School students to reward and encourage their peacemaking efforts. I have shared with a High Priest as he talked to a Jewish Business man, seeking to convince him that, "Not all Arabs are terrorists". I have heard the stories of everyday miracles that occur in the presence of our courageous volunteers for Encounter World Religions as they teach inter-religious peace to students and adults day after day. And I have seen lives transformed and redeemed from addiction and pain to hope and new life through the ministrations of members and ministers who care.

We are blessed to have such people. They believe peace is possible, even when the visible evidence does not appear to support that faith. These are people who have been touched by the generous grace of God, and who seek to share it with others. They go beyond what is reasonable, trusting that the impossible will probably just take a little longer. Thank God for peacemakers who, knowing their own blessedness, pray for and bless others with the touch of God’s generous grace!

Is our 5th goal reasonable? The answer is in the lives of our people. Their actions say that, reasonable or not, this is the work we are called to; the tasks we must do. As CEM Mission President, I believe it is nothing short of a privilege to support them.

Posted by Carman Thompson

Truce

On impulse, I recently checked on a blog site I had not visited for a while. The site, entitled Flannel Christian, is published by a friend (his name is Christian) who only posts occasionally. When he does put something up, however, it is often thought provoking and worth reading.

The current post is about a peace event Christian is organizing to celebrate the 95th anniversary of the Christmas Eve Truce of 1914. On that remarkable World War I night, German and British soldiers in the trenches of Belgium ceased hostilities in honor of Christmas. First the German soldiers decorated the trees with candles and began singing Caroles, most notably and appropriately Stille Nacht (Silent Night). The British troops responded by singing caroles in English, and soon they were greeting each other in no-man's land, then exchanging little gifts of jam, chocolate, or whiskey. Before long, the young soldiers were actually playing football (soccer) together! It is a wonderful story.

Almost as wonderful is the plan to remember and celebrate that night 95 years later in Seattle Washington with a peace event. Someone is thinking! It is a great idea. I wish them every success and blessing. What is more, since “Effective Peacemaking Ministries” is one of our goals in Canada East Mission of Community of Christ, perhaps it is an idea someone should here should take note of. Maybe this is an event we should emulate on the 100th anniversary. Any interested volunteers or congregations out there?

You can read Christian’s blog at http://flannel-christian.blogspot.com/.

For more information on the Truce itself, go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce or try googling “Christmas Eve Truce 1914”.

Stories and songs about this amazing night can also be found on YouTube.

Stille Nacht, Heil’ge Nacht!

Peacemobile (update)

This is posted as a Comment to an earlier posting, but I didn't want you to miss it; so here's the update on the recent Peacemobile activity. Thanks Ruth Anne and team.

"A small Peacemobile team (Barb K,, Claude and I ) loaded 2 cars with our boxes of goodies this afternoon and headed out to Providence Point to spend a couple of hours with the new campers and companions at Camp Quality - it was so very rewarding as usual - those kids are a wonderful inpsiration - there was Jessie, almost blind and wearing leg braces but determined to do everything, even walking with the 2-man wooden skis - saying a genuine thank you for every helping hand - and his 2 assistants - so loving and patient and generous with the high-fives after a successful activity -- I got to sing Peace Like a River several times as Nicole and her friend Noemi played the bells - we had to start over a few times until we got it really right - Nicky said when she makes a mistake, she likes to start over until she gets it right... such determination! a whole lotta peace happenin' there! -even if the shirts are neon green this year ! : )"