Where's the President? My version of Where's Waldo...only I hope I'm Easier to Find!

One of the great joys of this position is that, on any given day, I never know where I might end up, which means that you never know where you'll see me!  This past week was one of those where I attended three wonderful, but completely different, events, and each a very important part of the ministry we share here in Maritime Conference.

Last Wednesday, September 21st, I had the privilege of gathering with Chignecto Presbytery as they celebrated becoming an Affirming Presbytery.  It was a very meaningful celebration, complete with prayers, the receiving of certificates, singing, and of course, cake! It showed me once more that so many of us have taken seriously the ministry of inclusion, and acknowledged both from where the presbytery has come, while holding up the journey that continues as we strive toward right relations with all people.

                            Ruth Gamble and Catherine Gaw                                  

               

                                  The Affirm United Banner

                               

After my time with them, I took a short wander around the Mount Allison campus, more for the nostalgic part of me (as I'm a proud member of the Class of 2006!), and happened upon some fantastic chalk art outside of the Chapel, as part of Sackville's Pride celebrations.  It reminded me that for all we fall short of our goals sometimes, we are "fearfully and wonderfully made" (Psalm 139) in the image of God, and that fact alone is enough to celebrate.  A poignant find for my day!

Then on Saturday, September 24th, I had the pleasure of attending the morning part of the PEI UCW Presbyterial Gathering at Camp Abby.  Guest Speaker for the day was The Rev. Janice MacLean, recently known for her online ministry presence called The Prayer Bench. https://prayerbench.ca/  Janice spoke about the place of Spiritual Memoir in our lives and how ordinary moments in our lives can become pivotal moments of spiritual growth and understanding.  Spiritual Memoir is often recorded through things like journals, jewelry, objects such as toys, quilts and many other seemingly ordinary things.  She led us through a practice by which we named a memory for which we were grateful, holding on to a gratitude cloth, and then singing "Three Things I Promise" (More Voices #176) as part of our worship.  It was a great gathering, bringing UCW members from across PEI together for a day of fellowship, education, worship, and yes, a delicious lunch!

Finally, on Tuesday of this week, you could find me at a gathering of Retired Ministers and some Widows of Retired Ministers here in PEI Presbytery.  Hosted by the Pensions Committee of Presbytery, and Winsloe United Church, the gathering included worship, and a time to hear about questions and concerns regarding many aspects of our church.  If I could, I'm going to ask you to hold our retirees, widows of retirees, and their families in our prayers, and in our collective memories because they are an important part of our church community and have much wisdom to offer us.  If you get the chance, listen to their stories and share in their laughter and tears...true movements of where the Spirit is in our midst.  I only apologize to them that I didn't take a picture of us together!

This has been an eventful week, and so until next time, keep your eyes peeled, as you never know where I might be spotted next!

Love and Blessings!

Let us Join our Hearts in Prayer...

Dear Friends,

Today, as I write this, the Sub-Executive of Toronto Conference is meeting to make some decisions that will affect a colleague, a congregation, and our church.  There are many opinions about what should happen, many thoughts about what the outcome will mean.  And while I won't express my opinion here, what I am inviting you to do is to join me, and my colleagues across the country, in a time of prayer, opening ourselves to the Spirit that binds us together in love, in hope, and in peace.

I'm sharing a link to a blog written by fellow colleague and President of Alberta-Northwest Conference, Paul Walfall, because I feel that his words are in the spirit of what I too am trying to express.

Know that is note is written in the spirit of gratitude for each of you this day, for our Conference, and for our United Church of Canada.

May the light of Christ burn brightly in our midst.  May it be so.  Amen.

http://albertanorthwestconference.ca/14464-tomorrow-in-toronto/

On the Road to Bathurst...Visiting Miramichi Presbytery!

This past weekend, on September 10th, I packed a small snack and got in my car for the drive to Bathurst...specifically, First United Church in Bathurst, for the fall meeting of Miramichi Presbytery. It had been a while since I was that far north, but I had a beautiful sunny, fall day for the drive.  When I arrived, I was welcomed by Chairperson Marion Green, and settled in to hear committee reports, outlining all of the wonderful ministry that is happening in this part of our Conference (and all money that is needed to make it happen!).  I was particularly impressed to find out that this Presbytery has already welcomed one Syrian family and are hoping to welcome another one soon!

Chairperson Marion Green, and 

Secretary The Rev. Charlene Maguire MacKnight

Following the morning session, members of the congregation at First United provided us with homemade hamburger soup and a variety of sandwiches, along with tea and coffee.  It never ceases to amaze me at how well our United Church people can cook! I don't think I've been to a meeting or gathering yet that left me hungry!

At 1pm, we gathered for worship, along with some members of the wider church community.  I had the privilege of leading in worship with the musician at First United, the talented Martha Vickers.  We shared in communion, a sacred time that continued to remind me that we are "fearfully, wonderfully made" (Psalm 139) in the Image of God who calls us and loves us beyond anything we can imagine.

  

Leading Worship

The meeting continued with discussions and votes on Remits.  This was rather lively, as people were engaged and interested in the topics that will affect our church in the future.

                                        Working on Remits!

Like many of our presbyteries, Miramichi has some challenges, but I quickly discovered that they have much to celebrate as well. I found dedicated ministry personnel and lay people, who love their churches and want to reach further into their communities so that all feel welcome and loved.  I found a group of people for whom getting together can be a challenge, geographically speaking, but when they are together, are fed by the experience and use that time to be re-fueled so that they can continue on the journey.

Thanks to Miriamichi and First United, Bathurst, for a wonderful visit! I hope that you are able to continue to see where God is calling you and that you feel the love and support of the Conference as you seek to love your communities across Northern New Brunswick and the Gaspé coast of Quebec.

               First United Church, Bathurst, NB   

   

                                             

Kyle Grant and I! I never go far without meeting someone from YF!

Love and Blessings!
 

Visiting our Neighbours...The 170th Assembly of the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches!

Whew! The end of summer came and went so quickly that I am now just getting to reflect on my time spent with our friends at the Baptist Convention.  First, I need to acknowledge that one of the big decisions facing them was a name change, bringing them in sync with Baptists all across this country, so they are now known as Canadian Baptists of Atlantic Canada!

The gathering, entitled "Oasis: Refreshment for the Journey" took place from August 25th-28th at Crandall University in Moncton.  From the first moment I stepped on campus, I was welcomed and made to feel at home.

                                                       
                                              Ready to start!

Although there were activities taking place from Thursday afternoon until Sunday morning, my time began on Thursday evening until Friday evening, as I had other commitments looking for my attention.  I attended the first Rally (what they call their large gathering), which included music provided by a band from Moncton called "Slane Hill"and talks given by Dr. Peter Reid (Executive Minister) and Rev. Sam Chase that both focused on seeing where God is already at work in our neighborhoods.  Dr. Reid asked the question, "Who in our neighbourhoods is God calling us to see differently?" He encouraged us to tell stories of how our congregations are encountering the world--a very important reminder that we need to celebrate all of our congregations and the ministry we are doing, whether large endeavors or small.  Rev. Chase encouraged us to think about how well we know ourselves so that we can better focus on hearing God calling us.  He passionately told us that, "It's not good enough to do better versions of old things, but we need to do new things."  Both of these speakers inspired me to think about the way we see our place in the community and how we interact with the world outside of our buildings and ministries.  A timely topic, for sure.

Friday morning, found me accepting an invitation to the President's breakfast, which was a gathering of all of the ecumenical guests and others who serve within different areas of the Baptist Church. The President, Al MacIsaac, or "Big Al," as he was affectionately known, welcomed us to this event. It was here that I met The Rev. Christopher Ketch of the Anglican Diocese of Fredericton, and The Rev. Sandy Sutherland of the Presbyterian Church in Canada.  We quickly found out that we held much in common, and were able to discuss many joys and challenges that our denominations face.

The Revs Christopher Ketch, Catherine Stuart, Sandy Sutherland

Then came the business portion of the weekend, known as "Family Business" which to my surprise, was only allotted Friday morning and a small part of Friday afternoon, if necessary.  This included the typical welcoming of guests, reading of minutes, presenting of reports, and the ever popular passing of the budget! It also included motions to change the name of the gathering in Atlantic Canada, and some changes to their Regulations Concerning Ministry.  Let's just say that by the end of the meeting, I had come to appreciate that the word "Amendment" is universal! I greatly appreciated their attention to prayer time throughout the meeting, even the time given to turn to our neighbour and pray with them.

                                            The Business Table!

Much like our own Conference, later in the afternoon, there was a choice of seminars to attend, giving us smaller groups and different topics to engage.  I chose to attend the Kairos Blanket Exercise, hosted by members of the Mennonite Central Committee and Aboriginal Community.  Even with so much time that has passed since taking part, I am still at a loss for words with respect to how this exercise opened my eyes and my heart to the experience of our Aboriginal brothers and sisters.  My encouragement to you is to take part in this exercise if you have the chance...you certainly will not regret it!

After supper, we attended the second Rally, also including worship and music by Slane Hill, which included a familiar to me piece, "My Lighthouse" by Rend Collective! We heard a keynote address by Dr. Anna Robbins, Associate Professor of Theology, Culture &Ethics at Acadia Divinity College. Wow! What an inspiring message! She reminded us that "Christian Discipleship can look like a lot of different things, only limited by our imagination!" and that it is our faith that is going to get us through the storms of change because they are not going to ever calm down.

                     

      Dr. Anna Robbins                Slane Hill sings My Lighthouse!          

This gathering was a mixture of business, but most importantly, it was a time to refresh and renew ourselves for the work of ministry.  However, the main focus was on that, with business as a small part of the necessary work.  We heard stories of what was going on in many of the congregations across the Atlantic Provinces (they include Newfoundland and Labrador as well!) It included 755 people, 511 of whom were delegates, 135 non-delegates (like myself!), 8 nursery age children, 52 older children, and 49 youth! I made many connections, and was reminded that, even though our theological expression might be different, in many ways, we have the same passion and love for God and the ministry that calls us to serve.

It was indeed a blessing to spend time at Oasis 2016!