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Hi Rural Folks Across Canada!
This is our seventh monthly eNews, which shares more information of rural ministry initiatives across Canada, mostly in the United Church of Canada.
Welcome to our new subscribers.
Past eNewsletters are archived at www.UCRMN.ca
Have a rural story you would like to share? You are welcome to submit your story to Connor at editor@UCRMN.ca. Please try to keep articles 300 to 500 words.
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Join us on February 18, 2021 from 1pm to 3pm (Toronto Time) for a Zoom Workshop. Tickets are $10 to help cover the cost of the workshop.
C.S. Lewis said, “you can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending”. How are our practices in these days - our ways of being church “together while apart” - shaping us for newness, in Covid days, and beyond? Recognizing that “one size does not fit all” we’ll share the practices that nourish and connect us these days in the place where we are. We’ll also share a simple practice that we can take home to lift our hearts and to invite conversation.
We’ll have time to just be together, sharing our stories. We’ll also take time to be encouraged, to take heart, in these days with Scriptural themes of annunciation and exile, stars and wilderness.
Our workshop will be animated by Rev. Dr. Catherine Smith. Catherine is captivated by the strength and value of small things: small practices, small congregations, small moments, and how they may be portals to go deeper into the vastness and freedom of life in God. Her doctoral work explores how vulnerability, when lived with intention and courage, offers us great gifts for ministry and daily life. Catherine is the initiator of Governance as Spiritual Practice, Pausing Together, Rural Routes Through the Holy, and Table Church, which you may explore at hemofthelight.com She is in ministry with the Bayfield-Little Shemogue Pastoral Charge in New Brunswick.
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Mini Workshop on Practical Technology for Rural Churches
by Catherine Christie
In the January newsletter there was an invitation to think about joining a workshop on Practical Technology Possibilities for Rural Churches.
While doing some planning in preparation for such an event, it was decided to have a mini workshop.
It happened that, in our local Colleagues in Ministry group, those involved in developing and presenting online worship were noting that often, in joining webinars offered to help with technology , they usually wind up focusing on issues of big churches with tech teams that are beyond our possibilities.
So I said to these colleagues, and a few others, would you like to get together to talk about our experiences? Opening with this prayer: Creator and Holy Wisdom, Today we gather to seek your path. The skills and knowledge of humankind have given us the gift of technology, this tool for communication and community and gospel. Be with us as we share our thoughts and hopes for the service of your church. In Jesus’ name. Amen
So on Monday morning, 6 of us gathered by Zoom, from 4 provinces from PEI to Alberta. Three of us are involved in pastoral ministry and have experienced leading our congregations in online worship. One of us has only done services by Zoom, one has services on Facebook, and the third videos his service during the week, goes on Zoom in the morning for congregational time, then runs the video for them all, and it is available on Youtube. (One of the beautiful gifts suggested was that a service on Youtube means that it can be shown in the local nursing home when we are not able to go in for worship- phone them up and offer it to the recreation director!)
Then a couple of retired ministers who have had extensive prior experience in ministries that have used tech responded to the issues they had heard and shared useful ideas.
In his article, Rural Route Delivery, in the August edition of UCRMN newsletter, Martin Dawson shares a number of the useful and inexpensive hints that we talked about that morning. He also showed us a tripod with a torpedo (or shotgun) mic and a holder for a phone for filming, inexpensive equipment useful for any congregation.
Peter Chynoweth said, “a lot of what’s been happening in the church over the past nine months falls squarely within my vision for the church. Never in the history of worship has there been an opportunity for new wine in new wine skins like the present.”
We talked about the importance of bringing community to the online worship. We heard about congregations individually filming Christmas greetings to be shared in the service, telling the story about memorials in the church, and getting photos of cemeteries, the Legion cenotaph, or the community Fire truck to keep community celebrations going even if people can’t gather.
God has granted us a creation that allows us to maintain community by many means, but especially by being empowered by the Holy Spirit.(quoted from UCRMN Newsletter, August, 2020, Rural Route Delivery)
Register to join on March 18, 1 – 3 p.m. (Toronto time) for a Zoom workshop to share our learnings and challenges, and get some useful pointers from those who have been ‘techies in ministry’ for a long time. Cost is $10.
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Want to do your own Online Workshop?
** You supply the topic and the leadership
** UCRMN will supply the logistics, such as; advertising in our monthly ENews, Registration, Zoom platform and all the administration needed for a successful workshop.
Email Connor at office@UCRMN.ca to talk about possibilities.
Why a cost for the workshops?
UCRMN has been granted $5,000 from United Church of Canada Foundation to set up the Network. One of the goals is to make UCRMN self sufficient. The token costs will help with accountability. We are not expecting the $10 cost to cover actual expenses.
We are open to any ideas how we can make UCRMN self sufficient: Please Email info@UCRMN.ca with suggestions.
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Preparing the way for the Lord in Consort
by Rev. Dr. OhWang Kwon
Knox United Church, Consort, Chinook Winds Region
Before I came to Consort, Alberta, I served in ministry at Kangnam Presbyterian Church in Seoul, one of the megachurches in the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK) for many years. I began to prepare for applying for the Mutual Recognition of Ministry between the United Church of Canada (UCC) and the PROK in 2016. In my application process, listening to effective and important advice from Rev. Catherine Christie, the United Church of Canada Ecumenical Co-worker at the PROK General Assembly Office, as well as Rev. Taylor Croissant was really important and valuable.
In particular, Rev. Taylor Croissant and I worked for Kangnam Presbyterian Church together at the same time, so we talked about interesting topics many times. One day, I talked about my plan to work for the United Church of Canada with Rev. Taylor. Very happy at listening to my idea, he said that I would be eligible for applying for job vacancies in the United Church of Canada, but I must know one thing about Canada before I would go there. I guessed that he might be talking about English proficiency because I am not a native English speaker. I asked him, “Is it English?” Then, he said, “No~No~ your English is OK. It’s not English.” Then what? What should I know about Canada before I go there? Wondering much about it, I said, “What is it, Reverend?” Then, his answer surprised me. His answer was, “Weather, cold weather!” “But, Reverend, it is cold in Seoul, too.” “No~No~ the Canadian weather is totally different. It is extremely cold in Canada. You need to prepare for the cold weather.”
Since then, time has passed. I became the first minister to come into Mutual Recognition of Ministry between the UCC and the PROK. It was my great honour that I was chosen the minister of Knox United Church, Consort, Alberta. My family moved from Seoul, one of the metropolitan global cities in the world, to Consort, a rural, beautiful and peaceful village in Canada.
In my estimation, the population of Seoul might be around ten million. Most areas of Seoul are full of skyscrapers and buildings. How crowded! I was really busy in fulfilling many ministries in Kangnam Presbyterian Church. Living in Consort is totally different from my life in Seoul. Residents of Consort are welcoming and kind. The church members showed true and sincere generosity and hospitality to me and my family. Though there may be differences between Korean urban and Canadian rural ministries, I believe that there are many similarities. However, I should say that there are still some differences.
In particular, the cold weather! Many Koreans like soccer or baseball. In Canada, it is hockey that Canadians truly love and enjoy. Living at -30 or -40˚C degrees would be totally new to Koreans like me. Recently, I shoveled the snow, which was the biggest pile of snow that I have ever seen. Unforgettable!
Sometimes, I need to break the ice on the sidewalk of the manse to make guests come and go safely and comfortably. This experience reminds me of Isaiah 40:3, that is, “A voice of one calling: ‘In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”* In the season of Advent, I am preparing the way for the coming of Jesus Christ in Consort, as I prepared for the cold weather. I thank God and all who led me to work for Knox United Church. God’s blessings to all of the United Church of Canada!
*Isaiah 40:3 from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
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People Who Have Different Views – “arrgh”
by Eric Skillings
South Buxton Pastoral Charge, Merlin, ON
Different people have different opinions. How do we reach across the divide to affirm our common values even if we see different ways of assuring them? What a great question!
I subscribe to a weekly ENews from Reverend Cameron Trimble from Georgia. Cameron sends out each week, inspirational emails that seem to deal with what on our minds. It is United States centered, but has great messages for all of us suffering from COVID lockdown. Here is Cameron’s article that I am referring to.
Cameron says, “Here is where we might start: Reverse the underlying question. Instead of asking, "Why are they acting this way? Why don't they see what I see?" reverse the question by asking, "What are they saying/showing me that I don't yet understand? What do they see?"
Now, we may completely disagree with what they see. In fact, we likely will. But until we ask the question and open ourselves to seeing through their eyes - seeing as if through our own eyes - then we won't see the way back into community and relationship. We will never push ourselves past dualistic thinking.
It's a tragic trait of human nature to "other" our enemies. In the face of conflict and division, we create teams - "Us" vs. "Them." We create stories that redeem "us" and condemn "them." But it's the very practice we must undo if we are to find a sustainable, compassionate way forward for us all.
Jesus shows compassion to all those he meets – those who agree with him and those who did not. Somehow Jesus was able to connect and share a story (parable) that helped the other see God’s way. As Cameron closes her ENews, “We are in this together”.
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Conversation with Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals (CCFA)
by Catherine Christie
During the winter months, the UCRMN newsletter posted an invitation from the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals, inviting interested people to join the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals (CCFA) Faith Advisory Committee. UCRMN executive members Eric Skillings and Catherine Christie decided to have a conversation with the Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals.
We met with two of the present directors of CCFA, Vicki Fecteau, a retired engineer, and Maureen Boag, a retired employee of the Toronto Star. The Coalition brings together animal protection organizations to promote humane treatment of farmed animals, working to educate and call attention to inhumane treatment and promoting more humane alternatives to certain practices.
Their statistics say that most farms in Canada are factory farms. There is no protection for farm animals in Canadian law (criminal code). There are Codes of Practice that are developed by the National Farm Animal Care Council. Although the Codes of Practice are not enforceable, many producers do indeed follow them.
One example is the Code of Practice for Pigs. In this code, after July 1, 2014 any newly built or renovated barns must allow for group housing of sows, and that all gestation crates (sow stalls) must be eliminated by 2024. (These crates confine pregnant sows in steel-barred cages so small they are unable to turn around during their entire 4-month pregnancy. In a recent development, however, that deadline has been extended to 2029.
There are times when industry makes changes in response to reasoned pressure. For example, Ontario-based KFC Canada has called for a phase-out of the most commonly-used method to kill chickens because an alternative system, Controlled Atmosphere Killing, has proved more humane. In the European Union, with far more progressive standards in farm animal welfare than Canada, battery cages for hens (where laying hens cannot perch, nest or spread a wing) were banned in 2012 and gestation crates for sows were ended in 2013.
CCFA seeks to mobilize support resulting in legislation and codes of practice that aims at humane practices. The purpose of their Faith Advisory Committee is to bring a faith-based perspective to the stewardship of animals, and mobilize support from faith communities.
For Eric and I, our personal experiences of the treatment of farm animals is different than that of CCFA. As Eric said, his parents used to say that the dairy cows were like their employees, and were treated responsibly.
But, he said, if animals are being treated inhumanely, it is our call, as rural Christians, to take this seriously and to be advocates for God’s creatures that serve humankind. The Faith Advisory Committee may help us bring that ideal to fruition.
In our conversation, I noted that many farmers feel distrust towards governments whose regulations often put a major financial strain on their operations, and towards urban people who have a different perspective of farm animals and their care than rural people do. Could the United Church Rural Ministry Network bring a faith-based perspective that shares the reality of stewardship of animals in many of our rural farming communities across Canada to the discussion table?
Eric and I see this as a great opportunity for United Church farmers to share their stories of ethical animal husbandry and care of animals. Please let us hear your experiences, and join the open conversation on this topic. Please take the time and write to editor@ucrmn.ca.
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Rural Connect
Rural Connect is an initiative of the United Church and Canada to support rural churches through the use of technology. You can find more information at our website www.ruralconnectucc.ca.
For an example of a service using this technology during the pandemic, here’s an example.
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So Long For Now!
We hope you enjoyed this "work in process".
Any suggestions are most welcomed. Email editor@UCRMN.ca
Please forward this email to your Rural Ministry Colleagues and encourage them to subscribe from our webpage at www.UCRMN.ca
Who is UCRMN?
We are a Volunteer Network that is collecting and posting Rural Ministries initiatives in the United Church - across Canada - in one place;
www.UCRMN.ca
If you have an interest in finding out more, or to volunteer as a Board Member or in some other way, please email us at info@UCRMN.ca
Blessings on your ministry!
Catherine, Eric, Donna, Felicia and Shelley
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