November 2025 UCRMN ENews

The United Church Rural Ministry Network is for all rural and small town folks - lay and ministry.

Please sign up at UCRMN.ca

Items of Interest in this ENews:

• November Zoom Workshop - Rural Culture, Rural Spirituality

• Reflection on Rev. Dr. Joyce Sasse

• Summary of “Left Behind vs. Leaving Behind” Workshop

• Tech Corner - “More Than Computers Can Be Resurrected”

• Summary of Rural Chaplain’s Association (Focus Event)

• International Rural Churches Association - “IRCA 2026”

• CiRCLe M - Grant Opportunity

• Affirming Leaders Day

• Rural Routes Through the Holy - Update

• Rural Routes Through the Holy - Workshop Summary

• Rural Ministry Town Halls - This Wednesday Nov. 12 @ 7:30 pm

• ChurchX - Free Workshops

• Regional Meetings and UCRMN - Fall Request to Regions

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Past eNewsletters are archived at www.UCRMN.ca

If you have a rural story you would like to share, please submit your story to editor@UCRMN.ca. We welcome articles 300 to 500 words.

Hi Folks; If you do not know who Rev. Dr. Joyce Sasse is in Rural Ministry in Canada - you are in for a treat - join the above workshop - “Rural Culture, Rural Spirituality”.

You will hear some of the late Rev. Dr. Joyce Sasse's inspirations to rural churches throughout her life. Rev. Catherine Christie has been sharing through the UCRMN ENews some of Joyce’s reflections, from Gleanings of a Prairie Pastor, (which is available for cost-free downloading from CiRCLe M).

In 2020, UCRMN nominated Joyce Sasse for an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree at St. Andrew’s College in Saskatoon (the school where Joyce got her M. Div). We received several letters of recommendation from leaders well known in “Prairie Rural Ministry”, such as Cam Harder, professor at the Saskatoon Lutheran Seminary and director for a number of years of the Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry (CiRCLe M).

See you on Zoom - Rev. Catherine Christie

Summary on

"Left Behind vs. Leaving Behind:” Seniors Have Gifts to Offer to the Church

It's been a long time since I participated in an all-day church workshop for seniors’ voices. However, taking part in an event that focuses on listening to stories and inviting us to share our own, to honour seniors, their interests, their heritage, and their enthusiasm for plans, makes one wonder why we don’t hear more about this.

The day featured three speakers and many opportunities in break-out groups for people to share opinions, reflect, and reminisce. Energy, opportunities, achievements, and, yes, disappointments were expressed. There were honest responses from those who loved the church.

The seniors' involvement and various celebrations of their lives were evident throughout the day. Their message was loud and clear: they have something very special to contribute to the life of the church. Gratitude was expressed, and expectations were celebrated. Their voices were unmistakable: they possess unique gifts to offer the church and look forward to being included and celebrated. What they have contributed to the past will be honoured in the present.

It's positive that many official positions are filled by seniors who have time to dedicate to the church. So, let’s concentrate on all of them. Would they have creative ideas to share? Maybe, if you haven’t yet offered seniors the chance to celebrate, consider inviting them to a planned event. Provide opportunities to share in small groups. You will be giving them a gift.

Summary by Rev. Dr. Donna Mann

Committee: Rev. Donna Mann, Pastor Roxanne Bales, Christine Grose, Dr. Marvin Lee Anderson

Martin Dawson (PEI) and Peter Chynoweh (AB) are retired United Church Ministers who “love” working with “Open Source Software” and used computers. They help the UCRMN Executive stay online.
The Biggest expense for most churches is updating their computers, and just as expensive, Software.

In this column, Martin and Peter will give you stories, suggestions and links including YouTube, that show you how to DIY, at a fraction of the cost. All this information is stored at UCRMN.ca on the Tech Resource Page.

“More Than Just an Old Computer

Can Be Resurrected”

I was up early this morning, and following my usual routine of frying an egg, “over easy”, for breakfast. Soon afterward, I again followed my routine of copying scripture by hand using a dip pen and the homemade iron gall ink that I made a couple of weeks ago. Presently, as I was copying the book of Ezekiel, a connection came to mind from the words of Ezekiel 4:3, “Then take an iron pan, etc.” which I had copied out a few days earlier. Immediately, my thoughts went back to the cast iron frying pan that I had just used to make breakfast. Yes, it was a “cast iron” frying pan, and not the Teflon-coated frying pans that so many modern kitchens have.

It was during the isolation of the Covid 19 lockdowns that I started to take an interest in cast iron cooking. In the past, I seemed to perennially need to go out and purchase a new frying pan that was Teflon-coated, for as time went on, that “stick free” coating became stickier. So, out went the old pan, and in with the new pan, in the hope that it might last longer than the last one. Usually, extra longevity was not the result. Then, I remembered my father teaching my sister and I, as we were young children, to fry an egg using the household’s 6-inch cast iron frying pan. I think that it was a wedding present for my mother and father from 1939, so it was well-used and as black as burnt toast. Still, despite its age and well-used condition, the egg was easily flipped over with a spatula for the perfect “over easy” fried egg. No stick. No fuss. While inspired by that memory, I decided to go out and buy a cast iron frying pan, hoping that my sticking problems would quickly cease. However, this initial conclusion was not the case.

I quickly found out that the new cast iron pan must be “seasoned” before use, so I went over to “YouTube University” on the Internet and checked out my favourite character, “Cowboy Kent Rollins” He had informed me earlier how to make “cowboy coffee”, and it was fantastic. Well, I thought this chuckwagon cowboy just might help me out with my “cast iron cooking” attempt. Sure enough, I picked up the process of seasoning my new frying pan, and with some cooking oil, heat, and a lot of patience, I built up thin layer upon thin layer of this coating, while being careful never to use a heavy-duty grease cutting detergent to clean the pan. After each meal, I gently washed the frying pan and added a thin layer of olive oil. Then, I let it sit for a while and wiped off any excess. Over time, my morning egg started to behave just like the one my father had demonstrated decades ago, a perfect “over easy”.

Finally, the conclusion came to my brief “after breakfast meditation” on Ezekiel 4:3, namely, that as you read on through the book, he predicts the destruction of Jerusalem. Still, the prophet holds out hope that Israel will be restored. Well, so too is the case of a neglected cast iron frying pan! Recently, I had watched a video of a restoration of a 100-year-old, cast iron frying pan that had rusted almost beyond recognition, but after scrubbing it, scraping it, heating it, and oiling it, the old frying pan was seasoned and as good as new. Moreover, it was found to be made by a classic manufacturer; thus, it was actually now of great value. I don’t think any modern Teflon frying pans found in the dump will be able to undergo such a restoration.

Perhaps, our faith is similar to that old cast iron frying pan. When new, it still needs seasoning. Care must be taken. Oil must be used so it does not rust. However, best of all, even if it becomes somewhat neglected, it is able to be restored and become serviceable once again. Well, I better get back to finish copying out the rest of Chapter 16 of Ezekiel before trying to install Linux on another supposedly obsolete computer thereby saving it from the landfill.

Martin Dawson, retired minister living in Cornwall PEI

IRCA News:

The IRCA 2026, quadrennial conference is coming in Sibiu, Romania on July 20 to 26, 2026. The theme is “Roots, Faith and Identity; People and Community Living on the Land.” We are in the midst of approving “Expressions of Interest” for next summer’s event.

All participants are required to fill out an Expression of Interest as participant numbers are capped because of available space. We are planning to offer Zoom sessions.

CENTRE FOR RURAL COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AND MINISTRY

(CiRCLe M)

Seed Funding Ministry Grants

Do you have a dream for an innovative project in your rural community? CiRCLe M can help!

The Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry (CiRCLe M) is an interdenominational non-profit organization dedicated to rural ministry leadership development. We work with clergy and lay leaders in rural and remote places to help their churches become catalysts for the development of healthy Canadian communities. You can find out more about our work right over here: https://www.circle-m.ca/

Thanks to the generosity of a legacy gift from the late Rev. Dr. Joyce Sasse, CiRCLe M is now able to make modest seed grants available for rural churches seeking to discern and join the Spirit’s healing and revitalizing work in their communities. Projects and “experiments in grace” which contribute to the well-being and restoration of rural life and faith will be considered for funding up to $4000.

What type of ministry could you accomplish with a bit of imagination, some help from your friends, and a little seed funding in your money-bag? This is not the grant for large-scale, big-budget operations, but rather for the type of creative and faithful innovation which small churches and small communities are famous for. This is “small is beautiful” funding. And we know that God honours the mustard seed and the speck of yeast.

As Circle-M’s core ministry is in central Western Canada, priority will be given to Regions; Prairie to Pine, Living Skies, Chinook Winds and Northern Spirits ministries. Yet we encourage all ministries across Canada to consider this grant and apply.

For more information, feel free to contact Catherine Christie (christiecatherine4@gmail.com) for guidelines and an application form.

And may the Spirit move you...

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Rural Routes Through the Holy: 2025

Hello from the Maritimes, everyone. I just want to share news of our most recent Rural Routes Through the Holy gathering. This year we put together a Package that contains video recordings of the complete theme presentations and most of the tasters along with any handouts that were distributed. We’ve added some guiding questions and ways you might share the materials with a group. We’ll hope to gather in early winter on Zoom through the kindness of UCRMN to see what’s nourishing you. Some of you have already purchased these packages and it’s not too late for those of you who may be looking for something to ground your discussions in the fall or winter. Payment details at https://ruralroutesthroughtheholy.ca under Events. For questions contact us at ruralroutesatlantic@gmail.com

Rev. Dr. Catherine Smith (RRTH)

Greetings from the

“Rural Routes Through the Holy” team!

On Saturday, October 18th, Rural Routes Through the Holy (or RRTH) held a soul-nourishing day of connection, reflection, and inspiration in the beautiful and historic setting of St. Anne’s Church, on the edge of Sackville, New Brunswick. We hoped that this “day away” would be a gentle and meaningful miniature of our longer three-day Rural Routes gathering and a wonderful opportunity to be part of the Rural Routes community—no matter how you live out your spirituality. The day was all that and more, as evidenced by this Facebook post from one of our attendees and presenters, Reverend Catherine Ann Dickson, minister of the Kings United Pastoral Charge in Dundas/Bay Fortune, Prince Edward Island. We felt that her thoughts and emotions about the day were well worth sharing with the wider rural community that is the United Church Rural Ministry Network.

Join Us for the Fall Zoom Meetings

of Rural Ministry Town Halls

The next Zoom meets this Wednesday (November 12) @ 7:30 pm.

Please share this group with others that you think might appreciate it!

Upcoming Meetings:

Wednesday, December 10, 2 pm ET

Wednesday, January 14, 2 pm ET

Wednesday, February 11, 7:30 pm ET

Wednesday, March 11, 2 pm ET

Wednesday, April 15, 2 pm ET (Easter Monday is April 6)

Wednesday, May 13, 7:30 pm ET

Check out ChurchX for all kinds of Learning Events:

Many are free. Some are learn at your own pace.

There are plenty to choose from.

Regional Meetings and UCRMN:

Most Regions have a Networking Fund that allows Networks such as the United Church Rural Ministry Network to apply for funding.

This month we are addressing each Region for funding of $300 per Region. This will allow UCRMN to continue to offer rural resources, Zoom Workshops, and nine ENews per year to keep everyone informed.

We will share with the Regions the important work we have accomplished in 2025, and provide them with a 2026 Proposed Budget. Feel free to encourage your Region to support UCRMN. Thank you!

Please invite people interested in rural ministry to check out us at UCRMN.ca.

So Long For Now!
We hope you enjoyed this Edition of ENews.

Any suggestions are most welcomed.
Email editor@UCRMN.ca
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Please forward this email to your Rural Ministry Colleagues and encourage them to “sign up” from our webpage at www.UCRMN.ca
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Who is UCRMN?
We are a Volunteer Charitable Network that is collecting and posting Rural Ministries initiatives in the United Church - from across Canada - all in one place; www.UCRMN.ca
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If you have an interest in finding out more, or to volunteer,

please email us at office@UCRMN.ca
Blessings on your ministry!
Catherine, Eric, Donna, Shelley and Yvonne