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Hi Rural Folks Across Canada!
This is our fifth 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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The Invisible Infrastructure Behind
Rural Communities
We really enjoyed this article (click here) about the importance of faith communities in rural life in Huron, ON. The article, and the accompanying report, highlights the important place faith buildings have in holding rural communities together.
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Going For A Good Saunter
by Rev. Martin Dawson (retired)
Cornwall, Prince Edward Island
The year 2020 has certainly been a time of change. Starting in March, many of us were found to be in pandemic lock-down mode, so there were few opportunities to exercise and socialize “normally”. Churches, gyms, restaurants, etc. were all closed down. Only in the summer months did Canadians get a respite from their indoor isolation. Now, with new infections increasing, it looks likely that we will be facing a long and perhaps lonely winter season. This suspension of “normalcy’ has led to the benefit of increasing the amount of reading that I undertake. Fortunately, the library system on Prince Edward Island remains open, however altered.
Lately, I have re-read the essay, “Walking” by Henry David Thoreau. Yes, this is the same person, who in the 1840s stayed in a small cabin and chronicled his thoughts and activities in, “Walden”. Well, my local library did not have a copy of “Walking”, so I went to that other source of connection available to us, my laptop and internet, to download an online copy. The second paragraph of the essay captivated my “Covid consciousness”. Perhaps, walking was the perfect remedy for our time, that is, until an effective vaccine is distributed?
Thoreau did not always get his facts correct, for his next statement is that the word “sauntering” has its roots in the phrase, “a la Sainte Terre”, or “to the Holy land”. The Oxford English dictionary disagrees with this root; however, to give some justification to this interpretation, the dictionary writer of the 1700s, Samuel Johnson, believed it to be true. Regardless of the true root of the word, it cannot be denied that walking is good for us physically and spiritually, or else all those people wearing “Fitbits” and trying to attain 10,000 steps daily must be deluded.
For many people, this act of walking or sauntering is like a mini-pilgrimage. Thus, Thoreau and Johnson might be on the right track. Thoreau states,
“I think that I cannot preserve my health and spirits unless I spend four hours a day at least... sauntering through the woods and over the hills and fields, absolutely free from all worldly engagements”
and,
“I who cannot stay in my chamber for a single day without acquiring some rust...”
Presently, I have just returned from a brief walk, although certainly not lasting four hours, along the nature trail beside and behind my home, and I think that even to be able to view nature outside my window while writing this essay helps me during these unprecedented times. This need to walk is a constant characteristic of our humanity. It has been so for millennia. Enoch walked with God in “Genesis”. Micah tells us to walk humbly with God. Therefore, it is reasonable that in nature, we are attended by the Author of nature while sauntering.
So, as we face a possibility of a lonely winter of isolation ahead of us, let us venture out of doors for a good saunter. Our local library even lets us borrow snowshoes should the weather serve up such severity. Yet, as we walk, let us remember the line of our United Church Creed, “We are not alone”. I am sure that Henry David Thoreau knew this to be true as well.
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Xmas Reminders Enrich Lock-down Lives
by Joyce Sasse
(Among the Gifts of Xmas, memories from past Christmases can help Seniors survive the Covid restrictions.)
In our Seniors’ Lodge it’s not just the “decorations”, but the sharing of related memories that revives our spirits to help us get through December.
The reality brought tears to my eyes when I realized the Nativity wood-carving, unpacked from the Xmas boxes, was something I had bought in Korea in 1969. I gave it to Crestview Lodge twenty years ago – and continued enjoying it through the years while I did volunteer programing for the Lodge. So many reminiscences with seeing it again – I saw flashes of rainbows in my tears.
My table-mate noticed the large size “decorative lady doll” placed on a counter in our Dining Room yesterday. “I helped dress that lady” she recalled. “It was when we were still in the old building.” Memories of the past seven years of her residency sped by as she told about folding the pages of a catalogue to make the base for their “doll”.
The elegant winter dress came from the hands of the resident seamstresses at that time. The dressing of the doll, and now the memory of that moment, enriched her soul. Her story needs to be shared with others….
As we do our exercise-laps up and down the hallways and stairs our “roomies” are slowly unfolding the treasures they want to place outside their door-way. Each treasure has its own story … With the sharing of the story, the collective stories bring us together in unique ways.
Add the aroma of fresh buns and roasted chicken from thoughtful people in the kitchen … notice the burst of laughter as the staff interact among themselves and with each of us … These are people who dedicate themselves to caring for the well-being of our community.
What happens here doesn’t stay here! These are the things we can talk about with our family and friends through phone calls and face-book notations. The blood pumps a little faster in our veins.
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Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals Faith Advisory Council
The Canadian Coalition for Farm Animals (CCFA) is looking at a new initiative proposed called the “Faith Advisory Council”.
They are putting together a Faith Advisory Council, to help promote farm animal welfare in Canada. They believe a council of this kind, can help mobilize support for legislation or oppose negative initiatives. Council members could hopefully give CCFA advice on how we can navigate certain sensitive issues.
Time required: a meeting once or twice a year and an occasional letter to review.
They already have a Rabbi and a Roman Catholic priest on board, and are looking for someone from the United Church to be a representative on this Council.
If you have an interest in this work please contact Vicki Fecteau at vickifecteau@rogers.com
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Rural Politics
By Catherine Christie
I would like to share with you some of my recent concerns and correspondence. As I watched the US election results, it seemed that the urban-rural divide was very pronounced, with urban-suburban areas voting Democrat and rural areas voting Republican. In fact, very similar demographics had operated the week before when my province of Saskatchewan, giving the Sask Party (a conservative party) 48 seats to 13 for the New Democratic Party (1 Northern riding, and all the others in Regina or Saskatoon). The NDP and their predecessor the CCF (Co-operative Commonwealth Federation) formed the government in Saskatchewan 47 years of the last 66, bringing in Crown corporations that covered basic utilites, expanding credit unions and co-operatives, establishing medicare. None of that was easy to do; certainly not all agreed with the platform. The Sask Party has now won the last 4 elections, sweeping the rural areas of the province. The comment was made
So, I wrote to some of my colleagues, asking their opinions. I learned a number of thing. Professor Iain Luke of Emmanual and St. Chad Anglican College in Saskatoon noted, “rural left-wing politics was never the same as urban left-wing politics. The cooperative or communitarian emphasis of a Tommy Douglas doesn’t mix well with the individualist rights-based approach of contemporary progressives.”
I learned that New Zealand had an interesting split in their election that took place Oct. 17. Their Labour Party won a decisive majority. “There was a strong vote of confidence across rural and urban. From the rural side, there was also a move to vote strategically to try to make sure Labour didn't need the support of the Greens and to ensure strong voices for farming people. Historically the National Party (I’m sure a conservative party) has been the voice for country people, but it is in a shambles, with numerous leadership changes year and no sense of unity of policy and purpose. Many rural voters gave their party vote not for National as they usually do, but to Labour or to ACT, a more libertarian party.” (Robyn MacPhail, from New Zealand). She intimated that the Greens had held the balance of power in the last government, and they had lost, or never had, rural support, so they voted to reduce Green power.
This makes me ask why so often the conservation movement is often viewed suspiciously by rural folk, and they see conservation folk working against rural livelihoods. I wish they could talk together honestly.
And Eric Skillings pointed out other some reasons for suspicion. “The government is closing our Food and Agriculture offices, our schools, our government offices are all in the city. The Ontario government decided that Rural will be better off if they are connected to cities and towns - like in a Municipality. When you have 6 representatives for Rural (which is 90% of the land mass) and 9 for the city, most rural decisions are defeated - if it’s going to cost the city folks something.”
Iain Luke also pointed me to an article by Rahsaan Maxwell, in the Dept. of Political Science at the University of North Carolina. I will pull out a few observations from this article: “Macroeconomic trends have concentrated better-educated professionals in big cities”, “Rural areas feel left behind the globalized economy and alienated from the multiculturalism of (cities)”, and frightenly, “If economic opportunities continue to be geographically divided, political divides will likely deepen”. And this last quote is a call for ministry in this situation, “regardless of future trends, we need to understand the origins of the urban-rural divide if we hope to manage it successfully.”
I invite readers to respond to my questions of what makes this divide, and what can be done to help us work with each other. Please just respond to this newsletter with your thoughts to “Rural Politics”. We would love to hear from you!
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Zoom Christmas Pageant Resources
Carol Penner, a professor of theology at Conrad Grebel University in Waterloo, ON has made a pageant script available on her website. All are free to use it for running an online Christmas Pageant in your own community. Click here to access the script or email Carol at leadinginworship@live.com for a Word document.
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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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UCRMN Workshop:
Where will the church be in 6 months?
As we think about the coming of the vaccine, and a return to whatever is “normal." Let us think about what the church will be. It may be we need to do some reimagining of our beloved community UCRMN is thinking of this workshop taking place late Jan. or Feb. Who would like to be part? Please let us know if you're interested in participating in the workshop by emailing editor@ucrmn.ca or by responding to this email.
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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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Christmas Greetings
From all of the executive team at UCRMN
Although this year, there will be
no community feasts
no Christmas Eve candlelight service
no carol singing from house to house
(invited in for eggnog and cookies)
no ‘over the river and through the woods
to grandmother’s house we go’)
STILL
The stars will be shining
The animals will be watching
The singing can be in our hearts
Because -
CHRIST IS BORN!!!
A BLESSED CHRISTMAS
From Eric, Catherine, Donna, Felicia, Shelley, Connor
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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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