0 Comments
As the summer heats up I've realized that we are now just 40 days away from Mission Centre Conference! Wow! How time flies. To think that this time last year the three of us were beginning to discern and understand a calling to this work of being a volunteer Mission Centre President team.
This year's Mission Centre Conference, like the conferences in the past two years, will look different as we continue to think carefully about how to use everyone's time, talents, and treasure in the best way possible. If you haven't heard, we decided to leverage our team of three to do something previously not done, which is to have your Mission Centre President be in multiple places at the same time! Gwyn will spend the weekend in Regina, Shannon in Calgary, and Kat in Vancouver. We encourage you to plan on joining us in one of these locations as we still have so many of you to meet and get to know better. Our main purpose for this gathering is to conduct the business of our Mission Centre, but it is also the way we are able to reconnect with those we don't see all the time. The world of online events has changed this, and I suspect many of you have seen a variety of faces from across the mission centre more often in the last two years than you may have before. I know I have, and what a joy that has been. But what a delight it will be to see many of you in person! I'm very excited. In preparation for conference I was reviewing the documents from the creation of our mission centre in 2004. Did you realize we are fast approaching our 20th anniversary of being a mission centre? I didn't! What a journey these last 18 years have been of stretching our hearts across four provinces to create a new grouping of faithful disciples, supporting one another in following Christ's call. I remember those first few conferences being almost like starting at a new school, so many new faces, and a few vaguely familiar ones. Now those new faces are familiar faces, and so beloved. I can't imagine this discipleship journey without all of you. While our conference is September 9th-11th, we will have opportunities in the week leading up for you to engage early. We will have two options for virtual pre-legislative sessions on September 4th in the afternoon and 7th in the evening for you to learn about our business agenda and ask questions in a more relaxed setting. There will also be a "coffee and conversation" virtual gathering on the evening of Thursday September 8th with Debra to explore questions around our theme of Growing Together. So, I hope you are able to join us online in the week leading up to conference, and then many of you in-person (or online) the 9th-11th. Even if you are not a delegate this year, you are invited to listen to the meetings, join in the worships, and celebrate with us how we are continually Growing Together. Written by Kat Goheen Canada West Mission Centre Co-President [email protected] I was so blessed to spend the weekend at Hills of Peace for the Spiritual Retreat three weeks ago. The lake, the hills, the food, the poplar trees all whispered peace to me. Two of us were there for the first time, and the campground seemed happy for our group presence after almost three years of no camps there. We gathered from three provinces and shared deeply about our response to God’s movement in our lives, guided by the stories of Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and Jesus in the New Testament. Everyone was full of insights from their lives and from the texts. I am amazed by how much growth we saw in those biblical figures within a few short paragraphs, and how we were able to identify those rhythms and movements of Spirit in our own lives. I saw myself in each of our biblical friends and was able to touch into some places within that can still use love and healing. It was brave of us to go through grief and resurrection together and I am so happy that we practiced leaning on the heart of God in community. May our service be blessed with spaciousness. May our contemplation lead us to action. May we always willingly receive the gift of new life! From our guiding poem by Joyce Rupp:
It is enough for me to know the heart of God is with me, Full of mercy and compassion, tending to the wounds I bear. Written by Kat Goheen Canada West Mission Centre Co-President [email protected] Honouring Fathers
Father’s Day seems to be summed up in barbeque and crafts made from macaroni and glue, especially with puns about fishing (“Dad, you’re a great catch!”). On this day, we celebrate the qualities of nurturing, strength, and challenge that we seek from fathers, knowing that we may not have experienced those qualities as fully as we may have wished in our holding environments. I think of grandfathers on this day as well, with the extra layer of perspective and unconditional love that they are often able to offer. When I lived with my grandparents as a student as Graceland University, my Grampie could not help but jump in the car and run to the store if there was anything I needed! His love showed me the truth of God’s love. The connection that Jesus had with his heavenly father is especially touching to me. I grew up praying, “Dear Heavenly Father” in my prayers, which had a grand yet distant ring to it. When Jesus says “Abba,” meaning “Daddy,” it is sweet in a humbling sort of way. Its intimacy draws God close, without barriers or resistance. God is a mystery that transcends race and gender. Still, I wonder: could I pray to God in this way? We can have many kinds of unitive experiences with God and Spirit, but I feel that this language is a special manifestation of a soul at peace with God. I pray for that peace in myself and for you! May you find sheltering in this celebration. May you find love. May you find the peace that passes all understanding and know yourself as a beloved child of God. Written by Kat Goheen Canada West Mission Centre Co-President [email protected] Last week in the column we looked at membership and belonging. Today we’ll flip that coin and look within. Our humanity is hardwired for connection and at the same time tuned for meaning. Why are we here? What is the meaning of life? What is a good life?
We all grow older, if we’re lucky, but we don’t necessarily grow up. It’s the time we spend in study, self-reflection, prayer, and meditation that feeds our inner life and helps us transition from milk to solid food, as Paul says in I Corinthians 3. We have many ways to distract ourselves from real, burning-bush experiences with God, and our intellect is one of the big ones! At the Spiritual Retreat at Hills of Peace (June 24-26), we will be opening ourselves to spiritual growth in a safe container at a beautiful campground. We will examine the stories of Mary, Martha, Jesus, and Lazarus for those moments of spiritual connection that show us ways to grow. We will use all of our senses to experience and appreciate the Holy. We will slip behind our figuring-out minds and listen to our hearts and bodies; to the still, small voice that longs to be one with us. As you clear your vision about where you belong and who you long to be, make room in your heart for the One who knows you best! Written by Kat Goheen Canada West Mission Centre Co-President [email protected] Where are you?
Last week in the column we looked at Psalm 139, at God’s ability to hold us in knowledge and love. We do not have that same insight as Mission Centre Presidents! As we prepare for voting at Mission Centre Conference, we received a question about where each of you have membership, whether it’s in a congregation or as a non-resident. This is a great time to reflect – do you know where your membership is? Would you like to update it? Any of us would be glad to hear from you if you would like our help in that process! This is also a great time to reflect, where does my ‘membership’ lie in other areas of my life? Has COVID disrupted the ties that usually hold me? Have my relationships floated out beyond my reach? No matter how introverted we may feel in our heart of hearts, part of our life here in this beautiful creation seems to be making and fostering connections. Where are you? Right here, in a specific space. I invite you to find a spot outdoors that speaks to you – a tree, a flower bed, a bend in a river, and really see what is there. Perhaps it’s new life, perhaps it’s a mossy boulder, perhaps it’s a tiny ecosystem full of activity. Let yourself love this particular place and see if you can build a habit to return to it as days and seasons pass. Just like the elements of your special spot, you also have a place, a relationship with what is, an invitation to full engagement with life. Written by Kat Goheen Canada West Mission Centre Co-President [email protected] I’m reading about holding environments right now – the idea that what we experience when we’re young influences our experience of trust as we grow. If we find what we need often enough as a youngster, we believe that the universe is benign and helpful. If we don’t, then we try to create a different reality and turn away from what surrounds us. I don’t know what it means about me, but I do tinker a lot! I’m always imagining how things could be better. Perhaps it’s part of growing up around the idea of Zion – God’s kin-dom here on earth.
On Sunday, we meditated on Psalm 139, with those familiar words: “O Lord, you have searched me and known me.” As I settled into silence, I realized that this scripture is all about a present holding environment, in that God knows me intimately, knows everywhere I could possibly go and everything I could do. No matter what, God is present. This brings an image to mind: you and I are floating on a salty body of water (like the Dead Sea or a float tank) that will effortlessly support our bodies, letting us lay back and relax. Yet we thrash about with our arms and legs, trying to stay vertical, refusing to let go and rest. Here is some wisdom from our church administrator’s handbook that can remind us to follow the rhythm of our lives and participate in life around us rather than managing it all! BRINGING BALANCE TO LIFE All life needs a rhythm of rest. There is a rhythm in our waking and the body’s need for sleep. There is a rhythm in the way day dissolves into night and night into morning. There is a rhythm as the active growth of spring and summer is quieted by the necessary dormancy of fall and winter. There is a tidal rhythm, a deep, eternal conversation between the land and the great sea. In our bodies, the heart perceptibly rests after each life-giving beat. The lungs rest between breathing out and inhaling. We have lost this essential rhythm. Our culture invariably supposes that action and accomplishment are better than rest, that doing something—anything—is better than doing nothing. Because of our wish to succeed, to meet these ever-growing expectations, we do not rest. Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the compass points that would show us where to go. We bypass the nourishment that would give us succor. We miss the quiet that would give us wisdom. We miss the joy and love born of effortless delight. Poisoned by the hypnotic belief that good comes only through unceasing, determination and tireless effort, we can never rest. And because we need rest, our lives are in danger. Sabbath is a gift of God to remind us and give us permission to rest, to bring balance into our lives. Even our dedication to the service of others as ministers, when not balanced with healthy living, can lead to suffering in ourselves, our families, and in the ones we are trying to serve. Even God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2). We rest to bring balance to our lives, to see the goodness that God has placed in all creation. Community of Christ Church Administrator's Handbook Self-care is such a big topic right now; do you feel it too? It hasn’t always been so – in times of war, service is forefront. In times of hardship, survival is. In this moment there is a yearning for a fullness of life that brings self-care to the fore. What do we know about self-care? It involves:
I hope that we look to Jesus as an example when we need discernment. What about the area of self care? So many times he went away to be by himself, even when it mystified and irritated his followers. He spoke his mind and was assertive even with those he loved. When he was tired, he slept, even in the midst of a storm! He did not seem to be caught up in ego concerns at all but embodied each moment as it came. ‘Worried’ is not a word that describes him, although he did grieve in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is true that he emptied himself even to the point of death, but he was a participant in that process, not a victim.
My big takeaway from looking at Jesus through the lens of self-care is his relationship with his Abba, God. That tender and constant thread relieved many of the pressures that we experience that fall under the category of “needless suffering”. Jesus shows me that sometimes my self-care is found in caring for others. So what should capture our precious attention? Ruminating about the past, fretting about the future, the thoughts and judgments of others? I would like to share more of my precious attention with God and look to God’s will. I hope you will join me! |
Archives
July 2024
Categories
All
|
Quick links
|
External links
|
community of christ
355 Elmira Road North, Unit 129
Guelph, ON N1K 1S5 Canada Canada West Mission: 877-411-2632 Canada East Mission: 888-411-7537 |
Site powered by Weebly. Managed by Community of Christ
|