Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter Today, “We Share… a Sacred Story.” “In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth…” -Genesis 1:1 NRSV “Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way…” -Matthew 1:18 “I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents…” -I Nephi 1:1 “Hearken, O ye people of my church…” -Book of Doctrine and Covenants, section 1:1a Our sacred story begins in four places at four different times in four different records of scripture. The first verse of Genesis begins the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) which ultimately tells the story of God’s people of the covenant over many centuries. The first chapter of Matthew begins the New Testament and the story of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ followed by the records of the persons who first shared his teachings with the ancient world. The first verse of the Book of Nephi in the Book of Mormon becomes our entrance into a multi-faceted story of people following God’s direction through times of change, challenge, war, peace, and ultimately the ministry of Jesus in a land far removed from Jerusalem. And, finally, the opening verse of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants begins the nearly 200-year-old (and counting) prophetic journey of Community of Christ from its humble beginnings in upper New York state to a world-wide denomination present in over 60 countries. “The sacred story is the all-encompassing saga of God’s redeeming action in the world. … The story of Community of Christ is part of a much larger sacred story that is rooted in Christian history, including the Hebrew tradition from which Christianity emerged.” (Sharing in Community of Christ, p. 17) In this sense “We Share” this long sacred history of religious faith with the rest of the larger Christian church. Further, “the story of the church is one of unusual faith, vision, and creativity in response to God’s call.” (p. 18) In this sense, we share a unique sacred story with people to show God’s continuing revelatory, and prophetic leadership in our movement. “Do not fail to listen attentively to the telling of the sacred story, for the story of scripture and faith empowers and illuminates.” -Book of Doctrine and Covenants, section 161:5 For more information about our story, please contact me or contact a congregation near you. Extra Information: Be sure to let your voice be heard in an early stage of consultation about the future of Community of Christ in Canada. Check out Apostle Art Smith’s sermon from September 27 (fast-forward to 35:29), plus his related conversation with Seventy John Hamer of Toronto, Ontario, and respond to this questionnaire. Thank you for your interest. I pray for you God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected]
0 Comments
Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter Today, “We Share… the Peace of Jesus Christ.” “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.” -John 14:27 NRSV “God’s revelation in Jesus Christ and continuing presence through the Holy Spirit, as proclaimed through scripture, is the foundation of our faith, identity, mission, message, and beliefs.” (Sharing in Community of Christ, p. 13) There is no better or firmer statement of how central Jesus Christ is to the Community of Christ. The life and ministry of Jesus as recorded in scripture and the continuing presence of the resurrected Jesus among us today, including the Holy Spirit, is the “foundation” for every other statement of faith and belief that we will share in this series of short essays. The church, since its inception in 1830, has had a central concept known as “Zion.” It has always been considered to be representative of the “Kingdom of God” on earth. Early concepts of Zion, indeed concepts that existed well into the twentieth century, envisioned it as a physical, geographic place that would be governed under the prophetic influences of God. Its divine features would “shine as Zion” beyond its borders and positively influence both its neighbours and communities around the world. Today the call to “bring forth and establish the cause of Zion” (Book of Doctrine and Covenants, section 6, verse 3) is understood as “the call to share the peace of Jesus Christ in all of its personal, interpersonal, community, and worldwide dimensions.” (Sharing in Community of Christ, p. 14) Members of Community of Christ are called to be “the church” wherever they live and work and participate in society and to do their part to encourage Christ-like conditions in their part of the world and thus to “build Zion” in a worldwide context. Sharing the peace of Jesus Christ is a concept and process that continues to be explored for greater understanding within the church. We believe that God has more to reveal to us about this great goal. We believe that the call to be disciples of Jesus will make us better citizens and allow us to demonstrate the positive influence that Christian principles can have on local and world-wide communities. 14 For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us. … 17 So he came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. -Ephesians 2: 14,17 NRSV The peace of Jesus can unite us, can break down walls between us, can resolve hostility, and bring together people both near and far – geographically, spiritually, and politically. In short, the peace of Jesus can change the world! I pray for you God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter It has been a full month since my last “We Share” meditation. Previous entries were on August 13 (“We Share” – general intro to series and to purpose of the phrase) and August 20 (“We Share… a Vision for Creation”). Today, “We Share… A Name.” “Community of Christ,” your name, given as a divine blessing, is your identity and calling.” --Book of Doctrine and Covenants, section 163:1 “Share” here has two definite intended meanings. First, we share the name “Community of Christ” as our denominational name with members around the world. Community of Christ is established in more than 60 nations of the world. The name of the church is officially translated into at least 16 languages (see page 12 of Sharing in Community of Christ). Many primary church publications are translated from English into Spanish and French, which are the three “official languages” of the church. A “core repertoire” of 104 hymns in Community of Christ Sings are provided in multiple languages and are intended to be used in any international and multi-cultural church function settings, including World Conference. Second, we share the name “Community of Christ” with those who visit our services, meetings, and functions and those who seek to learn who we are and what we believe from online and other sources. We share it not only as a name, but also as a statement of our primary identity and purpose: To proclaim Jesus Christ. “Community of Christ” was adopted as our name in 2001. We have been exploring the purpose and the meaning of our name and growing into it ever since. It has truly been the “divine blessing” and the statement of our “identity and calling” as stated in the verse quoted above. “We Share… A Name” in many different ways! I pray for you God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter Our first weekend-long online mission centre conference was surely a success by any measure. (Full disclosure: I am undoubtedly somewhat biased due to being so close to the organization process.) We started on Thursday evening with Debra Donohue leading a discussion on “Hopes, Ideas, and Concerns for Re-Opening our Doors” in which we talked about going back to church in our COVID-19 world. On Friday evening I lead a discussion on “Metamorphosis,” which meant ongoing change in the church as a result of budget restraints and cultural or societal evolutions. Saturday evening was a true highlight with guest minister Joey Williams leading an hour of “An Unprecedented Musical Event,” that challenged us to make music in ways that “never have I ever” done that before! It was fun! It was music! And it was truly active participation in our Zoom connections across the mission centre and beyond! We conducted the business of the mission centre in our Pre-Legislative Session and our Business Meeting on Saturday. We elected and appointed people to various positions. We approved audit reports and budgets. We remembered those who have passed away since the last time we met. We celebrated significant life events in the lives of many of our members and friends. And we read reports on the activities around the mission centre from the past year – including a special report on our CWM Online Reunion and viewing a video of our online “CWM Virtually Together” Junior, Junior High, and Senior High Camps. On Sunday we enjoyed a communion worship service with the theme, “Our Unprecedented Journey.” It included a beautiful opening ministry of music by the “Vancouver Ensemble,” a truly invigorating sermon by Joey Williams, ministry from Apostle Art Smith and Bishop of Canada, Dar Shepherdson, and all other worship components were provided by members of the Canada West Mission Centre, representing all four of our provinces, including the CWM Choir singing the closing hymn. Special thanks to the “Beyond the Walls” congregation from Toronto who’s organizational and technological support enabled our service to be shared with over 400 persons who logged onto the service through YouTube and many others who watched via Facebook. See the service again here: “Our Unprecedented Journey.” Sunday afternoon concluded with a beautiful “Afternoon of Nurturing Spirit” with a theme of “Satsang: Singing into Silence,” hosted by Debra Donohue and featuring Vickie and Doug MacArthur leading us in singing and meditation. We also enjoyed a brief final appearance of Joey Williams. The conference finally concludes this Wednesday evening with the Hills of Peace Campground Association “All Members Meeting,” involving members from Alberta and Saskatchewan. It was truly a “long” weekend, but it was an exciting and fulfilling weekend. Thank you to all of the people (too many to name in this space) who planned, organized, and in any supported the conference events. And thank you to all of you who attended and lent your support through your presence and participation. I hope you all agree that it was truly a weekend to remember! I pray for you God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter I have promoted the “Unprecedented” Canada West Mission Centre 2020 Online Conference in my messages for at least the last two weeks. Many of you will have received reminders about the conference as a whole and about specific sessions through your email. Consider this your last reminder from me. Events begin Thursday evening and continue Friday evening, most of the day Saturday, Sunday morning and afternoon, and concludes with a meeting on the following Wednesday evening. All of the details, including registration details, are available here. Note: Registration is required to ensure you receive log-on information for each event, but there is no fee for registration. This is a free event. Let me just specifically highlight our Sunday morning worship service. Joey Williams will be our guest speaker and participants from across the mission centre will serve in the other roles in the service, including the debut performance of the Canada West Mission Centre Online Choir! We will celebrate communion in this service, so be sure to have your communion emblems (bread and juice) ready in your home or wherever you will be joining the service from. This service will be supported by the “Beyond the Walls” online congregation from Toronto. Access is available through this YouTube Link. The service will begin at 9 a.m. BC time, 10 a.m. AB and SK time, and 11 a.m. MB time. (Raise hand, change topic.) In the midst of preparing for our conference, the world around us just continues to do what the world around us always does. Life happens. Death happens. The miracle of new lives come into the world. The trials and tribulations, as well as the blessings of life continue to form the lives of everyone on the planet. People fall ill. Many recover. Some do not. The amazing experience of our human lives continues to come to a close for many people each and every day. Sometimes that final breath is expected and may even be celebrated for someone who suffered in the last days of their life. Sometimes that final breath comes suddenly, unexpectedly, sometimes accidentally, sometimes violently. Earlier this week Clifford Olson passed away in the town of Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan, where he had been an active member of the local Community of Christ congregation for many years. He was also well known at camps at Hills of Peace, often because of the inventive things he would bring along for some purpose – sometimes practical, sometimes just for the entertainment and enjoyment factor. I mention Cliff specifically because on February 17 he celebrated his 109th birthday! At the time an article in the local newspaper said he was Saskatchewan’s oldest person and Canada’s second oldest man. Cliff had a good and long life and he will be missed by his family and friends. I invite you to pause as you read this to remember some significant event in your life or in the life of people close to you. Maybe a birth of a child. Maybe a graduation or a new job. Maybe a marriage. Maybe something as worldly as a new home or a new car. Or maybe the challenge of an illness or injury. Offer a prayer for the person(s) involved. As creations of God we are all miraculous manifestations of the divine spirit in our human forms. In the “busy-ness” of life may we always recognize the miracle that life is and appreciate every moment and blessing that we are given – even if we are given 109 and a half years of such moments! I pray for you God’s blessings of understanding, hope, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] Continuing education is important aspect of discipleship in Community of Christ. The church in Canada has provided a way for much of this education to happen online through Developmentrics, LLC.
Carla talks with David Lloyd as he explains the format of the classes, what is offered, and how you can benefit from taking Temple School courses online. Host: Carla Long Guest: David Lloyd Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter I will get back to the “We Share” series next week. There are more pressing issues today. That “Black Lives Matter” part of my banner above unfortunately needs to be highlighted again. I am sure I do not need to repeat much of the news of the last couple of days. Jacob Blake has been shot in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He has survived but may be paralyzed from the waist down. More demonstrations have been held in response. More violence arising from the demonstrations. As a society we need to support and demand good policing. As a society we need to express the need for change when Black people continue to be subject to violence at the hands of police when other options appear to be available. The high-profile incidents seem to occur mostly in the United States. But as we have seen in the Canadian response to these incidents, Black Canadians, Indigenous persons, and people of colour in Canada have very similar and disturbing personal experiences to share. We all must increase our knowledge and awareness of such experiences and do what we can to create a safe society for all of its members. From that rather serious societal issue, I need to move to the much more mundane business of the Canada West Mission Centre. Our annual mission conference will be held online this year. It will consist of a series of events beginning on Thursday evening, September 10, and concluding with a final meeting on Wednesday evening, September 16. A “brief” version of the schedule was released a couple of weeks ago. A more detailed version of the schedule is to be published with this edition of the Weekly Wire. The entire conference brochure will be published electronically this weekend. Please look for that schedule now and watch for the brochure in a few days. It is expected that the different events will appeal to different people across the mission centre. If you are a delegate, or just personally interested in the business of the mission centre, you will need to be a part of the Pre-Legislative Session and the full Business Meeting on Saturday morning and afternoon. If you are interested in knowing more about what “Creating Connection” is all about in Canada West, there will be sessions on Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon that you will not want to miss. On Friday evening there will be a presentation and discussion of current and expected changes in the church as raised in a recent article by President Veazey called, “Metamorphosis.” You will have a chance to get to know our guest minister, Joey Williams, in a session on Saturday evening, and then when he offers ministry as our speaker for our mission-centre-wide worship service on Sunday morning. Finally, members in Alberta and Saskatchewan will want to be a part of the Hills of Peace Campground Association “All-Members Annual General Meeting” on Wednesday evening. And that is your snapshot of this year’s conference. Watch for information about logon information in the week that events get underway. I pray for you God’s blessings of understanding, hope, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter This is the second in the series about Sharing in Community of Christ: Exploring Identity, Mission, Message and Beliefs. For background see the August 12 column. “We Share… a Vision for Creation” Into any discussion or experience we all bring our own past experiences, knowledge and opinions. Have you ever noticed that? What do you interpret from the word “vision” in the title above? What do you interpret from the word “creation”? If I could hear responses from all of you who are reading this, I expect that I would hear some ideas in common, but I also expect that I would hear many different ideas as well. “Vision” to different people might mean a powerful dream-like experience in which a message from God is received; or it might mean a guiding idea or principle; or it might mean the ability to see clearly whatever is in front of us. “Creation” might conjure majestic views of mountains or oceans or other landscapes or wildlife; or it might mean the processes through which God brought the universe into being; or it might mean everything around us that is a visible part of God’s universe: land, sea, animals, insects, marine life, all manner of plants and vegetation, humanity in all of its diversity, and all the stars and planets that populate the vastness of space beyond our world. All of those perspectives (and there will undoubtedly be others) are reasonable and valid. So what does it mean to “share a Vision for Creation” in the Community of Christ context? Two significant symbols help with this explanation. First, the empty Christian cross represents the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ who, in all of those manifestations, proclaimed peace for those who followed his teachings and example and for all people in the future reign of God on earth. Second, the church’s “peace seal” represents the lion laying down with the lamb and both being led by a child as described in the book of Isaiah 11:6-9. This symbolizes the church’s faith and belief in a world in which all of creation can exist in a state and attitude of peace. Our text expresses it this way: “The purpose of the church is to form disciples who faithfully share the gospel of peace in Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Sharing in…, p. 10) It is that purpose that will be reflected and restated and applied to all of the other “We Share” statements that we will consider in future weeks. May we see ourselves in our own personal, faithful, and action-oriented expression of “We share a vision for creation.” I pray for you God’s blessings of understanding, hope, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter For a continuing theme for my remarks in this column I will write for the next few weeks with a brief discussion of some portion of the book, Sharing in Community of Christ: Exploring Identity, Mission, Message, and Beliefs. If you do not have your own copy of the book, you can download a PDF version from the church website here or you can order a hard copy from Herald House, the church publisher, here. Pricing is in U.S. dollars and there will be a shipping charge. I encourage congregations to order a few copies to have on hand to share with visitors who may be interested in knowing more about the church. I also suggest this is a good resource for congregations to purchase for its active member individuals and families. It is an excellent resource for personal study and for group study and discussion. As other issues of current significance arise, I will write about them and then return to this book the following week. For today, here is an introduction to what the book is about and why you might be interested in it. The book uses the phrase “We Share…” to introduce most of the sections of the book. The phrase is intended to be taken with a double meaning as explained in these quotes:
So, the phrase we share defines both what we generally hold in common and what we generously offer to the world. (We Share, p. 9) This brief book is the best current summary of the faith and beliefs of Community of Christ as a global denomination. It serves as a unifying text to provide the same statements to church members around the world. It is available in English, Spanish, and French (both the free download version and the paid hard copy). As suggested above, it can serve as a multi-week focus for discussions in Sunday school classes or for small groups in home-based situations. The book is also a short, inviting, and non-threatening text to share with those who may be curious about the church. In addition to the book there is a series of brochures available that provide the content of specific portions of the book. You can find them here. Come back over the next few weeks as we consider some highlight portions of the book. I pray for you God’s blessings of understanding, hope, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter How are you doing? How is your summer going? Have you been able to “stretch” just a little beyond the COVID-19 restrictions of the past few months? Or have you continued to feel mostly restricted to your home? What has been a regular joyful thing for you: Family? Friends? Phone calls? Video calls? Reading? Netflix? The return of TV sports? What has been disappointing or even a source of sadness for you: Not getting out of the house? Family? Friends? Netflix? The return of TV sports? Illness? Loss? Sense of personal isolation? My impression is that individual experiences have been different. Some have felt that life has slowed down from its usual pace and this has been seen as a blessing and an opportunity. For others the loss of employment and income have caused new stresses to afford food and shelter and to continue supporting a family. Some, of course, have been directly affected by COVID-19 as a serious life-threatening illness. Some have “tested positive” but experienced no symptoms. The very large majority of us have not been directly affected by the virus, although most of us will likely know someone who has been directly affected. Late in the 4th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is sleeping in a boat when his disciples woke him up because they were afraid of the storm. “(Jesus) woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’” (Mark 4:39, 40 NRSV) Perhaps we are riding out a “COVID storm.” Perhaps we feel we need Jesus to “wake up” and calm it for us. It is instructive, however, to note that following his “miracle” Jesus essentially chastised his disciples for apparently being afraid and having no faith. Perhaps the lesson for us is that Jesus may or may not be sleeping through this storm along with us, but Jesus most certainly is with us. And, furthermore, given the disciples’ experience, we need to retain our faith and exercise our confidence that this storm will pass. Afterwards we will look back and recognize the places where we benefited from the blessings of God going through the storm, and we will be able to give thanks to God when we have safely come out the other side. Despite our challenges, may we look for the good and positive experiences of the last few months. And if that is in itself a challenge for us, may we look forward with hope to the passing of the storm in the future so we can once again enjoy smoother sailing. I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, hope, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] |
![]() 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
|