Steve Thompson President, Community of Christ Canada West Mission Centre Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter The theme that is being explored in this week’s Canada West 2020 Online Reunion is, “Connection in an Age of Isolation.” This is a challenge that the reunion itself is trying to answer. It is bringing people together, electronically of course, from across the Canada West Mission Centre, plus Washington, Oregon, Missouri, and even Ontario. It is really quite a remarkable thing. In each session so far I believe I have heard someone say something to the effect of, “I miss seeing all of you in person,” which is inevitably answered at some other point in the gathering with, “It is so wonderful to see all of you! I am glad you are here!” People have sought out “connection” through this event directly because of their current “isolation” due to our Covid-19 restrictions. In the midst of a disruptive pandemic we can find the blessings of community and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, experience worship and celebrate the blessings of God, and give thanks for all of this in the name of Jesus Christ. Despite its challenges, is this not a blessed and wonderful time in which we live? By the time you have the opportunity to read this – hopefully some time on Thursday, July 30 – there will still be lots of reunion activities to take in before they wrap up on Sunday around noon. Find event details elsewhere in this Weekly Wire that will point you to a schedule and to how to log on to all events. As I mentioned last week, next up on our calendar will be the online edition of the Canada West Mission Conference. We are still nailing down program and schedule details. An outline of events includes:
More details next week. And I will remind you of this one more time as well (in case you are not already aware of this opportunity) – check with your Pastor about being a delegate for your congregation for the business meeting. If you are not registered in a congregation and live in any of the provinces and you are interested in being a delegate, please contact me. As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected]
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Steve Thompson President, Community of Christ Canada West Mission Centre Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter It is already the FOURTH Wednesday of July! How did that happen? It is a beautiful day here in Edmonton as I write, but it does not seem that we have had our quota of really warm (read “hot”) summer weather yet. Perhaps where you live summer has been more generous. As the last weekend of July approaches, I realize that I am truly missing the in-person camps and reunions that normally mark my time at this time of year. But our online alternatives have proven to be very well received. We have had 36 kids registered across the Junior, Junior High, and Senior High online camps. Participation has come from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and even Washington State. A real benefit of this platform for the camp has been bringing youth together from across the mission centre and beyond. A big thank you to Lisa Neudorf, and her event directors, for putting this program together. Coming up, starting this weekend, is the Canada West 2020 Online Reunion! You will find program details and logon information elsewhere in this week’s Weekly Wire. I want to encourage participation across all of the mission centre in this event – just like the kids have shown us by example. You can pick and choose the events that most interest you, and you need not feel guilty about skipping the ones that do not. There are events aimed at every age group. Check out the schedule and mark the sessions of interest to you on your (electronic) calendar. We will have guest ministry from Zac and Katie Harmon-McLaughlin – who were guests at last year’s Hills of Peace Reunion. And I would be remiss if I did not suggest that both the online campfire and the talent show promise to be highlights of the week, just as they always have been in the traditional Samish Reunion. Thanks to Chris Phelps and his planning team for putting together this event. Next up will be the online edition of the Canada West Mission Conference. It will happen from Friday evening, September 11, through Sunday, September 13. Watch for program details in next week’s Weekly Wire. Joey Williams, who was our originally scheduled guest minister for the conference, will join us for some of our events. Watch for that information and keep those dates on your calendar. Also – in case this invitation has not come to you – check with your Pastor about being a delegate for your congregation for the business meetings. If you are not registered in a congregation and live in any of the provinces and you are interested in being a delegate, please contact me. As you are all aware, we are not “out” of this COVID-19 pandemic yet. It is the reason our camps are online. It is the reason we are not yet back to weekly worship services in our congregations. Please continue to exercise the infection-control measures recommended by all health authorities. Hopefully we can re-start weekly services in some form in September. As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] Steve Thompson President, Community of Christ Canada West Mission Centre Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter Stories. “The truth about stories is that that’s all we are.” So says Thomas King, an Indigenous author and broadcaster in his book, aptly named, The Truth about Stories. The book is a collection of his “Massey Lecture Series” given across Canada in 2003. The lectures deal with the power of stories to shape lives and to shape culture – in this case from an Indigenous perspective. (I recommend the book or the CBC podcasts of the lectures.) What are the stories that have shaped or helped define you? Are there family heritage stories passed down through your generations that retain and reinforce some sense of identity? Are there stories from literature that have challenged you personally and helped make you what you are today? Are there, perhaps, some stories or passages from scripture that have helped define you? The “Revised Common Lectionary” is a tool that is used by Community of Christ to help plan and structure our worship services each week. The current two weeks (July 12 and July 19) focus on the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13 in which Jesus is recorded as telling no fewer than seven parables – stories that teach a lesson. Many readers will be able to name a parable, perhaps several, which they know well and have heard, or have read or have been taught often. Perhaps one of Jesus’ parables is one of those stories that has been influential in your life. In our Virtual Visiting Fellowship meetings this week (yes – we are still going! See the announcement elsewhere in the Weekly Wire and consider joining us if you can.) I asked our participants to share their favourite parable and why it was meaningful to them. As of this writing our Thursday evening group has yet to “have a go” at this exercise, but the sharing on Tuesday morning was really quite remarkable. Many people shared many different parables (and some shared the same parable). Some people chose to share a “parable” from their own experience from which they had learned some lasting life lesson. I felt that in the space of a half hour we heard about a dozen two-minute sermons that were as effective and meaningful as our traditional twenty-to-thirty-minute sermons on Sunday morning. Many of Jesus’ parables are “arch-types” in our culture and part of the daily lexicon. For example, “The Prodigal Son,” and “The Good Samaritan.” I fear slightly for our culture as the general population turns more and more away from organized religion. The words may remain, but the understanding of their origins and the significance of their lessons may be lost. I encourage you to think about “what is your story?” What does it mean to you? What might it mean to others if or when it is shared? What stories (parables, other scripture stories, or stories from other literature) have helped form who you are today? What new stories might you be encountering that are affecting your life and perspective now? As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] Steve Thompson President, Community of Christ Canada West Mission Centre Purely by the accident of birth I am blessed to call Canada “my home and native land!”
I use the term “blessed” enthusiastically and yet with a sense of humility. I know that there are many other countries in the world whose residents experience a high standard of living and benefit from basically the same rights and freedoms I enjoy. I know there are many other countries which, for any number of reasons, are not in that same situation. I am humbled because I know that some residents of Canada do not have the same advantages and positive life experiences that I have known and loved. Constraints such as poverty, hunger, racism, discrimination and prejudice based on many factors, chronic disease and pain, physical and mental disabilities, unequal access to education and social assistance tools, and many other conditions prevent many of my fellow Canadians from enjoying all the benefits that this land has to offer. The emphasis of my remarks over the last few weeks have been driven by this banner: Black Lives Matter Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter To take these issues to heart will go a long way towards resolving some (certainly not all) of the other issues noted. Despite these issues, there is so much to celebrate about our country on Canada Day. Our freedoms. Our democracy. (I know some may complain and nitpick on both of those things.) Our Indigenous, and French and English founding cultures (despite the conflicts that occasionally – regularly? – flair up). Our social diversity and generally celebrated multicultural ethic. Our “coast-to-coast-to-coast” geographic diversity: ocean coasts, old growth forests, mountains and glaciers, prairies, Canadian Shield, tundra, the arctic, boreal forests, great rivers and Great Lakes, farmland, small towns and villages, vibrant cities. Our strong government and social programs. Our equally strong private sector and wealth-producing businesses – large and small, corporate and “mom and pop.” Ten provinces and three territories across which all of us are free to live, to travel, to visit, to enjoy, and from which to experience life-enriching experiences and inspiration. I have been fortunate to travel reasonably widely across the world. I have enjoyed all of the places I have visited – and a few where I have lived briefly. However, there is something about getting through that last Customs check and having the Border Services officer greet me with “Welcome home” (even though I may still be thousands of kilometers away from where I live) that brings a sense of pride in my country and those with whom I share it. I hope that you have been able to mark Canada Day in some meaningful way. I hope you are able to give thanks to God for the blessings that you enjoy just because you live here. As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] Steve Thompson President, Community of Christ Canada West Mission Centre Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter Are you weary of 2020 yet? Would you like to hit the “reset” button and start it all over again? Or do you want to push “fast forward” and just get through it to see if 2021 can be any better? Have you found yourself conflicted over the day’s headlines – whether they have to do with societal response to COVID-19, or societal upheaval over issues of race, or other large social and political questions of the moment? Is it clear to you what your response should be as a Christian or as a member of Community of Christ? Do you see, as I do, people arguing both sides of an issue and each invoking morality and informed opinion as supporting their side? Who are you looking to for guidance and direction? Political leaders? Scientists? Doctors? Lawyers? Your church leaders? Other spiritual leaders? Media or Hollywood or sports personalities? How about a random person on social media who says they have the answer(s)? Have you noticed I have done nothing but ask you questions? Are you annoyed with me yet? If you don’t like my questions, you may not like my statements either. Sometimes God has difficulty in breaking through to us with the spiritual guidance that we desire and expect. The theme scripture from the lectionary for this past Sunday was Matthew 10:24-39. It illustrates this faith conundrum very well. You may know it. These are the verses where Jesus tells his followers to “not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul,” but rather to “fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (v. 28) Then he challenges our perceptions of him as a person of peace with verse 34: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” He goes on to describe that conflict can be expected among close family members and that his followers need to love him more than they love their parents. It is a challenging and frankly frightening few verses. The scarier thing may be that we are living in such a time where there is much to fear and cause conflict between persons who are otherwise respectful and loving of each other. The on-line worship resources for last Sunday conclude by observing that “Jesus does not say to love someone instead of him, but to love no one more than you do him. … (F)ollowing him means we can’t set aside the gospel for another relationship.” So – do you feel better yet? Me neither. This life of faith – of continually seeking understanding – is hard. And Jesus never promised us it would be easy. If it is of any comfort, I am right there with you trying to find my way through the challenges of our day and time. I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Mission Centre President Canada West Mission Centre [email protected] Steve Thompson President, Community of Christ Canada West Mission Centre Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter I mentioned in last week’s “Moment” that I had attended an anti-Black racism rally in Edmonton. Many banners and signs at that rally contained the acronym “BIPOC” meaning: Black, Indigenous, People of Colour. The phrase is a recognition that our society has multiple issues to deal with. The primary focus of the demonstrations of the last few weeks have been on calling out attitudes and actions that demonstrate personal racism and systemic racism embedded in our society against persons of African heritage. Those signs and the comments of some speakers reminded us that we also need to confront racism that is particularly deeply embedded in Canadian culture concerning our persons of Indigenous identity, as well as many others more generally described as Persons of Colour. My friends, there is much work to be done! As other tragic events have unfolded over the past couple of weeks involving the tragic and violent deaths of other Black and Indigenous persons, I have felt discouragement and profound sadness. How will we ever find our way out of this? How can we meaningfully and practically begin removing societal and structural barriers to the full and unfettered participation in our society by all persons regardless of skin colour? Jesus told the parable of the “Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:25-37) to illustrate that persons outside the dominant society should be recognized and honoured. Jesus miraculously healed many people in his ministry. One account showed that he would assist even persons aligned with the occupying Roman army (healing of the Centurion’s servant, Matt. 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10; John 4:43-54). Another actually illustrated that Jesus could be confronted by a personal prejudice and respond and correct himself (healing of the daughter of the Syrophoenician [Gentile] woman, Mark 7:24-30). The scriptural record of the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:5-12) revealed that the Spirit of God was made available to persons from across the known world including those considered to be barbarians (Parthians) and those from the occupying nation (Romans). In all of these accounts there is no record that the principle people involved were actually “converts” to Jesus’ teachings. But they were all intentionally included and not excluded from the blessings of the Holy Spirit. Surely, by extension, we must know that we are to extend the blessings and privileges of our society to all those who are a part of it. In today’s environment and historic moment, we are being challenged to be inclusive of those peoples upon who’s backs so much of our societal wealth and privilege has been built through the shames of slavery, colonialism, and abuses too numerous and grievous to begin listing here. I pray God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Mission Centre President Canada West Mission Centre [email protected] Steve Thompson President, Community of Christ Canada West Mission Centre “Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful one?”
In the May-June Herald Matthew Frizzell opens his article, “Toward the Peaceful One: Jesus Christ in Restoration Perspective,” (also available online) with these words:
Matthew wrote his article well before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. He had in mind the uncertainty presented by the societal changes affecting Christianity generally and Community of Christ specifically. Of course, his words seem even more relevant to us now. Black lives matter. Do those words seem somehow “last week” to you? Our news cycle is such that the media has all but moved on from the demonstrations that gripped the continent – and still do in some areas. I attended the anti-racism rally in Edmonton last Friday. It was an enlightening experience in more ways than I can share here. It reinforced for me the reality of the racism that is faced by those with a different skin colour than mine. It reinforced for me that I am probably an unwitting perpetrator of the racism entrenched in our culture even though I believe I think and act and speak as inclusively as I can. I have much to learn. Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the information that comes at you from different directions all day, every day? Me, too! Two things came to me this week via Apostle Art Smith that I want to share with you. The first item is a letter focused on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, March 21, 2010. It also upholds the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-1024). Did you know about that? I didn’t – and it’s half over!! The letter is signed by the leaders of three of Canada’s largest Protestant denominations. Through our association with the Canadian Council of Churches, Community of Christ has been invited to become a signatory to the letter. Have a look at the letter and let me know what you think. The second item is a letter written by a fellow Mission Centre President, Ryan Pitt, of the Mid-Atlantic Mission Center. His topic is “Racial Justice and Initial Steps” and he outlines some specific things he will lead for his mission center in response to the issues of the last couple of weeks. Have a look at this letter, too, and let me know what you think. What could the Canada West Mission Centre actually DO to support anti-racism efforts in our communities? Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful one? I think we are trying. How about you? Grace and Peace, Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President [email protected] Kerry Richards President, Community of Christ Canada East Mission Centre ![]() I want to share my hope for peace specifically for the American people of all races, demographics and cultures. The focus today is upon the centuries old systemic violence and disrespect of worth towards the black community. My heart aches with yours for the individual personal pain, family fears, disrespectful outwardly enacted attitudes, lack of equality and opportunities that are borne by our fellow human companions of colour. Oh God of love may we say and act with honour to uphold all persons as being of worth and beloved. There are turning points in history. They happen as the critical mass of society declares at once from the heart that which is our collective human yearning for our common good. Today is that day. God be with us is my prayer raised up with you. Apostle Art Smith has committed to providing a daily update vlog (video blog) while we practice social distancing. With each video, Art provides a check-in with a member from somewhere in his field as well as some levity with casual commentary on current events. Today's check-in is with Art's family in Independence, MO, USA. Enjoy! Apostle Art Smith has committed to providing a daily update vlog (video blog) while we practice social distancing. With each video, Art provides a check-in with a member from somewhere in his field as well as some levity with casual commentary on current events. Today's check-in is with Caitlin in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Enjoy! |
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