Written by Gwyn Beer Canada West Mission Centre Co-President Easter People... Witness... Believe... Act... Love I want to thank the creators of the Worship Resources. I am one of many of our congregation that leads worship. The team that puts together the information in the Worship Resources make our services meaningful.
Starting with the theme for the date, the suggested scripture, additional scriptures, hymn suggestions and décor suggestions, I have been guided to create a service that our congregation will participate in and enjoy. There are sermon helps for those who are delivering the message. There are class suggestions and help to lead a group in discussion. There are Sacred Space: A Resource for Small Group Ministry that can help with small groups to “Share Around the Table.” There are even “Thoughts for Children.” What an amazing team via World Church that put together written materials, video sermons, communion messages and classes! I have a deep appreciation for all who have done so much to develop all of this. I am excited about the reunion/family camp and youth camp materials that have just been released. A theme based on the climate emergency resolution passed in the 2023 world conference. "Heal the Earth: A Restoration Imperative” will be my reading for the next little while and I will then work on helping to impart this concept at Family Camp. The work of the church is helped by all those who are creating this material to be used by all who choose to use it. The wonderful material we receive is a gift. God bless those who helped in any way with these materials. Written by Shannon McAdam Canada West Mission Centre Co-President When our Mission Centre President team heard of the date for our dear Dar Shepherdson's memorial service, we knew that we wanted to attend if possible. So I had the privilege of flying to Toronto last weekend for the memorial service and also was able to attend the Canada East Special Mission Centre Conference.
Dar’s memorial service was very touching. The theme was “A Generous Life” which describes Dar so well. There were memories shared by Dar’s son, our Apostle Art Smith, former Bishop of Canada Jim Poirier, Sam Smalldon, and President Designate Stassi Cramm. It was both moving and inspiring to hear stories of Dar’s life and impact not just in Canada but around the world. You can watch a recording of the service here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UprwJKEQNM0 Earlier in the day I watched the Canada East Special Mission Centre Conference proceedings. They had two motions of resolutions to send for consideration for World Conference in 2025. You can read them on their conference website: https://www.communityofchrist.ca/cem-conference.html It was great to see how similar our conferences are. Just like our conference, they had both in-person and zoom delegates who were able to speak and vote. The Scarborough congregation were excellent hosts. I enjoyed both seeing familiar faces and meeting many new people. Our President of Seventy, John Glaser, was in attendance as well, always so encouraging of everyone. Many folks from Canada East send greetings to those of you they know here in the West, and we all were reminded of just how connected we are, regardless of geography. We are all finding new ways to be church in our communities and live Christ’s mission. I am looking forward to continuing to strengthen ties across the country so that we can all learn from each other’s innovations and experiences and celebrate mission. Written by Becky Middleton Canada West Mission Centre Co-President It was my pleasure and privilege to join with and speak at the Edmonton congregation last Sunday. Spent Saturday adventuring with my dear cousins Marian and Steve Thompson and Marg Levitt. I also look forward to being with the Regina congregation via zoom in the next couple of weeks.
It is always delightful to meet together and share in our like mindedness. Keeping connections keeps me grounded and encouraged to continue the ministry before us. Whether our meeting is in person or electronically we are cognizant of the loving support and companionship that is so important not only on our faith journey but in our lives in general. A number of our members throughout the church in Canada have passed on in the last few weeks and we are very grateful to have had their ministry, presence and support in the past even through our time of grieving. We look forward to joining with CEM in a celebration of life for our dear brother Dar Shepherdson on Saturday, April 13, at 2:30 pm MDT. Click here to register and attend via Zoom. He will continue to be remembered with great fondness and joy for the time we had with him, the ministry he provided, and with deep respect and gratitude for the work he did as the bishop for Canada. We loved you Dar! Written by Gwyn Beer Canada West Mission Centre Co-President John 13:34-35 NRSV 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’ We have just gone through Easter. Three days in the tomb and he rose up from the dead. He took away my sin. God sent his son to us through Mary who with Joseph, raised the baby Jesus to manhood. Jesus began preaching and teaching about God’s love for us. He gathered disciples to help spread his father’s love to all.
Our small church has plain glass windows. For the Easter season, the church had cellophane-stained windows, a gift from a talented member made over 20 years ago. Through her talent, she shared her love as a disciple. There are small things that people do almost automatically that are small offerings of LOVE. During this Easter season, my niece Joy has been in hospital. There have been so many expressions of love shared to Joy, her wife Haley and the family that may seem small but are so truly large. In this techno world, texts have come from all over. Cellphones have been placed by her head to hear words of love and encouragement from family in Australia, New Zealand and England. Food and mineral water has been provided to the family waiting for their chance to be in the ICU holding her hand. A ride to the hospital, a couch to rest on, a shoulder to lean on. Someone to check on and look after the family cats. All acts of LOVE. Today, I took down our cellophane-stained windows and the one of Jesus Christ on the cross was the last one. I was overwhelmed by the act of LOVE done for me. I need to be a true disciple, I need to share LOVE for one another. Written by Becky Middleton Canada West Mission Centre Co-President The Presiding Bishopric held a Q&A session on Monday, March 25, 2024 reporting on the completion of the Bridge of Hope Retirement Commitment.
The presiding bishops were very clear that the retirement responsibility was completed in February 2024, before the sale of the historic properties and that none of the proceeds from the sale were a part of the retirement commitments. The property sale goes to endowment fund for on going mission of the church. They were also clear that ongoing contributions to Bridge of Hope would be allocated to the endowment fund as well. It was noted that ongoing tithing contributions will continue to be extremely important for the life of the church as at its peak the endowment fund is predicted to supply about 35% of the church's budget. This is significant but certainly not all that is needed. There was much appreciation expressed for the generous contributors of the church as well as the need for encouraging ongoing contributions especially in a younger demographic to sustain and grow the important work of Community of Christ in the world. We are very thankful for our bishops and the complicated, important work they do! In my thought process our "Responsibility for the retirement fund" is cared for. NOW begins the "Hope" portion of the Bridge of Hope. Hope for the continuing mission of Community of Christ going into the future! Written by Shannon McAdam Canada West Mission Centre Co-President A Change in Seasons
I know it may not feel like it everywhere in Western Canada yet, but this past weekend I decided spring is definitely here! I was out for a walk without a jacket and enjoyed the feeling of sun on my face. Looking out at my patio I see bulbs coming up and leaves coming out on my little willow tree. And at work a client reminded me that our Iranian or Persian friends celebrate Nowruz this week – their new year festival that falls on the spring equinox. This year Easter feels like it is arriving at just the right time as “Now the green blade rises” seems to be happening right outside my window! This Lent I have spent time journeying with some church companions and exploring Psalms of lament. What has struck me most is the way the Psalmist writes of both sorrow and joy, right next to each other, in all of these beautiful poems. It has been beautiful to see how similar our human struggles of today are with those of the ancient writer. They write of the difficulty of finding connection and community and long for God’s presence. And while I’ve enjoyed this journey into the depths with these Psalms, they’ve made me very excited for Holy Week and Easter. The breadth of experience from sorrow to joy are all encapsuled in this week that is so central to the Christian story. And just as the bulbs in the cold ground that have been asleep are waking up, so too do we awaken to Christ’s living presence. As the words of hymn 482 share: When our hearts are wint’ry, grieving, or in pain, your touch can call us back to life again, fields of our hearts that dead and bare have been; Love is come again like wheat arising green. May your wintry heart find its awakening in the coming week as you gather in community. Even if you cannot see the green blades yet, I assure you, they will arise again. Written by Becky Middleton Canada West Mission Centre Co-President On March 5, 2024 the First Presidency announced the sale of the Kirtland Temple and The Joseph Smith Historic Site in Nauvoo as well as some other historic items. The sale was to the LDS Church for 192.5 million USD. More details can be found at cofchrist.org/faithfully-funding-our-future
The church's announcement regarding the sale of the historic sites in Nauvoo and the Kirtland temple came to the body of the church pretty much simultaneously. This to me is transparency. Anyone in business knows discretion is key until an agreement has been reached. Ongoing decrease of funds especially tithing is what precipitated the sale. The aftermath of the announcement revealed sadness and yes, even anger on the part of some, but excitement and hope for the future on the part of others. These sacred historic sites are and will continue to be accessible to each of us as individuals on an ongoing basis and as a corporate body for many years to come. We still have the historic connection. We don't have the expenses of upkeep to these sites. We do have the asset value which will help to insure the continuation of mission endeavors for the future. Sounds like a win, win to me! Written by Kat Goheen Canada West Mission Centre Co-President Friends, we are saying goodbye to our beloved Dar this week. When we met with Dar as a leadership team here in BC in January, he was full of stories about his beloved grandchildren and his beloved pups (well, Shari’s beloved pups!). With so much in his life he could be proud of, it was the fact that his grandkids wanted to spend time with him and weren’t shy about expressing love in public that lit up his face with joy. He got it right! It's easy to say that he held the whole church in Canada but hard to understand. Four years ago when I became co-pastor in Vancouver, I ‘held’ more concern and care than before – perhaps you’ve had this experience too. Then three years ago joining the Mission Centre President Team: more concern and care – a continuous call to attention and response. Dar not only served as financial officer for both Mission Centres and as bishop of Canada, he also carried the Canadian Corp and was financial officer for at least five congregations. What a scope of care and concern and ministry! He encouraged us at our last meeting to increase our vision too so that we are not limited by local concerns but turn our gaze to supporting the mission of Christ wherever it may be arising – the big picture of service. We are all touched by his passing. He was of invaluable service and support to us in the CWM, and as Gwyn just said, it’s hard to imagine him not in the picture with us. He kept the following words in his wallet to share in moments of grief. It is only fitting that we remember him through these words in our moment of loss. Grief never ends ... but it changes It's a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith. It is the price of love ... May you be held in love through your own process of remembering and letting go.
Written by Becky Middleton Canada West Mission Centre Co-President As a follow up to the official announcement of Sam Smalldon’s appointment to Associate Bishop of Canada we want to share Sam’s bio. Some may not know Sam and this will introduce him to you. Many of us know Sam well and it’s still a very interesting read! We thank Sam for his dedication in stepping into this role. He is a blessing to Dar for being able to concentrate on his recovery and indeed to us all! Samuel (Sam) Smalldon currently lives in Calgary, Alberta. He grew up in St. Thomas, in southwestern Ontario, where he enjoyed attending church youth camps and reunions. He moved west to Alberta shortly after graduating from Graceland in 1978 with an undergraduate business degree and a psychology minor. Sam considers himself a lifelong learner. He continued his education with an MBA in 1991 (NWMSU), a CPA, CMA (Alberta) professional accountant designation in 2002, an MS in Data Science and Analytics in 2022 (Graceland), and is currently enrolled in a graduate PhD program (Capella) studying strategy and innovation in social enterprises. Sam has been in seniors housing for the past 15 years as chief administrative officer and president for two non-profit housing management boards in rural Central Alberta. Before this, he was part of executive management in chief financial officer roles for post-secondary, healthcare and municipal organizations in the public not-for-profit sectors across Alberta and Saskatchewan. Sam has been involved in leadership and financial management, overseeing many capital projects, working for large and small operations, and with various organizational models. Volunteering has always been part of who Sam is. He learned early to consistently work hard, not worry about having enough, and always be open to new ways to share and give back. He is currently a High Priest and Bishop within the Community of Christ, where he has been in leadership roles for local congregations in Calgary and Edmonton, campgrounds, as mission centre financial officer for western Canada and has been involved with both Canada and World church boards. Sam volunteers with Graceland University; he first served as president of the Alumni Board and is currently a member of the Board of Trustees, where he is an officer and committee chair for several committees. Sam also serves as a volunteer director for SkillPath, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Graceland. Sam and his wife, Shauna, have four adult children and three grandsons. They enjoy two grand puppies and two grand cats as part of their family. Sam tries to care for his well-being by enjoying various recreational activities, including road and mountain bicycle riding, road and dual motorcycle riding, pickup hockey games, and canoeing. Nothing he does for recreation is serious; it’s just about fun and getting a workout. As an accountant, he knows balance is more than just about numbers. Written by Gwyn Beer Canada West Mission Centre Co-President Put the dates on your calendar for the events you would like to attend!
Attendance will benefit you and everyone else at the campgrounds! The value we have in our campgrounds is beyond our measure and comprehension. Both Hills of Peace and Samish Island bring us nature at its best! Along with nature, we gather and enjoy each other in a way that does not happen with a Sunday morning worship. We eat together, do chores together, sing together, pray together and say good night only to sleep and then say good morning! For the youth camps, we are looking for volunteers! Camps happen when we have campers and counsellors. Consider helping out at a camp. Family and youth camps will be an experience in sharing and caring with old friends and new friends! Join us at Hills of Peace and Samish Island! Written by Becky Middleton Canada West Mission Centre Co-President This week is the beginning of Lent. For some in the Christian world lent is a season of observing 40 days of "fasting" which imitates Jesus' 40 days of fasting in the desert before starting his ministry. For others it is a period of preparation to celebrate the Lord's resurrection at Easter.
Through lent, we seek the Lord through prayer and scripture, serve through alms (charitable acts) and practice self-control through abstinence of luxuries. Many in the faith say that a true inner conversion of heart seeks to follow Christ's will more faithfully. What is your understanding of lent? Has lent been part of your faith tradition? Do you observe lent? If so how? We talked about this in our Tuesday virtual visiting group this week. Several people had varying thoughts about the practice or not of lent. Basically it was decided that we respect all practices of observing worship whether we 'adopt' them or not. One thought that really resonated with me was shared by Nancy Panting. She said she liked to focus on the positive aspect of 'giving' rather than 'giving up' something. Her encouragement was to take on some positive action during lent that might be continued even afterwards. I liked that idea and thought it could be as simple as taking on the practice of phoning someone each day - just to visit and see how they're doing! Or it might be taking on the practice of making babies bibs for a daycare like Svea Mountenay does or knitting hats and mitts for the homeless like the Chilliwack crafting group does. The possiblities are endless! What positive action might you 'take on' during lent? Written by Gwyn Beer Canada West Mission Centre Co-President Lent starts next week and I want to give up Gratitude to everyone. Community of Christ is exactly that! A community! I am grateful for everyone in this community. To keep things going for everyone, many pieces must fit together. There is a puzzle on the go in the Chilliwack church (there is ALWAYS a puzzle). This one is all clocks and it will probably be complete in another week. Craft night ladies have been working on it. Early Sunday morning arrivals work on it. Coffee morning people grab their coffee and some head to the puzzle table. Often someone will walk over and put in a piece right away and leave while others look and look for a piece but they don’t give up. The puzzle will be completed. So what does this have to do with Gratitude? I am one piece in this community. If I have a problem, I can ask one of the team that make up the Community of Christ in Chilliwack. As a member of the Canada West Mission Centre President team, I am grateful for the others on the team. When someone in the mission centre has a problem, there is usually someone they can ask or call for help. Community of Christ in Guelph, Ontario has been a large part of the puzzle and they have provided answers to all the financial questions that have been asked. We have many people who are volunteers that are pieces of the Community of Christ and who, together, work till any task is completed. I am grateful for all those volunteers who come to a meeting when Shannon calls it. I am grateful for a team of church members who join together once a month and pray for our mission centre and any special thing we ask them to. I am grateful for those who have stepped up and are planning our summer camps. I am grateful for all the volunteers who have made our camps happen over all the past years. I am grateful for all the volunteers who will help with camps now. I am grateful for all those pastors out in our mission centre who lead congregations in mission. I am grateful for all those who have become congregation recorders and our Canada West Mission recorder who uses Shelby. I am grateful for all who use Shelby to keep us connected as Community of Christ. I am grateful for all the members of Community of Christ who may not have a home congregation anymore but remain in touch. I am grateful for all the congregations that zoom their services so others may attend virtually. I am grateful for my heritage in Community of Christ, for those who established this church. We are all pieces in the puzzle that is Community of Christ. I am grateful that new pieces will be added as we ask more volunteers to be part of the future plans for the church in Canada. Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. Written by Kat Goheen Canada West Mission Centre Co-President Dear friends, thank you for sharing in our prayer service for Dar on Saturday. It was a blessing to see you all and share together in mutual concern. He is in ongoing need of our prayerful support. Somehow Dar got hold of his laptop in the hospital and sent our ministry team a reading he often uses in memorial services. He read it to us in our recent leadership retreat that Shannon wrote about last week in our column, and he remembered that we wanted a copy of it to meditate on. How wonderful! Grief never ends... but it changes It's a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith. It is the price of love... This week in the Mission Centre we lost our dear Seventy and former Recorder Linda Klughart suddenly to a fall. Here in Vancouver we lost three dear ones this month: Inez Thederahn and Joan and Dennis McKelvie. We also grieve when we sell church buildings and dissolve congregations. This poem feels timely, especially in a dark time of year when the sun makes fewer appearances.
What is the wisdom for us here? Maybe grief, even in its ruthless and terrible guise, can also be beautiful. Grief is not a multi-tasker; it takes all our attention and pins us to one spot. Isn’t this also what worship does? True communion? We would not shun love in order to avoid pain, so our grief is a celebration of the size of our hearts and the span of the life we have chosen to live. Grief is a passage, we travel through it together. If you are in need of compassion and listening, please reach out to our community. Let us hold one another lightly, knowing that we each face burdens seen and unseen. Let us support the flourishing of life in our corner of the Kin-dom of God. Written by Shannon McAdam Canada West Mission Centre Co-President Canada West Leadership Retreat in BC Due to some last minute scheduling changes we were lucky enough to get a visit from Art Smith our Apostle for Canada in BC last week. Becky of our Mission Centre President team and Dar our Mission Centre Financial officer also made the trek to BC. In spite of winter storms and delays everyone made it to the Vancouver area.
Art visited with folks in Chilliwack during the week and then we all gathered in Langley for a weekend retreat. We discussed the future of our Mission Centre and the evolution of Community of Christ in Canada as we strengthen ties between East and West. How heartening to see that we can overcome regional differences that people often feel in secular society in Canada, and come together with our shared enduring principles in Community of Christ. It was great to spend time planning for the year ahead and sharing our hopes and struggles. We shared meals and laughs and even played some board games together. On Saturday the new leadership team from the Vancouver congregation met with us for lunch to share updates on their visioning process and we were able to share insights and support. Very early Sunday morning, Becky, Dar, Art, Kat, and Gwyn headed to Victoria to attend the service and business meeting. During the business meeting Victoria voted to sell their building and to dissolve the congregation to relieve some leadership burdens. They are looking forward to continuing to meet regularly online and in homes as they step into the next phase of their life in community together. We are excited for the year that awaits us in Canada West. There are so many wonderful events planned and many opportunities to be generous with our time and talents. We are looking forward to seeing many of you this Saturday at 9am/10am/11am for our Special Winter Conference. Our agenda and zoom link are available in the Weekly Wire. Hope to see you there! Written by Becky Middleton Canada West Mission Centre Co-President From November 11 to December 6, 2023 my husband Doug and I were privileged to be in Honduras. It was a different experience this time as there was no build going on. We did some sightseeing, relaxing and certainly deeper relationship building with the Honduran people. We also viewed some interesting agricultural projects World Accord is doing in association with Asocialayo, World Accord’s partner in Honduras. Asocialayo is a farmers co-op group and we travelled with an agronomist staff member on two different days. The project featured 8 different varieties of beans (baking types) grown in 4 different locations. The study was testing for production as well as resistance to weevils and preference of the people for flavour and cooking. The object in the long run is to hybridize for optimum results of all the testing. The testing groups besides physically caring for the planting were monitoring temperature, humidity and growth daily. There were women instrumental in all aspects of the experiment as they are important in determining the desired qualities for eating as well as production! It was a very interesting time and as farmers ourselves we are interested in the results! All in all we had a lovely trip! Vaya con Dios, Becky Yours in Christ, Gwyn, Kat, Becky and Shannon gwyn@communityofchrist.ca kat@communityofchrist.ca becky@communityofchrist.ca smcadam@communityofchrist.ca HAPPY NEW YEAR! May your 2024 be filled with joy, hope, love, and peace. We pray that your heart may be open to the callings of the spirit to share generously of your time, talents, treasure, and testimony in the year ahead. Yours in Christ, Gwyn, Kat, Becky and Shannon gwyn@communityofchrist.ca kat@communityofchrist.ca becky@communityofchrist.ca smcadam@communityofchrist.ca JOY It is with Joy, your Mission Centre President Team wishes you a very Merry Christmas. May you allow joy to fill your heart and carry you through these dark but shining days. May celebrating the birth of Christ renew your enjoyment of life and may you feel connected in joy with your neighbours far and near. Yours in Christ, Gwyn, Kat, Becky and Shannon gwyn@communityofchrist.ca kat@communityofchrist.ca becky@communityofchrist.ca smcadam@communityofchrist.ca LOVE This third week of advent, your Mission Centre President Team send you greetings of Love. May you feel God's love for you warming your heart and radiating to all those you connect with. As the season gets busier, may you find strength and courage from that love of God that holds you unconditionally. Yours in Christ, Gwyn, Kat, Becky and Shannon gwyn@communityofchrist.ca kat@communityofchrist.ca becky@communityofchrist.ca smcadam@communityofchrist.ca Let's come together to celebrate the holiday season and spread joy, hope, love and peace! Click on the video above to watch a wonderful Christmas Message from our Mission Centre Presidency Team! Yours in Christ, Gwyn, Kat, Becky and Shannon gwyn@communityofchrist.ca kat@communityofchrist.ca becky@communityofchrist.ca smcadam@communityofchrist.ca PEACE This second week of advent, your Mission Centre President Team sends you greetings of Peace. May you be blessed this season with moments of peace and reconciliation in your heart and in your close relationships. May you be challenged this season to find ways to be peace in the world, for our planet and its people. Yours in Christ, Gwyn, Kat, Becky and Shannon gwyn@communityofchrist.ca kat@communityofchrist.ca becky@communityofchrist.ca smcadam@communityofchrist.ca |
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