 So Many Topics, So Little Space
Quite often as I sit down to write this weekly blurb I have difficulty knowing what to talk with you about. This week there are three topics that need mentioning. I can really only do justice to them one at a time. I will discuss one today and discuss the other two in the next two weeks. Topic 1: June is “Pride Month.” There is too much to discuss in a paragraph. But rather than let the month slip away too far, please consult Harmony’s “Pride Month 2021 Activities” page. Pick a couple of activities that catch your interest and log on. And be sure to check out the “Resilient” t-shirt offer! I will come back to this topic in 2 weeks. Topic 2: Muslim family run down in apparent hate crime in London, Ontario. Check your local newspapers for coverage of this horrific story. I will come back to this story next week. Topic 3: Remains of 215 children found in unmarked and undocumented graves near the former Kamloops Indian Residential School. Here we go… Indigenous lives matter. Just before the weekend of May 29, Canadians were shocked to learn that the lives of 215 children did not matter at the time they died while attending an Indian Residential School in Kamloops, BC. The remains were found in unmarked graves on the grounds of the former school. For just one of many media stories about this tragedy see: Remains of 215 children found (story includes text and short videos from CTV News). The school was operated by the Catholic Church from 1890 to 1969. The discovery, while distressing to most Canadians, was sad confirmation to most First Nations persons of the family and community stories that had been shared among them over the past many decades. Stories that told of children taken away to residential schools but who never returned. Parents and other family members may not even have been told exactly what had happened to the children. As members and friends of Community of Christ, what are we to do in response to this news? It is as difficult a question for us as it is for most Canadians. This adds another layer of complexity to the processes of reconciliation which, at some level, have been under way since the conclusion of the work of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in 2015. As in most uncomfortable human situations, the first step is compassion, communication, and education, all of which can lead to greater understanding. Let me suggest these actions as reasonable options:
For a bit of inspiration, I further recommend to you the story and the recording of how the First Nations country and folk singer, Don Amero, approached his task of singing “O Canada” before the Jets-Canadiens hockey game on Wednesday, June 2 in Winnipeg. In addition to singing a “stunning, mournful anti-anthem” rendition of the song, he was flanked by an elder holding tobacco and an eagle feather, and a woman cradling a pair of baby moccasins. Powerful stuff! If a professional hockey team can enable a touching and meaningful recognition of this tragic event, surely we can afford at least a moment of silence at a church service this weekend (if you have not already had one). Reconciliation is one of those things that requires some large enabling actions on the part of national and First Nations governments. But the most meaningful part of reconciliation must occur “on the ground” between individuals and communities. I commend to you the challenge to find your way to contribute to this incredible national imperative. As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President steve@communityofchrist.ca
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 Catchy title? What does this mean to you? A statement of fact? A question? A challenge?
First, let me be clear that I have shamelessly stolen the title from a recent “Disciple’s Generous Response Moment” by Zac Harmon-McLaughlin. Zac’s point is essentially that many people have invested in him from the time he was a child, through his teen years, and into his young adulthood. Yes, some of that “investment” involved providing some financial assistance to ensure he could participate in some important and meaningful experiences which he now credits with changing his life in various ways. Mostly, however, that “investment” was in the form of others who cared about him, who mentored him, who encouraged him, who motivated him to learn and to understand many lessons of life in the context of many “communities of Christ” as well as specifically within the Community of Christ. I am using that title as a question: Who has invested in you to bring you to this point in your life? Who cared enough about you to ensure that you were exposed to good and meaningful experiences such as, for example, youth camps or SPEC or travel? Who has helped you find your way in life when life has been confusing? Perhaps it has been your parents or grandparents or other relatives. Perhaps it has been people from your congregation who wanted to do what they could to ensure you had a positive and meaningful experience at church or activities related to church. Or perhaps it was a teacher or a coach or a camp counselor or other friend who provided encouragement in just the right way at just the right time. I am using the title as a challenge: Who are you investing in? A child or teen who needs encouragement? A friend of any age who just needs a friendly listening ear and maybe a bit of good advice as they deal with one (or more) life’s challenges? Or maybe a family member that just needs to be reminded once in a while that they are loved? Are you “paying forward” investment in others that at some point in your life benefitted you? There are lots of questions here. Answers may not be obvious for some people. Perhaps you really have difficulty thinking of people who invested in you at some point in your life. Or perhaps you don’t feel you have the skills or opportunity to invest in others now. It is possible that life has been hard and just continues to be hard. At this point, let me reinforce one of the enduring principles of the church: all persons are of worth. All persons are of worth in the sight of God. All persons have worth, whether they recognize it or not, in their families, in their communities, in their schools, and/or in their workplaces – and in their congregations or whatever constitutes their church community. As persons of worth, we can be invested in. As persons of worth, we can invest in others. And that investment can be in the form of support, of friendship, of good advice, of a listening ear, of sharing important experiences – and, yes, sometimes of helping in some monetary way. Jesus challenged us with the two greatest commandments: This is the greatest and first commandment. “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ ” (Matthew 22:37-39) Invest in each other! As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President steve@communityofchrist.ca  This past Sunday, May 23, was celebrated as Pentecost in the Christian calendar. You may know that Pentecost, as a Christian event, originates with the story in Acts 2 of the gift of the Holy Spirit to Christ’s followers in the form of wind and of fire and of speaking in tongues (people speaking in foreign languages but being understood by all those around them). The event gains further emphasis from the sermon of the apostle Peter addressed to the large crowd that had gathered, apparently numbering in the thousands, following which about 3,000 persons believed what they heard and were reportedly baptized. This mass conversion is sometimes recognized as the actual beginning of the Christian Church. As both an event and a word, “Pentecost” has some fascinating history behind it. Much of it that is directly related to its Christian significance is easily found from many sources. For example, the word “Pentecost” literally means “fifty” or “fifty days.” It marks fifty days since Easter. (Actually, it is seven weeks since Easter, so technically only 49 days – but that may be quibbling.) I found an article titled, What is Pentecost and Where Did it Come From? that explains the Jewish heritage of the day in a clear and concise a manner. I encourage you to read the article. Among other interesting facts is that, although it was also known as “Pentecost” in the Jewish tradition, it also had an alternate name of the Festival of Weeks: seven weeks of seven days (a “week of weeks”) since the feast of the Passover. As you will recall, it was the celebration of Passover that had brought people into Jerusalem in the week before Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The Festival of Weeks had brought people into Jerusalem from many nations of the known world – thus the opportunity for the miracle or gift of “speaking in tongues” that was a manifestation of the Holy Spirit for Christ’s followers. On Sunday, the Beyond the Walls online service from the Toronto congregation took on a very interesting challenge to mark Pentecost. The planners set out to have 50 languages spoken during the service, taking that cue from Pentecost’s meaning of “fifty” as well as the cacophony of languages reported in Acts 2. They fell slightly short with “only” about 40 languages represented in the service. It was still quite remarkable. A person speaking each language read a portion of scripture related to Christ’s ministry. The screen showed the language – often in its own script rather than the Arabic-based script of English writing – as the person read the few verses of scripture, along with its translation into English, French, and Spanish. If you have not seen the service, it can be found here: Testify in 50 Languages. The story of Pentecost in Acts 2 is a representation of the impact of faith in the public square. Peter had to assure those watching that the people speaking in strange languages were not drunk. (It was apparently too early in the morning for that!) Then, having defended the language (and sobriety) of his friends, Peter preached the good news of Jesus Christ to the assembled crowd and, according to the record, convinced a good portion of these unbelievers to believe and to respond by being baptized. The lesson for us is to not be ashamed when some element of our faith becomes visible to those around us, and that to then confidently share what that faith is all about may have more positive influence on those people than we might expect. It is a call to courageously share our faith more often. As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President steve@communityofchrist.ca A Moment with the Mission Centre President–All Voices Canada and Samish Fundraiser Concert5/19/2021  The first event of the “All Voices Canada” conference occurred on Saturday, May 15. It brought together over 140 people from across Canada to share with each other what Community of Christ means to them. We heard recorded “testimonies” from seven people in response to two questions:
Then everyone was invited to discuss their own responses in break-out sessions of smaller numbers of participants. These sessions enabled people from Canada East and Canada West mission centres to gain understanding and appreciation of what the church means to each of them from all areas of the country. The next day, on Sunday morning, the Beyond the Walls online church service, originating from the Toronto congregation, provided the opportunity for seven more testimonies to be shared. A recording of this service is available here: Beyond the Walls May 16. You may note a majority of voices from Canada West in this service. The reverse was the situation for the Saturday conference. A recording of the Saturday conference is not available. About 40 testimonies have been received in writing and many of them have been recorded. You can watch for those recorded testimonies (including those shared at the Saturday conference and the Sunday service) to be posted to the website: www.AllVoices.ca. As of today (May 18) the recordings have not yet been posted. However, if you scroll down to the “Testimony Tapestry” area of that page, you will find the invitation for you to write your own contribution and forward it to Apostle Art Smith. I invite and urge you to take advantage of this opportunity to include your story in this growing “Testimony Tapestry.” A second major online event also occurred on Saturday. This was a fundraiser organized to benefit the Samish Island Campground as it makes its way through a second year of hosting no church or community events and therefore realizing no rental income. The event featured sharing by people with long histories with Samish and what the campground has meant to them. This included church members as well as representatives of organizations who have rented the grounds for their events for many years. The sharing of these individuals was interspersed with professional musical entertainment from church members and from other artists who responded to the invitations of friends to perform for the benefit of the Samish Campground. The stated goal of the event was to raise $30,000 for the campground. The two co-hosts for the event (Alexis Beer from Canada West Mission Centre and Sean Langdon from Greater Pacific Northwest Mission Center) did a marvelous and entertaining job. Besides enthusiastically introducing the program participants and musicians, they regularly reminded all viewers/listeners of the purpose of the event and provided invitations to donate and instructions on how to donate – plus tactful and entertaining requests to donate MORE! By the end of the evening, they announced that the total raised had exceeded $50,000! Congratulations to everyone involved in this very successful event! There are too many individuals to name here. By categories they include the organizers and planners who did their work for the last few months, Alexis and Sean for their skillful hosting work, the people who provided the supportive testimonies of what Samish means to them, the behind-the-scenes people who made sure the program and videos all ran on schedule and that donation updates could be provided throughout the evening, all the artists who contributed so generously of their musical talents, and, finally, all of those who generously financially supported this event. Thank you to all! Both of these events are examples of “community in action.” All Voices Canada brought members and friends of Community of Christ together to discuss what is important to them about the church in Canada. The Samish Campground fundraiser brought together a diverse set of people from western Canada (mainly BC) and the U.S. Northwest – all friends of the campground regardless of their connection to the church – who recognize the importance of a place of spiritual and social significance to them and to so many others. Well done, everybody! Well done! As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of joy, hope, love, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President steve@communityofchrist.ca By Apostle Art Smith |
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