 By Karen Newman, SLIM Pastor of Mission Mission is a passion of mine, and one of the things I love about our SLIM family is how willing everyone is to help others. Sharing Love In Mission (SLIM) is a fully online congregation based in Chatham, Ontario, with members mostly from Canada and the United States, as well as a few from other countries around the world. A typical Sunday gathering brings 10–15 of us together on Zoom to socialize, share our joys and concerns, pray, worship, and talk about mission. We try to take on a mission project every month, and this summer gave us two wonderful opportunities to make a difference in our community. For our July mission project, we decided to provide some much-deserved treats to our local first responders. I contacted each location to find out how many people worked there and whether they had freezer space so we could make sure there was something for everyone. On July 20, our Spiritual Advisor, Margie Lamoure, and I delivered almost 400 frozen treats and nine large fruit trays to Chatham-Kent EMS, Chatham Police, Chatham Fire, and the Ontario Provincial Police. Everyone was so appreciative — and surprised that we wanted to do this for them! It felt great to give something back to people who give so much to their community. In August, we once again supported FreeHelpCK’s annual backpack program, which helps local families provide their children with the supplies they need for school. My original goal was to purchase and fill 40 backpacks. With financial support from the SLIM family, that original goal grew from 40 backpacks to 64, which I delivered to FreeHelpCK on August 13. I love watching our members get behind these projects, especially when a particular need speaks to someone and they decide to give a little extra to help us do even more. I have always been someone who likes to help others in need, even when I didn’t have a lot myself, and I was honoured when I was asked to become SLIM’s Pastor of Mission a few years ago. Members bring mission ideas to our Sunday gatherings or contact me directly, and our pastors then talk about how we can respond and what resources we have available. As Pastor of Mission, I help turn those ideas into action by connecting with organizations, finding out what they need, and coordinating our projects. We may gather online from many different places, but we consider ourselves a SLIM Family, and together we keep finding ways to share love in mission. Do you have a story like this one? We would love to hear it and share the good news with members and friends around the world. Send us your notes at [email protected], and our team will be happy to help you turn them into a story. Let’s Celebrate Mission together!
0 Comments
 By Leandro Palacios, Director of Communications When people ask, “Why should I join Community of Christ instead of any other mainstream Protestant church?”, what should we say? Chuck Boyd, a former pastor of the Toronto congregation who is now a member of the Woodfield congregation, asked President Stassi Cramm and members and friends from across Ontario a question along those lines when they gathered at the Corinth congregation last Saturday to celebrate its 150th anniversary. When he was baptized in 1945, our members believed that ours was the one and only true church. While Chuck admitted that he himself wasn't fully comfortable with the claim and its implications for relations with our neighbours, he believed that it offered solid ground for our faith and identity, and also gave us a solid “sales pitch” to invite people to Christ. In the decades since that time, we stopped teaching that we had a monopoly on the true gospel and acknowledged that other churches—and in fact other religions—could also be valid spiritual paths or ways to connect with the divine. That’s when our old invitational sales pitch became obsolete. Now what? The question led to a fruitful conversation about our shared identity and mission, but in the end, I think we weren’t able to fully address Chuck’s main concern. Since that weekend, I have reflected back on the question. And it seems to me that the answer to questions like “Why this church and not others?” or “What does this church have to offer that others don’t?” was all around us at the Corinth congregation that day: When I arrived, I took a few photos of the building’s exterior. Everything looked beautiful, yes, but I wouldn’t say it was unique—although the flower bed was amazing! But when I opened the door and walked in, our church history greeted me with what felt like an unexpected warm embrace. That was special! I was effusively embraced by historic artifacts including photos, hymnals, letters, stories, articles, membership records, games, a model of the Independence Temple, and more. Led by congregation historian Nancy Baer, the Corinthians—that’s what local members call themselves and I love it—had laid out the congregation’s history on a wonderful display, filling tabletops and walls with their inheritance. Nancy also did something that made me—as Communications Director and as someone who loves history—extremely thankful and excited: she invited everyone to write down their memories, testimonies, and other stories and compiled them all together into a large binder. But that day I was also embraced by a giant “Map of Ancient America” that was likely still used back when Chuck was baptized, even though today we understand it does not reflect at all the history of the Indigenous peoples of the Americas. And during the worship service, we sang hymns that no longer reflect our understanding of the gospel. While the congregation today is fully welcoming and is actively promoting the gospel in mission without making exclusive claims, the Corinthians proudly embrace and celebrate their own story, even those parts that we often hide away and don’t talk about for fear that someone will find out about our Restoration roots. Today we know we are not the one and only church. Neither are we better than all other churches. So what should be our sales pitch today? What I witnessed at Corinth reminds us that in Community of Christ, as we learn new and better ways to understand scripture and the good and not so good chapters of our shared story, we learn to discern the path forward. We certainly cannot claim to be the “one and only true church,” but perhaps we can invite people to true transformation. Our heritage gives us a unique lens to continue to grow and learn and be transformed not only as a church, but also as individuals. In our lives, we all have things we would rather hide away from others, things that make us feel guilty and unworthy. But what if the embarrassing things we try to hide in the closet are actually what make us special? I believe that celebrating our story while recognizing past errors and remaining prayerfully committed to always becoming more inclusive, more loving, and more Christ-like is very special indeed. A huge shout-out to the Corinth congregation for showing that responsibly celebrating our heritage can bring about the honest transformation we need to discern our path forward. Congratulations on your 150th anniversary!  Community of Christ is calling for prayers following severe flooding in central Nepal, which has affected communities along the Bootkoski River, including Nuwakot, home to three Community of Christ congregations in Deurali, Raigaun, and Tupche.
Families connected with the Deurali and Raigaun congregations are reported to be safe. In Tupche, several families have experienced serious damage or destruction to their homes and livelihoods, and floodwaters swept away some small businesses. Communication disruptions have also left a few family members out of contact. No deaths have been reported among Community of Christ families at this time. Stephen Thompson of World Accord reports that its programs in Nepal have not been affected by the flooding. A local leader, however, expects the flooding to have many long-term effects across the country. We hold the people of Nepal in our thoughts and prayers as communities face the immediate effects of the flooding and what lies ahead.  By Quinlan Stevenson, Camp Director Junior High Camp 2026 brought plenty of laughter, challenges, learning, and memorable moments. As a first-time director, I went into the week knowing that I wouldn’t have all the answers, but I was fortunate to be surrounded by a team I could rely on. More than anything, I wanted camp to happen so that the kids could have some of the same experiences that meant so much to me when I was their age. Our theme this year was “See God Everywhere,” and looking back, I think that became true in ways that went beyond our planned activities and classes. God could be seen in people helping one another, in new connections being made, in laughter around camp, in the beauty of the grounds around us, and even in the moments when plans changed and everyone worked together to make the best of the situation. One of the campers’ favourite activities throughout the week was fishing at the pond. A few of them even brought their own fishing rods and tackle boxes, which made the activity even more exciting for them. It became a real highlight of the week, and we ended up fishing every day except for the last one. Along with fishing, the kids also enjoyed creating crafts with clay and baking them in the oven. They made all kinds of unique pieces, and it was amazing to see how much creativity each camper brought to the activity. Between fishing, swimming, games, campfires, crafts, theme activities, and plenty of time just being together, there was rarely a dull moment. Watching the campers make new friends, try new things, and genuinely enjoy being at camp was one of my favourite parts of the week. That last part of our week looked a little different when smoke from the forest fires in northern Ontario moved into the area. As the sky turned orange and the air grew heavier, my team sprang into action and made the best of a difficult situation. We moved our outdoor activities into the main area of the Arnold Peace Lodge, where the kids came together and built a huge mattress fort! There are certainly things I would change or improve for next year, and I know I still have a lot to learn as a director. But I think that is part of what makes this experience meaningful. I finished the week tired, with plenty of notes for next year, but also incredibly thankful for everything we were able to create together. Junior High wasn’t perfect — and it didn’t need to be. It was meaningful, memorable, occasionally chaotic, and something I am very grateful to have been a part of. This camp would not have been possible without the incredible people who volunteered their time, energy, and talents to make the week a success. As much as I wish I could thank everyone individually in this post, it would end up being far too long! So while I’m only able to shout out a few people here, please know that if you played any part in making camp as successful as it was, I am incredibly grateful. A huge thank you goes to Robert Smith and Bev Huffman for keeping everyone well fed with amazing meals every day. Their cooking was so appreciated that it came up more than once during the “highlights of the day” around the campfire. I’m also incredibly grateful to Becky Grigsby for leading our theme class in fun and interactive ways, to Natasha Buchanan for leading campfire each night, to my sister Madeira for taking on the important role of camp nurse, and to my parents, Dave and Sheri, for offering their knowledge, encouragement, and guidance throughout the week. If you’ve never been to Junior High Camp before, next year would be a great time to give it a try. Whether you’re coming back to see old friends or trying it out for the first time, there will be plenty of opportunities to have fun, make memories, and be part of the camp community. Junior High Camp 2027 will take place July 17–23, 2027, and I hope to see you there! |
All Categories
All
Archives
September 2026
|
RSS Feed