Community of Christ Enduring Principles Spotlight​

Elsewhere in this week’s news and events columns you will see my announcement about the cancellation of Canada West Mission Centre in-person events until at least the end of August. This provides an opportunity for some reflections on the current impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Community of Christ. I will offer a bit more of a retrospective on the whole year of COVID in the third week of March when we are at the one-year anniversary of the shut-down of local church services.
 
We find ourselves at a promising time in the pandemic. The vaccine roll-out, after a discouragingly slow and inconsistent start, now appears to be on track. All four provinces in Canada West Mission Centre are now reporting significant numbers of vaccinations, particularly among residents of long-term care facilities and now moving to some health care workers, senior citizens outside of facilities and some first responders. In Alberta (where I live) it is being projected that all persons of any age or occupation who desires a vaccination will be able to receive it by about the end of July. A recent article in the Edmonton Journal described the very positive and promising effect of vaccinations in long-term care facilities in Alberta.
 
Meanwhile we are all still dealing with at least some level of the restrictions which have become common in recent months. Travel is discouraged, except for necessary purposes. Indoor and outdoor gatherings are still restricted. The basic measures of masks, distancing and hand washing/sanitizing now seem ever-present and almost just a natural part of what we do each day.
 
The continuing impact of the pandemic on Community of Christ operations is obvious. Most congregations in Canada West are still not gathering in-person in any way. Many congregations are encouraging participation in some kind of regular online gatherings to maintain some sense of connection among members. These gatherings may be for worship purposes, “Sunday School” purposes, or just plain social visiting purposes. Some have instituted or increased telephone ministry. Only one congregation has returned to in-person services since October. They report significant efforts to abide by health authority requirements but report positive impacts of gathering together – despite masks and distancing – after the previous months of no services.
 
In the fall of 2020 Community of Christ leadership released procedures for conducting the sacraments of the church in situations where personal contact was not possible. Procedures for all sacraments except baptism were provided.

On February 6 over 130 members and friends were able to join in a service of ordination for two individuals where the ordinands were in different cities and the person offering the ordination prayers was in another country (the U.S.A.). It was an excellent worship experience in which the significance of the sacrament was truly felt and the presence of the Holy Spirit was evident. I am aware of inquiries concerning offering the sacrament of laying on of hands for the sick (“administration”) using electronic means. I have yet to hear of such prayers actually being offered.
 
It feels like we may be at a turning point in the pandemic. The authorities continue to warn us to not let our guard down lest the virus re-emerge, or its new variants take on a greater hold. Still, it seems that there is hope that we may see the end of the pandemic by late summer or sometime in the fall. We have come this far, we can deal with it for another few months.
 
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

SCHEDULE
(All times are in Pacific Time)

Friday February 26 
5:00 PM Community Dinner - Join when you can!

Saturday February 27
7:45 AM Zoom opens, log in now
8:00 AM Welcoming meditation – Vickie MacArthur
8:10 AM Welcome and Introductions to your team – Debra Donohue
8:20 AM Five Rhythms Spiritual Practice and Guided Meditation - Kat Goheen
9:20 AM Break
9:30 AM Journaling – Jeri Mortimore
10:30 AM Listening for the Soul – Shannon McAdam
11:30 AM Lunch
12:30 PM Wonder and Mental Health: Immediate Practices with Powerful Impact – Lana Cullis
1:30 PM Yoga Nidra – Vickie MacArthur
3:00 PM Break
3:30 PM Listening for the Soul – Shannon McAdam
4:00 PM Q&A with Facilitators – Jeri Mortimore
4:30 PM Dinner
5:30 PM Satsang: Singing into Silence – Vickie and Doug MacArthur with Drumming Guest Mary Jean Belrose
7:00 PM Goodnight

Sunday February 28
10:00 AM Closing Gathering – Shannon McAdam

 
​   Grace and Generosity

• God’s grace, especially as revealed in Jesus Christ, is generous and unconditional.
• Having received God’s generous grace, we respond generously and graciously receive the generosity of others. 
• We offer all we are and have to God’s purposes as revealed in Jesus Christ. 
• We generously share our witness, resources, ministries, and sacraments according to our true capacity.

https://www.cofchrist.org/enduring-principles

Mardi Gras, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday and Lent

Which of the terms in that title are familiar to you? You may recognize “Mardi Gras” as referring to the colourful (to say the least) celebrations famously held in New Orleans (and other locations) each year at this time. Mardi Gras, in all its celebratory excesses, actually arises from the more restrictive and definitely religious tradition of Shrove Tuesday in which Anglo-Saxon Christians went to confession with their local priest and were “schriven” (i.e., absolved of their sins). Associated with Shrove Tuesday is the tradition of “Fat Tuesday” – which is the direct translation of “Mardi Gras” – in which people attempted to use up the fats and sugars in their pantries in advance of the tradition of fasting for Lent (see below for more on Lent). This is the origin in England of what you may have heard of as “Pancake Tuesday” and thus the pancake suppers held usually at Anglican churches.

Ash Wednesday is the day after Shrove Tuesday. The ashes are traditionally made from the dried palm leaves of “last year’s” Palm Sunday celebrations, just before Easter. A pinch of ash is traditionally smudged on a person’s forehead by their priest as a sign of penance (perhaps in response to the excesses of the night before?!). (All of this information, and more, is readily accessible from a variety of sources through a “Google Search”.)

Finally, Ash Wednesday (February 17 this year) is the first day of the season of Lent.

Lent is a time of preparation. A time when we move toward the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. A time to move intently toward God, ridding ourselves of the distance and distractions we have built into our relationships. Lent is when we are called to respond with radical generosity and spiritual discipline to God’s covenants that we may draw near to the One we seek.

                                                             -From “A Guide for Lent,” p. 2

You may be familiar with the question, “What are you giving up for Lent?” This arises from the spiritual practice of fasting that is connected with the tradition of Lent – thus the purging of fats and sugars on Shrove/Pancake Tuesday.

None of these terms or occasions have been traditionally a part of the practice of Community of Christ. I was aware of Pancake Tuesday as a child only because we went to the Anglican Church every year for the pancake supper! I was distantly aware that some of my Catholic and mainline Protestant friends were marking this season of Lent.

In the last fifteen to twenty years or so, you may have heard a bit more about Lent in our church because it is a major part of the Christian calendar that provides the themes for our worship planning guides. Although fasting may be mentioned in those resources, the main emphasis is on meditation and spiritual practices that focus on preparing for the Easter season. Easter Sunday occurs 40 days after Ash Wednesday (not including Sundays) – which recognizes the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness after his baptism and before he began his formal ministry.

Check “A Guide for Lent,” on the church website for more information and six weeks’ worth of suggestions for meditations and worship leading to Easter.

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

Community of Christ Enduring Principles Spotlight:
Hey! What happened to the statements about whose lives matter? Glad you asked. Glad you noticed!
Repeated messages often begin to be ignored after a certain amount of repetition. Sometimes a change helps reinforce intended messages.
​
Watch this space over the next few weeks for an emphasis on issues related to Enduring Principles and their application to Christ’s Mission, Our Mission.

In last week’s “moment,” I presented some thoughts on the Post-Pandemic Church that were generated by a workshop sponsored by Canada West Mission Centre in January. The workshop challenged us to consider how the experience of living with COVID might affect our expectations of church after the pandemic.

This week, I want to be sure you take a few minutes to watch a video prepared by Apostle Art Smith on the topic, “All Voices Discerning Across Canada.”

Through the video Art is inviting all of us to participate with him in a conversation about discerning the future of Community of Christ in Canada. Art’s challenge is similar to that presented by the January workshop which, in turn, is consistent with the challenge of “Metamorphosis” that was presented by President Stephen Veazey in an article printed in the “Herald” magazine a year ago.

The point of all three of these “challenges” is that Community of Christ is anticipating a period of significant change over the next few years. “What!?,” you might exclaim, “Has the church not changed enough over the last few decades? Can’t we just stay the way we are for a while and catch our breath?” The realistic answer to that question is, “No.”

Church leadership must continue to look to the future to be sure we are financially secure. (Aside: See the very encouraging most recent Contributions Update that show: first, that we are now over $80 million towards the goal of $120 million for the “Bridge of Hope” campaign; and, second, that, despite the congregational and church facility closures of 2020, contributions to World Church Mission Tithes were within the budget goal range for the year!) Thank you to all who made or continued their generous gifts to the church! Adjustments to programming and staff must always be considered against the expected generosity of contributors from year to year.

Further, church leadership at all levels must continue to look to the future just to stay ahead of where church members are taking the church by their various levels and kinds of participation. Church members (and friends) strongly influence the direction of the church through their participation (or lack of it) at the local and mission centre level.

In the video Art mentions the efforts of the World Church Leadership Council to discern elements of the future for the church. Such discernment is only possible through prayerful consideration of the leadings of the Holy Spirit AND through direct involvement with, and understanding of, the priorities that are being expressed by members at local levels through the kinds of mission activities they are supporting (or not supporting).

These conversations all support each other and are intended to support both church members and leaders as we all try to discern Christ’s Mission in our communities and in today’s world. I invite your active participation in such conversations with your congregation, your mission centre, and your apostle!

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

Join us on February 17 at 11am PST, Noon MST and 1pm CST for a special Ash Wednesday Daily Prayer for Peace event on the church's Facebook page. Participants do not need a Facebook account to watch.

​Mark this special service on your calendars and plan to attend this virtual service which will be available via Zoom. Please click on the button below and be sure to use the link that appears now. There were problems with the previous link and it was replaced.
 
We will celebrate the ordination of Brenda Senga (Saskatoon) to the office of High Priest/Evangelist and Doug Hayden (Calgary) to the office of High Priest. Both calls were approved at the 2019 Mission Conference in Edmonton. Ordinations had been delayed due to the COVID pandemic.
 
Apostle Art Smith will bring the ordination message and officiate for both ordinations. Mission Centre President Steve Thompson will preside. Several others will participate in this special service to celebrate the call of these two servants to further service in the church.
 
The service will begin at the following time in each time zone:

• 10 AM Pacific (British Columbia)
• 11 AM Mountain (Alberta)
• Noon Central (Saskatchewan and Manitoba)
• 1 PM Eastern (Ontario)

Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter
 
For two Saturdays in January at least twenty-eight congregational leaders from Canada West and Canada East Mission Centres participated in a workshop on the theme: Exploring a Post-Pandemic Church: Discern, Plan and Act in Hope. The workshop was sponsored by Canada West and was facilitated by Joan and Carman Thompson from the Kitchener, Ontario, Community of Christ. For about five hours each day (plus homework assignments in between the days!) we were challenged to consider how the experience of living with COVID might affect our expectations of church after the pandemic.
 
Here is just one sample question from early in the workshop: What might be the difference between gathering together to follow a worship outline, versus gathering together to engage meaningfully in each other’s lives?
 
We discussed societal changes that are affecting the growth and ministry of Christian churches. We discussed models of doing things “To” people (typical of oppression and injustice), “For” people (typical of arrogance and band-aid solutions), and “With” people (typical of transformation, meaningful relationships, and, wait for it… “Mission!”). We talked about various experiences of exercises of discernment in our lives and in our congregations to determine what we felt God was calling us to do.
 
Here are some key phrases and challenges from the workshop that may be useful to you:

• If you were building a congregation “from scratch,” what would you include in it? What would you intentionally NOT include?
• “It is not about time; it is about direction. It is a long journey with no shortcuts. We must be willing to be shaped by the Spirit.”
• Consider the potential effectiveness of a small “mission group” of 2 or 3 or 4 people – not the entire congregation – with a commitment to determine one or two specific needs of the community they feel called to serve and feel the empowerment to go and do that.
• “How do we become Communities of Christ in a fearful world?”

 
Here are a couple of my own questions for you:

• What have you missed from your previous “normal” church life in the last 10 months? Will you do them any differently in the future?
• What have you NOT missed for the past ten months and may even dread having to deal with again when the pandemic restrictions are over? How could you do them differently in the future? Or could you just not do them at all?

As with all good workshops we came away with a few good ideas and lots more challenges.
 
I enthusiastically urge all congregation leaders and members to consider how we might “do church different” after the pandemic. We have had almost a year of doing church differently and I think we are actually surviving better than we thought we might have. What can you and your congregation learn from your experience and the experiences of others as you explore and build your post-pandemic church? This may be our opportunity to build the Community of Christ that we have always thought we could be!
 
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