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!

What: Nurturing Creativity of the Soul Retreat
Where: Stillwood Retreat Centre at Cultus Lake
When: March 8-10, 2024
Register no later than March 1st and learn more at: www.NurturingSpirit.CreatingConnection.ca
Cost: $275 per person

Believe it or not, creativity isn’t a stable personality trait, nor a rare power possessed by only the chosen few with artistic temperaments. Creativity is also not limited to specific domains, like music, theatre, dance, or visual arts. And we all go through times when we feel hopeless to create change or a cultivate creativity in our lives. Perhaps you feel like you used to be creative but have somehow lost it. Or too busy, too rushed, too poor, or too boring, or too afraid, to benefit from exploring creative practices. 

Whether you consider yourself creative or not, it is possible to cultivate personal creativity. Improved health, increased joy and wellbeing, financial abundance are only a few of the benefits of cultivating creativity. But what exactly is the relationship between creativity and a well-nourished soul? To find out, join special guest facilitator Lana Cullis, in retreat March 8th to 10th at Stillwood Camp and Retreat Centre near Chilliwack BC.

Hosted by Creating Connection and Nurturing Spirit Retreats.
Package includes six meals, lodging, sessions and all workshop supplies.

​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! 

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?

At the next World Conference of Community of Christ, scheduled for Friday, May 30 through Friday, June 6, 2025, a significant chapter in the history of the church will be written with the approval and ordination of the next Prophet-President of the denomination. On January 17, 2024, the Council of Twelve Apostles of the church announced the completion of their discernment process concerning identifying the next church leader and identified Stassi D. Cramm, currently a Counselor in the current First Presidency, as the person to succeed current Prophet-President Stephen M. Veazey. New chapters in church history are started whenever a new Prophet-President is ordained. Assuming no unforeseen circumstances get in the way, this new Prophet-President will be the first woman ordained to this office.
 
I thought it would be timely, and hopefully interesting to readers, to review the processes by which each of the Prophet-Presidents have come to hold that office. I will split this description into two parts. In today’s Part 1 I will describe the processes by which the last four people have been named to the church’s most senior leadership position. In Part 2 (currently scheduled to be published in two weeks, rather than next month) I will describe the processes for the first five people to arrive into this position. Interestingly, although there are similarities in the processes, none are exactly like any other.
 
Stassi D. Cramm (Prophet-President-Designate) : The discernment process that has led to the naming of Stassi Cramm is recent and may already be familiar to you. However, there was at least one major “twist” in the process. In a letter to the church on March 6, 2023, President Stephen M. Veazey gave notice of his intention to retire as of the 2025 World Conference AND provided an outline of a church-wide discernment process to arrive at the name of the person to succed him which was to start immediately and conclude by February 2024. As it was described, the process would provide input to President Veazey and allow him to then decide on and name the individual. The “twist” in the process occurred with President Veazey encountering a significant health issue, announced to the church on July 27, 2023, which required him to withdraw from his leadership duties, including leading the discernment process.
 
On August 30, 2023, the two Counselors to the First Presidency, Scott Murphy and Stassi Cramm, announced to the church in a letter that had asked the Council of Twelve Apostles to assume leadership of the discernment process. The letter stated, “The council will follow the current timeline and process previously announced to the church.” The significant change is that instead of President Veazey essentially taking on the responsibility of naming his successor, the Council of Twelve collectively took on that responsibility. Inevitably that meant variations in the original process that included meetings of the Twelve and purpose-specific retreat at a church campground as a last step in the process before the announcement on January 17.
 
Stephen M. Veazey (Prophet-President, 2005 to, presumably, 2025): On November 29, 2004, President W. Grant McMurray delivered a letter of resignation, effective immediately, to his two Counselors. It fell to them, Peter A. Judd and Kenneth N. Robinson, to inform the Council of Twelve and then the church at large. This was uncharted territory for the church as this was the first time that an incumbent Prophet-President had not named a successor. Fortunately, such a potential situation had been foreseen by President Joseph Smith III, who drafted “A Letter of Instruction,” published in the Saints’ Herald on March 13, 1912. Several sections of the Book of Doctrine and Covenants were also cited to give support and guidance to the process. The Council of Twelve Apostles was tasked with leading a discernment process to determine the name of the person to be presented to the church for consideration. The Council requested the participation of the First Presidency, the Presiding Bishopric, the Presidents of Seventy, and the President of the High Priest Quorum to support and advise them. In addition they invited the prayerful and active participation of the church membership at large to support them in this process.
 
On March 2, 2005, unanimously confirmed their decision to name Stephen M. Veazey as their recommended candidate. Veazey at the time was the President of the Council of Twelve Apostles and had served the church in a variety of ministerial roles for several decades. A special World Conference was convened from June 2 to 5, 2005, for the express purpose of approving this nomination, then implementing the ordination of Stephen Veazey to the office of Prophet-President, and then approving other changes in church personnel that flowed from that process.
 
W. Grant McMurray (Prophet-President, 1996 to 2004): On September 19, 1995, President Wallace B. Smith met with the church headquarters staff to announce his pending retirement as of the upcoming World Conference in 1996 and to identify his successor as W. Grant McMurray. McMurray had been a member of the First Presidency since 1992 and had previously served the church as Church Secretary and in the Church Historian’s Office. Although there were many things to “juggle” in this nomination by Wallace B. Smith, perhaps the most difficult and emotional issue was passing church leadership outside of the Smith family for the first time. He cited the “Letter of Instruction” drafted by Joseph Smith III (his grandfather) as providing principles for succession and he stated his own three criteria that followed from that. They were: the person must be called by revelation through the present prophet/president; the call must be approved by a vote of the people in conference assembled; and the person must be properly ordained by those having the authority to do so.
 
At the 1996 World Conference President Smith presented his final inspired document to the church naming W. Grant McMurray as his successor. This was approved a vote of the conference. And McMurray was then “properly ordained” to the office by those having authority. Wallace B. Smith assumed the title of “Prophet Emeritus” and left the job of leading the church entirely to his successor.
 
Wallace B. Smith (Prophet-President, 1978 to 1996): In the spring of 1975, President W. Wallace Smith called his son, Wallace B. Smith, and asked if he could come over for a visit. In that visit the father asked the son to consider succeeding him as Prophet-President. He gave him a year to decide as he wished to announce his intended retirement date at the 1976 World Conference. (reference: Scherer, Journey of a People, Vol. 3, p. 400) Wallace consented after many months of consideration.
 
At the 1976 World Conference, his call was presented in a document to the church giving a two-year timeline of preparation for the position, after which he would be ordained at the World Conference of 1978. The challenge of history and tradition that had to be overcome was the fact that every other prophet-president had died in office. W. Wallace did not want to do that and the conference (both 1976 and 1978) finally accepted this.
 
Wallace B. had not previously held church employment, although he had certainly been active in his local congregations all his life. After a hectic two years of preparation, the 1978 World Conference accepted the call and he was ordained to the office.

**In two weeks: I will complete this description with the first five presidents of the church.**

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. 

We are grateful for the discernment process that has just concluded and are pleased to support Stassi D. Cramm as our new Community of Christ prophet/president designate. Stassi has given tirelessly of herself to our community, especially through the Council of Twelve, Graceland Seminary, Presiding Bishopric, and First Presidency. She is knowledgeable of our people and polity and will continue to bless us through her intelligence, experience, and pastoral heart.

We support her fully and ask for your prayerful support of her through this time of transition.

Signed,
Canada West Mission Centre President Team
Gwyn Beer
Kat Goheen
Shannon McAdam
Becky Middleton

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!

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.