​Sundays

BC Community of Christ Online Gathering
Hosted by the Vancouver Congregation
Sunday mornings
9:30am Pacific Time - Visiting and gathering 
10am Pacific Time - Service
Contact Chris Phelps at cphelps@shaw.ca for Zoom links.

Creating Connection Book Club 
Third Monday of every other month at 7pm PT/ 8pm MT/ 9pm CT. To join please visit the Creating Connection Meetup group. For details about the next session click here.

Virtual Visiting Fellowship 
Tuesday mornings at 11am CST/ 10am MST/ 9am PST. To participate please contact Gloria Stanton. For more details click here.

​Creating Connection presents: An Afternoon of Nurturing Spirit
Wednesdays from 3pm to 4:30pm Pacific Time. To join please visit the Creating Connection Meetup group.

Oasis Meditative Experience
​(sessions will resume in November)
Wednesdays from 6:40 to 7:00pm Pacific Time. Click here to learn more! To receive a weekly Zoom invitation, please send an email to Kat Goheen.​

Creating Connection presents: Coffee and Conversation
Thursdays from 10:30am to noon Pacific Time. To join please visit the Creating Connection Meetup group.

For a list of Online Ministries please click here.

World Accord Office has officially moved. With two full time staff now in the Ottawa region, they have relocated their office to Ottawa. World Accord's new address is:

World Accord
c/o Heartwood House
404 McArthur
Ottawa, ON
K1K 1G8
​Canada

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to World Accord new Executive Director, Kristin Douglas at kdouglas@worldaccord.org

​I’m reading about holding environments right now – the idea that what we experience when we’re young influences our experience of trust as we grow. If we find what we need often enough as a youngster, we believe that the universe is benign and helpful. If we don’t, then we try to create a different reality and turn away from what surrounds us. I don’t know what it means about me, but I do tinker a lot! I’m always imagining how things could be better. Perhaps it’s part of growing up around the idea of Zion – God’s kin-dom here on earth.
 
On Sunday, we meditated on Psalm 139, with those familiar words: “O Lord, you have searched me and known me.” As I settled into silence, I realized that this scripture is all about a present holding environment, in that God knows me intimately, knows everywhere I could possibly go and everything I could do. No matter what, God is present.
 
This brings an image to mind: you and I are floating on a salty body of water (like the Dead Sea or a float tank) that will effortlessly support our bodies, letting us lay back and relax. Yet we thrash about with our arms and legs, trying to stay vertical, refusing to let go and rest. Here is some wisdom from our church administrator’s handbook that can remind us to follow the rhythm of our lives and participate in life around us rather than managing it all!

BRINGING BALANCE TO LIFE

All life needs a rhythm of rest. There is a rhythm in our waking and the body’s need for sleep. There is a rhythm in the way day dissolves into night and night into morning. There is a rhythm as the active growth of spring and summer is quieted by the necessary dormancy of fall and winter. There is a tidal rhythm, a deep, eternal conversation between the land and the great sea. In our bodies, the heart perceptibly rests after each life-giving beat. The lungs rest between breathing out and inhaling. We have lost this essential rhythm. Our culture invariably supposes that action and accomplishment are better than rest, that doing something—anything—is better than doing nothing. Because of our wish to succeed, to meet these ever-growing expectations, we do not rest. Because we do not rest, we lose our way. We miss the compass points that would show us where to go. We bypass the nourishment that would give us succor. We miss the quiet that would give us wisdom. We miss the joy and love born of effortless delight. Poisoned by the hypnotic belief that good comes only through unceasing, determination and tireless effort, we can never rest. And because we need rest, our lives are in danger.
​
Sabbath is a gift of God to remind us and give us permission to rest, to bring balance into our lives. Even our dedication to the service of others as ministers, when not balanced with healthy living, can lead to suffering in ourselves, our families, and in the ones we are trying to serve. Even God rested on the seventh day (Genesis 2:2). We rest to bring balance to our lives, to see the goodness that God has placed in all creation.  

Community of Christ Church Administrator's Handbook

Self-care is such a big topic right now; do you feel it too? It hasn’t always been so – in times of war, service is forefront. In times of hardship, survival is. In this moment there is a yearning for a fullness of life that brings self-care to the fore.

​I hope that we look to Jesus as an example when we need discernment. What about the area of self care? So many times he went away to be by himself, even when it mystified and irritated his followers. He spoke his mind and was assertive even with those he loved. When he was tired, he slept, even in the midst of a storm! He did not seem to be caught up in ego concerns at all but embodied each moment as it came. ‘Worried’ is not a word that describes him, although he did grieve in the Garden of Gethsemane. It is true that he emptied himself even to the point of death, but he was a participant in that process, not a victim.
 
My big takeaway from looking at Jesus through the lens of self-care is his relationship with his Abba, God. That tender and constant thread relieved many of the pressures that we experience that fall under the category of “needless suffering”. Jesus shows me that sometimes my self-care is found in caring for others. So what should capture our precious attention? Ruminating about the past, fretting about the future, the thoughts and judgments of others? I would like to share more of my precious attention with God and look to God’s will. I hope you will join me!

​Yours in Christ,
Gwyn, Kat, and Shannon
gwyn@communityofchrist.ca
​kat@communityofchrist.ca
smcadam@communityofchrist.ca

It’s a wonderful opportunity to connect with you through these messages. It’s becoming apparent over the months that the feeling tone of the ones I write is more like our Disciple’s Generous Response rather than our Daily Bread! Part of my spiritual journey is to keep close tabs on the health of my heart (both physically and spiritually) and generosity is a great metric for heart health. Where my treasure is, there my heart is also. Just like my sermons, I’m ‘speaking to the mirror’ with these messages, reminding myself of what I already know leads to life.
 
Two aspects of heart-healthy stewardship come to mind right now. The first is our camping season! This year we move back into a fee-based camp experience where we know exactly how much camp costs in advance and what we are expected to contribute. Our directors are assembling registration information right now to make this clear. This is an opportunity to let our values influence our budgets in the next few months, allowing us to respond generously to the opportunity to gather again. What if you are not able to go and experience camping in person? I wonder if this is also an invitation to extend grace to others in the form of donations so that they can experience one of our most wonderful offerings as a church.
 
The other part of heart-healthy stewardship addresses the news cycle. I was in airports a lot this weekend, journeying to our friends in Saskatoon, and was struck by the numbing that watching loops of news can bring. It’s heart-breaking, but the situation in Ukraine is not improving! I can keep my heart open and respond by once again donating to those helpers who are on the ground doing their best to end suffering. I can light my light in the face of darkness and tend the flame, partnering with the Holy Spirit in divine work.
 
May our faithful God bless and keep our hearts!  

​​Yours in Christ,
Gwyn, Kat, and Shannon
gwyn@communityofchrist.ca
​kat@communityofchrist.ca
smcadam@communityofchrist.ca