•December 3• Climate Action Webinar Series: "Advent, Climate, and Action: Igniting Fire in Our Bones" •December 4-22• Advent Devotion Weekdays Online •December 6• Haven Meditative Experience Online •December 12• Blue Tuesday Service @Community of Christ Regina 2024
Written by Becky Middleton Canada West Mission Centre Co-President Nauvoo Experience From October 26 - November 14, 2013, I was privileged to volunteer at the Joseph Smith Historical Site in Nauvoo, Illinois. My first "official" assignment was to help carve Jack 'O' Lanterns for the town of Nauvoo's Pumpkin Walk - how fun is that! After some tutelage and practice with Lach MacKay I was ready to take my turns leading the guided tour of the historic sites which include: Nauvoo House, the Homestead cabin, the Mansion House, and the Red Brick Store. I really enjoyed sharing the history and stories surrounding Nauvoo and the early church with the many visitors who came to experience the Joseph Smith Historical Site. There were many insightful and interesting questions that people appreciated candid answers for. When I was not leading tours, I was able to help around the visitor center with decorating for Christmas and a few other tasks as well as visiting and getting to know my fellow volunteers. On my days "off " I visited the Latter-Day Saint sites and enjoyed interacting with the folks there too. I was very interested in the heritage of the era and the lovely old buildings. Many asked me interesting questions about my faith with the Community of Christ, being a woman with priesthood and a pastor in Canada. It was an enlightening time for many. I also visited the surrounding area either on foot or being chauffeured by some of the other wonderful volunteer/friends. These included the state park, present town of Nauvoo, Carthage jail and the Community of Christ congregation and campgrounds located at Nauvoo. My accommodation was a lovely heritage home overlooking the Mississippi river. Beautiful! All in all, it was a wonderful experience that I would love to do again and hope to! For additional information about becoming a volunteer, click on the button below or email lmackay@cofchrist.org A tour of Italy with the Historic Sites team is being planned for 2024! ![]() Yours in Christ, Gwyn, Kat, Becky and Shannon gwyn@communityofchrist.ca kat@communityofchrist.ca becky@communityofchrist.ca smcadam@communityofchrist.ca Historians Corner Vol. 1 | No. 6 For those of you who are reading this column carefully each month (and, really, who isn’t?!), you will recall that I dealt with an overview of the people who edited and contributed to “The District Leader” newsletter in Alberta and Saskatchewan Districts in the January 1961 issue. I will share some very brief excerpts of content here, from seventeen pages of fairly dense type, to give a bit of the flavour of the times. In his monthly column, Alberta District President, Seventy David Larmour, highlighted the following activities from the fall of 1960:
From the Calgary Branch (Vida L. Diaper reporting): “December has been a busy month… The Choral groups put in extra hours on musical offerings for the Christmas season, and the Women’s Dept. held their annual Christmas party, and their visiting committee was very active among the shut-ins. The Church School Christmas Tree and program was a delight to the little folks and adults alike, & there was standing room only, before Santa arrived. … Speakers for the Worship Services included Pastor E.B. McLean, Elders C.O. Diaper, Bruce Waddell, A.D. McLeod, Priest C.B. Gibson, Teacher J.F. Simpson and Deacons Laurence Boote and Albert Bates. A Carol Service was held on Christmas Eve, and two specially adapted Worship services was (sic) held on Christmas Day.” Saskatoon Branch News (Lottie C. Diggle reporting): “A Regional Missionary workshop was held in the church November 26th and 27th with District Missionary Keith Harvey and Elder Kenneth Wilkensen as instructors. … The Messiah (as performed in the Auditorium in Independence) will be heard over station CFQC on Christmas Day. … The annual Christmas tree and program will be held December 22nd. June Fisher is preparing the children’s Choir for participation in the annual three-day Carol Festival which will be held in Third Avenue United Church. … Zion’s League members have selected the characters for a play entitled ‘The Unwilling Spirit.’ … Gary Macdonald convened a Hallowe’en party. Their Leader. Inez Thederahn and Joe Hodgins is president.” (Steve’s note: sorry if that last bit is confusing. It is as it is printed.) Edmonton Branch report (Dorthea Mills reporting): “The speakers for the month have been Priests Walter Ratcliffe and Morris Johnstone, Elder Richard and Evangelist Wm. Osler. The Orioles were in charge of the church School Service, Sunday morning, Dec. 18. The prayers were offered by Ruth Walrath and the theme talk by Linda Hilker. There were two special hymns, one by the Junior Choir, led by Garry Gibson, and four Oriole girls sang one led by Donna Jenkins. It was a lovely service.” Every issue ends with a page full of short jokes and brief wisdom statements (some serious, some humorous) under the title “Clancy Says.” No clues are evident as to who “Clancy” was. Two sample items to end this column:
What: Climate Webinar – “Advent, Climate and Action: Igniting Fire in Our Bones" Who: Rachie Ross and Mike Mullins from the Christian Climate Action in Great Britain When: Sunday, December 3 at 2pm PT/ 3pm MT/ 4pm CT/ 5pm ET Where: ZOOM Online Ministry Christian Climate Action is a nonprofit organization in Great Britain taking meaningful action in the face of imminent and catastrophic climate breakdown. Inspired by Jesus’ examples of social justice action, they engage in public witness, nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to urge those in power to make the changes needed to decrease carbon emissions. Rachie Ross is an active member of Christian Climate Action and a trustee for Operation Noah. She has also co -founded CCPAST (Climate Child Protection and Safeguard Team). As a theologian she is motivated by the biblical mandate for non-violent direct action and provides her understanding of Hebrew scripture as the foundation for Christian ethical action. Mike Mullins is a leadership coach and spiritual retreat facilitator. His background is in Catholic mysticism and psychology. For Mike the key to rewilding the earth, to reversing biodiversity loss and the effects of climate change, is a spiritual challenge. He will share with us New Testament stories that demonstrate appropriate, direct, non-violent action to address injustice. Although Rachie and Mike are firmly grounded in the Christian faith and will use Christian scripture as the foundation for their presentation, they are both committed to interfaith dialogue. We can all learn from one another and share our mutual concern and compassion for all life. People of all faith traditions are welcome. All sessions are free and participation in previous webinars and conversations is not necessary to join. If you registered for a past webinar or conversation, you do not need to register again. Once registered, you will be sent a Zoom link before each webinar and activity.
Join us for a 5 to 10-minute morning devotion every weekday during Advent to start your day. Plan to attend online from December 4 to 22, at 7:30am PT/ 8:30am MT/ 9:30am CT/ 10:30am ET.
Hosts from across Canada will lead the devotions in a variety of different ways. We hope you will join us for this lead-up to the birth of Christ. Advent is the first season of the Christian church year, leading up to Christmas and including the four preceding Sundays. CREATING CONNECTION CANADA is a network of welcoming and inclusive communities committed to sharing authentic conversation, nurturing meaningful activities, promoting holistic wellness practices, and fostering compassionate action. We are LGBTQ+ affirming. People of every walk of life, culture, faith, or tradition, participate in a myriad of connection groups, forming meaningful community within this diversity. As a result, these communities are multi-faceted - expressing the inspirations, aspirations, wisdom, practices, and blessing of all. While we encourage you to share openly, we ask that you do so in a kind and considerate manner. When the time comes, please click on the button below to join online! Grief, loss of job, divorce, health, financial issues can make the Christmas season difficult. This service is an opportunity to acknowledge those not so joyful feelings in a judgement free setting.
If you aren't struggling, but know someone that is, invite them to come with you to this service. Or come to show those that are struggling that they are not alone. Attend in person at the Community of Christ Church in Regina (4710 8th Avenue Regina, SK) or join us online via Zoom. Click on the button below to see details on how to join online! Unfortunately, there are many scammers looking for opportunities to take advantage of non-suspecting individuals in many different ways, especially on this holidays season!
We want to warn you about one such scheme that may be circulating among or from Community of Christ members, friends and Mission Centre Leadership right now. If you should receive an email that appears to be from someone you know or trust such as CWM leadership, or congregation leadership, other close friends or relatives, etc., stating something like, “Can you do me a favour?”, be extremely cautious. These messages are likely a “phishing” email. If you reply, the next email asks you to purchase a gift card on their behalf. The message may say they need the card immediately, but they are too busy to do it, and they will pay you back as soon as possible. These emails are not legitimate. They are being sent by malicious entities who are impersonating people in your contacts list to gain your trust and exploit you. These kinds of fraudulent emails attempt to gain your trust in order to access your personal and/or credit card information, or to get money (in the form of gift cards). DO NOT click any links or reply to such messages. Delete these emails immediately! What to do next: If you believe you have received this type of phishing email:
Be very suspicious regarding online communication, especially when being requested to purchase gift cards or transfer funds. Remember, scams come in many forms. Click here to see a list of other possible scams published by the Government of Canada. Note: This notice was originally published by Canada East Mission Centre in April 2021. Canada West acknowledges with appreciation their original drafting. This is being re-published by Canada West due to a series of “phishing” emails that have circulated recently. Written by Gwyn Beer Canada West Mission Centre Co-President Rolling Reunion - Last day on the bus! I want to thank you all for rolling along with us. We left Nauvoo and spent our last night in a hotel. Denyse loaded our luggage on to the bus for the last time and we headed down the road. Our goal was Iowa and then Missouri. We arrived in Lamoni, Iowa and our first stop was Liberty Hall, the home of Joseph Smith III and family. The house is a little outside of the town. Our group was divided into 5 smaller groups to be able to tour through the home. We also toured through the one room school house that has been moved onto the property. This was the school that the Smith children did attend but it was not that close when they went to the school! I loved seeing inside the home. It has been lovingly restored and many pieces were original to the home. "The Liberty Hall Story", built in 1881, was the home of Joseph Smith III till 1905. Joseph Smith said "Liberty Hall throbbed with life, teeming with the bustling activities of a large and growing family. Birth, death, and marriage occurred within its walls. Joys and sorrows succeeded each other as the day the night." "Liberty Hall is a premier restoration site listed on the Iowa and National Registers of historic homes that gives visitors a glimpse into a middle-class family, an era of late Midwestern Victorian culture, and the story of a significant religious movement in American History." Back on the bus, we went to Graceland University. Things have changes since I went to Graceland College. We were treated to lunch in the Commons dining room of the University. The food was very good! We had some free time to walk around the campus and then we returned to the bus. We were in for a treat that was NOT on our agenda! We were taken to the local Lamoni Community of Christ church. The Mite society of Lamoni, Iowa had put on a special display of quilts and quilt tops, some of which dated back to the Mite Society beginning in 1872! The Mite Society (Luke 21:2-4 for the story of the widow’s mite) contributed sewing of clothes and quilts for the needy in the community. They formally organized in 1883 and in 1983 were recognized for this long-term service association. Currently the Mites quilt every Thursday and sell the quilts with the proceeds contributing to community projects such as the library, medical center, walking trails and swimming pool. The Mites set up quilts throughout the chapel and were set up working on a quilt while we were there. There was a large collection of quilts from Liberty Hall and new quilts made by the local Mite Society members. They also advertised locally so community members could also come and see these beautiful quilts. Wow! What an end to our tour! We left Lamoni sent on our way by these amazing quilters! As the bus rolled along, we sang and shared and had our final devotion. The bus rolled to our final stop, the parking lot of the Temple in Independence, Missouri. “A Story to Tell: Women in Community of Christ” bus tour officially ended. ![]() Yours in Christ, Gwyn, Kat, Becky and Shannon gwyn@communityofchrist.ca kat@communityofchrist.ca becky@communityofchrist.ca smcadam@communityofchrist.ca The Diversity and Inclusion Team is excited to offer three workshops beginning in September of this year. We hope to see many of you as participants and fellow learners as we continue on the path of inclusion as a faith community.
Workshops are free and all are welcome. Currently the plan is to offer the workshops on a scheduled basis. Registration is required.
To register: Send your name, email address, contact phone number, and title of the workshop you wish to attend to Heather Frey at hfrey@cofchrist.org. A Zoom link will be sent to you a week or more prior to the workshop. If a group of 20 or more, a congregation, or a mission center would like to have a presentation on different dates than those announced, please contact Gwendolyn Hawks-Blue (gblue@cofchrist.org) or Cathi Cackler Veazey (ccacklerveazey@cochrist.org) Historians Corner Vol. 1 | No. 5 In my first column in this space several months ago I said that it would often be “frustratingly short” because I may try to present a significant story but be forced by the limits of reasonable length to leave out many details. Well – this will be a perfect example of that.
In March of 2021, as Mission Centre President, I had the task of cleaning out the Porcupine Plain, SK, church building before it was turned over to the purchaser. As a natural “hoarder” of sorts, I had a very difficult day (or two, as the case may be) of throwing things in the dumpster that, if there had been any option, I might have tried to retain. But there was no option. I did retain as many historical documents and books as I could identify. One of those things was a file box full of issues of “The District Leader,” dating from 1961 and continuing into the early 2000’s. I recently reached into the box and brought a handful of early issues home with me, hoping that I could find a thing or two to share with you. Well – there are considerably more than “a thing or two” that I would like to share with you. Having taken so many words to set this up, I now have even less space to share with you. I need a “part 2” to do this justice. The earliest issue of “The District Leader” in the box is dated January 1961. It is noted as “Volume 15, Number 10” suggesting that the newsletter’s origins may go back to 1946. If anyone has any earlier issues in their homes or their congregations, I would be delighted to have a look at them! Please let me know. The front cover states its purpose as: “Published monthly in the interest of all members of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints throughout Alberta and Saskatchewan.” Then “page 1” says: “Published by the Districts of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba.” The names of contributors and their home congregations suggest a far greater influence than those three districts. Here is that list: the Editor, Mrs. M.A. Hanna of Calgary; the Children’s Corner Editor, Mrs. K. Fisher, Torrington, Wyoming; Women’s Page Editor, Mrs. Robt. Allish, Vancouver, B.C.; Business Manager, Mrs. C.B. Gibson, Calgary; District President Column (AB) by Seventy David K. Larmour; Editorial by Lottie C. Diggle (Saskatoon); articles by Elder E. Roy Glomstead; John Lucas; Evangelist Wm. Osler of Edmonton; J.W. Mountenay; Howard and Virginia Fisher, of Covina, California; Calgary Branch report by Vida L. Diaper; Mrs. M. Cornish of Senlac, SK; Roger Yarrington, Pastor, Courtney Rd. Congregation (city?); Ken and Isabella Fisher and family, Torrington, Wyoming; Elder Newton Ward, Pastor, East Alton Congregation, Independence, MO; C.V. Graham, Stake President (Seattle?); Saskatoon Branch News by Lottie Diggle; Fort William (Ontario) Branch Report, Lorena Henderson (for those too young to remember, Fort William was a twin city of Port Arthur and they amalgamated in 1970 to become Thunder Bay). With that I have exceeded my length. I will come back with a Part 2 next month (or the month after) to share some of the interesting content of this 62-year-old newsletter. Giving Tuesday 2023 is November 28. Join the generosity movement: let’s make a real, lasting difference in lives around the world. This year a generous matching contribution of $250,000 USD has been pledged for this event. So, a $25.00 contribution to Worldwide Mission Tithes becomes $50.00. We will share Giving Tuesday contribution updates on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter on November 28 and 29. In 2022, you contributed over $1 million USD in 48 Hours! Gifts to Worldwide Mission Tithes total $1,035,167 USD. This includes $510,000 USD in matching funds, and $45,315.50 CAD from Canadian donors. Your contribution, regardless of its size, makes a significant impact! It sustains essential programs, supports outreach efforts, and provides vital resources to those in need. Thank you for your generosity! #GivingTuesdayCA How to ParticipateCanadian donors can use any of the following options:
Community of Christ 355 Elmira Rd. N., Unit 129 Guelph, ON N1K 1S5 NOTE: Please email Heather Huffman or call the Community of Christ Canada Headquarters at 888-411-7537 Ext. 23 to ensure your gift is included in Giving Tuesday totals.
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community of christ355 Elmira Road North, Unit 129
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