Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter

Last week I provided information about programs and activities from Canada West Mission Centre coming up in the next two months. You can review that entry here. It includes summary program information and links to more details about each one.

I want to repeat the notice for this program coming up this weekend:

• Exploring a Post-Pandemic Church: Discern, Plan, and Act in Hope: This session will provide a focused opportunity to learn about, discuss, and begin discerning what church will look like once we emerge from the constraints of the pandemic. This workshop takes place over two Saturdays, 2 weeks apart (January 16 and 30). All congregational members and leaders are urged to participate in this workshop. We have had a good response to this workshop. In fact, we currently have more folks from Canada East registered than from Canada West! It would be great to have a last-minute influx of CWM people. Please register right away to take advantage of this important workshop.

Now on with THIS week’s message: Have you noticed that we are in a new year?

The theme scripture for this past Sunday from the church’s worship resources was the first five verses of the Bible:

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
                            --Genesis 1:1-5, Authorized King James Version

What if we were to approach the new year as if it is a new creation? A new beginning? An opportunity to do things differently – and better?

This analogy may go sideways sooner than later, but bear with me for just a few more sentences… If we are leaving 2020 behind us and consider it to have been a less-than-ideal year, might we consider 2020 analogous to being “without form, and void” and perhaps even a place of darkness? And can we pray that the Spirit of God might move upon the face of our waters. And, oh, that God might command, “Let there be light!” And that “there (would be) light” to help show us the way through this new year. Surely, we would celebrate that evening and that morning being the divinely promising first day. And surely, we could promise God that we would celebrate that new creation and build the new year so much better than the last as each day succeeded the other.

Well – certainly, we can pray. And, most definitely, we can conduct our lives in this new year so as to recognize the points of joy that come our way as we are privileged to enjoy them. And may we give thanks to God for this new beginning and for the blessings that will come from it.

You can judge how well that hopeful and well-intentioned analogy worked for you. My intent and my conclusion is that 2021 is now upon us with a “blank slate” ahead for the next twelve months. It is up to us to make it a better year than the last one and, come next December, to be able to look back on it and declare with God that “it was good!”

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

Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter
 
Happy New Year to you! I hope that everyone has had a good experience over the Christmas and New Year’s period. Along with you, I look forward to 2021 with expectations of a better year.

For today’s message I will highlight the variety of programs and events that are already on our Canada West Mission Centre calendar for the first couple of months. There are MANY of them. Truly, there is a plethora, some would even say a cornucopia, of choices! Full information about all of these programs appears elsewhere in this week’s Weekly Wire. Here is the summary of what is upcoming – click on the links where you can find more details.

First, a cancellation announcement followed by a replacement announcement: The Canada West Mission Centre e-Conference (i.e., online conference) scheduled for Saturday, February 6, has been cancelled because of a lack of enough business to conduct that would justify the meeting. Check with me or with your Pastor for more details.
 
In its place an Online Ordination Service is being planned. It will be on the same date, February 6, and will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific Time/ 11 a.m. Mountain Time/ 12 p.m. Central Time. Two persons will be ordained: Brenda Senga (Saskatoon), to the office of Evangelist; and Doug Hayden (Calgary), to the office of High Priest. Both calls were approved at the 2019 Mission Conference in Edmonton. We will be using the principles and guidelines for offering the sacraments through online means provided by the First Presidency last fall. Watch for more details about this service in the coming weeks.
 
Here are three multi-session events that are highly recommended:

• Community of Christ Adult Lessons Online: Beginning Sunday evening, January 10. If you have been missing the in-person banter of Sunday morning discussions, here is your chance to regain a taste of it. Everyone is encouraged to participate in these classes if possible. There is no fee. Registration is required.

 

• Exploring a Post-Pandemic Church: Discern, Plan, and Act in Hope: This session will provide a focused opportunity to learn about, discuss, and begin discerning what church will look like once we emerge from the constraints of the pandemic. This workshop takes place over two Saturdays, 2 weeks apart (January 16 and 30). All congregational members and leaders are urged to participate in this workshop.

 

• Nurturing Spirit Retreat: This long-standing retreat was popular in its in-person format and retained most of its participation last year as one of our first on-line options early in the pandemic. It has a varied program with many excellent facilitators. It is scheduled for the last weekend of February (26th to the 28th); plan now to attend.

 
All of the following events also are scheduled in the next few weeks. Without providing any details here, follow the links to these events:

• Starting this week: selection of priesthood and other classes from Developmetrics. (Check for the possibility of joining late if you are seeing this after the start dates.)
• A series of several Creating Connection/Nurturing Spirit events including:
  • Afternoon of Nurturing Spirit
  • Coffee and Meaningful Conversation
  • Book Club
  • Satsang: Singing into Silence
• January 10: Climate Change Colloquy Series (note participation of President Veazey)

 
There is obviously LOTS of activities from which to choose. I invite you to register now in the events of interest to you.
 
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

Yes, in case you were wondering, even at Christmas:
Black Lives still Matter
Indigenous Lives still Matter
Lives of People of Colour still Matter
 
This afternoon, Marian and I served a 4-hour shift at the Edmonton Community of Christ to help distribute food hampers to clients of the Edmonton Food Bank. The church has served as a weekly depot for the Food Bank for many years. It is a good community service for the congregation. Today we received 32 hampers to serve 15 families. A “family” could be a single person receiving one hamper, or a family of 5 or 6 persons receiving up to four hampers. Today, all recipients were receiving with their hampers a frozen turkey or ham for their Christmas dinner. The people receiving hampers are all good people who have found themselves, usually temporarily, in need of the Food Bank services.
 
I had not been in the church building for at least two, maybe three, months. I was struck by how good it was to see and greet the three people we were relieving who had been at the church since mid-morning. Not just greet them, but greet them in person! (Yes, physical distancing happened. No hugs.)
 
There were some nice (artificial) poinsettias which had been placed in the foyer to add some Christmas colour to welcome our food bank guests. There was very pleasant instrumental Christmas music playing on the sound system. Still, it is sad to know that tomorrow evening, Christmas Eve, there will be no service here. No collective sharing of the Christmas story. No energetic community singing of favourite songs. Along with all of you, I miss the people. I miss the sound of visiting. I miss the laughter. I miss the sharing of the week’s stories. I miss the worship. I miss the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our worship services – especially at Christmas.
 
Let me end on a positive note. In our “Virtual Visiting Fellowship Meeting” this week I shared a video clip from “A Charlie Brown Christmas” in which Linus shares with his friends the “true meaning of Christmas” by reciting the story of the appearance of the angels to the shepherds and their message to them. Follow that link to see the clip yourself. (Watch for Linus symbolically dropping his security blanket just as he begins to quote the angels, “Fear not…”) Or, better yet, re-read the Christmas stories yourself: Luke 2:1-20 (the one with the shepherds) and Matthew 1:18 to 2:12 (the one with the wise men). Besides reminding you of the reason we celebrate Christmas, these stories can bring hope and encouragement in a year that has been lacking in positive community emotions.
 
Marian and I felt good about our minor role in helping ensure a few Food Bank clients had a happier Christmas. We look forward to our “virtual” gatherings with family over the next few days. We also look forward to returning to in-person congregational gatherings sometime in the new year.
 
I wish for each of you the best of the Christmas season. May you feel the blessings and promise of the birth of the baby Jesus. May you remember in your celebrations all of the blessings that may be a part of your life. May you also take time to remember those who need an interest in your prayers of support for the challenges they may be facing. And then, may we all look forward to a good and happy new year!
 
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

Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter
 
This coming Sunday (December 20) will be the last of the four Sundays of Advent. Advent is the first season of the liturgical year as supported by the “Revised Common Lectionary.” Some of you may be asking, “Steve – what does that sentence even mean?” Let me deal with those key terms in reverse order and ultimately concentrate on Advent.
 
The Revised Common Lectionary is a three-year cycle of weekly themes and related scriptures that cover the major stories of the Bible. It is around these themes and scriptures that the weekly Worship Resources are based, as published each year by Herald House. The Revised Common Lectionary has a history that I cannot summarize here but that is well documented in the introductory pages of the print version of our Worship Resources each year. The Revised Common Lectionary was adopted by the church in 1995 as a basis for our worship planning. Relevant scriptures from the Doctrine and Covenants and/or the Book of Mormon are added on most Sundays to ensure representation of our “additional witnesses of Jesus Christ” in our worship planning.
 
The “liturgical year” is the calendar of significant events in Christianity around which the Revised Common Lectionary is built. It includes the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, Pentecost and then “Ordinary Time” for the months between Pentecost and Advent. Other than Christmas and Easter, I associated those terms with other “main-line” Christian denominations – Catholic, Anglican, Presbyterian, Lutheran, etc. – from the time I first became aware of them (probably in high school) until well into young-adult-hood (early to mid-1980’s). Then we started to hold “Maundy Thursday” services just before Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Then Advent became part of our worship planning in the early 1990’s or so. And the other seasons became known to us as we became more familiar with the worship planning cycle.
 
“Advent” has two meanings in Christianity. It refers to “a time of preparation and penitence before Jesus’ birth” (Worship Resources). “Advent also refers to the second coming of Christ and the final judgment that accompanies the coming of the kingdom of God.” Also, “historically, Advent is a time of fasting and repentance, yet it has strong overtones of joy as the Christmas season approaches.” (Dictionary of Bible and Religion, Gentz) That “fasting and repentance” part has somehow escaped me for all these years. I generally look to the prevailing themes of hope, joy, peace, and love as precursors to the celebration of the birth of Jesus on Christmas. The “overtones of joy” have definitely taken precedence for me.
 
My hope is that you are enjoying the hope, joy, peace and love aspects of this Advent season. It has not been an easy year for us. Despite the restrictions on household gatherings in most areas, I hope you are being able to plan events that will enable you to be in contact – even if by phone or video conferencing tools – with your loved ones. This will undoubtedly be a Christmas that we will all remember for a long time – but for reasons that none of us anticipated last Christmas.
 
May you truly be able to celebrate this last Sunday of Advent with its emphasis on love. It is important that we remember and celebrate both the human love we have for one another and the divine love that is shared between God and each and every one of us.
 
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

Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter
 
I will return to the “We Share” series next week.
 
This column, “A Moment with the Mission Centre President,” got started back in March for the purpose of addressing the rapidly changing situation with the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the members and congregations of Canada West Mission Centre. The current situation with the pandemic of the last couple of weeks makes addressing it from a church context relevant again.
 
The ”second wave” of the pandemic was predicted almost from the very beginning of the “first wave” in the early part of this year. Further, it was predicted to be worse than the first wave. That is exactly the situation in which we find ourselves across Western Canada at this time: more diagnosed infections than in the spring; more people in hospital and in Intensive Care Units; front-line workers who are even more exhausted than in the spring; and, sadly, more deaths in all jurisdictions.
 
You, and your circle of friends, acquaintances, and associates, will all have experienced the last 8 months quite differently. You may or may not know people who have been infected – with or without symptoms, with or without hospitalization. You may or may not know anyone who’s death was attributed to COVID-19. You, or someone you know, may be confined to a continuing care facility where COVID-related restrictions have affected everyone, whether infected or not. Perhaps you or someone you know have had scheduled surgeries or treatments delayed due to the priority assigned to dealing with the pandemic.
 
The church gave initial direction on closure of congregations around the world in mid-March. This was followed by several updates up to, and including, the release of guidelines for cautious re-opening of congregations in late May. Over the summer, church leadership released guidelines for the conduct of sacraments (other than baptism) in situations where officiating priesthood members and receiving members could not be in close proximity to each other. On the more “business” side, guidelines were also released to help local jurisdictions hold meetings to conduct needed business using video-conferencing tools.
 
Pastors and leaders in all congregations in the Canada West Mission Centre have been doing what they can to maintain communication with members. Those efforts have included online meeting opportunities and/or regular messages or newsletters sent to members. I am also aware of some very intentional telephone ministry that has occurred to ensure contact is maintained, comfort is provided, and spiritual connection and support is reinforced. Over the summer some congregations were able to enjoy some outdoor activities that at least brought people together in a physically-distanced manner. Beginning in September some congregations initiated in-person weekly worship services while abiding by World Church and local health authority directives and guidelines. Most have discontinued in-person services again in the face of the “up-tick” in cases in their surrounding areas.
 
Our camps and retreats were cancelled in their usual in-person formats. Many were “re-incarnated” in online formats that appear to have been mostly well-received.
 
All of us are looking forward to getting back to some semblance of “normal” whenever circumstances allow. It is very likely that the new “normal” will be different from the old “normal” that we left behind in March. I expect that congregations will continue to offer online ministry for members and friends in some form. Camps and retreats may also very well continue some form of online components. Personal attendance and participation habits in all church activities have been interrupted by the pandemic and may or may not return to their habitual and traditional forms.
 
Our collective and individual experience of church and of our life of faith may be quite different in the months following the pandemic. The world and life, generally, certainly will be quite different as well. Speculation about all of that will need to wait for another time.
 
Let me close this review and summary with the affirmation that God, directly and through the Holy Spirit, continues to be with us and to bless us in all of our lives. A scripture shared in a “Virtual Visiting Fellowship” meeting this week seems appropriate to close with here:

Do not be discouraged. You have not been promised an easy path, but you have been assured that the Spirit that calls you will also accompany you. …
Do not be defined by the things that separate you but by the things that unite you in Jesus Christ.
(Book of Doctrine and Covenants, section 162:3a,5a)
 
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

Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter

Our first weekend-long online mission centre conference was surely a success by any measure. (Full disclosure: I am undoubtedly somewhat biased due to being so close to the organization process.) We started on Thursday evening with Debra Donohue leading a discussion on “Hopes, Ideas, and Concerns for Re-Opening our Doors” in which we talked about going back to church in our COVID-19 world. On Friday evening I lead a discussion on “Metamorphosis,” which meant ongoing change in the church as a result of budget restraints and cultural or societal evolutions. Saturday evening was a true highlight with guest minister Joey Williams leading an hour of “An Unprecedented Musical Event,” that challenged us to make music in ways that “never have I ever” done that before! It was fun! It was music! And it was truly active participation in our Zoom connections across the mission centre and beyond!
 
We conducted the business of the mission centre in our Pre-Legislative Session and our Business Meeting on Saturday. We elected and appointed people to various positions. We approved audit reports and budgets. We remembered those who have passed away since the last time we met. We celebrated significant life events in the lives of many of our members and friends. And we read reports on the activities around the mission centre from the past year – including a special report on our CWM Online Reunion and viewing a video of our online “CWM Virtually Together” Junior, Junior High, and Senior High Camps.
 
On Sunday we enjoyed a communion worship service with the theme, “Our Unprecedented Journey.” It included a beautiful opening ministry of music by the “Vancouver Ensemble,” a truly invigorating sermon by Joey Williams, ministry from Apostle Art Smith and Bishop of Canada, Dar Shepherdson, and all other worship components were provided by members of the Canada West Mission Centre, representing all four of our provinces, including the CWM Choir singing the closing hymn. Special thanks to the “Beyond the Walls” congregation from Toronto who’s organizational and technological support enabled our service to be shared with over 400 persons who logged onto the service through YouTube and many others who watched via Facebook. See the service again here: “Our Unprecedented Journey.”
 
Sunday afternoon concluded with a beautiful “Afternoon of Nurturing Spirit” with a theme of “Satsang: Singing into Silence,” hosted by Debra Donohue and featuring Vickie and Doug MacArthur leading us in singing and meditation. We also enjoyed a brief final appearance of Joey Williams.
 
The conference finally concludes this Wednesday evening with the Hills of Peace Campground Association “All Members Meeting,” involving members from Alberta and Saskatchewan.
 
It was truly a “long” weekend, but it was an exciting and fulfilling weekend. Thank you to all of the people (too many to name in this space) who planned, organized, and in any supported the conference events. And thank you to all of you who attended and lent your support through your presence and participation. I hope you all agree that it was truly a weekend to remember!
 
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

Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter

I have promoted the “Unprecedented” Canada West Mission Centre 2020 Online Conference in my messages for at least the last two weeks. Many of you will have received reminders about the conference as a whole and about specific sessions through your email. Consider this your last reminder from me. Events begin Thursday evening and continue Friday evening, most of Saturday, Sunday morning and afternoon, and concludes with a meeting on the following Wednesday evening. All of the details, including registration details, are available here. Note: Registration is required to ensure you receive log-on information for each event, but there is no fee for registration. This is a free event.
 
Let me just specifically highlight our Sunday morning worship service. Joey Williams will be our guest speaker and participants from across the mission centre will serve in the other roles in the service, including the debut performance of the Canada West Mission Centre Online Choir! We will celebrate communion in this service, so be sure to have your communion emblems (bread and juice) ready in your home or wherever you will be joining the service from. This service will be supported by the “Beyond the Walls” online congregation from Toronto. Access is available through this YouTube Link. The service will begin at 9 a.m. BC time, 10 a.m. AB and SK time, and 11 a.m. MB time.
 
(Raise hand, change topic.)
 
In the midst of preparing for our conference, the world around us just continues to do what the world around us always does. Life happens. Death happens. The miracle of new lives come into the world. The trials and tribulations, as well as the blessings of life continue to form the lives of everyone on the planet. People fall ill. Many recover. Some do not. The amazing experience of our human lives continues to come to a close for many people each and every day. Sometimes that final breath is expected and may even be celebrated for someone who suffered in the last days of their life. Sometimes that final breath comes suddenly, unexpectedly, sometimes accidentally, sometimes violently.
 
Earlier this week Clifford Olson passed away in the town of Porcupine Plain, Saskatchewan, where he had been an active member of the local Community of Christ congregation for many years. He was also well known at camps at Hills of Peace, often because of the inventive things he would bring along for some purpose – sometimes practical, sometimes just for the entertainment and enjoyment factor. I mention Cliff specifically because on February 17 he celebrated his 109th birthday! At the time an article in the local newspaper said he was Saskatchewan’s oldest person and Canada’s second oldest man. Cliff had a good and long life and he will be missed by his family and friends.
 
I invite you to pause as you read this to remember some significant event in your life or in the life of people close to you. Maybe a birth of a child. Maybe a graduation or a new job. Maybe a marriage. Maybe something as worldly as a new home or a new car. Or maybe the challenge of an illness or injury. Offer a prayer for the person(s) involved. As creations of God we are all miraculous manifestations of the divine spirit in our human forms. In the “busy-ness” of life may we always recognize the miracle that life is and appreciate every moment and blessing that we are given – even if we are given 109 and a half years of such moments!
 
I pray for you God’s blessings of understanding, hope, and peace in these challenging times.

Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter
 
The Canada West Mission Centre 2020 Online Conference will happen in a series of online events from Thursday evening, September 10, through Sunday afternoon, September 13 (plus the Hills of Peace “Members’ Meeting” on Wednesday evening, September 16).
 
The theme for the conference is “Unprecedented!” which, not surprisingly, comes from the over-use of the term to describe almost everything that was happening in the world early in the COVID-19 pandemic. This conference itself is “Unprecedented” in that we are meeting online instead of in-person. It is the first time since the Canada West Mission Centre formed in 2004 that an in-person conference has not been held on the Labour Day Weekend. I want to invite you to register for the event as a whole (there is no fee for this event) and encourage your participation in whatever sessions will be of most interest and benefit to you. The full program is available for you to review or download here.
 
There will be two unique opportunities to gain a better understanding of the Creating Connection initiative in the Canada West Mission Centre. Debra Donohue will host sessions on Thursday evening (modeling her “Coffee and Conversation” meetings) and Sunday afternoon (with “An Afternoon of Nurturing Spirit” featuring Vickie and Doug MacArthur).
 
Steve Thompson will make a presentation and moderate a discussion on Friday evening on the theme of “Metamorphosis,” highlighting an article by President Steve Veazey from the January/February “Herald” magazine. The session will deal with the challenges facing the church and some of the changes that have already occurred and that may happen in the future as we make our way through the first half of the 21st century.
 
On Saturday evening our guest minister, Joey Williams, will present “An Unprecedented Musical Event” for our enjoyment. Anyone who has enjoyed Joey’s ministry in the past will tell you that this should be an energetic and entertaining evening. He has invited us to, “Come ready to sing, compose, play whatever instruments (we) have available, and enjoy a fun-filled musical experience, together!”
 
A primary purpose of our conference weekend is to conduct the business of the Canada West Mission Centre. On Saturday morning we will participate in the “Pre-Legislative Session” to ensure we understand the business that we will conduct at the Business Meeting in the afternoon. Delegates have voice and vote in the Business Meeting. Everyone is invited to attend.
 
A second focal point of our conference weekend is always our Sunday morning worship service. Joey Williams will be our guest speaker and participants from across the mission centre will serve in the other roles in the service. We will celebrate communion in this service, so be sure to have your communion emblems (bread and juice) ready in your home or wherever you will be joining the service from.
 
Our conference will be different. It will be memorable. It will be “Unprecedented!” Please plan on attending!

​​Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter
 
I will get back to the “We Share” series next week. There are more pressing issues today.
 
That “Black Lives Matter” part of my banner above unfortunately needs to be highlighted again. I am sure I do not need to repeat much of the news of the last couple of days. Jacob Blake has been shot in the back by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He has survived but may be paralyzed from the waist down. More demonstrations have been held in response. More violence arising from the demonstrations. As a society we need to support and demand good policing. As a society we need to express the need for change when Black people continue to be subject to violence at the hands of police when other options appear to be available. The high-profile incidents seem to occur mostly in the United States. But as we have seen in the Canadian response to these incidents, Black Canadians, Indigenous persons, and people of colour in Canada have very similar and disturbing personal experiences to share. We all must increase our knowledge and awareness of such experiences and do what we can to create a safe society for all of its members.
 
From that rather serious societal issue, I need to move to the much more mundane business of the Canada West Mission Centre. Our annual mission conference will be held online this year. It will consist of a series of events beginning on Thursday evening, September 10, and concluding with a final meeting on Wednesday evening, September 16. A “brief” version of the schedule was released a couple of weeks ago. Please view the entire conference brochure here.
 
It is expected that the different events will appeal to different people across the mission centre. If you are a delegate, or just personally interested in the business of the mission centre, you will need to be a part of the Pre-Legislative Session and the full Business Meeting on Saturday morning and afternoon. If you are interested in knowing more about what “Creating Connection” is all about in Canada West, there will be sessions on Thursday evening and Sunday afternoon that you will not want to miss. On Friday evening there will be a presentation and discussion of current and expected changes in the church as raised in a recent article by President Veazey called, “Metamorphosis.” You will have a chance to get to know our guest minister, Joey Williams, in a session on Saturday evening, and then when he offers ministry as our speaker for our mission-centre-wide worship service on Sunday morning.

​Finally, members in Alberta and Saskatchewan will want to be a part of the Hills of Peace Campground Association “All-Members Annual General Meeting” on Wednesday evening. And that is your snapshot of this year’s conference. Watch for details about logon information in the week that events get underway.
 
I pray for you God’s blessings of understanding, hope, and peace in these challenging times.

​​Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter
​
How are you doing? How is your summer going? Have you been able to “stretch” just a little beyond the COVID-19 restrictions of the past few months? Or have you continued to feel mostly restricted to your home? What has been a regular joyful thing for you: Family? Friends? Phone calls? Video calls? Reading? Netflix? The return of TV sports? What has been disappointing or even a source of sadness for you: Not getting out of the house? Family? Friends? Netflix? The return of TV sports? Illness? Loss? Sense of personal isolation?
 
My impression is that individual experiences have been different. Some have felt that life has slowed down from its usual pace and this has been seen as a blessing and an opportunity. For others the loss of employment and income have caused new stresses to afford food and shelter and to continue supporting a family. Some, of course, have been directly affected by COVID-19 as a serious life-threatening illness. Some have “tested positive” but experienced no symptoms. The very large majority of us have not been directly affected by the virus, although most of us will likely know someone who has been directly affected.
 
Late in the 4th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, Jesus is sleeping in a boat when his disciples woke him up because they were afraid of the storm. “(Jesus) woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’” (Mark 4:39, 40 NRSV) Perhaps we are riding out a “COVID storm.” Perhaps we feel we need Jesus to “wake up” and calm it for us. It is instructive, however, to note that following his “miracle” Jesus essentially chastised his disciples for apparently being afraid and having no faith. Perhaps the lesson for us is that Jesus may or may not be sleeping through this storm along with us, but Jesus most certainly is with us. And, furthermore, given the disciples’ experience, we need to retain our faith and exercise our confidence that this storm will pass. Afterwards we will look back and recognize the places where we benefited from the blessings of God going through the storm, and we will be able to give thanks to God when we have safely come out the other side.
 
Despite our challenges, may we look for the good and positive experiences of the last few months. And if that is in itself a challenge for us, may we look forward with hope to the passing of the storm in the future so we can once again enjoy smoother sailing.
 
I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, hope, and peace in these challenging times.

​Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

Black Lives Matter           
Indigenous Lives Matter            
Lives of People of Colour Matter
 
The theme that is being explored in this week’s Canada West 2020 Online Reunion is, “Connection in an Age of Isolation.” This is a challenge that the reunion itself is trying to answer. It is bringing people together, electronically of course, from across the Canada West Mission Centre, plus Washington, Oregon, Missouri, and even Ontario. It is really quite a remarkable thing. In each session so far I believe I have heard someone say something to the effect of, “I miss seeing all of you in person,” which is inevitably answered at some other point in the gathering with, “It is so wonderful to see all of you! I am glad you are here!” People have sought out “connection” through this event directly because of their current “isolation” due to our COVID-19 restrictions. In the midst of a disruptive pandemic we can find the blessings of community and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, experience worship and celebrate the blessings of God, and give thanks for all of this in the name of Jesus Christ. Despite its challenges, is this not a blessed and wonderful time in which we live?
​
By the time you have the opportunity to read this – hopefully some time on Thursday, July 30 – there will still be lots of reunion activities to take in before they wrap up on Sunday around noon. Find event details elsewhere in this Weekly Wire that will point you to a schedule and to how to log on to all events.
 
As I mentioned last week, next up on our calendar will be the online edition of the Canada West Mission Conference. We are still nailing down program and schedule details. An outline of events includes:
​

• Thursday evening session with Debra Donohue, Creating Connection Director
• Friday evening “official” opening and welcome session
• Saturday morning Pre-Legislative meeting
• Saturday afternoon Annual Business Meeting
• Later Saturday afternoon OR Saturday evening a guest ministry session with Joey Williams
• Sunday morning communion service; Joey Williams as guest minister
• Sunday afternoon seminar and closing session

More details next week. And I will remind you of this one more time as well (in case you are not already aware of this opportunity) – check with your Pastor about being a delegate for your congregation for the business meeting. If you are not registered in a congregation and live in any of the provinces and you are interested in being a delegate, please contact me.
 
As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times.

​Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

Black Lives Matter           
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter
 
It is already the FOURTH Wednesday of July! How did that happen? It is a beautiful day here in Edmonton as I write, but it does not seem that we have had our quota of really warm (read “hot”) summer weather yet. Perhaps where you live summer has been more generous.
 
As the last weekend of July approaches, I realize that I am truly missing the in-person camps and reunions that normally mark my time at this time of year. But our online alternatives have proven to be very well received. We have had 36 kids registered across the Junior, Junior High, and Senior High online camps. Participation has come from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and even Washington State. A real benefit of this platform for the camp has been bringing youth together from across the mission centre and beyond. A big thank you to Lisa Neudorf, and her event directors, for putting this program together.
 
Coming up, starting this weekend, is the Canada West Mission Online Reunion 2020! You will find program details and logon information elsewhere in this week’s Weekly Wire. I want to encourage participation across all of the mission centre in this event – just like the kids have shown us by example. You can pick and choose the events that most interest you, and you need not feel guilty about skipping the ones that do not. There are events aimed at every age group. Check out the schedule and mark the sessions of interest to you on your (electronic) calendar. We will have guest ministry from Zac and Katie Harmon-McLaughlin – who were guests at last year’s Hills of Peace Reunion. And I would be remiss if I did not suggest that both the online campfire and the talent show promise to be highlights of the week, just as they always have been in the traditional Samish Reunion. Thanks to Chris Phelps and his planning team for putting together this event.
 
Next up will be the online edition of the Canada West Mission Conference. It will happen from Friday evening, September 11, through Sunday, September 13. Watch for program details in next week’s Weekly Wire. Joey Williams, who was our originally scheduled guest minister for the conference, will join us for some of our events. Watch for that information and keep those dates on your calendar. Also – in case this invitation has not come to you – check with your Pastor about being a delegate for your congregation for the business meetings. If you are not registered in a congregation and live in any of the provinces and you are interested in being a delegate, please contact me.
 
As you are all aware, we are not “out” of this COVID-19 pandemic yet. It is the reason our camps are online. It is the reason we are not yet back to weekly worship services in our congregations. Please continue to exercise the infection-control measures recommended by all health authorities. Hopefully we can re-start weekly services in some form in September.
 
As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times.
​
​Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

Black Lives Matter           
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter
 
Stories. “The truth about stories is that that’s all we are.” So says Thomas King, an Indigenous author and broadcaster in his book, aptly named, The Truth about Stories. The book is a collection of his “Massey Lecture Series” given across Canada in 2003. The lectures deal with the power of stories to shape lives and to shape culture – in this case from an Indigenous perspective. (I recommend the book or the CBC podcasts of the lectures.)
 
What are the stories that have shaped or helped define you? Are there family heritage stories passed down through your generations that retain and reinforce some sense of identity? Are there stories from literature that have challenged you personally and helped make you what you are today? Are there, perhaps, some stories or passages from scripture that have helped define you?
 
The “Revised Common Lectionary” is a tool that is used by Community of Christ to help plan and structure our worship services each week. The current two weeks (July 12 and July 19) focus on the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 13 in which Jesus is recorded as telling no fewer than seven parables – stories that teach a lesson. Many readers will be able to name a parable, perhaps several, which they know well and have heard, or have read or have been taught often. Perhaps one of Jesus’ parables is one of those stories that has been influential in your life.
 
In our Virtual Visiting Fellowship meetings this week -yes, we are still going! See the announcement elsewhere in the Weekly Wire and consider joining us if you can- I asked our participants to share their favourite parable and why it was meaningful to them. As of this writing our Thursday evening group has yet to “have a go” at this exercise, but the sharing on Tuesday morning was really quite remarkable. Many people shared many different parables (and some shared the same parable). Some people chose to share a “parable” from their own experience from which they had learned some lasting life lesson. I felt that in the space of a half hour we heard about a dozen two-minute sermons that were as effective and meaningful as our traditional twenty-to-thirty-minute sermons on Sunday morning.
 
Many of Jesus’ parables are “arch-types” in our culture and part of the daily lexicon. For example, “The Prodigal Son,” and “The Good Samaritan.” I fear slightly for our culture as the general population turns more and more away from organized religion. The words may remain, but the understanding of their origins and the significance of their lessons may be lost.
 
I encourage you to think about “what is your story?” What does it mean to you? What might it mean to others if or when it is shared? What stories (parables, other scripture stories, or stories from other literature) have helped form who you are today? What new stories might you be encountering that are affecting your life and perspective now?
 
As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times.

​Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

Purely by the accident of birth I am blessed to call Canada “my home and native land!”
 
I use the term “blessed” enthusiastically and yet with a sense of humility. I know that there are many other countries in the world whose residents experience a high standard of living and benefit from basically the same rights and freedoms I enjoy. I know there are many other countries which, for any number of reasons, are not in that same situation. I am humbled because I know that some residents of Canada do not have the same advantages and positive life experiences that I have known and loved. Constraints such as poverty, hunger, racism, discrimination and prejudice based on many factors, chronic disease and pain, physical and mental disabilities, unequal access to education and social assistance tools, and many other conditions prevent many of my fellow Canadians from enjoying all the benefits that this land has to offer.

The emphasis of my remarks over the last few weeks have been driven by this banner:

Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter

To take these issues to heart will go a long way towards resolving some (certainly not all) of the other issues noted.
 
Despite these issues, there is so much to celebrate about our country on Canada Day. Our freedoms. Our democracy. (I know some may complain and nitpick on both of those things.) Our Indigenous, and French and English founding cultures (despite the conflicts that occasionally – regularly? – flair up). Our social diversity and generally celebrated multicultural ethic. Our “coast-to-coast-to-coast” geographic diversity: ocean coasts, old growth forests, mountains and glaciers, prairies, Canadian Shield, tundra, the arctic, boreal forests, great rivers and Great Lakes, farmland, small towns and villages, vibrant cities. Our strong government and social programs. Our equally strong private sector and wealth-producing businesses – large and small, corporate and “mom and pop.” Ten provinces and three territories across which all of us are free to live, to travel, to visit, to enjoy, and from which to experience life-enriching experiences and inspiration.
 
I have been fortunate to travel reasonably widely across the world. I have enjoyed all of the places I have visited – and a few where I have lived briefly. However, there is something about getting through that last Customs check and having the Border Services officer greet me with “Welcome home” (even though I may still be thousands of kilometers away from where I live) that brings a sense of pride in my country and those with whom I share it.
 
I hope that you have been able to mark Canada Day in some meaningful way. I hope you are able to give thanks to God for the blessings that you enjoy just because you live here.
 
As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times.

​Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

​Black Lives Matter           
Indigenous Lives Matter            
Lives of People of Colour Matter
 
Are you weary of 2020 yet? Would you like to hit the “reset” button and start it all over again? Or do you want to push “fast forward” and just get through it to see if 2021 can be any better?
 
Have you found yourself conflicted over the day’s headlines – whether they have to do with societal response to COVID-19, or societal upheaval over issues of race, or other large social and political questions of the moment? Is it clear to you what your response should be as a Christian or as a member of Community of Christ? Do you see, as I do, people arguing both sides of an issue and each invoking morality and informed opinion as supporting their side?
 
Who are you looking to for guidance and direction? Political leaders? Scientists? Doctors? Lawyers? Your church leaders? Other spiritual leaders? Media or Hollywood or sports personalities? How about a random person on social media who says they have the answer(s)?
 
Have you noticed I have done nothing but ask you questions? Are you annoyed with me yet?
 
If you don’t like my questions, you may not like my statements either. Sometimes God has difficulty in breaking through to us with the spiritual guidance that we desire and expect. The theme scripture from the lectionary for this past Sunday was Matthew 10:24-39. It illustrates this faith conundrum very well. You may know it. These are the verses where Jesus tells his followers to “not fear those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul,” but rather to “fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (v. 28) Then he challenges our perceptions of him as a person of peace with verse 34: “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.” He goes on to describe that conflict can be expected among close family members and that his followers need to love him more than they love their parents. It is a challenging and frankly frightening few verses. The scarier thing may be that we are living in such a time where there is much to fear and cause conflict between persons who are otherwise respectful and loving of each other.
 
The on-line worship resources for last Sunday conclude by observing that “Jesus does not say to love someone instead of him, but to love no one more than you do him. … [F]ollowing him means we can’t set aside the gospel for another relationship.”
 
So – do you feel better yet? Me neither. This life of faith – of continually seeking understanding – is hard. And Jesus never promised us it would be easy. If it is of any comfort, I am right there with you trying to find my way through the challenges of our day and time.
 
I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times.
 
Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

​Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter
Lives of People of Colour Matter
 
I mentioned in last week’s “Moment” that I had attended an anti-Black racism rally in Edmonton. Many banners and signs at that rally contained the acronym “BIPOC” meaning: Black, Indigenous, People of Colour. The phrase is a recognition that our society has multiple issues to deal with. The primary focus of the demonstrations of the last few weeks have been on calling out attitudes and actions that demonstrate personal racism and systemic racism embedded in our society against persons of African heritage. Those signs and the comments of some speakers reminded us that we also need to confront racism that is particularly deeply embedded in Canadian culture concerning our persons of Indigenous identity, as well as many others more generally described as Persons of Colour. My friends, there is much work to be done!
 
As other tragic events have unfolded over the past couple of weeks involving the tragic and violent deaths of other Black and Indigenous persons, I have felt discouragement and profound sadness. How will we ever find our way out of this? How can we meaningfully and practically begin removing societal and structural barriers to the full and unfettered participation in our society by all persons regardless of skin colour?
 
Jesus told the parable of the “Good Samaritan” (Luke 10:25-37) to illustrate that persons outside the dominant society should be recognized and honoured. Jesus miraculously healed many people in his ministry. One account showed that he would assist even persons aligned with the occupying Roman army (healing of the Centurion’s servant, Matt. 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10; John 4:43-54). Another actually illustrated that Jesus could be confronted by a personal prejudice and respond and correct himself (healing of the daughter of the Syrophoenician [Gentile] woman, Mark 7:24-30). The scriptural record of the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:5-12) revealed that the Spirit of God was made available to persons from across the known world including those considered to be barbarians (Parthians) and those from the occupying nation (Romans).
 
In all of these accounts there is no record that the principle people involved were actually “converts” to Jesus’ teachings. But they were all intentionally included and not excluded from the blessings of the Holy Spirit. Surely, by extension, we must know that we are to extend the blessings and privileges of our society to all those who are a part of it. In today’s environment and historic moment, we are being challenged to be inclusive of those peoples upon who’s backs so much of our societal wealth and privilege has been built through the shames of slavery, colonialism, and abuses too numerous and grievous to begin listing here.
 
I pray God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times.
 
Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

“Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful one?”
 
In the May-June Herald Matthew Frizzell opens his article, “Toward the Peaceful One: Jesus Christ in Restoration Perspective,” (also available online) with these words:

• The future is uncertain. A lot is changing. What the church is experiencing probably is not a cycle. Things are not going to return to the way they were. It’s hard to plan. It’s hard to lead.
• What can we do? He said, “Follow me.”

Matthew wrote his article well before the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. He had in mind the uncertainty presented by the societal changes affecting Christianity generally and Community of Christ specifically. Of course, his words seem even more relevant to us now.
 
Black lives matter.
 
Do those words seem somehow “last week” to you? Our news cycle is such that the media has all but moved on from the demonstrations that gripped the continent – and still do in some areas. I attended the anti-racism rally in Edmonton last Friday. It was an enlightening experience in more ways than I can share here. It reinforced for me the reality of the racism that is faced by those with a different skin colour than mine. It reinforced for me that I am probably an unwitting perpetrator of the racism entrenched in our culture even though I believe I think and act and speak as inclusively as I can. I have much to learn.
 
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the information that comes at you from different directions all day, every day? Me, too! Two things came to me this week via Apostle Art Smith that I want to share with you.

The first item is a letter focused on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, March 21, 2010. It also upholds the United Nations International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-1024). Did you know about that? I didn’t – and it’s half over!! The letter is signed by the leaders of three of Canada’s largest Protestant denominations. Through our association with the Canadian Council of Churches, Community of Christ has been invited to become a signatory to the letter. Have a look at the letter and let me know what you think.

​The second item is a letter written by a fellow Mission Centre President, Ryan Pitt, of the Mid-Atlantic Mission Center. His topic is “Racial Justice and Initial Steps” and he outlines some specific things he will lead for his mission center in response to the issues of the last couple of weeks. Have a look at this letter, too, and let me know what you think. What could the Canada West Mission Centre actually DO to support anti-racism efforts in our communities?
 
Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful one? I think we are trying. How about you?

Grace and Peace,

Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

It seems there is so much to share this week I needed TWO columns to get them out of my system. Please bear with me for this more “news” type of stuff.
 
COVID-19
 
You will see somewhere above a letter from Apostle Art Smith addressed to “Dear Friends in Canada.” I assume that means all of us and not just me. I thought I should share it with you.
 
His topic is COVID-19 and the challenges it continues to present to the church. Among other things in his letter, he states, “In Canada, we currently anticipate that in person gatherings in church sanctuaries will remain suspended until at least the end of August.”
 
This is likely not surprising to you. It may still be slightly discouraging to think that it will be another two and a half months before we can meet in worship and fellowship with our congregational brothers and sisters.
 
This week I am scheduling meetings with the Pastors and Co-Pastors of all congregations to discuss planning and preparing for re-opening our congregations. It is important that all of us have a common understanding of the guidelines that apply to this process from both the leadership of Community of Christ and from the four provinces in which the congregations of Canada West operate. It is not just a matter of saying, “the doors are open again – you can all come back now!” I ask your prayers to be with your Pastors/Co-Pastors and congregational leadership as they get ready to welcome everyone back to Sunday services.
 
Canada West Mission Conference
 
Our annual mission centre conference had been scheduled to be hosted in the Chilliwack Congregation on Labour Day Weekend. I don’t think I need to provide too many details or too much justification for why we have decided that it just cannot happen in our usual in-person format this year. So – of course – we have decided to hold an electronic conference, similar to the e-Conferences that we held in February of 2018 and 2019.
 
Our Canada West Mission e-Conference will be held on the weekend of September 12 and 13. On Saturday, the 12th, we will hold a “Pre-Legislative Session” beginning at 10:30 a.m. MDT, and our Annual Business Meeting beginning at 1:00 p.m. MDT. On Sunday, the 13th, we will hold a mission centre worship service at 10:30 a.m. MDT, and encourage participation by all congregations across the mission centre. There is much planning yet to be done for this event. Watch for more details in coming weeks.
 
And that is it for me for this week. You do not have to go looking for a “Part 3!”

Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

Have you been troubled over the last 10 days or so as we have seen demonstrations and riots engulf cities in our neighbour to the south? I have been. There have been disturbing images of rioting and looting that have not been supportive of the actual intentions of the demonstrations to bring attention to the issues of racism and the treatment of Black persons at the hands of police. In contrast there have been a few encouraging images of police putting away their weapons, expressing support for the demonstrators and joining the march. I am praying for the success of the demonstrations and for the end to the violence of rioting and the corresponding violence being used to control those situations.
 
I recognize and confess my “white privilege.” It does at least two things for me. First, it has provided me with many automatic societal benefits in my life that have come easily and with minimal effort. Second, it has blinded me to the absence of these societal benefits in the lives of the few Black persons, Indigenous persons, and other persons of colour who have been a part of my life over the years. These realizations have only come to me in the last three to five years or so. I know that some people (perhaps some reading this) will not understand the term or feel that it does not apply to them. I invite you to consider the things you do every day with the assumption that you can do so without concerns about being watched or judged and then consider the everyday experience of Black persons who consistently share that their experience of such everyday things is considerably different. Here is an explanatory page from the Alberta Civil Liberties Research Centre.
 
I have been challenged in these last few days to drop my self-perceived nature of being “not racist.” Whether or not that is an accurate self-perception, it represents, at best, a passive, non-committed attitude to do anything about the racism that is evident in so many ways around me. Instead, I am being challenged to actually be “anti-racist,” meaning that I actively become aware of situations of racism around me and begin to do something about them. It means calling out a racist joke that I might hear from a friend. I think I can do that. It means being aware of racist comments of people around me and having the courage to say something to correct them. Can I do that? I don’t know.
 
The best commitment I can make, and that I encourage you to make, is to seek ways to become better informed about issues of race, racism, and anti-racism. A new resource has been released online in just the last week or so by the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. (No, I had never heard of it before either.) Talking about Race covers topics such as being antiracist, bias, community building, and many more.
 
If you might be interested in a theological treatment of the Black experience let me recommend James H. Cone’s “God of the Oppressed.” It is not an easy read, but it is a worthwhile read.
 
Why am I concerned about this – other than because I am disturbed by the images and stories of the last several days? It is because I take seriously our mission initiatives to “Abolish Poverty, End Suffering,” and “Pursue Peace on Earth.” And because I feel a commitment to the enduring principles of “Worth of All Persons,” “Pursuit of Peace (Shalom),” “Unity in Diversity,” and “Blessings of Community.” May we always seek to “let the oppressed go free, (and) to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:19).

Grace and Peace,

Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca

Last Thursday, May 21, the First Presidency of Community of Christ issued their latest Statement on the COVID-19 Pandemic. There is no “blanket” continuation of the direction to close congregations beyond the end of May, but there is clear caution to avoid re-opening without adequate preparation. There will be further direction given in the next few days. I have advised all Pastors in Canada West to avoid the temptation to open in the next few weeks. In conjunction with whatever the First Presidency provides, there will be instructions provided to assist congregations in planning for re-opening. No date for re-opening of any congregation in Canada West has been established.
 
The other key point in the current statement is the official direction to cancel summer camps. Canada West, along with several other mission centres in Canada and the U.S., has already formally cancelled our summer programs. Watch for announcements about possible alternatives to be offered, especially for our youth.
 
On Monday, May 25, President Steve Veazey released his most recent message to the church. It is entitled, Hope in Trying Times. In the video, President Veazey explains a budget reduction that is being implemented in early June requiring the reduction in church staff by 18 positions. These changes were being discussed before the onset of the pandemic and are not related to it. He also discusses the preparations that are necessary before congregations re-open and reinforces the need for caution and patience in this process.
 
Community of Christ has issued many statements and announcements about the work of the church during the pandemic. For a list of all such announcements, please see the “COVID-19 Announcements” page on the World Church website.

I have regularly mentioned in this column the online opportunities that are available as alternatives to our weekly services and programs. Once again let me direct you to the listing of Online Ministries on the World Church website. I know people who are participating in events on Sundays from several areas across North America and even internationally. Pick just one and give it a try this Sunday.

​There are also various opportunities offered through the week. Many people are tuning in to the Toronto Centre Place Congregation’s “Beyond the Walls” services (see links on the page referenced above), which draw participation from essentially a world-wide audience. See also the “Online Events Directory” appears further down in this newsletter for opportunities in Canada West.  Please be sure to check with your local congregation leadership for anything happening in your area. I know that weekly online opportunities are being provided in Vancouver, Calgary, and Regina as well as some initial efforts happening in Victoria. Please note that the online services from Edmonton have been discontinued until further notice.
 
Once again, my prayer is that God may continue to be present in your life. May you feel the support of your church community around you. May you be blessed with health - and/or with healing – and with a positive spirit. May God bless us all with God’s warm, loving presence.

Grace and Peace,

Steve Thompson
Canada West Mission Centre President
steve@communityofchrist.ca