Colleagues List, September 8th, 2019

Vol XV. No. 9

GLOBAL AND ECUMENICAL IN SCOPE
CANADIAN IN PERSPECTIVE

Wayne A. Holst, Editor
My E-Mail Address: waholst@telus.net

This email is sent only to a voluntary subscriber list.
If you no longer wish to receive these weekly columns,
write to me personally - waholst@telus.net

*****

Dear Friends -

September, for me, means the start-up of many programs,
old and new. In this issue I offer a personal reflection on
how my ministry vocation has evolved at my congregation
of David's, Calgary. Our church budget is declining, but our
ministries seem to be expanding!

Thanks for joining me again this week. I hope you will
find good things in the material I provide.

Wayne

*****

SPECIAL ITEM

A Personal Reflection -

CELEBRATING TWENTY YEARS OF
ADULT SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT
AT ST. DAVID'S UNITED, CALGARY

This September, I am completing twenty years of
working with adults in my congregation as we seek to
grow spiritually in our lives together as a community.

The start of a new program year at church seems like
a good time to reflect on how my vocation has evolved.

Early on, we decided to change our ministry focus from
adult "education" to "spiritual development" because
we sought to build a more inclusive and natural ministry
that was focused on both congregational in-reach and
mission out-reach.

SOME PERSPECTIVE

I was 57 years old when this ministry began. I had, by
that time, spent 25 years in pastoral ministry and almost
a decade of teaching at the University of Calgary. While
I wanted to continue my career in higher education, I
didn't want to lose my connection with a local Christian
community. My teaching career in the church expanded
as a result of my experience in the secular world.

Because I was grateful for the support received at
St. David's, Calgary when much in need of a Christian
family, I eventually enquired about ways to give back
what I had been receiving. I found myself transferring 
teaching skills from parish to university and back to
another local congregation. This served me well in the 
semi-retirement years that continue to occupy my life.

Looking back, I see the hand of God at work in how my
life and ministry have unfolded. God did not lay out a plan
for me, but in retrospect, a plan unfolded through a
combination of God-given opportunities and my efforts
in response. At times, I did not view this positively,
however, and needed time to see things in perspective.

EVOLVING MINISTRY VOCATION

I received a lot of support for new ventures, and during
the last score of years I was able to move from a volunteer
to a staff position in the church. At the same time, I was
hesitant to transfer professional church status from
one denomination to another. So my accountability is
to a congregation, not a denomination. Theoretically,
I remain an ordained, but not a rostered, pastor in my
original denomination. I made sure that my professional
status was legally preserved in the official church courts. 
Over all these years, I have never felt the need to change
that arrangement and probably never will.

On the one hand, I remain a professionally trained and
credentialed pastor of the church. On the other hand, I
moved from a "pastoring" to a "teaching" ministry, but I
have tried to remain consistently pastoral in my vocation.

Simultaneously, I have developed my writing skills
and continue to use that as a form of integrating my 
ministry as well.

A RICH ECUMENICAL EXPERIENCE

Officially as well as unofficially, I have developed an
ecumenical vocation which works well for me into
my retirement (At 77 years of age i have never been
more contented doing work that I enjoy doing.)

With the support of a number of congregational and other
colleagues, Adult Spiritual Development (ACTS Ministry -
Awareness, Compassion, Theology and Spirituality) at
St. David's has expanded considerably over two decades.

STUDIES - Our Monday Night Book Study and our Thursday
Morning Bible Study continue to involve many each week.

CHURCH LIBRARY AND BOOK SALES - We have rebuilt our
library with both current and reference resources. We try
to keep our congregation aware and reading the most
current theological and spiritual material available. A 
maturing congregation is one that is nurtured through 
books read by individuals in community.

RETREATS - Some of our people prefer contemplation over
cognition per se, and we try regularly to meet that need.

SPIRITUAL TRAVEL - We do one major spiritual tour to
somewhere in the world every two years; alternating
with one international development project. In the past
two years we have conducted sojourns to East Europe
and Russia, and also to Guatemala.

JUSTICE AND SOCIAL MINISTRY - St. David's has always 
been a strong advocate for social justice and service. Our
membership in the Calgary Alliance for the Common Good
currently involves us in senior's and aboriginal reconciliation
support. This will continue to evolve into community mental
health, environmental protection and related ministry concerns.

ACTS has been a strong supporter of David's refugee ministry
over the years. Re-settling Tibetan refugees has occupied many
people and much investment of time and energy.

APPRECIATION FOR A TEAM EFFORT

Many people have helped to build Adult Spiritual Development
(ACTS) Ministry over the years. Special gratitude is due to
Marlene Holst, Jock and Bonnae McTavish, Brenda Wallace and David Layton, Joan Gray, Deb Charnuski, Barb Elder, Kerry Duncan McCartney,
Susan Campbell (Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre), David Rostad,
Marcy Neilsen (Rostad Tours), Bill and Heather Way; Ryan Andersen,
Pat Fryers (Calgary Alliance for the Common Good), Donna Fallon and Brenda McQueen (McDougal Stoney Mission Society). Sally and Bob Hodges, June Martin, Betty Smith, Bob Liddle. Also, George LeDrew, Janice Aicken, and Peggy McDonagh (ministers at David's).

If I have forgotten anyone, let me know.

*****

COLLEAGUE CONTRIBUTIONS

Mark Whittall,
Ottawa, Ont.

Sermons and Blog
August 30th, 2019

"Where is the Lord?"
  https://tinyurl.com/yxmvvm4n

--

Jim Taylor,
Okanagan, BC

Personal Web Log
September 4th, 2019

"The Changing Seasons of Life"
  https://tinyurl.com/y35ctg6u

--

Ron Rolheiser,
San Antonio, TX

Personal Web Site
September 2nd, 2019

"Late Migrations"
  https://tinyurl.com/y4pyqzde

*****

NET NOTES

THEY CALLED HIM BILLY
Evangelist Appealed to Children

Sightings,
September 5th, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/y2lrfphq

--

VIOLENCE BASED ON RELIGION
Why Everyone Suffers

UCA News,
September 6th, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/y6kq8snm

--

HOPE TAKES HARD WORK
Probing a Faith Meaning for the Term

Faith and Leadership
August 25th, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/y3kj7mff

--

HALF OF CANADIAN PARENTS WORRY
Their Kids Spend Too Much Time on Devices

Angus Reid Institute,
September 2nd, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/y4n7shly

--

TANGLED IN APOCALYPTIC THOUGHT
The President and the Hebrew Scriptures

Sightings,
September 2nd, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/y3flbgw3

--

RACHEL HELD EVANS -
PUBLIC THEOLOGIAN
She Was the C.S. Lewis of Her Time

Christian Century,
August 27th, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/y6ror6ay

--

ASIA BIBI WANTS JUSTICE FOR
ALL BLASPHEMY LAW VICTIMS
Plans New Life in Europe

UCA News,
September 2nd, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/y2z8yy8v

--

ONLINE COMMUNITY FOR X-CLERGY
NEARS A MEMBER MILESTONE
Gretta Vosper Remains in the Church

Religion News Service
September 6th, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/y2lqje6d

--

FORMER CONVERSION THERAPY
GROUP LEADER CLAIMS HE IS GAY
He Wants to Combat LGBTQ "Cycle of Guilt"

Washington Post,
September 3rd, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/y6ynx7

--

IN AFRICA, POPE COMES FACE TO FACE
WITH THE FUTURE OF THE CHURCH
Evangelicals and Pentecostals Also
Growing Very Rapidly

New York Times,
September 5th, 2019

https://tinyurl.com/yxtxwajb

*****

WISDOM OF THE WEEK

Discovering the truth about ourselves is a lifetime's work,
but it's worth the effort.

- Fred Rogers

--

It is certain, in any case, that ignorance, allied with power,
is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.

- James Baldwin

--

​​​​​Poor and afflicted and oppressed people have faces,
and we are required to look squarely into them.
 
We can't love what we won't experience.
 
- Nancy Mairs

--

Our universe is not made up only of beautiful trees, but also
of stunted ones. Yet each tree is important. Television shows
us movie stars, men and women with beautiful bodies and
extravagant clothes. But that is not the reality of the majority
of people! The beauty of human beings lies in their capacity
to accept who they are, just as they are; not to live in a world
of dreams or illusions, in anger or despair, wanting to be other
than they are, or trying to run away from reality

- Jean Vanier

--

We kill at every step, not only in wars, riots, and executions.
We kill when we close our eyes to poverty, suffering, and shame.
In the same way all disrespect for life, all hardheartedness, all
indifference, and all contempt is nothing else than killing. With
just a little witty skepticism we can kill a good deal of the future
in a young person. Life is waiting everywhere, the future is
flowering everywhere, but we only see a small part of it and
step on much of it with our feet.

- Hermann Hesse

--

God is going to invade, all right: but what is the good of
saying you are on his side then, when you see the whole
natural universe melting away like a dream and something
else – something it never entered your head to conceive –
comes crashing in; something so beautiful to some of us
and so terrible to others that none of us will have any
choice left? For this time it will be God without disguise;
something so overwhelming that it will strike either
irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature.

It will be too late then to choose your side. There is no
use saying you choose to lie down when it has become
impossible to stand up. That will not be the time for
choosing: it will be the time when we discover which
side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before
or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose
the right side.

- C.S. Lewis

(end)

*****

For Those Interested -

ACTS Ministry - some related programs at St. David's

ST. DAVID'S ACTS  AUTUMN MONDAY NIGHT BOOK STUDY

A Ten Week Series September 16th - November 25th, 2019
Monday Evenings, TM Room 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

"HOLY ENVY" Finding God in the Faith of Others

Author: Barbara Brown Taylor
Registration/Hospitality and Book: $60.00.
Book only: $25.00

35 copies of the book were made available for sale
Sundays at St. David's until the program begins.
These books bave sold out, but more can be secured.

Book Description - https://tinyurl.com/y37g93rg

--

Some stats:
Autumn and Winter Series (2018-19) -
Total class registrations: 87
Total books sold: 102
Average weekly winter class attendance: 34

***

ST. DAVID'S ACTS THURSDAY MORNING BIBLE STUDY

Our theme this autumn: TBA
We meet to select the biblical book(s)
to be studied on Thursday, September 19th, 2019

Autumn theme will be announced at that time
Ten Study Sessions - Thursday mornings,
 September 26th-November 28th, 2019

Gathering at 9:30 AM in the St. David's TM Room
and meeting 10:00 - 11:00 AM.

Study resource:

"The DK Complete Bible Handbook"
  Edited by John Bowker

http://tinyurl.com/odxlv7q

*****

MCDOUGAL STONEY MISSION SOCIETY
AUTUMN SERVICE

On the site of the Morley mission church,
Soon to be re-built after a destructive fire.
Planned and co-led by representatives of the
McDougall family, friends, and the Stoney First Nation.

Sunday, September 22nd, 2:00PM

"Celebrating Treaty Seven in Southern Alberta"

Followed by hospitality at the Morley United Church.

(end)

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