Author Archive: Geoffrey Hall

Worship During the ‘Green’ Phase

Posted on

With the pandemic mandatory order restrictions lifted as of 30 July 2021, please be patient as we again adjust to new ways of being in community. Our goal will be to maintain that which helps assure community health and safety. Above all we need to accommodate one another as we transition.

See the Diocesan COVID-19 page for links and resources.

All of what follows pertains to both the Cathedral memorial Hall and the Cathedral during worship. Items 6-7 are specifically concerned the Cathedral itself during worship or concerts.

Details about what we will continue, in practice, include:

  1. Self-monitor. If you have any reason whatsoever to believe that you have an illness, please stay at home.
  2. Entering and exiting. Please be understanding of those who may wish to maintain some personal space as we adjust to new normals of interacting with one another. Keeping personal traffic flowing at entrances will be helpful.
  3. Hand sanitation. Please continue to be attentive to frequent hand washing and the use of hand sanitizer, especially before and after contact with high-touch surfaces.
  4. Face masks. Those who wish to wear a face mask are certainly welcome to do so. Please accommodate both those with and those without.
  5. Seating. Greeters may be able to help you find suitable seating in the Cathedral, especially if some personal space will help to make you more comfortable. When setting up chairs for a group event, please keep in mind that personal space may help to make participants more comfortable.
  6. Communion. We’ll continue with Communion in one kind for the foreseeable future. At Communion, please continue to approach in one line up the center. The host only will be safely delivered to your hands. Return by way of a side aisle.
  7. Offering. The offering will still be received with a plate near the back of the Cathedral and collected by greeters following worship.
  8. Operational Plan. The current operational plan will be suspended but available for modification and implementation if circumstances require it.
  9. Contact Tracing. Attendance logs are no longer required by New Brunswick Public Health. If, however, someone who tested positive for COVID-19 was in our building, please inform the Cathedral Office so we can ensure a thorough cleaning. Thank you.

Cathedral Financial Update – adjusted to 30 June

Posted on

June 2021 Operational income: $44,597 Operational expenses: $29,598 To 30 June we are AHEAD: $5,944

The Financial Update that appears in the Cathedral bulletin each week is an attempt to share information about our current financial status month to month.

It might not be difficult to imagine that accurately reporting our financial reality is a challenging task. "Designations" or "restrictions" on offerings adds a layer of complication as not all of the offerings we receive are available for use towards the general operating budget. At the same time, offerings fluctuate month to month having the potential to make it difficult to meet regular expenses.

In June 2021, an attempt to incorporate some new realities into regular reporting resulted in a January - June adjustment in those numbers to date. Notes to the June Financial Summary include:

  • the Summary is adjusted January to June better reflecting our current financial status
  • June expenses are significantly less than previous months for various reasons, including an end to the annual heating season
  • the staff parish nurse position has been vacant February -June 2021
  • annual interest from the clergy housing fund (O'Dell sale) has now been anticipated/estimated monthly to offset some of the clergy housing allowance expense
  • we received a generous and unexpected donation of $4000 in May following the death of a Cathedral member

Understanding episcopacy

Posted on

A Season Two episode of Star Trek the Original Series, “Return to Tomorrow,” sees Captain Kirk in the briefing room with the Enterprise senior officers. A risky decision is before the Captain, and he is in consultation. He says,

“I'm in command. I could order this. But I'm not because, Doctor McCoy is right in pointing out the enormous danger potential in any contact with life and intelligence as fantastically advanced as this. But I must point out that the possibilities, the potential for knowledge and advancement is equally great. Risk. Risk is our business. That's what the starship is all about.”

In the Church, too many of its members believe leadership is more or less a slam-dunk, cut and dried, black and white. The Bishop is the person in command. If something goes right, it shines well on us all. If anything goes wrong, it must be the commander’s fault. Anyone in a position of leadership will quickly acknowledge that “control” is one thing not too often experienced, at least far less often than most would assume.

We sometimes like to think of the Church as a ship, fully equipped with a captain or skipper, crew and deck hands. The image is convenient, orderly and easily conceived. If we were to position the Bishop on this church-ship, most of us would see the episcopal officer as the person at the helm, steering the ship. If the ship is going in a difficult direction, it's obviously the skipper’s fault. After all, the one steering must be deciding where we all go. Those who have done any sailing will affirm that, from the deck, the wind seems to blow hardest and the boat leans the most when the bow has been brought into the wind (a tack) and there’s significant distance being covered.

In the Church, I think Bishops are more accurately and most often in the crow’s nest or the bosun’s chair. At the top of the mast, its possible to see the clouds forming on the horizon forewarning a coming storm. From there, one can see other nautical traffic and make navigational decisions based on the big picture view. From “the top” the world of the ship looks like a different place and the one there always has the advantage of seeing the bigger picture.

And so it is with our bishops. Even knowing that the ship is headed the wrong way, often the best that can be done is to bellow the warning and hope the crew and helms-person of the moment take heed. The crow’s nest can be a helpless place, where the sun shines brightest and all the weather batters with full force. From the point of view of the church-ship’s membership, the orders may sound unproductive, even absurd. From the view on the deck, we all have what we think is the perfect direction for the ship, if we could just take the helm.

Even in the midst of a crisis, when the tiller is set and the sails are trimmed to bring smooth and productive sailing, the wind can suddenly change. Even though with adequate skill and experience most often the ship will reach the intended destination, any captain will admit, its all “in the wind.”

The Church in these days often encounters rough seas and heavy weather. When the boat heels over the crow’s nest feels it first. There is a risk in setting sail and most of the decisions during the journey are exercises in risk-taking. Most bishops who find themselves in this unique Anglican Church of ours – “episcopally lead and synodically governed” – see the huge potential that exists when the followers do so at their choosing and with full knowledge of the risk. Stepping out in faith is “our business.” That’s what the Church is all about.

There is a risk in setting sail and most of the decisions during the journey are exercises in risk-taking.

We all have a secret or not so secret vision of peace, warm soft breezes and never-ending sunshine. Christians call it heaven. The Church is headed there but there’s some sailing to do before we get there. Can we bring ourselves to depend on the advice and direction we receive from the one with the bigger picture? Can we resist grabbing at the wheel every time, from our perspective, we’re not headed in the right direction? Can we all have the faith to know that ultimately, the Maker-of-the-Wind will take us all, including the Ship itself, where we need to go?

This article is a reprise from a past issue of the New Brunswick Anglican. The Very Rev’d Geoffrey Hall is currently Dean of Fredericton.

Bishop and Chapter News – June 2021

Posted on

Bishop and Chapter met 21 June 2021 by video conference with 10 of 14 members present. Meeting guests for part of the time were representatives from Heritage Standing and members of the Cathedral Restoration Committee. A proposal was presented and later discussed with Restoration Committee members present. An article “The [North] American Church is a Mess - But I’m Still Hopeful” Christianity Today, 15 June 2021 (Tish Harrison Warren) was circulated in advance with some questions provided by the Dean to guide discussion. Minutes of 17 May 2021 were adopted.

From the Dean

  • the list of usual monthly commitments was provided for review
  • There will be no formal programme of tour guides employed in 2021 in the absence of a City of Fredericton grant
  • Staff reviews (3 complete) are in process
  • currently planning vacation 02-30 August
  • congregational consultation will need to be planned once we have more definite information about development options before us

Items Arising

Parish Nurse - interviews have been completed and the committee will make a decision on a successful candidate as soon as possible

Shared space initiative with the Diocesan Synod - meetings and conversations continue with our Bishop and designated Synod staff

Housing First Project - a “Housing First Committee” has now had a first meeting. For various reasons (including skyrocketed building costs) there are no updates on the timeline on project progress

Decision

Heritage Standing proposal - Heritage Standing has presented a proposal for services at a cost of approximately $50,000 to create a detailed building assessment and future strategic plan for existing restoration requirements and the on-going maintenance of the Cathedral. The Chapter unanimously approved the expenditure from the Cathedral Restoration Fund.

Home Communion - that the Dean request permission for P. MacDonald, K. Hall and D. Edwards to administer reserved sacrament

Discussion

Venting of Stained Glass - a proposal has been received for work (approximately $9000) required to vent the Lexan/Plexiglass protective covering of north, east and west Cathedral windows to prevent moisture and degradation due to excessive heat. Exact details remain to be delivered and a decision may be called for as a special item of business

Reports

Treasurer - referred to financial statements for May 2021. Jamie noted some reorientation of reporting, especially regarding the separation of restricted funds from operating that will significantly improve the ability to accurately report month to month financial status. To date, revenue is adequately meeting expenses

Property - some continuing security issues with a strategy to address them is in process.

Health and Pastoral Care - parish nurse search has been the focus

Mission and Outreach - see items arising for Housing First. Monday morning programme has continued one day per month

Christian Formation - consideration of current work plan and looking ahead to summer and fall

Communications - the committee will assist with Summer Recital Series promotion and is ready to assist should we be able to plan events

Upcoming

GMH

Residential Schools Apologies

Posted on

Residential Schools and Missing Indigenous Children

Since the discovery of the remains of 215 children in unmarked graves at the Kamloops Indian Residential School, there have been questions about what the Anglican Church of Canada has done in response to the Calls to Action by the National Truth & Reconciliation Commission. There have also been questions about whether our National Church and dioceses are assisting in the work of making records available to indigenous leaders and communities so that other sites which may contain the remains of children who died at residential schools may be identified. I share with you part of a message from our Primate, Archbishop Linda Nicholls to the House of Bishops this week:

“We, of course, have much more to do to fulfill the TRC Calls to Action and are committed to that work, but we also need to keep our Church informed about work underway already.

The apologies of 1993 and 2019 are available on the national church website. There is ongoing work to make the Apology for Spiritual Harm available in Indigenous translations, just as the first apology has been translated (see: https://www.anglican.ca/tr/apology/).

Documents in the national archives relating to Anglican residential schools have all been copied and transferred to the Truth & Reconciliation Centre in Winnipeg. It is my understanding that all diocesan archives have also been transferred as required.

The national archivist, Laurel Parson, is committed to decolonizing the archives by including the original Indigenous names for places and people wherever possible. She spoke to (the Council of General Synod) in 2020 about that work and it was covered in The Journal at that time - here.

We are committed to the work of exploring the archives and burial records available in light of the list of missing children to find any references that would help with identification. All of this work must be done in collaboration with Indigenous people to set the parameters with sensitivity. I trust that diocesan archives will consider similar searches. There may be grants available through your province or territory to assist with the human resources needed to do this. In Ontario, the student summer grants program often helps the national archives complete projects.

I trust we are listening to the voices of Indigenous communities to walk with them in other actions needed. Anglican residential schools surely have similar unmarked sites and it is critical that we share in the responsibility to uncover as much information and truth as is possible in the coming months and years.

Please keep Archbishop Mark MacDonald and the Indigenous leaders – bishops, ACIP, Dawn Maracle and the suicide prevention workers, and all Indigenous clergy – all in your prayers.   They are bearing the burden of the pain felt by so many in the reopening of the wounds of residential schools. With the death of (Indigenous Ministries Coordinator) Canon Ginny Doctor, and (Reconciliation Animator) Melanie Delva on leave, the leaders are under significant stress.” – Archbishop Linda Nicholls

Bishop and Chapter News – May 2021

Posted on

Bishop and Chapter met 17 May 2021 by video conference with 10 of 14 members present. The Dean lead some discussion on an article entitled “Managing Resources - Part 1 Finances” (Nancy Davidge and Susan Elliott) from “Vestry Papers” of the Episcopal Church Foundation. “hard questions and their corresponding answers are necessary and vital to your church’s health.” Subtitled sections include: Financial Management, Good Financial Management Begins with the Budget, Different Funds for Different Purposes, Taxes, and Annual Audit/Review. Minutes of 15 March 2021 were adopted. There was no meeting of the Chapter in April.

From the Dean

•  a report outlined usual weekly and monthly commitments
•  monthly communions have resumed at Farraline Place
• a proposal will be put forward for new security equipment (door locking and cameras) and upgrade work on the network at the Cathedral and Memorial Hall to support it
•  Thy Kingdom Come (13-23 May) resources have been made available with encouragement to take part
•  noting again an upcoming need for congregational consultation and visioning regarding future facilities development

Items Arising

Parish Nurse - the application deadline closed 30 April with two received. Interviews will be scheduled. Sally Dibblee search committee chair.

Shared space initiative with the Diocesan Synod - operational costing is under development for a plan proposal of a facility on the east side of Church Street

Housing First Project - terms of reference are being developed for the committee that will oversee the project. Members are needed, including an individual for the role of treasurer. Documentation describing the responsibilities is being sought. Projected costs currently exceed identified funding. Construction completion estimate Fall 2021.

Decision

Security/Network Project - a motion was carried to proceed with security and network upgrades as proposed at a cost of about $12,000, funds to be identified from existing sources. Nightly security site visits ($300-$400 per month) will not be required upon completion.

Discussion

Poet’s Corner - proposal for consideration by Peter Pacey regarding an area (Sherman’s Wharf) with some seating and quiet space for reading. The Chapter suggests a written “letter of understanding” detailing responsibilities and expectations to serve as a document for approval.

Reports

Treasurer - an overview of current financial statements

Property -the work towards updating a 2015 maintenance and restoration plan has resulted in the potential for a major restoration project. Heritage Standing will work on proposing a cost for the creation of a master plan. Breakin and theft from the storage shed on 12 May.

Health and Pastoral Care - Some health ministry programming continues with the help of volunteers

Mission and Outreach - Belize Missions funding is depleted with no recent fund-raising activity. Housing First priority issue

Finance and Administration - a Stewardship Team meeting will be scheduled. The Treasurer will work with the Committee to provide financial background for future monitoring and planning

Christian Formation - overseeing current programming. June meeting will consider the committee work plan

Communications - an initial meeting with the new chair was 20 April

Upcoming

•  Day of Pentecost (23 May) 8:00, 10:00 and 11:45 a.m.
•  Next meetings (third Mondays) - 21 June 2021

GMH

Thy Kingdom Come 2021 – a guide for 11 days of prayer

Posted on

GET INVOLVED

1. Daily prayer - Commit to attending the daily office in the morning (8:45 a.m.) or in the evening (4:45 p.m.) or both at the Cathedral Monday - Friday. It takes about 15 minutes.

2. D I F F E R E N C E - Prayer for the coming of God’s Kingdom can take many forms. Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has a passion for equipping the Church to be a reconciling presence in a complex and divided world. It is one of our greatest challenges but it has never been more vital. Co-sponsored by Christ Church Cathedral and the Diocese of Fredericton, we’ll explore ways to be engaged in being part of the solution. We can be a generation that crosses divides!

4:30 p.m.
17-21 May 2021
via ZOOM
REGISTER at
nb.anglican.ca

3. Pray for your FIVE - Choose a time each day to pray for 5 people you know that they will come to faith in Jesus Christ and know his love for them. Use the 2021 Prayer Journal to help guide and record your prayer or find other resources here.

4. Digital Family Resources - A fun-filled 11 part series for kids created in collaboration with the brilliant Cheeky Pandas! View a series of 11 reflections by youth on the daily themes of Thy Kingdom Come. The Digital Family Prayer Adventure Map is a way to help your whole family take part in the 11 days of global prayer.

DAILY SHORT READINGS

FRIDAY AFTER ASCENSION
As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to human beings, but we do see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honour because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. It was fitting that God, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Hebrews 2.8b-10
SATURDAY AFTER ASCENSION
I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 8.38,39
SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION
On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, ‘Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, “Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.”’ Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive. John 7.37-39a
MONDAY
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and strengthens the powerless. Isaiah 40.28,29
TUESDAY
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 1 Corinthians 12.4-7
WEDNESDAY
I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female slaves, in those days, I will pour out my spirit. Joel 2.28,29
THURSDAY
Jesus said, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for a fish, will give a snake instead of a fish? Or if the child asks for an egg, will give a scorpion? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!’ Luke 11.9-13
FRIDAY
In Christ every one of God’s promises is a ‘Yes.’ For this reason it is through him that we say the ‘Amen’, to the glory of God. But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first instalment. 2 Corinthians 1.20-22
SATURDAY
The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3.17,18

 

Join with thousands of Christians around the globe and let's light up the world in prayer!
Visit the light up the world page to add a star to the map to light up your area!

 

 

Light up the World HERE!

PRAYING FOR "YOUR 5" DURING THY KINGDOM COME

Thy Kingdom Come encourages every Christian to pray daily for 5 individuals to know God's love for them in Christ

Download the 2021 Prayer Journal at thykingdomcome.global

ASCENSION DAY Jesus
Jesus shows us what humanity can be like when it is lived God’s way.

FRIDAY AFTER ASCENSION Praise
God is the source and origin of everything, even the breath that we’re taking right now.

SATURDAY AFTER ASCENSION Thanks
Thanksgiving expands the heart. Pray that the whole world may find Christ.

SUNDAY AFTER ASCENSION Sorry
The world has to change. But who has the answers? Who do we follow? Jesus says, follow me.

MONDAY Offer
The offer of the Christian faith is the offer of abundant life.

TUESDAY Pray for
Make your life a prayer. Pray for your FIVE. Make your life an offering.

WEDNESDAY Help
We are made for community with God and with each other and we can’t do it on our own.

THURSDAY Adore
Love is the complete self-giving that we see in Jesus. This is the love the world needs if we are to navigate a way though the huge challenges we face.

FRIDAY Celebrate
Faith is not a private thing, but a way of life lived in community. We need to nurture this life in celebration.

SATURDAY Silence
There is a place beyond words, where the heart rests in peace, in the knowledge of being known and loved.

THE DAY OF PENTECOST Filled with the Holy Spirit
God the Holy Spirit sends us into the world: praying for others, and serving them in the name of Christ.

READINGS ON DISCIPLESHIP AND EVANGELISM

And now the Lord says, who formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honoured in the sight of the Lord, and my God has become my strength – he says, ‘It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.’ Isaiah 49.5-6

Listen! Your sentinels lift up their voices, together they sing for joy; for in plain sight they see the return of the Lord to Zion. Break forth together into singing, you ruins of Jerusalem; for the Lord has comforted his people, he has redeemed Jerusalem. Isaiah 52.8-9

Many nations shall come and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Micah 4.2-3

‘While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.’ Acts 17.30-31

From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! 2 Corinthians 5.16-17

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. Ephesians 2.19-21

Jesus said, ‘You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot. You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.’ Matthew 5.13-16

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ Matthew 28.16-end

DAILY OFFICE READINGS

to be used at Morning and Evening Prayer

Thursday (13 May) Ascension of the Lord
Morning Psalm 8, 47; Ezekiel 1:1-14, 24-28b; Hebrews 2:5-18
Evening Psalm 24, 96; (Daniel 7:9-14); Matthew 28:16-20

Friday (14 May) St. Mathias, Apostle
Morning Psalm 80; 1 Samuel 16:1-13; 1 John 2:18-25
Evening Psalm 33; 1 Samuel 12:1-5; Acts 20:17-35

Saturday (15 May) Eve of Ascension Sunday
Morning Psalm 87, 90; Ezekiel 3:4-17; Hebrews 5:7-14
Evening Psalm 136; (Numbers 11:16-17, 24-29); Luke 9:37-50

Sunday (16 May) Seventh Sunday of Easter - Jerusalem Sunday
Morning Psalm 66, 67; Ezekiel 3:16-27; Ephesians 2:1-10
Evening Psalm 19, 46; (Exodus 3:1-12); Matthew 10:24-33, 40-42

Monday (17 May) Easter Feria
Morning Psalm 89:1-18; Ezekiel 4:1-17; Hebrews 6:1-12
Evening Psalm 89:19-52; (Josiah 1:1-9); Luke 9:51-62

Tuesday (18 May) Easter Feria
Morning Psalm 97, 99, [100]; Ezekiel 7:10-15, 23b-27; Hebrews 6:13-20
Evening Psalm 94, [95]; (1 Samuel 16:1-13a); Luke 10:1-17

Wednesday (19 May) Dunstan, Archbishop of Canterbury, 988
Morning Psalm 101, 109:1-4, (5-19), 20-30; Ezekiel 11:14-25; Hebrews 7:1-17
Evening Psalm 119:121-144; (Isaiah 4:2-6); Luke 10:17-24

Thursday (20 May) Easter Feria
Morning Psalm 105:1-22; Ezekiel 18:1-4, 19-32; Hebrews 7:18-28
Evening Psalm 105:23-45; (Zechariah 4:1-14); Luke 10:25-37

Friday (21 May) Easter Feria
Morning Psalm 102; Ezekiel 34:17-31; Hebrews 8:1-13
Evening Psalm 107:1-32; (Jeremiah 31:27-34); Luke 10:38-42

Saturday (22 May) Eve of Pentecost
Morning Psalm 107:33-43, 108:1-6, (7-13); Ezekiel 43:1-12; Hebrews 9:1-14
Evening Psalm 33; Exodus 19:3-8a, 16-20; 1 Peter 2:4-10

Sunday (23 May) Day of Pentecost
Morning Psalm 118; Isaiah 11:1-9; 1 Corinthians 2:1-13
Evening Psalm 145; (Deuteronomy 16:9-12); John 14:21-29

What’s difference all about?

Posted on

In 2 Corinthians 5 we read that God "has committed to us the message of reconciliation." God has taken the initiative to bring us back into relationship with him. And he calls us to be reconciled reconcilers. Reconciliation is in the DNA of the disciple.

Many of us feel that conviction to cross divides and to transform broken relationships. We long for our faith to have a positive impact, to be the starting place for change.

But the world we live in is complex and overwhelming. Despite all our good intentions, relationships are hard. What's more we live in a world where we see — and many experience - deeply entrenched inequality and injustice, discrimination and exploitation, violent conflict and greed.

Sometimes it can feel like the Church, rather than being part of the solution, is too often part of the problem.

We know that the world is not as it should be, and that the Kingdom of God offers an alternative possibility. We feel the prompting of our faith to speak into these issues, but the sheer scale of brokenness means we can be left feeling stuck and unsure of where to start.

Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has a passion for equipping the Church to be a reconciling presence in a complex and divided world. It is one of our greatest challenges but it has never been more vital.

... equipping the Church to be a reconciling presence in a complex and divided world ...

He's brought together leading thinkers and peacemakers to create Difference: a 5-session course that explores how we can follow Jesus in our everyday relationships.
Jesus' life points to what's possible when we follow him, making crossing divides, navigating disagreement and practicing forgiveness a part of our everyday discipleship.

This course provides a supportive and dynamic space for people to bring before God their own experiences and relationships and to learn the everyday habits and actions that help us live out our faith within them.

We can be a generation that crosses divides, bringing transformation to relationships, communities and societies through everyday acts of courage.

A people equipped by the Holy Spirit to embody hope in those difficult, broken spaces, and who have learned to persevere when it feels as if nothing will ever change.

It starts in the everyday moments of courage and risk, where we choose to join in with what God is doing. The Difference course is an opportunity to discover where God is inviting us to engage.

Register for D i f f e r e n c e  17-21 May 2021

Download / View the Participant Guide
Difference on the Anglican Communion website

From the Dean – Why do I tithe?

Posted on

It's not up to me to tell another what to do. I’ll always have fingers point at me suggesting that I’m the problem. It's only when I decide that I am, in fact, “the problem” or part of the solution that I’ll make a difference. What I can do is share what I do as an effective way of proclaiming the Gospel and being a disciple.

I always had a coin or two for Sunday School offering! Once I started earning my own, I had to connect the dots a bit ... Mum and Dad didn't stick a quarter in my pocket anymore! My first real encounter with a call to giving came during a meeting with a summer supervisor while in divinity studies. Now, paid by the Church I served, my question to my mentor: "How much should I give?" The appropriate answer, "That's between you and the Lord, my friend." Not much help.

Of course, it's different for me as I rely on the Church for my living. Or is it? I'm paid a "fixed income" every month to use as I choose. I "choose" to keep food in the cupboard and fuel in the car, among many, many other things. Holy orders or not, a buck still only goes so far.

Soon after ordination to the transitional diaconate, my income stabilizing a bit, I pretty much set the approach I've taken ever since. I've never regretted it. I give to God out of the first dollars I receive. It is much easier to decide upfront what my financial commitments are going to be. I tithe.

There seems to be a rampant misunderstanding about that word. "tithe" comes from the word "tenth," so it’s a proportion, that proportion being specifically one-tenth part of the whole. I'm regularly confused by those who claim they "tithe 14%!" Isn’t that a tithe and an offering of 4%? Praise the Lord! God has got to be far more joyous about the four percent than the ten. One is the biblical assumed standard, the other a gift. I also habitually make gifts (offerings) at Christmas, Easter, to PWRDF, at times of special need, and to other causes both inside and outside of the Church.

There seems to be a rampant misunderstanding about that word.

Do I give to the Cancer Society and the Alzheimer's Society and others? You bet. I think it's all good and important work and don't mind being part of it in the least. Do I count it an "offering to God" for the proclamation of the Gospel? No, I don't, because it is not. If I were to do that, my commitment to our Lord would be less than my understanding of the biblical expectation. We twist, turn and squeeze that one, making it far more complicated than it need be. Unlike many issues, Holy Scripture is far from vague on this one. The only way I can assure that I own my money and it doesn't own me is to be willing to consistently put the part that belongs to God where it ought to be.

I can't be in a church pew or stand at the Altar on a Sunday and watch the faith community to which I belong and within which I enjoy the blessing of acceptance and membership, struggle with financial realities and challenges while I give some of my first dollars to another cause. My commitment to supporting the proclamation of the Gospel comes from the first of my earnings while other charities, I'm afraid, get some of my last. Its interesting, though, how I always seem to have some for them too.

Does my church giving matter a hoot to my eternal salvation? I don't think so. If I had to buy myself into the good graces of God, I couldn’t begin to afford it. One-tenth plus, however, is a small price in recognition and thanksgiving for the mountain of blessings I enjoy – a healthy number I experience by way of walking the journey of faith, shoulder to shoulder, laugh to laugh and tear to tear, with others also called to be among the ranks of the baptized.

Am I bragging? No way. I could do much more ... but often don't, and I'm seldom very pleased about that. I am convinced that we all need not be ashamed of witnessing to what good is done for God and for others. We need desperately to share the priorities we hold dear. And maybe that's what its really all about? The financial stresses and strains we experience as members of the Body of Christ, the Church would not exist at all if we just got to it, and take a step toward giving sincere and honest witness and encouragement to one another about the what and why of what we do. It's not up to me to recommend, or even suggest for that matter, what someone else should do. The best I can do is share what I do and rest assured it makes a difference.