Mission & Ministry. December Haney Presbyterian Church, Maple Ridge, BC

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1 Mission & Ministry December 2017 Congregational Worship as a Dress Rehearsal for Living in Communion with God While&reading&a&bookforaSundaySchoolclassonadultspirituality,Icameacross thefollowingquotewhichgavemenewinsighttowhywewelcomechildrentothe congregation sworship. For&some&reason,religiouspeopletendtoconfusethemeanswiththeactualgoal. Inthebeginning,youtendtothinkthatGodreallycaresaboutyourexactposture,theexact dayoftheweekforpublicprayer,theauthorshipandwordingsofyourprayers,andother suchthings.onceyourlifehasbecomeaconstantcommunion,youknowthatallthe techniques,formulas,sacraments,andpracticeswerejustadressrehearsalforthereal thing lifeitself whichcanactuallybecomeaconstantintentionalprayer.yourconscious andlovingexistencegivesglorytogod. (Falling(Upward:(A(Spirituality(for(the(Two(Halves(of( Life(,Richard(Rohr) The&image&of&the&congregation s&worshipasadress rehearsalforlivingalifeinconstantcommunionwithgod maynotbetheonlyimagethatdescribesworship,butit addsanotherlayerofunderstandingforworshipersofall ages.asweseektoincludechildreninthecongregation s worshipitremindsusthatthegoalisnotthattheybehaveor eventhattheyknowenoughofthesongsandprayerstoparticipateatleastalittle.the&goal& is&that&they&acquire&and&practice&skills&for&living&in&relationship&with&god&every&day.our taskistohelpthemadoptpraise,thanksgiving,confessionandacceptingforgiveness, listeningforgod,sharingourconcernswithgod,rememberingwhatweknowtobetrueand makingcommitmentstoliveaccordinglyasskillsforlivingeveryday. That&means&our&task&is&to&help&themgraspnotjustwhatwedoinworshipbutwhat itleadsustodoeveryday.weneedtohelpthemseethatjustastheycanthankgodwith songsandprayersinthesanctuary,theycangothrougheverydaywithgrateful hearts.likewise,iftheycanconfessandbeforgiveninthesanctuary,theyjustmightbeable todoitinthebackseatofthevan,thelockerroom,orthelunchroom.overtimethe patternstheylearninthesanctuarycanbecomethe patternsoftheirlives.sowearenotjustinviting themtoworship(nosmallthinginitself),weare rehearsingthemintothechristianlife.noteasy butaworthygoaltoponderonacoldwinterday inthemiddleofordinarytime. Carolyn(C.(Brown WorshipingwithChildren Haney Presbyterian Church, Maple Ridge, BC

2 Stewards by Design: Well Worth It Stewards by Design 2017 (the seventh since 1999) was held at Geneva Park Conference Centre, Orillia, ON, November 9th to 12th. The Haney PC team was one of twenty-two, most of which had four members, one of whom was a minister. The program began on Thursday evening and concluded with lunch on Sunday. There were seven lectures presented by Dr. Kennon Callahan and five case studies presented by previous participants. In addition, there were presentations on generous giving, meetings with our team mentor and a team meeting with Dr. Callahan. He has been the featured speaker at every Stewards by Design workshop. From(left(to(right:(Susan(Reaveley,(Rev.(Paddy(Eastwood,(Dr.(Kennon(Callahan,( Rev.(Sean(Astop,(Sherry(Irvine,(and(Joan(Kerr( It was not all work. There was time for discussion within our teams, even time to refresh with a walk in the snow and sunshine. Over the excellent meals and at two social events we shared conversation with other teams. What have we brought home? Among us there is energy and enthusiasm and our heads are full of ideas and new terminology. We value the advice, repeated several times, to begin with small steps and to proceed at a pace that is comfortable, for our congregation as well as the four of us. We knew when we formed the team six months ago that we would be working together well beyond the end of the workshop at Geneva Park. Dr. Callahan kept some themes before us through all his lectures: consider the world we live in and how difficult it is to engage people with terms like commitment and responsibility; share what is going on and ask for input; a church is family, help foster enjoyment and have fun; we are a people of hope in a world that longs for hope. The case studies were fascinating stories of churches that transformed themselves, fostered compassion, community and hope, and achieved so much. We would like to tell you more about churches such as Gloucester in Ottawa and St. Mark's in Orillia. We went knowing that many expected us to bring back ideas that give encouragement to generous giving. This was an important theme in Dr. Callahan's lectures and we heard more from case studies and two other sessions. What next? We get together for a post-workshop meeting on November 30th to review our notes and apply what we have learned to the tentative planning notes we made before Stewards by Design. The book we read, Twelve Keys to an Effective Church, makes a lot more sense now. You will be hearing from us. We look forward to sharing with you. By all means ask us about our time at Geneva Park we worked hard and we had fun. Sherry Irvine Team Leader 2

3 Congratulations to Rob Bell Rob's art is on display as part of the Kickstart exhibition, Can You See Us Vancouver? at the Pendulum Gallery, 885 West Georgia Street Vancouver BC, November 9 to December 2, Kickstart Disability Arts and Culture is the only professional arts organization in BC that supports and promotes artists who identify as living with a disability. ( ( ( ( ((((((((Rob(Bell(at(Opening(Reception( ((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((((Pendulum(Gallery(Staff(Photo)( Advent Posters EachSundayduringAdvent,wewillbecolouringfourpostersfor Advent.It'sapleasantwayforustoworkandvisittogether. Here'swhatwedidattheAdvent(Intergenerational(Eventon November26th. H.P.C. Christmas Dinner Our annual congregational Christmas Turkey Dinner will be on Saturday, December 2 nd, at 6:30 p.m. (Tickets were available until November 26 th, so we hope you ve picked up yours.) This is always an enjoyable evening of good food and fellowship. See you there Christmas Caroling Ministry Thursday, Dec. 14 1:00 p.m. On December 14 th we are looking for people to join in our annual Thursday afternoon Christmas Caroling ministry. We'll meet at the church at 1:00 p.m. and carpool to three locations. This year we are not doing the Friday evening caroling, so please plan to join us on the Thursday 3

4 Looking for a Meaningful Christmas Gift? Pastoral Care Reminder In the event of a serious illness or death of a member or adherent in our congregation or an associated family member, you are reminded to contact Rev. Paddy Eastwood as soon as possible. She will coordinate as necessary, assisted by Rev. Garvin and Rev. Cornish, to make certain that our church meets your need for pastoral support. ConsidergivingaGiftofChangetosomeone youlovethischristmas. Giveagiftwithmeaning ThePresbyterianChurchin Canada sgiftsofchange catalogueoffersaunique waytosupportmarginalized communitiesacrosscanada andaroundtheworld.your giftswillbeusedtocarryoutlifexchanging programsthatarerespondingtotheneedsof peopleaffectedbypoverty,hunger,natural disastersandconflict. Formoreinformation,togiveagiftorto downloadthegift(of(changecatalogue,goto: The Advent Wreath As always, the Pastoral Care Team and your Elder are also available to support you with any ongoing pastoral needs you may have. If you aren t sure who is your Elder, there is a list on the photo gallery board outside the office, or you can ask at the office. The elders and Pastoral Care Team do not provide counseling or specialist help, but they are available for visits, prayer, spiritual guidance, and practical help as deemed appropriate. Feel free to contact one of the Pastoral Team members: Anne Bauman Susan Embree Jean Gardiner Sheena Macdonald Trudy McIntyre Susan Reaveley Richard Newman Sometimeafterthesixthcenturythechurch designatedthefoursundaysbeforechristmas asadvent.thisseasonbeginstheliturgicalyear. TheAdventwreathwithitsfourcandlesona wreathofevergreenisshapedinacircleto symbolizetheeternityofgod.duringeach SundayoftheAdventseason,wefocusonone ofthefourvirtuesjesusbringsus:hope,love, JoyandPeace. Somechurchesusewhitecandlesforpurity, someuseredforjoy.someadventcandlesare violetorpurple,thetraditionalcolorofthe Adventseason acolorthatsignifiespenitence andtheroyaltyofthecomingking.insome churchesonerosexcoloredcandleisalsousedto suggesttheroseofsharon.traditionallythis candleislitonthethird Sunday,atimeofjoy. Thecentercandle,the Christcandle,isalways white.itislitonchristx mas,theendofadvent. 4

5 Advent Days of Prayer December 7 th, 14 th & 21 st 9:30am - 7:30pm Christmas Services Sunday, Dec. 3 10:00 am Advent I - Worship Sunday, Dec :00 am Advent II - Worship & Choral Pageant Sunday, Dec :00 am Advent III - Worship Sunday, Dec :00 am Advent IV - Worship 6:30 pm Family Christmas Eve 11:15 pm Candlelight Service Monday, Dec :00 am Christmas Worship Sunday, Dec :00 am Worship Service Each Thursday during Advent the church will be open from morning until evening. Take time during this special season to drop in for some quiet meditation or a few moments of prayer. You are free to pray as you wish, or use the provided prayer guide. ~ Hear our prayer, O Lord, Hear our prayer, O Lord; Incline your ear to us, And grant us your peace. Amen. Church Information InterimModerator: Christmas Choral Pageant Rev.BernieSkelding At the morning worship service on Sunday, December 10 th AssociateMinister: Rev.PaddyEastwood EXmail: the Sunday School children, youth and choir paddyathaneypres@hotmail.ca will join together to present the choral pageant, ChurchAddress: Mary Had a Little Lamb (Dan Barker Manna Music) thStreet MapleRidge,BC V2X5H8 ChurchAdministrator: MariliseVenter Phone:604X467X haney.pc@telus.net Website: 5

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