Growing together... Awaken you buried seeds asleep in your earthen tombs! Rise up with joy and break forth the hard coffins of your shells!

Transcription

1 Advent Lutheran Church April 2008 Growing together... Awaken you buried seeds asleep in your earthen tombs! Rise up with joy and break forth the hard coffins of your shells! Your Easter has come; warm sun is softening the land. Winter has hidden you, and Spring now invites you to dance. Awaken seeds of holiness buried deep within me. Rise up to fulfil your destiny, your time has come. Michael s Meanderings 2 Letters from our Community 3 Forgiveness 6 Treasurer s Report 8 The Stewardship Journey 10 Advancing God s Purpose 12 ONE 13 Garden Song 14 The Path Ahead 16 The Buzz 17 The Last Word 18 New life is written on my bones and in my cells. Onward and beyond have I been called even before I felt the sun Or knew the earth around me. Awaken You sly sluggish saint hesitant within me, And set a new rhythm for me a dance of holy yearning.

2 Michael s Meanderings... Building Community in the Modern World Mutual Ministry is seeking to put into words a vision for our church (our current mission statement is well over ten years old.) It s an invitation we would like to extend to congregational members and council and new comers indeed, anyone who is a passionate about the Christian Church. This article, is the second of my reflections in a small series that includes: Our Public Ministry; Building Community in the Modern World; The Role of Public Worship; and Personal Spiritual Growth. There were seven of us in the pub the Fox and Firkin or the Firkin and the Fiddle or something like that. All I remember is that it had Firkin in the title. (What is a firkin, anyway?) Qi Cheng, Adele Buckley, Tara Lindemann, Sophia Liu, Waveney Kanhai, Peter Reble and I were there. It was the first meeting of congregational council s newly appointed Community Building Task Force. We decided to have lunch together and a pint of beer what better way for such a gathering to begin. We were there to talk about how we might help build community at Advent. The first thing we discovered is that we didn t know everybody s name. Introductions all around. And then Peter, our convener, asked me if I could outline what we were supposed to be doing (changing world, new taskforce of council, build community, etc.) Discussion flowed for two hours, and a few things came to light: Community includes everyone from casual members to newcomers to old faithfuls. We re in this together. Our new bible study class (affectionately called Awakening Class) has a vitality to it that suggests it is meeting a need. It is certainly helping to build community at Advent, mostly around the questions: 1) what does it mean to be fully alive and 2) what will the Christian church look like in the future? These two questions are intimately connected. A third issue that came to light is that an opportunity to practice English is essential for new comers to Canada who come to church. We recognized that Awakening Class provides this by using an informal conversational structure, but how might we be more intentional in including this language element in our work as a congregation? Opportunities for gathering together and sharing a meal are very important. In some ways, this was an easy issue one to address: each member of the task force agreed to convene lunch at a local restaurant after church for the next seven weeks. You re all invited. Look for information in each Sunday s bulletin. (I convene first and think I ll take us all back to the Firkin and Gherkin or whatever it s called.) The real issue behind all of our work is about connection, intimacy and shared life. It is about learning to be a community that people in our modern world can look at and say, I want to be part of a group like that. Have you ideas that will help make connections between people or help a new comer feel more at home? Please feel free to talk to me or anyone on the task force listed above. Or talk to Carol Peck, our chairperson. Or get up on Sunday morning before worship and talk to us, we re all in this together. Blessings, Michael 2

3 Letters from Our Community ELCIC Eastern Synod Toronto Conference Spring Meeting April 5, 2008 Judy Baribeau and Jim Doak were present. DEAN The Rev. David Tin was elected as Dean of this Conference for his third term, As our Eastern Synod downsizes, the Deans have been given expanded roles including the installation of Pastors into congregations and managing the Call process within their Conference. IT S YOUR CALL Each congregation is encouraged to search out and support congregation members who are feeling a possible call to Seminary. LUTHER HOSTEL Luther Hostel was briefly promoted for June 9-13, It is an excellent opportunity for renewal and personal growth. A VISION FOR MISSION The Renewed Vision for Mission in the Eastern Synod continues to provide a solid outlook that should be input to Advent s current deliberations about our future see Pastor Mills article in the February 2008 Advent Journey and future articles to come. The term Pillar congregation refers to an in-development initiative in which congregations near post-secondary education institutions will be encouraged to reach out to those schools and let it be known that there is a welcoming Lutheran church nearby. Some guidelines are being developed to help congregations get started. We have the main Seneca College Newnham campus just up the street. Do we reach out? Are we advertised or promoted there? EASTERN SYNOD ASSEMBLY At the Eastern Synod assembly this year, delegates will be asked to dissolve the Congregational Life Resource Persons and the supporting Synod committees. This is because of inactivity not being used. Any necessary work will be done by ad hoc committees. For example, the Eastern Synod Resource Development Committee is planning an Every Congregation Visit program for in support of Benevolence. NATIONAL CONVENTION Thirteen Pastors were elected to be clergy delegates to the 2009 ELCIC National Convention at UBC Vancouver, June 25-28, The theme is to be In Mission for Others: Signs of Hope, based on Romans 15:13 and Matthew 5: Pr. Mills has been our delegate for the past two conventions, so this time Advent elects a lay member as our delegate. Watch for registration news, including the register by date and the $fees to be included in our next budget. CAMPUS MINISTRY Campus Ministry has, by necessity,moved from a model of funding a Chaplain to providing Internet web site for bloging, disseminating information and more. you can look at but soon watch for the new site at A search on Campus Ministry at the ELCIC national site identifies all our contacts in Canada. 3 (Continued on page 4)

4 (Continued from page 3) CAMP EDGEWOOD Camp Edgewood will be launching an appeal for major upgrade to be self-sufficient, and to be a year-round facility. The monies will be for facility renewal and upgrading, to build financial stability including endowments, and they will grow their partnerships with communities and school boards. As well, the town of Eden Mills is growing and they want to better meet the needs of their local community. POLICY FOR PROTECTION OF CHILDREN, YOUTH AND OTHER VULNERABLE PEOPLE The national ELCIC web site Documents has a fairly new abuse policy that is based upon one that was created in Eastern Synod, and that adds vulnerable individuals. It s called Policy for Protection of Children, Youth and Other Vulnerable People. A discussion about adequate liability insurance pointed to this document, and at least one Pastor reported a recent letter from the insurance company saying that the congregation s liability insurance was to be removed. The requirement for this insurance may well be broader than just the Pastor and Organist paid employees, including volunteers. The Eastern Synod law firm is Haney, Haney & Kendall in Waterloo in case such a firm is required and knowledge of our ELCIC church would be an asset. FINANCES Advent s Treasurer has been given a statement from Eastern Synod identifying all the money the Synod has received from Advent in We are asked to check that this matches our records. The Eastern Synod report of the Treasurer was distributed. Attendees were advised that in , expect to see increases in Pastoral salary and car allowance guidelines. Benchmarked against other synods, Eastern Synod is behind. Jim Doak OUT LATE On Friday March 14th, at the 11th Annual East Lansing Film Festival at Michigan State University, Out Late was premiered. Part of it was filmed at Advent during a service in the fall of 2006, which appeared in a lot of scenes both inside and outside of the church. USA 2007 Run time: 67 minutes Directors: Jennifer Brooke, Beatrice Alda Coming out as a lesbian, gay, or transgender takes courage and an irreversible commitment to be true to oneself. Even during these more open times, it is a difficult decision. Out Late explores the reasons for not just coming out but making this decisive change later in life - after the age of 55. Why did they wait until their 50s, 60s, or 70s to come out? And what was the turning point that caused each of these people to openly declare their sexuality? From Canada to Florida to Kansas, this fascinating film follows five dynamic individuals as they make the liberating choice to pursue fully integrated lives. Directors Jennifer Brooke and Beatrice Alda appeared last night with two of the 5 individuals featured in the film, one of which included myself. Two people with supporting roles were present as well; one of which was Bill. We were hoping that the other 3 people featured would be present as none of us have ever met. Advent Lutheran Church was in the credits including Pastor Michael Mills, Kevyn Dawe and Lester Maclean. Last night was a pretty exciting night. First we were invited to a reception in the VIP room at the festival. After the showing of the film we were introduced to the an extremely warm audience, many members of which came to speak with us. The documentary appears to have been well received. No one walked out and we think it was well done. Jennifer and Beatrice invited us and guests for a private reception after the showing. We are unable to get a copy of the film at the moment as the producers are hoping that a distributor will pick up this film for distribution. They will try to get it into other film festivals including Toronto hoping to get more exposure. Apparently it s not so easy as there are thousands to choose from. 4 Walter Rothenburger

5 Twenty Percent Cut in Synod Budget must be Reversed I continue to be very troubled by the twenty percent cut in the synod budget that was voted in last Sunday. Actually, the longer I think about it the more it disturbs me not just the actual cut but also the thinking behind it. The cut is unfair, unconscionable, and must be reversed. We are not some independent religious assembly of people that get together to practice their Christian faith in their own way. Such independent congregations I understand were the rule in the early years of Christiantiy, and may again be in the future, if those who presage the end of organized religion are to be believed. However, for the present we are still part of organized religion, specifically of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, a traditional structure with a head office, and with employees. Some may think that the services rendered to congregations are not worth the money being spent, just as so many taxpayers grumble about the monies they are required to sent to Queen s Park and Ottawa. Nevertheless, the structure is in place, and costs money. The nature of Synod s expenses for salaries, supplies, utilities, etc. is no different from our own expenses for salaries, utilities, etc. Every year they go up with inflation. The argument is made that we give to Synod whatever the members of the congregation are willing to designate for this purpose and it would be contravening the instructions of the people to give more. This is a very flimsy excuse. As my daughter Erika pointed out on Sunday, her donation to Advent comes without direction, leaving it to Council to put it to the purpose most needed. Anybody ever involved with counting offerings will know that there are many other contributors, large and small, who are of the same mindset. Designating all such contributions as Current does not literally violate the implied instruction, but certainly is hard to reconcile with the spirit of it. Therefore, grossing up the contributions designated for Benevolence by something around twenty percent is only a very modest correction to our very hard-nosed approach to recording contributions. Nurturing the Growth of our Community At the Council meeting on March 3rd, a Community Building Task Force was initiated for the purpose of identifying how we at Advent can effectively build our community by reaching out to attract new members while at the same time supporting those who are attending Sunday service. As just one example, last Sunday after church it was suggested that we place a welcoming sign in front of our property. Even to do so, we need to think of how we want to declare ourselves. One suggestion is, "All Are Heartily Welcome at Advent Church every Sunday morning at 10 am" (I don't know how congregates would feel if we leave out the Lutheran designation in this particular sign, but it is something we should consider in making ourselves as inclusive as possible). I welcome others thoughts on this. Another suggestion is to install a semi-permanent canopy/open tent on the patio next to the garden area where, among other uses, we can meet and mingle after Sunday service while at the same time exposing ourselves to the community at large. Would it be possible to find a local corporation who would be willing to pay for it such as Fairview Mall? These are just two of many things we want to consider and I welcome all such suggestions which can be ed to me at peter@adventlutheranchurch.ca. Peter Reble For these reasons I urge Council to promptly restore the synod budget to $12,500. An organization needs staple funding to operate effectively. When employing people one needs some assurance that there will be monies to pay salaries. No, our cut of $2,500 all by itself might not result in somebody losing their job at Synod, but then again it might just be the straw that breaks the camel s back. I recall we contributed $12,000 to Synod more than 10 years ago, so, considering inflation, our contributions really have been declining already over the years. Therefore, for future years our contributions to Synod should be increased annually to account for inflation, just as we increase pastor s salary each year. Alfred Schurr 15 th February

6 Forgiveness Jesus gathered with his disciples in the upper room, not to institute Holy Communion per se, but to build a new kind of community. That they had bread and wine is incidental, in a way; they most likely had many different dishes and drinks. What Jesus was up to, I think, was trying to deepen his relationship with those people he hung around with, and help them deepen their relationships with each other. He wanted them to be a community that lived in love, pure and simple. You know the old saying, It s easy to love the world, it s hard to love individuals. It was like that back in Jesus day. It s like that now. So in some ways, our task as the church is no different than Jesus task. Our job is to love. And to love we have to forgive each other every day of our lives. And, in the process, to learn to forgive ourselves, too. Jessamyn West, the Quaker woman who wrote numerous stories and novels at the beginning of the 20 th century said, It is easier to forgive others their mistakes than it is to forgive them for having witnessed our own. There s some truth in that, isn t there? Ultimately, I think, we forgive others to the extent that we are able to forgive ourselves. This is the base line for all of our relationships, acquaintances, interactions at work, our life long journey with our children, our friends. Everything Eric Hoffer said, The remarkable thing is that we really do love our neighbor as ourselves: we do unto others as we do unto ourselves. We hate others when we hate ourselves. We are tolerant toward others when we tolerate ourselves. We forgive others when we forgive ourselves. We are prone to see the sacrifice others make when we are ready to sacrifice ourselves. Tonight I simply want to remind you that your life s work is to love. And if you are serious about loving, you have to be serious about forgiving. The two go hand in hand. There s a page on the internet called the Forgiveness Website. You can post a note there if you want to. Anyone can. Listen to these five letters. They re not necessarily well written or eloquent, but they get to the heart of the matter: Dear Ann, I am so sorry that I hurt you. I know that we both did the best that we could, and I regret the way my anger found its way to harsh and hurtful words. Please accept my apology for that, and for being so slow to understand that you and I are not meant for each other. I will always love you, and thank you so much for the gift you brought to me, for the opportunity to understand myself better, and to experience such deep love. I know that my words hurt you, even though you minimize their impact. Rather than saying that it was nothing, please give me a sign that you accept my sincere apology. Your forgiveness means so much to me. Please contact me someday, if only to let me know your forgiveness. Love, from the bottom of my heart, Maureen To all the women who've been in my life: I'm sorry, for being selfish, for being a jerk. I hurt you all in different ways I think. I just want, at this point to start over, to not be the way I have been. My narrowness, my jealousy, my shallowness, must all come to an end. I have been doing it wrong all my life, that's got to change... Dan Dear Gayla, For over eight years we shared a sisterhood from Christ. It was a blessing beyond my description. You had a way of ministering to me in my deepest heart and for that I am eternally thankful. We drifted and I said some very angry, hurtful things and I am in turmoil over those things. I am sorry. The bible says to forgive 70 X 7 and Christ is our essence. Please forgive me? You made me stand in the cold, I couldn't even go inside your home that I have visited for dinner so many times before. You shut the door on me. I know it was all about your pain that I caused. Now I am dealing with a death, the death of a beautiful friend. Please take me back as your beloved sister. Love, Missy (Continued on page 7) 6

7 I wish I could turn back time. It's taken me too long, way too long, to finally see how my behavior has affected others, and I wish so much that a close friend or family would have found a way to speak to me about how I was acting years ago! I see it now, but learned it the hard way. I've had a tough time letting go of everyday situations, relationships, work stress, etc., and spilled my guts to whoever was around. Who would want to be around that constantly? I've lashed out in anger to people, and they didn't deserve my frustrations to be pushed on them in that way. I'm sure that I've kept people from wanting to bring up certain normal topics to me, for fear I'd spend an hour telling every detail. I've annoyed others, and turned away perfectly good friends along the way. I'm sure I've been perceived as someone who can't "get over it", or "let it go". I'm disappointed of my past behavior, and am having a painful, eye-opening experience. Lord, I thank you for allowing me to see this now, and help me as I learn from my mistakes and stop feeling so guilty. I want to forgive myself, stop dwelling on how many relationships I've ruined, and focus on how to better myself and the future! I want to learn how to handle my problems in a healthier way without burning friendships, and start to see a positive change from this whole experience. It's got to get better. Alex To Dougie on Clarence Avenue in Lakewood, Ohio. You and I were only about 11 or 12 years old; neighborhood kids in Lakewood Ohio. You were trying to play with me and I didn't want to play. You kind of taunted me, a little bit rowdy, and would not quit. You were a cute little blond boy, thin, with green eyes. I had just found out your father died recently, and in my mean heart (I was never a mean person) the only way I could get you to quit and leave me alone was what I said, "I am GLAD your father died!" Well I am in my late 50's; a mother, grandmother, nurse, and still have my dad who is going to be 90 this year. He is a good man and still drives his car. He looks after my mother who has early Alzheimer's. After I was an adult I realized and have felt so terrible ever since, that it was the most horrible thing to say to you. You liked me. You were just trying to play or get my attention. I am sorry. When I said it so meanly to you, I remember how your eyes changed. They quit laughing and you looked back so suddenly and seriously. You did go away. You did leave me alone, then. I am so sorry. I am going to my grave with regret that I could have been so selfish and mean. I have prayed that God will clear that from your heart. Even that young, a person does know better. I wish I could take it back. I am so very sorry, Dougie. I am sorry. You did not deserve that. I know you will never in a million years read this, but it had to be said outward to the universe...linda D. We wouldn t be here in church if we didn t care about the world and about making the world a better place. We re here because each of us has known hurt and suffering and has caused hurt and suffering and we know that that is not the way God wants us to live. Tonight let s remind each other how beautiful each other is. How much of a gift each has been in our lives. And then let s take that love and forgiveness home with us. There are people, who might now even know it, who are waiting to hear from us. Michael 7

8 Treasurer s Report ADVENT S FINANCIAL POSITION At 15 th April, 2008 Our Revenues Summarized as follows is Advent s giving to 15 th April, 2008, as compared to the period to 15 th April, ADVENT'S GIVING TO 15/4/08 Commitments Received to Received to Difference 15/4/ /4/2007 Current, Festival & Loose $21, $25, $3, Mortgage $1, $1, $ Sunday School $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Sub-total $23, $27, $3, Facilities $19, $19, $51.76 Regular Benevolence $2, $2, $ Total Received $45, $50, $4, Other Giving Global Hunger $ $1, $ Roof Fund $2, $0.00 $2, th April was taken as the cut-off date due mainly to reflect the fact that Easter was in April in 2007 and in March in To best reflect revenues including Easter and for the same number of Sundays to this point in the year, mid-april date was adopted. Current, Festival and Loose Giving Current, Festival and Loose collections tell us how much we are donating to support our everyday operations (i.e. pay our bills). As can be seen from the Current, Festival and Loose giving, our donations are down by $3,743.57, or about 15 %. Given our Budget for 2008, this is a serious shortfall. 8

9 Benevolence Giving Also of note is our Benevolence giving to 15 th April, 2008, which has declined by 18 %, from $2, to $2, Our commitment for the year is $10,000, with a set goal of $12,500, both which will not be reached at this rate of donation. Global Hunger donations have also declined, by about 41 %. A summary of the Benevolence donations received to 15 th April, 2008 vs. to 15 th April, 2007 is as follows: SUMMARY OF SYNOD REMITTANCES ITEM 1st Quarter To rd Quarter 4th Quarter TOTAL 2007 Regular Benevolence $2, $ $3, ELCIC Special - GHDA $1, $ $1, ELCIC Special - Tsunami $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 ELCIC Special - Hurr. Katrina $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Synod Special - Missions $10.00 $0.00 $10.00 Synod Special - E S Newspap. $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Phillipine Mudslide $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Campus Ministry $25.00 $0.00 $25.00 Camp Edgewood $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 CLWR $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 TOTAL $3, $1, $0.00 $0.00 $4, SUMMARY OF SYNOD REMITTANCES ITEM 1st Quarter To rd Quarter 4th Quarter TOTAL 2008 Regular Benevolence $2, $ $2, ELCIC Special - GHDA $ $83.00 $ ELCIC Special - Tsunami $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 ELCIC Special - Hurr. Katrina $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Synod Special - Missions $10.00 $0.00 $10.00 Synod Special - E S Newspap. $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Phillipine Mudslide $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Campus Ministry $95.00 $0.00 $95.00 Camp Edgewood $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 CLWR $33.00 $0.00 $33.00 TOTAL $3, $ $0.00 $0.00 $3, Members, note that this is a serious deterioration in our overall fiscal position. consider your giving for the remainder of Please The Roof Fund Our other major commitment is repayment of the roof loan, through the Roof Fund. In 2007, as the roof was being proposed and later installed, members stepped forward with significant donations, totaling $20, Worldwide Church of God, one of our regular users, also stepped to the plate with a very generous $5,000 donation, for total Roof Fund donations for 2007 of $25, By comparison, in the first 3½ months of 2008, total Roof Fund donations totaled $2,545. As the Roof Loan is real borrowed money, bearing real interest, it is becoming an expensive burden to our finances. Therefore, please don t forget about the Roof Fund when you prepare your offering envelopes. Fred Roth, Treasurer 9

10 Where is our Church Family on the Stewardship Journey? and What is Stewardship? Very important, let me give thanks to God for the opportunity to serve Him, and to Advent Lutheran's congregation for giving me the chance to take an active role in Stewardship & Finance. The question "Where is our Church Family on the Stewardship Journey? is a difficult one for me to answer at this time. However, the more important need is, that wherever we are on this journey, Advent Lutheran must ensure that progress on the Stewardship & Finance Journey should be upward and onward. Stewardship, the management of God's resources for God's purpose, is much more than a matter of "words" and it touches virtually every area of our ministry and our personal lives. Therefore, with action, it should be accorded the attention it deserves. The intention of this question, is not to get into an elaborate survey of the congregation for assessing the above Stewardship question, which may include: Pastoral Leadership ; Team Leadership; Stewardship strategies; Stewardship goals; Stewardship instructions; Stewardship involvement et cetera. I will assume that the current Stewardship programme at Advent Lutheran is working well and we are at the igniting level and in togetherness (collaboration) with one another, we are ready to take our Church Family to the next level on the Stewardship Journey. We need to ignite interest in biblical stewardship and make it a priority in our church ministry. Our Stewardship Journey is a matter of obedience and a decision to go beyond responsibility to sacrifice. If not taken as priority, there is minimum fuel for the future. It should be part of our master plan for our congregation and the Church's ministry. Projects do not progress to expectations without Stewardship. Projects allow our Church to move to the next higher level by getting everyone involved and by raising leaders and connecting them to the congregation and community through vision... a vision to "live responsibly in God's world". 10

11 This vision leads to the second question "What is Stewardship?" This vision or statement reflects the reality that God is the owner of all things. As the owner God has all the rights, we as God's stewards, have responsibilities. Therefore, we can safely say that one of the ingredients of Stewardship is that...stewardship is a way of life, it is not fundraising. A good steward is one who recognizes that his/her life is a free and precious gift from God and live that life as an offering to God. To speak in a general way, some congregations become interested in Stewardship because of financial problems. But, if we look closely to what Stewardship means, certainly, if all us were living Stewardship lifestyles then no congregation would have financial problems. The importance of propagating Stewardship is to enable God's children (all of God's people) to begin to live as good managers of God's creation and grace. Stewardship is a way of life in which Christ's followers use all of the resources God has placed in their care for the advancement of God's mission in the world. So, now that we are on the road of understanding one element of "Stewardship 101" (in layman's language) let us as a congregation and community make Stewardship: a regular, all year activity (not a once-year activity) a focus on the total Stewardship lifestyle and not only one aspect of resource management an educational process. In conclusion, I must admit that Stewardship is a passion of mine and I truly believe it is also yours. With this in mind, I hope that we can engage ourselves in this task by responding to God's call for responsible stewards and to discharge our responsibility in sharing of our gifted time, unique talents and resources in managing God's entrusted property. Jai Sahadeo Though your beginning was small, your latter days will be very great. Job 8:7 11

12 Advancing God s Purpose: A Widow s Testimony I am a widow with four children, seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren. I guess I would come under the category retired although I seem to be busier than ever. I have not ever had great wealth or been poverty-stricken and have always been able to pay my debts. My struggles with stewardship have been only with my conscience. I do not remember a time that I did not know that Christ Jesus was the Son of God, but I did not trust Him as my personal Savior and Lord until I was in my 30s. God has blessed me with good health, energy and a sense of humor, and I consider these to be gifts from Him. What I give, as far as abilities are concerned, are time and whatever effort is involved in volunteering at the church. I also work with Hospice. What I give of my finances to the church is to be used however it is needed at the discretion of the session, except for an amount earmarked for missions. God has proved to me in so many ways that it is more blessed to give than to receive. My tithe to the church is based on a little less than $2,000 per-month income. What gifts are given other than my pledge comes out of another account that I use for further necessities and pleasure, and the amount used varies monthly. My first lessons in learning to serve Jesus with my time and treasure came from a believing mother who had my siblings and me in Sunday school from 2 years old on. My first Sunday school teacher left an indelible impression on me as being stern yet kind and somewhat like a drill sergeant. She saw that we memorized Scripture as soon as we could babble. My most memorable mentor and Bible teacher I remember with much love and admiration. It was in one of her Bible study classes that the Holy Spirit opened my spiritual eyes to the deep, deep love that Jesus had for me and all of us and, as a result, took away my heart of stone and gave me a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). I have learned that I cannot out-give God. He has not only blessed me with the comforts of this temporal life but has also imparted to me a joy in giving of my resources and in serving Him in the small ways that I do. Trusting biblical truth has helped me to gradually increase the level of my giving. Malachi 3:10, Proverbs 3:5-6, Luke 17:56, Ephesians 2:8, 9 and Proverbs 17:22 are some texts that have played a part in growing me up in the Lord. anonymous David Rankine has graciously given us permission to reproduce his work in our newsletter. To see more of his wonderful artwork, check out: 12

13 ONE I am only one But I have a desire And it burns within Like a never-ending fire I am only one But for years I have wished To defeat poverty To have it demolished I am only one But I share my hope With many who are hungry But are forced to cope This year, the Confirmation students have been involved in the 30 Hour Famine. They have been and are still raising funds through their participation in this awareness raising event. They would like to invite you to support their efforts to fund projects leading to the global elimination of famine. Through her involvement in the 30 Hour Famine, Christina Beharry (age 13) found the inspiration to write this poem. She hopes that her creation will help raise awareness about world hunger and encourage more people to donate. I am only one But my dream grows each day And now anyone can help To chase famine away 13

14 Garden Song... What wonder that wise old Eden story placed the beginning of life in a garden? A garden fitly belongs to the youth of the world and the youth of the race, for it never grows old. The years, which steal so much from everything else, bring added loveliness and sweetness to it, enriching it with memories so beautiful and tender, but never blighting its immortal freshness.. - Lucy Maude Montgomery, 1910 Now at last we enter the season of new, of birth and growth. Every moment something is happening. A blade of emerald grass emerges, a crocus. A snowdrop. Bluebells dot gardens and hilltops. The air breathes promise of beginnings. Can you not feel the magic? With growth and gratitude I praise Advent for providing land for a community to be built around such miracles that honour life and our true connection to the earth, to ourselves and one another. I have been contemplating how we might enjoy the beautiful community gardeners who will soon begin to nurture their seeds to fruition. How can we participate? I have a few ideas. What if we all join in the soil turning of the community beds? It is a tremendous job, but it is true that many hands make light work. WE could organize a picnic afterwards, a chance for all of us to bless the work done and enjoy one another. I will post the date of the intended garden clearing in the narthex. I think that we all recognize the vitality of food and the presence it plays in all of our lives. Honouring it to nourish ourselves is to celebrate what God has given us. Fit your dream to what should exist and should be possible. June Callwood I would like us to introduce the Good Food Box. It is a program run out of Food Share, the lovely agency that helped us to start the market. They purchase top quality produce from farmers and from the Ontario Food Terminal, and volunteers pack it into reusable boxes. They collect money in advance of delivery and then this is where I wonder if we would consider Advent to be a drop off centre. Anyone can purchase into this program, regardless of income. Every consumer has buying power. You can purchase for yourself, for your family, you can also request organic produce. This tells larger grocery chains that we believe in high quality, fresh food that is made affordable to everyone to ensure the basic right of food security. If anyone is interested in participating in this project, please let me know. If you have computer access, look up I will post some information on the narthex board as well. We could have ten boxes within our congregation, we could commit to more, depending on our community response. And I have thought of all technical aspects, we will work it out. Next, the Everything Grows Market. We are growing this year, a bit closer to our goal to have a vibrant, community organic farmers market that will become a piazza for the surrounding community. I am looking for active assistance this, season. I invite anyone with a desire to participate to please contact me. There are large jobs and smaller jobs, mostly revolving around market day itself. To reach me, tara@adventlutheranchurch.ca or track me down at church. 14

15 Peanut Garden Makeover on HGTV May 27 10:00 p.m. Set the VCR! Green Force ADVENT LUTHERAN CHURCH 2800 Don Mills Road Toronto, Ontario M2J 3B The Rev. Michael Mills, Pastor Sunday Worship at 10:00 a.m. To receive this newsletter by , please send your request to: Advent Journey is a bi-monthly newsletter (with occasional supplements) created by the members of Advent Lutheran Church. Congregational Council is responsible for providing regular information for the newsletter, however, we are very pleased to receive contributions from our members. Please submit your news and creations for sharing to any member of Council or the editor: journey@adventlutheranchurch.ca Next Issue: June 2008 Deadline for submissions: May 30,

16 The Path Ahead... ALTAR CARE GREETER ASST. MINISTER READER USHERS COUNTERS COFFEE HOSTS Apr20 Tasha Fromme Ashley Sheppard Nalini Beekie Jonathan Roth George Tang Heinz Weltner Indira, Nalini & Isha Beekie Apr 27 Indira Beekie Jonathon Roth Nalini Beekie Joe Hunt Elizabeth Mobeen May 4 Cynthia Stewart Peter Buckley Alfred Schurr Sophie Liu Sarah Thang The Ramassar Family May 11 Adele Buckley Erika Schurr Kristof Moglich Jim & Karen Doak The Schurr Family May 18 Jacqueline & Delasia Khan Peter Reble Joan Fox Hannelore Matthews Brenda Kroeker Dave & Sonya Brown May 25 Arie Fox Lester McLean Mona Marcobelli Joan McLean Yvonne Cumberbatch Elsie Wraith & Mary Khan June 1 Alex Otten Lulu Li Carol Peck Martin Gangadeen Alex Otten Lulu Li The Carlsen Family June 8 Joan McLean Gabi Schickedanz Jim Doak Erna & Helmut Krause Brit Missirlian & Cynthia Stewart June 15 Alfred Schurr Carol Peck Jai Sahadeo Heinz & Hildegard Weltner June 22 Peter Reble Erika Schurr Waveney Kanhai Brit Missirlian John Gangadeen Fran & Claus Brandes Donna Beekie & Family June 29 Yvonne Cumberbatch Fred Roth Claus Brandes Nizam Khan Jacqueline Khan Heinz & Hildegard Weltner 16

17 The Buzz Virginia s Fund Donations are being received for Virginia Ling to be set aside in trust. The purpose of this fund is to let her know of our love and support and to help her with her college. If you wish to make a donation you can do so through your church envelope. Just mark it Virginia's Fund. PRAYERS FOR OUR PEOPLE Be with us, loving God, in our sorrow over the death of Chi Wang Ling. Especially we pray for his daughter Virginia and for his father. Help us to be for each other a community of love and support. We pray, too, for Mercy and Krishanti De Silva; Hanilore Matthews, Michael and Erika Day, Rosemary Gardow, the family of Pastor Victor Munro, and the family of Jac Hansen-Smith all who have experienced death in their households. May your grace sustain them. We pray too for those in ill health: Myrtle Greve s brother, Keith. Linda Abrahams, Jane Taylor, Evelyn Fromme, Jack Shave, Judy Tang and Gladys Ammatil and all who travel the path of ill health. We pray for Lionel Ketola and the congregation of Holy Cross Lutheran Church, New Market who are voting to call him as associate pastor on Sunday April 20. Bless Lionel and the people of Holy Cross with grace and courage. And we pray for Advent. Build up this community, O God of love. Help us to be clear about our mission: to offer love freely, to reach out beyond our own borders, and to practice resurrection. Amen. Introducing your 2008 Congregational Council Carol Peck Chair & Mutual Ministry carol@adventlutheranchurch.ca Adele Buckley Vice-Chair & ESO adele@adventlutheranchurch.ca Fred Roth Treasurer fred@advent Erika Day Secretary & Christian Education erika@advent... Fran Brandes Property fran@... Jai Sahadeo Stewardship / Finance jai@... Robert Wraith Stewardship / Finance & Youth robert@... Rebecca Taylor Worship and the Arts rebecca@... Tara Lindemann Community Garden tara@... Claus Brandes Financial Secretary claus@... 17

18 Make it a table of joy where the friends of Christ cast upon one another their burdens and cares and take up their journey restored. - from the rite of blessing an altar 18