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It's time for another monthly physical gathering in the Calgary area for members and friends of the Congregation.
Caitlin d'Esterre and Parker Johnson are planning our August gathering and it is sure to be a blast! More details to come, but for now please save the date and hold that afternoon for this fun event. When: Sunday, August 23, 2020 (1 p.m. or later) Where: Calgary metro area park We will provide an official invite once we've nailed down a location. Looking forward to seeing you again soon! Questions? Contact Parker Johnson at parker@communityofchrist.ca.
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 Dear friends,
Earlier this summer, Canadian church leaders were made aware of a unique opportunity to join with the Canadian Council of Churches (CCC) as a signatory on a joint statement condemning anti-black racism in Canada. While Community of Christ in Canada has not yet been admitted as a full member of the council, our engagement has been highly meaningful, and we have been building good ecumenical relationships. In our June 2020 survey of church members across Canada it was clear that there was a strong degree of support for our denomination’s participation in this effort, and we have been busy following through with this mandate. With 107 responses from across Canada, the results provided us with the feedback we needed to proceed in a way that honoured our tradition of being guided by the wishes of the body. It is worth mentioning that the Intercultural Chair of the CCC praised our democratic and participatory process indicating that he felt we were taking the time to connect with members rather than simply having our leaders sign on to a statement. With the support of the membership, Canada East Mission Centre President Kerry Richards, our designated representative with CCC, formally added Community of Christ in Canada’s support to the joint statement. View the official CCC joint statement here. While we recognize that signing a document in and of itself is not enough, it signals the beginning of a larger ecumenical conversation and actionable steps. By joining this declaration, we are making strides toward fulfilling our call to “…work tirelessly to tear down walls of separation and to build bridges of understanding.” (Doctrine and Covenants 162:6b) We seek reconciliation within our own denomination and through our communities across Canada, and we look forward to hearing from you about the unique ways in which you prioritize to combat anti-Black racism in your congregations. Thank you for your participation in this process. With gratitude, Apostle Art Smith  Mark the weekend of Thursday through Sunday, September 10 to 13, on your calendar and participate in any or all of the activities outlined on the schedule which can be found by clicking the button above. A schedule with more details about each session will be released later in August. It is expected that each of these events will be of interest to different people for a variety of reasons. It is a bit different than our usual “in-person” mission conference.
Have a look. See what interests you. Be sure to mark at least those events on your calendar. All events will be offered through the “Zoom” video conferencing system, accessible on computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. Access information will be published later. Total contributions to Worldwide Mission Tithes through June 30 are $5.4 million. Thank you for supporting local and global mission. Your generosity changes the world. A big shout-out to those who are using eTithing and other forms of automated giving!  As we continue to explore the guiding question, “Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?” a yearlong series of interlinked Herald magazine articles, videos, and live online discussions began in June. The next article titled "Toward the Peaceful One: Looking Back to See Ahead" is now posted. You can also find links to previous articles and videos at www.CofChrist.org/guiding-question.
The online discussion for this article will be held on Tuesday, August 18 at 7:30 p.m. (CDT). This will be a free event hosted on Zoom. Apostle Janné Grover will lead a discussion with Ron Harmon, author of the second article in the series. Opportunties for questions to the author and small-group discussion will be provided. This event is free but registration is required for the online discussion. Register by Sunday, August 16. We are excited to announce our second physical gathering for this Saturday, August 1 from 1 - 5 p.m. organized by Doug Hayden and Cindy Larsen and hosted by Isabelle. This gathering will take place at the home of Isabelle and Keith Williams in Didsbury. Directions can be found here.
In order to remain in compliance with provincial, municipal, and World Church guidelines, we will be enforcing the following measures:
Please consult the Alberta Guidance for Places of Worship for more specific details. WHAT TO BRING:
GATHERING DETAILS: When: Saturday, August 1 between 1 - 5 p.m. Where: Keith and Isabelle Williams's Home What: Low-structure gathering – general catch-up, enjoying some time outdoors, and an opportunity to share space with one another. As we continue to explore the guiding question, “Are we moving toward Jesus, the peaceful One?” a yearlong series of interlinked Herald magazine articles, videos, and live online discussions began in June. The next article titled "Toward the Peaceful One: Looking Back to See Ahead" is now posted. You can also find links to previous articles and videos at www.CofChrist.org/guiding-question.
The next online discussion group will be held on Monday, August 3 at 7:30 p.m. (CDT). This will be a free event hosted on Zoom. Apostle Janné Grover will lead a discussion with Ron Harmon, author of the second article in the series. Opportunties for questions to the author and small-group discussion will be provided. This event is free but registration is required for the online discussion. Register before Sunday, August 2. While doors to the Temple in Kirtland, Ohio, USA, are closed to the public, tours are still available.
Much like in-person tours, Zoom allows online visitors to experience the historic site. A guide leads viewers through the building, explains its construction, its uses, answers questions, and points to the importance of the Temple in Restoration history. And, only online viewers see a brief film clip from 1946 showing bits of glass shining in the original exterior stucco. Tours begin at 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time and last 45 minutes to an hour. A $10 historic preservation fee is charged per screen at the time each reservation is made. Options allow large groups or individuals to make contributions of more than $10, all of which go toward preserving and sharing the Temple. As many as 100 visitors can take the tour at one time. Tour-takers need speakers on their home computers, and a microphone is useful but not necessary. Smartphones also work for tour-takers. Worship Ministries has created elements for use when the time is right to gather physically for services called Sacred Togetherness Again—A New Journey.
Six weeks of proposed worship elements begin the journey. Leaders can choose to use a few in worship planning or incorporate all the elements each week. Black Lives Matter
Indigenous Lives Matter Lives of People of Colour Matter It is already the FOURTH Wednesday of July! How did that happen? It is a beautiful day here in Edmonton as I write, but it does not seem that we have had our quota of really warm (read “hot”) summer weather yet. Perhaps where you live summer has been more generous. As the last weekend of July approaches, I realize that I am truly missing the in-person camps and reunions that normally mark my time at this time of year. But our online alternatives have proven to be very well received. We have had 36 kids registered across the Junior, Junior High, and Senior High online camps. Participation has come from BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and even Washington State. A real benefit of this platform for the camp has been bringing youth together from across the mission centre and beyond. A big thank you to Lisa Neudorf, and her event directors, for putting this program together. Coming up, starting this weekend, is the Canada West 2020 Online Reunion! You will find program details and logon information elsewhere in this week’s Weekly Wire. I want to encourage participation across all of the mission centre in this event – just like the kids have shown us by example. You can pick and choose the events that most interest you, and you need not feel guilty about skipping the ones that do not. There are events aimed at every age group. Check out the schedule and mark the sessions of interest to you on your (electronic) calendar. We will have guest ministry from Zac and Katie Harmon-McLaughlin – who were guests at last year’s Hills of Peace Reunion. And I would be remiss if I did not suggest that both the online campfire and the talent show promise to be highlights of the week, just as they always have been in the traditional Samish Reunion. Thanks to Chris Phelps and his planning team for putting together this event. Next up will be the online edition of the Canada West Mission Conference. It will happen from Friday evening, September 11, through Sunday, September 13. Watch for program details in next week’s Weekly Wire. Joey Williams, who was our originally scheduled guest minister for the conference, will join us for some of our events. Watch for that information and keep those dates on your calendar. Also – in case this invitation has not come to you – check with your Pastor about being a delegate for your congregation for the business meetings. If you are not registered in a congregation and live in any of the provinces and you are interested in being a delegate, please contact me. As you are all aware, we are not “out” of this COVID-19 pandemic yet. It is the reason our camps are online. It is the reason we are not yet back to weekly worship services in our congregations. Please continue to exercise the infection-control measures recommended by all health authorities. Hopefully we can re-start weekly services in some form in September. As always, I pray for you God’s blessings of guidance, understanding, and peace in these challenging times. Steve Thompson Canada West Mission Centre President steve@communityofchrist.ca |
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