St Paul’s United Church 10206 – 100 Avenue, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0V6 In February and into March we had a number of people that took time to reflect on and share why they go to church. Some shared why this church family is important to them, some why this denomination feels right for them and some just why they need a church family wherever they may be. One Sunday, we switched it up and sang favorite songs that reminded us of someone – and shared a little bit about that special someone). All of these stories reinforced that we are not alone, and relationships matter. (See some of the stories on pp 6,7,8) At the Annual meeting and over the next few weeks we are asking each person who attends St Paul’s to reflect on their passions and say where they want to spend their time and effort to help us make a difference in the lives of the people around us. I hope you find a place to feel needed and loved in this church family and build some new relationships and passions that feed your soul. Let’s all be courageous! PLEASE take a set of coloured stickers and write on your name and phone number. Then paste it where your passions lie to show where you are currently / continuing to serve or where you wish to try something new in the mission and ministry of St. Paul’s for the immediate future. Communications - Stewardship – Pastoral Care – Christian Development – Council – Ministry Teams. Feed your passion and your soul. Contact Info: Please send Minister: Reverend Gord Waldie Office Manager: Carla Johnson comments, ideas, [email protected] [email protected] articles for inclusion in Music Director: Alison White Web Page Editor: David Middleton next issue to [email protected] [email protected] Sharon Adams, Telephone: 780-532-2415 Fax: 780-538-9172 [email protected] Website: www.stpaulsuc.ca Facebook page: @stpaulsunitedgp Office Hours: 9-12 and 1-3 - Monday to Friday Issue 2 - 2019 --- Page 1 If you are like me there are days when the answer to that question is a half-hearted “maybe” followed by a large question mark. Then there are the really bad days when the answer is a definite NO. Those are the days I need to remind myself to follow these instructions: “(Breathe in) I am a child of God (breathe out) and that is enough”. Why do we sometimes doubt that we are “good enough”? I can think of a few reasons. I have come to believe that sometimes are good at telling each other, and ourselves, that we fall short. We can be really good at tearing each other down when we should build each other up. In the beginning of the Scripture that is shared by Judaism and Christianity we are told that God looks at what has been created and says it is very good. Someone, I think it was Matthew Fox, has suggested that despite everything that comes after that first chapter of Genesis this original blessing has never been withdrawn. So we are good enough. Why is that sometimes hard to believe? One reason we may doubt we are good enough is something called ‘Imposter Syndrome’. This shows up in that little voice which tells you that you are not qualified for or capable of the task in front of you. Maybe you think you are a ‘post turtle’ as a joke I often see online says about politicians. In full blown effect it makes you convinced that people will find out and you will be ruined upon exposure as an imposter. Imposter Syndrome denies that word of God telling you that you are enough. Imposter Syndrome speaks against the truth that maybe God has led you to that place and is speaking through those who gave you the job. A cure for Imposter Syndrome is to remember the practice: “(Breathe in) I am a child of God (breathe out) and that is enough”. More training and practice help too, but we need to tend to the spiritual injury it causes as well. And then there is the big one. We often feel we are not good enough because lots of voices tell us we aren’t. Sadly we often find it easier to point out those times we each have failed, or done something wrong than congratulate each other on our successes. This leads to guilt. And in excessive amounts guilt leads to shame, and shame is about how we see ourselves. Guilt can help us see a person who does some things wrong, who sometimes fails. Shame, especially in excess, can lead us to see a person who will never be good enough, who can not do anything right. It can cause a paralyzing injury. The way to cure this spiritual injury is grace. Grace is what reminds us that we are beloved children of a loving God. Grace reminds us that what we are, while not perfect, while still growing and maturing, is enough. To be honest, this second spiritual injury is one of the places I take issue with the historical church. Historically I think the church, or more specifically some people in the church, has often been more interested in reminding people that they are imperfect, sinful, beings who can not measure up to some idealized saintly concept of good enough. There is a story I once read of a broken woman who was asked if she had tried the church. Her response: “why would I go there, I already feel terrible about myself?”. The church she described was forgetting the cure. As people of faith we sometimes need to remind each other where we fall short. As people of faith we ALWAYS have to remind each other of grace. We always need to remind each other that simply because we are part of God’s creation we are good, we are enough. To some this may be a question of theological priorities. To me it is life and death. Those times when suicidal or self-destructive thoughts seep into my soul they ride the carriage driven by the voice saying “you are not good enough”, the voice which tells George Bailey the world would be better off if he had never been born. To remind each other that we are ‘good enough’ may well save lives. Good enough does not mean perfect. It means enough. That is what Christ says. Jesus never asks people what they did wrong. Jesus says “you are forgiven, stand up and walk”. Jesus says we are good enough. So when the days get too hard, when you wonder if you are good enough, remember to: “(Breathe in) I am a child of God (breathe out) and that is enough”. Gord Issue 2 - 2019 --- Page 2 5th Barb Hofmeister 10th Gord Waldie 12th Laurie Anderson 15th Karen Scott 19th Mae Allen 22nd Tanya Ayre 24th Judy Barber 25th Alec Brown 27th Blake Brown 27th Mason White 28th Kaitlyn Brown 4th Pearl Wilson 7th Melissa Evans 7th Nora Hassall 7th Jacob Middleton 8th Dennis McIntosh SUNDAY, APRIL 7th 13th Kendra Waldie MOVIE MATINEE A true story – Indian Horse 16th Margaret Bowes Follows the life of Canadian First Nations 23rd James Proudfoot boy, Saul Indian Horse, as he survives 27th Chris Henderson residential school and life amongst the racism of the 1970s. A talented hockey 30th Teagan Wyatt player, Saul must find his own path as he battles stereotypes and alcoholism. (Not as good as the book I’m told, but I’m sure it will be educational). Based on the novel by Richard Wagamese Issue 2 - 2019 --- Page 3 From Social Media From Social Media If you stretched the shoreline of Lake Superior out to a straight line, it would be long enough to reach from Duluth to the Bahamas . Over 300 streams and rivers empty into Lake Superior with the largest source being the Nipigon River The average underwater visibility of Lake Superior is A little Canadiana……. about 8 meters or 27 feet, making it the cleanest Why It's Called Lake Superior and clearest of the Great Lakes. Underwater visibility in some spots reaches 30 meters or 98 feet. Pretty amazing... Didn't realize how big this lake is !! In the summer, the sun sets more than 35 minutes LAKE SUPERIOR FACTS: later on the Western shore of Lake Superior than at Lake Superior contains ten percent of all the fresh its Southeastern edge. water on the planet Earth. Some of the world's oldest rocks, formed about 2.7 It covers 82,000 square kilometers or 31,700 square billion years ago, can be found on the Ontario shore miles. of Lake Superior. The average depth is 147 meters or 483 feet. It very rarely freezes over completely, and then There have been 352 shipwrecks recorded in Lake usually just for a few hours. Complete freezing Superior. occurred in1962,1979, 2003 and 2009. Lake Superior is, by surface area, the largest lake in the world. A Jesuit priest in 1668 named it Lac Tracy, but that name was never officially adopted. It contains as much water as all the other Great Lakes combined, plus three extra Lake Erie's!! There is a small outflow from the lake at St. Mary's River (Sault Ste Marie) into Lake Huron, but it takes almost two centuries for the water to be completely replaced. There is enough water in Lake Superior to cover all of North and South America with water one foot deep. One of my friends told me about a powerful lesson Lake Superior was formed during the last glacial in her daughter's high school class this winter.