Niagara Anglican Newspaper
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HOW ARE WE DOING? THE HEART OF A NEIGHBOURHOOD PARISH NEWS Bishop joins 25 in 5 network to reduce poverty, PAGE 3 An exciting vision guides St Aidens Oakville, PAGE 5 Living the Gospel throughout the diocese, PAGES 8-9 A section of the Anglican Journal NEWS • PERSPECTIVE • REFLECTION • FOR A GROWING CHURCH • JANUARY 2009 The Epiphany Rebirth of a Church SUSAN KALBFLEISCH ST. JOHN’S ANCASTER Experience In early November, my husband Andy and I had the opportunity to visit a CHRISTOPHER GRABIEC variety of Anglican worship gather- EDITOR ings in London England as well as On one of these clear and cold nights, engage in conversation with a number it’s a good thing to go out and look into of church leaders, both lay and clergy. the sky. Find the brightest star that you The Church of England (C of E) fi nds can. Stare at that star for a little while itself in transition as it moves to serve and allow your inner spirit to connect. not only its traditional albeit declining You may well fi nd it a profound source base, but to also re-imagine itself as a of faith. I once remember camping in missional church in a changing world. the Smokey Mountains. (Yes, I slept on top of ol’ Smokey!) I remember CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 lying on the ground looking at the stars which seemed infi nite in number. I tried to stare into dark spots in the Canon Lynda Kealey sky, but it seemed that when I did so, eventually in the farthest distance there retires would be small glimmer of light – yet another star. It was a prayer night, as SUE CRAWFORD I recognized the immensity of God’s ST. MICHAEL’S CHURCH HAMILTON handiwork. I knew then that this was no Epiphany acknowledges and celebrates I believe that spiritual faith comes accident and that the divine artist was from within, but that faith needs some- probably still at work creating the mag- God's manifestationmanifestion to to us us in in our our own own one without to guide and help us build nifi cence of what we call the universe. on that faith: someone to enable us to Another time, I wrote once before individual and communal lives. realize that what we believe is where in this paper about a star. It was on we should be and what we should do Christmas Eve, in San Francisco and with that faith to the greater good of the star helped me to understand the humankind. That someone to my way divine touch in three Jewish women The Pursuit of Excellence in Ministry of thinking has been Canon Lynda that I had met that night at the city’s Kealey. Episcopal Cathedral. I was over- The Bishop’s Challenge to doing Church Diff erently On November 23, 2008 Lynda whelmed (and continue to be) with the celebrated her fi nal Eucharist at St. ongoing work of God in my life and ANDY KALBFLEISCH ter that they have any understanding In a way this is a “back to the Michael’s at 4 o’clock in the afternoon. the world around me. MISSION STRATEGY COMMITTEE of what being a Christian means. In future” moment. That is, to move for- It is so important for us to use this How many of us, Sunday after Sun- fact I sometimes wonder if we, who ward we must reach back and adopt CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 'Christmas-time' in the way in which it day, sit comfortably in our pew and call ourselves Christians, have also the fi rst century model of church was intended. In this issue Nissa Bas- ask ourselves – Where are the people? lost sight of what being a Christian where people worked together using baum shares her faith about the adult Where are the young adults? Where means. their gifts and talents for the benefi t The fall-out from a Christ in Christmas. Her article makes are the children? We often com- So what went wrong? The fi rst of all. a great point. We can’t continue rel- fort ourselves with a response like century church at the time of Paul was This transformation can only hap- state religion egating this incredible celebration of – people lead busy lives in our 24/7 organized around community, faith pen if we adapt a new leadership the incarnation of God to the legend- world and can’t fi nd time to fi t church and action. Over the centuries, people model. Again Bishop Michael challen- NISSA BASBAUM ary birth of a baby in a romanticized into their schedules. We would then in their wisdom re-ordered church into ges us, leading by example. Through TRANSFIGURATION ST CATHARINES stable in the midst of loving animals. add – it didn’t used to be this way. We what most of us know today – a priest, his visioning process he has encour- Some years ago, when I was religious Celebrating the birth of Jesus is only are quick to blame Sunday shopping, a building and a service. Looking aged an open and consultative leader- about my attendance at a fi tness class, one part of the mystery. Sunday sports, in fact Sunday every- back we see a growing church where ship style, a model in which those who I had a short and rather bizarre conver- There is nothing wrong with enjoy- thing and then remind ourselves again people would engage, not by opening participate have a personal interest in sation with the person who was exer- ing Jingle bells and Santa Claus. It’s a that it didn’t used to be this way. No it their doors and waiting for people to a successful outcome. For many of us cising beside me. As we both gesticu- lot of fun and we are, after all, capable didn’t, but nor was church always this enter, but by going out into their com- this will be a challenge – for the clergy lated to the dulcet tones of Christmas of multi-tasking as human beings. way either! munities to spread their new-found to relinquish some of their authority carols, this woman said to me, “Well, Keeping social justice in mind, it’s In the twenty-fi rst century we live faith in Christ and live out that faith and for the laity to assume new leader- give it a few years and we won’t be fi ne to enjoy the 'fun' of Christmas. in a different, hostile and isolating by helping others less fortunate than ship roles. able to do this anymore.” world where we can no longer assume themselves. This is Bishop Michael’s CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 people are Christian or for that mat- challenge to us. CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 CONTINUED ON PAGE 12 2 NIAGARA ANGLICAN JANUARY 2009 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 » Rebirth of a Church - St Paul’s Hammersmith Their Fresh Expression initiatives, in married without children, also with Groups”. Presently there are over 25 partnership with the Methodist Church, monthly Communion. Life Groups that meet weekly for are only part of the story. What impressed I attended the 10:30am family wor- fellowship, to read scripture, share me was the journey that St. Paul’s Ham- ship service. The service was non-trad- stories and pray. mersmith has been on in recent years. itional – the clergy did not wear vest- A wide range of programs focus Before proceeding I should mention ments or any other sign of their offi ce on children and youth both within St. that although the C of E is the state (or and there was no liturgy. The service Paul’s and connected with the com- established) church in England, it has had three elements; worship songs of munity. Sunday mornings the 10:30am not received funding from the state since praise, prayer and teaching. Overall SPARK (St. Paul’s Ark) program for the 1970s. Today’s C of E parishes are the service lasted one and a half hours about 100+ children up to age eleven funded by their members, and through and there didn’t seem to be any rest- incorporates worship, songs and activ- endowments, rentals and fundraising lessness about the time. The children ities in seven age appropriate groups. initiatives. stayed for about twenty minutes at Youth programs include “Express” St. Paul’s Hammersmith began in the beginning. They were engaged in and “Extreme” for grade 7 to 9 stu- the late 1600s as a small chapel. The the worship songs with numerous arm dents, “Youth Church” for students in present church was built in the late and body actions with the adults join- secondary school, and “The Bridge” 1800s and is a massive structure with ing in enthusiastically. To be sure, it Friday night club for local youth. an enormous worship space. Although was a welcoming and joyous worship W6 Youthworks is a project set the original design specifi ed pews, experience, albeit something I wasn’t up by St. Paul’s to support socially they were never installed thus provid- used to in an Anglican church. excluded and disadvantaged young ing a fl exible worship venue. Although But there is a lot more to the new people in their area to encourage them successful in its early years, like many St. Paul’s than Sunday worship. First to develop into well-balanced, con- Anglican churches in London it even- they are very intentional about evan- fi dent and secure young adults. This tually found itself in decline.