On Transfiguration Sunday, UCiM was blessed to enjoy the music of the bassoon, played by Susan Durin, accompanied by UCiM’s Accompanist, Steven Webb!

The first piece offered was Anerca, based on a poem. The first movement is based on throat singing, the 2nd is an Inuit Folksong and the third is a dance.

The second piece, Bassango (Composer: Mathieu Lussier), was played during the offertory.

Announcements

Bulletin

On February 25/12, UCiM will be sharing space with Barrier-Free MB, in order to offer faith communities in Winnipeg some time to reflect on pending/developing legislation in Manitoba. This legislation mirrors a process similar to what has unfolded in Ontario around endeavouring to make public spaces accessible to all citizens, which is known as the Accessibility Standards. Now you may be reading this blog and wondering what this has to do with UCiM … and that is the place from which I have begun to reflect.

One of the literary genres that was contemporary during Jesus’ ministry was called Miracle Stories. Anyone worth telling a story about had to be a healer. And, even a quick scan of our Sacred Stories, clearly illustrates that Jesus was at the top of the class … he even tops the Miracle Stories with an actual resurrection!

Too often, however, I would suggest we, as those who endeavour to be Disciples in this ministry we have come to call Christianity, get stuck at the Miracle itself. That has, in turn, been most harmful to many people. Those who are ill – suffer chronic pain, experience that their own bodies have become their enemy, whose physical body may seem sound but their neuro-chemical balance is askew and thus suffer the silent challenges of mental illness – have suffered from a Christianity that holds up Jesus’ healing miracles as a cure from ailment, if only we pray hard enough or believe strongly enough.

Aside: Please do not infer this means a rejection of the power of prayer or the reality of miracles – two topics worthy of a blog unto themselves. Let’s just say too often they are discussed in ways that hurt rather than heal.

Furthermore, certain Christian theologies have espoused that wholeness, therefore, must mean that bodies are fully functional. And, most harmfully, the men and women in our midst are dismissed, even though they long to be part of an egalitarian Christian community. Yet, contrary to the potential modelled by Jesus’ own ministry, they are shunned by our cultural indoctrination into this circular formula:

Broken Body = Bad: Heal + Broken Body = Cured ∴ Rejected Until Healed

It is my belief, however that the Miracles Stories point beyond themselves not to curing but to healing from the various kinds of discrimination that have always existed in our human condition. Those who are different – pick your ‘ism or ‘phobia – must be kept away from those of us who imagine we are normal. In Christian tradition, this normalcy has – unfortunately – been equated with purity. Without acknowledging this history, therefore, we simply perpetuate keeping people apart and isolated from one another.

 The Accessibility Standards, which are now before the Manitoba Legislature, highlight a long tradition of Christianity that too often is silenced when human systems maintain who is in and who is out. For members of the Early Church all people were welcomed into the communities in which they endeavoured to live. Regardless of all the ‘isms that surrounded them in the culture of the day – a Roman context – men and women chose to live with one another, shared their resources corporately and recognised that all present were God’s Beloved Children. And these Christian groups were composed of lepers, the poor, criminals, wealthy, and children. The gauge of living into this ideal was not who was excluded, but the degree to which all were accepted. As UCiM itself and our larger denominational context – The United Church of Canada – wrestles with the developments within the secular world, I believe we have to look into the mirror and ask how and where are we being called to act as a Christian expression in the 21^st Century.

 Any legislation is often written in legalese and this can feel intimidating. But I believe that the intent behind the legislation complements our historical endeavour to welcome all within our midst; to accept people for who they are; and to recognise the gifts that are inherently theirs. Just one example of a Christian experience that endeavours to see the Holy within all are L’Arche Communities, in which they attempt to live into mutuality with men and women who live with developmental disabilities. But even this expression, for some, may still feel exclusive. This opportunity that Barrier-Free MB advocates within our Manitoba context feels like a logical continuation of the work of mutual respect and mutuality. In Christian language, this might mean we live into the Kingdom to Come now – it is the reality of a New Creation. This Kingdom to Come is not some metaphysical otherworldliness. It lies in conscious choices to challenge ourselves and to push both our own faith communities and support direct action. Such action must advocate that until the barriers that separate us from one another are deconstructed and dismantled we simply preserve the systems we know do not heal, but cause harm. This harm occurs to both bodies & souls that are often housed in the same person whom we should not see as the Other, but as our Sister & Brother!

A Deacon’s Musing blog

When: 3-4:45PM, Monday, February 20, 2012 (Louis Riel Day)
Where: The United Church in Meadowood, 1111 Dakota St., Winnipeg, MB

Feel at home at UCiM as we ready ourselves for Earth Day. This workshop based on the parable of the prodigal son reminds us that we are biological and spiritual kin with all of creation. The discussions will be lead by UCiM member Larissa Kanhai with a special skype appearance from UCC Moderator Mardi Tindal. This is open to all congregations.

For more information about The United Church of Canada‘s Earth Day 2012 please visit the Soul Community Creation page!

In Rev. Shelly’s Reflection, we encounter a character from the First Century story (Mark 1.40-45). As then, Jesus’ story continues to change lives if we are open to transformation.

On this sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time, the UCiM Senior Choir offers the gift of music by singing, Down to the River to Pray (Sheldon Curry)

In about a week, my team-mate – Shelly – and I will have the honour to sit with youth & young adults from Selkirk Presbytery. During that time, we will reflect on, discuss, wrestle with and consider the challenges posed by the documentary Miss Representation. The intent of this documentary is borne from Jennifer Siebel Newsom’s, the writer & director, experience as her daughter’s birth day approached. In this exploration, Newsom poses this challenge: “In a society where media is the most persuasive force shaping cultural norms, the collective message that our young women and men overwhelmingly receive is that a woman’s value and power lie in her youth, beauty, and sexuality, and not in her capacity as a leader.”

The documentary is not easy – the difficulties experienced as girls grow into women is shocking, hurtful and angering. The vulnerability and truth shared in this documentary is humbling and I found myself wondering how I might respond, reflect and share my impressions prior to Feb 18/12 … A Deacon’s Musing seemed one way to begin …

I first began to consider my own background … I was raised and nurtured by two women who, for various reasons that speaks to their own contexts, chose to challenge the deep patriarchal culture into which I was born. When my Giddo (Arabic for grandfather) directed my Sitto (Arabic for grandmother) to divorce him so he could marry another, he made it clear that if she did not, she would suffer the emotional and financial pressure he could bring to bear. In turn, in a culture in which divorce was shunned, she became a single mother and entrepreneur. My mother, later on, chose to raise me as a single unwed parent. And while people picketed the first daycare I attended, as it was open to bastard children such as myself, these women loved me deeply and sincerely.

One of the other things that I have been considering is the Early Church – this crazy collection of men and women who came together to form community around the teachings of Jesus. A man who modelled an egalitarian community in which the very gender and age divisions we continue to experience to this day were rejected. In fact, if it were not for many of the women of the Early Church – such as Phoebe, Priscilla, Aquila, & Junia, to mention only a few – there would likely be little of the Christianity that we practice today. Some of these women, who held significant wealth, used their own financial resources to nurture this new way of being. They planted seeds and recognised the strong and vibrant potential that existed when all members, regardless of gender or age, were encouraged to recognise their equal gifts as Children of God.

Another avenue of thought that I have gone down is our own denominational experience: the United Church of Canada (UCC). As a denomination, we have been part of the suffrage movement, we were the first Canadian denomination to recognise that women could actually be effective Ministers and, as such Lydia Gruchy was ordained in 1936. From these early steps, the UCC has gone onto to further embrace an egalitarian ministry that does not preclude access to ministry based on sexual orientation. From here, we have recognised that no marriage, regardless of sexual orientation, should be denied to consenting adults.

I have also recognised, as I prepared this blog, that my experiences, those of the Early Church and even our denomination, are not normative – though we may wish that were the case. Miss Representation clearly highlights that all of the work that has been done since the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s is both laudable and in constant danger of reversal. I think what struck me most is the danger of complacency by those of us who ASSUME the work is done, when this documentary clearly demonstrates this is not the case …

So what do we do with this challenge?
How do we respond to the challenge that our hoped for
civil and equal society may possibly be an illusion?

The music video that completes this blog was designed by young men and women (with the assistance of the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation) who have chosen to share stories, name the reality that women are objectified by our culture and, ultimately, sings of the importance of the empowerment of women for ALL of us. It is a response to the challenge with which the documentary itself leaves the viewer: share your stories, take action to continue the work for equality and confront the human systems that diminish women, because when my mother, niece, aunt, sister and spouse are lessened then my own male potential is equally harmed. It is in healthy communities, grounded in equality and respect, that we find our full potential as Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

A Deacon’s Musing blog

Announcements

Bulletin

Why am I here?  For me, here is the United Church in Meadowood.  At Meadowood, I am a member of the church, I am a Sunday School teacher, I am a co-chair of the Christian Education Committee and a member of council.  I also help run the Meadowood Munchkins program.  These are the roles that I play in this church.  Recently, I was asked “Why?” I typically have a difficult time talking about my reasons for being part of a faith community, some people are even surprised to hear that I go to church. I don’t generally take part in discussions about faith or believing, I have a tendency to get emotional and have a hard time expressing myself.  Lately though, I have been feeling more and more like I should invite these questions and share my answers with others.  So here are my reasons for coming to this place, and I would ask it of you also.  Why are you here?

I am here because I am a Christian who believes in God and Jesus Christ.  I am here because I was baptised and confirmed in the United Church. I am here because the first time I walked into this building I felt welcomed and accepted, as though I already belonged here. I am here because when I pray, I truly feel as though someone is listening. I am here because I believe that it is a good thing for my children to be brought up in a faith community and the only way to do that is by coming to church, and really becoming a presence in that community.  I am here because when I teach a child and they take something home with them like a song to share with their family, I feel like I have taught that child something valuable.  I am here because when a child walks in on Sunday morning and is happy to see me, I feel like I have made an impact on that child.  I am here because when I offer the gift of my time, I am given back so much more in return through the support and good thoughts of others.  I am here because I truly believe that if children are taught meaningful lessons in Sunday School, then that will come out in other areas of their lives.  I am here because I feel as though this place and the people in it will help me to grow and learn and become a better person.  I am here because I feel I have the time and energy to offer something to a place and a group of people that does good and valuable work in the community.

These are some of my reasons, they may be the same as yours, or totally different.  I think that whatever your reasons for being here are, it is important to ask this question of ourselves.  Why am I here, what can I take from this place and also, what can I give to this place?  How we answer that question may lead us to places we hadn’t thought of before.

I am here because when I walk into this building, I feel a sense of peace and that is pretty hard to come by in other places in the world.  When I am here, I have a sense of reason for the past, a handle on the present and faith and hope for the future.

Stacey Milne-Ciecko

I am a stay at home mom of 3 busy boys.
Reading is my favorite hobby, and reading with my kids is the best part of my day.
I spend most of my days just a little bit frazzled, but always try to keep smiling!

From the Pews blog

Please watch this new UCiM Feature, which will feature the voices of our Brothers & Sisters in our faith community as they share their own faith journeys, questions, challenges &/or doubts From the Pews!