live A Baptist resource for women on a mission July - August 2017 ¡ $3.50
MISSION
Raise funds for water filters and more in Kenya (p3)
FAITH
Plan your interactive prayer room (p11)
ACTION
Empower Indigenous leaders in your church (p9)
live
Connecting
in this issue columns Global Mission
3 » Directed Prayer | Strategic Giving 4 5 5 6
Changing the lives of urban poor in Kenya » Paying It Forward » A Window on Africa: Angola » She Matters » Strokes of Grace Reaching My Nation
7 » Enjoy the Great Outdoors 9 » Resetting the Relationship
Empowering Indigenous leaders
11 » Room to Pray
Planning your prayer room
13 Bible Study
» Come Thirsty
19 Using My Gifts
» Women in Leadership
21 Women’s Ministries 22 » Heritage Connections
Who would Jesus see? 22 » Laura’s Corner 23 » We Remember
features 15 Dusty Business
Well He knows your feeble frame
16 Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Redemption is broader than we think
18 In Awe of You
The very stones will cry out.
Cover: Vase Artist Sharon Tiessen, artist-inresidence at Weston Park Baptist Church, Toronto
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“What would life be like if we lived expecting the Spirit to flow through us?” Dr. Sandra Broadus asked us this question at the start of her final presentation during our April conference. What would Baptist Women be if, as a movement of women, we lived and served expecting the Spirit to flow through us? Dr. Broadus then said this: “Water impacts whatever it touches. Fast flowing rivers pick up and carry debris far away; they bring life and nutrition to stagnant water. The Spirit, the river of Living Water Jesus talks about in our theme verses, brings us food; helps us to know ourselves; matures us to touch the others whom God wants us to touch. With that Water, we are to go out into the world.” This summer, do take some time to drink deeply. Dr. Broadus suggested three ways to do that: 1. Commit to Scripture every day. Ask God which book in the Bible He wants you to read. Then read for formation: enter into the text with all senses. Perhaps read four to five verses a day, no more—and sit with them. 2. Ask God for a spiritual friend; a friend who will listen and not offer advice . . . but pray. 3. Do group spiritual direction. Get together with women who will be for you, not just with you. Listen to each other. And pray. We ran out of space in this issue to include a full spread of photos from April’s conference. Visit www.baptistwomen.com to find a photo gallery plus two movies of the conference. RJ
VOLUME 90, NUMBER 4 live (formerly The Link & Visitor) began as The Canadian Missionary Link (1878) and Baptist Visitor (1890). Published bi-monthly by Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec 5 International Blvd., Etobicoke, ON M9W 6H3 416-620-2954 Fax 416-622-2308 bwoq@baptist.ca www.baptistwomen.com Executive director Diane McBeth Editor and communications director Renée James 416-651-8967 rsejames@gmail.com Art director Donna Lee Pancorvo of GEPM Group Inc. (www.gepmgroup.com) Contributors Linda Ellsworth, Diane McBeth, Sandi Smoker, Carrie Van Dorp, Morgan Wolf Circulation and subscriptions Subscriptions 416-620-2954 bwoq@baptist.ca Subscriptions Individual: $20* (direct or through promoters) US & overseas: $39 All currency in $C unless otherwise noted. The publication of comments, opinions, or advertising does not necessarily imply CBWOQ agreement or endorsement. All material is copyrighted and may not be reproduced in print or on websites without permission. Advertising inquiries and freelance submissions should be addressed to the editor. Member, Canadian Church Press. ISSN 2293-5096. Canada Post Customer Number 1008592. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.
*includes HST Funded by the Government of Canada
global mission
Directed Prayer | Strategic Giving Changing the lives of urban poor—Muslim women and their families—in Kenya In Kenya, 60 per cent of people living in urban areas, approximately four million, live in slums with little or no access to basic sanitation, water, proper housing, education and health care. More than half of them live in Nairobi in slums like Kibera, Kariabangi, Eastleigh, Haruma or Mathare Valley. live magazine spoke with Erica Kenny, Canadian Baptist Ministries global field staff in Kenya. Erica oversees the Urban Ministries Program for which Baptist Women seeks to raise C$55,000.
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Priorities for the Urban Ministries Program in Kenya Water Filters - C$5,400 A water filter costs C$54. Erica hopes to distribute 100 filters (one per family) to new women in the self-help groups who have come out to six group meetings and demonstrated their commitment. Each July, Erica and her team distribute the water filters and train women on the importance of keeping the filters clean. Typically, each filter should only be used for a year therefore are also needed to replace existing filters. School Fees – C$6,489 Literacy breeds hope. Right now there are only sufficient funds to partially pay the school fees of 30 children for one full school year. Livelihood Training - C$13,475 CBM displayed stunning tie-dyed scarves at our April conference. Each scarf was knotted, dipped and dyed by women from a self-help group. Seven women will soon learn to create and paint henna designs. Hairdressing classes, tailoring school and lessons in grinding wheat have also been offered or are in the works.
Self-help groups form the core of the Urban Ministries Program which deliberately seeks to end the cycle of urban poverty among Muslim women and their families. The majority of these women and their families have fled Somalia into Kenya. Many live in Kenya’s North East Province, or in urban ghettos. Between 400 and 500 women take part in self-help groups. Ten to 15 women make up a group and each group has its own constitution. Every woman who joins contributes some funds (what she can afford) at every meeting. The focus for these groups is emotional support. Women who take part in the groups begin as
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global mission Priorities (continued) Program coordinator and community facilitators C$26,950 Working alongside Erica, this three-member team extends the impact of Canadian Baptist Ministries’ presence on the ground. We hope to publish their stories soon on our website at www. baptistwomen.com. Grants for small businesses started by self-help groups – C$2,695 Each self-help group that presents a solid business plan receives a grant from CBM.
You’ll find a fall 2016 video update from Erica Kenny on our website at www.baptistwomen.com/causes. A note to treasurers: Please don’t hold all your offerings for Baptist Women until the end of the year. They can do good things long before then.
Paying It Forward The majority of Bertha Getty Mission Circle members at First Baptist Church in New Liskeard are in their late 70s and older. Even so, Marion Pannell felt that they needed something to get them motivated and excited. “Now we are elderly but we have some wonderful talented ladies that do woodwork, knit, sew, bake,” said Marion in an e-mail interview. “Why not use the talents God has blessed us with to raise some money for one of the CBM projects I had read about in live magazine?” Being seniors, the group chose to raise funds for the Light of the World Baptist Church project in Opoqueri. C$6,000 is this project’s target with all funds going toward building maintenance, structural and equipment improvements to the Centre of the Opoqueri Elderly. As it happened, First Baptist was about to host the Northern Association spring meetings. Marion suggested to the Circle that they organize a sale to run at break times during the spring meetings. They didn’t put prices on items for sale. They only asked people to pay what they thought items were worth. “It brought a lot of fun into the break times,” says
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strangers and end up as friends. “Most of the women who come are abandoned wives,” says Erica. “Their husbands have brought them from Somalia, leave them in Kariabangi or Mathare and return to Somalia to find work. They return once or twice a year to visit their wives—who become pregnant. It’s only a matter of time before husbands don’t return.” The program offers some self-help groups for Somali men. In their groups, the men focus on small business and how to make money. “The wives of these men are already in self-help groups. The husbands see what the groups are all about and this calms them down,” says Erica. “The need is huge,” admits Erica; $55,000 is a significant amount to raise. Yet we know that the impact will be exponentially greater. RJ with files from CBM
Marion. “We had previously pledged $500 to the project. Praise God, we raised $731!” Fun aside, Marion firmly believes that the best part of the project was realizing how easy raising funds turned out to be once the ladies set their minds to doing it. “God has blessed us all these years and we are thankful to be able to give back to women in need.” RJ with files from Marion Pannell Bertha Getty Mission Circle members. Photo courtesy Marion Pannell
global mission
A WINDOW on Africa Angola The former Portuguese colony of Angola borders the South Atlantic Ocean. Located between Namibia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it’s home to over 19 million people. Independence from Portugal has come at a heavy price: decades of civil war between rival parties. Today Angola, a country rich in resources such as oil, is littered with landmines and ruins of war. The Angolan Church has great financial needs. Many churches have to pay its local missionaries to sustain its evangelistic programs. The Church also plays a huge role in rehabilitating those who have lost everything in the war. Pray for: • reconciliation through Christ’s love after 40+ years of civil war • safe removal of millions of landmines still killing many, especially children • desperately needed Christian workers to hear God’s call to serve • partnerships between foreign agencies and Angolan ministries • God to meet the needs of mission agencies serving in Angola • Bible distribution initiatives and translation efforts. All research and prayers sourced from movingintoaction. ca, Incontext Ministries, Atlas of Global Christianity, Prayercast, The Voice of the Martyrs, Operation World, CIA World Factbook.
She Matters Donna Cooper talks about her painting of an African woman When Donna Cooper decided to take part in a painting party fundraiser for the She Matters 3 short-term mission to Rwanda in January, she had no idea that in less than four hours she’d produce the signature piece of the trip: this striking image of an African woman posed against a vivid orange-streaked sky. “I was absolutely shocked. This was the first time I had painted a picture,” Donna remembers. Months later, Donna still pauses and reflects on the mission trip whenever she passes her art. Hanging on the wall, her piece reminds her to pray with compassion and purpose for the women of Africa.
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global mission
Strokes of Grace
When Julie Hunt looks at her landscape paintings of Rwanda she remembers the sun shining on the water, the warm breeze, the people who cared for her; people like Frank, the careful driver who drove long days, and Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM) global field staff Janice Mills and Laura Lee Bustin who’d so carefully planned and booked and organized all the details of the short-term mission trip. Most of all, she remembers the music . . . sung by the women in their churches. “I remember the grace of the people, the peace and joy that glowed on their faces as they spoke of the CBM literacy project and how reading has changed their lives . . . transformed them,” Julie says. Julie was part of CBM’s She Matters 3 short-term mission trip to Rwanda which saw a team of Baptist women from across Canada visit Rwanda in early January 2017. She didn’t paint her pieces while in Rwanda though. On some of the less busy days in the schedule, she took photos of the landscapes on her
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cellphone while at the Seeds of Peace lodging, She sketched as well, making colour notes as she drew. On Julie’s return to Canada she morphed those sketches into the paintings that grace this page and the front and back covers of live magazine’s May/June 2017 issue. She looked at some of the photos before beginning to paint, but she painted mostly from memory, even when it came to the colours. “I painted what colours struck me at the time being there,” she recalls. “I also work from a particular painting palette from which I mix my colours . . . ” When Julie Hunt looks at her landscape paintings of Rwanda she remembers Franscois and how the literacy project changed her life. Orphaned very young, Franscois was passed around between families—no one wanted to have her. Basically homeless, she married the first man who proposed. She was 15. Eventually she had six children. Franscois couldn’t read or write or do basic math. She couldn’t take advantage of opportunities to bring in more income for the household. Her husband had to go
reaching my nation with her when she took things to the market to sell as she couldn’t count. One day he threatened to put her out of the house if she didn’t go to school. Franscois’ life changed forever the day she got the courage to go to the literacy school run by
CBM and its national ministry partner, the Association of Baptist Churches in Rwanda (AEBR). In six months she was reading and writing. Today Franscois is a farmer and the secretary of a farming cooperative, confident in her ability to negotiate deals on
reaching my nation
Enjoy the Great Outdoors How one church adopted part of their city as an anchor cause
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their behalf. She reads the Bible to her children before they go to sleep. She sings in the church choir, prays and teaches. Her husband is very happy. Best of all, Franscois feels valued, needed and worthy. Grace indeed. RJ with files from Julie Hunt
“What can we do to get outside our walls?” First Baptist Church in Niagara Falls has always known that any community outreach with integrity meant going out into the community. Outreach marks their DNA. But in 2015, they wanted to take outreach to another level. The congregation struck a small team called Vision 2020. For weeks, this team would meet to pray and discern what God wanted the congregation to do. Out of that prayer and discernment time grew a vision to target the southwest section of Niagara Falls. “It was the fastest growing section of the city,” says Roger Schmid, a member of the planning committee. “Residents were coming in from the Greater Toronto Area, along with new Canadians, many of them Chinese and East Indian; the majority from other faith traditions.” The team got permission from City Hall to go into a public park in that section of the town and so began Friday Nite Bites, their July/August outreach campaign. Every Friday night in July and
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reaching my nation August church members went to the park, set up pop-up tents, brought in a bouncy castle, laid out soft drinks, pizza and popsicles. Curious people began to drop by the tents. “We averaged 100 people per night coming over to find out what was going on,” remembers Roger. “We didn’t have any agenda other than meeting people, saying who we were, and just being there.” Friday Nite Bites didn’t stop there though. Immediately following those July and August Friday nights, the congregation rented the auditorium at Forestview Public School, the school closest to the park. They’d worked with the local board of education to get permission and more importantly, had built some connections with the staff at the school prior to using the facilities. It was now September, and for eight consecutive Sundays, the congregation gathered, worshipped, prayed, and did all their usual Sunday morning activities there, announcing their presence with three very large banners put up on the lawn outside the school. Pastor Brad Peters designed each service around newcomers, taking the time to explain every step of the service. “He broke down what we take for granted in a Baptist Sunday morning service,” says Roger. Lots of people, many from different faiths, met the congregants from First Baptist
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Tips from First Baptist Church, Niagara Falls
Get a plan in place
Getting outside the walls does take some organization, some funds, some time. “But it wasn’t that hard for us.” Have enough volunteers Make sure there are enough people at events that strangers could talk to. Be open Don’t go with any preconceived notions. Just go, have a reason to be there and see what happens. Church, Niagara Falls. New people came to those Sunday morning services in the school auditorium. Many were curious. Some had never been to a church before while others had some church background and wanted to explore church again. The church repeated Friday Nite Bites and outside-thewalls Sunday morning services in summer and fall 2016. That year they tweaked the format somewhat. While they stayed in the southwest section of Niagara Falls, they held two outdoor services at Heartland Forest Park followed by four weeks of indoor Sunday services at the MacBain Centre, a highly visible and thriving community centre and business hub in that part of the town. While the congregation conducted both outreach campaigns not sure how they would measure success,
the Vision 2020 team know they’ve made an impact. As a congregation, they grasp, even more than before, that they must get outside their normal walls to understand their community and meet different people. “We hadn’t realized that there were many families with different faiths who lived in that section of the city,” says Roger. The church has forged solid community connections with City Hall, with the local school board, with teachers and administration at Forestview Public School and with other MacBain Centre users. Today, 10 new individuals from around the southwest section of the city regularly come to First Baptist Church, Niagara Falls. RJ
reaching my nation
Resetting the Relationship
Shari Russell is a theologian, advocate, counsellor, administrator and Salvation Army Officer. A Saulteaux from Yellow Quill Nation in Saskatchewan, she was scooped up from her home when she was two years old, still clutching a piece of paper that her mother had stuffed in her hand. Her Indigenous name, her mother’s name and the name of her band were scribbled on that paper. Knowing those names, those roots, allowed Shari to grow up more aware than most ’60s Scoop survivors of her Indigenous identity. Adopted by a Christian family at six, she struggled to connect her faith and culture. But that struggle refined Shari’s ability to express the beauty and richness of her Indigenous culture . . . as
a follower of Jesus. “God has given me a passion to share this and to empower our Indigenous People to fully embrace who Creator has made us to be,” she says. In fall 2016, Shari spoke to a rapt audience at the Resetting the Relationship conference about how to empower Indigenous leaders in our Baptist churches. Baptist Women was one of the sponsors of that conference. live magazine covered part of this conference and filed the following notes from Shari’s presentation. In evangelical churches, challenges abound in empowering Indigenous leaders. To effectively resolve those challenges requires an understanding of the differences in worldviews and perspectives on
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www.daniellereesorphotography.com
Empowering Indigenous Leaders
reaching my nation 7 WAYS CHURCHES MAY EMPOWER INDIGENOUS LEADERS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES
More insights from Shari Russell Learn about the history and current experience of Indigenous Peoples. Go through the Blanket Exercise workshop offered by KAIROS (www. kairosblanketexercise.org). This is an interactive learning experience that covers 500 years of Canadian history in a 90-minute participatory workshop. Recognize the impact of colonization and paternalism. Really think about the context of missions and mission trips! Recognize privilege and its impact. Ask yourself what you take for granted. And consider how you live out your relationships with the land; with animals. Be prepared to pay the price for empowering Indigenous leaders in your congregation. “It will cost you time and relationships, particularly if people don’t want to change.” Consider where you fall on the aid spectrum. Which one of the following describes the relationship you and your congregation have with Indigenous Peoples? Ally – involved in the business of activism Advocate – speaking on behalf of those that don’t have a voice Accomplice – working in the anticolonial struggle to dismantle the systems you may find comfortable Trust Indigenous leaders in your church. Work toward the calls to action offered by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Calls # 48, 49, 59, 60 and 61 are key.
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faith between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Christians. PERSPECTIVES Identity Identity is critically important for Indigenous Peoples and many have felt compelled to choose between being Indigenous or Christian. “They have heard the distorted message, ‘God loves you but He doesn’t like your ways . . . your feathers, drums, regalia, pow-wows or sweat lodges,”” says Shari. But God intends to incarnate the Gospel in every culture. Stereotypes/Philanthropy Shari believes the Indian Act has reinforced colonial and paternalistic stereotypes and notions of philanthropy. “There is a power differential at play. Usually a white person considers all First Nations persons to be wards of the state and that in turn has led churches to assume that they (churches) know best.” Leadership Abilities Definitions of leadership are different. In Indigenous culture, it is not appropriate to put yourself forward. You wait to be asked. Cultural Evaluation and Assimilation Indigenous Peoples have been taught by the Church that their practices are evil. Today in evangelical churches, that belief expresses itself through an air or attitude of caution when Indigenous Christians are invited to participate in Indigenous cultural events or invite nonIndigenous church members to join them at those events. There are also cultural assumptions at play. The Church has adopted practices and values from Western, non-Indigenous culture: “What a Christian looks like, what worship should look and sound like, the Protestant work ethic, the prosperity gospel, consumerism. Even mission trips to the poor and our Sunday school curricula. Are these Christian, or expressions of Western culture?” According to Shari, there are assumptions even in the way church buildings and sanctuaries are designed. Indigenous Peoples in Canada have internalized Canada’s colonization of their culture and their very selves. Media reinforces their understanding of themselves as unlovable, incompetent and intellectually inferior to white Canadians. Given these stark, often unacknowledged differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous perspectives, how do evangelical churches empower the Indigenous leaders in their midst? RJ
reaching my nation
Room to Pray Planning Your Prayer Room As you consider creating and hosting an interactive prayer room for LOVE DAY and the Baptist World Alliance-World Day of Prayer you may be thinking: Why do we need to have a prayer room? What should our prayer room look like? Let’s take
some time to answer both those questions. We’ve sourced our answers from The 24-7 Prayer Manual | Anyone, Anywhere Can Learn To Pray Like Never Before by Pete Grieg and David Blackwell.
Why do we need to have a prayer room i.e. pray in one specific location? There are many reasons: • The Holy Spirit can fill a place as well as a person (Acts 2:2). • The sense of God’s presence after hours of prayer makes prayer much less complicated and much more enjoyable. I have always found this to be so. During a season of prayer at Walmer Road Baptist Church, we hosted a number of prayer vigils in the sanctuary. Though we hadn’t set up the sanctuary with prayer centres or stations, there
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reaching my nation were clear spaces to sit and pray. Two hours of prayer would feel like 20 minutes or less. • Our culture, indeed people in our church communities are looking for holy places—places of sanctuary and spirituality that aren’t our Sunday morning services. • Creative environments can be highly conducive to prayer. The use of a room enables people to pray non-verbally by posting artwork, poetry, even graffiti on the walls. Such an environment can be designed to stimulate and direct prayer. • The room provides accountability—a designated place. Visiting the room becomes like making a mini-pilgrimage. • A shared location provides a strong sense of being part of a community that carries each other’s burdens and shares each other’s breakthroughs. What should our prayer room look like? There are no rules for how a prayer room should look—only principles that help create an environment conducive to prayer. Your prayer room is simply a space you’ll create that glorifies God and helps people meet Him. So where do you start? 1. Gather a team. Prayer rooms are collaborative ministries. God speaks to different people in different ways. People pray differently. This is a great
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opportunity to invite younger women to give leadership.
As a team, spend some time meditating on that verse and its context. Together, ask God what He wants you to invite people to pray for. Ask Him for ideas on how to creatively direct people’s prayers for your city. Once you’ve done this, dive into Pinterest and the wealth of ideas you’ll find pinned on boards.
in Jerusalem. Or you may choose to be less directive with this wall, allowing people to express their prayers in whatever way they want. • A “worship” wall full of verses, images and colour—anything to provoke wonder and praise. This wall invites people to wait on God, consider His nature and lose themselves in awe and wonder. • A “world” wall turns the focus outward. Perhaps you may pin a world map, newspaper clippings, the details of specific nations, CBM global field staff or other missionaries your church supports on this wall. For LOVE DAY you may want to highlight the community issues in your local school and among the poor. You may want to list the agencies who’ve targeted your anchor cause and sector. RJ
3. Make use of the four walls in the room. If you’re able to, use each wall of the room to direct people’s prayers in a new direction. • A “welcome” wall near the door gives a visual introduction to your room, its themes and aims. • A “wailing” wall allows people to post their personal prayer requests, a bit like the way Jews do to this day, wedging their heart-cries on scraps of paper between the great bricks of the old temple
Go to baptistwomen.com as we post new prayer resources each month. Our newest resource is a podcast of our interview with Hannah Agalawatte from the Greater Ontario House of Prayer. At April’s conference and annual general meeting, Hannah trained three Baptist women on how to set up interactive prayer rooms by having them set up the interactive prayer room for the conference itself! Baptist Women will host an interactive prayer room at their offices on Friday November 3 and Monday November 6. The room will be open during office hours.
2. Spend some time in focused prayer and brainstorming. Once you’ve gathered your team, begin to pray through the theme, topic or Scripture verses on which your room will focus. As an example, for LOVE DAY, you may want your room to explore our LOVE DAY verses: “And work for the success of the city I have sent you to. Pray to the Lord for that city,” Jeremiah 29:7a (NIV).
Bible study
READ Isaiah 55: 1-2. Does this passage sound familiar? Have you ever felt that deep, driving thirst spiritually? The Sources of Thirst In our daily lives, many things form the root source of thirst for God. And they influence us unknowingly. • OVERWORK READ Psalm 39: 4-7. What does David reveal about timeconsuming toil? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Describe your own “overworked” days, and the effect they have on you. _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ • OPPRESSION READ Psalm 42: 9-10. David experienced oppression from his enemies on many occasions. What was the result of this oppression on his spirit? On his by Linda Ellsworth Linda is the member care coordinator for Christian Camping International, Canada.
relationship with God? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Describe what you would identify as oppression in your own life. _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ How does this affect you psychologically? Physically? Spiritually? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ • OBSTRUCTION READ Psalm 38. Sin is the one thing that will always separate us from the Thirst Quencher. Describe the effect David’s sin had on his relationship with the Father, as described in this psalm. _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ What steps does David take to overcome the “obstruction” and return to the Source? (verses 15,18, 21 and 22) _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________
Put your life under the microscope of the Holy Spirit. What obstructions are making you thirst for a restored relationship with the Father? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ The Scope of Thirst Did you know that water comprises 60 to 65 per cent of your body? Physically, the need of the human body for water affects almost every aspect of life. The human need for spiritual quenching is 100 per cent! • LONGING FOR RELIEF READ John 4. Even Jesus, on that famous detour through Samaria, got tired and thirsty. Describe the Samaritan woman’s plight, as hinted at throughout the story. _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Her longing for relief was indicated by: _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ • LANGUISHING HEALTH READ Job 30: 16-31. In this part of Job’s ordeal, how does he describe the full impact of being “cut off” from the Source? _________________________ _________________________
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Photo: Stephanie J. Robertson
Come Thirsty
Bible study _________________________ _________________________ • DEPRESSION READ Psalm 42: 3,5 and 6a. Here, the psalmist describes his deep sadness at being (willingly or otherwise) cut off from the refreshing waters of fellowship and worship. Elaborate below. _________________________ _________________________ • DEFEAT READ Psalm 42: 9-10. It would seem as if the psalmist has lost all hope, cut off from the Source and reviled by his enemies. Does your situation reflect the scope of thirst as described above? In what ways? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ The Symptoms of Thirst I wrote this Bible study recovering from a nasty bout with pneumonia. During the worst of the illness, I constantly battled with the need to drink. The desire for food and water was non-existent, but the symptoms presented themselves in weakness and fever! As you think about your spiritual thirst, think in terms of the weakness of unrest and the unquenchable fever of grief. • UNREST RE-READ John 4. The Samaritan woman revealed to Jesus the
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symptom of spiritual unrest through her life story. What had she done to try to quench that unrest? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Interestingly, she knew from her heritage that Christ the Messiah would come, and would reveal the truth; the only truth that would satisfy the longings of her soul. • UNQUENCHABLE GRIEF READ Psalm 88 and Psalm 77: 1-10a. Both psalmists graphically discuss their grief at being disengaged from the Source and both discuss the symptoms of their longings: _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ It is when we won’t or don’t recognize the symptoms of our own desperate thirst that we are in the greatest need! Years ago, in a discussion about the then very new chorus Breathe, I heard a statement from a woman upset about new music in the church. The first line begins: “This is the air I breathe . . . Your Holy Spirit, living in me, ”and the chorus continues “and I—I’m desperate for You.” The lady’s first question was
“’This is the air I breathe . . . ‘ What in the world does that mean?” Her next statement remains with me to this day: “’I’m desperate for You.’ I’m not desperate for God!” It is a statement I have used as a self-check ever since. I want to always, honestly, be able to cry out to Him that I AM INDEED desperate for Him! The Source of Spiritual Quenching There is good news. We may thirst no more. • MERCIFUL GRACE READ Psalm 57: 1-3. David recognized the symptoms and knew where to go for the solution: _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ • PRAISE UNDER PRESSURE READ Psalm 57:7-11. Describe the elements, content and results of praise listed here by David: _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ • The PRAYER of PRAISE READ Psalm 103. In your own words, pray this wonderful psalm of praise back to the Father, the source of everlasting water.
feature article
Dusty Business Well He knows your feeble frame.
Remember you are dust.
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Behind the houses across my street runs a gravel logging road where over-sized trucks transport fir, hemlock and cedar to local mills for processing. Throughout the summer, water-sprayers with massive tanks dampen the roads to keep the dust down and prevent erosion. During hot stretches, the rich soil of my garden bears a thin veil of dust. That dust is inconsequential, inanimate, a bit of a nuisance when it seeps into my home, but nothing special or notable. And yet, its ordinariness echoes something significant. I am made of dust. “Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.” Genesis 2: 7 (NLT). I am an earth-creature, made of earth-matter. Like the dust from my neighbourhood logging road, my original material by itself is nothing special. No, rather, my “vitality depends on God’s gift of breath, which is freely and graciously given without cause . . .” Reaffirming my fundamental and humble creatureliness means responding to the call to tend the garden—care for it, keep it, till it. Here I answer God’s command in the context of my material life. Gardening may not be your thing, but the invitation to nurture all of creation in the “garden” of our vocations provides universal opportunity for a creaturely response. Here I accept my vulnerability and depend on God’s fidelity. I am not God. I am dust. And God’s intentions for me are good. He invites me to partake freely of every good fruit—what is good, whole and abundant in the cornucopia of His grace.
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feature article Living well in creation means accepting my responsibility to tend creation with care, to live within the boundaries of materiality and out of the generosity of God’s gift of breath and life. Psalm 103 reminds me that God knows me, knows what I’m made of. He knows I cannot do for myself what He does for me and He continues His work without stopping, “from everlasting to everlasting,” and to “children’s children” (Psalm 103:17). He remembers that I am dust. Only I forget. An attitude of disassociation from my dusty origins can cause me to misconceive and distort myself. My willingness to face my true self results in nothing short of the embrace of God, His faithfulness and power. Here I am transformed: “Our creatureliness binds us to the role of steward, friend and companion of all other creatures who share our fragility…[we] trust in the governor of the garden, who frees us for our work . . . .” “Remember, you are dust,” Walter Brueggeman reminds us in his essay by that name. Even as I go about the business of tending the small patch I call my life, God reminds me of who I am and what is crucial to my humanness—not the seductions of culture, not the longing to be God (believing I am more capable than I am)—but rather, my identity in my Creator. When I remember, I receive with gratitude the steadfast love and delight of my God. Here the truth of the Gospel, the atoning and sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, tends me. And, in turn, I tend the dusty creatures around me. And wonder of wonders, the Truth of the Gospel finds expression through the dusty business of my one small life. All quotes from Remember, You Are Dust, an essay by Walter Brueggeman for the Columbia Theological Seminary, Decatur, Georgia.
by Sandi Smoker Sandi is the former president of Women In Focus (the women’s ministry arm of Canadian Baptists of Western Canada). She volunteers as a counsellor and course facilitator at South Island Centre for Counselling and Training in Victoria, BC.
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Fearfully and Wonderfully Made Redemption is broader than we think My pastor recently travelled to Israel and returned refreshed by a richer understanding of the biblical texts because he has experienced their physical settings. Seeing the landscapes where David pastured, Elijah roamed and Jesus preached give the words more power because now there are new smells and memories that engage so many more of his senses when he reads the text. To know God, we do not all need to go to Israel, but the impact of the trip on my pastor reminds me that our faith is connected to physical places and that our God made us with senses that not only help us survive, but help us discern what He has to say to us. The Bible reveals God’s nature to us with reference upon reference to the natural world of its authors. God’s promises for the redemption of the world include plants and animals that no longer compete—the thorns are no more and lions lay down with lambs. When I read those texts I think about incredibly invasive plants that I’ve tried to remove from my mother’s garden. I think about my anger and despair when I had to bury chickens killed by the seemingly useless violence of a weasel in the coop one night. I’m not sure what those redemption promises mean to someone whose experience of plants is thornless roses, or whose relationship to the violence of the animal world is that scene where Mufasaa dies in The Lion King. I don’t think my faith is stronger because I have tangible experiences. Yet I know the tangible experience of places engages all of our senses and gives richness and meaning to our learning. God made us that way intentionally.
feature article In our corporate worship we sing the psalmist’s words Let everything that has breath praise the Lord, and Isaiah’s The trees of the field shall clap their hands. These are upbeat and hopeful songs, but what do those words mean when we talk about the breath and praise of the last salamanders in the path of a proposed highway? What do those words mean when the movement of people and their things spreads beetles and fungii that bring trees crashing to the ground? At times in my life, brothers and sisters in Christ have communicated an attitude which may be simplified like this: “We are one body, many parts with different functions. Your gifting and calling is to care for environmental injustice. Mine is to care for the sick. You do the recycling and tree planting and I’ll do the hospice work.” But I don’t get out of mourning with those who mourn that easily, and I don’t think any of us get out of caring for creation through delegation. Creation care is the first job God gave the newly formed Adam—to observe and name all the creatures in the Garden. It has gotten harder to care for creation since the fall—since we got ashamed and selfish and angry and our bodies now break. But even in our broken state God didn’t take away the task of stewarding the creation. Do we all need to become taxonomists— scouring the world for new
species and holing up in labs to analyze the differences in DNA— so we can truly know one fungus from another? I did that for a bit. It’s not for everyone. But what is for everyone is being a creature with senses in place, aware of the creation, the earth we depend upon and aware of our influence upon the earth. It can be tiring and overwhelming to be aware of the brokenness in the world; aware of how little control we have, even over our own influence upon it. But sisters, we are not left alone—God has promised restoration to the land and for the people thirsting for His goodness. We can ask for forgiveness, when we are selfish or lazy in ways that cost the earth. We can pray for peace when situations seem too complex and overwhelming. We can ask God for insight and creativity to show us what to do. We can ask God to bless each effort for His big purposes. We can ask for strength to persevere when it seems the forces of evil will overcome. These are global prayers. So pray for the communities and places where your food comes from. Pray for the communities and places where the gas that got you to church comes from. May the kingdom of God dwell in us, through us— broken but restored vessels.
Creation care is the first job God gave the newly-formed Adam—to observe and name all the creatures in the Garden. If you are interested in learning more about the work God is doing through Christians working to care for creation and want to access resources for your faith community, visit www.ARocha.ca (Canada) or dive into ARocha’s international ministry at ARocha.org.
www.stephaniejrobertsoncreative services.ca
by Carrie Van Dorp Carrie is a former project coordinator with A Rocha Canada. Last November, she led a workshop at Baptist Women’s Day of Prayer conference on praying for environmental issues.
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feature article
In Awe of You The very stones will cry out. While in New York City several weeks ago, I wandered around the famed Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) with raised eyebrows. While MOMA is home to some truly beautiful and iconic works such as Van Gogh’s Starry Night, I couldn’t help but think of the fabled emperor and his new clothes while staring at three gigantic blank white canvases that are probably insured for a gazillion dollars.
Creation reveals the truth about our Creator Since this is my plebeian attitude, it seems a perverse accident that I have a solid foundation of knowledge when it comes to modern art thanks to poor academic planning, and so there I was at MOMA, recognizing more of this absurdity than I was truly comfortable admitting. When I found myself rolling my eyes in that History of Modern Art class years ago, I was by Morgan Wolf Morgan is a writer from Calgary, Alberta. She blogs about her faith and writing at www. anothergratuituousmdash. blogspot.ca
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exasperated by the foolishness of it all, but I only half grasped the truth that modern art tells. I disliked how the moderns took beautiful things and people and made them ugly. Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Diptych or Picasso’s representations of female beauty seemed like mockeries of femininity rather than creations that revealed something true about their subjects. But that is where I got it wrong. These works weren’t revelatory about their subjects; they were revelatory about their creators. A creation cannot help but tell the truth about its creator. Warhol himself once mused that he wished that he were plastic. That being his desire, it seems almost inevitable that his creativity would produce a flattened, garish commodified version of a flesh and blood woman. If this is the case for those made in the image of God, how much more so does creation reveal the truth about our Creator. I am a child of the open country; of vast rolling plains of harvest gold where the impossibly blue sky stretches from horizon to horizon in an ever-shifting ocean of billowing clouds that stack up like skyscrapers before racing one another across the firmament of heaven. Majesty, beauty, tranquility and terrifying force are
all on display on such a canvas. When I leave it, I long for the sky over my hometown because its beauty never fails to catch my breath. That sky never fails to remind me how good God is to surround us with beauty because His thoughts are beautiful and His nature is abundant and generous. His impenetrable mind is revealed by what He has made, and what He has made is beautiful. The deeper science delves, the more creation reveals the truth about its Creator’s invisible attributes. From implausibly intricate beauty on an atomic scale, to the wideness of a universe of which we cannot find the boundaries and whose raw power obliterates all life. The glory of God is on display in the wisdom of our narrow habitable zone in this galaxy; on this pale blue dot planet that teems with improbable life. Creation is beautiful because the thoughts of its Creator are lovely. Thinking along these lines, I cannot help but feel a newfound compassion for the moderns and the post-modern artists, for their art does tell the truth. You cannot give what you don’t have. You can’t create works of profound meaning or beauty if your thoughts are clouded with chaos and confusion. You can’t reveal the truth about flesh and blood if you’d rather be plastic. You can only reveal yourself.
USING MY MY GIFTS GIFTS USING
Women in LEADERSHIP Part 1: Creating Safe Space to Talk
by Diane McBeth Diane is the executive director of Baptist Women
missionaries were allowed to preach and were also celebrated for founding churches overseas (with people of other races). They were even allowed to preach in inner city missions and soup kitchens (to poor white men). The problem came if they preached to white middle- or upper-class men. Yet we failed to see our inconsistencies across race and class. Not only were we often blind to prejudice; few of us took responsibility for the consequences of that teaching. It’s as if we thought, “This is what God says, therefore it’s His responsibility,” without any possibility that we might have misinterpreted what He said. So, in the later 1900s, abused Christian women were counselled to remain with the husbands who beat them. Many of those men went on to assault and sexually abuse their children. Untold scores of people suffered. Even more rejected God. Let’s not repeat our mistakes. In all our conversations let’s pay
attention to any exploitation that could result. We share responsibility for the results of our teaching. We also share responsibility for how the next generation sees the church. So how can we do better? How can we create a safe space for conversation; minimize blindspots by truly hearing each other; teach what brings life and good fruit? Let us honour one another. I think our most important step is to give honour. Gracious respect and genuine warmth create space for conversation. We fail to see how often we dishonour people. When it comes to the issue of women in the church, we are quick to jump to conclusions. For some of us, anyone who believes God wants women to serve in limited roles is a misogynist. To others, anyone who believes God calls men and women equally is either rebellious or a liberal with a low view of the Bible (or both). Labelling people shuts down any real discussion. The truth
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Many of us were taught that a good debate held nothing back. After all, it wasn’t personal. But that idea was not true. Years later, we see the lingering parade of hurt feelings and broken relationships that followed those kind of meetings. The truth is that very few issues are just theoretical. The issue of the role of women in the church is especially personal: it affects people’s lives, ministries and jobs; it impacts their identity. For many, it speaks deeply to their devotion to Christ and their view of the Bible. These are naturally emotional issues. They are important to talk about. It’s also important we create a safe space to talk about them. In the past we believed our positions were simply “what the Bible says” without realizing how prejudice had slanted our interpretation. White women
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USING MY GIFTS Definitions Sometimes the words we use can be a barrier. Here are a few in this debate that you can easily learn. Complementarianism - Complementarians believe that although men and women are equal in value, God intends them to have different roles or functions. People such as Wayne Grudem and John Piper write from this position. Egalitarianism - Egalitarians believe that God intends men and women to equally fulfil His calling and that roles should be determined by gifts and calling rather than by gender. Christians for Biblical Equality hosts a website for those who write from this position. For the rest of 2017 you may access all their articles for free. Gender Inclusive (Gender Neutral) Translations - These translations do not change what God said. They do not make God female. They are the best attempts of biblical scholars to get past previous prejudice in order to translate the Bible as closely as possible to the original. In the original manuscripts some pronouns were male, some female and some neutral. For many years, English translations often used male pronouns even though the originals did not. Now, if the original meant “anyone,” gender inclusive translations say “anyone” rather than “any man.” If the original meant “humans in general” they use a term such as “human,” or “the world” rather than “all men” or “mankind.” These translations include NRSV, NLT, CEB and NIV 2011. If we want to understand what verses really mean, we need to have accurate translations of what the writers actually said. Sometimes that can make a big difference.
is that there are people on both sides of the issue who are absolutely committed to the Lordship of Christ; who have a high view of Scripture; who share a deep love for God. Many people on one side of the issue once held the opposite position . . . and they still love and obey God just as much. If knowing we are part of one Body doesn’t produce charitable feelings, perhaps a biblical warning will at least keep us from judging one another: “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand” (Romans 14: 4 NIV). It is OK to have a position. It’s OK not to have a position . . . or to have one that is in the process of change.
Images from our April conference. Go to baptistwomen.com to see two videos of the conference (short and long versions). Photos: daniellereesorphotography.com
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women’s ministries
Heritage Connections In the last issue of live magazine, we learned how to identify the overlooked women who were once part of our women’s groups and church fellowships. In this piece we consider that first visit. How do we engage the new contact in conversation that will be a blessing and encouragement to her? Your main role as a visitor is to come alongside, enable and encourage continued growth in her relationship with Jesus. As you seek to nurture this new connection, get to know her, hear her and, as far as possible, encourage her to direct your conversations together. When you do this, she’ll find her own comfort level within your relationship with her.
Was she a valued participant in the quilting group, or a talented knitter who made sweaters or mittens for missions? Was she known for her hospitality or valued as a much-loved Sunday School teacher, home group leader, deacon or elder? What had been her level of involvement with the women’s groups within the church—leader, secretary or treasurer perhaps?
by Rev. Andrea Cambridge
2. Explore her present circumstances Is she at home and if so are there others in the home? Is she in a seniors’ residence? Try to connect with key family members. While you may not need “permission” to visit her, keep those responsible for her care, whether family or staff in a seniors’ home, informed of your intention to offer spiritual support through regular visits. If you are not sure who to approach within a seniors’ residence, ask if there is a chaplain available to the residents; if not, connect with the activation manager or director. A positive relationship here will make visiting a smoother, more relaxed experience for both you and her.
Andrea is Baptist Women’s volunteer associate – heritage connections
3. Having that first conversation You’ve spoken with those who know her and you’ve made good
1. Speak with those who know her A good place to start is to speak with those who knew her from the days when she was active within the fellowship, particularly the women’s groups. What were her passions, interests and gifts?
contact with her family or staff at her residence. What will your first conversation be like? Here are some tips for you. • Knowing a little about her interests will present openings for conversation when you visit. • Be flexible. She may choose to talk about other things. On this first visit, keep focused on her interests. • Listen carefully to her way of talking. • Let her set the pace of the conversation. • Do not be afraid of silence. Often older people take a little longer to get out what they want to say. • Resist the urge to finish sentences and thoughts for her; this can distract and frustrate. • Try to keep the initial visit to under an hour but be prepared to stay a little longer. • Establish a practice that signals the end of your visit. I always ask, “Is there a passage of Scripture I can read for you?” Have a suggestion in reserve, just in case the reply is, “Oh, anything you choose would be wonderful.” • Close your time with a prayer and blessing or simply worded benediction.
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Who would Jesus See? The Individual.
women’s ministries
Laura’s Corner Come Thirsty. Drink Deeply.
In April at our Baptist Women’s conference and annual general meeting, we asked two questions in relation to our theme: “What are the dry, desert places in your life?” and “Where are the places of oasis in your life?” These questions challenged me to be absolutely vulnerable and honest with myself. As I thought about my answers I began to consider the areas of desert and oasis that exist in the lives of the youth that I walk with and mentor. Come thirsty It’s easy to list the desert realities I consistently see in our youth. They thirst for many things. There is an absence of positive and healthy affirmation and they lack by Laura Matthews Laura is Baptist Women’s program coordinator and administrator.
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genuine connection with friends and parents. They search for role models and crave unconditional love. With the illusion that constant WiFi and social media can quench these thirsts, they never fully drink of the deeper human connection that is available to them. It’s easier to be affirmed with 1000 “likes” on a polished Instagram photo than to be honest with a friend. Drink deeply Yet here are some ways I’ve noticed our youth experiencing oasis. They practice the art of sleeping in—often! They love downtime with friends at the mall and at youth group. They grasp the beauty of team by playing sports and travelling in packs. They listen to music and love to text. While these may not seem
like obvious oasis areas to us, I catch glimpses of them living in their identity of beloved child— simply being and fumbling towards growth—as they experience oasis. How may we come alongside our teens and help them to quench some of these deep thirsts? Maybe we consistently affirm who they are in Christ— giving them a compliment they can trust. Perhaps we enter into the oases of their lives that may challenge us at first—taking them to the mall, communicating by text, listening to their music. These actions affirm that you want to be in their world. It makes space to go deeper and offers friendship along the way.
www.daniellereesorphotography.com
women’s ministries Baptist Women’s recommended book club/reading list
Come Thirsty. Drink Deeply.
Spiritual Formation • The Cloister Walk, by Kathleen Norris/$16.75 • The Emotionally Healthy Woman | Eight things you have to quit to change your life, by Gerri Scazzerro/$17 • The Broken Way | a daring path into the abundant life, by Ann Voskamp/$18.99 • Prayer | a world famous classic to deepen and enrich your prayer life, by Ole Hallesby/$14.99 • Abba’s Whisper | Listening for the Voice of God, by Alan and Elizabeth Davey/$25
Leadership • Congregational Leadership In Anxious Times | being calm and courageous no matter what, by Peter L. Steinke/$21.99 • Faith, Life and Leadership | 8 Canadian Women Tell Their Stories, edited by Georgialee Lang/$20 Advocacy/Mission • Undaunted | daring to do what God calls you to do, by Christine Caine/$15 Free shipping on reading list books All titles available from ReadOn Bookstore 5 International Blvd. Etobicoke, ON M9W 6H3 Tel: 416-620-2934 Fax: 416-234-8840 E-mail: books@readon.ca www.readon.ca
We REMEMBER These gifts in memory or in honour of family, friends and others you value will continue to bring good from their lives. Thank you.
In Memory of Jean Phillips, Midland Kathleen (Kay) Barlow, Ottawa Shirley Schade, Cornwall Aileen Luca, Ottawa Shirley Stone, Ottawa Judy Bush, New Liskeard Margaret Middleton, Sault Ste. Marie Doreen Girven, Norwood Doreen Wherry, Dunnville IN HONOUR OF Belle Palmer, Tillsonburg (90th birthday)
“The work of CBWOQ continues to encourage and excite me. To help ensure the work of Baptist Women into the future, purchasing a life insurance policy seemed like a good way for me to contribute.” Rev. Nancy Webb, former executive director, CBWOQ For over 135 years you have given so generously. Thank you! For more information on ways to give, please contact Diane McBeth at 416-620-2954.
Praying the Issue • • • • •
For women in the self-help groups in Kenya. (page 3) For Angola (page 5) For LOVE DAY 2017 to impact cities (page 7) For Indigenous Christian leaders (page 9) For women who will be spiritual friends to youth in our Baptist churches (page 22)
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“And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son . . .” John 1:14 (NLT). This was the theme verse for the interactive prayer room set up by Baptist Women to support CBOQ’s cafechurch envisioning day in June. Photo credit: Sharon Tiessen
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