theCultivatingnextgeneration It takes time and attention SEP/OCT 2022 OFFER WHO YOU ARE Be vulnerable and available DIGITAL DISCIPLESHIP 5 tips to mentoring online WHO NOTICED YOU A culture that nurtures the next generation A BAPTIST RESOURCE FOR WOMEN ON A MISSION
1810 Executive Director Helena Bergen Editor & DirectorCommunications Renée rsejames@gmail.com416-651-8967James Art Director Jennifer Au (jenniferau.com) Contributors Linda Ellsworth, Joanna la Fleur, Renee James, Laura Matthews, Jemell Moriah, Rev. Debra Nicholson, Dr. Sharon Simmonds, Rev. Tanya Yuen 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 bwoq@baptist.caFax416-620-2954416-622-2308 baptistwomen.com Circulation & Subscriptions live@baptist.ca416-620-2954 Subscriptions Individual: $20* (direct or through promoters) US & Overseas: $39 All currency in $CAD 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 permis sion. Advertising inquiries and freelance submissions should be addressed to the editor. Member, Canadian Church Press. ISSN 2293-5096 Canada Post Customer No. We1008592acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada for our publishing *includesactivities. HST Contents CONNECT TO GOD 4 Riches Hidden in Secret Places An update on Rev. Diane McBeth 5 Shaped by Love Shaped to Love Rev. Debra Nicholson 6 Discipleship Like Jesus Did The ongoing impact of Uptick 8 Bible Study Cultivating the Next Generation CONNECT TO MISSION 20 Victorious Life Baptist Women’s World Day of Prayer 2022 21 Changing Their Story Strategic Giving 2022 – an update on the Mising Tribe CONNECT TO OTHERS 22 Book Club Review Your Neighbours Are Real and Other Beautiful Things 22 A History Moment 23 Butter Tarts and Benches What one book club title can do! 23 We Remember September/October 2022 Vol. 95, No. 4 FEATURES 10 Who Noticed You? Do you see who God’s placed in front of you 12 Offer Who You Are The impact of mentors on a woman’s life and ministry 14 Developing a Mentoring Culture with Kids and Teens Sharing life by degrees 16 Is it Possible to Someone…Digitally?Mentor 5 tips for discipling the next generation 18 Women Arising for Destiny Meet Jacqueline Bhatti, founder of an international online prayer ministry COVER PHOTO JEFFERY ERHUNSE (UNSPLASH.COM)
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 LIVE MAGAZINE 3 LETTER FROM EDITOR
one day. “Start there.” “Take Ginger Kolbaba’s master class. That’s a no-brainer,” she replied one year when I talked through my workshop options at The Word Guild’s weekend away.
Barb Boyt, IVCF Canada’s former human resources director invested in me for years. An elder at Walmer Road Baptist Church, we con nected over my desire to grow in my ministry leadership skills and to become wise – like her. Over those years, our relationship deepened, became a rich friendship built on a shared sense of humour, and a sharing of perspectives and ideas that left us both energized after one of our marathon sessions…like the Saturday we arrived at Grapefruit Moon on Bathurst Street in Toronto to catch up over breakfast oatmeal and stayed until dinner menus were brought out. My father had asked Mrs. Haines to give me piano lessons. I had asked Maxine and Barb to mentor me after observing them in action, dis cerning (and owning) my needs, and praying. Being mentored and discipled by all three women was such a gift to me. And now, as I disciple others, I realize how much their discipleship of me has been the gift that’s kept on giving. Dr. Sharon Simmonds puts it well in her article: Who do you notice? Perhaps God has positioned someone in front of you – ready to be discipled. By you. Our final issue for 2022 will focus on our board target of stewardship.
Renée James Editor Would you like to be mentored? Are you looking for a safe ministry space in which to steward your gifts and skills? Baptist Women has volunteer opportunities for women who may want to sit on our board. Prayerfully review the nominating form at baptistwomen.com/resources/ forms and fill it in if you feel called to this ministry. We will follow up with you.
(Ginger was the editor of Christianity Today’s women’s magazine Kyria.) Maxine helped me improve my work through concise critiques. Even today, she’ll surprise me with an email affirming the content and style of a freelance piece of mine she’ll have read. Her generosity sustains me, years after our mentoring relation ship has ended.
PREPARING THIS ISSUE on Baptist Women’s board target of cultivating the next generation led me to think about three women who’ve dis cipled me over the years. Women like Mrs. Haines, my piano teacher. Mrs Haines’ perfectly manicured and painted nails secretly fascinated me. They were such a contrast to the feelings that seeped through her fierce perfect piano playing and composition skills. She held none of her artistry back. For 13 years, she taught me to own my musical gifts and not shy away from performing on stage. She taught me to listen well and to value silence. She never let me off the hook wth shoddy play ing or lax practice times. She heard something, saw something in me, and drew that out with precision and care. Then there’s Dr. Maxine Hancock, former professor, author extraordinaire and a former contributor to this magazine. For two years, Maxine gave me her time and her ear, listening to my questions on how to begin freelance writ ing while working through my maternity leave, and how to grow it after I returned to work.
“Sometimes God answers those big prayers by saying ‘Look at what’s in front of you ,” she said Women Who Loved Me
Coming out of that sabbatical, Diane realized she’d filled her journals with enough material to create a slate of spir itual formation resources for women. “God has a sense of humour,” she laughs. “He wanted me to see that I could produce more when I wasn’t trying to, than when I was working.” One of those resources is a fresh version of Life Circles that she’s written for an international audience.
PHOTO MCBETHDIANEOFCOURTESY
Riches Hidden in Secret Places
BY RENÉE JAMES
Of late, God has been speaking to Diane from Isaiah 45:3 (NRSV) – “I will give you the treasures of darkness and riches hid den in secret places, so that you may know that it is I, the Lord, the God of Israel, who call you by your name.”
Baptist Women’s Rev. Diane McBeth shares what’s next for her ministry AFTER FINISHING HER ROLE as Baptist Women’s exec utive director in August 2021, Rev. Diane McBeth shifted gears, moving into a well-earned sabbatical. She thought she knew why sabbatical seemed the necessary next stage for her. God was calling her to take time for physical rest and exercise; to spend extra time with Him and with family, and to continue her creative pursuits with a shift in attitude from creating for God…to creating with Him. “At first I thought that taking this sabbatical was a delay to what I was supposed to be doing next – perhaps even a remedial check,” she says, “when in fact, it has been an amazing gift from God.”
Diane’s worlds of global missions (she is a former Canadian Baptist global field staff) and women’s minis tries have meshed. “I thought God had called me to give up missions completely. And I’d felt fulfilled in my Baptist Women’s work,” she says. “But now, it’s like God giving me back this whole previous area of my life…when I’d thought it was too late. Especially now that I will return and focus on women.”
Diane lives out her belief that fruitful leadership is proportional to our ability to lead from revelation. “When we lead, we are deciding between so many good choices. What we must be able to do is hear from God,” she affirms. “What direction does He want us to take in this particular moment? We can hear from God if we’ve developed spiritual practices, building them into our lives so they become a way of living and leading.” Her journey to Liberia bears witness to what that way of listening and obeying yields. Her prayer request is simple: Pray for the circumstances and for women’s hearts, particularly as the ministry begins.
Life Circles equips women to experience peer/group spiritual direction for themselves through practicing a number of spiritual habits like silence, praying Scripture, breath prayer and learning to listen without judging. God’s plans for Diane hadn’t stopped there though. For some months prior to wrapping up at Baptist Women, a homesickness for global missions began stirring in Diane’s spirit. Baptist World Alliance Women leadership was excited to know that Diane could support the organization’s goal of resource transfer from different parts of the world. By the time you read this, Diane will have travelled to Liberia, invited to speak with African Baptist Women leaders at their quinquennial Assembly about the impor tance of spiritual formation practices to their leadership. She will also have led participants through an actual Life Circles session. Her hope is that each region in Africa will appoint one or two women to meet with Diane through the year to learn with her and go through both Life Circles and other resources Diane is currently creating.
Diane with members of the Women’s Union at a Kimpondo church, Angola “I thought that taking sabbaticalthis was a delay to what I was supposed to be doing next… it has been an amazing gift from God.”
“All around the world, there are women who have spiritual gifts that are hid den. There are places where women don’t have a chance to do things,” she says. “It will be so precious to really sit and speak with these women; to offer them space and these resources that may empower them.”
4 LIVE MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 CONNECT TO GOD
fax:
Q: How have you and your call to ministry been shaped by Love?
Love was a big extended family. My dad’s siblings and their families returned home several times a year for celebrations, for a family reunion and for the harvest. This solidified our connection and my sense of belonging in this great big family. Love was also a small adoptive family where my mom was an only child. Love looked like my grandfather sitting out in the dark on Christmas morning in his car, waiting for the lights to go on so that he could watch us open our Christmas gifts. Even though there was so much love, there was also a lot of brokenness, so I did not easily accept the love of God into my life. The summer before I went to Bible college I went through something of a “dark night” experience and came out of that experience feeling loved by God. This started me on a journey to understanding that I was God’s beloved daughter.
Shaped by Love Shaped to Love As she retires from her current role as pastor of First Baptist Church, Guelph, Rev. Debra Nicholson offers wise insights on ministry. International Blvd. Etobicoke, ON M9W 6H3 416-620-2934 e-mail:416-234-8840books@readon.ca
Instead of rushing through seminary perhaps consider slowing down the course load and learning how to spend time with God alone. Perhaps you could consider an Ignatian retreat or go to a hermitage for some silence. You could consider getting a spiritual director or a counselor to help you with your emotional and spiritual struggles. You are an awesome woman called by God to first of all be His beloved child. Out of your belovedness you will help others to understand who they are.
READON.CA All books available from Read On bookstore. Free shipping on all orders. Bernice’s Picks Equipping Grandparents: Helping Your Church Reach and Disciple the Next Generation Dr. Josh Mulvihill Praying$10 the Scriptures for Your Children: Discover How to Pray God’s Will for Their Lives Jodie Berndt $20 SALESALE CONNECT TO GOD
Q: How has that shaping formed your approach to ministry and in particular your call to pastor? This idea of being a child of God began to shape my life and my ministry. I began to understand all people as precious – children of God. It is amazing how different my life became when I started to live in love rather than living in constant fear. When I was living in love I found that I could be brave and courageous. I learned that I could be authentic and vulnerable. I learned that I could follow the leading of the Holy Spirit rather than act out my fears. Living in love gave me the freedom to live into the questions of my faith and not provide myself or others with easy, shallow answers.
tel:
5
Thinking of some of the young, gifted, well-formed female leaders I know, I would say to those considering ordination to pay as much attention to your spiritual formation as you do to your theological education. Spiritual forma tion is not an add-on.
Q: What would you like to say to women who may be feeling a call to ordained ministry?
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Kathleen Wilson (CBWOQ Toronto.BaptistYorkminstermemberand–proudMember),BoardisaUptickaluminowleader–anactiveofParkChurch,
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• Pray for our alumni, current participants, and future cohorts, that God would equip each leader with exactly what they need to sustain their ministries. Nominate a participant. Sponsor a participant. Donate specifically to Uptick through Baptist Women – either monthly or as a one-time gift.
LikeDiscipleshipJesusDid
Multiplying Life Without making disciples, the Kingdom will not grow. Uptick therefore prioritizes teaching sus tainable practices of discipleship – always modelled after Jesus. His leadership can be broken down into four stages. As part of our Uptick learning, we use Mike Breen’s square Lifeshape (found in his book How To Build a Discipling Culture) to learn and recall these discipleship principles.
Laura Matthews (CBWOQ program.opednator.programBaptistCoordinator),ProgramisWomen’scoordiShedeveltheUptick
2019 alum Lauren Kennedy puts it well in a reflection about her Uptick experience: “God has grown my conviction of the impor tance of discipleship. I feel drawn to live this out in my church where I have been leading the young adults in study, teaching, and applica tion of Scripture. Having been asked to create something for the youth in our church, I feel that my role is to equip the young adults in what it means to disciple and mentor others, and to continue fostering a community that intention ally walks together in following Christ, while inviting a younger generation alongside of us.”
Partner with the Spirit to support the ongoing work of Uptick and the next generation:
6 LIVE MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 PHOTO (UNSPLASH.COM)NICKSONROBERTO CONNECT TO GOD
Uptick Baptist Women –investing in the lives of younger women leaders
2022 UPTICK LEADERSHIP TEAM
Rev. Abby Davidson (Pastor), currently serves at Spring Garden discipleship.pastorToronto,Church,astheofmissional
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BY LAURA MATTHEWS IN 2018, Baptist Women made a choice to invest in the next generation through a program we developed called Uptick. This discipleship experience is for leaders between the ages of 22–35. The word “uptick” means an asset that appreciates with investment, and at Baptist Women, we believe that female leaders are Kingdom assets. We have three targets during this 10-month experience: to shape healthy disciples, to expand Kingdom networks and to grow leaders. By the end of 2022, a total of 24 Uptick alumni will have moved through this program, and they are committed to being on the move with the Holy Spirit. This gives me great hope and con fidence in the next generation! When I witness their leadership in action; when I tangibly see these young women develop their confidence, use their voice and practice discipleship like Jesus in their specific contexts, I am assured that the future of both the global and local Church is strong. God constantly invites us to partner with the Holy Spirit who is always powerfully on the move.
Kylah Lohnes works AsiaandservingprogramMinistriesCanadianwithBaptistasaofficer,peopleprojectsinandEurope.
Stage 1. I Do, You Watch. The leader gives lots of direction with low consensus or explanation, and disciples are confident and less com petent – think Jesus calling His first disciples. They dropped everything to excitedly follow Him. Stage 2. I Do, You Help. This stage is fundamental for the dis ciple because it is the most vulnerable stage and yet it can be the place of most growth. Leaders give vision, coaching
Sydney Klassen attends Kingsway Baptist servesToronto,Church,andthereas a youth leader.
1 2 3 4 Lifeshape and much example, while disciples go through a phase of feeling low enthusiasm and little confidence or competence. They realize they don’t know what they’re doing and feel lost – remember Jesus’ disciples when He started to have them perform miracles? They had many doubts and concerns. Here, Jesus begins to spend more time with them away from the crowds, renewing their confidence while offer ing them grace and vision. They cleave to Jesus and to one another and move towards community, consensus and back to confidence.
Maria Speare currently works as the recruit ment and devel opment manager at Willowdale.tionmentmunityChristianNorthNeighbourLinkYork,acomdeveloporganizalocatedin Julie Vane is the executive studies.post-secondarytoandpreachingaBaptistTorontoherchairpersonboardatchurch,EastChineseChurch,memberofitsteam,amentortwogirlsin
Rebecca Neal attends Donway Baptist Campprogramsdirectsforcon.leadersheToronto,Church,whereistheyouthandadeaSheworksCBOQandsummeratKwasind.
2022 COHORT Jackeline Riedstra (CBWOQ ers’partzationnon-profitSheboardministryPark’sonmember),boardservesYorkminsterfamilyteamandofmission.worksforaorganiinTorontoasofitsnewcomservicesteam.
It’s usually between Stages 1 and 2 that both disciple and leader give up and want to go back to the excite ment and ease of Stage 1. Without a leader who can shepherd a disciple into Stage 3, many get stuck and give up on the ministry all together. Therefore, practice is key and it’s why we spend a lot of time working through this shape in Uptick. We want to grow leaders who are willing to be in the valley with disciples so that those disciples can confidently come out the other side transformed through growth and grace.
Stage 3. You Do, I Help. The leader gives less direction, and invites more discussion and consensus. The disciple grows in experience and confidence, and gains competence. Stage 4. You Do, I Watch. The leader gives little direction and example because responsibility can easily be delegated to those they’ve discipled. The disciple has returned to a high level of enthusiasm and confidence, and has grown in experi ence and competence, just like Jesus’ disciples did when they continued His ministry after His ascension.
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 LIVE MAGAZINE 7 CONNECT TO GOD
Laura runs Baptist Women’s events and Con ferences and developed Uptick Baptist Women.
“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.” Proverbs 22:6 (NLT) Children are definitely a gift from the Lord, but between the toddler years and adulthood, are we not often driven to distraction, wondering what we are to do with these little people God has entrusted to us? Amazingly, they do come with an instruction manual –parts written for us, and parts written for them!
VERSE 7–8 describe the positive and negative outcomes of instilling biblical truths into the lives of our children or rais ing them without the influence of the truths of Scripture. Record the three positive outcomes listed in verse 7, and the three negative outcomes listed in verse 8. Prayerfully determine and record in your journal how you will incor porate God’s precious truths into your family life.
VERSE 6 implies the lineage of godly storytelling and input. How far back can you trace your godly inheritance? Draw a spiritual family tree. If you are a new child in God’s family, how will you begin to train up your family in godly living?
8 LIVE MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 BIBLE STUDY
VERSE 1–3, God implores us through the psalmist to pay close attention to our stories from the past…the good, the bad and the ugly. Think back on your past, and that of your family. Jot down three stories from which you have learned godly lessons. Have you passed these faith stories on to your children?
VERSE 4–6 give us wise instructions for raising our kids to follow God’s path. In fact, the last half of the section issues in retrospect, a direct command from the Lord. Journal in your own words what the Israelites were told to do.
Ladies: Do you have your Bibles, favourite study journal, pen and a coffee ready?
SHAPING OTHERS TO LOVE
VERSE 4–5a describe what we are to instill in the hearts of our kids. Can you find five guidelines for childrearing in this section? Describe ways in which you can implement these five things into your daily/weekly routine with your children?
Hebrewsworks.10:23–24
Let’s dig in!
A Bible Study on cultivating the next generation
To what and to whom is the psalmist referring? Why do you think this recounting of history is so important?
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good
(ESV) BY LINDA ELLSWORTH
A Part For Us: Psalm 78 (NLT)
Psalm 78 is a wonderful example of the wisdom a loving Father has passed on to His children to help them parent their children. Read the entire psalm before we concen trate on the first seven verses.
Although Paul had no children of his own, he considered Timothy to be his son in the faith. For encouragement, read 2 Timothy 1:1–13. Record Timothy’s spiritual lineage, including Paul’s influence in his life. Compare this lineage to your own as recorded at the beginning of this study. If your children were to write a spiritual family tree, how would it compare to Timothy’s inheritance?
Psalm 78: 1-8 (NLT)
O my people, listen to my instructions. Open your ears to what I am saying, for I will speak to you in a parable. I will teach you hidden lessons from our past – stories we have heard and known,stories our ancestors handed down to us. We will not hide these truths from our children; we will tell the next generation about the glori ous deeds of the Lord, about his power and his mighty wonders. For he issued his laws to Jacob; he gave his instructions to Israel. He commanded our ancestors to teach them to their children, so the next generation might know them – even the children not yet born – and they in turn will teach their own children. So each generation should set its hope anew on God, not forgetting his glorious miracles and obeying his Thencommands.theywillnot be like their ancestors – stubborn, rebellious, and unfaithful, refusing to give their hearts to God.
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 LIVE MAGAZINE 9 CONNECT TO GOD
VERSE 13–26, Solomon personifies the virtues of wisdom. In your own words, record 10 life-values resulting from the pursuit of godly wisdom. In what ways could you instill these values into the lives of your children?
VERSE 1–12 are written in a series of “if-then” couplets. Read each couplet and determine the action and result. As you absorb these truths, could you also teach your kids a couplet a week, encouraging them to build the principle into each day?
Perhaps your family is broken…your children have strayed or are being pulled by the godlessness of today’s society despite your best intentions as a parent. Perhaps your adult children are not walking with God. Hold on to the promise of Proverbs 22:6. As long as you have breath, it is never too late to pray, and to pass on those stories of God’s faithfulness.
A Part For Them: Proverbs 3 (NLT)
Challenge your teenagers to read Proverbs 3, asking them to find the 10 values and determine how to put them into practice at school, with friends, regarding social media interaction, etc. The proof is in the pudding, and the faithfulness of God’s instructions to us is lived out by example in the lives of His children throughout history. Remember the last part of Prov. 22:6? “…and when they are older, they will not leave it.” Encouragement from the apostle Paul
The Proverbs are a collection of a father’s (Solomon’s) wise sayings written to his children (Israel) by which they can live in harmony with their Creator and with each other.
Linda is the member care coordinator for Christian Camping International.
A QUESTION I POSE when talking about developing others is, “Who noticed you?” Every human longs to be seen, loved and positioned to flourish. For Christ-followers, we know this is only truly possible when people come alive in relationship with Jesus in the context of community. For those who walk with Jesus, we now become more like him by investing intentionally in the next generation, for them to also know and experience fullness of life with Christ.
You?NoticedWho 10 LIVE MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022
Be part of creating a culture that nurtures the next generation
The Importance of Family Ideally, this noticing and developing occurs in the family context. Moses outlined this key responsibility in Deuteronomy 6: 4–9: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your fore heads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your Creatinggates.”aculture of authentic Christian community and teaching the way of life in Jesus Christ in our homes
BY DR. SHARON SIMMONDS
2. Be friendly. Say hello to teens and young adults. Learn their names. Be consistently and genuinely inter ested in their lives. Develop meaningful connections.
For mentoring guidance, see Great Mentoring for Real Life Change, Doug Ward and Sharon Simmonds (An Arrow Leadership Resource), arrowleadership.org/store
1. Be committed to pray for the next generation. Be specific in your prayers for the unique challenges and needs they are facing. Join with others to make this a regular practice.
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 LIVE MAGAZINE 11 PHOTO (UNSPLASH.COM)MCDERMOTTRACHEL WHO NOTICED YOU
I recognize not all family situations are as described above, but if you are creating this type of culture, realize you are well positioned for your home to become a beacon of light and hope; a place where you can uniquely and intentionally bring people together and cultivate the nextOnegeneration.ofmybest memories was a season when my hus band and I and our four children (then late-teens and 20-somethings), hosted family nights with four families from our church. It was special to form relationships between generations (adults, teens and children com ing together). Each family took one of the gatherings to choose the theme, plan the food and activities, and bring a devotional focus. I remember one father express ing, “this is the most authentic expression of church I’ve experienced since we moved to this area.” Years later, we continue to see the impact of these relational con nections and the development of faith, hospitality and service that continues to flow from these families into the next generation.
I propose three practices that you, your groups and your church can do that will make a significant kingdom impact:
3. Intentionally come alongside someone in the next generation. Mentoring relationships vary in format, but there are six consistent qualities that we notice from Jesus the master-mentor: genuine love, commitment to prayer, providing perspective, being an example in life and faith, bringing encouragement, and teaching (tell ing your story in God’s story and sharing about lessons learned). Like Jesus, we can choose to invest deeply in a few relationships over time. Ask God to reveal who he wants you to invest in and take the first step by going out for coffee, providing hospitality in your home, going for a walk, or inviting this young person to join with you in a service activity. Who are you noticing in the next generation? It’s not always easy or natural to take a step towards someone in the next generation, but I encourage you to pay attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and step out in faith. You may never know the full impact of your investment, but you can be confident that seeds planted now will bear fruit. “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow” (1 Corinthians 3:6). What’s a practical next step you can take to cultivate the next generation?
The second insight she calls the five-to-one principle: Her research reveals that 18 percent of youth group graduates who remain connected to the church had five or more adults invest in them spiritually and personally between ages 15 and 18.
The Importance of Church A beautiful aspect of being the Church is that regardless of your upbringing or home experience, you are now part of a new family where we must, together, invest in developing the next generation. Research affirms this. Dr. Kara Powell and her team of researchers at the Fuller Youth Institute have identified two important insights for churches to pay attention to when thinking about nurturing the next generation. The first is the power of intergenerational relationships. She writes, “bringing the generations to sit shoulder to shoulder or look eye to eye was more important for long-term faith than any other youth group activity” (karapowell.com/2018/08/ preventing-teenage-faith-drift)
is a beautiful gift to our children, even if they don’t rec ognize or appreciate it until many years later. Solomon reminds parents, “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it” (Prov. 22:6, NLT).
18% of youth group graduates who remain connected to the church had five or more adults invest in them spiritually and personally between ages 15 and 18.
Sharon is the director of programming at Arrow Leadership.
DANIELLE STEENWYK-ROWAAN knows what happens when older seasoned women and men in church leadership take young people under their wing. With the guidance and support of an older church leader, she started a mentoring program at her parents’ church. She was 16. “I had the idea and was supported by older people. I ran with it and even though I made mistakes church leadership supported me.”
Offer Who You Are
Alison Witt shares a cool drink and conversation with an Open Homes friend at a summer party
BY RENÉE JAMES
To take a young person under your wing and invest in – mentor – them requires a willing ness to trust them and the process. The same is true when you are the person being mentored. You make yourself available for a life-on-life connection and the vulnerability that comes with that Danielleposture.workswith Alison Witt and a small staff team at Open Homes Hamilton, a home-based
Later, while working for a church denomina tion in her early 20s, Danielle questioned the reality within which she felt called to work and serve – church and ministry leadership that was heavily skewed to older white men. And yet, those very men invested in Danielle – open ing doors for her and supporting her. “They trusted me with things, supported me, and this gave me the confidence to do scary things,” she remembers. Some of those men did so because they wanted to see more women in leadership –examples that resonate with Danielle to this day.
“They weren’t just paying lip service to women having gifts and being called to equal service. They were invested.”
12 LIVE MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 PHOTOS STEENWYK-ROWAANDANIELLECOURTESY
Danielle has had older women support her. She consid ers them friends. They’ve shared that they feel written off because of their white hair. This seems preposterous to Danielle: “These women have so much to offer!” To older women who want to mentor, Danielle has these words: “All you can do is offer who you are.” As she puts it: “If ‘mentor’ is too big a word, perhaps use the word ‘friend.’”
“There’s a lot of trust there,” says Danielle. “We work together. We are both invested.” That degree of mutual investment meant Danielle could engage Alison and the team in the anti-racism conversations needed to deepen their welcome of new leaders into the ministry.
Open Home staff including Alison (back row, second left) and Danielle (back row far right) at a summer party with members of the Open Homes community
To younger women wanting to be mentored and dis cipled, Danielle encourages you to reach out. “It means something to people, to be asked to be in a position of trust with another person. Sometimes you’ll have to be the one to open the door to those conversations. And to have an older woman listen to your questions and then respond to you…is nice.”
“They weren’t just paying lip service to women having gifts and being called to equal service. They were invested.”
Danielle is one of the founders of Open Homes, Hamilton, a homebased hospitality ministry to refugee claimants in the Hamilton area. Check out her workshop at our May Baptist Women’s Conference at baptistwomen.com/resources/2022-conference-videos-and-resources things.
Past mentors and I have had to adjust and that’s hard,” she says. “There are times when mentorship is just for a season and that’s OK.”
Connecting points that are “live” remain key to rich and fruitful mentorships. But what happens when those connecting points shift or the relationship changes? Danielle admits that growth and shifts may be inevitable as the really fruitful part of a mentoring relationship ends. “Sometimes I’ve changed because of life circumstances or shifts in my understanding of
hospitality ministry that welcomes refugee claim ants in the Hamilton area. Danielle leads the team. She also values Alison as an ongoing mentor and presence in her ministry and personal life. “Alison was the first to invite me in to this ministry of home-based hospitality for refugees,” she recalls. Their connection over Alison’s research into home-based hospitality models for refugee minis try in Ontario, and Danielle’s volunteer leadership with Micah House, Hamilton, quickly deepened. “I learn a lot from Alison all the time,” Danielle shares. “The values she talks about – she lives them out very authentically and to the best of her ability.” Danielle knows this because she’s been to Alison’s home and vice versa.
SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 LIVE MAGAZINE 13 OFFER WHO YOU ARE
WITH KIDS AND TEENS
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“IT TAKES A VILLAGE to raise a child.” This is just as true in a child’s faith development. Years ago, in a conversation with a fellow youth pas tor about mentoring youth, he told me that he regularly invited his youth to babysit his young kids. While it seemed like a nice perk to have so many babysitter options in the youth group, his main reason was that he wanted his kids to begin building relationships with these teens so that when they were teenagers they would already have relationships with Christian young adults with whom they could talk and from whom they could learn. Adults that would hopefully be mentors to his kids. We understand from Scripture that through teaching and passing on the stories of God, parents are the primary spiritual influencers and ideally, the catalysts in their child’s faith formation. But even in an ideal world, parents are not the sole influencers. As children move into adolescence, they attempt to make sense of this faith that has been passed to them. They question, wrestle with doubts and revisit their faith. This is what makes the community of God soResearchessential. has shown that mentoring young people is a key part of their faith development and critical for developing a lifelong faith. (hemorrhagingfaith.com and fulleryouthinstitute.org/ stickyfaith). However, we sometimes get stuck on a specific idea of what we think mentoring looks like or what it would require from us to mentor a young person.
CULTUREADEVELOPINGMENTORINGASCHILDRENMOVEINTOADOLESCENCE,THEYATTEMPTTOMAKESENSEOFTHISFAITHTHATHASBEENPASSEDTOTHEM.THEYQUESTION,WRESTLEWITHDOUBTSANDREVISITTHEIRFAITH.THISISWHATMAKESTHECOMMUNITYOFGODSOESSENTIAL.
Tanya works with CBOQ as their associate for children and family ministries. For more conversation and practical ideas for developing a mentoring culture with kids and youth contact Tanya Yuen (tyuen@baptist.ca) or Alvin Lau (alau@baptist.ca).
Canadian Baptists of Ontario and Quebec’s Next Generation Ministries developed the “Sharing Life” con cept. The premise is that each adult in a faith community is to somehow be investing into at least one other child or youth outside their own fam ily. This is not about being a Sunday school teacher or youth leader, although some may fill those roles. It is not about a program to implement. Rather, it is a culture that a church embraces. Sharing Life, quite simply, is about sharing life with one another at different intensities or degrees. We use a six-degree scale to detail these different degrees. These degrees are not sequential; in fact, people will move between them depending on their life circumstances. I am grateful that I had a 6D mentor as a teen, not a common experience I discovered. I am even more grateful that I had a lot of adults in my church as a child whom I could trust and who were models for me of a life following Jesus. Adults that showed me how to take the next steps of my faith journey and led me to seek deeper mentoring relationships. I wonder what it would like if a culture of mentoring kids and teenagers was a common experience in our churches.
BY REV. TANYA YUEN
Psalm 78:1–8 reminds us that part of every Christian’s mandate is to pass on the truths of God to the next generation. For this reason,
THIRD DEGREE (3D) This is about entering the world of the child by attending a sports game or recital occasionally.
FIFTH DEGREE (5D) This is about serving together, usually through common interests and/or gifts. The focus isn’t just the ministry itself, but another opportunity for the adult and mentee to learn and serve together with shared experiences and 2D conversations.
FOURTH DEGREE (4D) This is about inviting the child into your world, like inviting the family over for a meal.
SIXTH DEGREE (6D) This is more formal mentoring with an inten tional focus in uncovering what God may be revealing, whether through Scripture, through circumstanceseverydayor through in-depth self-reflection.
SHARING LIFE BY DEGREES
FIRST DEGREE (1D) Consistent Connection with a basic knowledge of the person. Get to know every child by name and parents’ names, the school they attend, things they are interested in.
SECOND DEGREE (2D) Deepening of 1D conver sation. Ask questions that can’t be answered with only one word or by a yes/ no response.
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But what does it mean to go and make disciples if those we are trying to build a relationship with are spending increasingly more hours of their day on digital platforms? Is digital-based discipleship something that is even possible? If you feel a call to mentor, disciple, or build rela tionship with the next generations, here are a few ideas of how to do that.
Is it Possible to Someone…Digitally?Mentor
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5 Tips for Digital Discipleship
IT WASN’T SO LONG AGO that the online world of relationships was only a place for scammers in chat rooms, a desperate attempt at love through online dating, or a place for the most tech-savvy amongst us to gather and meet newWithpeople.therise of the smartphone and social media apps, Internet-based connections are for everyone. Talking to strangers that become friends, meeting romantic partners, and building online platforms for ourselves is now the norm. Digital relationships are here to stay. For those of the Millennial and Gen Z generations who have grown up with the internet, studies show that they view online relationships to be just as real and meaningful as their in-person connections.
BY JOANNA LA FLEUR
Jesus commands his followers in the Great Commission: “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:19–20, NIV).
Initiate Friendship If you want to make a friend, be a friend. You get to go first! I hear so often from young people that they want a mentor and don’t know who to ask or where to find one. As you scroll social media or your inbox, I encourage you to prayerfully consider who God might already be putting in your path for you to encourage. You don’t need to be perfect but just a few steps ahead on the path in life. This is a lonely generation so be the first to reach out. Say hello, comment on their posts with questions or encour agement, initiate a chat in the DMs (direct messages for private conver sation), and when appropriate, initiate a video chat to follow up. Invite people to an online Bible study, or Scripture memorization challenge, or prayer time together via video chat.
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Joanna la Fleur facilitated a learning session at our May Baptist Women’s Conference. She is a speaker, podcaster, TV host, communications consultant, and former pastor. You can catch her interviews with Christian creatives and communicators on the Word Made Digital Podcast, communications training on Word Made Digital Tutorials and her Bible teaching on the national television show, See Hear Love.
Show Up You can’t build relationship with someone if you aren’t spending time where they spend their time. Just like the Apostle Paul going into the marketplaces of his day, we must show up and be present in the places where the people we want to disciple are spending their time. Choose a platform that people are active on and try to get to know it better. Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, even emails if you really want to avoid social media, are a way to be present where people are present and browsing messages every day.
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The digital generation as a whole is very savvy to mar keting plans. They have been sold to since they were toddlers, so they can smell an ulterior motive from miles away. Make sure to be your genuine, authentic self on the internet. As Pastor Craig Groeshel often says, “People would rather follow a leader who is always real rather than a leader who is always right”. If you share your life, your questions and struggles with faith, and invite others in, people online will be drawn to you and trust you.
Digital First, but not Digital Only After connecting online, try to move the con versation to an in-person meeting on occasion. Most of your interactions will still likely be in digital spaces, but if possible, try to get together in person a few times a year. If you’re chatting with a group, have them over for coffee or a BBQ to celebrate a milestone in their life, or even a marker in your time together if you’re doing a Bible study online or a reading plan or some thing similar. On this side of pandemic life, we’re all much clearer just how much can be done online, and yet also very clear on what it lacks. Sprinkle in-person connections and memorymaking times together in between your online times. In short – you can do it! Go into all the Internet and make disciples, for surely Jesus is with you always.
Be Real
Ask Questions
Social media is meant to be social! The best way to grow in relationship with anyone is the same in person or online. Be like Jesus and ask more questions than you answer. Make this about a genuine curiosity in them, not just posting opinions or stories about yourself. If someone comments on your post, write back to them with a question to keep the conversation going.
Another simple idea is to say something like, “I’m going to be praying later today (to give them time to respond if they see it later in the day), so how can I pray for you? Message me!” You’ll likely get a few people responding to your question, and then the relationship continues from there.
Jacqueline Bhatti and her husband Yousaf Nishan Masih moved from Pakistan to Canada in 2011. Her brother, a high-ranking Christian politician in the government had just been assassinated. Today, Jacqueline’s husband pastors a CBOQ church plant in Milton, Ontario, while Jacqueline continues to raise up, train and disciple coordinators and leaders in her ministry Women Arising For Destiny.
What happened after?
BY RENÉE JAMES
A group of strong praying nurses fasted and prayed for my husband and me. Because of their ministry, we got baptized. After that, it was clear that God had blessed us. We began praying for the patients at the hospital where we worked. Patients, some of them sick unto death, were healed.
Live: On your website, you share how God gave you a vision to “create a platform where women from all nations should feel comfort.” Tell us about your journey up to that point.
Jacqueline: My husband and I were working in the Middle East. We had good nursing jobs, lots of money and a beautiful toddler. However I had no peace. Life was a struggle, to the point where I drove my car into the ocean, deciding to end my life. Suddenly I saw my daugh ter and heard her say: “If you kill yourself, I will not have a mom.” I decided to live – for her.
What a ministry! Because we were praying like this, hospital administration gave us a choice: stop praying in this way or resign. We left our jobs and returned to our home country of Pakistan. I asked God to tell me what I should be doing. He said: “Open a house for me. It should be open for all peo ple – everybody should be welcome.” I then asked what the name of this house would be. He replied: “House of Prayer.” So my husband and I opened up a skill centre where women could come and learn English, learn to read, learn how to use a computer. And where they could come for prayer and to pray.
DESTINYFORARISINGWOMEN
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Did you think it would grow to this degree? You’ve basically been running and growing an international ministry all online during a pandemic. I never thought it would grow like this. This is the Holy Spirit and the power of God. That’s the truth. God blesses us in our weaknesses. In fact those weaknesses don’t matter. He wants to see our hearts! How has God changed you in the three and a half years you’ve been running Women Arise For Destiny? These years have changed my life entirely! My relationship with God has increased. I spend about five to six hours a day in prayer – simply with happened to the women who are now part of Women Arising For Destiny? I do get anxious at times. Yet the more the challenges come, the more my faith in Him increases. What’s next for you and the ministry? We’ve just opened a physical house of prayer in Rawalpindi. I’d love to have it become a space where women may once more come and learn new skills and be prayed for. I want them to feel the Master’s touch; that touch of salvation and healing. And more women want me to travel – to visit in-person for equipping and for prayer. Any prayer requests? The work is growing globally. And I’m not getting any younger! Do pray for generous support so that I can do more. Pray that I remain healthy. This ministry is an international 24/7 house of prayer that runs both online (Zoom and WhatsApp) and in-person. As at this writing, 300 women take part in this ministry, having joined from Canada, the US, Pakistan, India, Thailand and Australia. Learn more at womenarisingfordestiny.org.
The online prayer ministry started when you came to Canada. Yes. After moving to Canada, I studied social work and counselling. I got to know women living with discrimina tion, suffering and pain. I again asked God what He wanted me to do. He clearly said: “Start a group and run it 24/7.” I had no idea how to do that – I needed my family’s help to get a group started on WhatsApp! We launched in 2019 with six ladies. How did women learn about the ministry?
Why did you focus on women?
THIS IS THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE POWER OF GOD. THAT’S THE TRUTH.
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All around me I saw women suffering, especially women living in low-in come circumstances. Marriages were stretched or about to break. They reminded me of my brokenness. Women were scared to share their real experiences with their pastors. The skill centre became a house of prayer; a place where they could come and know someone would be there to pray for them. I knew that any woman who came would feel His comfort. Were you ever scared? Your brother was assassinated by the Taliban. And this is Pakistan, a Muslim country. Yes. I was almost kidnapped at one point. After my brother was killed, we decided to come to Canada. I had to leave the skill centre/house of prayer space behind.
GOD BLESSES US IN OUR WEAKNESSES. Him, or praying for my leaders and coordinators and their situations. God is changing my life in a miraculous way. When I preach, the Word comes alive in ways it hadn’t before. God gives me the energy. I think back to when I was about to end my life and I wonder: What would have Word of mouth! Women told other women and invited them to join in prayer. Today, about 300 women are part of this ministry. I also created a different group for young women. In addition to the online groups, women leaders have opened physical houses of prayer. We’ve just opened a physical house of prayer in Rawalpindi in Pakistan so we now have a total 10 physical houses of prayer in several countries.
The theme for the 2022 Day of Prayer is “Victorious Life,” based on is 1 Corinthians 2:14 (ERV): “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in victory through Christ. God uses us to spread his knowledge everywhere like a sweet-smelling perfume.”
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Jemell is BWNA’s vice-president, Day of Prayer and Promotion and a member of Baptist Women’s racial justice team.
2022 Theme
NEW! Global Kick Off Saturday, October 15 Countdown to Nov 7 with a Global Kick Off at noon EST on Baptist World Alli ance’s YouTube channel. Day of Prayer Monday, November 7 Mark these times! BWNA will host two Zoom events at 12 p.m. EST and 8 p.m. EST.
BY JEMELL MORIAH
Victorious Life
Baptist Women’s World Day of Prayer 2022
WE HAVE MUCH to be thankful for as we approach this year’s Baptist Women’s World Day of Prayer on Monday November 7. We survived the first two years of a global pandemic and we’ve learned about trusting God and resil ience. We’ve responded to the call to sacrificially care for the vulnerable. Together, we have learned to live safer and to be more adaptable in our worship and service to others. The war in Ukraine has precipitated an enormous humanitarian crisis as millions of people are displaced and need assistance. The pandemic and the war have affected everyone, especially women, girls, and the most vulner able in our world. As women who are blessed to live in Canada, many of us may not feel the combined impact of the pandemic, war, and economic uncertainties to the same degree as our sisters in the Global South who already face a deepening hunger crisis and the risk of starvation. Nor do we feel the cut of having to face hunger and home lessness as some of our sisters in the Global North do. How do we stand fearless and undaunted in the midst of all these uncertainties? Let’s remember how and why the Day of Prayer was formed: After World War Two, the Day of Prayer originated to bring peace between Baptist women of Europe and Asia. Baptist women have a long history of seeking God in times like these for we understand that we cannot fight these fears and insecuri ties the way the world would. For over seven decades we united in prayer to destroy strongholds and it is through prayer that we are being kept united and strong.
Share your experience Don’t forget to share your Day of Prayer experiences and pictures with BWNA. Send them to: president@ bwna.today For more information Visit baptistwomen.com for links plus remittance forms. You’ll also find information at bwna.today.
As you begin your preparation for this year’s observation, I encourage to you to find creative and meaningful ways to gather, pray, and give. The Day of Prayer offering is the main source of income that both Baptist Women of North America (BWNA) and Baptist World Alliance Women depend on to support grassroots global ministries and ministries across North America. Not planning an in-person Day of Prayer gathering? Gather with other Baptist women and CBWOQ staff as we join in BWNA’s online prayer times.
Niru is married and living with her husband and three children. Niru works as a farmer, and her wages are the only source of income because her husband is sick. She has often struggled to provide food for her children. When Niru was invited by the local church to receive livelihood training, she was thrilled with the opportunity to learn new skills. Niru was trained to rear goats, and the project provided her with a goat that soon birthed two kids. “We are a poor family,” said Niru, “so I am delighted to receive a goat! I gave her the name ‘Maina’ which means ‘child of love’. I continue to rear goats to sell, and the income provides for my family. Thank you for this blessing!”
UNPREDICTABLE FLOODING, illit eracy, and no access to health care. That is the reality for women like Madusmita, Niru and Romina, who belong to the Mising Tribe.
Romina, a young woman who lives with her family. For almost four months in the year, her village becomes overwhelmed with water due to floods. Luckily, Romina was approached to join the Mising Tribe livelihood program. Romina was selected for the tailoring program and last year successfully completed her training. She then bought a sew ing machine and has started stitching and mending clothes. “Because of this program, I am able to generate income for my family,” said Romina.
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BY JESSICA BANNINGA
Changing Their Story
Romina’s family is proud of her accomplishments and understand the importance of training and the value of hard work. The program has uplifted the quality of life for Romina and her family and has given her eco nomic empowerment. She says, “I will earn good income and will have a dignified life in my community.” She has a bright hope in achieving her goals. “Thank You to CBM and Alempang Baptist Church for the eye-opening program. You have really improved my life and I feel accepted and included in my community.”
The Mising tribe is Northeast India’s second-largest Indigenous group and relies mainly on small-scale farming for income. Unfortunately, the nearby river is affected by frequent and erratic flooding. With an unstable income, much of the community lives below the poverty line, especially minority Christian groups who are often the least privileged within the predom inantly Hindu population. With an underdeveloped educational system, the economic situation of many in the community remains poor; alongside high unemployment and dropout rates, the literacy rate for women in the community is at a mere 48 percent.
The Spiritual Empowerment and Enrichment of the Mising Tribe is helping to transform lives. Women like Madusmita, Niru and Romina are being encouraged to develop their God-given talents to uplift and provide for their families and inspire change in their communities. Through your continued partnership, and together with the local church, we are providing valuable skills train ing and resources to lead to a reliable income, all through the transforming power of the gospel. Thank you for your prayerful support of this project.
Madusmita is a mother of two chil dren. She spends her days working in the field with her husband, where they earn a meager source of income. The Kaman family is one of the only Christian families in the village. They live in a remote area of Assam, and their village has no basic facilities like a school or medical center. When Madusmita was approached to join a livelihood training program run by the church in the region, she was excited
Madusmitaonworkingashawl Niru with her goat Romina showing a stitched blouse
to join, as the family has struggled to provide for their children. Madusmita was given the materials and training to start weaving shawls. The money she now makes from selling the shawls provides additional income for the family. “I am grateful for this project, as it has helped me earn more money and provide better meals for my children.”
PLEASE RUN to READON BOOKSTORE and get your copy of The Neighbours Are Real and Other Beautiful Things, our book club read for September/October. This collection of short essays captivated me. Perhaps it was the whimiscal charm of the cover art that drew me in. Perhaps it was author Preston Pouteaux himself. I’d never before encountered the words of an author who is both pastor and beekeeper. Pouteaux cleverly groups his essays into sections named after the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. For weeks now I’ve lingered on the essays in patience. “The fruit of patience grows in the life-gar den of those who have discovered that God is patient with them,” he writes in the essay titled “Expectant Patience.”
him, lingering in the warmth of a Chestermere, Alberta sun while he pulls honeycomb from one of his beehives to share some of its good ness with me. Finally, I slow down because when I read these essays, I realize I’m in the company of love. Pouteaux pastors his bees and his people – his family, friends, neighbours – with such love I can not help but linger. One page, one essay at a time. I slow down because I realize that Pouteaux, like any true pastor or author, also loves his readers.
“There are beautiful people living in your neighbourhood. Patience is a way of helping you to see them as they already are.” (page 79)
BY RENÉE JAMES
BOOK CLUB REVIEW Your
—Lois Crofoot, BCOQ president 1978–79 and member of the BWMA’ outreach committee, in the May 1981 Link &Visitor *The Link & Visitor, the previous name of this magazine. Neighbours Real and Other Beautiful Things
Faced with his words, I sit and begin to imagine how to love my neighbours the way Jesus does.
When I read this book, I have to do what Pouteaux suggests we all do when it comes to neighbourhoods: slow down. I slow down because he shares humble yet life-changing insights about how to really see my neighbourhood and the people who live and work there alongside me. I slow down because his beautiful writing invites me to. He offers his insights with such thought and care, I feel like I’m standing beside
“UNLESS WE HAVE GOD’S LOVE, his peace, his salvation in our own lives, we cannot offer that wholeness and love to others. Unless we live in committed congregations and accept the cost that discipleship brings with it, we cannot teach others the meaning of true discipleship.”
Mark the Date Join Baptist Women staff this fall and let’s imagine together. Preston Pouteaux joins us on October 25 at 7 p.m. EST to lead a workshop called: The Neighbours Are Real: Re-Imagining How to Love Your Neighbours the Way Jesus Does. Registration opens online at baptistwomen.com in mid-September. Registration cost: $10
A HISTORY MOMENT
Are
The Core Discipleshipof 22 LIVE MAGAZINE SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2022 CONNECT TO OTHERS PHOTO PLESION.STUDIO
“The book struck a note with me,” she recalls. One of Schell’s suggestions to make connections was to put up a turquoise picnic table and chairs in your front yard, lay out some no-fuss treats, pull up a chair and see what happened.
IN 2021, when the town began to rebuild the street in front of First Baptist Church, Petrolia, Bev Woolaver decided she’d take part in the church’s con struction outreach. One afternoon a week through July and August, after construction workers had sweated in the sun for most of their working day, women at the church would set up a table in the church’s driveway and spread out donated baked goods, pop, juice and water. Timed perfectly with the crew’s afternoon break, the workers would come over, grab a treat and a drink. They’d rest in the shade of the maple tree on the church’s front yard or sit on the bench placed by the church in honour of their former pastor Phil Kazek. The construction crew went wild for the treats and beverages, especially the homemade butter tarts baked by 91-year-old Joyce Finlayson. They offered to pay the women for their hospitality, overwhelmed by how well they were being treated. “Usually we get criticized,” one of them shared with the women.
BY RENÉE JAMES
Butter Tarts and Benches
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From left Wanda Pratt, Ariel and Gwen Jay, and workerconstructionasharesometreats
RememberWe Each generation has the opportunity to fuel mission for the next. We are thank ful for the following gifts:
IN HONOUR OF Anne Campbell, Hamilton 100th birthday Ruth Fletcher, Toronto Lifelong witness and service in Canada and India Beryl Matheson, Hamilton 100th birthday Barb Myers, Wallaceburg Retirement MargaretHamiltonRichardson, 100th birthday IN MEMORY OF Jean Allen, Cambridge Meta Avey, Tillsonburg Sue Fletcher, Hamilton Bonnie Hartley, Toronto Freda Kelly, Fenelon Falls Carol Lemelin, Port Hope June McBurney, Waterloo Margaret Torrance, JoyceTorontoWood, Toronto
How books can inspire us to get involved
PHOTO CASSINCHERYLOFCOURTESY
“We refused their offer,” says Bev. Bev felt a nudge to help out with this outreach because she’d read The Turquoise Table: Finding Community and Connection In Your Own Front Yard by Kristin Schell, a book featured on Baptist Women’s former’s book club list.
“Our turquoise table was in the church driveway, accompanied by the bench under the shade of that big maple tree,” remembers Bev.
“Sometimes we are called far and wide on a mission, but more often we are called to love others in our everyday, ordinary lives…right where we live in our own front yard,” writes Schell. For the women who organized and volun teered with this project, their “own front yard” was the church’s. “This project was an example of hospitality right in our midst,” says Bev. “We were showing God’s love…in sharing treats and beverages with the workers repairing our street. And this book gave me the inspiration to assist with this endeavour!”
With the eyes of a pioneer, look around for abandoned ground, for decay, for places and people where life may not be flourishing. These are the places where the Kingdom of God may be found, where Jesus calls us to embody his life and love. Just below the surface, the soil is good and much can grow. It takes pioneers like you and me to bend down, dream, and plant what could be.” Preston Pouteaux, from Your Neighbours Are Real and Other Beautiful Things –A Collection of Short Essays How we connect with each other has had to change, but Live magazine keeps our bonds lively and strong. Let a woman in your community know about Live magazine. A subscription costs just $20. Pay at baptistwomen.com or call the editor, Renée James. Choose from three formats: print, audio (CD) or online. Has your address changed? Send your old mailing label and your new address to: Live Magazine Circulation Dept. 5 International Blvd., Etobicoke, ON M9W 6H3 Publications Mail Agreement No. Registration40007159 No. R9703 Return Canadianundeliverableaddressesto: Live Magazine Circulation Dept. 5 International Blvd. Etobicoke, ON M9W 6H3 live@baptist.ca “
