Caledonia Times by The Diocese of Caledonia

Caledonia Times

January, 2012 A Section of the Anglican Journal

Welcome to new dean of the cathedral

N October 23, 2011, Bishop William Anderson installed the Very Rev. Jason Haggstrom as the newly minted Rector of St. Andrew’s Cathedral and Dean of the Diocese of Caledonia. The new Dean and his family arrived in Prince Rupert early in October from the Diocese of Western Newfoundland to begin their time in Prince Rupert. The service was given an extra special tone because former organist Catherine Cembella played the hymns and the liturgy. Catherine and husband Don Cembella came from Nanaimo, BC. for the occasion. Both Don and Catherine had participated in the Canonical Committee and selection process of the new Dean prior to their move to retirement on Vancouver Island this summer.

The Bishop both preached and celebrated the Eucharist. In his sermon, he made the following reflections: it is probably the worst kept secret in the world that clergy are fallible. And in most congregations there is always someone who is just waiting to pounce on those shortcomings. My mother in law once said to me that, in her parish in southern Ontario, people always seemed to be able to agree that the best priest they ever had was always the one who had just left - it was never the current one. So, some forty years ago she simply stopped going to church. We have prayed for God to send us a priest, and here we have someone who has answered that call. Like the Israelites in the desert, or the young Christians at Thessalonica, or the Pharisees at Jerusalem, we have a choice to make. We can prayerfully support him in his ministry, or we can constantly pick at his shortcomings (real or imagined), complain ceaselessly, and undermine his ministry. God will bless us if we do the former- but not if we choose to do the latter. This doesn’t mean you should simply blindly go along with whatever the new dean says. It does mean respecting his call from God however, and honestly supporting him through prayer and

Bishop Anderson poses with the Very Rev. Jason Haggstrom, the new Dean, (left) and Archdeacon Ernest Buchanan after the Installation Eucahrist. —Ed.

actions, especially if you disagree with him. Like a good marriage - you have to be in this relationship through good times and bad. Second, Jason’s ministry here amongst us must be rooted first and foremost in his listening to, and obeying God. Yes, like Moses, Paul, and Jesus, part of his ministry is to love you as Christ also has loved you. But that can never be more important than loving God. And loving God means obeying God. Like Moses, Paul and Jesus, loving means listening to his people, and seeking to learn about them, and caring for them. But loving also sometimes means putting God’s will before that of the people. Moses could not accept the people’s desire for a golden calf. Paul could never accept the arguments of those who tried so hard to replace the Gospel of Christ with their own distortions. And Jesus could not turn away from going to Jerusalem when Peter wanted Him to (remember his harsh admonition- Get thee

behind me Satan when Peter tried to stop Jesus from his final trip to Jerusalem)… ... This is my third and final reflection for this morning. If the worst kept secret in the world is that clergy are fallible, the second worst kept secret is that we have had, here, a history that has had ups and downs. We have people in the community who have stayed away from this place of worship for decades because of some real or imagined hurt that someone did to them a long time ago. We have others for whom this is true in more recent times. We have people here who have liked or loved some of the clergy who have served here over the decades, and others who have not liked those same clergy. There are also some factions within our congregation. All of this is pretty normal in any congregation. See Look for the lesson on p. 3

A stewardship moment...

Bishop’s Notes

More precious than gold

S I SAT down to write this column we were, as in recent years, being bombarded with Christmas Carols used to promote commercial activities, talk show debates about whether Christmas should be a religious holiday or merely a secular one, and so on. In other words, the usual activities that seem to have emerged over the past few years. It is, I admit, hard not to get drawn into some of these debates. Thinking about it I found myself wondering what Jesus would have made of all this. It occurred to me that one of the notable things Our Lord did during His life was to avoid getting enmeshed in the political and cultural battles that were the equivalents to our current ones. Instead, He simply pursued His Father’s business, one person at a time. Healing here, teaching someone there. Feeding the poor, encouraging the downhearted. And throughout His ministry, His was a constant attitude of thanksgiving. With that in mind, my message this month is simple: “Thank you.” Thank you to God for the blessings He has poured into my life personally, but also into our lives as a diocese. Thank you each one of you who are reading this. For your faithfulness in supporting our church through your prayers, your work and your money. Thank you for your resilience, your willingness to get up and keep going as each of our communities deal with the inevitable challenges that are part of life.

A story for you to consider at this happy time of the year when we are often at our best at giving, here is something for all of us to consider. It is a story that was found on the bulletin board of a small and isolated Church somewhere in rural Canada:

Thank you for your support of your clergy, who labour longer and harder than you can imagine. Thank you to the priests and deacons who work so hard to advance the work of God in your communities. Thank you to the lay readers who so faithfully serve their communities in worshipping God. Thank you to the altar guilds, and the musicians who week after week devote time and effort to ensure that our churches reflect, in both music and care, the love we have for God.

CERTAIN Christian once said to a friend ‘our church costs too much. They are always asking for money.’ Her friend replied, ‘sometime ago a little boy was born in our house. He cost me a lot of money from the very beginning. He had a big appetite, needed clothes, medicines, toys, and even a puppy. Then he went to school and there were supplies to buy. He began to date and to drive the car – so there was more car insurance and gas to buy. Then he wanted to go to university and that cost a small fortune. However, in his last year of university he died suddenly and since the funeral he hasn’t cost me a cent. Now which to do you think I would rather have?” After a significant pause, the friend continued, “As long as this church lives it will cost. When it does lack support, it won’t cost anything. A living church has the most vital message for the entire world today. Therefore, I am going to pray and give whatever I can to keep our church alive.” —Anonymous

Life in our culture has so often become such a mad rush that we can easily forget to stop and say “Thank you.” Yet these two words can often be more precious than gold. We have been richly blessed, you and I. So let us give thanks together. +William: Caledonia

thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the Gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion on the day of Christ Jesus. —Philippians 1.4-6

Caledonia Times Publication of the Anglican Diocese of Caledonia Editor: The Synod Office Published monthly, except July and August by: Diocese of Caledonia, #201 – 4716 Lazelle Ave. Terrace, BC V8G 1T2 Phone: (250) 624-6013 Fax: (250) 624-4299

Around the Diocese • St. Martin’s ACW in Fort St. John held our annual Bazaar on Nov. 12th. It’s always an occasion we look forward to. We had lots of great handmade things to sell, baking, tables of used books, games for the children, a silent auction, and, the tea and goodies. All of this was set off by Christmas music on the piano. Many hands made light work and the response from the community was very good. A truly enjoyable day! By Karen Myhre, St. Martin’s, Fort St. John.

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Caledonia Times — January 2012

Editorial The other side of Christmas

came to us in flesh and blood that we might learn to be with him and he with us. The witness of each Christmas and Epiphany is that we celebrate is that God had his advent, his coming amongst us. We were driven from the Garden and now he seeks us out on the side of the road. Many are surprised at the nature of the Word and his mission. The joy of the green tree and the presents will soon turn to the grief and sorrow of another tree, rude and bare. The only gift offered will be the life that is needed to make amends. We will be drawn from the lights of the Christmas tree through the darkness of those hours to the light of the first day of the week and the Resurrection.

E CALL HIM Emmanuel, “God with us.” We claim that we have seen him and his glory, the glory of the One and Only. And yet we did not praise him or give him any glory. He came to the stable on the roadside of a Judean town. He did not come to a palace, not to a mansion or a castle, not even to a crowded and unwelcoming inn. He came to a roadside stable. He didn’t come to the rich and the powerful. He didn’t come to the intelligent and the wise nor the popular or the religious of heart. He came to those who were in the margins and in the wilderness to draw them to himself. He came to an unremarkable couple with a simple gift of faith in God and he drew them to that roadside stable with only the hosts of angelic fanfare to announce his arrival. God came to us and we did not recognize him. We saw the light of glory and we ignored him, thinking that he was of no account. We refused the outstretched hands that had molded our bodies in the depths of the earth and flung stars out into space. He made his tilt amongst us and made his presence manifest on earth so that his light might shine through earth

(through us) so it can be seen throughout the earth. The Word was made flesh, going forth from God and he cannot be nullified or voided. He came to that which was his own to accomplish the purpose for which he was sent. There was no one and nothing like him in the entire world but we ignored him. He

So this Epiphany, take a moment to consider carefully what it is that God has offered you. He has come to you to offer you grace upon grace and has proven in his Son, his Word incarnate what he will do to draw you home again. He was born through the pain and the blood, the joy and the surprise into the muckiness of this human life. And the Word made flesh did it to be completely with us in our humanness and so that he could guide us on the journey home to God. We are invited to return to the stable and to the Garden. Let us make that journey together that we might be with him and he with us, our Emmanuel.

Look for the lesson Continued from p. 1

The existence of a history, and of factions within a community, is also something you can easily see in the scripture passages we read this morning. But there is a lesson that can easily be missed if we aren’t looking. The Children of Israel DO REACH THE PROMISED LAND. The church at Thessalonica does thrive and survives to this day. Our Lord’s ministry, which started out with 12 disciples, does transform human society and spread around the world and across the centuries. All of these things happen in spite of hardships, failures, and opposition. And they happen precisely because there was always a core group of people, leaders and communities, that recognized their own failings, and returned again and again to God in a spirit of humility and obedient love, seeking always to be faithful stewards of the gifts God entrusted to them.

Caledonia Times — January 2012

In the Old Testament world, the Jews were famous for their single minded devotion to God and His commandments. In the world of the Gospels and Epistles the young Christian communities were famous for how they loved one another. In both cases the communities stood out because of their shared fidelity to the Great Commandment – not only in thought, but translated into action. So as we begin this new chapter in the history of this cathedral, let us imagine ourselves standing as outsiders looking in. What do we see? Do we see a group of people divided and quarrelsome? Do we see a congregation of individuals intent on ‘getting their own way?’ Do we see a parish that rejects the spiritual leadership of the priest they asked God to send them? Do they see a group of people who have given up, to the point where they no longer recognize God working and walking amongst them?

Or do they see a group of people who recognize despair as the tool of the devil, and are united in their adherence to the Word of God. Do they see a people who love and support and pray for one another, not because they are all the same, but because each of them is unique? Do they see a people who are free from hopelessness because they hold in their heart the understanding that being the Children of God is not about buildings, but is about living with God in community. Do they see people slow to take offense, quick to forgive, constant in prayer and in good works? The world outside these walls will see us as we are. Let us have the courage and the passion of our faith that what they see is something that intrigues them and draws them in. And let this start by our committing ourselves anew to supporting one another as we begin this new chapter in our lives.

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Surfin’ for the Lord ~ Ruby McBeth

Three ways to licence hymns

T’S NO SECRET that we need permission to reprint hymns, but did you know that there are three main groups licensing hymns for Christians? CCLI <www.ccli.com> is probably the best known one. This Church Copyright License service began in 1985 when a church in Oregon wanted to avoid the type of lawsuit they saw happening over copyright in the Chicago archdiocese.

CCLI has grown to an international group covering film as well as hymns. Like the other groups the focus is on lyrics for congregational singing. A second group called One license <www.onelicense.net> covers songs for the more traditional Christian churches. It serves 100 different publishers including Taize, Hope, Concordia and Oxford University Press. The third group called LicenSing <www.licensingonline.org/en-us> has the most friendly website. From a very simple homepage you go to a tour where a woman’s voice explains what LicenSing has to offer.

Each of these three websites is very organized supplying information on different types of license agreements, costs, and easy access to hymn titles or authors. Check the sites to see which one has more of your favourite hymns. Happy surfing, Ruby

Books on the Go ~ Ruth McBeth Reading about the Church from the point of view of historians

HIS PAST spring I enjoyed watching the Royal Wedding on television. I indulged in hat (fascinator) watching and searched for Mr. Bean who I had heard was there. While I am vaguely interested in the royals I have a problem figuring out what they have to do with Christianity. My take on the gospel is that Jesus paid special attention to the marginalized people in society not to the rich and powerful. This summer when I read The Oxford History of Christianity, I started to see the relationship between church and state in its historical context. The Oxford History of Christianity is a collection of 19 articles by historians telling about the life of the church from the early days until the time of writing - 1993. The book is in three sections: “From the Origins to 1800”, “Christianity Since 1800”, and “Christianity Today and Tomorrow”. As you read through the writings by the various scholars you begin to gain perspective on the history of the church. You see changes in the Church from a persecuted Jewish sect to the favoured religion of the Roman Empire; from Rome to the Germanic “barbarians” with their different culture, from the development of nation states to explorers get colonization and the associated missionary activity. The knowledge gained from this book gives the reader new “mental furniture” for understanding the complicated nature of Christianity today; new knowledge can displace old prejudices. The final article “The future of Christianity” Page 4

THE OXFORD HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY Edited by John McManners Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1993.

by John Taylor suggests a major change is coming with the center of gravity of Christianity shifting to the Global South. Taylor looks at the future of the church in a hopeful way. As he points out, the church has survived several major changes in culture in the past, and it will survive another one. Kings and queens may pass, but Christianity will continue.

a noticeable absence of bias in terms of any present-day church group. Rather than telling us that one side in a controversy is right and the other wrong the writers are more likely to explain the contributions of each group and the problems created by their actions. The chapters “Christianity and Islam” (5), “The Late Medieval Church and its Reformation (1400-1600)” (7), and “The Orthodox Church of Eastern Europe” (15) are notable for their balanced presentations. Chapter 11 will be of special interest to Canadians. It tells how Christianity developed in North America. The author, Martin Marty, suggests that we have a rather strange kind of Christianity here. He says that North American Christians want to think of themselves as being a religious nation (his term is “oneness”) and yet have more denominations than anyone else (“manyness”). It is fascinating to read this scholar’s view of Christianity in Canada and the U.S. A map of the distribution of the main Christian denominations in the U.S., 1980 is included. The 25 page chronology at the end of the book is a useful reference. Ten maps are sprinkled through the book. Thirty pages of suggested reading allow you to look more closely at periods that interest or puzzle you. Recommended to adults generally. While a few articles have more difficult language even those will be readable by adults with a strong interest in the subject.

Reading about the Church from the point of view of historians was refreshing. There was Caledonia Times — January 2012