Caledonia Times The
The Diocesan Section of the Anglican Journal April 2016, Volume 48 - Issue #4
Parishes farewell Pastor Tim “Pastor Tim” (aka Archdeacon Johnson) was recently honoured at a Service of Evensong at St. Mark’s Dawson Creek in recognition of his impending retirement at the end of March. The Church was packed to the “gunnels” with a 70 member choir and assorted musicians and many parishioners who came out for the event and to wish the Johnsons well in their retirement. The Service was led by Bishop William Anderson, who had been asked to attend by the parish back in the Fall, to make sure that he was there for the event. Pastor Tim remarked at that time that, “This is something the people want to do so they are going to plan it.” The evening service was months in the planning, preparation and practicing for the big evening. The Johnsons came to St. Mark’s and Christ Church (Pouce Coupe) in 2012. They were considering retirement then only the call came for them to come and minister in the South Peace. Pastor Tim had previously served at Grace Lutheran Church (Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada) from 2004 to 2012. He was appointed Archdeacon of Caledonia East by the Bishop in 2013. As the Archdeacon, Pastor Tim shared with The Bishop, The Dean and Archdeacon Buchanan in the pastoral and administrative leadership of the Diocese, including being on the Executive and Administration Committees. The sixty-two year old Johnson was not unfamiliar with ministry growing up, as his own father was also a Lutheran pastor and served in Dawson Creek, Burns Lake and Camrose, Alberta. He was born in 1954, just as his father was finishing seminary.
On March 6th, there was an Evensong service put on by people from both St. Mark’s and from the Parish of the North Peace to bid farewell to Pastor Tim and Bev Johnson. Pictured above, Pastor Tim with the Rev. Enid Pow Bishop William and Lay Reader, Elizabeth Hunt. Past Tim looks on as Rev. Enid does a presentation. - Ed.
Pastor Tim and wife Bev are planning to move south after the end of March. They are planning to get closer to family around the Lower Mainland. Pastor Tim finished his ministry in the South Peace on March 31st after celebrating one final Easter with the parish.
We bid them both farewell and wish them all the best as they reconnect and renew relationships with family.
Good Shepherd has new window The Church of the Good Shepherd in Cecil Lake (Parish of the North Peace) recently had a new window installed and when the Bishop was present for a service in January, he bless and dedicated it. The new stain glass window was done by local artist , Heather Miller. Heather made the window as a memorial for family members who have died. Owing to failing eye sight, this will probably be one of her last windows. To the left: Heather and Bishop William stand next to the window after the dedication for a picture. Also in the picture, Mr. Tony VonHollen.
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love for both Him and His teachings.
Bishop’s Notes Of marriage and listening to the Spirit In the “Farewell Discourse” of John’s Gospel, Jesus promised the He would send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth: When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (John 16.13 ESV) The Spirit of truth is to lead us into all the truth. So, how do we, as Anglicans, live that promised within a church that is so deeply divided on issues related to marriage both within our national church and across the many cultures of our communion? I reflected on this a great deal during the recent meetings of the House of Bishops as we wrestled with whether we could support changing the marriage canon. People on both sides of this issue (myself included), invoked the Holy Spirit, praying that God would lead us into truth on this issue. But as study and discussion failed to bring about a resolution that all could agree upon, the question inevitably arose in some quarters, “How do we recognize when the Spirit is leading us, rather than our own human desires?” After all, as any historian can testify, many times people have used the church, or their faith, to accomplish personal agenda seeking a variety of personal desires such as wealth and power. So it is not an easy question to answer. But an answer can be found, I believe, in the depths of a person’s heart. To truly hear what the Spirit is calling us to, it is not enough to feel passionately about some-
thing or compassionately about someone. Instead, I think we need to rediscover the meaning of humility before God - that deep humility that drives us to our knees before God and listens in silence for His word. Sometimes we have to stop telling God what we want and prepare to listen to what He wants, especially if His will is not ours. And even then, we have an obligation to test what we think we hear as the voice of God. If what we propose results in dividing the Body of Christ can it be a good thing? If what we propose replaces Holy Scripture with man-made philosophies, is this a good thing? As we worked with these questions, I personally found myself more and more returning to the way Jesus proved His teaching and authority. After all He faced the same challenge we face - a world divided in whether He was who he claimed to be. He found himself in a world where he was considered to be one of many prophets and would be messiahs. So how did he establish his authority? How did he prove that he was the real one? I noticed a few things: First, he always linked his claims about himself back to Scripture, demonstrating that he was fulfilling what God had promised. Next, wherever He went, Jesus sought always to bring healing and peace but never at the cost of being false to His Father. Thirdly, amongst His disciples, whenever they were argumentative with one another, he called them into deeper unity of purpose bonded by a common
Fourth and finally, he never followed the path of cultural or political expediency even though enormous pressure was brought to bear on Him, especially by the religious authorities. So when I look at the state of our Church and the Anglican Communion, I see a church that has become bitterly divided, and in which political strategies have often replaced prayer as a means of accomplishing desired ends. I have to question whether the changes sought are from God, however well-intentioned they may be. When I consider that around the world people have prayed that God would raise up godly Bishops to lead His Church, and that these same bishops have overwhelmingly defended the traditional understanding of marriage, I have to consider the possibility that God is speaking through them. None of this is likely to convince those who disagree with me, as to what the right course of action is going forward. One thing is certain as I discovered in my meetings: we are a Church deeply divided on the issue of redefining marriage. There is no easy answer to this dilemma that will satisfy everyone. The stakes are high - people lost to God’s Church, turned off by its internal fighting. Our credibility and integrity lost if Holy Scripture is abandoned as the foundation on which we base our teaching. Our responsibility to be the hands and feet of Christ in the world is lost if we fail to follow the Spirit of truth whom He promised.
+William Caledonia
ACW Conference headed to the Peace in ‘16 The 104th Annual Anglican Church Women’s Diocesan Conference will take place at St. Mark’s Dawson Creek, May 27th - 30th. The theme for the Conference is taken from Isaiah 6.8 which says, Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Registration for the Conference will start at 3pm on May 27 and will conclude with the Service at St. Mark’s on Sunday morning. The Bishop will be present to do a bible study on Saturday morning and there are lots of things planned for the weekend together. The registration fee will be 25 dollars until April 30th and then after that, will rise to 30 dollars. Please also note that there will not be any billets this year for those traveling from afar. The registraton form has a list of local hotels to choose from. The Anglican Church Women (ACW) of the Diocese of Caledonia sees itself as a serving community through Faith, Hope, and Love in Christ. Our Page 2
role being to place an emphasis on Christian Family Life and to improve communications between women. The purpose of the ACW is to unite women in the fellowship of worship, study, and offering which will deepen and strengthen their lives and will lead them into fuller Christian service in parish, community, diocese, the nation and the world. For those who would like to contribute to the Craft Table and the Silent Auction, there will be a table set aside for this. The proceeds of the Table and the Auction will be given to Camp Caledonia for their Summer program. If you want to register for the event, please contact the following person at the following address: Mrs Ingrid Whittington, 4616 Woodland Park Dr.,Terrace BC V8G 0B6 phone: 250-635-3139 email:irwhittington@citywest.ca
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Publisher: The Bishop of Caledonia Editor: The Very Rev. Jason Haggstrom Associate Editor: Audrey Wagner Published monthly, except July and August by: Diocese of Caledonia, 200 – 4th Avenue West Prince Rupert, BC V8J 1P3 (250) 627-1143 or (250) 600-7143 Address correspondence and copy to the address above. or to caledoniatimes@gmail.com Submissions must be received by the first day of the month for the following month’s issue. Send subscription orders, address changes Diocese of Caledonia c/o Anglican Journal 80 Hayden St. Toronto, Ontario M4Y 3G2 Printed and mailed by: Webnews Inc. North York Ontario
Caledonia Times — April 2016
Skypilot Moments Going to find your Galilee and seeking Jesus After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.” So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.” (Matthew 28.1-10, emphasis mine)
V
ery early in my ministry, I remember going to a clergy conference in the diocese where I was serving. And I was something of an oddity at that conference because, aside from the wonderful staff at the center, I was the only lay person in the bunch. I remember sitting alone at a table at lunch time when suddenly, I was surrounded by a group of clergy. There was laughing and joking as we settled into our meal and were looking forward to getting out to the golf course for a round of golf after our meal. During the meal, I was asked a question by one of these clergy: “Where do you find angels in the Bible? We (the clergy) have been talking about it and we aren’t
sure where we might find such passages.” I was a bit shocked because the clergy were coming to me wanting to know where to find something in the Bible. Once I had recovered somewhat, realizing that they were in earnest and wanting to know, I asked, “Well, Old Testament or the New?” All of them sat back in their respective chairs took a breath and then one said, “There are angels in the New Testament too?” Fortunately, one of the clergy had a Bible with them at the table, so I borrowed it and led them through as many of the angel stories in Scripture I could think of in a short time, starting with Mary and Gabriel in Luke. I decided to write about this for one simple reason: there are many people in the world and in the Church who are more ready to believe in angels (especially the cherubs!) than they do in the reality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Many people within the Church community are ready to live out the message of the resurrection and the reality of that first Easter Day. But that brings me back to the angel who showed up, rolled the stone away and sat down on it and began a conversation with the women who had come to the grave to finish their devotion to their recently crucified Master. It occurs to me that the angel timed his journey to be there as the women arrived to view the tomb, not knowing how they were going to get in to finish anointing the body and doing what needed to be done. Did you notice the invitations, “Come and see, then go and tell” and “You will go see him in Galilee”? They had
We live just north of the Peace River. Just south of the Peace River and a little to the east are two colonies of Hutterites. We went to one of the colonies some years back to get chickens butchered, but I did not get to know any of the people. When I read the book I Am Hutterite by Mary-Ann Kirkby, I felt that I got a personal glimpse into the lives of Hutterite women and children. Mary-Ann Kirkby grew up as Ann-Marie Dornn in the Fairholme Colony near Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in the 1970’s. In the first half of her book we are introduced to Hutterite life through the story of her childhood. Woven into her story is the history of the Hutterites, their customs, beliefs and languages. The colony is shown as an idyllic setting for a young girl and for the women. As we move into the second half of the book we see the difficulties that the community organization presents for the author’s father Ronald Dornn. Obedience is expected to be total and unquestioning and that is too much for him. When Ann-Marie is nine Ronald decides to leave the colony. Leaving was traumatic for Ann-Marie and her mother. The remainder of the story shows the hard work leading finally to a place of their own. The book is well organized. Before her autobiography the author is introduced in a forword and “A Short History of Hutterites” introduces her people. Finally in a prologue Mary-Ann tells us how she came to write the book. At this time she Caledonia Times — April 2016
The question that faces us this Easter is a simple one: Will you enter the tomb because you have been invited in? Will you take the chance of going to find your Galilee Lord and Saviour? We are all called as followers of the Lord Jesus to proclaim his resurrection but even more so we are to proclaim his Lordship because he is raised from the dead and that is the most powerful message for people in this world to hear. Can you do that in your everyday life? Will you put you trust in his grace and love? Will you obediently serve him as Lord in your life? Will you go find your Galilee? Happy Easter from Galilee!
Jason+ Editor, the Caledonia Times.
Kirkby, Mary-Ann. I Am Hutterite: The Fascinating True Story of a Young Woman’s Journey to Reclaim Her Heritage. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2010.
Books on the Way By Ruby McBeth
a choice as do we: we can come into the tomb and see where the body was and then go and tell what we have seen or we can choose to do nothing. But that means that we will not be seeing Jesus at all. The faithfulness of those women caused such a stir amongst the apostles that it has to be checked out. And thus the proclamation of the risen Jesus Christ begins in earnest.
introduces her son Levi. Each of the 11 chapters has the same pattern. Above the title there is a picture to fit with the topic. Beside the picture is a quote from the text of that chapter. The author includes Hutterisch (the Germanic dialect of the Hutterite people) seamlessly into the text using context or explanation to make the meaning clear. A glossary at the end of the book gives relevent Hutterisch vocabulary. After her story the author includes an epilogue where she picks up from her prologue explaining to her son Levi that she has come to accept her Hutterite origins. This is followed by an afterword which brings us up to date on friends from her childhood. There are also acknowledgements, a family tree, a bibliography, and two pages of childhood pictures. Mary-Ann Kirkby writes very sympathetically about the Hutterite people she grew up with. Writing the book seems to have brought her closure. Through her story she is able to show the pluses and minuses of both Hutterite and “English” society. Most of all, however, she shows the love that she felt in the colony and her warmth towards them as she reconnects. Generally recommended. This would be an ideal book for a book club discussion group. It is presently being included in Manitoba and Saskatchewan as a Grade 11 Language Arts book.
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Wider Church Life: Canada in Brief by Anglican Journal Staff and Diocesan Editors Black History Month service a celebration of diversity and unity Over 400 worshippers from 20 different denominations came together at St. Faith’s Anglican Church in Edmonton January 31 to kick off Black History Month with an ecumenical service. “Out of many, we are one people,” presider the Rev. Miranda Sutherland, a native of Jamaica and interim priest-in-charge at All Saints’ Anglican Church in Drayton Valley, told the congregation. “Together, let us reach out in peace and hope to the world…we can draw strength from others’ experiences as a diversified people who believe in Christ,” said the Rev. Mike Grange, associate pastor of Bethel United Church of Jesus Christ, who expressed gratitude and appreciation to everyone in attendance on behalf of the Edmonton branch of the National Black Coalition of Canada. In his homily, the Rev. Errol Campbell, pastor of Victory Family Fellowship Church in Calgary, spoke of an imperfect world, where co-operation is necessary for survival. “The time is now, when we must approach life with our neighbours without malice or scepticism; but with a lit candle of hope and goodwill,” he said. “This, certainly, was one of the reasons why Jesus asked the father to make us one,” he continued. “Folks, we are not atomistic. We did not come into this life all self-sufficient…at some point in our lives, somebody invested in us for us to achieve. It is now our time to return the favour.”The service also included remarks from Edmonton-Centre MLA David Shepherd, who spoke on behalf of the Alberta government to acknowledge the accomplishments of faithful and resilient black pioneers such as John Ware, who brought the first cattle to southern Alberta in 1882. —The Messenger Safe Harbour closes amid financial difficulties Ten months after opening to great fanfare, Safe Harbour closed on January 29 due to financial difficulties. “It’s a pretty sad thing that this is happening,” said Bishop David Edwards, who sat on the Safe Harbour board until a year ago. “We really need it to stay open. It’s necessary. It’s demonstrably necessary.” In the 10 months, 55 young people sought refuge at the shelter, which sits on land once occupied
by St. James Anglican Church on Broad Street in Saint John. Social workers found alternate housing for all 10 residents before the shelter closed. Fourteen employees were laid off. The Bishop had hoped that funding would be found, perhaps via the province, before the January deadline, but it was not to be. The financial problems stem from a $540,000 lien on the building. Not all the construction bills have been paid, due in part to construction cost overruns, a harsh winter last year and the fact that not everyone who made earlier financial commitments to the shelter has kept them. Safe Harbour board member the Rev. Jasmine Chandra suggests that contacting politicians might help. “People can donate, contact their MLA, the premier, the Department of Social Development and say this is important,” she said. “We want to see Safe Harbour open.” The Diocese of Fredericton accepts donations to Safe Harbour—online at anglican.nb.ca/giving/index.html, via telephone or in person. - The New Brunswick Anglican Program connecting Indigenous youth and elders receives Anglican Foundation Grant The Coming Home Society, an alcohol and drug recovery program for young Aboriginal women supported by the diocese of New Westminster, has received a $10,000 grant from the Anglican Foundation to help fund a new program that supports at-risk Indigenous youth by connecting them to Indigenous elders. The program, called Wisdom of the Elders, is being created in partnership with the Urban Native Youth Association and will help youth receive spiritual care, cultural teachings and ceremonies and individual one-on-one support from a core group of Indigenous elders.
learning from their elders,” said an anonymous 14-year-old writing in support of the program. “As the elders in our community are starting to pass on very quickly, we want to make sure that we honour our ancestors by taking the knowledge that our elders carry with respect, so that us, the youth, can carry on our culture and traditions and may teach our children our ways of life.” The grant was one of five awarded by the Anglican Foundation to support “service or outreach projects that involve interfaith collaboration.” - Topic (New Westminster) Mass composed for Parish’s 125th anniversary This year, the music played at St. Barnabas Church in Victoria on the fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent will be the work of one of their own parishioners: composer Maria Eduarda Mendes Martins. The composition, a new setting for the Mass, was written in honour of the parish’s 125th anniversary, and after two months of preparation, it will premiere March 6 and 13. The project began in May 2015, when Martins had a Sanctus/Benedictus movement she had composed performed at a contemporary music concert in Victoria. “I had a number of friends and performers afterwards asking me when I was going to write a whole Mass,” she recalls. “Although I felt really excited about the project, I didn’t know for sure when it was going to happen. A few weeks later, when the Rev. Travis O’Brian asked me if I would like to write a Mass for St. Barnabas Church, I accepted the project immediately and with much joy.” While Martin and O’Brian, St. Barnabas’s rector, had originally planned on premiering the mass to coincide with the church’s 125th anniversary celebrations in October 2015, as the music developed Martin felt that its “introspective character” would better suit the Lenten season.
The program will operate out of the Native Youth Health and Wellness Centre on East Hastings Street in Vancouver, and will augment the health care and psychological counselling services already being offered by providing spiritual and cultural healing to Vancouver’s Indigenous inner-city youth, many of whom have been distanced from the extended family networks that would normally provide them with traditional knowledge and guidance.
“Technically, my idea for this particular Mass was to relate the physical vibrations inherent to each sound and every piece of music we hear, and to the emotional content of the texts from the ordinary Mass,” she explained. O’Brien shared Martins’ excitement for the project. “It is a real joy working with Maria,” he said. “Her enthusiasm is infectious. She speaks about the music taking shape in her head and on paper with a mixture of excitement and reverence that is inspiring. I know the music will be challenging, introspective and finally uplifting: a perfect mood as we begin to anticipate the drama of Holy Week.”
“Youth sometimes don’t have the privilege of
—The Diocesan Post
Parish Life: St. James’, Smithers
There is often a little piece of ministry that someone does and it might go unnoticed by most, save the person who does it and the one who receives it.
Church Comic Life
One such bit of ministry is done by 94 year old Pearl Wall at St. James’ Smithers. For the last ten years, Pearl has been knitting and sharing socks and mitts with children who come to the Church’s soup kitchen at Christmas time. We send a “shout out” to Pearl and all those in the parishes who give of themselves to help others who are in need. - Ed. Page 4
Caledonia Times — April 2016