CANADIAN RURAL CHURCH NETWORK
Newsletter for January 6, 2006
Index
1st Newsletter of the CRCN
Rural Ministry (life and faith)
♦ Rural Church Movement in Canada
Worship Resources
♦ Looking back on a Full Life (paraphrase Psalm 23) - James Taylor
Other Helpful Resources
♦ Jacob's Wound - Book Review by Walter Farquharson
Looking For Ideas
(Responses to this question will be summarized and posted in succeeding Newsletters)
Question:
Many rural communities request ministers who will serve
part-time. Have guidelines been developed to insure the community does
not expect "full service" for a half-time call?
Send your response by clicking on this link: Canadian Rural Church Network.
News
General
Future
Topics
Rural Issues
Rural Ministry (life & work)
Rural Church Movement in Canada
Seeds planted in the mid-eighties in England, which gave birth to the
Rural Church Movement, have now taken root in Canada with the
establishment of the Canadian Rural Church Network (CRCN).
The CRCN is both an organization and an ongoing network of people who
"have a passion for enhancing the quality of life in rural Canadian
Communities".
Persons from ten religious denominations and / or environmental groups
gathered at St. Peter's Abbey, Muenster, Saskatchewan in mid October
(2005) to talk about the role Faith Communities can have in
strengthening rural communities.
David Ruesink, Executive Secretary of the International Rural Church
Association (IRCA), and Garth Cant, who has helped organize such
gatherings in New Zealand and Australia since 1984, were welcome guests
at this Canadian gathering. Stories were told of how this Rural Church
Movement has reached around the world in the past twenty years.
These networks are built on the belief that feelings of isolation and
despair can be overcome when people of the land gather to share stories
about positive possibilities. From Saskatchewan, itself, workshop
leaders told stories of how they sought renewal in their small
communities. Craik has become an eco-centred model community. Some Earl
Grey grain farmers have formed a research and marketing club that
strengthens both their personal enterprises and the local community. An
Asset Mapping Project at Preeceville-Sturgis has helped their region
name and develop its strengths…
The ecumenical mix of participants added rich diversity. A Pentecostal
minister told how the formation of a Ministerial Association brought
healing to his community. The Mennonites explained how their Vibrant
Rural Churches Project has helped tiny congregations find new roles in
the communities where they exist. Earthcare Connections helped
participants have a deeper appreciation for stewardship of the earth.
From the Lutheran perspective, two thoughtful presentations were made:
one linking Biblical stories with the rural economy, the other on
De-shaming Rural Bankruptcy. United Church delegates, who attended
previous International Conferences, gave perspective as to what might be
accomplished in Canada through the establishment of such a network.
Participants brought with them their love of the land, their commitment
to build and maintain viable communities, and their feelings of
helplessness in the face of incredible odds. In prayer and song and
conversation (and with the ringing of the bells in the background
calling the monks to prayer), those present tried to give voice to how
they experienced God's presence in their daily lives, and how they found
hope in the midst of the challenges.
With passion and compassion, participants in the panel discussions, one
on The Arts and Rural Development, the other on The Media and The Rural
Story, reflected on how artists and journalists give voice to the rural
story.
Delegates reaffirmed their belief that they are part of something bigger
than themselves, and that they need to stay connected. As an
organization, the Canadian Rural Church Network will seek to build on
the ground-work laid. Via this web-site, participants can share
information, offer encouragement and support, and help develop a
significant voice for rural Canada.
(Informative details gleaned from the above-mentioned workshops will be
shared through this web-site in the near future.)
(Written by Joyce Sasse, November 2, 2005)
Worship Resources
Looking Back On a Full Life (Paraphrase of Psalm 23 by James Taylor)
(This Psalm could have been written by an older person, reflecting on a
long and full life. The lst line of verse 6 is adapted from "A New
Creed" of the United Church of Canada.)
God has walked with me; I could ask nothing more.
God has given me green meadows to laugh in,
clear streams to think beside, untrodden paths to explore.
When I thought the world rested on my shoulders,
God put things into perspective.
When I lashed out at an unfair world, God calmed me down.
When I drifted into harmful ways, God straightened me out.
God was with me all the way.
I do not know what lies ahead, but I am not afraid.
I know you will be with me.
Even in death, I will not despair.
You will comfort and support me.
Though my eye dims and my mind dulls,
you will continue to care about me.
Your touch will soothe the tension in my temples;
my fears will fade away.
I am content.
In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with me.
All through life, I have found goodness in people.
When life ends, I expect to be gathered
into the ultimate goodness of God.
(from Everyday Psalms, by James Taylor)
Other Helpful Resources
Jacob's Wound - A Book Review
I do not know when I have had a book in hand that so fully involved me!
So much of it , written in magnificent prose, calls for reading aloud.
The author's invitation to journey with him in quest for understanding
and convergence is gently and persistently presented.
The knowledge and breadth of knowledge reflected in the text invites
deep respect for his scholarship and experience-based wisdom. The social
and ecological analysis leading to prophetic words grips heart and mind
and soul. Even before I had finished the reading I found myself
repeatedly inviting friends to engage Herriot through his book.
Acclaimed and prize-winning author of River in a Dry Land, a self-taught
naturalist, a passionate social justice activist/advocate, a Canadian
Catholic who has recently returned to the church, a profound observer of
nature and community, this author has indeed richly gifted the
communities he treasures.
In just one book we are offered deep Biblical reflection, moving
descriptions of the alive and engaging creation that surrounds us and of
which we are part, profound appreciation for the history of those who
came to the Americas seeking a new life involving encounter with
wildness, and, a glimpse into the lives and motivations of religious
prophets and pioneers who operated on the edge or sometimes at the heart
of church and society.
As we read we are thrust into a wrestling with major movements and
issues shaping our current Canadian culture - issues around sustainable
agriculture and safe food, interaction with a growing and more assertive
first nations culture and reality, coming to terms with a society
dancing around issues of inclusion and convergence in a climate of fear
and suspicion. Herriot sees the ancient Genesis story of Jacob and Esau
as a parable, a reflection of the inevitable move from the wild to the
settled, to world of agriculture, settlement, boundaries, religions, and
governments, the printed word.
Despite all attempts to tame and control life and the future inherent in
this inevitable move, the Spirit rises - offering both questioning and
opportunity for renewal in experiences and contemplation of desert and
wildness.
Any who wonder about the church's ministry today and into tomorrow, any
who name concern for issues ecological and communal, any who find
increased wholeness in sharing another's intimate journey into awareness
of self, community, God, will find in this book treasure after treasure,
poignant phrases and paragraphs that will be read and reread and shared
with others on the journey.
(Jacob's Wound by Trevor Herriot, McClelland and Stewart, Toronto. 2004.
Review written by Walter Farquharson December 1, 2005)
International News
Links
Mission Statement and Vision for CRCN
Believing that feelings of isolation and despair can be overcome when
people of the land gather to share stories about positive possibilities,
the Canadian Rural Church Network (CRCN) is an organization of persons
(lay and clergy) who have a passion for enhancing the quality of life in
rural communities.
The Vision of the Canadian Rural Church Network is …
To be a supporting network for rural church and rural community
development in Canada. Through the Internet and modern communications,
ecumenical partners are able to :
- Support each other
- help articulate the rural story and spiritual values
- affirm the Church's role at the heart of small communities
- exchange information and resources across Canada and around the world
- advocate on behalf of the rural perspective
- reflect the importance of community values in a global society
(The CRCN is related to the International Rural Church Association (IRCA),
whose purpose is to be a network of rural Christians from around the
world who seek to support one another in their mission of connecting the
gospel and rural life in their own contexts. The next conference of the
IRCA will be held in Canada in 2007.)
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