Index of 24th Newsletter (CRCN)

●      Secrets of Survival for Small Churches

●      Biblical Reflections: Elijah, Gideon, Jesus

●      Story-telling Shows Variety of Ministries

●         How small congregations are using their gifts effectively

●         How churches are effectively engaging their communities

●         What are the unmet needs in the community?

●     Biblical Reflection: Equipping the Saints

●     Church Organizational Structures: a help or a hindrance?

●     Useful Resources, Consultants and Processes

●      Ideas about Stimulating New Expressions of Rural Church

●         CiRCLe-M: CENTRE for RURAL COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP and MINISTRY

●         Saddle Bag (Experimental) Ministry

SECRETS OF SURVIVAL FOR SMALL CHURCHES :

a workshop summary -  by Joyce Sasse

            A lot of people in small churches can complete each others sentences when it comes to reciting the litany of what they don't have.  Not enough money.  Not enough people who are willing to do things.  No minister ...

            Recently a group of rural United Church clergy and dedicated lay leaders from across Alberta gathered to see if they could suggest alternative ways of being the church in their small and often remote areas.

            Demographics are changing in most areas.  Now there may be more town folk than farm folk.  The cost of petroleum products is having major impact on peoples' way of doing things.  And income from better grain prices is offset by threat of inflation and recession ...

            But we started with the positive.  What are the things various congregations are doing well?

            Some appreciated the way various age-groups worked together and in support of each other, and how they celebrated the rhythms of life.  Caring for individuals in time of need was given high billing, and finding ways to give when there were real needs.  Also, when necessary, regardless of denominational differences, the community pulled together on special occasions.  Furthermore, if the pastor couldn't be present, the services still went on with various individuals doing their part.  Our list of assets kept growing, and it was fun noting what was unique to each community.

            The point of the exercise was to encourage each congregation (or community) to name what was currently working for them, and then ask how they might continue to build on the positive.

            Helping ministry evolve in this way is not something that happens once every 20 years.  It is an on-going process - and depends on who the evolving participants are, what they understand the work of the church to be, and what the current interests and needs of the community are.

            Once their gifts are recognized, participants can then focus on what they do well and how they meet current needs as life carries on.  It is not always necessary to live up to expectations that others may try to impose.

(With thanks to Dr. Cameron Harder for his gentle leadership)

 STORY-TELLING SHOWS VARIETY OF MINISTRIES

(As we told these stories, in light of the ways in which we are actually sharing our gifts, impacting our communities, what is our present mission?)

How small congregations are using their gifts effectively

●         Intergenerational Connections: An elder-youth clowning team have great fun together and have taken clowning into the church and community.  Confirmands paired with elderly mentors.  They are both able to share at the confirmation service what that faith journey together mean to them.

●         Laity are better equipped: a church with no pastor worships 46 Sundays a year.  Capable, self-confident.

●         Everyone can share their gifts:  Children have a chance to sing in front of the congregation.  Small musical group gets chance to play at church, develops skills and plays at Jaywalkers Jamboree, even composes music.  Church decides to use local quilters' gifts to make banners (instead of trying to make them in traditional mode). Local musicians create song to go with the quilted banners - great celebration!

●         Immanence of God:  worship takes place in people's homes - intimate and intergenerational.

●         Book club - women of all faith traditions struggle together, challenge and care for each other.

●         Helping to navigate the straits of life:  confirmand mentors. Couple in declining health celebrating 50^th anniversary in church with support of everyone.  Disasters brought church and community together (a flood, a fire).  Others churches and community groups pitched in to help.

●         Partnerships are important:  Interdenominational shared youth ministry.

How churches are effectively engaging their communities

●       Building Community with Food:  International Suppers, Lenten Lunches, potlucks and food events of various kids draw people together to work, raise funds, cook, eat and talk.  Food Banks - often run cooperatively with other churches, or with community agencies.

●       Offering Rites that bring the whole community together:  World Day of Prayer, Remembrance Day, Good Friday, drought services, services in Seniors lodges, weddings, funerals, Christmas Carol Festival and others - allow the whole community to come to church in a safe none-denominational way, to lament, hope, pray, celebrate and bless together.

●       Building community by organizing partnerships for care-giving and help:  Building of Habitat for Humanity brought churches and community together - healed long-standing rifts.  "Year of the Older Person" stimulated activities for seniors, brought groups together to play for seniors needs.

●       Opening Church building to the community:  unlocked doors, allowing groups to use the space (e.g. mobile breast cancer screening).  Host AA, Scouts, English as a Second Language, polling booths, youth centre, Moms and Tots, etc.

●       Assembling resources for care-giving: organizing second hand store, collecting clothing for the homeless during cold winter, organizing fund to help transients, supporting Grandmothers to Grandmothers for AIDs, organizing Community Chest (common fund-raising for charities), raising money for Good Grains Bank and local Food Bank.

●       Ministering to the spirit of the community:  invited Connie Caldor to come and sing during the drought. Much appreciated.

●       Supporting healthy community initiatives:  Sunday School goes together on Sunday morning to hear Robert Munch with rest of community (wearing "Sunday School T-shirts") - supporting healthy community decisions.  Santa's anonymous and Santa's store was started by Community Services but supported by the churches.

●       Bring hope into the community:  Offering the gift of prayer through prayer shawls.  Done interdenominationally, connects churched and unchurched people in the community and even bring them into church together for the blessing of the shawls.  One story about a shawl that everyone knit part of to give a long-time community member with cancer.

What are the unmet needs in the community?

●         Housing: emergency and affordable

●         Money:  Attitude conversion - from individual consumerist to community-centred.  How to deal with finances, with bankruptcy.  Impact of economy on environment.

●         Companions to walk with people through the "system: (health care, justice, social services, etc)

●         High stress for families working in different locales, on-farm and off, etc

●         Recycling opportunities

●         Training in care-giving - for seniors (60+), the elderly, and others

●         Attention to religion in our school systems

●         Loneliness, isolation - need friendships

●         Share and despair - need support groups, someone to stand with them.

●         Hospice to relieve care-givers

●         Women's shelter.

●         Viable options for youth employment and youth recreation.

●         Connecting to transient populations

CHURCH ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURES:  a help or a hindrance?

            How a local congregation goes about making changes often depends on its Denominational background.  Some need the permission of the bishop, the synod, or the overseeing judicatory.  Those with a Congregational heritage expect to operate from a local level, with the support of the Presbytery.

            It is important to identify where these judicatories can be helpful, and where they way create stumbling blocks.

Stories shared by workshop participants

●          Presbytery draws us together to share ideas (e.g. prayer shawl ministry).

●          Conference provides networking, fellowship, sharing.  We hear what is happening in other places.

●          Resource material that has been thoughtfully researched or developed is made available.

●          Young people can join with other youth from the area for a variety of events.

●          "I treasure resources that put our theology in useable forms.  Our Denomination has a minority theological position in very conservative areas ..."

●          Training: of lay leaders for worship, of interim ministers, of sacramental elders and lay pastoral minister, ministers for children and youth.

●          Clergy retreats: especially important for isolated clergy in large presbyteries

●          New forms for evaluation of manses

●          New forms for identifying available grants.  We receive a Mission Support Grant.

●          Clergy holidays - a way to share that info with each other

●          Clergy salaries - support for full-time ministry, ideas for combining half-time positions into one

●          Educational and worship resources that are global, Canadian and United Church (though more rural focus would be much appreciated.) Touring of Canadian musicians, sharing of their CD's.  Educational resources that put our theology in useable forms and fresh language for community conversation.  Alert us to resources we hadn't considered.

●          Conflict Resolutions facilitators

●          Creates Regional gatherings of church leadership with quality presenters.  Helps leaders to share ideas, build networks, and listen to each other.

●          Regional Resource Staff - very helpful

Gaps in support from judicatories

●      City presbytery voices are strong - though there are some common issues, different ways of dealing with them

●      Need worship liturgies appropriate for rural worship, harvest festivals, community disasters, economic stress, leaving a farm, etc along with a timely mechanism for collecting and sharing liturgies that others have created

●      Emerging Spirit is focused on 30-45 age group - we don't have any

●      Need help dealing with health inspectors who want to restrict potlucks.

●      Need interim support to look after pastoral relations, vacancy oversight etc which takes up so much of our time.  Too many of these kind of meetings

●      Need resources for quipping lay people to provide spiritual support to each other, especially the 60+

●      Not addressing needs of men in 60+ age group (lots in rural areas) and men in general.

●      Need more communal models for ministry (not just one minister, one congregation). Re-thinking, but also valuing, the role of the educated leadership.

●      Our ministry personnel need solid resources for self-care, retreat, full pay, intervention in conflict or abuse, etc.

USEFUL RESOURCES, CONSULTANTS, and PROCESSES

●      Whole People of God Sunday School Curriculum(UC)

●      Seasons of the Spirit curriculum (UC)

●      Revelations Bookstore - esp traveling book displays www.revelationsbookstore.com

●      Canadian Rural Church Network website  www.canadianruralchurch.net

●      Kairos Water Study and other Kairos studies (UC)

●      Minutes for Mission - helps us think outside our own survival (UC)

●      Ralph Milton's Rumours website.  Very funny, thought-provoking.  Include several of his books - Sermon Seasonings, God for Beginners, Angels in Red Suspenders, etc.  Good story-teller. http://ralphmiltons.rumors.blogspot.com

●      "The Thing in the Bush" (the thing everyone knows but doesn't talk about)

●      Celebrate God's Presence is a good resource for prayers, liturgies, weddings (UC)

●      Asset-mapping process

●      Naramata, Calling Lake centres (UC)

●      Congregational Life Centre (Edmonton) - learning circles www.congregationallife.com

●      Environics demographic studies (United Church)  (UC)

●      Emerging Spirit (for places that have 30-45 year olds) - opening cultural attitudes of the United Church (UC)

●      Healing touch

(see www.united-church.ca )

 IDEAS ABOUT STIMULATING NEW EXPRESSIONS OF RURAL CHURCH

●      Fresh Expressions (Methodist and Church of England, U.K.) www.freshexpressions.org.uk

●      Total Ministry Model of the Episcopal Dioceses of Northern Michigan www.upepiscopal.org .  Small congregations caught in survival mentality entered into a Mutual Ministry process: Ministry Support Teams study and work with guidance from bishop or seminary professors

●      Grouping of workshop participants were encouraged to envision strategies that could be taken back to their Regions

●      Try to gather a group of rural lay people at least twice a year to talk about strategies and stories of rural ministry.

●      Adhoc committee request funding to review effective rural ministry in Presbyteries and congregations.

●      Help congregations develop an on-going appreciative inquiry of their ministries, with this material to be included in descriptions for potential ministerial candidates.

 Saddle Bag (Experimental) Ministry  (a rural ministry reflection by Joyce Sasse)

            The Saddle Bag Ministry, a 4-year experimental program, came to rural Moose Jaw in the mid-Seventies.  Local people developed a vision for how the church could serve local communities, obtained support funding from the United Church, and asked me to be the minister.

            Their bold thinking questioned many contemporary institutional practises.

            Worship services were important, but the focus was on quality rather than quantity.  Services every other week left the minister time to do more visiting and work with the community.  It also gave attendees opportunity to have Sundays away without feeling guilty when they needed to be away.

            The focus was always on inclusivity.  Those in attendance at worship were but the tip of the iceberg.  Many others who cared about the church and spiritual matters were valued by this ministry.  Through a monthly newsletter put in each post-box, everyone was kept informed and invited to participate where he/she could.  Links were made with city congregations.  Information was shared about radio and TV ministries.  Vision TV and the concept of an ecumenical faith network had just been given birth.

            We followed the rhythm of the agricultural season.  People were around in the summer.  Many were away and weather was harsh in the winter, so winter was when the preacher took holidays and study leave. 

            After a while a sense of expectancy grew like yeast.  Special happenings included visits to local artists, an Arts Festival, camp-outs with kids in the Qu'Appelle Valley, Christmas in the Barn, and summer services in the Regional Park.  People of all ages worked and played and prayer together.  Community life was strengthened.

            When the time of experimentation ended, many of these concepts were adopted by local congregations.  The remnant of this cutting edge thinking is still evident thirty-five years later.  I thank God for the opportunity given to me to participate as I did.