CANADIAN RURAL CHURCH NETWORK
Newsletter for August 3, 2006

Index

News Up Dates

"How can we find hope in the rural landscape?" This will be the central theme of the "Cry from the Heart" week-long Conference being held at the University of Brandon in July 2007 when the International Rural Church Association (IRCA) holds its fourth international gathering.

In a time when rural communities around the world are being disenfranchised economically and politically, the Rural Church Movement facilitates networking among rural Christian communities on an interdenominational and international basis.

Through the sharing of stories the IRCA 2007 gathering, hosted by the Canadian Rural Church Network (CRCN), invites participants to identify God's presence in their daily lives, search for signs of hope and strength, and identify how they can act as agents of caring, joy and hope.

Keynote speakers will be Dr. John Ikerd (University of Missouri), noted for his advocacy of sustainable family farms, and Dr. Roman Juriga (Orthodox Academy and The Centre for the Application of Renewable Energy, Czech Republic). Dr. Juriga's experience is with community development that is centred in rural village churches.

Bible Study will be led by Rev. David Webber (Presbyterian Church in Canada, pastor in the Cariboo-Chilcotin region of BC) and Dr. Daniel Thiegarajah (Church of South India).

Each of the 100 participants (half Canadian, half international) will report on the work of the rural church in their part of the world, and will help identify issues needing to be addressed at this gathering.

Opportunity will be given, through field trips, to explore how various rural communities in southern Manitoba discern the way God calls to them. Delegates will be encouraged to compare and contrast what they observe with the specific realities in their own situations.

Prior to "The Conference Gathered" at the University of Brandon (July 3-9, 2007), participants will be given opportunity to participate in the Mennonite tradition of "The Conference Scattered". Various communities across the country will offer to host guests during the week of June 25 - July 2, while they are enroute to the central meeting.

Conference Chairperson - Rev. Catherine Christie (Abbey, Saskatchewan)
Telephone 306-689-2208                cchristie@sasktel.net

Rural Issues

Building Caring Communities (Sturgis/Preeceville, Saskatchewan)

(Report of the Workshop on Asset Mapping in Sturgis and Preeceville, Saskatchewan, presented at the CRCN Harvest Conference, October 2005, written by Don Olson, Mayor Town of Sturgis)

Building Caring Communities (BCC) is a "process" that describes the steps that a community goes through in order to successfully build a project in their own community. The Town of Sturgis was a pilot community that undertook the task of building a caring project in conjunction with the Sunrise Health District. The concept was funded through Health Canada and the objective was to identify the process or steps that a committee goes through in order to build a successful project. The goal was to produce A Community Workbook documenting the steps necessary in building a successful project, a workbook that could be adapted to any community to assist in the task of building a project.

Through the minutes of the meetings of the Sturgis Building Caring Communities Planning Group, seven steps were identified that make up the process leading to the development of the Community Workbook.
These are:

Rural Health Initiative: A model for Rural Church Survival

For Local churches that are searching for ways to remain vital and viable in small rural communities, the "Good Health Initiative" of the Associated Medical Clinic in Pincher Creek, Alberta might serve as a model for how to move forward.

Good Health Initiative

At a time when there was an epidemic of hospital closures in rural communities across the country, the medical community in Pincher Creek took a pro-active stance.

Believing that rural medicine was a specialized practice, the Associated Medical Clinic invited consultants to ask the local people to identify services they felt they needed in the areas of mental and social wellness ... and determine what resources were available in the community.

Considerable enthusiasm was generated when people realized their input was being heard.

The local newspaper was used to provide quick feedback to show examples of implemented changes - through improved clinic facilities and delivery of services, through innovative ideas presented by community groups (for which the Initiative sought funding), and through showing how tele-health services could be brought directly into the community.

After two years, a final report of this phase of the Initiative has been published and distributed. It summarizes the findings, names short and long-term goals, shows how the short-terms goals have been accomplished and lays out how the Initiative plans to carry on into the future.

Ordinary people have been mobilized and have committed themselves to work with the Associated Medical Clinic staff to implement changes. While there have been growing pains, the high level of enthusiasm for how to make the changes workable has been most encouraging. We feel as if we are on a journey just begun.

Model for Rural Church Survival

If rural churches are to survive, members have to believe in themselves, in their God-given assets and their God-given mission to serve in the community.

Denominations need to recognize the unique gifts and opportunities rural ministry has to offer and find ways, financially, to encourage research in this area.

And clergy need to be open-minded enough to believe the Spirit of the Lord moves within and through local people (who may or may not be members of the Parish).

Rather than imposing an external theology, astute leaders need to find ways to mobilize ordinary people, and support and enable them as they discern where their faith-commitment leads them.

The "Good Health Initiative" indicates a process that could be helpful to rural churches. I would like to suggest the following:

Good Health Initiative - A Case Study

Prayer of Dedication - Dr. Edmond Oliver

Dr. Edmond Oliver (1882-1935), 4th Moderator of the United Church of Canada, 1st Principal of St. Andrew's Theological College, Saskatoon wrote the following