Another year has come and gone

2010 is just a few hours away and I realise that I haven’t written anything for over a month, so it’s time to reflect.

December always tends to be a blur as there always just seems to be so much to do and often not enough time to get it all done. However, it didn’t seem to be so bad this year as it has been in previous years. Maybe we’re getting more immune to it, or perhaps we may be more organised or something!

The people I work for seem to have had a hard December, if you go by what has been said in the press. We seem to hear the same thing year in year out, so perhaps it is time to rethink the whole approach to how things are done in regards to the huge fund-raising and PR machine that rolls heavy at this time of year. People start to get cynical when they hear the same old sob stories each year, so it may be time to reflect on how things could be improved upon. Maybe instead of saying ‘we need more money to carry on helping in the way we do’, the approach just needs to be one of humility and gratitude, thanking everyone for their generosity in hard times, acknowledging that each quarter, loonie, toonie (or whatever donation given) is more than we started with. Any organisation that comes out with arrogant claims/slogans such as ‘Doing The Most Good’ or ‘We see things that most others don’t’ should ask themselves what those slogans say to the other groups and organisations who also tirelessly help those in need or in unfortunate situations. Those slogans and campaigns make me cringe and I refuse to be a part of them. If the money raised keeps going down then maybe it is time to ditch these campaigns and take a more humble approach with the public. I have had members of the public ask me why so much is being spent on some of the national advertising that has been undertaken and I have no answer to give other than sending their question ‘higher up’.

Locally, we did quite well. Our Moose FM Radiothon was down a bit on last year, but our kettles were up almost 40%. So, overall we are round about the same as last year, which is quite surprising given the economic climate of the past few months. I have no real explanation as to why this year was so successful, but we are thankful that it was. A lot of it is down to community spirit and the way in which many people from all walks of life get involved in helping us at this time of year.

After Christmas we took some holiday time and headed off to Sault Ste Marie, Michigan for a couple of nights. It was nice to get away to relax and have some family time together. Sometimes we feel that the kids get cheated a bit in the run up to Christmas.

2009 hasn’t been a bad year. There have been worse, there have been better.

Changes

There were some major changes that occurred in my life this year. First of all, in February, after much thought, I decided to become a vegetarian. This turned out to be a lot easier than I thought and I have felt healthier for it.

Secondly, we finally moved the group we gather with from the old location to a better location.  Overall the move has been a good one, although there is still much to be done. Everything takes time, but I believe we are headed in the right direction.

Family

It’s been a mixed year as far as family goes. Our kids continue to grow and flourish, and they keep us busy. It’s a joy to watch them grow up and develop their little pieces of independence, but it can be worrying sometimes as well.

We had quite a few family members come and visit this year and it was great being able to spend time with them. Being so far away makes those moments even more precious.

The one downer for our family this year was the passing of my granny, at 95 years old, in November. She led a full life and left quite a legacy of family behind. It gave me the opportunity to travel back ‘home’ to Orkney, which was nice, but it would’ve been better in other circumstances.

Highlights

There were some good highlights in 2009 as well. Those who know me well, know that one of the biggest was in September seeing U2 on their 360 tour at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. We have tickets to see them again in Toronto next July.

Another highlight was getting to meet Thomas Mathie, aka the Headphonaught. It was a hastily arranged get together for coffee and a yarn whilst I was over in Scotland for the funeral, but it was worth the effort. I’m really appreciative of the support I receive from my online community (many of whom I have never met face to face), one of whom is Thomas, and I look forward to meeting more of them in the future.

2009 Favourites

No old year reflection would be complete without some favourites lists, so here goes:

Top 5 Books read this year:

1. ‘Pagan Christianity’ – Frank Viola
2. ‘Irresistible Revolution’ – Shane Claiborne
3. ‘Enough’ – Will Samson
4. ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society’ – Mary Anne Shaffer and Annie Borrows
5. ‘Mozart and the Whale’ – Jerry and Mary Newport

Top 5 Movies watched this year (for the first time):

1. ‘Star Trek’
2. ‘Where the Wild Things Are’
3. ‘Slumdog Millionaire’
4. ‘Earth’
5. ‘Burn After Reading’

Top 5 Movies watched this year (seen previously):

1. ‘The Shawshank Redemption’
2. ‘Hoop Dreams’
3. ‘The Mission’
4. ‘On A Clear Day’
5. ‘Back to the Future (the trilogy)’

Top 5 albums purchased/downloaded:

1. ‘No Line On The Horizon’ -U2
2. ‘Stockholm Syndrome’ – Derek Webb
3. ‘The Knee Plays’ – David Byrne
4. ‘A Hundred Million Suns’ – Snow Patrol
5. ‘Flesh and Bones Electric Fun’ – Mutemath

Anyway, feel free to disagree with anything I’ve written here. That’s pretty much it for 2009. Looking forward to 2010. I’m not much of one for resolutions. There are some things I’d like to achieve. For one, I’d like to get my weight under 200lbs, which means I have about 25 to lose. The Wii fit board is helping me to achieve this. The other major thing I really need to do this year is to get my Canadian citizenship. I’ve only been eligible for 13 years! Getting this would save a lot of hassle any time I want to visit the USA. It would save some money as well in the long run. I like the idea of a 365 photoblog, but the last time I tried it I didn’t get beyond January. We’ll see how it goes this time! I’d also like to do more reading. This year I managed 25 books, but it would be great to get closer to 40 or more.

So, have a great New Year! Hopefully I’ll get beyond the one post a month here that seems to have been the recent output, but I’m not making any promises that I can’t keep!

Just beginning

So, it’s been almost a week since we had the grand opening of our new location in Elliot Lake. I figured I should share an update, so here it is.

It took just about a year from the date of purchase to the date of occupation and there were times, I have to admit, when I doubted it would happen. Red tape and regulations can wear you down after a while. But all of that is behind us now and we are finally in the place. The above sign greets you as you enter the building and it is our hope that people will stop referring to our space as the church or God’s house. Our old building had a sign that said ‘Welcome to the House of the Lord’ above the door and I hated it, but, for reasons that don’t really matter now, we were not able to remove it. So instead it remains where it is and has not followed us to the new place.

The place was buzzing last Saturday, beyond what we hoped or imagined, and many people from the community of all ages came to check us out. Quite a few came back for our worship celebration on Saturday evening, as well as having a few new faces for our Sunday lunchtime gathering. We decided to make some major changes to our Sunday ‘thing’. We now gather for lunch at 11.30am and get into some worship round about 12.45pm. We are hoping that this will help people get to know each other and lead to a better sense of community. We are also going to use our space during the week as a drop-in centre/cafe/hangout kind of spot and we’ll see how that develops as we encourage people to think beyond ’Sunday-go-to-church-Christianity’. We’re finding that lots of people from other fellowships want to be part of the drop-in/community thing, so we’re stressing that our building is more about community than SA building, so everyone is welcome to come and be part of what is happening without having to give up being a part of their particular fellowship.

Our biggest challenge now is not to fall back on the patterns of the past, but to keep on the path down which we believe God is leading us. We’ve been here almost 8 years, but it seems like it’s all just beginning. Looking forward to the next 8!

P.S. If you are interested in seeing some pictures from the opening click here.

Almost there!

It’s been a long process, but we are almost ready to start using our new building. I just got back from the final inspection and there are just a few minor issues to be dealt with, but none of them will hinder us in the moving in process. We should be ready to go with the grand opening on Saturday 23 May. It’s taken a year, but we always kept in our minds the fact that at some point we would be able to move in and use it. That moment has finally come. The next two weeks will be quite hectic, I imagine, but definitely worthwhile.

Staying put

Today was the day in the SA in Canada/Bermuda when officers would find out whether or not they are moving or not this year. We are not and happily enter year 9 of our time here in Elliot Lake. We are very happy with this as we are just in the middle of a time of great transition which we want to continue to be involved in. Added to that, I found out that one of my best friends from college days has been appointed (along with his family) to Sault Ste Marie. They’ve been in Flin Flon for the past 9 years, so we haven’t seen much of them recently. We look forward to lots of catching up.

If the moves are something that interest you click here.

Some random thoughts

The current economic situation should bring us freedom and simplicity, but for the people that I work for it seems to be bringing a barricading in mentality.

A cold shower first thing in the morning can be a good thing, but it’s not best if it is spraying out of the back of the toilet.

I dislike being told that I ‘have to participate’ in something that I believe is not good for me or for those around me.

The one good thing about the Leafs always missing the play-offs is that it frees up my evenings after the first week of April.

Reading books can seriously challenge one’s complacency and that’s what I like the most about it.

If I’d known what I know now, I may not have chosen the path that I did, but did I really have a choice at the time?

‘Unknown Caller’ is one of the best U2 songs ever.

It all boils down to ‘Love God and love your neighbour as yourself’. Without that nothing else really matters or makes a difference.

Happy Easter!

Spine Beach - Easter 2009

I managed to get up in time this morning to head down to one of the local beaches for a sunrise service at 6.40am, which was led by the local United Church. It was a bit chilly, but there was no wind, so it was a fairly pleasant morning. About 30 of us huddled together and shared in song and prayer as we celebrated our risen Lord. If we’d wanted, we could’ve literally still walked on the water today. We then all headed back to the United Church for some well-appreciated coffee, hot cross buns and Finnish bread. It was a great start to the day and by the time I got home the rest of the family were up and had some freshly baked croissants waiting for me.

This morning was our final gathering in our present location. We were expecting it to be fairly low key, as we knew there were a few who would be away for Easter. To our surprise the place was fairly packed and it was a very uplifting time of sharing together for the last time on Dieppe Ave. During the sharing time there was a good mixture of memories, Easter experiences and hopes for the future. Then most people just hung around and fellowshipped over coffee, tea, cake, vegetables and cookies.

Our new location is not ready yet, but we felt that Easter Sunday would be a good time to bring our present location and what we do there to an end. We might be able to gather in our new place on the first Sunday of May, if all goes according to plan. If not then we will definitely be fully moved in before the grand opening on May23. Some people have been worried about what to do in the next few weeks as far as getting together goes. In response a few people have offered their houses for informal gatherings over the next few weeks. This will hopefully give people a taste of the informal more ‘organic’ type of gatherings that we hope to have in our new place, where we hope to move towards a model of the ‘priesthood of all believers’ that goes beyond the talk to actual practice.

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, however you celebrate, I trust that you have a blessed and happy Easter.

And now for something completely different

It probably doesn’t look like much yet, but there’s real progress happening here. Our new gathering place is really coming together – walls are being put in place, the plumbing is all ready and the electrician is getting on with the wiring. Every time I drop in I get quite excited about what the future holds.

This has been so long coming now that it’s not funny. There were times in the last couple of years that I thought it would never happen. Some of the obstacles in our way seemed insurmountable. But we always had the vision God had given us before us to keep us in focus. Our main prayer is that we don’t fall into the old habits of ‘going to or doing church’. It’s time for us to just be the church. The building is just the place that we hang out and encourage/develop relationship. We’re glad to have this new place, but it’s not the focus for what we do or, more importantly, for who we are.

And so, the countdown begins…

And now the end is near…

…and so I face the final curtain. I think I can hear this ‘old’ building singing that song now. Sunday 29 March will see the final worship service, gathering, get together, whatever you want to call it, in this building. It’s probably not a moment too soon. Although we won’t have possession of our new and renovated location by then, it has been decided not to drag out the end for what has been any longer.

The above building really has become a bridge to nowhere, a time machine, a self-serving structure, with no relevance or effectiveness in the vicinity of where it is situated. There may have been a time, probably about 20 years ago, when there was vibrant ministry taking place here, but as the world has moved on, what takes place here has withdrawn itself into a safe cocoon.

The past few years have been difficult as I have become painfully aware of the disconnect of what this has all become. It is hard to put your heart into something that doesn’t make sense any more, into something that glorifies program over relationship, into something that looks nothing like the community that God intended for His people. Over the last year or so we have been attempting to transition to something new and different, but that is always hard when you are surrounded by the ghosts of the past. It will be good for all concerned to move out from here to something new.

However, that’s not saying that by just moving everything will instantly be better and more effective. That is why the old and ineffective has to be shut down with a break before commencing the new. The break could be as long as a month or as short as two weeks. But when we finally get back together it will look nothing like the old. Those looking for a traditional Sunday-go-to-church experience will be very disappointed, but it shouldn’t be a shock to their system as we have been explaining and talking about the day this would come for over a year now. The worst thing that could happen to our new location is that it become a Sunday church in new clothes. What happens on a Sunday will only be a small part of what takes place there every day of the year. We have no idea what it will all look like in the end, but we are stepping out in faith to only God knows what. It is both exciting and scary at the same time. One thing is for sure – once we step away from what has been, there is no returning to the safety of the past. To do that would show a lack of faith and trust in the vision that God has given us for Elliot Lake.

If you are in the vicinity on March 29 at 10.30am then drop by and say goodbye to something that has had its time, but is now making way for a fresh expression of community. Come and say thanks for the faithfulness of the past and join the journey of stepping out, with God, into the future.

Some changes

These are the two books I am working through just now. Both are challenging in their own way and for reasons of change.

‘Vegetarian Cooking for Dummies’ is being read because on Wednesday I will be starting a meatless diet. For some people who know me that may be a hard one to swallow, but it is something I have been seriously considering for some time now. The main reasons are for health and well-being, but  there are also some ethical and environmental reasons for this choice. It was initially only going to be for the period of Lent, which commences on Wednesday, but I’m now moving towards the probability that it will be permanent. It’s a personal thing, so I’m not urging the rest of the family to join me on this particular journey. Also, if you do come and visit us in Elliot Lake, there will still be meat on the menu if you so choose.

‘Pagan Christianity?’ is challenging in the sense that it questions everything that the Christian church does and the origins of these practices. The present group of Christians that we lead/meet with only have five more Sundays in our present location – we close down the old on Sunday 29 March. We had hoped that the first Sunday in our new location would be 12 April (Easter), but that might not happen, due to some hold-ups with material/construction. Nevertheless we will still close down the old on 29 March. We are endeavouring to move towards a more Organic model of church and ‘Pagan Christianity?’ is helping to work out what some of that means.

It’s been a long journey so far, but exciting changes and challenges lie ahead. All prayers would be greatly appreciated!

The ship is sinking…

…so let’s make the dress code the number 1 priority. I am (not) encouraged!