Mid-Week Message - June 4

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be always with you!

Last weekend, I was at the annual meeting of Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters Region, held in Sackville - this time, meeting alongside our neighbours in Bermuda-Nova Scotia Region. Over the weekend, we worshipped together; we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the United Church of Canada through a series of skits; we shared meals in the Mt. Allison dining hall as we renewed friendships and built new ones; and we solved all of the problems of the church and the world over snacks and beverages in informal evening gatherings.  And then on Sunday, the church ordained 9 new ministers in the United Church, recognized on new DLM (Designated Lay Minister), and installed the new president of each Region. (For us in Fundy St. Lawrence Dawning Waters, Hugh Ellis from Bathurst is our new Regional president.)

Our theme speaker this year was Janet Geer, author of An Undivided Love, which explores different ways in which people (and she is writing from a United Church perspective) experience their faith.  What lens does our faith give us on the world?  In her research, she has divided the church into five paths, and in a very simplified way, they are:

1) Evangelical - the church is called to spread the saving word; God works through Christ's atonement; members of the church are messengers

2) Ecclesial - the church endures from age to age, sharing faith from one generation to the next; God works through he church which is Christ's body through Word and Sacrament; members of the church are servants

3) Missional - the church cares for neighbours; God works through and with Christ's disciples; members of the church are a neighbour to all

4) Ecumenical - the church works together to bring peace and justice; God works to bring about peace and justice through radical social transformation; members of the church are partners

5) Spiritual - the church works to nurture the spiritual path and find the sacred in the ordinary; God works through creation and fulfillment; members of the church are pilgrims

On Friday evening, five of us who had been identified by our Regions as people who were good examples of each of these paths were invited to share our faith story so that everyone could hear an example of what each of the theological lenses might look like. It was one of the most powerful moments I've experienced at a Regional meeting (or Conference before it). There were tears shed - not just by those of us on stage, but by people all around the arena - as we could sense God moving in and through the stories that were shared.

If you were to share your story of faith, what might it sound like?  What significant events would you include?  Do you think that it might sound more like one of the streams listed above than the others?

(Janet Geer has materials for congregational workshops on this material. If there is interest, this is something that Session might look at doing in the fall.)

Moving on to announcements this week:

• Worship on Sunday - this week is Pentecost! The season of Easter has ended, and now we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit. Most years, I would be suggesting that you dress in "flame" colours; but this year I'm going to be taking a different angle on the story. Instead of flames and fire as an image of the Holy Spirit, this year we're going to be looking at the Northern Lights as an image of the Holy Spirit. If you would like to dress for the occasion, I might suggest Northern Lights colours - e.g. green, pink, blue. Worship will be 9:15 at Long Reach and 11:15 at Westfield and FB Live.

• Inclusive Allyship Workshop - June is Pride Month, and so we are partnering with Chroma NB to offer a workshop next Wednesday, June 11, from 5:30 - 8:00 pm (pizza will be included!) at Westfield United Church. This workshop is for anyone who wants to learn more about the 2SLGBTQIA+ acronym and "rainbow terminology"; anyone who wants to learn more about pronouns (including non-traditional pronouns) and how to use them respectfully; and anyone who wants to make sure that our churches can be as Affirming as possible. One of the things that we commit to as an Affirming church is recognizing that no matter how much we already know, there is always more we can learn. If you want to read more about the workshop on the Chroma NB website, you can click here.

• 100th Anniversary Worship Service (NB southwest) - Sunday June 15, 10:30am, Saint John High School auditorium. All of the churches in SW NB will be coming together to celebrate 100 years of the United Church of Canada!  Carpooling is strongly encouraged - the driver can drop passengers off at the school then go and find parking. Parking is also available in the TD Station parking lot, and there will be a city transit bus making the drive up to the school at 9:45, 10:00, and 10:15 (with return trips after the service). This is going to be a grand celebration, with a mass choir made up of all of our local church choirs, and Rev. Faith March-MacCuish, Executive Minister for the three Atlantic Regions as our preacher.

• National 100th Anniversary Worship Service - in addition to our local gathering (one of many such gatherings happening across the country), the national church is going to be holding a 100th Anniversary Service this coming Sunday (June 8) at Gower Street United Church in St. John's, NL. This service will be livestreamed for those of us not able to be in Newfoundland - you can find details of the service (including the link) by clicking here; and download the bulletin for that service by clicking here. The service will begin on Sunday at 6:30pm in our time zone.

• Bible Study - our last gathering before the summer break will be next Wednesday, June 11, at 10am in the parlour at Westfield. Instead of our regular agenda, we are going to be watching a documentary, 1946: The Mis-Translation that Shifted Culture (a documentary that ties in to Pride Month, bible translation, and wrestling with some of the challenging verses that we encounter in scripture). Even if you aren't a regular bible study attendee, if you are interested in seeing this documentary, you are welcome to join us (and stay for the potluck lunch afterwards). You can view the trailer by clicking here.

• Ida's Walk - a reminder that this walk is coming up on Saturday, June 7 at 10am at Seadog Cove Nature Preserve. (The weather is looking iffy for Saturday; the rain date will be Sunday.) You can view the full poster by clicking here.

• Harvest Garden Planting Party - Due to Saturday's forecast, the planting party has been rescheduled for Friday June 6 from 3-5pm. Come on out and help get seeds and seedlings planted that will help feed our community through the summer and beyond!

• Flower Services - This is advance notice so that you can mark your calendars now! (I'll try to get a poster up on FB in the next week or so with all of the details.)

  Summerville - Sunday July 13 at 11am

  Westfield - Sunday July 20 at 11:15am

  Long Reach - Sunday July 20 at 2pm
  

Thank you Corner - this week's thank you goes out to members of Session who led worship this past Sunday when I was away in Sackville. I'm told that the service was well-received at both churches! A huge thank you to Karol (Summerville), and Chris, Marilyn, Linda, Josie, and Amber (Westfield).

For a closing thought this week, I want to share a beautiful essay by Nadia Bolz-Weber about someone who loved her when she needed it the most. You can read it by clicking here.

Blessings to you and yours, today and always!

Kate.

Rev. Kate Jones

Two Rivers Pastoral Charge

(506) 757-2201 (office)

(506) 343-1307 (mobile)

www.tworiverspastoralcharge.com

Pronouns:  she/her/hers

"Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?"

Jesus replied, "You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: "You must love your neighbour as you love yourself."

(Matthew 22:36-39)