Faith and our Financial Stewardship
We talk a lot about faith formation here at Parkdale and provide intentional opportunities for us all to grow in faith together. Even our Vision Statement reminds us that we are seeking to "form followers of Jesus" in a particular way that brings transformation to our community, neighbourhood and the world.
In our congregational life, one essential act of faith is our regular and generous financial giving. As followers of Christ our giving is an act of faith that who we are and what we have really do belong ultimately to God. Thus we want to join in the mission God is accomplishing through the congregation of Parkdale United.
Paul writes: "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come, no collections will have to be made." He is speaking of planned, regular and generous giving as an outworking of our faith. He is also speaking of a percentage of our income. Some have asked me for specific guidance in this area and I invite people to grow in their "percentage". Some start at 2 or 3%, others at 5%-7%, and some are practicing one aspect of the biblical tithe at 10%. The key is to start and grow, giving thanks to God for the privilege of supporting God's work.
As the summer holidays approach, many of the congregation will be away at the cottage, or on holidays etc. Time of refreshment is necessary and good. However, we all know that we do not take a vacation from our faith or from our disposition of generosity. Hence it is important to make arrangements to ensure that the financial support of the congregation continues through the summer and beyond. Deuteronomy 15 (v.10) reminds the assembly of faithful ones to "Give generously and the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all your undertake."
your fellow servant of a Generous God
anthony
UNBINDING THE GOSPEL
I was unaware of the nature of the Unbinding the Gospel group when I first joined. I had been talking to Julee about how I wanted to be part of a small group again, and she mentioned that a new set of small groups was forming at Parkdale. Before I knew it, I was signed up. I had no idea that the purpose of the Unbinding group was to explore evangelism.
As soon as the nature of the group became clear, I had my reservations. Aside from confusing proselytism with evangelism, I was somewhat worried about what the nature of the discussion would be. After all, who would join a group that centred on evangelism. What could I say, what would I even be able to say, in such an environment? Despite my concerns, however, I also kept an open mind. At the very first meeting, my reluctance evaporated.
It's not as if everyone else in my small group shared my outlook. Not at all. They are a thoughtful and diverse group, all seeking a safe space to explore and talk about their faith. For as strange as it may sound, one of the things we discovered was that few of us had ever really had a meaningful, open discussion about our faith within the church or with other people in the congregation!
The group was framed within the question 'What is evangelism, and what does that mean for me and the church?', but that question was also the means by which we could talk about what it meant to pray, what we found inspiring, even our fears and doubts about our religion. It was amazing that despite the diversity of ideas, I (and I believe everyone else) grew comfortable with sharing at least a few thoughts that I never imagined I could tell anyone, especially with people who were more or less strangers a few weeks before. But there I was, doing so - sharing my faith, whatever its flaws, however different from everyone else's.
Strangely, however, I also ended up discussing some of these things with friends from outside of church as well. That, I came to learn, was one of the key meanings of evangelism - the ability and confidence to share one's faith, both with those inside and outside the church. Indeed, I had to become comfortable with even using the word 'faith'. The focus on evangelism and the motive to share one's faith is not meant as some crude effort to turn others to your own point of view, to convert your friends to Christianity or even persuade them to come to Parkdale. Those might be potential goals for some people I suppose, but the core of the experience was simply building the capacity to talk about one's faith, what that might mean, whatever its highs and lows, its inspirations or limits.
But the small group not only gave me the confidence to share these things, but also to see the value in it. A church is by its very nature a community. Evangelism is nothing more or less than sharing your faith with the community around you, whatever form it takes. Before participating in the group, it seemed strange to share even a small degree of my spiritual life with anyone- that's private stuff! Now it seems strange not to be able to - after all, while a church is many things, one of them must be a community of faith - how odd not to be able share your faith there.
I haven't spoken of any of the details of the 8 weeks of Unbinding the Gospel- the particular discussion topics, the prayer exercises, specific instances I found meaningful, or getting to know (and accept the entire idea of having) a prayer partner - that is something one must discover for oneself. All I can say is, I surprised myself, I met some wonderful people, and I went away hoping for a deeper connection to this community of faith we call Parkdale.
Blaine Pauling
Simple and Sustainable living
On Saturday May 5, a small group of Parkdalers participated in a workshop about Simple and Sustainable Living led by Christine Levesque of Tucker House Renewal Centre, and Jeff St Denis a volunteer for the centre, passionate about the environment.
Jeff started by challenging us with a Native American maxim that “as stewards of the earth we are
responsible for considering the impact of our choices /decisions and ensuring that we meet our needs without jeopardizing the prospects of future generations, to the seventh generation.”
The short 1.5 hour workshop helped to raise the group’s awareness of how we can live in a more environmentally conscious way, using fewer resources. Participants were encouraged to explore and discuss issues such as what it means to live simply and sustainably? What are some challenges we face when trying to live this way? And of course, what are some of the creative and effective solutions for living a simple and sustainable life?
A few of the useful take home messages I got from the workshop and other sustainable living resources include . . .
What does it mean to live simply and sustainably?
I think that it means different things to different people. Most of us have too much “stuff” in our lives, and too little time for the things we really want to do. Many people, such as author Henry David Thoreau, who after a Harvard education, chose to move to the “back woods” and live in a small handmade house close to nature and write, have found that they are happier when they get to know themselves, their values, and exercise their freedom of choice to focus on the things that are important to them (and their families), and leave the rest behind.
While most of us are not willing to leave the world behind, it can be interesting to try a simple living exercise such as “no shopping” for a week. Before you start the seven days you can buy a few basic foods for the week (such as eggs, bread, milk and fruit) and fill up the gas tank, but the idea is to use up what is in your refrigerator and cupboards. At the end of the “shopless” stint note what was essential for you and what was not. Perhaps you can use these insights to live more simply.
What are some challenges we face when trying to live this way?
In my opinion, the most difficult challenge may be conquering ourselves, our worldly expectations and understanding that there is a difference between choosing simplicity and being poor. Therefore, we don’t have to feel deprived or justify ourselves if our value system is such that we chose to give up conveniences that are important to others such as our television, or our car or both.
Some of the creative and effective solutions for living a simple and sustainable life that appeal to me are . . .
Eating simply and close to home - For me choosing to eat whole foods in as close to their original form as possible makes sense nutritionally and saves dollars as well! An example of this would be choosing to buy or grow local apples in season rather than a convenience dessert made with imported ingredients.
Where possible recycle clothes, toys and sports equipment rather than always buy new. This does not have to mean poorer quality or never buying new stuff, but it does not hurt to shop around first and it can help save resources and the environment.
Participate in a “virtu-car” arrangement. I have not done this yet, but if you live in the city it seems like a really neat way to save resources.
Overall, if and how we choose to simplify our lives will be a decision based on our values. However, as Christians, it is important to remember that everything we have (our time, talents and treasures) belongs to God and we are called to steward these resources for God's purposes in the world.
Jennifer Payne,
Stewardship Committee
Silent retreat on “Keeping the faith”
“Faith is openness and commitment to the spiritual reality that is beyond ourselves, and yet, in which we have our being”
- John Main
Five Parkdale members joined a group of 50 people on a silent retreat last March. Organized by the Ottawa Christian Meditation Community, the retreat’s theme was “Keeping faith: Reflections on Christian meditation and faithfulness’.
Anglican minister Reverend Glenda Meaken led the group from Friday evening to Sunday noon. We gathered regularly for spoken prayer and scripture reading, followed by Glenda’s talks and then group meditations. Glenda encouraged us to spend some of our personal time during the week-end to make our own “faith map” of our faith journey, reflecting the times when we had been most aware of God’s presence in our lives. The following describes what stood out for me from Glenda’s talks.
What is challenging your faith? Glenda’s definition of faith was “a strong, unshakeable belief in someone or something, without proof or evidence”. Faith is trust—a transformative process that is a gift from God. In our culture, there is much cynicism and lack of trust, with everyone looking out for number 1, our leaders squabbling amongst themselves. Faith, however, is our anchor and we can nourish it. By reading Paul’s letter to Ephesians, we know about the amazing love God has for us and God’s vision for us. Glenda challenged us to think about this: What is my vision of the life God wants for me? The life God wants for the world? Is my God too small?
Two competing narratives: Our faith story is competing with the dominant narrative in our culture. Glenda reminded us of the story of God’s covenant with his people, from Abraham and Sarah through Moses and Elijah. She contrasted this active, covenanting God with the dominant narrative of our times, exemplified by the “Survival” show: competition, consumerism, striving for personal power, partnerships in order to achieve individual goals. Meditation helps us with the tension of trying to live within both narratives. Through meditation, we can let go of “rationalizing” wrong aspects of our culture, such as the fact that our society depends on exploiting cheap labour. Being grounded in God helps us experience all people as children of God and equally deserving of sharing in God’s abundant resources.
How do we keep faith in the midst of suffering? Jesus came to erase the idea that suffering occurs because of God’s punishment. In the story of the man born blind, (John, Chapter 9), people look for fault: “Is he blind because of his parents’ or his own sin?” Jesus tells us that no one is to blame, but that we are called to do God’s work when we encounter suffering. Though we do not know why people suffer, we are called to hold them in our hearts. At the same time, to lament to God about what is wrong in God’s world is an act of trust. By lamenting the state of the world, we can then turn around and experience God as loving and faithful. Psalm 77 expresses how the depth of a person’s lament then helps them return to trusting God. Jesus acknowledges both sides: suffering—“My God, why have you abandoned me?”—and trust—“Into your hands I commend my spirit.”
How do we live in faith? The memory and knowledge of our faith story keeps our faith alive. When we meditate, our heart is opened to reading scriptures with new understanding. The exodus story parallels our own story. We are enslaved in all kinds of ways: by our busyness, the cult of success, the picture others have of us. Meditation is like crossing the Red Sea, we take with us only the poverty of the mantra and it opens the way. After our initial exhilaration, we find ourselves in the desert, complaining and asking: how long will this take? In the wilderness, we come to know who we are, like the Hebrews who came to understand that they were God’s people. They were fed in unexpected ways, through manna from heaven and water from the rock. But manna cannot be hoarded, just as we cannot possess or hoard God’s gift; we must return to a daily renewing of our trust in God. Snakes will come up, as they did in the desert: our past experiences of being wounded come back. As the Israelites lifted up the snake and looked at it to heal themselves, so we bring up to the light of day the things we want to hide. Looking at Jesus on the cross heals us. We need to remember, to re-connect to our own journey of faith.
Ending the silence on Sunday morning, the group discussed what can help us keep memory and vision alive and give us courage to be counter-culture. Some suggestions were: meditate; read scripture; be kind to everyone because you do not know the burden they are carrying; respond to the world’s suffering by volunteering, praying, listening, donating, working for justice.
Elise Mennie