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Newsletter # 20 CANADIAN RURAL CHURCH NETWORK Writer / Editor: Joyce Sasse (Rural Minister)
INDEX:
RURAL ISSUES ● Mouseland (as told by Tommy Douglas) ● Good Land Made Useless ● A Case for the Family Farm
RURAL MINISTRY (Life and Faith) ● Visions for Christian Unity ● A Call to be a Discerning Community ● Gender and Rural Culture - A Discussion Paper
WORSHIP RESOURCES ● Spiritual Values are Helpful in Worship Cycle ● Though the Weeks of Snow ● Consolation (Paraphrase of Psalm 104) ● Looking Through the Lens of Generosity ● To Live Content
ANNOUNCEMENT
7th Alex Sim Rural Ministry Symposium, sponsored by Queen's Theological College, Oct 27- 29, 20008 Theme: "Transformation in the Rural Community and the Rural Church"
RURAL ISSUES
Mouseland (As told by Tommy Douglas during the election of 1944)
It's the story of a place called Mouseland. Mouseland was a place where all the little mice lived and played, were born and died. And they lived much the same as you and I do.
They even had a Parliament. And every four years they had an election. They used to walk to the polls and cast their ballots. Some of them even got a ride to the polls. And they got a ride for the next four years afterwards too. Just like you and me. And every time on election day all the little mice used to go to the ballot box and they used to elect a government. A government made up of big, fat, black cats.
Now if you think it strange that mice should elect a government made up of cats, you just look at the history of Canada for the last 90 years and maybe you'll see that they weren't any stupider than we are.
Now I'm not saying anything against the cats. They were nice fellows. They conducted their government with dignity. They passed good laws - that is, laws that were good for cats. But the laws that were good for cats weren't very good for mice. One of the laws said that mouseholes had to be big enough so a cat could get his paw in. Another law said that mice could only travel at certain speeds - so that a cat could get his breakfast without too much effort.
All the laws were good laws. For cats. But, oh, they were hard on the mice. And life was getting harder and harder. And when the mice couldn't put up with it any more, they decided something had to be done about it. So they went en masse to the polls. They voted the black cats out. They put in the white cats.
Now the white cats had put up a terrific campaign. They said: "All that Mouseland needs is more vision." They said "The trouble with Mouseland is those round mouseholes we got. If you put us in we'll establish square mouseholes." And they did. And the square mouseholes were twice as big as the round mouseholes, and now the cat could get both his paws in. And life was tougher than ever.
And when they couldn't take that anymore, they voted the white cats out and put the black ones in again. Then they went back to the white cats. Then to the black cats. They even tried half black cats and half white cats. And they called that coalition. They even got one government made up of cats with spots on them: they were cats that tried to make a noise like a mouse but ate like a cat.
You see, my friends, the trouble wasn't with the colour of the cats. The trouble was that they were cats. And because they were cats, they naturally looked after the cats instead of mice.
Presently there came along one little mouse who had an idea. My friends, watch out for the little fellow with an idea. And he said to the other mice, "Look fellows, why do we keep on electing a government made up of cats? Why don't we elect a government made up of mice?" "Oh", they said, "he's a Bolshevik. Lock him up!" So they put him in jail.
But I want to remind you: that you can lock up a mouse or a man but you can't lock up an idea.
(Rev. Tommy Douglas {1905-1986} was a Baptist minister in rural Saskatchewan who couldn't stand the political injustice he saw. He was a staunch socialist who became Premier of Saskatchewan and is acknowledged as the father of Medicare in Canada. "Mouseland" is a political fable, originally told by Clare Gillis, a friend of Tommy Douglas. Douglas used this story many times to show in a humorous way how Canadians fail to recognize that neither of the main parties are truly interested in what matters to ordinary citizens; yet Canadians continue to vote for them.)
Good Land Made Useless
"If someone did this in a home I rented to them, it wouldn't be right", a local rancher sighed while pointing to the dilapidated remains of a sour gas well strewn across his land.
When the 50-year lease agreement with the petroleum company expired, the rancher expected the company would clean up the mess before leaving. But time has passed and nothing has happened.
Lawyers with the Environmental Law Centre suggest this is a 'grey area' where use of the site isn't terminated until a reclamation certificate has been issued.
Maybe it will eventually be cleaned up, but meanwhile its cheaper for the company to continue paying the lease fees than fork out the $100,000 plus it would cost to do the reclamation work.
What is evident is that the 8 1/4 acres that is occupied by the well and pipeline paraphernalia, is a mess. There are uncovered holes that are hazardous to livestock, and scatterings of asbestos insulation and hardware that can be ingested by cattle.
Outside the lease-area barley growth is stunted, a small creek is contaminated with toxic drilling fluids and hydrocarbons, and the cattle refuse to drink out of water pools that form in the area at time of run-off.
This one rancher's experience isn't isolated. Because these wells and pipelines extend across vast open areas, the hazardous effects aren't seen by the public. Individual land-owners and environmentally conscious people face ridicule, bureaucratic stone-walling, and endless frustration as they try to present their case and care for the land that is supposed to be theirs.
(Joyce Sasse's notes from a story carried in the Pincher Creek Echo, January 25, 2008)
A Case for the Family Farm
We have to intentionally work at saving mid-sized farms, and even small family farms, according to Fred Kirschenmann, director of the Leopold Centre for Sustainable Agriculture (Iowa State University). Big farming is choking on the energy crisis, degraded ecology, climate change and biodiversity losses.
Kirschenmann points to a UN Study from 95 countries. Scientists found that in the last 50 years humans have polluted or over-exploited two-thirds of the earth's ecological systems on which life depends, dramatically increasing the potential for unprecedented and abrupt ecological collapses.
The advantage of mid-sized and smaller farms is that they are able to reduce demand and use of energy, and they can start to reclaim the ecology and improve biodiversity ... all of which can have an impact on climate change.
What is needed is an economic climate that changes bigger-is-better agricultural attitudes, and encourages those who see beyond immediate short-term money-driven ways of mining the land.
Economics aside, Kirschenmann points out that the beneficiary will be the kind of rural lifestyle that makes Rural Canada a leader in society.
Perhaps the prospect of long lines at gas stations by people hoping to top up a gas tank before the supply dries up, he muses, doesn't need to be viewed with such doom and gloom. This could simply be the start of a new phase of life for Canadians. (Joyce Sasse's notes are based on a report by Rick Swihart in Prairie Forum, Feb 15/08)
Post Script At todays wheat prices, western Canadian ethanol plants aren't going to be able to get enough grain at a price where they can turn a profit. "Only the bravest people and people with a lot of equity will be proceeding with these projects now", according to an Agriculture Canada economist. (Western Producer, Jan / 08)
RURAL MINISTRY (Life and Faith)
Visions for Christian Unity
While Roman Catholic leaders are making significant gestures toward Christian unity, according to the Prairie Messenger news journal, the Orthodox Church is actively showing how the vision can be implemented.
"Orthodoxy has remained unchanged in 2,000 years in theology, liturgics and holy traditions," Rev. Brent Kuzyk told an audience gathered for Week of Christian Unity prayers in Regina. "The Orthodox Church has stood off to the side while the talks and the struggle have always been in the west ... (but we have viewed ourselves) as mediator in ecumenism and Christian unity."
"The role of the Orthodox Church today is to bring people together over topics that pertain to all of humanity. Trying to come together over theology is not going to work, so a catalyst in needed.
"The greatest catalyst talked about in Scripture is people and the environment, and if we can get together on those topics we can come together to find a common bond...
"How can we help each other to take care of the environment, to take care of the street person, take care of our water, our air, how can we help each other take care of people in the hospitals? It's actually doing the job of a Christian rather than talking about it that will bring us together for common direction and a common good as Christian people."
"If we are serious about Christianity, let's get serious about what we are to do in our lives first, in following Christ's mandate of stewardship of the person and stewardship of the environment."
(Notes by Joyce Sasse from Prairie Messenger, Jan. 30, 2008)
A Call To Be A
Discerning Community
Gender and Rural Culture - a Discussion Paper (Part 3 of 4 papers summarizing Muriel Mellow's book "Rural Clergy: Professional Demands and Personal Lives")
My book, Defining Work: Gender, Professional Work, and the Case of Rural Clergy (2007, McGill-Queen's University Press), considers how the work of rural clergy is shaped by gender and by place. In this month's article--the third in a series--I consider some of the ways that gender roles impact the work of rural clergy. Discussions of gender can sometimes focus on women's experiences, but gender refers to what happens for men as well, and how masculine and feminine roles are constructed in relation to the other. The masculine heritage of this profession can still pose challenges for female clergy in terms of having their expertise or authority recognized, and can mean that their gender identity sometimes trumps their professional role. This is also true for other kinds of professional women in urban settings. In this article, however, I focus on a few challenges that seemed to be more particular to a rural or church context. In addition to challenges for women, this includes the way that the masculine role of clergy also could be at odds with the masculinity expressed by men in rural places, leading to specific dilemmas for male clergy.
In my previous article, I spoke of the dilemmas clergy face in terms of defining their professional work in relation to volunteer work, whether the latter was done by themselves or by community members. This is particularly marked for clergy, rather than other professionals, because the church relies so heavily on volunteer labour and because much of ministry is intertwined with community life. However, this dilemma also seemed to be much more problematic for women than for men in my study. Some female interviewees still spoke of battling community expectations for them to contribute things like a pie or a casserole to church events, as ministers' wives had been expected to do in the past. This is a double dilemma for women because they must re-define gender roles as well as differentiate professional and volunteer roles.
Certainly things were changing: many women were grateful that previous female colleagues had clearly established that this was an inappropriate request for a congregation to make of a female minister. Some male clergy also contributed in this way - for example, baking bread for church bake sale - but it was never a source of anxiety in the way that it was for women. If men did it, it could be offered altruistically, without the added baggage of community expectation and role conflict. I also was intrigued by a few women who responded to requests for this type of volunteer labour, not with refusal, but by redefining it as part of their ministry and a way of honouring the work by women in the community. This redefinition helped them see these requests as less problematic but it is uncertain whether they were successful in communicating the intended revaluation of women's work to their congregations. Ironically, with the increasing number of women who work off-farm, other women in the community might also be facing similar strains with combining volunteer with paid work.
The clergy interviewed also identified different expectations for women and men in regards to pastoral care, with many stating that they thought women were more skilled and had greater freedom in this area. Most notably, female clergy may have an advantage over their male peers in regards to using touch to enhance pastoral or emotional care-giving. Touch - a gentle hand laid on someone's arm or a hug--can be used as a source of comfort and a way to communicate empathy. Growing sensitivity to the possibilities that parishioners may have histories of violence or sexual abuse, or that actions may be misconstrued as having sexual overtones, have made male and female clergy more aware of asking for a person's permission before they touch them. However, many male clergy in my study thought that it was still easier for women to use touch within pastoral care, and over half of the male interviewees explicitly stated that they were anxious about having their actions misinterpreted. Female clergy also said that they likely felt more comfortable doing this than their male peers, in part because their parishioners expected that of women to a greater degree because of their traditional domestic role as caregivers. For better or for worse, this slight advantage for women hinges on gender expectations that simultaneously may create greater burdens for women as well.
Male clergy acknowledged that lower expectations for men to provide pastoral care, may mean that they get away with doing less of it than their female colleagues. Some male interviewees also stated that the pastoral focus on things emotional and spiritual placed them in anomalous position relative to other men in the rural communities. One male clergy told a story about meeting with a group of couples to prepare for their children's baptisms. At the end of the evening the group had refreshments; all of the men went into another room to talk, but the male clergy was not invited to join them. Instead, he was left sitting with the women. In his words, "[F]or the young women I'm still male, but for the men-they're not quite sure what to do with the minister because we deal with all those things they're not too thrilled to talk about.... You know, their emotions, feelings, relationships" (p.122). Thus, although ministry has historically been a male occupation, clergy perform an oddly emasculated style of work, especially if compared to the physicality of farm work or other kinds of rural work such as mining. This means that male clergy, too, may be faced with the issue of re-defining gender norms, albeit in a way that is unlikely to challenge their professional authority.
Another important issue related to gender is the degree to which women and men face different challenges in balancing professional and domestic work. That will be the focus of my discussion next month.
WORSHIP RESOURCES
Spiritual Values are Helpful in Worship Cycle
Affirming rural spiritual values is an essential ingredient for maintaining strong rural communities. In worship these values can be named in the prayers, the meditation, the stories and through the selection of hymns. By working through the list of these values from week to week, worship leaders can give added depth to the Word they are trying to interpret.
On the whole, rural people affirm the presence of God. What is helpful is for them to be able to tell stories of how they have experienced this presence.
Often, both for farm and non-farm folks, their greatest connection is through affinity with the land and the landscape. The Psalm writers, through praise and lament, give voice to deep emotional utterance of the people-of-the-land.
Affirming the importance of belonging within a community, and functioning as members of a caring community, is of utmost importance. In smaller communities, members are especially aware of grief and sadness suffered by others with whom they may have only casual acquaintance. Facilitating community-building opportunities is an essential task of the church. Reminding people, also, that the church often serves chaplaincy roles within the extended community helps people think beyond Sunday worship.
Feeling connected with the extended community can also sensitize people to the amount of pain others are experiencing. As individuals become aware of pain in others, the church can often provide helpful ways others can embrace and support those in pain.
Repeatedly, the rural way of communicating is by story-telling. Put away the charts and graphs and constant reminder to look for answers on the Web. As people are encouraged, their story-telling often helps them make sense out of their lives. and as others hear these stories they witness the unfolding of life and death concerns. Thus the hope, the promise and the mystery helps us find meaning,, and lifts us above the mundane. (written by Joyce Sasse, February /08)
Through The Weeks Of Deep Snow
Through the weeks of deep snow we walked above the ground on fallen sky, as though we did not come of root and leaf, as though we had only air and weather for our difficult home. But now as March warms, and the rivulets run like birdsong on the slopes, and the branches of light sing in the hills, slowly we return to earth. Wendell Berry
Consolation (Paraphrase of Psalm 104: 14-18) I suspect that, deep down our greatest fear is that we could vanish without being noticed.
We are no more than dandelion fluff. One minute we stand proud in the sun - we think we have it all together. The next, the wind plucks us from our perch and scatters us, wherever. Yet God has purposes, even for fluff. Not one of us perishes pointlessly. God does not forget us, or ignore us. To God's Faithful, God is always faithful.
(from James Taylor's "Everyday Psalms")
Looking Through the Lens of Generosity
I see my life as a Gift - bountiful and beautiful. Want and ugliness have no place in God's plan. And I sing out my heart-filled thanks.
I will live my life in gratitude for God's outpoured blessings Selfishness and greed have no place in God's plan. And I sing out my heart-filled thanks.
I will respond with a generous love because I am so grateful. Sharing and caring will be my joy, for this is part of God's plan. And I sing out my heart-filled thanks.
I will let the spirit of God's abundance infuse my thought and actions. The cup overflows and the measure is pressed down. There is no holding back in God's plan. And I sing out my heart-filled thanks.
I will rejoice in grace and live out this magnificent gift. God's abundant generosity shapes my days. And I sing out my heart-filled thanks.
(Written by Roy Huntly reflecting on the theme of stewardship)
To Live Content
To live content with small means, to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion, to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich, to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly, to listen to stars and birds, babes and sages, with open heart, to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never - in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony.
(by William Ellergy Channing, in "Earth Prayers")
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