INDEX:

RURAL ISSUES

● Template for Rural Ministry

● Campaign Lacked Recognition That Rural Issues Matter

RURAL MINISTRY (life and work)

● Loss is More: Lament as the Door to Spiritual Renewal

● Gratitude Keeps Society Human

WORSHIP RESOURCES

● Remembering Those on Main Street

● The Wisdom of the Elders

● In Painful Times

● Living With Dying

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

● Indonesian - Canadian Exchange

● Don't Go to Church (U.S.A.)

RURAL ISSUES

Template for Rural Ministry

Could the Senate Recommendations from their report on Halting Rural Poverty in Canada (CRCN Newsletters 25 & 26) help form a template for rural ministry?

We don't have to be told that many things about life in rural Canada are not healthy, but we need ideas about how to carry on in the midst of the difficulties.  There is wise counsel here rural community leaders and national church bodies can use.

Give attention to the guiding principles of the Report: 

●    Respect rural diversity.

●    Find ways to support and help those who help themselves.

●    Remember that a solution to a problem in one place isn't the answer for other places.

●    Believe it when rural people say they don't want to be urbanized.

●    Remember there are no magic bullet solutions.

An over-all recommendation was the creation of a Department of Rural Affairs that focuses on rural issues (not just agricultural issues).  For the church it's a reminder to find ways to think of both the rural-farm and the rural-non-farm aspects of the community.  In our pastoral concerns as well as our social and economic development concerns we need to be inclusive of the extended community.

Clergy may have been trained in urban settings by urban-based mentors.  But they also need to become schooled in rural cultural and spiritual values and ways of looking at life.  Their leadership is most helpful when it calls forth and builds on the God-given spiritual gifts of the local people, rather than imposing on them ways of thinking that come from an external culture.  Listening, integrating the Gospel with what is heard, and watching for the ways the Word of the Lord speaks to each situation becomes both a challenge and an opportunity.

Another of the Senators' requests was to have informed people available who can connect us with the resources available when we try to identify a concern or implement a program. 

Local people have insightful thoughts about how to resolve problems in their communities.  But if they have to spend incredible hours wandering through the bureaucratic wilderness, they give up.  However the churches, through opportunities like the Centre for Rural Community Leadership and Ministry out-reach programs (www.circle-m.ca ) can become very instructive in helping us access resources that are rightfully ours

Instead of waiting for Government Legislative bodies to put in place the infra-structure that could help halt rural poverty in Canada, churches can develop styles of ministry and support based on the insightful Template Senator Fairburn's Committee suggests.  Much can be gleaned from looking carefully at all the recommendations that committee has to offer.

(written by Joyce Sasse Oct / 08)

Campaign Lacked Recognition That Rural Issues Matter

In 1995 Liberal finance minister Paul Martin announced more that $1 billion in agricultural program cuts to help fight the deficit - this marked the end of the prairie Crow Benefit, the end of Maritime freight subsidies, and deep cuts in Agriculture Canada spending on research and food inspection.

"Political decisions on farm supports, infra-structure investment and political clout matter a great deal.  The votes are increasingly in urban Canada so do the politicians understand that much of the wealth of cities, much of what sustains cities comes from rural Canada?

"Going into the campaign, there were high rural hopes that parties would react to the Senate agriculture committee report (on Halting Rural Poverty) and several House of Commons agriculture committee reports that called for creation of a rural seat at the cabinet table ..."

"For rural Canada, (the Election) was perhaps an opportunity lost or more chillingly, perhaps a harbinger of rural political isolation."

(Barry Wilson's column in the Western Producer, Oct 18 / 08)

RURAL MINISTRY (life and work)

Loss is More: Lament as the Door to Spiritual Renewal

"How long, O Lord..."

Change is a sure part of life today just about everywhere (our recent election not withstanding). I don't think people resist change so much as they resist loss. Yet, loss is a part of every change, even good change.

I think rural people understand deeply the necessity of change in order for living things to remain viable. People of the land know that the cycling seasons are more than a convenient change of scenery against boredom. Rural people also know that there is much to mourn in the massive change that washes over rural communities and churches these days.

The closure of rural churches is often accompanied by complex and deep feelings relating to loss. We may feel shame that we have betrayed the trust of ancestors who founded and sustained the church through generations. Many church buildings are landmarks that have guided travelers on land and sea. They are the familiar place whose sights and smells accompanied life's joys and griefs at countless baptisms, weddings and funerals that were held in the arms of God and Christian fellowship. These losses are worthy of lament.

It is widely held that the church must change or die. Because of this many are reluctant to grieve the loss that comes with change because it might be seen as resistance to necessary change. The Bible shows us otherwise. Prophets and Jesus both pour out their lament to God for the losses they experience, the loss of justice for the widow, the loss of the temple to worship God, the loss of a home in Jerusalem, the loss of Jesus' life and ministry. 

Expressing this kind of lament is a necessary and healthy discipline of faith that can release the energy in congregations to process change well. The darker emotions of anger, sorrow, and moral outrage are like sticks gathered for a fire. While carrying them they are uncomfortable and scratchy, but when brought to the hearth they release their energy for the warming of the community.

We know what to do in the face of loss. We do it at every funeral. We gather, laugh, cry, hug, pray, sing, tell stories and most of all, we eat together. Recovering the biblical practice of lament can help us live faithfully and well through change.

(Written by Robert G. Dalgleish, Education and Community Ministries, United Church of Canada)

Gratitude Keeps Society Human

"Gratitude is what keeps society going," writes Margaret Visser in her book The Gift of Thanks.  "We are very proud, and justly proud, of human rights, justice, laws ..."  But there's much more to what makes a civilization that law and order."

According to this classics professor, best selling author and wise elder, just as nobody would liked to live in a society without law, nobody would want to live in a society constituted solely by law.

"Our lives would be hell.  If you had to spend your whole life fighting for your rights, and nobody ever gave you anything and you never gave anything, your life would be hell," she said.

In The Gift of Thanks we are reminded how gifts and gratitude are the secret, invisible ingredient that keeps human society human.

Visser sees the whole economy of gifts as an ultimate antidote to the cycle of violence which otherwise rules the world, and she sees how it has specific connection with the Christian way of living.  What Christianity does is imitate God.  The model is Christ.

Editor's Note:  As we prepare ourselves to enter the commodity-based pre-Christmas season, The Gift of Thanks could be a good read.

(Notes from a review in the Prairie Messenger, Sept 17 / 08)

WORSHIP RESOURCES

Remembering Those on Main Street

Don't forget the merchants on main-street.  They are rowing through unbelievably choppy waters during these gyrating economic times, yet for public consumption they are expected to offer cordial service and remain up-beat.

Where would our small communities be without the goods and services they offer?  When we are trying to hold a tight line against expenditures ourselves, it's not feasible to travel further away for our purchases.  And we know from experience that once any of these main-street services are lost, we'll probably never get them back.

My heart goes out to these individuals and I think of the kinds of pastoral support caring people can offer.

First, we need to make opportunity to listen for their laments - with our hearts, even when they can't put their hesitations into words.  Some are trying to carry on businesses that have been handed from one generation to another.  Some have tried to be bold visionaries who now have to work on rolling financial seas.  Some verge on the age of retirement, but sense their dream is now pulled adrift.  Are there those who, in quiet confidence, can help these main-streeters give voice to their moans?

Even when we no longer have the ability to make grand purchases, can we still find ways to make use of what these merchants have to offer.  While box stores wow us with "deals", will they ever be part of the fabric of the community?  Do they have real pride in the locale, or do they only care about what they can report to corporate headquarters?

In the past our merchants have done their best to respond to our whims and needs.  Now they need the encouragement and support that is ours to give - or to withhold.

Main Street is a key part of every small community.

The Wisdom of the Elders

Levitical Law, developed in the formative years when the Hebrews were establishing rules to live by, were compassionate laws.  Their concern was for the well-being of the whole nation.

An example can be seen in laws about land-use.  When they harvested their fields, the people were reminded to not cut the grain along the edge of each plot.  This was so the poor and foreigners would be able to collect gleanings.

Another law said you shall honour the Lord by not cultivating the land every seventh year, but let it rest.  That concern for sustainability came into being three thousand years ago.

Then, after seven times seven years, there was to be a year of Jubilee.  This was a time when all land would be returned to its original owner or his descendants.

There was sacred intent behind each of these rulings: to care for the long-term viability of the land and to remember that life was about more than accumulation of wealth.  Trust in the Lord and care for the well-being of the community...  Break these laws and life becomes tenuous.

Would that we could have such values in these days.  For many the operative word is grab what you can while the grabbing is good, even if you have to stand on another's shoulders to improve your lot!  Selfishness and greed are like cancers that eat at the core of our society.

All of us need to constantly search out the wisdom of the ancients.  Jesus, steeped in their teachings, reminded us it is our sacred duty to study and adhere to the intentions behind the laws of the land.  It is our sacred duty to be our sisters' and brothers' keepers.  It is our sacred duty to care for the land that is our gift.

To do less is to live with the consequences.

In Painful Times

When the world of finance is turned upside-down, there's not much one can do except sit tight, pray, and remember this isn't the first time.

In times like this the Biblical Patriarchs talked about the farmer named Job - an honourable person, and very wealthy.  Job always made sure God knew how grateful he was.

Then the bottom fell out from under Job's life.  All his cattle were stolen, his fields were stripped bare, and his possessions were destroyed.  Even his children and servants were killed in the blink of an eye.

The Ancients tell the story to make a point.  Other people kept accusing Job of incompetence and wrong-doing. 

But Job had nothing to confess, except to declare this was not about "punishment".  God had no reason to punish him.  Even while he scratched the crusted boils on his body, he refused to curse God.

It's a story about not jumping to hasty conclusions, about sitting tight while he tried to catch hold of the broader picture.

Can the story be instructive for our time?  When prices bottom out for our produce and in-put costs keep climbing it's natural for us to blame ourselves.

Should we have made a different decision this spring? If we have to sell, will we be failing to keep the trust of our fathers?  Like the people before Job, we are tempted to think we must be guilty of some dreadful wrong-doing.

Job was different.  Even under the unbearable burdens that fell on his shoulders, the man held his ground and fought to see where he stood in the bigger picture.  He didn't feel abandoned.

Instead of cursing God and berating ourselves, we need to talk with our mentors.  We need to find ways to express our grief, seek the Word of the Lord, and make clear decisions about how we move forward.

Living With Dying

Randy Pausch had a successful career as a compute science professor.  He was 47 years old, and had a wife and three children (all preschoolers).

He went to see his doctor about some unusual symptoms of discomfort.  After being poked, prodded and scanned, the diagnosis was that Randy had cancer.

In due time he was told little could be done to prolong his days.  He had three to six months to get his affairs in order.

What he and his wife heard with that pronouncement was both a curse and a blessing.

Though death is inevitable for each of us, none are ready to watch it approach. On the other hand, every moment became precious.

The tradition in Randy's faculty was to give each retiring professor a 'last lecture'.  Randy decided to make his lecture a statement about the positive aspects of his life.  He was keen to make a suitable video memo about how he lived out his aspirations and his dreams.  As his children matured, he felt this was an important means through which they could get to know their dad.

We can read his story in the inspirational book called The Last Lecture.  It engages us at several levels.  I wondered what my own story might be if I was in similar circumstance ... or how the story of another person might be told.

Do we look on life as a blessing, and celebrate and give thanks for the graces we have received?  Or do we find quick opportunity to fume over and bemoan our lot?  Would I resent not being the centre of my world, or would I realize I'm only a small part of a broader picture?

The Apostle Paul wisely wrote "I may have all the faith needed to move mountains - but if I have no love, I am nothing."

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

Indonesian - Canadian Exchange

In Notes for the International Rural Church Association prayer exchange, Christine O"Reilly (Ontario) wrote the following:

I have been in regular contact with Rev. Solemon Batti from Indonesia since the Brandon conference. As a rural pastor that does a lot of traveling, I was so moved at the determination to proclaim Christ through such difficult conditions - we all recall the photos of pastors on motorcycles in terribly rutted, muddy, narrow roads!

In consultation with Solemon, my two congregations did a project this spring where we raised just over $4,000 CDN to purchase a motorcycle for a rural pastor, and supply some school fees for that pastor's children. We are in the process of the technicalities of wiring the money from our Credit Union to the Indonesian church's bank account. It has been a great project with much interest from each church. To God be the glory that we are able to partner with our rural brothers and sisters! Someday I hope to travel to Sulawesi...

I remain humbly thankful for these kinds of contacts and the richness it brings to us - and to think of all that has happened from my first International Rural Church Conference in Warwickshire!!!! God is amazing, and I've been so privileged to meet such amazing people along the way.

Blessings to all!

Don't Go to Church (U.S.A.)

A United Methodist Congregation of 200 members cancelled its regular Sunday service and encouraged the faithful to pursue acts of kindness throughout the community on that particular day.

On "Faith In Action Sunday" more than 70 volunteers from church and community worked together to perform a variety of tasks: carpentry, planting, cleaning painting, litter pick-up, yard work and calling on shut-ins.  They were glad to have this opportunity to live out their faith in a public way.

(Reported in the United Methodist Rural Fellowship Bulletin, U.S.A., 2008)