Open House -- the importance of the second and third person

On Sunday, September 7th we are going to have quite a celebration of the end of summer holidays and the beginning of a new program year.

The worship service is going to be uplifting, and it will be followed by another of our famous BBQs and... more!  In other words, this is going to be a different kind of Open House!

After the worship service, while the BBQ and hospitality and getting caught up on summer vacations is going on, Gardiner Hall will be ringed with tables and displays showcasing all the programs and activities that are part of our congregational life.  We will also be showcasing the many areas in which we need volunteer lay leaders and participants.  The Board, the Men's Club, the Choir, the Thrift Shop and Annex, and other groups will all be represented.  This will also provide a great opportunity to invite participation in new initiatives.  Perhaps you see a pastoral care initiative or a social justice initiative just waiting to be taken up, or perhaps you simply want to gather together some like-minded people to explore pastoral care or social justice opportunities.  Talk to Susan Whitehead in the office (Susan will be back at work on August 13th) and say you want a table.  We will have it for you on the Sunday.  Make an eye-catching sign, provide a "take-away" for visitors -- a simple brochure, or a business card with contact information -- and perhaps display some graphics with visual appeal.  Be ready with your 'pitch', and recruit some volunteers.

Remember, an open house is an expression of hospitality, and genuine hospitality includes involving people in good work and good times with good company.

There is so much that we can do within the congregation and in reaching out to the surrounding community.  There is work enough for everyone, and many hands make light work.

Let's make this an Open House to remember.

For a slightly different take on the subject, view this Youtube video:  (here)

Some summer thinking

In the past 15 months people have come to me ideas about what "we" might do.  Sometimes the ideas have come in a conversation, sometimes by written note, sometimes by email.  Sometimes I have been given the seed of an idea, and sometimes the idea has been quite thought out.  These ideas are not for the originator alone, or me, or the Board, or Michelle.  They are being offered as a gift, for the whole congregation.  So, the whole congregation should know about them, and have the opportunity to add to them.

The following ideas originate with various members of the congregation, and they are presented here with no suggestion of priority, feasibility, utility, or faithfulness to the purpose and mission of the congregation.  Sometimes they have been preceded by:  “We should explore…”; and sometimes by “We should do…”  The list is illustrative of the imagination that people in the congregation have.  We should build on this.

I invite you to add to the list or expand on any idea that appeals to you, or ask questions to test the feasibility or priority of an idea.  Comments are welcome.  We are counting on everyone to be respectful.

1.              Get a license and operate a low-power FM radio station that broadcasts for a few hours each day, with programming opportunities for other congregations and community groups as well as for OBUC.

2.              Install a bike rack in front of the sanctuary.  (Not many people know about the one by the door to the kitchen, and its location doesn’t advertise that we are bike friendly.)

3.              Install a partly enclosed shelter by the sidewalk at the front of the church (like a bus shelter), so that people could wait for rides in inclement weather, and we could use it as a water station when the marathon goes by.

4.              Sponsor refugees (individuals or families)

5.              Harbor asylum-seekers who have been disavowed by the federal government.

6.              Create a permanent record (memorial) of passages our members experience (births, baptisms, confirmations, graduations, marriages, anniversaries, deaths, and so on).

7.              Create a permanent record of gifts to the congregation.

8.              Renovate the kitchen

9.              Renovate the chapel

10.          Sell the duplex

11.          Tear down the duplex and build something worthy

12.          Sell St. Columba House

13.          Tear down Gardiner Hall

14.          Rebuild Gardiner Hall

15.          Provide more bursaries for students who want to continue their education

16.          Fund a sabbatical for a spiritual person from somewhere else in the world to spend some time in Oak Bay and recharge their batteries while they recharge ours.  (Maybe Bishop Tutu would have stopped in Victoria for 3 weeks or 3 months on his way to or from Ft. McMurray, if we had been able to offer him accommodation and a small living allowance.)

17.          Twin with an Indian reserve or a community in another part of the world – not just a church somewhere else – work with the school, the medical clinic, the water treatment system, and so on

18.          Work more closely with surrounding United Churches

19.          Work more closely with nearby churches of other denominations (St. Mary’s Anglican, St. Patrick’s Roman Catholic, the Quakers, the Providence Community Church)

20.          Do more inter-faith work, with Jews, Moslems, and others  (We could learn from them.)

21.          Expand the Gospel Experience, so that it is a sacred music festival for every genre and generation

22.          Get into social housing (for the elderly, the impoverished, the handicapped, the isolated)

23.          Operate a community kitchen, so that single people (the elderly, people on very limited incomes) can socialize while they prepare meals together, learn how to shop healthwise and pennywise, and eat better during the week

24.          Freeze casseroles and other dishes for people who are unexpectedly distracted from cooking meals (i.e. just released from the hospital, or the mother is in the hospital and the rest of the family is having a hard time coping)

25.          Have “testimonial” services a few times each year.  Instead of Michelle preaching, have someone talk about their faith journey – high and lows, and questions – so we know we are all in the same boat.

26.          Give Gordon more time for music, so that we could have a children’s choir

27.          Have a kind of “inquirers” event every week, so that people who want to know more about Christianity could know that there is always a time and place to drop in.

28.          Revive the Stephen Ministry program.

29.          Adopt the Alpha Ministry program.

30.          Adopt the “Living the Questions 2.0” program

31.          Revive the “Elders” so that everyone in the congregation is connected to someone

32.          Revive the U.C.W.

33.          Get more actively involved in Camp Pringle

34.          Get more involved in social justice issues

35.          Develop a stronger relationship with Our Place

36.          Invite new Canadians to speak to us, so that we can learn more about the church in other countries

37.          Start a couples’ club

38.          Use our property for services that Oak Bay needs

39.          Change the name of the congregation so that we are geographically and denominationally limited.  “Grace Uniting Faith Community” would be a good name.

40.          Open a coffee shop on Oak Bay Avenue – one that people know is a comfortable place for conversations about faith – Christian and other

41.          Become an Affirming congregation

42.          Invite other faith communities to worship in our place, and ask if we can join them, so we can learn about their practices

43.          Have a mid-week worship service in the evening, even if it is a short one

44.          Have different kinds of worship services, such as Taize, or Contemplation Cafe.

45.          Keep the sanctuary open 24 hours a day, every day, so that people who want to meditate can

46.          Encourage prayer groups and home groups that do book studies, or talk about issues

47.          Encourage a dialogue with science

48.          Learn more about the Oak Bay community (We don’t know it nearly as well as we think we do.)

49.          Go from door-to-door and actually invite people to worship with us

50.          Livestream our worship services, or else put each one on a DVD and loan it out to shut-ins, with a DVD player

51.          Cut a DVD of music (Gordon and the choir), and sell it

52.          Put a QR code on everything we produce

53.          Host more social events, like Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and the BBQ.  (Progressive dinners are great fun.)

54.          Develop closer links with the United Church Chaplain at UVic.

55.          Sponsor tours of the Holy Land, and famous faith sites in Europe.

56.          Create a multi-media “studio” where people who live in apartments, or people who want to try something they don’t have tools for, can go to work on projects (woodworking, painting, sculpture, pottery, and so on)

57.          Host workshops that deal with family issues (conflict resolution, parenting young children, caring for elderly parents, what it is like to be in the ‘meat in the sandwich’ generation, helping children deal with divorce, parenting the ‘20’s, and so on)

58.          Work closely with Oak Bay Emergency Net to be ready to be a place of refuge if there is an earthquake

59.          Encourage more performing arts in our worship service – not just music but also dance, installation art, and so on

60.          Provide much more on our web site

61.          Offer the ‘Roots of Empathy” program to children in the neighbourhood (also other programs for children, such as anti-bullying programs)

62.          Practice “green living”, with a smaller energy footprint, less waste, and more re-cycling

63.          Encourage less consumption, cooperatives, ethical investing

64.          Recruit and train volunteers to be occasional care-givers for people in the community who need a shopper, or a driver, or a companion or some other kind of care

65.          Help us learn more about evolution

66.          Improve the garden, and put signs on the street, so that people can find it and enjoy it

67.          The library should have more material in it, more contemporary material

68.          Paint Gardiner Hall

69.          Replace the sign

70.          Advertise in the Oak Bay News

71.          Show movies, like First-Met does

72.          Really promote our sanctuary, so that we host more concerts and other performing arts events (great acoustics and seating:  too bad about the steel beams)

73.          Host a party (block party?) for our neighbours

74.          Entertain children on a Friday evening, 3 – 4 times a year, so that parents can have a night out without having to hire a babysitter (or, do the same one morning or afternoon, twice a month, to give mothers some relief)

75.          Offer a mother’s day out program, with child care

76.          Participate in the street market in the summer time

77.          Advertise an upcoming door-to-door campaign to collect food or clothing for Our Place, and then go door-to-door to make the collection

78.          Install a community bulletin board by the sidewalk, so people could see all kinds of advertising about things going on in the community

79.          Host letter writers for Amnesty International

80.          Support prison visits

81.          Support the hospice at the Royal Jubilee Hospital

82.          Invite politicians to visit, for a private conversation about the concerns we see in the community

83.          Learn more about “fair trade”, ethical trade, and help us understand how we can make a difference

84.          When people go to conference, especially young people, make sure that they report to the congregation, so they know we value their participation  (We send representatives so that all of us can learn something.)

85.          Do pulpit exchanges, so that we get a variety of perspectives and forms of worship

86.          We could probably organize more drivers to pick up more people for worship on Sunday

87.          We should have a couple of additional mics in the sanctuary, so that when people speak from the floor they can be heard (someone would have to run around with the mic.)

88.          Have pulpit dialogues sometimes, so that people understand questions and uncertainty are just as important as “preaching”.

89.          (Power wash and) paint Gardiner Hall:  it looks decrepit.

90.          Host a family night a few times each year.  Families can bring their favourite games, for others to enjoy.  We could show a family friendly movie.  Snacks… and more.

91.          Offer adult support for people who are experiencing mental health or competency issues.

92.          Host something like TED talks for the congregation.

93.          What about a Virtues Project for the adults in the congregation?  We need help with generousity and courage and other virtues, just as much as the children do (maybe more).

94.          We should display, prominently, the “important to know” stuff.  We should display the crest of the United Church, with some of the explanation that Michelle recently gave in a worship message.  We should display the liturgical calendar that she often refers to.  We should display the new Creed.

Taking photographs at OBUC (by Anne Lyle)

Some time ago Laurel asked me to write about the photographs I take at church for various events, or special occasions.  Sometimes you see them in the announcement or service PowerPoint slides in church.
I was inspired to write this because of Michelle’s story to the children about God seeing what’s inside a person, that which is hidden, no matter what the outside looks like and it wasn’t until I heard that conversation with the children that I could put a finger on why I I really enjoy taking photos at church.
Let me begin by saying I’m not a photographer that gets paid for my pictures (though under pressure I have accepted an honorarium occasionally), nor am I an aspiring photographer, as I’ve never felt it as a calling.  It’s simply that I enjoy photographing people and nature mostly for my own benefit, and I admit, I don’t think I’m all that good at it.   So now that you know where I’m coming from, you’ll know that taking pictures is much like the knitting you see me doing, it’s a pleasure, and there’s a good chance you’re better at it yourself.
I have had the privilege of being asked to photograph weddings, where the number of people attending were few or many, in one instance just the minister, couple, witnesses, and me, and I didn’t know I was photographing a wedding until the night before.  To say I am privileged doesn’t even come close to how honoured I feel about being allowed to be present during such a special time.
I’ve taken many pictures at baptisms and I love the look on parents’ faces especially the “oh my God I hope this kid doesn’t scream” look of terror and depending on the age of the child the look of wonder, surprise or horror as he or she is being doused with water.  Sometimes very young children seem to be looking around and seeing something/someone unseen to the rest of us, and at other times the sun miraculously breaks through the clouds at just the right moment, shines through the church’s stained glass windows illuminating the child with a glow that I can only imagine might have been like when “Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. 2And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light.”  (Matthew 17:2)
I especially love catching the kids in the congregation being themselves, or even more delightfully representing someone in the bible and being themselves.  Think Calvin being a shepherd watching over his stuffed sheep, Nickolas stomping his foot to knock at the innkeeper’s door during the Christmas pageant or one of the miniature kings carrying a much too large treasure to the front of the church in the same pageant.
And then there are the times when my camera is peeking out and taking pictures of you as you drink tea, eat cake and provide loving fellowship to friends and newcomers at various times.  Putting your hand on a shoulder here, giving a hug there, and offering words of comfort or encouragement.
So…where am I going with all this?  Well it’s very simple really, when I’m behind my camera I often catch a glimpse to you being close to God, God being close to you and sometimes even a tiny glimpse of what God sees inside of you as you let your true self shine.  The kids are better at this than most of the rest of us, and somehow my camera lens seems to see not just your image, but something more.  Sometimes it’s a look, a glow, a light shining in an unexpected or unusual way.  It happens in an instant and I never know when or what it will be, and often it doesn’t show in the photo, but I see it through the lens very briefly, and for that moment I feel blessed/honoured/full of gratitude because it’s in these special moments that I know that God is with us shining through you, much like the way Michelle explained it to the children.
As we go forward there will be many more photos to accompany your stories commemorating our 100th anniversary, special events, and many more moments of witnessing God in you when you least expect it!

Spring -- and renewal -- inches ever closer

The past week included the first day of spring.  Temperatures remain a few degrees below the long-term average, and the pleasant signs of spring seem delayed, but still, spring is in the air because we are more than ready for it to be in the air.

The Board met last Tuesday evening and reviewed all the Expressions of Interest that we received for the use of any part of our property.

We are going to begin discussions with the Shekinah Homes Society, which is interested in a 3 - 5 year lease on St. Columba House (with options to renew).  There may be other opportunities to improve the use of more of our property.  Many of you have heard me say that I believe church property is part of the commonwealth of the community:  (in my view) we have an obligation to ensure that it is well and fully used for purposes that benefit the community.

On Saturday I met with Mayor Nils Jensen to give him an update on our activity and our intentions.

A small group, led by Michelle, is working toward an articulate statement of our congregational  purpose and mission.  The value of a mission and purpose statement doesn't lie in printing an framing it.  If it rings true it reveals our way home through every thick forest and open ocean.  (On the other hand) it is very hard to be convincing about the "what" and "how" of service without having a clear sense of the "why".

The Board has also recommenced what used to be the Joint Needs Assessment Committee process, now called the Ministry Profile and Search Process.  Jim Fisk will Chair the working committee.  This process will culminate in "calling" a permanent minister to serve with the congregation.  Currently, Michelle is here on a one-year appointments, which ends in August.  We want to look past the one-year appointment, to have our minister in place for the exciting work of the next 5 - 7 years.

To-day after our worship service, we had our first small group discussion of Tony Robinson's report.  Fourteen people were in the group, and the discussion was both encouraging and challenging.  We will host a similar discussion after worship next Sunday and the Sunday after next.  In addition, all participants in the life of the congregation will be invited to participate in a small group discussion on some other occasion, in case Sunday is not convenient.

Tony's report is very important reading for anyone who has thoughts about -- and regard for -- the future of the congregation.  The report is available as a pdf (here) on the web site.

My 3-ring binder for Spring, 2014 also includes preparation for the upcoming congregational meeting (new Board members, a budget for 2014 - '15), and a stewardship campaign.  If you have any thoughts or questions about these or other matters, please let me know.

Clare is feeling much better, although still somewhat stiff and sore.  She expects to have her stitches removed tomorrow.  We both thank you for the care and support we received.  (The banana loaf was delicious!)

Congregational Assessment (Tony Robinson Report)

As most readers will know, Oak Bay United Church has many decisions to make in the near future.  Some of our choices are exciting, but they will require imagination, energy, and persistence on our part.  Some of our choices will be painful even as they are exciting, because we do need to make changes, and we do need to give up some things that are very familiar to us.

As part of the process of understanding our situation, the Board retained Rev. Anthony Robinson  to understand and consider our current situation and our prospects, and make recommendations. Thank you to everyone who assisted Tony with his assessment, by completing a survey on paper or online, and/or by being willing to be interviewed by Tony.

We have received the assessment report, and copies will be available after worship on Sunday and then from the office.

Your Board leadership is eager to hear your responses to Tony's conclusions, so a number of opportunities will be provided for conversation, questions, and concerns to be shared.

As you read this report, we ask that you pay particular attention to the "Recommendations" which begin on page IV. As you reflect, please have the following questions in mind:

1. what excites you about this report?
2. what concerns you?
3. what questions do you have?
and,
4. what do you believe are the "vital few" ministries of this congregation?

A gathering will be held in the Chapel after the worship service, for the following three Sundays (March 23, March 30 and April 7) for your feedback, hosted by members of the Board.

You will also be contacted by the office to take part in a small group discussion either in addition to a conversation after church, or in place of it. These discussions will be offered at a variety of times and days and locations.

Your comments, questions, and concerns will all be considered faithfully in the next few months as the Board drafts a budget for the coming year (July 1, 2014 - June 30, 2015), drafts congregational Purpose and Priorities, and commissions the Needs Assessment Committee (now called the Ministry Profile and Search Committee) to do its work. We hope to present a Needs Assessment report, a proposed budget, and Purpose and Priorities for the next few years, to the Annual Congregational Meeting on June 1st.

So, your prayerful reflection, responses and discussion are critical in helping the congregation move ahead with clear direction and intention.

Thank you for your time, your prayers, your energy and your commitment to God's mission here on the corner of Granite and Mitchell: sharing God's love for 100 years and counting!

Yawn's story

 Occasionally the Oak Bay United Church blog will post interviews with members of the congregation.  This first interview is with Yawn Baess, a long-time member of the Oak Bay congregation. LB

***

Yawn asked, before we began, why I wanted to interview members of Oak Bay United Church for the blog.  I thought about this for a while.  I'm certain it's a good thing to do, but I had trouble putting into words why.  Eventually I said, because one of the great strengths of the United Church is that we each have a voice, and we all have different voices.  We all have different perceptions of God, and of faith, and of being members of the United Church.  I thought it was a good thing to blog about that, so that more people could hear about our individual experiences of our faith.

"You want me to witness," Yawn said, enlightened.  "I can do that." So we began.

Yawn Baess is 92. He was raised in a Lutheran family, in Denmark. He and his family went to church  "regularly", he said with a smile - "twice a year, Easter and Christmas".  His parents were however strong believers. In Denmark religion is a required subject in school, so he also had the elements of a formal religious education, but the foundation of his faith were laid at home.   

Yawn came to Canada in 1950. After three years in Montreal, he moved to Victoria, where he became the chief naval architect at the VMD (shipyard).  He married Margaret, of Scottish descent, and raised his family in Victoria. His son and grandchildren still come to Oak Bay United Church. 

When Yawn lived in Montreal, he said, he didn't go to church, except at Christmas and Easter - for no particular reason, he just didn't.  But when he was on his way to the West Coast, God spoke to him for the first time.

Yawn was driving across Canada in his own car, with all his worldly possessions, mostly textbooks and instruments for his work as a naval architect. In the middle of the trip, partway across the Prairies, God spoke to him. Yawn was sitting in his car - an old Chevy - and feeling very much alone. As an immigrant in a new, vast country, again on his way to the unknown.  It was a weekday, and he had stopped at the church in some village. The door was open and he went in and for some reason got down on his knees, shaking and started crying bitterly. 

The local Minister happened to come by to see who was in the church, and sat with him while he cried, and comforted him. It was somehow clear to Yawn that God cared about him and was with him.  He isn't sure what God said to him, but it's not necessary to understand what God says in words.  God did speak, and it changed Yawn's life.

When he settled in Victoria, he visited several denominations, and joined 1st United.  As for how Yawn chose a church: He was regularly driving his landlady - the mother of a friend in Montreal - to church, where she attended First United. One day she asked if he would like to come in too, so he went in. From that time forward he attended First United.

Yawn eventually came to Oak Bay United after he was married and had children, because the children asked why they were going to church downtown every week, instead of to “their church”, where their friends were.  So they came to Oak Bay. "In this as in everything, I believe God is involved," Yawn said.  "God leads me all the time, every day."

"You have always seemed to me to be a person of strong faith", I said.  "How does this work?  How do you live a faithful life?" 

Yawn answered by telling me about the next time God spoke to him. Yawn was taking his boat out on weekends, so he came upon an abandoned settlement on one of the small islands North of Sidney. The island had been inhabited at one point but it had been taken over by the government and turned into a park.  

 At that time he was building a cabin himself in the Saanich inlet. He noticed that the cabins had been ransacked and stripped of windows and doors, but there were electrical fittings left in some of them. So he went back to his boat to get some tools and came back to take some of the electrical fittings. But halfway there, God said: "Yawn, turn around.  That's stealing."  And Yawn stopped, and turned around.  "This is an example", Yawn said, "of living a faithful life: listen to God speaking.  "

Over the years Yawn has made the choice that his closest friends are Christians (it's much easier to be a Christian when all your friends are).  He also spent every summer up at Cortes Island, where he attends a small church. When he was 80, one of his friends on Cortes encouraged Yawn to invite Christ into his life and become born again. He prayed a lot and asked Christ to enter his life, and he eventually did. That sealed Yawn's faith.  

I was puzzled and wondered what the difference was between how he had been before that event, and after.  Was he not a Christian before?  

Yes, I was", Yawn answered, "but I believe there are two kinds of Christians: by tradition or definition, and by faith." He was a Christian 'by definition' until then.  Christ had been in his life since his birth, but after he became born again he lived his faith. 

“This doesn’t mean I am not still a sinner, by the way”, Yawn said.  "I ask God every day to forgive my trespasses."

***

Is there a mission behind that door? What is it?

I don’t want anyone to think that the building determines the mission of a congregation.  It doesn’t or, at least, it shouldn’t.

But thinking about facilities sometimes reveals our underlying sense of mission.

Take a few minutes to imagine that you could wrap any kind of facility around our sanctuary – anything at all.  For just a few minutes, forget cost and the time of construction.  Imagine that, like the commander of the Starship Enterprise, you could just say:  “make it so”.  What space would you create (or re-create), and why would you do it?  Why would you do it adjacent to the sanctuary – as part of our property -- instead of renting the space, as required, out in the community?  What space do you think would consistently have benefits exceeding the cost, in terms of supporting the mission of the congregation?

Should we continue to have a chapel separate from the sanctuary?  How big might a chapel be, and how might it be configured and furnished?  Who do you imagine would use a chapel, and under what circumstances?

Would you enlarge the narthex?  Would you hang pictures of former ministers, or create display or storage space, or decorate the narthex in some way?  Would you want to create a ‘gathering space’ on the same level as the sanctuary, perhaps with a kitchenette and space to put out goodies?  Would you put washrooms on the same level as the sanctuary?

Would you do anything with the kitchen – modernize it, enlarge it, provide new or additional equipment, organize a different work flow?  Should we think about using the kitchen as a teaching and gathering space as well as a conventional preparation space?  Could it be a community kitchen?  Should we have a larger freezer, so that we could store casseroles for congregants who unexpectedly need help with meals?  Are there other ways in which we could use the kitchen?

Is there any program or activity that requires more space than at present, or space that is configured differently, or more reliable access to space than at present?

Have you ever thought about our building offering a community living and dining room, where families and small groups could meet, or hold a reception, or share a meal together?

Do we need more space, and/or dedicated space for Sunday School, youth groups or adult groups?  Should we make more space available to the community, for meetings or social gatherings?  Should we have a larger performance or banquet hall, for Bring-it-on Cabaret or for any other activity?

Should we have space for week-day childcare?  Should we offer hospice beds or transitional beds for singles who leave hospital and can’t return home without temporary care?

Should the church offices be organized in some different way?  Is access an issue?  Should we create a reception or hospitality space adjacent to our offices?  Does anyone (or group) not have an office and need one (or regular access to one)?

Do we need more storage space?  Do we need more display space.  Should our storage or displays be somewhere other than where they are at present?

Is there any place that we need more light?  Is comfort an issue anywhere?

Should we consider providing a small apartment for a resident caretaker?

Do you have any thoughts about developing our grounds?  Should we put a permanent shelter close to the sidewalk, for congregants who are waiting for a ride, or for use as a refreshment venue when the marathon is run past our door, or for some other reason?

What have you imagined that goes beyond the questions in this post?  And why has your imagination gone where it goes?  What mission drives your imagination?

We welcome your thoughts.