Volume 15 - January 2006

It is the New Year. January is a time of fresh starts, new beginnings and resolutions. How are you doing at keeping your New Year's promises to do things differently? The month of January is named after the Roman God Janus. Janus is the Roman god of gates and doors, beginnings and endings, and is represented with a double-faced head, each looking in opposite directions. He was worshipped at the beginning of the harvest time, planting, marriage, birth, and other types of beginnings, especially the beginnings of important events in a person's life. It is no surprise, therefore, that the first month of our calendar year was named after Janus. The New Year often seems like a pivotal time to reflect on the past and consider the future.

As I consider what I have heard from rural churches in the past year and what I anticipate in the new year, I better understand why the image of Janus is a double-faced head. We want to look back to remember our stories and cherish our past but we also know that what God gives us is the future, embracing opportunities that stretch into the unknown. This past year the rural church made a huge impact on our rural culture when the church, along with other rural organizations, communicated clearly and consistently with our provincial government that Water Regulation 170 was an enormous threat to rural life as we have known it. The government heard the concern and amended the regulations to make them at least manageable for many rural churches. So, thank you for your collective voice that expressed the importance of the rural culture and community.

Last year the Rural Life Committee of the Bay of Quinte Conference conducted a survey. We were delighted with the high rate of response that came back to us. You took our questions seriously and provided helpful direction to our Committee. Three priorities emerged from the survey. Congregations want assistance in developing a sense of purpose and being able to name their reason for being that is grounded in a theological and biblical basis. Secondly, congregations want support in recruiting and training volunteers and developing leadership. Thirdly, rural congregations are requesting resources and training in the area of leading worship and doing evangelism. It became clear through the survey that rural congregations we look to the past to gain a sense of stability but know that the future is calling them to focus on their gifts and strengths and to respond to a new call for ministry in our rural communities. The Rural Life Committee is now reflecting on ways to offer this support to our rural congregations and our plans will unfold in the year ahead.

I have been writing this column for three years now and I am delighted at the comments people make in response to the ideas offered here as I travel about the Conference. May I take this opportunity to offer to you, faithful readers, a very Happy New Year and God's richest blessings in 2006.

Volume 16 - March 2006

A number of years ago we were on a summer vacation and on the Sunday went to the local church for the morning service. It was a beautiful building and the service was well attended. During the worship service the minister asked visitors to stand and as this was summer time there were a few present. We generally don't like to be ‘centred-out' in that way but on that particular morning, we stood and were acknowledged as visitors. The minister preached a very good sermon on hospitality reminding worshippers that one of the greatest gifts we can give is hospitality to others. He reminded us of the quote that often we “entertain angels unaware” and said as Christians we are called upon to open our door and provide welcome. We were quite moved by his words and so when he invited all the visitors to be sure to stay for coffee time after the service we decided we would. It would be a good opportunity to meet the people of this beautiful area we were visiting.

We went into the church hall and made our way to the coffee urn. We had our smiles ready to greet all the congregants who would be offering hospitality to the visitors. No one spoke to us! We stood sipping our coffee ever-hopeful that someone would ask where we were from, how long we were staying, even what we thought of the weather, but no one spoke to us. There was lots of chatter in the room but it was obvious that people were all quite busy talking to people they knew and so as visitors we stood as if we were surrounded by a moat filled with alligators and no one came near. Finally an elderly man headed toward us and I thought, “Ah, at last, someone to say hello.” But all he said was, “Where do I put my dirty coffee cup?” I said, showing more ill temper than I might like to on a Sunday morning, “I don't know, I'm a visitor!”

What does it mean to welcome new people into our church community? I hear from people that they are afraid to speak to someone they don't know because they might say something awkward or embarrassing or they don't what to overwhelm the person. That can be carried to extreme. Once when we attended a small, rural church and it was obvious we were visitors no one spoke to us and the ushers didn't even pass the offering plate to us so the money I had ready in my hand went back into my pocket! But on the other extreme, a friend told me about his family's experience when looking for a new church after they had moved to a different community. The first time they attended at one congregation he was asked to serve on a committee. That did not leave a positive impression either and, in fact, they found a church home elsewhere.

I believe there is a way to make people feel graciously welcomed without overwhelming them with questions or requests. The preacher that summer Sunday morning was right, hospitality is one of the greatest gifts we can give to strangers who arrive at our church door. So next time you see someone new think about how you would like to be treated if your were in the midst of strangers and then do likewise.

Volume 17 - May 2006

“Weary and Wary”

Recently a colleague was describing a neighbouring pastoral charge to the one he serves. He had been one of the Presbytery representatives as they completed their Joint Needs Assessment and he recounted their recent history which involved several changes in ministry personnel and varying advice from the Presbytery as to their future. He summed up by saying, “I would describe them as weary and wary.” That phrase has stuck with me as I think it accurately describes the way many of the folk in rural churches feel. While they acknowledge that their days may be numbered and that they are weary from the struggle of keeping the doors open, when it comes to asking for advice to determine their future they are wary. We have a history of suspicion in the rural segments of our United Church . It stretches back to a series of events in the late 1960's when rural churches were closed and members felt that decisions had been made without care or consultation. The effect of that history is that congregations are wary of what Presbytery might say or do if they knew their stressful circumstances and Presbyteries are loath to take any action or, in fact, even ask questions that may be seen as threatening because they don't want to re-live that piece of our history. Therefore both sides of the relationship are paralysed to act in the face of the crisis that is threatening many of our small, rural churches.

I have a helpful little book called “Ending with Hope”. It is a collection of articles written to assist congregations faced with the prospect of closure. In the chapter entitled “Assessing Congregational Viability” the author, Keith Spencer, says “One pastor of a struggling church lamented how much more difficult the discussion of viability became as his congregation held firmly onto the belief that closure was failure, effectively moving the option of closure off the table. Members of that congregation confused a church with the church universal.” He continues in his article to talk about the cycle of life and death as part of living. Who better than rural people understand the rhythm of life? In this spring time of the year we watch with wonder as the earth wakes from its winter of death to send forth evidence of new life. It is only when the earth is broken open that seeds can fall into the darkness and through their death produce a crop. Farmers know that animals are kept on the farm for their productivity, rarely for sentimental reasons. Death is a natural event. Like us, congregations are not immortal.

One of our rural congregations in Bay of Quinte faced the reality of the future and decided to close their doors. It was not easy to do but they prayed about it, talked about it, and then made the decision that it was time. The many furnishings of the building, sacred to them, were lovingly given to other churches and a local nursing home. But not before a beautiful book was made with photographs of every item. Their financial assets were shared with neighbouring congregations and the Mission and Service Fund. The Chair of the Presbytery met with a small delegation to “deconsecrate” the ground. Afterwards he said it was the most meaningful action he performed in his year as Chairperson. They gathered together on a cold wintry day to remember and honour their past and to move faithfully into the future; from death into new life. They had closed a church building but they were still part of the church universal.

Volume 18 - September 2006

It became a bit of a family joke. My maternal grandfather was pretty sure that there was nothing that couldn't be fixed with binder twine. He always had a piece or two of binder-twine in his pocket for strengthening a rail fence or tightening up a gate. Binder twine was the universal fixer! My dad would poke fun at his father-in-law and his ever handy binder twine. Dad was a black wire man! He always had a length or two of black wire in a pocket or toolbox ready for those places that needed a quick repair. Of course, today's handy-person knows that you are lost without duct tape. There isn't much that can't be fixed with duct tape. We patched a hole in our canoe with it and the patch lasted for several years! Friends of ours covered a small leak in their eaves trough with duct tape and it endured seasons of rain and snow. I guess duct tape is the ‘Revised Standard Version' compared to the ‘King James Version' of binder-twine.

With the unfolding of time comes change and each generation determines a new way of doing things. It is a universal truth that every generation is convinced that they are more advanced than the one that preceded them and wiser than the one following them. One of the greatest challenges for the small rural church is generational transfer. How does the current generation give the leadership and power over to the next generation? In research relative to the church and demographics they have started to refer to many rural churches as ‘the final generation congregation'. When I meet with rural congregations and look around the room and see that most there are of the senior generation I ask them if their children and grandchildren come to church. Usually the answer is “No”. Then I ask them if they know why that is? Often they have not asked the question. Perhaps we are afraid to hear the answer. There is and will always be a spiritual hunger. People have a desire to connect with the mystery and wonder of God. Like the struggle that often happens on the family farm as the younger generation introduce their new ideas (my grandfather would have called them ‘new fang dangled ideas') the church is confronted with a younger generation that has new and different ideas about how to communicate the power and mystery of God and to live out their spirituality. In each generation God can open up new options and paths that would not have been considered previously. Until we know what the next generation want from the church and how they need to practise their search for God we will be congregations of the final generation.

It doesn't really matter if you make a repair with binder twine, black wire or duct tape. In the end what matters is that the repair is made. The majority of churches in Bay of Quinte Conference are small rural churches. At the cross roads and on concession roads you will find a tiny wooden framed building or a stalwart brick building. It won't have a pipe organ. It probably won't have an office or a parlour. It won't have a big kitchen and it might not even have running water. But each of these little rural churches does have something in common with every other church in the land. There you will find people who faithfully gather for worship. Regardless of the congregation's size the people gather to pray together, to cement friendships, to be strengthened in their living and to experience the God who is beyond their comprehension.

Volume 19 - October 2006

“For All the Saints”

I have just come home and I am stuffed! That's right, tonight was our church supper. It is the season for church suppers. It seems that on a fall weekend in the country a person could choose to enjoy turkey, beef or ham each, of course, accompanied by scoops of potatoes, ladles of steaming vegetables, and mounds of creamy cabbage salad. I think it is a happy coincidence that the proliferation of church suppers occurs around the same time as All Saints Day. I believe our United Church is filled with saints! Who but a saint would stand for hours peeling potatoes for the mountains of mashed potatoes that are served up? Who but a saint who would donate the time needed to roll out the pastry required for dozens of pies that get quickly wolfed down at the church supper?

September always seems to be the time when the church year begins. After a summer of travelling and holidaying people come back home and reconnect with their community. By November we are well into the rhythm of congregational life. It could be considered a time of doldrums; Advent is still a month away, the weather is gray, the land is resting. But instead of doldrums our church calendar encourages us to consider those we name as Saints. And what better time to look around and appreciate the people who make up our community? The Webster's Dictionary offers as a definition of saint “a patient, unselfish, highly virtuous person”. Using that definition, I can think of many saints I have known. There was my Sunday School teacher who patiently put up with a group of giggling girls who could seldom remember our memory verses and were more interested in chattering about our curricular activities than our Bible stories but she came every Sunday and taught us anyway. I remember the youth group leaders who probably had other places they would rather have been on a weekend evening, faithfully planning outings, providing rides and chaperoning the youth group activities. I think of Elders who patiently listened to the ill-thought through ideas of this young ordinand and who supported the notions even though they were destined for failure. And I remember that those same Elders faithfully came to the next meeting agreeable to trying something new again. I think of UCW members who provided a lunch or meal at the drop of a hat and made guests feel welcome even when it was inconvenient. I recall the catering committee who put together a funeral tea two days after Christmas for a family they didn't even know but who needed the church at the time of a tragic loss. I remember the dollars upon dollars directed to the M&S fund by people who were experiencing tight financial circumstances themselves. I think of committee members who took risks and church members who swallowed their pride or owned up to their shame. And I say, “Thank you”. Thank you, Saints of the United Church for all you do to bear the light of Christ into the world.

Volume 20 - November 2006

Efficiency

I have been thinking a lot about efficiency lately. Maybe it is because our culture prizes efficiency so. Cell phones are a necessity of modern life so we can call people immediately. E-mail is essential so that people can get quick and efficient responses to any question that may arise. The world-wide-web means we have instant information from anywhere around the globe. Everything happens quickly and efficiently anymore.

I suspect most people looking at a rural church from the outside would see it as not being very efficient. We have that reputation and I well know how the reputation of inefficiency was earned. I have attended meetings in rural settings where the conversation goes round and round, regularly sidetracked with comments about the weather, the crop yield, and the neighbours. I have sat through a meeting wondering if any kind of decision will be reached as the discussion meanders from one topic to another and then I am staggered by swift decision making in the last five minutes of the meeting. It seems we rural folk have to talk a lot, about a lot of other things, before we get around to making up our minds about the decision at hand. Yes, anyone trying to get a group of rural people to make a decision without the side conversations would determine that rural people are notoriously inefficient. However those same critics would be amazed that when a decision is made to do something everyone in the rural church knows who does what! There will be a few quick phone calls made and the task accomplished without delay. I think it is because we value relationships over efficiency and so we like to spend time talking about our day to day realities

Right now in the rural church we have another challenge to efficiency. We find ourselves in perilous times. The depopulation of our rural communities and the general lack of support for the institutional church have been acutely felt in the rural church. This has resulted in many of us given to grieving over the loss of who we used to be. Grieving most often results in lament, an outpouring of grief and a passionate expression of loss. We have good biblical tradition for lament. Throughout the scripture lament was an honest expression of faith as the believers put their pain and sadness before God. Our modern society might point out that lament and grieving are not efficient. In fact some might say, “Face the facts and move on.” But when we face the facts of our situations we are overcome with sorrow and so we need to spend some time holding our grief and lamenting our situation before God.

We will move on into the future and when we do we will move fully aware of who we are, what we face, and the relationships we have with others. So while efficiency is a quality much touted in modern society and we recognize that efficiency is important we cherish the reality that in most rural churches relationships are also valued and highly prized. Let's celebrate that it is in building and sustaining relationships that the rural community has excelled.