Learn how one Saskatoon congregation put missional into writing

Joining God in his mission is a great adventure with so many blessings. But it’s also a lot of hard work. As a church leader, I’m continually amazed at how easily and quickly I can get pulled back into complacency and comfort. It’s true for me personally and it’s true for the Church.  It’s that human nature thing that Paul talks about in Romans 7: it’s hard to keep doing the things we know that God has called us to do.

Missional partnerships have been an important part of helping us stay focused as a church. Here, I’m defining missional as simply the posture and intentionality to be the sent Church, joining God in his desire to bring His blessing to the families and nations of the earth.

At Forest Grove Community Church in Saskatoon, we are involved in missions work in a variety of ways. We’ve found that taking the time to clearly articulate the parameters of a missional partnership (in writing) has reaped tremendous benefits. We’ve currently established two in this way, and we are discerning a third one. One is locally with an inner city ministry in Saskatoon called The Bridge (you can read about this in the book, Going Missional: Conversations with 13 Canadian Churches who Have Embraced Missional Life).  The other is with a ministry to the indigenous people of the jungles of Panama. We’ve had over 70 members of our congregation participate in this second one, in seven years of sending teams down to Panama.

Here are a few of the benefits — and power — of a clearly articulated missional partnership:

It sharpens your focus.  As churches and pastors we can feel pulled in so many different directions. Partnerships help us keep focused and make a true difference in a few areas, rather than feeling frustrated and ineffective in many.  It also helps define who exactly the partnership is with and what is the overall purpose we’re trying to accomplish.

It reveals our perspectives, biases and blind spots.  North American churches have lots to offer, but we have so much more to learn.  When I first went to Linda (director at the Bridge), I said that people in our church truly have a heart and desire to help those in our city who are vulnerable, marginalized and struggling with the many faces of poverty — but we don’t know how.  I told her that we needed The Bridge’s help to know how to live our faith. Their ministry (and clients) have helped us so much to see Jesus.  Written and wrestled into each of our partnership agreements is a commitment to bless each other — and what this two-way partnership will look like.

It helps our people engage.  When we take the time to clearly define the partnership and our mutual commitments to each other, we become family and we get to truly know each other.  This helps people see how to live out their faith and where their gifts might be used.  Some people will finally step out and try it because so many others have paved the way first.

It makes us evaluate effectiveness.  In our written agreements, we’ve defined effectiveness and also put a term-limit on our agreement.  Each of our partnerships is up for review every three years.  That makes us evaluate (together with our partners) what’s working, what’s not, and whether or not it makes sense to continue. Churches can be great at starting ministries; we’re not so great at evaluating and at times stopping them.

Jesus seemed to wonderfully combine spontaneous ministry — so much happened “as he walked along,”  see John 9 — together  with great intentionality, whether sending out “the 12″ or “the 72.”  We will always need both.  Being missional requires a posture of spontaneity and an intentionality to truly be effective. Missional partnerships allow for both in a powerful way.

Bruce Enns is lead pastor of Forest Grove Community Church in Saskatoon, Sask.

Churches can transform themselves by practicing the ancient art of hospitality

There’s a church near Wycliffe College in Toronto that I like to stroll by every once in a while to see if their “welcome” sign is still up. This is how it reads: “While on church grounds please abide by the following: Women should not dress in slacks. Women should have their head covered (kerchief or hat). Please do not talk during church services. EVERYONE WELCOME!”

The welcome message is dubious, I know. But it reminds me that Christians need to be sensitive, even vigilant, about how we come across to those who might be seeking a church community. Hospitality begins before people step foot inside the church door.

But how can a church become known as a hospitable, welcoming place to be?

It starts with an attitude from our heart. If we don’t have a heart that is open to strangers, no official signs, greeters or gimmicks will draw people into our congregations. When I moved from Vancouver to Winnipeg and was looking for a church, I tried an Anglican parish that had been recommended to me. Being unfamiliar with the practice of passing the peace, I was dismayed when those around me in the pews embraced and kissed their best friends and spouses, and I was left standing alone.

The church I eventually ended up at was full of people who acted as if they were genuinely happy I had come. “If you are treated warmly, welcomed, engaged, you do it to others too,” says the pastor of a non-denominational church in Edmonton. (There’s a fine line, of course, between being welcoming and overbearing. A welcoming church won’t pounce on a newcomer to join the choir or ask them to bake something for next week’s bazaar. Welcoming parishioners are gentle, not pushy, engaging but not nosy.)

Second, remember that hospitality is free. I’ve known churches that organize roast beef dinners and pancake breakfasts, charge admission and call it hospitality. It isn’t. It’s fundraising. Holding a welcome potluck brunch in September, with food provided by parishioners and an invitation sent around the neighbourhood in addition to personal invites to friends, is a better way to let the community know you care about them. If a meal seems daunting, try a fancy little Saturday afternoon tea party with no agenda other than to get to know people.

Hospitable churches go out of their way to meet the neighbours. They are not judgmental. They rarely evangelize, at least not in a traditional way, but people are drawn to their love and compassion. Hospitable churches are growing churches.

Third, hospitable churches seek practical ways of meeting the needs of newcomers or neighbours. A large Montreal church I know holds a back-to-school carnival in its parking lot, providing backpacks, school supplies and new clothing, along with burgers, clowns and face-painting, to low-income kids in the neighbourhood. (This can be done on a smaller scale, of course.) A small-town Ontario parish once hosted a free clothing depot, where families could come in and help themselves to anything they needed. A village church near Kingston regularly provides hot dogs, chilli and pizza to the students at the high school across the street. Other churches welcome the homeless through the Out of the Cold program, or get involved in breakfast or lunch programs at local schools.

There’s a difference, though, between just offering the physical food and actually being hospitable the way Jesus wants us to be. Remember the fish fry on the beach after the resurrection? Once the disciples had eaten, Jesus asked Peter pointedly, three times, “…do you love me?” and following on Peter’s affirmative, he pressed him some more: “Feed my sheep. Look after my lambs.” It’s the spiritual food – the spiritual hospitality –   which concerned Jesus, just as much as meeting the physical needs.

Finally, there’s no place like a home. So many Canadians seem to have lost the practice of inviting people into their space. Yet a home is the place where we can truly extend ourselves to others. If you live in a community with a university, for example, there will be thousands of young people who are far away from home – many from other countries – who might easily feel lonely and isolated. Once your church has found its footing as a hospitable church, inviting newcomers into your homes is just a natural next step. Seniors, new Canadians, single parents – all are in need of warm hospitality.

First Lutheran, a church in Vancouver, was transformed over a period of years, first through providing low-income housing, then by welcoming refugees, and finally by offering sanctuary to a newer church member who was about to be deported. The older white people learned to embrace those who were different, and now the demographic of the church is not the same as it was 20 years ago. The older white people are still there, but they worship alongside former refugees from Africa, new Canadians and a one-time Russian spy.

“We found hospitality is not just greeting people at the door and inviting them to coffee after church,” says Pastor Richard Hergesheimer. “It’s a readiness to, and willingness to, and recognition that when you welcome people into your midst, you’re going to be changed. If you’re not ready to be changed,” he advises with a laugh, “try not to be too hospitable!”

Debra Fieguth is a writer in Kingston, Ont. Her book The Door is Open: Glimpses of Hospitality in the Kingdom of God, was published by Guardian Books. You can contact her at debra.fieguth@sympatico.ca

Bishop George Bruce

Bishop George Bruce of the Diocese of Ontario tells about a surprising visit to a unique expression of church in the Diocese of  South Western Brazil.

click here to view video.

Years ago, my best friend Janet and I travelled from Halifax to Vancouver and back again on a student Via-Rail pass. For 21 days we sat, slept and snickered in coach seats, eating peanut butter sandwiches and once an entire cream pie. We giggled through northern Ontario and cackled through the prairies, until, to our utter bewilderment, someone finally snapped.

Our fellow passenger shouted “Would you please stop that incessant giggling!” The rest of the car applauded. They weren’t clapping for us. Amazingly, they were clapping for the man who told us to shut up.

We were stunned to discover not everyone — not anyone, actually — thought we were the cat’s meow. And that’s how the church is to some people, in some neighbourhoods. The church has become irrelevant, and maybe even annoying!

This past year, I had the privilege to interview and write the stories of 13 Canadian churches — of various sizes, shapes and denominations — across Canada who have decided to get relevant, big-time. Going Missional: Conversations with 13 Canadian Churches who Have Embraced Missional Life is the book, borne of that research and co-written with Willard Metzger, then World Vision Canada’s director of church relations.

All across Canada, there are churches embracing missional life. They are moving out of their comfort zones into a more intentional local engagement and serving their own communities in remarkably creative ways — not to grow their churches — but to grow their obedience to Jesus’ teachings to deeply love the people and places that surround us.  And they are doing it in partnership with all kinds of people and community groups already active in their midst.

Partnerships was a huge part of many of the missional adventures I learned about. Ask, then listen, advised Judy Paulsen of Christ Church, Oshawa, an Anglican congregation profiled in the book. Going out to meet with community groups, asking how the church can serve them, then coming up with creative partnering possibilities is a staple of the missional life.

I shared this idea of partnerships with people in the community, who weren’t necessarily the least bit churchy at all, with our own church’s Mission and Outreach group. Inspired, we formed a team  to go visit the local schools and offer our church’s assistance for students in need. The result, after months of talking and re-visiting, is a bursary for social action at the high school, and a sizable donation to another school to build up their literacy program.

We feel certain we are on the right and very new track.

This immediate application of what I was learning happened again and again during the writing of Going Missional. Because our own congregation of the Ascension in Port Perry is well on its way to a renewed incarnation in our community, we were able to apply some of the missional lessons right away, which is the very point of the book.

We fellow travellers on the missional road – and many would argue there is no other road — can learn so much from each other. Simple things like dialoguing with the community to find out how we can help — and not presuming to already know.  Realizing that God is already at work in Port Perry and elsewhere, whether we are a part of it yet or not. And knowing that simply being a friend can be the greatest witness to Christ’s love. One church I spoke to built a homeless shelter right down the hall from their sanctuary; another offers fixed-up cars to the poor in their community, yet another asked surprised parishioners to donate their coats and boots (on a cold Saskatoon Sunday) to a homeless shelter downtown. A west-coast church volunteered in droves for an Aboriginal Olympics taking part in their hometown, and did more to build bridges in two weeks than in the decades previously.

I ended this project feeling like it was a good time to be a Christ-follower in Canada — and in my very own community. For the first time in a long time, I am excited about what is to come.

Going Even More Missional

I interviewed 46 people, from 13 diverse church communities from coast to coast, for Going Missional. Here are some more ways these congregations are living out Christ’s call in their communities.

1. Work with other churches: In almost every case, churches who are deeply engaged in their communities are open to collaboration with other — often very different — congregations.

2. Be prepared to help when the community needs you. A large Montreal congregation founds its missional feet during the ice storms of 1998. Their sanctuary became a shelter, and their reputation as a church the community can trust grew exponentially.

3. Know your community. The churches in the book spent time asking questions, hearing from community groups and even just travelling on city buses to hear and absorb what the needs of their communities really were.

4. Encourage lay people. Often, the best ideas for missional outreach come from parishioners who want to share their passion and their gifts. Sometimes, clergy are most effective as cheer leaders.

5. Move from writing cheques to being present. The churches in the book, especially Christ Church, Oshawa, have intentionally moved from mostly financially supporting needs in their communities to actually rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. Parishioners love the switch.

6. Preach and teach boldly. One church in Winnipeg tells members that if they aren’t willing to get to work in the community then they are just taking up a chair someone else could use. Ministry opportunities are presented on their website like job descriptions and everyone has a chance to participate.

7. Open your doors — for free. A large Saint John congregation opens its building (rent-free) for community meetings and events and has gained a reputation, starting with that simple act, as being on the side of the city.

8. Train people how to serve. A St. Catharine’s congregation that houses a homeless shelter makes sure its volunteers are well-trained and comfortable. They present varied “on-ramps” for engaging parishioners in missional activities.

9. Invite the community in — even on Sundays. A church in Duncan, B.C. invites community leaders to join them for a Sunday service and share what they do for their town, then the church offers to pray for their work, right there and then.

10. Do your programs well. A Saskatoon church took a load of their “Sunday best” clothing, in new boxes, to a homeless shelter and the shelter staff were moved to tears. Another church-run homeless shelter washes their visitors’ clothes and offers them fresh pyjamas to sleep in. Offer the world your best.

Going Missional: Conversations with 13 Canadian Churches who Have Embraced Missional Life is available through The Leadership Centre, Willow Creek Canada, at www.growingleadership.com

Karen Stiller

The Hard Stone Café (HSC) began at St. John’s (Stone) Anglican Church, in Saint John, NB, in 2002, as a connection point for youth, aged 13– 18yrs, and in particular for youth without a prior connection to church or Christianity.  This was one program in an umbrella of programs created to engage the community directed by Ven. David Edwards, Rector of Stone Church. David commissioned his then, newly appointed Youth Minister, Jonathan Springthorpe, to create an event for the young people of Saint John. What began as a monthly event developed into a community, and a fresh expression of “Church”.

Here, in his own words, Jonathan Springthorpe recalls the growth and development of the Hard Stone Café.

“The Hard Stone Café came from humble beginnings in December of 2002. The Stone Church Youth Group helped to construct a stage for musicians, put up decorations, and helped to create a menu of slushy drinks (non-alcoholic of course). As the event approached, my anticipation grew of crowds of youth piling into the church ready to hear the Gospel, yet instead of crowds only two brave souls entered the gothic revival exterior to attend the first Hard Stone Café. The youth group had not invited their friends with any enthusiasm, as they feared I would use the café as a “bait and switch” evangelistic event. After the first HSC event, the youth group invited their friends without fear and we had about 10-15 youth from the community at the second café.

Early on several colleagues in youth ministry inquired if they could bring their youth groups. David and I were committed to reaching the “unchurched”, and we wanted to protect the Hard Stone Café from becoming another event for church youth. We decided that while all youth were welcome we would not host organized Christian groups.

Within two years the attendance had grown to an average of 25-30 youth from the community. In spite of the growth, our experience was one of frustration. We longed to share the Gospel with those who came to the café but we felt like our hands were tied. We feared that any strong witness would break the trust we had worked hard to build and we found out that our fear was justified. On one occasion the Christian musical guests, contrary to our instructions, began the evening with the intimate worship song: “Jesus, Lover of My Soul” and all but four of the Youth Group cleared the room. It was as if someone was spraying teen repellent into the air. Most “unchurched” youth were suspicious, and often critical of “organized religion”. Many youth were reluctant to come to the café because it was in a church.

From the beginning we had hoped we could find Christian musicians who were able to play secular tunes as well. The evening would begin with secular cover songs, many of them classic rock of the 70’s, and 90’s. Once the youth were comfortable the musicians would play a Christian song or two, introducing them as a musical expression of a personal belief in God. Christians could share something brief about God, provided it was through the medium of music. Music is the currency of teen culture. This strategy worked well at times but we simply couldn’t find many musicians who were comfortable playing both secular and Christian music.

An important step forward happened when one of the youth group, asked me: “can my friend’s band play at the next café?” Permitting community youth to play presented us with potential problems: lyrics and spontaneous interactions with the crowd could contain profanity and offensive material, not to mention encourage “moshing” (definition available on UrbanDictionary.com). We became conscious that we were bridging two completely different worlds: the congregation of Stone Church, and the youth of Saint John. We agreed to let outside musicians play, but we drew up guidelines that they must abide by: “lyrics must be 100% free from profanity and explicit lyrics”; for safety reasons: “no moshing”, and musicians had to arrive an hour before the start of the cafe. Virtually all of the bands, in their gratitude for an opportunity to play were happy to respect the guidelines.

Certain aspects of teen culture can be baffling. In 6 years of hosting teen musicians, the audiences were uniformly supportive of their peers, even when an attempt at music was painfully amateur.  Subsequently, the Hard Stone Café became known as the “only all ages venue” in Saint John at the time. The youth of the community rallied around the café, helping to promote the events, spreading the word, and helping to recruit musical guests. Parents of band members stayed on occasion, and were thrilled with the Hard Stone Café. In a few years the phrase: “the café” was adopted in the vocabulary of local youth; this is a milestone of acceptance in teen culture.  A core group of youth from the community began to attend the café faithfully. They were not Christians though God was at work in them.

In May 2008, attendance at the Hard Stone Café reached record numbers through the popular social networking site “Facebook”. Over 800 invitations went out throughout the Greater Saint John area, one friend inviting another, and over 150 youth showed up. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time. We had to ask some people to leave the loft area and move to the “overflow rooms” for safety. Nine bands had shown up to play and we came close to turning youth away at the door. There was no doubt that we had made inroads into the youth culture but we were still wondering how we could share Christ with them in this setting.

Not by some brilliant design but by necessity something happened. The café began at 7pm and finished around 9pm. The youth group from Stone Church remained till 10:30pm to clean up. Many parents from Stone expressed their displeasure that it finished so late. To address this concern we added a youth group sleepover after the Café. This served to reward the youth group who had worked before and during the café in service of our guests. These sleepovers became times of natural discipleship that I relished. We would worship and talk about the Scriptures together sometimes well past 3am. We began a regular time of worship that became the highlight of the evening for the Christian youth.

The next step forward happened when the core group from the community began to hang out with the youth group after the café. They requested to join the sleepover event. Initially, I was hesitant as I would need to contact their parents to be sure they were permitted to stay, and there was a question in my mind: would their presence interfere with our time of Worship? The first time our group was about to ascend to the upper room to begin our worship I wondered how they would respond. To my great surprise the visiting youth joined us, mostly out of curiosity. These non-Christian youth experienced in their own words: “something inspiring”, though they did not know exactly what.

In the following months this core helped to welcome other youth to the worship session after introducing it as “this God thing”. Over six to eight months teens who were previously hard against organized religion were softening to the Gospel. God was at work in these lives and a number of them came to faith.  The Hard Stone Café had evolved into a form of church that was drawing youth from the community without having to strategize. A new Christian community was forming.

In hindsight, the program that started in Dec. of 2002 that would evangelize young people, turned out to be the start of a remarkable journey. Through much of the journey we felt lost and unable to reach the youth of the wider community for Christ. We learned the importance of community. We learned to work as a team, with the Stone Church Youth Group, as partners in outreach, and seeds of a community were sown.

My time in leadership of the Hard Stone Café came to an end a year ago with a move to Toronto to attend Wycliffe College. The Hard Stone Café continues under the direction of, Catherine Bonham, one of my colleagues in Threshold Ministries. It is my conviction that the way to reach “unchurched” young people is through fresh expressions of church.”

Jonathan Springthorpe

Evangelist, Threshold Ministries

see the HSC in action

Peter McCracken, Rev. Christine Piper and Thor Stewart have joined together to start up a Tuesday-night youth ministry based on skateboarding. Melissa Di Costanzo

What started out as a problem, turned out to be a wonderful opportunity for the the people of  St. James the Apostle Church in Perth ON.  Many people know the story having seen the video, “Skater Church”, online, or at Vision Days across the country. Reaching out to the skateboarding community in Perth was not at the top of anyone’s to-do list, except for God’s, apparently!

Offering a much needed winter home for the many skateboarders and would-be skateboards in the surrounding area, aged anywhere from five to twenty years,  was so successful , that it proved necessary to devote two evenings a week to this venture! So now once again the people of St. James are preparing to open their hall, and their hearts, for a second season of “skate church” on Tuesday November 30th. During a recent conversation with some of the leaders, it became obvious they felt that all this was very much God’s doing. Questions about “where will the leaders come from?” now some of the older skaters have moved away, and how to approach providing those who wish with opportunities to discover more about Jesus, are very much in the minds of  the leaders.

God’s guidance as well as provision is obviously needed, and so those of us who have been stirred by the story of “Skater Church” have an opportunity to support our friends in Perth, by praying for them and the skaters as they commence a new season, against the backdrop of a rash of teen suicides since the spring in the region.

The Church’s prayer in every generation is always for the people of God to be renewed. When our hearts and minds are renewed it opens us up to the unifying love that is Christ, brings the desire to serve others, and offers peace and hope to our families, communities, and to the world. This, of course, is the Church’s mission and raison d’etre.

In order for the local church to be effective in its mission in every generation, its pastors need to be intentional and systematic in guiding its people—and ultimately its whole region. The people of God need to be loved, cared for, and shown compassion and mercy. And the people of God also need to be well instructed in the Christian life.

In our Canadian context we are living in a predominantly un-churched society, where perhaps only 10 to 15% of the population is affiliated with organized religion. Moreover, the influence of our secular society on that 15% is substantial. Recognizing the church’s mission mandate, and well aware of this societal conditioning, in 1999 the Anglican Parish of the Resurrection in South River, Newfoundland, began a process of renewal, educating our Christian community and re-creating ourselves.

Here is our story.

In the fall of 1999, the parish was a four point charge with small, diminishing, and tired congregations. It was evident that we would have to become one congregation, with all the heartache that would entail, or we would die. This is how we managed, with the grace of God, to recreate ourselves into one vibrant congregation.

We began experimenting by pooling all the human resources from the four congregations in such a way that we would function administratively, liturgically and catechetically as a one point parish. Liturgically, we had one main service on Sunday mornings that moved each week around the parish. The music was more contemporary, and the children’s church was worked into the liturgy. Those who appreciated the contemporary worship and children’s church would “move” to a different building each Sunday morning. Administratively, all four vestries met and worked as one body responsible for the entire parish; and a single financial team was put into place to manage all parish finances.

These “experimental” changes made the running of the parish more efficient, and the liturgy more life giving. But the factor that gave the process deeper roots and the desire to persevere was the intentional, systematic, and ongoing catechetical evangelization of the congregation. If the parish was going to survive, to be renewed and to be made effective in ministry and mission, it was evident that we needed to challenge those already in the pews to learn more about their faith, and to deepen their spiritual practice. In other words, we took as our very first mission mandate to evangelize and educate those already in the pew.

So, at the same time that the administrative and liturgical changes were happening, we introduced the Alpha Course to the parish. All four vestries and others from the congregations were challenged to take part in that first Alpha course. And, thank the Lord, most vestry members responded. This first Alpha was life changing for a number of those who participated, not only by deepening their experience of God, but also by building new relationships across the boundaries of the four congregations. This was a major factor in bonding together in faith and friendship those who hardly knew one before.

The Alpha Course in the fall of 1999 was only the beginning of the catechetical evangelization of the congregation. A Sunday Breakfast Bible study and a weeknight Bible study began right after that first Alpha. In addition, we dedicated two nights each week to Christian Education. Thursday nights was set aside for Alpha, and Monday nights for other Christian education opportunities such as After Alpha, various other programs, and guest teachers who would come to speak on selected themes.

Gladys Harvey writes: Twelve years ago, I was a churchgoer but notacommitted Christian. I decided to do an Alpha course which was offered by our then new priest. That course changed my life and set my feet firmly on a faith journey which has led to a deep involvement with my faith community and with Christian adult education. Alpha gave me the nuts and bolts to begin with, and Lectio divina gave me the discipline of prayer. Christian education , in addition to theology based sermons from our priest, has helped to build a faith COMMUNITY where formerly there were four dying congregations.

As the faith of the congregation was deepening and maturing, many were being prepared to make the hard decisions to become constitutionally a single congregation with one vestry, to sell our old buildings, and to construct a new House for the Church.

During this interim between the old order (with four buildings) and the move to the new House for the Church, the Alpha and other various courses, including Bible studies, continued to renew and transform our people. The Sunday homilies, strategy and visioning workshops, and special lectures also became very important in educating the congregation about the liturgical principles that our new Oratory would embody, and the ideas of hospitality that would direct our new “Emmaus Café.”

Winston Bishop writes: In September 2006 my family and I decided togive church a chance again and take in a service at the newly opened Parish of the Resurrection. We were a family in need of something meaningful to help fill the emptiness that was within us. We received a warm welcome and after several services, an invitation was extended to us to attend Alpha which soon became the single most important event in our family’s lives. Alpha saved us as a family; it introduced us to Jesus and gave us a place to belong, praise God!

After moving into our new community home in 2006, we added to our Christian Education menu a Wednesday afternoon Spiritual Reading Group. This group meets after the Wednesday mass and lunch, and has read and discussed books including such classics as Augustine’s Confessions and The Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila, and popular works such as The Shack. During the fall of 2010, the Spiritual Reading Group will be reading and reflecting on Three Cups of Tea, the popular story of one man’s encounter with the Pakistani tribes high in the Himalayas, and his response to their great kindness to him.

Another strand of catechesis we’ve been developing over the last four years has been outreach to the wider community: courses on marriage, parenting, bereavement, divorce and separation courses (using resources available through Alpha Canada) and relevant support groups. We’ve moved into this area for a number of reasons: we want to be seen as a resource to our region for people who are not members of our parish; we discerned a need in this area for our region; and there is potential that when folk participate in the outreach programs that we run out of our café, they may decide to explore faith issues with us as a parish.

Finally, for those interested in learning the disciplines of meditation and contemplation, and early in our process of recreating our community, we introduced the practice of Lectio Divina, which has become an important aspect of our catechetical evangelization. This has developed into a regular corporate practice on Sunday evenings, and, when we moved into our new House for the Church, on Wednesday mornings also.

Debbie Kaba writes: When I started attending Parish of the Resurrection at thebeginning of Advent 2007, I was eager to learn meditation and contemplation and  have found them very helpful in my Christian journey. It helps me quiet my mind and emotions and feel the love of God no matter what situation I’m in. Stuck in traffic? I can practice silent prayer until the frustration abates. It has also developed a deep love and connectedness to others of the parish who corporately practice this prayer. The self-discipline it takes to grow in this discipline has been beneficial, too.

Our schedule for catechetical evangelization in the fall of 2010 is full: the new seven week Alpha course; a Bereavement Course; the Spiritual Reading Group discussing Three Cups of Tea; Sunday morning and Tuesday evening Bible studies; corporate meditation on Sundays and Wednesdays; Sunday and Wednesday Mass; and a Parenting Course and a Divorce and Separation Course on request. The winter schedule will be similar, except that we will add the Marriage Course.

As we have sought to develop a mission focused parish, we have discovered that ongoing, intentional, and planned “catechetical evangelization” needs to be a regular component of congregational life. The results, by the grace of God, can be remarkable.

Thomas Brauer

Ministry at the edges of Church and culture is a challenge, to say the least.  It is often hard to discern which particular edges should attract our limited mission attention (and budgets).  With challenges in finding both people and money for long-term mission projects, it is often helpful to find “one off” mission opportunities which can still work to build community, offer opportunities for discipleship,  even worship, and to build the skills and capacities of potential mission volunteers.  Many of our communities have just such mission opportunities, ready made and waiting, in the shape of festivals, fairs, and cultural events.

All the major cities of Canada, and many rural communities, have significant annual cultural events of some sort.  There are theatre festivals, Jazz, Blues, Folk and Rock festivals, fall fairs, rodeos, and agricultural exhibitions almost every week somewhere in the country.  Many of these events draw significant crowds and offer tremendous opportunities to serve many people at one go.  Yet these events are often neglected as mission and ministry opportunities for churches.

Where to start?

So, let’s say you have a passion for mission, and live in a community with a festival or cultural event coming up. Where do you begin to plan for mission to that festival’s community.

Step One is to find a group who might be interested in serving with you – this is your mission team.  They should be willing to give their time, and energy, and they should share your vision of service.

Step Two, is, gathering your team together, pray for God’s wisdom, and guidance as you ask yourselves the following questions:

1. Who is involved in the upcoming festival?

(think of patrons, artists/presenters/contestants, commercial supporters (food venders and such),  residents of the festival area, and anyone else you think might be impacted by the event).

1. How might those involved need to be served?

(go through the list of groups you think are involved one, by one, discerning how they might need/desire to be served.  If you don’t know – find someone involved in the festival to ask.  They’ll tell you.  Usually you won’t be able to serve them all, but you might well be able to serve a few.)

1. What are our capacities?

(spend time thinking about what resources you have – personnel, time, money, space, gifts and talents, etc.)

1. Knowing who is involved, how they might need to be served, and what we have to share, how can we best be of service to the people involved in this event?

(don’t be afraid to go small, perhaps focusing on one involved group and serving a minor need.  It doesn’t have to be big, it just needs to be done with love, and with the intent to serve.)

Step Three is to get the permissions you need.  Do you need a bishop’s approval, or parish or denominational approval?  Do you need municipal permission/licenses?  Do you need permission from festival staff/organizers?  Depending on what you have chosen to do, you might need permission from multiple sources.  If so, get them.  It will make your life much easier later.

Step Four is to make an implementation plan with your team.  Make sure you’re all on the same page, you all know what is going to happen, when, and where.  Also make sure you’re all on the same page about why you’re doing this.  There is always one person who thinks it’s about getting bums in pews.  It’s not.  It’s about serving out of the love of Christ for the sheer joy and purpose of serving.

Step Five is to get to it.  Let people know what you’re doing, that you have permission, and that you want to be a part of the festival fun by serving the festival itself, and get on with it.  Enjoy yourself, and pray often, giving thanks for the opportunity, seeking wisdom for all involved, and pursuing how your team might be of greatest service.

What might this look like?

Perhaps a concrete example or two would be helpful.  I’m involved in a mixed economy church setting in Edmonton.  I’m working to plant a Fresh Expression of Church called the Project, currently based out of Holy Trinity Anglican Church, Edmonton.  Holy Trinity is located within blocks of the Fringe Theatre Festival grounds, and for years has served as a venue for Fringe productions (the Edmonton Fringe Festival is the world’s 2^nd largest Fringe, and has a central festival location).

Two years ago, members of Holy Trinity and I began plotting how we might be of service to the Fringe.  I made the announcement on a Sunday morning that I would be leading a project to serve the festival, and would welcome as much input and support as possible from the congregation.  Together, we discerned who was involved in the festival – we used the language of ‘stake-holders’.  We knew there were artists (foreign and domestic), festival staff and volunteers, vendors, commercial service providers, neighbourhood residents, and patrons.  In all, this was several hundreds of thousands of people (the 2010 Fringe served well over 400,000 patrons, with another 1400 volunteers, several hundred performers and artists, and several dozen staff, not to mention the 20,000 people who live or work in the festival area).  It was clear that we couldn’t serve them all, but it was necessary to now discern the needs of the various stakeholders.  Through long discussion, and working through the questions above diligently, we settled on serving first the artists and patrons that would be coming to Holy Trinity as a venue.  We also thought we could manage serving festival patrons who might need a place of rest and peace between shows during the day, or who might just need a break from the activities of the festival itself.

In the end, we decided we had resources and opportunity enough to offer the artists volunteer support during shows, there by relieving them of the onerous task of finding their own volunteers for box office and ushering duties.  We also operated a concession stand at reasonable costs (most festival venues charge exorbitant rates for concessions as a cash grab).  We provided clean and comfortable green-room space for the artists (a green-room is a room for actors to relax in before and after a show) as well as food and drinks for them.  And we simply went out of our way to be as welcoming as possible to both artists and patrons.

Over and above show time support, we offered three other services during the days of the festival to create a space of rest for tired patrons.  Our biggest hit was the “Green Room Teahouse” where we served (in good Anglican fashion) tea and fresh scones (made to order with our own heavenly recipe served with clotted cream and jam).  We also set up “Father Tom’s Lemonade Stand”.  This was a wonderful way for me to meet people in the community and to talk to folks who were walking by the church building.  The third offering was ‘solace’.  ‘solace’ is a contemplative arts installation located in the nave and chancel of the church, and offers people a place of rest and peace, and an opportunity to (re)engage with Christian spirituality.  One of the most gratifying results of these activities was seeing how many people made one or more of our offerings a daily part of their life for the ten days of the Fringe.  This year, our second year, we saw almost all of last year’s folks come back, and they brought friends.  We ended up serving over 400 scones in 10 days.  A lot of work, but well worth it.

The combined impact of our activities of serving the Fringe resulted in many, many people commenting on how welcome they felt, and how Holy Trinity embraced the spirit of the Fringe in a unique and meaningful way.  From their perspective, we met them where they were, and valued what they valued, and offered a little bit of the peace, generosity and welcome of Christ to them during their festival.  Clearly this worked to build community, but it also created many discipleship/evangelism opportunities as people asked why were doing this, and what we as a Christian church were about.  And it was greatly appreciated by the more than 4000 patrons who made Holy Trinity part of their Fringe in 2009, and the 6,100 patrons did so in 2010.

Now, not everybody has access to the kind of support necessary to serve a festival as large as the Edmonton Fringe in as robust a fashion as we did (year one saw 50 volunteers put in 500 hours, and year two saw 66 volunteers put in 640 volunteer hours).  But there are other ways.

While traveling in the UK, I met a woman who leads missions into New Age Spirituality and psychic fairs and festivals.  These are events that are shunned by many Christians and churches, but she felt that they posed wonderful opportunities to meet people who were actively seeking a spiritual life.

Her process was this: she would rent a space at the fair, like any other vendor or service provider, then she would communicate with local churches to find mature, prayer centred Christians interested in mission to join her team.  Together, they would decorate their booth/table/tent in the classic purple and gold beloved by this community, and would post a sign reading simply “Healing Prayer”.  While most ‘healers’ at such events charge for their ministrations, the ministry team would not, and when someone came seeking prayer, they would explain that they were Christians, and that they were there to serve in love, and that the healing they were offering came not from themselves, but from God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Some people would walk away, but the vast majority were so taken aback that Christians would come to them and offer spiritual support and prayer, that they stayed and often asked many, many questions.  This is a very simple and direct approach to serving the spiritual needs of people in a distinct environment and culture.   It could easily be adapted for any kind of event.  Imagine a booth at a folk festival offering prayer, or one at a business convention, or even just setting up a table on Main Street at noon with a sign reading “willing to listen and pray for free.”

It is astonishing what opportunities for mission there are in festivals and cultural events.  I’ve discussed only two, but I know of several “rodeo churches” that follow the rodeo circuit in the west, and others who open prayer booths at folk festivals and such.  The options for mission are limited only by our imagination, and the gifts of the Spirit.  Which is to say that there are no limitations at all!  If you are looking for opportunities to engage in fresh mission in your community, but don’t have the resources for sustained programs, or ongoing ministry support, I’d encourage you to consider what festivals and cultural events are going on in your area, and how you and a few friends might be able to serve them in the name of Jesus Christ.

Note: for a far from comprehensive list of Canadian festivals, look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_festivals_in_Canada

Or here:

http://www.storytellersdirectory.ca/Pages/CultFest.html

or contact your municipal offices for a list of local events.

Canada is a significant destination for Diaspora Christians around the world, some fleeing persecution, others poverty and war, and some are on the move (I think) because they’ve been called by Christ to missionize the western world—like the Filipino church planter I met in North York who planted an intercultural church in Mississauga which then birthed another congregation in Etobicoke even before the Mississauga church secured their first pastor.

They are not reticent about their faith.  Like the Christians of the early Roman Empire serving the established classes, I am hearing anecdotal evidence of children demanding to go church because their nannies have told them about Jesus, personal caregivers leading seniors to faith in Christ, receptionists praying with clients in the waiting room, and other professionals I dare not name in print lest we jeopardize their timely unawareness of the need to compartmentalize faith so it cannot seep into the workplace.

Twenty years ago, I thought God had brought us the nations of the world so we could share Christ. Now I think I had it backward.  We are the ones who need to learn that faith is no less a passion than World Cup Football, and spiritual conversations are as natural as discussing the weather.  We are the ones who need to forget that our brand of Christianity had its capital in Europe—perhaps temporarily—and remember that the Church has always been the world’s most truly multi-national, multi-ethnic, inter-cultural corporations.  We are the ones who must adjust to the new reality beyond our cultural borders where it is more normal to purchase a theatre to turn it into a place of worship than to sell a church and turn it into condominiums—and that others are doing just that in our midst.

Soong-Chan Rah, a 1.5 generation Korean-American scholar in Chicago has it right when he says that the real wave of transformation in the North American church will not be ushered in by hip young white guys with goatees and book contracts with the Christian media juggernaut, but by intercultural ministries.  First generation immigrants often arrive with a vibrant faith, but with too many cultural barriers to communicate easily into other people groups. Their children, however, who arrive as young people but grow up with vibrant faith and a Canadian education and accent—these 1.5 generation immigrants are shaping up as a formidable force on the Canadian landscape.

Five years ago, I thought that perhaps 50% of church goers in the Greater Toronto area on any given Sunday morning were in black majority or immigrant churches.  No one knows how many unregistered churches there are, but I suspect the percentage of worshippers is much higher today.

We thought it would be of great interest to many Canadians and could even start an online discussion of the issues it raises. At the end of the article we have asked a question to which we would like you to respond!

Share thoughts – August 2010

exploring fresh expressions of church together

Rural fresh expressions

On a rural housing estate in North Oxfordshire, Church Army pioneer Ian Biscoe got to know his neighbours, put on a Christmas talent show at which Alpha was advertised, ran the course, turned it into a Thursday evening discipleship group, and enabled the group to be church. Five years later there were four congregations with 100 to 120 people overall.
David Muir, a pioneer minister in Devon, has offered these ten tips for people wanting to develop fresh expressions of church in rural areas.

1. Do some serious homework on the social realities in your area

The countryside is hugely varied, so beware of generalisations about what ‘country people’ are like.

2. Do assume that countryside people are well disposed to the Christian faith

Most are. So think hard before using language like ‘becoming a Christian’.

3. If you are new to the countryside, get involved

Traditional countryside people will always see you as an in-comer, but it will only take a couple of years to be accepted as an ‘OK in-comer’.

4. Beware of the idolatry of nice village life

This is a temptation for the traditional inhabitants of the countryside and for in-comers seeking their rural idyll.

5. A community centred on its own well-being is a form of selfishness

The church must challenge this rather than collude with it to gain acceptance.

6. Support the church building

It is a social symbol that continues to have some Christian opportunities. Attending funerals will open some doors.

7. Accept that we have lost the battle for weekly public worship

‘Public’ worship was a Christendom idea and we need to let go of it. Think about how else to give expression to a living faith community.

8. Support the vicar

People still want clergy for baptisms, weddings and (most of all) funerals. So support ministers in their traditional roles, and find ways to link their ministries to whatever fresh expression of church you feel called to develop.

9. Refuse to be trapped by geography

Countryside people travel, often quite long distances, to things they really want to go to. So think wide. Doing something ‘just for our little community’ is killing the countryside socially.

10. Think ‘sustainability’ rather than ‘funding’

Evangelism by largesse is another Christendom idea that needs to die. It fosters dependency rather than initiative. Grants run out. So keep it simple. Start what the group can sustain.
Do you agree with David? What else might you add? Have you an experience of rural fresh expressions that you can share? You might like to comment on the Share page, Rural fresh expressions.
For more thought-provoking articles on different aspects of fresh expressions of church, visit the Share website. To discuss with others, join the Share Community.

Subscription options
Fresh Expressions UK has two mailing lists, one for the main e-xpressions newsletter and one for Share thoughts. Subscribe here.

Question: “In what ways do Canadian rural situations differ from, or match, the English rural scene?”

Please key your response in the comments box below. I hope we can get a good discussion started!

Bringing church to Cameron House

by Rev. Cathy Stone

The Rural Outreach Committee (ROC), of which I am Executive Director, works very closely with Cameron House, a shelter for women in Peterborough, Ontario, owned and operated by the Brock Mission.  Cameron House staff answer ROC’s emergency crisis line evenings, weekends and statutory holidays.  It is not uncommon for us to share cases and also at times to debrief with each other. 

During one debrief, a Cameron House staff person mentioned to me that it would be wonderful if I could “bring church to Cameron House.”  I asked permission from Brock Mission’s Executive Director, Bill McNabb, as well as Trent Durham Bishop, Linda Nicholls and was given the “green light”.

We began on Mother’s Day 2008.  In the beginning I met with a group of 6 to 8 ladies at the women’s shelter and asked them what they thought was needed in the way of spiritual nourishment.  They all expressed a strong desire to learn more about Jesus and God. Although a few had attended church in the past, they really had no idea of why they were Christians.  They acknowledged that they were burnt out, sad, and hoped that there was something “out there” in the way of spirituality that might help them.

We began with a Christianity 101 Course, which I adapted especially for our group.  We took time for prayer, worship, bible study and discussion.  Through these discussions it was revealed to me that most (if not all) of the ladies had suffered from sexual, physical or emotional abuse as children, and also later as adults.  Many had addictions to drugs and/or alcohol.  They had families that either they could not connect with, or who didn’t wish to connect with them.  Many had been “hurt” by the church, and didn’t trust the corporate church system or “church people.”

I wondered how I was going to bring Christianity into their lives, and also be a practical help to their many ailments, both physical and emotional.  After much thought and discussion with Cameron House staff, we settled on working our way through “The Twelve Steps for Christians,” and “The Life Recovery Bible.”  I spoke to a Christian friend of mine and she offered to buy 12 Life Recovery Bibles.  By that time our group had grown to 10.

The results have been wonderful and we have seen God’s work over the last year and a half.  We began holding our group around the table in the dining room at Cameron House (not always perfect because other residents tended to walk in and out to use the fridge),  but now we have our own beautiful room. An individual donated a large pine table and chairs, and the ladies and I feel as if it is our “God space.”  The house itself has changed.  Where it was once quite messy and dirty, we now see women helping each other to organize rooms and tidy things up. Instead of blank stares or frowns, I notice smiling faces when I drive up to what has now become my second family.  They are so full of love and so in need of someone to love them.

We have had some success stories… One woman who was homeless and poverty ridden when I met her in 2008 has now received funding to complete her Masters of Social Work; three of those who met with us have been baptized at St. Barnabas; another requested that her new apartment be blessed; still another revealed to me recently that she has stopped drinking and smoking and will be attending a program, as well as continuing on with our group. She thanked me for coming every week and said, “I know I couldn’t do this without Jesus.”

It is not just the ladies in residence we help, but those who find other shelter continue to come back on Wednesday evenings to share our mutual love for Jesus and our desire to learn more about God’s word and how it is relevant in our everyday lives.  We share very intimate things around the table and what is said in the room stays in the room.  This has built a strong bond and trust with each other.  We laugh, cry, pray, discuss theology, study the bible and sing worship songs.

Through our study of The Twelve Steps for Christians we have come to learn that every one of us suffers from addictions.  It doesn’t have to be substances, it can be computers, work, selfishness, pride, religion…anything that separates us from God.  This revelation helped the ladies to understand that they are not alone with their problems, and that, although society views them as outcasts, God loves them unconditionally and gives them hope for a brighter future.

When I first told the women that I was an Anglican Deacon they were amazed.  Sadly our “Anglican” name doesn’t have the appeal it once had in society.  However, they have opened their minds and have learned not to judge by a few who might have hurt or misled them, and to realize that within every group there are “good” and “bad.”

Usually I wear my collar, out of respect for them…but one day I didn’t have time to change into my clergy shirt.  One lady said to me: “I think you look better without the collar.”  I laughed and said, “I’m the same person, with or without.”  During one session we were discussing what a “blessing” is.  They looked at me in unity and one said: “Cathy you are a blessing…to us.”  I was extremely humbled.  They are such a blessing to me that it never occurred to me that I might be a blessing to them.

On one particular Sunday I took one of them to church upon her request.  On the drive in she revealed to me that she was a crack addict and had only stopped using two nights ago, but she still wanted to go to church.  We no sooner arrived when she needed to use the washroom to vomit.  I helped her up from her knees, washed her face and took her up to church, but she was just too sick to stay so I drove her home.  Afterwards, when I returned to church and the coffee hour, one parishioner revealed to me her own problem with alcohol, and another spoke of an adult son with addictions.  Our Cameron House lady’s presence at church helped others open up about their own struggles.

This fresh expression of church can help not only society’s outcasts, but also society itself, by offering those who live on the edge a second chance to become healthy members of society and to bring to them the “Good News” of Jesus Christ in a safe environment.

The church family at Cameron House is a beautiful thing to witness and I feel blessed to be a part of their lives.

Rev. Cathy Stone is a deacon in the Diocese of Toronto and Executive Director of the Rural Outreach Committee.

story by Laura Mueller, copyright Perth Courier

Peter McCracken, Rev. Christine Piper and Thor Stewart have joined together to start up a Tuesday-night youth ministry based on skateboarding. Melissa Di Costanzo

Where signs warding off skateboarders once hung, a new movement to blend skating culture with Christianity is taking root.

Tonight, Christian rock music will blare from the speakers as kids take advantage of the only place in town they can skateboard indoors. When their boards hit the ramps, they will be taking part in a new iteration of a global Christian movement called Fresh Expressions that is making the teachings of the Anglican church accessible to people who haven’t felt a connection to the traditional church…

read more

It all started with a call from the office (on my day off).   A church staff member informed me that a woman from another church in our denomination had contacted our church to see if I’d be willing to visit her dying husband.

He was in a palliative state and she wanted to know if I could be available to help care for him until he died, and then do his funeral.  When this request was first relayed to me (this is hard to admit) I responded in a less than positive way.   The family lived over an hour away, and while their church was without a pastor at the time, I didn’t really feel like taking on the added responsibility.  

My thoughts were fairly selfish, I know, but the idea of spending weeks or possibly months on the road troubled me.   It took a few minutes to reluctantly get my head on straight.  Then I returned the woman’s call.

She was quite reticent in making her request, but didn’t know what else to do or where else to go. She said she could pay me for my time.  Being the big-hearted guy that I am, I feigned that time and money were not a concern in matters such as these.  Then we set up a meeting time for Thursday (convenient for me); three days down the road.

That night I woke up having had a dream about the dying man.  I couldn’t recall the details, but I do remember having a strong sense that I needed to visit him right away.  After re-scheduling the appointment the next morning, I sat down to begin writing my sermon for the upcoming Sunday; on a film called The Dark Knight (it’s a story about how good and evil reside in all of us, and how there are bigger forces for good holding all of life together, keeping this world; in spite of our often divided hearts).  My message came quickly and was uncharacteristically completed in two hours.

This left me a bit more time and space for my palliative sojourn. 

And yet I continued to grumble, all the way to this dying man’s house.

Closing the door of my car in front of their home, I remember praying, “Help me get my heart in the right place for this God.”  Within minutes, I was sitting beside his bed.   The moment I laid eyes on him I could see that death was near; pallid grey skin, purpled bruising, agonized gasping.  His arm was elevated on a blanketed bedside table in order to help him breathe.

He was asleep when I entered.  But his wife immediately woke him up – for me.  I felt like I was intruding on the last bit of peace this man had.

Yet, the moment he awoke, he immediately lifted his dying hand to shake mine.  I can still see his laboured effort in slow motion; using almost all of his limited resources he weakly raised his trembling hand to properly greet me.  “If a dying man can do that for me,” I thought, “how can I possibly begrudge a one hour trip to come see him?” 

He didn’t have a lot of energy for dialogue.  For most of the time his wife and I did the talking while he, fading in and out of consciousness, listened in.  She handed me a piece of paper with the words John 7:37-38 written on it.   “This is the passage he’d like you to preach at his funeral,” she whispered.   I opened my bible, searched the text out and then read it.  

“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”

Then I asked the man why he chose it.  With a weak, gravelly voice he said, ”Because we’re the vessels…”    To be honest, I didn’t understand what he meant at first.  Now I do.  

A few minutes later I asked if I could pray with the two of them.  Hand in hand in hand I read Psalm 23 – The Lord is my shepherd – and then prayed one of those prayers where even you find yourself listening in to what’s being said.  It was one of those times when the Spirit seems to be subtly leading.

Earlier in our meeting the man’s wife had told me that all she really wanted was for him to die peacefully, “In his sleep, at rest.”  Building on her desire, I prayed that God would indeed take him soon, but then I added, “And not just in his sleep Lord, but in the middle of a beautiful dream… in the middle of a dream where he’s breathing freely, and running in a wide open space, filled with delight…  in the middle of that kind of fully alive and free experience, take him home…  and then let that moment live on forever.”  For a second the beauty of the image took my breath away.  

After finishing the prayer, as I was getting up to leave, I grabbed the man’s hand again and said, “I promise that I’ll do your funeral in a God honouring way.  I’ll do the best that I can.”    

Then I left for home.   Content. 

It wasn’t until the next morning that I received the voicemail.  The woman had called overnight to let me know that her husband died 7 hours after I’d left, at 11:00 pm.   When I heard the words I gasped, and then let out a deep cry.   The kind of cry you cry when you feel totally convicted of your selfishness and sin, while at the same time being held by this amazing sense of God’s forgiving grace and goodness.  So many ‘what ifs’ ran through my head.

I immediately called the woman back.  She saw the timeliness of my visit as nothing short of a miracle.    A miracle!  

How can that be?  Even as my heart was so reluctant and out of line, God was working out his perfect will with a timing that was just right for this woman and her family.

How incredible is that?  It truly was a miracle.   God it seems -perhaps more often than we know – works in spite of us.

“Because we’re the vessels…”

What is unique about the Christian faith, I shared, is that God came to Earth as one of us, the very best of us, and so the starting point is not that we have to do the impossible, but that in living the life we could not, and conquering death for us, God has already done it.  Of course our faith has rules and laws, including the Ten Commandments, but as a worshipful response to God’s loving gift of eternal life, rather than as a prerequisite.  He told me he had never heard the gospel story all at once before, and when it came time to go, my new friend was reflectively saying, “that makes a lot of sense” before we traded email addresses to keep in touch. 

What friend of yours echoes a familiar story from scripture?  Do you know a prodigal like the one in Luke 15?  Someone worshipping a nebulous “Unknown God” like those Paul met in Acts 17?  A curious reader like the one Philip met in Acts 8?  As we continue to grow as disciples of Christ, and naturally share our faith with family, friends, and even with new friends as I did this Spring, our witness will often follow the shape of such stories in scripture. Luke 18:18-27 (The Rich Young Ruler) – A certain ruler asked him, ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honour your father and mother.” ‘ He replied, ‘I have kept all these since my youth.’ When Jesus heard this, he said to him, ‘There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But when he heard this, he became sad; for he was very rich. Jesus looked at him and said, ‘How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’  Those who heard it said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ He replied, ‘What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.’ (NRSV)

Social networking sites are a big deal these days. Love them or hate them, they are a part of the new reality of how people, especially young people, choose to interact with each other online.

This past year in my work as a cyber-evangelist I have invested some time in looking at ways to interact with people through social networking. It can be a great way to reach out to people and help them become followers of Jesus. Although the principles outlined here can apply to different online ministry situations, my examples come from working through Facebook

Whose Profile Is This Anyway?

When you set up your personal profile online for a social networking site there are many decisions to make. How much information will you disclose and to whom? Do you want to display a funny or a serious picture of yourself? (A close-up shot is best, I think, for easy recognition.) Who will you invite and who will you accept to be your friends online?

While these are important decisions, the first and most important decision that you will have to make about your witness online is actually something that you won’t type in when you set up your profile info. Who really owns this profile? Who calls the shots? Who sets the priorities? Is it you or is it the Lord whom you serve? If Jesus is in the driver’s seat, then that will make a big difference about how you use your time, what kinds of things you will and will not attach to your profile and who you will seek to interact with.

Telling Your Story

Just as in real life, it is always good to be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is in you (See I Peter 3:15 for a great guideline as to how to interact online.) You can post the story of how your life was changed by your faith in Christ in the “notes” section of your Facebook profile. The power of your online faith-story can be multiplied. You can grab the url address from your faith-story, repost it in the mini-feed section, refer to it in other documents and use it as a part of your online signature.

Making Every Move Count

A key principle is to ask yourself what purpose every activity or potential activity in the social networking environment can serve. There are huge numbers of funny and fascinating applications out there that can help bring you closer to people. Not all of them are equally good for helping you to get in touch with spiritual “seekers.” 

Some of them can turn into timewasters. Some of them can send people confusing messages about who and what you really represent. Beware of undercutting your message once you’ve let it be known through your profile that you are a follower of Jesus. Lots of application activities can simply be a tool to bridge the gap and create “meaningful touch moments”. The key is to be discerning and intentional about their use.

Send virtual flowers, play silly online games, tag your friends in your photos, post funny videos . . . but do it for a purpose and do it with integrity. If you are an interesting and caring friend in real life, you can find ways online to show your friends that you are interested in them and that you really care . . . if that is your goal.

Real Faces, Real People

The more meaningful experiences you have online in this environment to talk about your faith are likely to be with people you have already met. That’s not to say that you can’t have meaningful interactions with a total stranger whom you have only met on the Internet. By searching via the avenues suggested by Facebook, you can sometimes find long lost friends or keep up with someone you seldom see. Ask God to guide you and give you ideas of who to establish or re-establish contact with.

If you only have Christian friends on your profile and you all talk about church or “Christian stuff”, it’s not likely that your profile will have much influence or prove very attractive for your non-Christian friends. Choose to highlight those things that those who aren’t Christians yet can relate to. Be sensitive to their needs. You might think that the latest video that you found on GodTube is hilarious, but will your non-Christian friends you are trying to influence “get it”? Or will they feel excluded?

Care To Share?

Sites such as http://www.iamnext.com, the outreach focused website where I work, attempt to provide online material that helps to bridge the gap between the interests and needs of many non-Christians and the gospel. Consider posting an article on your profile from a website designed to reach out to those who aren’t yet believers. Be choosey. Passive posting where people come to visit you and observe your interests is one thing. It’s probably not a good idea to overwhelm your non-Christian friends by actively inviting them to lots of events or actively sharing material with them. An annoying friend is not a friend for long.

The Facebook application “Life Questions” (http://www.facebook.com/apps/application.php?id=6611135350&b=&ref=pd) designed by our sister site invites your visitors to dialogue with you over a particular evangelistic article or a explanation of the gospel. I hope we will soon see a version of this application for iamnext.com.

Going Out On Chaplaincy Duty

I have found that another good way to “bridge the gap” is by joining groups where I share a common interest or experience with others. I have found that it is easier to initiate conversations that go past the surface when you find people who recognize a need in their lives. Sometimes people in this position are willing to share their own story and receive a part of your life’s experience in return.

I have found ways to bring Christ into the picture by operating from a starting point of a particular problem or experience I have had. Thus, I have had the chance to engage in a kind of “online chaplaincy” by looking for opportunities to help. Some of the interaction takes place on discussion boards and public wall postings, but most of it goes back and forth through private email messages to an individual looking for help.

Keeping It Tidy

A key to making online ministry from a social networking site work is being disciplined about maintenance. I re-prioritize and “weed” my page constantly for objects that are repetitive or don’t serve a purpose. Clutter is the enemy. I want to keep those points that are the most important for pointing people to Jesus at the top of my profile and let the rest of the “amusing stuff” and “interesting stuff about me” sink to the bottom.
Follow Me As I Follow Christ

Social networking is a very relational way of sharing Christ with others, both those you know personally and those you don’t. This article is only meant to be a first introduction to an idea that might be new to some. I’m learning all the time about how to be more effective in online witness. The essence of this type of witnessing is very incarnational. By asking people to take a look online at who we are, we ask people to look at Jesus who inhabits our daily lives.

If you want to know more about what I’ve discovered about ministry through social networking, ask me. If you are on Facebook and you want to look at what I have done on my profile to reach out to those outside the Church, feel free to (temporarily) join the Ottawa Facebook network and observe my profile.

Catherine Savard is a commissioned staff worker with Campus for Christ, working with the Campus Internet Ministry in content development. Catherine blogs at www.midnightoil.squarespace.com – Midnight Oil: Movies and More.

So it is with most spiritual conversations.  We enter them unprepared, in the midst of other, seemingly irreligious activities.  My most fruitful spiritual conversations have taken place in living rooms, coffee shops, ambulances and climbing gyms.  They are the conversations I relish most as a priest, and yet they arise regularly in my personal, everyday relationships, the ones that all Christians share.  It is through these spiritual conversations with everyday Christians in everyday situations that people reguarly come to faith in Christ.

If you are like most Christians, I imagine such spiritual questions have been asked of you by friends or family, and you have been equally unprepared.  Why do you go to church?  What is it like?  What do you believe about this, or that?  These conversations can provoke fear and anxiety for the average Christian.  I belive this likely comes from an impression that we need to be Billy Graham, that a spiritual conversation only succeeds if it leads someone from spiritual nothingness to full-fledged discipleship.  This is seldom true.  Good spiritual conversations are seldom one-time encounters, but usually just another chapter in a long spiritual journey shared by two or more friends, in the venerable tradition of the Emmaus Road. 

In my case, I was unprepared to answer my friend’s questions, being unfamiliar with the book he had read and the challenges to Christianity that it posed.  A knee-jerk reaction would have ended the conversation, but with my offer to read the book and respond, we entered into a spiritual conversation that lasted months and led us to much deeper questions.

The Gospels record the spiritual conversations Jesus had with people in the midst of everyday life, such as the woman at the well.  His followers, like Philip, carried on the tradition, and we as his disciples today are called, in fact commanded, to keep sharing the story. 

My wife Marci and I were sitting at a table in a crowded restaurant in our city of Edmonton. It was a Sunday evening, and we were attending a regular Sunday night ‘open mike’ –  an opportunity for local musicians to get up in front of a  microphone, sing their three songs, and then sit down again  and listen to the efforts of their fellow musicians. We had  been attending this particular open mike for a couple of years,  and had gotten to know quite a few of the musicians,  including the host, a bubbly and gregarious aging hippy who, I  had discovered, was also a recovering alcoholic. She had  come to sit at our table while one of the musicians was  playing, and we were chatting about another musician who  was causing her some grief at the open stage. “What do you  think I should do?” she asked. And then she surprised me; “I  guess what I’m really asking”, she continued, “is, ‘What  would Jesus do?’”

Reflecting on this conversation later on, I couldn’t help  remembering how flabbergasted this woman had been when she had first discovered that I was a pastor. A friend and I were helping her set up the PA  system one night, and my  friend made some comment about me being a man of the cloth. “Cloth?” the host exclaimed; “What cloth is that – a  tablecloth?” And then, as it gradually dawned on her that my friend was serious, I saw a look of absolute horror flash across her face. Her attempts to backpedal were so funny, I wished I’d had a camcorder with me.

I’ve been playing folk music all my life, but in the last three years, for the first time, I’ve stepped out of my Christian bubble into the live music community here in Edmonton. I started playing at a Monday night open stage run by Chris Wynters (of the Edmonton band ‘Captain Tractor’); from there I discovered other events, in pubs and coffee shops, and I began to make a whole new community of friends. I was not doing this out of any overt evangelizing agenda; I simply wanted to find a way to relax in the city, and music seemed like a good way to do it. But it has been interesting, as I’ve gotten to know people in the music community, to see how many opportunities I’ve had to be a witness, or simply a caring Christian presence.

A local songwriter hosts a monthly songwriter circle at his house; I’ve participated in it fairly regularly for a couple of years, and we’ve become good friends. He says he is an agnostic, but I often kid him that he seems to write a lot of songs about the God he’s not sure is there! Sometimes he asks me for my thoughts on lyrics he’s writing – usually when the lyrics have references to God in them. These conversations lead in some really interesting directions. Last year this friend agreed to participate in a fundraising concert for Habitat for Humanity which was held at our church. This was very good for our concert – it brought in a few people who wouldn’t have been there otherwise. But I think it was also good for my songwriting friend; he has a pretty low opinion of organized religion in general and clergy in particular, and I think his participation in the concert gave him an alternative view.

Another new friend and I have started playing gigs together; he is a very fine lead guitarist and has also helped me record some of my songs at his home studio. I asked him to help out this past December with a special musical number we were doing at our Nine Lessons and Carols service at St. Margaret’s Church; he and his girlfriend came to the service, and afterwards she commented on how much she enjoyed it and how she was hoping to be able to drop by on an ordinary Sunday sometime, when we weren’t doing a ‘special’ service. Last time my wife spoke to her, she had bought a daily devotional book and was finding real inspiration in reading it every day.

What’s the secret? I don’t think it’s especially complicated. I think you need to find something that you are really interested in doing, and then find some non-Christian people to do it with. And the objective, at the beginning, can’t be overtly evangelistic; people seem to sense instinctively when you are only there to convert them, and they don’t tend to respond well to that approach! I didn’t begin to attend open mikes to evangelize; I went because I wanted to play music. But, once I was there, I decided to be myself: not just a musician, but also a follower of Jesus. And because I’d earned the right to be heard – both in terms of being a credible musician, and also in being genuinely interested in other people’s lives and willing to listen to their stories – well, then the opportunities for witness gradually began to come my way.

One thing I have resisted is the temptation to sing ‘evangelistic’ songs. I’ve been at the open mics when others have done that, and I can almost feel the audience’s resistance rising. To me, the songs I sing are simply a bridge I build into the lives of the people who are listening. Afterwards, when we’ve become friends over a few months’ worth of coffees and hours of listening to music together, I can use that bridge to speak a word of witness at the right time.

I don’t think I’ve got it quite right yet; I can’t report any spectacular conversions, and I suspect that at times I’m still a bit too backward about speaking about my faith. But for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m really engaging in regular relational evangelism. And I’m excited to see what the Holy Spirit is going to do with it.

At least, don’t do it on an average Sunday. Unless, of course, your friend has said, “You know what? I would just love to see how an Anglican church operates on a typical Sunday when you’re not making special allowances for visitors. That would really be my idea of a good time.” That would be different.

In general, however, that is not the attitude of the Canadian non-church-going public. To the majority, the idea of going to church is not high on their checklist of goals to fulfill before they die. So there needs to be some reason why, if you were bold enough to invite them, they might be bold enough to say yes. What kind of reason might that be? Let me suggest two:

1. There is something special going on at church which they might be interested in:

• Carol Services are great for this. Everybody loves a carol service. The tunes are familiar—if only because we’ve been hearing them at Shopper’s since the day after Halloween.
• The Blessing of the Animals, liturgical challenge though it may be, is intriguing to someone who doesn’t normally come to church.
• In St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Dallas, Dean Kevin Martin does an annual service to thank workers in the food industry in the city. They come in their droves. They have never been thanked publicly like that—let alone by the church.
• A sermon series can be of interest to people. At the local street festival a year ago, my own church invited passers-by to write on a flip chart the questions they would most like to ask God, promising that the sermons in the following months would address those questions.

2. If our hope is that our friends will find something attractive about the expression of Christian faith they find at church—might there be other settings where they could experience that more easily than in the unfamiliar setting of a church service?

What about “half-way house” events, where the spiritually curious can encounter Christians and their spirituality outside the context of as Sunday service? Jenny Andison, in her helpful booklet, Doors into Faith: Inviting Friends the Join the Big Game (Wycliffe Booklet on Evangelism #4), has great suggestions. Here is a sampling of some possibilities churches have tried:

• What about forming a group of friends—Christians and others—who meet to watch movies with spiritual themes and discuss them?
• How about a nice dinner to which you invite a Christian speaker known in the community—an athlete, perhaps, or a local MP—to talk about their work and their faith?
• Many Canadians would like to make a difference to this country’s problems. I heard recently of a man who had first encountered followers of Jesus when he offered to help with the food bank at their church, and then gradually found his own way to faith.

Having said we need suitable events, of course, we want to be sure that if we take the risk of inviting someone, they will be well-received. To be honest, I’m simply not going to risk their feeling alienated and my being embarrassed unless the greeting system is warm, competent and genuine. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen, and the horror stories are legion. (I have written more about the art of welcoming in the Wycliffe Booklet #6, From Visitor to Disciple: Eight Ways Your Church Can Help.)

Let’s assume then that (a) there is a suitable event that our neighbour might actually be interested in and that (b) as far as we can tell, it will be a positive experience.  What then?

Here are three practical things I find helpful myself:

• I like to have an official invitation card or flyer about the event to give. Apart from anything else, it saves me explaining every single detail, and provides a reminder after the conversation is over.
• I want to be fairly sure there really is a natural connection between my friend and the event. My neighbour’s 10-year old bought a goldfish bowl from us during the local garage sale in the summer. In September his mother told me he had now bought a goldfish to live in the bowl. So I said, “I wonder if he’d like it to bring it to church for St. Francis’ Day when we bless people’s pets?” “Wow, that sounds neat!” she replied. Without the goldfish connection, the invitation would have sounded a little forced. With the goldfish, it was the most natural thing in the world.
• I always try to give people an out—“Of course, I know that’s a busy time of year” is a fairly safe one—which makes it easy for them say no. I might even say, “Personally, I hate pushy religious people, so I’m a bit nervous to suggest this . . .” Usually that reassures people, because you’ve shown consideration for their feelings—and clearly you’re not pushy!

Will it still be scary? Probably. Hey, I’m a Professor of Evangelism, and I certainly find my heart beats a bit faster when I’m inviting someone to a church event. But fear is not the worst thing that could happen. Some of the most rewarding things we ever do were scary once. I find I am encouraged by that book title which says, Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway. It’s not bad advice.

(This article first appeared in The Anglican, newspaper of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, in February 2008.)

Coming to Christian faith is often a long and complex process involving many steps.

Take Dave, for instance. Though his parents never went to church, his grandmother had a reputation for being “religious” and told him stories of Jesus. At university, he had been intrigued to discover in a history of science course how many of the great scientists were also thoughtful and articulate Christians-Kepler, Newton, Boyle, and Maxwell, for example. When he got a job with an innovative high tech firm, he found that one of his colleagues was a person of quiet but firm Christian faith. They talked sometimes about the historic connection between science and faith, and Sam invited Dave to a lecture by a leading physicist on “Why I am a Christian.” Dave found it thought-provoking.

Dave and Sam hung out together sometimes on the weekends. Dave was impressed by Sam’s integrity and enjoyed his sense of humour. So after six months or so, when Sam invited him to a Sunday afternoon discussion group about the Bible for young singles who were figuring out their spirituality, Dave was interested to go. Then he checked out Sam’s church, to which some of the group also went, on a Sunday when they were doing a jazz mass, and, to his surprise, he liked it. A year later, he decided to be baptized.

Dave, as you may have guessed, is a composite of many people, but I have heard enough stories of this kind to know it is a pattern: a long-term friendship with someone who is genuine in their faith, plus a special event or two, plus plenty of time for reflection and asking questions, some experimentation with church, and then a thoughtful commitment.

This edition of good idea! looks at one place where churches often fail to help people who are taking that kind of step towards Christian faith: the special event. We often assume that if we make our churches friendly enough, and the liturgy contemporary enough, new people will flock in. Well, that may be true for some.

But there are many for whom a regular Sunday service is unlikely to be an accessible door through which they can move towards faith. For Dave, the lecture by the physicist was on a Thursday evening on a local university campus. The Bible study was on a Sunday afternoon, over a glass of wine in a young couple’s apartment. And his first Sunday service was a little out of the ordinary. Each event was a stepping stone on the way, and each was more user-friendly than a “regular” Sunday for a non-churchgoer like Dave.

There are many forms this kind of bridging event can take.

• I know one family who every summer invite their neighbours to watch a thought-provoking current movie on a wide-screen TV in their back yard. Significant conversation about big issues of life and death always follows over hot chocolate.
• Many churches in the past thirty years have invited hockey legend Paul Henderson to be an after-dinner speaker, to talk about his hockey, his life and his faith.
• I recently heard of two clergy in England who have begun running regular discussions about spiritual issues in their local pub: the program is called “Pints of View.”
• And Jenny Andison, in a recent Wycliffe Booklet on Evangelism, Doors into Faith: Inviting Friends to Join the Big Game, gives more examples to stimulate our creativity.

Future editions of good idea! may feature some of these events. This edition, however, examines two churches, one in Eastern Canada and one in the West, who have made classical music just such a stepping stone towards faith. As it happens, both have run their programs in the church and on a Sunday. But in neither case is it in the form of a regular Sunday service. St. John’s Shaughnessy, Vancouver, has experimented with performances of Bach Cantatas, which were originally composed to be performed in the context of a church service, with a sermon on the relevant texts. And Stone Church in Fredericton NB has offered evening concerts of sacred music entitled The Great Composers Tell a Great Story, highlighting the Christian narrative that underlies much classical music.

If evangelism is helping people take steps towards faith in Jesus, and if those steps can take several years, we need to be sensitised to how we can help. A lively and welcoming church is often a piece of the puzzle. A friendship with a Christian is usually a key part of the process. But between the friendship and the normal life of the church there is often a great gulf fixed. Probably the journey to faith will never be an easy one, but the church can at least remove some of the unnecessary difficulties. One way to do that is by creating the sort of stepping stones which special events provide along the way.

This is available for sale in Audio CD format.
Purchase a copy for $15 Plus GST and $1 Shipping:

McLaren tells the story of his friend April, as she moved gradually towards Christian faith through an email conversation with him.  Essential insights for evangelizing postmodern people.