Reflections

Mark is a current student in the Diaconal Ministries program at the Centre for Christian Studies.  Mark writes: “ I don’t need to tell you that the life of a minister can be busy. When you add on a family life, and full time school to your 3-point charge it becomes quite a workload. But…

Principal Maylanne Maybee writes: So far, just enough people have registered for next week’s Annual General Meeting of Friends of CCS to meet our quorum (15 voting Friends, at least five Anglican and five United Church), but more is better. What if there’s a snowstorm or someone falls on the ice? Every Friend counts, every…

Principal Maylanne Maybee writes: In the last two weeks I have participated in or thought about circles in a number of ways. Top of the list are the circles we encourage you to create in your home communities to participate in the Annual Meeting on the theme of Celebrations and Challenges, on Wednesday, February 29…

Dave Robinson is a former CCS student and a member of the CCS Communications and Promotions Committee.  He currently lives in Toronto with his spouse and daughter, working as Director of Congregational Development for the Diocese of Toronto. In Dave’s Words: “In September of 1985 I walked in the doors of the old CCS on…

Staf Reflections from January, 2012: This month, in preparation for this staff report, we took the opportunity to reflect on the presence of volunteers within the CCS community.  First and foremost, we are enormously grateful for the generosity and support of the folks who serve this institution.  We are convinced that our volunteers share our…

Staff reflections from November, 2011: Since last spring the staff team have taken up the challenge of reflecting on a variety of themes that affect our work in these reports to Council.  In May, given the number of staff changes at CCS, we reported on our discussion about transition.  CCS culture was the topic we…

Staff reflections from October, 2011: Last month’s report reflected on the theme of staff teaming.  We shared our excitement about the staff team development day held on August 30.  Emerging out of that time was a vision for teaming which we recently agreed to articulate as: Sharing a commitment to CCS, the staff will value…

Staff reflection from June, 2011: Culture refers to a group or community with whom we share common experiences.  The concept of culture can indicate broad categories such as ethnicity, economics, class, race, or nation.  As well, the idea of culture can be applied, at a more micro level, to organizations like CCS or even sub-groupings…

January and February are report-writing season at CCS, as the various committees get ready for the Annual Meeting.  As the Ted was preparing the staff report he went back to look at the monthly reports we send to Central Council.  In the last year we’ve taken to, besides reporting on day-to-day tasks around the office,…

Maylanne writes: My mother has been sorting family documents and came across something among the papers of my great grandmother Margaret Black: it was a typed resolution, dated circa 1905, perhaps from a Church women’s group, which said in part: UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED: that as it has been felt to be necessary to organize among friends…

A profile of diaconal minister Mary Ann McFarlane.  In Mary Ann’s words: “ I have been a diaconal minister for over 37 years, having been commissioned by Toronto conference on my birthday in May 1973. I had the privilege of studying in Toronto at The Centre for Christian Studies with classmates such as Marlyne Myles,…

When the song of the angel is stilled when the star in the sky is gone when the kings and princes are home when the shepherds are back with their flocks the work of Christmas begins: To find the lost to heal the broken to feed the hungry to release the prisoner to rebuild the…

Gwenna Moss is a CCS volunteer who has been helping to clean up and organize the files of our former students and graduates.  Here is a story from her about why it sometimes takes longer than you would expect: I think most of you know that I find the files very interesting.  I also find…

“How does it feel to have an award named after you?” asked Deacon Pam Nesbit, President of the newly named  Association of Episcopal Deacons (formerly the North American Association for the Diaconate) while we were sharing an elevator at the recent gathering of the Association of Anglican Deacons in Canada.  Good question.  When I stepped…

Maylanne Maybee reflects on her first weeks as Principal of CCS: It’s now two weeks since I’ve assumed the role of Principal of the Centre for Christian Studies.  My appointment to CCS was announced at the end of April, so I’ve had three months to think about and plan for it.  I spent those three…