Imagine Church Differently
Thoughts, prayers, anecdotes, opinions, and personal reflections of CCS staff
Over the past two and a half weeks of the Social Ministry spring learning circle, two graduates of the Centre – Denise Davis Taylor (grad 1982) and Christina Paradela (grad 2000) – have been providing care and support to the students in the circle. We asked them to reflect on their experience as chaplains at the learning circle. They wrote …
This morning in the Social Ministry learning circle a group of students is leading a session on the social, political, and spiritual significance of water.
And last week Maylanne was in Wisconsin offering leadership for the Conference of Anglican Religious Orders in the Americas (CAROA), helping them explore the implications of Pope Francis’ Laudato Si and the Conversion of Life for intentional religious communities, and ways that care for creation is connected to care for the poor is connected to the spiritual life.
We’re very excited that CCS grad Gwen McAllister is being ordained into the Anglican priesthood on April 24th at St. John’s Cathedral in Winnipeg. Gwen is being appointed to St. Matthew’s Parish (former parish of CCS Companion Cathy Campbell and home to St. Matthew’s-Maryland Community Ministry). Continue reading “What the Vultures Know”
It’s March 14th, “Pi Day.” (3.14 = π) So in honour of the day, here are some pie charts: Continue reading “Happy Pi Day 2016”
A few years ago CCS grad Kimiko Karpoff created this poem/image for International Women’s Day (March 8) and Hinamatsuri (Girl’s Day in Japan, March 3).
CCS student Tif McNaughton and principal Maylanne Maybee are currently in Beijing as part of a United Church delegation to China. They have been connecting with Chinese Christians and creating stronger relationships between the church in China and the church in Canada.
At noon on Friday, November 27, CCS principal Maylanne Maybee will leave for China with a delegation of 20 people, representing The United Church of Canada. Tif McNaughton, a CCS student, will also be part of the delegation. For almost two weeks they will be guests of the China Christian Council, visiting church members and leaders of the Three Self Patriotic Movement, the state-recognized Protestant Church in China. They will fly to Shanghai, then travel by bus or train to the beautiful garden city of Suzhou, then on to Nanjing for a two-day conference at the Nanjing Union Theological Seminary, then a high speed train to Beijing. Continue reading “Maylanne preparing for trip to China”
On Friday, November 13, longtime peace activists and founders of Project Peacemakers, Bev Ridd and Dianne Cooper, were our guests for Second Fridays. They reflected on Peace – what encourages them, and the significance of story in building a culture of peace. It was a poignant discussion, coming a couple of days after Remembrance Day, and just before news reports started coming in of attack in Paris. Our small noon-hour gathering feels like an importance reminder of the challenge and the need for hope.
Bev Ridd has been the heart and soul of Project Peacemakers since its founding meetings over 30 years ago. She was the key person in working with the Province of Manitoba to call for an implementation of a rating system for video games. She acquired grants from the Winnipeg Foundation for Project Peacemakers to sponsor a banner programme in schools. As her friend Dianne says, “She talks the talk (lots of great ideas) and walks the walk (works at everything we do).”
Dianne Cooper has been a dedicated activist in the struggle for peace and global justice. In her peace activities, she’s been a participant in Witness for Peace, a peace group that traveled to Nicaragua documenting experiences in war zones. She was also a member of the World Council of Churches’ Advisory Committee to the Justice, Peace, and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC) event for four years, and a participant at the JPIC conference held in 1990 in Seoul, Korea. Together with Bev, Dianne was one of the co-founders of Project Peacemakers, a group working for peace and justice from a faith perspective. “We decided we had to get past thinking that this issue was too big to tackle. We didn’t want to tell our kids that we hadn’t at least tried.”
As we enter the fall here at CCS, we are recognizing the space left when Ted Dodd retired this summer. CCS grad Gwen McAllister has been hired on a contract basis to coordinate field placement orientations this month and provide leadership at next month’s Social Ministry learning circle, but we still find things that make us say, “Oh, that’s something Ted did,” or “Ted would know how that works.”
Ted had several opportunities to reflect on his life, his faith, and his ministry in the past year. Believing that everyone appreciates a good Ted talk, Common Threads Working Group member Jeff Cook interviewed Ted this summer, giving him yet one more opportunity to reflect. Here are some snippets of what Ted said: Continue reading “Ted Talks”
CCS’s Scott Douglas is also a playwright, and at the United Church General Council last week his play Maybe One?: A Theatrical History of the United Church of Canada was presented by a group of actors from the London area. (Video from GC42 is available on Youtube. The play starts around 13 minutes in.)
Maybe One? was first written in the 1990s and updated in 2000 for the UCC’s 75th anniversary, and then updated again in 2015 for the church’s 90th. One of the pieces added to the newest version is the final scene: a slam poetry duet on the emergence of “intercultural church.” Continue reading “Slam the Door Open”
We’ve invited a few of our CCS alumni and friends who are currently attending the United Church General Council (August 8-14, 2015 in Corner Brook, Newfoundland) to send us their impressions. What we got was in-depth and insightful.
Jamie Bradshaw graduated from CCS in 2014. For this year’s spring learning circle of the Pastoral Care Year she was invited to volunteer as a chaplain. As you read her reflections on the experience we invite you to think about whether you might consider volunteering 16 days of your time to be a pastoral presence to students. For alumni, this is a great opportunity to re-connect with the community of a learning circle.
Jamie writes:
When I first attended CCS as a student in 2010, I had no idea of what I was taking on, nor how, ultimately, I would be transformed by my experience. Through hard work, determination, gentle prodding and (not so subtle) guidance (at times), and (a lot of) humility as I came to understand myself in different ways, I emerged in 2014… a graduate of both CCS and the University of Winnipeg, and ultimately, a diaconal minister in The United Church of Canada. I thought I was done… finally due for a rest from the hectic pace and unrelenting self examination which was asked of me as a student. Continue reading “Learning to Listen – Reflections on being a Chaplain”
To celebration the 90th anniversary of United Church Union, here is some of the Church School experience of Florence Capsey Karpoff who attended the Presbyterian Deaconess Training School and graduated in 1927. These writings are part of an oral history collected by Florence’s granddaughter Kimiko Karpoff, who graduated from CCS in 2011. Because they are “oral” history, some of the language reflects Florence’s vernacular.
Again I had grades 1 to 9 [to teach], but all English. Most came from the Mennonite families and were enthusiastic about being Saved, about Sin, and about the two Lady Missionaries that had come from down in the States to lead them. I attended every Sunday, as services were in the school, and with me there no one bothered my desk. Me absent and so were many things. [ie. If I wasn’t there, things would go missing.] I walked a bit over 2 miles to school daily, took lunch, did the janitor work and did some planning. Continue reading ““I Was Union””
Last Sunday Irene Rainey was named a Companion of the Centre by the Centre for Christian Studies. Irene is an educator, an advocate, a social justice activist, and committed diaconal minister. We are overjoyed to have her as a Companion. Continue reading “Irene Rainey – Companion”
Ted Dodd’s upcoming retirement from CCS was acknowledged in a speech by Scott Douglas at the 2015 graduation banquet. Ted responded with a thoughtful reflection on what he has loved about his time at the Centre for Christian Studies.