July 30, 2020
Thy Kingdom Come
Just last Sunday I had the privilege (or was it challenge?) of grappling with 5 short parables from Jesus about what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. If you want to hear the whole sermon, you can find it on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/Orleansunitedchurch). The Coles Notes version was that the Kingdom of Heaven is all around us, if we take the time to look for it amongst the everyday stuff of life. And so as I prepare to head on summer holidays, and we prepare to welcome Rev. Caroline back from holidays, I thought I might leave you with a few thoughts of where I have seen the Kingdom of Heaven these past weeks.
Even though church life looks very different, I can assure you that the Spirit is alive and well at Orleans United, bringing about good things, Godly things, Kingdom things, all around. When I see the care that our grounds have received – flower beds weeded and watered, lawns mowed and trimmed, birds enjoying the trees and passersby taking a moment to sit on our bench in the shade of the prayer garden, I catch a glimpse of what the Kingdom of Heaven might be like.
When I receive the gracious and kind emails and messages from you, our beloved flock, and from people I have never met but who have found OUC through our online worship, I am reminded that unlikely tools – including online worship – have a way of making the Kingdom come closer for people. It is amazing to know how our Virtch worship services are touching hearts literally around the world – how people feel connected, spiritually fed, part of a wider community, and blessed for their week to come. I received an email just this past week from a retired clergy couple on the east coast who stumbled upon our worship services and were delighted to be present with us (online) on Sunday. Please do continue to join us virtually and to share our online presence with anyone who you think might find it meaningful.
The discernment and discussion of Kingdom matters continues this summer with lively bible studies, book studies, movie talks, weekly men’s breakfast, and the resumption of spiritual direction at OUC. The quality and commitment of our lay leaders in supporting these opportunities for engagement is inspiring to me, and knowing how earnestly you each journey in faith in your own ways offer me another glimpse of how we are building up hearts and souls for the work of the Kingdom.
Witnessing how the Healthy End of Life Project continues to both learn about the needs of our faith community and work towards finding ways to support meaningful living throughout all stages of life has been a source of inspiration for me. This project has been able to shift gears quickly as we faced new ways of relating to each other, and has managed to reach out in interviews and conversations to an incredible array of people from OUC and our wider community. We know that each and every person in the Kingdom of God is valued and cared for, and the work that OUC and HELP are doing here in our community will ensure such compassion is lived out in this time and place.
To be sure this summer has had us face challenges, difficult decisions, and new ways of being that have us feeling stretched, confused, scared, and tired. And as we consider what the fall will look like – at church, at work, at school, in our world – we will be faced with opportunities to practice tolerance, patience, kindness, and understanding in all that we do. My dear friends, I would invite you to consider how it is that in these messy, confusing, possibility-filled times, YOU are working to bring about God’s Kingdom of justice, peace, hope, compassion, and love, in your little corner of the world. I promise you that you are not alone in your efforts – that the Spirit is with you to guide and support you. And your faith community – your clergy, staff, church leadership and church family – are doing our best to journey with you into all that the fall has in store for us. If you need some companionship along the way, give us a call!
Yours in service….in person and on screen,
Molly
July 2, 2020
Summer Sabbath
Summertime is finally upon us, although Mother Nature has been preparing us for quite some time now. We are enjoying fresh picked strawberries and long evenings of sunlight and the occasional thunder and lightning show that both frightens and amazes us. And as vigilance about protecting ourselves and each other continues within our community, many of us are feeling a sense of relief, and an overwhelming sense of exhaustion. It is as if we have been holding our breath for the past 4 months, and we are now collectively exhaling. We realize how hard it has been. We realize how tired we are. We realize that life as we know it has changed, and that adjusting to this new normal is hard work for us all.
As clergy who care deeply for your hearts and souls, we therefore want to gently (yet firmly) remind you of God’s directive that it is time to rest. That it is time for some summer sabbath for us all.
The word “Sabbath” comes from the Hebrew word Shabbat which means “seven.” Seven is a holy number in scripture connected with the Genesis story that tells us God created heaven and earth and all things in six days. At the end of each day God saw what God had created and said, “this is good!”
Then after six days of creative action God rested. The Children of Israel held the seventh day as sacred; a day different from all the others; a day set apart to God. Later, in the Ten Commandments we read “remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. So, what does this have to do with us?
Well as we said, life in quarantine has been hard work. Readjustments, new routines, worry and fear, grief – these all take significant energy from us. And God who loves us dearly, who wants us to have life in abundance, who calls each of us “good”, now looks at creation and says it is time for us to
rest. Time to step away from the things that keep us pushing and running and swirling round, time to rest from the doing and simply be present to being in God’s presence. For some of us that means finding ways to escape city life – patios and back yards and cottages and beaches. For some of us
that means turning off the news, taking a break from statistics and redictions, and finding comfort trusting in God’s presence.
For some that means celebrating the end of a school year that we never could have imagined and finding some ease in schedules and demands. Whatever it is that you need to do to step away from the busy-ness of the world and find rest for your body and spirit, we implore you to do so.
At the church that means we will have a slowing down of the pace. You can still expect meaningful worship each Sunday, and a leadership team who is taking care of the administration and logistics of keeping our church running smoothly. There will be opportunities to engage your heart and mind in movie discussions and bible study. And you can expect fewer emails, less frequent updates, shortened office hours, and rest from the hectic pace we have been following since our world was turned upside down in March.
Caroline will be taking the month of July as holidays and Molly will
be off for the month of August. There will always be one clergy present to tend to the work of the church and the pastoral care needs of the congregation, so don’t be afraid to be in contact if you are in need of support. You can rest, assured that plans are already well underway for the fall with exciting new opportunities for us as a faith community.
But for now, leave all thoughts of September behind and practice savouring the joys and the respite of Summer Sabbath time. Here are some suggestions from the editors at the Salt Project for how you might do that Source: https://www.saltproject.org/progressive-christian-blog/savoring-summer:
As the summer evenings come, go for a walk with God in the cool of the day. If this primordial form of meditative enjoyment was good enough for God (see Genesis 3:8), it’s good enough for all of us!
Go barefoot with Moses. You don’t need a burning bush or an embossed invitation to set those tootsies free. Take a walk around, in your backyard, a local park, or farther afield – it’s all holy ground!
Garden, garden, garden, and when you’re done gardening, garden some more! Whether it’s big-back-yard gardening or community garden gardening or little-window-boxes gardening or something in between, we were created to till and to keep the earth (Genesis 2), to plant flowers and eat cherry tomatoes right off the vine.
And finally, here’s a Blessing for Summer adapted from MyJewishLearning.com: or the lengthening of days, stretching sunshine far past its winter bedtime, For the bright blues and vibrant green and pops of color filling the warm world, For the unrelenting humidity that reminds us to savor the sweetness of cooler breezes, For all the sounds of summer – joyful shouts of children splashing, lingering laughter over meals shared on patios, the clap of thunderstorms demonstrating something more powerful than us, For time spent outside and for good AC when we’re stuck indoors, For sun, for shade, for all these things and more, we thank You.
And may God bless and keep the mosquitoes… far away from us.
Amen.
Yours in service….in person and on screen, Molly & Caroline
July at (virtual) OUC Summer Movie Series:
A Beautiful Day – the Mr. Rogers Story featuring Tom Hanks July 14 from 7 to 8:30pm and July 15 from 10 to 11:30am
Rev. Molly will host this discussion. Please email her at ouc.mollybell@rogers.com to sign up and obtain the Zoom link.
Men’s Digital Coffee – Wednesdays at 8 am – contact Dave Clemis (davidclemis@homemail.com) for an invitation.
On-Line Java Jive – Thursdays at 10 am – contact Kim orleansunited@rogers.com for an invitation.
“Virtch” – Sundays at 10 am on our YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnOu5yFybhiRZ6fGiMIS_9w
Zoom Virtual Sunday School – Sundays from 11:15 – 11:45 – contact Rev. Molly (ouc.mollybell@rogers.com) for an invitation.
Surfing Seniors – David Clemis offers practical help for those wanting to know more about using their devices. For details, please contact David Clemis at davidclemis@homemail.com.
Book Club goes on and on the last Tuesday of the month at 1 p.m. via Zoom. Contact Annemarie Humenuk at kayakforever@gmail.com for details/Zoom invitation.
June 18,2020
The Church’s Work Now is Active Anti-Racism
For the past few Sundays, our Virtch services and our sermons in particular have addressed the matter of systemic racism in society and in the church. As two white women with the privilege of a pulpit and a platform, we have tried to speak into this issue honestly and authentically. We do not have all the answers. We do not know the way forward – not fully, anyway. But we do sense that the time has come for us all to take a stand. It’s time to be engaged in the active work of anti-racism instead of simply trying to be non-racist. And fortunately, we can all learn this way of being and
of justice seeking together, teaching one another along the way. And we trust that it is God’s Spirit who encourages us and goes this way with us!
In this past Sunday’s sermon, I (Caroline) made reference to the work of Resmaa Menakem. He is a black author, therapist and somatic healer. He wrote a book called My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending our Hearts and Bodies. I have yet to read the book,
but have added to my Summer reading list. I appreciate the approach he seems to take: to be reaching for greater understanding, greater compassion, greater intentionality, and greater healing for all affected by racism and racialized trauma. He also offers a free, online e-course designed to help people to “recognize body trauma born out of racism and … start to heal”. The website address is: https://www.resmaa.com/courses
You might also want to watch the recent worship service offered by the Black Clergy Network of the UCC. It was livestreamed on Sunday night and offered powerful witness and word of hope. On YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFiumMG3PE8&feature=youtu.be
We recognize that the work of anti-racism is one that we as adults must address, but also one that we need to be raising within our families, and speaking honestly and intentionally about with our children. This is no easy task. There are ways, however, that we can begin to open dialogues that
are age-appropriate and full of compassion. It is an interesting experience for parents to have a close look at the images their children are consuming – in toys, books, on-line. Do your children experience a variety of cultures, colours, and experiences through their objects of play and learning? Could you look at including more diversity within your playroom?
Another meaningful way to engage the topic of racial justice with your children is through the books you read together. I (Molly) have some books in my library if you are interested in borrowing them to share at story time. Grandparents and aunties can purchase meaningful books to add to their little ones’ libraries. If you are looking for places to find titles, here are a few options:
https://www.todaysparent.com/family/books/kids-books-that-talk-about-
racism/fbclid=IwAR3zc6R5nbjkrF9Q2TSEGzNn6sI7kcrTTl28YvyGNJAveDnG0IhVETN8UPM#gallery/books-that-talk-about-racism/slide-27
https://www.readbrightly.com/how-to-talk-to-kids-about-race-books-and-resources-that-can-help/
Here is just one of the many web resources that offer a variety of options for ways to explore race with children:
https://www.prettygooddesign.org/blog/Blog%20Post%20Title%20One-5new4?fbclid=IwAR0cgs-Bo5bXcunHOwOGV-2_wI70Y4c2EqWXmbbro97sW19aKe-ujXDWD08
Most importantly, in the work that you are doing – the reading, the discussions, the challenging of assumptions, the openness – you are role-modeling for your children what it means to be living out your faith and your commitment to racial justice in real, tangible ways. If you would like to talk more about ways to engage your families in this work, I (Molly) do not profess to be an expert but would be happy to chat with you about this very important topic.
Friends, in this time when it is more important than ever that we exercise compassion, understanding, patience, and care for one another, we want you to know we SEE you, we are WITH you, and we commit ourselves and our faith community to continuing to walk in LOVE and JUSTICE.
Thank you for being brave and vulnerable enough to follow in the way of Jesus. We are not alone. Thanks be to God.
Yours in service….in person and on screen,
Molly & Caroline
June 4, 2020
Virtch
Sitting at the computer on this sunny Monday morning, I (Molly) am realizing that 11 (or is it almost 12) weeks into this new routine, while it feels so very uncomfortable and hard, that I am slowly getting used to the new rhythm of my life. Perhaps you too are feeling that you have found your new normal, strange and unwelcome as it may be.
I think one of the greatest examples of our new normal is the way that we have figured out how we can worship together, apart. The seven-church, seven- minister collective that has joined together to offer weekly worship has now become a really well-oiled machine. We have a weekly rhythm to our planning, preparation and recording of worship each week, and are supported by an incredible host of volunteers to make it all possible. Some one has described our efforts as creating Sesame Street church – a whole bunch of snippets on a common theme strung together.
Others have said they see undertones of Mr. Rogers Neighbourhood when watching. One of the best words we have heard yet came from Scott’s son, Ian, who coined the term “Virtch” from “virtual church” – I think it encapsulates this “thing” that we are creating which is church, but in a new
way. Whatever it is you choose to call our experience, we hope you are finding it a meaningful way to connect with your own souls, with each other, and with God.
As we read about plans of re-opening buildings and re-instating services, we watch closely to see what our siblings in the United States and in other Canadian provinces are doing. For many of us, while we long for a return to what once was, we also feel a deep dread that these moves are too
soon. As clergy, we want you to rest assured that the health and safety of our beloved flock remain our greatest priority in the time to come. Our Council is working hard to discern how it is that we can best care for our congregation and our tenants in ways that are safe and responsible.
What this means practically is that while we might see some smaller gatherings in the future, it is safe for us to assume that we will not be gathering as a larger worshipping community for quite some time. Realistically, we are making plans for on-line worship to continue well into the fall/winter, even into 2021. We know this brings much sadness to you, as it does to us – you have no idea the grief that we as clergy feel as we
mourn the loss of leading in person worship.
However there is Good News dear friends – there always is when God is with us! While we may not be gathering in person on Sundays, the church is far from closed! We have witnessed God at work in so many different ways over the past months, and we see that the church is alive, well, and active
in the world. We have also learned that we can gather virtually for worship and still feel a sense of connection and community, not only within our own congregation but amongst a wider collection of churches. These are blessings in a time when we need some anchors within our weeks, and we pray that Virtch will remain such an anchor for you.
We can promise that until we are able to return to meaningful, in-person worship in our sanctuary, we will strive to offer you a virtual worship experience that gives voice to the prayers and questions of your hearts. As always we remain committed to serving you as your pastors and to
supporting you in your lives of faith….and we are only a phone call or email away. We hold you in our prayers, and we give thanks for the blessing it is to be your clergy in this brave new world we are all living into. God journeys with us every step of the way. Thanks be to God!
Yours in service….in person and on screen,
Molly & Caroline
This Week at (virtual) OUC
Men’s Digital Coffee – Wednesdays at 8 am – contact Dave Clemis (davidclemis@homemail.com) for an invitation.
On-Line Java Jive – Thursdays at 10 am – contact Rev. Caroline (ouc.carolinepenhale@rogers.com) for an invitation.
“Virtch” – Sundays at 10 am on our YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnOu5yFybhiRZ6fGiMIS_9w)
Zoom Virtual Sunday School – Sundays from 11:15 – 11:45 – contact Rev. Molly (ouc.mollybell@rogers.com) for an invitation.
Zoom Coffee/Tea/Wine Break for parents with young children – Tuesday June 9, 8:45 pm – contact Luc Lamadeleine (luc@duuo.ca) for more information and an invitation.