posted on November 28, 2011 in The Messy Table
Advent begins. And together we wait.
Which sounds a bit tedious and pious, and anyways, it doesn’t always feel like waiting, does it? It can feel like the mad dash through an overly-full season ending with the too much of everything experience of Christmas.
But, in church, we try to slow it down a bit. Make Christmas something we can wait for. It makes sense to wait for a birthing story. Usually, that’s how these stories are lived.
posted on November 28, 2011 in Columns, Patricia Schneider
Things will get better, I know that’s true
Because I’ve walked the same road as you.
posted on November 21, 2011 in Columns, The Messy Table
Yesterday was Stir Up Sunday. Also known around Presbyterian circles as goodness-is-Advent-really-next-week-Sunday. But for our Anglican neighbours, it’s about pudding.
More or less.
Adventures in Christmas tree decorating.
posted on November 21, 2011 in Columns, Patricia Schneider
Up the stairs I lug the fair sized box. It contains my Christmas tree. This year I feel a little more enthusiastic about putting it up. (I know widows that refuse to continue putting up trees, but I’m a traditionalist.)
posted on November 14, 2011 in The Messy Table
We climbed a hill on Saturday. It felt good to stretch the legs. There was no great need to climb it, no real goal in doing so. But we had a Saturday morning, and there was a hill nearby. A new friend mentioned recently that she had climbed it with her husband and new baby. She said that the city looked beautiful from the top, so it seemed like a good idea. My kids like to climb hills. And so do I. So we did.
A stoic teenager and an emotional widow.
posted on November 14, 2011 in Columns, Patricia Schneider
One thing I have learned these past few years is how varied grief is. My experience is similar to many yet I find others who are far more stoic, maybe braver, and not nearly as emotional as I have been.
...or school is for fish.
posted on November 7, 2011 in Columns, The Messy Table
Will Braun has recently written an opinion piece called Sunday is not a Day for School for Canadian Mennonite. He is a Winnipeg writer and used to work as editor of Geez Magazine. He often writes about faith and culture from a refreshing and sometimes confronting angle.
A marriage is an imperfect reflection of God's perfect love.
posted on November 7, 2011 in Columns, Patricia Schneider
I have kept a number of emails sent me after Harry died … one from a dear friend who assured me that although time would help, I would probably never get over my grief as my grief was a tribute to a man who loved me for many years.
And perhaps it is true, that the more you love someone the more you grieve.
Reflection is needed for a mature belief.
posted on November 1, 2011 in For the Record
I recently travelled to Stratford, Ont., to see Jesus Christ Superstar for the first time in my life. The rock musical hit the stage in 1971, the same year as Godspell. Between them, they seriously rocked the church world.
I think I was perhaps 11 or 12 when the ripple effect created some waves in the small Nova Scotia town where I was living.
A troupe wanted to stage one of these shows in town. Several classmates were very keen. A number of them had recently “found religion” in a new and very lively church.
Many church stalwarts in town were not so keen, however. Although I really knew nothing about the proposed production, I defended the anti – show position.
Looking back some 40 years later, it struck me how often Christians end up in this defensive posture: a Sunday school understanding of faith railing in ignorance against a perceived evil.
Why does this happen?
Most pointedly, why do we settle for a Sunday school level of understanding of a belief as complex and subtle as Christianity? Those of us who are parents would be appalled if our children left school with such a primitive education. Shoddy, we’d call it.
But when it comes to faith, we are content to accept an elementary grasp of the principles and become upset when others challenge our immature perceptions and prejudices.
In nearly 15 years as a religion editor, I have seen dozens of letters angrily denouncing a published opinion that the writer had learned was wrong in Sunday school. Didn’t these PhDs ever go to Sunday school?
“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways.”
So wrote Paul in his first letter to the fledgling church in Corinth, an ancient Greek city about 80 km southwest of Athens.
The context of his observation is as important as the quotation. Paul is gently correcting a church community that had already begun to fissure over leaders (Peter, Paul, Apollos, Jesus) and the ranking of spiritual gifts.
Paul notes that all gifts are needed in the community for the common good and that the leaders all have a common goal: “We are God’s servants, working together.”
His point is that what are perceived as divisions on the ground fit together when you take a higher, more thoughtful view. Faith and its working out in the world has always been complex.
It is even more complex for 21st – century Christians who have accumulated two millennia of culture and prejudice between us and Jesus’ time. And our only stories about his life remain those coloured by the various communities who passed them on.
Partly as a result of this, Christians are still divided over which books exactly are authoritative for the faith. This is the subject of James Thomson’s Theology 101 article this month.
Theology 101, now in its third year, is one of the ways we hope will help people develop a deeper understanding of their faith. We are creating more website resources too and will be telling you about them as they are posted.
One of the most interesting ways to begin a deeper exploration of scripture is actually to try to sweep aside the accumulated clutter of our culture and imagine what it might have been like in Roman – occupied Palestine at the time Jesus was born.
It is this aspect of Jesus Christ Superstar that I find most compelling. It imagines how Jesus and his teachings might have been perceived first – hand by his friends—and himself.
Christmas will soon be upon us. We will sing about Mary and Joseph and shepherds. But what was it really like for them? How much—or little—did they grasp about who this baby would grow up to be?
“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully…”
Until then, perhaps the least we can do is polish that mirror and reflect a little more deeply on our faith and ourselves.
posted on November 1, 2011 in News
Rick Fee, general secretary of the Life and Mission Agency, stands on one of 120 combines that tried for a record-breaking soybean harvest on Sept. 5 near Listowel, Ont. This Harvest for Hunger, organized by farmers in the area, came just shy of the record with 160 acres harvested in just over 11 minutes. However, it exceeded the organizers’ goal to raise $200,000 for the Canadian Foodgrains Bank by more than $50,000. The Presbyterian Church, through Presbyterian World Service and Development, is a member of CFGB.
posted on November 1, 2011 in Cover Story
Mark Gordon - Somalia Food Assistance Cluster Chair with the UN's World Food Programme
The United Nations declared a famine in parts of Somalia on July 20—and things went downhill from there.
To help make sense of the crisis, the Record spoke with Mark Gordon who works for the UN’s World Food Programme. Specifically, Gordon works with the cluster responsible for coordinating the food response inside Somalia. He provides a common information source for the 26 aid and relief organizations currently active in Somalia.
Gordon noted that, “although the world seemed to only become aware of the crisis in Somalia after the declaration of famine, the WFP (and other organizations) had indicated as far back as November 2010 that we were potentially heading into another crisis (similar to 2008, 2006 and 2001) for the Horn of Africa … unfortunately, our prediction was correct.”
Presbyterian Record: The famine is happening in what has traditionally been called Africa’s breadbasket. What has been happening to seemingly eliminate this characteristic?
Mark Gordon: The main drivers of the crisis in 2011 were a combination of drought and below normal rainfall, high food, fuel and input prices, and conflict. While it is important to note that the 2011 crisis was preceded by two good seasons, the two good seasons were preceded in 2008/2009 with three consecutive poor rains and an ensuing food crisis in the Horn. The drivers of the current crisis recurring after only two seasons of good rains meant that there was not a sufficient amount of time for households to recover or develop the reserves to endure two successive rain failures.
Into the end of the first quarter of 2011, commercial cereals prices began to increase substantially. Not so much in the major producing areas, but in remote non – agricultural areas where households purchase or barter livestock for cereals, price increases of up to almost 200 per cent were recorded. Consequently, households required more money to buy the same amount of grain. For example, the barter price of a 50 kg sack of maize increased from one to two goats, to three to four goats. This was exacerbated by deteriorating livestock conditions and death due to a lack of water and fodder, meaning the pastoralists and agro – pastoralists had fewer goats to barter and the goats had little market value.
Conflict (both political and resource – based) tends to be an acute factor that causes immediate displacement and loss of household means to access food. But the impact conflict has on trade and the flow of basic food items further exacerbates consumer market prices.
… The current crisis is not a single event that ends when the rains come. A determined commitment needs to be made not only to saving the lives of millions of people that are in crisis, but to restoring and rebuilding the economic livelihoods of the people in crisis … [and] looking at ways in which appropriate and people – centred technology can be used to make sure that affected populations are able to adapt and cope with the next two to three seasons of failed rains.
PR: Your role in Somalia is to coordinate aid efforts and disseminate information so that NGOs aren’t overlapping in their work. Donors are increasingly concerned that their money is being used wisely; how does the UN/WFP help ensure that’s the case?
MG: To ensure that assistance is effectively used, coordination and the exchange of information is critical. Within the UN, humanitarian system clusters are formed to act as a forum for the information to be compiled and analyzed, looking at areas of under humanitarian coverage (gaps). The cluster leaders also act as facilitators between donors such as the Canadian government and agencies on the ground that are providing food assistance to see if agency support can be increased in these gap areas. At the same time, coordination allows different responses to become complementary.
The exchange of information in complex emergencies is sensitive and the cluster tries to promote an environment of confidentially while still allowing detailed response information to be exchanged. It is not an easy compromise and has daily challenges.
posted on November 1, 2011 in People & Places
Wednesday is a big day at Knox. That’s when the Milk Bag Mats crocheting group meets to turn old milk bags into new sleeping mats and prayer mats for Haiti and other needy countries. It’s also the day the Knox Frocks group meets to transform old pillow cases and fabric scraps into dresses and boys’ shorts for children in Ghana and Sri Lanka. Intended as a one – day venture, this mission became weekly when donations of materials kept pouring in. Reducing waste, helping others, embracing creativity—Knox has it covered.
From left: Norm Taylor, Marj Brown, Irene Stark, Fran Wylie, Shirley Kerr, Betty Irving, Donna Simon. Seated: Sheila Mayville, Kathleen Morningstar
posted on November 1, 2011 in Letters
Re After September 11, The Messy Table, Sept. 12 blog entry
As an American living in Canada I am always subject to the subtle and not – so – subtle anti – Americanism I encounter. Sept. 11 temporarily silenced that. For a time (weeks even) there was nothing but love and respect given to me by my Canadian brothers and sisters. Each year that love and care returns; if only for a few days. It is a nice feeling—solidarity.
But all the pomp is, in my mind, too high a price to pay. Remember the attack, yes, but let us keep perspective here. Don’t feel too sorry for one of—if not still—the most powerful and prosperous nations on earth. Nearly 3,000 people died that day and they deserve to be remembered. But 3,000 people died today just from malaria. Three thousand more died the day before that and 3,000 more will die tomorrow as well… and on… and on. If as a people we truly care about the lives lost on Sept. 11 then let us show it; not with a moment of silence or by watching tributes on television but by doing what we can to save the lives of others being needlessly lost each day.
The author of The Messy Table responds:
You’re right—there is so much ongoing loss and suffering throughout the world that it does seem strange to look back 10 years in order to mourn and to wonder.
But I think that remembering Sept. 11 is important, because it was such a strong and sudden reminder of human brokenness. The scale of violence shocked us. That it was caused by divisions between peoples didn’t.
In remembering Sept. 11, 2001, we aren’t just mourning the dead—we are, I hope, mourning the human brokenness that causes this kind of human violence. And you’re right—pomp gets in the way here. Because we are all implicated in human brokenness. We are not all guilty, but we are implicated.
katie munnik, online
colleges prepare graduates for challenges and change.
posted on November 1, 2011 in Education
Responding to Changes in Church and Society – Knox College, Toronto
In May, Knox graduated 25 students—men and women who have begun their ministries in congregations, public life, seminary education and mission appointments. In September we welcomed 28 new students who have begun their preparation for service wherever God calls them. This is the rhythm of life at a theological college. At Knox, it is a tradition that has existed for more than 165 years—to prepare creative and dynamic leaders for ordination and lay positions who, through their work in communities of faith locally, nationally, and internationally, are improving the quality of religious and public life wherever they are.
Offering eight degree programs, Knox’s educational experience is rooted in history but focused on the current context of ministry. Students may complete a degree that will prepare them for a ministry of word and sacrament or Christian education, but they also have the option to further their studies at a doctoral level, thereby creating the next generation of theological scholars for our denomination.
Students learn in a building that is almost 100 years old, but they are face – to – face with the diversity and technology of the future. Through a partnership with the Toronto School of Theology and a relationship with the University of Toronto, Knox offers its students access to academic resources and a diverse faculty that provide a depth and breadth to learning that is found in only a few other places in the world.
Christian education was a focus of the Ewart legacy and this continues through the programs of the Ewart Centre for Lay Education. Offering non – degree certificates to laity, the Centre marks an important milestone this year as it celebrates its 10th anniversary. With the role of laity ever – changing and increasing in many areas of church life, the preparation and resources available to them through this program has become so much more important. Through specialized training, special lectures and resources, the Centre continues to equip lay leaders to serve in their communities and congregations.
Knox’s commitment to lifelong learning drives the Centre for Continuing Education. By combining the Ada Adams and Charles H. MacDonald Memorial Lectureships this year, attendees will reflect on case studies of change that three congregations have undertaken in their vision to build and maintain healthy communities of faith. We know this is a topic of great importance to many in ministry and one that we will continue to explore not only at this event but annually over the next few years.
It is becoming more and more evident to us at Knox that there is a new appetite for theological study and with it a questioning as to whether the values of a secular culture can sustain the type of living that has ultimate value. What an opportunity this is for Knox College in light of our mission to prepare students who can respond effectively to the possibilities and challenges of this changing religious landscape, graduates who not only have the knowledge and skills but also the heart needed to reshape the world in which we live.
utoronto.ca/knox
Preparing Missional Leaders – Presbyterian College, Montreal
For many years, the hot question in theological education was figuring out what kind of seminaries we needed. Then we began to ask what kind of graduates we needed. We have only recently realized that if our mission is impacting an increasingly secular culture with the gospel, our mandate can only be fulfilled by cutting – edge missional churches working effectively in the trenches in transformative ways. Once we have an idea of what those churches will need to look like, then we can think about what seminaries need to do to prepare the people who can effectively lead these new kinds of churches.
While Presbyterian College, Montreal offers all the required programs and components to satisfy the Presbyterian Church’s requirements for ordination, teaching the academic portions to the highest standards, that’s not where it ends for us.
We work in collaboration with one of the best Canadian universities, where ministry candidates interact with some of the leading theological faculty and scholars. Additional seminars, workshops and conferences expose students to visiting humanities scholars who are leaders in their fields. The network of libraries and resources made available to our students through McGill University is second to none.
The practical components of preparation for service in the church happen in one of the most vibrant, diverse and secular cities in North America where all the challenges and opportunities of urban ministry are open to our students. At the same time, dozens of congregations and ministries in the perimeter communities around Montreal allow students to experience and prepare for the realities of rural and suburban ministry.
Since they graduated from Presbyterian College in the spring of 2011, half a dozen men and women who benefited from this process have already been ordained and begun active ministry in Canadian Presbyterian congregations, joining more than 100 of our alumni already in active service across Canada. Statistics suggest that like previous Presbyterian College graduates, they will be among the most enduring in their ministry.
But that’s not where it ends, either.
In their first couple of years in a congregation, new ministers are confronted with some of the most difficult challenges of their lives. A new program recently initiated at Presbyterian College offers graduates a chance to come back, a few years into their ministry, to compare notes, be encouraged and readjust their skills. Graduates who have been through the program tell us that one of the best parts of this follow – up support are the ongoing mentoring and accountability relationships that are formed with other ministers who know the struggles and isolation of congregational ministry.
And for those alumni who’ve been at it for a while, there’s nothing like coming home for continuing education week to catch up with former classmates and reflect together on the changing landscape of church ministry in the Canadian context. (The 2012 program will be held Feb. 13 to 17 and will feature some of our faculty members. Watch the Record and the college’s website for details.)
Realizing that a church’s chances of thriving depend on a whole team of key leaders who “get” the mission, rather than just on a single, well – qualified minister, Presbyterian College also offers workshops and training sessions for elders, as well as a growing lay education program.
presbyteriancollege.ca
Exciting Opportunities – St. Andrew’s Hall and VST
St. Andrew’s Hall is the Presbyterian College on the campus of the University of British Columbia which exercises its charter to teach theology through its association with the Vancouver School of Theology. It is a particular delight that the entering class of Presbyterians at VST is the largest in many years, almost certainly in the history of the school. We also welcome Dr. Hans Kouwenberg to the faculty as Presbyterian Director of Denominational Formation. Dr. Kouwenberg will have a key role in shaping future ministers of the Presbyterian Church. He has had a notable and varied ministry in the church, culminating in his service as moderator of the 133rd General Assembly. He replaces the recently retired Dr. Glen Davis who is also a former moderator of the General Assembly. Dr. Kouwenberg joins Patricia Dutcher – Walls, Richard Topping, Roberta Clare and Stephen Farris as Presbyterian teachers at VST. Principal Wendy Fletcher will go on a well deserved sabbatical leave in 2012. During that time Stephen Farris will serve as Acting Principal of VST in addition to his duties as Dean of St. Andrew’s Hall.
Another new face on campus is that of Ms. Leah Yoo, a recent graduate of VST, appointed Director of Campus Ministry, a newly created position at St. Andrew’s Hall. The largest religious self – identification in B.C. at 36 per cent of the population is “no religion.” In a very secular setting such as Vancouver, a theological college must be more than an educational institution; it must also be a centre of mission. We pray God’s blessing on Leah as she reaches out gently and respectfully with the gospel of Jesus Christ to residents of St. Andrew’s Hall and to the university community.
The Elders’ Institute, directed by Dr. Roberta Clare, continues its work of equipping the elders of the church for effective ministry through online courses, workshops and conferences and the provision of online resources. A particularly delightful event is the annual Pre – Assembly Workshops, held this year at Oakridge Church in London, Ont. Next year, “PAW” will be held in St. Andrew’s Church, Scarborough, Ont., on the theme “Basics for a Changing World.”
St. Andrew’s Hall has come to an agreement with Concert Properties, a prominent development company, which will build and administer a 15 – storey tower on the site for rental housing for faculty, staff, students and other members of the university community. The project was recently approved by the Development Permit Board of UBC. As a result of this agreement, St. Andrew’s Hall plans to construct a two – storey addition that will house a chapel/community space, meeting rooms and staff offices. The proceeds of the agreement will also help fund campus ministry. As of the time of writing this article, there still remain several permissions to be obtained. We are hopeful that this will happen shortly.
The Board of St. Andrew’s is deeply thankful for the opportunities for service that await us.
standrews.edu
photographed by Barb Summers
posted on November 1, 2011 in Benediction
posted on November 1, 2011 in Letters
Re Ten Years After, September
I appreciated the article by Rev. Laurence DeWolfe which contrasts with the huge quantities of cant spilled out in the North American media around Sept. 11. The author rightly decries the wars of vengeance that followed, but what happened in response to the murderous attacks on the United States—or rather on iconic symbols of its economic and military power—was worse than vengeance. Vengeance is visited on perpetrators of crimes, but this response has been visited in large part on tens or hundreds of thousands of innocent victims in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. What is particularly sickening is that these wars have been promoted by so – called statesmen and enthusiastic hordes of their supporters, who loudly proclaim their adherence to one or another form of Christianity and cite God as their inspiration. The parallel to the Crusades of the Middle Ages is striking.
More than $2 million given to agency’s development projects.
posted on November 1, 2011 in News
There is reason to celebrate at the offices of Presbyterian World Service and Development. Not only did the church’s relief and development organization receive almost $700,000 for its East Africa appeal—$554,000 of which is eligible to be matched by CIDA—but it also recently learned that the Government of Canada will support two of its child and maternal health programs to the tune of $1.5 million.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced in September that PWS&D, along with other Canadian agencies, would receive funding under the Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health, a project endorsed by the leaders of the G – 8 nations back in June 2010. They were joined in this initiative by other nations and organizations, which together committed US$7.3 billion in new funding over five years, with Canada committing $1.1 billion.
PWS&D’s projects are in Afghanistan and Malawi. In Afghanistan, the project will train birth attendants, improve health facilities, and benefit 19,000 women by helping to change community attitudes toward maternal health services.
In Malawi, maternal and neonatal deaths will be reduced by lowering fertility rates, increasing access to obstetric services through empowering women and communities in their referral and communications systems, and improving health – seeking behaviour. Up to 17,000 children will have access to and benefit from improved health care services at the local level. The funding for both projects will run from 2011 – 2014.
PWS&D was selected from among 60 applications from across Canada.
“The committee and staff of PWS&D are pleased with the Prime Minister’s Office announcement that includes PWS&D as one of 28 Canadian development organizations and agencies ‘selected based on the effectiveness and sustainability of their submissions’ for the Muskoka Initiative,’” said PWS&D director, Ken Kim. “The process was highly competitive and speaks to the ability of PWS&D and partners in Afghanistan and Malawi to carry out high quality work.” — with files from the Prime Minister of Canada website
A look inside Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp.
posted on November 1, 2011 in Cover Story
Preparing for new refugee housing plots in Dadaab, Kenya.
The day before I left for East Africa, I was watching a news story covering the humanitarian crisis: millions starving, famine sweeping across the land, people wandering for days through the desert in search of food and shelter. Somalia seemed on the brink of falling apart. Kenya, Ethiopia and other neighbouring countries didn’t seem far behind. And then it struck me. What was I doing? What kind of insane journey into the heart of hunger did I imagine I was capable of undertaking? In my job with Presbyterian World Service and Development, I often travel to developing countries in order to witness the work of our programs to overcome poverty and build new futures for marginalized people. I regularly comfort myself that my good farm upbringing will give me the stamina (and stomach) for another adventure into the developing world.
But this seemed too much. The sunken eyes that stared back at me from the television were simply too grim. I had never undertaken a trip like this before—a situation dubbed the worst humanitarian crisis of our time—where the scale and scope of need is surely enough to weaken the knees of even the most veteran aid worker.
Yet here I was, in the heat of July, packing water purification tablets and malaria pills, heading into the storm.
My nearly three – week trip to East Africa opened my eyes to a world beyond what I had ever imagined. The need is overwhelming but the full story rarely penetrates beyond the headlines and photo galleries. There is a story behind the images of sunken eyes, and you might be surprised at the hope, passion and inspiration you will find there.
My journey to the Dadaab refugee camps near the Kenya – Somalia border was an exhausting 11 – hour drive from Nairobi that I took as part of a 27 – vehicle UN convoy with armed escort. Bumping along rough roads, I was jammed in the back of a Land Cruiser with several emergency relief workers, staring out at an unforgiving landscape. There was dry, red sand as far as the eye could see, covered by a thin dabbling of leafless shrubs where it was possible for bandits to hide, and therefore the need for security.
Our vehicles were filled to overflowing with supplies, including food, medical items and tents. Although I was sure all circulation had been cut off at my waist and my neck was sore from trying to avoid hitting my head as we flew over the bumps, as I looked ahead down the long, barren road into Dadaab, it occurred to me that there was another way into the camp. I could have taken the journey that hundreds of thousands have already taken and who knows how many more are undertaking at this very moment. Interviews I later conducted with refugees described how some travel 25 days by foot through dangerous countryside, carrying children and the few household supplies they can manage, and assisting the elderly.
Media stories have done a good job of painting these bleak scenarios. Images coming from the camp entry points are horrifying. People look unbearably weak and gaunt. The faces are haunting and expressionless, as if it takes too much energy to smile or blink. There are heartbreaking tales of parents forced to leave sick children behind in order to save the rest of the family. There are soul – numbing stories of attacks on women.
Rarely do the media reports go much further than the reception centres where refugees continue to arrive to the tune of about 850 every day, a slight decrease from the peak of over 1,000 per day in July and August. It’s easy to understand why the cameras and television personalities are so interested, for the reception centres—to an outside eye—look strikingly bleak.
However, if you step through the main gates, you enter the new world a Somali refugee is greeted with, and it’s one of hope and renewal. My time at Dadaab revealed a place where aid agencies work together with the united goal of helping those in need. Christian, Muslim, secular—organizations from around the world are overcoming religious, cultural and language barriers in a common mission of delivering aid.
Beneficiaries line up to receive food rations at a food distribution centre in Kenya.
When the refugees arrive at Dadaab, it’s not a time for mourning but celebrating. The long trek is over. They have come with the dream of a place where they will find food, clean water, shelter and maybe even somewhere to call home.
The weak are immediately given high – energy biscuits and I literally watched the colour return to the faces of those who ate. Children, once mute and silent out of weakness, almost immediately start to mumble and gargle, some even finding the energy to playfully poke at a sibling.
The biscuits are washed down with water—such a relief after so many days in the hot, dry desert. They then enter a waiting area, where program staff explain over megaphones how the system will work. And what a system! It is a finely – tuned assembly line of aid agencies from around the world. The World Food Programme provides food rations. UN’s refugee agency distributes tents. The Muslim community has rallied to provide clothing. Doctors Without Borders provides vaccinations for children. There are agencies working in women’s rights. Agencies building wells and latrines. Agencies that deal more with behind – the – scenes work like conducting needs assessments and gathering statistics to highlight any weaknesses. Our church’s partners in Dadaab are through the ACT Alliance and they have a variety of functions, most notably and impressively to oversee day – to – day camp management, ensuring everything is operating effectively and that refugees receive the dedicated, compassionate care they deserve. The reception areas process thousands of people every week. Although there is still a backlog of about 40,000 refugees, the miracle of the whole process is how quickly and effectively it’s working.
No doubt about it, there are incredible challenges to tackle. As well as dealing with the moment – to – moment needs of refugees, tension between the local Kenyan host community and the new arrivals is thorny. Negotiations are often heated and complex. However, unique solutions are created. Aid groups employ local community members to work on the construction of new camp sites, providing them with a valuable source of income during a year when food is expensive and sparse, and also ensuring they’re involved in the planning process. The host community has become much more supportive and cooperative.
The author plants a Neem tree in Kenya—an initiative to help combat deforestation in the area.
More than 38,000 refugees have been relocated from the outskirts of existing camps into new sites; a testament to the staff who are able to get new sites up and operating within incredibly tight timelines. I visited an area where church partners were working to designate a new camp and provide homes for another 90,000 refugees. Shrubs were cleared and white lines were drawn across the sand at a hurried pace, each family plot with one tent measuring 10×12 metres. It was like watching an entire subdivision going up before my eyes.
In such close quarters, disputes and conflict are inevitable. Community Peace and Safety Teams (CPSTs) have been established for exactly this reason. Estimates indicate there is one security officer per 1,800 people. Obviously, response times are slow and the strain on services offered is high. Instead of relying on outside help, camp staff recruit the refugees themselves to take on roles as CPST members, each one serving as a resourceful blend of volunteer firefighter, police officer, counsellor and medic. They receive training in how to resolve issues, negotiate, handle complaints, identify medical issues and ease tensions. With the particularly difficult or violent cases being referred to the police department, the CPSTs have been effective at dealing with issues of domestic violence, brawls, encroachment and robberies.
When a fire broke out in the local market a few months ago, the results could have been devastating. Team members acted quickly and the fire was brought under control before much damage was done. When two young men started fighting at a water tap over who could draw water first, the situation quickly escalated with each man’s family and friends getting involved. Sticks and stones were used as weapons, women were biting and scratching, and people hit one another with jerry cans. The local CPST member was quick to jump in and soon managed to calm the opposing sides.
Life at the camps is far from easy—there are religious tensions, supply shortages and health issues, not to mention the hyenas that come at night and threaten small children. But it’s so much more than the stark images peering back at you from your television screens. People have set up small businesses within the camp proving how hard it is to keep a true entrepreneur down. Families celebrate and give thanks for the food rations and water taps. Children are accessing educational opportunities. And dedicated aid workers wander among the tents, knocking on flaps to give greetings, addressing people by their names, and asking how they are doing.
There is a whole world of hope and help that is rising from the dusty landscape.
It’s very Canadian—and dare I say, very Presbyterian—of us to ask, “So how do we fix this?” I understand the sentiment but I don’t think it’s the question we should ask.
I’ve given up looking for a “solution” to the crisis in East Africa in the way we usually think of solving problems. This is not a Rubik’s Cube where all the colours will magically align. Life rarely works that way—especially when you’re dealing with complex governments, generations of abuses and corruption, plus changing economic and climatic systems. We have to stop trying to find simple answers to complex problems. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t do what we can to help.
A Massaai women sits among bags of grain supplied by the Canadian Food Grains Bank
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.” (Proverbs 3:5) The situation in East Africa is too much for me to comprehend or figure out on my own, but I trust that ultimately God is in control. Our role is to respond to needs as best we can with the gifts God has given us.
Wendy Oketch is one of the relief workers I met at Dadaab. She’s a single mother and only 24 years old, and she’s given her life to helping others. With all that she sees and does, and the amount of hours she works, I think I expected her to be bitter, worn out and cynical. Instead, her words still resonate in my head: “At the end of the day, I can say that I helped someone else. That’s what keeps me going.”
That’s enough for me, too. Perhaps if we stop trying to focus on finding the solutions for tomorrow and concentrate on those we can help today, we will not only be more effective, but we will be better able to have realistic conversations about how to provide aid and how we can work together to create lasting change.
Praise God!
Our Church in East Africa
Working in partnership with the ACT Alliance, Canadian Foodgrains Bank and Canadian Churches in Action, Presbyterian World Service and Development is working in East Africa to provide food, nutritional supplements, clean water, shelter, hygiene kits, agriculture training and psychosocial support. Nearly $700,000 has been raised by congregations and individuals across the country. News updates are available on the PWS&D website at
presbyterian.ca/pwsd.
posted on November 1, 2011 in People & Places
Janet Neal Stewart (right), pictured here with her sister Bonnie Arbour and mother Dorothy Neal, recently continued a family tradition by becoming an elder at Laurel Lea St. Matthew’s; she is preceded in the role by her late father, grandfather and great – grandfather. Rev. C. Joyce Hodgson performed the induction, which also welcomed Karen DeLong, Patti Wyville and Randy Klatt to eldership. Welcome, servant leaders.
One gathering sparks a desire to do and be more.
posted on November 1, 2011 in News
“Were not our hearts burning within us?” (Luke 24:32) How many of our congregations have asked themselves that question? This was the burning question (pun intended) that was put to the group at the Emmaus Project in May 2010. The national church’s initiative (spurred on by the Long Range Planning Committee of Assembly Council) called together Presbyterians from across the country to voice their concerns about the future of the church and brainstorm how our dwindling denomination might shout again, “It is true! The Lord has risen” (24:34). When the conference ended, how many presbyteries and their representatives “got up and returned at once” (24:33) to share the amazing story they discovered there?
Hamilton presbytery sent five clergy and three elders who came together to explore issues of relevance and integrity, and came away energized and excited. This is not new you say, every conference does this, but there was a fundamental difference. They came back to Hamilton and “told what had happened on the way” (24:35) and were motivated to share their story. Much has happened since that weekend in May.
They shared their story at presbytery to a lukewarm response. After all, presbytery hadn’t been there and “were startled and frightened, thinking they had seen a ghost” (24:37), the Ghost of PCC Past. There were clandestine meetings of the Emmaus team, as it was called, in homes and restaurants, plotting how they might keep the excitement building in the midst of the uncertainty that had confronted them.
The innocently named “Day of Discernment” brought together the entire presbytery for a day of looking at where they had been and where they are now, in an effort to build a foundation for what we might become. Churches were clustered in small groups geographically to establish long – forgotten camaraderie. Dialogue was hesitant and stilted at first but as the morning progressed, an air of excitement was evident.
From April 1 – 3, the elder’s team, which had previously focused on issues of elder training and networking, hosted a retreat at Crieff Hills Retreat and Conference Centre entitled, Open Your Eyes and Look at the Fields.
This was attended by 78 enthusiastic clergy and elders who committed to looking at next steps. The speakers were Barb and Marty Moellengraaf who talked about what Emmaus could mean to us as congregations; Harry Klassen who talked about equipping our spiritual leaders with their responsibilities in the wake of Emmaus; and Dr. John Bowen, the director of evangelism at Wycliffe College who spoke on reaching out to our local communities, what it means to share the gospel, why the very thought scares us and why it shouldn’t. There was unanimous consent for more and a follow up day was planned for June.
June 15th arrived and so did 84 teaching and ruling elders to Chedoke, Hamilton. Surprisingly there were more participants who had not attended the retreat at Crieff but had heard about it and wanted to be part of it. Group discussions were lively and the resounding questions were not, “How can we keep our churches open?” but, “How can we reach our communities with the gospel message in a relevant way?”
The presbytery has since instituted a Futures Visioning Task Force to explore the future of churches within its bounds. Conversations between clusters of churches, along with leadership from the Task Force have begun, focusing on fresh ideas on how to share ministry. Instead of a sense of competition there is a welcome breath of cooperation. One of our churches has opened its doors as the new home to Almanarah Presbyterian Church for this region.
Future events have been planned which include a one – day workshop in November with Rev. Beth Fellinger on Mission – Shaped Ministry; a day of celebration to share what is being done in the wake of the Emmaus Project with our moderator, Rev. Dr. Rick Horst in February 2012; and a two – day conference featuring Diana Butler Bass in 2012.
Presbytery meetings have a whole new feel, one of shared expectations and excitement. There is an energizing sense that we are on the brink of something that will help us fulfill our mandate to “Go and make disciples of all nations.” And it is a very good feeling, indeed
