Grace Lutheran Church, Edson

GRACE GUARDIAN
GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH, EDSON OCTOBER 2011

SO WHAT IS JOINT MINISTRY?

Or whats the next 8 months looks like? By Pastor Sean
Ive been asked a few times what is happening with the Joint Ministry with the Anglicans? The answer is that until just recently not much. And (assuming the first meetings of Grace Lutheran Council representatives, and the St. Catherines Anglican Vestry representatives goes well) there can be no official announcements until Nov. 20th. What does this mean? We have some quick thinking to do! It means that slowly up to this point, the wheels have started to move towards sharing a Pastor. But now the wheels are going to spin quickly. It means that Nov. 20th might be an important day of announcement (officially). It means that we need to figure out how Grace and St. Catherines are going to determine what time worship will happen at. It means that council is going to have to find a way to get your feedback on what is most important to you in a pastor. It means that our Pastor is now equally going to be half their pastor. (not just on loan) It means we can talk about what it means to have a half time Pastor here at Grace. It means we can optimistically look forward to a balanced budget on January 1st and start to dream about who and what we want to be as a financially viable community. This is what the next 8 months will look like: Sunday Services will happen (some of them might be joint) Service times might shift (the best way to do this is being discussed, we need your feedback!) Pastor Sean will have limited time to serve Grace; the community will need to pick up more onto itself. This will be an evolving process. We will start looking at ways to effectively be in ministry and mission with the St. Catherines. In February we will evaluate at Grace the 3 year term call that Sean is called too. Well also evaluate life in a joint ministry in the spring and see if this is the best road forward.

UPCOMING EVENTS Nov. 17th Prayer Walk at 1pm. Meet

at #78 851 63st. (That is in Creek Side). Walk will be about 2 hours. Lead by Kate Kaufman of the Mennonite Church.

Nov. 18th Special Meeting this Friday

(This is a talking and listening circle where we as a community will get a chance to share thoughts and feelings about the motions made a last summers National Convention. Motions available from the office. Please bring a potluck dish to share.

Dec. 1, 8, 15, 22 Lenten Vespers 8:15pm Holden Evening Prayer.

Call Tien or Pastor Sean to arrange for a ride if you need one.

Grace Lutheran Church, Edson

BISHOPS LETTER
A monthly letter from the ABT Synod Bishop, Ron Mayan.
Bishops E-Message for December 2011 In spite of the sturm und drang (translated storm and stress) that continues to preoccupy us as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada and the Synod of Alberta and the Territories in the wake of the National Conventions decisions in July, invariably life goes on. We rest in the faithful hope that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom. 8:39) The human tendency is to wring our hands and wonder where God is in all of this. The answer, of course, is that God is where God always is: alive and at work in the midst of his world, in the midst of his people. Sometimes the revealed God (deus revelatus) seems for all the world like the hidden God (deus obsconditus), but that is simply our failure to see God where God is. In those moments, when we feel God is absent, we have to walk by faith and not by sight. In my devotional readings, I have recently discovered vignettes from Pastor Edmund Steimle (1907 1988), who at one time taught homiletics at Lutheran Theological Seminary, Philadelphia. I find some of his thoughts very salient, especially as we seemingly mired in chaos nevertheless enter Advent and the impending feast of the Incarnation. Steimle writes (in his book FROM DEATH TO BIRTH): Perhaps we can be on the alert to hear the voice of God coming to us in the turmoil and change of the big problems around us. But not only in the big affairs of humankind and of nations that puzzle and perplex and horrify. In the common, in the trivial, in what we might consider the inappropriate moments to recognize the presence of Godcoming to us. The whole world is alive with Gods comings quite literally! Advent [and Christmas] opens our eyes to the wonder that God keeps coming, entering into dialogue with us, to speak in love, where [and when] we least expect. In the big, overbearing problems of a world The story of Christmas is a living metaphor for the living of our days. Humanity was not standing all in their places with bright shiny faces when the Christ of God burst forth from the Blessed Virgins womb. The world was messy. In no way was it ready for the Savior of the world. Ready only in this sense: KAIROS! the fullness of time, Gods suitable moment, had come. A Holy Advent and a Blessed Christmas to us, each and all! in radical change, or in the simple delights of daily life, Gods literally all over the place hoping that well have the eyes to see and the ears to listen to his coming. (As found in For All The Saints, Vol. III, pg. 11 and 12).

+Ronald B. Mayan, Bishop Synod of Alberta and the Territories Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada 10014 - 81 Avenue Edmonton, AB. T6E 1W8 E-mail: rbmayan@elcic.ca Synod Website: www.albertasynod.ca

Grace Lutheran Church, Edson

--------------------------------------------SITTING TOGETHER AND LISTING ON NOV. 18TH

And what happened at the Caring Conversation? To recap. The caring conversation happened on Oct. 26th at the Edson Public Library. In addition to myself, there were 6 congregation members gathered. Markus Hoople of Edmonton told his story of growing up Lutheran, what it was like to discover that his orientation is different than many others, the pain of leaving his home church and worshipping apart from his parents, the joy of finding a new community and his ever growing conviction that when Jesus invites all to come and gather it literally means all. After about 50mins of conversation with Markus we thanked him for his time and had a follow up conversation. I cant give you the line by line follow up because all I know is what I think I heard and now what I remember. In fact the whole point of the conversation was not to come to conclusions, but to share what we were thinking and feeling in terms of the motions made at national convention, and what it was like to meet and hear the Markus story. It worked! We shared a lot. 7 people dont represent the whole congregation so this next conversation is really important. Here is the challenge: It is the reality in Canada that Same-Sex marriage is legal. It is the reality that as of this summer, homosexual orientation is not a barrier to the ordination of Pastors, and our churches are allowed to perform any legal marriage that we think is pastorally responsible. Some like all these things some like some of these things some are conflicted. Some think the word of God is clear and others see it clearly the other way. Certain parts of scripture are lifted up against other parts of scripture. The emotional weight of our own experience with homosexuality also comes into play. We dont even know the central question we are asking yet are we hoping to come to consensus of opinion on all things? Are we hoping to find a way to live together with diversity of opinion? Are we hoping going to allow that same sex marriage will happen in our space even though some think it is wrong? Will we not allow same sex marriage in our space because some think it is wrong? What is really at stake? All these questions have answers and what is truly important hasnt really been explored. Grace Lutheran its time to step up. Its time trust the depth of love and respect we have for one another and engage difficult questions. This is not the time to hide or mutter in the corners it is time to be as loving and caring as we hope we are its time to listen deeply and speak honestly.

Here is what will happen on Friday the 18th at 5:30pm.

Well have some food. A moderator will help us to all speak, and help us to all listen. We will surprise ourselves with the depth of our passion, and the depth of our care. We wont work to convince or draw conclusions we will work to listen and understand. We will do the hard work of being in community together. I am confident that there is a way forward on this! Our unity is in Christ Jesus (thanks be to God!) and it is the Lord himself that calls us together to be community in loving and truthful service and witness to our world. We can do this difficult work confident in this knowledge. Amen see you Friday. (Have questions? Call the office as 780 723 4366 or talk to any council member.