celebrations 2009-01 winter - evangelical lutheran church ......3 “celebrations” – winter 2009...

“Celebrations” – Winter 2009 1

In the Winter 2009 issue…

� Bishop’s Report………………………page 1 � Around the Synod…………………....page 3

� Offering Effective Ministry in Times of Loss

� Church Council Workshop � World Mission Festival � Synod Youth Gathering

� A Glimpse Inside ‘The Shack’ …..…page 4

� Faith and Politics: The

American Overlap ………………...page 6

� MOSAIC: Blanketing the

Community With Love ………...….page 8 � 8 Days in Action – Hope Supports

Calgary Women’s Shelter... .…...page 11 � Hogmassa at Augustana…………..page 11 � Did You Know…

Artist Kristopher Bakken…………page 12

A special thanks to the Canada Lutheran editorial staff for any of their edits used in articles that also appeared in the ABT synod section of Canada Lutheran. Header photo of stained-glass courtesy of Faith Lutheran, Calgary. Window design by Geoff Jamieson. All photos in Celebrations by Lisa Rude, unless otherwise stated.)

Submit Your Stories!

Is there a special ministry project going on in your congregation that makes you smile? Did some church event touch you in a deep spiritual way? Why do you attend your home congregation? What is so special that keeps bringing you back? You don’t have to be a writer. Just get your story down in whatever form and email it to [email protected] with your name, congregation, city/town, email and phone number. Please include a photo or two if possible. Don’t forget to indicate who took the photo. Submissions for the spring issue ofCelebrations must be received by April 20

th.

http://www.software995.com/ http://www.software995.com/

A Good I.D.E.A. On January 25, all ELCIC congregations were invited to participate in It’s Your Call Sunday. Born in the Eastern Synod, and

shared with the rest of the church, It’s Your Call reminds us that the future pastors and diaconal ministers who will serve our church are sitting in our congregations’ pews and classrooms. We each have a holy obligation to encourage those in our parishes with gifts and skills for ministry to consider a professional church work vocation. Those of us who have answered the call know how important it was when people in our home congregations told us they saw our gifts for ministry. Pastors, Sunday School teachers, confirmation instructors, parents, grand-parents, god-parents - each had a significant role in helping us hear God’s call. The call stories of our present pastors and diaconal ministers are fascinating to hear and quite instructive. When did God first speak to you? The Nebraska Synod of our sister

Church, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, invested nearly a decade of time and resources developing a comprehensive church worker recruitment program because it, along with the whole church, was painfully away of a leadership shortage. This shortage was impeding growth and jeopardizing

“Celebrations” A publication of the Synod of Alberta and the Territories

Winter 2009


future mission and ministry. Thus was born Operation IDEA – Invite, Discern, Excite, Act. There are people right in our midst who would serve – if invited. There are people among us who would respond, if they were helped to discern their call. People who once were excited about professional ministry but somehow lost that excitement could be excited again. And there are those among us who would act if they just received some help. Since its inception, Operation IDEA has raised Nebraska Synod’s number of potential ministry candidates from 7 to 70 – a tenfold increase! Perhaps most instructive from the research findings of the Nebraska Synod is the data

relating to when God first spoke to professional church workers: 20% heard the call at pre-school and elementary age; 35% in junior high in early adolescence; 20% during High School; 20% in university, and 5% heard the call as adults. That means 75% of us received a call before we were out of high school. Like the boy Samuel, most of us were just kids when God’s Spirit first invited us to live lives of humble service for Christ and his Church. We need to re-think our church worker recruitment strategies and begin identifying and inviting pre-adolescent girls and boys. Keep your eye on the child who “plays church”. Speak to her about it – and pray for her. If we are

not inviting and encouraging those kids in whom we see an interest in ministry at an early age, we are just plain hurting them and – in the long run – ourselves and our church. Listen! God is still calling. (For information about Operation IDEA, the Nebraska Synod’s grassroots recruiting program, visit www.nebraskasynod.org/archive/ministries/operationidea.html.) +Ronald B. Mayan, Bishop

ABT Ordinations and Consecrations in 2008

Rev. Rick Laurendeau –--------------------- February 24, 2008 Rev. Timothy Wray –-------------------------------- May 31, 2008 Diaconal Minister Florence Eirene Wind –--- June 1, 2008 Rev. Jeffrey Decelle --------------------------------– July 6, 2008 Rev. Michael Wellman –------------------- November 30, 2008


Around the Synod

Coming Events

2008 Study Conference

Offering Effective Ministry in Times of Loss Clergy and lay church workers gather for the 2009 study conference in Canmore from Feb. 2-5. The keynote speaker, Rev. Dr. Kenneth J. Doka, will speak on new understandings of grief

and helping congregants adapt to loss. Other speakers include The Rt. Rev. Derek Hoskin from the Anglican Diocese of Calgary, B.C. Bishop Gerhard Preibisch, and Rev. Erin Phillips,

chaplain at the University of Lethbridge and priest of Ascension Anglican Church, Coaldale, AB. Please remember our clergy and lay church workers in your prayers as they gather to learn, worship and relax together. Church Council Workshop – A Road Well Travelled Members of congregational councils and other interested church leaders are invited to a day of discussion, learning and fellowship. Workshop options include: Financial Matters, Resources for Ministry, Conflict Resolution, Seeking Justice – Seeking Hope, and Developing and Keeping Small Groups Alive. Cost is $30 per person or $225 per congregation (up to 10 attendees – cost for additional attendee is $15). Lunch and refreshments provided. Hosts for this year's events are Messiah Lutheran Church, Camrose (Feb. 14); and Faith Lutheran Church, Sundre (Feb. 28). Register by calling the synod office at 780.439.2636 in Edmonton or toll free at 1.866.430.2636. World Mission Festival


Youth Gathering 2005

William Paul Young

Synod Youth Gathering May 15-18, youth from all over our synod will gather for fun, fellowship and learning at Camp Caroline, which is a new location for the gathering. Located 85km west of Red Deer, Camp Caroline is a beautiful and spacious camp, offering an indoor pool and hot tub, a horseback riding area, volleyball and basketball courts, a soccer field, a climbing wall, hiking trails and an outdoor chapel area. The Rev. Tim Wray, pastor of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Millet, will be the keynote speaker. The cost will be $265/person. For more information, contact the synod office at 780.439.2636 in Edmonton or toll-free at 1-866.430.2636 or email [email protected].

A Glimpse Inside ‘The Shack’ Bestselling author William Paul Young shares his story of shame and healing.

For many Albertans, hiking in the mountains and backpacking into a shack is a lovely weekend activity. But, what if the one who invited you to the shack was God. That’s the premise of the novel, The Shack (Windblown Media, 2008) by first time author William Paul Young. What began as a story written for his six children, with a first printing of only 15 copies, has exploded like a dandelion in seed, spreading itself at a vigorous pace. With The Shack, Young says God has taken him on a spectacular ride. Through the unprecedented grassroots popularity of this book, there are now over 3.8 million copies in print in 20 different languages. Near the end of 2007, Pastor Lee Woolery encouraged the staff at Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Calgary to read this little-known book. Eventually, the interest in the book spread to

the congregation. In mid-January, Preston Pouteaux, Director of Discipleship Ministry at the church, got the bright idea to invite Young to come and speak at their church. Little did they know that by the time he came, he would be a renowned and much sought after speaker. On Sept. 14, Young spoke at their two morning services and at a special sold-out evening event. A Place of Pain Young was born a Canadian and the son of a missionary who was serving a primitive tribe in former New Guinea. Young described his father as a brutal disciplinarian. He talked of growing up in a cannibalistic tribe, where he


felt loved by the community. But he also shared his struggle as a survivor of sexual abuse at a boarding school, where the older boys abused the younger boys on their first night at the school. Young was only six years old, and the abuse continued long after that first night. Eventually, Young’s family moved to Saskatoon. He remembers being frightened by elevators, as people would go in and magically come out completely different. He describes an incident in a mall, where a lone black person was “attacked” by Young and his siblings as they tried to talk to him in their New Guinea tribe’s native tongue – not exactly your typical childhood. For Young, the shack was a place of pain and shame, and he talked candidly about his struggle with the hurt in his life. “My life was all about just trying to win affection,” he said. Despite the successful and prominent Christian he had become, Young felt a deep sense of shame as an adult. He sank so low as to cheat on his wife by having an affair with her best friend. When his wife found out about the affair, Young realized, “I will never have another secret in my life because secrets are killing me,” adding, “the fury of my wife saved me.” Young shared his secrets with his wife that day and went on to share them with his children and everyone he knew. This past is all part of what has shaped Young and contributed to his writing of The Shack. He wrote the book three years ago for his kids. He said he didn’t want them to grow up with the image of God that he had experienced. “I don’t have any secrets in my life,” he said. “No reputation. No skeletons in my life. I am the same person in every situation, and in that, I know that I am healed.” Self-Published Sensation The first 15-copy printing of The Shack went to Young’s family and to the local Office Depot. Soon others wanted to read it. Young repeated with conviction that the book is a

work of fiction. MacKenzie, the fictional main character, was originally listed as co-author. Then, people started asking for interviews with MacKenzie. Since he didn’t exist, Young confessed with a grin, they removed MacKenzie from authorship. Deemed too edgy for Christian publishers and “too Jesus” for secular publishers, The Shack became a self-published project by Young and two of his friends, Wayne Jacobsen and Brad Cummings. Within months and through word of mouth, the book became a bestselling phenomenon. Struggling to keep up with the demand after quickly selling 1.2 milling books, the two-man publishing company entered into a co-publishing partnership with “The Hachette Book Group USA” (formerly Time-Warner Inc.), which is the American arm of the 2nd largest publisher in the world, Hachette Livre. Through that partnership, they went from 1.2 to 3.8 million books sold within six weeks.


Pastor Lee Woolery (right), Lutheran Church of Our Savior, Calgary, thanks author William Paul Young (left) for coming to speak.

Young remains humble in all his new-found fame. He joked that his family and friends keep him that way. His daughter’s friend said, “Amy, this book is so far beyond your dad!” Paul laughed as he told us, “I love that! It’s the biggest joke. God’s laughing. I’m as dumb as I’ve always been.” At one of the many emotional points in the evening, Young paused, with tears in his eyes and his voice breaking, “I don’t understand why I get to be a part of this.” His thankfulness to be, by the grace of God, along for this ride is evident as he speaks. Young explained that it’s like God handed him a surfboard, pointed to the coming tsunami and told him to hold on. “For me to be involved with this is absolute grace,” he said. The 300 people who attended the evening with Young a Lutheran Church of Our Savior enjoyed a rare opportunity to hear him speak in a relaxed small setting. If you haven’t read The Shack yet, it is well worth reading. And chances are, you’ll find yourself passing it on to family and friends as so many others have done. By Lisa Rude

Faith and Politics: The American Overlap On the eve of the US Presidential Election, students and staff at the University of Alberta, including our own Lutheran Campus Ministry staff and students, had an opportunity to reflect on the curious intersection of faith and politics in America. Molly Worthen, a doctoral candidate at Yale University, delivered a lecture entitled “Jesus for President”, in which she challenged the traditional concept of a separation between church and state in the American setting. Her lecture began with a broad question – how did the United States shift from a republic founded upon secular humanist ideals to a country with a fundamentalist, Bible-heavy reputation? She pointed to four distinct moments in American history that affected the nation’s religious outlook. Worthen began with seveneenth-century New England and John Winthrop, the first governor of the Puritan colony of Massachusetts. His influential sermon “A Model of Christian Charity” encouraged Puritans in the New World to build a Biblically-based society. This “city upon a hill” would be a model that could be exported back to England, where religion had become too ornate and ritualistic. A concept of the New World as specially chosen by God emerged, and would resurface after the Civil War. The second moment, Worthen explained was after the American Revolution, when religion became a central issue for this new nation with a hodgepodge of different denominations. Revivals broke out on the frontier to reach unchurched settlers, whose ideology clashed fiercely with Deists politicians such as Thomas Jefferson. Deists adhered to the Enlightenment values of rationalism and reason, and feared that any religious doctrines promoted by government would impede these core values. The


Photo by Reiner Loewan

revivalists, mostly Baptists and Methodists, objected to a state church because it lacked the element of “true” conversion – a person’s choice of faith would be undermined by government mandate. The Civil War cemented religious tension as a central feature of American history, Worthen continued with the third moment. Both the Union and the Confederacy claimed that God was on their side, using militant Christian symbolism to assert that they were doing God’s will. After the war, the idea of civil religion took hold, as the two regions of the country sought a spiritual foundation upon which to build nationhood. Separate identities arose in the North and South, each with their own myths and martyrs. In the North, a reconciliationist view emerged, that the nation had been purged through war, and was reborn as a holy country favored by God. The Southern attitude was one of a noble defeat, where white ministers urged their congregations to preserve tradition and uphold the South’s dignity. Worthen described the final moment in American history that affected the nation’s religious outlook as one of the mid-twentieth century, when “godless” Communism became America’s principle foe in global politics. The country began to fuse patriotism with religion as a way of counteracting Marxism’s atheistic component. National symbols, such as the American flag and US Constitution, came to be revered as near-sacred relics. The words “In God We Trust” were added to coins under President Eisenhower, perhaps as a way of reinforcing this blend of national fervor and holy purpose. By the 1960s, several other religious bodies sprang up. Black churches became recognized places of power and refuge during the oppressive Civil Rights Movement. At the same time, conservative Evangelicals began their crusade against the “erosion of family values” supposedly inherent in Hippie culture. A real polarization had begun, with the religious right versus the liberal-minded social thinkers.

Ms. Worthen concluded her lecture by emphasizing the importance of values in U.S. politics today. Rather than voting for the person with the best leadership skills, people often select the candidate whose values they share. Is this, she wonders, a serious inability to recognize real leadership? Perhaps it is confusing leadership with likeability and common beliefs. Whatever the situation may be, it is clear that faith informs peoples’ choices, and religion will likely continue to affect the American political scene in significant ways. By Alexander Dimitroff (Alexander is a student in the Law faculty at the U of A, a resident at Martin Luther House, and President this year of the Lutheran Student Movement – Edmonton.)


The boys wearing ROOPH awards toques.

A makeshift house.

MOSAIC – Blanketing the Community with Love

When Emmaus, Edmonton, discovered a homeless community in its own back yard, the congregation established a fourishing neighbourhood ministry. “Open the eyes of my heart Lord.” These familiar words, which we sing and pray to our Lord time and again, are honoured and answered for Emmaus Lutheran Church, Edmonton, a congregation situated in an ordinary, middle-class neighbourhood inhabited by second-, third-, and fourth-generation Canadians and a beautiful tapestry of new immigrants. That was until the day, in 2005, when we met Joe. Joe, an unassuming middle-aged homeless man, began appearing around our church day after day. Where did this man come from, we wondered. Homeless people don’t frequent this neighbourhood. Then a bedroll was found with blankets and other personal affects tucked discretely into a small stand of trees on the church property. Was there really a homeless person living in our community? Once God opened our eyes to Joe, we continued to discover more and more of our homeless neighbours. Tucked in behind clusters of bushes, underneath nearby bridges, inside of makeshift cardboard houses, and wherever they could find shelter from the elements, our neighbours became more visible. Everywhere we travelled in the city’s northeast, God revealed another soul (many had lived in the area for years), foraging for empty cans and food in local dumpsters, riding their patchwork bikes to the bottle depot, or pushing a cart full of treasures that had been discarded by others.


MOSAIC Milestones • Cooked 1,200 meals over 12 community

dinners. • Served 800 delicious meals and warmed 1,600

feet at 40 Monday night winter soup kitchens. • Cooked and served a Christmas dinner, where

200 guests selected gifts to pay forward. • Supported the MOSAIC Winter Warming

Centre, which provides hot morning coffee to our homeless neighbours.

• Organized a back-to-school barbecue where 150 dinner guests filled 80 backpacks with school supplies donated by three congregations and two schools.

• Provided 47 free haircuts donated by three amazing ladies.

• Acquired and distributed 400 blankets from Edmonton Emergency Relief Services Society, 80 quilts from an out-of-province congregation, and clothes from three local congregations.

• Received and distributed four van loads of food donated by a local school.

• Celebrated three holy baptisms. • Rejoiced as seven homeless friends were

housed. • Connected two schools, four churches, and the

city of Edmonton to create this unique ministry.

Selma offers a free haircut.

A friend is baptized.

God had placed a powerful pull on our hearts, and a new concern for our neighbours began to grow. Who were these people and how could Jesus use us as his hands and feet? As the fall turned to the white of winter, we knew that we had to reach out to these neighbours. Research revealed that free hot meals and gifts were prevalent during the Christmas season, as Christian and secular communities alike were stirred to help the less fortunate. Once the holidays passed, however, so did the charity, leaving the homeless and needy to face another long four months of winter. Thus began Christmas in February. During the Christmas season, new, unwrapped gifts for adults and children were collected for distribution at the dinner. Such personal items as soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, shampoos, long underwear,

clothing, socks, jackets, hats and mittens as well as tarps, blankets, canned food, can openers, candles, flashlights, and bus and coffee tickets were also donated for distribution. With the goal of showing a little of God’s love to people in need, we planned a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings and a visit from Santa with a gift for each guest. But how would we get the people to come?


Food collected at a local school.

All photos for this article by Linda Deveau.

With prayers from our pastor and flyers in hand, we set out to introduce ourselves and invite our neighbours to a banquet prepared especially for them. Our adventure took us into places that we never knew existed, introducing us to people who, to this day, bless our lives. The relationship that God had been choreographing was finally forged. At the Christmas in February Dinner, 25 of our congregation members played host to 65 homeless, needy, and lonely neighbours. Since then, Emmaus has opened its doors and hearts for a monthly community dinner where our new friends are welcome to enjoy a hot meal and pick up a new outfit, blankets and food. Most important, they are greeted with open arms, welcoming hugs, Christian fellowship and the love of Jesus. In the fall of 2007, Emmaus came together with other area churches and opened its doors throughout the winter to offer a Monday night soup kitchen. Several of the homeless guests made it a habit to stay after the dinner and join the worship group in the sanctuary. Many of our homeless friends have been working through illnesses and addictions and have been blessed with housing. A number have acknowledged Jesus as Savior, some have attended weekly ALPHA classes, and two were baptized by the Holy Spirit. Some beat the addictions, control the illnesses, and maintain the housing, while others slip back to the streets. However, they all remain our friends, brothers and sisters in Christ. Since the spring of 2008, Emmaus, Trinity Christian Reformed, Steele Heights Baptist and many other community Churches and several local area elementary and junior high schools have continued to work together in God’s ministry to the homeless and needy. Our focus is still to be friendly, loving and accepting. The ministry, aptly named MOSAIC, continues to offer monthly community dinners complete with an on-site hair dresser, a Thursday morning breakfast, a coffee warming center, an ongoing community closet and pantry, back to school supplies and an annual Christmas celebration. We also act as a food bank depot. And what has happened to Joe? He has been embraced by our church family, and no event seems complete until Joe shows up for a visit and a piece of cake. We thank God for opening our eyes, so that we might see Jesus in the eyes of your children. For I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing…(Matthew 25:35-36.) By Linda Deveau (Emmaus Lutheran, Edmonton)


Photo courtesy of Augustana Lutheran Church.

8 Days in Action – Hope Supports Calgary Women’s Shelter Eight days. Eight days was all it took, from the time it was announced at Hope Lutheran Church, Calgary that the Calgary Women's Emergency Shelter (CWES) needed help, to the time when they delivered a cheque for over $1500 dollars to the CWES office. Thanks to a tremendous outpouring of support, plus a benefit Christmas Carol concert by Pastor Stewart Miller and The Range, the people of Hope Lutheran reached out to their community and enabled a valuable shelter to provide people with many basic necessities.

By Vicar Michael Macintyre (Hope Lutheran Church, Calgary)

Hogmassa at Augustana Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church, Edmonton returned to its roots briefly on Sunday, October 26th when a Swedish Hogmassa (High Mass) was celebrated there. When the church was formed in 1929, it was named First Swedish Lutheran Church and worship services were conducted entirely in the Swedish Language for the first two years. The name change to Augustana was made in 1941. The Rev. Anna Runesson, pastor of the Swedish Lutheran Church, Toronto, accepted an invitation to preside at the Hogmassa and did so in a most competent manner. She is a native of Sweden who has lived in Canada for the past five years. The service was sponsored jointly by Augustana and Edmonton’s Skandia Lodge #549 of the Vasa Order of America. A choir was assembled made up of Augustana members together with several singers from Hosanna Lutheran Church in Edmonton.

Eva Bostrand guided the choir members through the correct pronunciation of the words. Old hymn favorites such as “Tryggare kan ingen vara” and “O store Gud” brought forth joyful singing from both Swedes and non-Swedes alike. Brass and wind instruments played by some of the Hosanna people added a stirring accompaniment to the music from the organ.

Swedish flags became table centrepieces for the coffee and dessert social gathering following the service. How “Swede” it was! By Elmer Oslund (Augustana Lutheran Church, Edmonton)


“Celebrations” IS A PUBLICATION

OF THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE OF THE SYNOD OF ALBERTA AND THE TERRITORIES.

ITS PURPOSE is… ...to connect the people and congregations of our synod. ...to provide a forum for celebrating the people, places and mission of the congregations in our synod. ...to help us learn from each other and encourage each other in our work for Jesus Christ. SUBMIT articles and photos about the life, work and mission of the congregations of our synod to the “Celebrations” editor, Lisa Rude at:

[email protected] 324 Woodfield Pl. SW Calgary, AB T2W 3Y1 403.686.7311

Please include name, phone number and email or address with all submissions. All submissions will also be considered for the ABT Synod section in Canada Lutheran. “Celebrations” IS COPYRIGHTED to the Synod of Alberta and the Territories. However, photocopies of

“Celebrations” are encouraged for use in the congregations of our synod. “Celebrations” may not be republished in print or posted to a website outside of the congregations of our synod, either in whole or in part, without the express permission of the Synod – [email protected].

Close-up of Bakken’s painting of Christ that hung in his home parish of Vang.

Photo by Judy Anderson.

Sources for this article include: - The Glenbow Foundation of Alberta - Archives Canada

- Scandinavian Connections – A Guide to sites in Alberta 2007.

Did You Know…

• That a Norwegian settler named Kristopher Bakken painted a dominant Christ figure in the Sanctuary of many early 20th century Scandinavian Churches in Alberta.

• That his first painting representing Christ

walking on the waters was in his home parish of Vang, the oldest Norwegian Lutheran Church west of Winnipeg, in the Wetaskiwin-Millet district.

• That Kristopher Bakken later became a

well-known resident of Calgary.

• That his butter sculptures were exhibited at fairs in Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver and Victoria.

• That in the old Vaudeville days before

sound movies, Bakken' s art was exhibited in Calgary movie houses.

The artwork in our churches can inspire and enrich our worship and faith life. Consider researching the artwork in your own congregation. There are interesting stories to share.

Submitted by Rev. Louis Morin

celebrations 2009-01 winter - evangelical lutheran church ......3 “celebrations” – winter 2009...

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