Affirming Coordinator? That's a thing now? Is it a volunteer role or a paid position?
We had a good service today. The guest preacher spoke from Micah. With one of our Deacons away, the Pastor asked me to help serve and pray for Communion.
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Affirming Coordinator? That's a thing now? Is it a volunteer role or a paid position?
We had a good service today. The guest preacher spoke from Micah. With one of our Deacons away, the Pastor asked me to help serve and pray for Communion.
BetteTheRed
Resident Heretic
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Her
We had an amazing service today. Focused on the homeless and social justice around that issue. Our "message" was a dialogue between a 17 year old Collingwood native, also, along with her family, a homeless advocate and photographer, Leah Denbok. https://www.amazon.ca/Nowhere-Call-...F8&qid=1517794620&sr=8-1&keywords=leah+denbok
You just never know
Blip, blip, blip....
It's a paid position. Apparently only two United Church congregations in Alberta have an Affirming Coordinator so a welcome and much needed ministry to be sure.
You just never know
Blip, blip, blip....
Sounds like a fine service and the book looks interesting. I worked for over a decade in a homeless shelter just east of the downtown core in Calgary. Many stories that are never heard to be sure. Leah is to be commended for her work.
BetteTheRed
Resident Heretic
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Her
That's what blows me away, is the stories. One she told us today went with a picture of a middle-aged man. His only child, a toddler, was killed in a traffic accident, then his wife, in her grief, killed herself.
You just never know
Blip, blip, blip....
Yes, so much sadness when you take the time to hear where folks have come from.
I imagine once a church decides to make the transition to being affirming, having such a coordinator in place helps to facilitate that change. There will never be such a position in my current denomination.
BetteTheRed
Resident Heretic
- Pronouns
- She/Her/Her
"Never", you think? I think they may need it when they get their s**t together. Or perhaps not; by then a co-ordinator might be a completely moot point. It will be like trying to fix up those folks who believe in a 6 day creation, I suppose. How do you get from there (pre-historic superstition) to here (modern science)?
They're dinosaurs. A great number of them don't even feel women should be allowed to be Pastors and Elders. Having feelings about being affirming is way off. "Never" is rhetorical but I honestly don't feel it will be during my lifetime.
BetteTheRed said:
You look past your feelings that the Genesis creation accounts might be allegorical.
Seeler
Well-Known Member
I have to admire our ministers for adapting to situations. We were expecting three baptisms this morning - plus an after the service celebration of a member's 95 birthday. But you know what they say about the 'best laid plans'. Weather - a cold snap last week with temperatures aboout minus 20 broke with temps soaring to 8 or 10 above - with snow changing to rain (and the ice in between). And illness - someone in at least two of the families was ill. One young mother is suffering from post-partum depression.
No baptisms - an offer was made for anyone who wished to have an adult baptism or to renew their vows - not taken up. We don't often do that on spur of the moment in the UCC,
So: we followed the bulletin with the Call to Worship and the prayers and our Statement of Faith "We are not alone --"
- we sung the hymns - "O World of God" - I love the tune Jerusalem but I don't know the words to this hymn - "Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters", unfamiliar to me - "Christ Has No Body Now but Yours", not a favourite but OK - and "Arise, Your Light Is Come", the only one I really know and like.
- The Faith Formation Minister substituted a children's story for her planned talk about baptism.
- The Scripture readings were from Genesis 1: 1-5, and Mark 1: 4-11 The Baptism of Jesus
- The Worship Leading Minister spoke on 'Baptism - Why bother?'
The service actually went quite smoothly. I was glad to be back in my home church after two weeks leading worship elsewhere.
And the elderly man's family decided that with six inches of melting snow covering the driveway, and rain falling from the sky, they would celebrate his birthday at home. We thought of him eating birthday cake while we had cheese and scones, cookies and squares with our coffee.
No baptisms - an offer was made for anyone who wished to have an adult baptism or to renew their vows - not taken up. We don't often do that on spur of the moment in the UCC,
So: we followed the bulletin with the Call to Worship and the prayers and our Statement of Faith "We are not alone --"
- we sung the hymns - "O World of God" - I love the tune Jerusalem but I don't know the words to this hymn - "Wash, O God, Our Sons and Daughters", unfamiliar to me - "Christ Has No Body Now but Yours", not a favourite but OK - and "Arise, Your Light Is Come", the only one I really know and like.
- The Faith Formation Minister substituted a children's story for her planned talk about baptism.
- The Scripture readings were from Genesis 1: 1-5, and Mark 1: 4-11 The Baptism of Jesus
- The Worship Leading Minister spoke on 'Baptism - Why bother?'
The service actually went quite smoothly. I was glad to be back in my home church after two weeks leading worship elsewhere.
And the elderly man's family decided that with six inches of melting snow covering the driveway, and rain falling from the sky, they would celebrate his birthday at home. We thought of him eating birthday cake while we had cheese and scones, cookies and squares with our coffee.
I went to an evening philosophy discussion instead of the morning service.
Some people excel in denial of whines ... and thus things are better (more comforting?) in church and further coordinated ...
Our minister was back from a bout with cancer and talked about actual experience versus ... just the simple story that is not lived into by many people ... they just can't project themselves like some can as missals ... one might need a cat 'a pulled thingy ... these can be used to transport dead bodies over ob stick ALs ... dark and upstanding creating shadows with myths carved into the shaft part ... he ranged into the soothsayers Isaiah, Paul and the ligher one ... Jay Zus who drew things from deep within ...
In one part of Church Documents it tells how "soothsayers" should be eliminated so we won't see the mythical climax ... some don't grasp eM!
What was the answer to "Baptism- why bother?"
We could caste him ode ... as a hoot? Who man Dunne Ide ... nope was Ur ... the soothsayer ... De Bora-h! The jacking down of the opposition ... some jill t 'n may be expected ... can hit you like a bolt ... shocking ... like Eros to a thinKing core ...!
Could be subtle ... light splash!
Pinga
Room for All
Heeler, odd casts
We have a baptism in our church February 18. In the Baptist tradition, baptism is a symbol that someone has died to self and risen again to new life in Christ.