Building Kingdom Communities with the diaconate as a new order of mission

New book out by David Clark (member of the UK Methodist Deacon Order), author of Breaking the Mould of Christendom (summary here), in which he explored the diaconal ministry of the whole people of God and the role of Deacons in the 'Copernican shift' that needs to happen. Highly recommended. His new book, 'Building Kingdom communities' builds on the work of his first book. The promo blurb: 'In a world in which resources are unjustly distributed, identities are under threat and solidarity is fragile, the toughest task facing humanity is the quest for community. Christians fail to grasp that in the gifts of the kingdom community - life, liberation, love and learning - they hold the key to what the search for community is all about. This book describes those gifts and how a servant church, through the creation of its diaconate as an order of mission, might offer a fragmented world new hope. The Methodist Church in Britain is taken as a model of what could be achieved'.

(Book is available on Amazon, £6.99 plus postage. I found it on Fast Print, but postage is prohibitive outside of the UK/Europe. I'll keep looking to find a better deal to purchase the book!)

David's first book, Breaking the Mould, was such a great read (my copy was passed around to many people who enjoyed reading it!), and I'm looking forward to dipping into his new book. I'd say both books are definitely essential reading for Deacon candidates, Deacons in ministry, Selection Panels, those who are involved in formation for ministry for all ministry candidates, and for all those engaged in leadership in the ministry and mission of the church - in local churches and congregations, and in the 'governance' part of the church. The 'Copernican Shift' is desperately needed in the way diaconal ministry is seen within the church, and the way it might offer 'a fragmented world new hope'.
 
David Clark became a member of the Methodist Diaconal Order in 2005. Prior to that, he worked as a Methodist minister in Sheffield and London, and as a senior lecturer in community education at Westhill College, Birmingham. He played a leading role in the emergence of the Christian Community Movement, set up the Christians in Public Life Programme and founded the Human City Institute. He is co-ordinator of the Kingdom at Work Project. He has written at length about the mission of the church in today’s world.

Wildfires in Alberta

Living in a country that experiences the horrors and devastation of what we call bushfires in Australia, it is shocking to see the wildfires in Alberta Province in Canada - and the devastation of whole communities. Our thoughts and prayers are with the firefighters, those who have been evacuated and fled their homes, those who are supporting them, and those who have lost homes and livelihoods. It may be quite some time before people will be able to return to their communities to see what remains. We pray for the diaconal ministry agents in the area, and practical responses of the churches to support the people impacted by the fire.

A Minister in the Uniting Church in Australia, Rev Cathie Lambert, wrote this prayer after fires devastated the Margaret River region of Western Australia in 2011 in which she lives:

A prayer for the fires
We lament the devastation of the fires....
of tragic loss....
of homes reduced to ash....
of mementos that held treasured memories...
of treasured possessions and everyday necessities....
of livelihood...
of vegetation and animals....
of the beauty of the landscape....
We bring these images of loss into Your Presence,
sharing Your grief and sharing the grief of Your people and Your land.
We pray for those affected - for courage, strength, patience and hope, to face the days and weeks and months ahead, even when the story no longer has media attention.
We give thanks for those who have fought hard to contain the fire and bring it to an end, and for those who have supported residents - for firefighters, police officers, ambulance officers, and emergency workers. We are thankful that no lives have been lost in this catastrophe.
We give thanks that the people are not alone in their time of grief, anger, confusion and sorrow, and that the sense of goodwill in the community, and across the nation, offers them encouragement and practical support in their time of need.
We give thanks that the God we know in Jesus Christ journeys with us and remains with us all the days of our life, even through the dark valleys and times of sorrow and lament. Amen.

Anglican Church in Canada also has posted prayer points....
This is a terrifying time for the residents of the City of Fort McMurray, all of whom have had to evacuate. I think particularly of how stressful this is for those who are critically ill and those who tend them under these very difficult circumstances. Pray for all who are fleeing the fires that they may travel in safety. Pray for those who will receive them in emergency shelters. Pray for those who, against the odds given the unusually high seasonal temperatures and high winds, are battling the blaze and attempting to curtail its reach. Pray for all the firefighters, police and emergency service workers. These are exhausting days for them. Pray for all who face the loss of their homes, businesses, and livelihoods. Pray for all who are trying to protect City Hall and other public service buildings with an eye to the huge task of rebuilding the city in time. Let us continue to hold Fort McMurray in prayer, as we as a Church and a nation responding to this unfolding crisis.
The Most Rev Fred Hiltz, Archbishop and Primate.

Where are the leaders?

There are so many people of influence in our world, Jesus,

Those with loud voices and deep pockets,

those with large lives and wide networks.

But, where are the leaders?

As we struggle to keep our broken humanity

from splintering into countless irreparable fragments;

As we wrestle with our greed and arrogance,

our ignorance and short-sightedness,

our violence and coldness,

our carelessness and narcissism,

Where are the leaders?

Raise up for us, O God, leaders worthy of the name,

men and women who like Christ

are unafraid of challenge,

unashamed of serving,

and unattached to their own personal gain;

men and women who like Christ

call to the best within us,

and then lead the way.

And, in our own small spheres, God,

may we be the leaders we seek.

Amen.

John van de Laar, Sacredise

NZ Methodist Deacons meeting in Convocation

The Methodist Deacons in New Zealand are meeting for Convocation from 8-10th April, at Whangarei, about 2 hours north of Auckland. I have previously added information on the blogsite, which provides an update about what is happening in diaconal ministry in the Methodist Church of NZ. And here is information about three Methodist Deacons in NZ - Deacons Lorna Goodwin, Richard Williams and Rachel Tregurtha. I'd encourage you to read the information, and to remember the Deacons in your prayers as they meet for Convocation.

Deacon Lorna Goodwin

Deacon Margaret Birtles

Deacon Rachel Tregurtha

Deacon Richard Williams

Easter 2016

(The President of DIAKONIA World Federation, Rev Sandy Boyce, delivered this sermon for Easter Day at Pilgrim Uniting Church, 27th March 2016)

Jesus is risen! Hallelujah!

Jesus’ risen life means that ‘today we find ourselves in a world where the inevitable no longer seems sure, and we wonder what else is made possible because of the resurrection: what walls will be broken and what darkness will be destroyed; what death will be shown for what it is - the possibility for love to come again’. (Cheryl Lawrie)

In that tomb, it was love that released Jesus from the bonds of death. God’s love that released the possibility of new life when all looked bleak and hopeless. 

We have heard the story of Jesus told by the generations of our spiritual ancestors - of a betrayal, an arrest, a man condemned to death, and his crucifixion on a cross, and finally laid to rest in a tomb - abandoned, alone. Hate, suspicion, cruelty, and fear, had put him there. All the common elements of our human condition, seen in countless conflicts through human history. Our time is just as cruel and violent, filled with suspicion and hate.  

We have been shocked by the attacks on innocent people in Brussels, as we have been shocked by other such acts of terror. (Editorial: And the news from Lahore, Pakistan, about the suicide bomber who has killed more than 60 and injured hundreds of others, mainly women and children. It is reported that they were mainly Christian families enjoying the Easter holiday). And there are many, many more acts of terror that happen, largely unreported in mainstream media but that bring fear and death to innocent people - regardless of ethnicity and  religious convictions. In fact, since 2000, only 2.6% of deaths from terrorism have occurred in the West. Which is why millions flee from danger, simply seeking safety. 

Jesus’ death on a cross was a political act designed to bring terror to the civilians in the Roman Empire. Sadly, the religious authorities colluded with political might to execute Jesus. He was guilty only of ‘crimes of compassion’, as he sought to embody God’s love and offer God’s mercy and forgiveness. His state sanctioned death by execution on a cross was because his message of love and justice, and his advocacy for the poor and the marginalised, was a threat to those who held power. Brute force sought to defeat love. 

In that tomb, it was love that released Jesus from the bonds of death. God’s love that released the possibility of new life when all looked bleak and hopeless. 

We long to see this love released in our global community - in the actions and words of our political as well as religious leaders, in the actions of those placed in positions of trust, with those who hold power, and with those who make decisions that affect the lives of others. And we long to see that love released between neighbours, regardless of ethnicity or religious convictions.  

It is heartening to see ordinary people embracing love not hate. 10,000 American Jews have signed a petition condemning Donald Trump’s plan to ban all Muslims. To Donald Trump they say, ’When we say ‘never again’, it’s not just about Jews, it’s about everyone. There’s no place for your rhetoric in the 21st century’. 

It is heartening to see the Canadian PM Justin Trudeau welcome thousands of Syrian refugees to his country – people who have been forced to flee their homeland due to war and conflict. We wait in anticipation to see a similar commitment from Australia come to fruition.* 

It is heartening to hear the story from Germany of Syrian asylum seekers who rescued a leading political candidate for a far right party, after the man had crashed his car into a tree. The two Syrians pulled the seriously injured man from the wreckage and administered first aid before an ambulance arrived at the scene. Love overcoming fear and suspicion and difference.  The Good Samaritan story re-told for the 21st century. 

The Australian cartoonist Leunig speaks of love and fear -
There are only two feelings: Love and fear.
There are only two languages: Love and fear.
There are only two activities: Love and fear.
There are only two motives, two procedures, two frameworks, two results.
Love and fear. Love and fear.

Those who perpetrate acts of violence are committed to generating fear and hatred. Those who follow the Jesus way, those who are ambassadors for Christ, are those who cradle and release God’s love in a world longing to be freed from all that binds, that divides, that excludes. This day, resurrection beckons us again to open ourselves more fully to God’s transforming love. It invites us to invest our lives in love, generosity, kindness, justice and peace. 

R. Buckminster Fuller said, ‘It is now highly feasible to take care of everybody on Earth at a higher standard of living than any have ever known. Selfishness is unnecessary. War is obsolete. It is a matter of converting the high technology from weaponry to livingry’. How we live together, at peace with each other, and with the earth. 

And that’s what we see in Jesus’ life - an invitation to live life, and life it in all its fullness. Not just for you, or for me, but for the common good and welfare of all. In revealing the breadth and depth of God’s love for us, the invitation is there for us to open ourselves to God’s love that transforms our lives, and the way we live together. Our faith in God is personal but never private. It must always be revealed in the way we treat one another.

The Moderator (Uniting Church SA Synod), Dr Deidre Palmer, in her Easter message, says: When suffering and trauma are fresh, as they are now in the wake of the attacks in Brussels, it can be difficult to believe in a message of love, hope and peace. And yet today, in Jesus, people experience God’s message of hope that we can live differently. Love can shape our relationships. Equality, justice and peace can be the foundation of our societies. We can be reconciled to God and to each other. Healing and new beginnings are possible.

As we celebrate Easter, may you dare to hope, as we recall once more Christ’s message of love and peace for all the world. May it be so. Amen. 

(Editorial: *just 29 have been settled in Australia from the 12,000 Syrians Australia committed to settle, though the Immigration Minister has just spent $6.2 million on a film to deter refugees from travelling to Australia)

Remembering Archbishop Oscar Romero

An inspiring man....tragically assassinated as he celebrated communion on 24th March 1980.
His words continue to inspire.....

Indigenous Spiritual Ministry of Mishamikoweesh

Thanks to Scott Knarr for posting information the ordination of Annie Cromarty on March 6th, 2016, a Deacon in the ISSM Diocese (Indigenous Spiritual Ministry of Mishamikoweesh (ISMM), part of the Anglican Church of Canada). The ordination took place in St James' Wunnumin Lake, Ontario. Blessings to Deacon Annie Cromarty!
ISMM Facebook page here.

Rt Rev Lydia Mamakwa, First Bishop of Mishamikoweesh

The new Deacon with colleagues

Deacon Annie Cromarty, and other ISMM Deacons

On June 1st, 2014, the ISMM came into being. The creation of a new Diocese within the Anglican Church of Canada was a major milestone in the journey of establishing a self-determining, self-sustaining Indigenous Church within the Anglican Church of Canada. The ISMM encompasses over 25 First Nations communities in Northwestern Ontario and Northern Manitoba. Its structures and program are uniquely aboriginal in that it is an expression of indigenous self-determination within the Anglican Church, committed to upholding the tradition, order and discipline of the Church, expressing that commitment in a manner that is consistent with the cultural and spiritual heritage of the Indigenous people of the region.