Author: RevMarie

Rev. Andrew Mills reflects on the difference between encouraging people to "make a decision for Jesus" ( in and of itself a good thing!) and making disciples.

As we approach "Back to Church Sunday" we might ask the same questions about the difference between encouraging people to come to church and be part of the church ( again, in and of itself a good thing) and the process of making disciples.

Our Mission Statement is "To know Jesus Christ, and empowered by the Holy Spirit, to make Him known". Knowing Jesus Christ and making him known is a lifelong process of discovery and deepening relationships. It involves both being and making disciples.
So our motto might be "Being disciples, who are making disciples"!

What do you think about what Pastor Andrew has to say?
DISCIPLE MAKING RATHER THAN DECISION MAKING

Mother Teresa wrote this:

You, in the West, have the spirituality poorest of the poor much more than you have the physically poor. Often among the rich are very spiritually poor people. I find it easy to give a plate of rice to a hungry person, to furnish a bed to a person who has no bed, but to console or to remove the bitterness, anger and loneliness that comes from being spiritually deprived, that takes a long time.

I think that this is true and deep. Being spiritually deprived leads to anger, bitterness, and loneliness. And changing that reality doesn?t happen through a tract, it doesn?t happen through one conversation, it doesn?t happen through one big event. Changing that reality takes time, commitment, conversation, and, most of all, Jesus Christ.

I?ve often said that we here are much more interested in people becoming disciples of Jesus, rather than just making decisions about Jesus. Making disciples takes a while. It means addressing people?s spiritual deprivation, their hurt, anger, bitterness, and loneliness. It means being Jesus to them over the long haul. Not just a few weeks, but months, and years.

So here is my question for you: who are you committing to long-term?

It?s not just about giving someone a plate of rice. It?s about giving a plate of rice each week, sitting down for conversation, for connection and for a shared commitment. So that?s my question, who are you committing to be there with, watching, hoping, and expecting Jesus to become real in their life.

Because remember we?re here to make disciples, not just help people make decisions?

Dear Christ Church Family

Our sisters and brothers at St. Brice's were delighted this week to receive support from the Executive Committee to proceed with the necessary renovations to allow them to continue ministry in their beloved St. Brice's building! (FYI - Executive Committee must approve all expenditures on buildings when they exceed $25,000.00) . The Committee was deeply impressed by the passion, faith and commitment evident in their excellent presentation.

So now our sister congregation embarks on a challenging year of "Faith, Finances and Fundraising". There will be any number of fundraising events and opportunities for us to support them in spiritual and practical ways. I urge you to continue in the persistent prayer and concern you have shown in these last months - and as events and opportunities present themselves, to support those efforts as well.

One of our wardens recently wrote when we were considering how best to offer help to our St. Brice's family, "if we preach we are one church and we are one family, we need to put into practice those words when one of the family comes under stress".

Here is a wonderful opportunity to live out our faith together!

We'll keep you informed as opportunities present themselves. In the meantime - keep praying and encouraging!
Rev. Marie

One of the lovely gifts we have at Christ Church is our beautiful gardens! They bring glory to God and much joy to our neighbours and ourselves - when they are well kept!

A number of folks who have faithfully - and quietly - tended the gardens for years are finding they are unable to do so this year. They remain happy to help with advice and guidance though!

If you have a green thumb - or a not so green thumb but would be willing to be the muscle to come alongside another with knowledge but questionable knees, and you could give a couple of hours a month over the growing season, we'd love to hear from you.

Our hope is to get a team together who could work jointly, or as individuals, to keep the gardens weeded and trimmed up as the season progresses. This would take an hour or two a week, so if we had several folks on the team, you might end up on "yard duty" a couple or three times a season.

If you are interested, please respond to this email.

As well, a few of us would love to establish a quiet "memory garden" If this sparks your interest, please talk to Rev. Marie about it!

Happy growing - in your gardens and in your soul!
Rev. Marie

Tomorrow is Camp Temiskaming Sunday! It is a day when we celebrate our Deanery camp, and have some fun doing that. Please feel free to come to church in "camp clothes". The leadership of the service will be shared with our young people, and after the service - rain or shine - we'll have a Barbecue. We'll supply the hamburgers and such - you bring a salad or dessert or something to share ( enough for yourself and some others) and, as always - we will eat really well.

See you there!!!

Rev. Marie

We are so delighted that Bishop Stephen will be with us on Sunday, May 13 for a confirmation service! We are holding our candidates, Sari, Ayla, Jesslyn, Olivia, Danielle, John, Dale and Karrie in our prayers. We look forward to you joining us at 10 am for this very special service ( and for cake afterwards!)

We are very proud of our Jonathan Isenegger whose performance in Salt-Water Moon has earned him a spot in the Ontario Provincial Showcase of the Sears Drama Festival!! Well done Jonathan!
Be sure to get your tickets for the Friday, May 11 performance at the Capitol Centre!

The flowers are up and the sun is shining - it couldn't be a better day to come out for our Ladies' Spring Tea! See you there (11 to 1)

Get your instruments tuned and your voices ready for our Sing-a-Along on Sunday, May 6 at 7.We know you will have a great time - come and join us!

We look forward to joining our St. John the Divine friends for a celebration of Ascension on May 17, 2012 at St. John the Divine, 7 pm. They are generously offering the chance for anyone who wishes to join the choir to come out at 5:45
See you there!

We hope to see you tonight at Christ Church around 5 pm for a light snack and discussion.

We are continuing the assessment process at Christ Church and tonight is our first book discussion ( haven't read the book? Don't worry - we'll fill you in - we want to have YOU be part of this!). By the way - you don't need to read a whole book - just three chapters for all the discussions! And we have lots of the books at the church.

Have you ever wondered what people mean when they say "I heard God"? How does one "hear God"?
How do we listen for God in our everyday lives?
How is Christ Church doing at listening to God as we "Step Forward and Step Out"?
Are there other/better/different ways to do this that are rooted in the Scriptures and Christian experience?

All of these questions and many more have to do with our topic of the evening "Discernment"

If you haven't picked up a book yet and would like to read the short chapter before the meeting, drop by the church today - we have some new copies in and you can read the chapter in a few minutes - or just come!

See you tonight!
Rev. Marie