Elizabeth’s ecumenical explorations

  I usually go for a hike on Saturday afternoons. Along the way I found this tree - and noticed one side of the trunk where the bark was stripped off. Too high for it to be an animal, I think, maybe it was struck by lightening? We have had a some major storms in Ottawa in recent years, a few tornados and a derecho, which have caused major damage to some of our forests and on the paths I like to hike. Other than clearing the paths, the damaged trees have been left to fall and rot, they say they are "letting the forest be the forest". Eventually the lightening tree will also fall and so nature will take its course. Sometimes I wonder if churches are going through the same process, where some will survive and others will fall.  I have visited churches packed with people, and also tiny congregations and every size in between. I would not say that only the large churches were valid or successful. On Sunday I went back to a Baptist Church that I had visited once when the minister w...

  Cluster Service What is a cluster service? In our area, 5 congregations have formed a cluster, working together to be the United Church in our corner of the city.  As former minister of one of those congregations, I always enjoyed the Cluster Service. It gave us the opportunity to meet and experience the strengths of other communities of faith. Every year, however, one comment always arose: "So nice for you to have a Sunday off..."! To be honest, these services are not easy. Yes, we might not be preaching, but chances are we are doing something. In a different worship space, with a different congregation that is not really a community. And praying that everyone will show up. "Why don't we do more together?" That's a good question, and I think there are a variety of factors. Ministers: I love my colleagues in ministry and I love working with them. However the reality is that most of us, unless we are diaconal ministers, are not trained to work together. Tru...

  When I walked into the Salvation Army Citadel for Sunday morning worship, I heard the sounds of a bass guitar and drums grooving to a contemporary song - a welcome change from all the traditional church music in Advent and Christmas. But the music in worship was even more diverse - brass band, praise band, hymn-singing, choir anthem, tambourines and clapping in the congregation. The Salvation Army has long been known for its music, and this was a great example of how to have it all in one service.  Clearly they invest a lot and have the volunteers to carry it out week after week. Paul said to me "Are you ready to sing Onward Christian soldiers?"  Lo and behold, it was the first hymn! With words even more triumphalist than what I grew up with.  In the UCC it is probably the one old hymn people still ask for, though it hasn't been in our hymn books for a long time. They remember the tune, the upbeat sound of it, but when I show them what the words actually say, mostl...

 Traditionally, there are "low" Sundays in the church year, when ministers don't really expect the congregation to show up: long weekends, holy days that fall on holidays, summer breaks and the Sunday between Christmas and New Years. That was what the minister at the Anglican church in my neighbourhood called it, when I introduced myself on the way out. "Thanks for coming, even on a "low" Sunday." But the service itself was not low. When they handed me the order of service on the way in, the word that came to mind was "encyclopedic!" Four sheets containing the liturgy, the scripture readings, announcements, etc. etc. (They also had a recycling box in a prominent place at the end of the service.) The traditional Anglican liturgy was balanced with the preacher and congregation's much more relaxed greetings, sermon delivery and music.  There was no choir (as one might expect on a low Sunday) and the sung parts of the service were offered by ...