We had a very good meeting of the Centre for Excellence in Christian Education (CECE) project last night. Our Resource Library is really starting to take-off now that we have our first substantial grant ($10k from Area Council). Much excitement and joy as we move forward with various parts of the project!
-t
Showing posts with label CCFF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CCFF. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Children's Church
Interesting day at church. Every few months we like to do something called "Children's Church." When that happens, the kids stay upstairs in the children's chapel for the whole time. I send the sacrament up to them from downstairs and they receive communion among themselves. The advantage of this is that Kerrie (and I) can construct an entire service for the kids without compromising anything for the sake of appealing to adults. Now, keep in mind that this is just something we do occasionally, certainly not every sunday. But it's a nice treat for the kids because it gives them a chance to celebrate the Eucharist in a very special way.
I've always intended to take a turn up with the kids myself, and send the sacrament down to the parents! But the problem was always dealing with the sermon. I can't be in two places at once. But two things lead me to be with the kids this Sunday. First, it was the last Children's Church until the fall. The second is that Kerrie was not going be here!
Normally Kerrie has one of two Assistants, which allows her to split the group in two as necessary for age. But since Kerrie was gone we had both teachers on hand, plus myself. That worked out pretty well, as it turns out. Kerrie and I had discussed what I was going to do ahead of time, but I ended up having to improvise a lot! For instance, we one of the kids read the story from the Gospel I realized the rest really weren't getting it. So decided to take another shot at declaring the Gospel. I got the kids to take parts and act it out. Everyone had a role! It was engaging and it really worked well... especially towards the end when the kids were really enjoying themselves.
The only problem I ran into was that I ran out of stuff to do with the kids with about 20 minutes left! At that point the momentum was for the kids to go downstairs to be with their parents for the tail end of the service. I decided not to resist. But next time I'l remember the lesson: you can never have enough activities for the kids!
The whole thing gave me a new appreciation for what Kerrie does. There is a lot of skill in Children's Ministry!
Meanwhile... downstairs Marili did an excellent job with the adults. I've already uploaded the audio podcast to iTunes, so if you are subscribing to Messiah sermons via iTunes you should be able to get it now. Otherwise, I'll post it here and on the Messiah Website once I get the video edited.
Incidentally, a visitor to COTM this morning told me that he watched our videos on the website. He said that what he found in person pretty much matched what he expected from the videos. Good confirmation that it's worth my time to do them.
-t
I've always intended to take a turn up with the kids myself, and send the sacrament down to the parents! But the problem was always dealing with the sermon. I can't be in two places at once. But two things lead me to be with the kids this Sunday. First, it was the last Children's Church until the fall. The second is that Kerrie was not going be here!
Normally Kerrie has one of two Assistants, which allows her to split the group in two as necessary for age. But since Kerrie was gone we had both teachers on hand, plus myself. That worked out pretty well, as it turns out. Kerrie and I had discussed what I was going to do ahead of time, but I ended up having to improvise a lot! For instance, we one of the kids read the story from the Gospel I realized the rest really weren't getting it. So decided to take another shot at declaring the Gospel. I got the kids to take parts and act it out. Everyone had a role! It was engaging and it really worked well... especially towards the end when the kids were really enjoying themselves.
The only problem I ran into was that I ran out of stuff to do with the kids with about 20 minutes left! At that point the momentum was for the kids to go downstairs to be with their parents for the tail end of the service. I decided not to resist. But next time I'l remember the lesson: you can never have enough activities for the kids!
The whole thing gave me a new appreciation for what Kerrie does. There is a lot of skill in Children's Ministry!
Meanwhile... downstairs Marili did an excellent job with the adults. I've already uploaded the audio podcast to iTunes, so if you are subscribing to Messiah sermons via iTunes you should be able to get it now. Otherwise, I'll post it here and on the Messiah Website once I get the video edited.
Incidentally, a visitor to COTM this morning told me that he watched our videos on the website. He said that what he found in person pretty much matched what he expected from the videos. Good confirmation that it's worth my time to do them.
-t
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Power Point about Children's Ministry
Here is the power point from the Workshop that Kerrie and I did at our Synod Workshop last weekend. Perhaps I'll have a chance to add synched audio later...
You can also download the file directly from the SlideShare website.
-t
Children's and Youth Ministry Workshop: Anglican Diocese of Toronto Synod Workshop 2009
View more OpenOffice presentations from Tay Moss.
You can also download the file directly from the SlideShare website.
-t
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Catherine Keating on Christ Centred Character
Here is a quick little interview I did with Catherine Keating in which she discusses our "Christ Centred Character" project as well as the ARC project.
-t
-t
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Further Thoughts on the ARC
Regular readers of this blog know that one of my many pet projects has to do with establishing a resource centre for Christian Formation in this Diocese. In the last week I think I found a church that has some space to lend us. It's not as public as a storefront, but it's a heck of a lot cheaper! This church I have in mind has lots of parking, is centrally located, and is reachable by TTC (public transit). I can imagine establishing a library there and building it as we go. Eventually we can move to a storefront space if that's what we want, but I think to overcome inertia we need to start with something. And some shelves in a room at friendly church is a good start!
We still haven't cracked the self-supporting problem. I.e.--the quality of the resource centre is dependent, to some degree, on a steady source of revenue. The money could be used for acquisitions, management of the collection, and even staffing. I was speaking about this with a fellow priest this week who suggested memberships. That is, parishes would buy memberships in the Anglican Resource Centre. I imagine that non-members would still have access to the resource library, but perhaps that can't check anything out without becoming a member. And if they are a member they get special benefits. Perhaps non-members can read the online forum but not post to it. Perhaps members can get special "consultations"?
Furthermore, I think the ARC could also act as a bookstore to sell materials. Members could get a discount. You see where this is going--a model common on the Internet.
Next step, convince the church I have in mind to let us have the space and work out the details of that agreement. After that, we need to figure out some of the information architecture before we start accumulating stuff. What kind of cataloguing system? How will we index and arrange things? Etc. Gee... I wish I knew a librarian....
-t
We still haven't cracked the self-supporting problem. I.e.--the quality of the resource centre is dependent, to some degree, on a steady source of revenue. The money could be used for acquisitions, management of the collection, and even staffing. I was speaking about this with a fellow priest this week who suggested memberships. That is, parishes would buy memberships in the Anglican Resource Centre. I imagine that non-members would still have access to the resource library, but perhaps that can't check anything out without becoming a member. And if they are a member they get special benefits. Perhaps non-members can read the online forum but not post to it. Perhaps members can get special "consultations"?
Furthermore, I think the ARC could also act as a bookstore to sell materials. Members could get a discount. You see where this is going--a model common on the Internet.
Next step, convince the church I have in mind to let us have the space and work out the details of that agreement. After that, we need to figure out some of the information architecture before we start accumulating stuff. What kind of cataloguing system? How will we index and arrange things? Etc. Gee... I wish I knew a librarian....
-t
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Fresh Expressions Workshop
Last Saturday I went to a one-day Fresh Expressions Visioning Workshop at Wycliffe. "Fresh Expressions" is an initiative coming out of the Church of England that seeks to create new expressions of the Gospel in contemporary culture. Rather than replace or compete with traditional ("inherited") models of church, they aim to create a mixed economy of old and new. You can see some powerpoint shows that describe the movement in more detail on my Mission-Church Toronto Blog. I know I haven't been updating that blog a whole lot, but I expect that to change as COTM gets more directly involved in this kind reorientation towards mission.
There were about 24 people at the workshop. Many of them were familiar to me from other Anglican church growth/evangelism/church planting contexts. Interesting how the same people tend to attend these events. Hard not to look around and think of the dozens and dozens of people that ought to be at these kinds of events if they want to grow their churches. I understand how clergy get focused on their own places to the point where they can't participate in the kind of strategic continuing ed/church development events that could really help--but to me the sacrifice of a Saturday for the sake of possibly growing my church is an absolute no-brainer.
As to whether Messiah will try to develop a "Fresh Expression"--I've got two on the burner. I think the Contemplative Eucharist is actually a Fresh Expression that could be taken to the next level. I also think that the Mom's fellowship group has such a potential. The key is to structure that group around the principle of being church and not just a peripheral sub-group of Messiah members that share affinity and common experience. I've also got some other ideas kicking around in my brain.
One of the is the ARC (Anglican Resource Centre) that would be a place to resource Christian formation/education in the whole diocese. Besides having a library of resources and conducting education of the educators--we* see the ARC as having a "church" community of its own. It's Mission and Ministry would be... mission and ministry. It's more intuitive than it sounds--it would be church for the post-church crowd, if that makes sense. You know the burned out ex-Warden, ex-choir, ex-chancel guild times that we are currently doing a poor job of serving.
*The "we" behind the ARC is the Christ-Centred Character working group that Catherine Keating and I lead. We meet weekly (in case anybody reading this) to talk how to promote strategies of Christian Ed. in our parishes that align with secular movements.
So good things happening...
-t
There were about 24 people at the workshop. Many of them were familiar to me from other Anglican church growth/evangelism/church planting contexts. Interesting how the same people tend to attend these events. Hard not to look around and think of the dozens and dozens of people that ought to be at these kinds of events if they want to grow their churches. I understand how clergy get focused on their own places to the point where they can't participate in the kind of strategic continuing ed/church development events that could really help--but to me the sacrifice of a Saturday for the sake of possibly growing my church is an absolute no-brainer.
As to whether Messiah will try to develop a "Fresh Expression"--I've got two on the burner. I think the Contemplative Eucharist is actually a Fresh Expression that could be taken to the next level. I also think that the Mom's fellowship group has such a potential. The key is to structure that group around the principle of being church and not just a peripheral sub-group of Messiah members that share affinity and common experience. I've also got some other ideas kicking around in my brain.
One of the is the ARC (Anglican Resource Centre) that would be a place to resource Christian formation/education in the whole diocese. Besides having a library of resources and conducting education of the educators--we* see the ARC as having a "church" community of its own. It's Mission and Ministry would be... mission and ministry. It's more intuitive than it sounds--it would be church for the post-church crowd, if that makes sense. You know the burned out ex-Warden, ex-choir, ex-chancel guild times that we are currently doing a poor job of serving.
*The "we" behind the ARC is the Christ-Centred Character working group that Catherine Keating and I lead. We meet weekly (in case anybody reading this) to talk how to promote strategies of Christian Ed. in our parishes that align with secular movements.
So good things happening...
-t
Friday, November 7, 2008
ARC Seeks Ship Buiders...
I'm part of a team of people working on ways to work out the implications of the Character Development movement in the context of Anglican Christian Education. For several years now secular schools have shifting the way they do things to do a better job of teaching students "character." Interestingly, they seem to be basing what they consider "good" character on Judeo-Christian values which have been stripped from their religious roots. In other words, the schools are now teaching children to be generous and peaceful and forgiving and all that without making any reference to religious heritage.
Our group (which we call CCC--"Christ Centered Character") think that our children's ministries should reflect this shift in the secular school systems (and the Catholic School Boards, incidentally). Teaching virtue to our kids is more than just the responsibility of the schools--thus our efforts to help churches integrate their programs with whats happening in the schools.
Along the way our group has been recommending the creation of a library of resources for Christian educators in the Diocese. Indeed, this is the first Diocese I've worked in (out of five) that doesn't have a central library where people can go to thumb through Christian Education Resources. I'm told that Toronto had such a place once upon a time, but it was disbanded for lack of funds to support a librarian staff position.
I hear that support is building for a new library to be created, but it needs a new model. A traditional library maintained by the Diocese with staff attached just ain't going to fly in the current budget climate in the Diocese of Toronto. They simply do not have the operational funds to support it.
So... The CCC group came up with an interesting alternative. How about an "Anglican Resource Centre" (ARC, for short) that would maintain a library, provide education workshops and events, be a place to hang out, and even manage some evangelism? Imagine the Anglican Book Centre meets the Apple Store meets Star Bucks meets the Center for Religious Inquiry (a project of St. Bart's, NYC).
Features:
Ultimately, we want this to be a place where people can go to hang out and learn about how to do their education ministries better.
So we are kicking this idea around and getting the pieces together to come up with a business plan that shows how this can be self-sufficient, financially. Then we need to put together a grant application for the Innovative Ministry Fund in the diocese to see if we can get start-up money. I think that the need is so great that a good proposal will find support. But putting together the whole package will require a ton of work.
This sort of thing looks a lot like some of the down-town church plant proposals that have been made (I'm thinking particularly of an idea David Julien was talking about a few years ago) as well as the Fresh Expressions movement in England that has been a popular model for contemporary evangelism.
So if there is anybody out in blog-land who finds this idea compelling, please let me know! We need all the help we can get!
-t
Our group (which we call CCC--"Christ Centered Character") think that our children's ministries should reflect this shift in the secular school systems (and the Catholic School Boards, incidentally). Teaching virtue to our kids is more than just the responsibility of the schools--thus our efforts to help churches integrate their programs with whats happening in the schools.
Along the way our group has been recommending the creation of a library of resources for Christian educators in the Diocese. Indeed, this is the first Diocese I've worked in (out of five) that doesn't have a central library where people can go to thumb through Christian Education Resources. I'm told that Toronto had such a place once upon a time, but it was disbanded for lack of funds to support a librarian staff position.
I hear that support is building for a new library to be created, but it needs a new model. A traditional library maintained by the Diocese with staff attached just ain't going to fly in the current budget climate in the Diocese of Toronto. They simply do not have the operational funds to support it.
So... The CCC group came up with an interesting alternative. How about an "Anglican Resource Centre" (ARC, for short) that would maintain a library, provide education workshops and events, be a place to hang out, and even manage some evangelism? Imagine the Anglican Book Centre meets the Apple Store meets Star Bucks meets the Center for Religious Inquiry (a project of St. Bart's, NYC).
Features:
- Store-front space with attractive, hip, and warm architecture
- Coffee and treats for sale
- Lots of hang-out space
- Classroom space for regular programs
- Programs offered include general interest and trainings/workshops designed to advance Christian Education in the Diocese
- Staffed appropriately to be a place to come to talk to someone who knows what resources are available
- After initial start-up costs, designed to be self-sufficient based on revenue from workshops
Ultimately, we want this to be a place where people can go to hang out and learn about how to do their education ministries better.
So we are kicking this idea around and getting the pieces together to come up with a business plan that shows how this can be self-sufficient, financially. Then we need to put together a grant application for the Innovative Ministry Fund in the diocese to see if we can get start-up money. I think that the need is so great that a good proposal will find support. But putting together the whole package will require a ton of work.
This sort of thing looks a lot like some of the down-town church plant proposals that have been made (I'm thinking particularly of an idea David Julien was talking about a few years ago) as well as the Fresh Expressions movement in England that has been a popular model for contemporary evangelism.
So if there is anybody out in blog-land who finds this idea compelling, please let me know! We need all the help we can get!
-t
Friday, October 17, 2008
CCC Update
A busy day--and not over. Before heading to work I did some house cleaning. Then we had a meeting of the CCC (Christ-Centred Character) Initiative. I have talked about that much lately, but our continues to develop an Anglican-Christian response to the Character Development Movement that has taken hold in the secular and Catholic school boards. Today we created a first draft of a grant application. We also ate doughnuts and spoke of our goals for the next year. One of the interesting things we want to create is a library (a real library, not just virtual) of Christian Education resources. Right now a lot of folks just head into the Anglican Book Centre and look at what's for sale. A much better approach is to have a Diocesan library where people can go and check stuff out and even talk to a live librarian. So far as I know, Toronto doesn't have one of those (yet).
After the meeting I attended to various phone calls and e-mails and paperwork. Then, gasp I cleaned off my desk. Most of the stuff on it simply needed to be either tossed or filed. The results (a desk mostly free of clutter) is extremely satisfying. How long will it last?!
I'm missing Betsy. Weird how different life at home is without her. It's kind of boring! She comes back Sunday afternoon...
-t
After the meeting I attended to various phone calls and e-mails and paperwork. Then, gasp I cleaned off my desk. Most of the stuff on it simply needed to be either tossed or filed. The results (a desk mostly free of clutter) is extremely satisfying. How long will it last?!
I'm missing Betsy. Weird how different life at home is without her. It's kind of boring! She comes back Sunday afternoon...
-t
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
PhotoSynth of Children's Chapel
The folks at Microsoft just recently released a very, very cool web-application into Beta: PhotoSynth. It's an incredible way of stitching photographs into a 3-D universe that allows you to jump from photo-to-photo. Right now it's only available for PC (sorry Mac friends) and you need a high-bandwidth Internet connection to enjoy it. You'll also need to download a free browser plug-in. I know--that's a hassle, but the results are worth it! This is probably the coolest piece of software ever to come out of Microsoft.
-t
-t
The Mural is FINISHED!
Susy finished the Mural in the Children's Chapel. It look's awesome. Here's a few shots...
The "Heaven" Wall
Left side of "Heaven" with John the Baptist, Theresa of Calcutta, and Barbara
Peter, Mary Magdalene, Cherubs, and others on the right side of Heaven
The Kingdom of God on Earth
Many of the animals were modeled on those of actual parishioner's and staff
Mary and Joseph looking on the scene, proud of their son
And yes, that is me in the "Earth" side of the mural wearing a gray Utilikilt. I'm thankful that Susy gave me hair in the Kingdom of God! (I was a cute kid)
-t
And yes, that is me in the "Earth" side of the mural wearing a gray Utilikilt. I'm thankful that Susy gave me hair in the Kingdom of God! (I was a cute kid)
-t
Friday, June 27, 2008
Istanbul...
Today I went to the Dufferin-Peel Catholic School Board offices for a meeting related the Christ-Centred Character Curriculum that we've been working on. The School Board has done a lot of work on character development for their students, but there is very little of this going on at the parish level--so we make a good partner as we develop this stuff.
After that I made a pastoral visit and that finished off my work day. At home I did a bit of yard work and helped Betsy plan part of our Istanbul trip. Hard to believe we are going to Istanbul for two weeks! I'm still getting used to that idea. I think we are going to love it. I'm especially interested in visiting some of the old churches and mosques. Needless to say, I'll be bringing our camera(s)!
-t
After that I made a pastoral visit and that finished off my work day. At home I did a bit of yard work and helped Betsy plan part of our Istanbul trip. Hard to believe we are going to Istanbul for two weeks! I'm still getting used to that idea. I think we are going to love it. I'm especially interested in visiting some of the old churches and mosques. Needless to say, I'll be bringing our camera(s)!
-t
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Sermon - Pentecost 6 2008 (Kerrie's First!)
This Sunday was our monthly family service--which means that the kids stay the whole time with the assembly, and that there are some liturgical choices made to engage them. Usually the sermon is designed with the kids in mind.
Since we have a new Director of Children's and Youth Ministry--Kerrie Fulton--I thought this would be a good chance to give her a shot at preaching. It was her first time, so I basically just threw her into the pool--but really, is there any other way to learn?
She decided that since the kids were doing a special musical anthem after communion, she would show she is teaching the kids to use their bibles to find answers to questions like, "why do we sing?"
Very nice for a first attempt! I love her fearlessness, many people would have looked at me like I was nuts if I asked them to preach!
Here's a direct link to the MP3 file...
-t
Since we have a new Director of Children's and Youth Ministry--Kerrie Fulton--I thought this would be a good chance to give her a shot at preaching. It was her first time, so I basically just threw her into the pool--but really, is there any other way to learn?
She decided that since the kids were doing a special musical anthem after communion, she would show she is teaching the kids to use their bibles to find answers to questions like, "why do we sing?"
Very nice for a first attempt! I love her fearlessness, many people would have looked at me like I was nuts if I asked them to preach!
Here's a direct link to the MP3 file...
-t
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Hiring
We hired our new Director of Children's and Youth Ministry today. I don't think I should say who it is until she has actually signed the contract, etc., but it's basically a done deal. I'm very excited about her; I think she'll be great for us. If everything works out, she should start on June 1st.
Funny to say, but I don't think I've ever actually made the phone call to tell someone they've gotten the job. I mean, I've been a part of the hiring process before, but usually it's one on the Wardens that actually gets to make the phone call. I enjoyed it, I must say. I know, technically it's the Wardens who hire and fire, but this was one of those cases where it was just easier for me to make that call once the decision had been made. It's a nice feeling.
-t
Funny to say, but I don't think I've ever actually made the phone call to tell someone they've gotten the job. I mean, I've been a part of the hiring process before, but usually it's one on the Wardens that actually gets to make the phone call. I enjoyed it, I must say. I know, technically it's the Wardens who hire and fire, but this was one of those cases where it was just easier for me to make that call once the decision had been made. It's a nice feeling.
-t
Friday, April 25, 2008
CCCC
Today we had another regular meeting of the group putting together the CCCC (Christ-Centered Character Curriculum). We are making good progress and even managed to outline what kind of content we want in the finished product. Lots of work to do, of course, but it's satisfying to have a group of diverse ideas begin to coalesce into a unified whole. Catherine Keating even managed to find a priest down in the states doing her D.Min. on the subject of Character-based Christian Education. I'm eager the read the draft of her thesis.
Lots of busy-ness around the church right now. Tonight we are having a big annual COTM party called "Caribbean Night." As the name suggests, the members of our congregation from that part of the world pull out the stops to make a great party. I'll try to get some pics and video of the action. (For once, I'm not the star. I'm looking forward to letting someone else lead the festivities.)
BTW, interesting experience to catalog in the bin for "weird experiences in a collar." A few weeks ago I was at a meeting of faith leaders from various religions and denominations. I was wearing my collar. A Jewish man asked me, seriously, whether I was Roman Catholic. That's understandable, but when I told him I was Anglican he was incredulous. He said he was positive only Roman Catholic clergy wear collars. When I explained that many Christian traditions follow this custom, he was surprised. It just goes to show that our symbols that we wear to identify ourselves don't necessarily convey what we think they do. That's why I stopped wearing my collar when I worked in the Hospital--I simply found that it did more harm to my ministry as a Chaplain than good. Not everyone feels that way in chaplaincy, of course, and your mileage may vary. But the times are changing for what we can assume about how the signs and symbols of our faith will be understood.
-t
Lots of busy-ness around the church right now. Tonight we are having a big annual COTM party called "Caribbean Night." As the name suggests, the members of our congregation from that part of the world pull out the stops to make a great party. I'll try to get some pics and video of the action. (For once, I'm not the star. I'm looking forward to letting someone else lead the festivities.)
BTW, interesting experience to catalog in the bin for "weird experiences in a collar." A few weeks ago I was at a meeting of faith leaders from various religions and denominations. I was wearing my collar. A Jewish man asked me, seriously, whether I was Roman Catholic. That's understandable, but when I told him I was Anglican he was incredulous. He said he was positive only Roman Catholic clergy wear collars. When I explained that many Christian traditions follow this custom, he was surprised. It just goes to show that our symbols that we wear to identify ourselves don't necessarily convey what we think they do. That's why I stopped wearing my collar when I worked in the Hospital--I simply found that it did more harm to my ministry as a Chaplain than good. Not everyone feels that way in chaplaincy, of course, and your mileage may vary. But the times are changing for what we can assume about how the signs and symbols of our faith will be understood.
-t
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
The Busy Beehive of the Mind
Today was filled with various projects. One of the more significant things I did was finally post the job description for the Director of Children's and Youth Ministry. We are hoping to hire someone part-time. They would partly pick-up where Megan left-off, and partly take things in a slightly different direction in accord with the emerging vision of Children's and Youth ministry here. That means, for example, developing a youth program that will suit our kids growing into their teen years.
I posted the job description in various places, including the COTM website and the Diocesan website. I've also listed with an on-line job database (Christian Careers Canada). Trinity and Wycliffe have agreed to post and distribute the posting, as well. So we'll see what kind of response that gets!
Although originally I was supposed to have gotten this posted months ago, I'm glad I waited. I'm in a MUCH better position now to understand where our program is and where I want it go than I was even a month or two ago. I really feel like I'm ready to make that hire, now. Stay tuned for developments.
Lots of e-mails back and forth today. For one thing, I've been corresponding with the priest of the Anglican Church in Istanbul seeking advice about finding reasonably priced accommodation, etc. Fr. Ian Sherwood has a fascinating ministry. He has done a ton (or as he would say, "tonne") to develop the Anglican ministry in his city. He restored their historic church (apparently even sleeping in it for a while to protest a planned sale of the property), built up a thriving ministry to immigrants, and generally has done the Lord's work in a land where even possessing Christian literature in Turkish can get you in serious trouble. I'm looking forward to meeting him.
Also on my mind--the possibility of starting a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) program here at COTM. It's basically an opportunity for mothers in the community to gather, share fellowship, enjoy peer-support, and receive mentoring. What I've found so far tells me that it requires little parish resources, and it seems to fit our demographics well. In fact, several members of the congregation recall a similar group that met here years ago. Stay tuned...
Oh, and I monkeyed around with Adobe Premiere Pro. Editing Video these days is all about knowing your formats. I miss the good-old days of the VHS editing suite in the basement of Hampden-Sydney College. (Actually, I don't mean that. Premiere Pro works like a champ on ORAC and I'm having a ball learning how to do this stuff.) Here's a first attempt on my new rig. Of course, I need to put together some Title Cards and all that good stuff--but it's a proof of concept and good experiment in work-flow.
Oh yes, something else on my mind, I think I need to do some teaching around the use of female images of God in liturgy. I'm not sure what shape that will take, but the congregation seems curious about it. (Partly because we use hymns from time-to-time that refer to God with feminine pronouns.) I keep thinking of some of the things Siobhán Garrigan (one of Betsy and my Professors back at YDS) had to say about shifting congregations to more inclusive language--mainly that it requires a long time and much education and patience. Yet the results seem worth it to me--nothing less than a more correct and Biblical (yes, Biblical!) expression of the Truth. Yes, I know many of you read this could give me a good argument about that, and that's all good. I think that theology (that is, how we speak of God) ought to be something that stirs up passions.
-t
I posted the job description in various places, including the COTM website and the Diocesan website. I've also listed with an on-line job database (Christian Careers Canada). Trinity and Wycliffe have agreed to post and distribute the posting, as well. So we'll see what kind of response that gets!
Although originally I was supposed to have gotten this posted months ago, I'm glad I waited. I'm in a MUCH better position now to understand where our program is and where I want it go than I was even a month or two ago. I really feel like I'm ready to make that hire, now. Stay tuned for developments.
Lots of e-mails back and forth today. For one thing, I've been corresponding with the priest of the Anglican Church in Istanbul seeking advice about finding reasonably priced accommodation, etc. Fr. Ian Sherwood has a fascinating ministry. He has done a ton (or as he would say, "tonne") to develop the Anglican ministry in his city. He restored their historic church (apparently even sleeping in it for a while to protest a planned sale of the property), built up a thriving ministry to immigrants, and generally has done the Lord's work in a land where even possessing Christian literature in Turkish can get you in serious trouble. I'm looking forward to meeting him.
Also on my mind--the possibility of starting a MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) program here at COTM. It's basically an opportunity for mothers in the community to gather, share fellowship, enjoy peer-support, and receive mentoring. What I've found so far tells me that it requires little parish resources, and it seems to fit our demographics well. In fact, several members of the congregation recall a similar group that met here years ago. Stay tuned...
Oh, and I monkeyed around with Adobe Premiere Pro. Editing Video these days is all about knowing your formats. I miss the good-old days of the VHS editing suite in the basement of Hampden-Sydney College. (Actually, I don't mean that. Premiere Pro works like a champ on ORAC and I'm having a ball learning how to do this stuff.) Here's a first attempt on my new rig. Of course, I need to put together some Title Cards and all that good stuff--but it's a proof of concept and good experiment in work-flow.
Oh yes, something else on my mind, I think I need to do some teaching around the use of female images of God in liturgy. I'm not sure what shape that will take, but the congregation seems curious about it. (Partly because we use hymns from time-to-time that refer to God with feminine pronouns.) I keep thinking of some of the things Siobhán Garrigan (one of Betsy and my Professors back at YDS) had to say about shifting congregations to more inclusive language--mainly that it requires a long time and much education and patience. Yet the results seem worth it to me--nothing less than a more correct and Biblical (yes, Biblical!) expression of the Truth. Yes, I know many of you read this could give me a good argument about that, and that's all good. I think that theology (that is, how we speak of God) ought to be something that stirs up passions.
-t
Friday, March 7, 2008
CCCC Meeting...
We had another meeting of the Christ-Centered Character Curriculum work group today. We made more progress on what we hope to create and how we are going to get there. It's not easy but it's coming along fine...
-t
-t
Saturday, March 1, 2008
"Christ Centered Character Curriculum"
Today was long. It began with a meeting at St. John's, York Mills, with the working group developing this new curriculum I've been talking about. We met for about 3 hours and made tremendous progress in narrowing our focus. We even gave what we are doing a name--"Christ Centered Character Curriculum" (CCCC). We also decided on our "key" virtues to develop and several other aspects of what we are doing. We also drafted a logo! The group's enthusiasm is infectious, and I'm looking forward to our next meeting. It's nice to know we are on target with this developing work.
I didn't have long at Church before I had to go to my singing lesson with Hallie. Lately I've been working hard on the Exultet, which is a hymn the Deacon singing during the Easter Vigil liturgy. It's probably the most difficult piece in the standard Anglican priest repertoire. I say "standard" because Anglo-Catholic parishes can have other, more challenging pieces. But for most Canadian Anglican Priests, the setting of the Exultet in the musical appendix of the BAS Altar Book (aka The Missal) is about as hard as it gets.
I've been working hard on it, and I'm doing well. Hallie says my intervals and diction are excellent. She would like to hear better phrasing (I'm taking too many breaths). Also I can be a bit "pitchy" in the beginning section, which in my case is about settling into a home pitch rather than about knowing what intervals I'm trying to get. Good thing I have a few weeks to get it closer to perfect.
After my lesson I went on a grocery run and then got home and started cooking supper for some friends that were coming over. I made a relatively simple salmon dish. Here's the recipe...
I also sauteed some bok choi, roasted some asparagus, and prepared a nice salad. Our friends provided homemade cheesecake. It was a nice evening.
Now I'm ready for some sleep.
-t
I didn't have long at Church before I had to go to my singing lesson with Hallie. Lately I've been working hard on the Exultet, which is a hymn the Deacon singing during the Easter Vigil liturgy. It's probably the most difficult piece in the standard Anglican priest repertoire. I say "standard" because Anglo-Catholic parishes can have other, more challenging pieces. But for most Canadian Anglican Priests, the setting of the Exultet in the musical appendix of the BAS Altar Book (aka The Missal) is about as hard as it gets.
I've been working hard on it, and I'm doing well. Hallie says my intervals and diction are excellent. She would like to hear better phrasing (I'm taking too many breaths). Also I can be a bit "pitchy" in the beginning section, which in my case is about settling into a home pitch rather than about knowing what intervals I'm trying to get. Good thing I have a few weeks to get it closer to perfect.
After my lesson I went on a grocery run and then got home and started cooking supper for some friends that were coming over. I made a relatively simple salmon dish. Here's the recipe...
Salmon With Lemon-Pepper Sauce
1 cup plain yogurt
3 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice, divided
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel, divided
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons olive oil plus additional for brushing
2 tablespoons chopped shallot
6 6-ounce salmon fillets
1 1/2 cups (lightly packed) watercress leaves and small sprigs
Fleur de sel
6 lemon wedges
Whisk yogurt, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel in small bowl. Season with salt and generous amount of pepper.
Whisk honey, 1 tablespoon olive oil, shallot, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon lemon peel in 11x7x2-inch glass baking dish. Add salmon fillets and turn to coat. Cover and chill at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour, turning salmon fillets occasionally. Position rack in top third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Line large baking sheet with foil and brush with olive oil. Transfer salmon fillets, with some marinade still clinging, to rimmed baking sheet. Roast until salmon is just opaque in center, about 14 minutes.
Place 1 salmon fillet on each of 6 plates. Drizzle with lemon-pepper sauce and garnish with lemon wedges. Serve, passing additional sauce alongside. (modified from this recipe on Epicurious)
I also sauteed some bok choi, roasted some asparagus, and prepared a nice salad. Our friends provided homemade cheesecake. It was a nice evening.
Now I'm ready for some sleep.
-t
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Developments
I had my first workout at the gym yesterday and man am I sore today--especially in my arms. But I was pleased with my performance on the treadmill and elsewhere. I think this will work out. It's funny, I'm used to college and university gyms (and Dojos)--the gym I just joined is much fancier than that: lots of piles of white fluffy towels around, flat screen TV's in the locker room, new equipment, juice bar, etc.
This morning at Belmont House no one came to the Anglican Communion Service run by COTM. Just at the Chaplain and I decided that this was a sign that it was time to give up doing the service for good, a nice Presbyterian lady showed up. When she heard that she was the only one she went into the hall and grabbed the next person to walk by and convinced her to attend, as well.
Still, it has become clear to Don (the Chaplain) and myself that it's time to re-evaluate Messiah's mid-week service. It seems that the other Anglican churches in our neighborhood (Redeemer, Christ Church Deer Park, etc.) once had midweek chapel services like us, but found them to unsustainable once the people that developed them moved on. It seems that priests like my predecessor were able to build up a following over years of work, and that when they moved on the corresponding service at Belmont simply collapsed. I seem to be suffering the same fate as the other churches. The only mid-week Anglican Communion service still thriving is the one run by Milton Barry (of Grace Church on the Hill). He's the last of that generation of local clergy doing ministry at Belmont House.
But all is not lost. Although the chapel service is struggling, we can still do Communion on the fourth floor (this is where folks with cognitive deficits live). Like Redeemer and Christ Church, we are simply going to drop the chapel Eucharist and continue doing a short service upstairs.
When Don and I decided to drop the mid-week Communion service, I felt disappointed and sad (more than I expected to feel). It's the end of something. So I decided to wrap it up with the two nice ladies in the chapel. Don and I sat down with them and I led an abbreviated morning prayer service. I ended up doing a meditation/homily about love (it is St. Valentine's Day), which they appreciated very much. It seemed fitting to end things on that note.
Today I had a very encouraging meeting with a person working on a cutting edge of children's ministry. I'll be able to talk more about this in a few weeks as it develops, but it looks like I finally have a direction to go with Christian Ed. at COTM. They next key will be hiring the right person to help us develop and implement the vision!
Now I need to write my Prayer of the Week and then get to the gym for today's discipline!
-t
This morning at Belmont House no one came to the Anglican Communion Service run by COTM. Just at the Chaplain and I decided that this was a sign that it was time to give up doing the service for good, a nice Presbyterian lady showed up. When she heard that she was the only one she went into the hall and grabbed the next person to walk by and convinced her to attend, as well.
Still, it has become clear to Don (the Chaplain) and myself that it's time to re-evaluate Messiah's mid-week service. It seems that the other Anglican churches in our neighborhood (Redeemer, Christ Church Deer Park, etc.) once had midweek chapel services like us, but found them to unsustainable once the people that developed them moved on. It seems that priests like my predecessor were able to build up a following over years of work, and that when they moved on the corresponding service at Belmont simply collapsed. I seem to be suffering the same fate as the other churches. The only mid-week Anglican Communion service still thriving is the one run by Milton Barry (of Grace Church on the Hill). He's the last of that generation of local clergy doing ministry at Belmont House.
But all is not lost. Although the chapel service is struggling, we can still do Communion on the fourth floor (this is where folks with cognitive deficits live). Like Redeemer and Christ Church, we are simply going to drop the chapel Eucharist and continue doing a short service upstairs.
When Don and I decided to drop the mid-week Communion service, I felt disappointed and sad (more than I expected to feel). It's the end of something. So I decided to wrap it up with the two nice ladies in the chapel. Don and I sat down with them and I led an abbreviated morning prayer service. I ended up doing a meditation/homily about love (it is St. Valentine's Day), which they appreciated very much. It seemed fitting to end things on that note.
Today I had a very encouraging meeting with a person working on a cutting edge of children's ministry. I'll be able to talk more about this in a few weeks as it develops, but it looks like I finally have a direction to go with Christian Ed. at COTM. They next key will be hiring the right person to help us develop and implement the vision!
Now I need to write my Prayer of the Week and then get to the gym for today's discipline!
-t
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Mural Project Sketches
Susy came by today and delivered the latest sketches of the children's mural we are planning for the children's education room. These are now at a stage where we feel comfortable sharing them widely, so here they are...
These will go on the West and East ends of the room, respectively. I'm very happy about the progress she has made. If we do this and replace the lights and the carpet, that room will look fantastic! I love the message it sends: kids are important and deserve good things, too. Certainly I can't imagine replacing all the nave chairs and repainting the sanctuary without doing something similar for the Sunday School!
So now I just have to raise some money....
-t
These will go on the West and East ends of the room, respectively. I'm very happy about the progress she has made. If we do this and replace the lights and the carpet, that room will look fantastic! I love the message it sends: kids are important and deserve good things, too. Certainly I can't imagine replacing all the nave chairs and repainting the sanctuary without doing something similar for the Sunday School!
So now I just have to raise some money....
-t
Saturday, December 22, 2007
My Horoscope
I don't believe in Horoscopes, but I did find this one that appeared under my sign (Cancer) in Now Magazine amusing:
Of course I don't want to reproduce this at COTM--but it does give me the sense that something like this possible, even for a pastoral-sized congregation. All it really needs is some ambition and good Christian leadership.
And yet God knows there's plenty of other stuff for me to address. Today I've got the roofer coming to look at a minor leak we are having. And then there are the Christmas services to do. And of course I have barely begun planning for Lent! Ahhgg!
-t
You worked your ass off in 2007. Am I right, my fellow Cancerian? In fact, you threw yourself into your hard labours with so much dutiful fervour that you sometimes lost sight of the fact that they were mostly just preparation for bigger and better assignments. Luckily for you, I’m here to snap you out of your amnesia. Please begin immediately to formulate a vision of how you will make the transition to those bigger and better assignments.Bigger and better assignments, heh? I wonder if that means spending the first few months of 2008 getting the Centre for Children's Faith Formation up and running? It's an ambitious project that could really put us on the map if I do it right. I have in mind the sort of thing done by The Children’s Mission of St. Paul & St. James, New Haven. From their website:
Founded in 1995 as a ministry of the Episcopal Church of St. Paul and St. James, the Children's Mission reaches out to city children and their families with hope and help. In our varied programs we seek to enrich children's lives through books and stories, art and music, liturgical worship, cooperative learning, loving adult attention, and table fellowship, and to make available to them and their families the parish's resources of faith, celebration, pastoral care, support and love.We offer four major programs to city children, focusing on ages 3-10:
- Mustardseed Club: a secular story hour that meets in the sanctuary during the Saturday Loaves and Fishes food pantry
- Light and Peace: a simple Compline (evening worship) service for children followed by craft time and supper
- Light and Peace Summer Program: three week afternoon summer program of friendship, crafts, singing, games, stories, worship and food
- Mustardseed Afternoon Club: an after-school enrichment program providing academic enrichment in a safe and structured environment five days a week
Of course I don't want to reproduce this at COTM--but it does give me the sense that something like this possible, even for a pastoral-sized congregation. All it really needs is some ambition and good Christian leadership.
And yet God knows there's plenty of other stuff for me to address. Today I've got the roofer coming to look at a minor leak we are having. And then there are the Christmas services to do. And of course I have barely begun planning for Lent! Ahhgg!
-t
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