Knox United Church Nepean

Knox United Church is rocked to its very foundations – visit of the Union United Church men’s gospel and band

On Sunday, January 26th, we had the men’s fellowship gospel choir from Union United Church in Montreal join us for our worship service on the occasion of our 51st anniversary Sunday. They were accompanied by their four piece band. Suffice to say, the place was rocking. The chorus and the band were breath taking.

See the following video clip:

http://youtu.be/bgz_yj5cynI

The property committee is investigating the integrity of our building’s structure to detect possible over stress caused by all the dancing and moving during the service. The place has never seemed so lively. Everybody had a ball!!!

We had some wonderful fellowship with the Union folks before and after the service. We look forward to visiting them at their church in Montreal sometime soon and exploring ways that we might work together and gain insight from what each other is doing in terms of outreach , pastoral care, etc.

We look forward to a long and lasting affiliation with Union UC.

Interfaith dialogue with Temple Israel

I had lunch with one of the members of Temple Israel yesterday. You’ll recall Temple Israel is a Jewish reform synagogue community located on Prince of Wales here in Ottawa. I was interested in cultivating a friendship with one of their members and to find out more about what is going on at the Temple.

You’ll recall that we had invited the folks from Temple Israel over to the itfar (Ramadan fast breaking) dinner back in August that the Turkish Muslim folks from the Intercultural Dialogue Institute had cooked for us.

Following that The Temple Israel folks had invited the Knox congregation and the folks from the Intercultural Dialogue Institute to attend a Sukkot dinner event at their temple on September 22nd last year.

A splendid time was had by all who attended one or both of these events.

We discussed what our next steps might be and we both agreed that we needed to come up with some sort of joint project that both groups could get involved in. Any suggestions?

possible adult Christian education study topics at Knox UC – Winter 2014

We are considering a number of small groups study topics for our upcoming adult small group study this winter.

Bible video series – discussions group with child care

One thought is to have a weekday evening session for parents of young families where they could view the episodes of the History Channel’s popular Bible video series at home and and then discuss it at the church as a group. We are looking into providing baby sitting / child care during the session so parents could relax and participate in the sessions while their kids are being taken care of.

Michael Dowd – science intersects religion

We are also looking at using some of the materials e.g.. video and books from Michael Dowd, a preacher who travels around Canada and the US in a van with his wife talking about the intersection and continuity between modern science and religion as the basis for an adult study. This topic might also me attractive to our youth.

Have a look at the following TED talk by Michael Dowd and see if you are intrigued. Get back to us at Christian Education and let us know what you think about these ideas or with any other ideas that you might have.

Capital City Bikers Church Visit to Knox

We were joined by a contingent of some 15 to 20 people from the Capital City Biker’s Church (Biker Church) at our Jan. 19/14th worship service at Knox. The congregation was held spellbound by Garner ‘Hillbilly’ Foster as he recounted the story of the troubled life he lead as a young man; a life replete with drugs, alcohol, violence and crime before he turned to God and met his life partner, Nelia.

He also talked about how they started church in their kitchen and how it grew over the last 13 years. He described some of the programs they run including a youth ministry and and their alcohol and drug recovery programs. We heard about their ‘free store’ where they provide clothes and furniture to immigrant families in Vanier at no charge.

He described their motorcycle part swap and the community barbecue that they throw for their neighbors to allow them to get a closer look at what is going on in their church and to alleviate any anxiety they might have about a tribe of leather clad, motorcycle-ridng folks in their midst.

Hillbilly spoke for 20 minutes and you could have heard a pin drop. The Knox congregation was spellbound.

There was terrific interaction after the service during the coffee hour between the Capital folks and our own parishioners. There is a talk of a troop of our Knox people going over to the Biker church in Vanier sometime soon one Thursday night to participate in one of their worship services.

We look forward to further dialogue with the Biker Church and to them returning in the Spring when the weather improves and they are able to ride their motorcycles to Knox.

Communion: Is it meaningful for you?

The United Church of Canada Website states that:

Communion is served numerous times a year in United Churches, but not every Sunday. Participation is open to all people attending the service, but is not mandatory.

This says so much to me about being part of the United Church. Those important elements are offered and they are yours for the taking. On the other hand, should you decide not to participate you will not be judged. The openness about this sacrament in our church is heart-warming.

There are two special occasions when I received communion that have become fixed in my memory. The first image that comes to mind is one that is far less formal than the serving to fellow congregants row by row on a Sunday morning. Both of the occasions that resonate with me had the feeling of a small group around the table. The first was a day of celebration for Sunday School teachers at Bell’s Corner’s United Church. About twenty of us gathered together in a multi-purpose room and sat in a large circle. The assistant minister engaged us in a casual exchange of thanks for all the blessings we saw in our church community. We discussed how we felt the spirit of Christ was alive within us. This happened more than 30 years ago, but the feeling of wholeness has stayed with me. When we had completed our discussion, we broke into smaller groups and a member was appointed to offer each of us the simple communion elements: breaking a piece from a loaf of bread and drinking from a shared cup of wine (well, truly, it was grape juice). For me, the connection with my fellow teachers in that moment was strong. I think each of us could understand the bond between the disciples who shared such meals on a regular basis with Jesus.

Oddly enough, the second experience took place many years later in that very same multi-purpose room at BCUC with members of Knox United Church. We were then, as now, examining how we felt Knox United should move forward. In this friendly environment, removed from our own building, a group of about 30 people had gathered to brainstorm ideas for the future. We took part in a number of activities designed to focus our thinking, enjoyed a delicious lunch, created our plan of action and ended the day sealing our commitment through communion. This communion, like the previous one, was carried out in small groups with one of our own sharing the elements. I don’t think anyone left the room with dry eyes.

I would like to state clearly that this is no way a negative reflection on traditional communion; rather, it is a call for ideas. We would like to keep young people in our church engaged. This kind of communion service could be one of many options. Once in a while, would you like to experience communion in a non-traditional format? Have you been at services where the observation of communion touched you in a special way? Please send us your thoughts and ideas!

Book Review: Zealot, the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth by Reza Aslan.

This book came to my attention because of the uproar it caused on American television. The actual fuss was about the fact that Reza Aslan, a religious historian, was a Muslim who had written about the life of Jesus. Fox News seemed to find this highly suspect, and the embarrassing Fox News interview of the author led to amusing commentary on the web and on television, including the Daily Show with John Stewart.

I have just finished the book, and can recommend it to anyone who wants a good understanding of the tumultuous times that Jesus lived in. Aslan writes in a style that is accessible to lay people and scholars alike, and he provides an overview of the time leading up to Jesus’ life, his ministry, and the earliest days of the Christian church.

Aslan clearly knows the era well, and provides a very helpful picture of the way that people were relating to their Roman occupiers, to the priesthood in charge of the temple, and to the ways that these relationships were different for Galileans (like Jesus and his disciples) as compared to the residents of Jerusalem. He gives us a good sense of the many people of the time who claimed to be the messiah, how they tried to live out their claims, and what happened to each of them (almost all of them were killed in one way or another).

If readers want more detail, Aslan has included an extensive section of notes at the end of the book. In this section I learned, for example, that the practice of keeping the sacrificial animals in the outer court of the temple (remember Jesus throwing over the tables of the money changers and releasing the animals?) was quite recent, probably less than a year old, so that Jesus’ actions would have been seen as a challenge to the authority of Caiaphas, the High Priest who made that decision.

Aslan also draws very clearly the dispute between the Apostle Paul and the Jerusalem church, headed by James, the brother of Jesus, in terms that make clear parts of the Bible that I have wondered about for years.

The only part of this book that disappointed me was that there is not enough about the actual life of Jesus himself. Of course, the very good reason for this is that we know so little that can be verified historically. Most of what I have studied on the life of Jesus has been written by scholars of the Bible, while Reza Aslan is a scholar of history. I found his approach refreshing and fascinating. He challenges assumptions on both the traditional and radical edges of study.

What Aslan presents is a picture of a compelling but mysterious man whose zeal for God inspired his followers to go with him from the relative safety of Galilee (no area was really safe for Messiahs then) right to the heart of Judaism, to challenge the corrupt priesthood and their collusion with the Roman occupiers.

He goes on to paint a picture of the early Christian church starting off as a branch of the Jewish faith, clearly led by Jesus’ brother, James. The debate with Paul, which is reflected in scripture, he presents as core to the development of the more traditional Christian church which developed, especially after the destruction of Jerusalem.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants a fresh look at the life of Jesus, and the beginnings of our faith. I found the book compelling and challenging at the same time.

Let me know what you think!

Do Dogs Go to Heaven?

Do dogs go to heaven? This link replays a funny debate that reflects something serious that Christians have been arguing about for centuries.

On CBC’s The Current, a neurologist asks the scientific equivalent of this question: how “human” are dogs? The interview is worth hearing:

Download Are dogs more human than we realize? – Oct 21, 2013

In the interview, the neurologist remarks that scientists, without good scientific reason, frequently adopt an attitude that humans are inherently superior to other animals. He identified, with some justification, that this attitude was borrowed from Christianity.

Personally, I see this as a reflection of human arrogance, and the need we have to feel special. While scripture does contain examples of that “humans are extra-special” kind of thinking, it also contains clear evidence that God loves and cares for other animals, even demanding that we provide them with justice (eg: Deuteronomy 25:4). I do not find any part of scripture that decrees that humans have souls and that dogs, for example, do not.

I also wonder how God, who put so much effort into animals in this life, who loves them and who demands justice for them, could ban them from the next life?

What do you think?

Yes, Worship Matters!

knox_irises_2013_email Worship services have special meaning for every individual who takes a seat in our sanctuary. This fact alone poses an interesting challenge when we think about how we see our church in the near and distant future. Not surprisingly, “Make changes in the way we do worship” is one of the top five projects as selected by you, our members. If you were present at our “Hats Off to the Future” session, you will remember that this topic sparked a lot of dialogue. Music was a focal point that had us thinking about “possibilities”. Do we imagine a guitar and several other instruments leading us in more contemporary style hymns or songs? Do we imagine changing the way we use music throughout the service? Do we dream of having members of every age group frequently involved in the music we favour? Whatever we imagine, I think we can agree that one goal in changing how we worship is to attract and retain a broader cross-section of our congregation. Take a few minutes to watch to this interview with our Music Director, Alison Kranias; it may help you crystalize your thoughts. Another short video synthesizes some of the discussion we had at “Hats Off to the Future”. While we might not entirely agree with Baptist perspective, I think you will recognize some of the concerns we are facing as they are described in this clip.

Another theme that surfaced during our brainstorming was making our worship services more relevant to today’s world. If we would like to see more of our community crossing the threshold and participating with us, we need to become more sensitive to our local cultural environment. The educational arm of the United Church , Edge Ministry, held a conference in Saskatoon in June called, “Worship Matters 2013”. One of the keynote speakers, Jonny Baker, well-known for his work with alternate worship in the United Kingdom, provided attendees with a rainbow of ideas on how to make worship services deeper and more meaningful (see details under “Source” below). Here is an article by Jonny Baker that might give you ideas about alternate worship and why it has been chosen by some congregations. While the slides from his presentation at the Saskatoon conference are not available, you can browse through his notes by clicking here . You might also enjoy considering some of his innovative ideas at his blog

If you need more food for thought, take a look at this short item called, Worship and Spirituality from the United Church website. I found the list of action items on the last page particularly enlightening.

Using technology in new ways to enhance participation in our services was much discussed by the younger members of our congregation during the visioning sessions. Look for my post that will explore this idea in more depth in the coming weeks. Communion is also a very powerful part of our worship; that will be the topic for the third week.

As a starting point, I would like you to imagine what your ideal worship service would look like and describe it for us. Maybe you have visited other churches and seen elements that touched you; share them with us. Perhaps you have read about innovative services, possibly in The Observer; let us know why those particular ideas grabbed your attention. We need to hear from you!

Sources:

The United Church of Canada. (2013) “Worship Matters2013, The Cutting Edge, Where Preaching, Music, and Liturgy Collide”. Retrieved on October 15, 2013 from http://events.united-church.ca/worshipmatters/.

The United Church of Canada. (2013) Worship by Theme. Retrieved on October 23, 2013 from http://www.united-church.ca/planning/theme#spirituality.

Welcome to Knox Talks!

This is where we discuss topics that the congregation of Knox United Church care about.

We don’t want this to be a one-sided conversation; your input is very important to us. Please comment on the topics that capture your interest so that your ideas can help us shape our future. Come back to the blog as often as you can to consider the ideas that your friends at Knox are also contributing.

The authors on this blog are Rick Balson, Ian Gibson, Reverend Andrew Jensen and Jane Thomson. They come to this blog with diverse experience both within and outside our congregration, as you can see from each of their short biographies on the Authors page.