Saving the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference

The success of the Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen is everyone's concern. Today the UN General Secretary warned that the talks were faltering, and he pleaded to the nations of the world to increase their pledges to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It was also reported today that the Canadian federal government is pondering weaker --not stiffer-- emissions targets for the oil and gas sector. It is now very urgent that we let our government know what our hopes and concerns are.

This Fall the Adult Sunday School of Community Mennonite Church explored the biblical imperative of "Creation Care." We agreed that caring for the health of this sick and groaning planet is not optional for Christians, for our very hope is that God will set the creation free from its bondage to decay (Rom 8:21) and, in Christ, gather up all things in heaven and earth for the praise of his glory (Eph 1:10). And in this cosmic plan we were able to see that the Christian vocation to care for the less fortunate is deeply dependent on a healthy environment. In the context of these discussions we shared a number of inspiring experiments from the past year where we have tried to "walk the talk" of creation care.

Now we have another important opportunity to speak. As leaders gather in Copenhagen for the summit, the church dare not be silent in its prayers and advocacy:

• We should pray for the negotiators and leaders in Copenhagen, that they may have the wisdom to see and the courage to do what is right.
  
• We should write our Prime Minister immediatetly. You may wish to use a pre-written letter addressed to the Prime Minister contained in the link: http://www.climatechangetaskforce.org, or send your own email directly to the Prime Minister's Office (pm@pm.gc.ca).
• We should write our local Member of Parliament. The MPs are listening carefully to their constituency on this issue and they may have some influence in the decision our government takes this week. For those who live in the "Oakridges-Markham" riding (this includes Stouffville), our Member of Parliament is Paul Calandra. You can share your "comments or thoughts" on his webpage (http://www.paulcalandra.com/have-your-say.htm). I wrote Mr. Calandra last week and outlined my concerns and hopes. To his credit, he phoned me back within hours and even left his cell number on the answering machine. He clearly took notice; I encourage you to write him.
  

The good news of the Bible is that God's work of reconciliation in Christ includes reconciliation with all things on earth (Col 1:20). This week we have some important opportunities to witness to and participate in what God is doing.
Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

Give A Day To World AIDS

Today is World AIDS Day, and Jane Philpott from our congregation is the founder of the "Give a Day to World AIDS" movement, inspiring people to give a day's pay to help those affected by HIV/AIDS.

You can watch an inspirational message from Jane, read her blog post, listen to her interview this morning with Andy Barrie on CBC's "Metro Morning" radio program... (if you click here and wait a few seconds, you should hear the audio. The interview's running time is 6:27.)

You can also use this online calculator to calculate a day's pay and make a donation.

Jane concludes her blog post with these words that speak with particular resonance in this season of Advent...

We may be daunted by the magnitude of the task. But we have already come a long way. In the five years since the Give a Day movement started, the number of people in the world on antiretroviral treatment has increased by ten-fold! This has happened through extraordinary efforts of countless people around the world.

To reach a world without AIDS, we have to walk far. We share this path together.

Please engage in an act of solidarity today. Please give a day’s pay… because a day makes a world of difference.

Culture Shock Art Show

Culture Shock is an art show designed to make you think about how culture affects us, what it is, and what happens when different cultures collide, etc.

WHERE: Danforth Mennonite Church
WHEN: Saturday, October 24, 7:30 - 10:00pm.

The artists featured are connected to the Mennonite Community in Toronto and the GTA, including:

Lorne Grove
Paul Plett
Leah Reesor
Joel Nash
Trevor Pogue
Sarah Steiner

There will be refreshments and plenty of interesting artwork to discover. Tell your friends!

"father figure"

Pastor Cameron writes:

In a Rejoice magazine reflection for Monday, September 28, Fred Steiner writes about a football coach in his community who became a father figure to many of his players. He uses this example to illustrate what 1 Chronicles 28:6-10 is saying about God adopting Solomon as his son. This is not about a blood relationship but about the kind of relationship it is.

For years I have used the title of “Father” hesitantly for God. Partly it was in response to the fact that the majority of images used for God are male, and I don't believe that God is male. I also remember hearing a man say that he didn't like to hear people call God “Father.” His father was very abusive and when he heard “Father”, that's all he could think of. Of course, there are abusive mothers, too. So should we avoid using the parental imagery for God? Other people have said that using parental imagery has helped them heal from being abused by parents. Picturing God as a parent that truly loves and cares for them makes them feel safe and, by being able to relate to our perfect parent, they have a model that helps them to be better parents.

Now, I think these people probably had other people in their lives that provided parental love, like the football coach I mentioned above. I don't think it's possible for us to know God completely separately from our human experience. But all our experiences come short of all that God is. All our descriptions of God have some
possible negative aspects to them. For example, a monarch can be a tyrant and a shepherd cares for sheep in order to use it for its fleece or to eat.

Nothing is more universal, more multicultural, than the parental role. Even orphans who never knew their parents can identify with the idea of a loving parent. Can we talk about God as Father and Mother that doesn't alienate some people? Are there ways of describing God that are more appropriate at this time? I think I'm ready to try.

- Cameron Kaufman-Frey

help harvest pumpkins

Anyone, all ages, are welcome to help harvest the pumpkins (see the previous post) on Wednesday September 30th, 4:30pm. Meet at Richard Reesor's farm packing plant located at 11691 Warden ave, just north of 19th. This is part of our congregation's "Growing Project" in support of Canada Foodgrains Bank.

pumpkins with a purpose

The Rose family is inviting participation in the "Pumpkins for Charity" initiative again this year... read on!

Pumpkins for Charity

WHEN: Saturday October 3rd, 10am-12:30pm…drop by, have a visit with us and take home your beautiful, locally grown pumpkins! If you can’t come to the sale but would like some pumpkins, please call Jen or Ken. We’ll happily deliver!

WHERE: (please e-mail one of the blog co-moderators - see the column on the side of this blog - for this info or for the Rose family's phone number.)

WHY: Everyone loves pumpkins AND all proceeds go to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank; serving hungry people around the world.

Make a difference….pumpkins with a purpose.

Community Mennonite Calendar

New! Above you will find the new Community Mennonite Church Online Calendar. All committees are encouraged to submit the dates of events and meetings for the 2009-2010 year to Bryan M-S or Arnold N-F. This calendar will be updated regularly. Scroll through it and see what is being planned!