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!

Ben to Bangladesh

Today Ben heads off to Bangladesh for his one-year SALT term. We commissioned him last Sunday, as is our custom, saying, among other things, that "We accept your service as an extension of this congregation and pledge our support for your ministry..." and "...our prayers will continually support you while you are absent from us."

Ben has started a blog that he plans to update regularly as a way to communicate with anybody who would like to read about his experiences and reflections over the coming year. You can find the blog here.

Blessings to you, Ben, as you go out from here - know that our prayers are with you!