2023 - Worship and Congregational Leadership Minister, Report: January -August 2023 (first 2 Quadrimesters)
I realize I have not submitted a report since the beginning of 2023 so this report will cover January through August. I will cover the highlights
EVENTS:
Lent began on February 22nd with an Ash Wednesday service. During Lent, we held two sessions on The Ridiculous Journey: Following a Nobody from Nowhere, one on Thursday as a Zoom Study, and one Friday Evening in the Eat, Think, Play format. Throughout the weeks, we talked about Jesus through the use of videos by Work Of the People, including clips from Brenné Brown, Richard Rohr, Nadia Bolz-Webber and others. We had great conversations, and the food on Friday was amazing (thanks Danah!)
On March 12th we again had a PIE day for our affirming ministry (Public, Intentional, Explicit). It is an event which is celebrated throughout the United Church.
In April my hours were adjusted to 30 per week, as my Mother, who had a fall earlier in the year and had been in hospital for 3 months, had returned home. I continue at those hours while we figure out next steps for the staff and our congregation. Thank you to McDougall for understanding the family pressures and making this possible.
On April 23rd I attended an Open House for the Arnold’s 70th Wedding Anniversary. What a wonderful celebration of love!
I took some holidays in June with Dave to Writing on Stone Provincial Park. What a wonderful resource it is for indigenous life – thoroughly enjoyed it. Then we went to Jarvis Bay on Sylvan Lake for a few restful days. At the end of August, the whole family went to Waterton Park – we were able to stay in the Waterton United Church – a great time of reconnection with my kids.
In July I had registered to attend a course at Vancouver School of Theology, but I was quite ill for about 10 days and had to withdraw. I was able to make a course at Sorrento (An Anglican retreat center) on The Gospel of Musical Theatre. It was very interesting to spend some time with members of the Anglican Church – our churches are similar but there are some differences too. It was a wonderful time of rest and learning (I took my sister with me, which is always fun!)
SUPERVISION AND ADMINISTRATION:
Once again, our Annual Report was prepared in January and distributed in February. The Annual General meeting was held February 26th, and as always, I was inspired by the commitment of this congregation to the ministry of McDougall United.
Along with other administration roles with Leadership Council and Operations Working Group, I continued to serve on Chinook Winds Regional Executive. I am now the Presiding Officer of the Region and, as such, am the Chair of the Annual General Meeting. I served on the Agenda and Planning Committee for Conference. The Annual Meeting was held in Medicine Hat, May 4 – 7th. It was too hot!!! I was privileged to preside over the ordination of a Candidate for ministry, Jeriel Joseph Soriano, who will become a Military Chaplain. In 2024, the Annual Meeting of Chinook Winds Region will be held at McDougall May 2nd through 5th. I am excited to welcome the Region to our church. Stay tuned. We will need volunteers to ensure this is a success!
This year, the Chinook Winds Executive engaged in a conversation prior to the Provincial Election in May 2023 called The Politics of Jesus. I provided an article about Christians in a 2-Party system. It was a way to think theologically about politics, an exercise I love! They were posted on our weekly email for the congregation to read.
WORSHIP:
To celebrate our Affirming anniversary (which happens in December), we showed the movie The Prom on February 4th. We decided December was too busy, and so we moved our Celebration to February this year. Our affirming committee is quite small and put in a lot of work for this event. Attendance was disappointing but everyone enjoyed the movie. Thanks to Alexander Bradley, Jean MacEachern and Marilyn Bates who made this event happen. As we move forward, we trust there are others who will join our group so that we can continue to live into our Affirming statement.
In January we began a weekly Bible study, focusing on the reading for Sunday. We have used various methods, but generally, we read through the text from a few different translations, and share what sticks out for us, and what that means for our lives. For me, the insights shared by the group have helped with my sermon preparation. It is wonderful to have these discussions. The group is small but continues to grow.
Lent Began with a Shrove Tuesday supper on February 21st and an Ash Wednesday service on February 22nd. During Lent, we used a Candle lighting ritual (much like Advent) where a candle was extinguished each week leading up to Good Friday. We were able to have a wreath crafted by the same person who created our Advent wreath for a very reasonable price, and it will be used each Lent in the coming years. We also used skits each week in our services from a resource called Going Deeper, as characters explained to a novice Christian what it means to follow Jesus. Thanks to Adam Schlinker, Peggy Jorgenson, Jennifer Heidebrech, Wally Shoults, Ron Bierwirth, Margaret Holden-Scott, and David Swanson for helping with these skits!
Good Friday was based around Monologues of folks who might have been around the arrest, trial and crucifixion of Jesus. It was a meaningful service which could not have happened without the hard work of our actors. Thanks to Doug Berridge, Ron Bierwirth, Daren Patterson, Isabella Berridge, Jennifer Heidebrecht, Marianne Medhurst, Xander Harris and Christine Kennedy for their contributions in our service.
We had a Holy Saturday service this year, which used a Book and DVD resource called Stations of the Cross by Martin Erspamer. The artwork with this resource was beautiful. Attendance was very low, but the service was wonderful and we will probably use the art in the 2024 Good Friday service.
On June 4th we presented It’s Cool in the Furnace, during the service. It was an inter-generational cast, assisted by the McDougall Singers. A great time had by all! Thanks to the cast and crew for making this possible.
We began a series on the Acts of the Apostles in June which continued until the end of August. It was interested to look more carefully at this book, but also challenging to preach with, because many of themes did not resonate, and the Book of Acts is filled with Anti-Jewish sentiment which doesn’t sit right in our ecumenical age. But it was a good exercise in preaching against the text! It reminded me that the Bible is always written in context and it is a collection of stories about humans understanding of God that is sometimes flawed!
PASTORAL CARE:
In February, we began holding short services at Lake Bonavista Village and Fish Creek Manor the 3rd Tuesday of each month, usually a communion service. Rev. Danah and I alternate each month. It is a great way to keep in touch with members of our community who are no longer able to attend church. Thanks to Esther Peterson for making cookies!
Karina Harris (Hull) was baptized on February 19th. In our discussions, she wished to be baptized by pouring instead of sprinkling, which is allowed in our UCC. There was lots more water and just as much joy as with any baptism. We welcomed Karina as a member of McDougall with her baptism.
Kyky Reuangrith, along with his daughters Thea and Skyla, were baptized on March 19, 2023.
Bill Weaver took over Pastoral Care at McDougall on April 1, 2023 as I asked for adjusted hours to deal with family concerns. He has done a wonderful job caring for the members of McDougall. He is on secondment from Ogden for 10 hours – McDougall pays Ogden United for his time.
We purchased and implemented a new pastoral care app called Notebird to help us keep track of pastoral care concerns, visits and calls. It has been an amazing resource for us and has made the flow of pastoral care so much easier.
I attended the Senior’s lunch which was held on April 25th. Thanks so much to Esther Peterson and the Pastoral Care Committee for this lovely event.
There were many Celebrations of Life over the first 8 months of the year. Services in which I presided or assisted included:
Art Hironaka, April 14, 2023
Kevin Curtis Yaholnitsky, April 25, 2023
Floyd Gerald Norby (Claresholme), April 26, 2023
Betty Fox, May 20, 2023
Marian Enta, June 20, 2023
Kathleen Hatlelid, July 3, 2023
Ron Franklin, July 26, 2023
Jack Schell, July 4, 2023
Susan Draper, August 12, 2023 (Julia Kimmet presiding as I was ill)
On August 4th I was privileged to preside at the Wedding of Tanya Wan Lim and Jonathan Prevost. It included a walk into a spot around Jura Creek – a canyon setting among the rocks. This was the most unique wedding I have ever officiated and it was joyful and lovely throughout!
Respectfully Submitted,
Joanne Anquist
To learn more about Leadership Council, please visit the Leadership Page.