September 2021

Today’s message was brought by Jessica Williams and we wish everyone who has ever attended a Christian church could hear it. Gracefully, and kindly, she leads us through some of the horrible comments that respected people in church history have made about women. Then she explains the four waves of feminism and shows why Christianity has made feminism necessary. Finally, she gives some instructions for a way forward. This is a brilliant talk. It affected the people gathered in such a deep way that it’s hard to explain. The music for today was also outstanding, led by Mayara Goncalves e Lima. There are two songs before the talk and one that follows. This last song was written by Mayara about the effects of colonialism in Brazil and around the world.

Peter Fitch asks questions about the nature of joy and whether or not we can learn to welcome its visits with greater frequency. He looks at ideas in the NT and then finds additional wisdom from other sources: Jimmy Santiago Baca, Kahlil Gibran, and the Tao te Ching of Lao Tzu. Joy is something that we fight for, that we rest into, and that we gain through participation and service to others. It has a rich connection with sadness and sorrow, and also with the kind of connection with the Eternal that allows one to be fully alive in the present moment.

With life being a bit full and poignant lately, Walter Thiessen felt the need to focus on what matters most – loving with acceptance regardless of hurts, disappointments and frustrations. And yet love also means believing in the value of inviting people to step up. So, we explored how that invitation can happen without doubting the love.

Today, Zoe Fitch shares a few portions of her recently completed novella, 42nd Wave, and speaks about the things that this particular writing project has had her thinking about, researching, and dreaming into hopeful-existence.

Here’s a synopsis of the story:
When pandemic and climate restrictions are eventually combined, the burning of fuel is made universally illegal. With nowhere to turn but to each other, the citizens in the smalltown of St. Stephen, New Brunswick and the surrounding Ridges must work together to hacksaw a path toward harnessing and protecting their sustainable in-Region resources.