The Season of Creation

The Mustard SeedSeptember 2018Volumn 22 Issue 4

‘Tis the season of Creation…fa la la la la, la la la la...

The Season of Creation is an optional churchseason to be used along with Advent,Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, Pentecost,and the long season after Pentecost. Tohelp break up the long season afterPentecost (usually end of May toend of November), before Adventbegins again, congregations andworship leaders have introduceda way to celebrate God as Creatorand to highlight ways we are partof creation and can care forcreation: this is The Season ofCreation.September was chosen as the month inwhich to celebrate God as Creator and ourintimate connection to creation. This isbecause September is often a spectacularmonth of bright sunshine, changing leaves (innorthern climes) and days that are stillrelatively long. We harvest our vegetablegardens and fruit trees, and appreciate thebounty of the earth. It also marks the timewhen children are back in school and so thereis an intentional focus on new routines, thuscreating a special opportunity to think aboutour relationship with the earth.

The challenge for many congregations is that

there is no one coordinated Season ofCreation. There is a growing convergence indefining the “Season of Creation” amongChristian churches and even with ourinterfaith friends. The month of Septemberhas been the chosen month, beginning on the

1st of September and finishing with theFeast of St. Francis on October 4th.The 1st of September was designatedas the start date of the Season ofCreation by the EcumenicalPatriarchate of the OrthodoxChurch in 1989 because it was thebeginning of the Orthodox Churchyear; as such, it was designated as aday of prayer for creation. The ideagrew in different churches and was

adopted by the World Council ofChurches.

The United Church of Canada has alwaysliked to go its own way sometimes; so, forwhatever reason, in the UCC, the Season ofCreation starts on the second Sunday ofSeptember and finishes on ThanksgivingSunday. The UCC also calls it CreationTime.

This year, we are observing both theecumenical wider observance of the Season ofCreation and the United Church wish to endwith Thanksgiving Sunday. We are usingScottish resources from an ecumenical

continued P. 5

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Our Neighborhood CrowsGlossy black as sootOne on the lamp postTwo on the roof topOne on the benchFour on the grassFamiliar as our addressThese our neighborhood crows.

Animated dialogueAstute declarationsBounce back and forthFrom them to them – and usCircumventing fencesInterrupting morning quietThese our neighborhood crows.

~ Carol Prochaska

The Mustard Seedis the newsletter ofNelson United

Church

Submissions are welcomeand can be sent to theEditor by email or

dropped of at the ChurchOffice.

e-mail submissionsto the Editor:

dudley@mac.com

Our newsletter ispublished periodicallythroughout the year.

Check out the Churchwebsite:

nelsonunitedchurch.ca

Nelson United Church602 Silica Street

Nelson, BC V1L 4N1

Prayer Shawl MinistryThe Prayer Shawl Meetings will startMonday, October 1st at 1:30 p.m.

and continue the first Monday of the monthin the Trinity Lounge.

We welcome any knitters or crochetersto join us in this wonderful ministry.You don't have to be an expert

find us on FaceBook too...www.facebook.com/NelsonUnitedChurch

NUC’s Blue Recycling Bagsare often not picked up by theCity of Nelson because thereare items in the bag that arenot accepted by the City ofNelson, such as grocery bags,plastic film or other soft bags.

Please note: There is a reference sheet postedin the kitchen describing what can and cannotbe recycled by the City of Nelson.

from our Custodian

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Upcoming WorshipServices

and EventsSee other articles for

more information

Tuesday, September 11th

10:00 a.m. Worship Service & Tea atNelson Jubilee Manor

2:00 p.m. Worship Service & Tea atMountain Lake SeniorsCommunity

Wednesday, September 12th

10:00 a.m. Worship Service atLakeview Village

Friday, September 14th

1:00 p.m.Men’s Group GamesAfternoon in the Church Hall

Sunday, September 16th

9:45 a.m. Gather to Sing in theSanctuary

10:00 a.m. Worship Service inthe Sanctuary

11:30 a.m. CongregationalMeeting: A Proposal

Saturday, September 22nd

2:00 p.m. End-of-Life Memorial/Funeral Workshop hosted by thePastoral Care Team in theChurch Hall

Sunday, September 23rd

9:45 a.m. Gather to Sing10:00 a.m. Worship Service7:30 p.m. Contemplative Meditation

Group in the Trinity Lounge

Monday, September 24th

7:00 p.m. Intentional Living meetingin the Trinity Lounge

Sunday, September 30th

9:45 a.m. Gather to Sing10:00 a.m. Worship Service in the

Sanctuary

End-of-Life Memorial/Funeral Workshop

Sometimes when someone we love dies, we don’t know what to do. Who should wecall? What about a funeral or a memorial or a graveside service and what’s the difference?What are our options? What would our loved one want? What do we want? What are thelegal necessities? What about powers of attorney and other agreements?

On Saturday, September 22nd, from 2 to 3:30 pm, David will lead a workshop andprovide resources that will answer these and other questions. It will be a repeat of a workshopheld 3 ½ years ago with new material and new resources. All are welcome; please invitefriends and relatives to this workshop to talk about difficult end of life and memorial/funeraldecisions and questions.

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As I write this reflection, we are in the midst of some chaos in our home; a plumber hasjust been to fix a slow leak in one of our fresh water pipes; the water had dripped ontothe ceiling of our downstairs den. The insurance adjustor and a contractor are arrivingimminently to assess the damage caused by the leak and to give an estimate of repaircosts. The leak greeted us upon our return from vacation.

It’s kind of ironic the way in which the leak was detected. I was meditating in thedownstairs den, a room that I’ve made my own since our children moved away. Duringmy meditation the morning of our first day back, I heard a drip. I couldn’t see anything,but then I felt little splashes and realized that water was dripping down from the top ofthe window. I looked up at the celling and could see a line in the ceiling that indicatedwater. Sure enough, the ceiling was soft and when we poked little holes in it, watercame out. We had a leak.

The leak will get fixed and the den damage repaired. That stuff happens is just a reality.It was the reality of having that “stuff” happen in the midst of my meditation that wasinteresting.

I’ve often said at Christmas—when we talk about the “Word becoming flesh anddwelling among us”—that the word “dwell” in the Christian Scriptures is related to thesame word that referred to the presence of God in the Ark of the Covenant in theHebrew Scriptures. It was the idea that God “tented” in the midst of Israel when theywere still a people in formation. The Temple in Jerusalem hadn’t been built and thewhen they were with Moses in the wilderness, the Ark was carried in the midst of thepeople as they moved. God was on the move (literally) with the people in all that theyfaced… in all the births, the deaths, the challenges, the lack of water, and the formationof them all as the people of God.

Discovering the leak in the midst of my meditation is affirmation that the sky is notalways blue (and certainly not this summer!) and we don’t always have happy andjoyous experiences. Stuff happens in life, but within the wider context of knowing thatGod is among us… that God is in us and that we have the tools and wherewithal to dealwith life’s crises.... we learn to cope and find a place of peace. This is partly what theincarnation teaches us.

The incarnation of Christ is the teaching that we are not alone, and that God movesamong us in all of life’s experiences. God is not some distant deity, but is intimately ineach of us and all of creation, what theologians call panentheism (pan=all; en=in; andtheism=God) God in all things. God is an incarnational God and lives with us through

From David's Desk

“This curious world we inhabit is more wonderful than convenient; more beautiful than itis useful; it is more to be admired and enjoyed than used.” ~ Henry DavidThoreau

continued P.5

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writing group, which includes theChurch of Scotland, the RomanCatholic Church, the Salvation Army,the Scottish Episcopal Church, andthe United Reformed Church. Thetheme this year is “Passing our Planeton: God’s Gift to us.”

In our observance of the Season ofCreation we will follow the themes asfollows:

September 9th: Passing on the giftof hope.

September 16th: Passing on the giftof wisdom.

September 23rd: Passing on the giftof service.

September 30th: Passing on the giftof discipleship.

October 7th: Passing on the gift ofintegrity, which coincides withThanksgiving and World WideCommunion Sunday.

Please read the letter "Faith leaders’invitation to join the Season ofCreation" from the ecumenical churchabout this year’s observance of theSeason of Creation. (P.9)

good times and bad times. Hopefully, in love,we find the courage—the heart—to live throughthe hard times with dignity and integrity.

We cultivate a relationship with God and Christthrough worship, prayer and whatever spiritualdisciplines speak to us, and by gathering withothers in communion and community. And thisenables us to live through the hard momentswith a sense of perspective and knowledge thatwe are not alone. It’s not that only we who prayhave this reality, but that prayer and worshipopens us to a bigger perspective and a greatersense of awe and mystery.

May you know the blessings of God in goodtimes and in hard times. For “God is with us.We are not alone. We live in God’sworld.” (United Church Creed)

Blessings,

David

"Right now, we don't have a very good relationwith creation." ~ Pope Francis

David's Desk (con't)From the Front Page

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From the BoardNelson United ChurchBoard Proposal to BuildOur Congregation

There will be a congregational meetingfollowing worship on Sunday, September16th to talk about this proposal anddecide about whether to pursue thisposition.

As has been documented innumerous studies, newspaper articles,Observer articles and at workshops andconferences, The United Church of Canada(and liberal, mainline denominations) is in aslow decline. We have all noticed that inrecent years our Sunday School has grownsmaller; we have grieved the loss of manyfriends in our congregation and new folkhave not joined. And we have also noticedthat some of our friends have moved away.We used to average an attendance of 130to 150 back in the late 90’s and early2000’s; today, our attendance is down to 75to 100. If we do not do something withdetermination and intention while we stillcan, we will only accelerate into a fasterdecline. Engaging in an intentional ministryof new life makes sense for us while we arestill vibrant and have energy; so, to thisend, the Board is proposing a two-yearfull-time appointment to intentionallywork on building our congregation.

The reason for a separate full-timeposition is that the Board does not feel thatit can adequately engage in the intentional

work required in sufficient detail andmaintain its current work-load and currentstaff responsibilities. To do this futuringwork with intention cannot be done “off theside of anyone’s desk.” This is a bold stepin a time in the life of the church thatrequires courage (i.e. action with heart) andboldness.

What will this person do? They willlisten to the needs of the community inwhich we live—spiritual and religious,communicate a renewed and progressiveunderstanding of what it means to be theUnited Church, and try to create a space forpeople to feel empowered to explore theirspirituality in communion with others. Whileit is intended that this position will work withyouth, young adults and young families, itwon’t be limited to that demographic; thereare many older adults yearning forsomething deeper in their life. The finalpiece of what this person will do is to createworship, learning and partnershipopportunities for people to engage their faithand live with integrity as well as to explorehow living with justice intersects oureveryday whole lives.

The implication for us as a typicaland progressive United Churchcongregation is that our future will lookdifferent from that to which we have becomeaccustomed. Worship may eventually lookdifferent—more interactive and informal; theprojects in which we are engaged may bedifferent. The way we do things may bedifferent. In fact, they WILL be different.But it will be a gradual process in which weall be involved and in which we all still find a

While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize andremember that everyone else and everything else are also God's creation.

~ Maya Angelou

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spiritual home. The idea is NOT to pull the rug out fromunderneath us in terms of what we enjoy and whatspeaks to us. This will be a “both and” process: both thenew to be embraced and the old traditions to behonoured. How all that will happen is the mystery andrequires of us FAITH.

The conversation document has been out amongus for a few weeks now; please speak with a Boardmember and ask questions, raise concerns and giveyour input; our Board: Linda Mae Findlay—Chair, LeahGray—Treasurer, Kathy Baker—Secretary, Mary AnnMorris, Jasmine Lysenko, and Roy Nelson.Read the Proposal on line > > >http://nelsonunitedchurch.ca/a-proposal/

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CALLED TO BE THE CHURCH

It’s time for us to conduct another congregational giving program.

God is the provider of an abundance of resources for ministry and mission. Our congregation is rich infaith, service, love, talent, life experience, care for one another and financial capability. How can weoffer thanks for God’s generosity?

In the next few weeks you will hear some “Why I Give” stories, and will receive a stewardshippackage in the mail. We hope you will read it carefully, and that you will prayerfully and generouslyrespond.

At Nelson United Church we affirm that we are created as whole beings. We will gather to encounterthe mystery of the Spirit and celebrate God’s gift of life. As people of faith, we seek life-givingexperiences of love that transform our way of being in the world. We are not alone; we live in God’sworld, and are part of a rich web of relationships with our wider community. We have energy,resources and physical space with which we can partner with others to further a world of justice,hope, just relations, beauty, love and wonder.

In accordance with our mission statement, we have started a productive partnership with the NelsonFood Cupboard Society, we are involved with several other community groups working to assistrefugees and to raise awareness of environmental and social issues, and we are an affirmingcongregation. We have done all this together. Let’s continue!

Our church has a vision that is bigger than just keeping the doors open. With God’s mission and ourgifts, all things are possible.

Gracious and generous God,Help us to hear your call to be good stewards, caretakers, and managersOf all your gifts by sharing them for your purposes.Help us to plan to serve our church, our community, and our world with your gifts.May we serve you and pray with a joyful spirit of mind and heart.We remain your faithful stewards.

“START WHERE YOU ARE; USE WHAT YOU HAVE; DO WHAT YOU CAN.’~ Arthur Ashe

Tennis star and social justice leader

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Faith leaders’invitation to join theSeason of Creation

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Once every year, from September 1 to October4, we as members of the Christian family setaside time to deepen our relationship with theCreator, each other, and all of creation. This isthe Season of Creation, which began in 1989with the first recognition of the day of prayerfor creation by the Ecumenical Patriarchate ofthe Orthodox Church, and which is nowembraced by the wider ecumenical family.During the Season of Creation, we join togetherto rejoice in the good gift of creation and reflecton how we care for it. This season offers aprecious opportunity to pause in the midst ofour day-to-day lives and contemplate the fabricof life into which we are woven.As the environmental crisis deepens, weChristians are urgently called to witness to ourfaith by taking bold action to preserve the giftwe share. As the psalmist sings, “The earth isthe Lord's and the fullness thereof, the worldand those who dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1-2).During the Season of Creation, we askourselves: Do our actions honor God asCreator? Are there ways to deepen our faith byprotecting “the least of these,” who are mostvulnerable to the consequences ofenvironmental degradation?We invite you to join us on a journey of faiththat challenges and rewards us with fresh

perspective and deeper bonds of love. Unitedin our sincere wish to protect creation and allthose who share it, we join hands acrossdenominations as kin in Christ. During thisseason, we walk together towards greaterstewardship of our place in creation.

In God’s grace,Archbishop Job of Telmessos

Permanent Representative of theEcumenical Patriarchate to the WorldCouncil of Churches, on behalf of HisAll-Holiness Ecumenical PatriarchBartholomew

Most Rev. & Rt. Hon Justin WelbyArchbishop of Canterbury

Cardinal Peter K.A. TurksonPrefect, Vatican Dicastery for

Promoting Integral Human DevelopmentDr. Rev. Olav Fykse Tveit

General Secretary, World Council ofChurchesRev. Dr. Chris Ferguson (a United Churchminister)

General Secretary, World Communionof Reformed Churches (of which theUC is a member.)

Bishop Efraim TenderoSecretary-General, World Evangelical

AllianceRev. Dr. Martin Junge

General Secretary, Lutheran WorldFederationRudelmar Bueno de Faria

General Secretary, ACT AllianceFr. Heikki Huttunen, General Secretary

Conference of European Churches

“But ask the beasts, and they will teachyou; the birds of the heavens, and theywill tell you; or the bushes of the earth,and they will teach you; and the fish ofthe sea will declare to you. Who amongall these does not know that the hand ofGod has done this?” (Job 12:7-9, NRSV)

“O Sovereign my God, you are very great!You are clothed with splendor and majesty,covering yourself with light as with agarment, stretching out the heavens like atent” (Psalm 104:1-2).

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Get ready for Sunday School!The Sunday school program resumes September 9.

Seven things adults need to know about children and teenspirituality

~ Robin Murray

Spirituality is often defined as a person's individual relationship and dialoguewith God, or whatever name that person assigns to a greater power. Recentscientific studies have given hard evidence to what many others have observedabout spirituality for years. In terms of children and teens, there are sevenmain things adults need to know about children and teen's spirituality;

1 Spirituality is inherent. A child does not need to be taughtspirituality in order to have it. Humannature seeks a connection to the divinefrom birth.2 A child's vision of the nature ofGod is largely shaped by their earliesthuman relationships. A baby who is caredfor in a warm and loving way by one ormore caregivers, will likely grow to viewGod as a loving figure. A baby whose caregivers are remote anddisinterested in much of that baby's activities, will most likely develop asense of God as a remote and disinterested being.3 Adolescence brings on a surge of spirituality and spiritual interest,along with many other more obvious growth and development surges.Teens are naturally curious about spiritual matters at this time in theirlives, but also particularly vulnerable to being cut off from thisimportant part of themselves if they are not permitted to discuss andexplore it fully.4 A strong spiritual core has great protective value againstdestructive and risky behaviour, such as drug and alcohol abuse andunprotected sexual activity.5 Having a strong sense of shared spirituality with close familymembers and mentors increases the protective value of that strongspiritual core.6 Adults in a child or teen's life can support that child's spiritualdevelopment by talking with them about spiritual matters, as well asseeing and naming that child or adolescent's calls and gifts.

(Continued p.11)

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Are you called to teach SundaySchool?

Our Sunday School is back, starting Sunday,Sept. 9th! Once again, we are offering threeclasses: the Wonderers for ages 3 throughGrade 1, the Explorers for those in grades 2through 5 and the Seekers for those inGrades 6 and higher. Robin is continuing tocoordinate, preparing all lessons and materialsahead of time for volunteer teachers. Moreteachers are needed, so please considerwhether you are called to help with thisimportant ministry in this way. Generally,volunteers teach one month at a time in theage group(s) they feel most comfortable with.A short training session and police backgroundcheck is required. Please talk to Robin onSunday or 250-352-2822 oryouth@nelsonunitedchurch.ca

Seven things adults need to know (continued)

7 Everyone in a child or teen's spiritual community, (i.e. our congregation!)can support them through direct involvement with Youth and FamilyMinistries programs such as Sunday School, Youth Group andConfirmation mentoring, or through less direct involvement such asprayer for younger congregation members and financial support to Youthand Family Ministries. A welcoming smile can also go a long way to buildingour church “bonfire of love” which warms each and every one of us.

For more in depth reading about the science behind research into children'sspirituality, you can read Lisa Miller's book The Spiritual Child: The New Science onParenting for Health and Lifelong Thriving. (New York: St. Martin's Press, 2015)

continued

We can't blamechildren for occupying

themselves withFacebook rather thanplaying in the mud. Oursociety doesn't put apriority on connecting

with nature. In fact, toooften we tell them it'sdirty and dangerous.

~ David Suzuki

Salad On a Stick Use any combination of veggies: Combine with: Carrots Olives Cherry Tomatoes Pickles Broccoli Favorite Cheese Cauliflower Basil Marinate in your favorite vinaigrette

Can you help the children find their way to school?

Dried Fruit 1. Wash fruit and cut into thin slices 2. Lay fruit on parchment covered baking sheets 3. Place tray of fruit in oven and turn oven on very low (1500 to

2000). Drying process will take several hours. 4. Remove from oven when fruit is chewy (not crunchy or

Make Your Own School Snacks

Thread onto Kabob sticks. Great for lunches or snacks!

Kids' Page

dried out!)