Download The Messenger May 2010 - Parkdale United Church

Confirmation on
Anniversary Sunday
May 2, 2010
What better way to celebrate Parkdale's anniversary than with a service celebrating the public affirmation of faith of
twelve of our young people. Please come and join in this worship celebration with special music by our children and
worship team. Come and support our young people as we give thanks to God for God's grace and for the glorious
ministry Parkdale is privileged to undertake. Invite a friend.
IN FROM THE COLD
MINISTRY
Celebrates
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR OF SERVICE
The eighth season for our In From The Cold Ministry came to a close with the annual Pot Luck
Dinner at which our volunteers provided a wide variety of wonderfully delicious salads, main dishes
and desserts. Several of our generous donors were able to attend. The delightful music for the
evening was provided by Bob Waite on the organ and Neil Seeley on guitar. While we missed
Anthony, Norm Tape was an excellent M.C. and moved the evening along at an easy pace. As a thank
you to all our generous, donors, a cheque for four hundred dollars was presented to Gord Lorimer
for Habitat for Humanity. Our donors also received a Certificate of Appreciation suitable to display
in their place of business.
To each person who has supported this important Ministry through prayer, financially or as a
member of our team of faithful volunteers, a very
SPECIAL THANK YOU.
Together with the support of our generous donors, we continue to serve God through serving our
community.
This past season, from November 14, 2009 to March 27, 2010, together we have served a hot,
nutritious meal of salad, home made soup, main course and dessert to an average of 121 guests for a
total of 2,185 meals over 18 Saturdays. Our highest number of guests was 146 and our lowest 89.
This compares with 1,924 in 2009 (numbers down due to bus strike) and 2,236 in 2008.
If you would like to join our team of volunteers for our next season beginning November 13, 2010,
sign up sheets are at the four doors of the sanctuary and on the table outside the chapel.
Completed forms may be placed on the offering plate or returned to the church
office.
Sometimes you just have to move on to the date squares.
I was attending the reception after a musical event at a congregation of another
denomination. As a conversation opener, a fellow asked me what I did for a living. When I
said that I was a Financial Development Officer for the United Church, he asked what that
involved.
“I visit congregations and individuals to develop awareness about bequests and other legacy
gifts for the Church, such as annuities and life insurance,” I said.
“Life insurance??” he asked, rather incredulously. “How does that work?”
“Well to begin with, someone can name their congregation to be beneficiary of a life
insurance policy,” I replied.
“Why would they do that?” he asked. I explained that a gift of life insurance allows a
person to provide a significant gift at death for their congregation or favourite mission in the
Church for a reasonable cost now—a “more bang for the buck” kind of thing.
Again, he said, “But why would they do that?”
I tried another tack, mentioning the tax advantages. “If the donor makes the Church the
owner of the policy as well, they receive charitable donation receipts for the premiums that
they pay. And the proceeds of a gift of life insurance do not go through the estate, so they
are not subject to estate tax.”
But again he said, “I still don’t get it. How can life insurance be a gift? Isn’t it just for your
family?”
Now if the fellow had been a United Church person, I would have felt a strong urge to keep
the conversation running. But I decided that it was time to move on.
“My! Aren’t these just the best date squares?”
Our conversation reminded me how many people see life insurance as having only one
purpose— to take care of their family’s needs in the case of their death.
Establishing a gift of life insurance can make a lot of sense to a number of people, however:
 Young, single professionals can purchase a life insurance policy for comparatively low cost.
 An older person with a policy that they’ve held for many years—perhaps even paid up—but
which is no longer needed for family security, could change the ownership of the policy
to the Church and name their favourite beneficiary within the Church.
Some create a life insurance gift instead of a bequest in their will as part of their estate
plan. The insurance proceeds go directly to the beneficiary, leaving their full estate intact
for their loved ones.
In all cases, if the Church is made the owner of the policy as well, the donor receives an
immediate donation receipt for fair market value of the policy and they receive donation
receipts for any future premiums that they pay which can offset the cost by reducing their
income tax.
All in all, creating a life insurance gift is another win-win situation for the donor, and for the
United Church.
Paul Sales
Financial Development
Officer
Montreal and Ottawa Conference
HOW SWEET IT IS
On the evening of March 26, 2010, Parkdale United Church hosted the Ottawa launch of a great
new book, Sugar Boy: The story of Cedric Titus and Jamaican cane farmers,
co-written by our very own Faye Beaufort and her mother. In her inviting introduction, Faye
writes, “Our hope is that this book will help our young people to realize that it is possible to rise
from humble beginnings and make a difference in their own lives, as well as in the lives of
others.”
At the launch event, approximately 150 guests savoured delicious soup and appetizers. The
evening’s official program began shortly thereafter. Special guests included Her Excellency
Sheila Sealy-Monteith, Jamaica’s High Commissioner to Canada, His Excellency
Evelyn Greaves, Barbados’ High Commissioner to Canada, and award-winning poet
Anthony Bansfield. Rev. Dr. Anthony Bailey was the Master of Ceremonies.
Edited by Ewart Walters of The Spectrum newspaper, the book tells the true story of Faye’s
father, Cedric “Sugar Boy” Titus, who played a key role in building the new Jamaican nation in
the early part of the twentieth century. As a person of faith, Cedric’s goal was to serve his fellow
Jamaicans through all of his God-given talents and skills. Sadly, the untimely death of this
renowned cane farmer advocate slowed labour relations progress in his beloved homeland.
Thanks to his loving wife and daughter, his captivating story is laid out in this wonderful book
for all to enjoy.
Sugar Boy is a quick read, with flowing personal accounts from various contributors and a
collage of family photos. By the second chapter, one is mightily impressed by all that Cedric
accomplished during his multi-faceted career. It almost feels as though we have met Cedric in
person.
Later in the book, one is not surprised to learn that a school has been named in honour of this
gifted, energetic servant of the Jamaican people. You are invited to help to support Cedric Titus
High School, in Clark’s Town, Jamaica, by purchasing a copy of the book (price: $20). A
portion of the proceeds from the book sales will go towards the school’s literacy project. For
more information, please speak with Faye Beaufort or send an e-mail to
[email protected].
In closing, Faye, please accept Parkdale’s heartfelt congratulations on the publication of your
well-written book. How sweet it is that you and your mother have preserved the legacy of this
remarkable man!
Respectfully submitted,
Barbara Hennessy
Gratitude for the Gifts of Faith and Doubt
By Julee Pauling
Sometimes it astounds me the extent to which people want to have their views validated by the
concordant beliefs of others. And yet, what else spurs on dialogue, even in the spirit of searching for truth,
but to have ourselves assured that we have, at least in part, correctly participated in that truth? Thus the
debates ensue, to what I hope is generally the greater good and the will of the Spirit.
In my case, a series of dialogues held in the Fall 2007 to the Spring of 2008 led me to wonder why I was
defending my faith so vehemently to various interlocutors, individuals who included Dawkins-style
polemicists (and people who I generally considered good friends). Who was I trying to convince, I asked
myself. If my faith was as valuable and as deep as I thought, surely it could take the same kind of critical
analysis and challenge to which I directed my intellectual efforts in all other aspects of my life. It was, I
thought, a lack of personal integrity not to apply the same rigor to my spiritual views as I was wont to
apply to any other views I held. I had to hold it up to scrutiny to understand it. I needed, I thought, to
conduct a faith experiment.
In this way I embarked on a path and a struggle that led me to where I am today – a place, which, I will
note, continues to be along a path and a struggle. It is a struggle, however, in which I have made great
gains and feel a greater sense of peace and progress. In it, I have been assured of my direction in finding
Christ in the world around me and of living for the sake of God’s work. It is that struggle of which I wish
to tell you a little now.
There was no proof of God, I thought. Scholastics had concocted neat little logical proofs that in the end
offered no meaningful assurance or spiritual food. Innocent and good people continued to suffer horrible
and immensely shattering fates. Justice eluded those who had not the great wealth to pay for it. People I
loved had died different manners of death: all had suffered, some found peace and tenderness in their last
moments, and another had died in torment and perplexity. And I; I had had to consider how to address my
mortality and define my philosophy of self and bodily wholeness. Wouldn’t it just be easier – wouldn’t it
just make more sense - to concede the lack of God or any good reason to believe it, and get on with life
just knowing it was no more than a crap-shoot?
Well, there were some benefits to deciding to adopt this view, even if for a little while. Besides sleeping
in on Sundays and finding more time for Christmas shopping and parties, (and I don’t mean that to sound
as reductive as it does), I looked hard at the world around me. I felt turned off of religion, and the media
served, with all its bad-news stories, to reinforce that feeling. I considered the transitory-ness of the
organic and inorganic objects of the Earth and the ultimate independence of Nature from humanity. I read
about depression and David Hume’s essay On Suicide. I cut back on wine, gave up on Providence, and
presumed a rightful share in the moral worth of my own life decisions. The true essence of all that was –
an infinite black abyss – was veiled by the objects that made up our daily lives.
But, then …I found I started to truly appreciate the miracle of love between people, the goodness people
practice amongst each other and for the places they occupy. I studied phenomenology (the philosophical
school of thought that considers the subjective limits of knowledge and understanding by our faculties
and sensory organs) and art, and I painted pictures that depicted a brightness of colour and created
brilliance. These explorations reflected to me the nature of my own sensory experience and world
knowledge, which enjoyed a general goodness in the world.
One bright and peaceful September afternoon, I acknowledged to myself that I was definitely, absolutely,
and simply, not an atheist – it just was not in my nature – and, I did indeed have a regular experience of
God that needed no external assurances. God was everywhere in the experience of the love of the people,
all around me, every day. With a smile in the sunlight as I put down my pen, I had the unbidden thought,
“Go back to Parkdale … join the choir!” I had reached the next fork in the road and began the next stage
of my journey.
The shape of that journey continues to offer me love in return. This year’s Lenten study was a Spiritgiven gift of great richness.
As I continued learning how to have a more personal and honest relationship with God, I experienced the
following in the Good Saturday Prayer Vigil.
My prayer:
Bring me closer to you, O Lord; I long to be with you each day, to feel my heart fill with the love for you
that comes with acts of kindness, mercy, compassion, and Christian witness. Let me occupy a place in this
world where I can bring love and tenderness to your people – all people – and take them with me to be
closer to you. In Jesus’ name I pray.
I then flipped haphazardly to some Wisdom Literature in the Bible – Lamentations 3:25-26 – and then
proceeded to write the following:
Do you not have eyes to see all my good works which surround you? Give up your lashing and longing;
sit and be silent in all the good that I have made and learn from it. What people do contrary to it is a
lesson in what not to do. Learn well and bring this teaching to others.
With that, I ask you, Parkdale, to pray for all who have been riddled at times with doubt, and to ask that
we recognize the blessings of these experiences as they bring us closer to our Maker and in greater
communion with our community of faith.
Amen.
Still my (over) beating heart…
DEFIBRILLATOR NOW IN SERVICE
Our church is now better equipped to provide emergency treatment for anyone who experiences sudden
cardiac arrest while on our premises. More than 20 people have been trained in the use of the automated
external defibrillator unit (AED), which was installed earlier this spring (located in a small box on the
wall in the hallway behind the sanctuary.)
Jean-Stephan Clark, a member of our congregation who has been an Ottawa paramedic for 15 years, and
is also an instructor with the HeartSafe EMS firm, was the course leader in April for two instruction
sessions on proper use of an AED.
Sudden cardiac arrest is a condition in which the heartbeat stops abruptly and unexpectedly. This is
usually caused by ventricular fibrillation, when the bottom ventricle of the heart quivers uncontrollably
and cannot pump blood. Early intervention through rapid defibrillation (normally with the use of a
defibrillator unit) is the only effective treatment for this.
Sudden cardiac arrest is not the same as a heart attack. A heart attack is a condition in which a blood clot
suddenly blocks a coronary artery, resulting in the death of heart muscle supplied by that artery. Heart
attack victims usually experience chest pain.
However, sudden cardiac arrest may occur independently from a heart attack, and without warning signs.
Sudden cardiac arrest, which can strike anyone, anywhere, anytime, can result in death if not treated
immediately.
Defibrillation is the treatment for the life-threatening arrhythmia of the heart. It consists of delivering a
dose of electrical energy to the affected heart with a device called a defibrillator. Defibrillation
depolarizes a critical mass of the heart muscle and allows normal rhythm to be re-established in the heart.
Parkdale’s AED automatically analyzes and monitors heart rhythms, and can indicate if a heart has
stopped beating normally. If the heart is in ventricular fibrillation - an otherwise fatal rhythm – the AED
advises the operator to deliver an electric current. Most of the time, this shock will restart the heart.
(Formal medical expertise is not obligatory to use an AED; non-medical people are capable of using a
unit after a few hours of training.)
Because our AED is automated, it takes the key decision-making processes out of the hands of a rescuer,
and instead embeds it in a computer chip within the unit. Unlike the scenarios we have sometimes seen on
television programs, our unit does not use ‘paddles,’ but instead features two large electrode-containing
plastic patches, which are placed on a victim’s chest. The AED analyzes the heart, and will only deliver
an electric shock to the victim if it detects the presence of cardiac rhythms that require defibrillation. If
the victim is not in cardiac arrest, the AED will not deliver the current.
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an integral part of the ‘chain of survival,’ and basic CPR
elements – such as calling 911 and securing professional emergency help - are used in conjunction with
defibrillation activities.
Peter Meerburg
The Return of
Kathleen Stephenson
May 16, 2010
Yes that is right. Our own Kathleen Stephenson, who has been serving in Salvador Brazil for two years as United
Church of Canada overseas personnel, has returned this month for home assignment and vacation. She will be
speaking at Parkdale United Church on May 16 during the morning worship service. As well, the Mission, Outreach
and Justice Committee of the congregation invites you to a light lunch following the service and a time of sharing
stories and photos by Kathleen. She will also be glad to respond to questions about her experience and ministry with
CESE, one of our United Church of Canada Partners there.
Don't miss it. Invite a friend.
DISPATCHES FROM BRAZIL
A Memorial Mass
This time I am writing about a memorial service I attended in April in small community on the periphery of
Salvador. It was a church service in homage to five men who were killed in January.
Four of them lived together and were shot from a passing car early one morning. The memorial service was held on
the site where they lived and were killed. It happened at dawn as they were waking up in the place - a little laneway
- where they always slept. They were street people, well-known to the people who lived in the houses nearby.
I am not sure of the circumstances of the death of the other man except that it too was a murder or, using the word
used here in Brazil, an assassination. He too was a street person.
All five men – Itamar, Luiz, Ednei, Rosalvo and Elio – were connected in some way with the community where they
lived and with a Roman Catholic parish that ministers to and with people who live on the street.
The entry of the Bible into the area where the service was being held was formal and solemn as always. The Bible
was carried in and placed on top of a shopping cart that had been filled with recyclable plastics and cardboard and
newspapers. That was the work that these men were involved in - garbage-picking and selling recyclables.
As well, the communion table was constructed of ‘garbage’. It was carefully constructed and appropriate for the
occasion but clearly made of bricks and wood and other materials collected from the streets.
During the service, there was lots of singing lead by a small band. Moving eulogies were offered by people who had
lived with the five on the streets and by some family members. Many priests and the bishop were in full vestments.
And, the Mass was celebrated by the Cardinal. Close to 400 people were invited to partake.
I found it very moving indeed.
Celebrating Diversity
It was another reminder of the breadth and depth of cultural, social and religious diversity in the north-eastern region
of Brazil.
Salvador is the most African city outside Africa. Fully 80% of the
population is of African descent. There are several African religions. Christianity (primarily Roman Catholic) has
influenced the development of these religions in Brazil and, in turn, the popular culture has been hugely influenced
by the celebrations and kings, queens and gods from the African tradition.
On February 2, EVERYBODY celebrates the holy day of Yemanja. She is the Queen of the Sea. Flowers, soaps,
perfumes and other small gifts are brought to one of the fishing areas Salvador. There, they are piled on rafts and
floated out to sea starting well before dawn and continuing through the day. Street parties are on-going through the
day – singing, dancing, drinking, eating, singing, dancing, etc. etc.! EVERYBODY participates including me.
These photos include this one taken on February 2 during the Festival of Yemanja and some of the Memorial
Service on the first pages.
Arriving in Canada
I am looking forward to just over two months in Canada in May and June and participating in a number of events in
Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Cambridge. My dance card is not quite full. Let me know if you or your group
would like to learn about my work and the mission of the United Church of Canada here in Latin America.
Brazilian hugs!
Kathleen
May 2010