Moderator Mardi...
Moderator Mardi Tindal’s blog: En Paix, en prière, en espérance
Posted on: 04/19/2011 14:34
“In peace, in prayer, in hope.” This line from the Rev. Wendy Jean MacLean’s poem (“There are no hills in Mystic”/« Il n’y a pas de collines à Mystic ») has me thinking that poetry is the best container for holding my memories of visiting Montreal and Ottawa (M&O) Conference this month. I received many lovely gifts of poetry during this visit as well, including Wendy’s book, Rough Angel/Ange Écru, written in both English and French (translated by Michel Gadoury).
M&O holds stories and delights beyond the reach of prose. Here are some of the stories from that week shared with the help of poetry.
Communicating in French was both a challenge et une grande plaisir. (I will continue concentrated work on my language skills this summer at Parlons français par cœur.) Witnessing the poetry-in-motion of faithful church members who speak 13 languages in this Conference opens my heart to peace, prayer, and hope in new ways.
Like the rural folks who filled our last town hall meeting in Bay of Quinte Conference at Trinity United in Smiths Falls, many of those I met in M&O are rural people who delight in poetry of the land. (They also delighted in hearing that my Dad was Canada’s plowing champion in 1952!)
Wendell Berry’s poetry is poetry of the land, and it helped shape our first day together in Ottawa. In a large presbytery-wide service of worship at Dominion-Chalmers United, we read excerpts from Wendell Berry’s “Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front” within movements of lament, resurrection, and celebration: “So, friends, every day do something that won’t compute.… Love someone who does not deserve it.… Practice resurrection.”
Resurrection is practised in countless ways throughout this Conference. Parker Palmer’s poetic words on scarcity and abundance, from his book Let Your Life Speak, helped us reflect in several places about how the Spirit is moving in so many of our communities—embodiment of the gospel story of loaves and fishes, and giving truth to phrases from Palmer such as “we generate more of whatever seems scarce by trusting its supply and passing it around.”
There are so many stories of resurrection and abundance to share. Here are but a few:
- When Seaway Valley Presbytery planned for 500 to show up to begin a conversation about how to do church differently, 800 came! Those conversations continue, echoing throughout our evening together in Merrickville United Church, as we took an abundant view of the church’s resources for the sake of God’s love known and for the sake of resurrection.
- I experienced abundance at St. Andrew’s in Williamstown (Williamstown-Martintown charge) too when local food producers (mostly organic) and church folks came together to share food and talk of how soul, community, and creation are nourished in the making of fresh choices in the growing and sharing of food.
- My visit to Montreal Presbytery in Lacolle was another time of gathering up passionate stories of the abundant hope of United Church people. For example, a great partnership has grown between the rural folks of this presbytery, who grow an extra row for the downtown Montreal mission of Saint Columba House! And it was from here that I tweeted the following about the amazing teens of this presbytery: “Clarenceville, Lacolle & Hemmingford youth raised $1410 in 4hrs for work of our UCC partners in Japan!”
- We enjoyed the fruits of local food producers at St. Paul’s in Magog while participating in a wide-ranging conversation about how Québec-Sherbrooke Presbytery represents a salty religious minority.
- At L’Église de Ste. Adele, we spoke of the abundant hope known when francophones contribute to and receive from The United Church of Canada. It was fascinating to see how this congregation has transitioned from being anglophone to francophone. Local raw milk cheeses, brews, and nuns’ farts—a traditional regional dessert made with maple syrup—finished off the evening in style!
As I said to the congregation and broader gathered community gathered at L’Église de Ste. Adèle:
Ce n’est pas facile d’être francophone dans l’Église Unie du Canada: votre présence en elle-même, votre implication dynamique et votre courage à inviter l’Église à se transformer, tout cela représente une source d’espérance pour nous tous et toutes, pour notre communauté de foi toute entière.
Such transformative power is known throughout Consistoire Laurentien. What a delight to spend another evening in the swirl of good stories, good food, and great live Chilean music with members of L’Église Unie St-Jean and Camino de Emaus. These French- and Spanish-speaking congregations share the building of L’Église Unie St-Jean from which they worship separately and together address the many needs of the downtown community.
The food was just as nourishing if not quite so exotic at Ottawa’s Centre 507 (at Centretown United), where food and friendship are served daily to those living in poverty in downtown Ottawa. The rooming house program at the Centre gives individuals the opportunity to find home. Through the Life Management Skills Program they are offered what we all need at one time or another: help to plan a better future. Through health services they and their community have become healthier. Through the Centre’s Street Outreach Services, those who are living on the street have come to know that they are not alone either—and that was more than 1,000 individuals last year.
The people of The United Church of Canada financially support the important work of Centre 507 with our Mission and Service dollars. Many United Church members and ministers are involved personally, living the truth of Palmer’s poetic words: “Community not only creates abundance—community is abundance.”
Clients, staff, and board members talked with me at Centre 507 about shocking Canadian myths and attitudes toward the poor, many of which have been gathered up by the Salvation Army as part of its Dignity Project and the resulting report, Debunking Myths about Poverty in Canada. They include, “96% of Canadians believe that everyone deserves a sense of dignity, but only 65% believe that being poor can rob you of dignity.” They asked me to explain attitudes such as these and I simply can’t. It is why I have joined with other faith leaders to press politicians to keep focused on poverty as one of the three most urgent issues during this election campaign.
Wendell Berry’s words keep echoing, “Love the Lord. Love the world.… Practice resurrection.”
With the background of stories of local food producers alongside those with too little food at Centre 507, I joined the conversations at M&O Conference’s Justice, Global & Ecumenical Relations gathering at Chateauguay. The focus was on land struggles in Canada and beyond, including access to land, use of land, sovereignty over land, care of land, farming practices, connections between land and poverty, resource extraction, and a faith-based view of the earth as sacred. It was my privilege to speak at this gathering as well, in part about a spirituality of engagement. In community, “where each part functions on behalf of the whole and in return is sustained by the whole,” each of us brings a particular passion. None of us can do it all, but together we can show up with expressive action that makes a difference.
At Kanesatake, Lead Elder Harvey Gabriel shared the deep history of his family and the United Church in this community. Harvey also took us on a tour of the village, the Pines, with their story of the 78-day siege during 1990 (known as the Oka Crisis). At the Wood’s Edge records the little-known stories of everyday people and how they experienced those events. We also visited the Mohawk elementary school, Council offices, and church hall for a delicious shared meal and conversation.
At Council offices we met with Grand Chief Paul Nicholas and Chief Sonya Gagnier, who spoke of how they’re struggling to draw attention to land and health issues, and to their rights.
Following our lunchtime conversation, the Grand Chief said some very generous, challenging, and encouraging things: “Being from a younger generation, I had no use for a lot of what you believe in, or for your government. I had no use for Canada or White men. What I’ve heard today is that you do care, and there are ways we can work together.”
Chief Sonya added, “We’re tired of words that don’t mean anything.… We have to build trust before anything can happen.”
I learned that only 75 people in this community speak their original language, and these are all over 60 years of age. The United Church’s Healing Fund has helped with some language recovery programs, and more support is needed for the sake of language and education, both of which were taken by government and church through the residential schools.
I have decided to add the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network to Radio-Canada to keep my ear tuned to both communities, and was asked to commend APTV to you too.
At Québec-Sherbrooke Youth Forum, we shared some of our favourite soul-songs during a weekend of music and creativity. These young adults were the first to get a sneak preview, or “prelisten,” to one of my favourite soul-songs, which I had a chance to share with CBC Radio’s Tapestry two days later during the last 10 minutes of the April 10 program.
The poetry of song in music such as “For Good,” from the musical Wicked, also speaks to this Conference visit: “But I know I’m who I am today because I knew you.…”
Finally, another kind of poetry of the heart was shared in the form of a stunning painting created by the Rev. Dr. Christine Johnson on the theme of Soul, Community, and Creation. This enormous canvas became the inspirational backdrop to an afternoon presbytery-wide conversation with me as Moderator followed by our evening town hall at Riverside United in Ottawa. It was a real honour to share in a presentation and conversation with Professor John Stone, who spoke about how scientific evidence of climate change presents us with such a great moral challenge, and why faith is necessary and important to meeting the challenge.
It is this painting that continues to provoke new thoughts about the connections between our inner and outer lives on this journey of sharing in God’s healing of soul, community, and creation. If I am to paint a painting or write a poem about this healing, I will begin by distilling the kinds of stories I’ve just shared, en paix, en prière, en espérance.
Where would you begin?
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SophiaWisdom
Hello Mardi, It's good to
Posted on: 04/20/2011 14:43
Hello Mardi,
It's good to hear about your trip. It's a very long post with lots of amazing stories.
I am from the U.S. Therefore, the French language seems so out of reach to me at times. I am much more comfortable with Spanish, which I studied for three years in high school. Someday, I hope to take some courses and learn. It feels important to be able to converse in this language as a person in the United Church and as a person living in Canada.
I love the phrase, "Practice resurrection." What would that look like? May be a good topic for a sermon during the Easter season.
I look forward to reading a poem or seeing a painting from you (in your spare time?). The painting by Rev. Dr. Christine Johnson is a beautiful depiction of creation and colour. I tend to go to music. I am just beginning to write my own music and I am finding it to be a wonderful way of expression. I find I am writing about some of my frustrations with the church, although I do feel hope in the midst of my angst. My most recent song was about ageism against our youth. I love hearing stories from you of the gatherings of young people with whom you have had discussions. This gives me hope and I look forward to hearing more.