BEGIN:VCALENDAR CALSCALE:GREGORIAN METHOD:PUBLISH PRODID:-//github.com/ical-org/ical.net//NONSGML ical.net 4.0//EN VERSION:2.0 X-FROM-URL:https://pgimf.org X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/Vancouver BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/Vancouver X-LIC-LOCATION:America/Vancouver END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Roy Bell noted that the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ leaves us with m ore questions than answers\, that we should never feel comfortable or com placent with the issues raised by these ideas. This so-called ‘sermon’ wa s a literary device used by the writer of Matthew to pull together all of the talks of Jesus into one group\, a summary of possibly three years of philosophising. Taking one of the beatitudes\, “blessed are those who mo urn”\, this simple saying does not apply solely to those who are bereaved \, but also for mourning the state of the world\, of society. And even if applied only to those bereaved\, one might think that those who safely p ass through the various stages of mourning\, finally culminating with the withdrawal of emotional energy in the ‘lost’ person and investing it in another relationship\, such people are blessed by being able to continue with living. Christians know the teaching\, “blessed are the peacemakers” \,\nyet some “Christian” politicians (Blair\, Bush) are among the most be llicose world leaders\, unwilling to merge private and public morality. T his only points out that all of the standards set out in these teachings are greater than we can hope to achieve. [JEK] DTEND:20020106T110000 DTSTAMP:20020106T113038 DTSTART:20020106T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Beatitudes (Part 1 of 2) UID:8 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/beatitudes-part-1-of-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Roy Bell’s second talk on The Sermon on the Mount (or the Ever est of Ethical Teaching) reminded us that Jesus ‘raised the bar’ with his teachings\, redefining ‘righteousness’ by saying it is not just what one does but also what one thinks\, or why one acts in certain ways.\nThe Go spel is bigger than ethics\, going beyond just ethical behaviour. In Pete rsons’s translation of the Golden Rule we are told to ask ourselves what we want people to do for us\, and then grab the initiative and do it for them. Roy then spoke briefly on Matthew 6:16 on fasting\, noting that it is expected that we will fast (and therefore not commanded)\, but that th e fasting is supposed to transform us inwardly\, not be seen outwardly. F oster calls it the voluntary denial of an otherwise normal function for t he sake of intense spiritual activity (fasting is far simpler than the sp iritual activity). Jesus briefly mentions forgiveness (6:14) as a require ment\, but must we ‘forgive on demand’? Perhaps we are in too big a hurry to require forgiveness? First\, we should recognise the injury\, the emo tions involved\, set boundaries\, etc.\, but not use ‘forced forgiveness’ as a hammer to beat people already deeply hurt. Finally he mentioned anx iety (fear\, dread\, being in danger of being unable to function). When a nxiety takes over in life\, it becomes a spiritual issue. The New Testame nt does not wish to add to our anxiety about God by raising expectations we can never fulfil\, rather\, it reminds us of the possibility of our be ing more like God. [JEK] DTEND:20020113T110000 DTSTAMP:20020113T113037 DTSTART:20020113T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Beatitudes (Part 2 of 2) UID:2 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/beatitudes-part-2-of-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karen Heidebrecht Thiessen (Pastor\, West Abbotsford Mennonite Church and former intern at PGIMF) spoke on Homecoming\, using the story of the ‘prodigal son’ from Luke 15:11-. “Every finding has its losing\, every return has a leaving.” Karen began by explaining the utterly unthin kable request for the son’s inheritance\, for in making that request\, he was essentially saying he wished his Dad were dead (thereby bringing dis grace to the extended family). How do we leave home? What do we reject? H ow does our leaving affect others in our family of faith? Another interes ting aspect of the story is the older brother (leading to all kinds of di scussion by people as being the eldest\, middle or youngest of their sibl ings). The oldest children often try to be models to their parents\, yet envy younger siblings’ freedom from similar constraints. The life of obed ience becomes a burden\, the father’s joy over the younger son’s return b rings out something black in the older son. Anger and envy betray subtle self-righteousness. As for the father\, his love did not force\, limit\, push—rather it allowed leave-taking and homecoming. We\, too\, are heirs\ , successors\, and are to be like the Father\, not just the ones who come home\, but also the ones who welcome home\, not just the ones who seek l ove\, but those who give love. We are called to be like the father\, we a re called to the banquet—ours and that for our younger brothers. [JEK] DTEND:20020120T110000 DTSTAMP:20020120T113037 DTSTART:20020120T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Prodigal Son UID:3 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-prodigal-son END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Service cancelled due to snow DTEND:20020127T110000 DTSTAMP:20020127T113037 DTSTART:20020127T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW UID:4 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/snow-day-2002-01-27 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:No sermon summary is available. DTEND:20020203T110000 DTSTAMP:20020203T113037 DTSTART:20020203T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Wisdom for Living UID:5 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/wisdom-for-living END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:No sermon summary or bulletin are available. DTEND:20020210T110000 DTSTAMP:20020210T113037 DTSTART:20020210T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Choosing To Pray UID:6 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/choosing-to-pray END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on the theme\, “Take up your cross”. DTEND:20020217T110000 DTSTAMP:20020217T113038 DTSTART:20020217T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Choosing Discipleship - "Take up your cross" UID:7 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/choosing-discipleship-take-up-your-cross END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John & Erna Friesen spoke on the theme\, “The Transfiguration (anticipating rejection)”. No bulletin is available. DTEND:20020224T110000 DTSTAMP:20020224T113038 DTSTART:20020224T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Choosing to listen to the unexplainable - "The Transfiguration (an ticipating rejection)" UID:9 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/choosing-to-listen-to-the-unexplainable-the- transfiguration-anticipating-rejection END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke on "Healing the boy with an evil spirit ( help my unbelief)". No bulletin is available. DTEND:20020303T110000 DTSTAMP:20020303T113038 DTSTART:20020303T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Choosing faith over unbelief - "Healing the boy with an evil spiri t (help my unbelief)" UID:10 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/choosing-faith-over-unbelief-healing-the-boy -with-an-evil-spirit-help-my-unbelief END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Thiessen spoke on Mark 10:17-31\, the rich young ruler. M oney itself is not the problem\, but families certainly have trouble beca use of wanting it. Wanting still more money can destroy relationships\, s eparate friends\, and lead to spiritual trouble. Although Jesus approved  of the rich using their resources to aid his work\, almost none did. How can we start to change our thinking so that we focus less on gaining “suf ficient” wealth and more on using it for the good of society? One church father suggested that we slowly get rid of our superfluous things\, not e verything\, but certainly that which we do not need\, one thing at a time . Perhaps we can also slowly wean ourselves from images in ads\, dreaming about winning the lottery\, or stop chasing speculative stocks or land d eals with the hope of unusually good profits. When Jesus talked about the ‘eye of the needle’\, perhaps he simply meant that all things are possib le with God—even changed attitudes towards wealth. [JEK]\n\nNo bulletin i s available. DTEND:20020310T110000 DTSTAMP:20020310T113038 DTSTART:20020310T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Choosing wealth/comfort or the Kingdom of God - "The rich young ma n" UID:11 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/choosing-wealthcomfort-or-the-kingdom-of-god -the-rich-young-man END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Mark Greenstreet spoke on St. Mark 10:32-45\, the story in whi ch James and John asked Jesus for positions of power in his new kingdom. (Ironically\, this story follows shortly after the one in which Jesus tol d the rich young man to sell whatever he had.) Jesus decided to go to Jer usalem. He had been very popular in the rural areas\, speaking out agains t Jerusalem’s rulers\, but his students and friends were afraid of what w ould happen to him in Jerusalem’s centre of power. However\, the students had seen Jesus do miracles\, they believed in his power\, and now\, fina lly\, he was going to Jerusalem to take over. Therefore James and John so ught patronage appointments—after all\, they had supported Jesus thus far . However\, Jesus basically rejected that model of government. He was not going to be beholden to individuals or to pressure groups. He realized t hat in politics\, the system overwhelms the person\, even if s/he is Chri stian. We now realize that Jesus spoke with authority (chapter 1) not bec ause of his political power base (which vanished in Jerusalem) but becaus e of the power of his ideas. Furthermore\, Jesus illustrated the subversi ve servant model. He taught an indifference to power (serve\, even if it costs you your position). We may look for heroes\, but our lives are bett er off because of servants. [JEK] DTEND:20020317T110000 DTSTAMP:20020317T113038 DTSTART:20020317T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Choosing greatness or death - "The request of James and John" UID:12 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/choosing-greatness-or-death-the-request-of-j ames-and-john END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rebecca Sack spoke on Mark 10:46-11:19\, a passage which inclu des the Palm Sunday story. The ancient world knew all about kings conquer ing cities\, bringing back captives as slaves\, parading victorious soldi ers and captives through the countryside and into the city\, and then goi ng to the temple to cleanse it (symbolizing the gods favour of the conque ring king). Jesus impressed a colt\, joined the pilgrims from the rural a reas—the areas in which he was most popular—and purposefully went to the Temple to cleanse it\, just as a victorious king might have done. Just pr ior to this event is Mark’s story of blind Bartimaeus in Jericho\, anothe r captial city important in Jewish memory. Joshua (a name similar to Jesu s) went to Jericho\, but the real purpose was not revealed until 7 days l ater (3 days later\, for Jesus). The physical blindness of Bartimaeus was a metaphor for the spiritual blindness of Jesus’ contemporaries. Rather than asking for money or wealth\, Bartimaeus asked that he might see. Onc e his blindness left\, he was once again ‘clean’ and could go to the Temp le with Jesus. Many people along the way must have shouted their hosannas without knowing Jesus (lip service)\, and many more did not ‘recognize’ him when he entered Jerusalem. In this story\, Jesus did not talk\, but i nstead relied upon images—pictures which people would never forget. [JEK] DTEND:20020324T110000 DTSTAMP:20020324T113038 DTSTART:20020324T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Choosing to see Jesus or choosing blindness - "Blind Bartimaeus an d the entry into Jerusalem" UID:13 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/choosing-to-see-jesus-or-choosing-blindness- blind-bartimaeus-and-the-entry-into-jerusalem END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:An evening service was held at 7:30pm on Maundy Thursday. DTEND:20020328T110000 DTSTAMP:20020328T200038 DTSTART:20020328T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Maundy Thursday\, 7:30 pm. UID:14 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/maundy-thursday-730-pm END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The account of the women going to the tomb to embalm Jesus’ bo dy is one of the biblical accounts where women get to play an important r ole\, said Veronica Dyck in her message last Sunday. The women clearly di d not expect the resurrection since they planned to apply spices to Jesus ’ body. Mark's gospel ends earlier than the other gospels\, with the wome n fleeing the empty tomb and saying nothing about the resurrection. No go spel writer describes the actual resurrection\; no one was there to see i t. What can be seen is the results of the resurrection in the transformed lives of Jesus followers. We express the reality of the resurrection by our lives\; by the transformation of Easter morning. Too often we come to the tomb weary and sad\, having experienced betrayal\, suffering and dep ression. The stone is a huge barrier. Then we realize the stone has been rolled away and we are called to complete this story to join the disciple ship journey. He has gone there ahead of us. [HN] DTEND:20020407T110000 DTSTAMP:20020407T113038 DTSTART:20020407T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Choosing to believe the resurrection - "... but they did not belie ve them" UID:15 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/choosing-to-believe-the-resurrection-but-the y-did-not-believe-them END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Anne Wambugo\, an ordained minister and professor from Kenya\, spoke on Matthew 28:19 (“The Great Commission”) and Jesus’ quoting of Is aiah. She brought together the themes of our being sent out into the worl d to tell people about Jesus\, and our being asked to tend to the sick\, the broken-hearted\, the captives. Professor Wambugo used three themes: t ravel\, share\, speak. We are encouraged to travel the road less travelle d (e.g.\, meeting Samaritans\, Peter and Cornelius)\;to share by being wi th others\, teaching them by the way we live\; and to speak (confess our faith in the authority of Christ). She concluded by telling of a man who led a communion service and then asked if anyone had been left out. Sudde nly he could see in his mind thousands and thousands of people who had be en left out. [JEK] DTEND:20020414T110000 DTSTAMP:20020414T113038 DTSTART:20020414T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Choosing whether to 'be sent' - "The Great Commission" UID:16 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/choosing-whether-to-be-sent-the-great-commis sion END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Kliewer (Conference Minister\, Mennonite Church in BC) s poke on Mission: A barrier to overcome or a bridge to cross. Using the ex ample of how disastrous it is to put new wine that is still fermenting in to old stretched wineskins\, he suggested that Mennonites need to rethink the missional church\, new ideas\, new forms. He then looked at the stor y of Jesus meeting the woman from Samaria at the well\, asking how we rel ate to people of different social\, economic levels and different culture s. Jesus overcame these barriers by expressing his own need in order to e licit a response (asked for water). The second barrier was sin (5 marriag es\, possibly not her fault). Jesus went straight to the problem and addr essed it\, getting it out of the way kindly. The third barrier was the pl ace of worship (must it be in Jerusalem) and Jesus declared that we can w orship God anywhere. When Jesus built bridges over the barriers to this w oman\, she became one of Christ’s insiders and was a missionary to her pe ople. Today’s issues tend to focus on differences of thinking about sexua lity and gender\, but the central question is “Do we know the Living Chri st? Will we drink his living water?’ Henry urged us to keep bridging\, se arching for the key that will make communication possible. [JEK] DTEND:20020421T110000 DTSTAMP:20020421T113039 DTSTART:20020421T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mission: a barrier or a bridge? UID:17 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mission-a-barrier-or-a-bridge END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Fred Adrian spoke on Our experience of the hiddeness of God. T his was the sort of talk that was simply a gift to me. Church people tend to honour people or experiences in which God’s presence or leading is fe lt directly. However\, the Psalmists\, Job\, and the Church Fathers wrote of searching for God\, sometimes even speaking of God’s absence. Fred ma de six main points. (1) It is God’s prerogative to relate to us as God wi lls\, how and when—not as we might wish. (2) God’s presence may not coinc ide with our expectations and awareness of that presence. (3) God is ever ywhere\, there is no place that is without God. (4) God is present in spi te of our invitation or lack thereof. (5) Finite humans trace the evidenc e of God very poorly—it may be just a restlessness\, a longing\, a sense of awe\, a desire to seek God\, or a motivation to do acts of love and co mpassion. (6) There are three ways we can find God if God seems hidden fr om us: (a) indirectly (in things in nature\, things made by God)\, (b) di rectly (encounters such as Moses\, Paul\, St. John of the Cross\, but the se encounters are rare)\, (c) clothing ourselves in God’s attributes (fol lowing the beatitudes\,\netc.) [JEK] DTEND:20020428T110000 DTSTAMP:20020428T113039 DTSTART:20020428T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Hiddenness of God UID:18 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-hiddenness-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Erica Hannan illustrated the proverb “A cheerful heart is good medicine” for the children by pouring Classic Coke into a glass half-fil led with sugar. The children loved the dramatic overflowing. Then Henry H ildebrand spoke on Mark 9:2-8\, the story of the transfiguration. We ofte n need to escape from our exhausting life routines. Jesus and followers h ad been working flat out for six days with crowds\, approaching burnout\, so Jesus took several friends up a hill for a break\, meeting Elijah and Moses\, both of whom had needed to escape from their exhausting work. He nry then asked\, “Where is your mountain\, where do you go when you are f rustrated or need recharging?” Boats\, food\, alcohol? Jesus\, Moses and Elijah each eventually turned to prayer. To that we can add the study of scripture\, friends who are spiritual (not just secular)\, and just simpl e things such as regular attendance at church\, daily prayer and Bible st udy\, and small groups. [JEK] DTEND:20020505T110000 DTSTAMP:20020505T113039 DTSTART:20020505T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Transfiguration UID:19 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-transfiguration END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We had a wonderful dramatic reading on Mary and Martha\, which led into Vange Thiessen’s talk on “Women as disciples in their lives of faith.” Jesus once said that Mary had chosen “the better part”\, possibly suggesting that contemplation and intellectual discussion is superior to serving the physical needs of others. Vange suggested that we look at th e whole picture of Martha\, for she was not only an organizer of tasks bu t also possibly the first person to confess that Jesus was the promised M essiah (St. John 11). Vange also suggested that we look at the context of this story. The preceding story is about the Good Samaritan\, a story wh ich told the lawyer (a thinker) that he should get out and do things\, no t just think and talk. Then the story of Mary and Martha suggests that Ma rtha should take time to think and talk and not just work compulsively. T here is room in the kingdom for everybody—we need to allow women and men to be like Mary or Martha\, but ideally we all are both. [JEK] DTEND:20020512T110000 DTSTAMP:20020512T113039 DTSTART:20020512T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A celebration of Mother's Day UID:20 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-celebration-of-mothers-day END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan & Janice Kreider led a Pentecost Sunday service. DTEND:20020519T110000 DTSTAMP:20020519T113039 DTSTART:20020519T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pentecost UID:21 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pentecost END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Bill Janzen from the MCC Ottawa office spoke. No bulletin is a vailable. DTEND:20020526T110000 DTSTAMP:20020526T113039 DTSTART:20020526T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:When our country is at war UID:22 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/when-our-country-is-at-war END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sue Dudoward spoke about faith development in the context of c ommunity during the church retreat at Camp Luther in Mission\, BC. No bul letin is available. DTEND:20020602T110000 DTSTAMP:20020602T113039 DTSTART:20020602T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Faith development in the context of community UID:23 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/faith-development-in-the-context-of-community END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider spoke. No bulletin is available. DTEND:20020609T110000 DTSTAMP:20020609T113039 DTSTART:20020609T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Isaiah 2:4 and Romans 5 UID:24 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/isaiah-24-and-romans-5 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Lois Siemens from Peace Church spoke. No bulletin is available. DTEND:20020616T110000 DTSTAMP:20020616T113039 DTSTART:20020616T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:He is with us\; Are we with Him? UID:25 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/he-is-with-us-are-we-with-him END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The Point Grey Ministerial Association collaborated on a worsh ip service in Trimble Park during the Point Grey Fiesta. No bulletin is a vailable. DTEND:20020623T110000 DTSTAMP:20020623T113039 DTSTART:20020623T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:No service today UID:26 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/no-service-today END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Lois Siemens described the prophet Nathan confronting David ab out his affair with Bathsheba and his arranging for her husband to be kil led. David’s response to this is Psalm 51\, pleading for God’s mercy. Lik e David\, we bring ourselves and our sins to worship\; we bring our whole lives to church. David was painfully aware of the negative results of hi s behaviour and was hoping for God’s love\, not his judgement. "Have merc y on me"\, "blot out my transgressions"\, "wash away my iniquities"\, "pu rify me from my sin"\, "create in me a clean heart" are all pleas which i ndicate the vulnerable position we are put in before God and the one we h ave offended. It is only when we commit ourselves to restitution that hea ling and justice can happen. Confession helps us recognize that God’s par t is to heal\, our part is to act. Confession helps us to witness to the joy of our salvation. We need to hear God’s words again and again: you ar e forgiven\, you are loved. DTEND:20020630T110000 DTSTAMP:20020630T113039 DTSTART:20020630T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Offense and Restitution UID:27 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/offense-and-restitution END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Mary Oyer from Goshen College spoke about Hymns and Prayers. N o bulletin is available. DTEND:20020707T110000 DTSTAMP:20020707T113040 DTSTART:20020707T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hymns & Prayers UID:28 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hymns-prayers END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Bruce Hindmarsh (Regent College) spoke on three hymn texts in our hymnal by John Newton. A brush with death on the high seas in 174 8 brought a prayer to the lips of this slave trader\, but he retracted it \, realizing there was no reason God should pay any attention to him\, gi ven his history of sexual exploits\, profession\, and foul language which shocked even hardened sailors. However\, Newton eventually came to recog nize the seriousness of the many wrongs he had committed against others\, especially by selling human beings. After his conversion and study\, he ministered to a congregation\, and especially to a weekly small group for which he wrote some 400 hymns. These songs are built solidly upon script ural truths and helped his illiterate remember what they were studying ev ery Sunday evening in his home. Amazing Grace speaks eloquently about New ton's realization that for God's grace to cover his past\, that grace wou ld indeed have to be amazing. ("For a wretch like me" is not a favourite phrase among Christians\, but Hindmarsh said that the secular world sings the words more readily.) Glorious things of thee are spoken and May the grace of Christ our Saviour are also either biblically based or paraphras ing scripture. One of Newton's late entries reads\, "What thou wilt\, whe n thou wilt\, as thou wilt"\, a prayer we might consider using ourselves. [JEK]\n\nNo bulletin is available. DTEND:20020714T110000 DTSTAMP:20020714T113040 DTSTART:20020714T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Hymns of John Newton UID:29 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-hymns-of-john-newton END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Sportack spoke on "Converting Conversion"\, building on the story in John 4 telling of Jesus meeting the woman at the well (Lois Siemens gave an excellent dramatic presentation of the story). Laura's ap proach was wonderfully refreshing. She suggested that "living water" may have meant not only magical water but also 'moving water' rather than sta gnant well water. Jesus was essentially forced to travel through Samaria\ , he was tired\, thirsty\, and hardly looking for an opportunity to talk with a despised foreign woman. Nevertheless\, when he was forced to talk with her\, he did not hammer her for her sins (she knew what they were al ready)\, he refused to be offended by her attitude towards him and toward s Jews generally\, he did not get into arguments with her about religion\ , he did not confront her directly about her morals but rather asked indi rectly about her family (and then she admitted to her past). He commended her for telling the truth about her 'husband' and revealed to her that h e knew about her past. Just as the woman and Jesus were approaching 'holy ground' in their discussion\, 12 disgruntled disciples (some later achie ved sainthood) came up and essentially ended the conversation. Laura then spoke about conversion. (1) Salvation of souls is not our responsibility any more than is the rotation of the moon – God looks after both. (2) Je sus paid far more attention to the woman's journey than to her destinatio n. (3) Jesus was willing to go outside his comfort zone and get past labe ls\, are we (e.g.\, homosexuality\, housewife\, delinquent\, professor)? (4) The gospel is mainly revealed indirectly through our lives. "Hitting people with the gospel only wounds them." This reminds one of John 17\, w here we learn that Jesus came\, not to condemn but to save. The story ill ustrates his mission beautifully and needs to be a new model for our thin king about conversion. [JEK] DTEND:20020721T110000 DTSTAMP:20020721T113040 DTSTART:20020721T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The woman at the well\; Converting conversion UID:30 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-woman-at-the-well-converting-conversion END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:In Henry Neufeld’s introduction to Exodus\, Israel multiplied greatly while in Egypt\, threatening the Egyptian security even as Egypt’ s repressive policies contributed to Israel’s growth. Against this backgr ound\, the royally-raised Moses flees Egypt for Midian\, wanted for murde r\, and marries Zeporah. God’s call to him is bold\, striking and persist ent. Henry\, remembering Fred Adrian’s message\, points out it is not so for others\, whose calls are quieter. The other difference seems to be Mo ses gave different excuses than most of us - no “Too busy” or “I am the w rong person to ask”. Henri Nouwen encourages us\, saying “Reaching out to God will not free us from pain and suffering.” Moses’ excuses were “What is your Name?” (I am that I Am)\; “How shall it be seen that I am from Y ou?” (I will give you a staff)\; “I can’t speak well” (I will help) and f inally “Send someone else” (I give you Aaron). Henry asks how we witness calls in our churches? Some relate calls to gifts - those with talents ar e called upon to use them - the Benedictines’ mission “Partners with God” and Rebecca Sack’s call being given as examples. Moses was called upon t o be politician\, crusader and leader\, much as William Wilberforce and J ohn Newton were called to end slavery two centuries ago\, and God assures us\, as he did them that “I will be there with you”. Sharing was provoca tive\, especially Sue Greenstreet’s question “does our confusion over cal ling arise from our temptation to confuse it with career\, especially whe n most of the world has no chance to hear such a calling because they’re too busy scratching a living out of the soil?” [AP] DTEND:20020728T110000 DTSTAMP:20020728T113040 DTSTART:20020728T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Exodus series begins (The Call of Moses) UID:31 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/exodus-series-begins-the-call-of-moses END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ruth Enns spoke on Exodus 1-2\, a story of three women who wer e heroes: Moses' mother\, who bravely took risks to spare her son's life\ ; Moses' sister\, who was obedient\, cunning\, articulate and convincing\ ; and the Princess\, who took a risk by contravening Pharaoh's decree\, s aved a Jewish male baby\, raised and educated him at court (possibly in m ilitary affairs\, for he was feared by the Egyptians when he sided with t he Jews\, and he later planned several battles). Ruth then looked at the Princess as a woman who raised a child that was not hers--a figure not un like a stepmother today. One-half of today's children will live apart fro m one parent by age 13. Stepmothers are called to offer love to children who were not born of their bodies (aunts\, uncles\, grandparents have als o often stepped into parenting roles beautifully). Ruth told of her two s tep-grandmothers\, her own stepmother\, and of being a stepmother. The co urage\, faith\, and consistent love of the women in her stories are inspi ring to step-parents today. These stories may also show something of the loving spirit of the unnamed Princess of Egypt. [JEK] DTEND:20020804T110000 DTSTAMP:20020804T113040 DTSTART:20020804T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The birth and flight of Moses UID:32 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-birth-and-flight-of-moses END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janet Boldt contrasted the response of the Jews in Chapter 4 t he previous week “They believed\, they bowed down\, and they worshipped.” with the very different tone taken by Pharaoh\, and later the Israelites in the midst of their exodus travail. She pointed out several expression s of disbelief or disrespect. Pharaoh’s question “Who is this Lord that I should worship him?”among the first\, is later answered by God with plag ues\, but God’s intended answer is that all should know God’s sovereignty \, desire to be known\, and concern for Israel’s suffering. The Israelit es ask the next question “Lord\, why have you brought trouble upon this p eople?”\, and so we also ask\, why does God take so long to rescue? Why d estroy another people to do it? Believing opens us up to disappointment. Yet God continually liberated Israel with the words spoken every Seder “N ext year in Jerusalem....” The puzzle of the genealogy in the middle of t he action in chapter 5 is neatly answered by Janet by illustration of Afr ican practice\, in times of crisis\, to remind us of the struggles of our ancestors who sought the same things we do - to have God hear people in despair\, and “to protect us from the Egypt[s] of [our] own making.” (Joy ce Rupp) [AP] DTEND:20020811T110000 DTSTAMP:20020811T113040 DTSTART:20020811T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Slavery in Egypt UID:33 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/slavery-in-egypt END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Mark Greenstreet dealt with the plagues facing the Egyptians. Mark stressed that the Exodus rendition is not a historical account but r ather a liturgy for the Passover. Just as we know the Christmas and Easte r stories\, the Jews know the Passover story. The genealogy in Exodus 6 m arks a major transition point in the life of the Jewish people: from patr iarchs to the fulfillment of promises. Pharaoh’s challenge - "Who is God that I should obey him? - begins the unjust repression of the Jewish peop le. The plagues come in three cycles with three plagues in each cycle. Ma rk noted that Pharaoh took the initiative in hardening his heart in respo nse to the plagues. Pharaoh was seen as a god (descendant of the sun gods )\, and the plagues refute Pharaoh’s claim to divinity. Themes from this passage include Gods¹¹sovereignty\, God as deliverer\, and God’s command of nature. Mark drew a parallel between the Exodus plagues and the 7 seal s\, 7 trumpets\, and 7 bulls of the Book of Revelation. In Revelation Joh n uses the same pattern as in Exodus and instead of Egyptians dying\, God ’s son dies\; instead of the blood of the Nile\, we have the blood of Jes us. The response to all of this is worship: the kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord\, and he will reign forever and ever. (HN ) DTEND:20020818T110000 DTSTAMP:20020818T113040 DTSTART:20020818T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Plagues 1-9 UID:34 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/plagues-1-9 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke on the story of the Passover (Exodus 11-1 2)\, one of the most important Jewish festivals. The roasted meat recalle d the nomadic tradition of culling of a flock\, the bread symbolized the agricultural background (and the throwing out of the yeast recalled the n eed to start new batches). Janice emphasized the theme of deliverance and what it may have meant to the Israelites. In the Old Testament\, salvati on (Perry Yoder) has similar connotations\, referring to liberation from distress\, famine\, oppression\, and providing justice for those in bonda ge. God led at least some people away from an unjust society so they coul d form a new society in which shalom was at least theoretically more like ly to be found. Can Christians be in the forefront delivering people from their bondage and helping them find shalom and justice? [JEK] DTEND:20020825T110000 DTSTAMP:20020825T113040 DTSTART:20020825T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Preparation for Flight UID:35 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/preparation-for-flight END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider spoke about the first 16 years of the church. DTEND:20020901T110000 DTSTAMP:20020901T113040 DTSTART:20020901T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sixteen Years of the Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship UID:37 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sixteen-years-of-the-point-grey-inter-mennon ite-fellowship END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:This was our PGIMF service honouring new and returning student s\, and the start of our new Sunday School\, complete with barbeque and p otluck lunch. After a puppet show about Noah and the ark\, Mark Greenstre et spoke on Romans 1\, a pragmatic letter by someone who was soon going t o Rome as a prisoner and would soon be relying upon their hospitality if he was to have any food and company. This intriguing chapter speaks of th e self-evidence of God through nature (a topic of interest in itself)\, b ut Mark's primary focus was on Paul's brief discussion of worship. Paul c oncludes that people will worship either God the Creator or things which have been created or made possible by God. Paul writes that if people wor ship God the Creator\, the consequences will be in accord with the order of nature\, but if they worship things\, this natural order will be upset and consequences are then logical\, if not inevitable. Those consequence s are not punishments\, only the natural course of action. His main examp le was drawn from the worship of gods in the Roman Empire. Romans could g rab land or sex anywhere they liked because that is what their gods did ( gods were made in people's images). For example\, by espousing Roman idol atry\, certain consequences naturally seemed to follow: ritual sexual act s were carried out between the two genders (and within each gender) in te mples constructed for those purposes\, with people whose lives were devot ed to this behavior. Mark asked whether people today are tempted to worsh ip things other than the Creator ("worship is not an option--we all do it "\, but "worship is most dangerous when we don't know we are doing it."). For example\, many have faith in science and technology\, relegating God only to small corners of the universe which they assume are not yet expl ained by science (as opposed to seeing God as the Creator of natural orde r which enables science to be possible). We may believe in the pursuit of money\, or believe media's insistence that sexual relations lead to bett er personal relations (rather than the other way around). Paul's challeng e still stands\, but it is best to decide what to worship if you are amon g Christian believers who have similar values to you and honour God. Mark then challenged students to visit various churches\, to encounter a vari ety of worship experiences and groups\, but most of all\, to be aware of what they are worshipping (God\, career\, intellectual pursuits\, sex\, g ood causes\, fun?) [JEK] DTEND:20020908T110000 DTSTAMP:20020908T113040 DTSTART:20020908T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Why and What We Believe UID:38 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/why-and-what-we-believe END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Despite the joy with which the Israelites were brought out of Egypt\, the passage in Exodus is full of “murmuring”. Sue Dudoward pointe d out that ‘selective memories’ are part of our ongoing relationship with God\, just as they were for the Israelites. She related it to a child wh o has grown past the terrible twos and is now running away from its paren ts to explore things\, but periodically runs back to re-establish securit y. The Song of Miriam (as Exodus 15 is known) is not so much a song at al l as a prophecy for Israel’s future. Sue presented God as warrior and cha mpion of the Israelites\, using nature and miracles to achieve His ends. When Israel grumbled about not having meat to eat in the desert\, God gav e manna\, but only for each day. Israel grumbled for lack of water - God answered. The Israelites themselves were not warriors\, not even when the y defeated the Amalekites - God carried the battle as long as Moses’ arms were raised. Sue quoted Howard Yoder: “Exodus is a particular form of wi thdrawal into necessity. It is not a paradigm for how all…groups with all …values can attain all types of salvation.” Israel was leaving the securi ty of enslavement for the responsibility for self\, and its story is cent ral to Jewish theology and Christian history – miracles upon miracles emp hasize their (and our) reliance on God. Sue pointed out in John 6:32-40 t hat Jesus himself did not miss the centrality of this story. Here\, in fa ce of grumbling from the people\, Jesus points out that just as Moses did not give manna to the Israelites but rather God gave the manna\, so it i s not Joseph and Mary’s son who gives the bread of life to us\, but Jesus \, through God the Father. [AP] DTEND:20020915T110000 DTSTAMP:20020915T113040 DTSTART:20020915T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Song of Miriam\, God Provides UID:39 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/song-of-miriam-god-provides END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Erna Friesen continued our series on Exodus by leading us thro ugh chapters 18 and 19. Jethro\, the father-in-law of Moses\, was a pries t of Midian. He had looked after his daughter\, Moses' wife\, while Moses led his people away from Egypt. Seeing what had been accomplished\, Jeth ro publicly confessed that Jahweh was the only God (faith comes before th e law). Jethro then saw how Moses was shouldering too many administrative duties\, and convinced him to teach others how to carry out the work and then delegate work to them. Chapter 19 looked at the role of community a nd ones commitment to it. (This reminded Erna that we should encourage pe ople to consider joining PGIMF\, becoming part of this community of faith .) At Mt. Sinai\, God the people were not equals. Indeed\, we come fatall y-flawed\, people who have nevertheless been redeemed. Erna\, one of our congregation's numerous people fascinated by law\, reminded us that The L aw reveals how we are to live the life of faith\, taking responsibilities towards others. 'You were slaves in Egypt\, now be good to others'. Psal m 19 praises the Law: "The law of the Lord . . . is sweeter than honey!" [JEK] DTEND:20020922T110000 DTSTAMP:20020922T113041 DTSTART:20020922T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Moses becomes Judge UID:53 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/moses-becomes-judge END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ken Friesen asked if the number of Commandments given in Ex. 2 0 was arbitrary. He reminded us that this chapter in which Moses receives the wisdom of the Ten Commandments follows on the previous one where his father-in-law Jethro encouraged Moses to devolve simple judicial tasks t o trusted elders\, and concentrate himself on the complex ones. Ken contr asted our present system of common law based on ideals or precepts (which renders decisions with relative ease but often inadequate satisfaction f rom the aggrieved parties) with God’s law\, which was based on principles and consequently exceedingly difficult to judge evenly from case to case . Ken divided the Ten Commandments into three groups. The first three com mandments comprised God’s vision for creating a state that God can use\, not one that uses God. Ken noted that many civilizations today mingle pow er with religion with tragic results. The fourth and fifth comprised a se cond group that identified what kind of a society the Hebrews wanted. Hon ouring God and family was seen as critical. The remaining five illustrate d that Israel was to be a society that valued justice highly. Given that a complainant could also be the sole witness leading to conviction and pu nishment\, false testimony was deemed severely punishable\, as was destro ying all-important family bonds through adultery. Question period seemed to revolve around the dictum "The law\, imperfect as it is\, is for peopl e. Justice is for God." [AP] DTEND:20020929T110000 DTSTAMP:20020929T113040 DTSTART:20020929T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The 10 Commandments UID:40 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-10-commandments END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Richard Stobbe spoke on Exodus 22_23\, another of the pivotal parts of this fascinating story. These chapters come after the escape fro m Egypt and the receiving of the 10 commandments. Rather than providing t he beautiful over-arching principles of the commandments\, these chapters present judgments not unlike modern case laws\, principles growing out o f a newly settled rural economy\, laws possibly written several hundred y ears after settling down. These scattered rules give glimpses into what w as actually happening. For instance\, one principle which emerges is that people are to pay restitution if damage is caused to others through your negligence. Clearly this was a problem in society\, one which civilized people should not settle merely by revenge or an eye-for-an-eye. The chap ters also remind one of how today's law is struggling to keep up with dev elopments with the internet (barely covered by older laws). The society i n Exodus was developing new social problems faster than the law was able to cover them. Richard suggested that we follow laws because one way we c an express our love of God is by acting correctly with other people. [JEK ] DTEND:20021006T110000 DTSTAMP:20021006T113041 DTSTART:20021006T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Other Laws UID:41 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/other-laws END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:This was a traditional Thanksgiving service of singing and pra yer led by Janet Boldt. DTEND:20021013T110000 DTSTAMP:20021013T113041 DTSTART:20021013T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving UID:42 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thanksgiving END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jim and Grace Neudorf were active members and leaders in our c hurch before moving to Squamish about eight years ago. Jim returned last Sunday to speak on the theme\, "Encountering God" (Exodus 32). This porti on of the story in Exodus told how the Jews forgot about God within weeks of their spectacular exodus\, how some felt that Moses (not God) had don e the miracles\, that Moses was like a god\, that he was now 80\, gone fo r 40 days into the fire and storm on the mountain top\, and was more than likely dead. Since traveling without the protection of a god would be da ngerous\, they wanted Aaron to make them a new god\, and he did. Jim aske d us to consider both whether we put other gods before our God\, and whet her we avoid encountering God. Why did the Jews refuse to go up the mount ain to meet God with Moses? Do we refuse to look for possible encounters with God? Encountering God is life-changing (the burning bush\, Job's ord eal\, disciples meeting God through Jesus\, etc.) Are we even expecting t o encounter God? Are we ready to take the\nrisk of changing radically if we encounter God in a powerful way? [JEK] DTEND:20021020T110000 DTSTAMP:20021020T113040 DTSTART:20021020T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Golden Calf\, Leaving Sinai UID:36 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-golden-calf-leaving-sinai END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We heard from Henry Hildebrand on “The New Tablets” from Exodu s 34 - 35. DTEND:20021027T110000 DTSTAMP:20021027T113041 DTSTART:20021027T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:New Tablets UID:43 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/new-tablets END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ed Nyce (MCC\, Bethlehem) told what life in Bethlehem\, Palest ine and Israel is like for Christians\, Jews and Muslims. Each groups has its reasons for fearing the others\, each has minorities who lash out in frustration and fear\, and each has individuals seeking to be good neigh bors and peace makers. Ed used Luke's story of the Good Samaritan (an oxy moron to Jews of the day) and then asked Jesus' question: Who is my neigh bor? In Bethlehem\, good neighbors abound. People extend credit to neighb ors of another religion\, people help neighbors of another faith escape s helling\, people look after their neighbors regardless of ethnicity or fa ith. They\, like MCC's workers and Christian Peacemakers Teams\, are livi ng examples of being peacemakers locally. MCC\, through people like Ed\, tries to communicat[e] the situation to North Americans in a balanced way (if churches are ready to hear with open minds)\, the workers try to lis ten and observe (and learn)\, and they try to know and respect the storie s of more than one 'people'. Fear is of course manipulated by politicians on all sides. Both the fear and the pain of daily life are profoundly in fluencing everybody\, but especially the children who cannot travel anywh ere\, some cannot attend schools\, many are taught to hate 'the enemy'\, and consequently grow up in an environment of perpetual fear. Returning t o the commandment in Luke 10\, Ed asked that we all try to love God\, and to love all people as ourselves. [JEK] DTEND:20021103T110000 DTSTAMP:20021103T113041 DTSTART:20021103T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Church in the Near East UID:44 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-church-in-the-near-east END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A meaningful liturgical service to commemorate Peace Sunday wa s led by Veronica Dyck. It was based on the Confession of Faith in a Menn onite Perspective chapter on "Peace\, Justice\, and Nonresistance": "We b elieve that peace is the will of God. God created the world in peace\, an d God’s peace is most fully revealed in Jesus Christ\, who is our peace a nd the peace of the whole world. Led by the Holy Spirit\, we follow Chris t in the way of peace\, doing justice\, bringing reconciliation\, and pra cticing nonresistance even in the face of violence and warfare." DTEND:20021110T110000 DTSTAMP:20021110T113041 DTSTART:20021110T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgical service UID:45 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/liturgical-service END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider led a beautiful meditation on prayers written by others that\, to him\, speak more deeply on his behalf to God than any wo rds he could ever bring up. His personal view of God as remote is not rem itted by bible reading or booklets or prayer journals\, but instead in th e words of prayer of ancient and modern theologians and writers. In a doz en prayers\, the church was led in a exploration of the value of friends\ , the contrasts\, successes and failures of relationship\, and the hope o f closer ties with God. Most poignant was Evan’s own untitled prayer - hi s own words open a window to the soul of an immensely talented man who st ill lives with questions about the difference he truly makes in the world . DTEND:20021117T110000 DTSTAMP:20021117T113041 DTSTART:20021117T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Our friends\, our prayers\, our God. UID:46 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/our-friends-our-prayers-our-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of music and prayers was held for All Souls. DTEND:20021124T110000 DTSTAMP:20021124T113041 DTSTART:20021124T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Remembering 'All Souls' in music and prayer UID:47 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/remembering-all-souls-in-music-and-prayer END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A liturgical service was held on the first Sunday of Advent. DTEND:20021201T110000 DTSTAMP:20021201T113041 DTSTART:20021201T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgical service UID:48 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/liturgical-service-20021201 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Three of our younger mothers shared their reflections on Adven t. Nadine Neudorf contrasted the experiences of Elizabeth and Mary. Both had what could only be considered miraculous pregnancies\, but while Eliz abeth enjoyed the full support of her ageing husband and wonderful commun ity of friends\, Mary had to face her engagement being broken off and she had to flee to Elizabeth before she could find any sort of emotional and physical support for her crisis pregnancy. Nadine then asked whether we cannot do more to support the single moms who are alone\, who feel alone. Krista Voth spoke about waiting\, about preparing for Christmas\, and fo r Elias. For example\, her time of pregnancy was a time for dreaming\, fo r preparing a place for her child\, a time for wondering about the marvel lous act of creating new life. She loved her child before birth\, while w aiting\, but now the love is more focused and tangible. The Advent parall els are fascinating. Vange read Carmen Thiessen's reflections on creating a special time around Christmas. Carmen's parents taught her not only th e joy of culinary and decorative aspects of the season\, but also the imp ortance of creating a time of friendship and warmth. She is exploring thi s further by cutting back on how much is spent on gifts and by giving mon ey to charities rather than primarily to family/friends. She is also conc erned that public schools celebrate the holidays of other religions\, but that Christian holidays are overlooked\, instead of being used to tell o f their true meaning. The morning was truly special for everybody. [JEK] DTEND:20021208T110000 DTSTAMP:20021208T113041 DTSTART:20021208T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reflections on Advent/Christmas UID:49 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/reflections-on-adventchristmas END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The congregation sang excerpts of Handel's Messiah. DTEND:20021215T110000 DTSTAMP:20021215T113041 DTSTART:20021215T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Messiah' sing-along with readings UID:50 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-messiah-sing-along-with-readings-20021215 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of music and prayers was held on the last Sunday of Advent. DTEND:20021222T110000 DTSTAMP:20021222T113041 DTSTART:20021222T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Music for Christmas with readings UID:51 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/music-for-christmas-with-readings-20021222 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider initiated our new series of sermons on the book of Acts. She focused mainly on Acts 1:12-14\, the part of the story whic h reminds us that early Christians experienced Jesus as a group (more tha n as individuals)\, that they spent much time together in prayer\, that t hey conducted church business meetings (to elect Matthias)\, and that the y really had no idea how Jesus' spirit would be kept alive now that he se emed to be gone for good. Then Janice turned to the one brief phrase whic h mentioned that Mary\, the mother of Jesus\, was with the followers. Jan ice reviewed what we know of Mary's life as a mother\, having to explain the unwanted pregnancy for nine long months\, raising a child that was ut terly independent (age 12 at the temple)\, a son who was so non-tradition al that his family was convinced he was crazy\, a son who publicly seemed to prefer like-minded thinkers over members of his own biological family . Mary's parenting and life experiences with Jesus can be a metaphor for our lives. We too can be disappointed\, even decimated by events in life\ , but like Mary\, we have to keep on waiting\, praying. Being part of a c ommunity of love and faith (as Mary elected to do) can be tremendously us eful. Mary did not understand Jesus\; instead she criticized him and desp erately wanted him to change--yet through it all\, she apparently waited and somehow supported him (and eventually his life's goals) to the end of her life. [JEK] DTEND:20021229T110000 DTSTAMP:20021229T113041 DTSTART:20021229T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The ascension\; electing Matthias UID:52 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-ascension-electing-matthias END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider spoke on the events of Pentecost for the early Ch ristian church. The events of Pentecost were more than they appear - this was not just a magical visitation. Even this early in the life of the ch urch\, the symbolism of Jesus sacrificial death has already been confirme d - Peter has already made the leap from “Rome killed Jesus” to “Jesus di ed for all our sins.” This church on the first Pentecost was composed of many peoples from places corresponding to today’s Libya\, Rome\, Crete\, Jordan and Empty Quarter\, Syria\, Turkey\, and modern day Israel and Pal estine\, with dozens of different languages\, all holding an attachment o r interest to Judaism in common. These people\, despite their relative un friendliness to Christianity today\, were in on the ground floor of this uniting event - of ‘Christianity going public’ and they acted on it to br ing more than 3000 to them that day. What happened to that three thousand ? Peter spoke that day as recorded in Acts 2 to the Jews who were looking for a Messiah. But what did this have to do with the others? It fell to Paul and Barnabas and others to speak to the others in their missionary t ravels. Pentecost is thus an expansion of the Great Commission - go out a nd convert. God’s spirit does not settle on one special prophet as in the old days. It settles on all\, and it stays. Peter acted on this Great Co mmission - “...We are not drunk as you might suppose...Do you want to kno w what really happened?” Pentecost is not about wind and fire. It is abou t speaking plainly and telling the truth - the basic elements of the Grea t Commission. [AP] DTEND:20030105T110000 DTSTAMP:20030105T113042 DTSTART:20030105T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pentecost\; new beginnings UID:54 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pentecost-new-beginnings END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Friesen led us through a liturgical service celebrating M arriage and the Family. With special music by Cynthia\, a cello and piano duet by John Friesen and Cherie\, and readings requiring much thought an d review during the week following\, it was a service to remember\, espec ially in the quality of the sharing afterward. Especially intriguing was the distinction between Catholic and Protestant views of the spiritual pu rposes of covenant marriage. DTEND:20030112T110000 DTSTAMP:20030112T113042 DTSTART:20030112T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Celebrating Marriage and the Family UID:55 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/celebrating-marriage-and-the-family END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld continued our series on the book of Acts by spea king on several topics drawn from chapter 3: beggars\, being healed by fa ith\, and conversion. The energetic early church was attracting attention and converts. What do we do when we encounter beggars downtown? Instead of avoiding eye contact\, Peter insisted on it\, and on a conversation wi th the crippled beggar. Instead of offering money\, he offered healing (w ith faith being credited as the agent making it possible). Formerly inade quate and never used feet and ankles "became strong" and useful. This sce ne gathers onlookers\, so Peter gives yet another talk\, explaining Jesus ' death and resurrection (something which caused the apostles no end of h assles with temple authorities). Henry asked how can someone of faith obt ain enough faith in order to be healed\, or is that the wrong question. N ext he commented on conversions in the early church. They involved adults (not children)\, were sometimes of the spectacular variety (but not alwa ys because some children were raised in the church like Timothy). Henry s uggested that we need to avoid encouraging the ideal of specific formulas for becoming converted because God is far more creative than are we. Con version can come as a result of a conversation with a friend\, or time of healing\, or from a crisis\, and the list really does continue. Finally\ , Henry recalled the phrase\, "Lord\, I believe\, help my unbelief." We\, too\, will often have doubts\, for this has been the case from the begin ning of the church. But various levels and struggles with unbelief can in deed be helped. [JEK] DTEND:20030119T110000 DTSTAMP:20030119T113042 DTSTART:20030119T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Peter's miracles and preaching UID:56 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/peters-miracles-and-preaching END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Christina Lui (a resident of The Menno Simons Centre and a gra duate student at Regent College) gave her maiden sermon\, speaking on the theme of transformation as found in the story in Acts 4. In the previous week's story (Acts 3)\, Peter healed the lame beggar at the temple gates \, causing a sensation which rippled right into the temple itself. Conseq uently\, in Acts 4\, Peter and John were brought before the authorities\, in part because Peter was preaching the resurrection\, something the Sad ducees did not believe was possible. In his defense\, Peter brazenly accu sed the council of orchestrating Jesus's crucifixion\, and then told them they were utterly wrong about Jesus because none other than God had just raised Jesus from the dead. Although threatened by the authorities\, who were fully capable of engineering imprisonment and worse\, Peter shrugge d off the threats and continuing his arguing. Christina noted the role of transformation in this story. Through the power of God's Spirit\, two un certain and definitely unschooled fishermen were transformed into reckles sly bold and persuasive debaters of theology. God's Spirit transformed a lame beggar into a healthy man\, from a beggar to be avoided into someone whose sudden state of wholeness confounded even the Sadducees and became the hottest topic of conversation and speculation. Are we open to being transformed? Are we open to being witnesses? One member commented that we are all called to testify to our faith\, and\, if absolutely necessary\, to use words. [JEK] DTEND:20030126T110000 DTSTAMP:20030126T113042 DTSTART:20030126T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Preach to the Council\, then worship in jail UID:57 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/preach-to-the-council-then-worship-in-jail END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sue Dudoward spoke on Acts 4:32-5:15. She began by retelling t he story as though Ananias' and Sapphira's deaths were being reported in the Globe and Mail\, highlighting the mysterious nature of the deaths and the puzzling continuing role of Peter as church leader. There is obvious ly more going on than the author (Luke) had time to reveal. Earlier in th e story\, Peter had healed the lame man and credited the Holy Spirit for the miracle. But now\, when both Ananias and Sapphira lie about their act ions and then drop dead\, Peter again credits the Holy Spirit. Suddenly p eople were afraid to be associated with these new Christians and this unp redictable power of the Holy Spirit. Sue then reflected on what the role of the Holy Spirit has been in her life. She told of receiving "little nu dges" from the Holy Spirit (as she now sees things). When she initially i gnored those nudges\, was she lying to the Spirit? Do we reveal everythin g to God's Spirit\, or do we ever assume we can hide information\, though ts\, and actions from God? Do we think there are aspects of our lives tha t are not God's business? [JEK] DTEND:20030202T110000 DTSTAMP:20030202T113042 DTSTART:20030202T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Some believers share possessions\, some don't UID:58 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/some-believers-share-possessions-some-dont END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Klippenstein spoke on "Signs and Wonders" (Acts 5:12-6:7 ). The book thus far tells of healing and other miracles which resulted i n an explosion of growth for the early Christian group. People were accou ntable to each other\; "all" were healed. Henry then asked what we think today about signs and wonders\, telling of a time he was on medication an d was simultaneously supported by prayer: Healing took place\, but why? M ike Harcourt commented on his journey back to health\, "God sometimes dis guises himself in coincidences". Today one tends to think Christianity is only a religion for the mind\, therefore we have trouble with signs and wonders. When we are sick\, we emphasize one kind of prayer and accept on e answer--healing\, yet the sick need more than physical healing. Fearing that it is possible for signs to become addictive\, or that we are seeki ng to control God's power\, we tend to disbelieve signs around us which p eople from other cultures would embrace as gifts from God. Henry conclude d by noting we have many in our congregation who are active in the variou s healing professions. How do we help them? [JEK] DTEND:20030209T110000 DTSTAMP:20030209T113042 DTSTART:20030209T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Believers heal\, are persecuted\, elect deacons UID:61 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/believers-heal-are-persecuted-elect-deacons END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Steve Thiessen spoke about the Apostle Stephen from Acts 6:8-7 :60. DTEND:20030216T110000 DTSTAMP:20030216T113042 DTSTART:20030216T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Stephen UID:59 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/stephen-20030216 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera led our thinking by introducing us to poetry by t he metaphysical writer\, George Herbert (1593-1633). The selected poems w ere carefully printed for us\, allowing for better understanding and futu re reflection. In his book The Temple\, Herbert wrote that the country pa rson should know about farming so that he can use illustrations from agri culture\, leading people from that which they know to that which they do not yet understand. This is what his poetry seems to do even today. His p oems use imagery from daily life\, yet being steeped in biblical imagery\ , the verses help us see scripture's ideas in new ways. Some poems were ' shaped' on the page (like an hour glass or like an altar). Others worked  powerfully with word choice and colour. Rosie provided a number of musica l settings for these poems\, and after Doug Medley introduced the childre n to George Herbert\, Michael sang the first verse of Come\, my way\, my truth\, my life beautifully and exquisitely tuned. [JEK] DTEND:20030223T110000 DTSTAMP:20030223T113042 DTSTART:20030223T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Soul Food: The Metaphysical Poetry of George Herbert UID:60 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/soul-food-the-metaphysical-poetry-of-george- herbert END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Victoria Hobson spoke briefly about concerns in Rwanda and Bur undi\, noting that before Christians there ask for money for their very r eal needs\, they ask for our prayers. She told of an impoverished pastor overseeing 11 congregations with women's groups. During coffee hour\, the Hobsons were able to say more to a small group of interested people. Geo rge Hobson spoke on the "Conversion of Saul" (Acts 9). This event was so important to the early church that Luke told the story three times in Act s (chapters 9\, 22\, 26). This was a pivotal story\, possibly one of the more important events in world history. Converting was not Saul's first c hoice. Instead\, Luke depicts God breaking into history. This goes agains t our modern concept of self-determination. In fact\, some discount the a ccount of light\, blindness and words in the story because of an unwillin gness to have the spiritual break into the physical world. In Acts 7\, St ephen was stoned after giving a powerful sermon. George suggested that St ephen's sermon and testimony before death helped to prepare Saul for his conversion. Saul did not see God\, but saw the reflection of Jesus in Ste phen's face. During his three days of blindness\, what thoughts went thro ugh Saul's mind? Was he dying 'through Christ' and being reborn in the Sp irit? Saul obeyed the voice\, he "chose to be chosen"\, he went to Damasc us and thought about making a complete change in his orientation towards Judiasm\, his refined understanding of the Law\, his status\, his public stance on religion. God calls each of us in words suited to our situation s. Our problem\, argues George\, is not that of discerning God's voice\, but rather that of being quiet and listening to it. [JEK] DTEND:20030302T110000 DTSTAMP:20030302T113042 DTSTART:20030302T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Concerns in Rwanda and Burundi UID:62 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/concerns-in-rwanda-and-burundi END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider led us through a liturgical service for prayer an d song celebrating the advent of the Easter Season. The contemplative moo d of the service was well reflected in the children’s story as told by Di ane Schartner. DTEND:20030309T110000 DTSTAMP:20030309T113042 DTSTART:20030309T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Lent I UID:63 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/lent-i-20030309 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Mark Greenstreet introduced us to the Gospel of John and then spoke on various themes from John 14. Philip asked (verse 8) Jesus to "sh ow us the Father"\, because Philip had not made the connection between Je sus and God in the way Christians would by the end of the first century. The writer of John gives us what Mark called "a series of icons" to expla in or 'show' us Jesus. Some of these are metaphors such as "I am . . . th e good shepherd/the vine/the light". When the gospel writers tried to put into words "God incarnate"\, they often ended up looking at Christ's lif e in action\, showing how his words and actions went hand-in-hand. Mark s tressed that the writer of John represented the thinking of a community o f believers at\nthe end of the first century\, that these people brought their intellectual gifts to the task (as do we). They also\, as a communi ty\, felt bound by one commandment: "Love one another as I have loved you ." This community then tried to live out Christ's ideals\, using the sayi ngs and stories they collected about Jesus to guide their lives. [JEK] DTEND:20030316T110000 DTSTAMP:20030316T113042 DTSTART:20030316T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jesus is the way to God UID:64 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-is-the-way-to-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Veronica Dyck spoke on the first of the "farewell discourses". Her assigned text was John 15\, which focuses on the pain of separation (Jesus predicting he will die and no longer be with his students)\, that society will reject both Jesus and his friends\, but that God's Spirit wi ll both lead and comfort them. In the chapter's beginning\, we have the l ast of the "I am" illustrations attributed to Jesus: I am the vine\, you are the branches. In this metaphor\, God is portrayed as the gardener who will prune the branches so they will bear better fruit. The metaphor con cludes with Jesus promising that whatever we pray for will be granted (bu t only if we pray wisely\, as Jesus would have prayed\, and not make self ish and even foolish requests). Verses 18-25 remind us that the cost of d iscipleship is high if we are active members of a witnessing community. S in is then defined as someone not believing in Jesus\, not "abiding in hi m"\, not being part of a fruitful vine. Veronica reminded us that being p roductive is not the same as being fruitful. Our value as individuals doe s not depend upon our productivity but on how we relate to others through love\, kindness\, peace\, gentleness. [JEK] DTEND:20030323T110000 DTSTAMP:20030323T113043 DTSTART:20030323T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jesus the True Vine UID:65 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-the-true-vine END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rebecca Sack returned to give possibly her final talk to us be fore she graduates from Regent College. She spoke on John 16\, the contin uation of the so-called 'farewell discourses'. Jesus told his followers\, "I tell you truly\, you will weep and mourn [after I am killed]\, but th e world will rejoice" But then Jesus added that we will later rejoice\, a nd no one will be able to take that joy away from us. (The next day he wa s killed.) John's gospel emphasizes that we only know people\, and God\, if we are in relationships with them. To this end\, we can relate to God' s Spirit. This same Spirit also "convicts us of sin" (through our conscie nces). Rebecca noted that faith in wealth leads to greed\, faith in milit ary might leads to war. She then spoke about her inner struggles of faith resulting from America's invasion of Iraq. Ultimately\, she finds she ne eds to remind herself that there is judgement\, but that judgement is not her responsibility\, it is God's. "Judgement is Christ hanging on the cr oss for Hussein\, for Bush\, for the coalition forces\, for the drug lord s in Columbia\, for our economic injustices\, for each of us." The greate st sin we can commit is to imagine that evil is only outside ourselves an d in others." How can we deal with the contradictions we now face? Rebecc a reminded us that God's Spirit will help us\, if we let it do so. As Jes us said\, "I have told you these things so that you may have peace . . . take heart . . . I have overcome the world." [JEK] DTEND:20030330T110000 DTSTAMP:20030330T113043 DTSTART:20030330T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The work of the Spirit\, Christ's Peace UID:66 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-work-of-the-spirit-christs-peace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Don Teichroeb spoke on John chapter 17\, the longest prayer at tributed to Jesus. Don showed how the prayer is divided into different se ctions. The first focuses on the glorification of God and also of Jesus\, now that "the hour has come" and his mission was nearly complete. Jesus gave thanks for his friends/followers and for those who would eventually join the movement. Don noted that not all prayers are answered as we migh t wish\, and that Jesus was not able to avoid the cross 24 hours later. T he second section of the prayer reveals the relation of God and Jesus\, a nd also how his followers fit into the picture ('they were yours\, you ga ve them to me\, and now they are ours'). Even though the understanding of the\nfollowers was hopelessly incomplete\, and at times even wrong\, God considered the followers to be within the faith. In the third section\, Jesus asked that the disciples be protected by God from 'evil' spiritual forces\, but not from physical harm (in fact\, many suffered martyrdom). Finally\, Jesus prayed for all believers\, asking that they will be 'one' \, even as he and God sought to be one. His argument in favour of this on eness is that it would prove to the world that this faith actually works and is from God. Throughout his talk\, Don interspersed read prayers whic h helped us worship while listening to his reflections on this prayer. [J EK] DTEND:20030406T110000 DTSTAMP:20030406T113043 DTSTART:20030406T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jesus prays for his students UID:67 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-prays-for-his-students END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert retold the story from John 18 in modern TV detec tive terms (JC and the boys\, set in B.C.)\, making the point that JC's " kingdom" was not geographically based. He then turned to various writings by Martin Luther discussing temporal authority\, the roles of laws and l aw keepers in society\, and Romans 13. Luther concluded that if a society were truly Christian\, all of us would be subject to each other\, but th is never seems to happen. Luther admitted that when law and society truly break down\, soldier may be needed\, and this brought Kevin closer to to day's war in Iraq. Luther argued that simply changing government will not necessarily work because you may get some other government that is just as bad. He also advised that it is wrong to do things which will punish p eople generally when you are simply trying to punish an evil ruler. Kevin then examined the Just War Theory\, and by reviewing the principles outl ined in the 13th c.\, I realized that the present war was neither classif iable as a 'just war' (according to the church principles) nor being carr ied out in a 'just' manner (do not plunge the country into chaos just to get the king's head\, do not be impatient and claim you are the one who d ecides who should act and when\, etc.) Luther pointed out that if all 'ju st' people punished those who do wrong\, then students would strike teach ers\, children their parents\, etc. Kevin then brought us back to John 18 \, concluding that rather than seeking to be\nthe superior of others\, we should seek to be their servants. That is what the 'kingdom' was all abo ut. [JEK] DTEND:20030413T110000 DTSTAMP:20030413T113043 DTSTART:20030413T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Living in God's Will as Governments\, Mobs and Individuals UID:68 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/living-in-gods-will-as-governments-mobs-and- individuals END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:An evening service was held for Maundy Thursday. DTEND:20030417T110000 DTSTAMP:20030417T200045 DTSTART:20030417T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Maundy Thursday Service (7:30pm) UID:93 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/maundy-thursday-service-730pm-20030417 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our Easter Sunday service led by Karen Keeney took us through the gospel story of Jesus’death and resurrection in three parts told to t he children of the congregation by Mark Greenstreet and Angela Ekkert. Th e accessible language and helpful props reframed our view of the sacrific e of Christ on the Cross. DTEND:20030420T110000 DTSTAMP:20030420T113043 DTSTART:20030420T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter\, Music Sunday UID:69 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-music-sunday-20030420 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jeremy Schmidt spoke on some of the thoughts and writing of le ading Puritans\, including Doddridge (1702-1757). He began by reading alo ud quotations from writing which were designed to bring Christians to a d eeper faith. They were interested in sanctification\, which included an h onest look at one's state\, considering the nature of God\, and then stri ving to become what one is called to be\, possibly by reconstructing one' s personality. (These topics are well-known to readers of St. Paul.) The Puritans explored areas such as emotions\, worrying\, whether one's will and affections are truly focused on God\, etc. Christians today are reluc tant to talk much about the important topic of sanctification. Instead we focus on the life of the Spirit\, on our unique journeys\, self-discover y\, rather than on Godliness through sharing and piety. We are also reluc tant to consider whether we are in fact "wretched"\, as 18th-century writ ers often commented. Perhaps both the Puritans and contemporary believers need/needed to find a balance? [JEK] DTEND:20030427T110000 DTSTAMP:20030427T113043 DTSTART:20030427T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sanctification and the emotions: 17th century perspectives UID:70 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sanctification-and-the-emotions-17th-century -perspectives END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Paul Burns (UBC\, Dept. of Classical\, Near Eastern and Re ligious Studies) spoke on the thinking of Gregory of Nyssa (4th century A .D.) Gregory was the bishop that convinced people to add the phrase to th e Creed which indicates that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father. L iving in the cultural tradition of Alexandria\, he was influenced by the thinking of the secular Graeco-Roman world. Scholars at that time were ex amining the texts of Homer and were keenly embarrassed by the cavorting o f the heroes and deities\, so they started looking for deeper meanings in the texts\, developing allegorical interpretations. Christian writers\, such as Gregory\, started doing the same for passages in the bible which were otherwise seemingly useless (e.g.\, Numbers\, Song of Songs). Thus\, the Exodus is really the journey of the individual today out of slavery of sin to the promised land of heaven\, where one seeks union with the Di vine (Song of Songs). Looking at the story of Sinai in the life of Moses\ , Gregory concluded that encountering God happens beyond light\, similar to being in darkness at the end of day\, when one is at peace with someon e you love\, not saying a word\, just quietly at peace. God (in Exodus) c ame in a cloud and smoke\, so Moses (the believer) met God in the darknes s. Discussion was extended and fascinating\, as was the meal with Paul af terwards. [JEK] DTEND:20030504T110000 DTSTAMP:20030504T113043 DTSTART:20030504T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Church Fathers and their spirituality UID:71 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/church-fathers-and-their-spirituality END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gay Lynn Voth (Columbia Bible College) spoke on "Meeting Jesus (again) for the first time/or in unexpected places". We sometimes fall i nto the trap of thinking there are two kinds of God: the harsh God of the Old Testament and the God revealed through the loving Jesus. We forget t hat Jesus exemplified God in life. Some people claim to be eager to meet Jesus in heaven but haven't a clue how to meet him during life. Gay spoke about how our culture influences our religious thinking more than we rea lize\, that enculturation shapes us as we learn to talk about Jesus in te rms of our culture\, and that through inculturation we bring Jesus into a culture. As we think about religion\, our culture and other views of Jes us\, we can come to meet Jesus in a new way. As we attempt to abandon chu rch lingo in favour of language that can be widely understood by non-chur ched people\, we come to meet Jesus in new ways. Gay noted that Jesus was 'God in flesh and blood' and that our lives may be about all that some p eople get to see of God. Perhaps\, as they watch us live\, they can meet Jesus in new ways. [JEK] DTEND:20030511T110000 DTSTAMP:20030511T113043 DTSTART:20030511T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Encountering Jesus in Unexpected Places UID:72 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/encountering-jesus-in-unexpected-places END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:“You shall become like a well-watered garden...” began Joyce H eron’s message last Sunday. Jesus’ conversation with the woman at the wel l laid her life bare for inspection\, yet it was done in the spirit of tr ansformation\, such that this woman became the first evangelist – “Come s ee...Could this be the Christ?” (Jn 4:29). So too did Pauline Fell’s tran sformation after her husband’s death 27 years ago make her an evangelist in the Downtown Eastside (DTES). Going into bars where people lived their lives\, she held them as friends to make a difference in how they lived their lives. Less than three years ago\, Pauline’s devotions left her wit h a need to leave her “inheritance” of twenty years of relationships in t he DTES to someone\, and so Jacob’s Well was born 2 ½ years ago across fr om the police station at 239 Main. Out of this story of Jesus and the wom an at the well\, Joyce told stories of how she and the fifty volunteers s he oversees are called to be evangelists\, not by seeking to count the nu mber of souls saved\, but by “sitting at the well” with the poor\, needy\ , orphan\, widow\, marginalised\, oppressed... Joyce reflected how needy the area has become - with 92% of residents infected with Hepatitis C\, m ore than 60% with AIDS\, and 18% of BC’s mental health cases\, most with a history of violent abuse\, many taking powerful drugs to numb themselve s\, all housed in this area four blocks in any direction. One measure of the success of Jacob’s Well is in the attitude of government ministries t oward it. Normally\, faith-based organizations not dealing specifically i n food or shelter are ignored by the government - but not Jacob’s well\, which receives active referrals for spiritual help. Joyce still has some of the friends with her that she met on her first day 2½ years ago when s he went out with Pauline and encountered a pair of drug dealers. May the well never run dry. [AP] DTEND:20030518T110000 DTSTAMP:20030518T113043 DTSTART:20030518T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jacob's Well ministry UID:73 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jacobs-well-ministry END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Thiessen spoke on some ideas springing from Proverbs 8\, "Seeking Wisdom". Wisdom has been defined various ways\, such as having k nowledge and forming sensible decisions\, learning from your mistakes\, t aking long-term consequences into consideration before taking action. Alt hough wisdom and knowledge are often coupled\, they are distinct (for exa mple\, knowledge without wisdom can be dangerous\, or evangelists can pre ach against sin and yet succumb to sin themselves). Solomon\, although th ought to be one of the most wise persons of his day\, had a dysfunctional family with umpteen wives and concubines\, created a disastrous taxation system\, forged foolish international treaties\, and left a kingdom pois ed for civil war. During his reign\, he and his court philosophers compil ed several important collections of writings on wisdom showing the pursui t of wisdom to be very personal. Several New Testament writers\, on the o ther hand\, portray wisdom as resulting from a relationship with God/Jesu s. Paul noted that wisdom goes beyond avoiding the seven deadly sins\, th at the wise person cultivates listening and seeks times of solitude for l istening for God (e.g.\, Jesus in the wilderness). Wise people listen to the advice of those who care for them\, and work to achieve a balance bet ween the spiritual\, intellectual and physical in our days\, weeks\, and years. Wisdom is a journey\, not a destination. Wisdom is struggling with God. [JEK] DTEND:20030525T110000 DTSTAMP:20030525T113043 DTSTART:20030525T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Seeking Wisdom UID:74 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/seeking-wisdom END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We celebrated our relationships together at the annual church retreat at Camp Luther. Does anybody have a picture of Henry with purple hair by Emma? No bulletin is available. DTEND:20030601T110000 DTSTAMP:20030601T113043 DTSTART:20030601T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:No Service UID:75 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/no-service-20030601 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Pentecost Sunday\, Lorne Wilkinson (Regent College) spoke o n the closeness of God to believers through the presence of God's Spirit. The feast of Pentecost fell 50 days after Passover and during the 'first fruits harvest' of things such as barley. In other words\, early Christi ans undoubtedly appreciated the dual manifestation of God's spirit during Pentecost through creation and people. Psalm 104\, read in its entirety\ , speaks of God still being active in creation. Modern theology unfortuna tely tends to separate the earth from things spiritual\, even speaking ba dly of the earth (it will pass away\, so why not just use it up). Lorne a rgued that we should stop demoting God's Spirit only to church affairs-th e Spirit is active in all of\ncreation. He then made three observations. First\, the working of the Spirit in nature is not hidden\, nor is it see n only by Christians. Pagans sense something is at work in the environmen t even if they do not understand what it is. Fewer people attend church i n Vancouver than in any other major city\, partly because of an appreciat ion of nature (even without knowledge of God's role in nature). Second\, God's work of the Spirit in creation is suffering degradation from people who are often unaware of the results of their actions. We consequently d o little to challenge the destruction of the Spirit's creation\, of natur e (a word Lorne tends to avoid). Third\, like Adam\, we are still suppose d to be caring for the earth\, keeping it as God keeps us. After all\, we are nourished by God's Spirit\, partly through creation. One of the ways we can keep in step with the Holy Spirit is by caring for nature. [JEK] DTEND:20030608T110000 DTSTAMP:20030608T113043 DTSTART:20030608T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pentecost and Firstfruits UID:76 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pentecost-and-firstfruits END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Richard Stobbe spoke to us on Father’s Day. DTEND:20030615T110000 DTSTAMP:20030615T113044 DTSTART:20030615T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Fathers and Fathers UID:77 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/fathers-and-fathers END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:This was our annual Ecumenical Service in the Park with the ot her five Point Grey congregations. DTEND:20030622T110000 DTSTAMP:20030622T113044 DTSTART:20030622T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship in the Park (Summer 2003) UID:78 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ecumenical-service-in-trimble-park-20030622 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Johannes Stoltz from the Vancouver M.B. Church\, spoke on the general topic of information overload in the age of electronic communicat ion. His basic concern is that we balance the information we receive by e lectronic means ("the horizontal") with the knowledge we receive scriptur ally ("the vertical"). In the discussion which followed the talk\, a numb er of interesting observations were offered about information overload in general. I noted that information overload has been with us since the fo unding of the library in ancient Alexandria. Later destroyed\, this libra ry was the first international repository for all writings\, records\, bo oks and plays written in Greek and then in Latin in the Roman Empire. Inf ormation overload has also been faced by anyone using a major western res earch library. Someone questioned whether\, in deciding what information to access\, we might consider ignoring certain (possibly most) news broad casts\, particularly as they increasingly become vehicles for a governmen t's propaganda. Listening to 'the news' tends to set our agendas\, to gui de us when deciding which questions about society are the most important (e.g.\, the Olympic bid\, the pig farm\, SARS)\, when other questions mig ht in fact be more fundamentally crucial to Christians. It was also sugge sted that even twenty years hence\, people will look back in amusement at our worries about information overload. Unfortunately\, neither discussi on nor the presentation really delved into the question of how faith guid es one when faced with information overload. [JEK] DTEND:20030629T110000 DTSTAMP:20030629T113044 DTSTART:20030629T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Information overload UID:79 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/information-overload END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ken Friesen continued our series on the book of Acts (9:36-10: 8)\, speaking on two stories which have an interesting relationship I had not noticed before. In the first\, Tabitha (Dorcas) is brought back to l ife by Peter\, and in the second\, Peter is summoned to go to see Corneli us. Although these two Gentiles were of different gender\, social status\ , and likely had differing financial resources\, they were both known for being devoted to prayer and to charitable work. In both cases\, the writ er of Acts speaks of their prayers and alms bringing the two individuals God's attention (possibly a literary expression more than a known fact). Ken suggested that Tabitha was possibly valued as much for her friendship s with the widows as for the garments she made and gave to them. She also seems to have been a leader\, at least among the women. Ken concluded by reflecting on charity today\, on charitable organizations (e.g.\, MCC-BC 's budget\, its difficulty in attracting younger people to volunteer)\, o n today's preference of some Christians for multi-faceted church communit ies rather than external charities\, or the preference to save souls and ignore physical/psychological needs. Discussion afterwards was fascinatin g and extended. I have the sense that people attending PGIMF are seriousl y committed to charities\, some with time\, some with other resources (mo ney\, ideas\, prayer)\, and that for some of our friends\, charitable wor k provides a major life focus. [JEK] DTEND:20030706T110000 DTSTAMP:20030706T113044 DTSTART:20030706T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Devotion to charitable work UID:80 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/devotion-to-charitable-work END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Hildebrand encouraged us to think more deeply about sacr ifice\, and why it is so central to what we believe. With constant accomp animent from scripture from Genesis to Hebrews\, Henry took us through th e historical centrality of sacrifice in all religions\, not just Judaism and Christianity\, and introduced the elements of substitutionary sacrifi ce and differentiating it from offering. The parallels between followers of Moloch who were to sacrifice their first-born\, and Abraham’s experien ce with his son Isaac indicate the common root of this ritual\, and it is not until the transformation of Judaism to a monotheistic religion as la te as perhaps the 7th or 8th c. BCE that the shedding of human blood in s acrifice is made purely symbolic. The elements of the ritual continue tod ay\, in our attitudes towards our military - the unification of a nation does not come out of the deaths of its enemy\; rather it comes out of the deaths of its own soldiers in a substitutionary sacrifice\, and here Hen ry emphasizes the parallels of sectarianism with nationalism. The world w as turned upside down again over Christ - the old ways were not effective at restoring relationship to God\, or they would not have had to be done again and again. Yet though the language is the same\, the principle is different\, so that though Heb 9:22 states that “without shedding of bloo d there is no forgiveness” it is tempered with the knowledge that the blo od of One shed for all is now enough for that restoration. Henry’s partin g thought from John 3:16 is “what was the magnitude of the debt that dema nded of God the sacrifice of his only Son?” [AP] DTEND:20030713T110000 DTSTAMP:20030713T113044 DTSTART:20030713T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Why is sacrifice necessary? UID:81 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/why-is-sacrifice-necessary END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Wally Braul spoke on "Creativity and Faith". Though "neither a n artist nor connoisseur of art"\, Wally is intrigued by how some artists view faith and creativity\, engage in creativity without faith\, and the existence of creativity outside conventional art. When meshing creativit y in art with faith\, the artist is struggling with God through internal agonizing\, attempting to be brutally honest in the search. If it is good art\, questions start coming and cannot be evaded. Some art\, however\, has no apparent relation to faith\, but even then\, these works of art ar e reflections of creativity\, and God is viewed as being creative. Unlike with God\, we should not worship the artist\, but rather focus on the ar t. There is also creativity in law\, politics\,\neconomics\, sociology\, farming\, mechanics\, culinary work\, etc.\, and these spheres are more g ive scope for artistic expression in 'the garden of life'. Artistic expre ssion\, after all\, is essential to the church. [JEK] DTEND:20030720T110000 DTSTAMP:20030720T113044 DTSTART:20030720T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Creativity and Faith UID:82 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/creativity-and-faith END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Charles Paris\, former Roman Catholic priest\, spoke on "T he Sacrament of Reconciliation". This is a far more positive approach to the cycle of sin-repentence-forgiveness than was the pre-Vatican II lay u nderstanding of the necessity of listing small and large sins weekly when within the confessional. For Catholics\, the sacraments are the visible signs of faith for milestones in life (baptism\, marriage\, etc.) The Sac rament of Reconciliation deals with grievous sins\, and with reconciling the individual with God and church (for minor sins\, prayer and repentanc e suffice). Charles noted that in former days\, confession often scrubbed the soul clean\, yet guilt remained. Now the eucharist nurtures the soul \, for the emphasis is on the\nmercy of Christ. During discussion\, which ranged widely\, it was noted that evangelicals seldom confess sin throug h communal prayer\, and even less frequently follow prayers of confession with the passing of the peace\, which would symbolically indicate that t he community accepts us\, knowing we are imperfect and will sin again. [J EK] DTEND:20030727T110000 DTSTAMP:20030727T113044 DTSTART:20030727T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The sacrament of reconciliation UID:83 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-sacrament-of-reconciliation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ray Bystrom spoke on "Why Parables?" DTEND:20030803T110000 DTSTAMP:20030803T113044 DTSTART:20030803T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Why Parables? UID:84 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/why-parables END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Sportak spoke at PGIMF. DTEND:20030810T110000 DTSTAMP:20030810T113044 DTSTART:20030810T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Words from Laura Sportak UID:85 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/words-from-laura-sportak END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider addressed the problem of non-Jewish Christians in the early church – are they required to obey all the Jewish laws\, for i nstance regarding circumcision\, cleanliness and uncleanness? (Acts 10 & 11) Evan noted that the clean/unclean theme runs through the Old Testamen t. Peter’s revelation from God in the vision and his subsequent experienc e with Cornelius result in Peter being accused of eating with an uncircum cised man and defiling himself. Peter was open to expanding the horizons of the new church\; others were not. The major Council at Jerusalem is ch aracterized by a lot of dissension and debate\, resulting in a church spl it. Evan wondered if we can expect unity of thought in the church today o n an issue such as sexuality if Paul\, Barnabas\, Peter and the Jews coul d not achieve unity on their issues. The key seems to be God's revelation – does it still happen and how? We are challenged to rethink the essence of our faith\, as was Peter. In the response time it was pointed out tha t God's revelation continues to this day: the Genesis God is not a loving father\; that emerges later. (HN) DTEND:20030817T110000 DTSTAMP:20030817T113044 DTSTART:20030817T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Following the Rules UID:86 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/following-the-rules END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on Mark 7:1-8\, returning to the previous week’s talk on rules. When introducing the topic\, Henry told of people w ho use scripture to prove that certain disciplinary actions ought to be t aken when people break rules. Henry then asked\, Just how do we use scrip ture? The Pharisees generally received ‘bad press’ in the New Testament. Henry\, however\, described them as part of a reformed movement whose tea chings were sound. Pharisees were serious about their faith\, they were l aity who meditated on the Law and tried to find ways to apply it to their living. In key respects\, they were similar to evangelicals of our time. Jesus\, however\, often had disagreements with this group of devout lait y\, particularly as the movement of the Pharisees aged and as the small g roup of their more radical members became rule-bound rather than a vibran t revival movement. Jesus essentially asked those radicals to return to t heir roots\, to re-examine why they had rules and not just follow them sl avishly. Henry then reminded us that\, like some Pharisees\, people today want clear answers\, and even rules. But if we focus on rules\, we will become an angry and misguided people. The bible is not a rule book—it is rather a window on God\, who does not coerce us but sets us free. (JEK)\n \nNo bulletin is available. DTEND:20030824T110000 DTSTAMP:20030824T113044 DTSTART:20030824T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jesus\, Pharisees and Rules UID:87 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-pharisees-and-rules END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:This was the 17th anniversary of PGIMF. Using Acts 12\, Evan K reider described a series of improbable stories found in that chapter. He rod arranged the killing of James\, the brother of John\, which pleased t he Jewish leaders\, so Herod threw Peter into prison. Peter was sprung fr om prison by an angel. Later Herod is struck dead for refusing to give pr aise to God. Evan extracted some principles from this text: death comes t o some people unexpectedly and there isn’t always time to prepare for it\ ; life does not always seem fair (why was James allowed to die?)\; despit e the problems\, the early church flourished\; and miracles still happen Peter was released from prison. Evan noted that before PGIMF and MSC were established\, people had prayed for years for a student centre. PGIMF fu nctions differently than many churches. We need to keep our story fresh s o that when other groups of Christians find new ways to worship we should welcome that. Sometimes we don’t recognize miracles\; we need to be open to miracles and not be concerned about explaining them. Thank you to tho se who had the vision\, commitment and determination to establish MSC and PGIMF\; a miraculous event. (HN) DTEND:20030831T110000 DTSTAMP:20030831T113045 DTSTART:20030831T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Great Escape UID:88 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-great-escape END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Mark Greenstreet introduced the Sunday School and school year by asking us to reflect on what we believe. He encouraged students not to neglect their faith\, now that they have left home\, and also suggested that they attend a number of congregations. He then spoke primarily on th e Apostles’ Creed. This creed (No. 712 in the hymnal) devotes about 12 wo rds to God the Father and 6 times as many to Jesus\, establishing his par entage\, humanity\, death\, resurrection and ascension. The creed then pr esents a list of things concerning the Holy Spirit\, including the holy c atholic church which it directs\, and the communion of saints. Mark noted that although the creed does get hung up on dualism (the big topic when the Creed was written)\, neither does it deny the presence of evil (Chris t suffered\, and it acknowledges the forgiveness of sins). We have freedo m of choice. We can slip into dualism when we get hung up on morality iss ues\, but that is not our main focus\, which is loving God and neighbor. We then reread the Creed\, hearing it in new ways. [JEK] DTEND:20030907T110000 DTSTAMP:20030907T113045 DTSTART:20030907T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christian Essentials UID:89 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christian-essentials END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jim Neudorf (one of the founders of PGIMF and the son of Peter & Helga) came to us from Squamish to speak on Genesis 12:1-3\, the story of God blessing Abraham. God's specific blessings have been recorded to a number of people\, including Moses\, Noah\, etc. The blessing was often coupled with a curse: If you honour God\, you will be greatly blessed\, but if you reject God's ways\, you will be cursed. The blessing Abraham r eceived was to be shared with all the world\, and it came not only from G od but from those who were with him and observed his Godly ways. If we re ceive a blessing\, it is not ours exclusively but is rather something to be shared. Luke 6:28 takes this one giant step farther--bless those who c urse you (combining the blessing and the curse\, setting them in oppositi on in a Christ-like way). Jim suggested that we do not receive the blessi ngs we could because of our lack of discipline\, our small sins and wound s. For example\, fasting (hardly a top item in PGIMF) can lead to very re al blessings. At the conclusion to the message\, Jim and Grace invited us to come forward to receive a blessing in the form of a prayer\, and many accepted the gift. [JEK]\n\nNo bulletin is available. DTEND:20030914T110000 DTSTAMP:20030914T113045 DTSTART:20030914T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Blessings UID:90 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/blessings END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Steve Thiessen spoke on “Becoming Human\,” using some ideas fr om Jean Vanier. We cannot grow spiritually if we do not address our human ity\, and we cannot be truly human if we do not learn to love. Steve then listed seven things that love means. Love means that we need to reveal o ur love (e.g.\, parents should reveal to their child that they love the c hild\, that the child is worthy of love). Love means that we try to under stand people (e.g.\, a child may act out or engage in self abuse\, either of which can be a form of communication that we need to try to understan d). To love means to communicate (e.g.\, when I\, as parent\, make a mist ake\, I need to name what happened\, or another example is that we need t o utter the words\, "I love you" to spouse\, children\, best friends). Lo ve means celebrating people\, which in turn honors them and builds them u p. Love means to empower\, to help someone grow to maturity\, to become w hat they have the inner talents to achieve. Love means to be in communion with another\, giving and receiving. Finally\, to love means that we nee d to forgive\, even if deeply wounded. This may require unconditional lov e. Steve challenged us to accept the call to be fully human\, and to be l ike our God of love (1 John 4:7)\, to move from judging people to loving them unconditionally. [JEK] DTEND:20030921T110000 DTSTAMP:20030921T113045 DTSTART:20030921T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Becoming Human UID:91 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/becoming-human END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We heard from Dr. James Olthuis\, who spoke on the passage in Ephesians 4:26-7\, "If you are angry\, do no sin". With much struggle\, h e endeavoured to emphasize the benefits of anger in this message\, implyi ng it is healthy for us to be angry\, as long as we act immediately and a ppropriately on it\, and do not allow it to fester into hate (“frozen ang er”). This message emphasized much that is current in philosophy and psyc hology today in the context of ‘working through one’s anger to effect cha nge’ but James did not resort to biblical scholarship to justify this pos ition\, and it is difficult to think of passages in the New Testament tha t could be called on to bolster this position. Jim’s position at the Inst itute of Christian Studies\ndoes exactly this kind of work\, attempting t o link modern scholarship with biblical worldviews. This message was a st renuous attempt to make Scripture relevant to post-modern worshippers\, a nd perhaps one that went over my head even while it spoke to my heart. [A P] DTEND:20030928T110000 DTSTAMP:20030928T113045 DTSTART:20030928T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Be Angry and Sin Not UID:92 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/be-angry-and-sin-not END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Erna Friesen spoke on "Gratitude\, the Heart of the Gospels an d the Heart of Well-being". (Actually\, Erna was suffering loss of voice\ , so she introduced and concluded her talk\, and John read from her text. ) We tend to give thanks to God on certain occasions\, but all too infreq uently. G.K. Chesteron wrote\, "You say grace before meals. All right. Bu t I say grace before the concert and the opera\, and grace before the pla y and pantomime\, and grace before I open a book\, and grace before sketc hing\, painting and swimming . . . ." Erna reminded us that Paul's letter s always began and concluded with sincere words of gratitude for his read ers\, even if he felt he needed to challenge them to change their ways. E rna asked\, if God is so awesome\, so great\, why does God need our grati tude? She concluded that it is rather we how need the experience of being grateful\, that our lives are so much better if we are actually truly gr ateful to people for specific things. Our prayers are so often intercesso ry\, but the Psalms and the Lord's Prayer remind us powerfully that we sh ould also be filled with gratitude-and express it regularly. Few people h ave the gift of gratefulness. Luke 18 tells of the 10 lepers healed by Je sus\, and only one (a non-Jew) bothered to return to Jesus to thank him. Perhaps we receive so much from God that we end up taking God's blessings for granted and then neglect to be thankful. [JEK] DTEND:20031005T110000 DTSTAMP:20031005T113045 DTSTART:20031005T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thankfulness and Gratitude UID:94 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thankfulness-and-gratitude END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We enjoyed a Thanksgiving liturgical service presented by Paul Thiessen and Jeremy Schmidt. DTEND:20031012T110000 DTSTAMP:20031012T113045 DTSTART:20031012T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgical Service UID:95 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/liturgical-service-20031012 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:David Ortis contrasted the absolute 'power' of a king with the story of Jesus asking us to be like powerless children. David began with 2Sam 1 in which King David\, upon learning that King Saul had been kille d by a soldier\, commanded that this messenger/soldier be killed (he poss ibly expected a large reward for having killed David's sworn enemy). This is a story about absolute power\, about using force to achieve a goal\, about a man usurping God's authority over life and death. (Ultimately\, K ing David\, Israel's most powerful ruler\, was not allowed to build the t emple because he had shed too much blood-used power excessively and incor rectly.) David Ortis then took us to Mark 10\, in which Jesus was embroil ed in a fierce debate about divorce (how much power does a husband have o ver his wife\, including the being the sole authority to have the power t o break the marriage and its economic agreement). During this crucial and timely theological discussion\, children suddenly ran in and interrupted everything. The adults wanted to assert their power\, their authority an d return everything to an adult's world\, but Jesus seized the opportunit y to use children as a counterpoint to the male-powered debate on divorce and declared that unless you become like a little child (powerless and t rusting)\, you cannot join the Kingdom-that unless the men debating divor ce were willing to give up their traditional power in marriage\, they wou ld not discover a good answer to the divorce question. David challenged u s to reflect on power in our lives (jobs\, financial security\, middle cl ass)\, on how we use power\, on what we would be like if power were sudde nly taken away from us. It is not easy to climb down the hierarchy of pow er (e.g.\, be jobless at age 50 or suddenly have no option but to work fo r $10/hr). He ended by creating a sword from two sticks\, noting that the re is no such thing as a peaceful sword\, but that its power comes from h is arm. Then he inverted the sword to make a cross\, noting that the powe r of the cross comes from elsewhere\, not from us. [JEK] DTEND:20031019T110000 DTSTAMP:20031019T113045 DTSTART:20031019T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Power and Powerlessness UID:96 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/power-and-powerlessness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke on "Prayers for Forgiveness". DTEND:20031026T110000 DTSTAMP:20031026T113045 DTSTART:20031026T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Prayers for Forgiveness UID:97 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/prayers-for-forgiveness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Elsie Wiebe (MCC-BC) reminded us that although the bible is a book of "good news"\, it is also a collection of stories of scoundrels wh o made enormous human mistakes in their dealings with others. If the bibl e had spoken only of good things\, it would have contributed to the cloak of silence which so often surrounds domestic violence\, incest\, and abu se of all kinds. Instead\, the bible's open honesty encourages us to brin g our problems to our redemptive God (and not just our little victories). The Book of Susanna (or Daniel 13) was used as an example of a sordid st ory of shame\, false witness by religious elders\, and of the young Danie l being led by God to uncover the real story. We\, like Daniel\, have als o been called by God to speak out against abuse\, incest and silence\, fo r Evangelical Christians experience these severe problems no less than do es society at large. MCC and Women's Concerns are working to change this situation\, producing resources\, websites\, and giving guidance to churc h leaders on how to deal with these unsavory aspects of church life. If c ongregations can provide safe places in which we can share our stories\, this may be some of the best 'good news' some people have yet heard. [JEK ] DTEND:20031102T110000 DTSTAMP:20031102T113045 DTSTART:20031102T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Breaking the Silence UID:98 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/breaking-the-silence END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We worshipped together for Peace Sunday\, featuring a liturgic al service composed by Veronica Dyck\, and featuring excerpts from Wendel l Berry’s essay “The Failure of War”. DTEND:20031109T110000 DTSTAMP:20031109T113046 DTSTART:20031109T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgical Service UID:99 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/liturgical-service-20031109 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ruth Enns had the members of the Intermediate Sunday School cl ass introduce themselves by name and age. Michael (age 12) then read Luke 's story of Jesus (age 12) going to the temple to mark his coming of age. In many faiths\, children entry into the teens is marked by some rite of passage such as baptism or confirmation\, but we tend to ignore such thi ngs. Ruth then reflected on growing up within the church\, from attending as a very young child (no choice)\, or as a teenager (still no choice)\, as a university student (go where the music is the best) and now (by cho ice). Whether we realize it or not\, we need reasons to take the time to attend church\, and those reasons will vary as we get older. For children \, Sunday School is fun\, the Children's Stories give them a good feeling about the little chapel\, cookie time is a BIG hit\, hallways and a nice yard for expending excess energy\, and pot lucks--well\, just how good c an church get! Without developing friends at church\, or participating in some of the social events\, it is easy to see why some adults have less interest in taking the time to meet weekly to worship. Even the most fait hful among us likely do not come only to worship. Mark Northey then had t he children create a body by attaching arms\, legs\, etc.\, reminding us of the passage Laura read from Ephesians saying that we are all members o f one body\, even the children. [JEK] DTEND:20031116T110000 DTSTAMP:20031116T113046 DTSTART:20031116T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Members of one body UID:100 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/members-of-one-body END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider led us in a series of thoughts\, meditations a nd prayers on the people who have passed from our lives this year past fo r our celebration of Eternity Sunday. Death is a subject too often seen a s too morbid for consideration\, or falsely glossed over with the phrase “they are in a better place”\, or worst of all\, remembered only in our s elf-penned “obituaries written as dull as the books we write”. But Evan d emonstrated to us the imagery that poets and theologians have gifted us w ith over the centuries to show how “we are fearfully and wonderfully made \,” and as we uttered the remembrance of a name\, a bell is rung signifyi ng the race is won. Perhaps the scoundrel privateer Sir Walter Raleigh sa id it best when he wrote on his dark night of the soul before beheading: “Even such is Time\, which takes in trust our youth\, our joys\, and all we have\, and pays us but with age and dust\, who in the dark and silent grave\, when we have wandered all our ways\, shuts up the story of our da ys: and from which earth\, and grave\, and dust\, The Lord shall raise me up\, I trust.” DTEND:20031123T110000 DTSTAMP:20031123T113046 DTSTART:20031123T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Race is Won UID:101 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-race-is-won END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dan Nighswander (Executive Director of the Conference of Menno nites in Canada\, about 250 congregations) introduced the First Sunday of Advent by encouraging us to try being less impatient\, less hurried\, to delay singing Christmas carols until Christmas Day. The argument made by some is that Jesus obviously has already been born\, so why wait\, why p retend? Dan suggests that the very act of waiting may be good for us. Aft er all\, we are supposedly waiting for the Second Coming. Some preachers make a livelihood by attempting to interpret the 'signs of the times'\, m uch as in Christ's time\, but Jesus essentially said that we should not ' read tea leaves'\, we should just look at ordinary tree leaves. They grow \, get old\, and eventually fall to the ground. Even so\, the Second Comi ng is that inevitable. The signs? Wars\, environmental anxieties\, terror ism\, refugees fleeing\, genocide\, fear of diseases\, fear of failure\, depression. Jesus says\, "Stand up\, raise your heads\, for redemption is near." We believe that God is about to enter this world and take care of these things. Meanwhile\, we await The Coming (Advent)\, watchfully prep aring . . . . or do we mainly go shopping? [JEK] DTEND:20031130T110000 DTSTAMP:20031130T113046 DTSTART:20031130T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Watch! Wait! UID:102 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/watch-wait END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Vange Thiessen led us through four themes for Advent. The firs t was “waiting for Christmas.” Waiting is common in our lives - we don’t like to do it\, but we have to nonetheless. We have experience waiting in many forms - waiting for a job\, a marriage\, the death of a loved one. God calls us to wait as Mary did\, in the company of others. The second t heme is we are afraid. We are afraid to wait patiently\, as it often lead s to change. Kathleen Norris on the mystery of the message of the Annunci ation\, reflects on Mary’s example of the fear in the time of waiting for Jesus to be born. God calls us to open our heart\, and wait. Third\, peo ple who are able to wait and watch\, have hope. Active waiting\, as Mary and Joseph did\, directs us inward to our inner life\, and to communion w ith God. The fourth theme gives hope - the outcome of waiting is peace. M ay we discover the God of waiting is also the God of peace. DTEND:20031207T110000 DTSTAMP:20031207T113046 DTSTART:20031207T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Four themes for Advent UID:103 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/four-themes-for-advent END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Kliewer (Conference Pastor for the Mennonite Church in B C and former pastor of Sherbrooke) spoke on the Advent theme\, "Until he comes". 2 Peter 3 was written to early Christians who had accepted Christ 's first coming and were now truly expecting his return within months. Bu t the obvious delay encouraged non-believers to scoff\, making Christians feel increasingly foolish. Peter articulated a change of thinking. He ma intained that Christ is (still) coming\, but meanwhile\, here is how we s hould live. Good living\, as believers\, remains important even if Christ 's return is being delayed. Peter pointed out that to God\, a day is like a 1\,000 years (if anyone is counting)\, that scoffers in the past lived to regret it (friends of Noah). Peter did not try to terrorize his belie ving friends\, but encouraged them to try to live in the expectation of a new heaven and new earth. Also\, the Lord's delay is possibly an enormou s advantage if a loved one is not yet ready for the return of Christ. [JE K] DTEND:20031214T110000 DTSTAMP:20031214T113046 DTSTART:20031214T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Until He Comes UID:104 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/until-he-comes END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The congregation participated in our annual singing of selecti ons of Handel’s Messiah\, with Eric Hannan and soloists leading the congr egation. All praise to those sopranos who managed to give us all the high notes. DTEND:20031221T110000 DTSTAMP:20031221T113046 DTSTART:20031221T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Singing The Messiah UID:105 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/singing-the-messiah-20031221 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on the theme of contentment\, frequently r eturning to a proverb: "One must bloom where one is planted." In 2 Cor. 1 1:16-\, Paul “boasts”\, apparently in ridicule of other evangelists of hi s day\, of his sufferings\, and the list is awesome. But in the next chap ter\, Paul notes that he takes his limitations in stride. In other words\ , he was learning to be content\, whether at home\, on the road\, or in c hains. Modern society is obsesses with getting excellent results (school\ , work\, children\, grandchildren\, finances)\, but Paul advises that we instead learn to manage\, to get along. In the Bible\, the topic of conte ntment arises most often in the context of materialism and ego. Paul foll ows this tradition\, not advocating a quiet passive life\, but rather a l ife of hard work for causes and for other people. Henry concluded by noti ng that contentment may mean accepting that which we cannot change\, and quoted from one writer who felt that contentment can best be derived from  four things: being satisfied that physical needs are being met\, enjoyin g the beauty of art and math\, enjoying intellectual pursuits\, and most importantly\, union with God. [JEK] DTEND:20031228T110000 DTSTAMP:20031228T113046 DTSTART:20031228T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Contentment UID:106 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/contentment END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We celebrated the joining of four members to the church. Henry Neufeld’s message of welcome focussed on the church members as part of t he body of Christ\, and how the parts of the body work to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. He contrasted a popular image of our f aith life as a clear mountain stream at its source becoming less clean as it wends its way to the sea\, with the historical truth that the church  never was pure - that’s why the epistles were written. The key message wa s that God is come in flesh\, God is love to us\, and that the church is our expression of his love in the world\, so much so that perhaps love sh ould be the basis for church membership. [AP] DTEND:20040104T110000 DTSTAMP:20040104T113046 DTSTART:20040104T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Membership Sunday UID:107 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/membership-sunday-20040104 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider offered his reflections on epiphany\, the story o f the coming of the three astronomers? scholars mentioned only in Matthew . Historically\, Herod the Great\, son of Herod Anitpater\, was best know n for stamping out brigandage\, stamping out a three-year rebellion of Je ws against Rome\, and had received the title “King of the Jews” in return . Thus it\nwas no accident that the Christ child\, called also “King of t he Jews” came to Herod’s attention. But it is Matthew who links the King of the Jews to the Messiah for the first time\, using different prophetic verses from 2Samuel and Isaiah. The story of the Star of Bethlehem is no t included for its scientific wonder or accuracy\, but as a clue to a dee per meaning. Dreams play a similar role in Matthew’s account to point us to look deeper for meaning in the birth of this child. Our work\, our wor ship\, our entertainment and our laws are all rooted in this story. St. P aul may have provided the practice\, but without the message of the Epiph any\, there would have been nothing to practice. Thus can thinking people be open to the works of God. [AP] DTEND:20040111T110000 DTSTAMP:20040111T113046 DTSTART:20040111T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Epiphany UID:108 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/epiphany-20040111 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Friesen spoke on the theme in 2 Peter 3:11\, "what sort o f people ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness?" Eac h culture\, religion\, generation and denomination tries to answer this q uestion in its own way. Varying voices in modern society chime in as well \, offering such things as self-help books on just about every aspect of living\, and differing psychotherapy theories. John then noted that even the thinking of some Enlightenment writers attempted to answer this quest ion by encouraging people to think of the human mind as one of the greate st achievements of all created things. Others have subsequently given pre cedence to human thought (and individualism) rather than God\, and more r ecently\, to people preferring to work and think alone rather than within a Christian community. On the other hand\, when some Christians attempt to answer St. Peter's question within the context of a Christian communit y\, like the Pharisees\, they emphasize ethics which depend upon works ra ther than personal relationships. John concluded by reminding us that Jes us developed ethics in which action flows from an attitude of love rather than from rules. [JEK] DTEND:20040118T110000 DTSTAMP:20040118T113046 DTSTART:20040118T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What sort of people ought you to be in leading lives of holiness a nd godliness? UID:109 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-sort-of-people-ought-you-to-be-in-leadi ng-lives-of-holiness-and-godliness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke on the four texts proposed by the Lection ary\, focussing on the theme\, "The Word of the Lord and our response" (N ehemiah 8:1-10). As an important administrator in the expansive Babylonia n Empire\, and also confidant and wine-taster for the King (some people h ave all the luck)\, Nehemiah was granted a Leave of Absence\, military es cort\, letters of introduction from the government\, and permission to re build Jerusalem. Under his authority\, the destroyed city's walls were re constructed in 52 days. To celebrate this symbolic achievement and the ar rival of Jewish New Year in Palestine\, Nehemiah had Ezra read from the P entateuch in the plaza before the new wall's Water Gate. Upon hearing the scripture\, people were distressed that they had not been keeping the La w properly and wept\, but Ezra asked them to rejoice instead. Janice then contrasted this reception of scripture with the one accorded to Jesus af ter his first sermon. At first\, they admired his ability to speak\, but when he then interpreted scripture too radically for their staid tastes\, they actually ran their home boy out of town. What is our response to sc ripture and its interpretations? Do we just turn to favourite "safe" pass ages and interpretations\, do we also examine passages and interpretation s which make us uneasy? [JEK] DTEND:20040125T110000 DTSTAMP:20040125T113047 DTSTART:20040125T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Word of the Lord and our response UID:110 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-word-of-the-lord-and-our-response END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Hildebrand spoke on "Inheritance at a price"\, drawing o n the puzzling contradiction in Matthew 5:5\, "Blessed are the meek\, for they shall inherit the earth." While Christians generally claim to agree with what Jesus taught\, understandings of those teachings differ\, some teachings are ignored and others explained away. Henry decided to focus on a teaching well-known to us\, yet seldom examined. Jesus never indicat ed that following his teachings would be easy\, and this beatitude provid es an excellent example of a difficult teaching to follow. Paraphrasings of Matthew 5:5 offer "Happy" or "Fortunate" are "those who are content wi th who they are"\, or "who are content that they will inherit something o f enormous value" later. If we are to receive this incredible inheritance \, how are we to meet its condition that we be meek? Meekness\, one of th e fruits of the Spirit\, might be evidenced by a lowly and gentle heart\, by a quiet spirit\, by such things as mildness\, tenderness\, by being w illing to endure injury with patience and without resentment\, by avoidin g bearing a grudge. In other words\, meekness will be evidenced through b ehaviour towards others. But being meek does not make one a pushover. Jes us was meek\, yet he 'cleansed the temple'. He was meek when submitting t o God's will and giving himself to his captors\, but they immediately fel l to the ground in the presence of the power of his majesty. The beatitud es are generally difficult to understand\, let alone follow\, and this is no exception. [JEK] DTEND:20040201T110000 DTSTAMP:20040201T113047 DTSTART:20040201T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Inheritance at a Price UID:111 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/inheritance-at-a-price END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera spoke on Technology and Spirituality\, the subjec t of her present study at Regent College. Technology makes fascinating ad vances which assist humanity\, and it also can create things which deplet e resources unnecessarily. Speaking as a former programmer for MicroSoft and as a reflective Christian scholar\, Rosie made five points. (1) Techn ology and Creation: Technological creativity is a gift from God (Exodus 3 1)\, but we are called to exercise stewardship over technology and not ab use it. (2) Technology and Sin: Our use of technology is affected by 'the fall'. Babylon\, the Tower of Babel are but several examples of mighty a ncient cities judged to have misused technology. Furthermore\, if we trus t technology rather than God\, it becomes an idol. Do we use technology f or our benefit or to help others? (3) Technology and Time: Our continual use of technology requires a sabbath rest just as surely as does work. Ro sie challenged us to forego our computers for one day a week\, a Sabbath (except for contacting friends and loved ones). (4) Technology and Prayer /Worship/Spiritual Life: Do we constantly surround ourselves with the noi se of the TV\, radio or music or do we also take a break from it and expe rience the quiet of silence\, perhaps entering into times of unspoken pra yer? (5) Technology and Redemption: We can pray that implements of techno logy will be 'beat into pruning hooks' (if harmful\, be transformed into something useful to everyone). "May God grant that we use technology with wisdom\, redemptively\, and to God's glory." [JEK] DTEND:20040208T110000 DTSTAMP:20040208T113047 DTSTART:20040208T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Technology and Spirituality UID:112 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/technology-and-spirituality END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider spoke on a diverse and unusual selection of texts from the lectionary in which he found a single shared meaning. Using con trasting metaphors\, the four passages led him (and us) inexorably to the theme “No Middle Ground”. Jeremiah 17\, as a wisdom poem in three parts\ , contrasted in the first part\, a metaphor for the wicked\; in the secon d\, a metaphor for the blessed\; and in the conclusion\, says “the heart is devious above all else” - we don’t like opposites and will do anything \, including fool ourselves to compromise on middle ground. But in the la st lines of the poem\, the Lord will foil us\, convict us. Psalm 1\, in a similar structure\, opens with blessings on those who do not do as the L ord forbids (“sitteth in the seat of the scornful” - KJV)\; but contrasts the doings of the righteous with those of the unrighteous. Here Evan poi nts out that no single event in one’s life is the key for God’s judgement of one’s life lived righteously\; but rather the daily struggle to make appropriate choices - white\, not black - that lead to the Lord’s favour as you choose what you choose. Luke 6 (the Sermon on the Plain) is again black and white - four “blesseds” contrasted with four “woes”. It is not to be interpreted “cyclically - one will not be given to\, only to have i t taken away again so that it can be returned\, etc... It is intended to give hope for one’s heavenly future in a time when one’s earthly future w as usually indistinguishable from (and as hopeless as) one’s past. 1 Cori nthians 15.12-20 presents Paul’s view - in black and white - of Christ’s sacrifice and redemption. If you believe\, Jesus offer you hope on earth. If you do not believe\, then why fear the lord? Taken together\, these p assages convict Christians who seek to live out the middle option. The mi ddle ground empowers the teachings of Christ more than the resurrected pe rson of Christ. It is this seeking for the logical\, comfortable\, middle ground which allows us our beliefs in our radical\, black and white reli gion\, yet permits us to fit into our comfortable world where we make eve rything grey\, where a little weaselling is OK. It is not unusual to do t his - prophetic writings spoke to historic believers who were doing exact ly the same thing in trying to compromise judaism with living in common s ociety. But the prophets said: it IS a black and white situation. There i s no middle ground. [AP] DTEND:20040215T110000 DTSTAMP:20040215T113047 DTSTART:20040215T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:No Middle Ground UID:113 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/no-middle-ground END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Edward Epp set the well-known story of the good Samaritan agai nst John Friesen’s question of a few weeks ago: “What sort of people ough t we to be?” Taking us through the story\, Ed noted that each of the pass ers-by had ample reason not to help the man who was beaten and robbed and left by the highway - the priest\, to prevent defilement which would mak e him unable to perform his duties of intercessory sacrifice\, and the Le vite similarly in his supporting role. Given Judaism’s tradition of mercy to the traveller and less fortunate\, it is probable that both wanted to stop and help\, but they also had every reason to be blind to their fell ow travellers’ need. So too was the Samaritan perfectly chosen in the sto ry - close enough to be related to the Jews\, but distant enough to be sc orned\, unlikely to be thought of as a saviour. As the Samaritan voluntee red his time\, energy and money\, Ed calls us to [continue to] do likewis e to help those currently lying along the highway. Ed offered his life fo r inspection\, noting he currently lives in two places. In his home provi nce\, he lives the life he feels Christ called him to - though retired\, he is active in the community coordinating two golf tournaments that rais e funds for local charities including MCC. But in his adopted province\, he “lives the life of Riley” and notes that while at MissionsFest this ye ar\, he saw a huge variety of places he could open his heart to serve in\ , even while many are denied him by virtue of the need for special talent s or heavy commitment. Ed is inspired by those around him who serve\, and finished by inviting us to share how we live our lives as “people who ca n act with kindness and social justice to people in need.” [AP] DTEND:20040222T110000 DTSTAMP:20040222T113047 DTSTART:20040222T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Good Samaritan UID:114 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-good-samaritan END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider took four texts from the Lectionary (an exerci se Evan enjoys for its connection with the larger Christian community) to inspire us to engage in the Lenten season with his talk “You enter the g arden by going through the wilderness/desert.” In Dt 26:1-11 the wanderin g Armenian\, the ancestor of all who follow God\, one who never blended i nto the culture but kept himself distinct gives us our first image of wan dering the desert to enter the garden. This echoes the wanderings of the Jewish people in the process of forming their own nation. In Ps 9:9-16\, through words of action\, the psalmist echoes God’s promise to the Jews a s reward for their purposeful wandering. Rom 10:8-13 tells of the wanderi ng of Christians in the “wilderness” of Rome - there was no city so estra nged from devotion to godly living as Rome. Yet this passage too promises that those who wandered the wilderness will be saved. And in Luke 4:1-13 \, we are told of three of the many temptations Jesus passed\, ones that his Jewish ancestors failed. This forty days that Jesus went through has inspired Christians through history to emulate this fasting in order to a chieve spiritual perfection\, yet nowadays we consider it more important to diet to achieve physical perfection. Through manna\, through tests\, t hrough history\, the Jews in the wilderness were taught that it is not fo od that keeps you alive\, but the word of God. Evan asks – are you willin g to wander the desert in order to enter the garden? This quote from Jame s Healy inspires: “Of this we can be sure - God walked there first... We do not face it alone Jesus has gone there before us to struggle with ever y demon that has ever plagued a human heart. Face the desert we must\, if we would reach the garden\, but Jesus has gone there before us.” [AP] DTEND:20040229T110000 DTSTAMP:20040229T113047 DTSTART:20040229T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Enter the Garden throught the Wilderness UID:115 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/enter-the-garden-throught-the-wilderness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jeff Imbach spoke on “Spiritual Disciplines”. To some\, daily spiritual discipline comes fairly easily\, to others it is a tremendous s truggle followed inevitably by defeat. Galatians 5:22-23 and 1 Peter 1:5- 9 speak of the fruits of the Spirit of God\, but we so often fail to work at them. Jeff suggested that for Lent we try developing new attitudes\, embracing a life-giving approach to Spiritual Development. Assume\, for e xample\, that God is already with us and they we only need to be open to God. Assume that Spiritual Development can involve any choice we make or habits we form. Can we learn to ‘see God’ in a flower\, in awe\, and be s lightly transformed by the experience? Even in cooking\, smelling the her bs\, we can encounter God’s wonders. Reading scripture leads to God if we experience it rather than simply ‘consume’ it. We can also take a step t owards Spiritual Development by saying ‘no’ to a crammed schedule\, or by turning off the car radio during Lent (so we can think in relative peace ). Spiritual Development can become the intersection between God’s presen ce and our unique experience. [JEK] DTEND:20040307T110000 DTSTAMP:20040307T113047 DTSTART:20040307T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spiritual Disciplines UID:116 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/spiritual-disciplines END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On March 14\, Steve Hochstettler-Shirk (MCC-Ukraine) spoke on “Conform or transform?” (Romans 12:1-18). Paul asks what it means to be a Christian in today’s society. It is too tempting to use the world as our model\, so in which respects might we be different from the world? For i nstance\, Christians in the Soviet Union were not even allowed to do char itable work openly\, attend university or obtain certain jobs. The costs for non-conformity were tremendous. We do not suffer as they did\, yet we conform far more readily. MCCers in Russia do not conform to the expecta tions for foreign church workers (rather than being only theoretical and evangelical\, the MCCers are practical and life their lives as examples). Steve told of his own father\, a builder\, who was quite poor because he was not paid for one large job. Nevertheless\, he took needy people into his home readily and regularly. He sought to transform the world by acti ng in ways which did not put his financial aims ahead of people’s needs. Another way of stating it is\, “Do not let the world squeeze you into its mould.” [JEK] DTEND:20040314T110000 DTSTAMP:20040314T113047 DTSTART:20040314T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Conform or transform? UID:117 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/conform-or-transform END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:This morning our service takes the form of a memorial to Bert McGee\, a long-time member of PGIMF who passed away recently. DTEND:20040321T110000 DTSTAMP:20040321T113047 DTSTART:20040321T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Memorial service for Bert McGee UID:118 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/memorial-service-for-bert-mcgee END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Walter Bergen (Residence Coordinator of the Centre from 1986-8 8) spoke on "The Imaginative Journey with God"\, building on Isaiah 65:17 -25\, a text he likes to read every three months or so. This text tells o f a day when things will be better\, when people will live past 100\, pla nt gardens and not have to flee. Walter then asked why this day has not a rrived. Why are we going backwards? Why are church conference budgets bei ng cut drastically\, why is the Mission budget in the USA down by $1 mill ion this year? Why do so many business people not think imaginatively whe n on church boards (do we stifle them)? For centuries\, church organizati ons have existed on volunteerism\, but now many people are employed profe ssionals\, exhausted and lack the inclination to volunteer. Furthermore\, to accomplish many things we need capital\, not just volunteers. As gove rnments unload social problems onto church and community groups\, more an d more organizations approach us for donations. People like Bill Riediger foresaw the need for the church in B.C. to have endowment funding which provide the capital required to open new possibilities. Walter concluded by saying that the "gospel should not be just a safe haven in times of di fficulty\, but it should also be the fire in your belly as we think of wo rking for others." [JEK] DTEND:20040328T110000 DTSTAMP:20040328T113047 DTSTART:20040328T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Imaginative Journey with God UID:119 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-imaginative-journey-with-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Thiessen spoke on Psalm 118\, one of the day's readings f rom the Lectionary which had verses that are central to Palm Sunday. This is one of the Passover Psalms (115-118)\, possibly the same Psalm which Jesus sang with his disciples after the fourth cup had been filled. Psalm 118 can be seen as celebrating leaving Egypt\, leaving Exile\, and seeki ng for a coming King. "The Lord has chastened me severely\, but did not g ive me over to death" is something many of our ancestors could say (118:1 8). "The stone the builders rejected" (118:22) has been an apt metaphor f or Israel\, possibly a King\, and certainly for Jesus as well. "This is t he day the Lord has made\, let us rejoice and be glad in it" (118:24) pro vided the theme for two of the morning's songs. Paul stressed that happin ess comes\, in part\, from being satisfied in finding God in each ordinar y moment of daily living. If we take the dust and clay of the ordinary da y\, we can find God. Finally (118:26)\, "blessed is he who comes in the n ame of the Lord" was the text quoted by the crowds on Palm Sunday (and it is now included in every Mass). I enjoyed reading the Psalm with the tho ught that it was the last one Jesus sang (on Maundy Thursday). [JEK] DTEND:20040404T110000 DTSTAMP:20040404T113047 DTSTART:20040404T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Finding God in Daily Living UID:120 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/finding-god-in-daily-living END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service was held on Maundy Thursday. No bulletin is availabl e.\n\n DTEND:20040408T110000 DTSTAMP:20040408T200049 DTSTART:20040408T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Maundy Thursday UID:132 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/maundy-thursday-20040408 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We celebrated the risen Christ with a Paska breakfast\, follow ed by a liturgical service of music and prayer written and led by Veronic a Dyck. DTEND:20040411T110000 DTSTAMP:20040411T113047 DTSTART:20040411T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Music Sunday UID:121 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/music-sunday-20040411 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert spoke on the Lectionary texts for the First Sund ay after Easter\, using the theme "The Resurrection Puzzle Revealed". The gospels provide us a fascinating puzzle\, one we will need to ponder for the rest of our lives-the mystery of God's purpose for Christ's life\, d eath and resurrection. Kevin began with verses from Psalm 118\, for examp le\, 16-17\, 21 say such things as "the right hand of the Lord is exalted "\, "I shall not die but I shall live" and "This is the Lord's doing"\, v erses which Christians now see as addressing the mystery of Christ's resu rrection prophetically. Today's gospel reading from John 20 tells of Jesu s appearing to the disciples and especially to Thomas. Fortunately\, Thom as expressed his doubts about the resurrection to others within the commu nity of faith rather than going off by himself and assuming everybody was nuts. This made it possible for Jesus to appear to him and for his frien ds to help him work through the puzzle/mystery. Today's reading from Acts 5 illustrates how the witnesses of the Good News could not be silenced\, even under official caution and threat of violence. The whole notion of resurrection even being possible was not yet accepted by all sects of Jud aism\, and some leaders were therefore not going to accept Christ's resur rection because they believed no resurrection of any kind was possible. K evin argues that this ancient resurrection puzzle is something which even we need to meditate upon\, both in private and in community\, so that we can learn more about the peace which Jesus extends to us. [JEK] DTEND:20040418T110000 DTSTAMP:20040418T113048 DTSTART:20040418T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Resurrection puzzle revealed UID:122 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-resurrection-puzzle-revealed END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gordon Smith spoke from Mt 6: 25 “Do not worry about your life ”. If you’re not worried about something in your life\, people wonder if you’re ok. Our economy\, the stock market\, academia\, even election cand idates respond to worries and fears\, rather than appealing to the inspir ing\, to our hopes and dreams. Henry Nouwen says fear is so pervasive tha t we do not know how to live without fear. Jesus calls on us not to worry \, because it is of no value to do so. Science is beginning to discover t hat worry often shortens life\, rather than lengthening it\, etching itse lf into our faces\, our bodes\, our minds\, and eventually our souls\, ro bbing us of joyous and vibrant life. Jesus does not say “do not worry bec ause you have nothing to worry about” - he calls on us to live in intimat e trust with God\, to let the birds and flower be our teachers. Though yo u may suspect God has “lost our file”\, he cares deeply about our situati on. We must be intentional in response to fear\, and respond in Christian practice thus: “Humble yourselves before the Lord and cast your cares up on him\, one by one\, for He cares for you” (1Pe5). Name our fears - list anxieties on a piece of paper and pray for them regularly - weekly or ev en daily for some of us. The act of making the list brings up other items \, and one is often surprised by how long the list is. Gordon’s story abo ut his five-year-old son Micah worrying about where they were going to sp end the night on a cross-country trip illustrated perfectly this - When G ordon finally told Micah ”Don’t worry about where we will spend the night - I will do that” Micah settled down and stopped worrying. It was not a stupid worry - it was just too big for a five-year-old. Similarly\, the w orries you have that are too big\, cast upon the Lord. [AP] DTEND:20040425T110000 DTSTAMP:20040425T113048 DTSTART:20040425T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Anxious? Jesus says "Don't be" UID:123 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/anxious-jesus-says-dont-be END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The service focused on how the gospel is put into practice wit h non-profit projects such as the 'Luke 15 House' which provides housing\ , friendship\, support\, Christian sharing and structure for about 20 men who are hoping to build 'normal' lives after having spent time in prison or on the streets. Henry Hildebrand's introduction on The Prodigal Son r eminded us that not all prodigal sons leave home\, not all return\, not a ll recover\, and not all are accepted back. Janet Hildebrand (representin g Luke 15 House) told of life in this 'miracle house'\, of how difficult it is for someone to be able to celebrate a birthday' (one year of being drug/alcohol/trouble free)\, and of her surprise that Catholics are far m ore open to supporting this type of social work than are most Protestant congregations. Ed\, formerly of the Luke 15 House and eventually a member of their Board\, told his story in some detail\, sharing how his years h ave seen their share of good intentions\, a truly disadvantaged upbringin g\, the hiding of pain behind a fog of alcohol or drugs\, and repeated at tempts to seek God. The Luke House people were there\nfor him\, helping t o the extent he could permit at any given time. He told of what it meant to him as a professional house thief to be asked by Janet to house sit fo r them and thereby demonstrate her trust in him as a good person. He conc luded by reminding us that his need for God is not significantly differen t from ours\, just more visible. [JEK] DTEND:20040502T110000 DTSTAMP:20040502T113048 DTSTART:20040502T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A model for Christian recovery UID:124 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-model-for-christian-recovery END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:PGIMF celebrated Mothers' Day in a very special way by having not one\, but three speakers. Nadine Neudorf talked about the importance of community support for parents\, for parenting is not something people can do on their own. Parents need confidants\, adults who can listen\, un derstand and thereby help. Hosea 11 tells of God taking a child by the ha nd and helping. Each child\, each moment of parenting can be a reminder o f God's grace. Cynthia Friesen read a letter she wrote several years ago\ , telling of the challenge parents face when accepting and loving childre n as they are\, and how this can be an expression of God's love. Vange Th iessen then spoke on the gifts that keep on giving--grandchildren. She me ntioned a book some like like to read\, "Grandmothers are like snowflakes \, no two are alike". Grandparents always wonder whether they will be suf ficient\, accepted as a grandparents. She suggested that perhaps God give s us grandchildren so that we can undo some of the mistakes we made with our children. Children help grandparents revive their imaginations and pl ay skills\, facets of our lives which can bring wholeness to us. [JEK] DTEND:20040509T110000 DTSTAMP:20040509T113048 DTSTART:20040509T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The weight of parenting and the importance of community. UID:125 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-weight-of-parenting-and-the-importance-o f-community END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Hildegard Lemke spoke on "Lessons from away". (To Newfoundland ers\, anyone who is not from "the Island" is from 'away'). For Hildegard\ , 'away' meant being away from organized church for about two decades. He r traditional Mennonite upbringing included flight from a destroyed Germa n city\, immigration to America\, and marriage to Helmut. She discovered that she was considered an outsider by the congregation they joined both genealogically and spiritually. Her search into the baptism of the Spirit made the mother church fearful of that expression of spirituality\, and they were asked to leave. The open and non-denominational congregation th ey then joined served them well until a hierarchical minister began to do minate in paternalistic and legalistic ways\, and again she felt 'away'. At 49\, Hildegard left church\, being alone. She embarked on a spiritual quest which included much reading\, thinking deeply and questioning every thing\, yet guided by 1 John 2:27\, John 14\, and parts of the Gospel of St. Thomas. As friends and husband supported her\, she came to understand that her image of God was just that--her image of what God is. She reali zed she needed to explore God from within\, that she was never leaving Go d because God is within her. This transformation of her prayer life meant traditional prayers such as "Come\, Lord Jesus\, be our guest"\, had no meaning\, and she was led to preternatural\, personal forms\, such as ‘pr aying a protective hedge’ which surrounds loved ones\, or blessing food t hrough asking protection from its adulterants. Hildegard sees no distinct ion between ora and labora (prayer and work)\, seeing work becoming praye r and prayer being a form of life's work. Experiencing congregational sep arateness or exclusion\, she seeks churches to become lovingly inclusive (something she practices beautifully)\, comprised of people who exclude n obody (a topic of confrontative debate these days)\, helping church to be a safe place for all who are seeking. [JEK] DTEND:20040516T110000 DTSTAMP:20040516T113048 DTSTART:20040516T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:My Lessons from Away UID:126 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/my-lessons-from-away END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on the Lectionary texts for Ascension Sund ay. Although Ascension (Thursday) used to be a church feast day for Germa n and Russian Mennonites\, the day has since slipped into oblivion for mo st North American evangelicals. Although we generally ignore it\, might w e still learn from it? One of the very brief stories of Christ's ascensio n tells of Jesus appearing to his disciples for the final time--they are still asking the same old question\, when will the Kingdom begin--now? Ra ther than answering directly\, he disappears. If we review the days after the crucifixion\, we recall that Jesus was in the tomb about three days\ , possibly to allow time for the followers to be convinced that he truly was deceased. After the resurrection\, he occasionally appeared to them o ver a period of about 40 days\, possibly to provide adequate time for the followers to become convinced of his new and strange existence before he finally disappeared for good. Finally\, he let them stew over the ascens ion for about ten days before flooding their lives with the coming of the Holy Spirit. Returning to the ascension\, do we too stand staring at the sky\, wondering about God\, or should we instead expect not to understan d everything? Did the disciples appreciate that Christ's leaving was for their own good\, so that they no longer depended on him for everything? C hrist said he will return\, but how? Literally? Through a sister or broth er? Henry concluded by reminding us that the Kingdom will indeed be in ou r midst if we let love be present among us. [JEK] DTEND:20040523T110000 DTSTAMP:20040523T113048 DTSTART:20040523T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ascension in the Bible and in History UID:127 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ascension-in-the-bible-and-in-history END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The title of the sermon was “Is God in Charge of the Garden?” She made references to many biblical gardening images and gardening based parables in her sermon. One of these parables\, “the sower and the seed” from Mathew’s gospel\, was the basis of many of her speeches during the retreat. She spoke eloquently of how Jesus used gardening images to share important secrets of the kingdom of Heaven with his\, not too bright\, d isciples. [RK]\n\nNo bulletin is available.\n\n DTEND:20040530T110000 DTSTAMP:20040530T113049 DTSTART:20040530T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Is God in Charge of the Garden? UID:131 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/is-god-in-charge-of-the-garden END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Wayne Northey (M2W2 and father of Mark) spoke on "A Halting Sp iritual Quest..." He sees himself as living in three distinct Christian w orlds\, the largest one encompassing all Christians\, the minority within it including the evangelical world which does not follow pacifism and fi nally the very small minority of Christians who espouse pacifism and reco nciliation. At Regent College\, he was profoundly influenced by John Howa rd Yoder's Politics of Jesus\, which persuaded Wayne to change his life a nd thinking\, seeing Jesus as wanting us to change the wrongs of society (as Jesus tried to do)\, particularly with regard to social\, economic an d justice issues. With the rediscovery of Justinian Law by 12th-c. Europe \, philosophies of state justice emerged in which the law often looks at 'offenders' offending against the state rather than individuals. Conseque ntly\, the state is satisfied by prison terms\, but the individuals' are not addressed. By contrast\, Wayne stated that "restorative justice wants to teach people that harming other people (not the more abstract state) is wrong". In his thinking\, he draws authority and inspiration from both the Old and New Testaments\, as well as from Karl Barth and others. He b elieves that the cross\, not the sword\, "shows us the grain of the unive rse". While we cannot hope to change the world at large\, nor even the fi rm beliefs of other evangelicals\, we can work on our little 'demonstrati on plots' which show others how these ideas can be lived out. If those li ttle 'demonstration plots' are successful\, people will start asking us u seful questions. He sadly noted\, however\, that we have a very long way to go\, for most evangelical Christians unknowingly view one of their fav ourite quotations of Jesus as follows: For God so loved the world (except for our enemies) that he gave his only begotten son (except for our enem ies)\, that whosoever believes on him (except . . .) will not perish (exc ept . . .) but have everlasting life (except for our enemies). [JEK] DTEND:20040606T110000 DTSTAMP:20040606T113048 DTSTART:20040606T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Restorative Justice UID:128 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/restorative-justice END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A prophet confronting David about his transgression\, a Psalm of forgiveness\, and a woman washing Jesus feet were the were the account s Don Teichroeb focussed on two weeks ago in his message. A sinful woman visits Jesus\, says nothing while she washes and dries his feet and forci ng Jesus to explain to his host how he reacts to others. Letting her hair down was culturally shocking and Jesus is blamed for allowing this outra geous behaviour\; spiritual people need to behave properly and avoid scan dal. Jesus tells about the two debtors and asks that we imagine the appre ciation of the one who's been forgiven a lot. Great forgiveness provides opportunities for great love. Don said we read the Bible at different lev els: the literal\, where we understand the historical meaning and context \; the contextual\, when we relocate the text in the salvation story and see it in the broader context\; the moral\, when we allow the text to sha pe our behaviour\, and the mystical when we allow the power of the Word t o lift us closer to God. Don commented that we are obsessed with getting to the bottom line\, we read the Bible the way we read a newspaper - and short circuit our spiritual growth. He suggested we slow down our intelle ctual metabolism and read (be alert to a word or phrase)\, then reflect ( ponder the images)\, respond (what is God calling us to do?)\, and wrestl e (remain quiet\, contemplate) and receive the word. (HN) DTEND:20040613T110000 DTSTAMP:20040613T113048 DTSTART:20040613T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Transgression & Forgiveness UID:129 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/transgression-forgiveness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Worship in the park at Trimble and 8th Avenue with the local c hurches of the Point Grey Ministerial Association. No bulletin is availab le. DTEND:20040620T110000 DTSTAMP:20040620T113048 DTSTART:20040620T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship in the Park (2004) UID:130 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/worship-in-the-park-20040620 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Margaret Carey (Oberlin College and former resident of the Cen tre) spoke on “Poverty and ministry to those in need”. An accomplished vi olist with a double major in Music and English\, Margaret is still reflec ting on her visit to Mexico. While a scholarship student attending a priv ate American liberal arts college with tuition costs of USA$40-50K\, she saw the ravages of rampant and endemic poverty surrounding the gated encl aves of the wealthy family with whom she stayed in Mexico. During her tal k\, she searched for causes of debilitating poverty (constraints arising from widespread corruption in business and government\, destruction of th e environment\, unfair labour practices). Sometimes we argue that educati on can help\, yet she noted that Florida\, which has a reasonable level o f education\, has unbelievable poverty intermingled with vast stretches o f properties devoted to wealthy ‘snow birds’. It always gives liberal Chr istians (like me) hope when young adults seriously ponder societal proble ms in the context of faith. As numerous members of our little congregatio n demonstrate\, this concern can continue to influence one’s life choices not only when young but also while in the midst of a busy career or duri ng post-career/family years as one elects to do volunteer work of many ki nds locally or abroad\, or to devote financial resources to the relief of poverty. [JEK] DTEND:20040627T110000 DTSTAMP:20040627T113049 DTSTART:20040627T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Poverty & ministry to those in need UID:133 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/poverty-ministry-to-those-in-need END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan led us in a study of three texts on healing from the lect ionary. The first was the story of the warrior-king Naaman who sought to rid himself of a loathsome disease. He travelled among those he originall y sought to subjugate to Elisha to have it cured\, and was forced to humb le himself to the simple cure prescribed\, the insulting manner in which it was prescribed\; nevertheless\, one that could not be performed among the prophets and miracle-workers of Naaman’s own people. The second\, Psa lm 30\, was a very personal prayer of thanksgiving for cure\, for deliver ance from fate. The third was Luke’s story of the commissioning of the Se venty - take nothing with you\, concentrate only on your task - to cure t he sick\, and do so in God’s name - and the astonishment of the seventy a t their tremendous success. Evan drew the theme of God’s cure through eac h story\, but left us in the question of how deserving Naaman was of Elis ha’s (and God’s) magnanimity\, (“Go in peace” 2Ki5:19). Of Psalm 30\, Eva n emphasized God’s magnanimity in the relationships we have with our own parents and in our workplaces. Of the commissioning of the Seventy\, Evan pointed out how God’s magnanimity was again extended to humble workers w ho followed Jesus in faith\, without thought of reward. Finally\, we were left with the question of how to live each day in the face of these thre e vibrant\, fulfilling examples of magnanimous\, holy life. [AP] DTEND:20040704T110000 DTSTAMP:20040704T113049 DTSTART:20040704T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Canada and USA - destiny in God's hands UID:134 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/canada-and-usa-destiny-in-gods-hands END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Brian McConaghy used all three chapters of Zephaniah to highli ght God’s uncomfortable words of judgement to tell us how the total destr uction of Israel in history parallels Cambodia’s total destruction of the Khmer peoples in the 1970s. Brian gave us the history of the war in Indo china\, and then gave us a slice of Cambodian life - a deserted Phnom Pen h after the rise of idealistic intellectuals under Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge\; the concentration camps\; the unparalleled scale of Angkor Wat\, the world’s largest religious site dedicated to Hindu gods\; the endless and contradictory lists of things made illegal\, including colour\; the f allout of Buddhism and animism still prevalent in the country in a hopele ss and destructive way quite different from that practiced in other count ries. The evil of the regime - an 8 million population reduced to less th an 5 million in less than three years\, starvation amid warehouses of ric e - was counterbalanced by an explosion of religious optimism both before and after\, and Brian sees in this fervour God’s hand in preserving the Khmer people for the future. The Cambodians can relate to disappearing\, torture\, privation\, but the unexpectedness of Christ’s return from the dead is the message that sinks home to them. In all this desperation\, Br ian’s quiet drive to make life better for these people shows through\, in the foundation he started\, called Ratanak\, named after a child he knew in Cambodia\, in the adoption of two children from that country\, and in our quiet message today. The question period reflected the congregation’ s extensive experience with some aspects of Brian’s message. [AP] DTEND:20040711T110000 DTSTAMP:20040711T113049 DTSTART:20040711T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ratanak - the View from Cambodia UID:135 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ratanak-the-view-from-cambodia END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera spoke on "Feast or famine\, hearing the words of the Lord". Amos 8:11-12 says\, in part\, "I will send a famine . . . of h earing the words of the Lord". Rosie developed the theme that this refers to prophecy\, not just to reading scripture. Of the two types of prophec y (foretelling and forthtelling)\, she focused exclusively on forthtellin g. Amos lists some of the ills of society (almost all are financial): bus inesses using unfair economic trading practices\, merchants wanting to wo rk on the Sabbath so they can get ahead financially\, the economics inter ests of the poor being overridden by those of the more wealthy (and there fore more influential) citizens. I sense that Amos is concerned that peop le are focused so much on making money that even if a prophetic voice eng aged in forthtelling\, it would be missed (hence the prophetic famine). H ow well do we nurture listening to the Spirit? Do we even believe there c an be 'forthtelling' today\, or was that only in the past? Are prophets s imply people who see crises in society and call for them to be addressed? Do we even know how to test words to see if they are from the Holy Spiri t? [JEK] DTEND:20040718T110000 DTSTAMP:20040718T113049 DTSTART:20040718T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Role of the Holy Spirit UID:136 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-role-of-the-holy-spirit END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on "Integrity as a spiritual discipline". We sometimes think of spiritual disciplines as being only the very privat e activities such as fasting\, praying\, meditating and reading. Henry pr oposed that integrity\, although never really listed as a spiritual disci pline\, is so integral to the Christian life that it should perhaps be co nsidered a spiritual discipline. Job\, an ideal in many ways\, was judged by God to be "blameless and upright"\, and Ps. 31 asks that we be "judge d according to our righteousness and integrity"\, but otherwise\, integri ty seems to be assumed rather than stressed in scripture. If we have inte grity\, we consistently live according to a code of morality\, keeping ou r word and promises\, and are faithful to our relationships. Although thi s seems both obvious and simple enough\, too many people act otherwise\, sometimes without realizing their lack of integrity. Some publicly claim to honour the sanctity of life (possibly by abhorring abortions) but then work to support the death penalty and war. Nobody even expects political candidates to keep all of their promises. Students plagiarize freely\, a nd the media continually tell stories of behaviour which lacks integrity by people in business\, government\, church\, family and the various prof essions. While we profess to be believers\, "our actions speak louder tha n our words." In Matthew\, Jesus advised us to tell the truth and to hung er for righteousness (living correctly)\, and James argued that faith wit hout action is dead. Henry therefore concluded with the prayer\, "God\, g rant us grace to live with intentional integrity\," suggesting that this type of living should not be accidental or sporadic\, but purposeful. [JE K] DTEND:20040725T110000 DTSTAMP:20040725T113049 DTSTART:20040725T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Integrity as a Spiritual Discipline UID:137 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/integrity-as-a-spiritual-discipline END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke on the theme of riches\, using the four l ectionary texts. Newsweek recently reported that the world's most happy n ation is actually suffering poverty\, whereas the truly wealthy nations a re filled with discontent and fearful citizens. Psalm 49\, Luke 12:13- an d much of Ecclesiastes reiterate the truth that all of us will die\, aski ng the question of those now working to accumulate and retain wealth: Wha t will become of your assets and plans when you are gone? Some people try to live on through their writings (which are quickly outdated and usuall y superseded even before the person retires)\, family (which forgets all but names\, dates\, and the odd story after several generations have pass ed)\, financial legacies\n(foundations' ideals and trustees are notorious for changing radically with the passage of time)\, or creating ways of d oing things at work (but successors likewise create new ways). This sober ing scenario quietly draws us back to the biblical question: What will en dure? While we ponder the imponderable\, it then takes yet another opport unity to remind us of the fruits of the spirit--relational possibilities which will further the Kingdom. In modern terms\, these passages advise u s to forget our dreams of leaving estates and financial legacies to desce ndants and charities\, and instead\, the passages advise us to focus on i nvesting in lives and relationships now. [JEK] DTEND:20040801T110000 DTSTAMP:20040801T113049 DTSTART:20040801T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:You are not your possessions UID:138 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/you-are-not-your-possessions END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Charles Paris gave us a hurried history of the church\, a theo logy of the saints as we understand it today\, and an invitation to visit his church to visually “see” saints. Catholic churches have any number o f altars and windows of saints and church people as remembrances\, aids t o memory and veneration. Charles says it is human to remember those who p receded us\, just like we have pictures in our homes of the ones we loved \, or our ancestors. Remembrances populate scripture - the last twenty ch apters of Isaiah are a remembrance. Yet saints were not made by Rome\, bu t by the people who said “He/she is a saint.” It is only with the Catholi c church’s tremendous emphasis on legalism that a process for sanctificat ion has come to the fore in the last couple of centuries. From the counci l of Nicaea it was given :”Only God is to be worshipped\; the saints are to be venerated\, not worshipped\,” But it has been difficult for the chu rch to divorce itself from traffic in relics\, auguries and miracles\, wh ich has been popular since well before Christ. Ethics and piety had becom e divorced in the 15 th century church\, and Reformers such as Luther\, Z wingli\, Simons and others who attempted to recover that linkage by break ing with traditions\, also lost the tradition of the saints. The Catholic church has changed its ways - through the Council of Trent and later Vat ican II\, the church is once again in a position to share its knowledge a nd benefit from the experience of others. Reformers however have remained largely immune to rapprochement\, so despite Luther’s famous quote: “Mar y is the foremost example of the unmerited grace of God”\, there is still no tradition of saintly veneration in Protestant churches. With their em phasis on evangelism\, reformers could learn from the tradition of Mary - who\, as told in the Luke 2\, heard the Word\, accepted the Word and the n went out and told her cousin - thus becoming the first disciple of Jesu s. Charles spoke of saints as intercessors\, grateful for the diversity o f people God has raised up to help us in our times of need. In Charles’ c hurch (Our Lady of Perpetual Help)\, you will find a window of Elizabeth Seaton who is not yet a saint\, but the founder of an order of nuns in th e 1840s that made possible the school\, the convent and many projects in this area of Point Grey\; John XXIII\; Mother Teresa\; John Newman\; Jean Vanier\; and more throughout the sanctuary with candles lit in front of them. They are icons\, but they are part and parcel of our lives. To end\ , “Let the faithful be taught that the authentic cult of the saints consi st not so much in the multiplying of external acts\, but rather in the in tensity of our active love.” DTEND:20040808T110000 DTSTAMP:20040808T113049 DTSTART:20040808T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Role of Saints in the Catholic Church UID:139 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-role-of-saints-in-the-catholic-church END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Veronica Dyck spoke on the Lectionary text\, Luke 12:49-56\, u sing the title\, "Fire and Dissension: Where did the Prince of Peace go?" Luke 12\, a collection of sayings concerning discipleship\, concludes wi th a difficult talk which includes three images: the image of fire when p ossibly referring to the end times (in scripture\, fire can be a metaphor for such things as judgement\, refining\, purifying)\, the image of bapt ism (sometimes a metaphor for the presence of God\, for sacrifices\, and even for Jesus’’ suffering and death)\, and the image of serious families being seriously divided in opinion. This division of families (parents a gainst children\, children against parents——for Christ’’s sake) presents a rather different vision for the world than that with which Luke began h is gospel when the angels proclaimed "Peace on earth". Today’s families c an have serious divisions and yet survive economically because the extend ed family is now less interdependent\, but in the ancient world family cl ans either had to stick together or risk survival (e.g.\, the care of par ents). After presenting the three images\, Jesus chided people for eagerl y searching for signs which predict the weather (important for an agraria n economy) but societal signs which foretell societal breakdown\, if not the end times. We look for our economic signs (the stock market\, how pol itics might affect our economic situation) rather than looking into socie ty to see signs of judgement\, baptism and division. Division is of cours e present today\, and would be far more visible if we were ever to speak openly about crucial issues. Veronica noted that the call to discipleship calls us to be different from other people\, and this will invariably le ad to division\, judgement and baptism. [JEK] DTEND:20040815T110000 DTSTAMP:20040815T113050 DTSTART:20040815T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Fire & Dissension: Where did the Prince of Peace go? UID:140 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/fire-dissension-where-did-the-prince-of-peac e-go END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Paul Wartman (President of Columbia Bible College and form er pastor of The Meeting Place\, Winnipeg) spoke on 'Understanding Life a s a Journey'. He began by contrasting two of Matthew's seven parables. In the first\, a man stumbles upon a valuable box in a field\, and sells ev erything to purchase the field (allowable by ancient Jewish law)\, and in the second\, an astute collector sells all he has so that he can purchas e the perfect pearl after finally locating it. In both parables\, someone was going through the journey of life and either stumbled across the Kin gdom by accident or found it during the course of searching for it everyw here. But what is the Kingdom\, or how might we know when encountering th is thing of great value? Amos wrote of the ideal of the earth being allow ed to be fruitful beyond belief (nobody being poor) and of war ceasing (t he innocent being allowed to live in peace). The writer of Revelations wr ote of a majestic kingdom in which people have no fear\, death\, darkness (when evil can best be enacted) or tears. By including these two parable s\, Matthew was possibly reminding readers that when some people heard Ch rist's view of life (the kingdom view)\, they too risked everything in or der to be part of it\, whether they had been looking for it all along or simply got lucky and understood Jesus upon meeting him by chance. Matthew was also possibly offering an opposing view to the assumptions of classi cal writers of Greek and Roman literature in which life's journey was gov erned by fate. Matthew argues that life's journey is not left in the hand s of fate but is rather a matter of choice. Paul suggested that a journey is not only a metaphor for life (and for encountering the kingdom)\, but also that it is the journey itself\, and the manner in which it is under taken which is most important\, not just having the right goal or arrival . [JEK] DTEND:20040822T110000 DTSTAMP:20040822T113050 DTSTART:20040822T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Understanding Life as a Journey UID:141 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/understanding-life-as-a-journey END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Thiessen spoke from the Lectionary text of Luke on the de adly sin of pride. Though the Bible proscribes all seven deadly sins (att ributed in detail to St. John Cassian\, an Egyptian monk and contemporary of Pelagius)\, it never lists them in any order of importance. Paul divi des the text into three separate teachings. In the first\, Jesus is watch ed by the Pharisees to see how he bends the Sabbath laws at this feast\, where who you ate with determined your level of religious purity\, and he nce\, your obedience to God. Jesus behaves unexpectedly\, asking the Phar isees what they would do? Contrast this meal with the feeding of the 5000 - which was more holy? Paul notes that communal eating is important toda y too - healthy families are ones that eat together. The second teaching was more direct - the seat chosen by each guest directly called the pride of each into question. C.S. Lewis called pride ‘the great sin’ – “The on e sin which everyone loathes when they see it in others...” The Olympics virtually vibrate with pride\, national and otherwise\, and Martha Stewar t and Conrad Black are but two whose pride is in display for us all to ju dge. Pride’s opposite - humility - is called by the Benedictine Joan Chic ester ‘the lost virtue’. The Bible’s call to humility runs counter to our age’s call to believe in ourselves\, to be assertive. How do we strive t o achieve excellence in what we do\, without falling prey to pride in sel f-satisfaction? Paul’s clues - listening\, not always thinking you’re rig ht\, even when you are\, evoke last week’s sermon about being on a journe y. Jesus third teaching is also direct - do not invite to your table only those to whom you owe invitations - invite all. Nietsche is our modern c ynical apotheosis when he says we only treat others well to be treated we ll in return. Mother Teresa says the opposite\, “The problems of people i n the West are in their hearts.” Paul asks us to be grateful for the gift s God has given us and use them in a spirit of humility. [AP] DTEND:20040829T110000 DTSTAMP:20040829T113050 DTSTART:20040829T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Seven Deadly sins UID:142 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/seven-deadly-sins END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Labour Day Sunday\, Mark Greenstreet spoke on slavery\, and it turns out he is not in favour of it\, despite what some of his studen ts might think. The only deeply personal letter in the Pauline letters\, (as opposed to doctrinal letter to a church)\, Paul is seen interceding f or Onesimus (“useless”) to the slave-owner and friend Philemon who was wr onged by Onesimus\, even to the point of saying “if he owes you anything\ , charge me (Paul)”. He doesn’t want to betray his trust to his friend Ph ilemon\, and he does not want to harbour an escaped slave\, especially no t with Christ’s return imminent. However\, he also reminds Philemon that it is because of Paul and Christ that Philemon has eternal life. Mark see s this as a model for individual behaviour in the church\, held to the hi gher standard God expects: “You are all children of God...there is neithe r Jew nor Greek \, slave nor free\, male nor female\, for you are all one in Jesus Christ”(Gal 3). Paul never said the church should be more restr ictive or hierarchical than the society it lived in. Mark contrasts this with people today who quote Paul to encourage the church to be more hiera rchical than the society around it. Paul’s language of expectation to Phi lemon is very clever in its encouragement to treat Onesimus differently f rom the way he would be treated by others - the slave whom Philemon will want to punish is the same brother in Christ who Philemon will be spendin g eternity with. Paul leaves the decision to Philemon. What happened? We don’t know - there was no 2Philemon letter for us to refer to. But we can guess the letter wasn’t just ripped up. And in the second century after Christ lived a bishop named Onesimus who helped assemble the canon of wri tings that became the Bible. Could it be...? So too are we left with a de cision - redemption or revenge? How will we treat those around us - forev er? [AP] DTEND:20040905T110000 DTSTAMP:20040905T113050 DTSTART:20040905T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Slavery UID:143 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/slavery END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Wayne Bremner (MCC-BC) spoke on Isaiah 58:1-12\, "The Land\, t he People and the Promise". We hear weekly reports of destruction of home s\, bombings and conflict in Palestine. Although Isaiah looked forward to Israel’’s eventual return to Palestine\, he very clearly noted if the re turn was to succeed\, Israel would need to make drastic changes in such m atters as showing justice to the foreigners living among them and treatin g poor people fairly. Our modern images of Palestinians come largely from propaganda in our media\, showing young men throwing rocks or speaking o f suicide bombing. Wayne offered other images by telling stories of Pales tinians he met\, of Christian Palestinians simply trying to be good Chris tian families\, of a Christian Palestinian woman simply trying to be a go od teacher (against all odds). After the United Nations formed the state of Israel in 1948 (partly as a solution to the harsh plight of European J ews)\, and the state of Palestine (still not really completed 50 years la ter because of the occupation)\, the European plight was shifted to the s ome 750\,000 Palestinians forced to flee 412 ancient villages\, lands whi ch their families had owned since antiquity. Wayne emphasised that in 194 8 there was a real need to find a place to settle refugees\, and that the promise of land was central to many Old Testament writers. But he also s tressed that God’’s promise of land was predicated upon justice\, that Go d’’s promise to Abraham resulted not so much in land but in a Kingdom whi ch was not land-based\, and that Paul argued that under God there is neit her Jew nor Greek——that a new world concept is available. The covenant wa s meant to be a relationship with God\, not just real estate. [JEK] DTEND:20040912T110000 DTSTAMP:20040912T113050 DTSTART:20040912T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Land\, the People\, and the Promise UID:144 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-land-the-people-and-the-promise END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Peter Nosco (Head of the Department of Asian Studies at UBC) s poke on Luke's story of the two disciples walking from Jerusalem to Emmau s Easter Sunday just before sundown. Earlier that day\, they had heard wo men telling unbelievable stories about Jesus being alive\, even though th e men knew he was dead. Ironically\, the risen Jesus walked with them\, e xplained scriptures\, accepted their invitation to stay with them that ev ening\, but was recognized only when breaking bread as he had done about 48 hours earlier at the Last Supper. Peter felt drawn to this story becau se he often does his best meditating and conversing when walking (he pace d while preaching). He asked whether\, like the two disciples\, we do not find God because we overlook the possibility of encountering him in the simple things of life such as having tea\, gardening or sitting quietly. We worship a great God\, but do we (like Cleopas) ever invite God to stay with us? In the story\, just at that crucial moment of recognition\, Jes us moved on\, much as Philip was spirited away immediately after baptizin g the Eunuch. Perhaps this teaches that when work is done\, we need to mo ve on\, because there is much more work to do. [JEK] DTEND:20040919T110000 DTSTAMP:20040919T113050 DTSTART:20040919T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Road to Emmaus UID:145 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-road-to-emmaus END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Walter Bergen spoke at our Fellowship's 18th Anniversary Servi ce. Walter and Janet served as the Centre's first Residence Coordinators (1986-88). In speaking appreciatively of the work of both the Centre and the Fellowship over the past 18 years\, he said\, "When God realized what was needed in B.C.\, God thought of you people . . . what a remarkable g ift you are." He noted our Fellowship's theological position in the provi nce\, responding to the fundamentalism and increasingly non-denominationa l post-revival churches in the Valley by developing and maintaining rigor ous styles of worship which nourish faith for families\, professionals an d university graduates alike. Where PGIMF is headed\, do the goals of 18 years ago need revision? Part of his answer is that both John 3 (faith) a nd Luke 4 (social action) should be integral not only to scripture but al so to the faith life of our urban fellowship. Can we study scriptures tog ether\, not just to learn them intellectually but to submit to them\, and to each other? He concluded by handing out organic L-star apples\, which \, like scripture\, are not polished\, if not dealt with in care can be s eriously marred\, but used can be nourishing. He also believes that Verna \, Bill and Bert somehow remain with us in spirit\, proud that the fellow ship has flourished for 18 years. [JEK] DTEND:20040926T110000 DTSTAMP:20040926T113050 DTSTART:20040926T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Gospel of Jesus Christ - 18 years later UID:146 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-gospel-of-jesus-christ-18-years-later END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dietmar Neufeld (Associate Head of UBC's Department of Classic al\, Near Eastern and Religious Studies) spoke on "Redemptive Laughter". Although much humour speaks universally\, some is culturally specific and centuries later may be no longer understood or even detected. At its bes t\, humour (of which there are many kinds) can be ironic ins ways which h elp us get through life's truly difficult situations (e.g.\, The Great De pression\, occupation). Strangely\, when American comedians were silenced by fear of censorship by media or government right after '9-11'\, some p eople wondered whether political satire would ever again be possible. In tragedy-comedy\, we laugh through tears\, not eradicating the reality of our sorrows but\ngaining a glimpse of hope through irony. Scholars are no w discovering that there are statements and situations in scripture which were ironically humorous in ancient times. Some scholars are realizing t hat some of the beatitudes could hardly have been understood in any other way: "Blessed are the poor\, for they shall inherit the earth" (right!) The crowds of poor who first heard those words knew with certainty that t his would not literally be the case\, but the irony of the phrase in that society could make people smile with hope and start taking a different v iew of their world and priorities. John Howard Yoder's ironic title\, The Upside-down Kingdom continues to captivate minds by its humorous concept \, for we might have otherwise assumed a title like that would make an ex cellent children's book. Humour\, at its best\, can be redemptive\, somet hing which grants us hope through a new perspective on life. This is some thing biblical authors appreciated and used with care and enormous effect iveness. [JEK] DTEND:20041003T110000 DTSTAMP:20041003T113050 DTSTART:20041003T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Redeeming Laughter UID:147 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/redeeming-laughter END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We celebrated Thanksgiving with a liturgical service created b y Evan and led by Henry Neufeld. DTEND:20041010T110000 DTSTAMP:20041010T113050 DTSTART:20041010T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgical Service UID:148 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/liturgical-service-20041010 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gordon Nickel (former missionary\, recently obtained the Ph.D. from Calgary in Islamic Studies) spoke about how Christians might best r elate to followers of Islam. Building on Acts 4:5-\, he emphasised three themes: love\, salvation and peace. We are commanded to love God (with al l our heart\, soul\, strength and mind)\, and to love our enemies. Christ ians believe that God’s love is unconditional\, whereas Gordon noted that Moslems believe that God’s love for people is strictly conditional. This is one unique and attractive way to differentiate the two spiritual trad itions. Although he said less about salvation in the Quran\, Christianity 's claim concerning salvation is exclusive\, one which is therefore less likely to lead quickly to open dialogue unless the Moslem is interested i n hearing our views. The third theme is peace\, not the world’s notion of peace\, but as Jesus said "My [kind of] peace". Ideally\, Christians use only peaceful means to achieve their desired ends\, not violence. Some M oslems\, as do some Christians\, emphasise specific passages depicting an d possibly even advocating violence even though other passages are availa ble to them. The New Testament\, on the other hand\, offers a more thorou ghly peaceful model than does the Quran\, though one certainly understand s why Moslems in the Near East would not be familiar with this side of Ch ristianity through western foreign policy from so-called Christian nation s. Gordon’s advice is that we bless the followers of Islam and not curse them. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. Sooner or later we will have significant contacts with people following the Isla mic faith. How will we represent our faith to these individuals? [JEK] DTEND:20041017T110000 DTSTAMP:20041017T113051 DTSTART:20041017T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christians and Muslims UID:149 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christians-and-muslims END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Willard Metzger (pastor at Drayton\, ON and Chair of the MC Ca nada Witness [missions]) spoke on "Authentic Worship is a life of joyful sacrifice and willing surrender." Willard wondered whether our contempora ry focus on 'self' tires us for authentic worship. With unending enthusia sm\, he waxed eloquent about a worship team which sang people to new heig hts\, moving them so that they wept\, shook with emotion\, and were moved to a new awareness of God. As we sweated\, wondering if this was Willard ’s recommendation for worship teams at PGIMF\, Willard revealed that this ideal worship team consisted of just two unamplified singers\, Paul and Silas (Acts 16)\, that their exuberant songs of praise were offered in sp ite of their being in a Roman prison\, even when their immediate future l ooking utterly bleak. That worship story reminds us that regardless of ou r most joyful or most hopeless situations\, we are called to worship\, au thentically\, acknowledging that God is all-powerful\, that we still sing to the best of our ability that God remains our God and that Jesus is ou r Lord and Saviour\, more than ever. Willard admitted being deeply concer ned about the state of missions in the Mennonite Church Canada\, but feel s that even while missionaries are being decommissioned because of drasti cally dwindling financial support\, while treasured church institutions a re threatened with extinction\, and while Christ's church is deeply divid ed on many issues\, we must still worship with all our strength\, heart\, soul and mind. Just as the 16th-c. martyrs sang while filling prisons\, and just as their families and friends sang songs of worship while loved ones walked to death before their very eyes (we sang "Faith of the martyr s")\, we too are called to worship. "Feeling good" is not a good measure of whether our worship is authentic\, nor does any single style of worshi p or singing have a monopoly on authentic worship. When we worship\, we n eed to be authentic to ourselves and to our God. Willard ended with the p rayer\, "May God be glorified in the singing of our songs." [JEK] DTEND:20041024T110000 DTSTAMP:20041024T113051 DTSTART:20041024T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Authentic Worship UID:150 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/authentic-worship END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:It's not often that Halloween and Reformation Sunday both fall on October 31\, the date Martin Luther nailed 95 theses on the door of t he Wittenberg cathedral. John Toews used St. Paul's comment about God usi ng the foolish to shame the wise and the weak to shame the strong to desc ribe Luther. A Benedictine parish priest and university teacher\, Luther was angry at Rome for selling indulgences to allegedly get the souls of t he departed out of purgatory when the real objective was to raise money t o build St. Peter's in Rome. Narrowly missed by a lightning strike\, Luth er felt a need to constantly confess in order to feel worthy before God. In reading the Psalms Luther finds a God who cares about suffering\, a Go d who cares about the human condition. Paul's letter to the Romans gave L uther problems: the word righteousness could mean "you have broken the la w" or "God suspends the sentence\; we have a gracious and friendly God." Luther\, a simple monk\, defied an emperor and criticized the papacy\; he was blunt\, courageous\, outspoken\, foolish and lacked a sense of diplo macy. Yet he brought a religious revolution to Europe. Luther believed Go d had chosen him for this task\; he freely surrendered to God and was joy fully daring. Luther brokered marriages between priests and nuns\, marrie d a former nun\, (Katherine) who was crucial to his success. She enabled him to write and preach. John described their relationship as a model for a pastoral family. Luther had health problems\, loved his beer\, and was often in danger: God uses the foolish and the weak. (HN) DTEND:20041031T110000 DTSTAMP:20041031T113051 DTSTART:20041031T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Martin Luther UID:151 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/martin-luther END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Remembrance Sunday was the fourth such service organized for P GIMF by Veronica Dyck on the theme of peace. Her beautiful booklet contai ned appropriate readings and prayers concerning peace\, and in place of t he sermon\, she read excerpts from various articles on the theme of Lent which were available through MCC. Beginning with Psalm 34\, which include s the phrase\, "O taste and see that the Lord is good"\, we were already starting our preparation for the Lord's supper (people came forward in sm all groups for communion). The booklet opened with a reading from Dorothe e Soelle articulating the gulf that separates the Pax Christi (the person al faith\, the peace of Christ and God within us and among believers) and the Pax Romana (the 'peace' imposed by armies by killing thousands\, the very sort of foreign policy towards religious activists which was respon sible for Christ's death). [JEK] DTEND:20041107T110000 DTSTAMP:20041107T113051 DTSTART:20041107T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgical Service UID:152 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/liturgical-service-20041107 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Phil Schafran (MCC-BC) used the parable of the Good Samaritan as a springboard for speaking about how MCC's project Faith Alive seeks t o help people distressed by HIV/AIDS in Nigeria. Following the example of the Good Samaritan\, we too should learn to focus on one life at a time\ , realizing that although the world's problems are overwhelming\, one ind ividual can make a world of difference even when working on a small scale . The lawyer questioning Jesus (Luke 10:25) expected to receive a very na rrow definition of neighbor\, but instead Jesus expanded it greatly\, ask ing the lawyer to learn to see someone of a different race or ethnicity a s his neighbor. Phil told of Ezekiel (Nigeria) who discovered he had HIV/ AIDS and went off by himself to die after realizing he had infected his w ife and two children\, each of whom died. Instead\, he was followed by a Samaritan among Nigerians and helped back to health by caring Christians\ , and he now helps others in distress. Being a neighbor is proof that God is among us. If we love\, and want to love Christ\, we help the neighbor . [JEK] DTEND:20041114T110000 DTSTAMP:20041114T113051 DTSTART:20041114T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Good Samaritan in Africa UID:153 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-good-samaritan-in-africa END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider led us through our annual Eternity Sunday litu rgical service to commemorate those who have gone before. It is thought t hat Anabaptist churches\, and even our whole Western world\, do not spend enough time in serious consideration of death\, but skip over death to w hat life may lie beyond. This service is our way of focussing on the mean ing of death for us and our loved ones\, to sharpen our appreciation of t he gift bestowed upon us\, our own lives. [AP] DTEND:20041121T110000 DTSTAMP:20041121T113051 DTSTART:20041121T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Eternity Sunday (2004) UID:154 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/liturgical-service-20041121 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Vange Thiessen began by narrating Mary’s Magnificat from Luke 1:26 - 56 that brought scripture home to the congregation in a very perso nal way. She then asked us\; does God speak to us? what messages do we he ar? and what is our response? Vange said the older we grow\, the more we lose our ability to see angels\, whether in the car with us\, or helping our family members and friends. Vange spoke of her dreams manifesting as answered prayer\, and other times as visitations by God to transmit knowl edge\, emphasizing that prayer is not about changing circumstances to wha t you want\, but rather about changing the person who is praying. The Bib le is full of mystical revelations attached to physical phenomena\, which our modern minds find hard to accept. All these things are a call to mov e from unconscious living in the darkness to mindful living in the light. Could we be missing visitations by God? We were invited to dialogue with each other on how have we been visited by God. The message Mary received from God was an invitation to turn her life upside down\, to break all t he rules\nof her society. She followed God’s instructions as required and changed the course of the world. Botticelli’s painting Cestello Annuncia tion was the backdrop for Vange’s question to us - what is our response? The detail of the painting begins to open us to the mystery and trusting nature of Mary’s deed - angel Gabriel at her feet yet not touching her as if he was not holy enough\, a castle and a half-constructed bridge on th e horizon to illustrate the work that she is about to undertake\, all emp hasize Mary’s words “Be it according to your will.” Let our actions be ac cording to God’s will too\, to be co-creators with God in His will for th e world. [AP] DTEND:20041128T110000 DTSTAMP:20041128T113051 DTSTART:20041128T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Called to be Co-creators UID:155 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/called-to-be-co-creators END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Lorne Epp (Executive Director of Social Housing) spoke on pove rty and homelessness in our province. He began by presenting a medallion commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Housing Society to Helmut Lemke in recognition of his many years of service to this organization (which was begun by MCC-BC). This Society provides housing to people by developi ng property\, building\, and then hiring administrators. All of this help s people with low incomes in B.C. They now have six locations with a tota l of 650 residents\, 120 of whom have chronic mental illness. We should n ot neglect marginalized people. The religious people of Jesus' time were certainly not looking for a homeless underemployed Messiah. Building on i deas in Matthew 25:31-\, we are warned that the defense\, "If only I had known" will not suffice\, and advised that if we help others\, it is as t hough we are helping Jesus himself. We are naturally held back by the fea r of becoming too heavily involved\, by thinking it is government's respo nsibility\, or by assuming that since these people made mistakes\, they n ow have to live with the consequences. Lorne suggested two alternative th oughts: (1) helping just one person is a start\, and (2) anybody might be only one serious life trauma and several pay cheques away from themselve s becoming a person in need. [JEK] DTEND:20041205T110000 DTSTAMP:20041205T113051 DTSTART:20041205T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Loving your Neighbour UID:156 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/loving-your-neighbour END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The congregation sang excerpts of Handel's Messiah. DTEND:20041212T110000 DTSTAMP:20041212T113051 DTSTART:20041212T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:157 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah-2004 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the Fourth Sunday of Advent\, Henry Hildebrand spoke of the concept of God being with us (Immanuel). Although we often ask that God "will be with" someone\, just what do we expect of God? In order to help us answer this question for ourselves\, Henry surveyed scriptures\, selec ting stories which spoke of God being with people. Enoch (Gen. 5.22) "wal ked with God". Elijah\, a "man of God" victoriously stood up against paga n worship\, and yet suffered severe self doubt and depression until being restored by God's presence (2 Kings 2.11)\, hearing the quiet voice. God 's presence in Noah's life (Gen. 6) meant that he was chosen for a very s pecial task. For Moses (Ex. 3)\, it meant facing monumental challenges an d a call to leadership (Deut. 34.10). Gideon was asked to go into battle in a very strange manner which ultimately enabled others to credit God wi th the victory. For Joshua (1.5-6). God's presence meant courage over fea r. David\, who knew the anguish of losing a child to death\, remorse over sin\, the rebellion of another son\, felt God's presence in forgiveness (Ps. 51) and in the face of death (Ps. 23). For Daniel it meant safety\, for Sarah\, Elizabeth and Hanna God's presence meant motherhood\, and for Peter's mother\, Immanuel meant healing. When Mary was told "The Lord is with you"\, history was changed. So what might it mean for us if we wish to have God go with us? It might well mean any of these things\, or stil l others\, for the gift of Immanuel's presence is not limited by either s tories or our imagination. [JEK] DTEND:20041219T110000 DTSTAMP:20041219T113051 DTSTART:20041219T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God with us UID:158 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-with-us END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of readings and singing was held on Boxing Day to ce lebrate Christmas. DTEND:20041226T110000 DTSTAMP:20041226T113051 DTSTART:20041226T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Favourite Christmas hymns UID:159 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/favourite-christmas-hymns-2004 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the first Sunday of 2005\, we welcomed another two of our f aithful attendees into formal membership. Henry Neufeld spoke on membersh ip\, noting that today's churches have all categories of people including regular members\, members who stop attending\, attendees who come faithf ully but never become members\, members/attendees who come once or twice a month\, etc. The epistle writers assumed that every Christian was an in tegral part of a fellowship\, regardless of life's other duties. Or as Pa ul put it in 1 Cor 12\, each of us is to be an integral part of the 'body of Christ'. Membership\, whether formal or informal\, makes us part of a community of faith. John Alexander went so far as to say that Christians are not called to any specific job\, only to be in the church. It was th erefore heart-warming to hear Hannelore Schowalter and Hildegard Lemke sp eak about their faith journeys\, telling of their faith and expressing gr atitude for PGIMF. Over coffee\, a number of people continued conversing about what PGIMF means to us individually and what formal membership mean s. Henry mentioned that several more people are interested in joining onc e schedules permit. As Hannelore commented\, one reason she decided to jo in is because someone asked (an act of courage that required but 12 years to accomplish). Perhaps we are so respectful of individualism that we ar e reluctant to put any pressure on anybody to join. But might our respect fulness ever be misinterpreted as simply a lack of interest or concern? I t certainly takes courage to suggest that someone consider joining--it ta kes even more courage to ask to join. [JEK] DTEND:20050102T110000 DTSTAMP:20050102T113051 DTSTART:20050102T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Membership Sunday UID:160 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/membership-sunday-2005 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Matthia Langone spoke on "Iconography and Prayer". A visit to Russian Orthodox sanctuaries in Moscow introduced Matthia to the world of icons\, transforming her Catholic thinking about art and worship. Upon h er return to Canada\, she studied how to interpret and paint icons. She r efers to icons as "the gospel in color and form"\, every line having a me aning. We can think of Jesus as an icon of God--an image (icon) revealing aspects of the reality of the incarnation of God. Icons are to show the transfigured state\, giving us role models. In order to paint an icon of Christ\, for example\, one has to stay within a carefully prescribed trad ition of forms and colors. All materials are natural\, the wood reminding us of the tree of life\, the linen of Christ's being clothed in linen\, the alabaster coating being a new surface just like we start afresh at ba ptism. She then took us through a replica of an icon\, helping us underst and its ideas and language. Just as one might come across a truly meaning ful word when reading scripture\, stop and meditate on it\, so too some b elievers stop when encountering scriptural ideas in an icon. Those visual ideas can also led one into new ways of praying and meditating. [JEK] DTEND:20050109T110000 DTSTAMP:20050109T113051 DTSTART:20050109T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Iconography and prayer UID:161 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/iconography-and-prayer END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gordon Matties (film buff and Professor Old Testament at CMU) spoke on "Living in the holy moment" by looking at several stories in Gen esis (28:10-22\, 32:22-32) telling of Jacob's life. Gordon decided that s ince many of his students paid more attention to films than books\, he wo uld explore films\, looking for moments in which stories were told which have Old Testament truths and themes. Our lives have isolated 'holy momen ts'\, and some great films can frame a few of life's holy moments\, playi ng them for us slowly\, possibly helping us understand our own holy momen ts. But should we attempt to understand all moments in life as being holy moments and start looking for God in them\, or is this best reserved for those rare times when we sleep with a stone pillow\, dream of staircases to heaven and wrestle with angels? If we ever recognized that we have ex perienced a holy moment\, can we\, like Jacob\, erect our stone pillows a s markers so that we can return and recall what the moments meant to us a nd how they transformed our thinking? Gordon's final challenge was that w e learn to worship the divine stranger who wrestles with us\, refusing to answer our questions (while we wrestle with life and even studies). We a re not unlike Jacob\, who received the promise\, sought direct answers fr om the promise giver but never received the answers\, and wrestled for th e rest of his life. [JEK] (Note: See also Gordon’s personal web page at h ttp://www.cmu.ca/faculty/gmatties/index.html ) DTEND:20050116T110000 DTSTAMP:20050116T113052 DTSTART:20050116T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Living in the Holy Moment UID:162 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/living-in-the-holy-moment END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jackie Bolen (student at Regent College and resident of our Ce ntre) spoke on topics raised in the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6.20-26). E ven when speaking largely to poor farmers and residents of small countrys ide villages\, Jesus spoke more often about problems related to wealth th an any other topic. If he warned these people repeatedly about the desire to be wealthy\, what would he have said to North America's consumers? Wh at does it mean\, "Woe to you who are rich\, for you already have your co nsolation"? How can we learn to divest ourselves of the desire to be rich \, especially as members of a culture which buys things we don't really n eed and then installs house alarms so that nobody takes these unneeded th ings from us? When hiking for four months\, Jackie suffered hunger and co ld and learned to turn inward. "Simplicity is as simple as seeking the Ki ngdom of God first\, until everything else seems to matter less and less. " [JEK] DTEND:20050123T110000 DTSTAMP:20050123T113052 DTSTART:20050123T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Internalizing Simplicity UID:163 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/internalizing-simplicity END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Barbara Nickel (former member of PGIMF and Abendmusik\, and au thor of books of poetry and children's stories) shared with us a few thin gs a poet notices in hymn texts. Poets are wordsmiths\, sometimes searchi ng for days for the right word. Recalling the story of Jesus silently wri ting in the sand while men were arguing about the woman caught in adulter y\, Barbara suggested that perhaps poetry is similar to that silent act o f Jesus writing. Although poetry may not present a solution to life's pro blems\, excellent poetry can hold in tension that which happens and that which we wish would happen. Barbara then looked at six hymns texts before we sang each. To cite but one\, we learned that Hymn No. 587\, "Come my way\, my truth\, my life" by George Herbert\, is one of many confessional poems\, that "my" reveals intimacy\, that we need to reflect on whose vo ice is being used in the poem (ours? Christ's?)\, that the punctuation sh ould be colons throughout (not the less powerful semicolons substituted i n our hymnal)\, that the initial colon in each line can be like a doorway and that the following word "such" opens the door. The poem has an amazi ng economy of words and wonderful symmetry\, and is filled with many meta phors for Christ. The poem can also be seen as one simple gesture\, "Come ". Listen with your hymnal at hand\, press pause and reflect\, before mov ing on. Barbara invites us to think in new ways about texts we sing now\, but were meant to be pondered. [JEK] DTEND:20050130T110000 DTSTAMP:20050130T113052 DTSTART:20050130T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Writing in the Sand: Poems of Faith UID:164 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/writing-in-the-sand-poems-of-faith END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Bernie Wiebe (Professor emeritus at Menno Simons College\, con flict resolution\, Chair of Mennonite Publishing Services\, etc.) spoke o n "God's imagination for peace in a violent world." He posed three questi ons. First\, can you imagine the greatness of God during your bleakest da y? Isaiah 40 was written during one of the most discouraging times in the history of Israel. The nation had just been plundered\, the royalty and merchant classes enslaved and the king blinded after watching his sons be assassinated. Isaiah\, however\, was able to imagine the greatness of Go d even then\, and wrote: "Have you [really] not heard\, have you not know n?" Second\, can you imagine the potential of faith? Saul experienced a c risis of faith which finally forced him to ask one of the most fundamenta l questions\, "Who are you\, Lord?" The answer to which he finally came t ransformed him so completely that he needed a new name (Paul). Third\, ca n you imagine God calling you by name? Society identifies us by numbers ( S.I.N.\, credit cards\, health care\, pension/employment IDs\, etc.) and less often by name\, giving us the sense that everything is impersonal. A ccording to the Psalms\, God names the stars\, which we have not yet been able to count\, and we believe that God has also named each of us. We ar e therefore real to God. Can we truly imagine this? [JEK] Ed note: A comm ent made during the response referred to a quote from Ephesians 3:20 “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine\, according to his power that is at work within us\, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations\, for ever and eve r! Amen.” DTEND:20050206T110000 DTSTAMP:20050206T113052 DTSTART:20050206T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God's Imagination for Peace in our Violent World UID:165 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/gods-imagination-for-peace-in-our-violent-wo rld END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We heralded the Lenten season with a liturgical worship servic e written and led by J. Evan Kreider\, with singing by Edwin Hintz. It wa s a reflective time\, with some of the best singing we have yet produced. You are encouraged to give up something you enjoy (opera? wine?) for Len t as a way of reflecting on the trials of our Saviour as he approached hi s imminent death in that first Easter season. DTEND:20050213T110000 DTSTAMP:20050213T113055 DTSTART:20050213T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Temptation of Christ UID:190 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-temptation-of-christ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We heard from Stanley Grenz Professor at Carey Theological Col lege and at Mars Hill Graduate School in Seattle. He pointed out that his wife’s mother was Mennonite\, so he could play the “Mennonite Game” too. This led to his topic “What Makes Christians Stick?” (Together - ed). Th e early church‘s diversity did not lead to divisiveness\, but rather toge therness. Paul wrote that this trait was borne out of love - not the roma ntic love\, but rather a sincere\, true regard for one another. Stanley f elt this was antithetical to the common trait of our “me” generation toda y. The historical church had an admonishing ministry back to back with a ministry of affirmation\, guiding us to be quick to assist\, slow to harm . “Correct your brother\, but gently\, so you yourself are not tempted.”( Gal. 5:15) Paul called us to transformation in our lives. Stanley asks us are we living that call? enthusiastic about the person sitting next to u s? Discussion period noted that “off-the-wall” singing appeared to be rep resentative of our generation - lyrics most often emphasize the personal experience\, rather than the corporate one. Our church noted its relative lack of ethnic diversity\, and that this was a common trait among ethnic churches. Stanley suggested that our church has diversity in generations \, and that we could build from there if we desired. How do we balance pr inciples of admonishment and affirmation without leading into homogeneity ? Stanley suggested the historical example of the early church. [AP] DTEND:20050220T110000 DTSTAMP:20050220T113052 DTSTART:20050220T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What Makes Christians Stick? UID:166 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-makes-christians-stick END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Residents of The Menno Simons Centre provided a wonderful wors hip service by leading our singing\, presenting both the children's story and a mimed drama\, leading our prayers and thinking. Grant Hill (second -year Regent student and member of Abendmusik) spoke on 1 Samuel 7:1-14\, an appropriate story for the time of Lent. Samuel called Israel to retur n to the Lord--and they actually responded\, on a national scale. Consequ ently\, they enjoyed victory over neighboring enemies without actually fi ghting. But this unusual act of repentance was unfortunately not an immed iate response to God. Instead\, it represented the culmination of decades of humiliations stemming from military loses\, the loss and desecration of the ark itself\, and even the death of 70 Jewish men when the ark was improperly treated upon being returned. Israel's response to Samuel's cal l might therefore largely be attributed to people simply being at their w its end\, for there seemed to be no other options left. We\, like that ge neration of Israelites\, need to discover that nobody can stand in the pr esence of the Lord\, and that our only hope is that the Lord will speak t o us and offer us mercy\, for even though our lives may not be as trouble d as theirs\, we have no option left. [JEK] DTEND:20050227T110000 DTSTAMP:20050227T113052 DTSTART:20050227T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Repentance - the last option UID:167 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/repentance-the-last-option END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Erica Thiessen (Chaplain at the Tabor Home in Abbotsford) spok e on "Welcoming the Darkness". Darkness is usually seen as being bad or e vil\, or on another level it may be the result of grieving\, fear or some thing painful. Psalm 139 declares that God is present even in Sheol (my p ersonal hell/darkness)\, to God\, darkness is as bright as the sun. After a life of trying to be achievers\, we fear failure and being exposed as being weak. Erica used to think that her times of darkness meant that she was not 'right with God'\, so she tried to make her life dark-free by wo rking with MCC or on the mission field or by going to seminary and then a monastery. But clinical depression finally forced her to recognize darkn ess as her 'dance partner' in life\, so she learned to explore it\, at ti mes experiencing nothingness\, and then slowly moving into light. In retr ospect she learned to see darkness as a gift\, as an opportunity to be re born\, much like a seed dies in the darkness of the earth before giving n ew life. [JEK] DTEND:20050306T110000 DTSTAMP:20050306T113052 DTSTART:20050306T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Journey into darkness UID:168 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/journey-into-darkness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Kliewer (Conference Minister\, MC-BC) spoke on Genesis 1 2.1-12 and John 3.1-21. He marvels that each day gives us new opportuniti es to experience God's grace in new ways. Abram (Genesis 12) was asked to take a risk by leaving family and creating a new community (much like so me of our ancestors have done). Nicodemus (John 3) was also asked to take a risk by traveling spiritually\, by joining a new community being forme d by Jesus. This new community was characterized by light (Nicodemus came by night\, possibly in the darkness of his soul and Jesus told him the n ew community was quite different)\, by knowledge (no one can see [light] the Kingdom without undergoing a rebirth or renewal)\, by faith (just as the Israelites were asked to look in faith towards the snake erected on a pole\, so the new community looks up at the cross in faith)\, by being b orn again by water and the spirit (being repeatedly renewed)\, and by lov e (the sort of love which brings one into rebirth or renewal). Henry note d that whenever Christ's new community is torn apart by divisions (homose xuality\, etc.)\, the community tends to hide its best features from othe rs. Perhaps when this happens\, Jesus is asking us\, like Nicodemus\, to rethink things and embark on a new journey into rebirth. Are we open to r enewal? Jesus never drew lines which excluded people\, but too many faith communities are now focusing on excluding certain believers. Henry asked whether we are willing to stay around the table\, talking with people ha ving points of view which differ from ours\, or do we feel that only we h ave the truth? Perhaps if we can stay together at the table long enough\, another way will be revealed to us and the community itself can be rebor n and renewed. [JEK] DTEND:20050313T110000 DTSTAMP:20050313T113052 DTSTART:20050313T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:New Territory: New Community UID:169 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/new-territory-new-community END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our service was crowned with Janet Boldt’s talk on Reconciliat ion: Mercy and truth have come together” sparked by Psalm 85:10\, includi ng a sensitive song written and played on the guitar by Janet’s husband E rnie Doerksen. Janet introduced the strength of relationships with a fabl e about boys instructed to break a bundle of sticks and unable\, and then instructed to break them individually and able. In the face of conflicti ng needs to\, on one hand\, be fully ones’ self\, and on the other to be in community (Jean Vanier)\, reconciliation means more than merely restru cturing power and resources. It means the changing of relationships. Four disciplines that reconciliation stand on (from Ron Kraybill) include ref lection\, to sit with the pain and discover our humanness\; truth-telling \, which at its highest level asks for forgiving without forgetting\; tra nscendence\, the possibility to imagine a world differently from our expe rience\, whether through someone or through Scripture\; and vulnerability \, the union of risk and trust. God adds his magic to reconciliation with the word “through”. This power in reconciliation is made available throu gh God\, not in spite of him\, and restores us. And we\, knowing the trut h about ourselves\, reach out to restore our neighbour. In war-torn count ries\, neighbours who no longer feel like neighbours need the power of re conciliation. An excellent question period spanned the gamut from family\ , to friends\, corporate relationships to international ones. [AP] DTEND:20050320T110000 DTSTAMP:20050320T113052 DTSTART:20050320T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reconciliation: mercy & truth have met together UID:170 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/reconciliation-mercy-truth-have-met-together END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service was held on Maundy Thursday. No bulletin is availabl e. DTEND:20050324T110000 DTSTAMP:20050324T200055 DTSTART:20050324T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Maundy Thursday Service UID:191 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/maundy-thursday-service END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service was held on Easter Sunday. No audio recording is ava ilable. DTEND:20050327T110000 DTSTAMP:20050327T113052 DTSTART:20050327T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter readings UID:171 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-readings-2005 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dan Unruh (Pastor at Frasierview MB Church) reflected on where he thinks the Anabaptist movement is today. He began by relating a serie s of stories (verbal slides) which portray differing situations he has ex perienced (an evangelist visiting his family\, uncles privately questioni ng him on his faith\, family devotions after a day of butchering a hog\, etc.) Can we distinguish our theology from our past experiences? He then reported on the recent history of the Fraserview MB Church\, its transfor mation from a traditional MB congregation into one which openly courts th e community's young people. This change coincided with an exodus of forme r members to the suburbs\, so "the church at the Fridge" increasingly cat ered to youth\,\nthrough music\, a "rowdy\, noisy" style of worship (stan ding on pews\, youth being somewhat scantily clad for church\, etc.)\, an d even a new style of leadership. These changes eventually created worshi p services which ministered inadequately to some of the older members (in cluding some of my friends)\, prompting them to leave with heavy hearts. Those who remained are nurtured mainly by Bible Studies and funerals. The morning's talk then moved quickly from topic to topic\, so readers are u rged to listen to the CD of this presentation\; I can only note a few iso lated points\, any one of which I would be willing to expand upon in pers on. Dan works about 20 hours per week outside the congregation [true also of the more traditional Langley Mennonite Fellowship]. How does one draw a line between faith and culture? We are called to end the era of indivi dualism and move towards being a community which is mutually responsible (his examples were fairly typical of one approaching trusted friends). Ou r highest authority is scripture\, interpreted by the community\, not by individual leaders. As people of peace\, we should commit to love and not let the violent people of the world set our agendas. His young people ar e searching for identity\, for a sense of belonging somewhere or to a gro up\, of wanting to be baptized just to belong but without worrying about faith just yet. Hopefully Dan's talk has stimulated discussion which will continue. [JEK] DTEND:20050403T110000 DTSTAMP:20050403T113052 DTSTART:20050403T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Leadership and the Anabaptists UID:172 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/leadership-and-the-anabaptists END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:David Brubacher\, an old friend to several in our congregation \, now serves as conference minister to MCEC. During his time in Israel r ecently\, he heard from Jews\, Muslims and Christians each desiring to se e the reign of our common God established. He spoke on conflicts - in Pal estine\, listening to stories of loss from Romi\, a Jewish Israeli and Ab dl\, an Palestinian Christian who\, despite their differences\, found the y shared a common bond - and in our Mennonite Church conference where som e are creating differences among Christians who should be pulling in the same direction. In the embrace of Romi and Abdl\, God’s desire for the wo rld is seen\, despite the 8m high wall. What is our response to differenc es here at home? David points to the John 10 text as a good example of pe ople missing the point. “Are you the Messiah?” the crowd asks. Jesus wond ers “Will they ever get the point? “ He did not fit their expectations si nce he came not as warrior-king\, but as shepherd\, and the people though t he just have a demon. How familiar that story sounds to individuals\, f amilies and communities. He came not to restore their fortunes along with those of the kingdom\, but to give a more valuable treasure - eternal li fe. The church must own its primary call to be a blessing\, just as God t old Abraham in Gen 10. John 10 concludes with the words that Jesus and th e Father are one. Therefore the church must also find expressions of unit y as it seeks to do His work. We must be a blessing especially to those w e might name as “other”. David asks you to pray about how is God calling you to be his partner in His work. [AP] DTEND:20050410T110000 DTSTAMP:20050410T113052 DTSTART:20050410T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Moving With God's Spirit UID:173 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/moving-with-gods-spirit END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke on one of the metaphors found in John 10: 7-10\, where Jesus says\, “I am the gate”. Since the King James Version t ranslates this as ‘door’\, Janice began by talking about Hilda Hildebrand ’s photographs of doors. Doors divide the world into that which is inside and outside. Although doors help to create safe inside areas for sheep\, they must be opened if sheep are to go outside and graze. After his cruc ifixion\, Jesus was not hindered by doors\, for he miraculously appeared to his followers hiding behind locked doors\, and on another occasion cha llenged his friends to leave the safety of their locked doors and go outs ide to spread the word. Janice pushed the metaphor further by suggesting that our desire to remain safely inside was illustrated by a story in Joh n 9\, in which the frightened parents of the healed blind man refused to say anything which would give religious leaders cause to expel them from the synagogue (be outside the safety of the synagogue’s theological doors ). But this story possibly points out that dangers are not only outside b ut may also lurk inside\, even behind closed theological doors. Jesus spo ke both of thieves (those doing inside jobs) and robbers (those threateni ng danger outside). Some commentators suggest that in his mind the thieve s possibly represented some of his contemporary religious authorities (in John 9\, frightened parents of the healed blind man refuse to say anythi ng which would give religious leaders cause to expel them from the synago gue) and the robbers possibly represented the charismatics\, zealots or o ther outside leaders tempting people to stray from Christ’s true religion . Jesus carefully noted that his sheep did not follow the ‘voices’ of eit her of these types of false religious leaders\, only his ‘voice’. In John ’s rich literary gospel account\, Jesus is not only the gate/door\, the w ay\, and the good shepherd\, but also the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. [JEK] DTEND:20050417T110000 DTSTAMP:20050417T113053 DTSTART:20050417T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:I am the Gate UID:174 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/i-am-the-gate END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our service took the form of a welcoming ceremony for the newe st members of our congregation - Kris and Kathryn Schmidt. Don Teichroeb spoke briefly on membership\, the Schmidts shared their spiritual journey with us in their own personal way Unfortunately due to oversight\, it wa s not recorded. DTEND:20050424T110000 DTSTAMP:20050424T113053 DTSTART:20050424T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Membership Sunday UID:175 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/membership-sunday-april-2005 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:David Leis (Canadian Mennonite University\, development etc.) spoke on "Living Stones". Archeological digs often uncover arrangements o f stones which give glimpses into the lives of ancient peoples\, for buil dings reflect something of the lives and thinking of the occupants. 1 Pet er 2.4-5 tells us that we are the church\, built together as "living ston es" and Paul adds (1 Cor. 3.16-17) that we are essentially forming a holy priesthood. As God's children forming spiritual communities\, we now hav e access to the God who used to be encountered primarily in the Holy of H olies. David reflected on Christ as the living cornerstone\, on stones ha ving strength (Christ having strength of character and purpose)\, and on "living" representing that which is warm and relational. In postmodern so ciety\, truth is sometimes defined by the surrounding culture\, and is th erefore relative. As members of our society\, we tend to tolerate multipl e belief systems. David's challenge to us was that through it all we need to retain not only our own spiritual identities as a holy priesthood but also our community of faith\, remembering that it is built of living sto nes\, and that as stones support each other in a structure\, so we need y o support each other. [JEK] DTEND:20050501T110000 DTSTAMP:20050501T113053 DTSTART:20050501T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Living Stones UID:176 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/living-stones END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:David Giesbrecht (formerly librarian at Columbia Bible College and Regent College\, and father of Karen\, who led the worship service) spoke on "The Church as Community". When Jesus needed a retreat\, he went to Caesarea Philippi\, a non-Jewish civic center in which Herod construc ted a great temple to Caesar and 14 temples to Baal. In this confused rel igious environment\, Jesus asked friends what people had been thinking ab out him. When Peter confessed that Jesus was the Messiah\, Jesus decided that his movement would not focus on building temples like those in Caesa rea Philippi\, but his church would be built on people like Peter (or bet ter\, on those who accepted his confession). Later the metaphor was devel oped further to say that the church is built of living stones. The eccles ia was an elected assembly in Athens which met about 30 times a year to c onsider how to help people. Early Christians used the word "ecclesia" for church\, but we seem to have moved away from the primacy of helping peop le. One might also look at the church as the Bride of Christ\, but whatev er\nour point of view\, we must remember that Christ (not we) is responsi ble for his church. Even though we do not own the church\, we should not give up on it when things go badly wrong. We should work so that the chur ch is the place where wholesome action is initiated. For example\, the wo rd "Shalom" appears about 250 times in Hebrew scripture. Practicing the t ype of peace explained in Luke 6.27-31 should be the goal of today's chur ch ("Love your enemies"). Christ's ideas were so radical that he was thro wn out of church. Today's Christians are actually more comfortable with t he thinking of those who expelled Jesus than they are with the more diffi cult teachings of Jesus. [JEK] DTEND:20050508T110000 DTSTAMP:20050508T113053 DTSTART:20050508T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Celebrating the Community of the Church UID:177 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/celebrating-the-community-of-the-church END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jake Buhler gave us a very personal slice of life in a country restricted from Christian practice. DTEND:20050515T110000 DTSTAMP:20050515T113053 DTSTART:20050515T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Touching the Enemy UID:178 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/touching-the-enemy END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan led us through four texts from the lectionary for Trinity Sunday. The thesis that the Bible is an anthology about God for serious students emphasizes that we are to worship the Creator\, not the creation \, as highlighted in Ge 1:1-5. Ps. 8 extends this view further\, and give s humans our place in between God and the “beasts of the field”. Mt 28 br ings out for the first time the Trinitarian message that Jesus is given d ominion over all humans\, Jew and gentile\, and the Spirit is given to us to form the necessary relationships that culminate in the last text from 2Cor13 known as “the grace” where we are called to be in/at peace with o ne another\, as family and more than friends. [AP] DTEND:20050522T110000 DTSTAMP:20050522T113053 DTSTART:20050522T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Call of the Trinity UID:179 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/call-of-the-trinity END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The church gathered in Mission\, BC. No bulletin is available. DTEND:20050529T110000 DTSTAMP:20050529T113053 DTSTART:20050529T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Church Retreat (2005) UID:180 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/church-retreat-2005 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jack Suderman (MC Canada Witness) and Janet Plenert (MC Canada International Development) gave us a representation of our faith family around the world. Their attempt to do so with integrity - not to maximize the dangers or glory in their work - truly honoured the achievements of the many mission workers the Mennonite Church has around the world. Madel eine and Andres Olivarez in Cuba have blossomed as lay leaders and pastor s respectively\, helping grow 8 churches into 25 in a few years in a coun try that until a short time ago\, was officially atheist. The power of th e church\, though challenging to the government\, has been successful in not undermining it to the point that the Cuban church through its governm ent felt comfortable offering its help in negotiations for the pastors he ld in North Korean jails. Even the tragedy of North Vietnam is hopeful - the church grows stronger here through its suffering - Pastor Quang\, a t rained lawyer\, has been encouraging the government of North Vietnam to l ive up to its constitution which forbids religious discrimination. Much o f the work done is “succor” work \, not denominational\, yet as Jack and Janet visited\, they were told “We have not forgotten what you have done for us” and the church grows. Mennonite churches are planted everywhere b y all countries - Brazilian church plants are in Asia and Albania\, India n church plants are in the Arab world and Africa. The Mennonite church\, formerly a 99% European/North American ethnic 100 years ago\, is now 61% African\, South American and Asian of no discernible commonality. Even in the hurt of Palestine\, where an Orthodox splinter group called for the destruction of the ecumenism and grace preached by the World Council of C hurches and MC Canada\, the work does not end. But the last image of a cr oss of countless pieces of olive wood pieced together into a 4-metre-high symbol of God’s grace to all nations was the most enduring symbol Jack a nd Janet left us. An excellent question period afterward detailed some of the achievements of the global church. [AP] DTEND:20050605T110000 DTSTAMP:20050605T113053 DTSTART:20050605T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mennonite Church Canada Witness UID:181 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mennonite-church-canada-witness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Pat Houmphan spoke on his family's mission work in Thailand. P at is the father of Philip\, one of our Centre's residents. He has comple ted work at ACTS and will shortly be returning to Thailand to work with t he Isaan people\, a considerable subgroup which has not yet been evangeli zed. He spoke on the parable of the sower (Mark 4)\, which describes what he faces as a missionary. In the story\, some seed fell on the path (4.3 -4)\; Pat finds that many people do not respond to friendship evangelism or do not accept Christianity because it is a western religion. Other see d fell on rocky ground\, where it did not have much soil\, it grew quickl y but then died (4:5-6)\; Pat knows of people who are interested in the C reation story telling of the Creator God\, they attend services for a few months and then give excuses and return to their Buddhist friends and wa ys\, there is no depth to their Christianity. Other seeds were choked by thorns (4:7)\; some new Christians quickly give in to materialism\, they prefer to to go the big city to get things than to learn about Christ. Bu t some seed fell on good soil and produced a great crop (4:8)\; Pat concl uded by telling of individuals who did convert fully and became excellent Christian workers. "We are the sowers and should expect similar response s to our work." [JEK] DTEND:20050612T110000 DTSTAMP:20050612T113054 DTSTART:20050612T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Parable of the Sower UID:182 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/parable-of-the-sower END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:In a Father’s day meditation last Sunday Evan Kreider reviewed the colourful story of Isaac\, his wife Rebekah\, and their twin sons\, Isaac (the eldest by a few minutes) and Jacob. This family had some dysfu nctional characteristics: sibling rivalry\, favouritism by each parent of one child\, mother- engineered deception\, lies\, and death threats. The re’s an agonizingly pathetic scene when Isaac and Easu realise they’ve be en tricked and Esau begs his father to “bless me too”. All of this result s in further relationship alienation and Jacob\, again with Rebekah’s aid \, flees for safety. Evan identified a number of issues from this account :\n• do families currently have a history of blessings\, if not\, are we missing something? Blessing might include parental approval\, a sense of ethics passed to children\, child rearing skills\, parental prayers (“ble ss those we love”) or trade skills.\n• families are full of imperfection\ ; but God can even use jerks.\n• some\, but not all\, fathers are godly b ut not at all times. If children were at peace with their parents we woul dn’t have such a booming counselling industry.\n• if people are thankful for their fathers\, we should be grateful\, though some have difficulty v erbalizing this love.\n• in some families life is difficult: being the hu sband of Rebekah\, or having a brother like Esau or Jacob is not easy.\n• some feel they’ve never met their fathers expectations (even after the f ather’s death) or never had the blessing they wanted – remember God is al so our father.\nIt’s rare that all children in a family feel they were tr eated equally. It’s important to remember that as God’s children we are a ll loved equally and unconditionally. (HN) DTEND:20050619T110000 DTSTAMP:20050619T113054 DTSTART:20050619T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The blessings of fathers UID:183 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-blessings-of-fathers END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:In a meditation on faith\, hope and trusting God\, Veronica Dy ck reviewed the account of two healings: the woman with a haemorrhage and Jarius’ 12 year old daughter. Both are touched and healed. One story is inserted in the midst of the other (Jaruis) story\; usually the middle st ory holds a truth to the outer story: Jesus calls Jarius to have the same faith as the healed woman. A request was made to print her Veronica’s co nclusion: “Faith can change despair to hope and healing. Faith and being saved are linked twice in our double story. In the case of Jairus’ daught er\, they are linked in the form of a promise: “Do not fear. Only believe and she will be saved.” In Jesus’ parting words to the woman\, having fa ith and being saved are linked as an accomplished fact\, which is express ed in a benediction. This is not faith as some magic formula. Whatever th e immediate needs and assumptions about Jesus’ power drew the characters to him\, faith draws them beyond that moment. A mood of mourning is trans formed into the occasion for celebration\, and threatening crowds become a people with an identity and a purpose. Where illness and death held swa y\, life is now experienced in all its abundance. Jesus may have done gre at things for us individually or privately\, but to show that we have rea lly been healed and freely empowered by God to live\, we need to come for ward and declare openly\, fearlessly\, that we have touched and been touc hed by Jesus. Going out like the disciples are commanded\, with power and authority to preach and to heal\, is the authentic way to declare that t he reign of God has come. For there can be no reign of God where people a re considered unclean in society through no sin of theirs\, or where no e fforts are made to enable them to live fully. The challenge is not to be satisfied simply with being healed\, but to join God’s disciples in being healers\, in proclaiming that the reign of God has come.” (HN) DTEND:20050626T110000 DTSTAMP:20050626T113054 DTSTART:20050626T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:An Interrupted Miracle UID:184 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/an-interrupted-miracle END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Margaret Carey spoke on her study of meaning and a search for values - religious\, personal\, humanistic and spiritual. One view of a “ Brownian motion society” of individualism and decay contrasts with a vibr ant\, multicultural perspective. If we fail to regard multiculturalism\, then we do not take Jesus dictum to ‘do unto others as you would have the m do unto you’ seriously. If one lives only upon one’s own instincts (as in Gladwell’s Bleak) then our conclusions\, and our lives\, will only be superficial. [AP] DTEND:20050703T110000 DTSTAMP:20050703T113054 DTSTART:20050703T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hearing the voice of God UID:185 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hearing-the-voice-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Daniel Kibarita\, a friend of Henry Neufeld’s and a youth empl oyment officer\, spoke on his experiences in organizing overseas medical care in his native country of Kenya. DTEND:20050710T110000 DTSTAMP:20050710T113054 DTSTART:20050710T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Kenya Health Project UID:186 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/kenya-health-project END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Vange Thiessen spoke about Jacob's Ladder and related stories of Israel. No bulletin is available. DTEND:20050717T110000 DTSTAMP:20050717T113054 DTSTART:20050717T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Disfunctional Biblical Families (Part 2) UID:187 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/disfunctional-biblical-families-part-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider spoke about Israel. No bulletin is available. DTEND:20050724T110000 DTSTAMP:20050724T113054 DTSTART:20050724T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Disfunctional Biblical Families (Part 3) UID:188 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/disfunctional-biblical-families-part-3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on Matthew 23. No bulletin is available. DTEND:20050731T110000 DTSTAMP:20050731T113056 DTSTART:20050731T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:When Love is Ungiven UID:200 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/when-love-is-ungiven END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jackie Bolen (Regent College and resident at the Menno Simons Centre) spoke on The Sovereignty of God in the Book of Daniel. We hear so much about wicked governments that we sometimes have to wonder where God is. Daniel (chapters 1-7) concludes that God is more powerful than any a nd all governments. Whether reflecting on his world's most powerful empir e or its strongest kings and politicians\, he always concluded that God r emained all-powerful. In chapter 7.4-8\, Daniel loosely identified four e mpires or kingdoms\, but which four? Over the centuries\, many possibilit ies have been raised but without agreement. Some postulate that one of th e empires exists now\, but what good would it have done Daniel's readers if the fourth and worst empire was not going to exist until several mille nnia after their lifetime? Perhaps the author was simply trying to assure readers that regardless of the kingdom under which they lived\, the Anci ent of Days/the Ancient One will ultimately triumph--God is sovereign. We may never rid the world of evil\, but in our lives\, "The Lord is a grea t God" above all else (Psalm 95)\, whether it be rulers or nature. Althou gh we continue to pray "Thy kingdom come" for the world around us\, only God can bring this to pass. We dare not trust either our own power\, our financial resources or our governments for making this happen. Jackie pow erfully invited us to reread the book of Daniel\, seeing God as being tru ly sovereign. [JEK]\n\nNo bulletin is available and no audio recording is available. DTEND:20050807T110000 DTSTAMP:20050807T113055 DTSTART:20050807T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Sovereignity of God UID:192 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-sovereignity-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld reflected on God's being present and leading. Th e book of Exodus tells of the Israelites being led by God day and night. Although there may be times in our lives when we have felt led\, we can l ikely relate more easily to Paul's notion of\, at best\, seeing through a glass darkly. Chances are that each of us has experienced God's leading\ , and yet we have also wished for that elusive 'pillar of fire' to be wit h us\, guide and bless us. More often we simply do not recognise that God is indeed present and offering guidance. For example\, the two men walki ng to Emmaus after Jesus died felt confused and lost\, not even being abl e to recognise Jesus until he "broke bread" with them. Although bread is hardly one of life's exotic elements\, Christ invited his pals to remembe r him every time they ate bread and sipped some wine. This challenges us to learn to remember Jesus and look for his presence in our ordinary acti ons. We may prefer the clarity of the Mount of Transfiguration\, but our ordinary things in life are far more likely to be blessed by God. As soon as Jesus vanished from the two men eating in Emmaus\, they were left wit h what they had before-bread\, wine\, friendship\, faith. But each of tho se\, and many others things\, can remind us of Christ's presence and life \, for he loved good food and wine\, spent entire days walking and talkin g with his friends and new acquaintances. He often managed to use times o f eating and chatting as opportunities to talk about the deeper issues of life\, society and even faith. At the conclusion of the meditation\, we were served communion by Henry and Hilda Hildebrand. [JEK] DTEND:20050814T110000 DTSTAMP:20050814T113055 DTSTART:20050814T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The leading of God UID:193 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-leading-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Mark Northey used four texts from Exodus to highlight the stag es the Jews went through as they lived out their isolation prior to enter ing and possessing the land of Israel. In the first - Oppression (Ex 1: 8 -11) their struggle to meet daily needs led inexorably to the second - De liverance (Ex 2: 23-25) where their reward\, despite their faithlessness was to come closer to God. In the third stage\, Celebration (Ex 15: 1-3) and the fourth\, Wilderness (Ex 16: 1-3) we see the Jews’ struggle to mas ter their own desires and follow God’s. His frankness allowed us into his life to see struggles we only had hints of in the years he has attended and served at PGIMF. We heard of the oppression he felt while in his inti mate relationship\, the deliverance of its breakup\, and the celebration and wilderness that occurred as he alternately sought and rejected God. W e were well rewarded for our attention. His talk this week is an extensio n of this last. [AP] DTEND:20050821T110000 DTSTAMP:20050821T113055 DTSTART:20050821T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Living my Life UID:194 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/living-my-life END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Mark Northey gave a second talk last Sunday on "Living the Doc trines". After sharing some more about ways in which his views towards fa ith have evolved\, Mark took us back in time by focusing on the Nicene-Co nstantinopolitan Creed (printed in last week's bulletin). By reciting thi s or any other creed\, we all confess the same convictions rather than at tempting to express our faiths in our own individual ways. The formulaic creeds developed by compromise and at times enforced by political might d uring and following the conclusion of the Roman Empire give us an interes ting glimpse into their view of the universe\, the end of time\, the natu re of God and our relationship to all of the above. They also stress cert ain unusual and therefore debated aspects of Christ's life\, but never as k us to embrace his teachings or discuss how Christians ought to live. In stead\, these creeds focus quite specifically on issues which divided Chr istians more than 1\,500 years ago. By reciting such creeds frequently ov er the ensuing centuries\, many of the creeds' issues have been put to re st\, or have they? Mark then invited us to consider each phrase of the Ni cene-Constantinopolitan Creed\, giving a brief background for the thinkin g of the time. In our inimitable PGIMF fashion\, we then freely shared ou r more-or-less informed views and vague recollections of church history\, enthusiastically discussing why creeds might/might not be important to o ur spiritual tradition\, whether and how we can embrace creeds either pri vately or in worship\, what portions of the creed we find most difficult to believe\, how faith assists as we confront difficulties in believing a ncient yet post-apostolic theological thinking\, and whether we even both er to reflect on some of the creedal statements any more\, particularly w hen they seem far removed from daily life in Vancouver. [JEK] DTEND:20050828T110000 DTSTAMP:20050828T113055 DTSTART:20050828T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Living the Doctrines UID:195 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/living-the-doctrines END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on Ezekiel 33:7-11. DTEND:20050904T110000 DTSTAMP:20050904T113055 DTSTART:20050904T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Watchman UID:196 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-watchman END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider welcomed the students back to Menno Simons Centre with a message - four passages from the lectionary highlighting the them e of forgiveness. The first\, from Gen 50 shows Joseph’s brothers asking for forgiveness from Joseph\, in a reversal of power. Through tears\, for giveness opened hearts to restitution\, an essential element of forgivene ss\, on the way to reconciliation. Psalm 103 emphasizes God’s response to mercy is forgiveness. Romans 14\, through the topic of eating meat offer ed to idols\, asks us not to judge others. Issues today are not so much a bout what we eat\, but about how we live - enslaved to our opinions about homosexuality or materialism. Matt 18 re-emphasizes that God will treat us the way we treat others. In the call not to judge others\, we are espe cially challenged here at PGIMF. As a university congregation (of little bunnies?)\, we are aware that teaching is not about answers\, but about a sking the right questions\, ones that may not develop an answer for month s. We try to grapple with difficult issues\, rather than filling in the b oxes on a Sunday School quiz. Some of our questions include: does God rea lly forgive me the way I forgive others? If that’s true\, aren’t we all i n trouble? Who have I not forgiven\, and why? Who have I said I’ve forgiv en\, but have not meant it? Can forgiveness be premature? If an adulterer has erred once\, the sin can be forgiven\; but if 77 times\, is the prob lem not adultery but dishonour\, and unworthy of forgiveness? Can forgive ness be too cheaply earned? God grant us the grace to find the answers th at grow us. [AP]\n\nNo bulletin is available. DTEND:20050911T110000 DTSTAMP:20050911T113055 DTSTART:20050911T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Forgiveness UID:197 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/forgiveness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Steve Thiessen\, after bringing greetings from Vange who is te aching in Nairobi\, spoke on the theme of the community being a context f or growth. Each of us is a member of different communities\, such as chur ch\, family\, colleagues\, neighbours\, or small group. Since antiquity\, people have experienced the need to belong to groups. Hos.2:23 built on this premise\, "You are my people . . .You are my God." Steve illustrated ways in which his colleagues have encouraged a sense of community when w orking with disturbed people -- encouraging them through love\, gentle te aching and a sense of belonging. When we think of belonging\, we tend to think of people with whom we share common financial and social status and similar ideas. Jesus suggested that our little communities should be les s exclusive. Paul (Gal. 6:2) asks that they be based on love\, forgivenes s and serving. Community should never take precedence over the individual . Acts 4 describes community growing through cooperation rather than simp ly following a single leader. Finally\, community should be a group in wh ich\nwe can reveal our woundedness and begin to heal. [JEK] DTEND:20050918T110000 DTSTAMP:20050918T113056 DTSTART:20050918T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Belonging: a Context for Growth UID:198 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/belonging-a-context-for-growth END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gay Lynn Voth (instructor of theology and ethics at Columbia B ible College) spoke on "Binding and Loosing\; does it have to be Menno's Way?" Matthew 18\, read through the glasses of his era\, encouraged Menno Simons and others to teach that if you offend the standards of the commu nity of faith and did not repent\, you should be exiled from the communit y. This practice of the ban was applied at various times by communities i nfluenced by particularly strict leaders. Mennonites and Amish sometimes felt that even if familial relationships were ruined by the ban\, the pra ctice was essential because it was biblical. More recently\, people have been thinking about forgiveness\, how it needs to be not only an emotiona l but also a rational response. Gay Lynn suggested that we might imagine that we are children so that we can reflect on how someone who is powerle ss is vulnerable when forgiveness is needed (rather than harsh punishment ). Church discipline (Matthew) is best when it is not legalistic or when the community is able to look beyond their reactions to a particular acti on or point of view (which some individuals might think requires binding) and reflect thoughtfully on possible motives or reasons. Both courts and congregations are good at binding but far less accomplished on releasing . Rather than being institutions enforcing rules\, our churches should be sanctuaries in which forms of loosing can take place\, in which the very people some Christians wish to bind (punish\, exile\, discipline) can fi nd healing through understanding and love. [JEK] DTEND:20050925T110000 DTSTAMP:20050925T113056 DTSTART:20050925T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Binding\, Loosing and Forgiveness UID:199 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/binding-loosing-and-forgiveness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dorothy L. Sayers informed Janet’s talk today on What think yo u of Christ? Reflections from Dorothy L. Sayers. A woman who held herself apart from society’s expectations of the time\, part of the first class of women ever granted degrees from Oxford in the early 1900s\, contempora ry of Tolkein\, C.S. Lewis & Clarence Williams\, she was known for her co ntroversial radio play series The man born to be king aired first on BBC. She wrestled with how to present God as God\, and as human\, a person\, in contrast with her East Anglian upbringing. She strove to present the i nner workings of Christ’s life as a thing that actually happened - not li turgically or symbolically\, but in reality. She worked hard to present t his passion as reality\, to demonstrate the full humanity of our Lord. Th e Man Born to be King caused controversy\, and despite the Lord Chamberla in’s edict against her work\, the radio production was the most-listened to broadcast the BBC had ever had. Scenes feature Jesus catching up on ne ws and events with people and children\, easy-going\, witty\, sharp\, gri m\, aloof\, sad and determined by turns. He was unconcerned with male dig nity when around women. “God was executed by people of a society painfull y like our own... in a bloody\, dusty\, sweaty and sordid business. Yet G od bore this too...” quotes Janet. Accused of importing all sorts of figm ents into her drama\, she responded that nothing so exposes inconsistenci es in theology as to submit it to the stage for performance. Sayers never wavered on the divine nature of God and Jesus in her work\, which touche d believers and others alike with their fervour. [AP] DTEND:20051002T110000 DTSTAMP:20051002T113056 DTSTART:20051002T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What do you think of Christ? UID:201 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-do-you-think-of-christ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We held our Thanksgiving liturgical service\, led by Ann Marie Neudorf and written by J. Evan Kreider\, with music chosen by Eric Hanna n and accompanied by Ruth Enns.\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20051009T110000 DTSTAMP:20051009T113059 DTSTART:20051009T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgical service UID:202 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thanksgiving-liturgical-2005 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Russ Swam (M.Div. student at Regent College) spoke on themes f eatured in Acts 20. Christians in Ephesus had grown and developed in the new faith under the direct supervision of Paul. However\, while on his fo urth (and ultimately final) missionary journey\, he became determined to return to Jerusalem to settle some issues\, in spite of sensing that this might prove personally disastrous. The final 18 verses of Acts 20 give u s Paul's farewell message to his friends in Ephesus. Some suggest that th ese are among the most important verses in the New Testament. Paul asks t hat his friends honour him by remembering how he lived among them and by remembering how he lived his faith. He urged them to feel that they too a re "called"\, and that is was now their responsibility to look after thei r little fellowship's spiritual health\, following their instincts rather than the teachings of outsiders whose ideas conflicted with those taught by Paul. Like the Ephesians\, we too can respond to our calling to live our faith\, possibly through such things as hospitality and acts of chari ty. Russ also indicated that we can guard our little fellowship against m odern heresies\, such as the health-and-wealth gospel some advocate. [JEK ] DTEND:20051016T110000 DTSTAMP:20051016T113059 DTSTART:20051016T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Paul calls the Ephesians UID:203 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/paul-calls-the-ephesians END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Bob Swan (Minister at First Baptist\, Vancouver\, active in th eir programme providing shelter on Tuesdays) spoke on "Having your story heard\, and hearing their stories". The brief and only story about Zaccha eus is fascinating. Even though Jesus was very busy\, having just entered Jericho\, he stopped everything so that he could hear Zacchaeus' story. In spite of his enormous wealth\, nobody in Jericho respected short Zacch aeus enough to make way to let him even catch a glimpse of Jesus\, so he set aside his usual dignity\, gathered up his robes\, and climbed a tree\ , undoubtedly to great ridicule. However\, when Jesus stopped to talk\, a nd then to visit at length\, Jesus heard his story and both of them deter mined that Zacchaeus was addicted to\nmoney. Realizing that his pursuit o f money had cost him everything else\, he rashly vowed to make total rest itution\, which likely meant his financial ruin and loss of work. Whether he actually reformed is not reported\, but none of this would have happe ned had Jesus ignored this bizarre person on the street. Bob then talked about street people in Vancouver\, about our overwhelming instincts eithe r to ignore them\, be rude to them\, or buy their silence with a few coin s. Taking the time to hear their stories seems to be out of the question. Isaiah 58 addressed this age-old situation by saying that we are called to a fast which involves helping others\, and that if we help others\, Go d will help us. Bob emphasized that the homeless need to have someone wal k with them\, trust them (even if it is risky)\, and believe in them desp ite their horrendous problems. The "climb out of the street" is a journey which can take five years and involve considerable slippage\, but each o f us is within a hair's breadth of the street\, for a sudden serious chan ge in health or a sudden permanent loss of work can force fully respectab le people out of their comfortable homes. Bob concluded by urging us to b e like Jesus\, look out for Zacchaeus\, then listen to his story. [JEK] DTEND:20051023T110000 DTSTAMP:20051023T113059 DTSTART:20051023T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:People I know UID:204 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/people-i-know END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ken Friesen spoke on the lectionary readings for the previous week\, readings which touch on his profession as a lawyer. Leviticus 19:1 -2\, 15-18 asks Israel to be holy (to be just to everyone\, to be imparti al\, to treat foreigners in their midst as neighbours). True justice requ ires an even hand at all times\, judgments being debated and made without anger\, "do not rebuke your neighbour or you will incur guilt yourself". Pope John Paul II was once criticized for publicly rebuking a Jesuit pri est whose Liberation Theology he feared\, even though some argued it is b iblically based. Reproving is in fact a very tricky business because some times you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. For example\, how can an organization like MCC address Israel's policies? In Matthew 22\, we see that justice\, mercy and faithfulness grow out of loving God and o ur neighbour. We are not to dehumanize others\, nor find ways to pervert the law (as the U.S. did after 9-11 when seeking to make torture legal). In Canada\, some lawyers are tempted to exchange barbs and play with the truth\, while Christian lawyers hope to practice their profession and cra ft according to both their faith and the law. The best practitioners are concerned about the integrity of the process\, not simply the desired out come. [JEK] DTEND:20051030T110000 DTSTAMP:20051030T113000 DTSTART:20051030T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Law Fulfilled UID:205 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-law-fulfilled END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Isaac Gilman spoke on "God the Anchor" based on Luke 6:47-49. DTEND:20051106T110000 DTSTAMP:20051106T113000 DTSTART:20051106T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God the Anchor UID:206 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-the-anchor END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On November 13th\, Peace Sunday\, Laura Loewen (Director of MC C-BC) spoke on Ephesians 2:11-22. Israel now has a dividing wall of about 720 kms separating farmers from their rich fields and wells. That wall r ecalls the former Berlin wall and the so-called 'Homeland'\, walls intend ing to keep some people in\, but more importantly they are built to keep out people who are different than we. Ephesians talks about invisible wal ls which were very real indeed\, attitudes which separated Jews from non- Jews. Paul portrayed Jesus as a bridge builder\, as someone who tried to help people affected by walls. Taking that as a model\, MCC is presently pondering how to build bridges between Christianity and other faiths. In the context of Peace Sunday\, Laura reminded us that peace making needs t o be part of our daily lives. If we cannot help solve the smaller persona l conflicts in our lives\, how can we ever dream of the world itself beco ming peaceful? She then told stories of individuals quietly working local ly at making peace with people who were in conflict with them. There are many paths which can lead to peace\, paths as seemingly simple (yet very difficult) as playing together\, forgiving\, letting hurts go without bei ng avenged\, and praying for those to whom we ought to be building bridge s. [JEK]\n\nNo bulletin is available. DTEND:20051113T110000 DTSTAMP:20051113T113000 DTSTART:20051113T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Walls or Bridges? UID:207 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/walls-or-bridges END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our eternity Sunday service was led by J. Evan Kreider as we r emembered all the saints who had gone before us. With a selection of read ings and prayers\, and with songs by Eric Hannan we remembered our own\, Verna Reesor\, Bill Riediger and Bert McGee\, as well as friends and rela tives of those at PGIMF. The promise God gives to all who believe in his power to save was outlined in a reflection by Alexander Schmemann\, an Am erican Orthodox bishop who passed away in 1983. His scorn of the secular views of life and death contrasted with Christian view\, encouraging us n ot to be reconciled to death\, but to stand revealed of the Truth of its awfulness\, that we may be encouraged to be saved by this Truth. This awf ulness of death\, when truly\, viscerally experienced\, is the greatest g oad to trusting in Christ - Schmemann speaks of the “the great joy that t he disciples felt when they saw the risen Christ” for then they knew how truly this awfulness had been abolished\, and with it\, the promise of re mission of sins and new life was fulfilled in Truth\, before their very e yes. It was no longer a wishful hope\, but a reality\, as it should be fo r us today. The words of Edna St. Vincent Millay hold the greatest inspir ation for us “I am not resigned...down\, down\, down into darkness of the grave...”if we can but see as the disciples did\, and know as they knew\ , that death\, for once\, had been truly conquered. [AP] DTEND:20051120T110000 DTSTAMP:20051120T113000 DTSTART:20051120T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgical Service UID:208 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/eternity-sunday-2005 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We held our traditional First Advent liturgical service featur ing readings and prayers selected by Veronica Dyck\, with singing from th e sextet and the congregation\, and special music from Ernie Doerksen and Cynthia Friesen. DTEND:20051127T110000 DTSTAMP:20051127T113000 DTSTART:20051127T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgical service UID:209 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/first-advent-2005 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Thiessen spoke on Isaiah 40\, "Comfort for God's people". Some think that Isaiah\, the 'prince of the prophets'\, possibly wrote b oth books (Is. 1-39 and 40-end) during Israel's stormy decline\, even for etelling its eventual demise (in 586 B.C.) In Book 1\, God is portrayed a s punishing Israel\, but Book 2 opens with words of comfort and the promi se of redemption. Repentance prepares the way for the coming of the kingd om. God is likened to a shepherd caring for his flock (verse 11). Our wor ld desperately needs comfort in the face such things as hurricanes\, rand om shootings\, kidnappings\, war\, AIDS\, the disintegration of family st ructures. The essence of comfort is to console\, to help others be less u nhappy. We sometimes offer the greatest comfort simply by listening to ot hers\, by being with them\, hearing their entire story (rather than cutti ng them off). We may not solve their problems\, but listening offers cruc ial support and can provide at least some level of comfort. Discussion no ted that God's comfort may not include the answer we want\, but it may al so eventually include the sense of peace we truly need. [JEK]\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20051204T110000 DTSTAMP:20051204T113000 DTSTART:20051204T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Comfort for God's People UID:210 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/comfort-for-gods-people END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The congregation sang excerpts of Handel's Messiah.\n\nNo audi o recording is available. DTEND:20051211T110000 DTSTAMP:20051211T113000 DTSTART:20051211T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:211 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah-2005 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our service featured well-loved songs and carols of Christmas led by Ann Marie Neudorf\, accompanied by Ruth Enns on the piano. DTEND:20051218T110000 DTSTAMP:20051218T113000 DTSTART:20051218T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Songs for Christmas UID:212 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/songs-for-christmas-2005 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:No service was held on Christmas Day. DTEND:20051225T110000 DTSTAMP:20051225T113000 DTSTART:20051225T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:No service today UID:213 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christmas-day-2005 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On New Year's Sunday\, Henry Neufeld introduced a beautiful pr ayer (in last Sunday's bulletin) written by Archbishop Oscar Romero. This churchman worked on stopping the cruel civil war in El Salvador\, was ch eered by soldiers when saying they did not have to follow unjust order to kill peasants\, he plead with the USA to stop sending military aid to hi s country\, and offered his Christian people hope through his weekly radi o broadcasts. He was assassinated in 1985. After providing us the histori cal background for the prayer\, Henry had us read it silently and comment on ideas that caught our attention. Many people contributed insightful a nd helpful observations. Afterwards\, Helmut and Hildegard Lemke led us i n communion\, giving a brief meditation on the elements. [JEK] DTEND:20060101T110000 DTSTAMP:20060101T113054 DTSTART:20060101T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thoughts for the New Year UID:189 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thoughts-for-the-new-year END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Derek C. Carr (UBC Hispanic Studies and member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help) spoke on inner joy. As one of the regular readers in his church one block from ours\, he notes that when he looks out at some of the laity\, he is astonished to see them "looking like suffering saint s in bad religious art". Why this appearance of inner misery\, particular ly during the season of Christmastide? Is this what all established relig ious movements succumb to eventually? The exuberance of the early church gave way to their focusing on death\, Aryans (heretics worse even than An abaptists) argued that the flesh is evil and that only the spirit is to b e cultivated. This interest in dualism persisted into the middle ages\, a nd since believers heard only passages from the Old Testament which foret old ideas of the New Testament\, they were unaware of the many exhortatio ns in scripture to be joyful or of the expressions of untold joy in those ancient stories. We sang a poetic version of Psalm 100 (No. 42) which ha s the line "Him serve with mirth\, his praise forth tell". Derek argued t hat we are "resurrection people" far more than we are "Good Friday people ". The Russian word for Sunday (not just Easter Sunday) is related to the word for resurrection. Every Sunday should be filled with the joy of the  resurrection\, and every day should come to be seen as "the day the Lord has made\, let us rejoice and be glad in it." [JEK] DTEND:20060108T110000 DTSTAMP:20060108T113001 DTSTART:20060108T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Inner Joy UID:214 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/inner-joy END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Mark Northey spoke on "The power of God to change lives". In t he day's lectionary readings\, we were reminded that God has both created us\, knows everything about us\, and will never be separated from us (Ps alm 139). We were also reminded that God has directly asked certain indiv iduals to be open to having their lives change profoundly (God's call to Samuel and Christ's call to Nathaniel)\, and that each of us is called to be set aside from the world (1 Cor. 6:12-20). This God who calls us is t he same God which breathed a word and created the universe\, the same God who breathed "the Word" and it became flesh. Inviting us to meditate bri efly on who God truly is\, Mark unveiled a number of icons and crosses wh ile having us listen to recorded singing (including the beatitudes). He t hen continued his meditation by focusing on the cross. "It is only in the cross that our God is revealed." The cross became for us the Tree of Lif e. Our calling is to partake of the fruit of the tree of life (Christ) an d live\, but before we truly live\, we must first die to ourselves and le arn to live for others. "We may only live if we die." [JEK] DTEND:20060115T110000 DTSTAMP:20060115T113001 DTSTART:20060115T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Power of God to Change Lives UID:215 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-power-of-god-to-change-lives END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Arlyn Friesen Epp (Resource Manager for MC Canada) told storie s of how people encounter God. He told of his wretched camping trip featu ring endless days of rain\, thirsty mosquitoes\, wet sleeping bags and mu d. The place was obviously God-forsaken. But when the rain briefly paused \, Arlyn went canoeing on an isolated lake and was suddenly surrounded by a herd of moose swimming powerfully. At a time when God was the farthest thought from his mind\, and when fear would have been a natural instinct \, Arlyn instead felt that he encountered God through the beauty of creat ion. He then told the story (Mark 8:22-) of the blind man being brought t o Jesus and quite unexpectedly being healed. Although the unnamed blind m an had certainly not expected to encounter God that day\, he did. Other s uch stories reminded us that if we are to encounter God in life\, we need to have patience and we need to trust that we will in fact experience Go d. Do we expect to encounter God this week? [JEK] DTEND:20060122T110000 DTSTAMP:20060122T113001 DTSTART:20060122T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Eyes of Faith UID:216 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/eyes-of-faith END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. John Neufeld (former pastor of First Mennonite Church in W innipeg and President of CMBC) spoke on difficulties we encounter when at tempting to understand the Bible. John reminded us that the Church predat ed the New Testament (even predated house groups informally circulating P aul's letters) and Judaism predated the earliest manuscripts for any of t he books now included in the Old Testament. For considerable periods of t ime\, believers had to keep their faith alive in the absence of the writt en words of guidance. But as the centuries passed\, individuals set their thinking in writing\, producing all types of literature: poetry\, histor y\, letters\, prayers\, proverbs\, parables\, and rules. Eventually\, bel ievers sensed that some of these were more helpful than others\, and late r still\, church leaders arbitrarily determined which writings were sanct ioned and which were excluded. In order to understand this rich variety o f information\, one is helped by remembering the type of literature it re presents (do not look for historical fact in parables\, or for codified r ules of behaviour in prayers). The Bible has been created\, bit by bit\, by believers in Judaism and the early Christian church\, each portion of text being preserved for a specific purpose. Revelation\, which was likel y written as encouragement to the young but heavily persecuted Church\, h as many poetic concepts which transcend both cultural differences and the passing of time\, and still offer encouragement to our generation. Nobod y ever reads the Bible without our own layers of interpretation conceived from our personal heritage and experiences\, but when we study the Bible collectively\, we can often come to a more balanced understanding. The E thiopian (Acts 8) did not understand Isaiah on his own\, and we likely ge t a better understanding when working on passages together. This was a he lpful talk\, at a time when Bible literacy is in decline. [JEK] DTEND:20060129T110000 DTSTAMP:20060129T113001 DTSTART:20060129T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Do You Understand What You're Reading? UID:217 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/do-you-understand-what-youre-reading END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jackie Bolen spoke on The Emptied Christ. As the early church sang in its hymn (Phi. 2:1-11)\, Jesus "emptied himself" of all divine ri ghts and privileges. Are our lives ever emptied in the same way\, includi ng the death of our pride and selfish desires. Jesus became emptied of hi s self\, his divinity\, as an expression of God's love for humanity. This emptied Jesus loved humanity\, died for humanity\, but do we "die to our selves" in the same way? One expression of our becoming emptied is that w e have humility\, not a false humility but one which enables us to see ou rselves as others see us and to put others first. During discussion it wa s suggested that emptying of ourselves can involve letting go of our ange r and despair so that we can turn our attention away from ourselves and t owards other people. [JEK] DTEND:20060205T110000 DTSTAMP:20060205T113001 DTSTART:20060205T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Emptied Christ UID:218 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-emptied-christ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke on "A time to speak and a time to stay si lent". In 2 Kings 5\, a young Jewish slave girl suggests that Naaman's sk in disease could be healed by the prophet in Israel. In spite of her low estate (female\, youth\, a foreigner and slave)\, her speaking out transf ormed someone's life. After being healed\, and Naaman has declares that h e will no longer worship any God but Yahweh\, he asked Elisha what to do when he is forced to enter the temple of Rimmon with his king and bow bef ore the idol. Elisha\, possibly sensing that no single answer can address all situations\, wisely remains silent\, telling him only to 'go in peac e'. In Mark 1:40\, Jesus heals a leper\, but then instructs him not to te ll anyone. This strange request seems to go against other injunctions to spread the Good News\, tell all people\, etc. It is possible that Jesus r ealized the former leper would need to reevaluate his new life before rus hing to become a sort of celebrity. Some scholars also think that the ins tructions to be silent in Mark 1-7 were Jesus' way to indicate to the mas ses that he had no political ambitions. But by Mark 8 Jesus is ready to b ecome more explicit and tells people what kind of death he will undergo. We also recall that although Jesus answered dozens of difficult questions (a time to speak)\, he remained silent before Pilate (again\, no answer would have changed anything). One desert father advised that we not speak unless our words can improve upon someone's silence. [JEK]\n\nNo audio r ecording is available. DTEND:20060212T110000 DTSTAMP:20060212T113001 DTSTART:20060212T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Time to Speak\, and a Time to be Silent UID:219 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-time-to-speak-and-a-time-to-be-silent END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Helmut Harder pointed out that Paul's letter to the Ephesians would have circulated among the early churches. Paul calls individual bel ievers and congregations to be true to their calling: with gentleness and patience make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit. Helmut r epresented Mennonite World Conference at a number of ecumenical meetings in recent years. In one week long meeting 20 diverse people worked togeth er on 16th century martyrs. Helmut defined a martyr as one who is a faith ful witness till the end of life. Roman Catholics apologized for how they treated Menno Simons. Helmut observed that while Mennonites are action o riented\, Catholics focus on spirituality. The Mennonites asked the Catho lics: What do you want from us? They were told: "We want to know what a p eace church is." When Mennonites were asked what they wanted from Catholi cs\, they said: "We're a divisive group\, we want to know your view of co mmunity." Helmut believes oneness of the Spirit\, cooperation\, sharing\, and respect must happen at a local level. We need to hear what the Spiri t says to us through other churches. Helmut suggested intentional dialogu e at the grass roots level along with mutual exploration of 1 Cor. 3:11: "For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid\, whic h is Jesus Christ"\, and we should state clearly that non- violence is an essential part of the gospel. One ecumenical group said: "We lament that we are divided and that our divisions too often result in distrust\, fea r and even hostility between us. We long for the broken body of Christ ma de whole\, where unity can be celebrated in the midst of our diversity." (HN) DTEND:20060219T110000 DTSTAMP:20060219T113001 DTSTART:20060219T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:One Church Bound Together by Grace UID:220 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/one-church-bound-together-by-grace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:In the spectrum of interpretations of our biblical story from literal to figurative\, one is sure to bump into Gnostic attempts to obta in mystical knowledge about God. Our human nature virtually compels it. K evin Hiebert’ journey through alternative theogenes - models of origin of the gods - illustrated the gulf between orthodox Christianity and Gnosis \, or self-knowledge. Gnosticism is a class of beliefs utilizing texts fr om Egyptians\, Mesoptamians\, Platonic thought and others\, for mystical purposes\, hoping to awaken the “divine spark” within. For many years\, o ur knowledge of Gnosticism came from heresiologists (Irenaeus & Augustine ) and their arguments\, but in 1945 many Coptic texts (Nag Hammadi librar y) were discovered that gave additional detail. The Christian church rega rded Gnosticism as a particularly dangerous heresy and destroyed its text s\, temples\, practitioners\, and as much as possible\, any record of the ir existence\, fearing their reinterpretation of the biblical narrative t o supercede the Christian message. Kevin listed a number of Gnostic narra tives\, including Hermetica\, Mandeism\, Manichaeism and Zoroastrianism t hat showed how complex\, and ultimately confusing\, such beliefs were. Mo re\, the Gnostic message generally satisfied only the elect\, rather than all people\, which ultimately doomed it to the ash-can of history. Five characteristics distinguish gnosticism from orthodox Christianity: Gnosti cism emphasizes knowledge as the way to salvation\, whereas Christianity emphasizes the grace of faith. Gnosticism distinguishes manifestations of divine character as multiple gods\, where Christianity emphasizes the un ity of God with three faces and many names. Gnosticism distinguishes divi nity from the Creator to account for evil where Christianity does not dis tinguish between them\, but emphasizes the gift of love that defeats evil . Gnosticism claims strength from a wide variety of truths\, making judgi ng its accuracy difficult\, where Christianity uses fixed and acknowledge d testaments to test the fruits of the spirit. Gnosticism attempts to tra nscend “mundane” life to attain divine life\, where Christianity gives me aning to life through love to attain divine life. In the transfiguration story (Mark 9:2-9) God makes plain that his reward is not distant and tra nscendent\, but immanent and requires a response from us now\, in this li fe. The Corinthians failed to understand this\, being subverted by a bran ch of Gnosis\, which is why Paul wrote his letters of correction. Would y ou rather try on your own to know enough to put your soul to rest\, or wo uld you rather put your faith in Jesus? Kevin suggests the reward lies in the second path. [AP] DTEND:20060226T110000 DTSTAMP:20060226T113001 DTSTART:20060226T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christianity & Gnosticism: competition between faith & knowledge UID:221 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christianity-gnosticism-competition-between- faith-knowledge END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We heard from Hildegard Lemke\, whose sermon was entitled “Med itations on the Downtown Eastside - a closer look”. DTEND:20060305T110000 DTSTAMP:20060305T113002 DTSTART:20060305T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Meditations on the Downtown Eastside UID:222 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/meditations-on-the-downtown-eastside END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Walter Bergen based his message on the account (in 2 Kings 6-7 ) of a famine in the town of Samaria and the city being surrounded by the Aramean army. The prophet Elisha tells the king that in one day food wil l be available. The kings officer says this won't happen. Elisha tells hi m you'll see it tomorrow\, but you won't eat any of the food. Four lepers outside the city gates decide to go to the Aramean encampment for food. They find the Aramean camp deserted\; so they eat\, take some valuables\, then realize they should tell their fellow countrymen. They next day and go tell the king. The people can't believe there's food there and trampl e the king's officer to death\, fulfilling the prophecy. This strange tex t speaks to the unexpectedness of God's actions in our lives. What has ha ppened in your life where taking an action has had unexpected results? "G od is not done with you yet\," said Walter. He then told the story of J.G \, Ewert of Tabor\, Kansas who\, in the 1920's\, bedridden with rheumatoi d arthritis and able to use only three fingers on one hand\, typed corres pondence for the newly formed MCC to raise funds for the starving Mennoni tes in Ukraine. Expect the unexpected. (HN)\n\nNo bulletin or audio recor ding is available. DTEND:20060312T110000 DTSTAMP:20060312T113002 DTSTART:20060312T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God is not done with you yet UID:223 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-is-not-done-with-you-yet END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Residents of The Menno Simons Centre led the worship service\, provided music\, and one after another\, stood to share stories which sh ow how living in community at the Centre has shaped and even transformed their lives. 1 Cor. 13 speaks of love being patient and kind\, two qualit ies several speakers acknowledged as being important for successful commu nal living. People also told of spontaneous evening and weekend activitie s\, times of praying tgether\, of long discussions which ultimately help them understand that being in Christ's church is more important than are the differing points of view on issues. Since students never really know what lies ahead in careers and lives\, discussions on life can last until 4 a.m. Students also thanked members of PGIMF for providing this form of subsidized housing\, for providing a Centre in which they can explore li ving in Christian community\, for the monthly potlucks\, occasional banqu ets\, weekly deliveries of bread\, the fall and spring cleaning days\, ga rdening\, maintenance work\, committee work in the background\, and for K ris and Kathryn's friendship and leadership. This was one of the most mov ing validations of the Centre I have witnessed. Since the Centre continue s to be our congregation's main project\, it was wonderful hearing these words as the Centre's 20th academic year draws to a close. [JEK] DTEND:20060319T110000 DTSTAMP:20060319T113002 DTSTART:20060319T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Vignettes of Life at MSC UID:224 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/vignettes-of-life-at-msc END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gareth Brandt (Columbia Bible College) spoke on John 3:1-12\, "Being born when we are old". In John 3\, Jesus challenged some very good people (Nicodemus) to rethink some very basic things. John set this stor y under the cover of darkness\, possibly symbolizing ignorance. Jesus mad e the point that if you want to understand God\, you must be "born from a bove" ("born again" is a faulty translation)\, representing a spiritual a wakening. This type of 'birth' is like the wind\, you cannot put it into a box (understand it). After telling the story\, the writer of John then reflects on it (3:16-18)\, describing the new experience as being eternal life which stems from God's immense love. Perhaps being born from above at age 50 is harder than we think. It is not a conversion\, but is rather a way of living\, a quality of being\, a wondering what wind will blow n ext. [JEK] DTEND:20060326T110000 DTSTAMP:20060326T113002 DTSTART:20060326T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Being born when we are old UID:225 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/being-born-when-we-are-old END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our service was graced by a recitation - nay a performance - o f the Gospel of Mark from Chapters 1-6 by Adria Holub. We are reminded th rough this living performance that these gospels are not dead words\, but the living Word\, and speak to us best when someone speaks them to us\, as Adria did. This is a tremendously difficult task\, and one we are exce edingly grateful for whenever it has been done for us. DTEND:20060402T110000 DTSTAMP:20060402T113002 DTSTART:20060402T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Recitations (Mark 1-6) UID:226 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/recitations-mark-1-to-6 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our service was graced by a recitation - nay a performance - o f the Gospel of Mark from Chapters 7-13 by Adria Holub. We are reminded t hrough this living performance that these gospels are not dead words\, bu t the living Word\, and speak to us best when someone speaks them to us\, as Adria did. This is a tremendously difficult task\, and one we are exc eedingly grateful for whenever it has been done for us. DTEND:20060409T110000 DTSTAMP:20060409T113002 DTSTART:20060409T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Recitations (Mark 7-13) UID:227 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/recitations-mark-7-to-13 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our service was graced one last time by a recitation of the fi nal chapters of the Gospel of Mark by Adria Vizzi Holub. We are reminded through these living performances that these gospels are not dead words\, but the living Word\, and speak to us best when someone speaks them to u s\, as Adria did. Though we know Adria has tremendously enjoyed this diff icult task\, we are nonetheless appreciative for it. You are encouraged t o ask her about how she did it and any other questions you might have. DTEND:20060416T110000 DTSTAMP:20060416T113002 DTSTART:20060416T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Recitations (Mark 14-16) UID:228 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/recitations-mark-14-to-16 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Weaving threads together to tell stories\, Vange Theissen open ed from Margaret Wheatley’s book Leadership and the New Times\, which del ivers the message that out of chaos comes creativity and order\, an immut able process one must learn to trust. Wheatley travels the world teaching new ways to organize\, and as she does so\, she listens to stories. She notes it is difficult to trust that wisdom can come from chaos. Confronte d with so much uncertainty\, how can we be hopeful about the future? We a re anxious\, defensive\, angry and fearful. Vange took us through the lec tionary texts in support of this thesis. Ps 133 talks about living togeth er in unity under God’s blessing. Vange gave us a vivid image of being dr enched in oil as a sign of God’s favour. The closest many of us come is a hot shower when we are cold. This is a taste of God’s blessing for us. J ohn 20:19-31 points out how afraid and doubtful people were after the dea th of Jesus\, not just Thomas. 1Jn1:1-4 reminds us that you can have assu rance in this time of uncertainty. This assurance allows believers to liv e as one in heart and soul\, as in intentional community. Vange drew on e xamples from her African odyssey to emphasize how well other cultures dea l with uncertainty despite conditions most of us would describe as hopele ss or worse. Vange noted how important it was for families to celebrate t ogether accomplishments\, milestones\, trials and blessings. We are left with questions: through the early church’s unity of purpose\, they were g iven great power to share the gospel. Though we are no different\, do we act the same? How are signs of grace present in our congregation? When we stop to look and think\, sure we will see God in so many places\, situat ions and faces\, if we can only look.. [AP] DTEND:20060423T110000 DTSTAMP:20060423T113002 DTSTART:20060423T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Turning to One Another UID:229 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/turning-to-one-another END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Elsie Wiebe of MCC and Karen McAndless-Davis introduced us in a personal way to the “When Love Hurts” women’s abuse programme and suppo rt group with the stories of four women from the support network who shar ed private details of their lives\, how abuse fell into their lives\, and their road to recovery. Particularly striking was the scripture from Psa lm 55 ( “My companion laid hands on a friend and violated a covenant with me with speech smoother than butter\, but with a heart set on war\; with words that were softer than oil\, but in fact were drawn swords”) to bot h the listeners and to the storytellers. It was a moving service and a st imulating discussion time afterward\, and is a “must borrow” from the lib rary. No summary can do justice to the stories\, and none will be provide d. [AP] DTEND:20060430T110000 DTSTAMP:20060430T113002 DTSTART:20060430T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:When Love Hurts UID:230 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/when-love-hurts END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rovin Karuna spoke on "Islam in a contemporary Christian socie ty." Rovin began by reminding us that of the some 700 million adherents t o Islam\, only the negative actions of handfuls of individuals from five or so countries ever come to our attention. The rest are ordinary folks i n so many ways. The fear that Muslims will eventually take over Europe is unfounded because the religion seems to spread like most other religions \, primarily through birth. Rovin then suggested a number of areas in whi ch the faiths of Muslims and Christians will never find common ground (on e God vs Trinity\, Jesus is a prophet vs Jesus is one with God\, differin g concepts of life after death\, etc.) That said\, the primary wall separ ating Christians and Muslims is most likely economic rather than creedal. Taken as a whole\, too many Muslims unfortunately tend to be members of the world's poorest and least well-educated groups (though certain countr ies with relatively small populations are oil-rich for the moment). Rovin asks that we learn to look beyond media portrayals of Islam and Islamic politics\, and that we set aside fears promoted by people claiming Islam will eventually overcome Christianity. God is in charge. And if Sri Lanka tells us anything\, it is that Christians and Muslims can enjoy close co ntact for centuries\, in relative peace. [JEK]\n\nNo audio recording is a vailable. DTEND:20060507T110000 DTSTAMP:20060507T113003 DTSTART:20060507T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Islam in a contemporary Christian society UID:231 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/islam-in-a-contemporary-christian-society END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Hildebrand spoke on "Stewardship of the Body". We can mo re fully understand God by both looking at scripture and by looking at th at which God has created\, especially humans. Spirituality must therefore never be separate from life. In that regard\, the body is a gift from Go d. The poet responsible for Psalm 139 reminds us that we are not the resu lt of a cosmic accident\, but rather\, our very bodies were formed secret ly by God\, hand-made. Our bodies are in fact most remarkably created\, h aving eyes with some 107 million cells capable of distinguishing 1\,000 s hades of colour. We are asked to be good caretakers (stewards) of our won derful bodies. Perhaps nothing speaks quite so highly of the human body a s does the willingness of God to become incarnate in a human body like ou rs. But modern times are presenting challenges to people interested in ca ring for their bodies. Opportunities for drug abuse abound near public sc hool grounds\, smoking and excess drinking take their tolls\, as does obe sity resulting from an excess of eating and a lack of exercise. Then ther e is the whole question of healing the body. The accounts telling of Jesu s healing people only indicate that he restored them to health\, he did n ot enhance their bodies. But technology is starting to offer bodies oppor tunities for enhancements\, some of which promise that the body will more nearly conform to a societal physical ideal\, while others (artificial b lood) might help with diseases. Christians are constantly challenged to r eflect on these and other technological changes and opportunities. When t rying to be good stewards of our bodies\, how far should we go\, what sor t of guidelines might our faith and understanding of God have to offer us ? [JEK] DTEND:20060514T110000 DTSTAMP:20060514T113003 DTSTART:20060514T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The wonder of the body UID:232 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-wonder-of-the-body END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider\, speaking on John 15:9-17 opened with a word-pic ture from university life. In the weeks leading up to exams\, professors begin to cram many valuable nuggets of information into their teaching\, feeling that students are finally prepared to receive this important work \, while students feel that professors are disorganized for not planning this out better. Evan speaks of John’s gospel - the Love Gospel - in the same way. John has spent 14 chapters telling the basic story of Jesus’ li fe\, and then the last 3 chapters is crammed with these gems: God’s love\ , often so abstract an ideal to us\, contrasts with following God’s law t o receive his love\; if you follow Him\, God will have joy in you and you r own joy will be complete\; no greater love is there than this - to lay down one’s life for one’s friends\, a Gentile concept\; I do not call you servants\, but call you friends because I have told you everything\; you did not choose me\, but I chose you\; you will bear fruit that will last \, so that you will receive anything you aks for in God’s name. Some refl ections on loving one another: do you love those around you? if yes\, wha t do you mean by that? if not\, are you being too hard on yourself? How d id the early church love? Remember James and John wanting to sit by Jesus ’ side and judge others - did this demonstrate love? Stories of church me mbers in Acts giving all they had contrast with stories in Pauline letter s of church members pitted against each other. Evan made evident that we can scarcely imagine how much God loves us\, so we guess - we study what Jesus did\, to try to figure this love out. Jesus died for his friends\, he reprimanded them periodically\, and he treated his friends with respec t\, honouring their opinions. He looked after their basic needs - fed the m when hungry\, looked after them on the stormy sea - he prayed\, travell ed and wept with his friends\, healed his friends. [AP] DTEND:20060521T110000 DTSTAMP:20060521T113003 DTSTART:20060521T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:To Love One Another UID:233 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/to-love-one-another END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on the lectionary's Ascension texts\, and his talk was followed by a communion service led by Don Teichroeb. Ascens ion Day\, which used to be faithfully celebrated by immigrant Russian Men nonites\, commemorates the third ascension recorded in the bible (those o f Enoch and Elijah came earlier). Christ's ascension took place forty day s after Easter. During those intervening weeks\, Jesus continued teaching his followers\, but at least one of their questions showed that they sti ll misunderstood even these final teachings because they were still hopin g for a revival of David's dynasty (Acts 1:6). Henry paused to ask whethe r we\, like the disciples\, are also products of our spiritual background s\, congregations or conferences\, and whether these influences also make it hard for us to 'think outside the box'. The Ephesians passage (1:20-) reminds us that God has placed all creation under the authority of Chris t\, and (1:18) the hope to which we are called is that Christ will lead u s to the future Kingdom. Henry reminded us that we are not to stand\, sta ring at heaven\, nor are we to live in the past\, but we are to build our lives on this spiritual hope. The disciples had to learn that things wer e never going to be the same again--Christ was physically gone--but God i s nevertheless in control\, and there is therefore hope. [JEK] DTEND:20060528T110000 DTSTAMP:20060528T113003 DTSTART:20060528T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ascension Sunday UID:234 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ascension-sunday-2006 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider led us through a selection of readings\, scriptur e and songs focussing on the miracle of Pentecost.\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20060604T110000 DTSTAMP:20060604T113003 DTSTART:20060604T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pentecost UID:235 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pentecost-2006 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We're not sure why Nicodemus went to Jesus at night\, said Eva n Kreider in his sermon. The light/darkness theme is strong in John's gos pel and this could be a continuation of that theme. By addressing Jesus a s "rabbi" Nicodemus acknowledges Jesus special status as a teacher. Genti le converts were required to start life anew - "born from above" - so Nic odemus could not understand why he\, smart Jew\, needed to be born from a bove. As Moses lifted up the serpent\, so the Son of man must be lifted u p - on the cross. Israelites were able to live by looking up at the serpe nt\, we will live by looking up at the cross. God did not send the Son in to the world to condemn the world\; Jesus says God's love will save the w orld. The discussion focussed on Nicodemus being stuck in an old way of t hinking\; he needed to think outside the box. For God so loved... as the hymn says\,"bathed in love's mighty boundless ocean. (HN) DTEND:20060611T110000 DTSTAMP:20060611T113003 DTSTART:20060611T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Nicodemus went to Jesus at night UID:236 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/nicodemus-went-to-jesus-at-night END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Veronica Dyck dealt with the difficult text God ordering peopl e killed\, Saul's rejection by God and David's anointing as the future ki ng. Samuel had anointed Saul as king with some reluctance. Now God ordere d Saul to utterly destroy the Amelekites - including all animals\, men\, women and children. Saul\, however\, destroyed only the worthless items o f the Amelekites and kept the good stuff - it is for this act of disobeyi ng God that Saul lost his right to continue as king. Saul pleads with Sam uel and asks for forgiveness but his kingship is effectively over\, he be comes a lame duck king. Saul is rejected for not listening to God. The si n of Saul is also the sin of all people\, beginning with Adam and Eve: di sobedience. Samuel is sent to the house of Jesse to select one of the son s as the next king. The seven sons are paraded before Samuel and he rejec ts them all and asks "are all your sons here?" The youngest is looking af ter the sheep\, he is told. David is summoned from the field and presente d to Samuel and surprisingly he is chosen and anointed by Saul as the nex t king. God see through the veneer and finds possibilities in unexpected and unlikely people and places. (HN) DTEND:20060618T110000 DTSTAMP:20060618T113004 DTSTART:20060618T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hearing & Obeying the God who Sees: the rejection of Saul & David' s anointing UID:248 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hearing-obeying-the-god-who-sees-the-rejecti on-of-saul-davids-anointing END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Henry Neufeld poin ted out that in traditional Christian-Jewish thought\, the implication is that bad things should happen to bad people. Henry used Job’s story to i llustrate various ways people deal with unjust suffering. Despite the wel l-meaning assistance of good friends\, Job’s contrarian insistence on his innocence forced God to answer Job in a way he did not want to hear. God ’s answer to Job does not answer Job or his friends’ questions about huma n suffering - instead God says “What do you know about running the world? ” Henry referred to 2Esdras (Apochrypha) where Ezra the prophet asks God the same question. God\, through the angel Uriel\, answers Ezra not as he expects\, but with three seemingly simple\, knowable questions. Ezra\, a nswer-less\, is frustrated\, and asks “Why then have I been given the pow er of understanding?” 2Cor6 records Paul’s trials\, despite his doing God ’s will. In Mark 4:35-41\, Jesus calms the storm for his companions. This story is different than the others\, in that a bad thing did not happen to good people\, yet they were left with more questions than if Jesus had not intervened. These accounts tell us that God will not always respond to our cries and complaints. And when we demand justice of God\, do we ne ed someone to talk back to us as God did to Job? Or will we get\, as Job’ s friends were\, someone feeding us platitudes? Henry feels the most appr opriate answer is to get past asking why\, and ask “now what do I do?” An excellent question period followed that distinguished the most appropria te answer to the problem of evil (theodicy\, thank you Veronica) from a t heological perspective was not “Why me?” but “Why not me?”. [AP] DTEND:20060625T110000 DTSTAMP:20060625T113003 DTSTART:20060625T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:When bad things happen to good people UID:237 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/when-bad-things-happen-to-good-people END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Erna Friesen spoke on "The Life and Faith of Dietrich Bonhoeff er". Erna and John recently returned from a European trip which focused o n Bonhoeffer. Since the small group which met before our fellowship began 20 years ago studied Bonhoeffer's Life Together \, Erna suggested that t his is an appropriate time for us to reflect on our spiritual life togeth er. Bonhoeffer felt that spiritual life must be rooted and active in and responsive to real life. Trained in music\, theology and intellectual his tory\, Bonhoeffer argued that the church should be "Christ existing in co mmunity". Although he came from a wealthy family\, he became sensitive to poverty\, concluding that the church is only as strong as its weakest me mbers. His thinking on Christ was grounded in scriptures (Hebrews 1\, Joh n 1\, Colossians 1 were read) which proclaim the absolute centrality of C hrist as the creator and sustainer of all things. Unable to reform his sp iritual tradition\, Bonhoeffer eventually formed a Confessing Church as a n alternative to the state church. His desire for this church to speak ou t against society's treatment of Jews\, homosexuals\, the mentally ill\, gypsies\, etc. brought him into conflict with Hitler's policies and event ually cost him his life. One of Bonhoeffer's challenges to us is that we also need to see past our societal pressures against speaking out on ethi cal issues\, all the while keeping our focus on Christ. John concluded th e service by reading the last thing written by Bonhoeffer\, a benedictory poem. [JEK] DTEND:20060702T110000 DTSTAMP:20060702T113003 DTSTART:20060702T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Life and Faith of Dietrich Bonhoeffer UID:238 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-life-and-faith-of-dietrich-bonhoeffer END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Maureen Klassen spoke on the Transfiguration\, a topic and fea st generally ignored today. She began by asking\, "How does the life of C hrist transform your life?" Both Moses and Elijah were themselves familia r and comfortable with the supernatural and with the concept of people be ing transformed by God. They were therefore appropriate participants in t his event. The three disciples were possibly allowed to witness this reve lation of glory for our benefit. Peter wrote about the event (2 Peter 1:1 7-18) and although John's gospel does not mention it\, his writings are n evertheless filled with images of the supernatural and the glory of God. On the mount\, the Jesus the disciples knew was transformed--more fully r evealed--when they briefly caught a glimpse of the fullness of the Godhea d. Do we need to experience this type of revelation in order to appreciat e more fully the person and role of Jesus? What does it mean for us to 'p artake the glory of God'? God is constantly trying to break into our live s and to live in and through us\, trying to transform us. [JEK]\n\nNo aud io recording is available. DTEND:20060709T110000 DTSTAMP:20060709T113003 DTSTART:20060709T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Transfiguration and Transformation UID:239 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/transfiguration-and-transformation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ruth Enns spoke on the lectionary gospel reading (Mark 6:14-29 ) telling of the death of John the Baptist. Ruth has often dealt with Sal ome by Richard Strauss\, an opera whose success made this the most popula r biblical story on the classical musical stage. The gospel tells us that Herod Antipas (Jesus called him "that fox") led a life which attempted t o bridge the opposing lifestyles of Judaism and the Roman Empire. Herod's marrying the former wife of his living half-brother was forbidden by Jew ish law and repeatedly criticized by John the Baptist\, possibly even in Herod's presence before his courtiers. Although John's preaching made Her od's court very uneasy\, Herod was nevertheless fearful that John was a m an of God. The historian Josephus wrote that John's death was political a nd designed to squelch a possible uprising\, but the gospel writer conclu ded that it was prompted by Herodias and her revenge for John's decrying her marrying for power\, by John's telling the court truths it did not wa nt to hear. As Ruth surveys centuries of interpretations of this gripping story of human frailty and faith\, she is fascinated by the layers of ps ychological interpretations of painters\, playwrights and composers\, but finds herself most drawn to John\, that steadfast rock of faith\, that ' voice in the wilderness' which finally dared to enter the city and echo t hrough Herod's palatial halls and the consciences of its inhabitants\, ch allenging the little nation's most powerful ruler to live an upright and moral life. This cost John his life\, but even his death came to be seen as foretelling Christ's death. John spoke out\, regardless of the consequ ences. We are more careful. [JEK]\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20060716T110000 DTSTAMP:20060716T113004 DTSTART:20060716T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Beheading of John the Baptist UID:240 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-beheading-of-john-the-baptist END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Sportack (Peace Mennonite church) spoke on "Psalm 15: Th e Moral Mystery". The psalm's unyielding decrees concerning ethics and mo rality have resulted in the psalm being rather less popular these days. H owever\, if one looks at the psalm as giving thanks to God for the sacred canopy of moral behaviour which can protect us if put into practice by o thers\, the psalm becomes a source of security. Any community which serio usly tries to follow the psalm's ideals will live in relative peace. Imag ine what North America's societies would be like if everyone in governmen t spoke the truth (15:2b). However\, even though none of us can claim eve n to "walk blamelessly"\, we should not feel defeated by this\, nor even fear that this defect will exclude us from God's presence\, for Laura arg ues that the psalm's ideals are in fact intended to describe God's qualit ies. Since Jesus actually embodied the psalm's ideals (and entered heaven )\, Psalm 15 is commonly read for the Feast of Ascension. We\, too\, shou ld now strive to conform to this image of God\, an image which reminds us that faith without action is insufficient. Psalm 15 can then become the doorway through which we enter into God's tent\, God's Kingdom\, God's ho ly mountain. [JEK] DTEND:20060723T110000 DTSTAMP:20060723T113004 DTSTART:20060723T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Moral Mystery UID:241 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-moral-mystery END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We worshipped through a liturgical service designed by Evan fe aturing prayers\, readings\, and songs of forgiveness\, highlighting the change in our relationship to God through the old and new covenants. We w ere especially grateful to have Nola Shantz back for the day visiting\, a nd back at the piano to move us in song.\n\nNo audio recording is availab le. DTEND:20060730T110000 DTSTAMP:20060730T113004 DTSTART:20060730T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Forgiveness UID:242 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/forgiveness-2006 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gordon Stewart spoke on themes found in John 21. John's final chapter tells that heart-warming story of Jesus making breakfast for Pete r and friends after their unsuccessful night of fishing. His call “Cast y our net on the other side”\, and his invitation to them to bring some of the fish to breakfast\, highlighted their dependency\, but maintained the ir dignity. Jesus models someone who identifies a need and addresses it. But the story continues. After meeting Peter's needs (food\, warm fire\, lots of fish to sell)\, Jesus takes him aside and confronts him\, asking the penetrating question three times ("Do you love me"). Peter surely the n realized this mirrored his three denials of even knowing\, let alone lo ving Jesus. But rather than rubbing it in\, Jesus was in fact offering fu ll opportunity to Peter for healing through confession and reconciliation . Brokenness before God (confronting the truth about ourselves) is the fi rst step towards our being reconciled with God. In spite of Peter's earli er public and crucial denials of Jesus\, Jesus now challenges him to resu me his role as leader of the disciples\, and the very personal commandmen t "feed my sheep" recalls an earlier dictum\, "If you love me\, keep my c ommandments". These stories remind us that Jesus invites each of us to re turn to the warmth and comfort of his breakfast by a charcoal fire\, and that even in our apparent brokenness\, God calls us to return and relate to others in so far as we are able. [JEK] DTEND:20060806T110000 DTSTAMP:20060806T113004 DTSTART:20060806T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Casting the net of relationship UID:243 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/casting-the-net-of-relationship END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Anne Scarrow spoke on "A conversation in prayer". Regardless o f whether of our prayers are articulate or contain only the single word\, "Help!" God understands and responds. Using the story of Solomon dedicat ing the temple (2 Chron. 6-7)\, Anne analyzed Solomon's prayer. Solomon a sked that God would watch over the believers day and night (6:20)\, heari ng their cries (even their inarticulate prayers)\, forgive those who pray ed (6:21)\, creating a spirit of forgiveness among the people (6:22). He also asked that believers be restored through prayer after feeling defeat ed by enemies (6:25) and that when 'heaven is shut' and lives seem dry\, that rain will be sent. He included foreigners by asking that their praye rs also be heard (6:32) and also any prayers offered by people far away f rom Jerusalem who turned in faith towards the temple (6:29). God answered Solomon's very public prayer in the quiet of the night (7:12) rather tha n during the great spectacle of worship accompanied by the slaughtering o f thousands of animals for sacrifice. God promised Solomon to hear and an swer prayers. Anne concluded that this generous promise extends to us. [J EK]. DTEND:20060813T110000 DTSTAMP:20060813T113004 DTSTART:20060813T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Intercessory prayer UID:244 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/intercessory-prayer END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert led our thinking on world conflict and the Psalm ist's ideal\, "Seek peace and pursue it" (Psalm 34:14). Project Ploughsha res reports that 27 of the world's 192 countries are now in a state of co nflict\, that is\, they are countries in which at least 1\,000 people hav e been killed because of conflict (a conflict is thought to be concluded when only 25 die in a given year). Given this state of affairs\, the Worl d Council of Churches has dedicated this decade to the ideal of ending al l such conflicts. But against this prayerful ideal stands the horrific re ality of continuing legal and illegal trading of arms\, both large and sm all. Even if all weapons were somehow destroyed\, people would still find ways to kill and maim those with whom they are in conflict. Furthermore\ , the causes of wars are often so numerous that it is impossible to remov e people's willingness to undertake war by simply solving one or two soci etal/economic/political issues. Consequently\, we are surrounded by disco uraging media reports telling of wars\, so much so that we either become immune to reports of killing and rape or so emotionally exhausted by them that we 'tune out'. At times\, even media reports become merely the tall ying of statistics of deaths on both sides. Although scripture sadly pred icts that there will always be wars and rumours of wars\, we are encourag ed to do our part by living in peace with everyone we meet and by praying for those in authority. These small-scale activities may not seem useful when confronting the world's enormous problems\, but they are concrete s teps which at least involve us in areas in which we can make a small diff erence. [JEK] DTEND:20060820T110000 DTSTAMP:20060820T113004 DTSTART:20060820T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Peace in our time UID:245 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/peace-in-our-time END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janet Boldt spoke on "Spirituality and Work". Work (all work\, not just jobs) gives life meaning\, makes life possible and helps to def ine life. God is portrayed as a worker and creator\, and we are called to be God's coworkers. The Reformation sometimes looked at work (even munda ne tasks) as a vocation\, a calling assigned by the Lord. Today's paying jobs can be tiresome and unsatisfying\, or they can be viewed primarily a s a way to 'get ahead' financially and socially. In our society\, there c an be a dearth of meaningful work for people. Janet then reflected on the limitations of work. Unfortunately\, we can now work on jobs at almost a nytime and place\, partly because so many jobs involve computers and cell phones. This invasiveness then quietly takes its toll on families and re lationships. Baby-boomer-burnout is becoming a serious problem. Janet the n turned our attention to Rest. God had the good sense to rest for a full day (Genesis 2:3)\, but our society feels it is busier and almost never observes the Sabbath as a true cessation of work. Do our endless lists of tasks and e-mails rob us of time away from work? Janet concluded by remi nding us that the workplace can either become a caring community of cowor kers or a place in which power is misused. What does work do to the worke r\, to the community\, to the community of workers? Our places of work ne ed to be characterized by love and the rhythms of life. [JEK] DTEND:20060827T110000 DTSTAMP:20060827T113004 DTSTART:20060827T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spirituality and Work UID:246 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/spirituality-and-work END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Donna Stewart spoke on the somewhat elusive figure in Genesis 38\, Tamar\, one of Jesus' ancestors. This is both a hopeful story and\, at the same time\, a sordid account of Judah and his sons refusing to hon our revered traditions established to ensure that a widow's welfare is ca red for honourably. According to the story\, Onan refused to take Tamar a s his wife\, possibly because this would have eventually lessened his own inheritance and honoured his deceased brother. Judah likewise found ways to avoid his responsibilities. Tamar\, however\, knew the system\, how i t worked\, and how to work it. By dressing as a veiled sacred prostitute\ , she was invited to have relations with none other than Judah himself. W hen her pregnancy was discovered by the community\, Judah ordered her to be burned alive. But when Tamar returned to him his staff and signet scro ll (given to her as security)\, Judah confessed both his sin of laying wi th her and his sin of not making rightful provision for her\, freely admi tting that "she is more righteous than I". Donna then emphasized the hope ful aspects of the story. Although Judah obviously had problems\, he at l east admitted his errors when openly confronted by them. Although he atte mpted to stop the line of his dead son\, he was in fact given two sons (t wins) by Tamar. Furthermore\, the story reveals that Jesus\, the Son of G od\, did not come from a long line of saints\, but from very real people who had truly human qualities and difficulties. Although modern Christian s are far more concerned with moral sins than with economic\, scripture i tself focuses primarily on sins which relate to money\, wealth and financ ial resources. Donna then reminded us that Jesus declared that his missio n was to preach the Good News to the poor\, yet in British Columbia gover nment keeps eroding the financial resources of its citizen 'widows' of to day\, particularly its single mothers\, the very group that was to enjoy protection in ancient times. This hardly represents progress\, either soc ially or morally. [JEK]\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20060903T110000 DTSTAMP:20060903T113004 DTSTART:20060903T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Tamar: sinner or righteous instructor? UID:247 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/tamar-sinner-or-righteous-instructor END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown is PGIMF's Master Storyteller (my title for him\, n ot his). It was therefore fitting that on September 10\, 2006 Karl spoke on storytelling and its role in our spiritual development. Karl feels tha t a good storyteller is in fact the servant of a story\, not its master. Listeners hear good stories and identify hidden meanings in them\, much a s Jesus showed how to approach faith and life by telling them stories. So me stories teach us how foolish life can be and others how profound simpl e truths can be. Great stories can touch on things about life which we mi ght have trouble facing head-on. Writers of scripture recognized the util ity of stories for people of all ages and therefore included them freely (Genesis\, Kings\, Samuel\, Gospels\, Acts\, etc.) Stories "reveal life a s it is and help us sense how life could be." If a great story grabs our attention\, we cannot help but listening to it and learning from it. We d o not expect children to understand stories on various levels just yet\, but later in life they will possibly be able to hang truths on stories th ey have heard and remembered such as parables or fables about sour grapes . [JEK] DTEND:20060910T110000 DTSTAMP:20060910T113004 DTSTART:20060910T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:War & Peace: The short version UID:249 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/war-peace-the-short-version END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jodi and Wes Smith (our new Residence Coordinators) related th e stories of their lives\, telling of times they felt led by God and of t imes that were more uncertain. Jodi was raised in a Baptist congregation in Sask\, and Wes in a wide variety of Protestant denominations largely o n Vancouver Island. They spoke of re-examining their faith\, contemplatin g career goals\, searching for a life partner\, pursuing an education\, a nd working with students while abroad. The types of questions in the mind s of university-aged adults often focus on career\, courtship\, and lifes tyle. These stories also reminded us that even when working with committe d Christians\, one can still experience hurtful interpersonal conflict an d misunderstanding. Wes and Jodi have nevertheless decided that at least some of their working years will be focused on helping people form relati onships with each other and learning to live with each other in community . [JEK]\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20060917T110000 DTSTAMP:20060917T113005 DTSTART:20060917T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Our story UID:250 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/our-story END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On this 20th anniversary celebration of PGIMF and the Menno Si mons Centre\, Evan asked us to look forward and engage in a discussion of how our church community can continue to thrive in a context of constant change. He began with a discussion of communion\, or the Lord’s Supper\, and how it was a tool for sustaining community in the early church. In t he oldest accounts of church life\, it was clear that third- and fourth-c entury churches celebrated communion as part of a full meal. Here at Poin t Grey\, we have also used food for the purpose of fellowship. When the c hurch began two decades ago\, it was an ad hoc collection of people from other churches\, and so a weekly soup tradition was begun so that people could get to know each other. As the years passed\, this habit was adjust ed to weekly coffee and monthly potlucks. These gatherings around food ha ve played a significant role in sustaining our congregation. Jesus recogn ized that mealtimes can be profound\; he often engaged in teachings while enjoying food with others\, and the Last Supper is the most significant example of this. Coffee and Mennonite sausage may be inconsequential on t heir own\, but Jesus showed that we can\, in everyday encounters\, have d eeply meaningful interaction. During the days of the early church\, small groups of new believers met and worshipped in much the same way we do to day: they sang\, prayed\, shared\, and ate. We are not given any formulas as to why certain groups flourished and others disbanded\, but eating to gether seems to be something especially symbolic to new groups. At this p oint in our church’s history we face uncharted waters. Having survived th rough constant turnover in attendance and appealing to an often-transient university audience\, we should think about our future. Meals are meanin gful because of the relationships they foster\, and we should focus on th ose relationships and how to help them flourish. [MG] DTEND:20060924T110000 DTSTAMP:20060924T113005 DTSTART:20060924T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Miracles: a Fellowship of Believers UID:251 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/miracles-a-fellowship-of-believers END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:In “Watch and Pray”\, John Friesen used Mt 26:36-45 to illustr ate from Jesus’ own dark night of the soul in the Garden of Gethsemane\, the difficulties inherent in the command to “watch and pray”. He spoke of finding a book of personal prayers that was obviously a treasured part o f someone’s library at one time. One prayer\, hand-written into the book\ , touched John deeply. It was the kind of prayer that required one to liv e the examined life\, instead of moving through life unaware. John illust rated with stories from his career\, of people who had done both. Watchin g is not so much a prayer of self-examination\, as it is of support\, of empathy\, of deep listening. John insists that this is possible for every one\, despite differences in desire and genetic predisposition. But often one’s natural desire is to be asleep during this process\, which the dis ciples were. John points out this is a natural reaction to uncontrolled d iscomfort\; nevertheless\, it must be done. Many things in our society lu ll us into sleep\, and it becomes difficult to tell where distraction lea ves off and escape begins - for instance\, avoidance and addiction. How d o we react to the growing ecological crisis of our time? John’s trip to f ollow the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer last summer demonstrated that the G ermans of the time had fallen asleep to the danger that Hitler posed. Joh n suggests that we in our church are asleep when we need to be awake and attentive to the needs around us. We have time for other activities\, but no time for watching and praying. How should we shake off our timidity a nd engage people in a conversation for God in a caring manner? Quoting Fl eming Rutledge in A New Liberalism of the Word\, John suggests that a cal l to discipleship is the only thing powerful enough to effect the change we all want in our church\, our society and our campuses. All we have to do to engage\, is to watch and pray. [AP] DTEND:20061001T110000 DTSTAMP:20061001T113005 DTSTART:20061001T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pray watchfully - watch prayerfully UID:252 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pray-watchfully-watch-prayerfully END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The service for Thanksgiving Sunday centered on the day's lect ionary reading from Joel 2:19-27. Andre Pekovich gave his reflections on several verses at a time\, and between those meditations\, we either sang songs or heard others speak briefly about giving thanks. Erin Teichroeb reported on her choir's journey to Manchester Cathedral and York\; Susie Funk reflected on her past months of healing from injuries sustained from being hit by a car\; and Michael Medley read a chapter from his grandfat her's book. Some of the themes touched upon in Joel included the prospect of the invaders leaving his homeland\, Joel's giving thanks for the earl y and later rains\, and the promise of the eventual "pouring out of God's spirit" on people. Andre connected Israel's celebration of the rains (Fe ast of Lights) with the idea in John 7:37\, in which Jesus (quite possibl y during the festival celebrating rain) spoke of himself as being "living water". [JEK]\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20061008T110000 DTSTAMP:20061008T113005 DTSTART:20061008T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The blessing of Thanksgiving UID:253 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-blessing-of-thanksgiving END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera spoke to us on the book of Ruth\, giving an outli ne of the poetic symmetry of this short but pithy book. You are encourage d to hear it again on the web. DTEND:20061015T110000 DTSTAMP:20061015T113005 DTSTART:20061015T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ruth UID:254 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ruth-2006 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera talked on "Christ as Victor\, Sacrifice and Examp le" (see: Jonathan R. Wilson\, God so loved the World\, A Christology for Disciples\, Baker Academic\, 2001). (1) Christ was Victor both in life ( miracles\, resurrection) and death. His death is seen as destroying death itself\, and his willingness to submit to death is seen as an act of obe dience (Phil. 2:5-8). Christ only freed prisoners from death but also as destroyed the prison of death. (2) Christ as Sacrifice was a theme in an early Christian hymn (again\, Phil. 2:6-8) reminding us that even though God desired mercy rather than sacrifice\, Paul and others (Romans 3\, Heb rews 10) taught that Jesus introduced a new way\, moving us away from tem ple sacrifices and towards approaching God directly though Christ as our ever-present high priest. Rosie reminded us that the ultimate target of G od's wrath is sin\, not sinners. (3) Christ as Example. God was often cit ed in the O.T. as the ultimate example of how to live ("Be holy as I am h oly") but N.T. writings cite Jesus as our exemplar ('wash each others fee t just as I have washed yours'\, i.e.\, live sacrificially for each other ). Without a good balance of these three understandings of Christ Jesus\, our theology can become incomplete. The church year's lectionary reading s and themes seek to bring balance to our thinking and worship by focusin g on each of these aspects of Christ in turn throughout the year. [JEK] DTEND:20061022T110000 DTSTAMP:20061022T113005 DTSTART:20061022T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christ as Victor\, Sacrifice and Example UID:255 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christ-as-victor-sacrifice-and-example END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider reminded us of Mark 10's text (vs46-52) about the story of Blind Bartimaeus in the new-old city of Jericho. Being blind\, Bartimeaeus was not only excluded from the temple\, but also from contrib uting to society and was forced to beg. Jericho was no inauspicious locat ion for him\, being on the pilgrimage route. As Jesus passed by\, Bartima eus calls to Jesus “Son of David” and Jesus notices this beggar particula rly. Bartimaeus throws off his cloak\, seen by some as a symbol of castin g his lot with Jesus. Jesus empowers the beggar “What do you want?” and p erforms a miracle. Bartimaeus is now clean\, can offer sacrifices at the temple\, and we hear nothing of him again. Evan pointed out the truth the early church saw fit to pass down to us in three gospels - that the pers on you see in front of you is important - is possibly more important than anything else except Jesus death and resurrection. Stopping everything\, as Jesus did while on his way to destiny in Jerusalem\, illustrates perf ectly Jesus’ message. The empowerment of unnoticed\, overlooked powerless people is the goal of the upside-down kingdom. What does that mean to us ? Should we stop to talk to every beggar? How many beggars did Jesus walk past? Jesus\, says he healed Bartimaeus because he had faith\, but was t rue of many other stories in the Bible? Hardly - Scripture is studded wit h stories of martyrs whose prayers were not answered. Our faith often pro duces results inconsistent with our beliefs\, especially when in prayer f or healing\, no healing occurs. Evan’s reply\, just as it may hae beenJes us’ was Psalm 126 “Restore our fortunes\, O Lord.” So when we are in Bart imaeus’ situation\, let us hope we listen when our friends tell us “Get u p\, Jesus is calling.” [AP] DTEND:20061029T110000 DTSTAMP:20061029T113005 DTSTART:20061029T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Great things He has done UID:256 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/great-things-he-has-done END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On November 5\, 2006\, Laurel Borisenko returned to PGIMF afte r many years of living elsewhere (she attended regularly from 1991-93). S he spoke on the theme of "Art in the Service of God"\, drawing on her yea rs of working with immigrants\, Ten Thousand Villages\, MCC\, and refugee s in various countries. She focused primarily on her three years of worki ng in West Africa with artists. West Africa has four of the world's five poorest countries\, yet in spite of rampant poverty\, art and artists flo urish. Using natural dyes\, walls are coloured with geometric shapes\, sc ulptures abound\, and even a face becomes a canvas. Genesis 1 declares th at we are created in the image of God and that this is a truly creative G od. It is therefore only natural that we should have the urge to be creat ors and learn to be creators. But many Westerners hesitate to think of th emselves as artists\, preferring to leave that to the professionals. Othe r societies do not have such hang-ups. Laurel told of her initial tentati ve steps towards learning to draw and paint\, a journey which reached new heights when she was able to work with some of West Africa's leading art ists\, professionals whose works sold well in Paris. As a rank amateur\, she was warmly welcomed by West African artists and encouraged to express her creativity in new ways. Laurel encouraged each of us to think of our selves as being in God's image\, and not stifling our latent urges to cre ate. [JEK] DTEND:20061105T110000 DTSTAMP:20061105T113005 DTSTART:20061105T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Art in the Service of God UID:257 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/art-in-the-service-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:At our Peace Sunday service\, Andre reminded us of the many sc ripture verses that speak to the peace theme\, Eric led our singing of pe ace songs and Evan's meditation focussed on various aspects of peace. Eva n noted that Peace Sunday was one of the most difficult Sundays of the ye ar\, based on the pacific idealism with which many of us were raised whic h stands in stark contrast to the reality of continued violence in our wo rld. Jesus was involved with a lot of conflict. While prayers for peace u sually focus on wars and ethnic conflicts far away\, Evan reminded us of our responsibility to work for peace in our neighbourhoods\, and within o ur families. "Give us the grace to overlook petty annoyances and to build on all that is positive in our relationship\, that we may love them as o urselves\, with genuine forbearance and kindness." (HN) DTEND:20061112T110000 DTSTAMP:20061112T113005 DTSTART:20061112T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Prayer UID:258 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/prayer-2006 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:David Bergen spoke on "Words\, words\, words". DTEND:20061119T110000 DTSTAMP:20061119T113005 DTSTART:20061119T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Words\, words\, words UID:259 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/words-words-words END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The church service was cancelled. DTEND:20061126T110000 DTSTAMP:20061126T113005 DTSTART:20061126T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:SERVICE CANCELLED UID:260 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2014-11-26-service-cancelled END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Erna Friesen spoke on the first Sunday of preparation for Chri stmas.\n\nNo bulletin is available. DTEND:20061203T110000 DTSTAMP:20061203T113006 DTSTART:20061203T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:First Advent UID:261 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/first-advent-2006 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The congregation sang excerpts of Handel's Messiah.\n\nNo audi o recording is available. DTEND:20061210T110000 DTSTAMP:20061210T113006 DTSTART:20061210T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:262 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah-2006 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the Third Sunday of Advent\, Ken Peters (pastor at Killarne y MB Church) began his talk by asking what Advent was meaning to us this year (music\, candles\, darkness pierced by lights\, children\, food). He then sang for us individual lines from Christmas hymns and carols which declare Christ’s incarnation\, words which are sung even by non-Christian s as part of the societal culture in Canada. This social goodwill\, howev er\, may soon conclude (Seattle airport debate\, etc.) That God was born a human being is fundamental to our faith and to the gospels. Ken then tu rned to John 1:1-14\, noting that it is written so that it would resonate with the Jews (“In the beginning” is similar to Genesis 1\, the God-cent ricity of 1:4 and 1:12-13 are all solidly grounded in Judaism). John was also writing to Hellenists\, so in 1:1-13 he attempted to woo them throug h the familiar Greek concept of the ‘Logos’ and with the idea of light no t being understood by everyone. Greeks also would have understood 1:13 (n ot entirely of human flesh). John was inviting both Jews and Hellenists t o the Christmas banquet. However\, 1:14 troubled the Greeks (how can the Logos possibly become flesh?) and the Jews (how can God become flesh?) Jo hn therefore needed to another 20 chapters to explain the idea encapsulat ed in 1:14\, a verse on which Christianity rises or falls. In fact\, the exclusivity of Christianity is offensive to non-Christians (and even to s ome Christians)\, and we should therefore expect that as the message trul y gets out—that Jesus is the incarnate God and therefore the sole way/tru th/life—this will not sit comfortably with our pluralistic secular societ y. [JEK]\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20061217T110000 DTSTAMP:20061217T113006 DTSTART:20061217T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The meaning of Advent UID:263 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-meaning-of-advent END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of readings and singing was held on the fourth Adven t.\n\nNo bulletin or audio recording is available. DTEND:20061224T110000 DTSTAMP:20061224T113006 DTSTART:20061224T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Carol Service UID:264 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/carol-service-2006 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the final Sunday of 2006\, the day before we traditionally make New Year’s resolutions\, Henry Neufeld reflected on the long-term co nsequences of decisions. Hannah (1 Sam. 1-2) decided to dedicate Samuel t o the Lord\, Eli decided not to punish his wicked sons\, and (Luke 2) Jes us’ parents decided to accept the angel’s challenge and raised Jesus to w alk in the faith. When the 12-year-old Jesus was asked by his parents why he had stayed behind at the temple\, his instinctual response was a turn ing point for the history of religion: “Did you not know I must be in my Father’s house?” Referring to God as his “Father” was a concept Jesus wou ld develop over the years\, but how did he come to this decision as a chi ld? There were no organized Sunday Schools\, Summer Vacation Bible School s or church camps. In fact\, how did Christianity manage to flourish so w onderfully for 1\,700 years without any programmes for its children? Why do 88% of evangelical children now leave church\, in spite of millions of dollars being spent on special class rooms used once a week\, gradated t eaching materials published by specialists\, and paying specialists to co nduct children’s church? How were Samuel and Jesus taught so effectively? Henry then shifted our attention to Colossians 3:12\, in which Paul asks the new Christians to clothe themselves with compassion. Since our socie ty thrives on competition rather than compassion\, compassion is no longe r one of our central concerns. We find it difficult to have compassion fo r others in our economic group\, and very difficult to show compassion fo r those on the edge of society. But deciding to live lives of compassion\ , and finding other ways to live out the gospel\, just might be one of th e best ways for extended families to teach children today. [JEK] DTEND:20061231T110000 DTSTAMP:20061231T113006 DTSTART:20061231T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reflections on the long-term consequences of decisions UID:265 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/reflections-on-the-long-term-consequences-of -decisions END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the first Sunday of 2007\, John Friesen recalled the many t ypes of prayers discussed by Richard Foster. Ed Epp then spoke briefly on “simple prayer”\, noting that many prayers in scripture are almost child like in their simplicity. Many of us grew up learning beautiful yet simpl e prayers\, some of which have been set to music. We sang “Müde bin ich\, geh zur Ruh”\, a prayer-song many older members had learned as children. As we grow older\, these simple prayers take on new levels of meaning\, reminding us that things which are seemingly simple can also be deeply pr ofound. Rosie Perera then spoke on the “prayer of examen” (Latin for ‘wei ghing’ and by extension\, self-reflecting). In this type of prayer\, we r eflect on how God has been present with us that day\, possibly asking our selves what we did that was most worth while and what was least worth whi le. Since prayers of examen can take many forms\, Rosie provided copies o f a very helpful explanatory sheet which she found useful. [JEK] DTEND:20070107T110000 DTSTAMP:20070107T113006 DTSTART:20070107T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Prayer UID:266 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/prayer-2007 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Daniel Ray\, Regent student and UBC employee\, spoke from John 17:20-26 on Jesus’ petition to the father on unity\, or as Daniel refers to it\,“the conversation at the centre of the universe.” Daniel noted th at the Christian world presents many faces\, sometimes with great differe nces between them. In his first church position in California\, he encoun tered tremendous effort and work devoted to unifying services and project s. Everywhere\, though\, the subtext was that we are not already in unity . Daniel noted our own congregation - inter- Mennonite - also reflects th is view. It took a peculiar comment from Daniel’s charismatic friend Josh \, who decided to go to more ecumenical churches in town “because of Unit y”\, to bring this subtext up to the surface for exploration. It wasn’t u ntil Darryl Johnson took a class through John 17 where Jesus speaks intim ately to the Father about himself\, God and us\, that Daniel saw this sub text was ill-founded\, though properly desired. In this conversation\, Je sus’ desire\, fervently expressed\, is for our unity\, the unity of all b elievers\, and through that relationship\, we discover that we actually “ are” in unity. It is not to be striven for or sought\, because it is alre ady present\, whether we notice it or not. We may not feel it\, we may no t even know it sometimes\, but we are already in unity. All that remains is to act out of this unity. A big matter to live up to\, and the heart o f what Josh went looking for. Daniel says that in this text\, we see that it was always there\, all along. [AP] DTEND:20070114T110000 DTSTAMP:20070114T113006 DTSTART:20070114T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christian Unity (Part 1/2) UID:267 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christian-unity-part-1of2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Daniel Ray continued his exhortation toward Christian unity dr awing from Hebrews 10:19-25. He reminded us of our need to see Jesus’ glo ry as stated in John 7 so that in Christ\, we see our own unity. But Dani el asked the question “I understand in Christ we are one\, we are unified . But how is it that is still am frustrated with my brother or sister who does not think like me?” Daniel notes that following Christ is not alway s easy\, and set out to give us perspective on our troubles as we follow Christ. This passage from Hebrews follows on the earlier two chapters (He b 8 & 9) regarding the new covenant\, which was most deftly foretold in J eremiah. The passage uses language that expresses how different Jesus was from the Aaronic priesthood in his intercession\, reflecting how differe nt worship of God was to be - from the old temple with its complex design \, to the new temple\; Jesus body - from old never-ending sacrifice by fi re\, to the new sacrifice for once and for all. The balance of the passag e is an encouragement to us to step into our drawing near to God. What po wer could keep us from Him? These can be intimidating encouragements\, bu t we are to “spur one another on” - we are accountable to one another. We are not to do it alone. The things that we do\, our works\, are importan t to God\, but the only way we can actually draw nearer to God is to do j ust that - together\, in prayer. [AP] DTEND:20070121T110000 DTSTAMP:20070121T113006 DTSTART:20070121T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christian Unity (Part 2/2) UID:268 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christian-unity-part-2of2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:January 21 st marked the 481st anniversary of the founding of the Anabaptist Reformation in Zurich\, and this week marks the 99 th anni versary of the World Day of Prayer for Church Unity movement. Although se emingly profound differences separate various groups of Christians\, some believers appreciate the annual reminder that we can also focus on and c elebrate our common faith. Andre Pekovich led our service by having peopl e read stories of lives of Christians in other parts of the world. After each story\, he offered a prayer which was inspired by the story and Erna Friesen led a song which continued the story's theme or nationality. We had opportunity to remember our fellow believers in Africa (recalling how difficult it is even to get drinkable water in many countries)\, Japan ( hearing of a new church being started)\, South America (the birth of anot her new church\, rising out of the ashes of an accidental fire)\, Europe (the peaceful revolution which sprang from a prominent church in Leipzig\ , eventually contributing of the cessation of Communism in E. Germany)\, and Canada (a German-speaking Mennonite congregation adapting its style a nd language of worship so that it could minister to the growing immigrant population in the community). This period of reflection was appropriatel y followed by communion led by Veronica Dyck. [JEK] DTEND:20070128T110000 DTSTAMP:20070128T113006 DTSTART:20070128T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Service of Readings and Prayers UID:269 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2007-01-28-service-of-readings-and-prayers END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Lesley-Ann Wilson\, resident at Menno Simons Centre spoke on t he passage from Mark that told of two healings - one of Jairus’ daughter\ , and the woman who was healed on the way to Jairus’s. The movie Groundho g Day and the lyrics from a popular song by U-2 led Lesley-Ann to comment on how sometimes our situations in life seem like we are stuck forever i n circumstances beyond our control\, leading us to take desperate measure s. Jairus\, a synagogue ruler was ordinarily the last person who would ha ve come to Jesus for healing\; and the woman who bled for 12 years\, as s piritually impoverished as she was ceremonially unclean\, would have been pariah in the crowd. Lesley-Ann drew vividly for us the picture of the h ealing of this woman\, so totally unexpected and yet so expected at the s ame time. Did Jesus need to know to whom the power had gone out of him to ? No\, he merely wanted to emphasize the healing came not from his clothi ng or his touch\, but from her faith. So too\, with Jairus’ daughter\, th e healing was anticlimactic - the real struggle was for Jairus and his fa mily to have faith. Lesley-Ann applied these messages to the struggle man y people have with depression\, the ultimate destination of those in incu rable circumstances. Her examples from her own life\, from those of other students\, from the lives of her friends and their illnesses led inexora bly to the answer - have faith. In our time\, to have faith is to pray. T he service closed with the Lord’s Prayer sung a capella in Russian. [AP] DTEND:20070204T110000 DTSTAMP:20070204T113006 DTSTART:20070204T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Dead Girl and a Sick Woman UID:270 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-dead-girl-and-a-sick-woman END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Thiessen spoke from Revelation1:1-8\, in a message that w as intended for our last Sunday of the church year in 2006\, for the serv ice that was snowed out. Appropriate to the end of the church year\, this is one of the most difficult books of the Bible to place in its proper c ontext. Paul spoke of his experiences visiting Patmos years ago\, visitin g some of the 300 churches on it\, including the chapel where John receiv ed the revelation\, ostensibly from a cleft in the ceiling. Though Paul c laims to have experienced no great revelatory understanding of his own\, he was inspired by Eugene Peterson’s book Reverse Thunder which gave Paul many insights. John\, beloved of Jesus\, was theologian\, poet and pasto r\, and dictated Revelation as a poem of allusion and imagery. In writing this book to the churches of Asia Minor\, John’s background as missionar y for Christ in an era of increasing emperor-worship\, subjected him to i mprisonment\, forcing John to use images of dazzling perplexity to get hi s message across. The misreading of Revelation as text and not poetry mak es it incomprehensible. We do not have more information after we have rea d a poem\, we have more experience. The beasts of Scripture that John saw in Rev came from the Spirit\, not from John’s imagination\, and that the message - things are not as they seem to be - requires the spirit of God to interpret. No attempt is to be made to predict the future with this t ext - Scripture elsewhere warns against it. The warnings and blessings co ntained in text are not just for the churches in the province of Asia\, b ut to all churches. And if there is any doubt\, the last verse in the day ’s text was the identification of the God who gives this revelation - the God of the past\, of the present and of the future. [AP] DTEND:20070211T110000 DTSTAMP:20070211T113006 DTSTART:20070211T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The new vision of Heaven and Earth UID:271 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-new-vision-of-heaven-and-earth END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Kliewer (Conference Minister for the Conference of Menno nites in B.C.) spoke on covenant-making\, particularly as our conference’ s congregations remake covenant with each other. “Covenant” can mean (1) an agreement between people to do or refrain from doing certain things\, (2) a community of faith agreeing on a common faith and polity\, and (3) an agreement between God and humans in which the covenant bring blessings to obedient people. The 10 commandments were useful for bringing togethe r a people covenanting to be dedicated to monotheism and follow certain c odes of ethics. However\, since any list of commandments or rules can als o cause divisions\, Jesus gave a new commandment\, raising covenanting to a much higher level: Love one another (John 13:34). Today\, B.C. Mennoni tes are asking whether and why we need to sign covenants in modern times\ , so Henry explained some of the historic reasons. He also noted that our conference’s congregations are becoming increasingly isolated in thinkin g and practice. By having congregations covenanting together\, we hope to reconnect and experience a blessing from each other. The struggle over h omosexuality has raised such issues as scriptural interpretation\, member ship\, and relationship. Henry asked\, “If we have a common bond in Chris t\, how much variety of belief and practice can we tolerate and still cov enant together?” If we are truly committed to each other\, we will allow others to struggle in their lives\, in the safety of our prayerful presen ce. [JEK\, ed.AP] DTEND:20070218T110000 DTSTAMP:20070218T113007 DTSTART:20070218T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Covenanting UID:272 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/covenanting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Derek Carr\, professor of medieval Spanish studies at UBC\, sp oke to us on prayer from the Catholic perspective. Derek reviewed the cen tral ritual of the Mass\, its history (etymology known\, meaning unknown) \, and then walked us through the parts of the Mass in a format that has not changed significantly in hundreds of years. Scripture and hymns begin the Mass\, and prayers follow - for world religions and Christian church es\, then for political leaders and war-torn countries\, for significant national issues\, then prayers for the sick and for the dead. The homily is offered by the priest\, the offertory (ritual washing) follows\, and t hen the canon of the Mass in preparation for the communion rite. At last\ , communion is served\, before the congregation is dismissed. Derek then contrasted this form of prayer with those of the more devoted in monaster ies and intentional communities\, called ‘canonical hours’. These are nam es we may recall from literature or performance and are associated with s pecific hours of the day\, such as Matins\, Lauds\, Vespers and Compline\ , performed in among the workaday duties each member of the community may have had. Then Derek introduced us to the Rosary\, common for both priva te prayer for people who used chains of beads organized in decades’ to re call their prayers\, and for public prayer that enmeshes participants in a rolling rhythm that enables closer access to the divine. Last\, Derek t ouched on the way of the mystic\, a tradition of much suspicion among chu rches through the ages for its frequent encroachment from states of perso nal abnegation and spiritual freedom onto canonical heresy. In practice\, Derek noted private prayer is something he finds difficult\, and public or written prayer is inherently unsatisfying. Derek nevertheless finds ac cess to the divine in Nature\, especially under the night sky\, and encou rages us to do the same. [AP] DTEND:20070225T110000 DTSTAMP:20070225T113007 DTSTART:20070225T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Prayer from a Catholic perspective UID:273 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/prayer-from-a-catholic-perspective END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We heard from Matthia Langone\, who took us through the proces s of making icons as a form of worship\, from the cutting and sanding of the board they are painted on\, to the preparation of the surface\, the c hoice of story\, text\, figures and colours\, to the final touches. Every aspect of this process requires deep thought and prayer\, and must also marry with approved techniques\, materials to maintain the historical acc uracy so important to these icons. This is not mere whimsey - some icons are more than 1600 years old. Matthia then spoke to us about her theme - several icons that represented the story of Moses encountering the burnin g bush. One sees easily the development from ancient to more modern in th e choice of colours\, backgrounds and representations of the figures. The peculiar facial expressions and bodily poses of the figures common to ic onography is also a subject of deep thought by the artist - these are not intended to be accurate depictions of real people\, but instead represen tations of particular moments in the lives of recognized saints\, most of ten those who were martyred. The attention to detail in the lighting and use of significant symbols - the dropped sandal\, the spark of light in a n eye - deserves more attention than the gold leaf of the halo or the odd poses. In these small things exists the whole prayer of the artist to Go d\, for understanding of this relationship. Last\, Matthia mentioned that iconography\, though returning to favour\, suffered terribly under Commu nism\, not only that so many icons were destroyed\, but the artists thems elves were killed with no chance to pass on their techniques. Many are be ing re-invented now\, but when added to the booming market for icons\, ma kes the chance of getting poor-quality work a very real and very costly p ossibility. [AP] DTEND:20070304T110000 DTSTAMP:20070304T113007 DTSTART:20070304T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The burning bush UID:274 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-burning-bush END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Burns\, an academic focussing on the lives of 4 th cent. Christians\, noted that from the mid-300s to the end of that century\, th ere are 6 primary texts\, including one by Augustine. The most accessible \, of the life of Martin of Tours\, a former Roman soldier\, shows simple but of profound faith. The story best known of him is memorialized in Ch urch windows in Europe showing him cutting his warm military clock in hal f to give to a freezing beggar. Later\, as Bishop of Tours\, his ascetic mission was to poor simple folk in the rural districts\, which\, with his rough speech and simple dress often put him at odds with his fellow bish ops at Trier who found more noble callings as aesthetes. However\, a cont emporary of Martin’s\, Hilary\, retained Martin’s respect for his preachi ng and lifestyle\, despite his wealth and position as Bishop of Poitiers. Hilary’s autobiography of 16 paragraphs demonstrated the staunch equalit y of the Son with the Father to demonstrate the hope of Christian faith\, in contrast to other heresies of the time. Hilary does not repudiate his past\, as Augustine did\, but embraces it as a necessary lesson towards the fullness of Christian faith. Hilary noted cultured people of the time desired lives of leisure\, to provide opportunity for reading\, writing\ , and discussion to live fuller lives. Hilary said that this was not suff icient\, but the personal examination of ethics and morality\, and the na tural openness for God within was required as well. This God of Hilary’s was both immanent and provident against the traditional Roman philosophy  of the disinterest of the gods in human affairs\, or the Stoic providenti al but impersonal God. To Hilary\, the opening lines from John’s gospel w ere among three key texts to understanding the Word as God and becoming f lesh. Hilary’s further works expanded on this theme through an account of a unique visitor\, a smelly fisherman covered in mud who deepened his en gagement with God by pointing out that this Word was eternally present. T his visitor was named by Hilary as the one who sat beside Jesus at the la st supper and laid his head upon his breast\, and completed the circle of Scripture\, from common folk to elite\, and back to common folk again. [ AP] DTEND:20070311T110000 DTSTAMP:20070311T113007 DTSTART:20070311T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christian Lives in the 4th Century UID:275 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christian-lives-in-the-4th-century END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We heard a series of texts and messages from Evan reflecting o n the 4 th Sunday of Lent\, especially the story (again) of the Prodigal Son. Evan left us with serious questions on the implications of asking fo r one’s share of the inheritance in advance\, refusing to honour one’s fa ther and mother\, turning one’s values on its head\, and then once again. How today do we do the same thing as the prodigal son with money\, time\ , resources and influence? The prodigal son knew when he had hit rock bot tom\, but do we? We are reminded that even when we our relatives\, friend s or coworkers walk away from the church\, the benefits of tis teachings remain always in mind. The prodigal son returned to his father and acknow ledged the enormity of his sin to his father and to God. The father\, for his part\, never checked to make sure the son was truly repentant - he w as too happy celebrating his return. It’s a story of an unhappy family wi th two sons both of whom are disobedient in their own way\, to a father w hose magnanimity was present only in crisis\, and never during the ordina riness of life. The lesson is one of forgiveness by all three members of the family. It is one we would do well to take to heart. We are always ca lled to repentance. [AP] DTEND:20070318T110000 DTSTAMP:20070318T113007 DTSTART:20070318T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Prodigal Son UID:276 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-prodigal-son-2007 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Werner Schmidt launched from the 1st commandment (“Thou shalt have no other gods before me”) to highlight the long-running dispute betw een an anti-intellectual branch of the church that sees science\, reason and philosophy as primarily in conflict with Scripture\, and intellectual s who see Scripture as an impediment to our stewardship of the natural wo rld. Werner quoted at length from Francis Collins’ book “The Language of God”. Collins\, as the lead researcher on the Human Genome Project\, unde rstandably felt this discovery was the most significant in a thousand yea rs\, but also emphasized that bioethical considerations of this research must also be discerned\, both by scientists and by people of faith. This\ , Collins felt\, should be the goal of people of the book - to study the natural world as carefully as we study Scripture\, so that we can help in terpret God’s word to those who might otherwise be seduced by science to the exclusion of all else. Our unique role as interpreters demands we see truth wherever we find it - in all the sciences\, arts\, and Scripture. [AP] DTEND:20070325T110000 DTSTAMP:20070325T113007 DTSTART:20070325T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Bioethics and Christ UID:277 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/bioethics-and-christ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Veronica Dyck designed another of her wonderful services last Sunday\, giving us booklets in which she interwove scripture passages and hymns relating to the themes of Palm Sunday and Passion Sunday. In place of a talk\, she shared several meditative readings on the day's themes. For instance\, "On the road to Jerusalem" reminded us that Jesus is calli ng us to practice our faith\, just as he so pointedly asked his generatio n to practice theirs. He is also possibly asking us to weep over our city for the very same reasons that he wept over Jerusalem. On that first Pal m Sunday\, people asked Jesus to silence those who were cheering for the hope of change in society and religion. Do we wish today's voices calling for change would be muted? Are we caught in the middle\, thinking that w e possibly ought to be crying out for change\, yet finding ourselves afra id to do so\, or only willing to acknowledge the need for change during t he safety of sharing time? Veronica then led us through a Litany of Praye rs reflecting on the Stations of the Cross\, and this was followed by Com munion. [JEK] DTEND:20070401T110000 DTSTAMP:20070401T113007 DTSTART:20070401T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship Service UID:278 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/worship-service-2007 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We held our Easter Sunday service of praise\, prayer and singi ng after our Easter morning breakfast.\n\nNo audio recording is available . DTEND:20070408T110000 DTSTAMP:20070408T113007 DTSTART:20070408T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Worship Service UID:279 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-worship-service-2007 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We held a service of worship and prayer with readings\, script ure and prayers led by Andre Pekovich\, taking us from the empty tomb of Easter Sunday\, through the shock and uncertainty of the succeeding days\ , through the miracles of the various appearances of the risen Jesus to t he unbelieving and the faithful alike\, as the early church uncertainly s ought to discover what it was to do to carry on the work of Jesus. Andre tried to tie this together to the congregation’s current attempt to disco ver what it is now to do to remain vibrant\, fulfilling and growing as we begin our process of congregational discernment. DTEND:20070415T110000 DTSTAMP:20070415T113007 DTSTART:20070415T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship Service UID:280 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/worship-service-2007-04-15 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jeff Orr spoke on "Being Faithful in a New world". DTEND:20070422T110000 DTSTAMP:20070422T113007 DTSTART:20070422T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Being Faithful in a New world UID:281 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/being-faithful-in-a-new-world END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld gave two brief meditations on two of the day's l ectionary readings. The first was Psalm 23\, a Psalm of comfort for those living in a dangerous and uncomfortable world. Scriptures often spoke of Jesus as 'The Good Shepherd' and of us as the vulnerable sheep needing c onstant guidance and protection. After singing a song paraphrasing this P salm\, Henry turned to John 10:22-32. When Jesus claimed that he and the Father were one\, and when people wanted to kill him for blasphemy\, Jesu s said\, 'if you do not like my words\, at least judge me by my works.' M any modern churches want people to (1) believe\, (2) then behave and (3) belong. But Jesus changes that order to (1) follow me for a few days\, wa tch how I behave\, and see if you like how I live. Then (2) join the grou p of others who also like how I am living. Finally as you live within thi s group\, (3) grow in faith and belief while you are being spiritually an d emotionally supported by the church. The early church (before being cor rupted under and after Constantine) did not baptize people or hear their confessions of faith until their lives had been carefully observed for a full year. Only then would their statements of belief be believed. [JEK]\ n\nNo bulletin is available. DTEND:20070429T110000 DTSTAMP:20070429T113008 DTSTART:20070429T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Believe\, behave\, belong. UID:282 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/believe-behave-belong END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Aaron Roberts spoke from Psalm 137 to give us perspective on t his rich passage full of imagery\, but with an evil twist at the end. The history of the Babylonian conquest was briefly recounted\, with Aaron no ting that the deportation of the Jews from Israel & Judah included the ar tisans\, administrators\, religious leaders and anybody with an instituti onal memory of the life of the people\, leaving only the farmers and peas ants\, who had no way other than with an oral history\, to pass their tra ditions and culture along. Aaron noted that without leadership\, these pe ople did their best to keep traditions alive\, but imperfectly\, later be coming the Samaritans\, and setting the stage for the separation of the r eturned Jews from the Samaritans. Meanwhile\, the Jews resisted comfort i n exile\, hanging up their harps in a visible protest\, rather than play them\, and recalling the words of the Edomites who took joy in the destru ction of Jerusalem. The last two violent passages Aaron stated were not t here to give glory to violence\, but to illustrate that God is prepared t o hear all our thoughts\, regardless of origin\, to recognize that his so vereign word stands\, regardless of our feelings and thoughts. Aaron said it was better to let those thoughts out in prayer and Psalms\, than try to hide them behind a facade of God’s goodness and mercy. In the question period that followed\, the congregation largely agreed. [AP] DTEND:20070506T110000 DTSTAMP:20070506T113008 DTSTART:20070506T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Remembrance\, & Lament UID:283 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/remembrance-lament END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jesse Nickel (of Peace Mennonite Church) spoke on “Having the mind of Christ” from Philippians 2:5-11. DTEND:20070513T110000 DTSTAMP:20070513T113008 DTSTART:20070513T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Having the Mind of Christ UID:284 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/having-the-mind-of-christ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Bruce Hiebert [of Langley Mennonite Fellowship and no relation to the webmaster] spoke on The Politics of Christian Marriage. About 20 years ago\, John Howard Yoder challenged Christians to examine current th inking and assumptions about marriage\, and to compare that thinking with what scripture actually says. Although this exercise may not lead us to change our thinking\, it is an exercise well worth undertaking. Though Br uce most definitely did not advocate bigamy\, he reminded us that Paul sp ecifies that only bishops are not allowed to have multiple wives. On the other hand\, there were several indications that the early church was cha nging its thinking on marriage\, quite possibly moving towards only the i deal of monogamy. For instance\, one direct quotation Jesus made from Gen esis has urged the historic church to permit only monogamy (as did Roman law\; this remains a dilemma for some new Christians in Africa). Essentia lly\, scripture seems to insist that one is 'married' to anyone with whom you have had sex\, and that you bear this special responsibility for the rest of your life. In other words\, we are to take all our relationships seriously\, for life\, and not in the more casual manner of today's soci ety. There are a few passages in the New Testament which unambiguously ad vocate that remaining single and practicing chastity are the very highest ideals imaginable (does today's church ever preach singleness as the hig hest ideal\, as taught by Paul?). Bruce put all of this into context nice ly by reminding us that our primary relationship is with God\, our second ary relationships are with our neighbors\, and that each of us is called to a life of discipleship. Within this framework\, those Christians who m arry are to take their responsibilities seriously at every turn\, for the ir partners becomes their closest neighbors and couples are both expected to serve God as disciples. The way in which marriages do or do not work directly affects the emotional and spiritual health of the entire fellows hip. Bruce therefore portrayed Christian husbands and wives as walking th e road of life together\, encouraged by God\, with Christ at their side\, and ideally enjoying the support of other believers. Bruce challenged us to build the kind of fellowships which engender honesty\, even about mar riages and relationships\, for both congregations and families are a micr ocosm of the Kingdom. [JEK] DTEND:20070520T110000 DTSTAMP:20070520T113008 DTSTART:20070520T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Politics of Christian Marriage UID:285 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-politics-of-christian-marriage END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:No service was held at PGIMF in favour of the Mennonite Church Covenanting Service at the Mennonite Educational Institute. DTEND:20070527T110000 DTSTAMP:20070527T113008 DTSTART:20070527T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:No service today UID:286 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/no-service-today-2007-05-27 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Don Stoezs used the book Shepherding to be Led\, and examples from his work at Bowden Institution as a prison chaplain\, in order to de scribe to us the importance of Trinity Sunday\, a day not much noted or c elebrated in the western church. Don drew heavily on the example of the d omestication of animals\, drawing many distinctions among the behaviours of domesticated versus tamed animals. These distinctions are important ex amples to us in our following God. Trail rides are instructive - no matte r in which order you want your horse to be\, your horse will have its own idea of which is the proper order for the horses to follow each other. H owever\, as domestication proceeds\, humans naturally come to be seen by the horses as the alpha\, the dominant\, the leader\, and so the horse be gins to follow the order humans set for it. So\, too\, can humans take in struction from this example as we learn to become domesticated\, to follo w God. Don then noted from his prison work how closely the behaviour of i nmates matches the behaviours in the animal kingdom. Prisoners\, despisin g authority\, end up in a place where authority is forced upon them. Fait h is a matter of internalizing God as our authority\, as one who leads. T his occurs positively\, when mission becomes a method of humans consentin g an authority to lead them to a greater good\; and destructively in chur ches\, when people naturally come to believe in their pastors as infallib le. Don noted then the difference between the Eastern and Western churche s\, in that the Western church chose order and authority\, while the East ern church chose spirit and mysticism. To our loss\, the mystical traditi on has been largely absent from the Western church these thousands of yea rs\, yet its desire remains\, and Pentecostalism is a manifestation of th is dualism in the Western world. So Trinity Sunday remains so important t o our tradition\, though it remains under-explored. [AP] DTEND:20070603T110000 DTSTAMP:20070603T113008 DTSTART:20070603T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Imprint of God: our ability to be shepherded UID:287 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-imprint-of-godour-ability-to-be-shepherd ed END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke from Luke 7:36 - 8:3 to ask\, what does on e do with uninvited guests\, what is hospitality and forgiveness\, and ho w should women be treated? This passage features Simon the Pharisee invit ing Jesus for dinner\, but failing to show the requisite hospitality to h im. A woman performed the hospitality that Simon had failed to perform\, and Jesus noted the difference in treatment between the one who had nothi ng to lose\, and the one who had nothing to gain. Henry told a story that showed how even pastors today can fall victim to bad behaviour with unin vited guests. Henry then noted that Eugene Peterson once said that the wo rd evangelism should be replaced with the word hospitality\, and pointed out that our traditional picture of Jesus knocking at the door is incompl ete. In reality\, Jesus is asking to come inside and eat with us - at a b anquet - to demonstrate our hospitality as we do our faith. In this passa ge\, Jesus also tells the story of the two debtors\, one who was forgiven much more than the other. The example is instructive\, but Henry used tw o recent stories to point out how difficult that can be\, for instance\, in the death of Amish children at the school. Regarding women\, Jesus als o breaks a cardinal rule at this dinner by criticizing his host\, who has been unkind to him. Henry contrasted this with the support generally sho wn by women to Jesus’ ministry. Henry concludes\, notes if evangelism is hospitality\, how evangelistic are we? What do we do with invited guests? What about forgiveness? What do we do with the undesirables in our commu nity? All are questions that ought to make us beg for forgiveness. [AP] DTEND:20070610T110000 DTSTAMP:20070610T113008 DTSTART:20070610T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:An Interrupted Lunch UID:288 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/an-interrupted-lunch END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Damian Hinman spoke on the uninvited guest referred to by Emil y Dickinson “Because I could not stop for him\, he kindly stopped for me. ” as he had recently stopped for Damian’s uncle James. Death’s domain con trasts sharply in our culture with that of youth and beauty\, which is mo re often celebrated. Other deaths or events in Damian’s and Luciana’s fam ilies left him with a sense that all he was able to do was watch and pray \, and that despite all the education or skill in the world\, some things remain immutable\, to be faced alone. Our lot is not to be as with eithe r Elijah’s or Jesus’s healing of the widow’s son\, in healing\, but inste ad we are to be as David\, fasting and praying for his son\, whom Nathan had foretold would be the price for David’s sin of having Uriah slain. Da mian then reviewed how valuable and costly the gift of Jesus was to so ma ny of his followers\, especially the woman who anointed Jesus at the dinn er at Simon’s house. Damian noted the various moral and ethical struggles facing our society in the form of euthanasia and other forms of dying\, and concludes our struggle is not so much to avoid death’s sting as to as sist those in the process with prayer and care as fully as possible. [AP] \n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20070617T110000 DTSTAMP:20070617T113008 DTSTART:20070617T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Death and dying UID:289 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/death-and-dying END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:An ecumenical service was held in Trimble Park then we returne d to the MSC Chapel for lunch and a congregational meeting. DTEND:20070624T110000 DTSTAMP:20070624T113008 DTSTART:20070624T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ecumenical Service UID:290 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ecumenical-service-2007 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Canada Day\, Veronica Dyck's talk on Right Relationship in Ministry introduced us to 2 Corinthians\, Paul's fourth formal letter in 18 months to the house church(es) in one of Asia Minor's main cities. Thi s somewhat emotional letter was written in response to severe personal di fferences and challenges Paul was experiencing with key house church pers onalities\, as well as questions relating to how a small community of fai th might best operate and behave\, regardless of peoples' social or econo mic status\, all the while dwelling on the theme of how the in-breaking G od helps communities of faith. Since the converts in Corinth came from a variety of backgrounds (e.g.\, no Jewish dietary concerns or laws)\, Paul did not dictate firm rules but rather offered a new approach to behavior and rules\, indicating that Christians should evaluate-and reevaluate-th eir activities and lifestyles as their situations and surrounding society change\, so that their actions not mislead or needlessly offend other be lievers. Immediately\, Paul surprises the reader\, indicating that he con sidered himself not the house churches' leader but rather their slave (un like other leaders who were exerting power and asking for financial suppo rt). Just as Jesus consoles others in their suffering\, believers are to console one another in their sufferings (including Paul in his past suffe rings). Later in this letter Paul will champion the cause of the believin g yet impoverished slaves who were experiencing second-class standing in the thinking and actions of believers who were landowners (much as Paul w as being set aside as an apostolic leader by those same people). Veronica then led us through the initial 14 verses of chapter 1\, verses which br iefly tell of God's grace when rescuing Paul from earlier dangers\, and h int at rebukes and challenges he faced from strong personalities in the h ouse church. During discussion\, we gave thanks that in spite of thousand s of leaders and differences among millions of Christians around the worl d and in every cultural setting imaginable\, the core of the gospel remai ns. [JEK - ed. AP] DTEND:20070701T110000 DTSTAMP:20070701T113008 DTSTART:20070701T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:2 Cor - Overview\; Right Relationship in Ministry UID:291 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2-cor-overview-right-relationship-in-ministry END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Don Rempel Boschman contrasted the reactions of the Amish comm unity to that of the Virginia Tech community when gunmen killed several m embers in each community. The depth and sincerity of the forgiveness foun d in the first community contrasted sharply with the struggle to forgive found in the second. Don asked us “Why was this so?” Why do the Amish\, s o set apart\, bring forth forgiveness more quickly\, more fully than the no-less-Bible-and God-believing Virginia Tech community? To answer\, Don walked us through Daniel 1 which\, as an introduction to the miraculous s tories to follow later in the book\, introduces us to Daniel and his frie nds cajoling their jailer into allowing them to eat vegetables rather tha n the tainted food they were commanded to eat. Don noted that obedience t o God as written in Daniel begins with small things - eat vegetables - so that when obedience is commanded in the big things - trial by lion or fu rnace\, for instance - one’s obedience to God is both ingrained and trust worthy. You do as God commands because you can do no other. As people str uggle with big things - smoking\, pornography\, faithfulness in marriage - their success or failure is often pre-ordained by how faithful they hav e been to the small trials set before them. Don asked one worshipper stru ggling with big issues to give up coffee for a day as a training ground f or faithfulness. Success in small things leads to success in big things\, if only we allow God his time and our trust to make it so. [AP] DTEND:20070708T110000 DTSTAMP:20070708T113009 DTSTART:20070708T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Learning to be faithful in the small things UID:292 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/learning-to-be-faithful-in-the-small-things END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider continued our series in 2 Corinthians with pass ages from chapter 2:5-11\, and once again drew on the example of the Amis h for inspiration\, as in two previous sermons in recent weeks. Janice br ought to us John Ruth’s book “Forgiveness: a legacy of the West Nickel Mi nes School” which explored the ways in which forgiveness is intrinsic to the Amish way of life\, the public demonstration of which was something f ew will forget. Yet the other\, puzzling side of Amish practice - that of shunning - is equally unforgettable. How does one reconcile the two? Jan ice showed how Paul speaks exactly about both of these practices in 2 Cor inthians. Paul was slandered by the church at Corinth\, the church refuse d to rebuke the offender\, forcing Paul to defend himself\, and when regr et or apology finally came\, Paul encouraged forgiveness. Janice noted th is passage speaks about Paul’s explicit instructions - rebuke those who h arm the spirit of community in the church\, and when apology has been rec eived\, then comfort those who have been punished. Janice pointed out tha t the Amish act with discipline as the highest form of love. Thus\, shunn ing and forgiveness are seen as two endpoints on the scale of love in the church community\, and we are encouraged to keep both in mind in order t o keep ourselves true to Christ’s goal for us - to love God. [AP] DTEND:20070715T110000 DTSTAMP:20070715T113009 DTSTART:20070715T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:2 Cor. Study - An offender forgiven UID:293 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2-cor-study-an-offender-forgiven END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera titled her message from 2Cor 2:14-3:11 The Aroma of Christ and All that Jazz. From a triumphal procession\, not as slaves but as those set free\, we smell the fragrance of Christ in our lives\, a nd become a fragrance of life to God. This is no smell of incense to cove r up the stench of burning flesh\, either as an offering on the altar or immolation in the arena. Through Christ’s sacrifice\, we are known to God and need no letter of introduction as was common for travellers in the a ncient days. Paul makes no attempt to dismiss the Law of Moses\, but inst ead uses its former glory to contrast with the superior and all-forgiving glory of the fragrance of Christ. Rosie then focussed on two points - (1 ) the aroma of Christ and (2) the letter kills\, but the Spirit gives lif e. She notes it will be up to us whether those who do not know God find t he aroma of Christ malodorous as with brash “hit-&-run evangelists”. Rosi e prefers to see Christians as co-labouring to bring people to the spirit of the Kingdom\, and uses the metaphor of the spirit being like garlic o r cilantro\, which when crushed\, releases its aromas. Similarly\, the ar oma of Christ is released when we are crushed\, so in Christ\, suffering is a given. Rosie attended a class at Carey on Jazz as a Metaphor for Spi ritual Life which gave her new insight into the second point. At the clas s\, spirituality was enhanced by those who were encouraged to bring their instruments ot the class and jam at the breaks. Rosie’s trumpet skills c onformed to the letter of the law\, but she found herself stretched when encouraged to improvise as the spirit of the music moved her. Her early i nhibitions against making discordant sounds\, coming in at the wrong time \, paralleled life\, and she found that listening to each other helped\, but ultimately one needed to be willing to take a risk of coming in at th e wrong time with the wrong note. Just so in life\, we need to be willing to take a risk in the security Christ offers us and step beyond the rule s to listen to the rhythm of the spirit\, and let ‘er rip! [AP] DTEND:20070722T110000 DTSTAMP:20070722T113009 DTSTART:20070722T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Aroma of Christ and All that Jazz UID:294 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-aroma-of-christ-and-all-that-jazz END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Maureen Klassen spoke on "Bold new ministers\, renewal of huma n life" based on 2nd Corinthians. DTEND:20070729T110000 DTSTAMP:20070729T113009 DTSTART:20070729T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:2 Cor. Study - Bold new ministers\, renewal of human life UID:295 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2-cor-study-bold-new-ministers-renewal-of-hu man-life END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider spoke on "Eternal life in expendable jars" based on 2nd Corinthians. DTEND:20070805T110000 DTSTAMP:20070805T113009 DTSTART:20070805T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:2 Cor. Study - Eternal life in expendable jars UID:296 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2-cor-study-eternal-life-in-expendable-jars END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Chris and Louise Friesen and four of their five young children led us in a worship service as the family sang and played various instru ments (piano\, guitar\, violin\, various percussion instruments\, recorde r\, trumpet\, xylophone\, etc.) Some of the memorized songs composed by C hris included settings of Psalms 148\, 139 and 103. About 15 years ago\, Chris and Louise met as residents in our Centre and as attendees at PGIMF . After marrying and moving to East Vancouver\, they attended the Grandvi ew Baptist Church which is exceptionally active in community work. They e ventually moved "up North" in Alberta where Chris taught school to Cree-s peaking children in a remote and economically-challenged community. Louis e spoke of learning that "life is more than comfort\; life is people." Th e Friesens became increasingly involved in community life and in helping individuals trying to cope with 'the system'\, government\, life and fina ncial issues. About four years later they moved to Fresno\, California fo r further theological study\, and Chris eventually served for four years as Pastor of Lay Ministry at the Lendrum MB Church in Edmonton. Chris is now writing both fiction and music and the family spent time last year le arning music and producing their first CD. Chris challenged us to think a bout what our congregation's special vocation might now be and how we mig ht best respond to God. Chris recalled that PGIMF is an excellent place i n which young people can safely ask questions\, but he pointed out that p roviding answers is also sometimes helpful. The Friesens repeatedly expre ssed their abiding appreciation for the training they received during the ir years with us and for the opportunities to learn to contribute to vari ous parts of the worship service. The morning served as an encouragement to us and as an affirmation for the importance of the continuing existenc e of PGIMF and its role in the lives of young believers. [JEK] DTEND:20070812T110000 DTSTAMP:20070812T113009 DTSTART:20070812T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:2Cor. Study - New life in two bodies UID:297 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2cor-study-new-life-in-two-bodies END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We continued our summer series on 2Corinthians with a service of prayers and readings\, songs and literature from Brennan Manning’s “Th e Signature of Jesus” led by Andre Pekovich.\n\nNo audio recording is ava ilable. DTEND:20070819T110000 DTSTAMP:20070819T113009 DTSTART:20070819T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:2Cor. Study - Compelled by the death of one for all UID:298 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2cor-study-compelled-by-the-death-of-one-for -all END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on Letter Writing and Confrontation. Lette r writing (like emailing) is truly a skill when done properly\, and once sent\, it cannot be retrieved. When it is appropriate to confront someone in writing? Paul's second surviving letter to his friends in Corinth see ms to be a first draft-very long\, laboriously composed (likely at the pa ce of a word a minute)\, possibly not properly edited and most likely was very personal and not intended to be read by anyone else. 2 Cor. 7:8 ref ers to a now-lost "letter of sorrows" which was apparently a letter of co nfrontation. Initially Paul regretted having sent it\, but once he learne d that the letter produced repentance\, he was relieved and glad it worke d. But what if the letter had not worked? After all\, confrontation is ve ry difficult and does not always work as hoped. We therefore have example s in scripture illustrating people seeking to find peaceful solutions by avoiding confrontation. Abraham\, for instance\, let Lot decide which lan d to use for his herds\, David cut off part of Saul's robe\, to make the point that he could have killed him but did not do so. Jesus frequently t ried to explain himself more clearly rather than retaliating. Paul seems to have been a weak speaker but strong writer\, so he preferred to confro nt by letter (Corinthians\, Galatians). When tempted to confront someone\ , we might first ask ourselves whether this will hurt our relationship. H ow will we know? [JEK] DTEND:20070826T110000 DTSTAMP:20070826T113009 DTSTART:20070826T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:2Cor. Study - Titus' report - retrospect and prospect UID:299 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2cor-study-titus-report-retrospect-and-prosp ect END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Don Teichroeb (our congregation's moderator and former treasur er) presented the final talk of the summer's series of 2 Corinthians\, fo cusing on chapters 8-9\, the most extensive passage in Christian scriptur e dealing with stewardship. "Stewardship is the link between what we beli eve and what we do." In the early part of the Book of Acts we read about the more wealthy Christians in Jerusalem selling their assets in order to share resources freely with impoverished believers. This unusual action is lauded even today\, and Paul referred to those people as "the saints i n Jerusalem". However\, when economic disaster struck the region and inte rnal resources could no longer sustain the community of believers in the capital city\, Paul and others organized a relief programme. The appeal f or generosity took various approaches\, including an appeal for helping t hose in the larger community of faith\, responding to God's generosity\, responding to faith in concrete ways\, and even being inspired by the giv ing of others (the Macedonians not only gave but begged to be allowed to give-"a church treasurer's dream come true"). It would seem that people w ere no longer tithing to the Temple or synagogues (though we do not know for certain) because they were worshipping independently of those institu tions\, and so their giving appears to be in response to specific needs ( famine) and causes (missionary work and the slowly emerging class of chur ch workers). Paul urged the Corinthians to give "according to their means "\, not according to an institutionalized budget. In fact\, tithing would not be widely practiced by Christians until at least the 700's when the church became institutionalized and required a predictable budget. Don no ted that we have received so much\, not only from God\, but from our cult ure\, our society\, Canada's vast good fortunes-and that we hold all of t his 'in trust' from God. It is therefore not just a question of whether w e give regularly (as our means enables\, and this changes as we pass thro ugh life's various stages) but we must also think carefully about what we do with the remaining 90% or less. John Neufeld addresses this and other stewardship-related topics in his publication\, "From grateful to genero us". Erin Teichroeb brought the morning's meditation to a close by descri bing her volunteer work this summer at Camp Squeah (kitchen\, leading roc k climbing\, etc.)\, reminding us that we also need to think carefully ab out being good stewards of our time. [JEK] DTEND:20070902T110000 DTSTAMP:20070902T113009 DTSTART:20070902T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:2 Cor. Study - Gift of blessing\, financial equity UID:300 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2-cor-study-gift-of-blessing-financial-equity END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider spoke on Luke 14:25-33\, noting that this passage contains phrases that were formerly absolutely shocking\, but are now so common that we think of them as ordinary language. Yet if you take the r isk to live your life according to this gospel\, it will change your life . Jesus\, perhaps tiring of the crowds that followed him everywhere expec ting miracles as entertainment\, might have dismayed them when he told th em that family - and its approval - must come after faith in God\, not be fore. This\, of course\, denies the first of the ten commandments to “Hon our thy father and mother....” Yet Jesus himself put his own calling abov e family approval\, leaving the family construction business to pursue th e life of the itinerant preacher. His radical thought was rewarded with h anging on the cross. As radical as it was then\, the cross has become utt erly safe for us - we hang them in our churches\, we wear them as jewelry around our necks. Would we wear a pendant with a little electric chair o n it? Jewish history in Jesus’ time was violent and the cross was regular ly used to kill rebellious Jews at the whim of the Romans. Are we truly w illing to take up the cross? Who will go to Afghanistan next week to take the place of the slain Korean missionaries? Evan spoke directly to the s tudents attending\, imploring them to use their intellect at school\, but also at home\, in the church\, in their faith life. Inquire rigorously\, and do not accept the trite answer. Evan noted that churches which ask r elatively little of their members grow large\, while churches which ask a ttenders to pay the full cost of discipleship are destined to remain smal l. PGIMF supports this inquiry into your faith and your intellect. Nobody asked harder questions than Jesus did - and humanity 2000 years later st ill struggles with those questions. Join us. [AP] DTEND:20070909T110000 DTSTAMP:20070909T113009 DTSTART:20070909T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The cost of discipleship UID:301 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-cost-of-discipleship END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We held our 21st anniversary service commemorating the foundin g of PGIMF. Our three speakers offered a slice of life at PGIMF\, with Wa lter Bergen\, from the founding of PGIMF\, and the grace and strength of vision of the founding members\, including all those who have gone before - Paul Boschman\, Verna Reesor\, Bill Riediger\, Bert McGee\, J.J. Krahn and others. Walter was followed by Sandy Hung\, a current resident who p roposed the future look different from the past as times change\, and the church with it. Last\, Don Teichroeb\, moderator\, summarized the effort s of the current church to stay current and called us to action in the re visioning process begun early this year. An equally fruitful discussion t ime deserves your attention on the CD recording. [AP] DTEND:20070916T110000 DTSTAMP:20070916T113010 DTSTART:20070916T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Celebration Service UID:302 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/21st-celebration-service END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert spoke to the Prophet Amos’s injunctions to the p eople of Israel about their greed and oppressive activities against the p oor. He tied Amos’ proscriptions to many modern practices\, such as banki ng fees (higher fees for those who are least able to pay them)\, payday l oans\, pet food with toxins used as fillers\, the niche filled by scrap-m etal binners and bottle collectors. Kevin then quoted from Paul’s injunct ion to Timothy to pray for those in authority as God’s servants\, so that our lives may be undisturbed by turmoil\, that inwardly we may be able t o meditate on the fruits of the spirit\, and thus all might be saved. Kev in noted how Paul contrasts this desired lifestyle with those promoted on Desperate Housewives or Sex and the City\, and further takes to task tho se relatives who fail to provide for the poor in their own families\, thu s forcing the church to care for them. Everywhere Paul contrasts those wi th money to those without\, and notes that those who fail to steward thei r money properly for the benefit of others\, to not share in God’s grace. Kevin links the ancient dictum “the love of money is the root of all evi ls” to many modern practices\, such as the lottery with its ridiculous ad vertisements\, fraud in the lottery system\, and the general idolatry of gambling. Kevin contrasted society’s selfish aims with those of MEDA and makepovertyhistory.ca and asked us to consider on whose side God’s justic e will lie. [AP] DTEND:20070923T110000 DTSTAMP:20070923T113010 DTSTART:20070923T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God's examples of equality UID:303 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/gods-examples-of-equality END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider delivered a message written by Evan\, the secon d in an inadvertent series on wealth and the church entitled The Heresy o f Materialism. Evan began by pointing out that Paul said that godliness i s not next to wealth\, and that nobody should go into ministry to make a pile. Though not overly prescriptive\, Paul nevertheless touches on vario us characteristics of ideal Christian flock-herders\, mostly typified by the saying “for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” (1Ti 6:10). Riches bring with it social responsibility\, and Paul asks the fa ithful to keep their eyes on things of God\, not of money. Turning to the story of Lazarus and the rich man\, Evan notes that there are other pass ages beside this one that emphasize God’s judgement falling not on those  according to their faith\, but on how they used their wealth and talents. Here\, Lazarus in Heaven and the rich man in Hell echo the judgement in the letter to Timothy\, further exhorting the faithful to things of God\, not to wealth. Examples given noted that we are all wealthy\, especially in the eyes of the Third World\; that we too will be judged on how we us ed our talents\; and that Jesus himself died because he challenged the te mple’s authority in matters of money. Evan exhorts us to be ever watchful to bring the benefits of our wealth at all times to those who have less\ , or none. [AP] DTEND:20070930T110000 DTSTAMP:20070930T113010 DTSTART:20070930T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Heresy of Materialism UID:304 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-heresy-of-materialism END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Regretfully\, there was no recording made of the message. DTEND:20071007T110000 DTSTAMP:20071007T113010 DTSTART:20071007T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Blessing and Thankfulness UID:305 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/blessing-and-thankfulness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider spoke on Luke 17:11-19 regarding the story of the ten lepers who were healed\, but only one of whom turned back to give th anks to God for the healing. Evan began with a Jewish prayer for healing\ , then moved through the passage in Luke\, identifying how horrified the population was by lepers or anyone with skin conditions\, and what steps were taken to separate them from clean society. The very people and place s that would give succour to lepers were off limits to them. Jesus heals the lepers in the story\, but does so at a distance\, asking them to walk away\, and to purify themselves at the temple to complete their healing. Yet one\, and only one\, a Samaritan\, (foretelling God’s grace being op ened to Gentiles in Acts) turned back to give thanks to God\, and to Jesu s. Jesus\, with the stunning words “Your faith has made you well”complete d the leper’s healing on the spot. Evan noted parallels between lepers go ing to the temple\, and our practice of going to the hospital\, also done in faith. Although this story is overtly about healing\, it is does far more to illustrate gratitude to the grace of God. Though God’s grace is f reely given to all\, few remain grateful to God for long. Jesus could cur e leprosy\, but not even Jesus could cure ingratitude. We all know (or pe rhaps have felt ourselves) that we would do anything for healing\, and we beg God for those chances\, but how quickly we forget our promises - we remain untransformed. Yet some are transformed\, and Evan pointed out how people even in our own congregation lived transformed lives of gratitude after life-threatening events. Evan led a response by the congregation b y singing Now Thank We All Our God by Johann Crüger\, written during the 30-years war when Crüger’s pastor was burying 40-50 people per day in a p owerful time of grief. [AP] DTEND:20071014T110000 DTSTAMP:20071014T113010 DTSTART:20071014T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Faith\, healing and gratitude UID:306 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/faith-healing-and-gratitude END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld began his talk by noting that when Paul told Tim othy "All scripture is inspired by God"\, Paul was thinking only of the O ld Testament works as being scripture\, for the Christian canon (includin g his letters) would not be formed and agreed upon for another three cent uries. Christians first needed to sift through numerous "gospels"\, "Acts " and letters\, determining which were forgeries\, which were misleading\ , and which were uniformly valid. The Anabaptist tradition is that the co mmunity of faith continually tests both scriptures and what is said about them\, and this was in keeping with what the early Christian communities did. Until recently\, believers encouraged a remarkably wide variety of allegorical interpretations of scriptures\, for the tyranny of fundamenta lism is a relatively recent phenomenon. Henry also stressed that reading several verses or even a chapter of scripture silently\, in isolation\, c an cause us to miss hearing the texts in context-as vast sweeping texts a bout life rather than as legalistic points of law. Jesus orally reinterpr eted\, and some would argue even rewrote scripture ("You have heard it sa id . . . but I say unto you . . . .) Jesus wanted believers to get past s cripture wars\, and the first Christians sometimes succeeded (e.g.\, when deciding to set aside circumcision and dietary texts and laws). By contr ast\, modern Christians have been tempted by the idolatry of legalistic i nterpretations of isolated verses (in translation and out of context). It is therefore useful for us to remember that Paul's first letter to Timot hy urged that all teachings should agree with the sound instructions of J esus Christ. [JEK] DTEND:20071021T110000 DTSTAMP:20071021T113010 DTSTART:20071021T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Move Off the Page UID:307 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/move-off-the-page END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Barbara Nickel\, former PGIMF attender and MSC resident\, bega n with stories of the journeys of others ending in sudden and often unexp ected death\, and remarked on how these stories pointed to her good fortu ne\, by contrast. Her deliberate\, poetic message took us through her jou rney\, touching on high points and low in her life\, speaking as a mother of two little ones\, wife to Bevan\, daughter to her family\, student\, teacher\, sufferer and happy spirit. With three litanies read together wi th the congregation\, we all were invited to share her blessings\, and to remember our own. [AP] DTEND:20071028T110000 DTSTAMP:20071028T113010 DTSTART:20071028T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Remember your Journey UID:308 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/remember-your-journey END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sandy Hung\, a resident at the Menno Simons Centre spoke on th e Saints and martyrdom for All Saints Day. The beginning of remembrance o f the saints was founded in communion\, often gathering at the tombs of t he faithful to remember and to join their ancestors in Jesus Christ. It’s not often thought of as a joyful time\, but it is\, and doubly so when y ou recall that other Christians in other churches are also celebrating th is ritual at the same time as you are. Stories abound of people martyred\ , often in the darkest moments of their faith life\, and this begs the qu estion was God with them\, or did God abandon them? Sandra hopes that we can be living sacrifices\, rather than dead ones\, though she recognizes that the cost is a diminishment of self or ego. Sacrifice\, Sandra says\, is a renewing of the mind\, and one should not expect congruence between your wants and God’s will. Nor is sacrifice strictly about obedience. Je sus’ model of sacrifice is to be ours\, to glorify God\, not ourselves or our needs. [AP] DTEND:20071104T110000 DTSTAMP:20071104T113010 DTSTART:20071104T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Exploring the Meaning of Sacrifice UID:309 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/exploring-the-meaning-of-sacrifice END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our Peace Sunday liturgical service was led by Veronica Dyck\, and featured a number of stories from members of the congregation of the times of war and how it affected their own families. Stories were heard from the fall of the Berlin wall\, of life in the military during the Sec ond World War in Germany\, a death in a Croatian concentration camp durin g the second world war\, voluntary service in Canada\, a visit of an arms exhibit\, and war resistance in the US. DTEND:20071111T110000 DTSTAMP:20071111T113010 DTSTART:20071111T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Peace Sunday UID:310 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/peace-sunday-2007 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Helen Rose Pauls spoke on the theme of Lamenting. Just as we a ccept the changeability of our west coast weather\, so too we need to lea rn to face and accept life's changeability. Many Psalms face life's chall enges fully and frankly. Psalm 137\, for example\, recalls the horrors of the destruction of Jerusalem\, its siege and the resulting famine\, Solo mon's temple vanishing\, the Jewish upper class and its intellectuals bei ng enslaved\, and Israel's neighbours helping Babylonian soldiers capture escaping Jews. Adding insult to injury\, years later their captors were taunting Jewish slaves who were known to love music and joyful dancing\, forcing them to perform on call. Psalm 137.7-9 calls for retribution\, ex pressing a deep desire for bloody revenge\, both on the Babylonians and o n the Edomites: 'we wish you were dead!'. The Book of Lamentations looks at these emotions more fully\, for they are an important part of life to so many people. Do today's churches have services which assist people who are lamenting? What about believers who sense that life is all downhill from here? After all\, there is seldom a a quick fix for life's adversiti es (poor health\, broken relationships). Singing only happy music is of n o more use to our friends today than it was during the Babylonian captivi ty. What should we do as some of our oldest believers yearn for death bec ause their wasteland is so discouraging. Helen Rose reminded us that alth ough good and bad come to each of us\, God is always with us. We can open our hearts to him\, even if we cannot sing our happy songs. "The Lord is near . . . do not fear for anything" (Philippians 4.5-7). DTEND:20071118T110000 DTSTAMP:20071118T113010 DTSTART:20071118T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Lament from Psalm 137 UID:311 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/lament-from-psalm-137 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Charlie Paris began with a Deuteronomic history to illustrate the work of the Trinity of God in the history of salvation. He emphasized the Torah had two underlying themes in its books - that the all-powerful God intervenes in human affairs\, and a record of the “lived experience” of a nation coming to an understanding of its role in the world. One mus t remember that the history that we read today in the Bible was first a l ived experience - an oral tradition\, and only later a historico-religiou s text. Charlie then moved to the New Testament and its oral tradition of the fulfillment of Jewish promise in the itinerant preacher that became our Christ. As with the Torah\, after Jesus death\, people first lived th e experience of his resurrection and the creation of the early church\, a nd only later did they begin to write down their oral traditions. As the writing occurred\, so did the divergence of these believing Jews into tod ay’s separation between Jews and Christians. But the NT is not a 1st cent ury history book and it would be a mistake to look at it that way. It is the story of faith seeking understanding. Fron the early church fathers a nd mothers to modern theologians\, people of faith are to bring all their intellect to bear upon the issue of faith in the triune God\, recognizin g that our doubts may not be assuaged\, that all the Creeds in the world\ , though well-intentioned in delineating our core beliefs\, may not compl etely bless us with understanding. We are to seek knowledge of God wherev er we find it\, and view it through the lens of our lived experience. [AP ] DTEND:20071125T110000 DTSTAMP:20071125T113011 DTSTART:20071125T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Saints UID:312 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/saints-2007 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The service was cancelled due to snow. DTEND:20071202T110000 DTSTAMP:20071202T113011 DTSTART:20071202T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:CANCELLED/SNOW UID:313 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/cancelledsnow-20071202 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The congregation sang excerpts of Handel's Messiah.\n\nNo audi o recording is available. DTEND:20071209T110000 DTSTAMP:20071209T113011 DTSTART:20071209T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:314 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah-2007 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Loewen from Ebenezer Mennonite Church talked about turni ng vision into reality. She defined vision as a clear mental portrait of a preferable future (Barner). She quoted George Harma\, "The future doesn 't just happen\, it is created by a vision" (from his book\, Turning Visi on into Action). In Isaiah 35\, the prophet foretells the restoration of the land and God's shalom for humanity. The glory of Lebanon was its ceda r trees\, so he used that familiar image to inspire hope for the fullness of God's reign. As he looked at the barren land\, Isaiah used his imagin ation to envision the grandeur of God's restored creation that he knew wa s possible. Laura quoted Jack Suderman of MC Canada who wrote in God's Pe ople Now\, that "perhaps our church's greatest area of failure is our und erdeveloped capacity to imagine what can yet be\; the failure to imagine God's power at work\; the failure to imagine that Jesus' life\, cross\, a nd resurrection actually have cosmic implications." She again quoted Barn er\, who wrote\, "The visionary Christian is one who appreciates the past \, lives in the present\, but thinks in the future." The cartoon characte r Friar Tuck says\, "To grow oaks\, plant acorns\, not owls"\, which Laur a expanded on to say that the fruit we see is the direct result of the id eas that were planted some years past. She listed a number of positive se ed-planting efforts such as: Mencoles' vision for the poor of Columbia\, Jean Vanier's Larsh network of homes for the intellectually disabled\; MC C's vision to help the people of North Korea for example\; Mother Theresa 's vision of dignity and safety for the poor in India\; and Martin Luther King's vision of racial harmony and equal opportunity for all. Laura cha llenged us to ask ourselves\, "how are we aligning ourselves with God's p urposes?" She also questioned whether the existence of our para-church se rvice organizations has given us an excuse to sit back and let them do th e charitable work that we could be involved in. She also asked if we coul d be so brave as to intentionally set some measurable goals for ourselves and our organizations\, so that we'll be able to recognize when our visi ons become reality! Her closing statement was very inspirational: "We nee d to imagine what can yet be\, and if we cannot yet see the whole picture \, lets look for the bits and pieces of goodness that are present -- lets encourage them\, and let's celebrate them\; let's pray for the grace of courage to take those steps\, small as they might be\, which will ultimat ely assist in God's vision for the healing and wholeness of all creation\ , to become a reality. [KJH] DTEND:20071216T110000 DTSTAMP:20071216T113011 DTSTART:20071216T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Third Advent UID:315 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/third-advent-2007 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Fourth Advent was celebrated.\n\nNo audio recording is availab le. DTEND:20071223T110000 DTSTAMP:20071223T113011 DTSTART:20071223T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Fourth Advent UID:316 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/fourth-advent-2007 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Sawatzky spoke about Suffering.\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20071230T110000 DTSTAMP:20071230T113011 DTSTART:20071230T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Suffering UID:317 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/suffering-2007 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:For Epiphany Sunday 2008 we welcomed two long-standing friends into membership\, Rosie Perera and Karl Brown. Epiphany celebrates seeki ng. King Herod was a seeker of sorts\, dabbling in various religions whil e constantly living in fear of losing his political power. The Magi were avid (possibly even professional) seekers\, traveling extensively in orde r to get answers. Joseph and Mary can also be thought of as seekers\, for their faith led them to immigrate suddenly to Egypt\, possibly to Alexan dria which then had more Jews than did Jerusalem. Karl and Rosie are also seekers\, and have been seeking along with us for about a decade. Rosie told of her spiritual journey (raised by a Quaker father and Episcopalian mother who turned to the charismatic movement). Although Rosie's seeking took various turns\, including a respite from church while in university \, she was drawn back to religion by her interest in the Psalms. After jo ining Microsoft in Seattle\, she found a superb Presbyterian congregation to which she still relates. She later moved to Vancouver in order to att end Regent College. Finding PGIMF\, largely because it was within walking distance\, she was immediately attracted to the fellowship's singing\, o pen discussions\, potlucks\, people and their commitment to a lay-led fel lowship. Rosie is active with what Henry Neufeld called her 'e-mail minis try' and photography\, relating various aspects of her life to faith. Kar l's story started in Winnipeg\, and includes a broken family\, being rais ed by various people\, having his young faith be destroyed at a Catholic boarding school where he observed adults professing but not practicing fa ith. He was baptized as an infant\, then again as a Mormon (at the reques t of his mother)\, and finally as a Mennonite at Mountainview. Karl expre ssed deep appreciation for the friends he has found at PGIMF\, for being encouraged to contribute to the worship in various ways\, and for what he has gained by associating with us. The morning's service concluded with Karl and Rosie serving communion\, using Karl's Zinfandel wine and two lo aves of bread they made for this special Sunday. [JEK]\n\nNo audio record ing is available. DTEND:20080106T110000 DTSTAMP:20080106T113011 DTSTART:20080106T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Testimonies UID:318 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/testimonies-2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Johannes Stolz asked\, "How do we handle the apparent tension between absolute truth and pluralism?" He proposed that one way is to see k to destroy pluralism\, thereby denying people freedom. This method has been tried repeatedly by both Christianity (Crusades) and Islam (particul arly during its years of rapid expansion)\, but it does not seem to be in harmony with the Creator\, who gave us choice and free volition - all th e while (we believe) - also giving us revealed truth. A second way to dea l with this tension might be to deny that there is transcendent truth. Th is option would allow each individual to establish private choices and st andards. However\, this option can result in a total loss of orientation\ , in providing no useful ways to evaluate our choices. This option does n ot appear to be in harmony with our understanding of our Creator's essenc e\, for we seem to be made for such transcendent truths as love and moral behaviour. While we are able to make wrong choices\, we also seem to und erstand innately that we must pay the price for wrong moral choices. Joha nnes proposed a third solution\, that of allowing these two concepts to b e in tension\, allowing both to work. While we do this\, we should be awa re that even though we firmly believe in truth as revealed in scripture\, Christians have an amazing ability to turn truly minor questions into ma jor questions\, splitting churches over them (while ignoring the world's major questions). Christians (and others) have also demonstrated that we are not always Christ-like when confronting other faith systems. We shoul d keep in mind John 1.14: "the Word became flesh . . . full of grace and truth." While seeking truth and seeking to promote our understanding of t ruth\, we must never forget the element of grace. [JEK] DTEND:20080113T110000 DTSTAMP:20080113T113011 DTSTART:20080113T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pluralism and the revealed truth UID:319 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pluralism-and-the-revealed-truth END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Randy Schmidt (former country worker for International Child C are - Haiti) asked the question “how do we respond to people in places of hopelessness where there is no easy solution?” The word degage is a freq uently-used word in Haitian Creole\, meaning “improvise”. Randy took us t hrough the tragic history of the first colonial nation in the western hem isphere to successfully lead a slave revolt. The violence of that event c ontinues to reverberate down through the generations until today\, making degage a standard operating procedure\, even for the government. What ca n we do to help when things seem to go from bad to worse? Western governm ents’ standard operating procedure (naval blockade) hurt nobody but the p oor of Haiti - the wealthy were relatively unaffected. Randy said our mos t significant effort is to stand with the people of Haiti\, remembering t he promises of God\, and the inherent value that God places in every pers on. Several stories he told of his time there made it apparent that even one person came make a significant difference for many. Jeremiah 32 tells the story of God telling the people of Jerusalem\, through Jeremiah hims elf who was in prison\, to buy land\, to secure a promise for the future people of Israel. Though the Babylonians were soon to roll over everythin g in the Middle East with their war machine\, God called the people to fa ithfulness by purchasing land. So too\, are we called today to stand with the people of Haiti\, purchasing their redemption from violence with wha tever coin we possess. Randy called on us not to give up hope - that with God a solution is possible. [AP] DTEND:20080120T110000 DTSTAMP:20080120T113011 DTSTART:20080120T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hope for Haiti UID:320 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hope-for-haiti END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janet Boldt spoke on the general theme of “Suffering and Worsh ip”. Even though suffering is common for Christians in Africa\, this Sund ay they are focusing on worship through serving—health\, orphanages\, foo d\, unemployment\, depleted land\, refugees. “The people walking in darkn ess have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9) refers to people changing their p oint of view. We tend to think that suffering\, death and dying are unacc eptable themes unless fictionalized in literature and movies. Even though we know of suffering everywhere\, we have no tears. Instead\, we often f eel numbness and helplessness. This means that we\, like the people menti oned by Isaiah\, need to change our point of view. North Americans are te rrified of terrorists\, shootings in public places\, and unwanted immigra nts\, so we live in gated communities and create walls of fear as we seek security. Yet our fellow Christians in Africa—who have more to fear than we—call us to worship\, not fear\, to change our point of view\, to repe nt and believe. The lectionary gospel reading from Matthew 4 told of the temptations Jesus faced in the wilderness. For each temptation (fear of s uffering hunger\, loss of face\, loss of power or control)\, Jesus reject ed the obvious ‘earthly’ solution. Her refused to take shortcuts which wo uld help him to bypass his life of ministry and service\, or bypass the s uffering of others and his own suffering. [JEK] DTEND:20080127T110000 DTSTAMP:20080127T113011 DTSTART:20080127T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Suffering and Worship UID:321 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/suffering-and-worship END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke on the last Sunday of epiphany\, a midpoi nt in the tale told by the gospels\, of the “between” of the transfigurat ion. This process was not something Jesus did to himself\, but something that was done to him\, we are told\, by God. His white clothes\, the comp anions Moses and Elijah\, all bear enormous significance for Jewish liste ners. Both Moses and Elijah may not have experienced death\, were associa ted with mountains and clouds (in which this event took place)\, both wer e associated with rebellion and rejection\, yet both upheld both the law of God. The tent of meeting\, the feast of booths\, and the internal dwel ling of the righteous in heaven are all possible interpretations of the b ooths Peter sought to construct on that mountain in celebration of that e vent. He so obviously wanted to prolong the beautiful experience of the v isit of these prophets in concord with his beloved Teacher\, but it was n ot to be. Why was this passage included? It’s important to remember that this as part of the gospels\, written so long after Jesus’ death\, was wr itten to emphasize the godhead of Jesus\, as well as that previously-impo rtant Jewish law was to be superceded with God’s blessing\, not on the wh im of a teacher\, no matter how divine. There are many parallels to the G ospel of John in this story\, although John does not talk about this Tran sfiguration\, and as an apocalyptic account\, we are best served to look at how our Orthodox brothers and sisters look at this event. The unmitiga ted light of God\, unrevealed to the intellect\, but rather to the whole person\, is a miracle never before and never since performed. We owe it o ur whole attention\nand worship. [AP] DTEND:20080203T110000 DTSTAMP:20080203T113012 DTSTART:20080203T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Transfiguration UID:322 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/transfiguration-2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera noted that the first Sunday of Lent was also Comm union Sunday in our monthly calendar\, so she led us through a study of t he ceremonial meal of the Christian church: "The Lord’s Supper"\, a.k.a. the "Eucharist". She reviewed the scriptural references such as the fact that it was a Passover meal in Luke 22:15 and she called attention to the presence of Judas in Matt 26:21\,23\, and that it signaled the New Coven ant in Matt 26:28. The Mennonite tradion of "do this in remembrance of me " comes only from Luke 22:19. Rosie raised the tricky subject of the body and blood of Christ and discussed the spectrum of intepretations from sp iritually literal (Roman Catholic transubstantiation) to symbolic (as we Anabaptists take it) with Lutherans and Calvinists/Reformed in the middle . She also talked about how the frequency of practice ranges from weekly (or even daily) in some churches to once a year (at Easter) in others. On the thorny subject of being careful not to partake in an unworthy manner \, she made the point that it shouldn't be about arriving at the table wi thout guilt or blemish\, but to respect the unity of sharing the celebrat ion that Christ instituted (rather than just guzzling the wine and wolfin g down the bread). Some groups like the the Lutherans are strict about on ly allowing their own denominational member to participate\, while we lea ve it up to the individual to determine their own worthiness in open comm union. She analyzed the four verbs used during the execution of the cerem ony with reference to the bread: took\, blessed\, broke\, gave away. Rosi e then constructed a list of ten elements to think about based on Gordon Smith’s little book A Holy Meal: The Lord’s Supper in the Life of the Chu rch: Remembrance\, Community\, Forgiveness\, Sacrifice\, Covenant\, Spiri tual nourishment\, Thanksgiving\, Anticipation of the final Banquet\, Mys tery\, and Mission. The full text of Rosie's sermon is available for down load as a Word document. DTEND:20080210T110000 DTSTAMP:20080210T113012 DTSTART:20080210T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Lord's Supper UID:323 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-lords-supper-2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:For the third Sunday of Lent\, Daniel Ray spoke on "From Whom My Help Comes" based on Psalm 121. DTEND:20080217T110000 DTSTAMP:20080217T113012 DTSTART:20080217T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:From Whom my Help Comes UID:324 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/from-whom-my-help-comes END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:For the third Sunday of Lent\, Daniel Ray spoke on "Christ in Samaria - Everything You'd Never Expect" based on John 4:5-42.\n\n DTEND:20080224T110000 DTSTAMP:20080224T113012 DTSTART:20080224T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christ in Samaria - Everything You'd Never Expect UID:325 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christ-in-samaria-everything-youd-never-expe ct END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on "Mud in my eyes". After Samuel was fina lly forced to acknowledge that his sons were hopelessly corrupt and unwor thy of succeeding him in office\, he agreed to help the people establish a monarchy. Years later\, after King Saul eventually became a disobedient and ineffective ruler\, the aging Samuel anointed the youthful David as someone who would 'see' more clearly as king. John 9 tells how Jesus gave sight to a man (blind from birth) by spitting on the road's dust\, makin g mud and placing it on the man's eyes. Although people assumed that the unfortunate chap was blind because of sin\, Jesus said that this definite ly was not the case – implying that it never is the case. Some Pharisees argued that Jesus could not be from God because he healed the blind man o n the Sabbath\, whereas the formerly blind man responded that only God co uld make such a great miracle possible. The story helps us understand tha t sometimes those who make a pretense of 'seeing' are themselves blind\, whereas Christ gives 'sight'. Interestingly\, the blind man never asked f or healing\, nor was he required to have faith. This is therefore yet ano ther story reminding us that Jesus brought different people to salvation in different ways\, each according to their need. Jesus recognized that n o one formula or approach could be successfully applied to any two people . For example\, only Nicodemus was instructed to be 'born again' (neither Jesus nor his followers ever suggested this to anyone else). Only the ri ch young ruler was asked to give away all of his wealth\, and although Je sus apparently never brought up the topic of money with another very weal thy man\, Zacchaeus came to understand on his own that he needed to volun teer to make restitution if he was to become more like Jesus. Since Jesus never offered a single formula for us to follow\, Paul wisely instructed us to "work out our own salvation\, with fear and trembling". This impli es that we need to become creative when examining ourselves this Lenten s eason so that we can identify and then remove the mud from our own eyes. Had Samuel's sons and King Saul learned this lesson\, Jewish history migh t have been quite different. [JEK] DTEND:20080302T110000 DTSTAMP:20080302T113012 DTSTART:20080302T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mud in My Eyes UID:326 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mud-in-my-eyes END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of readings and singing was held for the fourth Sund ay of Lent. DTEND:20080309T110000 DTSTAMP:20080309T113012 DTSTART:20080309T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Service of readings and prayers UID:327 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2008-03-09-service-of-readings-and-prayers END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider spoke to us from the lectionary texts for the day to emphasize the turmoil and strangeness of the time in Jerusalem that J esus rode into. The politics were extremely uncertain\, with various fact ions battling for control of the Temple and for Jerusalem\, while the pop ulation was on a hair-trigger\, as at a modern-day football game\, always ready to offer calls of encouragement or castigation with only a moment to change their minds. Paradox was the order of the day in Jerusalem\, an d Evan drew vivid pictures of the events for us. Two thousand years later \, we recognize the perceptiveness of those who followed Jesus’ call\, an d can do no less than honour the same today\, on Palm Sunday. [AP] DTEND:20080316T110000 DTSTAMP:20080316T113012 DTSTART:20080316T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Palm Sunday UID:328 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/palm-sunday-2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of readings and singing was held on Easter. DTEND:20080323T110000 DTSTAMP:20080323T113012 DTSTART:20080323T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Sunday UID:329 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-sunday-2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: \n\nMarkku Kostamo spoke on "Caring for Creation as Mission". Markku grew up in Nepal and is now working at Arocha ('The Rock') in Whi te Rock\, where Harold Neufeldt volunteers. Markku is a biologist (plant and soil)\, interested in linking Soul and Soil in our thinking and pract ice. The poetic descriptions of creation tell of Adam being made from the soil\, and we are reminded that it is to the soil we shall return. We ha ve been created to be in relationship with the soil/earth. One of the two creation accounts in Genesis advises people to subdue the earth\, but th e second account asks that we till it and take care of it. Psalm 24 build s on this by proclaiming that the "the earth is the Lord's all that is in it." Markku has come to view caring for the earth as an act of worship\, and reminded us that what Hosea wrote c. 730 B.C. is currently true: "to gether with the wild animals and the birds of the air\, even the fish of the sea are perishing." We are created in God's image\, and God is portra yed as a creator and nurturer. Some believers separate the spiritual from the physical\, but "matter matters to God." [JEK]\n DTEND:20080330T110000 DTSTAMP:20080330T113012 DTSTART:20080330T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Caring for Creation as Christian Mission UID:330 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/caring-for-creation-as-christian-mission END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: Dave McCue\n\nDave McCue spoke to us in a very conversational way about the importance of the suffering servant of Isaiah based on tex ts from Joshua 9. Dave began with the people of Gibeon\, who\, differentl y from the peoples around them\, went to the Jews and begged to join or c onfederate with them\, but in a sly and sneaky way. God\, knowing their s ecrets\, desired their obedience more than punishing their morality. Dave uses this story to show how the faithful of Israel demonstrate God’s cal l to obedience\, leading to the inclusion of the alien in the assembly of God. This is not usually how we look at Joshua \, where we usually focus on the genocidal aspects\, with considerable discomfort. Dave insists th at in Joshua\, God does not set up ethnic lines\, only to destroy them in the New Testament\, but rather this is a witness to God’s welcoming pres ence Further\, the stories told of Israelites that are unfaithful\, such as Akin in Joshua 7\, are followed by God’s witness of exclusion from the assembly. This story continues through the Torah\, over and over again\, faithfulness leads to inclusion\, and disobedience leads to exclusion\, regardless of ethnicity. This reaches its summit in Isaiah 53\, often ref erred to as God’s court case against his people\, where the numbers of th e faithful shrink more and more until at last\, the vision is of one sing le suffering servant\, foretold long before\, reaching its acme in Jesus Christ\, who then provides the way for a tremendous opening\, a welcoming \, a continual call to obedience. With many stories and a vivid conversat ion after the message\, Dave’s inclusive message of Christ’s plea to join him struck home with many people. [AP] DTEND:20080406T110000 DTSTAMP:20080406T113013 DTSTART:20080406T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Opening of the Way UID:331 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-opening-of-the-way END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: \n\nDr. Bruce Hiebert’s talk posed the question\, “How do we help our church’s young men (15-25) develop a concept of masculinity whic h leads to a peaceful\, nonviolent world?” How can we possibly help our y oung men be both ‘men’ (masculine) and nonviolent? Young men in this age group form society’s most violent group\, are most likely to be serving i n the military\, are most likely to be in prison\, and are generally dist ancing themselves from a church which fails to speak to their real world pressures. Society’s ideal is that of masculine power\, which (TV assures us) leads to greater opportunities for sex.... Bruce suggested that we p ossibly need a new definition of Christian power\, articulating what it i s like and how it can be used. This power would not be a brutal conquerin g force\, forcing the world to be the way we want. It would rather be a q uiet serving power\, one which purposefully works at changing tiny aspect s of the world\, bit by bit.... Christians developing this type of ‘power ’ find that people in governments occasionally listen (even if only polit ely) when they sense that our willingness to devote serious time and ener gy to a cause represents a very real determination to change things and t hat some element of change may consequently be inevitable.... Bruce also challenged the church not to assume that we can teach young men solely by example\, influential as this may be. We\, like Jesus\, also need to art iculate why we live the way we do\, what our ideals are and why. If we ma de these changes\, would our young men feel more comfortable in the churc h (most attend now because of parental pressure and will soon leave the c hurch)\, would our young men learn how to confront threats effectively wi th relationships and even friendships\, would our young women learn to ad mire (and thereby encourage) a different type of masculinity in our young men\, thereby reinforcing good behaviour? [JEK]\n\n \n DTEND:20080413T110000 DTSTAMP:20080413T113013 DTSTART:20080413T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Masculine Christ UID:332 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-masculine-christ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: \n\n\nKevin Hiebert spoke on the fascinating theme of "Mennon ite Sc-Fi". Kevin has been reading science fiction for most of his life\, appreciating the ways this genre of literature looks at how technology m ight possibly affect our society\, our world and even the galaxy. This sp eculative type of fiction at times also considers how technology might af fect personal morality. As for looking ahead\, when Stephen was stoned (A cts 7)\, he 'saw' (foresaw) heaven opening\, and speculated on what lay a head for him personally. Romans 12.18 asks that 'insofar as it is possibl e\, be at peace with everybody'. One Mennonite Sc-Fi author\, Karl Schroe der\, recently published a work in which he imagined how this might be po ssible\, and what problems might be encountered. Naturally\, we no longer assume that technology will inevitably make life better for everyone\, b ut technology certainly has helped us\, touching even aspects of our fait h world. We can now track people down almost instantly by cell phone\, or communicate rapidly by computer. We can archive enormous quantities of i nformation with minimal effort (sharing it even more easily)\, rank amate urs can blog on all sorts of topics\, and talks given Sunday mornings to our small fellowship can now be heard the same day by Kevin in Virginia o r by friends in Europe. Technology also has its inevitable downside\, suc h as e-mail chaining individuals to their desks without breaks. In this r egard\, Jesus often retreated from the crowds in order to find peace and quiet\, but do we ever declare a day or even an evening as being computer -free? Interestingly\, before an Amish community adopts any new technolog y\, it first asks how this might affect their community and possibly thei r faith. The bible starts in a garden and ends in a city\, an interesting metaphor for our increasingly complicated lives. [JEK]\n DTEND:20080420T110000 DTSTAMP:20080420T113013 DTSTART:20080420T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mennonite Sci-fi UID:333 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mennonite-sci-fi END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jon Nofziger (MCC-BC\, Peace and Development Desk) spoke on MC C's Day of Prayer and Action for Colombia\, a day when we can pray for su stainable peace in that war-torn country in which some 4 million people h ave been displaced. MCC is interested in helping individuals to achieve r econciliation and understanding on all sides of the various conflicts and in praying for the victims of conflict. King Pilate washed his hands whe n confronted with a situation he found impossible to solve (Matthew 27.15 -26)\, but Jon asked that we not wash (or wring) our hands\, imagining th ere is nothing we can do. We hear our own inherited stories of our ancest ors being persecuted and retell them from the safety of the distance of t ime and geography\, but today's stories of Christians suffering make us u neasy\, so\, like Pilate\, we helplessly wash our hand (at least mentally ). Jon then paused to wash his hands on our behalf-the sanctuary was very quiet indeed. After a prayer of forgiveness\, we watched a video on Chri stians attempting to live in Colombia\, despite being surrounded by a cul ture of organized violence. During discussion\, we asked whether we\, as Mennonites\, hold investments in companies which devote even as little as 2% in armaments or support oppressive regimes\, or do we look the other way and wash our hands? As we left the sanctuary\, we were invited by Jon to approach the front\, in twos\, to wash each others' hands as a symbol of servant hood and repentance. [JEK] DTEND:20080427T110000 DTSTAMP:20080427T113013 DTSTART:20080427T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Columbia: Day for Prayer and Action UID:334 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/columbia-day-for-prayer-and-action END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:\n\nDr. Ron Penner (President of Columbia Bible College\, form er professor at the Fresno Seminary) spoke on "Keys to Overcoming Adversi ty". Of the many stories in the bible illustrating how believers addresse d adversities in their lives\, Ron focused on the account of Joseph (Gene sis 37.1-8)\, a 17-year old trouble maker who grew up to become the Prime Minister of Egypt by age 30. Joseph was raised in a dysfunctional family \, the 11th of 12 sons\, in a pre-literate society\, pre-10 commandments. Sharing his dreams with his jealous brothers was foolish\, leading to hi s first main adversity: slavery in a foreign land\, faced with a new lang uage\, and working for one of Egypt's toughest captains and executioners. Joseph did not settle for doing the minimum to survive\, but instead lea rned the language\, culture\, city economics\, and came to help his maste r's household flourish. When framed by Potiphar's wife\, he was jailed (n ot executed\, suggesting Potiphar suspected she was not telling the whole story). Even in prison\, Joseph adjusted\, helped and encouraged others\ , and made the best of his truly adverse circumstances. He was freed eigh t years later\, rising to great power in the world's leading economy. Eve n when he could have been a corrupt politician (like so many others) or w hen he could have taken revenge on his brothers\, Joseph rose above the t emptations. Ron gave us several things to contemplate this week. (1) Pare nts should never give up on their children--never. (2) Like Joseph\, we s hould continue to listen to the voice of God within us (whether it is a r andom thought\, a word from someone or even a dream or verse). (3) We sho uld carefully guard our integrity\, not compromising our moral or ethical standards. (4) We should make the best of what life presents us (whether we are slaves or politicians)\, and (5) we should learn to be patient\, for adversity does not disappear quickly. Joseph was in jail 8 years\, bu t eventually was given an opportunity to live a different life. [JEK]\n DTEND:20080504T110000 DTSTAMP:20080504T113013 DTSTART:20080504T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Keys to Overcoming Adversity UID:335 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/keys-to-overcoming-adversity END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Grant Hill’s Pentecost message to us on “The Wristwatch of Hum bleness” began with the Pentecost story of the faithful who were instruct ed to wait in Jerusalem for the blessing of the holy spirit. This blessin g\, a spontaneous act of creation by God\, was unlike any other event bef ore or since\, and it was not in their control Can you imagine a drunken Dolly Parton speaking in perfect French? Yet the Jews of the time expecte d just that when they supposed that these uncouth Galileans were merely d runk when speaking in the tongues that were the blessing of God. Grant no ted that this event divided the time of God before\, from the time of God after\, and gives us a choice in how we choose to respond. This is not j ust another miracle like the Babel story\, and to treat it as such leads to two pitfalls. This event divided the time before when God spoke only t o an elect few\, from the time now\, when God speaks to all\, each in one ’s own age and place. We cannot expect God’s message to us now to have to ngues of fire resting on our heads - that was a unique event that divided the time before from the time after. Grant asks us to take care to place ourselves in the proper time - neither before the proper time\, living a s if Jesus had not blessed us personally with tongues of fire\, therefore we are not yet saved - nor after the proper time\, to live in complete f reedom as if things which are yet to come\, are already here. The Babel s tory was not the result of human sin - God created division and the peopl e were scattered. The Pentecost story was not the result of human grace - God through Jesus created redemption and the people have the opportunity again to choose. The promise is not that we are saved\, but that we shal l be saved. Therefore\, measure not spirituality in tongues\, as that was only a foretaste of the world to come. And live not in the past\, as tho ugh you have no control - you never did. Only God does\, and the message of Pentecost is an invitation to choose to follow - in humbleness\, aware of our time. We are free to humble ourselves\, or to rebel\; we are fill ed with the power of the holy spirit\, but have not been given control. I t is this lack of control that is hardest for us to accept\, in this age that demands proof and security\, for the trust in God to raise us up on the last day. [AP] DTEND:20080511T110000 DTSTAMP:20080511T113013 DTSTART:20080511T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Wristwatch of Humbleness UID:336 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-wristwatch-of-humbleness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: \nGay Lynn Voth used scripture as her sermon notes\, asking u s to feel that God is meeting us through the text. She is currently worki ng on a Ph.D. dissertation to review writers of Constructive Theology (la te 19th Century through the present): theology that fits the problems of our time. She encouraged us to remember that any given passage of scriptu re can have a completely different meaning to us depending on what we are ready to hear on that particular day. Gay Lynn challenged us to think of the text of the Bible as "God-speech" because it is divinely inspired an d the Holy Spirit helps us to understand and apply it. Such messages from God are "constructed" in our minds by the scriptures through the stories that are recorded about how God has acted in the past. She contrasted sc ience with aesthetics as the alternative perspectives that we can have wh en we approach the text. We are called to be witnesses to the manifold wo rks of God\, especially his work through Christ (forgiveness and ressurre ction). God used his sovereignty to give us the freedom to either focus o n the corruption of the fallen creation or to give praise for the message of Christ to all nations ("I love you"). Jesus fulfilled both the Hebrew sacrificial system and the Greek virtue system. Gay Lynn suggested that both aesthetics and science fail to explain the mystery of the Trinity\; the resurrection of Christ marked the beginning of a new time. [KJH]\n DTEND:20080518T110000 DTSTAMP:20080518T113013 DTSTART:20080518T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The work of the Triune God UID:337 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-work-of-the-triune-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The church met at Camp Luther for a retreat in Mission\, BC. W alter Bergen was our guest speaker on the beach at the fire pit (hence th e lower-quality audio recording). DTEND:20080525T110000 DTSTAMP:20080525T113013 DTSTART:20080525T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Camp Luther UID:338 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/camp-luther-2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld began with three modern stories about rules and obedience that had puzzling origins. The rules we most often find useful and live by\, are quite different than those found in the Bible. Such rul es as we find in Leviticus are puzzling. Yet by these rules\, God gives a blessing if you obey\, and a curse if you do not. Little was said in the OT about faith\, and a lot about obedience\, and Henry had to check not only with a concordance\, but also with three knowledgeable friends to be sure. He asked\, by emphasizing faith over obedience\, are we emphasizin g heavenly life insurance over following Christ’s path? Do we have it bac kwards? Henry quoted Rebecca Sack who said that when we separate what we believe from what we do\, the result is that Christians become functional atheists. Another friend quoted Bruggemann\, saying belief (“Believism”) is not the only step on the road to eternal life - obedience\, actions a nd discipleship are necessary too. For Jews\, faith was obeying the coven ant\, the rules. Mt 7:21-23 outlines how Jesus defined a follower - it wa s more than believing or doing miracles in his name\, but rather\, what r esults have you produced with the teachings of Jesus? Yet Jesus often ber ated his disciples for not having faith. Paul\, too\, reminded Jewish Chr istians that “By grace you are saved\, through faith\, not works. Yet wha t is often missed in this popular text is the second half - “so that you may do good works.”. On judgement day\, we’re not going to be judged on w hat we believed but on what we did with the knowledge God gave us. May we not be found wanting. [AP] DTEND:20080601T110000 DTSTAMP:20080601T113014 DTSTART:20080601T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Obedience Equals Faith UID:339 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/obedience-equals-faith END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Mark McConnell (doctoral theology student and former Associate Pastor at West Point Grey Baptist Church) spoke on "The Risk of Faith". He began with an interesting clip from the movie The Legend of 1900\, in which '1900' was a man who was born and raised on an ocean liner\, never once setting foot on land. After decades of this safe nomadic life\, he f inally decided to attempt living away from the boat\, but when the time c ame\, was unable to leave the only existence and comforts he had known al l his life. This interesting story somewhat parallels that of Genesis 12. 1-9 in which Abram felt he should attempt living away from the comforts h e had known so many decades in Haran. Unlike '1900'\, Abram finally (on h is second attempt) moved into Canaan. The first time Abram 'was called by God' to move to Canaan\, he went only as far as Haran\, thereby disobeyi ng God's call. Nevertheless\, God's call is consistent and came again\, i n spite of Abram's past being compromised by disobedience. Mark suggested that for God\, our past does not our having potential in God's eyes. Mar k also reminded us that people in Abram's society would have considered A bram and Sara to be under God's curse (shown by infertility) and therefor e assumed that God would never work through them as a couple. But God saw this couple in a very different way. Abram and Sara's final response to the call to move was described by the writer of Hebrews as an act of fait h. In that regard\, John Calvin once wrote\, "I command thee to go forwar d with closed eyes." To what are we being called? To new work\, new direc tions\, new attitudes? [JEK] DTEND:20080608T110000 DTSTAMP:20080608T113014 DTSTART:20080608T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Risk of Faith UID:340 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-risk-of-faith END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. John Klassen\, (History Professor Emeritus\, Trinity Weste rn) spoke on the lectionary text\, Genesis 18.1-15\, "Reasons to Laugh". There are far too few examples of laughter recorded in scripture. Instead we are given stories of worry and suffering almost from the beginning of Scripture\, when the existence and knowledge of evil is alluded to in th e tale of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. . Seventh-century t heologians added to this trend by encouraging Christians to search our so uls for any possible unacknowledged sins\, deal with them (by faith and w orks)\, and some evangelicals are still influenced by this type of thinki ng. However\, God has always entered the world with forgiveness\, grace a nd love\, which gives us cause to laugh with joy. When Jesus comes much l ater\, he declares (as did Proverbs) that God loves everybody\, not just those who are good or have the right kind of faith (God sends rain on tho se who are good and those who are not.) Again\, this is reason enough for joy and relieved laughter. Genesis 18 tells of Sarah's laughter (though the word in the original is quite flexible and its sexual connotations ma ke it unusually difficult to understand). Although she had given Hagar to Abraham in order to help God by providing the family a son\, God was not going to be denied the option already promised\, and Sarah miraculously became impregnated\, and when Isaac was born\, Sarah said\, "God has brou ght me laughter" despite her lack of faith (and Abraham’s). The day's rea ding from Romans 5 looks at sin as 'that which pulls you down'. Adam some how released this tremendous power of sin\, but in Romans 5 we are told t hat we are saved\, not by our faith (or good deeds) but by the faithfulne ss of Jesus (Toews argues this is the best translation/understanding of t he passage). With all these examples in mind\, showing how God works with everybody\, in spite of their lives or paucity of faith\, why do we\, as the church\, assert that certain individuals are not worthy to preach\, minister or lead worship? The day's readings demonstrate this is not the way God views\, approaches\, or works with individuals. Thankfully God wo rks around our weaknesses\, thinking\, faults and limitations - just as i n Genesis. [JEK] DTEND:20080615T110000 DTSTAMP:20080615T113014 DTSTART:20080615T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reasons to Laugh UID:341 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/reasons-to-laugh END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Veronica Dyck spoke on Hagar’s story from Genesis and noted th e many parallels between Hagar’s and Ishmael’s story\, and that of margin alized people through history the nation of Israel’s. Indeed many other g roups even today\, such as black people\, or women\; indeed any group tha t has been marginalized sees parallels in this story of denying justice\, and human compassion. The practice of a woman giving one of her servant girls to her husband by whom to have children was not uncommon\, but the dynamics of this story are complex\, and the text offers us few clues exc ept that although Hagar was given to Abram as wife\, Abram was never Haga r’s husband. Was Hagar excessively proud of her accomplishment over Sarai ? Was Sarai’s response to outrage appropriate? The significance of Hagar’ s meeting with God out in the desert (the first such in the Bible between God and human) cannot underestimated\, yet Hagar’s imperfection is obvio us in the face of God’s blessing and safekeeping. Her refusal to obey doe s not disqualify her\, however\, nor her child\, from inheritance. When t he prospect of revenge is offered for her abandonment in the desert\, onl y then does Hagar turn and follow God’s path. Nevertheless\, Hagar’s retu rn and service to Sarai until Sarai’s own son Isaac is born more than a d ecade later is fraught with complications. What is the significance of th e long delays between Ishmael’s and Isaac’s birth? What occurred in this time? Hagar was driven into the desert again\, but this raises more quest ions than it answers\; yet there is no question that God blesses Ishmael\ , and through him\, Hagar once again. Veronica noted several possibilitie s of blessing and future that commentators have raised about the text\, a nd how Abraham\, despite acting so abominably\, goes on to receive God’s blessing as well. The parallels of this story and that of Moses and Israe l are striking\, and Veronica outlined some of those for us too. Veronica ’s stories of possibility described for us much more fully how imperfect are the tools that God uses to achieve His ends\, and how God’s Exodus th eme of intervention to save his people\, whoever they may be\, is an ongo ing event that carries on until today. [AP] DTEND:20080622T110000 DTSTAMP:20080622T113014 DTSTART:20080622T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hagar: a Story of Justice & Compassion in the Wilderness UID:342 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hagar-a-story-of-justice-compassion-in-the-w ilderness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera spoke about Spirituality and Aging.\n\nNo audio r ecording is available. DTEND:20080629T110000 DTSTAMP:20080629T113014 DTSTART:20080629T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spirituality and Aging UID:343 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/spirituality-and-aging END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Brian Burtchett\, a Regent grad and wired-world-worker at UBC opened the summer series on parables with the Parables of Compassion\, wh ich Brian pointed out had more to do with “lost-ness” than anything else. The celebratory nature of the parables of the Lost Sheep and the Lost Co in were contrasted with the very difficult news of the return of the Lost Son. It is easy to rejoice over the return of items or animals\, but whe n the lost one plays a great part in their own “lost-ness” as does the Pr odigal and his brother\, it becomes much more difficult to celebrate the return. Brian updated the parable to modern times with some heart-wrenchi ng examples of prodigals and their families\, and without pointing finger s\, allowed people to see how current attitudes to those on the Downtown Eastside are the antithesis of what Jesus calls us to. [AP] DTEND:20080706T110000 DTSTAMP:20080706T113014 DTSTART:20080706T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Parables of Compassion UID:344 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/parables-of-compassion END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Don was grateful to be able to speak on generosity\, and began by updating the parable of the good Samaritan to modern day Vancouver\, enabling Don to point out how our modern social-justice attitudes are in reality not so far from those of the passers-by in the parable. Don succi nctly translated the attitudes of those who afflicted the traveller as “W hat’s yours is mine” of the robbers\; “What’s mine is mine” of the passer s-by\, or stinginess\; and “What’s mine is yours” of the Samaritan\, or g enerosity. Don then went onto the second parable of the vineyard owner\, in the time of the great harvest. The vineyard owner hires the strongest workers in the morning at the promise of a living wage\, and with repeate d hires\, the owner likely got less-able men whom he hired without promis e of a living wage. Yet at the end of the day\, each with the same denari us in his pocket\, this unequal treatment appears unjust and unfair to me n with mouths to feed\, but there is no doubt of the owner’s generosity. And in the last parable of the sheep and the goats\, Don points out the m essage is overtly about generosity to others\, and submits that we are ca lled to four attitudes: to be generous means to be responsive to need\, r espond with compassion\, with practical help\, and with follow-up help. T here is to be no discussion of the merits of the recipients. Yet is this our first response? How often do we say “well they deserve it - they’re l iving a life made of poor choices.” And for ourselves we look down and sa y”There but for the grace of God...” But do we mean it? A tornado touches down and takes one house\, and leaves the next. A farmer’s crop is destr oyed and his neighbour’s is spared. There are as many reasons for generos ity as for condemnation - which will you choose? Don is inspired by the m any examples of generosity Mennonites have given to their neighbours thro ugh MCC around the world. [AP] DTEND:20080713T110000 DTSTAMP:20080713T113014 DTSTART:20080713T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Parables of Generosity UID:345 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/parables-of-generosity END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ruth spoke about the parables of humility. She reminded us tha t the rights and freedoms that our society provides us with can cause us to focus too much on self-reliance and competition. The mass media preach self-promotion in a "me-first" world where humility is stereotypically a ssociated with humiliation and depression. The parables of the Pharisee a nd the Tax Collector demonstrated how admitting one's shortcoming was val ued over pious acts. The parable of the banker and the much-forgiven debt ors was used to celebrate the beautfil action of the woman who washed Jes us' feet in gratitude. [[ SPOILER ALERT: parallels made with plot element s of the movie "Sex and the City" are in the recording from mm:ss 12:15-1 3:15 ]] Parenting is a lesson in humility\, as is caring for the aging or infirm. Humility is not an excuse with withdraw in a sense of lowliness\ , but to recognize our limitations and attempt to value and understand th e people we encounter -- even in our busy and crowded world. [KJH] DTEND:20080720T110000 DTSTAMP:20080720T113014 DTSTART:20080720T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Parables of humility UID:346 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/parables-of-humility END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul continued our summer series of talks on the parables\, th ose fascinating stories which invite us into another world in order to te ll us a spiritual truth\, yet leave us in sufficient doubt about the mean ing so that we are encouraged to contemplate the stories from various poi nts of view. Paul spoke on the parable of the great wedding banquet. In M atthew’s version (chapter 22)\, the king sent out the two traditional inv itations (one asking you to clear your calendar\, the other on the day it self saying it is time to come). In Luke’s version (chapter 14) people ga ve all sorts of lame excuses\, which listeners assume to be outright lies \, each of which lets folks engage in activities which are of secondary i mportance and get out of participating in the most important thing in lif e. Analysts have proposed that in the parable the king represents God\, t he servants represent the prophets\, the bridegroom is Jesus\, those who reject the banquet are the Jewish contemporaries of Jesus\, and those bro ught in unexpectedly from the streets are the Gentiles\, but other interp retations are also available. Since Matthew 22.7 is unusually harsh\, som e have wondered whether it was added by Matthew as a way of updating the story to encompass the disastrous destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Matt hew 22.11 is also somewhat harsh\, telling of one invitee being cast out for not wearing the proper wedding garb (presumably provided by the king) . This reminds us that even though we are invited to the banquet by a ver y generous king\, we should not assume that because God loves us as we ar e\, we do not need to change anything in our lives. Instead\, we need to put on the new wedding garb of patience\, love\, etc. The parable cleverl y tells of an upside-down kingdom in which the wrong people unexpectedly get into the all-important banquet. [JEK] DTEND:20080727T110000 DTSTAMP:20080727T113015 DTSTART:20080727T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Called to action - taking no action UID:347 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/called-to-action-taking-no-action END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice spoke about the parable of the foolish bridesmaids who ran out of oil for their lamps before the wedding feast. She looked into why the wise girls wouldn't share their oil with the foolish girls who di dn't bring enough oil. Also\, the bridegroom seems harsh in denying entra nce to the foolish girls after they return from buying oil. But the weddi ng customs of those days likely involved a procession of dancing by lamp- light\, so the role of the maidens included providing enough light for th e celebration. The foolish ones assumed that they could rely on others an d assumed that they would be accepted even if they failed in their task. The foolish ones were caught off guard\; like the people at the Judgement Day who are surprised to learn that they didn't do what was expected of them. The parable of the talents (5-2-1) includes a warning to use the pe riod of waiting responsibly. One may enjoy the gift of the present if you are prepared for the demands of the future. Some of our failures are irr eversible and injustice may result\; there is no UNDO button in real life . Janice challenged us to watch out for instances where doing the reasona ble or pragmatic thing results in the exclusion of others from the Kingdo m of Heaven. We shouldn't forget to follow Christ's command to take care of the least of those among us. [KJH] DTEND:20080803T110000 DTSTAMP:20080803T113015 DTSTART:20080803T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Called to action - self-defeating action (1 of 2) UID:348 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/called-to-action-self-defeating-action_1of2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Veronica Dyck spoke on "Called to action - self-defeating acti on (2 of 2)".\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20080810T110000 DTSTAMP:20080810T113015 DTSTART:20080810T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Called to action - self-defeating action (2 of 2) UID:349 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/called-to-action-self-defeating-action-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Allan spoke on "Being shocked by Christ." When we catch even a glimpse of the fullness and completeness of God and/or Christ's Kingdom\ , we are (should be) truly shocked. The story in Acts 2 tells of people r epenting and believing in ways that were so profound that they and others were shocked\, even receiving the Holy Spirit (an experience previously reserved for prophets). This experience is not something that is merely ' nice' like the weather\, but instead shocks and transforms us. To help us understand this better\, Jesus told a story about a man who unexpectedly discovered buried treasure in a field and risked everything to obtain it . That experience changed his life and way of living forever\, as did the finding and obtaining the 'pearl of great value' for the unnamed merchan t. These life-changing experiences contrast with some modern ways of thin king about religion which suggest that we only need to act responsibly in society\, believe correctly\, and we are considered active members of th e Kingdom. Allan concluded by advocating that we submit to the hard work and discipline of meditation and devotions several times daily\, until we too are shocked/astonished repeatedly by experiencing the fullness of Go d's Kingdom in our lives. [JEK] DTEND:20080817T110000 DTSTAMP:20080817T113015 DTSTART:20080817T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Parables of the kingdom - meaningful action UID:350 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/parables-of-the-kingdom-meaningful-action END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke on Parables of the Kingdom - The coming Kingdom. DTEND:20080824T110000 DTSTAMP:20080824T113015 DTSTART:20080824T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Parables of the Kingdom - The coming Kingdom UID:351 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/parables-of-the-kingdom-the-coming-kingdom END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert concluded our fellowship's summer's series of ta lks on the parables by speaking on illustrations drawn from farming. In M ark 4:26\, the seeds were simply scattered on the field by the farmer who is otherwise essentially absent. This presents an image in which ideas o f hope are 'sown' and God then nurtures the seeds and gives the growth\, suggesting that we can be wary of working too hard on our own in order to ensure that religion is spread and accepted\, for God is ultimately in c harge after we do the seeding. Matthew 13 gives a more expanded version o f this illustration: the seed is scattered on four types of ground\, some hopeless and others better suited to growth (the Gospel of Thomas also i ncludes this parable but without explanation). Kevin shared with us a num ber of helpful ideas gleaned from a published sermon on this passage by E ngland's most famous 19th-century preacher\, Charles Haddon Spurgeon (his 2\,040th sermon). First\, the seed was the same in every case (and was n ot changed for differing audiences). Thorns are natural to the soil and w ill be present throughout life\, stealing nutrients from the soil (time f rom our lives or resources from better projects). God gives us a chance t o receive the Good News and be fruitful\, but the choice is ours. Eventua lly the weeds in society and in our lives will become conspicuous\, just as the heads of grain on true wheat drooped under their weight but the fa lse wheat's heads stand erect from having virtually no nutrition. "May Go d give us the grace to recognize the thorns in our lives and the wherewit hal to nurture that which is good." [JEK] DTEND:20080831T110000 DTSTAMP:20080831T113015 DTSTART:20080831T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Parables of the Kingdom - in the face of difficulties UID:352 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/parables-of-the-kingdom-in-the-face-of-diffi culties END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider\, in his message on Matthew 18:15-22 quoted Scott ish minister William Barclay\, who insisted that these difficult and lega listic words are almost certainly not Jesus’ original words. For instance \, Jesus could not have said “Take it to the church” (v. 17)\, because th ere was no church as yet. Barclay notes Jesus’ words sets tax collectors and Gentiles aside as unredeemable\, but later passages in Matthew note t hat these are exactly the people Jesus was called to save. Critically\, B arclay states this passage implies limits to forgiveness. Evan\, in exami ning discipline in the church\, nevertheless found his faith strengthened in the wisdom of some of the added words. He pointed out that limits to forgiveness exist only in people’s minds and our social constructions\, n ot in faith. Using examples from his university\, Evan contrasted secular practice with the wisdom in the text. The wisdom of the added text sugge sts that when you are angry\, first put your complaint into words rather than brooding about it. Then meet face-to-face to resolve it. Last\, take an elder (read: mature) person with you\, not to bear witness against so meone (Deut. 19:15)\, but to help you to listen\, to discuss what was hea rd\, and for support. Evan pointed out that the Deuternomic model destroy s secular institutions\, and would destroy the church if we allowed it in . He further notes that the last suggestion - to “take it before the whol e church” - should rarely be used\, and only for major sin that affects t he whole church\, not just a few individuals. Jesus argued against legali sm. Let the Holy Spirit help us not to bring it into the church with us i n the guise of the words of Jesus. [AP] DTEND:20080907T110000 DTSTAMP:20080907T113015 DTSTART:20080907T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Discipline in the Church UID:353 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/discipline-in-the-church END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:\n\nWe welcomed students to the Menno Simons Centre for the ne w school year. Ken Friesen\, Chair of the Pacific Centre for Discipleship \, spoke about living in Christian community. In Romans 14 St. Paul focus es on the weak and the strong in the early church. Ken noted that the chu rch of Paul’s day was new and too young to have many established traditio ns. Today\, as in Biblical times it’s easy for issues\, even seemingly (t o us) trivial issues\, like sports on Sundays\, can divide a church. Ken used an example from his law practice of a dispute within a local church that seems irresolvable and reflects a problem within the worldwide Ethio pian Orthodox church regarding which patriarch to follow. Despite reconci liation efforts the matter is not resolved and affects many churches. Ken noted that as judgmental behaviour develops hatred is fostered and outsi ders wonder why anyone would want to be involved with the church. Ken foc used on the dangers of judging based on human desire to define God\, to p lace God in a box - and we think we know what the box should look like. G od will judge and will do so by God’s standards\, not by ours. Christians can be more effective as peacemakers than as judges\; if we judge\, we b etter be right\, because we’ll be judged by the same standards. (HN)\n\n  \n DTEND:20080914T110000 DTSTAMP:20080914T113015 DTSTART:20080914T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Living in Christian Community UID:354 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/living-in-christian-community-2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl spoke on two of the morning's lectionary texts. Exodus 16 (and Numbers 11) tells of the wandering Jews being provided quails (blow n off course while migrating) and manna\, which tasted much like sweetene d coriander seed. The passage from Matthew 20 gives the parable about vin eyard workers each receiving the same day's wage even though some men wor ked all day and others only a partial day. Unfortunately\, this puzzling parable is one for which we lack Jesus' explanation. Some people have sug gested this is about last-minute conversions\, others feel it describes a generous God. Both stories (Exodus and Matthew) conclude with people com plaining\, in spite of receiving good things. In Exodus\, people complain ed about having the same thing to eat all the time (and not the garlic an d spices they learned to love after being in Egypt for 20 generations). I n the parable from Matthew\, workers complained even though they had rece ived work in the midst of a depressed labour market\, and even though the wages paid were ostensibly fair for a full day's work. Karl suggested th at we look at these two stories as illustrating God's gifts to us. Every meal\, every penny\, every minute of life is from God. Some people live l ong\, some only a few years\, but all are sustained by the same generous God. We\, like the Jews in these ancient stories\, may (and will) complai n\, but these stories remind us that God loves and sustains us. [JEK] DTEND:20080921T110000 DTSTAMP:20080921T113016 DTSTART:20080921T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Manna and a Day's Pay UID:355 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/manna-and-a-days-pay END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider described a tumultuous time of military activity and catastrophe in Israel. Nebuchadnezer conquered Jerusalem and the Isra elites were taken into Babylonian captivity. In this setting Ezekiel\, al so in captivity\, receives the call to become a prophet. Options\, hope\, personal responsibility\, and the invitation to “turn and live” are the themes in Ezekiel 18. The prophet tells his people they are not in slaver y because of their parents’ sin and behaviour\, though there might well b e generations-long consequences from that parental behaviour. Most of the prophet’s message centres on money and ethics: be fair to those who borr ow money\, don’t lend at extravagant interest rates\, live honestly and e quitably. This message is in sharp contrast to our current financial cris is that is driven by legal loopholes and greed. Even though the Israelite s are enslaved\, Ezekiel encourages them to turn and live. No matter how dismal the future\, we are free to set out on a new way of life and think ing. Break the cycle\; turn and live. [HN] DTEND:20080928T110000 DTSTAMP:20080928T113016 DTSTART:20080928T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Turn and Live UID:356 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/turn-and-live END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: \n\nJames Wittenberg (Regent student and pastor-in-waiting fo r Sherbrooke Mennonite Church) brought us from the time of Paul’s ministr y in Rome to the present. As the first Jewish Christians were evicted fro m Rome\, the Gentiles remained behind\, and when the Jews were permitted to return\, they found things - indeed the church itself\, different. Who was “in” and who was “out”? Who kept the faith of Christ - Jew or Gentil e? Paul would have none of this. The Saviour of the world came for both - slave and free\, Gentile and Jew. The beginning of his letter to the Rom ans emphasizes the difference that the decisive act of Jesus’ resurrectio n made to the early church\, continuing through Romans 12 to emphasize th e application of this lesson\, culminating in the text for today\, from R omans 15. Here Paul outlines the defining characteristic of the early Chr istian church - acceptance. As there is diversity in the church\, we cann ot all be alike\, and are therefore called to accept those whose faith is weak\, without judgment. Using examples from the dinner table\, Paul not es what we eat or do not eat makes us no better Christians than any other \, and encourages acceptance. The original Latin word is one full of welc ome and promise\, of enduring friendship\, not the weak Canadian equivale nt of an absence of harsh words. As when eating together one comes to kno w another’s preferences in food\, so in our worship and life\, do we come to know that to be counted among the Christians means to be in a caring community that takes care of its own during famine\, pestilence\; for wid ows and orphans\, modelling acceptance. Relate that to our own patterns t oday - how often do we as families\, never mind as Christians\, have a me al together today? Where do our lives rub up one against another? We are to accept one another because God has accepted us\, with good conscience (v. 6) without regard to what the practices of others may be. We are not called to judge others’ practice\, such as eating meat or celebrating dif ferent days as special\, - where we can differ and still be considered di sciples of Christ. This does not mean we are to participate in sin in ord er to accommodate the practices of others - that is dealt with in 1 Corin thians. Romans exalts us to celebrate things done in good conscience\, in praise to\, and accountable to the Lord. [AP]\n\n \n DTEND:20081005T110000 DTSTAMP:20081005T113016 DTSTART:20081005T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Incarnational Theology - Why we eat together UID:357 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/incarnational-theology-why-we-eat-together END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider led a Thanksgiving service.\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20081012T110000 DTSTAMP:20081012T113016 DTSTART:20081012T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving UID:358 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thanksgiving-2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:“I love to dance” said Laura Eriksson\, noting that the Bible is an invitation to dance with the Holy Spirit as our partner. Learning t o dance requires discipline and a willingness to be led\; there are speci fic steps to be learned. Moses was not dancing when\, after 40 days on th e mountain he descended and found his people dancing around a golden calf . Laura said Moses life was like a dance\; work\, intimacy\, prayer\, awe \, and silence. Moses\, at age 80\, was called by God. Moses had excuses but was reassured by God\; God’s work is hard but you have to do it. Mose s says\, unless you go with us\, we can’t go on. Moses does not end this dialogue with God with a “thank you\,” but with a request: show me your g lory. Moses wanted the “awe” of God. We all have glimpses of the empoweri ng glory of God\, we need the wonder of "awe." The dance of faith is a dy namic movement\, it takes time and grace to learn to dance. We are called to kingdom work\; along the way we might be tempted by the golden calf. Be open\, stay awake\, and enjoy the dance as we reflect the glory of God . (HN) DTEND:20081019T110000 DTSTAMP:20081019T113016 DTSTART:20081019T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Life of Faith UID:359 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/life-of-faith-2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jim was our guest speaker. Jim and Grace had been PGIMF member s since 1986\, until moving to Squamish where their family is now active in a new Alliance church. Since Sunday was an Heritage Sunday\, Jim began his talk by recalling the small group of university students that met se cretly in Zurich (seven years after Luther posted his 'theses') for bible study\, prayer and discussions on the relationship of believers and the State. Those students concluded that only individuals can be Christian\, not their governments. They also concluded that scripture should be the s ole guide for Christians\, not the accumulated writings of theologians an d church fathers or the dictates of City Councils (even when comprised of Christians). This unwavering stance eventually led some of our spiritual ancestors to bizarre points of view\, but it led others to define positi ons and beliefs which are still espoused today. One of the topics frequen tly debated throughout our movement's history is the whole notion of 'The Kingdom' and its nature on earth. Matthew 3.1-3 portrays John the Baptiz er as encouraging people to repent\, not in order to avoid hell\, but bec ause "the Kingdom of heaven is near." Jim then asked us to hear John's wo rds as a kindly invitation to join the movement\, not fear it\, suggestin g that we "change our way of thinking\, for the kingdom of heaven is near ." The Lord's Prayer likewise indicates that the Kingdom is supposed to b e on earth\, 'at hand'. Jim suggested that we think of the remaining chap ters of Matthew as the writer's attempt to show how this Kingdom can inde ed be at hand and what it can be like (as seen through Jesus' teachings\, his relationships with others\, and his life style). Matthew 25 then ess entially summarizes this portion of the writer's book by recalling Jesus' story of God finally judging people by placing them in two categories ac cording to the extent to which their actions demonstrated that they not o nly loved God with all their heart\, mind and soul\, but loved their neig hbours as themselves. [JEK] DTEND:20081026T110000 DTSTAMP:20081026T113016 DTSTART:20081026T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Kingdom is at hand UID:360 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-kingdom-is-at-hand END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andre created and led our morning service on the theme\, "Reca lling and Giving Thanks for the Radical Reformation and the Tauferjahr". Andre divided the service into seven sections (each including readings an d a song)\, leading us through the story of the birth of Anabaptism in Sw itzerland\, the split of the more radical reformers from those remaining with the state church\, the resultant persecution and exile (either to ot her countries or to land thought to be unfarmable because it was above 10 00 meters). We heard prayers by Zwingli\, Blaurock\, Baumann and others. The so-called "Radical Reformation" found itself dividing into different groups\, including the Amish (and there were once 26 different kinds of M ennonites in Canada alone). In the 19th century\, evangelists from the Re formed Church encouraged spiritual revival among the Anabaptists in Switz erland and elsewhere\, the Swiss finally gave permission for Anabaptists to build their own churches and a seminary was stablished in Bienenberg. Finally\, in 2003 representatives from the various Protestant Swiss movem ents met for prayer and confession for the centuries of persecution\, off ering official expressions of forgiveness on both sides\, for both action s and attitudes. They also prayed that this sordid history no longer be a curse on Christians descending from either side of the divide. In 2007\, Switzerland proclaimed a "Tauferjahr" ('Anabaptist Year')\, celebrating the movement. Today there are only about 2\,500 Anabaptists living in Swi tzerland\, but the movement has grown to hundreds of thousands elsewhere\ , and its ideas--pacificism\, believers studying scripture for themselves \, and the separation of church and state--have profoundly influenced mil lions of people throughout the world. [JEK]\n\nNo audio recording is avai lable. DTEND:20081102T110000 DTSTAMP:20081102T113016 DTSTART:20081102T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Tauferjahr - A year of reconciliation UID:361 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/tauferjahr-a-year-of-reconciliation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: \n\n\n\nAngelika Dawson (MCC-BC\, Communications and Teaching \, and a former reporter to various Mennonite papers) began our Peace Sun day by recalling the story of Isaac's family struggle to get water in Pal estine. After enemies filled Abraham's old wells with sand (essentially a declaration of war)\, Isaac moved and his men dug a new well. After it w as captured by locals\, he moved and dug again\, and finally was allowed to use his own well for his families and herds. Even in antiquity\, water was a scarce resource. Today this is more true than ever. Angelika then told of her visit to Cambodia\, how the farmers she met learned to cooper ate in making crucial decisions about sharing water from a local dam rece ntly restored. Now there is no more fighting or water stealing. Like the story of Isaac in Genesis 26\, these people found peaceful ways to share their precious water. How do we respond when we are faced with conflict? Could we\, like Isaac\, possibly walk away from our sources of wealth whi ch make conflict with others\, and trust that we will still be sustained by our God? [JEK]\n\n \n DTEND:20081109T110000 DTSTAMP:20081109T113017 DTSTART:20081109T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Peace Sunday UID:362 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/peace-sunday-2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Garry Janzen (Executive Minister of MC-BC and former Pastor of the Sherbrooke Mennonite Church) talked about how life has elements whic h are predictable and others which are not. The Book of Judges is compris ed of stories illustrating the predictable pattern in which Israel sins\, is punished\, repents\, God agrees to help and delivers them (and then t he whole pattern recurs). Judges 4 continues this pattern by telling of a nother specific time in which Israel is punished for yet again forsaking God. This time the countryside is dominated by the King of Canaan whose t echnology produced iron for chariots\, armour and weapons--none of which was available to the agrarian Jews. Once Israel finally repented (yet aga in)\, God sent deliverance\, this time unexpectedly through two women. Th e first was Deborah\, who had become Israel's foremost prophet and judge. Deborah inspired Israel's disorganized male leadership to raise 10\,000 men. She then accompanied them into battle\, and against all odds\, the J ews were victorious. Shortly thereafter\, again unexpectedly\, Jael (a no madic woman) somehow drove a tent peg through the head of King Jabin of H azor\, one of Israel's arch enemies. The writer of Judges portrays both w omen as acting decisively\, promptly and heroically\, even when faced wit h unpredictable events in their lives and the lives of their people. What is predictable/unpredictable in our lives and the lives of our congregat ions\, and how do we respond to them (or prepare ourselves to respond)? [ JEK] DTEND:20081116T110000 DTSTAMP:20081116T113017 DTSTART:20081116T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Faith in an Unpredictable World UID:364 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/faith-in-an-unpredictable-world END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:In her sermon last Sunday\, "How then shall we age?" Rosie Per era noted that spirituality and aging are closely related. With aging our lives become simpler\, and we also face more challenges as our minds and bodies change. With a number of pensioners present\, Rosie expressed app reciation for the collective wisdom and maturity of the congregation\, co mplimenting several that have written their memoirs. The passing of wisdo m to the next generation while reviewing and reflecting on one’s life is important. Rosie quoted the psalmist: “They will still bear fruit in old age.” Rosie encouraged younger people to appreciate the elders and to hea r their stories. Aging gracefully is possible\, even when facing difficul ties. Rosie commented that her Dad is “happier than ever” caring for his wife who has Alzheimer's. Responses to the sermon included comments about aging being different today because people live longer which is due to g enes\, luck and new medical procedures. It was noted that some old people live with regrets and unresolved issues from their past. (HN) DTEND:20081123T110000 DTSTAMP:20081123T113017 DTSTART:20081123T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:How then shall we age? UID:363 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/how-then-shall-we-age END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider led an Advent service.\n\nNo audio recording is a vailable. DTEND:20081130T110000 DTSTAMP:20081130T113017 DTSTART:20081130T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:First Advent UID:365 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/first-advent-2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice spoke on "The Book of Lamentations as Background to Isa iah 40". Isaiah 40 suddenly speaks of comfort and peace\, using words tha t have become beloved through Handel's music. But why this sudden shift i n the Book of Isaiah? Scholars now think that more than 100 years separat ed Isaiah 39 from Isaiah 40. There had been a brief interval of peace\, d uring which King Hezekiah (foolishly) showed off all his treasures to an envoy from the up-and-coming city-nation\, Babylon. Babylon soon decided that small Jerusalem was worth 'colonizing'\, and the sufferings began in earnest. The Book of Lamentations is best understood as being inserted i nto this historical gap (ch. 39--40) in Isaiah. Of the first two chapters of Lamentations\, each verse begins with the next letter of the Hebraic alphabet (helping readers commit the poetry to memory). There are two voi ces\, those of the narrator and the feminine voice of the Daughter of Zio n. Lamentations is often ignored by evangelicals because of its inherent problems: (1) the downplaying of the admission of sins\, (2) God is portr ayed as an abuser who brings suffering on Judah\, (3) the severity of the punishment ("is there any sorrow like my sorrow?") and agony which is on ly amplified by the lack of spiritual support\, (4) the call to punish th e enemy (also heard in the Psalms but not the New Testament)\, and (5) th e lack of response from God\, for God's silence in Lamentations gives eve n greater prominence to the book's complaints (unlike the Book of Job in which God has a voice). However\, this book is useful to us. It sets up t he second half of the Book of Isaiah and writings attributed to other pro phets\, it gives voice to suffering (the sort of strident voice we would appreciate if we really suffered)\, it reminds us that life is complex\, and it raises serious questions about God's role in the world's suffering . [JEK] DTEND:20081207T110000 DTSTAMP:20081207T113017 DTSTART:20081207T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Book of Lamentations as Background to Isaiah 40 UID:366 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-book-of-lamentations-as-background-to-is aiah-40 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The congregation sang excerpts of Handel's Messiah.\n\nNo audi o recording is available. DTEND:20081214T110000 DTSTAMP:20081214T113017 DTSTART:20081214T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:367 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah-2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of readings and singing was held on the fourth Adven t.\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20081221T110000 DTSTAMP:20081221T113017 DTSTART:20081221T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christmas readings and carols UID:368 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christmas-readings-and-carols-2008 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Due to the snow closure\, Kevin Hiebert gave a "virtual sermon " by sending out the text of his talk (see link below). He reminded us th at the 12 Days of Christmas only STARTS on Christmas Day\, and that what we receive as gifts are often different than our expectations. He started by talking about the lectionary text from Psalm 148 in which all of God’ s Creation is called to praise him. Kevin quoted Paul H. Seely's explanat ion of the Hebrew word raqia which is translated as “heavens”\, “expanse” \, “firmament” or “dome” -- NOT the same words as what’s used for the bre athable atmosphere. There is a lot of debate about what the “waters above the dome” are\, but the idea of a massive heavenly ocean held back by a transparent dam would nicely explain the source of rainfall to those not familiar with the evaporation/condensation cycle\, and fully explain the blue colour of the sky during the day. Then Kevin moved on to Luke 2 vers es 25-38\, the story of two prophets: Simeon and Anna. Simeon was looking forward to the consolation of Israel and Anna was looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem. God promised Simeon that he would see the savio ur of both Jews & Gentiles before he died. Kevin provided a dramatic re-t elling of the story of Anna and Simeon by Ralph Milton. He also quoted Fr ed Craddock: "Jesus will bring truth to light and in so doing throw all w ho come in contact with him into a crisis of decision. In that decision\, rising and falling\, life and death\, result. Jesus precipitates the cen trally important movement of one's life\, toward or away from God." Some controversy was raised when Kevin asked what would happen if we saw each person as having role in the fulfilment of God's promises. [KJH] DTEND:20081228T110000 DTSTAMP:20081228T113017 DTSTART:20081228T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Simeon & Anna UID:369 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/simeon-anna END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW DTEND:20090104T110000 DTSTAMP:20090104T113018 DTSTART:20090104T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW UID:370 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2009-01-04-cancelled-due-to-snow END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Steve Berg (Conference Pastor of the BC MB Conference) spoke o n a number of texts\, starting with the famous passage in Isaiah 55.1-3 w hich invites all who "hunger and thirst" for that which has lasting value . By inviting Israel to feast and dine\, without paying\, Isaiah recalls celebrations in antiquity sponsored by monarchs at the beginning of their reigns. Jesus offers a similar call\, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness"\, and Psalm 42:1 set a similar idea to music (" As the deer longs for streams of water\, so my soul longs for you\, O God "). People universally have voids in their lives which need satisfying. T o this\, Jesus adds the concept of seeking "righteousness" in ways that o nly a spiritual community can satisfy. Jesus' teachings show that the spi ritual life is similar to eating and drinking\, for in both cases we must eventually return for more. [JEK] DTEND:20090111T110000 DTSTAMP:20090111T113018 DTSTART:20090111T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness UID:371 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hunger-and-thirst-for-righteousness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosemary Monreau was our guest speaker\, representing the Ling ana Foundation which seeks to teach reconciliation to Muslim teenagers in war-torn areas in Darfur (about the size of Alberta)\, Chad\, Central Af rica\, etc. To help introduce us to the problems she is addressing\, she brought and displayed powerful drawings created by students which depict graphic scenes from fighting in the villages from which they had to flee. 1 Samuel 3.1 tells us that "The Word of the Lord was rare in those days" \; many of the ideas concerning reconciliation are rarely or never heard today in parts of Africa beset with feuds carried on for generations and with very serious family violence issues. Monreau hopes that\, as Christi ans live a life of reconciliation among these peoples\, individuals will come to know the love of God\, even if not the specific ways and thinking of Christianity. She is therefore interested in promoting reconciliation through living a life of compassion. By consistently showing compassion\ , Muslim individuals (who respect Jesus as a prophet\, though not as the greatest prophet) may ask new questions. Her dream is to train some 1\,80 0 young people (11-18) in thinking about reconciliation for a year\, and then have the older students help spread the ideas. She requests our pray ers\, financial support and volunteers willing to work on the foundation' s behalf in Vancouver. [JEK] DTEND:20090118T110000 DTSTAMP:20090118T113018 DTSTART:20090118T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reconciliation among the peoples UID:372 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/reconciliation-among-the-peoples END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke from three lectionary texts to illustrat e God raising up new voices to tell us age-old truths. In the book of Jon ah\, a satire with some clearly fanciful elements\, marks powerfully the honesty of its protagonist. Jonah\, called twice to follow God’s call\, f inally heeds Him\, and prophecies to Nineveh. The prophecy takes less tha n a verse of the book\, and\, stunningly\, the citizens\, right up to and including the King\, repent in sackcloth and ashes\, and are not destroy ed. Jonah reacts badly to the effects of his own prophecy. He did not und erstand his own message - that anyone can repent and be forgiven by God. In the 1Corinthians passage\, Paul asks people not to be so invested in t he rituals of their present life\, for the more important task is to live as if the end times were coming. Last\, in Mark 1\, Evan explains the be auty of the brevity of Mark’s stories as only a reminder for people who a lready knew the full story through oral tradition. Evan notes that we\, l ike the citizens of Nineveh are called to repent: from the voices of fals e prophets like financial advisors\, with pensions at risk and profits er oded\; from voices speaking truth such as Barack Obama\, who called to pe ople and commerce alike to political and economic repentance\; from Al Go re\, speaking the voice of environmental repentance\; and when the church was strangely silent on torture at Guantanamo\, God raised up other secu lar voices to call society and the President to repentance. Despite this\ , Evan notes how hard it is for him to hear calls to repentance. He will not sell his house and give the money to the poor. A two-degree rise in t emperature is hard to understand. But Evan calls to us not to despair - G od will raise up new voices to call us all to repentance\, and when we tr uly hear the call\, the path will seem easy\, and the burden will be ligh t. Because the end times are indeed near. [AP] DTEND:20090125T110000 DTSTAMP:20090125T113018 DTSTART:20090125T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:World Fellowship Sunday UID:373 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/world-fellowship-sunday-2009 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Johann Funk spoke about his experiences with the Christian Pea cemaker Team in Hebron where he recently spent 23 weeks. Johann said the recent ground war in Gaza made it hard to prepare for Sunday\, even thoug h there are many Israelis and Palestinians working for peace. After livin g in the Holy land John said he now reads the Bible with fresh eyes\; the re are many layers to the Scriptural accounts of which we see only a few. The Israeli occupation of the West bank reminds one of the Roman occupat ion in Jesus’ time. Johannmentioned his respect for the Torah and Old Tes tament\, noting that some passages promote violence if taken out of conte xt. The prophets and gospels stress hopefulness\, justice and peace. John said the faith of the Palestinians stands between hope and despair\, and determined action keeps hope alive and this means living in the confiden ce of God’s intention for humanity. He defined hope as “expectation with confidence.” Jesus told his followers to watch the signs carefully\, to b e aware of events around us. Even though the Romans used guerrilla tactic s\, Jesus told his followers not to be drawn into the conflict. Jesus say s “watch\,” get ready for the birth of a child. We need a confident hope in the unfolding of the kingdom of God. Hope is what nurtures and sustain s us as we reach out with confidence in the justice of God. Scripture cal ls us to hope even when the outlook is bleak. [HN]\n DTEND:20090201T110000 DTSTAMP:20090201T113018 DTSTART:20090201T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Keep watch\, a new creation is nigh UID:374 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/keep-watch-a-new-creation-is-nigh END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld cited numerous scriptures referring to God's glo ry. When Moses insisted that he see God's glory\, God relented\, hid Mose s in a crevice in a rock and let him observe a bit of the glory after pas sing by. Later\, Jews were reportedly unable to look at Moses' face after he had been with God because it still reflected God's glory. The story o f the Mount of Transfiguration shows that New Testament writers were also interested in this concept. Fittingly\, Revelations has many references to the glory of God. Our hymns\, like Handel's "Messiah"\, often have glo ry as a major theme. C.S. Lewis even wrote of "the weight of glory". Glor y is not something for which we merely wait (heaven)\, but we can quite p ossibly see glimpses of God's glory in people\, for they are made in God' s image. Some time ago\, Jake Loewen suggested to our fellowship that the closest we will get to God is through the person sitting next to us. Do we see glimpses of God's glory in each other? How? What would we anticipa te seeing? [JEK] DTEND:20090208T110000 DTSTAMP:20090208T113018 DTSTART:20090208T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Show Me Your Glory UID:375 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/show-me-your-glory END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The service from the lectionary focussed on healing and miracl es\, first with the healing of Naaman\, an unbeliever from another Syrian province under direction of the prophet Elisha (2Ki 5:1-14)\; second wit h Jesus’ healing of the leper (Mk 1:40-45)\; and last\, a psalm of gratef ul praise from one who\, though undeserving\, was healed (Ps.30). Andre P ekovich read three articles that noted miracles are provided to believer and unbeliever alike\, not solely as answer to our heartfelt prayers\, bu t as evidence of His superiority of will\, His dispensation of authority to prophets\, and to underscore the importance of the common people in Hi s kingdom. God performs miracles not to document individual “special-ness ”\, but to build up the power of belief in His existence and to enable ou r role as ‘the healed’ to bring the possibility of belief and relationshi p with God to others who also require healing. How miraculous that our br others in sisters in the ‘two-thirds world’ are so much more able to acce pt miracles in the spirit which they were intended than we in the Western world. [AP]\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20090215T110000 DTSTAMP:20090215T113018 DTSTART:20090215T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgical service UID:376 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/liturgical-service-2009-02-15 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Russ Klassen\, youth pastor at Sherbrooke Mennonite Church\, p rovided a beautiful contrast between a mythopoetic text about Aten-Ra\, t he monotheistic representation of God as the sun\, from Egypt in the Midd le Dynasty (2000 BC - 1600 BC)\, and Psalm 104. In a Job-like message\, t he mystery and beauty of the world the One Living God has created is made apparent to both peoples\, yet Russ drew contrasts between the distant\, impersonal God Aten\, and the immanent God of the Jewish people. This wa s a talk to stretch the mind and to find symbols and meaning in other wor ks of the world that presaged the coming of the One Living God. With disc ernment\, one can take useful meaning from such texts. [AP] DTEND:20090222T110000 DTSTAMP:20090222T113018 DTSTART:20090222T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Aten as Re in his Course UID:377 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-aten-as-re-in-his-course END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On March 1st we observed the First Sunday of Lent. Laurel Gasq ue spoke briefly on the four lectionary texts of the day\, showing how th ey were interrelated and how\, by reading them sequentially\, we can make new observations about each of the texts. Early Christians were intrigue d by these possible cross fertilizations\, even if we might find them a b it stretched (e.g.\, 1 Peter looks at the story of Noah as prefiguring ba ptism). Laura then showed pictures of a series of woodcuts from the late 1400s published within that broad genre German scholars popularly called the "bibliae pauperum" (paupers' bibles). This grows out of the genre of miniature manuscript illuminations that had enjoyed popularity among the wealthy European monastic and aristocratic circles for centuries\, and ha s strong antecedents in medieval art and stained glass windows. The indiv idual woodcuts we were shown depict multiple vignettes--scenes of a vario us biblical stories. Laura asked us to consider how the selections of the se stories and characters might have helped medieval believers think abou t specific themes or interrelationships between the stories\, and how tho se stories might have been reinterpreted by readers encountering these ju xtapositions (just as we do in our lectionary readings). [JEK] DTEND:20090301T110000 DTSTAMP:20090301T113019 DTSTART:20090301T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Lenten Meditation from the Pauper's Bible UID:378 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-lenten-meditation-from-the-paupers-bible END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke on the faith of Abraham\, the progenitor of three world religions. From the regional gods Abraham first knew\, to the single voice of God\, through to the profound contrariness of God as expressed in Rowan Williams’ faith message\, this is a God who emphasizes relationships. How did Abraham come to benefit from God’s attention? Tho ugh in his dealings Abraham sought to give others the benefit\, he was al so led astray when he passed off his wife as another. So how does Abraham merit the promise shown him in Genesis? The Romans passage from that day makes plain God’s method - take those who do not merit it and bless them . Hagar recognizes this when she names the God who saved her and her son Ishmael in the desert as “The God who sees”. Though God’s promise to mode rn-day Jews is often seen as one of land\, Janice notes that this land is important only symbologically. The land was important in different ways to Abraham\, not for his sense of ownership of it\, but how it was the si te of God’s promise to him as progenitor of a people\, not owners of a la nd. Janice wonders if this thought might be used more profitably in recon textualizing modern-day problems in the Middle East. [AP] DTEND:20090308T110000 DTSTAMP:20090308T113019 DTSTART:20090308T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God's Promise to Abraham UID:379 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/gods-promise-to-abraham END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the Ides of March\, Connie Siedler was our guest speaker. C onnie is from Germany\, lives at the Menno Simons Centre and studies theo logy at Regent College. Although we just celebrated Christmas recently\, with all its customary bright lights\, colours and feasts\, we need to re member that Jesus was born into a poor family at a time when the Jews wer e really suffering. The Book of Lamentations had already explored the ove rwhelming sense of loss the Jews felt while living under foreign occupati on and suffering the destruction of their capital city\, temple\, culture and self respect. Within Lamentations\, just as the brief book reaches i ts apex\, there are words of hope (ch. 3.21-26) which proclaim God as the Lord of hope and as the God who both punishes and remains faithful to hu manity\, even while being rejected by them. Real life is not like e-mail or air travel\, both of which would seem to be instantaneous to people li ving centuries ago. In real life\, we often need to wait\, patiently and quietly. We of course prefer to be active\, even proactive\, but for many situations in life\, prolonged times of waiting can neither be rushed no r shortened by anything we do. The Psalmists compared this to someone wai ting for--yearning for--the dawn. Lamentations tells us that our waiting can indeed be accompanied by hope\, regardless of how difficult our situa tion may seem. [JEK] DTEND:20090315T110000 DTSTAMP:20090315T113019 DTSTART:20090315T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Lamentations UID:380 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/lamentations-2009 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Last week's Old Testament reading from Numbers 21 was preceded by the story of the Canaanites attacking the wandering Jews\, who then r eorganized and "utterly destroyed" the Canaanites\, only to resume wander ing. By now the Jews were sick of God's life-giving manna\, they yearned for the fish and herbs of Egypt\, and complained bitterly against Moses a nd his God. Wandering into an area loaded with venomous snakes\, many Jew s died. Moses soon had a large snake forged from bronze\, raised the scul pture on a pole\, and the people who looked at it were spared death. (To this day\, two snakes intertwined on a pole symbolize medicine/physicians .) The Israelites were not healed by magic\, nor by worshiping the snake\ , but by believing in God's power. The writer of the Gospel of John (3.14 -16)picks up this theme\, saying that whoever believes in Christ\, lifted up on the cross--like Moses' snake\, will be saved. Paul Thiessen then a sked us to contemplate the difference between believing in God's power (b ehind the symbol) or believing in the image. The veneration of icons rema ins difficult for Protestants and Muslems\, whereas devout Jews kiss pray er shawls or the Torah and Catholics venerate Mary. Contemporary Christia ns do not worship the cross\, yet give it pride of place in our sanctuari es. Images can become powerful and useful metaphors for us\, as was that ancient bronze snake (which was finally destroyed centuries later when pe ople worshiped the object rather than God's power which once lay behind t he object). [JEK] DTEND:20090322T110000 DTSTAMP:20090322T113019 DTSTART:20090322T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The power behind the symbol UID:381 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-power-behind-the-symbol END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the fifth Sunday of Lent\, Karl Brown asked "How are you do ing this Lent?" In order to put this bold question into context\, Karl re ad some statistics on pastors' prayer lives (how much time they pray dail y\, what percentage of that time is devoted to making requests\, listenin g\, thanksgiving\, etc.) This is the kind of information that makes most of us feel we have 'failed at Lent'. However\, we are still God's childre n\, as was King David\, even (and especially) after sinning\, for we all fail God by violating our inherited moral codes of behaviour. Meanwhile\, like David\, we should instead concentrate on celebrating our little vic tories. We do not need to be obsessive over self-denial\, or keep track o f how many minutes we pray\, or worry about the magnitude of our sins. Du ring Lent we can more profitably focus on taking a few small steps toward s improving ourselves and our spiritual life. [JEK] DTEND:20090329T110000 DTSTAMP:20090329T113019 DTSTART:20090329T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:How are you doing this Lent? UID:382 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/how-are-you-doing-this-lent END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Palm Sunday our speaker was Gerald Neufeld\, a former missi onary to Japan who is now pastor to the new Mennonite Japanese Fellowship in Surrey. Time and again\, God's plan for saving humanity by sending a Messiah has seemed quite strange. John the Baptist seems to have assumed that Jesus was quite possibly such a Messiah\, yet referred to him as "th e lamb of God"\, which is hardly as attractive a title as Lion of Judah. Isaiah foresaw a Messiah being like a lamb led to the slaughter\, which p uzzled Jewish philosophers for centuries. When the man we believe was God 's Messiah finally did come\, this Jesus was born of teenage parents (acc ording to one tradition) under circumstances that were highly suspect. Je sus then grew up\, not as a member of court or even the priestly or highl y educated class\, but as yet another immigrant in Egypt. His career was hardly more promising\, working mostly as an itinerant teacher in the gen eral area of Judah (but usually a safe distance from Jerusalem\, the expe cted seat for a true Messiah). Jesus seemed more at home with society's p owerless outcasts than with the ruling upper class\, and he was either ab andoned or reviled by nearly everybody when dying most horribly and publi cly. Yet it is assumed by us today that this same Jesus somehow best exem plified God's gentle love and taught that we should emphasize that aspect of God rather than God's ability crushing wrath. This Jesus introduced t o us a God of love who does not force us to join his way of thinking but instead allows us to choose. This is the Jesus that Christians will celeb rate this coming Passion Week and Easter Sunday\, first with darkness and fasting and then with light and feasting. [JEK] DTEND:20090405T110000 DTSTAMP:20090405T113019 DTSTART:20090405T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Palm Sunday UID:383 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/palm-sunday-2009 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of readings and singing was held on Easter.\n\nNo au dio recording is available. DTEND:20090412T110000 DTSTAMP:20090412T113019 DTSTART:20090412T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter UID:384 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-2009 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:What are your images of the book of Revelation? With this ques tion Rosie Perera opened her message last Sunday. For many the book is sc ary\, too difficult\, irrelevant\, is often avoided and for some it’s a t icking time bomb that needs defusing. Calvin wrote a commentary on all bo oks of the Bible except Revelation\; Luther thought it should not be in t he Bible. Rosie sought to rehabilitate this book for us\, pointing out th at it has more allusions to the Old Testament than any other NT book\, th at it is the source of many hymns\, and that it’s important to counter th e modern day nonsense about Revelation’s time lines. In reading Revelatio n it’s important not to impose our perceptions on the text. While describ ing major cataclysmic events\, Revelation reminds us that when Christians experience persecution\, they are experiencing tribulation. Revelation h as many heavenly anthems\, and if we can’t understand the text\, go to th e nearest anthem. Let the symbolic language make an impression on you eve n if you don’t understand it. It’s a book centered on Jesus\, and it’s a book instructing us to non-violently cope with evil\; the symbol of the l amb\, not the lion is significant. Revelation teaches us about perseveran ce through suffering\, to be wary of the wiles of the empire\, and that t he end times are\, and will remain\, mysterious. [HN] DTEND:20090419T110000 DTSTAMP:20090419T113019 DTSTART:20090419T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Book of Revelation - overview UID:385 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-book-of-revelation-overview END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jesse Nickel dealt with Paul’s text urging Roman Christians to present their bodies as living sacrifices and not be formed by the prese nt age\; rather be transformed. (Rom. 12) These words\, in a letter writt en to a church made up largely of Gentiles\, address the platonic view wi th a distinct line between the spiritual and the physical\; the body was viewed as a prison longing for release. The body is important\; Jesus too k on the form of a human body. Paul encourages the Romans not to conform to the present age but to live as members of the new kingdom that Jesus i ntroduced. The world pushes us to want more of everything\; our challenge is to be continually transformed rather than conformed. The discussion c entered on how we use our bodies in worship and on the matter of not bein g conformed to the present age. What would a transformed life look like? (HN) DTEND:20090426T110000 DTSTAMP:20090426T113019 DTSTART:20090426T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Transformation UID:386 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/transformation-2009 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jeanette Hanson\, along with her husband (and two children)\, lived in China's Sichuan province since 1991 where they worked for MC Can ada\, spoke about the global church. Between teaching English and working with local community and church groups\, the Hansons were also able to a ssist in distributing MCC aid following the devastating earthquake in Sic huan. While China has an official policy of religious freedom\, there is concern that foreigners could also bring foreign ideas into the country. When asked 'why can't you just stay home?' Jeanette said we are our broth er's keeper. At a farewell banquet before the family returned to Canada i n 2008\, a local pastor said "we're sending you back to Canada to be our representative\, we need each other\, we are not complete without each ot her." Jeanette pointed out that we need to hear God's voice from a variet y of cultures. Why not stay home? So the love of God might be made known. The Hansons plan to return to Sichuan in June 2010. (HN) DTEND:20090503T110000 DTSTAMP:20090503T113020 DTSTART:20090503T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Adventures in Being a Global Church UID:387 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/adventures-in-being-a-global-church END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:As a young man Bruce Hiebert was exasperated with the disciple s on the Emmaus Road who failed to recognize Jesus who walked with them. Jesus interpreted scripture to them\, beginning with Moses and the prophe ts. Understanding Scripture is important because the Bible is one of the keys to understanding the Christian faith\; it is the word of God. Bruce noted that there are complex rules guiding correct interpretation and the key to this is honesty. We live by stories\, he said\, and reading Scrip ture will change us. When we read the Bible as the word of God we enter a universe that is not our own. Bible stories teach us how to live\; doctr ine without stories is meaningless. Reading scripture creates the need fo r personal honesty. "I read my Bible waiting for the feeling that Jesus w as with me\," he said. The discussion focussed on the need for tolerance\ , some preferred "compassion" to tolerance. (HN) DTEND:20090510T110000 DTSTAMP:20090510T113020 DTSTART:20090510T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Invisible Christ who journeys with us UID:388 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-invisible-christ-who-journeys-with-us END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Friesen spoke on the topic of "Imagined Conflicts: Religi ous Aspects of Scientism". He recapped the history of Mennonite student m inistries in British Columbia and the challenge of helping young people t o reconcile faith and learning. DTEND:20090517T110000 DTSTAMP:20090517T113020 DTSTART:20090517T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Imagined Conflicts: Religious Aspects of Scientism UID:389 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/imagined-conflicts-religious-aspects-of-scie ntism END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The church gathered in Mission\, BC.\n\nNo bulletin or audio r ecording are available. DTEND:20090524T110000 DTSTAMP:20090524T113020 DTSTART:20090524T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Church camp at Camp Luther UID:390 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/church-camp-at-camp-luther-2009 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Charles Paris opened his Pentecost message by thanking us for singing “Come\, O Creator Spirit Come” (#27)\; a hymn he recalled from hi s time as a youth in the Benedictine monastery many years ago. An ancient hymn\, it reminds of of the importance of continuity in Christianity. Ch arles described Elijah’s experience of a wind that tore up mountains\, an earthquake and a fire\; pointing out that God was not in any of these el ements. God came in a gentle breeze: God is found in symbols\, poetry and sound of a gentle breeze. The early church was promised an advocate\; a comforter who will teach you everything. Pentecost is feast inseparable f rom Easter\; it offers us the fruits of Easter. The Catholic confirmation prayer is for the Spirit to be our helper and guide - a spirit of revere nce\, knowledge\, wonder and awe – a Spirit we should continue to pray fo r. (HN) DTEND:20090531T110000 DTSTAMP:20090531T113020 DTSTART:20090531T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pentecost UID:391 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pentecost-2009 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Veronica Dyck noted that Paul\, in writing to the Romans\, was strongly influenced by the Exodus story of slavery and eventual freedom. The God of the Israelites heard their cry for help and responded. Paul t ransforms this story to the story of the early church\; warning about ido latry\, emphasizing that sinners are justified by faith (not works)\, and noting that amid suffering and sin those adopted by Christ can be assure d of being God’s children. The adoption metaphor reflects the tension of living in the “now” and “not yet.” This is demonstrated in our concern fo r the environment\; God can redeem creation\, creation will benefit from deliverance\, and we can look forward to the day when all is redeemed. Ch ange occurs when we open ourselves to the radical effects of love\; love offers belonging and forgiveness. (HN) DTEND:20090607T110000 DTSTAMP:20090607T113020 DTSTART:20090607T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Bearing witness and the hope of Creation UID:392 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/bearing-witness-and-the-hope-of-creation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Don Teichroeb entitled his talk\, "Modest beginnings". The bib le reminds us that small beginnings can be blessed by God. The morning's gospel lectionary reading (Mark 4) gives the parable of the mustard seed\ , suggesting that the Kingdom of Heaven can grow from a very small beginn ing\, inauspecious at first\, but a beginning filled with potential. Don explained that the Kingdom is not the mustard seed itself\, but rather th e Kingdom will evolve as surely and as mysteriously as the growth of a se ed. Humans generally only plant their seeds\, possibly nurture the plants \, and then harvest the new seeds\; we do not give guidance to the growth itself. In fact\, we may not even know how things grow. 1 Samuel 16 tell s of the young boy David being chosen by God to be the future king of Isr ael\, someone seemingly too small for any such task\, but God (who looks on the heart rather than just appearances) assured Samuel that David did indeed have tremendous growth potential. Today's world is governed by for ces of growth we do not understand fully--compound interest\, growth of s eeds. But ultimately\, we are assured that everything is overseen by God. [JEK] DTEND:20090614T110000 DTSTAMP:20090614T113020 DTSTART:20090614T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A modest beginning UID:393 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-modest-beginning END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John provided two messages: one about his 10-year experience w ith cancer\, the other on three images of church. John lives with non-Hod gkins lymphoma and has had several series of chemo treatments. Surprising ly\, he has remained quite healthy throughout the treatment and he acknow ledges that his minimal reaction to treatment is unusual. He continues to cycle and is active as a speaker\, writer and consultant. In his message from Corinthians he suggested we seek a more profound\, mysterious\, and challenging world rather than one where we trivialize the gospel and red uce it to a few simple truths. John encouraged the use of poetic speech w here a familiar text is permitted a fresh hearing\, and where (poetic) la nguage moves one toward new\, dangerous\, and imaginative possibilities. In 1 Corinthians 3 Paul affirms the foundation of Jesus Christ and then t urns to images a field\, a building (foundation) and a temple. Each image opens the possibility of imagination and reflection on faith and on the church and its diversity. (HN) DTEND:20090621T110000 DTSTAMP:20090621T113020 DTSTART:20090621T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Three inviting images of church UID:394 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/three-inviting-images-of-church END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andre provided an overview of the pastoral letters to Timothy and Titus that will be the focus of our services in July and August. Thes e letters were written to individuals\, not to congregations like most Ne w Testament letters. They are written in the tone similar to what a favou rite wise uncle (one who’s done something quite unusual with his life) mi ght write. Andre noted that these letters challenge conventional wisdom: they question our assumptions about egalitarianism\, and they promote int olerance. The letters deal with false teachings\, co-workers\, slavery\, widows\, orphans and the rich. If you were Timothy and Paul was writing y ou a letter\, what might it include? [AP] DTEND:20090628T110000 DTSTAMP:20090628T113020 DTSTART:20090628T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pastoral Series 1 - Advice to a Young Friend UID:395 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pastoral-series-1-advice-to-a-young-friend END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry spoke on 1 Timothy 1. The "Paul" in this letter rails ag ainst false teachings but we unfortunately are not told what those teachi ngs were\, and that would be interesting. The writer then decries dwellin g on godless myths\, endless genealogies (tracing your ancestry back to A dam\, the very thing the Gospel according to St Matthew does for the ance stry of Jesus)\, and 'getting lost in a wilderness of words'. Stressing t he importance of grace and mercy\, the writer notes that he was the 'wors t of sinners'\, yet was loved and used by God. Well\, how do we identify false teachings? Luther and the Anabaptists\, for example\, were accused of false teaching but are now viewed as being ahead of their time. Sound teaching (in 1 Timothy) encourages us to love and help people\, yet the a uthor (chapter 1.20) publicly turns two people over to Satan\, which hard ly seems Christ-like to us\, unless this simply implies expelling them fr om the fellowship until they change. What these snippets from 1 Tim 1 rev eal is that as the church continued to grow in the 2nd century\, it faced serious challenges\, and a few of these were thought serious enough to b e addressed\, even if only briefly\, by this writer. [JEK] DTEND:20090705T110000 DTSTAMP:20090705T113021 DTSTART:20090705T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pastoral Series 2 - Stop the False Teachers UID:396 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pastoral-series-2-stop-the-false-teachers END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider dealt with the difficult texts found in 1 Timothy 2. Noting that the authorship of the Timothy letters is uncertain\, Evan pointed out that content is often more important than authorship. Empero r worship in the 2nd century was strong and Christians were told to pray for but not to their political leaders. The writer silences women\; they were second-class citizens - a position that would have found support fro m Romans and Greeks of that day. No one knows how much damage this passag e has caused the Christian community over the centuries. Many churches ig nore the order for women to remain silent just as we ignore Biblical inju nctions about slavery. We need to view this passage as directed at a spec ific situation and\, unfortunately\, we don’t know what that situation wa s. Many churches follow Paul’s endorsement of Phoebe as a deaconess (Roma ns 16) and encourage women to use their God–given gifts to serve others. Evan expressed appreciation for women who have taught and influenced him. In viewing the totality of Scripture and how culture influences the chur ch\, we need to follow Paul’s direction in Galatians: in Christ we are al l one\; there is neither Jew nor Greek\, slave nor free\, male nor female [HN] DTEND:20090712T110000 DTSTAMP:20090712T113021 DTSTART:20090712T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pastoral Series 3 - Proper Conduct at Worship UID:397 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pastoral-series-3-proper-conduct-at-worship END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Connie Siedler continued our Timothy series by discussing the qualifications of church leaders (1 Timothy 3). The letter to Timothy is directed against false teachers\, and describes the qualities and charact eristics of sound leaders. These qualities include being temperate\, havi ng self-control\, monogamy\, an excellent reputation in the community and having the ability to teach. The characteristics of leaders are describe d\, but this is not a detailed job description. Keeping hold of the myste ry of faith and having a clear conscience are important. The expectation of Godly living is mentioned and this continues to be a challenge and som ething difficult to define. The idea of constant living with a spirit of generosity best describes what is needed in pursuing the “mystery of godl iness.” (HN) DTEND:20090719T110000 DTSTAMP:20090719T113021 DTSTART:20090719T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pastoral Series 4 - Qualifications of Church Leaders UID:398 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pastoral-series-4-qualifications-of-church-l eaders END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Helen Rose Pauls\, speaking on 1 Timothy 4:1-16\, gave us food for thought about our food\, both good and bad food\, fruits of the spir it\, and noted that everything created by God is good. She introduced us to myths and facts about farming and where our food comes from and how it is marketed to us as something other than it is. She noted the ethics of farming are no different than the ethics of living\, and our fresh and v aried diet due to agribusiness should reflect our fresh and varied spirit ual life as reflected in our godly living. Yet does it? Helen Rose favour s backyard flocks in Vancouver as a way to engage people more personally with their food\, and provide jobs as backyard veterinarians for her kids . People of a certain age born on the farm were raised with the 100-yard diet\, but we should never count on raising all our own food these days. Similarly\, our spiritual life ought to be larger than a 100-yard circle. How do we relate to our neighbours? Paul encourages Timothy with spiritu al food\, speaking of balance and spiritual strength\, to be an ethical r ole model to serve and lead the church. Don’t argue doctrine - live it. M oral guidance is necessary\, but how you give it is at least as important . Helen Rose noted the tremendous impact that mothers and grandmothers ha ve on children as Eunice and Lois did on Timothy’s upbringing. Helen Rose outlined the spirit of ubuntu\, learned while on a MCC tour of Swaziland \, where AIDS coexists with the jacarandas in bloom. Ubuntu is that shari ng and communion between us all\, a compassionate willingness to share\, celebrating the sacredness of all life\, where the community faces hardsh ip and deprivation with resilience. God asks no more of us than ubuntu\, to walk\, as Micah asks\, humbly with Him. [AP] DTEND:20090726T110000 DTSTAMP:20090726T113021 DTSTART:20090726T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pastoral series 5 - Training in Godliness UID:399 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pastoral-series-5-training-in-godliness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider addressed the text from 1 Timothy 5 that deals with the duty to care for others\, specifically widows. The text seems cr itical of widows\, suggesting limitations of financial aid for some widow s and accusations of heresy and gossip against others. This critical appr oach to the care of widows is puzzling given the Old Testament stress on caring for widows. Jesus\, just before his death\, tells one of his disci ples to look after his mother\, presumably a widow. A key question is why the text suggests putting limits on financial aid to widows. Many women were attracted to Christianity\, some might have converted while their hu sbands did not and might have divorced their wives. The advice to cutback aid to certain widows is likely based on a shortage of funds. Widows did not have today’s option of staying widowed and surviving financially. Th e encouragement for younger widows to remarry was an attempt to get them back into a patriarchal system. It is preferable to writer to heed Paul’s teaching\; in Christ there is no male or female. (HN) DTEND:20090802T110000 DTSTAMP:20090802T113021 DTSTART:20090802T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pastoral Series 6 - Caring for All People UID:400 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pastoral-series-6-caring-for-all-people END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Donna Stewart continued our series on the Timothy letters with an interactive sermon focusing on the temptation to covetousness. The lo ve of money is the root of all kinds of evil\, says the writer to Timothy . “Show me a person’s checkbook and I can tell you about his faith\,” sai d Donna. Godliness with contentment\; being free from the hunger for thin gs is important. In our consumerist society\, immersed in a culture of gr eed - we are encouraged to buy and consume - it is important to distingui sh between our wants and our needs. We are the rich and are constantly en couraged to want more. Our governments pursue national policies of growth and greed\; after 9-11 Americans were told to get out and shop. Donna no ted that it’s an embarrassment to live simply\, to have furniture that is worn out. We have unprecedented wealth while many in our world starve. G odliness with contentment should be our goal.(HN)\n\nNo audio recording i s available. DTEND:20090809T110000 DTSTAMP:20090809T113021 DTSTART:20090809T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pastoral Series 7 - Greed or Gain? UID:401 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pastoral-series-7-greed-or-gain END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andre Pekovich continued our summer study of Timothy from the passage 2 Timothy 1:1-18 in a message from our text for the summer - Livi ng today with an Eye for Eternity that is entitled Confidence in the Gosp el. DTEND:20090816T110000 DTSTAMP:20090816T113025 DTSTART:20090816T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pastoral Series 8 - Confidence in the Gospel UID:402 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pastoral-series-8-confidence-in-the-gospel END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our summer series continued with Andre Pekovich’s call to simp lify our lives\, our faith and our religious observance. Andre encouraged us to use the acronym KISS to ‘keep it simple\, sinner’. Our love of com plicated things often leads us astray\, so after Andre reminded us of som e sermons we’d heard from the past on keeping things simple\, he notes th at Timothy is told the same thing\, just as the soldier\, the athlete and the farmer are told in vs 4. Our Christian past is “littered with more a nd more complex epistemological constructs until we’re not sure if God is speaking to us or a dictionary”. We’re reminded of the Shaker hymn “Simp le Gifts” as a guidepost\, and Andre then pointed us to vs 8 “Remember Je sus Christ\, raised from the dead\, a descendant of David—that is my gosp el”. The text notes that Timothy is instructed to 15 “Do your best to pre sent yourself to God as one approved by him\, a worker who has no need to be ashamed\, rightly explaining the word of truth.” and guide the church to avoid wrangling over words\, gossiping\; teach with gentleness\; do n ot use bad words\, and avoid youthful passions such as anger and intolera nce. Andre read out a W.H.Auden poem noting that humans are the only spec ies with the capacity for making the simple complicated\, and the need fo r grace to make them simple again. [AP]\n\nNo bulletin is available. DTEND:20090823T110000 DTSTAMP:20090823T113025 DTSTART:20090823T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pastoral Series 9 - Suffering for the Gospel UID:403 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pastoral-series-9-suffering-for-the-gospel END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On August 30th\, Wes Smith spoke on 2 Timothy 3.1-4.5. In thes e passages\, the writer develops the theme of endurance by building on th e brief list of virtues presented as the conclusion of chapter 2. By cont rast\, chapter 3 opens with a lengthy list of vices\, some of which sprin g from misdirected love (love of self\, of money\, etc.) The writer seems to have some specific thorny problems and people in mind\, but we are no t really told anything specific about the false teachings. The writer (3. 8) refers to Jannes and Jambres\, possibly magicians mentioned in Exodus\ , who opposed God but were finally revealed as frauds. The writer then as sures Christians that they will eventually be revealed as being of God\, whereas the teachings and lifestyles of Timothy's opponents will be shown to be false. The sufferings of the writer are mentioned\, not so much to gain status within the community of believers\, but to illustrate that t he God who helped one specific person through severe difficulties can be trusted to assist you as well. Finally\, the collection of ideas in 2 Tim othy illustrates the usefulness of cross-generational mentoring at its be st. [JEK] DTEND:20090830T110000 DTSTAMP:20090830T113025 DTSTART:20090830T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pastoral Series 10 - Charge to the Lord's Servant UID:404 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pastoral-series-10-charge-to-the-lords-serva nt END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Oblation: that which is offered to God\, the act of making a r eligious offering\; the act of offering the Eucharistic elements to God. Last Sunday Ron Reed (from Vancouver’s Pacific Theatre) pursued the conce pt of oblation and artists: what do artists offer to God? Using clips fro m three movies Ron asked us to focus on what we saw: durable stones caref ully assembled into a fragile structure\; 4000 pictures of the same stree t corner where each was the same yet different\, and the graceful beauty of wind playing with a plastic bag. Common items: stones\, a street corne r and a plastic bag. Jesus took wine and bread – common items – and bless ed them\; they continue to be offered to God in the Eucharist\, they are consecrated: oblation. It is pronounced good and is blessed. Take a simpl e thing and look at it\, pay attention to the detail and appreciate the b eauty\, pronounce it good and bless it. Ron said our calling is to be pri ests\, to see priestly things in our life\, to gather raw materials and t o create. This is our\, and the artists\, calling. [HN] DTEND:20090906T110000 DTSTAMP:20090906T113025 DTSTART:20090906T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Oblation: The Artist's Holy Calling UID:405 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/oblation-the-artists-holy-calling END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Louise Holert\, a Presbyterian minister from Seattle\, noted t hat the Bible is counter-cultural. While advertisers tell us what we need and what will make us happy\, she noted that the words “happiness\,” “bl essing\,” and “beatitude” all have similar meaning. In Psalm 32\, the key word is “blessing\,” and the blessed person is the one who has experienc ed God’s forgiveness. “To live in a confessional relationship with God is true happiness\," she said. Sin and guilt are debilitating\; unconfessed sin can sap our strength. David acknowledges his sin and begins his jour ney from resistance to repentance. In response time it was noted that pri de is often the basis for a refusal to seek forgiveness\; humility is imp ortant. We are left with a question: What would a confessional lifestyle look like? (HN) DTEND:20090913T110000 DTSTAMP:20090913T113026 DTSTART:20090913T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:To live in a confessional relationship with God is true happiness UID:406 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/to-live-in-a-confessional-relationship-with- god-is-true-happiness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We celebrated our 23rd anniversary by having Rev. Sylvia Clela nd (West Point Grey Presbyterian Church) speak. Rosie had spoken at their 97th anniversary. Sylvia noted that people seldom say "You're welcome" i n response to our "Thank you!" Instead\, current lingo uses "No problem"\ , which is far less truthful and less welcoming. In Mark 9:30-37\, the wo rd "welcome' is used four times. Jesus\, tired of his disciples’ argument over their inheritance in his kingdom\, took a powerless little child in his arms\, and declared that whoever wants to be first must view himself as being the last and must be a servant to everyone else. He then added\ , "If you welcome even a child\, you welcome me ... and the one who sent me." Today we are Christ's disciples\, living in our "me first" society w hich honours sports figures (only if they obtain first place)\, politicia ns (but only those who win)\, and entrepreneurs (but only those who succe ed). However\, until the world truly welcomes all of its children and oth er powerless individuals\, there cannot be peace in our society. Sylvia c oncluded by asking how PGIMF will be looking out for the children and the powerless in Vancouver\, particularly while the world's most wealthy and powerful people come to play on our doorstep? [JEK] DTEND:20090920T110000 DTSTAMP:20090920T113026 DTSTART:20090920T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Welcome UID:407 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/welcome-2009 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gay Lynn Voth spoke on "Co-creating a world with which we can live". There are times we wonder where God is because things in our lives suddenly go wrong (cancer\, divorce\, job loss). Although the story of E sther does not mention God\, it tells of a life-and-death struggle that w as faced by the people of God\, and how they were saved\, both by Esther' s courage and (presumably) by God. When God created the universe\, everyt hing was pronounced as being "good"\, even darkness. Evil eventually emer ges\, being that which is less than the good which originates from God. L ike Esther\, people today face battles between good and evil\, some surro unding us\, some within us. In a sense\, we never overcome this struggle\ , but we can learn to realize that our victory is that we simply come thr ough this on-going struggle. [JEK] DTEND:20090927T110000 DTSTAMP:20090927T113026 DTSTART:20090927T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Co-creating a world we can live with UID:408 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/co-creating-a-world-we-can-live-with END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We celebrated our Peace Sunday. Two of our members spoke\, one a veteran from Germany and the other a veteran from Canada -- both now w orshiping together as brothers. Some of our families have been profoundly touched and even violated by war.\n\nIke told of being in Canada's medic al core as a conscientious objector to killing. Even though he was not ye t 20\, he enlisted as a medic\, serving most of his term in Montreal\, wo rking with and listening to severely wounded soldiers share their painful stories and emotional stresses. Ike concluded by giving thanks that he n ow lives a life of peace.\n\nHelmut told his story\, noting that God was his protector. War criminals are the soldiers on the losing side and war heroes are the soldiers on the winning side. Both are told that they are 'defending their home country'\, both are taught to kill\, both obey orde rs. Helmut either had to join the German military forces or be shot\; alt ernate service was not an option in Germany at that time. He summarized h is experiences on the front by recounting the day he was stationed 20 kms east of his home village\, assigned to defend it from the anticipated Ru ssian assault in February\, 1945. From his fox hole\, he saw Russian tank s and several helmeted Russian soldiers. He knew he was supposed to kill rather than run (he was but 18)\, yet he also knew it was wrong to kill. He suddenly realized that the two Russian soldiers within his gun's range were also made in God's image. He instinctively realized that a mere han dful of lightly-armed soldiers could not take on tanks\, that killing two men would not change the war\, so he made the decision to retreat\, as t rained. He now gives thanks that he did not kill anyone and that he there fore does not have to live with those memories and guilt. As Christians\, we know we are challenged by scripture to love our enemies\, yet powerfu l governments still declare war. Sometimes it seems that all we can do is pray for peace\, pray that governments stop engaging in wars. [JEK] DTEND:20091004T110000 DTSTAMP:20091004T113026 DTSTART:20091004T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Two Vets - War & Peacemaking UID:409 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/two-vets-war-peacemaking END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A Thanksgiving service was held at PGIMF\, featuring readings\ , prayers and hymns assembled\, led and accompanied by our one-man band E van Kreider. We also held a short celebratory feature for Betty Funk in h onour of her birthday. Betty was encouraged to regale us with stories of the family’s flight from Ukraine to Canada and her life and career here. We all fervently desire to be of as sound and joyful a mind and body as B etty is! DTEND:20091011T110000 DTSTAMP:20091011T113026 DTSTART:20091011T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving liturgical service UID:410 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thanksgiving-liturgical-service END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on Servanthood and Leadership. Modern Chri stians speak freely and frequently about being servants\, yet few of us h ave ever had real servants\, those second-class unseen people who do thin gs others don't want to do. When we do volunteer work or work within the family (which we consider a form of serving)\, we fully expect to be than ked and acknowledged for our work. But actual servants seldom enjoy being acknowledged or thanked\, largely because they are seldom treated as rea l people or of equal status to the one being served. In Mark 10.35-\, Jes us refused to grant James and John positions of power in compensation for their years of giving up income and serving the cause (those disciples w ere not unlike today's full-time campaign workers who hope that their ser ving the candidate will be rewarded with political appointments and favou rs). This makes us ask why we serve others. Is it for eventual reward (po ssibly in heaven)\, is it to ease our conscience\, would we serve as will ingly if we were never thanked? As for leadership\, Jesus warned that som e leaders will indeed use their power incorrectly (e.g.\, Bush when denyi ng prisoners humane treatment). Jesus then asked that Christians not succ umb to that incorrect model of leadership\, but that we rather find ways to serve others\, even when we have a position of power. Jesus also ackno wledged that serving is not always fun or rewarding\, yet it is the role he took on throughout his life\, culminating in his symbolic washing of f eet. [JEK] DTEND:20091018T110000 DTSTAMP:20091018T113026 DTSTART:20091018T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Servanthood\, Power & Leadership UID:411 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/servanthood-power-leadership END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andre spoke about how we could change the world into a more pe aceful place. The challenging passages of the Sermon on the Mount - Jesus ’ instructions not to worry about food or clothing as well as the work of Bangladeshi Muhammad Yunus\, founder of the Grameen bank - provided the basis for his comments. The capitalist system does not work for all\, esp ecially the poor. Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world . Yunus started a co-op type bank to help poor villagers who are the bank ’s shareholders\; the concept flourished. Borrowers with no collateral mu st have a circle of five friends who support and are accountable to each other. The empowering part of this model was that the poor were able to e arn respect along with the financial power\, and thus felt able to partic ipate in society\, rather than being excluded. Andre noted that societies that exclude young men from earning a living breed resentment among them \, which easily turns to violence. Andre wondered whether this system in Bangladesh puts their people closer to the ideals of Matthew 6 – seek fir st the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you. (HN\; ed -AP) DTEND:20091025T110000 DTSTAMP:20091025T113026 DTSTART:20091025T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Peace & Plenty UID:412 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/peace-plenty END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice highlighted some texts from Revelation 1\, 21 and 22 an d John 1 along with an Apocryphal text to leave the group inquiring into the nature of being human in a world God created from the beginning\, and will fulfill in the end (the Alpha and the Omega). The certainty found i n the wisdom of Solomon text about trusting in God to provide for all nee ds led the group to comment on the certainty of the beginning and the end ing\, but of the tremendous uncertainty of the middle\, where all of us l ive our lives. Evan Kreider led us in a series of appropriate texts in ou r singing from the hymnal. [AP]\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20091101T110000 DTSTAMP:20091101T113026 DTSTART:20091101T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Revelation\, part 2: The Beginning and the End UID:413 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/revelation-part-2-the-beginning-and-the-end END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Connie Siedler spoke to us on November 8th on Ruth 3: 1-5 and 4:13-17 from the lectionary texts for the week\, which addressed the bene fits loyalty to God. She encouraged us with stories not to race through t he wisdom book or we’ll miss the value of the journey. Ruth’s losses are tremendous - of husband and sons\, not to mention future\, so the first p art of the book is a lament. Though she does not see God’s hand working f or her good\, she maintains her loyalty\, both to God and to Naomi. Naomi in turn honours Ruth and promises to God with her own loyalty. The unspo ken question throughout the text is “Is God really good? Can he be truste d?” Connie found echoes in modern literature\, where hating God for allow ing suffering won’t make anything better. She also quoted Eugene Peterson in Psalms “If God’s people participate in extraordinary blessings\, they also share in terrible sufferings. This makes the saving grace of Jesus Christ so much more important.” The last parts of the book\, reconciliati on and integrity\, bring honour and purity to God’s name. The celebration at the birth of Obed\, ancestor to Jesus\, at the end of the book emphas izes how God restores everyone who is faithful. [AP] DTEND:20091108T110000 DTSTAMP:20091108T113026 DTSTART:20091108T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Is God really good? Can he be trusted? UID:414 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/is-god-really-good-can-he-be-trusted END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jack Suderman\, Executive Secretary of the Mennonite Church Ca nada\, spoke on Ephesians 3. Our commitment to peace and church are profo undly interwoven. As Mennonites envision transforming MCC world-wide\, so me have called for MCC undertaking mega-projects\, such as building hydro dams to supply hydro power to an entire nation. Just as "Kleenex" is kno wn for all facial tissues\, some Mennonites wonder whether MCC could beco me known for peacemaking. Others of us feel more comfortable working on s maller\, individual projects. Jack argued\, however\, that God has outlin ed a mega-project for the church. Part of God's plan that has been made k nown to us is that we are to gather "all things" (Eph. 1.10\, all-encompa ssing) in heaven and on earth. This gathering agenda knows no bounds--eco logy\, finances\, industry--a truly mega-concept\, cutting edge beyond ou r imagination. The church is to become the fullness of everything (1.22-2 3) so that through the church the wisdom of God can be made known to all rulers (3.10). This is a project beyond belief. But all of this needs to be fleshed out with real people\, real communities of faith\, in which th e Spirit has given each person special gifts. There are about 13\,000 Men nonite communities of faith which can be involved in this project. If we aim to build a dam\, our vision is too small. We need 13\,000 communities involved in 13\,000 projects for peace. In a sense\, through MCC\, we ha ve done far more than any of us can imagine\, yet there is so much more t o do. [JEK] DTEND:20091115T110000 DTSTAMP:20091115T113026 DTSTART:20091115T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:So That...Through The Church UID:415 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/so-that-through-the-church END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:“Who do you say that I am?” and Pilate’s question: Are you the King of the Jews? was the focus of Evan Kreider’s sermon last Sunday. In our list of adjectives\, describing Jesus as king is not common\; we don ‘t pray to King Jesus. Evan noted that Christ the king was a popular them e in the middle ages\, a concept reflected in some older hymns. Officiall y Jesus died because he told Pilate he was king of the Jews. Pilate shoul d have realized that Jesus provided no threat to the Roman empire. The in scription “INRI” on many crosses denotes “Jesus of Nazareth King of the J ews.” “Kingdom” is a word denoting tremendous power\, Jesus proclaimed a kingdom that has no soldiers\, no real estate and no currency.Yet Christ the king demands absolute obedience. (HN) DTEND:20091122T110000 DTSTAMP:20091122T113027 DTSTART:20091122T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christ the King UID:416 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christ-the-king END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Joseph Dutko focused on passages from Ecclesiastes\, specifica lly verse 6:9 “it is better to be satisfied with what is before your eyes than to give reign to desire.” The pleasures of life versus what our eye s see and desire. The writer – a teacher or preacher known as Qoholeth - asks a lot of questions that centre on his questions about the meaning of life. He was writing at a time of political and economic change. The boo k starts with “vanity” and ends with more futility and meaninglessness\; can something of real value be found in this life? The writer tells us to be content with what we have. We’re rarely content and we seek what we d on’t have\, Joseph said\, referring to Harold Kushner’s book When All You ’ve Ever Wanted isn’t Enough. The writer’s advice is to not to seek pleas ure but to live moment by moment and enjoy the pleasures that brings. Jos eph suggested three things:\n1) less is more\, embrace simplicity and low er the level of what we want.\n2) live in the moment\; focus on the times that gratify us – enjoy leisurely meals\, sit in the sun.\n3) be content \; we’re too busy… knowledge is good\, to be content is better. (HN) DTEND:20091129T110000 DTSTAMP:20091129T113027 DTSTART:20091129T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Sight of the Eyes and the Wandering of Desire UID:417 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-sight-of-the-eyes-and-the-wandering-of-d esire END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The congregation sang excerpts of Handel's Messiah.\n\nNo audi o recording is available. DTEND:20091206T110000 DTSTAMP:20091206T113027 DTSTART:20091206T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:418 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah-2009 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider focused on the question “What should we do?” Th is was the question asked of John the Baptist in response to his calls fo r repentance. Politics\, economics and religion were not working for the people. John told them that relying on their past and claiming Abraham as father was inadequate\; his reply was similar to what Jesus taught later . (Jesus was a disciple of John) John demanded action: if you have two co ats give one away\, tax collectors are to collect no more than the amount prescribed\, no extortion. Jesus enjoyed dinner invitations at the homes of some of these tax collectors where he told stories of joy. The good n ews is marked by joy – the joy of being part of a country where there are no poor. (HN) Joy is the most infallible sign of the presence of God. (L eon Bloy) DTEND:20091213T110000 DTSTAMP:20091213T113027 DTSTART:20091213T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What then should we do? UID:419 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-then-should-we-do END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of readings and singing was held on the fourth Adven t.\n\nNo audio recording is available. DTEND:20091220T110000 DTSTAMP:20091220T113027 DTSTART:20091220T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christmas Songs & Readings - King's College UID:420 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christmas-songs-readings-kings-college END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert used the Psalm 148 - a psalm calling us to prais e God - to remind us of the marvels of God’s creation. Citing the “water above the heavens” (v.4) Kevin noted that at the time the belief was that the earth was covered with a water canopy\, making the sky blue. In crea ting an immense universe\, God commanded and it was done. Given the speed of light\, it’s almost incomprehensible that the galaxy Andromeda is 2 m illion light years away. The account of Mary and Joseph finding Jesus in the temple makes us wonder what questions Jesus asked of the priests\; di d he ask why bad things sometimes happen to good people? Kevin concluded his message with the verses from Colossians where we are reminded that wh atever we do\, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. (HN) DTEND:20091227T110000 DTSTAMP:20091227T113027 DTSTART:20091227T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Praise and learn about God with creation and each other UID:421 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/praise-and-learn-about-god-with-creation-and -each-other END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on the general theme of prophecy. Both the Jewish and Christian canons of scripture consider prophets and prophecy to be very important. For example\, in Hebraic scriptures\, Jeremiah is p ortrayed as a vociferous critic of government\, of its economic and forei gn policies and of institutionalized religion. Jeremiah felt led to make dramatic gestures which enlarged his audiences and got the attention of t he wealthy who held the power in his society. He smashed earthen pots bef ore officials\, prophesying that a similar fate awaited those listening t o him. Each of his actions is portrayed as a parable for his society\, te lling them about justice\, peace\, social ills and reminding them of thei r obligations to the poor. New Testament writers continued to revere prop hets such as John the Baptizer\, another critic of both the wealthy and t hose seeking to retain laws and political parties which would hopefully p rotect their privileged position and property holdings. Prophecy is liste d as one of the truly important spiritual gifts\, but where are the proph etic voices of today\, voices which speak to the dominant culture\, artic ulating ideas which will invariably upset middle class Christians and non -Christians alike? What voices are trying to arouse us to action over pol ice violence\, our military presence in Afghanistan\, Vancouver’s forcefu lly relocating our homeless people for a sporting event\, or churches spe nding vast sums of charitable donations on legal battles? Why do these vo ices come from outside the church rather than from believers? Is prophecy within the church now dead? [JEK] DTEND:20100103T110000 DTSTAMP:20100103T113027 DTSTART:20100103T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Prophetic voices\; Jeremiah & John the Baptist UID:422 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/prophetic-voices-jeremiah-john-the-baptist END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jeanette Hanson (a missionary in China) spoke on one theme whi ch ran through the day's lectionary texts: "fear not". Luke reports that these words were spoken by the angel to the terrified shepherds\, and Isa iah also uttered them\, "Do not fear\, for I have redeemed you." By compa rison\, John the Baptist (Luke 3.15-) had a message to the wealthy and po werful (us) which can only induce fear. Even Mary's "Magnificat" should m ake Canadian Christians fearful because her triumphant prayer is utterly threatening to our wealth. If the weak are going to be raised up\, it can only be at our expense\; if all the hungry in the world are indeed to be fed\, our daily diets will suffer enormously\; if the mighty are to be b rought down from their seats\, laws in many places will change drasticall y and there could be a serious redistribution of resources that would hur t our life styles. Mary's message is inclusive\, Jesus attempted to inclu de everybody in his proposed kingdom and Isaiah portrayed God as calling out to all nations. In the context of this call being global\, the messag e "fear not" reminds us that God really is with us\, that we need not fea r other peoples\, other races\, or new economic times. Truth is\, however \, most of us likely do fear a truly upside-down kingdom. [JEK] DTEND:20100110T110000 DTSTAMP:20100110T113027 DTSTART:20100110T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Fear Not--God is Building God's Kingdom UID:423 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/fear-not-god-is-building-gods-kingdom END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rebecca Stanley told of her vision for Urban Journey\, an MB c hurch plant which began in 2008 in their home before moving to the Dunbar Community Centre and (September 2009) then to the Menno Simons Centre Su nday evenings. They meet at 5:00 for a simple meal which is also open to students\, and then for worship at about 6:00. Her husband Andrew has wor k on the worship team at Richmond Bethel Sunday mornings\, and they both work as UBC chaplains under the auspices of the MB BC conference. Urban J ourney has a number of goals\, such as journeying together (recognizing t hat everyone is at a different place in their development)\, treating eve ry-day life as an act of worship\, loving neighbours as ourselves (Mark 1 2:33\, one of the morning's texts)\, sacrificial living\, and celebrating everyone's unique inner values. She concluded her story by asking how th e church can get beyond being satisfied with today's burnt offerings and focus instead on enacting the values of Micah 6:6-8. [JEK] DTEND:20100117T110000 DTSTAMP:20140802T044827 DTSTART:20100117T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Urban Journey and student ministry UID:424 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/urban-journey-and-student-ministry END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Thiessen spoke on the lectionary texts Nehemiah 8\, Psalm 19 and Luke 4 to illustrate how Jesus’ teaching both followed in the foo tsteps of earlier wisdom that relied heavily not so much on adherence to the letter of scripture\, but also to the interpretation of scripture\, a nd fulfilled the needs of mystery and wisdom in worship. Paul contrasted modern worship with his time in Ukraine where it felt more like performan ce than teaching\, yet satisfied the need for closeness with God. [AP] DTEND:20100124T110000 DTSTAMP:20100124T113028 DTSTART:20100124T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Word Endures UID:425 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-word-endures END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Eriksson spoke on the theme\, “What do we know by heart? ” Exploring the possibility that we may be profoundly influenced by our c hildhood memories\, Laura recalled that her earliest memories included wo rshipping in church\, prayer and a yearning for beauty. What are our arti culated memories? What has shaped us since birth? Jeremiah\, for example\ , wrote that his life’s purpose was known even before he was born (Jer. 1 .4-) and that he had already been appointed by God to be a prophet. His w as an affirmed beginning\, even though it moved him well away from his co mfort zone. . The N.T. lectionary\, Luke 4.18 (quoting the Jeremiah passa ge) tells of Jesus claimed a similar early calling from God\, something w e surmise he had sensed among his very earliest memories. His call was th at of discrediting Judaism’s practices which ignored the love of God and made some practicing Jews feel superior to others. In this context\, Jesu s reminded his hometown listeners in the synagogue that God’s love is for everyone\, even non-Jews such as Naaman. Jesus quite possibly knew this by heart from childhood\, for it seems to echo his mother’s poem\, the Ma gnificat\, which proclaims economic justice for all and God’s love extend ing beyond Jewish borders. The epistle reading from 1 Cor. 13\, heard pri marily at weddings\, was actually addressed to a small congregation that was rife with personality conflicts and deep divisions on many seemingly insurmountable issues. Paul told these troubled believers that their reli gion is essentially about love. This recalls what Jesus once said: “By th is will people know you are my disciples\, if you love one another.” Many of us have likely known this teaching and others like it by heart since childhood. How does this shape our daily lives? [JEK] DTEND:20100131T110000 DTSTAMP:20100131T113028 DTSTART:20100131T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What do you know by heart? UID:426 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-do-you-know-by-heart END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John spoke about "God's grace working in and through us." NOTE : Most of this sermon summary has been redacted for privacy reasons. John assisted in setting up The Living Room\, a ministry specifically to supp ort mood-disorder-sufferers\, in his Abbotsford area. [AP] DTEND:20100207T110000 DTSTAMP:20100207T113028 DTSTART:20100207T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God's grace working in and through us UID:427 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/gods-grace-working-in-and-through-us END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On St Valentine's Day\, Karl Brown offered parables illustrati ng differing approaches to serious engineering problems. For example\, wh y is it that something as commonplace as the household toilet ever fail t o do its job properly? Everybody knows this happens\, so why have so many engineer-designers overlooked these ubiquitous flaws? In order for any d esign to work flawlessly\, engineers must discover and admit that mistake s have been made in their designs\, isolate the flaws\, repeatedly correc ting and testing them. If the engineer-designer look the other way\, the problems continue. By contrast\, one of the inventors of the personal com puter admitted his initial mistakes publicly rather than veiling them (he published and distributed them with the subsequent model). 2 Cor. 3.12- speaks of people having "veils" over their minds when reading scripture. Even today\, our minds can be "veiled" when thinking about things. Who wi ll lift our veils? How do we lift our own veils\, see our flaws\, accept where we are wrong\, stop hiding behind our veils of denial and instead a ccept good criticism with much thought? Perhaps recent problems with cars can serve as metaphors for our lives -- refusing to admit there are seri ous problems until critics force the problem into the open. [JEK] DTEND:20100214T110000 DTSTAMP:20100214T113028 DTSTART:20100214T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Critic's Blessing UID:428 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-critics-blessing END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The first Sunday of Lent\, Evan Kreider spoke about the tempta tions of Jesus. They were temptations to lead a way of life not pleasing to God. Following his baptism and the announcement that he was the son of God\, Jesus goes to the wilderness for 40 days\, the same length of time Jewish patriarchs – like Moses - needed to complete something significan t. The key question Jesus faced was “How are you going to shape this sons hip?” He was tempted by magic (turning bread into stone)\, by success and wealth (all the kingdoms of the world)\, and by misuse of Scripture (thr owing himself from the pinnacle of the temple). What are the temptations we face in our minds? Giving in to temptations can become a way of life a nd we can become blinded by the veils of rationalization. In our 40 days of Lent\, will we dare to enter the wilderness of our minds and face our temptations? Jesus prayed: Lead us not into temptation. (HN) DTEND:20100221T110000 DTSTAMP:20100221T113028 DTSTART:20100221T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The temptations of Jesus UID:429 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-temptations-of-jesus END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Charis Weathers (now of Seattle) spoke on the Lenten theme "Wh ere were you?" This was the question on the minds of all who loved Lazaru s\, because his sisters\, friends and acquaintances were convinced that i f Jesus\, the miracle healer\, had only come when called\, Lazarus would not have died. The gospels do not indicate why Jesus postponed going for four days\, but since his contemporaries assumed that one's soul hovers a round the body for three days\, waiting until after the fourth day would mean that nobody disagreed: Lazarus was truly deceased\, buried and decom posing. The writer of the gospel of John portrays Jesus' miracle of resur rection as the 'final straw' which prompted the temple authorities to org anize his execution\, so it was no small matter on many levels. There are so many points to ponder in this story\, and they often overshadow the v ery simple question\, "Where were you?" This is a question some believers ask of God in private prayers\, or turn over in their minds when their c losest friends do not seem to notice their needs and suffering. Possibly one answer offered by this story is that God is indeed always present\, b ut not in ways we expect or insist upon. [JEK] DTEND:20100228T110000 DTSTAMP:20100228T113028 DTSTART:20100228T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Where were you? UID:430 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/where-were-you END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:One of our gentle gardeners\, Janice Kreider\, talked about so metimes removing trees from their yard and the unproductive fig tree whic h produced no fruit. The owner wanted it cut down. (Luke 13) The gardener was reluctant to cut it down a three year old tree and pleaded for one m ore year\, saying he’d like to dig the soil and fertilize it. If after a year the tree produced no fruit\, it could be cut down. Janice referred t o the yeast parable in the same chapter a small amount of yeast produces unexpected results. Where is God in the fig tree story – the landowner or the gardener? The landowner might represent an impatient absentee landlo rd. Janice noted that this is an unfinished story\, there’s no sequel fro m a year later to tell us how things turned out. It is story of hope\, ev en if faint hope. It’s also a story of patience and tolerance\; sometimes we’re restless and want results now\, when a bit of nurturing might even tually produce fruit. (HN) DTEND:20100307T110000 DTSTAMP:20100307T113028 DTSTART:20100307T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Parable of the Fig Tree UID:431 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-parable-of-the-fig-tree END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Barbara Nickel\, a former attender at PGIMF\, presented a dive rsity of provocative thoughts on a vital passage of servanthood beginning with Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. Drawing on parallels with the Parable of the Lost Son\, Barb evoked a God of love who has boundless patience with us\, even as we demonstrate every day the imperfection of our creation. Her poetry opened the boundaries of worship further to evok e texture and sensation to express love of God and creation\, as well as that of Margaret Avison. It is always truly a treat to hear the author of a work speak the thoughts that led to the creation of the work\, and thi s was especially so with Barb’s poetry\, which opens clearly when the mea ning behind the words is made clear. Special music by her sons set the mo od of introspection\, allowing the group to consider the aspects of God’s love as expressed in servanthood from many different viewpoints. DTEND:20100314T110000 DTSTAMP:20100314T113028 DTSTART:20100314T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The manger and the basin UID:432 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-manger-and-the-basin END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andre Pekovich and Karl Brown teamed up to bring the thoughts of others to a traditional 5th Sunday of Lent service featuring readings and messages from Psalm 126\, in a message of hope for restoration\, a br ief mention of Isaiah 43:16-21 in a passage through the desert with no wa ter but God\, and some interesting reflections on John’s Gospel from 12:1 -8 about the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her hair and a year’s earn ings’ worth of oil. This passage anticipates Jesus’ death and is prefaced by the raising of Lazarus\, and appended to by the plot to kill Lazarus again. In this magical interlude\, during a celebration dinner\, this wom an treats Jesus’ soon-to-die body as though it were already dead. Set wit hin the larger story about Lazarus and the\npriests\, we are encouraged t o prepare for the life and death questions that always swirl around Jesus . Her expensive perfume anoints him\, and she thereby invests in the deat h of Jesus. Lent comes before Easter\, suffering before new life\; we inv est our most precious possessions in order to gain new life. [AP] DTEND:20100321T110000 DTSTAMP:20100321T113028 DTSTART:20100321T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The costly gift of Christ UID:433 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-costly-gift-of-christ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera continue her series on Revelation with a message entitle Jesus Glorified based on a series of lectures she attended last y ear at Regent\, in a bid to bring to life the wonder and majesty of this book in some understanding of its situation and poetry. Rosie noted the s ignificance of all the symbolism in the passaged Rev 1:9-20\, from the se ven churches\, lampstands\, and stars\; the symbolism of the description of the son of Man\, and even the significance of his name. All these symb ols would have been well known to Jews of that time as they were mentione d in earlier books of prophets and prophecy. Rosie contrasted this symbol ism with the counter-symbolism of the John 12:12-16 where Jesus enters Je rusalem preceded by people waving palm branches\, and enticed us to wait for the next installment of this series in the understanding of Revelatio n. [AP] DTEND:20100328T110000 DTSTAMP:20100328T113029 DTSTART:20100328T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jesus Glorified UID:434 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-glorified END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of readings and singing was held on Easter. DTEND:20100404T110000 DTSTAMP:20100404T113029 DTSTART:20100404T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Service of praise and song for Easter UID:435 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-2010 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We were pleased to have as our speaker Dick Benner\, journalis t\, former columnist for the "Mennonite Weekly Review"\, journalism teach er at Eastern Mennonite University\, and now the Editor of the "Canadian Mennonite". Dick spoke on "Holy Doubt"\, using the morning's gospel readi ng\, John 20.19-31\, the story of 'doubting' Thomas (whom Lutherans call 'believing' Thomas). We know little about this Thomas\, one of the dispar ate loose group of 'disciples' whose personalities could not have been mo re varied. These guys didn't get it was Jesus was with them\, so they wer e even more confused by the reappearances of Jesus. None of the men belie ved Mary's resurrection tale\, and Thomas likewise did not believe the st ories of his buddies. But to his credit\, Thomas stayed with the group\, despite the absence of tangible proof. Healthy faith requires healthy que stioning\, debate and the rethinking of our faith. This holds true today as Mennonites hold varied view of how we are to live our faith\, whether to embrace nationalism and increasingly accept militarism and materialism . Jesus gave Thomas room for his doubts--because they were so important t o his faith journey. Thomas later became a most remarkable believer\, bec oming a missionary to India\, and his confession\, "my Lord and my God" w as the most profound anyone had yet articulated. [As someone once wrote\, "the opposite of faith is not doubt\, it is certainty". JEK] DTEND:20100411T110000 DTSTAMP:20100411T113029 DTSTART:20100411T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Holy Doubt UID:436 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-holy-doubt END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Walter Bergen spoke on the theme of Holy Labour. With Janet\, Walter served as the very first Residence Coordinators of the Menno Simon s Centre\, establishing both the tone and practices which make it what it now is. Since their two years with the fledgling PGIMF\, they served MCC in Russia for several years and then worked for a number of Mennonite or ganizations before Walter turned to organic farming in the Valley. Walter \, a consummate storyteller\, first told of Amish friends in Wayne County \, OH\, a farming family formerly facing financial disaster. They decided to turn to woodworking in creative ways which both honoured their belief s in the simple lifestyle\, family and God's earth. This was not just a w ay to get income\, it was\, as Walter described it\, but a type of Holy L abour in which these believers lived out their faith while being business men. Walter then told of George Herbert (author of A Country Parson). Her bert realized that practicing proper husbandry was difficult in the 1700s \, and that many work-related practices were not right. He then worked lo cally to invite farmers to share the excesses of their crops with the loc al needy and to spend profits on husbandry rather than drink (gin was the scourge of 18th century England). He advocated maintaining clearly-marke d land boundaries so that those who were bullies would stop harvesting cr ops which others had planted. Genesis 2 admonishes people to take care of the earth and its life. Holy Labour happens when we combine this respons ibility with our understanding of scriptures and faith. This is the best way to honour our God\, our resources and our neighbours. [JEK] DTEND:20100418T110000 DTSTAMP:20100418T113029 DTSTART:20100418T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Holy the firm: on daily labour after the resurrection UID:437 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/holy-the-firm-on-daily-labour-after-the-resu rrection END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Klassen (Professor Emeritus at Trinity Western and member of the Langley Mennonite Fellowship) spoke on the lectionary text from R ev. 7.9-17\, "Salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb." Psalm 100 te lls of the whole earth embracing God\, while the day's gospel reading (Jo hn 10.22-44) reports the considerable hostility Jesus experienced shortly before his assassination. By contrast\, the author of Revelations return s to the theme of God (and now the Lamb) being victorious. St John's gene ration had experienced several volcanoes and earthquakes\, a disastrous c ivil war\, knew of the utter destruction of the temple\, and may even hav e been directly affected by the subsequent disbursement of Jewish believe rs. All of this was disheartening\, and not unlike what some of our older Mennonites have seen in their time. Although Rome never had a general pe rsecution of Christians (contrary to what many non-historians like to thi nk)\, there were occasional local persecutions of various ethnicities and persuasions. So St John was writing to the Christians of his day\, essen tially saying that\, from time to time\, you will seem to be powerless\, but\, the Lamb that was slain (offering a non-violent response to his tro ubles) is now victorious--as you will also be eventually. Although chapte r 6 assumes the Lamb will bring destruction\, chapter 7 offers the opposi te stance\, saying that an unlimited number of peoples drawn from across the entire world will be robed in white\, victory palms in hand. For they too "came out of the great ordeal" and kept the faith by standing up to their particular 'Rome' (the world of political\, economic\, social\, and military power). They were victorious not because they organized into ar mies but because they kept the faith\, accepting the Lamb and his ways. [ JEK] DTEND:20100425T110000 DTSTAMP:20100425T113029 DTSTART:20100425T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Salvation belongs to our God and to the Lamb UID:438 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/salvation-belongs-to-our-god-and-to-the-lamb END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld\, in his talk entitled The New Commandment\, red rew the distinction between practical Christianity and theoretical Christ ianity\; the practice of getting the shoves out and doing something\, or the habit of sitting around discussing what should be done. This is not n ew - Harvey Cox identified in the history of Christianity that early Chri stians focused on following the teachings of Jesus for about three centur ies\, then for the next few centuries\, focused on adhering to a correct doctrine and creed. Only recently has Christianity changed once again to disregard dogma and explore barrier-free spirituality. Henry notes that t he Sermon on the Mount says nothing about what to believe\, but only abou t what to do. Yet the Nicene Creed three centuries later speaks only abou t what to believe\, not what to do. This tension was evident in Jesus tim e. Peter\, as disciple\, got into hot water with Jewish elders over his d isregard over eating unclean things with unclean people. And it is partic ularly because of his disregard for doctrine that salvation is extended t o you and me today. Had Peter done what the Jewish elders directed him to do\, Christianity would never have been more than an obscure and private Jewish sect. But Peter shared the gift of God’s love freely\, without no tion of reply or reciprocity\, with all he came in contact with. There wa s no obligation to return that love only to the givers. There was indeed a free lunch. And if we choose to share freely with those around us\, the re is still a free lunch. It is up to us to do something\, not just talk about it. [AP] DTEND:20100502T110000 DTSTAMP:20100502T113029 DTSTART:20100502T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:To love one another UID:439 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/to-love-one-another-2010 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jumping off from Henry Neufeld’s message last week that contra sted the world’s view of reciprocal love with God’s command to love witho ut expectation of return\, Kevin Hiebert used John 14:27 to flesh out the nature of God’s love in our business dealings with each other. Jesus doe s not give as the world gives\, but instead gives unstintingly without re gard for colour\, class\, creed or wealth. Kevin used that principle to e xamine the human construct of interest\, something God permitted in certa in circumstances\, but also proscribed in others as harmful to the poor. This was no anti-wealth message - Kevin insisted wealth is an asset that the wealthy\, as good stewards\, are expected to lend for the benefit of the poor. Kevin used several OT references to interest to show both its b eneficial and harmful nature\, and also examined the keeping of security or pledges as collateral for loans\, noting that God expected lenders to assume a certain measure of trust in creditors who lacked security. Kevin contrasted parallels of OT pledges of garments with today’s pledges of h omes against the complex financial instruments that even lenders didn’t u nderstand. Kevin then suggested that Christian lenders consider a radical revisioning of interest to make affordability a higher principle in livi ng out God’s law. Though usury and taking interest in advance is prohibit ed by God and law\, our society allows both from credit card companies an d payday loan companies\, and corruption is legalized when powerful corpo rations capture the interest of the state and make it their own\, as US f inancial institutions did with “bailout” moneys. Corporate and national c orruption are inevitable ends of this failure\, and Kevin pointed out how damaging corruption becomes not only to the aims and interests of their people\, but to the wealth of the corrupt nation as a whole. Kevin noted how many the calls for anti–corruption measures\, and how frequently they are bypassed\, and concluded that a careful rereading of John 14 in all our business dealings can only benefit ourselves and the world. A lively time of exchange after the message fleshed out additional points of conte ntion between God’s law and our own greed. [AP] DTEND:20100509T110000 DTSTAMP:20100509T113029 DTSTART:20100509T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Not as the world gives UID:440 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/not-as-the-world-gives END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:“Serving a crucified king” was Hannah Dutko’s topic last Sunda y. The theme of kingship is strong throughout the Bible. Kings are often seen as strong\, powerful\, aloof and distant\, but God is different\, sh e said. The Lord is king\; righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne. Jesus\, who in the form of God emptied himself\, washed hi s disciple’s feet and spent a night talking with Nicodemus. His disciples kept asking Jesus when he was going to restore the kingdom of Israel and Jesus replied that his followers would have power through the Holy Spiri t. Hannah said the Bible does not solve the problem of evil\; rather we a re called to ease suffering and thereby bring in the kingdom of God. We a re challenged to become agents of change. Paul Thiessen quoted Mother The resa: "We all have the duty to serve God where we are called to do so. I feel called to serve individuals\, to love each human being. My calling i s not to judge the institutions. I am not qualified to condemn anyone. I never think in terms of a crowd\, but of individual persons. If I thought in terms of crowds\, I would never begin my work.” [HN] DTEND:20100516T110000 DTSTAMP:20100516T113029 DTSTART:20100516T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God as King UID:441 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-as-king END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Pentecost Sunday\, John Friesen focused on the birth of the Christian church. Jesus had told his disciples “the kingdom of God is at hand.” The disciples\, who wanted a political/religious kingdom\, were t old to wait in Jerusalem. Then\, filled with the Holy Spirit\, they were given the power to communicate in many languages. The Christian church\, born at Pentecost\, has been a dominant and constructive force in the wor ld in the last 2000 years. Pentecost signifies the formation of a new soc ial and religious movement\, a new ideology\, and new worldview. Today fo rmer Christian institutions (hospitals\, schools\, media\, government) ar e increasingly secularized and no longer sympathetic to Christian teachin gs. Gerhard Lofink says the people of God always stand in sharp contrast to the world. He concludes that perhaps it is a blessing that the Christi an faith is no longer is the dominant structure in our society. Jesus cal ls his followers to go into all the world\; this has often been interpret ed geographically – how do we do this in a secular society? [HN] DTEND:20100523T110000 DTSTAMP:20100523T113029 DTSTART:20100523T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pentecost and the birth of the Christian church UID:442 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pentecost-and-the-birth-of-the-christian-chu rch END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The PGIMF church retreat was held at Camp Luther in Mission\, BC.\n\nNo bulletin and no audio recording are available. DTEND:20100530T110000 DTSTAMP:20100530T113029 DTSTART:20100530T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Armchair travelling UID:443 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/armchair-travelling END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Veronica Dyck spoke about two miracles: Elijah raising a widow ’s boy from the dead and Jesus calling a man to arise from his coffin. El ijah’s role as a prophet was to encourage people’s faithfulness to God (r ather than to Baal)\, to keep the people unified\, and to call people bac k to God. Conflict between the king and the prophet was common and King A hab did not make thing easy for Elijah\; he married Jezebel\, served Baal and did evil in the sight of God. When Elijah restores the widow’s son t o life\, she changes her tune from blaming Elijah for the boy’s death to acknowledging him as a prophet. Similarly\, when Jesus brought the widow’ s son back to life in the small village of Nain\, he was recognized as a prophet. Jesus is a Messiah who provides escape – not from the Romans\, b ut from death. In these two stories\, life is restored\, based on compass ion\, and exemplified best by the widow and Jesus. [HN] DTEND:20100606T110000 DTSTAMP:20100606T113030 DTSTART:20100606T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Elijah & the widow of Zarephath UID:444 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/elijah-the-widow-of-zarephath END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld jumped off from the previous week’s address on A hab and Jezebel by Dr. Veronica Dyck and introduced the day’s metaphor of seeing differently through lenses and filters\, as with a camera. Henry reviewed Ahab’s seizure of the ancestral land of Naboth’s ancestral land. Ahab saw the transaction as just business\, through the lens of acquisit iveness\, while Naboth (honoring God’s law\, which said an inheritance of land could not be transferred from tribe to tribe\, nor may the king tak e the land - Lev 25:24) refused the king’s wishes\, seeing through the le ns of faithfulness. The deceit and murder practiced on Naboth by Ahab to gain his land are still successfully used today. Then Henry moved to the story in Luke 7 of the woman who washed Jesus feet. Henry noted the debto rs did not ask for forgiveness\, and nor did the woman\, who was called “ sinner” - it was freely offered by Jesus without being asked .for. Why? F urther\, why did Jesus use a story of two debtors\, not one? Was Simon en couraged to change lenses\, to think about his behaviour compared to the woman’s? Though Simon the Pharisee’s consternation is understandable to J esus\, and to us\, Jesus makes plain her sins are not the focus of the st ory because she showed great love. Key phrase: “Simon\, do you see this w oman?” Or do you\, as Simon did\, see only her sins? Jesus encourages us to change our lenses to see people in a different light. Don’t just look at our children through a parental lens\, don’t just look at our fellow w orshippers through a congregational lens\, don’t just look at our career through a professional lens. If we changed lenses\, might we see Jezebel in a different light? Or our neighbour? [AP] DTEND:20100613T110000 DTSTAMP:20100613T113030 DTSTART:20100613T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Do You See This Woman? UID:445 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/do-you-see-this-woman END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The Point Grey Ministerial Association collaborated on a worsh ip service in Trimble Park during the Point Grey Fiesta. DTEND:20100620T110000 DTSTAMP:20100620T113030 DTSTART:20100620T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship in the Park UID:446 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/worship-in-the-park-2010 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We acknowledged three recent graduates from our congregation a nd Don Teichroeb noted that graduation is seen as a rite of passage for t he young. Don said life usually proceeds in small steps in life’s journey and these steps lead to what seems like a major transition. The Elijah s tory raises the question of how one retires from a position of prominence as a major prophet. Elijah’s retirement strategy was a chariot ride to h eaven. In the Luke passage Jesus tells people to count the cost of follow ing him and he hears excuses of future obligations\, like burying one’s s till not deceased father. Having started on a path it is not always helpf ul to look to the past. The Galatians passage provides a list vices and v irtues and Don noted the importance of focusing on the positive\, on “lov e your neighbour as you love yourself.” Life is full of many gradual step s (like graduation)\, count the cost\, don’t look back as you move forwar d\, and focus on the positive. [HN] DTEND:20100627T110000 DTSTAMP:20100627T113030 DTSTART:20100627T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Transitions: Graduation as symbol for life UID:447 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/transitions-graduation-as-symbol-for-life END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider\, speaking on the lectionary passage 2 Ki 5:1-19\ , began with the history of the state of war that existed between Aram an d Judah. These long-standing and devastating wars\, made the arrival of N aaman at Ahab’s (?) court for healing a suspected ruse for another war. H owever\, Elisha\, reassures the king that God is still in charge\, and Na aman is sent to him. Seemingly snubbing him\, Elisha’s servant is sent wi th directions for healing. As a skeptical and angry Naaman is healed by G od (and not Elisha)\, Naaman is converted to Jahweh’s rule\; and asks two interesting gifts of God - soil to worship God on\, and permission to co ntinue a pagan practice. Elisha blesses both requests with “Go in peace.” Evan notes several things\; that Elisha saw Naaman as a human being with leprosy\, not a general to be feared\; that God continues His work not t hrough the kings\, but through small people - the Jewish slave girl who a dvises Naaman to go to Elisha\, the servant who encourages obedience. Thi rd - God’s healing was a gift\, without conditions\, not even to give up warring against the Jewish people. Jews\, hearing this story\, might well wonder why this gift was bestowed without circumcision or dietary requir ements\, not to mention acceptance of Naaman’s duty in bowing to a foreig n idol. Evan commemorated J. Lawrence Burkholder’s recent passing a few d ays ago\, a former colleague of Evan’s father’s in Goshen. Burkholder not ed that radical Anabaptist dissent doesn’t always work in the secular wor ld as people are forced to make what he called “tragic decisions”. As wit h Naaman’s duty\, the ambiguous nature of the secular world requires comp romise. Are there two standards - one for Jews\, the other for converts? St. Paul seemed to think so\, in that his new Greek converts were not req uired to observe Jewish practice gain faith in the risen Christ. Evan’s A mish forebears’ desire to obey God was compromised by the demands of soci ety and interpretation. Evan suggests\, in our struggle to remain relevan t in the modern world\, we keep in mind the tension between the fresh\, n ew faith of Naaman and wisdom of Elisha\, and hope for God’s blessing on us all. [AP] DTEND:20100704T110000 DTSTAMP:20100704T113030 DTSTART:20100704T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Belief and discipleship UID:448 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/belief-and-discipleship END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Joseph Dutko returned to speak to the church on Pentecostalism - from the Ghetto to the World. Despite various fanciful representations of Pentecostals as “holy rollers” or people who handle snakes\, this tra dition goes back to the turn of the twentieth century with an emphasis on 1st century living. This is no fringe group - one respected authority no tes that Pentecostalism has had a greater impact on Christianity than the Reformation. Globally\, about ½ billion people are Pentecostal or Charis matic\, and Philip Jenkins notes much of its growth since the Second Worl d War trends away from Euro-American Christianity and toward a Southern h emisphere expression. All branches originate with the theology of Charles Parham who\, in a Topeka\, KS\, bible school in 1901 taught that glossal alia evidenced presence of the Holy Spirit\, and his student\, freed slav e William Seymour founded the Azusa St revival in 1906 in LA. The movemen t gained strength as others flocked to the church of “heavenly tongues”. Various schisms have divided the church along theological lines\, includi ng a Canadian branch\, the 1919 Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada with Men nonite George A. Chambers as the first leader of the church. Pentecostal theology stands primarily on baptising in the holy spirit\, gifts bestowe d include tongues\, bodily healing\, and eschatology - belief in the retu rn of Christ as the end of time. Joseph insists many ties bind Mennonites and Pentecostals - both saw themselves as standing outside ordinary soci ety\, pressures to conform are common to both\, and the blood of Christ h as washed away not only the colour barrier\, but also the gender barrier. Though the pacifist stance has become a matter of personal choice in Pen tecostalism\, its underpinning and rejection of nationalism still echo fo r Mennonites. A lively response time indicated a desire for open dialogue between the two traditions. [AP] DTEND:20100711T110000 DTSTAMP:20100711T113030 DTSTART:20100711T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pentecostalism: From the Ghetto to the World UID:449 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pentecostalism-from-the-ghetto-to-the-world END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider spoke about Amos\, a poor farmer who was called b y God to be a prophet. After two years in the northern kingdom of Israel\ , he returned to his farm in the southern kingdom. The northern kingdom\, under king Jeroboam\, had become wealthy and was at a political and econ omic high point. King Jeroboam believed that worshiping God was all that God required. Using the image of a plumb line\, Amos pointed out that thi ngs were out of kilter\, that people trusted the king rather than God. Am os pointed out that true faith involves right living and creating a just society. Amos wanted economic justice. Amos saw morals becoming lax and m oney reaching only those who already had money. Amos did not like what he saw when church and state were closely aligned – this would cause troubl e for the church. Amos’s words were not welcome and he was told to go hom e\, but he said he was driven by God to do this prophetic thing. The resp onse time discussion included comments about problems of prosperity\, tit hing was partially intended to support the poor\, gambling expansion in B C\, charitable giving\, and the benefits of our government’s “social safe ty net.” [HN] DTEND:20100718T110000 DTSTAMP:20100718T113030 DTSTART:20100718T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Lectionary texts (Amos) UID:450 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/lectionary-texts-amos-2010 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Erna spoke on a difficult series of texts from the lectionary\ , including the outrageous charge by the Lord to Hosea to take a prostitu te as a wife. Erna used that story as a launching point for a discussion on both the faithfulness of Israel and of our society today. Hosea\, desp ite being from the southern kingdom of Judah\, was called to preach to th e northern kingdom and against the followers of Baal. He excorated Israel for its unfaithfulness to God\, so much so taht his own children were na med after God’s punishments to the people (Lo-Anni - “not my people” etc. )\, and made no other comment about justice issues that were the staple o f earlier books. He further preached on marriage and unfaithfulness in a world where temple prostitution was culturally accepted. Erna noted unfai thfulness to God has similar consequence to unfaithfulness in a marriage - betrayal and anger\, as opposed to romance and lifelong commitment in s ickness and health. Hosea’s and Gomer’s children were victims in the choi ces made\, where a wife with no conception of faithfulness was asked for same. Though it is understandable in a “logical” sense - worship of a pan theistic Baal invoked fertility itself - of land\, of females - as a supr eme deity. Yet we\, (and perhaps they too) knew no assurances could be gi ven\, and Hosea merely hammered the lesson home. In spiritualizing such s ensations as hunger and sex and aggression\, Satan-worship enters easily as a hedonistic and orgiastic tendency. Violent religious intoxication be came the norm\, and child sacrifice was only one depraved way in which th is worship led to abuses of the human condition. Yet God offers redemptio n\, even has he holds the plumb-line up against us. God will have compass ion\, if only Israel will turn from Baal\, as Hosea offers to Gomer a cha nge from her life of prostitution. Today\, too\, we are offered an escape from scientism and humanism\, which has caused great suffering. The cons equences of this sin cannot be evaded - the inner soul knows the brokenne ss that results. And so does God. [AP] DTEND:20100725T110000 DTSTAMP:20100725T113030 DTSTART:20100725T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The challenge of the text - families and law UID:451 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-challenge-of-the-text-families-and-law END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin introduced our four-Sunday series on the Book of Job. Th is is essentially an lengthy ancient poem addressing the realities of lif e (e.g.\, good and evil\, the strained relationship between humans and Go d). Anonymous writers provided a mythological context by composing a fasc inating parable (story) to surround the various sections of the poem like bookends. Grouped with the other poetic and wisdom writings in the Old T estament\, this ancient poem asks questions such as\, "Why does a good Go d allow suffering and evil?" At the beginning of the story\, Job is portr ayed as being so utterly God-fearing that he even offers sacrifices and p rayers on behalf of his ten children after their parties\, just in case a ny had fleeting 'thought sins' (a concept Jesus still needed to explain c enturies later). The poem then asks\, if God is all-powerful\, why is the re suffering\, even for the truly righteous? If God is all-knowing\, why are we (especially the righteous) not sufficiently warned? If God is trul y all-benevolent\, why is there so much evil in the world? The disasters\ , falling one after another in a miraculous succession\, provide a litera ry device designed to portray supernatural intervention in the story. The stage is now set for us to explore the themes of this poetry. [JEK] DTEND:20100801T110000 DTSTAMP:20100801T113030 DTSTART:20100801T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Series: Job part 1 - Job is tested UID:452 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/series-job-part-1-job-is-tested END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld continued our series on Job with a vivid and ent ertaining summary of the dialogue of the ten chapters of Job (Chs 4 - 14) . Drawing from Peterson’s The Message\, Henry had four readers act the pa rts of Job\, and his three friends\, showing Job’s despair as even his fr iends seemed to leave him in undeserved guilt and sin. Henry noted a dist inction between pain and suffering - suffering happens in the mind and th e mind decides what the pain means\, and whether it is deserved. Job suff ers because he can make no sense of the pain he is in. Henry further note d that traditional theology falls down flat when it comes to Job - he was doing everything right when he began to suffer. What is he to do to end the suffering? Human reasoning can give no satisfactory answer to this. T here are lessons for us in this story - what do we do when bad things hap pen to good people? Do we assume that because people we meet have had bad things happen\, that they must themselves be bad? Are we fixers\, lookin g for sufferers to fix? Or are we humans\, walking alongside? [AP] DTEND:20100808T110000 DTSTAMP:20100808T113030 DTSTART:20100808T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Series: Job Part 2 - Job\, simply a sinner UID:453 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/series-job-part-2-job-simply-a-sinner END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andre Pekovich continued our series on Job by tackling the mid dle 16 chapters (from 15 - 31) noting that they are largely extensions of the previous arguments made in chapters 4 - 14. Each of the friends\, El iphaz\, Bildad and Zophar has three opportunities to make arguments to Jo b\, and Job denies them all\, continually noting that his real argument i s not with his friends\, but with God\, who he cannot find to make his ca se to. Though the friends argue for a “cause and effect” God as most othe r biblical literature speaks of\, Andre noted that this book seems writte n to counter that view. That’s not to say that Job himself does not belie ve in a “cause-and-effect” God\; he expects that his faithfulness and rig hteousness will be repaid with God’s loyalty and justice. Andre introduce d Martin Buber’s I - Thou distinction in our relationship with God\, noti ng we tend to simplify the world in an I - It fashion\, making other peop le\, including God\, simple machines that do work when properly requested . Buber insisted that the relationship between people or between God and man is more balanced\, more I - Thou\, and not based on cause and effect. This inspires humans to a deeper level of worship and faithfulness to Go d. Thus is God invited to return righteousness with his blessing\, withou t expectation\, always leaving room for choice and evil to deepen the bon d. [AP] DTEND:20100815T110000 DTSTAMP:20100815T113030 DTSTART:20100815T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Series: Job Part 3 - Job - it's not my fault I'm perfect! UID:454 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/series-job-part-3-job-its-not-my-fault-im-pe rfect END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ruth Enns continued our study of the book of Job with the pass ages spoken by the young man Elihu and how his arguments affected the ten or of the discussion between Job and his friends. Ruth pointed out how mu ch more striking the poetry of these passages is when read aloud\, partic ularly the paean to the Earth (Job 36:22-37:24). Ruth noted that\, despit e the emotion and vehemence in Elihu’s arguments\, that really they were no more effective than that of Job’s friends\, yet the arguments prepared the way to the last passage in which God speaks to Job and the friends o f how little they know. Youth\, despite the scorn often visited on it for how little it knows\, here teaches more than the wisdom of the three fri ends\; yet youth too is ultimately not wise enough either to comfort Job or describe God’s world. [AP] DTEND:20100822T110000 DTSTAMP:20100822T113031 DTSTART:20100822T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Series: Job Part 4 - God does not fit man's measure UID:455 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/series-job-part-4-god-does-not-fit-mans-meas ure END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown concluded our summer series on the Book of Job. So much of this extensive poem is predicated on the theory that God punishes the wicked and blesses the righteous. However\, God's response in the po em (chapter 38) gives another point of view\, that the actions of God are far more complex than the simplistic black and white images of our theol ogy. The poem then raises rhetorical questions which are almost sarcastic \, showing how very little humans know about the most common things in na ture\, about animal life or life itself\, let alone God the creator and s ustainer. Karl then suggested five ways we might view the Book of Job: (1 ) it is poetry intended to be heard (PGIMF found it almost better hear Jo b read than be analyzed)\; (2) it is poetry focusing on one important par t of life\, suffering\; (3) it is a courtroom in which God is put on tria l for allowing evil to flourish\; (4) it offers proof of God's existence\ , somewhat along the lines of the theory of Intelligent Design\; (5) it i s an odyssey which seeks to justify the existence of evil\, though God's arguments do not address the whole question of evil other than to say tha t this question is beyond human comprehension. In a sense\, Job is a hero in that he kept his faith\, even through severe suffering. Job may have raged against God but he never rejected God. [JEK] DTEND:20100829T110000 DTSTAMP:20100829T113031 DTSTART:20100829T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Series: Job Part 5 - The Lord Speaks UID:456 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/series-job-part-5-the-lord-speaks END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Labour Day weekend\, Deb Cameron Fawkes was invited to be o ur guest speaker. She is currently at VST studying how our political and spiritual lives intersect. Both an active member of organized labour and a ‘supply’ preacher for her denomination\, her talk focused on social jus tice as articulated in scriptures and put into practice by Tommy Douglas. Whatever work/labour we do\, whether at home\, at school\, in the store\ , etc.\, it has an impact on our “village life”. Even our smallest tasks somehow help society function\, and hopefully as Christians we do it with joy (“Love one another”\, “as you do this to the least of these”). The p rophet Amos—and the main figures in the Old Testament generally—sought to work out a new and more equitable social arrangement. Jesus stood firmly in this tradition. We prefer to think of ourselves as being responsible for ourselves individually\, both economically and spiritually\, and we t herefore tend to read all scriptures solely as guidelines for us as indiv iduals. But the bible repeatedly makes it clear that the ethical and econ omic issues it discusses are to be followed by society generally\, not ju st a handful of devoted radicals. Amos\, for example (5:6-)\, was exasper ated by the ways the wealthy class in Israel misused their land\, kicking off the poor who had depended on it for generations\, and instead raisin g cash crops which had to be sold abroad but would bring wealth to the we althy merchants and landowners. Other landlords rented out essential but expensive farm utensils at high rates\, and loaned essential money for fa rmers needing to buy seed for new crops\, but charged interest rates of 1 00% and even 170%\, loans which could never be repaid. The bible was also deeply concerned that the able-bodied were so often unemployed\, in spit e of doing all they could to find work. These biblical issues were simila r to issues Tommy Douglas sought to alleviate as a minister of God\, and then as a politician\, ultimately bequeathing ideas to Canadian society w hich have put into action at least some of the principles laid out for so ciety in scripture. [JEK] DTEND:20100905T110000 DTSTAMP:20100905T113031 DTSTART:20100905T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Social Gospel of Tommy Douglas UID:457 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-social-gospel-of-tommy-douglas END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider offered from the lectionary\, a history of ear ly Israel as Jeremiah tried to reconcile how wealthy Jews practiced relig ion with their lack of care for the poor. Through a time of upheaval in J udah\, Jeremiah saw King Josiah fall in battle and be succeeded by less c ompetent or fortunate offspring Jehoiachim and Jehoiachin\, ending in the plunder of the temple and the reign of the exilarch. Such terrible and i mportant national and international events were attributed to God as His acts of justice\, not the political machinations of man. So upset is Jere miah with this ‘auto-immune’ turn of history that he asks hearers to imag ine God uncreating the world\, in a manner just the opposite of his Genes is-creation. With this as background\, Evan then turned to Psalm 14 and 5 3 to give voice to this kind of despair. Both psalms are very similar\, t hough written at different times by different writers. In #14\, the Psalm ist bemoans individuals who “mess up” their communities\, through corrupt ion and foolishness\, concluding God doesn’t see or care enough to bring them to justice. One interpretation is that with wealth comes a rejection of God’s sovereign power\, and such a message as this could be aimed at us in wealthy Point Grey\, which Evan notes has fewer people that attend church than elsewhere. Evan suggested every community needs its voices th at consistently call out for us to do better\, to protect the poor\, prom ote justice. Our parliamentary system may serve similar ends\, where anci ent Judah had no such\, so prophets such as Jeremiah performed this task. Thus\, clearly does Jesus’ restatement of the first two commandments “Lo ve your God ...” and “Love your neighbour...” fulfill God’s law. Like Jer emiah\, the Psalmist uses strong words such as ”fools” to get our attenti on “eating the people like so much bread”. But in hope\, just as individu als can mess up their communities\, so too can just one individual be a b lessing to that community\, just as a single wonderful student could make one of Evan’s classes unforgettable. Thus\, we each of us can make a big difference\, wherever we are. [AP] DTEND:20100912T110000 DTSTAMP:20100912T113031 DTSTART:20100912T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Psalm 14 and 53 UID:459 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/psalm-14-and-53 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Connie Siedler (graduate of Regent College) spoke on "The Pray ing Community". During her visits to PGIMF\, she has observed how very im portant prayer is to our time of worship\, and she encouraged us to conti nue this tradition. The stories in Acts tell how God's spirit was seen as working in the lives of a variety of new believers\, first in Jerusalem\ , then in Samaria\, and finally during Paul's journey toward Rome. Today' s story (Acts 12.9-19) was another about Peter. Herod Agrippa I had kille d James (brother of John) for various reasons\, and when he saw how this pleased some key people\, he imprisoned Peter in order to kill him. But s ome new believers met to pray "fervently". Even though their prayers conc erning James were quite possibly not answered as they had hoped\, they ap parently believed that God either could be more powerful than the many gu ards surrounding Peter (all of whom later died unfairly) or that God coul d possibly change Herod's mind. The story mentions these prayers just bef ore telling how an angel delivered Peter from prison\, implying there may have been a connection. We can see in the story\, and in our lives\, tha t (whether answered as we anticipate or not) prayer can unite us as a com munity of faith. Eugene Peterson wrote that all prayer\, spread over a li fe of prayer\, eventually becomes praise. We have experienced this. [JEK] DTEND:20100919T110000 DTSTAMP:20100919T113031 DTSTART:20100919T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Praying Community UID:458 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-praying-community END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Eriksson spoke on the theme\, "When is enough\, enough?" Even though a very wise Arab proverb says "Enough is a feast"\, humans s eem to be wired so that they always desire more. For centuries\, most peo ple have assumed one can never have enough/too much money. In this contex t\, 1 Tim. 6 contains Paul's advice to a young pastor on how to deal with the wealthy members of his congregation. His observation\, "The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil" really does sum up much why so ma ny of the teachings of the prophets and Jesus were necessary. Since money only has power if there is not enough to go around\, believers with mone y have to ask themselves continually how to cultivate godliness while liv ing in a materialistic world driven by the power of money. How can we str ive for contentment (rather than focusing solely on pursuing money)\, lea rning to live with the kind of gratitude which can give us a greater reve rence for life and open us to increased sharing. Paul advises pastors to flee from the lust of money and warns about being obligated to listen to the advice of the wealthy families--not because of their wisdom but becau se of their wealth (power). Instead\, Paul encourages people to be extrav agantly generous. [JEK] DTEND:20100926T110000 DTSTAMP:20100926T113031 DTSTART:20100926T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:When is enough\, enough? UID:460 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/when-is-enough-enough END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20101003T110000 DTSTAMP:20101003T113031 DTSTART:20101003T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Forgiveness & Reconciliation in Rwanda UID:461 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/forgiveness-reconciliation-in-rwanda END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We held our annual Thanksgiving worship service of prayers\, s inging and communion\, for which the chapel was beautifully decorated wit h all manner of flowers and produce. Many thanks to all who brought thing s for the service\, and to J. Evan Kreider who designed and conducted the service complete with readings and programs for all! DTEND:20101010T110000 DTSTAMP:20101010T113031 DTSTART:20101010T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgical service for Thanksgiving UID:462 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thanksgiving-2010 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider first talked about Amos (8.1-3)\, which include s a pun on words for "figs" and "the end"\, words which sounded similar w hen spoken by people in Northern Israel. Amos was asked\, "What do you se e"\, he replied "figs"\, yet people would have wondered whether he meant 'the end'. Amos suggested that God was also going to withdraw from the pe ople both as a provider and protector\, and that there would also be a sp iritual withdrawal (8:11) causing a famine of the Word. Luke 10:38 gives the story of Martha and Mary\, which also focuses on the importance of th e Word. However\, this enigmatic story also raises all sorts of questions about hospitality\, work and servanthood\, and how to balance them with reflection and intellectual/spiritual growth. Jesus acknowledged that Mar tha had a lot to do\, yet he concluded by appearing to criticize her for labouring on his behalf instead of listening to his teaching in her home. The bottom line was that the kingdom of God is what matters most. Was sh e distracting Jesus from his teaching (kingdom work) by interrupting\, or even by publicly putting him in conflict with Mary? But what about that much praised kingdom notion of Servanthood? Was Jesus ungrateful concerni ng his being fed\, likely including a number of his followers? The two pa ssages remind us that if we have a famine of the Word\, nothing else real ly matters. But we must also realize that life\, even in the kingdom\, so mehow requires special balance between working and reflecting. [JEK] DTEND:20101017T110000 DTSTAMP:20101017T113032 DTSTART:20101017T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God - near or far away? UID:463 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-near-or-far-away END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert used a parable (the Pharisee and the tax collect or) and the awe-inspiring miracles of the known universe to encourage us to be humble in our attitude towards God. The Pharisees thought themselve s to be beyond reproach\, and made a big show of their fasting and prayer so they would be noticed. As religious teachers the Pharisees were rigid and unforgiving. Thievery would have been the sin of the tax collector: artificially inflating the value of the goods. Jesus used this parable to highlight the contrast between the arrogant and prideful who will not be saved by their heartless deeds\, and those who admit their failures in t rue humility and are rewarded with forgiveness. The hymn “How Wondrous Gr eat” provides a sense of humility and praise for God’s incredible creatio n in the heavens. The connection between our awe-inspiring universe and a deep call to repent is a common theme in biblical poetry. Our response t o “fearful and glorious things” should be to praise God. We would do well to recall the publican’s prayer: Lord have mercy on me\, a sinner. (HN) DTEND:20101024T110000 DTSTAMP:20101024T113032 DTSTART:20101024T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Humility before an Awesome God UID:464 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/humility-before-an-awesome-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Klassen spoke on "Surviving Sin" from Psalm 32:1-7 and Lu ke 19:1-10. DTEND:20101031T110000 DTSTAMP:20101031T113032 DTSTART:20101031T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Surviving Sin UID:465 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/surviving-sin END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera spoke about All Saint's Day. DTEND:20101107T110000 DTSTAMP:20101107T113032 DTSTART:20101107T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Saints of Revelation UID:466 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-saints-of-revelation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andre Pekovich organized a Remembrance Sunday service around s criptures relating to war\, conflict and the Christian ideals. "We are at war\, we have always been at war\," and thus is has been since the begin ning of written history. The essential causes for war seem constant: atte mpted to get what we want\, and then ensuring that we keep it. Other reli gions address this human condition\, more often than not by extolling res pect and peace\, and by noting there are ways to settle difference other than by violence. The story of Cain and Able (Genesis 4) illustrates seve re family conflict (leading to fratricide) at the beginning of time\, and efforts control the spread of that violence. The Book of Joshua tells of war at more of a national level as the various Jewish groups sought to " share" land already occupied and cultivated by others\, but the writers o f that book clearly portray Yahweh as the warrior in ways that suggest th is was a one-time series\, not a paradigm for future generations. The Rom an Empire's Pax Romana was imposed militarily with unsurpassed harshness and enormous armies which became so extended they could not longer be ade quately supplied. As the church became increasingly centered in Rome\, so me of its leaders grappled intellectually and theologically with their em pire's militarism. Augustine argued that war should be conducted on a ver y limited scale and only to the extent necessary to bring peace--an ideal never followed\, even by armies from Christian countries. By contrast\, Matthew 5.38- gives a much loftier and revolutionary theory\, that one sh ould not seek revenge but instead turn the other cheek. In Romans 12\, we are given similar counsel\, to live peacefully with all\, to hate that w hich is evil\, to bless our persecutors\, and to refrain from repaying ev il with evil. Each of the morning's songs beautifully addressed these the mes. [JEK] DTEND:20101114T110000 DTSTAMP:20101114T113032 DTSTART:20101114T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Remembrance Sunday UID:467 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/remembrance-sunday-2010 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider spoke on the text from the letter to the Christia ns at Colosse\, a letter which provides a glimpse into how people in this small house church were thinking about Jesus. It addresses issues of the worship of angels and the fear of spirits. The writer points out that ac cess to God is through Jesus\, not thorough spiritual beings. Jesus - the image of the invisible God. We are reminded that no one has ever seen Go d\, but Jesus life and action help us envisage an invisible God. While ot her powers exist\, Christ is the king of all. No words can adequately des cribe God\, so we use images like “father\,” “light\,” “judge\,” “king” - all of which have limitations. Jesus best exemplifies God’s qualities an d we are limited by language in attempting to describe God. Discussion ti me included comments on the need for contemporary images of God and of se eing God as “integrator.”(HN) DTEND:20101121T110000 DTSTAMP:20101121T113032 DTSTART:20101121T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God as integrator UID:468 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-as-integrator END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Veronica Dyck spoke on the First Sunday of Advent\, noting two very different perceptions of time at this time of year. Parents may wel l think\, "Oh no\, is it already time to get ready for Christmas?" while some children wonder "Will Christmas ever come?" Our culture has lost so much of its capacity to wait patiently\, yet scripture repeatedly asks th at we both watch and wait\, and that we fully engage our imaginations in the process. The Book of Isaiah opens most discouragingly\, but the day's reading from the second chapter (2.1-6) is very positive\, having ideas and phrases which are also found in Micah 4.1-5. These texts anticipate-- and wait for--the time when Yahweh will be truly worshiped everywhere\, w hen weapons will no longer be stockpiled\, and when people will once agai n climb up to Zion and seek to follow Torah faithfully. The writer then i magines ideals and faith flowing down from this exemplar to all peoples\, utterly transforming them. These passages spoke directly to the writers' contemporaries\, to early Christians and to us\, though each group had a different appreciation for the ideas. The morning's gospel reading (Matt hew 24.36-) gives us our way of understanding Isaiah 2/Micah 4\, underlin ing the inherent tension of this 'time of waiting'\, of not knowing when the Son of Man might return. Many of our Advent hymns of waiting and anti cipation have verbs in the present tense\, and although Jesus had come on earth\, we have much more for which we are to wait\, actively wait. [JEK ] DTEND:20101128T110000 DTSTAMP:20101128T113032 DTSTART:20101128T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Time of waiting UID:469 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/time-of-waiting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the Second Sunday of Advent\, Karl Brown encouraged us to t ake a moment each day to think about the meaning of Christmas\, using the day’s lectionary readings to guide us. The theme in the reading from Isa iah\, for example\, speaks of the wolf and lamb living in a type of peace which is too good to be true (and likely would not work for long through out the animal kingdom which requires predators to control large populati ons of smaller animals). Psalm 72 speaks of a Utopia in which peace and j ustice combine to produce abundance for all. Romans 14 is about welcoming and encouraging\, about the gospel being made available to Gentiles\, an d about harmony between all peoples. Unfortunately\, the Gentiles did ind eed receive the gospel but they then proceeded to persecute the Jews for centuries to come. But back to the central question: What makes Christmas be Christmas? Although peace is a central theme\, believers certainly ha ve observed Christmas when there was no peace\, when they were in the mid st of military conflict and stress–and yet it was still Christmas. Since societies are only rarely truly fully just\, poor people continue to abou nd\, yet some of them really do experience Christmas\, in spite of living within societies which make their lives difficult. Lacking family harmon y will spoil many Christmas gatherings\, yet it is nevertheless Christmas in their minds. Of course most people would not miss repentance as part of Advent because it is no longer mentioned as an integral part of our fa sting and preparation for the Feast of Christmas. The bottom lines sugges ts that Christ’s salvation is absolutely crucial to the concept of Christ mas. Take that element away and the church’s glorious feast deteriorates into one long lavish series of secular December indulgences. Ideally\, Ch ristmas is seen as springing forth from our being people of peace\, a peo ple promoting true justice\, living in harmony with each other\, and bein g truly repentant and thankful for Christ’s salvation. [JEK] DTEND:20101205T110000 DTSTAMP:20101205T112947 DTSTART:20101205T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:When Is Christmas Not Christmas? UID:1792 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/when-is-christmas-not-christmas-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The congregation sang excerpts of Handel's Messiah. DTEND:20101212T110000 DTSTAMP:20101212T113032 DTSTART:20101212T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:470 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah-2010 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Don Teichroeb used the liturgical texts for that Sunday to exa mine who Joseph the Carpenter was as father to Jesus and husband to Mary\ , how the Holy Spirit featured in his life\, and how the hope and promise we see in Christmas resists perversion from its origins in faith\, truth and respect. We know little about Joseph\, except that he was a man of i ntegrity and character who\, despite strictures of Mosaic law that would allow\, even require him to divorce Mary when she was found pregnant with Jesus\, instead demonstrated kindness\, love and mercy. Don wondered at what Joseph’s misgivings must have been. But the Holy Spirit is seen at w ork\, coming to Joseph as “reassurer”\, as bearer of truth\, that his son Jesus would bring God’s truth to all men\, that Jesus was partner with t he Spirit that was there at the Creation of the world\, and that he who s aw Jesus\, also saw the Father\, something never seen before in the world . Don pointed out that despite the world’s best attempts to debase Christ mas with excessive feasting\, gluttony and other sins\, the sign of the L ord\, as foretold in Isaiah 7:14 remains sufficient to fulfill not only t he hope of meeting God in the everyday lives of ancient Jewry of that tim e\, of Jesus’ own time\, those of the early church\, but also our own tim e where the sins of commercialism threaten to erase the enjoyment of the miracle of Christ’s birth and life. Like Joseph\, we are called to patien ce and faithfulness. [AP] DTEND:20101219T110000 DTSTAMP:20101219T112908 DTSTART:20101219T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Signs of Hope UID:1800 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/signs-of-hope-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of readings and singing was held on Boxing Day to ce lebrate Christmas. DTEND:20101226T110000 DTSTAMP:20101226T113033 DTSTART:20101226T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Service of songs and carols UID:471 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2010-12-26-service-of-songs-and-carols END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld told of Jeremiah being imprisoned by his governm ent for not being patriotic and for continually criticizing government\, even going so far as to declare that God was surely on the enemy's side\, not that of the Jews. When Jeremiah's cousin offered to sell land to the prophet--land that was already under enemy control and was inaccessible to Jeremiah\, he bought it anyway\, a seemingly hopeless gesture which wa s intended to make a point: One should look ahead\, with faith in God\, a nd act accordingly. Hope can be merely a thought or it can be expressed c oncretely as an act. Jeremiah hoped that\, in spite of the impending cris is\, his future descendants would eventually live on this new parcel of l and. In a similar way\, he also looked ahead\, in hope\, to the time when God would be able to make a new covenant with people\, one not extolling external regulations but rather one which internalizes moral and ethical values. Do we look ahead and act\, in hope\, in ways that will possibly benefit future generations long after we are gone? [JEK] DTEND:20110102T110000 DTSTAMP:20110102T113033 DTSTART:20110102T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hope UID:472 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hope-2011 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gareth Brandt (Columbia Bible College professor of practical t heology) spoke on "The Baptism of our Lord" (Matthew 3.13-17). We have on ly one story telling us anything of the life of Jesus between his infancy and baptism--the story of his lingering in the Temple at age 12. Consequ ently\, Jesus suddenly emerges in this narrative as having been baptized\ , and in 3.16 we are given a rare allusion to what later has been thought of as the Trinity: the voice of God\, the Spirit appearing "like" a dove \, and the man Jesus. God's voice proclaimed Jesus as a "Beloved son" eve n before he had done anything of significance in the gospel narratives. B ut in a sense\, this is typical of the gospel accounts\, for they often d escribe unconditional love being given. Gareth asked whether we have expe rienced being beloved\, suggesting that only by our experiencing being lo ved can we\, in turn\, truly and deeply love others. The next chapter in Matthew concerns the temptations in the wilderness\; what was Jesus\, God 's "beloved son"\, now supposed to do with this unconditional love? The g ospels proceed\, each in their own way\, to record stories of how Jesus p roclaimed the primacy of God's love and how it can be expressed in our li ves. [JEK] DTEND:20110109T110000 DTSTAMP:20110109T113033 DTSTART:20110109T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Baptism of our Lord UID:473 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/baptism-of-our-lord END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin spoke on "God's plan for you"\, looking at ways in which God has been portrayed in history\, but seeing all of this through the e yes of modern office workers accustomed to Project Management. Kevin spok e of God "assembling the team" when creating the Trinity. God is often po rtrayed as "defining the project objectives"\, the next typical stage in project management\, and also as "defining the project's scope"\, which i s finally seen as being global. God is at times portrayed as "constructin g an initial plan and schedule"\, for Jer 29 has God revealing that "I kn ow the plans I have for you"\, including 70 years in captivity. Even Jesu s (Luke 14) spoke of "identifying resources\, costs\, risks" before under taking a project. There are many instances in scripture in which God trie d to get "stake holder buy-in" (Ps. 40.7-8: I delight to do your will). N ext\, one must publish the plan so people know about it\, a plan with a s eries of decision gates which offer options\, something often encountered in the prophets (buy in by repenting\, or get out of the project). One t hen collects information\, monitoring and analyzing the progress\, often looking at it both with a wide-angle and with a telephoto lens. Next\, on e often needs to adjust the plan\, hence the difference in revelation bet ween the New and Old Testaments\, and the expansion to include those not Jewish. Finally one closes the project and celebrates (Revelation 20). [J EK] DTEND:20110116T110000 DTSTAMP:20110116T113033 DTSTART:20110116T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God's Plans for You UID:474 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/gods-plans-for-you END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider led the group in a study of worship with the P salter\, an in-depth study of the history and meaning behind the Psalms\, and the particular ways in which modern hymns bring the ancient texts to life\, particularly in the rhythm of modern music\, which is an exceedin gly difficult thing to do well. Yet many writers have mastered it\, and w e heard some of the best. Evan lined up side-by-side the texts of eight h ymns\, such as #556\; Lord Thou Has Searched Me\; with the words of the a ppropriate Psalm - in this case\, Ps 139 - and showed how the writers tra ced a path of imagery through the hymn just as it was in the Psalm\, in s ome cases\, line for line. Evan’s vast storehouse of historical knowledge brought out hidden detail in each hymn\, and each of the arrangements ha d so much more meaning when the group finally sang in parts. The closing hymn’s gentle repetition of Scripture evoked the beauty and care of God i n everyone who sang it. [AP] DTEND:20110123T110000 DTSTAMP:20110123T113033 DTSTART:20110123T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Singing the Psalter UID:475 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/singing-the-psalter END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andre Pekovich presented a review of the history of Zionism. 1 7th-century Europe saw religious persecution which resulted in multiple m assive religious migrations\, including Mennonites and Jews. As difficult ies persisted to surface\, publications in the 19th century eventually ga ve ethnic Jews a new way of thinking about themselves. Secular Jews in Au stria (1897) lobbied governments to obtain safe land somewhere (anywhere\ , not just in Palestine). None of these early Jewish leaders were viewed as religious figures\, only as pragmatic nationalists. (Christian Zionism began in the 1820's\, but that is an entirely different story.) Zionism was not created out of the holocaust\, but predates it\, and the so-calle d "holy land" was not all that important to early Zionists. However\, as inexpensive land was purchased in Palestine from absentee Arab landlords\ , Jews started to migrate. By 1948 Jews owned and occupied about 6% of wh at they thought of as "traditional" Jewish land (though few would agree o n specific borders for those lands). Palestinians were forced out of thei r traditional lands\, in spite of inhabiting them for (presumably) centur ies and possibly millennia. By 1948\, with relatively little land under t heir ownership\, a State of Israel was proclaimed\, and citizenship was o ffered to all Jews regardless of country of origin and it was ostensibly to be denied to all non-Jews\, even those legally inhabiting the land. In the context of the day's lectionary readings\, our allegiance is not to a particular nationalism but to God. God owns the land and allows peoples to use it\, 'if' God's covenant is kept in its entirety. Although no new lands were to be occupied after Joshua's military triumphs\, Jews repeat edly ignored this condition. Although the Prophet Samuel warned the Jews that God did not want a monarch to be established\, they created a king a nyway\, and with the secular king came the secular notion of expanding th e kingdom's borders. Andre updated present thinking about the 'promised l and' by reminding us that "the land we have been promised is Eternal Life ." Palestinian Christians have been in Palestine since St Paul went to Da mascus. Why do Christians not decry their brothers' and sisters' loss of land\, jobs and rights when they are persecuted by the State of Israel? T he bible is not a manual for occupation\, and certainly does not speak a language of subjugation and oppression\, yet there are those in Christ's church who are highly militarized\, both ideologically and in reality. [J EK] DTEND:20110130T110000 DTSTAMP:20110130T113033 DTSTART:20110130T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Zionism UID:476 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/zionism END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Thiessen spoke on the day's gospel reading\, Matthew 5.13 -20\, "You are the salt of the earth." Even though many of us worry about consuming too much of the stuff\, salt is essential to our health. Salt was so vital to ancient civilizations that it was often used as currency\ , included with food offerings to God\, or even associated with covenants (called "salt covenants"). For centuries\, drying and salting were the o nly known ways to preserve food. Right after giving the beatitudes\, Jesu s asked that we be the 'salt of the earth'\, that we be the ones to enact the beatitudes\, fighting against the decay in society by being peacemak ers and the children of God. Countless individuals have shown how we can\ , in small ways\, be the 'salt of the earth'. Villagers in France quietly hid Jewish refugees and helped them to escape to Switzerland\, nothing e arth-shaking as far as the war was concerned\, but they were simply being 'the salt of the earth'. Those who persuaded victorious Allied soldiers not to slaughter German prisoners of war were also enacting the beatitude s. The book\, "I shall not hate"\, exemplifies how one man's peaceful sta nce and spirit of forgiveness\, even when three of his daughters were kil led by Israel's missiles\, momentarily changed the thinking of thousands. Peterson paraphrased the gospel reading nicely: "You are to be the salt seasoning which brings out the God flavours." [JEK] DTEND:20110206T110000 DTSTAMP:20110206T113033 DTSTART:20110206T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:You are the salt of the Earth UID:477 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/you-are-the-salt-of-the-earth END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Aaron Roberts (MCS Regent 2008\; now in ministry at St. John's Anglican) spoke on Faith about Romans 4:13-21. This dense\, theologicall y-rich passage analyzed Abraham's faith in light of his righteousness\, a cts\, and observance of God's words. First\, Aaron reviewed God's attempt s to redeem humanity from its fall as He started over and over again\, th rough different men such as Noah\, through Abraham and Sarah\, whose fait h exacted from God promise of a nation\, through giving of the Law\, and finally through the living sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Then Aaron di ssected the passage to show what faith can do by discussing what faith is not: It is not a leap in the dark - it is rational and trusting\, as a y oung child has faith that father will catch it when thrown up in the air. Faith only considers the things God has promised\, not things God has no t spoken about\, such as how to get more prestige. It is not person-cente red\, but God-centered\, and growing faith inevitably sees one turning mo re to consider how God would want the faithful person to act. God will no t be manipulated by faith - we cannot add to our faith by training oursel ves to think and believe only the positive. Nor is faith a skill you can learn or a task you can accomplish or something you can accumulate more o f. We can only receive it as we hear and believe the promises of God\, ju st as Abraham did\, who did not flinch when promised a son\, as he consid ered the failings of his or Sarah's bodies in old age. Faith does not clo se its eyes to the realities of life\, but considers them and leaves it t o God to work the way of his world. Nor is it true that if one believes s omething strongly enough\, that it will occur - that is idolatry. Faith i s not magic\, and scripture cannot be used as an incantation. But with fa ith\, God will restore humanity to its rightful place in God's creation. A lively discussion time considered blaming God when tests reveal the lim its of faith\; that faith cannot be passive but acts decisively\; that ch ildren model growing in faith as they turn from I-centredness to consider ation of others\; and the idolatry of prosperity gospel. DTEND:20110213T110000 DTSTAMP:20110213T113034 DTSTART:20110213T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Faith UID:478 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/faith-2011 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Steve Heinrichs spoke on a variety of subjects\, such as (1) J esus calming the sea (Mark 4.35-41)\, (2) the history of European Canadia ns taking over British Columbia\, and (3) Mennonites attempting to relate to indigenous neighbours. This summary will focus on the gospel lectiona ry reading for the morning. Some travelers have the gift of sleep. Jesus slept right through the heart of a storm until awakened by friends. But t he way this story is told in Mark draws interesting parallels to the stor y of Jonah. We first sense the deliberateness of these parallels when not icing that the teller refers to the tiny Lake of Galilee as a "sea". This helps listeners recall that Jonah was also asleep on a boat while travel ing through a storm on the sea. Both Jesus and Jonah were awakened by fri ghtened fellow travelers\, and both men found unusual and even supernatur al ways to calm their storms. Both men were on a mission to the Gentiles\ , Jonah to Ninevah (to save them from certain destruction) and Jesus to D ecapolis on the east of the Jordan\, where he went to a Gentile cemetery (doubly unclean) and cast out demons (bringing salvation to the man and w itness to the area). The 'possessed' man was obviously on the margins of his society. Steve then challenged us to leave the comforts of our church world and consider relating in meaningful ways to those marginalized in our society\, especially indigenous peoples. [JEK] DTEND:20110220T110000 DTSTAMP:20110220T113034 DTSTART:20110220T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:With Christ to the Other Side: Re-discovering our Native Neighbors. UID:479 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/with-christ-to-the-other-side-re-discovering -our-native-neighbors END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The service was cancelled due to snow. DTEND:20110227T110000 DTSTAMP:20110227T113034 DTSTART:20110227T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:NO SERVICE - CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW UID:480 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/snow-cancelled-20110227 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sven Eriksson spoke on the gospel lectionary text\, Matthew 17 .1-9. So much in the story of the Transfiguration is beyond our comprehen sion\, but it celebrates the great transition from the three years of min istry to the final week of difficulties\, trials and death. (Peter report ed his recollections very modestly in 2 Peter 1.16-18.) Jesus went to a " mountain" (not by B.C. standards) to pray with Peter\, James and John--th e same three men who would accompany him for prayer in Gethsemane (fallin g asleep both times). Nevertheless\, the experience became a beacon for t hem\, for God had entered their lives in an unexpected way. Are we ever a ware that God enters our space at specific times and places? We\, too\, m ay have had our "Holy Mountain" experiences\, answered prayers\, meaningf ul dreams\, thoughts or unexpected insights\, but do we--should we--tell these extraordinary experiences to each other? What are we supposed to do with them? Dismiss the unexpected? Deny that transcendence ever happened \, even when experiencing it? The three disciples were not prompted to do anything\, only to be there\, experience the event\, and it was assumed that the event would somehow transform their lives. We\, like Peter\, wan t to take action\, but the profound awareness of God entering our lives m ay best be understood as our being granted a glimpse of God's glory which may then\, somehow\, become a beacon in our lives. [JEK] DTEND:20110306T110000 DTSTAMP:20110306T113034 DTSTART:20110306T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Transcendence UID:481 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/transcendence END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Hannah Dutko focused her message on the life of Julian of Norw ich\, (1342 – 1416) a medieval woman\, a mystic\, and a religious writer. A recluse\, she lived in a small cell in as an anchoress\, a type of her mit who lives in a cell attached to the church and engages in contemplati ve prayer. At age 30\, suffering from a severe illness and believing she was on her deathbed\, she had a series of intense visions of Jesus\, God and the devil. She transcribed these visions in what is considered the fi rst known autobiography by a woman. Twenty years later she wrote another series of reflections on her visions. She wrote so that people might unde rstand the love and revelation of God. The times were difficult: the blac k death\, the Roman church was in chaos (two popes) and Wycliffe and Hus were emerging activists. Julian\, in exploring the meaning of suffering\, rejects the idea of suffering caused by the devil\; the devil seeks to p romote despair and doubt\; but Christ’s passion has overcome evil. Furthe r\, suffering is not punishment from God\; Julian suggests a merciful the ology and hope in God’s power. Her writings suggest confidence that God i s at work. God answered her prayers by saying “I will make all things wel l\; and you will see that yourself\, that all things will be well.” The c omment was made that it might be difficult to reassure people (“that all things will be well”) when they are angry or seriously ill. It is a messa ge that should given in hope\, to someone we know well. [HN] DTEND:20110313T110000 DTSTAMP:20110313T113034 DTSTART:20110313T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Julian of Norwich UID:482 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/julian-of-norwich END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke on John 3:1-17 enhancing our understandi ng of the tradition and the situation behind the story of Nicodemus’ rela tionship to Jesus in our touchstone passage in the Christian church “for God so loved the world…” Evan’s distinction between being “born from abov e” (rather than “born again\,”) was an old Jewish tradition to emphasize a closer relationship with God without referring to God directly\, as the y were loath to do. Nicodemus also knew Gentile converts to Judaism were baptised with water\, symbolizing starting over again as if being born li ke a child\, but he never imagined that he\, an observant Jew raised in t he tradition\, would have to do the same. It is difficult for us all to t hink outside our own spiritual traditions. But Jesus insisted God’s spiri t washes impurities away\, producing a new heart\, rather than a newborn life. Jesus’ birth from above was tacitly agreed to by Nicodemus by ackno wledgement of his miracle-working\; thus could Nicodemus be reasonably as ked to believe Jesus spoke with some authority about heaven. As Moses rai sed a serpent on high to save the wandering Jews who had been bitten by s nakes from dying\, so to was Jesus raised on the cross to save not just t he righteous people of Israel\, but all humanity\, including Nicodemus. M ozart’s Requiem repeats this lesson as an artistic miniature\; that despi te obeying the law and the prophets\, the young voice of a boy soprano as ks how we are to face God alone with our sins along with us. John’s gospe l\, no matter how hard to believe\, is no harder than believing a snake r aised on high in the desert could save us. Give us the grace to believe. [AP] DTEND:20110320T110000 DTSTAMP:20110320T112920 DTSTART:20110320T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Nicodemus (lectionary texts) UID:1803 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/nicodemus-lectionary-texts END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ajay Caleb\, a man with a heart for mission to those in the wo rld with less opportunity\, both to care for themselves\, or to meet the Lord\, led us on a journey to several places in the world where people in their daily living are hurt by lack of opportunity and breadth of vision \, including himself. Of himself: a sea of black heads bobbing along the road on their way to work in India\, gave him pause\, and he asked “Lord\ , how will I help all these people?” And the answer: “One at a time.” Our task is not to meet the needs of the masses\, but only those we meet. In north-east India\, near the Bhutan border\, Ajay met villagers realizing their vision for education and business possibilities while at war with Marxist guerrillas\, and while on a morning walk\, met the guerrillas the mselves\, realizing that though there was war\, relationship of clan stil l held them together. The faith of others also sustains them\, but may le ave them empty of possibility\, as told in a story of a woman whose womb remained childless. We should also not prejudge the results we get\, as r eminded in the story of meeting a risen Jesus along the road to Emmaus. W e should not limit our vision by expecting the results we have always got ten - we should have faith and expect a new result. But we cannot start a fire in another’s heart without it burning in our own. What is our role in mission today? Do we have a burning to bring to others? Are we willing to serve as the Samaritan woman at the well did to Jesus? And will we\, like Jesus\, serve those deemed less deserving? We have an opportunity to minister here at home. Let us begin it now. [AP] DTEND:20110327T110000 DTSTAMP:20110327T113034 DTSTART:20110327T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mission in a Wireless Age UID:483 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mission-in-a-wireless-age END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Joe Heikman\, associate pastor at FUMC\, has come a long way f rom his Pennsylvania Mennonite roots. His talk on Ezekiel 37's valley of dry bones left us with many striking images of a prophet whose life was h ard so that God might be glorified. Lying in the street on his side\, cut ting his hair with a sword\, peaching doom and gloom to a population who didn’t want to hear him made the message only that much more powerful. Ou r call to hear the prophets of our own day may be similarly impaired - ho w can we distinguish the voice of God among the cacophony of voices - som e reasonable and some raving? Joe suggested we pray for wisdom. [AP] DTEND:20110403T110000 DTSTAMP:20110403T113034 DTSTART:20110403T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The God of Lost Causes UID:484 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-god-of-lost-causes END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider focussed on two passages from Psalm 23: “you pr epare a table before me in the presence of my enemies\,” and “I will dwel l in the house of the Lord forever.” This is an unusual idea\, eating a s umptuous meal while your enemies watch. Maybe the enemies were invited bu t declined\, maybe they weren’t invited\, maybe they excluded themselves. It is surprising that no emotion is expressed here\; no fear or hatred i s directed toward the enemy who watches you eat. This reminded Janice of Eleanor Kreider's response when asked what mission might look like in loo k in a post-Christendom world. “It looks like neighbours and strangers ga zing in the windows of the Christian community\, longing for the invitati on to join the bounteous meal spread on the generous table. “Dwell in the house of the Lord” should read “I shall return to the house of the Lord\ ,” which reflects the reality of our journey and the fact that we can ret urn to the house of the Lord at any time. The 23rd psalm is a reminder of God's goodness and the comforting theme that God is with us and cares fo r us. [HN] DTEND:20110410T110000 DTSTAMP:20110410T113035 DTSTART:20110410T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Lectionary texts (Psalm 23) UID:485 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/psalm-23-2011 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Phil Schafran (MCC) spoke on "Interfaith Bridge-Building: enga ging religious viewpoints that are not our own". Each of us has a tendenc y toward religious toleration\, and a tendency toward religious intoleran ce. MCC sees this wherever it works around the world\, and tries to start with its workers having a strong inner personal faith\, which provides a firm foundation for a wide variety of challenges. From that foundation\, its workers can cooperate with believers of other faiths on projects in which both faiths have a common interest\, such as peace making and servi ce. MCC assumes that by working with people of other faiths on common pro jects\, we can learn from each other\, learn what makes each of us serve\ , for faith reasons. When the government in Somalia decreed that Islam ha d to be taught in all schools\, most Protestant missionaries closed their schools and left. But some Mennonites decided to stay and let Islam be t aught in their school\, because by staying\, they could continue serving the students and community and quietly witness through their lives. Somal ians later revealed that this proved to be a crucial turning point in the ir thinking about Christianity. In Acts 17\, Paul participated in an inte r-faith dialogue with Athenians. Paul knew enough about their various rel igions that he could find points of commonality\, and from there he attem pted to draw them into serious conversations about faith\, including his new faith. In all inter-faith dialogues there will be understanding and m isunderstanding\, tolerance and intolerance. Paul did not emphasize diffe rences which divided the faiths but instead identified where their belief s coincided. Paul had mixed results\, and we can expect the same\, but th is never deterred Paul from entering into still new cross-faith discussio ns. [JEK] DTEND:20110417T110000 DTSTAMP:20110417T113035 DTSTART:20110417T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Interfaith Bridge Building: Engaging Religious Viewpoints That Are Not Our Own UID:486 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/interfaith-bridge-building-engaging-religiou s-viewpoints-that-are-not-our-own END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We held our annual service of worship and prayer and singing t o celebrate the risen Lord at Easter. Evan Kreider designed and led the s ervice which followed the path of the Easter story through scripture\, an d we joined voices with song leading by Eric Hannan\, and accompaniment b y Ruth Enns. All this followed our usual Easter Sunday potluck breakfast which was delicious and well attended. [AP] DTEND:20110424T110000 DTSTAMP:20110424T113035 DTSTART:20110424T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Sunday service of praise and song UID:487 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-sunday-2011 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On May 1st\, Joseph Dutko spoke about replacing anxiety and wo rry with awe and wonder. A man asks Jesus to "tell my brother to share th e inheritance with me" and Jesus criticizes him for his selfishness. This is the context for Jesus comments about not worrying. Jesus warns about covetousness and selfishness\; the best way to avoid these sins by faith. Joseph said we should fear God's displeasure and trust his care\; God's cares for the sparrows is indicative of his concern for us... consider th e lilies and the birds. We are not to be controlled by things\, rather to seek the kingdom and these things will be given us. Did Albert Scweitzer \, by leaving a successful life to provide medical care for the needy in Africa\, find the kingdom? (HN) DTEND:20110501T110000 DTSTAMP:20110501T113035 DTSTART:20110501T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Trading anxiety and worry for awe and wonder UID:488 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/trading-anxiety-and-worry-for-awe-and-wonder END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown asked us\, "What if we're all wrong?" Our lectionar y readings for the day retold the death and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2 )\, how we are therefore to live (1 Peter 1)\, and that if we do those th ings we will go to heaven (Luke 24). However\, the Koran tells its reader s to do certain righteous works and they too will go to heaven. But what if everybody is wrong? Thomas Paine\, for example\, published a criticism of religions generally. He believed there was a caring\, loving God\, bu t in his "The Age of Reason" argued that religion was not reflecting this God. He saw that contemporary religion in his day was evil\, for none of us has a special connection with God or influence over God. He wanted wo rship without formalized religion\, so he proposed "Deism". He did not re cognize any miracles some have attributed to God\, nor did he ever see Go d intervening in history or appearing in visions. All of those would brea k God's laws of physics\, nature\, etc. Instead\, Paine wrote that God ga ve us our powers of reasons and we can learn to use it. As for Jesus\, Pa ine concluded that God would never create a man just to kill him. By cont rast\, one modern (and very popular) preacher teaches that it is misguide d to think that a few of us will go to heaven and all the others will suf fer. Studies suggest that\, in spite of what specific churches teach\, mo st members believe that most people will go to heaven. In fact\, institut ionalized religion tends to focus on small current issues of the day (e.g .\, mode or timing of baptism\, sexuality) and overlook ethical essential s. How do we know who is right? [JEK] DTEND:20110508T110000 DTSTAMP:20110508T113035 DTSTART:20110508T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Lectionary texts UID:489 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-if-we-are-all-wrong END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Each of the three cycles of the liturgical year has the fourth Sunday of Easter focus on the Good Shepherd. Veronica Dyck noted that wh ile we know about 'racks of lamb' in restaurants\, we never observe the a ctual raising of sheep\, particularly in the wilderness and mountains. In the day's text (John 10)\, Jesus referred to himself as being the gate. Traditionally\, the shepherd provided pastures for his sheep (who could n ot find them independently)\, protected the sheep (who were defenseless)\ , and named each sheep (being able to account for each throughout the day ). Shepherds frequently shared sheep enclosures for the night with other flocks and shepherds\, sometimes even in caves where the sheep could be s afe. Sometimes the shepherd actually lay across the doorless gateway to a n enclosure in order to waken if predators approached and tried to enter. In the morning\, each shepherd would call his sheep and only his sheep w ould follow. Jesus therefore spoke to his rural sheep-raising audience by referring to himself both as "the gate"\, and as the good shepherd\, say ing that "my sheep know my voice" and "I know them by name." By contrast\ , Jesus said that men who did not enter the enclosure through the gate we re surely thieves (as his listeners would have readily agreed). His refer ence to thieves possibly referred to the wealthy temple class which freel y fleeced worshipers without nurturing or assisting them. The worst fate some prophets could predict for Judah was that they would become like a s cattered flock without good leadership. Psalm 23 suggests that even when our lives take us through valleys we never wished to travel\, Jesus\, our Good Shepherd\, will be with us. [JEK] DTEND:20110515T110000 DTSTAMP:20110515T113035 DTSTART:20110515T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:I am the Gate for the Sheep UID:490 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/i-am-the-gate-for-the-sheep END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Morgan Tipton spoke about Stephen\, the first Christian martyr . She noted that there are days when we do everything right (Stephen prea ched the gospel) and yet feel victimized. This feeling is likely based on thinking that we are the centre of the universe. “When things go well\, I can see God in my neighbour\,” she said. Things went well for Stephen w hen he preached the first Christian apologetic sermon and was stoned to d eath by the zealous Pharisees. Morgan acknowledged the Pharisees good int entions – to bring in God’s reign by intense study of the Torah. Saul\, a n observer at the stoning\, subsequently developed a new relationship wit h God through his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. He then s tepped aside from his Pharisaical ministry for 13 years and came back as the Paul we know in the New Testament. The story of Stephen reminds us th at our faith will also be tested\, perhaps not in such an extreme way\, b ut when we challenge authorities\, face hostile people\, or how we treat people who anger us. (HN) DTEND:20110522T110000 DTSTAMP:20110522T113035 DTSTART:20110522T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Stoning UID:491 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-stoning END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The church gathered at Camp Luther in Mission\, BC. DTEND:20110529T110000 DTSTAMP:20110529T113035 DTSTART:20110529T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sharing our stories UID:492 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sharing-our-stories-2011 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Mariam Kamell\, speaking on James 1:7-12\, noted how we view G od has serious implications for how we act\, just as how we view our frie nds and coworkers affects how we relate to them. James does not present t heology so much as a manual for living. It’s both wisdom literature in th e line of Proverbs\, with its theology\, partly hiddne behind a presripti on for life\; and it’s also in apocalyptic tradition as James presents Go d’s judgment at every turn. James bears warning as prophetic literature - if you do not choose God’s ways\, you will be destroyed\, so choose life and live. This is in line with Jesus’ commandment to the people “I desir e mercy\, not sacrifice.” God is a covenant-making God (vs 12) who respon ds to faithfulness. Therefore we should submit to our trials with God’s p romise of relief to us in our ears. We should resist temptation - to blam e someone else\, to succumb to our desires - (vs 13-15) for the outcome i s death. It’s not God’s requests of us that cause us to sin\, it’s our ow n resistance. When we act out of love for God\, and obey his commands\, w e are assured of mercy from God. We are not told to judge each other nor God. He is above all a good and giving God\, (vs. 16-18) especially when we approach God in our lack\, giving us good and perfect gifts. The ethic s in James become dos and don’t s if we do not love God. Let us love God instead. [AP] DTEND:20110605T110000 DTSTAMP:20110605T113039 DTSTART:20110605T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:James UID:518 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/james-2011 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:In her second message from the book of James (Jm 1:19-27)\, Ma riam Kammell noted that this letter was written by the brother of Jesus. James emphasizes that how we behave reflects how we feel about God. James was the one who welcomed Paul into the Christian family and he mediated the council sessions described in Acts 15. James had a towering reputatio n in the early church. Being quick to listen\, slow to speak and even slo wer to anger requires humility and sometimes it means letting go of our r ight to be heard. It is in doing the "word" that the blessings are pronou nced. Miriam said moral purity and concern for the poor go hand in hand\; in doing the "word" we receive the blessings as we are forged into God. Encouraging us to be compassionate and merciful\, she called for a return to the prophetic function of the church. What are our prophetic issues a nd where are our prophets? [HN] DTEND:20110612T110000 DTSTAMP:20110612T113035 DTSTART:20110612T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:James (continued) UID:493 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/james-2011-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The Point Grey Ministerial Association collaborated on a worsh ip service in Trimble Park during the Point Grey Fiesta. DTEND:20110619T110000 DTSTAMP:20110619T113036 DTSTART:20110619T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship in the Park UID:494 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/worship-in-the-park-2011 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Neufeld’s experience as a senior led him to offer advice in his fresh look at John 10:1-20\, a familiar passage to all of us. He n oted that every senior needs a reason to get up in the morning\; to pract ice curiosity as long as they can\; and they need a sense of humour “beca use if you don’t laugh\, you have to take medicine.” So John 10 made John curious about the obvious conflict raised for the Pharisees in Jesus’ wo rds. The Pharisees had codified the law for so long that no new knowledge could disturb them\, and the people themselves had lived a long time und er that interpretation of the law - that is\, until this new rabbi came a long with God’s spirit upon him. John noted that the source of the contro versial phrase “I am the good shepherd” (vs 11) came from Ezekiel 34 wher e Ezekiel speaks against the rulers of Israel saying “You shepherds [rule rs] have not strengthened the weak\, you have not bound up the injured\, you have not healed the sick\, you have not sought the lost....” Their ap athetic self-seeking was a rich target for Ezekiel\, who then says on God ’s behalf\, that he [God] would instead strengthen the weak\, bind up the injured\, and heal the sick\, because the rulers had failed to do so. Th e Jews of the day would have known this passage well. When Jesus further says in vs 7 “I am the gate for the sheep”\, the people would have known (a) Jesus was one with Yahweh\, and (b) that God has returned to usurp th e leaders of their power and irresponsibility because they have failed. S o difficult was this thought for people that Jesus had to repeat himself. Third\, Jesus notes in vs. 16 that “I have other sheep...” One can only imagine how the Chosen People would have reacted to the thought of one wo rld\, one flock\, and one shepherd. This went completely against their as sumptions - no wonder they thought him out of his mind. Though these word s seem comfortable to us now\, we should not forget their revolutionary i ntent\, for they apply to us too. We are always invited to undertake a ra dical reexamination of our beliefs and practices. [AP] DTEND:20110626T110000 DTSTAMP:20110626T113036 DTSTART:20110626T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:"He is out of his mind. Why listen to him?" UID:495 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/he-is-out-of-his-mind-why-listen-to-him END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Eriksson began our series on Women of the Bible. As she researched her message\, conversations with other women she knew about “w hat makes a good story?” inspired Laura to see in the story of Ruth and N aomi many reflections of her own experience\, and evoked an inquiry into God’s moving in mysterious ways. Her curiosity is piqued by Ruth’s inclus ion in Jesus’ lineage rom Matthew - how did she\, a Moabite woman\, get i nto Jesus’ background? The four hundred years of the judges were dark day s for Israel\, and the death of Naomi’s husband and two sons made her soj ourn in Moab fleeing famine in Israel\, an unhappy one. Her decision to r eturn home to Israel to Bethlehem\, to be redeemed by family relations an d feel closer to God was sensible. So too was her daughter-in-law Orpah’s decision to remain in Moab. Ruth’s decision\, however is magic\, and rew ards Naomi’s grace and blessing of her daughters-in-law with Ruth’s loyal ty. Did Ruth see in Naomi’s love for her God a blessing for her own life too? We are not told. Her return to her hometown as the barley harvest wa s beginning evoked in Laura of the times of harvest on the farm on which she grew up. Ruth fits right in and contributes to the community\, the ex tended family\; and God and Naomi begin to bring about a future for her. As Boaz’s attention is drawn to Ruth\, his obligation to “redeem” must be properly done\, and celebrated in land and covenant. Thus through Boaz\, a son to Ruth - Obed - became a father to David in the line of Jesus. La ura identified three themes. God’s kindness overshadows our bitterness\, seen in Ruth’s loyalty\, Naomi’s blessing and chesed to her daughters\, a nd in Boaz’s treatment of the foreigner Ruth. Two: A kind of dignity is p resent in distress\, and Laura told stories from her own past about the k indness of strangers giving her dignity. Three: Grief turns into gratitud e. God’s mercy gives us the grace to go on in our grief\, and gives us a chance to redeem our lives in gratitude\, and Laura read from Psalm 116\, which she noted could be Naomi’s Psalm. This great story of redemption a nd grace and chesed rejuvenates our faith in God\, who asks us to do the same. [AP] DTEND:20110703T110000 DTSTAMP:20110703T113036 DTSTART:20110703T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Women of the Bible - Naomi UID:496 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/women-of-the-bible-naomi END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Erin Teichroeb was baptized into faith in our congregation in a moving celebration conducted by Evan Kreider and Erika Hannan\, and com munion was served. DTEND:20110710T110000 DTSTAMP:20110710T113036 DTSTART:20110710T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Baptism UID:497 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/baptism-2011 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Chelle Stearns (Theology Professor) spoke on "The Un-named Wom an" (Matthew 26.6-13)\, the second in our summer series on women in the b ible. It had been a busy week for Jesus\, with the 'triumphal entry' into Jerusalem got things rolling. The morning's s story took place while Jes us and students were being hosted at the house of "Simon the leper"\, who is otherwise unknown to us. Chelle approached the story through a painti ng by "Arcabas" (Jean-Marie Pirot) who has been working primarily in Sain t-Hugues-de-Chartreuse but also in Ottawa. His paintings are often inspir ed by biblical stories\, as is true for "L'Onction de Nard" ('The Nard Oi ntment'\, but Catholics would also read "extreme-onction" into the title\ , as in Last Rites). In this work we see the faces of Jesus and the woman at the moment at which she is pouring out the costly nard perfume (from the Himalayas) on the head of Jesus. Jesus is portrayed as accepting this unusual gesture or "anointing". The woman is shown wearing the garb of a n early-20th-c. nun\, suggesting that she is declaring herself to be celi bate\, possibly (like nuns) being 'married' instead to Christ\, and that the very expensive perfume represented the marriage dowry which she was f orgoing in order to work with the poor (an interpretation added by later tradition). Her otherwise ridiculous act is portrayed by the gospel write r as being a prophetic anointing which proclaims the Jesus is the Messiah \, something she was possibly led to do by the Holy Spirit. We\, too\, ar e called to be like this woman and name Jesus. [JEK] DTEND:20110717T110000 DTSTAMP:20110717T113036 DTSTART:20110717T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Women of the Bible - The woman who anointed Jesus UID:498 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/women-of-the-bible-the-woman-who-anointed-je sus END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera continued our summer series on Women in the Bible by speaking on Joshua chapters 2 and 6 which tell the fascinating story of "Rahab the prostitute". Moses had recently passed away and Joshua had emerged as the new military strategist. He decided that his first conques t would be the fortified city of Jericho. Rahab openly ran a brothel/inn\ , possibly as its madame\, possibly as a retired former concubine of the king\, and possibly because her family had rejected her and would not sup port her. She most certainly was not merely your ordinary inn keeper. She lived "in" the city's wall\, which placed her on the edge of Jericho's s ociety\, protected yet vulnerable as a prostitute. We surmise that she wa s wealthy because she had enough flax drying on her roof to hide grown me n from the king's police investigation. Hers is a story of deception\, wh ich was considered acceptable in war then\, as now. Yet her story is also one of an emerging faith in this Yahweh\, whose followers were enjoying unusual success. The writer of The Book of Judges concluded that Rahab wa s saved physically because of her open expressions of faith\, and notes t hat she saved all of her family (even if they likely had possibly not hel ped her because of her work) and that she saved all of the working women in her establishment. Rahab through her daughter-in-law Ruth\, became the great grandmother of King David\, and therefore an ancestor of Jesus. [J EK] DTEND:20110724T110000 DTSTAMP:20110724T113036 DTSTART:20110724T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Women of the Bible - Rahab UID:499 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/women-of-the-bible-rahab END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We were delighted to have Walter and Janet Bergen with us agai n\, members from our very earliest days 25 years ago. Walter continued ou r summer series of talks on women in the bible by recalling the stories a bout Hagar (Genesis 16 and 21). Abraham obtained the slave girl he called "Hagar" during one of his visit to Egypt. Sarah and Abraham are portraye d as believing God's promise that they would conceive a son\, but as time passed\, they took matters into their own hands by using Hagar the slave -girl as a concubine [she is called "wife" in Genesis 16.3\, but still re ferred to as "your slave-girl" three verses later\; concubines could be u sed as surrogate wombs and their children could be fully adopted if the m aster so decided]. However\, Hagar's success as a surrogate womb only mad e matters more difficult\, for Hagar is not portrayed as being loved or r ewarded by either Abraham or Sarah\, nor as loving in return. She had mer ely been a tool to be used for their purposes. Hagar and Ishmael were une xpectedly expelled from the protection and support of the camp--against a ll local customs and practices--and left to die\, being somehow sustained by God. Walter portrayed Hagar's life as a story of sexual abuse\, of tr eating a woman as an object rather than someone to be respected\, and of a woman being discarded when she was no longer useful to the 'real' famil y. How would the story have differed if either Abraham or Sarah had ever shown love to Hagar? This sordid tale shows "Father Abraham" and Sarah as spiritual and ethical failures before they finally developed into people of faith. Are there any Sarahs in our lives\, any Abrahams who need to b e guided\, or any Hagars or Ishmaels needing love and protection? [JEK] DTEND:20110731T110000 DTSTAMP:20110731T113036 DTSTART:20110731T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Women of the Bible - Hagar UID:500 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/women-of-the-bible-hagar END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld continued our summer's series on Women in the Bi ble by talking on Puah and Shiphrah (who?) As midwives to the Israelites in Egypt (Exodus 1.5-2.8)\, these gals were ordered to control the Jewish population by killing all the newborn males. While this bizzare strategy would hardly have curtailed the population\, it does follow the genre of story in which a powerful personality attempts to stave off rivalry by k illing off babies of the ruler's sex (e.g.\, Herod). In this particular s tory\, the baby Moses was hidden in a special basket\, rescued by one of Pharaoh's daughters\, and nursed by his very own mother. Puah and Shiphra h defied national law\, possibly committing the first act of civil disobe dience recorded in scripture [Jesus later broke the law by breaking the f ederal seal on his tomb when rising from death]. This civil disobedience made the eventual Exodus possible. These two women are still honoured by some Jews today. So this is a story about subversive women--Puah and Ship hrah\, also a story about the subversive actions of the mother of Moses a nd her daughter\, to say nothing of Pharaoh's daughter. Each of these wom en used 'creative thinking'\, sometimes lying\, in order to oppose unethi cal laws. Thoreau once argued that Christians should not allow government s to alter their consciences. Where are the Puahs and Shiphrahs today? Fo r example\, why did none of our churches speak out against the war in the last election? [JEK] DTEND:20110807T110000 DTSTAMP:20110807T113037 DTSTART:20110807T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Women of the Bible - Puah and Shiprah UID:501 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/women-of-the-bible-puah-and-shiprah END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Regent student Lydia Cruttwell focused on Luke’s brief account of the well known Mary/Martha story: two single women living with their brother. Drawing on her experience working in a bakery\, Lydia talked abo ut the amount of work involved in meal preparation. Even if Martha wanted to prepare a simply meal\, the complexities at the time were enormous co mpared to our day: no refrigeration meant meat had to be freshly slaughte red\, no yeast\, and wheat had to be ground before baking bread. Martha\, steeped in expectations to be good hostess\, chose to welcome Jesus and his disciples. Martha publicly shames her sister in front of her guests. Jesus sweeps away her concerns and says Mary made the right choice. “If I were Martha I’d be angry\,” said Lydia. Lydia then posed three questions about the story: Who is the host? Who is the guest? What is being served ? When Jesus comes\, he welcomes us – he is the host. Mary found this tru th\; Martha could not see beyond the literal food. If we pay attention to the guests we’ll begin to see Christ. (HN) DTEND:20110814T110000 DTSTAMP:20110814T113037 DTSTART:20110814T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Women of the Bible - Mary & Martha UID:502 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/women-of-the-bible-mary-martha END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A visit to Janice Kreider’s by idealistic students excited abo ut food security led her to contemplate the perils to our food supply\, f rom ‘food deserts’ in major cities to radiation contamination. Noting tha t we’re never too far from hunger in our carefully-balanced society\, we take food for granted where our ancestors fleeing Europe and Russia could n’t afford to. In the time of Judges and early kings of Israel\, awarenes s of hunger was acute\, and proxy confrontations between Baal and the God of all things formed the foundation of the story of Elijah and the Widow of Arephath. During a drought and famine like today’s in Africa\, Elijah ’s needs were supplied by God - first by the ravens\, and then by the wid ow whose inexhaustible store of basic foodstuffs never dried up\, and las t by the raising of her son from the dead - leading the widow to a perhap s-tentative faith in the God of all things. Of this (and other) Biblical miracles\, Wendell Berry wrote “I don’t think it’s enough appreciated how much an outdoor book the Bible is. It is best read and understood outdoo rs... Passages that\, within walls seem improbably or incredible\, seem o utdoors [to be] merely natural.” Janice raised a number of points to cons ider as we ponder the precariousness of our existence. In famine\, the co mmunity failed to care for the widow\, but God cared when Baal could not. How will our own society meet the same evil? Will we learn the same less on of salvation through faithfulness? Such evil has consequences that ric ochet for decades longer than we expect\, and in the past\, the church ha s often proved itself inadequate to meet the test of faithfulness. What w ill be different next time? Will we act consonant with “The Word of The L ord”\, risk what the widow risked in trusting a God most of us know no be tter than she did\, or will we sell our souls to avarice and look out onl y for our own? The opportunity is here every day\, right now\; if we forg et\, Jesus encourages us to remind ourselves\, as Janice did\, with commu nal prayer from Matthew 6\; “Our Father\, who art in heaven... give us th is day our bread for tomorrow...” [AP] DTEND:20110821T110000 DTSTAMP:20110821T113037 DTSTART:20110821T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Women of the Bible - The Widow of Zarephath UID:503 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/women-of-the-bible-the-widow-of-zarephath END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jo White (Regent College graduate from New Zealand) spoke on t wo seemingly unrelated texts\, John 20.1-18 and Song of Songs 3.1-5. Mary Magdalene was deeply involved with Jesus' life as one of his followers ( possibly even traveling with the group)\, a witness to his death\, burial and resurrection\, and most likely as a financial and logistical support er. Her nickname was Magdala\, or "watchtower"\, and she certainly did ke ep watch over Jesus\, with the gospels repeatedly recording her watchfuln ess and citing her first in lists of women. The Song of Songs\, by contra st\, is a book of erotic poetry which has been interpreted in a wide vari ety of ways over the centuries. In addition to eroticism\, it explores th emes of yearning and longing\, loss and searching\, discovery and joy. Jo suggests that the writer of the Gospel according to John possibly follow ed the literary model in the Song of Songs when writing the 20th chapter. In scripture\, gardens are a motif for meeting and for intimacy\; both s tories are set in a garden\, both have a woman searching\, both women fou nd watchmen/angels instead of the beloved\, and both finally found the be loved. But then the stories purposefully diverge. Mary M. names Jesus as "teacher" (rather than "beloved")\, she is not allowed to embrace Jesus ( unlike her counterpart in the Song of Songs)\, and she is told to talk to the disciples (rather than to the daughters of Jerusalem). Jo then asked us\, whom are we seeking? Who is seeking you? Are you a watchtower? [JEK ] DTEND:20110828T110000 DTSTAMP:20110828T113037 DTSTART:20110828T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Women of the Bible - Mary and the woman lover in Song of Songs UID:504 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/women-of-the-bible-mary-and-the-woman-lover- in-song-of-songs END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andre Pekovich concluded the summer's series of sermons on Wom en in the Bible with one story about the prophet Deborah (Judges 4.1-16). Deborah was yet another woman viewed as a paradigm of faithfulness in Ju dges (whereas some male judges were seriously flawed\, such as Samson). D eborah held court under her palm tree\, from which she gave her judgments \, thereby helping to keep the peace within Israel. When the time was pro pitious for Israel's 12 tribes to challenge King Jabin in battle\, she su mmoned warriors from the 12 tribes to gather under the military leadershi p of Barak (who agreed to take on this risky venture only if Deborah came along). Only 6 tribes sent soldiers\, so the army was less substantial t han hoped. King Jabin sent his General Sisera to subdue Israel's disorgan ized men\, providing them superior weapons\, including chariots made of i ron (not just wood). The military odds were against the Jews\, but an une xpected blinding rain and ensuing flash flood mired the heavy chariots in mud\, Baal (their god of storms) had let them down\, and the army fled i n disorder. General Sisera fled on foot\, not to Heber\, but rather Heber 's wife Jael (Heber worshiped local gods but Jael still feared Yahweh). J ael provided Sisera a place to sleep in her tent\, but then drove a tent peg through his temples. Andre then spoke on a second woman\, Pilate's un named wife (Matthew 27.19) who frequently traveled with Pilate and served as his political adviser. When Jesus was brought before Pilate\, his wif e most unexpectedly sent him an urgent message\, advising that he free Je sus because she felt he was innocent. This sage advice was ignored\, and the consequences were considerable. Although this series has now conclude d\, there are still more than 100 women cited in the bible for their cont ributions to the development of Jewish culture\, nationhood\, and religio us development\, both in the Old Testament and New. The ministry of Jesus was unthinkable without the logistical and financial support of women wh o remained\, as society then dictated\, in the background. Historians now understand that the early church surely would have ceased to exist had w omen not championed the new religion. [JEK] DTEND:20110904T110000 DTSTAMP:20110904T113037 DTSTART:20110904T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Women of the Bible - Conclusion UID:505 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/women-of-the-bible-conclusion END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider spoke on the Romans 14 text about those “weak in the faith\,” noting that all religious groups have someone who fits this category. Paul uses the example of not eating meat to discuss Christian b ehaviour and sin. The key point is not to judge: we are servants of God a nd of one another\; it is God who will do the judging. Paul stresses thin king things through carefully and respecting others: debate the idea\, do n’t judge the person. As the new student community is being formed at MSC \, there will be differing points of view on issues like money\, sexualit y\, etc. It is important to listen to other points of view\, and sometime s to agree to disagree. Issues (like gender orientation) tear churches an d conferences apart\; in Paul’s day it was the meat-eating issue. Eating non-kosher meat was elevated to the realm of sin. The meat/circumcision i ssues were brought to the Jerusalem council – both sides thought they wer e right – and there was no middle ground. They agreed to disagree and to not divide the church. Evan noted that our understanding of human behavio ur has changed - 200 years ago slavery was accepted by many churches. Chu rch leaders do not have good record when judging others. The body of Chri st is a living organism that demands diversity\, love and unity. Strong b elievers are those open to discussion\, willing to discuss differing poin ts of view\, and to keep the discussion going. Fundamentalists are convin ced there is nothing to discuss. We need to practice listening to other p oints of view and to take off our judge’s robes and leave them at the cro ss. (HN) DTEND:20110911T110000 DTSTAMP:20110911T114837 DTSTART:20110911T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Weak in the Faith UID:506 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/lectionary-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert’s message opened with Jonah despairing his failu re as a prophet\, resenting God’s mercy and ignoring God’s dominion over creation\, as paralleled in Psalm 145. Kevin led us through the stories o f scientists and mathematicians whose explorations of creation and faith informed later philosophers. Although the Aristotelian world-view of the Sun revolving around the earth seemed to harmonize nicely with Scriptural accounts\, this geocentric model wasn’t consistent with motion of the he avens to Copernicus\, whose heliocentric cosmology was confirmed by new e vidence from Galileo’s telescopic observations. The Church had elevated i ts literal interpretations of natural phenomenon in Scripture to the same level as core doctrine and branded Galileo a heretic\, but Pope John Pau l II would later praise Galileo for not accepting a contradiction between science and faith: “both come from the same Source and are to be brought into relationship with the first Truth.”\n\nAlbert Einstein appreciated the mysteries of creation while subscribing to a view of God closest to t hat of Spinoza\, a 17th Century Dutch philosopher who believed that creat ion exists in God as a subset of His infinite attributes. While Einstein is famously quoted as saying\, “science without religion is lame\; religi on without science is blind”\, he always maintained humility about his th eology\, corresponding to the weakness of our understanding of nature and the human condition.\n\nThe difficulty of reconciling scientific discove ries with Christian theology also challenged Georg Cantor\, a mathematici an whose writings in the 1880s on infinity and set theory inspired Benoit Mandelbrot\, a recently deceased mathematician best known for his work s ince the 1980s on fractal geometry in fields as diverse as biology\, econ omics and climatology. Kevin described how Mandelbrot’s work has been use d in Theosophy\, a combination of theology & philosophy which attempts to reconcile scientific and religious disciplines. A mesmerizing video of M ichael Hogg’s deep zoom into the never-ending Mandelbrot set illustrated Kevin’s point that our search for knowledge doesn’t have to preclude our search for God\, such as when physicists search for the Higgs boson\, als o known as the “the God particle”. [AP & KH] DTEND:20110918T110000 DTSTAMP:20110918T114837 DTSTART:20110918T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Faith of Scientists: Mandelbrot\, Einstein\, & more UID:507 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-faith-of-scientists-mandelbrot-einstein- more END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our 25th anniversary service featured several reflections: one on the past of PGIMF and its founding members as seen through the minute s of an old congregational meeting read by Ed Hintz\, a second from Don T eichroeb on the distinctives of our congregation in the present\; a third from Jonathan Ehling\, detailing the attractiveness this congregation ho lds for those seeking a future with God\, and a fourth from Jim Neudorf\, whose work with this congregation goes back very nearly to the beginning when he and Grace arrived from Edmonton\, looking for a new church that would stand up to the rigorous inquiry he found at university in a survey course on Christianity. Jim realized his Bible-School education was inad equate to the task of explaining the many contradictions and questions th e survey course had left him\, and gently\, through service to the church \, relationship with its members\, and studying and speaking to the congr egation\, he worked out a useful theology of living for himself. This ext ended his abilities to serve in two other churches in Squamish where he n ow lives\, and with several examples from scripture\, extended the same i nvitation to us to take the risk and follow a radical theology of living as God directs. [AP] DTEND:20110925T110000 DTSTAMP:20110925T114837 DTSTART:20110925T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:For Such a Time as This UID:508 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/for-such-a-time-as-this END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:To review the history of Faith surely requires more than a sin gle talk\, so Karl Brown presented his first in his series on October 2nd \, based on the lectionary texts for that day. Karl's opening premise is that you can only have faith in something you cannot prove to be true. Ac cording to the earliest legends in Genesis and Exodus\, at least some Jew s felt that they could indeed prove that God existed\, therefore\, they d id not really need to have faith that there was a God\, and instead only had to focus on following that God's ways. Those people are recorded as h aving heard God's voice\, feeling God's presence being manifested by clou d and fire\, manna\, and improbable victories. But as time passed\, so di d these very personal and direct manifestations\, and Faith entered a new phase. By the time of St Paul\, religious fanatics not only had to have faith that this elusive and silent God existed\, but also that an utterly strict observance of ritualistic actions effectively curried favour with this elusive God. Paul followed that life journey for years before concl uding that ritualistic purity and actions were no longer desired by this God\, but instead\, one must simply have faith in God\, and act according ly. Jesus had already been developing this theory\, synthesizing all the Jewish religious rituals\, commandments and commentary to just two statem ents for the believer: Love God as much as is possible for you\, and love your neighbour. Pascal viewed faith rather differently\, as a way of hed ging his bets. He argued that one is better off believing there is a God (even if this turns out to be incorrect) than in believing there is no Go d (and finding out upon death that you are dead wrong and have no further options). All of this (and more) led to a lively time of discussion and a most enjoyable gathering around coffee. [JEK] DTEND:20111002T110000 DTSTAMP:20111002T114837 DTSTART:20111002T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Faith\, the Ageless Commodity UID:509 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/faith-the-ageless-commodity END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of readings and singing was held for Thanksgiving.   There was no recording of the service posted. DTEND:20111009T110000 DTSTAMP:20111009T114838 DTSTART:20111009T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving liturgical service UID:510 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thanksgiving-liturgical-service-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Throughout her teaching and work concerning domestic violence in society and in the church\, Elsie Goerzen (MCC-BC and CBI) has drawn i nspiration from the life and teaching of Jesus\, especially from how he r elated to women and the marginalized in his society. On Oct. 16th\, Elsie focused on the story (Luke 13.10-17) about "the woman bent over" -- crip pled and essentially a voiceless outcast. In synagogues\, women sat behin d screens during worship (so they did not 'bother' men)\, and they were t o be silent. When out of the home\, a woman was to be accompanied (thereb y protecting the honour of her husband)\, and any man wishing to talk to her was to speak through her chaperone. Touching was out of the question. In Luke 13\, an unnamed but crippled woman attended synagogue\, possibly knowing Jesus would be there. At one point\, Jesus began breaking one ta boo after another. He called directly to the woman (not through someone e lse)\, contacting her over the dividing screen. He healed her\, right the n and there\, on the Sabbath. She then broke the rules by praising God (r ather than being silent). Today\, too many women in church and society ar e marginalized by rules\, social practices and legal practices which can be used against the poor (including women). Elsie reminded us that we hav e the opportunity to be like Jesus\, or we can live with 'screens' in our lives. St Paul challenged believers to overturn the traditional prayer o f male Jews (giving thanks he is not a Gentile\, not a slave\, and not a woman). Paul followed Jesus by arguing that in Christ there is neither Je w nor Greek\, slave nor free\, male nor female. Easy words? [JEK] DTEND:20111016T110000 DTSTAMP:20111016T114838 DTSTART:20111016T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Woman Bent Over UID:511 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-woman-bent-over END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dave Diewert spoke about Jesus’ journey toward Jerusalem as hi s followers anticipated the setting up of a new kingdom. Along the way Je sus encountered Zacchaeus\, dined with the tax collector\, and paid atten tion to the weak\, the ill and those with little social status. Zacchaeus \, (a collaborator with the Roman rulers) as a result of Jesus visit\, co mmitted himself to justice. “That’s what conversion looks like for those with imperial power\,” said Dave. The parable of the talents is told as t hey leave Zacchaeus’ home. The nobleman gave his servants money and went away to solidify his hold on power to much fear among the citizenry. On h is return\, he calls the servants to account for what they did with the m oney\, and praises the first two. The third servant exposes the corrupt m aster\, saying he’s a harsh and austere master who demands to reap what h e did not sow. This servant exposes the master’s style of operation and r efuses to play the game of abusive power. The master is not impressed\, t akes the money from the servant and gives it to the first servant. This i s not about fairness\, it’s about extending the master’s power. This para ble is about power and shows how dissent is dealt with. In Jesus new king dom Jesus is the victim\, not the ruler. Salvation means defection from p ower\; defection is possible but costly. We need to realize we are embedd ed in the systems of our kingdoms. The current Wall Street protests seek a redistribution of wealth\, something Jesus called for. How do we embody a life of dissent? [HN] DTEND:20111023T110000 DTSTAMP:20111023T114838 DTSTART:20111023T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Cost of Dissent: Injustice and Empire UID:512 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-cost-of-dissent-injustice-and-empire END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Reformation Sunday\, Dr. Charles Paris (former Roman Cathol ic priest\, theologian and teacher) reflected on ways in which Catholicis m has changed during the five centuries following the Reformation. Last m onth\, Pope Benedict XVI did the unthinkable by delivering a major addres s in the Chapter Hall of Martin Luther's former Augustinian monastery in Erfurt. Not one to mince words\, a very frustrated Luther repeatedly call ed the papacy "asses" in 1531. Were he alive today\, one might imagine Lu ther congratulating the papacy and calling the Pope his brother in Christ \, for things have indeed changed\, on both sides. Pope Benedict noted th at\, for Luther\, theology was a struggle with God\, and this struggle le d him to find Christ. Pope Benedict then praised Luther\, saying that his whole theology was centered on Christ\, and that Luther had pointed out how Catholicism had strayed from the bible. Both the Reformation and Coun ter Reformation were primarily focused on what divided Christians\, but n ow we are starting to appreciate all that unifies us. [While Pope Benedic t praised Luther for his reforms\, some at PGIMF praised Charlie for demo nstrating another church reform--the 10 minute sermon. We then had ample time for a wonderful 20 minutes of lively discussion. [JEK] DTEND:20111030T110000 DTSTAMP:20111030T114838 DTSTART:20111030T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Luther's influence UID:513 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/luthers-influence END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Michael Thomas spoke on Living the Stories\, the memory of liv ing and faith. The Book of Proverbs shows enormous respect to old people for their life wisdom they can pass to the next generation. Today's gener ation prefers to avoid attentive listening to the endlessly-repeated stor ies told by our old people. By contrast\, the Book of Exodus orders the J ews to "tell the story"\, to keep it alive from one generation to the nex t. Since each generation inherits both the good and the bad from the earl ier generation\, we cannot understand ourselves if we do not know our anc estors' stories. The stories Jesus told were actually teaching tools\, no t simply entertainment. His story (Lectionary\, Matt. 25.1-13) about the wise and foolish virgins reminds us that we have only one life to live\, and we had better 'get it right' this time (there is no next time). Durin g discussion\, Michael added that singing hymns is essentially an act of collective memory as we review songs which were written learned\, sung (m emorized) generations before ours\, and will exist long after our demise. Singing these songs is like ancestors telling stories\, passing on the f aith of our spiritual ancestors to the next generation. [JEK] DTEND:20111106T110000 DTSTAMP:20111106T114838 DTSTART:20111106T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Living the Story: The role of memory and hope in the life of fai th UID:514 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/living-the-story-the-role-of-memory-and-hope -in-the-life-of-faith END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Last Sunday On November 13th\, Char Siemens (principal of a mi ddle school in Abbotsford and former MCC worker) reported that while she was handing out candy to about 80 children on Halloween\, a man entered a Catholic church in Bagdad\, held a gun to the priest during a service\, and killed 40 believers\, some of whom were friends of her former student s. Char had been accepted to teach ESL in the St. Peter Chaldean Seminary (Catholic) in Ankawa (northern Iraq) for 6 weeks. Now that half of the C hristians have fled Iraq (going to Syria\, Detroit\, Toronto\, etc.)\, on ly about 3-4% of Iraq are Christians. Char joined the seminarians for the ir daily morning and evening prayers\, which she enjoyed as bookends to h er 10-hour teaching days. Our media suggests that Iraq is populated with terrorists\, but while she was in Iraq\, Char learned far more about livi ng a life of peace than about war. It is true that priests have been assa ssinated\, but new young recruits immediately volunteer to train to take their places. Almost nobody expects things to get better\, but one man to ld her that rather than giving up\, he decided to do something - become a priest. Like so many before her\, Char felt that she gained far more fro m her students in Iraq than she was able to give\, for they are a very ge nerous people. [JEK]\n\nThere was no recording of the service. DTEND:20111113T110000 DTSTAMP:20111113T114838 DTSTART:20111113T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:On resisting violence and peace-making UID:515 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/on-resisting-violence-and-peace-making END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Klassen (ex-Trinity Professor of Church History) drew ins piration from the lectionary texts Ezekiel 34\, Matthew 25 and Ephesians 1 to characterize our lives as goats and sheep. John noted that these tex ts primarily dealt with our treatment of the poor\, and drew strongly the link to Adam and Eve’s original fall from the garden in search of knowle dge. John noted the poor often receive ill-treatment as “You pushed with flank and shoulder and butted the weak animals with your horns.” (Ez 34:2 1)\, but God Herself succors the poor by “welcoming the stranger” in that well-known passage from Matthew 25:31-46. John then broke from scripture and drew an important distinction between speaking scripture and speakin g about scripture\, and noted these are intimately tied up with works. Th ough grace is sufficient\, the texts also call us to works\, as do the po or everywhere around us\, and John made special note of the Occupy moveme nt as being worthy of help. John asked “how then are we to live?” He note d the moral system God created to help the poor is one rite of salvation\ , and drew on his experience in Pax in the 1960s as a guide to his emergi ng faith. Though societies have used force to enforce a just society\, Go d entreats us with mercy to follow his path\, and offers his empathy with our suffering by reminding us of the sacrifice of his Son to encourage u s to return to the Garden. In the Ephesians passage\, Paul notes we were given “the inward eye” to see the love God has for us. Let us look\, not with the knowledge that comes of learning\, but with the inward eye. [AP] DTEND:20111120T110000 DTSTAMP:20111120T114838 DTSTART:20111120T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Sheep of Christ UID:516 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-sheep-of-christ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The congregation sang excerpts of Handel's Messiah. DTEND:20111127T110000 DTSTAMP:20111127T114838 DTSTART:20111127T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:517 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah-7 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Santosh Ninan (Regent graduate\, former pastor\, active speake r and writer\, and presently a stay-at-home-Dad) spoke on "Love which sur passes all knowledge". During his years in prison\, Paul had ample time t o reflect\, pray and write. During those times of confinement\, he became particularly concerned that the new Christians in Ephesis be somehow cor porately grounded in love\, even as they faced brokenness in their person al and corporate lives. Every modern family\, of course\, carries it secr ets\, hurts and concerns\, and too often individuals then construct prote ctive barriers which distance them even from people they ostensibly love. At times\, Santosh suggested\, these mental barriers can unthinkingly be carried over into our relationship with God. Knowing this\, Paul prayed that the Ephesians could both grasp and somehow know the love of God\, a love that 'surpasses knowledge'. Santosh dramatically contrasted believer s having a theoretical knowledge about God as opposed to them actually ex periencing God's love: Think of the contrasts between meeting someone onl ine via eHarmony and meeting them in person--two entirely different thing s. Santosh then made three suggestions: (1) Take an honest emotional audi t on how well you receive love and accept forgiveness\, (2) Spend time wi th God in quiet prayer and fasting\, and (3) Dare to seek to create close 'soul friends'. A recent survey conducted by the Vancouver Foundation id entified "isolation" as the number one concern for Vancouverites. Paul di rectly addressed this concern in his letter to the Ephesians. [JEK] DTEND:20111204T110000 DTSTAMP:20111204T114839 DTSTART:20111204T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Love that Surpasses Knowledge UID:519 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-love-that-surpasses-knowledge END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the Third Sunday of Advent\, Karl Brown gave the second in his series of talks on faith. For Christians\, faith concerns our belief in God and in salvation from sin. This is so important that in order to j oin most congregations\, one must both profess having faith and have been living a life in which faith has somehow been in evidence. With December being the season for aggressive marketing\, Karl asked us to reflect on whether marketing has ever been applied by Christians to promoting someth ing as important\, and yet as elusive as faith (e.g.\, tent revival campa igns\, televangelism). Marketing seeks to send a message\, often by telli ng/showing a story or scenario which is in tune with the targeted audienc e's s world view. In today's gospel lectionary (John 1.6-)\, John the Bap tist was successful at promoting/marketing his faith views because what h e had to say so perfectly fit the world view of many of his Jewish listen ers\, and because they sensed that he was trying to live according to his professed faith. His was the kind of faith they found possibly attractiv e for their daily living and present political dilemma. Does our society know about our faith enough to consider whether that kind of faith might be applicable to daily living and to society's pressing concerns? [JEK] DTEND:20111211T110000 DTSTAMP:20111211T114839 DTSTART:20111211T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Love Which Surpasses All Knowledge UID:520 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-love-which-surpasses-all-knowledge END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of readings and singing was held on the fourth Adven t. DTEND:20111218T110000 DTSTAMP:20111218T114839 DTSTART:20111218T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Service of Carols and Songs UID:521 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2011-12-18-service-of-carols-and-songs END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:No service was held on Christmas Day.\nThere was no bulletin o r audio recording DTEND:20111225T110000 DTSTAMP:20111225T044839 DTSTART:20111225T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:No Service Today UID:522 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/no-service-today-5 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Hauer was once told of someone who prayed for forgiveness duri ng prayer time in church\, only to have the pastor tell him afterward tha t he was not forgiven. The pastor pointed out that the person first had t o offer reparations and try to undo the wrong\, even if the cost might be enormous. We often realize that we need to ask someone for forgiveness\, yet we seldom ask\; in fact\, it is something that would be very difficu lty to do\, and we may not even have any models to follow since the askin g is a private matter rather than public. The book\, "Amish Grace" told o f the Amish forgiving the man who murdered their school children\, but so meone in their community of faith noted that it is easier to forgive an o utsider than to forgive a friend. Forgiveness and reparation are closely linked in scripture\, yet this is seldom taught in evangelical circles. I nstead\, we hope that our offering but one sentence will somehow cover al l the ongoing hurt we have caused someone. After the talk\, some interest ing questions were asked. How do forgiveness and reparation interrelate w ith grace? Is forgiveness like scar tissue--still there but having life u nder the scar tissue? Do Catholics feel forgiven if they only go to confe ssion rather than to the hurt individual? When are we forgiven? [JEK] DTEND:20120101T110000 DTSTAMP:20120101T113039 DTSTART:20120101T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Forgiveness\, Mercy and Compassion UID:523 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/forgiveness-mercy-and-compassion END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Don Teichroeb spoke on the Old Testament lectionary reading\, Genesis 1.1-5 (and John 1.1-5). This wonderful creation story\, however i nterpreted\, places God at the center of everything. But that is where ag reement often stops. Over the centuries\, and increasingly so as our era approaches\, there have been widespread debates about Genesis 1 and scien ce generally. Francis Collins discusses this in some detail in his book\, The Language of God. For centuries\, people assumed the earth was flat\, likely square with four corners\, and that the heavens revolved around t he earth\, for that was what people could observe throughout the years. B ut when this understanding was challenged\, people of faith did not under stand\, and lashed out\, fearing that the very pillars of faith were bein g denied. When Galileo's telescope revealed that four moons circled aroun d Jupiter and not the earth\, again many Christians were aggressively def ensive\, largely because of misunderstandings and inadequate assumptions. Don then asked\, "How will we be judged by history concerning things we believe about the world\, largely because we ??do not yet understand?" Au gustine argued that God is outside the boundaries of time\, a view that i s too often forgotten. The poetic account in Genesis says\, so very wonde rfully\, "In the beginning"\, but we no longer even know whether there ev er was a beginning\, or what there was before there was a beginning! When did space appear? No matter where we turn\, all known theories seem to r equire assumptions (faith). During discussion it was noted that the less we understand things\, the more we speak about them with unshakable convi ction\, whereas\, in all of this talk\, we ought to see ourselves standin g in the center of these questions--in awe and wonder. And someone once s aid\, "I am not here to answer questions\, only to arouse curiosity." [JE K] DTEND:20120108T110000 DTSTAMP:20120108T113039 DTSTART:20120108T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:In the Beginning... UID:524 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/in-the-beginning END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Eriksson focused on God’s call to Samuel and on Jesus ca ll to Nathaniel. Using the image of a film\, Laura noted that a call come s in the context of a person’s life\, and sometimes we need to rewind the film to get the whole picture\; a film has many frames. Samuel\, a child living out his mother’s promise\, is called by God at a time when ”the w ord of the Lord was rare.” The child ?Samuel is called to bring a harsh m essage to his mentor\, Eli. In Jesus time Nathaniel was skeptical about P hilip’s claim to have found the one of whom the prophets wrote. Philip to ld Nathaniel to “come and see.” Jesus said he saw Nathaniel “under the fi g tree” – a Jewish figure of speech – meaning he was studying the Torah. Samuel and Nathaniel are invited to participate in the work of God. Samue l and Nathaniel teach us to test the call\, to make time to listen. We ne ed each other to look through the lens of faith. Sometimes God’s call get s drowned out by the white noise around us. (HN) DTEND:20120115T110000 DTSTAMP:20120115T113040 DTSTART:20120115T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Call in the Cosmos UID:525 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-call-in-the-cosmos END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider noted that missionary work often brought a colo nial mentality and culture along with the gospel. Missionary/anthropologi st Jacob Loewen in Educating Tiger described three mission models: short term witnesses\, replicating a missionary’s religion and culture\, and a catalyst strategy. The latter strategy assumes God already at work and th e missional approach is to develop “that of God” in a particular context\ , meaning the missionary’s role is less culturally bound. Janice cited se veral examples of the catalyst approach. In looking at some rather string ent statements Paul gave to the Corinthians\, she noted that these are no t hard and fast rules\, but guidelines which can be understood better wit h fresh interpretations. For instance “those who buy as if they had no po ssessions” is better understood as ”don’t get engrossed in things.” Janic e reminded us of Frederick Buechner’s comment that ‘vocation’ is where yo ur deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet. (HN) DTEND:20120122T110000 DTSTAMP:20120122T113040 DTSTART:20120122T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Paul's Five guidelines UID:526 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pauls-five-guidelines END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Connie Siedler (former resident of the Menno Simons Centre and theology student at Regent) spoke on the woman healed of bleeding (Mark 5). Over a period of 12 years\, she has spent all her resources seeking h ealing. During that time\, she had been forced to undergo interminable wa iting\, and a 'winter' emotionally. However\, waiting is not passive\, it is actually an activity. It may appear to others that little is happenin g\, but a lot can be happening inside as we learn to face difficulties an d even inner darkness. Although God may seem distant\, God is always pres ent. Scripture cites many individuals forced to wait: Job\, Abraham and S arah\, David (anointed years before being acclaimed king). The Old Testam ent lectionary text told of Hannah (1 Samuel 1) suffering inner anguish\, a 'winter of her soul'\, as she waited. 'Winter' is a time of waiting. E ven so\, winter offers gifts to us. We can get to know who we are as we f ace difficulties in ourselves in new ways\, and we may discover that fait h grows best in winter\, even in seasons of pain. Every winter has the pr omise of spring. [JEK] DTEND:20120129T110000 DTSTAMP:20120129T113040 DTSTART:20120129T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spiritual seasons - winter UID:527 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/spiritual-seasons-winter END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider spoke about the sensual poetry of the Song of Sol omon. This book\, written either by\, for\, or about Solomon\, has been a challenge to scholars for centuries. It has been viewed allegorically (d escribing God’s love for his people)\, as a wedding song\, a mortuary hym n (love is stronger than death)\, and as secular love poetry of a king se eking to woo a young farm girl. Some see the account of the girl in the s ong as a prototype of the virgin Mary and “breasts” represent the new tea chings of Christ. Evan suggested that the song points out that love – inc luding sexual love - is a wonderful gift from God and it’s okay to talk a bout it. The song celebrates lovers coming together and articulates the a nguish of being apart. In the discussion it was noted that as readers we bring meaning to the text and often project onto the text what we want it to say. The song celebrates love and the ecstasy of intimacy. (HN) DTEND:20120205T110000 DTSTAMP:20120205T113040 DTSTART:20120205T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Song of Solomon UID:528 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/song-of-solomon-2012 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jon Nofziger showed us a number of photos--light coming into a dark room through a crack\, a flower blooming in a harsh desert\, a tiny urban garden planted on a pile of rubble in Haiti\, a Jew who received a heart transplanted from a generous Palestinian donor. We have our own de sert blossoms in our time's of crisis\, reminding us that God's purposes can shine forth at all times. Naaman (2 Kings 5) was at the height of his military and political career when his self-image was ruined by a distas teful skin disease\, meaning that he no longer 'looked the part'. An unna med Jewish slave girl was a flower in his desert\, offering him hope of a cure. Naaman was slighted when the prophet did come to see him\; do we t hink God must personally look after us according to our expectations? Naa man tried to purchase healing\; a black criminal market supplies human or gans world-wide as transplants\, no questions asked\; do Christians with resources expect to receive better health care than others? Naaman was no t healed by faith alone but had to act. How do we experience of the reali ty of God in our lives\, light entering in cracks in the darkness of our lives? [JEK] DTEND:20120212T110000 DTSTAMP:20120212T113040 DTSTART:20120212T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Looking for Cracks UID:529 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/looking-for-cracks END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The Gospel of Mark is self-described as being about 'good news ' (Mark 1.1). John prepared some in society for a new way of thinking\, a nd then baptized Jesus\, who continued John's work. Mark's stories illust rated how difficult it was for people to grasp these new ideas. Last Sund ay\, Veronica Dyck reviewed how Jesus initially attracted supportive crow ds (Mark\, chapter 1) but then almost immediately (Mark 2) also attracted hostile criticism. Our morning's lectionary reading (Mark 2.1-12) took p lace in Capernaum\, a home base for Jesus in Galilee. In this story\, a l ame man was somehow presented to Jesus by being passed through the house roof. As if this was not unusual enough\, Jesus then further startled eve rybody by declaring that the man's sins were forgiven (possibly playing o n the Jewish thinking that illnesses resulted from sins). Jesus did not c laim to be the one forgiving\, but instead left that part sufficiently am biguous to make people think. Nobody (including Jesus) could actually pro ve this declaration since the forgiveness of sins is invisible\, so Jesus then went one step farther and healed the man\, something which was very visible indeed. (We have to wonder whether the real healing was spiritua l. For instance\, we can say that we are "healed" even though we are not physically cured.) The crowd was "amazed"\, but that observation does not imply belief. Throughout Mark's stories\, Jesus is shown performing acts of external healing as a way of demonstrating the possibility of inner i nvisible healing. The message of God (forgiveness) receives priority in t hese stories\, often followed by demonstrable physical healing. We used t o have very clear notions concerning sin\, but now societal thinking is c hanging. Some\, for example\, think that crime is merely the result of be havioral problems\, not sin. We are now forced to ask ourselves\, "What i s sin?" Veronica also noted that\, like the lame man and his onlookers\, we need to learn how to accept forgiveness. These were the very same ques tions Jesus asked his contemporaries to contemplate. [JEK] DTEND:20120219T110000 DTSTAMP:20120219T113040 DTSTART:20120219T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Restored to Wholeness: Forgiveness & Healing UID:530 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/restored-to-wholeness-forgiveness-healing END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On our first Sunday of Lent\, Michael Thomas (Centre resident\ , singer in Abendmusik\, Regent graduate student in theology) suggested t hat since Christ's walk to the cross began with his baptism\, we should l ook at Lent through the lens of baptism. We can begin by reflecting on ou r own baptism\, and then on how Jesus' baptism led him directly into the 40-day experiences of the 'desert' of his intellectual life of faith and action. Early Anabaptists saw baptism as a public initiation into the bro ader assembly of believers and as a public acceptance of the call to go t hrough the wilderness of life. Some were martyred by drowning--their thir d baptism. Baptism includes the mark of forgiveness\, but we are also bap tized by our future pain\, difficulties and sorrows into a heavenly citiz enship. Conrad Grebel's accusers (Martyr's Mirror) tried to show that he was suffering for a mistaken cause. This can plant the seed of uncertaint y\, reminding us of Psalm 25\, "Let me not be put to shame"\, i.e.\, reas sure me that my faith in you is indeed right. [JEK] DTEND:20120226T110000 DTSTAMP:20120226T113040 DTSTART:20120226T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Why are you downcast? UID:531 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/why-are-you-downcast END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera spoke on the Lectionary texts\, finding them to b e held together by cognitive dissonance'. For example\, when Abram was a poetic 99 years old and childless\, he was told that his descendants that would become a veritable nation (Genesis 13)\, and then the very part of his anatomy required to get this fertility going first had to be threate ned by circumcision. In our Gospel reading (Mark 8)\, immediately after d isciples proclaim Jesus as Messiah\, Jesus launches into predictions of h is impending death. Romans 4 portrays Abram as being unwavering in faith\ , in spite of having a son with Hagar and laughing in the angel's face. D o we\, like Abram\, and like other humans portrayed in scripture\, have c ognitive dissonance in our lives\, dissonance between our thinking\, our professions\, and our living? [JEK] DTEND:20120304T110000 DTSTAMP:20120304T113040 DTSTART:20120304T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Unwavering in faith UID:532 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/unwavering-in-faith END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Santosh Ninan spoke on "Pondering the love of God". Psalm 107 begins and ends with thanksgiving\, while the heart of the poem presents four types of people living away from God and therefore they are in need of God. After identifying each type\, the poem indicates that even this t ype of person can turn to God and be helped. The Psalm considers people w ho are homeless (107.4-9)\; people dealing with exile from God (10-16)\; people who are dying spiritually (17-22)\; people who are well off and th erefore want to maintain the status quo but whose lives are in fact out o f control (23-32). Of course we\, like these types of people\, try to hid e our conditions\, covering up the truth about ourselves. In the Psalm\, each of these groups of people found that they could cry out to the Lord\ , and that repentance led to forgiveness and true thankfulness. The lost needed a guide\, the sick needed a healer . . . God addressed each proble m. The Psalm does not suggest that we are saved by our own morality\, but instead suggests that not knowing our condition can be dangerous. This r ecalls the story of Jesus contrasting the effectiveness of two prayers\, that given publicly by an unnamed self-righteous Pharisee praying without understanding the seriousness of his needs\, and that offered quietly an d effectively from the depths of the soul seeking forgiveness. [JEK]\n DTEND:20120311T110000 DTSTAMP:20120311T113040 DTSTART:20120311T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pondering the love of God UID:533 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pondering-the-love-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Words are fascinating\; they are the drivers of thoughts and t hey can mean different things to different people. Sometimes using altern ate word helps clarify the meaning of the original words. Last Sunday Kev in Hiebert noted that the Greek word for "belief" appeared 240 times in t he Bible. Using the Amplified Bible\, Kevin helped us see the word "belie f' as: to adhere to\, to rely on\, to cling to\, to depend on\, to trust. In the desert\, after leaving Egypt\, the unhappy Israelites "spoke agai nst God and Moses" and grumbled about the food - manna (miserable food). This resulted in punishment and death of many people by poisonous snakes. Following God's direction\, Moses made a bronze serpent\, put it on pole \, and all who looked at it did not die from the serpent's bites. This im agery is repeated in John 3\, leading to the popular "for God so loved th e world" verses. The Ephesians passage points out that we are saved by gr ace (unmerited favour\, mercy) and that we are to work out (to cultivate and complete) our salvation. Good works are our response to the forgivene ss that is freely given. (HN)\n DTEND:20120318T110000 DTSTAMP:20120318T113041 DTSTART:20120318T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Beyond belief: trust in\, adhere to and rely on God's grace UID:534 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/beyond-belief-trust-in-adhere-to-and-rely-on -gods-grace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Joseph Dutko dealt with Jesus’ story about the prodigal son\, pointing out that the story is really about the father and should be call ed “The Searching Father.” This story needs to be seen in the context of three stories: the lost sheep\, the lost coin and the lost son. The son d emands his inheritance (even though his father had not died) and squander s it\, bringing shame on the father and the family. The son does not retu rn home repentant\, rather he develops a self-serving plan to earn his wa y back into the family. The father sees his son from afar and runs to him – a culturally humiliating act. The father embraces his son without hear ing the son’s speech\; he treats his son as if he never wronged the fathe r. Faith is accepting God’s acceptance of us\; our worth comes from being loved by God. Sometimes we need to stop striving\, to do nothing - just rest in God’s love for us. (HN)\n DTEND:20120325T110000 DTSTAMP:20120325T113041 DTSTART:20120325T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Prodigal Son UID:535 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-prodigal-son-2012 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Friesen focused on the scapegoat concept as described in Leviticus 16. The scapegoat was a goat that was allowed to escape into th e wilderness after the priest had laid the sins of the people upon it as part of the “Day of Atonement” activities. The scapegoat is a person or g roup (usually innocent) made to take the blame for the fault of another\, a strategy that’s endemic in society: in churches\, universities\, and f amilies. It’s important to distinguish between blame and scapegoating. Jo hn described Jesus taking the role of the scapegoat\, “behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” The resurrection released Jesu s from the role of the scapegoat. Jesus calls us to a new relationship wi th God and with each other\, we are to exercise mercy\, not violence. (HN ) DTEND:20120401T110000 DTSTAMP:20120401T113041 DTSTART:20120401T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Atonement\, Scapegoating and the Cross UID:536 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/atonement-scapegoating-and-the-cross END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of readings and songs was held on Easter Sunday.  Th ere was no audio recording made. DTEND:20120408T110000 DTSTAMP:20120408T113041 DTSTART:20120408T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Sunday service of praise and song UID:537 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-sunday-service-of-praise-and-song-2012 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Carl Friesen\, on a recent trip to Israel/Palestine\, was conf ronted with a gross oversimplification of the gospel: “Jesus substitution ary death on the cross brings salvation to lost souls so that all those w ho believe can enjoy eternity in heaven when they die.” Carl asks\, if th is is all there is to the Christian story\, what is the significance of E aster Sunday? Why didn’t the story finish on Good Friday with the cross? Carl notes some insist it merely foreshadows a future resurrection for us . Carl notes that view is not supported anywhere by Scripture\, and took us through various passages in the gospels and Paul’s letters to show tha t Resurrection Sunday proved once and for all that this Messiah (as oppos ed to all the other pretend messiahs who came before) really was not only the king of all creation\, but that his new creation had already begun w ith the Easter Sunday event. Parallelling John’s gospel of the account of creation “In the beginning was the Word...”\, John brings forth image af ter image to demonstrate Christ’s resurrection as the new creation - both occurred on the first day of the week\, both brought new life out of wat er\, both brought forth healing - from raising Moses’ serpent and from th e ascended man. Carl points out that Paul extends this theology in 1 Cori nthians and Romans by insisting that the new life called forth in Christ’ s resurrection is also called forth in the world around us right now - th e whole world has a chance for new life\, and we\, as Christ’s agents in the world now must bring it about. This call given to all Christians is n ot merely to endure this life in the hope of a better one after death\, b ut to work hard to bring about the harvest of this new creation\, so that the last image John leaves us with - a new heaven and a new earth coming together in heavenly union under Christ the king. [AP]\n DTEND:20120415T110000 DTSTAMP:20120415T113041 DTSTART:20120415T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Present Significance of Jesus' Resurrection UID:538 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-present-significance-of-jesus-resurrecti on END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ken Friesen reflected on his recent tour to Israel and Palesti ne with an MCC group. Ken noted that MCC has been working in the area sin ce 1949\, shortly after the establishment of the state of Israel. The exp erience provided Ken (an MCC-BC Board member) with an opportunity to see what peace-making looks like in a conflict area. He observed that the Isr ael/Palestine situation is controversial: some Christians want total supp ort for Israel while others are concerned about how the Palestinians are treated by the Israeli state. Palestinians are up against a highly organi zed military state. People in the Middle East hold strong and unflinching political views. MCC’s role is to share Christ’s love and become a bless ing through service to others. MCC’s work involves partnerships with a do zen local organizations\, including a conflict resolution centre and prod ucts for Ten Thousand Villages. Citing Jesus teachings in the Sermon on t he Mount\, Ken said we should treat others with love and respect\, and we should be giving priority to compassion over power and control. God’s re quirement is that we respond to human need\, wherever it may be. (HN) DTEND:20120422T110000 DTSTAMP:20120422T113041 DTSTART:20120422T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:MCC Palestine Learning Tour UID:539 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mcc-palestine-learning-tour END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Easter and Passover both teach redemption: the world does not need to continue as it is\, Rabbi David Mivasair said on April 29th. Miva sair\, the Rabbi at Vancouver’s Ahavat Olam congregation is a progressive and open-minded soul who is recognized for his compassionate teaching. M ivasair also provides chaplaincy services in Vancouver’s downtown east si de at First United Church. Mivsair noted that the Rabbinic tradition has 613 divine commandments for Jewish people\, but only two of those talk ab out what to pursue: seek peace and pursue it\, and pursue justice. These are things we are to go out and create\, he said. The experience of slave ry in Egypt reminds us of the need for reparation – care for the stranger and the orphan – because you were slaves in Egypt. He described Passover as a model of how life can be\, noting that the Bible talks about a Pass over for all people. The promise of liberation and redemption is for ever yone\, he said. Citing Abraham’s negotiation with God about saving the ri ghteous people in Sodom and Gomorrah\, Mivasair maintained that a truly r ighteous person argues with God: arguing with God is what made Abraham st and out. Mivasair said we are God’s agents\, acting out the godly drama: what is God trying to get you to do? “Seek\, pursue\, and engage\,” were the Rabbi’s closing words. (HN)\n DTEND:20120429T110000 DTSTAMP:20120429T113041 DTSTART:20120429T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The prophetic voice of Judaism UID:540 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-prophetic-voice-of-judaism END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Death\, noted Hannah Dutko in speaking on Revelation 12:11\, i s not reflected on much in our society. John\, the writer of Revelation a sks us to consider death at every step of our lives. This letter to the a ncient churches who are under persecution and facing death of the body or of the spirit in being led astray by popular beliefs of the empire\, wer e addressed in three ways by John. Though nothing new (Revelation quotes the Old Testament more often than any other book of the bible) the vision s in Revelation confirm what we already have been told in countless other ways - to hold fast to our discipleship and be faithful in the midst of injustice and falsehood. The imagery in this book supports these thoughts - Jesus the slain lamb\, the woman in birth representing Israel\, and th e dragon representing the militaristic evil empire that lives without evn d even until today. Hannah noted the text encourages us to face these cha llenges in three ways. Firstly\, as Christ laid his life down in order to overcome\, so too will we overcome if we give our lives for Christ. Seco ndly\, we overcome by testifying how God acts for us out of love. Hannah noted in her profession that active listening can only take troubled peop le so far - at some point it is necessary to use the gospel to envision a better future for all\, and to commit to it. Last\, we overcome by dying to our desires and being reborn into the desires God has for us. In a so ciety where we face death so seldom that we have come to believe that evi l does not exist\, God asks us to die to self-centredness\, to desire\, t o satieity\, in order to live to fulfill God’s vision. The spirit will sh ape us into whole\, god-loving people\, if only we will let it. [AP]\n DTEND:20120506T110000 DTSTAMP:20120506T113041 DTSTART:20120506T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:This Is How We Overcome UID:541 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/this-is-how-we-overcome END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Published author\, musician and mother\, Barb Nickel began Mot her’s Day with the text of Julia Ward Howe’s proclamation of peacemaking with the famous line “ we will not welcome our men to our beds reeking of carnage.” This prominent abolitionist’s words which began the tradition of Mother’s Day inspired Barb to search her own work of poetry for a peac e tradition. She found it one day in the tragedy of the five mothers in t he Amish community of Nickel Mines\, PA\, who lost daughters that went br avely to a death nobody could have imagined. The grace and compassion and forgiveness shown by the Amish community to the family of the killer was so alien to the world’s view of “big revenge for big violence”. Later\, Barb wrote a poem about the incident and the girls themselves\, which beg ins “You can’t see – the small bones – of the five – girls who stopped – growing that day\,” Barb redefined poetry first from a lecture by Robert Ringhurst\, broadening its scope far beyond the mere text of poems\, “not pretty words\, not something hybridized by humans on the farm of human l anguage... but an aspect of existence so broad... while language is [only ] one of the methods by which it is brought to life.” He noted that “poem s are icebergs of language floating in the ocean of poetry”. Barb extende d Ringhurst’s definition still further to say that poetry is God’s langua ge\, as expressed in everyday actions\, like the gentle grace of small gi rls meeting their death in Pennsylvania\, in the grace of forgiveness exp ressed to the killer’s family. Barb insisted that God’s poetry sometimes goes unnoticed\, like the “tiny bones of the five girls buried deep in th e earth”.\n\nThrough the lens of the parable of the mustard seed\, Barb i nvited us into the poetry of God’s world. How do we participate in the po etry of creation in God’s garden? Begin to slow down\, observe\, listen\, think\, pray. Observe the rhythm of daily life and participate mindfully in it. Weed and water daily. Get out of the way\, and let life sprout no t according to your will\, but to God’s. Who knows what other branches an d leaves have grown all over the world that day because of the Amish witn ess? “Like a cavalry of dandelion seeds” (Wm. Stafford) blown by a toddle r\, God’s poetry is for everyone whether you know iambic pentameter or no t. What will you plant\, what work of weeding and watering will you do\, and what mysteries and grace will grow up unseen out of your inspiration? [AP]\n DTEND:20120513T110000 DTSTAMP:20120513T113041 DTSTART:20120513T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Poetry & Peace UID:542 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/poetry-peace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Megan Jung (recent Regent grad from Australia)\, in asking how we cope with being spiritually weak\, identified three ways we are asked to fulfill God’s mission to grow his church. In Ephesians 3\, Paul ident ifies how God strengthens us when spiritually weak\, to transform others. At the centre of Paul’s letter are three prayer requests - to pray to be strengthened with power through the spirit\; to pray to be able to grasp the love of Christ\; to pray with boldness to be filled with all the ful lness of God. In this intercessory prayer\, Paul acknowledges God’s gift of power and love through Christ\, on his knees\, and accepts the gift of the Spirit\, in order to be able to lead others to belief. Love is the k ey for us as we seek to work God’s will. [AP]\n DTEND:20120520T110000 DTSTAMP:20120520T113042 DTSTART:20120520T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Praying for Power\, Love\, and Fullness UID:543 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/praying-for-power-love-and-fullness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:From Friday\, May 25th through Sunday\, May 27th\, the annual PGIMF church retreat was held at Camp Luther on Hatzic Lake in Mission\, BC.\n\nhttps://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=PKVzgsSygHc DTEND:20120527T110000 DTSTAMP:20120527T113042 DTSTART:20120527T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Camp Luther UID:544 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/camp-luther-2012 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andre Pekovich based his message on the concept of compassion. Karen Armstrong\, a former nun\, is disappointed that religious leaders do not sufficiently stress compassion\; she sees a commonality of compass ion in all major religions. A recent Sojourners article points out that C hristians disagree on subjects from the profound to the mundane: the ordi nation of women\, religion and politics\, same sex unions\, hell\, heaven \, baptism\, which brand of fair-trade coffee to use\, whether to use waf ers\, pita\, home baked\, organic\, or bagels for communion\, etc. Compas sion is often lacking in dealing with these issues. Compassion is not a “ soft” value\, rather it is a principled determination to put oneself in t he other person’s shoes – follow the golden rule. Armstrong’s Charter of Compassion is not simply a statement of principle\, but a call to action. In light of our world’s problems: militarism\, war\, global warming\, de votion to money\, etc\, we need to strive for the enduring peace describe d in Isaiah 54. We have to live differently\; there must be an intentiona l turning away from an old way of life. Try compassionate action. [HN]. DTEND:20120603T110000 DTSTAMP:20120603T113042 DTSTART:20120603T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Charter for Peacemaking UID:545 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-charter-for-peacemaking END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on "Loneliness". Some suggest that our soc iety's greatest problem is loneliness. Social networking\, such as Facebo ok\, can help people connect with each other in remote ways\, but in fact many of those "relationships" are artificial\, superficial\, and can eve n lead to making one more lonely. Being 'connected' through that type of technology is not the same as creating a deep bond with someone face to f ace. Sixty years ago\, 1/10th of our households consisted of one person\; now this has risen to 1/3rd. Even monastic solitude involved regular mee tings with other monks. Loneliness can be particularly acute for elderly individuals\, as friends pass away and families move to find work or beco me busy. When teenagers say they are bored\, it is at times a sign that t hey are lonely. Solitude is often voluntary\, but loneliness is often for ced on us. Mother Theresa's diaries reveal that even though she was surro unded by people\, she was intensely lonely\, sometimes even wondering whe ther God was with her. Jesus at times took friends with him instead of be ing alone (Mount of Transfiguration\, Garden of Gethsemane). The early ch urch realized that believers needed to cooperate and be friends if the ho use groups were to survive. Hutterites\, one of the few Christian groups to practice living cooperatively\, often treasure being surrounded by clo se friends. Henry suggested that our MCC Thrift Stores consider creating coffee corners for the customers\, some of whom enter the store because t hey are lonely. Could local pastors give half a day a week to sitting and listening in those places? That is the model used by the Food Bank at Sh erbrook Mennonite Church. If our churches created a strategy for addressi ng loneliness\, what would it look like? [JEK] DTEND:20120610T110000 DTSTAMP:20120610T113042 DTSTART:20120610T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Loneliness UID:546 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/loneliness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Michael Thomas spoke on "Hope in a Time of Blindness" DTEND:20120617T110000 DTSTAMP:20120617T113042 DTSTART:20120617T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hope in Times of Blindness UID:547 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hope-in-times-of-blindness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The Point Grey Ministerial Association collaborated on a worsh ip service in Trimble Park during the Point Grey Fiesta.  There was no bu lletin or audio recording. DTEND:20120624T110000 DTSTAMP:20120624T113042 DTSTART:20120624T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship in the Park UID:548 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/worship-in-the-park-2012 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Connie Siedler pursued the theme of spiritual seasons by focus ing on the transition from winter to spring. Winter conveys images of dar kness and of waiting for spring\; a season when death turns to life. Spir itual life also experiences seasons\; the winter of our dormancy includes waiting for spring\; and spring requires planting and cleaning. Connie n oted there is a time for everything\, and suggested spring is a time to v enture into new territory. Spring is a time to listen to God\, to look at our lives and to see what needs renewal. Try new things and sow generous ly. Spring cleaning is important\; we need to get rid of the dust and clu tter of winter. Connie suggested the practice of examen (part of Ignation spirituality) where we reflect on the events of our day\, asking questio ns about when we felt most alive\, when we were stressed or distracted\, and when we felt closest to God. Spring reminds us that death does not ha ve the last word. [HN] DTEND:20120701T110000 DTSTAMP:20120701T113042 DTSTART:20120701T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spiritual Seasons - Spring UID:549 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/spiritual-seasons-spring END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ruth Enns spoke on the medieval chant\, Dies irae\, a poem (se quence) written c. 1250 by Thomas Celano. Dies irae was quickly appreciat ed\, being added to the Mass for the Dead (removed only in the late 1960s as a result of the reforms of Vatican II). The poet imagines a fearful d ay of judgment when "all" will be revealed. The poet then asks\, "What am I going to do"\, if even the righteous have reason to be fearful? Hope i s offered when we are reminded that Mary Magdalene and the 'thief on the cross' were forgiven\, so perhaps there is hope for the likes of me. The poem's final lines ask that "Gentle Jesus\, grant them rest"\, praying fo r the souls of all humanity. It is interesting to see that\, as Christend om faded from the cultures of the 18th and 19th centuries\, interest in t his particular medieval chant went viral\, with Europe's leading composer s quoting from its opening melody when writing for orchestras\, the piano \, the organ\, and of course for choirs. The chant soon became a signatur e tune denoting death to all who heard it. Even contemporary culture\, as it explores Armageddon\, the end of the universe\, etc.\, has been intri gued by this theme--whereas the present church tends to downplay a final judgment\, eternal torment\, and even the notion of there being a hell. [ JEK] DTEND:20120708T110000 DTSTAMP:20120708T113042 DTSTART:20120708T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Dies irae (Day of Wrath) - the medieval chant UID:550 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/dies-irae-day-of-wrath-the-medieval-chant END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Church members joined the worship service at the Mennonite Chu rch Canada convention. DTEND:20120715T110000 DTSTAMP:20120715T113042 DTSTART:20120715T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mennonite Church Canada Convention UID:551 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mennonite-church-canada-convention-2012 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Neufeld spoke on “A Room To Remember.” Memories are impor tant and unavoidable\; there is no escaping from remembering. Jacob\, the night before he met this brother from whom he had been estranged for 20 years\, had a time of remembering. Here we had a middle aged man struggli ng and wrestling with his past. Memories can be a gift or a burden\, some times an unwelcome burden. Psalm 42 reminds us of David’s unpleasant memo ries: “My tears have been my food day and night.” We deal with our past b y adoring it\, abhorring it\, or ignoring it. In recalling difficult time s\, we remember how we maneuvered through those times. Remembering our hu rts from the past might require forgiveness or forbearance\; forbearance is a form of spiritual generosity. “Enter the room called remember\, and reflect on the good and the not so good\,” John said. (HN) DTEND:20120722T110000 DTSTAMP:20120722T113042 DTSTART:20120722T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:In the Ring\, Wrestling UID:552 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/in-the-ring-wrestling END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan focused on the well-known David and Bathsheba story. Davi d saw what he should not have seen – Bathsheba\, the wife of a trusted wa rrior\, bathing on a nearby rooftop. David makes the mistake of pursuing her when he already had a harem. Bathsheba had no choice but to obey the king. Eventually David arranges for Uriah to be killed in battle and he m arries Bathsheba who becomes the queen mother\; a position with a lot of power. This story represents a turning point in David’s reign as family t ragedies increase. David\, by his example\, taught his sons to rape\, dec eive\, and abuse power. He violated the instruction in Deuteronomy: “Your king must not acquire many wives.” This is a sad story of a poet\, king\ , and musician - an OT poster boy and a man after God’s heart – whose dow nfall began with a serious abuse of power. He should have followed the go lden rule: do not do unto others things that you do not want them to do t o you. [HN]. DTEND:20120729T110000 DTSTAMP:20120729T113042 DTSTART:20120729T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:David & Bathsheba UID:553 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/david-bathsheba END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Connie Siedler (graduate student at Regent College and former resident of The Menno Simons Centre) continued her series on the seasons of life. Earlier talks looked at “winter” and “summer”\, following the id ea expressed in Ecclesiastes 3\, “For everything there is a season”\, and this talk focused on “summer”. We are drawn to summer’s long days\, summ er’s warmth\, holidays\, fresh fruits and vegetables. In our emotional li ves we also experience our “seasons”\, including “summers” of light/ happ iness\, joy\, and refreshment. Part of this is hopefully engendered by ou r belonging to the Kingdom of God\, a kingdom we only need to receive and enter (though once there\, plenty of opportunities for work will arise\, just as in summer). People who garden often enjoy sharing produce with o thers\; the Kingdom asks that we give to others from our abundance (“free ly you have received\, freely give”). Summers also come with dangers--dro ught\, floods--and the “summers” of our lives can also experience danger. When things are going well\, we tend to think less often of God\, or con sumerism robs from that which we ought to be sharing with others. As we g o through life\, we should learn to recognize and experience each of our life’s “seasons”\, seeing how each transforms us within the Kingdom. [JEK ] DTEND:20120805T110000 DTSTAMP:20120805T113042 DTSTART:20120805T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spiritual Seasons - Summer UID:554 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/spiritual-seasons-summer END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Bruce Hiebert focused on the seemingly unusual relationship be tween the ascension of Jesus and economics. He noted some discrepancies b etween Luke’s gospel account and the description of the ascension in Acts . In Luke’s gospel account Jesus ascends on the day of his resurrection\; in Acts he ascends 40 days later. Bruce maintained that “ascension” is a metaphor and could mean many things. The choice of Bethany reflects Luke ’s anti-wealth thinking\; it’s the site many of Jesus comments about the poor\; “the poor you will always have with you.” The discussion raised qu estions about how we know truth\, how we interpret events\, and how we in terpret scripture. How do we know when to take scripture literally\, when metaphorically\, and when humanly constructed? Discernment is important since truth can come to us in many forms. The upside down kingdom is here \, let’s worship God and live it. [HN] DTEND:20120812T110000 DTSTAMP:20120812T113043 DTSTART:20120812T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Don't Look Up - Open Your Wallets! UID:555 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/dont-look-up-open-your-wallets END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown gave a message he entitled “The Ghost of Religion” by asking “whose responsibility is it to identify wisdom? Folly? Morality ?” Karl insists religion is responsible for all questions such as these: can we have religion without faith? Can we have faith without religion? D epending on your point of view - as Deist (following a watchmaker God)\; a Theist (knowing a personal God) or Atheist (knowing no God)\, Karl show ed how one’s outlook and traditions are tempered by these beliefs. Logic helps\, but only so far. Drawing distinctions between beliefs\, religion\ , moral authority\, and faith\, Karl encouraged the group to have faith a nd be religious\, to follow God and demonstrate the kindness and tenderne ss that comes from God\, and to avoid the religion without faith that occ upies so many other on our planet. Karl asks that during times of trouble \, that we not allow our faith\, our church\, our community to be far fro m us when we are in need. [AP] DTEND:20120819T110000 DTSTAMP:20120819T113043 DTSTART:20120819T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Ghost of Religion UID:556 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-ghost-of-religion END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera’s message on biblical non-resistance from an anab aptist perspective was entitled “Blessed are the Peacemakers” and took it s inspiration from a book of the same name by Garry Staats of Winebrenner Seminary in Ohio. This huge topic addressed the biblical background of A nabaptist non-resistance\, and Rosie found herself challenged as an outsi der to understand and explain the roots and results of non-resistance\, a difficult undertaking from her American roots which often reflect an ent irely different and more violent ethic. As a peace church\, we are often challenged by others to defend what we believe and Rosie noted that peace making does not preclude activism - Jesus\, after all\, did cleanse the t emple with a scourge. MLK said “True peace is not merely the absence of t ension\; it is the presence of justice.” Further\, “a nonviolent spirit.. .grows out of a spirit of love...” Rosie drew from the Sermon on the Moun t\, showing that as the kingdom of God draws near\, the peacemakers are b lessed. The main teaching found in Mt. 5:38-48 identifies retaliation as a seed of evil\, and love for enemies a blessing\; here Jesus is establis hing a new ethic for the kingdom of heaven. Deuteronomy’s advice to respo nd to injustice and evil with identical behaviour was a dead end\, and Ro sie notes this change in ethics is an example of progressive revelation a s seen in Hebrews 1 “Though God in past days spoke to us in many differen t ways... Now he has spoken to us through his Son...”. Capital punishment was not the rule in the OT either - Proverbs 22:24 and Lamentations 3:30 all encourage turning the cheek and leaving vengeance for the Lord. Jesu s lived what he taught\, restraining Peter from more violence at the taki ng of Jesus\, and more so in his betrayal by Judas\, meeting violence wit h a dish of bread and milk. Paul’s grace too picks up the theme of non-re sistance\, encouraging all Christians to submit to authority. This was a hard teaching for the church and earthly rulers to learn\, culminating in Augustine’s call for Just War to redress the invitation of Romans 13. An abaptists refused to learn this lesson\, and often paid for with their li ves. Pray that the world of peace and love may be established so that oth er do not have to pay this price either. [AP] DTEND:20120826T110000 DTSTAMP:20120826T113043 DTSTART:20120826T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Biblical Non-Resistance from the Historic Anabaptist Perspective UID:557 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/biblical-non-resistance-from-the-historic-an abaptist-perspective END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:“I am what I love\, not what I think.” Carl Friesen challenged the Descartes dictum “I think therefore I am” which gave birth to the id ea that humans are primarily thinking beings. Carl said our identity is n ot tied to what we think\; conscious rational thought is only a tiny bit of our brain’s work. We are primarily lovers – what we desire\, what we l ong for defines who we are. Jesus calls this the “heart.” Ultimate love c onstitutes our identity\; that which we desire above all else. What we lo ve and desire shapes rather than our thoughts. The Pharisees ultimate lov e of themselves resulted in Jesus criticism of them in Matthew 23. Our ul timate love is shaped by our practices and habits. The practices (liturgi es) of our society help define who we are. Carl sees a shopping mall as a space with liturgies that are formative for us. The mall is a secular ca thedral that seeks to reconfigure space and time. Malls often have few wi ndows\, a labyrinth of hallways\, and no clocks. Malls follow a liturgica l calendar: Valentines day\, mother’s day\, father’s day\, etc. Malls hav e icons – mannequins – and they have outreach - advertising. Malls shape our desires to be consumers. In contrast Jesus\, in the beatitudes\, call s us to be transformed\, to become a certain kind of people. Being made i n the image of God is a calling\, not a statement of fact. Our mission is to live in the image of God\; to refuse to buy into the culture\, to be transformed. [HN] DTEND:20120902T110000 DTSTAMP:20120902T113043 DTSTART:20120902T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Culture\, Character and Liturgy: Rethinking What it Means to be Hu man UID:558 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/culture-character-and-liturgy-rethinking-wha t-it-means-to-be-human END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Walter Bergen used Psalm 146 primarily to encourage the studen ts attending UBC\, Regent College\, and Emily Carr to consider received w isdom\, whether from university\, from society or from church\, with the same skepticism they should reserve for all things not borne of God. Noti ng that the received wisdom of 25 years ago said that an Asian should not be the pastor of a Mennonite congregation\, Walter said that his own pas tor\, April Yamasaki\, is now the longest-serving pastor in the BC confer ence. Encouraging boldness and commitment in the listeners\, Walter noted one must take a step forward toward God\, and only then can God guide yo ur path. Those who never try\, God cannot help. Walter retold the story o f the founding of the Menno Simons Centre\, of the five couples who commi tted financially to be missionaries to the academic world of UBC in a new way. Since then\, hundreds have benefitted from their wisdom and boldnes s\, and now the world is full of Christian leaders who are as capable of rigorous inquiry as any academic. Walter noted that the students\, an int elligent and committed group\, would be called on to be leaders in their careers\, communities and churches within a decade.\n\nWalter encouraged them to consider how they wanted to be used by God right now\, because th eir training has already begun\, and there is little time. Their path may be bumpy\, they will be insulted or taken advantage of\, but they are no t to give up their morals or ideals. By example\, Walter reviewed the cha llenges faced by Charles Darwin in his discovery of bioturbation\, revolu tionizing soil science in the process. He also pointed out how received w isdom and self aggrandizement can be so malicious it can cost peoples liv es\, in the story of Trofim Lysenko\, a Soviet scientist whose work was s o worthless it caused terrible famine\, but whose attachment to the Sovie t “princes” made his influence so powerful\, even over genuine far-seeing biologists like Sergei Vavilov\, one whose identification of genetic cen tres of origin assured the world’s genetic diversity\, and founded the la rgest seed bank in the world in St Petersburg. Walter encourage the stude nts not to put their trust in princes\, but in God\, for only the truth r emains when people of imagination and conviction stand firm\, and permit God to guide them. [AP]. DTEND:20120909T110000 DTSTAMP:20120909T113043 DTSTART:20120909T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Tales from the Lectionary UID:559 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/tales-from-the-lectionary END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Inspirational speaker Mike Yankoski\, celebrating the end of h is sabbatical at PGIMF with his first talk in some months\, launched from Matthew 25:31-46 and other passages to encourage everyone to respond to those who are in need in our midst. Re-translating the Hebrew word “shalo m” (often translated as peace) as “flourishing” or “fulfillment” better s uits a calling to be actively fulfilling God’s cause\, not passively awai ting it. Awakened by a message on the Good Samaritan and by his own actio ns\, Mike and a friend sought to live as a homeless people for some month s and found himself confronted with the question “Who is my neighbour?” F rom church campuses to Union Station\, Mike found that few other people w ere engaged in the question either\, not when Mike was dishevelled\, dirt y\, smelly and hungry. Where does one go to the bathroom when awoken at 3 :00 am from food-borne illness and all public buildings are closed? Mike found some churches responded with enormous compassion and kindness\, but others didn’t. Recognizing that we “compartmentalize” the situations we find ourselves in simply to survive emotionally\, Mike nevertheless calle d us to be shalom-makers\, being willing to be more uncomfortable in our lives. Noting Jesus too led a ministry of interruptions\, Mike found that children often responded most appropriately\, stopping to engage\, and r ecognizing need in their simply ways. Mike told stories of people who car ed more about others\, and found their own lives becoming full\, in the t radition of Mark 8:35-36 “...whoever seeks to lose his life will save it” and invited everyone to allow the gospel to turn their lives upside down . Be willing to be interrupted\, to engage\, to be a “shalom-maker” and t o have an impact. [AP] DTEND:20120916T110000 DTSTAMP:20120916T113043 DTSTART:20120916T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Opening our eyes to care about others UID:560 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/opening-our-eyes-to-care-about-others END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the first day of fall\, Kevin Hiebert spoke on ideas from J ames 3-4\, the epistle reading from the day’s lectionary. James\, in his customary straight-forward manner\, asked his readers to face the problem s of “greed\, envy and wrath” (three of the seven deadly sins) and “lying \, cheating and stealing”. His point is that these bad behaviours are dri ven by our selfish desires\, and that by contrast\, God asks that we bles s others through acts of selfless respect. Dan Ariely (Duke University) r ecently published an interesting book entitled\, The (Honest) Truth about Dishonesty: How we lie to everyone -- especially ourselves (New York: Ha rperCollins Publishers\, 2012). Kevin drew on the book’s examples and ten tative conclusions to give illustrations of people being urged by greed ( for example) to tell lies in the hope of gaining personal benefit. One in teresting phrase in James (3.17) is that we should be “willing to yield”. This is ideally the art of politics\, as well as the art of living in co mmunity\, in family\, at work. Being “willing to yield” is the opposite o f trying to get ahead at all costs. James reminds us to scrutinize our ac tions and motives. How do others see us (especially when they find out th e truth) and how does God see us? [JEK] DTEND:20120923T110000 DTSTAMP:20120923T113043 DTSTART:20120923T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Cravings that are at war within you UID:561 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/cravings-that-are-at-war-within-you END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Connie Siedler presented the fourth and final meditation on th e year's seasons and how they might be seen as reflecting aspects of our spiritual life. Strangely\, many (well\, those who forget about November) think of fall as their favourite season of the year. They remember that early fall is still warm without being sweltering\, they admire its colou rs and think of fall as a season for concluding things\, especially garde ns. Esther 7 (lectionary reading) tells of the beautiful Jewish queen sav ing her people from Haman's evil order that all the Jews be killed. She a nd her maidens prepared for her unannounced and dangerous the visit to th e king by fasting and praying for days. Their sowing/fasting/praying bore fruit. When reflecting on how we can store our spiritual harvests\, Conn ie told of the 'encouragement box' in which she saves all the notes of en couragement she receives over the years. Then when facing a 'winter' in h er life\, she can turn to her encouragement box for sustenance. Finally\, Connie reminded us that scripture frequently mentions giving thanks\, an d encourages us to give thanks. This is a form part of our national celeb ration of fall\, and it should also become a continual part of our thinki ng and living. [JEK] DTEND:20120930T110000 DTSTAMP:20120930T113043 DTSTART:20120930T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spiritual Seasons - Autumn UID:562 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/spiritual-seasons-autumn END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider led us in a service of readings\, prayers and songs for Thanksgiving (recording available to borrow on CD\, not availab le for download). DTEND:20121007T110000 DTSTAMP:20121007T113043 DTSTART:20121007T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Service of readings\, prayers and hymns UID:563 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2012-10-07-service-of-readings-prayers-and-h ymns END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On October 14th\, we enjoyed having Santosh Ninan return to sp eak on the Epistle reading from the day's Lectionary\, Romans 12:1-8. Mod ern popular books trumpet the news that each of us has special gifts to e njoy\, cultivate and use. It's a pity these authors ignore Paul's writing which said the same thing\, but much better\, centuries ago. In various letters\, Paul took the trouble to identify special gifts individuals mig ht have but may have possibly ignored or downplayed\, even though they co uld be important for the ultimate success of their house church. But befo re we try identifying what we may suspect are our gifts\, Paul advises us to be transformed most unusually\, sort of like becoming a 'living sacri fice' to God and each other (Paul never shied away from strong statements ). Unlike today's popular writers advising on acquiring money through the bond market\, stocks or real estate\, Paul asks that if we have a gift f or acquiring money\, we have to use this gift to help others (and he poss ibly meant "other believers"). We should not just work hard to get ahead at a job and acquire status\, but any status or influence which is given to us is useful to God only if used to help others\, and so it goes. Each gift that Paul identified was important only if it was put to use in way s which benefited the little house church. Santosh cited Mary's total acq uiescence to the angel's ridiculous request. Mary did not understand the request (for obvious reasons)\, even after asking for clarification\, but she sensed that her new role was not that to serve her family but\, in s ome yet unknown way\, to serve God. Paul's letter to the house church at Rome always assumed that serving God was not something done in isolation\ , but it had to happen as a member of a thriving faith community. [JEK] DTEND:20121014T110000 DTSTAMP:20121014T113044 DTSTART:20121014T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Gifted for Ministry UID:564 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/gifted-for-ministry END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rose Mewhort told her life story. In the 1970s\, at the age of 21 and as a nun in The Sisters of Charity\, Rose took up residence with other nuns in their convent\, which later (1986) became The Menno Simons Centre. She worshiped daily in the convent's Our Lady's Chapel or attende d Mass at other locations\, depending on the availability of priests. Her order was known for its excellence in teaching\, which is why the sister s in Halifax had been invited to Vancouver by the city's Archbishop. Rose \, however\, became a nurse\, learning the profession from the Sisters of Providence at their St Paul's Hospital\,. These non-unionized sisters we re required to work 12-hour shifts\, 7 days a week. During her decades wi th the Sisters of Charity\, thinking within Catholicism began to change\, allowing nuns to don modest modern dress and interact more freely with s ociety. At the convent (where we now worship)\, they like to operate on t he community rather than hierarchical model. But as medical procedures in creasingly came into conflict with her theological upbringing\, Rose foun d herself severely conflicted within\, and finally needed to explore leav ing her semi-cloistered community. One night\, she had a dream in which s he knew how to paint\, so she decided to test the dream\, bought paints\, studied painting and became an accomplished artist (several of her works were displayed in the chapel). After 25 years of nursing\, she simply bu rned out (at 12 hours a day without fail). She undertook a Ph.D.\, defend ing her thesis entitled "Spirituality and Aging"\, of which we definitely want to hear more. She tried to return to the Sisters of Charity\, but t heir keen sense of orderliness did not mesh with her more free personalit y. She was eventually invited to Mayne Island where she met Canada's firs t woman to be ordained as a Catholic priest. (Technically\, all such prie sts are excommunicated\, yet many remain faithful to Catholicism\, though not espousing its archaic rulings concerning gender roles\, etc.) Rose w as called by friends to receive ordination as a Catholic deacon\, which s he accepted (and was of course then excommunicated). Catholic priests lik e Rose wish to work with people who are excluded from the Catholic Church \, yet wish to identify with the best in Catholicism rather than switch t o Protestantism. Rose's talk was heartening\, inspiring\, and practical. Over the years\, PGIMF has had its bouts with officialdom\, particularly when officials appear to be acting with presumed apostolic authority. To some of us\, Rose's story was easily understood. [JEK] DTEND:20121021T110000 DTSTAMP:20121021T113044 DTSTART:20121021T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Women in Ministry: Pouring Out UID:565 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/women-in-ministry-pouring-out END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke about the courage of the early Anabaptist s in leaving the established churches\; they were convinced their new fai th was the right one. Using the Martyr's Mirror\, as well as a summary of Anabaptist convictions developed at a Pasadena conference in 2006 and th e writings of theologian Norman Kraus\, Janice focused on the core convic tions of Anabaptists. Kraus identified them as:\n1.Christo-centric spirit uality. The focus was not only on Jesus sacrificial death\, but on Jesus whole life as a model for us.\n2.Obedience. Discipleship\, following Jesu s’ teachings.\n3.The beatitudes. A guide for dealing radically with vario us situations.\n4.Non-violent confrontation. The church should be in dyna mic tension with society\; there should be an energetic confrontation.\n5 .Gemeinnutzlichkeit (loosely translated as beneficial to the community). The early Anabaptists formed strong local communities.\nThe accounts of m artyrdom in the Martyr’s Mirror end in 1671\; an updated supplement is be ing planned. Janice left us with two questions: who are the martyrs today ? How strong are our beliefs? [HN] DTEND:20121028T110000 DTSTAMP:20121028T113044 DTSTART:20121028T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Lectionary texts UID:566 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/lectionary-texts-20121028 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Don Teichroeb spoke on the topic\, "Toward an Inclusive Theolo gy of Love". Many people\, including some nonbelievers\, agree that 'God is love'\, but many of us place limitations on this love\, questioning ho w even God can love people when they purposely sin (a harsh Old Testament stance in which I was unfortunately raised). In Matthew 12.28-34\, Jesus identified the two greatest commandments: (1) love God\, and (2) love ot hers as yourself--ideas articulated in Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19. As intellectuals in the Jewish tradition grappled with the Law and the prop hets\, some attempted to distil the essence of scriptures to a few pithy statements (as Jesus did in our morning's lectionary reading)\, while oth er intellectuals preferred to delve into thousands of explanatory comment s. The writer of 1 John 4 gives an extensive explanation\, telling how th e God of love exercises love in concrete ways. This can lead us to unders tand that\, if God is love and love is kind\, therefore God is kind\, etc . Don also cited the parables of the lost sheep\, lost coin and lost son (stories which preceded our morning's reading) illustrate God's love towa rd us even when everybody else assumes that we are hopelessly lost. "We l ove\, because God loves us\, all of us." [JEK] DTEND:20121104T110000 DTSTAMP:20121104T113044 DTSTART:20121104T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Toward an Inclusive Theology of Love UID:567 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/toward-an-inclusive-theology-of-love END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera’s September 2nd justification for an Anabaptist p eace perspective entrenched Mt. 5:9 (“Blessed are the peacemakers....”) a s a spiritual touchstone. Last (Peace) Sunday\, Rosie offered five script ural responses to five common arguments for war\, drawn from a book by Dr . Gary Staats entitled Biblical Non-resistance from a Historic Anabaptist Perspective. The first argument offers Deuteronomic commands to Israel t o war against its neighbours until they are destroyed. These were designe d by God to combat idolatry. Our NT instruction is to extend God’s love t o all people including our enemies\, so OT instructions to Israel cannot be used by the NT church to support warfare. The second response is to in complete instructions in Romans 13 to covet the commands of governing aut horities that God has constituted to rule over us. Rosie notes the longer passage conveys the context of Paul’s instructions to the righteous beli ever: “Do not repay evil for evil”\, “Do not avenge yourself\, leave wrat h for God” and “Love your neighbour as yourself”. Even in those Roman tim es\, Paul instructed believers not to bear Nero’s sword against neighbour s\, but instead to stand apart. In the third response\, John 2 records Ch rist’s cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem. John suggests Jesus’ answer to defilement was violent. Rosie offered context\, noting the moneychange rs and the temple authorities had arranged a halachic barrier to pilgrims ’ worship\, which Jesus corrected. Rosie noted the text isn’t explicit\, as it appears Jesus used the scourge only on the animals. Ultimately\, Ro sie says we are called to leave Messianic acts (Ps 69:9) like this in God ’s hands and not to perform them ourselves. Fourth\, Luke 22 calls the di sciples to take swords on the road with them. In context\, Rosie noted th at all Jesus’ other instructions call the disciples to be armed for spiri tual battle\, not physical. Last\, the rider of Revelation 19 with a swor d in his mouth was addressed in its proper context as merely the herald o f the King of the whole world - a lamb triumphant and matted with its own blood - not a pale rider to subdue all people and evil in the world by f orce. A lively discussion on the proper discernment of judgment and textu al criticism followed. [AP] DTEND:20121111T110000 DTSTAMP:20121111T113044 DTSTART:20121111T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Peace\, peace\, but there is no peace UID:568 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/peace-peace-but-there-is-no-peace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Carl Friesen (graduate student at Regent College) spoke on "Ju stice and the Liturgy of Human Rights". In an earlier talk\, Carl showed that humans are primarily loving\, relational beings and not simply coldl y rational creatures. However\, over the past three or more centuries\, c ertain philosophers' arguments have profoundly shaped societal thinking i n ways which have led even today's Christians to think unquestioningly ab out the supremacy of human rights\, rights which concern the individual r ather than that which is best for a relational (let alone loving) communi ty. Hobbes\, for example\, argued that science/mechanics/math can explain everything rationally\, that people are fundamentally individuals (not s ocial beings) concerned with self preservation. Thinking like this leads to the assumptions of the "unalienable rights" of life\, liberty and purs uit of happiness" embedded by Thomas Jefferson so prominently in the US c onstitution. John Stuart Mill emphasized that individual freedom is the g reatest good\, and this assumption is too often unquestioned by today's m edia\, courts and societal thinking. This leads our society into a fragme nted view of justice in which we focus more on an individual's goods and rights than on all of us fostering love and helpful societal relationship s. If pushed too far\, individual rights will not provide a foundation fo r the common good. For example\, forests\, lakes and meadows were formerl y preserved as a cooperative endeavour for the common good\, but now we a re subdividing them into tiny parcels purchased by individuals who have t he 'right' to do with their resources as they wish\, even if it will lead to harming society as a whole. Believing in absolute rights also leads t o the type of polarization\, and the lack of compromise now so prevalent in US politics. What to do? Carl suggested that Christians can begin to c hange society through hospitality\, "inordinate" hospitality\, a selfless serving of others\, a loving of the unloveable. We still have rights (an d do not want our hospitality to be exploited)\, but if we practice the l evel of hospitality outlined in Matthew 25\, rather than individual right s first and foremost\, we can become more Christ-like. [JEK] DTEND:20121118T110000 DTSTAMP:20121118T113044 DTSTART:20121118T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Justice and the Liturgy of Human Rights UID:569 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/justice-and-the-liturgy-of-human-rights END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Launching from John 18:33-37\, J. Evan Kreider elaborated on t he story of Jesus taken before Pilate\, having being seized\, physically punished\, and interrogated all night. Jesus was then asked by Pilate to explain why the Jewish temple society considered him such a threat to the peace and good order of the Empire. Jesus was actually in no danger from the Jewish leadership\, as they were proscribed from killing him\, notwi thstanding the belief of Christians throughout history. But the stakes we re raised in front of Pilate\, and perhaps Pilate at last began to unders tand when he asked “So you are then a king?” (Jn 18:37). Though Jesus dec lared his kingdom was one ‘not of this world’\, he insisted it existed\, anchored in ultimate truth\; but Pilate remained ignorant. Are we any wis er? Though always alluded to in prayers\, in psalms\, and in parables\, t his kingdom remains unexplained. This story of Jesus’ confrontation with Pilate\, so dense in allusion\, anchors our modern understanding of Chris t as King. This feast day of Christ the King Sunday (held on Eternity Sun day) is relatively recent\, having been instituted by Pope Pius XI in res ponse to Mussolini’s republicanism\, to remind the faithful their allegia nce remained to God\, not to earthly rulers. It sits on the same day as t he older holy day of Totensonntag\, a day to commemorate the dead in Luth eran and some Anabaptist traditions. For some of us of republican bent (p articularly in North America) the image of a King over us remains troubli ng\, given the past malfeasance of earthly rulers. Nevertheless\, Pius XI ’s clarion “Christ’s peace for Christ’s kingdom” was effective\, and leav es us with questions we should continue to ask ourselves today. “Who do y ou say that I am?” is not just for Pilate but for us. Is Jesus King to us ? A gentle shepherd? What is our fervent hope when we pray “Thy kingdom c ome”? [AP] DTEND:20121125T110000 DTSTAMP:20121125T113044 DTSTART:20121125T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christ the King UID:570 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christ-the-king-2012 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Dec. 2\, 2012\, excerpts from Handel's Messiah were sung by the congregation.\n\nThere was no bulletin published today.  There was n o audio recording made of the service today.\n\n DTEND:20121202T110000 DTSTAMP:20121202T113045 DTSTART:20121202T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:571 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah-2012 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Michael Thomas\, on the 2nd Sunday of Advent\, noted Handel’s inspiration for The Messiah that we sang the previous Sunday drew from Ze chariah\, and that this Sunday’s texts are equal to it in inspiration. Be ginning by asking ‘What is Advent?’\, Michael first noted that as a child \, it was equivalent to Christmas\, also called “‘Ad-vend’... when mercha ndisers religiously remind everyone how few shopping days remain til Xmas ”. A sacred time that spans both religious tradition and secular culture\ , it is a time of fearful\, joyful and expectant longing for a king who c ame and is to come again. From the Greek parousia (coming alongside with) Michael noted the day’s text from Malachi 2:17-3:5 appears to give a sun ny reassurance to the people of God. Put in its proper context\, though\, it is reassuring only in terms a prisoner in the dock might find comfort ing\, because the rest of the book presents the Lord’s case against Israe l. Malachi’s people see no need to repent and are incredulous that the Lo rd should take issue with them - “to purify the sons of Levi.” Though the Lord’s messenger is already in his temple\, all is not right with the wo rld\, so we\, like Malachi’s Israel\, are to hope and pray for all to be made right. Luke 1:68-79 sings the same hymn of joy at deliverance\, tell ing the story of the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth at the adven t of their baby\, John the Baptist. After Zechariah’s nine months of sile nce\, the song of joy that explodes from his lips at the birth is a testa ment to might acts of salvation (soteria) that the Lord performs to all o ut of his steadfast love and faithfulness (chesed) to his people. Philipp ians 3:1-11 gives yet more guidance as to how we are to live in the time between Advents - the already-but-not-yet - in confidence that the Lord i s still at work in our lives long after Jesus’ time. We too are called to reflect his perfection in our lives in this season of waiting. [AP] DTEND:20121209T110000 DTSTAMP:20121209T113045 DTSTART:20121209T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Between the Advents: Fearful\, joyful\, Hopeful Expectation UID:572 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/between-the-advents-fearful-joyful-hopeful-e xpectation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Connie Siedler focused on the gifts of Christmas\, noting that the fragrant soaps\, candy\, and toys will eventually all be gone\, regi fted or returned. Advent is a season when God reminds us that his gift of Jesus has a lasting quality\; a gift with no expiry date. Connie identif ied several gifts from God: the life Jesus brings us\, the light shining in the darkness\, Jesus as our brother\, and the gift of grace and truth. Grace is a gift we don’t deserve\, she said. In the Advent season we nee d to reflect on what we have and to give gifts that endure. In the respon se time it was noted that some of us listened to CBC en route to church a nd heard former PGIMF attendee Aiden Enns promote a “buy nothing Christma s” in response the rampant consumerism of the season. The stress of tryin g buy the “right” gift is a major frustration. The gifts we should be giv ing are gifts that last: love\, joy\, gratitude\, our time and…. [HN] DTEND:20121216T110000 DTSTAMP:20121216T113045 DTSTART:20121216T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Gift Guide UID:573 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/gift-guide END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:This week a service of worship and singing for 4th Advent and Christmas Eve was held. The accompanying text was created by Evan Kreider .\n\nThere was no bulletin this week.  There was no audio recording made this week.\n\n \n\n DTEND:20121223T110000 DTSTAMP:20121223T113045 DTSTART:20121223T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Service of readings and hymns UID:574 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2012-12-23-service-of-readings-and-hymns END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:\n\nAndre Pekovich (PGIMF Coordinator) spoke on the final Sund ay of 2012. Some recent studies consider the complex role played by bacte ria and parasites in our bodies\, acknowledging that we do not digest foo d unassisted\, but that this is accomplished only with significant help f rom bacteria foreign to our bodies. Some people are even tinkering with b acteria as a means of addressing modern diseases. While we generally shar e certain types of bacteria\, each of us has our own unique blend known a s "flora" and our different bodies respond to varying flora in differing ways. In a similar fashion\, Christianity cannot be viewed simplisticly a s a monolith in which all Christians share a common set of beliefs and pr actices. Even the earliest churches described in Acts had seriously oppos ed schools of thought already flourishing within 20 years of the Sermon o n the Mount. Today's church follows suit\, including beliefs and practice s as differing as those espoused by Orthodoxy\, Catholicism\, nationalist ic fundamentalism\, modern Anabaptism\, and mysticism\, to say nothing of the ever-evolving group of Christians unable to find a home in any churc h. Stories about Rahab\, Abram\, Hosea and Gomer remind us that individua ls\, whose lives were frequently thought to be of little consequence\, ne vertheless made useful contributions as part of the host of minute 'flora ' which somehow helped to keep the faith movement evolving. St Paul's cul ture and ours differ drasticly\, and his most impassioned battles with ot her believers concerned topics of little interest to us today. To keep th e faith movement alive\, like Paul\, we need to find ways to help it cont inue evolving as culture evolves. For starters\, we should continue rerea ding and rethinking the canon (which already offers a variety of expressi ons and faiths) and reading well beyond the canon\, for although secular politicians over the ages (e.g.\, Constantine\, Charles V\, etc.) attempt ed to force unity of faith upon all the churches in their kingdoms\, this goal was never put into practice except on paper\; the church never has been a monolith. To be truly alive\, Christ's church requires a tremendou s variety of flora. [JEK]\n DTEND:20121230T110000 DTSTAMP:20121230T113046 DTSTART:20121230T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spiritual Genetics UID:579 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/spiritual-genetics END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld on Membership Sunday describes church membership \, then Edward and Frieda Epp describe their journey to PGIMF\, and are w elcomed by the church Moderator\, Don Teichroeb. DTEND:20130106T110000 DTSTAMP:20130106T113045 DTSTART:20130106T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Service of Welcome UID:575 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-service-of-welcome END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Derek Carr (Reader at Our Lady of Perpetual Help\, thespian\, and former Head of UBC's Department of French\, Italian\, and Hispanic St udies) spoke most engagingly on "Translation\, Interpretation\, and Salva tion". When attending Mass at Holy Guardian Angel in Barcelona last summe r\, Derek noticed that the Mass\, translated into Catalan\, retained cert ain linguistic traditions which had been lost in the English translation used in his church (just a block north of our Centre). As a specialist in translating and in Linguistic Studies\, he knew all too well the pitfall s facing any translator--pitfalls which face each and every scholar invol ved in translating the bibles on which we rely. Translation often involve s a rewriting of an original text\, the including of one's views on the t ext. Translations can even suppress or reinterpret. For example\, there i s general disagreement concerning what the angels reportedly declared to the shepherds (Luke): "goodwill toward men"\, "peace to his people on ear th"\, "and on earth peace to men whom the Lord esteems" (Catalan)\, "peac e to men he loves" (French). Some translators prefer to adhere to the sen se of the Latin\, some try to mirror current thinking in their denominati ons\, some try to speak to the unchurched\, and some like to mirror socie tal concerns such as inclusive language (mandated at UBC). These possibil ities baffle any who are not linguists\, and they also even baffle lingui sts. However\, the general sense of our texts is more or less on-track\, for which we can give thanks. [JEK] DTEND:20130113T110000 DTSTAMP:20130113T113045 DTSTART:20130113T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Translation\, Interpretation\, and Salvation UID:576 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/translation-interpretation-and-salvation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:To remind us of our Anabaptist origins\, John Klassen spoke on salvation\, discipleship and discipline among our Swiss founders. In Ger many Martin Luther challenged the state/religious authorities and provide d an alternative\, thereby giving common people hope. Luther’s actions an d his focus on grace set the stage for much of what happened in Europe. A ndreas Karlstadt\, a priest and contemporary of Luther\, said mass in Ger man rather than Latin\, married\, and sought to remove infant baptism. Th e Schleitheim confession was a document that outlined the separation of S wiss Anabaptists from the world: a courageous model of faith which reflec ted the struggle for faith and purity. A small group of lay people met in Zurich\, examined scripture\, baptized each other\, and shared communion – outrageous and illegal behaviour. Anabaptists emerged out of this gath ering\; a people who are saved and who need to work out their salvation. John noted that today we have church/state separation\, and don’t face di lemmas like those in 1520's. He suggested that we practice inclusive beha viour as modeled by Jesus with the Samaritan woman at the well. The quest ions for us continue: how do we live differently than the dominant societ y? How do we retain a Christian identity? How do we identify essentials? [HN] DTEND:20130120T110000 DTSTAMP:20130120T113045 DTSTART:20130120T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Salvation\, Discipleship & Discipline among Early Anabaptists UID:577 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/salvation-discipleship-discipline-among-earl y-anabaptists END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Michael Thomas (Menno resident and Regent graduate student) sp oke on the Lectionary's stories about people hearing 'the word of God' an d how they responded. In the early centuries of the Jewish monarchy\, the Torah was consistently granted pride of place among all the other writin gs which would eventually comprise our Old Testament. But as time passed\ , the concerns of the Torah would be eclipsed by those expressed in the P salms and by prophets. With the advent of St Paul's writings\, followed s everal decades later by the compilations of the Gospel stories\, the impo rtance of Torah declined still farther. Today\, we are hard-pressed even to suffer through a reading of much of the Torah--its language\, practice s\, assumptions and decrees now seem to have no application to our philos ophy of life\, and although we pay lip service to the Torah\, we seldom k now how its ideas should apply to our lives. By contrast\, the story in N ehemiah 8 tells of a people hearing the Torah read aloud for the first ti me and being thrilled and enthralled as the words were relayed to them. A nother story\, that in Luke 4.14-\, tells of Jesus returning home and rea ding the assigned text from Isaiah. That particular discussion time went so badly that the congregation decided to kill the speaker (ah\, the good ol' days). St Augustine once distinguished between "the Book of Scriptur e [revelation]" and "the Book of Nature [logic\, later science]". Psalm 1 9\, in another of our Lectionary readings\, presents poetry which seeks t o reconcile the Book of Scripture with the Book of Nature. The initial ve rses claim that all of nature declares the glories of God\, and the next set of verses review the importance of explicit laws and precepts found i n Scripture. We need to learn to view Torah--and all of Scripture--as an ongoing living tradition rather than as the sole well from which the wate r of life can be retrieved. To Jesus's countrymen\, this notion was worth y of death\, but Jesus nevertheless persisted in finding new ways to appl y the most general principles of Torah and the prophets to modern life\, as did St Paul . . . as must we. [JEK] DTEND:20130127T110000 DTSTAMP:20130127T113045 DTSTART:20130127T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Lectionary texts\; Harmonious Justice: The Good News as the Fulfil lment of Torah" UID:578 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/lectionary-texts-harmonious-justice-the-good -news-as-the-fulfillment-of-torah END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:There are various ways of communicating the messages of the Bi ble: words\, art\, music\, reading\, dramatization\, etc. Jenna Veenbass used her gifts as a dramatist to bring life to the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. Using a few simple props and a dramatic voice\, Jenna described a marginalized lady widowed several times and ch ildless. Jenna brought out many emotions within this story of a widow fro m a Samaritan village. This woman was surprised when\, in the heat of the noonday sun with few people around\, she sees a Jewish man sitting at th e well where she comes to get water. Fully aware of the animosity between the Jews and Samaritans – Jews do not associate with Samaritans – she is astonished when he asks her for a drink of water. She complies and then he starts talking about “living water” and she wants to know where she ca n get it. Listening to him gives her energy (living water?) and she runs to her village and tells of the prophet who has come. [HN] DTEND:20130203T110000 DTSTAMP:20130203T113046 DTSTART:20130203T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Woman at the Well UID:580 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-woman-at-the-well END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen (resident of Menno and graduate student at Regen t) spoke on "the Slavery of Death". As the church reflected on Christ's d eath\, they initially associated sin with death and the devil\, concludin g that Jesus came to destroy the devil and all that is evil (Christus vic tor). St Paul talks of the body (soma)\, of Jesus becoming embodied\, and also wrote about sary\, or of our very "flesh" being equated with a sinf ul nature. Romans speaks of our inner conflict over good and evil\, and H ebrews 2.14-16 of our fear of death. Many older people can recall how dea th and dying used to be completely integrated into family life--families caring for their elders at home\, their homes eventually serving as a hos pice where people died and remained in state\, families even gathering to dig the grave near the church. With the professionalization of death (ho spitals\, hospices\, funeral homes\, cremation\, cemeteries far removed f rom daily city life)\, death is being viewed very differently. Is this be cause we are no longer enslaved to death\, or is it because we fear death \, its messiness and finality. Is our modern society actually more fearfu l of death than earlier generations\, leading us into another type of sla very of fear? What can deliver us from this growing fear? Thomas promised a sequel to this talk\, leaving us with a final thought: "He who does no t fear death is outside the tyranny of the devil." [JEK] DTEND:20130210T110000 DTSTAMP:20130210T113046 DTSTART:20130210T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Slavery of Death UID:581 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/slavery-of-death END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the first Sunday of the Lenten season\, Evan Kreider focuse d on the three pillars which the Jewish people believed important: giving \, praying and fasting. The Talmud describes three levels of giving: the highest is to give people work\, the next\, to give anonymously to the po or\, and the last level is giving to the poor and letting others know wha t you've done. When giving alms don't blow your own horn – do it in secre cy. Giving to charity and then telling others - that's your reward. Pray in secret. The key is not to draw attention to oneself\; offer prayers on behalf of all. When fasting\, don't look dismal and don't make a display of it. Jesus assumes all believers will pray\, give\, and fast. In Jesus day money given to the temple would be redistributed to the poor. Today money going to churches might well go to hiring staff and/or buildings\, not the poor. Are the three pillars – giving\, praying and fasting valid today? Most of us are unfamiliar with personal fasting\; it might well be an area needing further exploration. Whatever we do in these areas\, do it in a way that will benefit others and God. [HN] DTEND:20130217T110000 DTSTAMP:20130217T113046 DTSTART:20130217T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Three Pillars of Faith for Lent UID:582 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/three-pillars-of-faith-for-lent END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown spoke on "Fear\, Faith\, and Firepower". Fear conce rns fear for our lives and for all that is precious to us. Faith is that the Lord our God will protect us and keep us true to him. Firepower resul ts from our fear and our lack of faith causing us to take things into our own hands and try to protect ourselves with weapons since we do not real ly believe in God's protection. Our lectionary reading (Genesis 15.1) tol d of Abram trusting God so much that he referred to God as his "shield". Luke 13:31- told of even the Pharisees warning Jesus that Herod would kil l him\, but Jesus had faith that this would not happen until God willed i t. "The Lord is the stronghold of my life\, of whom shall I be afraid" (P salm 27) has been a source of strength to many Christians. But not all. N orth Americans (Americans far more than Canadians) believe that guns are our ultimate protection\, not God\, even though more Americans have died from domestic gun violence than from all of the wars Americans ever fough t anywhere! This faulty assumption has led to a plethora of private handg uns in the States\, with there being c. 71 guns for every 100 living Amer icans of any age. When we think of gun control\, we seldom think of keepi ng guns away from Olympic champions or spouses\, we think of "the bad guy s". Gun control is ultimately about self control. For Christians\, partic ularly of our persuasion\, our faith is in God and in God's will for us a nd for our lives. [JEK] DTEND:20130224T110000 DTSTAMP:20130224T113046 DTSTART:20130224T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Fear\, Faith & Firepower UID:583 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/fear-faith-firepower END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the Third Sunday of Lent\, Laura Eriksson spoke on "Unexpec ted Warnings and Welcomes". "Warnings are good for us\, even if we do not like them and ignore them." At that point\, the fire alarm went off and the entire assembly laughed as the vast majority of us proceeded to ignor e it (I counted 15 teachers/former teachers/principals present!) Even so\ , warnings do make us aware of possible dangers. Lent reminds us to 'come '\, 'return'\, 'repent' (it is time for a spiritual tuneup)\, 'return to the God whose ways are higher than our ways'. We are surrounded with warn ings daily (email\, food\, poisons\, environment\, scams) but the most di fficult to accept is the warning to repent. The story in Luke 13\, tellin g of people trying to interpret the latest news and why others were kille d by a falling building or Roman soldiers. They were surprised when Jesus told them they should repent from judging others and instead\, repent so that they are ready\, should an unexpected calamity fall on them. The ne xt story in Luke told of the gardener giving the fig tree one more in yea r which to produce fruit\, and how he was going to invest time and nutrie nts so that the tree could benefit for this one last chance to be fruitfu l. Laura concluded with a thought I hope to ponder this coming week: "Tru e repentance is not so much about looking at the past and saying 'sorry'\ , but it is about looking to the future and saying 'Wow!'" [JEK] DTEND:20130303T110000 DTSTAMP:20130303T113046 DTSTART:20130303T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Unexpected: The Warnings and The Welcome UID:584 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/unexpected-the-warnings-and-the-welcome END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jenna Veenbass returned to PGIMF and used her oratorical gifts in a dramatic monologue of the story of Ruth. Aliens\, famine\, the diff icult life for single women\, poverty\, are issues in this account. Due t o a famine in the Bethlehem area a Jewish family moved to a neighbouring country to find work. The husband died\, leaving Naomi and her sons. One of the sons married Ruth\, a Moabite. Both sons died and only Ruth and Na omi were left. Naomi decides to return to her Jewish homeland and Ruth in sists on accompanying her. They arrive in Bethlehem during the barley har vest and being poor Ruth goes to gather grain left from the harvest in a field belonging to Boaz\, a distant relative of Naomi. Naomi instructs Ru th to make herself appealing to Boaz\; they marry and becomes the grandmo ther to Jesse\, David’s ancestor. Jenna demonstrated that not every sermo n needs a theological exposition\; story telling with a dramatic effect b rings the story to life. Thanks Jenna\, for saying things well. [HN] DTEND:20130310T110000 DTSTAMP:20130310T113046 DTSTART:20130310T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ruth UID:585 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ruth-2013 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke about the visit of Jesus to the home of L azarus\, Mary and Martha as described in John 12. Martha serves dinner an d Mary brings a jar of expensive aromatic oils\, massages Jesus’ feet\, a nd wipes them with her hair. Feet\, in arid conditions\, likely had a bad smell. The fragrance of the oils fills the house. Fragrance is mentioned often in the Old Testament (incense\, offerings\, etc.) and rarely in th e New Testament. Judas wonders why the oil wasn’t sold and the proceeds g iven to the poor. Jesus supports Mary\, who is part of the disciples grou p\, and silences Judas. Mary got it right\; her behaviour\, though possib ly viewed as outrageous\, is cast in a positive light. Paul continues on the aromatic theme in his epistle: “Because of Christ we give off a sweet fragrance….” [HN] DTEND:20130317T110000 DTSTAMP:20130317T113046 DTSTART:20130317T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mary got It Right - Again! UID:586 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mary-got-it-right-again END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Palm Sunday\, Carl Friesen told of growing up in a world of daily rituals--milking cows\, shower\, breakfast\, devotions\, school. T here were also the weekly rituals of church (without fail) and even ritua ls for dressing. Our rituals informed us as to who we were and were not. The same was true in New Testament times. Luke 9.51- tells of Jesus "turn ing toward Jerusalem" for the ritual of Passover. According to that ritua l\, countless pilgrims gathered along the way\, singing and chanting whil e walking. But this ancient ritual took a new turn when a group of follow ers gathered around Jesus while he symbolically rode into Jerusalem on a colt. Before long\, a song that was part of the singing ritual was update d from "Blessed is he" to "Blessed is the king that comes in the name of the Lord." Then another ritual was upended: Yes\, they went to the temple as pilgrims\, but Jesus then occupied the temple (it is generally agreed that this mistake lead directly to his death before the end of the festi val). Throughout the coming week's Passion story\, one will encounter ter ror\, abuse of power\, lies\, show trials\, dreams\, and unholy alliances . Some hopeful Jews saw Jesus as exemplifying the story of salvation (sha ring food\, washing feet\, riding the colt) but all hopes are dashed when he is killed. This whole story is absolutely insane ... unless there is an Easter morning. [JEK] DTEND:20130324T110000 DTSTAMP:20130324T113046 DTSTART:20130324T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jesus\, Messiah UID:587 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-messiah END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We celebrated Easter Sunday with a service of scripture readin gs from the Passion Story\, songs and prayers led by Evan Kreider and in song by Ann Marie Neudorf. Many thanks to everyone who brought such wonde rful food to share at our Easter Sunday Potluck Breakfast before the serv ice.\n\nThere was no bulletin this Sunday.  There was no recording made o f the service. DTEND:20130331T110000 DTSTAMP:20130331T113047 DTSTART:20130331T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Songs and Texts for Easter UID:588 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/songs-and-texts-for-easter END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:How big is the universe? How long is forever? Kevin Hiebert as ked these questions in reflecting on the verses from Revelation: “To him be glory forever and ever.” The universe is likely over 13.8 billion year s old. Kevin stressed the need to be awe filled\, especially when looking at the size of the universe and the expanse of creation. God is in a sta te of eternal “now\,” noting that at the speed of light time ceases to fl ow. God is the “now\,” implied in the Hebrew name of God. God is the ‘I w as\, I am\, I will be.’ C.S. Lewis said there is something of God that fl ows into us\, we need to exalt the God who made us and also retain a sens e of awe in creation. [HN] DTEND:20130407T110000 DTSTAMP:20130407T113047 DTSTART:20130407T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God the Great and Powerful UID:589 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-the-great-and-powerful END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Miller spoke on the theme of one of his recent movies\, Hellbound? Brad Jersak's book\, Her Gates will never be Shut: Hope\, Hell and the New Jerusalem fascinated Kevin because of the profound questions it raised about atonement and the very nature of God. The various branch es of Christianity offer a cornucopia of views about hell [hell and the c oncept of eternal damnation do not appear in the Old Testament until the later rabbinical writings\, which are then accepted by certain writers in the New Testament (though fire has often been viewed as something which refines). All of our modern questions about the afterlife ultimately take us to the question\, "Who is God?" Voltaire quipped that if God has made us in his image\, we have returned the favour\, and therein lies our pro blem. Believers claim to hope that if we abandon ourselves to God\, every thing will be fine. However\, we also deeply wish to control our own fate if at all possible and not just rely on our chances with God\, so compli cated systems are created which too often are effectively fear-based cont rol systems. Jewish religious leaders certainly did this with their myria d of regulations which had to be followed--or else\, and some of this typ e of thinking has also crept into various expressions of Christianity ove r the centuries. As contemporary believers contemplate the mysteries of t he afterlife\, we of course examine our scriptures. Unfortunately\, we do this only in ways (through cultural glasses) which let us understand som e things and cause us to overlook others. Kevin asked what kind of images of God do our selective assumptions about God create within us? Do we ac tually believe that God the Judge will do what is right\, or do we want t o offer advice? Kevin reminded us that if we think about it seriously\, w e will realize that we have no choice in this matter. He encouraged us to remember that "God is not the enemy\, God is love\, so take a second loo k at God". [JEK] DTEND:20130414T110000 DTSTAMP:20130414T113047 DTSTART:20130414T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hellbound? UID:590 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hellbound END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Julia Bowering launched from Psalm 42 and 43 to describe perso nal encounters with thirst\, relating that to a thirst for God. Fainting in the desert on a hike from lack of water was not the encounter she desi red\, but remains with her as a metaphor for life without the Lord. As th e hart yearns for water\, so my soul pants for you. This song is for thos e who felt abandoned by God or overwhelmed in despair. The two psalms (la ments) are so perfectly written to fit together\, particularly the refrai n (“Why are you cast down\, O my soul\, and why are you disquieted within me?...”) that repeats again and again\, challenging God in the way that those close to death are wont to do. In a day after bombings in Boston an d plots in Toronto\, this lament calls out to Julia with its raw honesty. She noted the history of Jewish peoples called for frequent festivals an d feasts\, to which God was to be praised and thanked for his blessings\, and this contrasts with the despair that so often occupied life. Though we experience God in different ways and different seasons\, our call is n evertheless to maintain hope\, no matter our experience\, even when the s ilence of God’s absence presses upon us. So too is voicelessness where we soon find ourselves in dependency. Turn to prayer\, Julia asks\, as the Psalmist did in Psalm 43 in the hope of finding God will be there to supp ort us. [AP] DTEND:20130421T110000 DTSTAMP:20130421T113047 DTSTART:20130421T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:I Will Yet Praise Him: Thirsting for God in the Desert UID:591 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/i-will-yet-praise-him-thirsting-for-god-in-t he-desert END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jim Neudorf\, in a story from Nu 15 “A man caught collecting f irewood on the Sabbath...” inquired of God why a man should be stoned for this? Hard stories abound in the Bible\, so Jim examined God’s justice\, so different from our own\, and gave us four paradigms: the first - dire ctive - inherently right or wrong behaviour (example: thou shalt not kill )\; the second - utilitarian - establishes the greatest benefit for the g reatest number\; (until the ends justify the means) \; the third - stoic - that people of virtue will always make virtuous decisions (until they d on’t)\; and fourth - selfish - gaining the greatest personal benefit with out regard to others. All are problematic\, so in looking to both general and special revelation Jim noted that justice and righteousness are the same in Hebrew (shalom)\, and God\, the moral being\, holds justice essen tial in his work to establish goodness and holiness in the world. Lepers and bleeding women (among other broken relationships) were restored to so ciety through justice and healing\, just as the Hebrews were restored aft er Egypt and Babylon. The Year of Jubilee made redistribution the ultimat e act of restorative justice. But justice requires judgment\, the hardest of God’s qualities to determine. Not intended solely as punishment\, jud gment acts to refine and restore. Thus\, though we cannot divine the mean ing of the fatal punishment of a man caught collecting wood on the Sabbat h\, we may take heart from God’s essential goodness that the intention wa s to restore the man and the community to God’s shalom. Jim’s touchstone passage in the message from Dt 4:29-31 “If you seek the Lord your God\, t hen there is mercy” thus calls us not to view every punishment and blessi ng from God as reward or punishment for proper behaviour - that old and d iscredited worldview denies God’s ultimate authority. Again and again\, G od demonstrates the evil done in the world is not done solely to punish\, but to offer the hope of restoration - shalom - to all who seek the good and just God. Will we trust God’s purpose? Or our own judgment? [AP] DTEND:20130428T110000 DTSTAMP:20130428T113047 DTSTART:20130428T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Justice Judgment and God UID:592 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/justice-judgment-and-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld told the story of a man who allowed modern socia l media to substitute for\, or take over\, the place of advice formerly g iven by friends and community. In this example\, Henry noted the man turn ed the important decisions in his life over to a group of people he didn’ t know but who “purchased shares” in an organization dedicated to telling him how to run his life. Through this lens\, Henry examined Acts 12\, no ting Paul invested in Lydia’s life with her teaching\, who returned to hi m her gift of hospitality - an investment in Paul’s life. The cripple at the Pool of Siloam had nobody to invest in his life\, and remained crippl ed. Others today remain crippled with no desire to get well for they cann ot imagine a life of accomplishment - their investment in their own misfo rtune is too high. Our church\, with its committed members\, invests in e ach others lives. Henry wonders if we could extend that by forming small groups connected by the Internet? Would we permit such an engagement in t he decisions of our lives? What are our boundaries? [AP] DTEND:20130505T110000 DTSTAMP:20130505T113047 DTSTART:20130505T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Vote in My Life UID:593 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/vote-in-my-life END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider focused on Jesus’ ascension\, noting that there a re eight appearances of Jesus recorded since his resurrection. Following the resurrection the disciples were told to stay in Jerusalem\; normally they would have returned to Galiliee where Jesus had done most of his tea ching. Rome was important as the centre of power for the Jews (the temple ) and the ruling Romans. Staying in Jerusalem implied that the teachings of Jesus were to be taken to the centre of political and religious power. The ascension account presents some challenges\; some were later additio ns to the gospels. Evan noted that this is not surprising since at the ti me the belief was that Jesus came from God\, returned to God and was now with God. From this time on Christians would think of God only through th e “Jesus filter\,” and that’s how they would read the Old Testament. Read ing all of Scripture through the teachings of Jesus keeps the focus on Je sus and not on worshiping the Bible. [HN] DTEND:20130512T110000 DTSTAMP:20130512T113047 DTSTART:20130512T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Et ascendit [secundum Lucan] UID:594 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/et-ascendit-secundum-lucan END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld led a worship service that featured a reading of the Sermon on the Mount. Three readers (Edward\, Catherine and Hannelore ) read the texts from Matthew 5\, 6 and 7. Dense and provocative\, each l ine of the text gave food for thought and inspired whole sermons. A livel y question period followed\, indicating the message spoke clearly to each person in the room. DTEND:20130519T110000 DTSTAMP:20130519T113047 DTSTART:20130519T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sermon on the Mount UID:595 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sermon-on-the-mount END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The worship service at the Church Retreat at Camp Luther was e nlivened by the reappearance of Jenna Veenbaas acting out the story of th e woman caught in adultery from John 8:1-11. The worship service contrast ed this story with the apocryphal story from Daniel 13 about the woman of Judah\, Susanna who was falsely accused of adultery and condemned to dea th. The timely inspiration of God in the words of the young man Daniel re deemed both the life of Susanna and the honour of the community which had condemned her on false testimony. This ultimately unsatisfying story was redeemed by the vivid dramatization of the unnamed woman in John’s story \, who battled loneliness and powerlessness\, and when caught up in the v icissitudes of sexuality in the ancient Near East\, found nothing and no- one to rely on but a mysterious stranger who refused to condemn her. “Nei ther do I condemn you” he said. Shall we all go forth and sin no more. [A P]\n\nNOTE: no audio recording is available. DTEND:20130526T110000 DTSTAMP:20130526T113047 DTSTART:20130526T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Adulterous Woman UID:596 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-adulterous-woman END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ken Hawkley from Anabaptist Mennonite Seminary talked about th e competition between the prophet Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). Ahab and his wife Jezebel worshipped Baal who was considered t he god of all gods. Following a 3 year drought Elijah is the only prophet of Yahweh left and he gives the Israelites a challenge: If the Lord is G od\, follow him\; but if Baal is God\, then follow him. The people Edwin Hintz Erika Hannan Summer Coffee Service Thanks to all who have provided the coffee and goodies so far. Please sign up on the list on the bulletin board at the back to help out. were silent. Elijah sets up a competition with the prophets of Baal: each will slaughter a bull and call down fire \; the god who answers is indeed God. The Baal prophets do not succeed in calling forth fire. Elijah mocks them and pours water on his altar and p rays. Fire of the Lord consumes the meat\, the stones and the water. Ken noted that sacrifice needs a willing heart\, a heart connected to Yahweh. Elijah was connected to Yahweh\; he was willing to trust God and sacrifi ce everything. Elijah was willing to stick his neck out. Mennonites are k nown for their good works\, but not for sticking their necks out especial ly when there’s no guarantee of success. We come up with excuses. What do you want to stick your neck out for? [HN] DTEND:20130602T110000 DTSTAMP:20130602T113048 DTSTART:20130602T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The First Thing UID:597 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-first-thing END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Bruce Hiebert spoke on the two accounts of the conversion of Saul to Paul. Stories such as these present nearly imponderable proble ms to careful readers\, causing some people to give up altogether on Chri stianity\, while others either ignore the discrepancies or hide behind fu ndamentalism. Bruce assured us that even though scripture offers very dif ficult problems to some minds (interested in comparing details)\, it also hints at solutions to those problems. Luke's story (Acts 9) is so typica l of the author\, being filled with miraculous happenings and crucial con versations with people like Ananias (before going to Jerusalem for furthe r consultations)\, possibly because he thought they might appeal to his a udience in the Roman Empire. By contrast\, Paul's own account (Galatians 1) tells of no miracles (even though they might have given his story incr eased credibility to his readers) but instead portrays his faith journey as being lonely (influenced by nobody--especially nobody in Jerusalem). I nstead\, Paul seems to tell of the fullness of the truth dawning on him o ver a period of years as he carefully ponders--in isolation--Hebrew scrip tures and the stories he had been hearing about Jesus.The beauty of havin g these two strongly differing accounts is that now\, as in the first cen tury\, one of the stories just might speak more convincingly to people to day\, just as they possibly did centuries ago. Setting the questions of d iffering details aside\, we know for certain that Paul somehow came to un derstand and believe that the teachings of Jesus were in fact correct\, a nd from that transformation of his thinking\, he was then able to further transform the teachings in radical ways\, so that the good news could ev entually be accepted by a non-Jewish world and begin to transform it. [JE K] DTEND:20130609T110000 DTSTAMP:20130609T113048 DTSTART:20130609T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What's the Story? UID:598 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/whats-the-story END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Connie Siedler used the water into wine miracle as a basis for her message on transformation. Connie noted that there are many wedding mishap stories\, including this one where the host runs out of wine. This miracle account in John 2 shows Jesus as an agent of transformation\, a frequent theme in John’s gospel. In this miracle\, Jesus turned something good into something better\, and also turned something into something it was not. When we encounter Jesus we can’t stay as we were\, said Connie\ , we all need change. The discussion raised questions about the intent of this miracle\, and questions about what Mary expected Jesus to do. Trans formation is an ongoing challenge for all\; to change from something good to something better\, or to change something into something it was not. [HN] DTEND:20130616T110000 DTSTAMP:20130616T113051 DTSTART:20130616T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Transformation: Water Into Wine UID:599 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/transformation-water-into-wine END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The Point Grey Ministerial Association collaborated on a worsh ip service in Trimble Park during the Point Grey Fiesta. DTEND:20130623T110000 DTSTAMP:20130623T113051 DTSTART:20130623T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ecumenical outdoor service UID:600 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ecumenical-outdoor-service-2013 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sharon Smith spoke on Psalm 130\, "Out of the depths." Sharon is active in Sanctuary\, an organization which helps ministers co-journey with parishioners troubled by depression. One such person once said that at night it is dark--and it is also dark in his mind\; when the sun come s up\, it is still dark in his mind. In such times\, God seems absent\, a nd the sufferer lacks even the energy to pray. Sharon then examined Psalm 130\, noting how the bible's "wisdom literature" portrays God being with someone suffering depression\, etc. The "depths" (verse 1) can be very f rightening (the same word is used in Ps. 69.1-2 for the frightening chaos of the depths of the Mediterranean Seas). Once this internal chaos is ex ternalized and we are aware of it\, how can we help? We might try to reca ll some dark depth we once experienced\, remembering how it affected our world view. The Psalmist long ago bravely illustrated how to articulate a call to God for help. Verses 3-4 remind us that God does not keep track of our wrongs/difficulties\, and that we are forgiven and understood. Sha ron concluded with three practical ways we might help others:\n1.go with them to see the doctor/counselor (sit in the waiting room\, then be avail able to listen if listening is desired)\;\n2.simply listen\, not judgment ally\, just be there\; and\n3.remind each other (verses 7-8) that God nev er gives up on us\, God will be with us\, redeem us.\n[JEK] DTEND:20130630T110000 DTSTAMP:20130630T113051 DTSTART:20130630T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Out of the Depths UID:601 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/out-of-the-depths END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider’s sermon focused on the difficult and demanding p assages of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. These passages are often seen as p ointing to the essence of the Anabaptist understanding of the Christian w ay. While Luther emphasized salvation by faith and grace alone\, the Anab aptists emphasized obedience. Evan developed two themes: your righteousne ss must exceed that of the Pharisees\, and Jesus saying “you have heard t hat it has been said but I say to you…” and thereby rewriting the underst anding of OT teaching. Turn the other cheek… if someone takes your cloak… go the second mile… love your enemies\, etc. These blunt statements all focus on how we act under pressure. The Sermon on the Mount has not a wor d about correct beliefs\, only words about what to do. The practice of re ligion is about how we treat others and the Sermon on the Mount provides clear direction on this point. [HN] DTEND:20130707T110000 DTSTAMP:20130707T113051 DTSTART:20130707T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Surpassing Righteousness UID:602 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/surpassing-righteousness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Bastille Day (when the French Revolution began taking steps which would ultimately dethrone Europe's most powerful king\, Louis XVI) \, Carl Friesen spoke on "The Good News of a New King." Whether we like m onarchies or not\, the New Testament is filled with kingdom imagery. The Song of Mary focuses on the coming of a person who would be king-like. Lu ke tells of Jesus reading from Isaiah and then having the audacity to cla im that he is 'the one'. In the sermon on the Mount\, phrases such as\, " You have heard it said . . . but I say to you . . ." redefine who is/is n ot in the kingdom. Contemporaries were naturally aghast at the notion of one man claiming such a role--for they saw it as God's role. Jesus\, howe ver\, invited people to participate in his kingdom and in the restoration of all creation (for salvation is only one small part of the Good News). We of course prefer to think of Jesus as the Servant or Good Shepherd\, rather than as a powerful king with the authority to judge us. And if we are to be judged\, some Christians would prefer to be judged by faith rat her than by consistency of actions. But apparently\, we don't get to chos e. That said\, the Good News is that if we follow his kingdom ways\, our part of society can be changed\, the poor can be helped\, the lame can wa lk\, and the widows will have nothing to fear. [JEK] DTEND:20130714T110000 DTSTAMP:20130714T113051 DTSTART:20130714T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Good News of a New King UID:603 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-good-news-of-a-new-king END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ken Friesen provided a historical overview of the emergence an d nature of two monastic orders. The election of the current Pope\, Franc is has brought renewed attention to the Franciscans. They are a monastic order based on the teachings of St. Francis of Assisi (1209)\, who was to ld by God to rebuild the church. Franciscans take vows of poverty\, chast ity and proclamation of the kingdom of God. Later Ignatius\, a soldier\, felt badly about conquering others and decided to do what St. Francis had done 300 years earlier start a monastic order. His group - the Society o f Jesus (Jesuits) - believe reform begins with the individual\; they stro ngly emphasize education and by 1556 had founded 73 colleges. The current pope is the first Franciscan pope in history. Ken noted that his habits point to a life of simplicity: using public transport and washing the fee t of the poor including a Muslim woman. He has become a symbol of what th e church should be. “I’d like a poor church\,” the pope said. The issue o f charity is important\; Ken noted that less affluent people donate more the affluent. St. Francis was never ordained\, and Ken observed that we h ave a pope named after a lay leader and a Mennonite church named after a Roman Catholic priest. [HN] DTEND:20130721T110000 DTSTAMP:20130721T113052 DTSTART:20130721T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Bergoglio UID:604 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/bergoglio END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:\n\nAndre Pekovich used the lectionary texts for the day to in vestigate the purpose and meaning of consequences as they apply to God’s design. In Hosea 1\, Andre noted that though Hosea promises consequences to Israel\, it takes more than a century for them to come about\; meanwhi le\, his children live with unpleasant names. Meanwhile Israel\, though s uccessful historically\, failed to follow God spiritually and relied on i ts own power and might for its own salvation\, eventually leading to its own destruction. In Psalm 85\, salvation seen to be not once and for all\ , but a continuous process of anger and separation followed by revival\, sometimes years or generations between. Luke 11\, though more often used to describe how we should pray\, also shows how the persistence of prayer may bring about the consequences we desire. And Colossians 2 insisted th at we follow our own call of the spirit when discerning the right way to follow God’s direction\; heeding the instructions of others may lead to s eparation\, anxiety and sin\, and again bear consequences of separation o f the Body from God. Andre noted that consequences are neither logical\, rational or immediate\, and sometimes they don’t appear to take place at all. Since we have no control over the consequences\, we are called to li ve purposeful and devoted lives\, as a training for when consequences tha t we do not expect eventually arrive to test us. [AP]\n DTEND:20130728T110000 DTSTAMP:20130728T113052 DTSTART:20130728T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Consequences UID:605 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/consequences END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Morgan Tipton (Residence Coordinator of the Menno Simons Centr e) spoke on "Habitation and Formation: Why Living in Christian Community Matters." Morgan began with a box of brownie mix. For one ESL student at the Centre\, the instructions were formidable and frightening. Another st udent baked brownies every Wednesday midnight\, while students gathered t o eat and talk. For still another student\, only Grandma's recipe suffice d. This was just brownies . . . image the variety of understandings of Ch ristianity and community 23 students bring to the Centre each September. Scripture indicates that faith is shaped in the presence of others. Altho ugh 'Christian community' undoubtedly takes place at our Centre\, every s quare inch of the earth is God's\, so community can also happen on the da nce floor\, in a pub or on the bleachers. The social rituals outside the classroom are more formative than are classes\, labs and libraries. Commu nity living can have its problems\, but a community without tension is al so not experiencing growth. [JEK] DTEND:20130804T110000 DTSTAMP:20130804T113052 DTSTART:20130804T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Habitation & Formation: Why Living in Christian Community matters UID:606 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/habitation-formation-why-living-in-christian -community-matters END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dave Diewert (Regent College) spoke on the story of feeding th e 5\,000 (Mark 6)\, which recalls parallel themes with the story in Exodu s of feeding many thousands in the wilderness. Jesus\, recalling Ezekiel\ , often spoke of political and religious leaders as shepherds who neglect ed their sheep. Throughout the Gospel of Mark\, Jesus speaks of people be ing abused by power\, being hungry for justice\, and of Jesus wanting to 'feed' them/satisfy their needs. In this story\, various solutions were p roposed: (1) the disciples advocated individualism\, tantamount to the su rvival of the fittest in which people fend for themselves (go and buy the ir own food)\; (2) Jesus asked the disciples to purchase food for everybo dy (charity\, handouts\, one-time solution) and this was thought impracti cal. Finally (3) Jesus asked everybody to share with each other (the econ omics of mutuality). The real miracle in this story is that God was on th e side of those society was hurting (the peasant Galileans were being eve n more severely taxed at that time than previously\, while the middle and upper classes in Jerusalem were protected). Herod\, Pilate\, and the Tem ple officials (appointed by Rome's appointees) depended on the peasants i n Galilee being poor/powerless and financially oppressed. Leaders therefo re feared Jesus's and John the Baptist's work with the poor\, just like s ome have feared the Arab Spring\, Vancouver's downtown demonstrations\, a nd calls for a more equitable world. [JEK] DTEND:20130811T110000 DTSTAMP:20130811T113052 DTSTART:20130811T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Feeding Our Community UID:607 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/feeding-our-community END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Michael Thomas (Menno resident and Regent graduate student) sp oke about his faith and life integration trip to Ghana during an evening talk with a slideshow of his photographs. DTEND:20130814T110000 DTSTAMP:20130814T113053 DTSTART:20130814T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mission in Ghana UID:614 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mission-in-ghana END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Michael Thomas (former "Menno" resident and faithful participa nt at PGIMF) reviewed Paul's metaphors (1 Cor. 12 and Eph. 2) in which al l members of the body are important. Michael recently studied how and wha t seminarians in Ghana learn about Christianity and some of the ways they view scriptures and faith.\n1.Westerners do not bother with wide swaths of the bible dealing with evil spirits\, genealogies\, healings\, visi on s and the like\, but African Christians are familiar with these worlds\; therefore the bible is very much their book--all of it\, especially the O ld Testament.\n2.African Christians understand the spirit realms (casting out spirits\, etc.) far better than Westerners\; the spirit world is jus t a real to well-educated Africans as is the physical world.\n3.Believing that the foundation of all things is God\, Africans do not separate the sacred from the secular as we do\; "theology" (the study of God) encompas ses everything in life.\n4.Westerners have emphasized individualism in ou r ethics and increasingly in our churches\, but African Christians believ e that the well being of the group takes precedence over individualism. O ne person even commented that democracy is undercutting Christianity in t he West\, watering it down (letting untrained people have a significant s ay in what the church should teach).\nWestern Christianity appears to hav e the upper hand because of its vast financial wealth and long history of thinking\, but there is so much that we can learn from the African "part s of Christ's body". [JEK] DTEND:20130818T110000 DTSTAMP:20130818T113052 DTSTART:20130818T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ghana: a Global Christian Diversity UID:608 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ghana-a-global-christian-diversity END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Veronica Dyck's meditation looked at the story of Jesus teachi ng in the synagogue\, stopping his talk to ask a severely stooped woman t o come forward\, healing her instantly (without her asking)\, and then be ing criticized by the ruler of the synagogue for 'working' on the Sabbath (Luke 13.10-19). This complaint was based on a close reading of Deuteron omy 5.13\, but Jesus cleverly responded by showing how most men commonly broke the next verse (Deut. 5.14). If it is acceptable to untie an animal on the Sabbath in order to lead it to water ('work')\, why would it not be acceptable to untie a woman from 18 years of physical disability on th e Sabbath? The woman really celebrated her new freedom and was not about to be silenced. This is yet another story illustrating how God's Torah\, studied every Sabbath\, needs to be interpreted through the lenses of mer cy and grace\, rather than being viewed as harsh rules. Consequently\, ga therings on the Sabbath need to find ways to lift up the lowly and reconc ile them back into God's community (the woman would have been thought unc lean). What keeps us captive and prevents us from being fully part of God 's kingdom? [JEK] DTEND:20130825T110000 DTSTAMP:20130825T144852 DTSTART:20130825T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Standing up Straight - Restored for God's Kingdom UID:609 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/standing-up-straight-restored-for-gods-kingd om END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the 27th anniversary of our Fellowship\, Janice Kreider spo ke on Jeremiah 2\, focusing on verse 13 in which the prophet accuses Isra el of relying on cracked cisterns which offered only stale water. Cistern s were often created from exposed rifts in rocks which filled when it rai ned but then became stagnant and eventually evaporated. Springs\, on the other hand\, offered the gift of pure water. Although springs were obviou sly preferred\, cisterns were common in that arid landscape\, even though they often went dry (Joseph and Jeremiah were both once held in dry cist erns.) Much of the writing attributed to Jeremiah is highly critical of t he former temple\, the arrogance of the religious leaders there and their belief that they were beyond God's judgement. The Sinai laws were not fo llowed\, resulting in the poor being bereft of support. Jeremiah accused the people of having as many gods as there were villages. Jeremiah also p oints out the pathos of God and the creation of a new covenant\, God's lo ve for the people despite their disobeying the old covenant. In what ways have we forsaken the ways of God? What cracked cisterns have we dug\, pa tched up and relied upon for our national safety\, especially as the G20 meets? Where are the artesian wells in our lives? [JEK] DTEND:20130901T110000 DTSTAMP:20130901T113052 DTSTART:20130901T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Cracked Cisterns UID:610 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/cracked-cisterns END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:When we welcomed the MSC residents for another school year\, E van Kreider spoke about the account of Naaman’s healing. Naaman\, a gener al in the Aramean army\, had leprosy. A Hebrew slave girl\, working in Na aman’s household\, suggested that Naaman visit a Jewish prophet in Samari a for a cure. Rather than receiving Naaman\, Elisha sends a message to Na aman to cure his affliction by dipping himself seven times in the Jordan river. Naaman feels snubbed by the prophet\, refuses and prepares to retu rn home. His slaves beg him to try it\, he does\, and is healed. He retur ns to Elisha with gifts that are refused. No conditions were placed on Na aman\; Elisha did not ask him to convert. He now accepts the God of the H ebrews. Naaaman asks Elisha to forgive him for having to worship at the t emple of Rimmon as part of obligations to the king of Syria. Elisha’s par ting words: go in peace. How do we allow our faith to interact with a pos t-Christian culture? [HN] DTEND:20130908T110000 DTSTAMP:20130908T144852 DTSTART:20130908T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Go in peace UID:611 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/go-in-peace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke about Exodus 32:7-14\, in which Moses argu ed with God not to destroy the Israelites for casting an idol of a golden calf. Fear motivated them to ask for an idol -- a substitute for God -- when Moses was absent. The second commandment applies to us too: the bron ze sculpture of the charging bull on Wall Street has been called an idol of our capitalistic culture of nearly unregulated greed. What causes us t o turn away from God and pursue an idol? Henry also tackled the challengi ng text in the Parable of the Shrewd Manager from Luke 16:1-13. As a comp etitor admires the competition\, the rich man recognized the cleverness o f the manager in marking down the debts to make friends who could help hi m later. Jewish peasants were subject to taxes from the Temple\, Herod an d Rome that they could scarcely bear. The manager isn't commended for che ating\, but for wisely reducing the burden on the rich man's debtors. The Pharisees are condemned by Jesus for squandering the tithes & offerings as well as the teachings of God by imposing a strictness of endless rules that God will not own [see the hymn\, There's a Wideness In God's Mercy] . Their church\, their status and the law became their golden calf -- the ir idol. Can modern churches really justify spending millions on physical facilities and property? The shrewd manager isn't meant to encourage dis honesty\, but points out the wisdom of using worldly resources to help ot hers. If you are untrustworthy with your worldly wealth\, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? Henry left us with two questions:\n1. Can we get God to change his mind\, like Moses did?\n2.The wealth we have is the good news of a new Kingdom -- what are we doing with that wealth? \n[KH] DTEND:20130915T110000 DTSTAMP:20130915T144852 DTSTART:20130915T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The idol of the Golden Calf UID:612 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-idol-of-the-golden-calf END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Tony Tremblett spoke on "The Genealogy of Jesus Christ the Mes siah" from Matthew 1:1-17. While it may be tempting to dismiss the long l ists of whom begat whom as mundane trivia\, tracing the lineage of Jesus back to Abraham helps us to understand God's love\, judgment and mercy. I n Jesus' day\, one's pedigree was an important source of respect and priv ilege. Of the four mothers mentioned in the patriarchal line\, three were notorious for their questionable morals and two were non-Jews. As the fu lfillment of God's promises to Abraham and David to bless all peoples and all generations\, Jesus came from mixed blood. The prophet Amos -- also in Jesus' family tree -- called on Israel to remember the poor and stop t aking advantage of them in contradiction to our religiosity. In the fulln ess of time\, God's faithfulness was revealed in Jesus to those waiting f or the Messiah to come as the offspring of Abraham out of the House of Da vid. Since then\, Blood has been replaced by Faith in making us the Child ren of God. When we become forgotten names to our offspring\, will we be remembered in the mind of God? DTEND:20130922T110000 DTSTAMP:20130922T144853 DTSTART:20130922T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Geneaology of Jesus the Messiah UID:613 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-geneaology-of-jesus-the-messiah END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen spoke on "The Metaphysics of Thankfulness" based on Psalm 104:1-30\, 2 Corinthians 4:13-15\, Psalm 69:30-36\, and Romans 1:20-21. "Why does the world/universe exist?" is the age-old metaphysical question. We see how post-modern people use consumption and amusement as their 'soother' in response to the meaninglessness of an existence based on luck. A Christian's response should be gratitude for the gift of crea tion. The Apostle Paul told us that Christ was involved in both creating and redeeming us. God gave us the gift of science to help us understand t he miracle of balance in the created universe. In celebration of the chur ch's 27th anniversary\, Thomas expressed their thankfulness to members of PGIMF for their support of the Christian community of students at the Me nno Simons Centre. Sharing food and fellowship isn't just an ethnic Menno nite cultural practice\, but is also rooted in our theology. Thankfulness for our food reminds us of the gift of life that we receive daily from p lants and animals. Like Neil Pasricha's book of 1\,000 Awesome Things\, w hat simple pleasures are you grateful for? The love of the triune God is the reason that there is 'something' rather than 'nothing' ... something for which we can be very thankful! [KH] DTEND:20130929T110000 DTSTAMP:20130929T144853 DTSTART:20130929T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Metaphysics of Thankfulness UID:615 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-metaphysics-of-thankfulness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Johannes Stolz spoke on "Three Key Words We Tend to Love or Ha te" based on Matthew 22:15-22 after interacting with the congregation abo ut the differences between a Christian lecture and a sermon. The first wo rd -- trap -- was illustrated in the one set by the Pharisees and the Her odians\, after baiting Jesus with flattery and then posing a trick questi on: did he support the Roman occupation or advocate rebellion? Jesus' wis dom was in pausing\, asking a question in return\, and then escaping the cage of the leading question. The second word -- taxes -- provided the op portunity to point out the reality that we owe governments for their serv ices\, but that duty is not to encroach on God's domain. Johannes gave hi s testimony of choosing between military service and Bible school in Euro pe. The third word -- trade -- reminds us that rather than stubbornly tak e our own way\, we are called on to trade ourselves back in to God\, to w hom we rightfully belong\, and continue to daily follow the way of Jesus so that circumstances don't dominate us when life is difficult. Johannes exhorted us to give homage to the one whose image we bear. [KH] DTEND:20131006T110000 DTSTAMP:20131006T144853 DTSTART:20131006T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Three Key Words We Tend to Love or Hate UID:616 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/three-key-words-we-tend-to-love-or-hate END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of readings\, hymns and prayers was held on Thanksgi ving.  There was no recording for this service\, nor was there a bulletin provided. DTEND:20131013T110000 DTSTAMP:20131013T144853 DTSTART:20131013T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving Readings\, Hymns and Prayers UID:617 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thanksgiving-readings-hymns-and-prayers END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Peter Nosco spoke about 'Talking and Listening to God' bas ed on The Parable of the Persistent Widow from Luke 18:1-8 and the import ance of divinely-inspired Scripture from 2 Timothy 3:14-4:5. Prayer is ta lking to God\, who hears and responds in one of at least 4 ways: 'Yes'\, 'No'\, 'Ask Again' or 'Wait'. When we pray for miracles\, the answer may be that God's grace should be sufficient\, but we sometimes perceive this as God not listening. Are there prayers that we can expect to always be answered with a "yes" (send us the Holy Spirit\, or help us resist tempta tion)? Like a loving parent never tires of hearing respectful questions f rom a child\, God is pleased by our perseverance in the faith. Peter rela ted two of his experiences of answered prayer -- one for safety on a dark road in the snow\, and another for being led through his career path. Do n't be afraid to ask for something small and personal\, but don't put God to the test\; consider it the beginning of a dialog. Surrender to God's will\, and compare your requests to the Scripture. Reading the Scripture is an excellent way to hear what God is saying to us and to the church. [ KH] DTEND:20131020T110000 DTSTAMP:20131020T144853 DTSTART:20131020T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Talking and Listening to God UID:618 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/talking-and-listening-to-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Reformation/Heritage Sunday\, Janet Boldt spoke on "Claspin g of Hands" based on the lectionary texts of Joel 2:23-32\, Psalm 65\, 2 Timothy 4:6-8 & 16-18\, and Luke 18:9-14. The scriptures tell us that God simultaneously transcends time and space\, yet is very present with huma nity and sustains creation. Current events make it hard to understand God 's immanence when human violence is repeated so often. The poetry of Geor ge Herbert (1633) included "Clasping of hands" which plays with the posse ssion relationships between us and the LORD in terms of 'I/mine' and 'The e/thine'. The interlacing of humanity's actions with those of God's are l ike a dance that begs the question: what is the balance between God's res ponsibilities and ours? The humble prayer of the tax collector in Luke 18 is story of reversal: re-creation and re-formation as a result of justif ication by faith. Across the human/divine divide\, God reaches towards us in grace\, yet we must reach back and grasp that gift -- we cannot be ju stified by our own initiative. Spiritual disciplines are a way to place o urselves before God and trust in order to be transformed. In conclusion\, we heard Ernie Doerksen play guitar and sing Gene MacLennan's "Put your hand in the hand" [of the man from Galilee]. [KH] DTEND:20131027T110000 DTSTAMP:20131027T144853 DTSTART:20131027T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Clasping of Hands UID:619 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/clasping-of-hands END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rabbi Robert Daum\, in an overview of Genesis\, gave licence t o explore the hidden meanings that we impart to the text as we read it. R onald Hendel in his book The Book of Genesis: A Biography notes that the bible has an “afterlife” - though composed and rewritten over hundreds of years\, its interpretative life is what gives it meaning and currency fo r all cultures. This interpretative life\, though perhaps a literary conc eit\, allows us to seriously consider competing versions of the text of G enesis (such as that found in the Dead Seas scrolls)\; oral versions vers us written versions\; and verbatim reproduction versus performance of the text by an interpreter. As an apocalyptic text describing a time beyond our own or a neo-Platonic book describing a place very different from our world\, Daum says the book reflects our human desires to return the worl d to an Edenic state. No literalist reading of these cryptic words - perm anently relevant\, perfect and complete\, and divine in origin - could co mpete.\n\nThus\, in Genesis we find two creation stories\, plus others in Psalms and Job. Woman is created either out of an androgynous being\, or out of soil. Different personal names for God are used in close proximit y without explanation. In Gen 1:2 our word “the deep” (tehom) is also pro per name of an ancient Mesopotamian deity (Tiamaat) in an attempt to supp lant the chaos of the manifold pantheon with the one true God. So too the sun and moon as “lights” disempowers the sun-god and moon-goddess myths prevalent at the time. Ruach embodies God’s enigmatic character as wind\, breath or spirit depending on context. When Jacob wrestles with an angel and is renamed Israel\, the text continues to refer to him thereafter as Jacob. This is not just sloppy editing or a fetishistic attachment to tr adition - it’s a deliberate ambiguity to draw us into the text and have u s embrace its wideness. Name changes\, contradictory versions of importan t moments\, rewriting history in two different chapters - all these give us a sense of the richness and mystery of the book\, and we must train ou rselves to read carefully to get the full benefit of it. [AP] DTEND:20131103T110000 DTSTAMP:20131103T144853 DTSTART:20131103T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Genesis: Unfamiliar Territory UID:621 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/genesis-unfamiliar-territory END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Barbara Nickel spoke to us on Peace Sunday in a multifaceted m essage combining congregational singing and spoken litanies\, inviting us to put peace into each others hands. But how? From the story of the dest ruction of the city and cathedral of Coventry in 1940\, Barb related how the survivors\, whose strength was almost at an end\, created out of rubb le an image of the cross\, followed by a service of reconciliation. Short ly after\, the people of Coventry sent money and aid to German cities rui ned by Allied bombing\, and much later\, the rebuilding of a new church f rom within the hallowed ruins of the old\, married the tragedy of the old with the hope of the new in one cathedral. In ruins\, we can turn to God when our own strength is at an end\, and ask God\, grant us peace. On th e smaller scale of our own personal relationships\, we can also ask God t o deliver us up into peace when we can see no other way to accomplish the ends we are called to. Whether relating our faith to one who does not sh are it\, or giving our talents to the world\, and then worrying about whe ther they are good enough to display\; if we but grant God the possibilit y\, He will send to us the comfort and support we need to know that we ar e valued not just for our many contributions\, but for who we are in Her eyes - Her own child. [AP] DTEND:20131110T110000 DTSTAMP:20131110T144854 DTSTART:20131110T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Put Peace Into Each Other's Hands UID:622 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/put-peace-into-each-others-hands END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:"My toys! I can't do without my toys!" That was Karl Brown's t heme as he showed us the rubber duck with which his granddaughter plays. Karl said he often uses toys to illustrate concepts. When additional toys are acquired\, two key questions emerge: Where am I going to put it\, an d how does this toy change me? (What about how much does it cost?) Toys a re instruments of play and are also tools for shaping and changing people . Adults use toys to form social bonds\, to understand relationships\, an d for decorations. Maria Montessori stressed that children playing with t oys is children's work\; children will be creative with whatever you give them. Karl noted gender preferences in children selecting toys. Karl cit ied Logo as brand that initially emerged to encourage creativity in child ren and has developed into a marketing success with "scripted" and more v iolent toys. Karl left us with the question: How do we spread Christian v alues of love\, of caring for on another by the toys we use? How do our g rown up toys shape us? [HN] DTEND:20131117T110000 DTSTAMP:20131117T144853 DTSTART:20131117T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:My Toys! I Can't Do My Job Without My Toys! UID:620 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/my-toys-i-cant-do-my-job-without-my-toys END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A selection of readings and prayers highlighted our eternity S unday service\, created and led by J. Evan Kreider. Beginning with script ure from Psalms to Revelation\, the congregation was led from the fatalis m of the last light to our hope in eternal life\, and from there through the writings and words of Martin Luther King\, Jr\, Dorothy Sölle\, and E dna St. Vincent Millay to a commemoration of our friends who have gone be fore us: Verna Reesor\, William J.J. Riediger\, Bert McGee\, Henry Hildeb rand\, Hildegard Lemke\, Hedie Hintz\, Hilda Sawatzky and Betty Funk\; an d communion was served. [AP]\n\nNote: There was no message so no audio fi le of the service has been posted. DTEND:20131124T110000 DTSTAMP:20131124T144854 DTSTART:20131124T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Eternity Sunday Readings & Prayers UID:624 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/eternity-sunday-readings-prayers END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our service featured our annual Sing-along Messiah to the acco mpaniment of Ruth Enns on piano and solos from Thomas Bergen\, Ann Marie Mossman\, Andrea Siemens\, Nicole Brooks and Lisa-Dawn Markle. The event was well-attended and much enjoyed by all.\n\nNote:  There is no recordin g available on-line for this service DTEND:20131201T110000 DTSTAMP:20131201T144854 DTSTART:20131201T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:623 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah-9 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Friesen\, in “Experiencing God”\, examined the historical period we worship in today with its diversity\, and related our experien ce to the Christmas season. The post-modern age we worship in is notable for its insecurity and anxiety despite great wealth and lack of want for the vast majority. Our worship darts in many different directions\, from relating sustainable agriculture to the church\, dreaming dreams\, to rei nterpreting scripture in service of new paradigms. Our thirst for God has developed a different shape in a “century without God”\, one that demand ed rational explanations for belief\, yet now turns to feelings and emoti ons for validation. Diana Butler Bass’s book “Christianity after Religion ” asks us to consider our estrangement from God and turn our hearts towar d Him. Reasons for our estrangement may include lack of purpose in life\, fear of others\, guilt\, resentment\, striving for riches and need for a pproval. John suggests that our inability to sense God with us at all tim es may emphasize our separateness\, and comments from Philip Yancey that “Any relationship involves times of closeness and times of distance... th e pendulum will swing from one side to the other”. Thus does the faith of the mystics model for us the way in which our journey should go. A mysti cal experience of John’s\, when young\, was foundational to his trust tha t God would always be with him. Thus the message of Luke’s Christmas stor y (2:10-12) is as current today as two thousand years ago\, as theologian s as prominent as Barth acknowledge - because “Jesus loves me this I know \, for the Bible tells me so”. [AP]\n\nNOTE: there was no audio recording of this sermon. DTEND:20131208T110000 DTSTAMP:20131208T144854 DTSTART:20131208T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Experiencing God UID:625 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/experiencing-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen captured several of the infancy narratives of Je sus in a wide-ranging message that acknowledged our heart-felt appreciati on of children’s plays\, while extending our understanding of the gospel as an exploration of the identity of Christ - so much more than a baby in a manger. The infancy narratives fulfill many other parts of the bible\, particularly OT prophecy\, and recognized that the gospel-writers were n ot historians\, but theologians who sought to give us a sense of the iden tity of Christ. More than his genealogy (as Matthew wrote)\, and more tha n our career (as we identify ourselves today) Jesus is identified as the summa of history and tradition in Israel through the lists of its heroes\ , and yet providing the necessary bridge to the rest of the world through gentiles. We are invited to identify with Jesus in countless ways: The s candalous unions throughout the bible are echoed in Jesus’ own birth to M ary\, allowing him to share in the shaming meaning by which many come int o the world. Parallels abound - the struggle of Joseph\, Moses and Pharao h is echoed in Joseph\, Jesus and Herod\; the forty days of temptation ec hoes the 40 years of wandering\, and Jesus as Caesar supreme even over Au gustus\, whose own godhead was thrown into question early on. The good ne ws of God’s peace was brought by Jesus\, not Augustus\, and the longevity of his message\, though important\, isn’t half so critical as the relati onship he still offers us all today. Read about his story\, but live his message with him in this Christmas season. [AP] DTEND:20131215T110000 DTSTAMP:20131215T144854 DTSTART:20131215T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Matthew & Luke: The theologians and theologies of Christmas UID:626 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/matthew-luke-the-theologians-and-thelogies-o f-christmas END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A service of Lessons and Carols for Christmas was held to tell the birth story\, created by Dr. Veronica Dyck.  There was no bulletin f or this service\, in favour of a selection of readings.  As there was no message\, no audio recording was posted. DTEND:20131222T110000 DTSTAMP:20131222T144854 DTSTART:20131222T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Readings and Music for Christmas UID:627 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/readings-and-music-for-christmas END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Between sets of hymn singing\, Andre Pekovich shared his thoug hts from Robert Farrar Capon about "Hospitality and Food" based on the bo ok\, The Supper of the Lamb: A Culinary Reflection.\n\nPlease note that t he audio recording is not available for download. DTEND:20131229T110000 DTSTAMP:20131229T144854 DTSTART:20131229T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thoughts From Robert Farrar Capon on Hospitality and Food UID:628 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thoughts-from-robert-farrar-capon-on-hospita lity-and-food END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:[Following on a creation care story led by worship leader Dian e Ehling\, that had the whole congregation involved in physically represe nting the life of a great tree - ed] our fellowship's moderator\, Henry N eufeld\, spoke on the theme of Membership. (Unfortunately\, severe snow s torms elsewhere meant that not all the people wishing to join us this Sun day could return to Vancouver in time\, so new members will be received n ext Sunday.) It is interesting to ponder what membership means to people over the centuries. Jack Suderman\, in Naming the Sheep\, lists more than 90 images for the church in scripture (e.g.\, flock\, salt\, aroma\, lig ht\, etc.) but no single image dominates others. One other image might be added today: 'picking up the fallen ones'. In PGIMF\, membership is not all that important because we encourage anyone (member or not) to partici pate as fully as they can\, as they feel comfortable doing. Since the New Testament mentions leadership six times--and servanthood more than 200 t imes\, maybe "membership happens whenever we act like Jesus." As we moved into the year's first communion\, Henry reminded us that Jesus ate with everyone\, especially outsiders\; everyone was expected to join in eating and drinking with him\; and our eating and drinking of the elements symb olizes our act of commitment to following the teachings of Jesus. [JEK] DTEND:20140105T110000 DTSTAMP:20140105T144854 DTSTART:20140105T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Membership Sunday UID:629 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/membership-sunday-2014 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Timothy Tse (graduate theology student at Regent) spoke on the day's lectionary text concerning the baptism of Jesus. Baptism originate d with the ancient Jews as a symbolic cleansing from the impurities of si n. The contemporary Essenes could be baptised as often as 14 times a day\ , constantly repenting. John the Baptiser surely knew of them as he pract iced his form of baptism at the Jordan River. Jesus asked for baptism for yet another reason\, that of demonstrating his acceptance of and identit y with John's mission and calls for repentance and change. Our baptism ex presses our willingness to follow Jesus. To 16th-c. Anabaptists\, being r ebaptised symbolized accepting Christianity as an adult\, there being mor e committed to God than to the state. To Anabaptists\, baptism has never been a sacrament (which makes insistence on specific forms of baptism see m most unfortunate). One can of course repent\, believe and follow Christ as a disciple without ever being baptised. But the symbolism of baptism is possibly similar to that of marriage -- public declaration of commitme nt\, something to be followed with an on-going commitment.   [JEK] DTEND:20140112T110000 DTSTAMP:20140112T144854 DTSTART:20140112T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Anabaptism: Why baptism matters even when it's not sacremental UID:630 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/anabaptism-why-baptism-matters-even-when-its -not-sacremental END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jenna Veenbaas (graduate student at Regent) spoke on "Walking in Weakness". Scripture is filled with stories of people struggling with weakness\, and of those\, Paul's story is one of the most poignant. Paul founded a church in Corinth (Acts 18). Several years later\, he asked Chr istians in Corinth to collect money to assist the starving Christians in Judea as an act of charity and also of thanksgiving for their new religio n. But the church in Corinth was too riddled with its own problems (inces t\, immorality\, pride\, etc.) to think of helping others. Some men gifte d in public speaking and rhetoric ridiculed Paul's inferior speaking abil ity. Paul decided it was necessary to return to Corinth to restore order and perspective\, but the visit went so badly for everybody that he had t o leave prematurely. In a now-lost letter\, Paul criticized his friends\, calling for repentance. Titus then visited Corinth\, with more success. This resulted in a collection of writings we now call "2 Corinthians"\, a nd within that group is an unusual unit (chapters 10-12) addressing a new problem: men claiming super-apostolic status and wanting to be paid for their teaching (which was the typical Greek custom). Since they compared themselves to Paul\, Paul reluctantly adds to their comparisons\, but in a different way. Rather than playing up his own strengths and best attrib utes\, Paul lists his weaknesses. For instance\, Paul did not claim to be a hero\; heroic soldiers were the first to scale city walls in battles\, but Paul had himself let down over a wall in a basket\, in order to esca pe. Rather than listing the number of churches founded\, he lists all the physical suffering he endured for preaching. In response to men claiming to be super-apostles\, Paul refers obliquely to being "caught up into Pa radise"\, without ever explaining himself. He counters that experience wi th his mysterious reference to his "thorn in the flesh". Even though he h ad this extraordinary experience (the 'third heaven')\, he also had some sort of problem or affliction ("thorn") that resisted repeated prayer. Ev en for one who was doing all he could for the Kingdom\, there was to be n o miracle healing\, he just had to live with his 'thorn'. Paul\, like oth ers in scripture\, had to face grief and unsolvable problems. This possib ly recalls Isaiah's referring to the Messiah as "a man of sorrow and acqu ainted with grief". One-third of the Psalms are laments\; there was appar ently ample need for a repertoire of songs of that vein. Although we cann ot explain them\, we do often find that our troubles drive us to our knee s more readily than do prosperity and good health. [JEK] DTEND:20140119T110000 DTSTAMP:20140119T113055 DTSTART:20140119T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Walking in Weakness UID:631 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/walking-in-weakness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Tony Tremblett examined discouragement in our lives\, particul arly when we remember how things used to be. Tony said this is true for o ur church lives too. Some of us\, who have journeyed with God for quite a while\, remember times of extreme closeness\, when the call to follow wa s strong. Perhaps this call has faded somewhat in our congregations in re cent years\, with declining and aging attendance\, mission changes\, conf usion over interpretation and a simple wearing-out of our conviction. Hag gai’s prophetic words to the people of Jerusalem who were similarly disco uraged at the process of rebuilding the temple after the return from exil e were not ordinary. The returned exiles remembered the majesty of the Fi rst Temple with its gold and precious materials\, and saw that their effo rt to rebuild was but a poor copy. Haggai galvanized them back to action and reminded them that they were not called to build a magnificent temple \, but one suitable to their circumstances in life. Tony reminded us that this is our lot too. Haggai calls us to tell the truth as we see it\, so that we can see what ought to be\, and can then step into the gap and wo rk for God\, for His work is still done even in reduced circumstances. Th ough the people Haggai called were dissatisfied with their temple\, it wa s sufficient for Jesus to worship in\, teach in and clear of moneychanger s. Let us hear Haggai’s call ("O take courage\, all you people of the lan d\; work for I am with you")\, come closer to God and feel his strength w ith you as you do his work. [AP] DTEND:20140126T110000 DTSTAMP:20140126T113055 DTSTART:20140126T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Good Old Days UID:632 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-good-old-days END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Salt is essential for life and important for enhancing food fl avours. In Old Testament times the Israelites were told "…your grain offe ring you shall season with salt.” (Lev. 2:13) Jesus was a travelling prea cher and teacher who told stories and developed short\, pithy sayings tha t were easily remembered: “You are the salt of the earth\, you are the li ght of the world\,” Evan Krieder pointed out on Sunday that some of Jesus followers would have heard these sayings many times and eventually they were written down. Jesus was critical of scribes and Pharisees who were o bsessed with correct doctrine keeping rules to satisfy the Mosaic law. Je sus told people their behaviour needed to exceed the behaviour of these t wo groups. Salt does not create flavours\; it enhances them. We need to f ind ways to enhance life for each other and our communities. Jesus told h is followers: if you’re a disciple but don’t live like one\, you’re usele ss.\n\nYou are the salt of the earth O people\,\nSalt for the Kingdom of God\,\nShare the flavour of life O people\,\nLife in the kingdom of God. (Hymn #226) [HN] DTEND:20140202T110000 DTSTAMP:20140202T044855 DTSTART:20140202T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ritual vs. Service UID:633 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ritual-vs-service END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke on "A Temporary Peace" from Micah 6:1-8. She explored verse 5 (which referenced the narrative of Balak and Balaam) by leading a dramatic reading of Numbers 21:31-24:25 with help from Laur a\, Steve\, Ann Marie\, Doug\, Andre and Tim. When the Israelites occupie d the land of the Amorites and defeated King Og of Bashan\, the nearby Ki ng Balak of Moab was afraid of the "numerous horde" and sought a curse on them from Balaam -- a holy man with a reputation for successful magic. B alak wouldn't risk attacking the Israelite encampments without the advant age of a curse on them. A chuckle ensued when Andre portrayed Balaam's do nkey by holding a carrot dangling from a stick\; the donkey saw the angel blocking Balaam's path to helping Balak. After 3 rounds of sacrifices\, although Balaam wasn't an Israelite\, the Holy Spirit directed him to ble ss the LORD's people rather than curse them. In his 4th oracle\, Balaam a nnounced that Israel would crush a long list of surrounding lands & peopl es. After that time\, Israel experienced famine\, leading to Ruth\, a nat ive of Moab\, becoming the great-grandmother of King David and an ancesto r of Jesus. Unjust levels of inequality\, rampant corruption and unrestra ined violence are still gravely concerning in many parts of world. We can be thankful that we have religious freedom in Canada\, but it can't be t aken for granted. We appreciate times of health\, but illness can strike at any time. We are thankful for a relatively clean environment\, but kno w that there are threats to our air and water. Janice concluded by remind ing us of Jesus' words in Matthew 6:34\, "So do not worry about tomorrow\ , for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough f or today" and from Proverbs 3:5-8\, "Trust in the Lord with all your hear t\, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him \, and he will make straight your paths." [KH] DTEND:20140209T110000 DTSTAMP:20140209T144855 DTSTART:20140209T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Temporary Peace UID:634 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-temporary-peace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Cheryl Pauls (President of Canadian Mennonite University) spoke on "Reaching for What's Been Lost and Found and Lost Again and Agai n" from Isa 58:9b-14 and Mk 5:24-34. Is there hope of recovering a theolo gical influence on higher education? CMU is a “church-related” university that partners with secular universities on academic content and voluntar y community. CMU’s Menno Simons College funds the departments of Conflict Resolution and International Development studies at the University of Wi nnipeg. Peace and Social Justice are both religious virtues and increasin gly shared societal values. Bringing out the best of two supporting Menno nite denominations helps CMU builds trust with other ecumenically-minded Christian churches. Likewise\, ongoing interfaith dialog with Shia Muslim s in Iran and efforts to reduce inequality in staff remuneration all demo nstrate the engagement of Anabaptist ideals. She called us to help repair the breakdown of public dialog between the theological voice and the lib eral arts by taking inspiration from the Book of Nehemiah’s long list of workers who repaired Jerusalem’s walls.\n\nDr. Pauls then gave a dramatic monologue from the dual perspective of a timeless woman she named Johann a – the one who encompassed the experience of the woman in Mark 5 who was healed by touching Jesus’ hem\, and a characterization of her own intern al experiences of reaching out to Jesus during two different worship serv ices. Her “Narnia moment” was a twist of imagination that invited her to suspend judgment and drink deeply from the wellspring of grace and truth. She was transformed by a sense of courage\, patience and a desire to ima gine new openings to conversations that had seemed closed.\n\nIs theologi cal truth better than secular nihilism because it’s musical? Is liturgica l practice a preparation for the performance of life\, and at the same ti me\, are the practices of life a preparation for the performance of worsh ip? Have courage\, trust\, and patience in the multiple spheres of influe nce that span across the institutions of church and state. Hope can come from the words of Isaiah (58:9-11)\, who said\, “If you do away with the yoke of oppression ... you will be like a well-watered garden\, like a sp ring whose waters never fail.” [KH] DTEND:20140216T110000 DTSTAMP:20140216T144855 DTSTART:20140216T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reaching for What's Been Lost and Found and Lost Again and Again UID:635 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/reaching-for-whats-been-lost-and-found-and-l ost-again-and-again END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The service was cancelled due to snow. DTEND:20140223T110000 DTSTAMP:20140223T144855 DTSTART:20140223T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW UID:636 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/cancelled-due-to-snow-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We held our annual service to celebrate the imminence of Lent with a service created and led by J. Evan Kreider. DTEND:20140302T110000 DTSTAMP:20140302T144855 DTSTART:20140302T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Readings Preparing for Lent UID:637 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/readings-preparing-for-lent END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Troy Terpstra (MSC resident at Regent College) deconstructed L uke’s story of the centurion from Ch 7:1-10\, with words that are uncomfo rtable to our culture. The centurion\, as one under the authority of anot her\, was heart-ready for discipleship to Jesus’s authority\, yet we find that a difficult model to follow. We are like children\, with all our de sires (as American anthropological philosopher Rene Gerard said) being “b orrowed desire”\; one child\, seeing another with a toy\, desires no othe r in the toybox\, but the one in the other child’s hands. The desire is n ot in the toy\, but in the “other” - and so for us\, our own desire is no t in our own goals but in the accomplishments of others. This is not uniq ue to modern times - Shakespeare wrote often of two friends who shared ev erything but the one thing they were unable to share\, and came to grief. So too is it biblical - Cain & Abel\, Jacob and Esau\, and many more des ired what others had\, rather than what God ordained. But rather than loo k upon authority with a military or hierarchical mind\, Troy invited us t o consider the example of the craftsman\, who put himself under the autho rity of a master to learn a craft\, and thus express this craft to God’s glory. Paralleling discipleship\, craftsmanship is antithetical to modern advertising\, which gives us models for our desire which benefit not our selves\, but the advertisers. God has another path - John 5:19 says “the Son can do nothing on his own\, but only what he sees the Father doing”. Troy noted how this principle is expressed in art\; as Troy had never dis cipled himself to the authority of a piano teacher\, there is no virtue o r joy in his playing\, despite his freedom from the oppression of musical notation and practicing scales. Peacemaking is just such a craft\, and o ne Christians are uniquely called to practice\, just as we practice prayi ng\, reading scripture\, and eating together. We are under authority\; le t us submit and rejoice in it. [AP]\n\nIn an active discussion\, Troy res ponded to a question about peacemaking and spiritual directors with: “Wit h the craftsmanship model\, it’s [easy] to talk about it in terms of musi c or art\, but what does it look like when we’re looking for a teacher wh o is a master in virtue in terms of loving their neighbour or forgiving? We can recognize that fruit and see it as a product of somebody who has ‘ done their scales’ so to speak. You may say to a person\, ‘I need to lear n how to deal with the fact that I hold on to a lot of resentment\, and y ou seem to be free of it!’ -- that didn’t just happen\, that person has d eveloped those skills through prayer\, through reading the scripture\, th rough another person... If we can recognize forgiveness as the fruit of c raft\, just like the other things\, then I think that’s a worthy person t o approach. Naming virtues is the helpful first step for a master-apprent ice relationship.” [KH] DTEND:20140309T110000 DTSTAMP:20140309T144855 DTSTART:20140309T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Craftsmanship and Discipleship UID:638 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/craftsmanship-and-discipleship END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert moved past the labels we’re all identified by to describe himself in terms of the paths we follow. Launching from a blog post by “Abnormal Anabaptist’ Robert Martin (found on the MennoNerds netw ork of Anabaptist bloggers and social gladiators)\, Kevin focused not on his own characteristics nor his own accomplishments\, but on his journey with Jesus. Kevin reminded us of Troy Terpstra’s comments the previous we ek on choosing a spiritual director by seeking out masters in the Christi an virtues who gained that standing not through anointing\, but through e ffort\, learning and practice - ‘the fruit of craft’. Kevin gave examples of such modeling from his own life in neighbourhood friends who blessed those around them when tragedy struck\, to fellow students / residents at the Menno Simons Centre\, whose valuable friendship taught Kevin many im portant lessons not found in the curriculum at UBC. Kevin’s appreciation for poetry\, choral music and the joys of rural land\, arose not out of h is desires to learn about them\, but from the journey with others who wer e inspired to teach and lead\, just as Peter did\, despite his imperfecti ons. Importantly\, Kevin pointed out the pitfall of being a “consumer” of church as noted by Christopher Smith on Patheos.com which requires no ac tive participation\, and this lesson\, taken to heart\, provided the moti vation for Kevin to teach others in Lithuania at a Christian college ther e\, with the support from others in the Christian community. As God gathe red the tribes of Israel to make them a people and turned them into a “de monstration plot for what God intends for all humanity and all creation ( Slow Church: Cultivating Community in the Patient Way of Jesus - Christop her Smith)\, Kevin allowed God to lead him to a people who help light his path\, despite his preference for ‘singing choruses off the wall’. Kevin is inspired by the example of the most recent Pope whose “examples of si mplicity\, austerity and humility” reflect a lifetime of “observing the v alues of the... gospel” rather than those of the world. Kevin ended with Robert Martin’s words:\; “I aim to BE a Christian.... I am a disciple\, a sojourner\, a man on a mission.... I am not a Christian. But by the grac e of God\, I will be more like Christ every day.” So may we all. [AP] DTEND:20140316T110000 DTSTAMP:20140316T144855 DTSTART:20140316T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Journey with Jesus as a Community UID:639 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/journey-with-jesus-as-a-community END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Marianna Harris (former pastor of St. Andrew's United Church) built her talk around her visits to Palestine and on Genesis 12.1-3\, in which Abram is promised his descendants will be a nation. This was a prom ise made some 3\,000 years ago. Is it still relevant today? In Genesis 12 \, Abram is told that "all peoples on earth will be blessed because of yo u"\, and one can assume that "all" means all--Palestinians\, Moslems\, Je ws\, Christians\, each of whom claims Abraham as a spiritual ancestor. Ye t these people fight\, kill each other\, steal land\, all symbolized toda y by the 700-mile-long wall. Israelis fear 'terrorists'\, Palestinians (b oth Moslem and Christian) fear the Israeli military. In this environment\ , how in the world can these peoples think of themselves as being blessed ? Was that promise only a dream? Is God's promise of a 'promised land' no longer valid because Israel does not honour Yahweh and Torah? [JEK]\n\nN OTE: the excerpt of the song at the end is "Blessed Are Those Who are Cal led" from the album Momentary Saints by Linnea Good. DTEND:20140323T110000 DTSTAMP:20140323T144855 DTSTART:20140323T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Genesis 12:1-3 UID:640 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/genesis-121-3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Susan Hackett spoke on stories of faith development\, starting with the miracle of the man born blind whom Jesus healed on the Sabbath as told in John 9:1-41. Are we blind too? King David's anointing in 1 Sam uel 16:1-13 gave him the sight to do amazing things for God such as takin g on Goliath. An alternate translation of David's 'theme song' Psalm 23 c ould be that "surely goodness and mercy will pursue us with the tenacity the fervour of the Hound of the Baskervilles." We are called to be Childr en of Light in Ephesians 5:7-14 so that we can see everything with the li ght of Love. A recent Daily Bread devotional linked the story of Morris F rank\, the blind co-founder of the first Seeing Eye Dog school\, to Titus 3:1-11 -- that we are saved in order to do good. Faith development can b e studied (as Susan did for her Ph.D.)\, but faith itself is the gift of God's grace. It's not too simple to say\, "do good to whomever you can\, whenever you can\, even if it's on the Sabbath." DTEND:20140330T110000 DTSTAMP:20140330T144855 DTSTART:20140330T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Faith Development UID:641 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/faith-development END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Brent Siemens spoke on Psalm 130. He introduced us to the hymn book of Psalms as one that tells a story. It starts with chapters that p repare us to pray by centering us on the Word of God\, while pointing out that our foes in the world aren't ultimate. The middle set of many lamen ts carries us through the ups-and-downs of life. The final set at the end lead us to say "Halleluja" (Praise the Lord). The Psalmist of 130 is in deep water\, in the depths of chaos and disorder. Brent drew a parallel t o the pre-creation state of threatening darkness in Genesis 1:2. Eugene P eterson suggests that this Psalm teaches us how to talk to God (not just talk about God). On our own we can't stand before God because of sin. But the good news is that with God there is the forgiveness because of his s teadfast love (the Hebrew word "chesed" meaning loving-kindness). What do es it mean to wait for the Lord?\n\n1.Wait for God to act. With sovereign ty over all\, the Lord promises deliverance.\n2.Wait for God's presence. David seeks the Lord's face as should we all.\n3.Wait for God to demonstr ate your trust and faith. In a posture of quiet obedience\, wait for Lord more patiently than a watchman for the morning. DTEND:20140406T110000 DTSTAMP:20140406T113056 DTSTART:20140406T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Psalm 130 UID:642 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/psalm-130 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Klassen spoke about the endings of two accounts of the tr iumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Luke 19:43-44 ends with "your enemies will ... crush you to the ground ... because you did n ot recognize the time of your visitation from God." How does one recogniz e the time of God's coming? John recounted 4 stories of people who left b ehind traces of their contact with God:\n\n1.Clovis\, King of the Franks (c. 466-511) was a warrior who converted to Christianity at the prompting of his wife\, Clotilde of Burgundy. Despite his the death of his infant child shortly after baptism\, Clovis shifted the source of his strength f rom his long hair & charisma to God's holiness.\n\n2.An anonymous widower in Wittislingen\, Germany left behind a silver broach in the grave of hi s departed wife\, enscribed with "May Uffila\, snatched blamelessly by De ath\, live happily in God."\n\n3.An anonymous monk in the 9th century kno wn as the "Saxon Saviour" paraphrased the Gospel of Mark into poetic loca l language (The Heliand) so that Germanic pagans could be converted witho ut having to be defeated militarily by the campaigns of Charlemagne (Char les the Great).\n\n4.A 16th century nun\, Saint Teresa of Ávila\, wrote i n her autobiography that during a difficult journey she heard Jesus say t o her\, "this is how I treat ones who want to be my close friends."\n\nTh e closing words of Luke's account and John's form a conversation: your en emies may surround you\, but the words of Jesus in John 12 were "Do not b e afraid\, daughter of Zion. Look\, your king is coming\, sitting on a do nkey’s colt!" DTEND:20140413T110000 DTSTAMP:20140413T113056 DTSTART:20140413T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God UID:643 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/because-you-did-not-recognize-the-time-of-yo ur-visitation-from-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We held our annual Easter Sunday morning service of worship an d prayer created by J. Evan Kreider with support from Andrea Siemens and Ruth Enns. DTEND:20140420T110000 DTSTAMP:20140420T113056 DTSTART:20140420T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Readings and Hymns UID:644 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-readings-and-hymns END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Grant Hill (Menno Simons Centre alumni resident in 2003-2005) spoke on "Finding Rest for Your Soul" based on Matthew 11:25-30. If our b urdens (worries and self-doubts) are like iron rocks\, the human heart at tracts rocks like a magnet ("zip\, clang"). Our Saviour\, Jesus Christ\, invites us to look at Him\, come to Him and take up his yoke. Jesus knew that his relationship with his Father meant that he had nothing to prove to the critics\, even when John the Baptist openly questioned his identit y as the Messiah. Like the wooden cross-bar of a yoke\, Jesus offers to a ll that obedience to his teachings is a work instrument to help us bear o ur burdens more easily (at least until they are taken away at the End of the Age). The Sermon on the Mount may seem impossible to follow\, but it makes sense as a tool to help us respond to the harsh realities of life. We can stop looking to worldly things for our rest and look to God as rev ealed by Jesus. Rather than escape through vacations or entertainment\, J esus offers us his words and the presence of the Holy Spirit as the equip ment we need to find rest for our souls. Whose yoke is on your shoulders? DTEND:20140427T110000 DTSTAMP:20140427T113056 DTSTART:20140427T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Finding rest for your soul UID:645 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/finding-rest-for-your-soul END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Colin Godwin (President\, Carey Theological College) spoke on "Becoming an Alternative Missional Community" (Part 1 of 2)" from Mat t 28:16-20 and Psalm 24:1-10. As the author of Baptizing\, Gathering\, An d Sending\, Colin explored how community formation in the 16th Century An abaptist movement started with inclusion in the church only upon baptism. Despite waves of persecution and martyrdom throughout Europe\, a milkman delivering to an Anabaptist household might find himself being witnessed to. Even today\, a Chinese academic hesitated to take the next step of B eliever's Baptism since it could cause problems for him upon return to hi s home country.\n\nFollowing Christ's commands in Matthew 28 in the right order was a central tenet of Anabaptism: first preaching & conversion\, then baptism\, then teaching. It all started with baptism as a public dec laration that the new believer was joining a community that had a clear m oral imperative to enter into a changed life. High ethical expectations a ttract seekers who are looking for an alternative to worldly tendencies t owards violence and injustice.\n\nWe don't need to expand God's Kingdom\, we need to invite people to enter the here-and-now Kingdom by taking opp ortunities to speak and live for Christ. Since the Earth is the Lord's (P salm 24)\, no land should be without the Gospel. Colin challenged us to u nderstand what our community is\, what we are an alternative to\, and whe re we are going\, with these 3 questions:\n\n1.What is your point of entr y into PGIMF as a community?\n2.How is your congregation alternative?\n3. How is PGIMF missional? DTEND:20140504T110000 DTSTAMP:20140504T113056 DTSTART:20140504T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Becoming an Alternative Missional Community UID:646 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/becoming-an-alternative-missional-community END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Colin Godwin (President\, Carey Theological College) retur ned to expand on his message from Matthew 28 on the historic establishmen t of an Anabaptist kingdom witness in the world. A current expression of such an alternative community ethic was explored through the example of A mbrosius Spittelmayr\, university student and itinerant preacher whose li fe from new baptism in July 1527 to death by beheading in February 1528 w as only too typical. Yet his witness and confession was that of a mature Christian and serves as an example to us today. In local taverns he’d enc ourage the discussion of the gospel and baptize willing converts. Spittel mayr’s gospel content was inseparable from his social content - did heare rs share all they had willingly\, walk the extra mile\, and heed the word of the Lord? Menno Simons too drew sharp distinctions between conforming to the world and conforming to the gospel. This was the root of conflict resolution and peacemaking that became an Anabaptist distinctive right a long with economic sharing. Out of Spittelmayr’s words\, Colin asked “Eac h time you say our Father\, what kind of personal commitment are you maki ng to the exceptional radical generosity that characterizes the alternati ve missional community?” This alternative missional community is our fore taste of the coming kingdom of God\, where all things are made right. Col in ended with his vision for Carey Institute\, a radical coach in gospel living with with low-cost on-line courses\, residence on-campus\, service opportunities\, and discipleship training [AP] DTEND:20140511T110000 DTSTAMP:20140511T113056 DTSTART:20140511T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Going Outward as an Alternative Missional Community UID:647 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/going-outward-as-an-alternative-missional-co mmunity END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:\nHenry Neufeld spoke on "Remembering Rightly" based on Deut. 6:20-22. Memories are prone to subjective embellishment\, distortion and repression. Over time\, the recall button gets harder to push. Miroslav V olf's The End of Memory: Remembering Rightly in a Violent World describes how he was subjected to repeated interrogation in Yugoslavia under Marsh al Josip Tito\, but has been able to push painful memories to the periphe ry of his life and not let them define him.\n\n1.How should we remember u npleasant experiences? Self-righteous rage at having been hurt produces a n appetite for revenge\, leading victims to victimize.\n2.How long should we remember them for? Vengeance and resentment\, no matter how apparentl y justified\, make forgiveness difficult.\n3.Is there a Christian way of remembering? Ignoring our enemies isn't an option -- we are called to lov e them. In communion\, we remember Christ's sacrifice and his promise of eternal life.\n\nThe Truth and Reconciliation Commissions of South Africa (Apartheid) and Canada (Aboriginal residential schools) have provided fo rums to help both victims and beneficiaries of unjust systems remember pa st wrongs in constructive ways. Redemption of the past is part of the Chr istian vision of salvation. May our God\, as we remember\, heal our memor ies. [KH]\n DTEND:20140518T110000 DTSTAMP:20140518T113056 DTSTART:20140518T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Remembering Rightly UID:648 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/remembering-rightly END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:At our retreat\, Gay Lynn Voth\, in an impressive linking of t he themes in the lectionary texts\, spoke about the sources of spiritual renewal. Scripture confronts us with words we don’t hear often: sin\, rep ent God\, etc. “Novel” thinkers tend to see things in new and innovative ways. To see things rightly we need to train ourselves to resist the glam our of novelty\; many things cannot and should not be made new. “There ar e experiences of evangelicals that are novel\, rigid\, idolatrous and dea dly wrong\,” she said. For instance\, the claim that God hates certain pe ople has not been filtered through the teachings of Jesus. We should not take one verse and build a whole theology around it\; it needs to be temp ered by Jesus teachings. Old Testament texts need to be looked at through Jesus teaching. Jesus said he would not leave us orphaned\, he would sen d the Holy Spirit. Jesus gave us two commandments: love God and each othe r. “Try living only by the rule of love\,” she said. [HN]\n\nNOTE: No aud io recording of the sermon is available. DTEND:20140525T110000 DTSTAMP:20140525T113056 DTSTART:20140525T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Church camp at Camp Luther UID:649 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/church-camp-at-camp-luther-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Friesen contrasted an apocalyptic (dystopic) story by Ver onica Roth called “Divergent”\, characterized by dysfunction and murder\; and a utopian story of spiritual renewal and transformation about Jesus encountering a Samaritan woman at a well in “enemy territory”. Despite he r questionable history\, Jesus accepted her and offered her life-giving w ater. John and Erna visited Cuba recently and found much of the same dyst opic quality of life among the people in Cuba. Visiting Christian seminar ies\, they found hope for the people where the thirst for living water wa s palpable. In a dialogical approach to instruction\, students were offer ed information about spiritual kingdoms\, and despite challenges and tria ls\, students offered great appreciation for the hope that Christ offers in the seminaries in Holguin and elsewhere. In contrast to the highly-seg regated community of Divergent\, where youth were required to select a fa ction or community to which they were to devote the rest of their lives u nder a repressive system of government\, rejection brought not only ostra cization\, but also a challenge to live with meaning in a world which sou ght to remove meaning apart from the herd. “You are you\, and nobody else ” echoes a message that Jesus gave to the Samaritan woman\, when encourag ed her to - break free of your society\, be transformed and live with hon our and dignity regardless of the circumstances of her past. Despite new directions in movements such as the New Calvinist movement\, can we treat women with any less dignity today? [AP] DTEND:20140601T110000 DTSTAMP:20140601T113056 DTSTART:20140601T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Life-Giving Water UID:650 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/life-giving-water END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gareth Brandt (Professor of Practical Theology at CBC) brought a vivid retelling of his personal journey of healing through spoken-word poetry. Lost Boy\, a common metaphor for youth damaged by the actions of others was the theme for a series of readings which offered images rangi ng from the dark (“wounded boy\, trying to be a man”) through emotional ( an unguided bulldozer going over a cliff to crash upon the ground) to the joyful (a calf leaping in blinded abandon in sunlight) that mirrored his own journey from hurt to healing through seven stages of denial\, fear\, pain\, despair\, anger\, acceptance and reconciliation. Gareth insists t hat healing is possible in all cases\, but the work involved in healing c onfronts people\, and the easy way out - instant forgiveness - isn’t wort h the words expressed by it. Noting that wounded people often become empa thetic healers themselves sometimes to avoid dealing with their own hurt\ , Gareth nonetheless insists that healing is possible and desirable for e veryone\, and later shared that his own healing did involve meeting with his abuser\, but that it was not a necessary condition for healing. More on Gareth’s journey is available on his blog at garethbrandt.wordpress.co m. [AP]\n\nRegrettably\, the audio recording of Gareth Brandt’s talk is u nusable and can’t be posted on the PGIMF web site due to electrical inter ference from a poor-quality cord. The CD is available for borrowing for t hose who wish to struggle through the awful noise\, but the message will not be posted to the website. Gareth’s newest book is also available for sale. DTEND:20140608T110000 DTSTAMP:20140608T113057 DTSTART:20140608T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Lost Boy: The journeyof healing from childhood sexual abuse UID:651 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/lost-boy-the-journeyof-healing-from-childhoo d-sexual-abuse END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Michelle Drewitz detailed for us what it is to be made in the image of God\, based on Genesis 1 and 2. Contrasting Genesis with older t exts\, she established the origins and workings of our universe\, as well as our function within in it. Genesis also names and differentiates - th is allows us to establish a relationship based on function. Given that ma n is created in the image of God (theomorphism) it’s important to remembe r we are like God\, but not God. No images of Yahweh are ever seen\, unli ke other ancient deities. In ancient worldviews\, the cosmos existed to s erve the gods\, and so did humans. The focus is reversed in Genesis - God creates the cosmos for plants\, animals and humans. Things exist for eac h other\, not Yahweh\, and Yahweh’s presence is made known to all by the human presence in the world. As we bear the image of God\, so to are we c alled to do God’s work on the planet. Michelle indicated our dominion is to rule creation and care for it - in a dense passage worth reviewing\, s he indicated kingship is an act of justice (Ian Provan)\, but it is to be exercised in community\, not as sole rulers. Our image of God arises out of our relationship with God\, and we become more like God as we care fo r His creation and each other. [AP] DTEND:20140615T110000 DTSTAMP:20140615T113057 DTSTART:20140615T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Created in the Image of God UID:652 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/created-in-the-image-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The Point Grey Ministerial Association collaborated on a worsh ip service in Trimble Park during the Point Grey Fiesta. DTEND:20140622T110000 DTSTAMP:20140622T113057 DTSTART:20140622T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship in the Park UID:653 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/worship-in-the-park-4 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:In the midst of a hotly-contested World Cup 2014\, Tony Trembl ett focused his meditation on the sport metaphor used by Paul in 1 Cor. 9 . In Paul's day\, Greek runners prepared for the various levels of games by training intensely for as many as eleven months before traveling to th e game site to finish training with an acknowledged coach. Paul encourage d his new Christians in Corinth (not far from where some of the games wer e held) to take their spiritual lives just as seriously as if they were s triving to become top athletes. If their lives are successful (if they co uld 'win the race')\, the honours would not be the transient cheers of th e fickle crowd or the laural wreath that wilted a few days later\, but th at which is everlasting\, eternal. Unlike a mere footrace in which only o ne person wins\, every person serious about their faith can ultimately wi n. Unlike sports\, in which there is always another race\, our life-long 'race' happens only once. The writer of Hebrews imagines "a great cloud o f witnesses" cheering us on\, even though they are unseen by us. Tony end ed by asking what we want to leave behind\, at the end of our race: money \, things\, or a positive influence on others. [JEK] DTEND:20140629T110000 DTSTAMP:20140629T113057 DTSTART:20140629T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Run to Win! UID:654 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/run-to-win END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jonathan Wilson spoke on "Three Groanings" based on Romans 8:1 8-39. The groanings of creation range from earthquakes (Psalm 104:24-35) to the labour pains of a mother giving birth. The groanings of humankind are either cries of futility or reflect our longing for the fulfillment o f our adoption as children of God\, awaiting the redemption of our fragil e bodies. The groanings of the Holy Spirit are wordless intercessory pray ers on our behalf. The Christian church in Japan came together to respond to the triple disaster in Miyagi/Fukishima in 2011 (earthquake\, tsunami \, and nuclear contamination) by integrating their missions\, drawing on the complementary good news of the social gospel and "soul winning" perso nal transformation. In faith\, we look forward to the redemption of all c reation through Jesus Christ. Echoing the prayers of the Japanese churche s\, may God give our bodies the stamina to take care of the Lord's earth and each other\, and may the Holy Spirit help us to not fall back into ol d denomination divisions. [KH] DTEND:20140706T110000 DTSTAMP:20140706T113057 DTSTART:20140706T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Three Groanings UID:655 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/three-groanings END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Shirley Showalter (no relation to your Coordinator of Ushe rs and Food Group Leader) spoke to us of memoirs\, both her own and of ou rs (written and yet-to-be-written) from Psalm 19 in a message entitled I Love to Tell the Story: Where Authority and Authorship Converge.    Payin g attention is crucial\, Shirley said\, when one encounters those special spiritual experiences we sometimes get.  Welcome to mystery\, she said\, for when mysticism enters our spiritual life\, our reason and argument a re inadequate to process them.  Atheist Barbara Ehrenreich\, in describin g her mystical experiences\, resonated with Shirley’s own experiences sin ce childhood in ‘hearing the heavens pour forth speech’ in music and beau ty.  God invites us to experience creation thorough his authority\, and w ith experiences he gives to us\, gives us permission to enter into these worlds again and again.  These mystical experiences imprint themselves on our memory and carry through our lives to give us valuable and alternati ve points of view when we live the ordinariness of life.  When writing on es own memoir\, the crucial factor is to listen to the mystical voice spe aking in the story\, just as the painter sketches first what he wishes to paint\, and then frees his art from the sketch to give us an impression of life and movement far greater than the sketch.  The memoir also frames other people’s stories\, and provides access for them to bring the mysti cal to life in their own lives\, allowing God to pour forth speech into t heir lives.     [AP]. DTEND:20140713T110000 DTSTAMP:20140713T113057 DTSTART:20140713T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:I love to tell the story: where Authority and Authorship converge UID:656 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/i-love-to-tell-the-story-where-authority-and -authorship-converge END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ruth Enns spoke on Genesis 28.10\, the first story about Jacob 's life as a fugitive. He had just deceived his father\, robbed his twin brother of his precious birthright (wealth\, status\, blessing)\, and was now on the run\, fearing for his life.  This deceitful young man was nev ertheless repeatedly blessed by Yahweh\, sometimes through dreams\, somet imes through accumulated wealth (even when using questionable means)\, so metimes through children (though his family was totally dysfunctional). G od the faithful kept offering Jacob encouragement during his life\, as wa s true that first night away from home.  His dream depicted angels going up and down "Jacob's ladder" while God spoke to his conscience.  This met aphor of communicating with the spiritual world has fascinated artists (i ncluding Frieda Epp\, whose beautiful painting of this dream was a focal point for Henry's introduction to the morning's service). The composer\, Arnold Schoenberg\, struggled to compose an oratorio on this story\, but felt it was so powerful that he needed to invent a new musical language ( atonal\, with no tonal center).  Writers have focused on how Jacob was tr ansformed by this experience\, some psychologists have drawn attention to the importance of our dreams.  Hymns (Nearer my God to Thee) and childre n's songs ("We are climbing Jacob's ladder") also celebrate this singular dream.  How do we find ourselves being connected to God\, to that which is spiritual?  Do those experiences touch us briefly or profoundly? [JEK] DTEND:20140720T110000 DTSTAMP:20140720T113057 DTSTART:20140720T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jacob's Ladder UID:657 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jacobs-ladder END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Derek Carr (Reader at our neighbouring church\, Our Lady of Pe rpetual Help\, and Professor Emeritus at UBC)\, spoke on "The Holy Hermit s" by Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6\, 1599 – Augu st 6\, 1660)\, a leading painter from the Spanish Golden Age. Although mo st of his works were secular\, "The Holy Hermits" stood for centuries as a powerful portrait of prayer and meditation in a rural setting which was far removed from the hustle of Spanish commerce and shipping to and from the New World. The painting shows St. Anthony visiting St. Paul in the d esert. This St. Paul (229-342) was an Egyptian who fled to the desert to escape persecution. He reportedly lived alone for some 90 years. St. Anth ony\, often considered the father of the anchorites (hermits)\, was led t o visit this Paul\, partly to learn that others were expressing their fai th as he had been doing\, but without his knowledge--although physically alone\, he was not alone in the ideal of meditating. The painting leads o ne to contemplate contemplation itself\, extended meditation\, the role o f prayer\, the tension that arises from wanting to be separate from the w orld and yet helpful to it. Derek later commented that Catholicism genera lly does not teach silence and meditation unless one joins specific group s devoted to those disciplines\; in fact\, there is virtually no silence in a Mass\, in saying the rosary\, or in following the Offices. [JEK] DTEND:20140727T110000 DTSTAMP:20140727T113057 DTSTART:20140727T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Velázquez's "Holy Hermits" UID:658 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/velazquezs-holy-hermits END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Heinrich Walde is a graduate of ACTS in Langley who has worked in various missions capacities in Belgium with an interest in introducin g Christian values into politics\, diplomacy and the marketplace.\n\n \n\ nPlease note the audio recording of this service is not available on-line . DTEND:20140803T110000 DTSTAMP:20140803T113057 DTSTART:20140803T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Ways of God's Heart UID:659 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-ways-of-gods-heart END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Longhurst spoke about the creative relief work being done by the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Farming has changed during the past cen tury\, moving from some 80 acres being tilled and harvested with horses p roviding power\, to massive cooperatives of thousands of acres of monocro ps drilled (no-til) and then harvested by machines costing hundreds of th ousands of dollars. Although the times and methods have changed\, the old problems remain\, like those which prompted various ancient biblical man dates to stipulate that farmers (in an agrarian society) should (1) donat e 1/10th of their crops so that the priests and the poor had provisions\, (2) when harvesting\, the reapers were to leave stalks and grain which c ould be gleaned by the poor\, and (3) the Year of Jubilee sought to ensur e the return of the use ofancestral land as a way to redistribute wealth. The first public talk by Jesus focused on feeding the poor. In the 1970s \, Canadian farmers had bumper crops while parts of Asia and African face d starvation. Through MCC\, some Mennonites creatively established a way to ship their surplus grain to needy people. Eventually the project matur ed. Instead of shipping Canadian grain abroad for free (thereby undercutt ing local foreign farmers)\, the Canadian grain is sold locally at market value and the proceeds are deposited with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank ( now independent of MCC). By now\, the bank's millions of donors include C hristians from all walks of life and many countries\, as well as the Cana dian federal government which provides substantial aid. Although this wor k is no longer under MCC\, it remains one of the most tremendous gifts Me nnonite believers have given to the cause of world relief\, one of the gu iding principles taught in the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. [JEK] DTEND:20140810T110000 DTSTAMP:20140810T113058 DTSTART:20140810T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Canada Foodgrains Bank UID:660 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/canada-foodgrains-bank END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider addressed three of the most fabulous stories abou t Elijah found in scripture\, to show the guidance God offers for directi on in our own lives. In 1 Kings 18 & 19\, Elijah defeats the prophets of Baal\, but also offends Queen Jezebel and flees\, hiding for a symbolic 4 0 days on Mt. Horeb\, the sister mountain to the one where Israel receive d the law. In answer to the Lord's question\, "What are you doing here?" Elijah answers that his faithfulness has left him alone. This\, of course \, is not correct - the Lord mentions another 7\,000 faithful "who did no t bow down to Baal" but even through windstorms\, earthquakes and fire\, Elijah has failed to keep faith and is to be replaced\, along with Israel 's leadership. Are there times today when we are incapable of keeping up with our changing world? Do we defend institutions that refuse to change? How do we know when we should change\, and when it is time to be silent\ , or to annoint the next generation\, no matter how wrong we may think th ey are? How does God come to us today - is His voice in disasters? Doe we hear God's voice in nature or in the impulses of our creative muses? Mus t we be in the wilderness for 40 days? When we are so distracted by our m odern conveniences\, how is God supposed to get through? Silence is when we set our agendas aside\, still our minds and just listen. And if we are met with only more silence\, let us rely on Psalm 46 and "Be still and k now that I am God." [AP] DTEND:20140817T110000 DTSTAMP:20140817T113058 DTSTART:20140817T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God of Storms\, God of Silences UID:661 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-of-storms-god-of-silences END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gerald Neufeld\, pastor of the Mennonite Japanese Christian Fe llowship (MJCF) in Surrey\, who last spoke to us in April 2009\, returned to speak on "Self-Improvement or God-Improved" based on Jeremiah 9:23-24 and 1 Corinthians 1:18-31. He challenged us to think about how we invest our God-given time and energy. If we focus on perfection\, what else cou ld we be doing with the extra time\, beyond what's required? There may be virtue in pursuing excellence in what one believes is God's calling\, bu t if we're always busy with worries and nit-picking\, how can we build re lationships and care for each other? To deny oneself and take up your cro ss daily means a life of sacrifice and service\, even if it's thankless. To the early Anabaptists\, the Baptism of Blood represented the daily str uggle against temptation. God gave us our talents to be spent blessing ot hers\, like grapes squeezed to make wine. No one can boast about their ow n wisdom (intelligence\, education)\, might (physical strength\, power) o r wealth. Rather\, God calls us to demonstrate steadfast love\, justice a nd righteousness -- love in action. Do we worry too much about how we loo k or how things will go? John the Baptist didn't get caught up competing with Jesus' ministry. As we focus on following Jesus\, we'll be improved by God. Let us live lives of joyful service\, using our gifts according t o God's leading. Gerald closed with the prayer\, Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace. [KH] DTEND:20140824T110000 DTSTAMP:20140824T113058 DTSTART:20140824T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Self-improvement or God-improved UID:662 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/self-improvement-or-god-improved END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. J. Evan Kreider spoke on "Forty Years" based on Exodus 3:1 -15. As a fitting sequel to the story of Elijah\, of whom Evan spoke two Sundays ago\, Moses also had to flee to the wilderness and encountered Go d in a life-changing way on Mount Horeb. A blazing bush that wasn't consu med by the fire certainly caught Moses' attention while tending livestock ! When God called Moses to bring the Israelites out of Egypt\, Moses ques tioned his own credibility to lead the people. But God answered those dou bts by identifying himself in a way that the people would recognize as pr ophetic. The Chapel of the Burning Bush inside St. Catherine's Monastery in Egypt continues to protect the presumed site of that encounter. Like M oses\, we may feel unqualified or an outsider\, but has there been a "bur ning bush" moment in your life? Has an unexpected opportunity or crisis a llowed you to see how things can work out for the better\, spiritually? W hen Evan heard his cousin preach at the Mennonite centre in London\, thos e sermons showed Evan how to reconcile an academic perspective on history and his Mennonite beliefs. Moses encountered God during his daily routin e at work\, and the story of him changing careers at the age of 80 proves that God can provide "burning bush" moments for any of us\, including ou r octogenarians! Basil of Caesarea (c.330-379) wrote (abridged)\, "… teac h me … to ask … for the right things. Steer … the vessel of my life towar ds Thyself … to rejoice in thy glorious and gladdening presence." [KH] DTEND:20140831T110000 DTSTAMP:20140831T113058 DTSTART:20140831T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Forty Years UID:663 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/forty-years END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider (retired UBC librarian\, charter member of the church\, and an avid volunteer gardener at the MSC) traced Mennonite hist ory from the Reformation to Menno Simons\, and told a colourful story fro m her own genealogy. Conrad Grebel and Felix Manz were young people in Zü rich who concluded that the Protestant churches hadn't gone far enough by retaining infant baptism\, swearing oaths\, and not separating Church fr om State. The radical movement of Anabaptists (re-baptizers) started in S witzerland and spread throughout Europe\, eventually attracting Menno Sim ons\, a disaffected Catholic priest in Friesland (Netherlands) by 1536.\n \nWhen the movement was persecuted in Switzerland\, some migrated to Fran ce\, where Janice's ancestors settled in Franche-Comté. Andreas\, a Germa n-speaking Catholic a stone-mason\, came to their village to work on the Lutheran church. Two unmarried daughters of the Guemann family became pre gnant by Andreas: Catherine (age 29\, widow & mother of 3)\, and Francois (age 21\, single). Catherine wanted to remain an Anabaptist even though marrying a Catholic would normally cause her to be kicked out. But in the church register\, an exception was made to accept her civil marriage to Andreas. If church leaders had held strictly to their doctrines\, the Ana baptist lineage back to Janice's great-great-grandparents would have been lost. Francois got married later\, but died soon after immigrating to Oh io and was buried next to her sister. Real people make compromises\, forg iving and accepting forgiveness. Recall the imperfect examples of how God still uses people who sin: Moses (murder)\, Saul (jealousy)\, and David (adultery).\n\nWe were inspired by these stories of Mercy (on the part of the church leaders)\, Faithfulness (by Catherine in her loyalty to her s ister and her church)\, and Courage (in the young Anabaptist activists wh o stuck by their beliefs despite persecution). As we remember our own sto ries\, do we see the hand of God at work? What stories will your children or friends tell about you? [KH] DTEND:20140907T110000 DTSTAMP:20140907T120058 DTSTART:20140907T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mennonite History 101 UID:664 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mennonite-history-101 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Brent Siemens recounted for us the story of Joseph from Genesi s 44\, but from the perspective of one of Joseph’s brothers - Judah\, the fourth-born - as a testament to God’s working in the lives of scandalous ly-imperfect people. The story began in Genesis 37 with Joseph acknowledg ed as favourite of his father Jacob by his favourite wife Rachel. Judah\, however\, led his nine other brothers in mischief as they acted on their dislike of Joseph and sold him into slavery. Brent followed Judah throug h Genesis 38 as he lived a life of avarice\, marrying outside clan to a C anaanite woman\, who bore him two sons who soon died\, and generally live d apart from God. Though the main narrative followed Joseph’s blessing at the hands of God\, Brent continued with Judah through Genesis 42 and 43 when the family’s time of need brought them back together. Even when Jose ph restrained Simeon in Egypt the first time the family came begging for food\, one senses this is no act of revenge\, but a test. So when the fam ily returned to Joseph in Egypt once again to beg for more food\, Joseph’ s trump card was played - he seized Benjamin through trickery\, and put t he family to the test of loyalty once again. Judah\, however\, rose to th e challenge\, offering to trade places with Benjamin and remain in Egypt so as to allow Benjamin to go home to his father Jacob. Joseph had recrea ted the original test that led to his slavery\, with Benjamin\, in order to find out “Does hatred\, jealousy and favouritism still rule the family ? Can I trust them?” Joseph found out that the brothers have indeed chang ed\, and that Judah has assumed the mantle of leadership with responsibil ity. Even the language of the passage changes from “the sons of Jacob” to “Judah and his brothers” reflecting the bond that overcame the failings of their father’s favouritism. Brent ascribed four lessons to this story\ , noting that:\n\n God doesn’t give up on people\, even when people fail him\;\n that God brings about transformation in his own time - actively w ith Joseph\, more passively with Judah\;\n God desires us to be our broth ers’ keeper\, to actively interfere in each others’ lives to good intent\ ; and\n God asks us to look to each other sacrificial love\, as Judah did for Benjamin\, and Jesus (himself a direct descendant of Judah) did for us.\n\nGreater love has no-one than this\, that he lays down his life for his friends. [AP] DTEND:20140914T110000 DTSTAMP:20140914T120038 DTSTART:20140914T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:No Greater Love UID:712 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/no-greater-love END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:\n\nJim Neudorf invited us to respond interactively throughout his sermon\, and since no personally identifiable information was reveal ed\, the recording is posted online in its entirety. The pessimistic pass age in Ecclesiastes 1:1-11 described a bleak reality\, prompting comments about its sense of fatalism\, resignation\, despair\, and hopelessness. Like the Greek myth of Sisyphus\, our past employment or business efforts may feel futile: an echo of the curse of Eden -- sweat and toil\, dust t o dust (Genesis 3:19). However\, Psalm 90 starts out with a sense of hope by recognizing that God is our dwelling place throughout all generations . Walter Brueggemann's The Message of the Psalms categories them into 3 t ypes: orientation\, disorientation and new orientation. Psalm 8 is an exa mple of an orientation psalm (Lord\, our Lord\, how majestic is your name in all the earth). In a disorientation psalm\, an uncensored complaint s hows how honest our discourse can be with God in prayer. In the classic b ook\, Managing Transitions\, William Bridges describes how there is no sh ortcut from recognizing the ending\, working through the neutral zone\, a nd re-orienting to the new beginning. In The Gifts of Imperfection\, Bren é Brown's says\, "We cannot selectively numb emotions\; when we numb the painful emotions\, we also numb the positive emotions."\n\n\n\nPsalm 90 i s a prayer to bring the spiritual into our everyday activities and give t hem meaning. Whether we are spinning clay pots\, writing scholarly papers \, or constructing buildings\, we can find joy in ordinary work. Even pai nful experiences can be made meaningful by sharing them for others to lea rn from. If we reflect\, and focus on our relationships\, we may recogniz e the enduring legacies that others have left to us\, whether they intend ed to or not. The congregation responsively read aloud the concluding ver se 17\, praying collectively to establish the work of our hands. [KH]\n\n  \n DTEND:20140921T110000 DTSTAMP:20140921T120013 DTSTART:20140921T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Establish the work of our hands UID:714 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/establish-the-work-of-our-hands END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:\n\nThomas Bergen\, in the first of three talks entitled “Litu rgies of the Mall” began with a quote from American novelist David Foster Wallace\, “everybody worships - the only choice you get is what you wors hip”. Choose a spiritual thing to worship\, for everything else will eat you alive. Worship of wealth\, money\, power\, beauty\; all are default s ettings for being human\, so our challenge is not to wait for the mountai ntop experiences to turn us into active and vivid Christians\, but rather to let the ordinary day-to-day processes - cultural liturgies - turn us into worshippers.  We must choose between worshiping God\, or worshiping a false god\, for our cultural practices will lead us to worship somethin g - neither atheism nor secularism can truly be said to exist.  An observ er with no knowledge of humans might find our religion in a shopping mall \, where large groups of ‘pilgrims’ come great distances to respond to a summons advertised as “blow-out sale” in a building designed to evoke awe and lose track of time\, with individual ‘chapels’ designed to respond t o every need. This worship space is governed by its own liturgical calend ar of sale days\, with icons of worship (mannequins)\, acolytes (salespeo ple)\, mysteries (transubstantiation at the cash register)\, and mission (who seeks\, shall find his desire).  Pilgrims leaving the mall go as mis sionaries on the Great Commission\, with shopping bags advertising their beliefs in unified messages of economic success.  Both mall and church he w to a mechanism: A promise of salvation\, a communal web of belonging\, an invitation into a mystery\, a mission to evangelize others\, and a tra ining of desire towards an ultimate object of love.  But our worshipful r esponse in the mall is to consume things\, compare ourselves to others wi th marketing\, without wondering where this stuff comes from\, in the hop e of living the good life.  By contrast\, our worship in the church begin s with a confession of sin\, an acknowledgment of the mystery of God’s lo ve\, and ends with a joyful recognition of our being made new in Jesus Ch rist\, as His servants in mission to our neighbours and our world.  Thoma s invites you to choose which is the more fulfilling for you. [AP]\n DTEND:20140928T110000 DTSTAMP:20140928T044858 DTSTART:20140928T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgies of the Mall UID:665 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/liturgies-of-the-mall END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Veronica Dyck took us from a harvest of luscious wine and sweet grapes on an Okanagan winery tour to "A Harvest of Sour Grapes" in a series of lectionary texts.  In 8th-century BCE Judah\, King Ahaz and h is yeoman’s army faced the professional army of King Tiglath-Pileser of A ssyria.  Isaiah used this invasion to deliver oracle after oracle\, using images of food security (a bounty of grain\, olives and grapes) to recal l the people of Judah to justice under God’s hand.  In Isaiah 5:1-7\, the image of a vineyard\, carefully planted and lovingly tended\, yields a h arvest of rotten fruit.  In the last verses of the passage\, the camera p ulls back to reveal God the gardener\, the people of Judah the bitter har vest\, and the oracle of destruction was pronounced upon the vineyard for the sins of greed\, seizure of land\, and refusal to honour God’s covena nt law. This juridical parable\, like the one Nathan spoke to King David of the poor man’s lamb\, condemned the rich and powerful in strong langua ge. Veronica then turned to Matthew 21:33-46 in the passage of the owner of a vineyard and his tenants\, to illustrate Jesus’ commitment to God’s justice was no less than Isaiah’s\, and his language no less effective. I n evading Pharisaical traps\, Jesus used images of vineyards and harvests to turn the Torah’s old stories against them\, reminding them that Judah ’s fate under Assyria was also to be theirs under the Romans for their fa ilure to honour the covenant of mercy and justice. Veronica then reminded us\, with Psalm 80\, that these intentionally-sung responses to the OT r eadings were meant to honour God with a changed heart\, a transformed lif e\, and that Bruggeman reminds us that though life is not pleasant even u nder God’s law\, it is meant to be lived as it is\, not as the pleasant l ie we would wish it to be.  Our proper response is to allow God to transf orm our lives through his word\, so that our fruit is not sour and true e vangelical faith may be lived out in our lives. [AP] DTEND:20141005T110000 DTSTAMP:20141005T120030 DTSTART:20141005T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Harvest of Sour Grapes UID:716 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-harvest-of-sour-grapes END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our worship service of scripture readings\, prayers and songs for Thanksgiving was held from a text prepared by J. Evan Kreider.  A res ponse of prayers and thanksgiving followed. DTEND:20141012T110000 DTSTAMP:20141012T113058 DTSTART:20141012T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Readings\, Prayers and Songs for Thanksgiving UID:666 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/readings-prayers-and-songs-for-thanksgiving END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Heather Pauls Murray\, in her first time public speaking at a church\, told stories of the heart. When first at the Menno Simons Centre twelve years ago\, she\, in the insignificance of her life\, was confron ted by an important figure who noted that ‘this is one of many important times in your life’ and is to be lived fully.  Life at the residence rein forced that view in discussions with fellow residents on the meaning of l ife\, consideration of agonizing questions\, all of which strengthened he r spirituality.  The searching for knowledge typified by university was s et in its proper place by her reading of Ecclesiastes 8:16\, noting the s earch after knowledge was fruitless. The living of life instead - dinners \, talks and hikes with friends - instead determined the growth of her sp iritual life.  Once married and with family (a new stage with equal value )\, Heather noted her spiritual life remains heavy with feeling and emoti on\, immune to the searching for knowledge\, until suddenly the lived lif e illuminates Scripture.  1 Corinthians 13's passage on Love conflicted w ith Heather’s understanding of knowledge as eternal.  But as she lived he r married life\, she came to realize how much more eternal and transformi ng was love\, compared to knowledge\, which seems to change with every st age and generation.  So too did her understanding of John 15:12-37 on sac rificial love also transform her once she had a family.   Stories of neig hbours caring for parents and friends sacrificing their schooling for oth ers reinforced this view for Heather. ‘Why should we sacrifice? is the an swer of the head full of knowledge.  ‘Why should I not sacrifice?’ is the answer of the heart\, informed by Scripture.  God as father now also sta nds out for Heather in a different way from her early life.  The un-under standable fears of her parents on a long trip to the Yukon now find meani ng for Heather as she watches her own children meet life’s challenges.  H eather is always reminded that there is a time for everything - a time fo r study\, travel and adventuring\; a time for pouring everything into her marriage\; and now is a time for sacrifice for her family.  At every sta ge\, there will be a passage of scripture to illuminate itself for her th at was previously hidden.  So too is it for each of us - young\, old\, wo rking\, retired\, in school\, at home\, out in the world - and every stag e is to be lived fully.   [AP] DTEND:20141019T110000 DTSTAMP:20141019T120033 DTSTART:20141019T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Head and The Heart UID:724 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/heather-pauls-murray-the-head-and-the-heart END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:\nThomas Bergen spoke on "Liturgies of the Stadium" as part 2 of 3 in his sermon series. Cultural institutions like the Mall (Sept. 28) \, the Stadium (today) and the University (Nov. 23) have intercepted huma nity's spiritual longings and use rituals that promote idolatrous version s of religious worship. A religion is more than a set of beliefs\, it is more about what it makes people do\, and what does for them. As we saw du ring the 2014 FIFA World Cup\, Futbol in Brasil is not just a national pa stime\, it looks more like a religion in that society! Liturgies capture our imagination and direct our hearts towards an object of love and worsh ip: idolatry is about the things we love. Beyond the superficial resembla nces like saints & shrines (Hall of Fame) and houses of worship (arenas a nd fields)\, sporting events reveal their religiosity in three ways:\n\n  \n\n\n Intensity of devotion. Our culture glorifies professional spectato r sports\, with fans (short for fanatics) showering top talented athletes with attention and compensation. Athletes too have bought into a whateve r-it-takes attitude\, sacrificing their health for the game.\n \n Social cohesion. Like praise choruses in church\, a chant of "GOAL" celebrates a collective triumph\, and wearers of team jerseys feel an instant affinit y for each other. Football sanctifies specialization and pushing over (or running past) your opponents to gain territory. As a substitute for anci ent war-preparation exercises\, sports are now associated with patriotism \, starting with the singing of national anthems.\n \n Suspension of the normal rules of morality. Sports builds character\, but what kind -- only the characteristics that fit with the competitive imperative to win the game? The "killer instinct" must be nurtured to arguably psychopathic lev els in order to win by ruthlessly out-competing your opponent without gui lt.\n \n \n  \n\n\n\nCan we imitate the playfulness that God demonstrated in creation? Like sports\, the rules of the game of life (love God and l ove your neighbour) give us the sacred bounds within which to play in our lives. How can we as Christians redeem sports and resist the idolatrous liturgies of the stadium? Play sports with joy\, in the image of God. Unl ike a sports celebrity\, Jesus will never let us down. [KH]\n\n \n DTEND:20141026T110000 DTSTAMP:20141026T120059 DTSTART:20141026T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgies of the Stadium UID:667 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/liturgies-of-the-stadium END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Brent Siemens spoke on "Sealed for Kingdom Living" from Revela tions 7. John's hears and sees different aspects of the realities of the present and the future. This was a true "apocalypse" (an unveiling\, not necessarily a disaster). Between the six and the seventh seals\, the 144\ ,000 (12 x 12 x 1\,000) symbolically represent the entire people of God. John hears of Jesus as the Lion of Judah but sees the Messiah as the Lamb whose sacrificial death has redeemed the multitudes from all nations. Th e sealed servants of God can withstand the "great pressure" of tribulatio n. [KH] DTEND:20141102T110000 DTSTAMP:20141102T065743 DTSTART:20141102T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sealed for Kingdom Living UID:787 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sealed-for-kingdom-living END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider arranged and led the Readings\, Prayers and So ngs for Peace. DTEND:20141109T110000 DTSTAMP:20141109T065949 DTSTART:20141109T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Readings\, Prayers and Songs for Peace UID:789 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/readings-prayers-and-songs-for-peace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Krause\, pastor of Langley Mennonite Fellowship\, spoke "On Being Good Entrepreneurs for Jesus" based on Matthew 25:14-30. Are we 'reluctant capitalists' if we try to reconcile the Sermon on the Mount w ith the Parable of the Talents? In What Would Jesus Deconstruct?\, John D . Caputo encourages us to break down our judgmental predispositions and t ake risks for the Kingdom of God. Beyond money\, God has invested the Gos pel and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us\; are we being faithful servan ts with those talents? [KH] DTEND:20141116T110000 DTSTAMP:20141116T150102 DTSTART:20141116T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:On being good entrepreneurs for Jesus UID:770 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/on-being-good-entrepreneurs-for-jesus END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:\nThomas Bergen spoke on "Liturgies of the University" as part 3 in his sermon series. The cultural liturgies of the Mall (Sept. 28) an d the Stadium (Oct. 26) demonstrate that religious and secular worship ar e nearly indistinguishable. The University isn't as secular as it claims\ ; even professional programs presume an educational purpose of human deve lopment. Campus activities shape the character of students beyond the cla ssroom\, starting with orientation weeks that teach overindulgence and di scrimination. The Menno Simons Centre offers counter-cultural liturgies\, such as gratis duties\, common meals\, and bible study groups\, which bu ild a community of UNIty in Christ and diVERSITY of backgrounds and studi es. 1 John 5:21 reminds us to keep ourselves from idols. [KH]\n DTEND:20141123T110000 DTSTAMP:20141123T094900 DTSTART:20141123T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Liturgies of the University UID:680 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/liturgies-of-the-university END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Tony Tremblett spoke on "Ruin\, Reformation\, Redemption and R estoration" based on Micah 5:2-5 for the first Sunday of Advent. The prop het Micah was a "turbulent priest" with the courage to criticize those in authority for ignoring the down-trodden. He foretold the coming of Chris t from the little town of Bethlehem (House of Bread) as one step in God's plan for the salvation of humanity. How can we "do justice\, love kindne ss\, and walk humbly with God" in our daily lives? [KH] DTEND:20141130T110000 DTSTAMP:20141130T120001 DTSTART:20141130T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ruin\, Reformation\, Redemption and Restoration UID:775 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ruin-reformation-redemption-and-restoration END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Stay after the worship service or join us after yours for a po t-luck lunch! Students are welcome\, and most people bring a little extra so there is plenty to go around. DTEND:20141130T130000 DTSTAMP:20141116T223130 DTSTART:20141130T113000 GEO:49.262671;-123.194082 LOCATION:Menno Simons Centre @ 4000 West 11th Avenue\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L4\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6R 2L4\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Potluck lunch\, last Sunday in November UID:63 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/potluck-lunch-last-sunday-in-november END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:For the second Sunday of Advent\, the congregation was led thr ough a series of responsive Bible readings by Doug Medley and conducted b y Andrea Siemens in a sing-along of selected arias from Handel's Messiah. [KH]  There was no bulletin for this date.\nNOTE: the audio recording po sted here contains only the final aria and closing benediction. DTEND:20141207T110000 DTSTAMP:20141207T165821 DTSTART:20141207T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Handel's Messiah UID:760 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-handels-messiah END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera spoke on "Patient Endurance: Advent Reflections o n Waiting from the Book of Revelation" based on Rev. 6:9-11 (souls of mar tyrs under the altar asking how long before Lord judges the inhabitants o f the earth)\, Rev. 10:1-7 (there will be no more delay ... when the 7th angel is to blow his trumpet\, the mystery of God will be fulfilled)\, an d Rev. 12:1-6\,13-17 (The Woman and the Dragon). Our anticipation of cele brating the birth of Jesus helps us to endure present trials while patien tly waiting for the 2nd coming of Christ. [KH] DTEND:20141214T110000 DTSTAMP:20141214T100059 DTSTART:20141214T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Advent and the Book of Revelation UID:668 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/advent-and-the-book-of-revelation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Potluck breakfast started at 9:30am\, followed by a service of lessons and carols. Jenna Veenbaas delivered a dramatic monologue from t he perspective of Mary\, mother of Jesus. From hearing the prophecies of the Messiah by Micah to the annunciation by an angel as recorded in Luke\ , her first-person perspective really conveyed the miracle of Immanuel -- God With Us. [KH] DTEND:20141221T110000 DTSTAMP:20141221T113026 DTSTART:20141221T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mary - a monologue UID:778 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mary-a-monologue END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:\n\nAndre Pekovich's 3-segment sermon on "Carpe Diem" (Latin f or "Seize the Day") was based on Ecclesiastes 9:1-12. We must all face ou r fear of the grave\, and life is not fair\, yet we are free to enjoy the days that we have. The English physicist and novelist C.P. Snow made a c omparable allegory on life from the 3 laws of thermodynamics: you can't w in\, you can't break even\, and you can't quit the game. Andre concluded by quoting Eve Merriam's How to Eat a Poem. [KH]\n\n \n DTEND:20141228T110000 DTSTAMP:20141228T143232 DTSTART:20141228T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Carpe Diem UID:764 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/carpe-diem END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on "Raising Cain" based on Genesis 4:1-16. After the sacrifice but before the murder\, God didn't explain why Cain' s offering wasn't acceptable\, but simply admonished him to do what is ri ght. Are we too blinded by jealousy\, envy or anger to do well in God's e yes? As a model for merciful justice rather than "eye-for-an-eye" punishm ent under the Law of Moses\, Cain's banishment ended with his settlement East of Eden. If we truly live in a state of grace\, can we do what the L ord requires of us: to do justice\, love mercy\, and walk humbly with our God (Micah 6:8)? [KH] DTEND:20150104T110000 DTSTAMP:20150104T150059 DTSTART:20150104T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Raising Cain UID:669 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/raising-cain END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Winston Pratt spoke on "Measuring Our Lives with Moses" based on Psalm 90. Moses begins with praise for God as our dwelling place\, mak es the point in the middle that we need a healthy fear of God's anger at sin\, and ends with a call for God to reveal his power and be merciful to us. Our lives are full of "toil and trouble\, they are soon gone\, and w e fly away." What are we doing with the gift of time that God has given u s? [KH] DTEND:20150111T110000 DTSTAMP:20150111T113059 DTSTART:20150111T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Measuring Our Lives with Moses UID:670 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/measuring-our-lives-with-moses END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Catherine Cooper spoke on "Being Whole People". As part 1 of h er 2-part series\, she began by looking at the body as the flesh. Since t he Enlightenment we've separated our mortal coil from the body-mind (brai n) and the spirit-mind (soul)\, but Paul's advice in 1 Corinthians 6:12-2 0 reminds us that what we do physically can either glorify God or be a si n against the temple of the Holy Spirit. In part 2 on Feb. 1st\, she will continue by examining the Body of Christ as a collection of individuals living in community. [KH] DTEND:20150118T110000 DTSTAMP:20150118T113059 DTSTART:20150118T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Being Whole People UID:671 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/being-whole-people END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Michelle Drewitz spoke about Jonah 3\, that there is much more to the story of the prophet who ran away from God than being rescued by a whale with indigestion! On his 2nd mission\, Jonah proclaimed the need for Nineveh's repentance\, and that adversarial foreign city responded wi th sufficient humility to change Elohim's mind about overthrowing the gre at city after 40 days. May we too have compassion on our penitent enemies and extend them same grace that our merciful God has demonstrated. [KH] DTEND:20150125T110000 DTSTAMP:20150125T113026 DTSTART:20150125T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jonah 3 UID:763 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jonah3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Catherine Cooper continued the theme she started in January\, by exploring 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. As whole people (body and mind) we a re invited to join the Body of Christ. The metaphor of the church as a bo dy encourages us to look at ourselves as individuals who have unique cont ributions to make to the community. [KH] DTEND:20150201T110000 DTSTAMP:20150201T113059 DTSTART:20150201T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Living in Community UID:672 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/living-in-community-2015 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Mariam Kovalishyn (née Kamell)\, professor of New Testamen t studies at Regent College\, joined us to speak on "Peter’s Thanksgiving " in 1 Peter 1:3-9. Mariam did her PhD in Scotland at the University of S t. Andrews and has co-written a commentary on the Book of James. Echoing Jesus' beatitudes\, Peter calls us to rejoice in the salvation that our w hole souls are receiving\, not merely waiting for it to be revealed in th e end of days. While each of us has our own trials to bear\, we can faith fully anticipate our inheritance rather than demanding that 'karma' be ba lanced within our lifetimes. [KH] DTEND:20150208T110000 DTSTAMP:20150208T113059 DTSTART:20150208T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Peter's Thanksgiving UID:673 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/peters-thanksgiving-2015 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Troy Terpstra (a former resident of the Menno Simons Centre an d a student at Regent College) spoke about the Transfiguration story in M ark 9:2-9. The Trinitarian God in whose image we are made is in relations hip (3-in-1)\, as our personhood is defined by our relationship to Christ and our neighbours. There was no comfortable victory available to Jesus\ ; he gave up his life to redeem us\, so that we can see the face of God i n Christ and in "the least of these." [KH] DTEND:20150215T110000 DTSTAMP:20150215T113059 DTSTART:20150215T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Transfiguration UID:674 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/transfiguration-2015 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Brent Siemens spoke about how the dominion over other creature s that humans have been delegated from God must reflect the care that the Almighty has\, such as how he provides streams for the wild animals and grass for the cattle (Psalm 104). Deut. 22:6-7 entreats us to spare the m other hen when you harvest her young birds or eggs. In Genesis 9 after th e flood\, God made a covenant symbolized by the rainbow -- not only with Noah and his family\, but also with every living creature on Earth. Keep in mind that "the righteous know the needs of their animals" (Proverbs 12 :10). [KH] DTEND:20150222T110000 DTSTAMP:20150222T113053 DTSTART:20150222T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Living with Other Creatures: A Biblical Ethic for the Treatment of Animals UID:780 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/living-with-other-creatures END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Tim Tse spoke about the Book of Revelation as an Apocalypse in the original sense that it's an unveiling of knowledge. Ancient mapmaker s labeled unknown regions with "Here be dragons" and Satan is seen as the dragon (Rev. 12)\, that great ancient serpent\, who is thrown down by Je sus\, seen as both the Lamb and the Lion who is worthy to fulfill God's p lan (Rev. 5). The letters to the 7 churches (Rev. 1) followed the pattern of a military harangue and their number represented completeness -- for all churches in all locations and in all times.  The epic battle (Rev. 19 ) won't be won by an army of unarmed saints\, but by the crucified and re surrected Christ. [KH] DTEND:20150301T110000 DTSTAMP:20150301T113000 DTSTART:20150301T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Here Be Dragons UID:675 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/here-be-dragons END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Glenn Sawatzky's sermon was sub-titled\, "Jesus' Disruptive Ac tion in Jerusalem\, in John\, and in Us" because there are 3 ways that we can encounter the story of Jesus driving the money-changers out of the T emple:\n\n As a lectionary text for Lent: what must you clear away in you r life to prepare for Easter?\n As part of the Gospel of John's narrative : through the lens of the Cross\, as a sign of his upcoming passion.\n As a historic account of what Jesus wanted to clearly demonstrate: that exp loiting the poor offends God\, so the church must not be complicit in per petuating an unfair economic system.\n\nIs it "business as usual" this Le nt\, or do we have the courage to account for our role in the injustices of our world? DTEND:20150308T110000 DTSTAMP:20150308T113010 DTSTART:20150308T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ought we to Cleanse the Temples of our Hearts? UID:782 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ought-we-to-cleans-the-temples-of-our-hearts END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:http://pcda.bc.ca/avc-choir/vespers-schedule/ DESCRIPTION:This Lenten Vespers service features 60 minutes of uninterrupt ed choral singing\, congregational hymns\, meditative responsive readings and prayers. The 26-voice chamber choir will be conducted by our Music D irector\, Michael Murray\, organist and Director of Music at St Philip’s Anglican Church in Vancouver and founding member of Vancouver’s musica in tima. During an organ offertory\, an offering will be taken in support of the Choir and The Menno Simons Centre\, a residence for the 23 Christian university students attending Vancouver’s various universities and colle ges.\n\nPlease note that we have a venue change in Vancouver! DTEND:20150308T210000 DTSTAMP:20150118T184032 DTSTART:20150308T200000 GEO:49.248109;-123.186823 LOCATION:St. Philips Anglican Church @ 3737 West 27th Avenue\, Vancouver\, BC V6S 1R2\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6S 1R2\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Abendmusik Vesper Choir - Lent UID:67 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/abendmusik-vesper-choir-lent-2015 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Klassen spoke about our culture of dissatisfaction and ca lled us to follow Jesus' example of radical gratitude. In Numbers 21\, Go d used the pagan symbol of the snake on a pole to call the Hebrews to fai th while teaching them not to complain about the free food. Sin is a forc e in the world like gravity\, but we can take precautions not to fall by being grateful. God's free gift of salvation through Christ conquered sin \, so why waste time complaining? Is it rare for us to be thankful? Even the hard times are valuable for us to learn lessons from. [KH] DTEND:20150315T110000 DTSTAMP:20150315T113000 DTSTART:20150315T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Discontentment or Gratitude UID:676 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/discontentment-or-gratitude END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Johann David Funk spoke on "Thy Kingdom come" based on the lec tionary texts. Jeremiah and King David anticipated the New Covenant in co ntrast to the stern images of God elsewhere in the Old Testament. Jesus c reated space for reflection and positive change in the stories of the wom an caught in adultery\, the persistent Widow (God) and the unjust judge ( you & I)\, and the Centurion of great faith -- even enemies are not beyon d redemption. Is the New Covenant like a new Operating System that sweeps  away our accumulation of patches and updates to the Law? How can we refl ect the "Kingdom that looks like Jesus" (Gregory A. Boyd) while we are in  the world but not of this world? [KH] DTEND:20150322T110000 DTSTAMP:20150322T113000 DTSTART:20150322T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thy Kingdom come UID:677 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thy-kingdom-come-2015 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Palm Sunday\, Tony Tremblett spoke on John 12:1-19 about th e anointing and the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. How is it possible th at one day the crowds around Jesus were shouting "hosanna!"\, and less th an a week later\, were shouting "Crucify him"?  What would have become of Jesus if he had searched for approval by the polls? Do we know our value to God\, and do we understand love with our hearts -- or just our minds? Let us pray for the courage to resist the pressures of fickle crowds and  stand with Jesus. [KH]\n\nCommunion was celebrated\, and the MSC Student Year-End BBQ followed the service.  All student residents of the MSC wer e invited to enjoy the meal as were all guests to the fellowship. Regular attenders were invited to bring a dessert or salad to share - farmer sau sage and veggie burgers were supplied.\n\n DTEND:20150329T110000 DTSTAMP:20150329T113035 DTSTART:20150329T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:When the Cheering Stops UID:784 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/when-the-cheering-stops END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Apr. 5\, 2015 we celebrated Easter with a service of readin gs and songs from the Easter story written by J. Evan Kreider. DTEND:20150405T110000 DTSTAMP:20150405T120000 DTSTART:20150405T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Readings and Songs for Easter UID:678 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/to-be-announced-11 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Compelling ideas inspire followers\, committed followers inspi re others\, and the relationships they create move worlds. Kevin Hiebert used John 1 to show how leadership arises out of “followership"\, and the unity of both blesses the world like the oil running down Aaron’s beard (Psalm 133). Our followership extends this blessing to the poor (in both riches and spirit) by committing ourselves to mutual aid\, (Acts 3) makin g poverty not a problem to be fixed\, but a wound in the fabric of the co mmunity to be healed. Thus\, ”tax-cutting” politicians are not leaders\, and we ought not follow them. [AP] DTEND:20150412T110000 DTSTAMP:20150412T113000 DTSTART:20150412T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Together in Unity UID:679 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/together-in-unity END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dick Benner\, editor and publisher of the Canadian Mennonite m agazine\, spoke on "Diversity and Identity" based on Ephesians 4:1-6. Do we revere diversity rather than the One who created it? Jesus' passionate prayer was for the unity of his disciples. Can we yield our ethnic and t heological identities to keep the Body of Christ together? As an independ ent church press\, CM tries to weave the threads of diverse conversations into the fabric of our identity as an Anabaptist people. [KH] DTEND:20150419T110000 DTSTAMP:20150419T113030 DTSTART:20150419T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Diversity and Identity UID:793 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/diversity-and-identity END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider (retired professor of music history)\, offered  a look at the poetry of 6 hymns\, each addressing an aspect\, an age or a concern in the life of the believer: #480 (Shepherd of tender youth)\, #479 (Lord of our growing years)\, #481 (O God\, your constant care)\, #4 86 (God of our life)\, #485 (Teach me the measure of my days)\, and #483 (O God\, who gives us life and breath). Our Annual General Meeting follow ed after a pizza lunch hosted by the fellowship. [KH] DTEND:20150426T110000 DTSTAMP:20150426T113014 DTSTART:20150426T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hymns as Prayers for Believers\, Young and Old UID:795 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hymns-as-prayers-for-believers END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Angelika Dawson from the Communitas Supportive Care Society\, in a message for Mental Health Week\, offered her personal perspective on caring for those who are working toward mental wellness. If we find ours elves facing a mental illness\, the Bible encourages us to be courageous  and honestly share our need\, and to be content with small successes on t he path from the dark to the light. May God give us the strength to be a patient\, open listener -- a friend and advocate for those needing mental health support. [KH]\n\nOther helpful resources include Sanctuary Minist ries (including the Living Room peer support groups)\, the BC division of the Canadian Mental Health Association\, the Anxiety Disorders Associati on of British Columbia (AnxietyBC)\, the British Columbia Schizophrenia S ociety\, the Mental Health Commission of Canada\, and the Mood Disorders Association of British Columbia. DTEND:20150503T110000 DTSTAMP:20150503T113050 DTSTART:20150503T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Take Heart UID:798 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/take-heart-mental-wellness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jo White spoke about "Spiritual Mothers" on Mother's Day. Naom i could be described as a spiritual matriarch\, starting with her care fo r Ruth. Elizabeth\, the mother of John the Baptist\, was spiritually moth ering to her younger cousin Mary. Jo's own Mrs. Fitness demonstrated the power of generosity and hospitality in small spaces. At any age we are al l in need of encouragement from spiritual parents to help us grow in our  knowledge of the love of Christ. [KH] DTEND:20150510T110000 DTSTAMP:20150510T113059 DTSTART:20150510T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spiritual Mothers UID:800 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/spiritual-mothers END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen pointed out that spiritual warfare is demanding\ , a real war\, and is actually a call to love. Do we fail to hear Christ' s call to war by downplaying the commitment expected of us\, denying the reality of Satan\, or using the language in Ephesians 6 to justify violen ce? Will we join Christ in the way of the Cross to sacrifice our lives to struggle in love for the weak and powerless? We then heard Thomas' Chris tianized adaptation of Shakespeare's St. Crispin's Day speech\, dramatica lly read by his brother\, Richard. [KH] DTEND:20150517T110000 DTSTAMP:20150517T113025 DTSTART:20150517T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spiritual Warfare for Mennonites I: The Call to War UID:921 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/spiritual-warfare-1-the-call-to-war END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We held our annual church retreat at Camp Luther\, which was w ell attended by all\, including\nguests and four children! Featuring disc ussions and round-table group sessions on the future of our\ncongregation ’s location\, Rod and Kathi Suderman’s Sunday service summed up our commi tment to each\nother in a candle-lighting ceremony. There was no recordin g of this service. DTEND:20150524T110000 DTSTAMP:20150524T113010 DTSTART:20150524T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Church Retreat at Camp Luther UID:923 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/church-retreat-2015 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Syed Nasir Zaidi\, the Muslim chaplain at UBC and a member of the Multi-Faith Chaplains Association at UBC\, shared about one of th e issues of faith that is common to the Christian and the Islamic traditi ons. Many of us were surprised to learn that the Qur'an describes Jesus a s a living Word of God\, with a central role in the Day of Resurrection - - the one honoured witness with the authority to intercede for us. While we deserve the full force of divine Justice\, Christ's unique standing wi th God gives us the opportunity for Mercy and Forgiveness on the Day of J udgment. [KH]\n\nNOTE: you can also view the slide presentation (11-page PDF).\n DTEND:20150531T110000 DTSTAMP:20150531T113056 DTSTART:20150531T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Meaning of Intercession of Jesus in the Light of the Qur'an UID:925 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/nasir-on-intercession-of-jesus END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera spoke on "Steadfastness in the Midst of Change" b ased on hope (in God\, not in specific outcomes)\, memory (by recalling a nd passing down the stories of God's faithfulness)\, and friendship (with each other and with God). Are we like Abram\, getting on in years\, yet  asked to leave our comfort zone for new opportunities in a new location?  The history of Anabaptists shows how often God has helped our global fami ly of churches through hardship and transformation. May the Holy Spirit h elp us all to be resilient as we continually grow and change. [KH] DTEND:20150607T110000 DTSTAMP:20150607T113009 DTSTART:20150607T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Steadfastness in the Midst of Change UID:927 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/steadfastness-in-the-midst-of-change END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen continued his series on Spiritual Warfare for Me nnonites with "The Gospels and Jesus' War" (Part 2 of 3). How can we unde rstand the life of Jesus without appreciating the militaristic terminolog y the Gospel writers used to describe the battle that He fought? Jesus be lieved in Satan\, so how can we deny the language which was meant to help us see reality as He did? As God's divine warrior\, Jesus can cast out t he Spirit of the Age that would otherwise possess us. Let us imitate Chri st in healing those oppressed by the Devil\, through activism\, hospitali ty and prayer. [KH]\n\nNOTE: During the response time discussion about th e paradox of violent imagery in a non-violent theology\, he recommended t he book Killing Enmity: Violence and the New Testament by Thomas R. Yoder Neufeld (2011). DTEND:20150614T110000 DTSTAMP:20150614T113056 DTSTART:20150614T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spiritual Warfare for Mennonites II: The Gospels and Jesus' War UID:929 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/spiritual-warfare-for-mennonites-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:You are invited to join with the other six West Point Grey chu rches* for a joint Service in Trimble Park this morning beginning at 10:0 0 am. See the Point Grey Fiesta site for a map & transit info to join us at 8th Avenue and Trimble Street (since we will not be meeting in the cha pel of the MSC).\n\nThis Sunday is Aboriginal Day\, the theme will be rec onciliation.\n\nWe will have a welcome from Elder Ruth Adams on behalf of her Musqueam relatives\; the sermon will be by the Rev. Mary Fontaine\, director of Hummingbird Ministries.\n\nMary Fontaine is Cree from the Mis tawasis First Nation in Sask. She is an ordained minister of the Presbyte rian Church in Canada\, an Executive Committee member of the World Commun ion of Reformed Churches\, the Indigenous advisor for an Advisory Committ ee at the Canadian School of Peace of the Canadian Mennonite University i n Winnipeg and the Chair of the Native Ministries Consortium of the Vanco uver School of Theology. After graduating with an M.Div. from the Vancouv er School of Theology\, Mary became the founding Director of Hummingbird Ministries\, a ministry for healing and reconciliation with Indigenous pe ople living in the lower mainland of British Columbia. Hummingbird Minist ries was established in January\, 2005\, at the Central Presbyterian Chur ch and the first Circle was held at the Tsawwassen First Nation (TFN) hos ted by Elder Ruth Adams. Hummingbird become a ministry of the Presbytery of Westminster in 2008 and several circle ministries have been establishe d in the lower mainland. A Circle consists of sharing food\, prayer\, sha ring in a circle and a program or activity. To promote reconciliation\, H ummingbird brings Church and Canadian folks together with Indigenous Peop le through cultural and performing arts programs and a healing path works hop program.\n\n*  Our Lady of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church\, St Helen's Anglican Church\, University Hill Congregation\, West Point Grey Baptist Church\, West Point Grey Presbyterian Church\, West Point Grey Un ited Church DTEND:20150621T110000 DTSTAMP:20150620T110021 DTSTART:20150621T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Aboriginal Sunday - Service in the Park UID:931 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2015-worship-in-the-park END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On June 28\, 2015\, Rod Suderman spoke on two intertwined stor ies told in Mark 5\, Jairus seeking healing for his daughter\, and a woma n with hemorrhaging touching Jesus’ garment while he was walking to the h ouse of Jairus. In both stories\, people desperately sought healing and r estoration. Jairus approached Jesus openly\, while the unnamed woman shyl y tried to touch his garment without even being noticed. Both people expe rienced physical healing as human beings\, and this undoubtedly also enab led emotional healing\, and possibly even spiritual healing. These storie s remind us that we\, like Adam (who was made from mud\, adama)\, are ma de from earth (and given souls)\, earthly creatures vulnerable to all typ es of brokenness. God’s Spirit can help us restore broken people\, just a s that same Spirit once enabled Jesus to offer assistance to those seekin g restoration.  [JEK] DTEND:20150628T110000 DTSTAMP:20150628T113002 DTSTART:20150628T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Healing and Wholeness UID:933 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/healing-and-wholeness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider's sermon was based on the Apostle Paul's 2nd l etter to the church at Corinth. After establishing his credentials as a p ersecuted sufferer in chapter 11\,  Paul challenged rival preachers while  refraining from boasting about visions as they did. Power-seekers embell ish their curriculum vitae (c.v.) to compete for leadership positions\, b ut do extraordinary spiritual experiences really grant authority from God ? We could speculate about his 'thorn in the flesh' but Paul puts forward  his weaknesses as source of strength. Are we full of the Spirit\, or jus t full of ourselves? How can God's power become evident through the weakn esses of our Fellowship? [KH] DTEND:20150705T110000 DTSTAMP:20150705T113016 DTSTART:20150705T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Whenever I am weak\, then I am strong UID:1591 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/whenever-i-am-weak-then-i-am-strong END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen's spoke on "Spiritual Warfare for Mennonites III : The Powers and Principalities in Paul's Epistles". The last sermon in t his 3-part series concluded his exploration of the paradox of violent lan guage to describe a non-violent kingdom. The early church understood Chri st's death and resurrection as acts of a spiritual conqueror\, frequently  referring to Psalm 110 about how God will make Jesus' enemies his footst ool. The Bible's ambiguous vocabulary for powers & principalities highlig hts the dualities of the personal & structural\, negative & positive\, an d earthly & heavenly. As Mennonites\, do the organizational structures an d institutions that we support sufficiently contribute to the Kingdom of God? What are we in the church doing to make known the wisdom of God to t he rulers and authorities (Ephesians 3:10)? DTEND:20150712T110000 DTSTAMP:20150712T113004 DTSTART:20150712T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spiritual Warfare for Mennonites III: The Powers and Principalitie s in Paul's Epistles UID:1593 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/spiritual-warfare-3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld's message on "Eric & Vincent" recalled two proph etic voices that made an impression on him. Prophets of old like Jeremiah used extreme methods like casting off their clothes to draw attention to  God's message. More than 12 years ago\, Eric Hannan's sermon at PGIMF fe atured an altar call to smash pieces of pottery as symbols of what needs to be discarded from our lives. Dr. Vincent Harding\, as a speechwriter w ho adopted his wife's pacifist Mennonite faith\, gave Martin Luther King Jr. the words "A time comes when silence is betrayal." May each of us hav e the courage to confront what needs to be discarded and act on the messa ge of God. [KH]\n\nNOTE: Henry mentioned the book Death of a King: The Re al Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Final Year by Tavis Smiley. DTEND:20150719T110000 DTSTAMP:20150719T113024 DTSTART:20150719T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Eric & Vincent UID:1599 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/eric-and-vincent END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Winston Pratt spoke from Exodus 3:1-12 about Moses' encounter with God at the Burning Bush. In the middle of nowhere\, God grabbed the attention of an old shepherd with an extraordinary sign. Far from his pri vileged life in Egypt\, Moses recognized God's Caller-ID and answered. Ar e we looking out for the "grace notes" that God places in our paths? Rede mption is more than a rescue\, it's the opportunity to participate in God 's plan for a better future. Praise the God who knows us by name\, makes himself known\, calls us into his mission at any age\, and then equips us for the task. [KH]\n\n DTEND:20150726T110000 DTSTAMP:20150726T113041 DTSTART:20150726T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What Happens When God Shows Up? UID:1601 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-happens-when-god-shows-up END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:604-224-5202 CONTACT:http://pcda.bc.ca/spiritual-formation-at-the-inn/ DESCRIPTION:On Thursday\, July 30th at 7:30pm in the chapel of at 4000 Wes t 11th Avenue\, all are welcome to join the PCDA for a presentation by Jo n Epps\, Director of the Inn Ministries\, Presbyterian Church\, Bellingha m\, Washington about their 40-year University student ministry. Thomas an d Cara Bergen will also make a short presentation on the role of the Menn o Simons Centre and spiritual formation of University students. An inform al discussion will follow. All are welcome to attend this event and enjoy an evening of discussion and presentations on University student spiritu al formation. DTEND:20150730T210000 DTSTAMP:20150717T224040 DTSTART:20150730T193000 GEO:49.262671;-123.194082 LOCATION:Menno Simons Centre @ 4000 West 11th Avenue\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spiritual Formation at The INN UID:70 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/spiritual-formation-at-the-inn END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We alternated between singing hymns\, reading the lectionary B ible texts\, and hearing prayers by J. Philip Newell\, William Burleigh\, Frank Topping\, Miles Coverdale\, William Bright\, Michael Quoist\, St. Augustine\, and Alcuin of York. In the parting prayer of David B. Calhoun \, we joined together to ask God to quiet our fears\, cease our strivings \, and know the heights of his love and the depths of his peace. [KH] DTEND:20150802T110000 DTSTAMP:20150802T113029 DTSTART:20150802T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Songs & Prayers When Seeking Guidance UID:1603 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/songs-and-prayers-when-seeking-guidance END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Derek Carr spoke on "The Plight of the Pregnant Prioress and t he Power of Prayer – Reflections on a Medieval Spanish Miracle Tale". He told the story of The Pregnant Abbess\, Miracle #21 in the Milagros Nuest ra Señora (a poetic collection by the 13th Century priest Gonzalo de Berc eo from the Rioja region of Spain). As a type of Virgin Mary\, the scanda lized but faithful mother demonstrated more than an intellectual assent t o the possibility of a miracle when she petitioned Our Lady of Perpetual Help (after which our neighbouring Catholic Parish is named) for mercy. C an we too be granted a miracle in the intertwined physical and spiritual aspects of daily life through the kind of prayer that demonstrates a dire ct personal relationship? [KH]\n\nNOTE: No published bulletin this Sunday DTEND:20150809T110000 DTSTAMP:20150809T113029 DTSTART:20150809T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reflections on a Medieval Spanish Miracle Tale UID:1605 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/medieval-spanish-miracle END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Richard Bergen (brother of Thomas\, the Residence Coordinator at the Centre) examined a Christian theology of light through a myriad of scriptures and the writings of many theologians. Light has so many compe lling attributes\, especially when compared to the opposing darkness\, th at it serves as a powerful metaphor to help us relate to the transcendent God. While Gnostics and Platonists deified physical Light\, Isaiah recog nized that someday the Sun will stop shining\, and Christians believe tha t Jesus is God's unique source of spiritual illumination. As the Sunday S chool song goes\, "Hide it under a bushel? No!" [KH] DTEND:20150816T110000 DTSTAMP:20150816T113015 DTSTART:20150816T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Towards a Christian Theology of Light UID:1607 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/towards-a-christian-theology-of-light END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Residence Coordinators CONTACT:(604) 224-5202 CONTACT:http://pcda.bc.ca/summer-2015-alumni-bbq/ DESCRIPTION:On Saturday\, August 22nd\, the PCDA is having a summer BBQ at the Menno Simons Centre for alumni and supporters of the student residen ce and Abendmusik Vesper Choir! Come meet old friends and make new ones w ho have been positively impacted by the ministry of the Menno Simons Cent re! The evening will also feature stories from past and present residents and a PCDA presentation on future student ministry opportunities. Doors open at 5:30 pm\, and dinner will be served at around 6:30 pm\, followed by a time of sharing and presentations.\n\nTo RSVP\, please email us or c heck out the Facebook event page. DTEND:20150822T213000 DTSTAMP:20150816T155844 DTSTART:20150822T173000 GEO:49.262671;-123.194082 LOCATION:Menno Simons Centre @ 4000 West 11th Avenue\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Summer BBQ @ MSC for Alumni & Supporters UID:71 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/2015-summer-bbq-msc END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Timothy Tse challenged us with the obvious question\, "Where a re we right now?" Do we see our place in the world as the past and future Temple — the throne room of God? The purpose (Telos) of God's creation o f humankind was to bear the image of God. Christ fulfilled the prophecies in the Law (Torah) and invited us to become the Temple in the Kingdom of God. The one unique thing that the church can do is testify to the hope we have because of God's ultimate rule over the world. May our worship an d daily lives show up as realistic images of God. [KH] DTEND:20150823T110000 DTSTAMP:20150823T113014 DTSTART:20150823T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Temple\, Torah\, Telos\, Throne UID:1609 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/temple-torah-telos-throne END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Ruth Enns (a musicologist teaching at the Vancouver Academ y of Music) spoke on one of the oldest hymns still being sung today\, Ven i Creator Spiritus ("Come\, Creator Spirit").  Christian hymns are versif ied songs of praise which grew out of the synagogue tradition.  Jesus san g a hymn at the Last Supper\, Paul advised churches to sing hymns\, psalm s and spiritual songs.  Veni Creator Spiritus was already being sung by t he time of the Church Fathers\, and is in the style of hymns championed b y Augustine. Although the chant version is still sung in monasteries\, se cular composers have also been inspired by it:  Duruflé\, Palestrina\, Lu ther\, Frank\, Gounod\, Hindemith\, Penderecki and Mahler (Symphony of a Thousand)\, and in 1998 Pope John Paul spoke about it in his Pentecost ho mily. [JEK] DTEND:20150830T110000 DTSTAMP:20150830T113052 DTSTART:20150830T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Come Creator Spirit UID:1611 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/come-creator-spirit END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:PGIMF celebrated its 29th anniversary with a message from one of our founding members\, Dr. John Friesen\, whose tireless struggle to d evelop a student ministry at the University of BC is well reflected in a message of hope for our future as a congregation and in the student resid ence in which we worship.  Key scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:5-6.\n\nNOTE: r ead the source text of John Friesen's sermon from Sept. 6\, 2015. You can also read more about PGIMF's history on GAMEO at Point_Grey_Inter-Mennon ite_Fellowship_(Vancouver\,_British_Columbia\,_Canada). \n DTEND:20150906T110000 DTSTAMP:20150906T113039 DTSTART:20150906T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Impossible Dream UID:1782 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-impossible-dream END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Walter Bergen is one of the best Mennonite story tellers of hi s generation.  In his sermon welcoming students back to university and to the Menno Simons Centre\, he tells three stories\, each illustrating a s aying.  The first:  "Two things separate you from the animal kingdom:  th e ability to pray and the ability to think.  Go and do both!"  The second \, drawn from the difficult days of the Soviet Union concluded with the a dvice\, " The work that you do\, for good or ill\, will have an impact on others."  And the final story illustrated the saying\, "You will be reme mbered in this world for what you gave\, not what you got."  [JEK]\nA pot luck BBQ lunch was held after the service.\n\n DTEND:20150913T110000 DTSTAMP:20150913T113046 DTSTART:20150913T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Toward the Future - Student Welcome to MSC UID:1784 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/toward-the-future-student-welcome-to-msc-2015 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sarah Williams (lecturer at Regent College) spoke on the theme of Recollections based on Psalm 63. When David was out in the Judean wil derness\, his situation in life was described in 2 Samuel 15-16 as a King humiliated by the coup of his son Absalom. The parched desert amplifies David's spiritual thirst\, but he was refreshed  by recalling four beauti ful images: the sanctuary in Jerusalem\; being comforted in bed through t he watches of the night\; the shadow of God's protective wings\; and bein g upheld by the strong right hand of God\, to which he clings. We were th en challenged to recall the times that God has met with us\, and take ref reshment from those memories. [KH] DTEND:20150920T110000 DTSTAMP:20150920T113023 DTSTART:20150920T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Recollections UID:1786 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/recollections-psalm-63 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Winston Pratt continued his series on “The Call of Moses” by e valuating Moses’ objections to God’s call as recorded in Exodus 3:10-4:16 . In his extended dialogue with God\, Moses raised four reasonable concer ns (I'm a nobody\, whom do I say has sent me\, why should they believe me \, and I can't speak eloquently) and for each one God had an assuring ans wer. Moses finally tries to excuse himself ("send someone else") but God loses patience and says that he has already called Moses' brother Aaron t o be the spokesman. We learned that God offers presence before demonstrat ions of power\, and gives his words as promises before delivering in deed s.  [KH] DTEND:20150927T110000 DTSTAMP:20150927T113038 DTSTART:20150927T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reluctant Responder - Moses Objects to God's Call UID:1789 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/reluctant-responder-moses END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rod Suderman spoke about how we expect life to be predictable and ordered by the seasons of life\, but when the unexpected happens\, we grasp for an explanation. From the friends in the Book of Job\, we learn ed that quoting moralistic scripture verses can be a cold comfort. Instea d\, we should be quiet and present with our friends in their suffering. W hen life doesn't seem fair\, it's not our place to demand an explanation from the God who made the monsters of land (Behemoth) and sea (Leviathan) . Until all of creation is redeemed\, calamities will continue to afflict the innocent in our chaotic world. In the meantime\, we can look forward to justice in the end by walking with Immanuel (God with Us) through our dark valleys. [KH]\n DTEND:20151004T110000 DTSTAMP:20151004T113026 DTSTART:20151004T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:When the World is in Chaos UID:1867 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/when-the-world-is-in-chaos END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Veronica Dyck led a service of Scriptures\, readings and praye rs on the theme of giving thanks. Communion was served.\n\nNOTE: Since a worship service booklet of responsive readings and bible verses was distr ibuted\, no bulletin was published. A recording was made on CD (available to borrow) but since there was no sermon\, an audio recording is not pos ted online.\n\n DTEND:20151011T110000 DTSTAMP:20151011T113019 DTSTART:20151011T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving 2015 UID:1869 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thanksgiving-2015 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Helen Rose Pauls spoke on Romans 12 and the inspiration that s he got from this summer's 2015 Mennonite World Conference. The majority o f the global Mennonite family are outside of North America and Europe\, y et we all share core Anabaptist concepts: peace and non-violence\, servic e\, discerning scripture together\, and community. Each country's Mennoni tes face unique challenges\, so the gathering every 6 years in a differen t host city provides a way to worship together and learn from each other' s traditions. Community means that we believe we're called to consider no t what's best for each of us individually\, but what's best for our famil y and Christ's church. On the spectrum of autonomy to community\, are we dancing between walking alone and walking together? [KH]\n DTEND:20151018T110000 DTSTAMP:20151018T113004 DTSTART:20151018T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Walking with God\; Walking Together UID:1871 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/walking-with-god-walking-together END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Esther Hizsa — a graduate of Regent College\, a facilitator fo r courses on spiritual formation\, a blogger on contemplative topics and a former part-time pastor of the New Life Community Church in Burnaby — s poke on “Listen to your Life”. Have we examined the moments and events of our lives for how God may be speaking to us? It's easy to make 3 common mistakes: presume that we know what God is saying\; fear that we're doing something wrong\; or assume that God is always teaching us a lesson. Can we really ask God in every situation\, "How are you loving me in this?" [KH] DTEND:20151025T110000 DTSTAMP:20151025T113042 DTSTART:20151025T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Listen to Your Life UID:1873 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/listen-to-your-life END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Where charity and love are\, God is there. The Latin-based lyr ics from a song launched Thomas Bergen into a search for the dwelling of God\, the place we can we go to be with God. Thomas noted that the Christ ian community holds the promise of re-sacralizing our world and our lives . Through the story of Dietrich Bonhöffer’s stay and death in Tegel priso n\, Thomas demonstrated God’s presence in the community that sustained Bo nhöffer\; this\, then is where the dwelling of God is to be found. [AP] DTEND:20151101T110000 DTSTAMP:20151101T113035 DTSTART:20151101T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Dwelling of God (Ephesians 2:22): Reflections on Christian Co mmunity from Dietrich Bonhoeffer UID:1875 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-dwelling-of-god-reflections-on-christian -community END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen returned for the 2nd part of his reflection on C hristian communities. God has given the Church a diversity of gifts to bu ild the unified body of Christ. The Apostle Paul's paradox of keeping the unity of Spirit while seeking the unity of Faith is consistent with his advice in other epistles calling for churches to grow in love for each ot her. Jean Vanier's L'Arche is an inspiring demonstration of how love grow s when we see ourselves in others\, face our vulnerabilities\, and share our histories. Are we a community growing in love as we  try to follow Je sus together? [KH] DTEND:20151108T110000 DTSTAMP:20151108T113016 DTSTART:20151108T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Growing in Love (Ephesians 4:16): Reflection on Christian Communit y from Jean Vanier UID:1877 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/growing-in-love-reflections-on-jean-vanier END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Willard Metzger (Executive Director of the Mennonite Church Ca nada and Vice-President of The Canadian Council of Churches) spoke about how our Anabaptist faith gives us a divine responsibility to speak out at this time in history\, as Ether (4:11-17) was called to do. Palmer Becke r's booklet What is an Anabaptist Christian? articulates three core Anaba ptists values: Jesus is the center of our faith\; Community is the center of our lives\; and Reconciliation is the center of our work. What person al or professional risks are we willing to take in order to face the mora l challenges of climate change\, poverty and social justice? [KH]\n\n \n\ n DTEND:20151115T110000 DTSTAMP:20151115T113010 DTSTART:20151115T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:For Such a Time as This UID:1818 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/metzger-for-such-a-time-as-this END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jon Nofziger (MCC-BC Constituency Engagement) brought a messag e of peace from his work with the Mennonite Central Committee. We heard t he courageous story of Paulus Hartono\, a Javanese Mennonite pastor and c o-founder of the Forum for Peace Across Religions and Groups (FPLAG) in S olo\, Indonesia. Years of building trust and relationships paid off with a turning point of averted violence that didn't make the news. Will we fa ll for society's tendencies to fear\, despair\, or hate -- or will we sow seeds of love\, in faithfulness and hope? [KH] DTEND:20151122T110000 DTSTAMP:20151122T113045 DTSTART:20151122T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Living as people of peace UID:1879 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/living-as-people-of-peace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Luke Schuster (resident at the Menno Simons Centre) began Adve nt with a lively challenge to consider whether or not we can be selfless like the examples of David (Ps. 30) and the Slave Girl (2 Kings 5). When we experience the blessings of taste & music\, and even in the power demo nstrated in natural disasters\, will we recognize the glory of God? As we enjoy our Christmas traditions\, will we ask ourselves\, "How can this g lorify God?"  [KH]\n\nNOTE: the PowerPoint presentation (including the au dio recording) is only available upon request to members and adherents. C ontact the Webmaster for details. DTEND:20151129T110000 DTSTAMP:20151129T113029 DTSTART:20151129T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What Does God Get? UID:1865 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-does-god-get END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:http://pcda.bc.ca/avc-choir/vespers-schedule/ DESCRIPTION:Join our friends in the Abendmusik Vesper Choir for worship se rvices during Advent on November 29th at Knox United Church in Vancouver. Admission is by donation\, with offerings going to support the Menno Sim ons Centre student residence. DTEND:20151129T210000 DTSTAMP:20151107T192406 DTSTART:20151129T200000 GEO:49.234757;-123.176703 LOCATION:Knox United Church @ 5600 Balaclava St\, Vancouver\, BC V6N 1K9\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6N 1K9\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Abendmusik Vesper Choir - Advent 2015 UID:73 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/abendmusik-vesper-choir-advent-2015 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our annual Sing-along Messiah was bravely attempted with 40 vo ices and two soloists giving flight to G.F. Handel's Christmas classic or atorio\, accompanied by Ruth Enns at the piano. DTEND:20151206T110000 DTSTAMP:20150806T113040 DTSTART:20151206T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:1860 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:For the third Sunday of Advent\, J. Evan Kreider spoke on Haba kkuk chapters 1-3. In the context of the Chaldean (neo-Babylonian) intimi dation of Judah\, the minor prophet cried out "woes" on the coming conque rors. In a vision\, Habakkuk saw God executing furious judgment\, yet he rejoiced in the Lord while waiting patiently. May the Lord be our strengt h\, make us sure-footed like a deer\, and enable us to tread upon the hei ghts (3:19). [KH] DTEND:20151213T110000 DTSTAMP:20151213T113058 DTSTART:20151213T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Habakkuk UID:1944 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/habakkuk-2015 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday December 20th\, our festive service of scriptures an d readings for Christmas created in the tradition of the Carols and Lesso ns Service from Kings College Cambridge was led by Veronica Dyck.  Our se rvice was preceded by our traditional Christmas potluck breakfast. DTEND:20151220T110000 DTSTAMP:20150820T113050 DTSTART:20151220T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Song and Readings for Christmas UID:1863 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/song-and-readings-for-christmas END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Christian Mysticism is defined by C.S. Lewis as “the direct ex perience of God\, immediate as a taste or color.” Andre explained the his torical context and writings of several mystics who were controversial in their time: Gregory of Nyssa (c.335-395)\, Hildegard of Bingen (1098-117 9)\, Jacopone da Todi (c.1230-1306)\, Mechthild of Magdeburg (c.1207-1282 )\, Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582)\, and Thomas Merton (1915-1968). Even the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (2:12-16) uses the langua ge of direct spiritual discernment. A common priority of the mystics seem s to be deeply personal and contemplative prayer. [KH] DTEND:20151227T110000 DTSTAMP:20151227T113248 DTSTART:20151227T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Hours of the Mystics UID:1946 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-hours-of-the-mystics END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Epiphany Sunday\, Gareth Brandt\, Instructor at Columbia Bi ble College\, described two competing ways to avoid the cataclysmic last days of the Earth: Escapist (count on the Rapture) and Secularist (count on human progress). Gareth proposed a third way based on Anabaptist escha tology (end times study)\, in which the judgment of Jesus can be eagerly anticipated as the time when all things will be made right. Like Nelson M andela's prison garden on Robben Island\, we can cultivate living hope\, since Christ is "coming soon" (in kairos time\, not a specific chronos ti me) and will return unexpectedly at the opportune moment. With the inevit able end of the world in mind\, "... what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God ..." (2 Peter 3:11). [KH] DTEND:20160103T110000 DTSTAMP:20160103T113050 DTSTART:20160103T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Beginning with the End - an Anabaptist Eschatology UID:1948 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/beginning-with-the-end-anabaptist-eschatology END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke on the Baptism of Jesus from Luke 3:1-22 . John the Baptist gave three practical examples of how to demonstrate re pentance: share your wardrobe and food with the needy\, collect only what you earn\, and be satisfied with your wages. We don't know why Jesus wen t to John to be baptized\, but to be consistent with the other baptisms\, surely it was for the symbolic act of washing away the past and resolvin g to live differently. With faithful family members like Mary\, Elizabeth and Zechariah\, Jesus must have had a good upbringing\, but still needed a fresh start to his ministry. May God give us guidance as we aim to mak e better decisions in the coming year. [KH] DTEND:20160110T110000 DTSTAMP:20160110T113047 DTSTART:20160110T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Baptism of Jesus UID:1933 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-baptism-of-jesus-in-luke3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Klippenstein asked\, what is that one thing that you wou ld be willing to give up everything to obtain? Out of duality-thinking (R ohr) arise our judgements and opinions - our false self (Merton) which Je sus calls to abandon in favour of our true selves (Mark 8). God is in our DNA - the ‘true self’ that is in God. We cannot abandon or discard our f alse self with heroic effort\, but we can side-step it with the lessons t aught by others - elderly\, handicapped\, the young\, who teach us the va lue of the experience of the present moment. This is our lifelong mission \, and the pearl of great price. [AP] DTEND:20160117T110000 DTSTAMP:20160117T113154 DTSTART:20160117T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Pearl of Great Price (Pt. II) UID:1951 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-pearl-of-great-price-part2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Catherine Cooper reminded us that our church buildings aren't specified by God like the Tabernacle in Exodus 25 or Solomon's Temple in 1 Chronicles 28. She referred to Jeanne Halgren Kilde's book\, Sacred Pow er\, Sacred Space: An Introduction to Christian Architecture and Worship\ , which describes how the layout of a sanctuary can reinforce power relat ionships\, such as by elevating the clergy at the front. What design aspe cts of worship space are important to us individually and as a congregati on – natural light\, artwork\, acoustics\, and seating arrangements? Wher e else besides our current chapel can we feel as safe and comfortable as we praise\, pray and fellowship together? [KH] DTEND:20160124T110000 DTSTAMP:20160124T113003 DTSTART:20160124T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Space in Which We Worship UID:1955 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-space-in-which-we-worship END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Heather Pauls Murray asked an interesting question:  Do people in the arts (literature/music/art/philosophy\, etc.) understand Jesus be tter than scientists?   In some ways\, people want 'scientific proof'\, a s did the Pharisees in Matthew 16:14\, when asking Jesus to perform a mir acle 'then and there'\, a sort of verifiable lab experiment.  He refused\ , saying that they already had a miracle with Jonah.  In Matthew 16:5-12\ , the disciples took 'yeast' literally when Jesus warned them of the yeas t of the Pharisees.  However\, a frustrated Jesus had to point out that t hey were to understand this yeast metaphorically (arts) rather than liter ally (scientifically).  Although we can try to explain Beethoven's music by analyzing its varying wave lengths\, this would not explain our emotio nal response to the music's power.  Some things\, some truths\, cannot be explained in labs or by clear answers.  "Our faith is nurtured by asking questions\, not by knowing answers."  At the top levels\, this is true o f both arts and science.   [JEK] DTEND:20160131T110000 DTSTAMP:20160131T113037 DTSTART:20160131T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Do English Majors Understand Jesus? UID:1957 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/do-english-majors-understand-jesus END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Catherine Cooper invited us to leave room for the presence of God in our worship services. The practice of worship should balance the r evelation of God's grace and the response of the people. Our tradition of piano-accompanied hymn-based worship – and the chapel in which we meet – emphasizes music and lyrics which help us pray and praise. We use the st ructure of the liturgical calendar but make exceptions when the speaker h as a topic to share from the heart. Even silence need not be awkward\, as we wait for each other's responses during sharing and prayer times. As w e believe\, so we worship. [KH] DTEND:20160207T110000 DTSTAMP:20160207T113038 DTSTART:20160207T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Creating Spaces in Worship UID:2059 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/creating-spaces-in-worship END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Travis Martin CONTACT:http://www.knoxunitedvancouver.org/events/syria-101/2016-02-13 DESCRIPTION:Syria 101 - An Information Evening sponsored by \nThe Westside Churches* Refugee Sponsorship Committee\nSaturday\, February 13 from 6:0 0 to 9:00 pm\nKnox United at 5600 Balaclava.\nTickets are $20 and are ava ilable through Travis Martin.\nThis will be a wonderful evening of Syrian food\, music and culture! There will be presentations by the Refugee com mittee on the sponsorship process and on Syria. This is an opportunity to meet the members of the Refugee committee and people of Syrian backgroun d. All proceeds will go directly to this very important project.\n*Dunbar Heights United\, Knox United\, Ryerson United\, University Hill United\, West Point Grey United\, West Point Grey Presbyterian\, Point Grey Inter -Mennonite Fellowship DTEND:20160213T210000 DTSTAMP:20160123T163654 DTSTART:20160213T180000 GEO:49.234757;-123.176703 LOCATION:Knox United Church @ 5600 Balaclava St\, Vancouver\, BC V6N 1K9\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6N 1K9\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Syria 101 UID:12 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/syria-101 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke about young people leaving home and return ing home again. Jesus returned home to speak in the synagogue of his home town of Nazareth. Small communities have a way of putting people in boxe s and not letting them out. The self-righteous can be stubborn and resist hearing that God may choose unlikely people to work through. Will we all ow ourselves to be limited by the low expectations and preconceptions of closed minds? What costly decision can we make to show that we're really willing to take up our cross and follow Christ? [KH] DTEND:20160214T110000 DTSTAMP:20160214T113030 DTSTART:20160214T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Going Home Again UID:2061 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/going-home-again END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen (Menno Simons Centre Residence Coordinator) bega n a three-part series on the Christian view of Death. Atul Gwande’s book Being Mortal shows how modern medicine denies death by institutionalizing our final moments\, unlike the experience of previous generations. Conte mporary funeral services and prosperity gospel churches seem to deny ever yone's inevitable mortality. The Latin writings of Memento mori (“remembe r that you must die”)\, Ars moriendi (“The Art of Dying”)\, and the Order of St. Benedict (“Keep death daily before one’s eyes”) reminded our Euro pean Christian ancestors to journey towards a good death. Secular culture denies death by proudly celebrating beauty and wealth in reaction to the void that will silence them\, but we can take comfort in the promise tha t those who do the will of God shall live forever (1 John 2:16-17). [KH] DTEND:20160221T110000 DTSTAMP:20160221T113034 DTSTART:20160221T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Denying Death UID:2063 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/denying-death END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:"So God created humankind in his image\, in the image of God h e created them" (Genesis 1:27).  The authors/compilers of the stories in Genesis imagined God informing others in heaven that he had decided to cr eate humans "according to our likeness".  To this day\, we still assume t hat we have somehow been made in God's image\, but in what ways and to wh at extent?  Which of our characteristics reflect God's image and which do not\, and how do we decide?  This talk explores passages in scripture an d in the writings of Menno Simons\, as well as ideas about "Moral Personh ood" (Jim Lanctot and Justin Irving\, in "Character and Leadership:  Situ ating Servant Leadership in a Proposed Virtues Framework"\, 2007) and Ben jamin Franklin (List of virtues based on Biblical principles\, 1726).  [J EK] DTEND:20160228T110000 DTSTAMP:20160228T113045 DTSTART:20160228T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reflecting the image of God UID:2065 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/reflecting-the-image-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jenna Veenbaas presented a dramatic monologue from the perspec tive of Martha on the death and resurrection of Lazarus\, based on John 1 1:1-45. Do we bitterly express grief and disappointment when our fervent prayers for healing aren't answered in the time or way that we expect? Th e power of God was frequently demonstrated by Jesus\, who plainly stated that he is the Resurrection and the Life. Even today we see cases of othe rwise inexplicable miraculous restoration! [KH] DTEND:20160306T110000 DTSTAMP:20160306T113035 DTSTART:20160306T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:I am the Resurrection UID:2067 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/i-am-the-resurrection END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul S.\, in a glimpse of life in another country\, mixes his professional life with his personal life through the lens of Psalm 117\, the Psalm that most succinctly explains that God’s promise to his people is never conditional. A message of truly good news. [AP]\nNOTE: the audio recording is only available upon request to members and adherents. DTEND:20160313T110000 DTSTAMP:20151213T113046 DTSTART:20160313T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Nations\, Missions and God's Heart UID:2069 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/nations-missions-and-gods-heart END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen presented the second sermon in his three-part se ries on a Christian view of death with Confronting Death. Time is like a river (Lethe\, in Greek mythology) in which every moment flows into memor y and then forgetfulness. In the midst of life we are dying\, but as we d ie\, we are living. Baptism symbolizes our choice to follow Christ in del iberately dying to our old life and trusting God for our new life. Once w e stop denying our mortality\, we can journey with Jesus to a meaningful final surrender. How can we best allocate each of our dying moments to lo ve? [KH] DTEND:20160320T110000 DTSTAMP:20160320T113059 DTSTART:20160320T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Confronting Death UID:2071 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/confronting-death END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Easter Sunday DTEND:20160327T110000 DTSTAMP:20151227T113038 DTSTART:20160327T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sunday\, March 27\, 2016 UID:2073 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-march-27-2016 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Syed Nasir Zaidi\, Muslim scholar and chaplain to UBC's Mu slim community\, returned to detail the life and contributions of Maryam (Mary) the mother of Jesus as recorded in the Qur'an. Maryam's mother Han nah gave her an auspicious name that means worshipping lady\, and dedicat ed her to serve in the Temple. She had many prophetic qualities: she was chosen\, purified\, and preferred by God over all women\, she impressed t he elder prophet Zakariyya (Zechariah)\, and she spoke with angels. As we sang from hymn #180 (The angel Gabriel)\, "Most highly favoured lady\, G loria!" [KH]\n\nNOTE: you can download the slide presentation at Maryam i n Qur'an (PDF).\n\n \n DTEND:20160403T110000 DTSTAMP:20160403T113009 DTSTART:20160403T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Portrayal of Mary (Maryam) in the Qur'an UID:2075 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-portrayal-of-mary END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We sing Easter selections from Handel's Messiah\, with scriptu re appropriate to the season. DTEND:20160410T110000 DTSTAMP:20160410T113048 DTSTART:20160410T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:2077 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-april-10-2016 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen completed his three-part series on the Christian view of death with "Befriending Death" by exploring the paradox of Death as Enemy and Friend. Modern medicine arms us for heroic battles against the evil final consequence of injury or illness. But what a friend we hav e in Jesus\, who holds the keys to Death's door. The Apostle Paul suggest s that in Death we will gain Christ when we give up everything else. Like babies in the womb\, we have no idea of the wonders beyond our current r eality. A good death is also a final opportunity to reconcile with others . Before the sermon\, we sang J.S. Bach's Komm\, süßer Tod ("Come\, sweet death"). [KH] DTEND:20160417T110000 DTSTAMP:20160417T113049 DTSTART:20160417T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Befriending Death UID:2079 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/befriending-death END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Char Siemens spoke of the partnerships between MCC\, the Chald ean Catholic Church\, the Canada Foodgrains Bank\, and locals in her repo rt on her recent 7-week teaching assignment in Iraq. Though secure in her town\, an hour’s travel away was the front with Daesh. Char told stories of some of the 3 million internally-displaced refugees in Iraq\, some of whose children she taught. The words of the risen Jesus to his disciples and friends “Peace be with you” from John 20 may be small comfort as all stand in the face of fear every day\, but it is enough. [AP].\n\nNOTE: d ue to security concerns\, the recording is only available upon rrequest t o the webmaster. \n\nP.S. pizza lunch (not a BBQ) and a congregational me eting (AGM) followed. DTEND:20160424T110000 DTSTAMP:20160424T113024 DTSTART:20160424T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Genocide and Easter Bunnies UID:2081 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/genocide-and-easter-bunnies END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Please stay after the worship service to join us for a pizza l unch\, followed by a congregational meeting.\n\n DTEND:20160424T133000 DTSTAMP:20160418T151049 DTSTART:20160424T113000 GEO:49.262671;-123.194082 LOCATION:Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship @ 4000 W 11th Ave\, Vancouv er\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pizza lunch + Congregational Meeting UID:10 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/congregational-meeting-lunch END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Eriksson\, inspired by Matthew 13\, issued countless ima ges of sower and seed in thanks for the fruit of her long life\, the insp iration and love she sees in people around her. The images of the seed ar e natural allegories for the changes in our lives\, and when we keep the Sower in mind\, calling on him for advice\, our fruit is sure to be good. We are people of God no matter where we are. [AP] DTEND:20160501T110000 DTSTAMP:20160501T113050 DTSTART:20160501T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:On Seed\, Sower and Song: Reflections from Matthew 13 UID:2122 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/on-seed-sower-and-song END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:To tithe or not to tithe\, that is the question.  Evan Kreider examines various key Old Testament scriptures articulating exactly what tithing involved:  livestock\, grains\, garden produce\, olive oil\, wine \, strong drink—but never money.  The Law stipulated that we tithe only t hat to which God has given life (animals\, seeds\, things made from proce ssing fruits and seeds).  A subsequent sermon will examine giving in the New Testament scriptures.  [JEK] DTEND:20160508T110000 DTSTAMP:20160508T113020 DTSTART:20160508T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Giving\, Part I: To Tithe or Not To Tithe\, That is the Question UID:2124 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/giving-part-1-to-tithe-or-not END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Pentecost Sunday\, Andre Pekovich used the social theory of mimetic desire and scapegoating propounded by Rene Girard to identify ho w Christ came to end the recurring violence society does to its weakest m embers once and for all\, and encouraged us to do the same\, following in Christ's footsteps.\n\n\n\nRead the message text here and listen to the CBC Radio show Ideas to which he refers at the following links:\n\n \n\n  \n\n\n \n \n  \n The Scapegoat\, Part 1\n \n \n \n \n  \n The Scapegoat\, Part 2\n \n \n \n \n  \n The Scapegoat\, Part 3\n \n \n \n \n  \n The Sc apegoat\, Part 4\n \n \n \n \n  \n The Scapegoat\, Part 5\n \n \n \n \n \ n \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n\n\n \n\n \n DTEND:20160515T110000 DTSTAMP:20160515T113013 DTSTART:20160515T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Final Scapegoat UID:2126 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-final-scapegoat END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gerald Neufeld (Pastor of Mennonite Japanese Christian Fellows hip) returned to speak on Mary and Martha from Luke 10:38-42. He encourag ed us to recognize when we are "worried and distracted by many things" an d how we often try too hard to multi-task (a questionable concept amongst brain scientists). Has perfectionism in hosting or giving in to addictio ns shifted our focus away from what really matters? Jesus said that "ther e is need of only one thing" that we must do: follow Christ\, the Living Word of God. Have we "chosen the better part" when given the opportunity to spend quality time in our relationships? [KH] DTEND:20160522T110000 DTSTAMP:20160522T113000 DTSTART:20160522T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Dealing with Distraction UID:2128 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/dealing-with-distraction END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Retreat Committee CONTACT:info@pgimf.org DESCRIPTION:The 2016 PGIMF Retreat will be held between 6pm on Friday nigh t May 27th through Sunday lunchtime on May 29th for a special retreat fea turing spiritual director Esther Hizsa entitled God: Closer Than We Imagi ne. No service will be held in the chapel of the Menno Simons Centre -- p lease join us at Camp Luther\, 9311 Shook Rd\, Mission\, BC.  Click here for details on the weekend program.\n\nYour retreat committee is:  Diane Ehling and Andre Pekovich\n\nRegister now!  Registration form is now avai lable on-line here!\n\n Click on link to open registration form.\n Save it to your computer before filling it in (mouse down to bottom of page t o download or print the form)\n On your own computer\, fill in the form and save it with your own name to your desktop.\n  From your desktop\, r ight-click your registration form\, pick "Send-to" and "Mail recipient" a nd send to any member of the Retreat committee\, or send to info@pgimf.or g\n\nIf you prefer to work with paper\, print your registration form\, or see the mailboxes at the back of the church for a paper registration for m and information brochure and return it to any member of the retreat com mittee.\n\nSee the Menu on offer here and let the Retreat committee know what you think! Menu must be selected by May 16th so the facility kitchen manager can shop on Monday May 23rd. DTEND:20160529T130000 DTSTAMP:20150503T060304 DTSTART:20160527T180000 GEO:49.168991;-122.240195 LOCATION:Camp Luther Retreat and Conference Centre @ 9311 Shook Road\, Fra ser Valley G\, BC V2V\, Canada\, \, British Columbia \, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Church Retreat at Camp Luther UID:68 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/church-retreat-at-camp-luther-2016 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Retreat at Camp Luther: God: Closer Than We Imagine\n\nwith Es ther Hizsa\n\n \n\nSunday May 29\, 2016 DTEND:20160529T110000 DTSTAMP:20160529T113051 DTSTART:20160529T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God: Closer Than We Imagine - Retreat at Camp Luther UID:2134 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-may-29-2016 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Tim Tse (visiting us from the Bethel Chinese Christian M.B. Ch urch) challenged us to ask: who is at the centre of our theology\, Jesus\ , or ourselves – for what we can get out of a saviour? If we believe that God actually raised people – including Jesus – from the dead\, we can ha ve faith that Death will not have the last word. Pacifism only makes sens e if it matters that we emulate Jesus\, the true Messiah\, rather than a charlatan like Jonathan the Weaver (73AD). The reality of a bodily resurr ection makes death as a therapy illogical. Stanley Hauerwas suggests that Christians are called to be an alternative to the powers of the world\, for whom violence is so easily used.  [KH] DTEND:20160605T110000 DTSTAMP:20160605T113048 DTSTART:20160605T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Through Death and into Life: a Theology of Resurrection UID:2136 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/through-death-to-into-life END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen spoke from the lectionary texts on lessons in la nd-sharing. The story in 1 Kings 21 of Jezebel's scapegoating of Naboth t o dispossess the Jezreelite of his ancestral vineyard for King Ahab's ben efit has parallels throughout history in other covetous land grabs justif ied by a sense of entitlement\, while elders and nobles turn a blind eye. Thomas concluded with three lessons in land sharing: accept God's owners hip of all land\, accept our partiality (resist greed)\, and accept respo nsibility for the consequences of our choices. Will we keep silent and en joy the benefits of the Doctrine of Discovery\, or will we speak up for o ur indigenous neighbours? [KH] DTEND:20160612T110000 DTSTAMP:20160612T113046 DTSTART:20160612T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:This land is (NOT) your land\, this land is my land\; Lessons in l and-sharing UID:2138 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/this-land-is-not-your-land END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Henry & Tena DESCRIPTION:All PGIMF'ers are invited to a potluck lunch at the home of Te na and Henry at noontime. Please RSVP to them if you can join us.\n\nNOTE : map location is approximate (check the church directory for their addre ss). DTEND:20160618T121500 DTSTAMP:20160615T104201 DTSTART:20160618T120000 GEO:49.090096;-123.081999 LOCATION:Henry & Tena's House @ Ladner\, Delta\, BC V4K\, Canada\, Delta\, British Columbia \, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Saturday Potluck Lunch in Ladner UID:7 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/saturday-lunch-in-ladner END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:\n\nThe churches together in West Point Grey invite you to the annual Worship in the Park in Trimble Park near the tennis courts at Wes t 8th Avenue and Trimble Street. Join us at 10:00 a.m. during the Point G rey Fiesta!\n DTEND:20160619T110000 DTSTAMP:20160615T113043 DTSTART:20160619T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship in the Park (2016) UID:2140 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/worship-in-the-park-2016 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jason Byassee\, Vancouver School of Theology professor\, spoke on three models of prayer: bargaining (Abraham's pleadings to spare Sodo m in Gen 18:20-32)\, the Lord's Prayer (Luke 11:1-4)\, and persistence (l ike the friend at night in Luke 11:5-13). What if we prayed with the bold ness of Abraham in our appeals to God? The concise version of Jesus' subv ersive prayer pattern in Luke reminds us to rely on God for our collectiv e sufficiency. What can we accomplish together for God's Kingdom if we ar e no longer afraid to ask God for what we all need (and not just what eac h of us wants)? [KH]\n\n DTEND:20160626T110000 DTSTAMP:20160626T113042 DTSTART:20160626T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pray to Shame God UID:2142 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pray-to-shame-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:http://pcda.bc.ca DESCRIPTION:Every Wednesday in the summer\, friends and alumni of the Menn o Simons Centre are invited to join the student residents for a potluck d inner. Please bring a dish of at least 5 servings to share. DTEND:20160629T200000 DTSTAMP:20160626T100002 DTSTART:20160629T190000 GEO:49.262671;-123.194082 LOCATION:Menno Simons Centre @ 4000 West 11th Avenue\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Potluck dinner UID:4 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/potluck-dinner END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday July 3\, 2016\, Esther Hizsa spoke to Matthew 11:28- 30 (The Message) on the unforced rhythms of grace\, in opposition to the tireless determination of work-rest.  For want of rest our lives are in d anger\, our vision is clouded\, and our judgment imperfect. “Come\, and r est” is a command\, not an invitation. Mennonite traditions of work and p eace are dangerous without rest - we risk doing violence to ourselves and others. Esther’s experience of a week-long retreat emphasized this as sh e was resensitized to a deeper love for God. [AP] DTEND:20160703T110000 DTSTAMP:20160703T113040 DTSTART:20160703T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Encountering God’s Unforced Rhythms of Grace UID:2144 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/encountering-gods-unforced-rhythms-of-grace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Paul Martens (TH.M\, Regent\; PhD Notre Dame)\, Associate Professor of Religion (Ethics) at Baylor University\, one-time Residence Coordinator of the Menno Simons Centre with his wife Candace in the 1990s \, returned to speak on the Christological explorations of the Anabaptist -Mennonite tradition. Dualistic ideas in The Schleitheim Confession (1527 ) led to separationist tendencies in our heritage. The prologue in the fi rst chapter of the Gospel of John provides a challenge for us to apprecia te the pervasive goodness of Christ in all of nature\, including us. Are we equally willing to resist evil structures that perpetuate social and e conomic evils as we are against physical violence? [KH] DTEND:20160710T110000 DTSTAMP:20160710T113016 DTSTART:20160710T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christology (John 1:1-5) UID:2146 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christology-by-paul-martens END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Potluck Dinner and Free Lecture \n\nYou are invited to a talk entitled Neo-Anabaptism is Dead\; Long Live Neo-Anabaptism given by Dr. P aul Martens (TH.M\, Regent\; PhD Notre Dame)\, Associate Professor of Rel igion (Ethics) at Baylor University. Paul\, a former MSC Residence Coordi nator with his wife Candace has co-edited several collections of John How ard Yoder’s writings and published The Heterodox Yoder (2012). Everyone i s invited to a potluck dinner at the Menno Simons Centre at 6:00 pm\, fol lowed by Paul’s talk at 7:30 pm on Tuesday July 12th and refreshments wil l follow. DTEND:20160712T210000 DTSTAMP:20160625T230714 DTSTART:20160712T180000 GEO:49.262668;-123.193930 LOCATION:PGIMF @ 4000 W 11th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vanco uver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Potluck Dinner & Lecture feat. Dr. Paul Martens UID:14 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/potluck-dinner-lecture-feat-dr-paul-martens END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:As part of a service of readings\, prayers\, music\, and commu nion\, we had the time and space to practice listening to God and to each other. Dr. Veronica Dyck shared the reflections of John van de Laar on t he lectionary texts about how we should listen to God’s message and respo nd with truth and integrity as we perform simple acts of justice and comp assion. Will we live out the reality of God’s reign in our lives and our world? Hearing a violin duet of the hymn Come Thou Fount of every blessin g certainly inspired us! [KH] DTEND:20160717T110000 DTSTAMP:20160717T113049 DTSTART:20160717T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Listening and Living UID:2149 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/listening-and-living END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Hymn Sing\n\nJoing our sister Anabaptist church (Artisan Churc h - www.artisanvancouver.ca) in an old-fashioned ‘hymn sing’ as they expl ore getting together with a piano and hymnals and select and sing some fa vourite hymns.  PGIMF is happy to host Artisan Church on July 18th at 7:0 0 pm for an hour of hymn-singing of favourites from the hymnal. All are w elcome to join them for this joyful time. Thanks given to any pianists wh o wish to show up to offer their services. DTEND:20160718T200000 DTSTAMP:20160625T230205 DTSTART:20160718T190000 GEO:49.262668;-123.193930 LOCATION:PGIMF @ 4000 W 11th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vanco uver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hymn Sing UID:13 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/hymn-sing END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan showed some of his photographs which have reminded him to contemplate God.  Some photos have reminded Evan to think about dying\, about God and death\, and what comes after death.  Another series of phot os of street people and beggars in Paris and Vancouver have forced him to take a good long look\, be uncomfortable\, and rethink faith and the ide a that each of us is made in the image of God.  The final photos showed e arnest individual believers praying in Parisian churches\, kneeling on th e cold tile floor.  What drove those women to pray in that way?  Do I eve r pray with this type of intensity?  The illustrated talk is now availabl e as a streaming video at 2016-07-24-JEvanKreider-sermon.mov (29:13 - pla y in web browser since it would be a large download). DTEND:20160724T110000 DTSTAMP:20160724T113049 DTSTART:20160724T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:How Photography Reminds Me to Think About God UID:2151 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/how-photography-reminds-me END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:UBC anthropology doctoral student Catherine Cooper spoke from the lectionary on Deuteronomy 30:9-14\, with reference to the other lecti onary texts\, including the Parable of the Good Samaritan. She explored w hat it means that God's commandment is in our mouths and in our hearts\, to show that following this commandment is an active process of listening \, learning and practicing. Are we really looking for our neighbour's nee ds\, and discerning what acts of mercy we can do to pass along God's love ? DTEND:20160731T110000 DTSTAMP:20160731T113041 DTSTART:20160731T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Word is very near to you UID:2153 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-word-is-very-near-to-you END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Veronica Dyck showed us how Jesus' assuring words in Luke 12 remind us to fear not\, but trust God's ongoing joy in sharing the ete rnal kingdom with us. Are we feeling too anxious or insecure to respond t o the needs of the poor? Just as Isaiah called on Israel to seek justice and rescue the oppressed\, we are expected to use our wealth for the king dom's purposes and not a selfish source of comfort. We can worship God by responding generously as we wait patiently for the Messiah's unexpected return. When Christ returns\, will he find us giving or taking? [KH] DTEND:20160807T110000 DTSTAMP:20160807T114054 DTSTART:20160807T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Be Not Afraid: Waiting Patiently\, Giving Generously UID:2262 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/be-not-afraid-waiting-patiently END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:http://pcda.bc.ca/potluck-lecture-julianne-funk/ DESCRIPTION:FREE PUBLIC LECTURE on WEDNESDAY\, AUGUST 10\, 2016 @ 7:30 p.m . (after potluck dinner @ 6:00 p.m.) by JULIANNE E. FUNK\, Ph.D. (Univers ity of Zurich)\n\nAlternative religious responses to ethnic conflict in B osnia-Herzegovina: Faith-based peace and reconciliation Religion is often accused of intolerance towards other religions and\, consequently\, reli gious diversity in a society is assumed to be a cause for crisis\, instab ility\, and even armed violence. Yet religious faith also serves as a bas is of shared values and a motivator for reconciliation and mutual underst anding for many believers. Using examples from post-war Bosnia and Herzeg ovina\, Julianne Funk (University of Zurich)\, will explore this dynamic  according to her qualitative empirical research and a set of faith-based peace-building methods. Given current public opinion about Islam\, this r esearch is notable in its emphasis on Muslim peacemakers in Bosnia and He rzegovina.\n\nJulianne Funk is a peace scholar-practitioner specializing on Bosnia and Herzegovina. She divides her time between teaching at the U niversity of  Zurich (in political science and religious studies) and wor king for local NGOs in the former Yugoslavia. Currently she is coordinati ng the project “Trauma\, Memory and Healing in the Balkans and Beyond” fo r TPO Foundation in Sarajevo. Julianne received her PhD and MA (social sc iences\, peace and con?ict studies) from the Katholieke Universiteit Leuv en\, Belgium\, and her BA (theology) from Wheaton College in the US. Her recent research and publications include the themes of lived religion\, B osnian Islam\, suživot (coexistence)\, trauma and healing.\n\n DTEND:20160810T210000 DTSTAMP:20160731T135921 DTSTART:20160810T180000 GEO:49.262668;-123.193930 LOCATION:Menno Simons Centre @ 4000 W 11th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Potluck + lecture by Julianne Funk UID:16 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/potluck-peace-lecture-julianne-funk END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:For Part 2 in his series on giving\, Dr. J. Evan Kreider conti nued to explore To Tithe or Not To Tithe\, That is the Question in the Ne w Testament. The words of Christ on this topic are surprisingly clear: wh ile you are free to tithe according to the Law or beyond\, it is the gene rosity of your giving that determines whether or not God admits you to he aven. All of the examples in Matthew 25 involve giving directly to the ne edy: provide food\, drink\, shelter and clothing to the poor\; welcome th e stranger\; and comfort the sick and the imprisoned. Can we be as radica l as Jesus suggested and literally give to everyone who begs from us? [KH ] DTEND:20160814T110000 DTSTAMP:20160814T113001 DTSTART:20160814T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jesus’ Teachings on Giving: Consider the Needs\, not the Seeds UID:2270 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/consider-the-needs-not-the-seeds END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jonas Cornelsen\, CMU grad and musician\, spoke about genuine Sabbath-keeping from the lectionary texts. As Jesus pointed out in the ex ample of the crippled woman he healed\, the break we should be taking on the holy day is not from any kind of work (based on legalistic rules)\, b ut from pursuing our own interests. Max Weber (1864-1920) exposed how the Christian work ethic has fueled modern capitalism by falsely treating ma terial success as a sign of God's favour. Jonas challenged us to look for ways of living that allow us to value rest and justice more than work an d wealth. Will we do with joy what honours God? [KH] DTEND:20160821T110000 DTSTAMP:20160821T113020 DTSTART:20160821T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God Calls Us to Rest UID:2252 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-calls-us-to-rest END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Klippenstein spoke from the lectionary texts about the g ap between what our fallen nature places value on and what is important t o the Lord. The prophet Jeremiah used the metaphor of a cracked cistern t o represent our misplaced sense of self-sufficiency rather than trusting God to provide living waters. In both the Proverb of the king's table and the wedding banquet parable in Luke\, we see the value of humility in Go d's long view of justice. How can we resolve the impasse between marginal ized people and mainstream society if we devalue others? The call to humi lity cuts a wide swath across our shallow valuation of beauty\, talent\, and education. [KH] DTEND:20160828T110000 DTSTAMP:20160828T113019 DTSTART:20160828T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Value Gap UID:2273 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-value-gap END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday September 4th\, 2016\, Andre Pekovich will read a re flection by Nadia Bolz Weber on violence and evil in our world through th e lens of Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan.\n\nPGIMF will hold an ann iversary celebrating 30 years.\n\nCommunion will be served.\n\n DTEND:20160904T110000 DTSTAMP:20160604T113029 DTSTART:20160904T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Response-ibility to Evil UID:2315 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-september-4th END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. R Paul Stevens (Regent College Professor Emeritus\, Market place Theology and Leadership) spoke from Luke 10:25-37 (The Parable of t he Good Samaritan) on the two great commandments: to love God with all ou r heart\, soul\, strength and mind (a vertical relationship)\, and to lov e our neighbours as ourselves (horizontal relationships). Christianity is less of a religion and more of an invasion of God into our whole lives\, giving us a whole new perspective on the world. Love cannot be commanded \, but it can be evoked. After the service\, we got to know the new and r eturning Menno Simons Centre students during a BBQ potluck lunch. As Will iam Tyndale (1494-1536) suggested\, "to wash dishes and to preach is all one\, as touching the deed\, to please God." [KH]\n\n Painting "The good Samaritan (after Delacroix)" by Vincent van Gogh (1890)\n DTEND:20160911T110000 DTSTAMP:20160911T113056 DTSTART:20160911T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What's it all about? UID:2320 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/paul-stevens-whats-it-all-about END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:http://mcccanada.ca/get-involved/events/mcc-festival-world-relief- abbotsford DESCRIPTION:\n\nFriday\, September 16\, 2016 -\n5:00pm to 9:00pm\n\nSaturd ay\, September 17\, 2016 -\n8:00am to 2:00pm\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWhen you join MCC for our annual  Festival for World Relief\, you’ll be supporting the relief\, development\, and peace work of MCC all around the world – help ing people in need in over 60 countries worldwide.\n\nThe MCC Festival fo r World Relief will be held on September 16 & 17 at the Abbotsford TRADEX Centre. The Festival has something for all ages – arts and craft sales\, auctions\, activities just for children\, and delicious food! Cyclists c an participate in the Pedaling for Hope cyclathon on Saturday\, September 17\, to ride in support of MCC food projects.\n\n\n\n\nhttp://mcccanada. ca/get-involved/events/mcc-festival-world-relief-abbotsford DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20160918 DTSTAMP:20160702T225545 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20160916 GEO:49.024069;-122.381328 LOCATION:TRADEX Abbotsford @ 1190 Cornell St\, Abbotsford\, BC V2T 6H5\, C anada\, Abbotsford\, British Columbia V2T 6H5\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:MCC Festival for World Relief UID:15 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/mcc-festival-for-world-relief END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ken Friesen spoke about his learning tour with the Mennonite C entral Committee (MCC) to Lebanon earlier this summer. After decades of p roviding relief supplies and social services to local groups helping Pale stinian refugees in the Middle East\, MCC's work in Lebanon is now able t o help new Syrian refugees as well. By receiving legacy gifts of real est ate\, the MCC can plan on a source of steady cash flow to help the poores t of the poor. God expects us to provide for refugees (Lev. 19\, Deut. 10 )\, and over a series of Sundays we've heard how the Parable of the Good Samaritan reminds us to be neighbourly whenever we see a need that we can meet. [KH] DTEND:20160918T110000 DTSTAMP:20160918T113058 DTSTART:20160918T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Learning in Lebanon UID:2366 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/learning-in-lebanon END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jonas Cornelsen (CMU grad) used the story of the rich man from Luke 16 to explore tensions between the value systems of present human s ocieties and the coming Kingdom of God. What is it about material wealth that is such an obstacle to life as God intended? Those who love and purs ue money are worlds apart from those who understand that "downward mobili ty" (Henri Nouwen) brings contentment. Doris Janzen Longacre's "More-with -Less" is not just a cookbook\, but a way of life. Can we see money as a tool – hold it lightly and give it generosity – rather than as a way of k eeping score? [KH]\n\n DTEND:20160925T110000 DTSTAMP:20160925T113034 DTSTART:20160925T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Being Rich\, Fearing Hell UID:2368 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/being-rich-fearing-hell END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Barbara Nickel\, award-winning author & poet\, shared the stor y of how she wrote the children's book\, A Boy Asked the Wind (Red Deer P ress\, 2015). One metaphor for the Spirit of God is a breath of wind. Eve rpresent\, even in the most mundane moments\, the Holy Spirit varies as m uch as the named winds of cultures around the world (e.g. Chinook\, Papag ayo and Zephyr) are different in their power and warmth. She asked us: ho w is the wind of the Spirit blowing change into your backyard? [KH] DTEND:20161002T110000 DTSTAMP:20161002T113044 DTSTART:20161002T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Come\, Wind of the Spirit UID:2370 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/come-wind-of-the-spirit END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Angie Goertz CONTACT:http://www.artisanchurch.ca/ DESCRIPTION:Join our sister Anabaptist church (Artisan Church) in an old-f ashioned ‘hymn sing’ as they explore getting together with a piano and hy mnals and select and sing some favourite hymns.  PGIMF is happy to host A rtisan Church for an hour of hymn-singing of favourites from the hymnal. All are welcome to join them for this joyful time. Thanks given to any pi anists and song leaders who wish to show up to offer their services. DTEND:20161002T200000 DTSTAMP:20161001T070205 DTSTART:20161002T190000 GEO:49.262668;-123.193930 LOCATION:PGIMF @ 4000 W 11th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vanco uver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hymn Sing UID:17 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/hymn-sing-october-2016 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Thanksgiving Sunday\, Frieda Epp (PGIMF) spoke of God and h er paintings. As “People of the Book” who historically minimized the valu e of icons\, we can better understand the scriptures by seeing the text p ortrayed through visual arts.  Frieda took up painting at age 65\, beginn ing with traditional renditions of flowers and landscapes.  But she soon felt compelled to explore 'real' life around her\, creating paintings whi ch force her (and viewers) to contemplate how faith relates to people suc h as the homeless\, a nun washing the feet of a prostitute\, a typically- slumped beggar sitting on a Vancouver sidewalk.  She also often draws ins piration from songs\, such as "We are climbing Jacob's ladder". [JEK]\n\n  \n\n \n\n © 2016 Frieda Epp (five paintings)\n\n \n\n \n\n \n DTEND:20161009T110000 DTSTAMP:20161009T113148 DTSTART:20161009T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:My Experience with God and the Word UID:2372 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/my-experience-with-god-and-the-word END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen spoke on the parable of the prodigal sons (plura l). As a self-portrait of our excessive and wasteful living\, the story o f the younger son tells us that even if we search for love in all the wro ng places\, we can come to our senses and be welcomed back by a compassio nate Father. As an image of our competitive jealousy\, like that of the P harisees\, the elder son resented the total forgiveness offered to all si nners. Henri Nouwen interpreted the parable as a challenge and invitation to hear God's voice of love and return home. [KH] DTEND:20161016T110000 DTSTAMP:20161016T113046 DTSTART:20161016T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Parable of the Prodigal Sons UID:2374 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/parable-of-the-prodigal-sons-2016 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Annika Krause (AMBS and SFU grad) shared her freshly-baked bre ad and the story from Joel 2:23-32 of God rescuing the land and the peopl e from economic\, psychological\, and social trauma (see You Are My Peopl e by Stulman & Kim). Psalm 65 praises God for watering the earth and bles sing its growth. We sang #455 from the hymnal about Christ\, the Bread of Life\, whose broken body feeds the hunger of our hearts. When the smell of bread reminds us of God's abundant provision\, will we be thankful and consider sharing a "grain offering" with our local food bank? [KH]\n\n[g allery link="file" columns="2" size="medium" ids="7663\,7664"] DTEND:20161023T110000 DTSTAMP:20161023T113234 DTSTART:20161023T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Blessings raining down and rising up UID:2376 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/blessings-raining-down-and-rising-up END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Amy Anderson (Regent College grad) spoke from the lectionary t exts of Habakkuk and 2 Thessalonians. The minor prophet boldly asked God the hard questions about why injustice and violence are allowed to contin ue. The Lord's answer is a promise\, not one of immediate fulfillment. Ou r calling is to live in a hopeful state of unsatisfaction (rather than a cynical state of dissatisfaction) with faith that God is good and faithfu l to restore peace and justice at the appointed time. [KH] DTEND:20161030T110000 DTSTAMP:20161030T113035 DTSTART:20161030T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Habakkuk: Living with the Questions UID:2378 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/habakkuk-living-with-the-questions END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen (Menno Simons Centre Residence Coordinator) cont inued his series on the parable of the prodigal sons (Oct. 16th) by turni ng our attention to the father and his extravagant forgiveness and genero sity. By holding onto hope despite the pain of rejection\, the father's j oy at the return of his lost son prompted a lavish celebration. While pat riarchal culture expected rebellious children to be harshly disciplined\, this caring parent shamelessly reached out to restore the younger son's honour and reminded the older son of his impartial love. Will we emulate the grace and mercy that Christ modeled for us? [KH] DTEND:20161106T110000 DTSTAMP:20161106T113023 DTSTART:20161106T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Parable of the Prodigal God UID:2380 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/parable-of-the-prodigal-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We celebrated Peace Sunday with a service of readings\, reflec tions and prayers on the theme of Women as Peacebuilders\, led by Veronic a Dyck. We heard the stories of five MCC-connected women: Jawahir Mohamed Muse\, Leah Wang\, Mavis Étienne\, Ruth Hill and Sheath Al Azzeh. The Lo rd Jesus – who called women to stand as witnesses to his life\, death and resurrection – calls all of us to be voices for peace. May we truly be p eople of God's peace\, as we sang in hymn #407.\n\nNOTE: the recording of this service is only available to borrow on CD by request to the Webmast er. DTEND:20161113T110000 DTSTAMP:20161113T113022 DTSTART:20161113T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Women as Peacebuilders UID:2382 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/women-as-peacebuilders END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jonas Cornelsen spoke about the eternal mystery and fragile re ality described in his favourite book\, Ecclesiastes. The eponymous autho r (Kohelet\, Teacher in Hebrew) cries out that all is vanity – a word bet ter translated as vapour to represent the transient\, insubstantial and s ometimes foul nature of our short lifespans. On Eternity Sunday we were r eminded that while the symbols we use to remember our dearly departed may lose meaning over time\, the values of those who shaped us can touch oth ers deeply if we recreate them in our way of living. As we enter Advent\, may the story of Jesus bring us together\, because whoever is joined wit h all the living has hope (Eccl. 9:4). [KH] DTEND:20161120T110000 DTSTAMP:20161120T113022 DTSTART:20161120T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Eternal Mystery\, Fragile Reality UID:2384 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/eternal-mystery-fragile-reality END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld (PGIMF member and former member of the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Appeals Board) spoke about the time of waiting in Advent\, a theme common to refugees around the world\, who also wait in hope. As an interlude\, Frieda Epp pointed out the elements in her painti ng based on the lyrics of the hymn If the War Goes On which we sang as a congregation. We saw slides about refugees from the time that Henry and h is wife Tena worked for MCC in Thailand. Will we do as the Bible says in Leviticus 19:34 and treat the foreigners living among us as native citize ns\, and love them as ourselves? [KH] DTEND:20161127T110000 DTSTAMP:20161127T113019 DTSTART:20161127T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Advent and Refugees UID:2386 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/advent-and-refugees END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Angie Goertz CONTACT:http://www.artisanchurch.ca/ DESCRIPTION:Join our sister Anabaptist church (Artisan Church) in an old-f ashioned ‘hymn sing’ as they explore getting together with a piano and hy mnals and select and sing some favourite hymns.  PGIMF is happy to host A rtisan Church for an hour of hymn-singing of favourites from the hymnal. All are welcome to join them for this joyful time. Thanks given to any pi anists and song leaders who wish to show up to offer their services. DTEND:20161128T200000 DTSTAMP:20161122T060205 DTSTART:20161128T190000 GEO:49.262668;-123.193930 LOCATION:PGIMF with Artisan Church @ 4000 W 11th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hymn Sing UID:19 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/hymn-sing-2016-11-28 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sing-along Messiah\nWarm up your voice!  Find your old score!  Listen to the CDs and get ready!  The Annual Sing-Along Messiah hosted b y Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship takes place Sunday December 4th b eginning at 10:00 am.  Our Sunday service for Second Advent will feature a series of scripture readings from Isaiah for the Advent season\, ones t hat form the text for Handel's famous work The Messiah.  In between\, sol oists accompanied by the piano will sing the arias\, and the congregation will sing the choruses\, including the famous Hallelujah Chorus.\n\nCome and sing with us!  Whether you've sung this for many years in a professi onal choir\, or whether you've never sung it\, but want to try\, come and add your voice.  We're not professionals either\, but we love to make a joyful noise.  Even if you don't sing\, come and listen - there's nothing like being in the middle of a production.  We have lots of extra scores for you sing from or simply follow along with.  and if you want to bring an instrument to accompany\, or if you're a soloist who'd like to add you r voice ot the arias\, please let us know.\n\nThis Sunday is the highligh t of our year\, and we hope it will become the highlight of yours too. DTEND:20161204T113000 DTSTAMP:20161015T223942 DTSTART:20161204T100000 GEO:49.262668;-123.193930 LOCATION:PGIMF Chapel @ 4000 W 11th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\ , Vancouver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Singalong Messiah UID:18 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/singalong-messiah END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday December 4\, 2016\, PGIMF invites everyone with an e ar for music to join us for our annual Sing-along Messiah.  With scores p rovided\, the congregation and guests will sing the major choruses from t he ever-popular Christmas score\, while soloists will sing arias\, and th e service will feature reflective interludes of scripture from which the score draws.  This service highlights the original features of Christmas - the blessing of the once-and-coming king over all the world. DTEND:20161204T110000 DTSTAMP:20160904T113006 DTSTART:20161204T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:2389 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-december-4-2016 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Steve Anonby\, one-time pastor at University Chapel\, gave us the gift of a message for Advent\, beginning: "The story of Saint Nicolas is interesting\, but the story of Jesus is amazing." With references to Christmas carol lyrics throughout the presentation\, Steve described the problem of sin\, how it separates us from God\, and explained God's plan to re-unite sinful man with a holy God through the gift of his Son Jesus. \n\n DTEND:20161211T110000 DTSTAMP:20161211T113019 DTSTART:20161211T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Christmas Gift UID:2391 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-christmas-gift-2016 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sunday December 18\, 2016 features a service of carols and rea dings loosely based on the Christmas Concert from King's College Cambridg e.  This is our chance to sing the Christmas Carols. DTEND:20161218T110000 DTSTAMP:20161218T113030 DTSTART:20161218T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Service of Readings and Carols - CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW UID:2393 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-december-18-2016 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sunday December 25\, 2016\n\nChristmas Day - No Service Today.   You are invited to join one of our neighbouring Point Grey congregation s for their Christmas Day service DTEND:20161225T110000 DTSTAMP:20161225T113034 DTSTART:20161225T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sunday December 25\, 2016 - NO SERVICE UID:2395 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-december-25-2016 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:New Year's Day.  No service today DTEND:20170101T110000 DTSTAMP:20161011T142110 DTSTART:20170101T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sunday January 1\, 2017 - NO SERVICE UID:2512 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-january-1-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Epiphany Sunday (January 8\, 2017)\, Greg Laing\, Mission O rganizer  with MB Missions in BC was due to speak to PGIMF\, observing th at while the media may be prone to hyperbole\, most of us would agree tha t these times seem more turbulent than typical. A recent CBC Headline sho uts: "Without Precedent in Modern Times: Why the world's vortex of crisis will keep swirling in 2017." As followers of Jesus with Anabaptist convi ctions we have a clarified mandate to engage our world for peace. What do es that mean for us? Based on the foundational promise of Christ to provi de peace and empowering to His faithful\, Greg's message was to weave sto ries from MB Mission workers with practical suggestions on how to "wage p eace" where we live.\n\nRegrettably the service was cancelled due to poor weather conditions. DTEND:20170108T110000 DTSTAMP:20161011T143007 DTSTART:20170108T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sunday January 8\, 2017 - CANCELLED DUE TO POOR CONDITIONS UID:2514 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-january-8-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Derek Carr (Assoc. Professor Emeritus\, UBC) spoke about obscu re saints such as St. Cucufate (a.k.a. Cucuphas). The parish priest of Sa n Cucufate de Llanera (in northern Spain) had written to UBC's Museum of Anthropology and Derek was asked to comment on the veracity of Juan Garci a's letter. Not only martyrs\, but also little-known saints were beatifie d in recognition of their exemplary lives after confirming their miracles . The veneration of saints shows reverence for holy Christians who have g one before us\, while adoration is reserved for God. The "fast track" Can onization process has been critiqued as politically motivated in some cas es. We prayed the Lord's Prayer after discussing a range of beliefs about intercessory prayer. [KH] DTEND:20170115T110000 DTSTAMP:20161015T113054 DTSTART:20170115T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Who Was St. Cucufate and Why Do We Have Saints Anyway? UID:2437 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/saint-cucufate END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jonas Cornelsen (CMU grad and valedictorian) returned to speak about the great mystery of why God sent Christ to be crucified for us. T he wisdom of the world eloquently promotes status and self-improvement. C ompetition for divine knowledge in Corinth drew the attention of Paul in his first letter to them because they pursued climbing the church hierarc hy at the expense of their fellow believers. Even atheist philosophers li ke Slavoj Žižek think that as Christians we have sold ourselves short on celebrating the apparently foolish logic in such an amazing sacrifice and powerful resurrection! [KH] DTEND:20170122T110000 DTSTAMP:20170122T113055 DTSTART:20170122T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Foolishness of the Cross UID:2516 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-foolishness-of-the-cross END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Annika Krause (Sherbrooke member\, AMBS and SFU grad) returned to speak from the lectionary.  How easy it is for secular people to perc eive following God's commands as absurd. In our post-modern\, relativisti c\, power-hungry world\, people who live out a beatitudinal life (or atte mpt it) are perceived as ridiculous or naïve. As a result\, most of us ha ve been embarrassed at some point or other to tell people we're Christian s. If we want to live a Christ-centred life\, we need to expect ridicule\ , take to heart his "naïve" teachings\, and live a little "ridiculously." \n\nNOTE: a congregational meeting followed a potluck lunch.\n\n DTEND:20170129T110000 DTSTAMP:20170129T113012 DTSTART:20170129T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ridiculous UID:2518 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ridiculous-sermon-on-the-mount END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Stay after the worship service or join us after yours for a po tluck lunch! Be sure to join us even if you aren't able to bring somethin g\; there will be plenty to go around. DTEND:20170129T130000 DTSTAMP:20170105T071830 DTSTART:20170129T113000 GEO:49.262671;-123.194082 LOCATION:PGIMF @ 4000 West 11th Avenue\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L4\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6R 2L4\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Potluck lunch UID:3 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/potluck-lunch END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Please stay after potluck lunch to attend the congregational m eeting where the business of the church will be transacted\, including pr oposed budget\, nominations and reports from various committees.  Members and regular attenders all welcome. DTEND:20170129T140000 DTSTAMP:20170121T172213 DTSTART:20170129T123000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Congregational Meeting UID:21 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/congregational-meeting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jenna Veenbaas (M.Div. student at Regent College) shared a dee ply personal reflection on the Martha & Mary account in Luke 10. Jesus' r eaction to Martha's outburst shows us that responding to his presence is not simply about choosing between hospitality and contemplation\; he brok e cultural norms to spend time with the women. Are we paying attention to Christ like Mary\, or are we too distracted doing things for him like Ma rtha? Are we so busy working for the Kingdom of God that we don't slow do wn long enough to seek Christ as we are?  [KH]\n\n DTEND:20170205T110000 DTSTAMP:20170205T113042 DTSTART:20170205T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Paying Attention UID:2521 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/paying-attention END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Klassen (Professor Emeritus\, Trinity Western University) described how Martin Luther emerged from a strict adolescence to become an ascetic monk in his search for a continual state of righteousness. Ind ulgences that had earlier provided a substitute for pilgrimages had becom e a comprehensive "pay-to-play" penitential system to fund church operati ons. The mystery of Christ's sacrifice is how we are justified by our fai thful response to God's grace\, not any particular good works. In the yea r that we celebrate 500 years of the Reformation\, we still hear Luther's words that "in the midst of death\, we live!" [KH] DTEND:20170212T110000 DTSTAMP:20170212T113049 DTSTART:20170212T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Martin Luther: Grace is Everything UID:2523 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/martin-luther-grace-is-everything END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rev. Harold Munn (of St. John the Divine\, St. Anselm's\, and VST)\, spoke on Action\, Beauty and Community from passages in Isaiah and Mark. At a local level we can see God working\, but at a global scale it isn't clear how God's purposes are being served. God used the Persian co nqueror Cyrus the Great to help the Jews return from Babylon to rebuild t he Temple. While Titans like Trump and Putin clash and things fall apart\ , will our faith community engage with the world\, or have nothing to say and be no better than a hobby? Our collective actions in response to God 's calling can truly make the world beautiful again! [KH] DTEND:20170219T110000 DTSTAMP:20170219T113043 DTSTART:20170219T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Current World Affairs: Who's In Charge? UID:2525 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/current-world-affairs-who-is-in-charge END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:In a joint sermon by Jon Nofziger and Char Siemens\, we heard stories of fellow Christians whose church history in the Middle East is a ncient.  John talked about his learning tour to Lebanon in May 2016 to se e the MCC's partnerships with churches in and around Syria\, and Char spo ke about returning to Iraq for 18 weeks. The burdens of daily life vary f or displaced peoples depending on their ethnicity and material resources\ , but mercy and grace abound amidst many struggles. Despite much exhausti on and poverty\, the practicalities of peace are being lived out\, one me al at a time. The light of Christ shines in the darkness\, and the darkne ss has not overcome it (John 1:5). [KH] DTEND:20170226T110000 DTSTAMP:20170226T113029 DTSTART:20170226T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Peace and Hope: Stories from the Ancient Church UID:2527 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/peace-and-hope-stories-from-the-ancient-chur ch END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Stay after the worship service or join us after yours for a po tluck lunch! Be sure to join us even if you aren’t able to bring somethin g\; there will be plenty to go around. DTEND:20170226T130000 DTSTAMP:20170121T172741 DTSTART:20170226T113000 GEO:49.262680;-123.193929 LOCATION:PGIMF @ 4000 W 11th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vanco uver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Potluck Lunch! UID:23 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/potluck-lunch-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the first Sunday of Lent\, Thomas Bergen spoke on conformit y to the message of the cross. The hymn of Cruciformity in Philippians 2: 5-11 sets out the pattern that we need to understand God's power\, love\, faith and hope. Across the Apostle Paul's letters to the Corinthians\, G alatians\, and Romans\, we heard many Bible verses explain that Christ's costly obedience – even to death on a cross – is a model for us on how to humbly show love and have hope. May we live by the faith of/in the Son o f God\, who loved us by giving himself for us (Gal. 2:19-20). [KH] DTEND:20170305T110000 DTSTAMP:20170305T113038 DTSTART:20170305T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Cruciformity UID:2529 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/cruciformity END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:For Part 3 in his series on giving (continued from Part 1 on M ay 8 and Part 2 on Aug. 14 last year)\, Dr. J. Evan Kreider examined the ways that the early church raised funds for the poor in their midst\, the needy in other churches\, and for missionary works. According to each pe rson's financial ability\, they were called to generously send relief to feed their fellow believers. Failing to provide for family members earned special condemnation\, while enthusiastic donations were lauded. Tithing a fixed percentage of our income is not supported by New Testament scrip ture\, but rather\, let each of us give as we have decided in our heart\, not out of regret or compulsion (Cor. 9:7). [KH]\n\n\n DTEND:20170312T110000 DTSTAMP:20170312T113017 DTSTART:20170312T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Giving in the Early Church (Part 3) UID:2536 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/giving-in-the-early-church-part3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:For the 3rd Sunday of Lent\, Jonas Cornelsen (CMU alumnus)\, s poke on how water is inseparable from dignity and salvation. Salvation ca n be defined as the full restoration of personal freedom to serve God alo ne. Human rights overlap with salvation in requiring a minimal level of s ustenance for dignity\, as the Israelites reminded Moses in the parched w ilderness (Exodus 17). Jesus invited the Samaritan Woman at the Well (Joh n 4) to recognize water as a symbol of Christ's life-giving alternative t o oppressive social systems. Let us not despair in our search to be refre shed! [KH] DTEND:20170319T110000 DTSTAMP:20170319T113011 DTSTART:20170319T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Water: Dignity and Salvation UID:2531 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/water-dignity-and-salvation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the 4th Sunday of Lent\, Andre Pekovich read a sermon by Re v. Dr. Carl Gregg ("Seeing for the First Time") based on the story in Joh n 9 of the man born blind. The metaphorical blindness of the religious le aders was revealed in their presumption of sin as the cause of physical d isability. But Jesus refuted that prejudiced view and healed the man to r eveal God's mighty works. People like the R&B singer Ray Charles and the physicist Stephen Hawking show us how much the differently-abled can acco mplish. May we recognize the variety in God's blessings\, like that of th e English poet John Newton\, who wrote in the hymn Amazing Grace\, "I onc e was blind\, but now I see." [KH]\n\n DTEND:20170326T110000 DTSTAMP:20170326T113010 DTSTART:20170326T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Toward a Liberation Theology of Disability UID:2533 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/theology-of-disability END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Nasir Zaidi (Muslim Chaplain at UBC) spoke about some of t he sayings attributed to Jesus Christ in the Islamic scriptures. In the Q ur'an\, Jesus is quoted as claiming to be a soft-hearted and humble serva nt of God\, who warns against being judgmental when our own faults are al l too apparent. This world gives us many moral and spiritual challenges t o remind us of God and help us prepare for the Day of Judgment. The fifth Sunday of Lent is also two months ahead of the start of Ramadan\, so may we all take the time to practice righteous living – taking good actions\ , with good intentions\, resulting in good effects. [KH]\n\nNOTE: you can read the slides that were projected along with his sermon by downloading  Jesus and Morality (11-page PDF).\n\n DTEND:20170402T110000 DTSTAMP:20170402T113002 DTSTART:20170402T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Moral and Spiritual Messages of Jesus Christ in Islamic Resources UID:2589 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/moral-and-spiritual-messages-of-jesus END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Palm Sunday\, Laura Eriksson explored some of the stories i nside the story of Jesus' triumphal entry on a donkey into Jerusalem as t old in Matthew 21. All of us have distinct memories of special occasions that are evoked by the garments we wore at the time. In the crowd\, peopl e of differing perspectives on who Jesus really was all came together to praise him: followers\, skeptics\, and the many who had been blessed by h is healing touch. Laura's calligraphy bookmark features the word Aletheia  – truth or disclosure in Ancient Greek philosophy – to remind us that Je sus chose that point in his ministry to reveal himself as the Messiah by fulfilling a key prophecy. [KH]\n\n DTEND:20170409T110000 DTSTAMP:20170409T113017 DTSTART:20170409T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Palm Sunday: Stories Inside the Story UID:2591 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/palm-sunday-stories-inside-the-story END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Easter Sunday we celebrated the Risen Christ with a potluck breakfast beginning at 9:00 am\, followed by a service of prayers\, read ings and singing of Easter songs to celebrate the risen Lord. DTEND:20170416T110000 DTSTAMP:20170416T113059 DTSTART:20170416T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Sunday - Service of songs and prayers UID:2593 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-april-16-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Greg Laing (MB Missions Organizer) related stories of the hard ships faced by Christians in Asia and Africa who were not afraid as they lived in the Peace of Christ. The world only offers peace through transac tional promises\, while Jesus offers the peace of his presence. Greg chal lenged us to mute the violence and ugliness in the media and take time ou t to commune with God in prayer. We shouldn't avoid conflict but are call ed actively work for and speak out for peace. Fear not\, because perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18). [KH]\n\nNOTE: There is a brief gap in the recording at 22:13 which replaces a redacted personal story.\n\n DTEND:20170423T110000 DTSTAMP:20170423T113031 DTSTART:20170423T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Waging peace in times of terror UID:2595 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/waging-peace-in-times-of-terror END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:G. F. Handel's The Messiah is more properly an Easter pageant\ , telling of the life of Christ as foretold in scripture. That it is ofte n performed at Christmas with its emphasis on the Hallelujah chorus annou ncing the birth of the Saviour can rob it of the power of the remaining s core which heralds our own salvation as it did listeners in Handel's time .  So we again performed selections from whole of The Messiah to the acco mpaniment of scripture and prayers in a service for singers and listeners both. Many brought friends\, their scores\, and themselves for a warm we lcome from our fellowship.\n\n DTEND:20170430T110000 DTSTAMP:20170430T113007 DTSTART:20170430T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:2597 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah-easter-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Spiritual director Esther Hizsa challenged us to stop judging and gossiping about certain people who seem hard to love\, but instead tr eat them graciously\, as Jesus told us in Matthew 5:43-48. We also heard Jesus say that we shall (will) love our neighbours as ourselves. May the Spirit help us grow in the spiritual practices which awaken us to the rea lity that all are equally loved by God. [KH]\n\nA selection of quotations from Esther's message can be downloaded here. DTEND:20170507T110000 DTSTAMP:20170507T113042 DTSTART:20170507T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Loving Certain People UID:2599 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/loving-certain-people END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Catherine Cooper\, soon to be Ph.D.\, spoke about transitions based on her life experiences and the story of Israel demanding a King as told in 1 Samuel 8. Exploration -- actively seeking to learn (including from failure) -- helps us to grow. In the liminal spaces at the threshold of change\, transitions are opportunities for us to make decisions despi te uncertainty. It can be easier to listen to the Holy Spirit in the thin moments of time when we leave behind the noise and worries of the world.  The Beautiful Not Yet (pg. 6 in PDF) poem by Carrie Newcomer reminds us that we all live between Then and Soon. [KH] DTEND:20170514T110000 DTSTAMP:20170514T113011 DTSTART:20170514T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Transitions UID:2601 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/transitions-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We celebrated Membership Sunday by hearing the testimonies of four new members\, sang a song and shared a prayer with each one\, and we lcomed them into the fellowship with communion.\n\n DTEND:20170521T110000 DTSTAMP:20170521T113026 DTSTART:20170521T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Membership Sunday 2017 UID:2603 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/membership-sunday-may-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Retreat Committee CONTACT:info@pgimf.org DESCRIPTION:The 2017 PGIMF Retreat will be held between 6pm on Friday nigh t May 26th through Sunday lunchtime on May 28th for a special retreat. No service will be held in the chapel of the Menno Simons Centre -- please join us at Camp Luther\, 9311 Shook Rd\, Mission\, BC.  Stay tuned for de tails on the weekend program.\n\nYour retreat committee is: Diane Ehling\ , Andre Pekovich\, and Chan Yang.\n\nPlease register online and if you've already registered but haven't paid yet\, you can also pay online.\n\nIf you prefer to work with paper\, print your registration form\, or see th e mailboxes at the back of the church for a paper registration form and i nformation brochure and return it to any member of the retreat committee. \n\nP.S. see last year's menu here. DTEND:20170528T130000 DTSTAMP:20170525T030304 DTSTART:20170526T180000 GEO:49.168991;-122.240195 LOCATION:Camp Luther Retreat and Conference Centre @ 9311 Shook Road\, Fra ser Valley G\, BC V2V\, Canada\, \, British Columbia \, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Church Retreat at Camp Luther UID:25 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/church-retreat-at-camp-luther-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday May 28th\, PGIMF will hold its service at Camp Luthe r where we are attending our annual retreat. DTEND:20170528T110000 DTSTAMP:20170228T113030 DTSTART:20170528T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Retreat at Camp Luther UID:2605 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-may-28-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:For Pentecost\, Henry Neufeld challenged us to look beyond Chr istian Exceptionalism and recognize inspired acts of kindness in anyone t ouched by the Holy Spirit. Ed Epp related a story of unexpected help when he was able to hitch-hike a ride in an already-full car on a cold day. I n our spiritual journey\, may we each see the "God particle" in everyone\ , since they too were made in the image of God. The Jesuit Theologian Kar l Rahner described "Anonymous Christians" as unintentional followers of C hrist\, as the Apostle Paul suggested in Romans 2. Yet we are still calle d to make disciples as we recognize\, support and extend the work of God' s Spirit in others. [KH] DTEND:20170604T110000 DTSTAMP:20170604T113041 DTSTART:20170604T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Touched by the Spirit UID:2607 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/touched-by-the-spirit END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jonas Cornelsen delivered a parting message on Trinity Sunday before returning to Winnipeg. We can believe in the revealed nature of a three-in-one God without "pics" or "tapes" to prove it. Unlike the altern ative facts of Arianism – which denies that Christ co-existed with our Cr eator – the Nicene Creed is a helpful synthesis of biblical narratives on the mysteries of a multifaceted God. Jonas reminded us of the Apostle Pa ul's Trinitarian blessing in 2. Cor. 13: may the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ\, the love of God\, and the sharing of the Holy Spirit be with all of you. [KH] DTEND:20170611T110000 DTSTAMP:20170611T113039 DTSTART:20170611T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Holy Trinity: Beyond Doctrine UID:2726 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-holy-trinity-beyond-doctrine END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Due to inclement weather\, the West Point Grey Ministerial Ass ociation gathered indoors at the West Point Grey United Church. This year \, the theme was Welcoming The Stranger. Some of the new refugees to Cana da from Syria were present\, and the service included readings in both En glish and Mandarin. The Rev. Dr. Richard Topping\, Principal of the Vanco uver School of Theology\, was the guest preacher\, and the title of his t alk was “Open to Everyone” based on Acts 10: 34-43. A collection was take n in support of Kinbrace\, BC’s longest-serving housing provider for refu gee claimants\, offering dedicated support and accessible educational res ources across Canada.\n\n DTEND:20170618T110000 DTSTAMP:20170618T113054 DTSTART:20170618T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship in the Park (2017) UID:2728 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/worship-in-the-park-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Poul Guttesen\, Ph.D.\, a Regent alumnus and a lecturer at the University of the Faroe Islands\, is currently on sabbatical in Vancouve r. He is the author of Leaning Into the Future: The Kingdom of God in the Theology of Jürgen Moltmann and the Book of Revelation. Poul looked at o ne of the titles for God in Revelation as the “Almighty\, who was and is and is to come" (4:8). In a twist on the usual conjugation\, the apocalyp tic author doesn't end with "and is to be" but looks forward to Christ's return to bring the Kingdom to earth. [KH] DTEND:20170625T110000 DTSTAMP:20170625T113018 DTSTART:20170625T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The God Who is Coming UID:2730 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-god-who-is-coming END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Krish Kandiah\, Executive Director for Churches in Mission at the Evangelical Alliance and their Home for Good campaign\, joined us fro m the UK while teaching at Regent College this summer. He spoke on the wo rds of Jesus in Matthew 25\, when the people of all nations are separated before the throne in heaven based on their treatment of the needy. The S on of Man says that he is the stranger that we have the opportunity to he lp\, so how will we respond? While we are saved by faith alone\, our acts of mercy demonstrate that our lives have been transformed. [KH] DTEND:20170702T110000 DTSTAMP:20170702T113015 DTSTART:20170702T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God is Stranger UID:2609 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-is-stranger END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Klassen\, Ph.D. (Professor Emeritus of History at TWU)\, detailed the lives of some of the spiritual figures of the 12th Century. Clotilde\, the second wife of the Frankish king Clovis I\, helped to conv ert her husband to Catholicism (rather than the theology of Arianism adop ted by most other Germanic tribes). Monastic traditions in the early Medi eval Period gave us a legacy of beautiful liturgies\, such as the epic po etry of the Saxon Saviour. [KH] DTEND:20170709T110000 DTSTAMP:20170709T113045 DTSTART:20170709T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Emergence of Twelfth Century Spirituality UID:2712 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/twelfth-century-spirituality END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On July 16\, 2017\, Dr Jeffery Greenman (President of Regent C ollege) showed how Jesus had used the story in Exodus 24 when instituting the "Lord's Supper". The preceding chapters in Genesis (19-13) are set a t Mt Sinai\, where the Jews were asked to be a kingdom of priests\, in co mmunion with God. Chapters 21-23 present the decalogue which told how to worship God and live an ethical life. Chapter 24 then set forth the coven ant\, God's gift of himself and our response of obedience--all sealed wit h lots of blood. An altar was built\, 12 pillars were symbolically raised nearby\, young men offered burnt offerings (removal of sin) and peace of ferings of gratitude. Blood symbolized God's acceptance of the offerings. This one time\, half of the blood was poured on the altar and half sprin kled on the people ('atoning sacrificial blood) while they again promised to obey. The people then ate together. When Jesus says in the context of his final meal (Matthew 26)\, "Take\, eat\, this is my body . . . this i s my blood of the covenant\, which is poured out for many\," everyone wou ld have recalled the story in Exodus 24\, as will we. [JEK]\nRegrettably the message was not recorded DTEND:20170716T110000 DTSTAMP:20170716T113014 DTSTART:20170716T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Eating with God UID:2714 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/eating-with-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jillian Jackson (graduate of Regent College) spoke from Romans 7:14 - 8:2 on the dichotomy between the sinful desires of our flesh and the new creature that we are in Christ. She described the very personal s truggles that lead some people to hide their problems and sometimes even tragically die in shame. Like Paul\, we struggle in the duality of our wr etched nature as slaves to sin even though we live under a new law – the Spirit's unending grace\, our new life thanks to Jesus. We sang "Make me a captive\, Lord\, and then I shall be free" (#539). [KH] DTEND:20170723T110000 DTSTAMP:20170723T113053 DTSTART:20170723T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Working With Our Fleshy Selves UID:2716 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/working-with-our-fleshy-selves END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Laurel Borisenko returned to summarize one aspect of the s ummer course she taught last week at Regent College based on concepts in John Paul Lederach's book\, The Moral Imagination: The Art and Soul of Bu ilding Peace. Transcending violence requires imaginative storytelling by communities with four characteristics: organic interdependence (web of re lationships)\, dynamic curiosity (understand the causes of conflict)\, ar tistic creativity\, and risk-taking (by including your enemies). She gave examples of artists working in defiance of war: the Leningrad première o f Shostakovich's Symphony No. 7\, the Sarajevo Film Festival\, and the Se vdah Cafe movement in Mostar\, Bosnia. Her Ph.D. dissertation is availabl e from the University of Amsterdam: Arts-based peacebuilding: Functions o f Theatre in Uganda\, Kenya\, and Zimbabwe (2016). [KH] DTEND:20170730T110000 DTSTAMP:20170730T113015 DTSTART:20170730T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Arts-based Strategies for Peacebuilding UID:2631 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/arts-based-strategies-for-peacebuilding END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. J. Evan Kreider (Professor Emeritus of Music\, UBC) spoke on Psalm 17\, a Davidic plea to Yahweh to pay attention and act in justic e (1-2\; 6-9\; 13-15) based on a declaration of faithfulness (3-5) and a lament over the enemies that lurk in ambush like a lion (10-12). The unna med petitioner poetically wrestles with God\, like Jacob's all-night matc h in Genesis (32:22-31). While we may try to live in peace\, chronic pain s or debilitating illnesses may be our enemies rather than people. Evan c hallenged us to try praying for others using the pattern of this psalm be fore using it for ourselves. [KH]\n \n\n DTEND:20170806T110000 DTSTAMP:20170806T113038 DTSTART:20170806T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Psalm 17 UID:2718 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/psalm-17-a-plea-to-yhwh END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kasey Kimball (Regent College M.A. Doctrinal Theology student) \, took us deep into the stories of Jesus cleansing a leper\, healing a p aralytic and calling a tax-collector from Mark 1:40-2:17. Our faith is ty pically developed communally\, by following the example of others. We hav e much to learn by carrying each other on our journey while staying orien ted towards Jesus. Even if our intractable problems are healed\, will we be obedient to Christ and give God the glory rather than feed our ego? Wh en we hit "the wall" of doubt\, can we have faith even with uncertain ear thly outcomes\, and persevere in the "long game" for God's ultimate comme ndation and reward? [KH] DTEND:20170813T110000 DTSTAMP:20170813T113240 DTSTART:20170813T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jesus Saw Their Faith UID:2721 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-saw-their-faith END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. J. Evan Kreider (Professor Emeritus of Music\, UBC) spoke on the story of Joseph in Genesis 43-45 in which he tested his half-broth ers – who had sold him into slavery – to ensure that they had changed the ir ways. Jesus' Parable of the Unforgiving Servant in Matt. 18:21-35 seem s harsh compared to his prior admonition to forgive many times more than seven. From the Victim-Offender program in Langley and the hearings of Tr uth & Reconciliation Commission\, we have seen how hard it is to ask for forgiveness and/or feel fully forgiven. As Bishop Thomas Wilson (1663-175 5) prayed\, may God forgive all our sins\, including the ones hidden even from ourselves. [KH] DTEND:20170820T110000 DTSTAMP:20170820T113018 DTSTART:20170820T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Forgiving Others UID:2869 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/forgiving-others-genesis-45 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Art Friesen described the work of the Mennonite Centre in the old Molotschna Colony (now Molochansk) near Zaporozhye\, Ukraine. We saw photos and heard about programs that provide lunches for seniors\, me dication\, eye glasses\, and more. The Centre supports disabled children as they integrate into public school\, and donations have assisted a regi onal blood donor clinic\, the childrens' hospital\, and a rehabilitation hospital. Collaboration between religious groups resulted in the renovati on of the Schoensee Church and other success stories. Consider becoming o ne of the Friends of the Mennonite Centre in Ukraine. [KH] DTEND:20170827T110000 DTSTAMP:20170827T113402 DTSTART:20170827T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mennonite Centre\, Molotschna\, Ukraine UID:2723 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mennonite-centre-ukraine END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Klassen gave a brief summary of three orders of the faith ful who lived in an antithesis to the established church in the 13thC in Europe - the Waldensians\, the Franciscans and the Beguines. With brief b iographies of their founders\, John placed their service to the Lord in t he context of their times - which were violent and corrupt\, yet inspirin g to so many. Regrettably due to a technical fault\, the service was not recorded.\n\nNOTE: no audio recording is available.\n\n DTEND:20170903T110000 DTSTAMP:20170903T113107 DTSTART:20170903T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Medieval Piety: Possessions\, Scriptures and Community UID:2825 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/medieval-piety-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld and Janice Kreider led a discussion on what it m eans to live in community with PGIMF attenders the Yangs and the Lees\, w ho have spent some time creating and living in intentional communities.  This service was part of a welcome back to the Menno Simons Centre for re sidents living in community at the Menno Simons Centre\, and featured a p otluck barbeque after the service to which everyone -- attenders\, guests \, visitors\, students\, and friends -- were all invited.\n\nNOTE: the au dio recording is for private listening only at the request of the speaker s. DTEND:20170910T110000 DTSTAMP:20170910T113055 DTSTART:20170910T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Community UID:2827 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/yang-lee-community-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Garry Janzen (Mennonite Church BC Executive Minister) spoke on "Love Leads the Way" based on 1 John 4:7-21. A key theme for this year a t the MCBC has been to build healthy connections within and among congreg ations. We can love others because God first loved us. Even in the conten tious matters between neighbours such as we see in strata councils\, we a re called to love our brothers and sisters. With Jesus as the centre of o ur faith and reconciliation as the centre of our work\, we can walk toget her and empower others by building bridges rather than walls. How then ca n we best love others? [KH] DTEND:20170917T110000 DTSTAMP:20170917T112536 DTSTART:20170917T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Love Leads the Way UID:2829 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/love-leads-the-way END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. J. Evan Kreider (Professor Emeritus of Music\, UBC) spoke on the visible manifestation of the Christian life as seen in the life an d death of Perpetua\, Felicitas\, and their companions at Carthage in Afr ica\, circa 203 AD. Evan introduced us to an account of their martyrdom b y Dr. Alan Kreider (Evan's cousin\, the late Professor Emeritus of Church History at AMBS) in his book The Patient Ferment of the Early Church: Th e Improbable Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire (2016). These brave young women of different social strata made a deep impression on the blo odthirsty crowd with their demonstration of peace and love right to the e nd. Evan challenged us with the question: what might others see in our li ves that could jar their expectations? [KH]\n\nNOTE: Henry Klippenstein\, originally scheduled to speak on Doubt and Faith from John 20: 19-29\, w ill be rescheduled to the earliest available opportunity.  You may also w ish to view A Shadow of a Doubt featuring Joseph Solomon\, easily Googled on YouTube. DTEND:20170924T110000 DTSTAMP:20170924T113009 DTSTART:20170924T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:By Our Love Shall They Know Us UID:2831 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/by-our-love-shall-they-know-us END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andrea Perrett (VST graduate and associate pastor of West Poin t Grey Presbyterian) spoke on the story of Moses taking the Israelites' c omplaints to God in Exodus 17:1-7. The combination of hunger and the angr y reaction it can evoke is known in slang as hangry. The thirsty people b itterly questioned Moses' leadership and the value of their freedom from Egypt. Like the Snickers candy slogan\, "you’re not YOU when you’re hungr y”\, are we uncharacteristically ungrateful when desperate\, and does it take our cries for help to get God's attention? [KH] DTEND:20171001T110000 DTSTAMP:20171001T113021 DTSTART:20171001T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:You Won’t Like Me When I’m Hangry UID:2833 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/you-wont-like-me-when-im-hangry END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rev. Marianna Harris (United Church of Canada) was joined by a former Ecumenical Accompanier from the World Council of Churches. They g ave a presentation that made us thankful for the work of peacemaking and preservation of life in Palestine/Israel. We saw photos and heard stories about the extraordinary resilience of the Palestinian people living unde r occupation in the beautiful land where Jesus lived and taught. May we b e inspired to walk together\, united for peace and justice\, with our Pal estinian brothers and sisters through the shadow of the valley of death ( Psalm 23). [KH] DTEND:20171008T110000 DTSTAMP:20171009T115557 DTSTART:20171008T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ecumenical Peacemaking UID:2988 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ecumenical-peacemaking END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Veronica Dyck spoke on the account of the Golden Calf in E x 32. Despite the deep anger of Yahweh at the Israelites for so quickly s eeking an object to worship when Moses stayed too long on Mt. Sinai\, Mos es stood as prophet and intercessor for the people\, pleading for God to remember his promises to the patriarchs. The passage shows how God’s fund amental nature is to seek relationship with humankind\, and that the para digm of dialogue is at the core here\, and throughout Scripture. God does not want to be left alone\; God invites us to talk back! [VD] DTEND:20171015T110000 DTSTAMP:20171015T113027 DTSTART:20171015T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Talk back Tuesdays: Yahweh\, Moses and the golden calf UID:2835 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/talk-back-tuesdays END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert spoke on the intriguing theme\, "Time is God's M oney"\, suggesting that aspects of scripture's counsel on how to use mone y wisely might also be applied to our use of time\, since\, as someone on ce said in the early 1700s\, 'time is money'.  Jesus advised his critics\ , "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's\, and to God the things that are God's."  Can this also be applied to our use of time?  Kevin not ed that although we usually look after our financial assets carefully\, w e can be rather more casual about using our time wisely.  Time is a non-r enewable source which often seems more precious after it is gone.  In Mat thew 6:25-\, Jesus taught us not to worry about the little things in life (what to wear\, what to eat!) but to seek God's Kingdom above all else.  Today's communications technologies\, lifestyles\, and pressures at work have convinced us to invest less time in life's most important activitie s--helping others and nurturing personal relationships.  What would happe n if we thought of "TIME" as standing for 'Today Is My Everything'?  [JEK ] DTEND:20171022T110000 DTSTAMP:20171022T112928 DTSTART:20171022T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Time Is God’s Money UID:2837 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/time-is-gods-money END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Angie Goertz and Rosie Perera have arranged a return engagemen t of Hymn Sing for Monday\, October 23rd at PGIMF at 7:00 pm.  All who lo ve to sing are welcome to join them in the Chapel at the Menno Simons Cen tre for an hour of favourites accompanied by the piano. DTEND:20171023T200000 DTSTAMP:20171023T090137 DTSTART:20171023T190000 GEO:49.262413;-123.194479 LOCATION:Menno Simons Centre @ 4000 W 11th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hymn Sing! UID:26 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/hymn-sing-2017-october END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen introduced us to the Apostle Paul's Epistle to t he church at Ephesus by showing a 9-minute video from The Bible Project o n Ephesians and then he recited the entire book from memory! Thomas asked us to focus on the identity of the church\, as the people called out fro m the world – the mystical body of Christ (ekklésia\, in Greek). [KH]\n\n https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y71r-T98E2Q DTEND:20171029T110000 DTSTAMP:20171029T112913 DTSTART:20171029T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reflections on Ephesians UID:2839 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/reflections-on-ephesians-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Moral outrage is a righteous indignation on behalf of others\, distinguishing it from anger at being aggrieved personally. Vigilantes a nd derogatory pundits are negative examples\, since vengeance belongs to the Lord. Societal progress can be promoted by recognizing injustice\, bu t only if we are spurred to action towards solving the problem. Armchair activism is not only insufficient but can be emotionally self-destructive . Will we do as Jesus demonstrated: lament\, fast\, pray\, and channel ou r outrage into a productive response? [KH] DTEND:20171105T110000 DTSTAMP:20171105T113025 DTSTART:20171105T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Moral Outrage UID:2920 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/moral-outrage-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Esther Hizsa shared how violence can come out of our broken st ories\, while peace can come out of our blessed stories. She invited us t o hear in Psalm 23 how God actively restores our soul to help us live out of a place of peace. Esther gave us 3 pieces of homework for the week be ginning with Peace Sunday: 1) be still and remember when God was a divine shepherd for you\; 2) be still and behold a "green pasture" story\, and\ ; 3) return – with Jesus – to the meal set for you in the presence of you r enemies. God's love\, goodness\, and mercy are aggressively pursuing us so that the fruits of the Spirit can come out of our stories. [KH] DTEND:20171112T110000 DTSTAMP:20171112T113031 DTSTART:20171112T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Living Out Of Our Stories UID:2922 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/living-out-of-our-stories END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Sportack led us to look more closely at the Gospel accou nts of the two rebels who were crucified on either side of Jesus. She ref erred to James L. Griffith's book\, Religion That Heals\, Religion That H arms\, which suggests that we evaluate the quality of our relatedness to  those outside our "in" groups. In Exclusion and Embrace\, Miroslav Volf s ays that we are enriched by reflections of others in our personality. Evi l deeds can't be tolerated\, but Jesus discriminated in favour of the cri minal at his side who spoke the truth. Laura encouraged us to follow Jesu s' example and listen to\, witness to\, and bless the Other\, rather than perpetuate a "Us vs. Them" mentality. [KH] DTEND:20171119T110000 DTSTAMP:20171119T113023 DTSTART:20171119T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:And With Him Two Others UID:2924 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/and-him-with-two-others END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Heather Pauls Murray spoke on the expectations that we have fo r church people to be nice all the time. Our behaviour is being compared to that of Jesus\, not just to everyone else! Once we go deeper into rela tionship by traveling through chaotic times together\, will we overcome o ur anxieties and be vulnerable to each other\, while maintaining healthy boundaries? As members of a church community\, we should be comfortable l iving with differences\, by the Spirit\, rather than by divisive human na ture. Are we willing to be truly known by – and accountable to – our sist ers and brothers in Christ?  [KH] DTEND:20171126T110000 DTSTAMP:20171126T113005 DTSTART:20171126T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What Should Church Be? UID:2926 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-should-church-be END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the 1st Sunday of Advent\, Laura Eriksson reminded us that what we are called is a big part of our identity. A birth announcement is an opportunity for parents to highlight part of their family history or express an aspiration for the child's character. The name of Jesus (Yeshu a) has been held in high honour because it means "Yahweh saves!" As we he ard in The Naming of Jesus\, a sonnet by Malcolm Guite\, "We call your na me that we might hear a call." [KH] DTEND:20171203T110000 DTSTAMP:20171203T113128 DTSTART:20171203T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Called by Name\, Named by Call UID:2911 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/called-by-name-named-by-call END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Annika Krause (AMBS grad and Sherbrooke member) returned to ce lebrate the 2nd Sunday of Advent with us. The wilderness is both a place of hardship and a quiet place to encounter God. The good news in Mark 1 l inks the prophecy of Isaiah 40 to John the Baptizer preparing the way of the LORD by calling for repentance out of the desert. Will we as people o f the Kingdom strive to be at peace and make righteousness at home (come naturally)? May our Advent preparations be more than simply remembering t he birth of Christ. [KH] DTEND:20171210T110000 DTSTAMP:20171210T113012 DTSTART:20171210T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Waiting Expectantly UID:2928 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/waiting-expectantly-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Al McKay (PHS chaplain) described the "Blue Christmas" service s that he leads at Single-Room Occupancy (SRO) hotels in which people can  turn over to the Creator the tensions and burdens they carry in this sea son as a result of losses and feelings of isolation. Our lives can be (an d even smell) messy\, like the first Christmas must have been – not the h appiest time of year! He read two poems by the late Bud Osborn\, a Downto wn Eastside poet\, opening our eyes to seeing God in the faces of streetw alkers and binners. Institutions tend to value the lives of the successfu l\, while in the upside-down Kingdom\, every life is important. Are we op en to seeing Jesus in unfamiliar yet authentic places? [KH]\n\nNOTE: you can read the transcript of Krista Tippett's interview with Pádraig Ó Tuam a (whom Al quoted from) in her On Being podcast interview from March 2\, 2017. DTEND:20171217T110000 DTSTAMP:20171217T113012 DTSTART:20171217T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Called to Relationship UID:2930 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/called-to-relationship-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, December 24\, 2017\, we enjoyed a Christmas Potluc k Breakfast beginning at 9:00 am\, followed by a Christmas service of Rea dings and Carols compiled by Curtis Funk and led by Veronica Dyck. DTEND:20171224T110000 DTSTAMP:20171224T113016 DTSTART:20171224T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Service of Readings and Songs for Christmas UID:2932 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-december-24-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:There will be no service on Sunday December 31\, 2017. DTEND:20171231T110000 DTSTAMP:20170930T113058 DTSTART:20171231T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sunday December 31\, 2017 UID:2934 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-december-31-2017 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke in absentia through Janice Kreider on th e Epiphany. Herod the Great had been ruling Galilee with fire and fury si nce 40 B.C. and was insecure in his place as king of the Jews. Three wise men (Magi/Kings) from the East brought Jesus' family highly symbolic gif ts: gold (of kingship)\, frankincense (of deity)\, and myrrh (an embalmin g oil\, of death). Jealousy can lead to insane actions\, with dire conseq uences for other people. Dreams can guide people (even foreigners from ot her faiths) for God's purposes. Are we seeking God's guidance: in books\, in the sky\, and from our brothers & sisters in Christ? [KH] DTEND:20180107T110000 DTSTAMP:20180107T113055 DTSTART:20180107T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Epiphany UID:2944 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/epiphany-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Klippenstein used Caravaggio’s painting ‘The Incredulity of Saint Thomas’ as a backdrop to speak on the account in John 20:24-29. Thomas has been historically redeemed as ultimately being a believer rat her than a doubter\, once his skepticism was overcome. Mother Teresa is a nother example showing that doubt can be a vital step towards a deeper fa ith. Henry described the "sin of certainty" (rather than doubt) as the op posite of faith. He encouraged us to more freely say Amen as a declaratio n of our trust\, whenever we experience God's work in our lives. [KH]\n\n  \n\n The Incredulity of Saint Thomas\, oil on canvas\, circa 1601-1602 b y Caravaggio [Public domain]\, via Wikimedia Commons\n DTEND:20180114T110000 DTSTAMP:20180114T113059 DTSTART:20180114T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Doubt and Faith - Pt. 1 UID:2946 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/doubt-and-faith-part1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Klippenstein warned us of the dangers of treating doubt as a virtue\, rather than a means to greater faith. Incessant doubt may b e toxic or even pathological. If we stop at Sola scriptura (by the Bible alone)\, our expectations for accuracy may risk disillusionment with its  human compilation. Is there enough humility in our certainties? The other four Solas (Faith\, Grace\, Christ\, and Glory to God alone) are also wa ys that God speaks to us today. Henry encouraged us to seek more experien tial knowledge of the Divine through our relationships with Christ and ea ch other ("at one-ment" flows from atonement). The Wuest Expanded Transla tion of John 20:27 helped us to hear Jesus' words to Thomas\, calling us to be in a progressive state of believing. [KH] DTEND:20180121T110000 DTSTAMP:20180121T112757 DTSTART:20180121T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Doubt and Faith - Pt. 2 UID:2948 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/doubt-and-faith-part2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke about the global Anabaptist communion. We saw and heard a variety of resources including:\n\n Map of Mennonite co ngregations around the world\n Videos of the MWC Year in Review: 2017 an d children singing from Kisumu\, Kenya\n The 7 Shared Convictions of the Mennonite World Conference\n Testimonies from the World Fellowship Sund ay 2018 worship resources (15-page PDF)\n Information about the Global C hristian Forum\n\nA congregational meeting followed the potluck lunch\, a fter the service.\n\nNOTE: The audio recording is not posted online but i s available to borrow on CD. DTEND:20180128T110000 DTSTAMP:20180128T112846 DTSTART:20180128T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Our Global Fellowship UID:2950 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/our-global-fellowship-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Johann Funk told the Luke story of the good Samaritan from thr ee perspectives to detail the problems of dealing with moral questions so lely from the legal\, ethical or theological approaches. Moral values tha t transcend time and place give the story flesh and detail the God-given quality of mercy. Examining the behaviour of the Levite and other travell ers\, beside the Samaritan from legal\, ethical and theological perspecti ves give us a sense of the broad shape of mercy\, and draw us closer to G od. [AP] DTEND:20180204T110000 DTSTAMP:20180204T112923 DTSTART:20180204T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Lamentations UID:3044 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/lamentations-good-samaritan-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Klassen (TWU Professor Emeritus of History) used the stor ies of Julian of Norwich (c. 1342–1416) and Petr Chelcicky (c. 1390–1460) to explore the wideness of God's mercy. Their spirituality set examples which challenged the patriarchal and violent religious fervor of late Med ieval times. Julian had a vision of something no bigger than a hazelnut w hich represented all that God has made\, loved and continues to preserve – as theological cosmologists may consider the seed for the Big Bang. Pet r's counterpoint to the revolutionary Hussites was that if you destroy ev ildoers\, the Devil simply leaves their hearts and enters yours! As Chris tians\, we can unite to share our group memory of how God's Salvation mak es all things well. [KH] DTEND:20180211T110000 DTSTAMP:20180211T113202 DTSTART:20180211T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Immeasurable Compassion and Power of God UID:3046 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-immeasurable-compassion-and-power-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the first Sunday of Lent\, Herb Reesor was interviewed by E van Kreider and Henry Neufeld. Before he moves to Alberta\, we heard abou t Herb's journey of faith and life in Vancouver. From his neighbourhood b lock watch\, to bike couriers & businesspeople downtown\, to the early ye ars of the PGIMF congregation\, he has had many opportunities to share Go d's love. Verna's journey through sickness\, pain and suffering to be wit h Jesus in 1999 was a big part of his faith-building experience. Communio n was served\, and many familiar songs were sung. [KH] DTEND:20180218T110000 DTSTAMP:20180218T113223 DTSTART:20180218T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Conversations about Faith UID:3069 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/conversations-about-faith-herb-reesor END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:For the second Sunday of Lent\, Daniel Whitehead (Executive Di rector of Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries) wrestled with the lectionar y texts in Mark 8 and 9. The Apostle Peter learned the hard way\, twice\, that Christ expects us to live in hope\, in the tension between pain and glory. Neither worldly wisdom nor demanding answers to our prayers are u seful in following Jesus. Happiness is not what Christians are called to pursue\, but the potluck lunch was enjoyed by all. [KH]\n\n \n\n DTEND:20180225T110000 DTSTAMP:20180225T113009 DTSTART:20180225T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Learning the Hard Way with the Apostle Peter UID:3048 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/learning-the-hard-way-apostle-peter END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the third Sunday of Lent\, Sue Kim spoke on the topic of Ko rean people living in Japan.\n\nNOTE: the recording of the service is onl y available to borrow on CD.\n\n DTEND:20180304T110000 DTSTAMP:20180304T113003 DTSTART:20180304T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Endless War\, Forgotten People UID:3050 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/endless-war-forgotten-people END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the fourth Sunday of Lent\, Dr. J. Evan Kreider reminded us that in James 1:13 we are told\, "No one\, when tempted. should say\, 'I am being tempted by God.'" Yet the experiences of Adam & Eve\, Abraham a nd even Jesus in the wilderness sound like times of hard testing. We hear d a few other interpretations of the Lord's Prayer in which we can call o n God to spare us from trials too sharp to endure and save us from the po wers that possess our spirits and structures. [KH] DTEND:20180311T110000 DTSTAMP:20180311T113451 DTSTART:20180311T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:And Lead Us Not Into Temptation UID:3052 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/and-lead-us-not-into-temptation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the 5th Sunday of Lent\, Dr. Paul Thiessen (MD\, FRCPC) spo ke about the "least of these" whom Jesus referred to in Matthew 25:40. As a pediatrician\, Paul shared his experiences of being blessed while trea ting children with special needs. Jean Vanier started the L'Arche movemen t in Trosly-Breuil\, France\, inspiring communities around the world in w hich people with disabilities share their unique gifts with their assista nts (care-givers). As Henri Nouwen wrote\, "Community is a fellowship of people who do not hide their joys and sorrows\, but make them visible to each other in a gesture of hope." [KH] DTEND:20180318T110000 DTSTAMP:20180318T111500 DTSTART:20180318T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Least of These UID:3054 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-least-of-these END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sunday March 25\, 2018.  Palm/Passion Sunday - the sixth Sunda y of Lent - featured a worship service designed by Veronica Dyck.\n\nThis Sunday was also the Feast of the Annunciation. DTEND:20180325T110000 DTSTAMP:20180325T113056 DTSTART:20180325T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Readings\, prayers and songs from Palms to Passion UID:3056 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/readings-prayers-and-songs-from-palms-to-pas sion END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our Easter breakfast was followed by a service of celebratory songs and scriptures to sing Alleluia! to the risen Lord\, written and pr esented by J. Evan Kreider. DTEND:20180401T110000 DTSTAMP:20180401T113001 DTSTART:20180401T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Sunday 2018 UID:3058 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-sunday-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld brought us into the story in John 21:1-14\, when the "fishers of people" returned to their fishing business after Jesus' resurrection. At first\, they didn't recognize Christ calling out to them from the shore\, inviting them to try a new idea by throwing their net o n the other side of the boat. Fishing Tips by John Pentland of Hillhurst United tells the story of how curiosity transformed a community of faith. What risks are our church willing to take in order to reinvent ourselves in a new location? [KH] DTEND:20180408T110000 DTSTAMP:20180408T113041 DTSTART:20180408T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Voice from the Shore UID:3060 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-voice-from-the-shore END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Using the visual aid of an hourglass diagram\, Thomas Bergen ( MSC Residence Coordinator)\, outlined how the progression from Genesis to Revelation (Past to Future) in the Gospels of Matthew\, Luke\, and John each connect an Old Testament covenant to the fulfillment of those prophe cies in Christ. The stories of Noah\, Abraham\, and Moses are mirrored by the titles of Jesus as the True Israel\, True Representative of Humanity \, and Redeemer of All. At the centre\, the book of Mark links the Davidi c covenant to Jesus as the True King. The Good News is that we are all in vited to enter God's story\, which gives us identity\, mission\, and purp ose. [KH]\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n DTEND:20180415T110000 DTSTAMP:20180415T113034 DTSTART:20180415T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jesus as the Climax of the Covenants UID:3062 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-as-the-climax-of-the-covenants END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Alisha Fung (a VST theology student) spoke on Hebrews 11:8-16.   Abraham is praised by the writer for being willing to leave his native country and--by faith--travel to live in another that was vastly differen t.  Surely such a move would have been preceded and accompanied by endles s doubts\, but the storyteller reveals neither those doubts nor how Abrah am dealt with them.  Journeys of faith\, and even faith itself\, never co me unaccompanied by doubts. Even Jesus expressed doubts from the cross wh en crying out\, "My God\, why have you forsaken me?" Certainty (not doubt ) is the opposite of faith.  [JEK] DTEND:20180422T110000 DTSTAMP:20180422T113034 DTSTART:20180422T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Venturing Out in Doubt UID:3064 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/venturing-out-in-doubt END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The congregation and several soloists sang selections from Han del's The Messiah interspersed with readings from the scriptures from Isa iah on which The Messiah is based.\n\nA congregational Annual General Mee ting followed a pizza lunch for our last potluck lunch of the season\,  s erved after the service. DTEND:20180429T110000 DTSTAMP:20180429T113032 DTSTART:20180429T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-Along Messiah UID:3066 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Please stay after Pizza/Potluck Lunch  for our Annual General Meeting where reports will be reviewed and the business of the church tra nsacted.  All supporters\, members and regular attenders are welcome. DTEND:20180429T140000 DTSTAMP:20170121T172428 DTSTART:20180429T123000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Congregational Meeting/Annual General Meeting UID:22 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/congregational-meetingannual-general-meeting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen (Menno Simons Centre Residence Coordinator) cont inued his series on the Book of Mark\, answering preliminary questions ab out its audience\, authorship\, and genre. The anticipated readers seem t o be Romans\, circa A.D. 65\, when Nero began persecuting Christians. Chu rch tradition attributes this gospel to John Mark of Jerusalem\, believed to be the interpreter/scribe of the Apostle Peter's memoir. Like a myste ry novel\, the central question of Jesus' identity as the Messiah drives the dramatic tension of what reads like an ancient historical biography. The most important question that we can answer is Jesus' question to his disciples\, "Who do you say that I am?" [KH]\n\nNOTE: at the 17:20 point in the sermon\, the 5-minute video The Gospel According to Mark was shown .\n\n DTEND:20180506T110000 DTSTAMP:20180506T113049 DTSTART:20180506T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Introduction to Mark: Who do you say that I am? UID:3129 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/intro-to-mark-who-do-you-say-that-i-am END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Charis Weathers (Regent alumnus and now pastor of Echoes churc h in Bellingham)\, spoke from the long prayer in John 17 against the back drop of Rublev’s famous icon The Holy Trinity. In an exploration of the p erichoresis (the trinitarian nature) of God\, Charis identified the trio in a dance with each other\, flowing in and out of relationship with each other (Gregory of Nyssa) to permeate each others’ existence. We as worsh ippers are invited to enter the same dance of worship and love of the Tri nity\, and widen it outward to others in a process of becoming sanctified by being sent into the world\, not out of it. This is the physical manif estation of the self-giving love Jesus modeled for us in his prayer to th e disciples in John 17. [AP]\n\n Rublev's famous icon showing the three A ngels being hosted by Abraham at Mamre. Public domain\, via Wikimedia Com mons\n DTEND:20180513T110000 DTSTAMP:20180513T113302 DTSTART:20180513T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Care in the World? UID:3131 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-care-in-the-world END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Amela Puljek-Shank (MCC Area Director for the Middle East and Europe) shared her personal story of living through the 1992 war in Bosni a and Herzegovina. Amela described her process of healing from trauma\, b y re-humanizing the enemy to make forgiveness possible. Recent images fro m Syria of devastation and multiple internal displacements showed how urg ent the needs are for relief and conflict transformation skills. Even the abandoned families of opposing fighters need help. Hope comes in the for m of MCC's dedicated local partners who risk their lives to make a differ ence. Blessed are the peacemakers (Matt. 5:9). [KH] DTEND:20180520T110000 DTSTAMP:20180520T113054 DTSTART:20180520T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:MCC in the Middle East and Europe UID:3133 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mcc-middle-east-europe-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Retreat Committee CONTACT:info@pgimf.org DESCRIPTION:The 2018 PGIMF Retreat will be held between 6pm on Friday nigh t May 25th through Sunday lunchtime on May 27th for a special retreat. No service will be held in the chapel of the Menno Simons Centre — please j oin us at Camp Luther\, 9311 Shook Rd\, Mission\, BC.\n\nThis year the th eme is “Exercising the Mind\, Body\, and Soul” and we will have a Saturda y morning Tai Chi exercise. Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese mind-body exerc ise that has become very popular in the recent decade with Yoga due to it s health benefits. You can read more about it here: https://taichiforheal thinstitute.org/what-is-tai-chi/\n\nThat same evening we’ll also be hosti ng a Coffee House and we are looking for volunteers to share their talent s! If you would like to read poetry\, share an artwork\, do stand-up\, si ng\, dance\, perform music\, or demonstrate any other talents please tick the checkbox on the registration form. Every talent is welcome!\n\nPleas e register online and if you’ve already registered but haven’t paid yet\, you can also pay your registration fee (non-receiptable) by sending an I nterac e-Transfer to the Treasurer.\n\nIf you prefer to work with paper\, print your registration form\, or see the mailboxes at the back of the c hurch for a paper registration form and information brochure and return i t to any member of the retreat committee.\n\nP.S. see last year's menu he re. DTEND:20180527T130000 DTSTAMP:20180418T162635 DTSTART:20180525T180000 GEO:49.171723;-122.242022 LOCATION:Camp Luther Retreat and Conference Centre @ 9311 Shook Rd\, Frase r Valley G\, BC V2V 7M2\, Canada\, \, British Columbia V2V 7M2\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Church Retreat at Camp Luther UID:27 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/church-retreat-at-camp-luther-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We gathered from May 25th to 27th at Camp Luther on Hatzic Lak e (near Mission\, BC) for a retreat for the physical\, the mental and the spiritual in Exercising Soul\, Mind and Body. The weekend included Frida y evening campfire songs\, a Saturday morning Tai Chi lesson\, a Saturday evening coffeehouse concert programme plus jam session\, a worship servi ce on Sunday morning\, and plenty of good interaction with each other. St imulation and relaxation were enjoyed in equal measure!\n\n\n\n DTEND:20180527T110000 DTSTAMP:20180527T113059 DTSTART:20180527T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Retreat at Camp Luther: Exercising Soul\, Mind and Body UID:3135 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/retreat-at-camp-luther-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. John Friesen (Professor Emeritus of Counselling Psychology \, UBC)\, one of the founders of the church and the Menno Simons Centre\, spoke on the importance of identity. Despite feelings of inadequacy and self-doubt\, Moses and David served as the Lord's chosen instruments. The encouraging words of people such as mentors and those we've served over the years can help us face our "giants" (adversaries and difficult circum stances). Recognition of the identity of Jesus as the Messiah grew out of a conversation with the Apostle Peter. May the source of our identity as a Christian Self be found in our relationship with the living God. [KH] DTEND:20180603T110000 DTSTAMP:20180603T113003 DTSTART:20180603T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Who Am I? UID:3141 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/who-am-i-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Samuel Andri (VST 2nd-year grad student\, originally from Indo nesia\, now serving in the Presbyterian Church of Canada in Richmond) off ered his thoughts on the twin parables of the lost sheep and the lost coi n in Luke 15:1-10. Some interpretations risk us justifying religious colo nization or caring only for the materially less fortunate. But if we put ourselves into the mindset of both the shepherd and the woman\, we can fi nd our joy in living for others. May we be brave enough to lose ourselves for others\, so that we may be found by God. [KH] DTEND:20180610T110000 DTSTAMP:20180610T113022 DTSTART:20180610T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Finding Joy UID:3143 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/finding-joy-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Susan Hackett returned with a message of truth\, healing\, and reconciliation. For many generations\, the Christian church supported co lonial governments using the Doctrine of Discovery to dispossess aborigin al communities from their lands. White-skinned Mennonite refugees to the Americas blended in with the dominant settlers and benefited from the sam e unearned privileges. In response to the Truth and Reconciliation Commis sion of 2014\, the Mennonite Central Committee affirmed the U.N. Declarat ion on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a guide for right relations. I n our daily lives\, we can be careful that our attempts to be sympathetic  don't end up being patronizing. When we inevitably offend and are offend ed\, will we follow Christ's model and reconcile through patient and sacr ificial giving and receiving? [KH] DTEND:20180617T110000 DTSTAMP:20180617T113011 DTSTART:20180617T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Meaning of Privilege UID:3145 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-meaning-of-privilege END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The member churches of the West Point Grey Ministerial Associa tion collaborated on a worship service in Trimble Park during the Point G rey Fiesta. There was no bulletin or audio recording. DTEND:20180624T110000 DTSTAMP:20180624T113051 DTSTART:20180624T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship in the Park (2018) UID:3147 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/worship-in-the-park-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andria Irwin (VST graduate student) spoke on the miracles of t he synagogue leader's young daughter restored to life\, and the hemorrhag ing woman healed\, as recorded in Mark 5:21-43. In each case\, their expr ession of disorderly faith was the catalyst for a miraculous transformati on. Jairus risked his standing in the religious establishment\, and the w oman risked further censure for touching Jesus' cloak while ritually uncl ean. We will be courageous and fully embody our faith in our actions? [KH ] DTEND:20180701T110000 DTSTAMP:20180701T113047 DTSTART:20180701T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Faithful and Unruly UID:3149 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/faithful-and-unruly END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andrea Perrett (VST graduate) spoke about how she arrived at a pastoral vocation after studying nutrition and then theology. By God's g race\, she is able to integrate both as a Board member of the Presbyteria n World Service & Development because of its partnership with other Chris tian relief & development organizations like the Mennonite Central Commit tee in the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. Jesus' call in John 21:15-25 for Pet er to "feed my sheep" can motivate us to participate in a Christian respo nse to hunger. [KH] DTEND:20180708T110000 DTSTAMP:20180708T113051 DTSTART:20180708T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Feeding Sheep UID:3151 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/feeding-sheep END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera led us on a laugh track through the evidence in t he Bible that laughter is God's gift to us. Our culture has a reputation for dour prudishness\, but Mennonite comedians are gaining in popularity! In the OT\, we read of Abraham & Sarah's hilarity at the prospect of bec oming natural parents at the ages of 100 & 90 respectively. In the NT\, w ordplay abounds\, including Jesus using satire\, hyperbole\, and playfull y preposterous analogies in his parables like the speck and the log in th e eye. We can have the last laugh at Satan by accepting Christ's offer of salvation. [KH] DTEND:20180715T110000 DTSTAMP:20180715T113021 DTSTART:20180715T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Quest for the Hysterical Jesus UID:3153 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/quest-for-the-hysterical-jesus END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Julianne Funk (Ph.D.\, peace scholar and lecturer at the U niversity of Zurich) shared how Mennonite contributions to international peacemaking have a Biblical basis in the Sermon on the Mount. She gave us examples from her personal experience of the six key attributes of Menno nite peace-making practice\, and referenced John Paul Lederach's writings in support of long-term perspectives and the empowerment of local leader s. Breaking the cycle of violence requires an embrace of paradox: upholdi ng truth and mercy so that justice and peace may kiss (Psalm 85:10 in tra nslation). [KH]\n\n\n\nWatch the streaming video of the sermon with slide show (35 minutes\, 720p MOV file) in your web browser.\n\n \n DTEND:20180722T110000 DTSTAMP:20180722T113047 DTSTART:20180722T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Creative Non-Violence UID:3155 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/creative-nonviolence END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jeremy Funk (son of PGIMF attenders Lois and Curtis Funk) shar ed from personal experience about the challenge of invisibility faced by persons with physical disabilities. Even praying for healing for someone without asking first can be a de-humanizing action. The story of the form erly paralyzed man in Mark 2 demonstrated that in Christ\, God affirms th e humanity of each of us. May we likewise welcome others into the peace d escribed by Jesus\, no matter what our bodily differences may be. [KH] DTEND:20180729T110000 DTSTAMP:20180729T113047 DTSTART:20180729T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God the Human Being UID:3157 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-the-human-being END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Hodges (Professor and consultant in animal genetics\, agr iculture and ethics in the UK and the EU) related biblical revelation of humankind to contemporary perspectives from man's origins in prehistory a nd stage of societal development. Using selected texts from Genesis\, Psa lms\, Job\, Hebrews and 1 Corinthians\, John emphasized the scientific ex ploration of our origins dovetails with our biblical texts when we examin e them through the ethical lens God's revelation offers us. [AP] DTEND:20180805T110000 DTSTAMP:20180805T113039 DTSTART:20180805T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What Is Man? UID:3159 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-is-man END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. John Klassen (Ph.D.\, Professor Emeritus of History at TWU ) related the history of one of the influential women of the Reformation\ , Argula von Grumbach (1492-c.1554). As a Bavarian noblewoman\, she grew up reading the Bible in German. When the young teacher Arsacius Seehoferw as arrested in 1523 for his Protestant views\, Argula spoke up and challe nged the professors at the University of Ingolstadt to a public debate! S he used the power of the printing press to circulate many letters and pam phlets in support of Martin Luther and other Reformers. May we heed her a dvice to read the Bible ourselves and sharpen our conscience! [KH] DTEND:20180812T110000 DTSTAMP:20180812T113025 DTSTART:20180812T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reformation-Era Women: Reflecting on God UID:3161 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/argula-von-grumbach END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Amy Anderson (Director of Communications and Public Engagement at Regent College)\, spoke on the theme of God's all-encompassing love. Throughout Scripture\, we see God acting in love toward creation – toward his people as a collective\, and as individuals. Both Old and New Testam ents show a God whose love is persistent (emphasized by the refrain in Ps alm 136)\, faithful\, and transformative. Many Christians do not truly be lieve that God loves them\, but we are called to encourage each other to receive and live into this love. Deep confidence in God's love is essenti al in developing hopeful faith\, healthy service\, and holy love for God\ , creation\, and each other. DTEND:20180819T110000 DTSTAMP:20180819T113010 DTSTART:20180819T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Measureless and Strong UID:3163 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/measureless-and-strong END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Michael Despotovic offered the testimony of his walk with God and the Church in an engaging message.  Inspiration was provided by the p icture below.\n\n\n DTEND:20180826T110000 DTSTAMP:20180826T113029 DTSTART:20180826T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Mirror Reflects\; Everything Grows UID:3165 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-mirror-reflects-everything-grows END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. J. Evan Kreider (Professor Emeritus of Music\, UBC) invite d us to rely on the Psalms (starting with 1\, 12 and 15) for ideas on how to pray when we have no words to express our plea for help in these evil times. Countless generations have asked\, "how long will the wicked cont inue to prosper?" Those who will dwell with the Lord resist following in the path of the scornful\, the oppressor\, and the liar. May we each be l ike a tree planted by the river\, that brings forth the fruit of the Spir it in season. [KH] DTEND:20180902T110000 DTSTAMP:20180902T113051 DTSTART:20180902T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Psalms for these Sad Distracted Times UID:3302 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/psalms-for-these-sad-distracted-times END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Steve Klassen (director of the Mark Centre in Abbotsford) gave a dramatic presentation of the first chapter of the Gospel of Mark\, and explored the theme of being seen by a loving God. Jesus received the Hol y Spirit like a dove in a visible demonstration of God's favourable atten tion\, and his ministry started by seeing the potential in each of the di sciples and calling them to follow him. As the lyrics of the 1905 song su ggest\, "His eye is on the sparrow" and we know that God is watching over us (Matt. 6 & 10). We were introduced to the students living in the Menn o Simons Centre for the new academic year\, and a potluck barbeque follow ed the service. DTEND:20180909T110000 DTSTAMP:20180909T113113 DTSTART:20180909T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Seen by a loving God UID:3306 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/seen-by-a-loving-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen (Menno Simons Centre Residence Coordinator) cont inued his series on Mark with an exploration of the identity of Jesus as The Strong One. Jesus models a strength that is both incorruptible and ot her-focused. Unlike the self-preserving and self-promoting rulers of this world\, God shows strength through the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit . Even strong men of the world such as John the Baptizer or Jim Jones nec essarily fall short of Jesus' example through misunderstanding or overrea ching. May God give us the strength to follow Jesus like the Good Shepher d in Isaiah 40:11 by carrying one another's burdens. [KH & AP] DTEND:20180916T110000 DTSTAMP:20180916T113437 DTSTART:20180916T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jesus\, the Strong One UID:3313 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-the-strong-one END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Joy Rudder (chaplain in long-term care facilities and contract musician at Pinegrove) spoke on finding grace in unexpected places.  Bei ng raised in a home which treasured writing and literature\, she became a n accomplished writer\, as her talk demonstrated so wonderfully.  Patienc e\, coupled with an open mind\, a quiet listening ear\, and a willingness to accept patients’ love as they can best give it at their stage of life —these have been combined to create a Christ-like servant model for anyon e living with or loving someone with mental challenges at life’s end.  Jo y began with the verse\, ‘if you do it to one of the least of these\, you have done it unto me.’  [JEK] DTEND:20180923T110000 DTSTAMP:20180923T113252 DTSTART:20180923T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Stories to Share UID:3316 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/stories-to-share-joy-rudder END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Krause\, chair of the Indigenous Relations Group that is working on MCBC's responses to indigenous relations\, offered a message of reconciliation with our aboriginal brothers and sisters. His message w as titled "Orange is the New Colour for Reconciliation and Justice."\n\n DTEND:20180930T110000 DTSTAMP:20180930T113030 DTSTART:20180930T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Orange is the new colour for Reconciliation and Justice UID:3318 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/orange-is-the-new-colour-for-reconciliation- and-justice END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thanksgiving Sunday\, October 7\, 2018 DTEND:20181007T110000 DTSTAMP:20180707T113003 DTSTART:20181007T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A service of readings\, prayers and hymns UID:3320 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-october-7-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider shared three stories of justice and injustice. The first story was about an Afghan family helped through the immigration process in Vancouver by neighbours\, the Sherbrooke Refugee Food Bank\, and the Salvation Army. “Stolen Waters\, Thirsty People” set the story of the Woman at the Well in the Shoal Lake 40 First Nation (included in the book\, Unsettling the Word: Biblical Experiments in Decolonization). The third story was about a Mennonite family in the Holdeman Church deeply a ffected by a case of alcoholism and shunning. As James 1:27 suggests\, ma y we care for orphans and widows in their distress\, and keep ourselves u nstained by the world. [KH] DTEND:20181014T110000 DTSTAMP:20181014T113005 DTSTART:20181014T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Stories of Justice and Injustice UID:3322 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/stories-of-justice-and-injustice END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen (Menno Simons Centre Residence Coordinator)\, co ntinued his series on Mark with the tension between our desire for physic al health and the holistic healing ministry of Jesus\, which emphasized s piritual restoration. Jesus is known as a healer\, in part because of the many stories of his healing work in the Gospel of Mark\, and also becaus e modern Christians pray in Christ's name for God to heal them. May we le arn to see God in the miracles of medicine and value our bodies\, trustin g in Christ's ultimate victory over death. [KH] DTEND:20181021T110000 DTSTAMP:20181021T113153 DTSTART:20181021T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jesus\, the Healing One UID:3324 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-the-healing-one END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld compared two patterns for human flourishing base d on the creation accounts in Genesis 1:24-31 and Genesis 2:18-25 (what J oseph B. Soloveitchik coined "Adam I and Adam II" in his book The Lonely Man of Faith). Adam I is about résumé values – the majestically utilitari an domination of one's environment in pursuit of professional and materia l success. Adam II is about eulogy values – Jesus modeled these by placin g value in humility\, sacrifice\, relationships\, and stewardship in meet ing the needs of the world. As David Brooks writes about his 2015 book Th e Road to Character\, may we develop moral depth while caring for others\ , without becoming proud. [KH]\n\nNOTE: following the service\, a potluck lunch and Congregational meeting were held. DTEND:20181028T110000 DTSTAMP:20181028T113046 DTSTART:20181028T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Adam 1 and 2 UID:3326 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/adam-1-and-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Please stay after the worship service to join us for a potluck lunch\, followed by a congregational meeting.\n\n DTEND:20181028T133000 DTSTAMP:20181022T071049 DTSTART:20181028T113000 GEO:49.262671;-123.194082 LOCATION:Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship @ 4000 W 11th Ave\, Vancouv er\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Potluck lunch + Congregational Meeting UID:28 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/potluck-meeting-28-oct-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the Sunday closest to All Saints’ Day\, Dr. J. Evan Kreider (Professor Emeritus of Music\, UBC) led us through the Bible passages wh ich predict the resurrection of the dead. What happens to us between deat h and the final judgment is a mystery\, but we know from Romans 8:38 that nothing can separate us from the love of God. Our hope can be built on J esus’ promise that the believing thief on the cross would join him in Par adise (Luke 23:43). The Apostles’ Creed – and even some songs in our Menn onite hymnal – include belief in the communion of saints. [KH] DTEND:20181104T110000 DTSTAMP:20181004T113006 DTSTART:20181104T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:"and I believe in the resurrection of the dead\, and in the age to come" UID:3378 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/resurrection-of-the-dead-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Peace Sunday\, Thomas Bergen (Menno Simons Centre Residence Coordinator) continued his series on Mark by leading us to see how Jesus ' claim of authority over the Sabbath and Family threatened the religious establishment enough for them to want to kill him. Thomas challenged us to consider: what symbols have we allowed to usurp Jesus's authority in o ur lives? We can truly be peacemakers when we submit to the reign of the Prince of Peace\, who calls us to serve beyond our identity markers of na tion\, tribe\, and our own desires. [KH] DTEND:20181111T110000 DTSTAMP:20181111T113014 DTSTART:20181111T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Gospel of Mark and the Identity of Jesus - Jesus the Authorita tive One UID:3376 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-the-authoritative-one END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Veronica Dyck (Ph.D.\, Religious Social Ethics) spoke on t he story of Hannah\, who prayed so fervently for a son that the priest El i mistook her for being intoxicated. Her bargain with God was that if she bore a male child\, he would become a nazirite in the Lord's service. Af ter enduring taunting for barrenness from her co-wife Peninnah with husba nd Elkanah\, Hannah gave birth to Samuel\, who would go on to lead the He brew people through the transition to rule by kings. Hannah's song in 1 S amuel 2 expressed praise to God for communal and personal blessings. Like other barren matriarch stories in the Bible\, this counter-testimony sho ws us a way to praise God for faithfulness in the midst of pain. [KH] DTEND:20181118T110000 DTSTAMP:20181118T113011 DTSTART:20181118T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:“And Hannah had no children”: From barrenness to blessing\, women as oracles of hope. UID:3356 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/and-hannah-had-no-children END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:In an era when we blindly navigate using the Global Positionin g System (GPS)\, Janet Boldt gave us the analogy of how paper maps and a navigator can enrich a journey\, as the Bible and companions in faith can help us through life. While technology can fail\, God can provide our in ternal compass. The "little old lady from Pasadena" was a weekly pen pal who helped Janet in her path from inner-city ministry in Fresno to teachi ng at Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford. Janet's grandmother Emma left a diary of her time as a Deaconess in Ukraine\, which she is now compili ng into a book. If we get lost trying to understand theology\, we can be held by God and a community of fellow travelers. May we learn to walk in the company of those who know The Way. [KH] DTEND:20181125T110000 DTSTAMP:20181125T113115 DTSTART:20181125T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pilgrimage in a GPS era UID:3380 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pilgrimage-in-a-gps-era END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the first Sunday of Advent\, Rosie Perera shared from her p ersonal experience of struggling to wait and watch for God's answer to pr ayer. The promises we find in the Bible often have multiple progressive f ulfillments over many generations. Our modern culture of instant gratific ation is frenetic and fills us with anxiety. We would be better off follo wing the example of Rosie's dearly departed dog: attentively scanning the horizon for the Master's leading\, trusting even when things take longer than we expect. [KH] DTEND:20181202T110000 DTSTAMP:20181202T113008 DTSTART:20181202T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Watching and Waiting UID:3382 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/watching-and-waiting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We held our annual Sing-along Messiah featuring arias by four soloists – Thomas Bergen\, Nadine He\, Ann Marie Mossman\, and Jane Pulki ngham – and a violin solo by Angela Ruthven. The congregation and many gu ests enthusiastically comprised the chorus that filled our chapel.  Our g rateful thanks to Ruth Enns who provided the orchestra from the piano\, a nd to J. Evan Kreider who created and led the program. [AP]\nNOTE: no aud io recording is available. DTEND:20181209T110000 DTSTAMP:20181209T113124 DTSTART:20181209T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah UID:3384 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sing-along-messiah-advent-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the third Sunday of Advent\, Laura Eriksson explored the pa radox of God's holiness and humility in Christ. Leviticus 21 tells the st ory of a people set apart by strict standards for holiness. In Alan Kreid er's Journey Towards Holiness (1987)\, the character of the Inexpressible One is described as holy in four ways: a Living Force\, Separateness\, G od-Likeness\, and Dynamism. The angels announcement to the shepherds was an outpouring of radiance as Jesus became God With Us (Emmanuel). May we in the church heed John the Baptist's call to generosity\, honesty\, and gratitude in anticipation of Jesus' arrival. [KH] DTEND:20181216T110000 DTSTAMP:20181216T113057 DTSTART:20181216T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Holy\, Humble Radiance UID:3386 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/holy-humble-radiance END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Join us for a potluck breakfast before the service! DTEND:20181223T100000 DTSTAMP:20181216T070041 DTSTART:20181223T090000 GEO:49.262671;-123.194082 LOCATION:Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship @ 4000 West 11th Avenue\, V ancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, C anada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Potluck Breakfast UID:2 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/potluck-breakfast END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:PGIMF celebrated the Advent season with a Christmas service of lessons and carols. A number of visitors joined us at 9:00 a.m. for our potluck breakfast. DTEND:20181223T110000 DTSTAMP:20181223T113016 DTSTART:20181223T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Service of Lessons & Carols UID:3388 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-december-23-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:No service will be held in the MSC chapel. You may want to att end the joint Downtown Eastside service to be hosted at the Chinatown Pea ce Church (Mennonite) at 375 East Pender\, beginning at 11 a.m. Artisan ( Mennonite Brethren) is one of the other congregations that will be part o f this. See details at https://www.chinatownpeace.ca/events-calendar/2018 /12/30/dtes-churches-combined-gathering\nDTES Churches Combined Gathering \, December 30\, 11:00am: Chinatown Peace Church is hosting the DTES chur ches for a worship service followed by a potluck lunch of soup and buns.  Please talk with Sandra if you would like to help out with the lunch pre p. Everyone is invited to consider bringing a pot of soup to contribute. DTEND:20181230T110000 DTSTAMP:20181225T093159 DTSTART:20181230T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:No Service - last Sunday of 2018 UID:3390 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-december-30-2018 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Epiphany Sunday\, John Klassen\, Ph.D. (Professor Emeritus of History at TWU) spoke on the history of God and God's people\, from Ge nesis to Revelation. Throughout the intertwining of good and evil by huma nkind\, after periodic rebukes\, God is quick to return to mercy – a comi ngling of punishment and grace. The final words of the Bible include an i nclusive call to let anyone who wishes take the free gift of the water of life (Rev. 22:17). [KH]\n\nDuring the service\, our annual focus on chur ch membership reminded us that we can express our commitment to Christ th rough baptism and participation in the local and wider church. DTEND:20190106T110000 DTSTAMP:20190106T113330 DTSTART:20190106T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God\, and God's People UID:3490 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/church-history-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Klippenstein continued the exploration of the metaphors of Adam 1 and Adam 2 (which Henry Neufeld started in a sermon on Oct. 28\ , 2018) and the development of moral character described in David Brooks' book The Road to Character. Two of the stories in the book particularly demonstrate a model of divine grace promoted by St. Augustine: Mary Anne Evans (a.k.a. George Eliot) and Dorothy Day (co-founder of the Catholic W orker Movement). Those who feel touched by Grace seek to delight God. In community\, may we each strive to be a better person than we were yesterd ay – as we belong to God and to each other. [KH] DTEND:20190113T110000 DTSTAMP:20190113T113115 DTSTART:20190113T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Road to Character UID:3492 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-road-to-character END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On World Fellowship Sunday\, Annika Krause gave the first of a two-part sermon series on being open to fellowship with Christians havin g a variety of gifts and manifestations of the Holy Spirit. As a demonstr ation of one culture's unique form of expressing deep theological truths\ , she played the gospel song Spirit in the Dark (2002\, The Blind Boys of Alabama). The World Council of Churches shared 12 Faces of Hope as part of a campaign seeking justice and peace in the Holy Land. Our traditions and stories as Mennonites are only one part of the Body of Christ. Will w e make space for the voices of other believers\, including Palestinian an d First Nations Christians? [KH] DTEND:20190120T110000 DTSTAMP:20190120T113041 DTSTART:20190120T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Fellowship By One and the Same Spirit UID:3494 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/fellowship-by-one-and-the-same-spirit END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Annika Krause gave the second of a two-part sermon series on f ellowship. Psalm 133 tells us how very good and pleasant it is when kindr ed live together in unity! When a member of the Body of Christ (as descri bed in 1 Corinthians 12) inflicts pain\, the church as a whole suffers fo r it\, including the one who caused it. Like the precious oil poured out in abundance at High Priest Aaron's ordination\, the blessing of order an d peace flows over us as we seek community and reconciliation together. M ay we all as Brothers and Sisters in Christ be gracious with each other i n the upcoming church and denominational annual meetings. [KH] DTEND:20190127T110000 DTSTAMP:20190127T113041 DTSTART:20190127T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Fellowship is Like Oil on the Head UID:3496 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/fellowship-is-like-oil-on-the-head END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andrea Perrett gave the first of a 2-sermon series on Caring f or God's Created World: Lessons from a trip to Malawi with Canadian Food Grains Bank on behalf of Presbyterian World Service & Development. She sh owed photos and stories about the conservation agriculture projects in th at country in southern Africa. By equipping farmers with the knowledge of sustainable and affordable farming techniques\, communities can be more resilient to the effects of climate change. Ephesians 4:16 encourages us to build each other up in love. The materially-wealthy parts of the Body of Christ can be equipped by lessons in gratitude\, prayer and caring fro m the church in the developing world. [KH]\n\nNOTE: you may also watch th e 21-minute narrated slideshow (streaming 720p). DTEND:20190203T110000 DTSTAMP:20180203T113108 DTSTART:20190203T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Equipping UID:3498 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/equipping-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Andrea Perrett gave the second of a 2-part series on Caring fo r God's Created World: Lessons from a trip to Malawi with Canadian Food G rains Bank on behalf of Presbyterian World Service & Development. Christi an aid workers from the West are increasingly being equipped by the humil ity and spontaneous prayer demonstrated in the African communities they'r e helping. The Apostle Paul's letter to the Philippians is an example of a reciprocal relationship of mutual blessing. We can experience gratitude through the singing of the staff at a recently-constructed maternity hos pital. [KH]\n\nNOTE: you may also watch the 23-minute narrated slideshow (streaming 720p).\n\n DTEND:20190210T110000 DTSTAMP:20190210T113005 DTSTART:20190210T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Caring for God's Created World (Pt 2) UID:3500 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/being-equipped-part-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke on "Geist und Wurst" in reference to The Affair of the Sausages (1522) – the Swiss Reformation challenge to churc h-mandated fasting. Abstaining or fasting during Lent can help us focus o n prayers of repentance\, mourning\, or healing. In the 40 days between A sh Wednesday and Easter Sunday (after excluding the 6 Sundays)\, we might consider giving up certain foods or luxuries and donating the savings to charity. But the Biblical examples of fasting are clear that it must not be for show\, and God's desire is that we loosen the bonds of injustice (Isaiah 58:6). [KH] DTEND:20190217T110000 DTSTAMP:20190217T113110 DTSTART:20190217T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:"Geist und Wurst" UID:3502 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/geist-und-wurst END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dori Zerbe Cornelsen\, Director of Development for Canadian Me nnonite University and former PGIMFer\, spoke on Luke 6:27–38\, a favouri te Anabaptist passage which instructs us to be different from just about everybody else in the world by actually treating "others as you would lik e people to treat you."  Some modern politicians prefer that we view 'the others' as our enemies\, that we objectify people instead of learning to know those who angrily protest against our views.  As part of his upside -down approach to Kingdom\, Jesus radically asks that we not think of any body as being 'the others' or even as our enemies\, but instead "love"\, "do good to"\, "bless"\, and "pray for" those who do not agree with our w orld view." [JEK]\n DTEND:20190224T110000 DTSTAMP:20190224T113311 DTSTART:20190224T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Not Simple at All UID:3504 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/not-simple-at-all END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Stay after the worship service or join us after yours for a po tluck lunch! Be sure to join us even if you aren’t able to bring somethin g\; there will be plenty to go around. DTEND:20190224T130000 DTSTAMP:20190127T072900 DTSTART:20190224T113000 GEO:49.262680;-123.193929 LOCATION:PGIMF @ 4000 W 11th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vanco uver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Potluck Lunch! UID:24 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/potluck-lunch-3 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen (Residence Coordinator at the Menno Simons Centr e and alumnus of Regent College)\, continued his series on Mark: The Iden tity of Jesus. Jesus asked hundreds of questions and answered most questi ons posed to him with even more in reply\, inspiring amazement in his lis teners. As a Master Teacher\, Jesus facilitated a learning process of sel f-discovery by telling stories and parables to describe the as-yet-unknow n reality of the Kingdom of God. The Parable of the Soils in Mark 4 defin es the 3 types of disciples who fail to fully learn from Christ: schmooze rs (self-serving flatterers)\, flakes (like the rich young ruler\, hoping for a different answer)\, and logic-choppers (questioning purely to impr ess). Are we asking the right questions? [KH] DTEND:20190303T110000 DTSTAMP:20190203T113138 DTSTART:20190303T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jesus\, the Teaching One UID:3507 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-the-teaching-one END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Four new members joined the church from other congregations.  We are exceedingly pleased to welcome Michael\, Travis\, Laura and Gerry.   It was the 1st Sunday of Lent and Communion was held.\n\nNOTE: the audi o recording posted here includes two of the four testimonies after a brie f introduction by the worship leader\, Veronica. The other two testimonie s are available to listen to on the CD only. DTEND:20190310T110000 DTSTAMP:20190310T113044 DTSTART:20190310T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Membership Sunday UID:3509 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/membership-sunday-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, March 17\, 2019\, Menno Simons Centre alumnus Kevi n Hiebert explored the conflict raised in students reared on a Creationis t interpretation of Biblical texts when they come up against scientific e vidence in university classes and debates. In a talk entitled "Perfectly Placed Artifacts"\, Kevin noted that popular religionists such as the Hem bree family (JOY TV) offer arguments laced with fallacies to support posi tions favouring revealed truth and over-simplified history\, while dismis sing the evidence of archaeology\, sociology\, biology\, geology and hist ory. Yet scientists since before Darwin have for centuries allowed faith to inform science without abolishing it. In the best scientific tradition \, Kevin dismissed the interfering God of young-earth archaeology and int elligent design\, favouring instead our God the Creator and Sustainer\, w hose care for us best supports our development as humans while keeping th e findings of science in perspective. Kevin cites Isaac Asimov's Guide to the Bible (1969) as signal support in this\, calling on 1 Cor. 13:10-11 in helping us put away childish things in favour of the full knowledge Go d offers. [AP]. DTEND:20190317T110000 DTSTAMP:20190317T113036 DTSTART:20190317T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Perfectly placed artifacts UID:3511 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/perfectly-placed-artifacts END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the 3rd Sunday of Lent\, former Menno Simons Centre residen t and PGIMF alumna\, Heather Pauls Murray\, reflected on ways in which mo untain hiking has nourished her soul and life. In antiquity\, many high p laces were thought to be so special spiritually that they were dedicated to the gods. Millennia later\, even secular Romantic poets felt that the vastness of mountains offered a sense of the infinite. We too\, like Jesu s\, should take time to experience mountains with the intent of getting n ew perspectives on the ruts of our thinking and daily living. [JEK] DTEND:20190324T110000 DTSTAMP:20190324T113135 DTSTART:20190324T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mountains UID:3513 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mountains-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the fourth Sunday of Lent\, Jeff C. Borden\, in private pra ctice and teaching\, and as the Executive Director of the Place of Refuge transitional living program in Vancouver\, spoke on the hope found in st ories of recovery from addiction. Addictions to drugs\, alcohol\, or gamb ling can be the consequence of pain\, isolation\, peer pressure\, or ment al health barriers. The society's program — started by several Mennonite churches in South Vancouver — uses an abstinence-based model which includ es assisting in the spiritual recovery of the individual. It can take a y ear or two for people to get well and regain stability in their lives by living in a safe environment with gentle support. [KH] DTEND:20190331T110000 DTSTAMP:20190331T113027 DTSTART:20190331T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Recovery from Addiction UID:3515 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/recovery-from-addiction END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Thomas Bergen (Residence Coordinator at the Menno Simons Centr e and alumnus of Regent College)\, continued his series on Mark: The Iden tity of  Jesus with a comparison of Herod's death-dealing banquet and Jes us' life-giving banquet and a challenge for Jesus' disciples to reflect J esus' hospitality. While Herold's banquet took the life of John the Bapti st\, Jesus saved lives by creating abundance from 5 loaves and 2 fish. Wh en those at Herold's banquet were grabbing for power\, Jesus shared power with others. When Herold saved face by hosting a banquet for show\, Jesu s took risks by opening himself up so that others may be saved. [JL]\n\n5 th Sunday of Lent DTEND:20190407T110000 DTSTAMP:20190407T113021 DTSTART:20190407T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mark series: The Identity of Jesus\; Jesus the Hospitable One UID:3517 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-the-hospitable-one END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Palm Sunday\, we heard from Anita Fast (former worker with Christian Peacemaker Teams\, and current Registrar at Vancouver School of Theology) on the power of Christ to evoke praise for God from all creati on. While the events of the week leading up to Easter contain betrayal an d murder\, Jesus brought holiness to an otherwise repulsive situation. Ch rist's rebuke of the Pharisees' attempts to silence his palm-waving suppo rters echoed the stones crying out for justice in Habakkuk 2:11-12. How b lessed is the One who comes in the name of the Lord - Hallelujah! [KH] DTEND:20190414T110000 DTSTAMP:20190414T113137 DTSTART:20190414T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Holy (Redacted)! UID:3519 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/holy-redacted END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:You are warmly welcomed to our Easter Sunday service\, beginni ng with a potluck breakfast at 9:00 a.m. sharp\, followed by our traditio nal service of scriptures and songs celebrating the risen Lord.\n\n DTEND:20190421T100000 DTSTAMP:20190418T003139 DTSTART:20190421T090000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:PGIMF @ 4000 West 11th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Potluck Easter Breakfast (2019) UID:29 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/potluck-easter-breakfast-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:You are warmly welcomed to our Easter Sunday service\, beginni ng with a potluck breakfast at 9:00 a.m. sharp\, followed by our traditio nal service of scriptures and songs celebrating the risen Lord. DTEND:20190421T110000 DTSTAMP:20190419T113030 DTSTART:20190421T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Sunday UID:3521 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-sunday-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ron Reed (founding Artistic Director of Pacific Theatre) offer ed insight into what it means to be a sheep of the Sheperd\, and how diff icult they can often be. Ron talked of some of the problems that came wit h managing Pacific Theatre\, and how it seeped into both his artistic pur suits and his spiritual life. He then shared a painting "Sermon on the Mo unt"  by Claude Lorrain and commented on various parts of it. Being a she ep doesn't necessarily mean that you are docile\, and being comforted isn 't necessarily comfortable. [JL]\n\nThere was also a Congregational Annua l Meeting immediately following the service\, at which the business of th e church was discussed and plans made for the coming year. DTEND:20190428T110000 DTSTAMP:20190428T113051 DTSTART:20190428T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Sheep of His Pasture UID:3523 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-sheep-of-his-pasture-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Please stay after the pizza lunch to attend the congregational Annual General Meeting where the business of the church will be transact ed\, including proposed budget\, nominations and reports from various com mittees.  Members and regular attenders all welcome. DTEND:20190428T140000 DTSTAMP:20190418T002213 DTSTART:20190428T123000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:PGIMF @ 4000 West 11th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Congregational Meeting UID:30 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/annual-general-meeting-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Steve Anonby challenged us to think of the Sabbath as a discip line to be embraced\, not legalistically\, but as a way to respect God's command that we periodically rest. The intentional "waste" of a day disco urages us from the gluttonous exploitation of our God-given time. Making every effort to rest each week heals our bodies and minds\, awakens our c reativity\, and helps us reflect\, ponder and gain perspective. Like John Cage's composition of 4 minutes and 33 seconds of silence\, Steve tested our discomfort with 50 seconds silence\, which felt like an eternity! [K H] DTEND:20190505T110000 DTSTAMP:20190505T113036 DTSTART:20190505T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sabbath as Discipline UID:3611 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sabbath-as-discipline END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gareth Brandt (Professor of Practical Theology - Columbia Bibl e College) shared his poetry about three names that metaphorically descri be God: "I Am" (YHWH\, too holy to be pronounceable)\, "Nursing Mother" ( more than just feminine aspects of God as Father)\, and "Abba" (Daddy\, a s Jesus' very personal term of endearment). The more we open up to the my stery of God's many names\, the less likely we are to fall into idolatry\ , since God cannot be confined to a single metaphor. In gathering togethe r to share our language for God's working in our lives\, we are inspired to respond in worship and in life. [KH] DTEND:20190512T110000 DTSTAMP:20190512T113142 DTSTART:20190512T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:How shall we address God? UID:3613 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/how-shall-we-address-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jon Nofziger returned from an MCC learning tour in Colombia an d brought back greetings from the Mennonite Brethren Churches there. Thre e years into the country's peace accord process\, there is still much to do in terms of practical peacebuilding\, including finding alternatives t o the lucrative drug trade for farmers and former rebels. In the Chocó re gion\, children at peace clubs are introducing their parents to a differe nt way of solving conflicts. Nonviolence is a core part of the Anabaptist identity in a context where the risk of violence is very real. [KH] DTEND:20190519T110000 DTSTAMP:20190519T113033 DTSTART:20190519T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Greetings and encouragement from Colombia UID:3615 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/greetings-and-encouragement-from-colombia END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Retreat Committee CONTACT:info@pgimf.org DESCRIPTION:The 2019 PGIMF Retreat will be held between 6pm on Friday nigh t May 24th through Sunday lunchtime on May 26th for a special retreat. No service will be held in the chapel of the Menno Simons Centre — please j oin us at Camp Luther\, 9311 Shook Rd\, Mission\, BC.\n\nThis year the th eme is “Piecing it Together”!\n\nPlease register online and if you’ve alr eady registered but haven’t paid yet\, you can also pay your registration fee (non-receiptable) by sending an Interac e-Transfer to the Treasurer. \n\nIf you prefer to work with paper\, print your registration form\, or see the mailboxes at the back of the church for a paper registration form and information brochure and return it to any member of the retreat comm ittee.\n\nP.S. see last year's menu here. DTEND:20190526T130000 DTSTAMP:20190425T162635 DTSTART:20190524T180000 GEO:49.171723;-122.242022 LOCATION:Camp Luther Retreat and Conference Centre @ 9311 Shook Rd\, Frase r Valley G\, BC V2V 7M2\, Canada\, \, British Columbia V2V 7M2\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Church Retreat at Camp Luther UID:31 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/church-retreat-at-camp-luther-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, May 26\, 2019\, PGIMF held its annual church retre at at Camp Luther on the theme “Piecing it Together” where the fellowship demonstrated skill and creativity in a wide variety of arts and crafts f rom clay modelling\, rug weaving\, calligraphy and stained glass\, to squ are dancing. DTEND:20190526T110000 DTSTAMP:20190526T113043 DTSTART:20190526T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Camp Luther UID:3617 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/retreat-at-camp-luther-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Hephzibah ("Hepsi") Chand\, a graduate of Regent College in pa storal studies\, spoke on Jesus' counter-intuitive parable of the vineyar d workers. In the parable\, the housekeeper not only paid the workers who worked one hour first\, he paid them the same amount as the first batch of workers. It is really easy and unwise for the 'hard-working' Christian s to become jealous when Jesus shows compassion for "last-minute' Christi ans. [JL] DTEND:20190602T110000 DTSTAMP:20190302T113038 DTSTART:20190602T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Last Shall Be First: The Revolutionary Teaching of Jesus UID:3619 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-last-shall-be-first END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Four new members joined the church. We are exceedingly pleased to welcome Caleb\, Angelina\, Stephanie\, and Chan. It was Pentecost and Communion was held.\n\nNOTE: the audio recording posted here includes al l four testimonies after a brief introduction by the worship leader\, And re. DTEND:20190609T110000 DTSTAMP:20190309T113036 DTSTART:20190609T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Membership & Pentecost Sunday UID:3621 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/membership-sunday-2-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld told the stories of a strange radical group call ed the Sons of Freedom and their peace-loving parent group\, the Doukhobo rs. The Doukhobors\, a communal and spiritual Christian group\, were paci fists living in Russia before the country started persecuting them. They were able to escape thanks to generous help from the British Quakers and Leo Tolstoy\; they first went to Cyprus\, then to Canada after realizing that the living conditions weren't favorable. In the 1930s\, the Sons of Freedom had expressed anti-government sentiments and disdain for anything government-related in a rather destructive manner\; they had nude protes ts and destroyed government properties. Even though some of the descendan ts of the recipients of that kindness ended up doing destructive things\, that does not negate the value of “senseless acts of kindness”. [JL] DTEND:20190616T110000 DTSTAMP:20190316T113021 DTSTART:20190616T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Stories of Transformation UID:3660 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/stories-of-transformation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, June 23\, 2019\, we will be joining other local Po int Grey congregations for a joint worship service in Trimble Park (2250 Trimble Street\, Vancouver\, several blocks north of West 10th Avenue).\n \n\n DTEND:20190623T110000 DTSTAMP:20190619T113108 DTSTART:20190623T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:***No Service at PGIMF*** Worship in the Park\, Ecumenical Service \, June 23\, 2019 UID:3662 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/worship-in-the-park-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday June 30\, 2019\, there will be no service at PGIMF. Instead\, we are invited to the joint service with Mennonite Church Canad a assembly in Abbotsford. For more information see http://ignitegathering 2019.ca. DTEND:20190630T110000 DTSTAMP:20190330T113009 DTSTART:20190630T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:***No service at PGIMF*** Joint service with Mennonite Church Cana da assembly UID:3664 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-june-30-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Steve Heinrichs (Director\, Indigenous-Settler Relations for M ennonite Church Canada) reminded us that one of the 94 calls to action fr om the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is for faith groups to s upport the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP).  Steve was challenged to find concrete ways to embody his conviction that reconciliation is critical for the church to fully recognize that God be came poor in Jesus. With other church leaders\, Steve discerned that he w as called to accept the invitation from the Tsleil-Waututh to support the defense of their land and water against the Trans Mountain pipeline expa nsion. How much is reconciliation worth to us\, and what are we doing abo ut it? [KH]\n\n DTEND:20190707T110000 DTSTAMP:20190707T113317 DTSTART:20190707T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The God who became poor & the rights of the poor UID:3694 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-who-became-poor END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Henry Neufeld DESCRIPTION:Saturday July 13\,1030 a.m. PGIMF visit to St. James Community Square\, 3214 W 10th Ave\, (10th and Trutch).\n\nParking on the street o r behind the building.  Please use the side door entrance off Trutch St.\ , no stairs. \n\nThere’s a ramp to the door\; Henry N. has the code for t he door. As a potential site for PGIMF it’s important that as many as pos sible attend. DTEND:20190713T113000 DTSTAMP:20190706T080058 DTSTART:20190713T103000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:St. James Community Square @ 3214 W. 10th Ave.\, Vancouver\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Church Site Visit UID:32 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/church-site-visit-13-july-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Sportack spoke about the strange and elusive nature of j oy. Specifically\, she spoke about The Otherness of Joy (Deut. 30:9-16)\; The Direction of Joy (Psalm 25:1-10)\; The Communion of Joy (Col. 1:3-14 )\;  and The Paradox of Joy (Luke 10:25-36).. While attempting to "captur e" joy through pleasant experiences can often lead to disappointment\, jo y can manifest itself spontaneously through sharing\, caring about others \, and allowing oneself to be vulnerable. [JL]\n\n DTEND:20190714T110000 DTSTAMP:20190414T113031 DTSTART:20190714T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Indirection of Joy UID:3696 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/indirection-of-joy END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Matthia Langone (MATS Regent College\, D.Min. VST\, iconograph er and lecturer) walked us through the context and meaning portrayed in h er painting of the occasion of Mary’s visitation with her cousin Elizabet h as recorded in Luke 1:39-45. The more important reality of that scene w as the moment of recognition for both women of the mystery of God’s worki ng in their lives\, also witnessed by a mute Zechariah. Mary's song of pr aise (The Magnificat) was prompted by this moment of revelation\, not the archangel's earlier annunciation to her\, as we might have expected. Chr ist’s ministry was all about helping us to recognize God\, asking us all: “who do you say that I am?” [KH]\n\n \n\n \n\n\n Recognition (2019 paint ing by Matthia Langone) - photo provided by Veronica Dyck\n \n\n \n\n \n DTEND:20190721T110000 DTSTAMP:20190721T113218 DTSTART:20190721T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Recognition UID:3698 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/recognition-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown delivered J. Evan Kreider's message on the new comm andment that Jesus gave his disciples in John 13:34\, "that you love one another." In anticipation of his imminent death\, Jesus was surprisingly direct with this imperative to his followers. Of all the things that Jesu s could have emphasized in his final days\, he didn't focus on doctrine\, interpretation\, or a particular spiritual discipline. The early church grew rapidly in no small part due to their emphasis on living as a visibl y caring community. May we too be recognized as disciples of Christ by ou r love for one another. [KH] DTEND:20190728T110000 DTSTAMP:20190728T113105 DTSTART:20190728T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:This is My New Commandment UID:3700 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/this-is-my-new-commandment END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Angelika Dawson\, communications manager for Communitas Care S ervices\, spoke on the relevance of Psalm 88 (The Message) to those suffe ring with issues of mental health.  Although Psalm 88 is a deep lament an d an expression of utter despair\, this Psalm gives us three gifts: #1 it shows us what deep\, dark despair looks like\, #2 it gives us a voice in the darkness\, #3 in that darkness\, an expression of deep faith. Psalm 88 gives us permission to express our despair without judgment and in doi ng so\, enables us to deepen our relationship with God. [JL] DTEND:20190804T110000 DTSTAMP:20190804T113002 DTSTART:20190804T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hello Darkness\, My Old Friend UID:3722 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hello-darkness-my-old-friend END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Aslam Bulbulia and Shagufta Pasta (married couple) presented s tories and reflections on what the annual celebration of Eid al-Adha mean s to the Muslim community. The accounts of faithful obedience by both Abr aham and Hagar in the Abrahamic traditions demonstrate a persistent hope which is rooted in action. The Feast of the Sacrifice is an opportunity t o consider how the sacred gift of life that we as meat-eaters receive fro m animals should inform our ethics of eating and living the rest of the y ear. After the service\, a small celebratory meal was shared. [KH] DTEND:20190811T110000 DTSTAMP:20190811T113054 DTSTART:20190811T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Sacrifice UID:3726 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-sacrifice-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Young Tae Choi (M.Div.\, worship leader at Dunwood Place Senio rs Complex) spoke about two important motivations in serving ministries—t he fear of God and the love of Christ—as exemplified in the lives of the apostle Paul (with reference to 2 Cor. 5:11-20) and that of a memorable K orean minister\, Yang-won Son. Paul didn't give up on the immature congre gation of Corinth because he believed that the reconciling ministry of Ch rist was the best model for promoting reverential awe for the holiness of God. Pastor Son in the town of Soon-chun did not want the murderer of hi s two teenage sons executed\, but adopted the perpetrator as his own son and led him to Christ. As ambassadors of Christ's reconciliation\, what a re our motivations for serving the church and the world? [KH]\n\n DTEND:20190818T110000 DTSTAMP:20190818T113203 DTSTART:20190818T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Message of Reconciliation UID:3732 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-message-of-reconciliation-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown spoke about how wonder and awe bring us closer to G od and how we must encourage it in our lives. When Jesus instantly healed the bent-over woman (Luke 13)\, the synagogue leader obsessed over the s abbath rulebook instead of recognizing the miracle. We can build up our s ense of wonder by thinking of everything we see as if it's for the first time\, or potentially the last time\, rather than exercising our sense of greed. Wonderful things come into our lives when we pay attention to the myriad amazing creations of God. [KH] DTEND:20190825T110000 DTSTAMP:20190825T113047 DTSTART:20190825T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Wonder and Awe UID:3760 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/wonder-and-awe-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jodi Spargur\, a graduate of Regent College and a founding pas tor of a church made up of many indigenous people (God's House of Many Fa ces)\, spoke about reconciliation and what it means to play the part of t he accused instead of the hero. Jodi describes herself as "a settler of N ordic/German heritage living and working on the unceded territory of the Squamish\, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh Peoples." As such\, even though sh e never perpetrated against the indigenous people\, the role she needs to play if she wants to truly bring reconciliation is that of a perpetrator asking for forgiveness. Jodi is currently leading the work of Healing at the Wounding Place\, based out of Grandview Calvary Baptist Church\, loo king to engage people of faith and indigenous communities in walking into whole\, healing and just relationships. [JL] DTEND:20190901T110000 DTSTAMP:20190602T172024 DTSTART:20190901T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Covenant Paths to Reconciliation UID:3763 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/covenant-paths-to-reconciliation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:April Yamasaki (Resident Author with Valley CrossWay Church\, Editor of Purpose magazine\, and freelance writer & speaker) spoke on "Fi nding Our Way in the Wilderness". Isaiah 43 reminds us that as amazing as it was how the people of Israel (as a group\, not specific individuals) were brought out of slavery from Egypt\, God was about to do a new thing to give them hope despite their exile in Babylon. Even with so many exper iences of God's faithfulness\, we can't set up camp in the past\, but can look forward to a way through our own "wilderness" (uncertain changes in studies\, jobs\, relationships\, politics\, and more). Our identity can be found in belonging to God\, rather than in our living circumstances or vocation. [KH]\n\nWe were blessed by special music from April's friend L oraLyn Stobbe Dijk. After the service\, the 34th cohort of student reside nts of the Menno Simons Centre joined us for the last welcome BBQ at 4000 West 11th Avenue. DTEND:20190908T110000 DTSTAMP:20190908T113103 DTSTART:20190908T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Finding Our Way in the Wilderness UID:3789 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/finding-our-way-in-the-wilderness-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider asked us to consider the many examples of fait hful people making fervent prayers to our majestic Creator for their spec ific requests. In our communal prayers\, if God already knows what's on o ur hearts\, isn't it enough to share our joys and concerns and then concl ude with the Lord's Prayer? The words we choose in prayer can help us bet ter understand how to keep asking\, searching\, and knocking at the door. When a disciple asked Jesus\, "teach us to pray" in Luke 11\, the only p romise Jesus made was that the Holy Spirit will be given to those who ask . [KH] DTEND:20190915T110000 DTSTAMP:20190915T113249 DTSTART:20190915T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Teach us to Pray UID:3791 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/teach-us-to-pray-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Curtis Funk shared his views on the many hymns that are like w orks of art which draw us in and enrich our lives. Congregational singing is a uniquely corporate worship activity. Inspired music can move us int o moments of sublime transcendence. Curtis' sermon was delivered between songs led by Evan\, which have been mostly edited out for brevity\, with a few kept in the recording for context. Ben Horch referred to some of ou r most familiar hymns as Kernlieder ("kernel songs" in German). Through h ymns\, we can declare that Jesus Christ is Lord! [KH] DTEND:20190922T110000 DTSTAMP:20190922T113036 DTSTART:20190922T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Singing the Church's Song UID:3793 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/singing-the-churchs-song END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Join us on September 29th at 10am for our worship service at M enno Court\, 1750 E. 41st Avenue. We will have greeters at both the 41st and 43rd Avenue entrances. Parking is better along 43rd Avenue. If you ar e late and no one is at the door\, there will be a note about whom to sen d a text message to get in.\n\n DTEND:20190929T113000 DTSTAMP:20190928T081156 DTSTART:20190929T100000 GEO:49.231651;-123.070127 LOCATION:Menno Court @ 1750 East 41st Avenue\, Vancouver\, BC\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship service at Menno Court (Sept. 29) UID:33 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/worship-service-at-menno-court-sep29 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke at Menno Court on "Where are We in the St ory?" In Luke 16:19-31\, Jesus told the story of the beggar\, Lazarus\, a t Abraham's side beyond the grave\, and the unnamed rich man who regrette d not listening to Moses and the Prophets. Benjamin Unruh was a well-educ ated Russian Mennonite who explored emigration options from the Ukraine i n the 1920s. The 16th Century baroness Helena von Freyberg in Tirol\, Aus tria\, used her wealth and status to support the fledgling Anabaptist mov ement. Where are we in the many stories of need and injustice in the worl d today? Are we supporting the prophetic advocates among us\, are we perp etuating these problems\, or do we need to repent because we missed takin g a more radical action that would have been the better way? [KH]\nIn thi s photo\, Benjamin Unruh (mentioned in the sermon) is third from the left . Others are A.A. Friesen (with the wide smile)\, J.J. Esau\, and K. Wark entin in Hillsboro\, Kansas\, July 1920. A.A. Friesen is Ruth Enns's gran dfather\,  who was part of the committee from Russia that was looking for places to bring the Russian Mennonite refugees. John B. Toews recently p ublished an article on Ruth's Grandpa Friesen.  Here's a quote from it: " After B.H. Unruh returned to Germany\, Friesen became the pivotal figure in North America\, exploring settlement possibilities for his Russian Men nonite constituency."  His papers are in the CMBC archives. DTEND:20190929T110000 DTSTAMP:20190929T113310 DTSTART:20190929T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Where are we in the story UID:3848 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/where-are-we-in-the-story END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Klassen\, Ph.D. (Professor Emeritus of History at TWU) sp oke on the passages in Matthew which show how the kingdom of heaven is as sociated with agricultural growth and sharing the earth's bounty. The 201 6 book Progress: Ten Reasons to Look Forward to the Future by Johan Norbe rg includes many examples of social and technological advancements in the 19th & 20th Centuries which have contributed to the relief of much human suffering and greatly increased average life expectancy. In the same way that Mary's Magnificat used the past tense to anticipate the blessings o f God's presence with us\, can we celebrate the material progress of the past 200 years and look forward to a bright future? [KH] DTEND:20191006T110000 DTSTAMP:20191006T113114 DTSTART:20191006T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Celebrating the coming of the Kingdom of God UID:3795 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/celebrating-the-coming-kingdom-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, October 13\, 2019  PGIMF welcomed June & Calvin Le e and Sue Kim & Jung Yang as members of PGIMF in a special Thanksgiving s ervice created and conducted by moderator Veronica Dyck. DTEND:20191013T110000 DTSTAMP:20190713T104836 DTSTART:20191013T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Readings and Songs for Thanksgiving UID:3798 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/5226095 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Join us on October 20th at 10am for our worship service at St. James Community Square\, 3214 West 10th Avenue.\n\n DTEND:20191020T113000 DTSTAMP:20190928T083359 DTSTART:20191020T100000 GEO:49.263043;-123.176782 LOCATION:St. James Community Square @ 3214 West 10th Avenue\, Vancouver\, BC\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship services at St. James Community Square (Oct. 20) UID:34 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/worship-services-at-st-james-community-square- oct-20 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Paul Thiessen (MD\, FRCPC) informed us of new possibilitie s in living the full experience of being human in his talk on "Can Pain B e A Gift?"\, influenced by the book ‘The Gift of Pain’ by Paul Brand and Phillip Yancey\, which explores pain through the lens of leprosy where pa tients lose their sense of pain in the areas affected by infection and th ereby encounter grievous harm. This provides a window on the broader subj ect of pain and suffering. Paul Brand was an orthopedic surgeon who spent his life in India performing corrective surgery on those afflicted by le prosy.\n\n\n\nNote: this service was our second trial of new potential ho mes for our congregation and took place at St. James Community Square in Room 104 of 3214 W. 10th Ave. in Vancouver\, off Trutch Street.\n DTEND:20191020T110000 DTSTAMP:20191020T113126 DTSTART:20191020T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Can Pain Be A Gift? Service @ St. James Community Square UID:3800 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/can-pain-be-a-gift END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Myron A. Penner (Ph.D.\, Professor of Philosophy at Trinit y Western University and Director of the Humanitas Anabaptist-Mennonite C entre for Faith and Learning) told two stories about breaking up with rel igion. Early Western philosophers used Reason to critique the belief syst em based on the epic poems of the Greek pantheon. Jesus challenged the fo rms of Judaism that were ignoring the poor by reading Isaiah 61 to procla im the year of the Lord's favour at the start of his ministry. A theologi cal method called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral suggests that truth can be f ound through a combination of Scripture\, Tradition\, Reason and Experien ce. How can we best share the gospel of peace and reconciliation—a messag e of good news to the disadvantaged and oppressed? [KH] DTEND:20191027T110000 DTSTAMP:20191027T113054 DTSTART:20191027T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Philosophy\, Wisdom\, and a Gospel of Peace UID:3802 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/philosophy-wisdom-and-a-gospel-of-peace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Please stay after the service for our potluck lunch and attend the congregational meeting where the business of the church will be tran sacted\, including a discussion of our options for a new location.  Membe rs and regular attenders all welcome. DTEND:20191027T150000 DTSTAMP:20191021T062413 DTSTART:20191027T113000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:PGIMF @ 4000 West 11th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Potluck Lunch + Congregational Meeting UID:36 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/congregational-meeting-20191027 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Anne-Marie Ellithorpe (Ph.D.\, University of Queensland\, currently living in Vancouver) spoke on Friendship and Non-Violent Resist ance to Oppression. In the 1880s\, two Maori leaders in New Zealand\, Te Whiti o Rongomai & Tohu Kaka\, led their community in peaceful protests\, marked by white feathers as a sign of peace. What Gandhi learnt about Pa rihaka helped develop his pacifist understandings\, which in turn inspire d Martin Luther King Jr. and the U.S. Civil Rights Movement. May we too b e willing to compassionately challenge injustice\, as a necessary outwork ing of civic friendship that wills good for both the oppressor and the op pressed. [KH] DTEND:20191103T110000 DTSTAMP:20191103T113228 DTSTART:20191103T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Friendship and Non-Violent Resistance to Oppression UID:3857 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/friendship-and-nonviolent-resistance END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Join us on November 10th at 10am for our worship service at Pe ace Church on 52nd as we join with other Mennonite congregations.\n\n\n\n DTEND:20191110T113000 DTSTAMP:20190928T083835 DTSTART:20191110T100000 GEO:49.223385;-123.093789 LOCATION:Peace Church on 52nd @ 659 East 52nd Avenue\, Vancouver\, BC\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Worship service at Peace Church at 52nd UID:35 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/worship-service-at-peace-church-at-52nd END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday November 10\, 2019\, a joint service for Peace Sunda y was held with other congregations:\n\n Peace Church on 52nd (hosting c hurch)\n Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship\n Sherbrooke Mennonite\n Peace Mennonite Church (Richmond)\n Chinatown Peace Church\n\nListen t o the Scripture Reading of Micah 6:8 in English\, Spanish\, German\, Kore an and Cantonese\, followed by Lydia Cruttwell's sermon 'Is There Peace?' (audio\, 19 minutes\, 27 seconds).\n\nRead the article Many People - One Church (2-page PDF) by Henry Neufeld\, as published in the Nov. 13\, 201 9 issue of the MCBC Connect newsletter.\n\n Photo by Sue Kim DTEND:20191110T110000 DTSTAMP:20191110T113237 DTSTART:20191110T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Peace Sunday 2019 UID:3868 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/peace-sunday-november-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sue Nickel (Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries) pointed out ho w the Apostle Paul's call to rejoice and not worry about anything in Phil ippians 4 seems infeasible in the face of chronic depression\, especially one triggered by deep trauma. In the loneliness of such pain\, we can ta ke comfort that our worth as a human being is based on nothing more than being a beloved\, chosen\, and forgiven child of God. As we come alongsid e those with mental health challenges\, we can avoid stigmatizing their n eed for treatment and share how the example of Jesus offers the light of hope in all circumstances. [KH]\n\n\n DTEND:20191117T110000 DTSTAMP:20191117T113153 DTSTART:20191117T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Alone or Together? UID:3871 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/alone-or-together END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Eternity Sunday\, Dr. Ruth Derksen (Ph.D. Philosophy of Lan guages\, and author of Daughters in the City: Mennonite Maids in Vancouve r) spoke on "What's in a Word? Can faith mean anything outside of the lan guage used to express it?" Language is like a bottle\, a house with windo ws\, or eye-glasses — lenses through which we understand the world. Does the word Christian fully convey our response to how the Word became flesh and dwelt among us? [KH] DTEND:20191124T110000 DTSTAMP:20191124T113056 DTSTART:20191124T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What's In A Word? UID:3873 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/whats-in-a-word END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Rosie Perera DESCRIPTION:The Friday Group will meet in the Community Hub room of Peace Church on 52nd. DTEND:20191129T110000 DTSTAMP:20191126T070016 DTSTART:20191129T100000 GEO:49.223275;-123.091848 LOCATION:Peace Church on 52nd @ 659 52 AVE E\, Vancouver\, BC\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Friday Group UID:40 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/friday-group-2019nov29 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Sportack opened up the Advent Season with a meditation o n Isaiah 2:2-3 and how the prophetic welcoming of all nations relates to the three advents (comings) of Jesus Christ. The first advent is the comi ng of Jesus in a manger\, the second is the return of the Messiah in the future\, and the third is the welcoming of Jesus in our hearts. With an e ver-increasing cry for inclusion from the world\, we are called to accept Jesus' teaching and fulfill the prophesy from Isaiah by welcoming people from all nations into the spiritual home of God. [JL] DTEND:20191201T110000 DTSTAMP:20190811T203014 DTSTART:20191201T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Child of Welcome UID:3920 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-child-of-welcome END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Potluck dinner starts at 6:30pm. Please feel free to bring any salads\, desserts\, or drinks.\nStarting at 7:30pm\, a number of people will share their talents by singing\, playing an instrument\, reading a p oem\, stand-up comedy\, and a show-and-tell. DTEND:20191206T210000 DTSTAMP:20191126T072222 DTSTART:20191206T183000 GEO:49.262431;-123.196820 LOCATION:Menno Simons Centre @ 4000 West 11th Avenue\, Vancouver\, BC\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Coffee House UID:41 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/coffee-house-2019 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert opened up with a mock news report about the comp lete apparent absence of malice in fully-automated robots before talking about LAWS\, or Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems. LAWS are robots that c an independently make decisions on who lives and dies. Kevin likened the usage and development of LAWS to that of nuclear weapons\, and asserted t hat as Christians we should support the Campaign to Ban Killer Robots on www.stopkillerrobots.org [JL]. DTEND:20191208T110000 DTSTAMP:20190811T203132 DTSTART:20191208T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Love not LAWS UID:3922 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/love-not-laws END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Rosie Perera DESCRIPTION:The Friday Group will meet in the Community Hub room of Peace Church on 52nd. DTEND:20191213T110000 DTSTAMP:20191126T071716 DTSTART:20191213T100000 GEO:49.223275;-123.091848 LOCATION:Peace Church on 52nd @ 659 52 AVE E\, Vancouver\, BC\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Friday Group UID:39 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/friday-group-2019dec13 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Eriksson gave us\, as her “offering”\, thoughts about su rprises. Surprises can make us laugh\, weep\, mourn\, be overjoyed or wor ried. Our Advent and Christmas stories about Elizabeth\, Zacharias\, Mary \, the shepherds\, and Herod are filled with surprises. Laura addressed t hree questions: (1) What might surprises look like? (2) How did some of t he Christmas characters respond to surprise? (3) What do we do with our s urprises and how does faith in our God shape our responses to surprise? F or the past decade\, Laura has been paying attention to the surprises in her life\, large and small\, writing about them in her daily journal. [JE K]\n \n DTEND:20191215T110000 DTSTAMP:20191215T113107 DTSTART:20191215T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What do we do with Surprise? UID:3925 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-do-we-do-with-surprise END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Join us for a potluck breakfast at 9am before the worship serv ice with Christmas carol singing at 10am. DTEND:20191222T100000 DTSTAMP:20191126T070041 DTSTART:20191222T090000 GEO:49.262671;-123.194082 LOCATION:Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship @ 4000 West 11th Avenue\, V ancouver\, BC V6R 2L3\, Canada\, Vancouver\, British Columbia V6R 2L3\, C anada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Potluck Christmas Breakfast UID:38 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/potluck-breakfast-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Curtis Funk led us in a service of Lessons and Carols written by Rosie Perera for the 4th Sunday of Advent\, on the theme of "The Light of the World\, the Light of Life." The video and audio recordings of the service are available for use by members & adherents only (password prot ected).\n\nThe service was preceded by our annual Christmas potluck break fast at 9:00am. DTEND:20191222T110000 DTSTAMP:20191223T062524 DTSTART:20191222T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Light of the World\, the Light of Life: A Service of Lessons a nd Carols UID:3916 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/4th-advent-2019-the-light-of-the-world END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Good question! CONTACT:https://www.chinatownpeace.ca/events-calendar/2019/12/24/christmas -eve-service DESCRIPTION:Save the date! The joint PGIMF/Chinatown Peace Church youth gr oups will perform a Christmas play organized by Chinatown Peace Church on December 24th beginning at 7:00 pm entitled "What's the Point [Of Christ mas]?". Two PGIMF attenders have major roles in this play! Everyone invit ed and bring your friends too. 375 E. Pender St. at Dunlevy.\n\n \n\n DTEND:20191224T210000 DTSTAMP:20191208T153913 DTSTART:20191224T190000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Chinatown Peace Church @ 375 E. Pender St.\, Vancouver\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christmas Eve Play UID:43 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/christmas-eve-play END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:No service will be held in the Menno Simons Centre chapel on S unday\, December 29th.\n\n DTEND:20191229T110000 DTSTAMP:20191223T063447 DTSTART:20191229T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:[No Service at Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship] UID:3927 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/2019-12-29-no-service END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Epiphany Sunday\, Michael Despotovic spoke about the story between the introduction of a conflict\, the end of such conflict\, and t he resolution of the tension brought on by the conflict. Casually asking\ , "where are you from?" can be the start of an experience of ethnic or ra cial discrimination. Michael challenged us to think about how our word ch oices\, especially adjectives\, can add unfair qualifiers to peoples' ide ntity. The traditions of Epiphany celebrate the Magi as outsiders – Genti les – who belong in the story of Christ while not being Jewish. Can we wa tch our words without coming across as judgmental to those who haven't ye t shifted their language to be more inclusive and less likely to cause te nsion? [KH] DTEND:20200105T110000 DTSTAMP:20190105T113051 DTSTART:20200105T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Conflict\, Resolution UID:4024 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/conflict-resolution-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider was scheduled to speak on "First Sunday after Epiphany: The Baptism of Jesus"\n\nSnow made the streets and sidewalks ar ound the Menno Simons difficult to navigate.\n\n DTEND:20200112T110000 DTSTAMP:20200112T083020 DTSTART:20200112T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:CANCELLED DUE TO SNOW UID:4022 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/january-12-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Loren Balisky\, co-founder and Director of External Relations at Kinbrace Community Society\, spoke about discovering meaning and purpo se for living deep\, living long\, and living light. How can we understan d the calling of God's will that King David\, the Apostle Paul\, John the Baptist\, and Jesus felt even though we don't always feel a clear sense of guidance? Loren shared how – in retrospect – his life's path has felt like a series of "Holy" random circumstances of disruption and opportunit y. We have much to learn from the stories of refugees who navigate the ch aos of forced displacement with a necessarily light attachment to place a nd possessions. [KH] DTEND:20200119T110000 DTSTAMP:20200119T113125 DTSTART:20200119T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Meaning and Purpose UID:4026 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/meaning-and-purpose-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Annika Krause spoke about the awkwardness of “proclaiming the good news” in a post-modern world. Relativism and Moralistic Therapeutic Deism (God as a Genie in a bottle) add to society's skepticism of organiz ed religion\, which is already provoked by the cringe-worthy versions of Christianity that we see in the news and on social media. In Matthew 4\, Jesus acted in love to restore health while giving credit to God as the s ource of unconditional love. Are we prepared to share the theology behind our actions in support of creation care\, human rights\, and reconciliat ion with First Nations? [KH] DTEND:20200126T110000 DTSTAMP:20200126T113154 DTSTART:20200126T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Post-Modern Proclamations UID:4028 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/post-modern-proclamations END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Please stay after the service for our potluck lunch and attend the congregational meeting where the business of the church will be tran sacted.  Members and regular attenders all welcome. DTEND:20200126T150000 DTSTAMP:20191126T062413 DTSTART:20200126T113000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:PGIMF @ 4000 West 11th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Potluck Lunch + Congregational Meeting UID:37 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/2020-jan-26-potluck-lunch-meeting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Frances Kitson (VST student and candidate for ordination in th e United Church of Canada) asked us why we care about the Bible. She chal lenged us to engage with the text -- not only intellectually -- but also as a relationship. While Scripture holds different perspectives in creati ve tension\, it can give us the language to relate to God and others as w e journey in faith through a beautiful yet broken world. Like boiling wat er activating tea leaves\, will we let the Scriptures infuse us with life -giving stories that inspire us to work for peace and justice? [KH] DTEND:20200202T110000 DTSTAMP:20200202T113128 DTSTART:20200202T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Bible: Why Bother? UID:4030 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-bible-why-bother END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Lucia eitzen CONTACT:lucia.eitzen@gmail.com CONTACT:https://www.facebook.com/events/640459036516544/ DESCRIPTION:If Canada is a settler colonial society\, how does that shape discipleship?  If dispossession is the fundamental injustice that needs r epair\, what Biblical resources do we have to address it?\nThe Cost of Co lonialism: the Joy of Jubilee\nFebruary 7-9\, 2020\nFriday: 7pm - 9pm | S aturday: 9am - 4pm\n\nPeace Church on 52nd\, 659 East 52nd Ave\, Vancouve r\, B.C.\n\nJoin Steve Heinrichs\, Mennonite Church Canada's direct of In digenous - Settler Relations for 1-1/2 days of courageous conversation as we contemplate the practice of Jubilee.  No cost\, food provided everyon e welcome.  To confirm your presence\, please email Lucia Eitzen at lucia .eitzen@gmail.com.  for schedule and details\, see www.tinyurl.com/JoyofJ ubilee\n\nCo-sponsored by the Vancouver Monthly Meeting (Quakers) Reconci liation Committee & Mennonite Church BC's Indigenous Relations Working Gr oup DTEND:20200208T160000 DTSTAMP:20200111T143023 DTSTART:20200207T190000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Peace Church on 52nd @ 659 E. 52nd Ave.\, Vancouver\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reconciliation Workshop UID:44 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/reconciliation-workshop END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, February 9\,  2020\, Evan Kreider led a meditation on the importance of hymns in our faith\, noting that he’s never been mo ved to tears by a sermon or the reading of Scripture\, but there have bee n times when he couldn’t make it through a hymn due to being overcome by emotion. Various members of the congregation shared a favorite hymn and s omething significant about it or why it was a favorite. We contemplated e ach hymn text in silence and then sang the hymn. Tena Neufeld chose “I ow e the Lord a morning song”\; Hilda Driedger chose “Holy God\, We Praise T hy Name”\; Walter Quiring wanted us to do not a hymn\, but John Cage’s 4' 33" which involved more silent listening to what was going on around us a nd inside us\; Annie Funk chose “Praise the Lord\, Sing Hallelujah”\; Sve n Eriksson selected “O the Deep\, Deep Love of Jesus.” At the end\, Curti s Funk performed a piano improvisation on the last hymn. [RP] DTEND:20200209T110000 DTSTAMP:20191109T113059 DTSTART:20200209T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Favourite hymns of Faith--and Why UID:4032 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/favorite-hymns-of-faith-and-why END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld made the point that it's rare for sermons to be memorable\, so they might as well be brief. He shared three stories of pe ople in his life with fair questions about what Christianity is all about . We can learn a lot from the insightful questions of our neighbours who aren't familiar with "Christianese" but know how to recognize acts of lov e when they see them. [KH]\n\nNOTE: no recording of the talk is available \, at the speaker's request due to privacy reasons. DTEND:20200216T110000 DTSTAMP:20200216T113044 DTSTART:20200216T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Three Stories UID:4034 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/three-stories-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Margaret Trim (Coordinator of Academic Records and Admissions at Vancouver School of Theology)\, spoke from the lectionary text of Matt hew 17:1-9 about the Transfiguration. DTEND:20200223T110000 DTSTAMP:20200223T113014 DTSTART:20200223T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Transfiguration Sunday UID:4036 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/transfiguration-sunday-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The Friday Group is a group of seekers studying books that see k out or describe God and Jesus in a thematic way.  Today's event feature s the book DTEND:20200228T120000 DTSTAMP:20200320T103959 DTSTART:20200228T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Community Hub at Peace Church on 52nd Ave @ 660 E. 51st Ave.\, Va ncouver BC\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Friday Group meets at Peace Church on 52nd UID:46 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/the-friday-group-meets-at-peace-church-on-52nd END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Klippenstein gave the first of two talks entitled "How d o we experience God?"  Since Peter suggested that we are to be "participa nts in the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:3-4) and since Jesus prayed in Geths emane that it be possible for us to be one with God (John 17:16-23)\, jus t how do we experience our God and participate in 'the divine nature'?  A fter the renowned scientist Pascal experienced God most vividly\, he was convinced that we experience God more through the heart than through reas on.  A scientist of our time\, James Tour\, also reported experiencing Go d in an intense way that was clearly life-changing.  Remembering that scr ipture teaches that we learn about God through experience and not by read ing or creeds\, Henry's next talk (March 8\, 2020) will explore two contr asting approaches to experiencing God.  [JEK] DTEND:20200301T110000 DTSTAMP:20200301T113132 DTSTART:20200301T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:How do we experience God\, Part 1 UID:4045 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/how-do-you-experience-god-pt1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:info@mennosimonscentre.com CONTACT:https://pcda.bc.ca/avc-choir/ DESCRIPTION:Come join like-minded friends for an hour of prayerful music i n a worshipful setting with the Abendmusik Choir.  Offerings collected be nefit the Menno Simons Centre.  Saturday March 7th at Emmanuel Free Refor med Church (3366 Mount Lehman Rd\, Abbotsford) and Sunday March 8th at St . Philip’s Church (3737 W. 27th Ave\, Vancouver).  All concerts begin at 7:30 pm. DTEND:20200307T203000 DTSTAMP:20200302T003031 DTSTART:20200307T193000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Emmanuel Free Reformed church @ 3366 Mount Lehman Rd\, Abbotsford \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Abendmusik Vespers Service UID:47 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/abendmusik-vespers-service END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Klippenstein gave the second of two talks entitled\, “Ho w do we experience God?”\, in which he explores two contrasting approache s to experiencing God as individuals\, as well as the ways in which peopl e can experience God through relationships. The first method\, which invo lves a careful and at times imaginative listening of thoughts\, is covere d in T. M. Luhrmann's book\, "When God Talks Back". Luhrmann documents th e nature of the supernatural experiences that the people of the Vineyard movement claim to experience\, and concludes that these people are psycho logically healthy individuals. The second method involves contemplative p rayer\, in which one dedicates time each day to silence and shut off thei r mind. Though harder than it might first appear\, the only trick needed to achieve it is wanting to do it in the first place. It is important to realize\, however\, that neither of the two methods will be adequate if o ne does not recognize God in the person sitting next to you. [JL] DTEND:20200308T110000 DTSTAMP:20200308T113054 DTSTART:20200308T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:How do we experience God\, Part 2 UID:4080 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/how-do-you-experience-god-pt2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:info@mennosimonscentre.com CONTACT:https://pcda.bc.ca/avc-choir/ DESCRIPTION:Come join like-minded friends for an hour of prayerful music i n a worshipful setting with the Abendmusik Choir.  Offerings collected be nefit the Menno Simons Centre.  Saturday March 7th at Emmanuel Free Refor med Church (3366 Mount Lehman Rd\, Abbotsford) and Sunday March 8th at St . Philip’s Anglican Church (3737 W. 27th Ave\, Vancouver).  All concerts begin at 7:30 pm. DTEND:20200308T203000 DTSTAMP:20200302T003232 DTSTART:20200308T193000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:St. Philip’s Anglican Church @ 3737 W. 27th Ave\, Vancouver\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Abendmusik Vespers Choir UID:48 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/abendmusik-vespers-choir END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Nimaya Fernando CONTACT:https://pcda.bc.ca/msc-residence/ DESCRIPTION:Together with the Menno Simons Centre Alumni Committee\, the P GIMF Social Committee is coordinating an informal afternoon celebration a nd tea on March 14th\, 2020 to remember the many faces who have passed th rough the doors of the Menno Simons Centre as student residents\, as resi dence coordinators\, and a church attenders and members.\n\nWith a brief time of worship and singing\, there will be some remembrances of the many residence coordinators\, time for stories and speeches\, a memory board or wall\, and a public time to recognize the key people who envisioned th e Menno Simons Cnetre and kept it going for so many years.\n\nFor more in formation\, contact Nimaya on the MSC Alumni Committee or Diane or Chan o n the PGIMF Social Comittee DTEND:20200314T170000 DTSTAMP:20191208T143942 DTSTART:20200314T140000 GEO:49.000000;123.000000 LOCATION:Menno Simons Centre @ 4000 W. 11th Ave Vancouver\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Farewell to Menno Simons Centre Alumni event UID:42 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/farewell-to-menno-simons-centre-alumni-event END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke about the stories that were recorded as m iracles in Jesus' day\, and the times of inexplicable blessing in our mod ern lives. We all know the story of how five loaves and two fish led to t he feeding of thousands (John 6:1-14)\, but do we recognize God working t hrough the volunteers at our local food bank? As visualized by Abba Dorot heus of Gaza (circa 6th Century)\, the more we try to approach God\, the closer we will get to each other. Jesus showed us how loving God and lovi ng your neighbour blends a posture of contemplative worship with a life o f caring actions and relationships. [KH] DTEND:20200315T110000 DTSTAMP:20200315T112059 DTSTART:20200315T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Stories (Lent III) UID:4126 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/stories-for-lent3-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, March 22\, 2020\, J. Evan Kreider was scheduled to speak on "Blindness". DTEND:20200322T110000 DTSTAMP:20200104T142138 DTSTART:20200322T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:SERVICE CANCELLED UID:4128 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-march-22-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, March 29\, 2020\, DTEND:20200329T110000 DTSTAMP:20200104T142213 DTSTART:20200329T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Service Cancelled UID:4130 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-march-29-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, April 5\, 2020\, Carla Funk\, poet and educator wi ll speak to PGIMF. You can read more about Carla at https://www.carlafunk .com/about/ DTEND:20200405T110000 DTSTAMP:20200104T142259 DTSTART:20200405T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Service Cancelled UID:4132 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-april-5-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:https://www.peacechurchon52.ca/ DESCRIPTION:You are invited to join the congregation of Peace Church on 52 nd in their Zoom worship service for Good Friday. The Zoom connection is available on request from the webmaster. DTEND:20200410T113000 DTSTAMP:20200302T004110 DTSTART:20200410T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Peace Church on 52nd Ave @ 659 E. 52nd Ave.\, Vancouver\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Good Friday worship service UID:50 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/good-friday-worship-service END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:www.pgimf.org DESCRIPTION:Our service of songs and scriptures for Easter Sunday after po tluck breakfast has been cancelled. DTEND:20200412T113000 DTSTAMP:20200302T004653 DTSTART:20200412T090000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:cancelled @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Sunday potluck breakfast - cancelled UID:51 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/easter-sunday-potluck-breakfast END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, April 12\, 2020 an on-line service was held via Zo om with 61 participants\n DTEND:20200412T110000 DTSTAMP:20200112T112309 DTSTART:20200412T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Sunday UID:4134 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-april-12-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We gathered in a Zoom meeting to contemplate the time when Jes us appeared to His disciple Thomas.\n DTEND:20200419T110000 DTSTAMP:20200419T112357 DTSTART:20200419T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Second Sunday of Easter UID:4136 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-april-19-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Regretfully\, the Mennonite Church British Columbia (MCBC) Van couver-area pastors' lunch that was to have been held in the dining room of the Menno Simons Centre on Tuesday\, April 21st has been held.  Arrang ements have been made to old online meetings to support pastors.  Further details may be available from www.mcbc.ca\n\n[caption id="attachment_522 6779" align="aligncenter" width="1024"] Photo by Jaime Lauren for the MSC [/caption]\n\n DTEND:20200421T133000 DTSTAMP:20200120T202939 DTSTART:20200421T120000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:cancelled @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:MCBC Vancouver Pastors' Lunch - cancelled UID:45 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/mcbc-van-pastors-lunch-apr2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:www.pgimf.org DESCRIPTION:Regretfully\, our final sing-Along Messiah to sing favourite e xcerpts from G. F. Handel's famous Easter work in our home of 33 years at the Menno Simons Centre has been cancelled.  We hope to continue this tr adition at our new home at St. James Community Square at another time. DTEND:20200426T113000 DTSTAMP:20200302T011231 DTSTART:20200426T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:cancelled @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sing-along Messiah - cancelled UID:53 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/sing-along-messiah END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, April 26\, 2020\, Easter Sunday was celebrated by Zoom with a time of sharing\, singing song with Zoom and prayer.\n DTEND:20200426T110000 DTSTAMP:20200126T112439 DTSTART:20200426T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Third Sunday of Easter UID:4138 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-sunday-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:www.pgimf.org DESCRIPTION:Our Annual General meeting which normally takes place after th e final service in April has been changed in favour of an on-line meeting over Zoom on Saturday May 2nd beginning at 1:30 pm. As the nominations b ooklets will have already been available for download from the PGIMF webs ite\, you are asked to familiarize yourselves with the reports before the meeting. The purpose of the meeting will be to ask questions about the r eports\, finances and approve the nominations for next year as discussion in such a large group will not be overly fruitful. DTEND:20200502T143000 DTSTAMP:20200302T010903 DTSTART:20200502T133000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Zoom online meeting @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:PGIMF AGM - Zoom Meeting UID:52 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/pgimf-agm-at-pizza-lunch END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:www.pgimf.org DESCRIPTION:Regretfully\, our final worship service of memories and recoll ections at the Menno Simons Centre\, our home of 33 years has been cancel led.  Please see us at our new home at St. James Community Square (3210  W.10th Ave. in Kitsilano) when services are able to resume.  Please conti nue to watch our website for details. DTEND:20200503T113000 DTSTAMP:20200302T011510 DTSTART:20200503T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:cancelled @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Final worship service at Menno Simons Centre - cancelled UID:54 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/final-worship-service-at-menno-simons-centre END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday May 3\, 2020 PGIMF intended to hold its final servic e at the Menno Simons Centre\, our home for more than 33 years. Until pub lic health measures related to the COVID-19 pandemic permit us to begin m eeting together at the St. James Community Square\, we have been conducti ng online Zoom worship services. Thomas Bergen spoke to us from Edmonton. \n\n \n DTEND:20200503T110000 DTSTAMP:20200503T112619 DTSTART:20200503T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Fourth Sunday of Easter UID:4140 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sunday-may-3-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:www.pgimf.org DESCRIPTION:Regretfully\, our first worship service at our new home at St. James Community Square (3210  W. 10th Ave. in Kitsilano) has been cancel led until such time as it is safe for services to resume.  Please continu e to watch our website for details.  You will find us in the basement Roo m 104 (enter off Trutch St.) where we'll sing as we've always done in fou r parts\, and hear the worship of our community and bring forth the first speaker of a new generation. DTEND:20200510T113000 DTSTAMP:20200302T011811 DTSTART:20200510T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:St. James Community Square - Rm 104 @ 3210 W. 10th Ave.\, Vancouv er BC\, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:First service at St. James Community Square - cancelled UID:55 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/first-service-at-st-james-community-square END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:For the fifth Sunday of Easter\, we intended to hold our first service at our new home at St. James Community Square\, but instead\, we held our worship meeting via Zoom. Janice Kreider spoke on "Dwell and Re store" based on John 14:1-17.\n DTEND:20200510T110000 DTSTAMP:20200510T113011 DTSTART:20200510T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Dwell and Restore UID:4143 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/dwell-and-restore END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld challenged us to consider: how do we love God? C an we find the inner light of God shining out of other people\, even in o nes we may not get along with? Will will love God by loving others\, as J esus told us to do?\n DTEND:20200517T110000 DTSTAMP:20200517T113209 DTSTART:20200517T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:How do you love God? UID:4145 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/how-do-you-love-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Sportack shared a meditation in our Zoom online worship service about the Ascension of Christ based on Acts 1:6-11.  She related her experience of Ascension Sunday to other inexplicable events like toda y's pandemic that leave us as uncertain as to how to respond\, as Jesus' followers were on his ascension.\n\n\nThe Ascension of Christ by Hans von Kulmbach / Public domain (1513)\n\n \n\n \n DTEND:20200524T110000 DTSTAMP:20200524T111657 DTSTART:20200524T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Ascension of Christ UID:4147 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-ascension-of-christ-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Catherine Cooper shared a meditation connecting the promise im plied by the necessary fall of Babel (Genesis 11) to our hope for univers al communication made possible by the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at P entecost.\n DTEND:20200531T110000 DTSTAMP:20200531T113000 DTSTART:20200531T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pentecost UID:4149 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pentecost-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Held by Zoom\, the Canadian Conference of MB Churches holds it Annual General Meeting June 5th-6th to conduct the business of the natio nal conference.\n\nVideo reports are available on-line as well as budget information\, motions and nominations.  Read it all at the links below an d if you want to attend as delegate\, see the moderator Veronica before y ou register on-line at the link below.  This year: registration is free!\ n\nhttps://www.mennonitebrethren.ca/2020agm/?mc_cid=256332f247&mc_eid=827 f5d0c31 DTEND:20200606T170000 DTSTAMP:20200520T005839 DTSTART:20200605T090000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Canadian Conference of MB Churches AGM UID:56 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/canadian-conference-of-mb-churches-agm END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Garry Janzen (Executive Minister for Mennonite Church BC) used Colossians 3:12-14 to encourage all congregations to be wise\, courageou s\, creative and safe as our communities begin to reopen and we reflect o n the challenges of climate change and racial injustice.\n\nNOTES:\n\n\n Slides were presented during the Zoom meeting\, but the video recording i s not retained once the audio is posted.\n Visitors to our Zoom services are most welcome: however\, you must contact the Congregational Coordinat or to receive the meeting ID and password\, and you will be asked to iden tify yourselves in the service.\n\n DTEND:20200607T110000 DTSTAMP:20200607T113516 DTSTART:20200607T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Church as: The Dearly Loved of God UID:4276 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/church-as-the-dearly-loved-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Chan Yang spoke about the importance of Hope in the face of wh at can feel like the overwhelming forces of reckless hate with reference to the themes in Isaiah 5 and the Lord of the Rings novels by J.R.R. Tolk ien.\n DTEND:20200614T110000 DTSTAMP:20200614T111508 DTSTART:20200614T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What can men do against such reckless hate? UID:4278 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-can-men-do-against-such-reckless-hate END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On a weekend when we celebrated World Refugee Day\, Indigenous Peoples' Day\, and Father's Day\, we heard John Klassen speak on the his torical and Biblical importance of ensuring that spouses and children (in cluding widows and orphans) have their material needs taken care of.\n DTEND:20200621T110000 DTSTAMP:20200621T111512 DTSTART:20200621T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Bread and Justice at Home UID:4280 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/bread-and-justice-at-home END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ruth Enns spoke on the binding of Isaac by Abraham in Genesis 22:1-14\, and referred to Benjamin Britten’s musical re-enactment of the story based on the 15th-Century Chester Mystery Plays. What a blessing th at most of us are never tested to this extent\, and that God is faithful in his ongoing care for people.\n\nNOTE: a BBC recording in 2013 of the f ull 18-minute performance of "Abraham and Isaac" by Benjamin Britten feat uring Ruby Hughes (Soprano)\, James Gilchrist (Tenor)\, and Imogen Cooper (Piano) is available on YouTube.\n DTEND:20200628T110000 DTSTAMP:20200628T111557 DTSTART:20200628T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Abraham and Isaac (Genesis 22) UID:4282 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/abraham-and-isaac-genesis-22 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Carla Funk (author and teacher in Victoria) spoke on the image of a green olive tree as the fulcrum in the poetry of Psalm 52\, turning in verse 8 to portraying how we can flourish by remaining rooted in the presence of God.\n DTEND:20200705T110000 DTSTAMP:20200705T111551 DTSTART:20200705T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:I am like an olive tree\, flourishing UID:4284 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/i-am-like-an-olive-tree END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert spoke on the call in Psalm 24:1-4 to avoid bad f aith actions (using the example of unethically negotiated treaties)\, and not give lies a place of honour (i.e. on social media).\n\n \n DTEND:20200712T110000 DTSTAMP:20200712T111732 DTSTART:20200712T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Clean hands\, Pure hearts\, No falsehoods UID:4286 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/clean-hands-pure-hearts-no-falsehoods END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Malcolm Guite spoke on the importance of not only the Sower\, but also the Seed and the Soil in the Parable of the Sower (Matt. 13:1-9\ ;18-23) by describing the imagery in the poem "The Sower" from his book P arable and Paradox.\n DTEND:20200719T110000 DTSTAMP:20200719T110011 DTSTART:20200719T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Sower\, the Seed\, and the Soil UID:4288 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-sower-the-seed-and-the-soil END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Claire Goodfellow spoke on pilgrimages\, from examples in the Old & New Testaments\, Canterbury\, and the Camino de Santiago. Are we pr epared for the daily journey of following Jesus as disciples in The Way o f Christ?\n DTEND:20200726T110000 DTSTAMP:20200605T123852 DTSTART:20200726T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pondering the Presence of God: On the Journey UID:4290 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pondering-the-presence-of-god-on-the-journey END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Michael Despotovic spoke on the Parable of the Persistent Wido w and the Unjust Judge from Luke 18. Will the incessant protests of the p owerless be heeded by our uncaring systems of power and privilege?\n DTEND:20200802T110000 DTSTAMP:20200511T123934 DTSTART:20200802T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Parable of the Persistent Widow and Unjust Judge UID:4292 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-persistent-widow-and-unjust-judge END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:David Gill spoke on the Beatitudes. David recently retired as Professor of Workplace Theology & Business Ethics at Gordon-Conwell Theol ogical Seminary. He has also served on the faculties of New College Berke ley\, North Park University\, and St. Mary’s College. He is the author of seven books including a two-volume introduction to Christian ethics: Bec oming Good: Building Moral Character and Doing Right: Practicing Ethical Principles (IVP\, 2000 & 2004).\n DTEND:20200809T110000 DTSTAMP:20200511T124026 DTSTART:20200809T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Salt and Light UID:4294 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/salt-and-light-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gerda and Erich Krause shared their testimonies and joined our fellowship as members. As a congregation\, we welcomed them into our com munity of mutual love and service.\n DTEND:20200816T110000 DTSTAMP:20200511T124119 DTSTART:20200816T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sunday\, August 16\, 2020 UID:4296 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/gerda-erich-krause-membership-sunday END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Andre Pekovich CONTACT:604-868-9007 CONTACT:andre.pekovich@uniserve.com DESCRIPTION:***TIME CHANGE!  EVENT BEGINS 4:00***\n\nThe PGIMF Social Comm ittee will host a summer Watermelon and Rollkuchen picnic in Maple Grove Park (6875 Yew St.) on Wednesday August 19th from 4:00 pm til late.  Come and gather to talk and share while maintaining appropriate distance as w e meet together for the first time since the lockdown began March 13th. T here is so much to catch up on!\n\nFor those who want to\, swimming is av ailable at Maple Grove pool -  please contact Diane Ehling BEFORE the eve nt for instructions as space is limited and times are pre-set.\n\nWHERE\n \nWe will gather at 4:00 pm at the picnic area under the trees in the sou th-west corner of the park close to S.W. Marine Drive. The closest parkin g available is on Balsam St. on the west side of the park.\n\nFIRST\n\nSe e the Hospitality Coordinator first to be screened and receive any instru ctions concerning attendance\, safety and food.  PGIMF will ask simple sc reening questions of each attender to the picnic.  As this is PGIMF's fir st attempt to gather together since the start of the pandemic\, we antici pate there will be mistakes: we want to make sure they are small ones!\n\ nBRING\n\nBring folding chairs and perhaps TV trays -  there aren't enoug h picnic tables in the area for us all. Games\, musical instruments and h ymnals welcome\, amplifiers NOT!  Masks advised for times when distancing is not possible or for singing.  Bring your own food and drink\, and you r picnic basket utensils to eat it with.\n\nSHARED\n\nKeeping in mind the words of Bonnie Henry\, we will "continue to meet one another\, maintain our bubbles\, gather with others outside\, at a distance\, wear our mask s if we cannot maintain distance\, and not engage in any risky behaviours ."  (August 6).  The Medical Health Officer has previously said that shar ing food is considered a risky behaviour. Accordingly you are invited to bring and consume only your own food and drink at this picnic.  But since Mennonites are all about sharing food\, you are invited to do so under s trict conditions\, and only if you know the risk for yourself is reasonab le.  Please be advised of the following provisions:\n\n\n The theme of th e party is Watermelon and Rollkuchen. Watermelon will be supplied and pre pared on site by persons who have previously taken Foodsafe Level 1 instr uction.\n Disposable plates\, cups\, cutlery and napkins will be provided for any use.  Shared food will be served on disposable plates where cont amination is possible.\n Those who can make rollkuchen are invited to pre pare some for public consumption. \n Some soft drinks and juices will be provided - single serving cans only. There will be no coffee or tea.\n Th ose who wish to share other food may do so as long as it's easily served and consumed in individual portions.\n If you are sharing food\, you are invited to bring uitable serving utensils as well\, suitably labelled wit h your name. Please ensure they can be easily sanitized in sanitizing sol ution (provided).\n Good Examples: meatballs\, dolmathes\, coleslaw\, gra pes pre-cut into tiny clusters\, pre-dressed salads that can be serve wit h tongs or a single large spoon\, firm cheese pre-cut in small cubes.\n A ttenders may not serve themselves under any circumstances.  Servers may n ot eat or drink while serving under any circumstances.\n The park is an a lcohol-free area\n The washrooms at the Park are open and available for u se\, but the sanitizing procedures of the Park operator are not known.\n Charcoal BBQs on site should not be used - there is no provision for sani tation between uses.\n\n\nATTENDANCE\n\nYOU MUST SIGN UP TO ATTEND THIS E VENT.  Attendance is limited to 50 people - no exceptions! No surprise gu ests will be accepted. To sign up\, please send an email to info@pgimf.or g with the names of the attenders and contact phone numbers.  Please also include any food you plan to bring.  Anyone who has a current or expired Foodsafe certificate is requested to contact Andre if you are willing to help out with oversight of food service.\n\nThe sign-up sheet/contact li st will be updated each day on the PGIMF church website Events page and w ill be kept for 30 days. The sign-up sheet is only available to PGIMF att enders to view to preserve the privacy of attenders’ personal information . You are encouraged to check back to make sure your name has been entere d on the list.\n\nKEEPING CLEAN\n\nPGIMF will provide the watermelon\, di sposable plates\, cutlery\, napkins and cups. Hand sanitizer\, paper towe ls and garbage bags and cans will be provided.  Utensils  that require sa nitization between services where contamination may be an issue will be s anitized in washbasins on site.  Bring your own single-serving drinks  - no 2-litre bottles!  DO NOT SHARE WITH OTHERS.\n\nSAFETY PLAN\n\nPlease c ontact the Hospitality Coordinator (Andre) for the latest copy of the Saf ety Plan for this event.\n\n \n\n\n Attenders Contact List\n \n \n Num ber\n Name\n I'm bringing.....\n \n \n 1\n Andre Pekovich\n D olmathes (stuffed grape leaves)\n \n \n 2\n Hannelore Schowalter\n Tzatziki\n \n \n 3\n Diane Ehling\n Watermelons\n \n \n 4\n Sara Ehling\n Rollkuchen\n \n \n 5\n Jonathan Ehling\n  \n \n \n 6\n Rosie Perera\n  \n \n \n 7\n Karl Brown\n  \n \ n \n 8\n Chan Yang\n  \n \n \n 9\n Stephanie Jeong\n  \n \n \n 10\n Caleb Yang\n  \n \n \n 11\n John Lee\n  \n \n \n 12\n Christine Lee\n  \n \n \n 13\n June Oh\n  \n \n \n 14\n Calvin Lee\n  \n \n \n 15\n Kevin Hiebert\n  \n \n \n 16\n Travis Martin\n  \n \n \n 17\n Laura Sportack\n   \n \n \n 18\n Gerry Sportack\n  \n \n \n 19\n Veronica Dyck \n  \n \n \n 20\n Ruth Enns\n  \n \n \n 21\n Titus Gregor y\n  \n \n \n 22\n Grace Neudorf\n  \n \n \n 23\n Jim Neu dorf\n  \n \n \n 24\n Alice Klassen\n  \n \n \n 25\n John Klassen\n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n  \n  \n  \n \n \n\n\n - Andre Pekovich\, Hospitality coordinator\, on beha lf of the Social Committee\n DTEND:20200819T220000 DTSTAMP:20200812T132306 DTSTART:20200819T160000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Maple Grove Park @ 6875 Yew St.\, Vancouver\, BC \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Watermelon & Rollkuchen Picnic! UID:60 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Klippenstein shared a meditation on the Gospel accounts of Peter receiving the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven\, and of the woman h ealed after touching the garment of Christ.\n\n \n DTEND:20200823T110000 DTSTAMP:20200523T124134 DTSTART:20200823T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven UID:4298 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/keys-of-the-kingdom-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Grace Neudorf was welcomed into membership in the fellowship a fter sharing a meditation that included her poems entitled Stumbling (201 9) and The Path (2017).\n DTEND:20200830T110000 DTSTAMP:20200530T124221 DTSTART:20200830T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Circles of Grace UID:4300 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/circles-of-grace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider spoke about the seasons of binding and loosing\ , in congregations\, using examples from the founding of Point Grey Fello wship in 1986 and how it became Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship in 1993. Cycles of birth and re-birth\, settling in and moving on\, all remi nd us that we the people are the church\, regardless of where we meet.\n DTEND:20200906T110000 DTSTAMP:20200705T104958 DTSTART:20200906T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Time to Hold On and a Time to Let Go UID:4340 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-time-to-hold-on-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke the lesson in Romans 14:3 for our time: that we shouldn't pass judgment on our brothers or sisters who are convin ced of differing points of view on matters of interpretation given that w e all will be accountable to God in the end.\n DTEND:20200913T110000 DTSTAMP:20200705T105037 DTSTART:20200913T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Weak Eat Only Vegetables UID:4342 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-weak-eat-only-vegetables END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on the importance of celebrating the commo n things in life\, and how the meaning of life is to love. If an advertis ement can use the slogan\, "The Miracle Is All Around You" then can we sa y the same about even graffiti on subway walls?\n\n \n DTEND:20200920T110000 DTSTAMP:20200705T105124 DTSTART:20200920T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God of the Ordinary\, as found on subway walls UID:4344 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-of-the-ordinary-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Jennie McLaurin (MD\, MPH\, MA) spoke on how a uniquely Ch ristian ethic can be brought to bear on the challenges of a pandemic. The Incarnation brings importance to the body\, and the Trinity sheds light on our interrelationships with one another as one body.\n DTEND:20200927T110000 DTSTAMP:20200705T093004 DTSTART:20200927T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Healing as Transformed by the Incarnation and Trinity UID:4346 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/healing-as-transformed-by-the-incarnation-an d-trinity END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Eriksson shared a reflection on Psalm 19 in three parts: the unspoken voice of God in creation\, the worded speech revealed in th e Scriptures\, and our silent or verbal responses -- may they be grounded and graced\, to the glory of God.\n DTEND:20201004T110000 DTSTAMP:20200715T160154 DTSTART:20201004T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Speech: Wordless and Worded\, a Reflection on Psalm 19 UID:4380 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/speech-wordless-and-worded END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our Thanksgiving service of scriptures\, prayers and songs was led by J. Evan Kreider.  A virtual communion was celebrated.\n\nNOTE: th e recording has been edited to include only the readings (no songs).\n DTEND:20201011T110000 DTSTAMP:20200715T160230 DTSTART:20201011T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving Readings\, Prayers\, and Songs UID:4382 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thanksgiving-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Catherine Cooper spoke from the lectionary texts about the cha llenges of seeing the face of God in others\, and practising imitation of the Lord.\n DTEND:20201018T110000 DTSTAMP:20200718T113040 DTSTART:20201018T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Seeing the face of God UID:4384 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/seeing-the-face-of-god-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke on the Parable of the Wedding Banquet in Matthew 22\, asking us two questions: do we visualize God as King\, and  how does this parable change our way of thinking about God as Spirit and Truth.\n DTEND:20201025T110000 DTSTAMP:20200810T235144 DTSTART:20201025T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Wedding Banquet from Hell UID:4411 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-wedding-banquet-from-hell END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On All Saints Day\, Annika Krause gave a few examples of marty red Christians who came before us and reminded us that God has been movin g in every context. We are part of a body of faith that spans thousands o f years and reaches around the globe.\n DTEND:20201101T110000 DTSTAMP:20200912T230028 DTSTART:20201101T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Martyrs UID:4494 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/martyrs-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Peace Sunday\, Char Siemens shared the sermon time with gue st speaker Ramy Waad\, whom she met in a displaced-persons camp in Ankawa \, Iraq\, and who is now living in Canada.\n\n \n\n \n DTEND:20201108T110000 DTSTAMP:20200912T231332 DTSTART:20201108T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Peace Sunday UID:4496 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/peace-sunday-nov-8-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Chan Yang spoke on the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) and the Parable of the Minas (Luke 19). Can we set aside fear\, and use our gifts to bring glory and value to the Kingdom of God?\n\n \n\n \n DTEND:20201115T110000 DTSTAMP:20200912T231545 DTSTART:20201115T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Parables of the Talents and Minas UID:4500 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/parable-of-the-talents-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Daniel Whitehead\, Executive Director of Sanctuary Ministries\ , a ministry that equips the church to support mental health and wellbein g\, spoke about how Psalm 130 is a model for listening to laments and the n watching and waiting as a community with those in the depths of despair .\n DTEND:20201122T110000 DTSTAMP:20200912T231933 DTSTART:20201122T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Faithfully Lamenting Our Way Through a Pandemic UID:4502 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/faithfully-lamenting-our-way-through-a-pande mic END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Grace Neudorf spoke on the significance of isolation and conne ctions from the stories of Mary and Elizabeth as we enter the season of A dvent. Communion was served (taken by each in their own home).\n\n \n DTEND:20201129T110000 DTSTAMP:20200912T232127 DTSTART:20201129T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Isolation to Connection: Mary and Elizabeth UID:4505 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/isolation-to-connection-mary-and-elizabeth END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the Second Sunday of Advent\, John Klassen shared examples from history in which a measure of kindness made a difference in people's lives during turbulent times.\n DTEND:20201206T110000 DTSTAMP:20201016T135132 DTSTART:20201206T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Advent and Global Anxiety UID:4617 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/advent-and-global-anxiety-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the Third Sunday of Advent\, Thomas Bergen explored the sig nificance of the two genealogies of Jesus and what it means for us to "be come children of God" (John 1:13).\n DTEND:20201213T110000 DTSTAMP:20201018T105823 DTSTART:20201213T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Birth of Eternal Life UID:4619 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-birth-of-eternal-life-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the Fourth Sunday of Advent (December 20\, 2020) PGIMF pres ented a service of readings and songs for Advent.\n\nNOTE: whenever there isn't a sermon\, we don't have an audio recording for the public.\n DTEND:20201220T110000 DTSTAMP:20201018T110029 DTSTART:20201220T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Readings and Songs for Advent 4 UID:4622 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/advent-4-readings-and-songs-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the first Sunday after Christmas\, Andre Pekovich led the f ellowship in a time of scripture readings\, prayers\, and sharing. Jonath an Ehling gave a brief talk about the painting The Numbering at Bethlehem  (1566) by Pieter Brueghel the Elder. We also heard Rosie Perera's virtua l trumpet quartet of The First Noel.\n DTEND:20201227T110000 DTSTAMP:20201018T110136 DTSTART:20201227T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:First Sunday After Christmas 2020 UID:4625 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/first-sunday-after-christmas-2020 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Eriksson spoke from the lectionary verses that point tow ard the returning light.\n DTEND:20210103T110000 DTSTAMP:20201018T110319 DTSTART:20210103T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Leaning Into the Light UID:4628 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/leaning-into-the-light-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jayson Bradley spoke on the often-misinterpreted parable of La zarus and the rich man.\n\nJayson is a writer\, musician\, and pastor. He describes himself as an "Opti-mystic God-botherer." A tweet of his that sums up his life's mission is "The greatest enemy of Christianity isn't s ecularism\, atheism\, or Islam. It's bad Christianity."\n DTEND:20210110T110000 DTSTAMP:20201018T110400 DTSTART:20210110T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Ghost Stories Jesus Tells UID:4630 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-ghost-stories-jesus-tells END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Annika Krause spoke in the first cross-country service by the Montreal Mennonite Fellowship and Point Grey Inter-Mennonite Fellowship.  Annika has recently been called to be the pastor at MMF and worshipped a t PGIMF prior to her appointment.  This service included the talents of b oth congregations in shared worship\, scripture-reading and singing.\n DTEND:20210117T110000 DTSTAMP:20201018T110446 DTSTART:20210117T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Of One Mind UID:4632 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/of-one-mind-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Catherine Cooper spoke about invitations\, time and place\, in a message delivered from Louisiana that emphasized the call to turn to a new path. \n DTEND:20210124T110000 DTSTAMP:20201018T110543 DTSTART:20210124T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:An Invitation to Turn UID:4634 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/an-invitation-to-turn END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Becky Bonham spoke about how Babylon is Falling\, throughout h istory and in our day and age\, based on Revelation 18 and Psalm 82.\n\nB ecky is trained in theology (Master of Theological Studies\, Regent Colle ge) and spirituality (Clinical Pastoral Education)\, and is currently wor king on a Master of Psychotherapy and Spirituality. She has worked as a h ospital chaplain for four years. She has recently begun a practice as a s piritual director.\n DTEND:20210131T110000 DTSTAMP:20201018T110635 DTSTART:20210131T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Babylon is Falling UID:4637 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/babylon-is-falling-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Barkowsky preached on the truth about the truth as descr ibed in Ephesians 4:25-32. Kevin is the half-time lead pastor of Sherbroo ke Mennonite Church. His other half-time position is MCBC Church Engageme nt Minister.\n DTEND:20210207T110000 DTSTAMP:20201209T162944 DTSTART:20210207T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The truth about the truth? UID:4683 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-truth-about-the-truth-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Sportack shared a reflection from the lectionary on the day of St. Valentine\; her focus was on Emmanuel: God with Us.\n DTEND:20210214T110000 DTSTAMP:20201211T221352 DTSTART:20210214T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:With: A Love Story about a Body UID:4691 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/with-a-love-story-about-a-body END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, February 21\, 2021\, Kevin Hiebert spoke on covena nt and baptism as promises. Communion was served (taken by each in their own home). DTEND:20210221T110000 DTSTAMP:20201211T233813 DTSTART:20210221T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Covenant and Baptism UID:4693 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/covenant-and-baptism-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on the hard questions and sayings of Jesus as recorded in lectionary texts for the day from Mark.\n DTEND:20210228T110000 DTSTAMP:20201211T233949 DTSTART:20210228T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Hard Sayings UID:4695 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-hard-questions-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janet Boldt spoke on the Lenten lectionary texts\, in which Go d's laws are both a source of inspiring potential and limits provided for our own wellbeing.\n DTEND:20210307T110000 DTSTAMP:20201211T234310 DTSTART:20210307T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Long Obedience in a Lenten Direction UID:4699 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-long-obedience-in-a-lenten-direction END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Thiessen spoke about the bronze snake on a pole that Mose s lifted up\, and how we can look up and trust in God during our current pandemic.\n DTEND:20210314T110000 DTSTAMP:20201211T234358 DTSTART:20210314T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sunday\, March 14\, 2021 UID:4701 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/look-up-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Grace Neudorf spoke from the Lectionary texts and asked us if we are in a growth mindset\, which may require times of expectancy rather than expectations.\n DTEND:20210321T110000 DTSTAMP:20201211T234743 DTSTART:20210321T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Unless - Dying and Bearing Fruit UID:4709 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/unless-dying-and-bearing-fruit END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Santosh Ninan spoke to us on "The Misunderstood King" from Joh n 12:12-19. He is a graduate of Regent College and has a DMin in Homileti cs (preaching) from Alliance Theological Seminary. He has served as a pas tor for nearly 20 years. Born in India and raised in Saskatchewan\, Santo sh currently lives in Ithaca\, NY.\n DTEND:20210328T110000 DTSTAMP:20201211T234522 DTSTART:20210328T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Misunderstood King UID:4705 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-misunderstood-king END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider led a service of Easter Readings and Songs. Sp ecial music included:\n\n\n Resurrection Sunday piano prelude (Ruth Enns)  \n Voices Together No. 353\, "Now the green blade rises" (Catherine Coop er)\n Bach\, E Major Partita for solo violin (Rebecca Ruthven)\n\n\nPaul Thiessen gave a tribute thanking J. Evan Kreider on the conclusion of jus t over a year (since March 22\, 2020) of daily "Meditations While Shelter ing In Place". The calligraphy card shown below was created by Laura Erik sson was presented to Evan with some tokens of the congregation's appreci ation.\n\n\n\n \n DTEND:20210404T110000 DTSTAMP:20201211T235114 DTSTART:20210404T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Readings and Songs UID:4713 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-readings-and-songs-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Donna Dinsmore spoke on "Can You Believe It?" from John 20: 1- 18.\n\nDonna has most recently served as intentional transitional pastor at Foothills Mennonite Church in Calgary. Before that\, she was interim p astor for Edmonton First Mennonite. Before that\, she ministered for two years among the Nuxalk people in Bella Coola. She was ordained in the Uni ted Church of Canada. She is a graduate of Regent College and has a prior background in choral conducting. She loves four-part harmony!\n DTEND:20210411T110000 DTSTAMP:20210211T204921 DTSTART:20210411T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Can You Believe It? UID:4803 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/can-you-believe-it-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Travis Martin spoke on "The Investors Church" based on the Par able of the Talents and the Parable of the Rich Fool.\n DTEND:20210418T110000 DTSTAMP:20210306T112751 DTSTART:20210418T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Investors Church UID:4874 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-investors-church-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rosie Perera spoke on "The Silence of God" (Part 1 - When God is Silent).\n\n \n DTEND:20210425T110000 DTSTAMP:20210211T205115 DTSTART:20210425T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Silence of God\, Pt I UID:4807 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-silence-of-god-2021-part1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown spoke on the themes of compliance\, conformity\, an d obedience\, based on the account of Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch in Acts 8.\n\n \n\n \n DTEND:20210502T110000 DTSTAMP:20210211T205155 DTSTART:20210502T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Compliance? Conformity? Obedience? UID:4809 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/compliance-conformity-obedience END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Zoom\, a Congregational Meeting will be held on this Saturd ay afternoon. Contact the church for connection details. DTEND:20210508T150000 DTSTAMP:20210420T212601 DTSTART:20210508T130000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Congregational Meeting UID:61 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/congregational-meeting-2021-05-08 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Mariam Kamell Kovalishyn returned to PGIMF to speak on abiding in Christ to love one another\, and loving to abide in God's presence.\n DTEND:20210509T110000 DTSTAMP:20210211T205218 DTSTART:20210509T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Abiding to Love\, Loving to Abide UID:4811 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/abiding-to-love-loving-to-abide END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Klippenstein spoke on the powerful images of Jesus' asce nsion - both of them - to lead us to transformation so that we can see "t he God who chooses face-time" (Carol Penner) is always to be found standi ng right beside us.\n\n \n DTEND:20210516T110000 DTSTAMP:20210211T205243 DTSTART:20210516T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:With Us\, Still (Ascension Day Inklings) UID:4813 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/with-us-still-ascension-day-inklings END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jesse Nickel\, a Bible Studies Faculty member at Columbia Bibl e College since 2016\, spoke on the idea of flourishing and the language of blessedness in the wisdom literature of the Old Testament.  Read more:  Introducing Jesse Nickel (CBC blog article). Communion was served.\n\n \ n DTEND:20210523T110000 DTSTAMP:20210211T205310 DTSTART:20210523T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Wisdom and the Life of Flourishing UID:4815 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/wisdom-and-the-life-of-flourishing END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Diane Ehling DESCRIPTION:Friday\, May 28th:6:00 pm Visiting over Appetizers/Drinks (Lar ge group)7:00 pm Board Games for members and guests.Saturday\, May 29th:1 0:30 am The Big Reveal of the Game "Guess Who in the Congregation?"7:00 p m Coffee/Dessert and the Prizes Awarded for the Scavenger Hunt DTEND:20210529T210000 DTSTAMP:20210524T115532 DTSTART:20210528T180000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Zoom @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Virtual Retreat on Zoom UID:62 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/virtual-retreat-on-zoom-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Trinity Sunday\, Annika Krause\, pastor at Mennonite Fellow ship of Montreal\, used the lectionary texts\, particularly Isaiah 6:1-13 and Psalm 29\, to talk about glimpsing God's throne and what that signif ies for our faith.\n DTEND:20210530T110000 DTSTAMP:20210211T205336 DTSTART:20210530T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Glimpse of God's Throne UID:4817 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-glimpse-of-gods-throne END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Claire Goodfellow presented images of the papier-mâché theatre masks she created to visualize a variety of faces of grief and sorrow: i nvisible\, shock\, anger\, wailing\, fear\, flayed\, splintered\, flatten ed\, fractured\, fragmented\, and loneliness.\n DTEND:20210606T110000 DTSTAMP:20210211T205413 DTSTART:20210606T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pondering the Presence of God: When Acquainted with Grief and Sorr ow UID:4819 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/acquainted-with-grief-and-sorrow END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke on the Parable of the Mustard Seed\, as we remembered and gave thanks for the life and example of Erna S. Friesen .\n\n \n DTEND:20210613T110000 DTSTAMP:20210211T205439 DTSTART:20210613T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mighty cedars from little twigs do grow UID:4821 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mighty-cedars-from-little-twigs-do-grow END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:One-time PGIMFer and Regent grad Tim Tse (now studying in Scot land) made a pilgrimage by Zoom to speak at PGIMF on a biblical theology of the city.\n DTEND:20210620T110000 DTSTAMP:20210211T205507 DTSTART:20210620T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Biblical Theology of the City UID:4823 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-biblical-theology-of-the-city END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ruth Enns spoke on the story of the life of David before becom ing King: from anointed young shepherd\, to military hero\, to music ther apist\, and eventually to sentimental eulogizer of both his rival Saul an d his best friend Jonathan.\n DTEND:20210627T110000 DTSTAMP:20210211T205533 DTSTART:20210627T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:David - His Ten Thousands UID:4825 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/david-his-ten-thousands END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Chan Yang used the stories of Stanislav Petrov (1939–2017) and Dr. Peter Henderson Bryce (1853–1932) to ask: are there prophets since J ohn the Baptist who hear God's whispers and tell us hard-to-accept truths ?\n DTEND:20210704T110000 DTSTAMP:20210303T231046 DTSTART:20210704T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:No More Prophets? UID:4869 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/no-more-prophets END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Garry Janzen spoke on the chosen text for MCBC this year (Hebr ews 12:1-3\, “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus\, the pioneer and perfecter of faith”). Garry is the Executive Minister of MCBC (Mennonite Church Briti sh Columbia).\n DTEND:20210711T110000 DTSTAMP:20210329T113602 DTSTART:20210711T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Fixing Our Eyes on Jesus UID:4912 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/fixing-our-eyes-on-jesus-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke on the Apostle Paul recognizing that fai thful Christians could be unified while having different interpretations of how to obey God's commandments\, based on their societal circumstances .\n\nNOTE: the sermon recording has been combined with the response time. \n\n \n DTEND:20210718T110000 DTSTAMP:20210329T113655 DTSTART:20210718T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Church Unity in spite of Theological Differences UID:4914 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/church-unity-in-spite-of-theological-differe nces END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:https://pgimf.org/video/ernafriesen.htm DESCRIPTION:The Memorial Service for Erna S. Friesen will be held on Wedne sday\, July 21st at 1:30 p.m. at St. Philip’s Anglican Church (3737 West 27th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC). The family has asked that you visit https://p gimf.org/video/ernafriesen.htm and fill out the form to register your int ention to either attend in person or online\, and whether you are interes ted in attending the social gathering after the service.  Registration is not required\, but if you sign up\, you will receive an e-mail confirmin g the safety protocols in effect at the church\, and instructions on how to watch the service online.NOTE: The same link of https://pgimf.org/vide o/ernafriesen.htm was changed shortly before the service started on July 21st to redirect viewers to the live stream instead of the registration p age. Now that link will take you to the edited video recording (1 hour an d 21 minutes) on YouTube. DTEND:20210721T150000 DTSTAMP:20210711T114123 DTSTART:20210721T133000 GEO:49.248276;-123.189309 LOCATION:St. Philip's Anglican Church @ 3737 West 27th Avenue\, Vancouver\ , BC \, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Memorial Service for Erna S. Friesen UID:119 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/memorial-service-erna-friesen END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke about what he learned from his volunteer s ervice to a blind woman.\n DTEND:20210725T110000 DTSTAMP:20210329T113746 DTSTART:20210725T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Blind leading the Sighted UID:4916 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-blind-leading-the-sighted-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dori Zerbe Cornelsen spoke about how the concept of belovednes s can reorient us away from discriminatory systems\, and she referred to the book Dear White Peacemakers (Herald Press\, 2021) by Osheta Moore.\n DTEND:20210801T110000 DTSTAMP:20210507T113308 DTSTART:20210801T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Good News of Belovedness to Dismantle Racism UID:4968 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-good-news-of-belovedness-to-dismantle-ra cism END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Annika Krause spoke from Montreal on the complicated relations hip between David and Absalom\, and how not properly communicating bounda ries and expectations can harm relationships between people. [JL]\n DTEND:20210808T110000 DTSTAMP:20210618T125920 DTSTART:20210808T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:O Absalom\, My Son UID:5001 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/o-absalom-my-son-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Please bring a lawn chair or blanket\, a cooler or table if yo u have one\, food to share (easy to serve portions preferred)\, drinks (n o alcohol permitted)\, and your picnic baskets if you like. Single-servin g drinks will be provided along with disposable plates and cutlery\, hand sanitizer will be liberally available\, and to ensure everyone can feel comfortable\, we encourage you to bring your mask should someone you are with feel uncomfortable. PGIMF will conform to all requirements of both t he PHO and the Park Board\, so you will be registered if you attend\; you do not need to pre-register. For more detailed instructions\, see the e- mail from the organizers: Diane\, Chan and Andre.\n DTEND:20210811T193000 DTSTAMP:20210802T194205 DTSTART:20210811T160000 GEO:49.223739;-123.162447 LOCATION:Maple Grove Park @ 6875 Yew St\, Vancouver\, BC V6P 5W2\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Picnic at Maple Grove Park UID:120 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/picnic-maple-grove-park-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Stacey Gleddiesmith (Worship Arts Director\, Columbia Bible Co llege) offered up some lessons learned at her father's knee on the sheep farm. Like the shepherd to the sheep\, God's provision and protection suc cour us\, and Jesus carefully leads his sheep toward good things.\n\n \n DTEND:20210815T110000 DTSTAMP:20210618T125958 DTSTART:20210815T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Lessons from the Sheep Farm UID:5003 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/lessons-from-the-sheep-farm END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Pablo Stucky (Andean Area Representative for Mennonite World C onference\, and a grad of EMU) spoke to PGIMF from Colombia by Zoom on th e question asked of Jesus\, "Are you the one who is to come\, or are we t o wait for another?"\n\n \n DTEND:20210822T110000 DTSTAMP:20210618T125719 DTSTART:20210822T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Are you the one who is to come\, or are we to wait for another? UID:4999 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/are-you-the-one-who-is-to-come-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Sportack spoke to PGIMF on addressing theological differ ences within a faith community\, and a model for bridging them.\n DTEND:20210829T110000 DTSTAMP:20210618T130034 DTSTART:20210829T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The calling you have received UID:5005 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-calling-you-have-received-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Thiessen spoke on the imagery of a blossoming desert in I saiah 35.\n DTEND:20210905T110000 DTSTAMP:20210717T175246 DTSTART:20210905T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The desert will blossom UID:5032 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-desert-will-blossom END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke on the dangers of careless words and the ir potential for lasting harm.\n DTEND:20210912T110000 DTSTAMP:20210717T175337 DTSTART:20210912T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sticks and stones can break my bones\, but words . . . UID:5034 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sticks-and-stones-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Poet and musician Barb Nickel asked us to recognize the varied ways that the Lord sometimes speaks to us\, especially by listening to C hrist as the Word that God has spoken.\n\n \n DTEND:20210919T110000 DTSTAMP:20210717T175405 DTSTART:20210919T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sacred Words\, Sacred Word UID:5036 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sacred-words-sacred-word END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Chan Yang spoke on economic cycles and the Biblical principles of Jubilee. \n DTEND:20210926T110000 DTSTAMP:20210717T175451 DTSTART:20210926T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Of finances\, bulls\, and forgiveness UID:5038 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/of-finances-bulls-and-forgiveness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Heather Murray spoke to us from Chilliwack on how the Garden o f Eden story can be understood as a tale of growth from innocence to expe rience.\n DTEND:20211003T110000 DTSTAMP:20210717T175541 DTSTART:20211003T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:In the Garden of Puberty: the Eden Story as the Tale of Innocence to Experience UID:5040 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/in-the-garden-of-puberty END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A Thanksgiving service of scripture readings and hymns was hel d\, and Communion was taken. \n\nNOTE: the recorded hymns have been remov ed for brevity. The response time was not posted because it was combined with the sharing of prayer concerns.\n\n \n DTEND:20211010T110000 DTSTAMP:20210717T175604 DTSTART:20211010T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving 2021 UID:5042 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thanksgiving-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Don Lewis\, Regent College professor of church history\, spoke to PGIMF on three passages where Jesus seeks to encourage believers and uses the words “be of good cheer”. It turned out to be his last sermon. D on died of a heart attack two days later\, on October 19\, 2021. https:// www.regent-college.edu/about-us/news/2021/remembering-don-lewis\n\nYou ca n watch a YouTube video of our Zoom recording of Don's sermon at https:// www.youtube.com/watch?v=7b1BYH2yGIU\n DTEND:20211017T110000 DTSTAMP:20210717T175627 DTSTART:20211017T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Be of Good Cheer UID:5044 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/be-of-good-cheer END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We gathered in person at 2:00 p.m. on the afternoon of Sunday\ , October 24th at Sherbrook Mennonite Church (7155 Sherbrooke St.\, Vanco uver\, BC) for the baptism of Veronica Yang and John Lee\, conducted by G arry Janzen and Annika Krause. The service was also available on Zoom.\n\ n \n DTEND:20211024T110000 DTSTAMP:20210717T175646 DTSTART:20211024T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Baptism of John Lee and Veronica Yang UID:5046 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/baptism-of-john-and-veronica-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Eriksson asked: can we carry sorrow and flourish at the same time? The story of Naomi in the Book of Ruth\, and Jesus' answer to the question of what the most important commandment is\, all provide exam ples of Ashrei (flourishing).\n DTEND:20211031T110000 DTSTAMP:20210717T175703 DTSTART:20211031T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Table in the Desert: Echoes of Ashrei UID:5048 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-table-in-the-desert END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Zoom (hosted by John Lee)\, a Congregational Meeting will b e held on this Saturday afternoon. Contact the church for connection deta ils. DTEND:20211106T153000 DTSTAMP:20211016T010849 DTSTART:20211106T133000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Congregational Meeting UID:121 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/congregational-meeting-2021-11-06 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Claire Goodfellow challenged us to question whether we -- like Jacob tricking Esau out of his birthright -- are leaning our ladder agai nst the wrong wall.\n DTEND:20211107T110000 DTSTAMP:20210717T175736 DTSTART:20211107T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pondering the Presence of God: Of Loss\, Ladders and Letting Go UID:5050 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pondering-the-presence-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Carl Friesen\, former PGIMFer now in Manitoba\, spoke on what it means for us as humans to be members of God's created order in an ecol ogical crisis.\n DTEND:20211114T110000 DTSTAMP:20210717T175758 DTSTART:20211114T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Members of Creation: Being Human in an Ecological Crisis UID:5052 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/members-of-creation-being-human END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Catherine Cooper spoke on finding pockets of wonder as we trav el uncertain paths under the watchful eye of the Good Shepherd.\n DTEND:20211121T110000 DTSTAMP:20210717T175818 DTSTART:20211121T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Finding Wonder on the Journey Through UID:5054 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/finding-wonder-on-the-journey-through END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:https://kpmbchurch.org/events-2/christmas-concert/ DESCRIPTION:Join us on Sunday\, November 21\, at 4:00 pm at Killarney Park MB Church featuring: Calvin Dyck\, violin\; Alison Nystrom\, vocalist\; and Carmen Hollett\, piano. Full COVID-19 vaccination required. Offering to be collected with all proceeds to Place of Refuge. DTEND:20211121T180000 DTSTAMP:20211107T194700 DTSTART:20211121T160000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Killarney Park Church @ 6426 Kerr St\, Vancouver\, BC V5S 3C1\, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christmas Concert: A Place of Refuge fundraising event UID:122 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/place-of-refuge-christmas-2021-fundraising END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A Congregational Meeting will be held on Zoom (host: John Lee). DTEND:20211127T150000 DTSTAMP:20211117T080835 DTSTART:20211127T133000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Congregational Meeting UID:123 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/congregational-meeting-27-nov-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janet Boldt shared two musings on hope\, and Communion was sha red in the worship service on Zoom.\n DTEND:20211128T110000 DTSTAMP:20210717T175841 DTSTART:20211128T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Musings on Hope UID:5056 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/musings-on-hope-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider shared her Musings on Peace for the 2nd Sunday of Advent (Peace).\n\nNOTE: the bulletin features a painting by Veronica Yang entitled "The Star".\n DTEND:20211205T110000 DTSTAMP:20211017T121740 DTSTART:20211205T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Musings on Peace UID:5184 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/musings-on-peace-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown spoke on the Sunday of Joy for 3rd Advent.\n\nNOTE: the bulletin features a painting by Veronica Yang entitled "The Star".\n \n \n DTEND:20211212T110000 DTSTAMP:20211017T121840 DTSTART:20211212T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Joy\, Death\, and the Colour Pink UID:5186 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/joy-death-and-the-colour-pink END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, December 19\, 2021\, Evan Kreider led our 4th Adve nt service of scripture readings\, poetry\, and songs to celebrate the co ming of Christ.\n\nNOTE: the worship sheet features a painting by Veronic a Yang\, entitled\, "The Star".\n\n \n DTEND:20211219T110000 DTSTAMP:20211017T121949 DTSTART:20211219T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Service of Scriptures and Songs UID:5188 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/scriptures-and-songs-4th-advent-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:This Christmas Eve we will be honouring the birth of Jesus Chr ist in a new way! Come join us for a night full of celebration dedicated to you by the young adults of Chinatown Peace Church & Point Grey Inter-M ennonite Fellowship.Expect a night full of musical talents and a play. Th ere will be a special talk as well.Register here for a seat for this spec ial Christmas event.Please note that during the event we will be conducti ng the following rules:** Vaccine passports are required** Masks are requ ired at all times during the duration of the event** There will be no foo d or drinks at this event. DTEND:20211224T200000 DTSTAMP:20211213T182017 DTSTART:20211224T180000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christmas Eve Worship Service UID:124 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/christmas-eve-worship-service-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday December 26\, 2021\, PGIMF gathered on Zoom for a "V isiting Christmas" led by Andre\, featuring some of the art practiced and enjoyed by PGIMF attenders.\n DTEND:20211226T110000 DTSTAMP:20211017T122153 DTSTART:20211226T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Visiting Sunday UID:5190 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/visiting-sunday-2021 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke on the significance of Jesus being named and circumcised eight days after birth\, consistent with the Abrahamic c ovenant.\n\n \n DTEND:20220102T110000 DTSTAMP:20211101T164323 DTSTART:20220102T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Feast of the Circumcision of Jesus UID:5203 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/feast-of-the-circumcision-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider gave a sermon on Epiphany after we heard Scrip ture read from the First Nations Version (An Indigenous Translation of th e New Testament).\n DTEND:20220109T110000 DTSTAMP:20211101T164359 DTSTART:20220109T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Epiphany UID:5205 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/epiphany-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Doug Medley spoke on the predicament of the religious leaders of Jesus' time whom\, trapped by the strictures of their different religi ous interpretations\, could not see who Jesus really was and what he repr esented to the Jewish people. \n DTEND:20220116T110000 DTSTAMP:20211101T164500 DTSTART:20220116T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Trapped by\, or celebrate Scripture UID:5208 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/trapped-by-or-celebrate-scripture END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Joe Heikman (pastor at Wildwood Church in Saskatoon\, SK) sets Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 against the evil that is done in the world.  Sometime s by accident\, often by design\, the evil we do is often hidden in what we justify as good\; that pain/mortality are inevitable\, and that its pr esence actually creates space for our imperfections within the wider good ness of the universe. \n DTEND:20220123T110000 DTSTAMP:20211101T164538 DTSTART:20220123T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Absurdity of Evil UID:5210 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-absurdity-of-evil END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our Annual General Meeting of the congregation will be held on this Saturday afternoon. John Lee will be the Zoom host\, and we'll be u sing the same connection details as we do for a regular Sunday worship se rvice. DTEND:20220129T150000 DTSTAMP:20220107T223525 DTSTART:20220129T133000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Annual General Meeting UID:125 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/agm-29-jan-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On January 30\, 2022\, Paul Thiessen spoke on two different sc enarios that portray human nature\, each of which follows a group of maro oned boys. One is a novel that debuted in 1954 called Lord of the Flies\, where a group of British boys stranded on an island descend into a state of depravity and violence. The other is a true story from 1966 following a failed maritime joyride of six bored teenage boys of the Polynesian Ki ngdom of Tonga. These boys\, in spite of also being stranded on an island and with little hope of being rescued\, were able to survive by cooperat ing and creating a system for handling disputes. The later story paints a n optimistic view of human nature that it might not be as dark as we ofte n believe. DTEND:20220130T110000 DTSTAMP:20211101T164616 DTSTART:20220130T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Human Nature--Two Scenarios UID:5213 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/human-nature-two-scenarios END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown reflected on the miracles that were available to th e people during Jesus' time\, the ones that were supernatural and made to measure\, such as the one for Peter involving fishes\, the way rocks are  worn down by the water\, and our ability to taste. Karl concluded that i f we are careful and observant\, it's not hard to tell that there are mir acles all around us that point us towards God\, and these miracles are no less awesome than the ones from two thousand years ago. [JL] DTEND:20220206T110000 DTSTAMP:20211220T210743 DTSTART:20220206T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Miracles Made to Measure UID:5278 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/miracles-made-to-measure END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, February 13th\, Jeffrey C. Borden\, PGIMF attender and Executive Director of the Place of Refuge Society spoke by Zoom.\n DTEND:20220213T110000 DTSTAMP:20211220T210515 DTSTART:20220213T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Place of Refuge UID:5275 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/place-of-refuge-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld spoke on motivation (intent)\, behaviour (act)\, and impact. Meaning well is a good start but must be followed by action.  \n DTEND:20220220T110000 DTSTAMP:20211220T210311 DTSTART:20220220T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Impact vs Intention UID:5272 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/impact-vs-intention END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:https://mcbc.ca/article/12239-mcbc-annual-meeting DESCRIPTION:Mennonite Church BC (MCBC) is holding their Annual Meeting onl ine only via Zoom on Saturday\, February 26. DTEND:20220220T120000 DTSTAMP:20220220T172841 DTSTART:20220226T090000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:MCBC Annual General Meeting UID:126 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/mcbc-agm-26-feb-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, February 20\, 2022\, Catherine Cooper spoke by Zoo m.\n\nNOTE: a recording is not available.\n\n \n DTEND:20220227T110000 DTSTAMP:20211231T002048 DTSTART:20220227T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Feast of the Transfiguration UID:5301 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-feast-of-the-transfiguration-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:John Klassen spoke on forgiveness\, by reviewing the stories o f the Samaritan woman at the well\, the woman who perfumed Jesus' feet\, and the paralyzed man who had been lowered through the roof. Communion wa s served on the first Sunday of Lent.\n DTEND:20220306T110000 DTSTAMP:20211231T002203 DTSTART:20220306T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Forgiveness UID:5303 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/forgiveness-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the Second Sunday in Lent\, Johann Funk (retired professor of sociology at Okanagan College) spoke to PGIMF by Zoom on what the Spir it is saying to the Church through the very human stories of the people w e meet in the first chapter of Mark's gospel.\n DTEND:20220313T110000 DTSTAMP:20211231T002303 DTSTART:20220313T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Baptised in the Spirit UID:5305 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/baptised-in-the-spirit-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laura Sportack spoke on the lectionary texts and referred to t hemes in the books The Collector of Moments by Quint Buchholz and God Spy : Faith\, Perception and the New Physics by Virginia Stem Owens.\n DTEND:20220320T110000 DTSTAMP:20211231T002356 DTSTART:20220320T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Collectors and Spies UID:5307 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/collectors-and-spies END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Bridget Findlay\, Indigenous Neighbours coordinator for MCC-BC \, spoke to PGIMF by Zoom.\n\n \n DTEND:20220327T110000 DTSTAMP:20211231T002501 DTSTART:20220327T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Good Neighbours UID:5309 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/good-neighbours-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:For the 5th Sunday of Lent\, Claire Goodfellow spoke to us on "Pondering the Presence of God: At the Door" in reference to the painting "The Annunciation" by Filippo Lippi.\n\n\nAnnunciation\, by Filippo Lipp i\, Public domain\, via Wikimedia Commons\n DTEND:20220403T110000 DTSTAMP:20211231T002614 DTSTART:20220403T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pondering the Presence of God: At the Door UID:5311 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pondering-the-presence-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Palm Sunday\, Janice Kreider spoke on "Jerusalem\, Power\, and Nonviolence" for Passion Week. The painting described in the sermon i s ENTRY INTO THE CITY\, 1990 by John August Swanson.\n\n \n DTEND:20220410T110000 DTSTAMP:20211231T002713 DTSTART:20220410T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jerusalem\, Power\, and Nonviolence UID:5315 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jerusalem-power-nonviolence END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On April 17\, 2022\, we celebrated Easter Sunday.\n DTEND:20220417T110000 DTSTAMP:20211231T002800 DTSTART:20220417T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Readings and Hymns UID:5317 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-sunday-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Rosie Perera DESCRIPTION:Our congregation will meet on Zoom to discuss the work of the church on Saturday\, April 23rd at 1:30pm. Rosie Perera will be our Zoom host. DTEND:20220423T153000 DTSTAMP:20220220T173527 DTSTART:20220423T133000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Zoom @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Congregational Meeting UID:129 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/congregational-meeting-23-april-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Rev. Clifford Reinhardt (Pastor - Ret. from ELCIC) spoke on th e varied reasons for our faith by looking at the story of Thomas seeing J esus and believing. Cliff had a connection with the Menno Simons Centre d uring the PCDA's search for a new site on which to build.\n DTEND:20220424T110000 DTSTAMP:20220215T103720 DTSTART:20220424T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What we Believe . . . and Why UID:5374 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-we-believe-and-why-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:https://bcmb.org/news-and-events/ DESCRIPTION:The theme of this year's Annual General Meeting of the BC Conf erence of MB Churches (BCMB) is "Finding Fortitude Together" - to be held April 29-30\, 2022. DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220430 DTSTAMP:20220220T173658 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220429 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:BCMB Annual General Meeting UID:130 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/bcmb-agm-29-april-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gareth Brandt addressed covenant loyalty in the Bible with an exploration of Joseph's story in Genesis 39 as the first message in a two -part series entitled "Damned if you do and damned if you don’t: Two tale s of sexual intrigue in Genesis 38 and 39. What are they really about?"\n DTEND:20220501T110000 DTSTAMP:20220215T103812 DTSTART:20220501T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Joseph: A Minority Man Stands Up UID:5376 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/joseph-a-minority-man-stands-up END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gareth Brandt spoke on covenant loyalty in the Bible with an e xploration of Tamar's story in Genesis 38 as the second message in a two- part series entitled "Damned if you do and damned if you don’t: Two tales of sexual intrigue in Genesis 38 and 39. What are they really about?"\n DTEND:20220508T110000 DTSTAMP:20220215T104040 DTSTART:20220508T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Tamar: A Feminist Foremother Speaks Up UID:5378 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/tamar-a-feminist-foremother-speaks-up END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Clifford Reinhardt (Pastor - Ret. from ELCIC) returned to PGIM F to speak on the 5th Sunday of Easter on Jesus' parting words commanding us to love one another if we are to be known as his disciples.\n DTEND:20220515T110000 DTSTAMP:20220215T104257 DTSTART:20220515T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Last Will and Testament UID:5381 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/last-will-and-testament-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:This first in-person worship service of 2022 took place at Sou ndhouse Studios (33 W. 8th Ave.\, Vancouver). This spacious location near Broadway and Main Street was first found by Henry Neufeld in 2015 in our original search. We were pleased to hear Catherine Cooper speak (and sin g!) to us about the importance of storytelling and then we shared a time of fellowship afterwards.\n DTEND:20220522T110000 DTSTAMP:20220215T104356 DTSTART:20220522T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Stories of the Winding Path UID:5384 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/stories-of-the-winding-path END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:While on retreat at Camp Luther in Mission\, Andre Pekovich le d the group in a service based on the themes of the weekend.\n DTEND:20220529T110000 DTSTAMP:20220215T104445 DTSTART:20220529T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Camp Luther Retreat 2022 UID:5386 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/camp-luther-retreat-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kathleen Busch preached a sermon on struggling with disappoint ment in God and our own bitterness.\n DTEND:20220605T110000 DTSTAMP:20220215T104554 DTSTART:20220605T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Call Me Mara UID:5388 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/call-me-mara END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:http://www.mennonitebrethren.ca/events/ DESCRIPTION:This year's National Assembly of the Canadian Conference of Me nnonite Brethren Churches will be held June 9-10\, 2022. DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20220610 DTSTAMP:20220220T194855 DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20220609 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:CCMBC National Assembly UID:132 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/ccmbc-na-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janet Boldt (Faculty Emerita\, Columbia Bible College) spoke a bout seeing God in creation\, recognizing Wisdom\, and experiencing the H oly Spirit in renewed relationships.\n DTEND:20220612T110000 DTSTAMP:20220307T094239 DTSTART:20220612T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Trinity and Three Slanted Stories UID:5416 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-trinity-and-three-slanted-stories END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jason Byassee\, professor of homiletics and biblical hermeneut ics at VST\, spoke to PGIMF by Zoom based on the account of Jesus driving demons out of a man in Luke 8. See more about Jason here.\n DTEND:20220619T110000 DTSTAMP:20220501T201141 DTSTART:20220619T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Clothed and In Right Mind UID:5477 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/clothed-and-in-right-mind END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld challenged us to consider which teachings in Scr ipture have broad application and which ones were instructions to people in specific situations.\n DTEND:20220626T110000 DTSTAMP:20220501T201039 DTSTART:20220626T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Weaker Ones UID:5474 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-weaker-ones-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Annika Krause\, pastor at Mennonite Fellowship of Montreal\, s poke to PGIMF via Zoom on the importance of rest and Sabbath.\n DTEND:20220703T110000 DTSTAMP:20220501T201415 DTSTART:20220703T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:You Who Are Weary UID:5480 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/you-who-are-weary-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Bill Thiessen preached for PGIMF\, a sermon titled "With Chris t at the Border". Bill served with MCC (with his late wife Marianne\, a n urse) for 6 years in Nigeria\, 14 years as CEO of MCC Alberta\, and 9 yea rs as Associate Director of MCC BC. Following his retirement in 1999\, he and Marianne travelled extensively in connection with service assignment s in various countries abroad. He has volunteered with Mennonite Heritage Museum in Abbotsford since its inception\, and for ten years as a driver for patients requiring eye surgery.\n DTEND:20220710T110000 DTSTAMP:20220501T201505 DTSTART:20220710T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:With Christ at the Border UID:5482 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/with-christ-at-the-border END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday July 17th\, Ruth Enns spoke on moral injury\, and re flected on how the Biblical figures suffered from the sins for which the only victims were themselves. Moral injury is defined as perpetrating\, f ailing to prevent\, or barring witness to acts that transgress deeply-hel d moral beliefs. It affected the American drone operators during the war on terrorism. It affects the medical staff when they have to choose who g ets to live or die\, which was something they were forced to do during th e Covid crisis. It even affects us\, just from learning about the atrocit ies on the news. [JL]\n DTEND:20220717T110000 DTSTAMP:20220501T201537 DTSTART:20220717T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What Have I Done? UID:5484 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-have-i-done END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider shared examples of how some people have shown t hat they value others over themselves\, and thought of the interests of o thers before their own.\n DTEND:20220724T110000 DTSTAMP:20220501T201604 DTSTART:20220724T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Different Way UID:5486 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-different-way-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:https://www.mennonitechurch.ca/gathering2022 DESCRIPTION:Mennonite Church Canada will hold its Gathering 2022 in Edmont on\, Alberta from Friday\, July 29\, to Monday\, August 1. DTEND:20220801T120000 DTSTAMP:20220220T231605 DTSTART:20220729T120000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:MC Canada Gathering 2022 UID:133 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/mc-canada-gathering-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:This is one of four recorded "Summer Psalms" sermons provided by the Mennonite Church BC.  Gerry Binnema is the Senior Pastor of Crossr oads Community Church in Chilliwack/Aldergrove. In this talk\, he talked about how Unity is a powerful force that creates a sense of comradery and joy\, and has done so both for the children of Israel and a crowd of peo ple at a concert. He also lamented how divided Christianity has become an d how the balance between Unity and Purity has become lopsided. Unity isn 't a nice-to-have thing for Christians\; in fact\, it's one of the core c haracteristics that Jesus wanted us to have in John 17:20-23\, and is a s entiment shared by Paul as well in Phillipians 2:1-2. [JL]\n\nYou can fin d the recording in a Google Drive link here (https://drive.google.com/fil e/d/1JBEak3NTq0bRG1MQGsGValnX8q17v8EE/view).\n DTEND:20220731T110000 DTSTAMP:20220501T201627 DTSTART:20220731T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Psalm 133 - Unity UID:5488 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/psalm-133-unity-summer-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Lee Kosa spoke on diversity in the church using the analogy of a quilt-making community.\n DTEND:20220807T110000 DTSTAMP:20220501T201735 DTSTART:20220807T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Quilting Community UID:5490 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/quilting-community END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Garry Janzen\, outgoing Executive Minister of Mennonite Church BC\, spoke on how to relate the work of reconciliation with our First Na tions neighbours to our leading in Christ.\n DTEND:20220814T110000 DTSTAMP:20220501T201758 DTSTART:20220814T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reconciliation UID:5492 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/reconciliation-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Chan Yang examined the healing at the beginning of Acts 3 usin g the model of concentric circles of what\, how\, and why we do what we d o.\n DTEND:20220821T110000 DTSTAMP:20220501T201820 DTSTART:20220821T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Why we do what we do UID:5494 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/why-we-do-what-we-do-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert shared what he learned about the intersection of Faith and Science from the ASA 2022 convention in San Diego. \n DTEND:20220828T110000 DTSTAMP:20220716T072524 DTSTART:20220828T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Faith and Science: Peas in a Pod UID:5586 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/faith-and-science-peas-in-a-pod END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown spoke about how inadequate the English word "love" is\, and called on us to notice and feel another’s suffering\, then respo nd with compassion.\n DTEND:20220904T110000 DTSTAMP:20220716T072608 DTSTART:20220904T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Love - such a bad word UID:5588 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/love-such-a-bad-word END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:J. Evan Kreider spoke on The Parable of the Lost Sheep and The Parable of the Lost Coin in Luke 15:1-10.\n DTEND:20220911T110000 DTSTAMP:20220716T072628 DTSTART:20220911T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Good Shepherds and Lost Sheep UID:5590 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/good-shepherds-and-lost-sheep-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Neufeld shared courageous stories of refugees and the pe ople who care for them.\n\nNOTE: we gathered in person at St. Mary Magdal ene Anglican Church (2950 Laurel Street\, at the corner of West 14th Aven ue in Vancouver) and on Zoom!\n DTEND:20220918T110000 DTSTAMP:20220716T072646 DTSTART:20220918T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Refugees UID:5592 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/refugee-stories-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Klippenstein spoke to us about a new perspective of the Sermon on the Mount.\n\nNOTE: members and adherents may read Henry's 5-pa ge sermon script at 2022-09-25-PGIMF-Henry_Klippenstein-The_Sermon_on_the _Mount.pdf (login required).\n DTEND:20220925T110000 DTSTAMP:20220716T072705 DTSTART:20220925T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Fresh Hearing of the Sermon on the Mount UID:5594 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-fresh-hearing-of-the-sermon-on-the-mount END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:How does one increase their faith? How does one know when they have enough faith? These are the questions that Evan Krieder opened up t he sermon with. Faith is something we often think of as something we can have a lot of\, or a little of\, and can obtain many blessings from havin g it. Yet\, with the passages from Lamentations\, Habakkuk\, and Psalm\, Evan shows us that the faithful of the past weren't guaranteed comfort\, expressed grievances against God\, and fantasized about the destruction o f their enemies. What's important\, however\, was that they lived their l ives acting out their faith\, both for themselves and others. [JL]\n DTEND:20221002T110000 DTSTAMP:20220722T102721 DTSTART:20221002T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Increase our faith? UID:5612 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/increase-our-faith END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We celebrated Thanksgiving and Communion on Zoom with a servic e of songs (not included in the posted recording) and readings.\n DTEND:20221009T110000 DTSTAMP:20220722T102753 DTSTART:20221009T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving songs and readings UID:5614 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thanksgiving-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Jennie McLaurin returned to speak by Zoom at PGIMF on the communion of saints as spoken of by contemplatives and monastics.\n DTEND:20221016T110000 DTSTAMP:20220722T102945 DTSTART:20221016T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Communion of Saints in a Digital World UID:5619 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-communion-of-saints-in-a-digital-world END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A Child Blessing service was held in person and on Zoom at 3:3 0 p.m. in the afternoon at St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church (2950 Laure l St &\, W 14th Ave\, Vancouver\, BC).\n\nNOTE: the video of the service (including the response time) is available for members and adherents on t he Recordings page.\n DTEND:20221023T163000 DTSTAMP:20220722T103022 DTSTART:20221023T153000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Child Blessing - 3:30 pm in person @ St Mary Magdalene Anglican Ch urch UID:5621 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/child-blessing-23-oct-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Participate in the life of the church by joining us online to discuss our worship services\, congregational care\, finances\, refugee s ponsorship and hospitality. Our Zoom host will be Grace Neudorf.\n DTEND:20221029T153000 DTSTAMP:20221018T205747 DTSTART:20221029T133000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Zoom @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Congregational Meeting UID:135 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/congregational-meeting-29-oct-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Annika Krause spoke on the story in Luke 6 of how Jesus respon ded to a Roman centurion's unexpected expression of faith.\n DTEND:20221030T113000 DTSTAMP:20220722T103102 DTSTART:20221030T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Unexpected faith of a centurion UID:5623 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/unexpected-faith-of-a-centurion END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Bill Thiessen spoke on the parables in Matthew as models of ge nerosity for God's kingdom\, which cannot be shaken.\n DTEND:20221106T113000 DTSTAMP:20220925T210345 DTSTART:20221106T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Realm Which Cannot be Shaken UID:5707 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-realm-which-cannot-be-shaken END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:In an interview of Peter Harris by Rosie Perera\, we heard abo ut the founding of A Rocha and its mission of environmental stewardship.\ n\n \n DTEND:20221113T110000 DTSTAMP:20220925T210445 DTSTART:20221113T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Mission of A Rocha: Environmental Stewardship UID:5709 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-mission-of-a-rocha-environmental-steward ship END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, November 20th\, we heard from Al McKay\, soon-to-b e-retired Chaplain with Corporate Chaplains Outreach Canada\, who has ser ved people in disadvantaged neighbourhoods all his life. He has lived no further than 20 km from where he was born. Al is intimately acquainted wi th those in the DTES whose backgrounds and needs some of us can scarcely imagine and brings to us the story of Jesus stirring the waters to heal f rom John 5:1-17.\n DTEND:20221120T113000 DTSTAMP:20220929T152757 DTSTART:20221120T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Stirring of the Water UID:5727 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-stirring-of-the-water END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the First Sunday of Advent\, Heather Pauls Murray\, MSC alu mna and former PGIMF attender now living in Chilliwack\, spoke to PGIMF o n an Advent theme. This was an in-person service at the Martha Lou Henley Rehearsal Hall (1955 McLean Dr. at 3rd Ave\, Vancouver) at 10:00 am. Com munion was served during the service\, along with coffee and goodies afte rward\, and there was lots of free parking on the street. The venue reque sted that masks be worn. Due to the new location\, we appreciated everyon e's patience while setup and testing took place before the service starte d at about 10:10 am.\n DTEND:20221127T113000 DTSTAMP:20220929T152646 DTSTART:20221127T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Why Do We Have Hope? UID:5725 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/why-do-we-have-hope END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the second Sunday of Advent (Joy)\, Richard Topping spoke o n 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24. Dr. Topping is President\, Vice-Chancellor\, a nd Professor of Studies in the Reformed Tradition at the Vancouver School of Theology.\n DTEND:20221204T113000 DTSTAMP:20220929T152907 DTSTART:20221204T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Waiting in Joy: "A push\, a hand and a hug" UID:5729 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/waiting-in-joy-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the third Sunday in Advent\, Karl Brown spoke on the differ ences between joy\, pleasure\, and happiness.\n DTEND:20221211T113000 DTSTAMP:20220929T153543 DTSTART:20221211T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Happiness Favors the Prepared Mind UID:5734 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/happiness-favors-the-prepared-mind END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the fourth Sunday in Advent (Peace)\, we will hold our trad itional service of scriptures and songs for the Advent season using a lit urgy created by J. Evan Kreider and led by Travis Martin.\n\nNOTE: we int ended to gather in person at St. Mary Magdalene\, but due to snowfall\, t he service will now be held on Zoom only at 3:30 pm.\n DTEND:20221218T170000 DTSTAMP:20220929T153637 DTSTART:20221218T153000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Waiting in Peace - Christmas Readings and Songs UID:5736 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/waiting-in-peace-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:No worship service - enjoy Christmas Day with your friends and family.\n DTEND:20221225T110000 DTSTAMP:20220929T165815 DTSTART:20221225T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:[No worship service] UID:5742 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christmas-day-2022 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On New Year's Day (January 1\, 2023)\, Andre Pekovich led a vi siting service organized around the days of peace after the birth of the Baby Jesus and informed by the Brügel the Elder painting The Adoration of the Magi in a Winter Landscape.\n\nNOTE: since the service included cong regational response times interspersed between segments of scripture read ings and commentary by Andre\, it is only available to members & adherent s as a 46-minute edit (without the songs).\n DTEND:20230101T113000 DTSTAMP:20220929T165631 DTSTART:20230101T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Travelling for Purpose UID:5739 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/travelling-for-purpose END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, January 8th\, 2023\, PGIMF participated with six o ther MCBC churches in a worship service at Sherbrooke Mennonite Church (7 155 Sherbrooke St at East 55th Ave\, Vancouver) at 11:00 am.  Communion w as served and lunch followed the service. Sherbrooke has now posted the v ideo of the past Sunday’s “Cross Culture” Service on their YouTube channe l: Sunday January 8 Multi-language\, Multi-church joint service - with Co mmunion (YouTube\, duration 1:01:45)\n\nIf you are mostly interested in l istening to the sermon by Tim Kuepfer of Chinatown Peace Church on ‘Cultu ral Dreams’\, the bookmark to skip ahead to the 24-minute mark of the vid eo is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSblLS9aWE4&t=1472s\n\n DTEND:20230108T120000 DTSTAMP:20220929T204457 DTSTART:20230108T110000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Cross Culture (joint worship service at Sherbrooke) UID:5754 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/joint-worship-service-mcbc-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dori Zerbe Cornelsen\, Director of Development at CMU\, spoke to PGIMF by Zoom on the theme of wild hope based on Romans 8:22-24.\n DTEND:20230115T113000 DTSTAMP:20220929T204526 DTSTART:20230115T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Wild Hope UID:5756 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/wild-hope-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Edith & Neill von Gunten\, formerly MC Canada workers in Nativ e Ministries\, spoke to PGIMF by Zoom.\n DTEND:20230122T113000 DTSTAMP:20220929T204552 DTSTART:20230122T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Be Open and Listen UID:5758 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/be-open-and-listen-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our Annual General Meeting of the congregation will be held on this Saturday afternoon. Rosie Perera will be the Zoom host\, and we'll be using the same connection details as we do for a regular Sunday worshi p service.\n DTEND:20230128T150000 DTSTAMP:20230115T174459 DTSTART:20230128T133000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Zoom @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Annual General Meeting UID:137 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/agm-2023-01-28 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Yehuda Mansell spoke to us on "A Theology of Fentanyl". Yehuda is a PhD student in the VST-Durham University program. He comes from a J ewish tradition.\n\n \n DTEND:20230129T110000 DTSTAMP:20220929T204631 DTSTART:20230129T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Theology of Fentanyl UID:5760 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-theology-of-fentanyl END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Loren Balisky\, Director of Engagement\, Kinbrace Refugee Hous ing and Support\, spoke to PGIMF on why supporting refugee resettlement m atters so much.\n DTEND:20230205T113000 DTSTAMP:20221121T100307 DTSTART:20230205T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Why welcoming asylum seekers matters UID:5827 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/why-welcoming-asylum-seekers-matters END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dr. Andrew Dyck\, Assistant Professor of Christian Spiritualit y and Pastoral Ministry at CMU\, spoke to PGIMF on the deeper implication s of the Lord's prayer in a message entitled Praying with Jesus from Matt hew 6:7-15. By praying with Jesus\, we can see what Jesus sees\, desire w hat Jesus desires\, and live the life of Jesus.\n DTEND:20230212T113000 DTSTAMP:20221122T122354 DTSTART:20230212T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Praying with Jesus UID:5831 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/praying-with-jesus-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janet Boldt spoke to PGIMF on Zoom with a sermon titled "Confe ssion of Love: This is my Beloved. Listen to him."\n DTEND:20230219T113000 DTSTAMP:20221122T122628 DTSTART:20230219T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Confession of Love: This is my Beloved. Listen to him. UID:5834 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/confession-of-love-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the first day of Lent\, Thomas Bergen spoke to PGIMF on Zoo m. Dr. David Boshart\, President of Anabaptist Mennonite Biblical Seminar y\, led communion.\n DTEND:20230226T113000 DTSTAMP:20221122T121129 DTSTART:20230226T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Living with Ashes UID:5829 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/living-with-ashes END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, March 5\, 2023\, Markku Kostamo shared his mental health journey. Markku is the Director of Development for Sanctuary Menta l Health Ministries.\n DTEND:20230305T113000 DTSTAMP:20221209T122833 DTSTART:20230305T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Walk This Way: Faith and Mental Health UID:5856 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/walk-this-way-faith-and-mental-health-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On March 12th\, 2023\, Laura Sportack spoke on the theme of Sa lvation and how Christians seem to have a hard time communicating its val ue towards non-Christians. She observed that Hollywood tells many stories following its theme\, including no less than the redemption story of Dar th Vader in Star Wars. Jesus himself explained Salvation with stories\, a nd not with an academic thesis.\n\nWhat was most striking\, however\, was that the greatest barrier that was preventing people from becoming Chris tians was other Christians. Perhaps what matters is not just what we say\ , or what great stories we are able to tell\, but how we can become a liv ing testament of the Salvation story for all to see. [JL]\n DTEND:20230312T113000 DTSTAMP:20221213T151913 DTSTART:20230312T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Salvation: Or What I Need To Believe About God UID:5859 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/salvation-or-what-i-need-to-believe-about-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Thiessen spoke to PGIMF in a sermon about the Desert Fath ers\, as described in the book The Wisdom of the Desert by Thomas Merton (1970). We held the 10:00 am service in-person at Menno Court (1750 E. 41 st Ave\, Vancouver - off Bruce St.). Paul also mentioned the song With Ki ndness (Christ has no body here but ours) composed by Brian McLaren.\n\nN OTE: Chapel access through door facing E. 41st Ave. No access from the do or facing E. 43rd AVe. Parking on Commercial St. 1/2 blk east of Menno Co urt - walk through the alley to the front door. Visitor's parking is extr emely limited and signage is not clear at Menno Court. No accessibility s paces are posted.\n DTEND:20230319T113000 DTSTAMP:20221213T152001 DTSTART:20230319T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Wisdom of the Desert UID:5861 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-wisdom-of-the-desert END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Laurel Borisenko spoke about her time serving in Africa for re lief and refugee organizations in a message about struggling to find hope in hopelessness. We heard Parker Palmer's version of The Lord's Prayer a nd the Muteuro (Offering) by Oliver Mtukudzi & the Black Spirits.\n DTEND:20230326T113000 DTSTAMP:20221213T152037 DTSTART:20230326T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Dancing in the Dragon’s Jaws: looking for hope in dark places. UID:5863 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/dancing-in-the-dragons-jaws END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Palm Sunday\, J. Evan Kreider reflected on how it is more b lessed to give than receive\, and Janet Boldt also related a story. The s ervice was on Zoom and Communion was served.\n DTEND:20230402T113000 DTSTAMP:20221213T152105 DTSTART:20230402T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:It is more blessed to give than to receive UID:5865 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/it-is-more-blessed-to-give-than-to-receive END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Easter Sunday\, PGIMF held a service of readings and singin g from the Easter story.  This service was in person at 3:30 p.m. at St. Mary Magdalene Anglican Church\, 2950 Laurel St &\, W 14th Ave\, Vancouve r.  We concluded by singing the Halleluia chorus from Handel's Messiah (P art II).\n\nNOTE: the video of the full worship service (except prayer ti me) is available to members and adherents at 2023-04-09-PGIMF-Easter-Sund ay.mp4 (password-protected).\n DTEND:20230409T170000 DTSTAMP:20221213T152143 DTSTART:20230409T153000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Readings and Music UID:5867 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-sunday-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the first Sunday after Easter\, Henry Neufeld spoke on the challenging messages of prophetic insights in the Old Testament\, New Tes tament\, and modern times.\n DTEND:20230416T113000 DTSTAMP:20230126T185615 DTSTART:20230416T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Disrupting the Status Quo UID:5920 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/disrupting-the-status-quo END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Klippenstein shared a personal story about a crucial cha pter in his life.\n\n \n DTEND:20230423T113000 DTSTAMP:20230126T185705 DTSTART:20230423T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:My Story: A Crucial Chapter in My Life UID:5922 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/my-story-a-crucial-chapter-in-my-life END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Participate in the life of the church by joining us online to discuss our worship services\, congregational care\, finances\, refugee s ponsorship and hospitality. Our Zoom host will be Kevin Hiebert. DTEND:20230429T153000 DTSTAMP:20230308T190351 DTSTART:20230429T133000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Congregational Meeting - 29 April 2023 UID:139 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/congregational-meeting-29-apr-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Barbara Nickel spoke to us on Zoom on "The Church with No Zone : A Walk\, a Wound\, a Song". As a musical prelude\, Catherine Cooper san g\, "Hamba nathi" (‘Come walk with us’).\n DTEND:20230430T113000 DTSTAMP:20230126T185742 DTSTART:20230430T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Church With No Zone UID:5924 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-church-with-no-zone END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sermon was done by Rebecca Sack Mosley on "Faith for the Dry W ell".\n DTEND:20230507T113000 DTSTAMP:20230126T185814 DTSTART:20230507T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Faith for the Dry Well UID:5926 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/faith-for-the-dry-well END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Spilsbury spoke about the Apostle Paul's proclamation in Athens as described in Acts 17:16-32.\n DTEND:20230514T113000 DTSTAMP:20230126T185844 DTSTART:20230514T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Paul's Proclamation in Athens UID:5928 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pauls-proclamation-in-athens END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider did a sermon on May 21\, 2023\, on the topic of "On the wrong side of the story".\n DTEND:20230521T113000 DTSTAMP:20230126T185914 DTSTART:20230521T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:On the wrong side of the story UID:5930 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/on-the-wrong-side-of-the-story END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:https://campluther.ca/about-us/our-locations-contact-info DESCRIPTION:Join us Friday evening through Sunday afternoon at Camp Luther in Mission\, BC for our church retreat.\n DTEND:20230528T140000 DTSTAMP:20230225T134835 DTSTART:20230526T180000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Camp Luther @ 9311 Shook Road\, Mission\, BC V2V 7M2\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Camp Luther Retreat 2023 UID:138 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/camp-luther-retreat-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:The fellowship assembled in the upper room at Camp Luther's Re treat Centre (9311 Shook Road\, Mission\, BC\, on Lake Hatzic). No audio recording is posted here it was a service of reflections and singing\, wi th Communion being served.\n\nOn the previous day (Saturday)\, Gareth Bra ndt led us through a pair of workshops on the topic of "Hopefulness"\, bo th of which are available to watch from the links posted on the Members > Recordings page (password required). DTEND:20230528T113000 DTSTAMP:20230126T190009 DTSTART:20230528T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hopefulness UID:5933 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/camp-luther-retreat-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jason Byassee spoke on the nature of the Trinity: what God is and is not\, based on Scutum Fidei (Latin for "shield of faith").\n\n \n\ n \n\n \n DTEND:20230604T113000 DTSTAMP:20230223T114351 DTSTART:20230604T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Trinity Sunday UID:5970 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/trinity-sunday-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A sermon was done by Jürg Bräker on "A Mourning Mother Breakin g the Cycles of Violence: The Story of Rizpah".\n DTEND:20230611T113000 DTSTAMP:20230410T173436 DTSTART:20230611T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Mourning Mother Breaking the Cycles of Violence: The Story of Ri zpah UID:6051 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-mourning-mother-breaking-the-cycles-of-vio lence END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A sermon was done by Laura Eriksson on "Faces of Joy".\n DTEND:20230618T113000 DTSTAMP:20230410T173334 DTSTART:20230618T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Faces of Joy UID:6049 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/faces-of-joy END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A sermon was done by Veronica Dyck on "A voice of sheer silenc e in the wilderness: Elijah in crisis".\n DTEND:20230625T113000 DTSTAMP:20230410T173512 DTSTART:20230625T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A voice of sheer silence in the wilderness: Elijah in crisis UID:6053 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-voice-of-sheer-silence-in-the-wilderness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Chan Yang spoke on "Temptations".\n DTEND:20230702T113000 DTSTAMP:20230410T173552 DTSTART:20230702T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Temptations UID:6055 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/temptations END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A sermon was done by Ruth Enns on “Rebekah and the Hand of God ”.\n DTEND:20230709T113000 DTSTAMP:20230410T173638 DTSTART:20230709T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:“Rebekah and the Hand of God” UID:6057 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/rebekah-and-the-hand-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A sermon by Henry Neufeld on “The Demise of the Church” was re ad by Andre Pekovich.\n DTEND:20230716T113000 DTSTAMP:20230419T143628 DTSTART:20230716T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Demise of the Church UID:6064 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-demise-of-the-church END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On July 23rd\, 2023\, Steve Anonby returns to speak at PGIMF a bout three of Jesus' most famous parables in a message entitled "I am tha t Man" in a reminder that the best of intentions also fall short of God's expectations.  This will be an in-person worship service to be conducted at Kearney Funeral Home's chapel (450 W. 2nd Ave) beginning at 10:00 am. \n DTEND:20230723T113000 DTSTAMP:20230419T143740 DTSTART:20230723T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:I Am That Man UID:6066 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/i-am-that-man END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Annika Krause spoke on "Peace be With My Enemy” based on 2 Kin gs 6:8-23.\n DTEND:20230730T113000 DTSTAMP:20230419T122144 DTSTART:20230730T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Peace be With My Enemy UID:6062 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/peace-be-with-my-enemy END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Josh Wallace (Church Engagement Minister\, Mennonite Church Sa skatchewan) spoke on “Shirts\, Skirts\, Sanctuaries\, and Security: Where Do We Hang Our Honor?”\n DTEND:20230806T113000 DTSTAMP:20230609T104454 DTSTART:20230806T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Shirts\, Skirts\, Sanctuaries\, and Security: Where Do We Hang Our Honor? UID:6117 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/shirts-skirts-sanctuaries-and-security END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A sermon was done by Karl Brown on “Why Me God?”.\n DTEND:20230813T113000 DTSTAMP:20230609T105415 DTSTART:20230813T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Why Me God? UID:6120 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/why-me-god-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A sermon was done by David Boshart (President\, Anabaptist Men nonite Biblical Seminary) on “A Gathering God”.\n\n \n\n \n DTEND:20230820T113000 DTSTAMP:20230609T105524 DTSTART:20230820T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Gathering God UID:6122 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-gathering-god-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:A sermon was done by Sven Soderlund (Professor Emeritus\, Bibl ical Studies\, Regent College) on “Psalm 1”.\n DTEND:20230827T111500 DTSTAMP:20230609T105655 DTSTART:20230827T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Psalm 1 UID:6124 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/psalm-1-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:At 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon\, we gathered at St. Mary Magdel ene Anglican Church (2950 Laurel St\, Vancouver\, BC). J. Evan Kreider ga ve a sermon about conflict and our responsibility to handle it well.\n DTEND:20230903T170000 DTSTAMP:20230609T105958 DTSTART:20230903T153000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Try to live peaceably with everybody UID:6127 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/try-to-live-peaceably-with-everybody END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, September 10\, 2023\, Julie Canlis gave Part 1 of a two-part sermon series on Hebrews 8. She explained how in ancient Israe l's religious system\, the high priest was responsible for upholding Crea tion and separating the clean from the unclean\; e.g.\, corpses were to b e kept outside the camp. Hebrews 8 explains that we have such a high prie st in Jesus Christ\, but instead of separating the pure from the impure\, he entered into the impure and became a corpse and made that the mode of salvation.\n DTEND:20230910T113000 DTSTAMP:20230609T110113 DTSTART:20230910T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hebrews 8\, Part 1 UID:6129 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hebrews-8-part-1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday morning\, we gathered on Zoom for a sermon by Julie Canlis on "Our priest sits down" based on Hebrews 8 (part 2).\n DTEND:20230917T113000 DTSTAMP:20230609T110151 DTSTART:20230917T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Our priest sits down UID:6131 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hebrews-8-part-2 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On September 24th\, 2023\, Tasha Carrothers\, a vicar at St. M ary Magdalene\, spoke about how the God shown from the Parable of the Wor kers in the Vineyard was an unfair God\, and how the Kingdom he wants to create on earth is an unfair Kingdom. In the Parable\, the landlord gave the workers who he hired later—the weaker\, the older\, and the simpler—t he same as the people who he hired earlier. It's easy to yearn for this s ort of indiscriminate kindness when we're young and untrained\, or otherw ise disadvantaged\, but are we willing to see it in action when we're ski lled and ahead? Tasha reminds us that we can't work our way into God's fa vor \,and we can't earn God's love. [JL]\n\nTasha Carrothers spoke to PGI MF on the lectionary texts at a 3:30 pm in-person hybrid service in St. M ary Magdalene (2950 Laurel St &\, W 14th Ave\, Vancouver).\n DTEND:20230924T163000 DTSTAMP:20230609T110530 DTSTART:20230924T153000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Our Unfair God UID:6134 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/our-unfair-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday morning\, October 1\, 2023\, Evan Kreider spoke on " The Blame Game" from Ezekiel 18.\n\n \n DTEND:20231001T113000 DTSTAMP:20230609T110559 DTSTART:20231001T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Oct 1\, 2023 UID:6136 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-blame-game END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday afternoon at 3:30 pm\, we'll gather at St. Mary Magd alene (2950 Laurel St\, Vancouver BC) to hold our Thanksgiving service an d communion.  After the service\, everybody is invited to a Thanksgiving Pot Luck at the Lees' and Yangs' (ask if you need directions).\n\n \n DTEND:20231008T164500 DTSTAMP:20230609T110714 DTSTART:20231008T153000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving Songs and Readings UID:6138 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday morning\, we gathered by Zoom to hear Lydia Cruttwel l speak.\n\n \n DTEND:20231015T113000 DTSTAMP:20230609T110825 DTSTART:20231015T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mysteries beyond our Management UID:6140 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mysteries-beyond-our-management END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On October 22nd\, we gathered by Zoom at 10:00 a.m. to hear Jo nathan Bird speak on Matthew 7:21-23 and chapter 25.\n DTEND:20231022T113000 DTSTAMP:20230609T110851 DTSTART:20231022T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:October 22\, 2023 UID:6142 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/how-to-succeed-in-christian-ministry-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m.\, we gathered at Martha Lou He nley Rehearsal Hall (1955 McLean Dr\, Vancouver\, BC) to hear Richard Top ping speak.\n DTEND:20231029T113000 DTSTAMP:20230609T110917 DTSTART:20231029T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:October 29\, 2023 UID:6144 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/twice-healed-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On this day\, we have gathered at Menno Court (1750 E 41st Ave \, Vancouver\, BC) as Heather Murray visits PGIMF again.\n\n \n DTEND:20231105T113000 DTSTAMP:20230609T111004 DTSTART:20231105T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:We will Tell the Next Generation UID:6146 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/we-will-tell-the-next-generation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday at 11:00 a.m.\, we gathered at 375 E. Pender St. (at Dunlevy\, 2 blocks east of Main) to worship together with Chinatown Peac e Church in a Peace Sunday Joint Service. Tim Kuepfer spoke\, the Lucerna Choir sang\, and communion was served.\n DTEND:20231112T123000 DTSTAMP:20230609T111116 DTSTART:20231112T110000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Peace Family UID:6148 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/peace-sunday-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On November 19th at 10:00 am\, we gathered by Zoom to hear Bec ky Bonham return to PGIMF to speak on the Love of God from Romans 13:8-14 and 1 Corinthians 13:1-8.\n\nThis service took place by Zoom and began a t 10:00 am.\n DTEND:20231119T110000 DTSTAMP:20230609T111243 DTSTART:20231119T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hear of the Love of God UID:6150 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hear-the-love-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m.\, Lydia Curttwell meditated on Eternity Sunday\, and the nature of death. Specifically\, she talked abo ut how we in the West are terrified of dying\, and how we often create a legacy for ourselves\, through our works or our children\, in order to co mbat being forgotten. But Psalm 103 tells us that God is eternal\, and Go d's love (hesed in Hebrew) is eternal. Life is precious\, and our time on earth is short\, so we should live our life to the fullset—love one anot her\, remember those who passed before us\, and pass down the goodness do wn the generations. [JL]\n DTEND:20231126T113000 DTSTAMP:20230609T111318 DTSTART:20231126T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Like a Flower of the Field (Eternity Sunday) UID:6152 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/like-a-flower-of-the-field END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:At 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon\, we gathered at St. Mary Magdel ene Anglican Church (2950 Laurel St\, Vancouver\, BC) to hear Jim Murphy speak on the top two traits of a mature Christian (Humility and Compassio n). Communion was served.\n\n \n DTEND:20231203T170000 DTSTAMP:20230609T111727 DTSTART:20231203T153000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Top Two Traits of a Mature Christian UID:6154 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-top-two-traits-of-a-mature-christian END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On December 10 at 10:00 at Henley\, 1955 McLean Dr\, Vancouver \, to hear Dave Bruce.\n DTEND:20231210T111500 DTSTAMP:20230609T111803 DTSTART:20231210T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Wonder of God Coming to Earth UID:6156 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-wonder-of-god-coming-to-earth END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On December 17th\, at 10:00 am\, we gathered by Zoom to hear K arl Brown discuss why the colour of the candle for Third of Advent is pin k\, to the accompaniment of joyful and stirring worship songs. \n DTEND:20231217T113000 DTSTAMP:20230609T111845 DTSTART:20231217T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Third Advent....Why is this candle pink? UID:6158 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/third-advent-why-is-this-candle-pink END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:At 10:30 a.m. in the morning\, we gathered together with the s mall congregation of St. Mary Magdelene at their church\, the St. Mary Ma gdalene Anglican Church (2950 Laurel St\, Vancouver\, BC) for a service o f song and scripture\, a brief homily from the Rev. Tasha Carrothers\, co mmunion by each according to their tradition\, and a time of fellowship a nd fun afterward over coffee and Christmas goodies. Thanks for bringing y our baking!\n DTEND:20231224T113000 DTSTAMP:20230609T111921 DTSTART:20231224T103000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christmas Readings and Songs - the Magnificat UID:6160 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christmas-eve-2023 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On December 31\, 2023\, there will be no service at PGIMF.\n DTEND:20231231T110000 DTSTAMP:20230609T112444 DTSTART:20231231T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:[No Service] UID:6162 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, January 7\, 2024\, Jonathan Wilson preached. Jonat han earned a MCS and MDiv from Regent College and a PhD from Duke Univers ity. He has taught at Westmont College\, Acadia Divinity College\, and Ca rey Theological College. He was ordained by the Canadian Baptists of West ern Canada and has pastored churches in British Columbia. He is currently Senior Consultant for Theological Integration with Canadian Baptist Mini stries\, is a teaching fellow at Regent College\, and is the author of se veral books.\n\nThis service was held in-person at 10:00 am at Menno Cour t (1750 E. 41st Ave.\, Vancouver).\n DTEND:20240107T113000 DTSTAMP:20231028T134527 DTSTART:20240107T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Orientation\, Disorientation\, Reorientation UID:6378 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/orientation-disorientation-reorientation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday January 14\, 2024\, Tim Dickau will preach...\n\nTim is the Director of CityGate Vancouver. Prior to that he was the pastor o f Grandview Church in Vancouver for 30 years. During that time\, the chur ch went from being ready to dissolve to becoming re-established as a forc e for good in its neighbourhood. Tim is the author of Plunging into the K ingdom Way and Forming Christian Community in a Secular Age: Recovering H umility and Hope.\n\nSynopsis:  I will be telling the story of God's welc ome as told in the parable - and throughout the Bible -- noting  our call to receive and extend that welcome\, as well as noting how our refusal t o share in God's welcome puts us on the sidelines of the mission of God . . . .\n\nThis service will be by Zoom and begins at 10:00 am\n DTEND:20240114T110000 DTSTAMP:20231028T132743 DTSTART:20240114T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God's Outrageously Lavish Welcome UID:6375 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/gods-outrageously-lavish-welcome END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday January 21\, 2024\, Janet Boldt will preach...\n\nJa net has been a long-time PGIMFer. She has degrees from Regent College and Fuller Theological Seminary and is Faculty Emerita at Columbia Bible Col lege.\n\nThis service will be by Zoom and begins at 10:00 am.\n DTEND:20240121T113000 DTSTAMP:20231028T134851 DTSTART:20240121T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Meeting God on the Devil's Half-Mile UID:6382 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/meeting-god-on-the-devils-half-mile END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Participate in the life of the church by joining us online (sa me link as we use on Sundays) to discuss our options for hybrid (in-perso n and online) worship services\, congregational care\, finances\, refugee sponsorship and hospitality. Our Zoom host will be Rosie Perera.\n DTEND:20240127T120000 DTSTAMP:20240119T154956 DTSTART:20240127T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Annual General Meeting (AGM) - 27 Jan 2024 @ 10am on Zoom UID:140 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/congregational-mtg-jan-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, January 28\, 2024\, we gathered in person at Menno Court (1750 E 41st Ave\, Vancouver\, BC) and Chan Yang spoke on the stor y of the Tower of Babel.\n DTEND:20240128T111500 DTSTAMP:20231028T135106 DTSTART:20240128T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Tower of Babel UID:6384 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/tower-of-babel-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On February 4\, 2024\, Henry Neufeld offered a message based o n scripture.  The message was read by Andre.\n\nThis service began at 10: 00 am and took place by Zoom.\n\n \n DTEND:20240204T110000 DTSTAMP:20231028T135918 DTSTART:20240204T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Cities of Refuge UID:6387 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/cities-of-refuge END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On February 11\, 2024\, J. Evan Kreider speaks to PGIMF\,  \n\ nThis worship service was held in-person at 3:30 pm at St. Mary Magdalene (2950 Laurel St. at 14th Ave.\, Vancouver). Communion was served\n DTEND:20240211T170000 DTSTAMP:20231028T140222 DTSTART:20240211T153000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:From the Glory of Transfiguration to the Valley of Despair UID:6390 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/from-the-glory-of-transfiguration-to-the-val ley-of-despair END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On February 18\, 2024 (The First Sunday of Lent)\, Laura Sport ack spoke on Zoom in a message entitled "Cast Sorrow Away".\n\n \n DTEND:20240218T113000 DTSTAMP:20231028T142719 DTSTART:20240218T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Cast Sorrow Away UID:6397 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/cast-sorrow-away-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On February 25\, 2024 (The second Sunday in Lent)\n\nThis serv ice began at 10:00 am and took place by Zoom.\n DTEND:20240225T110000 DTSTAMP:20231028T142957 DTSTART:20240225T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:All who wander are not lost UID:6400 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/all-who-wander-are-not-lost END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday March 3\, 2024 (the third Sunday in Lent) Annika Kra use spoke to us from Montréal.\n\nThe service began at 10:00 am and took place by Zoom. \n DTEND:20240303T113000 DTSTAMP:20231028T143157 DTSTART:20240303T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:God of the Barren Woman UID:6402 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/god-of-the-barren-woman-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, March 10\, 2024 (the fourth Sunday in Lent)\, we g athered at 10:00 am at Menno Court to hear Laura Eriksson speak about con versations\, in particular the one between Nicodemus and Jesus as recorde d in John 3.\n DTEND:20240310T113000 DTSTAMP:20231028T143315 DTSTART:20240310T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Gift of Conversation UID:6404 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-gift-of-conversation END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday March 17\, 2024 (the 5th Sunday in Lent) Allan Rudy- Froese of AMBS spoke to us by Zoom from Elkhart\, IN.  Allan teaches prea ching and has a column in the Canadian Mennonite\,  "This Preacher has 22 Minutes".\n\nThis service began at 10:00 am and took place by Zoom\n DTEND:20240317T110000 DTSTAMP:20231028T143447 DTSTART:20240317T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Parable of the Hurt Man UID:6406 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-parable-of-the-hurt-man END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday March 24\, 2024 (Palm Sunday)\, Henry Krause spoke o n “Broken Hosannas” and the theatrical nature of Jesus' last week before his crucifixion. In many ways\, Jesus' donkey ride to Jesusalem can be se en as a performance art. Jesus instructed his followers about the steps n eeded to prepare his entrance\, then showed up to the crowd as they cheer ed him on. When thought about this way\, the donkey ride wasn't an item t o check off on Jesus' bucket list\, but a means to make a political state ment to his people. [JS]\n\nThe service took place at St. Mary Magdalene at 3:30 pm. Communion was served.\n DTEND:20240324T170000 DTSTAMP:20231028T143620 DTSTART:20240324T153000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Broken Hosannas UID:6408 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/broken-hosannas END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday March 31\, 2024\, our Easter Sunday music worship se rvice begins at 10:00 am and takes place at Menno Court\, 1750 E. 41st Av e\, Vancouver (off Bruce St.) and on Zoom.\n\n \n DTEND:20240331T113000 DTSTAMP:20231028T143856 DTSTART:20240331T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Sunday UID:6410 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, April 7\, 2024\, April Yamasaki preached on "A Vis ion for Community"\n\nThis service began at 10:00 am and took place via Z oom.\n DTEND:20240407T110000 DTSTAMP:20231113T152250 DTSTART:20240407T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A vision for Community UID:6460 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-vision-for-community END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, April 14\, 2024\, Shelby Boese shared a message ti tled "Opening Your Mind" on today's Gospel Reading - Luke 24:36b–48. Edem Morny writes\, “Once Jesus’ disciples grasped the paradigm shifts produc ed by Jesus\, they never viewed the Bible the same way again. The discipl e’s views of God were permanently changed because Jesus became their prim ary way to understand God. And scripture became all about God as they und erstood how Jesus explained and modeled him.”\n\nThe service began at 10: 00 am and was held in the chapel at Menno Court (1750 e. 41st Ave\, Vanco uver\, off Bruce St.)\n DTEND:20240414T113000 DTSTAMP:20231201T173141 DTSTART:20240414T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Opening Your Mind UID:6497 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/opening-your-mind-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, April 21\, 2024\, at 10:00 am\, Karen Heidebrecht Thiessen preached for us. Karen is the Church and Community Engagement Ma nager for Mennonite Central Committee BC.  The service was held at Menno Court (1750 E. 41st Ave.\, Vancouver) and was also available to join by Z oom.\n DTEND:20240421T113000 DTSTAMP:20231201T173309 DTSTART:20240421T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Refusing to be a Peacekeeper UID:6499 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/refusing-to-be-a-peacekeeper END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Participate in the life of the church by joining us online to discuss our worship services\, congregational care\, finances\, refugee s ponsorship and hospitality. Our Zoom host will be Kevin Hiebert.\n DTEND:20240427T113000 DTSTAMP:20240304T210407 DTSTART:20240427T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Congregational Meeting - 27 April 2024 UID:142 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/congregational-meeting-27-apr-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, April 28\, 2024\, at 10:00 am\, Heidi Epp spoke on her experience with MCC in the DR Congo. The service was held at Menno C ourt (1750 E. 41st Ave.\, Vancouver) and was also available to join on Zo om.\n DTEND:20240428T113000 DTSTAMP:20240115T223046 DTSTART:20240428T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Love that Walks on Water UID:6774 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-love-that-walks-on-water END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, May 5\, 2024\, Steve Schumm spoke on the topic of "Love is the Measure". Specifically\, Steve challenges the notion that Go d exists only inside churches\, and for church activities. Instead\, he b rings up various acts of love outside church settings—be it tent cities i n homeless camps\, houses with members carrying HIV\, or student care sta tions in universities—and these are the places where God is at work. To l ove one another is not simply a feels-good suggestion to ponder about on Sunday mornings. It is instead the new Commandment sent by God through Je sus\, and is what determines whether one acts in accordance to God's will . [JL]\n\nThe hybrid service was held at Menno Court (1750 E. 41st Ave.\, Vancouver) and streamed on Zoom.\n DTEND:20240505T113000 DTSTAMP:20240115T222908 DTSTART:20240505T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Love is the Measure UID:6772 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/love-is-the-measure END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday May 12\, Beckie Evans\, leader\, speaker\, storytell er and research\, spoke to PGIMF.\n\n \n\nThe service was held at Menno C ourt (1750 E. 41st Ave off Bruce St.).  Free parking available on Commerc ial St. to the east\n DTEND:20240512T110000 DTSTAMP:20240123T203920 DTSTART:20240512T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Sovereignty of God UID:6782 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-sovereignty-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:At 11:00 on Sunday May 19th\, 2024 PGIMF will be in charge of the worship service for Pentecost Sunday.  We will be meeting with Chinat own Peace Church. Tim Kuepfer will give leadership for the baptism\, whic h will be followed by communion.\n DTEND:20240519T121500 DTSTAMP:20240123T203953 DTSTART:20240519T110000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pentecost Reflections UID:6784 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pentecost-reflections-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Join us at Camp Luther from Friday evening through Sunday afte rnoon\, May 24-26\, 2024. For this year's retreat\, we have a working the me of Finding God in Nature. We are looking to see if we can gather volun teers to run workshops! The retreat committee is looking three or four 1. 5 to 2-hour workshops that could take place simultaneously. If you have a ny ideas or questions please email Chan or Diane. \n\n \n DTEND:20240526T140000 DTSTAMP:20240301T090637 DTSTART:20240524T180000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Camp Luther @ 9311 Shook Rd\, Mission\, BC V2V 7M2\, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Camp Luther Retreat 2024 UID:141 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/camp-luther-retreat-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Join us for hybrid worship\, in-person at Camp Luther during o ur 2024 retreat\, and online in Zoom!  The theme is "Nature".\n\nCamp Lut her is at 9311 Shook Road\, Mission\, BC.  On the north side of the Frase r River\, it's a peaceful getaway long used by PGIMF for its annual retre ats.  To attend the retreat\, email info@pgimf.org or inquire with Chan\, Diane or Andre.\n DTEND:20240526T113000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204059 DTSTART:20240526T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Camp Luther Retreat Worship Service UID:6787 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/camp-luther-retreat-sunday-may-26 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, June 2nd\, 2024\, Chris Eigbike spoke to PGIMF rem otely from Halifax in a hybrid worship service at Menno Court (1750 E. 41 st Avenue).\n\n \n DTEND:20240602T113000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204141 DTSTART:20240602T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Peace in Our World UID:6789 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/peace-in-our-world-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, June 9\, 2024\, we heard from Sophie Tiessen-Eigbi ke. This hybrid worship service was held at Menno Court (1750 E. 41st Ave off Bruce St.). Free parking available on Commercial St. to the east.  T he title of her sermon is 'Hope in the Eyes of the Storm.'  The scripture passage is Matthew 14:22-33.\n DTEND:20240609T113000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204205 DTSTART:20240609T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Hope in the Eyes of the Storm UID:6791 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/hope-in-the-eyes-of-the-storm END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Justin Sun is part-time Youth Pastor at Peace Mennonite Church \, Richmond and a columnist in the Canadian Mennonite.\n DTEND:20240616T113000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204241 DTSTART:20240616T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:"Re-" UID:6793 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/re- END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, June 23\, Anita Fast gave a sermon titled "Walking on Water"\, covering the story of Jesus doing just that. She asked us to look at the story from the perspective of the waters and to imagine them as being alive. According to Indigenous beliefs\, the bodies of waters s een on land—lakes\, rivers\, oceans—have emotions and personalities. This perspective changes Jesus' relationship with the Sea of Galilee from tha t of the "master of the elements" to an authority that all of creation wi llingly yields to. Even during the creation story in Genesis\, the water is said to have already existed\, and the fact that God commanded the wat ers implies that the water has the agency to obey. [JL]\n DTEND:20240623T113000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204309 DTSTART:20240623T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Walking on Water UID:6795 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert spoke in a hybrid worship service at Menno Court (1750 East 41st Avenue\, Vancouver\, BC) on the topic of reconciling sci entific evidence with the account of Creation in Genesis using the Day-Ag e model described in the book A Matter of Days by Hugh Ross.\n DTEND:20240630T113000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204337 DTSTART:20240630T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Matter of Days UID:6797 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-matter-of-days END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, July 7\, 2024\, Chelle Stearns spoke on spiritual formation and what it might mean to boast about one’s weakness\, from 2 C or 12:2-10.\n DTEND:20240707T113000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204422 DTSTART:20240707T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:“I Am Weak. Woohoo!” UID:6799 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/i-am-weak-woohoo! END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On July 14\, 2024\, Cynthia and Ken Friesen spoke to us on "Wh o is my neighbour: Reflections from an MCC-Hyland Learning Tour".\n\nThe  slides presented are available to view at 2024 Colombia Learning Tour (sl ides from 2024-07-14).pdf (12-page PDF of PowerPoint).\n DTEND:20240714T113000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204444 DTSTART:20240714T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Who is my neighbour: Reflections from an MCC-Hyland Learning Tour UID:6801 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/who-is-my-neighbour END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Nick Schuurman spoke to us at Menno Court with a sermon titled \, "Mercy and missed lunch".\n\nNOTE: the response time audio wasn't of t he usual quality as we were experimenting with a new wireless microphone and speaker system. Lessons have been learned - thanks for your patience through this experimentation with new hybrid worship technology.\n\n \n\n  \n DTEND:20240721T113000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204507 DTSTART:20240721T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mercy and Missed Lunch UID:6803 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mercy-and-missed-lunch END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, July 28\, Mark Glanville spoke to us on "A Jazz Ho mily: How Old Testament Law Shapes Beautiful Communities". Mark showed th at the laws given to the Israelites were not just to create a morally upr ight nation\, but to protect the "little guys" of the world. The sermon a lso consisted of comparisons between God's people of Israel and the black people of America\, both of whom created something beautiful through the ir difficulties and oppression\, and a lot of jazz improvisation on the p iano. Ultimately\, Jesus came to fulfill the laws\, not so that we no lon ger have to obey them\, but so that we can more fully follow the laws' sp irit. [JL]\n\nMark is Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at Regent College. He is also a jazz pianist. His most recent book is Improvising C hurch: Scripture as the Source of Harmony\, Rhythm\, and Soul (IVP Academ ic\, 2023)\, and his book Preaching in a New Key: Crafting Expository Ser mons in Post-Christian Communities is forthcoming from IVP Academic in 20 25.\n DTEND:20240728T120000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204619 DTSTART:20240728T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Jazz Homily: How Old Testament Law Shapes Beautiful Communities UID:6808 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-jazz-homily END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, August 4th\, Izumi Araki spoke to us on "Daily Spi ritual practice: Sharing Good news" and her role at Friends of Overseas C ollege University Student (FOCUS) club in UBC. Izumi believes that the go al of ministry is not conversion\, but friendship. Ministry is a chance t o reveal to them that they are made in the image of God—that they are mad e to love and be loved. When you have conversations with them\, they will read the Bible through you\, and hear the good news through you as well. Izumi believes that it is with small acts of conditionless love\, like i nviting students over for dinner\, that will change the course of global history. [JL]\n\nIzumi Araki actively works as VP International at ISMC ( International Student Ministries Canada) is a spinning & weaving artist.\ n DTEND:20240804T120000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204724 DTSTART:20240804T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Daily Spiritual practice: Sharing Good news UID:6810 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/daily-spiritual-practice-sharing-good-news END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Daniel Melvill Jones spoke on being nudged and nourished amid despair at Menno Court.\n\n \n DTEND:20240811T113000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204748 DTSTART:20240811T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Nudged and Nourished Amid Despair UID:6812 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/nudged-and-nourished-amid-despair END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We gathered at Menno Court (1750 East 41st Avenue\, Vancouver\ , BC) for a hybrid worship service to hear a message from Lorne Brandt ti tled "Ecclesiastes - A Problem".\n DTEND:20240818T113000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204818 DTSTART:20240818T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ecclesiastes - A Problem UID:6814 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ecclesiastes-a-problem END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Last week\, Lorne Brandt had us consider the topic of "Ecclesi astes: A Problem"\, based on the first chapter of the book. Today his top ic is "Ecclesiastes - A Solution" based on two passages.\n DTEND:20240825T113000 DTSTAMP:20240123T204846 DTSTART:20240825T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ecclesiastes: A Solution UID:6816 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ecclesiastes-a-solution END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We gathered at Menno Court (1750 East 41st Avenue\, Vancouver\ , BC) for a hybrid worship service to celebrate PGIMF's 38th Anniversary\ , and Communion was served. Here\, Evan spoke to us in a sermon titled\, "What do these stones mean to you?"\, where he ruminated on Joshua's pile of 12 rocks that became a historical landmark and a reminder of the stor ies for the Jewish people. Later\, he asked us to reflect on why we start ed coming to PGIMF\, and why we keep coming back to what is essentially a hidden church\, in spite of the lack of "rocks" to remind us.\n DTEND:20240901T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T111842 DTSTART:20240901T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What do these stones mean to you? UID:7025 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-do-these-stones-mean-to-you END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown spoke to us at Menno Court with a sermon titled "Wh y does God allow suffering amongst believers?" He introduced the classic paradox based on three characteristics of God: If God is loving\, all-kno wing\, and all-powerful\, why does he do nothing to stop our suffering? S ome people believe that God sends suffering to punish us\, or to strength en us. But Karl disavowed the popular folk philosophy that everything hap pens for a reason. Indeed\, that belief itself is the source of suffering . God is restricted from intervening in suffering because that would deny humans free will. In the end\, suffering is meaningless. One final quest ion: why bother praying\, if God won't do anything to stop the suffering? Prayer binds us together with others and with God\, which helps us throu gh the suffering. And we can ask for courage\, patience\, and strength in the suffering. [rp]\n\n \n DTEND:20240908T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T112008 DTSTART:20240908T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Why does God allow suffering amongst believers? UID:7027 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/why-does-god-allow-suffering-amongst-believe rs END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On September 15\, 2024\, Sharon Ziegler preached on "Spiritual Formation and the Journey to Love". She led us in a lectio divina on Joh n 15:1-5.\n\nSharon is a Spiritual Formation Missionary for Imago Christi \, along with her husband Geordie.\n DTEND:20240915T110000 DTSTAMP:20240709T112051 DTSTART:20240915T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Spiritual Formation and the Journey to Love UID:7029 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/spiritual-formation-and-the-journey-to-love END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We gathered at Menno Court to hear a message from Janice Kried er titled "Fruits\, Fabric Arts\, and Faith."\n DTEND:20240922T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T112140 DTSTART:20240922T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Fruits\, Fabric Arts\, and Faith UID:7031 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/fruits-fabric-arts-and-faith END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On September 29\, 2024\, Chan Yang spoke about "Sins of Cain". \n DTEND:20240929T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T112213 DTSTART:20240929T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Sins of Cain UID:7033 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/sins-of-cain END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We will gather at Menno Court for a service of Thanksgiving re adings\, hymns\, and prayers.\n\n \n DTEND:20241006T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T112509 DTSTART:20241006T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving Readings and Songs UID:7035 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thanksgiving-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We heard a sermon from Gareth Brandt titled “Thanksgiving for Spiritual Blessings”. In it\, he showed how spiritual blessings are an in tegral part of Anabaptist history and what some of those blessings are\, even if we don't think about it much. When Martin Rinkart\, the author of the song "Now Thank We All Our God"\, was giving thanks to God\, Pestile nce\, Famine\, and War were an ever-present part during his ministry. Yet \, the resilience and spirit that Rinkart had even during these hard time s shows in his song. Hans Denck was put on Trial of The Godless Painter ( Nuremburg) along with several artists for having ideas that were dangerou s to the institutional authorities of the time. Ideas like "Baptism is fo r adults who choose to love" or "you can sacrifice in love\, but you can' t kill" nearly killed him\, and got him kicked out. Gareth claims that th e spiritual gifts that strengthened these men\, and many others\, are as follows: Chosen-ness\, Grace\, Unity\, and Spirit. [JL]\n DTEND:20241013T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T112614 DTSTART:20241013T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Thanksgiving for Spiritual Blessings UID:7037 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/thanksgiving-for-spiritual-blessings-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, October 20\, 2024\, we gathered at Menno Court to hear Garry Janzen speak on "The Reign of God". Garry shared about his rec ent learning trip to Vietnam and tied that in with reflections on God's r eign. Jesus spoke of the "kingdom" of God (which his listeners would have understood in contradistinction to the kingdom of Caesar). That kingdom metaphor is often troubling to us nowadays. An alternative word is "netwo rk". It is not geographic or political\, and is not advanced through powe r but love. It is for the poor\, the merciful\, peacemakers\, those who h unger and thirst for God. It has arrived among us. [RP]\n DTEND:20241020T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T112703 DTSTART:20241020T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Reign of God UID:7039 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-reign-of-god-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Loren Wilkinson spoke remotely from Galiano Island on the topi c of “What is Creation Waiting For?”\n DTEND:20241027T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T112726 DTSTART:20241027T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What is Creation Waiting For? UID:7041 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-is-creation-waiting-for END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Richard Topping (President\, Vice Chancellor\, and Professor\, Vancouver School of Theology)\, spoke on “Mercy for Mercy’s Sake”\n DTEND:20241103T111000 DTSTAMP:20240709T112817 DTSTART:20241103T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mercy for Mercy's Sake UID:7043 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mercy-for-mercys-sake END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Evan Kreider will give a sermon on the topic of Remembrance Da y.\n DTEND:20241110T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T112839 DTSTART:20241110T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Grace and Peace UID:7045 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/grace-and-peace-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Loren Wilkinson spoke to us via Zoom as the second sermon in a series about his book\, Circles and the Cross: Cosmos\, Consciousness\, Christ\, and the Human Place in Creation (Cascade Books\, 2023).\n DTEND:20241117T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T112903 DTSTART:20241117T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Christ and Creation: Circles and the Cross UID:7047 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christ-and-creation-circles-and-the-cross END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Loren Wilkinson spoke to us on the third sermon in a series on creation. The first two sermons discussed worship and science respective ly\, while the third one discussed art—specifically\, art in the form of poetry. He also why there should be something\, as opposed to nothing\, a nd why are we "I" as opposed to "its"? As followers of Christ\, we are as ked to give ourselves\, not because we are fallen and wicked\, but becaus e we are good\, and the essence of selfhood is worth sharing and extendin g.\n\n \n DTEND:20241124T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T112930 DTSTART:20241124T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:On Being a Self in Christ UID:7049 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/on-being-a-self-in-christ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, December 1\, 2024\, we gathered at Menno Court to hear Laura Eriksson speak on "Seeds of Hope" for 1st Advent.\n\n \n DTEND:20241201T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T113049 DTSTART:20241201T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Seeds of Hope UID:7051 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/seeds-of-hope-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On December 8th\, 2024\, Laura Sportack spoke on "The Joy of P eace".\n DTEND:20241208T110000 DTSTAMP:20240709T113123 DTSTART:20241208T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Joy of Peace UID:7053 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-joy-of-peace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Annika Krause spoke on "The Need to Be Joyful".\n DTEND:20241215T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T113201 DTSTART:20241215T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Need to Be Joyful UID:7055 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-need-to-be-joyful END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Christmas Readings and Songs at Menno Court.\n DTEND:20241222T113000 DTSTAMP:20240709T113339 DTSTART:20241222T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:December 22\, 2024 UID:7057 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christmas-readings-and-songs-2024 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20241229T110000 DTSTAMP:20240709T113501 DTSTART:20241229T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:December 29\, 2024 - [No Worship Service] UID:7059 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jeff C. Borden (MA\, ICADC\, ICCS)\, Executive Director at Pla ce of Refuge Society\, spoke to us about their long-term housing program\ , which provides a safe environment for men who have successfully reached the second stage of their wellness plan\, preparing them to transition i nto healthy living.\n DTEND:20250105T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T112617 DTSTART:20250105T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Healing and Wellness Happens in Social Spaces UID:7189 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/healing-and-wellness-happens-in-social-spaces END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, January 21st\, 2025\, Lydia Cruttwell spoke on "Jo urneying to Jesus"\, where she explored just who the wise men from the Ea st were\, why they came\, and how they knew about the Jewish prophecy. Un like what the famous Christmas song suggests\, there may have been more t han three\, they probably weren't kings\, and they were likely from the M iddle East (as opposed to the Orient\, which is a different region). Inst ead\, they were magi—pagan spirituals and academics who watched the heave ns for signs of significant events on earth. How would they know about Je sus? Quite likely\, the people in Arabia heard about the prophecy from th e Jewish exiles of Babylon\, and based on nothing more than a star and so me hearsay\, the magi journeyed for months to meet him. The meaning of th e word Epiphany is "divine revelation"\, and the revelation is: God's gif ts are for all people\, and we're part of the Jewish story too! [JL]\n DTEND:20250112T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T112723 DTSTART:20250112T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Journeying to Jesus UID:7191 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/journeying-to-jesus END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On this day\, we had a joint service with nine churches at Ric hmond Peace Mennonite Church. \n\nThis is a link to the service:\n\nhttps ://youtu.be/npto-EMEbA8\n\n \n DTEND:20250119T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T112819 DTSTART:20250119T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:[Joint Worship Service at Peace Mennonite Church\, Richmond] UID:7193 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:PGIMF is invited to join this hybrid (Zoom and in person at Sh erbrooke Church) lecture / workshop by Gareth Brandt\, STM: “What Happene d 500 Years Ago and Why it Still Matters” is that uses a timeline of even ts related to the Anabaptist movement from 1522 to 1527 to explain the “p olygenesis” (diverse origins) of the Anabaptist movement and how those di verse origins might also result in diverse expressions today. \n\n \n DTEND:20250123T210000 DTSTAMP:20250104T135213 DTSTART:20250123T190000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Sherbrooke Church @ 7155 Sherbrooke St\, Vancouver\, BC \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What Happened 500 Years Ago and Why It Still Matters UID:143 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/what-happened-500-years-ago END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On January 26th\, 2025\, Jamie Pitts spoke on "Renewing the An abaptist Jubilee Tradition".\n DTEND:20250126T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T112906 DTSTART:20250126T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Renewing the Anabaptist Jubilee Tradition UID:7195 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/renewing-the-anabaptist-jubilee-tradition END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Yohanna Katanacho spoke remotely via Zoom. Yohanna is a profes sor of Biblical Studies and Academic Dean at Nazareth Evangelical College . He is a Palestinian Israeli evangelical who studied at Bethlehem Univer sity (BSc)\, Wheaton College (MA)\, and Trinity Evangelical Divinity Scho ol (MDiv\; PhD).\n DTEND:20250202T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T113025 DTSTART:20250202T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Love Your Enemies UID:7198 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/love-your-enemies-2025 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Jesse Nickel spoke on "The Gospel of Peace".\n DTEND:20250209T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T113101 DTSTART:20250209T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Gospel of Peace UID:7200 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-gospel-of-peace-2025 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, February 16th\, Bryana Russell spoke to us in pers on on "The God Who Sees Us". Bryana Russell is an artist and a mental hea lth advocate who works as the Engagement Manager at Sanctuary Mental Heal th Ministries. During Covid\, she worked on creating a resource titled "w hen a loved on dies by suicide"\, which involved her travelling across th e UI and interviewing people who lost someone they love to suicide. This emotionally taxing work was made even more difficult by the fact that she was pregnant with a son right when she was about to resume her career. Y et\, she reflected on how God gifted her the ultimate gift of presence du ring this time when she met her old friend in one of the plane rides.\n\n The story of Hagar is an interesting one. Though she's a minor character in the Old Testament\, she is the first person to name God and the only p erson to name him\, "The God who sees me". This is in stark contrast with much of the other characters who\, when having encountered the divine\,  said\, "I have seen God". Hagar's story is that of enslavement\, impregna tion\, and abuse. Yet\, though very little has improved for her\, the Lor d was with her\, and that made all the difference. [JL]\n DTEND:20250216T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T113130 DTSTART:20250216T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The God Who Sees Us UID:7202 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-god-who-sees-us-2025 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Mari Joerstad spoke to us in person. She is Academic Dean and Associate Professor at VST. She is a biblical scholar\, focusing on the H ebrew Bible (Old Testament).\n DTEND:20250223T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T113220 DTSTART:20250223T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Wait UID:7204 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/wait-2025 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Shelby Boese (Exec. Minister\, Mennonite Church BC) discussed  the need for authentic play\, which involves lowering walls and unhealthy inhibitions\, and contrasted it with pretense and performance. He encour aged the congregation to embrace play as a theological practice that conn ects to effective prayer and empowers the community through the Holy Spir it. Shelby concluded by emphasizing that play is essential for flourishin g and experiencing the aliveness promised by Jesus.\n DTEND:20250302T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T113303 DTSTART:20250302T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Play and Work of the Holy Spirit UID:7206 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/play-and-work-of-the-holy-spirit END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Paul Thiessen reflected on the book God's Ghost Writers\, Ensl aved Christians and the Making of the Bible by Candida Moss. He highlight ed the unheralded role of enslaved literary workers like Tertius\, who ac ted as stenographers and co-authors. Paul urged us to maintain a state of vigilance to prevent anyone's contributions from being overlooked.\n DTEND:20250309T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T113426 DTSTART:20250309T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Unheralded Writers of the Bible UID:7208 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/unheralded-writers-of-the-bible END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Claire Goodfellow discussed the story of Moses and the burning bush from Exodus 3:1-6\, emphasizing the significance of Moses' encounte r with God in the desert. She explored the metaphorical and literal inter pretations of the "backside of the desert" as a place of isolation and de solation. Claire highlighted the importance of being still and paying att ention to God's presence\, drawing parallels with the practice in many cu ltures of removing shoes in sacred spaces. She also reflected on the broa der theme of stillness and its relevance in modern life\, encouraging rea ders to find moments of quiet and presence amidst the busyness of daily a ctivities.\n DTEND:20250316T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T113514 DTSTART:20250316T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pondering the Presence of God: Be Still UID:7210 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pondering-the-presence-of-god-be-still END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janet Boldt spoke on “Come and get it\, if you want it!” follo wed by a musical reflection by Ernie Doerksen (“Holy Now” written by Pete r Mayer). Specifically\, she discussed the parallels discussed in the Bib le on repentance and abundance. God is good\, but he is not safe. The way he gives and takes may seem arbitrary at times—it does not fit neatly in to the reward-and-punishment model we prefer and are accustomed to. He al so doesn't accept self-sufficiency: everyone is invited into his abundanc e\, but only those in need are allowed in.\n\nRepentance has three dimens ions: remorse\, which is genuine sorrow for one's action\; restitution\, a genuine attempt at restoring what was destroyed\; And renewal\, or a co mplete change in one's being. To repent is to admit that the relationship matters to you so much that you are willing to amend past wrongs and bec ome a changed person. Repentance requires an act of imagination\, as it i nvites us to imagine a future beyond that of the reaction to the past.\n\ nIn turbulent times like these\, perhaps we should become less self-relia nt\, and to be more compassionate and kind towards others. [JL]\n DTEND:20250323T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T113548 DTSTART:20250323T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Come and get it! If you want it! UID:7212 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/come-and-get-it-if-you-want-it END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janice Kreider highlighted the often-overlooked contributions of women who supported Jesus and his disciples. She explored the discrepa ncies in the Gospel accounts of the anointing of Jesus and suggested that Mary Magdalene played a more prominent role than is traditionally acknow ledged. Janice noted the importance of biblical scholarship in uncovering deeper meanings from accounts of the lives of early believers.\n\n \n DTEND:20250330T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T113634 DTSTART:20250330T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Mary Magdalene - What Do We Know? UID:7214 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/mary-magdalene-what-do-we-know END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Heidi Epp\, a music educator\, choral conductor\, and a progra m director at the Bakerview Music Academy in Abbotsford\, spoke on lentin g and fasting. Three years before the first adult baptism\, what might be the first act of Anabaptist rebellion took place in the form of sausage eating. During lent\, several believers broke the law of fasting as a pro test against the unbiblical practices of the church at the time. Though m any centuries have passed since then\, we have long kept up our love of s ausages and the unobserving of fasting.\n\nHeidi also looked at how she o bserved lenting in her own life. During her two pregnancies\, she practic ed a "maternal lent" in which she avoided coffee and all caffeine. Though the journey was far longer and more difficult than she initially expecte d\, she reflected that it was beautiful and that God seemed to have been with her during those times.\n\nShe concludes that lenting isn't just abo ut removing something from our lives—and replacing it with some other dis traction. It's about emptying ourselves and creating space for God to fil l up. It's about removing something old\, no matter how painful\, so that something new can enter our lives.\n DTEND:20250406T111500 DTSTAMP:20241001T113725 DTSTART:20250406T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Space for Grace\, a Lenten Practise UID:7216 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/space-for-grace-a-lenten-practise END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown spoke to us on April 13th\, 2025 on "Jesus the Man\ , Jesus the God".\n DTEND:20250413T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T113818 DTSTART:20250413T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Jesus the Man\, Jesus the God UID:7218 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/jesus-the-man-jesus-the-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Easter Sunday 2025\, we gathered in the recreation room for a potluck breakfast at 9 AM. We sang Handel's "Hallelujah" chorus to con clude the worship service.\n\n \n DTEND:20250420T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T113958 DTSTART:20250420T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Readings and Songs UID:7220 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-sunday-2025 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, April 27th\, Annika Krause spoke to us remotely vi a Zoom from Montreal on "Are You Curious About Your Enemy?". She gives ma ny different ideas to think about\, starting with the definition of the w ord "enemy". An enemy is someone who uses their power (actively or passiv ely) to harm or dominate another. To ask the oppressed people to love the ir enemies was no less radical when Luke wrote the gospel for the occupie d people as it is for the minorities being attacked by Trump's regime.\n\ nYet\, to love isn't to be complacent in violence. To love is to seek the flourishing in others (to bless them)\, to respond to violence with kind ness\, to return spite with respect\, and to give without expecting anyth ing in return. How does one love their enemies? Annika suggests that we s tart with curiosity. We should start off by seeking to listen and learn f rom those we might otherwise turn our ears away from.\n\nNOTE: A Congrega tional Meeting was held in the Menno Court chapel at noon\, after lunch w as served at 11:30 AM.\n\n \n DTEND:20250427T113000 DTSTAMP:20241001T114035 DTSTART:20250427T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Are You Curious About Your Enemy? UID:7222 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/are-you-curious-about-your-enemy END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, May 4th\, 2025\, Evan Kreider gave a sermon on "Fe ed My Sheep". During Jesus' darkest hour\, Peter lied about not knowing J esus three times\, just as Jesus foretold to him. In shame\, Peter (and s ix other disciples) went back to fishing even after Jesus' resurrection. This is when Jesus came to his disciples and had fish for breakfast toget her.\n\nThe words do not convey just how long and awkward the mealtime to gether must've been. Jesus does not let Peter off easy for what he had do ne. His confrontations were direct and went straight back to the denials. But\, he also does not try to get even with him. Jesus took this time to restore both Peter's relationship with him and his role as the de-facto leader among the disciples. In fact\, he ends the breakfast with a strang e prophecy: that though Peter betrayed Jesus to save himself\, his death will be from serving Jesus faithfully by feeding his sheep.\n\nForgivenes s might be hard\, but reconciliation is harder. One can forgive without i nteracting with the perpetrator ever again\, but reconciliation requires effort to reconnect with the person who hurt you (or you have hurt). Yet\ , it was this reconciliation that allowed Peter to be the rock he is know n to be in the early church.\n DTEND:20250504T110000 DTSTAMP:20241210T183133 DTSTART:20250504T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Feed My Sheep UID:7329 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/feed-my-sheep END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Sunday April 11th\, 2025\, Henry Neufeld started a part-sermon \, part-discussion time where he described several memorable moments from his life\, and invited us to do the same. His talk was divided in three sections: "What Do You Believe?"\, "An Error in Speaking of Not Keeping M y Mouth Shut"\, and "Have You Ever Sold Heavenly Life Insurance?".\n\nIn the first section\, Henry talked about the time when he volunteered at a local police station in Ladner. There\, he was asked what believes by som eone from a Sikhi background. He responded\, somewhat unconfidently\, tha t he believes in following Jesus\, and that it's basically about love. Ot her members have commented that they too have been asked similar question s by a Sikhi believer.\n\nIn the second section\, Henry talked about his time volunteering at The Mission to Seafarers with Tena. The person in ch arge\, Sheryl\, went beyond her regular duties that day helping a sailor. When Henry commented that her behavior seemed "almost Christian"\, Shery l was quite unhappy\, and said that she wished he didn't say that. Though confused at first\, Henry realized that he responsibility was his\, and if he could explain her behavior\, that would mean he'd be blaming her fo r the response. Other members have responded with their own stories of re grets in their past. \n\nIn the third section\, Henry talks about the lec ture notes he found from a Roman Catholic Church he attended in Saskatoon back in 1966. It was an interesting talk about change\, adapting to them \, and how the Roman Catholic extorted its believers by selling them heav enly life insurance. Dogmas don't change\, but their applications must\, else we will become museum pieces. Members talked about the times when th ey "bought"\, "sold"\, or "freely gave out" the heavenly life insurance.\ n DTEND:20250511T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T183209 DTSTART:20250511T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What do You Believe? UID:7331 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-do-you-believe END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Doug Amstutz (MDiv\, AMBS) spoke on “The Damascus Road Revisit ed” based on the account of Saul of Tarsus being transformed from a perse cutor of Christians into Paul\, a preacher of Jesus as the Christ. Has th e trajectory of your life been shaped or changed by a pivotal experience? \n DTEND:20250518T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T183244 DTSTART:20250518T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Damascus Road Revisited UID:7333 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-damascus-road-revisited END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Dori Zerbe Cornelsen spoke remotely on "Words Make Worlds" \n DTEND:20250525T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T183443 DTSTART:20250525T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Words Make Worlds UID:7336 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/words-make-worlds END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Chan Yang spoke on "To Be Like God" on June 1st\, 2025.\n DTEND:20250601T110000 DTSTAMP:20241210T183512 DTSTART:20250601T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:To Be Like God UID:7338 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/to-be-like-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Henry Krause spoke about the coming of the Holy Spirit.\n\n \n DTEND:20250608T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T183536 DTSTART:20250608T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:And there’s more…. UID:7340 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/and-there-is-more-2025 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ruth Enns spoke on Proverbs’ views of Wisdom. \n DTEND:20250615T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T183559 DTSTART:20250615T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Proverbs’ views of Wisdom UID:7342 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/proverbs-view-of-wisdom END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, June 22\, 2025\, we heard a message from Donna Din smore titled "We’re Free!" reflecting on the passage from Luke 13.\n\nDon na Dinsmore hails from northern Maine. She taught choral music in South C arolina for 20 years and studied\, served and taught at Regent College in the area of worship and music for 9 years. Since ordination in the Unite d Church in 2014\, she has served on the North Shore\, in Bella Coola\, E dmonton\, Calgary\, Richmond and now with Cambie Village Church on 19th a nd Cambie. Donna loves to integrate head and heart\, worship and music\, and Christian spirituality and real life. She will play in any sandbox th at will have her\, including at First Mennonite in Edmonton and Foothills Mennonite in Calgary. She is delighted to be with us today and to bring her CVC community with her!\n DTEND:20250622T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T183622 DTSTART:20250622T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:We're Free! UID:7344 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/we-are-free-2025 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, June 29th\, 2025\, Johann Funk spoke on "Abigail: Fearless champion for peace". When David was being hunted by Saul for for ty years\, he encountered a wealthy and wicked man named Nabal (he was pr obably a narcissist). When he sought help from Nabel\, he was instead met with accusations that David was an "unfaithful servant" who lived by ext ortion. In his rage\, David had prepared to kill Nabel and all his male s ervants when Nabel's wife Abigail stopped him in the middle of the road a nd pleaded for mercy. Abigail herself was not under direct danger (she kn ew that it was just Nabel and the male servants who were under threat)\, but she put herself in harm's way. Through her nonviolent peace-making\, she sowed the seeds of generosity\, humility\, and faithful resistance. [ JL]\n DTEND:20250629T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T183654 DTSTART:20250629T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Abigail: Fearless Champion for Peace UID:7346 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/abigail-fearless-champion-for-peace END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, July 6th\, 2025\, Mark Glanville (speaker and Dire ctor of the Centre for Missional Leadership\, St Andrews Hall\, UBC) spok e on “The 10 Commandments—God’s Economics” based on Exodus 20. People tod ay like to think of the 10 Commandments individually (i.e. I don't kill\, steal\, or commit adultery\, therefore I'm a good person). Yet\, if we l ook at the context behind the laws\, we can see that these laws were made to build a community. Specifically\, it was a law for ex-slaves\, who we re exploited by the Egyptians for the sake of economic expansion. Even in our time\, economic growth often comes at the cost of human lives and li velihood. The 10 Commandments were more than just rules\; it was a way to ensure that the Israelites would never be slaves again. [JL]\n DTEND:20250706T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184110 DTSTART:20250706T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The 10 Commandments - God’s Economics UID:7351 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-10-commandments-gods-economics END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Reflections on attending “The Courage to Love”\, Anabaptism@50 0 in Zu?rich\, Switzerland on May 29\, 2025. \n\n\n J. Evan Kreider: The Green Badge \n Laura and Gerry Sportack: Children at Anabaptism@500 \n Ca leb Yang: Global Youth Summit \n YouTube song: “We want peace” by choir f rom Basel \n Lois Funk: Music session \n Veronica Dyck: Pope Leo’s messag e \n Elvira and Don Teichroeb: Travels after Anabaptism@500 \n Andre Peko vich: Travels Before and After Anabaptism@500 \n Janice Kreider: Closing Comments \n\n DTEND:20250713T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184204 DTSTART:20250713T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Reflections on Zurich 500 UID:7353 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/reflections-on-zurich-500 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, July 20\, 2025\, Beth Stovell\, Professor of Old T estament and Chair of General Theological Studies at Ambrose University i n Calgary\, preached for us via Zoom. She spoke about the imagery of God as both a Warrior and as a Mother. Both analogies are complicated in thei r own way\, but they both show up in the Scriptures and are relevant to o ur understanding of Jesus. In Isaiah 42\, God comforts his people\, curre ntly in exile\, by telling them of a servant who'll come to them and act as their champion. This servant will suffer with them\, suffer for them\, and bring justice to his people. We know today that this servant was Jes us\, and he carried out the role both as a warrior\, who fights and prote cts\, and a mother\, who waits quietly until it is their time to labor an d create new life. [JL]\n DTEND:20250720T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184228 DTSTART:20250720T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Isaiah 42: God as Loving Warrior and Mother UID:7355 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/isaiah42-god-as-loving-warrior-and-mother END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:April Yamasaki came to Menno Court and spoke on “Remember the Wonders”. As a published author\, her books are available at aprilyamasak i.com/books on her website.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n DTEND:20250727T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184251 DTSTART:20250727T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Remember the Wonders UID:7357 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/remember-the-wonders END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Kevin Hiebert spoke on “The Extradimensionality of God”\, base d on the book Beyond the Cosmos by Hugh Ross.\n DTEND:20250803T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184337 DTSTART:20250803T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Extradimensionality of God UID:7359 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-extradimensionality-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On August 10\, 2025\, Justin Sun spoke to us about "Triumph? I n This Economy?"\n DTEND:20250810T110000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184403 DTSTART:20250810T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Triumph? In This Economy? UID:7361 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/triumph-in-this-economy END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, August 17th\, 2025\, Laura Sportack spoke on "A Lo nging to See the Face of God" and showed us a series of artworks (PDF\, 1 1 slides).\n\nNOTE: the final slide is intentionally blank (redacted for privacy reasons).\n\n \n DTEND:20250817T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184426 DTSTART:20250817T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Longing to See the Face of God UID:7363 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-longing-to-see-the-face-of-god END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, August 24\, 2025\, Charlotte Siemens spoke on "Pen tecost in August". Specifically\, she told us about the multiple layers o f stories that we are all a part of\, and how that affects how we interac t with the people around us. There are four types of stories: my story\, our story\, other stories\, and God's story. Though we might be more comf ortable being part of our story\, within our small group of believers\, o r think that "my" story is the most important story\, we must extend our awareness beyond the smaller stories. We need to learn to understand othe r stories\, and other people\, because we are all part of God's story. Je sus came to fulfill God's story\, and so should we. [JL]\n DTEND:20250824T110000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184516 DTSTART:20250824T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:August 24\, 2025 UID:7367 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pentecost-in-august END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday morning\, join us at 10:00 AM on Zoom on in-person a t Camp Squeah for our worship service during our Labour Day long weekend church retreat (Saturday\, August 30th through Monday\, September 1st).\n \nTheme: Sharing Our Stories In celebration of the 500th anniversary of A nabaptism\, our retreat theme invites us to share the stories that shape who we are and explore how they fit within the larger arc of God's unfold ing story. Our personal journeys and spiritual encounters are not solitar y—they are threads in a tapestry of faith\, woven through our community a nd the broader Church of God. We encourage everyone to bring printed phot ographs of themselves—perhaps from childhood\, from past retreats\, or si mply snapshots that represent key moments of your journey. You're also we lcome to bring any meaningful objects\, artifacts\, or mementos that tell your story. These will be part of a shared space where we celebrate each other’s voices and histories. Let’s listen well\, laugh together\, and r eflect deeply. Who we are matters—and what comes next is shaped by how we show up and share.\n DTEND:20250901T130000 DTSTAMP:20250823T081805 DTSTART:20250830T103000 GEO:49.505365;-121.423774 LOCATION:Camp Squeah @ 27915 Trans-Canada Hwy\, Hope\, BC V0X 1L3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Church Retreat 2025 at Camp Squeah UID:144 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/church-retreat-2025 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Tim Kuepfer spoke on "Tapestry of Faith" at Camp Squeah (near Yale\, BC) for the joint service with Chinatown Peace Church & PGIMF.\n DTEND:20250831T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184455 DTSTART:20250831T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Tapestry of Faith UID:7365 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/church-retreat-2025 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Karl Brown spoke on the theme: "Pick it up. It’s lighter than you think."\n\n \n DTEND:20250907T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184543 DTSTART:20250907T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Pick it up - It’s lighter than you think UID:7369 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/pick-it-up-its-lighter-than-you-think END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, September 14\, 2025\, Heather spoke to us about "T he Prodigal Son's Resentful Brother".\n DTEND:20250914T110000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184611 DTSTART:20250914T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Prodigal Son's Resentful Brother UID:7371 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/the-prodigal-son's-resentful-brother END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, September 21st\, 2025\, Daniel Melvill Jones spoke on the Parable of the Shrewd Manager\, which is famous for being a diffi cult parable to understand. The master set out to fire the manager becaus e the manager was squandering his wealth (same word used from the Parable of the Prodigal Son). Knowing that he'll be destitute and a social outca st\, the manager makes a reckless and unauthorized action to reduce the d ebt of all of his master's debtors as a means of buying off goodwill. Ins tead of getting angry\, the master commends the manager for being shrewd (same word as prudent or wise).\n\nWhat was Jesus' message when he told t his parable\, and right after the Parable of the Prodigal Son too? One th ing we see is that God is generous by nature. Recklessly generous\, in fa ct\, and his generosity offends. And like how we can't tell God how gener ous he should be\, we also can't force Jesus to fit in a respectable\, in offensive mold that we want him to fit in. Most importantly\, we should t ake Jesus' conclusion to heart—we should be generous with our worldly wea lth so that we can gain friends for ourselves and be welcomed into a shel ter that lasts for all times. [JL]\n DTEND:20250921T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184641 DTSTART:20250921T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:When a Crook Shows Us the Kingdom UID:7373 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/when-a-crook-shows-us-the-kingdom END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, September 28th\, 2025\, Shelby Boese spoke on "Non -Prosecutable Speech of Resistance". Of the two types of "speaking in ton gues"\, he spoke more on the type with "ecstatic spiritual speech" that n o one but God understands\, as opposed to the type where people spoke in an existing language that they did not know. The tongue-speaking worship has a function\, as those from a Pentecostal context might attest\, but w hat exactly is that function? What's the point of speaking in words witho ut meaning?\n\nThough these worshippers use words without meanings\, they are able to nonetheless convey meanings without words. The people weeped and lamented together. They spoke in resistance against the empire with words that the empire could not ban. There was empowerment: the obscure\, marginalized\, and voiceless were able to speak and be heard. And\, ther e was the letting go of control\, so that one can encounter the Spirit di rectly. In the West\, we are privileged to have so little to grieve and r esist that the Pentecostal form of worship is foreign to many of us. We c an still have empathy towards those with different forms of worship\, and we should recognize that being different from us isn't a sign that they are wrong or inferior. [JL]\n \n DTEND:20250928T110000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184718 DTSTART:20250928T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Non-Prosecutable Speech of Resistance UID:7375 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/non-prosecutable-speech-of-resistance END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Ken Friesen will speak on "Anabaptism at 500 – How did we end up here?"\n\n \n DTEND:20251005T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T184804 DTSTART:20251005T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Anabaptism at 500 – How did we end up here? UID:7377 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/anabaptism-at-500-how-did-we-end-up-here END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20251012T110000 DTSTAMP:20241210T185034 DTSTART:20251012T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Readings and Hymns for Thanksgiving UID:7381 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/readings-and-hymns-for-thangsgiving-2025 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Garry Janzen will speak on "Love leads the way" \n DTEND:20251019T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T185125 DTSTART:20251019T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Love leads the way UID:7383 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/love-leads-the-way-2025 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:After the talk by Laurel Borisenko\, a Congregational Meeting will be held after a pizza lunch.\n\n \n DTEND:20251026T110000 DTSTAMP:20241210T185150 DTSTART:20251026T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Interview with a Refugee Named Jesus UID:7385 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/interview-with-a-refugee-named-jesus END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, November 2nd\, 2025\, Dr. John Martens spoke to us on "All Souls' Day". Many Christians\, even those who have been baptized \, don't want to be turned into a "saint" because they believe that it re quires an extraordinary level of calling and commitment. However\, John o bserves that God has always been calling his people to be saints. The Isr aelites were called to follow the Torah\, that they can be God's people a nd deserving of God's Kingdom. The disciples were all saints\, so they we re called to be saintly. In time\, all people will worship God\, and the form of corporate holiness will encompass the entire earth. The calling i s extraordinary\, but it is also mundane. We are called to love our enemi es\, and to do good to those who hate us. [JL]\n\nDr. John Martens is Dir ector of the Centre for Christian Engagement at St. Mark's College.\n DTEND:20251102T110000 DTSTAMP:20241210T185239 DTSTART:20251102T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:All Souls' Day UID:7387 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/all-souls-day END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Peter Haresnape is one of the pastors at Toronto United Mennon ite Church. He preached for us via Zoom.\n DTEND:20251109T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T185310 DTSTART:20251109T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Who saw this house in former glory? UID:7389 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/who-saw-this-house-in-former-glory END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20251116T110000 DTSTAMP:20241210T185337 DTSTART:20251116T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:What happens when we give God our best? UID:7391 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-happens-when-we-give-god-our-best END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20251123T110000 DTSTAMP:20241210T185419 DTSTART:20251123T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY: "Having Faith in the King of Hope and Light" UID:7393 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Membership Ceremony: Welcoming Barb and Dave Bruce. Communion was celebrated on first Advent.\n\n \n DTEND:20251130T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T185451 DTSTART:20251130T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Membership Sunday UID:7395 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/membership-sunday-nov-2025 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, December 7th\, 2025\, Barbara Nickel spoke on "A S ong from the Bones". Here\, she performs a song written by her son Willia m and talks about three different versions of the dry bones story from th e Bible. As God breathed life into mud to create Adam\, he has also breat hed life into long-dead bones of the Israelite nation. Though we often im agine that we're the ones doing things\, and God is watching by the sidel ines\, the story about the dry bones shows that God is the one who acts f irst\, and only then do humans come to life. [JL]\n DTEND:20251207T110000 DTSTAMP:20241210T185529 DTSTART:20251207T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Song from the Bones UID:7397 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-song-from-the-bones END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Mark Glanville spoke on "A Whisper in Herod’s Winter: Christma s as Clandestine Hope" based on Matthew 2:1-15.\n DTEND:20251214T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T185631 DTSTART:20251214T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:A Whisper in Herod’s Winter: Christmas as Clandestine Hope UID:7400 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/a-whisper-in-herods-winter END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Our traditional Advent IV service of Readings and Hymns will c onclude with two choruses from Handel’sMessiah:  “And the glory of the Lo rd” and “Hallelujah”.   Please bring either the PDFs being sent to you se parately by email or your own Messiah score.  There are also perhaps a do zen or so Messiah scores available where we keep our hymnals. \n DTEND:20251221T113000 DTSTAMP:20241210T185735 DTSTART:20251221T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Readings and Singing UID:7403 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/christmas-readings-and-singing-2025 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20251228T110000 DTSTAMP:20241210T185837 DTSTART:20251228T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:[No Worship Service] UID:7405 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On the Sunday before Epiphany\, we welcomed Natasha Bruce into membership in a worship service designed by Janice Kreider that was led by Veronica Dyck and included communion.\n\nNOTE: for privacy reasons\, t he audio recording is only available to logged-in users.\n\n \n\n \n DTEND:20260104T113000 DTSTAMP:20251012T161255 DTSTART:20260104T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Membership Sunday UID:7863 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/membership-sunday-4-jan-2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260111T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T113256 DTSTART:20260111T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Anabaptist Community Bible Sunday UID:7867 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/anabaptist-community-bible-sunday-1 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, January 18\, 2026\, Jodi Spargur gave a sermon on  "Who does your treasure serve?". Here\, she gave a refreshingly novel int erpretation on the Parable of the Talents\, and in relation with what hap pened before the parable. As uncomfortable benefactors to the empire\, Jo di asserts that Christians should step away from the "forgive and forget" paradigm and step back into the "repent and repair" one. [JL]\n DTEND:20260118T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T113400 DTSTART:20260118T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Who does your treasure serve? UID:7869 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/who-does-your-treasure-serve END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Joni Sancken from the Vancouver School of Theology (VST) spoke to us at Menno Court.\n\n \n DTEND:20260125T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T113426 DTSTART:20260125T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:There’s a new world: Come follow me! UID:7871 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/there-is-a-new-world-come-follow-me END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Grace Neudorf spoke on "An Angel with Shoes On". After a pizza lunch\, the PGIMF AGM was held in the chapel.\n\n \n DTEND:20260201T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T113950 DTSTART:20260201T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:An Angel with Shoes On UID:7876 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/an-angel-with-shoes-on END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Janet Boldt spoke on "I Wonder as I Wander".\n\n \n DTEND:20260208T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T114035 DTSTART:20260208T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:I Wonder as I Wander UID:7878 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/i-wonder-as-i-wander-2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Gareth’s topic is this: "What is Transfiguration?  What does i t mean?  What is the significance of this event for Jesus?  What is the s ignificance for us?  From my initial work on this text\, I think my theme will be about identity\, both Jesus' and our own."\n DTEND:20260215T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T114112 DTSTART:20260215T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:"What is Transfiguration? What does it mean?" UID:7880 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/what-is-transfiguration-what-does-it-mean END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:PGIMF joined Peace on 52nd for a joint Ash Wednesday service.\ n\n \n DTEND:20260218T203000 DTSTAMP:20260218T190053 DTSTART:20260218T190000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Peace Church on 52nd @ 659 E 52nd Ave\, Vancouver\, BC V5X 1G8\, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Ash Wednesday 2026 UID:145 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/ash-wednesday-2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:\n\nOn Sunday\, February 22nd\, 2026\, Kristina Towes gave a s ermon on "Praying in solidarity with the global church". The sermon highl ighted the importance of prayer within Mennonite World Conference (MWC) a s a means of connecting with and supporting churches facing hardship arou nd the world. Recognizing the pervasive feeling of global darkness\, MWC aims to foster a "Koinonia"—a community of faith—through prayer and mutua l support. Persistent prayer can transform personal anxieties into a shar ed commitment to justice and peace\, echoing Jesus’s teachings on non-vio lence. [JL]\n DTEND:20260222T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T114139 DTSTART:20260222T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Praying in solidarity with the global church UID:7882 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/praying-in-solidarity-with-the-global-church END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:We heard from Annika Krause\, remotely from Montreal via Zoom on our big screen. She spoke on "Why Jesus Wept: Jesus meeting us in our suffering\, weeping in solidarity with this world's pain" based on John 1 :1-44.\n\n \n DTEND:20260301T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T114240 DTSTART:20260301T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Why Jesus Wept: Jesus meeting us in our suffering\, weeping in sol idarity with this world's pain UID:7884 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/why-jesus-wept-jesus-meeting-us-in-our-suffe ring END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Veronica Dyck spoke on "Living Waters: God is with us" on Marc h 8th\, 2026.\n DTEND:20260308T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T114506 DTSTART:20260308T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Living Waters: God is with us UID:7887 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/living-waters-god-is-with-us END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Iwan Russell-Jones spoke on "Light and Glory in the Darkness".  \n DTEND:20260315T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T114531 DTSTART:20260315T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Light and Glory in Darkness UID:7889 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/light-and-glory-in-darkness END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Veronica Yang CONTACT:gallery626.info@gmail.com CONTACT:gallery626.com DESCRIPTION:Exhibition at Gallery 626 (626 Main St.\, Vancouver) – March 1 8-22\, 2026\n\nIzumi Yvonne Araki – Sackcloth – “For dust you are and to dust you will return”\n\nA meditation on fragility and grief\, and a slow awakening to God's grace. Born from deeply personal experience\, this ex hibition offers a shared ground for lament and quiet reflection. Visitors are invited to touch\, to feel\, and to enter—tracing the tender contour s of our human condition as it reaches toward the Divine.\n\nSpecial proj ection by Olivier Bruneau – 18th\, 21st\, and 22nd after dark. The galler y will be open from noon to 7:00 or 8:00 pm depending on projection sched ule.\n\nOn Sunday the 22nd\, there will be a Q&A from 5:00 pm. On that da y\, a little bread and "wine" will be served as an image of communion.\n\ nIzumi is a textile artist and works with International Student Ministrie s Canada. She preached for PGIMF on August 4\, 2024. \n\nhttps://www.inst agram.com/sawkakhug/\n DTEND:20260322T200000 DTSTAMP:20260307T160432 DTSTART:20260318T120000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ 626 Main St.\, Vancouver\, BC V6A 2V3\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Gallery 626 UID:146 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/gallery-626 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, March 22nd\, 2026\, Karl Brown spoke on "Lazarus. Imagination. Prayer. Repeat.". In his research\, Karl asks why Jesus put such effort in staging  Lazarus' resurrection. Jesus explains to multiple different peoples that Lazarus died and he was going to resurrect him. W as this a marketing campaign? A practice run for Jesus' own resurrection later? Karl argues that it was neither\, but that this was Jesus expandin g the imaginations of his followers. Today\, we have so many different to ols (books\, movies\, etc) to expand our imaginations\, and Jesus' resurr ection is old news. Back then\, resurrection was unheard of\, and the med ia industry was quite small. God's imagination is God-sized\, and Jesus c ame down to help expand our own imagination. And\, what idea is more powe rful than the idea of eternal life! [JL]\n DTEND:20260322T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T114558 DTSTART:20260322T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Lazarus. Imagination. Prayer. Repeat. UID:7891 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/lazarus-imagination-prayer-repeat END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:On Sunday\, March 29th\, 2026\, David Boshart spoke on "Born F rom Above: A Conversation in the Shadow of the Cross". The sermon follows  Nicodemus' journey in the gospel and the new birth that he goes through with his night-time visit with Jesus. Nicodemus heard Jesus say that one must be "born again"\, but the Greek words Jesus used could've just as ea sily meant "born from above". Jesus not only challenged Nicodemus' certai nty when saying "we know..."\, he also challenged the idea that it's poss ible to control what happens. Just as one cannot legislate the wind\, one can neither control what God has planned. Instead\, we should surrender to God's will\, that we may also be born from above and transformed. When Jesus died\, it was Nicodemus who helped prepare for the burial\, demons trating a quiet act of courage and love. [JL]\n DTEND:20260329T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T114656 DTSTART:20260329T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Born From Above: A Conversation in the Shadow of the Cross UID:7894 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/born-from-above-a-conversation-in-the-shadow END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Janice Kreider DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260403T113000 DTSTAMP:20260320T181326 DTSTART:20260403T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Peace Church on 52nd @ 659 E. 52nd Ave.\, Vancouver\, BC V5X 1G8\ , Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Good Friday/Tenebrae worship UID:148 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:PGIMF will have a potluck breakfast on Easter at 9 am in the r ecreation room at Menno Court.\n DTEND:20260405T100000 DTSTAMP:20260330T113155 DTSTART:20260405T090000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Menno Court Recreation Room @ 1750 E. 41st Avenue\, Vancouver\, B C V5P 4N5\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Breakfast UID:150 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/easter-breakfast END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:Join us for an Easter Sunday breakfast at 9:00 AM\, with the s ervice of readings and songs starting at 10:00 AM.\n\n \n DTEND:20260405T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T114805 DTSTART:20260405T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Easter Songs and Readings UID:7896 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/easter-sunday-2026 END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260412T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T114911 DTSTART:20260412T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Touch Me and See: Encountering the Resurrected Christ UID:7898 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC CONTACT:Christine Lee DESCRIPTION:The Lucerna choir\, which has singers from PGIMF and Chinatown Peace\, will be joined by a small Cantonese language choir which debuted in January and was founded by three current and former UBC M.Mus. studen ts. \n DTEND:20260412T200000 DTSTAMP:20260307T161406 DTSTART:20260412T190000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION:Peace Church on 52nd @ 659 E 52nd Ave.\, Vancouver\, BC V5X 1G8\, Canada SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Lucerna Choir UID:147 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/lucerna-choir END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260419T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T115158 DTSTART:20260419T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Practicing Wilderness Solidarity with Miriam UID:7900 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260426T113000 DTSTAMP:20251015T115245 DTSTART:20260426T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:April 26\, 2026 UID:7902 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION:PGIMF will have a congregational meeting in the chapel after w orship and pizza. Exact time--to be determined.\n DTEND:20260426T131500 DTSTAMP:20260330T113736 DTSTART:20260426T114500 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:Congregational meeting UID:151 URL:https://pgimf.org/event/congregational-meeting END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260503T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T160423 DTSTART:20260503T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:May 3\, 2026 UID:8084 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260510T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T160546 DTSTART:20260510T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:May 10\, 2026 UID:8087 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260517T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T160841 DTSTART:20260517T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:The Beatitudes UID:8091 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260524T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T160950 DTSTART:20260524T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:May 24\, 2026 UID:8093 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260531T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161133 DTSTART:20260531T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:May 31\, 2026 UID:8096 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260607T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161201 DTSTART:20260607T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:June 7\, 2026 UID:8098 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260614T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161226 DTSTART:20260614T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:June 14\, 2026 UID:8100 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260621T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161248 DTSTART:20260621T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:June 21\, 2026 UID:8102 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260628T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161318 DTSTART:20260628T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:June 28\, 2026 UID:8104 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260705T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161357 DTSTART:20260705T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:July 5\, 2026 UID:8106 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260712T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161425 DTSTART:20260712T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:July 12\, 2026 UID:8108 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260719T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161507 DTSTART:20260719T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:July 19\, 2026 UID:8110 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260726T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161541 DTSTART:20260726T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:July 26\, 2026 UID:8112 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260802T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161646 DTSTART:20260802T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:August 2\, 2026 UID:8114 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260809T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161714 DTSTART:20260809T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:August 9\, 2026 UID:8116 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260816T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161740 DTSTART:20260816T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:August 16\, 2026 UID:8118 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260823T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161812 DTSTART:20260823T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:August 23\, 2026 UID:8120 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260830T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T161846 DTSTART:20260830T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:August 30\, 2026 UID:8122 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT BEGIN:VEVENT CLASS:PUBLIC DESCRIPTION: DTEND:20260906T113000 DTSTAMP:20260221T162119 DTSTART:20260906T100000 GEO:0.000000;0.000000 LOCATION: @ \, \, \, SEQUENCE:0 SUMMARY:September 6\, 2026 UID:8125 URL:https://pgimf.org/service/ END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR