Christmas Eve Pagent

We spent Christmas Eve wandering through our neighbourhood in the dark and the rain, carrying Mary and Joseph and the light of Christ knocking on doors, asking if anyone had room to take in a pregnant unwed mom and her partner. When we finally found a space, we watched the story unfold as told to us by our kids in this video. Merry Christmas. May you find space to welcome in the Christ to your life this Christmas.

Some pics to accompany Genevieve's post

Chicago by Genevieve Clarke

Jodi had come to me and asked if I would like to go to Chicago for a week for a conference , Just me , NO kids , Babies or Terry. I was all over that & it sounded to good to be true. First I had to get a Pass Port, Never had one before so that in it self was exciting. After all the " yes you can go , No you can't go to finally yes you can go (because of the Ministry of Children and Families changing their minds about care of my twin granddaughters who are in my care)" Jodi , Beth , Michelle & I left on September 5th , 2010 , Michelle left before us & Jodi drove us to Seattle & we stayed in this off the side Motel. We go to park Jodi's put put & Beth is holding on for dear life cause Jodi parks on a hill and she was afraid we were going to tip over , That was cute . We get checked in and get to our room & Jodi decides to "check" out the bed & the bouncing begins . If Beth was NOT on the bed at the time Jodi would of bounced right out the window into ??? That was funny :) We had to then get up at like 4 in the morning to go catch the plane (freaking out) , Airports are like tiny cities. I LOVE THE MOVING WALKS , again that was funny , Just how they SHOOT YOU OFF the other side :) I would diffidently make that a field trip . Getting on the first plane will forever be etched in my head. I can honestly say I FACED A FEAR & BOARDED THAT PLANE :) A huge THANKS TO BETH FOR THAT , I was freaking out yelling at GOD & there was Beth asking him to help me & be with me :) I don't remember much after that. Then we had to get off that plane & wait in the airport in Detroit ,we played cards to pass some time & AGAIN I KICKED SOME JODI BUTT :).. Getting on that second plane was/is kind of a blur thanks for gravol . We get to CHICAGO & the first thing was to find "THE PRETZEL" . Hands down best one yet :) Now we are at the train station trying to load the transit cards , weird system down there , same price , I still have my pass & it dose not expire till 2012 with like 2-3$ left :) Well we finally get to our hotel & Michele is there YEAH. We were on the 15th floor & we faced this river that ran through most of the city , If it was not for my fear of heights I would of just sat by the window the whole time :) And again Jodi had to test the bounce in the beds , LMAO. We were there to attend these workshops they had going on & I attended 3 of them , the first one sucked , the other two were awesome. They were lead by the only other 3 Aboriginal people I saw there LOL. I don't wan to talk alot about the workshops I want to focus on the FUN that was had by all. I was amazed by the Beauty I saw in the African America Black People , Men , Women , Children WOW. after we half settled in I went outside & while I was outside waiting for Jodi , Beth & Michelle , there was this bus loading people up to go ??? & this lady kept asking me to board the bus , I was LIKE UH NO thank you :) We ate at different places for lunch and dinner my favorites were the Japanese place ( I think ) & the Pizza place , U need to eat the DEEP DISH PIZZA with a fork & knife .

Another moment for my book is I was outside the hotel waiting to go for lunch ?? & the Bell Hop , an older man , was helping this group of older women into this cab , OMG , this one lady was having a hard time getting up & in so buddy goes and gives her a push up & says to the others waiting to get in " JUST PUSH THE TUSH ". Everyone's mouth drop , including mine & I LAUGHED SO HARD OMG . I still laugh :)

& they have a rat problem as well HOLY . I was again outside smoking and I went & sat across the street at this cement park thing & it was dark out & I was reading my book i brought with me & all of a sudden this "FAMILY OF RATS " came right out from under my feet , HOLLY !!!! Then again the next night I went & sat on the other side were u can see what is coming and going ( so I thought ) & from OUT OF NOWHERE A RAT!!! They also had posters of BED BUGS on the "skytrains" . We got to pick one day a choice of a bunch of tours they had set up at different churches & centers around the area . Jodi & I went on this tour of Lawn dale Community Church & all the different centers & health clinic they have going on. At this old run down fire station they have this whole HIP HOP thing happening .

Our trip home was an adventure in itself too. We are almost home after the ONE flight to Seattle YEAH , we run out of gas , LMAO. So again we play cards waiting for HELP :) JODI ALWAYS SAYS " IT IS NOT AN ADVENTURE TILL IT IS A MISS ADVENTURE" Well I think that is all I have to say about that :) I had an AMAZING TIME , If time could be stopped for awhile that would be one time in my life that I could do again. & Jodi says ( well not just Jodi ) " you always leave something undone when u travel so then u have a reason to come back ) & we / I left at least 3 things , First would be a boat tour of the river , Going to the Black Hawks sports store & to find the start of the river :) Jodi & I walked to the pier & It was amazing how big that lake is (lake Michigan).

Again I want to THANK GOD for that wonderful gift of going. I also need to THANK JODI for thinking of me when planning for this trip , A BIG ,OK the BIGGEST THANK YOU TO BETH for NOT HAVING ME TRAVEL ALONE WITH JODI. She tends to be ALOT of WORK when traveling / camping !!! LOL. Then there is my girl Michelle , I have expressed my Love & gratitude for Beth & Jodi over & over & I know we both shared in this experience together But I am just wanting to say the YOU R THE BEST TRAVEL BUDDY/ ROOMMATE ANYONE COULD ASK FOR :) I had a great time with you & can't wait for the next trip :)

In a small nut shell these are my thoughts on "MY TRIP TO CHICAGOOOO!!!!"

gg

The Church Plant.... plants!

So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to their own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. (1 Cor. 3:7-9)

This summer, our church has taken on the responsibility of gardening a plot of land right in the middle of the neighborhood, in the community gardens that Jacob's Well has been gardening for the last few years. We will be taking responsibility for managing and lending out this garden space starting this fall.

It has been exciting to watch together as our tomatoes, potatoes, onions, squash, beets, carrots, corn, zucchini, chard, beans, and cucumbers sprout up. There are also plenty of blackberries to pick and eat! At a recent BBQ in the garden, the kids ran around asking what vegetable each plant was growing, and were delighted when they could sample them. We have loved being able to welcome avid gardeners from the neighborhood to come and help us out, and we've enjoyed hanging with our friends at the Servants Community, who live next door to one of the gardens. We've even made headway at driving out most the rats that have plagued these gardens in past summers.

There is a lot of hope in gardening, and a lot of richness in distributing and enjoying the flavor of food we've planted and watered and weeded and pulled with our own hands, on our own turf. Of course, it's God who's grown it for us, and we're grateful for the sun and the (little bit of) rain and the potential He put in those seeds. We look forward to more chances to connect with friends and neighbors over God's creation. Here's to many, many more harvests!

Many thanks to our friends from Illinois who helped build this tent and teepee for our beans to climb! The kids have enjoyed crawling underneath it.


Jodi is especially proud of the corn, which is taller than her. Now, to keep the rats from eating it...


Some of us like the dirt more than the veggies...

Baby Dedications

One of my favorite things about a church as small as ours is that marker events in people's lives naturally contribute to shaping our times together. For example, the grief that some members of our congregation were experiencing yesterday as a result of the recent deaths of friends and family members led us to scrap our original plans for the service. We spent our time praying, singing, and drumming to express this grief and cry out for God to hold us. We were going to tell the next story from our David series, out of 1 Sam. 24, but instead we read David's song in Psalm 23 and reflected on how God shepherds us, as he shepherded David, through times of darkness.


The intimate character of our congregation also gives us greater flexibility in times of celebration. So when it came time to dedicate the twins last month, instead of inserting 10 minutes of baby dedication in a service (like I'm used to!), we gave the family freedom to help plan and shape the whole service around this marker in their lives. They chose the songs, they chose the location, they invited their friends, and planned the meal that would follow.


This baby dedication service, which we held on the top floor of the family's apartment building, drew the one of the largest crowds we've ever had as a church - around 50 people, I believe. Many residents of the building came, as well as many family members. It was exciting to have so many people there to honor the family and witness the commitments they were making.

We began with a blessing in the form of a First Nations drum song, sung by the twins' step-grandfather, their father, and two of their uncles. We also sang the worship songs the family chose. But my favorite part of the service was being given the opportunity to bless and acknowledge the twins' family: parents, grandparents, uncles, and extended family. So many of them have gone above and beyond what is normally expected of family. I talked about how I have seen the image of God in them as they have helped care for these babies: the image God the Father, God as our Mother, Kinsman Redeemer, Guardian. We also acknowledged the godparents, and called everyone to make commitments to nurture the twins in God's love. The babies' grandmother (and current guardian) wrote a letter to the twins, which was read aloud. The babies were anointed with oil, and passed around so that everyone could touch and bless them. We shared a delicious meal together afterward.

It was a beautiful service, and an important chance to remember that it takes a whole family network, and a whole church community, to raise a child - and even more so when you're raising two at once!

Easter Celebration

We marched down Main Street on Easter Sunday afternoon. I love walking together to or from our Sunday gatherings, especially if we head down Main Street or Hastings. We are not a typical gathering in this area, a motley crew of kids of all shapes colors and sizes, and various adults fitting the same description. The children are filled with life, and often are careening off of adults or telephone poles on the crowded sidewalks of Chinatown or through the vendors selling their wares on Hastings. On Easter we were especially exuberant and the joy was contagious. The look in people's faces amuses me to no end as you can see them trying to puzzle out how we all know each other or where we are going together and why. If they ask, we tell them, "we are a church, would you like to join us?" which feels a little like we have said, "would you like to join the circus, it's lots of fun!"

On this Easter Sunday, we are aware that the Risen Christ has broken through the barrier walls that separate us from one another. That the Risen Christ conquered the power of sin, death and separation to make a new family of all the people's of the earth. Having walked through the pain and the brokenness of Holy Week (and Lent) having named all the things that could separate us the power of what unites us felt all the more powerful in the bright and shining Son.

Holy Week Schedule

Hello one and all! Wanted to issue an invitation to join us for Holy Week activities. They are as follows:

Sunday March 28th Palm Sunday Worship Celebration 11am at 389 Main Street

• Friday April 2nd Good Friday Neighbourhood Walk starting at 3 at Union and Gore (green space by the viaduct) and ending with soup at 4:30 at 239 Main Street.

• Saturday April 3rd Holy Saturday 7pm at Crab Park Candlelite Vigil remembering those we have lost in this past year.

• Sunday April 4th 2pm Easter Egg Hunt for the kids and Easter
Celebration at Crab Park.

Look forward to seeing you there!

Go Fast to Fare Well

Rarely does a whole neighborhood have a monthly rhythm to it the way the DTES does. For most residents of the DTES, their entire month is structured around today, welfare Wednesday, or as most residents call it, “cheque day.” If it’s not cheque day, they’re living in the two weeks after it, spending the money, or in the two weeks before it, longing for it to arrive. This is the ebb and flow of the neighborhood.

Many of my friends will stand in line for a cheque today. If they are housed in one of the SROs (the bottom rung of housing in Vancouver), they will receive the little that is left after their rent is deducted. This amounts to about $6-7 a day for a single adult. This doesn’t sound like much, and it isn’t. It’s even less when you’re in a cycle of addiction, and every cheque day presents another irresistible opportunity to spend all of your money feeding those cravings and numbing the pain (or paying back the debts you owe to the people who have funded your addiction since last cheque day).

Yes, the welfare system helps many people survive. But it also keeps many people poor, poor in every way. The only social role of someone on welfare is that of a passive recipient. In fact, even if they want to use their skills and gifts to help their communities, unless they are on disability, they cannot earn a dollar without that dollar being removed from their welfare cheque – in other words, a tax of 100% on earned income. BC is the only province in Canada that does not allow welfare recipients to keep some of the money they earn.

So my DTES friends are disempowered from reciprocally contributing to the well-being of the community and the city. They are denied the dignity of offering something. Their gifts and abilities are wasted, and they lose hope. Many of them develop a “taking” mentality, a sense of entitlement that can poison their worldview. And on the other side of the city, working taxpayers develop either a smug satisfaction in “helping the needy” through the welfare system, or a deep resentment toward the “lazy” people who are using their tax dollars to feed their addictions. None of this brings the rich and the poor any closer into relationship with each other, which I believe is the only way both the rich and the poor will feel loved enough and have enough hope to break out of addiction patterns, and to live more whole lives.

The system isn’t working. So today, I’m fasting.

I’m fasting to participate, in a backwards sort of way, in the monthly rhythm of a neighborhood I love, to acknowledge the hard realities and pray about how they are playing out the lives of my friends.

I’m fasting to stand in solidarity and experience a bit of the hunger many of my friends on the DTES have felt and continue to feel, hunger not only for good food, but for love, healing, freedom and belonging – hungers we all share as flesh-and-blood humans.

I’m fasting to remind myself of what it feels like to crave something, to get just a small taste of the cravings of my addicted friends, who face so much temptation today.

I’m fasting to remind myself that I’m only a community and a life-crisis away from being on welfare myself, that I’m only one pain-numbing attempt away from becoming an addict.

I’m fasting to remember that throwing money at people is not the same thing as being in relationship with people and supporting people face-to-face, life-on-life. We are all impoverished when we remain separate from one another.

I’m fasting to ask myself how I can become weak, how I can lay down my power, so that those who are now weak and oppressed can be empowered to take leadership and dream big dreams for their neighborhood.

I’m fasting because the welfare system is not helping anyone “fare” well, and it is a symbol of the ongoing class division and deep injustice in our cities.

I’m fasting to name the systems that keep my friends in bondage, and to pray for their freedom. In sum, I’m fasting to “loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke” (Isaiah 58:6).

If you long for justice, as I do, if you long to see the Kingdom of God break through, both in Kits and the DTES, I invite you to join me in fasting and praying for justice on Welfare Wednesdays. Here are the rest of the dates for 2010:

April 21

May 19

June 23

July 21

August 25

September 22

October 27

November 24

December 22

Let me know if you want to join me in this – it would be good to know we’re in it together, and maybe we can even get together and pray on one of those days.

What to do when God and Jonah are grounded?

Through the fall the children in our congregation have been writing songs, building set pieces, making puppets and scripting a puppet show on the story of Jonah. All was coming together for a Saturday practice and Sunday performance, but then God and Jonah got grounded! Or at least the kids playing those two (rather central) characters did. This happens to us around here a fair bit. In fact, because the kids love Sunday School and Kids Night their parents feel like not allowing them to attend is a punishment that will make a point. So, I guess there is an upside?

Anyway, we moved the performance back a week and a great time was had by all. The following Tuesday we were scheduled to perform in the building where the kids live. Again, God and Jonah...grounded. But this time Xavier, an 8 year old who is new to the building exuberantly volunteered. He was so excited by having seen the show the week before that even though he had not been a part of anything so far, he couldn't wait to be able to tell the story too. So Xavier was Jonah, our narrator played God and we played in the story again. It was not a performance that was going to win any Tony nominations, but the biblical story once again became a place where someone was able to find a place of belonging.