live magazine January-February 2021

live A Baptist resource for women on a mission January - February 2021 · $3.50

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR

Surprising Expansion (p3) Executive director’s report 2020

Stay Home. Do a Prayer Walk (p10) ENCOURAGE LOVE | INSPIRE GOOD (p21) Baptist Women Spring Conference

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in this issue COLUMNS

2 CONNECTING executive director’s report 3 Surprising Expansion 18 A History Moment 23 Welcome Abby!

23 We Remember BIBLE STUDY 19 Encourage Love | Inspire Good Called to Love

features connect to mission 10 Stay Home. Do a Prayer Walk on Family Day. 12 Whenever I Call You Friend Love is kind.

14 From Professional to Neighbour Love hopes.

15 A Window on Latin America

CONNECT TO GOD 6 A Deeper Well Love re-defines.

8 Transformation from the Inside Out Love prays.

RESOURCES/CONNECT TO GOD 16 Strategic Giving 2021 A year of generosity 21 Baptist Women Spring Conference Encourage Love | Inspire Good 22 Book Club 2021 Acting on God’s promises together 23 Advocating for Racial Justice Upcoming dates

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cONNECTING The Oxford English Dictionary has racked up yards of newsprint and pixels due to its choice not to name a word of the year to describe 2020—“a year which cannot be neatly accommodated in one single word.”

Let me offer a word: rooted One day in 2015 the Holy Spirit invited me to pray about Baptist Women’s ministry. The Scripture that emerged during that prayer was the mustard seed parable; though the smallest of all seeds, it grows into the largest shrub of all—a tree that casts shade and in which birds nest.

The seed must be planted though, and 2020 forced us all to take stock of the soil in which we’d taken root—in our personal lives and as an organization.

I had my days of soil-sifting: empty shelves (are food distribution chains that fragile in North America’s fourth largest city?); systemic racism; the treatment of the elderly in our retirement and long term care homes (elders are esteemed in my family and culture); the weeks of waiting with my son and nephew to be assigned teachers in virtual school; online-only church; masks (I’m asthmatic) . . . We all have our lists.

Even so. Here’s what I rediscovered about Baptist Women: the seed we represent is rooted in prayer. It is that grounding that helps us to continue welcoming all women wanting authentic experience of Jesus Himself. It keeps our call to intimate mission relevant and alive.

Be rooted in prayer this year.

RJ 

VOLUME 94, NUMBER 1

live (formerly The Link & Visitor) began as The Canadian Missionary Link (1878) and Baptist Visitor (1890). Published bi-monthly by Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec 5 International Blvd., Etobicoke, ON M9W 6H3 416-620-2954 Fax 416-622-2308 bwoq@baptist.ca baptistwomen.com Executive director Rev. Diane McBeth Editor and communications director Renée James 416-651-8967 rsejames@gmail.com Art director Donna Lee Pancorvo of GEPM Group Inc. (gepmgroup.com) Contributors Julia Bowering, Nina Drenth, Linda Ellsworth, Rev. Diane McBeth, Victoria Mok, Tabitha Mui, Rev. Tina Rae Circulation and subscriptions Subscriptions 416-620-2954 live@baptist.ca Subscriptions Individual: $20* (direct or through promoters) US & overseas: $39 All currency in $C unless otherwise noted.

The publication of comments, opinions or advertising does not necessarily imply CBWOQ agreement or endorsement. All material is copyrighted and may not be reproduced in print or on websites without permission. Advertising inquiries and freelance submissions should be addressed to the editor.

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ISSN 2293-5096.

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We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada for our publishing activities. *includes HST

executive director’s report

2020

Executive Director Highlights

Surprising Expansion I’m sure you have heard a lot about the challenges of 2020.

Certainly, CBWOQ had them too—for several months we couldn’t even enter our office to get mail or process a deposit. Many mission circles were not meeting to gather donations, so we worked hard at fundraising to try to make up the difference. However, 2020 has also been a year of surprising expansion for Baptist Women. Here are some of the ways we have been blessed: Spring Virtual Conference With lockdown announced just one month before our spring conference, we had to make a very quick pivot to a virtual platform.

You rose to the challenge and conference sessions have had up to 898 views via YouTube. This is several times greater than in-person attendance would have been, plus people have participated from farther away, and over a longer period. You learned how to use Zoom for our AGM, including the online poll function so we could pass motions.

We will be glad to meet in-person again, but this new capability for online events really expands options for the future. It opens the door to connecting many more of you. Our 2021 spring conference will also be virtual and we’ve taken advantage of this by inviting Karen Wilson, president of Baptist World Alliance Women, to be our plenary speaker. Karen will speak to us from Perth, Australia.

Complete Missional Leadership Development Program We were excited to have 17 participants and four leaders for the launch of this program in September. Each monthly web conference began with input on leadership skills such as Emotional Intelligence, Spiritual Gifts, or Hearing from God. Then we divided into small groups to discuss our readings on spiritual formation and relational evangelism.

These wonderful participants serve in multiple roles in their

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churches and communities, greatly expanding the influence of CBWOQ. The program runs until May, when we encouraging you to register for the next cohort.

Uptick Baptist Women: Leadership Development for Young Women What a privilege to support another group of emerging leaders in 2020 as they investigated their call and deepened their spiritual foundations. This program continues to generate great respect for CBWOQ among our churches and partners.

2021 will look a little different for Uptick. While Laura Matthews is on maternity leave, the other Uptick leaders will focus on recruiting participants and fundraising. They have created a video and would love to speak at your group or church.

Just email us and we will forward you to Kathleen Wilson at. In 2022, leaders hope to double the program with two simultaneous cohorts.

These connections with younger women are so important for CBWOQ’s future.

Online Book Club As COVID restrictions dragged on, we tried our first-ever online book club in the summer.

Jill Weber, who was our conference speaker in 2016, had written a book and was willing to 4

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take part in a question and answer session. Participants were so pleased that five of them decided to continue meeting for a number of months so they could discuss her book in more depth. (We have a variety of online book clubs scheduled for 2021. See our announcement on page 21.)

Online book clubs build on the mission circle tradition of buying a set of books from a CBWOQ reading list and then rotating them between members. Doing clubs online allows us to reach more women and gives them a chance to speak personally with authors we are able to schedule. Perhaps this program may inspire some of our women to write their own books.

Anti-Racism Advocacy CBWOQ has a proud history of advocating for justice and caring for the vulnerable, so when the Black Lives Matter movement came to the forefront in June, we responded. We issued a statement, posted resources on our website and in social media, and created a plan for the rest of the year and for 2021.

The September-October issue of live magazine highlighted the voices of Indigenous, Black and Asian Baptist women and in November we held a Zoom meet-the-contributors event where they answered questions

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about their articles and ended the event sharing about what brought them hope.

We are glad that CBWOQ has become increasingly diverse on our staff and board, and among Conference and program presenters and participants.

However, do all women feel equally at home and equally heard? Do we understand terms like white privilege and do we know the difference between a racist individual and systemic (or structural) racism?

We have designed our Baptist Women anti-racism events to help us all learn together in a positive environment. This work of learning how to become better allies builds on our advocacy for Indigenous peoples over the last few years.

Guided Prayer When lockdown started, Carolyn Vanderheide from Lakefield Baptist Church wanted a way to continue connecting with the women she used to host weekly—most from her neighbourhood. She remembered the experience of praying Scripture from a Soul Sisters workshop, and Guided

Prayer was born. Three nights and three mornings a week, people click on a Zoom link and listen for 10 minutes as Carolyn gently prays through a few verses. I have found it to be an oasis of peace. (You can sign up at baptistwomen.com/ resources/) Renée James and Carolyn then led two training workshops for women who wanted to investigate leading their own groups. There will be more sessions in 2021.

Collective prayer didn’t stop there.

ministry of CBWOQ—new programs and resources, online events, and many leaders built up. This is an example of the incredible grace of God. He loves to act opposite—He likes to increase when we expect decrease; to create a new place of peace in the midst of turbulence; to expand and deepen our ministry in the midst of a pandemic. We are so grateful to Him and to all of you.

Rev Diane McBeth (with Renée, Laura and Keisha) 

Day of Prayer In November, we offered a virtual World Day of Prayer experience for women, complete with maps, prayer requests and multiple ways of praying for the global issues that face Baptist women. Women prayed Scripture aloud, were led in listening prayer and in lectio divina.

In Summary So, in a year when many aspects of life have contracted, we are surprised to see how much God has expanded the

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A Deeper Well Love re-defines.

by Julia Bowering Julia serves with Canadian Baptist Ministries as their Team Lead, International Programs. She was a plenary speaker at CBWOQ’s spring 2019 Conference.

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“Jesus loved with confidence…”

“The second is this: love your neighbor as yourself” Mark 12:31 (NIV).

To grow up as a woman in the church is to grow up with this verse woven into our feminine identity. Good girls and good women love others, serve others and are there for others no matter what. I grew up watching women organize mission fundraisers, clean up after potlucks, run Vacation Bible Schools, create prayer circles, show up in times of crisis, take the strangers in and get their families into the pew with spectacular regularity. By watching these women I learned what it meant to love my neighbour. What was less obvious to me was what it meant to love my neighbour as I loved myself.

Growing up, I felt the call to “love my neighbour” deep in my bones. I got a degree that enabled me to do relief and development work among the poor and eventually I landed in seminary and became a pastor. Whether I was working with widowed farmers in Uganda or preaching for professionals in Canada, I was loving my neighbour with all that I had. In truth, I was loving my neighbour with more than I had, and after a decade, I was exhausted.

It took a very dark night of the soul to realize that I was not loving my neighbour as myself. I was loving my neighbour as I loved a false version of myself. This version of myself had no limits, no needs and superhuman abilities. She got a lot of affirmation. I believed she was the only version of myself that was worthy of love. But what she demanded of me, and secretly demanded of others, was more than I could hold up.

Throughout Christian history there have been two main ways of interpreting the second half of this verse. The first is based on reciprocity. We should love others as we want to be loved ourselves. The second is based on practice. We ought to love others as we

show love to ourselves. Either way, loving our neighbour is deeply connected to the way we desire to be, and experience, being loved—which, if you happen to be human, is complicated.

The apostle John tells us that we can love others because God first loved us. Perhaps then, in order to love others well we need to also ask what it means to be loved—not because we are selfish, but because we are called to give out of a deeper well. Not a well of duty, need for affirmation or a vision of the “good Christian woman,” but from a deep sense of our own belovedness in Jesus’ eyes.

I have been watching Jesus closely over the last few years as I hold this question. He certainly loved others with a powerful self-sacrificial love. But what stands out to me over and over again was that Jesus loved with confidence in His own belovedness. He loved within human limits. He said no. He slept. He carved out time for solitude. He celebrated. He chose a few close friends. He experienced the crush of need and yet He knew how to pause amidst the urgency.

He didn’t do it all. And yet He accomplished all that He was called to do. He loved us as He knew He was loved—human limits and all—so that we can love with the same grace.

It has taken me a long time to unlearn the decades that taught me to love others as I loved a false version of myself. But as I slowly and awkwardly relearn to love my neighbour as my human self, I have noticed a change in the kind of love that I offer. It is gentler, more patient, more kind. It delights in authenticity. It has so much more grace. It is so much stronger and so much more hopeful. For this love does not depend entirely on me, but on the One who sees me for who I am and still calls me the “beloved.” 

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Transformation from the Inside Out Love prays.

StoryBlocks.com

by Nina Drenth Nina Drenth is studying at Wycliffe College towards her masters of divinity and works as a Spiritual Life facilitator at Act Five—Redeemer University’s gap year program. She is an avowed member of the Order of the Mustard Seed.

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My job is to pray.

I am a companion with the Greater Ontario House of Prayer (GOHOP), an ecumenical urban monastery rooted in Hamilton, Ontario. As a new monastic community, we live out rhythms of life that have been embodied and taught in historic monastic communities. For us this means developing church leaders, growing relational connections and cultivating prayer in the city.

At the heart of our ministry is a prayer room in the basement of 541 Eatery & Exchange, a social enterprise café designed to be a Kingdom outpost to its neighbourhood around Barton Street—a particularly vulnerable community in the city. Hidden away in this room, GOHOP’s staff and volunteers spend time interceding and spend intentional time in Jesus’ presence. Any given time of any weekday, the prayer room can be found populated with one or more faithful members of our team.

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Why are we so committed to hiding away to pray?

Dallas Willard puts it well when he says: “behavior is driven by the hidden or secret dimension of human personality, from the depths of the soul and body, and what is present there will escape. Hence, ‘spiritual formation’ in the Christian tradition is a process of increasingly being possessed and permeated by such character traits as we walk in the easy yoke of discipleship with Jesus our teacher. From the inward character the deeds of love then naturally and transparently flow . . . Our aim is to be pervasively possessed by Jesus through constant companionship with him.”1 At GOHOP we give ourselves to rhythms of prayer because to be “missional” on the outside, we must first clean the insides of our cups (Matthew 23:26). If we long to be a presence of peace day-in-andday-out in our neighbourhood, there is no alternative! This level of consistency requires a robust transformation that begins in the heart—in the place of prayer.

“We first clean the insides of our cups.”

Prayer makes us luminous There’s a neighbour who comes to 541. He loves to talk—anything and everything. He mumbles and gets off track so we often don’t know what he’s trying to say. We care for him, of course, but I confess that I sometimes think it’s easier to avoid conversation with him all together. I’ll never forget the example of one of our former GOHOP staff who would sit for hours with this regular, looking him in the eye and nodding while he digressed. This staff member was luminous with the qualities of Christ as she truly listened.

Paul writes that “we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NIV). As we prayerfully contemplate the Lord’s glory, we are transformed into His image, like Moses, whose “face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord” (Exodus 34:29 NIV).

When we come upstairs to the eatery populated with neighbours caught up in poverty, addiction, and loneliness, we aim to interact with these friends of ours with “radiant faces” like Moses. As a community, we become transformed to carry the radiance of the God who can and does transform us, His people.

There is an invitation here: Let’s start our spiritual journey and begin any of our community ministry by sitting under Jesus’ wings; let Him gather us up like a loving mother gathers her babies (Matthew 23:37). It is from that place that we can go out into the world as luminous people, ready to work for peace. 

1 Dallas Willard, The Great Omission: Rediscovering Jesus’ Essential Teachings on Discipleship, San Franscisco: HarperCollins, 2006.

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Stay Home. Do A Prayer Walk on family day.

In summer 2020 we prepared this guide not knowing that social distancing mandates would still be in place as we pulled this issue together. Through the past nine or more months, our homes have become spaces we could not freely leave nor return to . . . unless our tasks were essential.

Did you know that the word house is mentioned in the Bible over 2,000 times depending on the translation you use? Clearly our homes—their physical structure and the people who live in them—are important to God.

Photo credits: Front door, living room, bedroom— StephanieJRobertson.ca; kitchen—Donna Lee Pancorvo

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Why do a prayer walk through your home?

We prayer walk our homes for the same reasons we do a prayer walk through our neighbourhoods.

As we prayer walk, we connect with the physical spaces where we eat, sleep and live in a different way: We walk asking God to show us what He’s doing in the lives of family members and how we may take part in that work.

We also pray in the same way • Pray according to what we know about our family and about the rooms.

• Pray according to what we see as we walk through each room and touch items of furniture.

• Pray according to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He will prompt us and give us spiritual insight as to how we need to pray.

The plan • We’ve listed some Scripture and prayer prompts for a few rooms/ zones in your home. Feel free to use them as a starting point for your prayers.

• On Family Day—Monday, February 15—take some time and prayer walk through your home.

As you pray • Have some oil handy. Any cooking or essential oil will do.

• Pray out loud in each room. Ask the Holy Spirit to fill every corner and

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area of your home. You are dedicating this room to God. • As you listen and pray, place a drop of oil on the doorframe of each room or on furniture. (Exodus 40:9) Oil represents the power of the Holy Spirit and symbolizes faith in God’s ability to cleanse and make holy. You are physically consecrating your home to Him.

Some Scripture and prayer prompts A starting prayer Prayer: O Lord, may the foundation of this home rest firmly in You. God, please bring peace to our home and to all of us who live in it. You are our hedge of protection. Thank You for watching over us every moment of our days.

Front door Scripture: Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

(Hebrews 13:2 NIV) Prayer: Lord, help us to be wise and discerning as we trust You to use us and this house as a place of ministry. May all who pass through these doors be drawn deeply into Your presence.

Living/Family Room Scripture: Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (NIV) Prayer: Lord, bless this living/family room. Let this room be filled with respect. May our entertainment choices glorify You. Fill this room with Your peace.

Kitchen Scripture: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink . . . Matthew 6:25 (NIV) | Prayer: May the meals we prepare here and the conversations that take place in this room nourish our souls and bodies. Thank You for providing all that we need, every day. All we have comes from You. Bedroom Scripture: Come to me, all you who are tired and carrying heavy loads. I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 NiRV) Prayer: Adonai, allow those who sleep here to find rest, comfort and peace inside this room. Grant them refreshing sleep and a space to fellowship with You. May they feel Your presence here. Place Your dreams in their hearts as they sleep and may they wake refreshed.  live • January - February 2021

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Whenever i call you friend Love is kind.

Bigstock.com

by Tabitha Mui Tabitha is an Uptick Baptist Women alumni and a recent MDiv graduate of Tyndale University and Seminary.

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Marie Kondo gained a cult following after Netflix launched her home organizing show, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo in 2019. Her method focuses on helping people declutter by placing all similar items in a space (for example piling all one’s clothes on the bed), touching each item, and asking the question, “Does it spark joy?” If the item does spark joy, she encourages the person to keep the item, but if it doesn’t, she asks them to thank it and then part with it.

When I go through my closet, the question that I ask before I donate or throw out an item is very different: “Do I still want it?” If I do, I keep it; and if I don’t, I will find said item a new home. Often, these are clothes that I am too embarrassed to wear in public—a pair of jeans with a few ripped holes (not the fashionable kind), a T-shirt with a stubborn stain, a sweater with heavy pilling. As I put these items in a large disposable bag, I think to myself, “It’s better for those who have nothing to wear to at least have something.”

Actually no, and I learned this in recent years while volunteering at a local missions organization in Mississauga. This organization has very stringent guidelines for their volunteers who screen incoming clothing donations: “Buttons and zippers must be intact. No stains, holes, rips or tears. The question you need to ask is, ‘Would I give it to my friend to wear?’ If the answer is no, then we do not keep it for our clients.”

“My friend.” When I’d donated clothes before, I had never considered the recipient of my T-shirt as my friend. To be honest, I had never

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considered the recipient at all. My focus was to make space for new items that would spark joy in me—out with the old, in with the new. By considering the recipient as my friend, I was now asked to consider the dignity of the person who received the clothing. Would my friend want to receive a pair of jeans from me with ripped holes? More importantly, what am I saying about my friend if I do that? Are they only deserving of handme-downs that I don’t want any more? Do I acknowledge their value and dignity? Is this how I would love my friend?

To love a friend well is to acknowledge that they are also made in the image of God, worthy of dignity and respect. They bring value to a community.

I later learned that the reason why the guidelines are so strict is because the organization displays all of their clothing items in a large hall for their clients to browse through, much like a boutique. The goal is to mimic a retail experience in which they are able to select items that they like and need, and be able to wear them immediately (as some may not have access to laundry facilities). Based on their chosen method of clothing distribution, I can see that they truly see their clients as their friends.

They have acknowledged that their clients have the right to choose and to access clean, good quality clothing.

So perhaps the next time we declutter our homes and have decided that there are items which we no longer need, let’s ask the question: “Would I give it to my friend? Would my friend know how much I love them when they receive this item?” If yes, then let us give it away with a thankful heart, knowing that this item is an expression of our love. 

another take A few non-profit organizations such as The Kidney Foundation and Diabetes Canada do not distribute clothing but rather collect used clothing, bedding and other household goods to raise funds for the good work they do.

Trish Reynolds, director of marketing and communications for The Kidney Foundation writes: “We do accept all clothing and textiles regardless of condition as long as items are clean, dry and free of any contaminates. Even clothing that isn’t in wearable condition can be repurposed in some manner, such as being turned into insulation for housing.”

Soul Sisters Online Have you wanted to experience Soul Sisters during 2020 but couldn’t because of social distancing? We’re thrilled to invite you to Soul Sisters Online . . . via Zoom.

Dates: weekly, Monday, February 1 - Monday, March 22 Time: 7 p.m.

Leaders: Rev. Diane McBeth and Cathy Newton How: Register online by filling in the form at baptistwomen.com/ resources/soul-sisters Contact Cathy Newton at 1hannahisretired@gmail.com if you have questions.

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From Professional to Neighbour Love hopes.

StoryBlocks.com

by Victoria Mok Victoria is grateful to have been with MoveIn for five years. She worships at the Mississauga Chinese Baptist Church.

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In my early 20s, I ached for a passionate purpose in life. In response, God used the convicting words of Isaiah 58 to draw me toward serving the poor. I had no idea how God could use me in this way, but much like how Abraham was given a purpose to go and bless the nations without being given any plans, I clung to my newfound purpose and took baby steps forward.

I started ladling stew behind a soup kitchen counter. That grew into sitting with dining clients while we shared conversation. Eventually I took a position where I worked alongside believers from whom I learned how to love and care for people who were homeless. This job gave me eyes to see that no matter how broken or messy a person is, God still loves them very much. I began learning how to love each person through the modelling of my compassionate co-workers and grew a desire to love each person the way God did.

However, in this same workplace, I developed a discontent with the restraints of professional boundaries and working hours which limited my contact with clients to nine to five. I wanted to help in a different way.

After some years of mental wrestling, I decided to go like Abraham again, this time quitting my full-time non-profit job and trading in my role as a professional for one as a neighbour, living among the poor with a movement called MoveIn. Started in Toronto over 11 years ago and now sprouted in multiple countries, MoveIn describes itself as “a movement of regular Christians prayerfully moving in among the unreached, urban poor” (https://www. movein.to/). When I joined MoveIn, I went from a routine nine-to-five ministry to a simple Tuesday night prayer time where our team prayed and asked God how we could love and serve our neighbours. Beyond the weekly prayer commitment, there was no set program, just a reliance on the Holy Spirit to guide our interactions with our neighbours. MoveIn is also a tentmaking ministry, so I took a full-time job closer to home to free up time to serve the neighbours around me.

I felt well-equipped to face whatever came my way. But God had more to show me still. As an intentional neighbour, things were much more spontaneous. One day I stepped out of the elevator on returning home from work, only to be ushered to my neighbour’s dinner table. While on my way to doing laundry in the communal room, a neighbour pulled me inside and poured out her worries about a family situation. I’ve been

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invited to birthday parties that ran late into a work night and played chauffeur to neighbours who wanted an outing that I honestly was too tired to join. There were days I felt so alive being able to share life with my neighbours and other days where I wanted to hide under my covers and be left alone.

Yet all that time spent neighbouring was worth it. The relational distance that comes with being a professional disappeared when I became a neighbour. Intentional neighbouring is messy and awkward, but the relationships

become more authentic as both my neighbours and I were simply ourselves without any professional veneer.

Yes. Neighbouring stretched my love to the point where it simply ran out at times, and I had to learn that to love my neighbour didn’t mean pouring myself past my limit, where my love became bitter. Rather, loving my neighbours required me to regularly soak in God’s love for me, and to trust that He heard my prayer for my neighbours and was partnering with me in my brokenness to

reveal His love to them.

After five years in MoveIn, I heard that Abrahamic call again, this time to go from a MoveIn neighbour to being just a neighbour, unattached to any movement except for that of the Holy Spirit. I am unsure where this path leads, but with each shift I’ve experienced, I find God shaping me in new and surprising ways, allowing me to sink deeper into His love for mee. With God, I am ready to sail the untamed seas of the neighbourhood in which I now live. 

A WINDOW ON latin america Sometimes doing something physical can help us make an equivalent spiritual change. The ancient practice of palms down/ palms up helps us release our worries to Christ. During our 2020 virtual World Day of Prayer events we used this way to pray for our Latin American sisters.

Perhaps you’d like to pray this way as you read their prayer requests listed in the slide. Just follow this checklist.

 Close your eyes and hold your hands out in front of you with the palms facing down.  Read each prayer request and silently pray to release it. (e.g. Lord, please bring an end to all the corruption in Latin America.) Keep your hands out in front of you with your palms down. Imagine God’s hands held out and ready to receive what you are letting go on behalf of our Baptist sisters in Latin America.  You’ve released all the prayers of our Latin American sisters. Now, slowly turn your hands over. With palms up, pray to receive whatever God has for you. Sit quietly for a minute of two.  Say this prayer to close: I have cast all the concerns and burdens of my Latin American sisters on You O Lord, for You care for them. Amen. 

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Strategic giving 2021 A year of generosity Why do we ask you to support the work of Baptist Women?

Because you make a difference! We have a very tight budget and every gift you make has a big impact.

Because giving is an important spiritual formation practice. Giving honours God as the source and rightful owner of all we have; and it is an act of faith, trusting Him to continue to supply all we need. Giving sets us free—each step breaks a little of the hold money has over us . . . so we can control it (becoming good stewards) instead of it controlling us.

Because you have more influence than you realize. Many churches don’t know we rely entirely on donations. Many would be happy to include us in their budget, if only someone asked.

Because you also create a foundation for generations. If you include us in your Will, it will bear ongoing fruit for the Kingdom while offsetting tax on your estate.

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Each year we consult with Canadian Baptist Ministries (CBM) about dedicated projects that Baptist Women can support. We hope that as you read about these great initiatives you will feel a call from God to support them, and perhaps even raise funds from others. We can’t do it without you.

Here are the 2021 projects for Strategic Giving along with the amounts we hope to give.

India anti-trafficking project: CBWOQ will contribute $5,000 This new project in Kolkata will minister to 50 young survivors of trafficking. Aged only 18-30 years, they need training in order to become self-reliant and escape the cycle of sexual exploitation. This project will link with registered shelter homes for young survivors that provide counselling and therapy as well as training in key life skills. Leaders plan to then organize participants into mutual self-help groups.

They describe their program as a 3-E strategy of empowerment (restore them to power over their own lives) entrusting (their faith and lost trust in humanity and in themselves) and entitlement (living what they deserve like any other free being).

Jesus said He was sent to “set the oppressed free” (Luke 4:18). This is our chance to have a small part in the same ministry. People are not completely free until they have a new life.

Soura Widows: CBWOQ has committed to fund this entire project for $13,000 Many of our early Baptist Women missionaries spent their lives loving the Soura people. A generation later, widows in India are no longer burned on their husband’s funeral pyres, but they are ostracized and impoverished. Often their children have to drop out of school. This project provides business training workshops and then a small starter loan so that participants can start a variety of micro businesses. Some sell cashew nuts, tamarind, turmeric, bananas or pineapples. Some run a local grass broom business and others raise goats or chickens. This provides a small

income to cover necessities, while reinforcing muchneeded dignity. It is a real testimony to the holistic shalom (peaceful well-being) of God. This is a great way to fulfill the call of James 1:27 to “look after widows and orphans in their distress.”

Mising Tribe: CBWOQ has committed to completely fund this project ($20,000) This holistic project is a loving way to introduce Christ to a poor, largely unreached tribe in Assam, India. It provides a full suite of activities—everything from educating children to providing vocational training for the unemployed. Participants can choose computer or mechanic training, or they can learn tailoring, weaving or knitting. This provides income for participants and a valuable source of locally made products for the community. The local church facilitates everything, creating long term relationships.

Even during COVID, seven youth started computer training, four girls were enrolled in the tailoring classes, and 15 women received weaving materials and created products to sell as soon as markets reopened. By November the tutoring centre was open again and all the classes were functioning.

Christ feels the pain of those who suffer, but that also means He feels their relief. “Whatever you did for the least of these, you did for me” (Matthew 25:4045). Giving to the poor is our opportunity to minister to Christ Himself.

Rwanda Literacy: (CBWOQ budget $5,000) In Africa, girls often cannot attend school for lack of fees or uniform, or because the family needs them for domestic work such as fetching water. They are resilient and grow up to be loving mothers, who work extremely hard to support their families. However, illiteracy means they are easily cheated because they cannot read documents they are asked to sign; their dignity is undermined repeatedly and even their Christian growth is limited.

This project teaches hundreds of women to read. live • January - February 2021

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It also joins them together in self-help groups.

Parenting classes are offered. This is fully embedded in local churches to spread the gospel in holistic ways.

For a few months in 2020, dealing with COVID was the priority. However, by July all classes were functioning again, as participants were so anxious to move ahead in life.

National Field Staff In the last few years, CBM has pursued a deliberate strategy of incorporating staff from host countries.

Because they already know the language, culture, and have long term relationships, national field staff can be highly effective very quickly. The one downside is that their sending churches have very few resources to support them and they do not have contacts with Canadian churches. CBWOQ has offered to stand in the gap and adopt several as our own.

Pr. Lillian Yang, Thailand: (CBWOQ budget is $5,000) Pr. Lillian has a wide-ranging ministry, teaching at a Bible school as well as travelling to local villages to train pastors. She also helps plant churches. You can see a video from Lillian on our FaceBook group. (Go to your FaceBook account, search Canadian Baptist Women of Ontario & Quebec, and click “send friend request.” We will be thrilled to admit you.)

Pr. Xiadon Gang: (CBWOQ Budget $2,000) A great many Chinese students live and study in Germany because tuition is free. They are exposed to new ways of thinking and are often searching for meaning. This provides a unique opportunity for the gospel to be shared and to spread. Pr. Gang is a native Mandarin speaker who has also learned to speak German. She meets with students, organizes activities and shepherds them toward faith, sending some back to China as ministers in their own spheres of influence.

By praying and supporting these Kingdom workers, we share in their ministry.  18 live • January - February 2021

do remember other aspects of our ministry General Funds: We need your support to cover our expenses so we can continue to create events and resources.

Dorothy Neal New Initiatives Fund: We set aside this money to cover grants for great new projects in Ontario and Quebec to benefit vulnerable women and children.

Uptick: This fabulous leadership program develops young leaders for the Kingdom and rejuvenates Baptist Women. A number of the training components are quite costly, so we really rely on your support. 

a history moment “A Circle organized in 1886, like many others, was said to meet monthly ‘to pray not only for local work but also that they might catch a vision of the need of the great wide world.’ Missionaries are needed now, many of them. Money is needed now, much of it. We must be able to seize opportunities still open to us. The urgency . . . was never before as great; we have only to look around us to realize this. We shall pray that the Holy Spirit will multiply . . . witness.”

Alfreda Hall writes in the concluding chapter Moving Christward, from her book Wheels Begin To Turn | The story of helping to move nations Christward, 100 Years of Missionary Involvement

By Baptist Women of Ontario and Quebec 1876 – 1976 Alfreda was the esteemed editor of The Link & Visitor from 1955 – 1969. 

BIBLE STUDY

encourage love | inspire good Called to Love “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” Hebrews 10:23-24 (ESV).

February. That wonderful month of hearts and flowers. But what of real love? The Love of heaven . . . the love we have just celebrated in the birth of Jesus, the greatest expression of the sacrificial agape love of the Father’s heart? The love to which we are called . . .

Love is God-given READ Genesis 1:26-27 and 2:8, 18-24 As you read the first love story, what are your thoughts about God-given human love? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ READ John 3:1-16 Why is the background to one of the most famous verses in the Bible (verse 16), so important? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________

by Linda Ellsworth Linda is the member care coordinator for Christian Camping International, Canada.

READ Romans 5:1-8 Working backwards from verse 8, describe God’s process of agape love. _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ READ 1 John 4:17-19 This “love snapshot” tells us that agape love is reciprocal. What does this mean to you? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Love is pure READ James 3:16-18 Agape love breeds wisdom. What do these verses say to you regarding the character displayed by this kind of love? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ READ I Timothy 1: 3-5 As Paul exhorts a young Pastor Timothy at the church in Ephesus to remain true to the doctrine of Christ, he summarizes that doctrine in verse 5.

Rewrite verse 5 in your own

words, as it applies to your life right now. _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Love is mandatory Love God: READ Matthew 22:37-38 Here Jesus quotes Leviticus 19:18, calling it the first and greatest commandment. Write it below and share how you might incorporate it into your daily walk with God. _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ READ John 14:21-24 Once again, Jesus speaks of love as reciprocal. Explain the expectations of the Father in verse 21. _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Verse 23 gives us a great and precious promise, relating to our obedience. What does this verse say to you? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ live • January - February 2021

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“If I have trouble with obedience, have I lost my love relationship with the Father?” (notes in my Bible) Love is outward-focused READ John 15:9-14 Explain our responsibility as outlined by Jesus, as we respond to agape love. _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ READ Ephesians 5:1-2 According to Paul, what does it mean to “walk in love?” How might you do this in your daily circumstance? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ READ John 13:34-35 Why was it so important to Christ that His disciples show agape love? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Love is inclusive “Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from His love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another and working together with one mind and purpose.”

Philippians 2:1-2 (NLT) Paul certainly understood the concept of “inclusion,” having 20 live • January - February 2021

been saved from his murderous bent on the way to Damascus.

God changed the course of his life, ordering and ordaining him to take the Good News to those of non-Jewish race and faith.

In the light of Paul’s words in Philippians 2, READ Luke 10:3034, and discuss how YOU would share Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan. _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Honestly step into this parable in today’s world. Where/how might you be asked by God to be inclusive in a situation that might normally be uncomfortable for you?

Describe: _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ READ Acts 1:8 In His parting words to His apostles, Jesus gives them what we call the “Great Commission.” (Note: it is not “the great suggestion!”)

As you consider His mandate of loving inclusion, ask yourself: What is my Jerusalem? _________________________ What is my Judea? _________________________ What is my Samaria? (remember: the Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans!) _________________________ What is my “end of the earth?”

_________________________ “And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, So that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13) The second part of this passage explains the outcome of all-inclusive love. What does this mean to you? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ Love is active READ 1 John 3:16-19; 4:7-11, 21 John’s treatise on active love is a clarion call to all those who claim to love the Father!

What are three “hits to the heart” for you in these verses? _________________________ _________________________ _________________________ We have seen that God’s love is not just a “warm fuzzy.” It is a call to inclusive action. How will you respond in your circumstances today? _________________________ _________________________ ________________________ 

RESOURCES/connect to others

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RESOURCES/connect to others

book club 2021 Acting on God’s promises together Gather online to share, listen and learn as we explore these titles in 2021.

We’ll unpack a book in each event, either through author interviews, pre-set questions we answer or a guided time of sharing highlights.

We hope that each book club gathering becomes a place where you can share the joy of reading and learning with your sisters.

Most of all, we hope it becomes a space that inspires you to act— because you’ll have discovered something more of God’s promises for you and for this world. 

I’m Still Here: Black Dignity in a World Made For Whiteness

by Austin Channing $14 Wednesday, February 24 @ 7 p.m.

Why Would Anybody Go to Church? by Kevin Makins $15 Wednesday, April 28 @ 7 p.m.

How To Be An Anti-Racist by Ibram Kendi $26 Wednesday, June 23 @ 7 p.m.

Devotions for the Artist at Heart by Rev. Tina Rae Regular paper $17 | Drawing (thick) paper $23 Wednesday, August 25 @ 7 p.m. (meet the author!)

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High

by Kerry Patterson $20 Wednesday, October 27 @ 7 p.m.

Mountain Rain by Eileen Crossman $21 Wednesday, December 15 @ 7 p.m.

All titles available from ReadOn Bookstore Tel: 416-620-2934 Fax: 416-234-8840 E-mail: books@readon.ca readon.ca Order online, call or email.

Free shipping on all orders.

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RESOURCES/connect to others

Advocating for Racial Justice Upcoming dates Ways to join Baptist Women in advocating for racial justice Conversation Meet church historian, Rev. Denise Gillard (Weston Park Baptist Church) Denise shares about the history of the Black Church in Canada.

Prayer Online intercessory prayer meeting for racial justice.

Book Club Black Dignity in a World Made For Whiteness by Austin Channing

Date Wednesday, January 13 @ 7 p.m.

Via Zoom + Facebook Live (link on website and Facebook day of event)

Wednesday February 17 @ 7 p.m.

Via Zoom (link on website and Facebook day of event) Look for more information in our E-LINKs and in our Facebook group.

Wednesday February 24 @ 7 p.m.

Via Zoom (link on website and Facebook day of event) co-presented with CBOQ

Welcome Abby!

Join us in welcoming Abby to Baptist Women as she assumes many of Laura Matthews’ functions during Laura’s maternity leave. Abby will be with us for 15 hours/week effective January 2021 to May 2022.

You’ll find her at our office number: 416-620-2954 or at bwoq@baptist.ca.

Abby Lambshead has been a proud resident of Hamilton for the last eight years where she has been actively involved in her church and community in many roles. She is married and a new mom to her six-month-old son—learning the joys and challenges of parenthood. Her opportunities for crosscultural engagement have given her a passion for missions, both local and global. Her goal is to live like Jesus in whatever context she finds herself in. 

We REMEMBER Each generation has the opportunity to fuel mission for the next. We are thankful for the following gifts: In Memory of Evelyn Babbitt, Wallaceburg Alva Fair, Woodstock Ruth LaFlair, Sarnia Joan McTavish, Waterloo Patricia Sedore, Stevensville (Charter member of Kiselo MC for 76 years) IN HONOUR OF Kathleen Bushey (80th birthday) Joyce Cooper, Tillsonburg (faithful servant of many years) Lois Lohnes (90th birthday) Rev. Diane McBeth (ordination) Errata: In the last issue we published Lois Lohnes’ name in the In Memory Of list. Our apologies to Lois and her family. Her name rightly appears in the In Honour Of list.

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Transplanting

“

My friend had me [paint] this for her.

The painting shows the maple being removed from being so close to the rose bush because if it stayed there it would take over the rose bush. Once removed and replanted in another location both could thrive.

Similarly, sometimes we go through the pain of being removed from somewhere, but, we are carried and cared for in the loving hands of our Father until we are replanted.

This was my friend’s story, but it could be anyone’s. ~ Rev. Tina Rae

”

How we connect with each other has had to change, but live magazine keeps our bonds lively and strong. Let a woman in your community know about live magazine. A subscription costs just $20. Pay at baptistwomen.com or call the editor, Renée James. Choose from three formats: print, audio (CD) or online.

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