September-October 2016 live magazine

live A Baptist resource for women on a mission September – October, 2016 · $3.50

Resilience Who You Are, Not What You Do Fall conference: Immeasurably More | praying the issues with sisters:

Day of Prayer conference registration (page 21) Calls to Action: Residential Schools | World Day of Prayer | 2017 Great Canadian Bible Study| Connecting | LOVE DAY

live

Connecting

in this issue columns Global Mission

3 » When God Taps Your Shoulder 5 » A Window on Africa Reaching My Nation 5 » The Big Impact of a Small Love Day 7 » Canada’s Residential Schools—Now What?

Using My Gifts 15 » Biblical Principles for Women in Ministry Bible Study

17 » Stay Strong and Steady Women’s Ministries

19 » 2017 Great Canadian Bible Study 19 20 20 20 21

Continues to Support Literacy in Rwanda » Baptist World Alliance–Women’s Department World Day of Prayer » We Remember » The Resilience of Our Heritage » Praying the Issue » Immeasurably More | praying the issues with sisters Month of Prayer and Day of Prayer conference details and registration

features 9 One Battle at a Time

Remember what you know

11 Bear With Me

Resilience is counterintuitive

13

Resilience and Refugees Living without the things you thought you couldn’t live without

Cover photos, page 9 and page 17 by Sharon Tiessen, artist-in-residence, Weston Park Baptist Church, Toronto

2

About 20 years ago, Dr. Ksenija Magda, current president of the Baptist World Alliance– Women’s Department, wondered how a tiny Baptist church in Croatia, with non-existent resources and even less community influence, could unroot domestic abuse. A report had just been released which revealed that 64 per cent of Croatian rural women believed being beaten by their husbands “if they deserved it” was all right.

At a conference, she asked a leader where to start. “It’s easy,” the leader replied. “If your church does not look away from this one abused woman, and if you show her that Jesus wants her free, soon this church will be known as a compassionate church. The word will get around. You will have a ministry going.”

“This turned out to be the best possible advice to reach a community,”Ksenija writes in her 2016 Day of Prayer message. “. . . It is also incredibly easy for any size of church, anywhere in the world. It is no mystery. It is biblical. We are not called to deliberate philosophically or politically on the big issues.

Jesus calls us as witnesses.

“Confronting the world’s ugliness is difficult.

It scares us. Sometimes, it even triggers memories and opens old wounds. It would be easier to pretend everything is all right or wait on the big players to sort it out. It doesn’t work that way in the kingdom of God. “We are called to believe and to look the ugly straight in the eye. God is worthy and strong enough to change any problematic circumstances in our communities. His daughters need to move with Him.” This fall, let’s move.

RJ 

live • September - October 2016

VOLUME 89, NUMBER 5 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 416-622-8600 x 304 Fax 416-622-2308 bwoq@baptist.ca www.baptistwomen.com Executive director Diane McBeth Editor and communications director Renée James 416-651-8967 rsejames@gmail.com Art director Donna Lee Pancorvo of GEPM Group Inc. (www.gepmgroup.com) Contributors Esther Barnes, Paul Carline, Linda Ellsworth, Wanda Platt, Sandi Smoker, Cynthia Long Westfall, Morgan Wolf Circulation and subscriptions Subscriptions 416-620-2954 bwoq@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. Deadline is six weeks before the month of publication.

Member, Canadian Church Press.

ISSN 2293-5096.

Canada Post Customer Number 1008592.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

*includes HST

globalmission mission global

When God Taps Your Shoulder One woman’s call to overseas missions

by Esther Barnes

For almost three decades, Esther Barnes communicated what God was doing in and through Baptist women.

She edited The Link and Visitor (now live), served as the North American Baptist Women’s Union vice-president for communications, and wrote two history books about Baptist women who have obeyed God’s call.

Then God called her to stop writing about mission and start doing it.

By the time you read this, Esther will have returned to the Czech Republic for her seventh threemonth term teaching English in partnership with the Baptist church ˘˘ in Litomerice, a historic town of 26,000 people an hour north of Prague.

Photo courtesy E. Barnes

Springtime on the ramparts. I often go here to eat lunch, meditate, and enjoy the views of the river, cathedral, and hills.

Describe your call to teach in the Czech Republic.

After worship one Sunday at Yorkminster Park Baptist Church, Debbie Ivison told me about her vacation. She said “Ah, Prague!” with such rapture that I resolved to see Prague for myself. My opportunity came when CBWOQ executive director at the time, Brenda Mann, invited nine Baptist women to join her in leading a week-long English camp at the Litoměřice Baptist Church in August 2011, facilitated by Canadian Baptist Ministries’ Prague-based field staff Jeff and Deanne Carter.

That camp changed my life. During our debriefing, Martin Růžička, who coordinates the Litoměřice Baptists’ English program, youth group, and other outreach ministries, presented their need for a volunteer to teach English between the annual English camps. I felt God’s tap on my shoulder. But first I had to finish writing Our Heritage Becomes Our Challenge: A Scrapbook History of the Baptist Women’s Movement in Ontario and Quebec. The day after it went to press in April 2013, I e-mailed Martin: “Do you remember me? Do you still need someone?” His prompt replies led to the Litoměřice Baptists’ invitation to be their English teacher that fall—and to their six subsequent invitations.

What do you do?

I work under the direction of Martin and the Litoměřice Baptist pastor,

live • September - October 2016

3

global mission Jarek Pleva, who was in my 2011 class. Thanks to my Canadian Baptist Ministries pension income, I’m able to pay all my travel and living expenses. My 90 days in Litoměřice cost considerably less than the 10-day Elegant Elbe Viking cruise which stops there.

On Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday evenings, for 10 to 12 weeks, I teach a total of five 90-minute classes. Each has a maximum of nine students, aged 15 to 74. Most have been taught English at school, though seldom by native English speakers. My students typically come because they want to improve their English for work or travel or school, or because they need to “use it or lose it.” Class becomes community as we gather around a large table in the classroom created by the Baptists for their English outreach.

I create my own curriculum on three levels: Survive Basic, Survive, and Thrive. It’s like the fun parts of editing a magazine.

EFL* textbooks offer guidance.

Google finds videos and reading material—in good, everyday English—that keep my students coming back for more. Current events, such as the refugee crisis, and calendar events, such as Easter and St. Wenceslaus Day are natural occasions to bring Christ into our lessons. On four Sundays near the end of each term, I offer an inductive Bible study. *EFL – English as a Foreign Language *TOEFL – Teaching Of English as a Foreign Language

4

I also teach children’s books to mothers at the Methodist church’s nursery school, three storeys below the apartment that has become my second home. We’ve met the Gruffalo, Cranky Bear, and Winnie-the-Pooh. This fall we’ll meet Jesus through The Jesus Storybook Bible.

How did God equip and prepare you?

My formal TOEFL* training consists of the book I devoured before the 2011 English Camp: Learning to Teach English, by Peter Watkins.

I qualified to teach secondary school English in 1969, but one year in Grade 9 and 10 classrooms convinced me I was in the wrong place. I avoided teaching for almost a decade, until some Vietnamese refugees needed help with their English. Then in 1984, while under appointment as The Link & Visitor’s future editor, I volunteered to help EFL* students at St. Clair College, Chatham. It happened—as things “happen” in God’s kingdom—that their teacher was on sick leave, so they hired me for three months. Before the teacher returned, I seriously considered turning down The Link & Visitor and taking up TOEFL*.

I chose to obey God’s call to the magazine, and never regretted it.

Now, I feel God has sent me soaring on widow’s wings. He introduced me to the adventure of living abroad when my husband, Graham, studied theology in England from 1972 to 1975. He protected me on solo

live • September - October 2016

travels to international Baptist women’s gatherings, and gave me courage—though not as much as my foremothers who ventured alone to India, or my contemporaries who drive across Toronto. He made me comfortable with solitude and independence after Graham’s death in 2001.

He granted me freedom from ailments and responsibilities that keep some retirees grounded. He supports me with the prayers and encouragement of my Czech and Canadian Baptist church families.

I went to Litoměřice carrying a letter from Pastor Jarek, promising that his people would make me feel loved. They have kept that promise! 

Lucie (left) started coming to class after getting to know Esther as the best customer for Fairtrade decaf coffee in the shop where she works.

Photo courtesy E. Barnes

global mission

A WINDOW on Africa At the Baptist World Alliance-Women’s Department leadership conference in 2015, we were assigned a new five-year prayer partner: the Baptist Women’s Union of Africa (BWUA).

We partner with the BWUA by detailing prayer requests in every issue of live magazine. As we continue to pray for our sisters in Africa, we build resilience into their lives and ours. ˘ As we pray, Joina Dhlula, president of the BWUA, invites us to “Be strong and very courageous” (Joshua 1:7).

Pray for the dismantling of Boko Haram Even though a new leader of this terrorist group has emerged who has promised not to target Muslims, he has made no other promises.

Boko Haram has enslaved girls, ambushed relief columns bringing food to hundreds of thousands of starving children and killed those who would not convert to Islam or fight for Boko Haram. It has also been responsible for the horrific increase in the use of children as suicide bombers in Nigeria.

Pray for the refugees who have fled South Sudan By mid-summer 2016, more than 60,000 people, mostly women and children, had fled South Sudan into neighbouring countries. Despite a peace agreement between warring parties, fighting broke out in June.

According to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), armed groups “are looting villages, murdering civilians, and forcibly recruiting young men and boys into their ranks.”

In early August, the United Nations Mission condemned “deeply disturbing reports” of widespread sexual violence against women and girls by soldiers and unidentified armed men. The agency documented at least 120 incidents of sexual violence over two weeks, with some incidents taking place near United Nations Protection of Civilian sites.

South Sudan is the world’s newest country. It has been embroiled in one of the world’s most brutal civil conflicts since December 2013.

Pray for more Christian literature and Bible study materials to be produced and circulated Out of the 62 Baptist conventions in Africa, only five conventions in five countries produce their own literature. Another five conventions adapt the translated editions. The rest do not have literature to grow believers to maturity in their faith.

RJ 

The Big Impact of a Small LOVE DAY When LOVE DAY fuels an anchor cause When CBWOQ launched LOVE DAY in 2014, the congregation at Mount Brydges Baptist Church didn’t think they could participate. Mt. Brydges is a small, primarily middle-class town. Where were the vulnerable women, youth and children at risk in their community?

Pastor Dave Adams reached out to First Baptist Church in Strathroy, Mt. Brydges’ sister church. On November 1, 2014 a combined team of members from each congregation went to the Women’s Rural Resource Centre (WRRC) in Strathroy. There they toured the facility, met staff and stuffed envelopes with

live • September - October 2016

5

reaching my nation fall campaign letters and return envelopes.

That day the team also met some of the mothers and children staying at the shelter.

“That’s where the impact was felt,” remembers Pastor Adams.

“Many of our team members were mothers and grandmothers. They saw the issues and felt them. We saw the need to do more.” So the churches did.

For Mother’s Day 2015, they held a drive to bring in gift bags for mothers staying at the shelter.

Children could now give their moms a special bag, loaded with personal items, chocolate bars and gift certificates. LOVE DAY 2015 saw a larger team return to stuff 900+ envelopes. On Mother’s Day this year, the churches again donated gift bags for children to give their moms. In May, WRRC called Pastor Adams to ask if the team could help with its spring support drive by stuffing envelopes again. The churches did,

Take part in LOVE DAY 2016 Saturday November 19 1. Register at www. baptistwomen.com 2. Download the training manual and promotion materials.

3. Gather your group.

4. Review the manual and follow the steps.

6

with enough volunteers turning out, on a Thursday, to fill two Anatomy of a LOVE DAY rooms and be kept busy—all day! with impact “As small churches with minimal budgets and aging Pastor Adams dissects what made congregations, it’s easy to think that first LOVE DAY grow into there’s nothing we can do to reach the relationship Mt. Brydges and our communities,” says Pastor Strathroy congregations share Adams. “Living in a comfortable today with WRRC. small town may make us think that no-one needs our care. That’s not 1. Know your people true.”

Seniors fill both Mt. Brydges and Almost two years ago CBWOQ Strathroy congregations, so any asked Canadian Baptist churches LOVE DAY activity had to be something that seniors could do. in Ontario and Quebec to rally their communities in support of 2. Know the needs vulnerable women, youth and CBWOQ had asked for churches children at risk. Today Mt. Brydges to research the needs in their and Strathroy Baptist churches communities. Most congregants have woven that first LOVE at Mt. Brydges weren’t aware of DAY outreach into the fabric of the issues faced by women and church life, unofficially adopting children in distress in Middlesex vulnerable women, youth and County. If you don’t know, children at risk as their anchor Google. Talk to your pastor. Talk cause. to police services—they’ll tell As part of volunteering at you the stories of the needs in WRRC, church members give rides your community. to women who need to go to appointments. Mother’s Day drives 3. Talk about the community’s for gift bags will continue. Each needs in church month, the congregations pray Let’s not paint the picture that with knowledge for WRRC and its every family in the community needs. WRRC is part of the church’s or in church on Sunday morning regular prayer cycle now. has it all together, doesn’t have Pastor Adams says it best: “God needs or aren’t dealing with uses us in spectacular ways when issues. Start talking. we allow ourselves to be available for His glory. We found that out 4. Know your limitations when we reached out to WRRC That’s what got me to ask the Strathroy congregation for help. and we did that because CBWOQ asked us to participate in LOVE Visit www.baptistwomen.com to register andit all to give glory to God 5. Do DAY.” download training manuals and promotion RJ with files from Pastor Dave materials. Or contact our office. We’ll register you Adams bulletin inserts. and mail you training manuals and

live • September - October 2016

reaching my nation

Canada’s Residential Schools— Now What?

There is a 160-year history of residential schools in Canada. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) came as a result of that history. 150,000 Indigenous children were sent to those schools—139 of them in all, and all of them run by churches.

Susie Kicknosway Jones was 4½ years old, her brother six, when they were taken from their home and sent to a residential school in Sault. Ste. Marie.

When Susie was 35, she went to a Baptist church. She was afraid at first because she figured they were holy rollers. What she found instead was a church where people actually studied the Bible. It took her 10 years but she found the Lord.

In April of this year, Susie shared her story with First Baptist Church, Petrolia. Wanda Pratt listened and learned. She filed this story with live magazine in August.

BigStockPhoto.com

live • September - October 2016

7

reaching my nation

“Punishment. Cold water baths. Beatings. Mouse droppings in oatmeal. If you vomit it up, that is OK— just eat it again.” With these words and many others, Susie Kicknowsway Jones showed us what her life was like at the residential school in Sault Ste. Marie.

Now we know. It did really happen. It was awful. To this day, Susie cannot eat breakfast, far less oatmeal.

Residential schools have caused damage to those who went there. Susie—the fourth generation to attend—can see residual effects in her children and grandchildren. Since she wasn’t nurtured with love from the age of 4½ to 16, she didn’t know how to nurture her own children. And now they don’t know how to nurture their children—seven generations affected.

So what do we do now that the TRC has sent out its recommendations and we know that the hurt and damage are real?

Susie offers recommendations for us to consider.

Her first is that we search our own hearts before God and really look at the attitudes we may have toward Indigenous Peoples and other minorities. Respect makes a good starting point for reconciliation.

My job going forward, and perhaps yours too, is to consider some of the TRC’s recommendations, and Susie’s and to pray, asking God how to put them into practice in our daily life. Let’s become missionaries in our own communities. 

by Wanda Platt, First Baptist Church, Petrolia, with files from Cheryl Cassin Wanda lives near Petrolia, Ontario. Many First Nations communities lie within an hour’s drive of Wanda’s house. “Susie’s presentation brought home very clearly that most of us don’t know or understand the First Nations way of life.”

8

live • September - October 2016

Susie Jones SUSIE’S RECOMMENDATIONS Learn • Read and research Indigenous culture • Learn about Indigenous communities and the differences between ceded and non-ceded lands.

• Also research schools on First Nations reserves—they are funded by the federal government, not the provinces. What difference does that make?

• Volunteer at a First Nations community centre • Join with others to form a right relations group to work out how to make a new relationship with our First Nations neighbours • Memorize a couple of native words.

Minobemodzewin means “living the good life.”

Bamapii means “see you later” in Ojibway.

Welcome • Welcome newcomers without pressuring them to take an office right away.

• Be a safe place for people to come and be themselves with no judgment.

• Find and display some pamphlets that explain similarities between Christians and Indigenous Peoples.

• Explore some of the Indigenous prayers to see if they could be used at church events such as worship services, Bible study groups, Sunday School or youth events.

• Learn about the common points of agreement between Christianity and Indigenous spirituality. “They are walking together side by side.”

feature article feature article

ONE BATTLE at a Time Remember what you know

by Morgan Wolf Morgan is a writer from Calgary, Alberta. She blogs about her faith and writing at www. anothergratuitousmdash.blogspot.ca.

Some time ago I found a wad of twenties I had hidden in a small aluminum tin decorated with cats.

Over the course of a few years, I had tucked away the periodic bill in it. The tin had sat ignored on the shelf amid wellworn paperbacks and ceramic cat figurines. So used to seeing it, I had ceased to see it at all, let alone the money it contained.

Years passed. It wasn’t until much later when I was cleaning out my bedroom and having a stone-cold discussion with myself about my girlhood cat decor fixation (and perhaps how it might be hindering my future) that I noticed the tin once again and vaguely remembered something to do with it and money.

“How could you forget about $400 in cash?” my friend asked incredulously when I told her of my nifty discovery.

How, indeed?

The thing is, I never knew that I had $400. I just had a $20 bill that I had tucked away now and then whenever I had more than one. I was ignorant of the wealth I had at my disposal.

The greatest danger exists when we don’t know what we should know. It is for this reason that we often miss laying hold of, by faith, the attributes of Christ available to us as children of God. We forget what we know by faith and habitually choose to rely on our own abilities and wisdom instead. We value and regard as true the conclusions based on subjective experience over what God reveals in His Word.

We need to remember what we know.

The transformation of faith—of trusting the truth of Scripture enough to obey it—is like saving one $20 bill at a time. Sometimes it seems like a lot to save, a hardship; while in other moments of abundance, it is almost inconsequential. This is the humility of faith, that we surrender the right to our own wisdom and trust God instead.

Sadly, I have spent much of my life with the mistaken belief that by taking God’s view of things, I would somehow be impoverishing myself. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is only in God’s paradigm of faith that His child can be pressed and not crushed by circumstances that would destroy anyone else.

live • September - October 2016

9

feature article The world and the Enemy will do everything in their power to deform and mutilate us into their likenesses, but we are being conformed into the image of God’s own Son. We are more than conquerors through Christ.

Greater is He who is in us, than he who is in the world.

How could you forget?

But here lies the most deceitful trap of all: It doesn’t feel that way. When hard-pressed on every side and suffering acutely, I feel like I’m drowning, not conquering. Trusting God when

the stakes are mountain-high has often felt like wishful thinking and a fool’s hope not grounded in reality. But my feelings— particularly my feelings amid the storm—cannot be trusted, for they are generally based on reactionary emotions, hunger, sleeplessness and fear. It is in those moments more than ever that I need to cling to what I know to be incontrovertible truth.

It is the Truth that makes us stronger than we are; braver than we are; better than we are. It is the Truth alive in us by faith that overcomes the world.

I had $400 at my disposal but

I didn’t remember it. We have riches available to us that allow us to conquer in life but we forget we tucked them away in plain sight, one battle at a time. We are made in the image of God who is eternal and while our bodies will wear out, we were made to endure, to thrive, to be victorious.

It is not our identity to be crushed when pressed on all sides but to retain the shape of Christ; to spring back into the form and pattern of Jesus no matter what the world or Satan throws at us.

Resilient. 

BAPTIST WOMEN SUNDAY For over 130 years, CBWOQ has given dignity to at-risk, vulnerable and exploited women and children in Canada and overseas.

That hasn’t changed. learn more | make a difference | plan a Baptist Women Sunday at your church

www.baptistwomen.com 10

live • September - October 2016

feature article

Bear with Me Resilience is counterintuitive

BigStockPhoto.com

by Sandi Smoker Sandi is the former president of Women in Focus (the women’s ministry arm of Canadian Baptists of Western Canada).

“Bear the pain, and love your child.” Advice I received in a time of uncertainty where concern for my child’s well-being reached fever pitch. The words were a defibrillator—a life-saving jolt that awakened me to a new line of thinking. How had I missed that bearing pain is a viable option?

Bearing with something or someone feels counterintuitive. When I have a headache, I take pain medication. When pain does not go away—because I choose to bear it instead of prescribe a way out of it—I feel limited in my ability to function. Now, I am not suggesting analgesics are inappropriate.

What I am saying, is that my pain-avoiding habits in a pharmaceutically-minded culture may affect the inner workings of the Spirit in ways I hardly recognize.

How will the outcome be different if I stay with my heartache, extending grace and love to others and to myself as I feel the full effects of what it costs me,

live • September - October 2016

11

feature article of what it cost Jesus?

When my heart hurts, I feel afraid. Leonard Purlin identifies four animal responses to fear: freeze, fight, flee and reproduce. Susan Phillips adds two more: fix and figure it out. When I’ve responded to my heartache in any of those ways I’ve usually become stuck in what the desert monks called acedia – a sort of listless apathy. Or worse.

What Jesus offers is an alternative that is radically unconventional and deeply human.

He says, bear with another. He uses words like fortitude, forbearance, and patience—concepts that feel old-fashioned and obscure. These words are

you, my friend.

Resilience comes from bearing with one another: forbearing, living out of fortitude and patience, reaching out a hand to the One who takes it in His and offers healing and restoration. Resilience comes from resting in the presence of God and from the tender care of others as we respond together to the Spirit’s work of re-creation. We hold on, and find we are held. 

Rest in the presence of God exactly what Jesus asks of His disciples in the Garden before He endures suffering to His death. Stay awake (forbear), be watchful (act with fortitude), and pray (be patient). And these words still offer a way through our fear and pain.

For the joy set before Him, Scripture says, Christ endured. For the joy set before us—life in Christ— we too bear with the pain of broken relationships, unfulfilled dreams and unrequited hope. Paul does not detail the conditions which we must bear with.

He just says, do. (Colossians 3:14– 7; Philippians 2) But how? How does one bear with, when the pain can make it hard to get out of bed in the morning?

Thank God we do not endure alone. While it is true that no one can fully enter into our inner turmoil, nor can we fully enter into another’s, we can experience comfort by the comfort others have known. Here enters the Church. Here also enters the possibility of an expanding circle of care. Is it time to consult a friend or family member, a medical doctor, counsellor, pastor or mental health worker? There is no shame in asking for help.

When I first heard the words, “Bear the pain and love your child,” I heard them in community. I heard them from someone who invested in my well-being, someone who loves me and continues to walk alongside me. Someone is willing to do the same for

12

live • September - October 2016

Bernice’s Pick . . .

Compassion and the Mission of God: Revealing the Invisible Kingdom

by Rupen Das $20 This book traces God’s compassion as revealed in the Old and New Testaments, exploring the expression and impact of compassion in the early church through its actions and teachings.

Dr Rupen Das underlines the theological and missiological questions central to any discussion on the compassion of God. The book looks at concepts of transformation and the demonstration of the kingdom of God in the real world, and provides an excellent biblical and theological foundation for anyone involved or interested in ministries of social justice, relief, development and compassion..

5 International Blvd.

Etobicoke, ON M9W 6H3 Tel: 416-620-2934 Fax: 416-234-8840 E-mail: books@readon.ca www.readon.ca

feature article

Resilience and Refugees Living without the things you thought you couldn’t live without

BigStockPhoto.com

by Paul Carline Paul Carline is the director of intercultural ministries for the Convention of Atlantic Baptist Churches (CABC). This year he’s been busy helping over 100 CABC churches sponsor and settle over 70 refugee families.

He lives in Quispamsis, New Brunswick with his wife, Kelly, who oversees the settlement of hundreds of government-assisted refugees to the area.

Refugees teach us a thing or two. Here’s one: They prove there’s life after misfortune. It’s a scarred life, for sure, but one that is wise, winsome and likely to last.

Refugees, like us, had lives full of things believed necessary for happiness: careers, cars, clothes, cupboards, countries, kids, hobbies, homes and health.

But then they lost them all. Is there life after loss? Can it be a good life without these good things? Yes. For many refugees, theirs has been a flight to freedom. live • September - October 2016

13

feature article Free to worship Refugees desperately look for refuge and, after many disappointments and close calls, they often find security in God. • We used to attend two churches in Ifo Refugee Camp outside of Dadaab, Kenya—one Ethiopian, one Sudanese. Half of both congregations became active Christians after becoming refugees.

We can find the God who will never let us go • In Lebanon, some Syrian refugees are finding a new relationship with God—the God who Himself was a refugee and who lost everything for them.

“Let my people go, that they may worship me!” This was God’s motive and mantra when He was freeing Israel from slavery in Egypt.

But wait! The word for worship— abad—is the exact same word used for the exacting service from which He was freeing them. I love that! We must worship and serve something. We can be freed from “the gods” that held us and can find the God who will never let us go. The deep rest enjoyed by His obedient children is a reality that can never be taken from us.

Free to walk When you’re catapulted from your homeland, when all bridges back are burnt, when, like a fish out of

14

water, you’re flung onto foreign land, you have to learn to live again.

You don’t know how to talk, eat or be. An Eritrean friend said to me, “It’s like I’m doing everything with my left hand, and I’m not left handed!”

Like someone who finds herself still alive after a massive stroke, refugees and those who’ve lost all they lived for must get back to life’s basics. They learn to walk again.

And the most basic yet beautiful step is this: love one another.

Some Syrian refugees in a Saint John, New Brunswick, neighbourhood have been targetted by troubled tenants.

They’ve been spat at, cursed, had their windows broken, vehicles damaged and kids injured. I worried a war-weary, battlehardened Syrian man would take matters (and a knife) into his own hand and cull a hooligan or two.

But no. They didn’t flee a civil war over there to start one over here.

They want to begin their lives in Canada on the right foot. They want to meet, have tea and talk with their new neighbours. In their commitment to reconciliation they hosted a party in the local community centre to which a few of the offenders came. They’re walking wisely.

Free to “Win” There’s a former refugee family in Halifax whom I met 20 years ago in Kenya. They lived in a refugee hut with their four kids (my memories of them are all dusty). In

live • September - October 2016

Canada they retrained, landed big government jobs and last week they told me of their plans to take early retirement, sell their suburban home and buy a hobby farm.

They haven’t succumbed to the American dream. They can handle success. They’ll never stop thanking God. They’ll never forget that stuff and standards of living come and go. They’ll always remember that life is about relationships and that relationships require resilience par excellence. They will faithfully love family, friends and foreigners.

(They and their church are currently sponsoring other refugees.)

Winning won’t distract them from worshipping and walking.

Finally Resilience comes from God. It first comes from Him losing everything, not us. Israel was not just rescued from Egypt; the nation was redeemed—rescued through ransom. What did it cost God? The Passover lambs that saved their firstborn sons point to God’s firstborn whom He gave up for us all and who was resiliently obedient to death where He gave up all.

And even now, though we still don’t worship God as He desires and deserves, the Son’s scarred, wise, winsome and eternal life intercedes for us. and keeps us walking and winning. 

USING MY GIFTS

Biblical Principles for Women in Ministry Am I Called to Ministry?

Cynthia Long Westfall continues her series on biblical equality in ministry. The first in this series ran in the May/June issue.

BigStockPhoto.com

by Cynthia Long Westfall Cynthia is assistant professor of New Testament at McMaster Divinity College, McMaster University in Hamilton.

As I concluded in Part 1 of this series, all churches have a solid biblical basis to support women in any ministry to which God calls them.

In order to move forward into ministry, it is important for women to understand and believe that their call is (1) biblical, (2) authentic, (3) based on spiritual gifts, and (4) confirmed by the experience of God’s call. With that foundation, we will discuss permission, confirmation and ordination for women in the churches.

What Does the Bible Say? Have you ever wanted to speak out in the church? In the Psalms, we are taught to verbalize our faith and to speak out about all aspects of our lives in the context of worship, as individuals and as congregations. A multitude of commands and exhortations direct all believers to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15), be filled with the Spirit, speak to one another with psalms, hymns (Ephesians 5:18-19), teach and admonish each other (Colossians 3:16), be courageous (literally “act like men” 1 Corinthians 16:13) and preach the gospel to all nations (Matthew 28:19–20).

Nevertheless, many people have a fear of speaking in public—if you really want to speak in church, that would be one marker that indicates a particular sort of calling to ministry.

However, these biblical commands sometimes come into conflict with direct or subliminal messages or policies that keep women silent

live • September - October 2016

15

USING MY GIFTS when we are gathered as a church. Those messages and policies are based on inferences and interpretations of essentially two verses in the Bible (1 Timothy 2:12 and 1 Corinthians 14:34) that are classic interpretive puzzles for Bible scholars.

There are viable solutions for understanding these passages that do not contradict the large number of clear passages that command us to speak out and serve. The bottom line is this: faith must be accompanied by confession and other verbal expressions among the people of God. Silence has never been a valid option.

Have you ever wanted to do something for God that women don’t normally do in church? In the Bible we have role models of women who served God in remarkable ways.

Old Testament prophets and judges include Miriam, Abigail, Deborah and Huldah.

Queen Esther “broke the rules” and risked her life when she approached her husband in the inner court to save her people.

The New Testament includes similar role models such as Mary the mother of Jesus who was a leader in the early church, Mary the ideal disciple who sat at the feet of Jesus, her sister Martha who was the first to recognize Jesus’ messianic identity in the gospel of John (11:27), Priscilla the teacher, Phoebe the patroness, Junia the apostle, and the

16

unnamed woman who had the nerve to anoint Jesus as the Messiah.

All of these women were exceptions to supposedly biblical principles about the biblical role of women that some traditions use to restrict women today.

These women of faith join our cloud of witnesses before whom we run our race—they serve as an example for us of biblical behaviour.

Authenticity How has God put you together as a unique individual?

God created every one of us so that each one could serve Him in a way that fulfills His purpose for us. The command in Romans 12:1– 2 to present our bodies as a living sacrifice is a call to authenticity in offering who and what we are to God. The presentation of our body is our whole person; it includes not only how God

has formed us in our mother’s womb, but also where we have been, and where we are now in our life journey (Acts 17:24–28).

Every believer in every age has been God’s workmanship, created

by Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:8–9).

Within the last 50 years, many women have been educated, tested, trained, certified, elected, and proven to function in an expanding variety of different roles of responsibility and leadership that would have been impossible in the first century.

Some of us are even teachers or executives.

This is who we are. These strengths are among the very things that we must offer to God and these are the very resources that God wants to use. If God has equipped us to serve and lead in our homes, jobs or society, that is a gift and resource for ministry in the church. 

three QUESTIONS TO CONSIDER In the November/December issue, I’ll explore three further aspects of your calling to ministry: gifting, experience and confirmation.

Until then, consider these questions: 1 Can you identify your particular skills and interests that have emerged in your workplace, community at large or in your home?

2 Have you experienced a calling to ministry?

3 Are you waiting for permission or confirmation to minister from your church community or leadership?

live • September - October 2016

Bible study

Stay Strong and Steady . . . despite the stress and strain READ Luke 1: 26-38.

We can reasonably assume that a) Mary was young . . . 13 or 14, and that b) as one betrothed to a carpenter, she likely came from a solid family. In that context, trace the emotions Mary exhibits in these verses. (We will come back to Mary’s song.) ________________________________________ ________________________________________ We next hear of Mary in Luke 2.

Most definitions of resilience focus on the ability to bounce back into your orignal shape, form or position —to recover—after being bent, compressed or stretched.

Those definitions often blind us to the obvious: You’ll be stressted, strained, compressed and tense.

Mary, the mother of Jesus modelled resilience.

READ Luke 2: 1-20.

Put yourself in Mary’s sandals. You are pregnant with a child not your betrothed’s. Thanks to Caesar, you, (nine months pregnant) and your fiancé are on a road trip on foot to pay taxes miles away. Upon arriving, there’s nowhere to stay and your water breaks! So it’s into the barn to give birth on the stable floor, wrap the baby in rags, and put him to sleep in the feed trough. Then just as you doze off exhausted, a troop of rough shepherds bursts in wanting to see the baby. What???

Were this you, describe your emotions and likely reaction. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Describe a time when everything that could go wrong did. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ How did you react? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ READ verse 19. What was Mary’s reaction? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ READ chapter 2: 25-35.

We next see Mary 40 days later, as she and Joseph

live • September - October 2016

17

Bible study come to offer the purification sacrifice at the temple.

Describe what Simeon says, and their reaction to it. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ How do you think Simeon’s message in verses 34 and 35 affected Mary? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ For our next encounter with Mary, READ Luke 2:41-50.

Can you imagine it? Realizing, after travelling on foot for an entire day that your 12- year-old son is missing? Frantically traveling back! Searching for three more days! Finally discovering him in the temple, having the audacity to teach the teachers!

Describe Mary’s reaction, and Jesus’ response: ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Is this a “been there—done that” moment for you? When you’ve vented at those in your care, what does your immediate and future reactions tend to be? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Are you beginning to get the picture of Mary’s quiet resilience as she goes about raising the Son of God? The last we read of Mary is found in John 19:25-27.

READ John 19:25-27.

For 33 years Mary had raised and followed the Son of God, only to watch Him be scourged, beaten and crucified. Describe the depth of her emotion at this point. ________________________________________ ________________________________________ Mary lived her entire life in resilient faith—even as she witnessed her son’s death. The tension of life lived in the knowledge of who He was, what was, and what was to come had made her strong and supple—able to bear the heaviest of loads.

18

live • September - October 2016

When the pressure and tension of life begins to get you down and tug you away from the Lord, how do you usually respond? ________________________________________ ________________________________________ List five things you can begin to do today, to develop your walk in resilience. Support them with Scripture.

1. ______________________________________ ________________________________________ 2. ______________________________________ ________________________________________ 3. ______________________________________ ________________________________________ 4. ______________________________________ ________________________________________ 5. ______________________________________ ________________________________________ READ Luke 1: 46-55 and soak in the beauty of Mary’s song.

Rewrite her song in your own words, fitting it to your circumstances. Insert your name, where possible.

In brackets, note the characteristics of resilience [spring, hardiness, adaptability, strength, suppleness, flexibility, malleability] beside appropriate lines in the song.

The Song of ___________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ________________________________________ ______________________________________ 

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

women’s ministries

2017 Great Canadian Bible Study Every year, Baptist women across Canada meet in small groups to do a pre-set Bible study that focuses on women from the Bible. Participants bring a small offering to support a joint project that lasts for three years.

2017’s Bible Study: Tamar the Righteous What could possibly be admirable about Tamar’s actions that would warrant her a place in the list of the genealogies of Christ? Why should we consider Tamar as a definition of righteousness? In this Bible study, Rev. Faye Reynolds shatters our preconceptions about Tamar.

How the project will work Your contributions to 2017’s Great Canadian Bible Study will continue to support the work that Canadian Baptist Ministries is doing alongside the Association of Baptist Churches of Rwanda (AEBR) in providing literacy classes for women. About 50 per cent of women living in AEBR communities are illiterate.

Most women’s groups pick a date in January but any date that works for you and your women will do.

You’ll find the Bible study in English and Spanish at www. baptistwomen.com.

RJ 

Baptist World Alliance – Women’s Department World Day of Prayer Monday November 7, 2016

Every year, Baptist women around the world gather to pray for each other. This year’s Day of Prayer continues the five-year theme—Arise, Shine—based on Isaiah 60:1 (NLT): “Arise, Jerusalem! Let your light shine for all to see. For the glory of the LORD rises to shine on you.”

This year’s program focuses on community and was written by the North American Baptist Women’s Union (NABWU).

Canadian Moreen Sharp, president of NABWU, writes this in her introduction to the program: “Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world’ and He also said, ‘You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.’

“What does this look like in the context of the community?

“People around us are living in darkness. How they need to see the light of Jesus and the hope and love that comes along with that light. We can shine in our homes, in our jobs, in the market, and in our schools. The place that God has put you in, is the place He can shine through you.” RJ  1. www.bwawd.org Visit BWA Women’s Department website to download the program, prayer guide, posters and order forms for hard copies of the guide. (And read the full text of Dr. Ksenija Magda’s president’s message there.)

2. www.baptistwomen.com Find the program and prayer guide here, along with CBWOQ’s remittance form for offerings. Please make all cheques payable to CBWOQ and we will forward 100 per cent to NABWU and BWA-WD. 3. Want to join with other women?

If you aren’t observing World Day of Prayer with ladies from your church or association this year, we’ve created two opportunities for you to gather with your sisters and pray the issues.

Go to page 21 and read more about CBWOQ’s month of prayer and Day of Prayer conference.

live • September - October 2016

19

women’s ministries

We REMEMBER Thank you for your gifts in honour or in memory of family, friends and others you value. These gifts will continue to bring good from their lives.

In Memory of

Bessie Cullen, Whitby Fern Hall, Villa Nova Velda York, Orillia Muriel Ronson, London Dorothy Huff, Haileybury Shirley Sharp, Sudbury

IN HONOUR OF

Peter and Marguerite Burns, Ottawa (60th anniversary) Rev Frank and Shirley Stone, Ottawa (70th anniversary) Gladys Horner, Tillsonburg (90th birthday) Shirley and Vince Judge, Listowel (50th anniversary) Rosemary Collin, Thunder Bay (90th birthday)

The Resilience of Our Heritage Even as Aylmer Baptist Church celebrates its 200th anniversary in October, we celebrate with the women of Aylmer Baptist Church whose contributions to mission form a rich piece of CBWOQ’s heritage.

A.V. Timpany called women in Ontario and Quebec to form mission circles to support the work of women missionaries in India. He was commissioned from Aylmer Baptist Church 51 years after the church was formed.

A.V.’s daughter, Mary, worked in the mission circle of Aylmer Baptist Church and was one of the first women in Ontario to receive a Dominion Life membership.

Dr. Dorothy Timpany, A.V. Timpany’s great-niece, grew up in Aylmer.

“An important part of life . . . and a strong influence . . . was Aylmer Baptist Church,” she remembered. She went on to spend the better part of 50 years as a Canadian Baptist medical missionary in India.

The first mission circle of Aylmer Baptist Church organized in 1876.

The church’s present mission circle—the Dr. Dorothy Timpany mission circle—was founded in 1960. It supports mission work in Aylmer and overseas, giving time and money to the local food bank, the women’s shelter in St. Thomas, local school breakfast plans and the church’s own Vacation Bible School. And it supports the work of CBWOQ and CBM. In 1950, a fire destroyed the entire church building—only the walls and the tower remained. Even the church’s bell crashed down. The church was rebuilt with over half the funds needed coming from the congregation. Once again, the bell would ring, a symbol of Baptist resilience. A symbol too of the faithfulness of women at Aylmer Baptist whose intimacy with mission continues to this day.

RJ, with files from Lesley Hobgood 

20

live • September - October 2016

Praying the Issue Pray this issue of live magazine with us. Use the articles as a springboard to pray for: • Women who feel called to overseas missions (page 3).

• For our Baptist sisters in Africa as they respond to the many needs in their countries (page 5).

• Refugees and victims of sexual violence (South Sudan), girls stolen by Boko Haram (Nigeria) (page 5).

• The survivors of residential schools and their families (page 6).

• The BWA-WD World Day of Prayer (page 19).

• CBWOQ’s month of prayer (November) and Day of Prayer conference (page 21-23).

• LOVE DAY 2016 and churches who will take part (page 8).

“The Lord is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. The Lord upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down” Psalm 145:13b14 (NIV).

women’s ministries

Immeasurably More | Praying the Issues with Sisters Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV) 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 ever! Amen.

This year, CBWOQ offers women two opportunities to support the World Day of Prayer observed by Baptist women around the world.

A Month of Prayer We want to encourage you to form clusters and groups that will meet throughout November to pray through the issues facing women around the world.

Here’s how to join: • Visit our website.

• Choose which prayer group you’d like to join.

(We’ll have groups meeting online and also in-person) • Sign up, either online, or by contacting the group’s coordinator.

Then . . . every week in November: • Download CBWOQ’s Immeasurably More prayer guide. (www.baptistwomen.com or phone our office for copies to be mailed to you).

• Gather with the group you’ve chosen.

• Pray that week’s prayers, using the prayer guide.

• Repeat every week during the month of November.

• Share your experience: send in a story to live magazine | share with the Facebook group | tweet or post a photo on Instagram (and link to us).

Registration opens the first week in October.

Interested in leading a group—either online or inperson? Please contact us. Phone 416-651-8967 or e-mail Renée James at rsejames@gmail.com.

A Day of Prayer Conference Saturday, November 5, 2016

Venue Mississauga Chinese Baptist Church, 5220 Creekbank Road, L4W 1X1 Plenary Session Speaker Rev. Leanne Friesen, Mount Hamilton Baptist Church Worship Leader Rachelle Luk, Mississauga City Baptist Church Registration (capped at 145) $25 per person $12 CBWOQ Lunch Ticket or restaurants near venue Conference Schedule 8:30 a.m. Registration 9 a.m. Plenary Session + Morning Workshop 12:15 p.m. Lunch 1:15 p.m. Worship + Afternoon Workshop + Plenary Session 4:30 p.m. Conference ends

Directions (from 401): -401 East or West -Exit Dixie Road—head south -East (left) onto Matheson Blvd. E -South (right) onto Creekbank Road, one block -Church is on the right Front entrance is at the rear of the building

live • September - October 2016

21

women’s ministries Morning Session: Praying the Issues with Sisters Join your sisters for devoted prayer around one issue that speaks to your heart.

Workshop Description 1 Praying for the Next Join Meghan Matthews for a unique prayer experience where she’ll help you see Generation: Praying for Youth, through the eyes of a young woman in today’s culture. Learn to pray like a youth, Praying like Youth while praying for youth 2 Poverty and Economic Justice: Join Erinn Oxford and pray for those experiencing economic injustice or Praying for Change poverty of spirit or space. See how God’s hope, grace and peace can transform communities.

3 Violence Against Women: Join Dr. Marion Goertz to pray for the many wounded daughters of the King of Kings. Take time to learn and respond from the heart while being led through Wounded Daughters of the King of Kings prayer for women experiencing violence and pain.

4 Trafficking: Praying with God’s Join Casey Wigg, founder of SOS Student Justice Mission, to pray with God’s Heart for Justice heart for justice in the ever-present world of human trafficking. Come and pray with hope for support, change and healing.

5 Indigenous Women and Join Linda Lewis to pray for the many struggles and issues that Indigenous Communities: Praying for Hope women face daily in their communities—right here in Ontario and Quebec. and Healing You’ll also pray for hope, healing and reconciliation.

6 Creation Care: Praying for God’s Join Carrie Van Dorp to pray with God’s love for all of creation—both the human Creation and non-human parts. Learn how to steward the earth through prayer, action and love and help preserve the planet for generations to come.

Afternoon Session: Learn a New Way of Praying Choose one of these ways of praying. Then draw closer to Jesus in prayer.

1 Creative Bible Journalling Use creative Bible journalling in your daily devotions to dig deeper in your (Meghan Matthews) favourite Scriptures. Using colours, images, words and prayer, get creative in your studies. Bring your favourite pens, markers, highlighters (and your Bible too!).

Paper copies of the conference passage will be provided for practice.

2 Walking the Labyrinth in Prayer Walk through a life-size labyrinth and practice this contemplative discipline (Renée James) based on the ancient practice of pilgrimage—leaving the world to journey away from noise; arriving, resting and centering with Jesus; and finally, returning home to live more deliberately as Christ’s child. Maximum 20 women 3 Praying with Body and Soul Bring all of yourself to Jesus—body and soul. Learn to dance your prayers and (Laura Matthews) Scripture with simple and life-giving movements. We will learn various prayer postures and a short movement sequence based on Scripture. Dress comfortably.

4 Praying Scripture Allow God to shape your prayer life through the words of Scripture. As God directs the content of your prayer, open your heart to the prayers, teachings and depth of meaning found in the Bible. Bring your Bible and notebook to jot down ways God speaks to you in this hour.

5 Intercessory Prayer and Learn how to pray with God’s heart for the world, our families and our friends.

Support Practice listening for God’s voice and praying aloud His prayer for the people (Pastor Bonnie Parsons) in your midst. Time will be spent praying in pairs and in small groups as you practice ways of interceding for one another.

6 Reflective Prayer Room with Take an hour to visit different stations in this reflective prayer room as you give Stations (Ainslie McLean) your cares and concerns to Jesus. Listen, write, meditate, rest and be rejuvenated with personal quiet time alongside fellow sisters.

22

live • September - October 2016

women’s ministries Registration Name________________________________________________________________________________________________ Mailing Address _______________________________________________________________________________________ City ________________________________________________ Province_______________ Postal Code________________ Phone (____)_________________________________________ Church and City _________________________________________________________________________________________ Age: q Teen q 20s q 30s q 40s q 50s q 60s q 70s This is my first CBWOQ event q Yes q No q I will use the nursery. Number of children _____ ages __________. q I wish to volunteer at this event. Please phone me with more information. Phone (___)__________________________. q Photo release: I agree to allow photos of me which may be taken at the event, to be used in all CBWOQ publications, and social media for the sole purpose of sharing about this conference with the Baptist community at large.

Break-Out Sessions Two break-out sessions are offered during this conference. They will run for one hour each and are offered only once. Review your choices on page 22 and pick your top two choices for each session. You may attend only one break-out per morning and afternoon session.

Sessions are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis and capped by room capacity.

My break-out session choices: Morning Session: Praying the Issues with Sisters 1st choice # _____ 2nd choice #_____ Afternoon Session: Learn a New Way of Praying 1st choice # _____ 2nd choice #_____ Enclosed is my completed bursary application from the website q as a young woman | or q a woman whose first language is not English. Please note: Your bursary application must be received by October 15, 2016.

Payment Registration deadline is Friday, October 28, 2016. Full payment with registration is appreciated. q Registration (capped at 145 attendees so register early) q Lunch ticket ($12 per ticket | 1 per registrant | only 145 lunch tickets available, so register early) q Contribution to the Event/Convention Bursary Fund*

Receipt requested q Yes q No (Receipts issued upon request for donations of $20 or more) Total q I enclose a cheque payable to CBWOQ for $___________ q Please charge my credit card: $___________ q Visa

$___________________ $___________________ $ ___________________ $ ___________________

q Mastercard

Card number_______/__________/________/________ Expiry date _________ Name on card __________________________________________________________________________________________ Signature ______________________________________________________________________________________________ *This fund was established to encourage women to attend CBWOQ events and convention. Guidelines and application forms are available from CBWOQ’s website: www.baptistwomen.com or the office at 416-620-2954.

Cancellation Policy: If you cancel before October 15, 2016, your fees will be reimbursed minus $15 (retained for administrative costs). After October 15, fees are not refundable.

live • September - October 2016

23

First First in my heart, Lord, First in my mind First in my thoughts Until I find All in captivity To your loving will All in submission Lowly and still.

by Ruth Wilton from In My Treasure Chest

Has your address changed?

Send your old mailing label and your new address to: live Magazine Circulation Dept., 5 International Blvd., Etobicoke, ON M9W 6H3 PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NUMBER 40007159 REGISTRATION NUMBER R9703 RETURN UNDEliverABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO: live MAGAZINE CIRCULATION DEPT. 5 INTERNATIONAL BLVD ETOBICOKE, ON M9W 6H3 bwoq@baptist.ca

Photos.com