Place of Meeting September 2012

Place of Meeting

Jazzed for fall Back in the relaxed days of July, kids picked up rhythm instruments to be part of the pick-up band that accompanied TUMC’s annual Jazz Sunday. Now it’s back to the old rhythms, with Sunday School and 11 a.m. services returning on September 9. See inside for more reflections on this summer’s activities and a look ahead to coming events.

Toronto United Mennonite Church September 2012

Place of Meeting is the meaning of the Huron word “toronton,” from which our city gets its name. Fittingly, it can also mean “plenty” or “abundance.”

Place of Meeting is also the monthly newsletter of Toronto United Mennonite Church. May you find plenty here to enjoy and ponder. Opinions expressed are those of the writers and not necessarily of the congregation as a whole.

Contributions of all kinds are enthusiastically received, through the mail folder in the lobby or at dmartens@pathcom.com Next month deadline: October 2 Have you discovered the allcolour online version of Place of Meeting? If you would like to receive it in PDF form via email, please write a note with details to the above address.

Production Editor: Doreen Martens

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Jazz Sunday TUMC’s annual Jazz Sunday, held July 22, featured an eclectic pick-up band as well as an unusually melodic Mennonite Church Canada assembly report. It was a fun and very musical day!

Our church secretary: Rethinking the job description

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or many years, TUMC has employed a church secretary for 16 hours per week to work in the office: managing mail, email, and telephone inquiries, uploading items to the website, preparing the weekly announcements and orders of worship, cleaning up the sanctuary and lobby after each week’s worship service, etc. TUMC has hired students for this part-time job since 2007, when Marg Friesen retired after 20 years of faithful service.

Our most recent secretary, Simone Schein, resigned as of Aug. 31. Simone started at TUMC when the previous secretary, Deilys Contreras, went on maternity leave. Deilys and her family have since moved away and Simone will start a new job, in her field of accounting, in September. The Pastor-Congregation Relations Committee (PCRC) sees this transition as an opportunity to review the roles and responsibilities of the church secretary. In reviewing the job description, we wonder whether TUMC would like to modify the position by adding new responsibilities with more administrative functions. We invite your ideas and comments about the church secretary job description: • Are we satisfied with the existing role and hours of the church secretary?

• Where are the weaknesses, if any?

• Are there tasks that an office administrator might do to better support the pastor(s)?

• Are there tasks currently done by volunteers that might be better handled by a paid staff person?

• Are there gaps in TUMC’s structure that might be filled by a paid staff person?

for changes, if any, to be put in place before hiring someone new for March 1. Because it is a temporary contract, although Tobi will be an employee of the church, she will continue with her volunteer positions through this period.

Member or not?

There is a secondary question for which we’d be glad to hear your feedback. Is it better for the office administrator to be a member of the congregation or not? At TUMC we have experienced both and see advantages and disadvantages to either. When the staff is a church member, s/he knows the people, culture and traditions of the church. This informs his/her work more effectively than if s/he is not involved at TUMC. However, the employment contract (hiring, performance evaluation) is more sensitive than if the secretary is not a member of our community. Let us know your thoughts. Would we like the next office support person to be a church member or not?

Just so you know: The TUMC secretary is supervised by the Lead Pastor.

PCRC assists by advertising the position and conducting interviews at the time of hiring, drawing up employment contracts, and providing ongoing support.

The secretary is included in weekly staff meetings with pastors and the annual all-staff meeting with the PCRC. Please bring your comments about the church secretary position to the PCRC: Anita Tiessen, Tobi Thiessen, Alan Armstrong.

–– Tobi Thiessen on behalf of PCRC

The answers to these questions could change the existing secretary role in different ways and may affect the qualifications and pay level of the employee. For example, the role could become more computer/web-oriented; or it could become more property managementoriented; or it could become more pastoral. The existing tasks of the secretary will continue. This is a question of whether, and how, to add to the job.

Beginning Sept. 1, Tobi Thiessen has assumed the role of secretary for six months. As a member of the PCRC (formerly the Personnel Committee), and as the former treasurer, Tobi has worked closely with all the church secretaries and is familiar with the job. During this period, Tobi or other PCRC members, Anita Tiessen and Alan Armstrong, will be glad to hear your comments about the job and any new desires for it. Six months will allow a thorough review of the position and time

A joyful moment on July 27 as Sandra Friesen and Gerald Kresta present their daughter Miriam Anne Theresa for dedication. The Krestas, now living in Singapore, were home for an extended visit. Walter Friesen photo.

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MCC Ontario: a report on the AGM Editor’s note: Bill DeFehr presented this report on the Mennonite Central Committee Ontario annual general meeting in mid-July. Since many will have missed hearing it, we’ve included it in POM.

By Bill DeFehr

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nnual General Meetings can be rather deadly so it is important to get off to a good start.

Who would have thought of having a harmonica band livening things up after a buffet supper in the Tavistock Mennonite Church? And to add some historical significance, this was the Tavistock Harmonica Band’s last public performance after 40 years of playing together. And the father of Rick Cober Bauman (Executive Director of MCC Ontario) is a long-standing member of the group. It was a winner!

Due to a changed fiscal year (to bring all MCCs in North America in line), the MCC AGM is now being held in June and the Annual Conference will continue to be held in November—this year it will be in Fort Erie. Gini Reimer, Marlene and I attended the AGM in Tavistock and the theme was Relief, Development and Peace in the Name of Christ.

The financial numbers of the past year indicate that MCC Ontario is a healthy organization and its assets are being handled with good stewardship. If you have not already read the MCC Ontario Annual Report, which was placed in your mailbox a couple of weeks ago, I would urge you to do so. The report, in a concise and user-friendly format, shows the income and expenses to March 2012. It’s divided into sections such as Peace and Justice; Food, Water, and Emergencies; Local and Global Connections. And each section lists 10 Highlights, 5 Ways to Help as well as a number of websites that can be accessed for more information.

We have all heard of the First Nations community of Attawapiskat. But did you know that, on our behalf, MCC Ontario has shipped 500 hygiene kits, 1,000 blankets and 25 relief kits as well as sending a work and learn team of skilled tradespersons, working under local leadership and supervision, to improve condemned housing?

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Mark Bauman and Billy worked together to repair Billy’s family home as part of the work-and-learn team’s mission to work under local leadership to improve condemned housing in Attawapiskat.

Through decades of experience MCC has learned that addressing the root causes of crime, supporting victims of crime and helping offenders integrate back into the community are all integral components of building safer communities. Addressing the root causes of crime, listening to people who have been victimized, and providing meaningful accountability to offenders are vital pieces of MCC’s restorative justice approach to brokenness in our communities.

Poverty prevents many students in Bangladesh from getting more than a Grade 10 education. Did you know about MCC’s Global Family education sponsorship program? It is this program that has enabled Apola Koch, age 17, to continue her education in her home country of Bangladesh beyond Grade 10. She now dreams of becoming a teacher and breaking her family’s cycle of poverty.

The featured speakers of the meeting were Dan and Jeanne Jantzi, MCC Area Directors for Southeast Asia.

They spoke about MCC’s work in Indonesia and the province of Papua. (They have served with MCC for over 20 years—in Congo, Nigeria and for the past 11

MCC Ontario: a report on the AGM years in Indonesia). Their story was fascinating as they spoke of the highly sensitive work, with partner organizations, in justice and conflict resolution. They told of how one person at a Peace Conference in the Phillipines was so offended by what the other person thought to be a universal truth and how MCC staff have to be more diplomatic than professional diplomats.

The evening ended with a presentation on Raising Hope — the title given to the campaign for the new, expanded MCC Ontario building at 50 Kent. Demolition of the old building is underway and offices are now at temporary locations near by. The new interactive and inviting place for MCC and other Anabaptist organizations will give them all an opportunity to work together more effectively. The new facility will strengthen MCC’s response to disasters with improved packing, warehouse and shipping capabilities. It will also be a welcoming, safe gathering space as MCC expands its local presence in poverty, refugee, restorative justice and peace initiatives.

The environmentally friendly building will include solar panels.

It is adjacent to walking and biking trails and one block from the future Rapid Transit System. An expanded Thrift Shop is expected to increase funds raised for the work of MCC by 40-50%.

Fund-raising for Raising Hope is going well—$3.1 million has already been pledged, MCC is looking for additional funds because, when combined with equity and rental income, exceeding the minimum fundraising target of $4 million will help reduce borrowing costs on this $12 million project. Information is available on-line or in the MCC tray in the foyer or from Avery Peters or me to assist you in making a donation.

And I want to remind you that the Sunday School children will be promoting a Penny Power campaign in the fall. As you know the federal government has announced that it will no longer produce the humble penny. MCC, however, can make very good use of these pennies. So this will be an opportunity to search out all the pennies in your pockets, your piggy banks, behind your sofas and do something meaningful with them before the government discards them. Your coin change is like a mustard seed. It may seem small but when planted it grows to be the greatest of all garden plants.

For example, sixty-six pennies give a family in Burkino Faso enough corn for a day. One hundred fifty pennies provide a chicken for a family in Ukraine.

It was good to hear that support for MCC is strong and that the commitment to share God’s love and compassion for all in the name of Christ by responding to basic human needs and working for peace and justice continues to grow. Gini Reimer summarized her experience by saying that she liked how the meeting moved along and that it was well chaired and informative. She went on to say, “I enjoy attending MCC meetings, including AGM’s!

We are all an integral part of MCC’s program of relief, development and peace in the name of Christ!

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Community garden bounty? Make soup!

Resource Treasure

Did you know there’s an easy way to get the Anabaptist resources you might need? Check out Mennonite Church Canada’s revamped online resource catalogue at www.resources. mennonitechurch.ca . You can buy, borrow (free shipping both ways!) or download free items from the resource centre, which has 15,000 different items available! The new website has a cleaner, more user-friendly design, secure e-commerce protocol through PayPal, an enhanced “scripture search” feature and immediate access to shopping options (borrow, purchase, download, link) for each resource.

The checkout process is easier than it used to be. You can view online video/trailers, cross-reference with other materials, even connect with social media and external websites. Highly recommended: Type “introductory tutorials” into the search field to watch a video explaining all the great features. Try it out!

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Several years ago, we found ourselves with abundant quantities of tomatoes in our garden, having planted a few grape tomato plants, along with others. I searched the internet for “fresh tomato soup” recipes, and found this one. The only thing I have changed is adding peppers, which we also had in our garden. I freeze this in 2-cup Ziploc screw cap containers, as well as 4-cup. The recipe is almost identical to a marinara recipe in an Italian cookbook, so an ideal base for a spaghetti sauce, or lasagna. This low-fat recipe is a winner with our family! Enjoy!! –– Marg Friesen

Homemade Tomato Soup 2 cups chopped carrots 2 cups chopped celery 3 cups diced onions 2 cups chopped peppers 6 cloves garlic, minced 12 cups chopped fresh tomatoes 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 cups water or chicken stock 2 Tbsp kosher salt 2 tsp. sugar Rough chop all the vegetables. It doesn't matter what they look like because the soup will be blended later, but make sure the carrots, onions and celery are all about the same size so they cook at the same rate.

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add in the carrots, celery and onions and cook until the onions are translucent, about 10 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook another 5 minutes, but don't let the vegetables brown. Add in the tomatoes and water or chicken stock. Allow to simmer for about an hour, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes break down and the carrots are soft. Turn off the heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Puree the soup, either with a stick hand blender or in batches in a conventional blender. [Marg‘s note: I do NOT strain the soup to get rid of the bits of skin or seeds. We don’t mind the bit of texture that’s left after blending the soup.] Add the salt and sugar.

Author’s notes: Even though tomatoes were very ripe and sweet, I almost always add a couple of teaspoons of sugar to tomato soup or sauce because it helps balance out the acidity of the tomatoes and bring out the natural sweetness.

To serve, reheat the soup. I like to garnish it with a dollop of homemade pesto. Other garnish options include a bit of milk or cream to make a "bisque", chopped tomatoes to make a chunky tomato soup, fresh grilled garden vegetables (corn, zucchini, yellow squash, etc), or even tiny meatballs. The possibilities are endless. Use your imagination! Yields 12 cups.

Thanks and blessings for Jonathan and Maureen

Our Sept. 2 service included a litany of blessing and release, presentation of a token of appreciation on behalf of the church, and a potluck lunch that packed the lower level as part of our farewell and thankyou to Jonathan Slater and Maureen Louth on the conclusion of their active ministry as youth pastors at TUMC. Photos from their seven years with us played on a screen as everyone enjoyed a plentiful lunch.

The congregation’s gift was a set of beautiful handmade pottery (pitcher, chalices, plate and bowl) from Conestoga River Pottery.

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Unspoken Ten Commandments of conflict in the Mennonite Church

Editor’s note: A little (fun) food for thought from John Paul Lederach, from The Journey Toward Reconciliation (1999), via Susan Harrison and submitted by Marilyn Zehr. Is this us?

1. Thou shalt be nice. Always be nice. Yea, I say unto thee, “niceness” is the essence of Christianity.

2. Thou shalt not confront each other in public. Confrontation is nasty and unmanageable. If ever in doubt about confrontation, refer to commandment number 1.

3. Should thou ever have the distasteful experience of confrontation, thou shalt not listen to thine enemy, but shalt prepare thy defense while the enemy is still speaking. Yea, I say unto thee, listening raises questions that weaken thy defense and may lead to compromise, impurity, and, heaven forbid, self-reflection. It is dangerous to change thy mind or admit that thou wert wrong. Truth is unchangeable.

4. Speak not with contentious folks who disagree with thee or who have raised thy “righteous” anger. Thou shalt seek out and talk to others about them. Yea, more, dear brothers and sisters, speak only with nice people who agree with thee. By speaking only with those with whom thou dost agree, thou wilt experience the true support of community.

5. Remember that thou art of noble and decent character, even a pacifist, and thou shalt not show thine emotions in public.

6. Men, be rational. Do not show weakness through emotions like crying or anger. It is better for thee to disengage from a situation of conflict and remain silent than to show uncontrolled emotion.

7. Women, thou shalt not defend thyself vigorously, nor “nag” incessantly, or they may call thee the dreaded B word. Thou shalt be prepared to have thine opinions ignored, realizing that those same opinions may be accepted as valid if later stated by a man. Thou shalt not gripe about this in the presence of men.

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8. If thou dost not like the way things are going in the church, thou shalt blame the pastor. Most problems can be traced to the pastor. If the pastor is a saint, then blame the church council. If the church council is clean, then blame “them.” Keep it a generic and undefined “they” or “some people I know.” If thou cannot find anyone to blame, leave the church. Verily, I say, a church where this is nobody to blame is not worth staying in.

9. If thou must confront, save thine energy, frustration, and irritation for the annual budget meeting. God gave annual budget meetings to bring congregational catharsis.

10. Dear Christian sisters and brothers, in a holy nutshell I say unto ye all, thou shalt not have conflict in the church. Conflict is a sign of sin. Yea, should conflict emerge, pray that God may convict and convert thine erring enemies.

Lederach is confronting the mis-perception that conflict is a sin, or abnormal. In “the Unspoken Commandments,” he observes, “ we face a paradox in our congregations. On one hand, we claim that we want our church community to discern what is God’s will. We say that we see, discern, and interpret God’s presence and leading in our lives through a communal process.

This process connects individual insight, prayer, and the Bible with talking and testing insights through and in community.

“On the other hand, our usual practice often suggests that we put a low value on disagreement, diversity, and confrontation until things heat up. Then we put high value on the moral and righteous grounds, since ‘we are right.’ Our understanding of the Bible demands transparency, respect, listening, and a high tolerance for uncertainty as fuller insight into Truth emerges. In practice, however, we have rarely developed these as valued skills.” (Lederach 1999, 104)

Narrowing doors for refugees Health cuts amid the unfair measures

By Luis Alberto Mata (TUMC Mission & Service Committee member, who works in settlement and immigration issues)

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espite the fact that the Protecting Canada’s Immigration System Act was supposed to improve Canada’s immigration system, pragmatic developments that have come out of this latest law show that it actually attempts to close further possibilities and social services for refugees and refugee claimants in Canada.

Talking about Refugees

Jason Kenney, the Citizenship and Immigration Minister, has said that this legislation will help stop foreign criminals, human smugglers and those with unfounded refugee claims from abusing Canada’s generous immigration system.

However, many voices coming from human rights organizations such as Amnesty International or associations like the Canadian Association of Refugee Lawyers and the Canadian Council of Refugees have raised concerns about this reform. According to these and other several recognized organizations, this reform will affect dramatically individuals and families who had to flee their home country and came to Canada seeking protection, making the claims process more difficult and unfair.

Through my own experience at work with immigrants and refugees, in only two months I have had the opportunity to see this negative trend.

In my opinion, in a short period of time (one to two years), Canada will have increased by hundreds or perhaps thousands the number of people living “underground.” That means higher levels of exclusion and poverty, and new social problems. What logic is there in being a country with a growing healthy economy but an unhealthy society?

The Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) has concerns as well, mainly about the way that Canada, based on the new law, will decide who is a refugee. “We oppose any list of so-called ‘safe’ countries, since any country can be both ‘safe’ and ‘insecure’ depending upon the particular situation of an individual refugee claimant,” said Ed Wiebe, MCC Canada's National Refugee Program Coordinator.

Mr. Wiebe was talking about how this law would treat refugee claimants differently depending on the country they come from, and the method that refugee claimants used to come to Canada.

On Friday, Sept. 14 from 10 a.m. to noon, Danforth Mennonite Church will be hosting a panel discussion on the topic of changes to the situation of refugees in Canada, and in particular with regards to the Sanctuary Movement, which provides temporary places of safety for refugees.

The conversation will include a panel discussion featuring Mary Jo Leddy, a respected professor and theologian at the University of Toronto who has worked extensively with refugees. It will also include Pastor Perry Bartel, a Mennonite pastor who has participated in offering sanctuary, and the Mennonite Coalition for Refugee Support. Danforth Mennonite invites friends from the Toronto area Mennonite Churches to engage in this important conversation. For more information please contact Danforth Mennonite at 416-422-2406.

It is not a secret that many asylum seekers in desperate situations, trying to avoid conflicts or fleeing violence, have found “help” through smugglers, who always exploit refugees by demanding money or property. Making the laws more drastic and unfeasible won’t stop the flow of refugees. It only will force refugee and asylum seekers to sell or lose

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Narrowing doors for refugees everything in order to pay smugglers to get into safe and rich countries like Canada. By the way, critics in Canada have noted that it seems the new law will be punishing not the smugglers, but the refugees.

Save the date The TUMC Sisters Christmas Tea will be held on Saturday, Dec. 1, and all women and girls at TUMC are invited –– watch for more details in a future POM.

Another concern I would like to mention is the risk for those already landed. Indeed, some Canadian permanent residents who have obtained their status based on a fraudulent refugee process, once granted permanent residence, have traveled on vacations to their country of origin.

However, it is clear such people are a minority, and the Minister should know that.

Canadian Permanent Residents will also be at risk of losing their status if the condition in their country of origin changes positively and conditions improve. But what does “improve” mean? When these countries have signed free trade agreements with Canada? Have had an electoral process? Canadian mining companies are doing business there? We must be sure about what this means, particularly when the list of “safe” countries will be a decision made solely by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

Although human rights violations in several countries have been a Canadian concern, in many cases, when business interests are involved and these violations are committed by government agents, Canada’s official advocacy for human rights is nothing more than a formality. It often seems that business and wealthy immigrants look more important to the current government.

TUMC’s own Dr. Jane Pritchard was part of a group of physicians that appeared at MP Joe Oliver’s office in May to present their concerns about drastic cutbacks in medical care offered to refugees. In response to similar protests across the country by health care professionals, the government has quietly rolled back some, but not nearly all, of the cuts to vital health care.

Toronto Star photo

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I would like to raise two more concerns. One of them is the health care coverage for refugee claimants and refugees, which has suffered cuts and restrictions. That is certainly an issue related to the latest immigration reform. Fortunately many voices have been raised against these cuts, among them a powerful doctors’ association. “People will die because of limited access to medical care,” Ottawa-based Dr. Mark Tyndall has said. Across Canada, including Toronto, doctors have been crashing events organized by federal ministers to make their point.

Doctors Jane Pritchard and Miriam Wiebe from TUMC and New Life Mennonite Church have been actively advocating for refugees in need of health coverage by serving extra time to treat refugees without restrictions.

Finally, my latest concern is about (UN) Convention refugees whose lives are on hold because have not been landed (received permanent resident status) yet. Living as refugees in limbo, sometimes for decades, they have undergone a great injustice, sometimes limited in their freedom of thought and opinion. And now, how will this latest immigration reform affect them? What will happen with them?

War and peace in historic Ontario Mennonite Centre Heritage Club & Toronto Mennonite Theological Centre present: Mennonite Experiences in Embattled Upper Canada 1812-1815 with Jonathan Seiling This year, Canadians are commemorating the Bicentennial of the War of 1812. What is less well known is the role of Mennonites and other pacifist groups during this period. Dr. Jonathan Seiling, a graduate of Conrad Grebel University and St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto, has made this a focus of his academic career and has published widely in this area of study. Over the past year he has chaired the Bicentennial Peace Committee, organizing a number of commemorative events, including the placement of historical markers.

We are fortunate to have Jonathan as a guest speaker at our inaugural meeting of the 2012-2013 season, and are pleased to co-sponsor this special event with the Toronto Mennonite Theology Centre. All are welcome. See mcco.ca/warpeace-1812.

Wednesday, Sept. 19, 7:30 p.m.

St. Clair-O’Connor Community 2701 St. Clair Ave. East Toronto, Ontario

Great theatre in a rural setting: St. Francis of Millbrook This summer Marilyn and I joined a flock of people heading for a farm yard just outside of Peterborough, an historic farm yard converted into a theater. What unfolded in that outdoor court yard rekindled my belief in the healing power of theater.

The setting of the play takes place on a farm in rural southern Ontario in the 1990's. The oldest son Luke is Millbrook's ace hockey player and destined to inherit the farm. He is also a fan of Madonna, enamoured with St. Francis of Assisi, and prefers to hang out with his sisters' friends. Contrary to his lazy younger brother, Luke really enjoys farm work, including clearing the fields of rocks. True to the spirit of St. Francis, he moves through the world with joy and gusto.

After learning that his son is quitting hockey, and after a few slugs of whiskey, his father gets up the nerve to have a 'man-to-man' with his son. The bewildered and enraged father confronts his son with the question, "Are you a girl?! How can I give the farm to a girl?!" Beside himself, the father bullies his son into the dust.

Half way through the play, Luke is smitten by John, the new neighbor. Delighted that John also has a pet pig, delighted that he thinks it okay to be gay, delighted that he is also somewhat willing to learn something about St. Francis, the two depart. And as they go a wave of healing comes over all of us.

–– John Epp

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