Ongoing efforts to enhance congregational vitality received a fresh boost this spring when Anglicans and Lutherans met in Niagara Falls, Ont., for the second annual Vital and Healthy Parishes consultation.

The three-day meeting, which took place from May 11 to 13 at the Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre, built on the previous year’s consultation and saw an increased turnout among Lutherans and smaller Anglican dioceses.

“Last year we had a lot of information sharing and excitement about meeting each other across the country,” said Lynn Uzans, vocational co-ordinator and working team member for the Anglican Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

“I think that the conversations went much deeper this year…We still affirmed each other, but we were also more likely to kind of push for more clarity and push back when we didn’t agree. So I think there was more maturity this year.”

In total, 51 representatives of the Anglican Church of Canada and 13 representatives of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) attended, encompassing both lay and ordained members. Organizers estimated participants were split almost evenly between newcomers and those who attended the previous year’s consultation.

One first-time participant was the Rev. Lisa Vaughn, leader of the Building Healthy Parishes team for the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, who said she would be returning to her diocese “inspired and hopeful.”

“I really appreciate the networking and the storytelling,” Vaughn said. “We’re embarking on some new initiatives in the diocese, so we’ve been able to glean some lessons on what not to do, and also coming back with some ideas and some models that we can hopefully put into practice.”

The event included two major components. On the first day, participants gathered into circle groups where they shared stories of congregational initiatives that had proven successful in worship, ministry or mission, as well as those that were less successful.

Subsequent days saw the event shift into a “marketplace planning” format, with participants able to join different presentations and discussions on a wide variety of topics—from amalgamated parishes to church planting, from non-Sunday ministry to leadership training and reaching out to millennials.

“People are free to attend whatever conversation they choose or to move between conversations, and just to experience that way the various questions that we’re exploring,” ELCIC British Columbia Synod mission consultant and planning team member Rev. Eric Krushel said.

A common theme was the importance of a missional approach, which focuses on God’s action in the world and how churches can become more involved.

Dave Robinson, director of congregational development for the Diocese of Toronto and a member of the Vital and Healthy Parishes Working Group, underscored the need for congregational vitality on that front.

“You’ve got to work on congregational health in order to be missional,” Robinson said.

“Part of it is simply a matter of capacity,” he added. “If a parish is failing, it’s not going to have the wherewithal to actually do the hard work to get out of its building.”

Following the consultation, organizers and circle group leaders planned to compile the ideas generated by participants into an internal report, likely to be completed in the summer, which would provide guidance for each church going forward in its efforts to improve congregational vitality.

Looking to the future, Uzan noted, “I’m hoping that…both the Anglican and Lutheran churches will invest time and energy and money into some of the initiatives that we think might make significant differences.”

View the report from the 2014 Vital and Healthy Parishes consultation.

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 121,000 baptized members in 533 congregations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop Blank, Director of Communications
600-177 Lombard Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 0W5
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

Subscribe or unsubscribe to ELCIC Information by emailing info@elcic.ca with a short message.

In a letter issued today, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada’s (ELCIC) National Bishop Susan C. Johnson invites the church, "into prayer for the closing events of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and for renewal in our commitments to healing and reconciliation."

The text of Bishop Johnson’s letter follows. A pdf version of the letter can be viewed here: https://www.elcic.ca/Documents/201505TRC.pdf

May 20, 2015

Dear friends in Christ,

Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) is holding its closing events in Ottawa, May 31-June 3, 2015. I am writing to invite you into prayer for the closing events and for renewal in our commitments to healing and reconciliation.

I begin by acknowledging the survivors of residential schools and their families who continue to live with the legacy of this tragic chapter in Canadian history. I offer my prayers for your continuing courage, strength, wisdom and healing. And I offer my prayers for all of us as we engage together the work of promoting right and renewed relationships.  

For more than 120 years, tens of thousands of Indigenous children were sent to Indian Residential Schools funded by the federal government and run by the churches. They were taken from their families and communities in order to be stripped of language, cultural identity and traditions. Canada’s attempt to wipe out Indigenous cultures failed. It left an urgent need for reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. We also remember the over 4,000 children who died while attending these schools.

For the last 6 years, the TRC has been listening to the stories and gathering the statements of survivors of the Indian Residential Schools and anyone else who feels they have been impacted by the schools and their legacy in order to hear and document the truth of what happened. The TRC has also been considering what is required for reconciliation. While the work of the TRC is concluding, the recommendations of the TRC will be a new call to form more respectful, just and equitable relationships.    

Our church is committed to participating in an ongoing process of finding truth and reconciliation. It is our hope that the sincerity of our covenant will be demonstrated in our actions and in our attitudes. We understand this to be both an urgent and a long-term commitment.

There are a variety of ways that you can engage this present moment:

• Pray. For survivors and their families, for the work of reconciliation, and for new understanding.
• Get involved. KAIROS Canada has prepared resources to encourage engagement in this “Time for Reconciliation.” Events are being planned for both Ottawa and across the country. Activities have been identified that can be done anywhere, including worship resources, planting a heart garden and watching livestream. (http://www.kairoscanada.org/events/time4reconciliation/)
• Make a commitment. Our Full Communion partner, the Anglican Church of Canada, has invited the Church into 22 Days of prayer and renewal in our commitments to healing and reconciliation among all people. (22 Days website and #22days)  These 22 Days will take us to the National Aboriginal Day of Prayer, on Sunday, June 21st.
• Attend events. If you aren’t able to attend the closing Ottawa event, consider attending a regional event. The KAIROS website (www.kairoscanada.org/events/time4reconciliation/local-events/) has a list of events and check out whether there are other events being held in your area.
• Engage in the work of our church. The ELCIC National Convention will hear from TRC Commissioner Marie Wilson and will consider a resolution to repudiate the Doctrine of Discovery. In the coming weeks, you will see more details in the ELCIC’s Countdown to Convention e-newsletter and online at www.elcic.ca.
• Find out more. You can learn more about the TRC process and its recommendations at www.trc.ca.

Our Lutheran tradition teaches us that reconciliation is a gracious and precious gift from God our Creator. For true reconciliation to happen the Creator must stir hearts. It is the Creator who opens eyes and ears and souls that we may have the courage to speak truth, the patience to listen, the wisdom to confess and the humility to show respect. It is the Creator who calls us to hope for a better future and for a healing journey that will bring us to true community.

We will need to draw on many spiritual resources to make this journey. I pray that everyone will find appropriate spiritual and community support.

In these words from St. Paul to the Romans, we hear a call to humility, an invitation to listen, and a sign of hope for reconciliation.

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.
(Romans 12:9)

Yours in Christ,

The Rev. Susan C. Johnson
National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 121,000 baptized members in 533 congregations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop Blank, Director of Communications
600-177 Lombard Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 0W5
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

Subscribe or unsubscribe to ELCIC Information by emailing info@elcic.ca with a short message.

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) will meet together for a second time in a Joint Assembly in 2019. The churches’  two governing bodies, the Council of General Synod (Anglican) and the National Church Council (Lutheran) have each passed a resolution in support of this joint assembly as each of their national gatherings meets in Vancouver, probably in July of 2019.

The two national gatherings (the Anglican General Synod and the Lutheran National Convention) will be hosted by their local churches, the British Columbia Synod of the ELCIC and the Anglican Diocese of New Westminster, supported by the the Ecclesiastical Province of British Columbia and Yukon. The nature and agenda of the shared meeting is yet to be decided, as each church needs to decide how it will address its denominational agenda in its national gathering, as well as entering into time together to explore and grow into the common life of our Full Communion relationship.

The 2013 Joint Assembly, "Together for the Love of the World", took place in Ottawa, and broke important new ground in the growing global pattern of relationship between Lutheran and Anglican churches. The 2019 gathering will build on the work that God did among us in that first Joint Assembly, and help our two churches continue respond together to the new thing that God is doing by drawing our two churches more and more closely together, in God’s mission, "for the love of the world".

Members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) are invited to pray for peace for Jerusalem and the Holy Land on Sunday, May 17, 2015.

The ELCIC lifts up the 7th Sunday in Easter for this day of prayer and joins with full communion partner, the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC), who also designates the 7th Sunday in Easter to pray for peace for Jerusalem and the Holy Land.

ELCIC congregations and ministries are encouraged to use the following prayer resources from the ELCIC and ACC: https://www.elcic.ca/documents/May17.pdf

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and Canadian Lutheran World Relief have issued an appeal to support the work of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), which has launched an immediate large-scale emergency response with its emergency team already in place in Kathmandu.

"We are asking all ELCIC members to keep the people of Nepal in their prayers, as well as those affected in Northern India and Bangladesh, and respond generously to the need for emergency assistance by donating financially to this appeal," says ELCIC National Bishop Susan C. Johnson. ""Let the words of Psalm 46 hold us together in prayer: God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea.""

LWF staff members on the ground are preparing to distribute immediate life-saving supplies such as water, food, shelter and medication to those affected.

As of April 27, over 3,600 people are confirmed dead after a 7.9 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, leaving massive destruction in its wake. The United Nations reports that people affected by the earthquake are in need of food, water, emergency shelter and healthcare, with many having slept in the open in makeshift tents in the nights following the earthquake, either because their homes were destroyed or they are afraid aftershocks would make their homes collapse.

The epicenter of the earthquake was near the capital Kathmandu but many regions have been heavily affected, among them Bhaktapur, Lamjung and Pokhara in which the LWF has been operating for years. The LWF has staff on the ground and infrastructure in place in the affected areas to offer immediate response.

The LWF is currently working together with the Nepalese government, the United Nations system and church partners in the ACT Alliance network to coordinate the response.

The Canadian government announced that for every dollar given to a registered charity for earthquake relief between April 25 and May 25, the government will put $1 into their "Nepal Earthquake Relief Fund" which they will then use to fund relief work in Nepal.

You may make a donation in one of the following ways:

1. Donate online: http://clwr.donorshops.com/product/231A84F/nepalearthquakerelief.php
2. Make a designated offering (Nepal earthquake relief) donation through any ELCIC congregation.
3. Call CLWR at 1.800.661.2597 (locally at 204.694.5602) to donate by credit card.
4. Send a cheque made payable to CLWR and mailed to CLWR, 600-177 Lombard Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3B 0W5. Please indicate that you wish to contribute to “Nepal earthquake relief.”

—————————————————————–
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 121,000 baptized members in 533 congregations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop Blank, Director of Communications
600-177 Lombard Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 0W5
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

Subscribe or unsubscribe to ELCIC Information by emailing info@elcic.ca with a short message.

The ELCIC Women of Faith Fund provides grants for the purpose of encouraging and facilitating "the Christ-centred ministry of women within the ELCIC and In Mission for Others." The ELCIC Women of Faith Fund honours the work of women in our church in the areas of faith and spiritual growth, fostering supportive communities, developing leadership skills and working towards justice and peace," says ELCIC National Bishop Susan C. Johnson.

Grants for the ELCIC Women of Faith Fund are available on an annual basis. Applicants submit their proposals for review and consideration by an advisory committee appointed by National Church Council
 
For more information on the Women of Faith Fund and to get an application form, please visit: https://elcic.ca/Womens-Desk/FaithFund.cfm

Deadline for submission of applications is May 1.

For inquiries on the Women of Faith Fund, please contact womenoffaithfund@elcic.ca .

Members and congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) are invited to celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Easter, April 26, 2015, as a Day of Prayer for Vocations to Rostered Ministry.

Prayers and bulletin insert are available at: https://elcic.ca/Leadership/VocationalSunday.cfm

Take the #VocationalSunday Challenge

To encourage conversation around the call to rostered ministry, this year we are introducing a challenge to all rostered ministers to make a 30 second video that starts with: “I first felt the call to rostered ministry when…” and finishes with “My one piece of advice to someone who may be feeling a call to ministry is…”

Use social media to post your video using the hashtag #VocationalSunday and #MyELCIC.

We hope you will consider sharing these videos in your congregation and via your social media networks.

Leaders from the Evangelican Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) and the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC) have shared an Earth Day statement with the two churches, encouraging members to "reflect on the complex challenges of climate justice and responsible resource extraction."

A pdf version of the statement can be viewed here: https://www.elcic.ca/Documents/201504EarthDaystatement.pdf

Full text of the statement follows:

EARTH DAY 2015 Statement by Archbishop Fred Hiltz, Anglican Church of Canada, and National Bishop Susan Johnson, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

Earth Day—observed annually on April 22nd—falls this year in the midst of the Festival of Easter in which we celebrate the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created…. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together. (Colossians 1:15–17)

As we rejoice in the splendour of God’s creation, we encourage you to make time this week to reflect on the complex challenges of climate justice and responsible resource extraction.

At the 2013 Joint Assembly, Anglicans and Lutherans made a commitment to address these issues and to discern ways we might be healers of the Earth. We call on all members and congregations across the country to take action together for the love of the world.

Let us remember our first calling as human beings is caring for the Earth. So sacred is this calling that as Lutherans worldwide mark the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation in 2017 with an overall theme “Liberated by God’s Grace,” one of the subthemes is “Creation—not for sale.” So sacred is this calling to Anglicans worldwide that they hold among their Marks of Mission a commitment “to strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and to sustain and renew the life of the earth.” This mark of mission is
now reflected in the vows made in baptism.

On Earth Day we confess our sin in wreaking havoc upon the Earth. In our quest for its resources we have destroyed ecosystems. Human greed and overconsumption have driven our reckless behaviour. The world’s rich minority has come to enjoy levels of comfort and luxury at the horrible expense of creation and at a terrible price for the poor, those most affected by climate change. The number of environmental refugees increases. Many nations are calling upon political, economic, social, and religious leaders to address climate change as “the most urgent moral issue of our day.”

At home and abroad, Canadian companies are major players in resource extraction, energy, and related development projects. They generate wealth for our societies but they also give rise to serious and complex environmental, socio-economic, and human rights issues. Many of our global church partners, and members of our own churches, have called on us to address these issues as Canadian churches.

Let us ensure that those most affected by environmental degradation and resource extraction are heard. Let us stand with Indigenous Peoples in their struggles and honour the principles of free, prior and informed consent as resource extraction and transportation impact their traditional lands and ways of life.

On this Earth Day let us speak a word of urgency into global gatherings for climate talks in the lead up to the United Nations Conference of Parties (COP) in December in Paris. Church leaders meeting in South Africa in February urged Canadian and world leaders to work with haste towards “fair, ambitious, accountable and binding climate change agreements at national and international levels…(and)…to develop policies that genuinely assist climate refugees and promote mechanisms of entire governmental co-operation that ensures their human rights, safety and resettlement.”

Let us embrace the challenge to be healers of the Earth, ensuring its wellbeing is an integral part of the Christian witness. Let us not just speak a word of hope into the ecological crisis of our time but let us be that word of hope through our attitude toward the Earth and our actions—personal, ecclesial and political—in the interests of its healing and sustainability for our children and their children.

We recognize that these are long-term challenges that require time, patience, persistence, and commitment on our part. Our prayers help us to sustain each other and ground us in the truth of our reliance on God for all that we are and all that we do. Together, for the love of the world, let us continue to learn, raise awareness, act, advocate and pray.

The earth is the LORD’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it. (Psalms 24:1)

Yours in Christ,

The Most Rev. Fred Hiltz, Primate, Anglican Church of Canada
The Rev. Susan C. Johnson, National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

—————————————————————–
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with 121,000 baptized members in 533 congregations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop Blank, Director of Communications
600-177 Lombard Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 0W5
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

Subscribe or unsubscribe to ELCIC Information by emailing info@elcic.ca with a short message.

ELCIC National Bishop Susan Johnson joins Rev. Dr. Willard Metzger, Executive Director, Mennonite Church Canada, and Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton, General Secretary, Canadian Council of Churches, on the 2015 Justice Tour to engage people of faith in conversations about poverty in Canada and climate change.

If you are in the following cities be sure to join us for prayer and conversation on what faith communities are saying and doing about climate change and poverty.

April 13 – Vancouver
April 14 – Edmonton
April 15 – Saskatoon
April 16 – Winnipeg
May 10 – Kitchener-Waterloo
May 11 – Halifax
May 12 – Montreal
May 13 – Ottawa

Download the Justice Tour 2015 poster: http://cpj.ca/sites/default/files/docs/files/Justice%20Tour%20Poster.pdf

Find out more about the Justice Tour here: http://cpj.ca/justicetour2015

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) National Bishop Susan C. Johnson has written to Prime Minister Stephen Harper to urge the Canadian Government to address the issue of sexual exploitation.
 
In her letter, Bishop Johnson calls on the Government to "provide resources for the protection of victims of sexual exploitation, including counselling, accessible, affordable and safe housing, eligibility and access to health and social services, employment referrals, and offer language training."

"I urge the Government of Canada to provide law enforcement resources for the prosecution and rehabilitation of offenders who engage in human trafficking," said Bishop Johnson. "I also wish to express my support for a national inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women."

A full version of the letter follows. A pdf version is available here: https://elcic.ca/From-the-Bishop/documents/20150327ELCIClettertoPMonHumanTrafficking.pdf

March 27, 2015

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada
Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2

Dear Prime Minister:

I am writing on behalf of the members of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC) to urge the Government of Canada to address the issue of sexual exploitation.

Voices from around the world are calling attention to the tragedy, injustice and devastation of human trafficking. These voices include women’s groups across Canada, Indigenous leaders, the Canadian Council of Churches and the United Nations.

Our partner the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) has summarized the challenge of human trafficking in this way:

The most basic notion of human dignity in all religious traditions maintains that human beings are not movable possessions (chattels) to be bought and sold. And yet an increasing number of human beings are trafficked each year across international borders, and probably even more within national boundaries. It is reported that some 80% of the people trafficked are women and girls, of whom about 50% are minors. The reasons are related to sexual exploitation, organized begging, forced or underpaid labour, and “organ harvesting”—all of which undermine the dignity of the persons trafficked. According to research undertaken by UNICEF, and UNESCO and other UN agencies every continent is affected in some way by the scourge of human trafficking. Thus no church or religious community can excuse itself from addressing this pressing issue.

The reasons for human trafficking are extremely complex because they interconnect with other factors. Therefore there are no stand-alone solutions to this problem. It can be summarized as falling into two categories, namely the “push” factors and the “pull” factors.

Push factors

Poverty: The single most important push factor in the developing countries is poverty. When individuals are living in an extremely desperate economic situation and need to feed themselves and their families, they fall victim to criminal syndicates.

Insecurity: Insecurity is also a major push factor. Insecurity may result from armed conflicts, political crises, domestic or community violence, natural disasters, or from the breakdown of social structures and symbols of authority that protect human dignity in traditional society. People fleeing from violence and other causes of insecurity lose the protection of family and community and find themselves at greatly increased risk of human trafficking.

Pull factors

Demand: A key external pull factor is obviously the demand in the wealthier countries in the Middle East and the West for cheap labour both in the general labour market and in the commercial sex industry.

Profit: For some, trafficking in human beings is a highly lucrative business. According to some estimates, profits are as high as 20 billion US dollars annually. Organized crime cartels involved in human trafficking operate through an amorphous network that involves a variety of intermediaries.

False promises/unrealistic expectations: Many of those trafficked are lured by false promises or by unrealistic expectations of life and economic opportunities in the destination countries. Without reliable information about the real experiences of those who have been trafficked, poor people in rural communities have very few defences to protect them from following—or sending their children to follow—a mirage.

We absolutely reject the turning of human beings into commodities, especially for the purposes of forced or exploitive labour, sexual exploitation, forced marriage, armed conflict, or “organ harvesting.

A variety of responses will be required to effectively address the push and pull factors that contribute to human trafficking.

On behalf of the ELCIC, I urge the government of Canada to provide resources for the protection of victims of sexual exploitation, including counselling, accessible, affordable and safe housing, eligibility and access to health and social services, employment referrals, and offer language training.

In addition, I urge the Government of Canada to provide law enforcement resources for the prosecution and rehabilitation of offenders who engage in human trafficking.

I also wish to express my support for a national inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

As a church In Mission for Others, the members of the ELCIC have committed to responding faithfully to opportunities for partnerships and cooperation between church and society, to working for legislation that will protect persons liberated from being trafficked and to playing roles in bringing about cultural transformation and the elimination of trafficking.

My prayers are with you and the Government of Canada as you offer leadership to addressing issues of sexual exploitation and to eliminating human trafficking.

Yours in Christ,

The Rev. Susan C. Johnson
National Bishop, Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada

cc. The Honourable Thomas J. Mulcair, Leader of the Official Opposition
Justin Trudeau, Leader of the Liberal Party
Elizabeth May, Leader of the Green Party
Louis Plamondon, Bloc Québécois Caucus

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The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada is Canada’s largest Lutheran denomination with over 121,000 baptized members in 533 congregations. It is a member of the Lutheran World Federation, the Canadian Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches.

Material provided through ELCIC Information is intended for reproduction and redistribution by recipients in whatever manner they may find useful.

For more information, please contact:
Trina Gallop Blank, Director of Communications
600-177 Lombard Ave. Winnipeg MB R3B 0W5
204.984.9172
tgallop@elcic.ca

Subscribe or unsubscribe to ELCIC Information by emailing info@elcic.ca with a short message.