SCANDALOUS!!!

I almost missed this story this weekend. IT should have been plastered on every front page and led every TV/radio broadcast. And been accompanied by words like shameful amd saddening:

The United Nations plans to cut individual food rations to six million people sheltering from violence in Sudan by half, saying it cannot afford to give them all a proper daily ration.

ANd yet we still do nothing. Darfur is a blot upon the West's humanitarianism, while we have been preoccupied with the President's foray into regime change/re-creation in Iraq and firefights in Afghanistan people have been being slaughtered and starved. Maybe if they launched a terror campaign (or made a credible threat to do so) against the West they would get attention?

What Do WE Need to do?

One of the current realities of being the church in the United Church of Canada is that there is a very high probability that a congregation, particularly a small, or rural, or isolated congregation, will spend some time vacant between pastorates. THis is both due to problems attracting people (who may be scarce) and because of the Needs Assessment and Search process that is in place.

So if we can look at this reality and name it, then what is our responsibility as a denomination? Shouldn't we be encouraging congregations to be preparing for that possibility? Don't we need, as a part of our oversight function, to get them to talk about what they ned to do while they do have a regular minister to prepare for the day when that may not be the case? Those preparations may include training worship leaders, developing visiting teams, getting a sense of administrative work, establishing a strong relationship with Presbytery, all around strengthening of lay leadership. (As it happens doing all of those things would not pnly prepare for vacancy but strengthen the life of the church at any time).

Are we doing that? Or do we let each other go blindly into vacancy and then try to help them struggle through it? WHat would you want your congregation to have done if they suddenly became vacant?

THis doesn't quite add UP

Eldest went to the Dr. for a 3-year check up today (a month early but we could get one now and we suspect May might be a little busy). Dr. was concerned at height which was only the 5th percentile. Said to come back in 6 months for a height check.

BUt here's the thing. HEr weight was about the 35-40th percentile. And that doesn't seem to add up because the child is not remotely heavy, not even pudgy really. When we got home we remeasured and the height is actually (by our chart) about the 10th %ile. BUt still, it seems to me that a child who is on par for weight and below average height should appear pudgy. Readers who know us, would you call her pudgy? Maybe the grids are out of line? (to be the same point in height she is for weight she would need to be an inch taller).

Let's be honest, she has lots of short genes. Many women on my side are less than tall, I am 5'8", mom is 5'1". She will never be a skyscraper. BUt still the comparable points on the grid just don't make sense to me.

I Always Look Forward...

...to the last Sunday in April.

THat is the Sunday which the United Church semi-officially designates as Camping Sunday (semi-officially because nobody is bound to listen to any designation of any Sunday within the United Church structure). As a person who strongly believes that camp ministry is one of the greatest outreach ministries we have, and as a person serving a congregation which has a strong strong history of church camping (they used to run their own program each summer), I always recognize this ministry in worship. Besides, it gives me a chance to run a more relaxed service and get away with it.

This SUnday we are going to sing songs on overhead, to guitar accompaniment. WE are going to sing songs which work at camp--no traditional hymns this week. We are going to clap and do actions. People have been invited to dress for camp, not in their "church clothes". aNd I will share some of what we do at camp each year. As it happens, I should get forms for the camp program we share with other churches in our district on Saturday so not only will this be a chance to celebrate camp ministry but also a time to promote this summer's experience.

Ah what the heck...

AS seen many many places (most recently at Inner Dorothy's), the Alphabet meme.

• Accent: SInce we all have and accent I have to say yes. I speak Canadian. ANd am proud of it. I used to do a barely passable English at times, and something that is a mixture of Scots-Irish.
• Booze: Rarely. BUt I do like a nice draft beer. Or a glass of white wine from time to time. Have been known to overdo it on rum or vodka in my younger days.
• Chore I hate: Oh so many. Tidying and straitening -- I am ruler of the "it's in that pile somewhere" organizing system.
• Dog or cat: Dogs.
• Essential electronics: computer, CD player.
• Favorite cologne(s): DOn't wear them. Occasionally wear a scented aftershave, but only when I use a blade razor.
• Gold or silver: Silver or White Gold.
• Hometown: WHat does home town mean? City of BRidges where I was born or Suburb of City of Champions where I "grew up" or Small-former mining-town where I have started my family?
• Insomnia: NOt really, only some moments of difficulty shutting off the brain to go to or go back to sleep. Oh and then there is the fact that everyone else in the house snores. Loudly.
• Job title: Rabble-rouser. FLoor-sweeper. Preacher. PAstor.
• Kids: Two at present, in 5 weeks from today it will be three (that mean 2 and 8/9's?)
• Living arrangements: A manse with "the smallest manse washroom in Cambrian Presbytery" (so described by the Presbytery Secretary)
• Most admirable trait: Devotion to causes, and people.
• Number of sexual partners: more than zero, less than ten
• Overnight hospital stays: Apart from when I was born (and got jaundiced) never.
• Phobias: SOmewhat claustrophobic, that's about it--other than my recurring fear everyone will find out I don't have a clue (sort of an Emperor's New Clothes fear)
• Quote: from Pogo "We have met the enemy and he is us"
• Religion: Protestant. Christian. Liberal.
• Siblings: One sister, younger. Oh then all those who are part of that "family of GOd, children of GOd" thing.
• Time I wake up: Generally 30 minutes before the alarm, then can't get to sleep, then just before the alarm sounds (7:00) fall back to sleep --unless the girls are already awake
• Unusual talent or skill: Ummmmmmmmm, no idea.
• Vegetable I refuse to eat: So many to choose from, really not a fan of the veggies.
• Worst habit: Terrible procrastinator (and doing things at the last minute).
• X-rays: Just my teeth. Correction: I had a chest X-Ray after a positive TB skin test.
• Yummy foods I make: SPaghetti sauce, homemade buns, cookies, pseudo chicken cordon bleu. Partner insists anything I cook is yummy, I have my doubts.
• Zodiac sign: Pisces.

Looking to the future

Last week I blogged about a public meeting here in town. I mentioned that I was a little skeptical of what would be accomplished at said meeting. But in the end I did go (sat near the door so I could quietly slip out if I wanted but ended up staying for the whole hour).

Actually, in the end I was impressed. THere were a variety of ideas in a variety of industries being put forward as possibilities. True, some of them were resource-extraction based but not all. Some were tourism, some were information technological. It seems that some of them are garnering support too. So there is a chance.

But here is the rub. For some, if not all, of them to succeed may require townspeople not only supporting but also being willing to change. That is always the sticking point isn't it. Don't tell us to change, just make things better. Too bad it doesn't work that way.

THe one thing that disappointed me was that there were little what I would call truly innovative ideas. Governments these days may be really willing to fund projects that lead to ways to live out things like the Kyoto protocol (although the Federal governmetn seems to be backing away). In a sort-of remote place lke this much research could be done, testing new ideas without pre-existing pollutants to throw off the results. I think there is money to be had there. We just need the ideas.

THese Guys Have WAY Too Much Fun

One of the patterns in this house is that on SUnday evenings we sit down to watch Mythbusters. First time I turned it on I thought some normal debunking of urban legends type of show. Was I wrong. THese guys have way too much fun. If the myth doesn't work they tweak it to see what mayhem they can create. ANd if an explosion is involved----it will be big.

I hear the commercial ending, time to go watch them try to float on a helium filled raft, or test to see if cell phones can make a plane crash.

RGBP Friday Five

Yes I know it isn't Friday anymore. BUt we were out of town from Thurday noon until today at 1:30. SO here we go...

On this particular day, these are my favorites:

1. fruit -- apple, mind you favourite fruit is a hard one for me since I rarely eat the stuff
2. song -- "All Through the Night", singing it repeatedly finally got eldest daughte to sleep last night
3. beverage -- chocolate milk
4. shoes -- sandals, can't wait for sandal weather
5. flower -- tulips, ours are just forming buds, maybe flowers next week

Happy Earth Day

April 22, Earth Day, a chance to reflect on the nature of the environment and how we use/abuse it.

Every year I take the Sunday closest to Earth Day to raise up environmental issues in the worship time. In preparation for tomorrow I re-read some proposals I made last summer. Some of them are doable, some may not be. All would be politically unpopular, some may even say untenable. But then some issues require true leadership, leadership which pushes us to do what is right, rather than what is popular.

IT is challenging to stand up in a part of the world that relies on forestry and mining and electricity production and challenge assumptions about susatainable affordable use of the earth. It is challenging in a time of rising gas prices ($1.109 per liter when I filled up this morning) to say that we ned to pay more for our energy. BUt if enough of us start to do it maybe, just maybe, people will start to think differently.

In the Spirit of the day, try out the Ecological Footprint quiz. Here are my results (a little sobering):

CATEGORY----------------- GLOBAL HECTARES
FOOD -------------------------------3.3
MOBILITY --------------------------0.5
SHELTER ---------------------------0.9
GOODS/SERVICES ------------------1.4
TOTAL FOOTPRINT ----------------6.1

IN COMPARISON, THE AVERAGE ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT IN YOUR COUNTRY IS 8.8 GLOBAL HECTARES PER PERSON. WORLDWIDE, THERE EXIST 1.8 BIOLOGICALLY PRODUCTIVE GLOBAL HECTARES PER PERSON.
IF EVERYONE LIVED LIKE YOU, WE WOULD NEED 3.4 PLANETS.

Public Meeting tonight

To hear the report of the consultants hired to help alleviate the loss of the Generating station. Frankly, I am skeptical of what we will hear (almost skeptical enough to not go to the meeting).

Atikokan residents will have a chance Wednesday night to review the recommendations contained in an economic and strategic community development report ... Mayor Dennis Brown says he would like to see a number of positive recommendations, including the creation of a Laminated Lumber facility. Brown says he also wants the report to recognize mining opportunities in the area.

If indeed that is what the report has it will be a disappointment. It means that nobody is truly trying to think outside the little box labeled "Resource-based community". I think that box is too limiting, and that the box will soon implode anyway. Hopefully there are some recommendations for moving in new directions. Hopefully there is a recognition that many small employers can be as much or more helpful (and a far more likely possibility) than one big one. Hopefully, but realistically not expected...