Pagkakaisa

      We had the pleasure of welcoming the Himig Kabataan Cultural Society on Saturday for two concerts celebrating traditions and music from the Philipines and beyond in a day filled with joy and hope. From the very first, the choir engaged us with their rendition of "Manila", a high energy song bringing us right into present day Filipino culture. Then followed "O Canada"  and "Pambasang Awit", the  Philipine national anthem, sung by many with their hand over their heart. We were then gifted with many more songs, my favourite being one from their Vienna World Peace Choral Festival offering entitled, "Locus Iste" by Anton Bruckner which translated from the Latin means: 

"This place was made by God, 

A priceless sacrament, 

It is without reproach."

which was profoundly moving as it was being sung in my place of worship. This was followed by "Saro, Duwa, Tolo" which was a  medley of three folks songs from the Philipines which had my friend, who family is Filipino, in tears as it brought her back to her childhood, hearing these very same songs on her family's record player when she was younger.

     After the intermission we were privileged to hear the Himig Kabataan choir along with our own Church of the Holy Trinity Choir, directed by Maria Golas, singing "The Lord is My Shepherd", arranged by Howard Goodall. It was a beautiful rendition and I was very proud of our choir. It was followed by "Lead Me Lord" another poignant and beautifully sung piece composed by Arnel de Pano. The choir sang "Lupa" a heart-rending song of loss, love and unity. The set was completed by several more wonderful songs, all spectacular in their own right and each more lovely than the last, many featuring gorgeous solos by various choir members. It was such a beautiful and moving experience, a treat for the senses and one which filled our church with such joy and appreciation for life in all its many facets. 

     We wish the Himig Kabataan Cultural Society safe travels on their trip to Vienna to compete in the 15th World Peace Choral Festival and many blessings in the year to come. We hope to see them all again soon! 

Choir

     I recently attended the Youth Pop-Up Choir event at Holy Trinity. It was surprisingly fun! I say surprising because I was definitely at the upper end of the age range but it turns out that music and smiles transcend all those self-imposed limitations. Though our group was small, we were willing, and under the expert care and leadership of our Music Director Maria Golas we learned to sing two songs. The first was unknown to me  and was a Congolese folk song called "Banaha" which we learned to sing in rounds. It sounds easy but it isn't because you must keep to your own words and music without being affected by people across the room singing different words and notes. The second was "Let It Be" by Paul McCartney, which some of us learned to sing in harmony which is also not as easy as it sounds. Both were fun and challenging for different reasons but we were pretty impressed with the results and had a good time. Maria managed to fit in a few games like "Pass the beat around the room" and the word association game where you and your team have to sing a line from a song with a particular word in it. They were both very enjoyable and provoked a lot of laughter and competition from all of us. Vanessa managed to keep us all fed with snacks, drinks and pizza and Ullo provided the much needed musical accompaniment which made for a memorable and fun couple of hours. 

     I did not know what to expect but found myself having a great time and eager to do it all again. Thanks Maria, Vanessa and Ullo for a great evening! Let's do it again soon!

 

Stories

     Lately I have noticed how inspiring and interesting the stories are of our newer parishioners and how they came to be part of the congregation at the Church of the Holy Trinity. I have heard them on Stewardship Sundays and at Parish Council meetings. I have heard them at coffee hour and when greeting on Sunday mornings. What they all have in common is that moment when someone walked through our front door and decided that they were home.

     I would love to see these stories in our newsletter; they are so encouraging and instructive. They help us to welcome our new parishioners, they inspire to continue to welcome newcomers and they are indicative of what we are doing right—- sharing God’s love in a world that sorely needs it. 

     If you have a story to tell, please share it with us.  We would like to hear how you came to be part of our congregation and if you have a photo that you would like to share, please do! We are so happy that you have joined us. Thank you!

Membership

      Our daughter tried to renew her membership at the gym this week. She took in the completed form, her confirmation of assistance document and her government issued photo identification. She informed the man at the desk that she wished to renew her membership and that she had a disability. The man told her that her ID was expired and that therefore renewal was not possible then and because she did not know better, she believed him. He insisted that she pay a drop-in fee and so she did. And then she worked out. When she got home later she was upset. She had not felt heard, had felt dismissed and when she found out that her ID did not expire until her birthday, she felt misled. Also there was that drop-in fee. So today our daughter went back to the gym, with the same form and the same identification and she renewed her membership. The woman at the desk heard her story, understood her frustration and completed the necessary task. She made us smile and made my daughter see that advocating for yourself is not hard to do, but it takes time, patience and commitment. 
     Unfortunately, so many episodes like this one are encountered everyday by our daughter, her friends and peers. They are small incidents but when piled up together they can create a sense that the world is a hard, misunderstanding place to live, where problems cannot be tackled alone. And sometimes they can't, especially when you have an intellectual disability. But as our daughter readies herself to move into Harmony later this year, she is learning that there are times when she can go it alone and times when support will be necessary. And getting to know one from the other will be a lifelong journey, one step at a time....

Names

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Last night at Silent Prayer I became exceedingly aware of all the names inscribed on the walls and windows of our beautiful church. Whether they be on the bottom of the stained glass windows or on the various plaques commemorating the furnishings of Holy Trinity or the ashes that have been interred there, there are hundreds of names. These people are silent witnesses to the grace and glory of God from years ago in our very own community. There are so many people involved in the history of our church, from the achingly sad memorials to the glad givings of past parishioners. Our beautiful, jubilant Resurrection themed west-facing stained glass window includes Jesus’ words found in Matthew 28:20. I know that others like me have taken comfort in these words from Jesus’ Great Commission:

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age".

Still

 “Be still and know that I am God…..”

This line has been resonating in me since Lent began and for the first night of our Silent Prayer it seemed particularly apt. In the Book of Alternative Services I found this prayer:

“O God of Peace, who taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence, shall be our strength; by the might of your Spirit lift us we pray, to your presence, where we may be still and know that you are God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.”

This prayer is found in the section marked Ministry to the Sick but for me it is applicable today and particularly during Lent. This is where it comes from in the Bible, in Psalm 46:10:

“Be still, then and know that I am God,

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

Sitting quietly in a pew I have never sat in before or walking the Stations of the Cross over and over again, I experienced the church in a way that I never have before. We had thrown the outside door wide open and the wind rattling the doors and the chants quietly reverberating from the speakers made me aware of the world outside but also focused my attention on Him who is everywhere. I was profoundly moved by my experience there last night.

Still.

Kenzie

     Today I went to my first pow wow. It was amazing! There was a Grand Entrance which was incredible with all the dancers, royalty and dignitaries coming forward. There were different age range competitions like Tiny Tots but what I especially enjoyed was an initiation for a beautiful little seven year old girl named Kenzie. Her family travelled two days to come here from Saskatchewan for this express purpose. She was initiated into her dancing life with a ceremony that acknowledged the support of her aunties and her family in the past but which also recognized their ongoing support in the years to come. It was an awesome ceremony which incorporated drumming, song, dancing and prayer. Four blankets were laid out in a circle with four different elders standing near them. As Kenzie danced over them, the blankets were quickly swept up and put around the shoulders of the elder standing closest. Her dance celebrated her life and the lives of her people.  And as her father noted, it also celebrated the fact that she will never be part of the residential school system like he was. It was a joyous, humbling, unique experience that I will not forget.

Prayer

     I’ve been praying a lot recently, more even than usual. I’m also reading a book about prayer; how to pray, specifically. In learning to pray The Lord's Prayer, the prayer that Jesus taught us all, with greater intentionality and purpose I find every line new and fresh although I have been repeating this prayer, over and over, my whole life through. In times of need, fear, loss, sadness and joy this uncomplicated exhortation covers all the bases and yet children can learn it, simply and easily.

     What I also find interesting today is that the commandment given by Jesus to treat others as you yourself would want to be treated, which is in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, is not a concept specific to Judeo Christian religions only but exists in so many different religions and cultures in the world. A handout from the Surrey Interfaith Council beautifully illustrates what we call "the Golden Rule" or "the summary of the Law and the Prophets, representing a core Christian ethic of love, reciprocity, and proactive kindness" according to Google and the equivalent concept in various other religions.

     These are hard times, full of division and hatred, greed and contempt, war and loss and yet rather than feeling that we stand alone in our beliefs we can realize that others hold this core value as central to their beliefs as much as we do. I pray that all of us, myself included, would recognize that a wish for peace and harmony is a heartfelt hope that we all hold deep in the recesses of our human souls, if we only search for it. And pray. 

    

Book

     When our eldest was younger, high school was a tough time. She had trouble making the transition from a tiny (less than 100 students) elementary school to a huge (2000+ students) secondary school. She was enrolled in the LSB program for kids with learning disabilities and other challenges and she was having seizures. Lots of seizures. In fact, she had more than half of all her seizures during those 5 years of high school. It was during that time that I started to write a book for her. It is a very short fictional mystery based on some of her experiences and I called it My Name is Harley. It is geared towards young people but might be interesting to parents and others who know kids with Non-Verbal Learning Disorder and/or epilepsy. It is written through a young person's perspective as a journal through a particularly tough period in her life. Harley is a neuro-diverse Christian girl with a great sense of humour and a positive attitude. Available through Amazon, we hope that you like it.

Giving

      I remember as a little girl taking a very small amount of money and putting it in the offering plate at church on Sundays. I think that that was how I realized how churches operate; that churches needed our money to heat the building, to pay the minister and to buy the cookies for after the service. When our girls were small, they too brought a quarter or two to put in the collection--- in fact, it was a very important job to carry the offering plate from Sunday School around to the back of the church and then to proceed up that long aisle in the centre with the adults that were carrying the church collection, and to hand it up to the server to be blessed with everyone else's donation. Our daughters longed for it to be their turn and felt very special when doing it. It was a big, exciting opportunity that probably felt less big and less exciting the older they got or the more they did it....
     Still, some things have not changed. Churches still need our money to heat the building, to pay the minister and buy the cookies. The difference now is that our church holds services four times a week, not just on Sundays, as well as having a daycare in a portion of our church hall five days a week, AA meetings several times a week, music lessons, Girl Guide Meetings, and social services from our local non-profit community resource hub a day a week. We also offer a Senior's Lunch once a month as well as a Baby Cafe' every Friday morning. There are innumerable meetings that go on as well as many other groups and committees, praying, arranging flowers, knitting, studying, cleaning up, having meals, practicing songs and rehearsing music....it truly is endless! And thanks be to God that it is endless because it is doing what churches are supposed to do. According to Google: " A church fundamentally is a community of believers and it exists for worship, fellowship, teaching and service, uniting people to grow spiritually, support one another and share their faith and compassion with the world." How better to do this that to open the church doors wide, as wide as we can and invite this sometimes broken world inside, as often and whenever we can? And we do. This is why I give and will always give whatever I can to our church. Because our church is always giving. My small, regular gift is made so much bigger. And for that I am thankful.

Tuition

     I made our final tuition payment yesterday although I did not frame it in that way in my mind until after I had talked to our younger daughter. It feels good to know that we are in the last of the deadline-filled, stress inducing years and onto something hopefully more relaxing, wider in scope: The Next Chapter. Whether that means further education, finding that elusive job or a gap year of travel, we are pleased with where our daughter is in her life. University years have matured her, made her more resilient and broadened her skills. Dormitory life and then life with roommates has also opened her eyes and shaped her values. We are immensely proud of the adult person our youngest has become over the last five years. It’s such a formative, shape-shifting period and she navigated it with grace and intelligence while also maintaining a terrific long-distance relationship with a wonderful young man. And her marks were good! That is not to say that there weren’t hurdles and challenges; there were some terrible difficulties. But she made it and is still pursuing her last semester with the same energy as she did her first.
   She has also supported herself financially throughout this entire experience except for tuition and I am thrilled that she will start her next phase without any student loan debt hanging over her. It's a luxury that none of us have taken for granted! We were fortunate to have been able to put that money away when the girls were babies and to have family help as well. So not only will it be a new chapter for her, it will be a new one for all of us. And we are thankful, so grateful for all of our blessings, her being one of many....

Oakley

     Who do you pray for? We have a young friend who is battling cancer and whose bone marrow transplant took place about five weeks ago. There are good signs and we are hopeful. He is a boy who is already coping with challenges but who has a brave and strong set of grandparents who do a wonderful job of looking after him. His name has been on my lips for a couple of months now and prayers are said for him constantly, by me and others, at church and at home. We happily attended his and his grandmother's baptism and have thought of him every day since. We miss him but we can imagine him at the hospital, entertaining the nurses with his smart and funny conversation.

     A retired minister who preaches at our church from time to time said last night in his sermon that he was not sure why bad things happened to good people but he was sure what good people do in bad times: they pray, they act, they do what needs to be done. Sometimes it's hard to know what that is. When we heard that our young friend was sick, all we could do was pray. And so we have, day after day.  We hope only that he is healed and with us very soon. See you soon buddy!