The Brule-a painting

 

I have a bit of a fascination with old signs.  I also have a bit of a fascination with the historical figure of Brule.  He was perhaps the first person of European descent to see all the Great Lakes, perhaps the first to touch the shores of what is now Hamilton, and spent much time with the Ouendat (Huron) people in the regions around   Georgian Bay where my family cottage is.  Likely illiterate, he never wrote anything himself and thus he is a bit mystery, appearing only in the writings of a few notable figures such as Champlain and the Jesuit missionaries like Brebeuf.  Some of the things they share are not particularly flattering but none the less we cannot deny his historical significance.

The bar and hotel over which this sign hangs is in Penetanguishene and has been closed as long as I can remeber.  Apparently it has quite an infamous history itself.  Currently the building is under renovation and I don't know what will happen with the sign.  It seemed a good time to try to capture it.  

Update Tuesday - Come Together

It was a pretty amazing experience last week.  I wish I could say that it was very intentional and that I had better planned it.  The truth of the matter is that it was a bit of a last minute idea.  Our Wednesday night Fellowship had planned a Thanksgiving dinner together; I would cook a turkey and others would bring sides.  On Monday, I casually invited a few from our Beer Store Fellowship to join us.   Our Thursday group had planned to postpone due to some scheduling conflicts and so I invited anyone who could make it to just join our Wednesday gathering instead and have a combined event.  What transpired was a Thanksgiving dinner for which I truly give thanks.  For the first time ever, we had an event at which members of each of our three Fellowships were together in one place.  Many of them were meeting each other for the first time.  In particular it was the first time that any of the guys from our Beer Store Fellowship were at an event with members of either other Fellowship.  We talked a lot, we laughed a lot, and we ate a lot...all in all a very memorable evening. 

I have been thinking lately about words spoken by God in Jeremiah 23:7-8

“The days are coming”—the Lord’s declaration—“when it will no longer be said, ‘As the Lord lives who brought the Israelites from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘As the Lord lives, who brought and led the descendants of the house of Israel from the land of the north and from all the other countries where I had banished them.’ They will dwell once more in their own land.”

 

Speaking to His people in exile, God tells them that not only will they have ancient stories from their past but that He plans on doing new things and that they will celebrate and recount these new stories of God's ongoing activity on behalf of His people.  One of the key things about last week's meal  for me is the excitement I have to begin to look ahead to the new year.  What is God planning, what will He be doing and what are the stories that we will have to celebrate?

 

We will be spending some time over the next month or so doing strategic planning for the coming year.  One of the areas that we will be exploring, and one that our Thanksgiving dinner has got me excited to think through, is the interdependent piece to our network of Fellowships.  We are now up to three Fellowships, and we continue to pray and plan for further addition and multiplication.  We can also now begin to ask what it looks like to be an interdependant network of Fellowships.  What will we have in common, how will we relate to each other, what will we do together? Our Thanksgiving dinner gave me a small glimpse of some of the things that may be to come as we gather together  as a larger whole and celebrate what God is doing in each of Fellowships and we are inspired by the bigger picture that each of our groups is a part of.  

For those of you who continue to pray we thank you and would ask that you would join us in seeking the Lord for the next steps that He has planned for the coming year. 

Update Tuesday - Thanksgiving

This past Monday marked Canadian Thanksgiving.  We have a lot to be thankful for, the least of which is not our thanks for you.  We have friends, family, prayer partners and financial supporters who all are integral to the ongoing ministry we have here in Hamilton.  Without you we would not be able to do what we do.  We are also grateful to be able to do what we do in this great city that we have come to love.  Hamilton is a great place to be.  Just recently there was an article that appeared in a paper from the big city down the way, Toronto, remarking about how many positive things are happening in the city.  I thought I would include it here as a part of this week's update so you could have a read for yourself.   Although some in Hamilton might be surprised to hear the Mayor being the one touting and taking credit for some of the things the article mentions, it is an interesting read especially from a Toronto perspective. 

The Toronto Star

Update Tuesday - Knitting Club

We now have a knitting club and I love it!  Here is why I love it so much...

Firstly, it wasn't my idea...obviously.  I would never have dreamed of starting a knitting club but someone else in our group did and when they brought up the idea we said "sure, go for it how can we help?"

Secondly, I did not have to organize it.  Yes, it was held in my house but aside from that I had little to nothing to do with it.  I won't be the bottle neck that another program with all its details need to pass.  It happened naturally, and organically when someone had an idea to build community, asked a few others, and agreed upon a time to get together.

Thirdly, it is simple.  As noted above, it happened rather organically.  There was not a lot of details, not a lot of organizing, not a lot of time and energy and not a lot of financial resources needed.   This is something that could easily be done almost anywhere, by anyone (as long as at least one person knows how to knit!) at any time.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, it has been extremely successful!  After only one night it has had a great impact and promises to continue.   In terms of building community, it was a great opportunity.  As people begin to get a bit more proficient at the actual knitting, then conversations begin to flow.  Young and old gathered together chatting and sharing.  We also had some members invite friends and, although not an intentional aspect, is a great outreach.  After sharing some funny tweets and Facebook posts, we also had a number of people express interest in joining us for the next one!

So we will see what happens next.  At the very least it is a great initiative towards our community building, our inward expression, but perhaps it will also be a great impact on our outward expression.  Up, In and Out!!

Update Tuesday - Two Groups

I once heard a colleague say that there are always two groups we need to be mindful of as we seek to serve in our communities, those we serve directly and those who are watching how we serve.  I was reminded of this fact this past Monday as we met for Beer Store Church. 

We were meeting as we usually do, outside of the Beer Store, serving those who have been out for hours, making their way through the cool damp streets collecting recyclables to return for deposit.  It was wet and cold and so the group was made up of mostly the regulars who, week in and week out, work the streets for money.  We had grabbed a coffee, had a sandwich and cookies and just finished gathering for our prayer time when I looked up to see one of the friends of our ministry, coming over to say hello.  This is the same neighbour who, a few months ago, was so taken by what we were doing that she called the newspaper and had them come and do a story about our Monday morning group.  We have seen her a few times since then, and she always makes sure to stop, say hello, and see how things are going.  This week, however,  when she came over we did more than just make small talk.  She shared with us about a friend who is searching and searching for a community to call her spiritual home.  It provided the opportunity for us tho share in a bit more depth about who we are, how we do things and why we think we are here in the city.  She also shared a bit about her own personal spiritual journey.  Acknowledging that coming into any church, whether it be a church building or a living room, can be intimidating I suggested that perhaps we should all meet together face to face over coffee to get to know one another a bit better and to go from there.  I am hopeful and excited for this upcoming conversation.

So again, I was reminded about the two groups, those we serve directly and those who watch how we serve.  If we are sincere in our serving, and if we are intentional about working for the good of our communities, it should have an affect on those Kingdom Seekers (to borrow a phrase Kingdom Matrix by Jeff Christopherson) - those with eternity in their heart,  searching for their connection to the eternal and who respond to impulses of truth when they see them.