January 2010

• Reaching Out To The Lost Generation


• Heaven Knows How to Get Our Attention


• Renewal Fellowship Blessed By Funds


• Book Reviews - The Life And Thought Of David Craig and Refusing To Milk The Sacred Cow

There is a disturbing disconnect between the church and generation X and Y. As our culture is changing rapidly, young people have grown up in a time that has produced drastically different values, mindsets, worldviews, and attitudes than those of previous generations. They are the product of the sexual revolution, the feminist movement, the environmental movement, and the gay movement. They have grown up with the messages of free choice, relativism, tolerance, multiculturalism, and political correctness. They learn who they are, how they act, and what is cool through the media, including but not limited to television, magazines, the Internet, computer games, cell-phones, and iPods. The phenomenon of reality TV splashes mostly dysfunctional, twisted, or shallow representations of "real" life in front of their faces. At the same time, while MTV (Music Television) is degrading women by reducing them to sex objects, sitcoms trash men by displaying them as stupid and clueless. They stay connected with literally hundreds of "friends" on websites like Facebook and Myspace, while choosing to message closer friends more often through a text than a phone call. They are the children who learned to eat fast and jump in the car while their mothers rushed home from work, threw a frozen meal into the microwave, and turned the ignition as they hopped from hockey to ballet, to karate, to soccer. There is a higher rate of anxiety disorders, depression, and eating disorders than ever before, while suicide is the third leading cause of death in our generation. Many of them had little contact with their parents and were basically raised by their babysitters, the education system, the media, their peers, and themselves. To them, a family is anything from a single mom and an absent father, to two moms, two dads, and an assortment of step-sisters and half-brothers. They are preoccupied with weight, fashion, and status. They believe that whoever is most beautiful and most thin has the guy, the job, the money, and the attention. The younger of them are being frequently diagnosed with ADD and ADHD, while schools in many areas are being required to have a child and youth worker to deal with the ever-increasing group called the "at risk" kids. There is ever increasing abuse of alcohol and drugs, while teen pregnancy has become more common in this generation than any before. Girls and young women are expected to dream, to pursue, to strive, and to succeed, but at the same time, culture forbids standing out, being assertive, and looking different. Perfection is demanded, and very little else is accepted by their peers or colleagues. They are the generation who never went to church and never heard the Gospel, and who put their faith in science and their hope in materialism. Their parents gave them pretty much everything they wanted, except their time or a foundation of security. The youngest of them don't know Christmas is anything except Santa Claus, that Easter is anything but bunnies, or that Good Friday is anything but a day off school. This is the lost generation. This is the generation we are expecting to walk though our church doors.

Having grown up in the church, I have observed how very different church culture is from the emerging culture of my generation. As I appreciate the fact that we are to be in the world but not of it, I speak hesitantly. As Christ's body, we are called to be different, to be holy, to be set apart. It is defining this "difference" which becomes the issue. As we are to be salt to the world, it cannot mean to be stale, tasteless, or stuck in time. Paul says, "To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings." -- 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 (NIV). Our main purpose as followers of Christ is to demonstrate his love to all, bringing him to as many as possible. As I've watched and grown, I have been saddened and even distressed by the apathy and lethargy with which most Christians live out their lives, and hence how the church lives out its so-called mission. It feels as if we have fallen asleep and are content to lie upon our bed of comfort. The church does not primarily exist for itself; it exists for those not yet within it. Being "set apart" is setting an example to the world of the true beauty for which Christ created us. The fruits of his spirit are meant to be evident in our midst; if they are not, which is often sadly the case, we are living just as the world lives, with bitterness, greed, selfishness, malice, gossip, and vanity. "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: who, being in very nature God ... made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness." -- Philippians 2:5-7 (NIV). Without Christ as our foundation, we are nothing, and without love, we are a clanging cymbal. We need to be filled with love and the true sense of urgency that now faces us with the present generation. In this space, we will be able to let go of our traditions and tools that are no longer serving those whom Christ came to save. It is important that we regard the ways in which we "do" church as mere tools. Always we stand by the essentials of our faith; always we inspect the usefulness of a tool and remain willing to pick up a more valuable or functional one in its place. If we are not willing, a whole generation of broken children will never know the love and freedom that is found in Christ. They will remain chained in their prisons while we sit satisfied in our pews.

Many of our local congregations are growing smaller and smaller, and the company of the present generation is rare. At some point, and I believe that time is coming, we must stop bemoaning the loss of our youth and begin actually reaching out and pursuing. This will mean sacrifice -- sacrifice of time, energy, money, traditions, forms, and our lives. Jesus says, "Take up your cross and follow me." He was obedient to death, even death on a cross -- so must we be. He experienced tremendous pain through rejection, abandonment, betrayal, loneliness, grief, sorrow, shame, and physical suffering -- so as his disciples will we. "Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." -- Hebrews 12:1b-3 (NIV). With this in mind, let's look at some of the needs of the present generation and discuss some potential tools with which we may reach them.

Those from my generation are craving basic needs. These needs have not been met in the places they were originally intended, namely the family. They are searching for love -- one that lasts -- and safety, security, and acceptance. Because many lack these fundamentals, they are engaging in an endless pursuit to fill the void. When all seems to fail, either hopelessness prevails (hence the perils of stress, mental illness, emotional disorders, and suicide) or resignation sets in. If the hearts of those of us who are part of Christ's body were changed, we could offer a place of security, a sense of belonging, a safety, and an acceptance. We could demonstrate and point them to our God's agape love, his promise of faithfulness and commitment. We need to find ways of communicating what they are already so desperately seeking. This generation tends to be very relational and very inquisitive. There have been a few times when I have asked my grandmother or a great aunt questions about their past lives which they consider to be personal. They've looked at me and said, "What is it with your generation? You're always asking questions. When we were young, things were just as they were. We didn't question them." We desire intimacy, and with true intimacy comes honesty. We crave authenticity, the real thing. Perhaps this is due to the counterfeit that prevails around us. We're hoping to reach out to something tangible, real, and genuine. Through our questions, we desire for people to emerge from behind their masks. We easily determine those who are genuine from those who are pretending. When deciding to reach out to this generation, this is one extremely important thing to note: be real, don't put on a face. We see it, and it repels us. Perhaps it is because we despise it in ourselves, and we crave somewhere safe where we are accepted for who we are and where we can see others for who they are. Understanding this then aids us in our exploration of how it is we reach this lost generation. It is in building relationship and community. We need to provide meaningful ways to engage. Let us encounter each other, ourselves, and Christ. We need places to talk about life, culture, philosophy, relationship, emotions etc. Discuss with us the deep questions of life. Talk about struggles and pain. Talk about your screw-ups and how you walked past them. Tell it as it is. Being real, being honest, however awkwardly, is actually the fastest way you will win the respect of this generation. The teachers who are down to earth, aware of the dirt in their student's lives, and not afraid to address real life are the ones who have the respect. As soon as respect is established, you have someone not only willing but even desiring and expectantly waiting to hear what you have to say. It is not therefore primarily in programs, music, or activities where you will most meaningfully impact this generation -- it is through your deliberate attempts to know, understand, accept, and love them; and to allow them to know you. With this goal in mind, we can explore avenues which will potentially facilitate this embrace.

Because this goal is broad, there are endless ways of meeting it. The important thing is to remember to whom we are directing our ministry and to develop it accordingly. Another thing to note is the fact that most older church buildings are not particularly inviting to the present generation. Holding a ministry within our buildings will unfortunately bring few, unless we have an exceptionally good way of marketing. Otherwise, though difficult I realize, I would suggest that if we are serious about reaching out, we need to find a warm, inviting, non-churchy-type meeting place. I would also suggest not emphasizing a denominational name or even the word "church" when naming our outreach. Choose something that captures the desire or the heart of the ministry and which will potentially draw people to find out more. (An example is of a new shelter being built in Perth, Ontario, called Cornerstone Landing -- very spiritually solid, very descriptive of the particular ministry.) Also when distributing literature or presenting advertisements, feature quotes that are captivating, something that makes people stop and think. Make use of images that capture attention also. A picture representing the church building would not be advisable. This just takes creativity and a bit of knowledge of the art and media of today's culture. Everything must be as welcoming, inviting, and attractive as possible. Once people are in and involved, this will soon cease to matter as much, as the importance of the new-found relationships will preside. Though, we must remember it will remain important to those not yet within. Here is a list providing examples of needs and potential ministry avenues. Let this be a starting point to begin creative thinking. Take time to discover prevalent needs in your particular community.

Teen Pregnancy
The Need: Many pregnant teens lack the support of families who will aid them in the raising of their children. This either causes them to turn to abortion, or they end up in dire straits emotionally and economically. This leaves an unstable home for the infant as well as the teen. How can a young woman parent her new child as she would want, when her own parents didn't properly parent her?

Ministry:
1. Begin a mentorship support program that places teen girls alongside mature women who will support them through the pregnancy, the birth, and the raising of the child.
2. Provide an alternative education program for girls who will likely drop out of school due to the care their infants will need.

Youth Homelessness
The Need: Many youth are silently homeless, as they come from parents who have kicked them from the home, being unable to deal with their adolescent's behaviour. They end up hopping from friend's house to friend's house, lacking direction and security

Ministry: Establish a safe place for young people to go when they have nowhere else to turn. Provide them the safety, security, and love they are desperately lacking in their homes.

Emotional Disorders
The Need: This would include eating disorders, depression, anxiety disorders, substance abuse, sleeping disorders, phobias etc.

Ministry: Begin a support group that provides a place for love and attention. As many of these disorders find their basic roots in a lack of security, this new-found sense of security, love, and commitment can be very helpful in their eventual recovery. It can be helpful in teaching them to form an identity and to feel less alone in what feels like incredible darkness.

The Gap Year
The Need: Many young people find themselves without direction as they exit high school. They are in need of somewhere to go as they search for the purpose of their lives. They aren't ready to go to university or college, but they aren't satisfied working a mediocre job.

Ministry: Develop a discipleship-type program that invites them to participate for a year before moving on to what's next. This program could be based a number of various starting points, e.g. outdoor education, music, art, sports, etc. The primary purpose would be in discipling and mentoring these young people, with these other activities being only a means to an end.

Community
The Need: Many young people are looking to be a part of something beyond themselves, and yet don't know where to turn. Living in Mexico in a trailer park at an orphanage with many other young people opened my eyes to this realization. We were all searching to be a part of something larger and to be close to others who desired this same thing.

Ministry: Have a place, a large home for the young people to live, where they have a particular purpose in being there. For instance, teach them to help run a ministry, to do community service. Find out their interests. If, for example, they all love children, help them to develop an after-school program for children and perhaps a daycare program for preschoolers. If they are interested in combating bullying in schools, help them to develop support programs for middle-school kids.

Bullying
The Need: Many kids suffer through tremendous and cruel attention from their peers. Girls particularly experience a extremely silent yet painful form of relational bullying.

Ministry: Create awareness in the community about this and offer groups particularly for middle-school-aged girls that combines both the "popular" girls and those being tormented. Facilitate a safe environment for all the girls, and teach better and more appropriate ways of interacting. I did this with a group I called "Encounters". When the girls feel safe, you will hear story after story of painful things they have done to one another.

Abuse And Neglect
The Need: Many children today come from abusive homes, some recognized and others not. These children and youth are in need of a particularly deliberate form of commitment and love: a re-parenting.

Ministry: Begin a ranch using horses and other animals in therapy. Youth should receive one-on-one attention from an adult who is willing to commit to loving them and not giving up on them when many in the past will have.

Fellowship
The Need: Many young people are simply looking for places to go to ask their questions, and to know each other and safe adults more deeply.

Ministry: Begin a coffee house, featuring an inviting area of comfortable couches and chairs, bistro tables, places for laptop hookup, etc. Be around to engage and discuss. Let it happen casually and naturally. Offer coffee-house-style music: guitar/folk. Encourage artwork and expression.

Learning Disorders
The Need: Many children and youth are being diagnosed with particular learning disorders. They are often left behind academically in school, even though they are capable of learning. It simply takes one-on-one attention in unique ways.

Ministry: Begin an after-school tutoring program for kids who would otherwise receive little attention academically. Allow this, like all the other ministries, to be a time where you get to know them. Don't just impart knowledge; engage them and show interest in who they are.

The 2010 AGM and Renewal Day will be held at Bridlewood Presbyterian Church in Scarborough, Ontario, on Saturday, March 6, 2010. The day begins with registration at 8:30 a.m. and the AGM will start at 2:30 p.m. The theme is "Covenant Making on the Road to Renewal", and the speaker, Rev. Joe Gray, is presently the Canadian Director of Chosen People Ministries, although a call has now been extended to him from Grace Presbyterian Church in West Hill, Ontario.

I met Gabriele several years ago while working in a boutique. A number of our clientele were New Agers, and Gabriele was one of them. During our conversations, the topic of spirituality came up on several occasions. When I mentioned the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, Gabriele bristled like a frightened bird. Gabriele was an artist who had designed "Earth Angel Creation" cards. Then came her "Little Querks", which were doll-like creatures who enjoyed ice cream and salmon and got into mischief. Gabriele wrote stories about them and even mimicked a "Querk" accent. Children and adults loved them. Her art, she felt, had come from the Creator. Unlike most New Agers, Gabriele knew that there was a higher being, a God in charge of the universe.

We kept bumping into each other and would often stop to have coffee. By nature, Gabriele was a reserved person, so when she offered to share a vision she had had, I invited her to my home for coffee and dessert. The vision, it turned out, was a very beautiful one that pictured Jesus on the cross with a crowd of people around Him. As she described the vision, I could see how deeply it had affected her. My husband and I felt that the vision had come as a love gift to Gabriele from the true God. We prayed for her, and a new level of friendship was established. A few months later, Gabriele phoned to tell me that someone had given her J.I. Packer's book, Knowing God.

Then she said, "Heaven has told me to read Isaiah and Job." I shared what I knew about their contents and offered to drop by to chat. Our conversations frequently included social justice issues, politics, and her concern for children and disabled people. She would frequently phone in to talk shows to challenge issues that she felt weren't ethical or appropriate. Gabrielle was facing hip surgery and had a growing eagerness to read. She discovered Regent College on the Internet. "If I had known about Regent College, I would have gone there," she said. I encouraged her to attend Regent from her bed. "I'll get you books written by some of the professors." I gave her a Serendipity Bible and books by Eugene Peterson, Earl Palmer, C.S. Lewis, James Houston, John and Paula Sandford, and Leanne Payne, along with sixteen tapes about becoming whole, keeping a prayer journal, and learning to hear God's voice. Gabriele started a prayer journal and became eager to discuss the Bible -- she read Isaiah, Job, the Psalms, Leviticus, all of the Gospels, James, and Peter. She was ready to pray together. Happiness radiated as she spoke of her discovery of John 15:16 - "You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit -- fruit that will last." (NIV) She related how, like Edmund in C.S. Lewis's Narnia books, she had shed skins: "I've shed the New Age skin, the Buddhist skin, the Tarot card skin, the astrology skin -- and now I belong to Jesus, body, soul, and spirit!" Just before her surgery, Gabriele asked to say the Lord's Prayer and prayed for the surgeon and the nurses. Throughout her Job-like experience, she wrote out prayers for friends, shared her new discoveries with her caregivers, and prayed for them. I put Gabriele in touch with a little church, and she joined their Bible study. By now, her circle of friends included other Christians, and she learned about community. Since she didn't have a steady income, there were many opportunities for Christians to supply food, rent money, and rides to various places. Two days before Easter, Gabriele phoned with a request. "I think I should be baptized on Easter Sunday." I told her that I would see what could be done. I called the minister of the little church, and he and my husband, a chaplain, planned a baptismal service to take place in our home.

On Easter Sunday, Gabriele sat in her wheelchair with her hands lifted in worship and her face radiant. During the baptism, there were tears of joy while a small group of us, accompanied by a guitar, sang Amazing Grace. Gabriele's baptism was pivotal in her newfound faith. It became clear to her that what Jesus had done through His death was to bring her back to God. She recalled that first vision she had been given. "It's all about a relationship," she beamed one morning as I called on her. "I used to attend so many functions and keep up with the latest guru, but I would return home feeling as empty as ever."

Gabriele's life is becoming full. Her cards are selling and the Querks are making their way to libraries and shops. People are phoning to ask her to pray for various situations they are facing. She wants to be available to other seekers who, like herself, have travelled along dead-end roads. "Heaven knows how to get your attention," she says.

Calvin Brown, the Executive Director of the Renewal Fellowship (RF) reported to the Board in November that there was a serious financial need to assist the ministry to go forward. In fact, the Board and Director even wondered if the small staff's time would need to be cut. A clear appeal was made to the members explaining the dire situation and many made sacrificial offerings, so that the treasurer is reporting that he expects that we will end the year in the black. Some congregations who were in favour of the work, but had never given before, gave generously for the first time. Hurrah to our members! Praise to our God!

Part of the challenge is that Renewal Fellowship has absolutely no reserve funds, and so, when we hit a bit of a recession or people forget to send in their usual gifts, we have nothing to tide us over, and we hit a crisis immediately. We have tried to overcome some of this by establishing the Pre-Authorized Remittance (PAR) program, where we can at least have a sense of what funds will come in the next month and people won't just get busy and forget to remit. So while we are so grateful for what God has done through your generosity, we would like you to consider two or three things. If you are able please consider joining PAR (see the PAR webpage or contact our office) and also consider a generous, first-of-the-year gift which will put us ahead of the "crisis" curve, and then, consider leaving RF something in your will designated for a Reserve Fund. Thanks for standing with us in this important ministry of renewal. - cbb

Please note that the Executive Director, Calvin Brown, has a new e-mail: <cbbrown@bell.net>

The Life and Thought of David Craig
Author: Jason Zuidema
Published 2008 by Clements Publishing, 6021 Yonge Street, Box 213, Toronto, ON, M2M 3W5

Zuidema has written this encouraging biography of his friend and colleague, David Craig. David was in ministry in the latter half of the twentieth century, at a time when the church, culture, and missions were all in crisis. He traces the early influences on David: David's growing experiences as a young missionary in Nigeria, where his life was threatened several times before a firing squad; and his heart rending days of evangelism and schism in the French work in Quebec. Reading his biography reminded me of much of my own journey as a student and minister within the Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC), attending WLU (Waterloo Lutheran University), participating in Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship, attending seminary, serving in missions, and wrestling with theological issues centering around faithfulness to Scripture that the PCC was dealing with. The two struggles, especially around the frustration that the church was not flexible enough in doing evangelism on the one hand, and still being fearlessly loyal to the reformed faith of the PCC on the other, may be especially relevant and poignant for readers. It is significant that the book is dedicated to young Christians throughout La Belle Province. I suspect David would have liked that. Zuidema manages not only to chronicle David's life from 1937-2001 but also to develop his character as a man of both earnestness and humour. This book will be of special interest to members of the Renewal Fellowship, not only because David was a member and he was well loved and respected by so many who were in leadership, but because David was, I believe, the one missionary that the RF made earnest efforts to support financially, although recently, there is a new mission emphasis by the RF in reaching out to aboriginal youth in northern Ontario through camping. For a number of reasons, all support for evangelism to the French-speaking people of Quebec ceased after David was no longer under the sponsorship of the PCC.

Zuidema ends the book with one of David's sermons: The First Mark of the Church. In this review, we, too, will give David the last word, and as we reflect on his life, we will remember that "God's Son, Jesus, prays for us right now -- he prays that we be a joyful people! Amen." - cbb

Refusing To Milk The Sacred Cows (Low fat protests from a fed-up Christian)
Author: David B.H. MacKenzie
Kendal House Publications Incorporated, Regina, Saskatchewan.

Author, David MacKenzie is a former United Church minister who currently pastors Regency Christian Church near Edmonton, Alberta, and is a member of the National Board of the Congregational Christian Churches of Canada. This book comes out of the personal wrestling of someone who has lived in a "waffle filled" mainline denomination and who knows both the anguish and foolishness of living in the midst of the half-truths that pass for wisdom. Rather than becoming bitter, he has exposed these half-truths with dry humour, wit, and hyperbole. He uses creative images like God as an auditor and then challenges the whole church to consider what sort of things God might look at to test our "success." He challenges also such popular ideas as those that see us all as Children of God -- de facto. He challenges the new psychology that urges us to see God in our "higher selves" or such other theological travesties, such as that we aren't all that bad, or questioning the authority of Scripture or the essence of orthodox faith. He argues that some of what many want to speak of as merely a matter of emphasis are really matters of black and white truths and falsehoods, and we must make a choice. He says, "Make no mistake, in cases like these, an evangelical Christian is no longer dealing with a curious point of theological or ethical friction. This is not about liturgical style. It is not about mission focus. Or to return to my original premise, this is no mere 'argument of emphasis'."

Instead, it's a core-belief issue. Faith or apostasy hang on the outcome. This is a book written with humour, but it will nevertheless challenge those tempted to compromise when faithfulness is called for. - cbb