On the road: Alberta
Among the joys of travelling to new places and meeting people is that one never knows exactly what to expect. It’s in times like that I pray and ask for God’s hands to work.
Planning a road trip begins with a single invitation or opportunity from a distant place — a spark, if you will. I put out some feelers and if I get encouraging responses, I make travel arrangements. Often, there are significant holes in my itinerary: a morning here, and evening there. The Holy Spirit — the ultimate travel agent — fills them without fail.
Here are a few snippets.
CALGARY, Oct. 29: I knew there’d be something good at Valleyview Community Church. I’d heard stories for years about the congregants’ vibrant orthodoxy from their minister, Grant Gunnink.
By the time I arrived, I’d been awake 17 hours. I was selfishly looking for some Holy Spirit power to get me though the night. Ask and you will receive. In this case, a healthy dose of scripture, testimony, prayer and song — all in the company of an amazing group of prayer warriors.
With a looming vote on the remits at the Presbytery of Calgary McLeod and the state of the PCC, we read 2 Kings 18-19 with a focus on 19:14-16. We launched into a prayer time structured around confession, declaring the Lordship of Christ, bringing the remits into the presence of God and petitioning him to respond, calling out the activity of the enemy and petitioning a Holy God to respond, ending in praise — thanking God for His power and might and expressing our trust and confidence in Him.
This was no ordinary, sober Presbyterian prayer time. It was Spirit-driven and powerful.
“We make you too small, Lord, we have built a false foundation and make peace with the enemy,” declared one woman, as a man broke out in song.
“Arise O Lord, and let the enemy be put to shame.”
On a frosty evening in suburban Calgary, the hills were alive with the sweet sound of prayer.
This is how God works.
CALGARY, Oct. 30: Three private meetings with ministers, here and there. “People are the same, wherever you go,” sang Paul McCartney in Ebony and Ivory. True to an extent. If there’s something just about all Presbyterian pastors share these days — no matter what their theology — it’s the desire for something better. Can something good come from the trials and tribulations in our courts?
EDMONTON, Oct. 31: Callingwood Road Presbyterian Church may look like an ordinary suburban congregation. But just inside the entrance is a large blackboard with the words “Prayer wall” above it. It’s filled with prayer requests. The building is modernist, 1960-70s, with lots of open spaces and the sanctuary has normal non-fixed seating. But if you’d rather sit with a coffee and have a place to take notes, there are several round tables with chairs — café style. Outside, a large cross sits atop a tower which can be seen for miles. It cost them nothing: it was built by a telecommunications company. Bonus: they receive rental income from the company.
But the greatest gift was the midweek morning gathering. The minister, Rev. Rodger McEachern and eight faithful congregants gathered to hear me talk about the state of the denomination and what may lie ahead, followed by some great conversation. How did it get to this point, they wondered. What future do we have?
Later, over lunch conversation with McEachern and three other ministers — two from Western Han-Ca — I was reminded of the great need for those in orthodoxy to look beyond our cultural allegiances. We naturally find security when surrounded by those who speak the same language. We put God in a box.
On the road: Saskatchewan
REGINA, Nov. 1: The car rental agent at the Regina airport studied his computer screen with a puzzled look. I’d reserved a cheap subcompact, but he asked if I’d mind a full-sized pickup with a 5.7-litre Hemi V-8 — for the same price. Glancing at the snow falling outside, I said yes.
That was just the beginning.
Rather than drive into the city to find an early lunch, I thought I’d go directly to Briercrest, where I was sure I’d find food.
Linking my phone to the truck’s sound system, I took care of business.
“You’re going to Briercrest!” exclaimed a minister who recently visited the area.
“There’s a restaurant which serves the absolute best pie I have ever had.”
Holy confirmation. That settled it. Arriving confidently and hungrily in Briercrest, I surveyed the unpaved roads, vacant homes, empty school and complete lack of restaurants and wondered if I had the right place. Indeed, there was Briercrest Presbyterian Church at the exact location my host had provided.
Puzzled, and motivated by the fact that my single protein bar would not be enough to last until dinner, I thanked God for Internet data and searched Google maps for the closest restaurant. Wow. Thirty minutes in a village named Rouleau. But I had time.
I turned off the paved road onto what appeared to be mud. Which proceeded to get muddier. And deeper. Then I noticed the sign: “Roads impassable when wet.” Sigh.
This is how God works, I thought, as I proceeded confidently in this God-given vehicle.
Upon arrival in what was supposed to be Rouleau, I glanced at the name on the grain elevator: Dog River. What? No. Had I entered the Twilight Zone?
Sure enough, it was the town that was used as the setting for the TV series Corner Gas.
I made small talk with the restaurant owner, asking if she knew the best way to get back to Briercrest. (I tried not to come across as just another star-struck tourist.) She pointed to a local woman who knew the roads better than anyone. You want to go where?” she asked, wondering why this tourist wanted to go back to Briercrest.
I mumbled something about the Presbyterian church. With a puzzled look, she studied my map phone for a few minutes and pointed out a parallel road to the south.
Sadly, that road was just as muddy.
Driving along, I had this sense of being really, really alone. The Prairies do that to a newcomer, I’m told. Absolutely no trees made it feel flatter than flat. You could seemingly see forever. And except for steady wind, almost dead silence. I stopped, got out and took in the aloneness.
After three days on non-stop airports, highways and meetings, this was the stillness I needed.
This is how God works.
Still early for my 1 p.m. meeting, I tried the front door. Unlocked! It recalled memories of the suburban church of my youth, whose sanctuary was always open in case someone needed a quiet place to pray.
I quietly took it in: classic, old school, rural church, where time stood still and where the best years are a distant memory.
With mud roads and Dog River on my mind, I wasn’t expecting much.
And then they started to arrive. One or two at first, then a carload. A young parent and two preschoolers. Several more. It was an ecumenical gathering — at least four denominations represented — with healthy testimony, good questions and plenty of vibrant faith. They talked about the families and children. The need for a community of faith to serve people. And their expensive new elevator.
I left feeling energized and encouraged.
The mystery of the pie eatery was solved that evening when someone at Norman Kennedy Presbyterian Church in Regina observed that there is a Briercrest College and Seminary on the TransCanada Highway 63 kilometres west., near a truck stop. People get it mixed up all the time.
This is how God works.
On the road: New Brunswick
RF’s executive director attended the September Denominational Conversation, with about 60 people at St. Andrew’s in Moncton. He took part in a panel discussion with co-organizers (and past RF board members) Rev. Martin Kreplin and Rev. Charles Cook. Here is the official statement from the Sept. 21 gathering:
Statements of Consensus: As part of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Church in the Reformed tradition, we celebrate our submission to the authority of Scripture and our adherence to a traditional interpretation of the Word of God regarding the definition of marriage and ordination practices of the PCC. As part of the Reformed tradition, residing under the authority of the Word of God, we recognize there is no Biblical justification for moving away from the traditional view that marriage is between one man and one woman, as the Church Doctrine Committee Report to General Assembly in 2018 indicated. Therefore, we would not encourage Presbyters and Commissioners to support 2019 GA Remits 1 or 2 (B or C), and will invite individuals and congregations to express this view. Should the Remits fail at either the Presbytery level or General Assembly 2020, that the 2018 the Majority Report of the Committee on Church Doctrine would be reintroduced for consideration either through an overture or from the floor of GA. The Remits appear to present ‘room’ for divergent theological views, but still require acknowledgement that same sex marriage is affirmed through a faithful reading of scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. A faithful reading of Scripture under the guidance of the Holy Spirit does not allow for such an acknowledgement. Therefore, we will encourage others to join in re-affirming the Preamble and Ordination vows of both Clergy and Elders, and congregation’s confessing together the Apostles’ Creed on Pentecost Sunday, May 31, 2020. We understand these to be non-negotiable basis of our unity. The assurance of ‘freedom of conscience’ in the matters introduced in the Remits are illusionary. Being permitted not to participate in ordinations and marriages is tokenism because we function collegially and will be expected to accept divergent views as living faithful Holy Spirit led lives, in those whose ordination we could not support as valid. Our multiple voices around the unacceptability of the Remits must be clearly and confidently expressed while attentively lovingly and graciously heard. Should we be forced to re-consider our future within the PCC, we seek voice in establishing the terms of Gracious Dismissal, and if necessary, will collaborate with others in seeking legal counsel. Our collective traditional voice is stronger when heard together rowing in the same direction. Should Remits pass or fail the Barrier Act, we need to prayerfully discern how God may be leading us in the next steps. Should the Remits fail to pass GA, we would be on track for prolonged protracted conflict. Should the Remits pass GA, we are on track for the eventual elimination of an orthodox voice within the PCC.