By Rev. Denise Allen-Macartney

Lately, I have been reading the Old Testament book of Numbers; not always riveting prose. Yet God often catches me unawares. Today was one of those moments.

In Numbers 20:1-13, the people are at Kadesh in the desert of Zin. Miriam has just died and been buried. There is a drought. No water to drink. No water to wash with. No water to cook in. Not surprisingly, the people are frustrated. I’d be frustrated too. I would probably complain loudly. In this case, the people congregate together—the way groups congregate for worship—but they gather in angry protest.

This is, by my counting, the sixth time in Numbers that people rebel against Moses, and/or God. On every previous occasion, God has responded with swift judgement. Plague, snakes, fire, earthquake: God has levied heavy consequences on people who rebelled.

As before, Moses goes directly to the tent of meeting. He prostrates himself before God. And God answers: not in fury, not in vengeance, but in grace. “Take your staff,” he tells Moses. “Gather the people. Speak to the rock before their eyes, and it will pour out its water.”

Moses goes and does exactly what God says. He takes his staff, and gathers the people at the rock. But! Then Moses’ frustration and anger spew out. He berates the people. “Listen, you rebels!” he yells. “Must we bring you water out of this rock?” He raises his staff in fury, and strikes the rock, twice.

There is water. Plenty of water. But there is also judgment, on Moses!

I have long found this story puzzling. Why does God get so angry with Moses? After all Moses has done for so many years? Remember when God first called Moses, and Moses embarked on an impossible quest? Moses confronted Pharaoh. Moses trusted God, and he led these fractious people. For weeks. Months. Years. On several occasions, when God, himself, became angry with the people, Moses interceded for them.

But now, at the very last, God declares that Moses will not be allowed to enter the Promised Land. God says to Moses: “Because you did not trust in me enough to honour me as holy in the sight of the Israelites….”

Ronald B. Allen offers helpful insights. Is Moses disappointed with God’s failure to respond in wrath to the rebellious people, as God had in the past? “It is almost as though Moses thought it was necessary to do the work of vengeance himself.” So, Moses responds with “harsh, condemnatory words, sarcasm, and blows against the rock.”

And what does Torah insist about vengeance? “‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay’ says the Lord.” This time, for God’s own reasons, and God’s own purposes, God offers grace.

But Moses finds grace unacceptable. Maybe his ego smarts from the people’s angry blame, and his patience is worn to a frazzle because of his own parched thirst. He’s had enough.

Yet God doesn’t agree. God says, “You didn’t trust in me….” Moses, himself, didn’t trust God. Moses was not willing to let God deal with the people.

When Moses struck the rock instead of speaking to it, “he in some way dishonoured God’s holiness,” says Allen.

Psalm 95 remembers this troubling event. “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah….” From God’s perspective, Moses, too, hardened his heart toward God!

Psalm 95 also remembers the rock. “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation….” In some way, that Rock at Kadesh in the desert is the symbol of God’s gracious provision. God’s own presence. God’s shelter, refuge, and tower for his people.

The Apostle Paul remembers the rock, and the water it released. In 1 Corinthians 10:4, Paul says the rock was King Jesus himself! It seems that Messiah himself slaked the people’s thirst with his own living water.

So, when Moses, in anger and frustration at the rebels, raised his solid wooden staff and whacked it hard against that rock, Moses was lashing out against the embodiment of God’s grace. Moses was lashing out against Messiah—God’s own gift of forgiveness and provision and company.

I ponder this story alongside our present struggle in the Presbyterian Church. Some may view the words and actions of others in our denomination as rebellion against God’s Word, God’s call—God’s holiness, even. Well. It is a challenging season. The way forward is not clear. People are frustrated with COVID, frustrated with the hard work of navigating conflict and making wise decisions. We are thirsty. Restless.

What do I hear in this poignant story of Moses’ own greatest sorrow, his lasting regret?

I notice God’s grace. Only God’s gracious faithfulness to his covenant sustains his people (even when his people are faithless). As a Church, we are sustained only by God’s gracious presence. If the Church is disobedient or rebellious, can we trust God himself to respond? In Numbers 20, as in so many instances, God acts with remarkable grace toward his people. Could we live with that?

Perhaps it is not up to us to take drastic action. Maybe we are simply called to speak.

At Kadesh, the Rock was the embodiment of God’s presence. In our day, the Church is the embodiment of King Jesus. When we strike the church, we strike Jesus. When we would act to split the church, we wound Jesus.

The rash words of Moses were an act of rebellion against God’s Spirit. Moses thought he was directing those words at the grumbling, faithless people, but God heard them as dishonouring to himself!

Jesus loves his Church. Jesus is not under any illusions about how faithful, or pure, or wise we are. Yet, on the night before he died (… for whom was he preparing to die? For his feckless disciples, who were about to abandon him; for God’s chosen people of Israel, who had rejected him; for the Roman soldiers who abused and executed him, for us, even us, for those with whom we disagree, and for our clueless neighbours who don’t know Jesus at all.) On the night before he died, Jesus prayed for his Church.

What was his great prayer? That we would be one. That God himself would protect us from the evil one. That we would love one another. That we would forgive one another, as he forgives us. That we would show his love and grace to the world. Lord, let not my words, nor my actions, contradict your dying prayer! Let me not strike your church. Let me not dishonour your holiness by lacking trust in you.

Here’s what I hear in the story of Moses: I need to honour the holiness of God. I need to trust him, even when I’m frustrated, weary, thirsty. I need to trust God with the future of his Church. I need to honour God’s own sovereignty, his right to respond with discipline and grace, as he chooses.

I need to speak—to speak the words God gives to me. And to speak them in the manner Jesus has clearly instructed: to speak the truth, in love. To bless, and not to curse.

I need to honour the death and life, and the prayer of Jesus for his Church. In what ways? By keeping my words full of grace. By acting to strengthen and bless his church—even when I am frustrated by people in his church.

O King Jesus, strengthen my faith in You. Make me an agent of Your grace. Amen.

Rev. Denise Allen-Macartney is minister of Gloucester Presbyterian Church in Ottawa, Ontario. This reflection was originally presented at a meeting of the Praying, Listening, Trusting group via Zoom on April 20, 2021.

Renewal Fellowship lost a key leader in March with the passing of Stan Cox.

Although he was in hospital at the time, Stan’s departure was unexpected. At the age of 84, he remained an active member of the board executive as treasurer of the organization. He had just completed the 2020 year-end financial statements.

He leaves behind his wife Sharon, daughters Kristen Ghesquiere of Simcoe, Amy Ferreira-Iwanochko of Toronto and son Jeff Cox of Troy and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by sons Bill and John.

Stan grew up in Dundas, then attended Moody Bible Institute, University of Dubuque, Wheaton College Graduate School (Biblical Literature), University of Chicago Divinity School and Princeton Theological Seminary.

After ordination in the United Church of Christ, and service in Chicago-area congregations, he and his family returned to Ontario to serve at St. James United Church in Simcoe. He served alongside developmentally challenged young adults for 15 years, then returned to local church ministry at Paris Presbyterian for 10 years. He served for many years on the Board of Christian Horizons, including several terms as Board Chair.

After retirement from Paris Presbyterian, he served on staff at Innerkip Presbyterian Church.

Stan’s ministry demonstrated one who endeavoured to love God with all his heart, strength, mind and soul and his neighbour as himself. Grace and truth were hallmarks of Stan’s interaction with others in everyday life, as he practised business and as he served as minister of Word and Sacrament.

He had a special passion for those who lived on the fringes of society. We give thanks to God for the gift Stan was to so many.

Well done good and faithful servant!

In This Issue:

• Navigating thru the storm – Renewal Day and AGM April 17 by Zoom
• Putting the Bite back in the Apple – Ian Shaw
• Renewal Cafe – Renewal Lives Online
• A Dangerous Precedent – A joint statement from PSALT and RF
• Spring 2021 small group prayer guide
• The future is nothing like the past – Andy Cornell
• Acting on a precedent – 1998 Lachine rent-back offer might now go 'the other way' – Robin Ross
• Profile: Westminster Barrie – Jeff Walther
• Board profile: Ed Charlton

Download the entire issue in PDF format, or read and comment on the individual articles:

• United We Stand by Andy Cornell
• A Cautionary Tale by Ian Shaw
• Renewal Day 2021 — Save the Date! by Andy Cornell
• PresbyCan at a Quarter Century by Andy Cornell
• Profile: First Presbyterian Church, Trail BC by Dr. Dan Boateng
• A Remembrance and a “Reminder” by Andy Cornell
• Board profile: Debbie Stimphil by Andy Cornell

Presbyterians who adhere to traditional standards are working together on two new fronts.

“Praying, listening, trusting” was formed in June 2020 for the purpose of praying for six months in order to discern God’s direction for those in orthodoxy. “PCC-Covenant” came together in the fall in recognition of a need to work with one another and the wider denomination “with integrity, humility, trust, grace and hope.”

Both movements have the active support of the Renewal Fellowship (RF) board of directors as well as Presbyterians Standing for Apostolic Love and Truth (PSALT) along with many others who are not connected to either group.

“Praying, listening, trusting” has held twice-monthly prayer meetings with a total of 25 people taking part at various times. PCC-Covenant attracted a combined 140 registrants for its two initial gatherings on Nov. 14 and 16.

Neither movement sees itself as an actual group or organization. In fact, “Praying, listening, trusting” isn’t even a formal name; rather, it’s a title one of the organizers came up with when creating a Facebook page in order to communicate and share their Zoom link.

Nor are they narrowly focused on the proposals before General Assembly to redefine marriage and formally accept ministers and elders who are in same-sex marriages.

While Remits ‘B’ and ‘C’ may be a catalyst behind unity, there is general agreement that The Presbyterian Church in Canada (PCC) is moving away from such foundational truths as Biblical authority, the uniqueness of Christ as Lord and Redeemer, the work of the Holy Spirit, the sovereignty of God and the need to adhere to those things as disciples of Christ that are outlined in our subordinate standards and ordination vows.

Those in orthodoxy find themselves in four main camps:

• Remain in the PCC, also known as “stay and pray”
• Depart from the PCC, individually or in groups,
• Work towards the creation of separate theological courts in the PCC to allow revisionists and those in orthodoxy to establish their own theology and practice while sharing pension and benefits,
• Discerning which path to take.

The two new movements respect those different directions yet seek unity of spirit within orthodoxy.

Praying, listening, trusting: The idea came from Rev. Jonathan Hong, of Toronto Korean Presbyterian Church, in a discussion with Rev. Jon Wyminga, of Cariboo Presbyterian Church in British Columbia.

“Jonathan and I talked about the situation concerning human sexuality in our denomination and how we will proceed,” Wyminga recalled in May 2020. “As we reflected, we recognized that the COVID-19 situation has given us a whole extra year to reflect and prepare before any final decisions are made.  While a year of more delays creates some problems, we recognized that this could be a great gift from the Lord. Instead of spending all of that year engaged in debate and planning about what to do Jonathan and I discussed the idea of dividing the next year into two six month periods. The first six months would be exclusively dedicated to praying for God’s direction. The next six months would then be a time of prayerfully planning and implementing that direction.”

No personal plans or agendas would be discussed or shared.

They launched the first gathering by Zoom Meeting on June 18 with nine people participating. Gatherings take place every other week and are led by Rev. Jon Wyminga and Rev. Shannon Bell of Cariboo. Prayer was centred around a group study of Gordon T. Smith’s book The Voice of Jesus, led by Rev. Dr. Christine O’Reilly of Knox Thedford, Ontario. Approximately two dozen people had taken part by late November.

The book study has provided a “a good foundation as we engage in discernment in the coming months,” said Jon. “We’ve drawn several people from across the country. I think we’ve had some very meaningful times of prayer and we’re developing a growing sense of trust and openness within the group. I believe it has become a place where some people feel like they fit who don’t feel that way in other groups. I think these last things are particularly important since, in other settings, I am concerned of rifts and distrust developing among those who may agree against the remits but disagree in the specifics of their response.”

Much time has been spent in “repentant prayer,” says O’Reilly. “Repentant prayer for the ways we have wounded one another, regardless of theological stance; a deep desire for humility; a trust that God is at work. We have prayed for those who believe differently, that they would be blessed. We have prayed for one another to be encouraged and listen for the voice of Jesus. We have been drawn together by this desire to pray and listen and trust God. We have been humbled and found a spirit of grace to move forward as we discern what the Spirit may be saying to us and leading us to do. There is no anger, gossip, backbiting or a sense of complaint or enmity with anyone. There is a sense that we all need to move forward in freedom and to be able to be at peace; to bless one another with grace, no matter what ‘side’ or ‘direction’ people are committed to.”

The group moves into its second six-month phase in January. The plan is to continue praying for all parties, for the PCC and for one another as GA 2021 draws near.

“We do not know what GA 2021 will bring. COVID-19 is going to bring profound change to the PCC regardless of remits, and so the PCC cannot and will not ‘stay the same’, ” O’Reilly says.

PCC Covenant

PCC-Covenant came together in September under the leadership of Rev. Doug Cameron, a retired PCC minister.

“We are deeply concerned that Evangelicals, Conservatives, Orthodox, Traditional (ECOT) members of the PCC need to work and worship together regardless of what they may decide to do in the aftermath of the next GA,” he said in a September 2020 statement.

He and others of like mind reached out to RF and PSALT with a proposal to hold virtual town hall meetings “to encourage [those in orthodoxy] to walk in a manner worthy of Christ” and discern what those paths might look like. With the support of both groups, the first town hall was focused on encouraging participants “to walk worthy of the Lord, and to begin dealing with any unresolved bitterness, anger, unforgiveness in our hearts so that we don’t carry it into whatever new work God may lead us into post-GA 2021.”

The centrepiece of PCC-Covenant is a statement which calls on those in orthodoxy to “hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards in our speech, in what we post, and in how we act.” The covenant urges us to exhibit “Christlikeness in our behaviour and in our communication.”

The Covenant recognizes that there is a lot of underlying tension in the PCC, which has often erupted in conflict. The covenant recognizes this and calls upon everyone to “walk and talk in a manner that honours Christ and is in keeping with the scriptures. . .” (Go to PCC-Covenant.ca to view the Covenant. The website includes an opportunity to sign off in support.)

O’Reilly, who is one of the signatories of the Covenant, said “there is a strong emphasis on the need for all parties to have a commitment to forgiveness sought and received, and move forward with humility and healthy spirituality, not anger or bitterness.”

“A huge underlying theme . . . is our need to seek forgiveness for the sins we have committed: our anger, disrespect of others, the ways evangelicals have at times baited their opponents and not behaved well; how we have too often loudly said what we oppose, and not offered hope as to what we are for,” she added.

The next town hall meetings are Jan. 21 and 23. The agenda will include breakout rooms for the four camps.

Download the entire issue in PDF format, or read and comment on the individual articles:

In This Issue:

• Where Are All the Disciples? – Rev. Andy Cornell, Renewal Fellowship Executive Director
• A Question of Identity – Jillian McWhinnie, Renewal Fellowship Board Member
• “Rediscover” the New Wineskins – Diane Eaton, Renewal Fellowship Board Member
• Kneeling in Prayer, Standing for Recovery – Rev. James Statham, response to Diane Eaton
• Love is the AnswerRev. Ian Shaw, Renewal Fellowship Board Chairperson
• Renewal Fellowship: Behind the Scenes – Rev. Andy Cornell
• Profile: Cheyne Presbyterian Church – Bill Harrison and Kristy Hamilton, members of Cheyne Session
• Unmasking the Essential Issue – Rev. Andy Cornell
• A Financial Update – Rev. Stan Cox, Renewal Fellowship Treasurer

Andy Cornell

The work of renewal is evident for all to see and digest on our website: renewal-fellowship, ca. Equally important is what goes on outside the public eyes. The board of directors (see page 8 for a list of members) meets 4-5 times a year and the executive puts its heads together about a half dozen occasions — all online these days — to prayerfully discuss and discern our mission in an ever-changing church.

Here’s a glimpse of what RF’s staff and directors have been up to in recent months:

• Participation with others in the PCC in an online prayer gathering which takes place every two weeks. It’s organized by friends in orthodoxy as a six-month prayer initiative in an effort to discern the Holy Spirit’s direction in light of proposals/remits to change the definition of marriage.
• Organizing the Zoom event “Presbyterians in Orthodoxy working together” on June 19 in an effort to share initiatives around responses and strategies to Remits ‘B’ and ‘C’ and other similar matters in our denomination, to share initiatives and look for potential cooperation, coordination and communication.
• Ongoing conversations with Presbyterians Standing for Apostolic Love and Truth (PSALT) and fledgling movements who took part in the June 19 event.
• Ongoing efforts to encourage ministers and congregations by phone and correspondence with the message, “you are not alone.”
• Prayer Calendar co-ordinator, Linda Shaw, webmaster, Robin Ross, and administrative assistant, Kyoungsoo Hwang, quietly but diligently keep the organization running.
• Planning new content for the website with a focus on our Renewal Tools section, as part of our mission to point the PCC to “authentic Biblical thinking.”

NOTE: COVID-19 pandemic precautions have kept many of us literally grounded since March. “It’s a date!” is no longer in Andy Cornell’s vocabulary. Like his predecessors, speaking engagements and road trips were at the core of the executive director’s job. It may be several months or even years before he’s able to bring the Renewal message to congregations and groups. As we navigate the COVID-19 waters, we are prayerfully discerning how we can be a voice for orthodoxy and encourage those who believe in an unchanging God. Please get in touch with us via renewalfellowshippcc@gmail.com.

Stan Cox

A huge percentage of our income is from the generous giving of our members and friends. Compared to the period from January 1 to July 31, 2019, our regular income up to the end of July 2020 is about $10,000 lower.

The Federal Government responded to COVID-19’s economic impact with a number of initiatives. Our board executive agreed that I should apply for the two for which we as a charitable organization are eligible: the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy and the Canada Emergency Business Account.

As a result, over and above our regular income, we now receive help with 75 per cent of our wage expenses, to the tune of $3,400 monthly from CEWS, totaling $14,850 thus far in 2020. A new application has to be submitted each month. From CEBA we deposited this month $40,000 CEBA’s a one-time Federally sponsored interest-free loan through CIBC until December 31, 2022. If we repay $30,000 on or before that date, the balance of $10,000 is forgiven, and is ours to keep as a one-time grant.

This financial help from the Federal Government is temporary. And we receive it as from God’s gracious hand. At the same time, the Renewal Fellowship still counts on the faithful stewardship of God’s people for their regular generous gifts.

Support Renewal:

• Consider adding us to the congregation’s annual missions budget.
• Encourage one other person to become a member of the Fellowship.
• Make donations through the PAR plan on our website. Or make a one-time or occasional donation by credit card or by cheque.