Page 3 - Presbyterian Connection

presbyterian.ca
SUMMER 2023
Connection
PRESBYTERIAN
3
Connection
Presbyterian Connection is a quarterly newspaper published by the national office of The Presbyterian Church in Canada.
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on the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat, Petun, Seneca and, most recently, the Mississaugas of the Credit Indigenous peoples.
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Amy Campbell in Ottawa, May 1992.
In the Spring 2023 edition of the Presbyterian Connection news- paper, the article titled “Recogniz- ing Capt. Bonnie Mason,” (page 14) incorrectly stated that Bonnie was the first female military chap- lain for the PCC. That honour ac- tually belongs to Navy Lt. (ret’d) Amethyst (Amy) E. H. Campbell, who currently resides in Esqui- malt (Victoria) B.C.
Here is a bit more information about Amy’s military career, in her own words.
I joined the military in 1986 while at Vancouver School of Theology (VST) through the Reserve Entry Scheme Officer (RESO) Chaplain program. Upon ordination in 1989, I be- came the Chaplain at HMCS DISCOVERY, Vancouver’s Naval Reserve Division. During that period, I served five summers as chaplain at Cadet Camps in Cornwallis, N.S., Whitehorse, Y.T., and Banff, Alta. I trans-
ferred to the Regular Force Chaplaincy in 1996 and was posted to CFB Esquimalt and the Pacific Fleet. I sailed on deployments up and down the west coast from San Diego to Alaska as well as to an interna- tional exercise off Hawaii and a tour in the Northern Arabian Gulf. In 2000, I moved from chaplaincy to training develop- ment and rounded out my ca- reer with postings to Borden,
Ont., Halifax, N.S., and Winni- peg, Man., before retiring back to Esquimalt.
In the photo above, Amy is
making a pastoral visit via jackstay transfer from one ship to another during the RIMPAC exercise off Hawaii in 1998. On Sunday morn- ings, she would be flown from ship to ship for services via a heli- copter, dubbed the “Holy Helo.”
Thank you for your service, Amy!
CORRECTION NOTICE
PRESBYTERIAN
The PCC needs to find ways to connect
Continued from page 2
ogy gained through seeing God’s wisdom reflected in creation. There are also some valuable books written by non-Indige- nous people who have lived and walked with Indigenous people in various ways. The concept of “everything we do is a prayer” was demonstrated in a course at VST about prayer, delivered by West Coast Salish Elders who demonstrated how they built their canoes with prayer. A Salish woman gave a weaving workshop for Hummingbird and described how weaving was a prayer.
Individual Presbyterians could learn and set an example for other Presbyterians by attending public Indigenous events and programs.
What concern of the church’s internal life and ministry should be a greater part of the PCC’s focus?
The PCC needs to find ways to connect with the younger gen- erations for the future life of the church. And to reach other cul- tures, we need to change the lan-
guage of church somehow.
One of the goals of the Strate- gic Plan is to pursue spiritual re- newal and faith formation as the basis for transformation within
congregations.
What does pursuing spiritual re- newal look like for you personal- ly and what could it look like for the denomination corporately?
I think the church and theological schools should do more work on the theology of the Holy Spirit—to practice discerning the guidance of the Holy Spirit in ourselves and in the church through the Prayer Elders (male and female) and the minister. And to also listen to what the Spirit is saying through the men, the women, the children and youth. Where is the balance between the mind and the heart? The mind, body, soul and spirit are all important parts of the human being but in the church, our cus- tom is to rely on what is written in scriptures. Sometimes we need wisdom, kindness, compassion and humour more than the “blue book” (i.e., the Book of Forms) in
given situations, especially since the greatest commandment is to love others as ourselves. The church could benefit by regular Prayer Circles (groups). And the use of song, dance and drama are power ful ways of reaching hear ts across differences. These gifts allow for joyful as well as solemn worship.
Where do you see signs of hope for the world and the church? That the PCC has taken many good steps toward healing and reconciliation with Indigenous people. It has repudiated the Doc- trine of Discovery, responded to the final report of the MMIWG [Missing and Murdered Indig- enous Women and Girls], con- fessed to its part in the residen- tial school system and supports eight Indigenous ministries in its denomination. This is hopeful be- cause it demonstrates love and acceptance of Indigenous people and our languages and cultures. It demonstrates the church’s open- ness to being guided by the Spirit as well as to traditional interpreta-
tions of scripture. It is a hopeful sign that the church is engaging in conversations about climate change because it shows that the church is thinking about good stewardship of the ear th. The church continues to be a source of hope for eternal life through the sacrificial love of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What is your prayer for the church?
My prayer is that our church will grow in Spirit, in numbers and especially in love. That our church will thrive in the midst of society as a place of healing and reconciliation, not only with Indigenous people but with God our Creator, with one another as human beings and with the Earth our Mother and her many gifts. I pray that as an entity of the hu- man race, the church, nearing that time and place when we can gather beneath that great tree of peace, where we bury our weap- ons against each other, will have finally learned how to love and live peacefully with one another.