Page 20 - PC Winter 2023-24

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PRESBYTERIAN
WINTER 2023
presbyterian.ca
Announcing LiFT 2024
July 3–7, 2024, Brock University, St. Catharines
ered to be faithful servants and leaders.
Leadership Track: is specially designed to equip congregational leaders of any kind, and includes a separate stream devoted to youth ministry leadership. If you are clergy, lay, paid, volunteer, full-time, contract or part-time leadership, the Leadership Track will have something for you. It will run the entire length of LiFT 2024.
A new feature of the 2024 gathering, LiFT 2024 will run par- allel with Rendez-vous, which is hosted by the United Church of Canada. This partnership will al- low sharing of resources, leader- ship and costs.
LiFT 2024 registration will be- gin March 1, 2024. The registra- tion fee for the event is $625. De- tails are unfolding, so please visit presbyterian.ca/lift-2024.
Presbyterian youth, young people and church leaders are invited
to gather for LiFT 2024 (Living
in Faith Together) from July 3 to 7, 2024, at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., under the banner of “Audacious Hope.”
Why LiFT? Why not CY?
Canada Youth (CY) was a gift given to the church; a gift that reflected and responded to the needs of the youth, young adults and leadership at the time. Those events were designed and hosted to be reflective of the ministry contexts within the denomination.
Moving forward, those same prin- ciples hold true for LiFT 2024.
The world has changed, and our youth, young adults and leaders also have changed. Our ministry expression should re- flect that reality. CY events have always evolved. Over time, the event has transformed, providing additional support and education opportunities for congregational leaders alongside youth leaders.
The creation of LiFT 2024 is a renewed effort to keep the vi- tality and launch a fresh expres- sion that addresses the church’s
needs at a transformational time. It has been too long since we
were gathered as a community! LiFT 2024 will be a place where Hope will Audaciously come alive.
LiFT 2024 will be a place where we discover the wonders and challenges of our time.
LiFT 2024 will be a place where we connect, and Live in Faith Together.
Come and join us on a won- drous journey as we discover new perspectives and new friends, fresh vision, broader insights and
a great week of fun and Auda- cious Hope!
LiFT 2024 will offer the three tracks for all ages:
Youth Track: offers activities de- signed for those who have gradu- ated Grade 9 and up to celebrate their unique place in our church and experience a landmark event in their faith journey.
Discipleship Track: offers an opportunity for young adults (ages 19–25) to think deeply about their gifts, to be empow-
By St. Andrew’s Hall
Every summer, the Centre for Missional Leadership (CML) at St. Andrew’s Hall in Vancouver, B.C., hosts the Guder Scholar program. Guder Scholars are selected from applications made by leaders in their first 15 years of ordained ministry. The residential event at St. Andrew’s Hall is named in honour of the Rev. Dr. Darrell Guder, who serves as the Senior Fellow in Residence for CML.
This year, the theme was “Mis- sional Leadership and Evan- gelism,” and we were pleased to welcome Dr. Priscilla Pope- Levison and Dr. Jack Levison as our theme speakers from Perkins School of Theology. Applications for the 2024 Guder Scholars pro- gram will open in December for any who are interested in applying or recommending the program to others. Visit standrews.edu.
Dr. Priscilla Pope-Levison present- ing at the “Missional Leadership and Evangelism” event.
The Rev. Amanda Henderson- Bolton of the Kirk of St. James in Prince Edward Island shared her reflections on the experience of being a 2023 Guder Scholar.
“Since the pandemic our church has been having a lot of conversations around what the future of our ministry could look like. I know that has been a challenging question for a lot of churches over the past few
years. When I saw the notice for the Guder Scholar program and this year’s topic ‘The Missional Church’ I applied on a whim, and it has become one of the best learning experiences I have had since becoming a minister.
“I discovered a program that is dealing with the challenges of ministry in our present context, that was both challenging and encouraging. I deeply appreciated the lectures and discussions with Priscilla Pope-Levinson, based on her book Models of Evangelism. It was a reminder of the incredible story we share as Christians and a faith community. It challenged us to think beyond what we do, to what can be possible. It was won- derful to sit with other ministers from across the country and from different ministry contexts and talk about what our churches are doing and what we hope for. The discussions with staff from St.
Andrew’s Hall, which took place as on-site visits and with the wid- er community, were both helpful and encouraging. I am incredibly thankful for the entire experience.
“A couple of the things that have stuck with me since re- turning home are about how we tell our story as a faith commu- nity, because it affects how we do ministry outside our walls. The other thing was the reminder that countless small steps can lead to positive change and growth. As one person said, ‘Culture shifts start with small acts of love and stories of hope.’
“Sometimes we are uncertain about how to minister in today’s world. We know that our faith shapes everything that we do and affects how we live in the world, yet it can be difficult to convey. I left feeling encouraged that even when things feel difficult or we are uncertain of the direction that we
should go, we are all capable of making those small steps and de- cisions that make a difference in our lives as a church, and for the community around us. It doesn’t take an earth-shattering vision or big budget for us to find ways to share love and hope in meaning- ful ways.”
For more information on the Guder Scholars program, please contact the Rev. Albert Chu, Director of CML at achu@ standrews.edu.
Group discussion, with the Rev. Amanda Henderson-Bolton in centre.
Connection
Missional Leadership and Evangelism
The Atlantic Synod’s 149th Annual Meeting
By John Barrett,
Atlantic Synod Clerk Elect
The 149th annual meeting of the Synod of the Atlantic Provinces took place from Oct. 16 through 18 at First Presbyterian Church in New Glasgow, N.S. During the first sederunt, Marlene Phil- lips of Harvey, N.B., was elected and installed as Moderator for the coming year. Outgoing Moderator, the Rev. Brad Blaikie, conducted worship that evening and led the new Moderator through the vows
of office.
As has been the case for the
past few years, Synod has moved from primarily a business-based event to one of learning and workshops. This year the keynote speaker on Oct. 17–18 was the Rev. Dr. Patricia Dutcher-Walls, the recently retired Dean and Professor of Hebrew Studies at the Vancouver School of Theol- ogy. Other workshop presenters included the Rev. Dr. Jean Morris, Moderator of the 131st General Assembly of The Presbyterian
Church in Canada, the Rev. Tim Purvis, Associate Secretary of Ministry & Church Vocations for the PCC, the Rev. John Borth- wick, recently appointed Director of Lifelong Learning at Knox Col- lege, and Helena Human, Synod’s Camping & Youth Consultant. Workshop topics ranged from Enabling Lay Ministry to Com- munications & Intergenerational Ministry. The keynote speaker for next year’s Synod was approved and the invitation has been ac- cepted by the Rev. Dr. Ernest van
Eck, Principal of Knox College in Toronto.
The 2023 financial statements were reviewed and those in at- tendance were reminded that final Synod payments are now due. The 2024 budget was approved along with the location for the 150th annual meeting of Synod, which will take place at St. James Presbyterian Church in Truro, N.S., from Oct. 21 through 23, 2024. Between annual meetings, the business of Synod is managed and conducted by Synod Council,
who meet regularly to discuss any issues that come before the cour t and to oversee the organization of the 2024 annual meeting.
Toward the end of the meet- ing, expressions of gratitude were shared with the Rev. Jeff Murray as he now retires from the posi- tion of Synod Clerk following six years of dedicated service. Other thanks were expressed to the congregation and staff of First Presbyterian Church for their gra- cious efforts in hosting the 149th annual meeting.