A SECTION OF THE ANGLICAN JOURNAL SEPTEMBER 2011 SERVING THE DIOCESE OF KOOTENAY

uring the parishEucharist at AllSaints, Vernon onJuly 31, the Rev.

Dr. William Henry Harrisonwas installed by ArchbishopJohn Privett as Principal of thenewly established KootenaySchool of Ministry (KSM).Students attending theFoundational Theology coursebeing taught by Bill were pres-ent, as were his wife, TheReverend Rita Harrison, andtheir two sons, Richard andCharles.

Bill was also the preacherfor the service. He drew on twoof the readings of the day —Jacob wrestling with God, andJesus’ feeding of the multitude.He noted that we like to pre-tend the gospel is simple, but“the fly in the ointment” is that“it’s always more complicatedthan that.” Bill discovered thisas he explored the incompati-bility between his fundamental-ist upbringing and his involve-ment in political life. In Bill’slife and understanding, theo-logical study resembles Jacobwrestling with God.

His vision for theKootenay School of Ministry isthat it will encourage lay per-sons to face the deeper ques-tions of faith, and to overcomethe compartmentalising of ourlives, which happens when wepursue two or more inconsis-tent paths. Theological educa-

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tion (through KSM or othermeans, such as “Education forMinistry”) is a way of facingthe challenging issues. Bill alsonoted that it’s not enough toobey the great command tolove our neighbours, and togive lip-service to the GreatCommission to proclaim thegospel. Faith becomes genuineand alive only when it is putinto action. Just as Jesusordered his disciples to feed themultitude where they were, so,

Bill Harrison Installed as Principal of Kootenay School of Ministry

BY PETER DAVISON

too, we are called to equip andfeed people wherever we findthem in the everyday settingsof their lives. Ministry, herepeated, is the vocation of allof us by virtue of our baptism.

In his introductoryremarks before installing Bill,Archbishop John noted thatthe Diocese of Kootenay haslong been a trailblazer of newforms of ministry. He hopedthat the Kootenay School ofMinistry would serve, not only

this diocese, but the widerchurch as it faces the chal-lenges of a secular age, and acall to new forms of church.Bill was supported in his for-mal commissioning by the stu-dents at the weekend program,and by the responses of thewhole congregation. TheKootenay School of Ministrycatalogue is available online onthe diocesan website.

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P 5. 60 years ministry —Garwood Russell

P 2. The Vicar of Kokaneeremembers “Dean Clean”

P 8. KAIROS Bannerfor Aboriginal Rights

photo peter davison

KSM First Principal

AFFIRMATION — Dr. Harrison affirms his calling to be the first Principal of the KootenaySchool of Ministry before Archbishop John Privett, students, and the congregation of All Saints.

P 5. 50 years ministry — Ray Bray Papa Thom at Peachland

challenge, but we have devel-oped a new website for the dio-cese and several congregationshave followed suit. Last springwe invited Michael Harvey tolead 2 seminars on “Back toChurch Sunday.” He wasreceived enthusiastically bythose present and Michael hasbeen invited to lead our clergyconference in October.Michael offers a simple, non-threatening approach to invit-ing people to worship with usin our parish churches. Thefourth priority of “EmpoweringMission” has led us to employ apart-time Planned Giving andStewardship Officer to assistparishes in the development oftheir financial capacity for mis-sion. With the help of a grantfrom the National AnglicanChurch we were able to hireDavid Irving and then MichaelKarabelas for this work. It is

SEPTEMBER 2011PAGE 2 THE HIGHWAY

The HighWay is published under the authority of the Bishop of Kootenay and the Synod of theDiocese of Kootenay. Opinions expressed in The HighWay are not necessarily those of the Editor orthe Publisher.

THE

HIGHWAY

EDITOR

Jonn LavinnderSt. Saviour’s Pro-Cathedral723 Ward Street,Nelson, B.C.V1L 1T3Phone: (250) 352-5711thehighway@shaw.ca

Submissions & Deadlines: All articles, advertising and correspondence submitted to The HighWayis subject to editing for length, clarity, timeliness, appropriateness and style in accordance with theCanadian Press. Letters should be limited to 250 words, columns and articles no more than 600words. Please include with all submissions your name, e-mail address and parish, as well as the nameof the photographer, if applicable. Deadline for submissions is the ffiirrsstt ooff tthhee mmoonntthh pprriioorr ttoo ppuubblliiccaa-ttiioonn unless otherwise indicated.

Advertising Policy: The acceptance of advertisement does not imply endorsement by the diocese orany of its principals. Advertisers and advertising agencies assume liability for all content, including text, representations and illustrations, and also assume responsibility for any claims and costs arisingthere from. Display advertising for commercial parties is available in accordance with our ethics and advertising policy.

Advertising material and inquiries should be addressed to the Editor. Payment is to be made inadvance to the Diocese of Kootenay.

Advertising is to be pre-paid to:The Diocese of Kootenay1876 Richter StreetKelowna, B.C.V1Y 2M9Phone: (250) 762-3306Fax: (250) 762-4150

Printed and mailed by printed & mailed by Bowes Publishing, London ON.A section of the Anglican Journal.

Editorial AssistantMicahel Lavinnder

ive years ago inSeptember, at ourDiocesan Synod inCranbrook we identi-

fied and affirmed four priori-ties for our Diocesan Mission.We met together, we prayedand studied, and we discussedthe life of our Diocese. Thesepriorities emerged from ourwork: 1. Living Faith, 2. Growing Churches, 3. Proclaiming Christ, 4. Empowering Mission.They are simple yet powerfulpriorities that focus our minds

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provide support and resourcesto congregations and individu-als in nurturing our spirituallives. We continue to supportthe work of Camp Owaissiand we have launched theKootenay School of Ministryto provide education for layleaders and local clergy. WithGrowing Churches, we haveheld congregational develop-ment workshops in eachregion and in several of ourcongregations. Some individ-ual congregations have devel-oped creative approaches toworship with a particularemphasis on reaching newworshippers and new initia-tives to respond to humanneed have been taken. Ournew Diocesan Centre isdesigned to be a mission cen-tre for the whole of the dio-cese. The priority ofProclaiming Christ has been a

Website: www.anglicanhighway.com

and energies on our CoreMission. The first is aboutstrengthening the faith of everymember of the Diocese; thesecond is about the growth ofour congregations as we seek tomove from a struggle for sur-vival to a vision of a vital mis-sion; the third is the challengewe have in speaking the GoodNews of the Gospel beyond thewalls of our buildings; and thefourth is about financial stew-ardship and developing theresources we need to carry outour mission in Kootenay.

Five years later it is good todo a mission check and seewhere we are in each of thosepriorities. Under Living Faith,the diocese has continued tosponsor EfM as a foundationalopportunity for adult learningand growth in faith. We haveestablished a SpiritualDevelopment Committee to

Privacy Protection: Photographs and articles submitted to The HighWay for publication requiresthat authors and photographers have received permission from parents or guardians of all minors(under 18) that have their names or whereabouts published in The HighWay.

my hope that in the nearfuture we will have a newPlanned Giving person to con-tinue this important ministry.

Our work continues, butin my view these four prioritiesin Diocesan life have helped toguide our mission together andwill continue to do so. It isalways good from time to timein our congregations as well asin our personal lives to taketime for a mission check. Wecan ask what we have set outto do and identify where weare along the path we have setbefore us. As we return to ourroutines after the summerbreak this is a good time for amission check. Thank you foryour commitment to the mis-sion God has given us. Pleasepray for one another and forthe mission we share in theDiocese of Kootenay.

Faithfully, ++ JJoohhnn❑

vividly remember the firsttime I set eyes on theVenerable James AlanJackson. He was uncoiling

his six foot frame out of adiminutive NSU Prinz in theparking lot of St. Andrew’s Trail. Ihad been appointed deacon-in-charge of a burgeoning parish ofseveral hundred souls. As a newAnglican and a new Canadian Iwas feeling my insufficiencies.Bishop Coleman thought I wouldwelcome some help and so hesent Alan Jackson to be with mefor some of his holiday.

He continued to be with meand was the preacher at my ordi-nation the next year.

It was Alan’s aim to frame hisministry within the rule of St.Francis.

His dominating frame andlarge folically challenged craniumled his fellow clergy to see hiscomparison to Mr. Clean. Whenhe became rector of St. Saviour’spro-Cathedral the epithet “DeanClean” quickly emerged.

His early notoriety wasderived from his painting thepews blue at the Oyama church.

He also had some recognitionof being a gourmet cook. This waspainfully dispelled at one visit Imade to his Okanagan rectory. Iwas called upon to take SisterRosemary Ann, SSJD, from theeastern part of the diocese to thewest. We arrived at lunch timeand Fr. Jackson opened a can ofCampbell’s soup for our meal.

Alan loved to give dinner par-ties where persons of differingviews would be invited. He wouldthen stand back and watch hisguests battle it out intellectually.On one such occasion we gath-ered at the Rossland rectory. Alanwanted dearly to appear to be“with it.” He displayed anICHTHUS medallion in a promi-nent place. It was my painfulresponsibility to mention to himthat he had placed it upsidedown.

At the coronation of QueenElizabeth II Alan was in atten-dance. After the tumult andshouting had died down, he wan-dered up toward the high altar inWestminster Abby. Workmenwere already beginning to takedown the hangings and para-ments that were there. He askedif there were any plans for theirdisposal. The workmen wereuncertain but asked if he wouldlike some. The outcome was thathe was able to bring yards andyards to Canada, which was thendistributed amongst the churcheshere. It was also cut into piecesfor apparelled albs. An apparelledalb has 5 components: 2 cuffs, acollar, and 2 rectangular pieces,front and back at the hem. Theselast items are known as licenceplates.

He also had a stint as chap-lain to students at UBC, whichshould not be quickly forgotten.

My finest memory of dearAlan comes from a funeral thathe and I conducted together. Ishall never forget his supremeability to communicate as hespoke to the grieving family. Thisoccurrence will remain with meas a paradigm of engagementwith those with whom Ispeak.

I

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ARCHBISHOP’S PAGE

Mission Check

BY ARCHBISHOP JOHN E. PRIVETT

In My View

Dear friends,

BY JIM HEARNE

“Dean Clean”The Vicar of Kokanee remembers

The Ven. James Alan Jackson

SEPTEMBER 2011 THE HIGHWAY PAGE 3COLUMNS

BY NISSA BASBAUM

t is my impression thatfaithful and considerateAnglicans are still not oftenvery interested in the eccle-

siastical politics of NationalChurch, and even less so in inter-national Anglicanism and theAnglican Communion. Yet overthis summer there have been sig-nificant developments in theAnglican Church (Province) ofCanada and across theCommunion. So at the risk ofputting my readers to sleep, I ven-ture again into same-sex blessings,breakaway parishes, and theAnglican Covenant.

The subject of same-sex part-nerships, as it impacts marriage,civil and otherwise, the ordina-tions of gay non-celibate Bishops,and the way Scripture is interpret-ed have been the pre-eminentstressors of present-day

Anglicanism, and indeed otherChristian denominations. Failureof our church to address this issuedefinitively is leading to growingweariness, and resentment thatseemingly endless dialogue on thetopic is diverting Christian energyfrom living the 5 Marks ofMission, and furthering theGospel in an increasingly disinter-ested world.

In the Diocese of Kootenay,the Bishop’s Task Force on SameSex Blessing has been workinghard and an important Report tothe Bishop is awaited this Fall asthe next step in a long andthoughtful process. For themoment, all signals from theCouncil of General Synod, andacross Canada are that the ACC isnot ready to go beyond anythingbut the limited blessings of civilpartnerships. In fact the Church’srole in acting as agents for theState is open for debate and thereare proposals that the Churchexamine whether or not it shouldstop performing marriages andinstead offer blessings only forcouples who desire a religious

covenant to accompany theirstate-registered union. Indeed,many Anglicans who supportsame-sex blessings still believe theterm “marriage” should apply onlyto male-female unions. There areothers who ask the question “whycivil unions of same-sex couplesare not termed marriages?” andthe time has come for doing so.

In June the Supreme Court ofCanada denied four breakawayparishes in the Diocese of NewWestminster leave to appeal B.C.Supreme Court and Court ofAppeals rulings that the propertyand buildings of those parishesbelong to the Diocese. And ofcourse, a principal motivationbehind this was to protest theactions of the Diocese in approv-ing the blessing of same-sex,monogamous, life-long covenant-ed relationships in defined cir-cumstances and with GeneralSynod support. That this hasoccurred within a church family islamentable; however, such are thestrong feelings of those whobelieve in the literal inerrancy ofScripture, and wish to align them-

selves with so called “trueAnglicans” around the world whobelieve likewise.

The upheaval across theAnglican Communion created bythe same-sex blessings actions, andthe ordination of male, and laterfemale, gay partnered Bishops, ledto the Windsor report in Englandand the subsequent drafting of anAnglican Covenant. I have previ-ously written at length about theAnglican Covenant and my read-ers know that I am opposed toboth its necessity and its purposes.For those who are not decided,the Anglican Church of Canada inJune released to the Church twoimportant documents on the sub-ject for wide discussion and feed-back. Those who wonder what theCovenant is all about should availthemselves of these importantCanadian documents. My concernis that only a minority will do so.

The first resource is a Studyand Consultation Guide preparedby the Anglican CommunionWorking Group for the FaithWorship and MinistryCommittee. It is found on thenational website:http://www.anglican.ca/about/files/2011/06/acwg-study-guide.pdf.This is a well prepared tool forindividuals, study groups, parish-es, Diocesan Councils and Synods

ome people have dogs alltheir lives and knowwhat’s involved with this.Others, like me, decide

late in life to take the plunge intothe animal kingdom and haven’t aclue what pet ownership entails.

The first year we had Oliver,our prized Coton de Tulear —howsnooty does that sound?— itseemed as if everything was up forgrabs. While he was six monthsold when we got him, which madetraining relatively painless, henonetheless possessed a hugecapacity to turn our lives upsidedown and inside out. In particu-lar, we were greatly concernedabout his first trip to the cottage.

In our house in Ontario,Oliver’s favorite pastime was to sitin the bay window and bark atjust about anything or anyonewho dared to cross his path. Thismade the prospect of his presenceat our cottage daunting, what withthe number of squirrels, birds,geese, ducks, seagulls, chipmunksand heaven knows what other

Swildlife we witnessed on any givenday. So daunting, in fact, that themonth before we left for the cot-tage we went crazy just thinkingabout what it was going to be likehaving to control him with all ofthese animals lurking in the neigh-borhood; not to mention thethunderstorms that were the normat least once or twice a holidayseason.

Prior to leaving for the lake,we went to the local pet store inhopes of some solutions to thenasty problems we were anticipat-ing. First, there were “controlling”dog-collars. Besides suggestionsthat these don’t always workbecause the dog is often clevererthan the collar, we decided theprice tag for a mere three weekswas exorbitant. Next, there wasthe “rolling treat ball,” with thesuggestion that if we gave Oliverhalf of his normal food intake inthe morning, then took him for awalk and put the remaining por-tion of his kibbles in this contrap-tion when the jaunt was over, thecombination of the walk and thesearch for any treats dribbling

from the ball would tire him out.The price tag for this option:about seven dollars. We nabbed itand brought it to the cottage,praying fervently that our fears ofhow badly Oliver would behavemight be over-blown and if not,that a walk and the rolling ballwould be enough to occupy andexhaust him.

Not surprisingly, our dogproved all of us wrong. We didn’teven need the treat ball let alonethe expensive dog collar. Exceptfor some occasional barking at apassing chipmunk, he was quitethe quiet little soul. Indeed, whenwe encouraged him to bark at thegeese to scare them away, Oliversadly responded as if he had losthis vocal chords. He even sleptpeacefully through the one thun-derstorm we had!

Expectations. We all havethese and they are often not justlow but frequently flummoxed bythe situations and people aroundus. That first summer at the cot-tage Oliver acted completely outof character and made ourpreparatory fussing seem utterly

ridiculous. Alas, the story exem-plifies the approach that many ofus take towards life in general. Wefret about it, often worrying quiteneedlessly about the possible nega-tive outcomes of every move weare about to make. We respond tolife in somewhat the same way wemight respond to the pieces on achess board; looking aheadtowards the next piece and theone after that, trying to make surethat what we’re about to do won'tultimately leave us being bumpedoff the board. Too often, we planfor the worst outcome andbecause we do this, we lower ourexpectations of what is possible;hence, we lower our expectationsabout life. Admittedly, Oliver hadgiven us plenty of reason tobelieve that our pessimistic out-look about his behavior was inkeeping with his historic conduct.Yet he surprised us, didn’t he?

When my children weremuch younger, both of them sug-gested that optimism was a dubi-ous perspective, leaving too muchopportunity for disappointment.Pessimism, on the other hand,

meant that the only way was up;therefore, providing a greater pos-sibility for satisfaction. How muchmore realistic can you get?Undoubtedly, a “Pollyanna”approach to life has its limitations,and maintaining some element ofrealism has its merits. Yet whenJesus said to his followers, “do notbe anxious about your life, whatyou will eat or what you willwear…” he likely uttered thesewords to people like us who areoften too cautious about thefuture.

With respect to our expecta-tions, particularly as these pertainto both the Church and thechurches in which all of us areparticipant members, Jesus wouldlikely wish that we might raise thebar a notch or two, to incorporatea little more idealism into how webelieve the divine will breathe itsway through our doors. A life thatis pregnant with too many possi-bilities rather than barren with toofew dreams is surely more in keep-ing with a Christ-inspired stance.

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Raising the bar

BY RANDALL FAIREY

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to study the proposed Covenantand give eventual feedback to theCouncil of General Synod for itsrecommendations to GeneralSynod 2013 in Ottawa.

The second importantresource is an analysis of theCovenant from the view of thelegal, canonical, and constitutionalprinciples that apply to theAnglican Church of Canada. Itwas produced at the request ofGeneral Synod by the GovernanceWorking Group:http://www.anglican.ca/about/files/2011/06/GWG-Legal-and-Constitutional-Issues-in-the-Covenant-June-2011-2.pdf. Thisreport asks the key questionsabout the Covenant that need tobe answered before the CanadianChurch can decide to adopt theCovenant or why it should not.Again it invites feedback frominterested Anglicans.

Our Primate, the MostReverend Fred Hiltz, has com-mended the work of these twoimportant groups reportingthrough CoGS and has stated thatwhen the Canadian Church doesmake its final decision aboutwhether or not to adopt theCovenant, it will have done sowith years of prayerful, thorough,and objective consideration.

Commentary

COGS wheels

RANDALL FAIREY IS A DELEGATE

TO THE COUNCIL OF GENERAL

SYNOD AND EXECUTIVE OFFICER

OF THE DIOCESE OF KOOTENAY

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SEPTEMBER 2011PAGE 4 THE HIGHWAY

AROUND THE DIOCESE

n the hushed quiet, as youwalk down the centre aisleof the Nave in St. Saviour’sChurch, eyes uplifted to the

prisms of light cascading from theGood Shepherd window, openyour ears to the whispers from theside aisles, from the multitude ofstained glass windows whisperingnot only their traditional biblestories but the stories of their ded-ications and benefactors. Not onlyare the windows telling the storiesthat they traditionally tell butbeckoning us to ask who werethese people inscribed below?Who are these people recorded inthe plaques attached to the wallsand furniture? From benefactors,long serving parishioners, to therecording of lives lost tragically inaccidents or in war, all are repre-sented. Truly a place of both rever-

ence and memory. Many storiescan be told: how the wife of adirect decendant of Edward lll or atale of devotion and survival onthe winter prairies? Pull up yourchair, lean in close and let theCathedral whisper!

By way of background,stained glass originated as a way tovisually tell the scriptures to a rela-tively uneducated people and insome cases to put the fear of fireand brimstone into those people.The cost of the glass was so highthat it became an accepted factthat most windows were usuallydonated by rich parishioners inmemory of a lost family member,

Ieither through misadventure ornatural causes. This has been truefor St. Saviour’s. All 16 stainedglass windows are memorials, thepictures, scripture and the tag linein memory. For example the mostmagnificent window, the GoodShepherd Window at the end ofthe sanctuary, was donated bySelwyn Blaylock in memory of hisparents whereas the Eperson win-dow, located in the far northeastcorner, was donated in memory oftheir parents by the family, a fami-ly of more modest means.

Memorial plaques also adornthe walls and furniture. They not

only memorialize lives but alsogifts, donations, service andevents including war. Taking allof this in context, the churchbecomes a living history andrecord of not only it’s parishionersbut of Nelson itself.

At least eight of the windowsin the Church, including theGood Shepherd, were producedby Robert McCausland Ltd ofToronto, a firm founded in 1856and still in business today. Themajority of these windows datefrom the 1930s and 40s and thecost of a side window completewith a memorial would beapproximately $350. It wouldthen be shipped to Nelson by railto be assembled by a local con-tractor, usually T.H. Waters. Youcan easily identify which areMcCausland’s by the scroll endsto the memorial words. This sumseems paltry today, especiallywhen examining the quality ofthe art. But, a wage of $20 perweek was common during thedepression and in 1938 a brandnew car could be purchased for$600, which puts the cost in per-spective. It could take upwards of

BY GREG SCOTT18 months from the time ofordering until installation. BrianHolmes, son of the Rev. GordonHolmes, Rector of St. Saviour’sfrom 1936 to 1945, remembers asa younger child attending anunveiling. The window was cov-ered with 2 drapes that weredrawn apart to reveal the windowat the appointed time during theceremony.

Other windows may beattributable to Bloomfield, somemay have been produced locallyby T.H. Waters who created thosein the now Covenant Church onStanley Street. There are alsostained glass windows located inthe basement from the formerRedeemer Church in Fairview.Two joined ones can be seen atstreet level near the stairs. Theother — the main Redeemer win-dow — is in storage. Plaques inthe Narthex and scrolls in theadjacent Memorial Hall are fromother deconsecrated area churchesat Long Beach, Willow Point andagain, the Redeemer in Fairview asis some of the sanctuary furniture.The fact of their existence keepstheir history alive. ❑

A cathedral whispers

rchbishop Privett gath-ered the retired clergyand spouses in theEastern portion of our

Diocese on Thursday, June 16.The gathering took place at St.Saviour’s in Nelson. Following theEucharist, those present enjoyed afine luncheon and engaged ourArchbishop in discussions on “theopen table,” the new DiocesanCentre and their life’s journey assenior clergy and spouses.Archbishop John expressed grati-tude for the number of decades offaithful service amongst thosegathered.

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Retired clergy meet in Nelson

ATTENDEES — Michael Karabelas (left), David Robinson, Heather Karabelas, Patricia Robinson, Randy and Nancy Wood, KarenPidcock, Archbishop John, Colleen Hearne, John Ruder, Jim Hearne, Karen Ruder and Dirk Pidcock.

BY MICHAEL KARABELAS

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Paul’s, Salmo, withSt. John’s,Fruitvale, held its2nd Annual “PigRoast” on Saturday,

June 11 in the Legion Hall inSalmo and was attended byapproximately 80 people. The125 lb. pig was donated byLinda and Harold Hewlin ofWest Core Drilling in Salmoand was cooked to perfectionby Garry Jones also of Salmo.

Along with the pork there wereroast potatoes, beans, salad,coleslaw, buns and of coursedesserts.

There was singing andentertainment by Paul,Kathleen and Joyce, Paul did astand up comedy routine andFletch and Ellen from Trail dida selection of Bahamian songs.A great night was had by oneand all and everyone is lookingforward to doing it again nextyear, so remember to add it toyour 2012 calendar for at $20per person it is a must not missevent.

Second annual pig roast in SalmoBY JOYCE DODDS

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St

Seminar on the stained glass windows of St. Saviour's, Nelson

The following article is an excerptfrom a talk given on the stainedglass windows of St. Saviour’s by thewriter, as part of the ColumbiaBasin, Heritage Tours.

WHISPERER — Greg Scott gives talk on St. Saviour’s windows

photo nelson star

SEPTEMBER 2011 PAGE 5 THE HIGHWAYAROUND THE DIOCESE

he Rev. Canon Ray Bray cele-brated Holy Eucharist in theParish of Armstrong-Enderbyon the occasion of his 50th

year of ordination to the priesthoodMay 15, 2011. Ray, as he is affection-ately known, was ordained in Torontoafter studying for the priesthood atHuron College. Early in his ministry hecame to the Diocese of Kootenay, andhas served faith communities in theDiocese from Chase to Fernie andplaces in between. As Bishop’s commis-sary, Ray tended the diocese whenBishop Fraser Barry was away, and wasan able administrator. He also workedto establish the Sorrento Centre andwas dedicated to Camp Owaissi. Hehad a special way with children andyouth who regarded him with a certainawe. Many attribute their continuingattachment to the faith and the churchto their time working with Ray, asservers or at camp.

He is remembered and loved by

those he shepherded. A goodly numberof parishioners from St John’s, SalmonArm, Ray’s last full-time incumbency,joined parishioners of St George’s,Enderby, and St James, Armstrong, forthe services, and then for lunch at StJames. During the services, a letter ofcongratulations from Archbishop JohnPrivett was read. The Rev. CoryRundell, preacher for the day, spoke ofhow the church has been blessed by thecall of God on Ray for priestly ministry,and his faithful and dedicated response.The service ended with the hymn thatwas sung at St Timothy’s in Torontowhen the newly ordained priest, theRev. Ray Bray, processed from thechurch into the street with the othernewly ordained singing, “Alleluia! Singto Jesus.” The lunch was held in thenewly renovated St James Hall, and thejoyful group expressed their gratitude toRay and Daphne for all they have donefor the parish. A presentation was madeof a card and a purse, a small token ofgratitude from the parish with wishesthat Ray continue to serve God’s peoplefor many years to come.

Celebrating ministry ...

BY CORY RUNDELL

T

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50 years for Ray Bray60 years for Garwood Russell

To Everyone:

hank you all for your kind-ness in observing my 60thpriestly ordination and my85th Birthday. I am so very

sorry to have missed the event. I havenot been so ill for a long time and Ican only hope to be fit in about a weekor so. I thank the parish for the day-light reading standard lamp, somethingthat I really needed because my eye-

sight in not what it was, I do not thinkit will ever recover completely.

I appreciate your prayers on mybehalf. The needs of each of you andof the parishes are continually in myprayers.

May the Peace of the Lord be withus all.

photo joyce dodds photo cory rundell

FROM GARWOOD RUSSELL

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Papa Thom

apa Thom attended St.Margaret’s Church,Peachland, to talk to thecongregation about his

recent trip across Canada regarding hislatest Shepherd’s Pie Tour. Thommakes these tours to benefit the lessfortunate in Canada. When asked whyhe does it, he says, “it is a privilege to

assist those that are often deemedinvisible in our society.” Prior to leav-ing his home town in Peachland, sev-eral fundraising events are held toensure that funds are in place for thesetours. Papa Thom plays his guitar onmany occasions and writes many ofhis own songs. On this occasion, afterhis informative talk, he played andsang with the congregation that wellknown hymn “How Great Thou Art.”

P❑

BY FRANK WARBURTON

photo wendy warburton

CUTTING EDGE — All Saints, Vernon Men’s Group picked 44 lbs of strawber-ries, and sliced and froze them for the next Shrove Tuesday Pancake Supper.

photo peter davison

COLUMNS SEPTEMBER 2011PAGE 6 THE HIGHWAY

BY DOUG HODGKINSON

Movie review

The Tree of Life

way of Grace. Her love for herboys is unconditional. Shereflects: “The nuns taught usthere were two ways throughlife—the way of nature and theway of grace. You have tochoose which one you will fol-low...Grace doesn’t try to pleaseitself. Accept being slighted,forgotten, disliked, and acceptinsults and injuries.”

The creation of the uni-verse and the iconic life of ayoung family in Waco, Texaswould probably be enough fora film but for Malick, that’s justa start! There is also Sean Penn’sadult Jack brooding about themeaning of it all, trying to rec-oncile in his mind his difficultrelationship with his father.(Don’t call me Dad! Call me“father” or “sir”)

Jack is trapped in a worldvery different from his child-hood; all glass, steel, angles,webs, pressures. He’s unhappy,

ike most movies byMalick, this one toois a challenge to fol-low. It is about the

vicissitudes of fate in theO’Brien family of Waco, Texasin the '50s. Malick has a fasci-nation with nature, the genesisof the planet, the dashed hopesand dreams of humanity asseen through this little family.

Malick begins with aquote from The Book of Job38:4,7 (God’s answer to Job’squestioning) Where were youwhen I laid the foundations ofthe earth…when the morningstars sang together and all thesons of God shouted for joy?He continues with enough reli-gious activity that you maywant to cross yourself; tableprayers, a baptism, a funeral,long sermon, private prayers inchurch and many whispered

photography but I sort ofwanted to get on with thestory! Big mistake. That IS thestory and its meaning; TheTree of Life, the web and con-nectedness of creation. Wherewere you…?

O’Brien is a gruff discipli-narian as a father, teachingcompetition, boxing skills,responsibility for chores, roughhousing with all three sons. Hesees himself as an unrequitedmusician. He obviously has tal-ent and might have made it ifhe’d stuck with it but he chosethe factory, family and stability.He wants his boys to be “Allthat they can be.” EspeciallyJack, the first born. It ain’t easybeing a first born and in thebiblical tradition, we don’t dowell.

The film is essentially along meditation on Nature andGrace. O’Brien represents theway of Nature and his wife, the

prayers as Jack and others seekmeaning.

The story begins with theadult O’Brien’s receiving newsof the death of one of theiryounger sons, aged 19. (Themanner of death is notexplained but may be autobio-graphical as one of Malick’syounger brothers committedsuicide while studying guitarwith Segovia in Spain.) Thestory is told then in retrospectfrom the arrival of the threeboys, the buying of the familyhome, O’Brien’s work in theaircraft business, the idyllicchildhood in a safe neighbour-hood with no fences, swim-ming in the local river andreturning home hot and sweatyafter playing all day. But first!Malick has a long sequence ofshots of the forming of theearth, the dividing of thewaters, the development of life,dinosaurs, etc. It is wonderful

taciturn and broody, but heposes to himself questions ofmeaning and purpose. Thefinal scene is quite ambiguous.It could be an image of heaven;it could be Jack’s fantasy aboutwhat it would be like to con-nect with the people in his lifefrom whom he is disconnectedand distant. The scene is abeach and it appears that allthe people in Jack’s life arecrisscrossing the sands greetingand hugging each other.

True to form, Malick pro-vides no answers in this poemon celluloid, but he does pro-vide a broad sweep; from themoment of the Big Bang to thedeath of our own “fragile earth,our island home” and at thecentre of the story: TheO'Brien Family living out thejoys, fears and disappointmentsof humanity.

Written and Directed by Terrence Malick; starring:Brad Pitt (Mister O’Brien), Jessica Chastain (Mrs.O’Brien), Sean Penn (adult Jack O’Brien), HunterMcCracken (young Jack), 2011, 139 minutes

L

You wanted to know

BY PETER DAVISON

What kind ofchurch can welook to in thefuture?

This is a goodquestion whichno one cananswer defini-tively. Some

think the church has a very limit-ed future, but I beg to differ.Despite a steady decline in activechurch membership in the north-ern hemisphere over the last fiftyyears, the churches of the globalsouth are growing exponentially— though not always in wayssome of us would find encourag-ing. Pentecostalism is the fastestgrowing denomination in theworld, and their success appears tostem from their appeal to theheart rather than the head. Insocieties governed by often-oppressive hierarchies they haveoffered encouragement of the spir-it to dispirited people. There is aclue for the rest of us in all this as

Q:A:

Entitled “Why Mindset CanTrump Skillset.” It cites surveysthat indicate in management, ourbasic attitudes are far more impor-tant than our technical skills. Heunderlines three qualities: global,good and grit. In short, we needto be aware of our interdepend-ence with the global movementsaround us; we need to practiseintegrity and kindness; and weneed courage and persistence toovercome adversity.

The church and its traditionhave always reflected our relation-ship with the world around us.Many of the early controversiesstemmed from differences betweenGreek and Latin, and the misun-derstandings they caused. Whencultures meet they force us torethink how we see the world.Today, mass migrations and multi-culturalism have taught us we canno longer be complacently tribaland parochial. We are, whether welike it or not, part of somethingmuch bigger than ourselves.

The cultural shifts created bytechnology and migration havealso challenged us to be receptive,

distinguishes this “triple funda-mentalism,” based on radicalProtestantism, from orthodoxy,which has mostly embraced tradi-tion as a rich and ongoing processof revelation, reflection and action.Fundamentalism, Lind notes, haspoisoned the well of public dis-course and imperilled Americanself-understanding. In his latestbook “The Pope’s War,” formerDominican and now Anglicanpriest Matthew Fox suggests thatPope John-Paul II and his formeraide Cardinal Ratzinger (now PopeBenedict XVI) have systematicallyworked to undo the work of theSecond Vatican Council, whichsaw the church as a conciliar andcooperative community ratherthan a rigid hierarchy. This is, ofcourse, another form of funda-mentalism that challenges tradi-tional Roman Catholic teachingthat councils are supreme evenover popes.

Before we come to any con-clusions about the future of thechurch, let me refer to an articleposted by Harvey Schachter onJuly 4 in The Globe and Mail.

we try to understand the changesin our own society.

To use a military analogy, ithas been said most generals fightcurrent wars based on the assump-tions and techniques of the lastone. The same can probably besaid of politicians, business lead-ers, and those who occupy posi-tions of power in church hierar-chies. We shouldn’t be overly criti-cal of them because most of uscrave certainty and stability. Weexpect our leaders to protect usfrom disruption, and preserveunity and harmony. On the otherhand, “power corrupts,” and partof that corruption is the stifling ofcreative imagination and the dis-couragement of initiative.American social commentatorMichael Lind has recently writtenin Salon.com: 'The increasingly-Southernized American Right hastransferred the fundamentalistProtestant mentality from thesphere of religion to the spheres oflaw and the economy. Protestantfundamentalism is now joined byconstitutional fundamentalismand market fundamentalism. Lind

kind and compassionate to oneanother. Ecumenical and inter-faith conversations are an ongo-ing necessity. They challenge usto grow even as they threatensome of our easy assumptions:and when we honestly face ourdifferences we also discover justhow much we have in common.Interfaith worship is now becom-ing more common, and the dia-logue has recently been extendedto atheists.

What has been called “theemerging church” is characterisedby hospitality, deep conversation,and wariness about rigid dogmaand hierarchy. The task of leadersin such a church is not to enforcerules and stifle creativity, but toencourage the whole people ofGod (which includes those ofother faiths and none) to see thesurprising ways in which “theKingdom of God” is alreadywithin us and among us. Andthis, it seems to me, is what Jesushas been trying to tell us for overtwo thousand years!

What kind of church can we look toin the future?

❑

❑

SEPTEMBER 2011 THE HIGHWAY PAGE 7COLUMNS & CLASSIFIED

ust as I was commit-ting myself to break-ing my own rules andcommending a bookthat is unobtainable,

along comes the internet andsaves the day — this gem isavailable free. Hooray.

So why should you bother? Do you ever long for the dayswhen everything was simpler?Not necessarily those mythicaldays when Good never lost andevil always lost. Not good guysin white hats, but at least onlytwo sides. This is a book aboutthose days, about a far off vil-lage in post WW2 Italy where

BY NEIL ELLIOT

J

Phone: 250-426-8117 Fax: 250-426-8127

EEmmaaiill:: mmaarryywwooooddrreettrreeaattss@@sshhaaww..ccaa WWeebbssiittee:: wwwwww..rreettrreeaattssoonnlliinnee..nneett//mmaarryywwoooodd

MARYWOOD RETREAT CENTRE

821 Westwood DriveCranbrook, BC V1C 6V1

there is a good catholic priest,Don Camillo and a (not sobad) communist Mayor,Peppone. Having foughttogether during the war thesetwo now find themselves onopposite side of most issues.They are frequently happy tosolve disputes by sheddingtheir jackets and using theirfists, or whatever else they findto hand. Think Tom and Gerryand you won’t be far wrong.But there is a simple delight tothis...

Oh! but wait, I have omit-ted the other character, OurLord. Yup! God is as present a

character as the other two —and more real then any visitorfrom outside the village. DonCamillo is in constant conver-sation, debate and even argu-ment with the Lord, and theoutcome of the debate is nevercertain. And that brings me tothe characteristic of the stories.They are full of love; the lovethat brother can have for eachother even whilst they arecheerfully pummelling eachother; the love that a couplecan have for each other even asthey deal with the frustrationsof their own and their partnerslimitations.

PERSONAL DIRECTED RETREAT:OCTOBER 20-27, 2011

OR OTHER DAYS BY ARRANGEMENT.Spiritual Direction in person or by phone

Contact Sister Nina Glinski

The little world of Don Camillo —Giovanni Guareschi

Download from www.StAndrewsTrail.ca

In My Good Books

t’s been a long winter thisyear. I don’t know aboutyou, but I've had enough ofit. I'm not one of those

who likes to get all dressed up togo out in the cold. I’ll leave thatto skiers and snowboarders and icefishers. Canadian Tire commer-cials may laud and glorify thehardy Canadian winter spirit ...but that’s not for me.

I like the warmer weathermuch better. Part of it is that tra-ditionally in summer we slowdown a bit to relax in the out-doors. It’s a good thing to sit orwalk by the lakeshore ... fall asleepin the hammock with a goodbook ... to enjoy outdoor barbe-ques, and so on.

In 1931, Eleanor Farjeonpublished a familiar hymn givingthanks for each new day whichincluded these words: “Praise withelation, praise every morning,God’s recreation of the new day.”The hymn, of course, is “MorningHas Broken.” It was popularizedby Cat Stevens in 1971 in a won-

derful arrangement, which manyof us still remember.

The hymn bids us be gratefulfor each new day as it is born(including, I suppose, crisp winterdays). These last words of thehymn remind us that re-creationis what God does in us. Just as theday is made new every morning,so we too need to seek out timesof renewal. We find all kinds ofways to be renewed, whether it bethrough art, or music, or crafts, orworship, or contact with otherpeople, or other spiritual disci-plines.

It may not be just a summeractivity. After all, we need re-cre-ation throughout the year. Yetsummer provides time and oppor-tunity for us to be renewed amidthe joys and glories of creation inways we don’t find at other times.It’s a time to soak in the warmthof the sun. Sunshine lifts up myflagging spirit and renews myweary soul.

It’s helpful, in this context, tosee the common word recreation

as re-creation. A wholistic perspec-tive sees recreation as one of theways in which God renews us andmakes us whole. Recreation is partof God’s work in us.

At the same time, God’s workin us needs our active participa-tion. Re-creation doesn’t just hap-pen. We can’t just sit back, com-plain about being bored or tiredor weary, and expect God to doGod’s thing. God’s work in us is apartnership. We work with Godfor our healing, and for the heal-ing of the world.

A necessary part of re-cre-ation, then, is to be aware ofwhere God is present and active inthe world. Re-creation is active,not passive. We continue to seekwhere God is at work in our livesand in our world.

I hope this summer was, foryou, a time of soul-restoring re-creation. In your seeking, youfound signs of God’s passionatelove for each of us, for all of us,and for all creation.

❑

I

My more sophisticated col-leagues may find the slapsticknature of this book childish.They may also have reserva-tions about the masculine,patriarchal, nature of the sto-ries. They’d be right, althoughI’d note that the stories do notshow men in the best light, themen here are more like boys inthe playground. And like agood playground, no one evergets hurt, and sometimes peo-ple learn a lesson.

So this is a simple bookabout a simple time. It is abook to pick up when ourcomplicated world of intercon-

necting real and virtual world istoo much to bear, when thereare far too many sides to anyissue and you don’t know whatthe questions are — never mindthe answers — when Godseems a long way away and youcan’t remember the last timeyou heard God’s voice, nevermind what God said. Whenyou get there, to that difficultplace, pick up this book — thisfantasy of simplicity. And laughat Don Camillo, at Peppone, atthe whole world, and at your-self and whatever is buggingyou. And the world will seem abrighter, simpler, betterplace. ❑

BY YME WOENSDREGT

TThhiiss ccoolluummnn hhaass bbeeeenn wwrriitttteenn wwiitthh tthhee iinntteennttiioonn tthhaatt iitt mmaayy bbee rreepprriinntteeddiinn llooccaall nneewwssppaappeerrss.. ffoorr tthheeiirr rreelliiggiioonn ppaaggee.. YYmmee wwiillll bbee wwrriittiinngg aa sshhoorrttaarrttiiccllee eeaacchh mmoonntthh eexxpprreessssllyy wwiitthh tthhiiss ppuurrppoossee iinn mmiinndd.. YYoouu aarree ffrreeee ttoorreepprroodduuccee tthhee aarrttiiccllee wwiitthhoouutt pprriioorr aapppprroovvaall.. DDrroopp uuss aa lliinnee aannyywwaayy..

TThhee EEddiittoorr

Summer Re-Creation

Don’t StopYet ...

ow how many ofyour priests haveheard, “Don’t StopYet...” in worship?

Or, how many have asked yourpriest to keep going during asermon?

It happened at the end ofJune in Christ Church,Cranbrook. What happenedwas this...

A few months ago, theyouth group here had a sessioncalled “Ask Yme” in which I satin a circle, and they were free toask me any questions theywished. It was a marvellousexperience, with some curiousteenagers and wonderful ques-tions.

I mentioned this to a cou-ple of adults, who asked, “Whycan’t we do that? On aSunday?” Accordingly, I put outa box for people to insert theirquestions, and advertised thaton June 26, during the sermontime, I would answer the ques-

tions, and engage in dialoguewith the people. There were 11questions in the box.

I asked someone to settheir timer for 20 minutes (thefirst time I’ve asked someoneto turn their cell phones ONfor worship), and we began.The duck quacked at 20 min-utes, and I mentioned therewere 4 left. Should I leavethem for next time? Or shouldwe continue until they were allanswered.

“Don’t stop!” the congre-gation exclaimed. “Finish thequestions.” So I did. 45 min-utes of dialogue, conductedwith enthusiasm and thought-fulness and laughter (includinga question about open com-munion and the recent deci-sion by the House of Bishops).

It was a wonderful experi-ence. We’ll do it again.

Might this work in yourparish? ❑

BY YME WOENSDREGT

N

SEPTEMBER 2011PAGE 8 THE HIGHWAY

DIOCESE

ery often people cometo our retreat housebecause of a desire for adeeper level of a life in

God. It is so encouraging to workwith folk who actually want togrow spiritually and who are hun-gry for God! That is the founda-tion of a church. A church mighthave pretty ceremonies and a love-ly view, but without a foundationin the Spirit, that church will notsurvive. We have a choice and anopportunity to orient our lives toGod’s presence, to be connected.Without it we are not a church.So we need to be paying atten-tion, to be mindful of the Divine

presence within us. The challengeis how to do that. We are usuallynot taught, or encouraged. Whatwe need is a spiritual practice, oran even bigger term than that: aRule of Life. In the middle of liv-ing our busy lives, we lose ourconnection and our focus. Theawareness disappears. I had a watersystem, that had a gravity feed upthe mountain about half a kilome-tre. When the water level was low,sometimes we would get air locksin the pipe and then we had nowater for a family of five. Fun,fun! I had a piston pump in thehouse and when this happened, Ihad to get down on my knees andprime the pump to get the watergoing again. It could take over anhour. Regularly, in our spirituallives we run low, we get “spiritlocks” and the flow stops. Then wehave to get down on our knees.However, a spiritual practice canbe like priming the pump. We alsohave to ask ourselves what is caus-ing the block? Usually, we don’tget instant results and we live in aculture of instant results. Weexpect instant nirvana and God

V

consciousness. Many people inchurches don’t have any kind ofspiritual practice and rarely pray.They think that’s only for monksin monasteries. Not! Spiritual prac-tice can be frustrating when wedon't get the reliable results thatwe want. When we are running onempty the temptation is to giveup. We need solitude, silence,prayer and an active spiritual prac-tice in order to have a rootedness,a connection with God, so that wecan live in hope that God’s gracewill sustain our souls.

This will require an intention-al approach, some discipline. Weneed a plan. Spiritual growth andtransformation get the back seat sooften. It is about: who do I wantto be and how do I want to live?This spring my wife was busy inthe garden with tomato plants andpeas. They all require support inorder to grow; otherwise they justfall down and rot on the ground.We also need structure in order togrow as we are meant to. In theChristian tradition we call thisstructure a “rule of life.” So, a Ruleis a pattern of spiritual disciplines

which give us direction forgrowth. They are routine, repeat-ed and regular. Anybody who isserious about the spiritual lifeknows the importance of disci-pline. Transformation does nothappen automatically and is notnecessarily a natural process.Where did we get the idea that,when it came to matters of faith,we need only engage in spiritualdisciplines when we felt like it? Arule of life gives us a way to enterinto a process of transformation.

The components of your“Rule” might include some ofthese:1. Listening/discernment/prayer

in silence2. Spiritual reading3. Examination of consciousness4. A monthly 24 hour retreat, or

a periodic longer silent retreat5. Daily scripture reading and

Lectio Divina6. Keeping a spiritual journal7. Healthy body-adequate sleep,

along with good diet andexercise

8. Meditation9. Fasting

BY BRIAN SMITH

10. Regular attendance at church11. Connection to a community

of spiritual friends12. Mindfulness walking/

Labyrinth13. Spiritual direction14. Some yearly training experi-

ence15. Intercessory prayer.

In the formation of a Rulethere are some other considera-tions we need to keep in mind.Some time spent in discernmentwould highlight where God iscalling us to grow. We need to askGod to show us which practicesto adopt. What balance do weneed in our lives? What is keepingus from living fully in the hopethat God has for us? What prac-tices do we find attractive? Whichones do we resist? What is realisticfor us? Which practices suit ourindividual personalities and cir-cumstances? There needs to be abalance between structure andflexibility. It is worthwhile tospend some time looking at andthinking about this if we want togrow in God. ❑

The Rule of Life

THE REV. BRIAN SMITH IS ON THE

DIOCESAN SPIRITUAL

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Highlights Diosesan Council

The Archbishop:� has issued A Pastoral

Statement to Clergyexplaining the NationalHouse of Bishops’ state-ment regarding “opentable,” but also recom-mending a pastoral suppli-cation that would not turnpeople away from theEucharist and would alsoencourage Baptism.

� announced that theKootenay School ofMinistry appointed the Rev.Bill Harrison as Principal.

Diocesan Centre� A detailed Construction

Budget has been presentedand the accepted. Budget is$591,660. In addition tothe contract, the computersystems and software are$5,876.

� Financing will come initiallyfrom Diocesan Funds andreplenished from theexpected sale of properties.Computer systems andsoftware will be paid fromthe 2010 surplus inOperating Expenses.

� Demolition, renovation andconstruction started onMay 24 and are expected tobe completed by September

2011. The ConstructionManager has found costsavings in several suppliersubcontracts. ConstructionInsurance was more expen-sive since the entire build-ing has to be insured.

The CompensationCommitteeParishes have been reminded toconfirm that clergy will beplaced on the new Salary Grid

by January 2012 or present anaction plan as to how theparish will bring clergy ontothe Grid by January 2014.Rental Agreement ofChurch Facilities as Policy� A cover letter will be sent to

each parish explaining thepolicy.

A draft policy on gifts to cler-gy is being prepared.

Highlights from Diosesan Council meeting June 10 at St. James Armstrong

BY HEATHER KARABELAS

BANNER OVER US — West Kootenay banner celebrating National Aboriginal Rights was creat-ed by three churches in Nelson (ACC, RC and ELCIC) and was displayed with hundreds acrossCanada on Parliament Hill asking for the speedy implementation of the UN declaration.

PLEASE SUPPORTThe HighWay

byresponding to theAnglican Journal

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