News & Views

The deadline for our newsletter, THE SALTSHAKER, is this weekend. Submit your articles about your committee, upcoming activities, report on past events, summer vacations, news and views. Our publisher, Terry Repol and editor, Andrea Rowan are anxious to hear from you. Please copy both of them on your submissions.

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The 2009 Annual Report is now available on line. Being conscious of our environment and making wise use of our resources there will not be a distribution of printed reports. There will be a limited number of printed versions available upon request from the office. So relax, read all the interesting reports highlighting the activities of the past year. Bring any comments or questions to the Congregational Meeting on Tuesday, June 22.

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Daniel Gullotta is a theological student and candidate in the process toward ordination in the Episcopal Church in Australia.  He attended the Common Dreams conference in Melbourne and introduced himself by saying "Hey! We're friends on Facebook!" Which, of course, earned him an instant hug and instant camaraderie!  Daniel's review of my book, With or Without God, was posted on website of The Center for Progressive Christianity in the States.  Here, Daniel reflects on the closing service at the Common Dreams conference.

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" Seeking a healthy balance between self-care and care for others, we share time, energy, talents, wisdom, knowledge, skills, material goods, and our presence with one another in order that we may inspire, encourage, delight, comfort, and help one another."

In this section, we talk specifically of the balance between self-care and care for others. Where does that line get drawn for you and are you comfortable with where it is? Is there somewhere that it might be more healthy for you or helpful for others? If so, are there things you would consider doing in order to move the line closer to where you'd like it to be. 

 

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"We choose love as our supreme value." 

 What's  your definition of love?

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 The word "transcendent" has often been used to convey something beyond us which we cannot attain, maybe because we belong to the natural order and, since it was considered spiritual, we could never grasp it wholly.  If we believe the things we don't understand now, were we to come to understand them, would be found to be natural, too, what does "transcendent" mean? Can we attain it individually? As a community?

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There was some good initial discussion yesterday around unpacking the statement "Everything happens for a reason" and its implications.  Anything to add?  What does that statement mean to you?  Is it positive? Does it give you hope? Or does it infuriate you?

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Video of today's reading and medition is now up on www.warmplace.ca.  Audio is available at www.westhillpodcast.ca or on iTunes (search for West Hill United).

Continue the discussion in this post or on our Facebook page here.

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"It is with a deep sense of awe and joy that we acknowledge the wonder of life in all its dimensions."

Religion is sometimes described as the institutionalization of what were profound and inspirational moments in the lives of individuals or groups.  In their efforts to share what they had come to know, they passed along their experiences with the implication that if you did what they described, you'd get the same experience.  It sometimes left people feeling inadequate if they didn't get that experience or the inspiration they'd been expecting.

Have you ever experienced wonder and been so blown away you just had to share it, but the person with whom you did so didn't have the same response? What was sacred for you was humdrum or insignificant for them? If so, how did that make you feel and did it make you feel differently about the person?

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Beginning June 6th and running for six weeks, we'll be examining the VisionWorks (2009) document that was embraced by the congregation a year ago. Exploring how we interact with ourselves, each other, and the world and how our relationships can be supported, challenged, and enriched by the principles in our VisionWorks (2009) document, we'll engage in conversation here, on our Facebook page, and in person.  Join us as we  wrestle with our ideals and discern how to apply them as a community and as individuals.  Questions will be posted here regularly throughout the next few weeks!

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