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November 2013 Newsletter | New Direction Ministries
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from the director...

I am amazed as I sit here to reflect on what to share with our newsletter readers. God has been really deepening our sense of community as many connections through our events and bi-weekly gatherings have developed strong friendships and become a system of support and encouragement for one another. Being a sexual minority Christian in the church isn’t always easy. And while New Direction isn’t seeking to replace the role of the church, we are grateful to catalyze connections in safe and spacious environments for people to be honest about the challenges they are facing, to pray with others, and to be encouraged by the ways that God is navigating our journey with us.

In addition to developing friendships, a real sense of community
has developed as people are given the opportunity to use their gifts. In September we ran a Generous Spaciousness Conference that invited many to share their stories, facilitate dialogue groups, lead worship, and participate in extending hospitality to conference attendees. A real sense of ownership is shared by our community to offer the experience of generous spaciousness and engagement with LGBTQ Christians to others in the Christian community.

This was apparent at our Relevant Engagement events as well. For the first time, we held one event in Toronto and a second event in Hamilton. Wes and I were so grateful for the many who stepped up to help make the event a warm time of connection and conversation. Two wonderful evenings of sharing the vision of New Direction to work towards the four core values of generous spaciousness:  humility, hospitality, mutuality, and justice. One pastor in attendance said, “I was so excited to hear your explanation of the values of generous spaciousness – they articulate what we are trying to experience together as a church far beyond how we might address the issue of gay marriage.” What encouraging feedback to receive! We are the church together. LGBTQ Christians are embodying what the church needs to minister in effective ways in our pluralistic, post-Christian, cynical cultural context. The honesty and authenticity of our friends draws us to a place of deeper connection, with God and with each other.  Another guest said, “One of the most authentic "church" experiences I've had in years.”

As groups of us join together to share the message of generous spaciousness we have lots of opportunity to gather for food and conversation. After I’d been at an all-day meeting with denominational leaders from 20+ Evangelical churches in Canada, a bunch of us went to a production of the Laramie Project. Based on interviews with townspeople after the death of Matthew Shepherd in 1998, many of us will remember this horrific crime as one of those moments our collective conscience paused to grieve the reality of homophobia and the dehumanizing dangers that LGBTQ people have experienced. After the play, several of us participated in a panel discussion that I’d been invited to moderate. There were very diverse perspectives in the audience and some passionate perspectives shared.  But the posture of generous spaciousness served us well as we shared our desire for dialogue and acknowledged our connection with one another across our differences. “If I diminish you, I diminish myself.” (Desmond Tutu)  Afterwards, we gathered at a late night café to debrief, share stories, and simply enjoy one another’s company. This past Sunday, after being interviewed in the 3 services of the Meeting House, a group of us shared lunch together. This time, however, while the conversation was great, we learned the hard way that none of us really know what we’re doing when it comes to order dim sum. Just who ordered the chicken feet??

Wes and I are grateful for the many opportunities that we have to connect and be a pastoral presence in people’s lives. The Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Ephesus, “This is why, when I heard of the faith in the Lord Jesus that is present in your community and of your great love for all God’s people, I haven’t stopped thanking Him for you. I am continually speaking to Him on your behalf in my prayers.” He goes on to pray, “Give them minds ready to receive wisdom and revelation so they will truly know You. Open the eyes of their hearts and let the light of Your truth flood in. Shine Your light on the hope You are calling them to embrace. Reveal to them the glorious riches You are preparing as their inheritance. Let them see the full extent of Your power that is at work in those of us who believe, and may it be done according to Your might and power.” (Eph. 1: 16-19)  Please join us in these prayers for the community God is gathering around New Direction. In the coming weeks I will be in Vancouver, Victoria, Calgary, Grand Rapids, Halifax, St. John, Fredericton, and Ottawa. For the east coast trip, we’ll be going with a group of seven of us. What a great opportunity to share the message and build community!  We covet your prayers.
 
Shalom,

generous spaciousness conversations take off...

Last May we presented our first Generous Spaciousness Conference Retreat.  The feedback from that experience was extremely positive, so we decided to share the experience again in a conference format in September.  Again, the opportunity to dialogue in small, yet diverse, groups was highly valued by the participants.  People said:

“I was so moved by hearing the experiences of people unlike myself.”

“The highlight was the open sharing and the courage in my community group.”

“It was cool to see people who I would not normally encounter in a more conservative setting.”


“My expectations were exceeded.  A lot of ground work goes into laying a foundation to make things as safe as possible.  So I appreciate all the behind efforts that prepare for the event.”

“My highlight is being in a sense of family without that looming sense of having to brace myself if the gay topic comes up.”

“A very non-anxious experience.  I felt at home and was blessed to be part of the dialogue with different people.”

“I safely engaged with people more conservative than me.  I think it helped me to see a different point of view.”

“Given that I initially came reluctantly and with negative pre-conceptions, I came away thinking differently and grateful.”

“Highlights:  the worship singing, the keynotes, and the small group dialogues all meshed together well and the Holy Spirit permeated everything.”


I will be facilitating some evenings of dialogue on a smaller scale in Vancouver and Calgary and we will be hosting a full version of the Generous Spaciousness Conference in Halifax.  We are looking forward to planning a GSC for the Ottawa region.  If you would like to explore having us come to your area, please contact us! We are regularly updating our “events” page on the website – check it out for further details. (http://www.newdirection.ca/events/)


pre-order today!

The wait is almost over!! Wendy's book, Generous Spaciousness: Responding to Gay Christians in the Church is due out in May of 2014! You can pre-order your copy today here: http://www.amazon.ca/Generous-Spaciousness-Responding-Christians-Church/dp/1587433559


arts award...

Rob Walker was awarded the John Franklin Arts Award at Relevant Engagement 2013.  Each year we consider submissions that have been made to our Space Between Arts blog (www.thespacebetweenblog.ca) for this award, named in honour of long-time ND board member and arts ambassador, John Franklin.  Rob’s poem, “Evidence to the Contrary” was chosen. Check out his poem here: http://www.thespacebetweenblog.ca/blog/evidence-to-the-contrary/


John Franklin presenting the award to Rob Walker


our mission

To nurture safe and spacious places for sexual minorities to explore and grow in faith in Jesus Christ.

our vision

To see sexual minorities encounter and grow in Christ-centered discipleship marked by radical trust, robust hope, and fearless love.

contact us

New Direction Ministries

PO Box 88039
RPO Levi Creek
Mississauga, ON L5N 8M1

T 416-318-7163

E info@newdirection.ca


financial update

We are grateful to each and every person who has committed financial resources to make our work through New Direction possible!

Relevant Engagement Giving:
Special Gifts: $18,152
Monthly Commitments: $230



annual report

For a digital copy of the New Direction Annual Report that we handed out at Relevant Engagement please click here. (For a higher resolution version please email us at info@newdirection.ca)
 

looking ahead

 
We are anticipating doing another spring retreat.  However, to avoid Mother’s Day weekend, we have had to confirm an earlier date.  Please “save the date” March 28 – 30 to join us again at Crieff Hills for a great time of worship, connection, and fun!  If you would like to share your gifts by leading an affinity group or facilitating a community group, please contact us!  If you would like to see us address a particular topic in a keynote, please let us know – a team will be gathering for a time of brainstorming soon! 

Copyright © 2013 Generous Space Ministries, All rights reserved.
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