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Hi <<First Name>> !
After the busy intensity of Octobers around here at CCS, Novembers are sometimes an opportunity to take a breath and think about how we're all going to work together. Students in field orientations, staff in our staff retreat, mentors in their gathering, CCS Friday participants in their reflections and discussions. November is a good time to remember why we do what we do and to recommit ourselves to doing it well. Enjoy this month's Common Threads! -- Scott
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 From the Principal's Desk
I write from my office desk in Winnipeg, at the moment, we are still enjoying decent temperatures with daytime highs around zero degrees.
Part of my duty and joy of being the Principal of the Centre for Christian Studies is to meet donors, supporters, and friends of CCS and update them on what we have been doing. When I encounter people who are unfamiliar with our work, I take the opportunity to introduce the idea of diakonia and our school to them. That was exactly what I have done in a recent trip to Toronto. The main purpose of that trip was to attend the installation service of the Rev. Dr. HyeRan Kim-Cragg as the new principal at Emmanuel College; the first Korean-Canadian woman to be appointed to that position. I made use of that trip to meet donors and friends of CCS for the first time. Let me say I had so much joy to meet and know these wonderful people, many of whom are retired diaconal ministers. On the same trip, I preached at the Toronto Chinese United Church. It is a congregation that I have served, and I know the people well. Many of these have no knowledge of diaconal ministry and CCS. I hope I have stirred up their imaginations about new possibilities in terms of learning and service.
You may have watched the live-streamed covenanting service for Alcris Limongi and I on November 23rd. If you have not, you can still watch it on CCS’s YouTube channel. It was a joyous service where we pledged support and commitment to one another and to the school. We were delighted to hear lovely greetings from the United Church Moderator and General Secretary, and from a member of the CCS Central Council. Like Alcris and I said in prayer during the service, we are thankful for this opportunity to work here. We are diverse, but united by God’s grace of hope and love. Alcris and I presented our respective cultural symbols. When we were placing the items on the table, Lori Stewart, the Centre’s Development coordinator, said this:
“Together with other staff, Central Council members, and students, they join the good team of people to transform the Centre to become a vibrant, relevant, and liberating school of theological learning. While seeking to honour the hard work of past saints and diaconal traditions, they are committed to expand and to enrich the Centre’s ministry of empowerment, reconciliation, and mutual understanding.”
Then the congregation responded with: “All have been called and named by God’s love. All are welcome in this place. Let us work together in harmony.”
May it be so!
Alan Lai, Principal
Centre for Christian Studies
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CCS staff (Scott, Cheryl, Alcris, Alan, Lori) with co-chair Michael Shapcott.
(not shown: Staff members Marcie Gibson and Janet Ross)
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On the Web...
(click a title to read the whole article)
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Members of the CCS community gathered to welcome Alcris and Alan, and staff members committed to mutual support.
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Our CCS Friday presentation at the end of October was on "othering" in the church, with Alcris Limongi.
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Our November CCS Friday presentation focused on the lectionary readings for the beginning of Advent, with guest Dan Epp-Tiessen.
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Join us on Friday, Dec 2, 2022, for an online discussion of this year’s Lambeth Conference in England. The Lambeth Conference is a meeting of bishops in the worldwide Anglican Communion, held every decade. What were the important Lambeth learnings about relating and making decisions in a worldwide communion? In this session we will hear what a Lambeth participant learned and discuss how these insights could inform inter-church and ecumenical relations. Our special guest will be Bishop Geoffrey Woodcroft, bishop of the Diocese of Rupert’s Land.
CCS Friday events are free. Please register to receive a zoom link.
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If you are in the Winnipeg area, please join us for a Christmas open house on Wednesday, Dec. 14th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Chat with the staff. Connect with other members of the CCS community. Get a tour of the building if you like. Pop in and say hi on your way home from work. We’ve decided not to do a whole carol singing thing like we used to do pre-Covid, but we sure would like to see you and give you a chance to meet new members of staff if you haven’t already.
The Centre for Christian Studies is at 60 Maryland St, Winnipeg, MB.
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Prayers
- For the family and friends of Marion Logan who died at the beginning of November. Marion was named a Companion of the Centre in 2013.
- For CCS staff member Cheryl Thiessen and her family on the death of her sister last week.
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Christmas Gift Ideas
Thinking about what to get that special someone?
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Give the Gift of Learning (on purpose)
Do you know someone with gifts for leadership, or a hunger for spiritual meaning, or a commitment to justice, or a desire for reflection? Don't want to just get them a scarf? Why not give them the gift of learning?
CCS's two-week Learning on Purpose course will be offered in Winnipeg, June 19-30, 2023. The tuition cost is $1700. We could even make you a gift certificate if you wanted one! And who doesn't want a trip to Winnipeg in June? It's beautiful!
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The Girl in the Clock
This new poetry collection by poet (and former CCS staff member) Gerry Wolfram, illustrated by artist Rhian Brynjolson, explores the connection of a settler descendant to the land where her grandparents once arrived to claim a homestead. Through the eyes of a young girl we see the generational legacy of colonialism, alienation and the search to find a sense of belonging in and to this place.
“Gerry Wolfram and Rhian Brynjolson have brought their special talents, as poet and as artist, to an unusual conversation. [They] listen patiently to and speak lovingly of a shared creation on the page and in the larger world.… You will delight in the wisdom and empathy in this book, and its readiness to rejoice. Every page shines with a grace and a finesse.”
- Dennis Cooley
Available at Common Word Bookstore, Canadian Mennonite University
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Upcoming Learning Circles
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It’s a good day to give.
While Black Friday and Cyber Monday are the biggest shopping days of the year, GivingTuesday marks something greater. It’s a global movement to do better for each other and the planet, through acts of generosity.
Watch for an opportunity to love CCS generously on Tuesday, November 29. Check your inbox or our facebook or instagram pages on Tuesday.
But if you can’t wait, to celebrate the 10th year of GivingTuesday, CanadaHelps is giving you the chance to amplify your impact. Every donation made between now and November 29th will be entered to WIN a $5,000 CanadaHelps charity gift card that can be used to further support a student at CCS who is called to a life of ministry.
Visit the CCS website on Tuesday, November 29 to donate online.
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Common Threads
