Posts by Erin Knight
Manitoba Church on Mission to Bless its Community
Mission statements are wonderful, aren’t they? They tell us exactly what an organization is all about. It proclaims to the entire world, ‘This is why we exist!’ It gives us a clear picture of what motivates a certain group of people to do what they do. For instance, here’s one: “To bring inspiration and innovation…
Read MoreA Deacon’s Work is Never Done!
I hate dust. Yes, hate. I know, I know. Hate is a strong word. But hear me out. As the primary person who cleans our home, dusting is one job that is never done. It’s everywhere – all the time. You can’t get away from it! Everywhere I turn, I see DUST. I see it…
Read MoreDeacons at Classis & Synod… Why it’s not just “Another” Meeting!
Every year in the early part of June, our denomination gathers for what we call Synod. Delegates from each Classis in North America come together to pray, worship, learn, discuss and make decisions that will guide our denomination into the future God has set out for us. On a smaller scale, each Classis in Canada and the US also has its own meetings throughout the year to help churches on a more ‘local’ level live into their mission and work together to build the Kingdom of God. In recent years, a decision was made to allow Deacons to attend both of these larger gatherings as delegates, alongside elders and pastors. This was a hallmark decision as it affirmed the Office of Deacon as being equally as important as the Offices of elder and pastor, the ‘spiritual leaders of the church’.
Read MoreWhat’s Gonna Work? TEAMWORK!
When my kids were young, we watched a wonderful cartoon called the Wonder Pets. Ever heard of it? In a nutshell, the show’s main characters are three elementary school classroom pets — Linny the Guinea Pig, Tuck the Turtle, and Ming-Ming the duckling. They are presented as a trio of heroes who rescue baby animals…
Read MoreENGAGING WITH YOUR COMMUNITY – Part 2; Make Love Your Goal!
Now while Frankie Goes to Hollywood may get credit for our title above, it actually goes back to a verse in 1 Corinthians 14 (RSV): “Make love your aim…” and the ever-popular verses from the previous chapter as well: “If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to…
Read MoreGoing from Good Neighbour… to Great!
“Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there!” I’m sure while reading this line you were singing the jingle in your head, right? It’s a familiar one to many. And what a nice sentiment. As a corporate slogan, it totally works. And why? Because when we read the words ‘good neighbour’, I think most of…
Read MoreENGAGING WITH YOUR COMMUNITY, Part 1 – Why Bacon & Monorails May Not Be Working
Before any church can truly begin to engage with their surrounding community, it’s important to take time to listen and get to know who they are! While this may sound like a no-brainer, I think if we’re honest we can all tell a story from our own personal lives of a time when we didn’t…
Read MoreLearning to Live Out Reconciliation – A DOE Story
(Pictured above: Mike Hogeterp (left) and Jonathan Maracle exchanging gifts and greetings in the indigenous tradition) Anita Hogeveen was one of the participants of “The Dance of Reconciliation” workshop led by Mike Hogeterp (Director of the Centre for Public Dialogue) and Jonathan Maracle at the Day of Encouragement (DOE) held on April 7, 2018, in Brockville, ON.…
Read MoreEquipping Leaders through Encouragement and Learning
(Pictured above: A panel discussing the day’s theme, left to right: Aaron Helleman, on the future in technology; Jonathan Maracle, on reconciliation between indigenous people and the church; Sid Ypma, on the future of the church.) A Day of Encouragement (DOE) is an event held in many regions across Canada. Participants worship together, share ministry stories…
Read MoreListening to Our Communities
As mentioned in our previous blog post, New Month… Same Theme!, we’ll continue looking at listening this month, and in particular, listening to our COMMUNITIES. But perhaps we need to first name what we envision when we hear those words. What does listening to our community LOOK like? Sitting in the mall food court and…
Read More
