Found this on the RSS feed for the United Church web site this morning. Shall we have a discussion?

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This link will take you to the Anglican Church of Canada's website. Rev. Heather McCance is an Anglican priest, based in Toronto and speaks of opportunities for ministry in this medium:

http://www.ministrymatters.ca/current-issue/the-church-and-social-media/

http://www.united-church.ca/minstaff/pastoral/leaves/sabbatical/interim

The funding process has been finalized and as of Dec. 1, 2010, it's on!  Interim ministry personnel may apply for Sabbatical funding: there's a process, and long lead times, but if you're interested, start developing a plan, and some goals and researching Conference committee meeting dates.

After all these centuries have gone by, if you could talk to Jesus today, do you think that he would consider that his ministry was a success?

Any thoughts?

The Christian church seeks to be a community rooted in faith and engaged in the world.

We root ourselves in faith through worship, spiritual practices, caring for each other, and learning together. We yearn to share our faith with those we love and with a world that is hungry for spiritual food. We want our own lives to have meaning, to make a difference for good in God's world.

The lectionary readings (with links) for 24th January, 2010 are:

Toronto Conference is changing their practice around candidates for ministry, designated lay ministers seeking regognition and those seeking admission into the United Church. They will all be interviewed at the end of January by the Conference Interview Board. We invite the prayers from the United Church at large for these women and men offering themselves for service to the church. Their names, recommending presbyteries and their position are listed on the Conference web pahe:

This is a strange question but I read this today "losing a vocation" and I was wondering, how often does this happen in the church. Sometimes or not at all.

Is it a struggle through ministry to feel the passion and the call that they started out with?

If this is too personal, please disregard.

How many churches need to fundraise to meet their budget? Is fundraising half of what you need? Less? More?

When I  was appointed at a large downtown church, there was no fundraising per se. They spent money like drunken sailers and there always seemed to be lots ( May have been a fallacy). Now that same church depends on fundraising and rentals to meet the budget.

The thing that I see missing in their  budget now is ministry. Most of  their volunteer hours are used in fundraising. They are wearing the congregation down.

I know that Jesus shows by example that faith is not without an element of politics.  I also understand that sometimes God calls us to be prophets and to stand up for social injustice.  Why then, with this understanding, do I feel so violated when my Minster lectures on an issue without telling both sides of the said issue?