Hmmm ... lots of views, no comments ... can't be a good sign for actions being taken.

We had something last year if I recall, but I don't see anything on my church's schedule this year.

I did a search for "Prayer for Christian Unity 2014 Vancouver". There might be something I'm not seeing posted by somebody else, but it looks like only 2 Catholic churches and one Lutheran church are hosting events in Vancouver. Did everyone else forget? (well, I forgot :( )

http://bcc.rcav.org/component/content/article/1-latest-news/3462-ecumeni...

I noticed the comment about not sharing the Eucharist, but praying together's okay. Unity? :( Maybe we should pray not to be kept apart by silly rules...for one week, that's supposed to be about unity, at the very least. Everyone should be welcome to do whatever members of the host church are doing. I wonder if that has anything to do with only 3 Vancouver churches doing anything. It's glaringly paradoxical. I would be offended to go to a service about Christian unity and be barred from taking part in some aspect of the service- or if others refused because it wasn't with 'their own'. Some unity. If we can't do that, we're not unified. No need to pray about it- just lift the silly requirements already. That's not something God can do if it's right in front of our eyes and nobody makes the obvious move.

Every year one church in our city hosts a service for this and invites all the others to attend.  I wasn't able to go this year, but I know it was hosted by the Catholics and a Mennonite minister was the guest speaker.

Every year our church teams up with some other churches of various denominations and we celebrate this event.

Ours was this last Sunday evening...

Lasagna dinner and a nice group service 

Regards

Rita

I guess lasagna supper gets around the sharing of communion issue- it's better to share a real meal than a symbolic one that is doctrinally decided, anyway, IMO. That's good.

In Port Colborne, we usually have services every year. It's been going on longer than I've been here - and that's 9 years. It rotates among the churches. We hosted it I think 3 years ago. This year was supposed to be hosted by the Baptist Church, but the ministerial association cancelled this year because of logistical reasons.

How are the relations between churches of different denominations in a given town? Are they generally pleasant? Congenial? Tolerant? Spiteful? All of the above?

Just curious. I always wondered how the groups got along, especially in small towns where everybody knows everybody.

In our smaller communities the various denominations tend to get along in a very friendly fashion.

Some of the larger evangelical churches seem problematic....

Regards

Rita

Hi carolla,

As long as it has been around I have to confess that it always comes as something of a surprise.  In fact, I know (intellectually) that it is always near the end of January.  I just never seem to get that it is a specific week near the end of January.

For better or worse it is about the only "worship" themed bit of mail that comes to the Church that doesn't land on my desk.  It tends to go directly to the WUC (or UCW for you old-timers) representatives.

If we are it is a closely guarded secret.

I'll have to snoop around.

Grace and peace to you.

John

Hi chansen,

It varies.

In St. Anthony, NL the Churches were generational and individuals often, over the course of their lifetime migrated from Church to Church depending upon their need.

The Anglican and United Churches seemed to resonate largely with the older generations.  I guess we were good at the death and dying movements in life.  We also seemed to be the go to churches for second marriages.

The Roman Catholics and the Salvationists seemed to hold onto their own though their numbers were smaller.

The Pentecostals were the happening Church of the younger generations.

Based on observation a typical life looked something like this:

Child A is born.  Infant baptism is a practice only in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and United Churches so if infant baptism was desired that was where one went.  The Pentacostals had a youth pastor so they had a stronger youth program.  As soon as kids were old enough to participate the family would drift to the Pentacostal Church (rarely did they transfer their membership).  When the children graduated from the Pentecostal youth programming and left town to attend university elsewhere the parents would migrate back.

In my five years in St. Anthony I presided over 118 funerals.  My Pentacostal colleage presided over 5.

Of course, funerals in St. Anthony were communal events and all clergy were routinely involved in one way or another.  As I was learning the ropes I observed that every Tom, Dick and Harry in St. Anthony were buried with more clergy present than most Presidents or Prime Ministers.

It wasn't as cordial in Botwood.  

There was less of a diversity and each congregation seemed to meet the needs of each generation with equal success.  No Roman Catholic Church in town (owing to historical hostilities between Romans and Protestants from Europe coming to the Island as it was settled).  

The United and Anglican congregations were fairly interchangeable though both of us clergy were new and spent more energy getting to know our respective congregations rather than each other.

The remaining Christian presence was spread out among the Pentacostals, Salvationists, Adventists and a very small Agape Christian Fellowship.

The Adventists didn't socialize much and the Pentacostal Leadership at the time was, um, inflexible and exercised power somewhat poorly.

I probably will never forget the time we went toe to toe at the Hospital's Chaplaincy Committee meeting about the workload reporting.

It is a long boring story involving accreditation and the expectation that the local clergy who provided all of the pastoral care at the hospital would comply with accreditation requirements.  I refused because I wasn't on the hospital payroll.  He got into a huff about how I had to comply to which I suggested that he fire me because I had no intention of complying.

He got very red in the face and realized he didn't have the power to fire me because A) he was not member of the Hospital Administration and B) I wasn't a member of his congregation or denomination.

Long story short most of the other clergy agreed with me and that was the end of the Pastoral Care Committee.

Visitation and Pastoral Care didn't stop happening.

Here in Ontario I find congregations to be more and more isolated from one another.  Even within the same denomination.

Which is too bad.

Grace and peace to you.

John

That was excellent. Thanks.

Wow. Did the police start looking at you suspiciously?

Hi Carolla -- You posted--

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

I believe this to be a good cause. I am none Denomintional. But will take time next week to knee an pray. -- God Bless.  airclean33

Hi chansen,

No.  We had more elderly Christians in our congregation than the Pentacostals so it really isn't surprising.  What surprised me most was how many were in their 90's.  Growing up in Ontario it was rare to see anyone on the street that old.  Good clean living pays off I suppose.

That said.  The RCMP Corporal heading the detachment and one of the constables worshipped with us regularly so statistically speaking anywhere between 50% to 25% of the local police force was regularly at one of my weekly services.  The best surveillance would be the one you don't suspect so . . . 

The Anglicans held almost as many funerals in the same span of time.  They like us had a lot more senior members so no surprise there either.

When I arrived at Botwood in 2003 I found out that the Salvation Army was on pace for one funeral a week.  They also, unfortunately, had a spectacularly awful turkey dinner in which a number of participants contracted food poisoning.  Rumour has it that at least one person died as a result.  I have no idea if they did that funeral or not.  They finished the year with 54 total funerals.

Less funerals since I came back to Ontario in any given year.  Not that I am complaining.

Grace and peace to you.

John