Talents for God

Legacy Giving: Is It For You?

2011-09-08T11:37:00.000-07:00

Legacy Bible Verses

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 11:29

Legacy giving or planned giving usually means gifts that are made in the later stages of life. They often are larger gifts and are associated with a project or legacy objective. What are some reasons you would consider a Legacy Gift to the church?

If you believe in the Anglican life, and believe that its preservation and nurture into the future are important, then you might make a legacy gift.

If you value the heritage of biblical faith, reason, liturgy, tradition, bishops and synods, and the rich variety of our life in community, then you might make a legacy gift.

If you believe that God calls each of us to greater diversity of members, wider participation in ministry and leadership, better stewardship in God’s creation or the need to challenge attitudes and structures that cause injustice, then you might make a legacy gift.

If you want to respond in love and service and more fully live the life of Christ, then you might make a legacy gift.

When you prepare your will, consider one of these ideas as you plan your legacy gift to the church.

· Adopt the church as an extra child to receive a portion of your inheritance. If you have three children, add the church as a fourth.

· Consider tithing your estate. This means giving 10% of your estate to the faith community.

· Endow your annual gift. Give enough to create equivalent investment income to your annual gift.

· Leave the residual. After you have made all your bequests to family and friends, leave the remainder to the church.

Legacy gifts are a form of stewardship for your lifetime assets; they create a legacy of who you are and they are a way for you to make a permanent difference in the world. Your generosity may also inspire others to give this way.

In caring for future generations, your faithful gift will preserve the traditions you strongly support; your hopeful gift will show that sharing is a core value of Anglicanism; those who benefit from your loving gift will rejoice at your action; your compassionate gift will help to heal the hurts of the world; your gift to the community will help it to continue to thrive; your gift of celebration declares the Grace of God in your life.

Legacy Giving: Is it for you?

Cultivating Compassion

2011-08-22T09:49:00.000-07:00

Legacy Bible Verses

Her filthiness clung to her skirts; she did not consider her future. Her fall was astounding; there was none to comfort her. Look, O Lord, on my affliction for the enemy has triumphed.

Lamentations 1:9

By Glen Mitchell

One of the joys of summer 2011 has been the discovery of the NIV Stewardship Study Bible¹. It is filled with interpretive articles on stewardship that are tied to scripture and the challenges all Christians face living in this consumer culture.

In addition to having a extensive concordance and topical index, it includes a section called “God’s Design for Effective Living” which includes calling, character, compassion, commitment, celebration, commission and conformity. These seven are linked, week by week, with readings and articles.

As I write this, it is August 13 and week 33 so the scripture is Lamentations 1:9 (quoted above) and the topic is compassion. Written in response to the destruction of Jerusalem, this scripture proves to be challenging reading.

Because God’s people were unfaithful their entire world is turned upside down. Not only did they not repent for their behaviour, their prophets were spinning a false story of peace and prosperity. Their deep suffering, spiritually and economically is cause for cultivating compassion.

A key stewardship concern in the Book of Lamentations is human suffering. One doesn’t have to look far to see that this concern is very relevant today. For example, many are dying every day in Somalia from lack of basic things like shelter, water, food and medicine. United Nations data reported in 2010 shows that 81 per cent of the people live in “multi-dimensional poverty. That means that in addition to having poor incomes, they also suffer from poor health and nutrition, low education and skills, inadequate livelihoods, bad housing conditions, social exclusion and lack of participation. There are many more countries throughout Africa and Asia where human suffering is on a scale most Canadians cannot imagine. Closer to home, for example, in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, we can see human suffering. Many of these people suffer the same type of “multi-dimensional poverty” found in developing countries.

Whether it is in the third world or our inner city, how is a Christian to respond? The NIV article tied to the reading above suggests that the Book of Lamentations informs our emotion. It makes us more sensitive to human suffering. It poses three questions that provide a framework for considering action: (1) Why do your emotions need stewarding?; (2) In what ways is compassion an especially important emotion to steward?; and (3) How might compassion move you to meet the needs of someone who is hurting?

One possible answer to the first question is that we need to understand the problem and develop our sense of compassion rather than stopping at being angry or upset by what we see. In the second question, we aim to be Christ-like and that means being compassionate. We need to work on our compassion “index”.

The third question has many possible answers. Some are moved to contribute financially. Others volunteer themselves or take work that focuses on creating solutions.

As Good Stewards, they move from emotion to compassion to action. They get involved in their community; they contribute time and money in the hope of reducing human suffering. Somalia needs your support now.

The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (www.PWRDF.org) is the international development arm of the Anglican Church of Canada. It reports that “the worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa in six decades is currently affecting up to 10 million people. The United Nations describes the situation in the region as the most severe food security emergency in the world today, with the Famine Early Warning Systems Network warning that the response is “inadequate to prevent a further deterioration”. Levels of severe, acute malnutrition in this area, particularly among children, are also of great concern. The mix of drought, skyrocketing food prices, food shortages, and deaths of livestock in large numbers has combined to make this situation a devastating one for millions of people in the region.”

In the Horn of Africa, you can make a difference to the human suffering. PWRDF has launched a fundraising effort to help people in Somalia and the refugees fleeing to Kenya. Some funds have already been sent but much more is needed.

Individual contributions will be matched by the Federal Government until September 16, 2011. Matched funds are put in the East Africa Drought Relief Fund administered by the Canada International Development Agency which will disburse them to agencies like PWRDF that are able to make a difference in the lives of the people affected by the drought. Mail your donations marked “Horn of Africa Drought” to PWRDF, Anglican Church of Canada, 80 Hayden Street, Toronto, ON. M4Y 3G2. To make a credit card donation, call Jennifer Brown toll free at 1-866-308-7973 or donate on-line at www.CanadaHelps.org.

A Closing Prayer: Lord, it is difficult in the face of so much need to steward my emotions properly. Help me to have compassion on the hurting so that I will take your Word to the world to feed hungry bodies and souls.

¹NIV Stewardship Study Bible, Zondervan, 2009, Grand Rapids Michigan.

Gratitude for Abundant Life

2011-06-09T11:11:00.005-07:00

By Glen Mitchell

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.

Colossians 3:16

I call to witness the gratitude of the people that is to come, whose children rejoice with gladness; though they do not see me with bodily eyes, yet with the spirit they will believe the things I have said.

2 Esdras 1:37

GRATITUDE, which dictionaries describe as a feeling of thankfulness or appreciation, is much more for Christians. Gratitude is an act of thankfulness for the abundant life that God provides. We dwell in the word of Christ and we sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to God. We believe so strongly in the Grace of God, that, like the prophets of old, we are grateful for what we know to be a bright future with God.

The interesting thing about being grateful is that it opens the possibility of even more awareness of God’s generous nature. When we are grateful, we realize, even more, that everything we have comes from God. We recognize that the glass isn’t half empty or half full; it isn’t even completely full. Our cup is running over with God’s grace and abundance.

Gratitude is a theological perspective that many have trouble with when life doesn’t go how we want. Every time the stock market drops, or we realize that all we can afford this year is a “stay-cation”, we are inclined to be ungrateful for the many blessings we continue to enjoy.

Perhaps the idea of journaling that The Rev. Donald Schell, founder of St. Gregory of Nyssa church in San Francisco, wrote about recently at www.episcopalcafe.com is the answer. For him it is a new practice and his experience is worthy of note. “For the past two weeks each night after I set the alarm and just before putting my bedside light out, I’ve journaled a short litany of specific “thank you’s.” Literally I begin each night’s journal page - “thank you God for…” and then simply make a new list, thank you’s for eight or ten specific things I’ve experienced or done or seen that day. I’m looking to remember that my life is blest, that all life is blest.”

Schell reports on the research of Robert Emmons, a professor at University of California, Davis, on gratitude. According to the university website, his primary interests are in the psychology of gratitude and the psychology of personal goals, and how each is related to positive psychological processes, including happiness, well-being, and personality integration.”

Robert Emmons’ research on gratitude described an experiment in which he introduced a group to a simple practice that significantly changed participants’ experience of themselves and others’ experience of them. Actually he had three study groups undertake distinct ten-week disciplines of journaling, none of the groups knowing what they other group had been asked to do.

- One group’s daily task was to write a single sentence giving thanks for five things that had happened to them or that they’d been able to do.
- Another group’s task was to write a one-sentence summary of five things that they’d experienced as hassles, things that they were displeased or troubled at.
- And the third group was simply asked to list five recent events that had some impact on them or had made some difference to them.

The group assigned to journal their gratitude reported that they were noticeably happier, more productive, and were sleeping better at night. Their measurable stress indicators (like blood pressure) went down. And they reported family and friends repeatedly asking them what had happened to them that they’d changed so much. Those recording hassles did not show the positive changes, and those in the neutral group showed some changes, but not nearly such big changes as the gratitude group.

Rev. Schell says that he enjoyed his first week of this new practice of journaling. He looks forward to the few minutes’ writing before sleep. He thinks he may feel the small beginning of a valuable shift in his spirit. He writes: “All good. I was planning to reflect more on the practice, what it felt like, and what kinds of things I give thanks for, and then connect it to St. Paul’s repeated exhortation to us to “give thanks in all things.”

My plan is to begin a Journal of Gratitude and I invite you to do the same. Much like the study participants, lets write down at least five things each day that we are thankful for and that we have been able to do. Lets frame the journal in the context of a “Good Steward” which recognizes the joy of believing in God, worshipping, praying, serving others, being generous with our gifts, and giving thanks to God for our abundant life. If you would like to share your experiences, please do so at my blog at www.talentsforgod.blogspot.com.

Thanks be to God.

Taxpayers Give You Help

2011-06-09T09:32:00.001-07:00

By Glen Mitchell

In Canada, all charities are fortunate in that government policy encourages everyone to donate. The federal and provincial governments use a tax credit system to reduce payable taxes when you make a charitable gift.

The first $200 of donations claimed in BC results in a federal tax credit of 15% and a provincial tax credit of 5.06%. This totals 20.06% and results in a $40.12 tax credit on a $200 gift. In other words, your gift actually costs you $159.88.

Assuming you have made a $200 gift, every other gift in a tax year results in a 43.7% tax credit here in British Columbia (29% federal and 14.7% provincial). For example, if your annual pledge to your parish church is $3,000, then the tax credit would be $1,311 and the real cost of your gift is $1,689. The government subsidizes your donation by the tax credit amount. So what this means is that you are not really giving $3,000, but are giving $1,689. The taxpayers of Canada are contributing the rest through your reduced payable tax.

If you wanted to actually give $3,000, what you would do is give $5,328 (the amount the church actually gets) and receive a tax credit of $2,328, resulting in an actual gift of $3,000. This has the advantage of maximizing your donation to the church and maximizing the benefit of the tax credit system.

Tax credits can only be used against payable tax so before they are helpful, you must owe the government money. Sometimes, depending on the size of a gift made, the tax credit may exceed the payable taxes. In this case you can carry forward your tax credits for up to five tax years in the future to use them up.

For example, if your church were conducting a capital campaign and you agreed to give a donation of $10,000. You would qualify for a tax credit of $4,370 and your actual cost is $5,630. If you owed the government $2250 in taxes that year, you could carry forward the balance of ($4,370-2,250) $2,120 to the next year.

If you are a person who pays tax by installments every quarter, then you could calculate the tax credit when you made the gift and reduce your tax payments by the amount of the credit. That way you would benefit immediately from your donation rather than wait until tax rebate time the next year.

Lent: A Time for Reflection

2011-03-14T11:19:00.001-07:00

By Glen Mitchell

We are about to enter into Lent—that time when Christians take time to reflect on their Christian faith and practice, to reflect on their relationships with their faith community, family and friends; and to reflect on their lives and their responses to the needs of their communities.

The Book of Alternative Services calls us to keep a Holy Lent which it characterizes with these six elements: self examination, penitence, prayer, fasting, almsgiving and reading and meditating on the word of God.

We hear so much about “giving up” something for Lent that almsgiving seems somewhat counter intuitive. Many people give up something that they rarely do or have so it can be somewhat disingenuous—we could call that a “Light Lent”.

Taking a step forward, more recently people have taken to “giving up” negative behaviours such as busyness, procrastination, non believing, privilege, gossip or judgmental attitudes. This is a form of discipline that can renew a right spirit and should be encouraged.

Almsgiving is longstanding in the Jewish tradition (see Deut 14:22) and involves supporting priests, the church and the poor. Buddhists have a comprehensive emphasis on alms giving, both to priests, the poor and other life forms.

Giving materially to another is the act of Christian charity we call almsgiving. During Lent the church also calls us first to reorient our behaviour so that we can transform the world for justice and serve the Kingdom which Jesus lived and preached.

We often talk about the giving of time, talent and treasure which are three forms of almsgiving that, for faithful Christians, happen not just in Lent but throughout the year. If we reorient our attitude towards Lent as a time of new beginnings, it is an opportunity for you to take stock of your time and re-commit to using a portion of it for the love of God and neighbour.

Skills and talents are God-given and Lent is a good time to share them as a form of almsgiving. If you are a planner, a fundraiser, an organizer, a cleaner, a care giver or one of thousands of other possibilities, match up your talent with a group or person in need and give of yourself.

Almsgiving is also about sharing wealth. Being generous financially is a central theme in all four of the major religious groups referenced earlier. The bible doesn’t talk about “time, talent OR treasure” but the need for all three.

Lent is a time to begin a new stream of generous behaviour in your faith journey. You could financially support an immediate need or consider some form of life-time legacy gift. A third option is to review your Last Will & Testament and add a bequest to your church.

There is an inspiring story of a man who comes in contact with Peter that can be a model for us. As you begin to consider your approach to almsgiving for Lent, spend time with this scripture passage (Acts 10) and see how it can inform you. Cornelius is a Roman soldier, a part of the foreign power structure, yet he is faithful and generous in almsgiving. He is described as a devout man who feared God with all his household; who gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God.

Even though Cornelius lived and worked in the Roman military culture of the 1st century, he was an actively practicing follower of Christ. It could be much the same for you or me. Today, it is difficult to not be part of the consumer culture of the day, but it does not mean we cannot carry on our Christian belief in generosity.

So as we begin the Lenten season of 2011, you are encouraged to consciously set aside some time each day or each week to reflect on your Christian faith and the ways you do or could live it out in the world. Many parishes offer Lenten programs to help you engage in the reflection and reach a new understanding and intention about your relationship with the dominant culture.

Much like the guest at the banquet who is called to move to a higher, more respected place at the table, almsgiving calls us to put others first – to move towards what theologian Walter Brueggerman calls the “new-self” which responds gratefully to the generosity of our Gracious God. Each of us has to decide how we will apportion our time, talent and treasure in a grateful way.

Many give freely of their time and talent, but returning a portion of God’s treasure, for some, is often more difficult. During your Lenten reflection, consider these questions: How could you embrace the mystery of generosity and gratitude? Will you put on the new clothing of generosity and become the “new-self” in the way you generously participate in your community?

Legacy Bible Verse

When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honour, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host; and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, “Give this person your place”, and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, “Friend, move up higher”; then you will be honoured in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.

Luke 14: 8-14

The Will: Do You Have One?

2011-01-20T16:28:00.001-08:00

By Glen Mitchell

Much to everyone’s surprise, including the weather reporters, it is snowing this morning! It gives me pause to consider how some things can happen suddenly and unexpectedly. Take life for example; who of us hasn’t a story to tell about a good friend who, seemingly in the prime of life, passed on?

Because we don’t really know what might happen, it is important to be prepared—especially when it comes to our estate planning and the disposition of our worldly property and possessions. If you do not have a will, or have not reviewed an existing will in the past two years, I encourage you to add one more New Year’s resolution: write or review (and revise if necessary) your will within the next 60 days.

Many well-known individuals have died in recent times intestate—that is, without a will. For example, Martin Luther King Jr., whose death was remembered this week, surely didn’t expect to die on April 4th, 1968. He was only 39. Or you could consider the lives of Kurt Cobain, Rocky Marciano, Billie Holiday, Sonny Bono or Pablo Picasso—they all neglected to write a will. In the later example, Picasso’s estate taxes were paid by giving a large part of his collection to the French government, viewable at the Musée Picasso.

Now, while we have no estate tax as such in Canada, that is no reason to not prepare a will. Your will provides the legal means to distribute all your assets in the manner you see fit. It also lets you recognize those you love by making bequests (gifts in the will) to family members, friends and causes that are important to you. For example you can use the will to distribute property, possessions and financial assets to your spouse, children, friends, or your parish church and other charities.

Wills also allow you to make statements of importance to you. There are many famous examples of this in literature. For example, Napoleon Bonaparte (d.1821) asked that his hair be divided up and distributed to his friends. Harry Houdini (d.1921) demanded that his wife hold an annual séance so he could reveal himself to her. William Shakespeare (d.1616) wanted his wife to have “his second best bed”. Then of course there is Leopold Tolstoy (d. 1910), who attempted to give all his papers and writings to the Russian people, despite his wife’s objections. This difficult story is captured in the excellent movie currently available in video stores called “The Last Station” with a star cast including Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren.

When you see a lawyer or notary public about writing your will, it is important to be prepared. They will have a series of questions about your assets, debts, and possessions and how you plan to distribute them. They’ll need to know about any charitable donations you want to make and the amounts. To save yourself money in the preparation of the will, spend some time collecting this information. Many lawyers who specialize in will preparation have questionnaires that they use to help clients prepare. They are usually available at no charge.

Distributing your wealth can be done in a variety of ways that, depending on your circumstances, may or may not be appropriate. For example, you can use actual dollar amounts with language like “I bequeath $15,000 to my brother George” or “I give $40,000 to the Parish of St. Glory to God”. An alternative approach is to divide the entire estate available after taxes and funeral expenses are paid, into 100 parts or shares. Then a bequest would be worded somewhat like this: “I give six shares to my niece Veronica” or I give 4 shares to Anglican Initiatives Fund” (AIF). With this approach, you will never actually know how much Veronica or AIF receive because the amount will be calculated by your executor during the administration of your estate. Sometimes will writers combine these two approaches, making gifts of specific amounts and dividing the “residue” equally, by shares, or in total to one or many beneficiaries.

You can also use the will process to establish testamentary trusts. These trusts can be used to set aside assets in a trust which has its own conditions for use and distribution. For example, you could set up a trust for minor children that provided income annually to a certain age and then distributed the assets in the trust at a future time. Sometimes a trust is used to ensure income for a surviving spouse's lifetime and then a charity receives the capital.

Many people leave a gift in their will to the church. This is an important way to ensure that the community of faith you have been part of for many years continues to thrive. Most often, the gift is given for general purposes and the will clause gives the parish leadership free reign to decide how best to use the gift. Others want their gift to be an endowment with income provisions, or it may be given for a specific purpose such as youth ministry or music, etc. If you are thinking about doing something like that, it is a good idea to talk with your parish priest (or me!) first to be certain that your wishes can be met.

Wills can be challenged in British Columbia. A spouse or children may ask the court to overturn an entire will or certain provisions if they feel that you have not provided appropriately for them. There are a variety of gift planning techniques that can help in this regard, to help you achieve your wishes.

One last thing: you will need to choose an “executor” to administer your estate. This is an important job so you need to choose someone you trust completely and name them in the will.

Make 2011 the year you write or update your will. It requires some work, but it will be time well spent. Download a copy of our Legacy Planner or Wills brochure, or please email me or if you would like a copy mailed to you.

Legacy Bible Verse

Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit; be like those who are waiting for their master to return from the wedding banquet, so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks.Blessed are those slaves whom the master finds alert when he comes; truly I tell you, he will fasten his belt and have them sit down to eat, and he will come and serve them. If he comes during the middle of the night, or near dawn, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves. ‘But know this: if the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into.You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.

Luke 12: 35-40

In 2011: "The New-Self"

2010-12-06T11:02:00.000-08:00

By Glen Mitchell

Advent is an excellent time to reflect on what the next year might bring. What? You say!

I know, it is busy—all those parties, expectations and presents to manage. Money is pouring out of your wallet for gifts, food, beverages, trips, and much more. The frenzy of our consumer culture is in full swing from Black Friday until well into January every year.

Take a deep breath; and, wonder about how it could be different in 2011. What would “taking up the cross” be like? Could you become or expand your understanding of what it means to be, a Good Steward next year?

His Grace & Love

Our baptismal covenant promise in the Book of Alternative Services means we accept Jesus Christ as our saviour and we put our whole trust in his grace and love and we also promise to obey him as our Lord. So when we read Mark 8:34-38 we learn that we have to take up the cross, forfeit the life we currently have, and, in doing so, save ourselves and gain the whole world. The baptismal promise also means we give up wicked, shameful things and renounce the evil, corrupting powers of the world. This is what “believing” is all about. So, if one says “I believe”, and knowing what our baptismal promises are, what now?

The “New Self”

Recently, I read a prayer written by the historical religious fiction writer, Stephen R. Lawhead, that will be helpful to everyone aspiring to be a Good Steward. He entitled it “Repentance”:

“Great Light, thank You for waking me from my long selfish sleep. Lead me, my King. I am ready to follow.”

Lawhead’s prayer interprets the words of Jesus in our Mark passage. It shifts the focus away from the “old self” to the “new self”. The new self is a term that the well known theologian, Walter Brueggemann has coined to show how we must consciously choose to change from the old selfish way to the new selfless way. Indeed, he writes that “the task of stewardship is to be reclothed in a self of generosity and gratitude—categories that are a foreign language to the old self.”

Pathways to the “New Self”

Becoming a Good Steward is one pathway to the new self. When we say “I Believe”, then the journey begins towards the new self. It is then that we make some decisions about how we will live our lives more closely linked to our baptismal promise and walk the pathways of the Good Steward.

I Worship…

As Anglicans, we worship God. Every Good Steward, as part of their life story, praises and worships God in communion with our brothers and sisters and in our personal spiritual practices. The Anglican Church has many liturgical resources, wonderful music and spiritual practices such as retreats, sacred walks and pilgrimages to help you know and experience God. The “new self” needs to create space for regular worship and the spiritual disciplines that make us less dependent on self and more dependent on God.

I Participate…

Good Stewards are active participants in their faith community. For them, the pathway of relationships matter. It is a radical departure from the consumer-oriented culture where we are disconnected and lack commitment.

Individualism as the ultimate expression of “old self” is shifting as people search for meaning in community. The Church has practiced community for two millennia. The early Christians participated in community, shared wealth, formed relationships and lived together through the joys and persecutions of their faith in Jesus Christ. In the Church, we find love and support so that, as Good Stewards we safely engage in the church and society. We engage and find joy and participate as the “new-self” in the life of Christ as communities of faith.

I Serve…

A central element of our Christian life is service to each other, to friends and the stranger, in the church and the world. Jesus emphasizes it many times in the Gospels. Anglicans serve God’s mission in the world in many ways. Whether it is our global mission work or the outreach ministries in our neighbourhoods, Anglicans are nurturing and caring for others through many forms of service. Service and mission are strengths of the Church which offer a pathway to the “new self”.

I Give…

Retired Archbishop Douglas Hambidge describes money as “me in miniature”. It describes who we are and what our priorities are. Look at your cheque book – for many it tells the story about your values and priorities in life. What does it say? Is it self-indulgence? Is it sharing and caring? God has given us the precious gift of time to write our story with the many blessings we have: relationships, talents and skills, love and leisure, and wealth beyond our needs. We, wittingly or not, are using all these gifts to live and tell our life story.

One of the chapters in your “new self” biography can be entitled “My Generous Heart”. As Good Stewards we are called to answer the question: “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?” (Psalm 116:12) God is generous to us and as a Good Steward we are expected to respond to God and the needs of others. Being generous is at the heart of Christianity because we believe in God’s continuing generosity towards us. That means we must give and not be afraid to be generous, even sacrificial.

I Thank…

Finally, we are a thankful people, ever grateful for God’s abundant love and bounty to us. Every Good Steward makes time for thanksgiving for all the blessings in their life. If you have doubts, turn to Psalm 104 and experience the abundance of God. With gratitude the psalmist vows to praise God and rejoice in the Lord while s/he has being.

2011—The “new self”

Please give some quiet time during Advent to imagining and planning what your “new self” will look like in 2011. Think of ways that you can be more intentional about being a Good Steward. Write some promises to God about how you are going to walk along the pathways. Pray for God’s blessing in 2011 as you are transformed from the old to the “new self”. Your promises could use this framework.

I am going to be a Good Steward. I believe in Jesus Christ and intend to be transformed into my “new self”.

1. I intend to worship…

2. I intend to participate…

3. I intend to serve…

4. I intend to give…

5. I intend to thank...

Legacy Bible Verse

“34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. ³⁵For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel,^* will save it. ³⁶For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? ³⁷Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? ³⁸Those who are ashamed of me and of my words^* in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’

Mark 8: 34-38

Celebrating 2010: Year of the Seafarer

2010-10-25T10:14:00.001-07:00

First of all, let me say a big THANK YOU to the Parish of St. George for celebrating the 2010 – Year of the Seafarer. Operating behind security fences in Canada’s largest marine port can often cause our ministry to be well off the radar of most people so it is very encouraging to be invited here today to talk about this long established ministry to seafarers in our diocese.

I’ll say more about our work locally in a few minutes but first I want to talk about the job of being a seafarer. What are some of the challenges and dangers they face crossing back and forth across the planet?

Port Metro Vancouver, along with Seattle, Oakland and Los Angeles is situated on the eastern boundary of the largest ocean in the world. In fact, the Pacific Ocean is larger than all the land mass on the planet combined. And these ports provide access to perhaps the richest markets in the world. So seafarers who visit our ports travel vast distances on an ocean that can be anything but pacific and they often experience considerable culture shock as they see what North America is like, compared to their life experience in Asia or Eastern Europe.

AT SEA, PIRACY and crime continue to be a major threat to seafarers. There were fewer pirate attacks worldwide in the first half of 2010, according to the International Maritime Bureau (IMB), but ships remain particularly vulnerable in waters off Somalia where there were 100 pirate attacks. Of those, 27 resulted in actual hijackings, only three less than in the same period last year despite increased naval activity and massive efforts to ensure merchant vessels take adequate precautions.

A total of 196 incidents around the world were reported to the IMB’s Piracy Reporting Centre, compared to 240 in the same period in 2009. This includes 31 vessels hijacked, 48 vessels fired upon and 70 vessels boarded. One crew member was killed, 597 were taken hostage and 16 were injured.

The IMB says the use of firearms, including rocket propelled grenades, was particularly marked in the waters off Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. Together they are still by far the most dangerous region, accounting for more than half of the incidents reported over the past six months.

Until mid-June when the rough seas of the southwest monsoon set in, the pirate gangs were increasingly ranging far out into the Indian Ocean. In July and early August the three hijackings that occurred were in the Gulf of Aden despite the concentration of warships there. In recent days here is just a sampling of continuing piracy incidents I found when looking at the online Piracy Report this week.

Harbour Front: 401 Waterfront Road, Vancouver, BC

In the Karimata Straits, Indonesia, on October 15^th six pirates armed with long knives boarded a crude tanker underway. They took hostage three crew members and forced entry into the master’s cabin. Before escaping the pirates stole cash and personal belongings from the Master and some crew members.

At Bangkok Harbour in Thailand on September 20^th 20 robbers boarded a bulk carrier moored at the dolphin. The alarm was raised by the watchman but the robbers had already escaped with ships properties.

Around 70nm NE of Mombasa, off Kenya on October 10^th armed pirates boarded and hijacked a general cargo ship and took its crew as hostage. It has not been located.

Lest you think this only happens in Asia, at Puerto la Cruz tanker anchorage, in Venezuela on October 7^th, three robbers boarded a chemical tanker at anchor. The watch raised the alarm and the crew mustered. The robbers jumped overboard and escaped with ship's properties and stores in their wooden boat. Peru and Brazil are two other hotspots that report incidents regularly.

Somalia Pirate Negotiator

This may all seem rather distant from us, safe in Canada, but our navy personnel have been in harms way, working with our NATO allies and other nations, playing a significant role in the naval response for the protection of commercial traffic. They also protect the United Nations World Food Program which pirates frequently target and attempt to intercept humanitarian food aid destined for poor countries in Africa.

IN 2010 we are celebrating the centenary of the Canadian Navy, which has played a significant role in defending seafarers against piracy. 5 Canadian destroyers and frigates in recent times have been patrolling at sea and protecting seafarers in the Gulf of Aden and the western reaches of the vast Indian Ocean.

HMCS Calgary on patrol.

So you might say, does any of this really matter to me? Why should I care what happens at sea on the other side of the planet? All this shipping matters a lot because we are an exporting nation and an importing nation. And it is seafarers who deliver and carry our products and goods throughout the world. There is often much anxiety among seafarers visiting our mission who have had a piracy experience or who know their next departure will put them in harms way.

Seafarers working conditions cover a wide spectrum and efforts are being made to make sure that they know their rights and claim them in order to benefit from the minimum working conditions provided for by international conventions. The shipping industry is preparing for the entry into force of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) at the end of next year.

The senior maritime consultant at the International Labour Organisation, Dani Appave, says, “One of the most important ways a seafarer can protect himself is to know what he is entitled to and what is expected from him”. The new legislation sets out the minimum conditions men and women who go to sea can expect from their employer. While a lot of seafarers are already enjoying the benefits laid out in the convention because many ship owners already provide superior conditions of work for their crew, this legislation is necessary to protect many who work in much poorer conditions.

In the early 1980s the industry went through a massive period of change. Container ships became a major force in the industry and technology has transformed navigation and materials handling. Even products like lumber and wheat are now being shipped in containers which shorten loading times. As a result, turnaround times for many ships are as little as 24 hours which means that making lasting relationships at the seafarers’ centres is very difficult. Seafarers work so intensively nowadays that it’s difficult for people who have never been to sea to understand just how difficult it is. If you are employed in a land-based occupation, you can expect to have at least one day off a week. You can go home at the end of the day and socialise with your family and friends. But seafarers don’t have that opportunity.

The new convention provides for ships to be inspected, not only by the flag state but also by port states. This is good for seafarers because it ensures the verification of proper implementation of appropriate conditions of work on a continuous basis. An example is the increased effectiveness of existing hours of work limits. A higher number of detentions of vessels for breach of crew-hours-of-work rules are being reported.

So what does all this have to do with you? At this point, Canadian National Railway is supposed to oblige and rattle the rafters of the church as it rushes by, hauling yet another shipment of grain or potash to Vancouver harbour for ocean shipment. Or it could be the other direction as winter tires and products of all types make their way to eastern markets in Canada and the United States.

Seafarers carry the vast quantities of grain produced by prairie farmers; they carry what coal miners at Elkford produce to stoke the factories of China; and the smelted ores from Trail and Sudbury that end up in cars and computers in Japan; then there are the lumber products from across the land that enable structures to be built throughout the world. Seafarers deliver a large chunk of these products to the world.

At the same time, you and I are importing machinery, automobiles, electronics, games, toys, apparel, bedding, optics and medical equipment, just to name a few – most of which gets here because of seafarers. Our lifestyle is highly dependent on these 1 million workers who are at sea at any given time, somewhere on the planet.

HERE in Port Metro Vancouver, the Mission to Seafarers has been serving the needs of visiting seafarers since 1903. Growing out of a ministry at St. James Church, the mission has operated from two locations on Hastings Street in Vancouver, and from New Westminster and North Vancouver. And according to a photograph we found recently – even from a small bus! We currently have two centres – one on Waterfront Road on Burrard Inlet in Vancouver Harbour and the other at the container and coal terminal at Roberts Bank on the Salish Sea.

In the past twelve months there have been just over 1,900 foreign vessels visiting Port Metro Vancouver. Chaplains working through the Mission manage to visit about two-thirds of those ships. Some are here such a short time – many container ships, for example – that because of the ship’s work schedules, it is impossible to go aboard.

My estimate is that about 38,000 seafarers have spent time here in the last year. Our annual count shows that between 14 and 15,000 of these seafarers visit one of our two centres. In Vancouver Harbour there was a time when we got that many there alone. However with improving conditions on ships and better access to the city itself, we’re not the attraction we once were. We face stiff competition from ship chandlers who now sell phone cards and set up temporary wireless networks so that seafarers can use Skype and other internet technologies to be in touch with loved ones around the world.

Robert's Bank Mission Centre opened in 1998.

At Roberts Bank the situation is quite different. There, every ship that docks gets a visit. Because the seafarers are essential captive in the secure port zone, every night is a full house at the mission in Delta - so much so that we recently added another 800 square feet of space. It is not uncommon for there to be 3 or sometimes four container and coal ships alongside and that means 65 to 80 seafarers are availing themselves of our hospitality every day. They use our wireless, watch TV, play pool, call home, visit with each other, chaplains and volunteers, and shop for necessities at our small store.

The harsher marine conditions at Robert’s Bank, especially in the winter months, means that the original trailer, which was a used construction office when we received it as a gift in 1998, needs to be replaced. Our board is working hard to figure out how to do that in the next few months. We want to be ready as the marine traffic at Delta Port and the port itself, is expected to continue to grow.

Financial speaking, the mission has gone through some tough times in recent years and the board has worked hard to move the organization towards what we expect to be a balanced budget result in this fiscal year. It meant we had to reduce one full time position and our opening hours in Vancouver but we are determined to work within the resources we generate.

The mission receives about 25% of its budget from ship landing fees and we sell a variety of items that seafarers need at a very modest mark up. The rest comes from grants, fundraising programs and donations of one kind or another. The Diocese makes a $14,000 grant every year and we have two major fundraising events – the Seafarers Gala and Cycling for Seafarers that are important fundraisers. We have an endowment at the Vancouver Foundation that provides about 13% of our budget. The balance comes from corporate, foundation, maritime associations, some parishes and individual donors and our ecumenical partners.

One of the major challenges we continue to face is the decline in the number of volunteers. During the past decade the number of people who are willing to spend a few hours a week helping keep the centres open and visiting with seafarers has dropped dramatically. This has had a direct bearing on our budget as we have had to spend additional resources to keep the facilities open at the times necessary to meet the needs of seafarers. There are limits to how much we can afford to spend to do that.

We have some ideas about how to improve the ministry. The next time you drive into the city and take a walk along the seashore in English Bay, you’ll notice ships at anchor – sometimes as many as a dozen or more. Depending on the time of year, some of these ships can wait several days, even two weeks at anchor before they come alongside. Recently I heard of one that was waiting an entire month. During that time the seafarers are largely sequestered aboard. Our Anglican chaplain Rev. Nick Parker would like to be able to visit these seafarers while they wait. We are looking at creative ways to do that. So far we haven’t managed to find one that has a price tag we can afford!

We are not the only Mission to Seafarers entity in Canada. There are centres in Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Quebec, and Ontario. Efforts are underway to work more closely with our colleagues to increase the awareness of Canadians about how dependent we are as a country on seafarers.

Recently I heard a story about a farmer from Saskatchewan who grows two sections of wheat who wanted to come to Vancouver and follow his output to the ship. He thought his production would fill a ship so you can imagine how astounded he was to see how small his output seemed when it was poured into the hold of a grain ship bound for China. We plan to make our story better know with other farmers, transportation companies, big box stores, consumers and Anglicans in all parts of Canada.

Along with the more than 230 Mission to Seafarers centres in ports around the world affiliated with the Anglican Communion, we believe we have a good news story to tell and hopefully people everywhere will respond with their prayers and support.

I would like to close with a brief prayer:

Creator and Father of all, we pray for those who go down to the sea in ships and serve you upon the waters of the world. Bless them and those who serve their needs including the people of this parish of St. George Langley that supports our ministry to seafarers. We pray that they may put their whole trust in you and find in you a strong anchor for their hopes, and so be filled with your peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

2010-10-15T11:05:00.000-07:00

Generous God, we thank you for your many gifts, and we thank you further, that you entrust us with passing on your gifts to others. Grant us grace always to act with bold and fearless generosity, seeing the face of your Son in all of your beloved children throughout the world. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Does the name St. Brendan mean anything to you? Have you heard of his seven-year voyage in search of the Land of Delight? While Brendan is remembered with great affection for his great sea voyages, he also travelled extensively to Wales and Iona, to spread God’s word. Brendan lived mostly in Ireland where he founded some large monasteries. Perhaps the most famous is Clonfert in Galway, where he died in 577.

When he was a young man, he was one of many schooled by Ita, whom he honoured as his foster-mother and adviser. Ita was Abbess of a women’s community at Killeedy, County Limerick where she ran a school for boys. She taught:

Faith in God

With purity of heart;

Simplicity of life

With religion;

Generosity

With love.

St. Brendan once asked Ita what were the three works most pleasing to God, and the three works most displeasing to Him. Ita answered: “Three things that please God most are true faith in God with a pure heart; a simple life with a grateful spirit; and, generosity inspired by charity. The three things most displeasing to God are a mouth that hates people; a heart harbouring resentments; and a confidence in wealth.”

As Good Stewards, we journey down many paths that lead from the statement: “I believe”. Many of them are captured in the response to Brendan’s question that I just read. Let’s hear it again. Ita says: “Three things that please God most are true faith in God with a pure heart; a simple life with a grateful spirit; and, generosity inspired by charity. The three things most displeasing to God are a mouth that hates people; a heart harbouring resentments; and a confidence in wealth.” I am going to to look at three of these ideas this morning.

What does a simple life with a grateful spirit look like? In a world filled with advertisements and alluring images of fine clothing, new cars, exotic vacation spots and much more, there is a strong sense that to reject these consumer-oriented values is to reject society itself – that somehow, the measure of achievement or success is not who we are, but how much we have, and how much we spend.

Is this not what Timothy is referring to in today’s reading? In chapter four, verses three and four, he writes: “For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but, having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths”. We are in that time now – where consumption is the teacher who suits our desires; and the myth is that spending and debt bring happiness.

It seems that our theology of abundance from a gracious God has been subverted by the promoters and sellers who have convinced us that spending and hoarding are the measures of success. I read recently that storage lockers are one of the fastest growing businesses in North America. We’re renting space to hoard stuff we don’t even use. Indeed, in these challenging financial times, we’re urged to spend, spend, spend, just to protect the myth itself – spend, or happiness might end.

What many report is that spending and hoarding do not actually lead to increased happiness. What often happens is that our inability to match our spending and hoarding with the expectations the consumer culture creates actually lead to unhappiness and depression.

So, in this context, what does a simple life with a grateful spirit look like? Is it even possible? If you reject the prevailing social expectations, are you a radical? Are you subverting the social norms? Can we, as Christians, do this – can we live a simple life with a grateful spirit?

Many are trying to live more simply, reducing consumption, eating locally produced food, caring for the environment, re-learning forms of relationship in community. At the same time, they are experiencing gratefulness of spirit as they rediscover the truth – the law that God has written on our hearts. As the Psalmist declares: Oh, how I love your law! It is my meditation all day long.” God’s law is declared sweet to the taste – “sweeter than honey to my mouth!”

Perhaps it is time, as Dan Hotchkiss of the Alban Institute wrote recently, to shift from the vision of the good life where we do as we please, to a more conserving and sustaining vision. Abundance is not a license from God to be selfish and wasteful, but rather, a gracious gift that should be shared among all those who have need.

Numerous studies are showing that people who are religious are happier than those who are non-believers. At least three ways have been identified in which this is true. Religious involvement is a way of gaining social support. In religious groups we find support for each other, and this leads to greater happiness. Secondly, our faith and belief in God cause happiness and life satisfaction to increase because we have a sense about where we are going, and what is important in life. Finally, religious experiences themselves can be very positive. A sense of transcendence - of connecting with God and others - creates a framework for happiness. Religious experiences, particularly when they happen in prayer, are the most powerful predictor of happiness in some studies. Leading a simpler life with a grateful spirit will be strongly supported if we are part of a Christian faith community.

Confidence in wealth is also displeasing to God. This is a corollary form of the prevailing social myth. In addition to spending to be happy, we are hoarding to be confident – as though it provides some form of guarantee or certainty. The dominant culture tells us to take our blessings for granted, to be self-reliant and independent. The dominant culture rejects gratitude, community and interdependence, as values to guide our lives.

Luke says something different. He writes that Jesus said we are to pray always and not to lose heart. We are to pray to, and have confidence in God, who will keep our lives. It is from God that our help comes; it is God who does not slumber or sleep; it is God who will keep our going out and our coming in, from this time on and forevermore.

One of the pathways of the Good Steward is service to our human brothers and sisters - in the church, and in the community. This is the third thing that Ita said God loves: “generosity inspired by charity”. In Timothy today, we who belong to God, will find in scriptural teaching, all we need to be equipped to do good works. Paul says in Timothy, that we are to go out and proclaim the message; to be persistent, whether the time is favourable or unfavourable; to convince, rebuke and encourage; and to have the utmost patience in teaching.

So what does that look like in practice? Yes, we can write cheques, but it sounds like God calls us to do more than that, doesn’t it? Like St. Brendan did, voyaging and visiting Wales and Scotland, we are to “go out” - not stay inside our church buildings, but rather, move back into our neighbourhoods – bringing the Good News and our love. We are to go now, not wait for a better time, but right now, favourable or otherwise! In patience we are to be determined, convincing, rebuking and encouraging. It sounds like a tall order.

The good news is that there are resources available to help us make this journey. As a diocese and as a national church, we have developed strategic plans which identify some specific areas of concern that we as Anglicans are addressing. Our mission statement communicates the idea well. In our diocese, we are “growing communities of faith in Jesus Christ” and we “serve God’s mission in the world”. We are committed to participating fully in our local communities; we are working to address issues of poverty; while at the same time we recognize the importance of nurturing spiritual journeys and welcoming all those who seek God into our midst.

We have also embraced the Anglican Communion’s “5 Marks of Mission”. And, along with many other church denominations, we are supportive of the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goals.

At the beginning of October the diocese hosted a “Serving Our Streets” workshop that helped more than 40 parishes develop ideas and action plans to move back into their neighbourhoods. It was very encouraging to hear the stories and the plans that passionate people developed that day in response to God’s call to “go out”.

Even the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, is calling us to engage our community. Last week he visited Mother Teresa’s tomb in Kolkata in northern India. The next day, in a sermon at St. Paul’s Cathedral, as he marked a global day of prayer for the UN Millennium Development Goals, he urged Christians to see the poverty-reducing millennium goals, not just as a concern for those in government, but as aims that should be pursued within their own communities. He told the congregation that “We want, as churches, to be a community where vulnerable people are safe, where education and nurture are guaranteed, where all have access to justice, where the material world is honoured and properly cared for, where healing is available for all.”

So, we are challenged to lead a simpler life; we struggle to express our gratefulness; we are bombarded with the spending and hoarding messages from the marketplace; we measure confidence in our bank accounts; and we are challenged to go forth into the world and be generous – offering a very different cultural reality to those we encounter.

As Good Stewards, if we are to live in ways that are pleasing to God, we then must deploy our time, our talent and our financial resources by living simply, being grateful and generous, by loving and forgiving our neighbours, and placing our confidence in God. The only possible response to God’s Grace is a willing generosity. As we rid ourselves of pride and envy and individualism, we join in community and foster relationships. There is a clear understanding that if we are to live into our faith, and to strive to be living our lives in a simple, grateful way, then we must be as generous as we can be.

God is pleased, says Ita, when we have faith. Paul calls Timothy and us to soberly endure suffering, to do the work of an evangelist, to carry out our ministry fully. The “our” in this statement is often how we act – working as a group to respond.

However, groups are only possible if individuals decide to make commitments. All of this comes down to a personal choice. What will you do in grateful response to the generosity of our Gracious God? How will you deploy your time, talent and treasure in a grateful way? So, I leave you to ponder the question in Luke’s Gospel today: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

In closing I offer this prayer…

O God, Spirit of righteousness,

You temper judgment with mercy.

Help us to live the covenant written upon our hearts,

so that when Christ returns,

we may be found worthy

to be received by grace into your presence.

Amen.

Homily given at St. Faith's Anglican Church, Vancouver on Sunday, October 17, 2010.

Year C, Proper 24, 21st Sunday after Pentecost

Jeremiah 31:27-34

Psalm 119: 97-104

2 Timothy 3:14-4:5

Luke 18:1-8

A Legacy for God's Mission

2010-09-03T12:05:00.000-07:00

By Glen Mitchell

When a person makes a bequest in their will to the church, what exactly are they doing? Is it a gift to the “institution” we call the church; or, is it a gift to the faith community to which they belong; or, it is a gift to God? Depending on the individual, it might be one, two or all of these.

A gift to the institution often reflects a desire to see it continue by offering a gift to help preserve its traditions and liturgies, or the physical worship places themselves. These types of legacies often support General Synod or diocesan endowments like Anglican Initiatives Fund. Or they might support the education of new clergy or some international project that is meaningful to the donor.

Bequests to the faith community of which the donor is a part (which we call a parish in the Anglican context) can be the local equivalent of gifts to the church. Legacies can ensure that love and hospitality continue; they support outreach work, fund the employment of curates, enable bursaries for theology students, allow improvements to worship space and support many more important purposes.

When a legacy is a gift to God, it acknowledges the original grace God has bestowed on the donor. Our lives are blessed with God’s grace and we are called to be Good Stewards of that life-long generosity. So while a legacy may directly help the institution or maintain the parish, it really is a gift of thanksgiving and gratitude to God and enables God’s continuing mission in the world.

In our Legacy Study Verse, Peter calls on each of us to love, be hospitable and to serve one another using the gifts we have received. We are called to constantly love one another, not complain about the hospitality we offer, and to be servant stewards of God’s grace using our gifts for each other’s benefit. In the context of a legacy gift then, a bequest may support the larger church or the parish but it is really a gift to God’s mission in the world.

Leaving a Legacy

There are a number of ways you could leave a legacy to support God’s mission in the world. Perhaps the most common is a bequest in your will. Others use life insurance or leave the remainder value of a RRIF. Still others set up a trust to administer their gift. This issue of Legacy Bulletin will look only at bequests and the other possibilities will be addressed in a future issue.

A Bequest in your Will

A bequest is really an instruction in your will to your Executor to pay a specific amount or a percentage of the estate’s value or a residual amount (that which is left after all other gifts are made and taxes are paid) to a family member, a friend or a charitable organization like your parish church. A bequest to a registered charity will generate a tax receipt for income tax purposes for your estate. There are a number of forms of a bequest which can be utilized depending on your purposes.

Most common is a general bequest which leaves its use to the discretion of the organization. It could be worded: “I give to the Diocese of New Westminster the sum of $____ to be used for the general purposes of the Diocese at the discretion of the Diocesan Council.”

A more specific bequest might leave a piece of property or other asset to the church or it might allocate the gift for a special purpose. For example, it could state: “I give ___ percent of the fair market value of all Registered Retirement Income Funds and/or Registered Retirement Savings Funds owned by me at the time of my death to the Endowment Fund of the Parish of ____ and direct that the annual income from the endowed gift be distributed for outreach purposes at the discretion of the parish council.”

When a residual bequest is made, the bequest designates all or part of what remains after debts, taxes, expenses and other bequests have been paid. Because of the calculations involved following death, the donor will never know how generous their residual gift has been. It might be worded this way: “I give 50 percent of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate to The Mission to Seafarer’s Society for its own use absolutely.” You could also combine the residual bequest with a specific purpose.

The final form of bequest is known as a contingent bequest. It takes effect only if certain conditions are met. For example, it might say: “In the event that my spouse does not survive me, I give to The General Synod of the Anglican Church of Canada the sum of $____ to be used for its own use absolutely.” Another more complicated approach with this form would be as follows: “If (name/s of primary beneficiary/ies) do/does not survive me, or shall die within ninety (90) days from the time of my death, or as a result of a common disaster, then I give to the Parish of ____ in the Diocese of New Westminster _____ (here you would describe the gift, or percentage or residual, etc.).”

A Power to Vary Clause gives the church the power to use your gift for a different purpose in the event that the original purpose is no longer possible and/or necessary.

If you wish to do any of these things please get in touch to ensure that your wishes can be met and that the bequest provision is properly worded with the name of the church/parish, etc. Of course you should always consult with a qualified legal professional at any time when preparing a will.

Please include a legacy bequest for God’s mission in the world to General Synod, the Diocese or your parish.

How Shall I Repay You?

2010-07-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

By Glen Mitchell

While singing the refrain to the appointed Psalm (116:1, 10-17) last Sunday (11th) I was reminded what an excellent question verse 12 is for the Good Steward to wrestle with. Indeed, “how shall I (you) repay the Lord for all the good things he has done for me (you)?”.

If one maintains an attitude of gratitude then the answer probably comes much more easily than if we believe we’re our own supplier, the sole source of our well-being.

As one with a generous heart, the Good Steward first says “I Believe” and strives to live a life characterized by service, generosity, participation, worship and thankfulness. Let’s spend some time reflecting on how our question in verse 12 can be answered in these contexts.

In October, your Stewardship and Gift Development Committee is emphasizing “service” because a central element of our Christian life is service to each other, to friends and the stranger in our church and in the world. So one of the ways we can repay the Lord is to be a servant—to offer yourself in service by volunteering, by giving of your time and talents to the mission and ministry of your church as it cares and nurtures people in the world. You are welcome to join our “Serving our Streets” Seminar and Rally on October 2nd 2010 at Holy Trinity Church New Westminster to learn more about how to develop servanthood personally and in groups. A link to the on-line registration is available at www.vancouver.anglican.ca.

“I believe therefore I give” challenges us to look at our cheque book—because there we will find the narrative about our values and priorities in life. What does it say? Does it tell a story of self-indulgence or one of sharing and caring? This is probably one of the toughest contexts in which Christians struggle. Because we are living in a consumer society which measures our life values by what we spend, how greedy we are and how much we consume—generosity is actually counter-cultural.

Jesus preached a gospel of radical generosity because he knew what a spiritual difference it made in the hearts of the people. Everyone, even the poorest widow, Jesus knew, had something important to give. Being generous is at the heart of Christianity because we believe in God’s continuing generosity towards us. That means we must give and not be afraid to be generous, even sacrificial.

This is a decision only you can make. You choose to believe and to live in community and share its values of service and generosity. It is not about the “church” convincing you to give, but rather a decision you make to belong and live out the values of the community. Unlike giving to secular charities where you support them—in the church community you “are” them. You share the Good News and live in community, sharing all its ups and downs.

The Good Steward strives to be an active participant of his or her faith community. We’re not talking about a brief Sunday appearance from time to time, or participation at the level of receiving but not sharing community. No, striving to be a Good Stewards means caring about relationships and two-way hospitality. These elements matter. They require a radical departure from the consumer-oriented culture where we are disconnected and lack commitment. The Good Steward is looking for meaning and engagement in community.

The Church has practiced community for two millennia. Early Christians shared wealth, formed relationships and lived together through the joys and persecutions of their faith in Jesus Christ. Many are now realizing the benefits of community and that we humans are social creatures who are fulfilled in relationships, not isolation.

In N.T. (Tom) Wright’s new book, After You Believe: Why Christian Character Matters, the former Bishop of Durham writes about the goal “seeking Christian Virtue” having two habits—holiness and prayer. These first aspects of being a Good Steward can be categorized as holiness, while the ones that follow are forms of prayer.

As Anglicans, we worship God. Every Good Steward, as part of their life story, praises and worships God in communion with our brothers and sisters and in our personal spiritual practices. The Anglican Church has many liturgical resources, wonderful music and spiritual practices such as retreats, sacred walks and pilgrimages to help you know and experience God. To be complete, every Good Steward needs to create space for regular worship and the spiritual disciplines that make us less dependent on self and more dependent on God.

Finally, we are a thankful people, ever grateful for god’s abundant love and bounty to us. We function from a position or attitude of gratitude. Every Good Steward makes time for thanksgiving for all the blessings in their life. If you have doubts, turn to Psalm 104 and experience the abundance of God. With gratitude the psalmist vows to praise God and rejoice in the Lord while s/he has being.

To live the life of a Good Steward in a vital and sustainable way, ongoing attention to these six components are required: belief in God, service to others, generous giving, participation in community, an active worship life and thankfulness for God’s many blessings. This is how one repays the Lord for all the good things he has done for us.

Presiding Bishop Calls Us into Neighbourhoods...

2010-07-07T09:25:00.001-07:00

I was moved by this sermon given by the Episcopal Churches Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori during her tour of Australia. She is clearly calling all Anglicans to renew our community relationships by moving back into the neighbourhood. Details of her trip are located here.

July 2010

Christ Church, St. Lucia, Brisbane, Australia
The Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori
Presiding Bishop and Primate
The Episcopal Church

Greetings from around The Episcopal Church. Today is the day Americans celebrate the beginning of their struggle for independence from England – 234 years of it, to be exact. This annual Independence Day celebration is our reminder of civic freedom. It's also a prayer book feast, a holy day, born out of the awareness that the gospel is most fundamentally about the liberation that God works in Jesus – liberation from slavery to all sorts of sin and bondage.

I gather that Australia doesn't really have anything comparable. The release of transported convicts after their sentences were served, however, must have been met with a measure of rejoicing and a sense that life now held more promise. A ticket of leave was an invitation to cross into freedom. Other kinds of liberation must surely have attended the end of wars in which Australians fought, and the return of soldiers and sailors released from service.

In Elisha's day, the Jordan River would have had a resonance with all those sorts of liberation or release from imperial control, occupation, slavery, prison, or wartime service. The Jordan River marked the border of the promised land, where Egypt's former slaves crossed over into safety and the promise of plenty. The Red Sea crossing began their liberation, but it wasn't finished until they crossed the Jordan into their new home. Naaman's search for healing from leprosy is also a search for freedom from what his skin disease means. In his leprous state, he is unfit for office or leadership – his social freedom is severely restricted.

In the ancient world illness was often understood to be a curse. Healthy people avoided those who were sick, out of fear that they too might be infected or contaminated. Lepers became outcasts, unfit for human society. Throughout the existence of the disease, lepers have almost always been isolated and forced to keep apart from the rest of the community. In Europe in the Middle Ages lepers were so feared that they had to ring a bell and shout, "unclean, unclean" so that others could know and stay away. It's very much like the way in which people with HIV or AIDS are still treated in many parts of the world.

When the bishops of the Anglican Communion and their spouses gathered at Lambeth two years ago, we spent one morning divided by gender – men on one side of the tent and women on the other. The organizers recognized that many of the women present would be unable to speak freely in the presence of their husbands or other men. Indeed, in the small group I was part of, bishops' wives from Africa spoke about women in their own churches whose husbands had died of AIDS. Those widows, even if uninfected themselves, would be pressured by their cultures to return to their husband's village and marry one of his brothers, even if he already had a wife. It was an almost certain sentence of death by HIV. If the widow refused, the husband's family would come and take her children and any land, house, and possessions she might have. If she resisted, they would simply put her out on the street. She had no legal recourse, and the church would not support her in either case – either in becoming a second or third wife or in resisting the cultural pressure to keep her children as a newly single woman. That position of being damned if you do and damned if you don't is a pretty good definition of slavery, and AIDS makes many sorts of slaves.

Naaman goes looking for healing and escape from his sort of slavery when he hears that a prophet in Israel might be able to fix his isolation. He makes a big withdrawal from his bank account, and goes off to find Elisha, expecting that the prophet will be able to heal the great general of Aram, for a price. But Elisha won't even come out to talk to him. The prophet sends a servant to tell the soldier to go wash in the Jordan. Naaman is sorely insulted and turns for home, but his servants gently challenge him – "if he'd asked you to do something difficult, wouldn't you have done your best to take the cure?" So Naaman goes down to the riverside and takes a bath. That river of freedom becomes his release from social slavery.

Would that curing AIDS were so easy. Yet curing the isolation of the leper or the one with HIV is that easy – but it's the supposedly healthy ones who have to wash away their uncleanness. It may take seven repetitions or more, but we're the only ones who can fix the isolation of the leper or the different one – the other. That sort of social isolation or cultural imprisonment is a disease that comes from the supposedly healthy, from those who don't want to be contaminated. Our communities are still pretty well divided up between the haves and the have nots, the white and those of darker hue, the straight and those who aren't. Yet we're all meant to cross over those boundaries that keep some enslaved to others' definitions. We are all invited to bathe in the river of freedom, to be washed clean of the shame of thinking that some are different enough to be pushed out of the community, away from the feast God has set from the beginning of creation.

That's at least partly what Jesus is telling his followers when he sends them out. Travel light – don't bother with all that other baggage. Let go of all the impedimenta that want to tie you down to pre-conceptions, cultural taboos and expectations. Go and proclaim peace. Eat with anybody who offers to share a meal, offer healing to anyone who's hurting, and tell them that God is near. And if you aren't accepted, don't fuss, just move on and try the next person. Healing and reconciling need our active labor and participation. Disciples are supposed to build bridges wherever possible.

Who or what needs healing around here? Who's still enslaved, who needs cleansing, release, and restoration to community? Immigrants? Aboriginal peoples? Those with AIDS or the mentally ill? Who isn't welcome at our tables – atheists? People who come from the other end of the theological spectrum?

There is at least one sort of division that your context and mine share – between the inside and the outside of the church. There are growing numbers of people who think that Christians are bigots, hypocrites, and uninterested in those who differ from them. The only real way to cross over that boundary is to leave these communities of safety and go on out there to find those who think we're unclean. We're going to have to wade into the river, even if, like the Brisbane, it does have a few bull sharks in it. There are far more dangerous creatures walking around on both banks. It's past time to go swimming.

Will you let go of the extra sandals, bags, and preconceptions we so love to haul around? That river of life is filled with healing and freedom – thanks be to God!

Roots Among the Rocks!

2010-06-08T10:20:00.001-07:00

Lots of action at General Synod today. Here is a recap.

The morning began with worship and one of my favourite passages from Mark, chapter 10:46-52 where Jesus asks the blind beggar Bartimaeus: What do you want me to do for you?" It is foundational to the work we are doing in New Westminster around "service".

Then an awesome performance by "Roots Among the Rocks" which is a youth theatre group that will tour Canada in July and August. You can check out their blog here. The performance is about 75 minutes long and these five actors (six during the rap tune) present a series of very telling vignettes about the experience of many in the life of the church.

In the midst of all this we were in the process of electing the Deputy Prolocutor for Council of General Synod. 6 candidates started this horse race and it took three ballots to re-elect the Ven. Harry Huskins from the Diocese of Algoma to the post.

Next up was Episcopal Church of the United States Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori who delivered a warm and kind address for her friends in the Canadian church. She has a big task because the Episcopal Church is not just USA but includes other parts of the world such as Haiti and Taiwan, our diocesan partner, and 11 other areas including Cuba which the ACC is also involved with. The Bishop presented the idea of cooperative mission projects between our two churches and thanked all Anglicans for the more than $2 million we have contributed to relief work in Haiti. She received a very warm welcome by members of General Synod and had to immediately leave to catch a flight to Scotland.

GS adjourned to Provincial Caucuses for the election of our members of the Council of General Synod, now reduced to 28 in number from 42. The rule is two clergy, one of whom must be a Bishop and 2 Laity and 1 youth delegate are to be elected. Because our Bishop Michael had served the maximum two terms he was ineligible and we elected Bishop James Cowan of Diocese of British Columbia. The other clergy person elected was our own Rev. Lynne MacNaughton. The lay members elected were Randall Fairey (Diocese of Kootenay) and Lela Zimmer (Parishes of the Central Interior). The youth delegate elected was Melissa Green, also from the Parishes of the Central Interior.

(The picture above is a shot of the "big screen" - there are two of them in the hall - showing Bishop Sue Moxley of the Diocese of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island speaking to the members of General Synod.

The house is adjourned for the afternoon so we can attend a 3:00 p.m. church service at St. Paul's Parish. This is the oldest church in Canada, having been erected in 1750. Following that we're off to Pier 21 for the formal dinner event of the General Synod.

Synod reconvenes tomorrow morning at 8:45 a.m. ADT and you can watch it live.

General Synod Welcomes Rt. Rev. Mark Macdonald

2010-06-07T12:27:00.001-07:00

We began with prayer this morning and our "Galley Groups", really table groups for bible study purposes, Today's reading was Acts 8:26-38 where Philip baptizes the Ethiopian eunuch. We then discussed the question of how the Holy Spirit, that directed Philip to the south road, is directing the church today? We also struggled with how, if looking from the outside, someone would view the common life of our church: what conclusion do you think they might draw about what we "hold dear"? Tomorrow we read Mark 10:46-52. Why don't you read along.

Shortly after that we were able to stand and welcome the newest member of General Synod - The National Indigenous Bishop, the Rt. Rev. Mark Macdonald. Earlier in the week GS voted to approved membership in GS for this episcopal position (it takes two Synods to make such changes!). Bishop Mark was away in Edinbugh at a conference until last night and it was a joy to welcome him this morning.

Yesterday we attended a huge service to help celebrate 300 years of Anglican worship in this part of the world. Nova Scotia and PEI Bishop Sue Moxley celebrated in a packed hockey rink after a very inspiring sermon by Primate Fred Hiltz. The readings focuses on our love of God, the benefits of our Christian community and the great commission to "GO" into the world. Fine readings for General Synod that is working through many issues that frame what it means to be missional church. The Anglican Journal story is here.

Last night we went as our diocesan delegation for dinner together. It was a great meal at a harbour waterfront location. Ven. Ron and I walked back to Saint Mary's University dorms afterward (about 35 minutes) in the rain and very blustery wind that continued all night with heavy rain and thunderstorms. Today I'm suffering the consequences of something I ate so am feeling poorly at the moment. The last time I had this problem I was in San Miguel, El Salvador. I sense a recovery coming on though!

Great to see Jim and Beverley Stewart here. They have just been to Jerusalem and wanted to stop off on their way home to hear Bishop Suheil and Shafeeqa Dawani speak at lunchtime today. They addressed GS earlier in the week.

The house is adjourned this afternoon for various group meetings on Human Sexuality and another round of Ports of Call. It convenes again this evening at 7:30 p.m.

A Historic and Challenging Afternoon at General Synod

2010-06-04T14:37:00.002-07:00

The General Synod approved the second reading of a series of resolutions that are very historic. The move towards the formal approval of a National Indigenous Anglican Bishop and membership in General Synod that was introduced in 2007 at Winnipeg was approved. It was quite an emotional moment for the house.

A resolution proposed by the Expenditure Committee, chaired by Rob Dickson that essentially said that any resolution that was proposed that had not identified the cost implications of its implementation was to go to the Primate, General Secretary and Prolocutor for consideration and resolution and a subsequent report to the Council of General Synod. A long time was spent on an amendment that was ultimately defeated and the original motion then passed.

The Vision 2019 Team then made a lengthy presentation about the content of the plan after we saw a brief video setting the scene. Watch it here.

The first in a series of resolutions about Governance then came forward. The purpose of the motion A029 was to create a new way to determine the size of General Synod. It proposed to use a formula that was based on attendance at church services. There was much concern that this would mean that many smaller dioceses would lose representation at GS. Many spoke against the resolution including our own Eileen Nurse. There was much concern about the way in which clergy would be counted in this formula and how rural dioceses would be treated. There was also concern about whether counting worship participants was really the appropriate measure in a world where church is being redefined through fresh expressions and other forms of participation.

Each member of Synod has a yellow voting card and the Primate was unable to assure the house that the required 2/3 majority in each house (Bishops, Clergy, Laity) required for the motion to pass was discernible by holding up cards. So a counted voted was demanded which took a bit of time. One of the counters as one of the secretaries of Synod was Ven. Ron Harrison seen to the right doing his counting routine In the end the motion failed so the Governance Group will need to review its work and develop a new proposal.

NB: After supper when the house reconvened it was proposed that a rarely used provision in the procedures of Synod be implemented. The defeated motion, because it was just below the required 2/3 majority will be considered again on Monday June 7 and in the interim period, members will have conversations about ways that the desire to reduce the size of the General Synod could be achieved.

Also in the evening, the Synod voted after much conversation to reduce the size of COGS: Council of General Synod from its current 42 members to 28. It will mean that not every diocese is assured of having a seat on the council. Many members of COGS spoke in favour of a reduction in size to make the executive body of General Synod more effective and efficient and less costly. This motion passed with a large majority in all three houses.

KNEE-CAM Report on Primate's Address

2010-06-04T09:40:00.001-07:00

Primate Fred Hiltz gave his opening address to the General Synod in Halifax this morning. He spoke about many of the topics that this synod will consider over the next 9 days. Among them was the proposed Vision 2019 Strategic Plan that is being proposed. Here is an excerpt of that part of his speech. This is done with a Inspiron mini computer with built in camera/microphone perched on my knee. Full text is available here.

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Check out the digs...

2010-06-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

A brief video tour of a residence room at Loyola Residence at Saint Mary's University.

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Walking Off Lunch...

2010-06-02T12:59:00.002-07:00

Spent the lunchtime reconnecting with national office folks like Ven. John Robertson, Paul Clur and local Halifax planned giving consultant Charles O'Neil. We managed to do lunch at the Lord Nelson Hotel which isn't too far from here. As you might imagine we talked at length about next steps for the department of Philanthropy, now that John is the acting Executive Director. Prior to this I spent the morning plowing through the reports that were sent to every delegate - all 600 plus pages of them. I'm about two thirds of the way! After lunch I was able to register and get my delegate badge and documents so I can be a full participant in the meetings.

Halifax is a beautiful city and especially so today as the sun followed yesterday's heavy rains and it is very pleasant today. So pleasant that I decided to enjoy it a bit with a long walk around the perimeter of Point Pleasant Park. The entrance to the park is only about a ten minute walk from the Loyola residence where many of us are staying.

The photo above was taken from the seashore looking across the harbour mouth to McNabs Island Provincial Park. This park suffered badly some years ago when a hurricane hit the Maritimes and there are lots of trees that still bear the scars of that night. For a sailor these scenes are sweet candy - the only thing better would be to be out there on the boat! There is a lot of wildlife in the park as well as evidenced by this posing mallard.

Sharing the sound space with the birds and breeze however is the near by container terminal where seafarers from many ports bring goods to Halifax the seaport. Much like the Crab Park on Vancouver Harbour's waterfront coexisting with the container ships and cruise terminal, so do the park lovers at Point Pleasant.

Tomorrow is orientation day for new comers so I will be attending that event. We "Galley Leaders" are doing bible studies with our tables so there is a training session for that right afterwards; so the entire afternoon will be devoted to orientations. Then in the evening the official opening worship will take place at the Cathedral Church of All Saints beginning at 7:30 p.m. Friday morning is when the meetings actually begin.

Anglican Foundation Baptism Atlantic Style

2010-06-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

The weather promised arrived big time this afternoon - west coasters would be hard pressed to imagine a heavy rainstorm that lasted several hours. This of course coincided with the beginning of the AGM of the Anglican Foundation at St. Margaret of Scotland Anglican Church on Robie (that's row-bee) Street. Rector, the Ven. Diane Parker welcomed us to the Eucharist with a reminder that the rain was God's gracious blessing.

If not that, then the service surely was with the excellent homily from our Primate Fred Hiltz, and the fiddle playing during the Eucharist. The Primate tackled a tough topic tonight as he spoke about the work of the Anglican Chaplains in the Canadian Forces who have a tremendous pastoral responsibility caring for the spiritual needs of our armed forces community. There are 45 chaplains in the regular force and about 35 in the reserve forces. They are all led by the Bishop Ordinary, Rt. Rev. Peter Coffin who travels widely. The reason for bringing this to the forefront is that the Anglican Foundation has created the new Anglican Bishop Ordinary Trust. The Primate encourages Anglicans to consider contributing to this important new trust to sustain this ministry to the armed forces.

The fiddle player and the base player remained nameless but I'm pretty sure it wasn't Ashley Macisaac. I can't remember ever tapping my foot during communion before! Much clapping encouraged an encore!The Primate said we now knew for certain that we were in Nova Scotia.

The parish put on a fine meal complete with Nova Scotia wines which were excellent. The Primate told the meeting that a new emphasis on membership is planned and the foundation intends to strengthen relationships with Bishops and Dioceses throughout the country. It will also make greater efforts at telling its story. The Anglican Foundation has given out $9.2 Million in grants since the 1950's. The statements reported that they gave out $154,600 in grants and made $270,000 in loans in 2009. Rev. Elizabeth Northcott was announced as a new director of the foundation board and it was great to see her there. Ven. John Robertson who is acting Executive Director of General Synod's Department of Philanthropy was the guest speaker and he talked about the new partnership between the department and the Foundation to develop its assets further. He reminded members that the Foundation's achievements really is a good news story in the church today. Finally, members said farewell to the Very Rev. John vanNostrand Wright who is retiring as Executive Director of the Foundation.

Its 11:03 p.m so enough said. Good night from Halifax.

B2: June 1 in Halifax

2010-06-01T06:24:00.000-07:00

Good Morning from Halifax. This blog is a first attempt at video. Not Golden Globe quality yet but I have hope!

The Beginning...

2010-05-31T18:44:00.000-07:00

Christine dropped me off at the Cambie & 25th Canada Line Station and I was at the airport in 16 minutes. Cost $3.75. Then my bag was 1.5 kilos overweight - cut or pay $75! I rearranged sufficiently to chop it to the 23 kilo limit - and lugged the extra myself. Kinda goofy but I was determined to only bring one suitcase!

Things brightened considerably when Archbishop John Privett came marching down the Airbus aisle and sat across and one up. It was great to chat with him and ride into Halifax in the cab together. We, along with many others, are going to the Anglican Foundation AGM tomorrow evening.

Loyola Residence at St. Mary's University rates on the spartan side but it is perfectly serviceable with mod cons like internet access which allows me to write this from my 13th floor room this evening (10:40 PM ADT). If you have lots of clothes to hang, pack a few hangers as there are only three in my room. There is food service in the cafeteria and also a Tim Horton's in the building although I arrived after it closed tonight. Thus it is the chocolate bar and some quinoa health bars Christine stuffed in my pack for dinner as the nearest pub is a good 25 minutes walk. President's Choice and Sobeys are about 15 minutes away in opposite directions and have adjacent NS LCB stores - not that any of you coming but me cares about food and drink!

I'll write more tomorrow after I have some day time bearings. Blessings to all.

Glen.

Halifax General Synod 2010

2010-05-30T16:49:00.002-07:00

In the morning I'm flying to Halifax, Nova Scotia, to participate as a delegate from the Diocese of New Westminster in the General Synod 2010 meetings of the Anglican Church of Canada. We're also going to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the founding of the Diocese of Nova Scotia & Prince Edward Island.

I'll be blogging regularly to record impressions, comments, results and concerns about the meetings that start on June 3rd. We meet mornings, afternoons and evenings for nine days so it will be very intense. There are any number of important issues to consider including Vision 2019 - the new strategic plan for the Church. We'll also be revising the meeting structure of General Synod, creating a new "Philanthropy" subcommittee, electing many officials of the church.

Drop by often for reports and pictures from the meeting hall and the many worship services we'll hold during the coming two weeks. There will be a bit of time to find the lobster and fine beers of Halifax and I'll do my best to reflect those experiences here too.

Join us in this prayer as we prepare for General Synod:

Loving and Gracious God,
you call us ever to new life in Jesus your Son.
As we reach out to feel your winds stirring in our lives,
be with all members of your beloved Church
as we prepare for General Synod in Halifax in 2010.
Grant us a spirit of generosity and excitement as we prepare together under your gentle leadership,
for yours is the course our souls are charting,
and we glorify you through your Son,
in the power of the Spirit, now and always.

Good Stewards Are Called to Mission & Service: OCTOBER 2010

2010-05-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

The Stewardship & Gift Development Committee is preparing community development resources to help parishes in the Diocese of New Westminster launch or expand current mission and service projects throughout the year. The committee is encouraging your parish to plan to do at least one new "service" project in October 2010. These new beginnings will be supported by the diocesan committee. It will be a resource as you develop mission and service initiatives. Say YES to "Will You Serve?" and commit to SERVICE OCTOBER 2010 as a parish mission and service leader.

Attend our "SERVING IN THE STREETS SEMINAR & RALLY" on October 2, 2010 at Holy Trinity Cathedral in New Westminster. You'll learn the theology of mission and practical community development strategies to help you get started. Bring your entire "Mission & Service Team" and learn the skills needed to plan, resource, implement and evaluate your mission and service plan.

REGISTER FOR October 2 HERE

Holidays: Updated Wills & Insurance

2010-05-14T14:03:00.001-07:00

The furnace is turned off in our parish church on May Day every year just as warmer nights herald the summer holiday season getting into full swing. With equal regularity we should all make sure that our Will and our insurance plans are up-to-date before we head off on sailing expeditions, bike trips, exotic African safaris or cathedral walks in middle-England.

While you are checking your Will, take a few minutes to call your appointed Executor so that he or she knows what your plans are for the summer. Be sure they know where they can find you and the important documents such as power of attorney, representation agreement, insurance papers, the will itself, your safety deposit box key, etc., should they need to do so.

Poor medical coverage while travelling could really harm your estate plan. Whether you are travelling in Europe, the United States or backpacking in Tanzania, you need to be prepared for what could happen. While everyone, despite their age, should consider travel insurance for medical coverage, it is especially important as you get older. If you are travelling in a foreign land treatment can be very expensive and insurance is a relatively inexpensive way to anticipate burdensome expenses that would otherwise be a charge on your assets.

Check your Will, leave a plan and contact information with a trusted friend, ensure your travel insurance is sufficient for the destinations you have in mind, and have a great holiday!

Investing in the Mission and Ministry of the Church

2010-05-14T14:01:00.000-07:00

When you have decided to “Leave A Legacy” there are tools available that make it possible for you to meet your personal, family and community financial goals. A well planned gift can often be a win for you, for your heirs, and for your church.

Using effective, proven and innovative financial planning approaches and the tax savings provisions of the Income Tax Act, you could enable a gift to support the work of the church and provide regular income for yourself and preserve the values for your estate.

The most important step is to start exploring strategies that you can use to leave a legacy for future generations. Donations, proven income strategies and tax advantages can all combine to create a win-win-win for you, the church and your family. These examples illustrate just three of many possible tradeoffs that exist between the different uses of your accumulated savings.

Strategy #1: Make an immediate gift to your church while preserving your retirement income and your family’s inheritance. With $100,000 available, this donor was able to make an immediate gift of $40,000 for an important church project, obtain annual pre-tax interest income of 5% on the original amount and preserve the entire amount for her family as an inheritance. With the help of sound financial advice, she was able to see the benefits from her generosity without risking her own or her family’s financial future.

Strategy #2: Make an immediate and legacy gift to your church while preserving your retirement income. This strategy is for Anglicans who want to maintain or increase the income from their savings and support the ministry of their church with an immediate gift and a legacy gift in support of the future work of the church. This donor utilized $100,000 of savings to provide an immediate gift of $60,000 his church, obtain interest income of 5% on the original amount and provide a legacy gift of $120,000 to support the church beyond his lifetime. This arrangement allowed him to save taxes, increase the size of his legacy gift and support an immediate need of the church.

Strategy #3: Make an immediate and legacy gift to the church while increasing the inheritance for your family. This donor didn’t need to receive income from his savings so the available $100,000 was arranged so that an immediate gift of $50,000 was provided to the mission project at his church. There will be a further $50,000 legacy gift to the church and a $150,000 family inheritance on his death.

These gifts, combining donations, income, and legacy gifts to the church and/or family, are flexible and tax-effective strategies. To work, they utilize assets that are outside your RSP or RRIF and can work with amounts starting at $25,000. Individuals should have a strong desire to support the work of the church, be between the ages of 60 and 80 and in good health. These plans reduce income tax payable and leverage the tax savings into support for the work of the church. They use safe and predictable investments that can provide regular income and preserve funds for the family or the church. For a consultation, please call Glen Mitchell at (604) 684-6306, ext. 218.

When I'm Sixty-Four...

2010-02-10T15:18:00.001-08:00

By Glen Mitchell

Sir Paul McCartney wrote “When I’m Sixty-four” when he was only 16 years old. On June 18, 2010 he’ll be 68!

Sadly the love of his life, Lady Linda McCartney, died, in the prime of her life, on April 17, 1998 at age 56. It is no doubt not what she wanted or expected, yet, it happened.

The good news is—she had a will. She, and Paul were prepared. They had made the wise choice to plan for such an eventuality. In the will, she left her entire estate to her husband and made provision for their four children through a trust. The McCartney’s had very prudently spent the time to sort out their final arrangements.

Now, no doubt, you don’t really want to hear this story, yet, each of us needs to do what the McCartney’s did. What about you? Have you prepared a will?

The important thing to remember about preparing a will is that it lets you make the choices you want to make—it is after all, your last will and testament. In this document you can state how you want your assets and personal affects distributed. You can make choices that coincide with your values about how your wealth and possessions will be distributed amongst family, friends and charitable organizations that are important to you.

There are many other benefits of having a current will. It is an essential step to help reduce the confusion and uncertainty that death brings. It provides reassurance to your family.

A will protects your worldly possessions and ensures that they are dealt with as you have directed. For example, you can make suitable arrangements for minor children, other dependents, even your pets.

The will clarifies for family and friends what your wishes are and who is to carry them out. It may also minimize probate costs for your estate and the effort required by your Executor in managing it.

When you decide to do this, my office has a document that can help you work through the process of preparing a will. You will need to have the services of a lawyer or notary public but our LEGACY PLANNER will get you started.

This 28-page booklet is in its 2nd edition and it has handy sections that list steps you can take before ever talking with a lawyer or notary. For example, you can make lists of every person for whom you have responsibility and list very person you would like to remember in your will. List your assets and material possessions and your debts and assets. If you see a lawyer with all these preparations completed, you will save time and money.

For example think about who you want to be your Executor. Choosing an Executor is important. An executor will act immediately to make any necessary arrangements and take charge of your estate. Most people choose their spouse, an adult child or trusted friend. Some people choose a professional such as a lawyer or trust company. In some cases the Public Guardian and Trust may agree to be your Executor. As you think about how you want to distribute your wealth, be sure and talk with your proposed Executor. You want to be sure that they will agree to take on this important responsibility. Once they have agreed, make sure the Executor knows where to find the will and other important documents.

As you think about your legacy in the community, spend some time talking with your priest about ministries of the church that are important to you. She or he will be pleased to provide you with the information you need to make sure that your desire to give back is tied to a ministry you feel strongly about. I’m reminded of the rubric from the Book of Common Prayer which reminds Anglicans “...to liberally give alms to the poor.” Creating a legacy for your church allows you to continue to give life to the areas of the church community you care about; and to make a witness to your family and friends of what was important and valuable in your life.

Lawyers and notaries public prepare wills, though there are some restrictions on the types of wills that notaries can make. Self-help will kits are available in stores, but mistakes are easy to make and you are taking a risk that a will prepared without professional advice will not do what you want. Will making is an area in estate planning where professional advice is well worth the cost.

Wills in BC must be witnessed by two people who both must be present at the same time you sign your will. A gift made in a will to someone who acts as a witness (or to their spouse) is invalid. A handwritten will, not witnessed, is not usually valid in BC.

Should you unfortunately not have a will at the time of your demise, the law in BC deems you intestate. Then the Public Guardian & Trustee decides what is to be done with your assets in accordance with the laws of the province. I’ve never met any one who wants things to turn out this way but there is only one way to avoid it: write a will.

If you have already prepared a will, when did you last review it to ensure it meets your wishes and the needs of your family? It is a good idea to review it every two years to make sure that it continues to reflect your life and wishes. If you want to change something you can ad a “codicil”. If you’ve not prepared a will why not make 2010 the year you get it done?

LEGACY PLANNER also has information about Representation Agreements and Enduring Power of Attorney. An entire section is devoted to helping you plan your last rites, record your important financial and documentation information, and pen some words of final reflection.

For a hard copy, call or email me at the addresses to the right. Copies are also available at your parish church. Or you can download a PDF file at the diocesan website at this address:

http://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=fC9MLmSvF%2bA%3d&tabid=63&mid=421

Vision & Legacy

2010-01-25T15:21:00.000-08:00

By Glen Mitchell

In the Acts of the Apostles, we read about Paul’s vision of the man of Macedonia calling for help (Acts 16: 9-10). Many of us, like Paul, would immediately respond, convinced that God was calling us to action.

As I’m writing this I cannot help but connect the message in this legacy study verse with the horror in Haiti this week. We are called to help and the generous response of so many is a good reason to thank God.

While there is much to be thankful for in these responses, I want to spend some time reflecting on the ways in which a faith community can create the framework for a longer term strategy—one that is more deliberate and not dependent on a tragedy to jump start generosity.

It is a good idea to regularly assess how a parish planned giving program is going. It enables the parish to determine whether the program is as effective as it could be.

Here are a series of questions for a parish and its membership to consider in assessing the effectiveness of your gift planning program.

Foremost, does the parish have a well known and visible parish vision? Is it clear to the parish leadership and the members of the community what the long term objectives are? Are the programs related to legacy giving and development of financial resources tied to the mission focus of the parish?

Does the parish clergy team actively share the parish vision and communicate the importance of the gift planning program in the parish community? Is the conversation about legacy giving integrated into the stories and life of the parish?

Is there a dedicated planned giving team in place? Every component of a community requires leadership and so does legacy giving.

Does the planned giving team have a working partnership with the stewardship team? Do they meet together and integrate their strategies and stories about the immediate and long term needs of the community?

Do the trustees, wardens and the members of parish council support gift planning and stewardship programs? Are they on board with the plan and are they giving leadership through legacy giving themselves?

In the life of the parish, is it working to be faithful in making stewardship a top priority? Is there an annual plan in place to talk regularly and openly about stewardship of time, talent and money? Are there programs in place to help individuals struggling with debt, consumerism, etc?

What are the dreams and goals of the planned giving and stewardship teams? Are the needs in the parish, community and church being considered as “if money weren’t an issue”?

Is there a team of allied professionals available to offer advice and support? Does the parish have lawyers, tax accountants, insurance specialists and financial planners who are willing to offer their services when the parish needs expertise in creating or receiving a legacy gift?

Is the program being communicated? Are there visible reminders of what the parish is working towards and how close it is to reaching the goal? Are planned giving brochures distributed regularly? Do reminders about legacy giving appeal regularly in the Sunday bulletin? Is there a page on the parish website devoted to legacy giving? Are guest speakers about estate or retirement planning topics invited to speak to parish groups? Does the legacy team or the stewardship team encourage personal testimony from people who have made a gift? Has your parish invited diocesan support from the Director of Gift Planning and the Stewardship & Gift Development Committee to help with all these ideas?

Does the legacy development program have goals? How many legacy gifts are you planning to receive; what level of insurance gifts are expected; is there a regular program of encouraging tax-friendly gifts of appreciated securities? Is there a written plan to support working towards and achieving the goals?

What about celebrating? Is there a plan to honour and celebrate the generosity of the parish membership? Do you let the parish know that a gift has been received? Is there an event each year to give thanks, and share the joy of how planned gifts will benefit your parish?

Effective legacy giving starts with you—do you have a current will? Does your will responsibly concern itself with family, loved ones and community? Does it clearly state what your legacy intentions are? Have you included a bequest to your parish, the diocese, General Synod, or some other related part of the Anglican Church of Canada? The best results are always based on credible leadership: “I’m a legacy donor, and I invite you to become one too.”

The Diocese of New Westminster has many resources to help turn all these questions into solutions. For example, individuals can use “Legacy Planner” to develop their legacy goals and implement them.

There are variety of brochures that deal with Wills and Bequests, Legacy Funds, Annuities, Trusts and Securities gifts, Insurance gifts and other more complex estate planning options that are available as paper or online at www.vancouver.anglican.ca.

For parishes that want to set up programs, the one-page “20 Steps to Effective Parish Gift Planning” document is available online or from the Director of Gift Planning Office. Resources in the form of training sessions, consulting (at no cost), presentations to parish groups, etc. are all available to help parishes build their legacy program.

The potential for legacy giving grows stronger every day as the transfer from the two richest generations in history continues. Literally tens of billions of dollars are flowing out of estates to surviving families, friends and charities. It is important for parish leadership to create the frameworks where legacy giving is welcomed and encouraged. It is just plain good stewardship to create a place where faithful Anglicans can leave some of their accumulated assets to the continuing mission of the church community.

My role as Director of Gift Planning, and the role of the diocesan Stewardship & Gift Development Committee is to help parishes successfully do all these things.

Intestacy? What Happens With No Will?

2009-12-03T11:02:00.000-08:00

By Glen Mitchell

A surprising number of people in British Columbia seem to never getting around to writing a Will. When a person dies “intestate”, the law in British Columbia is very prescriptive about what happens to a person’s assets.

While the new Wills, Estates and Succession Act that will come into effect in 2009 updates the handling of intestate accounts, the basics are the same. Your estate will go to the spouse and children using a formula that may not reflect the needs of your loved ones. If there is no spouse or children, it is possible that your estate will end up in the hands of relatives you’ve never even met. As a last resort, it will be the government who benefits.

If you do not want these prescriptions to be in effect, your only choice is to prepare a will so that you can legally express your wishes. The will is the instruction your executor needs to distribute your assets and possessions as you wish. It will direct the executor to deliver your wealth to those you love and to organizations that have been important to you during your lifetime.

So consider how important it is to have a will to distribute your estate. With the will you can direct gifts to individuals such as specific family members and specify amounts. You can set up trusts to hold gifts for specified periods of time if you have concerns about the potential for abuse or misuse of gifts by minors, etc. You can create bequests to the church and other charities that are important to you—something that the intestacy rules make no provision for.

If you make one resolution for 2010—let it be a will.

Caesar Joins Family?

2009-12-03T10:46:00.003-08:00

By Glen Mitchell

Procrastination can be very expensive, especially where a person’s estate tax liabilities are concerned. If you don’t take steps during your lifetime to minimize the liabilities, it is (almost) impossible to do anything about them afterwards. Until now.

For those who don’t do an effective job of estate planning, the taxes paid on death are tantamount to adopting another child. You have a choice about how to distribute your estate, and there are many effective tax planning tools to make sure that your family, favourite causes, and close friends are the beneficiaries. The goal of tax planning is to make sure the government doesn’t get added to this list of beneficiaries by default.

For many people the largest tax bill they ever pay is the one their executor pays to settle their estate. When a person dies, an individual is deemed to have disposed of all their assets at fair market value on the date of death.

Many assets attract capital gains taxes on sale. For example a second home or cottage or investments such as stocks or bonds, or personal items like artwork, jewellery, etc., that have appreciated in value, can cause the final tax bill to be much larger than anticipated.

A delay of some of the taxes is possible if the assets or registered plans (RRSP, RRIF) are distributed to the deceased spouse or common-law partner. Then the tax impact is transferred to the survivor beneficiary.

It is possible to reduce the tax liability on death through charitable giving. Is it really possible to pay zero taxes at death? Can you really disinherit Caesar? The answer is a qualified yes. An example or two will help to illustrate what I mean.

Harold has been a member of his parish most of his life and he wants to make a gift in his estate. Because he lives in his home and has investments outside an RSP or RIFF it is possible to estimate the size of a bequest necessary to eliminate his estate tax bill. In Example #1 above, Harold’s financial advisor has estimated he will owe $3,470 on death. To generate a tax credit of that amount to offset the tax means Harold will need to make a minimum bequest gift of $7,950. This is calculated using the tax credit rate of 43.7%. Of course he may choose to leave a larger amount however the net cost (gift minus credit) of this gift is $4,471 or just 0.474% of Harold‘s estate.

It is not always possible to be this accurate in predicting the tax liability however there are tax planning tools that can also help in this situation. Our second example shows how this can work.

Denise and her husband Tom really enjoyed their cottage and when Tom died, the good memories they shared meant she kept the property until her death. That recreation property, and the rising value of the investment portfolio she had built up meant that the rising estate tax bill could not be calculated in advance.

Denise talked to her son and daughter and her two financial and legal advisors and then decided to add a codicil to her will. This new clause instructed her executor to calculate and make a gift from her estate to the Diocese and PWRDF that would eliminate her taxes owing to the government.

After her death the executor calculated that she owed $17,340 in taxes therefore he needed to create a gift that would generate a tax credit of that amount. Using the 43.7% tax credit rate, the bequest needs to be $39,680 to eliminate the taxes. That works out to a net gift amount of $22,340 or 3.4% of Denise’s estate value. The bulk of her estate was then split between her two children.

So in summary, individuals who have estates with potential tax liabilities and who have generous intent can use the tax credit benefits of the income tax act to reduce their taxes and support their church and other charitable organizations. It is always best to make these plans in advance or at least to create directions for your executor to allow him or her the flexibility needed to carry out your wishes.

ADDRESSING ISSUES OF POVERTY: Now What?

2009-11-18T13:48:00.003-08:00

Poverty - a core issue we need to solve in the world. This commentary will appear in the December 2009 issue of TOPIC. Please also view the video at the end of this section.

Poverty is a vast problem in Metro Vancouver and I have deep concerns about how we will achieve the strategic goal we’ve set for ourselves to “address issues of poverty”. When Synod 2009 approved the “Strategic Plan 2018”, it committed our Anglican community to address ten priorities including issues of poverty. To some extent this decision probably reflects a wider concern for this issue as reported by Ipsos Research in September 2009. They told Vancouver City Council that, at 37% expressing concern for poverty and homelessness, it was the big issue in our society.

In 2006, the Vancouver Foundation’s “Vital Signs” report, because of the growing gap between rich and poor, gave economic equality in the region a failing grade of “D”. Their survey points out that the child poverty rate in BC at 22% has been the highest among provinces for five years in a row. In Metro Vancouver 1 in 4 children less than 20 years of age (approximately 122,000 people) live in poverty. Recent reports suggest that as many as 50% of native children in Metro Vancouver live in poverty.

Among adults, poverty is even worse. Overall, 17% of the regional population live below the poverty line. Across the entire province the rate is slightly lower at 14.5%. For single parent females in Metro, it is 35% and for seniors living alone, it is 42.6%.

Poverty comes in many forms. Human poverty can involve homelessness, lack of education, limited access to health care, loneliness and many other issues. Income poverty is another form which many believe is directly linked to the minimum wage which at $8.00 per hour in BC is now the lowest in the country.

If there is a bright spot in all of this, it is the Stats Canada data that shows that poverty among the elderly has declined by a dramatic 70% since 1976. Even so, the Metro Vancouver rate is relatively high at 14.5% compared to the Canadian rate (12.9%) and the BC rate (11%).

A 2009 study found that poverty in youth has long term health effects. UBC associate professor of psychology Gregory Miller and co-author, Michael Kobor, assistant professor of medical genetics reported that people who grow up with low social status in early childhood have a greater risk of getting heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers.

So, what now Anglicans? What role will we play in dealing with this problem in our community? What are we going to do to “address issues of poverty”? In my opinion, “charity” is not the answer; although, I admit, on any given day, it undoubtedly helps individuals get by. No, the problem is systemic and it must be addressed on many levels. We must work together to “transform” poverty by solving the fundamental problems underlying it.

For this reason, to effectively “address issues of poverty” as our strategic plan suggests, I believe we must establish a diocesan-wide and parish-supported “Human Needs Task Force” (HNTF) to develop and advocate effective strategies to address the political, economic, social and cultural problems that perpetuate human poverty. From this can flow specific projects and actions involving our Anglican community to address poverty regionally and locally. The HNTF’s plan approved and funded by Diocesan Synod would guide our work through to 2018 and be generously supported by us all.

In April 2009, meeting at Niagara Fall, the House of Bishops of the Anglican Church of Canada sent this message to the church: “we urge governments at all levels not to lose sight of their commitments to the most vulnerable in society, including the working poor, women and children in poverty, and the homeless.” While this is an important statement from our episcopal leadership, by implementing the HNTF, I’m advocating that we move from statements to action.

The highest form of charity in the Mitzvah (Tzedakah) is to make a person self-sufficient. With these steps, we will implement two of the Anglican Communion’s five marks of mission that share that objective: responding to human need by loving service; and transforming unjust structures of society. Let’s get started before the problem gets worse than it already is.

I Believe, I Serve

2009-10-20T15:55:00.002-07:00

“ Then Jesus said to him, what do you want me to do for you? The blind man said to him, “My teacher, let me see again.”

Mark 10:51

By Glen Mitchell

Today’s Legacy Bulletin extends the conversation about being a Good Steward. The upcoming issue of TOPIC has a feature length article on the six aspects of Good Stewardship: believing, serving, giving, participating, worshipping and thanking. Today I intend to focus the discussion on being a good servant.

When the blind man, Bartimaeus, is asked by Jesus, “what do you want me to do for you?” we have one of the premier “Good Steward” moments in scripture. Jesus, who no doubt knew exactly what was needed, as the servant of Bartimaeus, does not presume to know but asks what help is needed. Jesus is exemplifying the responsible nature of good stewardship.

When I was in El Salvador earlier this year on a parish mission from St. Mary’s Kerrisdale, we spent time visiting various Diocese of El Salvador projects in the coastal plain area called the Baja Lempa. Our guide, a young American named Noah Bullock obviously had been reading the Gospel of Mark as he felt strongly that service needs to be founded in helping meet actual needs rather than perceived needs. Noah has been very successful in helping several communities in El Salvador get the resources needed to build things like water systems, bridges, etc. which help their social and economic well-being enormously. As a Good Steward, to believe in Jesus Christ, means we must serve. How we do that can make a big difference.

A central element of our Christian life is service to each other, to friends and the stranger, in the church and the world. Jesus emphasizes it many times in the Gospels (Matthew 23.11). Our Primate, Fred Hiltz speaks often about the five marks of mission in the Anglican Communion which are all about service: witnessing to God, nurturing our brothers and sisters in Christ, meeting human needs, seeking justice in society, or caring for creation and living in sustainable ways.

We’ve been reading from Job on recent Sundays and clearly being a servant is not easy! Job suffers terribly but he continues in faithfulness. This week in Job 42:1-6 & 10-17 Job acknowledges the supremacy of God and his fortunes are restored. As Good Stewards, it is important to take heart from this story. There will be difficult times in service but God supports us always.

In recent months our Diocese has adopted a new plan and, while several strategies are focused on our Anglican communities, it also includes three specific strategies where service in the community is encouraged. The three areas are (1) Caring for God’s Earth; (2) Participating in our Local Communities; and (3) Addressing Issues of Poverty. A fourth related strategy is “Cultivating Interfaith Understanding”.

Anglicans serve God’s mission in the world in many ways. Whether it is the job club operated by St. Timothy & St. David of Wales, or recent missions to Guatemala, Nicaragua or El Salvador, or the Deep Cove Coffee House, or the Mountain Top Ministry at SFU, or the Downtown Eastside Ministry or the St. Paul’s Advocacy Office, Anglicans are nurturing and caring for others through many forms of service. Service and mission are strengths of the Church which offer a pathway throughout which you be a servant and continue your journey as a Good Steward.

As you continue to develop as a Good Steward, talk with your priest or friends or family about the talents you have and the best ways they could be of service in your faith community and the wider world. The story of the Holy Spirit is about action – it is about the mission of the church, about proclaiming the Good News through belief and action.

There are many choices as the church is involved in everything from local homelessness and environmental issues, to national issues such as indigenous people’s rights and global questions of Aids, human rights, etc. This is about discipleship. By encouraging discipleship, the church creates places where people can have life-on-life influence. Through service to others, and by asking the question: “what do you want me to do for you?”, we live the Good News.

Generosity in 2010

At all levels of the church, national, diocesan or parish, thousands of volunteers are working hard to prepare for the coming church year. Education programs are being developed, events for children, youth and adults are being organized, lay and clergy are planning worship and fellowship activities, and treasurers are busy calculating what financial resources will be needed to make all this happen in our vibrant faith community.

While stewardship is part of life at all times of the year, the calendar, budget cycles and the need to report our sums and minuses regularly to vestry and government come at this time of year. Thus the conscientious treasurer and wardens and your local parish council will be asking you to consider your gift to God very soon now. As Paul tells us in his letter to the Corinthians, God loves a cheerful giver so I encourage you to model your generosity this way.

Dr. Maya Angelou, the poet and dramatist hailed by many as a “global renaissance woman”, wrote that “...that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver”. Giving is really a form of service – using both our time and our money to help others, to participate in our sacred and secular communities. In this way we find true happiness, or as Albert Schweitzer wrote: “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve”.

The familiar phrase often used when talking about giving is “treasure”. Christians know that it is really God’s treasure and Psalm 116 emphasizes this when it talks about “God’s bounty”. Our responsibility is not to use it all or waste it all but to return a portion to God in thanksgiving and sacrifice. That means we must give, and not be afraid to give generously, even sacrificially.

So give some serious thought to the question in Psalm 116: “What shall I return to the Lord for all His bounty to me? Then as a Good Steward, participate fully in your faith community in service, generosity, worship and thankfulness.

DONATIONS IN RECESSION?

2009-09-09T08:48:00.003-07:00

By Glen Mitchell

Born a Calvinist, dying a Unitarian, the 18th century educator Horace Mann was a very perceptive student of human nature. He wrote several books but one of his most interesting points is this: “Generosity during life is a very different thing from generosity in the hour of death; one proceeds from genuine liberality and benevolence, the other from pride or fear.” It seems it is much more fun to give while you are alive rather than struggle with these questions on your death bed.

Perhaps this is why so many Canadians give generously during their lifetimes but less so in their estates. It is well know that a large majority of Canadians make donations annually but less than 10 per cent of estates make bequests. The number is actually declining a little.

During their lifetimes, religious organizations are still by far the largest recipients of donations—46% of all the financial gifts made in this country go to religious organizations. The recent Statistics Canada report on donors and volunteers in 2007 shows they received more than three times the donations than did the second most popular type of organization. Slightly over one-third (36 percent) of donors gave to religious organizations in 2007. These organizations received $4.6 billion, almost half (46 percent) of the total amount donated nationally.

The total amount of yearly charitable giving by Canadians increased by $1.1 billion from 2004 to 2007. Canadians donated a total of $10.0 billion in 2007, up from $8.9 billion in 2004. In 2007, the average donation was $437, compared with $400 in 2004. These increases were not adjusted for inflation (and are measured in Canadian dollars).

Health organizations, the second biggest beneficiary of charitable giving, received money from 56 percent of donors, the largest support base. They collected $1.5 billion, or 15 percent of total donations.

Profile of Top Donors, Volunteers
The top 25 percent of donors – those who gave $364 or more – tended to be older, to have higher household incomes and to possess higher levels of formal education. Those who are employed, widowed or attend religious services on a weekly basis, also tended to be in the top group of donors.

The top 25 percent of volunteers – those who volunteered 171 hours or more – were widely distributed throughout the population. However, those who attend religious services on a weekly basis, those who have university degrees and those with school-aged children in the household were much more likely than others to be top volunteers.

According to the survey, people were more likely to volunteer and donate to charities or nonprofit organizations later in life if they had participated in a range of community or youth activities during their primary or secondary schooling. These activities included participating in student government, a religious organization, a youth group such as girl guides or scouts or an organized team sport.

Volunteering
Almost 23 million Canadians, or 84 percent of the population aged 15 and over, made a financial donation to a charitable or nonprofit organization during the 12-month period covered by the survey. During the same period, 12.5 million Canadians, or 46 percent of the population, volunteered their time through a group or organization. These rates were largely unchanged from 2004.

The total amount of time volunteered through groups and organizations amounted to about 2.1 billion hours, which was equivalent to almost 1.1 million full-time jobs. On average, volunteers contributed 166 hours each.

Religious organizations received the largest percentage of volunteer hours (18 percent), followed by sports and recreation (17 percent), social services (16 percent), and education and research organizations (11 percent). These proportions were largely unchanged from 2004.

“Generosity during life is a very different thing from generosity in the hour of death; one proceeds from genuine liberality and benevolence, the other from pride or fear.” Horace Mann

Future of Donations?
At a recent seminar on the future of giving the year over year growth in donations that we’ve experienced since the 1980s and even more so since the recent spate of federal government incentives in the late 1990s, the message was not positive. Well respected gift planner Malcolm Burrows of Scotia Private Client Group predicts that major gifts are drying up. He reported that many foundations are not making endowment payouts and community foundations report a 39% decline in donations in 2008. Gifts of appreciated securities, which fueled much of the growth in donations in recent years dropped 80% in 2008 due to the market crash. The best estimate of the speakers at this seminar suggested that it will take three years to bounce back.
One of the positive predictions from this seminar is that loyalty is age related and method related. Organizations like the church with an older demographic will continue with more consistent giving than some. Our growing use of monthly donations is also a strong way to maintain contact and support.

The pain of giving from income or assets during one’s lifetime that the recession is causing means there will be a renewed emphasis on planned gifts. Speakers predicted that charitable intent will be redirected to estate plans. We’ll see more bequests, life insurance and direct designation gifts of RRSP/RRIF. The aging demographic and the trend to smaller families will also encourage an emphasis on planned giving. He expects the growth in private foundations and donor advised funds to flatten.

On the topic of capital campaigns Burrows reported that many capital campaigns have been delayed and deferred. He suggested this is a good time to plan but a poor time to launch a campaign. It is better to focus on stewardship and strategic planning. Some donors are even asking to restructure their pledges. He describes donors as shy and volunteers as nervous. Certainty and confidence seem to be at a low ebb.

Our new diocesan strategic plan is well timed based on Burrow’s analysis. He predicts that well managed charities with compelling missions will thrive, adding that “Planning has never been more important”. He reminds us that “people don’t give to charities that have needs; they give to charities that address needs”.

The base of philanthropic donors is broadening and gifts are increasing in size which is a change of attitude and behaviour over the past 15 years. Burrows believes that Canadians have “undergone a shift in mindset about how we fund social priorities and how we distribute wealth.”

Being Prepared: Building Skills & Capacity
While religious organizations have the lions share of donations from Canadians, that is no reason to be complacent. At all levels in our faith community we need to continue to offer a compelling vision of our mission and vision, which in the case of the diocese of New Westminster is “Growing Communities of Faith in Jesus Christ to Serve God’s Mission in the World”.

Getting ready also means understanding stewardship and financial development models. Parishes need to build these skills to make stewardship part of the fabric of parish life. “The F-Word Conference”, being held in Burnaby on September 25/26 will help with that with these topics:
· Church Fundraising
· Families and Finances and Wealth
· Celebrating Stewardship
· Advertising and the Gospel
· Integrated Models of Stewardship
· Planned Giving

Please make the effort to attend. To register visit:
http://www.faithbasedfundraising.org/

The Day of Pentacost had come...

2009-06-01T09:38:00.005-07:00

Sermon delivered May 31, 2009 at 8:00 and 10:15 at St. Thomas Anglican Church, Chillwack.

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. … All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.”

Today we celebrate Pentecost which is a very significant event in our Christian life. I am grateful to your leadership for the opportunity to reflect both on the gifts that God continues to give to each of us and our response to that generosity. Today we receive the Holy Spirit, a continuation in the series of defining gifts from God beginning with creation, the birth of Jesus and his resurrection.

In our Christian life, the teaching we take from Pentecost is very clear. First God, leading by example, gives us this wonderful gift. Secondly, if we strive to be like God, then we are called to respond to God’s generous treatment of us by being generous ourselves.

To help with this, I have been developing what I call the MAGI PLAN – a framework for living the life of a Good Steward. It was inspired – an epiphany really, when I wrote recently that the Magi (the three kings) provide an excellent example for us by making a significant effort at great risk to honor Christ with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. With their arrival at the stable in Bethlehem, as we are at Pentecost, they were all together in one place.

A close reading of the Gospel stories about the Magi shows us that these donors went to considerable trouble, traveling great distances across harsh deserts. Intent on gift giving, they also put themselves at great risk because the authorities were trying to find this new born King. And they travelled home by different route, signifying their open attitude to change and practical action.
So in our context, what lessons can we draw from this story for financial stewardship and gift planning?

First of all, one of the primary lessons we offer about stewardship is upheld in the gracious giving God we worship. We are first of all recipients of a great gift—God’s grace, God’s Son and the power of the Holy Spirit.

A willing, no conditions attached, generosity is in God’s nature. In Ezekiel this morning, life itself is a gift of God. The dry bones receive sinews, flesh, skin and breath “…and the vast multitude lived, and stood on their feet.” The Psalm praises the works of God and the generosity of food and all good things. Today the promise of the Holy Spirit is fulfilled.

What are we to do? How are we to act when confronted by this generous God? There is a clear understanding that if we are to live into our faith, and to strive to be living our lives in an adoring way, then we must be as generous as we can be, just as God has been. We are to present our gifts to the Christ-child and to be thankful for the opportunity.

It is not an easy thing to do sometimes—be generous. The journey of the Magi could be a metaphor for these financially uncertain times. Unsure where they would find the baby Jesus, troubled by the soldiers searching for him, and ultimately going home by a foreign path, they might have said “forget it!”. But no, they persevered despite the challenges and so we have the completion of the story, and a wonderful example of what it takes to be a faithful, believing, generous, determined person.

So each of us must take some time to reflect on these matters:

Will you consider just how generous God has been in your life?
Will you consider the appropriate ways and levels of your response to that generosity you have experienced?
Will you persevere in the face of financial challenges to continue to be generous?

One definition is that “stewardship is everything you do after you say I believe”. So if you consider these three questions carefully, prayerfully and resolve to act appropriately then it is appropriate to name you as a Good Steward, a Holy Spirit, in fact, an adoring magi.

We read in the Gospel today that the Holy Spirit will guide us into all the truth. Your parish community and your parish priest are also able to engage you in the journey of the spirit and the magi. Parishes are encouraged to steward their life in what I call the Holy Habits. As good stewards we proclaim our faith by word and example. We engage in stewardship of creation and community. We give joyfully in gratitude for the many blessings God has provided and we reclaim Sabbath time as part of an individual spiritual life. Gospel, Engagement, Generosity and Sabbath – these are the Holy Habits. With the gift of the Holy Spirit, these habits will support you in your spiritual life by helping you to steward your relationship with God and neighbour.

Let’s take a closer look at the MAGI PLAN. In Psalm 116, the question is posed: “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?” Indeed, what will each of us return? This suggests to me that we need to establish a culture of expectation; being part of the religious community requires us to answer this question: “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?”

The psalm offers six thematic suggestions. It talks about believing (13), serving (16), giving (17), thanking (17), participating (14,18), and worshiping (19). Twice the psalmist proclaims: “I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.” (Verses 14 and 18 are identical). Much like the Magi went on a journey, I am suggesting that these themes can be a road map for your journey.

BELIEVE

“I believe…” is an excellent place for many to begin and our creeds are an excellent resource for this purpose. The Magi who came to Jesus surely believed that their journey was important; they believed that they would find the Christ child; they believed that the star was leading them to a new centre in their lives. Ultimately, if we are to call ourselves Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and we come to know the truth of that through the life we lead, living out the other themes of the psalm.

SERVE
A central element of our Christian life is service to each other. It is central because God calls Jesus a servant (Matthew 12:18) and Jesus emphasizes it many times in the Gospels, such as in Matthew 23:11 where he says that “The greatest among you will be your servant”. So our journey needs to include service as a central element. Service, or mission, is a strength of the church in that it provides many places and ways to serve.

I recently had the opportunity to spend time with our Primate, Fred Hiltz, who reminded our group about the five marks of mission of the Anglican Communion. Essentially, all of these are about service: witnessing to God, nurturing our brothers and sisters in Christ, meeting human needs, seeking justice in society, or caring for creation and living in sustainable ways.

Often our talents and our time are given as examples of how that service can be implemented. What talents do you have that could serve one or more aspects of the marks of mission? What skills will you share that may transform unjust structures of society? Are you prepared to offer some time to ensure that human needs are responded to by loving service?

Recently I travelled to El Salvador with eight other people from our parish. We were responding to a call from the Anglican Bishop Martin to come and volunteer as election observers in the presidential election that was held March 15th. El Salvador is a country of great contradictions, violence, entrenched injustices and poverty yet the people have great hope for a better life with a new government. It is, I believe impossible to go there and not be radicalized by the situation. Still, the spirit is among these people despite their challenging past. During the balloting an older women came up to us as we observed the process and said in Spanish: “With you, we will win.” Tomorrow the new president will take office and I hope in some small way our presence will put breath in, and sinews, flesh and skin on their hopes.

As you develop your “Magi Plan”, talk with your priest or friends or family about the talents you have and the best ways they could be of service in your faith community and the wider world. The story of the Holy Spirit is about action – it is about the mission of the church, about proclaiming the Good News through belief and action. There are many choices as the church is involved in everything from local homelessness and environmental issues, to national issues such as indigenous people’s rights and global questions of Aids, human rights, etc.
This is about discipleship. By encouraging discipleship, the church creates places where people can have life-on-life influence. Through service to others, we live the Good News.

GIVE
What will it take to unlock your generous heart? What will it take, to quote the Psalm again, for you to pay your vows to the Lord; what will it take for you to offer a thanksgiving sacrifice?

This is the central question: “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?” This clear statement emphasizes two key understandings of Christian faith: God is bountiful towards us and we have an obligation to return a portion of this bounty. The theme in the Magi’s journey is the same: God has given us his Son Jesus Christ and the Magi are responding. Today we have even more – the Holy Spirit is among us. The promise of God is fulfilled.

The familiar phrase often used when talking about giving is “treasure”. Christians know that it is really God’s treasure and the psalm emphasizes this when it talks about “God’s bounty”. Our responsibility is not to use it all or waste it all but to return a portion to God in thanksgiving and sacrifice. That means we must give, and not be afraid to be generous, even sacrificial.

Some years ago I spent a pivotal week at Sorrento with the retired Bishop of Atlanta, the Rt. Rev. Bennet Sims. I remember him talking about the rising tide of consumerism, greed and violence in our culture. He told that the only way to rebuke this approach to life is to live as good and generous stewards. He was calling people to live in the spirit of the third Holy Habit which he called the path that leads to life, generosity and love. Sims was right, I think, when he said that the spirit is leading us to live generously, contributing our time, talent and treasure to sustain and nurture the mission and ministry of the church and the community.

I encourage you to build generosity and sacrificial giving into your “Magi Plan”. Every Good Steward needs coaching and support. It takes more than encouraging sermons – mentoring and coaching need to be available to create life-on-life discipleship. I would be pleased to consult with you and help you develop a plan that realizes your generous goals and which supports projects and activities that reflect your values and what is important to you, in the church and the community.

PARTICIPATE
Participation is another way of saying “relationships matter”. For more than a century, society has held up individualism as the ultimate expression; however, this is changing rapidly as more and more people realize that community is a much better end game. The early Christians certainly participated, formed relationships, shared wealth, and lived through the joys and persecutions of their faith together. At Pentecost, they were all together in one place.

We are now realizing the benefits of community and recognizing that we are social creatures who are fulfilled in relationship, not isolation. None of this is intended to deny our uniqueness as God has made us, but rather to know our individual nature through the support and love that we experience in relationship. So I encourage you not to bowl alone but engage and find joy in participation in the life of Christ.

WORSHIP
As Christians we not only believe, serve, give and participate, we worship God. As Anglicans we have various liturgical forms that allow us to praise God and honour the creator, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Together we pray, we sing, we read scripture, we celebrate the Eucharist, and we go on retreats. Many have personal prayer practices in addition to the corporate worship we share. One of the joys of the Anglican Communion is its wide variety of forms of worship, liturgies and music styles. To be complete, every “Magi Plan” needs to create space for regular worship and the spiritual disciplines that make us less dependent on self and more dependent on God and the Holy Spirit.

THANK
Finally we are a thankful people, ever grateful for God’s abundant love and bounty to us. Make sure that your “Magi Plan” has time for thanksgiving for all the blessings in your life. By the very act of believing, serving, giving, participating and worshipping, you are giving thanks. So write down your plan and keep a journal. You will see that you have much to be thankful for. Thankfulness is the main point of our psalm today: it is a hymn of praise to God as the continuous creator through the Holy Spirit; as the one who overcomes chaos, continues to care for the earth and all alive in it. The psalmist vows to praise god throughout his life and that is what your Magi Plan should also do.

A MAGI PLAN that is to be vital and sustainable must include these six components: belief, service, generous giving, participation, worship, and praise or thankfulness. A Magi Plan with these well developed parts will mean you are well on the way to being a Good Steward, filled with the Holy Spirit. I want to conclude with a prayer which is offered to help you develop your plan.

A PRAYER

Gracious and abundant God
Strengthen my belief
Lead me to service
Nurture my generous heart
Love me in Christian community
Teach me to praise and worship
Receive my thanks for abundant life.
Give me courage and understanding.
Bless my desire to live in your love.
AMEN.

RCL READINGS-Pentecost Sunday
Ezekiel 37: 1-14
Acts 2:1-21
Psalm 104:24-34, 35b
John 15:26-27; 16:4b-15

Legacy Study Verses

“Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom he enables to enjoy them, and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil - this is the gift of God.” Ecclesiastes 5:19

“What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?”
Psalm 116:12

Back to “Bequestics”

2009-05-06T13:58:00.007-07:00

By Glen Mitchell

When every financial story is full of gloom and doom, when your financial advisor is telling you to be conservative, when there is great uncertainty about the economic future, it is time to get back to “bequestics”.

Where ever you are on the scale of wealth, creating a legacy through your will is always possible. It is a form of gift that always weathers the worst storms of the economy. At the same time as many people are considering getting back to basics in their lifestyles by reformatting or reducing residences, transportation, spending on consumer goods and vacations, this can be a good time to rethink your philanthropy goals by getting back to “bequestics”. How so?

The most important thing to remember about making a bequest gift is that, while it might affect your life, it will not affect your lifestyle. When you reach the decision to graciously give of your wealth as a legacy, you will be changed in attitude and gratitude but this future intention will not limit your financial circumstances now.

Bequests are usually either a specific amount (sometimes for a specific purpose) or the residual amount; that is, the remainder after all the other obligations in the will are paid out. Let’s look at two examples to illustrate the point.

If a donor has a particular interest (for example “Brenda” in the advertisement to the right), she would instruct the lawyer drawing the will to prepare a bequest clause that establishes an endowment fund and funds it with a set amount which then generates income to support the purpose of the endowment. She may choose to support the activity during her lifetime and, in the will, make it a more formal lasting legacy.

In the second example (see the advertisement below left) Louise and Bob have a plan. They have set up their wills so that whoever dies last makes a significant bequest to the Anglican Initiatives Fund. That way, their need for income is protected throughout their lifetime and they know that the work of the church they support will continue because of their legacy gift.

(To enlarge these ads, point to them and click.)

By remembering the Anglican Church of Canada in your will, you can also provide for the mission and ministry of your parish or General Synod. Bequests enable the church to build a solid funding base to support God’s work far into the future.

If you have a will, you can easily change it (add a codicil) to make a bequest to the church. If you don’t have a will, or you have not reviewed it within the past two years, you are encouraged to take the necessary steps to prepare this important estate document or ensure that the will you do have is up-to-date and reflects your wishes.

Bequests can be “general” - as in this example clause: “I give to The Diocese of New Westminster the sum of $____ to be used for the general purposes of the diocese at the discretion of the Diocesan Council”. Sometimes they are also “contingent” as in this case where the gift only happens when a set of criteria are in place: “In the event that my spouse does not survive me, I give to the General Synod of The Anglican Church of Canada the sum of $___.” A bequest may also be specific in identifying a particular asset; for example, “I give 500 shares of XYZ Inc. to The Mission to Seafarers Society in the Diocese of New Westminster.”

Subject to church policies, you may specify that the principal of your bequest be held as an endowment from which only the income is spent. Or, you can establish a fund in your name, or the name of a family member, friend or colleague, as a thanksgiving offering or as a memorial.

If you are preparing your will and intend to leave a bequest and you are unsure of the legal name of your parish, a related church organization or some national church program, please be in touch yourself or direct your lawyer or notary public to contact the Director of Gift Planning. His office has a list of official names that when used, help to make it perfectly clear, years from now, what your intention was.

A Power to Vary clause is a good idea where a bequest is intended. It gives the church the power to use your gift for a different purpose in the event that the original purpose is no longer possible and/or necessary.

Many people put the church in their will and it is often a big surprise when the executor calls to say a gift is on its way. We’d like to thank you now for your legacy plan. Please call or email us to share your intentions and we’ll send you a handsome leather Diocese of New Westminster book mark and add your name to our Legacy Circle of friends.

However you choose to make your bequest the Director of Gift Planning will be happy to meet with you and, if you wish, with your legal and financial advisors, to discuss your goals and assist with the wording of your bequest to ensure that it meets the needs of your family and provides a legacy to the church and community.

This post is also available as a PDF FILE.

Experiencing Liminal Time: Reflections on El Salvador

2009-04-24T13:24:00.004-07:00

By Glen Mitchell

Theologians and sociologists talk about how we are living in a liminal time – they mean we are on the threshold of some thing new or different. If that is true, then there is no better example than what the people of El Salvador are experiencing right now.

On March 15, nearly twice as many people as had every voted before (62% turned out this time), went to the polls to elect for the first time, a new president, Mauricio Funes. He is a moderate leftist in a country that has never permitted such a political orientation to gain, never mind hold office.

Funes’ political party is the FMLN or Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional. Before the peace accords were signed in1992, FMLN was the main guerilla force that waged civil war against various right wing governments and the oligarchy of 40 families that own nearly everything in the country.

If you read the political history of El Salvador since the 1930s, it is a litany of military juntas, elections, more juntas, more elections – you get the idea. These were nearly always conservative right wing governments that regularly sponsored state violence and campaigns of terror against the people. When reforms were attempted, the oligarchy acted to protect its interests. One of the worst weeks in the country’s history was in 1932, when nearly 30,000 people were murdered for demanding land reform. This atrocious government action directly led to the creation of the resistance movement and today’s FMLN. Will it be different this time?

The time of waiting, between the March 15th election and Inauguration Day on June 1, 2009 truly is a threshold: liminal time for El Salvadorians. Nine of us from St. Mary’s Kerrisdale joined a team of 2,800 foreign official election observers for the presidential election. Many people who had never done so before mustered the courage to vote to achieve this threshold of change. Our role was to observe and report problems with the process. We found that, although there were some heated incidents mostly dealing with proper identification, generally the election process was peaceful and well run. Our role was seen as important to the process: one older woman, after voting, said to us in Spanish, “With you, we will win”.

The desire for change in the country is palpable. President-elect Funes, in accepting the victory, thanked everyone who had chosen the path of hope and change. What is it they are so determined to change? In the rural areas land reform is needed. Many lack clean water and electricity. The outdoor toilet is commonplace. Few receive education beyond elementary levels or have access to regular medical services. Better roads and bridges are needed. The community development and medical teams of the Anglican Church in El Salvador continue to work hard on these problems.

Nearly 40 percent of the population is unemployed and this leads to high rates of gang crime and violence – 15 people are murdered every day. Those that are lucky enough to work are often employed in a maquila – factories in duty free zones - that import materials and assemble them and then re-export them. There are many types of maquilas but many are clothing factories. The basic wage in a maquila is $180.00 per month in a country where the poverty level is set at $700 per month.

To escape the poverty and violence, literally millions of El Salvadorians have abandoned their homeland to work in the United States and Canada. More than 1 million live in Los Angeles alone. There are more than 200,000 in Canada. They work here and make remittances – sending home money - so that families left behind can survive.

The gulf between the wealthy and the poor in this patriarchal society is vast and has worsened since the peace of 1992. In the morning you can visit a community no more than an hour’s drive from the capital, San Salvador, where the women still pack water from the stream and cook on dirt floors. And in the evening, dine at Pizza Hut, to use a modest example, at Metro Centro – the largest shopping mall in Central America.

So will it change? Will El Salvadorians actually cross this liminal threshold? Will the outcome be different this time? I hope you will join in prayer with many millions of people who truly have hope that it will. Pray for the people, and the leader of our church in El Salvador, Bishop Martin. Pray that this time it will be different, that peace will prevail and that the needs of the people will be met. Pray that the hopes of the martyr, sometimes referred to as the Saint of the Americas, Archbishop Oscar Romero will be realized.

--------------

On March 15th, 2009 the FMLN presidential candidate Mauricio Funes received 51.3% of the popular vote, defeating the governing ARENA party candidate Roberto Avila who received 48.7% of the vote. President-elect Funes will be inaugurated on June 1. Nine parishioners (including two youth) from St. Mary’s Kerrisdale Anglican Church, led by Rev. Kevin Dixon, travelled to El Salvador at the invitation of the Episcopal Church of El Salvador to participate in the election process as official observers. A total of 2,800 foreign and 2,200 national observers took part in the election process. After the election, the group visited important historical sites including Archbishop Romero’s tomb, a prison, and several communities where the Anglican Church plays a central role in their development.

A small selection of photographs taken during our trip are available here.

El Salvador

And Peter, Paul & Mary sang...

Peter, Paul And Mary: El Salvador - Peter, Paul And Mary

God AND Neighbour

2009-04-02T14:49:00.006-07:00

By Glen Mitchell

Happy Easter.

Recently the words of Desmond Tutu helped me to focus again on the importance of seeing Christian faith not just as an intellectual or spiritual exercise but as activity. Tutu reminds us that faith without action is void. He says it better than I can in The Words of Desmond Tutu (New Market Press New York, 1989):

“True Christian worship includes the love of God and the love of neighbour. The two must go together or your Christianity is false. St. John asks in his first epistle how you can say you love God, whom you have not seen, if you hate your brother, whom you have. Our love for God is tested and proved by our love for our neighbour.” (P.29)

Drawing on the example of the ministry of Jesus, he goes on to say: “If we are the representatives of God, we must take sides. We have no choice really. To be neutral in a situation of injustice is to have chosen sides already. It is to support the status quo.” (P.30)

The Archbishop was speaking about the apartheid situation in South Africa however his words apply equally to many situations in the world today.

More recently, another Archbishop has clarified this even more. The Roman Catholic archbishop of Denver, Charles Chaput in his new book, Render Unto Caesar: Serving the Nation by Living our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life (Doubleday, New York, 2008), says that people who take God seriously will not remain silent about their faith. They will act on what they believe, sometimes at the cost of their reputations and careers. He writes that Christian faith is personal but never private.

Chaput challenges head on the notion that church members have no business in political discourse. While he addresses his commentary to Americans I argue that his position is also valid in the Canadian context. Chaput’s key point, echoing Tutu, is that “we cannot separate our private convictions from our public actions without diminishing both.” Our global overly monetized, over achieving and consumer oriented cultures cry out for relief found in the Christian message of love and social justice which needs to be shared with the world.

Tutu is eloquent on this point. “In a setting that claims we are made for alienation, separation, dividedness, hostility, and war, we must, as the church of God, proclaim that we are made for togetherness, for fellowship, for community, for oneness, for friendship, and peace. In a situation of injustice, oppression, and exploitation, we must proclaim that the justice and righteousness and equity of God will prevail. In a place where truth is a constant casualty, with many in high places taking loosely the demands of verity and truthfulness, we must declare that truth matters and that a people who have become immoral are in grave danger of collapse. In a situation where human life seems dirt cheap, with people being killed as easily as one swats a fly, we must proclaim that people matter and matter enormously, because they are created in the image of God.” (P. 31-32)

What does or could this look like on the ground, where we live, work and play? How do we act, individually or collectively to be that voice that Tutu and Chaput and Jesus Christ are calling us to be?

Recently Anglicans in our diocese gathered in their archdeaconry groups to share their passions and plans for engaging in their community. As part of the process of creating a strategic plan (Plan 2018) the diocese sponsored these five meetings to foster this dialogue and to create a space for synergy and action to flourish.

I was privileged to facilitate one of these sessions. The energy for cooperation and action that day was a sign of great hope for the church. Whether it was the environment, poverty, building community or other important issues, these people were talking about engagement—doing just what Tutu and Chaput and Christ propose.

This engagement is happening locally and globally. I recently returned from a parish mission visit to El Salvador. Nine of us, led by Rev. Kevin Dixon, travelled from St. Mary’s Kerrisdale to Central America to work as official observers in the presidential election that was held on March 15. We went at the invitation of the Diocese of El Salvador and Bishop Martin who is deeply committed to changing the systemic social and economic injustice rampant in that society.

After many years of civil war and twenty years of right wing governments the gap between rich and poor in El Salvador is worse than ever. Many lack basic services such as fresh water, electricity, education and medical services. Unemployment is at least 40% and violence seethes throughout the society.

Yet there is great hope. For the first time, people voted for a new president who represents change. In some small way this was possible because of the work that the churches do there.
Our group of church observers numbered about 230 people. We were Anglicans, Lutherans, Baptists, and others. Many of the local leaders have been involved in the process of ensuring fair elections and also creating the possibility for people to vote without fear. A older women, after voting, came up to us and said: “With you, we will win.” Just our presence, our solidarity with the process was an encouragement—a sign of hope.

So what about you? How will you engage? Who will you help? What is God calling you to do?

We enter the season of Easter full of hope and life. If you have been following these writings for some time, you will remember the “Magi Plan”. It formed the basis of the January 2009 issue and offered a framework for responding to God’s call based on the question in Psalm 116: “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?”

The plan is structured around believing, serving, giving, participating, worshipping and thanking. You’ll find a copy at www.vancouver.anglican.ca. It will be very helpful to you if you are intent upon taking up the call that Desmond Tutu, Charles Chaput and Jesus Christ make for engagement in our world. Remember they all agree that to claim to have faith but to not act out of your faith is baseless.

Action can take the form of offering talents, offering time, or money, or any combination of the three. When you develop a “Magi Plan” you will incorporate all three in a combination of faith and action—God and Neighbour. If you need help to get started, talk with your parish priest who will be more than happy to help you to Love God and Love Your Neighbour

The Last Day...

2009-03-21T14:28:00.002-07:00

21/03/09

Hot day in San Salvador today. A quiet morning to rest from all the travelling and catch up on the diary, etc.

To the local Artisan Market in the afternoon to pick up some beautiful things to take home to loved ones.

Farewell dinner tonight with Ebispo Martin, Primate of Central America and Bishop of El Salvador.

A la mañana we travel home.

Last Days...

2009-03-21T14:12:00.003-07:00

19/03/09

Yesterday we travelled to the west end of the country near the Guatemalan border to visit a community called El Maizal. About 200 people live here in homes built by the Episcopal Relief & Development Fund. They have about 60 acres of land which incorporates a planned forest of Teca trees which is a indigenous tree that grows 10 metres tall and is very straight and hard wood so it is popular for furniture construction. They also have an excellent orchard of trees that produce mangos, avocados, cashews, the manzana rosa (a kind of apple like fruit) and several others. Of course they grow corn hence the name El Maizal. They have a full time agriculturalist who lives there who has made a significant difference to the farming potential of the community in just two years. For example, all of the residents now have small personal gardens outside their homes to grow vegetables. Of course they are growing much larger crops in the farming area itself, some of which they sell in the local area to raise funds.

There is also a school which is only for early elementary at the moment but they have some room to expand. To be accredited they need some paint to finish the construction. The young man who is the teacher seemed very accomplished and commited to the community.

They are working with a sociologist from San Salvador on a whole range of subjects to strengthen the community and build new skills. For example, they are teaching the women craft skills of cloth painting in the hopes of reaching a level of sophistication that will allow them to sell these products locally. At some point they hope to open a store near the highway to sell these things and food products. With the Teca tree, they may be able add furniture at some point.

If you are planning to visit El Salvador, which I encourage, then you can visit because they have a guest house. It is quite near the Pacific Ocean.

A very encouraging visit to see a people who are full of hope and working hard to improve their circumstances.

We managed some time at La Playa after a lunch. Here the Pacific is muy tranquille so the body surfing waves were modest. Beautiful warm water though.

Home to San Salvador and Pizza Hut for dinner.

Sensuntepeque and Santa Marta

2009-03-19T20:44:00.020-07:00

3/19/09

Another early start, away by 0715 to the north of the country of El Salvador. Sensuntepeque is a beautiful town with a wonderful parque (park) with gazebo in the centre of town. There we found Brenda, an Arizonian that has been here since 1989 working with the people. She is particularly involved with CoCoSi, a well established group that does community work in various areas but today was a HIV-AIDS promotion. People were invited to have blood testing and get the results from their mobile laboratory the same day; pick up information about HIV-AIDS and receive free preventative condoms. There was a large turn out who were also entertained by the drum group playing instruments painted with ancient Mayan symbols. The program iks supported by local doctors but gets no government support. CoCoSi is supported by PWRDF.

We met two local Salvadoreans who are working with CoCoSi. Mari is a coordinator in the program and Jesus (pronounced Hey Zeus!) is a facilitator. If these are examples of the future of El Salvador, then it is indeed bright. They were our guides for the rest of the day.

We then dived into one of the most interesting central town markets we have seen on this trip. Wonderful leather goods, foods, and all manner of clothing including shoes which Diane needed as her sandels had failed her. I bought a beautiful leather sheath, complete with machete, for $13 that will help repel boarders on Lodestar!

Then we were off to the town of Victoria, actually to Radio Victoria, a community radio centre where CoCoSi has a program on Saturdays. This is community radio at its best and they literally have the great set up (being an old radio guy I could appreciate it). They were recently funded to build a building and equip it. They have listeners all over the area and in Honduras. As with Tuesday, this northern border looks across into Honduras and many cross it regularly. It is one of the reasons the CoCoSi HIV-AIDS project is active here. Honduras has a higher rate of the disease and Brenda and her team are trying to limit the effects of the visitors.

We spent a lot of time in Santa Marta looking at several important facilities. This is a community that was depopulated during the war and today has 5,000 inhabitants. Much to their credit and enterprise, they have a modern medical clinic, a church, a school with more than 200 students who can complete grade 12, two computer labs and a biology lab. All the facilities at the school were paid for by external funding, not the local government. There is also an internet cafe which is self supporting and a panneria - a bakery which I can report produces very delightful items! Our two guides, Mari and Jesus left us here as Santa Marta is their home. But not before they had made fast friends with Ann and Cameron.

Artse at the wheel, we bumped and lerched over tough roads until we got back to Victoria where the pavement starts again. From there it is about 90 minutes to the pool at the Hotel Alamada in San Salvador. All along this road there are prime examples of the "Paint and Politics" approach to elections here. This photo shows one of the more blatant examples where an entire public structure is painted in the right-wing ARENA colours. Even the railings along side the roads were painted in alternating red, white and blue. This area is one that had a majority of ARENA votes in the election last Sunday of the new FMLN president Maricio Funes. Dinner is done and we turning in early tonight as we have another long day tomorrow heading out toward the border with Guatemala to look at a village built largely with Anglican support.

Blessings to all the readers.

A Shocking History - A Hopeful Future

2009-03-18T22:09:00.008-07:00

16/03/09

It has been an emotional two days. Yesterday we piled in the Diocesan van and Artse drove us all the way to the Departamente de Morazan where we visited the Museo de Revolucion in Pequin. This is the area in the north east where the FMLN stronghold was located and from where they advanced their attacks on the government during the civil war in the 1980s. There is a museum there with an excellent presentation of the causes of the war and the way in which it was carried out. Quite near the museum which is housed in original buildings used by the guierra there are bomb craters. They have many examples of the types of weapons used and the guide who lived through that time spoke with a real moral authority in telling the history. They also have the two cars which the Mexican government gave to the FMLN to carry the team that went to the peace negotiations that successfully ended the conflict in 1991.

Then we hiked up the hill and at nearly 1300 metres, had splendid views of the entire area, including looking across into Honduras. This hill was to be the final defence should that have been necessary so it is complete with trenches and signs of gun positions. Today it is topped by a cell phone tower, complete with a shotgun equipped guard who lives on site. Speaking of shotguns, they are everywhere. Imagine going to your local drug store, car dealer, parking lot or electronics store and saying Buenes Tardes to the door guard!

After making our way back to the car we trundled off to El Mazote, which took a bit of finding, to see the site of the western hemisphere's worst massacre. The government commander Santa Rosa was at least a sociopath and he directed the deaths of more than 1100 people. The details are quite shocking and I'll spare you them at this late hour. They have built a memorial to all those who lost their lives (all but one of the entire population) and to the nearly 200 who were children.

After a brief stop to visit a river area where a major battle occurred, we aimed for San Miguel and our hotel. We arrived late (8:00 p.m.) and then went for dinner. My first time to try Ceviche, really pickled fish, and very tasty.

San Miguel lived up to its reputation at the hottest place in the country today (37c) but we were too busy enjoying the parade right out side our hotel at 9:00 a.m. Local school children with brass instruments and much marching were celebrating a patron saint with a parade today.

Then off to Penal San Miguel - the local prison which currently has more than 800 men and women as inmates. The warden, Lorenzo, took advantage of our visit to invite the media and two television stations and one newspaper showed up to cover the event. We had a complete tour of the facility and met many of the instruments including many of the members of the 14 futbol equipos (soccer teams) who struck up a lively conversation with Ed. One of them agreed with my comment that his jersey showing a Chelsea crest was a sign of choosing a good team! This place is, according to Kevin and Diane, much improved over their 2004 visit. Today nearly everyone is engaged in some form of work producing products like hammocks, beds, chairs, clothing and toys. The products are sold in the prison shop and elsewhere and the prisoners get the proceeds. Some even support families this way. Their co-op bakery produces a great pastry! 65 people, including our group, participated in a Holy Eucharist led by Padre Kevin en espanol.

We said our goodbyes and headed for the delta area around the Rio Lempa. Here we visited three communities where the Anglican presence is important. Basic things like water, electricity, medical care, etc. are all needed here and each place is a little different. All this is over laid by the complexities of the culture, especially since many of the people are those who were displaced from Morazan during the civil war. Our guide, Noah, (at right) a young american man who is effectively helping in this area, made the point that when we offer help it must be based in relationship so that we know what the needs are and more importantly, what will be acceptable. The old form of mission doesn't work here. Cameron managed to spend some quality time with one of the local ninos - a young boy that walked along with us as we visited one of Noah's projects. We said prayers in the church at Bajo Lempo. This sanctuary is made of mango wood posts, bamboo and coconut fronds.

Then it was 120 kms back to San Salvador where I am writing this blog. In the morning we are off again on a day trip to the north to visit Cocosi - a project supported by PWRDF which is trying to introduce AID-HIV education among young people in this country. It is tough since it is a very macho, patriarchal society. Muy a la manana (more tomorrow).

Con usted vamos a ganar

2009-03-16T17:14:00.003-07:00

The title is what an old woman came up to us and said while we were working as election observers on Sunday in the presidential election in El Salvador. It translates as "With you, we will win". 2,800 international observers plus another 2,200 national observers are, in the eyes of the people who wanted change in the form of FMLN, a real factor in the running of what was in my view a very good process. They may be right as we were shouted at today by a man going by in a car, and told to go home and kiss his .... . Clearly there are some people unhappy at the results.

The party of the left, led by Mauricio Fuenes has never won the presidency since the peace of 1991. Today people here are saying a new era begins for El Salvador. Fuenes got about 51% of the vote, Roberto Avila of the ARENA party 48%. Only about 330,000 votes separated them. Their victory and conceding speeches last night were very conciliatory and emphasized the need to respect the constitution and the peace agreement. Many have taken a big sigh of relief at that because the rumor mill was predicting a lot of trouble if it was too close. Today, Monday, has been very peaceful with people going to work and no reports of trouble of any size.

There were some incidents with voting that we reported but all of them ended peacefully if not as people hoped they would. Most of the troubles arise from the DUI - the identity card that all Salvadoreans must present to vote. Photography is often poor and of course people change, grow beards, get bald, etc. This leads to some pretty heated discussions at the voting table.

Now voting is not like anything you will experience in Canada. Imagine that we all went to the PNE to vote rather than having polling stations in our neighbourhood. There are some of those but we had all the A, B, and Cs of the city of San Salvador at the Farie Internacional where there were 150 tables. Add to this a frenzy of FMLN and ARENA supporters and Vigilantes (scrutineers) who are all dressed in their colours inside the polling station. FMLN is Red and White, ARENA is Red, White and Blue. It makes for a very high intensity event. One of the ways the authorities have tempered the potential for violence is to ban alcohol sales for three days, before, during and after the election. No cab for me until tomorrow.

We learned today at the Equipo Maiz, an educational and change organization here, that there have been four periods in Salvadorean people. The Maiz or pre Spanish, the Indigo or Spanish period, the Coffee period of more recent times, all of which were agricultural. The fourth is the Machista, or industrial period. What all of these have in common is the repression of the people who now have a base salary of $180 US per month. Many think that with the election of Mauricio Fuenes that the fifth period, Red, is about to take hold at last.

Today we held our own Eucharist in my room and then walked up to the Diocesan Office here in El Salvador. There we learned about the work of the doctor and health workers who run clinics throughout the country to help the poor. We'll see two of these on our travels this week.

Tomorrow we are off to El Mazote and to San Miguel for an overnight. In El Mazote we will visit the site of one of the most horrific massacres of the civil war where 1,000 women, children and men were killed. In San Miguel we will visit the prison on Wednesday and participate in the Holy Eucharist with the prisoners.

No time to upload photos at this stage as we are off to Don Pedro's for dinner in a few minutes.

We are all well and looking forward to being out of the city for two days.

Buenes Tardes

2009-03-13T17:37:00.007-07:00

Well, it is almost Buenes Noches as it is 6:38 p.m. Just dark here as the busses continue to return people to their homes, hundreds of busses.

Today we spent the day at the Baptist Peace Centre getting trained for our work as election observers on Sunday. Many subtle differences between what Canadians expect at the polls and what happens here. Returning officers are from the two main parties, ARENA and FMLN and then there are more scrutineers. Polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 5:00 p.m. unless there are troubles, which is one of the things we're on the look out for. After training we all went to the Radison Hotel to get our formal credentials and identification. Tomorrow we get caps, vests and other stuff to help identify us during the actual day of voting.

The photo above shows Cameron, Kevin and Ann paying attention to the training session today.

Everywhere here there are images to engage the population in voting. Red, White, Blue is the colour of ARENA as the telephone poles in the picture here show. Thousands, probably tens of thousands of polls painted. FMLN is focuses on Red as a colour. Flags on cars, huge billboards, hand bills on street corners...there is a real effort to enage the voter here. There are signs of difficulty too as one hears stories of small confrontations between various supporters. Today for example, actual campaigning is illegal one week before the election so another group that isn't a political part was having a rally in one of San Salvador's largest traffic circles. We waited about 15 minutes to get through.

This is a very beautiful country and filled with beautiful people too. Most are very poor and social services are hard to come by. I'll be writing more about this later. We see many beautiful flowers and trees as you can see here.

There are more pictures on Kevin Dixon's blog at http://www.holybuzz.ca/.

Tomorrow we are going to the tomb of Oscar Romero, and potentially una playa - the beach!

Hasta luego.

El Salvador Beckons...

2009-03-09T16:24:00.003-07:00

Well, 48 hours from now I'll be flying from Houston to San Salvador to participate as an official observer of the presidential election process which happens on Sunday March 15. The campaigning has officially ended (El Salvador law requires one week of no campaign time before the election date) and BBC NEWS has an interesting summary of the key messages of each candidate.

Aside from the electoral process and the potential for a change in government (see the Angus Reid Monitor Report) our mission team will also be visiting a number of important church-related or operated projects before our return on March 22. Our parish of St. Mary's Kerrisdale, has a growing relationship with the Diocese of El Salvador and I look forward to being part of the team that intends to strengthen that relationship with our visit.

I'll be blogging here as time and technology permit from various locations on our trip. You can also read more at Rev. Kevin Dixon's blog. Kevin is already in El Salvador for meetings of the Fundacion Cristosal which supports the work of the church throughout the country.

Hasta que escriba otra vez...

Renewing A Right Spirit

2009-03-04T15:22:00.003-08:00

Legacy (Lenten) Study Verse:

“So give for alms those things that are within; and see, everything will be clean for you.” (Luke 11:41)

By Glen Mitchell

The Book of Alternative services calls us to keep a Holy Lent which it characterizes with these six elements:

Self Examination
Penitence
Prayer
Fasting
Almsgiving
Reading and meditating on the word of God.

Those of you who are regular readers will not be surprised that I am going to comment today about the fifth of these—almsgiving.

A step forward, more recently people have taken to “giving up” negative behaviours such as busyness, procrastination, non believing, privilege, gossip or judgmental attitudes. This is a form of discipline that can renew a right spirit and should be encouraged.

Almsgiving, however, takes us from the realm of “self” which is what the foregoing describes, to a place of compassion and caring for others. We already know that it is central to the Christian tradition; however, it is important to note that we share this with Muslims, Jews and Buddhists. Called Zakat it is the third of five duties of a faithful Muslim to give alms, both from business earnings and personally. Almsgiving is longstanding in the Jewish tradition (see Deut 14:22) and involves supporting priests, the church and the poor. Buddhists have a comprehensive emphasis on alms giving, both to priests, the poor and other life forms.

Normally it is the rich who support the poor; however, this painting by Jacques-Louis David (1781), entitled Belisarius Receiving Alms reminds us that calamity can affect the rich. The famous Roman general who waged war for Justinian in an attempt to rebuild the Roman Empire and take it back from the Ostrogoths in the 6th century is said in legend to have ended his life a blind pauper. Here he is shown receiving alms.

Every day we witness situations of injustice, violence, and hatred. Television and the Internet bring these into our living rooms, but we also observe and live them in our own cities and homes. The Church calls us during Lent to be especially conscious of the needs of others and to act accordingly. Giving materially to another is the act of Christian charity we call almsgiving. During Lent the church also calls us first to reorient our behaviour so that we can transform the world for justice and serve the Kingdom which Jesus lived and preached.

Reorienting a giving attitude or behaviour comes in many forms and the following list is intended to serve as a series of possibilities rather than a check list. Even tackling one or two may be enough for Lent 2009.

One could start by giving “relationship”. Think of one relationship that is currently strained and make an effort to heal it. Adopt an “attitude of gratitude” and give thanks for the blessings you do have rather than complain about the things you would like. It is the old adage of seeing the glass half full rather than half empty.

Be positive. Be an optimist. Think kind thoughts. Be full of hope. Forgive. As our Bishop Michael often charges us in his end of service blessing, “return good for evil”. Surprise people with kindness rather than reinforcing cynical attitudes of hatred.

Pray for trust and lay down jealousy. See beauty around you and dispel the gloom.

We often talk about the giving of time, talent and treasure which are three forms of almsgiving that, for faithful Christians, happen not just in Lent but throughout the year. How might we see this differently at this time?

TIME...
If we reorient our attitude towards Lent as a time of new beginnings, it is an opportunity for you to take stock of your time and re-commit to using a portion of it for the love of God and neighbour. Often no special skills are involved—just the help. If you haven’t been a volunteer, take the time to research a group in the church or community that is in need of help and offer your time. If you already volunteer, ask if there is some special project or activity that needs to be done right now that you could help with.

TALENT...
Skills and talents are God-given and Lent is a good time to share them as a form of almsgiving. If you are a planner, a fundraiser, an organizer, a cleaner, a care giver or one of thousands of other possibilities, match up your talent with a group or person in need and give of yourself.

and TREASURE
Almsgiving is about time, talent and money. Being generous financially is a central theme in all four of the major religious groups referenced earlier. The bible doesn’t talk about “time, talent OR treasure” but the need for all three.

Lent is a time to begin a new stream of generous behaviour in your faith journey. This might happen in several ways. If it is an immediate need, consider a gift during Lent to support a charity or program in your church that helps the poor or strives to eliminate injustice in the world.

Another way would be to consider some form of life-time legacy gift. Do you have an insurance policy that is not required? Consider making a gift of it to your parish, the diocese or the national church. Are you retired and need extra income? Contact Glen Mitchell to find out about Charitable Gift Annuities. This form of legacy giving combines a gift for charity and increased income for the donor. Perhaps you have appreciated securities that could form the basis of a giving program over a period of time.

A third option is to review your Last Will & Testament and add a bequest to your church. The bequest can take the form of a simple gift, or be more specific to support some aspect of the church that is most meaningful to you. For help with wording, please contact Glen Mitchell.
There is an inspiring story of a man who comes in contact with Peter that can be a model for us. As you begin to consider your approach to almsgiving for Lent, spend time with this scripture passage and see how it can inform you. Cornelius is a Roman soldier, a part of the foreign power structure, yet he is faithful and generous in almsgiving. Much like you or me who are part of the consumer culture of the day, it does not mean we cannot carry on our Christian belief in generosity.

“In Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of the Italian Cohort, as it was called. He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God.” (See all of Acts 10).

As you commit to a renewed spirit of discipline and attitude towards almsgiving these comforting words from Psalm 51 can be your prayer.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from your presence
and take not your Holy Spirit from me.

Many Blessings for a Holy Lent.

Did You Know?

2009-02-18T07:31:00.000-08:00

For all those who don't believe the world continues to change...

El Salvador: Veedores Internacionales del proceso electoral

2009-02-10T15:31:00.005-08:00

El Salvador: International Elections Observers

By Glen Mitchell

On March 15th Salvadorians will elect their next president in what may prove to be a breakthrough for the FMLN party over the long ruling ARENA group. In January FMLN won a majority of seats in the legislative assembly and nearly all of the municipal mayoralty races with the exception of the capital, San Salvador.

To help observe a fair presidential election process, the Organization of American States has a process where trained volunteers will work at the “puestos de votacion”. It is at these polling stations that eight St. Mary’s Kerrisdale volunteers including myself will be working. Invited by Bishop Martin Barahona of the Diocese of El Salvador, with which St. Mary’s has had a relationship for some years, members of the group are paying their own way to help ensure that the democratic process happens fairly and transparently. AFter the group arrives, we will be trained for two days before going to the various locations we are to work on election day.

The group will also visit a variety of locations including Equipo Maiz, a grassroots organization that offers resources for education geared to youth and rural peasants. We will also visit Hospital Divina Providencia where Archbishop Oscar Romero was murdered in the hospital chapel in 1982.

We’ll be heading east to Morazan to visit EL Museo Revolucionario and the San Miguel prison where there is an active Anglican ministry. We’ll also see the CoCoSi project supported by PWRDF which uses drama to educate people about HIV/AIDS. We also plan to go to El Maizal, an Anglican village close to the Guatemalan border in the southwest where there is a church school, clinic, 30 houses and a resident priest.

Of course there will be time for some sightseeing and shopping, an afternoon at la playa (beach) and quiet times for reflection and attendance at the Holy Eucharist before we board our plane for the trip home. Watch my blog for journal entries as our journey progresses.

For more details on the political sitaution in El Salvador, visit CISPES.

Hasta luego.

Will We Give?

2009-02-06T11:12:00.001-08:00

By Glen Mitchell

No doubt your parish treasurer is being very cautious as she or he projects the income and expenses for your parish budget plan in these trying financial times. This article looks at whether that approach is the right one and what steps should be taken to ameliorate the negative “glass half empty” feeling that is so prevalent right now.

THE SITUATION

For many the situation seems grim. The US mortgage crisis, bank failures, gyrating energy prices, dramatic declines in housing starts, major equity slides in the stock market, decimated investment returns, are all examples of how the economic situation has turned from expansion to recession in a matter of months. Canada has apparently escaped the worst of this however BC lumber producers would disagree with product pricing at 50 year lows.

The charitable sector is suffering as well. In the United States, National Public Radio recently announced that it would receive zero income from its $230 million bequest from the late Joan Kroc, widow of McDonald’s mogul Ray Kroc. Here, the Vancouver Foundation required a special sitting of the BC Legislature to amend its charter so that it could make grants from capital for two years since its income from investments was badly hit. The church has not escaped unscathed either as its investment portfolio also suffered losses.

Treasurers should have hope. Experience of donor behaviour during past recessions (some much worse than the current one) is quite positive. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports “Even in a year in which the stock market swallowed up nearly $7 trillion in assets, America’s wealthiest donors promised greater amounts to charitable organizations than in 2007: $15.5 billion in 2008 compared with $7.3 billion the previous year.” (01/29/09).

In our own church, during the early 1980s recession, the “Anglicans in Mission” campaign far exceeded its goal. The best year ever for Anglican Appeal happened at the same time. During the Great Depression in the 1930s, the Buckerfield family generously gave the money to build the Dining Hall at Camp Artaban. Their $35,000 gift would be worth $586,000 today!

Giving USA reported in 2008 that giving growth averaged as little as –1.5% during the recession years studied since 1967. That means the rate of growth declined, not total giving. Their report shows that giving rose or remained stable in 9 of 15 years with at least 1 month of recession. The British experience is similar where during previous recessions there was a slight decline in growth rather than a decline in real income. Australian charities report that the recent harder economic times have not had an impact on regular giving donations. Giving USA reports that even in the worst recession years giving, measured in inflation-adjusted dollars, declined an average of only 2.7%.

The news is even better when you look at religious giving. It rose on average 2% per year since 1967 and during long recessions (8 months or more) the growth rate still managed 1.4%. During slowdowns, it was actually higher at 2.6%. The organizations that suffer the most during these times are educational institutions and arts and culture organizations.

STEPS TO TAKE

There is much that parishes can do to deal with the situation and even take advantage of it. This is the time to stay focused on mission, to communicate effectively and to make some contingency plans. There is no denying that the situation is different but it is important to remember that donors give to mission and support organizations that are effective and that work together. It is important to stay positive and to stay focused.

COMMUNICATE-ASK-THANK

Where regular giving is concerned, it is important to talk about the strengths of your parish, not how terrible it is going to be if things don’t improve quickly. Work at engaging individuals in an even deeper commitment to the mission and be prepared to offer flexible giving opportunities such as paying annual pledges in installments or with direct debit (the diocese can help with that). Make the effort to do the most important things well: communicating, asking and thanking people for their contribution and commitment. Consider more opportunities for more volunteer involvement as a way to stretch resources and respond to the mission and ask people to get involved.

This week at the BC Economic Summit conference, attendees were told to act short term, think long term, and to expect a fundamentally different post-recession world. So now is probably not the time to start fancy new programs or publications. Rather it is a time to accept reduced short-term growth in service expenditure to gain increased long-term growth.

This is the time to strengthen efforts in bequest marketing and to employ the most effective tactics for fundraising. Spend time on high yield activities like regular giving, bequests and major donors. Continue to build relationships and talk with those who continue to give consistently because they believe in the mission. Tell the story of stewardship of mission, relationships and creation in new and creative ways. Demonstrate to donors how their gifts are being used wisely with impact. In these tough times, the mission of the church is more relevant than ever.

ATTRACTIVE PLANNED GIFTS

During a recession bequests and charitable gift annuities become more attractive. Generally people in the 40 to 60 age group are making wills and this is a good time to remind them about the importance of remembering the church. Even older people often review their wills so reminding them about the need is also important. Even though bequests received many be smaller because the donor’s asset base has shrunk due to the recession, a smaller gift is still important. People should be encouraged to leave a percentage legacy because as the economy improves, so will their asset values and so therefore will the size of their bequest. One last thing about bequests: those that put them in their wills generally make larger annual gifts as well.

It is also a good time to encourage gifts using the Charitable Gift Annuity. For anyone who needs to stabilize income this is an excellent vehicle that offers rates of return that, depending on age, can well exceed the normal rates of GICs or bonds. Donors give a gift and get an annuity and the tax credits that result create a very effective investment for both the church and the donor.

So there is much to be hopeful for at this time. Remember to be prudent, communicate, ask, thank, encourage volunteerism and keep talking about the importance of the mission.

Write Your "Magi" Plan

2009-01-28T10:30:00.003-08:00

By Glen Mitchell

As you ponder this post epiphany period and reflect on the incredible story of the Magi and their example of seeking out the Christ child and honouring him with their offered gifts of gratitude, the question raised in our legacy study verse captures the theme in this issue.
The psalmist writes “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?” Indeed, what will each of us return?

If you look at Psalm 116 more closely, it offers some thematic suggestions. It talks about believing (13) , serving (16), giving (17), thanking (17), participating (14,18), and worshiping (19). Twice the psalmist proclaims: “I will pay my vows to the Lord in the presence of all his people.” (verses 14 and 18 are identical).

In my December post, I challenged readers to think about how they might have their own journey of the Magi in 2009 and commit to doing so. Might the themes offered in Psalm 116 be a road map for your journey?

While they are listed above in the order presented in the psalm, you may find that your path may follow a different order. Indeed, I’ll expand a little on each element beginning with believing and ending with thanking.

BELIEVE

“I believe…” is an excellent place for many to begin. See the creeds on pages 188,189 of the Book of Alternative Services. The Magi who came to Jesus surely believed that their journey was important; they believed that they would find the Christ child; they believed that the star was leading them to a new centre in their lives. Ultimately, if we are to call ourselves Christians, we believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Son and we come to know the truth of that through the life we lead, living out the other themes of the psalm.

SERVE

A central element of our Christian life is service to each other. It is central because God calls Jesus a servant (Matthew 12:18) and Jesus emphasizes it many times in the Gospels, such as in Matthew 23:11 where he says that “The greatest among you will be your servant”. So our journey needs to include service as a central element.

Service, or mission, is a strength of the church in that it provides many places and ways to serve. I recently had the opportunity to spend time with our Primate, Fred Hiltz, who reminded our group about the five marks of mission of the Anglican Communion. Essentially, all of these are about service: witnessing to God, nurturing our brothers and sisters in Christ, meeting human needs, seeking justice in society, or caring for creation and living in sustainable ways.
Often our talents and our time are referred to as two ways that service can be implemented. What talents do you have that could serve one or more aspects of the marks of mission? What skills will you share that may transform unjust structures of society? Are you prepared to offer some time to ensure that human needs are responded to by loving service?

As you develop your “Magi Plan”, talk with your priest or friends or family about the talents you have and the best ways they could be of service in your faith community and the wider world. The list of choices is long as the church is involved in everything from local homelessness and environmental issues, to national issues such as indigenous peoples rights and global questions of Aids, human rights, etc.

GIVE

What will it take to unlock your generous heart? What will it take for you to pay your vows to the Lord; what will it take for you to offer a thanksgiving sacrifice? This is the central question of the legacy verse in this issue as posed in the psalm. “What shall I return to the Lord for all his bounty to me?” This clear statement emphasizes two key understandings of Christian faith: God is bountiful towards us and we have an obligation to return a portion of this bounty. The theme in the Magi’s journey is the same: God has given us his Son Jesus Christ and the Magi are responding, by travelling a great distance, facing political problems with Herod and ultimately finding the Christ child and offering their gifts. (You can read this in Matthew 2:1-12)
The familiar phrase often used when talking about giving is “treasure”. Christians know that it is really God’s treasure and the psalm emphasizes this when it talks about “his bounty”. Our responsibility is not to use it all or waste it all but to return a portion to God in thanksgiving and sacrifice. That means we must give, and not be afraid to be generous, even sacrificial. What will you do to build generosity and sacrificial giving into your “Magi Plan”?

If you need someone to talk to about how to establish your giving plan, I would be pleased to consult with you and help you develop a plan that realizes your generous goals and which supports projects and activities that reflect what is important to you, in the church and the community.

PARTICIPATE

This is another way of saying “relationships matter”. For more than a century, society has held up individualism as the ultimate expression; however, this is changing rapidly as more and more people realize that community is a much better end game. The early Christians certainly participated, formed relationships, shared wealth, and lived through the joys and persecutions of their faith together.

We are now realizing the benefits of community and recognizing that we are social creatures who are fulfilled in relationship, not isolation. None of this is intended to deny our uniqueness as God has made us, but rather to know our individual nature through the support and love that we experience in relationship. So don’t bowl alone (Robert Putnam’s book) but engage and find joy in participation in the life of Christ.

WORSHIP

As Christians we not only believe, serve, give and participate, we worship God. As Anglicans we have various liturgical forms that allow us to praise God and honour the creator, the Son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Together we pray, we sing, we read scripture, we celebrate the Eucharist, we go on retreats. Many have personal prayer practices in addition to the corporate worship we share. One of the joys of the Anglican Communion is its wide variety of forms of worship, liturgies and music styles. To be complete, every “Magi Plan” needs to create space for regular worship.

THANK

Finally we are a thankful people, ever grateful for God’s abundant love and bounty to us. Make sure that your “Magi Plan” has time for thanksgiving for all the blessings in your life. By the very act of believing, serving, giving, participating and worshipping, you are giving thanks. So write down your plan and keep a journal. You will see that you have much to be thankful for.

A PRAYER

This prayer is offered to help you develop your plan.

Gracious and abundant God
Strengthen my belief
Lead me to service
Nurture my generous heart
Love me in Christian community
Teach me to praise and worship
Receive my thanks for abundant life.
Give me courage and understanding.
Bless my desire to live in your love.
AMEN.

Blessed Christmastide

2008-12-22T10:25:00.003-08:00

A most sincere wish for a blessed Christmastide for you and all those you know and love. May you know the joy of Christmas and encounter and share the gift of peace.

Thank you for reading TALENTS FOR GOD throughout the year.

As we contemplate 2009, please join me on this continuing journey - responding as generously as the Magi did to God's magnificent gift of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Will 2009 be the year of your generous epiphany?

AMAZING GRACE

2008-12-15T15:06:00.001-08:00

It truly was an amazing project - many dozens of Anglican churches spread across this great country all joining together to sing "Amazing Grace". Lisa Barry has compiled the story. Let her tell it...

God's Gift of Wealth

2008-12-11T16:18:00.010-08:00

Legacy Study Verse:

“Likewise all to whom God gives wealth and possessions and whom he enables to enjoy them, and to accept their lot and find enjoyment in their toil - this is the gift of God.”
Ecclesiastes 5:19

By Glen Mitchell

The approaching season of Epiphany creates an opportunity to reflect both on the gifts that God continues to give to each of us and the example that the magi (three kings) provide in making a significant effort at great risk to honor Christ with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

This is a significant event in our Christian life and the teaching we take from it is very clear. First God gives us the wonderful gift of Jesus Christ and secondly we (represented here by the Magi) respond to God’s generous treatment of us.

Christian art has emphasized how important these two events are over the centuries. Above we see Murillo’s treatment, and to the right, Sandro Bottecelli’s “Adoration of the Magi”. There are many others, including more iconic treatments and even modern renderings. All of these have Christ at the centre as the core element and the adoring Magi marking the occasion with their generous gifts.

A close reading of the Gospel stories about the Magi shows us that these donors went to considerable trouble, traveling great distances across harsh deserts. Intent on gift giving, they also put themselves at great risk because the authorities were trying to find this new born King. And they travelled home by different route, signifying their open attitude to change and practical action.

So in our context, what lessons can we draw from this story for financial stewardship and gift planning?

First of all, one of the primary lessons we offer about stewardship is upheld in the gracious giving God we worship. We are first of all recipients of a great gift—God’s grace, God’s Son and the power of the Holy Spirit. A willing, no conditions attached, generosity is in God’s nature.

The second lesson is about how we are to act when confronted by this generous God. There is a clear understanding that if we are to live into our faith, and to strive to be living our lives in an adoring way, then we must be as generous as we can be, just as God has been. We are to present our gifts to the Christ-child and to be thankful for the opportunity.

It is not an easy thing to do sometimes—be generous. The journey of the Magi could be a metaphor for these financially uncertain times. Unsure where they would find the baby Jesus, troubled by the soldiers searching for him, and ultimately going home by a foreign path, they might have said “forget it!”. But no, they persevered despite the challenges and so we have the completion of the story, and a wonderful example of what it takes to be a faithful, believing, generous, determined person.

Arguably one of the greatest artists of our civilization, Leonardo da Vinci’s “Adoration” is to the right. A more recent iconic treatment of the story is shown below which illustrates just how powerful and continually meaningful the story is.

So as you begin 2009, will you take some time to reflect on these matters?

Will you consider just how generous God has been in your life?

Will you consider the appropriate ways and levels of your response to that generosity you have experienced?

Will you persevere in the face of financial challenges to continue to be generous?

Your parish community, your parish priest are all able to engage you in the journey of the magi. Both will support you in your spiritual life by helping you to steward your relationship with God and neighbour.

Our recent stewardship brochure suggested several excellent ways to express your love of God.

Participate in the sacraments regularly.
Join in the life of your parish community, living as an example of the Good News in Jesus Christ.
Pray and read the scriptures and other holy texts on a regular basis.

Volunteer your time and talents, loving those in need of justice and peace in your neighbourhood.

Give thanks for God’s grace in your life and share proportionately of your financial resources to fulfill God’s Mission through the Church.

Advent Conspiracy

2008-12-05T13:36:00.003-08:00

Please spread the word about this excellent idea ... let's take the cash out of Christmas and achieve a world where peace and justice prevail.

Go to: www.adventconspiracy.org

INCREASING THE CHARITABLE TAX CREDIT

2008-11-27T16:21:00.003-08:00

By Glen Mitchell

The Association of Fundraising Professionals Vancouver Chapter Government Relations Committee (AFP) has proposed to the legislative Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services that the government consider increasing the provincial portion of the charitable tax credit. Currently, BC has the third lowest rate of charitable tax credits in the country.

In these worsening economic times, the brief stated that government needs to help charities do more with more, not more with less, and demonstrate leadership by implementing measures that will help, not harm charities. BC currently has the third lowest charitable tax credit in the country – only Nunavut and Yukon territories offer a lower credit. An increase in the provincial portion of the charitable tax credit will help charities raise more funds from individual donors, but is not meant to replace government funding of charities. It is meant to be one tool among many to help charities develop sustainable revenue generation.

The proposal asked the BC government to increase the provincial portion of the non-refundable charitable tax credit for donations under $200 to 9 percent from the current 5.7 percent; and for donations over $200 to 21 percent from the current rate of 14.7 percent. Combined with the current federal tax rate of 29 percent, this increase would provide a maximum 50 percent non-refundable charitable tax credit to BC donors at an estimated cost to the provincial treasury of $65 million per year. For example, if you made a gift of $1000.00, the tax credit would increase to $500.00 from the current $437.00 – a $63.00 benefit to the donor.

On November 19, the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services released its report on the 2009 budget consultations, and it is recommending to the Finance Minister that the government include AFP’s recommendation in the upcoming budget. Should the government decide to include the measure in the 2009 budget, it will place BC on par with Alberta and provide a combined (federal and provincial) charitable tax credit of 50 percent at the top-end.

URGENT Call to Action

While this is a very positive step in the right direction, AFP’s work is not yet done. With so many competing budget priorities, the AFP recommendation is one of many vying for inclusion. The Vancouver Chapter is asking you and organizations you represent or are part of to help ensure this message is heard by the Finance Minister. You can help by sending a letter to Finance Minister Colin Hansen. AFP encourages you to write a personal and/or organization letter. A sample is listed belowthat you can customize.

The time is now because the budget is in preparation and the minister needs to hear your endorsement now. If you wait until the new year it may be too late because the budget will be cast.

Our Diocesan Council will be asked to pass the following motion on December 9, 2008. You may use it as a model for your own organization to consider.

Motion

Whereas the Diocese of New Westminster, its parishes and related groups are funded through donations from individuals; and
Whereas the combined provincial/federal charitable tax credit in British Columbia is the third lowest in Canada;
Whereas the Association of Fundraising Professionals has proposed to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services that the Provincial Government of British Columbia increase the maximum charitable tax credit from 43.7% to 50% and include it in the provincial government’s Budget 2009; and
Whereas the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services has recommended the same to the Minister of Finance, BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED THAT:

The Diocesan Council of the Diocese of New Westminster supports the recommendation of the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services and, that it further requests that the Minister of Finance include this measure in the provincial budget 2009 and, that it further requests that the Bishop of the Diocese of New Westminster write to inform the Minister of Finance that the Diocese of New Westminster requests that this measure be included in the provincial budget 2009, and it further encourages parishes and related groups in the Diocese of New Westminster to do the same.

Sample Letter

November 24, 2008

The Honourable Colin Hansen, MLAMinister of FinancePO Box 9048, STN PROV GOVTVictoria, BC V8W 9E2
Dear Minister Hansen:
RE: Budget 2009
[Introductory paragraph about your organization]
We are writing to ask you to include an increase to the provincial portion of charitable tax credits in the 2009 Budget, as recommended by the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services in its November 2008 report. Currently, B.C. has one of the lowest charitable tax credit and donor participation rates, ahead of only Nunavut and Yukon territories. At a time when economic uncertainty is hampering charities’ fundraising efforts, and when charities are being asked to provide more services than ever before, this measure would demonstrate that the government is committed to helping charities do more with more, not more with less.
There are more than 11,000 charities in British Columbia, working in all sectors and providing services in communities throughout the province.
We urge you to include this measure in Budget 2009, to support the hundreds of thousands of British Columbians who are impacted by charities each year. We would be pleased to speak to you or a representative of your office regarding the importance of this measure to our organization and to the sector as a whole.
Yours truly,
[Name][Title]

If you have any questions, please contact Glen Mitchell, Director of Gift Planning for the Diocese of New Westminster at 604.684.6306 x218 or email Glen Mitchell. Glen is a member of the AFP Government Relations Committee and a contributing author to the brief presented to the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services.

GIVING SECURITIES NOW?

2008-11-26T14:50:00.010-08:00

“A gift opens doors; it gives access to the great.”
Proverbs 18:16

By Glen Mitchell

Well, it has been quite a ride these past few weeks as the financial sector has muscled its way to the front pages. It has certainly attracted the attention of charities in Canada who are concerned about their continued support from donors.

One of the increasingly important sources of support is the gifting of appreciated securities to the church. So you might be wondering whether that still makes sense in this market.

As Graph No. 1 shows clearly, the TSX (Toronto Stock Exchange) is down at least 30% from the highs of June 2008. Depending on the equities or mutual funds you own, your experience might be less (or more) traumatic. Media reports indicate that many individuals who invest for retirement purposes have had a major setback because of this financial crisis and there is an increasing demand for the Federal government to modify the rules about valuing RIFs for minimum withdrawal purposes.

Even so, individuals who have been in the market for many years are still in a situation where they have benefited from the overall growth of the market. That appears to be more true for Toronto stocks (see Graph No. 2) than for the Dow in New York.

None the less, if a donor has made a pledge or commitment to support the church and intends to do that with a gift of appreciated securities, this method of gifting is still a very effective giving strategy from a tax savings point of view. This is because gifts of securities are not subject to capital gains tax. Perhaps an example will help to illustrate this. On the opposite page there is an example of a donor who intended to make a gift of $20,000 using listed securities that have a cost base of $10,000.

In a market where the stock had over time appreciated by 100%, the table on the next page shows that the benefit of giving a gift of securities versus cash is $2,500. Basically, the capital gains tax on the appreciated securities ends up in the donor’s pocket rather than the government’s coffers.

What happens when the appreciated value drops by 25%? The table shows that there is still a gain of $5,000 based on a cost base of $10,000. That means the donor will still save the capital gains tax of $1,250.00 in making a gift of securities rather than cash.

The analysis shows that the market would have to decline to the point where there was no taxable capital gain whatsoever before the benefit of giving a gift of appreciated securities is totally eliminated.

So for anyone who is still holding de-mutualized shares of a life insurance company or who may be holding Bell shares at the moment, giving gifts of appreciated securities is still a very effective way to avoid capital gains taxes.

The diocese operates an account with a well-known British Columbia brokerage house to facilitate gifts of appreciated securities to the diocese, parishes or the national church. If you are interested in taking advantage of this tax effective strategy to make your annual pledge, establish an endowment, support your parishes capital improvement program, support a related group in the diocese such as the Mission to Seafarers or Camp Artaban, please call Glen Mitchell at 604.684.6306 x218 to make the arrangements.

Individuals often wait until too close to the year-end to take advantage of the tax year. These gifts need five-days to clear through the trading system so the last day in 2008 for making such a gift of appreciated securities will be Monday, December 22nd, 2008.

GOD’S ENDOWMENT: WATCHING WITH INTEREST

2008-11-19T15:12:00.002-08:00

LECTIONARY REFERENCES
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11
Matthew 25:14-30

Thank you for the invitation to worship with you this morning. I have been to St. Dunstan’s a number of times since you built this beautiful church for meetings and services.

Each time I visit, I have this sense that, as a community, you are living out the teaching we find in today’s Gospel reading. God has given you responsibility and resources and you have used both to great effect.

And now you are preparing to take on even more responsibility as you give energy and resources to the creation of a parish endowment fund. With that in mind I have titled my talk today God’s Endowment: Watching with Interest. The chair of our Stewardship & Gift Development Committee had suggested “Squeezes for Jesus” as an alternate approach!

So the title is a kind of theological short hand for my key messages today. There are three of them.

First, the endowment you are funding belongs to God; second, the theme of “watching” which is so central to the lectionary readings for today is captured effectively in the concept of an endowment fund, and thirdly, as the parable requires of us, the gifts you make will provide income to further God’s mission through your faith community in Aldergrove and beyond. Let’s try and unpack these ideas a bit to increase our understanding and commitment to funding this new endowment program.

Before we do that, I want to spend a couple minutes talking about what an endowment is. Twenty years ago our diocese launched a drive to establish a new endowment fund – it is called the Anglican Initiatives Fund. Many people contributed generously to that call for support and more than $1.6 million was gathered into a permanent fund to support new ministry, Anglican Church growth, human resources and outreach ministry within the diocese and beyond. The Bishop, diocesan Chancellor and Treasurer and two administrators elected by our diocesan Synod administer the fund. Over the past twenty years, $1,351,000 in income from the fund has been distributed to a wide variety of ministry and outreach projects.

Similarly, at the national level, the Anglican Foundation is an endowed fund that supports parishes across Canada. Many parishes in our diocese have endowments. Some are long standing and therefore quite large funds. Others are in the early stages of development. All endowment funds have these key features: they attract permanent capital which is then invested to create income which is administered for distribution to support the purposes established by the originators of the endowment.

A key theme of all stewardship programs is that everything we have is a gift from God – so the fund you are beginning to build is really you putting money back into God’s Pocket. We are charged as stewards to take the grace and talents we receive from God and grow them in favour of the master. Because of our faith, we are expected to use the talents God gives us, what ever the amount, and use them effectively. I’m not just talking about money, but these gifts include God’s Word, his Son Jesus Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit, the forgiveness of sin and a long list of special gifts we find in 1 Corinthians 12 such as wisdom, knowledge, healing, prophecy, etc. Each of us has received some of these gifts and we are responsible for using these gifts which belong to Christ to serve him. God wants us simply to use what we have been given. And the proper use of his gifts will cause them to increase. This is what we see in the parable. One steward is given five and returns ten, another two and returns four.

The tragedy of the story and the focus of the parable is the man who hid his talent. From him we probably learn the most. First, the talent was not his in the first place; it was on loan. Second, Christ shows that people bury their gifts primarily out of fear. Third, the whole parable illustrates that regarding spiritual gifts, one never loses what he uses. That is a powerful lesson: if we use the gifts that God gives us, we cannot lose! The one who was punished never even tried and is described as wicked and lazy. His passivity regarding spiritual things doomed him. In his condemnation of the master we see that the servant with one talent has fallen victim to the deadly combination of the temptations of resentment and fear.

The church needs people with one talent as much as the person who has many talents. Imagine how ineffective one of the greatest writers of the English language, William Shakespeare would have been without the support of printers, bookbinders, teachers and actors and the like who bring his works to life. This demonstrates the interdependence of gifts. Even those who may appear to have few talents are just as needed in the body as those who have many.

One lesson we learn from this passage is that watchfulness must not lead to passivity, but to doing one’s God-given duties. We are reminded in the Thessalonians passage that we are not in the darkness but that we are all children of the light and children of the day. Much like the old scouting motto that I remember from my childhood, we are to “be prepared” – awake and sober. The reason for this attitude, this behaviour of readiness is, as verse 11 states so clearly – so we can encourage one another and build up each other. We must be learning, growing, carrying out our responsibilities and developing the resources that God entrusts to us for the good of the community.

Do you watch that wonderful British series about the English village church on PBS – “The Vicar of Dibley”? I love the character who is always saying No, No, No, No, No, YES! One of the ways that each of you can participate in this call to watchfulness is to say No, No, No, No, No, YES! Say Yes! to shareing in the growth of the parish’s endowment fund. It is a meaningful way for you to create a secure future for God’s work in this place. Those who contribute today and future generations who add their gifts tomorrow will all be creating a resource for this parish that will manifest good works and glorify God from generation to generation.

It is obviously important to continue to support the operating budget of the parish with your annual contributions. Regular worship and prayer, pastoral care and fellowship; these are all part of the daily life of our church community and they require your annual commitment to continue.

However, when you make a gift to the endowment fund, you will be investing in the future of this place as a beacon of the light of Christ. Establishing an endowment fund is a statement about the long term viability of the community – it recognizes that this place is part of the fabric of the community. It is a statement about the permanent nature of St. Dunstan as a key building block in the community of Aldergrove. As resources continue to stream into this endowment fund, your community will increasingly be able to do more with it – more than you can ask or imagine. These gifts are spiritual gifts – gifts to be used to love God and one another.

So to briefly summarize the discussion to this point, God has given us gracious spiritual gifts and physical resources and talents and abilities and we are expected to use them to great effect. These actions or works are entrusted to us even though the master may be absent. We are not to be lazy and uncaring but to be watchful and active in using and increasing these gifts. While there are many day to day needs in the community, part of our watchfulness is directed towards building a legacy, creating an endowment to demonstrate our love of God and our ability to grow and increase the value of the property God has entrusted to us.

All this is not without certain risks. The two servants who receive God’s recognition as good and trustworthy have actually taken some risks with God’s resources. There is an unspoken implication in this passage that the Lord expected these servants to invest the talents he distributed in such a way as to produce gain. The talent, then, is something that can be invested, be risked, with the possibility of producing gain or loss. The decision to risk is wholly the servant’s. He can choose to take this risk, as the first two servants did, or he can utterly refuse to do so, as the third one did.

The passage suggests to me that we are called to take risks in service to God and to each other. We are to bring our talents and resources into community and put them to work with interest. It also suggests that as we do this, continually building up our trusting relationship with God, we will hear him say “Well done!” And we will then be given more resources and responsibilities, and we will enter into the joy of God. We have all had this experience of starting something, watching it grow, which leads to the reward for faithfulness and a step toward more responsibilities.

An endowment fund is not intended to finance just any wish or desire that happens to come along. No, it is important for you as a community to discern how these resources can be used effectively to express your ministry focus in Aldergrove. You will want to do this because as people make their gifts to the fund, you and future generations have a responsibility to those who have left a legacy to ensure that the resources are used wisely. There is a hint in Thessalonians today about how that might look. In our soberness we are to put on the breastplate of faith and love and a helmet for the hope of salvation. An endowment fund that sought to support projects and programs that encouraged faith, love and hope would offer a wonderful legacy indeed.

Each one of us - woman or man, rich or poor, young or old -have all come from the hand of the same creator-God. By our common humanity as creatures of God, we have a connection that prompts us to love, share, sacrifice and care for the good of others and the common good of the human family.

And for those of us who are in Christ, the bond is even closer. The bond of our common life in the Spirit overshadows our cultural, denominational, and theological differences and human-made boundaries.

The spirit leads us to live generously, contributing our time, talent and treasure to sustain and nurture the mission and ministry of the church and the community. Giving is to live in the spirit, not in the flesh. Giving to the endowment fund is to attest to the spirit – to build a spiritual legacy for the parish.

Our generosity of spirit sustains and nurtures the church in three ways:
First, we sustain the response to the mission and ministry of our parish and its daily needs; and through this, our diocesan community, giving regularly according to our ability.

From time to time the Spirit draws us deeper, to renew the building or support a major program or project – a process you here at St. Dunstan’s are all familiar with. These sacrificial responses are Spirit led and required of every generation to maintain the fabric of our community and restore our places of worship and service in the community. When we look back we see that our forbearers have made possible what we are stewards of today. Our responsibility to the next generation is to do the same in ways that are meaningful and responsive to the needs of our time.

And, as we’ve been discussing this morning, we may actually gather capital, creating an endowment or a legacy gift to benefit current and future generations. From these pools of invested resources flows annual income that is directed to a variety of purposes to fulfill the communities needs.

It is these last two areas where I do most of my work. Faithful people seek assistance to discern God’s call to action in supporting major projects or creating ultimate legacies which are expressions of gratitude for the generous blessings and grace of life. For many this is done through a gift or bequest in a Will – this is a promise to be fulfilled at some future time.

An increasing number of people hear the call of the Spirit now and are drawn to create their legacy gift during their lifetime rather than at death. There is considerable evidence supported by my work with donors to suggest that they are looking for ways to live in a spirit of generosity – to show their gratitude for a life well lived and a career well compensated during their lifetime.

“Giving while you are alive is so much more fun” is a typical response when I ask why a donor is giving now rather than later. That is why we now are encouraging everyone to approach their legacy giving by creating A PLAN OF GRATITUDE.

This four-step process begins by prayerfully considering what it is that God is motivating or calling you to care about; is it Faith?; is it Community? Hospitality? Justice issues? Clothing the naked? Perhaps you’ve identified yet another. Every Christian should want to know God’s will for their lives. To be in the center of God’s will is always the best place to be! It’s the place to be blessed by God, cared for by God, protected by God, and provided for by God!

All of us need to listen, and discern what it is that God motivates us to do. The importance of listening for God cannot be overemphasized. One must not decide based on “what’s-in-it-for-me” rather than honestly seeking God’s will. Sometimes God calls us to something surprising and challenging, even frightening! By discerning God’s desire, you can create a real sense of “Vision” or perhaps a better term is “Response” to God’s call.

Second, it is important to consider how to express your response in a timely manner. There is a sense of urgency to respond to God’s call. The Gift Planning Office, or your parish clergy can help you identify church programs that will provide a way to create life for your vision. Today we’re praying that you will feel called to support the new parish endowment fund, but you must follow God’s call.

For example, you may feel called to “justice” as your focus, so we will help you match your response with work that the church does in this area. Most people start with their own parish’s mission and ministry. However, It might be that you are called to support a related church organization or some diocesan or national church project. Or, in discerning Gods call, you may have identified a need that that is currently unmet – and begin an entirely new ministry.
Third, you will need to consider how best to implement your response with the program, project or organization you’ve decided best suits your motivation and vision. Will you make an outright gift; set up an endowment; make a bequest in your will; give a gift of appreciated securities? Planning a gift requires that you take a good look at your financial situation. It is important to make sure that in achieving your vision that you have also provided for your loved ones in an appropriate way.

We can help with various financial tools, for example, trusts, insurance, donor-advised funds, appreciated securities or annuities. These can be combined in tax-effective ways to help you express your love of God and express your gratitude for the grace and blessing bestowed upon you. I like to think of these various tools as the fruits on the tree of life growing on either side of the river that we read about in the book of Revelation. There is an abundance of ideas and methods that can support your response and helping you do that is what my ministry is all about.

Finally, we want you to have FUN. God will love you for your response, your expression and your gift that will contribute to the healing of the nations. After you’ve identified a vision, chosen a program or project and utilized an effective donation strategy it is time to enjoy seeing your gift of gratitude at work and being involved in the blessing of others. Being cheerful is an important part of legacy giving as you shine as bright as crystal in the peace of Christ.

So as you build your parish endowment fund, you will be living by the Spirit and not in the flesh. You will start seeing one another through the eyes of Christ and your perspective, feelings, and emotions will be changed. By discerning God’s call and expressing your response in mission and ministry, you will come to be in the very presence of God.

MATCHING VALUES TO ACTIONS 2

2008-10-08T15:42:00.001-07:00

Are you one of those Canadians who feel strongly about eradicating poverty?
Have you considered what you are going to do about it?
Many roll up their sleeves and pitch in, gathering food, cooking, driving people to centres, hosting, washing up and a dozen other important tasks that this ministry requires.

These programs require financial support to continue—perhaps that is where you can help. Here are some ways you can do that.

1. BEQUEST: While this will not help right away, experience shows that poverty is a tough challenge and its eradication is likely to take a while. If you cannot help with an immediate gift such as those outlined below, then consider earmarking a portion of your estate to help achieve the millennium goal of poverty elimination.

2. ANNUITY: For many, income is important and so is a good return on capital. This is possible with a charitable gift annuity. For example, consider a $10,000 amount that is partially a gift ($3,000 to the food ministry immediately) and $7,000 to invest in an annuity that will increase your rate of return by as much as 100% depending on your age (65 to 80 works best). You get an immediate tax receipt and the income continues for the rest of your life. Of course these can be arranged for larger amounts than the example given above.

3. SECURITIES: Perhaps the most tax advantageous gift to make these days is a gift of appreciated securities. When you do this, the capital gains are exempt, that is, free of tax. The Diocese can expedite the transaction and forward the proceeds of your donation to the appropriate parish for their ministry. This is an excellent way to make a gift of those securities you have held for many years and avoid the problem of capital gains tax.

4. INSURANCE: Do you have a paid-up policy with cash values that is not needed any longer? Consider giving it to the parish or diocese with the direction that the cash value be drawn out and used to support a food ministry operated by your faith community. This will entitle you to a receipt for income tax purposes on the cash value amount, which of course will be a tax credit and reduce any payable taxes you may have. In this case you are going to not just be matching values to actions but values to values!

5. LEGACY BOND: If you have larger amounts available, the Legacy Bond should be considered. With this approach you can combine an immediate gift, continue to receive equivalent annuity income and leave an insurance gift on your passing. For example, it is possible to make a gift of $100,000 immediately; receive annuity income equal to the prevailing GIC rates; and make a $100,000 insurance gift on your demise to your estate or to the church. A number of committed Anglicans have already made significant contributions to God’s mission through the Church using this method. It is very effective because it is so flexible and can be tailored to virtually any individual’s situation.

So there is the challenge: be an agent of moral, social and economic transformation in the world; and choose any of these gift planning tools to make it happen. Email me to discuss how you can get involved.

Millennium Goals: Matching Values & Actions

2008-10-08T15:40:00.002-07:00

By Glen Mitchell

It is no coincidence that the first millennium goal which seeks to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger in the world is also one of the ten strategic directions chosen by our Synod in 2008. 1.4 Billion people live in extreme poverty throughout the world and every three seconds a child dies from poverty related causes; every day, 50,000 people die. Every night, 800 million people lie down in hunger.

Here in Canada, 770,000 people rely regularly on food banks. 40% of them are children. In 1989 members of Parliament made a pledge to end child poverty by the year 2000. Eighteen years later, the child poverty rate remains the same. In First Nations communities, 25% live in poverty.

In the Lower Mainland, food banks feed more than 9,000 people each week. 41% are children and many are the elderly on fixed incomes. Another 16,000 are helped to meet their need for food through over 100 agencies working on this problem. Among these is the Anglican Church in the Diocese of New Westminster.

We do this because we care—in fact, according to a recent Angus Reid poll, poverty ranks among the top four issues in the current federal election campaign. “The ending of poverty, at home and abroad”, says our Primate, The Most Reverend Fred Hiltz, “...must be a priority for the newly formed federal government. Hiltz, in a statement on September 25, 2008 endorsed the Make Poverty History campaign which calls for an end to child poverty in Canada, 100% debt relief for poor countries, more and better aid and trade justice. He also called on the federal government “...to implement the 2005 Kelowna Accord committing Canada to a concrete plan for closing the living standards gap between aboriginal peoples and all others who live in this land.”

Parishes in our diocese are very active in a ministry of serving and delivering food to the hungry—both those who need physical sustenance and those who value the social contact that happens when people gather. Working to deliver meals (breakfasts or lunches) and act as collection and distribution centres for food banks, Anglican parishes are serving thousands of people in the Lower Mainland every week. This is such an important ministry that a Food Ministry Workshop has been scheduled for Saturday November 1, at St. Laurence Coquitlam (9:00 a.m.—12:30 p.m.). The goal is to network, share experiences and invite anyone interested in starting such a ministry in their parish.

As the Archbishop of York told the assembled hundreds that filled the Cathedral of St. John The Divine in New York City on September 25th, God is calling us to be part of transforming the world.” John Sentamu called this power of transformation the hope for the world. He called on those in attendance to stand and recite to their neighbour, “Be an agent of moral, social and economic transformation. He declared: “I trust the ancient wisdom of the faith that I hold to point the way to the future. Love wasn’t put in our hearts to stay. It isn’t love until you give it away.”

Stewardship: A Framework for Christian Life

2008-10-08T15:38:00.000-07:00

Through the teachings of Jesus and participation in our Anglican community one may steward their relationship with God and neighbour. Each person who seeks a spiritual life in the Christian family is “not far from the kingdom of God”. It is in Mark 12:28-34 where we learn that loving God and loving neighbour are fundamental to knowing God and being situated in the kingdom. These two great commandments are welcomed by many who strive for clarity in their spiritual journey and their relationships with individuals, society and the environment.

One aspect of stewardship is to know and love God. To achieve this we develop the disciplines of prayer, scripture reading and worship that draw us into a closer relationship with God. In this way our hearts will be enlightened and we may know the hope to which God calls us. In gratitude, we offerings of thanks; some embrace the discipline of the tithe to know the true joy of giving and experiencing the glory of God in entirely new ways.

Paul says the purpose of loving the neighbour is for the purpose of building up the neighbour (Romans 15:2). Neighbour is a broad term which includes our relationship with the entire cosmos. It is the stewardship of our loving and caring relationship for each human being; it is the stewardship of God’s creation, our fragile earth and the vast expanse of stellar space. We must draw on our spiritual disciplines to be stewards of our relationships and our resources.

To love God and the neighbour, we must also love ourselves. It is the fourth in a series of holy habits which include gospel, creation, gratitude and Sabbath. This means we discipline ourselves by matching our values with our lifestyle; by making time to rest (Hebrews 4:11) and to care about ourselves; to exercise and be free of the social pressures of the marketplace.

So stewardship is a framework for Christian life – it is about creating disciplines which lead you to love God; it is about being grateful for all of God’s gifts to you; it is about loving your neighbours and creation; and it is living with integrity.

Strategic Stewardship II

2008-06-20T15:46:00.002-07:00

The Stewardship & Gift Development Committee made a 25-minute presentation to Synod 2008 entitled “Strategic Stewardship” which identified five generations of Canadian Anglicans. In the previous issue we addressed the Veterans and the Silent Generations. Turning now to the Boomers, Gen Xs and Millennials, we continue to see that each of us are, to an extent, the product of our times. We are shaped by the context of the world around us as we have grown up: how we make decisions, how we order our priorities, how we relate to each other … these are all formed, in part, by our personal histories.
Boomers

Many readers will have personal experience with the Boomer generation – who are described as “IDEALISTIC”. Boomers set out to fix the world. Some research suggests that as much as 53% of boomers are “born again” Christians however only 29% of them volunteer every week in their church. 49% of them claim to attend church regularly.

Boomers were born in Canada from 1947 to 1966. Many strongly supported the civil rights and peace agendas in the 60s and 70s. Boomers were shaped by the Cuban Missile Crisis, Rock & Roll and Woodstock, the Vietnam War, Dr. Spock’s childrearing strategies, the October Crisis, the “sexual revolution” and the musical “Hair”. They are known by many names: The “Love Generation”, the “Pepsi Generation”, but most often as “The Boom Generation” and today by many as “The Yuppies”.

These “victory babies” first appeared in 1947 and were the first children to experience television as important. The 1960s was their time; they were called self-absorbed, intellectually arrogant and socially immature. Many didn’t’ like the world their parents had made so they set out to change it.

Baby boomers embraced spiritualism over science, gratification over patience, self over community. They fostered a culture of narcissism, seeking high self-esteem, embracing selective self-indulgence. This outcome followed from growing up in child-focused households using Dr. Spock’s “permissive approach”. Influenced by the Silent generation’s intellectuals, they rebelled against their fathers and society.

Although they came of age listening to the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen, not all boomers are the same, of course. Many boomers migrated to New Age and evangelical churches or to beliefs in psychic phenomena, meditation and reincarnation. Movements and fads were the thing – the human potential movement, communal living, exercise, back-to-nature.
Boomers have their place in the political hierarchy of the land. So far two boomer conservatives have been Prime Minister – Kim Campbell and Stephen Harper. The last five Premiers of BC, beginning with Mike Harcourt, have all been boomers. Our Michael+ is the first “boomer bishop” in our Diocese.

Now called “Yuppies” – young urban professionals – they are a process people, wanting to control everything they touch. Many therefore work in communications, marketing and the media. They seek “political correctness” and believe they embody moral wisdom – knowing what is right and what is wrong and they’re quite prepared to tell you when you’ve made a mistake!

Of the three generations we’ve studied so far, the Boomers are the least generous. 79% of church goers give, however their average gift is lower than that of the previous generations. Boomers oppose rules and regulations. They are struggling to understand the generation we turn to now: Generation X.

GENERATION X

Born in the years from 1967 to 1980 these people are described as “REACTIVE”. For the first time, life offered diminished expectations. Boomer parents couldn’t be self-absorbed and raise kids at the same time and thus we know Gen X as the “Latch-key” generation.

They grew up to have street smarts and be risk takers. Absent parents meant they learned to care for each other and value relationships. They are distrustful of hierarchies.

GEN Xs have not given up on God. 67% are faithful. Research suggests that as many as 33% are “born again” Christians, however only 23% of them attend church regularly.

Generation Xs were born at a time when people were thinking about themselves more than children. They had to watch out for their own safety because many of their elders didn’t seem to care. The world was a pessimistic place – there was Three-Mile Island, the Iran hostage crisis, Watergate, the Energy Crisis, the Gulf War, drug use and AIDS, and decreased funding for education. Gen Xs are likely to be economically worse off than the previous generation, for the first time in human history.

17 per cent of BC’s population is Gen-X. They survived “the pill”, mounting divorce rates, rising abortion rates, and moms who had to go to work. They dislike pretence, hype and spin. Unlike their parents, they value risk-taking, paradox and mystery.

As a sceptical generation they distrust institutions and rules for the sake of rules. Yet they are a highly spiritual people, rooted more in mystery than rational faith. Gen Xs are seeking purpose and meaning in life. They want to belong, but on their terms. They value accepting who they are and belonging where they are welcome.

A process people, Gen Xs believe that the journey is more important than the destination. They believe in diversity and change. Friends are as important as family and individual responsibility is very important to them. They believe each one can make a difference, even if it is small.
Many reject the habits and values of the baby boomers, viewing that group as self-centered, fickle and impractical.

It is not surprising that these younger people who are still being educated, establishing their careers and families are giving less to the church. Still 60% of those attending do contribute.

MILLENNIAL or “Y”

The Millennial generation are those born between 1981 and 2003, sometimes called “Generation Y”. They are team players, rule followers who see themselves as “cutting-edge” and collaborators.

Their themes are protection, nurture, avoiding harm, celebrating diversity. They are morally grounded and service-minded. Some think this generation are the new institution builders.
Research suggests that as much as 33% of Millennials are “born again” Christians. 51% say their faith is important in their life. 65% of them pray to God. 32% of them read the bible every week. Volunteering is not their thing. Only12% of them volunteer every week in their church, however 33% of them attend church regularly.

In Canada they are known as the “Sunshine” generation. Unlike Gen Xs, their parents actually wanted children – and they have always been treated as special and important. The sunshine kids have been celebrated and praised and held up as important to the future of our country.
Highly protected as children they grew up in car seats next to “baby on board” signs. No latch-key for them – they are a protected, sheltered generation. Many wore school uniforms.

The “Y”s are goal-oriented, and confident about the future. They have good relationships with their parents. They are assertive, believing strongly that their ideas are the right ones.
Groups, not individualism, are important to them. They respond to leadership that is egalitarian, not hierarchical. They tend to build relationships with our peers, not other generations. The Millennials are prepared to help others, believing in volunteerism and service.

Education is valued and they are earning higher marks than previous generations, mainly in the math and science fields; fewer are interested in the arts and humanities. They want to work to live – not live to work. They are technically sophisticated, desiring to be mentored individually in their work, and being given challenging tasks in a safe, positive, strong work culture.

As children they were constantly programmed. Every hour was filled with structured activity, so they may not be as spontaneous or good at handling free time or schedules as others before them. They tend to overestimate what can be accomplished. They are risk avoiders and enjoy multi-tasking.

Millennials see themselves as “cutting edge” although they are often described as pretty conventional – respectful people, unquestioning of authority. They are civic-minded and believe in the role of government. They value their parents’ opinions. They believe there is room for the return of rules and norms in our culture.

The sunshine generation values intimacy and use mobile phones and the internet to develop and maintain relationships. It is a 24-hour culture which has grown up with digital technology like iPods, computers, text messaging and the Internet. They are media savvy (and cynical) – aware of manipulative advertising.

This generation is so new that no data has yet been gathered on their giving habits.

SUMMARY

Our purpose in presenting these five generations and their formative experiences is to increase your awareness that when communicating stewardship messages, when speaking about our church and its programs, when encouraging gifts to support our communities and the outreach we do in our neighbourhoods and beyond – to be effective, you must consider the various perspectives of the generations.

Veterans have different values than Millennials; Boomers have difficulty understanding the attitudes of Generation X; and many Boomers reacted negatively to the “duty” approach to life that Veterans hold so dear. Why, even “early” boomers and “late” boomers can be differentiated.

The Stewardship and Gift Development Committee believe that to be effective in stewardship and gift development, the church, whether General Synod, our diocese or your parish or related group, at all levels of leadership must understand the values and attitudes and behaviours of each of these generations.

It is important because communications and relationships are going to be central to our achieving God’s mission. We cannot communicate effectively or build meaningful relationships if we do not know who people are or what their formative experiences have been. It is in meaningful relationship, based on a deep understanding of each other that we will achieve effective stewardship in the church and in our leadership on important questions of faith and justice in the world.