Keeping Christmas Alive in Tisdale, Saskatchewan |
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Christmas is over for another year.
The presents are unwrapped, and the decorations are down and put away. We lit candles at Christmas services, ate our turkey dinners (or whatever you prefer to eat for Christmas dinner!) and hopefully had some relaxing time with loved ones.
The build-up to Christmas starts earlier each year, it seems, and then it’s suddenly over. Some people have difficulty dealing with the sudden drop in energy when everyone goes back to their normal routine.
EDGE suggests keeping a bit of Christmas with us—a reminder through the remaining winter months of the hope of the Christmas season: the return of longer days, bit by bit, the potential for great things to happen in the new year, and, of course, the hope for the future that Christ’s birth brought to all humankind.
In the week before Christmas, St. Paul’s United Church in Tisdale, Saskatchewan, sent EDGE the link to what it had produced with its Embracing the Spirit grant: A Prairie Silent Night with Diverse Voices. This lovely version of “Silent Night” features members of the Saint Paul’s congregation, of all ages and backgrounds, singing in Arabic, Chinese, Dutch, English, French, German, Korean, Norwegian, Tagalog, Ukraine, and Yoruba, with an introduction in Salteaux.
What a lovely way to celebrate love, diversity, and the home for all of us that God provided in his church by sending Christ to earth on that Christmas day so long ago! Thank you Rev. Houen Lee and the St. Paul’s United Tisdale Congregation for sending us this gift.
The EDGE team has A Prairie Night with Diverse Voices bookmarked for days when we need a little bit of Christmas and encourages you to do the same. We also encourage communities of faith to email us at embracingthespirit@united-church.ca with their stories of innovative ways that they celebrated Christmas this year!
And may you find ways to keep Spirit of Christmas alive through 2023! Happy New Year from the EDGE team!
[Video still credit: St. Pauls United Church, TIsdale, SK]
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Education with EDGE EDGE is bringing in the New Year by devoting almost this entire issue of the Embracing the Spirit Newsletter to all the exciting educational opportunities happening in 2023! Take this chance to read, learn, and even register months in advance for some of our most popular courses and chances to learn from each other. Curiosity Cohort and Curiosity Cohort: Rural Focus 2023
Curiosity is the mindset change that we, as people of faith, are craving to begin to reimagine what church can be outside of Sunday morning. It is the mindset shift that: - Allows us to ask questions and keep asking questions
- Helps us in letting go of needing “the” answers and to relinquish control
- Teaches us to follow the Spirit and to keep listening and discerning
- Enables us to take leaps of faith and be courageous in experimenting
EDGE’s Zoe Chaytors and the Rev. Courtney Armento run three sections of this five-session Zoom course for innovative leaders, curious communities of faith, and those willing to explore what might be possible:- Curiosity Cohort, Winter Section: Tuesdays on January 24, 31; February 7, 14, 21. From 6:00–7:00 p.m. EST.
- Curiosity Cohort, Spring Section: Thursdays on May 12, 19, 26; June 2 and 9. 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. EDT.
- Curiosity Cohort, Fall Section: Thursdays on September 21, 28; October 5, 12, 19. From 6:00–7:00 p.m. EDT.
If you’re engaged in rural ministry, Curiosity Cohort: Rural Focus helps you get curious about your own community of faith and connect with other leaders in rural settings. Zoe and Courtney modify the Curiosity Cohort experience slightly so that participants engage specifically with stories and ideas from across the country, examining the different ways that rural congregations are bringing new energy into their communities. Like the original Curiosity Cohort, this is a five-week synchronous opportunity that leads nicely into the material covered in Clara King’s Leading Adaptively cohort.
EDGE’s Zoe Chaytors and the Rev. Courtney Armento run two sections of this five-session Zoom course for those involved in rural ministry:- Curiosity Cohort: Rural Focus, Spring Section: Fridays on June 9, 16, 23, 30; July 7. 1:00–2:00 p.m. EDT
- Curiosity Cohort: Rural Focus, Fall Section: Tuesdays on October 31; November 7, 14, 21, 28. From 1:00–2:00 p.m. EST
Get more information and register for all the Curiosity Cohorts on EDGE’s Curiosity Cohort portal on CHURCHx! Stay curious, friends! Leading Adaptively 2023 Leading Adaptively, led by priest, researcher and revivalist Clara King, is open to lay leaders and clergy from any denomination.This three-session Zoom course helps participants discover new ways to lead adaptively with skills they already have. You’ll encounter the core theory of Adaptive Leadership in a vibrant new way and come away with usable practices to reinvigorate your day-to-day leadership journey.The course will cover:- The six core competencies of leadership.
- How to understand and change the organizational culture of your congregation.
- How conflict is a leadership resource you can steward.
Course leader Clara King has spent fifteen years studying adaptive leadership, and nine years as a Priest leading adaptive change in the Anglican Diocese of Calgary and beyond. Clara’s dynamic, hope-filled facilitation style will refresh, empower, and energize you for the leadership journey ahead. Learn more about Clara at her website.
Clara will teach four sections of Leading Adaptively in 2023:- Leading Adaptively, Cohort 7: Fridays on January 20; February 3, 17. From 1:00–3:00 p.m. EST.
- Leading Adaptively, Cohort 8: Wednesdays on March 2, 16, and 30. From 6:00–8:00 p.m. EDT
- Leading Adaptively, Cohort 9: Wednesdays on May 31; June 14, 28. From 7:00–9:00 p.m. EDT
- Leading Adaptively, Cohort 10: Thursdays on Nov 2, 16, 30. 6:00–8:00 p.m. EST.
Adaptive challenges will continue to surround us as we emerge from the pandemic—learn how to meet them head-on! Get more information and register for the Leading Adaptively cohort that best fits into your schedule at the Leading Adaptively portal on CHURCHx.[Image credits: CHURCHx/EDGE]
Community EventsHarness the full power of online learning as you join your colleagues on Zoom to listen to new ideas, share your opinions and hear what others think, and discuss topics relevant to your work and ministry. Let's find ways to meet the challenges of the day, support each other in the work, and move forward in new ways—together! Idea Days Are you excited about an idea that you've got for your community of faith? EDGE's online Idea Days are a free opportunity to practice talking about your idea to other people and to hear feedback, and to give feedback to others about their ideas. Come with an idea of your own to present for the group to comment on! Register once to attend all the monthly Idea Days in 2023, starting in January. Rural Ministry Town Halls Calling all those in rural ministry! Join your colleagues each month on Zoom for an energizing discussion of:- The joys and challenges of being in rural ministry
- Current needs
- How to most effectively meet current needs given resources and supports available
Everyone interested is welcome to attend; there is no charge for this gathering. Register once to receive the Zoom information for all the 2023 Rural Ministry Town Halls!
Community Events happen on the last Monday of each month. Idea Days run from 1:00– 2:00 p.m., and Rural Community Town Halls run from 3:30–4:30 p.m. (Eastern Time)
For more information and to register for Community Events, visit the Community Events Portal on CHURCHx![Image credits: CHURCHx/EDGE]
EDGE’s Signpost Series 
Signpost 1 – Finding Your Place on the Map contains activities that help a community of faith to assess its current situation and articulate its story, prepare the team that will work together on this journey, and identify the shifts required to address any underlying issues.
Signpost 2 – Beginning the Journey contains activities that help a community of faith to discern potential next steps on its journey of change, tell its story from both the perspective of both the congregation and its wider community, and explore new spiritual practices that deepen its relationship with God.
Signpost 3 – Travelling Companions contains activities that help a community of faith to become aware of what’s happening in the neighborhood and to what it's being called, understand what a good partnership looks like and which ones to explore, and gather its neighbours into a conversation about how to achieve common goals.
Signpost 4 –The Innovation Cohort contains activities that help a community of faith to reflect on how innovation is ministry, learn about the stages of an idea and how to get it off the ground, and identify where God is in this work, and understand “nothing about us without us” and social justice.
Signpost 5 – Marketing and Communications contains activities that help a community of faith to build its offering and confidence, both practicing its storytelling abilities and adding credibility to its work as it incorporates these skills into qualitative and quantitative pieces of its history. Available soon.
Signpost 6 – Building Sustainability contains activities that help a community of faith to fill a yearning to be a relevant, backbone community organization, and that support the fundamental tools required to start along this path.
Signpost 7 – Future Directions outlines a dreaming and strategic planning process that help a community of faith to rediscover its purpose, mission, and vision; consider strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats; take its learning back to stakeholders; and explore what other communities of faith moving in new directions have. A coach-facilitated option is available.
The Emergency Toolkit contains information for communities of faith in crisis looking for quick, easily implemented tools and strategies to pivot in a new direction (some available with EDGE support and/or coaching), including:- Learning about the Community and Building Relationships, Partner and Stakeholder Analysis, Community Round Table, Prayer Walks
- EDGE Educational and Engagement Opportunities, Cohorts, Idea Day, EDGE Town Hall Discussions
- Other Resources, Grants, Other Educational Opportunities, Potential Partnerships
For more information about the Signpost Series and to register for any of them, visit the Signpost Series portal on CHURCHx![Image credit: CHURCHx/EDGE]
The Theory of Change Workshop 
The Theory of Change workshop helps attendees break their program down into its attendant parts, differentiating between “what you do” and “what you achieve.” A Theory of Change provides a roadmap that outlines the steps by which you plan to achieve your goal.
A Theory of Change helps align your stakeholders to your larger mission and understand their role in achieving it. By the end of the program, you will determine the precise link between your program’s activities and outcomes for the purposes of planning, participation, and evaluation.
The workshop includes asynchronous independent work and synchronous Zoom sessions.
Chris Rotello will run two sections of The Theory of Change Workshop in 2023:Remember—your idea is a product of your unique brilliance! Developing your theory of change isn't about changing yourself but making you (and your idea!) the most "you" possible![Image credit: CHURCHx/EDGE] |
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Embracing the Spirit supports innovation ideas hatched out of faith communities and communities in ministry. Some of the stories and best practices that are happening throughout The United Church of Canada are shared in this newsletter. If you have an idea that you want to launch, reach out and tell us about it! We're happy to consult with communities of faith about the supports available to help them develop their new ideas. |
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