Welcome ! ! !

Are you paying attention?
Did you notice?
We now have a second contributing author to this blog.
A warm welcome to Dori Zerbe-Cornelsen.
May the Lord bless you and inspire you!

Room for joy?

There are many reasons for anxiety and discontent out there these days. Perhaps that’s why my eye was attracted this evening to the following headline at CBCnews.ca: "Joy to the world is contagious: study." According to the study, we’re more likely to be happy if we are connected to other people who are happy. In fact, researchers say, "Whether you're happy depends not just on your own actions and behaviours and thoughts, but on those of people you don't even know."

If that could be true, I wondered, what are the ways I can imagine growing the joy around me? At home I need to remember that immediate circumstances that can annoy me or try my patience are temporary – I love the members of my family and need to communicate to them (more than I maybe do) the incredible joy I experience being part of their lives. At the office, I can express my appreciation for the good work of my colleagues and be more encouraging as we share common goals. In my congregational context, I would like to express my gratitude more openly for those who have taken on leadership roles to administer, challenge and nurture our life together. And in general, I can smile more often, say thank you more genuinely, and notice all of the ways the people around me, including strangers, share their joy.

Maybe paying attention like this is precisely the way I can prepare my heart to give Jesus room this Advent season…and heav’n and nature sing!

Blogging for the first time...

Thanks to Waltrude for inviting me to be part of this blog. I live in Winnipeg in a house that’s just across the street from the BDI – the home of the creamiest shake in town, they say. I share the household with my spouse and two teenage children and a small dog who is pretty old and crotchety these days. Like Sherri who sent her first blog in October, I work for Mennonite Foundation of Canada that wants to help people connect faith and finances, encouraging FAITHFUL JOYFUL GIVING. It’s something I’m pretty passionate about.

I have lots of connections in BC so I’m really pleased to participate in this blog. I’m always open to your responses!

Aprons ! ! !

The History of "Aprons".

Some good and motherly housekeeping lessons to be learned here!

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath, because she only had a few, it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and they used less material, but along with that, it served as a potholder for removing hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold, grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow, bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables. After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

REMEMBER:
Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.
Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw.
They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don 't think I ever caught anything from an apron.

~~~~~~~~~~

The above little tidbit was sent to me by a friend and I thought it was just too cute not to share it with everyone. Hope you liked it!
Waltrude

This is a picture of my paternal Grandmother, Margaretha Nikkel nee Born.

As a small girl I remember her always wearing an apron.
After my Grandparents moved to Canada, my Oma retired her apron.
Said that an apron was great for life on the farm but not appropriate for city living. :-)
Hmmm, I wonder ? ? ?

Who is Painting on Your Canvas?

Women being encouraged to be creative!
Women re-learning how to play, without guilt attached!

Women came from near and far.
The laughter of old friends greeting each other could be heard all over as the women started to arrive on Friday evening.
There were several mother-daughter duos. There were a number of first time participants.
Old and young, enjoying each others company, playing and praying together.

Everyone was registered and name tagged on Friday evening.

Some very serious Scrabble players on Friday evening.

“The Call to Creative Living” was the topic for the 2008 MCBC Women’s Retreat at Camp Squeah, with an attendance of about 90 women that came to listen to Betty Spackman, Christian artist, teacher, author and curator. Betty enriched us with two wonderful presentations.

Betty Spackman - Guest Speaker

Saturday A.M. - “Art and the Christian Community”

We are called to be co-creators with the Creator. We are created in the image of the Creator and therefore, each of us has the responsibility to be creative, through which ever gift God has given us. Our biggest stumbling blocks, as Christians, are FEAR and the false belief of having to be modest. We should let the love of creativity overcome our fears and learn to enjoy our creative gifts. Spackman’s favourite quote is; “Fear is NOT a Factor”! “It does not matter what others say or think. If we know that God loves us, we will do what He has called us to do. No matter where or what!” says Betty.

Saturday morning discussion group!

Before the afternoon session began there was time to enjoy the wonderful fall weather. Go for a walk or simply sit outside and enjoy the sunshine.

"He lets me rest in fields of green grass and leads me to quiet pools of fresh water." Psalm 23:2

Saturday P.M. - “Creative Work and Play”

We don’t feel safe to go out and play. (Being Creative) but when we do, we are rewarded with a feeling of well being and happiness.

She says that “Playing can be a difficult and dangerous leap of faith for many Christians who desire to “tell the truth” with their hearts/God given gifts and talents.”

“How sad that we seem to allow the gift of imagination only to children.” Spackman.

She says that art is very hard work, indeed, but the trick is not to lose your sense of wonder. The enemy will try to steal your gift but he can’t get at them if you have given then to God, the Creator. (1Cor. 1:26-28)

Besides having a great speaker for the Retreat, there were also a lot of other things provided for the ladies. Blessings Christian Marketplace had set up a few tables and made it easy for the women to purchase a book or two.

Heidi Epp facilitated a great workshop called “Who is drawing on my canvas?” and everyone who participated in the workshop, came away having learned new things about themselves and each other.

A movie (The Pearl Diver) was presented on Saturday night and is now highly recommended by everyone that watched it.

In conclusion, the Sunday morning Worship Service, with sharing and singing, led us to a very moving Communion Celebration.

Grace Epp leading us into Communion time.

It was a wonderful weekend of making new friends and meeting old friends, again. A time to share our burdens and joys with each other. A time for Worship and renewal in MCBC’s “Place of Refuge”.

Camp Squeah Lodge

The little Chapel in Woods!

The colours at this time of year are majestic!

Simply breath taking!

Time to go home! To be continued next year!

God willing!

What Will The Future Hold?

Yesterday, a month ago, September 18th, 2008, the Canadian Women in Mission "Task Force" had just finished an all day meeting in a Board Room of Mennonite Church Canada offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Seven women from across the country meeting to discuss the future of Canadian Women in Mission.
Is Canadian Women in Mission still important today?
Are the Canadian Mennonite Women still interested?
We know that the older generation is emotionally tied to this Ministry but how can we cultivate enthusiasm in the younger generation?
Will we still be important to future generations? And how?
These were the questions being asked and discussed.
Each of us coming from a different province, with very different experiences and levels of involvement in Women's Ministries, it was amazing how quickly we started to connect.
Primarily because we have the common bond of being followers of Jesus Christ and I know the Holy Spirit was with us as we sat around the table and started to get to know each other.
We all felt that it is still, very important for Canadian Mennonite Women to be able to serve and support each other, in their local churches, as well as, throughout Mennonite Church Canada.
The "Task Force" has the strong desire to keep the provinces connected with each other and Canadian Women in Mission is the venue through which this can be achieved.
Do we need to make some changes in order to stay alive and active?
Most likely!
What will these changes be and how will they be implemented?
Well, that is what we are discussing!
The process will take a while and the "Task Force" will be meeting a few more times over the next year or so. Canadian Women in Mission will deliberate over the suggestions and ideas that the "Task Force" will present to them and then report through various ways to the Canadian Mennonite Women.
It will be an interesting journey and we ask that you keep the "Task Force" in your prayers as we work through the mandate that was given to us.

Left to right:
Front row: Irene Bartel - Saskatchewan (Recording Secretary);
Marguerite Jack - Alberta (Chair Person); Liz Koop - Ontario;
Back row: Justina Heese - Manitoba (Assistant Chair);
Ruby Harder - Saskatchewan (Canadian Women in Mission Rep.);
Waltrude Gortzen - BC; Myléne Melaçon - Quebec.

Shop for a Cure?

Recently, I’ve received a few flyers and personalized mass-invitations inviting me to support a particular cause by shopping. The first I received was from a clothing store advertising a ladies night where, for every $65 I spent, $5 would go to support breast cancer research. The flyer left me with the uncomfortable feeling that I was being manipulated.

I have no argument with the cause – in the past year breast cancer has been diagnosed in 3 women I care about. While it might have been an honest attempt by the retailer to support a worthy cause, I doubt it. For a number of years, we’ve been encouraged to purchase many items in pink and the manufacturer or retailer (or both) will send funds to breast cancer research. When you read the fine print, there is often a maximum dollar amount that will be sent and the percentage of each sale is tiny. You don't actually know that your purchase contributed to the cause.

Is this the best way to show we care? By shopping? Are we to sooth our need to help our fellow citizens by consuming? Or is this pure manipulation on the part of retailers and manufacturers? By appealing to our altruistic impulses, can they more easily separate us women from our money? I've bought pink and I've struggled with whether or not I should.

What do you think? Do you buy pink? Why or why not?

Thanks for inviting me!

Hi There!

I'm really pleased that Waltrude asked if I would like to participate in this blog! (And I confess that I've never blogged before!) I think it's a fantastic way for women to stay connected with each other since life seems to be busier and it's just plain hard to meet over a cup of tea sometimes!

I'm married with two step-children that are now in their late teens. We live in southern Ontario where I work for Mennonite Foundation of Canada (MFC) - a public charitable foundation that encourages us to be generous. It's through work that I connected with Waltrude. We (MFC) are working on an information day for women about money and that interested Waltrude - would we be interested in connecting to women in BC through her blog? Sure! So I suspect that many of my posts will have a connection to money, faith and generosity - tying those three together is part of who I am and why I love this job!

I'm planning to get my first post up this afternoon. Be sure to let me know what you think!

Have a fabulous Wednesday!
Sherri

Number Two!

We have another contributor that has signed on and eventually we will be hearing from these ladies! You will just have to stay tuned! :-)

Get-away Weekend!

MCBC Women's Ministry Retreat Weekend
is coming up fast!

October 24-26 at Camp Squeah! ! !

Make sure that you are free to attend and that you are registered! Click here to register and don't forget to bring a friend or maybe your Mom, daughter or even your grand-daughter!

If you have not seen a registration yet, here is a little sample of what will be happening there.

The topic for the weekend is
"The Call... to Creative Living"
Guest Speaker is Betty Spackman

The Silent Auction is back by popular demand!
So bring your items to sell and get ready to bid!

All proceeds go to Women's Retreat Bursary Fund!

There will also be an organized craft project for you to take part in. Make sure to mark it when you register, if you are interested. It will cost between $5.00 to $10.00 to cover materials. Pay at craft time!

Also, if you are an avid reader, make sure to bring a few extra dollars so that you can buy some new material. Blessings Christian Marketplace (Book Store) will once again have their wonderful display of books, gifts and more. Click here to look at their on-line store!

Cost for the weekend is as follows...
Full weekend (total cost $120.00)
($10.00 off if you register by September 30)

Saturday only (total cost $55.00)
Includes: 2 speaker sessions, lunch, dinner and great fellowship.
If you are coming for Saturday only please arrive by 9:00 a.m. and feel free to stay after dinner to enjoy friends and fellowship.

There is a lot more happening over the weekend but you will just have to read about it on the actual registration, or better yet, register and find out for yourself! :-)

But, if you need to know even more, before you register....

These are the ladies that can help you...
Grace Epp: 604-940-3368
gepp@dccnet.com
Debbie Fleming: 604-856-7376
rdf@telus.net
Cassandra Wolff:
rcwolff@telus.net
Wendy Weiss:
wendy@thewebpresents.com

See you here!

Ohhhh..... almost forgot something!
Please come prepared to discuss your hopes and dreams for a possible

NEW MCBC Women's Ministry.

Number One! ! !

And we're off!
Our first contributor has joined us!
Keep your eyes on this blog to find out who it is. :-)
She will be introducing herself, shortly!

I hope to add a few more names to the list of contributors, very soon!

It's been just over a month since the first post on this blog and I am so pleased at how many of you have checked out this site.
Please, do leave comments! Just click on the word "comments", that you can find under each post, and when the window opens, just start to write! It's easy! Trust me! It really IS easy!

Greetings!

In the name of Christ, I greet you!
ALL of the women in Mennonite Church BC!

Right about now you are probably wondering what this is all about, so let me start at the beginning with telling you a bit about who I am.

Item 1

Who am I?My name is Waltrude Gortzen. Some of you know me as Trudy. I am a long standing member of Sherbrooke Mennonite Church in Vancouver. My husband and I have just moved to Abbotsford, 7 months ago and are presently searching for a new home church.
This last May, I accepted the call from Canadian Women in Mission to be part of a Canada wide Task Force that will look at how to connect today's women; in our provinces, as well as, throughout Canada.

The Task Force has been challenged to come up with some new, "outside of the box ideas", on how to connect our women, once again. This is one such idea! :-) And it is only an experiment, for the time being.

My hope is that you will explore this idea, think about it for a while and then get back to me with your thoughts and suggestions. Let your imaginations take flight!
You can leave comments on this blog or you can e-mail me at wgortzen@gmail.com.

Item 2

BC Women in Mission

As you already know, a year ago, July 2007, MCBC Women in Mission was disbanded. This means that we no longer have an official structure that addresses or looks after the women in Mennonite Church BC.

Right now you're thinking but, but..... "We do still have the MCBC Women's Inspirational Day and the Women's Fall Retreat!" Yes, we do and hope to keep on having these two events, as long as, there are women and congregations out there that are willing to plan and work on these events.

Item 3

Why a Blog?

My thinking is that this is the way our younger generation communicates, today!
Facebook and/or blogging.
This allows connections without leaving the home. It builds friendships, as well as, building a new way of being a community.
Robert J. Suderman, general secretary of Mennonite Church Canada and author of "God's People Now!" writes the following: "There is nothing that is not included in God's restoring and reconciling work, and therefore there is nothing that is not included in the agenda of God's people." Pages 80 & 81 in the chapter called "The Calling of the Church".

So then .... why not add a blog to the agenda of God's people?"

My hope is that we will be able to enlist contributors to this site.
- Christian women who are pastors or in some sort of leadership position within Mennonite Church BC or in their own home church.
- Christian women who are professionals, of any chosen field.
- That we will be able to present many topics and concerns that are relevant to today's Christian Mennonite Woman and then proceed to discuss the topics, open and honestly!
- That there will be many of us, out there, that may be encouraged to start their own blogs and by doing so, we will get to know one another, from north to south and east to west.
- That through this virtual world, we will be witnesses of God's all encompassing and never ending love for all of humanity.
- That, in this new way of communicating, we will also want to MEET each other and thereby promote growth at the MCBC Women's Inspirational Day and the Fall Retreat, those, also being the two places where we can continue discussions that may have appeared here, on this blog.

Item 4

A few ground rules.

This is a work in progress!
At the moment, this blog is open for comments to everyone and will stay open until early September 2008.
Up until and after September, this blog will go through a number of changes, as we explore together.
There will be more pages coming that will be linked to this site.
As you leave your comments, we ask that you be kind to each other and NOT use inappropriate language.
We do, however, welcome your opinions, suggestions and ideas.
Tell us what you would like to see here!

Item 5

Task Force

As a member of the Canadian Women in Mission Task Force, I will have to report back to them about what our visions and ideas are in BC. I ask, all of the MCBC Women, to come along with me on this journey, as we explore new ways and ideas on how to re-connect our women, in new and exciting ways.
I ask for your prayers; that I may do well in this position, as I represent, all of you, on this Task Force.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post and then praying about this new ministry and it's possibilities.

Your sister in Christ!