Radiating a Dream of Inclusion and Liberation (Spring 2009)

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CONTENTS

Cover theme: Radiating A Dream Of Inclusion & Liberation

Departments

  • Local Unit Updates
  • Crafts With A Cause: How To Cross-Stitch Rainbow Stick-Figure Jesus! – by Lana Wilson Dice
  • Ways To Support SCM Canada
  • In Memoriam: Gordon MacDermit
  • Friends Network Update: Jennifer Watts
  • Contact us
  • SCM Resources

Movement news

  • Raising New Prophets: Fragments Of A Travel Log – by Geoffrey Dice
  • WSCF News: Welcoming Of The New SCM-USA!
  • WSCF News: Celebrating Universal Day Of Prayer For Students
  • Vince Goring Discipleship Fund
  • Poverty Justice Camp
  • KAIROS Gathering 2009
  • Seize The Pulpit
  • Diversions From The Struggle – Making church hymns more interesting

From the editors

We are very excited you’ve picked up this Spring issue of All Things New (ATN) – our eye-catching cover was designed to make a statement and get our message out: just as Jesus empowered oppressed groups of his own day, our faith and call to social justice compel us to radiate a dream of inclusion and liberation for all people, regardless of age, ability, colour, ethnicity, religious views, creed, or – as this issue specifically explores – sexual orientation and gender identity.

SCM Canada’s “Queer and Christian Without Contradiction (QACWC) Campaign” began 3 years ago with a generous grant from the Liberty Hill Foundation. This year’s National Conference will be a climactic event in the campaign as it brings together SCMers and queer youth from across the country to discuss radical inclusion and freedom from oppression, specifically in this instance for the LGBTTQ* community. As is tradition in ATN, the theme of our conference became the current issue’s theme.

Of course, challenging topics, like radical inclusion of queer people, necessitate challenging decisions. Even the discussion of queer identity(ies), let alone justice and full inclusion, within certain communities can bring about devastating divisions and the real risk of emotional and physical harm. This issue, our authors had to consider whether publishing their articles was safe or not, taking into account the possibility of facing prejudice and persecution, even risking relationships and jobs if their identities and views became known.

The issues of gender identity(ies) and safety are discussed in Clark Chapman’s two insightful articles, one of which tells the unique story of the author’s experience crossing the Canada – US border as a trans* person. QACWC Notes from the Coast provides a unique look at the challenges and successes of queer inclusion within the St. Aidan’s United Church in Victorian, BC, while Mitchell Anderson honours the courageous act of making one’s authentic identity known in a “coming out” liturgy. Sheryl Johnson’s two articles look at the QACWC campaign itself and wonder what could happen when we move beyond the negation in the title.

In a different but equally important inclusionary vein, we have included Kader Belaouni’s reflection “Jesus and the Samaritan Woman” in interfaith solidarity with a Muslim man living in sanctuary. This reminds us of the intersectionality of systems of oppression, and that our dream of inclusion of liberation and inclusion cannot be limited to one group only; God’s call to justice extends to all marginalized and persecuted peoples.

We hope that the courageous, moving, and insightful articles presented here serve to open and continue the discussion of radical inclusion for both our conference participants and our readers in the wider SCM community. Let us seek to truly love and accept one another, that we may achieve, as the SCM Mission Statement describes, the “paradox of unity in diversity.”

Lana Wilson Dice and Geoffrey Dice

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A Note On Trans Inclusion In Christian Spaces
by Clark Chapman

In my mind it couldn’t be any more clear: Trans advocacy and inclusion should come hand in hand with Christian practice. Of course, I come from a certain standpoint: I was raised with Bible stories and Christian rhetoric, and I’m transgender. But I don’t believe (and there is no evidence to suggest) that my standpoint has rendered me illogical. If anything, being raised as a good little Christian girl and growing up to be a fairly radical Christian man gives me some valuable perspective on a few aspects of Christian practice. It is because of that perspective and experience that I strongly believe that Christian groups and communities should strive to become more Trans inclusive.

Building towards greater inclusiven-ess is an obvious development for Christian communities to take on. Enriching diversity and providing help for marginalized people should be more than enough incentive for Christian communities to reach out and to be more inclusive. In order to meet vital needs, outreach and support have to to come from an informed place. But inclusion can only be adequately provided if serious reflection is taken to understand the oppressions that many Trans people face both in and outside of Christian spaces.

Each person’s experience is different, of course, but there are some reoccurring problems that are frequently faced by Trans people. The enforcement of rigidly defined gender roles can be painful and limiting. Many people do not fit with the widespread assumption that your gender identity matches the sex you were assigned at birth. Many people fall outside of gendered expectations, from sissies, to fairies, people labeled fay, butch, and many others. In fact, very few people fit entirely within the boundaries of gender: from young boys who are told “boys don’t cry,” to women who are taunted because they are in stereotypically “male” occupations, most people are policed for gendered expressions at some point in their life. Though everyone is affected by gendered expectations, Trans individuals often face a great deal of gender discrimination and violence.

The issues and barriers Trans people face are uncountable, but structures within our society often keep Trans people from being able to meet their basic human needs. Public washrooms are a significant example. As someone who was raised female but has always presented as fairly masculine, I have had problems finding safe places to pee in public for as long as I can remember. I stopped being able to safely use the washroom at school in the first grade. Another example is naming and pronouns. I was given a very feminine name at birth that never matched my identity or masculine gender presentation. Having chosen a more fitting male name while staying in the same communities through my transition, I have experienced a lot of difficulties. It’s not easy to ask your lifetime of friends and family to change what they call you and how they think of you. When others have difficulties with this change, the effects on your relationships and self-esteem can be devastating.

But the difficulties span far beyond this. The rates of violence and discrimination faced by Trans people are unbelievably high; Trans people have been shown to face more violence per capita than all other marginalized groups. For me, one of the scariest parts of being gender-variant has been this high rate of violence. One of the ways I found the Trans community was helping was in organizing a local Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR). Much of my understanding of how Trans people fit in the world is too often defined by violence and discrimination. Many of my Trans friends have faced violence because of their identity. TDOR is an annual event that memorializes Trans folks who have died due to transphobic and gender-based violence, and calls attention to the high rates of murder, suicide, and discrimination faced by many Trans people. Many TDOR events also celebrate the lives of trans people and strive to create community and raise awareness.

In addition to the harsh realities of transphobic violence, there are many other barriers faced by trans people. Job security is hard to ensure when one doesn’t fit within the boundaries of people’s assumptions and expectations. Regardless of how qualified you are for a job, these barriers can make it difficult to get out of bed and face the world in the morning let alone apply yourself to job-searching. It can be very difficult to find employment as a Trans person whether you are out or not, as legal ID, references under birth names, and many other issues can prevent Trans people from completing even preliminary applications for jobs. Legally changing your name is a lengthy, costly, and not always desirable or attainable process. However, some steps are being put in place in some arenas to ensure greater ease and safety through some of these processes.

With the reality of many Trans people being un/underemployed, replacing your wardrobe to be comfortable and confident in the world can include many challenges. It can also be difficult not only to find, but to purchase, clothes in stores divided into men’s, women’s, and children’s sections, especially when the name on a debit or credit card doesn’t fit with one’s gender expression, and sales people are seldom prepared for trans customers. Between attempting to negotiate change rooms and biases towards “appropriate” clothing choices based on gendered stereotypes, finding clothes that affirm one’s identity can be difficult to attain.

In addition, education and training systems are often based on assumptions of binary gender, require legal identification, and can be inaccessible to marginalized people because of many other barriers such as cost, location, or a lack of support. Many Trans people I know have lost connections with friends, family, and entire communities as a result of their gender identity. Trans folk face these and many other barriers that make it difficult to access support, reach financial stability, and to join, find, and create communities and relationships. Trans people may need a lot of support, especially at times while we’re going through intense, overwhelming changes and our previous support systems are failing us. I have found vibrant, supportive community and have been lucky enough to have understanding friends and family who were willing and ready to be challenged and educated. Of course, it has also been a long and often frustrating, lonely process; I’ve lost friends and entire communities because of my transition, and some opportunities have been closed to me. I’ve felt more alone since coming out than ever before, but I’ve also felt more blessed. Sometimes having to test yourself and your support networks can be surprisingly affirming.

I have been accepted as Trans in many places where I had feared for much harsher consequences. As a result of my coming out, I have discovered Trans, queer, ally, and other amazingly accepting communities which I never would have otherwise known existed. I have helped to establish some communities, and helped make other individuals, relationships and communities, including those centred around spirituality, more inclusive. I have been surprised at how welcoming and understanding many Christian individuals have been. I never expected to have space to reconcile my Trans and Christian identities.

I grew up with stories of Jesus helping marginalized people who were often otherwise invisible because of the oppressions they faced. He helped many communities by living amongst them and listening to their stories. This helped them to claim their voices and spread word of the difficulties they were facing. Jesus’ time spent with oppressed people also brought light to the beauty and vibrancy of those communities and individuals. I believe that a lot of the miracles Jesus performed were a matter of him listening to people and empowering them to make sure others heard their cries for help as well. It was only after taking a long time to process and reinterpret these stories that I was able to apply them to my experiences as a Trans person.

While it seems obvious to me that Christian practice should be more inclusive, I also recognize the difficulty involved in such a painful growing process. I think we need to start with recognizing and working towards reconciliation of oppressions founded in Christian systems. Sharing and listening to stories of pain and rejection at the hands of self-identified Christians would benefit both listeners and speakers. It is integral to move beyond histories and knowledge of oppression to articulating and working towards goals and dreams for Trans/Spiritual discourse and community. It is integral to solicit opinions that are seldom heard, especially within Christian spaces. We must be sure to listen to radical individuals and groups that will push us beyond our current comfort levels in order to create real inclusive changes.

It is important to recognize that we must educate ourselves as much as possible. Relying solely upon Trans individuals to advocate for themselves, provide resources, be able and willing to always share their experiences and educate others are unfair and unfulfillable expectations. It would be a slow and wearing process for Trans people to work towards a gender revolution without the active support of allies. We can and should draw from previous models of education and revolution against systems of oppression in our work as Christian activists. In my Trans advocacy work, I have drawn a great deal of resources, ideas and inspiration from feminist, racialized, and slavery narratives, theories, and approaches to education and societal change.

Everyone should have the right to have the ability and resources to identify and define themselves outside of rigid constructs of gender. The general public would benefit from greater awareness of Trans issues and identities, and informative education of the public would support Trans individuals in living happier, healthier lives. There are many queer and Trans people in your communities who are closeted, ostracized and starving, both spiritually, emotionally, physically and for community, resources, safety, and understanding. These individuals may have no safe place to work, or live, and may have no one to build community with.

It is important for me to recognize that I can in no way guarantee or even suggest that many of these people would want to reconcile themselves with churches or even Christianity. From studying Christ’s teachings and practices, and preceding Christian structures, practices, and rhetoric, I have learned that it would be damaging and even un-Christian to expect people to convert or even be able to contribute in commonly recognized ways to the Church in exchange for advocacy work on their behalf. However, I don’t believe that while Jesus spent time with marginalized people (including women, lepers, and prostitutes) he expected anything back from them. Yet we know that he gave and received gifts beyond measure. This is why I believe that we are all capable of doing this from our heart, as it is right and good and necessary. As Christ’s followers we are called to continue his work. We are called to action, to face oppression because others are being squashed by it. As the hymn goes: “And they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”

I am so blessed to have found the SCM, where this work is being taken on, and I am thrilled at the possibilities this entails. I can’t wait to see the results spurred by this issue of ATN, by the Queer and Christian campaign and Shine gathering, and by the many discussions these and so many other factors have made space for.

If you are interested in learning more about these issues, I’d suggest checking out:

www.transfaithonline.org
www.petersontoscano.com
www.t-vox.org
Transgender Warriors by Leslie Feinberg
ReCreations: Religion and Spirituality in the Lives of Queer people (ed. Catherin Lake)
Queer Theory, Gender Theory – An Instant Primer by Riki Wilchins

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I can’t wait to hear more about these conversations at the Shine gathering!

Clark Chapman is a radical, sometimes-Christian, all-the-time-activist whose passions include: Queer and Trans advocacy, spiritual dialogue, community building, sharing food, and washing dishes.

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Queer And Christian Without Contradiction: Controversial, Progressive, Or Non-Issue?
by Sheryl Johnson

The issue of homosexuality, if you believe the news, shatters congregations, fosters division, and is creating chaos within the church.
Take a recent news story about Grace Church in Colorado Springs: Police raid a church; a criminal investigation of a pastor ensues; a church leaves its diocese over the issue of homosexuality; the diocese claims it owns the building and demands it from congregation; a pie is thrown at a pastor during a “homophobic” sermon; the pastor is accused of tax fraud and stealing money from church; homosexuality is equated to slavery.

It paints a sensational and negative picture of a church (and perhaps “the church” more generally) as backwards and intolerant to homosexuals and, overall, in crisis. If you search for news stories on homosexuality in the church, you’ll find an overarching theme that Christianity is out of touch with the values and norms of “progressive” and “rational” civil society. But we must ask which stories are not being told, or at least are not widely known because they do not fit with this dominant narrative.

One vastly different example of the church’s engagement with homosexuality is the SCM’s four-year campaign entitled “Queer and Christian without Contradiction” (QACWC). Although attempting to insert itself into the public discourse, partially to counter and complicate this dominant narrative of antagonism between homosexuality and the church, it has not received as much coverage or attention as had been hoped by many of the organizers, perhaps partially due to its the lack of “sensationalism” from countering secular, humanistic values.

In the face of trends in media and public discourse that only pay attention to particular conservative branches of Christianity, the Queer and Christian without Contradiction campaign demonstrates that divergent Christian views of homosexuality exist, despite the fact that the lack of media coverage of the more “progressive” stance might suggest otherwise to the general public.

*Queer and Christian Without Contradiction Campaign *

In 2006, the SCM embarked on a four-year campaign entitled “Queer and Christian without Contradiction” (QACWC). The initial press release about this campaign begins, “Communion with God need not be a closeted affair.” The SCM itself formed in 1921 and has been known throughout the years for its bold stances on controversial issues, such as those against war and capitalism and those in favour of the ordination of women, interfaith dialogue, and aboriginal rights and solidarity. The campaign’s aim is stated as to advocate and to demonstrate that youth do not have to choose between religious traditions and their sexual identities. SCM explained that this stance is based on its belief in the central message of faith being about liberation and freedom from oppression, which takes a variety of forms, and is seen in the example of the life of Jesus Christ.

A Public Faith: The (religious) motivations of creating a queer positive counter-discourse

I completed six interviews with students highly involved with the SCM to examine the intentions behind and reflections on the QACWC campaign. One student suggested that the concept of faith requires, at times, the intervention on behalf of an oppressed group. She used the term “advocacy” – demanding rights for marginalized persons and groups, including LGBTQ. This implies that this is a justice issue, rather than about personal ethics and adherence to particular values. It also suggests an aim of the campaign which is greater than merely providing an affirmation of Christian homosexuals, but one that includes a public call to action.

Another student states that she sees SCM’s role overall as “to be the voice of the prophetic Jesus in the public sphere” and describes that the pursuit of justice arises from her belief in Jesus as a liberator. This student goes on to describe the interconnection, and even inseparability, between her faith and the “justice that it demands.”

This shares much similarity to many in the social gospel movement of the early twentieth century who stressed behaviour and right relationships between people over belief and spiritual practice. Coupling anti-homophobia activism with faith itself provides useful insight into this movement today.

But why is the issue of homosexuality so central for religious communities? In The Quiet Hand of God: Faith-Based Activism and the Public Role of Mainline Protestantism (Wuthnow & Evans, 2002), Wendy Cadge suggests that the sexuality issue represents larger questions around belief and interpretation. One’s views on the issue, she writes, also describe one’s views about Christian scripture and its interpretation, morals and ethics about human behaviour, understandings of the nature and role of “family,” and beliefs about who can serve the church’s leadership.

Cadge argues against those who have said that churches are spending too much time on the subject, a perception shared by some members of SCM. One worries that LGBTQ advocacy has predominated over the past few years at the expense of other issues. “Being queer and being Christian should be a non-issue,” he argues, but, because of the harm done to queer people by churches and Christians, the campaign must continue. Other interviewees emphasized global economic inequalities, corporate and capitalistic damage, and aboriginal solidarity as issues needing attention, and which the SCM addresses. However, its stance the “queer issue” seemed to be, in many individuals’ perceptions, the one for which the SCM is best known.

However, being vocal on issues of sexual and gender diversity can demonstrate SCM’s relevance in today’s society. Our stances on this issue points to our understanding the role and meaning of scripture more generally.

*Proud to be seen: QACWC seeks acknowledgement and attention *

In an article about an SCM member’s involvement in education about corporate globalization, Gillian O’Neill describes how a Pride flag hanging in an SCM display sparked her initial discovery of the SCM. She describes how she was surprised to see this flag, and stopped to learn more about the movement and was introduced then to its work on issues of feminism, corporate globalization, racism, and anti-poverty. However, the fact that the Pride flag made her stop to learn more about the group, suggests that it represented a stance that was different from what she was expecting from a Christian group.

The issue of homosexuality, Wendy Cadge writes, can be a doorway into numerous issues that are interconnected directly and which arise because of particular views of scripture and Christian ethics. It is likely if one holds a particular view on this issue of homosexuality that one might find commonality on other issues.

In this way, being visible and vocal on its advocacy on LGBT issues can draw interest in SCM’s wider positions and activism on anti-oppression and the social gospel.

*Why is no one watching?: Exploring the lack of media coverage for QACWC *

Why has there been so little media coverage of the Queer & Christian campaign? Academics point to the ongoing narrative of the “clash” of the religious right with progressive, secular society. Robert Wuthnow and John Evans argue that a “declensionist” view of mainline Protestantism is informed by the mass media and its focus on “conflict, contention, and novelty. They find evangelicalism flashy and assume it is growing, leaving the impression (if only by default) that mainline influence is declining.”

If progressive Christianity is assumed to be fading and its message of “acceptance” is not contentious (or counter to the views of civil society), we are offered some explanations for the media’s lack of coverage of this campaign. Although one SCM member states that she sees the QACWC campaign as exemplary of the belief that “Jesus taught us that we didn’t have to stick to societal norms or expectations,” current statistics about the acceptance of homosexuality suggest that a positive view of homosexuality is increasingly in line with societal values.

Other explanations for the media’s silence include the United Church’s decisions (not without conflict) to include LGBTQ Christians in ministry, marriage and congregational life; and the SCM’s emphasis on theological resources over media campaigning.

Conclusion: Positive and in the Newspaper: A Contradiction?

One SCM member states quite aptly, “I feel like the churches are lagging when it comes to hearing the gospel message – a message of inclusion, a message of love and acceptance and liberation.” Using “tools” (scripture passages, Biblical characters, values) from Christianity, it becomes clear that the target of the QACWC campaign is, implicitly, the church.

While conflict within the church can escalate to the point of sensationalism where it does receive media coverage, a message of acceptance that is quite in line with the norms of civil society at large is not likely to garner much attention.

It is useful to study the call to action on issues of advocacy and acceptance to complicate the notion of faith as internal and private, or always inflammatory and against secular values when it does become public. Media attention can certainly serve as a source of pride, particularly when one’s group generally does not receive much attention. It can certainly assist in the process of identity formation and can serve to nuance public perception about the complexities and internal discrepancies that occur within all religious traditions.

Perhaps to be both queer and Christian is not a contradiction; but to promote a message that is peaceable and inclusive, and to receive mass media attention, may be just that.

Sheryl Johnson is National Representative (elected student chair) of SCM’s board, and lives in Toronto.

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To Honour One Who Has Come Out: Liturgy
By Mitchell Anderson

Different communities may have different understandings of where they are called to be. Those who are uncomfortable with theistic language may find it appropriate to replace theistic terms with non-theistic terms, while honouring that which is at once beyond and within us and that calls us to live lives of greater wholeness. Likewise, some may find it more appropriate to speak of the gathered community rather than speak of the Church. It is important that every word said, every action taken, in this celebration be acceptable to the person being honoured, as this is the time where the community responds to this person. Where appropriate, wording should be changed to accommodate the particular path that each person is walking.

Statement of Purpose

The celebrant, either a clergy person or another who is respected greets those gathered.

In the name of the God who creates, redeems and sustains our diverse world, grace and peace be with you all.
And also with you.

At various points in our lives, we gather as communities of faith to celebrate and honour times of great change: baptism, confirmation, marriage, funerals. Some children of God have been blessed by God with sexual orientations, genders, gender identities or gender expressions which the world in which we live has rejected. Finding themselves in a broken world that often rejects these gifts, these people may choose to publicly name these experiences and identities which demonstrate God’s diverse and wondrous blessings, may declare themselves to be so
blessed. As the Church grows in its understanding of the diversity of human experience, we finds ourselves called to respond to these blessings, recognising and affirming the challenges and beauty of the lives that all Christians are called to lead.

Today we gather with N.,

a daughter/son/child of God, to

honour her/him/N. in her/his/N.’s journey of life. She/he/N. has been blessed [the specific blessing may be named if the one being honoured wishes], and we gather to honour and affirm this blessing, and N. who is a blessing to us and the world, and to honour the courage and bravery she/he/N.shows in openly declaring this.

Presentation

The celebrant invites the one being honoured to stand as able. As the one being honoured wishes, a partner, family members, friends or others may accompany.

Sisters and Brothers [or All gathered today, or Friends] in Christ, I present to you N., a daughter/son/child of God [accompanied by…]

The celebrant and the gathered community may find it appropriate to stand as they are able and applaud the one being honoured.

Readings

The one being honoured may choose texts which are meaningful to be read. They may include Scripture or another holy text, or a different text through which the Spirit speaks in honouring life in all of its diversity. Different Scriptural texts which may be appropriate include: 1 Corinthians 15:21-28, 2 Corinthians 3:17-4:2,6, 1 John 1:1-6a, 7a, 4:7-18a, or other passages speaking of the Resurrection, of the goodness of Creation, of baptism, or of healing.

The reader may be the celebrant or another person close to the person being honoured. After reading, the reader may say:
Offered as wisdom for the journey,
May we walk in its light.
Or
Hear what the Spirit is saying to the Church,
Thanks be to God

Or another responsive phrase.

The celebrant or another may give a short reflection on the message as it concerns the life of the gathered community, the person being honoured, and the entire world.

In addition to, or in place of a reflection on the chosen texts, the person being honoured may wish to share the story of their coming out at this time.

Commitments and Promises

The celebrant asks and the person being honoured responds. Questions such as those below offer a chance for the person being honoured to take upon certain vows, promises to self and community.

Do you recognise that you are created by God, in Her/His/God’s own image?
I do, by the grace of God.

Do you renounce the [sensitivity should be given as to the choice of that which bound the person being honoured in the past. This question may be repeated with several themes chosen by the one being honoured, such as the powers of evil, fear, hate, sin, despair] which held you in the past?

I do, by the grace of God.

As Christ was put to death and rose to new life, do you pledge to live a new life of wholeness?
I do, by the grace of God.

Though often the world may tell you to live in secrecy and fear, do you pledge to live in openness and truth?
I do, by the grace of God.

Desiring the freedom of new life in Christ, do you pledge to seek justice and resist evil?
I do, by the grace of God.

Commitment of the Gathered

The celebrant now turns to the community gathered, who may wish to stand at this time as able, asking:
Sisters and Brothers [or All gathered today, or Friends] in Christ, will you help N. in her/his/N.’s journey into a new life of wholeness and healing? Will you affirm the beauty by which N. has been blessed? Will you support her/him/N. in struggle and in joy, in tears and in laughter, in pain and in celebration? Will you stand with her/him/N., even when this may run counter to the world in which we live?
We will, by the grace of God.

Affirmation of Faith

It may be appropriate to say together something which affirms the faith that the community shares: in God, in hope, in new life, in the person being honoured. After this, the community may be seated.

Laying on of Hands
The celebrant, those accompanying the person being honoured, and others may lay hands on the person being honoured, praying something like:

Loving God,
We gather to honour N., Your daughter/son/child,
Who has been blessed by You,
Created by You in Your own image,
Who is holy.
May You be with N., walking with her/him/N. in the journey of new life.

The celebrant may take sanctified oil and anoint the person being honoured. If appropriate, the sign of the Cross may be used. The celebrant may say something such as:
p(. Know who you are,
Know Whose you are
Or
You are a daughter/son/child
of the Resurrection.

Sending Out

Recognising that no life is lived in isolation, and that the person being honoured walks the journey with many, both the person honoured and the gathered community may be sent to live out the promises shared together. The following or something similar may be appropriate:
Sisters and brothers [or Friends, or All gathered today], today we have gathered to honour N., a daughter/son/child of God, to celebrate the journey that she/he/N. is walking.

go into the world, embodying joy,
go into the world, living in hope,
go into the world, celebrating life,
go into the world, walking in freedom,
go into the world, shining like light,
go into the world, singing love.

Sisters and brothers [or Friends, or All gathered today] in Christ, may we too
go into the world, embodying joy,
go into the world, living in hope,
go into the world, celebrating life,
go into the world, walking in freedom,
go into the world, shining like light,
go into the world, singing love.
Amen.

Here again, the community may stand as able, and applaud the person being honoured, or honour the person in another way as appropriate to the situation. In smaller groups those gathered may wish to embrace the person or otherwise affirm the person celebrated at this gathering.

_Mitchell is the self-described younger, male version of Sheryl Johnson, currently chilling at the U of S in Saskatoon, SK. _

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Jesus And The Samaritan Woman
By Kader Belaouni

Abdelkader Belaouni has been living in sanctuary in St. Gabriel’s Church in Point St. Charles, Montreal since January 1, 2006. After fleeing civil war in Algeria, and then ethnically- and religiously-based harassment following the events of September 11 in the US, Kader began to establish a secure, dignified and autonomous life for himself in Montreal. On January 5, 2006, Abdelkader was placed under an order of deportation from Canada. He has repeatedly experienced humiliation, discrimination, and stress as a result of both Canadian and American officials and the migration systems which unjustly punish those in situations like that of Kader. As a blind, Arab, Muslim man suffering from diabetes, he would be particularly vulnerable to discrimination and the physical and psychological damage following deportation first to the US and then to Algeria.

To learn more about Abdelkader and to take action in helping in the defense of his rights, please visit www.soutienpourkader.net

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One Thursday I was with my Catholic friends, and they were reading the Bible. We stopped on the story of the meeting between Jesus and the Samaritan Woman and Jesus’ kind gesture towards her, and I was very excited. It was good. It was an amazing act; it was a humanitarian gesture. If people would seek to understand what He meant by the gesture, the whole world would believe in peace and security.

Jesus was talking with a Samaritan woman (John 4) while she was looking for water in the well. Jesus told her, "I want to give you a glass of life-giving water and you will never be thirsty again.” Please, take some time to understand this gesture with me.
Jesus speaks words of love to the woman. Everyone understands what He means when He says water. Water is alive. Therefore, when He offers the woman water, He gives her life. He gives her life with just a small cup of water. Can you imagine life without water? Water is beautiful and giving.

The cup of water was life from Jesus. He said to us, give people life. He said, give mercy to all people, including poor people and with just one cup and you would never be thirsty again. He gave life because He had power. He was merciful with the woman because she was weak.
Don’t you think it is time to wake up and do good? This story shows us how we should be generous with people. I wish I was like this woman and was given the same choice to drink of the water. If so, I would never be thirsty.

People can patiently await food, but you cannot wait to drink water. Jesus gave life to everyone. Many people will ask why, if Kader is Muslim, why is he speaking so well about Jesus? The answer is that when I learn something, I will speak the truth, regardless of the cost. I do not care if the truth proves me wrong. I do not care what it costs me.

Because with His gesture, Jesus was strong and powerful. The ministers for the government, they have protection. They are very powerful, but they never use their power for good. They only use their power out of selfishness. Jesus Christ had power, but He shared His power with other people. Why, then, do you not want me to talk about this man? He even healed the blind.

I am sorry, Jesus Christ, if I have made a comparison between you and the government ministers. The ministers claim to be religious people, however, they do not understand any of His teachings. Me, I learned from the glass of water Jesus gave.

And I hate selfishness. Selfishness will never get you what you ultimately need. If Jesus needed money, He could have sold this glass of water for a million dollars. But He didn’t because He was poor and He loved helping poor people.

Often, when we pass by bright green grass, we think how nice it looks, and we admire the well-tended lawn. But we also know the grass looks so lush because of water. If we pass by a yellow lawn, we feel bad. We think right away how the lawn needs water.

Because water is peace. Because water is security. And life without water is not life.

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In memoriam: Gordon MacDiarmid
by David Ball

(Mt. Allison University SCM, Nova Scotia, circa 1958)

The movement for peace and justice – and the SCM with it – has lost a good friend, wise elder, and fighter for justice. On March 3, the Rev. Dr. Gordon MacDermid passed away peacefully in a Winnipeg hospital.

Gordon was active in the SCM at Mt. Allison University in the 1950s and went on to be ordained as a minister in the United Church in 1961. Active in the peace movement much of his adult life, Gordon moved to the prairies to take up the position of Dean of Theology at the University of Winnipeg, retiring in 2005.

In 2006, he enthusiastically led a Theology on Tap session with the Winnipeg SCM as part of its War Resistance Fest. The theme: “Is War a Sin?”

“Gordon really inspired those of us in today’s SCM who met him,” said SCM coordinator David Ball. “In his afternoon with our local unit, he engaged students, from self-declared ‘Bible-thumpers’ to atheists, in a spirited, thoughtful and eloquent exploration of the question. It was a great example of theology made accessible for laypeople and we will miss Gordon’s contributions a lot.”

Known for his enjoyment of the English language and of wordsmithery, his obituary in the Winnipeg Free Press noted with reverence his “sesquipedalian vocabulary.” Look it up. Whether in the fields of theology, writing, teaching or peace activism, Gordon’s contributions were inspiring.

“The peace movement has lost a stalwart,” according to an obituary by the Peace Alliance Winnipeg (PAW), in which Gordon was highly active after his retirement. “Gordon was deeply concerned about the growing militarization of Canadian life and he repeatedly stressed the need for PAW to build a movement which encompasses the elements of opposition to war, militarism and the erosion of civil liberties and human rights.”

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