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St.Andrew’s College
Volume 22, Number 1, Fall 2012
May you rejoice in the miracle,
the gift and the promise of Christmas.
A Group of Our New Students
Our Second Century Begins...
In This Issue
St. Andrew’s College Anniversary
Committee Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-3
Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degrees
Ecology and Justice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
Advent Communion Liturgy
Ministry Residency Grows in Second
Year of Pilot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6
St. Andrew’s People
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
The Importance of Strategic Planning
. . . .13
Reaccreditation Self-Study Underway
. . .13
South Alberta Presbytery Fundraiser . . . . . . .6
. . . . . . .4
The Challenge of Winter Refresher 2013 . . .7
St. Andrew’s Welcomes Meewasin Valley
United Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
Vic Wiebe Appointed to United Church
Comprehensive Review Task Group . . . . . . . . .7
Focus on Rural Ministry
Our Second Century
St. Andrew’s College Donors
From a Faculty Bookshelf
From the Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
Friends We Shall Miss
www.standrews.ca
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5
. . . . . . . . . . . . . .8-9
St. Andrew’s Accessibility Donors
. . . . . . . . .10
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15
Mark Your Calendars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
1
St.Andrew’s College
St. Andrew’s College Anniversary Committee Report
July 2011 saw the culmination of
much anticipation, planning and a century
of education, graduates, residents and
community that is St. Andrew’s College.
The College has played a vibrant role in the
fabric of the United Church of Canada, the
training of its ordained ministers, the many
residents who have called the College home
and the local Saskatchewan community – it
was an honor to have celebrated the
College’s first 100 years. We would like to
say thank you to everyone who made the
weekend the success that it was - the volunteers who worked for months to organize
and arrange the many, many details, the
faculty and staff who generously gave of
their time and talents and finally to each
and every one of you who attended or were
with us in spirit.
The College looked wonderful with
the addition of the elevator, fresh paint and
flooring as well as balloons and flowers the
decorating committee contributed.
It began Friday evening with registration and a reception in the lounge. This
was a packed event with standing room
2
only. Former residents and classmates met,
reminisced and renewed old acquaintances.
It was a very warm weekend and we were
reminded that somehow we must find the
funds to put air conditioning in the building!
Saturday morning a breakfast was held
for both past and present faculty and staff
with 34 attending.
Saturday afternoon was the time for
tours. Numerous folks took part in tours
of The College, the University of
Saskatchewan and College House (the first
St. Andrew’s College building).
Saturday evening was the Banquet at
The Western Development Museum with
over 250 in attendance. We were treated to
an evening of renewal, reminiscence, greetings and musical performances by both
Cara Wilson on the hand bells and Brenda
Baker.
The Sunday morning worship service
was held at Knox United Church. We were
privileged to have the Moderator, Mardi
Tindal, give the sermon. Honorary degrees
were awarded to Martha Pankratz and Jack
Bray, two people who have loved and supported the College for many decades.
A survey was done after the weekend
and some of the highlights that were appreciated included:
the timeline of the life and work of the
College and the fact that it tied in the work
of the College with the United Church and
world history;
the way the college was decorated with
balloons, flowers, etc.;
the fact that the grounds looked so
good;
the entertainment Saturday evening;
the beautiful service Sunday morning;
and
the whole weekend that gave them the
opportunity to renew old acquaintances
and see the College once again.
Once again we would like to say thank
you to everyone involved in the anniversary
celebration. It was fun to look back on the
past 100 years and now we begin to plan for
the next 100.
Jeanette Liberty-Duns and Ken Powers
www.standrews.ca
St.Andrew’s College
www.standrews.ca
3
St.Andrew’s College
Honorary Doctor of Divinity Degrees
By action of the Academic
Committee, St. Andrew’s College looks
forward to conferring the degree of
Doctor of Divinity, honoris causa upon
the Rev. Bernice Saulteaux, Carry the
Kettle First Nation, Saskatchewan and
upon the Rev. Patricia Wotton,
Winnipeg, Manitoba at the College’s
Spring Convocation on May 10th,
2013.
The Rev. Bernice Saulteaux is honoured for her long ministry on Carry
the Kettle First Nation; her presence
and leadership in Plains Presbytery and
the All Native Circle Conference; her
contributions to Native Ministry on a
national level and her deep engagement with the community of Carry the
Kettle.
Bernice’s commitment to holding
together both Christian and Aboriginal
values and traditions bridges cultural
differences with integrity and respect.
Bernice has played, and continues to
play, a significant role in the education
of students for ministry at both the
Sandy-Saulteaux Spiritual Centre and
at St. Andrew’s College.
From a career in nursing the Rev.
Patricia Wotton was called to ministry,
graduated from St. Andrew’s College
and was ordained by the United
Church of Canada. She has served the
United Church in congregations in
Saskatchewan and Manitoba, as Chair
of Presbytery and President of
Conference, on the Board of St.
Andrew’s College, through interim
ministries and alternative dispute resolution hearings. Pat has recently published her book With Love, Lydia, a
scholarly but eminently readable
chronicle of Lydia Gruchy’s life and
pathway to ministry as the first woman
to graduate from St. Andrew’s College
and the first woman ordained by the
United Church of Canada.
Recipients of the Honorary Degree
are chosen by the Academic Committee
from individuals who have been nominated by the wider community and
recommended to the Committee by the
College’s Honorary Degree Committee
in the autumn of each year.
St. Andrew’s Welcomes Meewasin Valley United Church
The Saskatoon congregation of
Meewasin Valley United Church has
begun sharing space within St.
Andrew’s College. Seeking to find new
definitions of faith, church and outreach, the congregation made the decision to sell its former church home and
make their new home within the St.
Andrew’s College.
With their minister the Rev.
Lorraine Harkness, the congregation
utilizes office space in the College and
shares rooms for worship, study, events
and fellowship.
Very recently
Meewasin Valley United hosted a weekend workshop featuring former
Moderator and Earth Urbanist Bill
Phipps.
With the sale of their former
church home Meewasin Valley United
4
has gifted to St. Andrew’s College dishes to better equip our kitchen, a set of
marvellous hand-crafted banners, a
Yamaha Grand piano for our Lounge
and the complete set of the Meewasin
Valley Memorial Stained Glass windows.
This contemporary stained glass
set of sixteen windows, each of two
panels, was crafted by Saskatoon artist
Lee Brady. The windows have been
installed throughout the College
through the woodworking expertise of
Wilson Velasquez.
These windows
have brought a gift of beauty and inspiration to the College and will continue
to honour the memory of the individuals and families who first made them
gifts to the Meewasin congregation.
www.standrews.ca
St.Andrew’s College
Our Second Century
Lorne Calvert
With the close of our 100th
Anniversary year, a second century has
begun at St. Andrew’s College. We enter
this new century with the largest first year
class of students that the College has
known for well over a decade. They join
our second year students now preparing
for their residencies and our third and
fourth year students now serving their residencies in British Columbia, Alberta and
Saskatchewan. We enter the century with a
faculty at full strength; a faculty who seek
scholarly achievement for themselves and
their students, offer creativity in teaching
and guiding and who share a deep commitment to their students and our Church.
We enter the century with our student support team in the library, in the offices of
registrar and residency coordinator; with
our building management team and admin
team; and with our Board and committee
members united in the goal of supporting
the learning and teaching experience at St.
Andrew’s.
Our second century begins with a
College home now much more accessible
to all, through the installation of our lift.
Gifts to the College from a number of
estates and from congregations whose
buildings have been sold in combination
with the full utilization of space in our
building and a renewed lease with the
University of Saskatchewan have enabled
us to open the century with a modest level
of financial security. For the first time in
many, many years our audited financial
statements are without an attached notation of concern. Gifts of stained glass,
banners, new pianos and audio/visual
equipment have enhanced our teaching
and learning experience. The ongoing
generosity of our individual donors,
UCWs, congregations and presbyteries
enables us to teach into this new century
and time.
St. Andrew’s steps into this second
century with a renewed commitment to
outreach - through new course offerings
and expanded learning circles; through an
expansion and promotion of professional
development and continuing education
opportunities at the College; through our
new Doctor of Ministry program in rural
ministry and community development;
through evolving relationships with our
ecumenical partners on campus and in the
community; through our Korean partners
in Seoul and to Korean ministers and congregations in the United Church of
Canada; and through new relationships
and opportunities with the University of
Saskatchewan.
We enter our new century with the
mission of the College clear and strong. We
are a theological college of the United
Church of Canada seeking to offer the
Church and wider community the formation of Christian leaders for ministry and
service. We seek to provide the best of theological study, writing and research and a
welcome place for the study of the theological disciplines. We strive to live our mission in an inclusive community, rooted in
our context and in the community to
embody Jesus Christ’s message of love, justice and hope.
We enter our second century at a time
of uncertainty for our Church, uncertainty
and change for many of our congregations
within an increasingly pluralistic and secular society. If ever there was a need for
well-formed and educated leaders to
strengthen and guide the people of God, it
is now; if ever there was a time that
required the voices of justice and hope in
church and community, it is now; if ever
there was a time that called for a new generation of Christian leaders and if ever
there was a time for the theological school,
for St. Andrew’s College, it is now. May the
God who travels with us and before us give
our College the wisdom, the resources, and
the faith to live our mission in our second
century.
Friends We Shall Miss
Louise Adamson, wife of Bill
Adamson, passed away on June 29,
2012 at the age of 83. Louise took a
very active part in the life of the
United Church as a member of
Women’s Groups, a Sunday School
teacher, and a visitor of sick and shutin persons. She sang in various
church choirs – 30 years in the
www.standrews.ca
McClure United Church choir alone.
Louise was an avid reader, enjoyed
gardening, camping with her family
and a variety of overseas tours to
such places as China, Australia,
Turkey and Greece.
years. Roger was a student at St.
Andrew’s College in the 1990s, completing an M.Div. in 1994. Roger remained a
friend of the College through his years of
ministry, including working as local
instructor for one of the first “regional
cluster courses” offered off campus.
On July 7, 2012, Roger Kett (M.Div.)
passed away peacefully at the age of 44
5
St.Andrew’s College
Ecology and Justice:
Accountability and Integrity In An Endangered World
A new course offering at St. Andrew’s
begins in the upcoming winter/spring
semester. Professor Nettie Wiebe will lead
the course Ecology and Justice:
Accountability and Integrity In An
Endangered World.
The course will engage students in
confronting the pressing issues of ecological destruction and climate change from a
justice perspective. Students will be chal-
lenged to explore theological and spiritual
resources to ground just, life-enhancing,
faithful responses to the ecological crisis.
Students will be encouraged to develop and
articulate critical ethical and theological
stances along with practical alternatives for
ecologically sustainable living.
The first offering of this new course
will be begin in late January 2013 and a
limited number of seats in the course will
be available for students of the University
of Saskatchewan and members of the
Church and community. Further information is available from the Registrar’s office
at:
St. Andrew’s College
(standrews.registrar@usask.ca)
(306-966-5244).
Ministry Residency Grows in Second Year of Pilot
This has been
an exciting beginning to another new
year at St. Andrew’s
College. Eight new
students bring their
energy and gifts to
the St. Andrew’s
community. The
students who are in
the Master of Divinity programme also
bring a welcome challenge to the
Conference Internship and Educational
Supervision Committees to match them in
the near future with pastoral charges who
are willing to serve as learning sites. St.
Andrew’s, in partnership with the United
Church, provides integrated learning during the Ministry Residency phase of the
MDiv. Through courses and other activities
at St. Andrew’s, these future ministers are
well prepared to serve the pastoral charges
in which they are placed for Residency.
Through learning circles conducted by faculty at St. Andrew’s throughout the
Residency, students integrate their experiences in pastoral ministry with theological
reflection in the company of their peers
and professors.
A growing number of new ministers
will soon be seeking opportunities to serve
in the United Church of Canada. Four students are engaged at various stages of their
Residency/Internship this Fall. Two will
complete their experience in Saskatchewan
in Spring 2013 and anticipate ordination
and the beginning of their ordained ministries. Two Residents began their twenty
month experience this Fall, in Alberta and
British Columbia, and will complete in
Spring 2014. Heartfelt thanks to all who
support and challenge these students on
their journeys!
Next Fall, four students expect to be
ready for Ministry Residency. Three are
current or continuing students at St.
Andrew’s. The fourth studied at St.
Andrew’s during both terms last year as
part of the partnership between St.
Andrew’s College and Hanshin University
in Korea. She is exploring the possibility of
engaging in the Ministry Residency in
Canada next Fall. These students have
enriched life in the St. Andrew’s community and will enrich the life of the pastoral
charges they will serve as Ministry
Residents.
Watch for these new ministers in your
midst – and for those who may be sensing
a call to join them!
Respectfully submitted,
E. Lynn Bayne
Ministry Residency Coordinator
St. Andrew’s College
South Alberta Presbytery Fundraiser
South Alberta Presbytery began a Fundraiser in September in support of the cost of the new lift for St. Andrew’s, and the General Fund
of the College. The center piece of the display is “Robin” who permanently injured himself in a fall from a horse at Mountain Mill (AB).
The “dummy” sits in the display supported by a leg brace. Nevertheless, he wants to attend St. Andrew’s and train for the ministry. It will
help him if there is a “lift” at St. Andrew’s for him to get into the building. The display with its photos, brochures, and contribution
envelopes will visit all the pastoral charges in Southern Alberta until the late spring of next year.
Terry Shillington, Sandra Riddell and Austin Fennell
6
www.standrews.ca
The Challenge of Winter Refresher 2013:
“Do We Still Need the Social Gospel?”
By Sandra Beardsall
The history of Western Canada cannot
be told apart from the influence of the
Social Gospel – a movement that began in
the late 19th century and shaped the theology and social witness of Christian churches in various parts of the world. It was progressive and optimistic. It believed that the
“Kingdom of God,” announced by Jesus in
the gospels, was indeed possible and at
hand – and that human economic structures could be reformed to help bring it
about.
Members of the mainstream
Protestant churches in North America
caught this vision, and it reshaped their
theology and their action. It found its way
into political life, and strands of social
gospel thinking emerged in both the “social
credit” ideology of Alberta’s William
Aberhart and, in more pronounced form,
the founding vision of the Cooperative
Commonwealth Federation (CCF), forerunner of the New Democratic Party
(NDP).
It may seem a bit provocative to ask,
“Do we still need the social gospel?” Yet the
social gospel movement, for all its energy,
did meet with strong opposition and distrust. Some Canadian Methodist clergy, for
example, found themselves gradually alienated from their churches because of their
social gospel stances. Prominent theologians of the mid-twentieth century deemed
it naïve and irrelevant. Many historians
claim it was “eclipsed” by other theological
concerns.
Our speaker for this year’s Winter
Refresher, Dr. Christopher Evans, is one of
North America’s leading historians of the
Social Gospel movement. He is Professor of
Christianity and Methodist Studies at
Boston University School of Theology. His
teaching and scholarship focuses on the
history of Christianity, American religion,
Methodist studies, and ministry studies.
Dr. Evans is the author of several
books, articles, and reviews including The
Kingdom is Always but Coming: a Life of
Walter Rauschenbusch that received an
Award of Merit for the best work in history/biography from Christianity Today
magazine in 2005. His most recent
work, Liberalism without Illusions:
Renewing an American Christian
Tradition, was published by Baylor
University Press in 2010.
He will engage us with history, reflection, and discussion about the Social
Gospel’s history and its possibilities in a
world that in many ways is quite unlike the
one that birthed the movement … or is it?
Vic Wiebe Appointed to United Church
Comprehensive Review Task Group
Vic Wiebe, chair of the Board of St.
Andrew’s College, has joined five other
members of The United Church of Canada
along with our newly elected Moderator
Gary Paterson on the Comprehensive
Review Task Group established by the 41st
General Council. The Task Group is
charged with examining the vision and circumstances of the United Church and to
develop a report and recommendations
that will enable the Church to continue to
live faithfully in God’s world. The Task
Group will report to the 42nd General
Council in 2015. Vic is one of two lay peo-
ple named to the Task Group and brings to
the work his faith, his love of the Church,
his commitment to theological education
and his 40 years of experience in health and
social services in the government and nongovernment sectors.
Check out our new website:
www.standrews.ca
Check out our Facebook page:
Facebook.com/StAndrewsCollegeSaskatoon
Check out our YouTube Channel:
www.youtube.com/user/StAndrewsSaskatoon
www.standrews.ca
7
St.Andrew’s College
St. Andrew’s College Donors
May 22, 2012 – November 2, 2012
THANK YOU TO
ALBERTA AND
NORTHWEST
Pastoral Charges
Granum United Church; Granum
Hardisty Hughenden Pastoral
Charge; Hughenden
Innisfail Pastoral Charge; Innisfail
Jasper United Church; Jasper
McKillop United Church; Lethbridge
Other Donors
Shell Canada, Ltd.; Calgary
UCW’s
Beausejour UCW; Beausejour
Camrose UCW; Camrose
St. Paul's UCW; Hardisty
Stettler UCW; Stettler
Women's Friendship Group;
Coaldale
Individuals
Anderson, Shirley; Lethbridge
Bray, Arlene; Calgary
Burnham, Grant and Cindy;
Pincher Creek
Chambers, Doug and Lori Knutson;
Hughenden
Creasy, Alan; Hardisty
Degenhardt, Naomi; Hughenden
Degenhardt, Terry-Lee; Hughenden
Fennell, Austin and Jean; Lethbridge
Godley, Barry; Medicine Hat
Kobza, F. Patricia; Cowley
Kozbial, Elizabeth; Lethbridge
Larter, Karen; Pincher Creek
Ling, Leonard; High River
Lovatt, Lloyd; Edmonton
Macaulay, Evelyn; Pincher Creek
MacLellan, Jean; Camrose
Main, Janet; Pincher Creek
Martin, Jane and Earl; Calgary
McEwen, Doug and Heather;
Edmonton
Murray, Lorna; Picture Butte
Otsuka, Ayako; Lethbridge
Palmer, David Neal; Beaverlodge
Peden, Ronald; Sherwood Park
Sasse, Joyce; Pincher Creek
Shillington, Terry and Mary;
Lethbridge
Siferd, Don and Ruth; Oyen
Sinclair, Linda and Robert;
Edmonton
Summers, Margaret Jean; Calgary
Todd, David; Hughenden
Tysick, Nancy; Edmonton
Wartman, Frances; Edmonton
Watson, Laurie; Pincher Creek
SASKATCHEWAN
Pastoral Charges
Avonlea-Briercrest Pastoral Charge;
Avonlea
Cabri-Hazlet-Pennant Pastoral
Charge; Cabri
Coteau Hills Pastoral Charge;
Lucky Lake
Evesham Community Church;
Macklin
Grandview Pastoral Charge;
Moose Jaw
Knox Metropolitan United Church;
Regina
Knox United Church; Saskatoon
Lanigan Nokomis Pastoral Charge;
Lanigan
McClure United Church; Saskatoon
Meadow Lake Pastoral Charge;
Meadow Lake
Sceptre United Church; Sceptre
Spirit Hills Pastoral Charge; Eyebrow
St. Andrew's United Church; Imperial
St. James United Church; Regina
Westminster United Church; Regina
UCW’s
Cabri UCW ; Cabri
Carrot River UCW; Carrot River
First UCW; Swift Current
Gainsborough UCW; Gainsborough
Grace UCW; Meadow Lake
Grandview UCW; Moose Jaw
IN HONOUR OF THE ANNIVERSARY
OF THE COLLEGE AND WITH THE
HOPE THAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO
THRIVE IN ITS 2ND CENTURY OF
MINISTRY TO THE WIDER CHURCH!
8
DONORS TO THE College
We are pleased to list the people and groups who have
sent donations to St. Andrew’s College during the above
mentioned time period. We greatly appreciate the
continuing support we receive from you.
Kyle Evening UCW; Kyle
St. David's Trinity UCW; Saskatoon
Third Avenue UCW;
North Battleford
Trinity UCW; Watson
Wynyard United Church Women's
Association; Wynyard
Yellow Grass UCW - Lilac Unit;
Yellow Grass
Other Donors
Chinook Presbytery; Swift Current
Estae of Sydney Catherine Inskip;
Saskatoon
Front Page Beauty, Ltd.; Regina
J. I. Fisher Holdings Inc.;
North Battleford
Olive Waller Zinkhan & Waller LLP;
Regina
Park Funeral Chapel; Saskatoon
Park Town Enterprises Ltd.;
Saskatoon
Tamarack Presbytery; Carrot River
Individuals
Abernethy, Sylvia; Saskatoon
Abrahamson, Brian; Regina
Anderson, John and Mary; Yorkton
Anderson, Lewis; Regina
Anderson, Margaret; Saskatoon
Andreas, Elaine; Regina
Ashwin, Wes; Saskatoon
Ast, Brian; Saskatoon
Babcock, Elizabeth; Regina
Baker, Helen; Saskatoon
Balas, Laura and Don; Aneroid
Barber, Rob; Moose Jaw
Barss, Don and Donna; Saskatoon
Barss, Douglas and Alice; Regina
Baxter, Muriel; Saskatoon
Bayne, E. Lynn; Saskatoon
Beardsall, Sandra; Saskatoon
Beck, Brian; Regina
Beeton, Anna; Saskatoon
Bell, Joan; Saskatoon
Bender, William and Kathleen;
Saskatoon
Benson, Brett; Regina
ST. ANDREW’S COLLEGE
RECEIVES SUPPORT
FROM DONATIONS TO
THE MISSION AND
SERVICE FUND OF THE
UNITED CHURCH OF
CANADA.
Beveridge, Angelina; Regina
Bjorndahl, Janet; Regina
Blau, June and David; Regina
Borgeson, Nora; North Battleford
Botting, Rose; Saskatoon
Bradshaw, Beverley; Regina
Bray, John and Elaine; Regina
Brehon, Lilah; Saskatoon
Bretell, Donna; Saskatoon
Brick, Lorna; Lashburn
Brown, Joan; Saskatoon
Brown, Marion; Saskatoon
Browne, Verla; Saskatoon
Buhler, Jake; Saskatoon
Burgess, Frances; Saskatoon
Burton, Richard and Annabelle;
Saskatoon
Burzowetsky, Judy; Weyburn
Caldwell, Lynn; Saskatoon
Calvert, Lorne and Betty; Saskatoon
Cantwell Kunda, Snake; Saskatoon
Carleton, Aruilla; Weyburn
Carlson, Gary and Jessie; Regina
Carr, Jack; Saskatoon
Cawood, Diane; North Battleford
Chapman, Bill and Mary; Saskatoon
Chapman, Harold; Saskatoon
Cherland, Esther; Saskatoon
Clarke, Janet; Saskatoon
Cook, Elizabeth; Saskatoon
Crawford, John; Saskatoon
Crawford, Margaret; Saskatoon
Creek, Ferne; Evesham
Croissant, JM Shepperd; Regina
Crossley, David and Jeanette
Liberty-Duns; Saskatoon
Currie, Ralph; Saskatoon
de la Gorgendiere, Marcel; Saskatoon
Dickinson, Peter; Saskatoon
Diduck, Beverly; Gull Lake
Dobrow, Rick and June; Saskatoon
Dornan, Barbara and Dwaine; Regina
Dowling, Sheila; Regina
Durant, Peggy; Saskatoon
Elliott-Erickson, Victoria;
Prince Albert
Ellis, Jen and Joyce; Regina
Fenty, George and Debbie; Saskatoon
Filson, Russ; Regina
Fleming, Randall; Saskatoon
Ford, Faye; Saskatoon
Fowke, Larry; Saskatoon
Gattinger, Fred and Irene; Moose Jaw
Gaunt, Ellen; Saskatoon
Gawley ; Evelyn and Robert; Regina
Giesbrecht, Roger; Saskatoon
Gimby, Terry; Saskatoon
Glover, Ken; Saskatoon
Greer, Faye; Yorkton
Griffith, Louise; Saskatoon
Griffiths, Ruth; Prince Albert
Grimes, Aurelia; Saskatoon
Haas, John and Carolyn McBean;
Regina
Hagerman, Isabelle; Regina
Hanke, Don and Karen; Saskatoon
Hansen, H. Lorne; Saskatoon
Harder, Robbie; Saskatoon
Hartnett, Pat; Saskatoon
Henderson, Toliver; Saskatoon
Hill, Marilyn; Lumsden
Horpestad, Beverlie; Meadow Lake
Huck, J. A.; Saskatoon
Huntley, Evelyn; Saskatoon
www.standrews.ca
St.Andrew’s College
Hurd, Linsell; Manitou Beach
Hurd, Sharon; Regina
James-Cavan, Kathleen ; Saskatoon
Jobling, David; Saskatoon
Johnson, Dennis and Beth; Saskatoon
Johnson, Joyce; Regina
Kaeser, Helen; Regina
Kaweski, Shirley; Saskatoon
Kent, Marjorie; Lumsden
Kim-Cragg, David and HyeRan;
Saskatoon
Knouse, Wayne; Saskatoon
Krueger, Sheila; Saskatoon
Krug, Patricia; Fort Qu'Appelle
Kurmey, Jacqueline; Saskatoon
Lambert, Shirley Ann; Saskatoon
Lavender, Sheila; Saskatoon
Lee-Sing, Swithin; Regina
Lenz, Karl and Joyce; Saskatoon
Louttit, Ian and Carolann; Regina
MacDonald, Bruce; Regina
MacDonald, Kenneth and Lou;
Saskatoon
MacFarlane-Sefton, Mary; Saskatoon
MacGillivray, Mildred; Saskatoon
Maitland, Brian and Susan;
Saskatoon
Manton, Ellen; Saskatoon
Marshall, Doug and Tannis; Weyburn
Martin, Leona; Regina
McClinton, Eleanor; Yellow Grass
McConnell, Ron; Saskatoon
McDonald, Gordon; Saskatoon
McKague, Terry; Regina
McKay, Jean; Regina
McKechney, Margaret and Ken;
Saskatoon
McKenzie, Charles; Star City
McLellan, Rowena; Saskatoon
McLeod, Marion; Saskatoon
McLeod, Roderick; Regina
McQuarrie, Arlis; Saskatoon
Mickleborough, Robert; Eston
Mitchell, Christine; Saskatoon
Mitchell, Lillian; Saskatoon
Mitschke, Barry; Lumsden
Moats, Isabella; Regina
Monseler, Leopold; Saskatoon
Morrison, Dale and Mildred;
Saskatoon
Morrow, Dorothy; Nipawin
Neville, Ray; Weyburn
Newman, Leslee; Saskatoon
Nickel, Leila; Saskatoon
Norrish, Robert; Strongfield
Oglesby, Jack; Saskatoon
Owen, Wendell and Ruth; Saskatoon
Page, Joan; Saskatoon
Pankratz, Martha; Saskatoon
Parry, John; Saskatoon
Parry, Rosanna; Saskatoon
Pauloff, Anne; Regina
Petrie, Dave and Marilyn; Regina
Postle, Janet; Saskatoon
Powers, Ken; Regina
Proctor, Peggy; Saskatoon
Pulfer, Jim; Saskatoon
Purdie, Ray; Saskatoon
Quick, William; Regina
Quinn, Trevor and Norma; Regina
Rawlake, Donna; Saskatoon
Reine, Darrell; Regina
Richards, William; Saskatoon
Richardson, Lorne; Saskatoon
Richert, Roberta; Saskatoon
Robbins, Jim; Delisle
Robertson, Wilfred; Wolseley
Robson, Louise; Unity
Russell, Miles and Anna; Preeceville
Sadler, Dorothy; Saskatoon
Sampson, April; Weyburn
Sandercock, Marilynn; Regina
Sandy, Joan; Saskatoon
Schmuland, Glenn; Regina
Shier, Gudrun; Colonsay
Smith, Linda; Regina
Smith, Roy and Janet; Saskatoon
Stephenson, Richard; Saskatoon
Stevens, Wendell; Saskatoon
Tannahill, Grace; Saskatoon
Taylor, Annette; Fort Qu'Appelle
Teed, Carol; Saskatoon
Teichrob, Carol; Saskatoon
Thomas, Pamela; Regina
Thompson, G. Wayne; Regina
Thompson, Hillis; Moose Jaw
Thompson, Tony; Prince Albert
Thomson, Laura; Regina
Thue, E. Jean; Regina
Toles, Ron and Carole; Swift Current
Turner, Edward and Patricia; Regina
Unger, Bill; Saskatoon
Van Dyke, Dexter; Regina
Von Hagen, Carl and Yvonne;
Weyburn
Walton, Brian; Saskatoon
Watanabe-Travis, Takako; Saskatoon
Watson, Doreen; Weyburn
Watson, Rod; Weyburn
West, Alison; Watrous
Wiebe, Nettie; Delisle
Wiebe, Vic and Bunny; Weyburn
Wilson, Donna; Saskatoon
Wilson, Janet; Saskatoon
Wise, Phyllis; Regina
Wood, Sharon; Regina
Woods, Daryl and Nola; Saskatoon
Wright, Thelma; Balgonie
Yanko, Mary; Regina
Yeaman, Elizabeth; Saskatoon
MANITOBA AND
NORTHWESTERN
ONTARIO
Pastoral Charges
Ear Falls United Church; Ear Falls
Immanuel United Church; Winnipeg
St. Paul's United Church; Boissevain
Starbuck United Church; Starbuck
Steinbach United Church; Steinbach
Westworth United Church; Winnipeg
UCW’s
Deloraine UCW; Deloraine
Gladstone UCW; Gladstone
Hamiota UCW; Hamiota
Hartney UCW; Hartney
Isabella CW; Birtle
HERE IS OUR DONATION TO HELP
WITH THE WORTHWHILE WORK
YOUR ORGANIZATION DOES.
Knox United Church Lunch
Committee; Roblin
McKenzie UCW; Portage La Prairie
Niverville UCW; Niverville
Pilot Mound UCW; Pilot Mound
Rosser UCW; Rosser
Westminster UCW; The Pas
Other Donors
Northland Presbytery; The Pas
Individuals
Hummel, Ellie and Heather McClure;
Point-Claire QC
Laing, Don; Toronto, ON
Legge, Marilyn and Michael
Bourgeois; Toronto, ON
Lumsden, Brenda; Chaput Hughes,
ON
McLachlan, Jack; White Rock, BC
Perkins, Dale; Victoria, BC
The United Church of Canada;
Toronto, ON
Zorbas, Dino; Westmount, QC
Allan, Catharina; Rathwell
Ballantine-Dickson, Dawn and Jack;
Winnipeg
Beasse, Fernand and Penny;
Ste. Rose du Lac
Campbell, Mary; Winnipeg
Caron, Charlotte; Winnipeg
Compton, Adel; Winnipeg
Elder, Margaret; Oak Lake
Kristjansson, Margret; Wawanesa
Loucks, Georgina; Dauphin
Lowe, Roger and Norma; Brandon
McIntyre, Donald; Winnipeg
McKenzie, Gladys; Winnipeg
McMurtry, Doug; Winnipeg
McPhail, Larry; Portage la Prairie
Simpson, Laurence and Bev; Manitou
Thompson, Glen and Jesmondine;
Gimli
Other Conferences
Allan, Gail; Toronto, ON
Brandon, Ray; Comox, BC
Christie, Catherine; Soeul, Korea
Darjes, Greg; Cobble Hill, BC
Frisby, Mike; Vancouver, BC
How to Donate
You may send a cheque or donate by credit card.
Please make cheques payable to St. Andrew’s College.
To donate by credit card please call 1-877-644-8970.
Donations may be sent to: St. Andrew’s College,
1121 College Drive, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 0W3
Please indicate clearly any direction for use of your donation. We encourage you to donate without restrictions.
Please consider a bequest to St. Andrew’s College in your Will or Planned Giving through insurance policies.
If you have bequeathed money to the College in your Will we would like to know about
it so that we are able to acknowledge this in the next issue of Contact.
www.standrews.ca
9
St.Andrew’s College
St. Andrew’s Accessibility Donations
May 22, 2012 – November 2, 2012
THANK YOU TO SASKATCHEWAN
ALBERTA
Grace United Church; Wainwright
Knox Metropolitan Special Projects
Fund; Edmonton
Moltzahn, Lee; Nobleford
Morgan, John H.; Pincher Creek
Morrison, Allan and Kerry;
Lethbridge
Palmer, David Neal; Beaverlodge
Pincher Creek UCW; Pincher Creek
Rigaux, Marjorie; Pincher Creek
Still Ridge Ranch; Pincher Creek
Alton, Charles and Rhaya; Briercrest
Ashwin, Wes; Saskatoon
Balas, Laura and Don; Aneroid
Beck, Brian; Regina
Bethel Pastoral Charge; Moosomin
Big River-Canwood Pastoral Charge;
Big River
Borgeson, Nora; North Battleford
Bramble, Robert and Evelyn; Elbow
Bristow, George and Mavis;
Strongfield
Contemporary Singers; Saskatoon
Elsom, Elizabeth; Moose Jaw
Jobling, David and Esther ; Saskatoon
Kinistino UCW; Kinistino
Meadow Lake Pastoral Charge;
Meadow Lake
Morrison, Dale and Mildred;
Saskatoon
Morrison, W. Greg; Saskatoon
Nicks Barbour, Mary Beth; Saskatoon
Pryor, Jean and Ernest; Hawarden
Shantz, Lorraine; Saskatoon
Simon, Brenda; Eatonia
St. Andrew's College Guild;
Saskatoon
Stevens, Wendell; Saskatoon
Tait, Walter and Mary; Meota
Vaughan, Douglas; Loreburn
Wakaw United Church; Wakaw
Yellow Grass UCW - Lilac Unit;
Yellow Grass
Enclosed is our donation toward
your “lift” project. We installed an
elevator in our church a few years ago
and realize what a difference it made
to many in this congregation.
MANITOBA
St. Paul's Stewardship Committee;
Virden
Wotton, Patricia; Winnipeg
Morrison, David; Peterborough, ON
Morrison-Inkster, Mary Anne;
Victoria, BC
Perkins, Marjorie; Toronto, ON
Willford, Yvonne; Cranbrook, BC
OTHER
Gifford, Kathleen; Burnaby, BC
Leitch, Malcolm; Kelowna, BC
McLellan, Jonelle; Brenwood, BC
Would you like the convenience of making
pre-authorized monthly donations to the college?
We would need you to fill out our preauthorized payment form
and send it to us along with a “VOID” cheque. To obtain this
form please contact the college or check the web site
www.standrews.ca
Did You Know??
You are now able to submit donations online by
clicking on the CanadaHelps.org link found on our website.
This secure online donation site allows you to quickly
and easily donate money in a secure fashion.
Our current monthly donors give amounts from
$10 to more than $100.
All amounts are greatly appreciated.
Honouring Our Graduates
For many years the available wall space at the College made it impossible to display the photos of the graduating classes from 1912 to the
1980’s. Over the years the photos have been stored in a closet. The renovations to accommodate the elevator created a new space and the
St. Andrew’s Alunmi/ae took on the project of creating an Alumni/ae Gallery. The photos are now displayed in the gallery on the third
floor. Many thanks to the Alumni/ae members who donated to make it possible!
10
www.standrews.ca
St.Andrew’s College
Advent Communion Liturgy
Created by Deanna Cox, 2nd Year Student
Lift up your hearts
we lift them up to God
lift up your heads
we lift them up to God
lift up your voices
we lift them up to God
lift up your hands
we lift them up to God
God of Joseph and Mary,
who left their home to be registered;
who had to flee with a newborn to Egypt,
we thank you, for journeying with us too
as we prepare for the birth of your son, Jesus Christ.
God of journeys may we know that…
Your watchfulness is steady,
Your love is the warm embrace of home.
God of the homeless,
sometimes we are forced to leave,
sometimes we choose to leave, and sometimes like Jesus, our
home is in many places, yet no one place.
God of exile may we come to know that…
Your watchfulness is steady,
Your love is the much longed for embrace of home.
May we find the home we seek in this story and boldly share it
with the world saying…
Christ has died.
Christ is risen.
Christ will come again.
through Christ’s journey
from birth to death and through his rising,
may we and our world be reconfigured for
the promise of God is at hand
the promise of God is present here
the promise of God is the warm embrace of home.
So come all, to the table of Christ:
you who are confined by home,
you who are in exile,
you who yearn for home,
Come to this table, knowing you are welcome, knowing you
are home.
with the one whose watchfulness is steady,
and whose love is open ready to embrace us all
Come, all has been made ready,
These are the gifts of God, for the people of God.
God of Moses,
accompanying your people into the promised land,
may our advent journey renew our commitment to you,
may we reconfigure the world in your image,
a home where saints and sinners are welcomed equally.
God of promises, may we know that…
Your watchfulness is steady,
Your love is our home.
Near the end of his journey, in the home of a stranger, surrounded by his friends both homeward and homeless, Jesus took
bread and breaking it said to those gathered, “Take, eat, this is my
body broken for you.” After supper he took the cup saying, “Drink
this all of you. This is my blood shed for the forgiveness of sins. Do
this to remember me.”
Oh holy one, send down your spirit on these gifts of bread and
wine that they may be to us Christ’s body and blood.
www.standrews.ca
11
St.Andrew’s College
St. Andrew’s People
Sandra Beardsall
I returned to begin my sixteenth year
(!) at the College in July after a year of
sabbatical leave. My main project was to
research the history and theology of ecumenical shared ministry congregations
(ESMs) in Canada. The sabbatical
offered the opportunity to travel to work
in church archives across Canada, to visit
congregations, and to interview people
who have been engaged in these ministries as congregants, clergy, and oversight personnel. An article based on my
early research appeared in the Alberta
and Northwest Conference Historical
Society Journal, and I also was the theme
speaker for a conference on ESMs at
Sorrento Centre in BC’s Shuswap Valley.
As well as continuing to offer courses in
preparing for ecumenical ministries, I
am writing a book on the ESM experience and its possibilities for congregations and communities.
My partner, Prof. Bill Richards (on
faculty at the College of Emmanuel and
St. Chad), was also on sabbatical, and
together we enjoyed longer sojourns in
Toronto and Vancouver. While in
Toronto I preached at the 175th anniversary celebration for Victoria University
(which includes Emmanuel College, my
alma mater). In February we attended
the Bartimaeus Institute for the study of
the Bible and social justice, led by Ched
Myers and Elaine Enns, in Oak View,
California, and we spent a wonderful and
memorable Holy Week and Easter in
Greece.
It was good to return to see the
College alive with anniversary celebrations, an elevator, lovely stained glass
gifts, and enthusiastic new students! In
August I taught a one-week intensive
course: The Protestant Spiritual
Heritage, and have resumed my usual
faculty work this fall. I also traveled to
Montreal for a meeting of the international ecumenical committee preparing
the resources for the Week of Prayer for
12
Christian Unity in 2014. I was on the
Canadian team that was responsible for
drafting and collecting these resources. It
was exciting to share our work with this
wise and diverse group of global
Christian leaders. It will be equally
thrilling to share them with people
around the world, including here in
Canada, in 2014.
HyeRan Kim-Cragg
This summer has been full in terms
of traveling and academic writing. In
June, I was invited to go to Korea and the
Philippines to join the Empire study with
our partner churches (the Presbyterian
Church in the Republic of Korea (PROK)
and the United Church in the Philippines
(UCCP)). I coordinated a lecture on
“Theological Reflection on the Empire: A
United Church response” at the Hanshin
Graduate school of Theology and participated in an exposure programme witnessing the struggles and resilience of
people, working for life and justice in
both countries. I am delighted to share
that one of the UCCP leaders, Ric
Jontarciego, whom I met is coming to
our college on October 29. We will be
privileged to hear about the situation of
the Philippines.
Upon my return from Asia, I dedicated myself to completing the manuscript for the commentary, Wisdom
Commentary Series on the Letter to the
Hebrews (Liturgical Press), co-authored
with Prof. May Ann Beavis (St. Thomas
More in the U of S). I am grateful for this
interdisciplinary collaboration where a
biblical scholar and a pastoral theologian
offer insights and differences in
perspective to illumine the texts in ways
that are responsive to our changing
contexts of the 21st century. Both Mary
Ann and I will have a brief chance
to talk about this work through the
Graduate Studies Council Seminar on
November 22, when a Hebrew Scripture
scholar Dorothea Erbele-Kuster from
Germany/Netherlands presents the issues
around sacrifice and ritual.
Finally it is my hope to share with
you all, my book, Story and Song: A
Postcolonial Interplay between Christian
Education and Worship from the Peter
Lang publisher during Winter Refresher,
Feb 2013.
Christine Mitchell
After teaching Hebrew in the summer, Christine Mitchell isn’t teaching this
fall semester. That doesn’t mean she’s not
busy! She’s been appointed by the Board
as the Director of the institutional selfstudy for reaccreditation with the
Commission on Accrediting of the
Association of Theological Schools. Over
the past eighteen months she’s been a
part of three accreditation evaluation
teams visiting schools in different parts
of the continent, and has discovered an
affinity for this work of helping schools
fulfill their missions.
She continues to work on papers
dealing with Haggai, Zechariah and
Malachi, and is presenting two papers at
the upcoming annual meeting of the
Society of Biblical Literature in Chicago.
At that meeting the new edition of the
Women’s Bible Commentary will be
released, for which she wrote the entry
on 1-2 Chronicles.
Don Schweitzer
In May I attended the board meeting
of Touchstone, a theological journal
aimed primarily at clergy, academics and
educated lay people in The United
Church of Canada. I am Touchstone’s
book review editor. In June I attended the
Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s
national event in Saskatoon. This spring
an article that Bill Blaikie and I wrote,
“Reflections on the Public Outpouring of
Grief Following Jack Layton’s Death,”
was published in The Ecumenist 49/2
(Spring 2012), 1-5.
www.standrews.ca
St.Andrew’s College
The Importance of Strategic Planning
When
St.
Andrews College
was re-established
as a separate organization following the
de-amalgamation
from St. Stephen’s
College, a clear
statement of our
vision, values and
Vic Wiebe
mission was develBoard Chair
oped. This allowed
us to develop goals and some action
plans for how we hoped to achieve
these goals. This set of statements,
which we have reviewed and updated
annually, makes up our strategic plan
and guides what we do and the decisions we make.
Some folks have experienced
strategic planning as time consuming
and a waste of time as the document
produced sits on shelf somewhere and
gathers dust rather than being an
important part of daily operations. For
St. Andrews College this is not the case!
The plan is the basis on which we
develop our annual work plan and
budget. From it flow the goals that we
set for the performance and evaluation
of our Principal and in turn from him
to the faculty and staff.
All of us are buffeted by the push
and pull of day-to-day happenings,
especially by matters that seem to be
the crises of the moment. Our strategic
plan insures that we have a long-term
vision that helps us to guide us through
those times, insuring that we do not get
side-tracked but remain true to the
things that really matter. For example,
within the last three years, we were able
to retain our value of an integrated academic and practices approach to our
education program, even in the face of
different directions being considered
by The United Church of Canada and
by all of the other United Church theo-
logical colleges. Now we are being
faced with the temporary discontinuance of the College of Emmanuel and
St. Chad’s and by a major redesign of
the program offerings at the Lutheran
Theological Seminary. We don’t know
the final outcome for us of these factors, but we do know that the ecumenical approach to our education is an
important value for us that will help
guide us as we deal with these issues.
We also know that the United Church
nationally is facing some major challenges in dwindling membership and
resources that will have an impact on
us. While we don’t where know these
issues will lead us, we firmly believe
that the vision of a “Justice driven theological education” as identified in our
strategic plan, will help us to convert
these challenges into opportunities for
a better education for our students and
a more effective ministry for the congregations they will serve.
Reaccreditation Self-Study Underway
The rigorous process leading to the
reaccreditation of St. Andrew’s College
and its degree programs has begun at
the College. To earn reaccreditation
demands an extensive self-study by the
College of every aspect of the College’s
life and programs. When completed
the self-study is submitted for review to
the Board of Commissioners of the
Association of Theological Schools in
the United States and Canada.
Following the receipt and review of the
self-study a team of examiners
appointed by the Board of
Commissioners will visit the College
for an intensive and in depth examination. Upon their recommendations
www.standrews.ca
reaccreditation and the period of the
accreditation is granted. The process of
the self-study, now begun under the
direction of Dr. Christine Mitchell and
Dr. David Crossley, will be completed
in 2013 in anticipation of a visit from
the Board of Commissioners examiners in early 2014. The goal is to earn
reaccreditation by June of 2014 when
the current period of St. Andrew’s current accreditation ends.
Earning accreditation and reaccreditation is a demanding activity for
the College but important to the
College’s future. Accreditation assures
current and potential future students
that the education provided at St.
Andrew’s College is equal to that provided in the best theological schools in
North America. Accreditation provides graduates of the College with
degree qualifications that are recognized nationally and internationally.
Accreditation provides the Church
assurance of well-educated and
equipped graduates for congregational
and
community
leadership.
Accreditation is important in the
attraction and retention of a quality
faculty. To earn reaccreditation will be
an intense task but worth every effort it
demands.
13
St.Andrew’s College
From the Library
This summer
has been a difficult
one for the College
of Emmanuel & St
Chad, our Anglican
partner in the
Saskatoon Theological Union. For a
number of reasons,
which you may have
Sarah Benson
read about in the
STU Head Librarian
newspaper, at the
end of June their college council decided to
suspend their operations of the college for
three years. At the end of that time, they
will re-examine their situation and make
further decisions about the college. There
is still much to be decided about this
process, and just what it means for the professors, students, and staff at ESC, but in
the meantime we are ticking along as ‘normally’ as can be.
For us in the library system, this raised
a pretty obvious question: What about the
books? As you will know, we are a consortium of four denominational libraries
(Pentecostal, Anglican, United, Lutheran PAUL!). One of the great benefits of a consortium is that we all share our library
resources with each other, and when we
purchase items, we do it with an eye to the
whole library system, not just the collection
of one college. This way, we can broaden
our purchasing subjects, while at the same
time have focused collections at each place.
St Andrew’s, for instance, has a solid collection of feminist and ecological theology, as
well as prairie church history. The other
colleges benefit from having access to these
materials, but don’t necessarily buy books
in those subject areas themselves. It’s a
win-win situation.
However, what happens when one of
those colleges closes or moves? We do have
a disaster plan: the books will go to the
other STU colleges. To lose a whole college’s collection would be terrible.
Emmanuel & St Chad, for example, holds a
great number of patristics and ancient language materials which the other colleges do
not. To lose them entirely would be a great
blow.
Emmanuel’s case is strange, because
they’re not closing, but merely suspending
some of their operations. They currently
rent their space from Lutheran Seminary,
and that agreement will end at the end of
the year. So, again - what to do with the
books?
Obviously St Andrew’s is part of the
solution or I wouldn’t be writing to you
about this problem. As it happens, St
Andrew’s library has just enough space to
accommodate Emmanuel’s books (while, I
hasten to add, keeping adequate space for
St Andrew’s collection to continue to
grow). We are in the process of hiring a
temporary
library
technician
at
Emmanuel, and she will be helping me to
move their 20,000 volumes across campus
and into their new home. St Andrew’s
library assistants are spending part of their
time doing some prep work, shifting the
collection to create the necessary space.
This is a huge undertaking, and we expect
it will take most of a year to complete.
We’ll keep Emmanuel’s books as a separate collection – 2nd floor, turn left – so
they’ll stay together, keep their individual
identity as a complete collection, and
they’ll still be accessible to all of our
patrons. We think this is the best possible
outcome for our colleges and libraries.
This is one of those examples of a
partnership working the way it’s meant to,
with denominational friends helping one
another. For all of our patrons, maintaining access to this collection is vital; for
Emmanuel & St Chad, the gift of this space
is a godsend. We’re all very grateful.
Questions, comments, just want to tell
us your favourite ice cream? Please give us
a shout! Our number is (306) 966-8983.
Email: standrews.libary@usask.ca.
Or
stop by.
Focus on Rural Ministry
CiRCLe-M (the Centre for Rural
Community Leadership and Ministry) is
an interdenominational organization
and program based out of theological
colleges at the University of
Saskatchewan. “With the Lord’s help
and guidance, we are working to equip
clergy and lay leaders in rural and
remote places to help their churches be
catalysts for the development of
healthy Canadian communities.”
14
Recent programs include the
“First-Nations – Rural Neighbours
Friendship Initiative” (Hobema /
Wetaskawin and Shell Lake, Ab. and
Laird, Sask.), a “Community Crisis
Intervention Webinar”, programs that
lead to degrees is Rural Ministry, and
peer mentoring for rural clergy. Look
also at the large resource library that is
available to interested persons.
CiRCLe-M has worked in partner-
ship with Rural Albert’s Development
Fund (RADF) for three years (until the
summer of 2013), but is now looking
for other sources that will help keep
this excellent program sustainable.
For further information see
www.circle-m.ca and
www.canadianruralchurch.net .
Joyce Sasse (403-627-5659)
www.canadianruralchurch.net
www.standrews.ca
St.Andrew’s College
From a Faculty Book Shelf:
One Baptism: Towards Mutual Recognition – A Study Text
(World Council of Churches, 2011)
By Sandra Beardsall
In September 1975 five Christian
church denominations in Canada
penned an historic agreement: any one
church would recognize the validity of
baptisms conferred according to the
established norms of the other churches. Called the “PLURA Agreement”
(using the clever acronym of the signatory churches: Presbyterian, Lutheran,
United, Roman Catholic and Anglican)
the accord declared that baptisms “conferred with flowing water accompanied
by the Trinitarian formula” would be
accepted as valid.
It is tempting to imagine that, having sorted out that large ecumenical
concern, the question of baptismal
acceptance no longer needs to be
addressed in Canadian church life.
However, most of us can point to other,
deeply pastoral, realities. United
Church members report having the
validity of their baptisms questioned in
other denominations, for everything
from baptising with too little water (a
cleric once phoned to ask me if United
Church baptisms were performed with
merely a “damp hand”) to failure to use
the “classic” Trinitarian formula. In
Western Canada, our church neighbours are often those of non-signatory
traditions – Mennonites, Pentecostals,
Alliance, Baptist and others – who
practice only “believers’ baptism” or
otherwise question the legitimacy of
United Church baptism. Even among
our Protestant kin, mutual recognition
of baptism has not always led to the
deeper sharing originally envisioned.
www.standrews.ca
The hope for a common certificate of
baptism among the PLURA churches,
for example, never came to fruition.
The Faith and Order Commission
of the World Council of Churches is
onto us! Aware that “mutual recognition” has stalled in many churches
worldwide, the Commission has created a study document in the hope that
“fresh perspectives” will help the
churches to clarify both what they
share and what prevents them from
sharing more – in baptism and in wider
Christian life. It is only 21 pages long,
formatted in the bound version much
like Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry,
and intended to build upon that convergence text. In understandable prose,
it invites readers into a conversation.
First, the text considers the meaning of
“mutual recognition.” “Recognition,” it
says, acknowledges a quality, identity or
status which it has already discerned in
the other. In other words, it is one
church saying to another: In meeting
you and your faith tradition, we believe
we have encountered the church of
Jesus Christ. The document then goes
on to explore the meaning of baptism
from various facets: the symbolic,
church membership, and the life of
faith.
Particularly helpful is the final section of the document: “Further Steps
for the Journey … Questions for the
Churches.” It asks the churches to
address head-on the divisive issues that
lead to painful relationships and sometimes re-baptism. It asks: “How can
churches discern and respect the
authentic Christian witness of those
who follow alternate baptismal practices?” And: “How far are some churches prepared to modify their practice for
the sake of the unity of the church?”
Just reading this little study can
reinvigorate our awe and wonder at the
depth and gift at work in the sacrament
of baptism. But its real life lies in sharing it with others. It would be an excellent Lenten group study text. Invite
your ecumenical neighbours! It would
also be a fine resource for a local
Ministerial gathering, as it begins from
a stance of encouragement, not
polemic. This text is available as a
bound paperback through on-line sellers, or as an electronic document from
the World Council of Churches:
http://www.oikoumene.org/en/resourc
es/documents/wcc-commissions/faithand-order-commission/ii-worshipand-baptism/one-baptism-towardsmutual-recognition.html.
“The person who asks for baptism
asks to walk with the church on a lifelong journey, trusting Christ in all
things,” the authors of One Baptism
remind us. What an honour to recognize and accompany one another along
that road!
15
Mark Your Calendars!
Winter Refresher
Contact
This publication is free of charge.
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name to the mailing list, please contact us.
February 11th to 13th, 2013
Do We Still Need the Social Gospel?
EDITORIAL BOARD
Lynn Caldwell
Lorne Calvert
Melanie Schwanbeck
ST. ANDREW’S COLLEGE
1121 College Drive
Saskatoon SK S7N 0W3
Telephone:
1-877-644-8970 or
306-966-8970
Fax 306-966-8981
email:
standrews.college@usask.ca
Web Site:
www.standrews.ca
Facebook:
Facebook.com/StAndrewsCollegeSask
atoon
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skatoon
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Return undeliverable Canadian
addresses to:
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1121 College Drive
Saskatoon, SK S7N 0W3
Theme Speaker:
Christopher H. Evans
Professor of History of Christianity and Methodist Studies
Boston University School of Theology
Saskatoon Theological Union
Convocation 2013
Friday, May 10th, 7:00 p.m.
Zion Lutheran Church, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
St. Andrew’s College Convocation will take place next spring as part of a
larger event of the Saskatoon Theological Union, as we join with our partners
the College of Emmanuel and St. Chad (Anglican) and the Lutheran
Theological Seminary in the twelfth joint Convocation.
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INTERESTED IN OUR COLLEGE. THANK YOU!
Did you know that this
issue of Contact is available to
read on our website www.standrews.ca
If you would like to receive Contact by e-mail
instead of paper copy please e-mail
melanie.schwanbeck@usask.ca