A SECTION OF THE ANGLICAN JOURNAL

w w w . k o o t e n a y . a n g l i c a n . c a

MARCH 2010 SERVING THE DIOCESE OF KOOTENAY

“Built on a rock...”

FOUNDATION OF A NEW HOME — The Rev. Simon Shenstone’s new home begins to rise from the forest floor shel-tered by the mountainside near Grand Forks.

t has been about a year since, inthe last days of February 2009,our house burnt to the ground.Over the last year many people

have asked how we were doing and howthe new house was getting along. So, Ithought I would take the opportunity tolet those who may be interested know:We are living in a house my son occu-pied on the same property as our house.My son has been in California installingsolar panels and so the house was empty,and after a little fixing up we were ableto move in and are quite comfortableand doing fine.

Last spring we cleaned up theremains of the old house and preparedthe ground for a new structure. Duringthe summer, with some help, we laid 70feet of rock wall about 30 inches wideand 3-1/2 feet high, which is the begin-ning of the back wall of the new house.

I

summer.Since mortar does not set in cold

temperatures, I had to stop work onthe wall in the fall, but will begin againin late spring. At the moment I have alot of logs to debark for the floor joists,roof beams and central supports for theroof.

We would like to thank everyonein the diocese for their incredible gen-erosity and backing. We have not been

photo simon shenstone

The house will be a circle of rock wall40 feet in diameter, set back into theside of the mountain where we live.The rear of the house will be in themountainside with only the front halfappearing out of the ground with bigwindows and a gothic-arched door.The roof will be part of the mountain-side, a continuation of the forest floorover the top of the house. It should bewarm in the winter and cool in the

A letter to the diocese and congregations of Kootenay from Simon & Juno Shenstone

LIVING IN THE WILD WOOD — Juno andSimon Shenstone.

able to thank everyone individual-ly, or all the congregations thatdonated towards our rebuildingand support. Thank you all fromthe bottom of our hearts.

The Rev. Simon and Juno Shenstone—Boundary Parish.

P 4. Burns night in Fruitvale P 5. Preaching worshop in Kaslo

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tionship covenant is for 5years. Since 2000, parishesthroughout our diocese haveprayed for the people and cler-gy of the Diocese of NorthernMexico. When our compan-ionship first began, delega-tions from both diocese visitedeach other. Bishop Martinez’ssuccessor, Bishop MarcelinoRivera Delgado attended myconsecration as bishop in2005 and at the LambethConference in 2008 we metagain and discussed the futureof our companion relation-ship. Bishop Marcelino wasvery emphatic that althoughwe have not had an opportu-nity in recent years for exten-sive exchanges or sharing ofresources, the relationship wasvery important and heexpressed his desire to renewour covenant. Part of my visitto Northern Mexico will be toexplore the past history of ourdiocesan friendship and to see

MARCH 2010PAGE 2 THE HIGHWAY

The HighWay is published under the authority of the Bishop of Kootenay and the Synod of theDiocese of Kootenay. Opinions expressed in The HighWay are not necessarily those of the Editor orthe Publisher.

THE

HIGHWAY

EDITOR

Jonn LavinnderSt. Saviour’s Pro-Cathedral723 Ward Street,Nelson, B.C.V1L 1T3Phone: (250) 352-5711thehighway@shaw.ca

Submissions & Deadlines: All articles, advertising and correspondence submitted to The HighWayis subject to editing for length, clarity, timeliness, appropriateness and style in accordance with theCanadian Press. Letters should be limited to 250 words, columns and articles no more than 600words. Please include with all submissions your name, e-mail address and parish, as well as the nameof the photographer, if applicable. Deadline for submissions is the ffiirrsstt ooff tthhee mmoonntthh pprriioorr ttoo ppuubblliiccaa-ttiioonn unless otherwise indicated.

Advertising Policy: The acceptance of advertisement does not imply endorsement by the diocese orany of its principals. Advertisers and advertising agencies assume liability for all content, including text, representations and illustrations, and also assume responsibility for any claims and costs arisingthere from. Display advertising for commercial parties is available in accordance with our ethics and advertising policy.

Advertising material and inquiries should be addressed to the Editor. Payment is to be made inadvance to the Diocese of Kootenay.

Advertising is to be pre-paid to:The Diocese of Kootenay1876 Richter StreetKelowna, B.C.V1Y 2M9Phone: (250) 762-3306Fax: (250) 762-4150

Printed and mailed by printed & mailed by Bowes Publishing, London ON.A section of the Anglican Journal.

Editorial AssistantMicahel Lavinnder

Dear Friends,y the time you readthis letter, I will havejust returned from avisit to our compan-

ion diocese of NorthernMexico for the consecration ofthe newly elected Bishop, theRt. Rev. Francisco Moreno.Bishop Moreno will have beenconsecrated in the Catedral dela Sagrada Family (HolyFamily Cathedral) inMonterrey and I count it a joyand a blessing to have beeninvited to participate in thatservice.

Our relationship with theDiocese of Northern Mexicogoes back to the year 2000when Archbishop DavidCrawley and Bishop GemianMartinez signed a covenant,which began a companion

B

ARCHBISHOP’S PAGE & EDITORIAL

encouraging all dioceses todevelop companion relation-ships across provincial bound-aries, as part of the process ofdeveloping the cross-culturalnature of the Communion.The bishops resolved that bythe next Lambeth Conferenceevery diocese should havemade ‘a serious effort to iden-tify one or more dioceses as acompanion, in formal andinformal ways.’”

In our covenant withNorthern Mexico we affirmthat our purpose for the com-panion relationship is that wemay strengthen each other forthe work to which God is call-ing us and some of the goalsinclude: to pray for one anoth-er, to communicate informa-tion and resources, to encour-age visits between clergy andlaity, to develop and sharecommon programs of learn-ing, ministry and mission.Normally a companion rela-

Website: www.anglicanhighway.com

BY ARCHBISHOP JOHN E. PRIVETT

relationship between our dio-cese and the Diocese ofNorthern Mexico. Accordingto the website of the AnglicanCommunion the purpose ofthe companion diocese rela-tionship has been “to strength-en relationships in theAnglican Communionbetween churches, culturesand traditions as they join inequal partnership in mission.As companion relationshipshave developed, dioceses haveexperienced an interdepend-ence of giving and receivingwithin the worldwide church.These relationships have alsostimulated and encouragedmission and prayer and haveresulted in a new understand-ing and appreciation of the‘Rainbow People of God’ inour world today.” The sitecontinues, “the LambethConference declared in 1998that ‘the time has come forsignificant new initiatives in

In My View

Companeros en Cristo

Privacy Protection: Photographs and articles submitted to The HighWay for publication requiresthat authors and photographers have received permission from parents or guardians of all minors(under 18) that have their names or whereabouts published in The HighWay.

if there might be an opportu-nity to renew this companion-ship between us.

In my view, companionrelationships with another partof the church throughout theworld help strengthen thebonds of affection within thecommunion, deepen ourunderstanding of the wayother parts of the churchengage in mission in theircontext, and offer us anotherviewpoint to reflect with usabout our faith and how it isexpressed in our time andplace. They challenge us togrow in our understanding ofthe breadth of the church andto reach out our hands asCompaneros en Cristo (com-panions in Christ).

Faithfully,+John

hen I first start-ed to assemblethis month’s edi-tion of The

HighWay, it looked like mostarticles were coming from WestKootenay. As this is my homeregion, I worried that thismight appear biased on mypart. But then I received solacefrom the fact that the majorityof our columnists are from theOkanagan. The problemstemmed from a shortage ofarticles, and my attempt at bal-ancing the different region’sinput led me to consider whereI might obtain another story.The new Dean at theCathedral seemed a likely can-didate, and in my subsequentresearch learned that she was awriter and studied journalism.It struck me that our clergy areprobably all writers becausethey are, in effect, all commu-

nicators—they write sermonsevery week. The gospel is, afterall, the Good News.

Last month, the editor ofthe Anglican Journal, KristinJenkins, wrote a pithy article oninviting friends to church. Shepointed out surveys that indi-cated most people were open togoing to church if invited by afriend. Stats Canada showed30% of the BC populationwere Protestant. LapsedAnglicans need to know we arestill here. It is vital to commu-nicate church events to yourcommunity through the localmedia.

This message is directed tochurches in the Diocese ofKootenay who rarely submitarticles to The HighWay —GET TYPING! Appoint acommunications officer andsend out press releases whenev-er your church does something

in the community. Notice thatPWRDF and Kairos are quickto support just causes. You cando the same.

Actually, of all the church-es in Canada, denominationaland otherwise, the AnglicanChurch received most presscoverage last year.Unfortunately, it was not theGood News variety. We havehad a lot of bad press and thismay account, to some degree,to our dwindling numbers.However, it is time to turn thisaround. A small start in theright direction might beaccomplished through submit-ting articles to newspapers,even if it only appears in thechurch page. Then send a copyto The HighWay.

Editorial

WBY JONN LAVINNDER

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MARCH 2010 THE HIGHWAY PAGE 3COLUMNS

ater this month theCouncil of GeneralSynod will meet forthe last time before

General Synod. Significant res-olutions will be drafted todevelop the main agenda, andimportant issues are forthcom-ing. Recently the purportedlyfinal edition of the proposedAnglican CommunionCovenant has been released,and perhaps will come toGeneral Synod for debate andpossible decision. I say per-haps, because significant con-cerns remain about this docu-ment despite direct Canadianinput to the Covenant DesignGroup. I have read theCovenant carefully, and as anAnglican I need to be con-vinced about both its purposesand its merits.

The seven year evolutionof a covenant has resultedfrom the 2004 Windsor

Report, the final report of aLambeth CommunionCommission. ThisCommission was initiated in2003 by the Instruments ofCommunion, including partic-ular support by theArchbishop of Canterbury,because of the growing discordand threats of schism arisingfrom the blessing of same sexunions by the Diocese of NewWestminster, and the ordina-tion of an openly gay part-nered bishop in the EpiscopalChurch. Despite huge divi-sions over other issues; theplace of women in the priest-hood and episcopacy, divorceand remarriage, and alternativeservices to the Book ofCommon Prayer, almost per-versely worldwide Anglicanshave accepted that human sex-uality should be the singleissue that places us into a cru-cible of disunity.

The Preamble, andSections One through Threeof the Covenant are well writ-ten, and for the most partuncontroversial descriptions ofthe nature of the Anglican

BY RANDALL FAIREY

CoGS wheelsRANDALL FAIREY IS A

DIOCESAN DELEGATE, COUNCIL OF GENERAL SYNOD

Communion. Section Four,Our Covenanted LifeTogether, has undergone themost revisions. In the firstdraft, it was hostile and puni-tive in tone and indirectlyaimed at the Anglican Churchof Canada and The EpiscopalChurch. After four iterationsit seems to have reached afinal form that still articulatesdiscipline, and dispute resolu-tion. For me the languageremains overly juridical, andnow so nuanced, as to bereadily misinterpreted.

Like the Rev. Dr. GilesFraser, Canon Chancellor ofSt. Paul’s Cathedral London, Iam sadly resigned to the factthat adoption of thisCovenant has enoughmomentum that it will likelyhappen. However, I believethe premises for its origin arewrong, and worse, is not whatJesus intends; and runs count-er to our calling for “oneLord, one faith, one baptism.”(Eph 4:5) I have enormousrespect for the pastoral wis-dom of the Archbishop ofCanterbury, but he is facing

the terrible prospect of beingthe Archbishop who potential-ly could oversee a breakup ofthe Anglican Communion.Consequently he is underenormous, and I suspect irre-sistible pressure to assert bymeans of this Covenant anincreased centralized authorityvia the Instruments ofCommunion. Running evenmore counter to traditionalAnglicanism, is that the futuremaintenance of the Covenantand its dispute resolutionpowers are specifically vestedin a select StandingCommittee of the AnglicanCommunion. This Committeemeets in closed sessions and isresponsible only to theInstruments of Communion.And I have to agree withCanon Fraser when he says“no amount of LambethPalace spin is going to per-suade me that like a pre-nup-tial agreement, this Covenantisn’t a way of arranging, inadvance, the terms of a futuredivorce.”

The word “Church” isused throughout the Covenant

document. It is of courseassumed that refers to aProvince of the AnglicanCommunion with member-ship on the AnglicanConsultative Council.“Church,” however, is alreadybeing held open to broadinterpretation; for some itcould include a covenantingdiocese, and for others, even aparish. And we already see thezealots in disaffected break-away parishes of the AnglicanChurch of Canada, and theEpiscopal Church anxious tosign the Covenant believing itto be a vehicle for recognition,and thereby vicariouslyacquire legitimacy in theAnglican Communion. Overfour hundred years of historyhas not required a Covenant.For the sake of the Gospel andthe future of Anglicanism Ibelieve we should drop thewhole idea. If it is somehowinevitable, then at leastremove Section Four. I believeCanada should not sign thisfinal draft.

ne of my life’s pas-sions is musical the-atre, and I have thegood fortune of

working as a set painter, propsmaker, costume designer, and per-former at the Kelowna ActorsStudio dinner theatre. What doesthis have to church music, youmay ask? Not much really, exceptthat when I got to thinking aboutchildren and church I couldn’thelp thinking about a beautifulsong from one of my favouritemusicals, “Into the Woods,” byStephen Sondheim. The song iscalled “Children Will Listen,” andit says...

When our family moved tothe Okanagan in 2001, our kidsdid not want to get involved inchurch at all, especially since theyhad the label of PKs (priest’skids) and were not keen on thisfish bowl life we lead. Ourdaughter did sing in the chil-dren’s choir a few years and theboys had been servers in our pre-vious church, but in all circum-stances they would probably saythat they did these things underduress or through bribery. At thevery least, they were expected toattend church until they reachedadulthood, when the decisionabout church attendance wouldbe up to them. The boys are now19 and 21, so we only see themat Christmas, Easter, and for spe-

cial occasions. Our daughter(nearly 17) still has a little over ayear until her sentence is up, soshe continues to carry on the tra-dition, started by her brothers, ofsitting at the very back of thechurch trying to be invisible.

Over the years we have hadto listen to our children’s protes-tations about how boring andpointless church is, especiallywhen they had to leave a sleep-over party early in the morningto go to church. However, occa-sionally it has been let slip thatmaybe they did get somethingout of it. The first indicatoroccurred within a year of ourmove when our middle childpointed out that the servers haddone something wrong at thealtar; another time he pointedout that the same reading hadbeen read two weeks in a row;and then, the one which reallywarmed the cockles of his moth-er’s heart, was when he walkedinto the kitchen absentmindedlysinging a refrain from a hymn.When he realized what he wasdoing he repeatedly hit his headsaying, “Why I am singing that?

Why am I singing that?” I do notremember any circumstances likethis with the other two, but wehave often had interesting discus-sions with them after churchabout what was said in a sermon.Let’s just say that our kids havedefinite preferences when itcomes to which preachers theyare prepared to listen to.

The point of my telling youthese anecdotes is to demonstratethat even though they mayprotest, children do listen ... andwatch! That is why, from a musi-cal standpoint, it is crucial thatwe think of music as educatingour children in their faith. Toquote John Bell (one of myheroes), “Children’s hymnsshould never be seen as a form ofentertainment to keep the kidshappy. These songs, in the future,will be evocative of God.” Heasks us to consider a child bornin the 1970s, finding himselfcoming towards the end of hislife in a geriatric ward in the2060s, and as he prepares tomake peace with God summonsup such deeply spiritual ditty as,“If I were a fuzzy, wuzzy bear, I’d

Othank you Lord, for my fuzzy,wuzzy hair.” Something to thinkabout!

We need to remember thepower of words, music, and ouractions in church. Children arecapable of relating to music thathas more substance. They alsoneed to be included in the wholeworshipping body by allowingthem to sing the same hymnsthat “grown ups” do. However,choosing music that works forthe whole community is onlypart of how we engage childrenin worship. The other part has todo with setting an example.Week after week, many of uscome to church without joiningin the singing. I’ve noticed thatthis seems to be particularly trueof men, and causes me to won-der, “Would more boys sing ifthey saw their fathers, uncles, orgrandfathers singing?”

Next time you go to churchI hope that you will think thewords of Stephen Sondheimbecause, although it may not beimmediately apparent, childrenare listening.

BY NORENE MORROW

Children will listenMusic

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Commentary

L

Careful the things you say,Children will listen.

Careful the things you do,Children will see and learn.

Children may not obey, but children will listen.Children will look to you for which way to turn to learn what to be.

Careful before you say, “Listen to me.”Children will listen.

MARCH 2010PAGE 4 THE HIGHWAYCHURCH LIFE

n Sunday January24, 2010, at St.John the EvangelistChurch Hall in

Fruitvale we held our secondannual Robbie Burns Night. Inlight of the tragedy in Haiti itwas decided that all the profitsfrom the evening would bedonated to the Primate’s WorldRelief and Development Fund— Haiti. The evening was ahuge success, so we are veryproud to say that $1,185.00 isbeing donated to the HaitiRelief Fund.

The evening was wellattended and the traditionalBurns Night menu was wellreceived and consisted of ScotchBroth followed by Haggis, SteakPie, mashed tatties (potatoes),mashed neeps (turnips), mixedvegetables and gravy. This tastyfair was washed down withwine and a wee dram of scotch

Fruitvale/Salmo Second Annual Burns Night raises funds for Haiti Relief

for the toasts. All of this wasfollowed with sherry triflemade by the ladies of Salmoand of course, home madeshortbread.

During the evening wewere entertained by some

Burns Night raises funds for Haiti

BY JOYCE DODDS

TAKING THE HIGH ROAD — The Rev. Douglas Lewis takes Burns Night seriously, while the pipers pipe & the dancers fling.

beautiful bagpipe music,songs, toasts and of courseBurns poetry. An impromptutraditional Highland Fling wasperformed for us and theevening ended with someScottish country dancing

valiantly led by Julia Robertsand her assistant Puleng Pratt.There were a few left feet dur-ing the Gay Gordons, but noone minded, as there wasmore laughing than dancing.A good time was had by one

and all and many commentedhow they were already lookingforward to the third annualnext year.

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photos joyce dodds

Martha & her family are doing fineReport on Kaslo’s refugee family supported by congregations in the Diocese of Kootenay

he local refugeesteering committeemet in January, andbegan the meeting

with sharing moments of joywe have experienced withMartha and her children. Itwas a good thing to do.Martha is taking advantage ofadult education opportunitiesthree mornings a weekthrough Selkirk College herein Kaslo. Volunteers have beenproviding childcare forValentina to make this possi-ble. Soon there may be collegefunds to provide for paidchildcare. Natalia has made atleast one friend in her kinder-garten class (mornings fivedays a week) and a generousyoungish man has made hock-ey possible for David, whoseems to have considerableathletic skills. We welcome thefamily each Sunday morningat St. Mark’s for worship.They seem to have found aplace in this community offaith that is comfortable andsupportive. Karen and I (withour visiting adult daughter)welcomed the family for

Christmas Day dinner andenjoyed several hours withthem, opening gifts, workingon puzzles, and enjoying a fes-tive feast.

On Dec. 31 a grand birth-day party was held for David(12 years now) with some 25friends present...mostly adultfriends of the family. His greathope was to receive a skate-board, which he did, and canhardly wait to try it out atKaslo’s fabulous skateboardpark on the beach. Soon it willbe Natalia’s birthday (Jan. 26)and planning has begun tomake this a special occasion.The children’s teeth have beenlooked after and we continueto wait for word from a federalinsurance program to see ifthere will be help for Martha’sconsiderable dental needs. Thehardest part of this effort isdealing with government agen-cies! The family experiencedsadness in learning thatMartha’s grandfather died inColombia. His death wasexpected, but still painfulnews. This same aged mancared for David for a number

of years...so there have beenmany tears.

We see a need to providemore language support forMartha so two of our mem-bers, one a trained ESLteacher, will begin this effortthis week. We continue to

receive financial donations forwhich we are grateful. Ourfederal government requiresrefugees to repay travelexpenses from their country oforigin to their new home inCanada. Martha has receivedthis bill. She has 5 years to

repay. Though not required,we hope to be able to assisther with this huge and unde-served burden (over $5,000).

TBY DIRK PIDCOCK

MARTHA & FAMILY — Natalia (left), Martha, Valentina and David on Christmas Day 2009

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O

ments and the needs of thesesmaller congregations, andthose who keep them going.Their stories deserve telling,for they have much to teachus about faithful discipleship— and their voices shouldperhaps be heard more fre-quently in the councils of thewider church.

n January 9th I wasprivileged to facili-tate a preachingworkshop for mem-

bers of the West Kootenaymutual ministry teams. While Iprepared a couple of presenta-tions, most of the work wasdone by the participants, whoengaged in an exercise of “lectiodivina” (solitary reading aloudone of the prescribed readingsover and over until it was inter-nalized, before proclaiming it tothe whole group), and thensharing a ten-minute homily onthe Sunday readings. Theseexercises revealed the rich diver-sity of the participants, andunderlined the debt we all oweto these locally discerned minis-ters of word and sacrament,without whom many of thecongregations in our diocesewould no longer exist.

There is, of course, biblicalprecedent for such ministries.Paul often boasted of his “tent-making ministry,” which

financed his apostolic calling tothe churches he established.The leaders of the early churchwere for the most part unpaid.In the smaller communities ofthe Kootenay region of ourdiocese, this is also the case -and at least one of the sched-uled participants was unable toparticipate because of a work-place staff shortage. At a timewhen many professional clergytalk of ministry burnout, weoften take for granted the vol-unteer ministries of peoplewho hold down full-time jobs,care for their families, exerciseliturgical and preaching min-istries, and undertake the pas-toral care of their communities.

On the Sunday followingthe workshop (and havingenjoyed the wonderful hospi-tality of Dirk and KarenPidcock) I was privileged to bethe guest preacher at St.Mark’s, Kaslo. Mark Mealingpresided beautifully at theEucharist, while Karen Pidcock

provided a standard of musicbetter than that found in manylarger churches. Members ofthe congregation provided thereaders and led the Prayers ofthe People. Also present werethe refugee family fromColombia, brought to Canadaby the efforts of this smallcommunity, aided by a fewothers in the diocese. At the

coffee hour after the service thecommunity warmly welcomeda visitor for whom the churchseemed to meet a genuineneed. I was impressed!

At the same time, I wasaware how the larger institu-tional church tends to befocused on professional clergyand bigger numbers, and oftenglosses over both the achieve-

Our debt to Mutual Ministry

OBY PETER DAVISON

MARCH 2010 PAGE 5 THE HIGHWAY

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CHURCH LIFE

t. Saviour’s AnglicanPro-Cathedral inNelson received amuch needed donation

of $840 toward renovating itsfood cupboard. This was madepossible through HYDRECS.

HYDRECS is made up ofemployees and retirees of BCHydro who are committed to

their communities and thepeople in them by making adifference in the lives of oth-ers.

Nora Nitz who has beenmanaging the Food Cupboard

St. Saviour's Food Cupboardreceives HYDRECS donation

BY JONN LAVINNDER

Preaching workshop conducted by Peter Davison in Kaslo

PREACHERS — The Rev. Canon Peter Davison (left), Vega Johnson, the Rev. Dr. Mark Mealing,Karen Pidcock, Marilyn Steacy, Annette Embery, the Rev. Ann Wood, Micahel Lavinnder, WendyLacroix, Sharon Speirs, Tricia Purdy (absent)

since 2000, said they will beinstalling shelves and fixingthe stairs, but still need fundsto repair the floor.

The Food Cupboard isopen Fridays from 9 AM to 11AM, and provides food to atleast 100 people each month.

“We try to give a little bitmore when kids are involved.Our clients help themselvesand we go by the honour sys-tem: 1 bag for bread and 1 bagof non-perishables. The foodgenerally requires preparation,and so most recipients are localfamilies and not transients.However, we don’t refuse any-one,” said Joan Corner whoalso helps out on a rotationalbasis with her partner Ian.

S

GIVING & RECEIVING — St. Saviour’s Food Cupboard volunteers receive grant from HYDRECS: Nora Nitz (left), Joan and Ian Corner,Kitty Wright (Warden), and Sharon Speirs. ❑

photo beth woodbridge

COLUMNS MARCH 2010PAGE 6 THE HIGHWAY

You wanted to know

BY PETER DAVISON

Why do wecall the weekbefore Easter“Holy Week”?

Let me beginwith a com-ment onsacred time

and sacred space. These aredesignated, not to deny thesacredness of all creation, or tocreate a dichotomy betweensacred and secular, but quitethe opposite. Holy times andplaces are meant to remind usthat all life is sacred. Our cul-ture has, of course, becomeincreasingly secular, and tendsto limit religion to the person-al, by which is really meant“private.” A good example hasbeen the federal government’s

Q:

BY DOUG HODGKINSON

Movie review

One Week

A:

In the literature on pil-grimage it is suggested thatthere are four parts in the pil-grimage process. There is firsta call (a longing, an intuition,a restlessness) and we ventureout in response; a spiritualawakening occurs.

We set out but some crisisor disorientation occurs andoften leads to spiritual chaos.“Can God be trusted? Will Ibe faithful? Can I even trustthe journey?”

At some point we discovera boon, a treasure in a field, apearl of great price that bringstransformation. Finally, wearrive home again with areorientation. We understandlife from a slightly differentangle.

For Ben, the boon arrivesin the form of a whalebreached off the coast ofTofino, which he takes to bean indisputable sighting of aGrump and a sign to returnhome. He had long believed,after the rejection of his firstpublishing attempt, that all

ne Week is a“Canadian RoadMovie,” which atthe level of trave-

logue will bring waves of nos-talgia for anyone who has trav-elled the Trans-Canada westfrom Toronto to the WestCoast. However, since “RoadMovies” are essentially roman-tic tales and stories of spiritualpilgrimage, the movie serves adeeper purpose than simply anostalgic travelogue.

The movie opens with thenarrator posing the questionfor viewers, “What would youdo if you found out you hadonly one day …or one weekor…. one month to live?”

Ben is in his physician’soffice receiving the news thathe has an aggressive stage 4-cancer that needs aggressivetreatment. He also has papers

of sly, self-mocking winks. Achildhood story of searchingfor “Grumps” is the metaphorfor the elusiveness of his life’squest. You are supposed to beable to recognize “Grumps”when you see them butbecause you sort of doubt thatsuch mythical figures are actu-ally there you don’t expect tofind them. It turns out this isthe mythos of his search forlove in the relationship withSamantha. “How do youknow if it’s love?” he asks astranger along the way. “If youhave to ask, it isn’t,” comes themystical response. And itturns out that it isn’t.

At one point in theirpreparation for marriage theyare asked by a clergyman,“What are your beliefs?” Benis stuck and appears to havenone. He tries hard to lookaround a find some but theydon’t seem to stick, in muchthe same way his search forthe answer to the question,“How do you know if it’slove?” doesn’t turn up ananswer.

to mark for his high schoolstudents and a wedding toplan with his fiancée,Samantha, who is an actuary.Everyone around him is prettyanxious about the news andwants him to get into treat-ment RIGHT AWAY! He doeswhat any self absorbed personwould do; bargains for a cou-ple of days away to sort thingsout, buys an old Nortonmotorcycle and sets off on atrip across Canada in search ofan adventure (because his lifeto that point had been soplanned, unspontaneous,rational and uncreative).

It is a universal story witha Canadian twist. There’s thesights: the Big Nickel, theWawa Goose, the world’slargest tepee, Terry Fox monu-ment, wheat fields, and theStanley Cup in a desertedhockey rink in Arbourg,Manitoba. Tim Horton’s func-tions as a series of shrines onthe pilgrimage, where eachrolled up rim provides newsigns and directions on thejourney. We are given a series

creativity was crushed out ofhim. Now, he writes the bookthat becomes this story: atranscendent experience forone who was presumed tohave no beliefs.

Mercifully we are savedfrom the tempting sentimen-tality of a “triumph of thehuman will” story. Instead thisis a very touching but ironic-comic story in which we areinvited, without emotionalpressure or exhortation, tofind our own level of responseto the question, “What wouldyou do if you found you hadonly…”

Jerusalem, through the LastSupper and Jesus’ agony inGethsemane, to his crueldeath and burial, and to histransformed appearance to hisdisciples which inspires themto come out of hiding andlaunch a totally new move-ment. It is the week whichenables us to face our owngreatest fears and pains, and totranscend our own egos tofind “the Self-beyond-self,”and the fullness of life whichis God’s wish for allhumankind. For the earlychurch, Lent was originallythis intense focus on dyingand rising with Christ, leadingto baptism at the Easter Vigiland communion in theEucharist at the dawn ofEaster Day. If you can, try to

people, which is another wayof saying that the heart ofChristian faith is expressed inthe crucifixion and resurrec-tion of Jesus. With the secular-ization of Christmas, and soci-ety’s attempt to portray it asthe most important Christianobservance, we often forgetthat the Incarnation (in whichthe humility of God is dra-matically portrayed) is really aforeshadowing of God’sacceptance of the humiliationof the cross, and the divinerefusal to allow death (with allits attendant fears) rule ourlives.

This is why the week fromPalm Sunday to Easter is forus the holiest time of the year.It is the week that takes usfrom the triumphal entry into

withdrawal of funding toKairos (the Canadian ecu-menical aid and developmentcoalition) for voicing criticismabout the oil sands impact onthe environment, whileRevenue Canada periodicallythreatens churches with can-cellation of their charitablestatus if they speak out onmatters of public policy.Governments of all stripesseem increasingly anxious tostifle all their critics. Thisdoesn’t mean we should beadvocating a theocratic state,but that churches and otherinstitutions should not bepunished for “speaking truthto power.”

Now to answer your ques-tion more directly, it has oftenbeen said that we are an Easter

participate in all the HolyWeek services — especiallyPalm Sunday, MaundyThursday, Good Friday, theEaster Vigil and Easter Day.This central drama of ourfaith can, if we let it, be trans-formative. May it be so foryou, and for all of us, whoneed to confront the powersthat threaten our hard-won freedoms.

Writer/ Director: Michael McGowan, Starring: Joshua Jackson (BenTyler), Liane Balaban (Samantha Pierce), Narrator: Campbell Scott,94 minutes, 2008

O

Why do we call the week before Easter “Holy Week”?

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MARCH 2010 THE HIGHWAY PAGE 7COLUMNS & CLASSIFIED

o how did we do? Didwe get to “Own thepodium”? As I writethis in early February,

the hype for the 2010Vancouver Olympics is in fullgear, the torch relay has justpassed through our area, andevery other item on the TVand radio is concerned withthe Olympics. How did weget to such an obsession withsliding on snow (and ice)?How did the winter Olympicsturn into such a circus? Wehave a particular reason forneeding to know. Our area isa Mecca for skiers. The storyof skiing is our story, our pastand our future.

In this well researchedbook, Fry tells us much aboutskiing’s development from asport for the few to a signifi-cant industry. If you don’tknow this history then maybe

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you should, given the largecontribution it makes to oureconomy, particularly that ofthe Kootenays. Fry’s history isparticularly a North Americanhistory of skiing, with littledetail about, for example, theBritish development of“Downhill only” skiing. Itdoes highlight the significanceof the post World War IIperiod, when the returningtroops with alpine trainingopened the mountains. Thisis reflected in the history ofmy local resort, RedMountain, which opened thefirst chair lift in WesternCanada in December 1947.Fry also addresses the chang-ing nature of the ski resort,from an activity-based incometo real estate based income.

It is not just the changingeconomic nature of skiing

The Vicar of Kokanee remembers

t was the tenth of May1962. The five Hearneshad crossed the borderand streamed down into

Trail looking for St. Andrew’sChurch in their 1950 Chevystation wagon with a canoe ontop. They stopped at twoother churches before theyreached their destination.These were St. Anthony’sChurch in “the Gulch” andKnox United just across thestreet from St. Andrews.

The staff of St. Andrew’swere there to greet us. Theywere Elwood — “FatherPat”— Patterson, PeterO’Flynn, Betty Picton, theparish worker, MargArmstrong, the secretary, andsome members of the vestry.

Within ten days I wasmade a deacon in theAnglican Church of Canada.Soon after that, Father Pat left

to become Dean of Saskatoon,and a short time later Peterleft to return to his nativeGuelph, Ontario. I was a newAnglican and a new Canadianin charge of a parish of severalhundred families. As one ofthe Sunday school banners putit, “a raw deacon thrown inthe deep end.” I was not unfa-miliar to parish work. St.Andrew’s was actually thefourth church I had served.My pastoral experience datedback to June of 1953 while Iwas still in university.

During that first summerin Trail, J. Alan Jackson cameto my aid. He was a tall, foli-cally challenged gentlemanwho bore a remarkable resem-blance to “Mister Clean.” Fora time, when he became pas-tor of St. Saviour’s Pro-Cathedral in Nelson, he suf-fered the epithet of “Dean

Clean.” I shall never forget see-ing him uncoil himself from hisdiminutive vehicle, the NSUPrinz. He was a great communi-cator. He brought with him ashaky legacy from the Oyamachurch for painting the pewsblue.

In due time two otherpriests came to St. Andrew’s.They were Bern Barrett andDon Anderson. Ralph Dean,

bishop of Cariboo, came for amost memorable mission.Later Sister Rosemary Anne,SSJD, came for a similarendeavour.

In the fifteen months wespent in Trail we had four resi-dences. We lived in the rectoryfor a short time and weregiven strict orders not to pickthe fruit tree clean in order toleave some for the Barretts,

who were soon to arrive.Renovations were taking placeand it was one of the work-men who used my EagleScout shirt for a paint rag.

Ten months after ourarrival I was priested on theFeast of the Annunciation in1963. Shortly after that I wasoff to become the Vicar ofKokanee on KootenayLake.

clerics pastBY JIM HEARNE

I

that Fry discusses. The chang-ing techniques and disciplinesof skiing are also highlighted.Anyone who has been on theski slopes over the last fewmonths will have noticed anew style of “rockered” skismaking their way onto thefeet of trendy skiers. It is justthe latest innovation in aseries of innovations as the skiindustry attempts to both sat-isfy and stimulate demand.Think of short skis, long skis,fat skis, twin-tip skis, and avariety of specialist skis. As asnowboarder I feel distinctlydisgruntled by Fry’s attemptto classify snowboarding as a

discipline of skiing, but it isworth noting the connectionbetween the two sports. It isalso worth noting that inno-vations often come when ski-ing is hitting some kind ofslump.

It is always worth learn-ing something of the historyof the events that are goingon around us. As the poetSteve Turner wrote, “Historyrepeats itself. Has to — No-one listens.” Listening andlearning from history gives usthe jump on what may becoming. In a society thatseems to live in the moment,it also helps us to avoid being

caught out by those who playon ignorance of the past.

But the best quality ofthe book is that Fry is clearlypassionate about skiing. Hisaim in the book is to shareboth his knowledge and hispassion for a range of types ofskiing. This is a personalaccount of his experiences ofskiing, but told in a way thatgets the author out of focus.And ultimately Fry doesn’tcare whether we are in the lat-est gear or in gear from 50years ago. He ends by saying.“The joy of sliding on snow isimmune to progress.”

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Kootenay Lake

THE HIGHWAY PAGE 8MARCH 2010DIOCESE & CLERGY

Kootenay ForwardFund

The Kootenay Forward Fundwas established in 1986 toassist any parish having diffi-culty meeting ministryexpenses. Perhaps a congrega-tion is still too small to meetfull clergy cost; or perhaps thecommunity is geographically

isolated and expenses are high; or perhaps a new way ofproviding ministry is being employed. In our diocesan lifetogether there have been many times when a little extrahelp has been needed. Over the last twenty years theKootenay Forward Fund has provided that little extra help.In the last few years over $100,000 has been distributed toa number of recipients. To provide this assistance, theKootenay Forward Fund relies on three sources of income:the Diocesan Family Budget, voluntary donations fromparishes and from individuals who want to support in aspecial and personal way. Please know that the need forassistance is still very real today in some of our parishes.By making a personal donation to the Kootenay ForwardFund, you are saying you care.

NameAddress

I am pleased to be able to donate $______ for the work ofthe Kootenay Forward Fund. Diocese of Kootenay, 876 Richter Street, Kelowna B.C. V1Y 2M9

Tax receipt will be issued.

A special day at St. Savour’s, Penticton

COVENANT IN MINSTRY — People’s Warden Frank Simons signs the Covenantin Ministry while Rev. Mike Stuchbery, Rector’s warden Tom Siddon andArchbishop John Privett look on.

photos helen moore

anuary 31, 2010 was aspecial day at St.Saviour’s Penticton. Ina ceremony in the

church, a Covenant inMinistry was signed by Rev.Mike Stuchbery and Rev.Nico Montalbetti representingthe clergy of St. Saviour’s,wardens Tom Siddon and

Frank Simons representingthe lay members, andArchbishop John Privett rep-resenting the Diocese ofKootenay.

At the Annual GeneralMeeting following the churchservice, the results of a nine-month visioning process weremade known to the congrega-

tion. A Visioning Committeeresearched the recent historyof the parish in order todetermine its strengths andweaknesses. They then used adetailed questionnaire todetermine what the parish-ioners wanted from theirchurch. The results of thesetwo processes formed thebasis for a detailed plan in

four areas; stewardship, com-munications, diversity andfacilities. A timeline, whichincluded short and long-termgoals for the next three years,was developed, with informa-tion on who was to accom-plish each goal.

The process used wasdeveloped by the Diocese of

New Westminster, and wasused successfully by Rev.Stuchbery in his previousparish in Squamish.

This process was enthusi-astically endorsed by a recordnumber of parishionersattending the AGM. There isa feeling of enthusiasm aboutthe future of the parish.

J

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BY FLORENCE BARTON

VISIONING COMMITTEE — Members of the Visioning Committee; LorraineBates, Richard Simpson, Rev. Nico Montalbetti, Tom Santosham, Dr. FlorenceBarton. Missing are Susan Johnston and Barbra Paterson.

More on our new Deanefore becoming theIncumbent and Deanat St. Michael & AllAngels, Cathedral,

Kelowna, the Very ReverendCanon Nissa Basbaum was aparish priest in the diocese ofNiagara. Prior to studying the-ology and being ordained, shegraduated from CarletonUniversity in journalism andbriefly worked as a newspaperreporter in Grand Falls,Newfoundland. It was duringher time in Newfoundlandthat she converted fromJudaism to Christianity.

It has taken 30 years ofbeing Christian and almost 25years of being ordained forNissa to figure out how Jewishshe really is. Much of herjourney from Judaism toChristianity is documented inher book “A Jewish Mother ina House of Holy Fathers: ARecipe for Living,” which isyet to be published. She pur-sues her writing as a regularcontributor to the NiagaraAnglican and more recently,

an occasional writer forSMACA, a progressiveChristian newsletter publishedby St. Matthew-in-the-City,Aukland, New Zealand.

Nissa and her husband,Robin Graves, were co-rectorsof a parish in southernOntario. They have two chil-dren, Ben, 20, and Rebekah,17.

The Reverend Basbaum,having assumed her duties atthe Cathedral on AdventSunday, November 29, 2009,was quick to get involved inthe community. On December17 she was a speaker at TheOkanagan Institue where shejoined writers, readers and sto-rytellers in a stimulating multi-faith celebration of the season.

B

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INTRODUCING — The Very Rev. Canon Nissa Basbaum

BY JONN LAVINNDER