Place of Meeting May 2015
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Transcript of Place of Meeting May 2015
Place of Meeting
A time of resurrection
Toronto United Mennonite Church May 2015
TUMC marked Good Friday and Easter with solemnity and joy, many arising in darkness on
Easter Sunday to witness a cold but glorious sunrise by the lakeshore, breakfasting as the dis-
ciples did with the risen Lord on simple fish and bread cooked out of doors. In the past month,
we have celebrated the courage and faith of some of our Anabaptist foremothers with an ex-
hibit of art by Ray Dirks, and reflected on the suffering still endured by refugees and by the
original peoples of this land. More on this rich and meaningful season inside.
Place of Meetingis the meaning of the Huron word
“toronton,” from which our city
gets its name. Fittingly, it can also
mean “plenty” or
“abundance.”
Place of Meeting is also the
monthly newsletter of Toronto
United Mennonite Church. May
you find plenty here to enjoy and
ponder. Opinions expressed are
those of the writers and not
necessarily of the congregation
as a whole.
Contributions of all kinds are enthusiastically received, throughthe mail folder in the lobby or at
Next deadline:June 2
Have you discovered the all-colour online version of Place of
Meeting, complete with liveweblinks? Check this month’s
issue out here: issuu.com/pomeditor/docs/
pom_may_2015l
NOTE: New address for submissions:
Editor: Doreen Martens
Scene around TUMC
Place of Meeting Page 2
Worship services can get long for little ones, especially when
there’s all that grownup social time after; it’s always fun to enjoy
traditional breads on Easter morning; and oh, what a joy to have
brass as part of our Alleluias on Easter!
A story by Gary Harder
Rosemary, Alberta, my home territory growing up, was a fer-
tile oasis in a semi-arid prairie landscape – an oasis created
by a water supply. Irrigating was very labour-intensive
(slogging through ankle deep water in rubber boots, spade in hand,
laying canvas dams and digging water channels all day long, and
into the night) but this water source allowed Rosemary to flourish
economically. And it provided a home for a unique disparate com-
munity. It featured a Buddhist temple, a Mormon “temple-church”
and a Mennonite church ––three communities that had a history of
persecution in common.
As a youngster it never occurred to me to wonder how it happened
that I went to school with Japanese and Mormon and Mennonite
schoolmates, and formed friendships with some of each. I certainly
argued with Ron Gibbs, a Mormon friend, about whether God was
a Mormon or a Mennonite. But when he went off on a two year
“mission” I was quite impressed.
My friend Keyoshi invited me to go along with him and his parents
to watch a Calgary Stampeder football game in Calgary. I was
thrilled (even though Calgary lost to the Saskatchewan Roughrid-
ers). They even took me to a Japanese restaurant where I marvelled
at how Mr. Iomoto slurped down a huge bowl full of noodle soup
in just moments. Every fall I was hired by various Japanese farmers
to help harvest their potatoes. But I never knew their story. How
did they come to be in Rosemary?
I knew a bit about our Mennonite story. My father moved to Rose-
mary in 1934 because the Canadian Pacific Railway offered rela-
tively cheap land along their railroad system, land they had been
given by the Canadian government for their feat of building a
trans-Canada railroad. The extra enticement they offered was pro-
viding water for irrigation. This ranked high with us Mennonites.
And with the Mormons who had immigrated northward a few years
before we Mennonites came.
The water for irrigation was provided by a dam which the CPR
built on the Bow River near Bassano, a small town 12 miles west
of Rosemary. Our church sometimes held its annual Sunday school
picnic at the Bassano Dam. And it was a good place to go fishing.
Most of us youngsters learned how to swim in the ditches and
canals created to transport this water to our thirsty land. And this
water was the source for creating “Rock Lake,” southeast of Rose-
mary, another good place for fishing.
Place of Meeting May 2015 page 3
Who we are and where we are:Are we all culpable?
Coming Events
April 26 - May 17: Four-week series in
our Sunday worship services hearing
the voices of our First Peoples: “Who
we are and where we are”
May 3: Taize Service 7 p.m.
May 9: Community Open House meet-
ing for neighbours to hear about Aurora
House, 2 p.m.
May 10: Ecumenical celebration of
music and prayer at St. Aidan in the
Beach Anglican Church at 4:30 p.m.
June 6: Spring Cleanup Day
June 12-14 TUMC all-church retreat at
Silver Lake Mennonite Camp
Who we are and where we are
Place of Meeting page 4
But what brought the Japanese to Rosemary? Only
much later, long after I had left Rosemary for good,
did I learn of the Japanese internment camps during
the Second World War. These excellent farmers, and
my Buddhist friends, and the girls with their splendid
dances in their colourful kimonos, had been dispos-
sessed of their land and belongings, suffered intern-
ment, and had finally been “allowed” to go elsewhere
to live. This is what brought some of them to take ad-
vantage of the irrigation farming opportunities in
Rosemary. I was totally ignorant of their story.
Growing up I was vaguely aware that there was an
“Indian Reservation” near Gleichen, about 35 miles
from Rosemary. Very occasionally young men from
that reserve stopped at our farm looking either for a
handout or for some temporary work. My memory is
that my parents always treated them respectfully. But
we youngsters certainly had our prejudices.
In 1973 Lydia and I adopted a two and a half year old
daughter –– a native daughter. We had not specified
native. Already having two boys, we simply wanted
to adopt a girl. What we received was a native girl ––
a very beautiful black-haired native girl.
What we were unaware of, was that we became a part
of what later became known as “the 1960s Scoop.”
The Scoop, as our First Nations people call it, was an
indirect government program carried out by the social
welfare system which took native children out of their
own families and adopted them into white families. In
essence, it was a program to “take the Indian out of
these children.” It had the same purpose as the Indian
Residential School system. Many Mennonite families
innocently became part of this horrendous program,
with huge negative consequences for native people,
and for many of these children –– and their parents.
A personal “irony,” or is it “providence,” is that when
our daughter began exploring her native roots, she
discovered that she came from the Siksika Blackfoot
Nation –– the very reserve 35 miles from where I
grew up. It may be that I even played hockey with
some of her uncles.
Five years ago I became aware of another story I
knew nothing about, one that has affected Rose-
mary –– including Mennonites and Mormons and
Buddhists equally. The CPR built the Bassano Dam
on Siksika nation property without their permission.
There was no agreement. It was illegal. Our commu-
nity became prosperous at the expense of those
whose land it was by treaty right. (The CPR and the
Alberta Government and the Siksika nation did come
to an agreement, including some financial compensa-
tion, a few years ago.)
And so it is that my personal story carries a lot of his-
tory, and complicity, with it. Do we regret the adop-
tion? No, not at all. We love our daughter dearly.
And our grandchildren. But we do regret our own
naiveté, our own assumptions that our daughter could
grow up in our “white” culture without needing to
know her own people. Ours and our children’s and
grandchildren’s lives, and our relationship with them,
are immensely complicated by the dynamics of “the
Scoop.” I do deeply regret that our governments have
promoted residential schools and scoop adoptions
and building dams without permission on native
lands. As a citizen of this country I share blame and
now need to find ways to renew a relationship that
has integrity with First Nations people.
It has been a huge privilege for us to have been in-
vited into the lives of a number of First Nations peo-
ple, to have been able to attend powwows, religious
ceremonies, host parties, and experience a “sweat
lodge.” Their hospitality and welcome has been there
for us despite our complicated relationships.
My personal “Who” and “Where” has its origins in
Rosemary. Who could have imagined that even then
and there I was already implicated in the many
abuses perpetrated on our aboriginal peoples. And yet
my home also gifted me with the kind of boundary
breaking relationships which give me hope for the fu-
ture.
Supporting Luis
Place of Meeting May 2015 page 5
On April 18, TUMC hosted the launch of a
campaign to persuade the Canadian gov-
ernment to grant our member Luis Mata
his permanent residency. Mark Andrews and the
Thiessen trio performed music for the occasion,
and a series of speakers gained the rapt attention
of a full house of supporters.
Some 150 signatures were placed on a paper peti-
tion, while an online petition has collected close
to 900 names. Thanks to all those who partici-
pated and are supporting his cause, including by
signing the petition and/or contributing to his
legal fund.
Some background:
Luis Alberto Mata is a Convention Refugee,
writer, researcher and human rights activist from
Colombia. He has lived in and contributed to
Canadian society since his arrival in 2002 and
recognition as a Convention Refugee in 2003.
Luis fled Colombia for Canada in 2002 when his
life and that of his Diana and their young son
were under threat. He was at risk due to his work
as a social justice advocate and author, as he ex-
posed some of the worst human rights violations
in his country. Diana, a lawyer and member of a
human rights organization was also intimidated
and threatened by paramilitary forces.
Within a year of arriving in Canada, in 2003, he
and his family were recognized as “Convention
Refugees” by Canada’s Immigration and Refugee
Board. With this clear and unequivocal recogni-
tion of the risk they faced in Colombia, within
180 days they applied to become permanent resi-
dents of Canada. Luis and his family should have
been quickly granted permanent residence, which
provides a pathway towards Canadian citizen-
ship. However, for more than a decade they have
been subjected to bewildering delays with no res-
olution in sight. To this day the Canadian govern-
ment has not provided a clear explanation as to
why this has taken so long. This is in spite of the
fact that since arriving in Canada, Luis and Diana
have become pillars of their community while
raising their son.
Despite having the support of his community
and local and international human rights organ-
izations such as Amnesty International and
PEN Canada, Luis has been left in limbo. As a
result his opportunity to enjoy the social, politi-
cal and economic rights awarded to Canadian
citizens and opportunities to fully contribute to
Canada has been stalled since 2003. He can’t
vote, travel freely outside Canada’s borders
without overcoming administrative hurdles, ac-
cess credit, serve on a jury, and risks discrimi-
natory treatment in housing and employment
because of his clearly identifiable temporary
SIN number. In effect, by not deciding on his
application the Canadian government has place
Luis in limbo and made him permanently pre-
carious.
The limbo and uncertainly in which Luis has
been forced to live needs to end. He and his
family deserve to know that his place in
Canada is secure. He must be granted perma-
nent residence. Now.
Place of Meeting page 6
Supporting Luis
From top: the family speaks to the crowd of
supporters; Gloria Nafziger, refugee coordinator
for Amnesty International; Mark Andrews
performs on the piano.
Photos by Tim Schmucker
Sign the petition
for Luis Mata athttp://nolivesinlimbo.org
Sharing our SOOP
Place of Meeting May 2015 page 7
By Ed and Sharon Heide
As some of you know, we spent the month of February in
spring-like sunny Reedley, California volunteering with
MCC’s (Mennonite Central Committee) SOOP program
(SOOP stands for Service Opportunities for Older Persons).
It was our first such assignment, coming after Ed’s retire-
ment in December.
The setting was MCC’s regional headquarters, with offices,
a tea room, a major quilting and rug-making store, and then
a large thrift store. We spent 95% of our time in the thrift
store named “Nearly New”. We were warmly welcomed by
the few paid staff and by the many local volunteers who
spend varying amounts of time in the store. There was a re-
ally nice mix of resident Mexicans and Mennonites, as well
as a few special needs students from the local community
college on placement here. Our jobs centered on receiving
donations of clothing, books, furniture, appliances, etc.
through the back door, sorting, cleaning, and pricing articles
and getting them onto the sales floor. Their slogan was “In
the door, on the floor, out the door in 24 (hours)”. The
turnover of product was quite impressive, with daily sales
averaging $1200. We also spent time at the front cash regis-
ter, where we witnessed buyers enjoying their great deals!
The work hours were 9-5, Monday to Friday.
We were given a nice home to stay in by ourselves, along
with bicycles to ride the 3 kms to work. It was fruit tree
blossom time in the valley, and so we enjoyed getting to see
the blossoms of a wide variety of fruits, including almonds,
pomegranates, walnuts, peaches, pears, grapes and cherries.
The orange and grapefruit seasons were in full swing, and so
we had our share of those! On weekends we explored the
surrounding areas, including Yosemite National Park and
Sequoia National Forest, both so impressive in their natural
beauty.
We were tremendously impressed by the Mennonite com-
munity’s support for MCC. The area is home to a large
Mennonite Brethren population and then a much smaller
MC USA group. Even though we could sense some pretty
significant differences in belief systems between the two,
when it came to MCC, they were of one mind. Already in
February, much work was being done in preparation for the
big annual MCC sale in mid-April.
As we left Reedley, we wondered how our next SOOP as-
signment could ever match our experience here. We will see
where the path will lead to next.
Ed and Sharon Heide at work in Reedley.
Into the heart of the mystery: Good Friday
Place of Meeting page 8
TUMC marked Good Friday with two
very different but equally meaningful
services. The morning family-
oriented service invited groups of
participants to travel around the build-
ing visiting a series of stations. In the
Upper Room, children and adults alike
were invited to remember the events of
the Last Supper with handwashing and
a reflection around grapes and bread,
symbolic of the Communion elements.
Into the heart of the mystery: Good Friday
Place of Meeting May 2015 page 9
Participants were invited to walk a
labyrinth, an ancient pattern meant to aid
in meditation as the walker takes a sym-
bolic journey into the heart of the mystery
of our faith. Each walker picked up a stone
and placed it on arriving at the centre. In
another room, a simple craft of making tis-
sue flowers hinted at the Easter celebra-
tion to come.
Into the heart of the mystery: Good Friday
Place of Meeting page 10
In the sanctuary, a modified Stations of the Cross told the story of the crucifixion in terms children could understand,
followed by an anointing with fragant oils, a reflection both on death and on the sweetness of the coming
Resurrection.
Into the heart of the mystery: Good Friday
Place of Meeting May 2015 page 11
A quiet evening service featured beautiful reflective music, much of it in the Taize style,
and the telling of the Crucifixion story in scripture, prayer and Communion.
He is risen!
Place of Meeting page 12
The sunrise service came on a cold snowy morn-
ing, but the gorgeous dawn, simple worship and
delicious fish and bannock were ample rewards.
He is risen!
Place of Meeting May 2015 page 13
After breakfast –– and a dousing of the fire by disciples Peter and
John –– attenders at Easter worship were greeted by live chicks and
bunnies, traditional symbols of new life, in a display created by the
Alexander-Unger family.
He is risen!
Place of Meeting page 14
Easter worship at TUMC was full of colour,
splendid music and joy as children were in-
vited to “flower” the cross with the tissue
blooms made on Good Friday.
A cloud of witnesses
Place of Meeting May 2015 page 15
We were surrounded by a “cloud of witnesses”
for three Sundays running by an amazing exhibit
of art and story panels created by Winnipeg Men-
nonite artist Ray Dirks, telling the stories of
women of courage and faith who brought their
families out of the trials and trauma of the Soviet
Union to the Americas. The exhibit, just part of a
larger collection, will travel to the Mennonite
World Conference assembly in Harrisburg, Pa.,
this summer.