The REDEEMER

REVIEWGSeptember

{ PARISH CALENDAR }

16 Maintenance group, see pg. 6 for more information.

Roundup & Anniversary Sunday service in Christ Church; BBQ and games after service!

19

16 Harvest dinner, 6:00-8:30 pm. Tickets are $15/person, $12/seniors, $6/children under 12, $40/family. Please contact Donna Bailey (dbailey54@hotmail.com)to find out how to help or for more information!

October

10 CTR book club, see pg. 6 for more information.

Messy Church, 4:30-6:30 pm, see pg. 3 for more information.

9

Amor FideBY REV CRAIG VANCE

{ FROM THE RECTOR }

he Just shall live by

faith” was the rallying

cry of the Reformation.

This summer I read one sentence

in a book that has, I think,

changed my life. It was that in

the ancient world the Christians

were the only ones who believed

in free will, in the belief that we

are free to make choices unhin-

dered by fate and fortune. The

ancient world by contrast be-

lieved that we were powerless in

the face of fate. The gods them-

selves were capricious, unpredict-

able, and given to passions and

would freely intervene to make

someone’s life miserable. Why is life

so hard? You must have offended

Poseiden, or Zeus or some minor

deity. We could only accept the cards that fate and fortune have dealt us,

and that we are powerless in their grasp. !

" Christians responded that we are free to choose: we are free to

choose God, or reject God. We are free to live a life defined by virtue, by

the theological virtues of faith, hope and love. Or we can live a life defined

by cynicism and unbelief, despair and selfishness. Our destiny is not in the

hands of strange capricious deities, it is in our hands, because we can

choose how we live. !

" The philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche talked about trying to envision

a world after Christianity, after the death of God. He said we can not be-

lieve in free will, but that we need to re-embrace fate and abandon free

will. If there is no God, we need like the ancient pagans embrace the god

of fortune and pray that she smiles upon us, and live lives of pagan virtue

in the face of the meaningless of pure chance and fate. He called it “amor

fati”, the love of fate. He believed that it was the only way to create a

meaningful life in the face of the death of God. (continued on page 2)

“T

Faith Triumphing Over IdolatryJEAN BAPTIST THEODON

Christ the Redeemer

Celebrating 126 years!

1884-2010

A PUBLICATION of CHRIST the REDEEMER ANGLICAN CHURCH | FALL 2010

1872 The Huck family es-tablishes a homestead in the area.

1882 William Bell (later bishop) establishes this parish for the first time.

1884 Christ Church built; the materials were floated down the Fraser River. It was built in 7 weeks for $1119.48!

1990 CTR building finished.

We cannot embrace “amor fati” because we believe that grace is the ultimate reality

in the universe...

G FALL 2010 | 1

{ HAPPY BIRTHDAY CTR! }

My journey of faith.BY DEAN INGLIS

{ PERSONAL STORIES }

thought I would share a bit about who I am and how I became a

Christian. As many of you probably know my dad is a minister. I grew

up in the church. Back then it was more just a thing my family did on

Sunday. Got dressed up and went to church. I went to Sunday School and

learned about Jesus and God. But, it didn't really mean much back then

to me. I think, though, deep within my heart I've always believed in Jesus

and God and the Holy Spirit. It didn't really hit me until I went to a

summer bible camp. Camp Luther.

! Here I was 10 years old, learning about how awesome this God

dude is. I was still a bit skeptical. I remember sitting on the dock looking

over the water and thinking to myself that giving my life to someone I

can't see has got to be the hardest thing I can do. That night I sat with a

camp councilor and we prayed. We said a prayer where in I gave myself

to Christ. From that day on, I tried to lead the life I believe he wanted me

to live. Now that being said I am by far not the perfect Christian.

! But in everything I do I firmly believe that God plays a part in how

we lead our lives. I pray alone. I pray with my wife. I pray with my kids. I

try to teach them what is right and try to instill in them a sense of what it

is to be a Christian. Going to church is one aspect; sharing your faith with

others and allowing yourself that one moment where it is just you and

God; knowing that whenever you need him he is there for you. I love the

fact that when I'm alone at night during my graveyard shifts I can go

about my patrols and talk to him, without feeling that I'm going to be

judged. Even if I don't get an answer from him I know that he is listening to me.

" I believe that God has a plan for everyone in this life. We may not see it right away but he will in due

time make it known to us. He did that to me by bring my wonderful wife Amanda into my life. Now we have two

beautiful children and a comfortable life, I like to think. In closing, if there is one thing that has always stuck out

in my mind as to what it means to be a Christian, it’s that God gives us the choice whether we follow him or not.

We have free will to do what we want in this life time. We can choose to live our lives surrounded by earthly pos-

sessions, or, we can follow him and make do with what he brings to us and be thankful in knowing that when the

time comes our riches will be with him in Heaven. G

I believe that God has a plan for everyone in this life.

We may not see it right away but he will in due time

make it known to us.

Amor fide.

{ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 }

" But what of those of us who believe in God? Those of us who believe that the incarnation, teaching,

death and resurrection of Jesus is the ultimate unveiling of God? We cannot embrace “amor fati” because we

believe that grace is the ultimate reality in the universe, and that for those of us who live by faith, that we are

always presented with a choice. And that choice is, do we choose to recognize that at every moment we can

choose to live and react in faith, hope and love. Or not.

! Outrageous fortune is still the reality of life. But the just shall live by faith, and whenever life is unkind

we can still choose. We can choose to live by faith and hope and love and gentleness and kindness and compas-

sion. Or not. Our choice. G

I

2 | FALL 2010 G

hy not join us for “messy church”? It is an occasion for some

quality time with your kids where you can have some fun doing some crafts (that is the messy part!) and activities. Then join us for a loud and exu-berant kid friendly service with singing and banging and a short inspirational story from the Bible.! “Messy Church” is a movement which has started in a number of Anglican churches in the UK in the past few years. It is growing and spreading like gangbusters in Angli-can churches in North America as well.! The concept is simple: getting up on Sunday morn-ing and going to church and Sunday School with kids is demanding even for people who are committed to their faith. Parents, grandparents, and children come to Messy Church. They do a theme based craft (that is the “messy” part), take part in a very brief and boisterous service to-gether with a lesson or story and then have supper together." The combination of not happening in the morning, children and adults together, and a supper and once per month seems to be the right mix. Many churches are find-ing that Messy Church has grown and attracted people from the community who are interested in sharing faith with their children, but find Sunday morning church cul-ture too much of a leap." The first Messy Church will be from 4:30 to 6:30 pm on Saturday, October 9 and on the first Saturday of the month thereafter. If you would like to get involved in help-ing with the program or the meal, please contact Janet Mackie at the church office (admin@ctrchuch.com or (604)576-2216). G

COMING SOON!

Sunday morning a drag?BY REV CRAIG VANCE

{ FAMILY MINISTRY }

St Herman of AlaskaBY RYAN SCHUTT

{ LIVES OF THE SAINTS }

t Herman of Alaska (1756-1837) was born in Russia and at the age of 16, entered the monastic life in the Russian Orthodox

Church. Early on, he had a miraculous heal-ing attributed to a vision he had of the Virgin Mary. " In 1794, he and a group of Orthodox missionaries landed on Kodiak Island in Alaska. They evangelized the native popula-tion and worked hard to prevent the natives (Aleuts) from being ill-treated by the Russian colonists. Herman remained the only monk to stay in Alaska; he set up a hermitage on Spruce Island. " He remained a faithful minister to the native population, caring for them, even protecting them from a tidal wave by placing an icon of the Virgin Mary on the beach (he said the water would not go past the icon and sure enough it did not). Herman lived on Spruce Island until his death from an disease carried to Alaska by American explor-ers. Even while he was sick, he cared for the ill islanders. Herman is buried on Spruce Island and was canonized a saint in 1969. He is the patron saint of the Americas. G

“From this day, from this hour, from this minute, let us love God

above all.”ST HERMAN OF ALASKA

S

WFIRST MESSY CHURCH

Saturday, October 94:30 - 6:30 pm

G FALL 2010 | 3

Creation as IconBY TYLER CURLL

{ THOUGHTS FROM THE TRAIL }

ackie (my wife) and I recently returned from six

days on the trail. We hiked the Cape Scott and

North Coast Trails. Thus far, we've only done

two multi-day hikes (the West Coast Trail and

the North Coast Trail). There is something about

being 'out there' and away from the daily routine

that tends to draw one's thoughts towards a deeper

contemplation. This is not to say that one cannot

find time and space within the framework of his/

her 'normal life' - indeed one can and must. In-

stead, this is to say that on the trail, out in the

wilds, there is a context which seems easily condu-

cive to contemplation.

! It seemed to me, while out on the trail, that

nature - that is to say, creation - is itself an icon of

the divine. At home I tend to use icons as aids to

prayer. The use of icons in prayer is a holy and an-

cient practice of the Christian church. Icons are understood to act as 'windows' into the divine, as signposts

pointing our thoughts to God. Christian teaching has also long held that creation itself is an icon of He who

created it. The wonder of creation points to the creator - it sings of his majesty.

! As I sat on the beach, or hiked on the trail, I often found my thoughts ascending heavenward. I heard

the words of the liturgy sung by creation - the trees, the waves, the clouds, the eagles soaring above - I heard

them sing as we sing each Sunday:

Holy, holy, holy Lord!

God of power and might,!

heaven and earth are full of your glory,!

Hosanna in the highest.!

Out there on the trail I felt the divine call to praise and wonder. In church each Sunday we sing these words; out

their I listened as creation sang them."

# My favourite of the six days out there began with a hasty packing up of our camp as the rain poured

down on us. It was a day of off-and-on-again rain. But after we had reached our destination, where we were go-

ing to camp for the night, the sun decided to begin to peek out from among the clouds. I strolled out towards the

crashing waves and stood on the beach trying to get a glimpse of the sun. Suddenly it broke free from the clouds

and a beacon of light burst out and showered me with its brilliant radiance. I couldn't have kept the smile from

my face if I had tried. I was overcome with joy and stood there with my arms wide-spread soaking in the rays. It

really felt good to be alive. My heart sung a silent song of praise and gratitude for the gift." My heart joined in

the chorus of creation as we sung together the praise of our mutual Creator."

# Indeed, I hope that my eyes and my heart will be able to look out with each new day towards the icon of

creation that God has provided us with as an aid to prayer. I hope my ears will learn to continually hear that

divine liturgy, that song of praise, that creation sings out in honour of His majesty."G

"

Gloria In Excelsis Deo!!

It seemed to me, while out on the trail, that na-ture - that is to say, creation - is itself an icon of

the divine.

J

4 | FALL 2010 G

Thanks Secret Garden-er!FROM THE PIELICIOUS PIEMAKERS

{ UNSUNG HERO }

big thank-you to

the anonymous

gardener who’s

quietly taken on tend-

ing the rhubarb gar-

den and is working

tirelessly, no doubt, to

save our fledgling plants

from being smothered by the ever-invasive

blackberry brambles and morning glory. The

rhubarb is thriving not in small part due to

your efforts. The garden was established this

spring to provide rhubarb for the pies and

the assistance of our secret gardener is so

very appreciated. Heartfelt thanks from the

all Piemakers. G

Sincerely, The Pielicious Piemakers

THANK YOU!

Do you have extra pennies lying around? Donate your pennies to a good cause! It saves you the hassle of counting them, rolling them, and taking them to the bank! onated pennies help purchase supplies for the

children’s Sunday School class and food and

beverages for the coffee hour after the serv-

ice. In the year since the penny collec-

tion jar appeared on the hearth in the

Fireside Room, $150.00 exactly has

been counted and has provided !addi-

tional funds for coffee

supplies and Sunday

school supplies!

Drop your pennies

off in the jar lo-

cated on the hearth

in the Fireside

Room. G

A

The Pielicious Piemakers are taking orders for

Blackberry and Apple PiesAlso available, enticing and rich with flavour:Apple, Blueberry, Bumbleberry, and

Strawberry rhubarb

Pies are made from scratch with lard-free, egg-free, preservative-free, pastry dough. Complete with easy baking instructions

PRICES

• Family-size frozen pies $7/ea

• Generous single-serving frozen pies $3/ea

• Limited supply made with sugar substitute Splenda ($8

for full pie ; $3.50 for single-serving)

TO ORDER

• Available after church each Sunday, or, leave a message

on the pie order phone line: (604) 836-0455

A little bit goes a long way!FROM THE PIELICIOUS PIEMAKERS

{ CALLING ALL COPPER QUEENS }

Where is the Nicene Creed from?BY RYAN SCHUTT

{ THEOLOGY 101 }

ach week at CTR, we join millions of Christians

around the world (and of the last 16 or so centuries!) in

reciting the Nicene Creed. The Creed is one of many

Christian creeds that emerged in the ancient Church.

There are actually two ‘Nicene Creeds.’ The first was writ-

ten in 325 CE at the first Church council in Nicaea (mod-

ern Turkey). The Creed that we say each week was written

in 381 CE at the second Church council in Constantinople

(modern Istanbul). The actual name of this Creed is the

Niceno–Constantinopolitan Creed. Quite a mouthful! G

Got a question about theology, the Bible, or liturgy? Send Ryan Schutt (rjschutt@gmail.com) and e-mail and he’ll investigate and write an answer in the next Redeemer Review!

D

E

G FALL 2010 | 5

CTR Book Club: The Power and the GloryLED by DAVID AMES

{ SMALL GROUPS }

Rector’s Home GroupLED by REV CRAIG VANCE

{ SMALL GROUPS }

WHEN? October 10th, after the 10 am service

WHERE? Christ the Redeemer

WHO? Everyone!

FOR MORE INFORMATION: David Ames, dames@sd35.bc.ca

THE POWER AND THE GLORY by GRAHAM GREENE“An intricate moral landscape, where corrupt characters might still be capa-ble of goodness and virtuous ones indulge their virtues murderously. The cen-tral figure is a "whisky priest," on the run in Mexico in the 1930's, during years when the Catholic Church was being suppressed. Guilt-ridden, always craving alcohol — at one point the he downs the communion wine — the priest manages … to carry out his duties on the road and to perform small acts of grace, even the ones that seal his fate. Thirteen years after this book was published, the Church condemned it, insisting Greene make changes. A sincere Catholic but also a dexterous operator, he replied that the copyright belonged to his publishers.”

Exercept from TIME.com section on “All Time 100 Novels” by Richard Lacayo, 16 October 2005. G

WHEN? Every third Saturday of the month

WHERE? Christ the Redeemer

WHO? Men

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jim Inglis, (778) 834-

8685! As a new year begins at CTR, the men`s maintenance group will begin to meet regularly. Once a month we meet on Saturday morning at 10:00 AM at the church. We put the coffee on and the donuts out, and read and discuss a passage from the Bible.! Finally we give a few hours of our time to tasks such as `light bulb changing`, gutter cleaning, caulking stuff, gar-dening; whatever needs to be done around the Church. G

Men’s Maintenance GroupLED BY JIM INGLIS

{ SMALL GROUPS }

WHEN? Every second Tuesday of the month

WHERE? Rector’s house

WHO? Everyone

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Rev Craig Vance,

priest@ctrchurch.com or (604) 881 4492! Craig is starting a home group and is won-dering if you might be interested? People call them different things: small groups, home groups, cell groups, support groups, Bible Study or prayer groups. " A home group is for people who want to deepen their faith with other parishioners in the less formal environment of people’s homes. There is usually some reflection together around the Bible, sometimes from the lectionary readings for the com-ing Sunday. We share together some of the joys and struggles of life and pray. Food and drink work in somewhere in the mix as well. He is proposing

meeting every second Tuesday evening at his home

in Walnut Grove. G

6 | FALL 2010 G

Parishioner Patricia Horwell spent some time talking with

Marie Chase, a parishioner living at Fleetwood Manor, about

some interesting stories about Christ the Redeemer. Marie

worked in the basement of Christ Church for a number of years.

ill Todd was a faithful parishioner who at-tended Christ Church for many years. He lived in Clayburn Heights, had a leg brace and at 7

am every Sunday morning arrived in his truck to light the furnace and have the Church warm for people attending the early and later!service. He always stayed! for both services so that he was able to turn everything off and lock up." The present pews in Christ the Redeemer were purchased second-hand two or more years before the Church was completed. They were stored in Lance Richardson's barn!which was on 168th street and was not heated. The!attached kneelers and hardware had rusted and warped!and were not re-usable so had to be re-moved. The pews had weathered so Al Kirk and John Cleghorn(past parishioners) took on the awesome task of sanding them all and preparing them for painting. After a lot of very time consuming hard work they eventually painted them to their present colour to harmonize with the colour of the carpet. G

anet Mackie is a familiar face at CTR. A parishioner since 2005, Janet faithfully coordinates and teaches children’s Sunday School and participates in the Altar Guild. This September, she takes on

a new role as CTR’s new parish administrator. Janet has a BA in Biblical Studies from Canadian Bible College and has previously worked as a legal secretary for 20 years and in retail. She is thankful that the administrator job will allow her to spend more time with her husband John and son William, 8, who attends Surrey Centre Ele-mentary (next door to the church). " Janet will be relieving Rev Craig of the many administrative tasks that are necessary for the functioning of the parish: answering phones, directing inquiries, publishing the weekly bulletin, updating parish lists and the worship schedule. She will also be working on some of the “rain-day” projects that have been on the back-burner for a while. All of this means Rev Craig will be able to “tend the flock” without having to worry about these time-consuming tasks. # She says that she and her family have enjoyed the Harvest Dinners and she looks forward to becoming more involved in the parish, especially with Messy Church. Janet will be in the parish of-fice, Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 9 am to 2:30 pm. You can reach her at the main church telephone number or via e-mail (admin@ctrchurch.com). G

Janet Mackie, Parish Administrator.BY RYAN SCHUTT

{ INTRODUCING }

J

W

Warming hearts...and bodies.BY PATRICIA HOWELL AND MARIE CHASE

{ REMEMBER WHEN? }

Stained glass symbols.BY MAVIS DUNSFORD

{ DID YOU KNOW? }

Ever wondered what the symbols on the stained glass cross in CTR represented? Mavis Dunsford kindly provided the sacramental meanings of each symbol.

• The Lamb and the Flag – Eucharist

• The Dove with Olive Leaf – Reconcilliation

• The Flames – Confirmation

• The Cross with two circles – Marriage

• The Bible – Holy Orders

• Cross with circle – Healing

• Birds flying over land & water – Baptism

(From top to bottom) G

G FALL 2010 | 7

TheREDEEMER

REVIEW

is the quarterly newsletter ofCHRIST the REDEEMERANGLICAN CHURCH

in the DIOCESE of NEW WESTMINSTER

ADDRESS

16613 Bell RoadSurrey, BCV3S 1H7

ctrchurch.com

(604) 576-2216

RECTOR

Rev Craig Vance

(604) 881-4492

priest@ctrchurch.com

ADMINISTRATOR

Janet Mackie

(604) 576-2216

admin@ctrchurch.com

REVIEW EDITOR

Ryan Schuttrjschutt@gmail.com

(778) 241-5197

For comments, suggestions, ques-tions, ideas for articles, or sub-

missions, please e-mail the newsletter editor.

DISCLAIMER

The opinions expressed in this publication belong to the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the members or staff

of CHRIST the REDEEMER

ANGLICAN CHURCH.

PICTURE CREDITSpg. 1, Wikipedia; pg. 2, Jody McNary

(Flickr); pg. 3, Microsoft Clipart, Messychurch.org.uk Wikipedia.com; pg.

4, Tyler Curll; pg. 5, GinneRobot (Flickr), Wikipedia.com; pg. 6,

Amazon.com, Bioshock.wikia.com; pg. 7, Craig Vance; pg. 8, Briarpress,

Insiderspassport.com.

The Importance of One Day.BY REIMO PAIVINEN

{ FOOD FOR THOUGHT }

“Today is a good day to die.”

Clink!

REV CRAIG VANCE

“No one can confidently say that

he will still be living tomorrow.”

EURIPIDES

“So teach us to number our days,

that we may apply our hearts unto

wisdom.”

PSALM 90:12

“We die daily. Happy those who

daily come to life as well.”

GEORGE MacDONALD

“While we live, let us live.”

DH LAWRENCE

“He possesses dominion over him-

self, and is happy, who can every

day say, ‘I have lived.’”

HORACE

“The days come and go like muf-

fled and veiled figures sent from a

distant friendly party, but they say

nothing, and if we do not use the

gifts they bring, they carry them as

silently away.”

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

“What a folly to dread the thought

of throwing away life at once, and

yet have no regard to throwing it

away by parcels and piecemeal.”

JOHN HOWE

“Most of us spend our lives as if

we had another one in the bank.”

BEN IRWIN

“They deem me mad because I

will not sell my days for gold; and

I deem them mad because they

think my days have a price.”

KAHIL GIBRAN

everal Sundays ago, Craig gave a homily in which he made reference to the Vikings, who, being violent

and war faring people would often turn to one another amidst their feasts, with the toast, “Today is a good day to die.” Following, the Vikings would clink the skulls of the newly-conquered foe, out of which they drank.! Although I couldn’t identify with the pillaging and killing of the Viking lifestyle, the statement resounded with an important truth: that of living life to the utmost. I’ve always been fond of those live-like-you-were-dying songs and Bucket List movies. People live passion-ately when death hangs overhead, al-most like waking up from a stupor.! Since Craig’s sermon, the Viking Toast has found its way onto my bath-room mirror, and Ryan (my room-mate) and I have been consistently asking each other while picking blackberries, “Is to-day a good day to die?”! The question reminds me that today may be my day and challenges me with the question, “am I ready?” I’m not sure in what sense one gets ready for death I think one of the ways is by living life fully." This collection of quotes can function as a bookmark, reminding you of the importance of each and every day. Use as you see fit. Cheers! Clink! G

S

!8 | FALL 2010 G