A Christmas Message from Robert Campbell

If there is a word that sums up December, it must surely be “preparations.” By now, our preparations for Christmas are in full fl ight. Trees and lights have gone up, decorations have been hung, poinsettias are being purchased, baking being churned out, malls being thronged, cards and gifts being mailed or delivered, donations being made, travel plans being fi nalized, lists being composed, and, in organized households, lists being ticked off.... Read More...

Sermon by Dr. James Christie

For the last several years I have contributed on a regular basis to a feature in the Ottawa Citizen which appears every Saturday and, which, I am told is a widely read feature of the newspaper. It is contributed to by 3 or 4 Christians of various stripes, by a Jew, a Muslim, a Hindu and a Sikh. But is has the ghastly title of “Ask The Religion Experts”. Every week a question is posed to the religion experts and we have till Tuesday Noon to prepare a 300 word response. And I live in fear that the day will come when I stand before the Mercy Seat and find the Almighty staring down on me intoning the question,” So, you thought you were an expert did you?” But even more, the question that I dread hearing is the one that proceeds from the Divine Lips and it is this,” Just what part of ‘Love your neighbor’ do you not understand?”.... Read More...

Thoughts on the Dilemma of the Decade

There are two meanings to the word dilemma. The first is a situation requiring a decision between two equal and often equally undesirable alternatives. The second is a problem seemingly incapable of present solution. It is in the latter sense that I will interpret the word. There is one significant area where policy decisions on a national scale will have to be made in Canada in the near future. This is climate change, and the specific question, is global warming fact or fiction and, if fact, what should be done?... Read More...

A policy on sabbaticals for ministers has been adopted by the General Council Executive of the United Church and came into effect in 2006. It defines a sabbatical as “a period of at least three consecutive months intentionally set aside by Ministry Personnel in pastoral relationships as an occasion for reflection, recreation, and revitalization, unencumbered by their usual and customary responsibilities, and yet still receiving their usual remuneration and benefits. Sabbatical finds expression in study, rest, spiritual retreat, and prayer.”... Read More...

Westminster Housing Society - Reshaping a Neighbourhood

One of the significant achievements of Westminster Church was the creation in 1993 of Westminster Co-Op (that lovely four-story building at 145 Maryland) followed by Westminster Housing Society, which constructed and owns the townhouse units just a short distance north. Westminster Housing Society went on to become a major developer in the West Broadway area, building new duplexes and rehabilitating older houses in the area for the benefit of low income tenants.... Read More...

This is a fable based, in part, on sketchy memories of a misspent childhood.

Ms. Magnan, my first Sunday School teacher, was a stocky woman with a grey wig that, moments of duress, marched down her forehead. She was the absolute monarch of a tiny, stifling room behind the choir loft of my first church (not Westminster).

Our teacher was a literalist. The words of the Bible had to be taken literally; they were not to be interpreted. She was also a fundamentalist – a literalist who claims his or her religion is the only one worthy of respect.... Read More...

An Easter Message from Rev. Robert Campbell

There is really no getting around the fact that we experience Easter differently than the folk who were present for the first Easter. For us, it is a day of observance, a time to remember what we have re- ceived. For them, it was a day filled with shock and awe, a time that changed their lives spectacularly and irrevocably. Read More...

We have once again entered the season of Lent. Lent has been described as a symbolic retracing of Christ’s journey to the cross. On that walk he endured suffering, betrayal and rejection. In our times, the lonely, hungry, and persecuted still walk Christ’s journey. Prisoners of conscience in bleak prisons, the poverty stricken, and those who have lost loved ones are just a few of the many who walk Christ’s walk each day.... Read More...

Matters of Justice & Personal Worth

(Val gave this article from Westminster’s pulpit on Sunday, January 28/07. The Editor believes it needed a wider circula- tion.) When I first went town to work with our partner organization in Guatemala, I already knew that the indigenous Mayan women of that country have low self-esteem. What I discovered is that they don’t just have low self-esteem. They have no sense of self whatsoever. They cannot even think of themselves as individuals outside of their husbands and children.... Read More...

As we embark on a New Year, I am reminded of an incident that occurred during this past Christmas Season. As I entered a Grocery Store with my son, I was asked if I would be willing to donate a few dollars in support of a cause. I politely said “no” to the person, and then moved on. My son asked me why I didn’t give any money considering that the cause was wor- thy (and the cause was worthy). My response to him was, I just can’t help every cause out there. I can’t.... Read More...