SSUC Ministers’ Musings

How do I judge the value of a religious observance? The only way it makes sense to me is if the holiday has relevance to my life, my living, and provide inspiration for me to improve myself and make a difference in my world. If not, it’s a relic of the past and doesn’t have any wisdom to share. Good Friday is one of those days that, traditionally interpreted, can be challenging to find relevance. In so many traditional settings, the story of Jesus’ death is read and re-enacted with melodrama and sadness, the purpose being to “experience” the death of the ‘son of god’, the snuffing out of the light of goodness in wait for its triumphant return on Easter. Those sad and melancholic observances are the result of centuries of theological gymnastics that the christian church has done to layer this story with liturgical meaning, turning the execution

What’s in a name? There’s a lot of history, reputation and identity for sure. There is 50 years of identity as Southminster United Church and 40 years of identity as Steinhauer United Church.  There’s a reputation for innovation and for investment in social justice. There’s identification as a congregation within the United Church of Canada. More recently, there’s identity as a progressive and affirming congregation. For those of us who are on the inside, there is much in our name and much for which we are proud to be known. We know, too, from experience that there are many in our society who identify as ‘spiritual but not religious’, ‘casuals’ or ‘non-religious’ who would love who we are and resonate with much that we do. While they consider themselves spiritual seekers, they would never imagine themselves to be interested in a church. For many seekers, the “brand” is irrelevant and

Winter’s dark… but some of SSUC’s bravest went outside anyway! We were quite the spectacle before we got going each Tuesday evening… imagine all twelve of us gathered in a circle around a fire pit – with no fire lit – bundled up in all our winter gear like puffy snowmen, sitting on our summer lawn chairs! We would open with everyone lighting a candle and then together lighting a big birch-wood fire. We then settled in for poetry, storytelling and sharing. Our theme was apt… darkness! Discussion was rich. We talked about the patterned seasonal living we all do in this part of the world, we thought about the unknown things that are ‘in the dark’ to us, and we held some of the more challenging aspects of our lives in the circle. With all the grief that is associated with this time of year, it can feel like

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Life can move quickly. Even if it seems like nothing happens for a long time, suddenly everything can happen all at once. Someone in my life had a weekend where their car was rear-ended, they fell on some ice, and they didn’t feel like leaving the house for fear of what else might happen. The reality is that sometimes life gets overwhelming; sometimes despite planning ahead, you still come to a point where you have to make fifteen decisions in ten minutes. A few nights ago, the Edmonton Oilers played the Toronto Maple Leafs. Despite a discouraging start to the season, the Oilers played two of the three periods very well. It was a potential turning point in their energy and performance. The Oilers had tied the game and were about one minute away from sudden-death overtime (one of the very few stats that they have excelled at this season)

Hello! My name is Alison Brooks-Starks. I love water – swimming in a lake, skating outside in the winter, canoeing…. I feel more at home in the water than I do on land. I’ve always lived in Treaty 6 territory along the North Saskatchewan River… my childhood and youth in Prince Albert, SK, and my university and working days here in Edmonton, AB. Now that you know who I am, here’s what I’m doing this year. I’m in a practicum at SSUC until May 2018 for ministry, with a focus on spiritual care. I am a candidate for ministry in the United Church of Canada to be a “diaconal minister.” This is coming from a tradition of deacons practicing “diakonia,” which means “service among others.” Diaconal ministers in the United Church have a focus on education, service, and pastoral care. The only school for United Church diaconal ministers is CCS (the

While at theological school in Pennsylvania in the nineties, a debate emerged around the practice of churches displaying the American flag prominently at the front of worship spaces. The question was asked, “What happens when the priorities and principles of Christianity/Jesus/the Gospel are at odds with those being demonstrated and espoused by the state?” Although there was vigorous debate in the halls of academia, I knew of no congregations nor denominations that actually dared remove flags from churches. Instead, most local leadership agreed that flying the Christian flag (something that I had no idea was a thing) next to the American flag was symbolic enough of the relationship and balance between the two. In Canadian circles, I have never experienced either of these flags in any worship spaces that I’ve known or visited. Yes, this demonstrates a marked difference between the two countries and the prominence of an American civil

I was recently at a meeting to interview candidates for ordination in the United Church of Canada where a conversation ensued about the purpose of church attendance. There was some discussion about “worshiping god and expressing gratitude and praise to god for life.” After I recovered from the wave of nausea that this kind of religious ‘please and appease’ belief  was still common, there was a suggestion that one of things the United Church is not very good at is discipleship. By that, this person meant teaching how to live like Jesus lived and become a good ‘disciple of Jesus’. In my opinion this is a better answer, but still so wrapped in religious theological language that for most people, it’s hocus-pocus; it’s only halfway to normal-speak. Why do we gather? Because in community we can challenge and encourage one another to live lives that make a difference – that

There is much that the community of SSUC does together. We make meals, sponsor refugees, discuss ideas, make music, extend care, work for justice, mentor new generations, engage issues, build safe community, and gather to celebrate for many reasons. But what if we had to define what we seek to accomplish together in one sentence?