Will Gillan's Dilemma

Willard Gillan went to his bench in the corner of the basement. He had gone to the little workshop almost every evening of November. With each passing hour, his satisfaction had been growing.

Willard (or Will as his friends called him) was an artisan of sorts. He worked with paint brushes, wood chisels, sandpaper, and saws. He followed the carpenter's son from Nazareth but lived on a tough side of Chicago.

A picture had been in his mind, and now it stood almost life-size in his little work area. There was Joseph, Mary, the straw-filled manger, four shepherds huddled together, two sheep, and three bowing kings. The only thing lacking was the Christ Child.

Will had decided to go for realism. The baby would look like a normal middle-eastern infant-a baby with dark hair, not blond, and jet-black eyes, not blue. After all, the child had been bom in Israel to Jewish parents.

All month he had thought about where he would place the nativity scene. All along his idea had been to put it outside in the darkness of the street and light it up. A deeper darkness characterized his neighborhood than that which came when the sun went down and the neon beer sign flickered on across the street. It was to that deeper darkness that shadows human hearts that he had wanted to bring light and beauty, yet simplicity.

He had done the same thing last year. It hadn't been as nicely crafted as this group. Will's wife had been ill with cancer (she died in the spring), so he had not had as much time to put into it. This year there had been lots of time.

You may ask why he didn't just put up the old one. Why go to all the bother of making a new and even better holy family? That's what had him in turmoil. Frustrated vandals had come one night last year with fluorescent orange paint cans and sprayed sexual obscenities all over the virgin's face.

A few nights later they twisted Joseph's head off. Will had patched it up, but on Christmas Eve they hacked the shepherds to pieces and stole the little baby. In his place in the manger, they had thrust a plastic toy pig.

The police had come. Neighbors had come around too, the same folks who had "ooed and aahed" when he had first set it up. That night they were nervous and quiet and conveniently blind. No one had heard or seen anything.

Though there wasn't a basin, the constable turned his back on the mess, walked away, and "washed his hands." He knew what he should do but he couldn't. The splintered wood was laid to rest in a dumpster.

Yet light was desperately needed in the darkness of the street. So Will had begun again. Yet he had also been going back and forth in his mind about where he was going to place the manger scene this year so that it would be safe.

Could he somehow protect it behind heavy gauge wire? What about plexi-glass? Was there a place up higher-out of the reach of the darkness - perhaps on the little balcony?

All these thoughts had been rummaging around in his heart. There had to be a safe place. Why should he risk its getting ripped apart again?

This year's work was his finest. He had even momentarily thought of keeping it inside . . . for himself . . . where it was safe.

And then he had read the Book. It said, "Being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a human, [Jesus] humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross!"

Then he knew that he had no choice as to where the manger scene was to be placed.

written in 1993 by Bishop Keith Elford, who was serving as pastor of First Free Methodist Church in Moose Jaw at the time.

All time favourite CD's

Music is my passion. I enjoy worshiping God with it, but I can't deny its ubiquitous nature in the world around us. It is everywhere, and it moves people emotionally (both in the positive and negative). I think this is why I tend to gravitate toward music that speaks to me about God, but does it in such a way that is highly musical, creative and is generally making some positive and spiritual cultural impact. What is generally thought of as Contemporary Christian (CCM) and especially the popular worship genre is everywhere in the Christian culture, but has left hardly a dent on the rest of the world. Jesus said something about being salt (what's the point if it's tasteless) and light (what's the point if it is hidden under a bushel). Here are a few of my top picks (mostly current) that you may not find at the local Christian bookstore, but move me towards God. Hopefully they will do the same for you and some of your friends. CD's are listed from newest to oldest.

Neko Case – Fox Confessor Brings the Flood [2006] Neko's voice compells the listener. Her songwriting stirs the soul. "John Saw that Number" lights up those old time gospel feelings, "A Widow's Toast" tells it like it is, and she calls the listener to "Hold on, Hold on" to what is true. A modern masterpiece.

Calexico / Iron & Wine – "In the Reins" [2005] A southwestern band and a folk artist combine for an incredible well written and performed EP. The title track "He Lays In The Reins" is worth the price of admission, or at least a $.99 download from iTunes.

Nickel Creek – Why Should the Fire Die? [2005] Although most of the songwriting content focuses on love lost, this young bluegrass/pop outfit delivers with passion and fun. "Doubting Thomas" strikes the heart with the challenges of belief and unbelief, while other songs might have you dancing a jig in your kitchen.

Bill Mallonee – Dear Life [2004] The former front man for Vigilantes of Love (VOL) draws an honest picture of life as a struggling Christian with a true heart towards God. The songwriting is great and you may find "Kidz on Drugz (or Life)" to be on repeat for many days.

Johnny Cash – American Recordings (I) - [2002] The first (and I believe the best) of many Cash CD's produced by Rick Rubin. Johnny comes back raw and rasping out old favourites like "Why Me Lord" from an older perspective. "Redemption" tell the story and the "Beast In Me" cuts a clear path of repentance for Johnny and the listener.

Emmylou Harris – Wrecking Ball [1995] "Wrecking Ball" is probably the finest example of what I would call a great album. Produced by Daniel Lanois it also features Neil Young, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, and Larry Mullen, Jr. Musically, it takes high marks and respect from the artistic world. Emmylou's voice trembles with sweet emotion. Spiritually, it takes you closer to Jesus and to the heart of what it means to be human and live in this world. This CD is both light and salt. Featuring songs like "All My Tears", "Every Grain of Sand" and "Orphan Girl." One of the best Christian CD's you will ever find, not found in your local Christian bookstore.

Jason Johnston is a Church Planter in Mississauga, ON <<www.housechurch.ca>>

Churches Partnering in Mission

“God bless you greatly, it is very pleasing for us to have the power to include you each year and we thank you for your aid.” Those are the words of Pastor Nito Castro Vilarino, a Spanish Free Methodist church planter in Madrid. This summer, for the second year, a Canadian team of young adults worked alongside Nito and his wife Lili in their outreach to marginalized youth in a suburban park.
This partnership began three years ago when a Canadian FM exploratory team met with Nito and Lili to understand their vision for ministry. For the past two years the Free Methodist Church in Westport, Ontario, has sent team leaders Ike and Kathy Doornekamp to continue building the relationship and contribute to their ministry. Chris Crozier, the son of Westport pastor Rusty Crozier, was with the Encounter team in 2005 and is back in Madrid spending 6 months working alongside Nito and Lili.
In the current global situation we need to realize that the centre of the Christian world has moved to the southern hemisphere. Post-modern, post-Christendom, North American Christians are steadily losing any influence we had just because we were “Western Christians.” Latin American, African, Asian Christians are taking the lead in evangelizing their own countries and people groups. What’s different about their approach, however, is that they are asking to work at this task together with North American Christians, rather than independently.
Paul Gupta, president of the Hindustan Bible Institute in India says, “If we are going to develop healthier environments of interdependency we must understand we are all on the same page; we are all dependent, must have a global mindset and must find ways of working together in order to create a synergy that will make a difference. We must develop systems of mutual trust and accountability.”
The underlying missiological principles in the partnership model are 1) that God gives vision, gifts and resources to all parts of his body, whether in Canada or in Cambodia; 2) that the Great Commission – to take the Jesus story to all people groups – is given to all believers, whether in Canada or in Cameroon. Therefore in our present globalized world, the whole family of Jesus-followers needs to be involved, working together, in the mission of the Church. Each part of the family brings vision, gifts and resources to the table.
A developmental partnership in Christian ministry is a cooperative relationship between two autonomous bodies whereby each enables the other to grow in its capacity to initiate and carry out change for the sake of the gospel. Our experience has shown that Canadian churches involved in partnerships gain as much from the partnership as their international partners.
Developmental partnerships have three characteristics: relationship, vision, and results. Relationship is the means by which trust, communication, and collaboration are made possible – “do we know each other well enough to respect and trust each partner’s contribution to the whole?” Vision is a compelling picture of what the partnership can achieve and how it is going to get there – “what can be done together for the Kingdom and how are we going to do it?” Results describes the partnership’s capacity to deliver tangible outcomes – “what are we getting done?”
Partnerships between local congregations and international ministries represent a unique opportunity for church involvement in mission. These partnerships take all the available mission education, intercultural sensitivity, and mobilization resources of a local church and Global Ministries input, and integrates them into a comprehensive expression of the life of a local church in mission.
In the summer of 2006, Ricelawn FMC in Welland, ON sent Senior Pastor Bob Snider, ministerial intern Chris Payk and his wife Terri, as well as board member Germain Coloumbe, to Taipei, Taiwan on an exploratory trip. Ricelawn Church is investigating the possibility of a long-term partnership with a church in Taipei, one of our identified Gateway Cities. Chris and Terri spent 6 weeks working alongside Pastor Daniel Lo in the Mu Cha FMC, while Bob and Germain spent a couple weeks in Taipei and outlying regions. From this initial visit a 3-5 year ministry partnership is developing.
Barrie FMC sent an exploratory team to Accra, Ghana, last summer, and this year John-Mark and Loreli Cockram [ministry leaders at Barrie] have moved to Ghana for a two year assignment in partnership with the national church-planting team there.
Ecclesiax FMC in Ottawa has been sending teams to northern Quebec for a number of years, partnering with aboriginal Christians to encourage wholeness and healing in several First Nations communities.
Trull’s Road FMC in Courtice, ON sent a team to Hyderabad, India this summer as part of the ongoing partnership between them, New Horizons FMC in Sarnia, ON, and the Hyderabad Mission District. This year’s team included retired Tyndale Seminary professor, Roy Matheson who conducted Spiritual Warfare seminars with pastors and lay leaders.
Speaking of Trull’s Road’s partnership in India, Pastor Barry Taylor suggests that “a lot of time can be spent in just getting things done locally towards the great commission. The trouble with that kind of thinking is that it creates too much selfishness, even if it is dealing with kingdom work. Seeing how as a church we can strive to be strategic and intentional about our kingdom work locally and globally keeps us from getting entrenched in our own problems and needs.”
Wesley Chapel, Toronto, ON and Northview FMC, Regina, SK have been partnering in Sri Lanka along with Mississauga Tamil FMC, for several years now. This summer’s team included 3 from Wesley Chapel and 4 from Northview.
Each of these partnerships has developed over a period of several years. Getting their local church vision aligned with ministry possibilities beyond their doors is the first step. But then diving into the risk-taking exploratory visits, developing workable partnerships between people of different cultures, then embarking on long-term investments of people and resources.
Sometimes churches are intimidated by the idea of developing an international partnership. Pastor Barry Taylor feels that “we are by no means perfect in this endeavour. We are striving to improve and be more effective, less self-focused. One of the best ways that we can be effective in battling this pull towards self has been to see where in the world God is at work and join him there. Through the leading of the Holy Spirit and some seasoned workers (like Pastor Doug Griffin of New Horizons, in Sarnia) we began a partnership with the Free Methodist Church in India, specifically the Hyderabad Free Methodist Mission District. Even though it is the furthest away our church has ever partnered, we are finding people’s hearts turning to see what they can do. They are seeing the world from a broader reality.”
“We have done two trips – one in September of 2004 when I travelled to Hyderabad with Doug Griffin (kind of a fact finding trip). This past August we had a team of 6 people go to resource and teach pastors there. We have given funds to support pastors, raised money to help purchase ministry property and helped develop existing property. This involvement, in turn, has helped us to see that God is at work around the world. It has been encouraging to know that our going and offering encouragement has blessed the church there. But perhaps in greater ways we are blessed by them and their incredible faith.”

Rev. Dan Sheffield is the Director Intercultural and Global Ministries for The Free Methodist Church in Canada