NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT CO-OP PRESENTATION

Presentation on Co-operatives
FAIR TRADE FAIR & CAFE
Sunday,May 4, 2013
Donway Covenant United Church
230 The Donway West, Toronto, Ontario

Bio Note: Brian Burch is involved with a number of types of co-operatives, including housing (President, Don Area Co-operative Homes; Ontario Regional Director, CHF Canada); financial (Director, Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative); and worker (Vice-President, Ganesh Community Development Co-operative).

There are days when I feel very old—in 1979 I took part in a conference on Human Rights and Social Responsibility at Queen’s University, which included discussions on fair trade and co-operatives. Decades later, the ebb and flow of social change again brings economic justice to a central role in social justice movements. From the Occupy movement calling for people to move bank accounts to credit unions to community bonds funding new green energy producing co-ops, our world seems again willing and able to embrace the co-operative model.

I’ll touch on a few general points and then have a question and then have a question/answer/conversation period.

The first point is that co-operative initiatives have a long history. I think that the co-operative spirit is woven into what it means to be human. From the pooling labour for harvesting crops to barn raising, from quilting bees to bringing over a casserole when a neighbour has experienced a crisis, we work together. We may think of co-ops as being the formal structures they have become, the Mountain Equipment or Karma Co-ops, but woven into the nature of all co-operatives is the human spirit that encourages us to work together for our common good.

Organisationally, co-operatives as we understand them go back to the middle ages when co-operative trading ventures, road construction companies and similar ventures were formed. However, the formal start of the modern co-op began in Rochdale, England in 1844 where weavers came together to open a consumer co-operative store to sell goods that people could not otherwise afford. The principles these people developed became the modern co-op principles that the global co-op movement has embraced, principles that distinguish co-operatives from other social institutions. These 7 principles are

1. Voluntary and Open Membership: Cooperatives are voluntary organizations, open to all people able to use its services and willing to accept the responsibilities of membership, without gender, social, racial, political or religious discrimination.
2. Democratic Member Control: Cooperatives are democratic organizations controlled by their members—those who buy the goods or use the services of the cooperative—who actively participate in setting policies and making decisions.
3. Members’ Economic Participation: Members contribute equally to, and democratically control, the capital of the cooperative. This benefits members in proportion to the business they conduct with the cooperative rather than on the capital invested.
4. Autonomy and Independence: Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members. If the co-op enters into agreements with other organizations or raises capital from external sources, it is done so based on terms that ensure democratic control by the members and maintains the cooperative’s autonomy.
5. Education, Training and Information: Cooperatives provide education and training for members, elected representatives, managers and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperative. Members also inform the general public about the nature and benefits of cooperatives.
6. Cooperation among Cooperatives serve their members most effectively and strengthen the cooperative movement by working together through local, national, regional and international structures.
7. Concern for Community While focusing on member needs, cooperatives work for the sustainable development of communities through policies and programs accepted by the members.

From the smallest worker co-op to Co-operators Insurance, from a community radio co-operative to Gay Lea Dairies, these principles unite the global co-operative movement. These principles are taken seriously as being what makes co-operatives truly distinctive. Non-profit day care centres and Sunkist are equally valued parts of the movement.

The co-operative structure is a very flexible one. There are no areas of human activity where co-operatives can’t find a niche. Co-op members provide medical care and housing, sell beer and gasoline, conduct research and organise communities to address poverty and homelessness. In bringing individuals together to pool resources within a co-operative structure social needs are met in a more creative, accountable and responsive way. Co-ops are a third way, different from state enterprises or traditional corporate structures. At the core, co-ops are groups of individuals who collectively achieve something greater than they could achieve on their own.

Growing up, the first co-op I became aware of was The Algoma Steelworkers Credit Union, which my parents were members of. I then heard of Co-operator’s Insurance, because my family had policies with them. I first became active in co-ops when I helped form a food buying club at University; bulk buying of food meant more money for other things. As a graduate student I become connected to student housing co-operatives and early fair trade initiatives, linking social justice activists in Canada to those struggling to gain control of their own destiny in other lands. I had a chance to learn more about co-operatives from those working to establish them in Nicaragua and South Africa while becoming familiar with worker and housing co-operatives close to home. Co-operatives challenged oppressive regimes by bringing people together to grow food and weave cloth and make goods sold through networks of solidarity activists here at home. Co-operatives, such as Unfinished Monument Press, published my poetry. Don Area Co-operative Homes has given me a place to live for almost 30 years. I still dream of a co-operative commonwealth where all of society is self-organised and all within creation have access to the goods of creation with all acting as stewards of our shared resources.

CO-OPERATIVE DEFINITIONS AND LINKS

Co-operatives (From Wikipedia)

A cooperative (“coop”), co-operative (“co-op”), or coöperative (“coöp”) is an autonomous association of persons who voluntarily cooperate for their mutual, social, economic, and cultural benefit. Cooperatives include non-profit community organizations and businesses that are owned and managed by the people who use its services (a consumer cooperative) or by the people who work there (a worker cooperative) or by the people who live there (a housing cooperative), hybrids such as worker cooperatives that are also consumer cooperatives or credit unions, multi-stakeholder cooperatives such as those that bring together civil society and local actors to deliver community needs, and second and third tier cooperatives whose members are other cooperatives.

International Co-operative Alliance: http://ica.coop/en

Canadian Co-operative Association: http://www.coopscanada.coop/

On Co-op (CCA Ontario): http://www.ontario.coop/

Housing Co-operative (From Housing Connections):

CO-OPERATIVE HOUSING(CO-OP) – Co-operative housing is collectively owned and managed by its members (the people who live there). Co-operative members actively participate in decision making and share the work involved in running the housing community. Applicants can apply for co-ops through Housing Connections. However the co-ops, and their selection committees, make the final decision to determine suitability when choosing members. As a member of a co-op, you must volunteer and take part in the management of the building.

ICA Housing: http://www.icahousing.coop/

CHF Canada: http://www.chfcanada.coop/eng/pages2007/home.asp

CHF Toronto: http://www.coophousing.com/

Worker Co-operative (From Wikipedia):

A worker cooperative is a cooperative self-managed by its workers. This control may be exercised in a number of ways. A cooperative enterprise may mean a firm where every worker-owner participates in decision making in a democratic fashion, or it may refer to one in which managers and administration is elected by every worker-owner, and finally it can refer to a situation in which managers are considered, and treated as, workers of the firm. In traditional forms of worker cooperative, all shares are held by the workforce with no outside or consumer owners, and each member has one voting share. In practice, control by worker-owners may be exercised through individual, collective or majority ownership by the workforce, or the retention of individual, collective or majority voting rights (exercised on a one-member one-vote basis). A worker cooperative, therefore, has the characteristic that the majority of its workforce own shares, and the majority of shares are owned by the workforce.

CICOPA: http://www.cicopa.coop/

Canadian Worker Co-operative Federation: http://www.canadianworker.coop/

Consumer Co-operatives (From Wikipedia):

Consumer cooperatives are enterprises owned by consumers and managed democratically which aim at fulfilling the needs and aspirations of their members. They operate within the market system, independently of the state, as a form of mutual aid, oriented toward service rather than pecuniary profit. Consumers’ cooperatives often take the form of retail outlets owned and operated by their consumers, such as food co-ops. However, there are many types of consumers’ cooperatives, operating in areas such as health care, insurance, housing, utilities and personal finance (including credit unions).

Consumer Co-operatives World Wide: http://www.ccw.coop/en/

Financial Co-operatives/Credit Unions (From Wikipedia):

A credit union is a member-owned financial cooperative, democratically controlled by its members, and operated for the purpose of promoting thrift, providing credit at competitive rates, and providing other financial services to its members.

World Council of Credit Unions: http://www.woccu.org/

Credit Union Central of Canada: http://www.cucentral.ca/

Credit Unions of Ontario: https://www.creditunionsofontario.com/

Order of Service for Today’s Wedding

INTRODUCTION

P: Dear friends, we have come
together to witness the marriage of
Michelle and Michael and to rejoice
with them.

The union of man and woman in
heart, body and mind is intended for
their mutual comfort and help, that
they may now each other with love,
respect and tenderness.

In marriage, husband and wife give
themselves to each other, to care for
each other in good times and in bad.
They are linked to each other’s families
and friends and they begin a special life
together in the community. It is a way
of life that all should reverence and
none should take lightly.

MICHAEL and MICHELLE, if
either of you know a reason why you
may not lawfully marry, you must
declare that now.

READINGS

Mena: Touched by an Angel
(Maya Angelou)

We, unaccustomed to courage
exiles from delight
live coiled in shells of loneliness
until love leaves its high holy temple
and comes into our sight
to liberate us into life.

Love arrives
and in its train come ecstasies
old memories of pleasure
ancient histories of pain.
Yet if we are bold,
love strikes away the chains of fear
from our souls.

We are weaned from our timidity
In the flush of love’s light
we dare be brave
And suddenly we see
that love costs all we are
and will ever be.
Yet it is only love which sets us free.

Alex: Extract from
‘De Imitatio Christi’

Love often knows no limits but
overflows all bounds. Love feels no
burden, thinks nothing of troubles,
attempts more than it is able, and does
not plead impossibility, because it
believes that it may and can do all
things. For this reason, it is able to do
all, performing and effecting much
where he who does not love fails and
falls. Love is watchful. Sleeping, it does
not slumber. Wearied, it is not tired.
Pressed, it is not straitened. Alarmed, it
is not confused, but like a living flame,
a burning torch, it forces its way
upward and passes unharmed through
every obstacle.

THE WEDDING

P: MICHAEL , will you give yourself
to MICHELLE , to be her husband, to
love her, comfort her, honour and
protect her, and forsaking all others to
be faithful to her for as long as you
both shall live?

G: I will.

P: MICHELLE , will you give yourself
to MICHAEL , to be his wife, to love
him, comfort him, honour and protect
him, and forsaking all others to be
faithful to him for as long as you both
shall live?

G: I will.

MARRIAGE VOWS

P: Repeat after me:

G: I, MICHAEL , take you,
MICHELLE , to be my wife, to have
and to hold from this day forward, for
better, for worse, for richer, for poorer,
in sickness and in health, to love and to
cherish for the rest of our lives. This
is my solemn vow.

P: Repeat after me:

W: I, MICHELLE , take you,
MICHAEL , to be my husband, to
have and to hold from this day
forward, for better, for worse, for
richer, for poorer, in sickness and in
health, to love and to cherish for the
rest of our lives. This is my solemn
vow.

EXCHANGE OF RINGS

P: We now ask MICHELLE and
MICHAEL to exchange rings. Let
these rings be symbols of the vow and
covenant that they have made here this
day. From the elements of the earth,
through work and faith were taken the
material for these rings, just as from the
elements of life and emotion came your
desire for this marriage. As the perfect
circle of a ring symbolizes eternity, in
the years to come may these rings
remind you of this special occasion
when you were united in marriage and
the love you mutually pledge to one
another.

P: Repeat after me.

G: (placing the ring on the fourth
finger of the bride’s left hand)

MICHELLE , with all my love I give
you this ring, an everlasting
symbol of the vows we have made each
other and as a token of my love.

W: MICHAEL , with all my love I give
you this ring, an everlasting symbol of
the vows we have made each other and
as a token of my love.

PRONOUNCEMENT OF THE MARRIAGE

P: (bride and groom hold hands and
face the officiant)

MICHELLE and MICHAEL have
joined themselves to each other by
solemn vows, the joining of hands and
the giving and receiving of rings. By
authority given to me by the Province
of Ontario and the Marriage Act, I now
declare that they are forever husband
and wife. You may now kiss the bride.

The spousal greeting/kiss

COMMUNION

The elements will be shared with those
present who wish to receive.

SIGNING OF THE LICENSE AND
REGISTER

BLESSINGS AND DISMISSAL

P: Blessing of the Apache:

Now you will feel no rain,
for each of you will be shelter
for the other.
Now you will feel no cold,
for each of you will be warmth
to the other.
Now there will be no loneliness,
for each of you will be companion
to the other.
Now you are two persons,
but there is only one life before you.
May beauty surround you
both in the journey ahead
and through all the years,
May happiness be your companion
and your days together be good
and long upon the earth.
Treat yourselves and each other
with respect, and
remind yourselves often of what
brought you together.
Give the highest priority
to the tenderness,
gentleness and kindness that your
connection deserves.
When frustration, difficulties and
fear assail your relationship,
as they threaten all relationships at
one time or another,
remember to focus
on what is right between you,
not only the part
which seems wrong.
In this way,
you can ride out the storms
when clouds hide the face
of the sun in your lives –
remembering that
even if you lose sight of it for a
moment, the sun is still there.
And if each of you takes
responsibility for the quality of your
life together, it will be marked by
abundance and delight.

UNITY CANDLE

P: Light is the essence of our
existence. Each one of us possesses
an inner glow that represents our
hopes, our dreams and aspirations
in life.

MICHELLE and MICHAEL, the
two distinct candle flames represent
your lives before this day,
individual, unique and special.
Please take the candle symbolizing
your life before today, and together
light the center candle to symbolize
the union of your individual lives.
As this new flame burns undivided,
so shall your lives now be one.
From now on your thoughts will
always be for each other rather than
your individual selves. Your plans
will be mutual, your joys and
sorrows both will be shared alike.
Extinguish the two flames
symbolizing your previous lives and
you are forever united together in
love.

P: It is my pleasure to introduce to
you, MICHELLE and MICHAEL as husband and
wife! Now go in peace and forever
celebrate your love and life together!

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT PRESENTATION: MAYDAY AS A RELIGIOUS OBLIGATION

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT PRESENTATION
MAYDAY AS A RELIGIOUS OBLIGATION
Interfaith Spring Holiday Festival
Thorncliffe Neighbourhood Office Youth Centre. 45 – Overlea Blvd. Unit# 108 A
Sunday, April 7, 2013
1:00 P.M.

There are two ways that May Day is celebrated around the world—the first is the deeply rooted celebration of spring and the rebirth of life; the second is the more recent celebration of the value of labour and to seek a world where all can live in a just and dignified way. Some of the spirit of the former infuses the more modern May Day, which is my focus today.

May Day is a somewhat overlooked celebration in North America, but it is here that the labour movement gave birth to this global spanning time to value those whose skills and effort create and provide the goods and services we enjoy. It isn’t just a day for ritual celebration—it is a day to remember those who have died while working to ensure all people are treated with dignity and respect and for the rights of workers to join together to meet common needs.

The first labour Mayday was held on May 1, 1886 as a day of protests and strikes across the United States calling for a 8 hour work day. In Chicago, as a follow up to the day of action and in support of striking workers at the McCormick Harvesting Machine Company who were brutally attacked on May 3rd, 1886, a demonstration was held at Haymarket Square on May 4th. A violent riot broke out after the police arrived en mass to break up the protest leading resulting in deaths and the subsequent arrest, trial and execution of many of the organisers of the May 4th demonstration. Protests around the world were held in support of the Haymarket martyrs and, by 1890 May Day became an annual day of action around the world commemorating Haymarket and calling for economic justice for all.

This sounds very secular but there is a true spiritual component to this struggle and to marking the day. From the food on our table to the maintaining the computers that host our internet servers to providing medical care, the all of the ways we share the gifts of creation and meet our individual and communal needs depends on the labour of others. We do not live in isolation but in mutual dependence. May Day celebrations bring this forward in a clear way. Those that work transform the raw gifts of creation into something new. If we do not respect those that work with creation, how then can we claim to honour the creator? When we cut the wages, benefits and working conditions of those that labour, what does that say about our commitment to living a truly faithful life?

Our sisters and brothers in the Roman Catholic church make this very clear—among the sins that call out to heaven is defrauding laborers of their wages – based on Deut 24:14–15 and James 5:4. Every closing down of a factory to move production to a place with weaker labour and environmental laws; every effort to suppress free collective bargaining, every attack on social benefits such as health care or pensions, is an attack on the wages of those who toil on behalf of all. When we put barriers in the way of people who are seeking employment, who are seeking ways to use their skills productively, we are attacking taking away the wages of workers.

On May Day we come together to remember those who gave their lives for others, to show support for those who are in need and to put forward in the public sphere the demand that those that work for us are entitled to their fair share of what they produce.

In recent years May Day events in the west have broadened the focus to include broader issues of solidarity—community based efforts to weave together the needs and interests of all those that the dominant society tend to marginalize with the ongoing struggle for the rights of workers. At the end of the day these are seen as aspects of the same struggle—-a desire that all within creation have equal access to the gifts of creation and equal responsibility as stewards as these gifts.

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT SERMON – Easter 2013

11:00 AM., Sunday, March 31, 2013
St. Andrew’s Old Catholic Church
Meeting Room, 138 Pears Ave. (Toronto)

FIRST LESSON

Colossians 3: 1 – 4

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY:
John 20: 1 – 10

The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.”

Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre. So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun Peter, and came first to the sepulchre. And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.

Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed. For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.

SERMON PROPER BEGINS

Today we celebrate the impossible made real, the rising of Jesus Christ from the grave. All our fears and hopes have proven themselves to be grounded in the limits of human expectation when the boundaries of existence and non existence have proven porous.

Hope has been returned to the world, the hope that was offered to us at the time of creation and offered again and again in the words of the prophets and through the examples of the saints. But this is a new hope, one brought forward by someone who is not a stranger but our brother.

The Jesus who came out of the tomb on the outskirts of Jerusalem was not a stranger, nor should have his resurrection been a surprise—he told those around him that he would never leave them alone. Our elder brother may have played tricks on us over the years, but he was always trustworthy.

Jesus promised us that death was not the end and he was proven right. He has risen. Jesus has risen today, just as he did 2,000 years ago. Death only has the dominion over our spirits that we permit it to hold.

Christ’s return from the dead doesn’t mean that there all of the problems in the world disappear. Even though God offered us a paradise on earth, we have all too often chosen paths that lead us astray from accepting God’s grace and gifts. Christ’s return from the dead means that all things are again made possible. We can learn again to share the gifts of creation with all; we can find a new relationship with the divine; we can renew and restore our relationships with one other—all things are made new because Jesus is once again with us, because Jesus has risen.

When we think of Jesus’ return from the dead we use a word with many meanings and connotations—he has risen. Bread and cakes rise; we rise from our bed to start our day; the sun rises…when we think of Jesus’ rising we are also thinking of all the other ways something rising affects our lives. We have running through our minds the memories of every time we savoured a fresh loaf of bread or watched a sunrise over a lake shore or resented having to get out of bed to start a long day at a job we don’t like. Our words carry memories as well as their specific meaning and our entire life experience comes together when we consider what it means to have Jesus risen and walking once again with us. It is not only the words of scripture that brings meaning and understanding to the news of Christ’s return. We each bring something unique to the story of Jesus’ resurrection that no one else can.

The gospel reading we hear today is only one story of Jesus’ resurrection. Mary Magdalene’s experience of the empty tomb was different than Peter’s. Other gospels provide different descriptions. Each of Jesus’ friends and family, each of Jesus’ apostles, had something different to tell of Jesus’ resurrection. When we add our own experiences to what we learn of the resurrection we too find that we have a unique gospel to share with the world.

Poem for Easter (Anonymous):

Do not Stand
at my grave and weep,
I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds
that blow.
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awake in the
morning hush
I am the soft uplifting rush
of quiet birds incircling flight.
I am the soft star that
shines at night.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there.
I did not die.

+++++++++++++++++

Christ has died. Christ has risen.
Alleluia.

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT SERMON: Passion Sunday: March 17, 2013

St. Andrew’s Old Roman Catholic Church
Meeting Room, 138 Pears Ave. (Toronto)

FIRST LESSON
1 Corinthians 13: 1 – 13

Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY:
Luke 13:31-43

Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, “Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished. For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on: And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.”

And they understood none of these things: and this saying was hid from them, neither knew they the things which were spoken.

And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging: and hearing the multitude pass by, he asked what it meant. And they told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by. And he cried, saying, “Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me. “

And they which went before rebuked him, that he should hold his peace: but he cried so much the more, “Thou son of David, have mercy on me. “

And Jesus stood, and commanded him to be brought unto him: and when he was come near, he asked him, saying, “What wilt thou that I shall do unto thee?” And he said, “Lord, that I may receive my sight. “ And Jesus said unto him, “Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.”

And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

SERMON PROPER BEGINS

Scripture doesn’t belong just to a faith community—it lives in the world. An image that we struggle to make sense of theologically is often an image writers and artists struggle with to bring to life in a new way. The image from the epistle reading, “we see through a glass, darkly” has been taken up by writers throughout the centuries and in their words bring to us a different understanding. Three examples, excepts from longer poems by Robin Ouzman and General George Patton and an entire poem by Traci Brimwell help illustrate this point:

Excerpt from Through a Glass Darkly
by Robin Ouzman

Part. 1. Haikai.
Arrow pivots arc
& the archer is transfixed between space & flight:
Moving from towards Finite from infinite arrow Appears & disappears:
Angst of the arrow, As string tautens, bow stretches
& the arrow flies.
At the speed of light Arrow pierces crow’s black heart
Through a glass darkly.

From “Through a Glass, Darkly”
by General George S. Patton, Jr.

I have sinned and I have suffered,
Played the hero and the knave;
Fought for belly, shame, or country,
And for each have found a grave.

I cannot name my battles
For the visions are not clear,
Yet, I see the twisted faces
And I feel the rending spear.

Perhaps I stabbed our Savior
In His sacred helpless side.
Yet, I’ve called His name in blessing
When after times I died.

“Through a Glass Darkly”
By Traci Brimhall

You counted days by their cold silences.
…………
At night, wolves and men with bleeding hands
colonized your dreams. The last time I visited,
…………
you said you trapped a dead woman in your room
who told you to starve yourself to make room for God, 
…………
so I let them give your body enough electricity
to calm it. Don’t be afraid. The future is not disguised 
…………
as sleep. It is a tango. It is a waterfall between
two countries, the river that tried to drown you. 
…………
It is a city where men speak a language
you can fake if you must. It’s the hands of children
…………
thieving your empty pockets. It’s bicycles
with bells ringing through the streets at midnight. 
…………
Come up from the basement. It’s not over.
Before the sun rises, moonlight on the trees. 
…………
Before they tear the asylum down, joy.

++++++++++++++++

Scripture tells us many things about the nature of divinity and what it is like to be human; preachers and theologians work with the words of scripture to find ways of making the messages fresh in every generation. Artists take the same words and help give new meaning to them. The worlds theologians and artists are parallel; words and images link them together but their responses to what scripture tells them is unique.

For those seeking to live a faithful life, having the experiences of distinct responses to scripture is a blessing. The words of scripture aren’t bound into a tradition but free in the world; rather the different approaches to our shared heritage helps to ensure we can make sense of scripture.

If the bible, if any scripture, is held up as an authority only within the faith tradition its meaning can easily be frozen in time. Those within the faith tradition become rigid both in thought and practice. It is only when those who look at scripture with fresh eyes share their insights that scripture truly becomes a living witness. God’s will for those within creation is seen with new eyes and being a faithful seeker of understanding of the divine will becomes easier.
We hear the words of scripture differently when we know they aren’t just ours. The message of love is for everyone, not just a narrowly defined community of
believers. And it is not just us that says God is universal, that the words the founders of our faith put down are universal—it it those outside of our faith that find meaning in scripture and who share their insights that makes our faith something for all.

Because those outside our faith take our scripture seriously we are encouraged to do so as well. Sometimes we feel too close to scripture, too certain in understanding of what God is saying to us, to make real sense of what is being shared with us. We become afraid of thinking about what we read; somewhat hesitant in interpreting the words we hear. But when someone outside our faith, a stranger to our community, finds meaning and truth in our scripture that we haven’t, we realize how exciting our scripture is, how full of meaning each passage is. It is not a relic from the early days but a new and inspiring message God offers to us in the here and now.

We are walking the Lenten journey, observing our brother Jesus as he walks towards his passion, death and resurrection. This isn’t a historic journey but an ever present one. Every day Jesus walks among us on this journey, sharing in our celebrations and fear and suffering and death and hopes. Time is uncertain during periods of life and death, of Lent and Advent. All things become possible in our lives because we can be open to what surprising became possible in Bethlehem and at Golgotha.

Our liturgical journey through the year is a creative response to the words of scripture; poems we heard just a few moments ago are another creative response. In our reading of scripture on our own or in community, let us try to learn from those who see in our scripture an eternally new source of inspiration.

THE MORNING BEFORE LENT

God has given us a gift of time
in which the burdens added to creation
can be shed.

We are given a chance
to restore our Eden.

We are called to wander forever
shaded by Golgotha; protected
in liminal grace.

GENERAL THOUGHTS ON NON-VIOLENCE

Non-violence philosophy for animal activism

Multi-faith centre, 569 Spadina Ave. University of Toronto,

Koffler Auditorium (1st floor)

Non-violence philosophy for animal activism

Thursday, December 13, 2012, 7:00 p.m.

Multi-faith centre, 569 Spadina Ave.

University of Toronto, Koffler Auditorium (1st floor)

Thanks for the opportunity to share some thoughts on non-violence.    I apologise in advance for depending on notes and not being as energetic as I might be.  I’m recovering from the flu and my thoughts seem to be ever more scattered than normal.

I’ll start by suggesting some of the best counter arguments to my approach to social change can be found in Ward Churchill’s Pacifism as Pathology.   There are other works available, both in print and on-line, that critically examine non-violence but I find that Churchill raises concerns I hadn’t thought of and he approaches the whole subject in clear and direct language.    If you are seriously considering embracing non-violence either in terms of strategy and tactics or as a life-long set of guiding moral principals do so consciously.   One of the core Gandhian principal is that we are experimenting with the truth—the possibility exists we don’t have it and non-violence does need to be tested both in theory and in practice.

I want people to consider three expressions of non-violence—non-violence to one’s self; non-violence to one’s cause; and non-violence as a movement in and of itself.     I may not formally touch on these ideas this evening, but think about them.   Your wellbeing is essential to the movements you are a part of; the movements you are a part of are essential to the world.

There have been a number of efforts to summarise non-violence, but I find that Ghandi’s and King’s still have the most impact:

Ghandi’s Principals of Non-violence

-          All life is one.

-          We each have a piece of the truth and the un-truth.

-          Human beings are more than the evil they sometimes commit.

-          The means must be consistent with the ends.

-          We are called to celebrate both our differences and our fundamental unity with others.

-          We reaffirm our unity with others when we transform “us” versus “them” thinking and doing.

-          Our oneness calls us to want, and to work for, the well-being of all.

-          The nonviolent journey is a process of becoming increasingly free from fear.

Martin Luther King’s Principals of Non-violence:

1)      Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.

It is active nonviolent resistance to evil.

It is assertive spiritually, mentally, and emotionally.

It is always persuading the opponent of the justice of your cause.

2)   Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.

The end result of nonviolence is redemption and reconciliation.

The purpose of nonviolence is the creation of the Beloved Community.

3)   Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice, not people.

Nonviolence holds that evildoers are also victims.

4)   Nonviolence holds that voluntary suffering can educate and transform.

Nonviolence willingly accepts the consequences of its acts.

Nonviolence accepts suffering without retaliation.

Nonviolence accepts violence if necessary, but will never inflict it.

Unearned suffering is redemptive and has tremendous educational and transforming possibilities.

Suffering can have the power to convert the enemy when reason fails.

5) Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate.

Nonviolence resists violence of the spirit as well as of the body.

Nonviolent love gives willingly, knowing that the return might be hostility.

Nonviolent love is active, not passive.

Nonviolent love does not sink to the level of the hater.

Love for the enemy is how we demonstrate love for ourselves.

Love restores community and resists injustice.

Nonviolence recognizes the fact that all life is interrelated.

6) Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.

The nonviolent resister has deep faith that justice will eventually win.

I see myself as both a Christian and an anarchist and both streams of thought and experience lead me to embrace non-violence.   My anarchist side is primarily influenced by Kropotkin’s Mutual Aid; my faith side primarily influenced by the writings and examples of Dorothy Day, Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King.

What I find most attractive about non-violence is its immediate practicality.  We respond to the world in the here and now.  We don’t wait for a far off time to attempt to put our ideals into practice; they are important now.    While pushing for an end to segregation, let’s integrate our movement; While pushing for an end to factory farming, let’s have vegetarian/vegan meals together.    While pushing for the legalisation of the contraception, let’s open up a family planning clinic;  While waiting for the abolition of the state, let’s have consensus decision making and radical inclusion in our movements.

Non-violence is very inclusive.   You don’t have to be physically fit; you don’t have to have lengthy training.   Anyone can chose to do less harm in the world and find ways to do so.    Even in the midst of militant campaigns, in the midst of dealing with physical force one can chose not to respond in kind.  Non-violence is not passive; it isn’t cowardly but it is also not just for an elite.    Indeed, looking at the theoreticians and practitioners of successful non-violent movements leaders and theoreticians have been primarily from outsiders and marginalized—women; LGBT communities; people of colour/racialised people; first nations; religious minorities.

Non-violence encourages open and respectful communication and dialogue.   Our opponents are an important part of this dialogue.    We would like them to join us in our struggle for a better world.     This isn’t likely to happen if they are faced with contempt and abuse.   The people who are bringing the pigs to slaughter ultimately see themselves as good people; look at ways to reinforce this.   Conversions do take place.

Non-violence is creative.   It isn’t just occupations or blockades; in many ways it is expressed best as performance art.    From applying for permits to levitate the pentagon to taking a pinch of salt from the sea to climbing over a wall at a shipyard to providing free vegetarian meals to those at or near a slaughterhouse, non-violence looks at ways both legal and illegal to point out alternatives that help build a better world.

Non-violence is both stubborn and flexible in its expression.   To achieve social transformation, one must be persistent.  Change takes time.  But how you achieve isn’t determined or dependent on a one time/one way expression.

My embrace of non-violence wasn’t easy.  When I began my activism the Black Panthers, Weather Underground, Red Brigades, FLQ and other advocates of violence and armed self defence were among my heroes.    I greatly admired the work of Martin Luther King but there was a romance around urban guerrillas that was attractive.    There was resonance in Mikhail Bakunin’s statement “The passion for destruction is also a creative passion.”   Armed revolution leading to the establishment of a radical new social order was seen as possible around the world.

But there were other images too—the young people painting flowers on the sides of tanks during the putdown of the Prague spring in Czechoslovakia; the young man putting flowers in the barrels of guns of the military surrounding the pentagon; a young girl crying because napalm was etching into her flesh.   There were courageous people in the world opposing violence with love and thoughtless violence hurts innocent people.    And there were people coming together from radical opposing sides finding common ground—veterans coming back from Vietnam opposing war ever more fervently than those that were jailed or went into exile to avoid serving.

And while some struggles were being played out in the public sphere, revolution was also happening in quiet ways.  In 1969 the Canadian Criminal Code was amended to permit distribution of information about contraception—after a  many decades long struggle which including lobbying, defiance of the law and a sustained commitment to making lives better in the here and now, not after the revolution.   Our world had changed, not through violence but through persistence compassion.

The final conversion to non-violence came from working with those involved with radical movements for social transformation.   Trainers from the Movement for A New Society brought ideas such as consensus decision making, brainstorming and other ideas of community based non-violent direct action forward—ideas now taken for granted; Grindstone Co-operative provided training and retreats to explore radical organisational forms; and those involved in the early days of Alliance for Non-Violent Action (particularly Ken Hancock) looked at ways of exploring non-violence in efforts ranging from the conversion of Litton Industries from military to peaceful production to gay rights.

I became convinced in the value of non-violence first because it worked.   While people were blowing up mailboxes in support of a nationalist struggle, the feminist world was transforming the way we lived our lives.   Those involved in sustained non-violence were able to set down roots, reach out across differences and show by example the type of world they wished to create—the most radical form of propaganda by deed.

This was also the period when a real transformation of our approach to the world around us began.   The first Earth Day was human centric but it arose from a desire to do less harm to the world around us; it was only after that that I noticed something odd happening in small ways and they growing.   It became common-place to have vegetarian food at potlucks—again something just taken for granted now; we began to care for nature less to preserve it for future exploitation than because it was more readily apparent that our world has value in and of itself.    We began talking less of humane treatment of animals than of animal rights—this transformation started because people engaged in the hard work of doing research, communicating and sharing ideas, persistently asking for vegetarian and then vegan meal options at progressive events.    We are far from the end of this struggle but in 1970 it would not have been expected for main stream media to run a documentary on pig farming or run editorials and op-ed pieces on the conditions faced by factory farmed animals if it wasn’t for the decades long non-violent movement that brought vegetarianism and animal rights from the fringes to main stream.

I am not on the front lines anymore; most of my work involves co-operatives and non-profits and far too much sitting.    These are third way experiments—neither corporate or state—in addressing shared needs and desires.    But through them I get to learn from people in Ghana and Haiti, from the Philippines and Lithuania, who are experimenting with similar structures to meet the needs of struggling communities.   Each new housing co-op; each successful micro-financing initiative; is in itself an experiment in non-violence—the structures aren’t perfect because humans are involved—but they bring people from diverse backgrounds and experiences together to jointly solve problems.

Some suggested print resources:

Mahatma Gandhi:   Hind swarag and other writings

Christopher Key Chapple:   Nonviolence to animals, earth, and self in Asia                       traditions

Clayborne Carson and Kris Shepard, eds.:  A call to conscience : the landmark speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Leo Tolstoy:  The Kingdom of God is Within You

Some suggested on-line resources:

Training for Change:   http://www.trainingforchange.org/

Ruckus Society:  http://www.ruckus.org/

Waging Nonviolence:   http://wagingnonviolence.org/

WIN:   http://www.warresisters.org/aboutwin

Some Year End Donation Suggestions

As Advent in 2012 progresses and the year comes to a beginning and an end, we may find the desire both to do good in the world and find some funds available to help in this work. Here are a few suggestions of groups which I have supported over the years that would certainly put your gifts to good use.

1. St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing Society
. Suite C – 180 Sudbury Street
, Toronto, Ontario
 M6J 0A8.

St. Clare’s is continues to both develop new affordable housing efforts and provide affordable housing to people, most of whom come as a result of referrals from agencies working directly with the homeless, marginalized and difficult to house. St. Clare’s grew out of Toronto Action for Social Change, which organised a number of creative protests during the Harris years. More information can be found at: http://stclares.ca/

2. FoodShare Toronto. 
90 Croatia Street, Toronto, ON M6H 1K9. Attention: Adrienne De Francesco.

From the good food box programme to community gardening to advocating for sustainable food policies, FoodShare works hard to make sure that social justice includes what is on the table. More information can be found at: http://www.foodshare.net/

3. Rooftops Canada. 
720 Spadina Avenue, Suite 313, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2T9

Rooftops Canada, the international development arm of Canadian co-operative and non-profit housing movements, works with overseas partners in countries from the Baltic Sea to Zimbabwe to “improve housing conditions, build sustainable communities and develop a shared vision of equitable global development. “ Rooftops initiatives range from capacity building to microfinance.  More information can be found at: http://www.rooftops.ca/

4. Canadian Alternative Investment Foundation (CAIF), 
CSI Regent Park,
585 Dundas St East, 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario M5A 2B7.

CAIF has developed from the Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative (CAIC), which does social investing on behalf of Canadian charities. CAIF is a charitable foundation which will be providing grants and loans to charitable organisations involved in community initiatives that further the vision of CAIC’s founders. More information can be found at http://www.caifoundation.ca/

5. Elizabeth Fry Society
. 215 Wellesley Street E.
, Toronto ON M4X 1G1

The Elizabeth Fry Society provides effective support for women involved with the criminal justice system. From transitional housing to jail support, E Fry makes a difference in the lives of women in conflict with the law. More information can be found at: http://www.efrytoronto.org/n/

6. CHFT Charitable Fund, 
658 Danforth Avenue, Suite 306, 
Toronto, ON, M4J 5B9

The CHFT Charitable Fund is a project of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto. Its programmes have ranged from diversity scholarships to support for the Green Roof initiative at Hugh Garner Housing Co-operative to a basketball court at Atkinson Co-op. More information can be found at: http://www.coophousing.com/charitable/charitable_mission.asp

Over the years I have also supported the following organisations that are more activist than charitable in focus. These include:

7. Christian Peacemaker Teams.

In the USA:
CPT, PO Box 6508; Chicago IL 60680-6508

In Canada:

CPT, 25 Cecil Street, Unit 310; Toronto, ON M5T 1N1

CPT sends delegations to places of conflict to be a practical resource for non-violence and a witness to the world of violence and injustice. From Columbia to Iraq to first nations in Canada, CPT delegations have been a hopeful presence in many places around the world. For more information see http://www.cpt.org/

8. Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. 157 Carlton Street, Unit 206, 
Toronto, Ontario
 M5A 2K3

From direct action casework to solidarity with imprisoned refugee claimants to walking picket lines, OCAP activists are a strong voice for economic and social justice. For more information http://www.ocap.ca/

9. Wilderness Committee. P.O. Box 2205, Station Terminal, Vancouver, BC V6B 3W2

The Wilderness Committee is a mainstream but persistent voice for wilderness and endangered species. In addition to political campaigns, they are a good source of fair trade goods not found elsewhere. For more information see http://wildernesscommittee.org/home

10. Peace Brigades Canada. 145 Spruce Street, Suite 206, Ottawa, ON K1R 6P1

Peace Brigades Canada is a part of a global network of activists who work with human rights activists in places of conflict. From Nepal to Mexico, Peace Brigades volunteers have accompanied human rights workers as the eyes of the world. For more information see http://www.pbicanada.org/

The above is not an exhaustive list. I donate monthly to the Student Christian Movement of Canada and the Christian Resource Centre. I support the work of Homes Not Bombs. In the past many organisations including The Canadian Friends Service Committee and Amnesty International had me among their regular donors. However, I think my top 10 represent a range of places, from social investing to radical peacemaking, that are my priorities at the end of 2012.

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT PRESIDENT’S REPORT—2012 CAIC AGM

Brian Burch, CAIC Board Chair presents Maureen Moloughney, Executive Director of Heartwood House, Ottawa, ON with a token of appreciation for her “heartwarming” presentation to CAIC’s members. — at CAIC.

 

Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative

2012 Annual General Meeting

CSI Regent Park, 585 Dundas St. East, 3rd Floor, Toronto, Ontario

December 4, 2012

2012 has been the U.N. International Year of Co-operatives.   Around the world co-operatives in all our movement’s diversity have found ways to honour the alternative vision that the co-operative sector offers the world.    During this year many co-operatives have worked hard to develop legacy projects, ways of keeping the hope and public awareness of co-operatives during IYC alive in the future.    CAIC’s model of diverse investors pooling their resources to fund social enterprises and co-operative ventures has been taken up by other co-operative organisations as their legacy project, including the Canadian Co-operative Association.    CAIC’s legacy project really can be found in such initiatives—-our 28 years of pioneering work is still perceived as new and exciting and our way of doing things seen as being essential in helping grass roots organisations meet real needs.   CAIC may not get the public credit for this ground breaking work—articles in the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star on this innovative approach to supporting local initatives have not mentioned CAIC—but there is real comfort in knowing that our vision continues to be one that is seen as radical and transforming.

Our year that just ended was significant in many ways.   We physically moved to a place where social innovation is a given; our board and staff devoted a great deal of time to considering the long term viability of CAIC and the type of staffing model would best suit the changing times.   We continued to help nurture the infant Canadian Alternative Investment Foundation and watched it take its first steps towards real independence.  And our board and staff worked hard to meet the needs both of our member/owners and those who sought our help.

Moving our office was not an easy task.   Finding new space was time consuming, but having a home at the Centre for Social Innovation is a great opportunity for CAIC.  This work primarily fell on Valerie Lemieux’s shoulders, work which was on top of her ensuring our loans are fully performing, our board and advisory board packages are prepared and distributed, our public face on the web and Facebook up to date and the GMM planned and its logistics worked out.   Fortunately, Gigi Inara has been able to provide additional administrative support for CAIC, taking some of this burden on with great results.

16 applications, both from new organisations and from those we have helped in the past were reviewed by the board during the past fiscal year.     During that time 9 projects had funds advanced; two were approved but for different reasons did not have funds released and others had funds released after year end.  Among those CAIC supported were community loan funds, a fair trade worker co-operative, social incubator sites, a housing co-operative and aboriginal housing. Beth Coates will provide more details of CAIC’s loan portfolio during her presentation later in the meeting.    The board, the staff and the advisory board devoted many hours in reviewing the material submitted.  Beth Coates also spent hours with potential applicants ensuring their proposals were well thought out before they came to the board for consideration.

Our loan work is made a lot easier by those who volunteer to serve on our advisory board.   Jen Heneberry, Andre Schroer, Paul Connolly, Ted Hyland and Karen Knopf have together given over a quarter century of service to the work of CAIC.   They help ensure that CAIC does due diligence on all the loans that come before us, while reminding us always of the social mission of CAIC.

The board of directors of CAIC—Fr. Paul Hansen, Moira Hutchinson, Sr. Doryne Kirby, Sr. Nellie Pomroy and myself—shared in the hard task of being practical idealists.   We all have a history of working for social justice which underlies the stewardship role we have for the resources our members have entrusted to us.  We would welcome additional work, though, both in terms of having more applications to review and in having more money to lend.   And we’ll always enjoy having approval of new members on our meeting agendas.

These last tasks are ones our members share in—you are the eyes, ears and hands of our co-operative.   You know who has needs that CAIC could help address; you know the charities that are out there which share our vision and could be encouraged to join our work.   The strength and viability of the Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative is our membership; communities that have a common vision of wanting to alleviate poverty, hunger, homelessness, violence and other attacks on those that share in creation.    There is a realisation that our resources can do more together than we can achieve on our own.    CAIC members have helped to reduce homelessness and urban poverty in Canada; CAIC members have helped new incubator centres of social innovation come into being; CAIC members have helped plant seeds of hope across the country and, through the partnerships some of our projects have in other lands, in places far beyond our ability to reach.

Thanks to our truly dedicated staff, our advisors, our board members and our member/owners CAIC continues to be a visionary presence in the world.     Our annual meeting is a time to conduct business, reflect on the world around us and share together as a community which rarely comes together.     It is also our recommissioning, our rededication to the mission of CAIC.  At the end of the day when we leave here, let us leave with a renewed sense of delight in what we have achieved and a continued desire to build a new and better world for all.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE 2012 ONPHA CONFERENCE

The 2012 ONPHA conference is now a moment in history.  I feel tired and drained.   I don’t have the bounce of hope that I leave a co-op gathering with, but I do have a few more skills to draw upon and some confidence that there are people in the world trying to build a better world and a better movement even if the formal structure they work in is more of a civil servant network than an alliance of affordable housing visionaries.

The oddest memory is going into a workshop and having the workshop leader state that she remembered me from being arrested together at the Queen’s Park Plant-in.    TASC and ANVA types seem to have found homes in many movements, but co-operatives and affordable housing have attracted the most.

ONPHA does have an idealistic streak, but it is hard to find within the corporate language and imagery.    ONPHA members house the hardest to house, run shelters, offer RGI housing and afford able market housing in rural areas and provide municipally run housing in the largest cities of Ontario.    In our conservative climate it isn’t much of a surprise when the leadership tries to talk the language of corporate insiders.    Yet, while community orientated activists have adopted the language of the powers-that-be, there was a change in the language of the dominant economic culture.   Corporate leaders are talking about community, environmental sustainability and social investing.   Some reflection brought me to the point of considering that, just like corporations talking about environmental sustainability or their employees are valued stakeholders hasn’t resulted in changes in corporate practices, ONPHA using the language of business may not result in changes in their practices.   With a dominant portion of its membership and leadership from municipal non-profits, it may be immune from having to make real change.

I heard ONPHA described as a mature organisation.  This is used to explain why the actual business portion of the gathering is scheduled for one and a half hours on a Sunday morning during which the annual report, the audit, the election and any resolutions submitted by the board or membership is dealt with.   Members don’t take advantage of a provincial meeting to raise issues they felt urgent for the movement or of local importance they wanted province wide feedback on; rather, except for a few questions of the annual report and a couple of routine questions of the audit, the AGM was a quiet affair.  In my immature way,  I’d like to the AGM to have more motions from members and harder questions posed to the leadership.   To me, a quiet AGM indicates an alienated membership.

ONPHA continues to offer good resources and excellent workshops, but it operates a level very remote from those that live in the homes ONPHA members offer or the dreamers who came together to develop community housing in the first place.

ANOTHER DAY AT THE 2012 ONPHA CONFERENCE

While I may live in Toronto I rarely have an opportunity to explore the co-op and non-profit housing that is scattered across this city. This morning I went on a tour of co-op and non-profit housing in NW Toronto on or near Weston Road. We only stopped at 3 places, but were shown 23 projects that ranged from supportive housing to municipal non-profits to non-profit co-operatives to affordable home ownership sites—approximately 4,000 units in total . It was good to see so many places where people can live with dignity and security in an overlooked area of Toronto. While it is discouraging to see no new affordable non-profit or co-operative homes being build, there is some indication (through various affordable home ownership models) that there is at least new housing coming available for the employed working class. Truly marginalized people hoping for a new home will continue to have a long

While the tour was organised through ONPHA, and therefore the focus was on non-profit housing, four different co-ops were pointed out. We stopped for a while at Beach Hall Housing Co-op, a senior’s non-profit co-op; stopped at the site of a project of Homebuyers Development Co-operative Corporation, a builders’ co-op; had Chord Housing Co-op pointed out to us, an interesting co-op that continues to provide housing for people from diverse backgrounds, including a substantive proportion of families with children facing developmental and/or physical challengers; and stopped at a project of Options for Homes, which supports non-profit builders’ co-ops.

Participants seemed genuinely interested in the different approaching to developing and sustaining affordable housing. Those from various government agencies present did indicate that support for affordable home ownership is their
Priority. The fact that most of the western countries facing major financial challenges have affordable home ownership as a key component of their national housing strategy may be a co-incidence, or perhaps could serve as a warning that depending on a for profit private sector model to deliver essential services is unsustainable in the long term.

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I was surprised that the vendors’ displays were taken down over lunch. I finally had free time and hoped to talk to some possible suppliers.

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Where the workshop’s I attended yesterday (Death of A Tenant; When to Call Children’s Aid) were focused on meeting human needs, today’s addressed corporate needs—The Taxman Cometh; Refinancing the Sector.
I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the level of engagement of most participants—-effective listening and intelligent questions of the presenters.

Chris Lawrence, the main presenter for The Taxman Cometh workshop, raised issues facing all non-profits as the Canada Revenue Agency tries to figure out the non-profit sector. CRA does not know the size of the sector or the number of non-profits, which can range from unincorporated local clubs to housing providers to groups like the CAA to corporate based non-profits. CRA’s motivation is primarily around tax fairness; it is unlikely that housing providers and similar organisations will end up paying taxes under any foreseeable changes. Co-op housing and non-profit housing providers have faced random audits, as have other non-profits. These resulted in information letters that raised concerns. These have stopped; audits and other interactions with CRA may be occurring but sector organisations aren’t aware of them.

It was suggested that CRA may have a draft paper within a year and any changes that will result will occur with normal government efficiency (discussions, lobbying, draft legislation, elections, etc.)—-5 years is likely to be the time frame to changing a section of the act in place since the late 19th century.

Refinancing the Sector was more of a reinforcement of information I already know than a source of new ideas. It was less well attended than I had expected—-perhaps we don’t need as much money as I sometimes think our sector needs.

One of the presenters, Steve Pomeroy, helped St. Clare’s get our first seed money under the long gone Homegrown Solutions programme. Just under 400 units ultimately came into being because CMHC was willing to support experiments in new affordable housing development.

Presenters were David McCarron from Ottawa Community Housing; Steve Pomery, a consultant, and Steve Rohacek from Infrastructure Ontario. Some good ideas were shared, from looking at non-rental revenue to strategies on communicating with existing lenders when refinancing is needed. Ideas were more on refinancing to meet existing capital needs but there were some suggestions on how to finance new construction such as selling existing real estate (housing; land) to finance the construction of new affordable housing units. Links to relevant websites, particularly Infrastructure Ontario, are helpful sources of information. Steve Pomery’ s presentation was especially helpful. The reminder/suggestion as the need for skilled consultants to help organisations to go through the funding process.

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At the end of another day at ONPHA my basic feeling of the convention remains the same. I am an outsider, not part of the masses. I am not at home with pro-profit corporate language. I don’t feel comfortable walking down the halls with those that develop and implement the government policies that are barriers to developing new affordable housing or promote a more competitive, less co-operative and compassionate world. I am even a bit put off by overhearing groups of people in a public space making insulting comments about a member of their group who wasn’t present. It was rare to see strangers talk to each other. At CHF one can’t avoid running into people who never talked to each other before sharing ideas that arose
In a workshop or strategizing about resolutions coming before the meeting; here only a few stay behind to talk to workshop providers and there haven’t been excited conversations outside the workshop rooms.

I am suspicious of the role of elections at ONPHA. Our ballot for the ONPHA board arrived after the deadline for the mailed ballot to arrive. Included with the ballot, though, was a letter which reads in part “Mail-in ballots must be received at the ONPHA office by November 8th to be counted. Otherwise, members may vote in person at the AGM on Sunday, November 18th”. Our ballot arrived after the 8th so I intended to vote tomorrow. As I overheard two candidates today being congratulated for their victory, I am wondering what the purpose of voting tomorrow will serve.

Initial Thoughts on the 2012 ONPHA Conference

I am starting to write this while waiting for the ONPHA opening plenary to begin. Yesterday I attended a wonderful session on making board meetings better, facilitated by a woman who had spent significant time at Madonna House. My approach to chairing was reaffirmed in the session, but I came away from the workshop with ideas to make meetings more enjoyable.

 
I am unable to check my email because ONPHA hasn’t made arrangements with the Sheridan for this service. It was a surprise to go to a public gathering without access to internet/free wi-fi.

 
Going to a CHFC AGM it is, for me, a homecoming; going to the ONPHA conference is a different experience. Here I am on the fringes, not really a part of the organisation. I have been at several ONPHA conferences over the years but each time it feels that I am somewhat of a stranger. And the participants are less friendly. People seem to avoid eye contact with strangers, don’t respond to greetings unless it comes from people they know and move in cliques, more like a school ground than a meeting of people with shared visions and dreams. The friendly voices are those that know me from elsewhere, primarily the co-op world but also lawyers, accountants, credit union officials and those from my neighbourhood.

 
My feeling of being an outsider may be due to the nature of the organisation. ONPHA isn’t a reflection of a movement but is more of a sectoral interest group—primarily municipal non-profits and small and large private non-profits and a very small co-op presence. The participants have things in common, a commitment of service to others and a still lingering sense of the value of a non-profit and non-commercial approach to meeting human needs, but unlike co-op members they do not have a core sense of mutual service. In co-ops we work together to meet our needs as a part of meeting the needs of others. Co-operators both offer and accept efforts to meet common needs. I am a movement person, not someone comfortable with being a part of a group firmly linked to the institutions of our world.

 
I return to the ONPHA conferences, when they are in Toronto, primarily because of the workshops. ONPHA has the resources to offer a wider range of workshops than CHF can. There are practical services both CHF and ONPHA offer, from bulk buying to policy development, but ONPHA does provide a far wider variety of workshops.

++++++++++++++++++++++++

The opening plenary of ONPHA was inspiring but one way—-the information and ideas flow from those at the front of the room. There are no microphones or other indications that ONPHA members have a voice. Those that speak do have an impact—the launch of a three year public awareness campaign was well received and Tonya Surman’s keynote speech had an impact on many participants.

 
Very corporate language has crept into the overall understanding of the organisation. Sylvia Patterson’s opening remarks referred to ‘the new normal’ of life after strong government support. It came across as a retrenchment speech, not as a call to action. Perhaps because of the strong relationship with government (i.e. the plenary was sponsored by the provincial ministry of housing) it is hard for ONPHA to be a strong advocate for a third sector that is neither corporate or state, something CHFC and other co-op sector organisations excel at.

 
The three year public awareness campaign, which can found on line at housingopensdoors.ca, should be effective in raising awareness of the value of affordable housing across society—from jobs creation to health care costs.
Tonya Surman, from the Centre for Social Innovation, gave an excellent key note presentation. I particularly liked the image of fixing the future. CSI has served as a real incubator of new approaches to working together that the third sector has nurtured. Tonya touched on a number of organisation from collaborative funding (community bonds) to rethinking the ways organisations make decisions.

++++++++++

In all the workshops I attended participants wanted to talk. The number of participants and structure of the workshops sometimes limited the participation to responses to workshop leader(s) or even no direct interaction. All the leaders were knowledgeable about the topic, open to ideas and challenges (during the workshop or afterwards) and enthusiastic presenters.

 
The majority of participants are women, although a larger portion of males that I have seen in recent gatherings of co-ops and non-profits.

 
ONPHA does an excellent job in selecting topics that meet the needs of board, staff and tenants of non-profits. Some are very practical ones, such as reading financial statements or finding alternative financing; some are on issues related to affordable housing such as food security; some are on issues such as when to call children’s aid or what to do when a tenant dies that are essential to building safe and secure communities.

THOUGHTS ON LANGUAGE AND SOCIAL CHANGE

At a recent awards night I attended I was repeated annoyed by the comment “I’d to thank”.   Each time I heard it I wondered why they didn’t thank the person they felt some gratitude towards. Saying something like “Mother, thank you for all the encouragement and support you gave me along the way” would be far more meaningful than saying “I’d like to thank my mother”.

I am finding that, as I age, the way language is used becomes more important. Nuanced statements have more attraction. Militarist and sports metaphors detract from arguments being raised to promote solutions to social problems. Corporate values, expressed in the arguments of grassroots organisations, alienate me. Having been formed in the time of inclusive language and plain language, at a time when activists did not use the arguments and language of opponents but chose to use the language that reinforced social transformation, I find myself lost in a world that makes less and less sense as the years go by.
Housing is not an investment, it is a right. Education is not an investment, it is both a right and a process. Movements for a better world have been co-opted; we have chosen to advocate the values of a less inclusive, compassionate world in the way we describe ourselves and our goals.

Progressive movements have lost momentum for a number of reasons, but part of this is due to giving ground on the language we use when engaging the world. Clarity of language is important; equally important is having the words we use help to bring into practical expression the ideals we hold. Building a co-operative world is not strengthened by promoting competiveness when we talk about the co-op model.

Notes for a More Coherent Sermon—July 15, 2012

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT SERMON
11:00 AM., Sunday, July 15, 2012
St. Andrew’s Old Catholic Church
Meeting Room, 138 Pears Ave. (Toronto)

FIRST LESSON:   Romans 6: 3 – 11

Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.  Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY:  Matthew 5: 20 – 26

For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, ‘Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment’: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca, shall be in danger of the council’: but whosoever shall say, ‘Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.’ Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.  Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

SERMON PROPER BEGINS

Good things grow from small beginnings. Communities are built from shared meals, celebrations and tragedies. Bad things also grow from small beginnings, as the epistle and gospel we hear today tell us. Unresolved anger and resentment can lead to fractured families and communities, to violence and despair.
This in true in our personal lives and in global political and economic spheres.
And, as the gospel reminds us, before we try to remove ourselves from the world through prayer and worship, we need to act in the world to heal the harm we have done or prevent the harm that may arise from our thoughts and feelings. The sacred is not something separate from the secular but is only truly approached when we fully engage the world.

The guide to how we, as Christians, are to live in the world is found just a few verses earlier—the Sermon on the Mount:  Matthew 5: 2 – 14a:

And he opened his mouth,
and taught them, saying:

Blessed are the poor in spirit:
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn:
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek:
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful:
for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart:
for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers:                                                                                                      for they shall be called the children of God.                                                                Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake:                                   for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.                                                                                                             Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.

Ye are the light of the world.

We are people focused on living in the world as if we are already living in the kingdom of God—the peacemakers and dreamers in the highways and byways. We are the light of the world, an example of what is possible when we let God’s love transform us.

We are angry people that learn to forgive ourselves and others; we are selfish people that learn to reach into our pockets and comfort zones and time commitments to find ways of ensuring that the hungry and homeless are able to find comfort and dignity; we are people prepared for conflict who find ways of resolving tensions.

This is the work we do before we approach the alter. We offer not only prayers of approach but our experiences as people of faith living in the world. We offer up not only what is in our pockets but what is in our hearts and minds.

God doesn’t turn anyone away from the divine presence; God is everywhere. But we are reminded in today’s gospel that we can’t be open to the love of God if we have turned away from being a loving presence in the world.

If we approach God with resentment because a homeless person asked us for a handout on our way to church, we have some work to do before truly being fit for worship; If we felt contempt for someone because of their sexual orientation, we have some work to do before truly being fit for worship; If we added to the amount of violence and hatred in the world, we have some work to do before truly being fit for worship.

Our work is basic—share what we have with others; love one another; be a peacemaker—but the results are wonderful.

We bring God into the world as we do so, weaving the spirit of worship into the fabric of every good thing we do. We will then approach the altar as a continuation of worship, of living a faithful life, and not as a time and place remote from the ebbs and flows of our world.

Eusebius, in the 3rd Century, offered the following prayer for those seeking to worthy of being in the presence of the divine. It seems appropriate to end my sermon with his thoughts from far earlier times in our tradition:

“May I be no man’s enemy, and may I be the friend of that which is eternal and abides. May I never quarrel with those nearest me: and if I do, may I be reconciled quickly. May I love, seek, and attain only that which is good. May I wish for all men’s happiness and envy none. May I never rejoice in the ill-fortune of one who has wronged me. When I have done or said what is wrong, may I never wait for the rebuke of others, but always rebuke myself until I make amends. May I win no victory that harms either me or my opponent. May I reconcile friends who are angry with one another. May I never fail a friend who is in danger. When visiting those in grief may I be able by gentle and healing words to soften their pain. May I respect myself. May I always keep tame that which rages within me. May I accustom myself to be gentle, and never be angry with people because of circumstances. May I never discuss who is wicked and what wicked things he has done, but know good men and follow in their footsteps.” (Prayer of Eusebius, 3rd century)

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT AFFORDABLE HOUSING PRESENTATION

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT AFFORDABLE HOUSING PRESENTATION
4:00 p.m., July 10, 2012
Special Housing Working Group
Toronto Reference Library

We tend to become nostalgic for times when it seems our dreams could come true.    Those of us who have been advocating for generations for safe, affordable housing for all can look back to the times of the UN Habitat 1 in Vancouver and Habitat 2 in Istanbul when Canada took a lead on the world stage in successfully supporting the idea of housing as a human right.   We can remember David Crombie, then the mayor of Toronto, flying to Ottawa at the last minute to successfully arguing with CMHC to support the funding of Don Area Co-operative Homes.    We remember better times.

We also remember bad times.   We remember the ending of affordable housing programmes, the slashing of welfare rates and the return to the Victorian concept of making distinctions between deserving and undeserving poor.    Perhaps more seriously we saw the end of the concept of long term planning in social policy. The time when elected members of the Liberal, NDP and Progressive Conservative parties found ways to put aside temporary partisan concerns and attempted to find solutions to problems that would last beyond an election cycle has faded.

The selling off of Toronto social housing stock is a short term solution to a long term problem.    Money is needed to repair social housing stock.   And the selling of houses in desirable neighbourhoods would bring in a welcome burst of cash.   But the problem of insufficient resources to ensure the ongoing viability of social housing stock won’t be addressed.   Underfunding of long-term replacement reserves and the continued need to defer routine maintenance in order to respond to more serious problems will continue.

The terms of the proposed sale are themselves problematic and make access to affordable housing a little more difficult.    Selling the housing at market and not at the accessed value continues the pressure to drive up the price of home ownership in Toronto, making it more difficult for middle income households to afford to put a home in Toronto.     We lose affordable housing stock while making home ownership a less viable dream for many.

There are some creative solutions being proposed that would keep the detached houses that are to be sold as affordable housing—-I am particularly impressed by the land trust model proposed by the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto.  But while these efforts will preserve the affordable nature of the social housing under discussion, such sales will not guarantee the long term viability of the affordable housing that the City of Toronto is the stewards of.   Such sales will not address the problems that will come at the end of the operating agreements with the end of many subsidy programmes.   They will not address the need to massively retrofit or tear down and rebuild high rise communities.    They will not even address the need to solve insect infestations and leaking taps 10 years from now.

In conservative times it is hard to raise the reality of more funds must come from the government, but it is dishonest not to do so.  Our shared resources are needed to kick start redevelopment initiatives such as has happened at Regent Park, to properly fund replacement reserves and other long term capital expenditures, and even to meet the maintenance expectations of the Residential Tenancy Act.   Our shared resources are needed to provide the subsidies for low income residents, to provide personal supports so that people can live independently and for the community supports so that social housing is not only affordable, but safe and desirable housing.

New affordable housing is important.   Sustaining the existing affordable housing stock is also important.    In order to meet these concerns we need a return to a spirit of co-operation in the political sphere.  It wasn’t all that long ago that NDP, Liberal and Progressive Conservative MPs came together to support the United Farm Workers.   Currently there is an all-party committee looking at ways of supporting co-operatives.   This spirit must find a way into the discussions around the need for ongoing and adequate funding for the provision of safe, secure, decent and affordable housing for all.

We must be honest in our political debates and make it clear that we are asking for housing to be a spending priority of all levels of government.   We are competing with others for a limited pool of resources.   Yet, like health care and education, housing is a universal need and, as Canada has so eloquently argued in the past, a human right.   The state has an obligation to ensure that rights are not an abstraction but are expressed in concrete and measurable ways.    We may have disagreements about the way to fund education and health care but there seems to be universal agreement in Canada that the government plays a central role in ensuring access to proper medical care and to quality education.    Housing should be equally valued and supported.

On the second Tuesday of the month at the Church of the Holy Trinity is a memorial service for homeless people that have died on the streets of Toronto. We must keep these people in mind when we discuss housing.   We also need to keep in mind those that a loss of a job or end of a relationship can mean the loss of a home.   We need to keep in mind those that are inadequately housed or paying a substantial amount of their income for housing.    Affordable housing and supports of all forms are needed—from emergency shelters to shelter allowances to inclusive zoning to in-home support services to mortgage subsidies for new housing initiatives to preserving existing housing stock—for those that are homeless, for those that have resources but can’t find a place they can afford and for those that are at risk of losing their homes.      It is simple to say that the money is the solution, but that is the case.    The selling off of social housing stock to provide funds for other social housing stock is clear evidence of this.    But that doesn’t solve the problem, or even defer it for long.    To ensure there is housing for all we need to reach into our pockets to pay for it.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON THE 2012 CHFC AGM

The CHFC AGM ended two days ago for most, but yesterday for me. As the newly elected Ontario Regional Director my Sunday morning was spent at an orientation for new Ontario Council members and CHFC directors followed by an Ontario Council meeting followed by a CHFC board meeting. This was the end of a week-long gathering of the co-op housing clan. It was a tiring, renewing, reflective and inspiring time, an opportunity for sharing concerns and dreams that is all too rare.

A regret I have about the week as a whole was one of timing—I was not able to attend mass at the Our Lady of Peace Roman Catholic Church. The chapel, on the edge of the Cistercian’ Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre, dates back to 1837, and is a place dedicated to the inclusive vision of peace for all within creation. Because meetings I was required to attend coincided with all the mass times during my stay in Niagara Falls, I lost an opportunity to share with other people of my faith time in purposeful prayer.

A regret I have about the AGM, of both the Ontario Region and CHFC meetings, is the lack of resolutions coming from the broader membership. This has been explained to me as common in mature movements, where practical matters such as preservation of housing stock, becomes the role of the movement. I don’t totally accept this. Yes, after decades of work a major purpose of CHFC is providing member services rather than movement building, but the movement part of co-operative housing needs to be nourished as well to ensure the ongoing viability of the movement. Local co-ops help to provide direction for, and sustain the work of, the broader sector when they bring forth matters for shared consideration. Issues such as Aging in Place and the need to support new and emerging leadership are recent examples of the membership providing leadership. It would be great to have far more of this.

My being at the AGM as part of the elected leadership and not a delegate is still a bit confusing. I am not there to take or lead workshops; I have little role in the debates on the convention floor; I don’t even have a real role in dealing with visitors or politicians. What I am present for is to meet with others elected to make decisions and to listen, to find out from CHFC’s members what they want the organisation to do and learn about difficulties and challenges that CHFC can respond to. This is an informal role, which I am not really comfortable with—I’m not a social being.   The limited numbers of people I feel comfortable with have been active in the sector for years and have no hesitation about sharing their views on the convention floor or in calls and emails to staff and board.

The national AGM meeting was more of a celebration than a organisational meeting. Excerpts from the play Journey to Tompkinsville, speeches and greetings from co-op partners and leaders from the International Co-operative Alliance Housing and similar addresses filled up a substantive part of the meeting. There wasn’t a lot of questioning of the annual report, the report on follow-up to resolutions from last year’s meeting or the financial report. One question, asking if there was an investment policy with a concern about ethical screening, did bring up a nostalgic memory of my having asked a similar question in the 1980s. The answer back then was that the movement was working on it; the answer this year was yes with an offer to provide a copy of the policy.

There was one motion that I did speak do—a call on CHFC to work with other sectors to press to keep co-op and non-profit housing affordable. One key point I made that as a person whose family has benefited from having a subsidy in the past, I know how important such programmes are. Another was that CHFC is the most effective body in the non-profit world in terms of mounting a political fight. The motion was the most political one dealt with and was a reminder that there is an idealistic core to the movement.

After the AGM and prior to the closing dinner, I attended a reception for co-ops receiving loyalty awards from CHFC.  These are awards for co-ops with 20 or 30 consecutive years of membership.   DACHI, when I live, and CoAction, which I am the executive director of, both received an award for 30 years of membership this year.   I received the award on behalf of DACHI.

For the first time in all the years I’ve attended the CHFC AGM I attended the closing dinner. It wasn’t an enjoyable experience and I’ll likely forgo the experience in the future. I am not a social person. It remains very stressful to engage in social banter with others. I can stand at a microphone to take part in a debate; I’ve stood in front of over 40,000 people to give a fundraising speech at a major demonstration; I’ve been in front of charging police on horseback—all are far easier to deal with than sitting down to share a meal with people I have known for years.

Sunday morning I ran between three meetings—an orientation for newly elected board and council members, an Ontario Council meeting and a CHFC board meeting. There are people who have been part of the leadership of the movement for generations (mysteriously I seem to be among them) and others for whom this was their first AGM.  The only specific role I left the meetings with was as the CHFC board appointee to the Finance and Audit Committee. I didn’t find the meetings difficult—-I felt welcomed to the national table and I have served two terms on Ontario Council—but I found the need to run from one to another difficult. In the fall this running will be even more challenging—leaving the Ontario Council meeting in Toronto to fly to Ottawa for the CHFC board meeting.

The CHFC AGM is now history. Its Facebook page has disappeared. It exists in files, in photos, in memories. Those that came together have departed to places as far away as Kenya and Victoria. Our movement is still strong. It brings together young and old, first nations and immigrants, low income families and well off professions, who share a commitment to diverse communities of affordable member controlled housing. I look forward to next year’s AGM in Calgary.

With the exception of board meetings of DACHI, CAIC, St. Clare’s, 43rd Co-op, SCM and TNRC, I have no meetings until the fall.

THOUGHTS PART WAY THROUGH THE 2012 CHFC AGM

Its Friday evening. The CHF Ontario Regional Meeting, the Meet the Candidate’s meeting, even the Staff Networking Lunch is over. I’m having the luxury of quiet time, looking out the window of my hotel at Niagara Falls.

Coming to the CHF AGM is truly coming home to me. I have been coming to the CHF AGM for half my life. I have watched the movement grow when there was a government housing programme that supported the development of new co-operative housing and was there when there was the transformation to a movement where sustainability is a priority. When I first got involved there were lots of people in leadership that remembered the Co-operative Housing Foundation of Canada prior to its transformation to a national grassroots movement and its rebirth as the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada. Now there are people in the movement leadership who weren’t born when I moved in Don Area Co-op. Co-op housing members remain a tapestry of idealists and pragmatists and cynicists and dreamers and somehow continue to welcome me into their midst.

Those that know me know that going to informal social gatherings, even something with a bit of structure such as a reception for overseas visitors or municipal and provincial housing officials, is incredibly stressful. They can be a migraine trigger and certainly drain me. Yet at the CHF AGM I find that I can spend time at such events before they become overwhelming. Somehow even my normal aversion to social gatherings is abated in the company of co-op housing people and I can last up to an hour before it overwhelms me.

Yesterday I managed two receptions—-one from municipal and provincial housing officials from across Ontario, and one for Rooftops Canada visitors. The evening before I attended the welcome reception for first time attendees. I can’t manage this in my private life but somehow the co-op housing movement is a buffer between myself and the world.

Over the course of today I shared information on unionising with co-op housing staff at a staff networking event, attended the Meet the Candidates meeting and then the CHF Ontario AGM. In all these events there is a formal reason for me to present, making them far less stressful than the social part of the AGM.

The staff networking lunch was good. It was encouraging to spend time with those that share in the difficult task of ensuring that the ideals of living in a co-operative housing community are brought to life while ensuring plumbing works, rent-geared-to-income programmes are properly administered, government reporting is done, housing charges collected, member disputes are resolved and units are made ready for move-in in a timely fashion. A large number of those that came to the networking lunch belong to co-op staff associations; there are some that are in unionised workplaces. There is a different form of solidarity, based on shared experiences, that is really noticed at the CHF AGM when co-op housing staff come together. Out of this sharing come ideas for training, for practical support and for effective ways of making sure our co-op communities are sustainable for the long term.

The Meet the Candidates session was not as intense or rushed as in some years. This is likely due to the few people running for contested positions. By the time of the AGM the CHFC regional directors were all elected and the three at-large and the staff association representative to Ontario Council were acclaimed. This session was shorter than in some years, with the 3 candidates for the two CHFC at-large director seats being the only ones required to present their qualifications to the voters and face questions on their skills and visions for the sector. What stood out for me were two questions—there was a question asking on what the co-op housing movement could learn from the occupy movement and one about whether the national co-op housing movement would be open to all the expressions of co-operative housing (equity, co-housing, building co-ops and not just non-profit housing co-operatives) as part of ensuring the sustainability of the sector. It is encouraging to hear members who see the co-op housing movement as being connected to wider movements and having other forms than many in our movement realise. All the candidates are committed to ensuring the long term viability of the movement and for the development of new co-operatives, on working on the ongoing renewal of sector leadership and finding ways to be relevant in an increasing hostile world.

The later part of the afternoon was spent at the CHF Ontario AGM. This was my last one as a member-at-large of Ontario Council. I continue to be disappointed at how few resolutions come from the members—there are always concerns at the local level that the larger movement needs to be aware of and in the debate and exchange of ideas on resolving matters of a local nature can be found creative ways to meet the needs of our movement as a whole. But I also continue to be inspired by those that come to the meetings—-the diversity of the world in one small place. There was the honouring of co-op staff with 5, 10, 15 and 30 years of experience (I was among them with 15 years experience), an honouring of the life and work of Dave Robertson of the auditing firm Prentice Yates and Clark, a series of straw poles on the makeup of CHF Ontario Council and, substituting for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Kathleen Wynne, an address by the Minister of the Environment and former Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing Jim Bradley. There were no major announcements from the Minister but rather a promise to continue to support the work of co-operatives and a commitment that eviction law reform will be a priority of the fall sitting. The Minister did agree to take questions but only three were permitted prior to the Minister needing to leave. One unasked question that would have been interested to hear a response to was a suggestion that a “Use it or lose it” approach to urban property be used to obtain land and buildings for new affordable housing. Towards the end of the meeting the new Ontario council was introduced, including me in my new role as the CHFC Ontario Regional Director (which sits on both CHF Ontario Council and the CHFC Board of Directors).

It is now evening. I have a cup of Irish Breakfast tea to my side. Tomorrow’s CHFC AGM awaits me. Time to myself in the midst of a chaotic work is a rare gift and I am embracing it.

Draft Notes for Union Organising 101

UNIONISING 101
Brian Burch

Brian Burch is a shop steward and health and safety rep with Labourers 183, which represents the staff at 43rd Housing Co-op. He is also a part of the CoAction Staff Association and sees a real need for both types of organisations.

What is a union?

Ontario Labour Relations Act: “Trade union means an organization of employees formed for purposes that include the regulation of relations between employees and employers.”

From Wikipedia: A trade union (British English), labour union (Canadian English) or labor union (American English) is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as higher pay, increasing the number employees an employer hires, and better working conditions.

Why Unionise?

From:    The Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union: WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A UNION?
The union’s goals in a workplace are its members’ goals:
• Job Security
• Health and Safety in the Workplace
• Pay Equity
• Hours of work
• Employment Equity
• Fair Wages and Benefits
• Dignity and Respect (union security)
• Democratization of the work place

Process of Unionising:

(a) Voluntary Recognition OLRA: Voluntary recognition (3.1) For the purposes of this Act, voluntary recognition of a trade union is considered to occur when an employer and the trade union agree that the employer recognizes the trade union as the exclusive bargaining agent of the employees in a defined bargaining unit and the agreement is in writing signed by the parties.

(b) Certification

In Ontario if 40% of the employees of a workplace sign a card indicating a desire to form a union an OLRB supervised vote is to be held. If the majority of those voting support joining a union, a bargaining unit can be formed. There can be challenges, such as determining the make-up of the bargaining unit, that occur during this process.

Negotiations Process:

Whether there is voluntary recognition or a certification vote, the process of getting a contract is the same. Employees and representatives of the union meet to determine their priorities and the employers do the same. Proposals are exchanged and both parties bargain in good faith until a contract is agreed to. Conciliation and mediation services are available from the Ministry of Labour to assist both parties to come to a mutual agreement.

See: http://hamilton.cupe.ca/www/s46fd4b6d02b8e for the formal
steps of collective bargaining in Ontario.

Unions in the Co-op Sector

Co-op housing staff in the GTA are represented by Local 333 of Communications Energy and Paperworkers Union Canada; Local 183 of the Labourers’
International
Union of North America; Local 304 of the Christian Labour Association of Canada; CUPE 1281;  CHFT staff belong to CAW local 40.

THOUGHTS ON MILITANCY AND POLITICAL ACCESS WHILE OBSERVING THE QUEBEC STUDENT MOVEMENT

I’ve been watching the Quebec student protests with some interest.  I’m very impressed with the persistence and resilience of the student movement, both its grassroots and its leadership.   Whether the unified movement continues or not, and with oppressive legislation about to be introduced the unity shown could very well be weakened, it has been a wonderful example of how to sustain a public political initative.  It struck home, though, how hard they have to fight for what should be normal access to the political system.   Good governments respond positively to a major petition drive and lobbying effort to change policy and programmes.   Governments should be open to negotiation when organised opposition shows public support.  When doors to elected officials are closed, while people have an expectation that governments are responsive to popular will, militant action fills in the gap.

The demands of the Quebec students are not revolutionary.   The major demand is to freeze tuition at the current level, with the midterm objective being an end to tuition for post-secondary education.  My older siblings had to pay tuition to complete grades 11 and 12 as the senior grades of the public high school system up to the end of the 1950s were not covered the local school board taxes.   In more recent times the senior grades of the separate school boards of Ontario became covered through the tax base.    It took persistent political pressure for secondary school education to be truly a right.   Those parents, teachers and students who achieved the goal of universal access to secondary education, education paid for though the tax base, did so without having to face state repression.  They were welcomed participants in the political system.

As post secondary education is now essential for entry to the job market, and thus fuller participation in society, tuition free access to post-secondary education has become a social and economic necessity.    It should be achievable through discussion, debate, petitioning and lobbying.  It should not be necessary for students to risk plastic bullets, pepper spray and batons for there to be effective negotiations in regards to a relatively minor change in government policy.   Yet access to government decision makers has become so hard to achieve that the types of action and risks that historically have lead to regime change are being used to achieve the minimal expectations of response from elected officials.

Governments that are out of touch with those they serve is not a new phenomena.    In the liberal democracies, though, even if individual elected officials are not responsive, historically most politicians took responsiveness to the electorate seriously.    They would present petitions from their constituents in the legislature that they personally disagreed with in order to fulfil some of their obligations.  They would listen to representatives of contrary constituent groups in order to become more fully informed.    Seeking ways to improve the delivery of services for the benefit of all motivated politicians from across the political spectrum.    With pressure from the CCF and NDP, national health care programmes under the Liberals and affordable housing programmes under Tories arose as a result of fairly conventional political activism.    More militant actions occurred primarily in times of crisis, such as the draft in WW 1 or the use of strike breakers.

Seeking to having universal access to institutions that teach the skills and provide the credentials that the marketplace expects employees to have should not require hospitalisation of protestors, the arrests of protestors, repeated mass rallies that endure police assaults.   If conservative forces don’t want militant protests to occur, all they need to do is ensure access by all to the decision making process.  Issues can be embraced with passion but responding to passionate individuals can be done calmly, peacefully and effectively by elected officials who actually want to meet the needs of the community they are a part of.

If people are going to engage in militant action, perhaps they should have more extensive demands.     Those willing to take a great deal of risk for small scale social change perhaps should consider taking such risks towards building a truly just society.    Occupying factories or stores that are threatening to close in response to union demands, interfering with equipment that will be used to clear cut an old growth forest, preventing the turning of farmland into condominiums, squatting unused buildings and converting them to affordable housing; mass protests that prevent business as usual in the central business district—direct action and militant action that promote alternative social visions are essential for real social change to occur.    In Quebec such strategies and tactics are being called upon for a significant period to achieve conventional political demands; in other times and in other places substantive and permanent political change has occurred as a result of the use of similar strategies and tactics.   Other movements have started to weave themselves into the Quebec student movement, linking environmental, global solidarity and labour struggles to what has occurred on college and university campuses.    The more that this occurs the more likely a better world for all can occur.    As a minimum, one can hope that the political powers that be will become more open to listening to their communities so that a conversation will be listened to as readily as months of blockades and protests.

THOUGHTS FOR CANDIDATE SPEECHES WHILE RUNNING FOR THE CHFC ONTARIO REGIONAL DIRECTOR

It’s getting towards the end of the election period. On-line voting for the CHFC Ontario Regional began April 15th and will be closing May 15th, a few days from now. When I’ve ran for CHF positions in the past voting was done at the CHFC AGM. There were all-candidates meetings, opportunities to meet with and talk to delegates, sharing of ideas and participating in debates on issues of the day. This time the election is being done on-line in advance of the AGM. While I’ve had the chance to meet some delegates at the regional meetings I’ve been able to attend, most of the people who can cast a vote will remain strangers to me as they make their decision at computers from Windsor to Timmins to Cornwall to Thunderbay.

It is hard to wait while one’s skills and ideals are being weighed. All those running for a CHFC position—from CHF Ontario Council to the Audit and Finance Committee to the CHFC Board of Directors—share a strong commitment to the co-op housing movement and have something unique to contribute. Each of us running brings something of value to the movement and each of us hopes that the co-op delegates want us to bring our voice to the leadership table. But in the near future some of us will have convinced the majority of voters to support us while others of us will deal with the real pain that comes from being rejected by our peers.

I do feel I can make important contributions to debates at Ontario Council and the CHFC Board of Directors—both of which the Ontario Regional Director sits on.   I have experience in development—I’m the president of a non-profit that has developed close to 500 units of new affordable housing in 12 years. I have experience in funding co-operatives from the perspective of a lender—I’m the president of the Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative which has provided financing to housing co-ops, worker co-ops, community loan funds and other forms of grass roots initiatives across Canada.

I have experience in other co-operative endeavours, from starting food buying clubs to being a member/owner of a worker co-ops to assisting in the winding down of a credit union. I believe that in the diversity of expressions of the idea that people sharing their own resources to meet their individual and communal needs, which is the core of the co-operative vision, is the expression of the type of world I want to live in.

Since 1984 I have lived in Don Area Co-operative (DACHI) and have served my home co-op in many capacities from delivering newsletters to drafting policies to serving on the board. DACHI is a 75 unit federally funded co-op, with units developed under two different programmes.

For 15 years I have co-ordinated 43rd Housing Co-operative, a 106 unit provincial/municipal co-op.

I have twice reached term limitations while serving on the board of the
Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto—once representing member housing co-ops and once representing staff associations.

I will be reaching the end of my second term on the CHF Ontario Council at the June AGM. During most of this period I served as treasurer of Ontario Council and on the Finance and Audit Committee of CHF Canada.

I have served the co-op sector in many ways from sitting on the board of Rooftops Canada and the CHFT Charitable Fund to chairing members’ meetings and facilitating workshops to meeting with politicians.

I value the different views on members have on what is important to their co-op communities and try to learn from everyone who shares in our movement. I have been there when our movement has suffered setbacks and been there when we’ve had important victories that secured our control over our co-op homes.

On occasion I reflect on issues, from the need to add a new co-op principle dealing with co-ops as employers to a desire to fund housing instead of the military, that lead to postings on my blog.   These musing can be found at:  http://morecoherent.wordpress.com/category/co-operatives/

It would be great if questions for those running for a CHFC position could be posted on CHFC’s Co-op Talk.    (http://www.chfcanada.coop/cgi-local/cooptalk/discus.pl) .   We may not be having all-candidates meetings for those running for all positions but Co-op Talk provides opportunities for exchanging ideas and information.

DACHI has been a wonderful place to live and raise a family. I want such safe, affordable, secure and member controlled co-op housing to continue to be their for our current members and to explore ways to develop new co-op communities across Canada. I bring skills and dreams to the leadership tables and hope that the Ontario co-ops will trust me to work with them in sustaining and renewing our movement.

THOUGHTS FOR A MAY DAY PRESENTATION

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT MAY DAY PRESENTATION        INTERFAITH SPRING HOLIDAY FESTIVAL                                                        Interfaith Dialogue Group                                                                                                             85 Thorncliffe Park Drive Party Room                                                                               April 28, 2012

I appreciate the opportunity to share some thoughts and ideas on May Day, the labour holiday, as part of your Multifaith celebration. For me, and for many of my ancestors, May Day is an important holiday and tradition. I’m Brian Burch, an Old Catholic priest. I am also a shop steward of Labourers Local 183, and have been in similar positions with the I.W.W. and OPSEU.

In its original form, May Day was a community celebration of life and fertility—an opportunity to enjoy the promises of the new season and to honour the creativity of those that transform the gifts of creation through arts and craft into the goods that sustain and nourish life. This spirit infuses the modern May Day movement, which is a celebration of those that labour. May Day, like Easter, Christmas and All Saints Day, is rooted in pre-Christian holidays but has taken on new life and meaning over time.

The current expression of May Day began in May 1886 in Haymarket
Square in Chicago. In Chicago, as in many cities across the United States, there was a general strike in support of an eight hour working day on May 1st. On May 3rd there was a rally in support of striking McCormick Harvester workers, during which police opened fire and killed two strikers. On May 4th, in Haymarket Square, there was a mass rally in protest of what happened at the McCormick factory. Dynamite was thrown during this rally, leading to the death of police offices and protestors. Charges were laid against 8 of rally organisers and four were hanged. Since these events May Day has become a time to focus on the needs of workers—for bread and for roses—and a feast day in the Western Liturgical Calendar, honouring first St. Joseph the Worker and more recently the Feast of St Philip & St James, the patron saints of workers. It is a political day—one can not call for social justice without engaging in the political process—-but it also is a religious day—there is a spiritual obligation to care for those that labour on behalf of all

Religious literature does remind us that within the world of the sacred is the call for social justice and the recognition that it is in the transformation of the physical world through our work that we our lives and communities are made possible. We are expected to care for the well being of all and to consider that that all we enjoy is potentially sacred and therefore those that make our goods and provide are services are to be treated with dignity and respect.

Some examples from the Abrahamic family of faith:

Exodus 23:12 “Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.

A Manual of Hadith: When you hire, compensate the workers and treat them fairly.

One: Blessed are you, Lord God of the Universe.
You are the giver of this bread, fruit of the earth
and of human labour.
Let it become the bread of Life.
All: Blessed be God, now and forever.
One: Blessed are you, Lord God of the Universe
You are the giver of this wine, fruit of the vine
and of human labour.
Let it become the wine of the eternal kingdom.

More recently May Day has been an opportunity to look at linkages between workers rights and other issues, from immigration and migrant workers to the impact of environmental problems on workers to gender exploitation. There have been stronger links made between faith based social justice workers, artists and the worker movement. This can be shown in many ways, from the Occupy Movement and Protest Chaplains calling for gatherings on May Day, to Mayworks—Festivals of Worker Art and Culture. The value of individuals and the contributions to meeting the needs of the community is being stressed, often in opposition to social fragmitation and the glorification of personal greed. There seems to be an unintentional reaching back to the older May Day, when life and labour were celebrated in dance and poetry and praise. The spirit of those that gathered in Haymarket Square is still alive, with anger at injustice and the hope that if we join together a just and peaceful world can be brought to life. But this spirit is reaching out beyond those that remember Haymarket into all corners of our society where there are those that are marginalized, forgotten, oppressed and isolated, seeking to bring together into our shared communal space all people so that all can share in the gifts of creation and be encouraged to find ways to themselves offer something unique to the process of linking the sacred world to the needs of the moment.

THOUGHTS ON THE 2012 ECUMENICAL GOOD FRIDAY SOCIAL JUSTICE WALK/STATIONS OF THE CROSS

The Occupy movement transformed the annual Toronto Good Friday walk in a very positive way. For the first time there was a sharing of the Eucharist—albeit with more inclusive prayers and with bread and vinegar as the elements. It felt like some of the centuries old barriers that were still in the minds of those of us coming together from various Christian traditions were finally permitted to melt way. The Occupy Toronto chaplains pushed us forward, a welcome change within a decades long tradition of challenging oppressive systems in this challenging of our own divisive practices.

I have been taking part in the Good Friday walks in Toronto since it began at the end of the 1970s. Some years I helped organise it; other years I took on specific tasks; some years, such as this year, I was a participant, sharing in and reflecting on the work of others. Every year I am reminded that our faith is a public and challenging one, remembering the calls to be peacemakers and to feed the hungry and house the homeless, to seek justice and build up an inclusive, loving community. I fail to fully live out this vision in my life, but the Good Friday walk helps me keep this part of my faith vivid and alive, ensuring that the ongoing search for social justice is a part of my worship and spirituality.

This year there were five stations—the beginning and the end in the sanctuary of the Church of the Holy Trinity and three in various places in down town. Some years there were more stations or a longer walk, but as occurs every year, matters of common concern were brought into the public sphere by people with a life-long commitment to radical, faith infused social justice.

We gathered first in the sanctuary—people from religious orders and downtown congregations, housing activists and peace workers, those seeking justice for first nations in Canada and those seeking access to water in the developing world—we gathered because in community there is something more than when we live in isolation. We share visions and commitment; we prod each other to do just a little more; we support one another in our personal trials; we don’t become of one mind but we do become part of one shared moment in time and place. Through readings, litany and music we were reminded of the suffering and death of Christ and encouraged to consider how the passion is played out in contemporary times.

Leaving the church we went to the square in front of Osgood Hall. Here the focus was on disappeared and killed aboriginal women. Hundreds of aboriginal women have gone missing with little or no investigation of their fate. While the current tragedy was the focus, this reality was linked to several hundred years of dispossession, to the experiences of many who went through the residential school system, to loss of spiritual and cultural traditions and to the ongoing blindness to the lived out realities of first nations people. At one point the question was asked—would our society be so passive if several hundred hockey players had disappeared, if several hundred ballerinas had been killed? We were given the hard task of considering what it is like for the brothers, sisters, mothers and fathers of these women.

The next station was at Dundas Square. Here a silent flash mob were woven into a cross that filled much of the space. A few were asked to hold signs—drawing attention to the needs of the forgotten among our society. It was a different form of witness than we were used to—there were no speeches or prayers or songs. But we were present together, filling the square with a visual reminder of Christ among us. I left the square literally carrying the cross—taking the burden for the next stage of our journey.

It was the fourth station, in the Labyrinth behind the Eaton Centre and near the Church of the Holy Trinity, that the Toronto Protest Chaplains brought us together liturgically. For me a missing piece for all the years of the walk was the inability or unwillingness for the scattered expressions of my faith to come together around God’s table. We have, from the early years, gathered at the end around bread and soup, but we didn’t seem to bridge the sacramental gap. This year we did. In a celebration of God’s community and a call for all to share together—the transgendered, the differently abled, the poor, the dispossessed, the privileged—we were finally united in the meal that was born at the feeding of the multitude, given its nature at the Last Supper and opened eyes at Emmaus. It took the most radical among us to open us up to the most simplest of truths—all are welcomed to share in the gifts of God.

From the Labyrinth, we returned to the sanctuary of Church of the Holy Trinity. I left the cross near the side altar, a welcome setting down of a burden. I did not stay for the final station or the sharing of the meal of soup and bread afterwards. I left feeling confident that there is a community I am a part of that shares in bringing to life a new world where compassion, love and transformation are truly valued and greed, oppression and contempt for creation are no longer dominant.

THOUGHTS ON RUNNING FOR THE CHFC BOARD

I having been doing some serious thinking about why I am running for the Ontario Regional Director position. I may expand on some of my ideas over the time leading up to the CHFC AGM in June, but here’s a beginning.

+++++

Co-operatives mean a great deal to me. Even at their largest and most bureaucratic, there is an internal commitment to grassroots democracy and the sharing of resources to meet common needs that I see as an example of an alternative way of social and economic organisation. My experience in the co-op movement, from starting food buying clubs to living in a housing co-op to serving as president of a national social investing co-operative, has helped me confirm through experience that my idealistic expectation of the co-operative movement works out in real life.

When considering running for the CHF Canada board this year I made the conscious decision to run for the Ontario regional director and not for an at-large position. The Ontario regional director serves both on the CHF Ontario Council and the CHFC board. There are issues being discussed at the Ontario region that are distinct from those at the national level, work which I have been a part of and would like to see through to their conclusion. Specifically, these are the review of the composition of Ontario Council, social housing regulation and eviction law reform.

I am a strong advocate for the position that the leadership of our movement should come primarily from the resident members of member housing co-operatives. The voices of other stakeholders must be heard and respected, but the member/owners of our co-operative communities must continue to have the major voice. I have also been pondering the need to find some way of bringing the silent stakeholder to the table—the voice of those on our waiting lists. If we are to ever have a permanent affordable housing programme that includes the development of new co-operative housing we need to look at ways to ensure that those that want to be a part of our movement play an active role in the work to push for and develop new housing co-operatives.

It is an ongoing battle to have the fact that co-operatives are self-managed, autonomous organisations acknowledged by the province. Legislation and regulations often impinge on the rights of co-op members to run their own communities. Co-op housing members aren’t passive consumers of government services; we are the owners of our communities. It is an ongoing struggle to keep this vision alive in the shra/post-shra world.

Work on eviction law reform began last century. It seemed to be about to finally come to fruition just before the last provincial election. I feel that it will be a major, but winnable, effort to have the current Ontario government not only introduce the legislation but, if passed, have regulations in place that make eviction law reform truly worthwhile for our members.

I have been working on these issues as an at-large member of Ontario Council. I would like to continue to work on these issues as the Ontario Regional Director.

The national co-op housing movement has similar struggles in its efforts to keep the vision of perpetually affordable resident controlled housing alive. From finding a way to help hundreds of different co-op communities navigate the period from life with subsidies and operating agreements to the new world of true autonomy to the ongoing need to have a new affordable housing programme there are debates on the long term vision and viability of our national movement I feel I can make a positive contribution to. Whether this is pushing for CMHC to confirm co-ops can get CMHC mortgage insurance without premiums, or looking at the fact we have many small co-ops in Canada that may need to help to work together with neighbouring co-ops to improve their financial viability or working with allies to keep the right to affordable housing in the public eye, there is work happening at the CHF Canada board that I believe I can make a valuable contribution to.

What I bring to the board table is a long history of activism and leadership in the co-operative world, from my home co-operative of Don Area Co-operative Homes to the Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative. I have delivered newsletters, worked on successful funding applications for new affordable housing, chaired difficult members’ meetings, met with politicians and broke bread with the homeless. I may not have much of a social life, but I do have a rich history of having worked with co-operative members from St. John’s to Victoria to Windsor to Yellowknife.

I have treasured the years I have spent serving co-op members as an at-large director on Ontario Council and hope to have the chance to serve as the Ontario Regional Director of CHF Canada.

CO-OP AND COMMUNITY INVOLVMENT

I bring to the position over 30 years of co-operative and community involvement in housing, food security, labour and faith-based social justice initiatives.   This experience includes the following:

Current:

President, Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative                          President, St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing Society                                                       President, St. Clare’s - Monico Place                                                                      Treasurer, Ontario Region, CHF Canada                                                           Endowment Committee Chair, Student Christian Movement of Canada           Vice-President: Ganesh Community Development Co-operative                   Director, Bathurst Quay Community Land Trust                         Secretary/Treasurer, CoLandco and CoLandco South                                     President, Tenant Non-profit Redevelopment Co-operative                                   President, Don Area Co-operative Homes                                                                Shop Steward and Health and Safety Rep, Labourer’s Local 183

Past:

President, CoAction Staff Association                                                                                Vice-President, Ontario Worker Co-operative Federation                            Treasurer, Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto                                 Director, Rooftops Canada                                                                                             Director, FoodShare Toronto                                                                                         Director, CHFT Charitable Fund                                                                                          Shop Steward, OPSEU Local 595                                                                                   Toronto Delegate, I.W.W.                                                                                           Programme Volunteer, Quaker Committee on Jails and Justice                                Co-facilitator, Mennonite Conference Eastern Canada Peace Troupe               Chaplain volunteer, Mimico and Toronto (Don) Jails                                      Volunteer, Field to Table (Toronto)

Notes for a more coherent sermon—Feast Day of St. Clare

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT SERMON 1 P.M.

I’m surprised that I haven’t posted the following sermon before:

Sunday, August 12 , 2007 (Feast Day of St. Clare)
St. Andrew’s Old Catholic Church
Small Meeting Room, 138 Pears (Toronto)
1:00 p.m.

1st Lesson: 1 Corinthians 15: 1- 11

Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you,
which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this
gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you.
Otherwise, you have believed in vain.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was
buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the
Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.
After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at
the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen
asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last
of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called
an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of
God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I
worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was
with me. Whether, then, it was I or they, this is what we preach, and
this is what you believed.

Gospel: Luke 18: 9 – 14

To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down
on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: “Two men went up to the
temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The
Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ‘God, I thank you that I am
not like other men — robbers, evildoers, adulterers — or even like this
tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

“But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up
to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a
sinner.’

“I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified
before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who
humbles himself will be exalted.”

SERMON PROPER BEGINS

Depending on the church calendar, the feast day of St. Clare of Assisi
is celebrated either August 11th or 12th. It is therefore appropriate
to spend a few moments reflecting on the life of someone who has
challenged me to be serious about faith, and yet also tried to get me
to laugh at my own absurdities.

About 800 years ago Italy was in ferment. There were wars and
political violence; religious strife, particularly between western
Christians and the Muslim world, was a dominant factor in international
affairs; economic hardships for some while new sources of wealth for
others was an all too common source of social tension; epidemics and
famine were feared.

And into this world came some very odd people. Voices for peace were raised by those in the military; people of property renounced their priviledge and lived among and as the most vulnerable; people of firm religious conviction found ways to listen for the voice of God across cultural and religious barriers—everyday stubborn and cantankerous people looked to find ways to love one another.

It seemed that the strangest area in Italy at that time was Assisi—for Assisi was the home both of Francesco Bernadone and Clare di Offreduccio. Francesco was the son of a rich merchant, an army veteran and former POW, discharged due to health concerns. Clare was the daughter of wealthy minor nobility who had to flee her home for a while due to civil war. Both had a personal history of generosity to friends and those in need, but no more than any others who grasped the responsibility of those with wealth and power to the community they lived in.

These two, who we know as St. Francis of Assisi and St. Clare of Assisi, were merely two of a large number of people who at about the same time
heard the call to love one another and then set about exploring what
such a call means to themselves, to their community and to the world.
Some, like St. Francis, were orators and poets. Others, St. Clare,
were administrators and organisers. All shared the idea that sainthood
wasn’t for the perfect but for the imperfect—we can, with the help of
God, live out in the here and now an echo of the shalom kingdom.

These early Franciscans and Poor Clares weren’t unfamiliar with living in harmony with the daily demands of their faith. They attended mass, gave to charitable endeavours, attempted to be good family members. But this wasn’t sufficient for them. They wanted to respond more intimately to the loving presence of God and less to the structured way that a faithful life had become.

They didn’t see the life that they were called to—voluntary poverty and simplicity, a rejection of violence and priviledge and the social barriers
so readily woven between individuals and communities—as a grand
gesture that elevated them above other believers. Rather, they embraced their life and encouraged others to find truth in theirs, challenging everyone by
example to move closer to the fullness of life shown in the example of Jesus’
life among us.

This spirit of seeking to be with those in need, to help one another, to embrace peace rather than conflict, to find a way of life closer to that of the creator, continues to move among us. There are many Poor Clares’ communities, living in ways inspired by the rule for the order devised by St. Clare, that seek through prayer and charity, contemplation and a model of life in community, to imitate in a joyous fashion the life of the risen Christ.

Like she did some 800 years St. Clare inspires not only those called to a life of simplicity and prayer. She inspires those that want to hear the voice
of God in creation—a spiritual approach to cherishing the environment
and seeking to share it with all those who are within God’s creation.
She inspires those wanting to provide a haven for those on the
outside—both those that do it through communities of hospitality such
as the Catholic Worker movement and those that do so within a more
formal structure such as St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing Society. And
she inspires those who need to be reminded that prayer is active
participation in the life of the world.

St. Clare, and the others in the circle that come together in Assisi, didn’t come to their conclusions in a vacuum. They had heard from their earliest moments of what happened when God walked among us, that Jesus spoke to those, such as the Samaritan woman at the well and the tax collector for the Roman occupiers, who were outcasts and yet who wanting to be included in the embrace of a loving creator. They learned about Jesus who called blessings on the peacemakers and healed the leper. They learned about the last judgement, when people would be held to account for how they treated the hungry and homeless and dispossessed of the world. They were challenged to renounce the
things of this world and embrace the things of the next. And in a time
of chaos and fear, they chose to do the ridiculous thing of becoming
powerless, peaceful and poor.

The renounced and reclaimed—they renounced priviledge and reclaimed
joy; they renounced power and reclaimed hope; they renounced status and reclaimed love.  It was a time of liberation.

Life to St. Clare and for St. Francis was upside down. If one fasted,  it wasn’t to deny life but to embrace a sense of freedom from the restrictions of normal life. If one wanted to be heard, one spoke to the birds as what was said in
creation was forever present. This was a Pentecost movement, born in
joy and exuberance and hard work and faith.

800 years later there are around us modern Clares. They will be found
in places of conflict caring for the suffering. They will be found trying to encourage people to share what they have with one another. They will be found
getting people to laugh at themselves.  Some are within religious
orders; others are in movements for calling for economic and social
justice; some are in places of conflict seeking to explore non-violence
in dangerous lands; others are found on the 4th floor of an apartment
building making a meal for their neighbour who’s just got out of the
hospital. They can be advising the powerful and panhandling on the
streets—they are among us. Like all saints, they aren’t perfect.
And like all saints, they make a difference in the same way we all
can—doing what we are able to do to show that love is ever present in
the world.

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT SERMON: Feast of the Holy Innocents

(celebrated instead of either the First Sunday after Christmas
or the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ)
11:00 a.m., January 1, 2012
St. Andrew’s Old Roman Catholic Church
138 Pears Ave. Meeting Room
Toronto, Ontario

FIRST LESSON

Revelation 14: 1 – 5

I saw, and, behold, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father’s name written in their foreheads. And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.  These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY:

Matthew 2: 13b – 18

The angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:  And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt have I called my son. “

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. “

SERMON PROPER BEGINS

Not growing up in the Catholic world, I was unaware of the calendar of feast days. I was not exposed, during my youth, to the ongoing challenge of seasonally thinking in different ways that God interacted with humanity. Where I learned about feast days and related spiritual disciplines was from people active in the peace movement and particularly individuals such as Tom Joyce, Len Desroches and Joe Mihavec who were part of, or supporters of, the Cruise Missile Conversion Project. In particular, I learned about the Feast of the Holy Innocents which was chosen as a day of prayer, reflection and civil disobedience at the gates of Litton Industries. Litton Industries, on City View Drive in northwest Toronto, was in the 1970s and 1980s a focus of major protests of the production of the guidance system of the air launched cruise missile. The Cruise Missile Conversion Project wanted Litton Industries to be converted to the production of civilian goods.

Those that chose the Feast of the Holy Innocents as a day of presence at Litton did so because in the preparation of the tools of modern warfare an echo of the actions of Herod was seen. Just like he caused the slaughter of children because he was afraid of what the future might bring as a result of the birth of Jesus, our modern world prepared for and participated in the slaughter of innocents due to fear and the desire for power. Being silent when weapons of mass destruction are developed and used makes us complicit what happens around the world when the innocents and powerless of the world have their lives woven into the power struggles of the mighty. Being at the gates of Litton was a time to example ourselves as people living in a world that does not value children, as living in a world where families have to flee as refugees, a world in which violence is justifiable tool to achieve a political end.

Being at the gates of Litton was a statement that being people of faith who remember with shame and horror the slaughter of the children of Bethlehem we are called to build up a world in which such evil is not repeated, whether in the small scale of our homes or where war is being fought around the world.

We hear in the Gospel what can happen when a political leader with little restraint on their power, is frightened. They can lash blindly, sweeping into the lives of innocents with violence. Herod was afraid of what a political messiah could do and he tried to kill everyone who could possibly grow up to be the messiah. His motivations could even been positive. A political messiah, a claimant to the Jewish throne, could cause the Romans to take over the last remains of Jewish independence and slaughter everyone who they saw as connected to the Messiah. A messiah, in the apocalyptic times of 2,000 years ago, could threaten the balance that kept the Jewish faith alive in the centuries since the end of the Babylonian captivity. The magi who had visited the infant Jesus made it clear that someone unique was happening in the world—and Herod chose to deal with it through directed, mass violence. Herod had many options before him, from doing nothing to seeking out the specific infant he saw as a threat to seeking advice and help from the wider community. For what may have been the best of motives, Herod chose to do evil on a wide scale. And he created the first martyrs for our faith, completely innocent by-standers who died because of fear as a result of God being among us.

Jesus did live through this period thanks to Joseph being willing to believe a divine warning. I could easily imagine Joseph not taking this warning seriously—we all get a feeling of something bad about to happens, things that rarely, if ever, occur. A bad dream would not likely to get us to rush to a strange land in order to protect our family.

Jesus and Mary were fortunate that Joseph believed the dream and brought his family to Egypt as refugees. They found a haven in a strange land. Jesus would have had to learn Greek (the dominant language of Egypt since the time of Alexander the Great); if his family settled in Alexandria—the major city of Egypt of the time and a good place for a carpenter to find work—he would have been immersed in centre of learning for Roman empire at the time. The possibility of Jesus to have lived a sheltered life was shattered by living as a refugee in a foreign land. His having been a refugee helps to explain why Jesus was so compassionate to the needs of the outsider.

Something good did come from the actions of Herod—the divine Jesus experienced the results of fear, hatred and oppression in his formative years among us. But just as the best of motives doesn’t excuse an evil action, an unintended good result doesn’t justify evil. We can learn from and overcome harm we have experienced, but we would be healthier if we never experienced violence or tragedy in our lives.

When I was in front of Litton Industries approximately 30 years ago I was seeking a world where compassion was stronger than fear, where love was more omnipresent than hate, where violence was no more because we converted our swords into plows and our spears into pruning hooks—I sought to live in a place and time where the Sermon on the Mount and the Magnificat were woven into the fabric of daily life. I saw in the massacre of the innocent children of Bethlehem the same evil that resulted in the bombing of Hiroshima, the realities of Auschwitz, the killing fields of Cambodia, the massacre of Wounded Knee, the burning times of the witch hunts of Europe…the evil that was done by people who believed that the ends justified the means. I also saw, thanks to those who were a part of the Cruise Missile Conversion Project the value in the examples of St. Francis of Assisi, Dorothy Day, Cesar Chavez, Simon Menno, Martin Luther King and others within the broader faith community who believed that the way one lived in the world was the key way of showing the value of the Gospel to the world around us and that if one was going to engage the world in a struggle for the shalom kingdom, a world of peace, justice and compassion, one had to do so in such a way that the means and the ends were one. Otherwise, whatever our motivation, evil will be the outcome of our actions.

We are entering a new year, carrying with us all our memories and experiences. Let us seek to leave it with memories of what we have accomplished during the year, every small step we take towards the building up of God’s kingdom on earth. When we give clothes to those on the streets; when we bring meals to shut-ins; we we move our money from banks to credit unions; when we bite our tongue rather that respond with anger; when we say no to violence in our homes, in our neighbourhoods or around the world; when we find a way to welcome the refugee into our city…in all these ways we are showing that the Kingdom of God is alive and welcoming all those seeking to live more fully in harmony with one another and with all of creation.

End of the Year Ideas for Donations

2011 is coming to an end. Some of us may have a little left over resting in our pockets that we’d like to consider giving to a good cause or two. Here are a few suggestions of groups which I have supported over the years that would certainly put your gifts to good use.

1. St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing Society
.  138 Pears Ave. #801
, Toronto, Ontario
 M5R 3K6

St. Clare’s is continues to both develop new affordable housing efforts and provide affordable housing to people, most of whom come as a result of referrals from agencies working directly with the homeless, marginalized and difficult to house. In 2011 two projects, 180 Sudbury and St. Clare’s – Monaco Place, officially opened—over 200 units of new affordable housing. St. Clare’s grew out of Toronto Action for Social Change, which organised a number of creative protests during the Harris years. More information can be found at: http://stclares.ca/

2. FoodShare Toronto.  
90 Croatia Street, Toronto, ON M6H 1K9.  Attention: Zola Dyer.

From the good food box programme to community gardening to advocating for sustainable food policies, FoodShare works hard to make sure that social justice includes what is on the table. More information can be found at: http://www.foodshare.net/

3. Rooftops Canada.  
720 Spadina Avenue, Suite 313, Toronto, Ontario M5S 2T9

Rooftops Canada, the international development arm of Canadian co-operative and non-profit housing movements, works with overseas partners in countries from the Baltic Sea to Zimbabwe to “improve housing conditions, build sustainable communities and develop a shared vision of equitable global development. “ More information can be found at: http://www.rooftops.ca/

4. Student Christian Movement of Canada.  
310 Danforth Ave., 
Toronto ON      M4K 1N6

The SCM has a long history of being an inclusive faith-based voice for positive radical social change university campuses. In addition to direct work for social transformation, SCM is a member of the Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative. From responding to homelessness to indigenous solidarity to the Queer and Christian Without Contradiction initiative, the SCM continues to link reflection with action. More information can be found at: http://scmcanada.org/

5. Elizabeth Fry Society
.  215 Wellesley Street E.
, Toronto ON M4X 1G1
The Elizabeth Fry Society provides effective support for women involved with the criminal justice system. From transitional housing to jail support, E Fry makes a difference in the lives of women in conflict with the law. More information can be found at: http://efrytoronto.org/

6. CHFT Charitable Fund.  
658 Danforth Avenue, Suite 306
Toronto, ON,          M4J 5B9

The CHFT Charitable Fund is a project of the Co-operative Housing Federation of Toronto. Its programmes range from diversity scholarships to support for the Green Roof initiative at Hugh Garner Housing Co-operative to a basketball court at Atkinson Co-op. More information can be found at: http://www.coophousing.com/charitable/charitable_mission.asp

Over the years I have also supported the following organisations that are more activist than charitable in focus.   These include:

7. Christian Peacemaker Teams.

In the USA:
CPT, PO Box 6508; Chicago IL 60680-6508
In Canada:
CPT, 25 Cecil Street, Unit 310; Toronto, ON M5T 1N1

CPT sends delegations to places of conflict to be a practical resource for non-violence and a witness to the world of violence and injustice. From Columbia to Iraq to first nations in Canada, CPT delegations have been a hopeful presence in many places around the world. For more information see http://www.cpt.org/

8. Ontario Coalition Against Poverty. 7 Labatt Avenue, Unit 209H, 
Toronto, Ontario
 M5A 1Z1

From direct action casework to solidarity with imprisoned refugee claimants to walking picket lines, OCAP activists are a strong voice for economic and social justice. For more information http://www.ocap.ca/

9. Wilderness Committee. P.O. Box 2205, Station Terminal, Vancouver,                BC  V6B 3W2

The Wilderness Committee is a mainstream but persistent voice for wilderness and endangered species. In addition to political campaigns, they are a good source of fair trade goods not found elsewhere. For more information see http://wildernesscommittee.org/home

10. Peace Brigades Canada. 145 Spruce Street, Suite 206, Ottawa, ON K1R 6P1

Peace Brigades Canada is a part of a global network of activists who work with human rights activists in places of conflict. From Nepal to Mexico, Peace Brigades volunteers accompany human rights workers as the eyes of the world. For more information see http://www.pbicanada.org/

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT SERMON—ADVENT 4

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT SERMON
11:00 AM., Sunday, December 18, 2011
St. Andrew’s Old Catholic Church
Meeting Room, 138 Pears Ave. (Toronto)

FIRST LESSON

Philippians 4: 4 – 7

Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY: John 1: 19 – 29

And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who art thou?”

And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

And they asked him, “What then? Art thou Elias? “ And he saith, “I am not.”

“Art thou that prophet?” And he answered, “No. “

Then said they unto him, “Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? “

He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.”

And they which were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, “Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? “

John answered them, saying, “I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.”

These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. “

SERMON PROPER BEGINS

As seasonal temperatures begin to surround us and snow is a real possibility even in down town Toronto, it is hard for us to think about what it must have been like in the middle east about 2,000 years ago. We know that shepherds were watching their flocks by night, so it must have been the dry season. Shepherds, the hobos and migrant workers of the time, didn’t bring sheep out into the hills during the rainy times of the year. If flocks were in the hills, that could help explain why the stable was empty. While it was occasionally dangerous work, with wild animals and human perils to deal with, being a shepherd would take you away from the ebbs and flows of urban life and put you more directly in harmony with the rythms of the natural world. One would need to be open to all sorts of possibilities without certainty as to what the future would bring. A wolf could appear, a lost lamb reappear, someone from a nearby village could drop by with the latest gossip or a tax assessor to could appear to determine the value of the flock. There was a quiet urgency to the work. The whole life of a shepherd is one of expectation.

Pope John Paul II, in his address on Dec. 18, 2002 said, “The liturgy of Advent…helps us to understand fully the value and meaning of the mystery of Christmas. It is not just about commemorating the historical event, which occurred some 2,000 years ago in a little village of Judea. Instead, it is necessary to understand that the whole of our life must be an ‘advent,’ a vigilant awaiting of the final coming of Christ. To predispose our mind to welcome the Lord who, as we say in the Creed, one day will come to judge the living and the dead, we must learn to recognize him as present in the events of daily life. Therefore, Advent is, so to speak, an intense training that directs us decisively toward him who already came, who will come, and who comes continuously.”

Like the shepherds who gathered outside Bethlehem, we are in a time of expectation. Something is about to happen in our world. It isn’t a good time to waiting for some people, particularly those on the outside or in places and times of stress and danger. We hope that what we yearn for will come to birth—but we have only faith that something good can happen.

Madeleine L’Engle, in her poem The Risk of Birth (Christmas, 1973), looks at the time of the birth of Jesus through a contemporary lens. When Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem there were doing so in a time of apocalyptic visions, of hope for a nationalistic Messiah, of wars and rumours of wars, of plagues and famines and in a time of loving communities, intellectual curiosity, new goods coming into the marketplaces from far flung parts of Europe and Asia and Africa…She writes:

This is no time for a child to be born,
With the earth betrayed by war & hate
And a comet slashing the sky to warn
That time runs out & the sun burns late.

That was no time for a child to be born,
In a land in the crushing grip of Rome;
Honour & truth were trampled by scorn-
Yet here did the Saviour make his home.

When is the time for love to be born?
The inn is full on the planet earth,
And by a comet the sky is torn-
Yet Love still takes the risk of birth.

Signs in the sky and difficulties in the world are not unusual. If we let the realities of the world at its worse overwhelm us, we’d freeze, we’d stop expecting that something different is possible. 2000 years ago, when it would have been easy to accept despair, hope was alive; vigils were kept; shepherds looked up to the sky and an expectant couple took a journey to Bethlehem. Even in a last of foreign occupation, love can find its way to make a home in the strangest of places.

Daniel Berrigan, in his poem Advent, helps make this clear: He writes:

It is not true that creation and the human family are doomed to destruction
and loss – -
This is true: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whoever believes in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.
It is not true that we must accept inhumanity and discrimination, hunger and poverty, death and destruction –
This is true: I have come that they may have life, and that abundantly.
It is not true that violence and hatred should have the last word, and that war and destruction rule forever –
This is true: For unto us a child is born, and unto us a Son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
And his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting, the Prince of Peace.
It is not true that we are simply victims of the powers of evil                                      who seek to rule the world –

This is true: To me is given authority in heaven and on earth,
and lo, I am with you, even unto the end of the world.
It is not true that we have to wait for those who are specially gifted, who are the prophets of the Church, before we can be peacemakers. This is true: I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,
and your sons and daughters shall prophesy,
your young shall see visions,
and your old shall have dreams.
It is not true that our hopes for the liberation of humanity, for justice, human dignity, and
peace are not meant for this earth and for this history –
This is true: The hour comes, and it is now, that true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.
So let us enter Advent in hope, even hope against hope. Let us see visions of love and peace and justice.
Let us affirm with humility, with joy, with faith, with courage: Jesus Christ — the Life of the world.

++++++++++

We know that our world is one in which there is suffering, but we also know that our world is one in which joy can burst forth.

Advent is a time when we come closest to understanding this. We may have the excitement of waiting to open a present wrapped and lurking within the shadows of a Christmas tree to help us understand Advent; we may be hosting parties that help us understand the uncertainty of offering hospitality to strangers; we may be leading lives of loneliness or fear and are wondering if something good could possibly come our way. We worry and wonder. We may be facing a celebration without a family member; we may be about to start a new job. We may live in the midst of conflict; we may live in a peaceful haven. But we are all living on the edge—something can change; things will change. This is advent, the very edge of time when all things are possible. Just on the edge of our hearing is
the sound of a sheep bleating. Night has fallen. We wait.

Funeral Mass for Father Karl Oliver Jacobs Clemens

Funeral Mass for Father Karl Oliver Jacobs Clemens (November 12, 1941 – December 11, 2011)
10:00 A.M.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Chapel, Rosar-Morrison Funeral Home
467 Sherbourne Street, Toronto

Introit:

Give them eternal rest, O Lord, and may perpetual light shine on them for ever:

Greeting:

Celebrant: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the Love of God and the fellowship of the holy spirit be with you all.
All: And also with you.

Opening Prayer:

Almighty God and Father,
it is our certain faith
that your Son, who died on the cross, was raised from the dead,
the first fruits of all who have fallen asleep:
Grant that through this mystery
your servant Karl Clemens who has gone to his rest in Christ,
may share in the joy of his resurrection.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever: Amen.

The Collect:

O God, the maker and redeemer of all.
Grant us, with our servant Karl
And all the faithful departed
The sure benefits of your Son’s saving passion
And glorious resurrection;
That in the last day,
When you gather up all things in Christ
We may with them enjoy the fullness of your promises;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever: AMEN

Readings & Reflections

First Reading: Isaiah 40: 6 – 11

A voice says, “Cry out.”
And I said, “What shall I cry”
People are like grass,
and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
because the breath of the LORD blows on them.
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers and the flowers fall,
but the word of our God endures forever:
You who bring good news to Zion,
go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem,
lift up your voice with a shout,
lift it up, do not be afraid;
say to the towns of Judah,
Here is your God!
See, the Sovereign LORD comes with power,
and he rules with a mighty arm.
See, his reward is with him,
and his recompense accompanies him.
He tends his flock like a shepherd:
He gathers the lambs in his arms
and carries them close to his heart;
he gently leads those that have young.

Celebrant: The Word of the Lord
All: Thanks be to God.

Second Reading: Romans 6:3-9

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him.

Celebrant: The Word of the Lord
All: Thanks be to God.

COMMUNITY MEMORIES

We invite family and friends of Karl who may have memories to share to
come forward at this time.

GOSPEL

Celebrant: The Lord be with you.
All: And also with you.
Celebrant: The continuation of the Holy Gospel according to John:

Gospel: John 14: 1 – 6; 18 – 19; 27

Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”

Celebrant: The Gospel of Christ.
All: Thanks be to God.

HOMILY: NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT FUNERAL HOMILY

Sometime before the end of the last century I met Fr. Karl, an odd and stubborn energetic priest who had a vision of a world in which a faithful life meant dealing with the lives of individuals where they happened to be. If I thought about it at all, I would have assumed he’d celebrating a mass at my funeral, not me at his.

Karl was a very stubborn person. Because of this he was able to accomplish a phenomenal amount of practical work in his life of ministry. Like many, he was compassionate and committed to the work of a priestly vocation. But it was his stubbornness and persistence that allowed his idealism to bear practical fruit. This expression of ministry changed over time—he developed more than one parish from scratch; at a time when many diocese’s budgets were creative statements, he worked hard in the Kingston’s chancellery office to make sure that the diocese was in good financial state; he reached out to, and encouraged, generations of young people to become priests; he walked the streets and entered the hospices to make a difference in the lives of people with HIV aids when that was an unpopular ministry. And he chose to marry Nicholas Burger, making a statement with his life that love is real and is to be expressed in a real and public fashion.

Karl was a story teller. Some of these stories were ones arising from his life experiences. From finding ways to go around approved church architects to use designs that were more affordable to some of the strange arguments ecclesiastical tribunals used to justify the granting or rejecting of marriage annulments, Karl’s background was an often mined source of material. But Karl would tell other stories that were more of a teaching nature—how a brief prayer with a stranger could have a real impact; of how sharing a cup of coffee with someone with HIV/AIDS was at one time a rebellious act and we should seek out similar opportunities with the outcasts of the current moment.

Karl’s life journey wasn’t a static one; his choices weren’t always consistent. He ran for office both for the NDP and for Campaign Life. He grew up on a small farm in rural Ontario but ultimately found a home and haven in Toronto. According to his brother Terry his one point of consistency was the fact that he loved a good political fight—whether at school as a teenager or in a coffee shop on Church Street. Before becoming a priest he was a school teacher; the first time he entered seminary he changed his mind, almost rejecting a calling he was definitely suited for. And it seems that for most of his adult life he faced a real personal struggle—a true and abiding commitment to the Roman Catholic faith and his calling to the priesthood and the integrity that required him to be honest about his sexual orientation.

Karl and I had very little in common, but there were two parts of ministry that we seemed to have common views about. We found performing weddings not
really to our liking and that the rites around death actually are meaningful.

Those of us here today are given the opportunity to seriously reflect on our relationship with Karl and how we carry into the future a part of his life through our memory. But we are also given the opportunity to see our death and how it isn’t really the end for us. What we have given to the world will live on after we pass away. Just as Karl has left behind churches and memories of shared good times and bad times with those many of us turn away from, we too should know that what we give to the world will last longer than our physical presence. We may never know who will have the cherished memory of us that sustains them in hard times; we may never know the way our simplest act of compassion with ripple out into the world. But this is a part of our own reality, something we share with our brother Karl.

Karl took risks to love; to experiment with life; to become at 60 the person who embraced life with the exuberance of a teenager. He was a conservative who found meaning in the celebration of the Eucharist and a revolutionary who found meaning in the financial wellbeing of an institution he was devoted to. He loved his family of birth and of marriage; cared for his neighbours and struggled hard to be a good priest even when that took him in new directions as his life changed.   His work was recognized in many forums, including his being made a papal knight, a member of the Order of the Holy Sepulchre.  We’ll miss Fr. Karl in many different ways, but we will continue to be different and better people for having known him.

THE PEACE

Celebrant: The peace of the Lord be always with you.
All: And also with you.

THE EUCHARIST

Prayer over the Gifts:

Lord, receive the gifts we offer for the salvation of Karl Clemens . May Christ be merciful in judging our brother Karl Clemens for he believed in Christ as his Lord and Saviour. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Great Thanksgiving:

Priest: The Lord be with you.
All: And with thy spirit.
Priest: Lift up your hearts.
All: We lift them up unto the Lord.
Priest: Let us give thanks unto our Lord God.
All: It is meet and right so to do.
Priest: It is very meet, right, and our bounden duty
that we should in all times, and in all places,
give thanks unto thee,
O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God.

Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord.
In him the world is saved, humanity is reborn, and the dead rise again to life.
Through Christ the angels of heaven offer their prayer of adoration as they rejoice in your presence for ever. May our voices be one with theirs in the triumphant hymn of praise:
All Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of hosts, heaven and earth are full of thy glory: glory be thee, O Lord most high.
Celebrant: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
All: Hosanna in the highest.
Celebrant: We give thanks to you, Lord our God,
for the goodness and love
you have made known to us in creation;
in calling Israel to be your people;
in your Word spoken through the prophets;
and above all in the Word made flesh,
Jesus your Son.

For in these last days you sent him
to be incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
to be the Saviour and Redeemer of the world.
In him, you have delivered us from evil,
and made us worthy to stand before you.
In him, you have brought us
out of error into truth,
out of sin into righteousness,
out of death into life.

On the night he was handed over
to suffering and death,
a death he freely accepted,
our Lord Jesus Christ took bread;
and when he had given thanks to you, he broke it,
and gave it to his disciples, and said,
“Take, eat:
this is my body, which is given for you.
Do this for the remembrance of me.”

After supper he took the cup of wine;
and when he had given thanks,
he gave it to them,
and said, “Drink this, all of you:
this is my blood of the new covenant,
which is shed for you and for many
for the forgiveness of sins.
Whenever you drink it,
do this for the remembrance of me.”
Therefore, Father, according to his command,
All: we remember his death,
we proclaim his resurrection,
we await his coming in glory;
Celebrant: and we offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving
to you, Lord of all;
presenting to you, from your creation,
this bread and this wine.

We pray you, gracious God,
to send your Holy Spirit upon these gifts,
that they may be the sacrament
of the body of Christ
and his blood of the new covenant.
Unite us to your Son in his sacrifice,
that we, made acceptable in him,
may be sanctified by the Holy Spirit.

In the fullness of time,
reconcile all things in Christ,
and make them new,
and bring us to that city of light
where you dwell with all your sons and daughters;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
the firstborn of all creation,
the head of the Church,
and the author of our salvation;
by whom, and with whom, and in whom,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all honour and glory are yours, almighty Father, now and for ever.
All: Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Celebrant: As our Saviour taught us, let us pray,
All: Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Save us from the time of trial,
and deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power,
and the glory are yours, now and for ever. Amen.

Prayer after Communion:

Lord God, your Son Jesus Christ gave us the sacrament of his body and blood to guide us on our pilgrim way to your kingdom. May our brother Karl Clemens who shared in the Eucharist, come to the banquet of life Christ prepared for us. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Final Commendation
Invitation to Prayer:

Before we go our separate ways, let us take leave of our brother Karl Clemens. May our farewell express our affection for him; may it ease our sadness and strengthen our hope. One day we shall joyfully greet him again when the love of Christ, which conquers all things, destroys even death itself.

Silence

Signs of Farewell

Celebrant: Saints of God, come to his aid!
Hasten to meet him, angels of the Lord!

All: Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.

Celebrant: May Christ, who called you, take you to himself;
may angels lead you to the bosom of Abraham.

All: Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.

Celebrant: Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.

All: Receive his soul and present him to God the Most High.

Prayer of Commendation:

Into your hands, Father of mercies,
we commend our brother Karl Clemens.
in the sure and certain hope
that, together with all who have died in Christ,
he will rise with him on the last day.

We give you thanks for the blessings
which you bestowed upon Karl Clemens in this life:
they are signs to us of your goodness
and of our fellowship with the saints in Christ.

Merciful Lord,
turn toward us and listen to our prayers:
open the gates of paradise to your servant
and help us who remain
to comfort one another with assurances of faith,
until we all meet in Christ
and are with you and with our brother for eve:
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The Committal:

In peace let us release our brother to his place of rest.

May the angels lead you into paradise; May the martyrs come to welcome you and take you to the holy city, the new and eternal Jerusalem.

May choirs of angels welcome you and lead you to the bosom of Abraham; and where Lazarus is poor no longer May you find eternal rest.

Whoever believes in me, even though that person die, shall live. I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.

May the God of peace
who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great shepherd of the sheep,
by the blood of the eternal covenant,
equip you with everything good
that you may do his will,
working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ,
to whom be glory for ever and ever:

All: Amen.

Celebrant: Go forth in the name of Christ.

All: Thanks be to God.

Notes For A More Coherent President’s Report

Notes For A More Coherent President’s Report
2011 CAIC AGM
Friends House, December 6, 2011

Those of us gathered here today are sharing in a incarnational journey as we explore the meaning of Advent in current times. We see a world being turned upside down as a result of the birth of baby in a stable in a small town in the middle east. We are on the cusp of a moment when everything is made new. The dream that brought CAIC to birth over 25 years ago is intimately woven into what we see as having happened in the first moments of the birth of our faith. We share our resources in harmony with a vision of what we understand as having been born in Bethlehem.

While the liturgical calendar has us moving through Advent, the calendar on our walls has today as being one of remembrance of the murder of 14 young women on December 6, 1989. The reality of a world in which women are disproportionally the victims of violence is one in which CAIC functions. It is a world in which the members of CAIC really difference.

Looking over the groups that CAIC has offered support to this year provides a glimpse in the many ways our visions and that of local communities come together. 10 new loans and loan renewals went out to initiatives that include a women’s centre, community loan funds, affordable housing, a food distribution centre and worker co-ops. Loans were approved, but not yet advanced, to 4 projects that will likely accept our help. As well, after receiving approval for a loan from the CAIC board, one housing project found a different source of funds and one possible syndication with credit unions was found to not be practical. From the St. John’s Women’s Centre in Newfoundland to the Edmonton City Centre Church Corporation) in Alberta, grass roots organisations have found CAIC an essential partner in bringing to life their different visions for a better life for those they work with which in turn helps to weave together a stronger and healthier community for all.

We should be very proud of our shared vision. Because of CAIC there are fewer homeless people in Canada. Because of CAIC there are more places for victims of domestic violence to find a haven. Because of CAIC there are more jobs in Canada. Because of CAIC there are fair trade partnerships between Canadian co-operatives and co-operatives in the developing world. We may not have transformed the world, but we have transformed the lives of strangers.

CAIC’s success is due primarily to the dedicated work of our staff—Valerie Lemieux and Beth Coates. They do the key work to ensure that the proposals the board reviews meet the needs both of borrowers and the mandate of CAIC. And, from our website through newsletters to public presentations, our staff are the ones who share the news of what CAIC is and what we offer to those seeking resources to meet the challenges they have taken on.

Our work is greatly assisted by an advisory board whose skills and expertise are drawn up to help judge the strength and weaknesses of the proposals the Board reviews. Jen Heneberry, Andre Schroer, Paul Connolly, Ted Hyland, Paul Plecash and Karen Knopf give a great deal of time and effort to help ensure the board both due diligence and honouring our mission.

The Board of Directors of CAIC—Arlene Kubiak. Sr. Doryne Kirby, Fr. Paul Hansen, Moira Hutchinson, and myself—share in the hard task of judging the proposals that come before us. It can be a difficult role for us—we are all idealists, all advocates for social justice. The Board struggles with balancing our stewardship of the resources entrusted to CAIC with the deeply held desire to work with others to meet pressing social, economic and personal needs. This can be daunting at times, but the results are truly worthwhile.

The real strength of the Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operatives is our members. For over a quarter of a century CAIC members have trusted each other with our pooled resources and a shared vision of a world in which homelessness, hunger, violence in our homes are compassionately addressed and alterative structures such as community loan funds, co-operatives and community economic development projects are supported at critical moments in their development. Through CAIC our members engage the world in a sustained way. By supporting local initiatives that make a difference in the lives of individuals, we collectively help to bring to life the shalom kingdom.

Thoughts after the dismantling of Occupy Toronto at St. James Park

In December of 2008 the majority of the members of the Canadian House of Commons, in harmony with parliamentary tradition, came together with the proposal for a coalition government. Instead of either listening to the voice of the majority of the elected members of the Canadian government and calling upon Stéphane Dion to form a new government or requiring Steven Harper to call for a vote of confidence by the House of Commons, the governor general of Canada prorogued parliament. When the house resumed sitting, the coalition became mute. For me, the idea that there was any possible value to electoral politics ended that day. When the majority of the House of Commons could not determine who was prime minister, parliamentary democracy was injured. When the majority of the House of Commons accepted this, the possible value of voting became meaningless.

I have voted since then, but only for individuals with whom I have worked with outside of electoral politics. It would have been nice to have had them elected, but it wouldn’t have resulted in a better world.

Low voter turnout may indicate that a large number of people have also come to feel that it is not important to participate in a process that has become symbolic rather than meaningful.

When the Occupy movement came to life and, more specifically, when it appeared in a place about 15 minutes walk from my home, I became immediately encouraged. In a time of political cynicism and barely responsive elected officials people from diverse backgrounds came together to talk and raise questions. Specific demands were less important than the exploring of ideas and possible options. There were points of clarity—a real desire for inclusive political processes, efforts to bring into the Occupy community the marginalized who (with the exception of OCAP) have historically not been too welcome within social movements, respect for opponents, the need for people centred economic structures. The Occupy movement came into a politically and emotionally empty void.

The vicious attacks on the movement, whether in the media or in places by the police, have not been a surprise. Public dissent is rarely welcomed, even more so when it actually is unique. An effort that can gain support from the Paul Martin’s of the world as well as those charged with conspiracy for their participation in the G20 protests is a rare and potentially truly radical, truly turning the world upside down.

I hope that the state supported attacks on the Occupy movement don’t end it. I hope that it doesn’t disappear into the many private spheres but finds a way to be a physical present in our towns and cities. As someone who finds little to support in traditional politics I may be expecting too much from the Occupy movement. But it has been a true beacon of hope for me. Somehow in the midst of all the social, economic and political ills, when police violence against dissent is displayed across the internet if not in our recent personal memories, people from faith communities and unions, homeless people and co-op housing activists, people with drug and alcohol issues and small business owners, students and veterans, libertarians and Liberals…a phenomenal diversity of life experiences and social visions have found a shared expression in our common community spaces.

I go to sleep with the memories of watching my union brothers helping to take apart a physical statement of an desire for a better world and with the knowledge that a member of the clergy who had seemed surprisingly and wonderfully supportive of the camp at St. James banning participants from Cathedral property. This does not sit easy with me.

But I also go to sleep knowing that I am not alone in wanting the seeds planted in the Occupy movement to grow. This will help keep the darkness at bay.

THOUGHTS ON THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT—TWO MONTHS IN

First, as a personal observation, I have found the people at the Occupy Toronto site hard to deal with unless one has good social skills and can easily start conversations with strangers. During all my visits it has only been people that know me that have come up to me to talk, share stories and memories, etc. I get friendly nods but I can be at St. James Park for a long time before someone (and, again, it is always people that know me) stops me for a chat.  I can’t be the only person coming by that wanders through who feels uncomfortable in groups and informal settings. For those at the Occupy site, I do encourage you to welcome the stranger among you.

When I wander through and observe what is happening at St. James Park and read about what is happening elsewhere I am always pleasantly surprised. It is all too rare for those who are homeless, addicted and otherwise marginalised to be seen, let alone integrated into a broad effort to transform the world. Yet, from speaking at general assemblies to sharing food to having a fairly safe place to rest, the Occupy movement has been a phenomenal example of inclusiveness. It is not perfect, but it is in many ways closer to the shalom kingdom than most faith communities.

I have been excited at the use that St. James Park has been put to. From having community speakers to being a base for marches, at last there seems to be in Toronto a truly public square. The state provided spaces at Queen’s Park, Nathan Philips Square, Dundas Square, etc. have not proven to be welcoming places. Yet a park that is built on the site of a cholera burying ground has proven to be a living and dynamic place.

I am angered and frightened that elected officials seem to have the popular support to stop public usage of a shared resource. Mayors and city councillors have taken what should be a welcomed change—large number of publically and peacefully politically engaged people—and labelled the movement a danger. Courts in Canada seem all to willing to put aside the ideal of public assembly. The police seem all to willing to use excessive force to put down dissent, noticed in Toronto at the G20 and around the world when people gather in the public squares. I can understand why the state and corporate interests want to hide away dissent; wants to hide away homelessness, addictions and mental health challenges; wants to use violence against current protestors to discourage future ones. However, as one dependent on the media for information, it is easy to develop the opinion that oppression is a very popular political option. This angers and frightens me.

This week a 28 year struggle for pay equity was finally won. If it takes over a generation for one victory to occur, why is there impatience with a few weeks that the Occupy movement has been a part of the political landscape? Social change takes a long time. Progressive movements need to be a part of the ongoing social fabric. Ending the Occupy movement, even transforming it by taking it into local meetings, having small scale neighbourhood actions and becoming a part of the private meetings and backroom lobbying of traditional social movements, will be a real set back for the work for positive social transformation. Currently there are places in cities and towns around the world where there is a clear statement that not only is something wrong but there are alternatives to be considered. The commons have been communalised but around the world, from court injunctions to brutal physical force, the Occupy movement is under substantial threat.

I hope that I will continue to have the opportunity to feel a stranger in the midst of the Occupy Movement. Come tomorrow the courts may rule that the City of Toronto can take down the camp in St. James Park. With the state and corporate interests driving the Occupy movement out of public spaces and having significant popular support to do so, it is hard to feel confident that a wonderful public expression of hope and anger will continue to be a public witness.

THOUGHT FROM THE FRINGES OF THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT

There is a wonderful and radical spirit flowing across the world.
People are going into public spaces and demanding that the public good
be the key focus of all economic and political decision making. I am not
a part of any Occupy expression, but have been encouraged that demanding a better world is a contemporary dream.

My only connection to this movement is occasional visits to Occupy Toronto at St. James’ Park. I am fascinated by the decision making process. The patience of general assembly facilitators and spirited input by participants is something I’ve not seen since the early days of the Clamshell Alliance and the large assemblies of the Great Lakes Coalition Against the Cruise/Alliance for Nonviolent Action.

In my visits, though, I feel like an outsider. As I am not staying at the park or flexible enough in time and spirit to go on marches or take part in any concrete tasks (i.e. medical; logistics; food), I feel I shouldn’t participate in discussions or group decision making. I am a visitor to someone else’s movement, not a part of it.

I hope that this movement continues to grow. There are huge social problems, from poverty to war to urban violence to homelessness to alienation from participating in mainstream decision making, that need to confronted. Every moment that a public space is occupied is a moment in which the world as we experience it can be transformed.

The occupy movement is a place for experimentation in effective compassion. How is food shared? How can the scare resources of shelter and privacy be equitably provided? How can the views of different people be brought forward into the decision making process without discouraging those with divergent views from participating? How can this movement link with other struggles without losing its own internal dynamics and logic? It deserves to be supported and lessons learned from it as it evolves.

Different expressions of the occupy movement have different needs. What they have in common is a need for space that can be set aside on an ongoing basis, access to food, shelter, washrooms and communications technology so that they can be sustained on an ongoing basis. In some places a flying squad of supporters would be truly helpful—if they are threatened there should be something in place that will bring the broader community together in support. Spiritual and emotional support is often greatly needed—it is hard to maintain a movement if only the physical needs are met. Logistical support, including food and medical supplies, is always important for an ongoing public movement.

Weaving links to the broader community is essential. If you are a member of a church or a union with a presence near the occupied site urge them to open their doors to the occupy movement. Even a couple of hours a day would be helpful. Whether providing a space for mediation or a hot shower, simple practical expressions of solidarity will help sustain the movement for the long haul.

If you know neighbours that feel intimidated by the people in the Occupied space, bring them by and introduce them. Neighbours need to be acknowledged as stakeholders in the public space; their help will be essential in keeping the space available for the long haul.

The public face of the occupy movement is essential. It is hard but long term movements do need to realize that both sides of a protest are included when the whole world is watching. It is hard to focus public attention on police violence and overreaction if the media can show occupiers using force or violence, throwing things at police or vandalizing property.

I am hoping that as winter approaches safe places are found for those occupying in the northern hemisphere to continue their protest in the public eye. From church sanctuary spaces to city squares surrounded by buildings that block the wind and snow, most urban places have areas where occupiers can continue to gather publically and safely. It will take a long time for the compassion and commitment of the Occupying movements to have a substantial impact on the broader world. But as someone who began participating in social movements while the Vietnam War was still being waged, I know that the world can change.
And social transformation can best come about if movements are supported on a long term basis.

I am on the fringes of the Occupy world. As I reach late middle age I am filled with hope because this is happening around me.

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT REFLECTION: 2011 ON CO-OP CONFERENCE

I am trying to remember my first co-op meeting as an individual. There are very early memories of attending meetings of the Algoma Steel Workers Credit Union with my father. I was involved in efforts to develop a food buying club back when I was at Algoma. I was on Queen’s AMS when CMHC swept in and took down Elrond College. I remember giving money to the Worker Ownership Development Foundation which was working out of a United Church on Danforth. I made deposits at Bread and Roses Credit Union for CMCP and ANVA.  Co-operatives kept touching my life for many years.

Somehow in the mid to late 80s a shift occurred.  Instead of touching my life from time to time, co-operatives became a key part of my identity. I started looking for work in the co-op sector; I moved into a housing co-op; I joined food co-ops and worker co-ops and credit unions and energy co-ops; I began running for regional, provincial and national co-operative boards—I began woven into the co-operative sector.

Being a part of the co-operative world has resulted in my travelling from Victoria to St. John’s, conducting workshops, raising points of order from microphones, examining investment holdings and sharing in decisions about what venture will be funded. For several years I have attended a gathering once held at the Atrium in Guelph and now at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington—the On Co-op (formerly CCA Ontario) Conference. Unlike most co-op gatherings where I have a formal role I am at the periphery. I attend opening sessions and workshops; once I even stayed for the evening gala/awards event (the year that the Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative received an award).

What brings me back year after year is that this is a gathering of the clans. Once a year I share a few hours with those who have devoted their whole lives for the co-operative movement and those making their first venture into an odd community. And it is an odd community. Senior officials of co-operatives with hundreds of millions in assets join with those who depend on a government subsidy to be able to afford their homes in celebrating a common vision of a world where people share their time and resources to jointly meet individual and community needs. I meet people every year that came from the Alliance for Non Violent Action or The Student Christian Movement or the Public Interest Research Group network, which helped form my approach to the world and those from business schools and traditional businesses that find common ground in figuring out the best way to jointly meet human needs.

This On Co-op conference was structurally the same as other years—-the morning devoted to speakers with workshops in the afternoon. In the morning we had a change to hear three good speakers. Networking opportunities were woven into the lunch hour. The day ended with concurrent workshops.

Dame Pauline Green, president of the International Co-operative Alliance, appeared via internet hook-up., and gave the key-note speech. She focused on 2012, the International Year of Co-operatives. She gave a global perspective on our movement and encouraged participants to use 2012 to share our good news and our shared vision. It is sometimes hard to find common ground across co-op sectors (co-op housing is very different from credit union and a community medical co-operative); Dame Green has devoted her life to not only weaving together co-operatives across sectors but around the world.

She was followed by Mike Colledge of Ipsos Reid. While not the most dynamic speaker, his presentation of the results of a recent survey on the attitudes of Canadians towards co-operatives was informative. It helped to put our movement into the broader Canadian context. I was struck by the comment that the most cynical people in regards to co-operative are often the most knowledgeable about co-operatives. This strikes home as those who are the most familiar with co-operatives will be dealing with co-operatives both at their best and at their worst.

The final speaker of the morning, John Restakis, was challenging and moving. He is the author of Humanizing the Economy: Co-operatives in the Age of Capital. Much of his presentation consisted of extracts from the book. His illustrations were fascinating. The difference between the way that the U.S. responded to Katrina and the people of Sri Lanka responded to a massive tsunami gave a clear distinction between the values of a co-operative community and one of a competitive one. We were reminded that co-operatives are truly revolutionary, capable of transforming the world through the combination of practicality and idealism. He drew clear links between the world that a co-operative society could build and the visions behind much of the Occupy movement.

Lunchtime was an opportunity to meet with co-op members from across Ontario and across sectors. As I moved from energy co-ops seeking investors to a Gay Lea travelling museum I got to talk to people who talk about offering statements without a blink, to reconnect with others from the libertarian left movements of 70s and to sample fair trade dark chocolate.

I spent the afternoon at a workshop on Assessing Capital. This may sound dull, but co-ops do depend on finding money to start up and to expand. Whether this is done by people reaching into their own pockets to start up a small cooking co-op or through mortgages to buy the buildings for a housing co-op or selling bonds to build a wind or solar power facility, money has to come from somewhere for such dreams to come to life.

As is always the case, I leave these co-op gatherings encouraged and hopeful. Co-operatives for me are a way of transforming and renewing society. Through co-operatives people can share in controlling their economic and social realities. There is something spiritual in co-operatives as well. It isn’t an accident that people like Father Moses Coady and Toyohiko Kagawa linked their faith to the development of co-operative communities. In the co-operative movement I am connected to a web of dreamers and practical folk who share a vision of a better, transformed and transforming world for all.

Notes for A More Coherent Sermon—Trinity 18

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT SERMON
11:00 AM., Sunday, October 23, 2011
St. Andrew’s Old Catholic Church
Meeting Room, 138 Pears Ave. (Toronto)

First Lesson: 1 Corinthians 1: 4 – 8

I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ; that in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY: Mark 12: 28 – 37

And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”

And Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. “

And the scribe said unto him, “Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices. “

And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, “Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.” And no man after that durst ask him any question.

And Jesus answered and said, while he taught in the temple, “How say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David therefore himself calleth him Lord; and whence is he then his son? And the common people heard him gladly.”

SERMON PROPER BEGINS

“And the common people heard him gladly” Song writers such as Woody Guthrie, Ewan MacColl and Jackson Browne were inspired by this image of Jesus and his relationship with the people around him. Saints such as Francis of Assisi and Saint Marguerite d’Youville were moved by this message to lives of active compassion. Movements, such as the Catholic Worker, are rooted in this sentiment. Liberation and post-colonial schools of theology arise from this short passage.

Jesus spoke with anyone who’d listen to him. He helped Romans and Samaritans.  He debated with the educational elite. He listened to social outcasts and got his hands dirty helping fishermen. He didn’t spend his life in academic isolation or a cloister—he spent his life in the streets and hostels and taverns and auditoriums of his time. He taught and healed, but he also listened and learned. One thing Jesus learned was that before you can do something for others you have to care for yourself.

Jesus went on retreats when he was tired and discouraged. He remembered to take time to eat and drink. He learned that if someone runs himself down he was unlikely to speak well of others; if she looked down on the Samaritans she was likely to accept being looked down on by the Romans. If someone truly cared for others, such care was rooted in self-respect.

We know that it is hard to look outward and truly see others as they are if we look inwards in a distorted fashion. If we have contempt for our own bodies, we can not have respect for the physical needs of others. If we judge ourselves harshly and unfairly it is hard for us to treat others fairly and with compassion. From obsession over weight or body tone to fear of the physical effects of aging, our self contempt cuts us off from others. We judge others by their appearance because that is how we judge ourselves; we judge others by their wealth or lack thereof because that is how we judge ourselves; we judge others by social status or power because that is how we judge ourselves.

This is at odds with the life Jesus calls us to. We are offered unconditional and non-judgemental love. We are accepted no matter what we look like or how much money we have in our pocket or how many hang on to our every word.

The more fully we accept this grace, this gift, the more fully human we become and the easier it becomes to love our neighbours. We can accept their strengths and weaknesses, find common ground, care for them, let ourselves be cared for; The more we accept God’s unconditional love for us the more we can reflect the intent of the shalom kingdom in the world around us.

We won’t be greedy because we are comfortable with enough; we won’t be oppressive because we are confident in our own worth; we won’t be hateful because we no desire to exclude others from our community.

Accepting God’s love for us can have practical results in the world. We would be more likely to join a co-operative because we would be more confident in our ability to share our resources to meet common needs, more confident in our ability to make decisions with others to meet our diverse needs. We would be more willing to share food and other things with others because we would be more confident that we have lost something in the process. We would be less likely to harm others because we would be more empathetic with others and less wounded ourselves. We would be physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually healthier because we won’t be swayed by fads and social pressure.

It is hard to live a life in harmony with divine will. It can be draining, demanding and frustrating. At times being faithful can result in one being mocked, isolated, harassed, jailed, tortured and even executed. It can also be exhilarating, fulfilling, exciting and life renewing. Living a faithful life is made far easier by being open to God’s presence within.

Our contemporary world is one that discourages both love of oneself and love other others. It encourages consumption rather than sustainable economic relationships; it provokes damaging self-images rather than a healthy life; it encourages turning our eyes away from where our goods and services comes from so that we stop being aware of the tapestry of relationships that are essential for the gifts of creation to be shared among all.

The divine kingdom we are called to bring to life in the current movement is a familiar one—it is the image of the ideal family, one where people love and care for one another no matter what. It isn’t a strange otherworldly heaven, but a practical, down to earth one. If we love ourselves; if we love one another; if we accept that we are worthy of being loved we can bring such a world to into being. It won’t be a world of contemptuous corporations or alienated individuals. God offers us a world of loving, transforming relationships and calls us to remind the world that love is running rampant, that the earth is ours to share, that each of us is of worth.

It is not surprising that the common people listened to Jesus. He offered common sense and common knowledge, encouraged everyone to share work and responsibility and offered love and respect to all that were willing to accept this rare gift. In a time and place when individuals don’t matter, this was and remains revolutionary.

Notes for a More Coherent Sermon – Trinity 11

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT SERMON
11:00 AM., Sunday, September 4, 2011
St. Andrew’s Old Catholic Church
Meeting Room, 138 Pears Ave. (Toronto)

FIRST LESSON

1 Corinthians 15: 1 – 11

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. Therefore whether it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY:

Luke 18: 9 – 14

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. ‘ I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, ‘God be merciful to me a sinner.’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted. “

SERMON PROPER BEGINS

Comparing ourselves to others is an all too human trait. Whether based on envy, wanting to have the type of car a neighbour has, or based on pride, thinking we are better than our neighbour because of the style we put on, much of our identity and therefore the way we relate to God and to one another, is based on our judgements of others.

In today’s Gospel we are reminded that our relationship with God starts with our understanding of ourselves, not our neighbour. It is not through our public expressions of faith that we come closest to God but in our private acknowledgement that without an active relationship with God, without God’s help, we are less that we can be.

We can not strengthen our relationship with God by criticizing others. We strengthen our relationship with God by acknowledging our own weaknesses and reaching out to God with humility and hope to gain the strength to transform our lives.

Paul recognized the difficulty in being humble—throughout his epistles he makes a real effort to transform attention from himself to God. Some of this was lingering guilt from his time as a major persecutor of Christians. It is hard not to be humbled by what we have done to harm others, especially if they find a way to truly forgive us. Some of this was likely due to his early education as a student of Gamaliel, a student of Hillel. He would have learned about love of God and love of one’s neighbour as being key to a faithful life; you do not look down on in judgement those you love. When one has experienced miracles it is hard not to feel exalted; Paul gave witness to what he had experienced, but acknowledged he wasn’t the only one who had seen the risen Christ and that the community of Christ was where Christ was acknowledged. It was the content of what Paul said that was important, not him. Looking up to Paul made no sense to him —the community of believers was made up of people just like him and the important thing was the universal message of Christ’s love for us, not the specific qualities of the messenger. The community was made up of flawed people like Paul who shared in the vision of being a part of a transformed, loving and compassionate community made possible because of the coming of God among us.

This community was in its earliest formation when Jesus told the story we hear in today’s gospel. It was important to many to be seen as living a good life, a faithful life in which the common rituals enforced community. Then, like now, being seen acting in a good way fed one’s ego and became more important than the content of one’s character or the way one acted when not in the public eye. Being seen as following the proper forms of worship and praying the proper prayers lead to higher status and the temptation to look down on others. Where loving God was to “Act in such a manner that God will be beloved by all His creatures” (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Commandment)
and to worship God was to seek justice and wellbeing for all, (AMOS 5: 21 – 24: “I hate, I despise your religious festivals; your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!) public piety and the structure of worship had became paramount. Individuals who tried hard in their daily life to be good but didn’t live up to their own expectations, seemed to be of less value that those whose daily lives were less public, who were seen more in the places of worship than in the difficult places of normal life.

Today’s gospel suggests that acknowledging one’s failures and asking help to do better in the future is closer to the true essence of prayer than
living a sheltered life and following established rituals. Looking down on others is shown as a clear barrier towards one’s prayers being made real; looking closely at one’s own weaknesses is shown as a way of making one’s prayers come to fruition.

We know that worship isn’t confined to a given time and place; that all we do in life can be seen as the way we worship. (Isaiah 58:6: Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?). Worship is more than ritual—it is the way we interact with all within creation. Prayer itself is more than the words we utter, it includes the actions we do and the attitudes we hold. We may utter the right words, but if we cause harm to those who share in creation our words lose meaning. If we claim to love God but show contempt towards others, our claim is meaningless. If we try to treat others with respect and dignity, but don’t know the right words to say in the house of worship we will have spoken eloquently.

Paul was a humble person who found himself in a very public role; the focus of his ministry was to direct attention towards the divine presence. The gospel encourages us to take a similar approach, particularly in our efforts to draw nearer to God. Trying to raise our own status on the backs of our sisters and brothers pushes us away from God; trying to come to an understanding of our own failings is the first step towards a new life that brings us closer to God and to all the make up the divine kingdom.

Humbleness isn’t self hatred or self denial; it is a state of honesty and awareness, a movement towards grace. To be humble is not to deny one’s talents or knowledge, but rather to not deny others’ talents or knowledge; it is to see that one is an equal and valued part of a community rather than seeing oneself as greater than the others around you. Paul was not a doormat, but did not exalt himself above the others he shared the life of the early church with.

We move through life with various statuses and titles thrust upon us, many loaded with social status—husband, wife, child, teacher, priest, painter, president, secretary. While there might be expectations based on these titles, as people of faith such titles are not justifications for division or egotism. Words describe our relationships or indicate our responsibilities; they do not govern our attitudes towards God, ourselves or one another. Both the epistle and gospel we heard today remind us that we are all equal in the eyes of God, equally flawed and equally beloved and equally called to build up the shalom kingdom. Being called to be humble isn’t a call to self-abasement; it is a call for action.

Notes for a More Coherent Sermon—Trinity VII

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT SERMON
11:00 AM., Sunday, August 7, 2011
St. Andrew’s Old Catholic Church
Meeting Room, 138 Pears Ave. (Toronto)

FIRST LESSON: Romans 6: 17 – 23
But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Gospel: Mark 8: 1 – 9
In those days the multitude being very great, and having nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples unto him, and saith unto them, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat: And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.

And his disciples answered him, “From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?”

And he asked them, “How many loaves have ye?” And they said, “Seven.”

And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people. And they had a few small fishes: and he blessed, and commanded to set them also before them. So they did eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets. And they that had eaten were about four thousand: and he sent them away.

SERMON PROPER BEGINS

Our world is not a simple place. We weave together different demands on our time and emotions, on our money and our skills. We rarely get to be whole people; instead we tend to have different ways of being in the world when we are at work or at home, with friends or with strangers…being a complete person seems to be at odds with what is expected of us as we go through our normal lives.
We approach social and political problems the same way. We condemn murder but accept war; we condemn private greed but reward corporate greed.
We separate what we know is the right behaviour for individuals from what we accept as proper behaviour by institutions.
It isn’t just negative behaviour for which we treat individuals and corporations differently. Take donations to food banks, for example. If I make a cash donation, I get a tax credit, which can be deducted from income tax one has to pay (approximately 15% on the first $200 and 29% on amounts above $200).  If I make a food donation I receive no financial reward.  It is a true charitable gift. A food chain that donates, whether money or food, can deduct 100% of the value of their donation. Indeed, thanks to various Good Samaritan laws, food that can not be legally sold due to problems such as expiry dates can be safely given to food banks. These corporations also benefit from income from those buying food to donate and the publicity that arises from their participation in such a valued community effort.
These seems a long way from the message of today’s gospel, but I see in the actions of Christ an approach to life that is far more inclusive than our world expects. He was part of an organised body of people and yet the focus of his ministry was on responding to the spiritual and physical needs of those around him. He didn’t gather food together to feed those close to him and then gave away whatever was surplus—he took what he and his friends could gather together and shared them with everyone. There was no corporate or collective benefit from being a part of Jesus’ official circle. It wasn’t only those part of the official church structure that we cared for—everyone that was present was fed.
A few decades ago, on a small farm in upstate New York, over 500,000 people gathered together for a commercial activity—listening to music performed by some of the richest and/or best known musicians in the world at the time. Far fewer were expected than came—186,000 tickets were sold and facilities and food for that many were provided. Somehow, though, the 500,000 people who came were fed and sheltered—a minor but overlooked miracle of the time.  Far more food was available than was planned for; it was distributed to all that were hungry in ways that were beyond the expectations of the organisers. Such miracles do occur more often than we think—whenever the spirit of a group expands to include everyone somehow all can be nourished and cared for. Food appears at a potluck in amounts that can feed everyone with leftovers to share. Space can be found for everyone to sleep when a funeral occurs and family and friends come from out of town to share in the celebration of someone’s life. The power goes out in Toronto and neighbours who don’t talk to each other bring food and water up 20 flights of stairs to shut-ins. When the thoughts of people turn to others individuals are cared for and miracles abound.
When thoughts turn to institutions, somehow values change. Process and accountability rather than compassion and action become dominant concepts. We expect individual people to behave well; when those seem people become enmeshed in the structures of large organisations we expect them, indeed we encourage them to act in ways opposed to the values our society claims to promote. It isn’t just businesses that seem to push away values of sharing, compassion and generosity. Non-profits and QUANGOs (quasi autonomous non-governmental organisations) institutions can take on the values of the corporate world, ceasing to act on behave of the individuals they were created to care for and becoming focused on the needs of the institution itself.
Jesus took part in the institutional life of his community—he read in the synagogue; studied at the temple; paid his taxes and gave his offerings. But we are not specifically called to imitate that Christ. Rather, we are called to imitate the Christ that talked to the Samaritan women, who healed the centurion’s child, who turned water into wine at a feast, who feed the hungry multitude… the Christ that in his daily life put the needs of individuals ahead of the organisational needs of the time.
We are expected to be dead to the world, to find life in a place that heaven and earth come together. We are expected to act as if the shalom kingdom is a physical reality and we are a part of it. In this kingdom are many mansions, so that everyone can live in comfort and dignity. In this kingdom there is no wailing and despair because there is medical care for all. In this kingdom there is no fear because our neighbour is not at war with us. God calls us, individually, to this communal expression of love.

Notes for a more coherent sermon on Pentecost

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT SERMON
11:00 AM., Sunday, June 12, 2011
St. Andrew’s Old Catholic Church
Meeting Room, 138 Pears Ave. (Toronto)

FIRST LESSON: Acts 2:1-11

And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, “Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judaea, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God.”

GOSPEL OF THE DAY: John 14: 15 – 27
Jesus said unto his disciples, “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.”

Judas saith unto him, (not Iscariot), “Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?”

Jesus answered and said unto him, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me. These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. “

SERMON PROPER BEGINS

I don’t always look at things the way that others do. I find hope in odd places, see positive signs in times of darkness. Thinking about Pentecost and the flames from above I took a look again at the words of the old spiritual Oh, Mary Don’t Your Weep, specifically the lines:

“God gave Noah the rainbow sign,
No more water, the fire next time!”

At the time of Noah people had turned away from God, becoming selfish and harsh towards each other, denying a relationship to the divine and other another.  God’s response was to restart everything.   He didn’t give up on humanity, indeed there were people trusted with the renewal of life on earth.

And God also did something new—he entered into a binding agreement with humanity that in the future, no matter what the provocation, would never be the universal target of divine wrath.   Individuals would still be held accountable for their action, but the possibility of collective responsibility was forever ended.

As a sign of this permanent and new relationship, a contractual one between two parties rather than the old relationship which more closely resembled the relationship between owner and property, God created the rainbow.  If God was going to intervene in creation in the future it would be done differently.

God continued to intervene with humanity after the flood.  Prophets were sent to call for a return to a right relationship with God and with one another.   And around 2,000 years ago, God entered directly into the human experience by becoming one of us, calling again for a loving relationship with God and with one another while learning in the most direct way about the strengths and frailties of humanity.

Christ came and destroyed the world.  He overturned laws and practices and expectations and unleashed forces of dramatic transformations that continue to echo to our times.   Its impact has been long term, but God’s incarnation was destructive of the old powers and principalities of the world.  And, like after the flood, we were given a chance to renew life, both as individuals and as communities sharing in creation.

Today, Pentecost Sunday, we celebrate the ‘fire next time.’  In the upper room of Jerusalem, a short time after the ascension of Jesus, there was a small gathering of people who had just lost Jesus for the 2^nd time.   They were men and women, young and old, rich and poor.  They were together in their grief but isolated in their understanding.  The world had been promised to them and the one who did the promising had been killed.  Jesus returned from the grave and, although he promised that they would not be alone, he left them.  Around them was a city full of people from across the Roman empire; in the room was a remnant people.  They had been promised that if they remained faithful they would be provided for.   The old world was to disappear, a new Jerusalem built and they were promised that they would be welcomed in it.

For those gathered in the upper room it didn’t look like the new Jerusalem was imminent.  Jesus has promised they would be sent a teacher, a guide, a comforter—someone who would take them on a new journey into a new life in a renewed world.  Yet he was gone and what they were left was each other.

And into this gathering of people on the edge came the most destructive force they could imagine—a rain of fire.  They were engulfed and their world was destroyed.  They became one with the divine and woke up in a different world.  Suddenly they were certain of things—that they were not alone, that they were a part of something greater than themselves as individuals, that they no longer needed a mediator between themselves and God, that love was in the world and would take no prisoners.

In that small room in a city on the fringes of an empire began a force that engulfed the world and destroyed the past.

It wasn’t a violence force, but it was powerful.  Like the global flood of Noah’s time, it continues to seek every corner of creation.   But where the flood left death in its wake, the flames of Pentecost leaves the possibility of a new life.   We are in a world where our ultimate judgement is to be based not on who our ancestors were or the rituals we practice but on whether or not we enter into right relationships with God and with one another.   At Pentecost we became the fuel for the divine fire to spread in the world.  We become the voice of compassion and hope, of love and transformation.  The old world was destroyed, the old way of living in creation put aside.  With the coming of the fire God became a living presence within creation, accessible to all.

The rainbow still graces the sky as a reminder that God is in a covenant relationship with us.    Since the first Pentecost there has been another sign, the divine flame, that casts new light on a new world.   God has again destroyed the world, but this time has stayed with us while the renewal of creation occurred.   God’s covenant still stands, but now there is a new principle that overwhelms all past relationships.  God is with us, in us and around us.  Everything has been destroyed.  Everything is made new.

GENERAL THOUGHTS ON CAPITALISM

An economic system that is inherently sinful is hard to accept.   A system where wealth is generated through paying workers less than the value of their labour and charging customers more than the value of the goods and services is inherently unethical.    And yet phenomenal numbers of people of faith and from across the political spectrum either gladly support capitalism or accept it as an inevitable and eternal, even if they personally desire a more equitable and egalitarian system..

There are apologists for capitalism who complain about capitalism– the price of gasoline; the quality of cell phone services; the treatment of passengers by many airlines; discrimination in hiring; workplace injuries—who see such things as aberrations rather than capitalism functioning properly.  It is an expense to provide comfortable seating or effective technical support or decent working conditions and costs need to be minimised.

Support for the excesses of capitalism seem to be growing.   Attacks on trade unions, public interest organisations and other organised responses to injustice and exploitation have widespread and vocal public support.    Efforts to undo generations of progress in workplace health and safety, pay equity, environmental standards, food safety, safe drinking water, public transportation and accessible good quality health care are being eroded.   On-line comment sections of the media are filled with hateful attacks on public servants and public sector unions.   There is wide place resistance to the rise of unfettered capitalism but often not in the public eye.

I wonder if the reason capitalism is in resurgence is that progressive forces have been content to try and tame capitalism, rather than abolish it.    The ideas of a mixed economy, of regulated competition, of corporate social responsibility and other efforts to reshape capitalism haven’t made it into a friend to all humanity and a gentle presence on the planet but yet these ideals have been expressed by many, myself included, as ways of helping to address the worst aspects of capitalism trying to move things in a more positive direction in the long term.    Like apologists for Stalin, the crusades or the militarisation of the concept of jihad, we apologists for capitalism have much to answer for.

The resurgence of capitalism is happening in South Africa and in Toronto, in China and in Devonshire.   It is one potential expression of Think Globally Act Locally.  A profitable corporation thinks locally by threatening to move a factory if labour and environmental standards aren’t weakened.  It thinks globally by moving wealth away from those that create it into massive private accumulations.

I am angered by corporate greed; I am saddened by people of faith who justify it.   I look at my scriptures and see a preferential option for the poor, a call for sustainability, community and compassion.   I can’t make the leap to the view that capitalism is compatible with Christianity.

THOUGHTS ON THE 2011 CHFC AGM

It has been many years since my first Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada AGM. Meetings have been held from Victoria to St. John’s, with stops in between in Quebec, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary, London, Montreal, Winnipeg and many other places. I’ve had a change to visit parts of Canada I’d never otherwise see. While not the major reason for me to attend CHFC meetings, this has been a wonderful bonus. I’ve had a chance to sample the diversity of the Canadian experience in the company of people committed to the co-operative movement.  This has been a wonderful privilege.

This year’s AGM, a return visit to St. John’s, ended up being the most exhausting one I’ve attended. Close to a week after it ended, I still feel drained.  Perhaps age is catching up to me; perhaps it is withdrawal after being an active part of the leadership of CHF Canada and my return to the daily realities in the grassroots of the movement. I was present at the AGM as a member of CHF Ontario Council, a member of the Resolutions Committee and (due to my position as treasurer of CHF Ontario Council) a less visible role as a member of the CHFC Finance and Audit Committee. I didn’t attend workshops, either as a participant or as a leader, nor did I take a significant role in the debates on the floor of the AGM, both which I missed. It felt, at times, that I was not quite at the same event as most people there—like a ghost or an uninvited guest or the family member at a reunion that people can’t quite remember.

But I did attend meetings—of the Resolutions Committee, a joint CHFC Board/Ontario Council meeting and meetings of Ontario Council. I took part in meetings dealing with difficult process issues and others centred on exciting legislative possibilities. I had the opportunity to share a few words with people with a far longer history of active involvement in the co-op housing movement and with those who only recently joined a housing co-op. Being in the company of those who share a vision of a strong and inclusive co-operative movement reminds me that I am a part of a far larger movement than I sometimes realise.

I was delighted with the election of Michelle Maldonado to the CHF Board as an at-large director. She wasn’t born when I moved into my co-op and is part of successful leadership renewal in the co-op housing movement.

There were disappointments. I am worried about how few resolutions came forward from CHFC members. The AGM should be a place of debate, an opportunity to shape the values and direction of the movement in a hard to duplicate forum. It is a place where concerns expressed in private about policies and programmes should be brought forward. Perhaps few members taking advantage of the AGM to bring forward concerns and dreams is a temporary phenomena, with the distance to St. John’s discouraging participation and major issues already being dealt with through resolutions sponsored by the Board, Ontario Council or various CHFC committees. Perhaps it’s a sign of change in the way activism is expressed, with discussions occurring informally and being acted upon in less obvious ways. Perhaps CHFC is in transition, with direction coming less from a coalition of local activists and more from institutional leadership. Whatever the forces shaping this change, I still find it worrisome.

Related to this is my concern over lack of membership participation. Approximately 1/3rd of the possible membership of CHFC were represented at the AGM. There is concern being expressed at the low turn-out of voters in various federal, provincial and municipal elections. Low participation in the democratic structures of the co-op movement is more of a problem in the long term. It is in the organisations of civil society that democratic values are most effectively expressed. Low rates of participation within an organisation that exists to meet the needs of its members is worrisome. There are some good reasons for lack of participation this year—-specifically cost and distance. But reasons haven’t been truly tested. Next year the AGM is in Niagara Falls, much closer to where the majority of CHFC’s members are. I hope that there is significant growth in member participation, with at least 50% + 1 voting members registered. Efforts to improve various electronic forms of participation is essential in helping weave the organisation together, but something is lost when direct face-to-face interaction is eroded. It is harder to avoid accountability in person.

Few resolutions from CHFC members and smaller than ideal levels of participation don’t make me fearful for the organisation but they do make me concerned that some of the real strengths of the co-operative movement, particularly active member/owner participation in the life of their organisations, is becoming attenuated over time.

It is the non-governance aspects of the AGM that dominate my emotional response to CHF AGM and makes me want to continue to be a part of this movement. There were directors retiring that I’ve work with for years I may never see again. I had a wonderful moment running into a first time delegate who was someone I hadn’t seen since my wedding (27 years ago). There were exSCMers in attendance who, like me, came to the co-op movement as a way of continuing to explore what it means to be a person of faith. There were people present who remembered me from coffee houses and anarchist gatherings and church services and picket lines. There were strangers who talked to me about CHFC finances and others who were excited about the ideals of a co-operative community—the practical commonality of sharing resources to meet individual needs brought us all together.

My last morning at the CHF AGM was spent at an Ontario Council meeting, where I was re-elected treasurer. This puts me automatically on the CHFC Finance and Audit Committee. I have meetings to look forward to and a movement to share skills and visions within.

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT HOUSING PANEL PRESENTATION

Notes for Affordable Housing Workshop panel at Canadian Unitarian Council – AGM
Session F4 – Monday, May 23, 2011 – 9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
89 Chestnut Residence & Conference Centre
Toronto, Ontario

St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing grew out of Toronto Action for Social Change, seeing in the development of new housing a logical continuation of demanding that society effectively address the problems of poverty and homelessness. Since 1998 we have developed 173 units of affordable housing, have a project of 190 units just beginning occupancy and another 20 unit project expected to have occupancy by labour day.

We work with over 2 dozen organisations that provide referrals from people whose only real commonality is the need for decent and affordable housing. Those we house range from refugees to members of Canada’s first nations, from seniors to homeless youth. Our newest project, at 180 Sudbury, also includes artist live/work studios and a substantial number of market rent units, market being no more than 70% of the CMHC average rents for the area.

We have been the target of sustained opposition to our work—not from immediate neighbours but from people who believe in Not in Anyone’s Back Yard. Indeed, our allies have included neighbours of our projects. We build into our timelines and budgets OMB, Divisional Court and Court of Appeal hearings as opposition to affordable housing is almost inevitable given the mandated expectations of community consultations. The opposition we have faced argued against affordable housing due to claimed impact on existing communities. Jane Jacobs and the strong community movement have much to answer for as the NIMBY movement is strongly influenced by their urban vision. For our conversion projects at 25 Leonard and 138 Pears we established Community Liaison Committees once we obtained funding, an effective way of having our housing initiatives become part of a neighbourhood.

St. Clare’s has received substantive funding from all levels of government for construction and for most of our RGI subsidies. We also depend upon donations, primarily from religious orders and faith communities but also from foundations, corporations, individuals and a few unions. We traditionally have provided at least 10% direct equity financing but our 25 Leonard Phase 2 required substantively more as we drew upon our accumulated equity from 25 Leonard Phase 1 and 138 Pears to help fund the project. On more than one occasion we received loans and bridge financing from The Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative—which for over 25 years has done social investing for Canadian faith communities. CAIC’s support has been essential for our work.

St. Clare’s does not provide direct support. A condition of receiving RGI funding under the Social Housing Reform Act is that such assistance is to be provided to those who can live independently with appropriate supports. St. Clare’s does not have the resources to provide support. Instead we partner with a number of agencies, co-ordinated through Family Services Toronto, to provide services for their clients who have been referred to St. Clare’s and which also provide programmes for our tenants.

St. Clare’s faces the same challenges as all non-profit housing providers—insufficient revenue to do everything we’d like to do, problems finding new leadership that share our founding vision, a lack of a permanent funded commitment by all levels of government to develop new affordable housing, the ongoing toxic residue of Jane Jacobs and the awareness that whatever we do isn’t enough.

Our success is a surprising one—by the end of this year we will have developed 383 units of affordable housing and we want to build more. We have converted existing buildings and have done new construction. We didn’t know what we were doing when we began but found people, like Jon Harstone, who provided the skills to bring our vision to life. We began demanding that the state build housing and ended up weaving together the resources to build affordable housing at a time when it barely makes it onto political agendas.

THOUGHTS ON THE 2011 ECUMENICAL GOOD FRIDAY SOCIAL JUSTICE STATIONS OF THE CROSS

I was a young activist when I first participated in the Ecumenical Good Friday Social Justice Stations of the Cross. I am now deep in middle age. The social justice world I am a part of has changed in many ways since I first publically claimed a belief in peace and in social and economic justice. Organisations have come and gone; causes moved in and out of fashion. There have been years when I’ve helped organise the event; other years where I shared responsibility for one of the stations; times when I filled in where needed and others when I participated only in spirit. No matter what my level of participation is, the experience of the Good Friday Social Justice Stations of the Cross, the consistent and persistent witness in the streets of Toronto on Good Friday has proven to be a sustaining and renewing part of my life.

This year my involvement in advance of Good Friday was very small. I was asked to circulate the press release to my media contacts. Thus I had some advance knowledge of this year’s theme—Despised and Rejected—and the focuses of most of the stations. The events of the G20 summit in Toronto, the problems of the people of Palestine and injustice in the Canadian criminal justice system dominated the walk this year. I was surprised, given the fact that Good Friday fell on Earth Day, the environment wasn’t woven into this year’s theme. None-the-less this year, like in the past, the organisers did find subjects that easily linked the passion of Christ to the passion and sufferings of the current day.

And, while one never knows the results of sending out releases and PSAs, I was pleased to note that details of Good Friday appeared both in Now Magazine and on the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s on-line event calendar. It is rarer now than in my youth for events to be seen to appeal both to the progressive community and the more traditional wing of the Christian faith community. Media rarely covers the social justice Good Friday walk, preferring spectacle to challenging content, but word of the event is spread is certainly spread in advance with their help.

The gathering of people in the sanctuary of the Church of the Holy Trinity was a homecoming of veterans of many ecumenical struggles for peace and justice sprinkled with a leavening of those with new energy and visions. People I knew from the Student Christian Movement, the Catholic Worker, Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative, Homes Not Bombs, Alliance for Non-violent Action, United Farm Workers….people I was arrested with at anti-Darlington protests in the 1970s and others who currently sit with me on community boards were there to share the memories and dreams of generations of commitment to a better world.

As part of the welcoming to Holy Trinity we were reminded that the sacred space we were in was on the traditional home of the Mississauga First Nations, a clear but unstated reminder that those seeking justice often do so at the expense of those who are dispossessed. The formal beginning of the Stations of the Cross was a weaving together of scripture, prayer and hymns that told the story of Christ’s passion and linked the gospel message to the challenges facing our world today.

People left the sanctuary and walked to the front steps of Old City Hall Courts.  As we neared it I was asked to lead a short responsive prayer at this station, which delighted me. This station, Punishing the Punished, focused on the ideal of restorative justice—an alternative to the traditional justice system that I have long been an advocate for. The major activity at this station was the reading of an excerpt from David S. Craig’s Tough Case by David S. Craig and Emma Prestwich of Roseneath Theatre. The reading was a short dialogue between a worker for a restorative justice programme and the son of a crime victim. While a bit didactic, it raised significant issues around the justice system and who is caught up in it from the perspectives of both victims and offenders.

The walk then progressed to a station at the corner of King and Bay Streets. This station, The G20 in Toronto, had two major responses to the G20 summit held in Toronto last June. There was a reading of a statement from a young man unintentionally caught up in the mass arrests. We heard of arbitrary arrests, dehumanising conditions and the erosion of trust in the police as being there for us. Following this reading there was a long responsive litany focusing on issues that the G20 did not address or resolve during their summit in Toronto. Concerns such as the rights of members of the LGBT communities, women’s right, the degradation of the environment, corporate greed, the rights and needs of various indigenous people, destructive mining practices, victims of civil strife and victims of natural disasters were touched on. Participants were challenged to leave the station to express in practical ways the shared desire for peace, justice and dignity.

The next station was in front of University Ave. Courts. This station, Secret Trials. Who are we protecting? What are we afraid of?, looked at the reality of 5 men who had been imprisoned under security certificates, which permit indefinite detention without charges and based upon secret evidence which neither the accused or their counsel have access to. This station was facilitated by Friends of the Secret Trial 5. Here an outline of the realities faced by the 5 men who had been imprisoned but since released to house arrest on very restrictive conditions was read. A short presentation that illustrated who has access to the information on which the security certificates were issued (judge, crown attorney, special court appointed advocate) and who doesn’t (the accused, their counsel) helped make clear the unfairness of the process within which security certificates are issued.

The next station was back at the Church of the Holy Trinity. Here the theme was Despised and Occupied: Palestinian Human Rights. Co-ordinated by members of the Canadian Interfaith and Intercultural Alliance for Palestinian Human Rights, the focus was on the plight of the Palestinian people, particularly those who lived in Gaza during a 22 day siege. This station included a responsive prayer, with a sung response in Arabic: Yarabba ssalami amater alayn ssalam. Yarabba sslami im la’quluban ssalm. (You, God of peace, send down your peace on our world. You, God of peace, fill our hearts with your peace.)

The final station, also in the sanctuary of Holy Trinity, was primarily a closing litany of commitment. We were reminded that the work of the day continues and, like Christ’s passion, the suffering of the world is there as a challenge to us in our seeking to be faithful presence in the world.
Once the formal Stations of the Cross was over, soup and bread was available for people to share.

I left the gathering feel encouraged and inspired but also feeling more could have been done during the day to show a unique Christian response to the problems of the day. My faith has lead me to pacifism, for example. I’d like to have seen explored in the light of the problems faced by people such as the Palestinians, Egyptians and others who have a long history of dealing with oppressive forces both internally and externally. How should a faith founded by criminals, one of whom refused to have force used in his defence, best respond to the challenges of dealing with security forces? And, given the ongoing crisis of the physical creation, focusing on human institutions rather than our shared impact on the world left a gap in the experiences of the day. I acknowledge that in a few hours it is hard to address all concerns and look at things from every perspective. But although I left the Good Friday walk uplifted and encouraged, I left feeling not quite full.

This walk is always a work in progress. On September 17th there will be a brainstorming meeting starting the work for next year. For details contact egfw@goodfridaywalk.ca.

Notes for a More Coherent Deputation: Bill 140, Strong Communities through Affordable Housing Act, 2011

Background Summary:

Employment:

Co-ordinator, 43^rd Housing Co-operative, Toronto

Executive Director, CoAction Staff Association, Toronto

Volunteer:

President, St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing Society

President, Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative

Treasurer, Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, Ontario Region

 

I want to thank the members of this committee for the opportunity to share a few thoughts on the proposed Bill 140.   I am speaking as an individual who has lived in a housing co-operative since 1984 and have devoted decades of my life to working and volunteering in the co-operative and non-profit housing sectors.  In the few minutes I have I’m aware I can only touch on a few areas of concern, the first two of which may echo or reinforce ideas already touched on by other presenters.

I share the concern raised by representatives of The Ontario Non-profit Housing Association and the Co-operative Housing Federation of Canada, Ontario Region, in regards to the need to strengthen provisions for an independent review of disputes between housing providers and local service providers.  There was an arbitration clause in the previous provincial operating agreements which, during the 18 years or so of these programmes, was never used but was there in the event that there was a serious and seemingly irresolvable dispute between parties.  An independent arbitrator, rather than going to court, is a fairer and less costly method of bringing parties together to address problems than is litigation.

I also share the concern raised by representatives of ONPHA and CHFC-Ontario Region that there needs to be strong legislative protection of the existing housing stock.  While attention seems to have been focused on the fear of the future of the Toronto Community Housing Corporation portfolio, I am also concerned that there are individual housing co-operative members who would like to sell their co-operatives at the end of operating agreements either to themselves at below-market rates or in the open market with any surplus revenue generated going to those who were members when the co-operative was wound down.  The existing affordable housing communities need to continue to be a resource for future generations to benefit from and strong legislation needs to be in place to preserve it.  Without it, the risk of significant loss of affordable housing stock is all too real.

I was very pleased to see in the draft legislation a requirement for long term planning to address the problems of homelessness and the lack of decent affordable housing for all.  This is a major step forward and deserves praise and the resources for this to fully unfold.  Funding needed to meet the costs of participating in, and implementing, the development of a local strategy to address multi-faceted housing problems.  Stakeholders need the resources to properly participate in any discussions and the results of such planning need the resources to be brought to life.  Without sufficient finances being in place for meaningful participation in the planning process and for the recommendations to be implemented one of the few truly visionary legislative initiatives I have seen in my lifetime will not succeed.

I was also pleased to note in the proposed legislation the recognition that community based housing, both non-profits and housing co-operatives, are acknowledged as being part of the solution to housing and homelessness in Ontario.  Too often the role of individuals and small groups coming together to share their resources and visions to address social concerns is overlooked.  We get involved in our local initiatives to address the needs we see in our neighbourhoods.  Having our role acknowledged is really important.  In the long term, as resources become available, I hope that true partnerships come about between the province and local grassroots housing initiatives.

My second last comment comes about from my personal experiences living in a federally funded co-operative and co-ordinating a co-op funded under Jobs Ontario (now an SHRA co-op).   There needs to be recognition in place that acknowledges the difference of co-operatives from all other forms of affordable housing.  Federal co-ops have more autonomy in terms of member selection, electing their boards, setting their budget and in long term planning that those governed by provincial legislation and agreements.    Initiatives that are not a significant issue for non-profit providers such as centralized waiting lists or maximum rents/housing charges are issues for many co-operative members.  If non-profit housing co-operatives can’t easily fit into provincial frameworks, perhaps Ontario can do what the federal government has done with co-ops in Ontario that were under their jurisdiction and transfer responsibility for them to the Agency for Co-operative Management.

My final comment is a plea for those who are homeless or marginally housed, who depend on food banks, who are on Ontario Works and would benefit from an extra $100.00 month food allowance, who are here in Ontario and can’t find a permanent job with decent benefits, who are in physical danger in their own homes, who are both visible and invisible in their need.    However the discussions on the way social housing is administered in Ontario is resolved, the reality is that for too many people there is no place they can call home.   We need to remember this reality in our policy discussions and addressing their reality, a reality which could all too easily become our personal reality, needs to be the guiding purpose to the work we are sharing in today.

Notes for a More Coherent Sermon—Lent 1

Notes for a More Coherent Sermon                                                                                                                                                      Sunday, March 13, 2011
Meeting Room, 138 Pears Ave., Toronto
11:00 a.m.

FIRST LESSON

2 Corinthians 6: 1 – 10

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he saith, “I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”) Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed: But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; by pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, by the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY:

Matthew 4: 1 – 10

Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.  And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered.

And when the tempter came to him, he said, “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.”

But he answered and said, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.”

Jesus said unto him, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto him, “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.”

Then saith Jesus unto him, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

SERMON PROPER BEGINS

The church calendar has brought us to a new season—a time of reflection and contemplation. We are being encouraged to look at ourselves and our own long faith journeys. But Lent isn’t only a time of thought; it is a time when we are encouraged to make an effort to change the way we live in the world, to put aside the habits and rituals that weigh us down and interfere in our relationships with God and with one another. In the language of the intellectual world of my youth, Lent is Praxis time—we act in the world, take to time learn from our actions and then reengage in the world with renewed understanding. The seasons of the church year lead us through this process and most clearly during Lent.

One specific Lenten tradition is fasting—putting aside for 40 days drinking or chocolate, watching television, surfing the internet, evening meetings—putting aside behaviour and practices that have become dominant in one’s life, liberating one’s self from self imposed chains. It is not a time for proud exhortations and public displays of piety, but quiet steps towards a freer, more joyful life for ourselves and for all who share in creation.

For us, fasting has a social and political component. On a personal level, we seek to cease being dominated by the barriers we have raised between us and a good life. On a communal level, we seek to bring down the barriers that others have in their ability to live a rich and full life. Our fasting includes feeding the hungry and sheltering the homeless as well as changing personal habits. It is a faith practice that changes our personal lives and the quality of life for everyone.
Even on a quiet and personal note, our fasting can lead to a new life for others. If we give up chocolate, for example, during Lent we could spend time reflecting on the source of chocolate, on the quality of life of those that produce the commodity. When Lent is over, we might then start eating chocolate again but this time only fair trade chocolate. During Lent we can prove to ourselves that the world doesn’t have complete power over us and devote time to consider what impact on the world on faith could and should have.

The gospel today challenges us to listen to the voices around us that offer us good things in return for renouncing our freedom, through turning away from our relationship with God. The world offers us easy solutions, from credit cards to Facebook friends, to address personal problems and to lead us away from a truly liberating life. The temptations Jesus faced—to exploit the natural world for personal gain, to tempt fate, to gain power over others rather build community—are not temptations foreign to us. We don’t face them in the midst of a 40 day vision quest, but in the midst of our daily lives. Temptations to take the easy way abound. We are often challenged to do things that distract us from building a better life for ourselves and for others. Our divine GPS unit shows us where to go, but we get prompts to try a different way that distracts us from our desired destination.

The global Christian community is walking from Bethlehem to Calvary. We are learning about the nature of the world our creator intends us to have; we are being exposed to doubt and temptation and selfless love and unending generosity. It is a hard journey, with a cruel end. It is also a peaceful journey filled with hope and abundant possibilities.

We know that the Lenten journey ends at Calvary but we also know that the world begins anew on Easter Monday. This isn’t a time to build a reputation for somber piety but to show in our normal lives that we are a positive presence in the world. It is a time to pay close attention to what is around us, to what we are being tempted to do, while seeking to be open to the possibilities freely offered us by our creator, grace offered without trickery or traps.

We might use the time of Lent to read Thomas Merton’s The Seven Story Mountain, Dorothy Day’s The Long Loneliness, The Little Flowers of St. Francis or Saint John of the Cross’s The Dark Night of the Soul. Lent is a time to learn from others, to think about the way they responded to a call to a faithful life.  By giving up some of the distractions of life, we may finally have the time to think more seriously about faith and the way others have responded to personal spiritual needs and our shared communal responsibilities.

We might also use Lent to practice new ways of living out our faith, experimenting with the practicalities of evangelization by deed. We might finally take part in a weekend prayer retreat or take a poverty plunge, finally start volunteering at a food bank or working with a community literacy agency. We may change to a 100 mile diet or learn to put on a sweater instead of turning up the thermostat. Lent can be time a time to make cookies together with your family instead of continuing to wander aimlessly in every widening and ever fragmenting circles.

We are constantly finding new information, but don’t always take the time to make sense of it. There are always demands on our time, but we rarely take the opportunity to consider how important any demand really is. In Lent we are asked to think more seriously about ourselves and our world and then act upon the results of our reflection. We are to be prepared to move into the light on the far side of Calvary.

SOME THOUGHTS ON THE ONTARIO COALITION AGAINST POVERTY

A few hours ago two people from OCAP were arrested for their part in a public protest in a public space that was an effort to affect public policy.   Had they broken windows?  Thrown Molotov cocktails?   No (although their charges won’t reflect this)…they had raised their voices and spoke as a part of a group rather than waiting in line for their proper and polite turn.

OCAP’s real crime is that they bring into the political process people that would otherwise be marginalized.   To some extent this makes OCAP a conservative movement.  They trust that those with political and economic power will respond to those who are rarely heard if these people come together and engage directly with the political process.

The demands of OCAP are actually fairly limited—access to affordable housing, adequate social benefits for those without jobs and fair treatment for those with jobs, a welcome hand to be offered to the newcomers to our land…hardly radical at all.     Similar visions have been heard in sermons from many faiths and in the election campaigns of politicians across the spectrum.

What makes OCAP dangerous is that the people that come together under its banner truly care about the world and one another.    They want the highest ideals of the western world to be lived out so that people aren’t hungry, aren’t afraid, aren’t alone.    People from OCAP will help find a crib for a young mother one afternoon and confront a growing tendency towards institutionalized selfishness the next morning.

If there is a sign of hope in politically dark times it is within groups like OCAP.  They may not be the core of a political machine but they are remind us and pressure us to never forget those right wing forces want us to turn away from—those on the heating grates and in the shelters and in the soup kitchens and on the picket lines and in immigration holds and other places that continue the spirit of Victorian workhouses in the 21^st century.

Remembering David Maltby

Watching the news from Egypt has brought back memories of David Maltby.  The following is what I wrote for his memorial.  It appeared in Xtra.

David Barker Maltby (November 12, 1962 – May 17, 2001), a Toronto photographer and activist, died in May of meningitis at the age of 38.

THOUGHTS ON THE LIFE OF DAVID MALTBY
By Brian Burch

David is no longer with us and I feel diminished. Yet, I have no strong memory of him — only of his motions among us.

David was the presence, the calm in the eye of the storm that observed us. He stood with a camera, unmoving while police and protestors blended together — he was the constant; we were the forces in transition.

David was the different one among us. He was the gentle in “Gentle, Angry People”. We were the perpetually angry ones, motivated by rage. David was the outsider, motivated by love.

David was the liberator, freeing us from the bugs in amber image we all too often mould around ourselves. In photographs and words, David made our experiences into a widening spiral, opening up all the possibilities of our movements through time.

David was the clown to our mime, pulling joy from the least opportunity, splashing the sombre with fountain sprays. He would not let anyone avoid the consequences of self-indulgence, pulling us into the surf and pelting us with lilacs.

David was the revolutionary to our dissent, hearing Emma Goldman’s “If I can’t dance, its not my revolution” when process became key. Where we build frames he blended images, and where we learned rigidity he learned from the wind.

Notes for a More Coherent Sermon—Reflections on Romans 13

NOTES FOR A MORE COHERENT SERMON:

11:00 a.m., January 30, 2011

St. Andrew’s Old Roman Catholic Church

138 Pears Ave. Meeting Room

Toronto, Ontario

FIRST LESSON

Romans 13: 1 – 7

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.  Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.  For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.  Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY:

Mark 4: 35 – 41

And the same day, when the even was come, he saith unto them, “Let us pass over unto the other side. “

And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.  And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full.  And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, “Master, carest thou not that we perish? “

And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, “Peace, be still.” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.  And he said unto them, “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? “

And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, “What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”

SERMON PROPER BEGINS

I spent much of the 80s and early 90s involved in prison chaplaincy.  It was an opportunity for real ministry in a complex setting, watching a few lives truly be transformed while sustaining hope in a place where many were wounded by their experiences.

During a bible study at the Don Jail that included today’s epistle one inmate remarked “That’s a parole board speech”.  When asked to clarify, he brought up the fact that Paul went out afterwards and defied the law by continuing to preach the gospel.   I haven’t thought of the passage the same way since.  I also learned that scripture interpretation truly depends on the experience of the listener.  Having never been in front of, or served on, a parole board, it would never have occurred to me to understanding scripture from the point of view of someone who was trapped inside a legal system and eager to please those in authority in order to regain their freedom.

This passage from Romans is often used to justify pietism, keeping faith separate from the public sphere and keeping silent even in the face of unjust laws and practices.  If taken literally and on its own, it undermines much of the gospel and even Paul’s own writings.  It seems to contain some of the spirit of Jesus’ admonition:  Render unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s” (“Ἀπόδοτε οὖν τὰ Καίσαρος Καίσαρι καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῷ Θεῷ”) (Matthew 22:21) but omits the responsibility of the believer to act faithfully in obedience to God’s desire to build the peaceful kingdom, renewing the spirit that abounded at the moment of the earth’s creation.

Most rules of a society are one’s that don’t contract the obligations of a faithful life—both scripture and the criminal code condemn killing and stealing.    But there are times where there is a contradiction between living a faithful life and obeying the laws of a given society.  Paul is clear on this.  He did not throw rocks at Roman soldiers, he did not kill collaborators with Rome, he did not renounce his Roman citizenship.  But he did preach the gospel, he encouraged Christian communities to care for one another, he encouraged individuals to hold fast to the faith even in the face of persecution.   He did encourage patience and good public behaviour, indeed urged people (Acts 14:13) to act in the best possible way when he said “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. “  He expected Christians to be good neighbours, good citizens and good friends—but not stop being Christian even if by doing so one becomes shunned, harassed, imprisoned and martyred.

So knowing this, knowing that Paul himself didn’t put aside his commitment to a faithful life when the rulers of the land demanded otherwise, what do we make of the passage from Romans?  Do we discard it as meaningless because it contradicts other passages?  Do we treat it as literal truth, divine guidance that must be followed?  Do we try to find the wisdom in the passage even if we have to work through contradictions and inconsistencies?

As someone who is a graduate of the Toronto School of Theology my bias is towards the third approach—to work through the passage, to try and make sense of it through my own experiences and reflecting on other scripture passages that deal with the problem of being both a person of faith and a citizen of a country.

Like the inmate at the Don Jail, I find the passage familiar and now, thanks to his comments, can place it into a context. Paul’s life was a difficult one, one of deep commitment first to militant Judaism and then to militant Christianity.  He struggled to help diverse strains in the Christian community come together.  People were dying as a result of their conversion to Christianity—an awesome responsibility.

And in the midst of this Paul ended up in court—which even to someone jailed for one’s belief is a an intimidating and frightening experience.  One wrong word or action and freedom can disappear.  A different word or action and someone who is expected to be jailed walks free.   Having had my own share of encounters with the criminal justice system as an activist, I am sure Paul also had the internal argument about what happens if he is jailed—would the movement be harmed more by his being jailed than it would be encouraged by his willingness to share in the experiences of the imprisoned.  If he truly believed that being imprisoned would hurt the community, they he would feel an obligation to do what was needed to be released.  He would have in mind Jesus’ admonition (Matthew 10:16):  “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”  Making a statement that contained both good advice and a mollification of those with power over him must have made sense to Paul.

His advice, generally, makes sense—don’t do things that are wrong; be afraid of those with power; God works through all types of human agents; honour and respect are due to many so remember to treat others properly.  And it does have an interesting possible twist—rulers have authority from God to what is right.  Would it not follow, then, that rulers who do wrong have renounced their authority and therefore no longer properly govern?  A follower of Gamaliel could certainly reach such a conclusion from Paul’s teaching—and Paul was a prize pupil of him.  Suddenly we face a passage with a different possibility—instead of a call for blind obedience we are offered a way to understand the limits of the authority of government.  Only when leaders behave properly, when the seek to build a just, peaceful, compassionate society, are they good rulers.  Ordering someone to act unjustly would indicate that the gift of governing has been withdrawn.  Reflecting on the passage leads to different understanding, new possibilities, ways to keep the wisdom of Paul alive in different times.

I often miss prison chaplaincy work.  I found inmates, once the testing of a new chaplain was over, to be very honest and direct in their dealings with me.  I ended such work when I was offered a different challenge, an offer than came when I had reached the conclusion that I may not be able to be a presence of hope and transformation for those inside.   But inmates did permanently open up my approach to scripture.  Paul’s parole board speech ceased to be a barrier to approaching scripture, but a passage to a deeper understanding of the way God’s message is expressed in concrete ways by people faced with crisis in their lives, in their faith, in their community, in their world.

Reflections on Faith and Social Investing

Proverbs:  11:24:

Some give freely, yet grow all the richer; others withhold what is due, and only suffer want.

Proverbs 19:18:

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and will be repaid in full.

Acts 4:32-35:

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.

There is a long history in the faith community of using what we have been given for the benefit of others, the sharing of which brings benefits both to the giver and the receiver.  This weaving together a social network of shared responsibility and mutual obligations helps to ensure all have access to the gifts of creation and benefit from effective stewardship.  A self-centred approach to resource management, which is what the above scripture passages are dealing with, creates karenartificial social divisions and is a wasteful approach to using the gifts granted to us, gifts given with the expectation that we would not use them for limited, selfish ends.   The resources we have to offer may be raw materials, time, skill, money or common humanity but we are expected to offer what we have for the benefit of others and be willing to accept such offerings when we need them.

We are expected to show some wisdom in what we do with our gifts.  If we sell something, there is an obligation to ensure that what we sell isn’t used to harm others.  We may sell children’s toys to raise money for the homeless, but if the toys are painted with a lead based paint, our effort to raise money to meet the needs of others will create long term harm.  Our efforts to do good should be in harmony with our desire to build a better world for all those who share in creation, not cause harm to some in order to benefit others.

I am surprised to have ended up with a stewardship role within a number of organisations who need revenue from investments but also want to use such investments to provide positive social transformation.    There is a need for money for pension plans, to have staff to meet the needs of users of the service, to directly relieve poverty.  But there is an equally strong desire to have investments support fair labour practices, strengthen communities,  encourage sustainable resource extraction policies and help encourage economic development that meets human needs.   The earliest Christian communities practiced this ideal; the Jewish world in which it was nurtured had such a vision woven throughout its scriptures.

In using our shared resources in ways to benefit others as well as to ensure that our resources are themselves sustained we join in the work that the earliest apostles did of pooling resources and sharing what they had with all according to their need.   There wasn’t a miraculous social healing occurring or even promised to those gathered in Jerusalem, but communal responsibility for the well being of all was clearly an expectation of the faith community, and a responsibility especially lived out by those entrusted with the resources of the community as a whole.

Social investing directed to meeting human needs is truly in the spirit of the earliest Christians.  It leads to healthy food being more readily available, for housing to be build for the homeless, for employment opportunities for the marginalised, for havens for victims of violence—it meets human needs in some of the most direct ways possible.   It can only occur with the sharing of resources from many sources.

The surplus resources of a single congregation doesn’t have the same impact in the world as the combined resources of a multitude that have a shared vision.

This work isn’t limited to the Christian community.  There are those from other faiths and from secular backgrounds that are passionately committed to making a real difference in the world, demanding that their wealth be used in ways in harmony with their values.   However it is to me a key requirement of the Christian faith, something that determines if one is truly committed to a faithful life, that one’s resources are used to build up the shalom kingdom.

The wealth we gain is tainted by the world around us.   Profits come about from extracting surplus value from those who labour.   Manufacturing most products leaves a permanent scar on the planet.   What we gain from our connections to the world as it is should be used to build the world as it was intended.   We don’t eliminate our communal guilt, but we can transform it into a joyous responsibility that brings us closer to the divine.

Notes for a More Coherent Sermon—2nd Sunday after Christmas

Sunday, January 2, 2010
Meeting Room, 138 Pears Ave., Toronto
11:00 a.m.

FIRST LESSON: Isaiah 9: 2 – 7

The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY: Luke 2: 15 – 21

And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, “Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.”
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.

Sermon Proper Begins

A zoo is wonderful place—an opportunity to see examples of the diversity of creation that one rarely or never sees elsewhere. Late last week we visited the Toronto Zoo, spending time observing Komodo dragons, snow leopards, sea anenomies, emerald tree boas, African lung fish, pigmy marmosets, river otters and other exotic examples of life on earth. Some are rare, in danger of extinction due to human activity. Others are common, finding ways to adapt to the human impact on the world around us. But all the animals on display play a role in creation, are a part of the web of life we share in. Causing harm to the world causes harm to those that share in it and we are lessened, both as individuals and as humanity as whole when others on the planet become endangered or extinct. Our actions, as humanity, have resulted in the extinction of over 500 species—a very poor showing for the stewards of creation. Most of these extinctions have occurred since the birth of Christ. God’s concrete presence within creation has not yet resulted in a world focused on peace, justice and integrity of creation.

Today we gather to remember the circumcision and naming of Jesus, the formal welcoming of our divine brother into our family. We are being asked to acknowledge and celebrate his unique identity and to confirm that he shares in our communal inheritance. We are promising that we will be there to be a part of his life as he grows up and to ensure that his shared inheritance is there for him to partake in as he matures. Just as the communal vows in our baptism services bind us to sharing in the joyful work of helping to build a faithful community for, and the desire to live faithfully in, the baptised member of our community so to do the communal vows made when Jesus was named bind us to work to ensure that the Prince of Peace is welcomed among us and the world in which he is present is one where all life is truly valued. We should not be showing with pride to the infant messiah a battlefield or a jungle clear-cut, trying to dignify our communal failures with misleading stories of valour or economic miracles.

The natural world isn’t a gentle place—the komodo dragon is a dangerous predator; chimpanzees go to war; cuckoo birds through the eggs of other species out of their nests and replace them with their own. But nature is a balanced place—there is a cycle of life and death, of transformation and restoration that humanity can easily distort. Instead of the creation that was a gift to all, there is the ongoing danger that human actions will permanently damage the world we were given to care for on behalf of the infant we welcome into our midst today.

We have barely begun 2011 just as we have barely begun to comprehend the miracle of God among us. Whether the sky is grey or sunny, whether the shepherds are coming in or going back to their fields, the world around is changing in large and small ways. Not much is required of us as we are told in the words of Micah “ “What does the Lord require of you, Israel?” What are you supposed to do to live faithfully with your God? Do justice, love mercy, walk humbly with your God. “ In doing so we will care for the creation that Jesus came into, will care for one another as children of God, will find a way to live in a positive relation with God.

Around us are opportunities to look at the world slightly differently—we can go to the zoo to be reminded of the diversity of life on earth; we can go to an art gallery to see the many ways creativity is given expression; we can go to a historical house to see how people’s daily lives differed from ours; we can spend some time talking to a panhandler sitting outside in all kinds of weather; we can visit City Hall during a council meeting to see how various angry and partisan voices can suddenly come to agreement. We have abundant opportunities to learn more about the world we are a part of, becoming as open as the infant Jesus had to be in order to take in everything to make sense of the newness of the world around him. We have many chances to see how we can care for those in Jesus’ family and to find ways of sustaining the physical world that Jesus has been a part of since the beginning. All we have to do is what Jesus must have done in the stable at Bethlehem—reach out in wonder and grasp what we find.

Notes for a More Coherent Sermon—Feast of St. Stephen/Sunday within the Octave of Christmas

St. Andrew’s Old Roman Catholic Church
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Meeting Room, 138 Pears Ave., Toronto
11:00 a.m.

Galatians 4: 1 – 7

Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, “Abba, Father.“ Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Matthew 1: 18 – 25

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. “

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Sermon Proper Begins

The party is over. We’ve celebrated the new year of the Christian faith and rejoiced in the birth of Jesus, now a day old and 2013 years old. We’ll soon finish cleaning up our place, remembering what we’ve just experienced and are already beginning to work on the next celebration. We are a people of ritual and tradition and also a people looking for something new and exciting. New born infants bring out this in all of us—we have family or community traditions that guide us in the ways we raise our children and we all want the best possible world for them, even if it means sacrifice and struggle. We change in the way we live in the world when we are in the presence of a baby.

Since the birth in the stable in Bethlehem we have been in the presence of the baby Jesus. We have been in a world where God came among us, and continues to come among us, as one of us in a fragile and dependent baby. And we know most of the story of how his life turned out—fleeing as a refugee into Egypt, working in his father’s carpenters shop with his brothers, studying and arguing with the religious leaders of his time, engaging in an active ministry, executed by the occupying forces of his land, his resurrection and temporary departure from us. We don’t know the rest of his story, we don’t know when he will return to be among us—but we do have confidence that he will return.

And we know what it is like to have a baby among us. We nurture them, we care for them, we clean up their messes and look for ways to comfort them. We carry them, make them laugh, protect them from the elements and try to be better people than we might otherwise be. We provide for all their needs through our labour and in return we are rewarded with a smile. Perfection is never achieved, but we do try to be a model for our children in how they should behave.

 

Jesus was with us in Bethlehem and is with us in Toronto, was with us in 4 BC and is with us in 2010 AD. We are eternally in the presence of the divine infant. And we have responsibilities for the infant. We are to care for his inheritance—all of creation. To harm it, to waste it, is to take way from what is being held in stewardship for him. We aren’t to leave a wasteland for the divine infant, but a cared for world.

We need to be able to let the divine infant walk safely out our door. Walking in the neighbourhood shouldn’t be a journey of fear. The world the infant Jesus, like all infants, should be one where children don’t learn to hate one other, don’t view violence as normal, don’t come to accept anger and bitterness and fear as just a normal part of life. Caring for the social world our children walk through is caring for the social world in which the infant Jesus is to be nurtured. We aren’t to leave a battlefield for the divine infant, but build together the shalom kingdom.

The spiritual life of the infant Jesus is also to be nurtured. The faith experience of every child should be one of a welcome into the presence of God—exclusion of anyone in the name of God is harmful to the spiritual life of everyone. There is evil in the view that race or nationality or gender or sexual orientation somehow excludes people from the grace and love of God. We are all children of God, all part of God’s family. Teaching children that some children are more welcomed than others is wrong for our children, our faith and for ourselves. We want children to be welcomed in the faith community, to have a healthy and open relationship with the divine. We wouldn’t want Jesus to be separated from his father; why would we seek to separate others from their divine Father?

In the Christmas Eve service at St. James Cathedral Dean Douglas Stout reminded us that one of the gifts of Christmas is permission to have fun, to have joy in life. This is a gift for all of God’s children—you and I and Jesus. But this is a hard gift to make real. When a member of our family suffers, we hurt. We particularly hurt when the suffering is due to something we could have done or should not have done. We know that Jesus weeps—he weeps for the hungry and the sick and imprisoned and lonely and weeps harder when His brothers and sisters are responsible for the suffering or could have done something to end the suffering but chose not to act. For Jesus to laugh with us we need to make sure that there are conditions in life worthy of joy—the new home for the homeless; the sanctuary for the refugee; the turning of weapons into tools; weddings and dances and community barbeques; creating the conditions for our children to enjoy life also creates the conditions for Jesus to feel welcomed and cared for in creation. We need to give presents of toys and games in the midst of love and compassion and active hope for a better world for all children, including the infant in Bethlehem.

 

In the liturgical calendar December 26th is the feast day of St. Stephen—the first martyr of our faith. His was a calling to active service to others, providing relief and support to the poorer members of the early Christian community. He was stoned to death because his work was seen as a threat to the dominate order by a mob lead by Saul of Tarsus. We know Saul better as the apostle Paul—he changed his name with his conversion. Stephen could have changed his ways, but chose not to. He continued to care for others in his community, to life in peaceful opposition to a society that had become rigid, that had little room for the widows and orphans and sojourners in the land—an opposition based on the desire to live in harmony with the example of Jesus, caring for all the children of God even if some children wanted all the good things for themselves.

We celebrate Stephen’s life and honour his memory best by continuing his work, to not let the pressures of the world stop us from being there for others. We can be an example for others by being true to our calling to love one another—expressed in our homes, in our neighbourhood, in our workplaces and in all the ebb and flow of interactions with others. We should celebrate with our friends and family, we should treat all of creation with respect, we should help the vulnerable around us, we should open to the inspiration of God in our lives, we should accept and give what is needed to be fully human, to strive to ensure that God’s love and compassion is real and active around the world in the lives of those most close to us and in the lives of those we may never be aware of but are equally beloved by God. It is a tight squeeze, but all of us are in the stable in Bethlehem with our baby brother with our love and commitment to his happiness being our true gift, all of us aware that the best chance of Jesus’ happiness is if the world he is in is one where happiness is within reach of all.

Notes for A More Coherent President’s Remarks—2010 CAIC AGM

Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative

Annual General Meeting, Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Over the course of a year I attend large numbers of meetings, conferences and workshops. Recently I attended a workshop on Social Enterprise in Rural Communities at the 2010 ONPHA conference.  It was a gathering of people from areas where the social infrastructure from schools to post offices have disappeared, local jobs are scarce and services such as internet access are often impossible to find. What they do have are dreams and a history of working together. They dream of women’s shelters, home based businesses, satellite based internet cafes—and they work hard to bring their visions to life. What they often lack is financial support. And it is here that CAIC’s dream intersects theirs for we have come together to share our resources to help bring to life such transformative visions.

CAIC itself is in the process of transformation. Some of the changes are ones common to any dynamic organisation. We have added new voices to our advisory committee—Paul Connolly and Andre Schroer, who join Karen Knopf, Ted Hyland and Paul Plecash in providing expert advise on projects CAIC has been asked to support and without them the quality of our decision making would suffer.

Work continues on getting the word out about CAIC. Beth has participated on panels and as a workshop leader at ON Co-op, the Ontario Association of Food Banks and Social Exchange. Beth and Valerie have used websites and blogs such as socialfinance.ca to share information and ideas. They’ve visited with members of CAIC, most recently the Sisters of St. Joseph of Peterborough, share with our members and their communities the work of CAIC and the change in the world that occurs because they share their wealth with others.

CAIC’s loans have gone out to new organisations and to renewed requests for help. Elizabeth Fry, Life*Spin, Toronto Brigantine, Centre for Social Innovation, John Bruce Village Co-operative, Nishnabe Homes, Carmelina’s Home-Mater Dei, Quebec City Community Loan Fund; L’arche Hamilton/The Ark…from affordable housing to community economic development, the wealth of our members is in the world helping to ringing into life our shared vision of a more just, compassionate and inclusive society. Our current and historic work has created a strong foundation for the future.

CAIC continues to be blessed with excellent staff—Beth Coates and Valerie Lemieux. From helping perspective applicants through the process of applying for a CAIC loan to board support, our staff are vital to the work of our co-operative venture.

The organisation is well served by dedicated and knowledgeable directors. Rev. Paul Hansen, Sr. Doryne Kirby, Arlen Kubiak and Don Middleton have brought together passion for social justice, a keen eye when examining financial statements and a diversity of life experiences as the lenses through which applications for funding are examined. Together with our advisors and staff they successfully carry out the visions of our founders who came together over a quarter century ago.

CAIC, primarily represented by Beth, continues to take part in discussions with other organisations as a leader and initiator of social investing, watching the world catch up with what we’ve been doing for over a generation. This is exciting to see.

CAIC is in the process of rebirth. We have initiated the Canadian Alternative Investment Foundation, details of which you will hear elsewhere in the meeting. We are always looking for new initiatives to support and for new member organisations, Canadian charities that share our values and wish to share in our work and new ways of building on the strong foundation the Canadian Alternative Investment Co-operative has created.

Finally, on behalf of the board, staff and advisors of CAIC, a heartfelt thanks to the member of this unique co-operative. Our world is a better place because your communities have come together to work in the world, sharing wealth and dreams in practical and idealistic ways. From community based businesses to shelters for abused women, CAIC’s members make a sustained and substantial difference in the society we live in. Thank you for your commitment for social justice and for the chance to serve you in this wonderful mission.