March 29, 2009 11:00 am
Maranatha Evangelical Free Church, 910 Sturgeon Rd. Winnipeg
Pastor Dave Friesen
This church was a perfect example of how first impressions aren't always indicative of what's in store. Maranatha is a small church, honestly looking a bit run-down from the outside. As I was walking in I had to pass through a gauntlet of older people huddled around the front doors smoking their lungs out. Naturally I was a tad apprehensive walking into the place.
I was greeted immediately by a greeter who had me fill out a visitor contact card. On the way to my seat I met the pastor and was invited for coffee. The sanctuary is a smaller room with rows of stacking chairs set out. A band was onstage getting set up and I was curious to see what this place was all about.
The service began with four numbers by the band. The band was obviously pieced together from volunteers in the church, and they performed well. The songs were mostly modified hymns and the words were shown on a big screen at the front. Through all these services I've been to I've decided that I really enjoy a live band, but there's just no good way to sing along. For singing along I'll take good old hymns any day.
Anyhow. There were announcements (including birthdays), prayers and an offertory. Apparently Maranatha is also actively looking to bolster it's congregational ranks, about 100 strong this morning, as Pastor Friesen mentioned in the announcements. The band played another song and then the sermon began.
I was intrigued by Pastor Friesen's sermon and though I found it a little ambiguous, it was an interesting meditation on Ephesians 6:10-18. The passage deals with a call to put on the "whole armor of God," and to "fasten the belt of truth around your waist, and put on the breastplate of righteousness." Pastor Friesen brought this passage into a modern context, using it as a call both to evangelism and to combatting Satan. I wasn't quite sure where some of his Satan-related arguments were coming from, though the concept of the Devil is an area where I'm personally a little foggy to begin with. Overall it was an empowering and inspiring sermon. Pastor Friesen is a really likeable, friendly and accesible speaker.
The service ended with a closing song. On my way out I must've been stopped by at least five people introducing themselves and wanting to chat. I was particularly excited that one of them was a youth: I've been at this since September and this was the first time that I was approached by a youth from the congregation I'm visiting. Very cool indeed. Seems like my first impressions were bunk, because this was one of the friendliest churches I've visited.
http://www.mefree.ca/
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Gloria Dei Lutheran
March 22, 2009 11:00 am
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 637 Buckingham Rd. Winnipeg
Pastor Lanny Knutson
Another pick out of the hat turned out to be a really nice service. Nestled in the heart of Charleswood, Gloria Dei is an older-looking building from the outside that turns out to look a bit like a high school gymnasium on the inside. It was the first church I can remember being wider than it is long.
I was welcomed warmly as I took my place among the 100-some congregation members. There were a lot of middle-aged and elderly people around, though the youth and kids were ably represented as well.
After a few announcements the service began. It followed standard format, opening prayer, opening song, reading etc. There was a lot of music in this service, which I loved, sung in parts, which I loved too. There was a lot of page-turning, as one book had all the readings and hymns in it. No wonder it had the fancy ribbon placemarkers. One of the scripture readers identified himself as a guest reader from a nearby United church, which I thought was pretty neat.
Probably my singular complaint about the service would be that the sound system sucked the big one. Not to mention the acoustics, like the decor, were like a concrete gymnasium. A workable problem, but as Pastor Knutson took the podium it became evident that this would be a hard sermon to follow. He had a habit of talking really fast, though at his age (and assumed level of experience) it seemed strange that this would be out of nerves.
The sermon revolved around a parallel idea to that of Rev. Cam Hamoline at the Center for Conscious Living a couple of weeks ago, this time in that we often go to great lengths to hide the things that we may be embarrassed or ashamed of when we should accept everything we are as people and put everything out on the table before God. At some point he started quoting John 3:16 and I got a bit confused, but Pastor Knutson ended strong with a call to understand ourselves so that we can better serve others.
After the requisite prayers and communion (accompanied by no less than four hymns) the service ended. Despite the crappy sound I found it to be a very warm, comforting service and I left feeling refreshed. I shook six hands on my way out, as all those who'd served up onstage lined up to chat. Neat.
http://www.mnosynod.org/gloriadei.html
Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 637 Buckingham Rd. Winnipeg
Pastor Lanny Knutson
Another pick out of the hat turned out to be a really nice service. Nestled in the heart of Charleswood, Gloria Dei is an older-looking building from the outside that turns out to look a bit like a high school gymnasium on the inside. It was the first church I can remember being wider than it is long.
I was welcomed warmly as I took my place among the 100-some congregation members. There were a lot of middle-aged and elderly people around, though the youth and kids were ably represented as well.
After a few announcements the service began. It followed standard format, opening prayer, opening song, reading etc. There was a lot of music in this service, which I loved, sung in parts, which I loved too. There was a lot of page-turning, as one book had all the readings and hymns in it. No wonder it had the fancy ribbon placemarkers. One of the scripture readers identified himself as a guest reader from a nearby United church, which I thought was pretty neat.
Probably my singular complaint about the service would be that the sound system sucked the big one. Not to mention the acoustics, like the decor, were like a concrete gymnasium. A workable problem, but as Pastor Knutson took the podium it became evident that this would be a hard sermon to follow. He had a habit of talking really fast, though at his age (and assumed level of experience) it seemed strange that this would be out of nerves.
The sermon revolved around a parallel idea to that of Rev. Cam Hamoline at the Center for Conscious Living a couple of weeks ago, this time in that we often go to great lengths to hide the things that we may be embarrassed or ashamed of when we should accept everything we are as people and put everything out on the table before God. At some point he started quoting John 3:16 and I got a bit confused, but Pastor Knutson ended strong with a call to understand ourselves so that we can better serve others.
After the requisite prayers and communion (accompanied by no less than four hymns) the service ended. Despite the crappy sound I found it to be a very warm, comforting service and I left feeling refreshed. I shook six hands on my way out, as all those who'd served up onstage lined up to chat. Neat.
http://www.mnosynod.org/gloriadei.html
Monday, March 16, 2009
Portage Avenue Church
March 15, 2009 10:00 am
Portage Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church, 1420 Portage Ave. Winnipeg
Travis Reimer
And now, from the other side of Portage...
Whenever my high school went on its ski trip, the Beaver buses would meet us in the parking lot of Portage Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church. I decided after six years of invading their parking space, I should finally attend one of their services.
The building is really nice, quite modern yet tasteful. As I walked in I was greeted almost immediately and from the front doors to the coat rack I was wished a "good morning" at least a half dozen times. As I sat down the woman to my left, the man to my right and the woman sitting in front of me all welcomed me to the church. Simple things to do, but immediately I had a warm, comfortable vibe.
The music for the service was offered by a male chorus of about fifteen men who all sang quite well. To my delight most of the congregational hymns were sung in four-part harmony, as opposed to the usual droning melody, all led by the choir. Like the rest of the congregation of about 150 people, they were just about all in the "snow on the rooftop" age demographic. There were a few families scattered here and there, but you know a congregation is aging when the minister in his opening announcements encourages the people to be "adventurous" and sit somewhere new for a change.
Travis Reimer was a delightful speaker and though he seemed like the type to shy from technology, he used the large screen at the front to emphasize his points. His sermon was a bit confusing at first, mainly because I didn't really understand where his argument was coming from or where it was going. He divided churches into two groups, one serving as a "commisary," the other as a "caravan." The idea of the commisary church was applied (through implication, never directly) to the Catholic church, and was defined as an establishment-oriented system of thinking, more of an institution. On the other hand, he argued that his church as a "caravan" is a community, eschatologically oriented and with a focus on leaning on one another for a common goal. These were all interesting ideas, but by the end I was still confused as to where they were coming from.
There were also some references throughout the service to attracting new members: apparently Portage Avenue Church is aware that its age demographic isn't exactly sustainable, and are working hard to draw people. I must say with a delightful service like this I can't imagine it will be very hard to do.
http://www.pachurch.ca/
Portage Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church, 1420 Portage Ave. Winnipeg
Travis Reimer
And now, from the other side of Portage...
Whenever my high school went on its ski trip, the Beaver buses would meet us in the parking lot of Portage Avenue Mennonite Brethren Church. I decided after six years of invading their parking space, I should finally attend one of their services.
The building is really nice, quite modern yet tasteful. As I walked in I was greeted almost immediately and from the front doors to the coat rack I was wished a "good morning" at least a half dozen times. As I sat down the woman to my left, the man to my right and the woman sitting in front of me all welcomed me to the church. Simple things to do, but immediately I had a warm, comfortable vibe.
The music for the service was offered by a male chorus of about fifteen men who all sang quite well. To my delight most of the congregational hymns were sung in four-part harmony, as opposed to the usual droning melody, all led by the choir. Like the rest of the congregation of about 150 people, they were just about all in the "snow on the rooftop" age demographic. There were a few families scattered here and there, but you know a congregation is aging when the minister in his opening announcements encourages the people to be "adventurous" and sit somewhere new for a change.
Travis Reimer was a delightful speaker and though he seemed like the type to shy from technology, he used the large screen at the front to emphasize his points. His sermon was a bit confusing at first, mainly because I didn't really understand where his argument was coming from or where it was going. He divided churches into two groups, one serving as a "commisary," the other as a "caravan." The idea of the commisary church was applied (through implication, never directly) to the Catholic church, and was defined as an establishment-oriented system of thinking, more of an institution. On the other hand, he argued that his church as a "caravan" is a community, eschatologically oriented and with a focus on leaning on one another for a common goal. These were all interesting ideas, but by the end I was still confused as to where they were coming from.
There were also some references throughout the service to attracting new members: apparently Portage Avenue Church is aware that its age demographic isn't exactly sustainable, and are working hard to draw people. I must say with a delightful service like this I can't imagine it will be very hard to do.
http://www.pachurch.ca/
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Centre for Conscious Living
March 1, 2009 11:00 am
Centre for Conscious Living, 612 Valour Road Winnipeg
Rev. Cam J. Hamoline
This is a pretty interesting one. I was looking for a Presbyterian church just off Portage and got turned around navigating side streets. When I saw a traditional-looking church building I parked and went inside without a second thought. Upon sitting down and looking at the bulletin, I realized that I wasn't in a Presbyterian church.
Billed as an "Inclusive Spiritual Centre," I wasn't sure what to expect as this service got underway. It was in a small traditional old building with stained glass windows depicting New Testament scenes. Middle-aged was the dominant demographic with a few older folks and a healthy proportion of young kids. I was the only youth I could see. The small sanctuary was pretty full, probably about 100 people.
The front of the church was set up for a band and indeed, the service started with music. And I've gotta comment on it. This was unlike any church band I've ever heard. They avoided stereotyped, overdone and overly "uplifting" songs in favour of songs with music and a general themed message. The musicians were fantastic (there was a bass solo and I nearly cheered) and the music was great.
Onwards. I wasn't sure (and still am not) exactly what the Centre for Conscious Living is all about. The opening "Affirmative Prayer Treatment" recognized that there existed a higher being called "God," though She was never mentioned again through the service. Their website is an interesting read, they recognize Jesus in some capacity but as an example of the spiritual beings we all are, rather than the exception. They consider the notion of "Bible" to include ALL religious texts, which is an intriguing (and I think fantastic) notion.
Rev. Hamoline seems like a boring speaker, a bit monotonous and prone to over-simplifying. But he ended up getting his message across very well. He spoke primarily about the value of emotion. He noted that all emotion is positive, anger and sorrow included, because it brings us a message about ourselves. He encouraged introspection with an interesting analogy, which I'm going to paraphrase quickly:
"Once a woman was looking out her window and saw her neighbour outside in the street, bent over and searching intently for something. The woman went outside and asked, "what are you looking for?" Her neighbour replied, "I've lost my ring." The woman asked, "where did you lose it?" Her neighbour replied, "I lost it in the house, but I'm looking out here because the light is much better."
Often when we look inwards we find ourselves grasping around in the dark and choose instead to look uselessly outward, because the "light is better." Food for thought.
The service ended with more music and as usual I had to run so I didn't really get the chance to socialize. I'm very interested to see what this church or centre is all about, and i hope to return.
http://www.livingconsciously.ca/
Centre for Conscious Living, 612 Valour Road Winnipeg
Rev. Cam J. Hamoline
This is a pretty interesting one. I was looking for a Presbyterian church just off Portage and got turned around navigating side streets. When I saw a traditional-looking church building I parked and went inside without a second thought. Upon sitting down and looking at the bulletin, I realized that I wasn't in a Presbyterian church.
Billed as an "Inclusive Spiritual Centre," I wasn't sure what to expect as this service got underway. It was in a small traditional old building with stained glass windows depicting New Testament scenes. Middle-aged was the dominant demographic with a few older folks and a healthy proportion of young kids. I was the only youth I could see. The small sanctuary was pretty full, probably about 100 people.
The front of the church was set up for a band and indeed, the service started with music. And I've gotta comment on it. This was unlike any church band I've ever heard. They avoided stereotyped, overdone and overly "uplifting" songs in favour of songs with music and a general themed message. The musicians were fantastic (there was a bass solo and I nearly cheered) and the music was great.
Onwards. I wasn't sure (and still am not) exactly what the Centre for Conscious Living is all about. The opening "Affirmative Prayer Treatment" recognized that there existed a higher being called "God," though She was never mentioned again through the service. Their website is an interesting read, they recognize Jesus in some capacity but as an example of the spiritual beings we all are, rather than the exception. They consider the notion of "Bible" to include ALL religious texts, which is an intriguing (and I think fantastic) notion.
Rev. Hamoline seems like a boring speaker, a bit monotonous and prone to over-simplifying. But he ended up getting his message across very well. He spoke primarily about the value of emotion. He noted that all emotion is positive, anger and sorrow included, because it brings us a message about ourselves. He encouraged introspection with an interesting analogy, which I'm going to paraphrase quickly:
"Once a woman was looking out her window and saw her neighbour outside in the street, bent over and searching intently for something. The woman went outside and asked, "what are you looking for?" Her neighbour replied, "I've lost my ring." The woman asked, "where did you lose it?" Her neighbour replied, "I lost it in the house, but I'm looking out here because the light is much better."
Often when we look inwards we find ourselves grasping around in the dark and choose instead to look uselessly outward, because the "light is better." Food for thought.
The service ended with more music and as usual I had to run so I didn't really get the chance to socialize. I'm very interested to see what this church or centre is all about, and i hope to return.
http://www.livingconsciously.ca/
First Unitarian Universalist - Youth Take
February 15, 2009 10:30 am
First Unitarian Universalist, 603 Wellington Cresc. Winnipeg
Youth Service
So this is a biased post.
Turns out, I'm pals with more than a few of the youth over at first UU, and they were given the chance to do a youth service. You can see my post from last September, when I visited for the first time, if you're interested in a description of what the church is like in general. I wasn't at this service to rehash it, I was there to enjoy. I can't remember who, but someone wanted me to write this one up.
Anyhow.
The service followed what is probably the standard format for the church, which I felt was a bit of a shame. I know at least one fellow over there who's billed himself as a shit-disturber; the potential for mixing things up was there but I think the prep time was unfortunately limited. I was very excited that the words accompanying the lighting of the chalice (the Unitarian gathering symbol) were by a guy whose last name is Hammerskjold.
Overall the service was quite good. The transitions were a bit shaky, and as an elderly gentleman pointed out after the service, easily ironed-out by a few run-throughs before the service. The children's story was "Green Eggs and Ham," very well read, though I would have enjoyed a message to go along with it. It fit in perfectly with the "sermon" (more on that in a sec), and that could have been emphasized more.
I was very excited for the "Sermon." The youth had presented this sermon at a conference a few months back and I've been hearing about it ever since. The idea was that one of the youth had never eaten a pickle before, and finally got up the will to do it. We were invited to think about the "pickles" in our lives, things we should/want to do but haven't, and the podium was opened up for sharing.
Usually these kinds of things flop. Nobody wants to go first, and many of those who want to go can't think up anything to share (I was pretty frustrated that I didn't come up with anything myself). But after the interim minister and a couple of the youth shared their 'pickles,' the mike was burning hot for a good twenty minutes. It worked, and it was a lot of fun. Also, the closing words were great, and I'm kicking myself because I can't remember what they were.
I'm sure I'll find myself back at First UU, and congrats to the youth on putting together a great service.
http://www.uuwinnipeg.mb.ca/
First Unitarian Universalist, 603 Wellington Cresc. Winnipeg
Youth Service
So this is a biased post.
Turns out, I'm pals with more than a few of the youth over at first UU, and they were given the chance to do a youth service. You can see my post from last September, when I visited for the first time, if you're interested in a description of what the church is like in general. I wasn't at this service to rehash it, I was there to enjoy. I can't remember who, but someone wanted me to write this one up.
Anyhow.
The service followed what is probably the standard format for the church, which I felt was a bit of a shame. I know at least one fellow over there who's billed himself as a shit-disturber; the potential for mixing things up was there but I think the prep time was unfortunately limited. I was very excited that the words accompanying the lighting of the chalice (the Unitarian gathering symbol) were by a guy whose last name is Hammerskjold.
Overall the service was quite good. The transitions were a bit shaky, and as an elderly gentleman pointed out after the service, easily ironed-out by a few run-throughs before the service. The children's story was "Green Eggs and Ham," very well read, though I would have enjoyed a message to go along with it. It fit in perfectly with the "sermon" (more on that in a sec), and that could have been emphasized more.
I was very excited for the "Sermon." The youth had presented this sermon at a conference a few months back and I've been hearing about it ever since. The idea was that one of the youth had never eaten a pickle before, and finally got up the will to do it. We were invited to think about the "pickles" in our lives, things we should/want to do but haven't, and the podium was opened up for sharing.
Usually these kinds of things flop. Nobody wants to go first, and many of those who want to go can't think up anything to share (I was pretty frustrated that I didn't come up with anything myself). But after the interim minister and a couple of the youth shared their 'pickles,' the mike was burning hot for a good twenty minutes. It worked, and it was a lot of fun. Also, the closing words were great, and I'm kicking myself because I can't remember what they were.
I'm sure I'll find myself back at First UU, and congrats to the youth on putting together a great service.
http://www.uuwinnipeg.mb.ca/
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