Note from Nora: What are you doing for Lent?

March 6, 2020 The pancakes have been eaten, and the smudges of ash washed from the forehead. Lent has begun. Our 40-day experience may not be as challenging as the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, but I appreciate setting this time apart in some way in preparation for Good Friday and Easter. I seem to vary my Lenten practice every year. Last year I gave up candy, which wouldn’t be much of a sacrifice for some, but was a real discipline for me. One year I gave up buying things — anything except food, toilet paper, etc. and even though I do not think of myself as a big consumer, that too required more restraint than I had anticipated. This year (and this is partly because I am trying to organize to move after I retire), I am spending time each day “decluttering,” sorting things that I do not need and figuring out what to do with them. Each of these practices through Lent have given me occasions to think, at least daily, about the many things that occupy my mind and my life and distract me from the centred faith that I yearn for. The congregation I am part of in Toronto helps me in my Lenten practice with daily reflections written by members of the congregation, and a daily message from our minister. It’s a bigger commitment than many congregations could manage, but I am grateful for these resources, and also grateful that the electronic tools we have these days make it possible for anyone to access them. Every year the Lenten devotional produced by the General Council Office is one of the church’s most popular offerings, and this year is no exception. Faithfully Yours: Letters for the Wondering brings us the writing of diverse voices as we journey through Lent. Many congregations are using it for their Lenten studies, and there is also the option of an online discussion group through United in Learning which is led by Alana Martin, one of the contributors to the book. The Moderator’s Lenten message, about finding hope and life in the face of death, is a powerful one, available for congregations to show, or for anyone to watch at home. As I looked at a few websites around the church, I could see all these resources being put to good use in congregations, and I found some innovative ideas too. Here is one: the First Dawn Eastern Edge Regional Council has created its own folders for special Lenten offerings. Further afield, I was intrigued by the Lent event that the Uniting Church in Australia has created, where stories of the impact of that church’s global work are told through beautiful videos, and people are invited to “be personally changed by God’s work in the world… building peace, beating poverty, and creating hope. Another part of this “event” takes the familiar approach of living simply by giving up something or adopting a particular practice and adds the option of getting sponsors for this Lenten practice. Interesting! There are many more resources out there. Aren’t we lucky to live in a time when the internet gives us access to such a vast array. I wonder what you are doing for Lent? I hope you have found something to ground you, to challenge you, to accompany you, through a time of deepening connection with God. Blessings, Nora Nora Sanders is General Secretary of The United Church of Canada. Subscribe to the General Secretary's letter, "Note from Nora." [Photo credit: DIOFW, Flickr  (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)] Share Tweet Forward Subscribe This message has been sent to subscribers to the General Secretary's Letter, "Note from Nora."

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Note from Nora: Our prayers can mean so much.

February 21, 2020 “High alert but low risk.” If you are like most Canadians, you are concerned about the COVID-19 virus (coronavirus) but life is continuing as normal. As of February 16, 358 potential cases had been investigated in Canada, with only eight actual cases identified. As of February 18, 43 Canadians on board a cruise ship off Japan have also been confirmed as infected. Quarantine arrangements have been imposed on those returning from either Wuhan or the cruise ship, and voluntary quarantine is encouraged for others travelling back from China. That’s fine for us, but for our partners in China, and for pretty well everyone in China, nothing is normal right now. As of February 18, the total number of confirmed cases in China now stands at 72,532 and the death toll at 1,871. Millions are affected by quarantine or restrictions in movement. Let me share a little of what we are hearing from our Christian partners in China. Some who were Commissioners at the 43rd General Council will remember meeting Rev. Kan Baoping, who was one of the global guests at our gathering. Rev. Kan was at that time the President and General Secretary of the China Christian Council, and he is now serving with the National Three-Self Patriotic Movement, which is the affiliated Protestant social service organization. He knows Canada well, having been a student of Douglas John Hall in Montreal some years ago, and he warmly hosted our United Church delegation when we visited China in 2016. When I reached out to Rev. Kan last week by email, he responded, letting me know that he is deeply immersed in the efforts of the China Christian Council and National Three-Self Patriotic Movement to provide medical supplies and support for the epidemic region, Hubei province. In words reminiscent of the words of the Apostle Paul, he asked for continuous prayers, adding that “your prayer will give us strength and support our spirit in combatting against the virus.” I wanted to share that with you, friends across the United Church, because I know that many of you will want to join in those prayers, asking for God’s abounding love and mercy for the people of China. The United Church is helping in a modest financial way too, working through the American Baptist International Ministries to send medical supplies. The Amity Foundation, another of our partners in China, has provided updates on this work.     By the way, if you have been following the blog posts of Kelsi James, our young overseas personnel with the Amity Foundation, she is back in Canada now, sooner than expected. Even though she was not in the Wuhan area, it seemed appropriate to bring her home at this time. In the recent Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we were reminded of the worldwide network of love and support of which we are part. Our prayers can mean so much to those facing this time of trouble. Blessings, Nora Nora Sanders is General Secretary of The United Church of Canada.