Extended Study Leave for Rev. Matthew Brough in Spring/Summer of 2016

In 2012, Rev. Matthew Brough discussed with the session the possibility of an extended study leave at some point in the future. When Rev. Brough’s call was approved by the Presbytery of Winnipeg, it allowed for the following provision.

“To give two weeks study leave annually, plus one further week to be banked toward a sabbatical, and to provide $1,200 per year for the pursuance of study leave, and that these benefits shall be cumulated up to five years.”

In 2013, the session planned for this extended study leave (sabbatical) to happen sometime in 2015. These plans were put on hold through the amalgamation conversations that led to the formation of Prairie Presbyterian Church.

In the spring of 2015, the session of Prairie again discussed the extended study leave plans. Specifics were put in place last fall, and approved by the Presbytery of Winnipeg at their meeting on January 16th, 2016.

Matt’s study leave will be for eleven weeks - this includes all accumulated amounts plus the full three weeks allocated for 2016. He will likely need to use all accumulate study leave money as well.

Keep in mind that as per the terms of the call (and standard for all clergy in the PCC), Matt receives 5 weeks of holidays annually as well. Matt is taking one week of vacation in February, and will likely use some of his vacation time immediately after the study leave. The exact timing of this is still to be worked out.

Throughout the time when Matt is away, arrangements will be made for guest preachers and worship leadership from within and outside the congregation. Arrangements will also be made for ministers to be on call for pastoral emergencies. The session, board, other committees and teams, will of course, continue to operate as usual.

Below is the proposal for study leave that was submitted by Rev. Matthew Brough and approved by the Presbytery.

Purpose: Sabbath and an exploration of preaching and writing.

1) One of the main purposes of an extended study leave is to have an extended break from ministry. I have been serving in ministry for 12 years now and the longest break has been five weeks. I will likely use some of my holiday time to have a longer than 11 week break and to have some needed rest.
2) Both preaching and writing are gifts that I wish to further develop and things that I love doing. Because one of the main purposes is rest, I hope to advance these gifts not through intensive study, but through reading, reflection, and some conferences.

Structure
I intend to structure my study leave in the following way:
3 weeks
April 18 to May 7 - Reading, preparation, prayer. This time would be used for reading primarily for the C.S. Lewis program.
3 weeks
May 8 to 13 - The Life and Works of C.S. Lewis: Inspiration, Belief and The Power of Language. Held at Montreat Conference Center, near Asheville, South Carolina.
May 16 to 20 - Festival of Homiletics in Atlanta.
May 22 to 26 - Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference held at at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center, near Asheville, North Carolina
5 weeks
May 27 to July 3 - Reflection, writing, planning.
I plan to use this time to reflect on the conferences attended and to write both fiction and non-fiction. Particular attention will be paid during this time as well to planning how the gifts of writing and preaching might be used in a more fulsome way in the life of the congregation. 

The total time for study leave will be from April 18 to July 3

Advent and Christmas 2015

Christmas Eve Services - Dec 24th

Two Candlelight Services Celebrating the birth of Jesus

5:30pm and 7:30pm

590 University Cres. Winnipeg

Wednesday Nights in Advent - 7:00pm

Nov 25 - The Advent Candles
This night we will explore the symbolism and significance of the Advent Candle and discuss how we can focus this sometimes hectic season around the themes of hope, peace, joy, love, and ultimately Christ.

Dec 2 - A Night of Worship with the Moderator of the Presbyterian Church
Rev. Karen Horst, moderator of the PCC, will be preaching on “Sustaining our Faith” at this special worship service. Some of the young adults from Prairie are providing leadership for the service.

Dec 9 - The Real Meaning of Christmas
“Jesus is the reason for the season” - It’s true, but does this tell us the real meaning of Christmas? We will look at the Christmas story as told in Scripture and discuss why the incarnation is so important.

Dec 16 - Decorating and re-Gift Exchange Party
A fun evening of games and decorating the Church for Christmas. Bring a wrapped gift to exchange as well - but there’s a twist. Don’t buy anything. Find something you already have, wrap it up and re-gift it. It can be something funny, quirky or meaningful.

Sunday Mornings in Advent

Nov 29 - A Branch Will Spring Up - Hope
The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfil the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David.  Jeremiah 33:14-15a

Dec 6 - Prepare the Way - Peace
Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; 
and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.   Luke 3:4b-6

Dec 13 - Ready for the Awaited One - Joy
John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  Luke 3:16

Dec 20 - Children’s Presentation - Love
The Children of the Church will be presenting something special for the congregation this day.

Support for Shoal Lake 40 Freedom Road

The session of Prairie has decided to support the Churches for Freedom Road campaign by placing a sign outside our building. The campaign is being supported by many churches across different denominations as a way of supporting the construction of a road for the people of First Nations Shoal Lake 40, and to promote just relations between the City, Province, Federal government and Shoal Lake 40. We take note that the city and province have committed funding for the road and the Federal government has agreed in principle to supply funds as well. We wish to commend the levels of government for the steps they are taking, but also wish to show our support until the time when the funds will actually be in place and construction can begin.

You may be interested to know that the Presbyterian Church has a long history with Shoal Lake. One of the two Presbyterian run residential schools was originally located there. The Presbyterian Church in Canada made a confession to the First Nations people in 1994 and we continue to look for ways to work toward reconciliation, particularly in our support of Winnipeg Inner City Missions and the Kenora Fellowship Centre.

More information about Churches for Freedom Road can be found here: www.churchesforfreedomroad.ca

Other helpful links:

Steve Bell's blog - Winnipeg singer/songwriter, Steve Bell, has been instrumental in raising awareness about the road needed at Shoal Lake 40. He posts regular updates on his blog.

What's with the Sign? - By Stephen Swan, pastor of the King's Fellowship.  A very helpful discussion of why their congregation is supporting Churches for Freedom Road. Swan provides good context and some excellent links for learning more. He describes the campaign as "political in the sense of concern for the polis, the city in which we live," something which he argues is part of our Christian imperative to love our neighbour.

 

Congregational (Pastoral) Care Team

In the last few months, the session of Prairie Presbyterian Church has been discussing the best ways to provide good congregational pastoral care. In the past, within the Presbyterian Church, the minister was the central person providing pastoral care with the elders each having a list, or “district,” whom they were to visit as a way of offering spiritual care and support.

The session has tried this model, and after considering some other models, believe we ought to try a model that has been implemented at Knox Presbyterian Church in Milton, ON. Here is a slightly edited explanation from their Web site…

We believe that although the [elders’ district] method has served the church admirably for many years it is predicated on an outdated model.  The urbanization of our nation, the mobility of the workforce, the dual income family, the integration of multi-ethnic communities have all conspired to change our social fabric. The church, however, is still practicing its pastoral care as if the social situation was a pre-industrial agricultural community.

We believe this puts extraordinary pressure on the people elected to be elders in the church, requiring a skill base and time commitment that is too great. Therefore, we desire to separate the two primary responsibilities of an elder. The ruling elder will be elected to provide spiritual oversight of the congregation as outlined in our Book of Forms; including pastoral care.  

However, the actual delivery of this pastoral care will not be the direct role of the ruling elder.  Instead, we will develop a team of trained pastoral visitors whose sole responsibility will be to provide this function within the congregation. They will be selected on the basis of possessing the gift of care-giving, and they will receive training for this responsibility. The team of visitors will report through its leadership to the Session on a quarterly basis.

The primary role of the pastoral visitor will depend upon the type of visiting they are asked to undertake. There will be four types of visits and three types of visitors as outlined below:

  1. Urgent Care:  will be provided by our pastor or designate in attending those in hospital, or in emergency care situations.  At times this level of care will require discernment to refer to professional support and care.  If the situation warrants ongoing care, members of the congregational (pastoral) care team may be engaged.
  2. Care for Elderly:  will be provided by a team of trained visitors whose primary responsibility will be institutional or independent seniors visiting.  The team will visit on a regular basis and follow up with a quarterly review of their visits.  The team will report to Session quarterly on their activity.
  3. Congregational Visits:  These visits will be carried out by a team of pastoral visitors. An attempt will be made to visit each home in the congregation annually to share the ministry/mission of Prairie through the Annual Report—plans and programs. Home visit will also be conducted when requested.  In all cases, we will respect that some congregants don’t want a pastoral visit unless they initiate it.
  4. Newcomers/Returnees:  will be visited by the pastor or designate within two months of showing interest in our church.  The purpose of the visit will be to share programs, opportunities for involvement at Prairie, and if possible, to engage the newcomers in a smaller ministry context (group, bible study, etc.)

We are looking for anyone interested in being part of the Congregational (Pastoral) Care Team or being a visitor who simply reports to the team. If you are interested please let Reverend Matthew Brough know(matt@prairiechurch.ca).

There will be an initial information session for those who wish to be part of the team or be a visitor in the next few months, so that the team can begin its work in the fall.

The Lord's Prayer Series

Worship is each Sunday at 10am at 590 University Cres.

On Sundays this summer Prairie will be exploring The Lord’s Prayer over 5 weeks.  

The key themes to be explored are:

July 12th: Holiness;

July 19th: Temptation;

July 26th: Provision (potluck lunch following worship)

Aug 2nd: Forgiveness;

Aug 9th: The Kingdom of God.  
 
There will also be a “Prayer Challenge” booklet available to guide you through different types of Prayer. Thoughts and experiences of the Prayer Challenge will be shared each week as part of worship.

Origins: A Series on Genesis 1-3

June 7 to July 5, 2015, we will be looking at the first three chapters of Genesis.

Worship is each Sunday at 10am at 590 University Cres.

June 7 - The Good Creation  Genesis 1:1-25

We need reminding that even apart from human beings God is pleased with creation. God called everything good as it was created. We will also celebrate communion this Sunday.

June 14 - In God’s Image  Genesis 1:26-2:3

What does it mean for human beings to be created in the image of God? Following worship this day is a picnic lunch and games for kids.

June 21 - The Garden   Genesis 2:4-24

The first declaration of something not being good in God's creation is "it is not good that the man should be alone." Genesis 2 describes paradise, which is only complete with animals, Adam and Eve. 

June 28 - The Original Sin  Genesis 3:1-8

Adam and Eve tasted the fruit from the forbidden tree and hid from God in shame. What might this first act of discord teach us about our own lives?

July 5 - Truth and Consequences  Genesis 3:8-24

Adam blames Eve, Eve blames the serpent, and God curses them all. As the truth comes out about Adam and Eve's actions, they must face the consequences. Is this a tragic end to the paradise story, or just the first act of humanity's walk with God. Can our alienation from God ever be fixed? Can we ever return to the garden?

Holy Week March 29 to April 5

Below are times when the Church is open for Palm Sunday, Stations of the Cross, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday

March 29 - Palm Sunday Worship Service at 5:00pm

a joint worship service with Lighthouse Evangelical Arabic Church. No service in the morning.

March 30 to April 2 - Stations of the Cross

The Church will be open for anyone to come and pray following the tradition of the Stations of the Cross. This ancient way of praying through the story is a powerful way to prepare for Good Friday and Easter Sunday. 14 stations with imagery and instructions on how and what to pray will be set up in the Church for anyone who wishes to take this journey.

Times the Church will be open for prayer:
Monday, March 30 - 6:00pm to 9:00pm
Tuesday, March 31 - 8:00am to 9:00pm
Wednesday, April 1 - 8:00am to 9:00pm
Thursday, April 2 - 8:00am to 4:00pm

April 2 - Maundy Thursday Communion Service at 7:00pm 

April 3 - Good Friday Worship Service at 10:00am

April 4 Easter Sunday Celebration Service at 10:00am

Easter Sunday is the great celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. But Easter is in fact an entire season, in the same way Advent, Christmas and Lent are. Eastertide, is the 50 day season that begins at sundown the night before Easter Sunday and includes seven Sundays right up until the celebration of Pentecost. 

Visit to Place of Hope Presbyterian Church - March 8

The next visit to Place of Hope Presbyterian Church will be Sunday, March 8, 2015.  We will join the congregation for worship and then serve a meal.  The worship service starts around 3:30 pm.

There are many ways you can help this outreach project:

  • Bake cookies – bring to the church on March 8th
  • Bring some of the food items that are needed (see sign-up sheet at the back of the church). Items can be brought either to the church or directly to Place of Hope.
  • Come to worship and help set up, serve and clean up.
  • Come to worship and drive people to the service and home after the service.
  • On Saturday, March 7, 2015, come to 590 University Crescent to help prepare the Chicken Chili.
  • Donate money to “Food for Place of Hope Visit” through your offering.

Please contact Carole Bilyk (fractal37@yahoo.ca) if you have any questions.

Future Building Information Session - March 1st

God’s People, God’s House

A partnership between 
Prairie Presbyterian Church and 
Lighthouse Evangelical Arabic Church

All people, regardless of age or ethnicity, spend their life on a journey.  We seek to help people find their way by pointing to the true light of life, Jesus Christ. It is only in journeying with Jesus that we can find our true home. Our common task, our common mission, is to follow Jesus together and help others do the same.

We are working together to build a new shared facility that will enable us to reach out in service with the love of Christ in even greater ways.

“The builder of all things is God. Christ is faithful as the Son in charge of God’s house. We are God’s house if we keep up our courage and our confidence in what we hope for.”   -   Hebrews 3:4,6

Who is the Building For?

The future building is for people who are not yet among us. Our hope is to pass on a legacy of faith, helping to grow healthy disciples in healthy congregations.

Primary uses of the building:

  • Worship services
  • a day care for ages 2 to 6.
  • Recreation for all ages
  • Concerts, coffee houses, etc.
  • Meals for various groups (from small group dinners to banquet style)
  • Small group meetings, committee meetings, etc.

Partnerships

Prairie and Lighthouse are full partners in this new facility. We will remain open to community partnerships and will work to provide space for community partnerships to develop.

Flexibility

Most space in the building is multi-use. The Sanctuary will be able to house worship services, concerts, and small scale recreation activities. All staging, chairs, equipment and instruments will be portable and can be stored.

Information Session on March 1st

We are excited that the first building drawings for are now available and can be views at our current space any time. On Sunday March 1st, following the worship service, our project manager, Ralph Friedenberger, and the building planning team will be providing more in depth information and more visuals of what the building could look like. At this time, the finances required and the plans for raising additional funds will also be discussed. This is your opportunity to give feedback about the drawings. We need your participation and feedback.  You can also talk to members of the building planning team at anytime about the drawings.

Unless the building planning team sees the need for substantial changes to the drawings after hearing feedback on or before March 1st, we will be asking the congregation to vote on the drawings at the annual general meeting on March 15th.

Our congregation is located in Winnipeg, which is on Treaty One Land, first entrusted by Creator God to the Anishinaabeg, Anishininewuk, Dakota Oyate, Denesuline, Nehethowuk nations, the homeland of the Red River Métis.