Angela J Elliott

I have MS and in my case it's still very invisible. Alot of disabilities are invisible, like mental illness and chronic pain. I would like churches to think beyond the visible and to provide a safe place for people to say, I'm struggling, this is a limitation in my life. I also would like the church to understand "chronic". No I am not better this week, just a little less sick or perhaps stable. My situation isn't going to change much, except get worse. It isn't a broken leg that will mend and eventually not need a cast and crutches anymore.

I enjoy receiving the Network every week. Each time there is something that is of encouragement or causes me to grow in my ministry. I often share a link with our ministry staff as I'm not sure they are on the Network. I would like to see greater participation and people understanding the goal and the benefits of being part of the Network. I would encourage the BOT to continue supporting this valuable resource and to help it continue to grow.

Welcome to the network! I look forward to discussions about worship theology and the practical work of worship in the congregation. I am passionate about worship and about the church coming together to glorify God! May His name be glorified in this blog as well. God bless you.

Most Sundays we have a Community Prayer, our name for the Long Prayer. It varies in length and content. We do pray for specific people but we often add such phrases as "and all others who are struggling with chronic conditions". We try to keep tabs on what we pray for so that we are praying for our cities, province and federal governments, the world etc at some point in a 2 month period. We pray according to the needs that are expressed by the people during a time of sharing. Sometimes our prayers are headline driven such as the tsunami and earthquake in Japan. We also pray in general terms for people in our congregation who are struggling physically, emotionally, mentally. I often find myself "prayed for" without being named and that is a comfort.

We also provide opportunity for personal prayer after the service with prayer team members or during the week as arranged.

If we miss the community prayer 2 weeks in a row, I feel like something important is missing and will often bring it up at our planning meetings. I think it's important for the church to pray together. I also think that praying together models how to pray for those who are new to the faith. It's a blessing I hope we never go without.

I am grateful for the work that was done via this blog and Network forum. I would like to see something continue as another way to be engaged and knowledgeable about what is happening in committee reports etc. It is so easy to not be engaged in the work of our denomination and to even temporaily forget that we are part of of a larger church. So the more ways of communicating the better.

I agree that Lent rituals alone do not bring us closer to God. I do think that they can be a time of re-establishing or establishing perhaps for the first time spiritual disciplines that help us grow closer to God.

We've made a start in our church by talking briefly about Lent, stressing that it is a time of drawing closer to God, reflection on his sacrifice and preparation for Easter. As part of that reflection we have suggested people might want to give up something that would be a sacrifice for them. We've added a second part to that and suggested that people collect or save up the money they would have spent to give to an offering for CRWRC Free the Family. We chose this cause because it gives us a way to help the poor. This also works across the generations so we are able to challenge everyone from child to senior. I hope in the future that we can develop this concept a bit more.

When do you present? I'll be praying for you and for the Task Force. Praying that God will give all understanding and compassionate hearts for those whose lives have been shattered in ways that are hard to comprehend. Glad for the friendly reunions and the signs that God is actively with you.

Bonnie, God's sustaining blessing and care to you and those around you who continue to lead us in this vital ministry of being Safe Churches. 

Blessing - to see the CRCNA at work and worship

Connecting - I felt reconnected to the denomination I'm part of

Big Picture - seeing how my church fits in the whole

Future - both the challenges and the hopes

Multigenerational - young to old

Multiethnic - many races represented

What kinds of simple things do churches do to celebrate Mothers Day, Fathers Day and Pentecost?

I like that idea! What a potential for hearing and being heard, for listening and talking, for education and prayer.