Manotick United Church

I find it amazing how the United Church of Canada (UCC) can offer a buffet style church. In an attempt to win over the public and "bring" people to Christ, you have opened the door for the curious to become Christians at the expense of knowing the whole truth as stated in the bible.

The leaders of the UCC are conforming to society's views for the purpose of attracting as many people as possible. Specifically, the UCC endorses a model that "encourages diversity". God's not interested in diversity, rather he is interested in people hearing His word and obeying His commands.

We do not have the authority to pick and choose what we like. For those folks that pick and choose are only doing so in order to justify their ways. Oh how we love to justify and rationalize our sins. It allows us to lead the life WE have decided instead of what God has decided. In the end, we will all have to account before God at the judgement how we have been obedient to Him, followed his teachings, and served Him as He has commanded according to His word (the bible).

I am often reminded that God is loving but God is also our judge. How will the leaders of the UCC and its followers of Christ be judged before God on judgement day?

What does God have to say on the matter?

Today's New International Version

Romans 12:2 TNIV

Romans 11 • View this Chapter • Romans 13

2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Well, if the UCC is a buffet style church then I guess this too can be ignored.

Bryan Tinlin, Manotick United Church, Manotick, Ontario

Dear friends, I was blessed to attend MUC for several months with my wife last year before moving to Calgary. I was also a pastor of a local evangelical church in Riverside South. And finally, I was also a member of the United Church for many years up to 1991 until the denominational hierarchy decided to go against the wishes of the vast majority of the people they served, and permit homosexual ministers in the pulpit. That was then and this is now!!! And the now is the recent decision to suggest we not support the Operation Christmas Child Program. To me and to many others, this is but another step on that slippery slope that began years ago. Another one of those steps, was their decision to spend $8,000,000. to reach out to the 30-45 year olds. What was that about??? I thought it was the job of each and every Christian to reach out at the local church level and the last time I checked, that is what you are doing at MUC. Your cheque for that work should be in the mail soon from Toronto. As for the OCCP, I can see it now in the Christian Community, not that sadly, the UCofC is held in high esteem anyway. "There goes the United Church again, taking a shot at what so many wonderful churches of so many faiths are doing. They must have it right!!!" (Tongue firmly placed in cheek) My brothers and sisters, Christ Himself has called us to reach out to the World in any way we deem effective and this program HAS been deemed effective. My mother sent her box last year to a child in Latin America and she included her return address never thinking she would hear back directly but she did. This little person thanked mom for her gift and for being part of the program. Her last words to mom were, "God bless you". What impact do you think that had on a 73 year old mother and grandmother. As one of my favorite pastors says so many times from the pulpit, "God is good......." Many of us caring pastors and lay people continue to have concerns over the direction of this once wonderful denomination. The dialog, your dialog must continue. It seems from so many examples in recent years that "Christ has left the building" Blessings from my family to yours as all of you seek God's leading for the direction of your wonderful Christ following MUC. Pastor Ray Lepage

Operation Christmas Child" Good or evil ? I truly believe that God does want us to share our Love for Jesus and if just by chance these boxes contain a ball for a boy or a doll for a girl and maybe just maybe a word of hope and love that could touch his or her life for ever, the agenda is of good faith. Imagine living in poverty or in a War Torn country and never hearing laughter. I enjoy sending one or two boxes every year to an unknown child as I know that it might be the only time he get's to be a child. LCG

For the past number of years MUC has eagerly participated in “Operation Christmas Child” (the shoe box program), a unique ministry that brings Christmas joy, packed in gift-filled shoe boxes to children around the world. Over the past 10 years thousands of schools, churches, community groups and youth clubs have partnered with Samaritan’s Purse to distribute 24 million shoeboxes making it the worlds largest children’s Christmas project.

I recently received a letter from Julie Kinkaid of the Mission and Service Fund Office (each United Church Congregation financially supports the M & S Fund) of The United Church of Canada encouraging us to find an alternative way of giving. In the packet I received from Kinkaid she included various articles that explain why the United Church is vehemently opposed to the Shoe Box program.

In one of the articles (by Giles Fraser, November 10, 2003) sent to me by the United Church, the Shoe Box program is called Toxic because the aim of the program is “the advancement of the Christian faith through education projects and the relief of poverty.”

In another article, ("Shoe box gifts nice but wrong" by John P. Asling) we are told that the program is wrong because “many recipients do not mark Christmas at all because they belong to other faiths, which have their own celebrations. Some shoe boxes offer Christian materials meant to proselytize.”

In another article, ("Can “stuff’ save the Children?" by Deborah Marshall) we are told that it is simply wrong to give gifts. “Many cultures do not emphasize giving gifts as a way of celebrating Christmas, as we do. To send “stuff” is to impose our materialistic values on others...As well, many of the recipients do not celebrate Christmas, as they belong to other faith traditions. In some shoebox projects, Christian evangelistic materials are given out along with the boxes as a way of proselytizing.”

The United Church of Canada opposes the Shoe Box program because sometimes, when appropriate, the recipient receives a gentle brochure, in their own language telling them, “That Jesus Christ loves them.” For the United Church it is toxic, for someone to tell another person that Jesus Christ loves them.

I wonder, since the U.C. finds the Shoe Box program toxic because it sometimes includes a message speaking of Christ’s love, does the U.C also view Jesus’ Words in Mark 16:15-16 as toxic?

And Jesus said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creations. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” (NIV)

What does it mean to us, that those who are responsible for spending our donated M & S dollars view the sharing of Christ as toxic?

Your comments on this are greatly appreciated.

Yours in Christ
Rev. Shawn

As a Church Minister I’m asked many questions about to life and faith, one I’m asked frequently is "How could God let something like this (terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, starvation in Africa, cancer, etc.) happen?” The following note has been floating around the internet for some time and is a fascinating conversation starter. Please read and feel free to comment. If you know the author of this article, please let us know so we can provide them with the correct credit.

In a recent television interview Billy Grahams’ daughter, Anne Graham, was asked this exact question referring to Hurricane Katrina her response was extremely profound and insightful. She said, "I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?"

This makes me wonder…When and why did we start telling God to get out of our lives?

Did it start with Madeleine Murray O'Hare, a murder victim, who demanded that we stop praying in school? Because we all said OK.

Was it when somebody else told us we not to read the Bible in school? The Book that teaches us not to kill, or steal, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves? We all said OK.

An “Expert” told us not to spank our children when they misbehave because their personalities would be damaged along with their self-esteem - BTW – his son committed suicide. We said OK.

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why our world's going to hell. It’s interesting that we believe what we read in the newspapers, but question what the Bible says. And then we ask ourselves: Why don’t our children have a conscience? Why don't they know right from wrong? Why do they steal and hurt themselves, and why doesn’t it bother them to kill strangers, their classmates and themselves?

How many times have we told God to get out of our lives? How many times does it take for Him to listen? Has He heard us? Why when things go bad do we ask why did He let it happen?

I wonder…why would God let something like this happen?

Anonymous