place of meeting may 2015

Place of Meeting

A time of resurrection

Toronto United Mennonite Church May 2015

TUMC marked Good Friday and Easter with solemnity and joy, many arising in darkness on

Easter Sunday to witness a cold but glorious sunrise by the lakeshore, breakfasting as the dis-

ciples did with the risen Lord on simple fish and bread cooked out of doors. In the past month,

we have celebrated the courage and faith of some of our Anabaptist foremothers with an ex-

hibit of art by Ray Dirks, and reflected on the suffering still endured by refugees and by the

original peoples of this land. More on this rich and meaningful season inside.

Place of Meetingis the meaning of the Huron word

“toronton,” from which our city

gets its name. Fittingly, it can also

mean “plenty” or

“abundance.”

Place of Meeting is also the

monthly newsletter of Toronto

United Mennonite Church. May

you find plenty here to enjoy and

ponder. Opinions expressed are

those of the writers and not

necessarily of the congregation

as a whole.

Contributions of all kinds are enthusiastically received, throughthe mail folder in the lobby or at

[email protected]

Next deadline:June 2

Have you discovered the all-colour online version of Place of

Meeting, complete with liveweblinks? Check this month’s

issue out here: issuu.com/pomeditor/docs/

pom_may_2015l

NOTE: New address for submissions:

[email protected]

Editor: Doreen Martens

Scene around TUMC

Place of Meeting

Worship services can get long for little ones, especially when

there’s all that grownup social time after; it’s always fun to enjoy

traditional breads on Easter morning; and oh, what a joy to have

brass as part of our Alleluias on Easter!

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.issuu.com/pomeditor/docs/pom_oct_2013/

http://www.issuu.com/pomeditor/docs/pom_oct_2013/

A story by Gary Harder

Rosemary, Alberta, my home territory growing up, was a fer-

tile oasis in a semi-arid prairie landscape – an oasis created

by a water supply. Irrigating was very labour-intensive

(slogging through ankle deep water in rubber boots, spade in hand,

laying canvas dams and digging water channels all day long, and

into the night) but this water source allowed Rosemary to flourish

economically. And it provided a home for a unique disparate com-

munity. It featured a Buddhist temple, a Mormon “temple-church”

and a Mennonite church ––three communities that had a history of

persecution in common.

As a youngster it never occurred to me to wonder how it happened

that I went to school with Japanese and Mormon and Mennonite

schoolmates, and formed friendships with some of each. I certainly

argued with Ron Gibbs, a Mormon friend, about whether God was

a Mormon or a Mennonite. But when he went off on a two year

“mission” I was quite impressed.

My friend Keyoshi invited me to go along with him and his parents

to watch a Calgary Stampeder football game in Calgary. I was

thrilled (even though Calgary lost to the Saskatchewan Roughrid-

ers). They even took me to a Japanese restaurant where I marvelled

at how Mr. Iomoto slurped down a huge bowl full of noodle soup

in just moments. Every fall I was hired by various Japanese farmers

to help harvest their potatoes. But I never knew their story. How

did they come to be in Rosemary?

I knew a bit about our Mennonite story. My father moved to Rose-

mary in 1934 because the Canadian Pacific Railway offered rela-

tively cheap land along their railroad system, land they had been

given by the Canadian government for their feat of building a

trans-Canada railroad. The extra enticement they offered was pro-

viding water for irrigation. This ranked high with us Mennonites.

And with the Mormons who had immigrated northward a few years

before we Mennonites came.

The water for irrigation was provided by a dam which the CPR

built on the Bow River near Bassano, a small town 12 miles west

of Rosemary. Our church sometimes held its annual Sunday school

picnic at the Bassano Dam. And it was a good place to go fishing.

Most of us youngsters learned how to swim in the ditches and

canals created to transport this water to our thirsty land. And this

water was the source for creating “Rock Lake,” southeast of Rose-

mary, another good place for fishing.

Place of Meeting May 2015 page 3

Who we are and where we are:Are we all culpable?

Coming Events

April 26 - May 17: Four-week series in

our Sunday worship services hearing

the voices of our First Peoples: “Who

we are and where we are”

May 3: Taize Service 7 p.m.

May 9: Community Open House meet-

ing for neighbours to hear about Aurora

House, 2 p.m.

May 10: Ecumenical celebration of

music and prayer at St. Aidan in the

Beach Anglican Church at 4:30 p.m.

June 6: Spring Cleanup Day

June 12-14 TUMC all-church retreat at

Silver Lake Mennonite Camp

Who we are and where we are

Place of Meeting page 4

But what brought the Japanese to Rosemary? Only

much later, long after I had left Rosemary for good,

did I learn of the Japanese internment camps during

the Second World War. These excellent farmers, and

my Buddhist friends, and the girls with their splendid

dances in their colourful kimonos, had been dispos-

sessed of their land and belongings, suffered intern-

ment, and had finally been “allowed” to go elsewhere

to live. This is what brought some of them to take ad-

vantage of the irrigation farming opportunities in

Rosemary. I was totally ignorant of their story.

Growing up I was vaguely aware that there was an

“Indian Reservation” near Gleichen, about 35 miles

from Rosemary. Very occasionally young men from

that reserve stopped at our farm looking either for a

handout or for some temporary work. My memory is

that my parents always treated them respectfully. But

we youngsters certainly had our prejudices.

In 1973 Lydia and I adopted a two and a half year old

daughter –– a native daughter. We had not specified

native. Already having two boys, we simply wanted

to adopt a girl. What we received was a native girl ––

a very beautiful black-haired native girl.

What we were unaware of, was that we became a part

of what later became known as “the 1960s Scoop.”

The Scoop, as our First Nations people call it, was an

indirect government program carried out by the social

welfare system which took native children out of their

own families and adopted them into white families. In

essence, it was a program to “take the Indian out of

these children.” It had the same purpose as the Indian

Residential School system. Many Mennonite families

innocently became part of this horrendous program,

with huge negative consequences for native people,

and for many of these children –– and their parents.

A personal “irony,” or is it “providence,” is that when

our daughter began exploring her native roots, she

discovered that she came from the Siksika Blackfoot

Nation –– the very reserve 35 miles from where I

grew up. It may be that I even played hockey with

some of her uncles.

Five years ago I became aware of another story I

knew nothing about, one that has affected Rose-

mary –– including Mennonites and Mormons and

Buddhists equally. The CPR built the Bassano Dam

on Siksika nation property without their permission.

There was no agreement. It was illegal. Our commu-

nity became prosperous at the expense of those

whose land it was by treaty right. (The CPR and the

Alberta Government and the Siksika nation did come

to an agreement, including some financial compensa-

tion, a few years ago.)

And so it is that my personal story carries a lot of his-

tory, and complicity, with it. Do we regret the adop-

tion? No, not at all. We love our daughter dearly.

And our grandchildren. But we do regret our own

naiveté, our own assumptions that our daughter could

grow up in our “white” culture without needing to

know her own people. Ours and our children’s and

grandchildren’s lives, and our relationship with them,

are immensely complicated by the dynamics of “the

Scoop.” I do deeply regret that our governments have

promoted residential schools and scoop adoptions

and building dams without permission on native

lands. As a citizen of this country I share blame and

now need to find ways to renew a relationship that

has integrity with First Nations people.

It has been a huge privilege for us to have been in-

vited into the lives of a number of First Nations peo-

ple, to have been able to attend powwows, religious

ceremonies, host parties, and experience a “sweat

lodge.” Their hospitality and welcome has been there

for us despite our complicated relationships.

My personal “Who” and “Where” has its origins in

Rosemary. Who could have imagined that even then

and there I was already implicated in the many

abuses perpetrated on our aboriginal peoples. And yet

my home also gifted me with the kind of boundary

breaking relationships which give me hope for the fu-

ture.

Supporting Luis


On April 18, TUMC hosted the launch of a

campaign to persuade the Canadian gov-

ernment to grant our member Luis Mata

his permanent residency. Mark Andrews and the

Thiessen trio performed music for the occasion,

and a series of speakers gained the rapt attention

of a full house of supporters.

Some 150 signatures were placed on a paper peti-

tion, while an online petition has collected close

to 900 names. Thanks to all those who partici-

pated and are supporting his cause, including by

signing the petition and/or contributing to his

legal fund.

Some background:

Luis Alberto Mata is a Convention Refugee,

writer, researcher and human rights activist from

Colombia. He has lived in and contributed to

Canadian society since his arrival in 2002 and

recognition as a Convention Refugee in 2003.

Luis fled Colombia for Canada in 2002 when his

life and that of his Diana and their young son

were under threat. He was at risk due to his work

as a social justice advocate and author, as he ex-

posed some of the worst human rights violations

in his country. Diana, a lawyer and member of a

human rights organization was also intimidated

and threatened by paramilitary forces.

Within a year of arriving in Canada, in 2003, he

and his family were recognized as “Convention

Refugees” by Canada’s Immigration and Refugee

Board. With this clear and unequivocal recogni-

tion of the risk they faced in Colombia, within

180 days they applied to become permanent resi-

dents of Canada. Luis and his family should have

been quickly granted permanent residence, which

provides a pathway towards Canadian citizen-

ship. However, for more than a decade they have

been subjected to bewildering delays with no res-

olution in sight. To this day the Canadian govern-

ment has not provided a clear explanation as to

why this has taken so long. This is in spite of the

fact that since arriving in Canada, Luis and Diana

have become pillars of their community while

raising their son.

Despite having the support of his community

and local and international human rights organ-

izations such as Amnesty International and

PEN Canada, Luis has been left in limbo. As a

result his opportunity to enjoy the social, politi-

cal and economic rights awarded to Canadian

citizens and opportunities to fully contribute to

Canada has been stalled since 2003. He can’t

vote, travel freely outside Canada’s borders

without overcoming administrative hurdles, ac-

cess credit, serve on a jury, and risks discrimi-

natory treatment in housing and employment

because of his clearly identifiable temporary

SIN number. In effect, by not deciding on his

application the Canadian government has place

Luis in limbo and made him permanently pre-

carious.

The limbo and uncertainly in which Luis has

been forced to live needs to end. He and his

family deserve to know that his place in

Canada is secure. He must be granted perma-

nent residence. Now.


Supporting Luis

From top: the family speaks to the crowd of

supporters; Gloria Nafziger, refugee coordinator

for Amnesty International; Mark Andrews

performs on the piano.

Photos by Tim Schmucker

Sign the petition

for Luis Mata athttp://nolivesinlimbo.org

http://nolivesinlimbo.org

Sharing our SOOP


By Ed and Sharon Heide

As some of you know, we spent the month of February in

spring-like sunny Reedley, California volunteering with

MCC’s (Mennonite Central Committee) SOOP program

(SOOP stands for Service Opportunities for Older Persons).

It was our first such assignment, coming after Ed’s retire-

ment in December.

The setting was MCC’s regional headquarters, with offices,

a tea room, a major quilting and rug-making store, and then

a large thrift store. We spent 95% of our time in the thrift

store named “Nearly New”. We were warmly welcomed by

the few paid staff and by the many local volunteers who

spend varying amounts of time in the store. There was a re-

ally nice mix of resident Mexicans and Mennonites, as well

as a few special needs students from the local community

college on placement here. Our jobs centered on receiving

donations of clothing, books, furniture, appliances, etc.

through the back door, sorting, cleaning, and pricing articles

and getting them onto the sales floor. Their slogan was “In

the door, on the floor, out the door in 24 (hours)”. The

turnover of product was quite impressive, with daily sales

averaging $1200. We also spent time at the front cash regis-

ter, where we witnessed buyers enjoying their great deals!

The work hours were 9-5, Monday to Friday.

We were given a nice home to stay in by ourselves, along

with bicycles to ride the 3 kms to work. It was fruit tree

blossom time in the valley, and so we enjoyed getting to see

the blossoms of a wide variety of fruits, including almonds,

pomegranates, walnuts, peaches, pears, grapes and cherries.

The orange and grapefruit seasons were in full swing, and so

we had our share of those! On weekends we explored the

surrounding areas, including Yosemite National Park and

Sequoia National Forest, both so impressive in their natural

beauty.

We were tremendously impressed by the Mennonite com-

munity’s support for MCC. The area is home to a large

Mennonite Brethren population and then a much smaller

MC USA group. Even though we could sense some pretty

significant differences in belief systems between the two,

when it came to MCC, they were of one mind. Already in

February, much work was being done in preparation for the

big annual MCC sale in mid-April.

As we left Reedley, we wondered how our next SOOP as-

signment could ever match our experience here. We will see

where the path will lead to next.

Ed and Sharon Heide at work in Reedley.

Into the heart of the mystery: Good Friday


TUMC marked Good Friday with two

very different but equally meaningful

services. The morning family-

oriented service invited groups of

participants to travel around the build-

ing visiting a series of stations. In the

Upper Room, children and adults alike

were invited to remember the events of

the Last Supper with handwashing and

a reflection around grapes and bread,

symbolic of the Communion elements.



Participants were invited to walk a

labyrinth, an ancient pattern meant to aid

in meditation as the walker takes a sym-

bolic journey into the heart of the mystery

of our faith. Each walker picked up a stone

and placed it on arriving at the centre. In

another room, a simple craft of making tis-

sue flowers hinted at the Easter celebra-

tion to come.



In the sanctuary, a modified Stations of the Cross told the story of the crucifixion in terms children could understand,

followed by an anointing with fragant oils, a reflection both on death and on the sweetness of the coming

Resurrection.



A quiet evening service featured beautiful reflective music, much of it in the Taize style,

and the telling of the Crucifixion story in scripture, prayer and Communion.

He is risen!


The sunrise service came on a cold snowy morn-

ing, but the gorgeous dawn, simple worship and

delicious fish and bannock were ample rewards.

He is risen!


After breakfast –– and a dousing of the fire by disciples Peter and

John –– attenders at Easter worship were greeted by live chicks and

bunnies, traditional symbols of new life, in a display created by the

Alexander-Unger family.

He is risen!


Easter worship at TUMC was full of colour,

splendid music and joy as children were in-

vited to “flower” the cross with the tissue

blooms made on Good Friday.

A cloud of witnesses


We were surrounded by a “cloud of witnesses”

for three Sundays running by an amazing exhibit

of art and story panels created by Winnipeg Men-

nonite artist Ray Dirks, telling the stories of

women of courage and faith who brought their

families out of the trials and trauma of the Soviet

Union to the Americas. The exhibit, just part of a

larger collection, will travel to the Mennonite

World Conference assembly in Harrisburg, Pa.,

this summer.

place of meeting may 2015

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