Christian Theological School in Canada Extends Its Outreach to Muslims

Mark Toulouse was living in a home on the quiet Texas prairie with his wife one year ago. He was teaching American Religious History at Brite Divinity School, just as he had for nearly 23 years, and where he also had served in several administrative positions. But an unexpected phone call from the President of a Canadian university to Toulouse about a possible job in Canada has meant a lot of changes in his life.

Today Toulouse and his wife, Jeffica, live in a four-story townhouse in downtown Toronto, a cosmopolitan city of more than 4.8 million people.

Toulouse walks to his job as principal of Emmanuel College, a theological school located in a stately ivy-covered building on the bustling University of Toronto campus. As principal, he is the chief administrative officer at the College, responsible for both the academic and community life there, in addition to his more routine duties as a professor on the faculty. Emmanuel is considered a ‘constituent’ college of Victoria University, whose Board of Regents is the chief governing body for the school. Victoria is a federated university within the University of Toronto, and Emmanuel is also a member college of the Toronto School of Theology, an ecumenical federation of seven theological schools (three affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, one with the Presbyterians, two with the Anglicans, and one with the United Church of Canada). Together, they offer doctoral degrees in a variety of disciplines.

About 160 students are enrolled at Emmanuel College, and its mission remains much the same as when it was founded…to prepare women and men for ministry in the United Church of Canada. But as in other aspects of modern life, change is impacting the world of theological education, and Emmanuel College has not been immune.

Beginning next semester, the College will start offering a Muslim (Islamic) Studies certificate program. Conversations about the program were just getting underway while Toulouse was finishing his responsibilities in Texas, but since arriving he has picked up the ball and moved the initiative forward.

Toulouse, an ordained Disciples minister, met with me on a sunny weekday morning in his office last month while I was on sabbatical in October 2009. The affable professor and administrator chatted for about an hour on a number of topics, but it was clear a lot of his passion revolved around new ways to meet the educational needs of the growing Muslim community in the area.

“One of the major issues among Muslims in Toronto is finding ways to connect to education in relevant ways,” Toulouse told me. Muslims currently represent 2 percent of the total population of Canada, he said, and about 5 percent of the population in Toronto, making them the second largest religious group in the country.

In a paper he authored, Toulouse asked the question that many perhaps have put to him: “Why would Emmanuel College, founded by the United Church of Canada in 1928 in order to educate persons for the Christian ministry, have interest in providing education for Muslims?”

Toulouse points out a number of reasons in the paper, including one that stuck out for me: “Along with the United Church of Canada, members of the Emmanuel College community see Muslims as neighbors, as friends, and most of all as people whom God has called to faithfulness.”

The college’s certificate program will be a continuing education component that attempts to meet the needs of imams, Muslim community leaders and other potential leaders among Muslims, particularly in the area of chaplaincy and pastoral care. No academic degree will be required. The program will focus on such areas as Muslims in Canada, Islamic law, interfaith relations, and professional counseling.

But that’s not all. The college hopes to quickly move to a Muslim track within the Master of Pastoral Studies Program. This will be a two year full-time program involving 20 courses, with possible specialization in one of three areas: social service orientation, counseling or preaching. The track would likely involve courses in the Qur’an, the history and theological tradition of Islam, Islamic law, and interfaith dialogue.

Also moving quickly forward is a plan to have a five-year, full-time teaching contract for a professor who focuses on Muslim (Islamic) studies beginning in the fall of 2010. Fundraising for the position is already underway. Finally, the college’s goals include the eventual creation of a new Centre for Islamic Studies, housed at Emmanuel.

“If, as Christians, we don’t have serious and meaningful engagements with other religions of the world, then our relevance is lost,” summarized Toulouse. “Religious leaders need to lead the way in establishing open channels of communication and understanding if religion is going to play an important role in the world of tomorrow.”

Toulouse may be a long way from the Texas prairie, but he appears to be the right person at this time to lead Emmanuel College in Canada into new directions for its future. To read more about Emmanuel College, visit: http://www.vicu.utoronto.ca/emmanuel

Texas Choir Travels to Nova Scotia to Sing at 175th Church Anniversary

The soaring melodies performed by a Disciples choir from Texas probably reached high into the rafters at Milton Christian Church in Milton, Nova Scotia on Oct. 11 at its 175th church anniversary celebration.

It has been two weeks since I was among those in the congregation at Milton Christian Church, listening to the outstanding musical performance by the University Christian Church Chancel Choir from Ft. Worth, Texas. Even now, I can remember some of the lilting hymns, spirituals and traditional selections performed by the well-known group.

The 40-person choir traveled nearly 2600 miles – mostly at UCC’s expense – to little Milton, a former logging community along the Mersey River in Nova Scotia, Canada with a proud population of about 1000 people. On Saturday evening, the choir , under the direction of Ron Shirey, UCC’s choirmaster for 36 years, presented a concert program of almost two dozen selections, including such traditional music as, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” and “When the Saints Go Marching In.” The next day, Sunday, Oct. 11, the group sang several moving selections during Sunday morning worship and later at an evening anniversary service. And on Monday evening, a performance was held at the 120th church anniversary of Summerville Christian Church, a tiny Disciples congregation a bit further south in Summerville.

“One of the missions of our church is to speak through our music ministry,” commented Shirey, who is also professor of choral music at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth. ”We’ve performed in small churches and in large churches, but wherever we go, we present music that speaks to the great hymns of the church.”

But this gathering of the big city church – University (active church membership of over 900) and the two smaller churches: Milton (active church membership of 60-65), and Summerville (where membership is approaching 30 people), would not have taken place without the creative thinking of Rev. Jennifer Garbin, who pastors both the Milton and Summerville churches.

Those who know Garbin, 39, attest to the fact that the high-energy, quick-thinking Disciples pastor doesn’t often see a good idea she’s not willing to pursue.

One such idea happened while Garbin was at the 2007 General Assembly in Ft. Worth Texas. That’s when she happened to strike up a conversation with a member of UCC’s chancel choir, Cameron Owen, during one of the business sessions. While in Texas, she also had a chance to hear the UCC chancel choir sing at a Sunday service at their church and once again had a chance to talk to Owen.

“I remember asking Cameron if the choir was going to be available later in 2007,” says Garbin, and if they would be willing to come to Nova Scotia. But I was told that they’d be busy, singing at a holiday concert with the New York Pops Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.”

That detail didn’t faze Garbin, who kept negotiating with the choir directors and eventually worked out a plan for the UCC chancel choir to perform at Milton’s 175th anniversary. And the rest, as they say, is history.

“We are so thankful that this choir chose to share its unique gifts with us,” said Garbin. “We have a great affinity for churches in the U.S., in part because we have so few churches in Canada…..The generosity of this group is so amazing. I can hardly express how blessed we feel.”

And probably the blessings of that entire weekend, where two Disciples congregations in Canada welcomed guests and visitors to its celebration of many decades of serving God’s people, had an impact on those who all who attended.

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(Photos: top right: Members of the University Christian Church Chancel Choir of Fort Worth, Texas perform. Left of page: Jennifer Garbin, pastor of Milton and Summerville Churches in Nova Scotia introduces the choir; lower right: Ron Shirey, Choirmaster of the UCC Chancel choir introduces a song to the audience; lower left: an exterior shot of Milton Christian Church).

Young Adults in Winnipeg Represent a Hopeful Future

Mayon Marcelino and Andrew Aviso are two young Disciples whose names we may hear a lot of in years to come.

Marcelino, 26, and Aviso, 25, are active members of Broadway Disciples United Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba in Canada. There they serve as Sunday School teachers, are active on several church boards and Marcelino sings each Sunday in the church choir.

And for young people their age, they’ve already started playing a pretty significant role in general church activities. They’ve attended the last two General Assemblies and at the ’09 Assembly in Indianapolis spent hours staffing the Young Adult booth inside the exhibit hall.

Marcelino is a member of the Young Adult Commission and as Filipino-Canadians both young men are involved in the work of NAPAD (North American/Pacific Asian Disciples). They are so excited about going to the 2010 meeting of NAPAD in Seattle that they are already charting out their travel itinerary.

I already knew Marcelino and Aviso before coming to Winnipeg, having met them at a NAPAD meeting in upstate New York last year. I was intriqued at the time to see two young guys so enthusiastic about church work , not to mention I thought that they were from this place in Canada called Winnipeg.

But God has a way of making things happen that you don’t believe will ever take place, so earlier this week, not only was I in Canada, but I was worshipping at their church in downtown Winnipeg, Broadway Disciples United Church.

After church, (which for Marcelino and Aviso also included teaching an early-afternoon Sunday School service, and for Marcelino attending a church leadership meeting), the two young men took me out on a six-hour tour of their city.

We headed off in Aviso’s car to check out some of the major tourist sites, including the Forks, a huge downtown gathering place where the Assiniboine River flows into the Red. (Hence, the Forks). About 4 million people come to the Forks each year for all types of outdoor events (e.g. salsa dancing in warm months, ice skating in the winter) and indoor celebrations (shopping, going to museums), and recreation. We also visited the St. Boniface area, the largest community of French-Canadians outside Montreal, that includes St. Boniface Cathedral, one of the most stunning church structures I’d ever seen. And finally, a stop at the Fort Garry Hotel, a magnificent structure built almost 100 years ago that still operates as a hotel and is now a national landmark. Along the way we stopped to sample the local fare, including really good food at at a tiny neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant.

I was really impressed that two twenty-something young men would spend their Sunday afternoon showing their community off to a person from the Indianapolis general office. But then that’s the type of people that Marcelino and Aviso are, young men with a passion for hospitality and giving that reflects the best that we see in those who represent our future.

(Photo: Andrew Aviso (on left) and Mayon Marcelino)

Pastor Opens First New Disciples Church in Atlantic Canada in 40 Years

Spend a few minutes with Scott MacIsaac, and it won’t take long for you to understand you’ve met a person who’s passionate about preaching the gospel. The 61-year old former actor, writer, teacher, counselor and professional clown, feels he’s seen enough and experienced enough to be able to take a message of healing to a hurting, broken world ….and if you give him a few minutes he’ll share that message with you.

“I’ve seen the trend of where churches are going and it’s not all positive, but you can’t just depend on people to change things,” says MacIsaac, an intense, bespectacled man. “Yes we are broken, but the world is far more whole than broken, far more at peace than at war. Christ’s gospel wasn’t one of brokenness, it was one of healing.”

MacIsaac intends to spread that message across Prince Edward Island, where he lives in the picturesque, beachfront community of Charlottetown. He preaches on Sundays from the pulpit of a beautiful little white wooden church originally built by Disciples in 1812 in nearby Stratford. Known as All People’s Church, his is the first new faith community that has opened in fellowship with Disciples in Atlantic Canada in the last 40 years. (There have been other attempts at starting new churches in both the Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia areas but All People’s is the first to hold regular Sunday morning services). The next closest Disciples church is three hours away in Halifax.

MacIsaac was waiting for me at the airport in Charlottetown, on a rainy afternoon as I picked up my luggage after flying in from Toronto. On the ride to his home, where his family welcomed me as a guest for two days, MacIsaac shared that he also works as a prison chaplain where he sees people in pain every day.

“I work at a place of such brokenness,” MacIsaac says of his job as a chaplain. “Many of the people I see are in jail because of drug and alcohol problems. I honor their addictions because I know personally how tough it is to change. But I tell them that through all the tough times it’s best to have someone walking with you and that person should be Jesus Christ.”

MacIsaac understands addictions well. He is a recovering addict himself, having spent 20 years battling alcoholism. However, today he holds a Master’s degree in theater arts from a school in Paris, France and a Master’s of Divinity Degree from the Atlantic School of Theology in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He has been married for 15 years to his wife Kelly, a French and English school teacher. Together they have a 12 year old son, Alex and a 10 year old daughter, Maggie. MacIsaac previously was pastor of another Disciples church - Wyndholme Christian in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia and for a brief time, was pastor of a United Church of Canada congregation.

Although he was raised Roman Catholic and has had a variety of religious experiences, MacIsaac says he experienced a certain joy once he became a Disciple. He describes Disciples as a denomination that allows independent thought, but with the responsibility that independent thought be centered on scripture and on God’s love.

MacIsaac says on his church website that he will draw on his life experiences as a “teacher, actor, writer, preacher, counselor, marketer, dreamer, and father" in shaping All People's. After meeting MacIsaac, you're confident that his creative mix of life experiences will be a valuable asset in his new church ministry. To learn more about All People’s Church and about MacIsaac, visit: http://www.allpeopleschurchpei.com/

Canadians worry about loved ones affected by floods in the Philippines

As Typhoon Ramil gathers strength off the coast of the Philippines, many Filipinos in Canada worry about family members that remain in places like Luzon, including Metro Manila, and in many low-lying areas. News reports say that as many as 700 people were killed by Tropical cyclones Ondoy and Pepeng which hit the island recently, from either flooding or landslides. Over a million other people have been displaced.

On Oct. 4, Vicky Resella, a member of Hillcrest Christian Church in Toronto, had heard only bits and pieces of news about the torrential rains and flooding that pummeled the nation. Communicating with loved ones has been difficult, Resella said, because phone lines were washed away in the floods. She is aware that her mother’s home was ruined by the waters and all of her possessions destroyed. Her mother and a brother have since moved in with one of Resella’s sisters who lives on higher ground about 90 minutes away.

“I thank God that my family is safe at this time,” said Resella. “Before my dad died last year, he was bedridden and I don’t know how he would have been able to make it out of the house.”

Many poor people drowned in the floods, Resella and others at the church said. Poorer families are most affected by the devastating storms because they tend to live in low-lying areas where deforestation and urbanization makes the area more prone to floods.

Photo: Filipinos members of Hillcrest Christian Church gather for Bible study. Many are concerned about those in their family who have been affected by floods in the Philippines.

Nova Scotia and the long train ride to Montreal

I arrived in Montreal yesterday after a 20-hour train ride from Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Halifax is an absolutely beautiful and surpringly cosmpolitan city of about 370,000 people. It was founded by the British in 1749 along the world's second largest natural harbor (The Chamber of Commerce literature doesn't say what the world largest natural habor is but it must be really big!!!) Halifax is Atlantic Canada's largest city and busiest port, with merchant and cruise ships all around. (An aside: There is such a thing as Atlantic time, I've learned, which is an hour ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Nova Scotia and Bermuda are some of the places on Atlantic Time). Anyway, this city is full of historic building, harbors, basins and a lot of Maritime history. Nova Scotia has its own memorial to 20th century immigration, Pier 21 - similar to America's Ellis Island, where immigrants were processed prior to entry to the country.

There are presently two Disciples churches remaining in the Halifax area, Wyndholme Christian Church, in nearby Darmouth and Coastline Song Disciples Church in Portuguese Cove, which is still in formation. About 90 minutes away is Milton Christian Church in Milton and Summerville Christian Church in Summerville Centre, Queens County. Neil Bergman, who is the new church pastor at Coastline Song, along with his wife Shirley, were my gracious hosts in Halifax who gave me a city tour and drove me down to Milton.

My train ride into Montreal was actually quite pleasant but l-o-n-g. It's been decades since I've been a passenger on a train. The crew and the passengers were all pretty congenial. Quite a few of them were on cross-country leisure trips so their pace was pretty relaxed . We could eat meals in a dining room and although the selection was very limited, movies were available in a recreation car. But sleeping on a train isn't the easiest thing to do, so getting a room with a real bed and mattress seemed like a special treat once I arrived in Montreal.

Toronto is a fascinating town

Toronto is one of the most cosmopolitan cities I’ve ever visited. Two million people converge on the city each day, speaking a cacophony of languages that range from Polish to Farsi, to English, French, Chinese and Korean.

I am visiting the city for the first time… staying only a few steps from the center of the University of Toronto campus, a bustling international community of 53,000 students. Surrounding me is my pick of book stores, boutiques, and restaurants, a choice as diverse as the people who live here. I am two blocks from the Royal Ontario Museum (where there is an exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls) and the Royal Observatory. A couple of blocks from there, and I am in the upscale Yorkville area, where multi-million dollar condominiums abound, and a gourmet grocery story provides valet parking.

Disciples have had a presence in this diverse community for many decades. In the 1920s and 1930s, there was a national office for Canada, located in Toronto, when, as former Regional Minister for Canada, Robert Steffer states it, “there were funds to operate one.” Today, Hillcrest Christian Church is just a short drive from the University of Toronto campus. Two other small Disciples congregations have attempted to start in Toronto recently, a Spanish-speaking church, and a Burundi-Rwandan congregation that nested at Hillcrest for a while.
Emmanuel College, a United Church of Canada seminary, is on the UT campus and is headed by Mark Toulouse, a Disciples pastor. Until last year Toulouse was Professor of American Religious History at Brite University in Fort Worth, Texas. Disciples have been known to train at Emmanuel, including 2006 graduate Jen Garbin, pastor of two Disciples churches – Milton and Summerville in Nova Scotia.

I had a chance to talk to Mark Toulouse while I’m in Toronto about his work as principal of Emmanuel College and about some of the innovative strategies he’s undertaking at the college. I’ll write about that in an upcoming blog.