Month: September 2017

Nuit Blanche / Wall-to-Wall 2017

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We are hosting a party in our parking lot again this year!  

Saturday, Sept 30, 6pm – 9:30pm.  

BBQ, musicians, arts and crafts, and artists working on a live collaborative graffiti piece – all at 782 Main St Parking Lot.

It’s the culmination of the Wall-to-Wall festival that has seen five new contemporary street art pieces emerge in the neighbourhood.  It’s also part of the North End Arts week and Nuit Blanche Winnipeg festivities.  And, as if that weren’t enough, our parking lot is the rendezvous point for the Rainbow Trout Music Festival Bike Jam.

Wall-to-Wall 2017 is a collaboration by Synonym Art Consultation, North End Community Renewal Corporation and Graffiti Art Programming (the same people who organized the murals on our building). The purpose of the Wall-to-Wall project is, in their own words, “to transform an under-utilized warehouse district and to provide platforms for under-represented voices to be heard.” We’re expecting 1,800 people this year.

Also, the Flatlanders Studio will be open all evening as an official venue of Nuit Blanche. It will be showcasing a show called “Selcouth: a look into the upbringing of Winnipeg’s metal musicians.”  The Bear Clan will be onsite for security in the Parking Lot.

Schedule:

    • 6pm – Free Hotdog BBQ

    • 6:30pm – Faouzia

  • 7:30pm – Super Duty Tough Work X Studio 393

  • 8:30pm – DJ Srub

  • 9:30pm – Rainbow Trout Music Festival Bike Jam Departs

 

Saturday, Sept 30, 6pm – 9:30pm.

 

 

 

2 Gatherings – 1 Church

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The Upstairs Gathering rebooted this past week.  Until Advent it will be in a season of experimenting with a more liturgical flavour.  In the past few years there has been quite a bit of community jam for exploring the gifts of the contemplative life – good things have been happening. The Men’s retreat and the Schools of Spiritual Direction are prime examples of people connecting with God in deeper and more intentional ways. This focus for the Upstairs Gathering is another way we can continue to explore this as a community. While liturgy and contemplation are not the same, they can mutually reinforce each other. What we pray, the words we sing, the importance we place on certain elements of our gatherings – these all form us
whether we realize it or not.

In this experiment, we want to intentionally and carefully infuse our gathering with elements that are rooted in scripture, part of the historical understanding of what it means to follow Jesus, and central to Christian worship. It’s not that downstairs is devoid of any of these elements – it’s not!  We just want to use the Upstairs Gathering as a venue to intentionally explore these things with a little more attention to detail than we may be used to.  For example, each week we will have a specific prayer to lead us through a process of affirming what we believe and a specific prayer of confession in order to ready ourselves to receive communion. This central act of Christian worship has a sacramental power that is very rich if given time and space to do what it should in us. Ultimately, we want to place ourselves in the best possible position to both worship God and be formed, transformed and renewed by him.

The prayers that are used upstairs have been compiled from a wide variety of sources (scripture, Book of Common Prayer, early Christian creeds, ancient prayers, etc). and have been modified to suit modern sensibilities… in other words, they’ve been “Vineyardized”. We will tweak them as we go along.  There will still be a condensed sermon on the same topic as the Downstairs Gathering, and we’ll always make room for discussion, interaction and group dialogue.  Also, there is always coffee served right after the kid’s are released!

In the end, we’re one church with two gatherings.  Feel free to try it out – and then let us know what you think. Bear in mind we don’t really want to know whether you like it or not – as if church were some kind of product to be consumed. Rather, let us know if it helps you to encounter Jesus – enhances your worship – opens up space for God to do something in you. In the end it’s all about worshiping God regardless of form and irrespective of our preferences!

 

Imaginative Prayer Launch in Kids Church

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Parents, we are so excited as we launch into Imaginative Prayer with the Grade 1-7 this fall and winter!

Jared Patrick Boyd is the author.  Jared was my spiritual direction teacher in my first year at the School of Spiritual Direction.  He is a pastor and a father to four children.  His heart is amazing and you can read all about his vision in his introduction to Imaginative Prayer or hear Jared here.

In Kids Church we will be going through a lesson per week.  You can follow along as parents and follow-up with your child.  As Jared states on page 25-26 “This book is not a guide for busy parents.  It’s an invitation for busy parents to slow down, take some deep breaths, and recognize that you are the most important person in your child’s life and spiritual formation.  There is no environment your church can create to compete with the kind of connection that you are able to nurture with your child.”  You’ll find if you give yourselves to this process (even if you can’t do all the exercises), you will experience growth.

Here’s what our fall calendar will look like.  Feel free to follow along!

  • Sept 10 – Week 1
  • Sept 17 – Week 2
  • Sept 24- Week 3
  • Oct 1 – Week 4
  • Oct 8 – Thanksgiving – No Kids Church
  • Oct 15 – Week 5
  • Oct 22 – Week 6
  • Break for Gifts4God until the New Year . . .

There are also some new changes to our structure.  Grades 1-4 will continue to meet upstairs in Kids Church with our AMAZING team. Grades 5-7 will have a new youth team meeting with them in the youth room.  Grades 8-12 will meet in the Comfy Couch Room.

“This book is about connection because of the way Jesus asks us to imagine our life with him – he is the vine, his Father is the gardener, and we are connected to him.  This is how we bear fruit.  This is the image he give us.  This is what he asks us to imagine.”  (13, Imaginative Prayer)

WCV is providing one copy per family.  (More copies of this book are on order and will be here the week of Oct 13)

Filled with hope at what’s ahead . . .

~ Jodi Labun

Flatlanders Studio Show: Selcouth

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Flatlanders Studio is hosting a new art show Selcouth: A Look Into the Upbringing of Winnipeg’s Metal Musicians by Amy Lee Zinn.

Selcouth traces 20 individuals who are active members of the metal community at large in Winnipeg, representing many different sub-genres, roles, personalities and backgrounds, while still remaining just a small snapshot of the much larger metal family in our city. More than just contradicting stereotypes, Selcouth looks to explore the individual people who make up and help create the metal scene to which they belong, and discover who they are as a person, their journey into the scene, and what surprisingly common threads tie each person together in a “scary” subculture that relies on community, cooperation and support to keep itself together.

All profits will be donated to The Manitoba Conservatory of Music & Arts.

For more, see the Flatlanders Studio page.

Opening Reception:
Saturday 09 September | 7PM – 10PM

Nuit Blanche Venue:
Saturday 30 September | 7:00PM – 10PM

Exhibition:
09 September 2017 – 22 October 2017

Gallery Hours:
Wednesday’s | 7pm – 4pm & Saturday’s | 1PM – 4PM

VENUE
782 Main St, 3rd Floor
Free parking on site behind building

ADMISSION
Adult – $5
Children – FREE (Under the age of 16)

Together This Fall

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We’re excited to be all together again this Fall.  We have a sense that as we attend to each other, our neighbours and Jesus, that God will be present to us in many special ways.  We’ve been called to worship, develop a safe community, and work to see his Kingdom of justice established.  Below are a few dates and opportunities you’ll want to make note of as we go about these amazing tasks.

  • Sept 8-10: Men’s Lake Getaway
  • Sept 10: Kid’s Church starts
  • Sept 21: Women’s Event
  • Sept 24: Upstairs Gathering reboots
  • Sept 24: Welcome Party
  • Oct 8: Celebration Service
  • Oct 15: Community Life Sunday
  • Oct 28: Outer Circle gathering

Here are a few other opportunities that will be rebooting this Fall.

  • House Groups – rebooting
  • Jr and Sr High Youth groups
  • Breathe
  • Drop-ins
  • Schools of Spiritual Direction
  • School of Mercy and Justice
  • Core Class – exploring WCV essentials
  • Triads – get together before our last Outer Circle gathering of the year