High Mountain villages of Gadlang, Nessing, Tipling & Sertung:
We’ve finally heard word from this region and, like most other remote areas in Nepal, the situation is bad. All the houses and most other buildings are down. They are built with dry stone construction and do not withstand earthquakes. Shelter is limited and people are cold and hungry. They have begun to kill their animals for food. Aid has not yet arrived. The road into Gadlang (the rest of the villages are only accessible by foot) is blocked from landslides. From Kathmandu, you can only get 20% of the way. We are still working on getting supplies airlifted in, but this is proving difficult. Given this grim picture, we are grateful that no fatalities have been reported at this point! There was a rumour in Nessing that Mingmar, one of their girls who lives in the Kathmandu Vineyard, was killed. The village was mourning her, while at the same time, those in the outside were dealing with the possibility of huge losses in those villages. When word came through that she was alive and that there were no fatalities in the village, both sides were relieved and humoured at the power of rumours!
Kathmandu:
Line-ups for water in Kathmandu
The situation in Kathmandu is getting worse. 1,000s of people are attempting to leave the city because of unstable structures and the stench from unrecovered bodies in the rubble. Rain is falling which does not help the situation. Rations are in effect for basic commodities and prices are increasing. The team is using all their connections to acquire relief supplies. There are basic food hampers being given out from the Kathmandu Vineyard, which continues to provide shelter to a number of people. Due to limited supplies, they are being careful to not become a major distribution hub while at the same time attempting to be generous.
Kothgaon & Chhampi:
Since they are closer to Kathmandu, the teams have been working up in these villages daily. With international and local expertise, a helpful demolition and temporary shelter strategy has been developed. Because supplies are limited, using reclaimed materials has become key. As demolition commences, they are retrieving personal belongings, food and building supplies such as bamboo and tin. A prototype for temporary shelter was finished today using reclaimed bricks for the floor, bamboo and tin for the walls and roof. Tarps and plastic are also used when available. This will become a model for the other villages.
Shelter made of reclaimed materials
Demolition
The team takes a break
Nareshawr (Gorhka):
Damage is less extensive than initial reports indicated. Still, aid is critical and we will be delivering supplies on a regular basis as available.
Strategic Plan:
A plan has been developed with local and international expertise and will be implemented by the HRV’s Earthquake Disaster Management team and Winnipeg Centre Vineyard. We are working and consulting with other agencies to collaborate and assist where needed. Reporting and documentation will be handled on the ground in conjunction with WCV. The Earthquake Disaster Management team has a template through which they will filter all needs. We will stick to our 6 point plan which is:
Critical first response to immediately accessible regions
Demo – excavation with excavator (not yet acquired)
Demo – 6-Person, 5-day Local Teams
High mountain Teams: Gadlang, Nessing, Tippling, Sertung
House Rebuilding
Sustainable Infrastructure Rebuilding
More details of these steps and philosophy will be available soon. Check back.
Quick Points:
A truck similar to this will be purchased for supply runs
Over 100 houses amongst our community members are down. We are providing aid and support to these and their neighbours. We are empowering our people be good neighbours in this time of great need.
Airlift is critical for the high mountain villages.
A 4×4 truck will be purchased in the next few days. This will be critical in our efforts in the coming months.
Thank you!
Thanks to all who have contributed financially and have provided prayer support for us and those directly affected. We are so grateful and overwhelmed by your response. The need is still great. Please help us spread the word.God is with us! We are relying on his wisdom, his connections, his provision, his presence, and his love to sustain us and propel us forward in this disaster. Please continue to pray.
A Jeep bearing rice, salt, tarps and blankets arrived in Gorkha Monday night. It was a treacherous trip because of the rain and road conditions. They got into an accident but all are ok (the jeep isn’t). Raju, the pastor of the Kathmandu Vineyard, grew up in Gorkha. He will deliver these supplies and will hopefully give us news tomorrow. Nathan says, “I do apologize to the world that the first blankets brought to the region include Hello Kitty blankets.”
Kathmandu:
Nathan says: “People are starting to wake up to the realities of limited food supply. We’ve been in shock for three days. But now, the realities of a very broken infrastructure are sinking in. Hoarding, banditry, and panic for supplies are creeping closer. A well-loaded truck full of rice going to the epicenter is an easy target. Oh God, save this mission of mercy.
Kathmandu Vineyard courtyard
In Kathmandu the rain has started. It’s feels like the monsoon, but it’s not due for a week. The thunder is so loud that it’s hard to tell by the noise if it’s an aftershock or just the monsoon come early. And people are only under plastic. The whole city is under plastic. The villages sit under plastic. The houses are still unstable with all the cracks gaping holes, and aftershocks… we cannot go inside.”
Where We’re Working:
We are operational in the following locations with Vineyard communities – we’re working with our people and our neighbours:
Kathmandu – Within hours of the earthquake we were feeding and providing shelter to several hundred people. These activities are ongoing.
Damage in Chhampi
Chhampi & Kotgaon – Two towns on the outskirts of Kathmandu. High degree of damage but fairly accessible from Kathmandu. Food and temporary shelter supplies began to be distributed on Sunday. Locally hired demolition teams are commencing work.
Gorhka – Effectively the epicentre of the earthquake. A jeep just made it in Monday night. It was a dangerous drive because of the rain and landslides. They got into an accident on the way, but all are ok (the jeep isn’t). Rice and relief supplies will be delivered Wednesday. Survey and report will be given at that time.
Gadlang, Nessing, Tippling, Goljung, Grai – High mountain villages near the border of Tibet. We are awaiting reports and access. Currently the pastor from Gadlang is attempting to bring word to Kathmandu. Only Gadlang has a road in normal circumstances. The rest are only accessible by foot. This lack of news is very troubling.
God’s Hand:
People are saying, “because you went to church, you are saved”. This is literally true. It also happens that our Canadian team includes owners of a steel company and another company which specializes in demolition. Both Paul and Darrel are providing critical advice on assessing damage and creating safe models for demolition. An architect from Germany will be joining tomorrow. It is a great collaboration between Western expertise and Nepali know-how.
The Widow’s Mite:
Today at WCV’s Drop-In for our street involved and homeless community, there was an amazing time of sharing and prayer. There is a deep sense of kinship among those who are homeless. Our Winnipeg street community empathized deeply with our newly homeless Nepali community. Kenny, one of our long-time drop-in community members, shared about the time he got to go to Nepal (true story!). An offering was taken and our generous drop-in crowd dug deep into their pockets! God, Multiply!…
Donations:
Thank you to all who have given money to this effort. We will keep the updates coming. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us. However, we will not be publishing amounts due to sensitivity on the ground in Nepal.
This information is compiled from a few phone conversations with Noel and Nathan, Monday evening, 9pm Kathmandu time.
We are glad that still no fatalities have been reported from among the Vineyard communities in the Himalayan region.
A team of Nepali and Canadian people spent Monday in Champi and Kotgaon. These are two villages in the mountains on the outskirts of Kathmandu. Both have Vineyard churches. They spent the day visiting all the Vineyard families, offering comfort and distributing 1,250 kg of rice along with other necessities like salt, noodles, blankets, tarps and love. Champi has about 100 houses in the whole village. 95 of them are destroyed – 19 are members of the Champi Vineyard. Many houses are unsafe to enter due to structural damage. Many of these are in danger of collapsing with further tremors. 6 people from the village have died.
Kotgaon is in a similar situation. Most people are working at building temporary structures out of bamboo, tin and tarps. These shelters are critical since it gets cool at night, as well as the threat of coming monsoon rains.
Champi house before.
Champi House after.
Where they stay now.
Phase one in the disaster response is the delivery of emergency supplies – food and shelter.
Phase two is cleaning up the rubble. Many houses are unsafe to go near. The team there is working on hiring teams of local people who will tear down remaining houses and clean up the rubble. It would take a team of 6 people, 5 days to tear down one property. This will help avoid unnecessary fatalities. This work will begin as soon as these teams can be formed. Again, the monsoon rains are critical since the newly exposed mortar on most of these structures will turn to mud when wet.
Encouraging and Planning
The Himalayan Region Vineyard leadership has created an Earthquake Disaster Management Team. This team will help assess needs and coordinate response.
Regarding the 5 villages we have not heard from – Prem, the pastor from Gadding, is on his way to Kathmandu to give word on how they are doing. Initial reports from Gadlang indicate that all the houses are down, but the church building is still standing providing shelter for many. 6 people from Gadlang have died.
The Indian MBS students left on a bus and are on their way home to Sikkim.
Here are ways you can Pray:
Hope. “Determination, grit and sweat” are seen on people’s faces. Yet their spirits are shaken. Many are “daring to hope” but are also “struggling with hopelessness and depression”. It’s a devastating situation that affects everyone.
Protection. Aftershocks, landslides, the coming monsoon season, and unstable remains of houses provide a significant threat. Also, as desperation sets in, there are reports of theft and corruption.
Wisdom. The Earthquake Disaster Management team need wisdom to navigate a very tense situation. How to help, who to help, and the degree of help are all items that divine wisdom.
Those Who are Poor. The marginalized are always the worst hit. Our HRV communities are full of people who are poor. We are so grateful that none in the HRV family have lost their lives, but they still need protection, advocacy, provision and justice.
Miracles. Times of crisis can also be times of breakthrough. Noel says, “We want people to encounter Jesus like never before.”
The common refrain is “we share your sadness – we’re in this together – God is with us”.
If you’re interested in sending a team, please wait.
I just got off the phone with Nathan – 9am Sunday morning Kathmandu Time. Two aftershocks occurred during our conversation. Each time, the crows go crazy, the dogs begin to howl, and people on the streets begin to call out to each other – warning and reassuring each other.
Despite this, the city is largely functioning, although most people are staying on the streets away from unstable walls. Rough estimates are that every block has a building down. In the more vulnerable poorer areas damage is harder hitting and more widespread.
There are two primary concerns right now. We still have not heard from 5 remote villages where there are Vineyard churches or developing communities. Communication is normally difficult, so it is not surprising that we haven’t heard anything – yet it is still concerning. The houses in these regions are made of stone without mortar and are very susceptible to damage. Please pray for the villages of Nessing, Gadlang and Tipling (we can’t recall the other two village’s names). Not much news from Gorhka either, which was near the epicenter. One text from there read, “no house standing”.
One of the believer’s homes in Champi
The team will be renting a 4×4 and attempting to get to Gorkha on Monday. On Sunday they will attempt to reach Champi and Kotgaong (two villages close to Kathmandu). Uddav and Puja, the pastors of Champi, have lost their house. Maddon, pastor at Kotgaong lost his house. Paul, the pastor at Gorkha as well as Raju’s parents (they are elders at Gorhka and Raju is a pastor at Kathmandu) lost their houses. Apparently the church building, which was just built, is still standing in Gorhka. Thankfully there are no fatalities among our Vineyard churches. However, others have not escaped tragedy – one church building in Kathmandu collapsed crushing 100 people. We mourn with them and all the others who have experienced loss in this disaster.
Another concern is the coming monsoon season, which is scheduled to begin next week. Bad timing. These heavy seasonal rains will make things very difficult and will complicate relief efforts, transportation, etc. Landslides will become a great concern when the ground becomes saturated. Temporary structures will need to be erected quickly. Tarps can be used to provide shelter and fill in collapsed walls to keep out wind and rain.
Waking up in the Kathmandu Vineyard courtyard
It was providential that the Kathmandu Vineyard had stocked up on food and supplies for the upcoming Mobile Bible School. We’ve been using these resources to feed the church people and other neighbours who have taken refuge in the courtyard away from the brick walls.
N8 said it is beautiful the way people are coming together to encourage each other. Nepali elegance was on display this morning when, after having attempted to sleep through a night with a number of aftershocks and tremors, people greeted each other with smiles and “Jaimasi!” (a Christian greeting).
Morning smiles and “Jaimasi”
Our Nepali brothers and sisters are grateful they are not alone. The primary message has become, “You are not alone!” “God is with you – and we, your Vineyard family, are with you!” This is a message that the people of the Himalayan Region need to hear from the rest of the Vineyard family.
The info in this report is from a conversation I had with Noel Isaacs and Nathan Rieger, who are currently both on the ground in Kathmandu. This info is from 8:15pm on Saturday (Nepal time) – about 9 hours after the earthquake.
There is extensive damage across the region.
The earthquake struck Saturday morning (April 25) during the Kathmandu Vineyard’s weekly church gathering (they meet on Saturday not Sunday). Nathan was just getting up to speak. It was a strong earthquake measuring 7.9. As of 8:15pm on Saturday, there have been 22 aftershocks. The earthquake’s epicenter was between Kathmandu and Pokhara – right near Gorhka. It happened during the day which means that many people were out of their homes, in fields, etc.
As of right now, there are no fatalities but lots of injuries within Vineyard communities. However, the national death toll is rising and the injured are flooding the hospitals. Further damage from aftershocks and the threat of landslides is real.
The courtyard of the Kathmandu Vineyard.
Of the Himalayan Region Vineyard churches affected, Gorkha is the worst. Reports indicate the village is leveled. Aid will need to be airlifted into this village. Kathmandu and the nearby villages of Champi and Gotgaon are also majorly impacted. We have not heard from Nessing or Gadlang and other cities and villages because the power and phone connections are knocked out and roads are impassable.
There are about 40 Vineyard families who have lost their houses including a number of pastors and leaders. This number is sure to rise. These are our friends. A team from Kathmandu will be travelling to Champi and Gotgaon on Sunday to assess the damage.
The courtyard and residences at the Kathmandu Vineyard are packed with people who cannot return to their homes. Staying warm, providing food and comfort are first priorities.
There are still smiles between the aftershocks!
Initial estimates are $100,000 USD to help these Vineyard families. Rebuilding will cost more.
Pray:
Please pray for all our whole Vineyard family in the Himalayan Region. Also, pray for all the neighbours and the whole nation, which will be mourning the loss of loved ones, recovering and rebuilding. We are so grateful that the main brick wall in the Kathmandu sanctuary was reinforced last year and the top floor of the residence was removed. The wall would have collapsed and would have resulted in fatalities.
The real Jesus – the one we read about in the bible and not the one whose name is commonly invoked to justify all manner of violence, exclusion and judgement – the real Jesus is winsome. There is something about him that surprises, challenges, comforts and wins people. Even non-religious people love him and more often than not, are surprised by him and what he stood for.
Jesus showed us the way to the Father. John records “the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us” (John 1:14). Later in John’s gospel, Jesus himself says that if we’ve seen him, we’ve seen the Father (14:9). This was his primary mission on earth. As his followers, we are to walk in his footsteps. We are to emulate him. His mission is to become ours. Yet, in general, the church has a bad reputation. If relevant at all, followers of Jesus are typically known for who or what we are against, which may or may not have anything to do with what Jesus stood for.
There is a tremendous disconnect at work. How do we repair the breach between Jesus and our neighbours? How do we introduce our friends to the real Jesus – not the one who hates “the gays”, or bombs “the Muslims”. How do we shed the negative stereotypes of the church? How do we become winsome without being weird? How do we remain faithful to scripture and be relevant to our culture? What does the way Jesus lived his life say to our contemporary situations?
In this series, “The Word Made Fresh”, we will explore these questions and, together, we’ll discover how to connect the dots between the real world’s biggest needs and the real Jesus. We will unpack some of the best known and most misunderstood stories about Jesus and some of the ones he told. By the end of this series, we will fall in love with a Jesus that perhaps we’ve never known before and, in the process, we’ll discover a loving Father through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. As we learn the ins and outs of Jesus’ life, we will get to know him better and we’ll be able to talk about him naturally in the places we go.
We are praying that as we do this, Jesus will come alive to us and our neighbours in new and exciting ways. Jesus – the Word – will become fresh!
Check the website or your email for “The Word for the Week” – our weekly scripture challenge. At the beginning of each week we will send out the Jesus story we will be studying the following Sunday. We will encourage us all to read and meditate on these scriptures. We want to read the stories, live them and be able to share them with those around us!
Read it – Live it – Share it!
You can also listen to the introductory sermons in this series here (March 8th & 22nd).
In Genesis, God gave humans a few jobs. One of them was to tend and watch over the creation God had placed them in (Gen 2:15). This task has never been taken away – which means, we too, are to tend the earth. There are many ways to do this, but on Sunday April 19 we are going to have a garbage clean-up day to tend to our little patch of earth here at the corner of Sutherland and Main.
It will start at about 1pm. You can either bring a lunch and eat it together (the fun option), or you can get some lunch elsewhere and come back (the less fun but no shame option). Depending on how many people come, we may just cross the street and clean up the blocks surrounding us too! Let’s be a blessing to our neighbourhood and tend the earth at the same time.
Bring gloves and don’t wear sandals! Garbage bags will be provided. If you have one of those garbage picker-uppers, bring it too.
What are you doing the first weekend in July? Why not pitch a tent (or camper… or sleep under the stars) at our annual Vineyard camp-out? Mark your calendars now for this great opportunity to make some new friends, share quality time together, play games, relax, sing songs, tell jokes (and maybe a few camp-fire stories), roast some s’mores and enjoy creation together.
On Sunday, we’ll have a service in “nature’s cathedral” (there will still be a regular summer service in the city as well).
July 3 – 5 (Friday – Sunday)
Bird’s Hill Park (in the group camping area).
For now, mark your calendars. We will have some registration details closer to the event.
On April 5, we celebrated alongside 5 people who got baptized. It sure felt like heaven was celebrating with us. What a rich time of hearing their stories, prayer, public declarations of faith, worship and plunging!
Congratulations to Jayden Williams, Alvin Deegan, Lou-Ann Pinay, Brad Morand and Cora Stevenson on this step in your faith journeys. We’re excited for what the future holds.
Alvin & Lou-Ann being prayed for
Brad & Cora being prayed for
Jayden getting baptized
Jodi & Jayden
Jayden being prayed for
Brad & Cora being prayed for
Alvin & Lou-ann sharing
Brad & Cora sharing
Here is what we, and they said (it’s the Apostle’s Creed):
Elder: Do you renounce evil and commit your life to Jesus Christ?
Person: I do.
Elder: Do you believe in God the Father?
Person: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth.
Elder: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God?
Person: I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended to the dead. On the third day he rose again. He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Elder: Do you believe in God the Holy Spirit?
Person: I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.
Elder: Will you continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayer?
Person: I will, with God’s help.
Elder: Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
Person: I will, with God’s help.
Elder: Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
One of our core practices at WCV is community, and part and parcel of expressing and demonstrating God’s love to one another (as well as inviting his kingdom to come, now) is healing prayer. To see God heal, you have to be attentive to people who need healing, and you have to be willing to respond by taking the risk to pray for them. This action of actually praying for healing, more than a sense of inward mental certainty or emotional enthusiasm about what will happen, is what constitutes faith. As John Wimber used to say, faith is spelt “R-I-S-K.”
Though of course there are many ways through which God heals, he often seems to do it through the laying on of hands (Mark 16:17-18; Luke 4:40, Acts 28:8, James 5:14). For some reason, people often sense the power and presence of the Holy Spirit when prayer is accompanied with the laying on of hands. Though we may not understand the why or how of it, we recognize, welcome, and cherish the supernatural aspect of this practice. In a natural sense, the laying on of hands also communicates care and concern for those for whom we pray. Placing your hands on a person you’re praying for says “I am in this with you and am making time to cry out to God about it for you.” Understandably, it is both comforting and encouraging for those receiving prayer to tangibly feel this sentiment and to be loved in this way; this often helps them discern God’s love for them. All in all, we long for people to both know and experience God through prayer whether it’s by supernatural or natural means, or by a mysterious mingling of the two.
Recently, Brian experienced God at our drop-in. After one particular occasion where we prayed for people who needed healing, Brian came to me to express his gratitude. Something about being in an environment where those who were sick were cared for in this manner moved him. As we were talking, I noticed that he had a cane and asked him what had happened. Afterwards, I asked him if I could pray for him. He heartily agreed, I placed my hand on his knee, and so began a truly wonderful story of God touching and healing him. My wife and I now have his cane hanging off a shelf in our apartment. He wanted us to have it as token of his gratitude to God for restoring him physically and giving him back his life (he’s working again). And, of course, because he has no need of it anymore. Hallelujah!
When the death of Jesus began to seem just over the horizon of time, followers of Christ began to want to touch something that would seem like a physical bridge between them and that moment.
Relics begin to surface. People wanted to hold the cup that Christ held at the Last Supper. They wanted to touch the garments that Christ wore. And they hoped to hold in their own hand a splinter of the True Cross upon which Christ died. Any town that boasted possession of one of these things, or if many other kinds of physical relics from the time of Christ, could be guaranteed to be a destination for pilgrims.
What if closeness to Christ does not depend on touching the same part of the physical world that Christ touched? Jesus never hinted that we should treasure these things. But he did declare boldly that if the poor were always among us, as he said they should be, we would continue to see him in them. In their sufferings, we see the sufferings of the Christ. It is not that they are a complete representation of who Jesus is; rather, their vulnerability shows us who are more privileged something about what Jesus lived, felt, and endured when he emptied himself (Philippians 2).
Ken’s Cross at the front of the Vineyard
Since Winnipeg Centre Vineyard came to reside at the corner of Main and Sutherland, an old cross has leaned up against the wall of our sanctuary. Ken Lewis put this cross together from an old door frame that had likely been a part of this building for over a hundred years. Ken shares that as he ran his hand over the wood and contemplated it’s rough, rustic surface, he realized that the cross of Christ was also a door.
But we do not pretend that this cross is a relic.
Every Good Friday, we carry this cross to where are people have died in the midst of violence, poverty, and addiction. We stand this cross up, usually right at the place where they suffered, and tell their story. We try to name how they are like a window into the past for us, a window into the sufferings of Jesus. There are many aspects of their story and his story that are parallel: their betrayal by friends or authorities, their physical sufferings, sometimes their relative innocence, or the reasons for which they were killed.
They are a relic, they are our piece of the cross, they are our window into the past. While we dwell in this moment of contemplation on Good Friday, we hope and pray for resurrection here and now, because we know the end of the story of Christ.
After six months of learning in the Vineyard School of Justice, we had the privilege of celebrating our four students this past Monday evening with a moving graduation ceremony. Below you can see the year-end video screened in their honour, read Suhail’s (the director of the school) commencement address, as well as the pieces read for each student prior to their receipt of their graduation certificate. It was a thrilling and celebratory evening, and we finished with photographs, cake, and some delicious punch! Congratulations Shawn, George, Cora, and Brad – the best is yet to come!
YEAR END VIDEO
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS
In 2006, the BBC Natural History Unit premiered an 11-part television series narrated by David Attenborough called “Planet Earth.” The series was five years in the making, was the most expensive ever to be commissioned by the BBC, and was the first of its kind to be filmed in high definition. The result is a truly incomparable cinematic feat – both in terms of its global scope and its unparalleled footage of animals in their natural habitat.
The first episode surveys several locations across the planet, and happens to include my favourite segment in the entire series: the Kalahari desert in Southern Africa. Covering a surface of red sand of almost a million square kilometers in Botswana and Namibia, the Kalahari gets its name from two Tswana words meaning “the great thirst” and “a waterless place.” These descriptions thoroughly characterize the experience of a vast array of animals that inhabit the Kalahari.
During the height of the dry season, thousands of elephants embark on a journey hundreds of miles towards a vast inland area called the Okavango valley. The journey is arduous, exhausting, long, but the animals are propelled by a desperate thirst, as well as by the prospect of water. Water, you see – and all the life it holds – is its own motivation and reward.
But technically, water isn’t in the Okavango. It falls around a thousand miles away in the highlands of Angola and nearly five months later, after coursing, bending, and turning its way through the African landscape, it arrives in the valley, transforming the Kalahari into – as David Attenborough says – “a fertile paradise [and] a lush waterworld.” My favourite scene in the episode, let alone the series, is an underwater perspective of a particular animal moving through a newly formed Okavango lake. It’s an elephant, and all you see is its legs – once so coarse, dry, and cracked from miles of walking through the Kalahari – now paddling, swimming, and playing in billows of bubbles and water.
This year’s Vineyard School of Justice reminds me of this Kalahari tale: of the Okavango becoming an oasis, of deserts becoming pools, of the deepest thirst mingling with a steady stream of hope.
You see our neighbourhood, the North End, though brimming with life of all kinds, is so often also a desert. Economic disadvantage and poverty, coupled with the absence of major grocery stores, profoundly limits access to healthy, affordable, and fresh food. In their lives prior to school and even during their time in school, this year’s students have had to navigate the challenges of this “food desert” in one way or another. They’ve also all experienced their own wastelands of loneliness, suffered the desolations of charred families and relationships, and faced the cold, hard facts of trauma which flung them to the comfort of addiction, only to find it a disappointing mirage. They know, in the very marrow of their bones, the meaning of the Tswana words: they understand great thirst and they’re familiar with a waterless place.
Yet it is precisely in this kind of desert that thirst becomes real. And it was this real thirst – especially for belonging, for justice, for God – paired with some vague hope of satisfaction that drew our four graduates to the School of Justice this year.
You – students of this year’s school – have been the most noble of travelers. You heard the voice of one calling to you in the wilderness, and you responded. This year you have especially journeyed – often through the dirt, dust, and cobwebs of injustice behind, around, and within you – to move closer to this voice because you believe from it springs the words of life. I deeply admire your courage, belief, your faith even – you have demonstrated a stunning certainty about what you hope for and a surprising sureness about what you cannot see.
You have defied the expectations of your own histories – which are in so many ways filled with deserts in their own right – but you have also defied the expectations of our society. You have studied and lived contrary to what people think is possible, recognizing that you were made for more than what your environment claims and, in fact, that God – the creator – made you. And together you have been on a radical journey to recognize Him everywhere and to invite his kingdom into every traveler and desert till His glory covers the earth as waters cover the sea.
But yours is not the only journey to speak of this evening.
A few thousand years ago, in the highlands of Bethlehem, God – the fountain of living water and life itself – trickled into humanity as a baby in an animal feeding trough. This birth inaugurated ripples of a kingdom which would swell and surge around Palestine, and eventually spill into the ends of the earth.
It has been such a joy to see both journeys come together this year: to see the heights of heaven flow to the depths of your thirst; to see Jesus and his kingdom run into and overwhelm your shore, flooding your lives and transforming so many of the dry parts of your hearts into reservoirs of love, faith, and compassion. In so doing, heaven has come to earth; Eden has moved a little more into the North End; and you now know even more what satisfaction feels like. We call all of this justice – one of God’s deepest desires and greatest works – and together we have felt its power, healing, and delightfulness first hand.
I am so proud of you. For not giving up, for coming back when you left, for sharing when it hurt, for taking risks of faith and stepping onto water, for finishing well. And I am proud to have had you as my teachers and guides. My life is fuller because of you, and I thank you for trusting me and sharing yourselves so generously with me. All of us here this evening celebrate you and your achievements – many of which cannot be spoken of, much less listed. Nonetheless, it is obvious that you are different people – you have encountered God and become more like him – and we know that the Spirit has written on each of your hearts in ways that are too deep for words to express.
Tonight we find ourselves in peculiar moment. On one hand, we reflect on several months of excellent learning; on the other hand, we look forward to how all of this will translate into real living. With both hands we thank and praise God, who is and will be faithful to complete the good work that He has started in you. You are finishing one thing, and you are also beginning another. You see there are many more thirsty people out there, waiting to be satisfied – orphans, widows, brothers and sisters who are impoverished, marginalised, abused, addicted, prostituted, homeless, hungry, lonely.
Listen to what Isaiah 41:17-20 says:
“The poor and needy search for water,
but there is none;
their tongues are parched with thirst.
But I the Lord will answer them;
I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. 18 I will make rivers flow on barren heights,
and springs within the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water,
and the parched ground into springs. 19 I will put in the desert
the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive.
I will set junipers in the wasteland,
the fir and the cypress together, 20 so that people may see and know,
may consider and understand,
that the hand of the Lord has done this,
that the Holy One of Israel has created it.
This evening we bless you to be God’s answers; his very own rivers of justice sent from the creator to the lowliest and most desolate of places and flowing like a never-ending stream. We bless you to know what is good and what the Lord requires of you: to love mercy and walk humbly with God into the desert, flooding it with the rain of his kingdom and his Spirit. We bless you to especially notice and love parched people, that through you they might taste and see that the Lord is good. And we bless you to go into the unlikeliest of places, even right here into our very own neighbourhood, and to invite as many as you can to drink of living water and, ultimately, to paddle and splash in an impossible pool of God’s joy. Just as you have. Just like elephants in the Okavango.
PRESENTATION OF GRADUATION CERTIFICATES
The prospect of being in the school of justice so captivated this student’s heart that he decided to enrol months prior to the beginning of this year’s program. Even more, each month he would diligently set aside a portion of his Employment Income Assistance money to cover his school fees. He was the first confirmed participant of our program this year. A few weeks before we started, his mother – whom he loves so very dearly – passed away. Understanding his need for safety, support, and family, she encouraged him to continue with school as planned; she sensed that he was in good hands here with us. She was right. But we were in good hands with him too; the school would not have been the same without him. We have been blessed by his selflessness and service – he often prepares coffee before class, rolls cigarettes and shares them with his classmates, and even walks them home. Though understandably tempted to isolate himself, he has remained faithful to God, his classmates, to school, and to his mother’s wishes. And in great courage and bravery he has stepped far outside of his comfort zone, and flourished. Tonight, here and now, all of heaven is celebrating and says: “This is my son, whom I love, in whom I am well pleased.” Thank you for showing us what faithfulness that reaches to the skies looks like. George Matiowsky.
The real value of education is not what one can recite but how one’s life is transformed. The system labelled this student as being unable to process information normally. During our unit called “A Just Vision” on the importance of seeing people not issues, this student walked home and saw a man who was idling on the street. Though he would’ve normally judged the man – thinking he ought to be working rather than simply collecting welfare money – this student took a moment to see deeply, with the eyes of Jesus. He saw that the man was missing a foot and felt compassion and empathy for him. This student’s vision has changed dramatically throughout the course of this year, and he sees God much more clearly. In desperate times he has called out to Jesus and has seen God come through miraculously for him. On one occasion he was praying desperately for provision and at that very moment twenty dollars floated across the pavement. Now he sees the fingerprints of the creator on the lives of others and, perhaps most miraculously, even on his own life. It’s no wonder that he gets lost in worship and prayer, with eyes closed and hands raised in praise and thanksgiving to the God who saves. Thank you for showing us that that anyone who is in Christ is a new creation; the old is gone and the new has come. Bradley Morand.
With a sparkling intelligence, an avid curiosity, and a genuine openness to others, this student’s presence in the school was a true gift. She – and there was only one she this year – made class enjoyable with her consistent participation and enthusiasm about what we were learning. She is one of the most hospitable and transparent people you will ever meet – sharing her thoughts and feelings with great generosity of spirit. She makes others feel like gold because she easily recognizes people’s strengths and goodness, and doesn’t hesitate to affirm, encourage, and celebrate them. She cares. About the world. About justice. About people. About her family. About her children. She cares with a gentle ferocity and though it may not be loud and flashy, she will be with you through thick and thin, in humble companionship. This student has a very deep, profound desire for God, and it has been a joy to watch the Spirit lavishly pour himself upon her and to see how sensitive she is to even his most subtle whispers and movements. She is a woman full of faith in God who will not turn her back on what she knows and believes despite the many obstacles and challenges that may come her way. Thank you for showing us that in quietness and trust there is strength. Coralynn Stevenson.
This student has been a familiar fixture of Winnipeg Centre Vineyard. His hands have many times scrubbed and cleaned the very floor of this room. He has facilitated worship here in more ways than we can express. Even more, he loves and worships God with a rare, precious kind of honesty. He never pretends, he’s real about who he is and what he thinks, and is always honest about what’s going on and how he’s feeling. During the first weekly debrief of the school, he entrusted us with the most vulnerable story of his life and, by example, set the stage for the true community and sharing that has so characterized our school this year. He has consistently faced his demons and let Christ get the better of him, and he has been overtaken with the new life of the kingdom. Though he thought he was unable to feel emotion, his heart has beaten faster and faster to God’s drum. The Spirit came upon him powerfully during school, reducing him to tears, and subsequently motivating him to pray for around 30 people the following Sunday. Two weeks ago, we wrote letters to those persecuted for their faith, and in his letter to a Christian in prison in China, this student wrote “I wish I could trade places with you.” Thank you for showing us what it looks like to be the kind of worshipper the Father is seeking, one who worships in Spirit and in truth. Shawn Wood.
esus showed us the way to the Father. John records “the Word was made flesh and dwelled among us” (John 1:14). Later in John’s gospel, Jesus himself says that if we’ve seen him, we’ve seen the Father (14:9). This was his primary mission on earth. As his followers, we are to walk in his footsteps. We are to emulate him. His mission is to become ours. Yet, in general, the church has a bad reputation. If relevant at all, followers of Jesus are typically known for who or what we are against, which may or may not have anything to do with what Jesus stood for.
