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Christmas Greeting 2021

On this second Christmas season in the pandemic, we had hoped for a gathering of my family.  But circumstances related to the COVID restrictions and personal cautions have meant that is not going to happen.

But that does not need to prevent us from embracing the celebration of the birth that signifies the Divine Presence among humanity. Granted, the tradition of gathering as family and friends for this celebration helps to reinforce that significance.  But technology (Zoom) has allowed us to do that virtually through these 20 plus months of the pandemic perhaps more often than usual. I am wondering if the virtual gathering is reflective of a universe in which our real connection with one another and with God is through the Spirit.  Certainly, the connection I feel at this time with friends and family that I have not seen for several or many years is still real.  I hope the feeling is mutual.

During this past year, I have not travelled. We have not had the annual national Gatherings of the UNJPPI Network. Yet I continue to help connect the network by managing the email and website. I am the President of the Chatham Lions Club again, and we have been meeting virtually but trying to be active in service to the local community.

The Blenheim United Church opted to sell the building just before the pandemic, so we have been meeting on Zoom.  The decision was made to seek amalgamation with one of the surrounding rural churches that still have a building, but that decision has been delayed by the pandemic. I have not been assisting with leading worship for the church since 2020.

The grandchildren continue to impress me with their maturity and talents. Gabriella has graduated from high school and is working while she explores future opportunities. Aurora is completing grade 12 while working part-time in a florist shop. Jasper Addison will complete grade 8 in 2022 while continuing with his dance group.  While COVID-19 has halted the theatre performances, I have hopes of seeing them on stage again.

The limited travelling which I did this past summer was with my family. I joined Fern and Willow as they performed on fiddle and banjo at the Farmer’s Market in Alliston.  I was then honoured by their overnight visit with Chris and their dog Chase as they stopped on their way to Florida in early December where Fern and Chase planned to display their skills as a team at a dog show.

The few days I spent camping near Sudbury this past summer with Suu and my family was a pleasant reminder of the many camping experiences we had as a family.  It helped to confirm my decision to sell the camper in the spring as I am finding it difficult to manage it on my own. 

As you gather with family, whether in person or virtually, may God’s gift of love and peace proclaimed in the holy birth fill your life.

Curtis Marwood (curtism@cmarwood.ca)

Suu’s family at Sudbury Giant Nickel (Brie, Jasper, Rori, Suu & Neil)

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Commemorating Dr. Kenneth Kaunda

I had the privilege and honour to offer a tribute to Dr. Kenneth Kaunda at a virtual memorial service held on July 6, 2021 with Zambians living in Canada. For a link to this service, go to https://wp.me/P5v0yp-3z

Dr. Kenneth Kaunda

I’m honored to have this opportunity to speak in memory of Doctor Kaunda.

I was appointed by the United Church of Canada to work with the United Church of Zambia as a teacher at Kafue Boys Secondary School.

I arrived in 1967, three years after the country’s independence. Secondary school education was recognized as an important element of development for the country. Many expatriate staff were needed. I came with 2 other Canadian teachers and joined a staff with several other Canadian families.

I soon learned about the national campaign to encourage people to “go back to the land”. I was also proud to learn about Kaunda’s philosophy of humanism and as a Christian, I was committed to his principles of service and humility.

His dedication to multiracialism and peaceful transition to an independent African nation made us as Canadian teachers feel welcome. I remember his slogan One Zambia One Nation and was caught up in his enthusiasm to unite a country that had many different cultural and linguistic groups.

As a science teacher, I soon learned about the ministry of education’s plan to add agricultural science to the curriculum. So I began to work with the school and the Ministry of Education to develop agricultural projects to supplement the curriculum. We raised chickens and vegetables to supplement the food for students. In this way, I was proud to participate in the development of Zambia in keeping with the back to the land vision of President Kaunda.

President Kaunda visited the school at least once while I was there, and I was proud to have the opportunity to hear him speak to the students about his hopes and dreams for this young nation. I was impressed with his compassion and caring for people – “out of love of my country”, as quoted in The New York Times.

For me, his philosophy of humanism was his way of living the Christian life that he was raised with. I was deeply touched by his honest humility represented by his refusing to eat meat as a way of identifying with his fellow Zambians.  So, the opportunity to meet him and shake his hand was a real privilege.  I will remember President Kaunda with pride as a national leader for whom I had great respect as one who lived his faith with humility and sincerity.  May God bless his life and work.

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“Seek Peace and Pursue it”

Depart from evil, and do good;
seek peace, and pursue it. Psalm 34:14.

This past week I received in the mail a letter and booklet from the Centre for Israeli and Jewish Affairs (CIJA). It was addressed to us as “those who wish to support genuine opportunities to promote peace between Israelis and Palestinians” and “as a constructive alternative…to the unsettling goods campaign.”

The mailing from CIJA included a booklet entitled “seek peace and pursue it”. This phrase comes from Psalm 34:14. But it should be noted that the words “depart from evil, and do good” precede the words chosen for the title of this booklet.

It is also worth noting that this portion of the Psalm was quoted in 1 Peter 3 in the context of his comments about encouraging the readers to find blessing in suffering for doing what is right.

I think it is significant, first, that the psalmist preceded the instructions to seek peace and pursue it with the command to depart from evil and do good. It is also significant that CIJA did not include the first part of the verse in its title. It struck me that if they really wanted to seek peace and pursue it, they would start with correcting the injustices that the state of Israel is imposing on the Palestinians. But nowhere in the booklet is reference to these injustices or to the impact of Zionism on the conflict mentioned. Rather the focus is on Jewish agencies promoting dialogue and cultural integration.

In my brief scanning of the descriptions of the various agencies in the booklet there is no acknowledgement of the history behind the conflict where the current factors contributing to the divisions between Arabs and Jews. The efforts seem to be focusing on bringing Jews and Arabs together to build cooperation and understanding, and honourable concept and effort at reconciliation, but only valid after the injustices are corrected.

It is also disturbing to me that this information was distributed to United Church clergy calling on local communities to support these organizations while admitting that CIJA withdrew from the national consultation. This, to me, is a deliberate act designed to create division within the United Church. The focus of the booklet on the inter-cultural and inter-religious aspects of the projects seems designed to appeal to those who would see the resolution of the issue in terms of achieving understanding and cooperation between Arabs and Jews, and so driving a wedge between those who see justice as the path to peace and those who see dialogue as the path. The fact that they withdrew from the national consultation and yet there promoting dialogue at the local level seems contradictory.

In summary this document seems to be simply using the projects in the booklet as propaganda for CIJA and an appeal for support for its opposition to the United Church policy.