Metropolitan United Church

from the Desk of John Joseph Mastandrea

History is made

Sabbatical Reconsidered

In an earlier reflection about ‘sabbatical’ I made the point that the most likely method for a congregation’s sabbatical would be renewal in place. I imagined that it would be possible for a congregation such as Metropolitan to continue with its life as usual, but with a crucial difference. During the sabbatical period the congregation would assess whether and in what ways it might need to re-think, re-orient, refocus, re-energize or re-commit itself. I had in mind that the congregation would ask itself two basic questions: In light of our claims to live out of faith in God, Who are we? What are we to do? A sabbatical period spent reflecting upon these questions would be, I imagined, fruitful for deepening and broadening Metropolitan’s mission.

Met Word for the Web  July 2008

From the Desk of John Joseph

RECENTLY THE BREAKING NEWS

is

            When NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander prepares for landing on May 25, 2008, it won't be alone.

Recently we crashed into the TTC strike on after a midnight hour on an early Saturday morning leaving tens of thousands of late night revelers and workers stranded in the urban core. Have we arrived at the juncture where the services offered by the TTC need to be declared essential? Many sectors have been designated essential now is the time the day has arrived to declare the TTC an essential!

Life in the Middle

from the desk of John Joseph Mastandrea

I read the front page headline of the Sunday Star February 10, 2008

the word that hit me with a sledgehammer, "REGREGATION"?. Schools in the United States are exploring this option as viable pathway forward. In theory and praxis reversing the blood sweat and tears of the Freedom Riders of the Civil Rights movement. I wonder what Rosa Parks would have to say. Some people in the United States and Canada believe that there is a need to return to former patterns of division as way of helping and encourage marginalized people. African centered schools seem to be on the radar of the North American Education system.

Open a window to God

Remembering the Rules

I came across an article in the New York Times for October 21, 2007

Of the many opinions that I scanning ranging from the scientific, philisophical, the psychological to the spiritual one takes away spectrum of defintive negation to pro-active affirmation. We bring most often to this deliberation the arrogance of Western society who has a history of anthropomorphising the Universe and creation at best. We discuss the notion of a mechanistic reality pondering the universe created by an ancient engineer. Or perhaps there is the elemental idea of holy beginning that continues to place humanity at the helm.

The Following is an Article sent to me by Chris Hoover, Oct 21, 2007 04:30 AM The Toronto Star:A New Approach to HomelessnessThe queue, which began forming hours before the doors opened, stretched across the lobby and onto the pavement in front of the downtown Minneapolis convention centre.