Update on the mission to Nicaragua

On October 18, 2007, fourteen members of Burton Avenue United Church - Islay Scott, Miriam Oben, Elsie McGuire, John Sawyers, Amanda Sawyers, Lois Delaforce, Lyla Hubbert, Corri DeBoer, Warren DeBoer, Sal San Juan, Devon Williams, Kari Williams, Rev. Dick Moffat, Rev. Pat MacDonald, plus Rev. Dr. Colin MacDonald from Central United Chruch - set off on a 12 day mission to Nicaragua. Ranging in age from 17 to 77, we quickly bonded into a close-knit group who shared a variety of life-changing experiences. Except for the last weekend in Granada, we stayed at the Cantera Retreat Centre in Managua, which is a beautiful oasis of green gardens, sparse, comfortable cabins and a spacious dining room where we were served delicious, nourishing meals.

Through the leadership of Rev. Dr. Joe Reed of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, we were introduced to the many faces of Nicaragua. We learned that it is a country of lush green countryside, pristine lakes and chattering monkeys hanging from trees in tropical forests. It is also a country of extreme poverty. The city dump in Managua is 50 city blocks in size where 20,000 people are born, live and die. There are markets where 350,000 children have neither health care, adequate food or educaional opportnities. There are endless shantytowns with houses made of concrete blocks with dirt floors, no sanitation and no clean water. click here for more information »

Sheaf Espiga

Report on the Mission to Eritrea

Eritrea is a small country located in the so-called "Horn of Africa". It is bordered by Sudan, Ethiopia, Djibouti and the Red Sea. It has a population of about 3.5 million people: 50% Mulsim and 50% Christian, who live together in peace and cooperation. In 1992, after a thirty-year occupation, Eritrea won its liberation from Ethiopia. In the years since then the people have been working to rebuild their country, a process that includes fixing roads, digging wells and building up the infrastructure. In 1993 my longtime personal friends, Dennis and Stephanie Schroeder, read an article about Eritrea in a local Victoria newspaper, and felt "nudged" by God to go there. After a three-week visit, they went back to their home in Sidney, B.C., and started a non-profit organization called "The Eritrean Relief and Rehabilitation Association of British Columbia" (ERRA-BC). Over the years they have raised more then $500,000 of which all but $3,149.32 (or 0.6%) has gone directly to a number of projects they have initiated, including the "adoption" of 83 orphans; establishing a "Rotating Loan" fund for farmers to borrow what they need to buy tools, a water pump and seed; and "Women's Promotion" - a rural project the teaches life skills to local women. Dennis and Stephanie have also travelled many times to Eritrea, building a network of friends, and offering support and caring to those who are there working on the "front lines" of mission. click here for more information »

ERRA-BC

Samaritan House

From the sermon "Called to be the Church"..."To Love and Serve Others"
By Rev. Patricia Gale-MacDonald and Alice Oliver

Today we are continuing our Lenten Series on the theme "Called to be the Church". The theme is taken from our Statement of Faith, which names five specific ways of being the church. Two weeks ago, we reflected on what it means "to celebrate God's presence." Last week, through Rev. Dick Moffat's leadership, we focused on "to live with respect in creation." This week, the focus is on the third way named in the Statement of faith: Called to be the church; "To love and serve others". As I thought about this focus, it seemed to me that telling the story of Samaritan House Community Ministry would be an appropriate way to witness to the grace that comes when we choose to "love and serve others". For those of you who are new to the congregation, I should explain that Samaritan House is a Community Outreach Ministry that was incorporated in Barrie in 2001. Since then, it has been operating out of the loer level of our church. Over the past six years, it has offered children's literacy tutoring, a youth life skills program, adult computer training, a drop-in centre for clothing and household items, and a Snowflake Gift Tree that 62 of us in the congregation took part in last Christmas. In June 2005, Samaritan House also opened a "Transition House" for women and children recovering from abuse and violence in the home. click here for more information »