the NEW YAYA website
CLICK HERE TO VISIT OUR NEW SITE: pccyaya.wordpress.com
After months of struggle to get this site to work just as it should, we’re finally making the switch to Wordpress. Click the link above to visit the new site, update your blog reader feeds, edit your bookmarks, because we’ve made the move and we’re not looking back! This site will no longer be maintained, all posts from this site have been transferred.
See you over there (and feel free to leave a comment on how the place looks: the comments over there actually work!)!
"I am wind on sea
I am ocean wave
I am roar of sea
I am bull of seven fights
I am vulture on cliff
I am dewdrop
I am fairest of flowers
I am boar for boldness
I am salmon in pool
I am lake on plain
I am mountain in a man
I am word of skill
I am the point of a weapon
I am God who fashions fire for a head."
Amairgen 23
the fiftieth day
I like the story of Pentecost. There’s something almost primal about it. Fire, strange sounds, off behaviour…it’s not like most of the other stories of the Gospel.
the laziest bookclub ever
Beginning in June, the YAYA Ministry will be hosting The Laziest Bookclub Ever on the first and third Wednesday of every month. We’ll meet at the Bridgehead at the corner of Elgin and Maclaren at 7pm. And it’s the laziest bookclub you’ll ever be in: no reading ahead of time! Join us for a reading of a short passage of scripture, philosophy, news, poetry or something else compelling, and we’ll see where the discussion leads us.
If you’re thinking of coming, or if you need additional information, leave a comment or contact darlene.mcleod @ rogers.com
"
When they were together for the last time they asked, “Master, are you going to restore the kingdom to Israel now? Is this the time?”
He told them, “You don’t get to know the time. Timing is the Father’s business. What you’ll get is the Holy Spirit. And when the Holy Spirit comes on you, you will be able to be my witnesses in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, even to the ends of the world.”
These were his last words. As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud. They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared—in white robes! They said, “You Galileans!—why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly—and mysteriously—as he left.”
"The Message, Acts of the Apostles 1:6-11
intercessor
Ten years ago, my family life fell apart. My parents split up, my father moving far away, very unexpectedly. I was in my first year of university - a difficult enough time without adding that sort of familial tumult - and I just sort of ceased to function. I couldn’t go to class, I couldn’t do my reading, I couldn’t go to my part-time job. I was a wreck.
I called a classmate, a friend with whom I had bonded over a mutual love of dancing and of Jesus, with whom I was supposed to be completing a group project. I told her the story of what was happening to my family, and apologized that I wouldn’t be able to finish my parts of the assignment. Over the phone she asked me, “Darlene, can I pray with you?” I had never prayed with someone over the phone, and had never knowingly had someone pray for me in my presence. It felt unfamiliar, but I said yes. And she prayed for me, speaking words of peace and comfort and hope for me, for my family, to God.
the image of church
Take a look at this photo. What do you see? When I first looked at it, I first noticed the people milling, moving in the centre of the room, in the centre of the frame. But then you likely notice, as I next did, that there is a cross hanging on the wall above these people.
need a summer job? »
Parkwood Church, Ottawa is seeking an enthusiastic, responsible, and self-motivated young adult to serve as our Summer Office Assistant. Under the supervision of our Minister or designated Elder, this person will act as a receptionist, prepare weekly bulletins, perform data entry and general office duties, as well as assist with some summer programs, including activities for youth.
Applicants must be between the ages of 15 and 30 years, have been full-time students during the year 2009-2010, and be registered for full-time post-secondary studies for the fall of 2010. For further information, please contact our Administrative Assistant, Laura Lea Macaulay, by e-mail at office@parkwoodchurch.ca or by phone at 613-225-6648. The application deadline is May 27, 2010 at 12:00 noon and the position runs for 10 weeks from June 21 until August 27.
Why?
The story of the empty tomb fascinates me. The subtle differences between the four synoptic gospels’ telling of the story is particularly interesting, and because of those differences I find we can view the scene at the tomb in different ways.
The telling of the story in the Gospel of Matthew is especially exciting. An earthquake, an angel - with a countenance of lightning - descends, the stone rolls away: it’s all very dramatic. But what the angel does next has always rather amused me:
…an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.
He sat on it.
take a break coffeehouse every Saturday
St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church hosts the Take a Break Coffeehouse every Saturday afternoon beginning at 2pm. Free made-to-order coffee and lattes, free muffins and free wifi are all available in the hall. Enter at the burgundy door between the church and the Wine Rack on Elgin at Somerset.
messages of hope
On Friday evening we welcomed Shane Claiborne to Dominion-Chalmers United Church. We sang, we prayed, we received, we breathed. It was a blessed night.
"Want to be a Young Adult Representative to General Assembly this spring? The presbtery of Ottawa is in urgent need of a young person between the ages of 16 and 25 who would be interested in attending General Assembly from June 5 - 11 at Cape Breton University. If you are interested in being Ottawa’s YAR, let me know as soon as possible: the deadline for name submission is February 15."
contact darlene.mcleod AT rogers.com for more information or leave a comment with your contact details
Have you ever wondered what Lent is? I mean, what is it really supposed to be? As Presbyterians, we don’t put a huge emphasis the daily manifestation of Lent. We mark it on Sundays during our worship, but during the week does Lent really affect our daily lives? For most of us the answer would be a resounding “no”. What should we be doing during Lent?
Before He began His ministry, Jesus spent forty days in the desert. He denied Himself food, comfort, shelter and companionship. He prepared Himself for His great calling. He prepared Himself for His ministry and ultimately, His death. Through the ritual of self-denial and meditation He made Himself ready.
Our celebration of Lent and Easter frequently coincide with the Jewish celebration of Passover. In many homes, the entire dwelling is cleaned of every leavened food, and in more orthodox homes the whole structure is scrubbed and vacuumed to ensure that every crumb is removed in preparation for the celebration of God’s great miracle when He freed the Israelites from their Egyptian oppressors. Upholstery, even drapes, are laundered to render the home ready for the festival.
So what is the purpose of Lent? It is our time of preparing ourselves, our own hearts, for the even greater miracle God visited upon us in His own sacrifice on the cross. It is our time to ritually cleanse our selves, our minds, our lives, to make ready for the fulfillment of His promise. Before we can approach the cross with true and lowly fear, we need to remind ourselves of our deep and abiding need for salvation.
But Lent is not supposed to be a period of self-flagellation or despondence. We have the benefit of knowing how the story ends. We know that Christ rises, victorious. We know that the Cross is not the end ofthe story, but the beginning. We know that the Good News is not that He came, nor that He was here, but that His Spirit remains here still, that He lives and so, too, we shall live.
Prepare ye the way of the Lord…
Begin with your heart.
radically ordinary
This is the next big event coming up and it should be truly fantastic. Music, inspiration, Christian witness and some additional elements yet to be determined (doesn’t that sound enticing!) this evening will not only be an opportunity to find new insight into being young, active, aware and Christian, but also to connect with similarly-minded young Christians from across the city. So join us at Dominion-Chalmers United Church at 7:30pm on Friday, March 19.
