Weekly Wire for January 30, 2013

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Upcoming Events at a Glance

February 15-17 Nurturing Spirit Weekend Calgary

March 1-3 Nurturing Spirit Weekend Samish Island

April 24-28 Fine Arts Retreat Samish Island

Apr 29-May 3 Samish Island Work Week

May 4-5 Ribstone Enrichment Weekend

May 12-13 Hills of Peace Camp Opening

May 24-26 Arts on the Lake Hills of Peace

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Valentines Party and Dance in Vancouver

Listen to Moon Glow Swing Band here

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Nurturing Spirit Weekend at Samish Island

Nurturing Spirit Class Descriptions

Yoga is essentially a practice of “embodied prayer”. It is a way of being at peace and ease in our bodies, inviting a sense of peaceful acceptance to every movement, every moment, every breath. (Please bring a yoga mat if you have one. Chairs will be provided for those who cannot sit or lie on the floor.)

Centering Prayer and Inner Awakening: Based on the work of Father Thomas Keating, Centering Prayer is a form of Christian contemplative practice that is simply a silent, trusting opening of ourselves to Divine Presence using a chosen word connected to breath.
“Silence is God’s first language.” St. John of the Cross

Walking Meditation (Peaceful Steps upon the Earth):
Walking Meditation is a natural extension of our meditation and prayer life, a way of “praying without ceasing”. Whether we are walking inside, or outside in the beauty of nature, we can use it as a time to slow down and connect back to “being” in God’s presence.

Dream Therapy                                                                                                                   Learn how to work with your dreams and experience group dream interpretation, using "The Storytelling Method".

Singing Meditation                                                                                                                  We will close our Saturday time with a singing meditation that encourages us to breathe, listen, sing and be at peace. We will share sacred readings, in music that has simple tunes and meaningful texts, and in silence. By singing simple songs over and over, we allow our minds, emotions and bodies to make room for the sacred within.

Spiritual Practices                                                                                                             Every day in my teaching job people ask me how they can better remember what they learn in our sessions, my response is always the same: "Practice, practice, practice." For thousands of years Christians have used various ways to remind themselves of God's presence, practices to carry us through even the hardest of times. Together we will explore some of these ways of remembering God's constant presence in our lives - spiritual practices.

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Nurturing Spirit Weekend Calgary

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HOP Family Reunion Planning Committee

Would you like to help plan reunion this year? 

Do you have ideas for classes, activities, worship and more?

Our first HOP Reunion Committee meeting will be Thursday February 28th via skype @

7pm Alberta time and 8pm Saskatchewan time.  

RSVP to greg@communityofchrist.ca

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Samish Island Reunion Planning Committee

Be part of our team!

If you’d like to help out, contact 

Chris Phelps chrisinlangley@gmail.com 

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World Conference April 13-18

Have you considered attending World Conference this year? Follow the link to get all the details. Early Registration deadline is February 15th. We have two delegate spots open for the CWM and 36 alternates, but of course anyone can attend. If you are registered as a delegate and your plans have changed, please let Debra know debra@communityofchrist.ca

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Will you be at Canada West Mission Conference August 30-September 1st this year? Do you have a creative activity that our entire group could participate in? We are accepting submissions now. Send your ideas to debra@communityofchrist.ca Please include in your submission:

description of the activity

tools/supplies needed and approximate cost for 100 people

space required to do the activity

time required for the activity

Last year Linda Phelps’ activity was the ‘Signal Communities’ Art Project pictured below. Thanks Linda, you did a great job!

Tiles were painted by individuals, then Linda assembled them in the frame to make us all look like artists. This was presented to the Regina church. Visit Regina to see it in person!

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The Issues – by Ken McGowan

Everything looks good until the issues rear up and become mountains of unintended consequences. The issues: incapacity, disinheritances, estranged family members, government interference, incorrect names, time, failing memories, life circumstances, failing to act, unexpected passing, to name a few. Statistics indicate 7 out of 10 people do not have an estate plan. Of these, many are outdated and with questionable accuracy as to what you want done now. In addition, research indicates that only 7% of people leave a charitable gift in their estate plan BUT 47% would, IF ASKED! Yes, we like to ask because YOU can make a HUGE difference in the life and ministry of our church.

This area is too important to leave unattended for a long time and to simply hope things work out. The goal is to complete a full estate plan now to avoid court involvement and to address unique family issues.

One Mom and Dad intentionally omitted an estranged adult child from their estate plan and upon the parent’s passing the son challenged the will in court and won. He shared equally with his siblings in the estate distribution. A review of the documentation and surrounding circumstances could have gone a long way from preventing this challenge from ever occurring.

Having a fresh set of eyes look at or help you create an estate plan can go a long way in assisting you “getting it right” for your unique family situation. Don’t let “The Issues” get in the way of your completing a plan. We are here to help educate, listen, answer questions and assist with your planning.

Please feel free to contact me at 1-800-884-7526 or at kmcgowan@cofchrist.org .

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Summer Volunteer(s) Needed - Samish Campground

Samish Campground located in the NW corner of Washington State is seeking an individual or couple with an RV to serve as grounds and maintenance volunteers during May through August, 2013. The position entails mowing and maintenance of the
grounds, some handyman work and stocking shelves when food orders arrive, etc. An RV site with full hookups will be provided. Telephone and wireless Internet are
available in dining hall. Meals are provided during camps ( approximately 85%
of this time).

Application Form and Proforma Employment Agreement including Job Description are available by contacting Glen Fishel, Board President, at (360) 757-4559 or by e-mail at glen.mar@comcast.net or, if he is not available, Donald Brady, Camp Manager at (360) 766-8125 or by e-mail at samishislandcamp@gmail.com.

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2013 Camping/Event Calendar

February 15-17 Nurturing Spirit Weekend Calgary

March 1-3 Nurturing Spirit Weekend Samish Island

April 24-28 Fine Arts Retreat Samish Island

Apr 29-May 3 Samish Island Work Week

May 4-5 Ribstone Enrichment Weekend

May 12-13 Hills of Peace Camp Opening

May 24-26 Arts on the Lake Hills of Peace

May 31-June 2 Camp Genesis (8-9 yrs) Samish Island

May 31-June 2 Adult Spiritual Retreat Hills of Peace

June 7-9 College Age Young Adult Retreat Hills of Peace

Jun-08 Samish Island Work Day

June 8-14 Adult Reunion Samish Island

July 1-6 Canada West Youth Camp

June 30-July 6 Camp Mungai (10-11 yrs) Samish Island

July 6-12 Family Reunion Hills of Peace

July 14-18 Junior Camp (8-11 yrs) Hills of Peace

July 13-20 Family Reunion Samish Island

July 20-27 Spectacular Graceland University

July 22-28 Camp Planning Retreat - Hills of Peace

July 21-27 Camp Kluane (girls 12-14 yrs) Samish Island

July 28-Aug 3 Camp Chimacum (boys 12-14 yrs) Samish Island

August 9-11 Young Family Weekend Hills of Peace

August 4-10 Camp Kimtah (15-18 yrs) Samish Island

August 11-17 Singles’ Reunion Samish Island

Aug 30-Sept 1 Canada West Mission Conference Edmonton AB

September 27-29 Men’s Retreat Hills of Peace

September 27-29 Singles’ Retreat Samish Island

October 4-6 Young Adult Retreat Samish Island

October 4-6 Women’s Retreat Chilliwack

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I have learned that people will forget what you said;

people will forget what you did,

but people will never forget how you made them feel.

~Maya Angelou~

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