Yesterday we went to Toronto and up the CN tower which they claim to be the highest tower in the world. In the afternoon we visited Spence(r) gorge - an area of 64 waterfalls.

Today I leave Canada and fly back to Manchester. I have really enjoyed and benefited from my time here. I have learnt from worldwide pastors, discovered about the many traditions and backgrounds of the Mennonite church, had some really good and helpful theological discussions, and learnt what it means to be a peace church and Anabaptist. I particularly have benefited from staying with Joni and Steve and have enjoyed some really good conversations and reflection on what it means to be a pastor in our contexts.

It has been a full on programme and I can hardly believe we are finished. I am looking forward to seeing Rachel and the boys soon.

End of Impact at Niagra

Yesterdays service went well at Hamilton Mennonite church. The congregation were very afirming of my "sermon slot" and seemed to be in to what we were doing. The night before we had our public Impact service which was good. I was asked to speak of what Impact has meant to me. The Canadians were a good audience to my slot.

Today was our last day of Impact and it was sad to say goodbye to people - kinda like the end of camp. We had the afternoon in Niagra falls. Awesome! We went behind the falls in yellow capes. More pictures on facebook.

Timmys

Behold our most visited place of worship: Tim Hortons! "Timmys" is held to be the pinnacle of good coffee amongst Mennonites. Tim Hortons does coffees, tea, Tim Bits (Mini doughnuts of many varieties), various larger doughnuts, pastries etc all in a fast food format. Tim Hortons are everywhere and we have now visited a good number of them.

http://www.timhortons.com/en/menu/snacks.html and http://www.timhortons.com/en/menu/index.html

Bus conversations

We have just arrived back from a fantastic few days away. In this last week the group has really gelled together well despite my uncertainty on day one as to whether this would happen. It has gelled so well that leaving the group last night was quite tough for us all, but we meet again tomorrow evening. We had two six hour bus journeys together and had some really good conversations. Two characteristics which I warm to from the mennonite church is their position as a peace church and their openness theologically. It was good to discuss some theological thoughts on the bus for instance: I discovered that some of my own thinking in certain areas was not actually just down to my own thinking but shared by highly respected theologians. Kinda good to have got to their academic thinking without knowing it! We visited Montreale and a church much more similar to LBC which was good to see a different type of Mennonite church. Montreale was a nice city, French speaking and not that disimmilar to Paris. It has been interesting understanding how these different European settlements happened and how now everyone starts conversations with their own mixed inherritance backgrounds - something that we have little of in the UK, although I suspect that is likely to change in our multicultuaral context.

The Capital - Ottawa

Yesterday we visited the Capital, Ottawa. It's much colder now and yesterday we had snow. We visited the Canadian Parliament and peace tower and sat in on the house of Commons. Last night we stayed near the capitals palace in a very wealthy neighbourhood. Host here works for the dept of foreign affairs in the government. One thing I have found tough is the extent of wealth in the Mennonite church here. The church buildings are perfect with no expense spared. That makes me feel slightly uncomfortable whenever I visit a church here. They are however very generous people. Particularly when it comes to food. Will need to diet big time on return! Leaving this morning for Montreal.

Amish

Sitting in Williams coffee pub having just visited an Amish community. It's like stepping back in time. Horses and traps as their transport. In their homes they refuse to have electricity or anything that links to the outside world.

We had a meal in an Amish home. We couldn't take their photo as this would be creating a graven image and insulting to them, but you can find out more about them here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amish. Interesting experience. I admire their desire for simple living if not a bit surreal. Something you'd expect to exist only in a period drama.

Hockey

Yesterday was good. The group had really gelled and we had some good discussions on culture: How a set Christian Culture was imposed on nations particularly Africa and how we expect Culture today to respond to our Christian culture. An interesting discussion especially with African Christians present.

Worship was good last night - with a real African rhythm.

Hockey (Ice Hockey) is the thing over here. Children start playing it as soon as they can walk. We went to a Hockey game to partake in the culture. My feet stayed firmly on the side!

Today we are off East and are away for a few days so blogs will stop until Saturday when I guess there will be loads to report.

Conference

Speaking at the Mennonite Conference - like the Baptist Assembly.

My hosts

Let me introduce me to my hosts in Hamilton.

Joni and Steve are church pastors. Joni is at theological college training to teach in a theological college. She has been pastor of a church before. Steve is pastor of Hamilton Mennonite church. Steve and Joni are quite similar to Rach and I in age, outlook and ideals. They have been great hosts and we have had some really interesting theological and church based discussions. They have 2 dogs...

Above: Percy eating a carrot.

Above and below: Jasper. Both dogs are Basset Hounds.

What is it to be Mennonite?

We have been away for 2 days and hence why no blog! We have visited a Mennonite elderly peoples home - Size and luxury of a large 4 star hotel! We then visited the regional conference of MCEC - Mennonite church Eastern Canada. Friday evening at that was a bit dull but Saturday was quite interesting and helped me to understand a bit more what it might mean to be Mennonite, however just when I think I've got it sorted, I realise that I didn't get it at all. There certainly seems to be a big difference as to what it means to be Mennonite in Canada and what it means elsewhere. In Canada it is very much linked to Ethnicity, Customs, and family. You may even call it tribal, this is not so elsewhere. The common link seems to be a drive to be a church of peace and justice.

I also observe that the Mennonite church and it's people in many places here are very wealthy financially. Church buildings are big and well equipped. Homes are large and well kept.

Churches here are largely grown through family and continued Mennonite history and inheritance. While this is serving them well numerically, the higher conference is aware that the church can not continue this way for long term survival and is encouraging churches to look outside of it's own people group. This message will be hard for the congregations as changes and loss of certain identity may be needed to be relevant to others. Certainly it will be a challenge for this inherited tradition.

Mennonite church

yesterday was interesting - went to rural mennonite country which is where Mennonnites are mostly centred. Discovered that being Mennonite is as much about culture, identity and ethnicity as it is about faith, or maybe like all 3 rolled into one.

Much of the area are Mennonite and the churches are big. Huge churches of upto 250 people. Difficult to see when looking at open countryside where these people come from. It's all about family and extended family. Grave yard was mostly one family name which was Interesting but also a bit freeky.

I see a lot of Mirroring to our victorian church where church and family are so linked. I wonder however if the Mennonite church, currently very strong can sustain that over time or whether the Victorian church demise will happen here also.

There is a strong sense of family, identity and church which grows through child birth.

It kinda made sense though why they see no need to outreach. Nearly all their growth comes from within.

Yesterday we visited Rural Mennonite country and started the IMPACT conference. The picture here is of us International guests.

I don't want to judge the conference too soon, but certainly the opening lacked Impact and the conversation on peace was a bit superficial and weak...and then came the dreaded team building games! I think conversation in Impact will improve. In contrast Steve, Joni and I have had some really good indepth conversations about church and the role of the pastor which I've really appreciated. I've also been learning what it means to be Mennonite which the next blog up goes into.

Wednesday - Hamilton

Today we visited some families in the area and was treated to Mennonite sausage! We also visited Steve's church building for a Bible study with a group from the church. Although Steve and Joni live in Downtown Hamilton, the church is in a leafy suburb which presents challenges of it's own. The church has a congregation of about 70 people and I am told that it is traditional and made up of people who travel into church. This makes community connection difficult and the fantastic building (I was envious) remains unused much of the week. The building has worship space, meeting rooms and office upstairs, a large hall downstairs with further classrooms, large kitchen and wash rooms (translation: toilets). Out side it has it's own parking lot (translation: Car park) and a field behind. It's a new building, last updated in 1990's. The congregation pride themselves in keeping the building immaculate - clean, tidy, prestine - unused! We also visited another Mennonite church which couldn't be more different - building not immaculate but used daily for drop-in's, homeless groups, children's activities, food distribution. A combination of the Oasis Centre in Manchester and our former church ECFC in Bristol. Two very different Mennonite churches both with their challenges.

Arrival

I left Manchester on Tuesday morning and arrived in Toronto on Tuesday evening (via Heathrow). The flights were very good. On arrival in Toronto, customs were very suspicious of why I was coming to Canada and I had to prove my conference to Imigration in two seperate locations. Having made it through Customs I met my hosts Steve and Joni who are lovely people. They are very similar to Rach and I. Steve is pastor of Hamilton Mennonite Church and Joni is at Theological college with a view to ministry also. They have two dogs, who I'll introduce you to later and an end terrace house, not disimilar to ours in downtown Hamilton. I had exellent front row seats on the plane so plenty of leg room. Having Slept (to a fashion) on the plane (crying toddler near by!) I have adjusted to the 5 hour time difference without any problem. More to come...