Mission Moment
The MNO Synod is looking for your mission stories. Do you have an idea that could help another congregation grow in mission? Share what your church or organization is doing in mission with readers of CrossWord.

Check out next week's CrossWord for a story from Pastor Ron Nelson about what Trinity Place is doing to improve the lives of the people who call Trinity home.

Don't forget to gather your youth and join in on a fun filled youth worship service this Sunday, January 20 at 7 p.m. at St. Stephen's/St Bede's Church.

Attention all 18 to 30 something-ish! If you are looking for a great time to relax, wind-down, meditate, and reconnect with your spirituality and other young adults, this is the weekend for you! March 14, 15, 16 we will be going out the Wilderness Edge Retreat Centre in Pinawa for our annual Young Adults Retreat with the focus on slowing down, and rebuilding relationships with God and yourself.

Registration forms will be available soon along with more information (including pricing). For fast-tracked information, feel free to contact Jeff Buhse at jeffbuhse@hotmail.com or 791.9803.

The Contest that makes great moments happen between neighbours is back!
 
On Sunday, January 20, 2008 the second annual Great Canadian Neighbour Contest is launching on CJOB 68 (www.cjob.com) and the GodTalk radio show (www.godtalk.com).  Last year scores of Winnipeggers chose to enter their neighbours. From the neighbour who was called on to run over some toilet paper at just the right moment, to a family that re-decorated a young girl's room while she was in cancer care, we heard the most hilarious and heart-warming stories of real people caring about each other. 
 
In 2008 the Contest is expanding to include all of Manitoba and comes with fantastic prizes.  Just tell us what's so great about your Manitoba neighbour and they could win one of 4 Spa Getaway Packages (Inn at the Forks, Deluxe bed and breakfast and spa treatments, $400 value)!  Enter online at www.godtalk.com from January 20-February 20, 2008.  Tune in to CJOB 68's GodTalk radio show Sundays from 9-11pm to hear great Canadian neighbour stories and to tell a few of your own.
 
The contest website makes it easy for participants to print their entry
and invites people to drop the letter into their neighbour's mailbox.
Imagine the great moments this will create between neighbours!

"I believe this very simple contest will inspire healthy communities as people express one good thing about their neighbour," says David Balzer, GodTalk producer.  
 
 Tell us...tell them...then watch them win!  A draw from all the contest
 entries will take place on February 20, 2008.   Prize packages will be
 delivered on Saturday, February 23. 

Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada (ELCIC)’s missionary in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Bonnie Weppler, announced she will resign after serving ten years in a variety of capacities with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in PNG (ELC-PNG). Following her departure from PNG in May 2008, Weppler will participate in a six-month re-orientation period in Canada during which she intends to return to university and begin graduate studies in international development.

Weppler’s current placement is a joint position between the ELCIC and ELCA, and for the past five years she has worked in finance and interchurch relations in the ELC-PNG national office in Lae. Her status changed to Long-term Missionary in February 2004.

Kelvin Krieger, program coordinator for MW, notes Weppler remains an ELCIC employee until the end of her re-orientation period in November 2008.

“We are encouraging sponsors to maintain their financial support for her position throughout 2008,” says Krieger. “Later this year, sponsors will receive options and suggestions from ELCIC’s Mission in the World for continuing their support by establishing a new relationship with an ELCIC missionary or partner church mission.”

Information on the ELCIC’s MW program can be obtained by visiting the ELCIC website: www.elcic.ca/mission/world or by contacting Krieger at 204.984.9164 or kkrieger@elcic.ca

The Church of St. Stephen and St. Bede invites written applications for THE POSITION OF PART TIME PARISH SECRETARY

The Church of St. Stephen and St. Bede is a suburban Anglican and Lutheran parish of approximately 150 households.  Laity and clergy work together in the ministry of the parish, as well as of the wider church.  The Parish Secretary is a vital part of this ministry.

As this position is an integral part of the ministry of the parish, the Secretary should be an active member of a Christian community.  The Secretary will be the initial contact with the parish for many persons, and their perception of the parish may be influenced through this contact.

Good organizational skills, and the ability to maintain the confidentiality of sensitive information are essential.  Further requirements include proven secretarial and management skills in a small office setting, computer competence, promptness in attending to work assignments, and an ability to work with a minimum of supervision.  Written and oral communication skills and the ability to function as part of a team are also requirements.

Hours of employment are Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon for the months of September through June inclusive.

Starting salary is $10.00 per hour.

Written applications, accompanied by resumes, will be accepted up to and including Friday, January 25, 2008.  Interviews will be conducted during the following week, with the job to commence on Friday, February 1, 2008. 
Please forward applications to:

The Rev. Canon Richard Condo
Church of St. Stephen and St. Bede
99 Turner Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3J 2S9
or by email to: rickcondo@hotmail.com

Principal
Context: The Centre for Christian Studies (CCS), a theological school with roots in The Anglican Church of Canada and The United Church of Canada, educates women and men for ministry that seeks to
transform the church and the world toward wholeness, justice, and compassion. Staff, students, and volunteers are expected to uphold the school’s commitment to be an inclusive organization and community in which all people are treated with dignity and respect. CCS has been recognized by Integrity as a Proud Anglican Ministry and by Affirm United as an Affirming Ministry of The United Church of Canada.

Function: As part of a staff team of eight, the Principal is to provide leadership for the theological education program offered by the Centre for Christian Studies. The Centre for Christian Studies (CCS) has a motto: "Living a Theology of Justice". Thus each member of staff is considered equal in terms of responsibility for collegial well being, mutual accountability, and mutual empowerment.

Centre for Christian Studies
Woodsworth House, 60 Maryland St.
Winnipeg, MB R3G 1K7

Nor' West Co-op Community Health Centre invites you to attend upcoming events with Michael Chettleburgh - street gang expert and author of Young Thugs: Inside the Dangerous World of Canadian Street Gangs.

This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from one of Canada's foremost authorities on street gangs. Since 1991, Chettleburgh has run his own consultancy specializing in criminal justice issues. He wrote the 2002 Canadian Police Survey on Youth Gangs for the federal government and has also developed street-gang awareness training programs for law-enforcement agencies.

The following events will take place in Winnipeg next month:

An Evening Town Hall
Offers parents, educators, law enforcement professionals and community leaders essential advice on how we can keep children out of gangs and what we can do to help children who are already in one.

Wednesday, Feb 6, 2008
From 7-10 pm
Open to the public
No fee

Full Day Workshop
Geared towards policy makers and front line workers in law enforcement, justice, education and social services, Chettleburgh will address the following topics with a particular emphasis on Winnipeg:
State of street gangs in Canada
Causes of the street gang situation
Street gang mentality and culture
Girls in gangs
Gang economics
Best and promising practices: street gang prevention and suppression for front line workers
Thursday, Feb 7, 2008
From 9 am - 4 pm (registration 8:30 am)
Lunch provided
Fee: $120 reg; $75 student

See attached poster for more details or visit www.youngthugs.ca
Registration form for the Feb 7 workshop also attached below.

Contact Elizabete Caetano for more details at 940.8589 or ecaetano@norwesthealth.ca

Mission Trip Leaders Seminar Planned for Winnipeg
Two or three-week mission exposure and work trips are very popular in the ELCIC as they are for many church denominations at present. ELCIC Mission in the World (MW) encourages best practices on these mission trips so they can be beneficial to participants and host churches alike. By working ecumenically with the Canadian Churches Forum for Global Ministries, ELCIC MW is now able to offer the Mission Trip Leaders’ Training program and accompanying resource Sojourning, A Leader’s Guide for Short Term Mission Travel.

The next training seminar is planned for Winnipeg, March 8-9, 2008 and the registration deadline of February 10 is coming up soon. The registration form is on the Forum’s web site www.ccforum.ca. See the attached poster for further details.

Jan. 20, St. Stephen's/St Bede's, Winnipeg
Feb. 17 at Advent, Thompson
Mar. 16, Faith, Winnipeg
Apr. 20, Trinity, Starbuck
All services begin at 7 p.m.