Gentlemen
Having been recently elected as your President for 2004 and 2005,
I have been asked to give a "Presidents" report which I
presume means spouting some words of wisdom about what my leadership
of the Brotherhood Of Anglican Churchmen means to me. First, let me
say that I am not a great teacher or philosopher and probably each
of you knows more about the Anglican Church and the Bible than I
ever will. Having said that, the BAC has a special meaning for me
and the way I direct my life.
Throughout my life I have been raised in the church and committed
to the teachings of our Lord but never really thought of that as
anything special until the last couple of years. Through Sunday
School, Junior Choir, AYPA, Servers, Senior Choir, Peoples Warden,
Rectors Warden and the BAC, I have always thought that "you do
what you gotta do" to help your church grow or survive. I haven’t
read the Bible from cover to cover but I know what it says and it
tells me what I need to do to spread the word of Jesus. We have just
recently returned from our Annual mtg. & Conf. in Sarnia where
we listened to Canon Harold Percy telling us we need to be
proclaiming the "Word Of Jesus" not just reciting prayers
once a week in an old building.
Okay, now that I’ve got that out of the way, the gloves are
coming off. I want to challenge each and every man in
our parishes in the Diocese to step up to the plate and make it
known that you believe in the Gospel of Jesus and that you are going
to fight to teach our young people what we believe. I’m not
interested in special interest groups and pseudo-christians wanting
to use the church as a means to legitimize their cause. I’m not
even interested in clergy that view teaching the Gospel of Jesus as
a "career" rather than a calling. I’ve been blessed with
direct teaching from seven priests in my life. Two I don’t
remember, one was a write-off, four have had a very direct impact on
my life at various stages.
We are having a Visioning Day on Sept.11, 2004 (ironic date) at
Huron Church Camp and it would please me to no end to have 200 men
show up to voice their opinion on what the BAC means to them.
Remember what your church means to you. We are not the ACW, the
Junior or Senior Choir but the Men of the Anglican
Church. I mentioned earlier that my life has changed in the last
couple of years, meaning that not many people get to meet the one
that is guiding their life (not once but twice) and I keep asking
myself everyday.... why me. In the words of one of my favourite
recording artists (Randy Travis), "I’m gonna have a little
talk with Jesus when I get home to-night". So there you have it
"gentlemen". I need your help and guidance to steer this
dream over the next 2 years. Let’s borrow our secretary’s ending
and go W.U.G.L.E. together.
To Serve our Lord
Mike C.
Retiring Chaplain’s Report to B. A. C. Diocesan
Executive Council
March 13, 2004
Gentlemen:
I write this report with mixed feelings. since
1978, I have had, by and large, a rewarding relationship with
Council and have been privileged to serve in all positions with the
exception of Treasurer. Perhaps it is for that reason that I have
found this report very difficult to write.
When one has been around that long, and is now
getting 'long in the tooth’, there is a tendency to look at things
in comparison to "the way things used to be." There are
both advantages and disadvantages to this view. On the one hand, in
order to grow, there needs to be some acceptance of change; on the
other hand, change should always move us forward. There are just a
few areas I would like to comment on as I leave you in the
capable hands of your new Chaplain, the Rev. Canon Robin Lyons.
The Chaplaincy. I realize that for too
long you were required to operate without an active Chaplain's
participation and, as a result, you were required to move ahead with
such things as conference planning on your own. Thanks to Bishop
Howe and Chaplain Robin, that phase is now past. I trust that you
will include Robin in future conference planning, particularly in
the area of worship. While there is nothing wrong with involving
local clergy in conference worship, it might be nice for the
membership of the Brotherhood to have their Chaplain involved as
well.
Conference Planning. If the 'target
group' for the annual conference is to continue to be the men of the
diocese, Council should decide whether or not they wish to have some
input into the program and format. Provision was made some years ago
for that to happen, and a Conference Co-ordinator was put in place
as liaison between the local committee and Council. Whatever
structure and/or process is chosen, it would be good to have such
clearly stated so that everyone is on the same page.
Membership and Communication. As recent Council
meetings have shown, this is an area that needs to be addressed. If
the intent is to continue without a Membership and communications
Secretary, the Constitution and By-Laws should be amended
accordingly. When the position was instituted, the feeling was that
there were definite advantages to having one person with
responsibility for both areas, and I think most would agree that it
worked well. The present system, it seems to me, needs some work.
E-mail may work well for a lot of things but, when it comes to
membership and the need to keep track of paid members and chapters,
it' s hard to beat a list of names and addresses that comes in the
mail to one person accompanied by a cheque.
Witness, Unite, Grow, Lead, Extend, and Build
a Growing Christian Community. If these are to
continue to be the Aims and objects of the Brotherhood of
Anglican Churchmen in the Diocese of Huron, our Council needs to set
an example. If we do not actively promote and encourage membership
in the B. A. C., we do not really have grounds for bemoaning
the lack of growth. The formation of new chapters, normally,
requires some effort on the part of Council; it's not often that we
have a situation such as the men of All Saints, Waterloo, who took
the initiative on their own.
Know what you're about. We have a Handbook for
guidance; we should know what is in it. I have to admit that I was
dumbfounded when All Saints, Waterloo, inquired about forming a
chapter and our Executive Committee did not appear to know how to
apply for a charter.
Money. We have heard a lot at Council meetings about money
or, more accurately, the lack of money. Income is tied to
membership; no change in membership means no change in income.
Expenses, on the other hand, keep rising. We keep hearing that the
membership will not accept an increase in membership fees. Perhaps
expenses could be cut by having fewer Council meetings.. It may also
be time that the membership was asked what they want for their
membership dollar. Five dollars does not buy much these days; I, for
one, don't know of any other organization where you can become a
member for less than a lot of folks spend on coffee in a week.
Approved Projects. Prior to the Annual General Meeting, some
decision should be made regarding financial support of approved
projects. The motion approved last year, while providing equal
funding'. is not sustainable with present membership.
Visioning Day. Regardless of where we might like to lay blame
for the delay in getting this day organized, the fact remains that two
years is too long. The latest word I have is that it now
looks likely to be scheduled for September. Good. This could be an
important day for the future of the B. A. C. in our diocese. My hope
is that it will be well-publicized and that a wide cross-section of
the men of the diocese will be encouraged to attend and participate.
Assets and Resources. This is about the fifth re-write of
this report because I felt the previous attempts appeared too
negative. Some of you may think this one is also, but it is not
meant to be. It is offered as constructive criticism, if you will.
The Brotherhood of Anglican Churchmen in the Diocese of Huron has
tremendous assets and resources in present and former members of
Diocesan Executive Council, in the membership of the B. A. C., and
in our Bishops and clergy. And, as you have heard me say before, our
greatest untapped resource is in the men of the diocese who, as yet,
are not members of our organization. We should not be hesitant to
draw on our resources when we need them, nor should we be reluctant
to make the best use of our assets, even if that means doing things
in a way that is different and not the traditional way.
Thank You. It has been both a privilege and a pleasure to
serve as your Diocesan Chaplain for the past two years, just
as it was to serve on council in other positions for what some folks
probably think was too long. The key word in that long sentence was serve.
If you remember nothing else from this report, I want you to
remember that word. My participation in the B. A. C. has always been
a matter of service - to Christ, His Church, and the membership. My
prayer is that your participation may be on the same basis because,
if it is, the future of the Brotherhood is in good hands and can
only move forward. Thank you.
Blessings,
The Rev. Dennis Cluley,
Diocesan Chaplain (Retired)
GOOD KARMA
This is nice reading, but short. Enjoy! This is what the Dalai
Lama has to say for 2004. All it takes is a few seconds to read and
think over. Do not keep this message. The mantra leave our hands
within 96 hrs. You will get a very pleasant surprise. This is true
for all - even if you are not superstitious .... or of what ever
religious belief ... Faith ...
INSTRUCTIONS FOR LIFE
Take into account the great love and great
achievements involve great risk.
When you lose, don’t lose the lesson.
Follow the three R’s
Respect
yourself
Respect for others
Responsibility
for all of your actions
Remember that not getting what you want is
sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck..
Learn the rules so you know how to break them
properly..
Don’t let a little dispute injure a great
relationship.
When you realize you’ve made a mistake, take
immediate steps to correct it..
Spend some time alone every day..
Open arms to change, but don’t let go of your
values..
Remember that silence is sometimes the best
answer..
Live a good, honourable life. Then when you get
older and think back,
you’ll be able to enjoy it second time..
A loving atmosphere in your home is the
foundation for your life..
In disagreements with loved ones, deal with
only the current situation.
Don’t bring up the past..
Share your knowledge.
It’s a way to achieve immortality.
Be gentle with the earth..
Once a year, go someplace you’ve never been..
Remember that the best relationship is one in
which your love for each
other exceeds your need for each other..
Judge your success by what you had to give up
in order to get it..
Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon..
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