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Page THE WEEKEND OUTLOOK Friday June 1991 Religion Children can discover their own God Twelfth Sunday In Ordinary Time Mark June 23 God is with me when I round second base So said one child to David Heller during the research for his book The Childrens God This statement is the evidence according to Heller of a child who has begun to move from a parental and socialized concep tion of God to a more self initiated creative and original representation of a personal God For this child God plays ball gets sweaty and probably slides into home plate For this child God knows the same exhilaration that he or she feels when they round second gauging whether they can make third or even go all the way For this child God shares their growing sense of selfdiscovery selfmastery and self awareness The point all the way through Hellers book is to encourage what psychologists call in dividuatfon Heller writes Separating from the parents of childhood and becoming a person in ones own right is a tal task for the child turned adult Separation includes detachment from the expecta tions patterns and internalized images of parents This can be especially difficult for those who experienced stagnating early family and socialization in Heller also writes about religious individuation By this he means the separation from parental religion and the discovery and creation of per religion Can parents help in this pro cess Heller says yes Tolerance optimism limit setting and a zest for originality and novelty are all parenting characteristics that allow a child Religion and Reality by Jim Ryan to explore the mysteries of the universe But most important is trust Trust which starts in the mother child relationship and then develops as parents nurture a child over time will make it possible for faith to emerge in the child Heller writes Trust is not necessarily the first cause of that faith owing to the possibility that faith may be caused by the actual existence of a deity but it lays the groundwork for faith If parents can help the development of faith they can also hinder it Heller thinks that overbearing family problems and lack of trust can make it too dif for children to confront the question of Gods existence But parents can only facilitate the process at best Religious in dividuation is never guaranteed and never easy Heller thinks that the child who a tolerance for being alone may have an advantage Time along seems to allow a child to develop his or her own beliefs out side of a parental shadow however benign that parental oversight might be It is dunng thio time alone that a child may have a breakthrough a moment of a newborn God These moments carry with them a special quality The child will speak with a special authority enough the discovery of the childs own God is accompanied by discovery of the childs own ability to affect the world Heller concludes No longer are the children perceiving themselves as pleasant puppets of the adult world They seem to believe that they can have great impact on the world Certainly they continue on with many tions about their God They take with them however a natural appetite for meaning and great taste for the freedom to explore Were back to our friend roun ding second base with God This is not so different from to days Gospel reading In Mark Jesus stands up in a boat and tells the wind and the waves to shut up and calm down And they do Thei disciples wonder Who is this guy They think He seems like God Is he God Endnote David Heller The Children God Chicago 1986 Lutheran Church convention attended by local delegates By REV FRITZ SCHMITT Rev Fritz Schmitt and Ted Von Zuben attended the Second regular Convention of the East District of Lutheran Church Canada which took place on June as delegates of Georgetown Lutheran Church The East Distnct includes con in Ontario Quebec and New Brunswick The Conven took place at the campus of Wilfred University in Waterloo Ontario The theme of the Convention was Jesus words in Matthew 11 28 Come Me The convention was opened with a service of praise to God lead by Edwin Lehman President of Lutheran Church Canada Church groups unite in friendship By JANET Herald Special The members of St Johns United Church are getting special help from their friends at Knox Presbyterian this summer For years the two churches have worshipped together dunng July and August switching sanc tuaries and preachers halfway through the summer This year major renovations and an addition at St Johns will make use of the building impossi so the Session at Knox has of fered to hold all services there In July the Rev Peter Barrow of Knox will be preaching at the 11 a service with St John s Music Director Haydn Evans at the organ In August St Johns minister Nancy Knox will lead services at Knox with resident organist Ren- van Dyke leading the joint choir from the two churches Both congregations enjoy the chance to follow the slightly ferent styles of worship each summer to sing from each others hymnbooks and to renew acquaintances on the steps out side after the service The two churches work together throughout the year on projects which involve other denominations as well including the Georgetown Refugee Com and Ten Days for World Development There s no question that we would be willing to share our building with the United Church says Knoxs Clerk of Session Hank van Goch We are happy they can renovate and ex pand Currently part of the downstairs at St John has been gutted and almost all the fur and fixtures have been moved into storage A new addi tion is rising on foundations poured at the back of the building An elevator and new kit chen are being installed and a wider door will be built into the sanctuary from the elevator lob by to give full accessibility for wheelchairs When construction is complete in the fall the main entry to the building will be from the back parking lot leading into new ground floor off ices Its wonderful generosity on the part of Knox to let us use their building all summer says Rev Nancy Knox Already theyve offered us the use of their hall for a reception following a funeral This sharing is a continuing witness to the community chur ches working together she said An historic part of this was the election of Dr Roger Winger of Kitchener Ontario as the new District President He succeeds Stanfel who has held this position for he past 21 years Dr Albin Stanfel the current president and a longtime friend of Dr Winger con on his election Presidentelect Roger Winger addressed the assembly He said he considered it a great privilege to carry out the respon sibihty entrusted to him by the congregations of the District and that he felt deeply humbled He said that while he remembered the words of Isaiah who said Here I am Lord Send me Rev Winger said he felt more like reluctant Moses Never he said he took strength from the words of St Paul who said I can do all things through God who strengthens me The Department of Social Ministry of the District shared with the assembly the dous work being undertaken by Canadian Lutheran World Relief around the world in such areas as Bangladesh and among the Kurds on the Turkey Iraq border The department also focused need for refugee resettlement and sponsorship in its report A motion was adopted to request the study of the Ontano cial Government s Ministry of Community and Social Services Advisory Committee on Children Services Report Children First While noting that the study document has been prepared to strengthen the state of the family in a healthier socie ty and that the Government has prepared the study document in part to solicit from all responsible segments of the Pro vince the motion further stated that the Ontario District of the LCC is also concerned about strengthening the state of the family and parental authority our society CHURCH DIRECTORY NONDENOMINATIONAL PENTECOSTAL ALL PEOPLES CHURCH DELIVERANCE CENTRE 41 Flnchgale SW Corner Bible Study Worship Deliverance Sunday 10 30 am 00 Wednesday We Provide Children s Church Nursery Service English toltalion Translation Pastor George A CHURCH OF ST THE MARTYR lAngBon Church of Canada 537 Main Clan William MounUIntUaMSla COME JOIN US A WARM WELCOME AWAITS YOU NEW APOSTOLIC CHURCH WHERE LIVING APOSTLES ME ACTIVE TODAY School 900am SERVICES 30 am Wednesday 800pm HILLS CONGREGATION ISO Main St South Acton A WELCOME TO ALL DID YOU KNOW YOU CAN GET YOUR YOUR OIL CHANGED IN UNDER 10 MINUTES OIL LUBE and FILTER COMPLETE CAR CLEANING NEEDS AT COMPETITIVE PRICES I UU WITH A SPECIALLY BLENDED YES YOU CAN AT 5 ARMSTRONG AVE UNIT 5 GEORGETOWN 8779394