One of the great things about being back in Nova Scotia after living in Toronto for 5 years has been re-connecting with friends and colleagues. Rev. Robyn Brown-Hewitt is one of those folks.
Here we are at the North End Baking Company & Cafe yesterday, where we try to meet every couple of months to catch up and check in.
If you don’t know about the North End Bakery on Prescott Street, you should check it out. This is from their website:
“Welcome to North End Baking Co. & Cafe, where every treat is crafted with care, purpose, and inclusivity in mind! We are a gluten-free bakery and café, and many of our items are also dairy-free—because we believe delicious food should be for everyone.
We’re proud to be a social enterprise of Prescott Group, located in the North End of Halifax, Nova Scotia. At our heart, we’re a learning kitchen and café, providing adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities opportunities to build confidence and skills in baking, culinary arts, customer service, and cashiering.
Your support helps create meaningful learning experiences and lasting connections. Thank you for your patience and kindness as our team members grow and thrive. We promise it’s worth the wait!”
Learn more about the North End Bakery and Café at North End Baking Co.
Robyn and I go way back. We first worked together in the summer of 2002 when I was on the Agenda and Planning Committee and Robyn was the chair of the Worship Committee for the General Council in 2003 in Wolfville. When she asked me to be part of the Worship Planning Committee, I jumped at the chance. Any skills I have in creating liturgy and putting together worship services, I learned from Robyn.
For several years Robyn and I traveled together to attend Festival of Homiletics conferences. These are huge 4 day gatherings of preachers from around North America. Every year the keynote speakers are well known theologians and preachers. Robyn and I attended the events in Chicago, Atlanta, and Nashville together. If I have any skills in preaching it is because of those conferences and the many different sermons and styles of preaching that we experienced during those times.
In 2013 Robyn, Alana and I traveled together to the Greenbelt Festival in Cheltenham, England. Along with a 20 hour stopover in Iceland, where we had a lovely trip to the Blue Lagoon, we also spent 3 days in London before the festival. Here we are about to see Wicked.
Former United Church Moderator Right Rev. Gary Patterson had a dream of taking 100 people from the United Church of Canada, 50 under 50 years old and 50 over 50 to experience “Greenbelt”, the Christian festival of “artistry, activism and belief.” The Festival has been going for about 50 years, and from the website it looks like it is still going strong. In 2013 there were about 20,000 people in attendance. It was quite a remarkable experience. You can read more at Greenbelt Festival – Somewhere to believe in
Below is a picture of many of us from the UCC … you can find me towards the right in the second row looking over at Alana, who is sitting on the far edge of the picture. Robyn is kneeling, smack dab in the middle, with a black Tshirt with a green design. I believe that immediately in front of me is our current moderator, Rev. Carmen Lansdowne.
Although over the past 10 years or so our busy lives have meant that we haven’t seen each other much, it has been wonderful to reconnect in the past year, share memories, and celebrate our present lives. It is a gift to look back and see how our experiences have woven themselves into the fabric of our lives.
This Sunday we honour Indigenous Day of Prayer. During our Sacred Readings time, we will hear a story called “We Were Alone” by David A. Robertson. There is a youtube video with the author reading this book at (539) David Robertson #Reads2CHEO: When we were alone - YouTube.
I was listening to CBCs Bookends with Mattea Roach as I was driving into Bethany last week. She was interviewing Robertson, and i immediately wanted to follow up for our worship service for June 15. I mentioned it to Ann when I arrived at the church, she said “I have a book that might fit the theme” … ran to her office, and came back with the book. “That’s the one he was talking about!” I said. Funny how things work out. Or, as I like to think, the Spirit at work.
Here's the CBC interview:
I hope you can join us on Sunday as we explore some of the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Report, and specifically the ones that are calls for the church. How are we doing at Bethany on this path to reconciliation? How are you doing personally?
