Autumn 2008 programmes & etc.

This Autumn at the LMC has been quite busy and sometimes it's hard to believe that it's late October. We've had two Cross-Currents seminars at the Centre. September 27 we hosted representatives from three organizations working to reduce violence in Israel: Christian Peacemaker Teams, Ecumenical Accompaniment Programme in Palestine Israel, and the International Solidarity Movement. The tag line....Violence is never the only way.

Then on 11 October two representatives of "Workshop" presented a taster day. Workshop is a one year long Christian learning programme where you commit one weekend a month to this programme.

A new Christian training programme called Crucible has begun which meets for three different weekends and has a different emphasis each time: "Creating New Churches" "The Urban Challenge" & "Emerging Church".

The Bridge Builders' department has begun their revised course this week "Transforming Church Conflict", which anyone can attend but mostly it is geared towards church workers.
I personally do a lot of administrative work for the Bridge Builders department so along with that, the guest rooms upkeep, and meals for the seminars & courses held at the Centre, I have been quite busy.

Ed has been busy helping to create a new fund raising brochure, all the usual work he does around the centre, plus stepping in as co-director while Vic & Kathy Thiessen have gone back to North America for three months.

The past three weeks, John & Naomi Lederach have been at the Centre conducting a project for the Board of Trustees. They have now completed the project (they worked very hard on this) and now will use the next 3-4 days to see some of London. It has been a very special treat for us to have them around, getting reacquainted and doing fun things with them.

We've been here for more than 20 months now and in some ways I am just starting to feel in the groove with respect to many things. The work at the Centre continues to increase year after year which has put more work onto the host couple. In the past it has often been a couple of retirement age with Ed & I being the youngest couple there has been. Some days I don't feel so young, especially after a full day of cooking and providing breaks, etc for seminars.

The directors position has evolved as well where the director is expected to wear many hats. Before long they will start to look for the future host couple (to start 2010) as well as the future director (summer 2010). Your prayers are greatly appreciated with respect to the future applicants for these two positions.