Broadview

By Janice Young

Jim Bakker died earlier this week. I’d completely forgotten about him and his ex-wife, the late Tammy Faye. In the 1970s and ‘80s, they were bona fide celebrities. Their televangelical ministry, PTL (Praise the Lord) Satellite Network, made millions of dollars through their Christian TV programming, and their Heritage USA theme park in Fort Mill, S.C., was the third most successful in the country. It all came crashing down in the late ‘80s amid fraud and sex scandals, leading to jail time and divorce for Bakker.

The bigger they are, the harder they fall — which is why I appreciate small churches. They’re not flashy, and they’re not trying to sell you anything. They’re simply grassroots and genuine. They are true communities of faith, where members are like family and congregants are active participants in the ministry, not just observers — where if one stumbles, others are ready with a steadying hand. That’s why their success stories are so much sweeter. 
 
Broadview’s current issue is devoted to small churches. Their value is beautifully expressed by journalist Julie McGonegal, whose article opens with: “I found my church community in a storefront. It wasn’t much to look at, merely an unassuming space with folding chairs and a kitchenette. But it held something rare: a place where, without fanfare or sign-up sheets, you could arrive tired — that particular tired unique to raising small humans — and simply be folded in.”
 
You can read her full story, published online as What Small Churches Know, here.
 
While there continue to be Christian media empires, evangelical celebrities and megachurches reaching millions — and making millions — every day, I would argue that small churches make a more significant impact on the communities around them.
 
Let Me Know: What’s the best thing about your small church? Let me know what yours does best, and your praise might be shared in the next newsletter. Email me: j.young@broadview.org.
 
LETTERS:
In the last newsletter, I asked how you would mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. As these two responses show, there are big and small ways to be supportive, to be present and to honour the children and generations lost to colonialism.
 
As perhaps only a small gesture, I plan to wear my orange shirt on both Sunday (to church) and Wednesday for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. I will likely also reflect on the story by a woman I know about her grandmother’s experience at a residential school and how that impacted her life and, in turn, the lives of her children and grandchildren.
—Jim Kells, Saskatoon
 
Here at St. Andrew’s United Church in Lacombe, Alta., the Living into Right Relations group will be leading the service on Sept. 27, remembering the children who attended the nearby Red Deer Indian Industrial School (1893-1919), run by our Methodist ancestors. One of those children was Ellen Hart, and her wooden headboard grave marker is preserved in the Red Deer Museum. Ellen was one of eight children who came from Nelson House, Man., one of three who died at the school. 
 
Beginning Sept. 29 at noon, as a member of the Lacombe & Area ReconciliAction Coalition, I will be co-hosting a weekly watch party of the six Lunch and Learn webinars produced by the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation.  
 
The Chinook Winds and Northern Spirit Inter-Region Being Good Relations Network is planning a gathering Nov. 6-7 with Dr. Fraser and Treaty 6 residential school support workers, about recognizing and responding to residential school denialism. It will be held at Sunnybrook United Church in Red Deer. 
 
I have had many Elders tell me “we must never give up” taking steps on the journey of truth and reconciliation (especially when the backwards ones happen). 
 
Thank you, Broadview, for your excellent coverage of the journey.
—Rev. Cecile Fausak, Lacombe, Alta.