Explore Seasons

Meet the Writers

SeasonsFUSION is created by practitioners who are passionate about their ministries. Quarterly development events are held in local church communities in Australia, North America, United Kingdom, and New Zealand.

At each development event, members from the local host congregation meet with editors to discuss the lectionary passages, brainstorm themes, and share suggestions for worship and practice from their own experience.

Winfield United Church in British Columbia, Canada was the host community for Advent, Christmas, Epiphany. Read more about Winfield United Church.

 

Meet the Writers

Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, 2011-12

 

Sarah Agnew – weekly worship outlines

Hi, I'm Minister in the Belair Uniting Church congregation, Adelaide, South Australia.

As a poet and biblical storyteller, I am privileged to have many opportunities to contribute to the life of the Body of Christ – teaching at Uniting College for Leadership and Theology in Adelaide, in Biblical Studies and a course in Worship, Spirituality and the Arts; serving on teams for the Centre for Music Liturgy and the Arts, new models of church in South Australia; and planning worship for the national Assembly of the Uniting Church to be held in 2012. And also to write for Seasons of the Spirit: I have written an article on Biblical Storytelling, a story or two, and the worship outlines for the 2011-12 Advent, Christmas, Epiphany SeasonsFUSION resource. 

Thank you to the editors for the invitation to write for Seasons, and thank you to you, for inviting me, through my words, to be part of the worshipping life of your community. May God bless you with deep joy. 

– Sarah

 

Julie Elliot – Christmas pageant and MP3 storyteller

Winfield United, in British Columbia, Canada is home to several fine painters, including Julie Elliot who participated in the development event. Julie is a painter and printmaker, and has been making connections between art and spirituality for over 20 years. Her artistic sensibilities often find expression in her engagement with the children of the congregation, through her co-leadership of the Christian Education program. Julie is a skilled creator and shaper of meaningful faith formation experiences, including the 2009 Winfield United Church Christmas pageant, which is on p. 26 of SeasonsFUSION. She also recorded the Bible stories that are in MP3 format for Season of Creation, Pentecost 2, 2011. Julie says:

“It was magical to record the stories for Season of Creation, Pentecost 2. I imagined I was reading to the children of our congregation – a group that I’ve taught, loved and learned from for many years. The stories were so well written that it was easy to imbue them with feeling and conviction. It was a wonderful experience and I was disappointed when I turned the last page, knowing it was over.”

– Julie

 

Christine Gilbert – Special worship services

I am an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ, USA. I have served in congregational ministry for eight years before joining the Seasons of the Spirit writing and editing team for four years. I wrote the Blue Christmas, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day worship outlines for Advent, Christmas 2011.

I have a particular interest in deepening spirituality by engaging various learning styles in small groups and worship. I moved from the United States to Adelaide, South Australia in March 2011 and have found a home in the Uniting Church of Australia – part of the united / uniting family of churches around the world.

– Christine

 

Susan McIlveen – Living the seasons

I'm a community outreach leader and Christian educator living in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. I'm Presbyterian. For the past 15 years, I've been passionate about helping people make deep connections between their beliefs and their practice – in relationships, spirituality, consumer choices, and community life. Writing "Living the Seasons" was a faith practice for me. I was able to go deep within my hopes and God's dream for the followers of Christ, looking for practical ways to connect "church" with the rest of life. The conversations that began in my family and in my church family while I was writing continue, after Sunday morning and beyond our church walls. And although these conversations are challenging and sometimes difficult, we keep talking and trying together. I wish you courage and curiosity as you explore SeasonsFUSION.

– Susan

 

Donna Scorer – Bible stories, stations, resource sheets, activity sheets

Although I am not a member of Winfield United, I contributed greatly to the development event. No stranger to the Okanagan Valley nor to Seasons of the Spirit and, before that, The Whole People of God, my gifts lie in my ability to connect with the very youngest members of God's family. For the season of Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany I wrote and recorded the Bible stories to make them more accessible to all ages. As well, I developed the stations. Seeing a need to introduce a communal spiritual practice into the life of SeasonsFUSION, I also created a contemplative corner for each week.

– Donna

You can hear Donna reading her Bible stories by going to the “audio stories” folder on the Advent, Christmas, Epiphany Data CD. These recordings are also available for individual purchase and download.

 

Ruth Wright – Biblical backgrounds, reflecting on the word, articles

Ruth Wright served Winfield United as a two-year intentional interim minister. A life-long learner and educator, Ruth has shared her gifts in a wide variety of contexts, from tiny outport fishing communities in Newfoundland on the far east coast of Canada, to urban communities such as St. Aiden’s United Church in Victoria, on Vancouver Island, on the west coast. For ten years Ruth worked at First United in Vancouver’s lower east side, one of the poorest and most troubled urban environments in Canada. Her passion for inner-city ministry inspired and enriched the discussion at the development event.
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