During this Remembrance month, we remember those who have
died so that we can live in peace. We also think of the memorial stones that
Joshua set up after crossing the Jordan River to remind the people of what God
had done for them.
Prompt:
Choose a memory…. why you write, the books you read as a
child, a memory or situation connected to your writing journey. How is this
memory a memorial for you?
InScribe
Christian Writers’ Fellowship—Then and Now
I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
yes, I will remember your miracles of long ago.
I will consider all your works
and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”
-
Psalm 77:11-12
This month I want to pay tribute to the great things God
has done in InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship.
Our
current mission is “to stimulate, encourage and support
Christians across Canada who write, to advance effective Christian writing, and
to promote the availability and influence of all Christians who write.”
Origins: InScribe
Christian Writers’ Fellowship began as a result of the Billy Graham Decision
School of Christian Writing in Calgary in 1979. Twelve writers decided to have
an organization “to provide a vehicle for mutual support, stimulation and
growth for Christian writers in Alberta.” The main feature was an annual
conference—still important today.
In 1982, there were twenty-two
paid members, with an annual fee of $15.00. Today we have nearly 200
members, with memberships paid on a one-year, two-year and three-year basis.
Executive
meetings were originally face-to-face, with members needing to
drive some distance to meet. Now we have the convenience of online resources
and can enjoy meetings from the comfort of our own homes.
Writing
Contests began in 1983, and now include winter and fall contests,
FellowScript contests and monthly writing challenges.
The Newsletter
began as a single page in 1983, mailed to fifteen people. We now have a
thirty-two page FellowScript magazine, available in print and on PDF.
The first writing
group was formed on September 15, 1986. We currently have fourteen groups,
and have had up to more than twenty.
Spring
Workshops were added in April 1990, later named Spring WorDshops.
Cross-Canada
expansion came in 1996; to reflect this expansion, we later
adopted the current name, InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship. Right now we
have the capacity to expand even further, to become an international
organization.
Technology
changed
the face of ICWF. With the rise of internet, we registered our organization
online and created a website with the domain name InScribe.org. We later added
a members’ discussion group—the Listserve--and two blogs: InScribe Writers
Online, and the Professional Blog.
InScribe
has published three anthologies: Companion, in honour of the 20th anniversary in 2000; InScribed: 30 Years of Inspiring Writers,
and 7 Essential Habits of Christian
Writers, published in 2015.
As we grow, we mentor and minister to writers wherever
they are their writing journey. We continue to develop our vision and leadership
capacities of all. And as God has led us these thirty-five years, we trust Him
to lead us in the future.
For
reflection:
·
When and how did you come into contact with
ICWF?
·
What has God done for you through ICWF? Take
time to thank Him for the part ICWF has played in your writing career and in
your spiritual life.
·
Who in ICWF has been influential in your
spiritual and writing development? Why not email or phone these people to thank
them. (Hmm…Now I have a bit of homework to do on this one.)
PS If you wish to read a devotional on Joshua’s memorial
stones, click here.
