Reclaiming the Clay
Stories of Change
by Annita Maat

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What happens when the faith culture that shaped your life begins to fracture? In Reclaiming the Clay, a young girl grows up in a Dutch Calvinist immigrant community in mid-twentieth-century Canada, surrounded by family, tradition, and a deep sense of belonging. Through interconnected stories, a blend of fiction and memoir, Annita Maat draws readers into the everyday rhythms of church, school, and home, where joy and curiosity sit alongside discipline, loss, and questions that don’t easily go away. Over time, those questions deepen into a crisis, ultimately leading to her expulsion from the very community that formed her. Yet the story does not end there. Something else begins to take shape: a resilient faith shaped not by doctrine alone, but by compassion, humility, and shared responsibility. In that small, committed Christian community, wounded lives are welcomed, and healing begins in quiet, practical ways, day by day. In the spirit of the Master Potter’s work in restoring what has been misshapen, Reclaiming the Clay is a powerful exploration of faith, belonging, and transformation.

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Foreword by Keith Knight —Magazine and Newspaper Editor and Author of more than 25,000 editorials and articles . . . Review Excerpts: “The commitment, tenacity, grit, and grace required . . . to serve others are laid out with laughter, joy, humour, transparency, and truth.” —Patty Bowman Kingsley, Canadian Artist . . . “Prepare to be stretched, moved, and equipped to walk in your Kingdom identity and mission.” —Glem Dias, Kingdom Strategist . . . “. . . a book of consequence . . . in the spirit of Isaiah 64:8 and Jeremiah 18:1-4 . . .” —Chuck Proudfit, Founder of . . . “At Work on Purpose” “. . . amazing stories, and beautifully written.” —Jordan Taylor, National Director, “Transform Our World Canada” “. . . an empathetic dive into the thoughts and questions young people encounter as they uncover who they are and what they believe.” —Sarah Maat, Writer/Journalist “This blend of fiction and memoir explores the complexities of immigrant faith (the stories drop the reader into Dutch immigrant kitchens, church basements, school classrooms, and farmyards), the cost of authentic Christian community, and the slow work of healing in broken lives.” —Phil Reinders, Lead Pastor Clearview CRC

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Annita Maat brings her lived experiences to Reclaiming the Clay. She grew up in a Dutch Calvinist immigrant community in mid-twentieth-century Canada and later spent twelve years in an intentional Christian community, where people facing difficult circumstances were welcomed and supported as they found their way toward hope and healing. By profession, Annita is a teacher, but storytelling has been part of her life for as long as she can remember. She edited her school newspaper, wrote plays as a student, contributed to a college publication, and later wrote for and helped edit a Christian labour magazine. Over the years, she has continued to write articles, stories, and poetry, drawn to the way storytelling can help make sense of life’s more complicated moments. Annita enjoys working with clay on the pottery wheel, a practice that echoes the themes of shaping and restoration found in her writing. She lives in the Greater Toronto Area with her husband of more than fifty years, Derk. Together they have three married children and nine grandchildren, who bring a steady mix of energy, perspective, and joy to their lives.

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Contributors

Author

Annita Maat