When I survey the wondrous work of the communities of faith in our regional council, I can’t help but be impressed at the work that so many are doing to be the hands and feet of Christ in their context. I am also quite aware of the challenges that face them… lack of ministry personnel, diminishing volunteers, dwindling funds and a sense that there is no future for our church in the years to come. It’s heavy. It’s not an easy burden to bear. It’s a lot like Holy Week. We keep doing what we feel...
Category: Message from Executive Minister
God, Goodness, Lord of all, may the humble meditations of my heart and the reflections of Christ’s disciples gathered here, be acceptable to you. And may your corrective whispers in our ears help us hear your voice instead of our own desires. Souffle ton esprit parmi nous lorsque nous réfléchissons ensemble. Amen. Brothers and sisters in the faith, thank you for welcoming me in your circle. It is good to be gathered with those who praise God, those who gather in community to hear how we might...
Based on readings from Isaiah 40:1-11 and Mark 1:1-8 Préparez le chemin pour le Seigneur… À chaque année on a l’occasion d’entendre Jean crier dans le désert… préparez le chemin! Rendez les sentiers droits! Et Ésaïe qui nous parle d’abaisser les montagnes et de lever les vallées pour rendre le chemin plus facile d’accès. Dans chacune des quatre évangiles… dans les livres des prophètes… Préparez-vous! C’est tellement commun qu’on risque perdre le sens de cette préparation qui nous incombe. Et...
A few weeks ago, I came to Ayer’s Cliff with two members of the Partner Council of the United Church… these are people who come from outside the church and offer their perspective on the church and our ways of doing things. This Regional Council, which covers most of Quebec, was chosen as one of two across Canada to host members. The two people I was travelling with were from India and from the Middle East. When I put together the agenda for the tour, I wanted to give a fuller picture of what...
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be the response to the Word that you hope to hear from us O God. And we humbly ask for your corrective whispers in our ears so that we might adjust the trajectory of our journey in a way that aligns with your life-giving wish for us. Amen. The scripture story we’ve just heard is filled with impatience. There is a sense that this journey through the desert is just taking far too long and isn’t providing the promised result that the...
Matthew 9:35-10:8 The harvest is plenty, but the labourers few. Since I began to fulfill my responsibilities as the Regional Executive Minister in January, I’ve become particularly worked up about the future of the church. We all know the stories: a church closes every week across Canada. Ministries are having to move to hiring part-time ministers because they can’t afford full-time ones. Some have decided to try to make it work without a minister, without a building or by sharing ministry...
Recent Comments