April 17, 2024

“Alive is beautiful!” These words shared by the moderator the Rt. Rev. Dr. Carmen Lansdowne in part of her worship message to about 250 worshippers gathered at a church in No a Scotia Sunday. How is your community of faith feeling that, embracing it, living into it and celebrating it? Whether  you are facing tough, grief-laden decisions about closing your building and closing well, figuring out how your beloved community will discover its new path, or energized because dreams are taking shape, “alive is beautiful!” Being our best for right now impacts our future, fuels our spiritual fires kindling much needed hope and resilience. Exploring beyond our bricks and mortar worries, will bring us to greater openness to prayerfully discern God’s call to each of us. How will you re i e hope, happiness, spiritual hunger and health?  Take time to do your asset mapping.

In exploring renewing ministries, collaborative ministries, cooperative ministries or whatever   new ministries emerge, like gardeners, we need to figure out the conditions? What makes up the soil of your community of faith that can nurture new possibilities? What might require tilling or fertilizing to allow for healthy growth? What needs to be composted?

What makes up the soil of your neighbourhood?  What eco system is developing? What are the actionable take-a-ways from conversations? Who is responsible for follow through and communication? What are the timelines?