The following responses are from the Trinity Anglican Youth Group in Marathon, ON.  A discussion was held with the youth, who are on the average 10-12 yrs old, on where our church is and where we want it to be in 2019.

Where we are:

-  We are struggling – to keep people coming to church
-  We like our congregation, but it is a small one
-  We enjoy our church

What we want in 2019 for our church:

-  Want the world to be good to people
-  Where people don’t hurt people
-  No more war
-  Help feed the homeless
-  More spending time together – fellowship
-  Youth more involved in the church – more activities
-  Meet together more
-  More Fundraising for Mission Work
-  Youths to do more “good deeds”
-  Priests to give more help to those who don’t believe in Jesus to get the word out, to help them believe
-  Priests & Youths to go to people who can’t come to church and hold services or bible studies in their homes
-  Wheel chair accessible, easier accessible church
-  Youth Pastor – Sunday school
-  Give stickers or other promotional items to kids to encourage them to come out to service or youth group
-  Find ways to bring more of the youth to our church

At this exact moment, the Church of God is at a cusp. It can either accept its prophetic role, as it has done many times over the last two thousand years, or, it can reject that role and slide backwards into oblivion. This church, this great church of ours has accepted in the past its prophetic role to be the bridge between Protestantism and Roman Catholicism; to proclaim and accept that negroes could be fully part of the church; to realize and act on the revelation that the ordained priesthood is rightfully open to female as well as male. Yes, these, and so many more examples of accepting God’s call as a church have regularly occurred over the ages, and once again, today, right now, we are being called to accept a prophetic role to the world to accept all persons of faith as full members of the Anglican Church, the Church of God.

In 2019, I would hope that the church has accepted its call to be a church wherein all Christian men and women are full members, no matter their race, ethnicity, sex or sexual orientation. I pray that it is a church wherein all believers, no matter the sexual orientation, sex, race or ethnicity can proclaim together that Jesus Christ is Lord, that Jesus Christ is King, that Jesus Christ is the most important person in their lives.  I pray that by 2019 that the church, the People of God, is actively on the front line fighting for justice, and proclaiming the Way to the world. I pray that our Anglican church is a leader church which knows the way, shows the way, and goes the way, proclaiming Christ Jesus, making our heavenly Father’s name known, empowered by and living in the Holy Spirit.

Reference: Vision 2019

Followers of Jesus are called to love one another (Jn. 34:34), and the Body of Christ is called to respect and honour all of its parts even though they be different (1 Cor.12:22-26).

The vision of the Church of St. John the Evangelist, Thunder Bay, Ontario, for the Anglican Church of Canada and all of its parts is that there will be love of the other, respect and honour of difference, and that the Anglican Church of Canada will be a light unto people and nations everywhere.

Respectfully yours in Christ,

For the Church of St. John the Evangelist

Thunder Bay, On.

I pray with an aching heart and yet hope that seems a little dim these days but a hope that will not die.

I pray for a truly inclusive church. It is so easy to exclude and be comfortable.

I pray for church where Christians stand shoulder to shoulder in service ministry after the pattern of Jesus and not wasting time glaring at each other over issues that are old and irrelevant to faithful discipleship and ministry in the now.

I pray for passion and challenge in the gathered life of the church, instead of the tepid, the boring, and same old same old.

I pray for a new sense of the excitement and the spirit of the Gospel where there is so much living and renewable fuel to be extracted for the present and the future instead of the dead wood, the non-renewable fuel for past issues, dead doctrines, and crumpling institution.

I pray for companions on the Way, not just nice folk with whom to keep up a building and a budget.

And since the church is aging, what better way to start than a grey revolution, the fellowship of St Anna and Simeon who recognized who and what mattered and didn’t get bogged down in who and what didn’t matter.

God bless us all.
Dorothy Daly

The Rev Dorothy I Daly, priest on pension, retired doesn’t fit the bill.
Elliot Lake ON