For every thing there is a season . . .

For every thing there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill and a time to heal;
a time to break down and a time to build up . . .

I kept these words from Ecclesiates close to my heart in the late 1990s and early part of the new millennium as the Anglican church I attended closed and then was reborn as something new. The experiences of those years form my vision of what the Anglican Church can be.

Back then, I attended a small, struggling church. The members were for the most part loving, faithful people. Yet there was a feeling we could and should do more in response to God’s call. We learned several nearby Anglican churches – also small and struggling – were having similar thoughts. Four of these churches started to meet and dream about what we could do together that we didn’t have the energy or vision to do separately. A theologian later gave us a word for this convergence – kairos, God breaking into our lives.

We talked, prayed, planned, and researched. We fought, shed tears, gossiped, and spread rumours. Ultimately, we affirmed our passionate love of God, our vision to be faithful disciples of Christ and our desire to incorporate community in all we did. We would no longer live in survival mode; we would step forward with the hope that is ours by faith.

We voted to close our churches and form a new one we would call East London Anglican Ministries – an odd name for a church but chosen to remind us that ministries and mission were what we would be about. We sold our buildings and tossed out many of the accumulated possessions. We spent a year worshipping in a funeral home next to a cemetery (now there’s a Resurrection symbol for you). We bought a commercial building on a major street and renovated and expanded it to fit our vision. The Service of Dedication was held in September 2002.

We have between 150 and 200 on Sundays. After losing members during the amalgamation turmoil, we grew quite rapidly once we opened our doors. It’s teaching us how to think about newcomers in what we do. Worship services are lively. We have about 30 programs, including pastoral support, outreach, study groups, and fundraisers. The nursery is overflowing with little ones. It is not perfect. Once in a moment of black humour, a friend and I joked that we could develop a video game based on the power struggles.

It’s hard for me to get my head around a vision for the entire Anglican Church of Canada in all its diversity from coast to coast to coast. Most of my involvement with the church has been at the local level, so from that experience – particularly what I’ve described above since that had an enormous influence on my faith development – this is what I’ve learned about vision and renewal and what may be possible across the church:

• Lay people, step up. Take ownership of your church. Stop waiting for the rector or bishop or a benefactor to rescue you. They have key roles in offering expertise and resources, but it’s a collaborative effort to run an effective church. If we truly believe in the priesthood of all believers, we also have to believe God has gifted us with tremendous talent to be released.
• Deciding to rebuild a church – and here I don’t mean the building – forces you to go to the roots of faith and ask “Why are we here?” This roots question isn’t one of fundamentalism or traditionalism. It’s a question of Spirit, faith and sacredness. Having the opportunity to explore this question is the most amazing experience.
• Likewise deciding to rebuild a church – and here I do mean the building – forces you to let go of church possessions. On the days we went through our old churches’ stuff, we actually had a lot of fun. We kept things of the past that we valued most and lightened our load of the rest – both physically and psychologically.
• Take time. Renewal is complex work. Our churches spent six years on planning from the time we said “maybe we can do this” until we moved into our new home. In fact, I don’t think we’re done. In further fact, I don’t think we’ll ever be done. God is constantly revealed to us, bringing about a refocusing of vision.
• Have courage. Once you open yourself up to deep changes, there is a period of chaos until the new ways take shape. I have yet to find a way to avoid this stage. The consolation is it does end eventually. The truth is, however, if you’re not willing to change, you may die. So don’t let fear of change hold you back.
• The Spirit of God is an energizing, joyful force. Once you respond to God’s call, amazing things will happen to keep you moving forward.

Thank you for reading this.