I attend St Mary Magdalene Anglican Church in Winnipeg. We are a vibrant group with people committed to worship and to the exercise of their gifts in God’s service. The building is well used during the week by community groups from Guides and Scouts to Seniors, and is used by AA and for wellness programs by a community clinic Although there are families with young children, young adults are not well represented in our worshipping community but seniors are. We pay our Diocesan Apportionment and have several members who are active in the Diocese e.g. Diocesan Council, Anglican Fellowship of Prayer, PWRDF. We have money in the bank and try to give responsibly to mission locally and nationally. We have recently completed a renovation of our own space with good leadership and a lot of help from our own congregation and the groups who use the building. We are concious of our neighbourhood and explore ways to reach out and interact where there is need and encourage those who use the buiding mid-week to seek pastoral care when the need arises. We are part of ongoing plans with ELCIC to support church expansion into a new neighbourhood. There is always an underlying concern about the future when the habit of worship does not seem to exist in the rising generation and when the old ways seem to have lost relevance. Happily our priest and our music leader are ‘Thirty somethings’ so keep us current. I have no doubt that ‘God is working his purpose out’ and that should our buildings no longer be needed ‘the Church’ in some form will go marching on. With love in Christ…Heather B
