Comments on: Bob E., St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador http://www.anglican.ca/v2019/yourstory/stories/?p=46 Vision 2019 is a church-wide exercise to discern, dream, and decide where we think God wants the Anglican Church of Canada to be in 2019. Your voice is needed! The results will be shared at our next national meeting, General Synod 2010. Sat, 07 Aug 2010 20:56:20 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Teri, St. John's http://www.anglican.ca/v2019/yourstory/stories/?p=46&cpage=1#comment-149 Teri, St. John's Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:41:48 +0000 http://www.anglican.ca/v2019/yourstory/stories/?p=46#comment-149 Hi Bob, I understand completely the discovery of faith through ministry: in both our cases, that was becoming the church organist. I often think that if youth felt as if they had a place in the church, that is, if they felt valued, known and cherished in a community of the church, it would be much easier for them to find what is so powerful about faith. Had I not that ministry, I would not be in the position that I am today, and life would be just as dim as it was when I described myself as athiest. Helping young people find a ministry, and cherishing them for who they are and the gifts they have, would (in my opinion) change the lives of those finding their ministry. The obvious ministries are usualy reading, serving, music and preaching, and it usually stops at that, but I feel we need to cherish other ministries. If a young person has a gift for technology, then that is a gift given by God to them, and by turning a gift into a ministry, we give them a purpose - a reason to live, to love, to laugh and a reason to believe that that gift wasn't an accident. Hi Bob,
I understand completely the discovery of faith through ministry: in both our cases, that was becoming the church organist. I often think that if youth felt as if they had a place in the church, that is, if they felt valued, known and cherished in a community of the church, it would be much easier for them to find what is so powerful about faith. Had I not that ministry, I would not be in the position that I am today, and life would be just as dim as it was when I described myself as athiest.
Helping young people find a ministry, and cherishing them for who they are and the gifts they have, would (in my opinion) change the lives of those finding their ministry. The obvious ministries are usualy reading, serving, music and preaching, and it usually stops at that, but I feel we need to cherish other ministries. If a young person has a gift for technology, then that is a gift given by God to them, and by turning a gift into a ministry, we give them a purpose – a reason to live, to love, to laugh and a reason to believe that that gift wasn’t an accident.

]]> By: Allan P, Owen Sound http://www.anglican.ca/v2019/yourstory/stories/?p=46&cpage=1#comment-52 Allan P, Owen Sound Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:56:33 +0000 http://www.anglican.ca/v2019/yourstory/stories/?p=46#comment-52 Hello Bob, Your experiences and observations are quite common. We Anglicans are most certainly a minority within Canada. Also, that our attendance has been steadily deminishing is well documented and known. All of the efforts at revision and inclusiveness have not resulted in attracking any measurable increase in membership. In fact it appears to have done the exact opposite by upsetting and alienating the existing Congregations, many to the point of leaving us. I have read this elsewhere, and I think it is worth repeating here. People don't come to church for more of what they get everywhere/anywhere else. They come for the Word of God. If the Word of God is absent, than we are no longer a Church. Instead we have turned ourselves into nothing more than a social club, or just another community service group. Hello Bob,

Your experiences and observations are quite common. We Anglicans are most certainly a minority within Canada. Also, that our attendance has been steadily deminishing is well documented and known. All of the efforts at revision and inclusiveness have not resulted in attracking any measurable increase in membership. In fact it appears to have done the exact opposite by upsetting and alienating the existing Congregations, many to the point of leaving us.

I have read this elsewhere, and I think it is worth repeating here. People don’t come to church for more of what they get everywhere/anywhere else. They come for the Word of God. If the Word of God is absent, than we are no longer a Church. Instead we have turned ourselves into nothing more than a social club, or just another community service group.

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