This is my first message for contact. What a wonderful way to keep in touch and to let folks know what’s happening in our spiritual community. Perhaps the most important aspect of any community is good communication. contact in newsletter and blog form does just that for us.
However, we mustn’t forget that we are a part of the greater United Church of Canada and it, too, has its media: The United Church Observer and wondercafe.ca. It’s important to keep up with what’s going on in our community and the world. It informs our faith and our spirituality. It helps us put things into context and challenges us to think about who we are and who God calls us to be. The world is changing. Ideas about religion and spirituality are changing. We can build on the past but we can’t cling to it. God isn’t there. God moves us ever forward and it’s in moving forward, into the unknown, that we exercise our faith.
Christine and I are really happy to be here at St. Mark’s and St. David’s. Everyone has been wonderful and we look forward to a fruitful ministry. Of course the term fruitful can be interpreted several ways but to let you know where I’m coming from, I have a definition of the role of an ordained minister.
Here it is:
The ordained minister has the theological education to appreciate many theological positions, recognizing that many people experience life differently and therefore experience God in different ways. The minister, therefore, encourages and invites education and spiritual development.
The minister encourages ownership by the congregation. It is their church community and they make the decisions, getting out of it what they seek in proportion to what they contribute.
The minister is seen as an enabler and facilitator; a non-biased, non-judgemental individual encouraging members of the congregation to come to their own decisions.
An ordained minister must help the congregation develop a vision as a community; to encourage them in seeing who and where they want to be in the future and helping them on their way.
An ordained minister must be a marketer. What we have is a product that can transform people’s lives and build community. That product must be attractive enough to invite people outside, inside.
The minister must inspire the congregation and provide an example for them to follow.
The minister should get to know the congregation. Pastoral care and visiting are important.
The minister is the bearer of God’s love and caring. This means offering oneself to be with those in distress, listening to them, comforting them, praying with and for them.
The minister provides a priestly role in the ritual of worship and sacrament; offering prayers on behalf of the congregation and individuals as well as presiding at worship services and offering inspirational messages.
The minister is the visible representative of the church to the congregation and the community.
As we enter into this new ministry I would ask you to ponder a few questions just for your own personal reflection.
1. Who or what is God, for me? In other words, what is your concept of God. Try to come up with a reasonable workable impression of how you think about God.
2. Who is Jesus, for me? Same idea as number 1.
3. What does the word faith mean to me and what does it mean to speak about my faith?
4. Do I want to grow, spiritually and experience God’s deeper presence in my life?
This should help in your self-reflection and as we meet and talk with one another, maybe we can share some of the insights we come up with.
In Christ,
Rev. Sheldon
