It’s almost spring! In my latitude (43N), we get around 2 minutes extra daylight every day. In Edmonton (53N), they’re getting a whopping 3 minutes extra. Just a little. But it adds up! So that in mid-June, Hamilton has 15 hours of daylight (compared to 9 hours in December), and Edmonton has 17 hours in June, with only about 7 in December.
Well, that’s a metaphor, if I ever saw one. (Yeah, I know from June – December it’s the other way around; half a metaphor is better than none, I always say.)
Toward Canada (TC) continues to gather momentum, a little bit at a time. Several churches have agreed to being catalyst churches; several have agreed to be observer churches. The catalyst churches, along with the current board of eight people from across Canada, will continue the work on the All Canada Summit’s draft foundational statements. These statements will help to define what the community of churches will look like. That retreat/meeting will be held on a weekend in late June in southern Ontario. It will be joined by folks from observer churches, who will consider their future role in this new community of Reformed churches in Canada. To be frank, there are several disaffiliated congregations that are now, even as we speak, considering what role they want to play in this community: catalyst or observer.
As noted in previous newsletters, this June meeting will be followed by a mid-autumn meeting, “Summit 2.0” (OK, the name is kinda made up), in the Edmonton area. Many more people will be in attendance at this summit; more final, collaboratively-determined decisions will be made.
But let me also highlight a group of individuals across the country, who are wondering where and how they fit into their own church community. Folks who continue to love their church family, but no longer feel at home with some of the decisions made by the Synod of the CRCNA in the past several years, and are concerned about what they see as disquieting trends in the CRCNA. What about them? Where and how can these folks feel at (spiritual) home?
TC is offering a place of discernment and conversation; a safe place to learn and share; in short: to recharge. (Please see the attachment for details about what, why, and how.) This place will begin with a Zoom meeting in the afternoon of Saturday, March 14; a meeting that will require registration beforehand…please send your request for the link to our email: towardcrccanada@gmail.com.
This will be part of the conversation during that zoom meeting:
- what we're doing so far, and what the specific plans are for TC going forward,
- what are Catalyst, what are Observer churches,
- conversation about hopes, concerns, frustrations of individuals,
- some background on “denominations”, guard-rails vs attraction to create community, and what that means for individuals.
It’s a new day, and it’s lengthening (OK, you saw that coming, didn’t you?).
Blessings,Peter Bulthuis
Toward Canada Observer Individuals - Introduction Document
