Faithful to God's Call

Dear Friends in Valhalla Parish—

This past Wednesday at Parish Council I asked all those gathered how they would respond to the following question:

Given what we’ve been through as a church community during the pandemic, what is the greatest thing Valhalla Parish—St. David’s and St. Stephen’s—have to offer people in the broader community? What is our greatest asset?

I wonder how you would answer that question. I hope that you will respond to this post with some of your thoughts.

In a time such as this, with the world changing so rapidly around us, what does our beloved parish community offer to the wider world? I have been around long enough to have some perspective on the particular gifts that I see here. And yet, what I'm more interested in is how you—the faithful people of Valhalla Parish—would answer this question. You will see with eyes that I don't have. And that's valuable. It's incredibly important.

How we answer this question individually and as a community is important. It's important not just for our current ministry, but for the ways in which our ministry will evolve on the other side of the pandemic. 

We should not underestimate the ways in which COVID-19 has reshaped our needs, and the needs of those around us. In the midst of this, we have the opportunity to pay attention to the shifting landscape, and opportunities—new and ongoing—to respond to people’s needs in Jesus’ name.

As we do so, one of the most important things we can do as a community is to ground ourselves more deeply in the story of God's faithfulness to us. Where has God been present? Where is God now? We might be tempted to say "God is everywhere," for this is indeed true. And yet, it does not allow us to point to the specific ways in which God is present in our lives, and the life of our community. 

In the coming months, our parish will be entering into a mission planning process. This is a process that helps parishes vision, plan, decide and act for growth. It is widely used in the UK and in the United Church of Canada, and it is a process designed to help parishes like ours focus their resources on goals and actions set to encourage discipleship and to support growth.

This is both about reconnecting with existing and former members, but also discovering ways in which a parish can connect anew with those who are hungry to be part of a community like ours that is committed to seeking and living in light of God's love. 

And so, I would ask you to pray. Pray for our parish community. Pray for this process. And pray about whether God might be calling you to join the Mission Planning steering team for our parish. More details about this process will be coming in the days ahead. In the meantime, please continue to pray that we might be faithful to God's call, even as God remains steadfast and faithful to us.