Gardens in the Kingdom

Dear Friends in Valhalla Parish—

This week on Wednesday, a brilliant sunny day, I took some time to simply enjoy the weather on the grass outside of St. David's church. I spent time thinking about what it means to be church in this time and place when our gatherings must either be outside or online.

I spent time thinking about this streets and neighbourhoods around St. Stephen's and St. David's church buildings. I found myself thinking that it's not just the building and what happens inside that's important, but also the ways in which what happens at the Eucharistic table spills over and ripples out into the community. It happens in the way we live, in the faith we embody, in the care we offer for our neighbours. It happens in the way we cultivate friendships and in the way we cultivate the land. 

As I looked in the basement window of St. David's church from the lawn, I was struck by the way in which the Community Harvest Food Bank offers such deep care for members of our community. In some ways, our hospitality for this work extends our ministry in the community. I also found myself wondering how we might take a more active role in food work here in Castlegar. As I looked around the grounds of the church in Castlegar, I wondered if it would be possible to cultivate food that would serve and feed our neighbours, and to provide ingredients for Sunday lunches (when we can get back to such gatherings). 

In the beginning, God placed humanity in a garden, and tasked us with cultivating it. In Revelation, John envisions a gardened city in which God and God's creation gather together once again. This vision of the new heavens and the new earth are compelling. And, I think, they invite us to wonder how we might participate in such a vision. 

As you think about the ministry of our church, from Prayer and Worship to opportunities for Study and Learning, Service in the World, how might we continue to cultivate community life that bears fruit of justice and joy? 

How might we cultivate Gardens that point to the beauty of God's good creation, and the ways in which God provides for our needs? As we take time in silence, prayer, worship, and song, how might we cultivate practices that both draw us close to God, and also bear witness to God's abundant love in the world? 

Every Blessing, 

Andrew Stephens-Rennie
Valhalla Parish Missioner