Christ Lutheran Commission Report

6/23/2016

Dear Friends in Christ,

Attached to this post is the latest installment of our journey. The actual report comes in three files. The majority of the report in one file and then two separate files for the appendices. The fourth file is a comment sheet which you can use to organize ideas or comments regarding each of the proposed options. As noted in the latest newsletter from Christ Lutheran there are several ways to send your comments and feedback to the commission. I have also included that information at the end of this e-mail.

This report starts with the vision and mission statements that came out of the consultations with all of the parishes. It provides a sense of the type of worship community that we aspire to be. It is a testament to the passion and faith of our parishioners that we could discern what would be important themes that will bring us together and move us forward into a new, and yet not well defined, future. Through this all, the Commission members tried to remain rooted in scripture and prayer so that we could try to hear what God is calling us to do.

This vision expresses the strong call for joy in all we do, for us to be rooted in scripture, to look for new ways to express our faith and break the rules, just like Jesus did. It also speaks to the need to minister inwards to our current parishioners and to minister outwards to the people outside of our walls.

We used this vision and mission and the input from parish consultations and from the Diocese to identify criteria against which to assess these and any new options that may surface. Each of the options presented is accompanied with a great deal of detail. As you go through them, you may see things that you like and wish to combine in a different way, or you may create a completely different option. You can record all of these and your notes on the response sheet. This will be a great opportunity to see how best we can combine the gifts that God has gifted each parish with.

This will also be a good opportunity to talk to your fellow parishioners and exchange ideas over the next week.

We ask for the responses be given to your Commission representatives who will then assemble the feedback and use this to create the report with a short list of options for us to consider over the summer.

May God guide us and may we be open to what the Spirit has to say to us.

Your Commission Members

Christ Lutheran will be holding a Congregational meeting after worship on June 26 to allow all members to give their thoughts and feedback, about this first draft report. We look forward to collecting as much feedback as possible. You can provide your thoughts and feedback in any of the following ways: speak to church council members; speak to Pastor Scott or myself; join us at the meeting on June 26; or e-mail me (johannacoombs55@gmail.com or glenn_coombs@hotmail.ca) with your thoughts and ideas. Please let me know if you need a paper copy.

Again thank you for your support and patience,

Johanna Coombs