Walking, Talking, Working together … discerning paths for hope
Song (music video): Christ, Be our Light
Scripture: Matthew 5: 14-17 You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
To All Members of the Christian Life Community in Canada
Thank youso much to all of you who sent in your responses to the ‘garden graced history’ prayer exercise. It’s been a wonderful harvest! We heard from across our country where growth has been seen in CLC in Canada and what still needs work.
Your feedback under the three themes of our 2019 communally discerned national priorities: formation, communication and collaboration, and sustaining CLC have been posted on our website under the ‘members only’ section.
In the Formation document, you can read this thoughtful suggestion:
“We recognize the great need to revise the CLC Formation manuals, especially as we pray and seek ways to attract more people to the CLC way of life. New membership is fundamental for CLC in Canada and the necessary formation needs to be reevaluated in light of ‘the signs of the times’. This complex task might be tackled by working groups who could use the website as a forum.”
In the Communication and Collaboration document, this gem is found:
“We often feel overwhelmed with the amount of material from National and don’t utilize it to the best advantage. Is there some way to evaluate how to best address this concern? Also, we encourage you to keep the communication as simple as possible since
long reading materials are more difficult for members to process.”
In the Sustaining CLC document, you’ll find this tasty treat:
“GC could establish a working group to deal with our finances, rather than it falling just on one person. GC could engage in greater long-range visioning around this theme.”
There are so many more responses to ponder. You can access them all by clicking on this linkusing this password amdg1974 While there, you will also find the report of the October 5th & 6th CLC pre- Assembly virtual gatherings. Many thanks to the writing team of Sue Rambow, Judith DeWitt, Lois Zachariah.
If you have any trouble accessing the documents, have questions or comments, please contact Jane - jabernethyparker@gmail.com
Along with the many suggestions on what CLC in Canada might consider doing over the next 5 years, we need to consider the reality of our current situation. Over the past years, our national membership has been slowly shrinking. More than half of our members are now over 65 years old. With the decrease in numbers, the amount of our national dues has been diminishing. That means less money for our General Council to operate and less money going into our Reserve funds for mission work, for example to Haiti God-parenting. Also, many of our working group and leadership team members risk burnout due to the challenge of attracting new membership and people for leadership positions.
So how does CLC in Canada balance our needs or desires for action with our capacity? As wise gardeners, what’s the best use of our time, talents and treasure? Or as the writing team asked in their report, “Who are we and what are we to do?” Thankfully we have our tools of communal discernment, and we’ve become more practiced in using them. At this stage, we are exploring more deeply the information we’ve gathered.
What’s next? Over the next weeks, all members are invited to sit and pray with these documents and the writing team’s report of the October 5th & 6th CLC pre- Assembly virtual gatherings. Listen with your heart to how God is calling CLC in Canada to journey along the pathways of hope over the next 5 years. You might find the prayer exercise below helpful.
Prayer exercise:
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
Grace: I seek a deeper understanding of how God is calling CLC in Canada to journey along the pathways of hope over the next 5 years.
If possible, please take time to read over and reflect prayerfully on the 3 collated documents: Formation, Communication and Collaboration, and Sustaining CLC. Do the same with the writing team’s report of the Oct. 5 & 6 pre-Assembly virtual gatherings.
Invite Jesus to join you in this contemplation of what you’ve read and our current reality. Sit quietly and ask Jesus to help you identify what CLC in Canada needs to pay attention to as we move forward. Jot down what stands out for you – what resonates with you – where God is calling us next.
Please share your response, as best you can, with your regional representative prior to or on November 10th. Your regional rep. will take whatever responses received and share them at the 2024 National Assembly. Those attending the Assembly will have time for spiritual conversation around all the information that’s been gathered including your input. This is all part of the process leading to a communal discernment for CLC in Canada.
Peace and Joy,
Walking together,
General Council and the National Implementation Working Group
Sandy Mudge - President
Jane Abernethy - Parker, Past President
Pacifica Virzi - Secretary
Brook Stacey, SJ - National Ecclesiastical Assistant
Leanne Salel - BC/Rockies
Ruth Chipman - Prairies, Elder
Marilou Gonzalez - Central, National Treasurer
Karen Reeves - Atlantic-North American Representative
