Dear saints,



This past weekend, the Future of Our Block Steering Committee submitted its final report to the vestry. Whilst it was true that after six hours we were all glad to have reached the end of our time in the room together, there was also a deep sense of fulfillment that All Saints’ had faithfully completed the work entrusted to us with care and faithfulness. I had brought with me a binder that contained a record of meeting minutes and the various reports and findings the block discernment process has produced. What is abundantly clear is that we have listened and learned, deeply, and in doing so we have positioned ourselves to be good stewards of the future of the church in this place. Thanks be to God for all who offer their gifts of leadership as members of this church. We are richly blessed.

It was over six years ago that the steering committee was first gathered, and although most of 2020 to 2021 saw the process and so the committee's work put on hold due to the pandemic, this remarkable group of parishioners have done this church proud. We owe them our heartfelt gratitude and I do hope that you will be with us on Sunday May 18th, when we will celebrate the end of this discernment process and give thanks to each of the steering committee members.

Part of the discernment work carried out during these past six plus years was led by a group who asked the parish and the local community a series of 'God-shaped questions'. God-shaped questions ask how people see God at work both within and beyond the church. When congregation members were asked how they experienced God in their lives, the answers that came to the top of the list coalesced around our core ministries. As we have all witnessed in the remarkable generosity of this parish toward refugee communities, the life that we share in friendship with those we come to know through Threads, MAC, Covenant Community and Refugee Ministries is mutually transformational. Here, parishioners and members of the wider community alike experience something of the movement of God in our midst and through these ministries we catch a glimpse of what Jesus meant by the words 'Kingdom of God'.

What was fascinating to me about this particular part of the discernment process was how similarly our neighbors saw that dynamic at work. Interviewees told us 'I want to be of service but I don't know how', 'I long for meaningful connections', 'I want to reach across to others', 'I want a church with a bigger front door'. How exactly each of these of our neighbors relates to religion in their daily lives was unclear. That they wanted their lives to meet the world in meaningful and giving ways was abundant in its clarity.

The question of the future of our block has presented us with a tremendous opportunity to ask how we might meet those neighbors in fulfilling that kind of desire - how we might imagine a future where the sanctuary and the street meet. I wholeheartedly believe in the goodness of humanity and the capacity the church has - any church - to be an engine for that goodness to find meaningful and loving expression. As we prepare our hearts and minds for the journey of Christ's own self-giving this holy week, may we remember that the story does not end on Easter Day, but is carried out of the church by us, stewards of the promises of God.

See you in church this Eastertide, and keep on saving that date: Sunday May 4th, when we will present our shared vision for the future of our block.