On Tuesday evening we had a great turn out of hosts, facilitators, and scribes to the cottage gathering training with Maurice Seaton, our Capital Campaign consultant. Maurice laid out the process for the facilitated cottage gatherings as the central focus for our discernment phase, the first of two preparation phases in anticipation of a Capital Campaign in 2020. It was wonderful to feel the energy levels in the room rise as people discovered that they had all the skills needed to make the cottage gatherings a great success.
October 22nd is the launch date for these gatherings. Some will be small hospitality events in people’s homes, providing an opportunity for couples who choose to, to attend a gathering together. We will also make use of the scheduled affinity group meetings: Women’s Spirituality Group, Gander, or the newly formed 20-30’s Group for a facilitated discussion process. There will also be a brunch at church during the Sunday forum slot where we will offer extended childcare for those of you with young children so you can be freed up to attend.
These facilitated cottage gatherings will encourage us to share our experience of St Martin’s around four key questions:
1.
Why did you come to St Martin’s?
2.
What do we do well and what could we, or would you like to, do more of?
3.
What building and development improvements would you like to see emerging from a
capital campaign?
4.
What is your vision for our future?
A scribe will record the general themes of the group discussion while ensuring that personal anonymity is protected.
After five years as your rector, I do not doubt that laying good foundations for a successful Capital Campaign in 2020 is well within our grasp. The need to move forward with this is exactly the kind of divine nudge-invitation we need to focus our attention, stimulate our enthusiasm, and spur us to move to the next stage of our spiritual journey together.
In
Making All Things New
, Henri Nouwen wrote: “
To set our hearts on the kingdom therefore means to make the life of the Spirit within and among us the center of all we think, say, or do”.
Our love of God is the source for all our loves in life.
Experiencing
God-in-community
provides both an anchor as well as a direction finder– choose your metaphor - to help us in the difficult task of prioritizing the competing demands that afflict us in our over scheduled lives. The spiritual focal point of
God-in-community
is an aspect of what Nouwen means by the kingdom.
God-in-community
is an active experience of searching for the indefinable
something more
for our lives. That indefinable
something more
is not only an expression of our unrequited longing in life - but is actually the experience of God’s targeted longing for us - flowing into our often overly cautious and too anxious lives.
Welcome everyone, to the discernment process. Check out the facilitated gathering details listed in this E-News and please sign up.
Don’t forget to look out for one another in church, this Sunday.
Mark+
