What matters most in our witness as a faith community today?

Like me, you may wonder at times about the future of our faith community, indeed the future of many mainstream churches.  The sale of assets and closure of congregations seems to dominate our focus at times.  Consequently, there are some suggesting today’s generation has no interest in spiritual matters or being part of a faith community.  I respectfully disagree.  I see many examples across all age groups of the search for meaning, for a connection to community and searching for a sense of purpose in God’s creation.  It does, however, seem evident many folks are choosing not to live out this quest in a traditional church setting.  Given this, what matters most in our witness as a faith community today?

 “Community of Christ, your name, given as a divine blessing, is your identity and calling.  If you will discern and embrace its full meaning, you will not only discover your future, you will become a blessing to the whole of creation.  Do not be afraid to go where it beckons you to go.” (Doctrine and Covenants Section 163: vs 1)

 For me, the scripture above provides an insight for us.  The central invitation of our Christian faith is surely to live in sacred relationship with God and one another as witnessed in the life of Christ.  I am increasingly persuaded our name, Community of Christ, points the way to the future.  We are invited into a variety of sacred relationships that bring purpose, meaning and blessing in the spirit of Christ, not bureaucratic demands of the institution that so often seem to consume us.  Everything we do should be directed to this end.

 Here in Perth, I continue to see God at work in the various communities served by our Woodlands facility and congregation.  Our Sunday worships and congregational life is sacred.  We continue to lift up the importance of public worship, pastoral care, and the sacraments, and we encourage one another in our discipleship.  We are also blessed to have non-members choosing to attend regularly.

 For me and others involved, our Food Pantry is a sacred community where a dozen volunteers work tirelessly with Sonya, our coordinator, to offer food, welcome and support to an increasing number of patrons, including the homeless.  Personal stories of faith and blessing are shared regularly.  The WA Show Choir, of which I am a member, leases our chapel every Thursday night.  It’s a sacred community where we experience the spiritual connection that comes from sharing the gift of music.  On a couple of occasions, the choir has provided food and financial support to our Food Pantry, and one member volunteers there every week.  Two members also help deliver food to support a chaplaincy breakfast club at the local Primary School opposite our church. 

 Our annual Easter camp is sacred, and a number of younger adults and families who don’t always attend regular Sunday worships will attend this event without fail.  Our connection to other denominations in the local area supporting the work of school chaplains is sacred too.  Our committee of over a dozen denominations often reflects on the joy we all experience in working together to support the pastoral care chaplains provide in our school communities.    

 Let me be clear however.  We have our own challenges and uncertainties about our future here in Perth!  But I have glimpsed something of the promise of the earlier scripture as we experience the essential meaning of sacred community, and how our denomination can bring Christ centred blessing to the wider community.  As we expand our connections and demonstrate Christ’s mission is important to us, we find people want to get involved.  There are many ‘communities of Christ’ being experienced through these connections and folks are keen to know more and volunteer to help.  

 I am persuaded our witness is best focused on the needs in our local communities every day, wherever we are.  In this process we are moved beyond ‘doing church’ on Sunday morning to engaging in ministries that connect people from all walks of life to God and sacred community.  I am reminded of the parable of the sower, inviting us to keep sowing the seed, understanding the seeds fall on all types of different soils, but some will take root and bear fruit!  That won’t happen unless we keep sowing the seed!  While our activities and ministries might vary over time, I remain hopeful the witness of Community of Christ will live on if we embrace its full meaning! 

 Peter Lonsdale

Perth Congregation.

What Instruments Are You Playing in the Orchestra of Life?

It was way back in 1994 that Betty and I had the privilege of attending a “Tribute to Sir Eugene Goossens” at the Sydney Opera House. Sir Eugene Goossens (1893-1962) was an English-born conductor and composer.  He was the first permanent conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and Director of the NSW State Conservatorium of Music.

I recall how moved I was as I sat, observing and listening to what was taking place in that concert hall.  My memories of that occasion have prompted me to write this editorial.

We were seated just above the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and were able to observe closely the participation of the musicians as they played their instruments.  I was impressed by the close attention paid by the members of the orchestra to their leader, the conductor.  No matter where the direction came from, his beating arms or the encouragement through his facial expressions, the orchestra followed every instruction.  The product produced was very musical, through the harmony of everyone working together and trying to do their best.

This experience reminded me of a short motivational video that was used in training sessions at my workplace.  It tells the story of an orchestra preparing for a performance of Ravel’s “Bolero”.

We see the conductor working with each section of the orchestra, telling them the feelings he wants expressed throughout the piece.  We hear the various musicians practising and tuning their instruments.  Members of the orchestra tell how they feel about the piece and what they want to achieve.

As you witness and listen to the performance, you gain an understanding of the results that can be achieved from people with varying gifts working together as a team towards a common goal.

Over the last few years, certain parts of our country have experienced devastation and destruction, with fires and floods causing havoc and loss of life.  One of the consistent stories coming out of these situations is the great teamwork seen amongst the many service organisations participating in fighting the fires and floods and providing support and relief to those who have suffered.

When you think about it… Here, we have people from many different walks of life, from different towns and states, some professionals, and others who are trained volunteers, coming together for one purpose.  The achievements of these dedicated people are now being written into our history books.  What made these people do this?  I believe it was a “burning” desire to follow the plans and instructions of their leaders to save property and lives.  Their goals were quite simple and clear, and they worked together using all their skills to achieve them!

I can see similarities in the above examples to the message the apostle Paul was trying to get across in his letter to the church at Corinth.  Paul likened Christ’s church to the human body, which has many different parts.  He wrote that each of these parts is essential for the perfect functioning of the body.  When they are operating in harmony, then the body is ready and able to meet the challenges of life.

Followers of Christ are called to show people the abundant way of life.  More than ever, we, the church, need to work TOGETHER and in HARMONY for this cause with Jesus Christ as the conductor of the orchestra. 

Do you know what part you are playing in this orchestra of life?

Bill Gillard

He'Brew

Recently, I’ve found my attention drawn to a Podcast series called “He’Brew” within the Project Zion Podcast, which focuses on the Old Testament writings. It was an episode on “The Law.” After listening to this particular episode, I felt inspired to open the Book of Leviticus to see if anything would capture my attention. Leviticus sounded a lot like an ancient priesthood manual, filled with religious rituals and purity laws.

I'll admit that I wasn't captivated enough to read through it thoroughly, but I did find myself reflecting on how important and deeply sacred these rituals and sacrifices were to the ancient Hebrews. It was a way for them to feel secure in their relationship with God.

This made me reflect on my own relationship with God, and the amount of attention and reverence I put into my own spiritual practices. While I don’t believe that specific rituals or sacrifices are required for the Holy Spirit to engage with us or to keep us in God’s favour—God is always with us—I have found that participating in rituals and creating space for sabbatical moments, makes it easier for me to feel the Spirit’s presence in that moment. In our busy, rushed culture, my soul craves this."

Thankfully, Christianity’s understanding of sacrifice and ritual has evolved since the Torah was written. We no longer feel required to give animal blood offerings or fear what will happen if we light incense the wrong way ( Lev 10:1). Instead, we have developed other practices and traditions that display honour and reverence towards God.

Some of the rituals or practices I’ve started incorporating into my life include prayer journaling, solo walks without headphones, and offering God my time to ensure I can engage in regular, rich conversations with those in my faith community. I noticed the positive impact these practices bring to my day-to-day life. I will keep revisiting this question as my spiritual journey and discipleship grow.

In what ways am I demonstrating reverence toward God in my daily life?

If you’d like to check out the podcast for yourself, you can find the link here

Emma Ghazarian