Our church in 2011

As I wrote a couple of posts ago in "2010 Remembered", we've definitely switched gears.

Ever since the beginning of the year and our choice to fast and pray together, I think we've all begun feeling a change of pace. There's a deeper commitment from each of us to really take our faith seriously, and really walk together as we travel that road as a community.

There are three smaller groups now, the membership of which is higher than the number of people in our church :). We meet together and share our lives and our questions and our victories. We pray for each other.

We've been committing to read the Bible and pray daily, and for most of us this has been a successful and rewarding decision. This daily time of spiritual renewal becomes the core of our conversations when we meet together.

Starting today, We're doing a reading plan together as a community. Between now and the May Long Weekend, we're all going to read through the book of Matthew together. The plan also includes selections from the other gospels to round the story of Jesus out, as well as a handful of passages from the Old and New Testament.

Every week for the next fourteen weeks, I'll be preaching from these passages. This means that the church doesn't need to guess or wonder where I'm going each week. In fact, our whole congregation will come every Sunday as prepared to talk about the sermon as the pastor is.

Since I can't possibly touch on every piece of the book of Matthew in only fourteen weeks, the daily readings will be an opportunity for everyone to learn to read the Bible for themselves. As we come together in the small groups and discuss what we've been reading, eventually every single verse in the book will be considered, even if it isn't preached directly from the pulpit.

I'm not an administrator pastor anymore. I'm an enabler. And it doesn't have to start and end with me. Slowly but surely, every week someone new is stepping up to take responsibility of a different element of our community gatherings. I don't need to delegate anymore, I'm letting go of ownership of these elements and responsibilities for others to carry the vision and share the passion for it with others. Within a few months, I'm hoping that preaching is all I'll be immediately responsible for on Sunday morning, and that not even every Sunday. I'm learning to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. I don't have to do it all myself.

I've been loving our letter readings every week as well. Fifteen or so of us are meeting here in Edmonton once or twice a week, but there are four of us scattered all over the world right now on volunteer missions or going to school. Every week we read a letter from one of our absent community members, pray for them ,and send them a letter back as a community.

Last week, Kat Cardinal joined us via skype from Mae Sot, Thailand. She joined us when we started brunch, and as we ate vegan banana pancakes here on Sunday morning, She sat with us and enjoyed her banana pancakes at midnight on Monday morning in Thailand. She stuck around through our singing, and then headed to bed. What fun.

I'm very excited for this next year. We are growing deeper and wider, and it's so obvious. As we continue to focus on the centre and foundation of this church, Jesus Christ, and keep getting to know him better, he will continue to make us more like him.