When we teach children that their worship matters, we teach them that they are enough right here and right now as members of the church community. They don’t need to wait until they can believe, pray or worship a certain way to be welcome here, and I know adults who are still looking to be shown that. It matters that children learn that they are an integral part of this church, that their prayers, their songs, and even their badly (or perfectly timed depending on who you ask) cries and whines are a joyful noise because it means they are present. Continue reading
Here in Churchland, we almost always believe ourselves to be welcoming and warm. We like to think that our parishes will greet newcomers with open arms, with smiles, with true Christian mentality. I was delighted this morning to receive such a greeting. Continue reading
Have you considered the use of video in your outreach ministry? I suspect that for most parishes, the answer is an unequivocal “no.” After all, maintaining a simple website and changing the letters on the parish sign is time consuming enough, right? Continue reading
One of the many gifts that is regularly shared in the parish I serve is the ministry of hospitality. We’re a welcoming group. And we don’t just look after the stranger, we also look after our own. Continue reading
As the visitor walks past and the greeter silently thrusts a bulletin toward them, what is communicated is a message of: ‘take this bulletin and sit down’ rather than ‘I welcome you to this church’. Continue reading
If you’ve spent any length of time in the church, you’ve probably realized that what we do is unique… who better to talk to, then, about life in the Anglican Church of Canada than other Canadian Anglicans? Continue reading
The Community is a ministry of the Anglican Church of Canada
privacy policy • forum rules and guidelines • contact us
