Visioning day exciting, challenging, full of possibilities

Visioning day exciting, challenging

and full of possibilities

by Pat Drummond
Saturday’s Visioning Day with Nick Brotherwood and David Edwards was exciting, challenging and full of possibilities. About 80 New Brunswick Anglicans from all over the diocese — from the upper St. John River Valley through Saint John and up to the North Shore — got a close-up view of Fresh Expressions of Church through animated lectures, colourful power points, fast-paced videos, well-focused object lessons and lots of group interaction. The energetic Nick, once a rock and roll drummer — is more properly the Rev. Canon Nick Brotherwood, coordinator of Fresh Expressions Canada, assistant director of the Wycliffee College Institute of Evangelism, and half-time incumbent in St. Stephen’s Church, Westmount, Quebec — covered all the bases with the help of Archdeacon Edwards, parish development officer for our diocese.

In one exercise we were asked, in table-groups of six or eight, to remove all our jewelry, including watches and glasses, and put everything in the middle of the table. Then we were instructed to try on something that belonged to someone else. While some things were definitely ‘not us’ (didn’t fit, didn’t suit, or, as was the case with glasses, were unusable), we were really surprised to find that some did work, that we liked some things we might never have chosen for ourselves. In fact, I think there were those of us would have quite liked to keep some of them! So it is when we change well-worn habits like church practices. Sometimes the new practices don’t work for us, but there are also times when we are surprised to find we like some of them better than the old ways.

When we consider starting a Fresh Expression of church, listening prayer is of the utmost importance as we try to discern God’s will. We need to take off our blinkers and look around our communities to see what God is already doing — then look for ways to join in. Our mind set must change from the kind of thinking that says, “the Church has a Mission,” to one that tells us “God of Mission has a Church.” God has a church that can and should do his work, and that work often takes place outside the walls of the building we call ‘the church.’

Nick actually spent a three-day weekend with us. On Friday he led a well-attended day for the clergy and on Sunday he preached at three services at Christ Church Cathedral.

Visioning Day group