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As we move towards our annual vestry meeting on Sunday February 22nd, it is a good time to talk a little bit about how the church works and runs, the essential nature of our volunteers, and where we currently have needs.  It is also a good time to reflect on church culture and many of the realities that have been changing and will continue to change.  

Let me start though by saying it is such a great privilege to work in a parish where people are engaged in the life and ministry of the church.  This is not something to take for granted.  There are elements of church culture over the last century that have leaned towards a consumeristic attitude, or even an "entertainment" attitude.  The idea that people pay the professionals (the clergy and others) and turn up on Sunday to get their spiritual fix.  If they don't like what they get at one church, they go "church shopping" to find what suits them better. 

This does not make for healthy or strong churches.  Nor is it the model of the church that the early apostle's like Peter and Paul modelled.  And, thankfully, it is not the culture at Ascension.

However, there are other realities that are common amongst many churches these days, and some of those are ones we are dealing with too.  Congregations are aging and the majority of people attending churches are now in their senior years.  This means that many cannot participate in the ways they did when they were younger.  There is the same amount of work that needs doing, and sometimes, like when you have a part-time priest, more work!  And the desire for engaged ministry is just as strong.  This puts more pressure on fewer people.  No longer can we simply assume that all will happen as it once did.  We must adapt and adjust. 

And so, as we move towards Vestry and more fully into 2026, we will be letting go of some things and creating space for others.  We will talk about essential volunteers we need.  We will also invite people to ponder their gifts and passions in the community and open space for new places of ministry and engagement - according to those gifts and passions.

Over the next three weeks I will be addressing these topics both on Sunday mornings and in the Newsletter.  And I invite you to engage as well - in conversations with each other, sending me emails with your thoughts and input, and by prayerfully considering how you continue to be involved.  Maybe you can’t do what you once did, but you can consider something else.  Perhaps you have knowledge that can be shared.  Perhaps God is calling you into a different ministry altogether, one you never considered.  Perhaps its your turn to step back and take on the role of encourager and supporter.  Perhaps it is time to step forward and into a ministry you always thought was someone else’s responsibility.

As we pray together, as we listen and speak, be assured that God calls us to be the people of Ascension, in community, sharing our gifts according to what we have, not what we don’t have.  And we have a great richness together.  Let us explore, with hope, how God will work with and amongst us in the coming year!  I’m excited and I hope you will be too!

~ Ruthanne