By the Rev. Francis Delaplain,
Rector of St. Andrew’s , Hay River, NWT

A vibrant, parish-minded Anglican church should be a unique space. One where all generations, peoples, languages, nations, and even denominations come together, united in their unwavering trust in Christ alone, and their desire to truly become a family: brothers and sisters of one Heavenly Father.

Throughout the Diocese of the Arctic two things are true:
– our towns and cities are dealing with tremendous social crisis, and
– our churches are dealing with tremendous need

These may seem like two very separate issues, but they are more connected than we might think.

At the start of my life in church leadership I was not an Anglican. I served in a small non-denominational church for a number of years. When I joined the Anglican Church in 2015, it changed my understanding of ministry in many ways. The model of parish ministry at St. Andrew’s (Hay River) where I serve presented an entirely new engagement with the community around me.

It has been an education for me to engage in ministry this way. Because Hay River is a small town it was not long before we knew a lot of the people there. We knew the town Councillors and the Mayor, and we also knew the people who worked in the areas of food and housing insecurity. As a church called to love our neighbours as ourselves, we just started finding areas where we could help. We operate a small thrift store. This gives us a way in with people who wouldn’t otherwise come around the church. We could provide people with clothes if needed, even if they can’t afford them. We can give odd jobs to some of the men who needed to earn small amounts of money. In a short time I felt very plugged in and connected to the community. I also felt that it wasn’t enough to just help out in small ways. I am a priest in my parish. Anglicans believe a “parish” means to claim a community as a mission field, so as a parish priest, it’s my place to take up that specific role in the life of the community.

The work of St. Andrew’s Church had put me front and centre to a lot of need. And, just by being there, I was suddenly met with opportunities to provide spiritual care for people who came in for what, on the surface, were just physical needs. I remember a group of us were packing food hampers and someone coming for some food asked for the priest. I came out and he was sitting outside and crying. He had a friend who was in the hospital close to death. It was drug-related and the gentleman in front of me felt responsible. He asked me for prayer for his friend and a blessing. This began to happen more and more. Prayers, confession, house blessings, and on it went.

I know from my work with my colleagues throughout the vast Diocese of the Arctic that my work and ministry is not particularly unique. Anglican Churches are very connected and essential in the many remote northern communities of our Diocese. All of the lay leaders, deacons, and priests throughout northern Canada have similar stories to share. In most of the communities the churches are crucial parts of the life and work of the town. They offer youth programming, Celebrate Recovery or AA meetings, pastoral care and counselling, community gatherings, funerals and burials, food supports, and so much more. This vision of true “parish ministry” is central to the life of the Anglican Church in the North.

There is a vital relationship our churches have with our northern towns and cities. Churches and communities are interwoven closely together. For this reason, it is incumbent on us to examine not only the reasons the town needs the church, but also the reasons the church needs the town.

The Rev. Francis Delaplain

Many churches have diminishing numbers on Sunday morning. This is a a nearly-universal reality in North America. The idea that we only serve the people already within the walls of the church isn’t viable or sustainable. We have to be called out into the life of the community. Increasingly, people are not familiar with the hope of the Christian Gospel therefore it is no longer sufficient to show up and preach on a Sunday, anticipating that the unchurched are just going to walk through the doors. The church must reclaim the identity of being sent or given as God’s gift to the town! The Church must obey Jesus’ command to preach the gospel to the world. The downturn of church attendance is an opportunity to remember our call to tell people about the grace of God shown to us in Jesus Christ. Who are we to proclaim to if not those in our communities? Our towns gatherings, activities and centres are the space in which we must meet them. Of course, we can’t go demanding the right to stand up and preach. But Christ didn’t do that either. Instead, we’re called to offer the words of life to those who need to hear them, one relationship at a time.

Our communities are our partners in serving others. At St. Andrews Anglican Church we have graciously received volunteer support and significant funding through the town of Hay River and other organizations in our community. This was perhaps most prevalent during the recent flooding of the town in 2022, a need far beyond what the church could meet. When the people of St Andrews began to reflect on how our church could engage in the recovery efforts, we found the town a willing and ready partner with resources and funding. Together we were able (and continue) to play a meaningful role in supporting our community in crisis. For churches, this partnership will improve our ministry.

When our perspective shifts from working in our community to working with our community, our understanding of the Gospel deepens. Churches are in danger of arrogantly thinking that their faith places them morally above those around them. Coming alongside our neighbours is a good reminder that we depend on grace alone. When we get outside our church buildings, we will find that people are often kinder and more generous than we expected, and that first impressions are often deceiving. We will be confronted with the truth that we are not Christians because we’re somehow “better” than others. The Church is a hospital for sinners, ourselves included. Work in the public sector will humble us and point us from our perceptions of our own goodness to the goodness of God’s grace.

There are so many benefits provided within communities by the work of the local parish. In many of these communities, the priest provides counselling, end of life care, child and youth care, and food and housing supports. Many of these leaders are underpaid or unpaid. They are motivated by the Gospel to love and care for those around them. This makes them a vital part of community wellness strategies and plans. In recent years this has been overlooked.

With that in mind, we need to look at our programming and messaging and make sure we are participating in the bettering of our communities. Are we proclaiming our faith so that the Gospel of Jesus Christ really is “good news of great joy”? How are we celebrating successes and helping people flourish?
The spiritual needs of people are also a very real problem when it comes to dealing with addiction and abuse. Churches are needed alongisde oCther social supports because people will find the specialized care that only a spiritual caregiver can provide. (After all, the Anglican tradition calls the work of a parish priest “the cure of souls”!)

In working with our neighbours who struggle with addictions, people share their stories of wrongs they have done or that have been done to them. They request prayers and care. Government social services are necessary, but it is at least unhelpful, and perhaps even counterproductive to let these spiritual problems go unaddressed. Our towns and cities should not be so concerned about keeping an arms length from religious practice that these leaders are uninvited to spaces where people in crisis are gathered. To ignore the very real issue of spiritual wellness is to fail to treat the whole person.

Our churches and the towns and cities they serve need to see themselves as partners. Many of our communities are facing crisis levels of addiction, abuse, homelessness, food insecurity and suicide. What are the benefits that each other brings to the table? What are we uniquely able to do to help each other meet these needs? It is only through this engagement that we will be able to develop best practices for how this looks. Of course, we learn from the past, not to repeat the terrible mistakes when churches forgot the gospel and told the government’s message of empire. But a new era calls for a new cooperation. While the motivations of church and government are different – Christians loving our neighbours in response to the words of Jesus, and government operating based on public policy, when it comes to health, healing, and wholeness, our goals overlap more often than not.

The need for grace and the reality of our own brokenness is at the core of the Gospel truth. This should mean Christian communities are distinctively able to step into every situation, offering hope as we work for the good of the community. We don’t do this as social workers, but as those with the “cure of souls”, as spiritual caregivers.

We must be moved by the message of grace to bring that grace to those who are hurting. When you think of our increasingly divided political climate it can feel like we have to pull away from the secular world. That’s not the Gospel. Grace calls us to be more engaged. Jesus calls us in so that we can be sent out! It’s time for churches to step back up to the plate, and to humbly – yet boldly – reconnect with our communities. The grace of God compels us!