“10 years ago, when I joined this diocese, we talked about paying off the cathedral, reopening ATTS, and having 3 Suffragan Bishops. Today we have paid off the cathedral, we have reopened ATTS, and we have 3 Suffragan Bishops. Maybe this is what thriving looks like!” Those were the words of the Rev. Francis Delaplain, as 35 Clergy and Lay Incumbents met in Ottawa to make plans for our strategic mission and ministry for the next decade.
The theme of the gathering was “The Mission Matters Most”, as we discussed the importance of focusing clearly on the work that Christ has given us to do. “We are at a turning point; the Anglican Church of Canada is at a turning point; the entire western world is at a turning point. Do we speak truth into that, or let it go its own way?” said Bishop Alexander Pryor in his charge to the clergy, preaching on the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14-30). “We have a great inheritance – those bags of gold – but it’s not for us to hold on to or bury in the ground; we put it to work, for God’s glory.
Can you imagine what it felt like for the people of Israel, standing on the banks of the Jordan River, having been told to “choose this day” whom they would serve? “Do not be afraid” sounds easy enough, as does the line “do not be discouraged” which comes right after (Joshua 1:9). In the Arctic, as elsewhere, many of us can imagine exactly how that feels – to feel as though you’ve been wandering through a desert, and now to be faced with another situation that is beyond what we can provide for ourselves, and that will require full and total trust in God alone.
Our instincts tell us to play it safe; our gut says “be realistic”; we’re too old or too young, we’re small in number, we don’t have this or that, and what if no one is interested in what we have to say? Really, that’s all the enemy needs to win just the smallest foothold for rational self-sufficiency and doubts on the sufficiency of God’s promises in His Word are enough to keep us from following God into His promised land. We don’t need to look far to see it – the devil offers an easy, peaceful decline and a pat on the back to all who will stay put instead of launching forth into the deep. The Lord doesn’t promise it will be easy; no, He promises it will cost you everything. But the best promise is this: “I, the Lord your God, will be with you wherever you go.”
In spite of 12-hour days on the schedule and a couple hotter-than-usual days, the clergy conference in Ottawa was a refreshing time of worship, learning from one-another, sharing the burdens of ministry in the North, and learning together from God’s Word. Bishop Ann Martha Keenainak led Gospel Based Discipleship, Rev. Jean Simailak shared her wisdom from years of faithful ministry, and Bishop Joey Royal was with us as our Bible Teacher.