Church of the Advent | Anglican Church in Colwood

We begin with a prayer of thanksgiving –

Our Lord God, we thank you for all your blessings,

for life and health, for laughter and fun,

for all our powers of mind and body,

for our homes and the love of dear ones,

for everything that is beautiful, good and true.

But above all we thank you for giving your Son to be our Saviour and Friend.

May we always find our true happiness in pleasing you and helping others to know and love you, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.

Greetings and God’s blessings be with you, this day.

Last week we shared some basic information about the journey we as a congregation have begun in the search for a new rector. There are three distinct areas which this parish family needs to examine before we can begin the work of developing our parish profile. The profile is the document which the parish Search committee will use to form its criteria for what we are hoping for in a new incumbent here at The Church of The Advent.

One of the areas of discernment, which our congregation must examine, is our heritage. Heritage does not just mean the history of our own congregation at The Church of The Advent since its beginnings in 1984. Our heritage also includes the history and ministry of the two parishes, St. John’s, Colwood, and St. Matthew’s, Langford, which together were the Anglican presence, here on the Westshore, before the Church of The Advent began. Beyond our parish, we also need to include our connection with the Diocese of Islands and Inlets (the Diocese of British Columbia) and how that connection impacts the life of our parish. We also need to examine how we have been a part of the community beyond our church doors, here in Colwood and Langford.

During the years that Sandra has been our incumbent, much new history has been added to our heritage. So, our heritage has in fact been changed through the addition of events, shared experiences, joys and sorrows, during that period. The new parish profile being prepared for the search for our next senior priest must reflect our shared experience from the beginning and right up to this present time.

This discernment takes time and needs not to be rushed. Today, we are asking you to pray that the Holy Spirit will guide our parish and lead us through this time of discovery; discovery about who we have been in the past, who we are in the present, and what it is God is asking us to be and to do in the future. Blessings.

Paul+