New Church Life May/June 2015 | Page 73

  Church needs to find a way forward, so that when we come out on the other side, we can go back to doing what a church is supposed to do – help people find the Lord and find inspiration to grow as a person and reach out with whatever talents we have, as individuals and as a church. But more than turning doctrines in and out we were able to build a stronger sense of friendship and collegiality. We all went away strengthened and inspired, and I mean all, Jeanne and Susan included. There is not enough space to give justice to all the contributions, so I will conclude by quoting Howard Thompson, who summarized his presentation in this beautiful way: “Struck by the appearance of the river in both the garden in Genesis and the Holy City in Revelation we looked at the natural interplay of a river on the land it flows over as a metaphor for how we, our spiritual selves, are shaped by the truth we learn from the Word. Simply put, a river both accommodates itself to the land it flows over and shapes the land as it flows. We looked at the effects of a variety of flowing waters and the effect each has on a variety of land features. Another way to look at it is that each of us when we are born is the garden and the Lord is working to shape us into the Holy City.” Canada, February 2015 Rev. James P. Cooper Regional Pastor for Canada As the number of ministers at the full Council of the Clergy meetings has continued to grow we have found they have a very formal feel. Regional clergy meetings, on the other hand, are much more relaxed and conducive to participation, discussion and friendly conversations with colleagues. Another difference is that only a small percentage of ministers can present papers or topics at the full meetings, while everyone invited to a regional meeting is expected to present a study or lead a workshop. It’s a great way to try out ideas that are perhaps a little outside of the mainstream. An idea may still get shot down, but it will be done in a friendly way with helpful suggestions. There is also an opportunity for frank talk about how to handle some of the pastoral issues we face in our congregations. Finally, when the Bishop is present it’s a great way for him to get counsel on a number of issues from people who are on the front lines of the Church. So, there are lots of good reasons to have regional meetings, even in years when there are full meetings, because the regional meetings serve a very different use. With all those advantages in mind, the Executive Bishop 293