By Rev. Sarah Armstrong
“Does God have a plan?”
“What is your position on open table and the theology behind it?”
“How can we use the diversity within our church to build an inclusive outreach program?”
These are a few of the great questions that Bishop Todd was asked at Ask the Bishop, an intergenerational dialogue held via Zoom on Wednesday, February 15.
Over sixty people from across the Diocese joined to offer questions and to hear Bishop Todd speak.
The event was organized into four blocks of time. The first was shaped by questions about the faith. Bishop Todd spoke about God’s plans, and our participation in God’s will, before commenting on a question about Israel’s role in the history of salvation.
The second part of the discussion was guided by questions submitted by youth and young adults. These included, “Why is the Bishop wearing purple?”, and queries on Eucharistic adoration, Anglican feast days and rituals, and evangelism in a world that seems resistant to religion. The Bishop spoke to each of these topics before highlighting other terrific youth-submitted questions as opportunities for future dialogues.
Question about the church shaped the third part of the conversation. Here the Bishop spoke about open table, and the blessings and challenges of church buildings.
Rounding out the dialogue were Bishop Todd’s comments on questions concerning the world. A youth-submitted enquiry about how the Diocese of Huron can be involved in affordable housing solutions was addressed first before Bishop Todd spoke about diversity in our communities and within the Anglican church. Here he expounded on his vision for the Diocese of Huron being a diverse church; we find unity and blessing in our God-given diversity.
The event was the start of many important conversations about the faith, the church, and the world; dialogues that will continue in future. Thank you to everyone who participated and to those who shared their questions.
Rev. Sarah Armstrong is Assistant to the Bishop of Huron.