'Let us remember them': Becoming a place of renewal and hope
A VIEW FROM THE BACK PEW
By Rev. Canon Christopher B. J. Pratt
WHENEVER the calendar pages turn to the month of November many Canadians ensure that their wardrobe is accentuated by the wearing of a poppy.
The flower is a sign and symbol of remembrance and respect for the sacrifices of those citizens whose dedication and service led them to give their lives in the service of our country.
In towns and cities across Canada memorials have been placed in a central location where, at least once each year, the community may gather. In the Act of Remembrance the simple line is offered and then repeated by everyone in attendance: “We Will Remember Them”.
Recently I have been all too aware of the death notices which have been shared of clergy colleagues and people who I have known. The reflections which are included as a part of the obituary notices contain some familiar stories and often provide greater insight into the journey through life which was uniquely theirs.
Let Us Remember Them.
At the same time that I read the stories connected with the human lives that are being remembered, another form of notice seems inescapable. Whether it is initially circulated through social media or I see it in on a printed page, the news that another church building has been closed and a Service of deconsecration is planned, always generates a feeling of sadness for me.
I have preached the sermon containing the essential belief and understanding that the church is not defined as a building, but rather as the people who form the community of faith. As true as that statement is, for many people, the life events which have helped to form them over the years often have links which are inextricably connected with a physical building and location.
At one point in my ministry I was the Rector of a parish which had a large Parish Hall attached to the Church. From time to time members of the Parish Family, or visitors, shared stories of past events which they remembered vividly. When visiting the Church stories of Baptisms, Weddings, Funerals, special music and moments of ministry were shared. Visiting the Parish Hall, memories of dinners, dances, games, special events and especially, people, who had left an indelible mark in their lives were part of our conversations. Congregational community life and individuals, many of who are now part of the Communion of Saints, all are intertwined in stories of faith.
Let Us Remember Them.
Within the life of our Diocese a framework for future ministry has been entitled, “Turning to Grace”. Throughout the document individuals, congregations, parishes and deaneries are being invited into a pattern of life, prayer, study and action which is intended to generate a new tone of vitality into the shared ministry and mission offered in the Diocese of Huron.
I was struck by a reflection offered by our Diocesan Bishop:
In my travels, I have seen a lot more “green” lately - coming out a bit at a time on the trees, in the fields and from the churches. It just takes a hint of green, just a shoot coming out of a seemingly dead tree, to see what God may be bringing out of the winter. At the same time running in the background of my prayer life and other work there has been an urgent need and desire for planning out how we will “be” the Anglican Church in Huron over the decade to come.
(The Right Reverend Todd Townshend - May 12, 2024)
As I write this article on September 11, I am mindful of how the City of New York has transitioned from a place where death and destruction took place twenty three years ago to a revitalized place of commerce and community life which also includes a memorial of a cataclysmic event. An effort has been made to remember and to respect those whose life stories came to an end in that place.
It is my hope that in all these treads of reflection there is a woven fabric of future shared ministry which will be discerned.
On August 3, 2022, at the Lambeth Conference, the leadership of the Anglican Communion launched a project entitled the Communion Forest as a legacy of the Conference and as both a practical and symbolic act of hope. The Communion Forest has been described as a reflection of our shared commitment as Anglicans to “strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth.” (The Fifth Mark of Mission)
As church buildings are closed in different parts of the Diocese of Huron, the stories of those communities of faith live on in the lives of those people who were drawn to those places of worship. Over the years a significant number of church buildings are no longer being used for worship. How are they being remembered?
Using the resources of land currently available, or perhaps with the purchase of a property appropriate for the purpose, our Diocesan Family could generate our own part of the Communion Forest. Our Diocesan historians could name every congregation, past and present with a connection to our Diocesan story and a tree could be planted celebrating the faithful witness of that congregation.
With the advice and counsel of the First Nations, the choice of the trees to be planted would be appropriate to the land. A space large enough for our Diocesan Family to gather to celebrate our shared Christian faith could be part of the design.
In a country where wildfires have devastated communities and have generated upheaval in the lives of so many, this Forest project would become a place of Joy, Celebration, Renewal and Hope as well as a place of Remembrance. Rather than a cold stone monument, our Diocesan Grove of the Communion Forest could be a living, breathing focal point of the celebration of our Diocesan ministry, past, present and future.
As a part of the Communion Forest project the following Prayer for the Earth offered by Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu may be found on the Anglican Communion’s web site:
Creator God,
You have called us to be keepers of your Earth
Through greed we have established an economy
that destroys the web of life.
We have changed our climate and drown in despair.
Let oceans of justice flow.
May we learn to sustain and renew the life of our Mother Earth.
Help us to share the resources you have given us
to raise our voices for justice and to bear the cost of change.
May our leaders act with compassion and courage
and lead us in the path of justice for the sake of
our children and our children’s children
Amen.
As we are, "Turning Towards Grace", Let Us Grow Together.
Rev. Canon Christopher B. J. Pratt has retired from full-time parish ministry but continues to offer priestly ministry in the Diocese.