Tuesday, May 6, 2014 (Feast Day of St. John the Evangelist)
John 1:1-9
For a school project I’ve spent some time digging through the St. John’s archives and history books. Various documents related to the church proudly identify the gospel that bears the name of our patron saint as being the one that “soars the highest,” hence symbol of the eagle associated with John. You can see the eagle in our church crest, at the lectern from which readings are read, and (I think) among the figures of the evangelists that surround the wood carving of the last supper by the high altar. The Gospel of John, and the generations of Christians who have worshipped at St. John’s, have, like John the Baptizer, “testified to the light” (John 1:7).
Our congregation came together after Kitchener (then Berlin) had become a county seat. The railroad came to town, and the new administrative offices brought an influx of people (many of whom of British descent, hence the need for an Anglican church). I came across some parish records that listed the parishioners associated with St. John’s in, I think, 1879, so within twenty years of the church’s founding. It seemed to tell the story of a thoroughly upper class church community. Listed was a school headmaster, physicians, bank managers, lawyers, and the like. And of course Joseph Seagram of the famous distillery.
This brief sketch of nineteenth century Berlin is quite different from our more recent experience. While it is doing much better over the last couple of years, Downtown Kitchener has endured some challenging years in the 1990s and early 2000s. Overall, the cultural picture has changed since the 1960s or so, and church attendance and affiliation is no longer to be taken for granted. Many people are increasingly ambivalent, and even antagonistic toward religion. The new paradigm of the church, and its position in society has been described as follows:
- from the centre to the margins
- from the majority to the minority
- from settlers to sojourners
- from privileged to plurality
- from control to witness
- from maintenance to mission
- from institution to movement
This isn’t necessarily bad news. It’s just acknowledging that things have changed. The difficulty is that our structures haven’t all adapted to the new model. Moreover, conflict can arise when people cling to the assumptions and expectations of the old model. At St. John’s I sense that we are seeking to proclaim the Good News in our new context, and this will take some time. Our emphasis on our website, and I suppose also this blog, is indicative of this. Our Green Passion ministry has brought us in touch with local organizations, and has attracted attention to our building and our stewardship of resources. Recently at Parish Council we’ve been seriously looking at becoming more proactive in our ministry of greeting, as hospitality has become increasingly important for spiritual seekers and church shoppers.
We continue to grow into new ways of ‘testifying to the light’ in the new cultural climate, and although times may be tough, there are also some amazing opportunities. One such example is the Mudpuppy Chase, last Sunday’s cross country run that wreaks havoc on our parking situation once a year. While we acknowledge the parking inconvenience, in recent years we’ve started to appreciate the blessing of having over 1000 people run by our church. This has motivated us to gather for morning prayer in our Memorial Garden, decorate the surrounding grounds with bright sidewalk chalk, cheer on the runners as they pass by, and chat with race marshals and police. It has become a Sunday that some of us eagerly anticipate.
Many thanks to the hardy witnesses who joined us for morning prayer this past Sunday, despite the cold wind!
- Matthew Kieswetter
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